Zinziswa S. Mnyabiso, John K. Aderibigbe, Tendai Chimucheka, Johan Delport
The need to produce more university graduates that are self-reliant, business oriented, and driven by a high sense of responsibility to society and the nation at large, creates the necessity to incorporate entrepreneurship studies into the tertiary education curriculum. Several scholarly efforts have previously investigated and contributed to student entrepreneurial intention in developed countries, yet little has been achieved in South Africa. The present study examined the role of perceived personal problems and unsupportive environment in entrepreneurial intention with a sample of 366 (205 (56%) male and 161 (46%) female university students in South Africa, using the ex-post facto research design, and a structured validated questionnaire. Five hypotheses were stated and tested using Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results confirmed the hypothesised significant relationships between perceived personal problems, unsupportive environment and entrepreneurial intention. The results further revealed that there is a significant joint impact of perceived personal problems and unsupportive environment on entrepreneurial intention, F (2,363)=17.655; R2=0.084; p<0. 01; there is a significant independent influence of perceived personal problems on entrepreneurial intention, (β=0.289; t=5.091; p<0.01); but no significant influence of unsupportive environment on entrepreneurial intention. The study concludes that perceived personal problems and unsupportive environment are significant joint predictors of entrepreneurial intention as there are significant relationships among the three variables. The findings are valuable to the policy makers and professionals in promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among the youth.