Entrepreneurial self-efficacy and a student's predisposition to choose an entrepreneurial career path: the role of self-perceived employability

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and self-perceived employability (SPE) affect students' choice of an entrepreneurial career path. Design/methodology/approach A survey approach was used to gather data from 274 final year undergraduate students at a South African university. The study made use of partial least squares (PLS) structural equation model (SEM) analyses to test the hypothesized associations. Findings ESE was positively associated with the intention to engage in both a full-time and a hybrid entrepreneurial career path. Also, SPE was positively associated with the intention to engage in hybrid entrepreneurship but negatively associated with engaging in full-time entrepreneurship. Additionally, the effect of ESE on the intention to engage in hybrid entrepreneurship was significantly moderated by SPE, such that the effect was more pronounced for students with a high SPE. Research limitations/implications Data were gathered only from one South African university and as such there is a need for similar studies to improve the generalizability of the findings. Also, the measures for ESE and SPE used in the present study are not the only ones available. Thus, future studies are encouraged to use alternative measures to further assess the robustness of the proposed associations. Originality/value The arguments and the subsequent findings of this study indicate a new line of convergence for the popular but disjointed literature on ESE and SPE.