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Marketing orientation, if.interpseted as the marketing concept, could reflect along
a variety of dimensions such as orientation towards customer focus, market focus,
marketing mix focus and strategy focus. With its significance in the field of
marketing, literature on marketing orientation has consistently supported the notion
that paying a substantial level of attention to marketing orientation will esult in an
increased performance of a business.
Accordingly, the present study addresses the gap in the literature by promoting the
research objective of establishing a predictive positive relationship of market
orientation with business performance of the small scale rubber products
manufacturing industries. The industrial rubber products sector of Sri Lanka
provides a very less researched area in the field of marketing, and the issue
regarding its attributed market orientation has never been probed before.
Marketing orientation in conjunction with other commonly associated constructs
such as .narketing awareness, environmental forces, and entrepreneurial
characteristics was incorporated in a conceptual model that related all variables to
business performance. In accordance with the framework, direct effects of
marketing orientation, marketing awareness, competition, technology, government
support, and entrepreneurial characteristics were hypothesized to have influence
on business performance.
An adequate sample of 70 small scale rubber products manufacturing industries
was selected from a population of 89. A questionnaire was administered to collect
data, with a follow -up interview with the entrepreneurs. Data was evaluated using
descriptive analysis as well as multivariate analysis. Multiple regression model with
stepwise regression has provided significant statistical supports for the acceptance
of having market orientation and marketing awareness closely associated with the
business performance of the industrial rubber products sector.
Accordingly, the study has empirically established that there are positive
relationships of marketing orientation and marketing awareness with business
performance. The best predictor of business performance of industrial rubber
products has been the marketing awareness. Marketing orientation has become
a less significant predictor while variables of environment forces, and
entrepreneurial characteristics as predictors of business performance have been
rejected.
The findings have directly and indirectly generated many managerial implications,
and also PIQYided many research implications to be considered in a future work.
