Entrepreneurial Orientation and Firm Performance – Challenges for Research and Practice

• Main Author: Agnieszka ŻUR
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cracow University of Economics 2014-06-01
• Series: Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review
• Subjects: entrepreneurial orientation; firm performance; entrepreneurship
• Online Access: http:////eber.uek.krakow.pl/index.php/eber/article/view/9
• ISSN: 2353-883X; 2353-8821

The aim of the article is to critically review the body of literature exploring the  nature  and  various  contexts  of  EO-firm  performance relationship,  as  well  as identify contemporary challenges of this stream of research. The article is an overview of the most important articles of  the  last  two  decades  of  research  devoted  to  EO-  firm  performance  relationship, based on the amount of citation references providedby Ebsco scholar database. The review  focuses  on: (i)  the  performance  indicators  applied  in  research,  (ii)  sampling and time frame of the studies as well as (iii) moderating factors of this relationship. Despite huge progress made, the review reveals important issues that have been side-lined or neglected and remain to be challenged. This paper presents four major  suggestions for a more  inclusive,  broader  stream  of  research:  (i)  to  take  inspiration  from  stakeholder theory,  (ii)  to  spread  the  research  of  EO-firm  performance  relationship  across different  entrepreneurship  contexts,  such  as  social,  non-profit  and  institutional, adjusting  scales  and  measures,  (iii)  to  apply  a  more  dynamic  approach  to  EO-firm performance relationship, and (iv) to diversify theapplied research methods. The  article  serves  to  broaden  the  scope  of  EO-firm performance relationship. The discussion presents significant potential contributions brought  to EO  domain  by  stakeholder  theory.  It  issues  a  call  to identify  and  pursue research questions that more effectively address contemporary challenges. Not only does  it  outline  issues  and  methods  worthy  of  greater  attention  in  future  study, but more importantly, leads to extending EO research beyond its current boundaries.