MODELLING INTENTION FORMATION IN MALAYSIAN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship has emerged as a key strategy for poverty reduction and employment generation, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG1). Since the 1980s, it has evolved from grant-dependent charities into income-generating enterprises, offering cost-effective alternatives for public service delivery. Despite global progress, the development of social entrepreneurship in Malaysia remains limited. As of January 2025, the country recorded only 465 social enterprises, with just 6% achieving accredited status, an insufficient scale for widespread social impact. This conceptual study proposes an integrated framework by incorporating the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to better understand Malaysians’ Social Entrepreneurial Intention (SEI). From extensive review of literature, this framework looks into critical factors such as empathy, moral obligation, self-efficacy, social support, social worth, financial support, and voluntary experience, and their impact to the SEI. The model asserts the relationship between prosocial personality, prosocial motivations, and institutional support in shaping a SEI. The insights derived contributes to theory and practice in building a more impactful and sustainable social entrepreneurship ecosystem. Additionally, the framework provides a foundation to future empirical studies to expand and test the knowledge of SEI in Malaysia and comparable countries.