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After the COVID-19 epidemic, a growing number of commercial entities have decided to enter the online platform and operated as an electronic business venture. However, the timing of entering the online market is a strategically important issue. On the basis of social capital theory and resource-based view, this study attempts to understand the different impacts of two strategic orientations (i.e., Guanxi orientation and entrepreneurial orientation) and perceived environmental turbulence (i.e., market turbulence and political turbulence) on online market entry timing. We test four hypotheses using data collected from 174 Chinese companies. Our results confirm that entrepreneurial orientation negatively impacts online market entry timing, and this effect is moderated by perceived market turbulence such that the negative relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and online market entry timing will be strengthened in higher market turbulence. By contrast, Guanxi orientation positively impacts online market entry timing, and the positive relationship between Guanxi orientation and online market entry timing will be weakened in higher political turbulence. Implications and future research directions are discussed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Mao, He, Huang, Wu, Chen and Zhou.)

Abstract Motivated by the unique opportunity that a crisis period provides for capturing and reassessing specific entrepreneurial behaviors, this paper takes on the debate about the entrepreneurial attributes of informal ventures “IVent” and their endeavor to formalize. In doing so, Cronbach’s alpha rationales and contingency analysis are applied to quantitative data from street vendors of the main markets of Cameroon to investigate informal entrepreneurial behavioral dynamics and their impact on a hypothetical willingness for change during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was uncovered that IVent have activated entrepreneurial attributes of resilience, intention and orientation. Also, specific composites or variables of entrepreneurial orientation and resilience have been found more supportive of IVent’s endeavor to formalize than others. The novelties in that regard are: (1) While most of the variables related to the composite of innovativeness reinforce the desire to formalize, the variable of “routine” plays a hindering role. (2) The composite of proactiveness is not significantly related to the willingness to formalize. (3) The composite of risk-taking has proven significant to IVent’s transformation aims. And (4) contrary to all other variables of the attribute of resilience and self-efficacy, the variable of behavior control appears to hamper the aim to move out of the shadows. It is argued that facilitating Ivent’s dynamics and aspiration to formalize necessitates policymakers to advance policies that support the development of the uncovered determining composites. Furthermore, academia should undertake an extensive investigation into the role that the captured non-significant variables, attributes, and composites may play in fostering IVent's shadowed business lifecycle. Graphical abstract

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]

Motivated by the unique opportunity that a crisis period provides for capturing and reassessing specific entrepreneurial behaviors, this paper takes on the debate about the entrepreneurial attributes of informal ventures "IVent" and their endeavor to formalize. In doing so, Cronbach's alpha rationales and contingency analysis are applied to quantitative data from street vendors of the main markets of Cameroon to investigate informal entrepreneurial behavioral dynamics and their impact on a hypothetical willingness for change during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was uncovered that IVent have activated entrepreneurial attributes of resilience, intention and orientation. Also, specific composites or variables of entrepreneurial orientation and resilience have been found more supportive of IVent's endeavor to formalize than others. The novelties in that regard are: (1) While most of the variables related to the composite of innovativeness reinforce the desire to formalize, the variable of "routine" plays a hindering role. (2) The composite of proactiveness is not significantly related to the willingness to formalize. (3) The composite of risk-taking has proven significant to IVent's transformation aims. And (4) contrary to all other variables of the attribute of resilience and self-efficacy, the variable of behavior control appears to hamper the aim to move out of the shadows. It is argued that facilitating Ivent's dynamics and aspiration to formalize necessitates policymakers to advance policies that support the development of the uncovered determining composites. Furthermore, academia should undertake an extensive investigation into the role that the captured non-significant variables, attributes, and composites may play in fostering IVent's shadowed business lifecycle. [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).

