Exploring the link between entrepreneurial passion and SMEs retailers’ performance: The role of exploration and exploitation under different cultural contexts

This examination aims to explore the impact of various aspects of entrepreneurial passion (EP) on SMEs retailers' performance through exploration (EXP) and exploitation (EXT) under different cultural contexts. Data were gathered from four various societies (i.e., U.K., China, UAE, and Egypt) to evaluate the links between the research factors. Our analysis revealed that both passion for inventing (PI) and passion for developing (PD) are positively associated to SMEs retailers' performance and these relationships are stronger in developed countries comparing with developing countries. However, SMEs retailers’ performance is not influenced by passion for founding (PF). The results also indicated that exploration and exploitation play a mediating role on these relationships. Our research offers meaningful implications for theory and practice.