Description
In this particular brief criteria about the international journal of business and management.
See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274519117
Management Education and Entrepreneurial
Skill Set – A Study among MBA Students of
Bangalore
ARTICLE · NOVEMBER 2014
READS
13
1 AUTHOR:
Krithika Jeganathan
Sai Vidya Institute of Technology
7 PUBLICATIONS 1 CITATION
SEE PROFILE
All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate,
letting you access and read them immediately.
Available from: Krithika Jeganathan
Retrieved on: 02 February 2016
The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321 – 8916) www.theijbm.com
167 Vol 2 Issue 11 November, 2014
THE I NTERNATI ONAL J OURNAL OF
BUSI NESS & MANAGEMENT
Management Education and Entrepreneurial
Skill Set – A Study among MBA Students of Bangalore
1. Introduction
The importance of entrepreneurship has intensified in recent era, particularly with the rise in knowledge intensive services. New
entrepreneurs who do not belong to traditional business communities are starting their business ventures in large numbers. In last
twenty years entrepreneurship has grown rapidly, which creates wealth, employment generation and social benefit at large.
National knowledge commission (NKC) considers entrepreneurship as critical to India?s growth and development.
Entrepreneurship as defined by NKC is“the professional application of knowledge, skills and competencies and monetizing new
ideas, by an individual or set of people by launching and enterprise or diversifying from an existing one, thus to pursue growth
while generating wealth, employment and social good”. Reynalds et al. (2000) after their detailed study in 21 countries concluded
that successful entrepreneurial activity is strongly associated with economic growth. Significant relationship between the
entrepreneurial competencies and firm performance is reported in empirical studies done in the recent years. Do the young
management studentspossessthe needed skills to start and successfully run the entrepreneurial venture? An attempt is made to
study whether the MBA students possess some of the needed skill sets which will turn them as successful entrepreneurs in future.
2. Review of Literature
Sonnenfield and Kotter's (1982) study relating to decision to enter self-employment, used static personality differences to refer to
how people make career choices that match their personality. Traits that are commonly associated with the entrepreneurs include
innovation, risktaking, independence, hardworking, locus of control and self-confidence.
According to Bird, entrepreneurial competencies are carried by individuals – the entrepreneurs who begin or transform
organisations and who add value through their organising of resources and opportunities (Bird, 1995). In her work Bird (1995),
concurs with researchers on managerial competence when she notes the importance of distinguishing between competency which
contributes towards success and competence as a minimum or baseline standard. She suggests that the competencies necessary to
launch a new venture or to plan a new venture may be conceived as “baseline” and highly effective entrepreneurs are those who
go beyond launch into organisations who survive and grow. Of further importance is that competencies are learnable, therefore
recognising the importance of competencies and identifying these is crucial for educators and the development of learning
opportunities. Bird (1995) suggests that entrepreneurial competencies are defined as underlying characteristics such as specific
knowledge, motives, traits, self images and social skills which results in venture birth, survival and growth.
In a study conducted by Stuart and Lindsay (1997) similarly also defined competencies as a person?s skills, knowledge, and
personal characteristics. Entrepreneurial competencies have also been understood in terms of traits, skills and knowledge and there
has been interest in how these skills are applied in different contexts . Most researchers recognise that there is a major dichotomy
in entrepreneurial competencies, and differentiate the entrepreneurial competencies necessary to start a business from those
necessary to manage the business through growth.
Johnson and Winterton (1999) observe that the range of skills and competencies required to run a small firm are qualitatively as
well as quantitatively different from those needed in larger organisations. This is at least in part because; in an entrepreneurial
J. Krithika
Research Scholar, R&D Centre, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore
Dr. B. Venkatachalam
Director, Shrushruthi Institute of Management Studies, Bangalore
Abstract:
Entrepreneurial activity in a country is strongly associated with its economic growth. To sustain in the present knowledge
based economy, entrepreneurs must possess certain skill sets. Previous researchers have identified various functional and
entrepreneurial skills that are needed for successful entrepreneurship. This study has identified three skills that were identified
as critical by most of the researchers and attempts to assess these skill sets among MBA students of Bangalore. The relationship
of demographic variable with the skill sets was also studied. The findings revealed that the students perceive to possess the
skills and opportunity recognition skill is found to be more. Demographic factors like parental occupation and their academic
major has a significant relationship with the perceived possession of skill sets whereas gender of the students do not have
significant relationship with skill sets.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Skill, Economy, Opportunity, Decision making.
