The relationship between cognitive stile and entrepreneurial intention of the business administration students

Abstract

The today's economic reality has encouraged self-employment and in the face of capacities that entrepreneurs manifest it becomes important to study aspects that characterize them. Thus, this study sought to analyze the entrepreneurial intention of graduating students of the four-campus business school of one university of Santa Catarina - Brazil, from the view of planned behavior theory (TPB) of Ajzen (1991), and their relationship with their styles cognitive, on the model of Kirton (1976). To achieve this general objective, averages comparisons with t-test and ANOVAs, correlation analysis, factor analysis and structural equation modeling were made. The results of the analysis of Kirton's questionnaire which differentiates the adapter and innovative styles, showed that most students, 97.7%, have innovative style. Thus, those with adapter style were excluded from the data base. When TPB was evaluated it was confirmed that personal attitudes and perceived behavioral control have positive and significant relation with the entrepreneurial intention, while subjective norms also have significant relationship, but a negative one. The total score of Kirton Adaptor-Innovator Index (KAI) correlates with entrepreneurial intention. When the KAI was discretized in above or below or equal to the average and used as a predictor, it shows that there are differences in entrepreneurial intentions of students and the perceived behavioral control of TPB. Those students with more KAI have also highest average.