Abstract:
This research aimed to: 1) extract lessons learned from the successful aging entrepreneurs; 2) examine the levels of business knowledge, self-efficacy, opportunity recognition, and entrepreneurial intention among employees working full time in the hotel industry located in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC); and 3) develop a causal factor model of entrepreneurial intention among employees working full time in the hotel industry located in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
Mixed methods were employed in this study by using a convergent design strategy, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, and analyzing both data sets simultaneously. The results of both research sections were then combined to summarize, interpret, and compare them, adhering to the principle of collecting data variables using the same theory or concept.
The qualitative findings revealed that aging entrepreneurs perspectives on business knowledge, self-efficacy, and opportunity recognition play significant roles in entrepreneurial intention among aging entrepreneurs. Consistence with the quantitative results, the causal relationship model of entrepreneurial intention among hotel employees in the Eastern Economic Corridor revealed that the model demonstrated good fit with the empirical data (?? = 374.684, df = 366, ??/df = 1.024, RMSEA = 0.009, RMR = 0.030, CFI = 0.999, TLI = 0.999, GFI = 0.934, and AGFI = 0.904).