Applying Social Marketing to Entrepreneurial Education at Aalborg University - a design-based research
Author
Bendiksen, Josefine Brix Steby
Term
4. term
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-07-31
Pages
79
Abstract
Specialet undersøger, om og hvordan social marketing kan bruges til at øge AAU-studerendes deltagelse i entreprenørskabsundervisning. På trods af betydelige investeringer i støtte til iværksætteri er mange studerende fortsat uengagerede, og der er et misforhold mellem universitetets intentioner og de faktiske resultater. Med en designbaseret forskningstilgang i samarbejde med Supporting Entrepreneurship at Aalborg University (SEA) blev der udviklet et treleddet design, der indarbejder principper fra social marketing. To elementer blev gennemført og testet på AAU i forbindelse med et SEA-arrangement og efterfølgende drøftet med informanter i semistrukturerede interviews; det tredje blev udelukkende vurderet gennem interviews. Analysen kortlagde kontekstuelle variabler i AAU’s organisationskultur for at forstå barrierer og drivkræfter for adfærdsændring. Studiet viser, at social marketing er anvendeligt til at fremme entreprenørskabsaktiviteter, men kun når målgruppen forstås præcist, og der er en fælles forståelse af, hvad entreprenørskabsundervisning er, og hvad universitetet tilbyder. I dette tilfælde nåede designet ikke de tilsigtede inaktive studerende. Resultaterne peger på betydningen af personlig kontakt til at skabe gensidig forståelse, på at forbinde entreprenørskab med studerendes følelser og ønskede udbytter samt på at bruge influenter—særligt medstuderende og undervisere—til at påvirke uddannelsesvalg.
This thesis examines whether and how social marketing can be used to increase Aalborg University students’ participation in entrepreneurial education. Despite substantial investment in entrepreneurship support, many students remain disengaged, revealing a mismatch between university intentions and actual outcomes. Using a design-based research approach in collaboration with Supporting Entrepreneurship at Aalborg University (SEA), the study developed a three-part intervention embedding social marketing principles. Two elements were implemented and tested at AAU in connection with an SEA-hosted event and then discussed with informants in semi-structured interviews; the third was assessed through interviews only. The analysis mapped contextual variables within AAU’s organizational culture to understand barriers and levers for behavior change. The study finds that social marketing is applicable to promoting entrepreneurial activity, but only when the target audience is accurately understood and there is a shared definition of what entrepreneurial education is and what the university offers. In this case, the design did not reach the intended inactive students. The results highlight the importance of personal contact to build mutual understanding, of linking entrepreneurship to students’ emotions and perceived benefits, and of leveraging influencers—especially peers and teachers—to shape educational choices.
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