Abstract:

Enhancing social entrepreneurship competencies (SEC) has become a strategic priority across many countries seeking to prepare individuals capable of addressing complex social and environmental challenges under conditions of uncertainty, ethical tension and resource constraint. Unlike conventional entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship integrates mission-driven value creation with financial sustainability, requiring a multidimensional competency profile that extends beyond purely commercial capabilities. Accordingly, well-designed educational interventions play a pivotal role in systematically cultivating the competencies necessary to generate sustainable social impact. Yet, determining which competencies are most critical and how they can be most effectively developed remains a central research challenge.

Therefore, this study develops a literature-informed 7C competency framework for social entrepreneurship, designed to consolidate fragmented competency domains into coherent, measurable and pedagogically actionable dimensions. The study further evaluates the effectiveness of alternative instructional approaches in fostering these competencies.

A quasi-experimental design has been developed to evaluate the intervention within a sample of postgraduate business students, providing an initial empirical context for examining the framework’s applicability. Social entrepreneurship competency (SEC) levels will be measured using a questionnaire developed from the 7C framework, administered both before and after the intervention. Two instructional approaches will be compared: (1) traditional workshops based on instructor-led teaching and structured case study discussion, and (2) a three-round experiential Business Simulation Game (BSG) delivered across equivalent contact time. Following a one-week interval, post-test data will be collected to enable both within-group (pre–post) and between-group comparisons.

The BSG adopts a hybrid design integrating social venture scenarios, spreadsheet-supported decision modelling, and AI-agent-generated personalised, real-time narrative feedback supported by analytical dashboards. These mechanisms are designed to highlight strategic alignment, trade-offs and potential unintended consequences of decisions. Data analysis will involve descriptive statistics and appropriate inferential tests to assess competency development effects and compare the relative impact of the two instructional approaches.

This study contributes by offering an integrated competency framework and empirically examining the pedagogical value of simulation-based learning for developing social entrepreneurship competencies. Grounded in a design-based research (DBR) approach, the study positions the pilot implementation as an iterative testing phase in which the 7C framework and the GAI-enabled business simulation game are designed, implemented in an authentic learning environment, and systematically evaluated. In line with DBR principles, empirical findings from this phase will inform refinement of both the conceptual model and the pedagogical intervention before broader application across diverse learner and practitioner contexts.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Entrepreneurship

Keywords: Entrepreneurship Theories;International entrepreneurship

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Dr. Masoud Keimasi