Which factors affect entrepreneurial intention of university students?

Abstract

Purpose: Fostering entrepreneurship needs a twofold policy that should focus on both the current situation and future prospect of entrepreneurship. Although many scholars and policy makers devote their attention to the first foci of issue it is equally important to map out the future context of entrepreneurship. The purpose of this paper is to fill this void by analysing the impacts of some contextual factors on entrepreneurial intention of university students. Design/methodology/approach: In the study a model was proposed and empirically tested on a sample of 300 university students in Turkey. The entrepreneurial support model (ESM) considers predominantly the impact of contextual factors on entrepreneurial intention. In the model entrepreneurial intention is taken as a function of educational relational and structural supports. Findings: The results of the survey showed that educational and structural support factors affect the entrepreneurial intention of students. Research limitations/implications: The paper contributes to the literature by theorizing and empirically testing how some factors affect the entrepreneurial intention of university students. Although the study is subject to some limitations it is believed that these limitations can be overcome with further studies. Practical implications: The results of the study may have valuable implications for the policy makers and educators. Originality/value: Since today's youth are the potential entrepreneurs of the future understanding their perception about contextual factors can be a contribution to the development of the literature and an important step in designing a more effective policy mechanism. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.