Global Journal of Management and Business Research, A: Administration and Management, Volume 22 Issue 7

In this sense, the origin of entrepreneurship is set in social processes and individual discrepancies in sociability may boost the predictive power of the subjective norm. Therefore, this factor -which reflects a person’s perceived social pressure to perform a specific behaviour or not- demands more attention. Defined subjective norms as the sum of the products of the ‘normative beliefs’ of individuals about the perceived opinion of reference people (e.g., family, closest friends, other important people), with the ‘motivations to comply the extent to which the individual cares about those perceived opinions. Nevertheless, significant dissimilarities can be found in the quantification of this cognitive variable in entrepreneurship research (Ajzen, 2011). Others chose simplified measures of subjective norms, reflecting for instance the environment of students or measuring on a 0 - 100 scale the opinion of the respondents on whether their family and friends would want them to start up(Krueger et al., (2013). In studies using simplified items, the subjective norm tends to be non-significant, while those applying the more complex measure ‘subjective norms motivations to comply’ confirmed that the subjective norm significantly explains venturing intention. In their Meta-analysis, considered the kind of subjective norm measures that were applied (multiple items, single item, normative beliefs x motivations to comply, social support, normative beliefs and other) as a moderating variable of the relationship between the subjective norm and intentions. Multiple item measures of normative beliefs scored generally better than ‘normative beliefs x motivations to comply’ measures. The second critical issue relates to the possible existence of indirect influences between the motivational antecedents of entrepreneurial intention (Armitage & Conner, 2010). Thus, the subjective norm, to the extent that it reflects perceived values in the individual’s environment, may be considered as a form of cognitive social capital. Therefore, these values received from others around may partly determine personal attitude and perceived behavioural control. Since this line of reasoning may be contradictory with the simpler initial TPB model, a comparison of both alternatives may be justified. Consequently, this study will try to gain a better understanding of these indirect effects. Two versions of the intention model will be taken into consideration. a) Model A is the original Theory of Planned Behaviour. This model includes possible impacts of personal attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control on intention, but also considers the correlations between each of the three antecedents of intention. b) Model B is a modified model in which subjective norms explain personal attitude and perceived behavioural control, whereas the three motivational constructs explain the entrepreneurial intention. Based on the literature, we therefore pose this initial set of hypotheses about the alternative models and measures to test the effect of subjective norm on the entrepreneurial intention. Subjective norms have a positive direct impact on entrepreneurial intentions (models A and B) (Liñán & Santos, 2010). Subjective norms positively influence attitudes towards entrepreneurship and perceived behavioural control (model B). The simple multi-item subjective norm measure is superior to the measure combining normative beliefs with the motivations to comply (models A and B). The third critical point that potentially explains the differences between the results of studies on entrepreneurial intention is linked to the environment of their respective samples. Subjective Norms and Contextual Aspects Although subjectivity can be considered as a collective phenomenon a common collection of global and non-domain specific psychological evaluations of behaviour, norms, particular perceptions of specific attributes of phenomena it has so far mainly been discussed from an individualistic perspective. From this individualistic point of view, values, norms and beliefs play a key role in the formation of intentions. Individuals hold certain beliefs in the outcomes of performing a specific behaviour and evaluate these results; they also hold beliefs about the opinions of others and about their own capabilities. Consequently, their decisions about behaviour are based on these perceptions and beliefs. Individuals do consider their environment when judging and evaluating behaviours and opportunities: an environment that encompasses both objective (such as macroeconomic indicators or regulatory frameworks) and subjective factors (such as the cultural background or ongoing political debates)(Shaver & Scott, 2011). The economic situation at the national level, assessed by factors such as GDP per capital, general unemployment rates or social benefits which should themselves be correlated to the fear of financial insecurity would therefore be expected to partly explain the level of start-up intention in the population of that nation. Besides the macroeconomic indicators, burdensome regulations, such as business registration, have also been found to hamper venturing. Regarding the socioeconomic variables, income level, labour conditions or business entry regulations may all affect individual perceptions about entrepreneurial activity. The first of these factors is most often measured through GDP per capital. This is one of the most prominent economic variables in research literature dealing with the drivers of entrepreneurial activities. Some studies provided evidence of low levels of total entrepreneurial activity in countries with a fairly high GDP per capital, i.e., with a rather wealthy population. Others reported the contrary, showing a positive correlation between GDP per capital and levels of self-employment. Recent findings harmonize these conflicting outcomes by suggesting a shaped relationship(Bruhn, 2011). Entrepreneurial Intention of Business Students in Davao Del Sur State College 25 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXII Issue VII Version I Year 2022 ( ) A © 2022 Global Journals