Unveiling the Drivers of Social Entrepreneurship Intentions: Insights from Business Graduates in Bangladesh

Young business graduates often show a higher level of entrepreneurial intention due to their ambition, energy, innovation, drive, and capacities. However, there is limited research on what drives them towards social entrepreneurship (SE) in a complex developing country such as Bangladesh. This quantitative study investigates the factors motivating business graduates' SE intention (SEI) using 314 finalised survey responses from Bangladeshi universities. We used SPSS 25 and SmartPLS 4.0 to analyse the data and found that the need for achievement, self-confidence, and socio-cultural values, have significant positive effects on business graduates' SEI, whereas risk-taking, and economic factors have no significant effects. These findings add value to the upper echelons theory with implications for the policymakers in similar contexts to foster SE among the youth.