Pedagogies of intellectual capital: Assessing live knowledge exchange partnerships in regional strategic management ecosystems

The transition toward a hyper-connected, knowledge-based economy has intensified the demand for business graduates who possess actionable environmental, social, and governance competencies alongside advanced capacity for relational asset exploitation. Traditional, retrospective case studies often fail to prepare students for the fluid, messy realities of corporate sustainability and strategic knowledge exchange. This study evaluates an innovative pedagogical intervention, the Knowledge Exchange Clinic (KEC), wherein undergraduate business students act as live strategic consultants to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom, solving real-world intellectual capital and sustainability dilemmas. Using a mixed-methods action research design, the study tracks three cohorts over two academic years. Quantitative data measuring self-reported employability capitals are collected via pre- and post-intervention surveys. These data are paired with qualitative insights gathered from student reflective journals, client feedback forms, and semi-structured focus groups. The key findings indicate that participating in live strategic knowledge exchange consultancy significantly accelerates student development in critical thinking, cross-boundary stakeholder communication, and ethical risk management. Furthermore, the experiential nature of the clinic helps students build robust psychological capital, relational competence, and professional networks, bridging the gap between academic theory and the regional strategic management ecosystem. Based on these outcomes, it is recommended that business schools embed live, client-facing knowledge exchange projects directly into core strategic management curricula rather than treating them as optional extracurricular activities. Additionally, institutions should establish dedicated regional business networks to ensure a continuous pipeline of diverse, impactful cross-sector sustainability and strategic projects.