Panagiotis A. Tsaknis, Alexandros G. Sahinidis and Evangelos E. Vassiliou
The purpose of this study is to examine the personality traits that are responsible for changes in entrepreneurial intention levels following an entrepreneurship education course.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the personality traits that are responsible for changes in entrepreneurial intention levels following an entrepreneurship education course.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a questionnaire-based survey employing a pretest-posttest group design. The first questionnaire was completed at the beginning of a university-level entrepreneurship course and a repeat one at the end of a semesterly course. A total of 315 university students from a Business School faculty of Business Administration participated voluntarily in the survey and completed both questionnaires.
Findings
Our findings indicate that specific personality traits (namely, Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Risk Aversion) can cause statistically significant changes in entrepreneurial intention levels upon the completion of the entrepreneurship course.
Research limitations/implications
It would be interesting to examine more characteristics of the sample such as gender, age, prior working experience, and parent’s employment type, among other variables. The results of this study should also be compared across ethnic groups, before drawing more generalizable conclusions. Additionally, with regard to personality, we tried to explain only changes in entrepreneurial intention, whereas many studies proposed an approach combining variables, such as the triad of elements of the Theory of Planned Behavior (Perceived behavioral control, Social Norms and Personal attitude toward entrepreneurship).
Practical implications
The findings of this study can be useful to public and private organizations, employees, policy makers, teachers, students, and governments in designing tailor-made entrepreneurship programs and to identify the individuals, who could benefit from entrepreneurship education.
Originality/value
The studies examining the role personality traits play in entrepreneurship education effectiveness, regarding entrepreneurial intention, are scant. This research is making an attempt to add to the knowledge gap existing to date on this issue.
Details
Keywords
Veronika Andrea, Stilianos Tampakis, Georgios Tsantopoulos and Evangelos Manolas
The purpose of this paper is to propose an approach regarding the management measures for solving environmental problems in protected areas. Two neighboring protected areas with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose an approach regarding the management measures for solving environmental problems in protected areas. Two neighboring protected areas with different features were chosen in order to investigate the similarity of the environmental problems with regard to these two areas and if it is possible for these problems to be solved through a network of protected areas.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was carried out through the use of a questionnaire which was distributed to the inhabitants and visitors of both areas, as well as through interviews with the representatives of organizations responsible for the management and administration of those areas and representatives of the municipalities and the regional authorities these two national parks belong to. Simple random sampling was applied to the inhabitants and cluster sampling to the visitors.
Findings
The results show that with regard to the visitors the most important problem is illegal hunting while for the inhabitants equally important is the problem of pollution and cleanliness. However, those responsible with the management of the two National Parks think that the greatest threat to the wider area is the problem of floods.
Originality/value
The views of the stakeholders in a given time, provides us with the best possible information for solving the problems faced and can be used as a tool for increasing the effectiveness of the measures which have been taken to deal with the particular problems.