This study, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), aims to explore the entrepreneurial intentions of university students in Shandong Province, China, and analyze the major factors influencing these intentions. Structural Equation Modeling was applied to data collected from 680 students across five universities in Shandong Province. The findings reveal that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly influence the students’ entrepreneurial intentions. Specifically, a positive attitude towards the outcomes of entrepreneurship emerged as the strongest factor influencing their intentions, indicating that positive perceptions and expectations of entrepreneurship significantly enhance students’ entrepreneurial inclinations. Perceived behavioral control also showed a strong influence, suggesting that enhancing students’ self-efficacy and awareness of accessible resources is crucial for fostering entrepreneurial intentions. However, the influence of subjective norms was weaker, which may relate to specific cultural and social environmental factors. This study not only provides an empirical basis for entrepreneurship education and policy-making in Shandong Province and beyond but also offers new insights into the application of TPB in the field of entrepreneurship research.

Studies show that Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies can enhance compliance with COVID-19 guidelines within the parties in the construction industry in the future and mitigate job loss. It implies that mitigating job loss improves the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1) (eliminate poverty). There is a paucity of literature concerning 4IR technologies application and COVID-19 impact on South Africa’s construction industry. Thus, this paper investigates the impacts of the pandemic on the sector and the roles of digital technologies in mitigating job loss in future pandemics. Data were collected via virtual semi-structured interviews. The participants proffered unexplored insights into the impact of the pandemic on the sector and the possible roles that 4IR technology can play in mitigating the spread of the virus within the sector. Findings show that the sector was hit, especially the low-income earners, threatens to achieve Goal 1, despite government institutions’ intervention, such as economic support programmes, health and safety guidelines awareness, and medical facilities. Findings group the emerged impacts into health and safety, environmental, economic, productivity, social, and legal and insurance issues in South Africa. The study shows that technology can be advantageous to improving achieving Goal 1 in a pandemic era due to limited job loss.