Entrepreneurial Intention and Entrepreneurial Abilities

Abstract

The study examined entrepreneurial intention of 668 undergraduates from two South West Nigerian Universities. The participants who indicated intention to ‘start their own business’ differ in entrepreneurial abilities by a higher mean score ( x = 126.70) on Entrepreneurial Ability Scale (EAS) compared with those who indicated ‘seek employment’ ( x = 121.42) and those who are not sure of their post-graduation activities ( x = 123.56). One-way analysis of variance shows that no significant difference exist between ‘seek employment’ and those who are not sure about their future choice between ‘seek employment’ and ‘start own business’. The study is an important indication of the role of and correlation between ability and intentions. It will be of practical benefit to conduct a follow-up/longitudinal study on future work preferences of the undergraduates who score high in entrepreneurial abilities scale as well as those who has entrepreneurial intention.

Key words: Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial abilities, Entrepreneurial intention.