Improving firm performance using market orientation and capabilities: a case study approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandeep Narula ◽  
Sudhir Rana ◽  
Shakul Srivastava ◽  
Manjeet Kharub
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Business Development ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Marketing Capabilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach

PurposeThis study explores the relationship between market orientation (MO), marketing capabilities, competitive advantage and firm performance with a focus on productivity and growth. This study answers on how MO and capabilities can enhance the performance of a firm. The following research points have been looked into: (1) business development in uncertain times, (2) strategies that complement both business development and competitive advantage at the same time and (3) how proactive MO helps the business organization to improve performance and attain category leadership in the desired therapeutic segment.Design/methodology/approachThis article is based on an intensive case study that provides a thorough description, interpretation and understanding of the case. To accomplish the given goals, a public sector firm was carefully chosen and data were gathered through interviews with managers from different levels of the case company.FindingsResults of this study explain that the MO concept is highly effective in building the marketing capabilities and sustaining the performance. The study offers business development strategies for the businesses where product differentiation is low and price ceiling is practiced on a certain category of products. MO when combined with marketing capabilities gives the organization a competitive advantage which ultimately enhances the firm performance.Originality/valueThe manuscript is based on a case study representing niche and mid-sized Indian pharmaceutical company, “Indian Immunologicals Limited” (IIL, a public sector firm), that adopted MO along with competitive business strategies in highly competitive, regulated and price control therapeutic category, anti-rabies vaccine. The company with a judicious mix of business strategies, operational excellence and MO not only enhanced productivity but also market share and created new business units for future.

Developing the capability of marketing intelligence

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 1341-1359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Shong Lin ◽  
Jing-Wen Hsu ◽  
Ming-Yih Yeh
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Organizational Capabilities ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Marketing Capabilities ◽  
Marketing Capability ◽  
Organizational Capability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Intelligence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to help firms to create competitiveness by developing marketing capabilities. It analyzes how the component and architectural competences affect and enhance market orientation and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – Built on the theories of organizational capability, knowledge creation, and market orientation, this research develops the contents of marketing capabilities, including component and architectural competences that contribute to marketing capability by responding to external changes, and analyzes their influence on market orientation and firm performance. Findings – The study reveals the following effective marketing capabilities which benefit to marketing performance. First, hiring and retaining employees with higher professional, local, and specific knowledge. Second, firms with higher tacit knowledge enhance market orientation. Third, arranging employees into teamwork to implement marketing tasks. Fourth, assigning employees into small-scale experiments on creative proposals. Fifth, standardizing procedures of generation, dissemination, and response of marketing intelligence. Sixth, providing written market information and training programs to non-marketing staff. Seventh, appropriately delegating to staff. Eighth, establishing apprenticeship among the staff to deliver experiential know-how. Research limitations/implications – From a dynamic capability perspective, this research construct the two kinds of marketing competences and examine their effect on market orientation and firm performance. For further understanding the complementary effects of marketing capabilities, market orientation, and synergistic performance, a larger sample data (e.g. product, market share, sales, characteristics of staff, firm, and knowledge, etc.) and objective evaluation are encouraged. Otherwise, from the viewpoint of agency theory, the incentive system should also be discussed. Practical implications – This research has potentially significant implications for knowledge management and marketing management fields as well as managerial practice. The results suggest the importance of marketing capability for market orientation and firm performance. Originality/value – Marketing resources and marketing capabilities are significant drivers of firm performance, and their impact is greater when they are complementary to each other. This study takes the perspectives of organizational capabilities and market orientation to find out the factors which contribute to marketing capability and performance. This study provides practitioners with a framework for analyzing marketing capabilities as an object of improving firm performance by creating market orientation. Furthermore, this research empirically introduced strategic specific competence (tacit knowledge and autonomy) into the model and tests their effect of market orientation and firm performance.

Creation of firm performance through resource orchestration: the case of ÜLKER

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rifat Kamasak
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Multiple Data

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the complex interaction of different resource sets and capabilities in the process of performance creation within the context of resource-based theory. Design/methodology/approach – An inductive case study approach that included multiple data collection methods such as in-depth interviews, observation and documentation was utilized. Findings – Organizational culture, reputational assets, human capital, business processes and networking capabilities were found as the most important determinants of firm performance within the context of Ülker case study. Originality/value – Although large-scale empirical studies can be used to explore the direct resource–performance relationship, these quantitative methods bypass the complex and embedded nature of intangibles and provide only a limited understanding of why some resources are identified as strategic but others are not, what their roles are, and how these resources are converted into positions of competitive advantage. However, understanding of complex nature of resources that are embedded in organizations designates the need for more fieldwork-based qualitative studies. This study aims to address this gap by providing a thorough understanding about the managerial and organizational processes through which the resources become valuable.

