Factors Affecting Entrepreneurial Intention among Undergraduates of State Universities, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is regarded as an essential element for economic development. Therefore, fostering entrepreneurship among the young generation has become a national priority of many countries as it provides effective solutions for problems associated with unemployment and unrest among youth. Recent entrepreneurial initiatives of the young generation have contributed to uplift the level of economic growth and living standards of many modern economies. With this prominence on young entrepreneurs, it has become a wide research spectrum to test the entrepreneurial intention of the young generations and making recommendations for further development of this intention. The purpose of this empirical research is to find out the entrepreneurial intention of undergraduates studying in Sri Lankan state universities.

This study was designed after extensive literature review on entrepreneurial intention and a structured questionnaire prepared based on Ajzen (1991) model of Theory of Planned Behaviour with modifications. The proposed model was empirically tested on a sample of undergraduates from various State Universities of Sri Lanka. After confirming the validity and reliability the data analysis was done through Univariate, Bivariate and Multivariate analytical tools using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings of the study revealed that Attitude towards behaviour was the most influencing factor for the Entrepreneurial Intention and it was discovered that the level of Entrepreneurial intention were different among undergraduates of various study areas.

The study further discloses aspects to be addressed and suggests recommendations to improve the entrepreneurial intention of undergraduates of the country and ultimately to promote and establish an entrepreneurial culture in Sri Lanka.