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The influence of entrepreneurial culture and organizational learning on entrepreneurial orientation: the case of new technology-based firms in Iran

Yasaman Yazdanpanah (Department of Economics and Art Entrepreneurship, Isfahan University of Art, Esfahan, Iran)
Mohamad Taghi Toghraee (Department of Economics and Art Entrepreneurship, Isfahan University of Art, Esfahan, Iran)
Aidin Salamzadeh (Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran)
Jonathan M. Scott (Waikato Management School, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand)
Ramo Palalić (Department of Management, College of Economics and Political Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman)

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research

ISSN: 1355-2554

Article publication date: 2 May 2023

Issue publication date: 16 May 2023

277

Abstract

Purpose

This paper explores how entrepreneurial culture (EC) and organizational learning (OL) determine the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of new technology-based firms (NTBFs). These NTBFs are located in Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT), Iran. These entities face substantial challenges in a highly-sanctioned economy, which makes adopting, acquiring or transferring new technologies daunting.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyzes a sample of 200 NTBFs. The participants were trained chief executive officers and observed by applying pre-test and post-test designs. As a final step, empirical data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed accordingly. The structural equation modeling (SEM) with the partial least squares (PLS) approach was used by the SmartPLS2 software.

Findings

OL was found to mediate the relationship between EC and EO in the studied NTBFs. Additionally, the indirect effect of EC on EO and the direct impact of OL on EO were significant (=1.96). Therefore, this study focuses on selected NTBFs within Iran's particular and distinctive context.

Research limitations/implications

This study has several limitations. These were the time consuming nature, the lack of cooperation by managers and the COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges. Nonetheless, the findings offer several important implications for practitioners, scholars and policymakers.

Originality/value

The paper sought to explore how EC and OL determine EO in Iranian NTBFs. It, thus, investigates the case of a highly-sanctioned context during the coronavirus pandemic, which imposed several basic and technological limitations on their practices.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors claim no potential conflict of interest in the research nor any support from a third party.

Citation

Yazdanpanah, Y., Toghraee, M.T., Salamzadeh, A., Scott, J.M. and Palalić, R. (2023), "The influence of entrepreneurial culture and organizational learning on entrepreneurial orientation: the case of new technology-based firms in Iran", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 29 No. 5, pp. 1181-1203. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-03-2022-0310

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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