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A hierarchical perspective of the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation

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Abstract

This study examines the hierarchical relationship between the three dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO): proactiveness, innovativeness, and risk-taking. Information Processing Theory and Strategic Choice Theory were utilized to investigate the roles of both industrial munificence and opportunity perceptions in the formation of firm-level EO. Data collected from 227 organizations in four countries suggests that innovative and risk-taking behaviors are fundamentally driven by proactiveness and the perceived availability of opportunities in an industry. As such, proactiveness appears to be the leading and primary factor in encouraging and enabling the other dimensions of EO. The research and managerial implications of these findings are also discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. E. Philip Saunders College of Business, Rochester Institute of Technology, Max Lowenthal Building, Room 3310, 108 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY, 14623-5608, USA

    Zhi Tang

  2. College of Business, Ohio University, 304 Copeland Hall, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Patrick M. Kreiser

  3. Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, University of Alabama, Box 870225, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA

    Louis Marino

  4. Calloway School of Business and Accountancy, Wake Forest University, Box 7285, Reynolda Station, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109-7285, USA

    Pat Dickson

  5. Louisiana State University Entrepreneurship Institute, 3307B CEBA, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    K. Mark Weaver

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  1. Zhi Tang
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  2. Patrick M. Kreiser
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Correspondence to Zhi Tang.

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Tang, Z., Kreiser, P.M., Marino, L. et al. A hierarchical perspective of the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation. Int Entrep Manag J 5, 181–201 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-008-0097-9

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