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The impact of story bound entrepreneurial role models on self‐efficacy and entrepreneurial intention

Eric Michael Laviolette (Novancia Business School, Paris, France)
Miruna Radu Lefebvre (Audencia School of Management, Nantes, France)
Olivier Brunel (IAE, Magellan Marketing, Lyon 3 University, Lyon, France)

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research

ISSN: 1355-2554

Article publication date: 21 September 2012

4988

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to measure the impact of positive and negative same‐gender fictional role models on students’ self‐efficacy and entrepreneurial intention.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted an experimental research on 276 French students. Structural equation modeling techniques were employed to measure role model identification, attitude toward the role model, emotional arousal, entrepreneurial self‐efficacy and entrepreneurial intention.

Findings

Exposure to fictional role models favorably impacts self‐efficacy and behavioral intentions if students identify with role models, hold favorable attitudes toward the message, and experience positive emotional arousal. Successful role models reinforce role model identification and generate favorable attitudes toward the message, thus enhancing self‐efficacy and entrepreneurial intention. Unsuccessful entrepreneurial role models also favorably reinforce the relationship between self‐efficacy and entrepreneurial intention. Message framing and role models’ gender exert a moderating effect on these results.

Practical implications

Several implications for entrepreneurship education are discussed. The predominance of masculine models in entrepreneurship discourse should be inverted in the agenda of entrepreneurship education. The authors question the overall predominance of positive models in entrepreneurial education and more deeply explore the learning value of negative models.

Originality/value

Entrepreneurial literature mainly focuses on mastery experience and positive real‐life role models as antecedents of entrepreneurial self‐efficacy. Negative role models are rarely examined as potential favorable sources of self‐efficacy beliefs, and little is known about the impact of emotional arousal, another source of self‐efficacy beliefs, as theorized by Bandura.

Keywords

Citation

Laviolette, E.M., Radu Lefebvre, M. and Brunel, O. (2012), "The impact of story bound entrepreneurial role models on self‐efficacy and entrepreneurial intention", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 18 No. 6, pp. 720-742. https://doi.org/10.1108/13552551211268148

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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