Purpose This paper aims to determine how cultural values (language and religion) impact on entrepreneurial intentions of students at the University of Cape Town, University of Stellenbosch University of the Western Cape and Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Design/methodology/approach This empirical study was conducted under mixed-methods approach, using survey-correlational strategy. Primary data were collected from a sample of 278 students. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data which were coded and analysed using SPSS version 22. Findings The empirical findings reveal that the cultural variable of language influences entrepreneurial intentions among university students, while the variable of language was not found as such and this is in accordance with the literature reviewed. Research limitations/implications This study only concerned entrepreneurship university students in Cape Town. Though these universities host students from all corners of the country, their views cannot be said to represent the opinions of all other entrepreneurship students in the whole country. Practical implications These findings should encourage the stakeholders (learners, parents and educators) to use and practice the language that present the facilities in understanding more about entrepreneurship, such as the availability of written information. Social implications The study can be a catalyst to some societies which do not encourage their children to speak foreign languages to become aware of the advantages those languages do offer. Originality/value This is a unique study of its kind in Cape Town universities and presents findings that allow to know more than previously known about the topic of entrepreneurial intentions.

Entrepreneurial self-efficacy is best perceived as a multidimensional variable built from individuals’ beliefs about their abilities and capabilities for tackling the challenges and nurture entrepreneurial intentions towards the establishment of a new venture. Numerous studies are unanimous about the insufficient level of entrepreneurship in South Africa, as well as its below average total entrepreneurial activity of 7.8per cent compared to all efficiency-driven economies (developed countries) which have 11.4 per cent of activity. This study conducted in Cape Town—South Africa—aims at identifying the factors of self-efficacy and the role self-efficacy plays in rising entrepreneurial intentions among university students. Data were collected with the use of a questionnaire survey, where entrepreneurship students were the respondents. SPSS 22 was used to conduct bivariate and multivariate tests of statistical significance. The reliability of the data collection instrument was tested with the use of Cronbach’s Alpha and the variable of self-efficacy scored a reliability level of 0.877. The validity was ensured by the assessment of the instrument by two statisticians and two academics who are experts in their fields. The findings reveal the existence of a positive relationship between entrepreneurship university students’ self-efficacy and their entrepreneurial intentions. Recommendations to enhance self-efficacy among students and other aspiring business people have been formulated.

Background: This article presents the findings of an empirical fieldwork study conducted in Cape Town, South Africa.Aim: The aim of the study was to establish how socio-economic values (income, economic development, employment or unemployment in the university students’ direct environment) shape their entrepreneurial intentions.Setting and method: The study was built on Ajzen’ psychological model on entrepreneurial intentions, and used a semi-structured questionnaire to collect data from 274 entrepreneurship university students. Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure the reliability of the questionnaire, where six variables out of nine, had a coefficient alpha of more than 0.7, while the remaining three had a coefficient alpha of between 0.5 and 0.7. This instrument was assessed by both statisticians and academics who are experts in their fields to ensure its validity. Multivariate tests of statistical significance were conducted, where correlation and regression statistics were used to analyse the data.Results: Findings suggest that socio-economic factors have an impact in shaping entrepreneurial intentions of the university students.Conclusion: The study formulates the recommendations to the government, businesses, civil society organisations as well as the community within which students live.

This article, taken from the outlook report, propagates the idea of an entrepreneurial state in South Africa's Gauteng province. The global economy is reeling from an aftermath of two global recessionary events: the 2008 financial crisis and, more recently, the 2016 Eurozone crisis, which was triggered by public sector debt in Greece. These events have thrust the role of the state into the forefront, as various economies in the world look to their governments to quell the consequences of economic pressures. As efforts mount to solve the issue of public sector debt, most notably in the Eurozone, this is also fuelling contemplations elsewhere on the need for governments to navigate with caution on their spending and operational ways so as to steer clear from the murky waters of indebtedness. If the inner workings of the South African nation state must be relooked or if there may even be drastic attempts to do major reconstructive surgery on how the state operates, then this report attempts to be a contribution to those petitions that would be concerned on reorienting the state. This article reviews the entrepreneurial approach needed to be adopted by government institutions to contribute to provincial and, ultimately, national development. Special recommendations are made on how the township economies can be operationalised by the Gauteng province being a 'smart' entrepreneurial state.

The study showcases a business value proposition to policy makers for the adoption of a business paradigm involving the infusion of knowledge management practices, strategic thinking and government policy intervention for divapreneurship development in Zimbabwe.  The significance of knowledge management (KM) in women entrepreneurial development arises from the fact that, KM is considered as one of the most effective strategic tools for enterprise survival (Kim and Koh, 2011).  The study also investigated the antecedents of bringing about the divatude (positive attitude) in women, as a new way of addressing the impediments to the development of women so that they could be united, driven, inspired, action oriented and victorious ensuring that divapreneurship development becomes a reality in Zimbabwe (Bbenkele, 2013). The mixed method research paradigm was adopted with both quantitative and qualitative data integrated in data collection. Consequently, basing on a purposive sample of 558 structured questionnaires, and focus group discussions, data was collected in line with the sequential explanatory approach. The study was carried out in Bulawayo and Harare Metropolitan Provinces, and Matabeleland North Provinces in Zimbabwe.  The study recommended a ten factor framework for divapreneurship development involving universities as the nerve centre, in unrolling entrepreneurial education and training working in collaboration with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development.