Business Environment and Enterprise Willingness to Participate in Industry-Education Integration: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Against the backdrop of deepening industry-education integration and the increasing differentiation of local business environment policies, enterprise willingness to participate remains complex and uneven. Drawing on neoinstitutional theory, this qualitative study conducts semi-structured interviews with core decision-makers from eight manufacturing, technology, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the same prefecture-level city. Using NVivo-based thematic analysis, we investigate how enterprise decision-makers perceive, weigh, and narratively construct their participation in industry-education integration. Three main findings emerge. First, a “temperature gap” exists in policy perception: manufacturing and technology firms view participation as a legitimacy opportunity, whereas SMEs perceive it as survival pressure. Second, cost–risk evaluation is shaped by resource endowments, producing a continuum from a “strategic investment” orientation to a “survival cost” orientation. Third, value prioritisation and legitimation narratives diverge into three strategic types: “leaders”, “co-creators”, and “pragmatists”. The study suggests that differentiated participation willingness results from the interaction between institutional pressures and organisations’ strategic responses. These findings provide a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for local governments seeking targeted, context-sensitive policies to optimise the environment for industry-education integration.