Title: Management education as an identity construction: the case of Estonia and its transition economy background

Authors: Iiris Aaltio

Addresses: Jyvaskyla University, Box 35, 40014 Mattilanniemi, MaE, Finland

Abstract: In this paper, we discuss how university education in entrepreneurship and management actually supports students| efforts to build their professional identity in the current, changing business environments. Today|s global business world requires professional identities that are flexible and broad-minded. There is a need for generalist skills, social skills and the ability to create and sustain new, complex trust-based business networks; business education should be able to promote these abilities. Business ethics is also relevant, because the managers-to-be act according to learned ethical business codes but new ones are also needed. Estonia and its command-economy history is a special case in this paper, and we refer to an empirical comparative study of Estonian and Finnish students| values in order to show the special Estonian cultural background for management education needs. We discuss a few pedagogical issues that are relevant when developing management education with identity construction needs.

Keywords: management education; identity; entrepreneurship education; Estonia; transition economies; networks; values; social capital; university education; higher education; Finland; pedagogy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2008.015955

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2008 Vol.5 No.1, pp.83 - 99

Published online: 02 Dec 2007 *

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