Personality or environment? A comprehensive study on the entrepreneurial intentions of university students

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to describe and empirically test a comprehensive model on the entrepreneurial intentions of the university students in which some individual and environmental factors were included. Also, the strengths of individual and environmental factors’ influence are compared.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was completed by a random sample (n=356) of business administration, health sciences and law faculty students across two Turkish universities. Results were based on correlation and regression analysis.

Findings

Results indicate that as individual factors locus of control and entrepreneurial self‐efficacy (ESE) and as environmental ones social network and access to capital have significant impacts on entrepreneurial intentions of students. However, the results showed that the university environment does not have any significant impact.

Research limitations/implications

Self‐report bias and cross‐sectional data are possible limitations. Longitudinal studies in the future may have different results.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates that ESE is the most important factor on the entrepreneurial intention and besides social network contributes as the second factor. Also it puts personality as the dominant factor of entrepreneurial intention of students. However, paper introduces that the university environment does not have any significant impact on the entrepreneurial intentions. This result adds to the academic literature on entrepreneurial intention and offers several implications especially for university directors about entrepreneurship education.

Citation

Sesen, H. (2013), "Personality or environment? A comprehensive study on the entrepreneurial intentions of university students", Education + Training, Vol. 55 No. 7, pp. 624-640. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-05-2012-0059