An insight into potential male and female An insight into potential male and female entrepreneurs in Greeceentrepreneurs in Greece

KaterinaKaterina SarriSarri, StavroulaStavroula LaspitaLaspita

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Ongoing financial crisis

In Greece

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Literature ReviewLiterature Review

Entrepreneurship education in universities

Many universities offer a number of entrepreneurship courses and programs, support endowed chairs of entrepreneurship (Katz, 2003; Kuratko, 2005)

Research provides a somewhat inconclusive picture

(Kolvereid and Moen, 1997; Oosterbeek et al., 2010; Weber et al., 2009) whether entrepreneurship education at the university level:

triggers the entrepreneurial intention of students triggers motives towards entrepreneurship affects students’ business goals affects male and female students differently towards

entrepreneurship

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IntroductionIntroduction

Entrepreneurial intention

Motives

Business goals

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IntroductionIntroduction

Female Entrepreneurship

There is a gender gap in the entrepreneurial activity (Kelly et al., 2010)

Female entrepreneurship is considered to be an important source of growth, employment, and innovation (Birley, 1989, Mueller, 2004, Verheul and Thurik, 2001)

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Problem definitionProblem definition

In Greece there are very few studies that examine:

The entrepreneurial potential of Greek students (intention, activity, motives, business goals)

The entrepreneurial spirit in Greek universities (e.g. offers in entrepreneurship)

Gender similarities or differences among potential young entrepreneurs

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Our studyOur study

focuses on the population of potential entrepreneurs (students)

sheds a light on students’ founding intention and activity

examines students’ entrepreneurial motives and business goals

the entrepreneurial spirit in universities

examines the above mentioned aspects through the gender lens

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Sample characteristicsSample characteristics

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ResultsResults

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Figure 1: Aggregated career aspirations directly after graduation

ResultsResults

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Figure 2: Aggregated career aspirations five years after graduation

ResultsResults

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Entrepreneurial intentions and activity (%)Male Femal

e

No, never 21.0 38.5

Yes, briefly 24.8 20.1

Yes, quite specifically 16.2 17.3

Yes, but I dropped the idea 10.5 11.2

Yes, I am determined to become self-

employed in the future23.8 11.7

Yes, I am just starting to do so 1.9 1.1

Yes, I am already self-employed 1.0 0.0

Yes, I was self-employed, but no

longer am1.0 0.0

ResultsResults

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Entrepreneurial motives (AM)Male Femal

eTo challenge myself 3.81 3.69To fulfil a personal vision 3.57* 3.87*Grow and learn as a person 3.49 3.69To lead and motivate others 3.04 3.08Power to influence an organization 3.12 2.83

Earn a larger personal income 3.98 3.88

Financial security 4.16 4.11

Build great wealth, high income 3.92 3.76

Build a business my children can inherit 3.03* 2.42*To continue a family tradition 2.20* 1.74*Follow example of a person I admire 2.32 2.11To be respected by my friends 2.19 2.01Innovative, be at the forefront of technology 2.75* 2.31*

To develop an idea for a product 2.93* 2.45*

Achieve something, gain recognition 3.34 3.16

Gain a higher position for myself 3.36 3.30

Get greater flexibility for personal life 3.52 3.61

Free to adapt my approach to work 3.86 3.81

Notes: male sample n=103, female sample n=179, scale used: from 1= to no extent to 5= to a very great extent, * significance (2-tailed) at 0.05 level

ResultsResults

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Business goals (AM)Male Femal

e

Net Profit over 5 years 4.16 4.05

Rate of growth 4.22 4.16

Market share 3.88 3.77

Employee rewards and benefits 3.06* 3.45*

Net profit over the coming year 3.82 3.85

Company prestige 4.36 4.47

Innovation 3.95 4.14

Assets and reserves 3.63 3.72

Dividend pay out 3.25* 3.53*

Price leadership 3.42 3.58

Services to community 3.37* 3.66*

Notes: male sample n=83, female sample n=110, scale used: from 1= not at all important to 5= extremely important, * significance (2-tailed) at 0.05 level ** significance (2-tailed) at 0.01 level

ResultsResults

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Importance of university offers (AM)Male Femal

e

Business plan project seminars 4.28 4.45

Start-up coaching 4.54 4.80

Entrepreneurship seminars and lectures 4.15 4.28

Start-up business games / start-up

simulations

4.09 4.26

Regular round tables for founders (e.g.

exchange of experiences)

4.20 4.20

Contacts for general questions 4.13 4.17

Start-up financing through the university 4.76 4.76

Incubators (service centre for early stage

start-ups)

4.34* 4.67*

Notes: male sample n=105, female sample n=179, scale used: from 1= very unimportant to 6= very important, * significance (2-tailed) at 0.05 level ** significance (2-tailed) at 0.01 level

ResultsResults

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Existence of university offers (%)Male Female

Yes No Don’t

know

Yes No Don’t

know

Business plan project seminars 23.8 24.8 51.4 33.5 25.7 40.8

Start-up coaching 14.3 36.2 49.5 16.2 34.6 49.2

Entrepreneurship seminars and

lectures 54.3 17.1 28.6 59.8 15.6 24.6

Start-up business games / start-up

simulations18.1 33.3 48.6 11.2 41.3 47.5

Regular round tables for founders

(e.g. exchange of experiences)17.1 40.0 42.9 10.6 38.0 51.4

Contacts for general questions 41.9 20.0 38.1 39.1 22.3 38.5

Start-up financing through the

university 7.6 28.6 63.8 3.9 31.8 64.2

Incubators (service centre for

early stage start-ups)7.6 23.8 68.6 2.8 31.3 65.9

Summary - DiscussionSummary - Discussion

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Summary - DiscussionSummary - Discussion

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Research QuestionsResearch Questions

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Research QuestionsResearch Questions

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Research QuestionsResearch Questions

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research on entrepreneurship education should be extended in primary and secondary schools

the factors that lead to the gender gap in entrepreneurship still remain open

longitudinal studies are needed to examine:

owhether students’ intention to become self-employed has been realized or not

othe temporal stability of entrepreneurial intentions and factors that affect it

ohow entrepreneurship education indirectly influences entrepreneurial intention

Future researchFuture research

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Thank you very much for your

attention

Questions-Comments

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