The effects of individual characteristics on women intention to become social entrepreneurs?

• Published date: 01 May 2021
• Author: Mohammad Rashed Hasan Polas,Asghar Afshar Jahanshahi
• Date: 01 May 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2204

ACADEMIC PAPER

The effects of individual characteristics on women intention

to become social entrepreneurs?

Mohammad Rashed Hasan Polas

1,2

| Asghar Afshar Jahanshahi

3

1

Center for Post Graduate Studies,

Limkokwing University of Creative

Technology, Cyberjaya, Malaysia

2

Universidad Católica de Trujillo, Instituto de

Investigación, Chimbote, Peru

3

CENTRUM Católica Graduate Business

School (CCGBS), Pontificia Universidad

Católica del Perú (PUCP), Lima, Peru

Correspondence

Asghar Afshar Jahanshahi, CENTRUM Católica

Graduate Business School (CCGBS), Pontificia

Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), Lima,

Peru.

Email: afshar@pucp.edu.pe

Which individual-level factors motivate women to become a social entrepreneur? To

answer this question, we examined the direct impact of problem-solving skills, net-

working ability, and entrepreneurial knowledge with social entrepreneurial intention.

Furthermore, we tested the indirect effects of these three factors through self-effi-

cacy. The study hypotheses were tested using a sample of 234 Bangladeshi women.

In this research, Smart PLS 3.0 has been used to assess the study hypotheses. Our

findings confirmed a positive and significant relation among problem-solving skills,

networking ability, and entrepreneurial knowledge with social entrepreneurial inten-

tion. Moreover, our data confirmed that self-efficacy mediates the relationship

among problem-solving skills, networking ability, and entrepreneurial knowledge with

social entrepreneurial intention.

1|INTRODUCTION

Entrepreneurship is the engine of economic growth and development

(Afshar Jahanshahi, Rauch, & Gholami, 2019), and women entrepreneurs

can accelerate sustainable development. There are some empirical evi-

dences of the positive participation of women in public affairs (Martinez

Palacios, Ahedo Gurrutxaga, & Rodriguez Lara, 2016). In recent years,

women's participation in economic and entrepreneurial activities

increased throughout the world (Abu-Hummour, 2019; Brush, de Bruin,

& Welter, 2009; Sarfaraz & Faghih, 2011). In cutting edge economies,

women own nearly 25% of the start-ups in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe,

and Latin America and this percentage increases over time (Ekpe &

Mat, 2012; Jahanshahi & Brem, 2020; Yin & Jahanshahi, 2018).

According to previous research in this context, several individuals, con-

textual, and environmental factors are of paramount importance to

increase the presence of women in entrepreneurship activities. For

instance, Drnovšek, Wincent, and Cardon (2010) found that entrepre-

neurial self-efficacy positively affected individual intentions to become

social entrepreneurs, especially among women. In this line of research,

Hsu and Wang (2018) found that individuals with a high level of creativ-

ity and social capital were more prone to become social entrepreneurs.

Focusing on individual factors, Asma et al. (2019) concluded that the

individual's self-efficacy and the perceived social support in fostering

social entrepreneurship intentions are fundamental elements among Chi-

nese students. Furthermore, Jahanshahi, Brem, and Bhattacharjee (2017)

found that entrepreneurs' different set of values, beliefs, and orientations

canfosterorhindertheirsociallyoriented intentions and actions. In

regard to the environmental or institutional factors, Khattak (2019)

stated that the access to domestic and international finances is an impor-

tant factor to explain the socially oriented intentions as well as the cor-

porate and individual behaviors.

Social entrepreneurs are highly concerned aboutthe society prob-

lems and challenges (Jurkowski, 2019; Sharir & Lerner, 2006; Zahra,

Gedajlovic, Neubaum, & Shulman, 2009); therefore, theyprefer to start

a business that can help to develop and implement some unique solu-

tions to their social and environmental issues (Asma et al., 2019;

Jahanshahi et al., 2017;Ulhøi, 2005). While regular entrepreneurs start

for-profit organizations, social entrepreneurs make change and try to

articulate an improvement in the social system (Barendsen & Gard-

ner, 2004; Nawaser, Khaksar, Shaksian, & Jahanshahi, 2011). It has

been suggested that social entrepreneurs exert creative or exceptional

leadership in social endeavors (Mair & Noboa, 2006). Therefore, it is

important to identify the individual or environmental factors that drive

social entrepreneurship because they usually bring useful social

changes and improvements in the education system, healthcare, and

the environment. In this research, we attempted to know whether

women's problem-solving skills, networking ability, and entrepreneurial

knowledge can influence their intention to become social entrepre-

neurs. For this, we considered self-efficacyas an underlying mechanism

for explainingthese relationships.

Received: 31 January 2020 Revised: 9 March 2020 Accepted: 19 May 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2204

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https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2204