PurposeThe primary goal of this paper is to develop a conceptual model that addresses how market, entrepreneurial and brand orientation influence the performance of different types of social entrepreneurial organisations (SEOs) with different founders and in different markets.
Design/methodology/approachThis is essentially a conceptual paper that integrates three main specifications regarding the broader concept of strategic orientation (market, brand and entrepreneurial orientation) in a single framework.
FindingsIn this paper, a framework about the nature of market, entrepreneurial and brand orientation is developed. It is argued that these orientations consist of a cultural and a behavioural layer, and an influence of the cultural layer on the behavioural layer is proposed. It is also proposed that all strategic orientations influence the performance of an SEO, which consists of the dimensions of economic survival, social effectiveness and institutional legitimacy. The framework implicitly suggests that an SEO could follow several strategic orientations -to a different degree -at the same time.