The effect of external social media utilization on business performance of SMEs in Saudi Arabia: the mediating role of market orientation

Alhamami, Ahmed Abdullah; Hashim, Noor Azuan; Hamid, Roshayati Abdul; Hamid, Siti Ngayesah Ab. Article The effect of external social media utilization on business performance of SMEs in Saudi Arabia: the mediating role of market orientation Cogent Business & Management Provided in Cooperation with: Taylor & Francis Group Suggested Citation: Alhamami, Ahmed Abdullah; Hashim, Noor Azuan; Hamid, Roshayati Abdul; Hamid, Siti Ngayesah Ab. (2024) : The effect of external social media utilization on business performance of SMEs in Saudi Arabia: the mediating role of market orientation, Cogent Business & Management, ISSN 2331-1975, Taylor & Francis, Abingdon, Vol. 11, Iss. 1, pp. 1-20, https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2306974 This Version is available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/326015 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. 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If the documents have been made available under an Open Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Cogent Business & Management ISSN: 2331-1975 (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/oabm20 The effect of external social media utilization on business performance of SMEs in Saudi Arabia: the mediating role of market orientation Ahmed Abdullah Alhamami, Noor Azuan Hashim, Roshayati Abdul Hamid & Siti Ngayesah Ab. Hamid To cite this article: Ahmed Abdullah Alhamami, Noor Azuan Hashim, Roshayati Abdul Hamid & Siti Ngayesah Ab. Hamid (2024) The effect of external social media utilization on business performance of SMEs in Saudi Arabia: the mediating role of market orientation, Cogent Business & Management, 11:1, 2306974, DOI: 10.1080/23311975.2024.2306974 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2306974 © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Published online: 01 Feb 2024. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 2290 View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 3 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=oabm20 OperatiOns, infOrmatiOn & technOlOgy | research article Cogent Business & ManageMent 2024, VoL. 11, no. 1, 2306974 The effect of external social media utilization on business performance of SMEs in Saudi Arabia: the mediating role of market orientation ahmed abdullah alhamamia,b , noor azuan hashima, roshayati abdul hamida and siti ngayesah ab. hamida aFaculty of economics and Management, national university of Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia; bCollege of Business administration, najran university, najran, saudi arabia ABSTRACT the impact of social media (sm) on small and medium businesses (smes) has received less focus, and the literature is mixed. this study examines how external sm utilization (esmU) affects the performance of saudi smes. according to contingency theory, esmU and market orientation (mO) are expected to affect business performance (Bp), which include profitability and customer satisfaction. mO is expected to affect Bp and mediates the effect of esmU on Bp. this study covers saudi arabian smes in al-riyadh. random sampling is used. this study included 451 sme managers, directors, and owners. the results of smart pls 4 showed that esmU affected positively business performance, profitability, customer satisfaction, and mO. mO also affected business performance, profitability and customer satisfaction and mediated partially the effect of esmU on business performance, profitability and customer satisfaction. having a high level of esmU and mO is critical for improving the Bp of smes. the usage of esmU and its application can be a beneficial tools for smes in saudi arabia to improve their Bp. 1. Introduction in both developed and emerging economies, small and medium-sized businesses (smes) are seen as the backbone of economic progress and stability (yigit & Kanbach, 2023). in recent years, there has been a growing consensus in the literature that smes play an important role in promoting both worldwide economic growth and local social well-being (nurudeen Omonijo & yunsheng, 2023). smes contribute significantly to income and jobs in many nations. the World Bank estimates that in developing countries, smes account for as much as 60% of total jobs and as much as 40% of national revenue, and make up more than half of all companies and jobs worldwide (the World Bank, 2021). the World Bank recently released a study stating that smes are under increasing pressure to boost employment opportunities as the demand for employment is expected to rise by 600 million by 2030 (the World Bank, 2021). this stress is related to smes’ restricted access to capital and bank loans and the greater rivalry that smes are facing (liu et al., 2022). the coronavirus illness (covid-19) epidemic has swept the globe, having a substantial impact on the economy (patma et al., 2021). the cOViD-19 consequences on the business environment might be particularly harmful to smalland medium-sized businesses (smes) (yu et al., 2022). it is because they frequently lack the resources—both