International entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance : the inter-relation between dimensions of EO and impacts on firm international performance

Abstract

This thesis delves into investigating the dimensions of international entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) and their impact on firms' international performance. The study explores how proactiveness, innovativeness, and autonomy within IEO interplay and influence international performance. Specifically, it examines how innovativeness mediates the relationship between proactiveness and international performance, while also exploring how autonomy moderates the relationship between innovativeness and international performance. Conducted with a sample of 275 exporting firms, the quantitative analysis utilizes linear regression and the PROCESS macro in SPSS to examine the theoretical relationships proposed. The findings indicate a positive association between proactiveness and international performance (profitability), with innovativeness fully mediating this connection. Moreover, autonomy is found to weaken the link between innovativeness and international performance, demonstrating that excessive autonomy diminishes the positive impact of innovativeness on international performance. The thesis contributes theoretically by enhancing the understanding of the relationships among IEO dimensions and their implications for international performance. From a practical standpoint, the study's outcomes offer valuable insights for entrepreneurs, managers, and policymakers to formulate strategies balanced in proactiveness, innovativeness, and autonomy to improve international performance. The research suggests the importance of further exploration into diverse IEO dimensions, perhaps through longitudinal studies, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the long-term effects of this entrepreneurial approach.