Sustainability orientation and sustainable entrepreneurial intention among business students: the serial mediating role of opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial self-efficacy

Purpose This study aims to study the impact of sustainability orientation, opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial self-efficacy on the sustainable entrepreneurship intentions of business students. It also examines the mediating role of opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial self-efficacy among the variable sustainability orientation and sustainable entrepreneurial intention of students. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative research design, with data collected from 700 business students enrolled at three major affiliating universities in North India. A purposive sampling technique was employed to obtain data from designated strata. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to examine the structural model. Findings The research revealed that sustainability orientation, sustainable opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial self-efficacy have a significant positive impact on students’ sustainable entrepreneurial intentions. The findings also show that opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial self-efficacy successfully serve as serial mediators in the relationship between sustainability orientation and sustainable entrepreneurial intention. Research limitations/implications The data collection was limited to business students from universities in North India, which may restrict the generalizability of the findings beyond this specific demographic. Practical implications The findings suggest that entrepreneurship education programs should incorporate sustainability components to strengthen students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy and ability to recognize sustainable business opportunities, thereby positively influencing their intention to pursue sustainable entrepreneurship. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of sustainable entrepreneurial intentions among business students in universities of developing nations such as India. The findings confirm the theoretical expectation that a strong sustainability orientation positively influences key entrepreneurial factors, including entrepreneurial self-efficacy, sustainable opportunity recognition and the intention to engage in sustainable entrepreneurship.