Exploring enterpreneurial spirit of students at Warsaw School of Economics in Poland

Abstract

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Universities and other higher educational institutions play an increasingly important role in providing entrepreneurship education, training, and technical assistance to existing and potential entrepreneurs. The purpose of this paper is twofold: firstly, to investigate students’ perceptions and willingness to set up their own business and secondly, to discuss the role of universities in developing enterprise education in Poland, focusing on the case of Warsaw School of Economics in Poland. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: This paper is based on the results of a survey of students studying at Warsaw School of Economics in Warsaw – Poland (SGH). The research used online survey to collect primary data. The respondents were undergraduate students who obligatory participated in the module: Management. The fulfilment of the questionnaire was voluntarily; email and sms with a link to a survey was sent to 148 students. The success rate of fillings was 93. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: Basing on the lack of entrepreneurship education by referring to secondary data it was important to assess the entrepreneurial spirit amongst SGH students. The literature review was carried out to analyse the current developments in this field. RESEARCH RESULTS: The research outcomes revealed that the majority of the university students were optimistic and interested in starting their own business but after getting few years of working experience which will enable them to deepen their knowledge and feel comfortably within business environment. There is only 14% of students who would like to set up their own business directly after graduation. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Overall, the study indicated a need for enterprise education, at programme and course levels, to nurture entrepreneurship among students in Poland. Very few studies have examined university students’ attitude to entrepreneurship and enterprise education in Poland. This study helps in bridging that gap.