The relevance of entrepreneurial competences from a faculty and students’ perspective: The role of consensus for the achievement of competences

Abstract

Given the importance of entrepreneurship for the socioeconomic development of territories, understanding the conditions to which universities can contribute to training managers who master entrepreneurial competences is relevant. In this regard, the success of teaching-learning programmes can be conditioned by the importance faculty and students assign to the contents of that education programme, which, in this case, are the entrepreneurial competences addressed. Based on stakeholder theory, principal-agent theory and stewardship theory, this study analyses the importance that faculty and students in undergraduate business programmes assign to ten entrepreneurial competences. A sample of 62 faculty members and 278 students demonstrates that both groups agree that Commitment, Relational and Opportunity competences are important, and that Conceptual and Technical competences are less relevant. While at the same time, they diverge on the importance assigned to the remaining five competences: Organisation, Strategic, Learning, Personal Strength and Social Responsibility. In addition, this research shows a higher competences' achievement by students when a consensus exists between students and faculty on the importance of these entrepreneurial competences, or when students attach a higher importance to these competences.