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PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO), innovative co-branding partnership, and business performance. EO was analyzed through five dimensions: innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy. METHODOLOGY: As part of the first phase of brand management research, the quantitative survey was conducted in June 2023 among managers of companies operating in Poland using an online questionnaire. 280 responses were obtained, of which 266 questionnaires were qualified for further calculations. Incomplete questionnaires were eliminated. Hypotheses were formulated regarding the positive impact of the five dimensions of EO (innovation, proactivity, risktaking, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy) on business performance and innovative co-branding partnership, and the positive impact of innovative co-branding partnership on business performance. Structural equation modeling using partial least squares (PLS-SEM) was applied to support the conceptual framework and proposed hypotheses. The calculations were performed in Smart PLS version 4.0.9.5. FINDINGS: The results indicate that three EO dimensions (innovativeness, proactiveness, and competitive aggressiveness) influence business performance. There was no effect of risk-taking and autonomy on business performance. In addition, three EO dimensions (innovativeness, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy) influence innovative co-branding partnership. No effect of risk-taking and proactivity was found on innovative co-branding partnership. This means that two EO dimensions (innovativeness and competitive aggressiveness) positively influence innovative co-branding partnership and business performance. Furthermore, innovative co-branding partnership was proven to influence business performance. IMPLICATIONS for theory and practice: The results of the study point to theoretical implications for further exploration of entrepreneurial orientation and its dimensions. The practical implications relate to recommendations for managers. Managers should make efforts to increase innovation, market activity, and competitiveness of the market offer. It is necessary to monitor the actions taken in the context of their impact on selected market, consumer, product, and brand performance. In addition, managers should analyze the possibilities of undertaking cooperation of this nature to increase business performance. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: This study provides a better understanding of the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance using innovative co-branding. Compared to previous studies, it has an advantage in research by introducing the issue of innovative co-branding, which can be used for the development of new business activities. In addition, this study focuses on several areas of business performance, including product, brand, consumer, and financial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: This article aims to determine how companies in the SME sector modify their business strategies in response to changes in the external environment. The research focused on modifications to entrepreneurial strategies expressed through the fundamental dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO): risk-taking, innovativeness, and proactiveness. Additionally, it identified which types of reactions (modifications in strategies) lead to the most favorable changes in firm performance. The external environment was determined based on the market situation that resulted from the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODOLOGY: This is quantitative research. The study utilized data from 126 small printing businesses operating throughout Poland. Analyses were conducted on the data that reflected modifications in entrepreneurial behaviors and performance during three periods: the pre-crisis period, the initial phase of the crisis (the full lockdown period), and the second phase of the crisis (the period of easing the restrictions). The identification of the behavior types was carried out using cluster analysis. FINDINGS: The results of the research led to the conclusion that, with a change in market conditions, companies significantly change their levels of EO. In particular, the surveyed companies reduced their levels of EO during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, this decrease was mainly due to significant decreases in risk-taking. The levels of EO increased when the conditions improved due to significant increases in innovativeness and proactiveness. Moreover, the analysis enabled the identification of four types of reactions to the emergence of the crisis as well as three types of reactions to the improvement of the external conditions that resulted from the easing of restrictions and the introduction of anti-crisis support measures for businesses. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the type of reaction had a significant impact on the changes in the performances of the examined companies. In particular, it was shown that the lowest decline in performance during the initial phase of crisis could be observed in passive enterprises, i.e., those that did not modify their entrepreneurial strategies (did not alter their levels of individual dimensions of EO). The greatest increase in performance was achieved during the period of easing restrictions by those companies that significantly enhanced their activities across all of the considered dimensions of EO. IMPLICATIONS: The research results provided insights for entrepreneurs in strategic management. Specifically, they learned about the modifications in entrepreneurial behaviors that could lead to the most favorable and optimal improvements in a firm's performance when market conditions change. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: The study contributes to the literature concerning reactions to changes in market conditions. This innovative approach considers dynamics where the changes themselves are variables. In particular, this research identifies types of entrepreneurial reactions to market condition changes in terms of dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation. Furthermore, it provides an answer to how firm performance evolved regarding various reaction types (using the example of the printing industry). