Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students ' Survey Research Articles

University entrepreneurship in Latin America with data from the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Student’s Survey (GUESSS): a literature review

University entrepreneurship in Latin America with data from the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Student’s Survey (GUESSS): a literature review

Assessment of the entrepreneurial intention of university students using rasch methodology

Entrepreneurial intention is guided by actions and intrinsic skills, namely, understanding entrepreneurial characteristics and becoming capable of devising, articulating, and sustaining innovative ideas. Thus, conceptions are generally linked to innovation, with active methodologies such as workshops, journeys, courses, and lectures playing a vital role. Therefore, it is essential to promote entrepreneurial intention in the academic environment, specifically in agricultural science courses. In light of this demand, this study aimed to assess the entrepreneurial intention of university students participating in the Sustainable Agro Entrepreneurship Program (AGROS), using the Rasch methodology. The program was developed to spread entrepreneurship among students of the Center for Applied Agricultural Sciences (CCAA) at the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), through four systematically and interactively planned workshops. The study investigated the validity of evidence related to the internal structure of the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS) and the evolution of the students’ entrepreneurial intention. Fifty-seven (57) students participating in the Program were evaluated based on responses to items in the GUESSS inventory, at two points: Pretest (T0) and Follow-up (T1). The results indicated that the program had a positive impact on stimulating entrepreneurial intention in agricultural sciences, particularly regarding the creation of new businesses in the field. Furthermore, the research identified the main factors contributing to the program’s success, such as the integration of workshops and lectures, the presence of highly qualified professionals, and the use of active methodologies.

Affective commitment in entrepreneurial students: person-oriented factors and subjective firm performance

Purpose This study aims to address the effects of self-esteem and affective commitment on firm performance and whether these effects vary according to the gender and age of active entrepreneurial students. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a subsample from the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) of entrepreneur students running their own businesses to perform a structural equation model (SEM) analysis to test the relationship between self-esteem (SE), affective commitment (AC) and firm performance (FP) moderated by the gender and age of entrepreneur students. Findings The results confirm that higher levels of entrepreneur SE are related to a higher assessment of AC and FP. A major effect of SE on AC was also observed among male respondents. Age was not related to an increase in AC. The effect of SE on AC and FP was lower among older students. Originality/value This study makes valuable contributions to the fields of entrepreneurship, psychology, gender and organizational behavior. This study presents empirical support for the theoretical framework using SEM, presenting initial insights into the mechanisms that shape AC in entrepreneurial students and its implications for FP.

STUDENTS’ ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DARK TRIAD TRAIT

Aim: Despite research on how the constellation of the dark triad traits relates to entrepreneurial intention, it still remains to be seen how nuanced such relationships were during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. In this article, we investigate this phenomenon by elaborating on the relations between components of the dark triad traits concerning pull and push factors affecting entrepreneurial intention. Methods: Using 4,056 datasets from the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) 2021 and data on unemployment rates and GDP per capita of 22 European countries, we employed multivariate regression analysis to examine the antecedents of entrepreneurial intention. Results: Our results show that GDP per capita is inversely related to entrepreneurial intention, with statistical significance also found for the unemployment rate and narcissism in their influence on entrepreneurial intention. More so, we found that COVID-19 unlocked the hidden potential of student entrepreneurship for the represented European countries. We also found interesting results on how the intensities of the dark triad influence entrepreneurial intentions. Conclusions: Difficult situations such as COVID-19 might trigger the manifestation of dark triad traits, which – to a greater extent – influence entrepreneurial intentions.

Family Firm Succession Plans of Students in the Visegrad Countries

Abstract The recognition of the social and economic role of entrepreneurship has brought to the fore the question of what influences entrepreneurial ideas and how entrepreneurship can be encouraged. One possible route to an entrepreneurial career is to take over the family business. This article focuses on the pre-succession period and examines the factors determining students’ decisions to take over the family business, using the sample of Visegrad countries from the 2018 GUESSS (Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey) database. Our results show that some factors influencing the family business’s succession are company-specific (such as the size and performance of the company). Others depend on the students’ commitment (ownership, involvement in the work) and individual characteristics (attitudes, self-efficacy) and are also determined by the perception of the student’s environment about the succession.

