%0 Journal Article
%T Small Business Orientation: A Construct Proposal
%A Jeffrey G. Covin
%A Rodney C. Runyan
%J Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
%@ 1540-6520
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/1042258718807171
%X Entrepreneurship and small business management literatures diverged decades ago, with the former receiving the bulk of subsequent scholarly attention. The concept of a small business orientation (SBO) has not been widely and consistently employed in the literature. We present a conceptual framework aimed at clarifying the construct of SBO, and conceptualize SBO as a firm size- and age-independent phenomenon operating at the individual level, and reflecting manager values about how the business ought to be conducted. We discuss the values-based derivation of SBO, identify elements of this multidimensional construct, its likely consequences, and propose future research directions
%K small business orientation
%K owner-manager values
%K theory
%K entrepreneurship
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1042258718807171