Theory of planned behavior and entrepreneurial intentions among students: a qualitative analysis of literature (2000-2014)

Abstract

Entrepreneurial Intentions refer to the intention of an individual to form a business venture. It is an ever emerging and evolving field of research in the area of Entrepreneurship. Owing to the several benefits that Entrepreneurship leads to, like creating job opportunities, improving economy of the Nation, promoting innovation, decreasing unemployment etc., Countries are focusing more and more on creating entrepreneurial awareness and potential among students. This research aims to explore the variables/factors that lead to the generation of Entrepreneurial Intentions among students. Theory of Planned Behavior has been used extensively in the current work already done in this area. By using this theory as the base of the study, other variables are also explored which could make this model more concise, comprehensive and generalizable. Literature on Entrepreneurial Intentions starting from year 2000 till 2014 has been qualitatively explored and content analyzed. NVivo 10 is used for the theme and framework generation. Three frameworks are proposed based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour including Education, Contextual Factors, Age and Gender as external variables impacting Entrepreneurial Intentions. The literature for analysis has been selected on a yearly basis. Future studies can make the selection on the basis of a single antecedent of TPB and explore its generalizability across different Countries. Educational Institutions especially Universities, teachers and potential entrepreneurs can use the frameworks as a guide to instill entrepreneurial awareness and capabilities among students. Government policy makers can use it as a guide to build and encourage an entrepreneurially oriented environment. The Literature on Entrepreneurial Intentions has not been qualitatively analyzed before in the author’s knowledge.