Ethical education and its impact on the perceived development of social entrepreneurship competency

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to discuss the importance of multidisciplinary training in the perceived development of social entrepreneurship competence. By means of a sample of an ethics class, this study seeks to argue the relevance of new social entrepreneurs having a broad training, beyond the knowledge they receive from the business area.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a quantitative analysis methodology. Based on the application of a validated questionnaire measuring the perceived development of social entrepreneurship competence, a longitudinal measurement was carried out at two points in time, at the beginning and at the end of an ethics course, in a sample population of 132 undergraduate students. Based on these results, a multifactorial diagnosis was made using a Z-test.FindingsOverall, the sample results did not show a significant improvement in their level of perception of students' development of the social entrepreneurship competence. However, the individual results of the perceived development of sub-competences that make up this competence did reflect some development, especially the sub-competence of social innovation. Thus, this study demonstrates that there is a measurable impact of the contribution of other disciplines, in this case the ethical education, in the training of new entrepreneurs, arguing the importance of multidisciplinary training.Practical implicationsThe results of this study contribute to the work of universities in developing social entrepreneurship competence. Based on its findings, institutions will be able to recognize the relevance of multidisciplinary training in the generation of new social entrepreneurs, valuing other disciplinary areas, such as humanities and social sciences, beyond training based exclusively on business knowledge. A key point to capitalize on in training practices for social entrepreneurship is “social innovation”, due to the sense of transcendence and impact that universities should seek, precisely because of their social responsibility to create value.Originality/valueThis research provides empirical evidence of the impact of ethics education on social entrepreneurship education. It argues the importance of reflecting on multidisciplinary education as a complementary element in the perceived development of social entrepreneurship competence in students.