Entrepreneurs’ Information Retrieval: The Role of Affective Aspects through the Media Richness Theory

A narrative review of the literature on the importance of affective factors in the information retrieval (IR) behaviours of entrepreneurs is presented in this paper. Through the lens of Media Richness Theory, we examine the importance of the richness of information and medium to the success of the IR process. The results show that IR system does not only serve entrepreneurs regarding their information needs but also their emotional needs. The richness of the IR system, referring to the accessibility, is an essential factor for entrepreneurs’ preference and use of the IR medium. This paper contributes to literature by showing how affective attributes are associated with other factors, in addition to their effect on the IR behaviours. The findings reveal that the affective characteristics are both an individual need and a determining component in the process.