The Role of Entrepreneurial Attitude and Opportunity Recognition on Entrepreneurial Intention of University Students

Abstract

The study investigates the mediating role of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition on the relationship between entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention among university students in Ghana. A structured questionnaire was administered to 500 university students in Ghana, and the data collected was analyzed using Amos. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the hypothesized paths. The result indicated that entrepreneurial attitude had a substantial positive impact on both entrepreneurial intention and opportunity recognition among university students in Ghana. The result further indicated that entrepreneurial opportunity recognition positively affected university students' entrepreneurial intention. The study further illuminated that entrepreneurial opportunity recognition mediated the relationship between entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention. This implies that an entrepreneurial attitude increases the chances of opportunity recognition and self-employment propensity in Ghana. The study suggests that students should cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and develop a healthy attitude toward entrepreneurship, enhancing the chances of identifying and pursuing business opportunities. The study contributes to the literature by focusing on and highlighting innate attributes that can possibly contribute to self-employment propensity.

Resilience in Adversity: COVID-19 Pandemic Challenges in Diminishing Entrepreneurial Intentions and Business Startups

“…Finally, consistent with previous studies such as [3,28,29,31,34], this study's findings show that recognizing business opportunities positively affects entrepreneurial intentions and business startups. As highlighted by this study's findings, while Egyptian entrepreneurs have identified a need for more viable opportunities, the economic challenges and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant that they were hesitant to do so.…”

“…The fear and anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic causes adverse consequences regarding entrepreneurial intentions and, more specifically, the recognition of business opportunities [2,30]. Ledi et al's [31] findings demonstrate that recognizing business opportunities influences university students' entrepreneurial intentions and having an entrepreneurial mindset. When comparing the recognition of business opportunities based on gender and family business background, [32]'s findings offer insights to the demographic influences on identifying and seizing entrepreneurial possibilities.…”

“…With a specific focus on recognizing business opportunities, the fear and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected entrepreneurial intentions [2,30]. According to [31], entrepreneurial attitudes and the recognition of business opportunities shape university students' entrepreneurial intentions. Likewise, when comparing the recognition of business opportunities regarding gender and family business background, [32]'s findings provide insights into the demographic influences in recognizing and acting upon entrepreneurial opportunities.…”

Uncovering the Factors Influencing Entrepreneurial Intentions of University Students: An Application of Shapero's Model

“…Various research studies from around the world seeking to quantify entrepreneurial intention have contributed to our understanding of EI over the past decades (Mares et al, 2016). The research conducted by Ledi et al, (2022) sheds light on the underlying mechanisms that drive entrepreneurial intention and self-employment propensity among university students in Ghana. The study found that cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset and developing a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship increases the likelihood of recognizing business opportunities and having the propensity for self-employment.…”

Personality traits and counterproductive work behaviors: the moderating role of demographic characteristics

“…Such behaviors can destroy employee' morale, and be responsible for higher rates of absenteeism and lover turnover or productivity (Hoel et al, 2003). It can have negative influence on fundamental competitiveness factors such as internal and external entrepreneurship attitude, initiative potential or abilities to look for innovative solutions (see Dankiewicz et al, 2020;Skalická et al, 2023;Meluzín et al, 2018;Civelek et al, 2021;Ključnikov, et al 2021;Cortes, et al, 2021;Kuswanto et al, 2022;Ledi et al, 2022).…”