The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321 – 8916) www.theijbm.com
168 Vol 2 Issue 11 November, 2014
context the focus is on the individual. Competency theory is based on studying successful leaders, breaking down their
behaviours, attitudes and skills into measurable aspects, and looking for ways of bringing them together in order to create
individuals who demonstrate superior performance. Skills necessary for successful entrepreneurship may include, for example,
oral presentation skills, interpersonal skills, and the ability to prepare and present a business plan.
Man et al. (2002) defined entrepreneurial competencies as the total ability of the entrepreneur to perform a job role successfully.
There is a general consensus that entrepreneurial competencies are carried by individuals, who begin and transform their
businesses.In a study conducted by Man et alten areas of entrepreneurial competencies, also from a behavioural perspective, have
been distinguished, namely; opportunity, relationship, analytical, innovative, operational, human, strategic, commitment, learning
and personal strength competencies. They were demonstrated to have either direct or indirect impacts on SME performance. One
of the major challenges for a new venture is that both the problems faced and the skills necessary change as the firm moves from
one stage of development to another. Therefore, understanding the changes required as a consequence of growth is vital as
entrepreneur?s skills and capabilities, as approaches thought desirable for one stage will be inappropriate for another.
3. Objectives of the Study
The main objective is to study the entrepreneurial skill set among the MBA students in Bangalore with special reference to the
skills - opportunity seeking, problem solving and persistence. The study also aims to examine the relationship between
demographic variables and the skills.
4. Scope of the Study
The management education is expected to be oriented towards stimulating entrepreneurial skills and values among the students.
Some societies are characterised by certain values such as preference of self-employment, desire of independence, love to take
risk, which can trigger entrepreneurial activity. In successful entrepreneurial countries education system plays a significant role by
appropriate curriculum design, research encouragement, practical training. Role of risk taking culture is seen as an obstacle for
growth of entrepreneurship. MBA pedagogy can nurture risk taking qualities in students and supports to gain core business skills,
leadership qualities and team work. Since MBA program can support the entrepreneurs in starting and running a business and also
focus on the entrepreneurial qualities, an attempt is made to evaluate the entrepreneurial skills of MBA students.
5. Research Methodology
5.1. Research Design
This research is descriptive by nature which focuses on representing the respondent?s opinion as it is.
5.2. Data Collection
Structured questionnaire was used to collect the primary data from the final year MBA students of 2013-2014 batches and the
secondary data was collected from journals and earlier research reports. .
5.3. Sampling Design
The respondents were selected based on the convenient sampling. The students who are interested to participate in this study were
treated as respondents. The sample size is 260 MBA students.
6. Analysis and Interpretation
6.1. Opportunity Recognition
Opportunity recognition, which means, an entrepreneur is always on the lookout or searching for opportunity and is ready to
exploit it in the best interests of the organisation. The statements utilised to assess the opportunity recognition skill among the
MBA students are„I like challenges and new opportunities?, „I notice opportunities to do new things? and „I take advantage of
opportunities that arises?. Mean score of the items comprising of entrepreneurial opportunity seeking skill of MBA students are
shown in table no 1. By observing the mean values we can also see that mean score for the statement? I like challenges and new
opportunities? is more than the other two statements.
Opportunities Recognition N Mean Std. Deviation
I like challenges and new opportunities 260 4.21 0.82
I notice opportunities to do new things 260 4.10 0.98
I take advantage of opportunities that arise 260 3.90 0.99
Table 1: Attributes that’s describes you – Opportunity Recognition
Source: primary data
To study the influence of gender on opportunity recognition skill, the following hypotheses were developed. Chi-square analysis
is used to test the hypothesis.
6.1.1. Hypothesis - 1
? Ho: There is no significant relationship between the respondent?s gender and theiropinion on the statement - I like
challenges and new opportunities.
? H1: There is a significant relationship between the respondent?s gender and their opinion on the statement - I like
challenges and new opportunities.
