Culture Influence in Determining Entrepreneurial Intention of Chinese Descendants: A Survey of Undergraduate Students in Medan

Abstract

Purpose This study is conducted to find out if cultural values, in our case of Chinese descendants university students, might affect the intention of an individual on becoming an entrepreneur. Design/methodology/approach A total of 53 items which comprised of entrepreneurial intention, subjective norms, attitude, personality traits, perceived behavioral control, cultural values, education and skills, and social network were distributed to university students in Medan. Demographic variables including gender, university major, and entrepreneurial experience. A total of 215 respondents was collected. All data were tested for their validity and reliability before tested for the hypotheses using structural equation modelling. Findings Findings reveal that cultural value does influence entrepreneurial intention. The study also reveals that most of the proposed hypotheses also show influence on entrepreneurial intention, which included attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Education and skills are also shown to have a mediating effect on perceived behavioral control, and personality attitude is shown to have a mediating effect on attitude. Originality / Value This is the first few studies, if not the first study that tried to link cultural value to the entrepreneurial intention of a certain group in the intended demographic location, which is Medan.