SPECIAL ISSUE PAPER Developing civic-mindedness in undergraduate business students through service-learning projects for civic engagement and service leadership practices for civic improvement Robin Stanley Snell 1 & Maureen Yin Lee Chan 1 & Carol Hok Ka Ma 2 & Carman Ka Man Chan 2 Received: 11 March 2015 /Accepted: 6 June 2015 /Published online: 16 June 2015 # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015 Abstract Projects that challenge students to practice service leadership for civic improvement can address the aim of developing civic-mindedness in undergraduates. We conducted two qualitative studies. First, we investigated the learning experiences of four teams of undergraduate business students, who undertook semester-long course- embedded service-learning projects in partnership with four Hong Kong-based social enterprises. The students described five modes of civic engagement as project purposes, mentioned applying six types of service leadership practice for civic improvement, and described eight types of developmental outcome within the domain of civic-minded- ness. Comparisons suggested that besides relational support through training and guidance, empowering infrastructure, opportunities to exercise autonomy, and oppor- tunities to demonstrate competence, three project-related features that varied between projects were important in fostering civic-mindedness. These were direct contact with grassroots-based beneficiaries; the experience of making a tangible difference; and Asian J Bus Ethics (2015) 4:73–99 DOI 10.1007/s13520-015-0044-0 An earlier version was presented at the Fifth World Business Ethics Forum, University of Macau, during 9th–11th December 2014. * Robin Stanley Snell robin@Ln.edu.hk Maureen Yin Lee Chan yinleechan@Ln.edu.hk Carol Hok Ka Ma carolma@Ln.edu.hk Carman Ka Man Chan carmanchan@Ln.edu.hk 1 Department of Management, Lingnan University, 8, Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong 2 Office of Service Learning, Lingnan University, 8, Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong