Volume 13, Issue 1 (4-2026)
J Entrepreneurial Strategies Agric 2026, 13(1): 215-231 |
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Abolhosseini S, Jafari Titkanloo S, Rafatnia R. (2026). The Impact of Entrepreneurial Attitude and Entrepreneurial Environment on Entrepreneurial Behavior: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy (Case Study of Knowledge-Based Agricultural Companies in Khorasan Razavi Province). J Entrepreneurial Strategies Agric. 13(1), 215-231. doi:10.61882/jea.2026.456
URL: http://jea.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-456-en.html
URL: http://jea.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-456-en.html
1- Department of Business Management, Finance Department, Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Imam Reza University (PBUH), Mashhad, Iran
2- Department of Management, Imam Reza University (PBUH), Mashhad, Iran & Ph.D. in Operations Research
3- Department of Business Management, Marketing Department, Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Imam Reza University (PBUH), Mashhad, Iran
2- Department of Management, Imam Reza University (PBUH), Mashhad, Iran & Ph.D. in Operations Research
3- Department of Business Management, Marketing Department, Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Imam Reza University (PBUH), Mashhad, Iran
Abstract: (472 Views)
Extended Abstract
Background: In today’s era, knowledge-based companies serve as the driving engines of the knowledge-based economy, playing a decisive role in fostering innovation and sustainable development. Recent studies indicate that these companies, by leveraging intellectual capital, emerging technologies, and dynamic business models, have made a significant contribution to employment growth and national productivity. Among the key factors contributing to their success is the enhancement of intra-organizational entrepreneurial capacities—particularly through the development of innovative attitudes and behaviors. Knowledge-based environments require a dynamic and supportive culture that enables creativity, risk-taking, and continuous learning among members. Therefore, investigating factors influencing entrepreneurial behavior in knowledge-based agricultural companies is both a scientific and strategic necessity. Entrepreneurial behavior is one of the key drivers of business growth and sustainability in today’s competitive environment. A focus on creativity, innovation, and adaptability enables entrepreneurs to generate fundamental transformations and achieve sustainable, inimitable competitive advantages. By utilizing innovative ideas, entrepreneurs not only improve their products and services but also create enduring competitive advantages through the design of dynamic strategies, ensuring their businesses’ adaptability and survival in changing environmental conditions. Accordingly, knowledge-based agricultural companies must foster entrepreneurial behaviors among their employees to sustain and develop their organizations. Despite the critical role of entrepreneurial behavior in the success and sustainability of knowledge-based firms, existing research has not yet reached a clear consensus regarding factors that shape such behavior and the mechanisms through which it develops. While some studies have emphasized the role of entrepreneurial attitude and others have highlighted the importance of the entrepreneurial environment, limited attention has been paid to the simultaneous influence of these factors on entrepreneurial behavior, particularly through psychological mechanisms, such as entrepreneurial self-efficacy. This research gap is especially significant in agricultural knowledge-based companies, where organizational success largely depends on employees’ ability to identify opportunities, innovate, and engage in entrepreneurial actions. This study aims to examine the effect of entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial environment on entrepreneurial behavior, with the mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy.
Methods: The statistical population of this study consisted of 210 employees working in agricultural knowledge-based companies in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. These companies operated in various fields, including advanced agricultural technologies, biotechnology, agricultural input production, and technology-based services. Given the relatively limited size of the target population, questionnaires were distributed to all members of the population using a census approach. A total of 132 completed and usable questionnaires were returned and subsequently included in the data analysis. To assess validity, face validity was confirmed by experts, and construct validity was examined using convergent and discriminant validity through the Fornell–Larcker criterion, HTMT ratio, and factor analysis. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability. Data were analyzed using SPSS 27 and SmartPLS 4 software.
Results: The results of the study indicated that both entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial environment had a positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial behavior of knowledge-based agricultural companies at a 95% confidence level. Specifically, the significance values were 4.001 and 2.737, with corresponding path coefficients of 0.385 and 0.350 for entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial environment, respectively. Furthermore, entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial environment exerted a direct positive and significant effect on entrepreneurial self-efficacy, with significance values of 2.703 and 3.231 and path coefficients of 0.239 and 0.249, respectively. In addition, entrepreneurial self-efficacy also had a positive and significant effect on entrepreneurial behavior, with a significance value of 3.086 and a path coefficient of 0.222. The examination of indirect effects showed that the mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy in the relationship between entrepreneurial attitude, entrepreneurial environment, and entrepreneurial behavior was not supported.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, managers of knowledge-based agricultural companies can enhance employees’ entrepreneurial attitudes by organizing specialized training courses, innovation workshops, and mentoring programs, thereby creating an environment that fosters motivation and entrepreneurial capabilities. Additionally, improving the entrepreneurial environment—through the establishment of internal innovation centers, support for high-risk projects, reduction of administrative barriers, and promotion of cross-functional collaboration—can facilitate the growth and development of entrepreneurial activities. Strengthening employees’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy via individual coaching, training in decision-making and problem-solving skills, and the implementation of a continuous feedback system can have a direct impact on organizational performance. At the policy level, developing support packages, including tax incentives, low-interest loans, and the creation of interactive clusters among companies, can exert a more sustainable and extensive effect on the development of these firms. It is recommended that future research expand the geographical scope, utilize field data, examine the bidirectional role of the study variables, and analyze the impact of other factors, such as organizational culture, organizational learning, and emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, big data), on entrepreneurial behavior.