financial and human—to handle the difficulties brought on by the © 2024 the author(s). Published by informa uK Limited, trading as taylor & Francis group. CONTACT ahmed abdullah alhamami [email protected]om [email protected]m.edu.my national university of Malaysia, Faculty of economics and Management, Bangi, Malaysia; College of Business administration, najran university, najran, saudi arabia https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2306974 this is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. the terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. ARTICLE HISTORY received 16 march 2023 revised 30 December 2023 accepted 12 January 2024 KEYWORDS external social media utilization; market orientation; business performance; customer satisfaction; profitability; smes REVIEWING EDITOR lorenzo ardito, politecnico di Bari, italy SUBJECTS information & communication technology (ict); technology; education - social sciences 2 a. a. alhamami etal. current coronavirus scenario (aisjah etal., 2023; arsawan etal., 2023; yu etal., 2022). according to empirical research from throughout the world, 60% of smes are in danger of running out of financial reserves, and 50% of smes have temporarily stopped operating due to the shutdown (Bartik etal., 2020; ramdan et al., 2022). cOViD-19, however, has resulted in a change in business activities and the way in which businesses think. smes must use technology to improve their business performance (Bp) and to thrive in the current economic climate (Omotosho, 2023; suryantini et al., 2023). One of the beneficial technologies is the usage of social media (sm). there is an increasing demand for smes to use sm (patma et al., 2021). sm has the potential to boost revenue, client loyalty, cost efficiency, service quality, brand recognition, and website traffic (makrides etal., 2020). in utilizing sm, companies differentiate between internal and external usage. internal usage refers to the interactions within an organization, such as those between employees and management, and external is to the interactions with clients and suppliers (mpandare & li, 2020). prior studies focused on identifying the predictors of using sm by smes (ahmad et al., 2019), how smes use sm for business collaboration (yu etal., 2022), smes sustainability (patma etal., 2021), and commercial activities (abed, 2020). Other research has contributed information on internal usage, while limited studies examined the external usage of sm by smes in developing countries (abu Bakar et al., 2019; corral de Zubielqui & Jones, 2022). esmU allows smes to gather competing intelligence from rivals and clients (corral de Zubielqui & Jones, 2022). however, it is still not clear how the esmU can affect the business performance. prior studies indicated that the effect is mixed with positive, negative or no effect. this is because using esmU requires companies to have hardware and software as well as staff who are knowledgeable and can operate the sm (ahmad et al., 2019; foltean et al., 2019; gavino et al., 2019). there has been little exploration of the ways in which esmU affects business outcomes (Kirchner et al., 2022). researchers have also discovered that the impact of sm on company success is higher when it is used externally rather than internally (alalawneh et al., 2022; mpandare & li, 2020). therefore, this study examines the effect of esmU on business performance. research has shown that marketing is increasingly crucial to the success of smes (tolstoy et al., 2022). a company’s performance rises when its market orientation (mO) is enhanced because it becomes more able to adapt to the ever-shifting demands of its customers (tajeddini & ratten, 2020). mO is the process of determining a client’s wants and requirements and then satisfying those demands through the development of novel strategies (narver & slater, 1990). When applied externally, sm helps businesses meet customer demands and meet the obstacles they face in the marketplace. When used externally, sm has a sizeable impact on how well a company does and how well it communicates with its stakeholders (ligaraba etal., 2023). it was discovered that using sm externally has a substantial impact on mO and that mO in turn mediates the impact of using sm externally on product innovation (mpandare & li, 2020). in order to remain competitive, businesses must constantly evolve to meet the shifting demands of their industry. this includes adapting to shifting consumer preferences and competitor strategies (faulks et al., 2021). this is due to the fact that consumers ultimately determine a business’s success or failure. efficient mO is a major and favourable predictor of Bp of sme (tajeddini & ratten, 2020). With this in mind, smes are encouraged to embrace mO principles and put them into effect (Udriyah et al., 2019). therefore, this study examines the direct and mediating role of mO. the performance of smes in developed countries is higher than those in developing and emerging economies. for instance, smes contribute to saudi arabia’s gross domestic product (gDp) by 20%, which is lower than the region of 22% and the global of 34% (faridi & malik, 2019). saudi Vision 