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- 2. 1
ABSTRACT
With a world population expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050, the global
agriculture industry faces a problem of meeting the growing demand for food while
working with limited resources like land and clean water. Only through entrepreneurship
and innovation can we combat the problems associated with agriculture, like the need for
water conservation, the need for sustainable packaging, and pollution. Research suggests
that college graduates are twice as likely to pursue an entrepreneurial career than those
who do not graduate from college. Therefore, it is imperative that we stress the need for
entrepreneurial education, especially for agribusiness students seeking to find solutions to
these problems facing the agriculture industry. This study was conducted to examine the
entrepreneurial interests, influencers, and perspectives of agribusiness students at Cal
Poly. By conducting a survey we were able to collect responses from 140 students, 132 of
those who were qualified for the study, by indicating they are current agribusiness
students or alumni. Our findings suggest that a majority of agribusiness students possess
entrepreneurial dreams and are interested in developing an entrepreneurial skillset.
- 3. 2
INTRODUCTION
Entrepreneurship is commonly described as the capacity and willingness to develop,
organize, and manage a business venture, along with any of its risks, in order to make a
profit (Business Dictionary). A report conducted by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor
(GEM), sponsored by both Babson College and Baruch College, found that nearly 27 million
working Americans are either starting or working for new businesses. This report
concluded that just over half of Americans are looking forward to seeing new businesses
emerge, and are considering pursuing a career in entrepreneurship (Buchanan, 2015).
Innovation, an integral part of entrepreneurship, is the process of developing new methods,
ideas, or products (Price, Stoica, Boncella, 2013). A study conducted by Accenture, a
multinational management consulting services company, found that more than 90% of the
executives surveyed believe that the long –term success of their businesses depends on
their ability to come up with new ideas (Brooks, 2013). Entrepreneurs who are willing to
assume the risks of taking on a new business venture must also be able to successfully
implement new ideas or methods to set them apart from their competitors.
With a growing world population of almost 7.4 billion people, the demand for
innovation and entrepreneurship is at an all-time high in industries like medicine and
finance, but perhaps most importantly in agriculture. Jim Carroll, a well-noted futurist, has
expressed the need for agricultural innovation all over the world, but more specifically in
the United States. Carroll identifies several major trends in agriculture that require the
attention of entrepreneurs and innovators, including the growth in food demand, the need
for new innovative packaging, sustainability and efficiency, and water conservation
(Carroll, 2005).
- 4. 3
The UK Food and Agriculture Association estimates that by 2050, the world
population will increase to be nearly 9 billion people. In order to keep up with the growing
demand for food, the global agricultural industry must double its production and efficiency
(Carroll, 2005). While increasing efficiency and production may be a solution to the need
for food, increasing food production also poses other problems in the agricultural industry,
like increasing the amount of waste that comes from packaging and processing.
As the populations of cities begins to grow there are more one to two-person
households rather than larger suburban households, leading many companies to shy away
from large, bulk packaging to smaller more compact packaging (Muratoglu, 2015). Smart
and sustainable packaging is another solution to reducing our carbon footprint. In recent
years more food and beverage companies have been developing sustainable solutions like
bio-degradable packaging and bio-plastics, made from crops such as corn or starch. Many
common packaging products are made from synthetic polymers that do not break down
over time, leading to a dramatic surge of waste that negatively impacts our environment.
While it may be difficult to reduce the consumption of these plastic products due to the
demand for food, people all over the world are discovering or perfecting alternative
materials that can be used in replace of these synthetic polymers. The most common type
of biodegradable plastics are polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which produce zero waste
and are found in many kinds of natural materials. The shift from petroleum-based
polymers to bio-degradable polymers is slowly becoming a trend all over the world.
Countries like Belgium and the United States now also impose taxes on plastic shopping
bags and promote the use of compostable packaging (Chanprateep, 2010). The
implementation of bio-plastics has the potential to significantly reduce packaging costs for
- 5. 4
businesses and can help reduce our global carbon footprint. These innovative packaging
trends are just one example of how entrepreneurship and innovation help us to combat
problems imposed by the growing demand for food.
One of the biggest issues facing the global agricultural industry is water
conservation and utilization. In 2008, approximately $2 billion was invested into improving
current irrigation systems in the United States alone (USDA ERS). Sixty percent of fresh
water in America is used strictly for agriculture, although less than 10% of farms practice
advanced on-farm water management, which includes moisture sensing tools and
computer-based irrigation-scheduling tools (Zimmerman, 2014). In order to improve water
use in agriculture, the adoption of more effective irrigation systems to maximize the
efficiency of the water used, while also minimizing waste, will become critical. By adopting
new practices and products, innovative growers will find both success and the ability to
conquer potential threats to global agribusiness.
