جهت گیری بازار در زمینه شرکتهای متوسط​​: یک چارچوب مفهومی

A number of studies in the marketing literature have examined the construct of market orientation (MO). These studies generally show a positive link between MO and organizational performance. This paper examines MO specifically in the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). An in-depth review of the extant literature is used to develop a conceptual framework by exploring the major antecedents of MO, the MO–Performance relationship, and the key mediators and environmental moderators of this relationship. This paper also examines several studies on SMEs with respect to various aspects of this framework and offers suggestions for future research in order to understand more thoroughly how MO influences SME performance.

In a general sense, MO pertains to an organizational culture that emphasizes aspects such as customer orientation, competitor orientation, interfunctional coordination, and responsiveness as keys to organizational success (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990 and Narver and Slater, 1990). Although the MO–Performance relationship has been the focus of many studies, efforts to synthesize existing findings to better understand this relationship in the context of smaller organizations have been virtually nonexistent. Past research shows some key differences between SMEs and larger organizations (Acs and Audretsch, 1987 and Coviello et al., 2000) and one can expect the role of MO in SMEs to be quite distinct from that in larger organizations. The primary objective of this paper is to formulate a conceptual framework to examine MO in the context of SMEs. Such a framework could help us better comprehend the role of MO and its influence on SME performance. The MO literature is used to identify constructs of particular relevance to SMEs. Increased emphasis is given to the antecedents of MO and the mediators and moderators of the MO–performance relationship. Following the discussion of the conceptual framework, this paper examines SME research in relation to the framework and offers suggestions for future research. Prior to development of the conceptual framework, the next section examines the significance of the SME context for MO.