FACTORS INFLUENCING ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS AMONG THE STUDENTS IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION COUNTRIES

This research presents a comparison of the impact of personal and environmental factors on the entrepreneurial intention of students living in Baltic Sea region countries. Data on students’ intentions to start their own businesses was obtained from 10054 respondents studying in Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden by implementing Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) in 2021. Data analysis was conducted using modified Krueger’s (2009) entrepreneurial intention model based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Six hypotheses were tested using the data received from all respondents and the data of individual sub-samples broken down by gender, level of study, the field of study, and country of residence. A positive relationship with students’ entrepreneurial intentions was clarified and the selected hypotheses were proved by analysing all variables of all sub-samples, except for three in the case of Lithuania and two in the case of Sweden and Finland due to insufficient level of statistical significance.

Nascent entrepreneurship in university students: the role of the context

ABSTRACT This paper offers evidence that the context might influence a university student’s start-up process differently, depending on the category of activities and regions. Specifically, it explores the influence of university and national contexts while considering the different categories of the start-up process. Our approach divides the start-up process into three categories (Business planning, Interaction with the external environment, and Financing), four context definitions (University, Industry-technological, Institutional-policy, and Cultural), and three regions (European Union, Latin America, and Asian-African). We drew on the primary dataset of the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) project that contains 7,628 nascent entrepreneurs from 21 countries, which we complemented with a set of international indexes from the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index, the Global Entrepreneurship Index, and the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness project. Generally speaking, the University context positively influences the start-up activities of students in Europe and Asia-Africa. The Industry and technological context and the Institutional and policy context play a relevant role (sometimes positive or negative) depending on the activity and region. Finally, the Cultural context presents mixed results too, and its influence varies (positively and negatively) depending on the kind of start-up activities and the region.

Innovation Ambidexterity and Firm Performance: The Moderating Effects of Contextual Factors

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to assess the moderating effects of motivating and contextual factors on the relationship of innovation ambidexterity and firm performance. A theoretical framework was developed and tested using survey data from a sample of the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS). The results suggest a positive effect of ambidexterity on firm performance, which is positively moderated by motivating factors, the number of co-owners and normative and cognitive institutions, such as power distance and university environment and program learning, respectively. The study provides important insights for policymakers to promote entrepreneurial education and clues for future research, as well as extends existing theory by offering insights on the moderator effects of individual and contextual factors on the relationship between ambidexterity and firm performance, assuming the benefits of the synergic effects of exploration and exploitation.

The influence of institutional and in-group collectivism practices on next-generation engagement in the family business

PurposeThis research aims to investigate the influence of country culture on the next generation's intention to become managerial leaders of the family business, focussing on institutional and in-group collectivism practices. The authors investigate not only the direct effect of these collectivism practices on next-generation engagement, but also the extent to which institutional and/or in-group collectivism moderate the relationship between parental support and next-generation engagement and the extent to which institutional and/or in-group collectivism moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and next-generation engagement.Design/methodology/approachUsing cross-national data from the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS) and the Global Leadership and Organisational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE), hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) is employed to test the hypotheses using a sample of 33,390 observations collected in 20 countries.FindingsThe main findings show that both institutional and in-group collectivism practices may increase next-generation engagement levels. Furthermore, these cultural practices can amplify the relationship between family business self-efficacy and next-generation engagement. However, institutional collectivism can slightly reduce the positive effect of parental support on family offspring's intention to become leaders of the family business. The results also reveal that parental support has a stronger direct effect on next-generation engagement than family business self-efficacy.Originality/valueThis study examines the influence of cultural practices on next-generation engagement, focussing on collectivism practices. The study distinguishes between institutional collectivism and in-group collectivism. Unlike past research, a direct effect of parental support on next-generation engagement is considered. The study also uses a particular type of self-efficacy: family business self-efficacy. In addition, a multi-level method is employed, which is rarely used in this context.

