"EMOTION DRIVEN OR BRAIN DRIVEN?" : A STUDY OF MOTIVES OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

This research investigated the motives of social entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. This research used a conceptual framework comprising of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and perceived feasibility to analyze the antecedents of social entrepreneurial intention in Sri Lanka. A randomly selected sample of 74 social entreprene,urs in Sri Lanka were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structured Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) method. Results indicate that 81% of the social entrepreneurs are male indicating the traditional gender bias which is common in business entrepreneurship also. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) of social entrepreneurial intention indicated a four-factor loading pattern in contrast to the previous research. The four dimensions of entrepreneurial intention (EI) were named as Social­ purpose EI, Profit-seeking EI, Psychological EI and Autonomy EI. This study empirically established that entrepreneurial self-efficacy and perceived feasibility have a significant positive influence on social entrepreneurial intention. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy and perceived feasibility together explained 39% of the variance in social entrepreneurial intention. The outcome of this research will enhance the understanding of social entrepreneurship behavior and will provide valuable insights for policy makers in Sri Lanka