Source: Untar Public Relations – VA
The Postgraduate Program of Universitas Tarumanagara added another doctoral graduate through the Open Doctoral Promotion Session in Management Science held at the Auditorium of Building M, Campus I Untar, on Friday (14/11/2025). During the session, Ariadi successfully defended his dissertation titled “The Influence of Digital Marketing and Market Entry Agility on Marketing Performance with Innovation Capability as a Moderating Variable in Culinary MSMEs in Pontianak.”
The session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Ir. Agustinus Purna Irawan, M.T., M.M., IPU., A.E. Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Mahlia Muis, S.E., M.Si. served as the main promoter, and Dr. Cokki, S.E., M.M. acted as the co-promoter. The board of examiners consisted of Prof. Dr. Haris Maupa, S.E., M.Si.; Prof. Dr. Muhammad Idrus Taba, S.E., M.Si.; Prof. Dr. Ignatius Roni Setyawan, S.E., M.Si.; and Prof. Dr. Ramadania, S.E., M.Si.
In his research, Ariadi highlighted the challenges faced by culinary micro and small enterprises (MSMEs) in Pontianak, which are becoming increasingly dependent on digital technology to remain competitive. He emphasized that digital marketing now functions not only as a promotional tool, but also as an important factor influencing market entry agility—the ability of MSME actors to respond to changes, understand consumer needs, and adapt to competitive dynamics.
“By involving 100 culinary MSMEs as respondents and applying the PLS-SEM method, I found that digital marketing has a strong influence on marketing performance. Market entry agility was also proven to strengthen this influence,” said Ariadi, who is also a lecturer at Institut Teknologi dan Bisnis Sabda Setia Pontianak.
The study also found that innovation capability did not function as a moderating variable, differing from several previous studies. This finding indicates that MSME actors cannot rely solely on product innovation, but also need to integrate data utilization, marketing channel management, and the ability to analyze market conditions in real time.
Ariadi hopes that the model he developed can contribute to policymaking, MSME assistance programs, and the strengthening of regional economic competitiveness. He graduated with a GPA of 4.00 and earned the distinction of Cum Laude.
VA/YS