Validating antecedants as predictors in the entrepreneurial orientation model

D.Phil.The importance of entrepreneurship in economic development is hardly disputed since entrepreneurs launch successful businesses, which create employment, expand markets, and increase production and services, which can revitalize social and productive networks to bring vigour into communities (Luiz, 2007). Recently, empirical studies were conducted that provided evidence that supports the common understanding that Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) leads to superior Firm Performance (FP) (Covin & Zahra, 1995). EO as a topic in the entrepreneurship literature is much debated and deliberated. A plea has been made to explore the antecedents External Environment (EE), Internal Organisation (IO), firm demographics, and founder/owner/manager biographical data of EO. The key focus of this study is to provide research evidence for the predictive model EO - FP and the relationship(s) of the antecedent’s: Owner/Manager Biographics, Firm Demographics, EE, and IO factors might have with a firm’s EO – FP