International Journal of Entrepreneurship (Print ISSN: 1099-9264; Online ISSN: 1939-4675)

Abstract

Emerging Technologies and Entrepreneurship Program in Australian Private Higher Education: A Case Study Showing Integration of Analytics and Gaming into a Bachelor′s Degree Program

Author(s): Mahfuz Ashraf, Mohammed Razzaque, Phillip Lawrence, Majd Shamayleh

Emerging digital technologies have been rapidly reshaping the world by threatening to bring creative destruction to the existing norms of an industry or a crucial part of it. Reports have revealed a projected growth of 20% in the business analytics profession by 2024 and more than 23% growth in the gaming industry in Australia. Governments, businesses, and institutions of higher education are fast becoming aware that new business graduates must master the knowledge and skills to deal with these rapid changes to fit in the evolving business environment and try to address the issue, albeit in different ways. This paper presents a case study of a private tertiary education provider (PTEP) in Sydney, Australia, based on a search analysis of the response to the higher education sector transitioning to technology-sensitive business education in general and entrepreneurship in particular. It attempts to evaluate to what extent A PTEP's Bachelor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (BEI) program reflects the current emerging digital technologies-focused practices reported in the literature, other similar courses or units at other academic institutions and responses to in-depth interviews. The study reveals that higher education institutions have recognised the importance of including a variety of technologies in their programs to enrich students' knowledge base and adaptability of technological skills. Analysis of the case stresses the importance of uplifting students' careers into technology-savvy entrepreneurs by integrating technology into existing programs. The research also reveals that some of Australia's leading business schools have only recently introduced undergraduate degree programs in entrepreneurship and business with new and emerging technologies as the focus of study

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