Family support and higher education student’s engagement in online business
Abstract
This study examines the influence of family support on university students’ engagement in online business ventures. With the growing accessibility of digital platforms, more students are exploring online entrepreneurship as a pathway to financial independence and career development. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this research evaluates how family dynamics—such as emotional encouragement, financial support, and entrepreneurial role modeling—shape students’ attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms toward online business. A quantitative approach was employed using purposive sampling of 200 university students who are either interested in or currently operating online businesses. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and reliability analyses. The results indicate that family influence significantly enhances students’ confidence, motivation, and readiness to engage in digital entrepreneurship. The findings underscore the necessity of integrating family involvement in entrepreneurship education and policy initiatives to foster a supportive ecosystem for student-led online ventures.
Full text article
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, *50*(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Aldrich, H. E., & Cliff, J. E. (2003). The pervasive effects of family on entrepreneurship: Toward a family embeddedness perspective. Journal of Business Venturing, *18*(5), 573–596. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-9026(03)00011-2
Arregle, J. L., Batjargal, B., Hitt, M. A., Webb, J. W., Miller, T., & Tsui, A. S. (2015). Family ties in entrepreneurs' social networks and new venture growth. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, *39*(2), 313–344. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12044
Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Prentice Hall.
Brettel, M., Mauer, R., & Engelen, A. (2012). The role of family in the entrepreneurial process: A review and integration of family entrepreneurship research. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, *18*(6), 557–583. https://doi.org/10.1108/13552551211268131
Carr, J. C., & Sequeira, J. M. (2007). Prior family business exposure as intergenerational influence and entrepreneurial intent: A theory of planned behavior approach. Journal of Business Research, *60*(10), 1090–1098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.12.016
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, *11*(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Edelman, L. F., Manolova, T. S., Shirokova, G., & Tsukanova, T. (2016). The impact of family support on young entrepreneurs' start-up activities. Journal of Business Venturing, *31*(4), 428–448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2016.04.003
Fatoki, O. (2019). Psychological capital and entrepreneurial intention of university students in South Africa. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, *11*(2), 163–179. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-12-2018-0130
Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). Pearson Education.
Krueger, N. F., & Carsrud, A. L. (1993). Entrepreneurial intentions: Applying the theory of planned behavior. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, *5*(3), 315–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985629300000020
Liñán, F., & Chen, Y. W. (2009). Development and cross-cultural application of a specific instrument to measure entrepreneurial intentions. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, *33*(3), 593–617. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2009.00318.x
Liñán, F., & Fayolle, A. (2015). A systematic literature review on entrepreneurial intentions: Citation, thematic analyses, and research agenda. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, *11*(4), 907–933. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-014-0328-y
Nambisan, S. (2017). Digital entrepreneurship: Toward a digital technology perspective of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, *41*(6), 1029–1055. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12254
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Schlaegel, C., & Koenig, M. (2014). Determinants of entrepreneurial intent: A meta-analytic test and integration of competing models. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, *38*(2), 291–332. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12087
Sharma, P., Chrisman, J. J., & Chua, J. H. (2003). Predicting the extent of family business involvement in social responsibility activities. Journal of Business Venturing, *18*(4), 523–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-9026(03)00012-4
Sieger, P., Fueglistaller, U., Zellweger, T., & Braun, I. (2021). Global Student Entrepreneurship 2021: Insights from 58 countries. University of St. Gallen, KMU-HSG. https://www.guesssurvey.org
Solesvik, M. Z., Westhead, P., Kolvereid, L., & Matlay, H. (2012). Student intentions to become self-employed: The Ukrainian context. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, *19*(3), 441–460. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626001211250153
Türker, D., & Selçuk, S. S. (2009). Which factors affect entrepreneurial intention of university students? Journal of European Industrial Training, *33*(2), 142–159. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590910939049
Zapkau, F. B., Schwens, C., Steinmetz, H., & Kabst, R. (2015). Disentangling the effect of prior entrepreneurial exposure on entrepreneurial intention. Journal of Business Research, *68*(3), 639–653. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.08.007
Zhao, H., Seibert, S. E., & Hills, G. E. (2005). The mediating role of self-efficacy in the development of entrepreneurial intentions. Journal of Applied Psychology, *90*(6), 1265–1272. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.6.1265
Zhao, H., Seibert, S. E., & Lumpkin, G. T. (2010). The relationship of personality to entrepreneurial intentions and performance: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Management, *36*(2), 381–404. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309335187
Authors
Copyright (c) 2025 N.R. Awalludin, N. Othman, N. N. Mardhiah Umaruddin, Nisrin Ishak

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
https://www.explorationpub.com/ueditor/php/upload/image/20220407/1649295240380692.png