From Intention to Behavior: An Integrated Model of Academic Entrepreneurial Behavior Based on Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

Based on the study of the literature and the systematic analysis of the existing literature, the paper constructs a two-stage academic entrepreneurial behavior integrated model of intention formation and behavior transformation based on the Theory of Planned Behavior（TPB）. Firstly, the paper clarifies the concept and actors of academic entrepreneurship. It holds that academic entrepreneurship is a kind of practice that aims to transfer knowledge between academic institutions（including universities and scientific research institutions）and external social environment, so as to create economic and social value for external participants and academic faculty. In addition, at least one academic faculty acts as the main participant in academic entrepreneurship. Academic entrepreneurship includes eight forms and can be divided into two categories: commercial and non-commercial academic entrepreneurial activities. The actors of academic entrepreneurship consist of two levels: individual and organizational. This paper talks about the individual level actor. Secondly, focusing on the academic entrepreneurial intention, the paper constructs a two-stage conceptual framework and the integrated model of academic entrepreneurial behavior based on TPB. Through the systematic review and analysis of the existing literature, the paper argues that, in the formation stage of academic entrepreneurial intention, academic entrepreneurial intention is affected by attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavior control; in the transformation stage of academic entrepreneurial behavior, the transformation from academic entrepreneurial intention to actual entrepreneurial behavior needs the activation and adjustment of contextual factors and personal characteristics factors. Lastly, the paper summarizes the research and the future prospects. It analyzes the functioning paths influencing academic entrepreneurial intention and the internal relationship between the influencing factors, and sums up the contextual factors and personal characteristics factors that can activate and adjust the transformation of the academic faculty from the entrepreneurial intention to the actual entrepreneurial behavior, which provides a theoretical reference and basis for further revealing the moderating paths from academic entrepreneurial intention to behavior. Future research needs to be improved in the following aspects: continue to deepen the research on the mechanism of academic entrepreneurial behavior path, accelerate the empirical test of the integrated model, and enrich and expand the research on the influencing factors of different forms of academic entrepreneurial activities.