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can benefit mompreneurs, empowering them to start and expand their business. ICTs became even more important for mompreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic when small business owners had to reinvent themselves and seek alternative ways of maintaining their sales and remaining in the market. In this context, this paper aims to investigate factors related to ICT adoption by Brazilian mompreneurs. The data were collected during the first months of COVID-19 pandemic and were analyzed through structural equation modelling. The descriptive analysis shows that mompreneurs are adopting innovative technologies such as electronic payments, cloud computing, social networks, video conferencing, and others to manage their business. Moreover, the results indicate that two dimensions of Entrepreneurial Orientation (proactiveness and risk-taking) have a significant effect on perceived ease-of-use and an indirect effect on ICT adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Due to the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation in the Pharmaceutical industry, the current study investigates the moderation role of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) on the influence of innovation on Pharmaceutical SMEs performance in Jordan. The current research was conducted on Jordanian pharmaceutical SMEs including manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies with employee numbers of less than 100. The research design was quantitative, descriptive, causal, and cross-sectional held by an online questionnaire tool targeted all employees, managers, and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in pharmaceutical SMEs. Using the AMOS software, the Structural Equation Model (SEM) was adopted to analyze a sample of 162 surveys and examine the hypotheses. The outcome of this study indicated that the research model variables can explain 69.4 % of the variance of SMEs' performance. Additionally, it confirmed that innovation has a significant positive impact on pharmaceutical SMEs, and Entrepreneurial Orientation moderates the influence of innovation on pharmaceutical SMEs' Performance. Furthermore, current research findings contribute to extending existing relevant knowledge about the innovation impact and moderating role of Entrepreneurial Orientation on pharmaceutical SMEs' performance in Jordan and understanding the relationship between these variables to be of significant guidance to managing entrepreneurship in emerging economies. Further, the results show SMEs' methods and directions to follow during crises, such as COVID-19, to maintain business performance and sustainability. The current research paper contributes to the present literature since very limited studies investigated the innovation impact on SMEs' performance. Moreover, previous studies did not sufficiently analyze the impact of management, product, and process dimensions of innovation on SMEs' performance with the contribution of EO.

The paper gives theoretical view of impact of Covid-19 on higher education in Macedonia. Covid-19 outbreak has essentially brought to the surface all the anomalies and strengths of the universities’ work up to now and the management of their resources. Analyzing the case study - Goce Delchev University, as a positive and successful example, we can conclude that the entrepreneurial orientation in management of universities is crucial for successful coping with the crisis. By March 2020, more than 4,400 students and 360 lecturers were actively using Microsoft 365 tools to access, learn, and share content, making Goce Delchev, one of the universities in Macedonia shift to a remote educational environment, aligning students with the demands of increasingly digitized world. The paper instigates мany questions for higher education: What are the new teaching methods, tools and formats that have been emerging so far? Which of these will remain after the pandemic? How are universities counterbalancing this “loss” and how will internationalization be reshaped in the months and years to come? Can universities turn this into an opportunity?

PurposeThe study aims to investigate the impact of organizational characteristics and knowledge process capabilities on the entrepreneurial orientation among the manufacturing industry employees in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Additionally, this study has examined the mediating role of knowledge process capabilities in the relationship between organizational characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation among those employees and the moderating effect of psychological factors on the relationship between organizational characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation.Design, methodology, and approachThe study has employed the survey-based methodology and data are collected with the aid of self-administered questionnaires. This study utilized the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to establish the validity and reliability of the measurement model and test the relationships. The response rate of the current study is 64.66%.FindingsThe study findings have shown mixed results as one of the organizational characteristics, namely, resource and time availability is an insignificant determinate of entrepreneurial orientation among the manufacturing industry employees in Punjab province of Pakistan. Whereas management support, rewards, work discretion, and knowledge process capabilities appear as significant determinates of employees’ entrepreneurial orientation. The results indicated that knowledge process capabilities have a mediating role in the relationship between organizational characteristics and employees’ entrepreneurial orientation. Moreover, psychological factors, namely, propensity to take risk and locus of control have a significant moderating role on the relationship of management support, rewards, and work discretion with employees’ entrepreneurial orientation.Practical implicationsThe empirical insights on the study are valuable for policymakers and managers in manufacturing sectors of developing countries, such as Pakistan, to enrich their work performance through the understanding impact of organizational characteristics and knowledge process capabilities on the entrepreneurial orientation with moderating role of psychological factors.Originality and valueStudies on the mediating impact of knowledge process capabilities on the linkage between organizational characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation with the moderating role of psychological factors remain limited. This study is one of the earliest studies that investigate these inter-relationships.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused disruptive business environments that demand firms to develop their adaptive capacity to survive. This paper aims to investigate the antecedents of adaptive capability by integrating the resource-based view, dynamic capability, and institutional theories to explain firms' adaptive capability during the pandemic in the context of Indonesia. A causal model was developed and tested using Partial Least Squares (PLS) with 262 participants. The findings reveal that institutional environment is the key driver of enhancing SME's entrepreneurial orientation and developing their digital capabilities to adapt to disruptions triggered by the pandemic. In practice, the government needs to revise its support programs to assist SMEs in advancing their entrepreneurial skills and digital capability to operate their businesses in digital markets. Training on design thinking, digital technology, and Artificial Intelligence should be incorporated into any support programs provided to strengthen SMEs' competitiveness through digital capability and entrepreneurial orientation. The government also needs to revisit the current IT infrastructure to provide affordable IT technologies to support the digital capability of SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The product market competition has become a global challenge for business organizations in the challenging and competitive market environment in the influx of the COVID-19 outbreak. The influence of products competition on organizational performance in developed economies has gained scholars' attention, and numerous studies explored its impacts on business profitability. The existing studies designate mixed findings between the linkage of CSR practices and Chinese business firms' healthier performance in emerging economies; however, the current global crisis due to the coronavirus has made product market completion fierce, which ultimately affects business firms' performance. This study focuses on this logical global challenge, investigates the rationale, and examines product-market completion impact on firms' performance operating in the Chinese markets. The study collected data from the annual reports of Chinese business organizations with A-share listing and registered with the database of China Stock Markets and Accounting Research (CSMAR). The study employed a Generalized Method of Moment technique and investigated the connection between product market competition and Chinese firm performance. The empirical analysis of this study highlights the conclusion that market competition positively and significantly affected business firms' performance. This study specified that product market competition play a dynamic and indispensable role in achieving healthier firm performance in the Chinese markets. This study provides valuable insights on practical implications and future research directions for the scholars to draw interesting results with new study models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The product market competition has become a global challenge for business organizations in the challenging and competitive market environment in the influx of the COVID-19 outbreak. The influence of products competition on organizational performance in developed economies has gained scholars’ attention, and numerous studies explored its impacts on business profitability. The existing studies designate mixed findings between the linkage of CSR practices and Chinese business firms’ healthier performance in emerging economies; however, the current global crisis due to the coronavirus has made product market completion fierce, which ultimately affects business firms’ performance. This study focuses on this logical global challenge, investigates the rationale, and examines product-market completion impact on firms’ performance operating in the Chinese markets. The study collected data from the annual reports of Chinese business organizations with A-share listing and registered with the database of China Stock Markets and Accounting Research (CSMAR). The study employed a Generalized Method of Moment technique and investigated the connection between product market competition and Chinese firm performance. The empirical analysis of this study highlights the conclusion that market competition positively and significantly affected business firms’ performance. This study specified that product market competition play a dynamic and indispensable role in achieving healthier firm performance in the Chinese markets. This study provides valuable insights on practical implications and future research directions for the scholars to draw interesting results with new study models.

