Abstract:
Entrepreneurship has been identified as the engine of long-term economic growth of a nation
and it is leading factor in achieving economic growth, high employment, strong job creation, and
positive social development. It drives and shapes innovation, speeding up structural changes in
the economy. Small and Medium Enterprises are the breeding ground for entrepreneurs to set up
their ventures for many reasons. As a result, a smaller number of successful entrepreneurs can be
seen. Therefore, it is a timely need to promote entrepreneurship among individuals. Thus,
entrepreneurial intention of individuals is of critical importance in today’s business environment.
The main aim of this study is to find out the factors that influencing entrepreneurial intention
among the undergraduates the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka. Attitudes, subjective
norms and perceived behavioral control were identified through literature survey which influence
the entrepreneurial intention of individuals and leads to selected behaviour. A total of 130
students from third and final year of arts faculty students of the South Eastern University were
selected and collected responses through the questionnaire. This study reveals attitudes,
subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are influencing the entrepreneurial intention
of individuals and this leads to selected behaviour which is important factors to be addressed in
order to improve the entrepreneurial intention of undergraduates in the Sri Lankan context.
