University students entrepreneurshipan integrated analysis of entrepreneurial intention

Resumen

The interest of this research focuses mainly on the following aspects. First, we explore how the current literature on university student entrepreneurship focused on the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirits Students Survey (GUESSS), one of the largest related research projects, can contribute to research on university student entrepreneurship and help researchers to use this database. This is the first step in this work as it allowed as to identify the main gaps in the literature of university student's entrepreneurship. Second, we extend previous research on the entrepreneurial intention models (and succession intention) and we go beyond the intention on taking implementation intention as a closer step of behavior. And third, the results of this study would help give advice to universities, academics and policymakers to build an entrepreneurial university and in short, an entrepreneurial society. The main goal of this research is to contribute to the study of entrepreneurial intentions of university student's entrepreneurship. More specifically, the specific objectives of this work are related to 1) identify the core variables influencing university student's entrepreneurship in the entrepreneurship literature focused on the GUESSS project; 2) study the mediating effects of the components of the TPB between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention; 3) analyze the effect of entrepreneurship education considering the role of the university, family, and social context on the components of the TPB as antecedents of entrepreneurial intention; 4) reduce the intention-behavior gap by adding the middle stage of implementation intention and the moderating effects of goal orientation and 5) explore the succession intention phenomena. Our first study shows that the intention phase is the most studied stage of the entrepreneurial process. However, there are certain gaps that need to be addressed and that is exactly what we intend to achieve with the following studies. We found that Program Learning affects Entrepreneurial Intention through the components of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). In this sense, it is important to highlight that Subjective Norms did not mediate the relation between Program Learning and Entrepreneurial Intention but influenced Entrepreneurial Intention through Attitudes toward Entrepreneurship and Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC). As for the effects of Entrepreneurship Education, we found this variable acts as a moderator, especially in the relationship between Attitudes towards Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Intention, Subjective Norms and Entrepreneurial Intention, and Family Context and Subjective Norms. As we move through the entrepreneurial process, our results validated the Entrepreneurial Event Model (EEM) to predict entrepreneurial intentions and in addition, the Entrepreneurial career choice 5 years after completing studies moderated the relationship between Entrepreneurial intention and Implementation Intention. Finally, when analyzing Succession Intention in family firms, our findings showed the impact of Parental Support in Family Business Self-Efficacy and in commitment to the family firm. Furthermore, our results confirmed a positive impact of the commitment to the family firm on Succession Intention, especially the Normative Commitment.