Drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial intentions among university students: an integrated model from a developing world context

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 659-680
Author(s):  
Agu Godswill Agu ◽  
Okwuagwu Okuu Kalu ◽  
Chidadi Obinna Esi-Ubani ◽  
Paul Chinedu Agu

Purpose The purpose of this study is to integrate and extend two models of entrepreneurial intention to investigate the drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial intention among intermediate undergraduate university students in Nigeria. Specifically, this paper aims to introduce education for sustainable entrepreneurship into the integrated model, thereby fitting the model into the context of sustainable entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach Data was gathered with the help of a structured questionnaire from 435 students of a university in Nigeria. The students passed through a special entrepreneurship training in which they were educated on the concept and practice of sustainable entrepreneurship. SmartPLS was used to test the proposed structural model. Findings The findings revealed that education for sustainable entrepreneurship significantly influences all variables of the integrated model, but has nonsignificant direct influence on sustainable entrepreneurial intention. Sustainable entrepreneurial intention is significantly driven by attitude and propensity to act. Therefore, the inclusion of education for sustainable entrepreneurship into the regression equation adds to its explanatory power. Originality/value This study contributes toward understanding of sustainable entrepreneurial intention of intermediate university students in a developing world context – Nigeria. Above all, it is among the few studies that shed light on the strength of education for sustainable entrepreneurship in the formation of sustainable entrepreneurial intention among students. This study proposes integration and extension (by adding education for sustainable entrepreneurship) of the theory of planned behavior and entrepreneurial event model in learning about students’ intentions to engage in sustainable entrepreneurship.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wassim J. Aloulou

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of how a country’s institutional environment is impacting the young community’s entrepreneurial intention through perceived desirability and feasibility as mediators. Design/methodology/approach This research applies and validates a measure of a country’s institutional profile for entrepreneurship to Saudi university students. This research develops a structural model to investigate the young community’s perceptions about their institutional context, desirability and feasibility and their influence on entrepreneurial intentions. Data was collected from 287 Saudi young communities (university students) from several public universities located in Riyadh. Structural equation modeling analysis was applied to examine the structural model of entrepreneurial intentions. Findings Research findings revealed positive and significant relationships between institutional context dimensions and young community students’ perceived desirability and feasibility and between students’ perceived desirability and feasibility and their entrepreneurial intentions. Their perceived desirability and feasibility were shown to have positive full mediation effects on the relationships between institutional environment dimensions and entrepreneurial intention. Research limitations/implications Research Implications are advanced to help researchers and practitioners in considering the institutional environment for promoting entrepreneurship. Limitations and future research directions are discussed for better generalization of findings and renewed streams of research in the field. Originality/value To the best knowledge of the author, this research is one of the first studies to apply the scale on the institutional country profile to Saudi Arabia with a young community. Studies linking institutional profile to entrepreneurial intentions were also limited in developing countries having a young population. This might catch the attention of researchers, educators and policy-makers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 718
Author(s):  
Luis Eduardo Brandão Paiva ◽  
Tereza Cristina Batista de Lima ◽  
Silvia Maria Dias Pedro Rebouças ◽  
Rômulo Alves Soares

Research on entrepreneurial intention stands out in the academic context and addresses several determinants related to the behavioral nature influencing entrepreneurship. Consequently, the following behavioral constructs were used for sustainable entrepreneurship: attitude towards self-employment; orientation towards sustainability; propensity to innovate; barriers and facilities for entrepreneurial activities; and entrepreneurs in the immediate family. This study aimed to analyze the influence of the behavioral constructs of sustainable entrepreneurship on the entrepreneurial intentions of university students. Based on a sample of 318 students enrolled on an administration course at the Federal University of Ceará, statistical techniques of data analysis were applied, namely factorial analysis, inferential statistics (t-test and Mann-Whitney test), logistic regression and Classification and Regression Trees (CART). Three hypotheses were constructed in this study based on the literature: (i) there is a positive influence between the orientation towards the sustainability of university students and their entrepreneurial intention, (ii) there is a positive influence between the propensity to innovate and the entrepreneurial intention of the university students, and (iii) having entrepreneurs in the immediate family contributes positively to the entrepreneurial intent of university students. It was noted that, in general, students most likely to have entrepreneurial intent are those most concerned with environmental issues, that are stimulating and original, and have immediate relatives that are entrepreneurs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 779-803
Author(s):  
Yaser Hasan Salem Al-Mamary ◽  
Mohammed Abdulrab ◽  
Mohammed A. Alwaheeb ◽  
Naif Ghazi M. Alshammari

