University Incubator Support and Entrepreneurial Intention among Tourism Graduates: Mediating Role of Personal Attitude

Abstract

The Saudi Arabian government has promoted the tourism industry as a way to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by diversifying the economy and reducing overdependence on the oil sector. To align with this, several universities in Saudi Arabia have started providing tourism education. Accordingly, several academic programs and university incubators were launched to prepare workers and entrepreneurs for the industry. This study examines the role of support given by university incubators—embedded in networking support, financial support, and training support—in enhancing entrepreneurship intention among tourism graduates. Furthermore, the study examines the mediating role of personal attitude in the aforementioned relationship. Data were collected from a sample of 750 senior students at tourism and hospitality management colleges in Saudi Arabian public universities. All of the research participants have had access to these incubators. Using structural equation modeling, the study shows that the personal attitude of graduates partially mediates the impact of networking support as a dimension of university incubator support and entrepreneurship intention. However, the personal attitude of graduates was found to fully mediate the relationships between financial and training support and entrepreneurship. Future research implications and limitations are elaborated.

Risk-Taking, Financial Knowledge, and Risky Investment Intention: Expanding Theory of Planned Behavior Using a Moderating-Mediating Model

“…This could be done through training and development programs [92]. Business incubators at universities can play this role by developing students' capabilities, enhancing their skills and self-confidence, and stimulating their attitude towards investment, which would affect their entrepreneurial and investment intention [93]. Further research could replicate the current study model with a larger sample size to validate or falsify our results.…”

Examining the Relationship between Green Mindfulness, Spiritual Intelligence, and Environmental Self Identity: Unveiling the Path to Green Entrepreneurial Intention

“…Hence, understanding the factors that affect their GEI is essential. The current research showed that to create GEI, university education systems, including university incubators (Aliedan et al 2022;Ayad et al 2022), must promote environmental information and knowledge among university students. Workshops and training sessions on environmental issues are encouraged, since they can enhance students' environmental knowledge and ESI.…”

Who Is Going Green? Determinants of Green Investment Intention in the Saudi Food Industry

“…Another study [43] found a significant effect of investment awareness on investment intention. This investment knowledge of graduates is shaped by university education support [23,24]. A recent study [17] found that knowledge of green investment is a predictor of green investment among university students in Malaysia.…”

“…The current study adopts TPB for understanding investment intention among university graduates in a green context. TPB framework has been adopted for examining human behaviour in different contexts, such as entrepreneurial intention among higher education [23,24], food waste intention [25], excessive food buying [26], fast food buying intention [27], healthy food item choices [28], state-branded food product purchase [29], or consumer behaviour regarding organic menus [30].…”