Does market orientation of small and medium enterprises make differences in the market?

Abstract

In market-oriented businesses, market orientation holds a significant position as a business concept focused on recognizing and meeting customer needs (the market). Given the interest in this subject, it is essential to identify and analyze the factors influencing the development of market orientation dimensions (market orientation - MO), conceptualized according to the model proposed by Kohli and Jaworski (1990), and their impact on increasing MO. Based on available literature and previous empirical research, the following factors have been identified to assess their influence on market orientation: professionalization of management in SMEs, quality of communication/dissemination of market information within the company, performance measurement of management staff in SMEs, and their material rewards. This research was conducted on a sample of 26 SMEs in Split-Dalmatia County, Republic of Croatia, using statistical methods of descriptive statistics, correlation, statistical testing, and clustering. Non-parametric statistics were used to overcome certain limitations of the small sample size. The results are discussed in the context of developing entrepreneurial infrastructure and public policies to support entrepreneurship.