Small Business Orientation: A Construct Proposal

Rodney C. Runyan and Jeffrey G. Covin

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 2019, vol. 43, issue 3, 529-552

Abstract: Entrepreneurship and small business management literatures diverged decades ago, with the former receiving the bulk of subsequent scholarly attention. The concept of a small business orientation (SBO) has not been widely and consistently employed in the literature. We present a conceptual framework aimed at clarifying the construct of SBO, and conceptualize SBO as a firm size- and age-independent phenomenon operating at the individual level, and reflecting manager values about how the business ought to be conducted. We discuss the values-based derivation of SBO, identify elements of this multidimensional construct, its likely consequences, and propose future research directions.

Keywords: small business orientation; owner-manager values; theory; entrepreneurship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:entthe:v:43:y:2019:i:3:p:529-552

DOI: 10.1177/1042258718807171

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