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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to observe the readiness of students and the internal environment of Malaysian public universities in the implementation of entrepreneurship education. Design/methodology/approach -The authors employed a quantitative approach and the main instrument used to gauge the entrepreneurship readiness among students in Malaysia public universities was the questionnaire. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software to obtain descriptive statistics that describe the profile of entrepreneurship readiness, both among the students themselves and in the internal environment of the universities, as the students perceive it. Findings -According to the findings, students in Malaysian public universities demonstrate strong readiness, in terms of entrepreneurial willingness and capabilities. Within the internal environment of public universities, however, readiness for entrepreneurship education remains, from the students' perspective, imperfect, and requires improvement if these institutions are to support future entrepreneurship education. Research limitations/implications -This research is limited to students in Malaysian public universities. It is suggested that further research should include the students of private universities also, in order to mine a wealth of information pertinent to the readiness of Malaysian students, as well as to provide material for the remodelling of the internal environments of higher learning institutions. Practical implications -Readiness profiles of students and institutions towards the implementation of entrepreneurship education provide important resources for policymakers responsible for Malaysian public universities, enabling them to enhance the implementation of entrepreneurship education. Originality/value -There has been little discussion or analysis of the readiness of students and the internal environments of public universities in Malaysia towards the implementation of entrepreneurship education. This paper attempts to fill this gap in current research.

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Purpose This study aims to evaluate students’ views on the on-the-campus entrepreneurship programs in Malaysian polytechnics. Participation in the entrepreneurship programs is able to stimulate an interest in entrepreneurship, and improve the knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurial experience of its students. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a survey method designed in the form of an objective-oriented program evaluation. Questionnaires were used to identify the students’ level of assessments of the instructional dimensions. This study explored the differences in evaluation based on gender, specializations, and courses attended. Findings The results showed moderately high level of evaluation. The analysis of gender differences shows that gender did not affect students’ views on the instructional dimension. However, students’ specialization and courses attended are associated with significant differences in the level of evaluation Research limitations/implications This research is limited to only five Malaysian polytechnics. The study was looking into the instructional dimension of the entrepreneurship programs. Further research should include the assessment of the institutional side of the programs. . Practical implications The evaluation results provide important recommendations to improve some practical aspects of the entrepreneurial activities. The polytechnics’ departments can focus on the actual content as well as on the learning experience to implement conducive, positive, and supportive practices that could lead to a maximum participation rate among students. Originality/value There have been no discussions or evaluation of the entrepreneurship programs conducted in Malaysian polytechnics in terms of objective-oriented evaluation. This paper attempts to fill the current gap.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess emotional intelligence levels and their contributions to entrepreneurial career choice behaviours among Malaysian public university students. Design/methodology/approach This study surveyed 369 respondents selected from a population of 87,503 Malaysian public university students using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Respondents were given a three-part questionnaire covering their personal information, their emotional intelligence in terms of self-awareness, emotion management, empathy and social skills and their entrepreneurial career choice behaviours. Findings The results indicate that the surveyed students have high levels of self-awareness and empathy, and moderate levels of emotion management and social skills. This indicates that these students are able to manage their emotions in making decisions and consider people’s emotions. The results also indicate that students who were able to manage their negative emotions were more likely to choose an entrepreneurial career. Research limitations/implications This study aims to help higher institutions focus on emotional intelligence in the entrepreneurship curriculum to help students recognise their potential in terms of entrepreneurial characteristics and behaviours. Students’ involvement in entrepreneurship can foster economic growth in developing countries. A limitation of this study is that it focuses only on second-year undergraduates from public universities in the Selangor area. Originality/value Few studies address emotional intelligence and entrepreneurial career choices among public university students, which this study addresses.