2030 supports smes to improve performance and benefit the economy and employment. few studies have examined esmU and its effects on mO and smes’ Bp in saudi arabia (abed, 2020). contingency theory suggests that companies must match and create a fit between internal and external factors to perform better. esmU is an external factors that is related to the customers, suppliers, and business partners and understanding this variable can help in making mO and Bp more effective. thus, this study examines how esmU affects mO and smes’ Bp as well as how mO affects the Bp of sme and mediates the effect of esmU on smes’ Bp. the next section discusses the literature as well as the methodology, findings, discussion implications, and conclusions. cOgent BUsiness & management 3 2. Literature review 2.1. Theoretical framework the contingency theory holds that no management method works for all companies in all situations (Otley, 2016; safari & saleh, 2020). the contingency theory suggests that companies must create a management system that is linked to the outside and inside environments and fit them together. this study uses contingency theory to explain how esmU affects mO and Bp. mO needs sm to obtain outside sources about customers, competitors, and business partners to make the right decisions about what products and services to offer. sme managers who grasp the climate and act in a way that meets client expectations will boost performance (lutfi, 2020). contingency theory in small businesses is rarely considered (ngo, 2021). market research using sm can help companies understand what people are saying about their brands, industry, and rivals (alsharji et al., 2018). this information can enhance production efficiency and the marketing plan. therefore, the contingency theory might be able to explain how esmU and mO affect the Bp of smes. 2.2. SME business performance performance is the main objective of every entrepreneur wishing to continue to be successful in business (arsawan et al., 2023; efrat et al., 2018). performance is defined as an investor’s, user’s, team’s, or company’s ability to accomplish a particular objective through a series of actions (laitinen, 2002). Business performance (Bp) is a measurement of the achievement of organizational goals, and it is a key-dependent variable of interest to scholars in all management fields (aisjah et al., 2023; chi et al., 2023; suryantini et al., 2023). Bp shows how a company uses materials and intangible means to reach its aims (Zaragoza-sáez et al., 2020). profitability is a key sign of Bp (Omotosho, 2023). it is the volume of profit or income that a corporation is capable of producing within its finite capital (azhar et al., 2019). profitability is a critical performance indicator that must be considered, as business growth is improbable to be sustained without profit available for future reinvestment. the important criterion that allows managers to build a successful company plan for smes is profitability (gaganis et al., 2019). managers have realized that business success can be assessed when an organization achieves its goals with minimum resources, indicating efficiency in using resources for profit. Other non-financial measures can define Bp (Dwivedi, ismagilova, sarker, etal., 2021). Based on the balanced scorecard (Bsc), customer satisfaction is a critical indicator of Bp, and it falls under the non-financial indicator. Businesses use sm to strengthen their relationships with customers, which results in increased brand trust that leads to customer satisfaction and financial returns (de Oliveira santini et al., 2020). accordingly, in this study, customer satisfaction is used as one of the dimensions of the Bp of smes. therefore, in this research, performance is measured using profitability (financial indicator) and customer satisfaction (non-financial indicators). the use of customer satisfaction is due to the fact that esmU and mO focus more on the satisfaction of customers. financial performance can be measured using either subjective or objective criteria, or perhaps both (sarkees et al., 2010). yet, previous research has found that most enterprises are more likely to disclose subjective information about their company’s success. in this way, they are more likely to provide subjective indicators since the components are more adaptable, while also not overtly exposing sensitive information to others (ramdan etal., 2022). therefore, a thorough approach to analyzing corporate success should include financial and non-financial performance. tsou and hsu (tsou & hsu, 2015) define financial performance as a company’s capacity to earn money from the primary sources of commerce, such as assets. non-financial performance, on the other hand, involves long-term goals that emphasize the importance of establishing customer loyalty, acquiring new customers, and strengthening the firm’s brand and credibility (Blazevic & lievens, 2004; tsou & hsu, 2015). this research defines smes performance as the firm’s capacity to meet stated objectives using a combination of financial and non-financial performance metrics (Blazevic & lievens, 2004; tsou & hsu, 2015). 