PurposeThis research intends to contribute to the literature of entrepreneurial intentions through determining the factors impacting the entrepreneurial intentions among students in different academic programs. This is in order to enhance and improve entrepreneurship-related procedures within relevant universities.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted by a structured survey questionnaire on 261 students in the University of Hail. The questionnaire was developed based on previous studies. The proposed hypotheses were tested by the use of the structured equation modeling (SEM) via using Amos software.FindingsThe results of the current study support the theoretical integration of the model as most of the hypotheses have been accepted. The results of the survey also show that attitudes toward behavior, self-efficacy, autonomy, risk-taking, pro-activeness and competitive aggressiveness are expressively related with entrepreneurial intention. Yet, social norms and innovativeness are not considerably connected with entrepreneurial intention.Research limitations/implicationsThis study seeks to contribute to the relevant literature by integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the entrepreneurial orientation model (EO). This is in order to identify the factors impacting the intention of entrepreneurship among Saudi university students. As the case in many studies, this present study has some limitations. The main limitation lies in that it would not be possible to generalize the study's findings. This is due to the fact the research is the outcome of examining and studying one Saudi university. Therefore, it would be better to conduct similar studies in other Saudi universities in order to generalize the findings of the study.Practical implicationsThe study's results could be of value to policymakers and university administrators in Saudi Arabia universities by which they could be enabled to allocate resources, develop strategies and provide all requirements for the sake of improving entrepreneurial skills among university students. This comprehensive model can be used as a tool for planning and prioritizing resources in bid for providing the required support as this support would reinforce the entrepreneurial opportunity of university students. As such, students would have better thinking about entrepreneurial work and thus would be assisted in achieving their professional goals and the broader goal of nation building.Originality/valueSince today's youth are viewed as the potential future entrepreneurs, they should be encouraged to achieve the Saudi Kingdom's goals through creating suitable employment opportunities for them by supporting entrepreneurship. Therefore, pointing out the factors impacting the entrepreneurial intention of students will contribute to developing the field of entrepreneurship among young people in Saudi Arabic in general. In addition, realized outcomes would create an exciting new knowledge with regard to the entrepreneurial intention among the youth at the university level.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-151
Author(s):  
H.M. Kamrul Hassan

Purpose Entrepreneurial intention plays a crucial role in the research and application of social entrepreneurship (SE). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the factors affecting students’ intention towards social entrepreneurship (ISE). The study has taken entrepreneurial self-efficacy, along with entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial network and perceived university support that have an impact on intentions, which instills interest amongst students in being future entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach Data were primarily taken from a survey of 380 university students from public and private universities in Chattogram, the business capital of Bangladesh. Students were preliminarily selected, focussing on different profiles such as male/female, age, socio-economic status, education level, university status and employment level. Initially, using factor analysis factors were analyzed and later multiple regression analysis was used to identify the relationship with ISE. Findings The study on the student reveals that four aspects significantly impacted the preference of students’ ISE. This study reinforces the influence of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, along with entrepreneurial education, as the factors contributing to aid young graduates recognizing and fostering an ISE. Entrepreneurial networks and perceived university support were found to have no association with social entrepreneurial intentions. Originality/value This paper contributes to the understanding of the factors and provides a basis for explaining factors that affect the intention of students towards SE. It can contribute to future research related to social entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, it was concluded that forming social entrepreneurial intention is highly influenced by entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurship education.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamel Krichen ◽  
Haithem Chaabouni

