Will Entrepreneurial Creativity and Passion be Direct Predictors of Students' Entrepreneurial Intention in HEIs? An Empirical Case

PURPOSE: This study aims to analyse the influence of the dimensions of Creativity, Entrepreneurial Passion and Perceived Behaviour on the Entrepreneurial Intention of students in higher education institutions (HEIs). DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A total of 528 questionnaires were collected from higher education students, 32% being male and 68% female. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to test six research hypotheses. FINDINGS: The results obtained both corroborate and contradict previous studies on the topic, especially concerning validation of the influence of Entrepreneurial Passion and Perceived Behaviour on Entrepreneurial Intention. Surprisingly, we discover here that the Creativity dimension had no influence on Entrepreneurial Intention, contributing to the scarce literature referring to the non-existence of cause and effect between these two dimensions. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: It is essential and urgent for HEIs to promote training that changes students' behaviour in relation to the entrepreneurial intention, not only for those who want to be entrepreneurs but also for those embarking on a different career path, as it is possible to be a successful entrepreneur in any professional occupation, as long as there is creativity and passion. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: In this study, two new and innovative constructs are inserted in the model of entrepreneurial intention: Creativity and Passion. A study of HEI students' entrepreneurial intention is still a dynamic topic, according to the constructs used in the theoretical model designed. These dynamics allow the contributions of this article to be differentiated from other research on the same subject.