INNOVATION CULTURE, KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND PREPAREDNESS OF BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS FOR THE WORKPLACE

 

IBIDUNNI Ayodotun Stephen¹*, IBIDUNNI Oyebisi Mary², OGUNNIAKE Olaleke Oluseye³

¹Dr., Department of Business Management, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, ayodotun.ibidunni@covenantuniversity.edu.ng

²Department of Accounting, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.ogundanaoyebs@yahoo.com

³olaleke.ogunnaike@covenantuniversity.edu.ng

*Corresponding Author

Abstract

Innovation culture in higher institutions has the capacity to impede or facilitate teaching innovation by business educators. Similarly, knowledge sharing among business students can strongly instigate passion and foster quality reasoning that can ensure the intellectual, psychological and emotional preparedness of the students for the world of work. Taking, these factors together, this research investigated the influence of higher institutions’ innovative culture, and knowledge sharing practices among business students on their preparedness for the workplace. Using a sample size of 214 business education students drawn from 6 programmes, the hierarchical multiple regressions was used to show relationships based on the stated hypothesis. The statistical analysis showed that only sex of the students had a significant relationship with the variables. However, there was no direct relationship between innovation culture and preparedness of students for the workplace. More so, the interacting effect of knowledge sharing between innovation culture and preparedness for the workplace was not statistically established. Based on the findings, the study recommended that management and staff of higher institutions to keep abreast of best practices and engage more time into practical research that enhance industry and societal values. Moreover, students of higher institutions should be encouraged to engage actively in in-class and outside-the-class knowledge sharing activities that are necessary to add value to the future endeavours after school.

Keywords: Business education, Business student, Innovation, Innovation culture, Knowledge sharing