Marketing Orientation
There have been many studies of the term ‘marketing orientation’, and its presence within organisations. Marketing orientation is an approach that companies take which centres its activities towards achieving customer satisfaction through effective marketing. It is where customers form the basis of an organisations performance and overall success. In order to achieve successful marketing orientation, a company must organise an effective structure through planning its activities, products and services successfully. This will help the company on focusing its aims and objectives on the needs and requirements of its customers, in order to establish a relationship that will increase performance and success.
‘Market orientation is the organisation wide development of market intelligence pertaining to customer needs.’ (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990. p12)
Two approaches to marketing Orientation have been suggested by Avlonitis and Gounaris (1999), focusing on the practices and culture that the company adopts. It has been interpreted by Avlonitis and Gounaris (1999) that marketing orientation is either ‘a company attitude or company behaviour.’ This is whether a company is customer orientated or focuses on a competitive advantage through marketing orientation. Other authors have similiar thoughts upon these approaches to marketing orientation. Drucker (1954) believes that customers perceive marketing as an ‘activity involving the entire organisation’, rather than being a specific company process. The author’s view coincides with the work of Avlonitis and Gounaris (1999), as he focuses on the attitude organisations have in satisfying customer needs. The other side to this approach is the significance of a company’s culture towards marketing orientated activities. Felton (1959) states; ‘It is the attitudes and beliefs of a workforce that control the level of orientated activities a company strives to achieve,’ implying the focus is on themselves competing rather than
‘Market orientation is the organisation wide development of market intelligence pertaining to customer needs.’ (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990. p12)
Two approaches to marketing Orientation have been suggested by Avlonitis and Gounaris (1999), focusing on the practices and culture that the company adopts. It has been interpreted by Avlonitis and Gounaris (1999) that marketing orientation is either ‘a company attitude or company behaviour.’ This is whether a company is customer orientated or focuses on a competitive advantage through marketing orientation. Other authors have similiar thoughts upon these approaches to marketing orientation. Drucker (1954) believes that customers perceive marketing as an ‘activity involving the entire organisation’, rather than being a specific company process. The author’s view coincides with the work of Avlonitis and Gounaris (1999), as he focuses on the attitude organisations have in satisfying customer needs. The other side to this approach is the significance of a company’s culture towards marketing orientated activities. Felton (1959) states; ‘It is the attitudes and beliefs of a workforce that control the level of orientated activities a company strives to achieve,’ implying the focus is on themselves competing rather than
References: Avlonitis, G., and Gounaris, S., 1999. Marketing orientation and its determinants. An empirical analysis. European Journal of Marketing (online) 33 (11) 1003-1037 Available Via: Emerald Fultext (Accessed 09 Dec 2007) Brooksbank, R., and Taylor, D., 2005. Strategic marketing in action: A comparison of higher and lower performing manufacturing firms in the UK. Marketing Intelligence & Planning (online) 25 (1) 31-44 Available Via: Emerald Fulltext (Accessed 09 Dec 2007) Druker, P., 1954. The practice of management. Harper and Row Publishers Inc., New York, NY Ellis, P., 2005 Available Via: Emerald Fulltext (Accessed 28 Nov 2007) Jobber, J., 2007 Kohli, A., and Jaworski, B., 1990. Market Orientation: The construct, research propositions, and managerial implications. Journal of Marketing (online) 9 (6) 1-18 Available Via: Business Source Premier (Accessed 01 Dec 2007) Narvar, A., and Slater, St., 1990. The effect of marketing orientation on business profitability. Marketing Science Institute. 89-120. Cambridge, MA Payne, A., 1988 Available Via: Business Source Premier (Accessed 08 Dec 2007) Sharp, B., 1991 Available Via: Emerald Fulltext (Accessed 09 Dec 2007) Sin, L., 2005 Available Via: Business Source Premier (Accessed 08 Dec 2007) Trout, J., and Ries, A., 1995