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In prior studies, several researchers have adopted entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in determining students’ intention toward entrepreneurship, although the application of EO is scant in determining intention toward social entrepreneurship in existing literature. Hence, in consideration of this research gap, the current study empirically examines the influence of the dimensions of social entrepreneurial orientation (SEO): social vision, social proactiveness, innovativeness, and risk-taking motive on graduate students’ entrepreneurial intention toward social entrepreneurship-based business start-up. An online-based survey method was used to collect data from a sample of 465 students purposively who were studying at different universities in Bangladesh. A PLS-based SEM was applied to analyze the data and examined the proposed relationships in the conceptual model. The findings reveal that Graduate students’ social proactiveness, innovativeness, and risk-taking motive significantly affect their social entrepreneurial intention. However, students’ social vision does not have direct influence but has indirect influence on social entrepreneurial intention through their social entrepreneurial attitudes. The research contributes to the body of knowledge in the existing social entrepreneurship literature as well as provides practical implications for the policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders working toward flourishing of social-based entrepreneurship, venture, and start-up.

Purpose Despite growing scholarly interest in social entrepreneurs and the social enterprises (SE) they create, few studies have examined the hybridity of SE including, surprisingly, whether they adopt an entrepreneurial orientation (EO). One explanation for this may be the continuing lack of an appropriate scale measuring social entrepreneurship orientation (SEO). The purpose of this paper is to address this research gap by proposing an initial SEO scale based on input from scholars in the fields of entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach This study employed mixed methods and a two stage design. In stage 1, a Delphi study with 18 researchers with expertise of investigating entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship was used to generate constructs combining aspects of both social and EOs. In stage 2, the authors assessed the face validity of the derived items from the Delphi study by conducting a survey with 82 such experts. Findings This paper provides fresh empirical insights into how SEO can be measured by proposing, for the first time, a 12 item scale with four dimensions for the first time. Research limitations/implications The authors recommend that future studies employ quantitative methods, particularly with firms exhibiting differing levels of the “socialness” dimension which the authors propose and that such studies involve a variety of research informants. Statistical analysis of data collected across large sample sizes will help evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale which the authors propose. Practical implications This paper includes implications for future research based on the proposed SEO measurement scale. Originality/value This paper develops the first SEO scale based on empirical data collected from experts in the fields of entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship.