Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Richard Schuttler

Abstract

The inadequacy of entrepreneurial knowledge among 21-25 year olds in Nigeria with recent undergraduate degrees has led to youth unemployment after graduating from universities. The development of entrepreneurship skills through entrepreneurship education programs for the students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria may bridge the unemployment gap. Guided by the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to gain a robust common understanding of how undergraduates from 21-25 years old can obtain the entrepreneurial knowledge required for self-employment in Nigeria. Data collection involved semistructured interviews, field notes, and archived training documents, with a purposeful sample of 15 undergraduate degree holders over 21 years old, who had been self-employed, in different industries and possessed entrepreneurial knowledge and experiences. Using Yin's 5 step data analysis process, member checking, and triangulation resulted in the emergence of codes, themes, and categories. The key themes were knowledge of business management, identification of business opportunities, information from workshop and seminars, information from social media and customer service, information on innovation, and mentor and mentee relationship. The findings from this study provide the empirical evidence needed to support entrepreneurship education as well as insight on tertiary institutions' commitment to entrepreneurship education that may lead to the creation of employment and empowers entrepreneurs towards national growth and development. The implications for positive social change include reshaping the way undergraduates prepare for self-employment, leading to a reduction of unemployment among youths in Nigeria.

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