Affective Commitment in Entrepreneurial Students: The Effect of Environmental Factors

Research on how affective commitment in entrepreneurs is shaped through contextual influence is limited, despite the relevance this entrepreneurial behavior has on venture outcomes. To address this knowledge gap, we present a theoretical framework to support our hypotheses and use a structural equation model to test them. We analyze the effects of the university environment, family entrepreneurial background, and subjective norms on the affective commitment of entrepreneur students using data from the 2018 Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS). Our results indicate a positive direct effect of the university environment and subjective norms on affective commitment. Furthermore, subjective norms mediate the relationships between the university environment and the family's entrepreneurial background and affective commitment, and the total influence effect of family background and university environment on affective commitment was proven to be statistically significant through bootstrapping. Our research makes a theoretical and empirical contribution to the literature on the mechanisms that shape affective commitment for student entrepreneurs since previous research has focused on personal traits instead of social environment. For practical implications, we underscore the importance of providing a university environment with resources such as courses, orientation, and support related to entrepreneurial behaviors, thereby equipping student entrepreneurs with the necessary tools for success and calling for awareness among family businesses that want to promote the continuance of entrepreneurial behaviors in their next generations.