شناسایی مدل جهت گیری بازاریابی کارآفرینی در میان SME های عمان Exploration of Entrepreneurial Marketing Orientation model among SMEs in Oman

Introduction Oman, administered by the Middle Eastern standards, is a middle income economy, where oil makes a larger contribution to the GDP of the country [1,2]. CBO (2015) stated that as per IMF–World Economic Outlook projections, there was a decline in real GDP growth rate in Oman from 4.7 % in 2013 to 2.95 % in 2014. Moreover, 4.62 % are the output growth projected to be in Oman for the year 2015. On 23rd July 1970, the renaissance started with the present ruler, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said. Like every other nation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Sultanate of Oman too has been adversely affected by the decline in oil prices over the past year. The country saw its revenues go down by more than 50% in recent years. Thereby Oman started to rethink its strategies. There has been a renewed focus on Oman’s ecosystem for entrepreneurs and SMEs in particular ever since the SME Development Symposium was held in the country at Saih Al Shamekhat in 2013, which was organized as per the directives of the Sultanate’s ruler; His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. One of the outcomes discussed in that event was the ways to accelerate entrepreneurship and SMEs in Oman. Presently Oman is into its vision which commenced in 1995 as a five year plan comprising series of goals for economic and social development say; economic and financial stability, redesigning government’s role in the economy with the cooperation of the private sector, building a diversified economy based on national resources, globalization of the Omani economy, upgrading the Omani workforce and developing human resources [3]. There is an upcoming concentration of entrepreneurship being injected into SMEs as a catalyst to achieve economic and social development objectives, including growth, innovation, employment, and equity. SMEs can manifest within an economy in a number of ways, and it includes both formal and informal economic activities for the purposes of creating wealth. In they can contribute to economic development through high-growth enterprises that can serve as an important source of income and employment for vulnerable populations. Having understood the significance of SMEs and its role in economic development of Oman the present study is undertaken to explore the entrepreneurial marketing orientation model among SMEs in Oman.