To improve and develop South Africa’s entrepreneurial activity, it is vital that the population acquires certain attributes which are common among individuals who exhibit entrepreneurial behaviour. As the occurrence of entrepreneurial attributes increases in the population, so too will the probability of entrepreneurial behaviour and entrepreneurial activity. A possible first step in ensuring that a population possesses the necessary attributes is to assess the current levels of development of these entrepreneurial attributes among students of business. Underdeveloped attributes can then be identified, and steps taken to bring about improvements. The primary objective of this study was to assess the entrepreneurial attributes of undergraduate business students at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. In order to achieve this objective an in-depth analysis of secondary sources was conducted. The nature of entrepreneurship was defined and its importance highlighted. Furthermore, the status of entrepreneurship both globally and nationally was elaborated on. Entrepreneurship education was also addressed, and its role in developing entrepreneurial attributes was discussed. The 16 entrepreneurial attributes associated with successful entrepreneurs were described. The most commonly used intentions-based models were also discussed. In line with the intentions-based theories, the greater the perception of possessing the attributes associated with a successful entrepreneur by an individual, the greater the belief by that individual that he or she has the capacity and competence to become an entrepreneur, which in turn will influence their entrepreneurial intentions. Against the background of the literature overview, several hypotheses were formulated and subjected to empirical testing. A quantitative research approach was selected, the sample consisting of all undergraduate business students studying at three South African universities as well as two international universities. Convenience sampling was implemented in this study. The validity of the measuring instrument was determined by means of a factor analysis, and the reliability by means of calculating Cronbach alpha coefficients. The statistical techniques used to analyse the data included calculating descriptive statistics (the mean, standard deviation and frequency distributions), t-tests and Cohen’s d, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), an analysis of variance (ANOVA), Chi-squared statistic, and Cramer’s V. The results of the study show that NMMU students regarded the attributes Commitment, High energy level, Planning and perseverance and Overcoming failure as the four most-developed attributes, while they regarded Continuous learning, Knowledge-seeking, Initiative and responsibility and Communication ability as the least-developed. With the exception of the attributes Commitment and Overcoming failure, the level of development of the entrepreneurial attributes of NMMU students showed significant improvement between the 2001 and the 2010 studies. With the exception of Continuous learning, no significant differences were reported in the levels of development of the various entrepreneurial attributes between students at NMMU and students at the other South African universities participating in the study. When comparing the significant differences in the level of development of the 16 entrepreneurial attributes between NMMU and the international universities, a large practical significance was found for the attributes High energy level, Continuous learning and Knowledge seeking. For the attributes Planning and perseverance, Communication ability, Overcoming failure, Initiative and responsibility, High energy level, Creativity and flexibility, Knowledge seeking, Continuous learning, Financial proficiency and Business knowledge, students with entrepreneurial intentions reported significantly higher mean scores than students without entrepreneurial intentions. In other words, students with higher levels of development of these attributes are more likely to have entrepreneurial intentions. It was also found that significant differences in the levels of development of entrepreneurial attributes were reported for the demographic variables Levels of study, Gender and Age. No significant differences were found to exist between the demographic variables Level of study, Gender and Self-employment status of parents and the Entrepreneurial intention of NMMU students. This study has contributed to the field of entrepreneurship research by identifying several entrepreneurial attributes that are more likely to be found in students with entrepreneurial intentions than those without them. This study has also shown that certain demographic factors are related to the levels of development of certain entrepreneurial attributes, as well as to entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, through the assessment of entrepreneurial attributes of NMMU students and by making comparisons with other universities, this study has contributed to entrepreneurship education at NMMU as well as to entrepreneurship education in South Africa and abroad. Educators of entrepreneurship have been given insights into the levels of development of several entrepreneurial attributes among their students. In addition, recommendations have been made on how to improve the levels of development of the attributes investigated in this study.

Ethics is more than an abstract body of theories, principles and ideas. It is a way of thinking through difficult situations before deciding how to act (Manning & Stroud, 2008). This study takes this conception of ethics into the realm of the business decision and business schools’ responsibility to ensure that their MBA graduates are empowered and comfortable to reason and act ethically in the difficult business situations they will face and decisions they will be expected to take in their career. / Business Management / D. B. L.

Business Management / D. B. L.