Search

Rapid economic growth, intense competition, and rising environmental concerns are compelling businesses to attain sustainable performance and preserve long‐run interests. Considering the lack of EO in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the emerging context of Pakistan, the present study investigates the impact of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on sustainable business performance (economic, environmental, and social) by drawing perspective from dynamic capabilities and resource‐based views. The mediating role of innovation capabilities between EO‐sustainable performance and the moderating effect of technology dynamism on the EO‐innovation capabilities link is also examined. Data from 408 Pakistani SMEs was analyzed using the structural equation modeling. The findings reveal a direct positive influence of EO on sustainable performance. Furthermore, innovation capabilities are found to mediate the EO‐sustainable performance relationship, while technology dynamism positively moderates the EO‐innovation capabilities link. These results emphasize the importance of aligning EO with innovation capabilities to adapt to technological changes in the industrial regime. The theoretical contributions emphasize the importance of promoting EO‐innovation capabilities. Practical contributions imply that entrepreneurs should create an enabling environment that fosters innovation capabilities within SMEs to enhance sustainable performance, especially in resource‐constrained emerging settings. The study also offers researchers a foundation for further investigations in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Based on the intellectual capital (IC) theory and the resource-based view (RBV), the paper seeks to elucidate the direct and indirect relationships between IC and competitive advantage in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Therewithal, besides examining the mediating role of innovation capabilities in the IC-competitiveness link, it scrutinizes the moderating effect of entrepreneurial orientation in causing IC to boost competitiveness in SMEs through flourishing innovation capabilities. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 206 participants working in SMEs operating in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the help of a structured questionnaire distributed through LinkedIn. Partial least square (PLS)-based structural equation modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS 4.0 has been performed to calibrate the auxiliary and structural models. Findings: Based on the empirical analysis, IC significantly and directly enhances the competitive advantages of SMEs. Additionally, innovative capability has been found to be a complementary partial mediating condition in enabling IC to foster competitiveness in SMEs. Furthermore, the moderated mediation analysis reveals that innovation capabilities strongly mediate the association between IC and competitiveness in SMEs, characterizing higher entrepreneurial orientation. Research limitations/implications: The study provides significant insights to academicians and practitioners seeking to comprehend or configure interactions among IC, innovation capabilities, and entrepreneurial orientation in maturing competitiveness among SMEs, especially in emerging economies. Furthermore, the study provides a valuable integrative perspective on SMEs' competitiveness by involving three voguish constituents of contemporary scholarly discourse grounded into the leading underpinning theoretical perspectives, such as IC theory, RBV, and entrepreneurship theory. Originality/value: The uniqueness of this model lies in its rich theory-laden conceptualization and explanation that could extend theoretical debate and managerial action to the next levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the growing scholarly interest in examining entrepreneurial orientation (EO)-performance link, the results have been inconsistent. However, studies have not explored firm-level and external factors that may serve as mechanisms or boundary conditions to explain this relationship. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to examine how and when EO influences performance by incorporating sustainability practices as a mechanism and competitive intensity as an important contingent factor. Design/methodology/approach: Using primary data obtained from 323 chief executive officers/entrepreneurs, the authors analyzed the data using structural equation modeling in LISREL and Hayes PROCESS in SPSS. Findings: The authors found that sustainability practices serve as a mechanism through which EO influences small and medium enterprises' (SMEs) performance. The study further revealed that the relationship between EO and sustainability practices is weakened at high levels of competitive intensity. Still, the relationship between EO and performance through sustainability practices remains strengthened when competitive intensity is present at high levels. Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature by examining how SMEs who are less endowed with resources can engage in sustainability practices that can match large firms with stronger EO to achieve increased performance. Additionally, the study contributes to the literature by examining the mediating effect of sustainability practices in the EO-performance relationship. Finally, the study contributes to the body of literature by testing how competitive intensity presents as a boundary condition to leverage the relationship between EO and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies strive to achieve and sustain their financial and competitive positions in a dynamic resource‐constrained environment. The concept of resource bricolage has received little attention in the literature on emerging economies. To fill this gap, we draw perspectives from the resource‐based view to examine the impact of resource bricolage on the competitive advantage and financial performance of SMEs in Pakistan. We argue that organizational innovativeness functions as a mediator in the relationship between resource bricolage, financial performance, and competitive advantage, while entrepreneurial orientation simultaneously moderates the relationship between resource bricolage and organizational innovativeness. We collected data from 398 SMEs in Pakistan and analyzed these relationships using the partial least squares method. Our results suggest that resource bricolage effectively promotes the financial performance of SMEs and helps them gain a competitive advantage. The relationship is mediated by organizational innovativeness, which accelerates financial performance and competitive advantage. Entrepreneurial orientation moderates the resource bricolage–organizational innovativeness relationship, but it is only effective when a high level of resource bricolage is in place. Our study suggests that SMEs operating under similar socioeconomic environments must efficiently focus on resources embedded in the firm and utilize them to achieve competitive advantage and enhance financial performance. Our study highlights the