Core entrepreneurial competencies for civil engineers to be successful entrepreneurs.

Abstract

Purpose: Since entrepreneurship is viewed as a path to sustainable economic development, this study examined the managerial and entrepreneurial competencies necessary for entrepreneurial action. Design/methodology/approach: This study did not make use of a sample to generalise the findings to a particular population other than to select respondents that are entrepreneurial practising civil engineers from the Durban branch of the South African Institute of Civil Engineers (SAICE) database. This simplified the complexity of the sampling technique, because the SAICE database is made up of reliable information in terms of the respondents’ profile. This is done in order to gather credible information or data that will assist in achieving the study objectives. Furthermore, online surveys have been conducted to collect the data using the SAICE database for KwaZulu Natal, to determine the relative importance of 13 core entrepreneurial competencies to be successful as entrepreneurs. The mixed method approach was used, because of the nature of the study that required both qualitative and quantitative approaches. For this study, questionnaires were distributed to 88 entrepreneurial civil engineers practicing in the Kwazulu-Natal province of South Africa, by means of a bulk email, about their views on core entrepreneurial competencies to be successful entrepreneurs. Research limitations: • There is seemingly a lack of data and statistics from successful civil engineers entrepreneurs for referencing purpose. • This study will be undertaken with information collected in Kwazulu-Natal only. • The sampled participants will not be an exact representation of the civil engineering entrepreneurs in South Africa, since the data was only obtained from one province in South Africa, due to time constraints. Responses/Findings: There are competencies that are unique to the civil engineering discipline and it is necessary that education programmes need to construct curriculums that support the entrepreneurial endeavours of graduates. This study identified those competencies that are necessary for civil engineers to be successful entrepreneurs, an aspect of their education and training that has been ignored. Practical implications: The findings provide guidance for the development of curriculums that are responsive to the development of these core competencies in civil engineering graduates.