Impact of support from social network on entrepreneurial intention of fresh business graduates A structural equation modelling approach

Purpose - Developing on the base of theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between perceived social support (SS) from one's social network and entrepreneurial intention (EI). Moreover, mediating effect of other constructs of TPB, i.e., attitude towards entrepreneurship (ATE), subjective norms (SN) and perceived behavioural control (PBC) is also examined in this study. Design/methodology/approach - This study involves a variance-based partial least square-structural equation modelling approach for analysing responses from 381 fresh business graduates. Findings - Findings of this study revealed that SS positively influences EI and also that this relationship is fully mediated by ATE, SN and PBC. Research limitations/implications - Due to limited resources, cross cultural comparison and multi-group analysis were not performed, which are considered as a limitation of this study. Practical implications - It is expected that the findings of this study can help policy makers, researchers and academicians in better understanding of critical role of SS for understanding the intentions of nascent entrepreneurs. Social implications - Further, findings of this study suggest that academicians and policy makers need to take heed towards relatively less explored phenomenon of SS to enhance the attractiveness of entrepreneurial career in fresh business graduates. Originality/value - This study has proposed a model for assessing impact of SS on EI. By doi ng so, this study extends TPB in the context of EI. Moreover, findings of this study are a unique step forward, and offer a new insight towards better understanding of the determinants of EI in fresh business graduates.