Based on a survey of 2,010 senior university students from nine universities in Xi’an, China, this paper analyzes the student’s entrepreneurial intention level and its influencing factors. The results show that the perceived subjective norm of university students has significantly positive influence on their entrepreneurial attitude and the entrepreneurial self-efficacy while all these factors influence their entrepreneurial intentions significantly. This paper also examines the influence of other factors such as individual/psychological factors, family background factors and social environment factors, and further discusses its policy implications.
KeywordsEntrepreneurshipEntrepreneurial intentionUniversity students
Ajzen, I. & Fishbein, M.(1977). Attitude-behavior Relations: A Theoretical Analysis and Review of Empirical Research. Psychological Bulletin, 84(5), 888-918.
Ajzen, I. (1987). Attitudes, Traits and Actions: Dispositional Prediction of Behavior in Personality and Social Psychology. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 20, 1-63.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179 – 211.
Athayde, R. (2009). Measuring Enterprise Potential in Young People. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 33(2), 481-500.
Bird, B. (1995). Toward a Theory of Entrepreneurial Competency. .In J.A.Katz & R.H.Brockhaus, Sr.(Eds), Advances in Entrepreneurship, Firm Emergence, and Growth. 2,51-72. Greenwich, CN: JAI Press
Boyd, N.G. & Vozikis, G.S. (1994).The Influence of Self-efficacy on the Development of Entrepreneurial Intentions and Actions. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 18(4), 63-77.
Churchill,N.C. Carsrud, A.L., Gaglio, C.M., & Olm, K.W. (1987). Entrepreneurs-mentors, Networks and Successful New Venture Development:An Exploratory Study. American Journal of Small Business, 12(2), 13-18.
Chandler, G.N. & Jansen, E.(1992).The Founder’s Self-assessed Competence and Venture Performance. Journal of business venturing,7(3),223-236
Chen, C.C., Greene, P.G., & Crick, A. (1998). Does Entrepreneurial Self-efficacy Distinguish Entrepreneurs from Managers? Journal of Business Venturing, 13(4), 295–316.
Davidsson, P. (1995). Determinants of Entrepreneurial Intentions. Paper prepared for the RENT IX Workshop, Piacenza, Italy, 11. 23-24.
Elfving, J., Br?nnback, M., & Carsrud, A. (2009) .Toward a Contextual Model of Entrepreneurial Intentions. In A.L.Carsrud, & M.Br?nnback (Eds).Understanding the Entrepreneurial Mind, Opening the Black Box. New York: Springer, 23-33.
Fielden, S.L., Davidson, M.J., Dawe, A.J., & Makin, P.J. (2003), Factors Inhibiting the Economic Growth of Female Owned Small Businesses in North West England. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 10( 2), 152-166.
Francis, D.H. & Banning, K. (2001). Who Wants to be an Entrepreneur? Journal of Academy of Business Education, 1(2), 5–11.
Gartner, W. B. (1985). A Conceptual Framework for Describing the Phenomenon of New Venture Creation. The Academy of Management Review, 10(4), 696-706.
Garzón, M.D. (2010). A Comparison of Personal Entrepreneurial Competences between Entrepreneurs and CEOs in Service Sector. Service Business, 4,289-303.
Hau, J., Wen, Z., & Cheng, Z.(2004). Structural Equation Model and Its Applications. Beijing: Educational Science Publishing House.
Kautonen, T.，Tornikoski, E.T., & Kibler, E. (2009). Entrepreneurial Intentions in the Third Age, the Impact of Perceived Age Norms. Small Business Economics, 37(2), 219-234.
Korunka, C., Frank, H., Lueger, M., & Mugler, J. (2003). The Entrepreneurial Personality in the Context of Resources, Environment, and the Startup Process—A Configurational Approach. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 28(1), 23–42.
Krueger, N. (1993). The Impact of Prior Entrepreneurial Exposure on Perceptions of New Venture Feasibility and Desirability. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 18(1), 5-21.
Krueger, N. F,Jr & Brazeal, D. V. (1994). Entrepreneurship Potential and Potential Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice，18(3),91-104.
Krueger, N. F,Jr & Carsrud, A. L. (1993). Entrepreneurial Intentions: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 5(4), 315–330.
Krueger, N.F,Jr & Dickson, P. (1993). Perceived Self-efficacy and Perceptions of Opportunity and Threat. Psychological Reports, 72(3), 1235-1240.
Krueger, N.F,Jr& Dickson, P. (1994). How Believing in Ourselves Increases Risk Taking: Self-efficacy and Perceptions of Opportunity and Threat. Decision Sciences, 25,385-400.
Lee, L., Wong, P. K., Foo, M.D., & Leung, A. (2011). Entrepreneurial Intentions: the Influence of Organizational and Individual Factors. Journal of Business Venturing, 26(1), 124-136.
Linán, F. & Chen, Y.W. (2009). Development and Cross-Cultural Application of a Specific Instrument to Measure Entrepreneurial Intentions. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 33(3), 593-617.
Lüthje C. & Frank, N. (2003). The Making of an Entrepreneur, Testing a Model of Entrepreneurial Intent Among Engineering Students at MIT. R&D Management,33 (2),135-147.
Man, T. W. Y. (2000). Entrepreneurial Competencies of SME Owner/Managers in the Hong Kong Services Sector, a Qualitative Analysis. Journal of Enterprising Culture,8(3),235-254.
Matthews, C. & Moser, S. (1995). Family Background and Gender: Implications for Interest in Small Firm Ownership. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 7, 365–377.
McClelland, D.C (1961). The achieving society. New York: Van No Strand.
Morris, M. H. & Jones, F. F. (1999). Entrepreneurship in Established Organizations: The Case of the Public Sector. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 24(1), 71–91.
Schmitt-Rodermund, E. (2004).Pathways to Successful Entrepreneurship: Parenting, Personality, Early Entrepreneurial Competence, and Interests. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65(3), 498–518.
Shapero, A. & Sokol, L. (1982). The Social Dimensions of Entrepreneurship. In C.A. Kent, D.L. Sexton, & K.H. Vesper (Eds.). Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurship. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 72-90.
Shaver, K.G. (1995). The Entrepreneurial Personality Myth. Business and Economic Review, 41(3), 20-23.
Shaver, K. G. & Scott, L. R. (1991). Person, Process, Choice: the Psychology of New Venture Creation. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 16(2), 23–45.
Stephen, F., Urbano, D., & Hemmen, S. (2005). The Impact of Institutions on Entrepreneurial Activity. Managerial and Decision Economics, 26, 413–419.
Tabachnick, B. G. & Fidell, L. S. (2001). Using Multivariate Statistics. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Van Gelderen, M., Brand, M., Van Praag, M., Bodewes, W., Poutsma, E., & Van Gils, A.(2008). Explaining Entrepreneurial Intentions by Means of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Career Development International, 13(6), 538-559.