Entrepreneurial intention: an empirical study of nascent entrepreneurs

This study examined the discriminatory power of the Entrepreneurial Attitude Orientation Scale (EAO), and the relationship with intentions to start a business. Due to the crucial role of entrepreneurship in the economic development of regions, it is imperative to understand the methods to develop potential entrepreneurs and the motivation of individuals to engage in entrepreneurship. The findings illustrated that the EAO sub-scales successfully discriminated between entrepreneurship students and non-entrepreneurship students. Significant differences were found on seven of the items on the Entrepreneurial Attitude Orientation scale. The findings furthermore indicated that of the 29 non-entrepreneurship students used in this study, 24 were classified as non-nascent entrepreneurs, whilst of the entrepreneurship students, 26 were classified as nascent entrepreneurs, and only seven were classified as non-entrepreneurs. The results of this study are important because intentions to start a business are associated with the entrepreneurship attitude orientation scale, therefore it is critical that we tailor our education and training towards influencing people’s attitudes towards self-employment.