See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254948573 Fostering Entrepreneurship in Higher Education through E-Learning: Case Study of Serbia and Turkey Article · December 2012 CITATION READS 1 27 6 authors, including: Mirjana Radovic Markovic ugur - Demiray 36 PUBLICATIONS 76 CITATIONS 65 PUBLICATIONS 140 CITATIONS University of Belgrade SEE PROFILE Anadolu University SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: NEO-LIBERALISM EFFECTS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION SYSTEMS View project Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle Eastern Countries View project All content following this page was uploaded by ugur - Demiray on 14 January 2015. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. UDC: 378:37.018.43, 37.018.43:005.5 JEL: I23, L26 33 FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION THROUGH E‐LEARNING:A CASE STUDY OF SERBIA AND TURKEY Professor Mirjana Radovic Markovic PhD Faculty of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship, Belgrade, Serbia mradovic@gmail.com Lecturer Dusan Markovic Ms.C Belgrade Business School, Belgrade, Serbia dusanbps@gmail.com Professor Emine Demiray PhD Faculty of Communication Sciences, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey edemiray@anadolu.edu.tr Professor Ugur Demiray PhD Faculty of Communication Sciences, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey udemiray@anadolu.edu.tr Assistent Milos Vucekovic BS.c Singidunum University,Belgrade milosvu@gmail.com Assissent Aidin Salamzadeh MS.c Faculty of Entrepreneurship, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran salamzadehaidin@gmail.com Abstract The main objective of this study was to determine to what extent the students in the two Balkan countries are interested in starting their own business after graduating from institutions of higher education in the field of economic and business orientation. Of key importance is exploring the opinion of students whether it is necessary the formal education to foster entrepreneurial skills through online programs in entrepreneurship. In addition, we wanted to determine the extent to which students are generally interested in e-learning and what they expect from that kind of education. In view of these and similar questions, we tried to do an analysis and compare the results of research on Turkey and Serbia. Our questionnaire contained eight questions to which the answers are privided by 100 participants from Turkey and 98 from Serbia. The two countries have taken for our study because they belong to Balkans region and therefore have certain characteristics that distinguish the region. Although there are some specific features of the region, the results showed significant differences between the two analized countries. Explanations can be found in the social, cultural, economic and other characteristics of Turkey and Serbia. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, e-learning, Serbia, Turkey Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2203744 34 EMPLOYMENT , EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTRODUCTION The business environment for the development of entrepreneurial activities is not enough incentive, both in Serbia and in Turkey. It could be considered common for the both countries.Namely, it is very difficult to carry out entrepreneurial activities in mentioned Balkan countries. The reason lies in the numerous obstacles and limitations, operating extremely discouraging to achieve these expectations of SMEs. The first line of doing business obstacles refers to corruption in Serbia. The citizens of Serbia perceive corruption to be a major problem: the results presented in UNODC report (2011) show that they rank corruption as the most important problem facing their country after unemployment and poverty/low standard of living. The second line refers to the discouraging fiscal and administrative framework for the development of entrepreneurial activities. Although the Serbian government in the Strategy of Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by 2013 predicted a reduction in administrative costs by at least 25 percent by 2011, but just the opposite happened. Thus Serbian entrepreneurs pay three times more taxes than most European countries and the region. Also, the Serbian entrepreneurs have inadequate financial support and the lack of available financial resources in relation to the needs for capital, which is one of the main problem of development of SMEs in the Republic Serbia. Turkey has also identified many obstacles, including the high costs of navigating the inefficient and inconsistent bureaucracy, the difficulty in protecting intellectual property rights, and monopolistic marketplace dynamics, limited access to capital , lack of basic and technical knowledge ,and so forth. Surveys of the World Bank(2012), showed worsening from year to year the business environment of the Serbian economy ( from 88 position in 2011 to 92 position in 2012 ,i.e.change in rank -4 ,but at the same time the business environment in Turkey ( from 73 position in 2011 to 71 position in 2012 ,i.e. change in rank +2). The both countries pretending to have a dynamic economy have to permanently work on improving the competences of its workforce.The Serbian work force is slow to adjust to the changing economic situation. As a result, the demand for skilled employees is increasing faster than the supply (Radovic Markovic, 2010a). The skill gap can easily explain this statement due to inflexible labour market and missing programmes for specific knowledge and skills. To solve this problem, career counselling and identification of competences and qualifications for an active employment policy should be targeted (Radovic Markovic, 2010b). Besides, there is no synergy between scientific and educational institutions and the environment. There is the similar situation in Turkey.In other words, the communication between universities, public and private sectors flourished.Therefore, the modern business environment should be accompanied by a change in educational environment. Consequently, it is necessary that permanent adjustments between these two environments should be made that will be beneficial for both individuals and the society (Radovic Markovic, 2012a). Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2203744 Faculty of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship 35 According to some scientists ,it can not be said that Turkey is successful in training and support of entrepreneurship (Özmen &Özaltin ,2010).Training of entrepreneurship in universities is given by means of courses, conferences and seminars, congresses and symposiums, and activities of community of scholars (Özmen-Özmen-Uçak, 2007). ). Distance Education has been actually applied in Turkey since 1982 (Ruzgar,2004). Thousands of students today earn university diplomas studying at a distance. On the other hand, problems of organization, technology, and perceptions remain to be addressed (Isman,1997). Serbia does not have extensive experience deploying online studies and virtual faculties. Forming an international learning network may enhance e-learning opportunities in Serbia as well as in countries that are developing or in transition (Radovic Markovic, 2007) Because the functionality of the technologies and the benefits of virtual learning to learners and professors have been misunderstood, the entrepreneurial process although improved in Serbia has been impacted due to the lack of awareness . The Europe 2020 Strategy (2010), sets several Initiatives such as "Innovation Union", "New Skills for New Jobs", "Youth on the Move", and "Digital Agenda". In order to efficiently prepare for fast changes in society and work environments, education should provide necessary knowledge and practical skills for students that are trained for management and entrepreneurship (Radovic Markovic,2012). The application of various technologies improves learning environment, makes better and faster communication and provides preconditions create the conditions to encourage entrepreneurial skills.In line with this , entrepreneurship at the university level has received increasing attention world-wide. For mentioned reasons, it is the subject of our research ,too. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Researches show that there is a strong relation between education level and entrepreneurship. (Celik, 2006). Especiallally higher education is of key importance for entrepreneurs. Education, in one hand, encourages entrepreneurship and sets the substructure of entrepreneurship culture; on the other hand, it develops qualities and competencies of entrepreneur when he sets up a company. (Tusiad,2002).. Researches show that the Youngs who have education for entreprenurship tend to become entrepreneurs (Ibicioglu et. al.2009). According to recent research (Liarokapis et. al .2011), the introduction of virtual environments into higher education has the potential to bring a positive change in the learning experience. The online learning environment is quite different from a traditional classroom. At the first place ,it means that the online courses require participants to take on new and different teaching as well as learning behaviors. In addition, an e-learning content differs from other educational materials ,i.e. it can be disassembled as individual learning objects, 36 EMPLOYMENT , EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP tagged, and stored for reuse in a variety of different learning contexts (Harris, 2005). “E-learning context is very important. It is common to find educators who perceive e-learning as internet-only education that encourages a static and contentfocused series of text pages on screen. Others envisage the shallow and random online messages that are typical of a social real-time chat session, and wonder how that type of communication could add any value to academic discourse. Some may have experienced e-learning done poorly, and extrapolate their experience into a negative impression of all e-learning.” (Demiray ,2010). In literature it has been compared online learning to face-to-face learning from a different point of view . Thus Hoben et al.(2002), explored the effectiveness of online tools such as discussion boards and chat rooms while Spatariu et al. (2004)addressed evaluating effective online instruction .Graham et al. (2001), McCombs (2000) and Wentling & Johnson (1999) assessed the value of online courses in specific fields of study. In particular, the use of virtual worlds to reach remote, distance, and online learners is creating new opportunities for face-to face engagement and motivation with difficult-to-reach groups. Draves (2002)provides a list of reasons why he believes the Internet enhances learning,including such advantages as being able to learn at a peak time of the day,learning at your own speed, accessibility to much information, an ability to track personal progress, and the capability to test personal learning efforts.In addition, the e-learning students were in an environment where professors respond to their needs on demand (Radovic Markovic ,2012b).However, most learning environments neglect the learning services and pedagogy