Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) theory, the purpose of this research is to examine the influence of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) export performance with the moderating effect of social media capital and business network ties. A quantitative survey design was employed for this study. Empirical data for this paper were drawn from 369 Ghanaian SME exporting firms, using the purposive sampling technique, and the hypothesized relationships were analyzed using AMOS v.23 in structural equation modeling. The study reveals that export performance of SMEs is principally determined by their EO. In addition, this effect is reinforced by the social media capital and business network ties, exerting a positive moderating role. The paper provides practical implications for SMEs and policymakers on the need to leverage social media capital and business network ties, given their importance to improving export performance, rather than focusing solely on EO.
AcheampongGNartehBRandJ (2017) Network ties and survival: a study of small commercial poultry farms in Ghana. The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation18(1): 14–24.
2.
AhmedAKhuwajaFMBrohiNA, et al. (2018) Organizational factors and organizational performance: a resource-based view and social exchange theory viewpoint. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences8(3): 579–599.
3.
AlayoMMasedaAIturraldeT, et al. (2019) Internationalization and entrepreneurial orientation of family SMEs: the influence of the family character. International Business Review28(1): 48–59.
AndersonJCGerbingDW (1988) Structural equation modeling in practice: a review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin103(3): 411–423.
6.
ArshadASRasliAArshadAA, et al. (2014) The impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance: a study of technology-based SMEs in Malaysia. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences130(2014): 46–53.
7.
BagozziRPYiY (1988) On the evaluation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science16(1): 74–94.
8.
BakarLJAAhmadH (2010) Assessing the relationship between firm resources and product innovation performance: a resource-based view. Business Process Management Journal16(3): 420–435.
9.
BarneyJ (1991) Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management17(1): 99–120.
10.
BarneyJB (2001) Is the resource-based “view” a useful perspective for strategic management research? Yes. Academy of Management Review26(1): 41–56.
11.
BentlerPBagozziRPCudeckR, et al. (2001) Structural equations modeling—SEM using correlations or covariance matrices. Journal of Consumer Psychology10(1/2): 85–87.
12.
BosoNStoryVMCadoganJW (2013) Entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, network ties, and performance: study of entrepreneurial firms in a developing economy. Journal of Business Venturing28(6): 708–727.
13.
BoydDMEllisonNB (2007) Social network sites: definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication13(1): 210–230.
14.
BrutonGDKetchen JrDJIrelandRD (2013) Entrepreneurship as a solution to poverty. Journal of Business Venturing28(6): 683–689.
15.
BuliBM (2017) Entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation and performance of SMEs in the manufacturing industry: evidence from Ethiopian enterprises. Management Research Review40(3): 292–309.
16.
ByrneBM (2016) Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS: Basic Concepts, Applications, and Programming, 3rd ed.New York: Routledge.
17.
CaseySRHamiltonRT (2014) Export performance of small firms from small countries: the case of New Zealand. Journal of International Entrepreneurship12(3): 254–269.
18.
CharoensukmongkolPSasatanunP (2017) Social media use for CRM and business performance satisfaction: the moderating roles of social skills and social media sales intensity. Asia Pacific Management Review22(1): 25–34.
19.
ChoiSBWilliamsC (2016) Entrepreneurial orientation and performance: mediating effects of technology and marketing action across industry types. Industry and Innovation23(8): 673–693.
20.
CovinJGMillerD (2014) International entrepreneurial orientation: Conceptual considerations, research themes, measurement issues, and future research directions. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice38(1): 11–44.
21.
DebrecenyRS (2015) Social media, social networks, and accounting. Journal of Information Systems29(2): 1–4.
22.
DongJQWuW (2015) Business value of social media technologies: evidence from online user innovation communities. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems24(2): 113–127.
23.
FalahatMRamayahTSoto-AcostaP, et al. (2020) SMEs internationalization: the role of product innovation, market intelligence, pricing and marketing communication capabilities as drivers of SMEs’ international performance. Technological Forecasting and Social Change152(2020): 119908.
24.
FarooqRVijS (2018) Linking entrepreneurial orientation and business performance: mediating role of knowledge management orientation. Pacific Business Review International10(8): 174–183.
25.
FatimaTBilalAR (2019) Achieving SME performance through individual entrepreneurial orientation: an active social networking perspective. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies12(3): 399–411.
26.
