Starting up a firm or not : differences in antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions

Abstract

Entrepreneurial intentions and their antecedents have been extensively studied in student populations, with results suggesting that higher education does not promote formation of entrepreneurial intentions by students. In this study, we examine the antecedents of intentions in two different student populations: those who are currently starting a firm and those who are not. Gender and entrepreneurial role-models are used as control variables. Further, we examine the utility of applying intention measures for individuals already acting upon their intention. As a framework we use the Theory of Planned Behavior by Ajzen (1991). The data of 3754 responses was collected using a self-administered questionnaire in seven differ-ent universities of applied sciences from students representing eight different study fields. The results show that the Ajzen’s model explains better the intentions of those who are not in the process of starting a firm than of nascent entrepreneurs.