Abstract

SANTOS, Susana Correia; CAETANO, António  and  CURRAL, Luís. University students’ attitudes towards entrepreneurship: how to identify the entrepreneurial potential?. Rev. Portuguesa e Brasileira de Gestão [online]. 2010, vol.9, n.4, pp.2-14. ISSN 1645-4464.

This work is focused on the university students’ attitudes towards the entrepreneurship, presenting a theoretical model on the entrepreneurial potential, based on a literature review aiming to systematize the main entrepreneurial distinctive psychological characteristics: the entrepreneurial motivation, psychological competencies, social competencies, and management competencies. Included in a project under development, the entrepreneurial potential construct was operationalized through an Inventory the Entrepreneurial Potential Assessment Inventory (IAPE^©) and was tested on one university students sample, composed by social, health, management and technology sciences students (N = 521). Results evidence that there are significant differences among university students on the four entrepreneurial potential dimensions. Additionally, we have been developing and testing the Entrepreneurial Potential Index (IPE). We present the algorithm and some results. On our sample the management sciences students present a greater mean IPE. Concerning the practical applications, the IAPE^© and IPE are two tools for the promotion of university entrepreneurship, namely on the design of entrepreneurship courses and training necessities assessment.

Keywords : Entrepreneurial Potential; Entrepreneurial Potential Assessment Inventory; Entrepreneurial Potential Index.

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