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family businesses are often seen as key players in efforts to increase sustainability due to their transgenerational focus. Researchers have reported that companies strengthen their commitment to sustainability as they consolidate their entrepreneurial commitment, but the existing knowledge about drivers of family firms' sustainability choices is limited. This study sought to fill related research gaps by exploring the relationships between five entrepreneurial orientation (EO) components—risk taking, innovativeness, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness and autonomy—and family businesses' sustainability initiatives. These companies comprise a unique research context in terms of the EO‐sustainability link due to their focus on continuity and propensity to create value for future generations. In addition, women increasingly hold leadership positions within family businesses, and studies have categorised both entrepreneurship and sustainability as gendered processes. Thus, this research also explored female chief executive officers' (CEOs) moderating role as corporate change agents who influence the EO‐sustainability initiatives relationship. Analyses were conducted using primary data collected from 195 privately held family firms in Poland. The results indicate that only one EO component (innovativeness) is significantly associated with family businesses' sustainability initiatives and that CEO gender moderates the links between two EO components (proactiveness and autonomy) and sustainability. Thus, this article contributes to the management literature by exploring the role of women leaders as change agents for sustainability in family firms. Other significant theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to assess the role of the relationships between organizations in shaping entrepreneurial performance. In particular, I tested the mediating role of inter-organizational cooperation and competition in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. Research Design & Methods: This quantitative study used structural equation modelling (SEM) to test hypotheses reflecting relationships among variables. I present the relationships in the research model. The research sample consisted of 117 one- and two-star hotels operating across Poland. Findings: The most original finding refers to the mediating role of relationships among organizations. In particular, the study unveiled the mediating role of both competitive and collaborative orientation in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance. In both cases mediation was partial. Thus, collaborative behaviours may be as important as competitive ones in transforming entrepreneurial approach into performance. Additionally, the findings confirm the positive impact of EO on competitive and collaborative orientation, as well as the positive impact of these three factors on firm performance. Implications & Recommendations: This study indicates that both entrepreneurs and researchers should consider inter-organizational relationships as a factor that can enhance entrepreneurial efforts. Thus, these relationships can play an important role in managerial practice and they can be a subject of research focused on organizational entrepreneurship. Regarding theory development, I recommend further studies on collaborative behaviours in pursuing and exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities; specifically, future studies can test presented relationships in other contexts (other industries, countries, and organization types). Moreover, I recommend the inclusion of other variables which can affect the tested relationships as they can help to explain the contingencies related to the tested model. Finally, further testing and improvement of used constructs (especially those reflecting cooperation and competition) are recommended. Contribution & Value Added: This study's findings contribute to the literature on entrepreneurship and interorganizational relationships. Specifically, this study explains the role of two opposite postures, namely, cooperation and competition, in the context of entrepreneurial orientations. With its findings, the study augments our understanding of entrepreneurial posture and sheds new light on the operationalization of entrepreneurial orientation, which highlights the role of competing behaviours and omits collaborative actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article focuses on entrepreneurial orientation in a firm's internationalisation process, which is one of the leading research trends in international entrepreneurship. The objective of the study is to verify the relationship between proactiveness, risk-taking and innovativeness as components of the entrepreneurial orientation of internationalised Polish firms. The article answers the main research question of how proactiveness and risk-taking influence innovativeness as an interrelated three-dimensional construct of entrepreneurial orientation. We present the results of a study based on a stratified sampling of 355 internationalised Polish firms. Structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) demonstrated a positive effect of proactiveness (PROACT) and risk-taking (RISK) on innovativeness (INNO) as an interrelated three-dimensional construct of entrepreneurial orientation. Moreover, the level of proactiveness (PROACT) and risk-taking (RISK) explained 32% of the variation in innovativeness (INNO), which is high in social sciences, including business studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to identify and verify the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and innovation of internationalised firms from Poland as a former emerging market. The article assesses this relationship in terms of the internationalisation scope. We adopted a quantitative research design and conducted a CATI survey on a sample of 355 firms operating in Poland. To verify the various assumed relationships, we used statistical instruments, including descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. Entrepreneurial orientation influences the innovations of internationalized firms. The impact depends on the scope of internationalization and is U-shaped. The impact of entrepreneurial orientation on innovation is greater for firms with large and small scope of internationalization. A relatively lower impact of entrepreneurial orientation on innovation is visible for firms with a moderate scope of internationalization. The study is an original contribution to the literature. Firstly, we perceive entrepreneurial orientation as a variable that can determine corporate innovation. Secondly, most of the empirical research to date focuses on highly developed markets. Firms that go beyond the borders of emerging markets see internationalization as a way of gaining experience, learning, and an opportunity to improve their innovative capacity. Thirdly, the study contributes to the development of theories combining entrepreneurial orientation with innovation by applying a new concept of a U-shaped curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study's objective is to verify the relationship between networking and the internationalisation of firms from Poland. Additionally, the relationship is evaluated according to the criterion of the scale and the pace of internationalisation. The article uses field research on the sample of internationalised firms from Poland (n = 355). The research methods used in the study are logistic regression and Chi-Square test of independence. Based on the literature review, we assumed that firms participating in formal and informal networks internationalise faster and on a larger scale. Our research confirmed this hypothesis. It means that networking stimulates the scale and the pace of internationalisation of firms from Poland (the case of late comers; post-emerging economy) in the same pattern as indicated in prior studies. Moreover, based on the empirical research we found that resources and entrepreneurial orientation are essential for networking. The study provides necessary focus on the networking and internationalisation for policy and managers. It enforces the creation of certain preconditions for network development and underlines the necessity of penetrating various types of networks (formal and informal). