Determinants of entrepreneurial intentions: the case of Southern Romania

Abstract

The study of entrepreneurial intentions has become a topic of interest in the last decades. As most of the decisions to launch a new firm are assumed to be planned for some time, it means that they are preceded by an intention to do so. Thus, identifying and analyzing the factors that influence the entrepreneurial intention represents a key issue in the entrepreneurship research. A review of the scientific literature shows that the determinants of entrepreneurial intentions are to be found in both the psychological approach and the behavioral approach. The psychological approach stresses the importance of various factors such as the locus of control, the propensity to take risk, the self-confidence, the need for achievement, or the innovativeness. On its turn, the behavioral approach puts accent on other elements such as the subjective norms or the personal attitude. The purpose of the paper is to identify and analyze the determinants of entrepreneurial intentions in the case of the Romanian entrepreneurs located in the Southern part of the country. In this respect, it takes into account several factors such as gender, experience or propensity towards risk. The methodological approach was based on a quantitative research method. The method of data collection was a survey by self-administered questionnaire. The paper illustrates the existence of various correlations between the above factors and the entrepreneurial intentions. It contributes to the enrichment of the scientific literature by emphasizing the role played by some of the main determinants of entrepreneurial intentions in the developing of entrepreneurship in Southern Romania.