FelzenszteinCCiravegnaLRobsonP, et al. (2015) Networks, entrepreneurial orientation, and internationalization scope: evidence from Chilean small and medium enterprises. Journal of Small Business Management53(1): 145–160.
27.
FornellCLarckerDF (1981) Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research18(1): 39–50.
28.
FreixanetJBraojosJRialp-CriadoA, et al. (2021) Does international entrepreneurial orientation foster innovation performance? The mediating role of social media and open innovation. The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation22(1): 33–44.
29.
GarverMSMentzerJT (1999) Logistics research methods: employing structural equation modeling to test for construct validity. Journal of Business Logistics20(1): 33–57.
30.
GencEDayanMGencOF (2019) The impact of SME internationalization on innovation: the mediating role of market and entrepreneurial orientation. Industrial Marketing Management82(2019): 253–264.
31.
GunawanTJacobJDuystersG (2016) Network ties and entrepreneurial orientation: innovative performance of SMEs in a developing country. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal12(2): 575–599.
32.
Hernandez-PerlinesF (2018) Moderating effect of absorptive capacity on the entrepreneurial orientation of international performance of family businesses. Journal of Family Business Management8(1): 58–74.
33.
Hernández-PerlinesFCisnerosMAI (2017) Analysis of the moderating effect of entrepreneurial orientation on the influence of social responsibility on the performance of Mexican family companies. Cogent Business and Management4(1): 1408209.
34.
IbeabuchiCEhidoAJAbdullahNAHN (2020) The impact of entrepreneurial orientation on export performance of New Zealand’s SMEs: the mediating effect of networking capability. International Journal of Social Sciences Perspectives7(1): 34–45.
35.
IsicheiEEAgbaezeKEOdibaMO (2020) Entrepreneurial orientation and performance in SMEs. International Journal of Emerging Markets15(6): 1219–1241.
36.
JinBJungSJeongSW (2018) Dimensional effects of Korean SME’s entrepreneurial orientation on internationalization and performance: the mediating role of marketing capability. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal14(1): 195–215.
37.
KaramiMTangJ (2019) Entrepreneurial orientation and SME international performance: the mediating role of networking capability and experiential learning. International Small Business Journal37(2): 105–124.
38.
KayaNSeyrekIH (2005) Performance impacts of strategic orientations: evidence from Turkish manufacturing firms. Journal of American Academy of Business6(1): 68–71.
39.
LiJJZhouKZ (2010) How foreign firms achieve competitive advantage in the Chinese emerging economy: managerial ties and market orientation. Journal of Business Research63(8): 856–862.
40.
LumpkinGTDessGG (1996) Clarifying the entrepreneurial orientation construct and linking it to performance. Academy of Management Review21(1): 135–172.
41.
LwambaNMBwisaHSakwaM (2014) Exploring the effect of corporate entrepreneurship on financial performance of firms: evidence from Kenya’s manufacturing firms. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences4(1): 352–370.
42.
MahmoudMAAdamsMAbubakariA, et al. (2020) Social media resources and export performance: the role of trust and commitment. International Marketing Review37(2): 273–297.
43.
MartinSLJavalgiRRG (2016) Entrepreneurial orientation, marketing capabilities and performance: the moderating role of competitive intensity on Latin American International new ventures. Journal of Business Research69(6): 2040–2051.
44.
MillerD (1983) A reflection on EO research and some suggestions for the future. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice35(5): 873–894.
45.
MolyneuxLVasudevanKGil de ZúñigaH (2015) Gaming social capital: exploring civic value in multiplayer video games. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication20(4): 381–399.
46.
MonteiroAPSoaresAMRuaOL (2017) Entrepreneurial orientation and export performance: the mediating effect of organisational resources and dynamic capabilities. Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development10(1): 3–20.
47.
MonteiroAPSoaresAMRuaOL (2019) Linking intangible resources and entrepreneurial orientation to export performance: the mediating effect of dynamic capabilities. Journal of Innovation and Knowledge4(3): 179–187.
48.
MozumdarLIslamMA (2022) Business and family livelihood performance of Bangladeshi pond aquaculture entrepreneurs: do business networks and entrepreneurial orientation matter?Aquaculture554(2022): 738185.
49.
NaldiLNordqvistMSjöbergK, et al. (2007) Entrepreneurial orientation, risk taking, and performance in family firms. Family Business Review20(1): 33–47.
50.
