Entrepreneurial Orientation and Survival of SME Manufacturing Companies in River State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT: The practice of entrepreneurial orientation facilitates the achievement of high input in muchorganization worldwide. Despite the effort of the Federal government of Nigeria to promote entrepreneurshipby removing regulatory barriers, many entrepreneur in the manufacturing sector in Rivers State frequentlysuffered decline in performance. However this study examines entrepreneurial orientation and performance ofselected SMEs manufacturing companies in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria. Survey research design wasadopted for the study with a population of 450 employees sampled from 15 indigenous SMEs manufacturingcompanies in Port Harcourt. Questionnaire Research instrument was adopted who reliability was determinedby using Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. Convenient and random sampling technique was utilized to obtain thesample size. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings of the studyrevealed a positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientations and performance of selected SMEsmanufacturing companies in Port Harcourt. The study concluded by identifying a significant and positiverelationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance of selected SMEs manufacturingcompanies in Port Harcourt. Based on the finding, the study recommended for owners/managers of SMEsmanufacturing companies in Port Harcourt to be proactive and engage in regular innovation within the firmlevel in an effort to improve on performance.

Keyword: Entrepreneurial Orientation, Proactiveness innovativeness, risk taking and Firm Performance.