Abstract:

Some scholars consider entrepreneurship as a key factor to optimise the development of human communities (e.g., Shapero, 1985). From a psychological point of view, entrepreneurship might be considered as an attitudinal phenomenon (e. g., Bird, 1988; Shapero & Sokol, 1982). In other words, entrepreneurial behaviour depends on intention, which depends in turn on attitudes, normative beliefs and some related constructs. The main objective of this paper is to test a theoretical model of business creation based on the attitudes perspective. In order to assess the likelihood of that model, we use some of the techniques implemented in the bnlearn software (Nagarajan, Scutari & Lèbre, 2013) to learn Bayesian networks. Entrepreneurial attitude models have already been developed in the literature using Bayesian networks (e.g., López & García, 2012; López, Ramírez & Casado). However, even though we aim to follow a methodological approach similar to that used by Krueger, Reilly & Carsrud (2000), we improve on it through our choice of statistical techniques. Our results are useful in two ways - firstly, theoretical, and secondly, practical. From a theoretical point of view, we can provide the scientific community with further evidence supporting an entrepreneurial attitudes model. On the other hand, the Bayesian network generated may be helpful to potentiate or optimize entrepreneurship in practice.

References:
[1] Bird, B. (1988). Implementing entrepreneurial ideas: The case for intention. Academy of Management Review, 13, 442-453.
[2] Krueger, N. F., Reilly, M. D., & Carsrud, A. L. (2000). Competing models of entrepreneurial intentions. Journal of Business Venturing, 15, 411-432. doi:10.1016/S0883-9026(98)00033-0
[3] López, J. & García, J (2012). Comparative study on entrepreneurial attitudes modelled with logistic regression and Bayes nets. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 15, 1147-1162. doi: 10.5209/rev_SJOP.2012.v15.n3.39404
[4] López, J., Ramírez, A., & Casado, M. P. (2012). Modelling entrepreneurial attitudes in women entrepreneurs with bayesian networks. Psychology, 3, 265-271. doi: 10.4236/psych.2012.33037
[5] Nagarajan, R., Scutari M., & Lèbre, S. (2013). Bayesian networks in R with applications in systems biology. Springer.
[6] Shapero, A. & Sokol, L. (1982). The social dimensions of entrepreneurship. In C. Kent, D. Sexton, & K. H. Vesper (Eds.), The encyclopedia of entrepreneurship (pp. 72-90). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
[7] Shapero, A. (1985). Why entrepreneurship? A worldwide perspective. Journal of Small Business Management, 23, 1-5.

Keywords:

Academic entrepreneurship, Bayesian networks, attitudes, bnlearn, university.