Personal Traits and Digital Entrepreneurship: A Mediation Model Using SmartPLS Data Analysis

Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih () and Ibrahim A. Elshaer ()
Additional contact information
Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih: The Saudi Investment Bank Scholarly Chair for Investment Awareness Studies, the Deanship of Scientific Research, the Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Ibrahim A. Elshaer: The Saudi Investment Bank Scholarly Chair for Investment Awareness Studies, the Deanship of Scientific Research, the Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia

Mathematics, 2022, vol. 10, issue 21, 1-19

Abstract: Technological advancements have created a plethora of opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop and extend their business operations. Hence, internet has promoted to the emergence of digital entrepreneurship as a growing form of entrepreneurship among many entrepreneurs, especially digital natives. This research examines to what extent personal traits of digital natives’ impact on their digital entrepreneurship intention. The research examined the direct impact of the big five personal traits, i.e., openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, on digital entrepreneurship intention and the indirect impact through personal attitude. For this purpose, a pre-examined questionnaire was directed to senior students in computer sciences and information technology colleges at public universities in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The results of structural equation modeling using SmartPLS (version 4) confirmed a direct positive and significant impact of the big five personal traits on personal attitude. However, the results revealed that the impact of the big five personal traits (except agreeableness) on digital entrepreneurship intention were positive but insignificant. Additionally, a mediating effect was confirmed for personal attitude in the link between personal traits and digital entrepreneurship intention among senior students in KSA higher education. The results contributed to the research gap in relation to personal traits and its impact on personal attitude and ultimatly on digital entrepreneurship intention, especially among digital natives. Several impactions were merged and discussed for scholars, policy makers and educators in higher education institutions.

Keywords: personal traits; digital entrepreneurship intention; personal attitude; SmartPLS; quantitative analysis; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/10/21/3926/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/10/21/3926/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jmathe:v:10:y:2022:i:21:p:3926-:d:950819

Access Statistics for this article

Mathematics is currently edited by Ms. Emma He

More articles in Mathematics from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().