Antecedents and Consequences of Entrepreneurial Orientation of Spanish Exporting SMEs in Time of Crisis

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study to investigate to antecedents—decision maker factors—and consequences—export performance—of export entrepreneurial orientation among a sample of Spanish exporting small and medium enterprise-SMEs. This aim is achieved in the context of the Spanish economic crisis. Responding to the repeated calls in the literature for multidisciplinary research frameworks, the paper examine the relationships between characteristics and values of export managers on export-entrepreneurial orientation and export performance. A sample of 196 exporting SMEs from multiple sectors was analyzed using structural equation modeling—PLS. The findings suggest that: (a) the positive influence of certain features of managers—international experience, language proficiency, specific experience about export activities—and proactive value systems on export-entrepreneurial orientation; (b) the positive influence of export-entrepreneurial orientation on export performance. The paper concludes by offering useful recommendations to export managers.