The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321 – 8916) www.theijbm.com
169 Vol 2 Issue 11 November, 2014
S.No Respondent’s Gender No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Male 127 48.84
2 Female 133 51.15
Total 260 100
Table 2: Gender of the respondents
Source: Primary data
S.No Respondents Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Strongly Agree 125 48.07
2 Agree 123 47.30
3 Neutral 12 4.61
4 Dis agree 0 0
5 Strongly disagree 0 0
Total 260 100
Table 3 -Respondents opinion on the statement – ‘I like challenges and opportunities’
Source: Primary data
Gender/ Opinion StronglyAgree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree Total
Male 25 90 12 0 0 127
Female 100 33 00 0 0 133
Total 125 123 12 0 0 260
Table 4: Chi – square table
6.1.2. Interpretation
The table value of the chi – square at 5% level of significance is 5.99 and the calculated value of the chi – square is 2.2376. Here
the table value is more than the calculated value. Hence we support the null hypothesis. There is no significant relationship exists
between student?s gender and their liking towards challenges and opportunities.
6.2. Persistence Skill
Persistence, which means an entrepreneur is never disheartened by failures and follows the golden rule „Fall seven times, stand up
eight time? and has the attitude of Try – Try again. The statements to study this skill are „When faced problems, I spend lot of time
trying to find a solution? and„When something gets in the way of what I am trying to do, I keep on trying to accomplish what I
want?.Mean score of the items are depicted in table no 5. It may be seen that mean score for the statement „when something gets in
the way of what I am trying to do, I keep on trying to accomplish what I want? is higher than the other items.
Persistence N Mean Std. Deviation
When faced with difficult problem, I spend a lot of time trying
to find a solution
260
3.62
1.06
When something gets in the way of what I am trying to do, I
keep on trying to accomplish what I want
260
3.89
0.97
Table 5: Attributes that’s describes you – Persistence
Source: Primary data
6.2.1. Hypothesis – 2
? Ho: There is no significant relationship between student?s parental occupationand theirresponse to statement–„When
faced with difficult problem, I spend a lot of time trying to find a solution?
? H1: There is a significant relationship between student?s parental occupationand their response to statement - „When
faced with difficult problem, I spend a lot of time trying to find a solution?
S.No Parental Occupation No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Businessman 82 31.5384
2 Official 108 41.5384
3 Farmer 60 23.0769
4 Others 10 3.8461
Total 260 100
Table 6 : Table showing the parental occupation of the respondents
Source: Primary data
The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321 – 8916) www.theijbm.com
170 Vol 2 Issue 11 November, 2014
S.No Respondents Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Strongly Agree 152 58.46
2 Agree 96 36.92
3 Neutral 06 2.307
4 Disagree 06 2.307
5 Strongly disagree 0 0
Total 260 100
Table 7: Respondents opinion on the statement – ‘When faced with difficult problem, I spend a lot of time trying to find a solution’
Source: Primary data
Parental Occupation
/Respondents opinion
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
disagree
Total
Businessman 82 0 0 0 0 82
Official 58 50 0 0 0 108
Farmer 12 46 2 0 0 60
Others 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 152 96 6 6 0 260
Table 8: Chi – square table
6.2.2. Interpretation
Here the table value is less than the calculated value. Hence we reject the nullhypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis.
There is a significant relationship is existing between the parental occupation of respondents and their persistence skill.
6.3. Problem Solving Skill
To assess the MBA student?s problem solving skill, which means taking problems as challenges and putting their best for finding
out the most appropriate solution for solving it. It also means understanding the problem and then identifying most appropriate
solution for the problem. The statements used to assess the problem solving skills are „I think of unusual solutions to problems?,
„I think of many new ideas? and„I think of many ways to solve problems?. It may be observed that the mean value of the student?s
response for the statement “I think of many ways to solve problems” is higher than other two statements.
Problem Solving N Mean Std. Deviation
I think of unusual solutions to problems 260 4.10 0.98
I think of many new ideas 260 3.89 0.96
I think of many ways to solve problems 260 4.17 0.82
Table 9: Attributes that’s describes you – Problem Solving
Source: Primary data
6.3.1. Hypothesis – 3
? Ho: There is no significant relationship between the specialisation of the respondents and their response for the statement
– I think many ways to solve the problems.
