ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS OF MANAGEMENT STUDENTS AS ROOTS FOR NEW VENTURES. EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

Abstract

Entrepreneurial intentions (EI) that direct attention, experience and activities towards business concepts, create the form and direction of organizations at their inception stage. Future organizational outcome, such as survival, development and growth are based on these intentions. The objective of the study is to examine undergraduates' EI on the example of the students of Faculty of Management of Czestochowa University of Technology (FoMCUT). Various dimensions of EI are discussed in the context of gender, student specialization, the level of studies and selected components of entrepreneurial attitude orientation. The conducted research leads to the conclusions concerning the level of EI of students of the faculty which is strictly connected with the science and practice of management and entrepreneurship. The survey took place in December 2013 and January 2014 on the randomly selected sample of 332 students of FoMCUT. The sample amounted to 6.9% of the total population of students of the Faculty. The research tool constructed by the author was the questionnaire. The respondents were the students of both full- and part-time course of study. This study is the basis for the future research on predictors of EI as the foundation of new business ventures. It directs attention towards relationships between entrepreneurial ideas and their possible results. It outlines the background for examining entrepreneurial traits and contexts which are important both for the development of every economy and creation of directions for the practice of management of micro- and small enterprises. Key words: entrepreneurship, new venture creation, education, students.