Examining the entrepreneurial attitudes of US business students

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the entrepreneurial attitudes of undergraduate students enrolled in the Small Business Institute® (SBI) program at multiple universities in the USA. Research has encouraged a continuous study and refinement of the entrepreneurial profile, particularly for young adults. Past studies have linked certain personality constructs and entrepreneurship, and shown a connection between entrepreneurial intentions and past business experience.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 216 students completed the entrepreneurial attitudes orientation (EAO) survey. The EAO provides a composite score based on four attitude subscales: achievement in business; innovation in business; perceived personal control of business outcomes; and perceived self‐esteem in business. In addition, participants were asked to provide demographic information and past entrepreneurial experience.Findings – Results indicated that the majority of students possessed entrepreneurial attitudes. Furthermore, both ...

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