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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]

Tourism firms' financial performance is determined by a complex interplay of factors, both internal and external to the firm. Predominant internal factors are their entrepreneurial behavior and financial resources. External factors refer to the network of actors contributing to the tourism product as well as market and competitive uncertainties. Employing fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on quantitative data from a survey of 113 owner-managers of small and medium-sized tourism firms from Austria, this study investigates configurations of factors that lead to high firm performance. Results reveal six different configurations, which can be grouped into high or low environmental uncertainty settings and highlight the relevance of multidimensional Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), financial endowment, and personal and professional networks. Using a sequential mixed-methods approach, 13 qualitative follow-up interviews with owner-managers from the sample help to gain deeper insights into the identified configurations and to formulate successful paths to higher tourism firm performance. • Tourism firm performance is driven by factor configurations, with no one factor being sufficient on its own • Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis enables the derivation of factor configurations leading to high performance • The degree of environmental uncertainty affects the solutions to achieve higher firm performance • Multidimensional entrepreneurial orientation, financial resources and networks promise higher firm performance • Qualitative follow-up interviews help to interpret findings, label configurations and develop implications [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]

Abstract: Only a small fraction of SMEs are successful in achieving exceptional performance and sustainable growth, The literature shows that there is still a gap for effective ways to increase the size of that fraction. This paper aims to contribute in filling the gap by identifying factors affecting SME performance and, hence, their development; and to develop a conceptual framework explaining their relationships. The literature reveals that although there is positive relationship between entrepreneur traits and firm performance in the context of SMEs, the relationship is still inconclusive; suggesting that there are intervening constructs between the two constructs. Field observations and literature reviews suggest five second- order constructs serving mediating roles between entrepreneur traits and firm performance that may clarify the relationship, i.e., (1) innovative performance, (2) innovative capacity, (3) organizational search, (4) market orientation, and (5) entrepreneurial orientation. Although the relationships among the seven constructs have been extensively studied in the extant literature, this paper is one of the few efforts, if any, in investigating the seven constructs in a comprehensive framework as a basis for further studies. If empirically supported, the proposed framework may provide an effective alternative in assisting entrepreneurs and SMEs’ owners to develop their firms more effectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]