Personality and Entrepreneurial Intentions of Final Year Business Students in Pakistan: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Education and Social Norms

Abstract

Personality traits and situational characteristics influence the level of entrepreneurial intention in individuals. This study investigated the relationship between the five-factor model of personality, entrepreneurial education, social norm and entrepreneurial intention of final-year business students. Based on the cognitive appraisal theory, the mediating role of entrepreneurial education and social norms was proposed between five personality factors and entrepreneurial intention. A cross-sectional and a quantitative research design was adopted. Data was collected by administrating a survey to final year bachelor of business management students of a public sector university. The data from 200 students was analyzed through partial least square structural equation modelling in SMART PLS 3. The results revealed that openness to experience, neuroticism, entrepreneurial education and social norms were significantly related to entrepreneurial intentions. Openness to experience and conscientiousness was related to entrepreneurial education, while openness to experience, conscientiousness and neuroticism were related to social norms. The mediation analysis revealed that entrepreneurial education and social norms mediate the relationship between openness to experience and conscientiousness with entrepreneurial intentions, while social norms negatively mediate the relationship between neuroticism and entrepreneurial intentions. Interestingly social norms and entrepreneurial education fully mediate the relationship between conscientiousness and entrepreneurial intentions. This study's findings have helped us to understand how social norms and entrepreneurial education shape the way different personality traits influence the entrepreneurial intention of students. Interventions to enhance the quality of entrepreneurial education and social norms supporting entrepreneurship would promote entrepreneurship among individual high in openness to experience and conscientiousness.