Volume 12, Issue 2 (12-2025)
J Entrepreneurial Strategies Agric 2025, 12(2): 144-157 |
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Ahmadi A, Shafiepour D, Agh Tabai M. (2025). Toward Empowering Greenhouse Growers Amid Change: An Analysis of Influential Behavioral and Environmental Factors. J Entrepreneurial Strategies Agric. 12(2), 144-157. doi:10.61882/jea.2025.444
URL: http://jea.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-444-en.html
URL: http://jea.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-444-en.html
1- Department of Business Management, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
2- Department of Public Administration, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
3- Master of Management, Payame Noor University, Sari, Iran
2- Department of Public Administration, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
3- Master of Management, Payame Noor University, Sari, Iran
Abstract: (196 Views)
Background: In the challenging and dynamic conditions of the global economy, small and medium-sized enterprises are recognized as the backbone of economic growth and job creation. Despite the vital role of these companies, especially in developing countries, they face obstacles such as a lack of infrastructure, weak management knowledge, limited resources, and unstable business environments. In the meantime, entrepreneurial orientation, as a strategic approach, plays a key role in enabling these companies to survive and grow. Entrepreneurial orientation helps organizations to identify and pursue new paths of value creation by strengthening innovation, foresight, and risk-taking. However, the way in which entrepreneurial orientation affects company performance is not always uniform and is affected by numerous mediating and moderating variables. In this regard, entrepreneurial competencies, as a set of skills, knowledge, and individual and organizational attitudes, play an important mediating role in transforming entrepreneurial orientation into improved performance. On the other hand, environmental dynamics, as a contingency factor, can change the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance. Previous studies have mainly focused on directly examining the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on performance, and the mediating role of entrepreneurial competencies and the moderating role of environmental dynamics have received less attention, especially in the agricultural sector of Iran, which has its own economic structure. In the meantime, greenhouse owners in Gonbad County, as one of the most important active groups in this field, face unique opportunities and challenges. Accordingly, the present study aimed to measure the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on the performance of greenhouse owners in Gonbad County with the mediating role of entrepreneurial competencies and the moderating role of environmental dynamics. This study seeks to answer a fundamental question: whether entrepreneurial orientation can improve greenhouse farmers' performance through entrepreneurial competencies and under the influence of environmental conditions.
Methods: This applied research was conducted with a descriptive-survey approach and a quantitative method. The research model was designed based on a causal model in which entrepreneurial orientation was considered a predictor variable, business performance as a criterion variable, entrepreneurial competencies as a mediator variable, and environmental dynamics as a moderator variable. The statistical population of the study included 150 greenhouse farmers active in Gonbad Kavous County in 2024. The total sampling method was used due to the limitation of the population. The data collection tool was a standard questionnaire including entrepreneurial orientation with nine items, entrepreneurial competencies with five items, environmental dynamics with sis items, and business performance with seven items. SPSS 25 and SmartPLS 3 software were used to analyze the data with structural equation modeling. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed using expert opinions, and convergent and discriminant validity was confirmed through factor analysis. The reliability of the tools was examined using Cronbach's alpha, which was reported to be higher than 0.70 for all variables. The quality of determination and prediction coefficient was used to determine the reliability of the structural model. The results showed that entrepreneurial orientation explained 68.1% of the variance in entrepreneurial competencies. In total, entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial competencies, and environmental dynamics explained 94.6% of the variance in business performance. The quality prediction values for entrepreneurial competencies (0.42) and business performance (0.710) indicated the strong predictive power of the model. The overall model fit index was also calculated at 0.723, indicating the strong predictive quality of the model.
Results: The hypothesis analysis showed the following results. 1) The direct effect of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance was positive and significant (β = 0.272, p < 0.001), which is consistent with previous studies and emphasizes that organizations with higher entrepreneurial orientation perform better. 2) The direct effect of entrepreneurial orientation on entrepreneurial competencies was strong and significant (β = 0.825, p < 0.001), indicating that entrepreneurial orientation was a prerequisite for the development of entrepreneurial competencies in greenhouse farmers. 3) The direct effect of entrepreneurial competencies on business performance was positive and significant (β = 0.265, p < 0.001), which highlights the importance of entrepreneurial competencies in improving performance. 4) Analysis of the mediating role of entrepreneurial competencies showed that this variable played a partial mediating role in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance (indirect β = 0.219, p < 0.001). Moreover, about 44.6 percent of the total effect of entrepreneurial orientation on performance was transmitted through entrepreneurial competencies. 5) Analysis of the moderating role of environmental dynamics showed that environmental dynamics moderated the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business performance (moderated β = 0.094, p < 0.001), meaning that the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on performance is strengthened in dynamic environments.
