Maria Isabel BARREIRO RIBEIRO
Bragança Polytechnic Institute, Bragança
Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies, Vila Real
Research Unit for Inland Development, Guarda
Portugal
xilote@ipb.pt
António José GONÇALVES FERNANDES (corresponding author)
Bragança Polytechnic Institute , Bragança
Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies, Vila Real
Portugal
toze@ipb.pt
Francisco José Lopes de SOUSA DINIZ
University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real
Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies, Vila Real
Portugal
fdiniz@utad.pt
Corresponding author address:
Instituto Politécnico de Bragança
Escola Superior Agrária
Campus de Santa Apolónia
5300-855 Bragança, Portugal
Tlm. +351 965057246
Tel. +351 273303280
Fax +351 273325405
Abstract
This study looked into the entrepreneurial ability of the students of a public university in Bragança (Portugal) to identify differentiation factors of their entrepreneurial potential. A quantitative, transversal, and observational analysis was conducted involving 598 student participants. Data gathering took place between November and December 2012 and used the Entrepreneurial Potential Indicator questionnaire. The respondents were mostly female (61.0%), between 18 and 21 years old (53.8%), corresponding to an average of 22.6 years of age (±4.59), studied under an ordinary regime (82.6%), were from the northern region (83.9%), lived in an urban centre (53.8%) and attended the first study cycle (92.8%) of two scientific areas, namely Education Sciences (28.4%) and Technology and Management (28.4%). Over half of the respondents showed entrepreneurial skills (72.4%). Of all the human capital factors considered, the attendance regime was the only one which had no influence on the entrepreneurial potential. In fact, all the others, namely the course’s scientific area and the study cycle have proven to be relevant for reinforcing or developing the students’ entrepreneurial skills. None of the socio-demographic factors that were taken into consideration had any influence on entrepreneurial potential differentiation. Binary logistic regression (logit model) revealed a cause and effect relationship between all the characteristics and the entrepreneurial tendency.