Afreen Huq

Enhancing graduate employability through work‐based learning in social entrepreneurship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible benefits of a work‐based learning (WBL) model in “social entrepreneurship” for enhancing graduate employability and an appreciation for “responsible” entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approach – Pre‐ and post‐course experience surveys were conducted with the yearly cohorts, followed by focus group discussions with students in each semester between 2008 and 2011. In addition, ten not‐for‐profit (NFP) industry partners were interviewed for their feedback on the enhanced curriculum.Findings – The findings strongly validate the adoption of WBL curriculum for social entrepreneurship in enhancing graduate employability and opportunities for responsible entrepreneurship education. The case study also provides insights into how to overcome the key challenges relating to designing and implementing WBL models through a curriculum innovation in social entrepreneurship.Research limitations/implications – Further research with longitudinal data is ne...

All the world’s a stage: transforming entrepreneurship education through design thinking

The purpose of this paper is to present an alternate approach to entrepreneurship pedagogy development through an iterative journey of co-ownership between students, industry partners and academic course teams to enhance student satisfaction and learning outcomes.,Utilising design thinking, the pedagogy evolved over a three-year period (2013-2015) through iterative innovation in the delivery model and assessments, underpinned by notions of classroom community, constructivism, justice and equity, humour and role-play.,The findings strongly validate the integration of notions of justice and equity, constructivism, humour and role-play as learning principles and delivery elements in entrepreneurship pedagogy to enhance student satisfaction and learning outcomes. A critical outcome of this design and delivery process is the reduction of barriers between students and teachers and the impact this has on creating a shared learning journey; a journey that in this case has resulted in meaningful outcomes for all involved.,Further research with longitudinal data is needed to validate the link between design-led entrepreneurship pedagogy and enhanced student learning outcomes as well as implications relating to graduate employability. In global settings, further data collection could also validate whether the findings are culturally neutral or culturally sensitive.,Entrepreneurship educators will benefit from this pedagogical approach in seeking to meet the needs of business start-ups, intrapreneurial capacity-building and potentially, enhancement of graduate employability. The model also offers promise for other learning contexts.,Design thinking has received scant attention in entrepreneurship pedagogy. This case study demonstrates how design thinking can enhance student satisfaction and learning outcomes by integrating notions of constructivism, justice and equity, humour and role-play in entrepreneurship curricula.

Without the support of your family, entrepreneurial success means nothing

This paper expands our understanding of work-family interface by looking at the different dimensions of work-family interface and how women entrepreneurs in a patriarchal society make conscious choices in regards to their entrepreneurial journey to construct that interface. Contrary to the prominent view that sees work-family interfaces as problematic and fraught with tension, we find that that this tension is not present when these women operate within the boundaries of what is deemed as legitimate for a woman in relation to work-life interface, i.e., work and family are not understood as separate realms of life, instead work is embedded in the family.