The Effect of Entrepreneurship, Social Media, and Partnership Orientation on Marketing Performance through Competitive Advantage (In Small and Medium Enterprises Malang Regency)

: The purpose of this study is to ascertain how partnerships, social media, and an entrepreneurial mindset affect marketing performance. Additionally, this study looked at how competitive advantage functions as a mediator in the connections between partnerships, social media use, entrepreneurial orientation and business performance. This quantitative study of small and medium-sized businesses in the Malang Regency uses an explanatory research methodology. The small and medium-sized businesses in Malang Regency make up the study's population. The sample utilized in this study consisted of 246 respondents and the sampling technique employed the Sample Size Calculator with a population percentage of 80%, a confidence level of 95%, and a margin of error of 5%. The major data used in the study was gathered through the dissemination of surveys both online and offline. Software called SmartPLS 3.2 is used to aid SEM-PLS in data analysis. The findings of this study demonstrate that social media and entrepreneurial orientation have a favourable and significant


Introduction
Every company must have the same goal.The goals that each company wants to achieve are the business world is now faced with an era of increasingly fierce and increasingly competitive business competition.The success shown by business actors can be reflected through optimal marketing performance because marketing performance is a determining indicator of the company's performance process in general to achieve business development goals that are achieved in a certain time phase (Jatmiko, 2018).An increase in marketing performance is marked by an increase in company profits, an increase in sales, an expansion of the marketing area of the company's products and an increase in the number of customers (Djayaningrat., et al, 2017).Hidayat & Murwatiningsih (2018) stated that marketing performance is an important part of MSMEs, through optimal marketing performance MSMEs will survive during competition.
Performance is influenced by two factors, namely internal factors and external factors.and economics, and aspects of the role of related institutions (Munizu, 2010).Based on a May 2022 press release by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, the contribution of MSMEs was recorded at around 61% of the national GDP and absorbed 97% of the total workforce.Therefore, the development of MSMEs is a necessary https://equatorscience.com/index.php/jabterperformance (Fadhillah, Y., et al., 2021;Anggraeni, M., & Sanaji, S., 2021;Syaifullah, J., et al., 2021).
Meanwhile, business partnership/collaboration is a condition for MSME players to increase their capabilities, competitiveness and business sustainability.Business actors must start and be willing to open themselves up to establish business collaborations so that business performance can survive and develop into the future.Partnerships can include cooperation between companies and suppliers, distributors or other strategic partners.Through this partnership, companies can take advantage of their partners' competitive advantages to strengthen their marketing position.
A partnership is a formal collaboration between individuals, groups, or organizations to achieve a certain task and goal (Indarto and Ariefianto, 2015).Through partnerships, it is hoped that cooperative relationships will be established between MSME actors and their mutually beneficial partners so that they will be more resilient to produce competitive advantage and achieve prosperity (Arto & Hutomo, 2013).Partnerships also have an impact on marketing performance (Idris, S., & Primiana, I., 2015;Azizah, U., & Maftukhah, I., 2017;Marjukah, A., et al., 2021) Creating a competitive advantage is the company's ability to provide more useful value for its products and to be able to see the target market better than its opponents to win the competition with other companies (Isnaini, Nurhaida and Pratama., 2020;Marbun, et al., 2020.For achieving competitive advantage requires an entrepreneurial orientation which is a trait and characteristic that has the potential to realize innovative ideas that are carried out creatively (Aristiyo & Murwatiningsih, 2017;Mufarikhah, D., 2021;Kurniawan & Raharjo., 2021).Competitive advantage can also be created through partnerships Partnerships help meet the desired resource conditions so that they will form a competitive advantage (Dewinta, 2016).
Malang Regency is one of the areas that can be said to be very large which has an area of 3,535 km2 with tourism potential that is in great demand by tourists by offering various types of tourism ranging from natural tourism, mountains, coasts, to religious tourism.This has a good impact on the economy of the people in the area.From the results of the 2020 Annual SME survey, the number of IMK businesses/companies in Malang Regency that are operating commercially is recorded at 34,936 businesses.The type of obstacle/difficulty most often experienced by SME business actors is marketing (BPS publication, 2021).
