The effects of entrepreneurial marketing activities of SMEs on business performance in an environment of environmental uncertainty: A study in Izmir province

This research was conducted to determine the structural characteristics of small and medium-sized enterprises, and to reveal whether the variables of entrepreneurship orientation and market orientation affect business performance through entrepreneurial marketing in an environment of environmental uncertainty. With entrepreneurial marketing activities, it is aimed to present a different perspective in order for SMEs with limited resources to compete with large enterprises. The research was carried out within the framework of enterprises with 10 or more employees in the province of Izmir. A face-to-face survey was conducted during the pandemic process, which constitutes the most important limit of the research. Data analyzes were carried out in line with the research problems. The variables included in the research are entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, entrepreneurial marketing, business performance and environmental uncertainty. The research model created with these variables has been tested with structural equation modeling and the theoretical infrastructure of the research has been verified. Apart from these analyzes, the points of differentiation of SMEs according to their structural characteristics were determined and important results were revealed in line with these analyzes. As a result of data analysis, important findings were obtained and reported in the research. The structural model, in which the entrepreneurial marketing variable has full mediation effect, also worked in the environment of environmental uncertainty and good fit values were obtained. It has been determined and reported that entrepreneurial marketing dimensions are perceived and applied at different levels according to the processing and the profiles of their managers. It has also been determined that the entrepreneurial marketing application levels of the owners/managers differ according to their entrepreneurship education. In addition, it has been revealed that entrepreneurial marketing dimensions are perceived differently according to the education level of business owners or managers, and that education can support not only academic success but also success in business life. Keywords: Entrepreneurial Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Uncertainty, Entrepreneurial Orientation, Market Orientation.