Effectiveness of business education on entrepreneurial intent.

Abstract

The literature on entrepreneurial intent is extensive. The intention of individuals to set up new businesses has been recognised as an important hypothesis in entrepreneurship research. Self-efficacy is defined in the context of entrepreneurship as the strength of a person’s belief that he or she is capable of successfully performing the various roles and tasks of entrepreneurship. Perhaps the most extensive application of self-efficacy has been in the area of training. Business management training is an essential component of the modern academic curriculum. A variety of business management courses are being proposed, without the provision of conclusive quantitative data and information relating to impact of business management training on participants. This research will focus on the impact of business management training on entrepreneurial intention. The aim of this study is to examine the entrepreneurial intent of MBA candidates compared to interns of a government funded programme. This research utilized a quantitative approach. The Liñán and Chen (2009) validated Entrepreneurial Intent Question was used. The measured set of data will consist of two groups namely: (a) TIA intern (TIA) group and (b) MBA candidates (MBA) group. The eligibility criterion for the sample of ten (10) in the MBA group comprised of university post-graduate students who were taking part in the business management training programme. The sample of sixteen (16) in the TIA group comprised of graduate interns employed by Technology Innovation Agency (TIA). Based on the results of this study it can be concluded that (a) an MBA education does not more positively influence attitude toward entrepreneurial behaviour when compared to a TIA funded skills development internship, (b) an MBA education does more positively influence perceived entrepreneurial behaviour control when compared to a TIA funded skills development internship and (c) an MBA education does more positively influence entrepreneurial intent when compared to a TIA funded skills development internship. This research study recommends that the MBA curriculum need to develop techniques to improve a candidate’s attitude to entrepreneurial behaviour.