**H2:** *Risk-taking orientation is positively related to business performance*.

#### *3.3. Proactiveness*

Proactiveness can be regarded as a pre-responsive behavior of an individual forecasting future new opportunities or challenges. As per Rauch et al., [45] proactiveness in business is "an opportunity-seeking, forward-looking perspective characterized by the introduction of new products and services ahead of the competition and acting in anticipation of future demand". It is a market leader behavior other than follower [2] in which identifying and evaluating new opportunities and monitoring market trends are involved [66] to seize new markets and to be well advanced compared to the competitors.

The relationship between organizational performance and proactiveness among firms are found in the different study and no study observed to be negative so far. However, on which level it is important is debatable. Proactiveness at early growth stages exposed a positive effect on organizational performance [62], and this association prolongs as the

venture ages. As venture ages, the higher is the impact of proactiveness on business performance [2]. The highest strength of correlation between proactiveness and organizational performance was found when compared with other EO dimensions [39,62].