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many research studies indicate differences in the activities of small enterprises run by female and male entrepreneurs. These differences also apply to shaping entrepreneurial orientation. The main aim of the paper is to identify the entrepreneurial orientation in dimensions of autonomy, innovation, risk-taking, different level of proactivity, and competitive aggressiveness in relation to the gender of the entrepreneurs. This paper presents the results of a survey conducted among 220 small enterprises in Poland. The research showed a similar level of entrepreneurial orientation in the observed dimensions and the positive correlation between entrepreneurial orientation and the economic performance of enterprises in both studied groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of the study was to measure and understand the relationship between Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO) and Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) among students from Poland and Bulgaria within the country context. Design/methodology/approach: The respondents were 1,199 students, including 681 students from Bulgaria and 518 students from Poland. The respondents were selected randomly. The research was conducted online using a CAWI method. The existing tools for measuring constructs, i.e. IEO and EI, in the subject-matter literature were used. The questionnaire developed by Bolton and Lane (2012) relying on Covin and Slevin’s (1986) conceptualisation was used to diagnose the level of students’ IEO. EI was measured using a single-item measure developed by Liñán and Chen (2009). Findings: The empirical results show relationships and a positive impact of individual entrepreneurial orientation dimensions upon entrepreneurial intentions. In both countries, there is a statistically significant relationship between entrepreneurial intention and risk-taking, innovativeness, and proactivity. Countries determine the strength of such a correlation, but these relationships, although statistically significant, have been defined as weak. Research limitations/implications: The results cannot be generalised to the entire population, but they are a good contribution to further research on the antecedence of IEO and EI and the differences based on such variables as gender, age, level of education, or field of study. Practical Implications: The results can be used for further research on the factors influencing entrepreneurial attitudes and motivations. They can also be used for entrepreneurial education at universities by supporting the evaluation of the strength of orientation and intentions of students towards entrepreneurship and transferring good practice among countries. Originality/value: This study focuses on young adult respondents from two countries who are able to provide new references to factors which may encourage or hamper their interest in becoming entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As there is a common opinion in literature that entrepreneurship can be taught, the role of education system in providing the knowledge and skills necessary for future entrepreneurs is undeniable. The growing need for entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and actions in both professional and private life becomes more imperative, and education plays an important role in creating an entrepreneurial society and business culture. The number of educational programs in entrepreneurship at all levels of education systematically grow worldwide. Entrepreneurship education should develop entrepreneurial individuals and aspiration by equipping people with the appropriate knowledge and skills to initiate and sustain enterprises. Entrepreneurship education has a positive impact on the development of the entrepreneurial spirit of youth, its intentions towards starting own business, higher employability and finally more significant role in society. Entrepreneurial intention initiates entrepreneurial actions. Entrepreneurial intention shows the objective of an individual to choose entrepreneurship as a professional career. Within organization, entrepreneurial intention are the basis for entrepreneurial orientation of the whole company. Entrepreneurial orientation can be described as a individual's natural inclination or attitude towards entrepreneurship. From this point of view, it can be developed and strengthen during the upbringing, especially within the educational system. It is analyzed within strategic management of enterprise. Creating entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviors brings benefits not only to individuals, but also translates into the economic results of enterprises, and in a broader perspective, contributes to the economic development of a given country. As the entrepreneurial orientation is a multi-dimensional construct of a complex nature, actions and attitudes should be studied and compared in relation to each dimension of the construct. Construct could be described as multidimensional when we are dealing with several separate but related dimensions, treated as one coherent theoretical concept. The dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation most often mentioned in the literature include: proactivity, organizational autonomy, competitive aggressiveness, internal innovation and risk taking. This paper is a research article in character. The main aim of the article is to investigate the correlation between entrepreneurial attitudes and entrepreneurial intentions of students, understood as a declaration of willingness to start their own business. The article presents the results of a survey among 250 students in Poland, conducted in the first quarter of 2021. Entrepreneurial attitudes of students were examined as elements of entrepreneurial orientation, and were assessed in 5-point Likert scale. To data analysis, the descriptive statistics were used, and Gamma correlation coefficient to analyze the correlation between non-parametric variables. The study confirmed a positive relationship between the potential for entrepreneurial orientation and the intentions to start a business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Entrepreneurial failure and exit are critical components of the venturing process of social entrepreneurs. Failing and abandoning the pursuit of opportunities that seek to create social good affect also multiple stakeholders, whose well-being depends on the (public/social) value that the social enterprise provides. Given the nature of social entrepreneurship, this type of entrepreneur may present essential dissimilarities with their traditional counterpart in the way they cope with potential failure and exit. Because of the fact that researching failure in the context of SE is rather new, this paper uses a qualitative approach and bases on semi-structured interviews as a research method. With a lack of academic and case-based research on social enterprises that have failed, the goal of this research paper is to investigate and report on the underlying reasons why social entrepreneurs fail and to provide some insights into why talking about failure is beneficial to both current and future social entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]