AN INVESTIGATION OF THE MODERATING EFFECT OF SELF-EFFICACY AND ALERTNESS ON REGULATIVE, COGNITIVE, AND NORMATIVE DETERMINANTS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between institutional environment and entrepreneurial intentions and to determine whether self-efficacy and alertness moderate this relationship. Drawing on institutional theory, we set hypotheses and test them by applying regression based on a primary dataset of students collected from the local public and private universities. The results show that cognitive institutions positively influence entrepreneurial intentions; thus, they inspire students to set up more entrepreneurial minds. Furthermore, we find direct positive effects of entrepreneurial alertness and self-efficacy on entrepreneurial intentions. Still, we do not see any moderating (interaction) effects of the institutional environment on entrepreneurial intentions. The research results suggest that Bangladesh needs to develop cognitive institutions to encourage student& entrepreneurial intentions. Future research should be expanded for retesting the empirical validity of the included moderators by using longitudinal datasets.