ABSTRACT

                             The present study attempts to investigate the relationship between international orientation and market orientation from two aspects i.e. customer orientation and competitor orientation and also the contribution of these factors to export success of small and medium sized manufacturing companies is scrutinized. Research hypotheses were tested by analyzing data gathered through questionnaire which was distributed among 210 managers of small and medium manufacturing companies. Convenience sampling in Tehran was applied for pinpointing companies and structural equation modeling was conducted for data analysis. Results are indicative of a positive and significant relationship between market orientation and international orientation, between market orientation and export market success, and also between international orientation and export market success. Therefore, it can be concluded that those firms of more international and market orientation, were better at export.

Keywords: Strategic orientation, Market orientation, International orientation, Export market success, Small and medium-sized enterprises