Entrepreneurship, mental disorders and the saga of the adventure gene: debunking the fad of hardwired entrepreneurship

This paper disputes the thesis that a self-reported mental condition of apparent genetic origin makes its carriers entertain entrepreneurial intentions and assesses its implications for entrepreneurship-driven economic development. The findings are that the research in question mistakes true causative agents for superficial cause-hiding vectors, thus confusing a self-reported attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) condition with the cause of entrepreneurial intentions. This is all the more so because ADHD was not properly accounted for, relying instead on the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students Survey (GUESSS), self-administered without diagnostic evidence. Thus, entrepreneurship has been turned on its head, being misrepresented as a hardwired, innate human trait instead of a course of action that hinges on subjective preferences that can be influenced by the structure of rewards shaped by public policy. This misrepresentation may dwell in the so-called ‘hardness bias’, which underestimates the softer but crucial test of the quality of conjectures. The originality of this paper lies in the use of the harmful-dysfunction analysis, showing that the entrepreneurship research in question is based on a bogus notion of disorder.

Study of Kazakhstani students’ entrepreneurial intentions

The aim of the study is to examine Kazakhstani students’ career plans and the primary elements that influence their entrepreneurial inclinations. The Kazakh database GUESSS (Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey) was used in the study. The goal of the GUESSS project is to generate unique and new ideas about student entrepreneurship in the form of academic and practical results. Our study demonstrates that respondents’ personal qualities, family and social affiliations, and the university environment all have an effect on students’ entrepreneurial inclinations. Kazakhstan participated in the GUESSS international survey three times in 2016, 2018, and 2021 as the primary tool for analysis. The GUESSS national report’s key findings from previous years were incorporated. The study thoroughly evaluates the entrepreneurship literature and the factors that influence entrepreneurial intentions. The study’s findings evaluated the primary characteristics of Kazakhstani students’ entrepreneurial goals in contrast to global trends. Analyzing the critical elements influencing students’ career intentions enables institutions to design policies and practices that support the growth of students’ entrepreneurial activities. Additionally, the findings of this paper accurately represent the entrepreneurial intentions and ambitions of Kazakhstani university students, both undergraduate and postgraduate. The major findings about the impact of the university environment on students’ entrepreneurial objectives, intentions, and motivation are highlighted as well. The study identifiesthe critical elements for fostering a more supportive and inspiring environment conducive to entrepreneurship in higher education. The university professors,students, and university administrations can benefitsignificantly from thisstudy, and educational policy administrators and entrepreneurs can greatly improve business-university engagement opportunities.

How You Teach Matters! An Exploratory Study on the Relationship between Teaching Models and Learning Outcomes in Entrepreneurship Education

Although entrepreneurship can be taught in different ways, entrepreneurship education impact studies generally fall short with regard to acknowledging the teaching models of the programs they assess. This severely limits our understanding of how entrepreneurship education actually works. To address this gap, this study describes and implements a procedure to identify the teaching models of entrepreneurship education courses and shows how different teaching models are associated with entrepreneurial learning outcomes. Our analysis is based on a sample of 376 Italian university students who responded to the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) and attended entrepreneurship education courses. We describe and implement a coding procedure that allows us to classify the entrepreneurship courses attended by the respondents into five different teaching models (Supply, Supply–Demand, Demand, Demand–Competence and Competence). We find that courses based on the Supply–Demand, Demand and Demand–Competence Models are associated with better entrepreneurial learning outcomes than those based on the Supply Model. Our findings contribute to the theory and practice of entrepreneurship education program evaluation and design.

Moving from Intentions to Actions in Youth Entrepreneurship: An Institutional Perspective

AbstractSituational factors may facilitate or frustrate the translation of entrepreneurial intentions into subsequent actions. In this study, we use data from two waves of a large-scale cross-country study of student entrepreneurship, the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS), conducted in 2011 and 2013/2014 (n = 1434 students from 142 universities in nine countries), in order to investigate the impact of country-level institutions (financial market institutions and legal institutions) on the link between entrepreneurial intentions and subsequent start-up activities. We find that the quality of legal institutions has a significant positive impact on the translation of intentions into actions, whereas the quality of the national financial system does not influence the intentions-actions link. Theoretical and public policy implications are discussed.

