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Int Entrep Manag J (2017) 13:97111 DOI 10.1007/s11365-016-0397-4
tienne St-Jean1 & Maripier Tremblay2 &
Frank Janssen3 & Jacques Baronet4 &
Christophe Lou5 & Aziz Nafa6
Published online: 27 April 2016# Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016
Abstract Networks are recognized as a central component of the entrepreneurial process, in particular with regard to opportunity identification and exploitation. In this study, we specifically analyze the role of mentors who are in business as opportunity brokers and enablers among university students with entrepreneurial intentions. Our investigation on 1022 students from 13 French-language universities based in Canada, France, Belgium and Algeria indicates that mentors in business, contrary to other mentors, support opportunity identification and exploitation among university students. Although student gender, entrepreneurial experience and education have a more pronounced effect, mentoring is the only element that can be controlled for through the creation of formal support programs. These results call on public authorities, and universities in particular, to implement formal mentoring programs to support students who are interested in starting their own business, and who would not otherwise have access to business mentors in their environment.
* tienne St-Jean [email protected]
1 Research Institute on SMEs, Universit du Qubec Trois-Rivires, 3351, boul. des Forges,
Trois-Rivires, Qubec G9A 5H7, Canada
2 Facult des sciences de ladministration, Pavillon Palasis-Prince, Universit Laval, local 1523, Qubec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
3 Louvain School of Management, Universit Catholique de Louvain, Place des Doyens, 1, 1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
4 Universit de Sherbrooke, 2500, boul. de lUniversit, Sherbrooke, Qubec, Canada J1K 2R1
5 NOVANCIA, 3 rue Armand Moisant, Paris, France 15me
6 Division Firmes et conomie Industrielle, Centre de Recherche en conomie Applique pour le Dveloppement (CREAD), BP 187 - Rostomia, Bouzarah, Alger, Algeria
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98 Int Entrep Manag J (2017) 13:97111
Keywords Mentoring . Opportunity identification . Opportunity exploitation . University students
The concept of business opportunity is at the heart of entrepreneurship (Shane and Venkataraman 2000). The notion of opportunity relates an enterprising individual, one who intends to be his/her own boss, to unfulfilled (or insufficiently fulfilled) needs that enable the creation of a new business (Eckhardt and Shane 2003; Shane 2003). Several factors...