Factores clave en la intención de empreder de los estudiantes universitarios: el papel moderador do entorno

Abstract

The objective of this work was to analyze the intention to undertake from an integrative perspective, taking into account internal and external factors that may influence this decision. This main objective was divided in two part: a) To identify the factors that influence the students' intention to undertake and to verify if these factors coincide with those that were indicated in previous studies, that did not use samples of Brazilian students; b) Verify that the factors and their importance in the intention to undertake are maintained independently of the geographical area (municipality where the student resides). It is believed that the intention to undertake is influenced by internal factors (related to the psychological characteristics of the entrepreneur) and external factors related to its environment (municipality where the student resides). Therefore, to better understand this action it is necessary to take into account, at the same time, the different factors that interfere in the intention to undertake. Based on a sample of 550 Brazilian students, 313 of the municipality of Cascavel and 237 students of Foz do Iguaçu (both in the State of Paraná), using the analysis of structural equations, the results show that the intention of Brazilian students to undertake be explained in terms of three variables related to personality: self-efficacy, need for achievement and capacity for innovation. So, it is possible to affirm that the students' intention to undertake is related to personal attributes, above all, they allow the individual to have confidence in himself, the need to remain in constant movement, seeking positive changes in their lives, establishing attractive goals and accepting situations competitive and challenging. In addition, the intention to undertake is also related to the ability to see things from different points of view, to provide creative solutions, to develop new products and new forms of organization that result in new products or services in the market these results allow to conclude that the variables that influence the intention to undertake in students residing in developed countries are not the same ones that explain the entrepreneurial intention in Brazil.