Conclusion: This study, in response to the need for previous research and in the vacuum of applied studies in the agricultural sector of Iran, provides new empirical evidence. The results show that entrepreneurial orientation directly and indirectly (through entrepreneurial competencies) improves the performance of greenhouse farmers. Entrepreneurial competencies are a key factor in translating entrepreneurial orientation into performance advantages. Environmental dynamics, as a contingency variable, amplify the intensity of these effects. From an operational perspective, greenhouse operators and policymakers can improve their business performance by strengthening entrepreneurial orientation through the development of innovation, foresight, and risk-taking, cultivating entrepreneurial competencies through training and empowerment, and adopting flexible strategies appropriate to environmental dynamics. At a theoretical level, this study contributes to the enrichment of the scientific literature by better understanding the mechanisms of entrepreneurial orientation's impact on performance in agricultural fields and in emerging economies.
Methods: This applied research was conducted with a descriptive-survey approach and a quantitative method. The research model was designed based on a causal model in which entrepreneurial orientation was considered a predictor variable, business performance as a criterion variable, entrepreneurial competencies as a mediator variable, and environmental dynamics as a moderator variable. The statistical population of the study included 150 greenhouse farmers active in Gonbad Kavous County in 2024. The total sampling method was used due to the limitation of the population. The data collection tool was a standard questionnaire including entrepreneurial orientation with nine items, entrepreneurial competencies with five items, environmental dynamics with sis items, and business performance with seven items. SPSS 25 and SmartPLS 3 software were used to analyze the data with structural equation modeling. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed using expert opinions, and convergent and discriminant validity was confirmed through factor analysis. The reliability of the tools was examined using Cronbach's alpha, which was reported to be higher than 0.70 for all variables. The quality of determination and prediction coefficient was used to determine the reliability of the structural model. The results showed that entrepreneurial orientation explained 68.1% of the variance in entrepreneurial competencies. In total, entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial competencies, and environmental dynamics explained 94.6% of the variance in business performance. The quality prediction values for entrepreneurial competencies (0.42) and business performance (0.710) indicated the strong predictive power of the model. The overall model fit index was also calculated at 0.723, indicating the strong predictive quality of the model.
Results: The hypothesis analysis showed the following results. 1) The direct effect of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance was positive and significant (β = 0.272, p < 0.001), which is consistent with previous studies and emphasizes that organizations with higher entrepreneurial orientation perform better. 2) The direct effect of entrepreneurial orientation on entrepreneurial competencies was strong and significant (β = 0.825, p < 0.001), indicating that entrepreneurial orientation was a prerequisite for the development of entrepreneurial competencies in greenhouse farmers. 3) The direct effect of entrepreneurial competencies on business performance was positive and significant (β = 0.265, p < 0.001), which highlights the importance of entrepreneurial competencies in improving performance. 4) Analysis of the mediating role of entrepreneurial competencies showed that this variable played a partial mediating role in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance (indirect β = 0.219, p < 0.001). Moreover, about 44.6 percent of the total effect of entrepreneurial orientation on performance was transmitted through entrepreneurial competencies. 5) Analysis of the moderating role of environmental dynamics showed that environmental dynamics moderated the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business performance (moderated β = 0.094, p < 0.001), meaning that the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on performance is strengthened in dynamic environments.
Conclusion: This study, in response to the need for previous research and in the vacuum of applied studies in the agricultural sector of Iran, provides new empirical evidence. The results show that entrepreneurial orientation directly and indirectly (through entrepreneurial competencies) improves the performance of greenhouse farmers. Entrepreneurial competencies are a key factor in translating entrepreneurial orientation into performance advantages. Environmental dynamics, as a contingency variable, amplify the intensity of these effects. From an operational perspective, greenhouse operators and policymakers can improve their business performance by strengthening entrepreneurial orientation through the development of innovation, foresight, and risk-taking, cultivating entrepreneurial competencies through training and empowerment, and adopting flexible strategies appropriate to environmental dynamics. At a theoretical level, this study contributes to the enrichment of the scientific literature by better understanding the mechanisms of entrepreneurial orientation's impact on performance in agricultural fields and in emerging economies.
Keywords: Entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial competencies, environmental dynamics, business performance, greenhouse operators
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