PurposeConsidering that context is important and relying on a contingency perspective, the purpose of the study is to analyze the relationship between an entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance in one of the world's oldest economies: Italy. The contingency perspective relies on competitive strategy as a moderating variable.Design/methodology/approachUsing a mix of primary and secondary data sources, relationships are explored in a sample of 229 Italian for-profit firms. Moderated regression analysis is used for the sample and additional tests are conducted by firm size groupings.FindingsThe analysis suggests that an EO is positively associated with firm performance in the sample firms. Further, competitive strategy acts as a moderating influence: a low-cost strategy negatively influences the relationship, while a differentiation strategy positively influences the relationship. The firm size groupings do not appear to affect the results.Research limitations/implicationsThe study examines only for-profit firms in a single country, Italy; therefore, generalizability is limited. The results must be interpreted in light of these limitations.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by considering a relatively new international context in the EO–firm performance relationship. Further, a new contingency perspective is advanced by considering competitive strategy. In doing so, this study extends an understanding of the conditions under which an EO might be associated with firm performance.

Resilience to increasingly frequent extreme weather events from climate change is of concern in many industries, especially those in the agricultural sector. This qualitative study utilizes interviews with 38 dairy farmers in New Zealand, observations recorded on site and archival documents to examine retention–enactment–selection sensemaking microprocesses thematically, and to show how sensemaking enables and constrains resilience. We found that farmers have achieved organizational resilience to extreme weather patterns during the decade to 2014 that is benign to belief in climate change; that adaptation to climate change can be anticipatory; and that social relationships in rural communities are instrumental to building organizational resilience. The implication for farmers and policy‐makers is that resilience can be built by local members of rural communities in places that are familiar to them—a phenomenon we introduce as “community sensegiving.” Future research directions using place‐based research approaches and sensemaking concepts to build resilience are offered.

No abstract

Demonstration of environmental sustainability is increasingly seen as important to gaining legitimacy, consumer favour and competitive advantage for service firms. To explore this prospect further, we employed resource‐based theories to study the effect of a proactive environmental strategy (PES) on environmental practices. We argue that the relationship between a PES and environmental practices is positive yet contingent on the perceived importance of information. Using a sample of 2686 service firms from the third Taiwanese Technological Innovation Survey, we found that a PES was positively associated with environmental practices and that perceived external information value positively moderated the PES–environmental practices relationship while perceived internal information value had an insignificant interaction effect. Additional tests provide deeper insight into our predicted relationships. The study makes theoretical, empirical and managerial contributions.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to test the effects of climate change, as manifested in both temperature and rainfall changes, on adaptive practices in a sample of wine firms operating in South Australia. Given that firms’ adaptation to the external environment can be advanced through effective internal learning systems, a further purpose was to explore the moderating effect of absorptive capacity. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a survey as well as secondary sources to collect data. Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. To test the robustness of the results, alternative measures of temperature and rainfall changes were used. Findings By studying 207 wine firms, the analysis suggests that climate change is significantly and positively associated with adaptive practices. Further, as hypothesized, absorptive capacity positively moderates both relationships. Research limitations/implications The use of a single industry in a specific location limits the generalizability of the results. Implications suggest that when the effects of climate change are considered the natural environment might be accorded salient stakeholder status. Further, when absorptive capacity is high, firms appear to adapt to climate change at a greater rate, suggesting that internal learning systems are important. Originality/value This is one the few studies in the business literature that considers the effects of actual physical changes in the natural environment on firm behaviour. Further, the paper is one of the few to incorporate natural stakeholder-based theory as a means of exploring climate change. The research paves the way for future studies of responses to such changes.