The Individual's Perceived Environment as an Antecedent of Academic Entrepreneurship: Multiple Case Studies of Thai University Researchers

This study investigates the individual researcher's perceived environment as a pre-condition of entrepreneurship within the university. Our objective is to identify the micro-level antecedents that shape a university researcher's decision about whether to embark on an entrepreneurial venture. We conducted a series of both entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial case studies through in-depth interviews with six university researchers. The comparative case data generated inclusive descriptions of the social conditions surrounding the researchers and their individual characteristics as criteria for explaining their decisions on whether to become entrepreneurs. Our findings add to the macro-perspectives typically discussed, and advance knowledge of the entrepreneurial university by incorporating the individual's perceived environment as a micro-level condition for academic entrepreneurship. Drawing on the context of Thailand's emerging economy, in which social inequality exists alongside growth, our findings shed light on the university researcher's entrepreneurial role as a leader for social change through the commercialisation of science and technology research.