Abstract:

Recent advances in the study of entrepreneurial intentions among university students stimulate further investigation into the antecedents of this intention. This study investigates the effects of a combination of individual and institutional characteristics, namely: positive emotions, risk-taking propensity and university support on students' entrepreneurial intentions. Since research considers intention as the best way to predict behavior, it's important to know which factors influence it.

Universities are seen as a source of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit playing a key role in favorably affecting students' entrepreneurial goals and efforts, enabling them to open new businesses. Because universities may assist students in a number of ways, it is critical to determine the efficacy of these initiatives and the extent to which they can impact students' entrepreneurial intention.

The theory of planned behaviour (TPB), widely used for explaining entrepreneurial intention in a social cognitive framework, provides the supporting theory. The assumptions are tested using a sample of 650 students (56 percent male and 44 percent female) from Poland, Portugal and Turkey. The questionnaire had two data collection sections and Smart-PLS software was used to assess the structured equation model.

The results show high values of passion and moderate values of risk proneness, university support, and behavioral control. The dependent variables, desire and intention, also have average values near the central point of the scale. Overall the model explains 72 percent of the variance of entrepreneurial intention and 63% of the desire to start up a business. Based on f2 values, one may conclude that both passion and risk have medium size effects on desire. Regarding the effects on entrepreneurial intention, the behavioral control exerts a medium effect, while the effect of desire is quite large.

All exogenous variables have significant effects on the intention. The emotional link to entrepreneurship (passion) and the eagerness to take risks are good predictors of the motivation to venture and ultimately of the intention to become an entrepreneur. Nevertheless, the perceived support by the university also contributes to the intention, through the relatively small effect on the behavioral control, meaning that students who perceive their institution as supportive are more confident to turn a desire into an intention.

Acknowledgements:
Research funded by the EIT European Institute of Innovation & Technology HEI Initiative under the project "ETEIA - Energy Transition Entrepreneurs in Action". Grant agreement No.: 10036.

Keywords:

University support for entrepreneurship, passion, motivation, entrepreneurial intention.