Abstract:
This study aims at identifying the role of emotional intelligence and moral obligation on social
entrepreneurial intentions among the students of a premier multi-campus technical university in India using
Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as the research framework. A 54 item questionnaire was responded by
175 students. The data was collected by employing a systematic random sampling method. 59% (N=103) of
the respondents were male and 41% (N=71) were female and the average age of the respondents was 20 years.
Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Results of the study support that the relationship
between antecedents (emotional intelligence and moral obligation) and social entrepreneurial intentions were
mediated by the attitude toward becoming a social entrepreneur, subjective norms and perceived behavioural
control. Findings of this research study also suggest that students with high level of emotional intelligence
are more inclined towards social entrepreneurial activities. The study was confined to the study of students
from a technical university and it will be wrong to generalize findings to students from the non-technical
stream. The finding of this research study will facilitate policy makers and educators for promoting social
entrepreneurial activities at the university level. Based on these results educators may review support system
that will prove helpful for students. This is one of its kinds of research conducted in the Indian context.
Findings of this research will be helpful in predicting how the intention process of Indian students is affected
by their emotional intelligence and moral obligation.
