Investigating the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business growth through branding

Entrepreneurial orientation is one of the most important concepts in entrepreneurship literature which has strong effects of firm performance. Also branding is introduced in marketing literature and has gained the attention of small and medium enterprises owners. Thus this research has been conducted in order to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on the business growth through branding. The current research is an applicable study in terms of purpose and is a descriptive survey in terms of gathering data method. In the first phase (library studies) the researchers devised a theoretical framework for the research constructs (entrepreneurial orientation, branding and business growth); also with regards to the fact that branding is a multi-dimensional concept, two of its main components (brand orientation and brand resources) have been employed. Then a closed-answer questionnaire was designed using Likert five point scale and was distributed among the statistical sample members (133 SME managers in Yazd industrial park). The gathered data was analyzed using SmartPLS software with the structural equation modeling approach and the proposed hypotheses were verified by factor analysis and path analysis methods. The findings show the positive and significant impact of entrepreneurial orientation on the business growth with the mediating role of branding. The paper has contribution to knowledge by integrating the entrepreneurship and marketing fields and bridging between the disciplines. The results act as a guide for the practitioners and actors in the industry by showing them how to better steer their businesses and gain competitive advantage over their fellow competitors in the market.