Entrepreneurial Orientation, Network Ties, and Performance of Women-Owned Enterprises in South East Nigeria

This research empirically investigates the moderating role of network ties in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and the performance of women-owned enterprises in South East Nigeria, covering Anambra, Imo, and Abia states. Women-owned enterprises in this region face unique resource access constraints where social and business networks play critical roles in compensating for formal institutional deficiencies. A quantitative survey design was employed with 195 women entrepreneurs as respondents. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test moderation hypotheses. The study evaluates EO dimensions of innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness against performance measured through revenue growth, employment creation, and market expansion, with business network ties and social network ties as moderating variables. Findings reveal that risk-taking and proactiveness exert stronger performance effects when moderated by strong business network ties, while innovativeness benefits more from social network richness. The combination of high EO and dense network ties produces multiplicative performance outcomes rather than merely additive effects, suggesting network embeddedness amplifies the entrepreneurial performance mechanism. These findings extend EO theory and social capital theory into the women's enterprise context in South East Nigeria. Policy recommendations include strengthening women's business associations, developing structured network facilitation programmes, and integrating network capital development into women's enterprise support services. Keywords: entrepreneurial orientation, network ties, women-owned enterprises, performance, South East Nigeria.