aspects of e-teaching. Hence ,its development has lagged behind the massive investment in hardware and teacher training in using ICT (Newton & Rogers, 2001).According to some researchers , e-learning pedagogy should incorporate the form of learning pedagogy but goes beyond it to include a deeper study into the incorporation of instructional strategies that take into account of real-time personalized learning content-to-learner adaptability (Teo et. al. 2005). However ,online courses require participants to take on new and different teaching/ and learning approach-new pedagogy and behaviour. Students are empowered to learn on their own . They are usually far more writing-intensive than traditional classes have ever been. In an online course, general discussions, requests for elaboration or assistance, answers to directed questions, group projects, most assignments, and many tests and quizzes are in writing (Radovic Markovic, 2007).In addition, „the education and training alone are necessary but insufficient without providing entrepreneurs with other kinds of support, such as mentorships, connections to funding (especially for growth entrepreneurs), and financial assistance (for micro-entrepreneurs). Capacity building of entrepreneurs outside the formal education system (e.g., soft skill and technical training) is a critically important task towards building a solid entrepreneurial ecosystem“ (Bohoney et.al. ,2011). Adding distance entrepreneurship courses to existing offerings will increase the number of alternatives that students can choose from. Certainly, students can individualize their own education through their choices (Croy 1998). If their alternatives can be expanded then individualization can be Faculty of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship 37 increased. In addition, we can soon expect that the students could learn with software that is developed for their kind of intelligence and learning style (Christensen et al., 2008).However, despite the many universities around the world recognized e-learning as a very important form of entrepreneurial studies program, there are many students who are not familiar with it. Many still do not know what to expect from this kind of study and what are its features. Moreover, a number of students found that formal education acquired through online programs is not necessary for success in business, but consider that other factors are more important. Keeping above in mind, we have done research to determine, among other things, wether are our students familiar with this form of study and what they expect from e-learning. In view of these and similar questions, we tried to do an analysis and compare the results of research on Turkey and Serbia. METHODOLOGY The questionnaire is designed to investigate the concepts of "elearning"/"distance learning" and "entrepreneurship", from the stand point of view of students in this field. This Questionnaire is applied to Anadolu University, Faculty of Economics ,Turkey and Belgrade Business School ,Serbia. The sample of students who participated in the survey is approximate for both countries ( 100 respondents were from Turkey and 98 respondents from Serbia) . The ratio of the respondents in Turkey is 65: 35 ( female and men respectively), but in Serbia are 72 : 20 (female and men respectively).The highest percentage of women ( 71%) in Turkey are between 21-23 years old .On the other side ,the highest percentage of women ( 65%) in Serbia are aged between 19 to 22. Our research included eight questions as follow: 1. Do you intend to run your private business as soon as you graduate? A) Yes B) No 2 Why would you like to be an entrepreneur? A) This is the only way to get a job B) I can earn more than working for someone C) I have a good business idea which I want to realize 3. Do you have any role model among successful entrepreneurs? A) Yes B) No 4. Is formal education necessary for entrepreneurship ? A) Yes B) No 38 EMPLOYMENT , EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP 5. Do you believe that distance learning would be a good solution for future young entrepreneurs? A) Yes B) No 6. Would you like to attend one of these distance learning programs ? A) Yes B) No 7. What would be the most important in selecting such a program, and ways of learning? A) Acquisition of knowledge B) The faster and easier way to graduate C) Flexibility in studying 8. What do you think is crucial to be successful in the entrepreneurial career? A) To be highly motivated to succeed B) Have the innovative ability and have original business ideas C) Having good business contacts KEY FINDINGS The results obtained from our questionnaire we use in performing a comparative analysis between the two above-mentioned countries. 1. Do you intend to run your private business as soon as you graduate? We started this research with a question „Do you intend to run your private business as soon as you graduate?” Faculty of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship 39 Twenty-nine respondents from Turkey (29%) answered “Yes” to the question and 71% said“No”. Only 1/3 of responders are intending to start up a business after graduation . Although young people in Serbia are generally preferred to employ primarily in state institutions, but to start their own businesses, this study showed different results.Very interesting is the opinion of the respondents from Serbia ,i.e. about 90 % respondents are really ready to launch their own businesses as soon as graduate . The explanation lies in the fact that the respondents attend business studies. Certainly the results would be different if made the same question to students from technical university or college. 