The Drivers of Entrepreneurial Intentions - An Empirical Study among Information Systems and Computer Science Students

Abstract

The last decade has seen an enormous increase in research on entrepreneurship education. However, there is so far only little research on entrepreneurship education in the field of information technology. To address this research gap, we conducted an empirical study based on an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behavior among Information Systems and Computer Science students. We found Attitude being the main driver for Information Systems students, and having discovered a Business Idea being the most influential factor for Computer Science students. In a more detailed analysis, the perception that being an entrepreneur does not come with a high risk to fail, the opportunity for self-fulfillment, and the chance of a high monetary reward could be identified as the crucial drivers regarding Information Systems students. Based on our findings, we discuss the implications for developing more entrepreneurially-oriented courses tailored to both groups of students.