SUPPORT FACILITIES FOR STUDENTS IN THEIR ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURES AT LINNAEUS UNIVERSITY : HOW CAN THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SEEK AND EXPERIENCE THE SUPPORT THEY GET FROM THE UNIVERSITY TO DEVELOP THEIR ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURES

Sammanfattning: We see an increasing need for more entrepreneurs to match the changing nature of the globe in this dynamic world. In 2012, the Swedish government considered entrepreneurship to be a theme running throughout the entire educational system. The university is one place to develop the entrepreneurial spirit, especially among students. Universities play a very important role in enhancing national development because of their central role in the production of high-level manpower and research that are necessary for achieving national goals. Through research, universities generate new knowledge and understanding that are instrumental for developing new technology and promoting information transfer. Most international students experience three levels of shock: culture shock, language shock and academic shock. Sohrabpour et al. (2013) defined these shocks as a disease suffered by those who enter a new cultural environment. In this paper, we discussed the role that the university plays in supporting international students to develop entrepreneurial ideas and become established at Linnea University in Växjö. We believed that if being an international student poses challenges, launching an entrepreneurial venture is sure to have even more complex constraints that will potentially kill their entrepreneurial spirit. Thus, we examined the support facilities that are available to help international students start their entrepreneurial ventures and how they are experiencing these facilities at universities. We took Linnea University in Växjö as a case study.