2. Why would you like to be an entrepreneur? The third option is the most important by 50 respondents (50%) from Turkey (“I have a good business idea which want to realize”) . However, this opinion is not shared by respondents from Serbia.For them is of key importance „ to earn more if they work for themselves“ (45%). 3. Do you have any role model among successful entrepreneurs? Sixty-six of all respondents (66%) from Turkey answered “Yes” to the third question .It can be concluded that the most respondents from Turkey have a role 40 EMPLOYMENT , EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP model among any successful entrepreneurs.But , the responses from Serbia were quite different.The most of respondents (50%) are answered “No” and 42 respondents ( 42 %) said„Yes“. The reason that young people in Serbia do not have role models or to a lesser extent than in Turkey can be explained by the fact that private businesses have a shorter tradition here. Moreover, there is a much smaller number of true role models, given the high level of corruption that enabled the successful unethical businesses. 4. Is formal education necessary for entrepreneurship? Fifty-seven respondents (57%) from Turkey answered “Yes” to the question four and fifty (50%) from Serbia. It shows that in this case there are no major differences between the two countries. 5. Do you believe that distance learning would be a good solution for future young entrepreneurs? Faculty of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship 41 Forty-four responders (44%) from Turkey answered “Yes” to the question five ,while 56 responders (56%)said“No“.Women mostly do not believe that distance learning would be a good solution for future young entrepreneurs. They share equaly the same opinion with men. As many as 90% of respondents from Serbia believe that the distance learning would be a good solution for future young entrepreneurs. Women and men equaly mostly believed that distance learning would be a good solution for future young entrepreneurs. 6. Would you like to attend one of the distance learning programs? Thirty-one of the total number of respondents (31%) from Turkey answered “Yes” to the question six , while 69 responders (69%) answered “No”.On the other hand, respondents from Serbia almost all said“Yes”.Probably ,the reason for such a large number of respondents who gave a positive answer can be found in the fact that, first of all, the students like to see how e-learning works in practice because it is still not widely applied in Serbia. 7. What would be the most important criteria in selecting such a program, and ways of learning? 42 EMPLOYMENT , EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP In this question the first option “Acquisition of knowledge” is marked by 44% (44 responders) from Turkey and 25% (25 respondents) from Serbia. The second option “The faster and easier way to graduate” is marked by 29% (29 respondents) from Turkey and 27% ( 27 respondents) from Serbia. The third option “Flexibility in studying” is marked by 27% (27 responders) from Turkey and 48 % from Serbia (48 respondeents). There are no significant differences between respondents divided by gender for this question for the both countries. It should be noted that the top priority for respondents from Serbia in selecting some e-learning program is „flexibility in studying“, while for those from Turkey is an „acquisition of knowledge“ as the most important. 8. What do you think is crucial to be successful in the entrepreneurial career? Question 8 is “What do you think is crucial to be successful in the entrepreneurial career?”. The first option in this question “Have the innovative ability and has original business ideas” is marked by 58% (58 responders) from Turkey and 22% ( 22 respondents) from Serbia.The second option “Having good business contacts” is marked by 26% (26 responders) from Turkey and 70% ( 70 respondents) from Serbia. The third option “To be highly motivated to succeed” is marked by 16% (16 responders) from Turkey and 6% ( 5 respondents) from Serbia. Faculty of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship 43 CONCLUSION According to the results of the survey, when respondents replied on the question whether they believe that distance learning would be a good solution for future young entrepreneurs ,can be concluded that the Turkish women mostly do not believe in the mentioned opportunity. They share equaly the same opinion with men.Hence, it is found that the distance education is slowly accepted among students in Turkish education system. On the other side, about 90% of respondents from Serbia believe that the distance learning would be a good solution for entrepreneurs. This opinion is shared by women and men equaly. In addition,it should be noted that the top priority for respondents from Serbia in selecting some e-learning program is „flexibility in studying“, while for those from Turkey is an „acquisition of knowledge“. There are also differences between both countries in terms of preferences among students for dealing with entrepreneurial business.In line with this, respondents from Turkey would like to start up their business because they want to realize „a good business idea“ ,but respondets from Serbia are motivated to run business because „an opportunity to earn more than work for someone“. Although there are differences between the results obtained for these two countries, the both od them should apply more effective learning strategies. 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