Author(s): Dr Abdul Quddus Mohammed
Purpose- The aim of this study is to explore entrepreneurial intentions (EIS) of graduating students from the al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. The factors that are likely to affect the entrepreneurial intentions are perceived educational support, perceived relational support, perceived structural support, and plans after graduation. Design/Methodology/Approach- The survey method is used to study the problem using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to 100 graduating students at Ruwais Higher College of Technology representing students from the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi, out of which 53 valid questionnaires were received. The data was analysed using the frequency analysis, correlation and linear regression analysis. Findings- The results of this study show that perceived educational support, perceived relational support, perceived structural support, and plans after graduation have a significant strong relation with entrepreneurial intentions. The findings of this research have indicated that the education received by the respondents encourages them to be an entrepreneur. This research has also indicated that relational support from family and friends and the structural support by the government entities play an important role in entrepreneurial intentions. Research limitations- The limitation of this study is that it is not possible to generalize the findings of this research, as the data was collected from a small sample of graduating students of one college from the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi. The practical implications discussed in this research are to promote entrepreneurship among the students from Abu Dhabi and UAE. The results of this study will provide more insights into the entrepreneurship literature and beneficial to policymakers, researchers and academicians in UAE. Originality/value- The findings of the study shows that most of the students, especially female, want to be entrepreneurs and to contribute to the UAE economy. They believe that their college is providing educational support, their family and friends offering relational support and the government are providing structural support towards their ambitions. This study will serve as an argument in the limited availability of literature on entrepreneurial intentions of UAE students.