Investigating the antecedents of employees’ entrepreneurial start-up intention in Qatar’s oil and gas sector

Abstract

Entrepreneurial start-up intention (ESI) has come to dominate contemporary discourse on new business venture creation and enterprising culture. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the state of entrepreneurial start-up intention in Qatar. Focussing on employees working in the Qatari Oil and Gas industry, the study examines the impact of social norms and entrepreneurial expectancy on entrepreneurial start-up intention. Employing a quantitative research methodology, a survey instrument was used for data collection. The empirical inquiry involved the testing of a conceptual framework derived from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Vroom’s Expectancy Theory (VIE), using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), based on data from 509 returned questionnaires. Results from the study show that social norms indirectly influence entrepreneurial start-up intention by positively impacting individual’s affective attitude. Further analysis demonstrates that entrepreneurial expectancy has a positive association with entrepreneurial start-up intention, as it has the potential to affect individuals’ emotions, their perceived ability, confidence, and commitment to start a new business. The thesis contributes to extending our understanding of the role of society and entrepreneurial expectation on individuals’ propensity to start a new business. Overall, the current research study enhances existing literature in entrepreneurship by integrating TPB and VIE that offers a novel theoretical framework. It provides an enhanced understanding of how individuals are influenced by society and self-perceptions. Also, it provides substantial practical implications to governments, policymakers, and decision-makers by redesigning existing education programmes and training thus ultimately promoting entrepreneurial culture and improving business start-up and economy.