critical need for research on organizational innovativeness in emerging contexts and proposes significant theoretical and managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being acknowledged as the primary catalyst for economic development, entrepreneurship in emerging markets contends with multiple constraints. The availability of unexploited business opportunities certainly raises the entrepreneurial potential of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Entrepreneurial orientation strategy strongly supports SMEs to improve their position in the market by instilling the courage to explore new prospects and take risks, promote innovation, act proactively on the market, and establish autonomy and competitive aggressiveness as norms in their operations. This research focuses on the entrepreneurial orientation approach as a key firm-level phenomenon and its influence on business performance in emerging markets. More specifically, the study elaborates on SMEs' risk-taking, innovativeness, pro-activeness, autonomy, and competitive aggressiveness under the moderating influence of unexploited opportunities. A multiple-case study technique was used to develop the five propositions generated from the conceptual framework of the study. Six companies operating in the private healthcare sector in North Macedonia actively participated in the research, contributing a substantial body of data. According to the study findings, the unexploited opportunities have a reasonably large effect on SMEs' entrepreneurial orientation activities and corresponding performance. Nonetheless, despite the hostile entrepreneurial environment, SMEs have demonstrated boldness in taking risks, initiating innovation, and continuity in taking proactive actions in the private healthcare industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, innovation system literature favors studies of well-functioning economies and innovation in high-technology sectors. In emerging economies, such as Latin America, a significant number of gaps is still found, especially in terms of understanding behaviors towards innovation and how these attitudes might impact the innovation outputs. Based on this scenario, the present study aims to measure how entrepreneurial innovation - a multidimensional construct formed by innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking - impacts on innovation performance. This study adapts the model of Sheppard (2023), originally applied to a Canadian multi-sectoral sample, to an also multi-sector group located in the Caribbean region of Colombia. A translated questionnaire was applied to 154 companies. A total of 123 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) valid cases was considered for analysis. Results show significant impact of entrepreneurial orientation on innovation performance, confirming initial hypothesis. The impact of environmental dynamism presents diverse data that needs to be further analyzed and 'slack resources' were found as a statistically significant antecedent to innovation performance. The limitation to measure growth due to restrictions in data access is an important future opportunity to expand the analysis, allowing full comparison to the original model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beneficial relationship of entrepreneurial orientation with performance has been extensively acknowledged in the literature. However, empirical evidence is not straightforward and requires consideration of the interplay of different variables, context, and rationales through which this causal complexity of the performance-enhancing mechanism of entrepreneurial orientation influences firm performance. In this paper we examine the way the entrepreneurial behavior of the organization unfolds and affects performance through specific configurations resulting from the simultaneous interaction of strategic networking and dynamic environment in the setting of Southeast European SMEs. We apply hierarchical regression to a sample of 963 small and medium-sized enterprises. Empirical findings provide support for applying the configurational approach and show that companies of high entrepreneurial orientation and high strategic networking operating in a dynamic environment achieve the highest effect on a business performance. Research results further indicate that strategic networking is a mechanism that achieves the greatest efficiency in a dynamic environment and with the presence of a firm's entrepreneurial orientation. According to the research results, implications for research and practice are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tried to shed light on the relationship between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive performance with the mediating effect of strategic flexibility of family-owned SMEs in an emerging economy. This study is significant because family firms need a more flexible and quick organizational structure to respond effectively to external market demands. For achieving fruitful insights, data was collected from family-owned manufacturing firms operating in Islamabad and Rawalpindi verified from Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA). In addition, structured questionnaires were used to collect the data from top management through an online source; for testing the hypotheses, Smart PLS-SEM was deployed. The finding suggests that strategic flexibility firmly explains the mechanism to support the relationship between both strategic orientations (entrepreneurial and market) and sustainable competitive performance. Thus, our study suggests several recommendations to the policymaker and governmental bodies to support the family-owned firms in modifying existing resources according to the market demand. [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]

This empirical research investigates the mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation in the relationships between organizational ambidexterity and sustainable development engagement and firm performance. The data were collected from 339 small and medium enterprises using a time-lagged approach and further analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results confirm the mediation of entrepreneurial orientation in the relationships between organizational ambidexterity and firm performance and sustainable development engagement. Institutional support also strengthens the entrepreneurial orientation relationship with firm performance and sustainable development practices. This study provides detailed theoretical and managerial implications by effectively using institutional support to increase firm performance and sustainable development engagement. • The study explored the mediating role of EO in the relationships of OA with SDE and firm performance. • We also examined the moderation of institution support in EO linked with SDE and firm performance. • The time-lagged primary data was collected from the SME sector of the emerging economy of Pakistan. • Institutional support is crucial for the relationship between EO with firm performance and SDE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]