Date of Award

12-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Business Administration

Committee Chair

Matthew C. Howard, Ph.D.

Abstract

Exploring the entrepreneurial actions of firms continues to be popular in management research, whereas literature on disruptions caused by business threats in those firms is limited. The research builds on the analysis of the complex disruptions that can threaten a firm. When firms are faced with unexpected circumstances, a business threat creates an inflexion point for the organization. This study examines the influence of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and corporate social responsibility on competitive advantage and how business threats transform these relationships. EO is recognized as a multi-dimensional managerial process representing a strategic orientation. The conceptualization of EO is manifested in firms by three specific characteristics of risk-taking, proactiveness and innovation. These dimensions contribute to the evolutionary process of managing opportunities through innovation, risks, and proactively addressing organizational threats. The study includes data from 142 entrepreneurs and managers using a cross sectional survey and SmartPLS for data analysis. Findings conclude that there was not a relationship between the mediator corporate social responsibility and entrepreneurial orientation or competitive advantage. Furthermore, moderation was tested as the level of concern for business threats. The moderator revealed no effect on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and corporate social responsibility, and therefore business threats did not change the entrepreneurial actions of the firm.

Download
COinS