Entrepreneurial orientation as a mediator of the environmental hostility to the persistence of nascent enterprises' relationship

Purpose The current study investigated the relationship between environmental hostility and the persistence of nascent enterprises and tested the mediation effect of entrepreneurial orientation (innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking). Design/methodology/approach The study utilized data from a sample of 313 owners and managers of nascent enterprises in Nigeria in testing for the relationship among the variables, and also a parallel mediation involving innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking for the mediation effect. Findings This study found that environmental hostility has a positive but insignificant impact on the persistence of nascent enterprises, but entrepreneurial orientation (innovativeness) mediated this link. Originality/value Thus, entrepreneurial orientation assists in explaining the link between environmental hostility and the persistence of nascent enterprises.