**3. Hypothesis derivation**

Zahra and Garvis [19] argued that operating successfully in the global market requires creativity, ingenuity and risk-taking. In the process of international expansion, firms need to learn and use different skills from those used in their domestic markets, and this requires experimentation and risk-taking. Thus, when firm intends to internationalise, EO can be a competitive advantage, either in existing markets or in new markets (e.g. [8, 31]).

With regard to the individual dimensions of EO, previous research suggests that each can have a universal positive influence on performance [14], and it increases the commitment to innovation, which contributes, for example, to the creation of new products and services, the search for new opportunities and new markets (e.g. [8, 17]). Hence, innovative companies, creating and introducing new products and technologies, can generate higher economic performance and are seen as engines of economic growth [32]. Proactive companies can create first-movers advantage, target premium market segments, charge high prices and reach the market ahead of competitors [31]. The link between risk-taking and performance is less obvious. However, while good or effective strategies may lead to high performance, risky strategies leading to performance variation—because some projects fail while others succeed—may be more profitable in the long term [14].

*H1: Entrepreneurial orientation is positively associated with export performance.*
