Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025-10
The role of social entrepreneurship education and corporate social responsibility in shaping sustainable behaviour in the education sector of Lahore,Pakistan
Social Entrepreneurship Education (SEE) has the potential to benefit society by reducing poverty and advancing social, economic, and environmental sustainability. This study examines how SEE enhances students’ perception of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and leads to more sustainable behaviour among students. Additionally, this study explores how the Institutional Environment strengthens the connection between SEE and perceived CSR, both crucial for cultivating sustainable behaviour. The theory of planned behaviour serves as the foundation for this study. A questionnaire-based survey was completed by purposively selected 271 undergraduates from private universities in Lahore, Pakistan. The findings indicate that social entrepreneurial education positively impacts the students’ perception of CSR and sustainable behaviour. Additionally, the study found that CSR plays a mediating role, which is statistically significant. The findings also suggest that the institutional environment acts as a moderator. This study contributes significantly to the existing knowledge and is a valuable guide for educational institutions to develop policies for education programs based on social entrepreneurship courses and training.
AfridiFEAJanSAyazB, et al. (2021) The impact of institutional factors on social entrepreneurship activities: an empirical evidence from Pakistan. Revista Amazonia Investiga10(43): 41–48.
2.
AgbajeolaOPeleyejuJO (2021) Attitudinal disposition of teachers and school administrators to corporate social responsibility (CSR) among private secondary schools in Lagos state, Nigeria. African Journal of Educational Management22(1): 255–271.
3.
AjzenI (1991) The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes50(2): 179–211. DOI: 10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T.
4.
Aldás-ManzanoJ (2012) Partial least squares path modelling in marketing and management research: an annotated application. Quantitative Modelling in Marketing and Management. World Scientific, 43–78. DOI: 10.1142/9789814407724_0003.
5.
AsifMAsgharFYounisA, et al. (2018) The role of social entrepreneurship in Pakistan and its impact on economy. International Journal of Business, Economics and Management5(5): 117–127.
Asrar-ul-HaqMKuchinkeKPIqbalA (2017) The relationship between corporate social responsibility, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment: case of Pakistani higher education. Journal of Cleaner Production142: 2352–2363.
8.
BinsawadMH (2020) Corporate social responsibility in higher education: a PLS-SEM neural network approach. IEEE Access8: 29125–29131.
9.
BosmaNContentJSandersM, et al. (2018) Institutions, entrepreneurship, and economic growth in Europe. Small Business Economics51: 483–499.
10.
BoubkerOArroudMOuajdouniA (2021) Entrepreneurship education versus management students’ entrepreneurial intentions. A PLS-SEM approach. The International Journal of Management Education19(1): 100450.
11.
BoudreauxCJNikolaevBNKleinP (2019) Socio-cognitive traits and entrepreneurship: the moderating role of economic institutions. Journal of Business Venturing34(1): 178–196.
12.
BusenitzLWGomezCSpencerJW (2000) Country institutional profiles: unlocking entrepreneurial phenomena. Academy of Management Journal43(5): 994–1003.
13.
Capella-PerisCGil-GómezJMartí-PuigM, et al. (2020) Development and validation of a scale to assess social entrepreneurship competency in higher education. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship11(1): 23–39.
14.
CatherallRRichardsonM (2017) Social entrepreneurship in education. Bulletin of the Orton Society25(1): 159–161.
15.
CohenJ (2013) Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. New York: Routledge.
16.
DixitP (2020) Education sector and corporate social responsibility a study on private sector secondary school of district North & South Delhi (India). Sociological Jurisprudence Journal3(1): 14–18.
17.
EdokpolorJE (2020) Entrepreneurship education and sustainable development: mediating role of entrepreneurial skills. Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship14(3): 329–339.
18.
El-DenJAdikhariPAdikhariP (2017) Social media in the service of social entrepreneurship: Identifying factors for better services. Journal of Advances in Humanities and Social Sciences3(2): 105–114.
19.
FornellCLarckerDF (1981) Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research18(1): 39–50.
20.
Galindo-MartínM-ACastano-MartinezM-SMéndez-PicazoM-T (2020) The relationship between green innovation, social entrepreneurship, and sustainable development. Sustainability12(11): 4467.
21.
García-GonzálezARamírez-MontoyaMS (2021) Social entrepreneurship education: changemaker training at the university. Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning11(5): 1236–1251.
22.
García-GonzálezARamírez-MontoyaMS (2023) Social entrepreneurship competency in higher education: an analysis using mixed methods. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship14(1): 91–109.
23.
GerickeNBoeve‐de PauwJBerglundT, et al. (2019) The sustainability consciousness questionnaire: the theoretical development and empirical validation of an evaluation instrument for stakeholders working with sustainable development. Sustainable Development27(1): 35–49.
