A comparative analysis of the entrepreneurial orientation/growth relationship in service firms and manufacturing firms

This article builds on the recently increasingly mentioned notion that entrepreneurship in the service sector is a worthwhile, but clearly underresearched topic. Using a sample of 1,612 small- and medium-size enterprises from the four German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Service industries journal Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 275 - 294
Main Authors Rigtering, J.P. Coen, Kraus, Sascha, Eggers, Fabian, Jensen, Søren H.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Routledge 12.03.2014
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Comparative analysis
entrepreneurial orientation
Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship
growth
Manufacturers
Organizational behavior
Service industries
Small & medium sized enterprises-SME
Studies
Austria
Switzerland
Germany
Liechtenstein
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Summary:This article builds on the recently increasingly mentioned notion that entrepreneurship in the service sector is a worthwhile, but clearly underresearched topic. Using a sample of 1,612 small- and medium-size enterprises from the four German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, and using structural equation modeling, this article finds that service firms have a significantly higher entrepreneurial orientation (EO) than manufacturing firms - both on the overall level as well as for each of the three sub-categories proactiveness, innovativeness, and risk-taking. With regards to the positive relationship between a firm's EO and its growth aspirations, nevertheless, no significant differences could be identified. Accordingly, this study shows that EO is a strategic orientation of highest value for service firms as well, under the premise of growth-orientation.
ISSN:0264-2069
1743-9507
DOI:10.1080/02642069.2013.778978