Graduate Intrapreneurial Behaviour and University Background in South Africa
Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to ascertain the effect of university background on graduates’ intrapreneurial behaviour and graduate success in South Africa and whether there was a difference between graduates from historically advantaged versus previously disadvantaged universities. The study focused on the intrapreneurial behaviour of university graduates from South African public tertiary institutions because a review of the literature indicated that minimal research had been ascribed to the study of intrapreneurial behaviour of this sector of the university population. A quantitative study was conducted on the effect of South African university background on graduates’ success on a sample of 74 respondents from 17 tertiary institutions, amidst the constraints of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic at the time. A cross-sectional method was used to collect the data. The findings infer that university background is important in increasing graduates’ intrapreneurial behaviour and influences graduate success. Furthermore, there is no difference between graduates from historically advantaged and previously disadvantaged universities. The study confirmed that graduates tend to network with like-minded counterparts, resulting in knowledge exchange and innovative thinking in creating solutions to socio-economic problems. The findings contribute to the general theory of education and business organizational practice by confirming that university background is an important element underpinning graduate success, because the knowledge gained by university graduates can
significantly contribute to addressing the challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment in society. The study highlighted the need to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship at university level to develop intrapreneurial behaviour and innovative outcomes in the broader society beyond study graduation phase. It is recommended that additional funding be allocated towards increasing university graduate output targets
Description
A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023
Keywords
Graduate success, Employability, University learning, Public universities, Individual intrapreneurship, UCTD
Citation
Shongwe, Nokukhanya. (2023). The role of design houses [Master’s dissertatio, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WireDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/39930