Being innovative is an important quality for an agricultural entrepreneur, especially
when the business faces strong competition or operates in a rapidly changing environment.
Because of the specialized skill required by successful agricultural entrepreneurs,
entrepreneurial education is very important. It was once thought that entrepreneurs were
only those born with certain characteristics, but now more research has led to the
conclusion that entrepreneurial education and exposure to entrepreneurial activities can
help build a strong entrepreneurial skillset. There has been a recent jump in demand all
over the world for entrepreneurial education, especially at the undergraduate level
(Knudson, Wysocki, Champagne, Peterson, 2004).
- 6. 5
While the number of working Americans interested in pursuing a career in
entrepreneurship has been on the rise in recent years, a much larger proportion of
undergraduate students are being attracted to the idea of creating a new business after
graduation. Babson College’s GEM has found a strong correlation between education and
entrepreneurship, reporting that college graduates are twice as likely to choose an
entrepreneurial career path compared to those who have not attended college (Babson
College). Universities and alternative online colleges are creating more entrepreneurial-
focused curriculums, programs, and organizations for students interested in starting their
own business. In 2000, The Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurship Leadership reported
that not only are students demanding more entrepreneurial coursework and activities, but
faculty and administrators of universities are as well. That same Kauffman Center report
also discovered that entrepreneurship is one of the fastest growing subjects in
undergraduate curricula. This increasing demand has led to more clubs and associations,
internships, and even the incorporation on entrepreneurship-related majors at universities
all over the United States (Kauffman Center).
Many universities that offer programs in agribusiness have begun to respond to this
demand as well. However, out of the approximately 40 universities in the United States
with agribusiness programs, there are only a few that offer agricultural entrepreneurship
programs. While it is important for agribusiness students to learn general business skills,
Agribusiness requires specific knowledge of the agricultural industry, and the challenges of
the environment and its limited resources like land and water.
The ever-growing demand for innovation in agriculture will continue to require new
ideas, practices, and technology. The need for agricultural entrepreneurial education is
- 8. 7
LITERATURE REVIEW
This literature review will aim to establish a reference for existing data, studies, and
other literature that applies to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education. The three
major topics in this review will include characteristics, traits, and attributes of successful
entrepreneurs, perceptions of entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial education.
Characteristics, Traits, & Attributes of Entrepreneurs
When it comes to being able to identify an entrepreneur, there are several traits that
entrepreneurs share. Entrepreneurs are risk-takers who want to push boundaries and
enjoy being faced with a challenge. Not only are entrepreneurs creative, but they also have
the ability to communicate their ideas to others (Knudson, Wysocki, Champagne, Peterson,
2004). These ideas represent the foundation on which entrepreneurs’ new products or
services are built. Entrepreneurs are also very self-motivated; they have the drive to come
up with new ideas, as well as the ability to implement them (Knudson et al., 2004). Because
of their intense motivation, they are also considered very goal-oriented people.
Entrepreneurs are determined, persistent, and committed when it comes to their
business ventures (Knudson et al., 2004). While entrepreneurs are often deemed as selfish
or self-focused individuals, it is crucial to their success to maintain a strong social network.
Along with maintaining a social network, entrepreneurs must be trust worthy; research by
Kritikos (2011) shows that a higher level of trust in others increases one’s possibility of
self-employment. However, other studies have found that people who are less likely to
trust others in the workplace choose to be self-employed (Kritikos, 2011).
- 9. 8
A study conducted by Hand (2010) draws from the Giessen-Amsterdam model of
entrepreneurial success, proposed by Rauch and Freese (2000), to identify key traits
shared by most entrepreneurs. The survey used in Hand’s (2010) study asked 257
entrepreneur respondents to rate 20 different personality traits pertaining to business. A
majority of respondents identified the ability to set and achieve a goal as the most
important trait for an entrepreneur to have. Other traits and characteristics that were
identified in the survey include: persistence, optimism, innovativeness, having a strong
work ethic, and the ability to take initiative. Hand (2010) found that male and female
entrepreneurs place similar levels of importance on these traits. While the characteristics
and attributes of current entrepreneurs is well studied, little is known about these
characteristic precursors in terms of undergraduate students pursuing an entrepreneurial
career.
To learn more about the antecedents and variables that influence potential
entrepreneurs, Ozaralli and Rivenburgh (2016) conducted a study that compares and
contrasts university students in the United States and Turkey. This study provides insight
into factors that may influence potential entrepreneurs. These factors include things like
“personality traits, family and friends, education and experience, political and economic
conditions, and perceived motivations and obstacles” (Ozaralli & Rivenburgh, 2016). This
study discusses three over-arching themes in terms of potential influences that drive
entrepreneurs, which are personality factors, social factors, and societal factors (Ozaralli &
Rivenburgh, 2016). The personality traits important for entrepreneurs this study hones in
on are optimism, innovativeness, risk-taking, and competitiveness. Ozaralli and Rivenburgh
(2016) associate these traits with successful entrepreneurs across all industries. In terms
- 10. 9
of social factors, the authors believe that constant exposure to new experiences and
perspectives, like travelling or trying new things, boosts ones’ creativity. Other social
factors include entrepreneurial education and family exposure to entrepreneurship.
