The Formative Blend of Culture and Education in Entrepreneurial Development

Abstract

Culture and education are two of the most valuable shapers of entrepreneurship. The former emanates from the numerous factors as historical roots, religious beliefs and tradition whereas the latter develops from the curricular formation of higher education. This study underscores the role of religion and higher education in the development of an entrepreneur. It is anchored on the blend of primary and secondary data. The personal assessments of 286 business students in one of the private colleges of Oman were supported or refuted by the gathered secondary data. The descriptive-quantitative method focused on Omani entrepreneurship, religious sources of entrepreneurial values and the extent of influence of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial values. The results showed a strong influence of religion and education on the students’ entrepreneurial development. The Islam religion is perceived as a rich source of entrepreneurial values and practices while business education developed entrepreneurial mindset. The study is a valuable input to the teaching of entrepreneurship in colleges and universities. As such, the religious source of entrepreneurship should be recognized. The entrepreneurial values from the teachings of Islam must be promoted and developed. Meanwhile, the education needs to focus more on the actual practice of entrepreneurship. The teaching and learning should involve application rather than pure theoretical approach.