Explications of political market orientation and political brand orientation using the resource-based view of the political party

Abstract

This paper adopts the resource-based view of the firm as a platform for an examination of three important political party capabilities: proactive political market orientation, responsive political market orientation, and political brand orientation. We develop a theoretical argument outlining the importance of the complementarity between these capabilities. The approach taken illustrates the links between political market orientation, using what we label as responsive political market orientation, proactive political market orientation, and political brand orientation by building on the marketing literature. We suggest that our treatment of political market orientation is important in helping to understand better its role within the resource-based view of the party. Further, it also aides in understanding political market orientation and branding in political marketing by parties within the context of competitive strategies and electoral performance.     

Market Orientation: An Iterative Process of Customer and Market Engagement

ABSTRACT

Research Purpose. The objective of this research was to examine market orientation in organisations that deliver manufacturing-based services to both client organisations and their customers.

Research Approach. The case study research method employed three data collection methods: in-depth, semi-structured interviews, document analysis and physical artefact analysis. Embedded study units comprising groups of different stakeholders with distinctly different perspectives provided a basis for replication logic to enhance validity of the findings.

Findings. The research revealed that a firm's transition toward a market-oriented state is progressive. At a given point in time, a firm may be adjusting to its markets intuitively or cognitively; market responsiveness may be occurring in specific pockets of the firm, or as an enterprise-wide strategy; and some of the conditions specified may be met, some may be partly met and others may remain to be addressed in the future. A specific customer focus was important to the conceptualisation of market orientation in the case organisation.

Research Implications. Key implications of the research are as follows:

• In conceptualising market orientation as a process as opposed to an ideal state, important issues of structural and policy alignment and senior executive vision and drive are revealed;

• in addition to customer and competitor orientations and intra-organisational co-ordination, other dimensions of a market orientation revealed in the research context are a customer focus and a new knowledge orientation; and

• both inter- and intra-organisational co-ordination facilitate the development of market driven and market driving customer value.

Practical Implications. While the senior executives were aware of the significant performance benefits to be achieved through a national, market-oriented vision, the lack of a co-ordinated plan to achieve cultural change resulted in incremental achievements towards the vision. One key factor inhibiting the envisioned cultural change was the power base of those within the organisation who perceived that a national, market focus would eliminate local autonomy. Specific policy was required to align rewards with required behavioural change.

Contribution. This research provides a unique perspective of market orientation as process of organisational development directed towards aligning the organisation with its served markets. Intervention strategies and incremental changes attempted to achieve a national market perspective, highlight the importance of aligning structure, human resource management strategy, top management commitment and leadership drive in achieving such a cultural change.     

Do Customer and Technology Orientations Influence Product Innovativeness in SMEs? Some New Evidence from Greece

Due to the recently articulated need for a better understanding of product innovativeness determinants, this study focuses on firm-specific factors that influence the innovativeness level of new products. A path analysis model pertaining to a dataset of 150 manufacturing SMEs in Greece is applied to examine customer and technology orientations' direct effects on product newness to customers on the one hand and their indirect effects through learning orientation on new product uniqueness on the other. Empirical results indicate that technology orientation is more important than customer orientation in explaining product newness to customers and thus increases the chances of the firm producing a new product beyond their experiences and consumption patterns. They also suggest that learning orientation being enhanced by stronger customer and technology orientations constitutes a key organisational capability in creating more unique new products for the market. These findings are discussed in the context of Greek SMEs in the food & beverages and textile industries, taking into account the specific conditions prevailing. Apart from providing some new evidence in the important area of SMEs, this study also reveals interesting implications for managers and policy-makers while providing potential avenues for further investigation.     

Inter-firm Market Orientation: Its Significance and Antecedents in Distribution Networks

It is often argued that competition takes place between networks or value chains, rather than between individual companies. This means that market orientation needs to be recognised at this level, in order to understand how an inter-firm network can become more competitive and effective in serving its final market. Still, market orientation has been analysed only as a property of individual companies. This paper stresses the importance of recognising market orientation on a network level and as an inter-firm phenomenon. The notion of inter-firm market orientation, i.e.joint activities by firms that make a network more sensitive to market demands, is thus suggested. A framework is presented that discusses the meaning and content of inter-firm market orientation in a distribution network, and how it is influenced by different network and relationship characteristics. The framework is based on previous research on market orientation, inter-firm networks and relationships.     

The Market Orientation of Internet Support Companies

ABSTRACT

Several studies have expanded the work by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) by using their market orientation framework model and applying it to a variety of industries. The results of recent studies have uncovered moderate to strong relationships between the concepts of market orientation and organizational performance. Although there is a large body of research on the topic of market orientation, there is a gap pertaining to market orientation across organizations that comprise fast-paced environments such as those that exist within the Internet commerce environment. This study explores market orientation in the context of Web Hosting and Internet service providers to understand the impact market orientation can have on new and emerging industries. The study results indicate that market orientation is positively related to performance. Implications for theory construction and managerial practice are discussed.     

