Undergraduate Business School Research Articles

Towards an understanding of multi-generational higher education cohorts in gamified entrepreneurship education

The increasing inclusion of gamified courses in entrepreneurship programmes in higher education have left gaps in understanding the critical essentials of the multi-generational student cohort undertaking these programmes. In this paper, we interrogate the educational experiences of multi-generational higher education students in a core gamified entrepreneurship course in an undergraduate business school programme. The research analyzed 392 course feedback responses from three generations (X, Y and Z) of a multi-generational cohort. The study developed and validated a behaviour-results model for gamified entrepreneurship courses leading to student entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial orientation, and disaggregated student engagement into it's multiple dimensions of cognitive, behavioural and emotional. The model also validated six dimensions of individual entrepreneurship orientation. Using the model, the study found differences in the component variables based on student Generations X, Y, and Z. Also, student cognitive and behavioural engagement led to entrepreneurial intention which also influenced student entrepreneurial orientation. There were marked differences in student grit, cognitive engagement, and emotional engagement between Generations X and Z. Furthermore, generational differences existed amongst Generation Z and Y, and also for Generation Z and X in student entrepreneurial intention. The study also confirmed the difference in entrepreneurial orientation between Generations X and Z. Additionally, the study found that there is a need to contextualize student engagement facilitators such as results demonstrability of the business simulation platform, student grit and user characteristics as they have selective effects on student cognition, behavioural and emotional engagements in a multi-generational student cohort of Generation X, Y and Z.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Commercialization of Higher Education in Hong Kong: A Case Study of the Business School Undergraduate Admissions Prospectuses

A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Commercialization of Higher Education in Hong Kong: A Case Study of the Business School Undergraduate Admissions Prospectuses

Student Perceptions of Pedagogical Approaches to Integrating the SDG 8 into Business School Education

This paper aims to assess students’ perceptions regarding the extent of integration of the eighth principal Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 8) “promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all” into an undergraduate business school (BS) course. We analyzed students’ perceptions with respect to three pedagogical themes: content/curriculum; knowledge and skills; and awareness and attitudes. Based on legitimacy theory, we conducted a survey of 124 students at a globally accredited business school that has been a pioneer in terms of integrating SDGs into business school education in the Middle East and particularly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which we refer to as Alpha Business School (ABS). A Q-methodology approach was adopted by designing a concourse of 37 statements. Our research findings highlight that in response to institutional governmental pressure to implement the SDGs at all levels in the country, ABS has begun to integrate the SDGs into its practice, including undergraduate courses. However, after a more in-depth analysis, the findings suggest that traditional learning methods and a “business as usual” mentality continue to prevail as a management paradigm among students and that, therefore, ABS has only embedded SDG 8 symbolically without undergoing a full substantive change. In conclusion, further work is needed to incorporate the SDGs into all dimensions of the business school’s activities and to promote new methodologies, skills, and competencies. This paper is helpful for accounting educators and curriculum setters in the process of revamping accounting curricula to reflect the importance of sustainability education. The results of this study have professional, academic, and policy-making implications.

Higher aims fulfilled: The Social Capital Academy as a means for advancing underrepresented students in comprehensive university business schools

Current research underscores how a college education can reflect broader social inequality via the disproportionate flow of resources to elite universities and advantaged students. In contrast, underresourced comprehensive universities disproportionately serve minority, first-generation, and working-class students. This article argues that the comprehensive university is uniquely positioned to reduce social inequality and that the comprehensive university undergraduate business school (CUUBS) should test a new approach to education. The article also advocates a substantive response to social inequality by (1) focusing on undergraduate business education within comprehensive universities rather than MBA programs in well-funded, elite business schools, (2) implementing a strategic emphasis on career-related jobs (CRJs) for underrepresented students, and (3) helping students pursue CRJs via the development of a Social Capital Academy (SCA). This article describes the benefits of an SCA for underrepresented students, its requirements and benefits for universities and business communities, and the possibilities for scaling the program to address social inequality. Future applications of the SCA to STEM-related fields are also explored.