Promoting entrepreneurship based on university students' perceptions of entrepreneurial attitude, university environment, entrepreneurial culture and entrepreneurial training

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to verify some relationships between entrepreneurial attitude, university environment, entrepreneurial culture and entrepreneurial training, which can be used to promote entrepreneurship among university students.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 3,005 questionnaires answered by students from ten universities in Colombia was gathered and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for the analysis.FindingsThe results show that the more a student perceives an entrepreneurial culture and the more training he or she receives, the more entrepreneurial attitude he or she will have. Also, it was found that entrepreneurial culture has a positive effect on university environment, and the latter has a positive effect on entrepreneurial training.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study was that only ten Colombian universities were sampled; therefore, general inferences cannot be made. Additionally, the variables investigated here may have not accurately measured the full scale of the entrepreneurship programmes in such universities or the way the culture of these institutions had a direct impact on students. Projects such as the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS), which measure variables related to entrepreneurship at the university level, enable universities to shape their policies around this important topic. This study indicates that universities should offer training in entrepreneurial, problem-solving and communication skills to produce entrepreneurs who can better face current challenges.Originality/valueOther studies have discussed entrepreneurial culture, but they usually deal with university environment, entrepreneurial training and entrepreneurial attitudes separately. This study integrates all these factors and measures the level of interaction between them.

Entrepreneurship analysis in Spanish universities

PurposeEntrepreneurship requires the attitudes and capabilities needed to begin new and innovative projects able to create positive impacts in the economy of a society. Given that it forms the basis from which new companies, products and innovations emerge, it is a very relevant term in business. With the aim of strengthening these capabilities, many universities are incorporating new educational strategies into their curricula to boost entrepreneurial intention and business skills among their students. This study aims to determine the factors that intervene in the entrepreneurial spirit of students in Spanish universities by examining areas of study, different personal and contextual characteristics, and the type of training students receive in entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachData collected from 33,182 students in 77 Spanish universities in the 2018 edition of the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS) is examined in an exhaustive univariate and bivariate descriptive and inferential analysis. Furthermore, the relationship between the entrepreneurial index and the different explicative variables is modelled, and a basic random effect for the area of study is introduced to detect differences at this level.FindingsEconomics, engineering and health sciences presented higher than average entrepreneurial indices. Regarding the type of training, only voluntary education in entrepreneurship influenced entrepreneurial spirit, albeit not equally in all areas of study.Originality/valueThis study’s results can help universities to incorporate new educational strategies into their curricula to boost entrepreneurial intention and business skills among students by focusing resources where they are most efficient.

Influence of educational programs oriented toward entrepreneurship on the entrepreneurial intention of university students: the case of Chile

PropósitoEl objetivo de esta investigación es medir la influencia que proporcionan los programas de aprendizaje orientados al emprendimiento en la predicción de la intención emprendedora de estudiantes universitarios, a partir la Teoría del Comportamiento Planificado.Diseño/metodología/enfoqueLa muestra contiene un total de 4.697 respuestas de estudiantes universitarios obtenidas por el proyecto Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey 2018. Se utilizó un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales.HallazgosLos resultados muestran que los programas de aprendizaje orientados al emprendimiento generan un efecto en la intención emprendedora mediado por el ambiente universitario percibido y las habilidades emprendedoras. Además, se verificó que la variable que mejor explica la intención emprendedora es la actitud hacia el emprendimiento, seguido del control percibido del comportamiento y estas dos variables logran mediar el efecto de la norma subjetiva sobre la intención emprendedora.LimitacionesEl estudio se limita solo a estudiantes de educación superior. Además, los datos utilizados provienen de un solo país.Implicaciones prácticasSe deben promover los programas de aprendizaje orientados al emprendimiento dedicados a entregar y mejorar conocimientos y habilidades emprendedoras, dado que esto fortalece la intención emprendedora en estudiantes de educación superior de forma indirecta.OriginalidadSe mide el efecto de programas de aprendizaje orientados al emprendimiento mediado por habilidades emprendedoras y el ambiente universitario en la intención emprendedora.

