Entrepreneurial Intention Among University Students: Does Family Background Matter? A Narrative Review

Abstract

This paper explores the influence of family business background on the entrepreneurial intention of university students and how it affects their career choice. Entrepreneurial education has limited success in promoting entrepreneurial activities among the educated youth prompting academicians to look at avenues to ameliorate it. Though family business background has been regarded as an influencing factor in recent empirical studies, it has received modest attention. Besides, conflicting views have emerged. This paper therefore reviews literature on the influence of family business in entrepreneurship and the implications it may have in planning effective future entrepreneurial activities. 34 original articles from Scopus, Google Scholar and Science Direct databases were reviewed. Findings revealed that family business plays a key role by enhancing the students' knowledge, skills, confidence, and attitude towards entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurial education too was found to be more effective on students from a family business background. Policymakers and curriculum designers need to consider the family background of students to make optimum use of available resources and ensure greater entrepreneurial ventures in future. This paper also discusses on the gaps in existing knowledge and directions for future study.