Strategic orientations and marketing performance among women entrepreneurs: a resource-based view from micro and small enterprises in regional India

This study examines the relationships between Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), Market Orientation (MO), Competitive Advantage (CA), networking (NW), and Marketing Performance (MP) among women-led micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in the Dakshina Kannada District of India. Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, structural equation modeling with SmartPLS 4 was used to analyze direct, indirect, and moderated pathways within the proposed model. The results indicate that while EO does not directly enhance CA, MO significantly strengthens it, enabling more effective networking and improving marketing performance. Serial mediation was supported for the MO → CA → NW → MP pathway, whereas the EO–MP linkage remained statistically insignificant. Additionally, education and marital status moderated several strategic relationships, demonstrating the role of socio-demographic conditions in shaping entrepreneurial effectiveness. The main contribution of this study is the empirical validation of a context-specific model that reveals how market orientation, competitive advantage, and networking jointly convert internal strategic capabilities into marketing performance in women-led MSEs. By uncovering the serial mediating mechanisms and boundary conditions that influence these effects, this study advances the theoretical understanding of the contextual embeddedness of women’s entrepreneurship in semi-urban and transitional regions. These findings offer actionable implications for policymakers and practitioners seeking to strengthen the strategic capacity of women entrepreneurs.