The Malang Regency BPS stated that this year, as many as 12,069 business actors stated that they experienced difficulties in marketing.Obstacles/difficulties experienced by other Small and Medium Enterprises actors are difficulties due to the presence of 5,739 competitors (BPS publication, 2021).Therefore, the role of an entrepreneurial orientation that is innovative, proactive and willing to take risks is needed to increase competitiveness which will affect marketing performance.The internet is something that cannot be separated in this era, especially when entering the fourth industrial era or industry 4.0 which is dominated by connectivity.Lots of people use the internet to carry out various activities, including in the business world.https://equatorscience.com/index.php/jabter The Internet will greatly assist business actors in obtaining and sharing any information that can support their business activities.However, the use of the internet for micro and small businesses in Malang Regency is still very minimal.Some of the factors causing the lack of internet use in micro and small businesses are the lack of understanding of business actors about internet use, low socialization and information related to internet use for business development.
Therefore, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the effect of entrepreneurial orientation, social media, and partnerships on marketing performance through competitive advantage.In addition, there is also a research gap found, namely the results of research conducted by Fadhillah, Y., et al (2021) A., et al (2021) state that there is an influence of partnerships on marketing performance.Based on the thoughts above, this research is important and interesting to study trying to examine the effect of entrepreneurial orientation, social media, and partnerships on marketing performance through competitive advantage.In addition to enriching scientific knowledge related to entrepreneurship, this research is expected to provide benefits for business actors in developing their businesses.
Research on the effect of entrepreneurial orientation, social media, and partnerships on marketing performance through competitive advantage is an interesting topic in the field of marketing and management.Some theories and frameworks that can be used to explain the relationship between these variables are as follows: Entrepreneurial Orientation: Entrepreneurial orientation refers to a company's ability to develop innovation, recognize market opportunities, and take risks to achieve competitive advantage.The relevant theory in this regard is the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Theory, which emphasizes the importance of entrepreneurial orientation in creating added value and product or service differentiation.In this context, entrepreneurial orientation can be considered as an independent variable affecting competitive advantage and marketing performance.
Social media: social media has become an important platform in modern marketing strategy.Social Media and Communication Theory can be used to explain how the use of social media by companies can affect marketing performance.Through social media, companies can interact directly with customers, build brands, and disseminate information about their products or services.Effective use of social media can increase competitive advantage and marketing performance.https://equatorscience.com/index.php/jabterPartnerships: A partnership or alliance is a cooperation between companies that have a common goal to achieve profits.In this context, the relevant framework is the Theory of Strategic Alliances, which highlights the benefits of partnerships in achieving competitive advantage.The right partnership can provide access to additional resources, increased distribution, and the ability to compete effectively in the marketplace.Good partnerships can influence competitive advantage and marketing performance through operational efficiency, market expansion, or joint innovation.
Competitive Advantage: Competitive advantage refers to the characteristics or factors that differentiate a company from its competitors and provide added value to customers.Competitive Advantage Theory, developed by Michael Porter, can be used to analyze how variables such as entrepreneurial orientation, social media, and partnerships can contribute to the creation and maintenance of competitive advantage.Strong competitive advantage can affect marketing performance by increasing market share, customer loyalty, and profitability.
Research that includes these variables can use survey methods, interviews, or secondary data analysis to collect relevant data.Statistical analysis such as regression can be used to examine the relationship between variables.

Characteristics of Respondents
Of 246 respondents, 231 respondents entered into consignment partnerships while 15 of them entered into profit-sharing partnerships.Based on gender, 155 respondents were female and 91 respondents were male.Based on the age of the respondents, 170 respondents were aged 31-40 years, 65 respondents were aged 21-30 years, 8 respondents were aged 41-50 years and 3 respondents were aged >50 years.From an educational background, 153 respondents had a high school/vocational school/equivalent education level, 80 respondents had an undergraduate education level, 8 respondents had a diploma education level, and 5 respondents had a junior high school education level.Based on the type of business, there were 196 respondents in the culinary sector, 21 respondents in the fashion sector, 11 respondents in the service sector, 9 respondents in the handicraft sector, and 9 respondents in the agricultural sector.Based on sales turnover/month 113 respondent's sales turnover/month of 1-2 million, 85 respondent's sales turnover/month of 2-3 million, 28 respondents sales turnover/month of >3 million, and 20 respondents sales turnover/month of <1 million.Based on table 2, shows that all variables have an Average Variance Extracted (AVE) value > 0.5 which can be said to meet the minimum limit criteria of Average Variance Extracted (AVE).So that all variables can be said to be valid.

