ปัจจัยที่มีอิทธิพลต่อการเป็นผู้ประกอบการใหม่ กรณีศึกษานักศึกษาบริหารธุรกิจในภาดใต้ของประเทศไทย

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to 1) examine factors influencing entrepreneurial intention, such as attitude towards entrepreneurship, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, psychological capital, and risk-taking propensity and 2) explain reasons of new entrepreneurship. This study employed mixed-method study using a sequential-independent design for data collection. The first phase involved the investigation of quantitative data to examine the effects on pre-graduation entrepreneurial intention. The participants included 824 final-year students in the bachelor and the high vocational certificate of Business Administration program in southern region of Thailand. The data were collected from questionnaires using confirmatory analysis and structural equation modeling analysis. The second phase examined qualitative data to explain the causal factors that promoted the behavioral emergence of new entrepreneurs after six months of graduation using semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was implemented on the first-phase questionnaire respondents to select those with extremely high mean scores on entrepreneurial intention. Seventeen participants were interviewed until data saturation and the acquired interview data were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results of quantitative data collection revealed that the structural equation model was consistent with the empirical data: X*/df = 4.489, RMSEA = 0.067, CFI = 0.918, SRMR = 0.047. The factors that had direct and positive influence on entrepreneurial intention were attitude towards entrepreneurship, psychological capital, and subjective norm with the coefficient values of 0.324, 0.237, and 0.171, respectively. Furthermore, psychological capital and risk-taking propensity had an indirect influence on entrepreneurial intention through attitude towards entrepreneurship as a mediator with coefficient values of 0.184 and 0.130, respectively. The qualitative data analysis revealed that respondents had a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship The objectives of this study were to 1) examine factors influencing entrepreneurial intention, such as attitude towards entrepreneurship, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, psychological capital, and risk-taking propensity and 2) explain reasons of new entrepreneurship. This study employed mixed-method study using a sequential-independent design for data collection. The first phase involved the investigation of quantitative data to examine the effects on pre-graduation entrepreneurial intention. The participants included 824 final-year students in the bachelor and the high vocational certificate of Business Administration program in southern region of Thailand. The data were collected from questionnaires using confirmatory analysis and structural equation modeling analysis. The second phase examined qualitative data to explain the causal factors that promoted the behavioral emergence of new entrepreneurs after six months of graduation using semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was implemented on the first-phase questionnaire respondents to select those with extremely high mean scores on entrepreneurial intention. Seventeen participants were interviewed until data saturation and the acquired interview data were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results of quantitative data collection revealed that the structural equation model was consistent with the empirical data: X*/df = 4.489, RMSEA = 0.067, CFI = 0.918, SRMR = 0.047. The factors that had direct and positive influence on entrepreneurial intention were attitude towards entrepreneurship, psychological capital, and subjective norm with the coefficient values of 0.324, 0.237, and 0.171, respectively. Furthermore, psychological capital and risk-taking propensity had an indirect influence on entrepreneurial intention through attitude towards entrepreneurship as a mediator with coefficient values of 0.184 and 0.130, respectively. The qualitative data analysis revealed that respondents had a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship The objectives of this study were to 1) examine factors influencing entrepreneurial intention, such as attitude towards entrepreneurship, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, psychological capital, and risk-taking propensity and 2) explain reasons of new entrepreneurship. This study employed mixed-method study using a sequential-independent design for data collection. The first phase involved the investigation of quantitative data to examine the effects on pre-graduation entrepreneurial intention. The participants included 824 final-year students in the bachelor and the high vocational certificate of Business Administration program in southern region of Thailand. The data were collected from questionnaires using confirmatory analysis and structural equation modeling analysis. The second phase examined qualitative data to explain the causal factors that promoted the behavioral emergence of new entrepreneurs after six months of graduation using semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was implemented on the first-phase questionnaire respondents to select those with extremely high mean scores on entrepreneurial intention. Seventeen participants were interviewed until data saturation and the acquired interview data were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results of quantitative data collection revealed that the structural equation model was consistent with the empirical data: X*/df = 4.489, RMSEA = 0.067, CFI = 0.918, SRMR = 0.047. The factors that had direct and positive influence on entrepreneurial intention were attitude towards entrepreneurship, psychological capital, and subjective norm with the coefficient values of 0.324, 0.237, and 0.171, respectively. Furthermore, psychological capital and risk-taking propensity had an indirect influence on entrepreneurial intention through attitude towards entrepreneurship as a mediator with coefficient values of 0.184 and 0.130, respectively. The qualitative data analysis revealed that respondents had a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship in terms of being a new entrepreneur is attractive due to its favorable outcomes, career freedom, and stable incomes. In addition, factors that motivated students to start their businesses are financial support and prior experience. Therefore, government offices and relating parties should offer financial supports in starting businesses for new graduates with training and workshops in enhancing their confident in kicking off new businesses, resulting in an increase in the number of new entrepreneurs that may improve the economy in developing countries.