Entrepreneurial Intentions of Students in Poland in the View of Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to empirically verify the Ajzen's in Polish realities, however the TPB was extended of one more variable - attitude towards risk. Research Design & Methods: We decided to use the survey questionnaire among students. The survey was conducted among seven universities in Krakow. Out of 1100 sent questionnaires, we received 719 fully completed and corrected questionnaires, it means that the return rate is 65.4%. The questionnaire was divided into 14 thematic blocks - their elements explain the entrepreneurial intentions. Findings: The statistical calculations confirmed that three Ajzen's independent variables such as attitude towards entrepreneurship, subjunctive norms and perceived behavioural control determine entrepreneurial intensions of investigated students. Additionally we found out that the risk attitude is also an determinant in a similar way, as well as the entrepreneurial intentions differ between business and non-business students. Implications & Recommendations: Shaping entrepreneurial mindset of young people is one of the most important role of contemporary education system, including the tertiary education. Future studies should seek new factors influencing entrepreneurial intentions of students, facts that will be complementary to TPB and EEM models. Contribution & Value Added: The study extended Ajzen's TPB of risk propensity as a separate variable describing attitude towards entrepreneurship.