Abstract
Entrepreneurship is regarded as one of the key development initiatives, which leads to employment and economic growth; therefore, reducing poverty and inequality. Besides providing support to existing entrepreneurs, over the recent years, policy makers have focused on entrepreneurial education to cope with graduate unemployment issues and to foster economic growth. The foundation of quality entrepreneurial education depends on our understanding of entrepreneurial competencies and the effects on a student’s entrepreneurial intention. This study therefore focuses on examining the effect of key entrepreneurial competencies on a student’s entrepreneurial intention. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and a quantitative approach, and collected complete data from 333 students, studying commerce related subjects in Universiti Malaysia Kelantan. Findings of this study revealed that the students’ ability to recognize income-generating opportunities, entrepreneurial training and skills, innovativeness, and information-seeking competencies has a significant effect on their entrepreneurial intention. The education policy makers and the higher learning institutions in Malaysia should therefore emphasize on programs and curriculums to improve the students’ ability to recognize income-generating opportunities, entrepreneurial training and skills, innovativeness and information-seeking competencies, which are expected to reduce the rate of unemployed graduates and foster the economic development in Malaysia. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n2p119
Highlights
Entrepreneurship is considered one of the key development initiatives for national development as it reduces the unemployment rate, inequality, and poverty
Based on the earlier findings, this study argues that a relatively higher level of training and entrepreneurship related skills is expected to have a significant effect on entrepreneurial intention among University Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) commerce students
The study found that opportunity recognition competencies have a significant effect on entrepreneurial intention
Summary
Entrepreneurship is considered one of the key development initiatives for national development as it reduces the unemployment rate, inequality, and poverty. As the focus has shifted towards potential entrepreneurs, it has become more crucial to unfold the roles of entrepreneurial characteristics and competencies, and the way in which they affect entrepreneurial intention among university students. Entrepreneurship works like an engine for economic growth, job creation, and social adjustment (Ahmed, 2010). It involves a relatively higher level of investment that is associated with a higher level of risk, as the performance of enterprises depends on the entrepreneurial competencies. Entrepreneurial competencies are viewed as crucial to business growth and success, and the understanding of the nature and role of such competencies can have significant effects in practice (Mitchelmore & Rowley, 2010). Based on the earlier findings, this study focused on examining how opportunity recognition, training and skill competencies, risk-taking propensity competencies, innovativeness and information-seeking competencies, which expected to affect students’ entrepreneurial intention
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