FACTORS INFLUENCING THB, INTENTION TO BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR: THE STUDY BASED ON UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN SRILANKA

Abstract

This study develops and tests a model that aims to explain undergraduate students' entrepreneurial intention by considering the close environmental factors of the respondents such as closer valuation of entrepreneurship and the closer stigma of entrepreneurship failure and the mediating role of individual innovative cognitive style. In this study, the primary data were collected via questionnaire. Structured questionnaire was distributed to faculty related to Commerce and Management final year undergraduate students from five selected state universities in Sri Lanka, the universities are Eastern University, Sri Lanka, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, University of Ruhuna Sri Lanka and University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka and obtained 380 responses from the respondents. As per the findings the entrepreneurial intention, individual innovative cognitive style, closer valuation of entrepreneurship and closer stigma of entrepreneurship failure level is high among the faculty related to Commerce and Management final year undergraduate students from five state universities in Sri Lanka. The study reveals that there is a strong positive relationship between closer valuation of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intention, there is a weak negative relationship between closer stigma of entrepreneurship failure and entrepreneurial intention, there is a strong positive relationship between individual innovative cognitive style and entrepreneurial intention, there is a strong positive relationship between closer valuation of entrepreneurship and individual innovative cognitive style and there is a weak positive relationship between closer stigma of entrepreneurship failure and individual innovative cognitive style. Moreover, the results indicated that partially mediation influence of individual innovative cognitive style to the relationship between entrepreneurial intention, closer valuation of entrepreneurship and closer stigma of entrepreneurship failure