From opportunities to ventures creation: a moderated mediation model of entrepreneurial alertness, intention, and education on entrepreneurial behavior

Abstract This study examines the (direct, mediated and moderated) connections between entrepreneurial alertness, intention, behavior, and education to influence the actions of aspiring entrepreneurs in an emerging economy, specifically Saudi Arabia, through an integrated application of a multilevel theoretical framework that includes the Alertness Theory, Theory of Planned Behavior, and Human Capital Theory. Data were collected from 405 aspiring entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia. PLS-SEM was performed using Smart PLS 4.0 to calibrate the auxiliary and structural models. The findings confirmed that entrepreneurial alertness positively and significantly correlates with entrepreneurial intention and behavior. Entrepreneurial intention affirmed its mediating role in this model. Likewise, the study validated the significant moderating role of education in producing direct and mediated effects. This study contributes to the limited but growing literature on entrepreneurial behavior in developing economies by offering context-specific insights into the role of multiple individual constructs in bridging cognitive and behavioral gaps in entrepreneurship.