Entrepreneurial skills and socio-cultural factors

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this paper is to explore how entrepreneurial skills (such as creativity, proactivity, and risk tolerance) and socio-cultural factors (such as role model and businessman image) affect secondary education students’ propensity towards entrepreneurial options in their future careers. Design/methodology/approach A sample of secondary education students in the Region of Murcia (Spain) has been used. Data were collected through questionnaires and analysed using logit estimation. Confirmatory Factorial Analysis (CFA) was used to validate the measures. Findings The results of this research study show that both the skills and socio-cultural factors positively affect entrepreneurial intention of secondary education students. Creativity, proactivity and risk taking promote entrepreneurial career. In addition, those students whose role model is an entrepreneur and have a better understanding of him or her, show a greater propensity towards entrepreneurial career. Originality/value The contribution to the literature on entrepreneurship is twofold. Firstly, although there are studies focused on identifying the entrepreneurial profile of university students, there is a paucity of empirical evidence relating to entrepreneurial skills at earlier stages of learning. This paper sets out to bridge this research gap. Secondly, evidence of the importance of socio-cultural factors, role models and entrepreneurial image upon the career orientation of secondary education students is identified and empirically verified. These findings involve are useful in practice, in aiding the design of better and more relevant education programs at early learning stages.

“I Want to Be Like You!”: The Influence of Role Models on Entrepreneurial Intention

“…Our study's results are in line with those of Rosique-Blasco et al (2016), who showed that those individuals who have an entrepreneurial role model tend to have a better understanding of the entrepreneurial career path and also stress a greater tendency toward it. Previous studies have discussed the positive relationship between observing an entrepreneurial role model and an entrepreneurial career choice (e.g., BarNir, Watson, and Hutchins 2011;Chlosta, Patzelt, Klein, and Dormann 2012).…”

“…With regard to the EIs of school students', Rosique-Blasco et al (2016) conducted an empirical study with a sample of 1,244 secondary school students from Spain (average age 15 years old) to examine how skills related to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial role models can influence the way in which secondary students choose an entrepreneurial career. The authors showed that those individuals who have an entrepreneurial role model are more prone to choose an entrepreneurial career than others.…”

Impact of regional cultures on business performance of women entrepreneurs with reference to small and medium enterprises in Pakistan

“…It has also been reported by GEM (2012) that the low women entrepreneurship performance in Pakistan is due to the male dominant min set. This patriarchal approach hinders the active participation of women in mainstream business activities which results in lowering their business performance (Rosique-Blasco et al, 2016). Thus, the male dominant approach is not adequately supporting women and has a negative impact on the business performance of women entrepreneurs specifically in small, medium enterprises.…”

A review of entrepreneurship education research in the special issues of Education + Training journal

“…In recent times, the importance of entrepreneurial education at all levels (primary, secondary and tertiary) of educational systems has become the center of attention. The focus has been on incorporating the common entrepreneurial skills in the learners, its teaching and upgradation, influencing factors based on which students choose entrepreneurial careers (Falkang and Alberti, 2000;Gürol and Atsan, 2006;Jones et al, 2012;European Commission, 2013;Rosique-Blasco et al, 2016). The recent study of Rosique-Blasco et al (2016) contributes toward the development of entrepreneurial skills at secondary-level education, and how creativity, proactivity and the risk-taking behavior as skills makes an entrepreneurial career as a choice.…”