Research Journal of Applied Sciences

Year: 2011
Volume: 6
Issue: 4
Page No. 282 - 289

Entrepreneurship Career Paths of Graduate Entrepreneurs in Malaysia

Authors : Nor Aishah Buang

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the entrepreneurship career paths of Malaysian graduate entrepreneurs who graduated from local and overseas higher learning institutions between the years of 1988 to 2003. The paths explored in this study include career-changing phases starting from early career intentions up to business start-ups. This study also find out which entrepreneurship career paths mostly taken and least taken by the graduate entrepreneurs such as incremental path intuitive path, methodical path and accidental path based on their level of education, their field of studies (program majors) and whether local or overseas higher learning institutions attended. A set of questionnaire was constructed and a total of both 399 local and overseas graduate entrepreneurs were randomly selected from the total population of the graduate entrepreneurs. Descriptive statistics such as the frequency and percentage were used to present the graduate entrepreneurs’ profile, their career-intentions changing phases and entrepreneurial career paths taken. The findings show that accidental path was the most taken entrepreneurial career path followed by methodical intuitive and incremental paths regardless of their level of education, field of studies and local or overseas higher learning institutions. The implications of the findings suggest that universities in the country should evaluate the effectiveness of their entrepreneurship programs’s curriculum in terms of increasing the number of graduates choosing the intuitive and incremental paths to entrepreneurs.

How to cite this article:

Nor Aishah Buang , 2011. Entrepreneurship Career Paths of Graduate Entrepreneurs in Malaysia. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, 6: 282-289.

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