The influence of university support on student sustainable entrepreneurial intention: A conceptual paper

Abstract

Sustainable entrepreneurship has become an important approach for addressing economic, social, and environmental challenges while supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Malaysia, the government has introduced various initiatives and programmes to encourage entrepreneurial involvement among graduates and young people. However, despite these efforts, the level of sustainable entrepreneurial intention among university students remains relatively low. Previous studies have widely examined entrepreneurial intention using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which mainly focuses on psychological determinants such as attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control. Nevertheless, studies on sustainable entrepreneurial intention in the Malaysian context remain limited, particularly in understanding the role of environmental and institutional support. Therefore, this conceptual paper adopts the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to examine the influence of university support on students’ sustainable entrepreneurial intention. Specifically, university support is conceptualized into three dimensions, namely perceived educational support (PES), perceived concept development support (PCDS), and perceived business development support (PBDS). This study aims to understand the importance of university support in influencing students’ intention to become sustainable entrepreneurs. The proposed framework provide useful insights for universities and policymakers in developing effective and efficient mechanisms to encourage greater student involvement in sustainable entrepreneurship.