Abstract:
Purpose – This study aims to examine the influence of the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) dimensions
(innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness and autonomy) on the export
performance (EXP) of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach – In this study a cross-sectional survey design was used and data were
collected from 250 managers of manufacturing-exporting SMEs in Tanzania. The developed conceptual model
was empirically tested using confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression.
Findings – The results reveal that innovativeness, risk-taking, competitive aggressiveness and autonomy
have a significant positive influence on EXP. However, proactiveness hurts EXP. Additionally, findings
indicate that the dimensions of EO do not have an equal impact on SMEs’ EXP.
Research limitations/implications – This study only covered SMEs; future studies would be advised to
include large firms because they may behave differently with respect EO due to their resource advantages.
Furthermore, this study was conducted in a single country, Tanzania, and thus the findings should be
interpreted cautiously, since each country has specific institutional frameworks that foster entrepreneurship
and entrepreneurial culture in a different way.
Originality/value – The context of this study contributes significantly to the research’s originality. The
study contributes to the body of knowledge on the EO-EXP link in developing countries, where research on EO export is scant, and it further contributes to the debate on the EO-EXP link by demonstrating that the
dimensions of EO do not have an equal impact on SMEs’ EXP, and accordingly a disaggregated approach
would be more meaningful. Furthermore, the study contributes with regards the role of competitive
aggressiveness and autonomy in improving SMEs’ EXP, which has received little attention in previous studies.