A self-regulatory model of how future work selves change during job search and the school-to-work transition

To better understand the identity-shaping experiences of students during their school-to-work transition, we developed and tested a model of how students' future work selves change as they search for jobs. We propose that a job seeker's future work self becomes more or less salient depending on how they manage job search challenges. We further propose that change in future work self salience influences job search success through engagement in more effective job search behaviors. Results from a three-wave, three-month longitudinal survey of 539 undergraduate business school job seekers indicated that when they exercised higher levels of motivation control, their future work selves grew more salient. Further, as job seekers' future work selves became more salient, they conducted a more intense job search and used more focused and exploratory job search strategies. Higher job search intensity and a more exploratory strategy predicted more interview invitations, whereas a more focused strategy predicted more job offers. Finally, analyses suggest that future work self salience and job search behaviors mediate the relationship between motivation control and job search outcomes. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

Higher Aims Fulfilled:The Social Capital Academy as A Means for Advancing Underserved Students.

Current research underscores how college education can reflect broader social inequality through the disproportionate flow of resources to elite universities and the advantaged students they serve. In contrast, under-resourced comprehensive universities disproportionately serve under-represented minority, first-generation, and working-class students. This paper argues for the comprehensive university as an institution uniquely positioned to reduce social inequality and the comprehensive university undergraduate business school (CUUBS) as the first test of a new approach to education. This paper advocates a substantive response to social inequality through 1) refocusing the business school on undergraduate education within the comprehensive university, rather than the MBA within well-funded elite business schools; 2) a strategic focus within the CUUBS on underserved students’ attainment of career-related jobs (CRJs) upon graduation; and 3) helping students to pursue CRJs via the development of a Social Capital Academy (SCA), a program offering sustained networks, social skills, and career engagement, alongside the traditional academy’s formal university coursework. The paper describes the benefits of the SCA for underserved students, its requirements and benefits for universities and business communities, and the possibilities for scaling the program to significantly address social inequality. Future applications of the SCA to STEM-related fields are briefly explored.

Learning communities and collaborative reflection for teaching improvement

PurposeThis study covers an experience of teacher training carried out in an Undergraduate Business School from a private university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The purpose of the project was to provide teachers with an opportunity to reflect on their teaching practices at the university. The aim of this study is to systematize lessons and challenges that emerge from this teacher training experience and get to know in which way this helped to improve student’s learning process.Design/methodology/approachA group of teachers, who showed willingness to learn teaching abilities, was selected. They worked in two learning communities that were organized by expertise: one community of the field of social sciences and one of the field of economic sciences. They completed a formative process that began by diving into a pedagogic topic, continued with class observations and finished with an individual and collaborative reflection exercise. They repeated this process with each of the topics in a systematic way among colleagues. In this study, the production of eight teacher’s e-portfolio and the expected product of their training journey are analyzed.FindingsThe analysis shows that after the process of shared reflection, traits related to powerful teaching and meaningful learning have appeared in the classes. Teachers reflect having reached an awareness of their own practices, identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement. The experience of sharing their own way and knowing the successes and failures of others was valued.Originality/valueTeacher training programmes in business education are infrequent. This experience promotes a journey of pedagogical transformation for teachers of a Business School in Argentina, which could lead to a change in teaching practices for the entire Business School. The present study involves theoretical and pedagogical aspects of business education and its direct implications for the workplace, which may be transferred to other educational contexts.

Social Media Adoption Intention among Undergraduate Business Schools Students in Kathmandu Valley: A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Approach

Background: Social Media has become a prevalent platform for students to receive information content such as admission notices, holiday notices from business schools. Students are communicating, collaborating, and resource sharing by several social media in the names of support groups.
 Objective: The purpose of the research paper is to examine social media adoption intention among undergraduate students of business schools in Kathmandu Valley in 2020.
 Method: The data were collected with the self-administered questionnaires from 200 undergraduate students. Partial Least Square (PLS) - SEM was applied to test the direct and mediated effect of the proposed hypotheses.
 Result: The results revealed that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, collaboration, resource sharing, communication and intention of social mediation adoption. Perceived ease of use partially mediates the relationship between communications, resource sharing on the intention of social media adoption.
 Conclusion: The study concludes that undergraduate level students of business schools could intent to social media when they find the social media useful, easy to use, collaborative, communication, and resource sharing among students. Moreover, students could intend to use social media when they perceived ease of social media use over communication, resource sharing for educational purposes. The conclusion could provide information for business schools in creating an atmosphere of collaboration, communication, and resource sharing to increase engagement in social media.
 Originality: Social media adoption in the Nepali context is a relatively less explored phenomenon. This research established that social media adoption is impacted by collaborative learning, resource sharing, perceived usefulness, and communication.

