FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ENTREPRENEURS’ SUCCESS AND THE MODERATING ROLE OF FAMILY SUPPORT, MEDIATING ROLE OF RESILIENCE IN WOMEN'S AGRIBUSINESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP: EVIDENCE FROM WESTERN TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Abstract

Women's entrepreneurship as a pathway to inclusive economic development has not been matched by sufficient empirical enquiry into its success determinants in South Asian agribusiness contexts. Anchoring the analysis in Upper Echelons Theory (UET) and Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), this study examines how internal psychological characteristics Innovation (IN), Creativity (CR), Resilience (RS), Need for Achievement (NFA), and Self-Confidence (SF) and external enabling conditions Risk-Taking Propensity (RT), Socio-Economic Factors (EF), and Family Support (FS) shape Women Entrepreneurial Success (WES). And the mediation effect of resilience and the moderation effect of family support in entrepreneurial success were also studied. Primary data were gathered through structured face-to-face surveys administered to 180 Udyam-registered women agribusiness entrepreneurs across Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Erode in Tamil Nadu's Western Zone. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) confirmed that all eight constructs positively and significantly predict entrepreneurial success (R² = 0.635; Q² = 0.447; SRMR = 0.040). Resilience significantly mediated five of seven antecedent–outcome pathways, while family support significantly moderated four interactions. The findings yield theoretically grounded and policy-applicable insights for strengthening women's agribusiness entrepreneurship across emerging economies.