Norasmah Othman and Hariyaty Ab Wahid
The purpose of this paper is to identify social entrepreneurship dimensions that emphasize the specific personal characteristics of social entrepreneurs (SPCSE) and social…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify social entrepreneurship dimensions that emphasize the specific personal characteristics of social entrepreneurs (SPCSE) and social entrepreneurship organization (SEO) among students in higher education institutions who are active participants of the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) program in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative approaches and instruments were used to analyze the profile of social entrepreneurship in this cross-sectional survey study, which involved 394 active SIFE students in Malaysia in 2011. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data and describe the SIFE student's SPCSE and SEO.
Findings
The social entrepreneurship of the SIFE students was high, with a dominant SEO. However, the dimensions of SPCSE need to be applied effectively to the students involved, whose social entrepreneurship was merely moderate. There was a strong positive relationship between SPCSE and SEO of SIFE students, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.73.
Research limitations/implications
It is recommended that further longitudinal research be conducted to assess the depth of the impact of social entrepreneurship on SIFE students. In this manner, more useful information related to the impact can be leveraged to improve the pattern of the social entrepreneurship program.
Practical implications
The SIFE participants’ social entrepreneurship profile can be used by the Ministry of Higher Education in formulating social entrepreneurship policy for higher education institutions. The Malaysia SIFE Foundation and the administrators of higher education institutions should encourage more university students to participate in SIFE program to increase the number of social entrepreneurs who will help solve social, economic, and environmental problems.
Originality/value
There has been no discussions of the social entrepreneurship programs in Malaysia. This paper attempts to fill the current gap.
Details
Keywords
Norasmah Othman, Norashidah Hashim and Hariyaty Ab Wahid
The purpose of this paper is to observe the readiness of students and the internal environment of Malaysian public universities in the implementation of entrepreneurship education.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to observe the readiness of students and the internal environment of Malaysian public universities in the implementation of entrepreneurship education.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors employed a quantitative approach and the main instrument used to gauge the entrepreneurship readiness among students in Malaysia public universities was the questionnaire. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software to obtain descriptive statistics that describe the profile of entrepreneurship readiness, both among the students themselves and in the internal environment of the universities, as the students perceive it.
Findings
According to the findings, students in Malaysian public universities demonstrate strong readiness, in terms of entrepreneurial willingness and capabilities. Within the internal environment of public universities, however, readiness for entrepreneurship education remains, from the students’ perspective, imperfect, and requires improvement if these institutions are to support future entrepreneurship education.
Research limitations/implications
This research is limited to students in Malaysian public universities. It is suggested that further research should include the students of private universities also, in order to mine a wealth of information pertinent to the readiness of Malaysian students, as well as to provide material for the remodelling of the internal environments of higher learning institutions.
Practical implications
Readiness profiles of students and institutions towards the implementation of entrepreneurship education provide important resources for policymakers responsible for Malaysian public universities, enabling them to enhance the implementation of entrepreneurship education.
Originality/value
There has been little discussion or analysis of the readiness of students and the internal environments of public universities in Malaysia towards the implementation of entrepreneurship education. This paper attempts to fill this gap in current research.