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A firm's marketing orientation and entrepreneurial orientation intuitively should relate to organizational performance. Considerable theory can be found concerning the causes and consequences of each orientation as well as their relationship, but little empirical evidence exists, especially for small-firm samples. This paper examines the relationship between the two concepts and how this relationship is moderated by the firm's external environment. In addition, the relationship of marketing orientation and entrepreneurial orientation to firm performance and the moderating effects of the environment on these two relationships are examined. The sample consists of entrepreneurs, defined as those individuals who have started or purchased a small business, and who are still leading the business they started or purchased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sample of 215 small company presidents, this study examined the relationship of the president's proactivity disposition to his/her entrepreneurial behavior. Entrepreneurial behavior was measured in terms of starting versus not starting the business, the number of startups, and the types of ownership (start, purchase, inherit). The relationships of proactivity to the firm's entrepreneurial posture, its performance, and the extent of the president's delegation of authority were also examined. The president's level of proactivity was related to each of three types of entrepreneurial behavior. Proactivity was directly and significantly related to the entrepreneurial posture of the firm and to change in sales of the firm. No relationship was found between proactivity and change in profits or delegation-of-authority style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]