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Advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) bear the promise of multiple benefits, including individual and entrepreneurial empowerment. The prospect of harnessing ICT as a means of creating growth and development opportunities is particularly appealing in developing countries. Still, several factors, including digital illiteracy and gender inequality, hamper the possibility of effective and universal utilization of these opportunities, in extreme cases leading to digital divide, gender-based exclusion, poverty, and precarity. Using this observation as a springboard, the objective of this paper is to conceptualize and quantify the digital divide-gender-entrepreneurial orientation nexus as it emerges in the perception of Pakistan higher education students. Using a quantitative approach, this study identifies the impact of digital skills (and thus the knowledge inequalities that can determine the potential digital gap) on entrepreneurship-related technology adoption (as measured through Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, UTAUT), whereby gender is treated as a moderator. The empirical findings, based on Structure Equation Modelling (SEM) and Multiple Group Analysis (MGA), show that digital skills and perceptions of technology capabilities have a substantial impact on the desire to use ICT in entrepreneurial activities. The influence of technology adoption intent on the development of entrepreneurial orientation is also confirmed. This paper adds to the broader debate on gender, digital divide and entrepreneurship. Importantly, by identifying some of the drivers behind students' technology adoption in a developing nation such as Pakistan, filled with technological and economic unbalances, the conclusions of this study will have conceptual, managerial, and policymaking applications, notably in terms of technological access, digital literary, and gender-based exclusion. • This paper examines the digital divide-entrepreneurial orientation-gender nexus among Pakistani higher education students. • Digital skills and perceptions of technology capabilities significatly impact the desire to use ICT for entrepreneurship. • The influence of technology adoption intent on the development of entrepreneurial orientation is also confirmed. • Results have managerial and policymaking applications about technological access, digital literary and gender exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempt to appropriately measure student perception about the performance their lecturers/teacher in higher education by means of entrepreneurship orientation construct. In this study, efforts are made to evaluate the students perception with three factors of entrepreneurship orientation construct i.e. innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking. Using the data collected from Finland and Pakistan on the questionnaire developed on the basis of the previous entrepreneurship orientation construct. We find evidence that students' perception can be explained with use of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking attributes of the lecturer/ teacher in Finland and Pakistan. Leadership in higher education can leverage their role by including lecturers/teachers. Inferences are made of the finding along with the recommended prospect studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]