Entrepreneurship Inclination Of Singapore Business Students

This paper presents the partial findings of our study into the intention of tertiary students in Singapore in becoming entrepreneurs. The research is undertaken as a preliminary step in understanding whether students upon graduation prefer to start a business of their own or prefer to be employees, and the forces which have contributed toward the shaping of their inclination. A survey was conducted on graduating Business students in the School of Accountancy and Business, Nanyang Technological University. The research findings indicate that in the Singapore sample, the percentage of graduating students with entrepreneurial inclination was higher than in other countries. The findings are encouraging for Singapore as they indicate that entrepreneurial aspiration is strong among the sample of Business students. However, this should not be the basis for complacency as experience elsewhere has indicated that, if left on their own, not many of them would actually go into business. To increase the rate of graduates starting their own business, a supportive infrastructure needs to be developed. One approach is to set up a start-up business centre. Such an infrastructure will not only broaden the career options for graduates, but will also, in the long run, contribute to the development of a core of entrepreneurs who have the knowledge and expertise to spearhead complex and technologically oriented enterprises in line with Singapore’s emphasis on regionalisation and internationalisation of business.