Exploring the influence of entrepreneurship personality on entrepreneurial intention: A research in Turkey

Abstract

Purpose: It is well known that entrepreneurship is a crucial factor in global economy. It is regarded as a significant phenomenon for many researches. Considering the economic problems that countries face in today's world, understanding entrepreneurship and the personality traits of entrepreneurs became very important. As it is well known in the related literature, personality traits play a great role in entrepreneurial intentions. As attitudes toward entrepreneurship can be discussed through personality traits, this paper aims to clarify which personality traits have effects on entrepreneurial intentions. Personality traits can be described as the constructs describing behavioural patterns in people's lives. By shedding light on those traits which drives people's entrepreneurship motives, this paper will help us understand what makes people successful entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach: The research was conducted on university students studying at Business Administration Department (Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences), Uludag University, in Turkey. A convenience sampling method was used in the research. A structured questionnaire was prepared based on the literature (Owoseni, 2014; Colakoglu and Gozukara, 2016; Ozaralli and Rivenburgh, 2016). Structural equation modelling is used to test the influence of entrepreneurship personality that consists of innovativeness, need for achievement, alertness and locus of control, on entrepreneurial intention of university students. Findings: This paper provides empirical insights about which personality traits have effects on entrepreneurial intentions. According to the modelling results, it is found that entrepreneurship personality has an influence on the entrepreneurial intention of university students. Research/practical implications: Entrepreneurial intention is considered to be the most influential factors on the economic development of countries. The findings of the research suggest that entrepreneurial intention is significantly related with certain personality traits. This may contribute to the entrepreneurship literature. Furthermore, higher education institutions may benefit from these results to improve their content of entrepreneurial education considering the significance of personality traits for creating an economically strong country. Originality/value: This study is one of the few researches that have examined the influence of entrepreneurship personality on entrepreneurial intention in Bursa which is a highly industrialized province. The results have implications for decision-makers in higher education institutions both at micro-and macro-levels, in terms of effective decision-making and resource allocation.