? H1: There is a significant relationship between the specialisation of the respondents and their response for the statement –
I think many ways to solve the problems.
S.No Specialisation No of Respondents Percentage
1 Finance 159 61.1538
2 Marketing 81 31.1538
3 HRM 11 4.2307
4 Others 9 3.4615
Total 260 100
Table 10: Respondent’s specialization
Source: Primary data
S.No Respondents Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Strongly Agree 120 46.1538
2 Agree 121 46.5384
3 Neutral 3 1.1538
4 Disagree 10 3.8461
5 Strongly disagree 6 2.3076
Total 260 100
Table 11: Respondents opinion on the statement – ‘I think many ways to solve the problems’
Source: Primary data
The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321 – 8916) www.theijbm.com
171 Vol 2 Issue 11 November, 2014
Specialisation/Respondents
opinion
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Total
Finance 72 87 0 0 0 159
Marketing 30 32 3 10 6 81
HRM 9 2 0 0 0 11
Others 9 0 0 0 0 9
Total 120 121 3 10 6 260
Table 12: Chi – square table
6.3.2. Interpretation
Here the calculated value is more than the table value. Hence we reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis.
So there is a significant relationship between the specialisation of the respondents and their opinion on the statement – I think
many ways to solve the problems which are high among the students.
7. Findings, Suggestions and Conclusion
7.1. Findings
? MBA students possess the entrepreneurial skills under study – persistence, opportunity recognition and problem solving.
The opportunity recognition and problem solving skills are found to be more than the persistence skill.
? There is no significant relationship exists between the gender of the respondents and opportunity recognition. MBA
students possess the entrepreneurial skill - opportunity recognition irrespective of their gender.
? There is a significant relationship between the specialisation of the respondents and their problem solving skill. Finance
specialisation students possess more problem solving skills compared to other specialisation students.
? There is a significant relationship existing between the parental occupation of the respondent and entrepreneurial skill –
persistence. The students whose parents are business man has a strong persistence skill.
7.2. Suggestions
This study results supports that MBA students in Bangalore possess the needed entrepreneurial competencies – Opportunity
seeking, problem solving and persistence skill. The important aspects of entrepreneurship like knowledge on corporate law, tips
on scaling up, sources for fundsmay be added in their curriculum which werealso in line with the respondent?s expectations. The
entrepreneurship and innovation cell at IIMB can be kept as a bench mark. Even every Institution offering MBA courses can
provide insight to their students on incubation and business plan preparation. Special seminars and conferences on entrepreneurial
skills and business plan ideas can be organised where the successful entrepreneurs can encourage these MBA students by their
experiences.
7.3. Conclusion
The ratio of MBA graduates establishing entrepreneurial ventures has steadily increasing (National Knowledge Commission
Report on Entrepreneurship in India, 2008). Starting a business venture and running it during various phases successfully requires
certain entrepreneurial skills. Study results found that majority of the students possess the needed entrepreneurial competencies
and this may be seen as an impact of the MBA curriculum. Colleges offering MBA courses can further focus on the
entrepreneurial activities through their well design Curriculum, training, starting EDI cell, business incubator concept etc by
which they can support the society at large.
8. References
1. Entrepreneurship in India, National Knowledge Commission report 2008
2. Sonnenfield and Kotter's (1982Principles of social psychology (3). Cambridge, MA. Wintrop
3. Bird, B. (1995), “Towards a theory of entrepreneurial competency”, Advances in Entrepreneurship, Firm Emergence and
Growth, Vol. 2, pp. 51-72. Bonnstetter, B.J. (1999),
4. Stuart, R. and Lindsay, P. (1997), “Beyond the frame of management competenc(i)es: towards a contextually embedded
framework of managerial competence in organizations”, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 26-
34.
5. Johnson, S. and Winterton, J. (1999), Management Skills, Skills Task Force Research Paper 3,Department for Education
and Employment, London
6. Man, T., Lau, T. and Chan, K.F. (2002), “The competitiveness of small and medium enterprises. A conceptualisation
with focus on entrepreneurial competencies”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 123-42.
doc_189753387.pdf
In this particular brief criteria about the international journal of business and management.
