Entrepreneurial Narratives and Entrepreneurial Intention Among Undergraduate University Students in Kenya
##article.abstract##
In the establishment of new businesses, individual entrepreneurial intent is a crucial component. In entrepreneurship theory and research, entrepreneurial intention has shown to be a critical and continuous phenomenon. Despite vocational training institutes teaching youths with the goal of going into self-employment, a substantial percentage of them continue to look for paid work, with many of them being unemployed with poor entrepreneurial aspirations. Yet, the entrepreneurial narratives are critical to understanding the process of entrepreneurship in relation to growth of the firms. The relationship between entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial narrative of established small firms are neglected. Thus, the broad objective was to investigate the effect of entrepreneurial narratives (knowledge, inspiration and transportation) on entrepreneurial intentions. The study had a positivist perspective and used an explanatory research approach. Between January and May 2019, the population comprised of undergraduate university students in their fourth year of study who were enrolled in business-related courses. Techniques such as proportionate, stratified, and random sampling were used. A total of 400 students were chosen from universities in Nyanza and Western Kenya for the study. Structured questionnaires with likert interval measures were used to obtain primary data. The hypothesis was tested using Hayes model six. The findings of the study revealed that knowledge had a favorable impact on entrepreneurial intent (β=0.47, p<.05), inspiration (β=0.14, p<.05) and transportation (β=0.14, p<.05) were significantly associated with entrepreneurial intention. The findings conclude that entrepreneurial narratives encourage entrepreneurial intention among university students. Further, students which deduce knowledge, inspiration transportation from entrepreneurial narratives exhibit high entrepreneurial intention as results of human behavior. As a result, the study recommends that students' attitude toward conduct and perceived behavioral control be improved in order to boost entrepreneurial intent. For example, students may be persuaded that starting their own business is a better alternative for their career and that they can control the process of starting a new company.
References
Bandura, A. (2001), “Social Cognitive Theory: An Agentic Perspective”, Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 52, pp. 1–26
Baron, R. (2008). The role of affect in the entrepreneurial process. Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 328–340. https://doi. org/10.5465/AMR.2008.31193166.
Baron, R. A. (2008). The role of affect in the entrepreneurial process. Academy of ManagementReview,33(2), 328–340
Baron, R. A., & Markman, G. D. (2000). Beyond social capital: How social skills can enhance entrepreneurs’ success. Academy of Management Perspectives,14(1), 106–116. doi:10.5465/ame.2000.2909843
Baron, R. A., & Markman, G. D. (2003). Beyond social capital: The role of entrepreneurs’ social competence in their financial success. Journal of Business Venturing,18(1), 41–60.
Barry, D. & Elmes, M., 1994. Strategy Retold: Toward a Narrative View of Strategic Discourse. The Academy of Management Review, 22(2), pp.429–452.
Baum, Locke and Smith (2001) A longitudinal study of vision and vision communication to venture growth in entrepreneurial firms. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(1), 43-54.
Birdthistle, N. (2008). An examination of tertiary students’ desire to found an enterprise. G. Nabi, ed. Education + Training, 50(7), 552–567
Bohlmann C., Rauch A., Zacher H. (2017). A lifespan perspective on entrepreneurship: perceived opportunities and skills explain the negative association between age and entrepreneurial activity. Front. Psychol. 8:2015. 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02015
Cardon, M. S., Wincent, J., Singh, J., & Drnovsek, M. (2009). The nature and experience ofentrepreneurial passion. Academy of Management Review,34(3), 511–532.
Carter, K. (1993). The place of story in the study of teaching and teacher education. Educational Researcher, 22(1), 5-10.
Chan, C. S. R., & Park, H. D. (2013). The influence of dispositional affect and cognition onventure investment portfolio concentration. Journal of Business Venturing,28(3), 397–412
Davis, Blakley & Hmieleski, Keith & Webb, Justin & Coombs, Joseph. (2017). Funders' positive affective reactions to entrepreneurs' crowd funding pitches: The influence of perceived product creativity and entrepreneurial passion
Devonish, D., Alleyne, P., Charles-Soverall, W., Marshall, A., and Pounder, P., 2010. Explaining enterpreneurial intentions in the caribean. International Journal of Enterpreneurial Behaviour and Research , 149-171. Available at: doi: 10.1108/13552551011027020.
Engle, R. L., Dimitriadi, N., Gavidia, J. V., Schlaegel, C., Delanoe, S., Alvarado, I., He, X., Buame, S., & Wollf, B. (2010). Entrepreneurial intent: A twelve-country evaluation of Ajzen’s model of planned behavior. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research, 16(1), 33–57. https://doi.org/10.1108/13552551011020063
Fellnhofer K. Game-based entrepreneurship education: impact on attitudes, behaviours and intentions. World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development. (2017) in press.
Gabriel, Y 2000, Storytelling in Organizations: Facts, Fictions, and Fantasies, Oxford University Press, Oxford UK
Galbraith, C & DeNoble, A & Ehrlich, S & Horowitz, A. (2013). Presenter passion and presentation design on reviewer assessment and subsequent success: An empirical study of high technology proposal and business plan presentations. The Journal of High Technology Management Research. 24. 53–63. 10.1016/j.hitech.2013.02.003.
