Entrepreneurial Orientation and Business Performance - A Replication Study

Abstract

We examine the effect of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and hypothesize that EO has a positive impact on business performance. We create a contingency model and a configuration model and compare their results to those derived from a main-effects model. The study replicates the work of Wiklund and Shepherd (2005) and tests the validity of their results in a different national context. Our analysis indicates a positive connection between EO and business performance only in cases in which a dynamic environment is combined with high access to financial capital and when a stable environment is combined with low access to financial capital. Our analysis also indicates that EO may have a negative effect on performance in certain configurations.

Keywords: Business Performance, Configurational Approach, Entrepreneurial Orientation, SMEs

JEL Classification: M13