See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274519117
Management Education and Entrepreneurial
Skill Set – A Study among MBA Students of
Bangalore
ARTICLE · NOVEMBER 2014
READS
13
1 AUTHOR:
Krithika Jeganathan
Sai Vidya Institute of Technology
7 PUBLICATIONS 1 CITATION
SEE PROFILE
All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate,
letting you access and read them immediately.
Available from: Krithika Jeganathan
Retrieved on: 02 February 2016
The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321 – 8916) www.theijbm.com
167 Vol 2 Issue 11 November, 2014
THE I NTERNATI ONAL J OURNAL OF
BUSI NESS & MANAGEMENT
Management Education and Entrepreneurial
Skill Set – A Study among MBA Students of Bangalore
1. Introduction
The importance of entrepreneurship has intensified in recent era, particularly with the rise in knowledge intensive services. New
entrepreneurs who do not belong to traditional business communities are starting their business ventures in large numbers. In last
twenty years entrepreneurship has grown rapidly, which creates wealth, employment generation and social benefit at large.
National knowledge commission (NKC) considers entrepreneurship as critical to India?s growth and development.
Entrepreneurship as defined by NKC is“the professional application of knowledge, skills and competencies and monetizing new
ideas, by an individual or set of people by launching and enterprise or diversifying from an existing one, thus to pursue growth
while generating wealth, employment and social good”. Reynalds et al. (2000) after their detailed study in 21 countries concluded
that successful entrepreneurial activity is strongly associated with economic growth. Significant relationship between the
entrepreneurial competencies and firm performance is reported in empirical studies done in the recent years. Do the young
management studentspossessthe needed skills to start and successfully run the entrepreneurial venture? An attempt is made to
study whether the MBA students possess some of the needed skill sets which will turn them as successful entrepreneurs in future.
2. Review of Literature
Sonnenfield and Kotter's (1982) study relating to decision to enter self-employment, used static personality differences to refer to
how people make career choices that match their personality. Traits that are commonly associated with the entrepreneurs include
innovation, risktaking, independence, hardworking, locus of control and self-confidence.
According to Bird, entrepreneurial competencies are carried by individuals – the entrepreneurs who begin or transform
organisations and who add value through their organising of resources and opportunities (Bird, 1995). In her work Bird (1995),
concurs with researchers on managerial competence when she notes the importance of distinguishing between competency which
contributes towards success and competence as a minimum or baseline standard. She suggests that the competencies necessary to
launch a new venture or to plan a new venture may be conceived as “baseline” and highly effective entrepreneurs are those who
go beyond launch into organisations who survive and grow. Of further importance is that competencies are learnable, therefore
recognising the importance of competencies and identifying these is crucial for educators and the development of learning
opportunities. Bird (1995) suggests that entrepreneurial competencies are defined as underlying characteristics such as specific
knowledge, motives, traits, self images and social skills which results in venture birth, survival and growth.
In a study conducted by Stuart and Lindsay (1997) similarly also defined competencies as a person?s skills, knowledge, and
personal characteristics. Entrepreneurial competencies have also been understood in terms of traits, skills and knowledge and there
has been interest in how these skills are applied in different contexts . Most researchers recognise that there is a major dichotomy
in entrepreneurial competencies, and differentiate the entrepreneurial competencies necessary to start a business from those
necessary to manage the business through growth.
Johnson and Winterton (1999) observe that the range of skills and competencies required to run a small firm are qualitatively as
well as quantitatively different from those needed in larger organisations. This is at least in part because; in an entrepreneurial
J. Krithika
Research Scholar, R&D Centre, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore
Dr. B. Venkatachalam
Director, Shrushruthi Institute of Management Studies, Bangalore
Abstract:
Entrepreneurial activity in a country is strongly associated with its economic growth. To sustain in the present knowledge
based economy, entrepreneurs must possess certain skill sets. Previous researchers have identified various functional and
entrepreneurial skills that are needed for successful entrepreneurship. This study has identified three skills that were identified
as critical by most of the researchers and attempts to assess these skill sets among MBA students of Bangalore. The relationship
of demographic variable with the skill sets was also studied. The findings revealed that the students perceive to possess the
skills and opportunity recognition skill is found to be more. Demographic factors like parental occupation and their academic
major has a significant relationship with the perceived possession of skill sets whereas gender of the students do not have
significant relationship with skill sets.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Skill, Economy, Opportunity, Decision making.
