Personal and Contextual Factors Influencing Entrepreneurship Behavior among Business Students in Nepal: Moderating Effect of Attitude, Social Support and Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Personality traits provide an impute to individuals who have an activity of entrepreneurship, and contextual factors also act as essential factors to influence entrepreneurial activity. Individuals’ traits such as optimism, locus of control, risk propensity taking, innovativeness, and need for achievement are important and not limited to enhancing entrepreneurial behavior. Similarly, societal factors and perceived barriers are vital contextual factors impacting entrepreneurial behavior. Research confirms that intentions play an important role in the decision to start a new firm, and many factors influence these  intentions, which can be moderated by different factors. In this context, the present paper intends to investigate the personal and contextual factors influencing entrepreneurship behavior with particular attention to the moderating role of attitude, social support, and entrepreneur self-efficacy. The study covered 230 undergraduate and postgraduate business students at different universities in Kathmandu, Nepal. The study design used was a descriptive and correlational research design with a convenience sampling procedure. The study only showed personal factors significantly affecting entrepreneurial behavior, but no effect of moderators was observed. This study will help identify factors that influence entrepreneurial inclination among business students and design the curriculum, integrating practical entrepreneurship experiences and theoretical knowledge.