Author(s): Megan Colman, Jed Da Silva, Ben Westermann, Siphiwe Dlamini
This study investigates the impact of perceived innovativeness, perceived risk and perceived educational support on the part of a particular group of university students’ entrepreneurial intentions. It is the researchers’ view that a clearer understanding of the specific nature of entrepreneurial intentions amongst students would help determine whether they would be likely to engage in entrepreneurial marketing activities in the future. A descriptive research method is used, the main research instrument being an online questionnaire, to explore the entrepreneurial intention of a group of students from the Commerce and Law faculties at the University of Cape Town. Data will be analysed using SmartPLS software to test the proposed structural equation model, using the partial least squares (PLS) path modelling method. It is intended that a clearer understanding of the strength of the three factors exerting an influence on entrepreneurial intention will be reached as well as an understanding of whether there is a significant difference in results between the two sampled participating groups of students from the Commerce and Law faculties respectively. Ultimately, the managerial implication of entrepreneurial intention is discussed in a South African context for the growth of the economy; this discussion, and the conclusions reached, is grounded by theories of entrepreneurial marketing, innovation, and risk.