Understanding Student Entrepreneurs: Doers, Procrastinators, Dreamers, and Abstainers

Abstract

HOLIENKA MARIAN, GÁL PETER, KOVAČIČOVÁ ZUZANA. 2017. Understanding Student Entrepreneurs: Doers, Procrastinators, Dreamers and Abstainers. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 65(6): 1935Brunensis, 65(6): -1944 Entrepreneurship as one of the potential career paths is an actual phenomenon among university students all around the world. However, as shown by recent GUESSS (Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey) findings, the action-intention patterns are rather varied. While a bunch of students already start their businesses (= "doers"), few of them declare their intention to start-up after completing their studies (= "procrastinators"), and even greater share of student population indicate a postponed intention to start a business in the mid-range future (= "dreamers"). Of course, a considerable proportion of students exhibit no inclination towards entrepreneurial career path (= "abstainers"). The aim of this exploratory study is to analyse differences between actual, would-be and "perhaps sometimes later" entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurial abstainers, among European university students. To do so, we utilize the 2016 GUESSS project individual-level data from 25 European countries (n = 68,828), search for similarities and differences between the above-mentioned groups of university students, and analyse robustness of our findings by investigating for drivers of individual involvement in entrepreneurial activity. Our study contributes to the body of knowledge on this under-researched perspective on youth and student entrepreneurship.

Commitment profiles of nascent entrepreneurs: insights from an empirical taxonomy among French student entrepreneurs

“…These works have mainly examined the formation of entrepreneurial intentions among students (e.g. Boissin et al, 2009aBoissin et al, , 2007Boissin et al, , 2017Holienka et al, 2017;Tkachev and Kolvereid, 1999). In their literature review, Marchand and Hermens (2015) show that among the 14 articles they selected on the topic of "student entrepreneurship", 11 were dedicated to entrepreneurial intentions.…”

“…Despite these efforts, a professional integration survey conducted by Pépite France in 2018 highlighted that only half of student entrepreneurs granted with the NSES between 2014 and 2017 had since created their own business. Student-entrepreneurs' paths are far from being homogeneous nor linear: from the student seeking an entrepreneurial experience before applying for wage-earning positions to the vocational entrepreneur, whose sole purpose is to make business creation a career (Nabi et al , 2010), different levels of investment in the entrepreneurial process might exist within entrepreneurial education's ecosystems (Holienka et al , 2017). Among all the students supported, how many will go through the whole process and create an independent organization?…”

What Makes a Media Entrepreneur? Factors Influencing Entrepreneurial Intention of Mass Communication Students

“…Particularly here, where one’s future career path is not automatically predetermined at the start of studies and job entry becomes increasingly difficult, entrepreneurship can be an attractive—or even necessary—alternative (Deuze & Witschge, 2020). Furthermore, it has been argued that universities provide appropriate space to experiment with business ideas and explore entrepreneurial skills, as students often still have few obligations and responsibilities during the time of their studies (e.g., Holienka et al, 2017). In Germany, additionally, an above-average number of academics set up businesses (Sternberg & von Bloh, 2016), so that a more detailed examination of this specific population seems reasonable.…”

Influence of educational programs oriented toward entrepreneurship on the entrepreneurial intention of university students: the case of Chile

“…However, one way to promote and motivate entrepreneurial behavior is via the formal education provided by universities, as these contribute to training students with abilities, skills and attitudes aimed at strengthening the entrepreneurial spirit, who might then have a positive impact on the regional economic development (Guerrero et al, 2016). These institutions should not only offer programs dedicated to entrepreneurship but also motivate students to participate in them (Bergmann et al, 2018) and aspire to create a favorable environment through support facilities and services (Holienka et al, 2017b). Thus, the comprehensive role that should be fulfilled by these institutions entails acting as a catalyst for leading and offering activities aimed at improving the entrepreneurial capital, adapting to the needs of society (Audretsch, 2014).…”