The Impact of the Resource Base on the Construction of Entrepreneurial Networks for University Students

Entrepreneurial network is a strategic prerequisite for university student entrepreneurs to expand the survival space of their enterprises within the entrepreneurship process. In this paper, exploratory learning is used as a mediating variable to construct and verify the relationship between the resource base and entrepreneurial network construction, while the construction path for entrepreneurial networks for university student entrepreneurs is summarized and analyzed. Based on a literature review of the resource-based theory, the resource base of university students’ entrepreneurial enterprises can be divided into external social capital and entrepreneurial opportunity identification. The research model is validated by empirical research using a sample that contained enterprises participating in university entrepreneurship competitions and those registered in university incubator parks. The results indicate that both external social capital and entrepreneurial opportunity identification can significantly improve the exploratory learning ability of entrepreneurs and facilitate the construction of entrepreneurial networks among university students, with exploratory learning mediating the relationship between the resource base and entrepreneurial networks. Finally, the findings suggest that when building entrepreneurial networks, university student entrepreneurs should improve their ability to access, interpret, and process entrepreneurial opportunities, utilize effectively the external social capital of their ventures, and use exploratory learning to continuously expand their new resources.