ENTREPRENEURIAL ENVIRONMENT AS AN ANTECEDENT OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTENTIONS

The primary purpose of the study was to develop a model for measuring entrepreneurship intentions among university art students. Therefore, the study investigated and attempted to answer the following question: To what extent does entrepreneurial environment affect the antecedents of entrepreneurial intention (Attitude towards entrepreneurship, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control? A sample of 150 graduates from the Arts and Design programme took part in the study and data collected was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results provide evidence that subjective norm is an insignificant predictor of entrepreneurial intention compared to attitudes towards entrepreneurial behaviour and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Perceived environment support was observed to directly relate to future Entrepreneurial Intentions and it also mediates the relationship between Perceived University Environment, Perceived Entrepreneurial Abilities and immediate Entrepreneurial Intentions. It is recommended that policymakers should consider the development of a coherent national policy framework that addresses entrepreneurship for the art/creative industries sector. Future research is recommended to fully evaluate the effectiveness of the impact that subject components in Entrepreneurship Education have on students’ attitudes towards entrepreneurship, perceived entrepreneurial abilities, and Entrepreneurial Intentions.