Another aspect of entrepreneurship that has received little attention is women’s
roles in entrepreneurship. Research conducted in Germany found that women are less
likely to become self-employed or engage in other aspects of entrepreneurship. Although
women may be less likely to pursue an entrepreneurial career that does not mean there are
no female entrepreneurs (Kritikos, 2011). A 2005 report found that on a global scale,
women represented one third of all professionals engaged in some form of
entrepreneurship (Kobeissi, 2010). By 2008, there were 10 billion firms owned by women
and, collectively, those firms employed 13 million people. One major hypothesis for the
increase in female entrepreneurs has been their frustration with the gender wage gap.
While the wage ratio increased by 11% between 1980 and 1990, but only closed by an
additional 5% from 1991 to 2005 (Kobeissi, 2010). Research shows that the more women
perceive they are not being equally valued in the work place, the more likely they are to
leave the traditional work environment and start their own business (Kobeissi, 2010).
Another important factor pertaining to women in entrepreneurship has to do with whether
the country she lives in is developed or not. Research shows that female entrepreneurs in
under-developed countries may face more problems entering the business world due to
social beliefs about women in their country, and alternatively female entrepreneurs in
developed countries do not face those same barriers (Kobeissi, 2010). Knowing more about
female entrepreneurs and young women likely to pursue an entrepreneurial path gives us
insight into the modern day business world, where the global work force now better
- 11. 10
represents both genders (Kobeissi, 2010). Being able to better understand potential female
entrepreneurs can show us similarities and differences in their perceptions or beliefs about
entrepreneurship. This could be a useful tool to find out why more women today are
interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial career.
While one’s personality, gender, and nationality plays a big part in determining their
likelihood to become entrepreneurs, another aspect is the importance that role models
have on potential entrepreneurs (Bosma, Hessels, Schutiens, Praad & Verheul, 2012).
Bosma et al. (2012) surveyed roughly 300 entrepreneurs in the Netherlands in order to
determine the importance of entrepreneurial role models. They discovered that
entrepreneurs with higher levels of education are more likely to have a role model than
entrepreneurs who do not. This same survey concluded that 40% of respondents have role
models who operate in the same industry they do, 68% have a role model of the same
gender they identify with, and 80% have a role model with the same nationality (Bosma et
al., 2012). They also found that a majority of these entrepreneurs’ role models are close to
home. About 40% of entrepreneurs surveyed claim to have “strong ties” with their role
models, with 22% being family members and 19% being close friends. The remaining 60%
of respondents say their role models are former employers or colleagues. Interestingly
enough, only 2 out of the 292 entrepreneurs surveyed say that their role model is an
international icon or celebrity (Bosma et al., 2012). The dominant function of these role
models serves as an example for entrepreneurs to follow and learn from.
With so many possible antecedents and influencers in ones’ life, it is important to be
able to assess and properly recognize them. The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment is one
of the most widely used tools that help individuals identify their strengths and talents
- 12. 11
(Soria & Stubblefield, 2014). By spending over 30 years and interviewing nearly two
million people, Clifton developed the StrengthsFinder assessment to study, “what is right
with people” (Soria & Stubblefield, 2014). Clifton believed that once people discover what
they excel at in life, if they have not done so already, and then they can focus on developing
those positive traits. The StrengthsFinder assessment is often used for incoming
undergraduate students at universities all over the world. After completing the assessment,
students are able to identify the top five traits they possess from a list of 34 traits/themes
(Soria & Stubblefield, 2014). While critics of the StrengthsFinder assessment say that only
focusing on the top five traits can “box students in” or stop them from developing other
traits, Clifton claims the design of the assessment allows students’ individuality to shrine
through and does not attempt to shy students away from examining other traits they
possess (Soria & Stubblefield, 2014). In fact, “the odds of one person receiving the same top
five talent themes in the exact same order as another individual are 1 in 33.39 million,
providing an argument that focusing on strengths development illuminates the unique
characteristics of individuals” (Soria & Stubblefield, 2014). Learning more about AGB
students and their StrengthsFinder results allows us to gain more insight into precursors
that influence students’ interest in entrepreneurship.