Background: In today’s era, knowledge-based companies serve as the driving engines of the knowledge-based economy, playing a decisive role in fostering innovation and sustainable development. Recent studies indicate that these companies, by leveraging intellectual capital, emerging technologies, and dynamic business models, have made a significant contribution to employment growth and national productivity. Among the key factors contributing to their success is the enhancement of intra-organizational entrepreneurial capacities—particularly through the development of innovative attitudes and behaviors. Knowledge-based environments require a dynamic and supportive culture that enables creativity, risk-taking, and continuous learning among members. Therefore, investigating factors influencing entrepreneurial behavior in knowledge-based agricultural companies is both a scientific and strategic necessity. Entrepreneurial behavior is one of the key drivers of business growth and sustainability in today’s competitive environment. A focus on creativity, innovation, and adaptability enables entrepreneurs to generate fundamental transformations and achieve sustainable, inimitable competitive advantages. By utilizing innovative ideas, entrepreneurs not only improve their products and services but also create enduring competitive advantages through the design of dynamic strategies, ensuring their businesses’ adaptability and survival in changing environmental conditions. Accordingly, knowledge-based agricultural companies must foster entrepreneurial behaviors among their employees to sustain and develop their organizations. Despite the critical role of entrepreneurial behavior in the success and sustainability of knowledge-based firms, existing research has not yet reached a clear consensus regarding factors that shape such behavior and the mechanisms through which it develops. While some studies have emphasized the role of entrepreneurial attitude and others have highlighted the importance of the entrepreneurial environment, limited attention has been paid to the simultaneous influence of these factors on entrepreneurial behavior, particularly through psychological mechanisms, such as entrepreneurial self-efficacy. This research gap is especially significant in agricultural knowledge-based companies, where organizational success largely depends on employees’ ability to identify opportunities, innovate, and engage in entrepreneurial actions. This study aims to examine the effect of entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial environment on entrepreneurial behavior, with the mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy.
Methods: The statistical population of this study consisted of 210 employees working in agricultural knowledge-based companies in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. These companies operated in various fields, including advanced agricultural technologies, biotechnology, agricultural input production, and technology-based services. Given the relatively limited size of the target population, questionnaires were distributed to all members of the population using a census approach. A total of 132 completed and usable questionnaires were returned and subsequently included in the data analysis. To assess validity, face validity was confirmed by experts, and construct validity was examined using convergent and discriminant validity through the Fornell–Larcker criterion, HTMT ratio, and factor analysis. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability. Data were analyzed using SPSS 27 and SmartPLS 4 software.
Results: The results of the study indicated that both entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial environment had a positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial behavior of knowledge-based agricultural companies at a 95% confidence level. Specifically, the significance values were 4.001 and 2.737, with corresponding path coefficients of 0.385 and 0.350 for entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial environment, respectively. Furthermore, entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial environment exerted a direct positive and significant effect on entrepreneurial self-efficacy, with significance values of 2.703 and 3.231 and path coefficients of 0.239 and 0.249, respectively. In addition, entrepreneurial self-efficacy also had a positive and significant effect on entrepreneurial behavior, with a significance value of 3.086 and a path coefficient of 0.222. The examination of indirect effects showed that the mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy in the relationship between entrepreneurial attitude, entrepreneurial environment, and entrepreneurial behavior was not supported.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, managers of knowledge-based agricultural companies can enhance employees’ entrepreneurial attitudes by organizing specialized training courses, innovation workshops, and mentoring programs, thereby creating an environment that fosters motivation and entrepreneurial capabilities. Additionally, improving the entrepreneurial environment—through the establishment of internal innovation centers, support for high-risk projects, reduction of administrative barriers, and promotion of cross-functional collaboration—can facilitate the growth and development of entrepreneurial activities. Strengthening employees’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy via individual coaching, training in decision-making and problem-solving skills, and the implementation of a continuous feedback system can have a direct impact on organizational performance. At the policy level, developing support packages, including tax incentives, low-interest loans, and the creation of interactive clusters among companies, can exert a more sustainable and extensive effect on the development of these firms. It is recommended that future research expand the geographical scope, utilize field data, examine the bidirectional role of the study variables, and analyze the impact of other factors, such as organizational culture, organizational learning, and emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, big data), on entrepreneurial behavior.
Keywords: Dynamic Organizational Culture, Dynamic Business Models, Employee Empowerment, Intellectual Capital, Organizational Innovation, Sustainable Development
Type of Study: Applicable |
Subject:
کارآفرینی در کشاورزی
Received: 2025/07/30 | Accepted: 2025/11/21
Received: 2025/07/30 | Accepted: 2025/11/21
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