Title: Intention for entrepreneurship among students of Delta State University Abraka Nigeria: an empirical investigation

Authors: Benjamin Anabori Mmadu; Solomon Egbule

Addresses: Department of Economics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, PMB 14, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria ' Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences, Delta State University, Asaba Campus, PMB 1 Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract: Most policymakers and academics agree that entrepreneurship is critical to the development and well-being of society. Entrepreneurs create jobs; they drive and shape innovation, speeding up structural changes in the economy. Entrepreneurship is thus a catalyst for economic growth and national competitiveness. While there has been significant research on the causes of entrepreneurial propensity, only a limited number of studies have focused on the entrepreneurial intent among university students. Currently, in Nigeria graduate unemployment has become an albatross around the necks of the average school leaver in particular and the society in general. Graduate unemployment has increased the already high dependency syndrome and many believe entrepreneurship is the number one medicine to this unfortunate situation. It was observed that entrepreneurial intentions have proved to be a primary predictor of future entrepreneurial behaviour, that perceive behavioural control influences positively on entrepreneurial intentions and that personal attitude is positively related to entrepreneurial intentions. The study further suggest that further research could test the actual behaviour of students after intention to ascertain levels of correspondences between intentions and impact using longitudinal survey research design.

Keywords: entrepreneurial propensity; entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial education; entrepreneurial intentions; Nigeria; entrepreneurial orientation; university students; higher education; entrepreneurial behaviour; personal attitudes.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2014.062501

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2014 Vol.22 No.2, pp.196 - 217

Published online: 02 Jul 2014 *

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