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the consequences of the economic shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the entrepreneurial intentions of academic students. In addition, this research examined whether the pandemic reinforces the tendency to operate new businesses or represents a barrier to the pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted with a sample of university students. Risk perception and contextual variables were measured. Information was collected from 308 university students enrolled at the University of Sfax (Tunisia) who participated by responding to a structured questionnaire distributed in electronic form by email.FindingsThe results show that university students perceive higher levels of personal entrepreneurial risk than other types of entrepreneurial risks (financial risk and social risk). Perceived financial risk only has a significant effect on entrepreneurial intention for students who view the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity. Regarding perceived contextual support, only perceived educational support has a significant and positive effect on entrepreneurial intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe results have important practical implications for identifying entrepreneurial intentions. They indicate that universities have an essential role in providing educational support for students by implementing awareness and training programs for entrepreneurship. Furthermore, they reveal the differentiated effect of the COVID-19 crisis on the risk perceptions of participants according to their views of the crisis as a threat or as an opportunity.Originality/valueThis is one of few studies that have examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (positive or negative) on the entrepreneurial intention of academic students.


2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 835-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Arrighetti ◽  
Luca Caricati ◽  
Fabio Landini ◽  
Nadia Monacelli

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of a prolonged economic recession on the entrepreneurial intentions of young people (university students) distinguishing between propensity to start a new business (i.e. degree of interest in entrepreneurship) and perceived likelihood of becoming an entrepreneur (i.e. probability to start a business in the future). Furthermore this study verifies if the recession strengthens the orientation to exploit new market opportunities, or simply supports self-employment objectives. Design/methodology/approach Entrepreneurial intention was measured in terms of propensity to start a new business and perceived likelihood of becoming an entrepreneur. Psychosocial and economic variables were measured as well. Information was gathered through questionnaires distributed in both electronic and paper-and-pencil form to a sample of 3,684 Italian University students enrolled in 12 different faculties. Findings First, this study found that while the perception of the economic crisis as an obstacle to new business creation does not impact on the propensity toward entrepreneurship, it has a negative and highly significant impact on the likelihood to start a business. Second, when a distinction is made between opportunity- and necessity-based types, results show that while for the latter the crisis impacts only on the perceived likelihood to become an entrepreneur, for the former it affects both dimensions of entrepreneurship, i.e., both propensity and perceived likelihood. Moreover, neither family support nor economic institutions are perceived as relevant in sustaining entrepreneurial intentions. On the contrary, the university is considered as a key support entity. Research limitations/implications Reliance on cross-sectional questionnaires instead of an experimental design imposes caution about the causal relationships between predictors and entrepreneurial intent. Originality/value The present paper is one of the few studies concerning the influence of rapid worsening of external economic context (severe recession) on the entrepreneurial intent.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Maija Vuorio ◽  
Kaisu Puumalainen ◽  
Katharina Fellnhofer

Purpose The role of entrepreneurship has changed to include issues beyond economic growth. This has turned attention toward the drivers of entrepreneurial intentions across entrepreneurship types, particularly in sustainable entrepreneurship. The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers of entrepreneurial intentions in sustainable entrepreneurship. In particular, the paper aims to extend the existing intention models to include work values and attitudes toward sustainability, thereby bringing the model into the context of sustainable entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach Using a quantitative research design, data were collected in three European countries through anonymous questionnaires. The data consist of responses from 393 university students. Findings The results show that attitude toward sustainability and perceived entrepreneurial desirability enhance sustainability-oriented entrepreneurial intentions. Moreover, adding sustainability into the regression equation adds explanation power, hence suggesting that the theory of planned behavior needs to be adapted when applied to sustainable entrepreneurship. Attitudes toward sustainability are positively impacted by altruism, while perceived entrepreneurial desirability is driven by intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Research limitations/implications The study focuses on one particular type of entrepreneurship and one particular age group. Originality/value The paper contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by applying the entrepreneurial intention model to sustainable entrepreneurship. The results imply that it may be the time to consider the variance in entrepreneurial opportunities in intention models as well as the need to address the conflict between work values. The results show that sustainability-oriented entrepreneurial intentions are driven by attitudes toward sustainability and perceived entrepreneurial desirability. These two attitudes are driven by altruism and extrinsic rewards, and, especially, extrinsic reward plays an opposite role in both drivers of sustainability-oriented entrepreneurial intentions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 554-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hina Munir ◽  
Cai Jianfeng ◽  
Sidra Ramzan

