Abstract:
This study was designed to explore the effect of Entrepreneurial Innovativeness on
Entrepreneurial Intention among management undergraduates in state universities
of Sri Lanka: with the mediating effect of Entrepreneurial Alertness. In the Sri Lankan
context, even though Entrepreneurial Intention has been sufficiently explored, how
the Entrepreneurial Innovative behaviour and Alertness of the undergraduate force
towards indent to become entrepreneurs is still unclear. Therefore, the study was
conducted with the aim of filling the vacant gap by adding new sources to the
literature. The sample was 377 management undergraduates in state universities of
Sri Lanka, which was selected through a simple random sampling technique.
Entrepreneurial Innovativeness is defined as the independent variable, while
undergraduates’ Entrepreneurial Intention is identified as the dependent variable of
the study. In addition, Entrepreneurial Alertness is considered as a mediator
variable. The findings of this study indicated that Entrepreneurial Innovativeness
and Entrepreneurial Alertness positively impact Entrepreneurial Intention. Further,
Entrepreneurial Alertness mediates the relationship between Entrepreneurial
Innovativeness and Entrepreneurial Intention. This study suggests that
undergraduates should think out of their boxes and be vigilant in dynamic
environmental changes that can enhance Entrepreneurial Intention among
university undergraduates. Ultimately, this will be the platform for the emergence of
new and innovative business start-ups in the future Sri Lankan economy.
