Predicting entrepreneurial intentions of final year Saudi university business students by applying the theory of planned behavior

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the entrepreneurial intention literature by applying the theory of planned behavior to Saudi context and determining the factors that affect the intentions of final-year Saudi university business students to become entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach Through a survey study, the paper aims to investigate the significant theory of planned behavior (TPB) antecedents (attitudes toward behavior, subjective norm (SN) and perceived behavioral control) to determine entrepreneurial intentions of 177 students by using correlations, linear and hierarchical regressions models. Findings The results showed that the antecedents of theory of planned behavior significantly explain 33.4 percent of the variance in students’ entrepreneurial intentions. However, the authors also found that SN associated with entrepreneurial intention had a higher regression coefficient than those of the two other antecedents. Hence, SN has a more significant influence on attitudes and less on perceived behavioral control (PBC). The results also showed that some demographic characteristics have an indirect influence on entrepreneurial intentions through SN and PBC. The findings suggest, therefore, that the TPB is a valuable tool for predicting entrepreneurial intentions. Research limitations/implications The main limitation stems from the fact that it is not possible to claim generalization as the research is the result of a study focused on one Saudi university. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed in order to promote entrepreneurship amongst Saudi students and an entrepreneurially friendly culture in Saudi society. Originality/value In this paper, the TPB is validated tool to a Saudi university context for predicting entrepreneurial intentions. Broader reflections about the generalizability of results is also considered by undertaking new researches with other Saudi universities and developing contextualized framework based on cultural considerations.