Discriminant Validity
Discriminant validity or discriminant validity can be assessed based on the Fornell-Lacker Criterion and Cross Loading.In the Fornell-Lacker Criterion test, discriminant validity can be said to be good if the roots of the AVE in the construct are higher than the construct's correlation with other latent variables, whereas in the Cross Loading test, it must show a higher indicator value from each construct than the indicators in the other constructs (Sekaran & Bougie, 2016).4 shows that the composite reliability and conbach's alpha of all constructs is greater than 0.70. it can be said that the reliability of all constructs in this study is good and shows suitability based on predetermined criteria.

B. Inner Model 1. R-Square (R2)
Structural model testing was carried out to see the relationship between constructs, significance value and the R square of the research model.The R-square value can be used to assess the effect of certain independent variables on the dependent variable.Based on table 6 it can be explained the results of testing the hypothesis as follows: Hypothesis 1 The construct of entrepreneurial orientation on marketing performance shows a Pvalue of 0.000 ≤ 0.05 and a T-Statistic value of 5.997 ≥ 1.96, then hypothesis 1 is accepted.So it can be said that entrepreneurial orientation influences marketing performance in SMEs in Malang Regency.The ability to be responsive or proactive to opportunities and a proactive attitude to develop innovations to create products and services that are wanted and needed by customers so that customers feel satisfied and loyal which is done by business actors can increase productivity and profitability.In addition, an aggressive attitude and the courage to take risks in efforts to compete can also improve marketing performance.

Hypothesis 2
The social media construct on marketing performance shows a P-value of 0.000 ≤ 0.05 and a T-Statistic value of 5.044 ≥ 1.96, then hypothesis 2 is accepted.So that it can be said that social media affects marketing performance in SMEs in Malang Regency.Optimal use of social media will help companies build a solid network with consumers and competitors, to increase capabilities which ultimately lead to better performance.One of them is increasing marketing performance.

Hypothesis 3
The partnership construct on marketing performance shows a P-value of 0.855 ≥ 0.05 and a T-Statistic value of 0.182 ≤ 1.96, then hypothesis 3 is rejected.So that it can be said that https://equatorscience.com/index.php/jabterpartnerships do not affect marketing performance in SMEs in Malang Regency.The influence of partnerships on marketing performance can vary depending on various factors, including the type of partnership, commitment and collaboration that affect the implementation of the partnership.Most of the SMEs in Malang Regency in this study established a consignment partnership pattern.The consignment partnership pattern is a form of partnership between SMEs and retailers where SMEs place their products in stores.The absence of influence between partnerships and marketing performance in the results of this study for UKM Malang Regency business actors could be due to influences in the business environment, namely market shifts or trends that do not support partnerships so that they do not have a significant impact on marketing performance.

Hypothesis 4
The construct of entrepreneurial orientation towards competitive advantage shows a P-value of 0.021 ≤ 0.05 and a T-Statistic value of 2.312 ≥ 1.96, then hypothesis 4 is accepted.So that it can be said that the entrepreneurial orientation variable influences competitive advantage in SMEs in Malang Regency.The Malang Regency SME business actors are actively looking for new opportunities, identifying market needs and making continuous improvements and looking for new methods to use in their business production.By creating innovative products and services, pursuing new opportunities, capturing untapped market share and taking measured risks, you will gain a competitive advantage.In addition, the Malang Regency SME business actors involve a proactive attitude towards risk management.By creating innovative products and services, pursuing new opportunities, capturing untapped market share and taking measured risks, you will gain a competitive advantage.