2.3. The external social media the phrase ‘social media’ was first used in an online media environment in tokyo in 1994 (Korcsmáros & csinger, 2022). yet, the notion of social media has developed over time, and several definitions are now 4 a. a. alhamami etal. available. according to Kaplan and haenlein (2010), sm has evolved into an effective commercial platform for people to share knowledge and develop networks. sm is a collection of websites where users can share ideas, images, videos, and hobbies (Jibril etal., 2019). academics and practitioners have noted the growing relevance of consumer engagement in new product/service creation through a social network (f. li etal., 2020). sm has altered commerce (Borah etal., 2022). social media is defined as ‘a group of internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content’ (Kaplan & haenlein, 2010). sm supports all business functions. sm thus affects how and when people gather and use knowledge (hitchen et al., 2017; mpandare & li, 2020). sm networks are used in business plans internally, between partners, and with clients. esmU has increased over the years. in 2023, more than 4.76 billion users have used sm, equivalent to 59.4% of the world’s population, with an increase of 3% more than in 2022 (Kepios, 2023). therefore, companies can target sm users to raise brand exposure due to their rapid growth. sm helps smes discover customer trends and needs for possible products (mention etal., 2019). sm also strengthens smes networking by fostering useful joint information and effective knowledge sharing on new products and services, which may increase their competitiveness (hitchen et al., 2017). in particular, esmU promotes company aims by interacting with customers, vendors, and the public. li etal. (f. li etal., 2020), stated that ‘social media platforms are becoming an important way for small firms to acquire business information’. smes in saudi arabia use sm applications to sell their products and services and interact with clients and business partners. this study assumes that smes should adopt sm as a goal for market success and the best innovative tool to boost company performance and the marketplace. saudi smes need sm to benefit from this technology. thus, this study analyzes saudi smes’ sm external use and its effects on mO and Bp. this study defines external social media usage as the use of social media platforms by enterprises to connect with their external stakeholders. interacting with clients via facebook, twitter, youtube, and other comparable media is one of them (mpandare & li, 2020). 2.4. Market orientation the intense interest in market orientation over the last three decades has resulted in a greater understanding of its complicated structure and performance results (Bodlaj & Čater, 2022). nevertheless, research on the significance of market orientation in the literature is less explored, particularly in the context of smes (Bodlaj & Čater, 2022). mO refers to the organizational effort to understand and meet the needs of customers (narver etal., 2004). mO deals with the company’s information regarding its rivals, clients, and marketplaces. mO means that all employees are committed to continuously providing top value to customers (narver & slater, 1990). companies that adopt mO concepts build customer loyalty to the company’s products and generate top client value, resulting in improved Bp. therefore, it is necessary for smes, particularly those in developing countries, to welcome the concept of mO and its applicability in their line of operations if they want to be competitive (Bamfo & Kraa, 2019). studies that have examined the mO in the context of smes tend to use the dimensions of proactive market orientation (pmO) and responsive market orientation (rmO). narver, slater, and maclachlan (2004b), distinguished between proactive and responsive market orientation; responsive market orientation helps organizations to discover current needs, but proactive market orientation is required to detect the future wants of clients. according to atuahene-gima, slater, and Olson (2005), rmO demonstrates a firm’s emphasis on maximizing the use of its present skills and knowledge. pmO, on the other hand, demonstrates a firm’s concentration on discovering new information that differs dramatically from the company’s current skills and expertise. for instance, lim et al. (2016) who examined the effect of innovation as well as mO on financial performance, divided the mO to include responsive and proactive dimensions. in the smes context, the study of petzold etal. (2019) deployed the two dimensions of mO and highlighted the lack of studies using these dimensions in the literature of smes. mO has been used as a mediator between knowledge management and product commercialization in the study of ghahroudi etal., (2019). in this study, mO is expected to affect the Bp of smes and mediate the effect of esmU on Bp. cOgent BUsiness & management 5 2.5. Conceptual Framework Based on contingency theory, this study proposes that the effect of esmU on profitability, customer satisfaction, and market orientation to be positive. the study proposed a direct effect of market orientation on profitability and customer satisfaction and a mediating role of market orientation between esmU and Bp (profitability and customer satisfaction). Bp is a second order variable that is measured using profitability and customer satisfaction. the use of mO as a mediator and examining its effect on business performance is in line with other researchers (Kurniawan et al., 2021). figure 1 shows the conceptual framework of this study. 