Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the entrepreneurial marketing (EM) paradigm by empirically investigating the relationship between intra-organizational environment, EM intensity (EMI) and organizational performance in an emerging market context. Specifically, the paper identifies the elements of the intra-organizational environment that enhances EMI and also examines the impact of EMI on organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected from large-sized companies in Egypt. Data were analyzed by using path analysis on Smart-PLS.

Findings: The findings suggest that the characteristics of the intra-organizational environment that support developing and increasing EMI in large-sized companies in emerging markets are cooperative competency, deep locus of planning and institutional support. Also, it was found that the long planning horizon hinders EMI. Finally, it was found that EMI is positively related to organizational performance and competitive advantage.

Practical implications: The study provides guidelines for managers of large-sized organizations, especially in emerging economies, on how to develop the intra-organizational environment to enhance EMI.

Originality/value: The study of EMI received little or no attention in previous research. Also, there is a paucity of empirical research on the impact of the intra-organizational environment on EMI and also on the impact of EMI on the organizational performance of large-sized companies in emerging markets. Therefore, the results of this research are a step toward filling these gaps.