The role of entrepreneurial leadership, intellectual capital, innovativeness culture, and entrepreneurial orientation in entrepreneurial opportunity recognition by students

This research aimed to analyze the effect of entrepreneurial leadership on the recognition of entrepreneurial opportunities by agriculture students with the mediating role of intellectual capital, innovativeness culture, and entrepreneurial orientation. The study was conducted among the agriculture students at the universities of Tehran, Razi in Kermanshah, Ferdowsi in Mashhad, Shiraz, and Ramin in Ahvaz (N = 13,616), all in Iran. A sample of 386 students was taken using the stratified random technique. The research instrument was standard questionnaires. The results showed entrepreneurial leadership positively and significantly impacted the recognition of entrepreneurial opportunity, entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial leadership, and innovativeness culture of the students. Also, the impact of intellectual capital, innovativeness culture, and entrepreneurial orientation was found to be positive and significant on entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. It is concluded that entrepreneurial leadership at universities can influence the students’ entrepreneurial orientation, innovativeness culture, and intellectual capital and lead them toward discovering entrepreneurial opportunities.