Entrepreneurial intentions amongst students: Towards a re-focused research agenda

Purpose – The paper addresses the need for a re-focused research agenda in relation to graduate entrepreneurship. An important theme for some years has been the effort to monitor attitudes and intentions of students towards starting-up their own businesses. It is timely, however, to raise some questions about both the impact of this research and likewise the general approach it has taken in understanding the phenomenon of graduate entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws upon a large data set (over 8000 students) from one UK region. Specifically, it presents data from the 2007/2008 Entrepreneurial Intentions (EI) survey within the Yorkshire and Humberside region and reflects back over previous iterations of this research. Results The paper identifies three key outcomes. Firstly, it establishes that across all years of the survey, a substantial minority of students consistently hold relatively strong start-up intentions. Secondly, the paper highlights that despite considerable effort to increase the numbers moving to start-up, little impact is discernible. Thirdly, the paper suggests that although the EI survey is useful as a stock taking exercise, it fails to address critical questions around the impact of higher education on entrepreneurship and the transition from entrepreneurial intent to the act of venture creation. Originality/ value The paper provides an important positioning perspective on the relationship between higher education and graduate entrepreneurship. While highlighting the importance of the EI research, the paper establishes the need for a refocused research agenda; one that is conceptually robust and with a focus upon the student journey from higher education to graduate entrepreneur.