Operationalizing the Marketing Concept in the Nonprofit Sector

ABSTRACT

This paper questions the validity of applying the market orientation construct, which was developed ostensibly for and in large multinational organizations, to a sector whose characteristics differ greatly. Instead, this paper argues for a new approach to the operationalization of the marketing concept in the nonprofit sector. The components of this 'societal orientation' are delineated, as are the organizational imperatives, antecedents and the potential consequences and benefits associated therewith.     

Market Orientation and Performance in the Public Sector

Abstract

Increased calls for transparency and accountability in government organizations underscores the need for a market orientation even in the public sector. The degree of market orientation and its effect on performance and on organizational commitment in government departments in three Australian states is considered. Results provide empirical support for a direct relationship between market orientation and performance and evidence of the mediating role of organizational commitment. Implications are drawn and directions for future research are discussed.     

When Marketing Dare Not Speak Its Name: Understanding Market Orientation in Chinese NGOs

ABSTRACT

The market orientation construct has proven to be of value to profit-seeking firms. It ought to be of value to NGOs too. Some previous research has been done to facilitate understanding of market orientation in NGOs, but the methodologies used have mostly been quantitative, and nothing is known about the market orientation of Chinese NGOs. To address this research gap, a qualitative case study methodology was used to develop a deeper understanding of how market orientation is practiced among NGOs in Hong Kong (China). Mapping with previous studies, the research found that three factors together explained the varying degrees of market orientation in the NGOs studied: senior management factors, organizational and institutional factors, and structural and system factors. But more importantly, an NGO’s funding base was found to moderate the relationship between these antecedents and an organization’s market orientation. The more that the NGO relies on public funding or a small number of funders the weaker the influence of the antecedents on market orientation. The more that the NGO relies on private funders, a diversified group of funders, or self-funding, the stronger the influence of the antecedents on market orientation, and the closer its understanding of market orientation is likely to be to that of a commercial entity. The article finishes with a substantive theoretical model for market orientation in the Chinese NGO context.     

A review and evaluation of market orientation research in an emerging African economy

ABSTRACT

The paper synthesizes the level of strategic market orientation of firms operating in the emerging economy of Ghana over the last two decades. It dwells on market orientation studies in general, and the banking industry and exporting firms in particular. Market orientation has a positive relationship with performance for both foreign and domestic firms across the many studies. Foreign firms in general appear more market oriented due to experience effect and relationship with parent organizations. As competition heats up in the banking industry, organizations need to be more innovative to sustain their performance or to survive. For exporting firms, there is the need for decreased formalization and increased decentralization so as to enhance the levels of market orientation. The paper develops propositions to guide organizations in applying marketing principles in the running of their business activities. Further, the paper provides an update on the literature with suggestions for future research in the theory and practice of strategic market orientation in the context of the study.     

A Contingency Approach to Market Orientation: Distinguishing Behaviours,Systems, Structures,Strategies and Performance Characteristics

Comparatively little attention has been devoted towards the identification of different manifestations of market orientation. The aim of this paper is to explore and describe the distinguishing behaviours, systems, structures, strategies and performance characteristics of of market orientation in different situations. The paper begins with an overview of existing research into the market orientation construct, including an analysis of attempts to conceptualise and operationalise the market orientation construct. Thereafter the limited amount of research into differing forms of business orientation and market orientation is presented and reviewed critically. After a discussion of the-two phase research design and methodology adopted in the study, the results of three in-depth case studies are presented including the development of a propositional inventory. Thereafter, the analysis of responses to a mailed questionnaire survey is presented and discussed. The evidence leads to a series of implications and conclusions for practitioners and theorists.     

Understanding voter orientation in the context of political market orientation: is the political customer king?

Abstract

This article develops a conceptual framework and measurement model of political market orientation (PMO). The relationships between different behavioural aspects of PMO and the attitudinal influences of such behaviour are analysed, and the study includes structural equation modelling to test several hypotheses. While the results show that political parties focus on several different aspects of market-oriented behaviour, especially using an internal and societal orientation as cultural antecedents, a more surprising result is the inconclusive effect of a voter orientation on PMO. This lends support to the argument of ‘looking beyond the customer’ in political marketing research and practice. The article discusses the findings in the context of the existing literature on political marketing and commercial market orientation.     

Foreign Direct Investment in China

Summary

China has attracted the second largest amount of foreign direct investment in the world each year since 1993. Hundreds of thousands of foreign-invested enterprises are in operation in China. However, what drive the success or cause the failure of foreign investments is still not well understood. This paper critically examines one success factor, i.e., the importance of timing of marketing entry into China. It begins with a brief review of the literature on first-mover advantages and the recent empirical research. It then attempts to theorize on why timing of market entry matters in the context of foreign direct investment. Apart from drawing upon the four recent studies in this area, this paper focuses on the auto industry in China and the case of Volkswagen to illustrate the importance of early entry into an overseas market. It calls for foreign investors to seize the first-wave opportunities when the door is opened a certain sector. It pays in the long run both in terms of the market share position and profitability.     

