INTERNET ENTREPRENEURIAL SELF-EFFICACY AND INTENTION.THE MEDIATING ROLE OF THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR

The study aims to investigate the mediating role of the key components of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in the relationship between internet entrepreneurial self-efficacy (IESE) and students' entrepreneurial intentions. The sample consisted of engineering students from three major technical universities in Romania (N=900; 380 females; 520 males; Mean age=21.06). Participants completed an online survey assessing internet entrepreneurial self-efficacy and intentions, and the TPB components (attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms) related to digital entrepreneurship. Partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. The results indicate that internet entrepreneurial self-efficacy has an indirect effect on entrepreneurial intentions through attitudes and perceived behavioral control regarding internet entrepreneurship, while subjective norms negatively influence the intention to start businesses in the online environment. These findings suggest that TPB offers valuable insights into the motivational processes underlying entrepreneurial behavior.