The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321 – 8916) www.theijbm.com
168 Vol 2 Issue 11 November, 2014
context the focus is on the individual. Competency theory is based on studying successful leaders, breaking down their
behaviours, attitudes and skills into measurable aspects, and looking for ways of bringing them together in order to create
individuals who demonstrate superior performance. Skills necessary for successful entrepreneurship may include, for example,
oral presentation skills, interpersonal skills, and the ability to prepare and present a business plan.
Man et al. (2002) defined entrepreneurial competencies as the total ability of the entrepreneur to perform a job role successfully.
There is a general consensus that entrepreneurial competencies are carried by individuals, who begin and transform their
businesses.In a study conducted by Man et alten areas of entrepreneurial competencies, also from a behavioural perspective, have
been distinguished, namely; opportunity, relationship, analytical, innovative, operational, human, strategic, commitment, learning
and personal strength competencies. They were demonstrated to have either direct or indirect impacts on SME performance. One
of the major challenges for a new venture is that both the problems faced and the skills necessary change as the firm moves from
one stage of development to another. Therefore, understanding the changes required as a consequence of growth is vital as
entrepreneur?s skills and capabilities, as approaches thought desirable for one stage will be inappropriate for another.
3. Objectives of the Study
The main objective is to study the entrepreneurial skill set among the MBA students in Bangalore with special reference to the
skills - opportunity seeking, problem solving and persistence. The study also aims to examine the relationship between
demographic variables and the skills.
4. Scope of the Study
The management education is expected to be oriented towards stimulating entrepreneurial skills and values among the students.
Some societies are characterised by certain values such as preference of self-employment, desire of independence, love to take
risk, which can trigger entrepreneurial activity. In successful entrepreneurial countries education system plays a significant role by
appropriate curriculum design, research encouragement, practical training. Role of risk taking culture is seen as an obstacle for
growth of entrepreneurship. MBA pedagogy can nurture risk taking qualities in students and supports to gain core business skills,
leadership qualities and team work. Since MBA program can support the entrepreneurs in starting and running a business and also
focus on the entrepreneurial qualities, an attempt is made to evaluate the entrepreneurial skills of MBA students.
5. Research Methodology
5.1. Research Design
This research is descriptive by nature which focuses on representing the respondent?s opinion as it is.
5.2. Data Collection
Structured questionnaire was used to collect the primary data from the final year MBA students of 2013-2014 batches and the
secondary data was collected from journals and earlier research reports. .
5.3. Sampling Design
The respondents were selected based on the convenient sampling. The students who are interested to participate in this study were
treated as respondents. The sample size is 260 MBA students.
6. Analysis and Interpretation
6.1. Opportunity Recognition
Opportunity recognition, which means, an entrepreneur is always on the lookout or searching for opportunity and is ready to
exploit it in the best interests of the organisation. The statements utilised to assess the opportunity recognition skill among the
MBA students are„I like challenges and new opportunities?, „I notice opportunities to do new things? and „I take advantage of
opportunities that arises?. Mean score of the items comprising of entrepreneurial opportunity seeking skill of MBA students are
shown in table no 1. By observing the mean values we can also see that mean score for the statement? I like challenges and new
opportunities? is more than the other two statements.
Opportunities Recognition N Mean Std. Deviation
I like challenges and new opportunities 260 4.21 0.82
I notice opportunities to do new things 260 4.10 0.98
I take advantage of opportunities that arise 260 3.90 0.99
Table 1: Attributes that’s describes you – Opportunity Recognition
Source: primary data
To study the influence of gender on opportunity recognition skill, the following hypotheses were developed. Chi-square analysis
is used to test the hypothesis.
6.1.1. Hypothesis - 1
? Ho: There is no significant relationship between the respondent?s gender and theiropinion on the statement - I like
challenges and new opportunities.
? H1: There is a significant relationship between the respondent?s gender and their opinion on the statement - I like
challenges and new opportunities.