Perceptions of Entrepreneurship
Ozaralli and Rivenburgh (2016) discovered similarities between American and
Turkish students with regard to their perceptions of entrepreneurship. Consistent with
their hypotheses, students in both countries share similar personality traits like
innovativeness and risk-taking. In contrast, Turkish students showed higher levels of
- 13. 12
optimism, and American students were by far more competitive. While most Turkish
students did not anticipate becoming entrepreneurs, they discovered even fewer students
in the United States were not interested in an entrepreneurial career. An explanation for
this may be due to perceived risks of taking on a new business venture, as they found that
American students preferred the idea of an established job with a salary rather than being
part of a start-up company (Ozaralli & Rivenburgh, 2016). By also investigating the role of
social factors they found that students’ exposure to art and new experiences contribute to
higher levels of creativity, which in turn leads to a higher chance of pursuing
entrepreneurial activities. While Ozaralli and Rivenburgh (2016) compare and contrast
business students from two different countries, there is still much research to be done that
focuses on agribusiness students and their perceptions of entrepreneurship
A study conducted in Europe surveyed about 500 higher education (HE) students in
France, Germany, and Poland (Packam, Jones, Miller, Pickernell, & Thomas, 2010). This
study concluded that, in general, male students had a more positive perception of
entrepreneurship prior to taking any entrepreneurial HE courses. There were different
perceptions of entrepreneurship in each of the three countries these students lived in
(Packam et al., 2010). For example, in general, both French and Polish students were more
positively inclined to pursue a career in entrepreneurship following completion of their
entrepreneurial HE courses. Finally, this study led to the conclusion that entrepreneurial
education promotes and removes perceived barriers to entrepreneurship (Packam et al.,
2010). Being able to learn more about students’ perceptions of entrepreneurship and
entrepreneurial education allows us to assess potential disconnects between students and
their study of entrepreneurship.
- 14. 13
Entrepreneurial Education
Traditional academic learning is strongly related to improving abilities to be able to
identify and analyze a problem, and find a solution to that problem (Ollila & Williams,
2011). Students are given assignments and tested on how well they can solve these
problems presented to them. This strict framework has led to challenges when trying to
implement new ways of learning (Ollila & Williams, 2011). Universities are being pressured
to produce new generations of workers who fit the mold of an ideal candidate for the
workplace. These universities are not only teaching students general business skills, but
are now implementing more curricula pertaining to entrepreneurship (Ollila & Williams,
2011). These entrepreneurial programs initially focused on teaching entrepreneurship,
rather than creating entrepreneurs. In 2001, the Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship
(CSE) in Sweden took a different approach to entrepreneurial education. The main focus of
the CSE was not only to educate students on entrepreneurship, but also instill a “learn-by-
doing” attitude and organize them into groups to apply their understanding on
entrepreneurship and participate in real-life ventures. Students were able to pitch and idea
or product and collaborate with professors, business advisors, and alumni to put together
portfolios for their “companies”. Educators at CSE found that students who participated in
their simulation were able to improve their current business skills and acquire new
entrepreneurial skills as well (Ollila & Williams, 2011).
After surveying entrepreneurial education programs in the United States, Noyes and
Linder (2015) noticed that the primary focus of these programs is teaching students about
independent, for-profit startups. While business plan creation is a key component of
entrepreneurial education, 70% of all entrepreneurial coursework in the United States
- 15. 14
focuses solely on this one branch of entrepreneurship. Another important aspect of
entrepreneurship that is not taught as often is known as social entrepreneurship (Noyes &
Linder, 2015). Abu-Saifan (2012) provides a clear definition of what it means to be a social
entrepreneur, “A social entrepreneur is a mission-driven individual who uses a set of
entrepreneurial behaviors to deliver a social value to the less privileged, all through an
entrepreneurially oriented entity that is financially independent, self-sufficient, or
sustainable.” Social entrepreneurial ventures create new combinations of social and
economic value for those both directly and indirectly involved (Noyes & Linder, 2015).
The Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship Program (ADE) is a social
entrepreneurship collaboration between Babson College and Olin College of Engineering in
Boston, Massachusetts. ADE is an attempt by both colleges to combine entrepreneurial
education and design in an effort to create successful ventures that make a positive social
impact (Noyes & Linder, 2015). Every semester about 30 students from both schools enroll
in ADE; they attend regular class meetings on both campuses and also travel in order to
create a social venture portfolio. While participating in ADE students travel to other states
such as Alabama and Mississippi, and even internationally to countries like Ghana and
India (Noyes & Linder, 2015). Teams of students identify, create, and implement their ideas
while also keeping in mind unique needs and challenges facing their team depending on
what they are creating, and where they are working. ADE is a different approach to
entrepreneurial education that focuses on creating a social impact and is a program where
students encounter cultural, technological, and business problems. ADE serves as another
way to teach undergraduate students entrepreneurial education from a non-traditional
approach (Noyes & Linder, 2015). From climate change to the impact of production
- 16. 15
agriculture on the environment, many of the challenges facing agriculture may be
addressed through private industry entrepreneurs inspired to make a social impact. Little
is known about undergraduate student perspectives related to the future of agriculture and
their interest in pursuing entrepreneurial careers.