24.
GuptaPChauhanSPaulJ, et al. (2020) Social entrepreneurship research: A review and future research agenda. Journal of business research113: 209–229. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.03.032.
25.
HairJFRisherJJSarstedtM, et al. (2019) When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review31(1): 2–24. DOI: 10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203.
26.
HairJFJrHultGTMRingleCM, et al. (2021) Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) Using R: A Workbook. Cham: Springer Nature.
27.
HenselerJRingleCMSarstedtM (2015) A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science43(1): 115–135. DOI: 10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8.
28.
HenselerJRingleCMSinkovicsRR (2009) The use of partial least squares path modeling in international marketing. In: SinkovicsRRGhauriPN (eds). New Challenges to International Marketing (Advances in International Marketing, Vol. 20). Leeds: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 20, 277–319. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/S1474-7979(2009)0000020014.
29.
HeryadiDYAmruddinAMardizalJ, et al. (2024) The effect of entrepreneurship education and sociological on student's entrepreneurial intention: the perspective of entrepreneurial skills theory and social capital theory. Jurnal Kependidikan: Jurnal Hasil Penelitian dan Kajian Kepustakaan di Bidang Pendidikan, Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran10(1): 157–168.
30.
HoyleRH (1999) Statistical Strategies for Small Sample Research. New York, NY: Sage.
31.
HussainZ (2022) The role of social entrepreneurship in Pakistan: a preliminary analysis. Journal of Entrepreneurship Education25: 1–9.
32.
ILO (2023) Pakistan: employment outlook in a setting of austerity.
33.
ImaiKKimISWangEH (2023) Matching methods for causal inference with time‐series cross‐sectional data. American Journal of Political Science67(3): 587–605.
34.
IqbalJKousarSUl HameedW (2018) Antecedents of sustainable social entrepreneurship initiatives in Pakistan and outcomes: collaboration between quadruple helix sectors. Sustainability10(12): 4539.
35.
JohnsonMPSchalteggerS (2020) Entrepreneurship for sustainable development: a review and multilevel causal mechanism framework. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice44(6): 1141–1173.
36.
JungK-JJeonB-H (2022) The effect of social entrepreneurship in a startup company on corporate social responsibility. East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)10(1): 47–57.
37.
KedmenecIRebernikMTomincP (2016) Social entrepreneurship education and its association with perceived desirability and feasibility of social entrepreneurship among business students. Croatian Journal of Education: Hrvatski časopis za odgoj i obrazovanje18(4): 1035–1065.
38.
KimMGLeeJ-HRohT, et al. (2020) Social entrepreneurship education as an innovation hub for building an entrepreneurial ecosystem: the case of the KAIST social entrepreneurship MBA program. Sustainability12(22): 9736.
39.
KumarSKumarPWisetsriW, et al. (2021) Social entrepreneurship education: insights from the Indian higher educational courses. Academy of Strategic Management Journal20: 1–8.
40.
LiaoYQiuXWuA, et al. (2022) Assessing the impact of green innovation on corporate sustainable development. Frontiers in Energy Research9: 800848.
41.
LiottiG (2020) Labour market flexibility, economic crisis and youth unemployment in Italy. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics54: 150–162. DOI: 10.1016/j.strueco.2020.04.011.
42.
LuJLiangMZhangC, et al. (2021) Assessment of corporate social responsibility by addressing sustainable development goals. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management28(2): 686–703.
MahdaliA (2024) The Impact of Population Growth Rate, Minimum Wage, and Education on The Unemployment Rate in 2022. Jambura Equilibrium Journa6(1): 48–59. DOI: 10.37479/jej.v6i1.23513.
45.
MaiAThiKThiT, et al. (2020) Factors influencing on tourism sustainable development in Vietnam. Management Science Letters10(8): 1737–1742.
46.
MairJMartiI (2006) Social entrepreneurship research: a source of explanation, prediction, and delight. Journal of World Business41(1): 36–44.
47.
MaqsoodALaghariJ (2003) Social entrepreneurship: a Pakistani perspective. JISR management and social sciences & economics1(2): 23–28.
48.
Méndez-PicazoM-TGalindo-MartínM-ACastaño-MartínezM-S (2021) Effects of sociocultural and economic factors on social entrepreneurship and sustainable development. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge6(2): 69–77.
49.
Mohy-Ud-dinKAzamMUl HaqH, et al. (2022) Investigating determinants of localised corporate social responsibility: evidence from Pakistan. Social Responsibility Journal18(8): 1646–1659. DOI: 10.1108/SRJ-01-2019-0020.
PrasharASunder MV (2020) A bibliometric and content analysis of sustainable development in small and medium-sized enterprises. Journal of Cleaner Production245: 118665.
