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Abstract
This dissertation explores the association between Founder Social Identity and the twoleading component measures of market orientation: customer and competitor orientation. Using
the typology of entrepreneurial identities developed by Fauchart and Gruber, this study
empirically examines how the degree by which individuals are driven by social motivations
captured by the darwinian, communitarian, and missionary founder social identity types predicts
the degree by which entrepreneurs enact a customer and competitor orientation. To test this,
data was collected from 492 entrepreneurs of small to medium size enterprises across all
industries. Results suggest that the social motivations captured by the darwinian founder social
identity type are positively related to customer and competitor orientation, the social
motivations captured by the communitarian founder social identity type are positively related to
competitor orientation, and that the degree to which an individual aligns with the missionary
founder social identity type is positively related to customer orientation. These findings extend
prior literature suggesting that the social motivations that drive entrepreneurship impact
business processes and outcomes by demonstrating their link to key marketing activities.