Factors affecting the entrepreneurial intention of bachelor of arts undergraduates (with special reference to Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura)

Entrepreneurship can be identified as a main pillar in the global economy. It creates jobs which result in the reduction of unemployment, economic growth and social development. It can be observed that the Sri Lankan government pays its attention to develop the mindset of the people to become entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurial intention of undergraduates has become vital in the current society because they have the utmost potential in becoming future entrepreneurs. Recent statistics depicts an increase in the unemployment of Bachelor of Arts graduates over the years. Therefore, it can be identified as a timely need to promote the concept of entrepreneurship among undergraduates. Hence, the main objective of the study is to identify the factors affecting the entrepreneurial intention of undergraduates with special reference to Bachelor of Arts undergraduates studying in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The theory of planned behavior has been used in order to identify the factors affecting the entrepreneurial intention of the undergraduates. A total of 400 undergraduates, irrespective of their academic year of study, have participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was distributed to collect primary data. The structural equational modelling was used to test the theory of planned behavior. It was found that only the attitude towards behavior and the perceived behavioral control highly affected the entrepreneurial intention whereas the subjective norm was insignificant. This study revealed the important factors to take note of, to improve the entrepreneurial intention of Bachelor of Arts undergraduates in the Sri Lankan context.