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آیین نامه اجرایی قانون پیگیری و مقابله با تقلب در تهیه آثار علمی

Investigating the role of entrepreneurial orientation in strengthening the performance of firms in tourism industry

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of the Management Department of Humanities and Cultural Studies Research Institute, Tehran, Iran

2 Ph.D. in Management, Tehran University

3 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

In recent years, the economic potential of the tourism industry has attracted the attention of economic players. Studying the performance of active businesses in this industry and identifying effective factors in it has become more important. One of the variables that have been studied in this regard has been entrepreneurial orientation. Most studies have shown that entrepreneurial orientation positively affects performance as a unidimensional construct. However, scholars have urged to investigate the effects of the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation on performance separately due to the existence of contradictory results and different conceptualizations. Moreover, adding other variables as moderators or mediators of this relationship has been helpful. In the present research, the effects of innovativeness, proactiveness, and riskiness on the performance of Iran's tourism sector firms, considering the mediating effect of marketing capabilities and the moderating effect of learning culture, have been studied.
Introduction
Despite the vast potential of tourism in Iran, this industry has yet to grow enough. One of the reasons for this is the conditions of the enterprises working in this sector. Growth occurs when companies make a profit and capital increase becomes possible. The profits of travel agencies in Iran are usually low, and their managers need help to grow their businesses. Managing these firms is a critical factor in their success, and understanding how travel agencies in Iran can perform better than their competitors is of major importance.
The strategic management domain is concerned with studying how organizations grow. Various factors can have an impact on the performance of firms. Among them, strategic orientations can be named. Entrepreneurial orientation is one of the major strategic orientations. Many empirical studies have shown that firms with entrepreneurial orientation have high-performance levels.
The question is how entrepreneurial orientation can affect performance. Drawing on the capability theory of the firm, we study how the entrepreneurial orientation strengthens organizational capabilities, including marketing capabilities, and these capabilities affect performance. Marketing capabilities are organizational capabilities that target current and potential customers of the firm and encompass functions such as pricing, promotion, distribution, product/service development, communications, and marketing planning.
Contextual factors such as organizational culture should also be taken into account. Companies have different characteristics that reflect their culture.  This research studied the effects of entrepreneurial orientation and learning culture on business performance with the mediating effect of marketing capabilities.
Methods
This study looks at travel agencies in Teheran and uses a questionnaire to gather data. The survey has been piloted to ensure the questions are clear and comprehensible. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized for data analysis. The Partial Least Squares (PLS) method was used because its characteristics have led to its increasing application in strategy and entrepreneurship research. One hundred three surveys were collected from travel agency managers in Teheran.
Results
The survey results indicate that proactiveness and innovativeness significantly impact and marketing capabilities mediate this relationship. The impact of riskiness on performance is not significant. In addition, although the moderating effect of the learning culture is not confirmed, its positive effect, as an independent variable on marketing capacities, is significant.
Conclusion
This study aims to evaluate the connection between research variables in the tourism sector of Iran through the use of the capability theory of the firm. The results indicate that the performance of travel agency firms is influenced by the resources and capabilities of firms. The managers of these firms are involved with the day-to-day administration of their firms’ issues. They need to pay more attention to their business’s innovative, proactive, and risky nature, which may impact their performance. This research emphasizes the role of strategic orientation, capabilities, and cultural dimensions in improving business performance. The sample of this research is limited to the managers of the travel agencies and the geographical area of Tehran in Iran. Therefore, prospective researchers may conduct studies in other industries and geographic areas. They may also utilize larger samples. Future research may explore the role of other cultural dimensions in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance. Prospective researchers may also study the role of several marketing capabilities separately in mediating the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on performance.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Tourism Management Studies
Volume 18, Issue 63
September 2023
Pages 193-228
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