Investigating the Effects of Contextual Factors on Entrepreneurial Spirit The Case of Agricultural Cooperatives in Naghadeh Township

Strengthening and paying attention to entrepreneurial spirit among the members of society are of important topics in entrepreneurship. Meeting the goals in this field requires some contextual factors that are considered as the prerequisites of ground setting for entrepreneurship. Present study aims to investigate the effects of contextual factors on the entrepreneurial spirit among members of agricultural cooperatives in Naghadeh Township. Present study is an applied research which was carried out through cross-sectional survey. Statistical population of this research was members of cooperatives (N=1170). Krejice and Morgan Table was used to determine the sample size (n=290). A stratified random sampling method was implemented to select samples. The data collection instrument was a structured questionnaire that its validity confirmed by a panel of experts. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated to test the reliability of different parts of questionnaire (0.88≤α≤0.92). The results of structural equation modeling showed that economic, social, technological, and political factors have positive and significant effects on entrepreneurial spirit. So that the value of the determination coefficient (R2) could account for 0.66% of the variance of the dependent variable. According to the results, it is recommended that agricultural cooperatives be given more attention by policymakers because of their potential in entrepreneurship and improving entrepreneurial spirit.