Entrepreneurial Intent: Contribution to Study the Determinants among Students Participating in Entrepreneurial Competition Projects

Abstract

Entrepreneurial intent is a determining factor in entrepreneurship. It precedes the behavioral act of developing one's own business. Developing entrepreneurial intent requires gathering a number of necessary but not sufficient conditions. The present study will try to identify, based on a quantitative study conducted among 120 students involved in entrepreneurial competition projects organized in the city of Agadir (Morocco), the determinants of entrepreneurial intent. The arithmetic mean of 15 variables identified by literature review and interviews was calculated. The (t) test, principal component and regression analysis were used to classify, categorize and measure the links between the variables. The results indicate that the top five entrepreneurial intent determinants are Self-confidence, Self-Efficacy, Motivation, Technical and Technological Skills, Goal of fulfillment. The most important category of determinants is related to the attitudes and behaviors of students compared with the category of technical and professional factors and also the category of factors related to the family and social environment. These results can contribute to the entrepreneurship development in the city of Agadir (Morocco) by helping students to create their own business and therefore minimize unemployment.