Entrepreneurship and trans-national education (TNE): insight based on entrepreneurial trait theory and the reflections of returnee Chinese graduates

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the contribution that a trans-national education (TNE) programme may make to entrepreneurship in terms of developing the entrepreneurial traits of returnee Chinese graduates who have started their own business. Indeed, the research question that the paper will seek to address is what contribution a TNE programme may make to the entrepreneurial traits of returnee Chinese graduates who have started their own business. Design/methodology/approach The research underpinning this paper constituted the qualitative phase of a larger study into TNE and entrepreneurship. The data was generated from 12 in-depth interviews with Chinese graduate returnees of a TNE programme run jointly by universities in China and the UK. Findings The main finding of this study is that TNE programmes may encourage entrepreneurship by developing student’s entrepreneurial traits. It also suggests that there is value in studying entrepreneurial traits inductively and collectively as well as deductively and individually or in small groups. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study are subject to the normal limitation of qualitative research, a small sample size precluding statistical significance, as well as a narrow sampling base (Chinese students from one TNE programme), the issue of attribution and the issue of articulation. Practical implications The paper’s two main practical implications are that policymakers and university authorities may use TNE to encourage entrepreneurship and academics should consider the approach that they use to study entrepreneurial traits. Originality/value This paper makes a valuable contribution to knowledge with respect to both entrepreneurship in China and entrepreneurial traits.