Barriers of entrepreneurial intention among Qatari male students

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of psychological and institutional factors on the entrepreneurial intention among Qatari male students. Qatar has the world highest incomes per capita. Recently, the government launched many initiatives to stimulate Qatari’s to engage in entrepreneurship activities.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected by means of a questionnaire. The target population of this research were Qatari male students in the final year of Bachelor degree in Management. A total of 155 responses were used for the purpose of this study.

Findings

The findings indicate that Qatari male students hold a high entrepreneurial intention. In addition, two institutional barriers and three psychological barriers were found to be associated with the entrepreneurial intention.

Research limitations/implications

It would be interesting to investigate the barriers to entrepreneurial intention among Qatari female students by expanding the current theoretical framework to include some cultural factors pertaining to Qatari female students.

Practical implications

This study has implications for statutory bodies involved in promoting entrepreneurship activities. In addition, it offers some suggestions for educational institutions and vocational training centres.

Originality/value

The research confirms the need for more than one theory in explaining the entrepreneurship intention. Another contribution is the context of this study. Qatar’s social, economic and political contexts are totally dissimilar from Eastern or Western set-ups. The study provides some insights on the psychological and institutional barriers among Qatari male students.

Citation

Kebaili, B., Al-Subyae, S.S. and Al-Qahtani, F. (2017), "Barriers of entrepreneurial intention among Qatari male students", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 833-849. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-11-2016-0186