The majority of entrepreneurial education research revolves around the curricula
and development of education, but it is also important to consider the effect of the teacher,
their background in entrepreneurship, and how they present information to their students
(Ruskovaara & Pihkala, 2014). Group projects are the most common way that professors
show their students how to develop an entrepreneurial skillset. Using group projects is a
way for students to improve their ability to collaborate with others, exercise their problem-
solving skills, as well as exposing them to both peer- and self-assessment throughout the
project. Research found that in these kinds of scenarios teachers move away from the
traditional lecturer role, and become more of a mentor for their students. This same
research also provided an extensive review of successful methods used by entrepreneurial
educators, like consulting projects and simulations (Ruskovaara & Pihkala, 2014).
The instructor’s background, attitude, and entrepreneurial skillset play a large role
in the execution of their teachings (Ruskovaara & Pihkala, 2014). The stronger an
educator’s business background, the better they can effectively teach their students about
entrepreneurship (Ruskovaara & Pihkala, 2014). While a more extensive business
background correlates positively with the ability to teach, young professors who, in turn,
had less experience were more able to adopt new teaching practices than older, more
experienced professors (Ruskovaara & Pihkala, 2014).
- 17. 16
More than 1,000 Finnish entrepreneurial educators were surveyed on how they
present information about entrepreneurship to their students (Ruskovaara & Pihkala,
2014). Surveyed professors said they frequently use discussions as a platform to converse
with students about the economy, current events, and local businesses (Ruskovaara &
Pihkala, 2014). Ruskovaara and Pihkala (2014) found that these kinds of discussions are an
easy way for them to include entrepreneurship regularly into their curricula. Educators
who were surveyed, on average, arranged two field trips every semester to local businesses
and had guest speakers attend lectures semi-regularly (Ruskovaara & Pihkala, 2014). By
using a variety of teaching methods, entrepreneurial educators can create a program that
works best for both them and their students. Not only is it important to determine a
method that is appropriate for the educator, but also to incorporate methods that students
are interested in as well. While this study provides more insight into entrepreneurial
educators and they teaching methods they find successful, there is still much to be learned
about the ways in which students are interested in developing an entrepreneurial skillset.
With more universities around the world offering programs related to
entrepreneurship, researchers must measure both the success of these programs, as well as
any challenges or barriers these universities come across. There are several different
approaches to implementing entrepreneurial education at the undergraduate level, which
include, but are not limited to: classroom coursework, co-curricular learning programs,
entrepreneurial competitions and programs, and internships and networking programs
(Torrance & Rauch, 2013). Because no two universities use the same kind of programs, it is
difficult to generalize about entrepreneurial education, but researchers have been able to
- 18. 17
identify similar challenges of universities who offer entrepreneurship programs (Torrance
& Rauch, 2013).
One of the major challenges facing entrepreneurial education is walking the line
between inclusiveness and exclusivity. Offering all types of entrepreneurial education, from
introductory classes for all majors to specialized advanced coursework, allows universities
to use the “funnel-method” to get a large proportion of students interested in
entrepreneurship and helps them find those specific individuals interested in pursuing an
entrepreneurial career after graduating (Torrance & Rauch, 2013). Using the “funnel-
method” provides a balance between including all students and being able to allow
advanced coursework to students who aim to do more in terms of building an
entrepreneurial skillset. Another challenge imposed by incorporating entrepreneurial
coursework is finding a balance between traditional book learning and vocational skills. By
understanding their study body and being able to define what professors want to teach
their students, universities offer all different kinds of entrepreneur-based curricula from
introductory coursework to co-curricular activities (Torrance & Rauch, 2013). In
comparison to other academic coursework, it is more difficult for entrepreneurial
education programs to measure success. Traditional schooling uses homework
assignments, and tests and quizzes, to assess students’ ability to understand their
coursework, but entrepreneurial education faces a dilemma; how can they evaluate their
students?
Arizona State University identified four ways to evaluate entrepreneurial education
on their campus through a program they refer to as LEO-I, which includes landscape,
engagement, outputs, and impact (Torrance & Rauch, 2013). “Landscape” looks at the
- 21. 20
Communication, Focus, and Woo (Gallup Strengths Center). Being able to identify courses
students have taken and assess how often students believe entrepreneurship is discussed
in those classes can give us a better idea of where entrepreneurial education can be
implemented in the AGB department. Not only is it important to learn about classes
students have taken, but we must also learn more about students’ personal lives and how
they get involved, whether that be through clubs, student government, or organized sports
teams. This combined with identifying student’s strengths through the StrengthsFinder
assessment gives us some background knowledge of the respondents and can allow us to
make predictions about their interest in learning more about entrepreneurship.
