Sustainable Aspects of Startups among Generation Z—Motivations and Uncertainties among Students in Higher Educations

Abstract

While technology is developing rapidly, natural resources are being exploited with more and more factories. Global environmental problems draw attention to the issue of sustainability as a warning sign. In this situation, encouraging the development of green innovative technologies and supporting green startups has become particularly important. Sustainable development is an important goal for every country, and it means a global competitive advantage if the given country supports the spread of green technologies. It is therefore the responsibility of leading politicians to create an enabling economic environment to encourage young people to become conscious, green-minded entrepreneurs. In this study, we delve into the driving factors compelling young individuals to venture into entrepreneurship. This exploration combines both quantitative and qualitative research methods. A cohort of 280 Hungarian university students participated in an online questionnaire survey as part of the quantitative segment, while the qualitative research component involved scrutinizing young people’s perspectives on enterprises and startups through focus group discussions. The research aims to unveil the motivations and primary concerns of Z-generation university students when contemplating entrepreneurship, as well as their perspectives on the significance of sustainability in this context. The outcomes of this study could serve as a catalyst for the establishment of more environmentally-conscious and sustainable businesses and startups.

Intentions to Create Green Start-Ups for Collection of Unwanted Drugs: An Empirical Study

“…In this context, Jalal et al [69] found that knowledge of bio-medical waste management among healthcare workers is related to gender, educational level, and professional experience. Recently, Papp-Váry et al [70] (p. 9) reported that college students (Generation Z) have a lot of uncertainty and fear towards green startups, which may be due to "a lack of appropriate knowledge and practical knowledge". Furthermore, Michael et al [4] recommended the need to integrate "pharmaceutical waste management lectures" into university education curricula.…”

“…Zhang et al [47] found that classification knowledge is an important antecedent of waste classification intention. In turn, Tee et al [20] and Papp-Váry et al [70] emphasized the role of students' knowledge in launching green start-ups. In the same vein, Woromogo et al [71] affirmed that the level of knowledge influences the attitudes and practices of biomedical waste management among health staff in Cameroon.…”

“…Behavioral control includes "required skills and abilities; availability or lack of time, money, and other resources; cooperation by other people; and so forth" [60] (p. 315). In Hungary, Papp-Váry et al [70] stated that the most important barriers students may face when launching green start-ups include lack of financing, competence, and knowledge. In the entrepreneurship literature, several investigations have demonstrated that PBC positively predicts behavioral intention to engage in conventional entrepreneurship [50][51][52], green start-ups [35], green entrepreneurship [19,46,67], and sustainable entrepreneurship [21,[57][58][59].…”

“…It is also possible to form positive attitudes for students towards green start-ups through the language of money (personal benefits) and how these specific projects, if successful, can generate suitable profits for them. Accordingly, conventional media and social media platforms could be effective tools for broadcasting promotional campaigns aimed at building favorable attitudes toward these projects (see Papp-Váry et al [70]). Furthermore, promotional activities focused on subjective norms, especially those conducted by opinion leaders (such as university professors) among students, can enhance positive intentions.…”