Abstract:
This paper examines the mediating effect of ecologies of innovation on
the relationship between entrepreneurial networking and opportunity exploitation
among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Uganda. The study design was a
cross-sectional survey, data were analysed using SPSS and Analysis of Moment
Structure on a sample of 228 SMEs. The mediated model provides support for the
hypothesis that ecologies of innovation partially mediate the relationship between
entrepreneurial networking and opportunity exploitation. This confirms that the
presence of ecologies of innovation significantly acts as a conduit in the association
between entrepreneurial networking and opportunity exploitation. The practical implications are that opportunity exploitation can be understood and predicted
through ecologies of innovation, entrepreneurial networking can also predict
opportunity exploitation directly. Business owners and managers need to fully
understand and utilise the ecologies of innovation to exploit opportunities effec tively. Social implications, a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurial net working and ecologies of innovation affect employee relations will not be fully
realised until employers create a platform for rational thinking, creativity and
learning about this interaction. This study utilises social network theory to extend
the existing research on opportunity exploitation.
