ROLE OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ON STRATEGICORIENTATION AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE OF SMALLANDMEDIUMSCALE ENTERPRISES (SMES) IN SOUTH WEST NIGERIA

The study examined the mediating impact of demographic factors on the relationship betweenstrategic orientation and business performance that could lead to success in small and medium-sizedfirms (SMEs) in South-West Nigeria. A stratified and purposive selection strategy was used topick400 respondents from SMEs in the region. Smart PLS 3.0 was used to analyse 381 completedquestionnaires, resulting in a 95.25% response rate. The results showed that age and gender hadnosignificant impact on SME performance, however experience does, with a value of 0.796. The study'sfindings also show that dimensions of strategic orientation—such as cultural orientation, market
orientation, learning orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, and technological orientation—haveasignificant correlation with SME business performance indicators such as ef ectiveness, salesturnover, and operational ef iciency in South-West Nigeria. As a result, the study suggests, amongother things, that the current study be strengthened further to improve the performance of NigerianSMEs. The owner's experience is regarded as critical for the ef ectiveness and sustainability of SMEs, with a minimum of five years of company experience recommended.