Studying the influence of entrepreneurial attributes, subjective norms and perceived desirability on entrepreneurial intentions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of entrepreneurial attributes, subjective norms and perceived desirability on entrepreneurial intentions. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected from the business students of the Quaid-i-Azam School of Management Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. In total, 200 questionnaires were circulated among students of which, 185 were returned, representing 92.5 per cent response rate. After discarding incomplete and biased questionnaires, 170 were left for further analysis. The SPSS 20.0 was used to perform statistical analysis. Findings – The research finds that students’ entrepreneurial attitude, perceived desirability and subjective norms significantly lead to the development of students’ intentions to become entrepreneurs. Interestingly, the student’s existing skills and capabilities do not prove to be a significant predictor of their intentions to become entrepreneurs. The study concludes that the students can become successful entrepreneurs even without existing entrepreneurial skills and capabilities, provided that they have the entrepreneurial attitude, desirability and support by the community. Research limitations/implications – Limited sample size is one of the main limitations which confines its generalizability. Nonetheless, this research can create a ripple effect to further explore the factors on a large-scale sample in different cities, universities and countries. Originality/value – In the existing economic crises in the country, developing entrepreneurs is one of the important ways to boost-up financial growth. Students are one of the best potential segments, in this regard, to be developed as potential future entrepreneurs. Research on student’s intentions to become entrepreneurs in Pakistan is limited. This research had added value in both theory and practice by identifying the factors that can develop students’ intentions to become entrepreneurs.