Marketing orientation in the nonprofit sector: The case of hospitals

Is there an increasing concern for consumers in the nonprofit sector of the economy? Does it manifest itself in the measurement of consumer satisfaction as it does in the profit sector? According to the study reported here, the answer is “yes”—at least in the case of nonprofit hospitals. A sample of administrators of large nonprofit hospitals responded to a mail survey inquiring about the extent to which they measure the satisfaction of their patients. Their responses were compared with a similar study of business executives. The findings from the study indicate that, in general, nonprofit hospitals show as much concern for the satisfaction of their consumers as business does. Since hospitals are significant and conspicuous members of the nonprofit sector of the economy, the findings confirm recent writings that suggest that a consumer orientation is developing among nonprofit organizations.