Is Cultural Heritage an Obstacle for Potential Entrepreneurs? Adoption of Proverbs by University Students and relation of entrepreneurial intention

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the entrepreneurial tendencies of potential entrepreneurs and their inclination toward embracing proverbs that reflect cultural heritage. Desing/ methodology/approach – The research involved 418 potential entrepreneurs, predominantly university students, and the findings from descriptive and relational analyses underscore the significant influence of culture on shaping entrepreneurial behaviors. Findings – As a result of the analysis, it was seen that there was a difference between the mean agreement with positive statements and the mean agreement with negative statements (p<0.01), and the degree of acceptance of the statements that do not support entrepreneurship by the participants was calculated lower than the statements that support it. In addition, as a result of the analysis, a positive linear relationship was found between motivation, one of the sub-dimensions of entrepreneurial tendency, and proverbs that support the idea of entrepreneurship (H2, r=,230; p<0.01), while no statistical relationship was found with the arguments classified as obstructive. Discussion – The study emphasizes the pivotal role of entrepreneurship in addressing the escalating challenge of unemployment. It stresses the impact of cultural teachings in fostering the motivation to increase the number of SMEs as a means of overcoming this issue. Additionally, the study offers recommendations for higher education institutions, particularly in the realm of entrepreneurship education.