Toward a Comprehensive Model on Entrepreneurial Intentions of University Students

Abstract

This article aims to explore and empirically test a comprehensive model on entrepreneurial intentions of final year university students in which some personality, environmental and situational factors were included. The questionnaire survey method was applied by a random sample of 487 students from various programmes such as commerce & economic, sciences, computer & IT, law, agriculture, medical and engineering studying at two major universities in Yemen. Using a modified version of Davidsson’s model as a conceptual framework, this article attempted to integrate three constructs personality traits, instrumental readiness and situational factor to explain the relationship between these antecedents and entrepreneurial intention. The results were based on correlation and regression analysis. The results indicated that personality traits have significant impacts on entrepreneurial intention; instrumental readiness does not have a significant impact and situational factor has a significant impact on entrepreneurial intention. The article also found need for achievement as the most important and significant impact on entrepreneurial intention and prior work experience contributed as the second factor but negatively impacts on entrepreneurial intention. This puts personality traits as the dominant factor of the entrepreneurial intention of university students. This article adds to the existing entrepreneurship literature on factors affecting entrepreneurial activities that the crisis does not motivate university students for entrepreneurial intentions, as well as that it harmed their entrepreneurial intentions. In addition, the article concluded that Davidsson’s model could be considered as the primary antecedent of entrepreneurial intentions.