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1-s2.0-s2213297x24000053-main_1
Journal article

Entrepreneurial cooperatives: The impact of entrepreneurial orientation on economic and social performance

BP2-STS

  • Löffel, Ueli ORCID Institute for Research on Management of Associations, Foundations and Cooperatives, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Gmür, Markus ORCID Institute for Research on Management of Associations, Foundations and Cooperatives, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
  • 2024
Published in:
  • Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management. - Elsevier BV. - 2024, vol. 12, no. 1
Entrepreneurial orientation
Performance
Cooperatives
Structural Equation Modelling (PLS)
English Although most SMEs are corporations, a substantial proportion are cooperatives and direct competitors in the same business areas. Cooperatives are an organizational alternative combining the ingredients for a sustainable and equal economy in its business model. However, they are often alleged to be inefficient and structurally inert compared to corporations. It is not clear how cooperatives manage to be innovative and efficient, given the characteristics of the cooperative model. Furthermore, there is a lack of understanding how an entrepreneurial orientation (EO) helps them to perform in competition. This study theoretically and empirically examines whether cooperatives benefit from EO in their multi-dimensional goal system. Additionally, the study asks how cooperative-specific collective characteristics relate to EO and performance. Using cross-sectoral data of 368 cooperatives in Switzerland and applying structural equation modelling (PLS), the results show that EO is significantly and positively linked to economic performance. Inter- and intraorganizational cooperation is
associated with higher levels of EO and indirectly affects performance through EO. The results suggest that cooperatives, like other SMEs, benefit from EO in competition and can take advantage of cooperative-specific characteristics.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences économiques et sociales et du management
Language
  • English
License
CC BY
Open access status
hybrid
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/328665
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