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

• Published in: Education & training (London) Vol. 61; no. 4; pp. 461 - 479
• Main Authors: Pérez-Macías, Noemí, Fernández-Fernández, José Luis, Rua Vieites, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Emerald Publishing Limited 15-05-2019; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Age; Age Differences; Attitude Change; Attitudes; College Students; Colleges & universities; Confidence intervals; Conventional Instruction; Distance Education; Educational Environment; Electronic Learning; Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Influences; Foreign Countries; Higher education; Hypothesis testing; Individual Differences; Influence; Intention; Interpersonal Relationship; Motivation; Online instruction; Permutations; Personality; Personality traits; Private Colleges; Private schools; Social Capital; Social Environment; Social interaction; Social Networks; Students; Trust; Trust (Psychology); Universities; Virtual Universities; Work Experience; Spain; Online university; Environment; Entrepreneurial intentions; Multigroup analysis; Face-to-face university; Social capital
• ISSN: 0040-0912; 1758-6127
• DOI: 10.1108/ET-05-2018-0126

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.