NguyenANguyenPDoH (2022) The effects of entrepreneurial orientation, social media, managerial ties on firm performance: evidence from Vietnamese SMEs. International Journal of Data and Network Science6(1): 243–252.
51.
NunnallyJCBernsteinIH (1994) Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.
52.
OdoomRMensahP (2019) Brand orientation and brand performance in SMEs. Management Research Review42(1): 2040–8269.
53.
OdoomRNartehBRandJ (2017) Branding and outcomes in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): a resource–capability approach. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship29(3): 175–192.
54.
PearceJAFritzDADavisPS (2010) Entrepreneurial orientation and the performance of religious congregations as predicted by rational choice theory. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice34(1): 219–248.
55.
PingRAJr (1996) Latent variable interaction and quadratic effect estimation: a two-step technique using structural equation analysis. Psychological Bulletin119(1): 166–175.
56.
PodsakoffPMMacKenzieSBLeeJY, et al. (2003) Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology88(5): 879–903.
57.
PresuttiMOdoriciV (2019) Linking entrepreneurial and market orientation to the SME’s performance growth: the moderating role of entrepreneurial experience and networks. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal15(3): 697–720.
58.
QalatiSAYuanLWKhanMAS, et al. (2021) A mediated model on the adoption of social media and SMEs’ performance in developing countries. Technology in Society64(2021): 101513.
59.
RauchAWiklundJLumpkinGT, et al. (2009) Entrepreneurial orientation and business performance: an assessment of past research and suggestions for the future. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice33(3): 761–787.
60.
RekartiEDoktoralinaCMSaluyAB (2018) Development model of marketing capabilities and export performance of SMEs: a proposed study. European Journal of Business and Management10(22): 2222–2839.
61.
RotondoFFaddaN (2019) The influence of being part of a tourist network on hotels’ financial performance. International Journal of Hospitality Management82(2019): 335–344.
62.
RuaOFrançaAOrtizRF (2018) Key drivers of SMEs export performance: the mediating effect of competitive advantage. Journal of Knowledge Management22(2): 257–279.
63.
SahaymADattaAABrooksS (2021) Crowdfunding success through social media: going beyond entrepreneurial orientation in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises. Journal of Business Research125(2021): 483–494.
64.
SakhdariKFarsiJY (2016) Business partners and corporate entrepreneurship in developing countries. International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development15(1): 61–77.
65.
SarstedtMHenselerJRingleCM (2011) Multigroup analysis in partial least squares (PLS) path modeling: alternative methods and empirical results. Measurement and Research Methods in International Marketing26(2): 195–218.
66.
SaxtonGDGuoC (2020) Social media capital: conceptualizing the nature, acquisition, and expenditure of social media-based organizational resources. International Journal of Accounting Information Systems36(2020): 100443.
67.
ShirokovaGTsukanovaTBogatyrevaK (2015) University environment and student entrepreneurship: the role of business experience and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Educational Studies1(3): 171–207.
68.
SonglingYIshtiaqMAnwarM, et al. (2018) The role of government support in sustainable competitive position and firm performance. Sustainability10(10): 3495.
69.
StroblAKronenbergC (2016) Entrepreneurial networks across the business life cycle: the case of Alpine hospitality entrepreneurs. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management28(6): 1177–1203.
70.
Thompson AgyapongGMmiehFMordiC (2018) Factors influencing the growth of SMEs: the case of Ghana. Thunderbird International Business Review60(4): 549–563.
71.
TwumKKKwakwaPAOforiD, et al. (2021) The relationship between individual entrepreneurial orientation, network ties, and entrepreneurial intention of undergraduate students: implications on entrepreneurial education. Entrepreneurship Education4(1): 39–66.
72.
VerbanoCCremaMScuottoV (2020) Adding the entrepreneurial orientation among the theoretical perspectives to analyse the development of research-based spin-offs. The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation21(2): 113–126.
73.
WiklundJShepherdD (2005) Entrepreneurial orientation and small business performance: a configurational approach. Journal of Business Venturing20(1): 71–91.
74.
ZahraSAGarvisDM (2000) International corporate entrepreneurship and firm performance: the moderating effect of international environmental hostility. Journal of Business Venturing15(5–6): 469–492.
75.
ZighanSAbualqumbozMDwaikatN, et al. (2022) The role of entrepreneurial orientation in developing SMEs resilience capabilities throughout COVID-19. The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation23(4): 227–239.