The next portion of questions asks respondents to assess their understanding of
different aspects of business, like economics and marketing using a 5-point scale from
‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’ that, “they have a good understanding of” each of the
different business sectors. Respondents are then asked to choose, from a list of 13
personality traits, the ones that describes them the best using a 5-point scale from 1 being
“does not describe me at all” to 5 being “describes me completely”. These traits are directly
connected to common entrepreneurial traits mentioned in the literature, including
innovativeness, creativeness, and risk-taking ability (Hand, 2010). Respondents answer on
a grid using 5-point scale, from ‘describes me completely’ to ‘does not describe me at all’,
and a list of the 13 personality traits. Other characteristics mentioned in this question, like
competitiveness and optimism, were drawn from research by Ozaralli and Rivenburgh
(2016) and Knudson et al. (2004). From there, respondents are asked to identify which of
these traits have been developed as a result of either AGB or non-AGB classes at Cal Poly.
These questions give us a better idea of the respondents’ personalities, and help us
- 23. 22
Ozaralli and Rivenburgh (2016) in their study about influential factors of university
students.
The remaining questions asked students to pinpoint where and how frequently in
their coursework entrepreneurship is mentioned or discussed, with options including
homework assignments, group projects, or having entrepreneurial guest speakers in class.
These kinds of questions help us answer our objective related to how entrepreneurial
education is incorporated into coursework in the AGB program at Cal Poly. Respondents
were also asked to choose from a list of entrepreneurial education methods that interest
them. This list includes entrepreneurship-specific classes, entrepreneurial internships, and
being able to get in contact with current entrepreneurs. The final section of the survey
asked respondents about their demographics including age, gender, agricultural
background, and parents’ levels of education.
Procedure for Data Analysis
The survey was available for two weeks, and was analyzed though IBM SPSS
statistical analysis package. SPSS allows users to run statistical tests based the way the data
is collected through different types of questions in surveys. Applying descriptive tests and
frequencies to the data collected provides an average response to each question that can be
used as a standard to compare responses to.
In order to determine how much emphasis students place on the importance of
entrepreneurship and innovation in agriculture, Question 11 asked students to indicate
their level of agreement, on a 5-point scale, to a series of statements like, “I believe meeting
the world’s food demands will come as a result of innovation in agriculture.” By comparing
- 24. 23
their responses to this question and running an independent t-tests based on class level,
gender, and likeliness to pursue entrepreneurial activities, we can determine if any of these
factors influenced respondents' levels of agreement to the statements listed in Question 11.
To determine how, and to what extent, entrepreneurial education is currently being
implemented in the Agribusiness department at Cal Poly, we used independent t-tests to
compare our results from the "Extent" section of the survey. Question 15 asked students to
identify where and how often, on a 4-point scale of “often, sometimes, rarely, and never”,
entrepreneurship has been mentioned in their AGB coursework. Students used the 4-point
scale to indicate the frequency that entrepreneurship has been mentioned in homework
assignments, projects, lectures or discussions, guest speakers, and the encouragement of
their professors to join an extracurricular or co-curricular activity pertaining to
entrepreneurship and/or innovation. By conducting an independent t-test based on their
responses to Question 15, and their class level and likeliness to pursue entrepreneurial
activities, we can determine if upperclassmen or perhaps those more interested in
entrepreneurship found that is was mentioned more frequently in specific areas of their
coursework.
Several questions from the survey were designed to better understand students’
overall desire and interest in entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurship in general.
Question 12 asked students to indicate, on a 5-point scale from "extremely likely" to "very
unlikely", how likely they are to pursue an entrepreneurial career. The two following
questions allow respondents to identify what led to their level of interest in becoming an
entrepreneur. By conducting independent t-tests based on respondents’ likelihood to
pursue an entrepreneurial career, their class level, parents’ level of education, gender,
- 25. 24
background, and where they grew up, we aimed to find any possible influencers or reasons
why certain respondents were more likely to pursue entrepreneurial activities than others.
Questions from the “Interest in Learning More” section was used to get an idea of students’
level of interest in building an entrepreneurial skillset, on a 5-point scale from “very
interested” to “very interested”. Using another independent t-test comparing their
likeliness to pursue entrepreneurial activities and their level of interest in learning more
allowed us to determine a relationship between respondents’ likelihood and interest in
entrepreneurship.
