THE ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Entrepreneurship is an essential part of economies around the world. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study analyze the impact of entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norms, self-efficacy, and university entrepreneurial environment on the entrepreneurial intention of university student. Utilizing a sample of 894 university students in Saudi Arabia, a country undergoing a reform strategy to diversify the economy with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, the results indicate that entrepreneurial attitude and self-efficacy are related to entrepreneurial intentions. Further, the impacts of subjective norms and self-efficacy on the entrepreneurial intention are mediated by entrepreneurial attitude. The findings also indicates that the university entrepreneurial environment has no impact on the entrepreneurial intentions of Saudi students. The study offer implications for the entrepreneurial intention literature and policy makers.