The mediating role of competitive strategy in international entrepreneurial orientation

This study analyzes the mediating effect of competitive strategy on international entrepreneurial orientation and international performance in family businesses by using two research methods: the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique (174 firms), and the fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) (25 firms). This dual methodological approach constitutes in itself a great contribution, allowing validating the robustness of the model, and, thanks to the fsQCA method, to overcome the shortcomings of the PLS-SEM. This study reveals that the influence of the international entrepreneurial orientation on international performance improves with the adoption of a competitive strategy, and that innovation is a necessary condition for competitive strategy to exert a mediating effect. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.