This research aims to examine the relationships among Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), Locus of Control (LOC), and the Resource-Based View (RBV) in determining the business success of agricultural entrepreneurs in Chiang Mai and Lamphun provinces. A quantitative approach was employed, collecting data from 400 agricultural entrepreneurs through multistage random sampling. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis with Jamovi software.
The findings reveal that at least one dimension of EO—creativity, risk-taking, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness, or autonomy—significantly influences agricultural business success (supporting Hypothesis 1). Interestingly, innovativeness was found to have a negative relationship with business success in some cases, highlighting the importance of contextual factors specific to Thai agriculture.
Regarding RBV, financial capital, human resources, physical assets, and social capital were identified as key resources contributing to business success. Among them, financial resources and physical assets demonstrated the strongest positive effects (supporting Hypothesis 2).
In terms of LOC, entrepreneurs with an internal locus of control (believing that success depends on one’s own effort) showed a positive association with business success, whereas reliance on an external locus of control (believing in luck or external factors) indicated a negative effect (supporting Hypothesis 3). However, many agricultural entrepreneurs exhibited a mixed pattern of internal and external LOC to maintain flexibility in coping with uncertainties in the agricultural sector.
Overall, the study underscores that agricultural business success in Chiang Mai and Lamphun depends not only on entrepreneurial characteristics but also on effective resource management and a suitable mindset toward locus of control. The findings contribute academically to advancing EO, RBV, and LOC theories in the Thai context and offer practical implications for policy design, training, and support for new generations of agricultural entrepreneurs to achieve sustainable competitiveness.