ENTREPRENEURIAL MARKET FOCUS AND VENTURE WELL-BEING OF HOTELS IN PORT HARCOURT

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between Entrepreneurial Market Focus And The Venture Well- Being of Hotels in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Specifically, it investigated how two dimensions of market focus—opportunity focus and customer focus relate with Venture Well-Being of hotels. Guided by the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, the study adopted a quantitative survey design. Data were collected from 74 hotel operators and managers in 30 hotels using structured questionnaire and analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). The findings revealed a strong and statistically significant positive relationship between opportunity focus and venture well-being (r = 0.723, p < 0.01), and a moderate but significant relationship between customer focus and venture well-being (r = 0.478, p < 0.01). These results suggest that hotels that actively seek market opportunities and maintain a customer­ centric orientation are more likely to experience long-term success, adaptability, and stakeholder satisfaction. The study concluded that integrating opportunity-seeking behavior with strong customer engagement is essential for achieving and sustaining venture well-being in the competitive hospitality sector. Furthermore, the study recommended that hotels should institutionalize opportunity scanning mechanisms such as regular market trend analysis, competitor intelligence systems, and customer feedback loops to proactively identify new service areas, customer segments, and business models.