Title: Female entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance: with special reference to Sri Lanka

Authors: H.M.T.S. Herath

Addresses: Department of Commerce and Financial Management, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine how entrepreneurial orientation influences firm performance of female entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. The proposed conceptual model delineates the direct relationship between innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking, autonomy and competitive aggressiveness - the five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation - and firm performance of female-owned entrepreneurial firms. This study used a randomly selected sample of 267 female-owned entrepreneurial firms in Sri Lanka to test the hypothesised relationships between the constructs; structural equation modelling was performed. The findings of this study confirmed that entrepreneurial orientation has a positive effect on firm performance of female-owned entrepreneurial firms in Sri Lanka. Particularly, findings confirm that all five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking, autonomy and competitive aggressiveness) have a positive impact on the performance of these firms. Thus, entrepreneurial orientation is a mechanism and a strategy for the success and the survival of female-owned entrepreneurial firms.

Keywords: female-entrepreneurs; proactiveness; entrepreneurial orientation; firm performance; innovativeness; risk-taking; autonomy; competitive aggressiveness.

DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2023.127259

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2023 Vol.19 No.1/2, pp.157 - 173

Received: 15 Oct 2020
Accepted: 25 Feb 2021
Published online: 30 Nov 2022 *

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