The effectiveness of social business plan competitions in developing social and civic awareness and participation

More and more universities are now delivering courses and programs to develop social awareness, but the literature on the effectiveness of these courses is currently very limited. With the introduction of “social entrepreneurship” as a new discipline within the wider ethics and social education banner, this pedagogic study explores the effectiveness of social business plan teaching in inducing social and civic awareness and intentionality among business school students. This is compared with the case study approach that is traditionally used within the classroom environment. Our study found that both approaches can be successful in raising awareness and improving the attitudes of participating students, increasing the probability that they will support socially oriented initiatives immediately or in the future. Interestingly, many students who participated in SBP teaching develop a local awareness of social and civic matters, while many of those who participated in case study learning develop a wider national and international perspective. In addition, it is found that many of those who participated in SBP development develop a deeper managerial and technical understanding of managing organizations within the social economy.