In Alain Gibb's footsteps: Evaluating alternative approaches to sustainable enterprise education (SEE)

This study examines the impact of contrasting pedagogies of sustainable enterprise education, focussing on the intention to create a social enterprise, as well as related entrepreneurial behaviours, values, competences and outcomes. The empirical context involves Peruvian MBA students, a corporate social responsibility curriculum and the undertaking of self-initiated social enterprise projects by students. Developing and applying a pre- and post-course survey underpinned by a multi-perspectival theoretical approach that particularly draws on Alain Gibb's theory of entrepreneurial behaviours, values, competencies and outcomes, we compare experiential learning to traditional lecture and case-based learning. We were, in particular, interested in those students who changed their mind about becoming an entrepreneur after they had participated in the experiential learning component of the course. A probit model was used to establish which factors were involved in explaining potential changes in students' attitudes. We show that students involved in the experiential learning experience increased in entrepreneurial attitudes and intention, at least in the short run. Demographic and attitudinal constructs are shown to be moderators. Our findings have implications for entrepreneurship and social enterprise teaching, particularly regarding the design and implementation of training involving high-engagement, de-routinised interventions.