2.5.1. External SM utilization and SMEs performance esmU is defined as the interactions with clients and suppliers using sm (mpandare & li, 2020). it involves using sm to react to client views, customer comments, or complaints, develop the company’s image or sell goods, and collaborate with consumers to create new services or products (corral de Zubielqui & Jones, 2022). thus, esmU has improved company performance by linking firms with a large number of possible consumers worldwide, boosting sales, growth, and revenue (alam et al., 2023; alsaad et al., 2023; tajvidi & Karami, 2021). in particular, Borah, iqbal, and akhtar (2022) illustrate how smes obtain feedback from clients via social media, which favourably improves company communication and performance. additionally, amoah and Jibril (2021) indicated that sme performance is strongly influenced by social media use. absah etal. (2018) found that the usage of sm in smes’ business plans improves market success. a study by gartner in 2015 as mentioned by y. li et al. (2021) reveals the widespread use of esmU to support organizational processes, but varying results in terms of quantifiable advantages at the organizational level. more study is needed to learn how esmU impacts business results (y. li etal., 2021). therefore, studies of esmU are still limited in the literature and prior literature indicated that there are mixed findings in terms of the effect of esmU on Bp. in the study of gavino et al. (2019), they found no significant direct effect of sm on the revenue of companies in the Us. similarly, ahmad etal. (2019), in Uae found that the usage of sm did not affect the Bp of smes. moreover, foltean et al. (2019) did not find a direct effect of sm on firm performance (sales/market share/profitability growth). in addition, academics call for further conceptual refinement and empirical study of the impacts of business sm use on firm success (Dwivedi, ismagilova, rana, et al., 2021). the use of sm has made running a company easier and more efficient compared to how things were done in the past and when conventional business practices were employed (Jibril etal., 2019). this study makes the following hypotheses: h1: esmU positively influence the Bp of smes. h2: esmU positively influences the profitability of smes. h3: esmU positively influences customer satisfaction of smes. Figure 1. Conceptual framework of the study. 6 a. a. alhamami etal. 2.5.2. External SM utilization and market orientation companies can use sm networks to rapidly respond to consumer requests and foresee their needs in the market (p. li & noor, 2022). thus, sm networks help smes to achieve responsive and proactive mO. research shows that a company’s mO will be bolstered by its investment in and improvement of its technological infrastructure (Borges etal., 2009). adhikari and gill (2011) found that technological adoption had a similarly profound effect on the mO of indian businesses. saavedra, criado, and andreu (2014) indicated that heavy sm use has an effect on mO. Using a method very similar to this one, recent research discovered that sm use by businesses positively impacts mO (mpandare & li, 2020). in a similar vein, ali and ahmed (2022) found that sm use significantly affected mO among Uae businesses. for this reason, it is of interest to further develop the business sm literature by exploring how esmU impacts the mO strategy of a firm (mpandare & li, 2020). this study found that the widespread use of sm was the most effective marketing technique. most recent research in the field of marketing has concluded that smes are increasingly reliant on sm usage as a primary tool for mO (alarcón et al., 2018; ali & ahmed, 2022; Bhimani etal., 2019). therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate how mO is impacted by the esmU. Because of this, the following is postulated: h4: esmU affects the mO of smes. 2.5.3. Market orientation and SME business performance market orientation is defined as an organizational approach that is a very successful and efficient technique of developing the behaviours required to provide better value and continuous outstanding performance to customers (narver & slater, 1990). previous research on the impact of market orientation on business performance has shown conflicting results (Jamaludin et al., 2022). several empirical studies in the past investigated the relationship between mO and Bp of smes. adams et al. (2019) claimed that a positive impact on innovation performance is achieved when a company’s mO is established. Udriyah etal. (2019) reveal that, if mO rises, Bp improves as well. in marketing, the research process is critical to improving Bp (riswanto etal., 2020). the study of mankgele and fatoki (2020) found a positive relationship between mO and Bp of smes. Bamfo and