Verifying the model of predicting entrepreneurial intention among students of business and non-business orientation

1. INTRODUCTIONPrevious research has confirmed the importance of various personal predispositions for recruitment into entrepreneurship. These predispositions, called entrepreneurial tendencies, inclinations or abilities include a wide spectrum of psychological constructs - from motivational characteristics (e.g. achievement motive, independence motive), specific cognitions (e.g. opportunity identification), specific and general traits (e.g. risk taking, ambiguity tolerance) to abilities (e.g. creativity) (Ahmetoglu and Chamorro-Premuzic, 2010; Caird, 1988; Chell, 2008; Miljkovic Krecar, 2008; Zhao and Seibert, 2006). Correlations of different entrepreneurial characteristics with entreprene-urial intentions and behavior were found to be moderate (e.g. the multiple R between the BIG5 personality dimensions and entrepreneurial status found in Zhao Seibert and Lumpkins' (2010) meta-analysis was R=0.37). Therefore, some researchers investigated the indirect effect of entrepreneurial characteristics on entrepreneurial intentions through the convictions or attitudes about entrepreneurship (e.g. Chandler and Jansen, 1997). One of these key attitudes is entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE),a belief in one's own ability to create a successful venture. Higher ESE was found to be correlated with higher intrinsic motivation for entrepreneurship, prolonged effort investment and higher persistence when facing obstacles (Boyd and Vozikis, 1994). Krueger and Braezel (1994) found a significant correlation between ESE and entrepreneurial intentions. In total, ESE was found to be the most significant predictor of someone's entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial behavior, as well as significant predictor of later venture success.Yet, believing that we are capable of something does not instantly imply our wish to become active in that direction. What is also important is a perception of desirability of a particular behavior. Shapero and Sokol (1982) define perceived desirability of entrepreneurship (DOE) as the degree to which one finds attractive the possibility of starting a business. This perception could be the reflection of our internal standards of attractive and unattractive career options as well as of external social pressures, laws, etc.These ideas are the basis of Krueger and Breazel's (1994) Entrepreneurial potential model. This model assumes that the entrepreneurship is a focused, planned activity, so intention to become an entrepreneur is its most significant predictor. Based on their previous research authors suggest that the strongest impact on the formation of entrepreneurial intentions comes from the evaluation of its feasibility, or entrepreneurial self-efficacy. The other key aspect of this theory is perceived desirability of entrepreneurship, which constitutes attitudes toward action and social norms. People can have various attitudes on entrepreneurship, ranging from generally negative to preferences towards specific forms of entrepreneurship. Also, social norms or opinions of significant others as well as general public attitudes, could influence perception of desirability. Essentially, perceived feasibility and desirability are essential elements of intentional behavior. Perceived feasibility (ESE) and perceived desirability (DOE) together form a so-called credibility of entrepreneurship as a career option - a basis on which a person forms his/her entrepreneurial intentions.ESE and DOE, as important antecedents of entrepreneurial intent and behavior, could be influenced through education. Bandura (1997) postulates four basic sources of self-efficacy: performance accomplishments, vicarious experience, social persuasion and evaluation of physiological and affective states. By giving students the opportunity to independently experience various entrepreneurial tasks (e.g. form and manage fictive enterprises), is considered to be the best education practice in this context (Segal et al. …