TY - JOUR T1 - Mediating Role of Competitive Advantage on the Relationship Between Entrepreneurial Orientation and the Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises AU - Nura Ibrahim, Naala Mohammad AU - Mahmood, Rosli JO - International Business Management VL - 10 IS - 12 SP - 2444 EP - 2452 PY - 2016 DA - 2001/08/19 SN - 1993-5250 DO - ibm.2016.2444.2452 UR - https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=ibm.2016.2444.2452 KW - Entrepreneurial orientation KW -competitive advantage KW -SMEs performance KW -Nigeria AB - In recent years, the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is generating a vast amount of argument among practitioners, researchers, educators and policymakers. Therefore, this study examined the influence of entrepreneurial orientation and competitive advantage on SMEs performance in Nigeria. It also examined whether competitive advantage mediates the relation between entrepreneurial orientation and performance of SMEs. Self-administered questionnaires were employed to collect data from the total of 283 respondents from SMEs in Kano, North Western Nigeria. This study used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling for data analysis and hypotheses testing. The results indicates significance and positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and SMEs performance. Similarly, the result indicate a significance positive relationship between competitive advantage and performance. Entrepreneur’s orientations and competitive advantage are important drivers of firm performance. The findings further shown as expected, competitive advantage mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and the performance of SMEs. As implication, the study contributes to resource-based view theory from Nigerian context and offers some suggestions to policymakers. ER -