Kraa (2019) revealed that the mO variable of customer orientation positively and significantly predicts Bp. however, negative or insignificant findings were reported. ho etal. (2018) in emerging economies found that there is no significant relationship between mO and Bp. similarly, royo-Vela, amezquita salazar, and puig Blanco (2022) found that mO did not significantly influence marketing performance. it is evident that most studies found a positive relationship between mO and Bp of smes in developed countries. this study proposes that the mO will have a significant impact on the Bp of smes in saudi arabia. hence, the following hypothesis will be examined empirically: h5: market orientation positively influences the Bp of smes. h6: market orientation positively influences the profitability of smes. h7: market orientation positively influences customer satisfaction of smes. 2.5.4. Mediation role of market orientation sm usage adds value for smes through effective mO and a new way to engage with customers. mO enables better strategies for marketing by increasing the capability of firms to predict and respond to customers’ needs, which helps firms to boost performance by increasing sales, growth, and profitability (aichner & Jacob, 2015; Wamba & carter, 2015). few of the previous studies examined mO as a mediator. Kurniawan et al. (2021), found that mO mediated the effect of networking capabilities on Bp. similarly, Kurniawan etal. (2020a), also found that mO mediated the effect of agile project management and firm performance. it is possible that a market-oriented business that uses sm effectively may be more likely to see improved performance. additionally, a market-oriented business may be more likely to understand how to use sm in ways that align with its overall marketing strategy, which can lead to improved performance. accordingly, in this study, the effect of sm external utilization on smes’ Bp is expected to be mediated by mO. thus, it is hypothesized: cOgent BUsiness & management 7 h8: mO mediates the positive effect of esmU on Bp of smes. h9: mO mediates the positive effect of esmU on the profitability of smes. h10: mO mediates the positive effect of esmU on customer satisfaction of smes. 3. Research methodology the study deploys a positivist paradigm. the study is deductive in nature. the population of this study is smes in saudi arabia. a sample of smes in al-riyadh, the capital of saudi arabia, has the largest number of smes in the target population. the selected sample for this study constitutes sme owners, directors, and managers in saudi smes organizations located in al-riyadh city. according to the report of monsha’at (smes general authority) in 2022, the number of smes in saudi arabia is 892,063 (sme mOnitOr, 2022). the report shows that the latest number of smes in al-riyadh province equals 264,030 -which constitutes 35.4% of the total number of smes in saudi arabia. this study is using a simple random sampling technique. this sampling technique is more time effective, simple, and easy to implement (sekaran & Bougie, 2019). One of the most cited approaches in calculating samples is the formula provided by yamane, (1967), which is depicted as: • = n/1 + n e2 where • = sample size, n = the population of the study, e = error margin. the result of yamane’s formula • = 400. to avoid a low response rate, researchers suggested doubling the sample size. in this study, following the suggestion of hassan & ghazali, (2012), the actual sample is doubled. this makes the sample size of this study account for 800 respondents. the data was collected using a questionnaire. this method is widely used by researchers to increase the response and generalize the findings (appolloni et al., 2021; arsawan et al., 2023; sovacool et al., 2018). measurements in the study used a five-point scale from ‘strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5)’. compared to an open-ended question, it was easier for respondents to answer and required less time to completion (gilbert a. churchill, 1979). the measurements of the variables were adopted from prior literature. the measurement of esmU (18 items) was adopted from (mpandare & li, 2020), the measurement of mO consisting of ten items was adopted from (narver et al., 2004). the measurement of profitability (5 items) was adopted from (Doris et al., 2013) while the measurement of customer satisfaction (3 items) was adopted from (agnihotri etal., 2016). the back-to-back translation was conducted to translate the questionnaire into arabic. five experts validated the english and arabic versions of the questionnaire. no changes were reported in the measurement of the variables except for translation and demographic information where three questions were added. a pilot study was conducted by inviting managers of smes in different regions of saudi arabia to participate in the study. after completing the validity and correcting the questionnaire based on the suggestion of the experts, some items were modified. a pilot study was conducted to ensure that the measurements are reliable. a total of 50 questionnaires were distributed to executive employees working in smes in saudi. a total of 42 