A multivariate analysis of undergraduate business schools’ curricula in Turkey

In this study, the curricula of undergraduate business schools in Turkey have been examined in terms of course groups, total course numbers and total workload of students. On the examination of the dendogram which is created by using Ward’s Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering Method, it is seen that five clusters emerged at a distance of five units in which all business schools (n = 147) have been linked to a cluster. MANOVA—Pillai’s Trace test results reveal that there are significant differences between the clusters in terms of the curricula of course groups. Finally, by applying Post hoc tests, significant differences between the clusters have been analyzed in terms of total course numbers and the student’s workload for each course group.

Understanding utility essentials of e-learning management systems in higher education: a multi-generational cohort perspective

ABSTRACT This research aimed to explore the nuances of utility in components of e-learning systems by using a multi-generational undergraduate business school cohort programme and an e-learning utility-satisfaction evaluation model. Our empirical research demonstrates differences between the three generations for the utility of all the variables of the e-learning systems components, with varying differences in the relationships between Generations X, Y and Z. Furthermore, we show course development, learner support and user characteristics influence results demonstrability which has a high influence on overall satisfaction. We established nuances in the learning utility essentials in courses on e-learning systems for multi-generational cohorts; revealed the utility of learner support as a key differentiator and developed a model on utility-satisfaction with reasonable explanatory and predictive power. The model possesses the dual advantages of fewer constituent items and the connective capability to link utility to satisfaction to enable e-learning systems evaluation and ease of identifying areas for improvement in e-learning course delivery.

Exploring the Predictors of Student Satisfaction: A Case of Undergraduate Business School in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Students have their own connotations related to satisfaction because their perception influences the performance which will provide opportunities to them to get the better quality of life in later stages. The present study planned to ascertain the relationships between infrastructure, campus life, admin./staff support and faculty with academic support among business students. The investigation was designed to identify predictor(s) of student satisfaction. A total of 147 students were included in the study which has been selected randomly from the business college of Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The student satisfaction scale was used to gather information. The data have been analyzed by means of both descriptive and inferential statistics. The result of the investigation revealed that (i) all the factors of student satisfaction had positive and significant relationships with each (ii) faculty, infrastructure and campus life were emerged as most potent predictors of students’ satisfaction with academic support and (iii) majority of the students showed the moderate level of satisfaction. The significance and limitation of this investigation are also presented, which will shed the light of hope of other investigators to go ahead with similar kinds of investigation with different methodologies. Further, it is suggested in this investigation that contemporary changes in the higher education systems and varying levels of student satisfaction will surely attract the employer to employ the talented or competent students to enhance the profits of the institutions.

Understanding satisfaction essentials of E-learning in higher education: A multi-generational cohort perspective

Despite the increasingly critical role of e-learning in higher education, there is limited understanding of the satisfaction essentials of multi-generational students' cohorts undertaking online courses. In this study, we examine the perceived value of educational experiences of multi-generational students' cohorts studying via an online learning management system (Moodle). The study analysed survey responses from multi-generational students (N = 611) on a core subject in an undergraduate business school programme. The results show that Generations X, Y and Z students produce different students' satisfaction levels in distinct components of the online programme; namely, course design, course delivery, course delivery environment and preference of the mode of delivery. Generations cohorts account for remarkable effects in the total satisfaction of students on the online learning programme. The results suggest that contextualising online teaching based on multi-generational students' cohort composition could be one strategy to enhance student learning experience and satisfaction.

