Title: Understanding social entrepreneurial intentions among higher education students in India: a PLS-SEM-based approach to personality and contextual factors

Authors: Latika Sharma; Hemantkumar P. Bulsara

Addresses: Department of Commerce, TAPMI School of Business, Manipal University Jaipur, Jaipur – 303007, India ' Department of Mathematics and Humanities, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat, Gujarat, India

Abstract: Using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as a theoretical framework, this research aims to analyse personality factors (PFs), contextual factors (CFs), and social entrepreneurial intentions (SEIs). The authors contacted North-West Indian students in engineering and business administration (professional courses) who are of career-decision-making age for this study. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the study's test results. TPB's antecedents are revealed to provide partial support in the research. The authors have attempted to pinpoint which aspects of social entrepreneurship impact India's youth by analysing the information collected from PF and CF. For students interested in social entrepreneurship to launch successful social enterprises in the near future, policymakers and educational institutions should take care of and encourage a variety of personality and contextual traits.

Keywords: social entrepreneurial intention; SEI; personality factors; contextual factors; higher education; social enterprise; theory of planned behaviour; TPB; India; social entrepreneurship; risk taking; proactiveness; innovativeness; prior experience; university support.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2025.149644

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2025 Vol.38 No.3, pp.288 - 313

Received: 29 Aug 2022
Accepted: 02 Sep 2022
Published online: 10 Nov 2025 *

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