Exploring Economic Sustainability among Aspiring Entrepreneurs in Higher Education Institutions: A Qualitative Inquiry

  • Unique Paper ID: 190040
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 8
  • PageNo: 2844-2849
  • Abstract:
  • Economic sustainability has become a central concern in contemporary entrepreneurship, especially for young entrepreneurs poised to drive inclusive economic growth. This study examines the perceptions of aspiring entrepreneurs towards economic sustainability, focusing on their awareness, attitudes, and challenges in integrating sustainable practices into business models. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with seventy aspiring entrepreneurs from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the southern regions. The authors have been awarded a project by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. The credit goes to the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, for awarding and funding the project under the Special Call for Vision Viksit Bharat @2047 (F. No. 134/VVB@2047/2024-2854/ISD-A/SCD). The guidance and financial support provided by ICSSR enabled the successful and timely completion of the project. Thus, the study aims to examine the economic sustainability among Aspiring Entrepreneurs in higher education institutions. The findings reveal that while participants demonstrate conceptual awareness of sustainability and express positive attitudes toward long-term viability, financial illiteracy, restricted access to capital, and uneven institutional support continue to impede effective practice. HEIs are identified as pivotal ecosystems for developing sustainability orientation through contextual entrepreneurship education, mentorship, financial literacy modules, and university–industry collaboration. The paper concludes with recommendations for strengthening economic sustainability in entrepreneurial education and policy frameworks.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{190040,
        author = {DR. Mourlin K. and Dr. Andrew Michael S. and Dr. Ruchita Burman and Dr. R. Saritha and Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri and Dr. Tanushree Biswas.},
        title = {Exploring Economic Sustainability among Aspiring Entrepreneurs in Higher Education Institutions: A Qualitative Inquiry},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {8},
        pages = {2844-2849},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=190040},
        abstract = {Economic sustainability has become a central concern in contemporary entrepreneurship, especially for young entrepreneurs poised to drive inclusive economic growth. This study examines the perceptions of aspiring entrepreneurs towards economic sustainability, focusing on their awareness, attitudes, and challenges in integrating sustainable practices into business models. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with seventy aspiring entrepreneurs from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the southern regions. The authors have been awarded a project by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. The credit goes to the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, for awarding and funding the project under the Special Call for Vision Viksit Bharat @2047 (F. No. 134/VVB@2047/2024-2854/ISD-A/SCD). The guidance and financial support provided by ICSSR enabled the successful and timely completion of the project. Thus, the study aims to examine the economic sustainability among Aspiring Entrepreneurs in higher education institutions.
The findings reveal that while participants demonstrate conceptual awareness of sustainability and express positive attitudes toward long-term viability, financial illiteracy, restricted access to capital, and uneven institutional support continue to impede effective practice. HEIs are identified as pivotal ecosystems for developing sustainability orientation through contextual entrepreneurship education, mentorship, financial literacy modules, and university–industry collaboration. The paper concludes with recommendations for strengthening economic sustainability in entrepreneurial education and policy frameworks.},
        keywords = {Young entrepreneurs, economic sustainability, higher education institutions, financial literacy, sustainable entrepreneurship},
        month = {January},
        }

Cite This Article

K., D. M., & S., D. A. M., & Burman, D. R., & Saritha, D. R., & Chaudhuri, D. M. R., & Biswas., D. T. (2026). Exploring Economic Sustainability among Aspiring Entrepreneurs in Higher Education Institutions: A Qualitative Inquiry. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 12(8), 2844–2849.

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