The mediating role of SMEs’ performance in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and access to finance

Access to bank credit is one of the major concerns of SMEs in their survival. To reduce their concerns, SMEs’ entrepreneurial attitudes that are the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) might provide them some opportunities. This is because EO increases financial performance of SMEs, which is positively perceived by banks when making credit decision. In this regard, this paper aims to examine the mediating role of the performance of SMEs in the relationship between EO and access to bank finance. In parallel with this purpose, the paper analyzes 479 SMEs that operate in Turkey. To measure the mediating role of firm performance, Andrew Hayes’ process macro for binary dependent variable was employed by the researcher. According to the results, while performance mediates the relationship between innovativeness-access to finance and risk-taking access to bank finance, it does not mediate the relationships between proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness, autonomy, and access to finance.