Enhancing entrepreneurial marketing education: the student perspective

Abstract

Purpose -This paper aims to report the findings of a large-scale multinational study of students in a marketing organization that investigates the need to expand entrepreneurship education in the marketing curriculum. Key questions include what is the entrepreneurial mindset of students interested in marketing, what do they think they need to know, should they some day decide to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities, and how satisfied are they with their current exposure to entrepreneurial marketing experiences? Design/methodology/approach -Via e-mail, a major international collegiate marketing association headquartered in the USA sent the online questionnaire to a random sample of 4,300 students. Content areas included entrepreneurial mindset, desired entrepreneurial marketing learning and experiential activities, and demographics. A total of 605 students participated in the study. Findings -The findings show that there is a large segment of marketing students who desire to be an entrepreneur and feel strongly about entrepreneurial education. Exposure to entrepreneurial marketing tools, experiential learning activities, and networking opportunities were deemed to be especially important.Research limitations/implications -The study focused on students in marketing organizations. Additional research is needed at the course level. Practical implications -The findings suggest that entrepreneurial marketing education is needed in the business curriculum. Training in entrepreneurial marketing will better prepare students interested in being an entrepreneur or small business owner. Originality/value -Entrepreneurial marketing has received little attention in the business education literature. The study is the first of its kind to study entrepreneurial marketing curriculum needs from the perspective of students in a nearly 11,000 strong international marketing organization.

The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Marketing Education

“…Within the mainstream EI literature review, EI definition integrated entrepreneurs' Personality Traits (PT) which was considered as a key concept (Chen & al., 1998), or the entrepreneurial mindset (Raposo & al., 2008;Peltier & Scovotti, 2010). PT was defined in terms of "achievement, locus of control, risk taking propensity, tolerance for ambiguity, innovativeness and self-confidence" (Gürol& Atsan, 2006).…”

“…Since we are talking about EE, it will be very interesting to examine the concept of EM Education (EME) as part of the EEP preparing potential entrepreneurs' (students) to be successful in their professional life. In this sense, Peltier & Scovotti (2010) assert that EME is "the program and course coverage useful for understanding effective entrepreneurial marketing Strategies and Tactics". Therefore, EME was conceptualized throughout the mainstream issues resulting from both Entrepreneurship and Marketing issues: Marketing strategies and practice for New and Small Business (MkgSP), the process of launching a business (StartNSB), electronic communication technology related to marketing context (MkgTech), Networking and relationship building (Network), and Exposure to Entrepreneurs (EntrepEx).…”

Socially Conscious Ventures and Experiential Learning: Perceptions of Student Engagement

“…Additionally, many students question the value of such projects for business education, insofar as the types of challenges, work, and organizational emphases found in typical service-learning endeavors often differ markedly from those in the corporate world for which business students are ostensibly preparing [21][22]. The research consensus is that students place the highest value on project-based learning that most closely resembles the private-sector placements the students expect to assume upon graduation [14].…”

“…The term "Gray-Sector Organizations", or GSOs, has been coined to describe businesses that combine social, environmental, and economic sustainability in their design and mission [31]. Firms in these categories have been rather neglected as topics for research, even though this emphasis on corporate ethics, social responsibility, and mission appears to reflect a broad-based societal movement toward renewed scrutiny of corporate behavior [14,32]. Previously, philanthropic endeavors, ranging from charitable contributions to firm-sponsored volunteering, were considered sufficient actions for corporations to demonstrate their commitment to corporate citizenship and to benefit from positive public relations surrounding such activities [33].…”

“…Researchers have identified the positive impacts experienced by businesses that participate in such projects [12], the benefits for student motivation through the inclusion of experiential projects [13], and even increases in students' perceptions of self-efficacy [14]. Moreover, participation in experiential learning projects has been found to enhance students' later career success, especially when carried out in a small business or entrepreneurial context [15].…”