The positive contribution of high growth small businesses to the economic growth of countries is derived from a body of knowledge in the entrepreneurship domain. Small business growth could be sustained by a better understanding of entrepreneurial orientation. This study is based on the evaluation of entrepreneurial orientation of small businesses in the formal sector with specific reference to businesses in the Gauteng Province. The objective of the study is to analyse entrepreneurial orientation and perceived business success in small and medium-sized enterprises in Gauteng, with the focus on providing recommendations to enhance entrepreneurial activity in small and medium-sized enterprises. A literature review was conducted to explore entrepreneurial orientation and its perceived business success in small enterprises. The five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and the two variables measuring perceived business success were explored. A questionnaire constructed by Lotz (2009) was used to measure entrepreneurial orientation variables and perceived business success variables. A target group of 60 business owners was identified and questionnaires were distributed to them. A total of 42 questionnaires were returned but only 38 were deemed usable for the study. The validity of each variable was individually determined by the calculation of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Conclusions and recommendations for possible action steps to enhance entrepreneurial orientation were made, based on the empirical data obtained. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The positive contribution of high growth small businesses to the economic growth of countries is derived from a body of knowledge in the entrepreneurship domain. Small business growth could be sustained by a better understanding of entrepreneurial orientation. This study is based on the evaluation of entrepreneurial orientation of small businesses in the formal sector with specific reference to businesses in the Gauteng Province. The objective of the study is to analyse entrepreneurial orientation and perceived business success in small and medium-sized enterprises in Gauteng, with the focus on providing recommendations to enhance entrepreneurial activity in small and medium-sized enterprises. A literature review was conducted to explore entrepreneurial orientation and its perceived business success in small enterprises. The five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and the two variables measuring perceived business success were explored. A questionnaire constructed by Lotz (2009) was used to measure entrepreneurial orientation variables and perceived business success variables. A target group of 60 business owners was identified and questionnaires were distributed to them. A total of 42 questionnaires were returned but only 38 were deemed usable for the study. The validity of each variable was individually determined by the calculation of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Conclusions and recommendations for possible action steps to enhance entrepreneurial orientation were made, based on the empirical data obtained. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Investigation of the entrepreneurial potential of the pharmacists of Jönköping. A quantitative case study.

Firms’ top decision makers cannot possibly know what decisions to make. Rather, decision makers must interpret their situations and make the best possible decision based upon their interpretation of their situations. In this dissertation, I examine decision-makers’ goal orientations as influencing how they interpret their situations and then respond through making decisions in terms of their firms’ entrepreneurial orientations. I also examine whether these decisions influence firm performance. I surveyed top firm decision makers in the Association of Former Students’ database at Texas A and M University. The hypotheses were tested using a structural equation modeling. Using a sample of 273 firms, I find that decision-makers’ goal orientations shape their firm’s entrepreneurial orientations, which in turn influence firm growth, relative performance, and expected future performance. Possessing a learning goal orientation was found to be positively related to innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk taking. A performance prove goal orientation was positively related to innovativeness, whereas a performance avoid goal orientation was negatively related to innovativeness and risk taking. Only a proactive firm posture was found to be positively related to firm performance. The results for this dissertation provide compelling support for upper echelons theory. Decision-makers’ finer-grained personal attributes are found to shape firm-level outcomes. More specifically, decision-makers’ goal orientations are found to shape the firm’s entrepreneurial orientation and, to some extent, performance. Interestingly, coarse-grained personal attributes captured in demographic proxies and used as control variables in the analyses did not provide consistent support for upper echelons theory. The results suggest that scholars need to take a finer-grained perspective of upper echelons theory. A substantial amount of research has established the link between individuals’ goal orientations and how they interpret and respond to their situations. The research here has extended this relationship to the top decision-making context in firms where individuals face strong situational forces caused by uncertainty, complexity, and dynamism. I hope that this research encourages other scholars to (1) examine more complex models of how decision-makers’ personal attributes influence their entrepreneurial decisions in terms of both recognizing and exploiting opportunities, and (2) examine other finer-grained attributes of top decision makers within a finer-grained framework of the decision-making process.

The research aims to explore the relationships among entrepreneurial orientation, social capital and firm performance when Taiwanese SMEs are expanding their business territory in China. Apart from social capital, there would be more other moderating variables existing in the environment. However, after literature review and in-depth interviews with the SMEs owners/directors/executives, social capital has been regarded as the possible influential factor affecting the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. In the second part of the research, comprehensive literature and studies relating to entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial orientation are investigated and summarized. Later, the literature of social capital and firm performance is summarized in order to develop the hypotheses to examine the relationships among entrepreneurial orientation, social capital and firm performance. This is an empirical research, assisting with in-depth interviews with Taiwanese SMEs owners/directors/executives to outline the findings more accurately. The statistical tools applied in the thesis include SPSS and AMOS. The findings of the research have come up with some practical implications and suggestion. The implications of the results might intrigue people who are interested in the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on organizational success. Lastly, some suggestions are made accordingly for the further development.