Market orientation and design orientation: a management model

Market orientation and design orientation as strategic concepts have a proven impact on business results, but the direct relationship between these concepts has not yet been analysed. This research attempts to prove the relationship by studying the managerial implication of design orientation as it relates to market orientation. After analysing 28 case studies of Spanish companies well-known for their business excellence and their design orientation, a management model is proposed. The model is a management tool that offers companies a scheme for auto-diagnosis and a review of best-in-class design practices that have shown to improve business results.     

Impact of individual market orientation on selling and customer orientation

ABSTRACT

We analyze the direct effect of individual market orientation on selling orientation-customer orientation of corporate insurance agents licensed in an emerging market based on the data collected using a random survey of corporate insurance agents in the Life Insurance sector in India. The results indicated that individual market orientation had a significant relationship with selling orientation, but the intensity was weak. However, causal relationship between individual market orientation and customer orientation was moderate. Future research should focus on analyzing the influence of the dimensions of individual market orientation on employee commitment, loyalty and should analyze the moderating effects of various associated variables. The findings indicate that efforts should be made to generate market-oriented behavior among individuals to propel selling orientation and customer orientation.     

Environmental context and marketing planning processes

The traditional model of marketing planning assumes that the process by which organizations take planning decisions is constant with respect to context. Organizational environment, internal context, performance and distinctive competency affect marketing planning only as information inputs for the planning process, not as influences on the choice of process. However, rapid change in environments, in competitive patterns and in market responses all demand action from organizations. Intuitively, we expect that rapid environmental change will require a faster planning process, and that increasing environmental complexity requires more careful deliberation. The marketing planning model does not accommodate such intuition. This paper outlines the case for rethinking marketing planning models, and develops a conceptual framework through which the impact of environmental context on marketing planning processes can be effectively examined.     

Re-examining the deployment of market orientation in the public leisure sector

Abstract

This paper examines the moderating effects of market orientation's intelligence generation and dissemination components on the response–performance relationship. We offer valuable insight into the application of, and subsequent returns to, market orientation in the public leisure sector, thereby helping to broaden the appeal, relevance, and usefulness of this important marketing theory to other contexts. The research involved a national survey questionnaire to 1060 public leisure managers of local government leisure facilities in England. Empirical testing through structural equation modelling revealed two important findings. First, intelligence generation efforts of the organisation can in part affect the performance returns to an organisation from its responsiveness to market intelligence. Second, intelligence generation coupled with organisation-wide dissemination of intelligence can have a destructive impact on the response–performance relationship, demonstrated by a negative significant moderating impact on this relationship. This paper provides an alternative explanation to the deployment of market orientation as a means to create value and an explanation that transcends its current linear portrayal in public-service delivery.     

Market orientation and internet-related cognitions: inside the minds of small business managers

Although both market orientation and the Internet intersect at important strategy implementation areas, surprisingly, these two domains have not been well integrated. With market orientation's focus on the use of information associated with market stakeholders and the Internet's ability to facilitate communication and relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, it makes conceptual and pragmatic sense to explore these two areas in concert. The present research develops and tests a conceptual model explaining relationships among market orientation and Internet-related perceptions for managers in small to mid-sized firms. An examination of the market orientation-Internet usage relationship contributes to understanding the process of how an important strategic orientation – market orientation – translates into a key organisational capability: Internet usage.     

The Impact of Organizational and Environmental Variables on Strategic Market Orientation

Abstract

This paper offers a new look at market orientation by conceptualizing it from a strategic perspective. It differs from the current literature in that it develops a measure that emphasizes managerial attitudes and strategic intent. The new measure is empirically scrutinized by an investigation of its relationship with pertinent organizational and environmental variables, as well as company performance. Based on a survey of nearly 400 companies operating in the U.S., significant relationships emerged between Strategic Market Orientation and three organizational variables, namely strategic priorities, inter-departmental coordination and ownership nationality. Two of the environmental variables, namely intensity of competition and rate of technological change were also significantly related to Strategic Market Orientation. The relationship between Strategic Market Orientation and company performance remained inconclusive.     

Market Orientation,Competitive Strategy and Firm Performance

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the mediating effects of a firm's competitive strategy in the market orientation-performance relationship. Based on a sample of 371 manufacturing firms in China, evidence was found that the three dimensions of market orientation exert different effects on competitive strategy and performance. Among them, customer orientation has the strongest association with competitive strategy and market performance. This lends credence to a componentwise approach on the study of the relationship between market orientation and performance. The results of structural equation analyses indicate that the mediating effect of competitive strategy is mainly revealed in innovation strategy, the most vital factor in creating superior value for the company in the emerging market. Limitations of this study and implications for future studies are discussed.