DEVELOPMENT OF MARKETING ORIENTATION IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES EVIDENCE FROM EASTERN EUROPE

One of the most important aspects that determine an organization’s market position is the entrepreneurs’ approach to market orientation and marketing actions. The aim of this study was to investigate the process of marketing orientation development in SMEs in the country of Eastern Europe, where the economy changed from one of a central planning system to a free market economy. Authors investigated to what extent small firms that have survived long enough on the market are competitive because of their adoption of a marketing orientation. For research purposes authors used theoretical concepts that characterize marketing orientation using five attributes: customer orientation, integrated marketing functions, marketing information, strategic marketing planning and operational effectiveness. The empirical evidence presented in this article suggests that customer orientation is critical for SMEs. However, investigated SMEs often focus on the sales level, which is characteristic for organizations with sales instead of marketing orientation.