complete and valid responses were collected. table 1 shows the results of the pilot study. it shows that the measurements have an acceptable cronbach’s alpha greater than 0.70. Data collection was conducted using a hybrid approach. the online questionnaire resulted in a minimal rate of response. Only 24 responses were collected. as an alternative, the paper-based questionnaire was distributed to smes’ owners, managers, and ceOs, because they are the ones who are most familiar with the company’s culture, structure, and market conditions (lubatkin et al., 2006), and this increased the response to 471 with a response rate of 58.8% (800/471). the data was refined based on missing values, outliers, normality, and multicollinearity. to examine the missing value, researchers such as (hair etal., 2017) suggested that a frequency analysis using spss can show whether the data is missing value Table 1. Reliability analysis of pilot study (N = 42). Variable number of items after validation Cronbach’s alpha Remark esMu 18 0.902 Reliable Mo 10 0.851 Reliable Profitability 5 0.882 Reliable Customer satisfaction 3 0.821 Reliable 14 a. a. alhamami etal. effective mO improves Bp (adams et al., 2019). effective mO can link company operations to market-needed goods and services, supporting strategic business thinking. Udriyah etal. (2019) found that mO improvement boosts Bp. marketing orientation mediates the positive effect of esmU on the Bp of smes (profitability and customer satisfaction). the mediation partially supports the notion that part of the relationship between esmU and profitability as well as customer satisfaction can be explained by mO. One possible explanation for mO’s mediating role is that mO is linked to the market’s receptivity and proactivity. a market-focused company that makes good use of sm may have better results than a non-market-focused company that fails to employ sm well. therefore, mO and esmU can be combined to improve the Bp of smes in saudi arabia. this conclusion is in line with prior literature (Kurniawan et al., 2020a, 2020b; mpandare & li, 2020) who confirmed the mediating role of mO. 6. Implications 6.1. Theoretical implication the study contributed to the literature by examining the performance of smes in emerging economies. prior literature has mainly focused on identifying the predictors of using sm by smes. this study contributed to the literature by examining the effect of esmU on multiple dependent variables such as mO, profitability, and customer satisfaction. the study solved the contradiction in the findings regarding the mixed results and confirmed the positive effect of esmU on the mO and Bp of smes. several studies noted the need for smes to be market oriented. however, limited studies examined empirically these associations between mO and Bp of sme. the study has contributed to the literature in terms of testing the mediating role of mO. By doing so, the study has provided academia with empirical findings regarding the role of mO as a mediator as well as a predictor of smes’ Bp. the study contributed to the literature by testing the validity of contingency theory in the context of smes. most prior literature focuses on using this theory in the context of large-scale companies and few examined their applicability in the context of smes. the study also contributed by conducting a study on smes in saudi arabia, which has the potential to help in providing the community with a study that enriches their understanding of the role of esmU and mO. this study has significant implications for decision-makers in saudi arabia. Based on the findings of this study, esmU is critical for the Bp of smes. therefore, decision-makers in saudi arabia are recommended to improve the level of esmU. this can be done by involving and engaging customers more by creating games and spreading a survey with a reward of discount or promotion so that the smes can better understand the needs and wants of their customers. 6.2. Practical implications the findings also showed that esmU affected significantly mO. marketers at smes can utilize access to customers to understand their needs and wants. this can be done in several ways. One of which is to reward a true and authentic survey. it can be also done by providing samples for customers to try and let them express freely their experience and opinion with the product or the services. mO is critical indicating that smes should pay more attention to mO, and this can be done by creating intimacy with customers. a competition where rewarded questions asked by smes and answered by customers has the potential to increase the awareness of the product and services of smes and create a better relationship with customers. adopting customer relationship management and integrating it with sm is also a suggestion to improve communication with customers and identify the trend in the market. this study is important for decision-makers of smes in saudi arabia because it enriches their understanding regarding the role of esmU and mO in the context of smes’ Bp. the study is in line with the government agenda of shifting from an oil to a non-oil economy. the findings of this study are critical for achieving