The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321 – 8916) www.theijbm.com
169 Vol 2 Issue 11 November, 2014
S.No Respondent’s Gender No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Male 127 48.84
2 Female 133 51.15
Total 260 100
Table 2: Gender of the respondents
Source: Primary data
S.No Respondents Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Strongly Agree 125 48.07
2 Agree 123 47.30
3 Neutral 12 4.61
4 Dis agree 0 0
5 Strongly disagree 0 0
Total 260 100
Table 3 -Respondents opinion on the statement – ‘I like challenges and opportunities’
Source: Primary data
Gender/ Opinion StronglyAgree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree Total
Male 25 90 12 0 0 127
Female 100 33 00 0 0 133
Total 125 123 12 0 0 260
Table 4: Chi – square table
6.1.2. Interpretation
The table value of the chi – square at 5% level of significance is 5.99 and the calculated value of the chi – square is 2.2376. Here
the table value is more than the calculated value. Hence we support the null hypothesis. There is no significant relationship exists
between student?s gender and their liking towards challenges and opportunities.
6.2. Persistence Skill
Persistence, which means an entrepreneur is never disheartened by failures and follows the golden rule „Fall seven times, stand up
eight time? and has the attitude of Try – Try again. The statements to study this skill are „When faced problems, I spend lot of time
trying to find a solution? and„When something gets in the way of what I am trying to do, I keep on trying to accomplish what I
want?.Mean score of the items are depicted in table no 5. It may be seen that mean score for the statement „when something gets in
the way of what I am trying to do, I keep on trying to accomplish what I want? is higher than the other items.
Persistence N Mean Std. Deviation
When faced with difficult problem, I spend a lot of time trying
to find a solution
260
3.62
1.06
When something gets in the way of what I am trying to do, I
keep on trying to accomplish what I want
260
3.89
0.97
Table 5: Attributes that’s describes you – Persistence
Source: Primary data
6.2.1. Hypothesis – 2
? Ho: There is no significant relationship between student?s parental occupationand theirresponse to statement–„When
faced with difficult problem, I spend a lot of time trying to find a solution?
? H1: There is a significant relationship between student?s parental occupationand their response to statement - „When
faced with difficult problem, I spend a lot of time trying to find a solution?
S.No Parental Occupation No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Businessman 82 31.5384
2 Official 108 41.5384
3 Farmer 60 23.0769
4 Others 10 3.8461
Total 260 100
Table 6 : Table showing the parental occupation of the respondents
Source: Primary data
The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321 – 8916) www.theijbm.com
170 Vol 2 Issue 11 November, 2014
S.No Respondents Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Strongly Agree 152 58.46
2 Agree 96 36.92
3 Neutral 06 2.307
4 Disagree 06 2.307
5 Strongly disagree 0 0
Total 260 100
Table 7: Respondents opinion on the statement – ‘When faced with difficult problem, I spend a lot of time trying to find a solution’
Source: Primary data
Parental Occupation
/Respondents opinion
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
disagree
Total
Businessman 82 0 0 0 0 82
Official 58 50 0 0 0 108
Farmer 12 46 2 0 0 60
Others 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 152 96 6 6 0 260
Table 8: Chi – square table
6.2.2. Interpretation
Here the table value is less than the calculated value. Hence we reject the nullhypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis.
There is a significant relationship is existing between the parental occupation of respondents and their persistence skill.
6.3. Problem Solving Skill
To assess the MBA student?s problem solving skill, which means taking problems as challenges and putting their best for finding
out the most appropriate solution for solving it. It also means understanding the problem and then identifying most appropriate
solution for the problem. The statements used to assess the problem solving skills are „I think of unusual solutions to problems?,
„I think of many new ideas? and„I think of many ways to solve problems?. It may be observed that the mean value of the student?s
response for the statement “I think of many ways to solve problems” is higher than other two statements.
Problem Solving N Mean Std. Deviation
I think of unusual solutions to problems 260 4.10 0.98
I think of many new ideas 260 3.89 0.96
I think of many ways to solve problems 260 4.17 0.82
Table 9: Attributes that’s describes you – Problem Solving
Source: Primary data
6.3.1. Hypothesis – 3
? Ho: There is no significant relationship between the specialisation of the respondents and their response for the statement
– I think many ways to solve the problems.
