Entrepreneurial aspirations of postgraduate Business Administration students at a university of technology in Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

South Africa suffers from high rates of unemployment, a decline in entrepreneurial aspirations and slow economic growth. According to research, entrepreneurship is essential for promoting economic expansion and job creation. South African Business Administration (BA) students face a lot of challenges when going into entrepreneurship. Numerous variables have been identified by research as limiting entrepreneurial purpose, including a lack of business understanding, a lack of entrepreneurial education and a lack of funding. The purpose of this research to explore students’ entrepreneurial aspirations in Business Administration. This was conducted amongst a group of students using questionnaires with close-ended and open-ended questions pertaining to entrepreneurial aspirations. This study aimed to answer the following questions: i) What are the aspirations of Business Administration students at a university of technology to pursue a career in entrepreneurship? ii) What factors affect entrepreneurial aspirations of Business Administration students? The aim of the study is to explore the entrepreneurial aspirations of students studying Business Administration in a tertiary institution in Cape Town, South Africa. The study used quantitative methods. The study also used deductive reasoning and a positivism paradigm. The study adhered to strong ethics to ensure that integrity and moral principles were followed throughout as required by CPUT. Consent was obtained in writing from the research participants. The research findings showed that despite a lack of infrastructure, it was possible to acquire knowledge through the department's website. The findings that impede BA graduates are entrepreneurial socio-economic factors relating to unemployed BA graduates, and the entrepreneurial aspirations of control and propensity to act on entrepreneurial behaviour.