Online retailing, emotional intelligence, work-life balance on career satisfaction of entrepreneurs / Siti Fazilah Hamid

This study aimed to investigate online retailing, emotional intelligence, work-life balance on career satisfaction. Career satisfaction has been viewed as critical to the online entrepreneurs, with the growing understanding that career satisfaction is the key to sustain the marketplace especially for online businesses in Malaysia. Satisfaction with work has demonstrated a considerable impact on work-life balance. Literature was conducted to review the nature of online career, emotional intelligence, work-life balance and career satisfaction. The data collection design was through survey questionnaire. A research model was developed to identify whether online retailing, emotional intelligence influence career satisfaction. Online survey was employed to collect data from online entrepreneurs who started their businesses by taking advantage of cutting-edge technology. Two-hundred-sixty useable responses were received and analyzed using partial least square (PLS) technique. Smart PLS 3 was used to validate the research model and test the proposed research hypotheses. This study suggests that online retailing influence career satisfaction. The findings show that online retailing positively influences career satisfaction. The findings of this study largely supported the hypothesized relationships proposed in the theoretical model especially the mediating effect of work-life balance on online retailing. The results demonstrated that work-life balance mediates the effect of online retailing and emotional intelligence on career satisfaction. This could possibly be due to the freedom to express innovative tendencies, and the overall reality of owning a business. This study shows significant theoretical and practical contributions. Theoretically, this study provides a theoretical model that explains online retailing on career satisfaction. This study contributes to the further understanding of entrepreneurial behavior by suggesting alternative drivers of entrepreneurial processes: happiness and contentment. Further, this study also provides understanding and practical suggestions on how online retailing influences career satisfaction. These findings provide a significant contribution in understanding those areas to develop entrepreneur’s satisfaction for their work and their personal life. The research objectives were successfully answered and achieved. Future studies applying the proposed model are therefore recommended to be conducted by focusing specific categories of entrepreneurs.