Journal
JOURNAL OF BUSINESS VENTURING
Volume 33, Issue 3, Pages 333-350Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2018.01.004
Keywords
Dispositional empathy; Entrepreneurial intentions; Self-efficacy; Social entrepreneurship; Social worth
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Funding
- Anglia Ruskin University
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Empathy is a key trait distinguishing social entrepreneurs from traditional entrepreneurs, and an important antecedent of social entrepreneurial (SE) intentions. Yet, little research explains the mechanisms through which empathy motivates SE intentions. We argue that studying the link between the prosocial trait of empathy and the prosocial outcome of SE intentions requires a prosocial lens that traditional entrepreneurial intent theories cannot offer. Building on prosocial motives research, we propose that empathy explains SE intentions through two complementary mechanisms: self-efficacy (an agentic mechanism), and social worth (a communal mechanism). We find support for our hypotheses in a study of 281 university students.
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