Maintaining a Mandate of Meaningfulness: The Occupation of Career Advisers in Business Schools

Every occupation requires an occupational mandate to uphold its legitimacy. The mandates literature focuses on nascent occupations constructing mandates through the enactment of occupational values. However, even for mature occupations, mandates require maintenance, and this maintenance might be challenged when the occupation exists in an organization whose values misalign with occupational values. We examine career advisers in undergraduate business schools, a mature occupation whose values around helping students achieve purpose and fit in careers misalign with organizational values held among business school students around wealth or prestige and conformity. We conduct an ethnography of career advisers at an undergraduate business school, combined with an interview study of such advisers throughout the U.S. We find that advisers maintain their mandate through several practices, differentiated by interactional setting and audience. In one-on-one advising sessions, career advisers discerned the alignment between the student’s ambitions and advisers’ values. Advisers enacted value-moderating practices when they perceived student misalignment with advisers’ values, and they engaged in value-magnifying practices when they perceived alignment or openness. In group settings where assessing value congruence was infeasible, advisers engaged in value-masking practices, where they obfuscated values that could conflict with values of students, students’ parents, or business school administrators. Overall, this study shows how members of a mature occupation—whose values misalign with organizational values—actively maintain their mandate by discerning between audiences and occasionally concealing rather than revealing their values.

Peer Coaching: A Tool for Affectively-Driven Experiential Learning in Undergraduate Education

Contemporary Business School education is increasingly being scrutinized for its functionalist knowledge generation. In consequence, critics have proposed several ways that can better prepare graduates for their future, including Experiential Learning. While the place of emotion has been thoughtfully considered in the workplace, we lack systematic, empirically-grounded studies on affective capability generation in undergraduate Business School programmes. With data drawn from 16 semi-structured undergraduate student interviews and 30 student reflective essays, we contribute to this shortcoming in existing literature by empirically exploring the study of coaching and practice of peer coaching in an interdisciplinary, undergraduate Business School module. We propose a peer coaching model of relational, affectively-driven experiential learning, where both cognition and emotion impact knowledge generation equally. This paper therefore stands to make three central contributions to the management learning literature: Firstly, that the study and practice of peer coaching amongst students can enhance learning by raising emotional awareness and is, thus, a privileged site for affectively-driven experiential learning; secondly, that peer coaching has the potential to foster affectively-driven managerial mindsets for students in their future careers; and thirdly, we offer a reconceptualization of Kolb’s experiential learning model that incorporates the affective and relational components of learning through experience.

Making Strategy Valuable to Undergraduate Students

This paper examines the most common methods used to teach strategic management to undergraduate business school students. It raises questions about the overly broad scope of strategy textbooks, the limitations of the case method within undergraduate contexts, and the non-optimal use of business simulations. Three principles are presented to guide the development of strategic management courses that provide true value to undergraduate students: (1) prioritize depth over breadth, (2) supervised practice, and (3) tailored cases.

The Relationships Among Social Media Intensity, Smartphone Addiction, and Subjective Wellbeing of Turkish College Students

Excessive use of new technologies appears to be potentially addictive for a minority of young people. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between personal environment factors (self-esteem and subjective wellbeing) and behaviors (social network site [SNS] intensity and smartphone addiction) drawing upon the Social Cognitive Theory and utilizing structural equation modeling. The sample comprised 734 undergraduate Business School students. Findings indicated that young people tend to use SNSs to enhance their extrinsic outcome expectation (network size) rather than intrinsic one (subjective well-being). Based on our knowledge, the present study is the first to address SNS usage behavior to assess extrinsic and intrinsic factors separately. Results also show that high SNS intensity is associated with high levels of smartphone usage, which decreases the individuals’ level of subjective wellbeing. It is also proved that low self-esteem causes smartphone addiction. Lastly, there is a weak but significant relation between SNS intensity and network size is also found. Overall, the present study contributes to our understanding of problematic smartphone and social media use.

Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling in Online Shopping: the Moderator Effect Between Impulsive Buying Tendency and Behavior

Single’s Daywas first promoted by Alibaba's shopping website on November 11, 2009. Ten years later, Taobao successfully developed this day into a global carnival shopping festival. This research focuses on undergraduate business school students through online questionnaires across the Taiwan Strait. This study is based on five impact factors, including impulse buying tendencies, herd behavior, website features, promotional techniques and impulse buying behavior. No evidence showed that gender, age and monthly disposable income affect students’ buying behavior. This study also found that herd behavior, website features and promotional techniques are moderator effects between impulse buying tendency and impulse buying behavior. We also proved that website design and the opinions of their peers affect consumers' decision aking. According to the analysis, in the current online shopping environment, operators should pay more attention to herd behavior, website features and promotional techniques. This study suggests that the industry should provide sufficient information to reduce emotional conflict, and use these important factors to attract consumers' future purchases.

Understanding pedagogical essentials of employability embedded curricula for business school undergraduates: a multi-generational cohort perspective

ABSTRACT The concepts of employability and generational effects are emerging disciplines within the context of business education management research, but their complementary role in curriculum development and enrichment is yet to be explored. The study employs a work-related employability course for a business school undergraduate cohort (N = 267) consisting of various generations to examine the generational effects from the student stakeholder perspective of work-related learning outcomes in employability embedded curricula. This research shows the differences in students’ perceptions based on age generations as shown to be marked by the Generations X, Y and Z, which also produces a different inter-generational learning opportunity with distinct characteristics. We established that undergraduate multi-generational cohorts expect contextualised employability-related teaching to accompany designing and embedding work-related employability curricula. We show that an employability embedded curriculum is likely to improve students’ employability decisions when different inter-generational learning environments are factored into programme development, delivery, and assessment.

Examining US business undergraduates’ use of career information sources during career exploration

PurposeCampus career services are increasingly scrutinized as the primary career development resource for undergraduates. The purpose of this paper is to use Career Construction Theory to examine all sources of career information used by undergraduate business students and their contributions toward career exploration and development.Design/methodology/approachUsing a mixed-methods design, a survey was first administered to 372 university students enrolled in an undergraduate business school in the USA. Focus group interviews were conducted with 35 students from the survey sample. Descriptive statistics are reported, and inductive themes and causal networks were derived from qualitative data.FindingsIn order of prominence, students endorsed using sociocultural (e.g. family) and institutional (e.g. career services center) resources, and exploratory activities (e.g. work experience) as career information sources. These sources contributed toward students’ vocational development by enhancing their psychological readiness for work, building social capital and facilitating decisions.Research limitations/implicationsParticipants were sampled from one undergraduate business school in the USA and were self-selected into the study.Practical implicationsCareer services and higher education professionals should think of the career-related information sources available to students as a complex ecosystem of advice instead of singular resources that exist in isolation. Professionals should also attend to students existing sources of career information and consider ways to support students’ development of social and professional networks and opportunities. Furthermore, universities should consider the potential for integrating career exploration into course curricula as opposed to tasking career services offices to be fully responsible for students’ career-related outcomes.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine undergraduate business students’ sources of career information and their contributions to career development. Its insights offer evidence for ways to tailor interventions to support students’ use of available information sources beyond campus career services.

Morningness-eveningness and tertiary academic achievement: an exploration of potential mediators, including sleep factors, mind wandering, and metacognitive beliefs

ABSTRACT Correlates of academic achievement can vary by subject and by assessment type, although consistent associations have been found with some variables, including morningness-eveningness. In the present study, 153 second-year undergraduate Business School students at an English-medium university in China completed questionnaire measures of morningness-eveningness, mind wandering, sleep quality, conscientiousness, affect and metacognitive beliefs. Positive correlates of grades in three English for Academic Purposes assessments (coursework, speaking, and exam) included English level, morningness and self-discipline. Negative correlates of achievement included mind wandering, negative affect, rise time and poor sleep quality, and also maladaptive metacognitive beliefs, which were most strongly associated with exam performance. Significant predictors of achievement included English level and aspects of sleep quality. Exploratory mediation analysis investigated potential mediators between morningness-eveningness and achievement. Morningness-eveningness was found to have indirect effects on achievement through sleep-related factors, mind wandering, conscientiousness, negative affect, and metacognitive beliefs. These results contribute to the understanding of academic achievement in different subjects and assessment types, and identify possible indirect effects in the association between morningness-eveningness and academic achievement.