Relationship between Entrepreneurship Education and Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition

A Research Report Submitted to Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition basing on the entrepreneurial competencies, a framework that outlines some of the key entrepreneurial competencies. The research mainly aimed at assessing whether entrepreneurship knowledge, skills and attitudes affect the recognition of entrepreneurial opportunity among the entrepreneurship students. Chapter two discussed the existing literature on the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. Recognition of opportunity was specifically evaluated in previous research on the environment to psychological considerations. The next chapter is chapter three and presents the research methodology. This chapter stipulated clearly on how the research was conducted and thereafter implemented on some of the ways to accomplish and present the research which involved conducting research design, population and sampling, data collection methods, research procedures and data analysis. The next chapter four basically focused on results and findings of the research. The findings of this study revealed that a majority of the respondents strongly agreed that entrepreneurship knowledge gained in class is key in entrepreneurial opportunity recognition as shown by the aggregate mean and standard deviation that implies the respondent’s responses were cohesive. The second research objective was on whether entrepreneurship skills gained in school supports entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. The study revealed that majority of the respondents agreed that entrepreneurship skills gained in school supported entrepreneurial opportunity recognition as shown by their rating with the aggregate mean and standard deviation implies that the respondent’s responses were in agreement. Lastly the study revealed that majority of the respondents on entrepreneurial attitudes strongly agreed that they were more willing and in a position to start and do business planning and were ready to do anything to be an entrepreneur. This study recommends that the government should formulate policies that will sustain these entrepreneurship education and trainings. Designing curricula should be taken with a lot of seriousness and care so as to ensure courses like decision-making, effective communication, entrepreneurial negotiation, leadership effective and efficient use of resources, new product development, creativity and critical thinking and service-based and technological innovation This study recommends that entrepreneurship be taught in all universities in Kenya as a compulsory unit this was because entrepreneurial education has been recognized as a key determinant for a country’s development and productivity. Therefore the study recommended graduates students undertaking the entrepreneurship courses offered by universities curriculum should take them seriously to enable them recognise opportunities