Entrepreneurial intentions: trust and network ties in online and face-to-face students

Abstract

Purpose Based on Azjen’s (1991) theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this paper is to complement the existing body of knowledge on entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) by comparing two different university environments in Spain (online and face-to-face) and their impact on EIs of university students using two components of social capital (SC), trust and network ties as variables with influence on the antecedents of EIs. Design/methodology/approach A survey was administered to online and face-to-face students yielding a total sample of 302 and 204, respectively. Partial least square–structural equation modeling is the technique employed to perform the analysis. Findings SC has a significant influence on EIs in both environments with greater effects online, as a consequence of the mediated role played by network ties between trust and the attitude toward the behavior, the subjective norm and consequently, EIs. Research limitations/implications The authors used a cross-sectional method. However, it would be interesting to obtain longitudinal data to provide a more valid support for the study. Practical implications This study provides insight into the important role played by network ties based on trust in the entrepreneurship process and in the university environment. Originality/value This study contributes to understanding the differential impact of SC (trust and network ties) on the antecedents of EIs between the students enrolled in different university environments using two non-parametric techniques Henseler’s multigroup analysis and the permutation test.

The relationship between individual entrepreneurial orientation, network ties, and entrepreneurial intention of undergraduate students: implications on entrepreneurial education

“…The inclusion of the network ties as a predictor of entrepreneurial intentions was confirmed and supported the findings of Pérez-Macías et al (2019) and Gelaidan and Abdulllateef (2017). On network ties, the study found that participants belonged to several social, and business networks, which helped them obtain information on business opportunities in industries of interest.…”

“…To address this, Sequeira et al (2007) sought to examine how network tie influences entrepreneurial intentions. Recently, Pérez-Macías et al (2019) proposed the need to extend studies with other samples on how network ties affect student's entrepreneurial intentions.…”

Family enrichment and women entrepreneurial success: the mediating effect of family interference

“…Edelman et al (2016) emphasize the dangers, especially for young, nascent entrepreneurs, of using financial resources of the family. This may have an impact on entrepreneurial intentions (Mwiya et al 2018;Pérez-Macías et al 2019). Negative effects of this strategy include relying on a convenient means of capitalization that can be demoralizing instead of capitalizing the venture by conventional means that would require more entrepreneurial efforts.…”

The impact of social capital on entrepreneurial intention and its antecedents: Differences between social capital online and offline

“…Recently, research has evidenced that TPB antecedents and entrepreneurial intention for online university students are influenced by network ties (structural dimension) and shared language and vision (cognitive dimension) (Pérez-Macías et al, 2019b), and trust, reciprocity, and identification (relational dimension) in virtual communities (Pérez-Macías et al, 2018). Network ties (structural dimension) and trust (relational dimension) in virtual communities also influence TPB antecedents and entrepreneurial intention for both online and face-to-face university students (Pérez-Macías et al, 2019a).…”

“…Studies exploring the role of social capital in entrepreneurial intention, or its antecedents, have mainly focused on social capital offline (e.g., Liñán & Santos, 2007;Sequeira et al, 2007), which is developed face to face over long periods (Gedajlovic et al, 2013). Some recent studies have explored the impact of social capital in virtual communities on the entrepreneurial intention of online university students (Pérez-Macías et al, 2018, 2019b and in comparison to face-to-face students (Pérez-Macías et al, 2019a).…”