Enterprise education in undergraduate business programmes advances students' negotiating competence and self-confidence

• Published in: Education & training (London) 2024-02, Vol.66 (1), p.54-69
• Main Authors: Enstroem, Rickard, Benson, Lyle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bias; Business education; Classrooms; Confidence; Confidence intervals; Decision making; Education; Educational Environment; Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurship education; Experiential learning; Females; Gender aspects; Higher education; Initiatives; Learning; Learning Activities; Males; Negotiations; Private enterprise; Problem solving; Qualitative analysis; Quality control; Quantitative analysis; Self-efficacy; Statistical analysis; Students; Teaching Methods; Triangulation
• ISSN: 0040-0912; 1758-6127
• DOI: 10.1108/ET-01-2022-0009

PurposeBusiness graduates’ enterprising capability augments their work readiness, transforming them into professionals capable of driving successful outcomes. At the core lie self-confidence and negotiating competence. However, embedding enterprise education and developing assessments to evidence learning is challenging. This study aims to offer a blueprint for establishing enterprise learning in the classroom and investigating the effectiveness of cultivating negotiating competence and self-confidence.Design/methodology/approachModelled on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, students engage in in-class and real-life negotiations, assessing self-confidence using a scale founded in Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. Open-ended reflections are also submitted. Quantitative data is analysed through multiple linear regression, while quantitative and qualitative data triangulation substantiates enterprise learning in negotiating competence and self-confidence.FindingsStudents’ reflections show that low self-confidence poses an initial barrier in negotiations, overcome with successive engagements. Quantitative analysis uncovers response-shift biases, with female and male students overestimating initial self-confidence levels. The gender and difference score type interaction reveals a more pronounced bias among female students starting from a lower baseline than male students, implying a more substantial self-confidence improvement for female students. These findings challenge traditional assumptions about gender differences in negotiations and emphasize the need for nuanced perspectives.Originality/valueEnterprising capability is pivotal for business professionals. This study highlights the advancement of negotiating competence and self-confidence. It contributes uniquely to the development of enterprise education pedagogy. Focusing on nuanced gender differences challenges prevailing assumptions, providing a perspective to the discourse on negotiating competence and self-confidence in management training.