<p>Investigation of the entrepreneurial potential of the pharmacists of Jönköping. A quantitative case study.</p>

Pharmacy in South Africa changed dramatically the past decade. Legislative changes include the amendment of The Pharmacy Act in 2003 allowing for nonpharmacists to own pharmacies. This opened the door for national chain stores to change their business model by including a dispensary in their retail service offerings. The regulation of medicine prices impacted the profitability of the pharmacy industry. This caused a double edge sword to retail pharmacy – not only do they need to compete with national supermarkets on front shop products, their products, namely scheduled medication also are regulated in dispensaries. In an environment of rapid change and shortened product and business model lifecycles, the future profit streams from existing operations are uncertain. Businesses need to consistently seek out new opportunities and therefore firms may benefit from adopting an entrepreneurial orientation. Entrepreneurial orientation of retail pharmacists operating in corporate and independent pharmacies’ might play a role in survival of pharmacy business as a professional services provider for which a fee may be charged. The entrepreneurial orientation of retail pharmacists in independent and corporate pharmacies is explored. A literature study on the field of Entrepreneurship is conducted. The term entrepreneurial orientation, consisting of five constructs, namely autonomy, innovation, pro-activeness, risk-taking and competitive aggressiveness is defined. Perceived success of the industry is defined in terms of growth and development. An entrepreneurial orientation questionnaire was distributed among retail pharmacists operating in corporate and independent environments. Both ratings of the constructs and their evaluation of the perceived success of the industry has been measured, analysed and reported. The results obtained from the questionnaire and the in-depth interviews in conjunction with the literature review are used to draw conclusions and make recommendations. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Pharmacy in South Africa changed dramatically the past decade. Legislative changes include the amendment of The Pharmacy Act in 2003 allowing for nonpharmacists to own pharmacies. This opened the door for national chain stores to change their business model by including a dispensary in their retail service offerings. The regulation of medicine prices impacted the profitability of the pharmacy industry. This caused a double edge sword to retail pharmacy – not only do they need to compete with national supermarkets on front shop products, their products, namely scheduled medication also are regulated in dispensaries. In an environment of rapid change and shortened product and business model lifecycles, the future profit streams from existing operations are uncertain. Businesses need to consistently seek out new opportunities and therefore firms may benefit from adopting an entrepreneurial orientation. Entrepreneurial orientation of retail pharmacists operating in corporate and independent pharmacies’ might play a role in survival of pharmacy business as a professional services provider for which a fee may be charged. The entrepreneurial orientation of retail pharmacists in independent and corporate pharmacies is explored. A literature study on the field of Entrepreneurship is conducted. The term entrepreneurial orientation, consisting of five constructs, namely autonomy, innovation, pro-activeness, risk-taking and competitive aggressiveness is defined. Perceived success of the industry is defined in terms of growth and development. An entrepreneurial orientation questionnaire was distributed among retail pharmacists operating in corporate and independent environments. Both ratings of the constructs and their evaluation of the perceived success of the industry has been measured, analysed and reported. The results obtained from the questionnaire and the in-depth interviews in conjunction with the literature review are used to draw conclusions and make recommendations. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

This study seeks to understand whether there exists a relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance (FP) and whether this is applicable in the context of the South African metals and engineering industry. An exploratory quantitative study of 125 SMEs and large firms in the metals and engineering industry was undertaken in 2012 to investigate the existence of the relationship between EO and FP. EO is measured using the Hughes&Morgan (2007) EO scale which incorporated the five dimensions of Lumpkin&Dess (1996). The Hughes&Morgan (2007) EO scale is used to study the independent effects of these multi-dimensions on FP. A Chi-square test is used to test the significance independence of the relationship between the multi-dimensions of EO and FP. This cross-section study finds out that there is convincingly a moderate to strong relationship between EO and FP. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Since the early 1990s entrepreneurship education has experienced a significant interest and growth in South Africa, due to the fact that it plays a very important part in the success of businesses, whether it is a new or an existing business venture. Corporate entrepreneurship can be defined as the development of new ideas and opportunities within a large organisation and is characterized by individuals who are energetic, creative, innovative, self-confident and take calculated risks. When looking at the entrepreneurial orientation variables, Autonomy, Innovativeness, Risk-taking, Pro-Activeness and Competitive aggressiveness in any organisation, they require an acceptable climate to ensure that each dimension prosper. The line, middle and senior managers play an important role in entrepreneurial actions, whether it is part of creating the climate or driving the process once initiated. Entrepreneurial success factors such as creativity, innovation, risk orientation, leadership, good human relations, a positive attitude and perseverance, are all attributes of successful entrepreneurs. The primary research focus of this study has been to investigate the influence of entrepreneurial orientation variables (Autonomy, Innovativeness, Risk-taking, Pro- Activeness and Competitive aggressiveness) on the perceived success in a personal protective equipment organisation in South Africa. For the purpose of this study, the business success has been measured by means of two dependent variables namely Business growth and Business development and improvement. An empirical study has been conducted by using a questionnaire that measured five dimensions regarding entrepreneurial orientation. Data from 42 participants have been collected and analysed, and the results indicate that the organisation have certain aspects of entrepreneurial orientation present. The results show that the managers in the personal protective equipment business perceived that the entrepreneurial orientation variable Innovativeness have a positive influence on their Business Growth. An important relationship between the independent variable Innovativeness and the dependent variable Business development and improvement has been found to exist. Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial orientation are more than just vibrant words in the industry; they play important roles in the survival and growth of organisations. It is also crucial to understand that the correct climate needs to be fostered within the organisation to ensure that all the various aspects of corporate entrepreneurship are achieved. The organisation will reap greater benefits that could contribute to the business staying the leader in the industry, being more competitive, creating new ventures, and introducing new products and services. The area of significant concern for the organisation is a low or poor tolerance for risktaking. Practical recommendations, suggestions and an action plan are presented in order to improve the entrepreneurial climate of the organisation. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015