~ 47 ~ International Journal of Research in Human Resource Management 2024; 6(1): 47-52 E-ISSN: 2663-3361 P-ISSN: 2663-3213 IJRHRM 2024; 6(1): 47-52 www.humanresourcejournal.com Received: 12-12-2023 Accepted: 18-01-2024 Sourav Paul Research Scholar, School of Management, Swami Vivekananda University, Barrackpore, West Bengal, India Kallal Banerjee Professor, School of Management, Swami Vivekananda University, Barrackpore, West Bengal, India Corresponding Author: Sourav Paul Research Scholar, School of Management, Swami Vivekananda University, Barrackpore, West Bengal, India Assessing the entrepreneurial intention among M.com students of a private and public university in West Bengal: An empirical study Sourav Paul and Kallal Banerjee DOI: https://doi.org/10.33545/26633213.2024.v6.i1a.169 Abstract Identifying entrepreneurial intention is the first step in executing entrepreneurial behaviors since intention is identified as the single best predictor of human behavior. Firstly, this paper aims to identify and compare the relevant factors influencing entrepreneurial intention among M.Com students of a private and public university by incorporating Shapero’s Entrepreneurial Event Model (EEM). Secondly, it focuses on investigating the variation in responses of the students towards the relevant factors based on their demographic characteristics, such as gender. As a sample, 100 students of M.Com programme of a private and public university in West Bengal have been considered by adopting random sampling technique. Data were collected using a questionnaire. To fulfill the objectives, the study has adopted RWS to identify and compare the relevant factors of EEM that influence entrepreneurial intention among M.Com students of a private and public university. Moreover, non-parametric tests like Mann-Whitney U have been conducted using SPSS 20 version software to measure the variation in responses among the students based on their gender. The results exhibit that M.Com students of private university are more inclined towards entrepreneurship compared to those of public university. Moreover, male students prefer entrepreneurship over other career options compared to female students. Keywords: Entrepreneurial intention, Students, M.Com programme, Private and Public University, Gender 1. Introduction Entrepreneurship is a driving force behind economic growth, job creation, and innovation in today's globalized world (Audretsch and Keilbach, 2004; Shane, 2009; Zhang et al., 2018) [2, 30, 37] . The first step required in initiating entrepreneurial behaviors is the entrepreneurial intention (Lee and Wong 2004) [20] since it represents a crucial precursor to actual entrepreneurial behavior (Liñán and Chen, 2009; Kautonen et al., 2013) [23, 14] and plays a pivotal role in the process of transforming entrepreneurial ideas into action (Krueger Jr. et al., 2000) [17] . Entrepreneurial intention is a deliberate psychological state that drives individuals' attention as well as cognitive processes towards the likelihood of starting a new venture, encompassing the perceived feasibility and desirability of such an endeavor (Liñán and Chen, 2009) [23] . Understanding the formation of entrepreneurial intentions is a fundamental step in comprehending the entrepreneurial process and facilitating the creation of supportive ecosystems (Liñán and Fayolle, 2015) [24] . The entrepreneurial intention research field is grounded in several well-established theories and models that help explain why individuals choose entrepreneurship as a career path. Entrepreneurial Event Model (EEM) by Shapero and Sokol, 1982 [31] has been considered as one of the oldest and widely accepted models to understand the cognitive processes that drive entrepreneurial intentions. This model emphasizes the role of perceived desirability (PD) and perceived feasibility (PF) in shaping intentions. Students are considered as future potential entrepreneurs (Basu and Virick, 2008) [3] . Identifying and nurturing entrepreneurial intentions among students can have a beneficial impact on nation’s economic growth and development (Audretsch and Keilbach 2004) [2] and contribute to a nation's ability to compete in the global economy (Porter and Stern, 2001) [27] . In this scenario, the present study aims at assessing the entrepreneurial intention currently