In order to assess students’ skills related to entrepreneurship, we used responses
from the “Self-Assessment” section of the survey where respondents indicated their level of
understanding of basic business components like economics and marketing, on a 5-point
scale, as well as to what extent each of the 13 personality characteristics listed in Question
8 describes them. We used two one-sample t-tests to compare students’ personality traits
against the “neutral” response of 3, and “somewhat describes me” response of 4 (from the
5-point scale), to determine the average response to each of the personality traits. We also
used these responses in several independent t-tests based on gender, class level, and
likeliness to pursue entrepreneurial activities to find any potential connections between
those classifications and respondents’ indication of each of the 13 personality traits.
Assumptions & Limitations
We assume that respondents have taken the survey on their own will and
understand they were not forced to participate. It is also assumed that they were able to
understand the questions and information mentioned in the survey as presented. Finally,
- 27. 26
RESULTS
During the two-week period that the survey instrument was available, responses
were gathered from 140 individuals. Of those respondents, 132 met the qualifying criteria
of being a current or recent graduate of the Cal Poly Agribusiness program. Table 1 below
provides a summary of the demographics of students who participated in the survey. The
sample size was fairly equal among genders, with 48% males and 52% females. Almost
70% of students surveyed are between the ages of 20 and 22, and nearly 80% of students
are Caucasian. Although no incoming freshmen were surveyed, 31% of the respondents are
juniors, 34% were seniors, and the remaining 36% were either sophomores, students going
into their fifth year, or recent graduates. Roughly half of students have parents who have
obtained at least a Bachelor’s Degree, and 57% of students come from a suburban
hometown.
Table 1. Demographics of Survey Respondents (n=132)
- 28. 27
Students were asked to identify their strengths based on the results of their Clifton
StrengthsFinder assessment. Interestingly enough, none of the respondents identified Self-
Assurance as one of their strengths. Gallup Strengths Finder describes a person who
possesses the Self-Assurance trait as, “someone who feels confident in their ability to
manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that
their decisions are right” (Gallup Strengths Finder). While responses to the remaining 33
traits were distributed fairly evenly, over 56% of respondents possess the Achiever trait,
which is described as having strong work ethic and finds satisfaction in being productive.
Another 27% of respondents share the Competition trait, and 25% share the Restorative
trait, meaning they are good at identifying problems and finding solutions to them (Gallup
Strengths Finder). Interestingly, there appears to be some overlap between these top three
strengths and the key traits of entrepreneurs based on research by Hand (2010). Hand
(2010) surveyed 257 current entrepreneurs who identified being self-confident and
competitive as two major traits of successful entrepreneurs.
Objective One
In order to determine how much emphasis students place on the importance of
entrepreneurship and innovation in agriculture, and their perceptions of entrepreneurship,
we conducted several different independent t-tests comparing levels of agreement with
different statements related to entrepreneurship and agriculture. By comparing the mean
levels of agreement among different respondent demographics, we aimed to isolate any
potential differences among the sample. After comparing the responses from Question 11
and categorizing the students based on class level, gender, where they grew up, and their
- 32. 31
Table 4. Respondents’ Likeliness to Pursue an Entrepreneurial Career (n=115)
We then went on to conduct independent t-tests based on students’ class level, their
parents’ highest level of education, gender, where they grew up, and the background in
agriculture. While there were no major differences among these groups, we found that
upperclassmen and female students, in general, were less likely to pursue an
entrepreneurial career path. Because of these results we hypothesized that upperclassmen
may not be as inclined to become entrepreneurs because they are more aware of risk that
comes with starting your own business, or may have discovered a new field of work they
prefer. For the likelihood of pursuing entrepreneurial activities, we found that male
respondents had a mean value of 1.98 while female respondents had a mean value of 2.37
(based on a scale where 1 was “extremely likely” and 5 was “extremely unlikely”), a
statistically significant difference (p=0.043). From these mean values we determined that a
large proportion of female students are not interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial
career.
Questions 16 and 17 asked students to identify their level of interest in learning
more about entrepreneurship or building an entrepreneurial skillset, as well as how they
- 33. 32
would like to go about doing so. In Question 17 students could select from entrepreneurial
classes, internships, clubs, and getting in contact with current entrepreneurs. We found
that 67% of students were interested in developing an entrepreneurial skillset, 85% of
respondents were interested in entrepreneurial specific courses, and 79% wanted to get in
contact with current entrepreneurs for future work. By running an independent t-test
based on students’ responses from Question 16 and their likeliness to become an
entrepreneur (based on a 5-point scale from 1 being “extremely likely” and 5 being
“extremely unlikely”), we determined that students who indicated that they were less likely
to become an entrepreneur were, in turn, less interested about learning more about it;
although female students, with a mean value of 2.14, indicated that they were still
interested in learning more regardless of their likelihood to become an entrepreneur,
compared to male respondents with a mean value of 2.02.
