How attitude, need for achievement and self control personality shape entrepreneurial intention in students

Abstract

Background: Entrepreneurial intention (EI) is necessary for developing entrepreneurship as it is a good predictor of engaging in actual entrepreneurial activities. On this account, it is necessary to understand the determinants of EI. Nevertheless, a study incorporating mechanisms and boundary conditions on the relationship between need for achievement (nAch) and EI, from a developing country’s perspective, has been lacking.

Aim: Firstly, in the current study the aim is to assess the relationship between nAch and EI. Secondly, the aim is to establish whether entrepreneurial attitudes (EA) positively mediate the relationship between nAch and EI. Thirdly, the study examined whether SCP moderates the indirect nAch– EA– EI relationship.

Setting: The study was conducted among students from all faculties at a South African university.

Method: The authors adopted a quantitative research method, and data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to 723 students at a South African university. The analysis was performed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling PLS-SEM statistical software.

Results: The findings showed a positive and significant relationship between nAch and EI. Furthermore, it was shown that EAs positively mediate the link between nAch and EI. The indirect nAch – EA – EI relationship was also positively and significantly moderated by SCP.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study shed light on the nuanced understanding of the nAch – EA– EI association by proposing and validating the moderating role of SCP, an approach that has been lacking in existing studies.

Contribution: The study contributes to the body of knowledge, through new empirical findings generated from the moderated mediation analysis in the context of a developing country.