? H1: There is a significant relationship between the specialisation of the respondents and their response for the statement –
I think many ways to solve the problems.
S.No Specialisation No of Respondents Percentage
1 Finance 159 61.1538
2 Marketing 81 31.1538
3 HRM 11 4.2307
4 Others 9 3.4615
Total 260 100
Table 10: Respondent’s specialization
Source: Primary data
S.No Respondents Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Strongly Agree 120 46.1538
2 Agree 121 46.5384
3 Neutral 3 1.1538
4 Disagree 10 3.8461
5 Strongly disagree 6 2.3076
Total 260 100
Table 11: Respondents opinion on the statement – ‘I think many ways to solve the problems’
Source: Primary data
The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321 – 8916) www.theijbm.com
171 Vol 2 Issue 11 November, 2014
Specialisation/Respondents
opinion
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Total
Finance 72 87 0 0 0 159
Marketing 30 32 3 10 6 81
HRM 9 2 0 0 0 11
Others 9 0 0 0 0 9
Total 120 121 3 10 6 260
Table 12: Chi – square table
6.3.2. Interpretation
Here the calculated value is more than the table value. Hence we reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis.
So there is a significant relationship between the specialisation of the respondents and their opinion on the statement – I think
many ways to solve the problems which are high among the students.
7. Findings, Suggestions and Conclusion
7.1. Findings
? MBA students possess the entrepreneurial skills under study – persistence, opportunity recognition and problem solving.
The opportunity recognition and problem solving skills are found to be more than the persistence skill.
? There is no significant relationship exists between the gender of the respondents and opportunity recognition. MBA
students possess the entrepreneurial skill - opportunity recognition irrespective of their gender.
? There is a significant relationship between the specialisation of the respondents and their problem solving skill. Finance
specialisation students possess more problem solving skills compared to other specialisation students.
? There is a significant relationship existing between the parental occupation of the respondent and entrepreneurial skill –
persistence. The students whose parents are business man has a strong persistence skill.
7.2. Suggestions
This study results supports that MBA students in Bangalore possess the needed entrepreneurial competencies – Opportunity
seeking, problem solving and persistence skill. The important aspects of entrepreneurship like knowledge on corporate law, tips
on scaling up, sources for fundsmay be added in their curriculum which werealso in line with the respondent?s expectations. The
entrepreneurship and innovation cell at IIMB can be kept as a bench mark. Even every Institution offering MBA courses can
provide insight to their students on incubation and business plan preparation. Special seminars and conferences on entrepreneurial
skills and business plan ideas can be organised where the successful entrepreneurs can encourage these MBA students by their
experiences.
7.3. Conclusion
The ratio of MBA graduates establishing entrepreneurial ventures has steadily increasing (National Knowledge Commission
Report on Entrepreneurship in India, 2008). Starting a business venture and running it during various phases successfully requires
certain entrepreneurial skills. Study results found that majority of the students possess the needed entrepreneurial competencies
and this may be seen as an impact of the MBA curriculum. Colleges offering MBA courses can further focus on the
entrepreneurial activities through their well design Curriculum, training, starting EDI cell, business incubator concept etc by
which they can support the society at large.
8. References
1. Entrepreneurship in India, National Knowledge Commission report 2008
2. Sonnenfield and Kotter's (1982Principles of social psychology (3). Cambridge, MA. Wintrop
3. Bird, B. (1995), “Towards a theory of entrepreneurial competency”, Advances in Entrepreneurship, Firm Emergence and
Growth, Vol. 2, pp. 51-72. Bonnstetter, B.J. (1999),
4. Stuart, R. and Lindsay, P. (1997), “Beyond the frame of management competenc(i)es: towards a contextually embedded
framework of managerial competence in organizations”, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 26-
34.
5. Johnson, S. and Winterton, J. (1999), Management Skills, Skills Task Force Research Paper 3,Department for Education
and Employment, London
6. Man, T., Lau, T. and Chan, K.F. (2002), “The competitiveness of small and medium enterprises. A conceptualisation
with focus on entrepreneurial competencies”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 123-42.
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