Entrepreneurship Education: Non-Linearity in the Satisfaction – Continuation Relationship

In this paper we propose one possible explanation of the interrelationships between education continuation or avoidance, satisfaction level, and experience (entrepreneurial maturity) of potential and practicing entrepreneurs. By using the cusp catastrophe model we propose that relationship between education satisfaction and continuation tends to be linear for less experienced entrepreneurs (pre-entrepreneurs), whereas for more experienced entrepreneurs the relationship is proposed to be positive but non-linear (s-shaped). Data were collected with a structured questionnaire from 122 participants in management and entrepreneurship education and training programs. The proposed model was tested with linear and non-linear regression equations. The relationship between satisfaction and continuation (loyalty) was found to be positive for all entrepreneurial and nonentrepreneurial groups. The appropriate functional form for the satisfaction-continuation relationship discovered for non-entrepreneurs and people that are only thinking about entrepreneurship (maybe-entrepreneurs) is close to linear and less steep than for more entrepreneurial groups. By contrast, prospective entrepreneurs (people in the process of pre-start up) and practicing entrepreneurs tend to be more sensitive to their education satisfaction in their future education continuation decisions. The appropriate functional form for these entrepreneurial groups tends to be cubical, which is close to the s-shaped function proposed in the cusp model. The study provided evidence that the relationships between entrepreneurial maturity, education satisfaction and education continuation may be modeled as a cusp catastrophe model. The proposed model can be helpful for education and for training providers (and marketers) in explaining and predicting of education loyalty or the switching behavior of entrepreneurs.