The Impact of Institutional Dimensions on Entrepreneurial Intentions of Students—International Evidence

Acknowledging the role of different forms of entrepreneurship to continued economic prosper-ity and the role of institutional dimensions on entrepreneurship, this paper investigates if and to what extent a selected number of institutional dimensions influence students’ intentions to ei-ther start a company or take over an existing one. Based on a Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESS) dataset and international country-level databases, evidence shows that both entrepreneurship options are hampered by corruption and limited business freedom while promoted through favourable labour regulations and trade freedom. Property rights, fiscal freedom, government spending, monetary freedom, and investment freedom only affect start-ups, while financial freedom adversely affects both options. The study provides new insight into the impact of institutional dimensions on different types of entrepreneurship. Thus, in contrast to extant research in this area, it goes beyond the typical focus on start-ups. Evidence also suggests that male students prefer starting a new company, while female students seem to prefer a takeover. This improved understanding could help in not only designing more targeted entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial financing policies but also in improving entrepreneurship education.

Parental Emotional Support as a Driver of Next Generations' Family Business Succession Intentions

Parents play an important role in shaping the career intentions of their offspring. Building on social cognitive theory, we explore how cognitive factors mediate the relationship between parental emotional support and family business succession intentions. To test our hypotheses, we draw on a sample of 21,984 students from a family business background across 41 countries, derived from the 2018 Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS). We find that parental emotional support directly influences succession intentions, and that this relationship is mediated by the next generation’s entrepreneurial self-efficacy and their affective commitment to the family business. We also find a moderating effect of birth order, with lower direct effects on succession intentions for children with older siblings. Lastly, we report a gender effect, finding that emotional support has a stronger influence among males. In addition, we contribute to a greater understanding of the nuances of next-generation succession intentions and parental influence for male and female successors.

Entrepreneurs’ Mental Well-Being and Microfoundations of Ambidexterity in New Ventures

In this study, we investigate the individual origins of ambidexterity by focusing on how entrepreneurs’ subjective vitality impacts on the new ventures’ simultaneous engagement of both exploration and exploitation, and how this relationship is moderated by the context in which the entrepreneurs are embedded. To do so, we take advantage of a sample of 15,561 student entrepreneurs, defined as university students who run an entrepreneurial activity. Student entrepreneurs represent an appropriate setting for our study since they are socially embedded in two contexts, the family and the university, which offer resources and norms uniquely influencing entrepreneurial behaviors. Data are obtained from the GUESSS (‘Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey’) project. We find that subjective vitality is positively related to new ventures’ ambidexterity and that such effect increases at higher levels of vitality. Moreover, at low levels of vitality, the positive association is amplified for student entrepreneurs whose parents are majority owners of a business; conversely, at high levels of vitality, the vitality-ambidexterity relationship is magnified by a favorable university climate towards entrepreneurship.

Context matters: The importance of university and family for young nascent entrepreneurs

Nascent entrepreneurs are those individuals who engage in start-up activities as part of the process of starting a new venture. In many cases, these activities lead to successful founding, but in some situations, the entrepreneur’s initial ideas go unrealized because the new venture cannot mobilize the necessary resources needed to create a fledging firm. In this paper, we look at the impact of the family and university social context on young student nascent entrepreneurs. Our findings based on Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) wave in 2011 suggest that both family and university have a significant impact on the entrepreneurs’ progress through the venturing process. However, when we take a finergrained look, we find surprising gender differences. Although female entrepreneurs rely on strong family ties for support, they are better than men at utilizing their weaker university connections to make progress through the venture creation process. This suggests that for women, all types of social support are important in their venture creation processes. Nascent entrepreneurs are those individuals who engage in start-up activities as part of the process of starting a new venture. In many cases, these activities lead to successful founding, but in some situations, the entrepreneur’s initial ideas go unrealized because the new venture cannot mobilize the necessary resources needed to create a fledging firm. In this paper, we look at the impact of the family and university social context on young student nascent entrepreneurs. Our findings based on Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) wave in 2011 suggest that both family and university have a significant impact on the entrepreneurs’ progress through the venturing process. However, when we take a finergrained look, we find surprising gender differences. Although female entrepreneurs rely on strong family ties for support, they are better than men at utilizing their weaker university connections to make progress through the venture creation process. This suggests that for women, all types of social support are important in their venture creation processes.