Garud, R., Dunbar, R. L. M. and Bartel, C. A. (2011). Dealing with unusual experiences: A narrative perspective on organizational learning.
Garud, R., Schildt, H.A. & Lant, T., 2014. Entrepreneurial Storytelling, Future Expectations, and the Paradox of Legitimacy. Organization Science, 25(5), pp.1479–1492.
Gibson D. E. (2004). Role models in career development: new directions for theory and research. J. Vocat. Behav. 65 134–156. 10.1016/S0001-8791(03)00051-4
Kolvereid, L., & Isaksen, E. (2006). New business start-up and subsequent entry into self-employment. Journal of Business Venturing, 21(6), 866–885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2005.06.008.
Krueger, N. F. (2009): “Entrepreneurial Intentions are Dead: Long Live Entrepreneurial Intentions.” In A. L. Carsrud and M. Brannback (Eds.), Understanding the entrepreneurial mind (pp . 51-72), Springer, New York
Kuratko D. F. (2005). The emergence of entrepreneurship education: development, trends, and challenges. Entrep. Theory Pract. 29 577–597. 10.1111/j.1540-6520.2005.00099.
Liñán, F., Urbano, D., & Guerrero, M. (2011). Regional variations in entrepreneurial cognitions: Start-up intentions of university students in Spain. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development: An International Journal, 23(3–4), 187–215. https://doi.org/10. 1080/08985620903233929.
Lounsbury, M. & Glynn, M.A., 2001. Cultural entrepreneurship: Stories, legitimacy, and the acquisition of resources. Strategic Management Journal, 22(6-7), pp.545–564.
Martens, M.L., Jennings, J.E. & Jennings, P.D., 2007. Do The Stories They Tell Get Them The Money They Need? The Role Of Entrepreneurial Narratives In Resource Acquisition. Academy of Management Journal, 50(5), pp.1107–1132.
Martens, M.L., Jennings, J.E. & Jennings, P.D., 2007. Do The Stories They Tell Get Them The Money They Need? The Role Of Entrepreneurial Narratives In Resource Acquisition. Academy of Management Journal, 50(5), pp.1107–1132.
Mason, C., Botelho, T., & Zygmunt, J. (2017). Why business angels reject investment opportu-nities: Is it personal? International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship,35(5), 519–534.
Milyavskaya, Marina & Ianakieva, Iana & Foxen-Craft, Emily & Colantuoni, Agnes & Koestner, Richard. (2012). Inspired to get there: The effects of trait and goal inspiration on goal progress. Personality and Individual Differences. 52. 56–60. 10.1016/j.paid.2011.08.031.
Mitteness, C., Sudek, R., & Cardon, M. S. (2012). Angel investor characteristics that determinewhether perceived passion leads to higher evaluations of funding potential. Journal ofBusiness Venturing,27(5), 592–606
Navis, C. & Glynn, M.A., 2011. Legitimate distinctiveness and the entrepreneurial identity: Influence on investor judgments of new venture plausibility. Academy of
Management Review, 36(3), pp.479–499.
Oleynick, Victoria & Thrash, Todd & Lefew, Michael & Moldovan, Emil & Kieffaber, Paul. (2014). The scientific study of inspiration in the creative process: Challenges and opportunities. Frontiers in human neuroscience. 8. 436. 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00436.
Rowell, C. & Gustafsson, R., 2015. The Promise and Perils of Nascent Field Narration and the Construction of Venture Identity. In Academy of Management annual meeting proceedings.
Roxas, B., Panizales, R & De Jesus, R. (2008) Entrepreneurial Knowledge and its Effects on Entrepreneurial Intentions: Development of a Conceptual Framework. Asia Pacific Social Science Review 8:2, pp. 61-77
Santos, F. & Eisenhardt, K., 2009. Constructing markets and shaping boundaries: Entrepreneurial power in nascent fields. Academy of Management Journal, 52(4), pp.643–671.
Shank, R. E. (1998). Tell Me a Story: Narrative and Intelligence. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
Shankar, A., Elliott, R., & Goulding, C. (2001). Understanding consumption: Contributions from a narrative perspective. Journal of Marketing Management, 17, 429–453.
Simmons, A. (2001). The story factor: Inspiration, influence and persuasion through the art of storytelling. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing.
Simpson, E. S. C., & Weiner, J. A. (Eds.) (1989). The Oxford Encyclopaedic English Dictionary. Oxford Clarendon Press.
Sonenshein, S. (2010). We're changing—Or are we? Untangling the role of progressive, regressive, and stability narratives during strategic change implementation.
Academy of Management Journal, 53(3), 477–512. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2010.51467638
Sudek, R. (2006–2007). Angel investment criteria. Journal of Small Business Strategy,17(2),89–103.
Thrash, T. and Elliot, A. (2004) Inspiration: core characteristics, component processes, antecedents, and function. Journal of personality and social psychology 87: 957-973. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.87.6.957.
Yusof et al (2007) The Cause and Effects of Deferred Maintenance on Higher Education Buildings. Journal of property maintenance, 267-280