Hypothesis 5
The social media construct for competitive advantage shows a P-value of 0.000 ≤ 0.05 and a T-Statistic value of 9.720 ≥ 1.96, then hypothesis 5 is accepted.So that it can be said that social media influences competitive advantage in SMEs in Malang Regency.Malang Regency UKM entrepreneurs use social media to promote their products and services in the hope of increasing their brand awareness and attracting the attention of potential customers.By having a strong presence on social media, companies can build a positive image and convince customers about the quality and value they offer.With social media, businesses can also reach a wider range of potential customers, attracting more customers who will influence significant growth in subscribers.In addition, social media helps UKM Malang Regency entrepreneurs to help them analyze data regarding feedback interactions, market trends, and the strengths and weaknesses of competitors.By optimizing the use of social media, business actors can increase their competitive advantage.

Hypothesis 6
The Partnership construct for competitive advantage shows a P-value of 0.006 ≤ 0.05 and a T-Statistic value of 2.755 ≥ 1.96, then hypothesis 6 is accepted.So that it can be said https://equatorscience.com/index.php/jabter that partnerships have an effect on competitive advantage in Malang Regency.In this study, most of the entrepreneurs entered into consignment partnerships.The consignment partnership pattern creates a close cooperative relationship between companies that provide goods (consignees) placing their products in partner places (consignees).In this Partnership, both parties work together to promote and sell products.Therefore, UKM Malang Regency business actors always try to cooperate as much as possible with competent parties in working together.In addition, they always maintain healthy relationships with their partners.Effective collaboration can result in synergies, where the combination of expertise, resources and networks from both parties produce better results.Through these synergies, partnerships can provide greater competitive advantages, such as access to a wider distribution network or the ability to reach more specific target markets.

Hypothesis 7
Competitive advantage on marketing performance shows a P-value of 0.000 ≤ 0.05 and a T-Statistic value of 5.044 ≥ 1.96, then hypothesis 7 is accepted.So that it can be said that competitive advantage affects marketing performance in SMEs in Malang Regency.Competitive advantages that create product or service differentiation can help a company differentiate itself from its competitors.Through price, quality and product innovation, UKM Malang Regency entrepreneurs maximize their competitive advantage.Offering competitive prices is one of the things they use to their competitive advantage.Malang Regency SME business actors always try to provide the best quality and reliable products.Thus creating a higher value perception in the eyes of customers, which will affect marketing performance in terms of customer retention, satisfaction levels, and acquiring new customers.Through innovation, they also create a competitive advantage.Malang Regency SME business actors are continuously trying to innovate and respond to market changes to better meet customer needs and expectations.Competitive advantage in this innovation can provide a marketing advantage in terms of differentiation and competitive attractiveness.Entrepreneurial orientation to marketing performance mediated by competitive advantage shows a P-value of 0.045 ≤ 0.005 and a T-Statistic value of 2.008 ≥ 1.96, then hypothesis 8 is accepted.So that it can be said that entrepreneurial orientation influences marketing performance through competitive advantage in Malang Regency.A strong entrepreneurial orientation encourages businesses to be more flexible and adaptive to changes in the market and business environment.This flexibility and adaptability allow companies to take the right steps in facing competition, take advantage of new opportunities, and overcome obstacles that may arise.By optimizing this flexibility and adaptability, companies can improve marketing performance through increased competitiveness and operational effectiveness.

Hypothesis 9
Social media on marketing performance mediated by competitive advantage shows a P-value of 0.000 ≤ 0.05 and a T-Statistic value of 4.339 ≥ 1.96, then hypothesis 9 is accepted.So that it can be said that social media influences marketing performance through competitive advantage in SMEs in Malang Regency.Social media allows a company to reach a wider audience.Malang Regency UKM business actors are trying to maximize social media for the development of their business.Social media provides a platform for monitoring and understanding customer needs and preferences.Business actors can respond quickly to changing customer needs and preferences.Responsiveness to customers, answering questions, solving problems, or providing customer support through social media will create a competitive advantage in marketing and influence marketing performance.