Objective Four
In order to learn more about students and their skills related to entrepreneurship
we used their answers from the “Self-Assessment” section. Respondents indicated their
level of understanding for several differences aspects of business including
entrepreneurship, and trends and issues in agribusiness. By conducting an independent t-
test comparing their responses and their likelihood to become an entrepreneur, we found
that students who indicated that they were very unlikely to become entrepreneurs
believed they had a better understanding of laws and policies related to business, as well as
trends and issues in agriculture. We also found that female respondents, compared to male
respondents, indicated that they have a better understanding of marketing. It can be
- 36. 35
CONCLUSIONS
The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and influencers
pertaining to agribusiness students’ interest in entrepreneurship, specifically for students
at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. By using an online survey, we were able to collect responses
from 132 AGB students and recent graduates, and learn more about their perceptions of,
and interest in, entrepreneurship.
After analyzing our results from the survey we determined that a large proportion
of AGB students (70%) are interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial career path after
graduation. While these results were fairly homogeneous among different groups of
respondents, we found that underclassmen were more likely to indicate that they were
interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial career than upperclassmen. Regardless of how
interested students are in pursuing an entrepreneurial career, we found that students are
still interested in learning more about entrepreneurship. These students indicated they
would be most interested in entrepreneurship-specific coursework and meeting current
entrepreneurs to learn more about what makes them successful. Much like Bosma et al.
(2012), who learned that a majority of the entrepreneurs in the Netherlands had a role
model that influenced their interest in becoming an entrepreneur, 52% of AGB students
who indicated that they were likely to pursue an entrepreneurial career said they were
influenced by a family member, friend, or coworker who is an entrepreneur. Based on
previous literature and results from our survey we can conclude that having some form of a
role model or current entrepreneur to look up to is very influential to students interested
in pursuing an entrepreneurial career.
- 37. 36
Not only are AGB students at Cal Poly interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial
career, but most of these students possess the traits and characteristics of successful
entrepreneurs. We learned from previous literature that successful entrepreneurs are
often described as competitive, persistent, and innovative (Knudson et al., 2004). After
analyzing the results from our survey we learned that most of the AGB students described
themselves as self-motivated, tenacious, and versatile, which are some of the most common
traits of successful entrepreneurs. One of our more fascinating findings came from
students’ StrengthsFinder results. We found that of the students who identified their
StrengthsFinder results, 56% of them listed Achiever as one of their strengths, followed by
Competition and Restorative at only 27%, while the remaining traits scored between 18%
and 2%. With such a large proportion as students possessing the Achiever strength,
meaning they have a strong work ethic and find satisfaction in being productive, suggests
that AGB students possess many positive entrepreneurial traits. Not only do these students
possess strong entrepreneurial traits, but they also have a good understanding of different
aspects of business like economics and marketing. The combination of these personality
traits and general business knowledge has led us to believe that these students who are
interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial career already possess the foundation of
successful entrepreneurs and that there is an opportunity to further develop their
entrepreneurial traits.
While the majority of students indicated they are interested in pursuing an
entrepreneurial career following graduation, we found that women, in general, indicated
that they are less likely to become entrepreneurs. We also found that when students were
asked to indicate the extent that each of the 13 entrepreneurial personality characteristics
- 39. 38
Recommendations
While we were able to learn more about AGB students and their perceptions of, and
interest in, entrepreneurship, there is still much to be learned about undergraduate
students in general. One area of fruitful research would be to track students after
graduation and follow them in their pursuit for an entrepreneurial career. It would also be
useful to dive more in depth into possible precursors and influencers of students’ interest
in entrepreneurship. More specifically, it would be valuable to learn more about females’
hesitations in pursing entrepreneurial careers, despite their budding interest in developing
an entrepreneurial skillset. Although we were able to determine that students’
demographics (ethnicity, class level, parents’ education, background in agriculture, etc.) did
not play a large role in influencing their interest in entrepreneurship, it would be
fascinating to determine if there are other possible antecedents that influences students’
perceptions of, or interest in, entrepreneurship.
This study of AGB students at Cal Poly serves as a foundation, which other
universities can use to learn more about their students and their perceptions of
entrepreneurial activities. Being able to understand the larger student population as a
whole can help universities who are seeking to implement entrepreneurial education and
promote students to venture out and pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. We have found
that a majority of students are interested in learning more about entrepreneurship. Given
the role that innovation and entrepreneurship is likely to have when it comes to addressing
the issues facing agriculture, universities may want to implement additional
entrepreneurial education opportunities to meet the demands of students seeking to build
an entrepreneurial skillset and pursue an entrepreneurial career.
- 40. 39
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