Marketing and Entrepreneurial Orientation in Small Firms

Abstract

Research investigating the competitive advantage of small firms has consistently emphasized the importance of marketing, strategic positioning and entrepreneurship as key factors in business survival and growth. The ability to identify and operate in a particular market niche enables the firm to exploit a range of specializations and offers protection from larger competitors. Yet despite the widespread acceptance of the importance of the marketing concept for the small firms survival and growth process, the precise marketing activities and competencies that contribute most strongly to business performance have still to be identified. This paper reports the results of a study which sought to explore the relationship between the marketing and entrepreneurial orientation of small firms. The study employed an activity-based perspective whereby demonstrable marketing competencies were related to the orientation evident in the firms and their ultimate performance. The analysis demonstrated that certain competen...