Abstract Background The current study has added to the body of knowledge about entrepreneurial cognition by looking at the cognitive processes which make the entrepreneurial decisions in the Indian setup. Goal The research proposes to examine entrepreneurial cognition in terms of cognitive mechanisms investigation based on qualitative data analysis with the help of NVivo. Setting The target of the study is Indian CEOs who are founders or owner-managers in strategic decision-making. Methods A qualitative research design was adopted that incorporated semi structured interviews of 30 Founder-CEOs and Owner Managers. NVivo was used to analyze the data with the help of thematic and hierarchical coding. The analysis is based on the perceptions and reported cognitive tendencies of the participants. Findings The findings are characterized by the essential themes of risk perception, cognitive biases, emotional factors, and the use of data to make decisions. These are some of the themes that are linked with the way entrepreneurs handle complicated situations in decision making. Conclusion The research is a qualitative data regarding the cognitive and psychological aspects of entrepreneurial decision-making that will contribute to the knowledge of entrepreneurial cognition. Contribution: The research is conceptually based with a synthesis between the cognitive perspectives and the entrepreneurial research and shows the applicability of NVivo to the analysis of cognitive patterns in qualitative research.
Gochhait et al. (Fri,) studied this question.