Hypothesis 10
Partnership on marketing performance mediated by competitive advantage shows a Pvalue of 0.006 ≤ 0.05 and a T-Statistic value of 2.760 ≥ 1.96, then hypothesis 10 is accepted.So that it can be said that partnerships affect marketing performance through competitive advantage in SMEs in Malang Regency.By establishing partnerships that already have an established market share and customers, it will help businesses reach potential customers who were previously difficult to reach and will expand their customer base.through increased distribution and access to new markets, businesses can build a competitive advantage in terms of broader market penetration and higher sales growth.Establishing more effective marketing partnerships, balanced with competitive advantages, namely competitive prices, reliable products and quality products will affect marketing performance.

Conclusion
The results of this study conclude that entrepreneurial orientation, social media, and competitive advantage have a positive and significant effect on marketing performance.While the partnership does not affect marketing performance.Competitive advantage mediates entrepreneurial orientation, social media, and partnerships on marketing performance.The limitations in this study are the limitations in generalizing the results of the https://equatorscience.com/index.php/jabterUKM population in Malang Regency as a whole.Differences in industry, business scale, and characteristics of SMEs can influence the influence of the variables studied.Therefore, the results of this study may not be directly applicable to SMEs in other regions.The data collection methods used in this study may have limitations.For example, the use of questionnaires or interviews is only limited to the perceptions and opinions of respondents.In addition, the use of secondary data or data reported by SMEs themselves may contain bias or inaccuracies that may affect research results.
The implications of this research are expected for SMEs to strengthen developing a strong entrepreneurial orientation with a focus on innovation, adaptability and seeking new market opportunities, make effective use of Social Media, expand mutually beneficial partnership networks, and implement competitive advantage strategies.The government is also expected to take part in raising awareness and entrepreneurship education.Through workshops or training.Development of digital infrastructure and easily accessible internet access for business actors.Governments can also facilitate access to partnerships.
Figure 1.Outer Model result diagram 1. Convergent ValidityIn conducting convergent validity testing, it can be assessed based on the value of outer loadings or loading factor and Average Variance Extracted (AVE).Values on outer loadings or loading factors from 0.5 to 0.6 are considered sufficient and values > 0.7 have very high values.Meanwhile, the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) value > 0.5 is acceptable(Ghozali & Latan, 2015).a.Loading Factor Table1: Loading Factor

Table 1 :
Loading Factor Research results, processed with Smart PLS 3.2, 2023 Based on table 1 shows the Outer Loadings or Loading Factor values above > 0.7 so that the Outer Loadings or Loading Factor test is said to be valid so that it can be used for the next testing stage.b.Average Variance Extracted (AVE) Table 2: Average Variance Extracted (AVE) https://equatorscience.com/index.php/jabterSource: Source: Research results, processed with Smart PLS 3.2, 2023

Table 3 :
Discriminant validity   Research results, processed with Smart PLS 3.2, 2023Based on table 3, shows that the AVE square root value for each latent variable is greater than the correlation value between the stated latent variable and other latent variables, so the instrument that has been designed has good discriminant validity.3.Reliability TestA reliability test was carried out to prove the accuracy, consistency, and precision of the instrument in measuring constructs.The reliability test can use two methods, namely Composite Reliability and Cronbach's Alpha.A construct can be said to have a good reliability value if the Composite Reliability value is > 0.70.A research construct is said to be reliable if the Cronbach's Alpha value is > 0.7.Table4: Reliability https://equatorscience.com/index.php/jabterSource: Source: Research results, processed with Smart PLS 3.2, 2023 Based on table

Table 5 :
R-square valuesTable5shows the R-Square value for the marketing performance variable is 0.796, which means that this value indicates that the entrepreneurial orientation, social media, partnership, and competitive advantage variables can explain the marketing performance variable by 79.6% and the remaining 20.4% is explained by other variables not examined in this study.The higher the R-Square value, the better the prediction model and the proposed research model.
Source: Research results, processed with Smart PLS 3.2, 2023

Table 7 :
Indirect Effects Based on Table7, the results of testing the hypothesis can be explained as follows: Hypothesis 8 https://equatorscience.com/index.php/jabter