Determinants of Entrepreneurial Success in a Conflict-affected Region: Investigating the Role of Select Entrepreneurial Competencies and Environmental Factors on Entrepreneurial Success in Kashmir

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is not only limited to the stable contexts; rather it exists in conflict zones as well. The current study presents empirical findings from a conflict-affected region Kashmir. We specifically investigated the role of select entrepreneurial competencies including opportunity, commitment, and organizing competencies and environmental factors which include entrepreneurial finance and government policies on entrepreneurial success. We found that entrepreneurial competencies and environmental factors had a direct, positive, and significant impact on entrepreneurial success in a conflict zone Kashmir. The analysis of the data also revealed that the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and entrepreneurial success was moderated by government policies. The study is a response to the call of multiple authors for providing empirical evidences from conflict-zones. This study provides evidence for multiple stakeholders including entrepreneurs, governments, and entrepreneurship development institutes to focus on the competencies and policies so that the entrepreneurs may benefit in the long run. The study is significant because findings of this research can be extended to many areas, especially for business and entrepreneurship to survive in places undergoing conflict and strife over long years where sustenance and livelihood due to lack of stability is a continued challenge.