UNLOCKING ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION ON SMEs PERFORMANCE IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study unlocked the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on performance of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Anambra State, Nigeria. Five specific objectives, research questions and hypotheses were formulated with the decomposed variables of the study. A descriptive survey design was carried out using the sampled managers and business owners in the selected SMEs. The study population was 350 while the sample size was 312. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire. The data using descriptive statistics (distribution tables, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation co-efficient and regression analysis) were used in this study. The study revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation dimensions (entrepreneurial risk-taking, entrepreneurial proactiveness, entrepreneurial competitive aggressiveness, entrepreneurial innovation, entrepreneurial autonomy on SMEs performance in Anambra State, Nigeria. The study concluded that entrepreneurial-oriented firms have a tendency to be an industry leader with innovations, by doing things in better ways that better satisfy customers and give the company a competitive edge. The study recommended that Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should critically review business opportunities before committing the firm’s resources. Also, small and medium enterprises should use social network to identify new uses for their products, and to ascertain the best way to serve the interest of the target customers.