Attitude towards entrepreneurship, individual entrepreneurship orientation and entrepreneurial self-efficacy among start-ups in China: Basis for entrepreneurial competency framework

While the entrepreneurial spirit thrives in China, a meticulous understanding of the unique factors influencing the aspirations and competencies of its start-up founders remains elusive.Despite existing research on entrepreneurial attitudes, individual entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and self-efficacy, crucial knowledge gaps persist.This study aimed to examine the attitude towards entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship orientation and entrepreneurial selfefficacy among start-ups in China and laying the foundation for an entrepreneurial competency framework tailored to the distinct challenges and opportunities of the Chinese entrepreneurial landscape.By exploring the specific attitudes, entrepreneurial orientation dimensions, and selfefficacy levels prevalent among Chinese start-up founders, this research aimed to bridge the gap between existing models and the on-the-ground realities of entrepreneurship in China, ultimately informing the development of a competency framework that empowers and equips the next generation of Chinese entrepreneurs for sustainable success.Descriptive research was utilized in the study as it allows to gather detailed information about the characteristics, patterns, and variations among Chinese start-up founders.This design was used as it is relatively quick and efficient way to gain initial insights and can be particularly advantageous for exploratory studies in an understudied environment like entrepreneurship in China.Using a survey questionnaire as the data gathering instrument presents a practical and efficient way to collect valuable data among a large sample of Chinese start-up founders.The respondents of the study were the 384 start-up entrepreneurs in Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu ad Sichuan provinces in China who are in the early stages of developing their business.Based from the results, the respondents generally agreed on the entrepreneurial attitude of start-ups as to perceived behavioral control, entrepreneurial intention and subjective norms which implies that there is a fertile ground for startups to flourish, with individuals feeling empowered, incentivized, and ready to act.Respondents revealed a remarkable agreement on their individual entrepreneurial orientation characterized by proactiveness, innovativeness, and a well-balanced tolerance for Liu, S.2 Consortia Academia Publishing (A Partner of Divine Word College of San Jose) calculated risks.The respondents' agreement on their entrepreneurial self-efficacy paints a confident picture of their ability to navigate key entrepreneurial hurdles.They believe in their capacity to innovate and carve out market niches (developing new product and market opportunities), actively build connections with potential investors (initiating investor relationships), and weather unforeseen difficulties (coping with unexpected challenges).This implies that a well-equipped and self-assured set of individuals were ripe for tackling entrepreneurial challenges.A significant relationship was found among entrepreneurial attitude, individual entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial self-efficacy and a start-up competency framework was developed for start-up entrepreneurs in China.The research can bridge the gap between theoretical models of entrepreneurship and the lived experiences of start-up founders in China.This can lead to more practical and actionable insights for supporting entrepreneurial success.