Entrepreneurial intention: an empirical study of community college students in Malaysia

Abstract

The objective of the study is to identify the entrepreneurial intention among College Community students in Malaysia. A study was designed to determine the relationship of entrepreneurial intention antecedents perceived desirability, perceived feasibility and propensity of proactive behaviour with entrepreneurial intention. The study was carried out in 17 college communities in Malaysia and 253 students were involved to complete a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into six sections which include propensity of proactive behaviour, perceived desirability, perceived feasibility, breadth of entrepreneurial experience and positive entrepreneurial experience, entrepreneurial intention and the demographic factors. The analysis shows that the respondents have high in entrepreneurial intention. In this study shows that perceived desirability and propensity of proactive behaviour have positive relationship with the entrepreneurial intention. However, the analysis shows that perceived feasibility does not have a positive relationship with the entrepreneurial intention. In addition to that, the study would also like to see the relationship of the breadth of entrepreneurial experience and positive entrepreneurial experience with those three independent variables. This research proposed one model of entrepreneurial intention which uses theoretical framework mainly from Ajzen-Fishbein's intention theory (1980), Shapero's intention model (1982), entrepreneurial intention by Kruger and Carsrud (1993) and the theory of proactive personality by Bateman and Crant (1993). The study can provide feedback to the management in order to improve the entrepreneurial programme and training which can increase the level of entrepreneurial intention among College Community students in Malaysia.