52.
QamarUAnsariNTanveerF, et al. (2020) Social entrepreneurship in Pakistan: challenges and prospects. Journal of Management Research7(2): 1–41.
53.
RaiNThapaB (2015) A study on purposive sampling method in research. Kathmandu: Kathmandu School of Law5(1): 8–15.
54.
RigdonEESarstedtMRingleCM (2017) On comparing results from CB-SEM and PLS-SEM: five perspectives and five recommendations. Marketing: ZFP – Journal of Research and Management39(3): 4–16. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26426850.
55.
RodhiahRHidayahN (2023) The influence of institutional environment, experience, and education on social entrepreneurship. International Journal of Management Science and Application2(2): 76–86.
56.
RoslanMHHHamidSIjabMT, et al. (2022) Social entrepreneurship in higher education: challenges and opportunities. Asia Pacific Journal of Education42(3): 588–604.
57.
SahasranamamSNandakumarM (2020) Individual capital and social entrepreneurship: role of formal institutions. Journal of Business Research107: 104–117.
58.
SamadiAH (2019) Institutions and entrepreneurship: unidirectional or bidirectional causality?Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research9(3). DOI: 10.1186/s40497-018-0129-z.
59.
SampeneAKLiCKhanA, et al. (2023) Yes! I want to be an entrepreneur: a study on university students’ entrepreneurship intentions through the theory of planned behavior. Current Psychology42(25): 21578–21596.
60.
SarstedtMBengartPShaltoniAM, et al. (2018) The use of sampling methods in advertising research: a gap between theory and practice. International Journal of Advertising37(4): 650–663. DOI: 10.1080/02650487.2017.1348329.
61.
SchuberthFRademakerMEHenselerJ (2023) Assessing the overall fit of composite models estimated by partial least squares path modeling. European Journal of Marketing57(6): 1678–1702. DOI: 10.1108/EJM-08-2020-0586.
62.
ShahzadMQuYZafarAU, et al. (2021) Does the interaction between the knowledge management process and sustainable development practices boost corporate green innovation?Business Strategy and the Environment30(8): 4206–4222.
63.
SofroniouN (2001) Book review: statistical strategies for small sample research. Statistical Methods in Medical Research10(3): 239–240. DOI: 10.1177/096228020101000306.
64.
StirzakerRGallowayLMuhonenJ, et al. (2021) The drivers of social entrepreneurship: agency, context, compassion and opportunism. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research27(6): 1381–1402. DOI: 10.1108/IJEBR-07-2020-0461.
SuYZhuZChenJ, et al. (2021) Factors influencing entrepreneurial intention of university students in China: integrating the perceived university support and theory of planned behavior. Sustainability13(8): 4519.
67.
SzegediK (2016) The role of CSR in achieving sustainable development–theoretical approach. European Scientific Journal12(22): 10. DOI: 10.19044/esj.2016.v12n22p10.
68.
UllahMHSiddiquiDA (2020) Impact of corporate social responsibility on consumer response in Pakistan: a mediating role of positive moral emotions, attitude, and identification with the company. In: Attitude, and Identification with the Company (August 29, 2020).
UrbanBKujingaL (2017) The institutional environment and social entrepreneurship intentions. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research23(4): 638–655. DOI: 10.1108/IJEBR-07-2016-0218.
72.
Van der WaalJWThijssensT (2020) Corporate involvement in sustainable development goals: exploring the territory. Journal of Cleaner Production252: 119625.
73.
WebbJWKhouryTAHittMA (2020) The influence of formal and informal institutional voids on entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice44(3): 504–526.
74.
WymerWRundle-ThieleSR (2017) Inclusion of ethics, social responsibility, and sustainability in business school curricula: a benchmark study. International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing14(1): 19–34. DOI: 10.1007/s12208-016-0153-z.
75.
YasirMKhanSKhanS, et al. (2023) Impact of corporate social responsibility on financial performance; evidence from banking sector of Pakistan. International Journal of Business & Economic Affairs (IJBEA)8(2): 66–85.
76.
YeNKuehT-BHouL, et al. (2020) A bibliometric analysis of corporate social responsibility in sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production272: 122679.
77.
YuYDuchinF (2024) Building a curriculum to foster global competence and promote the public interest: social entrepreneurship and digital skills for American community college students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice48(3): 164–174.
78.
ZhangDMorseSMaQ (2019) Corporate social responsibility and sustainable development in China: current status and future perspectives. Sustainability11(16): 4392.
79.
ZhaoYAbbasMSammaM, et al. (2021) Exploring the relationship between corporate social responsibility, trust, corporate reputation, and brand equity. Frontiers in Psychology12: 766422.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
