Attitudes towards entrepreneurial activity: Differences between business administration students in two universities of the UK and Spain

There is some degree of consensus regarding the view that universities should become more involved in the economic and social development of their community to ensure that the knowledge they generate is useful to society. Given that one of the most pressing needs in the current economic environment is the creation of new businesses, this paper aims to study the entrepreneurial attitudes of students in two schools located in Cordoba (Spain) and Oxford (UK) devoted to the training of entrepreneurs. The results show that although there are very few differences in terms of the reasons students at both universities set up a business and the obstacles they encounter in doing so, intention to start up is much higher in the British case. The paper also examines students’ views on the feasibility of embarking on a venture of this type and the perception they have of themselves. We conclude that universities must work to counteract the adverse effects of the environment and collaborate with students to create an atmosphere conducive to social development based on the pillars of entrepreneurship and innovation.