the vision of 2030 in saudi arabia and considering these findings by smes contributes to their performance and the gDp of the country as well as employment. cOgent BUsiness & management 15 7. Conclusion, limitations and direction for future work 7.1. Conclusion the present study was conducted in the dynamic context of saudi arabia, specifically emphasizing riyadh, the thriving and energetic capital city of the kingdom. the main aim of this research was to investigate the complex relationship between esmU and Bp as well as mO specifically focusing on smes. additionally, the research aimed to examine the mediating role of mO. the study’s results provide insight into the significant influence of esmU as a predictor in determining the performance of smes across several dimensions. significantly, it has been shown that esmU has a crucial role in influencing the profitability of smes, as well as their levels of customer satisfaction and overall mO. furthermore, the research revealed an additional level of importance beyond the direct impact of esmU on smes. mO has emerged as a significant aspect in the equation. mO has been shown to have a significant influence on the productivity and customer happiness of smes. this suggests that companies that prioritize a strong mO are more likely to achieve higher levels of performance and maintain greater customer satisfaction. nevertheless, the real understanding is in the revelation that mO functions as a mediating factor, connecting esmU with profitability and customer satisfaction. essentially, mO functioned as a mediator between these two variables. 7.2. Limitations this study has limitations that are worthwhile to be mentioned here for a better understanding of the findings of this study. firstly, this study was conducted exclusively in riyadh, saudi arabia, which means that the findings are inherently limited to this specific city. secondly, the study’s results cannot be readily applied to large-scale companies due to the substantial differences in organization, structure, financial resources, and regulatory requirements between smes and larger enterprises. thirdly, the study primarily relied on the perspectives of managers, owners, directors, and top management within smes, potentially missing out on a more comprehensive view of the subject matter. Based on the results of this study as well as the limitations that were mentioned earlier, there are several paths of future work to expand the findings of this study. 7.3. Future work there are several avenue to expand the findings of this study. firstly, future studies can benefit from duplicating this study in other nations, with a particular focus on the gulf cooperation council (gcc) area or other emerging economies. through the expansion of research to other geographical settings, researchers have the opportunity to evaluate the applicability of the results and investigate possible deviations impacted by a range of economic, cultural, and regulatory situations. secondly, in order to enhance the depth of knowledge about the influence of esmU and mO, it is recommended that future researchers expand the range of their studies to include organizations of significant size. examining and comparing the impacts of these characteristics on smes and large enterprises provide significant insights into the divergent dynamics experienced by organizations of different sizes. thirdly, although this study included smes from many sectors, it is suggested that future research might be enhanced by adopting a more sector-specific perspective. researchers have the option to establish and focus their attention on a particular area, such as the service sector, retail sector, or construction sector to offer comprehensive insights on the effects of esmU and mO on enterprises operating within the industry. last but not least, to strengthen the explanatory power of the model, it is recommended that future studies integrate new variables, thereby expanding upon the existing research framework. environmental uncertainty, a crucial factor in the contemporary dynamic business environment, may be included as an independent variable to enhance the comprehension of smes’ business performance. Disclosure statement no potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). 16 a. a. alhamami etal. About the authors Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Alhamami is a lecturer at najran University, college of Business administration. he received his master degree from central michigan University, Usa. he is focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation, social media, smes, and marketing. Noor Azuan Hashim is associate professor at the economic and management faculty, Universiti Kebangsaan malaysia. she received a Bsc (hons) from the University of nebraska lincoln, an msc in mathematics from eastern michigan University, Usa and a phD in e-commerce and smes at the University of sheffield, UK. Dr. Roshayati Abdul Hamid is a lecturer at the economic and management faculty, Universiti Kebangsaan malaysia. she is an expert on Organizational Behavior and entrepreneurship. Dr. Siti Ngayesah Ab. 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