The Differential Effects of Personality Traits and Risk Aversion on Entrepreneurial Intention Following an Entrepreneurship Course

Panagiots A. Tsaknis (), Alexandros G. Sahinidis, Androniki Kavoura and Stavros Kiriakidis
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Panagiots A. Tsaknis: Department of Business Administration, School of Administrative Economics and Social Sciences, University of West Attica, 122 41 Athens, Greece
Alexandros G. Sahinidis: Department of Business Administration, School of Administrative Economics and Social Sciences, University of West Attica, 122 41 Athens, Greece
Androniki Kavoura: Department of Business Administration, School of Administrative Economics and Social Sciences, University of West Attica, 122 41 Athens, Greece
Stavros Kiriakidis: Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, 263 35 Patras, Greece

Administrative Sciences, 2025, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: This paper addresses a research gap by examining how two groups of individuals with different personality traits (more entrepreneurial personalities versus less entrepreneurial personalities) react to changes in entrepreneurial intention after attending an entrepreneurship course. A key aspect of this study lies in its application of MEMORE; this tool was crucial in determining whether changes in entrepreneurial intention were driven by changes in the factors of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in each group of individuals. The survey employed a pre-test–post-test questionnaire design distributed before and after a university-level entrepreneurship course. The results indicated that individuals with more entrepreneurial personalities (characterized by high openness, conscientiousness, and extraversion and low neuroticism and risk aversion) had higher levels of entrepreneurial intention, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control compared to less entrepreneurial personalities. After the course, more entrepreneurial personalities reported higher entrepreneurial intentions and perceived behavioral control. MEMORE indicated that changes in perceived behavioral control affected the increase in entrepreneurial intentions. Less entrepreneurial personalities demonstrated a decline in entrepreneurial intention but a positive change in perceived behavioral control; this change did not affect the decline in entrepreneurial intentions. This study provides essential insights into an underexplored area, advancing knowledge in this field.

Keywords: personality; risk aversion; entrepreneurial intention; theory of planned behavior; TPB; entrepreneurship education; entrepreneurship; MEMORE macro (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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