Qualitative insights into market orientation in small Ghanaian businesses

Abstract

Due to their importance to economic development, small businesses are the subject of multidisciplinary streams of business research. This current paper focuses on exploring the market orientation posture of small businesses operating in Ghana. Cast in a qualitative research mode, we utilize face to face interviews to gain insights into the market orientation opinions and postures of small business operators. Deductive analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that small businesses do not have a structured marketing plan. Most of the proprietors interviewed do not understand market orientation and do not see its importance to the success of their businesses. Their main focus is on the customer and the methods adopted are very informal but seem to have a positive effect on market share and customer retention. Following these findings, the paper provides some managerial implications, highlights the inherent limitations of the case study, and outlines some avenues for future studies.