The Interplay of Attitudes, Norms and Control in Sustainable Entrepreneurship: An Experimental Analysis
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Entrepreneurs are potentially powerful solvers of challenges faced by sustainable development, especially when they combine narrower technological expertise with wider social motivations. Yet, to what degree trade-offs exist between different motivations is still largely unresolved. In this paper, we examine the choices made by potential entrepreneurs when aligning their prospective ventures with their personal attitudes and social norms. Extending the theory of planned behavior and—as a novel experimental technique in our context—drawing on a choice-based conjoint analysis with 4155 data points, we identify predictors for sustainable entrepreneurship intentions based on structural equation modelling. We find that entrepreneurial and sustainability-related attitudes as well as entrepreneurial norms are critical when it comes to the decision as to whether or not to pursue a sustainable venture, and that the link between attitudes and intentions is amplified by a positive moderation effect of entrepreneurial and sustainability-related attitudes, which supports identity coupling but refutes moral disengagement.
Source: Sustainability
DOI: 10.3390/su14159317
Authors: David Hirschfeld, Marcus Wagner
Institution: University of Augsburg
Language: English
Subfield: Management of Technology and Innovation
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,094
OpenAlex ID: W4289529761