The Study of Impacts of Entrepreneurial Spirit on the Exploitation of Entrepreneurial Opportunities Identified in Social Sciences

The unprecedented increase in the unemployment rate among university graduates on the one hand and the government's inability to hire them on the other hand, indicate that entrepreneurship should be taken into consideration more seriously. Based on this, the main goal of this research is to investigate the impacts of entrepreneurial spirit on the exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities identified in social sciences. This research was carried out using a mixed method. Using in-depth interviews with professors and experts of social sciences, 16 entrepreneurial opportunities in social sciences were identified, which, contrary to public opinion, a range of jobs and employment opportunities exist in social sciences and mainly non-governmental sectors that have the ability to become official jobs with the support of the Sociological Association and consultation with the government. Then, a quantitative phase was started in the form of a survey method. The statistical population of the research was determined by sociology PhD students across the country and 121 of them were randomly selected. The research tool is a combination of standard scales and a researcher-made questionnaire, which were determined using construct validity, validity and internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha method. The findings of the research show that the entrepreneurial spirit with a coefficient of 0.30 and its dimensions including success-seeking, internal control, risk-taking, creativity and uncertainty tolerance has a significant and positive impact on the exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities. As a result, by identifying work and entrepreneurship opportunities in academic fields and strengthening the entrepreneurial spirit of students as one of the effective factors in exploiting opportunities, it is possible to provide the motivation and necessary conditions for students to get a job.