In a crisis like Covid-19, SME/firms' ability to execute business activities via internal and external social capital networks would undoubtedly boost their entrepreneurial orientation (EO), access to support, and enhance performance. This study bridges the gap on how social capital activates SMEs entrepreneurial orientation, access to government support policies (GSPs), and performance in emerging markets amidst Covid-19. We received questionnaires from 369 firm-owners via a simple sampling technique, and the data was analyzed using PLS-SEM software. The findings show that social capital, access to government assistance policies, and proactiveness influence SME performance, but not innovation or risk-taking. Similarly, social capital significantly impacts access to GSPs, innovativeness, proactiveness, and risktaking. The study resonates with the need for firms to focus more on their social capital and utilize it to devise strategies to enhance their chances of attaining support from the government, friends, relations, and other institutions to augment their EO and performance during and after this Covid-19 pandemic. Our study's novelty is also that it expanded the use of the social capital and resource base view theories of SMEs in developing countries, particularly in pandemics. Finally, we provided suggestions for SMEowners, policymakers, and further researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation in the Pharmaceutical industry, the current study investigates the moderation role of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) on the influence of innovation on Pharmaceutical SMEs performance in Jordan. The current research was conducted on Jordanian pharmaceutical SMEs including manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies with employee numbers of less than 100. The research design was quantitative, descriptive, causal, and cross-sectional held by an online questionnaire tool targeted all employees, managers, and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in pharmaceutical SMEs. Using the AMOS software, the Structural Equation Model (SEM) was adopted to analyze a sample of 162 surveys and examine the hypotheses. The outcome of this study indicated that the research model variables can explain 69.4 % of the variance of SMEs' performance. Additionally, it confirmed that innovation has a significant positive impact on pharmaceutical SMEs, and Entrepreneurial Orientation moderates the influence of innovation on pharmaceutical SMEs' Performance. Furthermore, current research findings contribute to extending existing relevant knowledge about the innovation impact and moderating role of Entrepreneurial Orientation on pharmaceutical SMEs' performance in Jordan and understanding the relationship between these variables to be of significant guidance to managing entrepreneurship in emerging economies. Further, the results show SMEs' methods and directions to follow during crises, such as COVID-19, to maintain business performance and sustainability. The current research paper contributes to the present literature since very limited studies investigated the innovation impact on SMEs' performance. Moreover, previous studies did not sufficiently analyze the impact of management, product, and process dimensions of innovation on SMEs' performance with the contribution of EO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]