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend the existing literature on entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) by employing the integrated model of personality traits and the theory of planned behavior (TPB). It further examines the mediating role of TPB’s dimensions between personality traits and EIs of final-year university students in two diverse economies: China and Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a survey method for data collection, administered both in electronic and paper form. The authors use structural equation modeling and the partial least square (PLS) method on a sample of 1,016 students and present PLS path modeling, mediation analysis and multigroup analysis.FindingsResults reveal several differences regarding personality traits and TPB on EIs across the two countries. The impact of TPB was positive and significant in both countries; however, TPB demonstrated more explaining power in China’s student sample. Using three personality traits (risk-taking propensity, proactive personality and internal locus of control) as antecedents to TPB, the results reveal a stronger influence of personality traits among Chinese students. The mediation of three dimensions of TPB also revealed differences between country samples.Originality/valueThis is the first study of its kind to compare and contrast the differences between EIs in terms of personality and the determinants of planned behavior among university students in two diverse economies. The integrated model is original, supports both TPB and personality factors and provides a valuable perspective through its findings on two culturally diverse Asian countries. By applying the model in two different cultures, this study distinguishes the results for the two economies from those conducted in other economies.


Author(s):  
Patricia Patricia ◽  
Christian Silangen

<p>This research studied the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention of university students. Following original research by Zhang, Duysters, Cloodt (2014), Ajzen's theory of planned behavior and Shapero's entrepreneurial event model would be incorporated to identify the effect of exogenous variables such as entrepreneurship education, prior entrepreneurial exposure, perceived desirability and feasibility towards entrepreneurial intention in university students. Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate the selection hypothesis of entrepreneurship education for entrepreneurial intentions. Lastly, this study was also proposing to investigate the moderating effect of the teachers and instructors' enthusiasm (Frenzel et al., 2009), pre-educational entrepreneurship intention (Bae et al., 2014), gender (Verheul et al., 2012), as well as the moderating effect of peers in the classroom (Falck et al., 2012). The data would be collected from one of the private and reputable universities in Indonesia in multiple departments with a form of entrepreneurship education. In this study we found that entrepreneurship education does shape entrepreneurial intention. Students with pre-educational entrepreneurial intention would be more likely to have higher entrepreneurial intention. We also learned that there’s a strong relationship between social influence of classmates and entrepreneurial intention. In addition, we found that male and female students have a different perspective about entrepreneurship education that affected their entrepreneurial intention.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riyad Eid ◽  
Amgad Badewi ◽  
Hassan Selim ◽  
Hatem El-Gohary

PurposeThe growing interest in the development of entrepreneurial intention (EI) that has increased the importance of theories that explain and anticipate the tendency among individuals to start a new business. However, most of these theories focus on the relationship between entrepreneurs perceptions and their intention and ignore the cognitive and psychological characteristics that might configure their perceptions. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to integrate the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) with the entrepreneurial event model (EEM) and to extend the combined model to include the personality characteristics of an entrepreneur that might shape the perceptions and intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a sample of 688 senior university students (Emirati nationals, 91.2 per cent and expatriates, 8.8 per cent) and employs positivist research with a quantitative approach, adopting a survey strategy through questionnaires and structural equation modelling.FindingsThe results demonstrate the relevance and robustness of the suggested combined and extended model in the prediction of intention on the part of senior university students to become entrepreneurs (explained variance=73.3 per cent) based on survey data (2017;n= 688).Originality/valueThe main contribution of this paper lies not only in the integration of the TPB and the EEM, but also in extending the two theories on which it is based through adding entrepreneurial personality characteristics and an explanation of the mechanism through which entrepreneurial perceptions and EI develop.


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