Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Commerce - Department of Business Administration

The rapid changes that the world is witnessing have created unfavorable conditions reflected in social ills like poverty, hunger, unemployment and high crime rates. In a developing country like Egypt, such social problems are even more evident. In light of these challenges, a fertile ground seems to be formed for a potential transformative tool like social entrepreneurship which aims at filling institutional gaps through addressing the most pressing social problems both innovatively and sustainably. This rising interest in social entrepreneurship as a driver of social progress has encouraged researchers to learn more about the factors that contribute to becoming involved in social entrepreneurial activities. However, reviewing literature reveals that only few studies have tackled the subject specifically in the MENA region. And the findings are often inconsistent. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to investigate the major factors that influence the social entrepreneurial intentions of Egyptian university students through empirically examining the enhanced Shapero-Krueger model. The mediating role of perceived desirability and feasibility in the intention formation process along with the influence of empathy, social responsibility, self-efficacy, social capital, and social exposure as antecedents are inspected. A preliminary exploratory study is carried out to help formulate a more precise research problem and develop relevant hypothesis. Questionnaires were then used to gather data from 252 public and private university undergraduates

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