Marketing capabilities for small and medium enterprises that supply large companies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emerson Wagner Mainardes ◽  
Gabriela Pessoa de Oliveira Cisneiros ◽  
Carlos Jorge Taborda Macedo ◽  
Amilson de Araujo Durans
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Marketing Theory ◽  
Marketing Capabilities ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustained Competitive Advantage

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of marketing capabilities on market orientation and sustained competitive advantage from the viewpoint of managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that supply large companies. This paper also analyzes the moderating role of exposure to external turbulence in the relationship between marketing capabilities and sustained competitive advantage, and between marketing capabilities and market orientation for SMEs. Design/methodology/approach Based on the literature, this study develops a model to verify the proposed relationships. An online questionnaire collected data from 423 managers of SMEs that supply large companies to test the model. This paper analyzes the proposed model using structural equation modeling with partial least squares. Findings According to the surveyed managers, marketing capabilities tend to play a significant role in the market orientation and perceived sustained competitive advantage of SMEs that supply large companies. Better-developed marketing capabilities can strengthen the market orientation of SMEs, helping to achieve and maintain a sustained competitive advantage. They will, thus, attract more clients and minimize their risk, regardless of the environment in which they operate. Research limitations/implications This research contributes to marketing theory by highlighting the marketing capabilities of SMEs that supply large companies and demonstrating the importance of such capabilities for their survival. Originality/value The study investigated the views of the SME managers that supply large companies about their company’s marketing capabilities. Traditionally, these companies have had little concern for marketing. This research focuses on an emerging market, that is not usually addressed.

Behavioral lessons from Flipkart’s Big-Billion Day sale

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tulsi Jayakumar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Behavioral Economics ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Consumer Decision Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Behavioral Aspects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the behavioral lessons and managerial implications of deep discount strategies used by e-commerce firms to gain a competitive advantage over rivals. The paper seeks to understand the behavioral aspects of consumer and competitor response to such online sales, particularly with reference to e-satisfaction and e-loyalty. The case study seeks to: understand the behavioral aspects of utility and customer satisfaction; understand the behavioral aspects influencing customer attitudes, preferences and choice; understand heuristics involved in consumer decision-making; and understand possible firm strategies based on a thorough analysis of behavioral influencers of customer decisions. Design/methodology/approach The paper follows a case study approach. Secondary data sources from the library, company website and newspaper articles have been used to build a case which would encourage students to discuss and analyze the application of principles of behavioral economics to marketing problems faced especially by e-retailers. It uses Flipkart’s botched-up Big-Billion Day sale to drive home lessons in behavioral economics to marketers. Findings With growing internet penetration, e-retail presents high potential in India along with its BRICS peers. However, the task of grabbing customer mindshare, as also a share of wallet of the growing Indian purchasing power through monster discounts and deals by e-tailers may not work. Firms such as Flipkart may strategize using principles of behavioral economics including confirmatory bias, framing effects, reference points, principles of loss aversion, heuristics and the peak–end rule to influence customer decision-making in their favor. They must also guard against any incidents/events which invoke the representativeness heuristic or negative confirmatory biases towards e-commerce portals. Practical implications E-tailers in countries like India should understand the behavioral implications of deep discount strategies and deals offered by them as a means of gaining competitive advantage. Attention to e-service outcome quality and e-service recovery is important. Originality/value The case is unique in its applications of behavioral economics principles to e-retailing in India. It seeks to apply behavioral principles to a major e-commerce marketing event in India. With the e-commerce industry likely to boom in India, the case study provides unique insights into competitive pricing strategies adopted by e-retailers and the feasibility thereof.

The triple-a supply chain and strategic resources: developing competitive advantage

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-190
Author(s):  
David Gligor ◽  
Javad Feizabadi ◽  
Ivan Russo ◽  
Michael J. Maloni ◽  
Thomas J. Goldsby
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chain Orientation ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Supply Chain Orientation

PurposeScholars have recently begun to empirically evaluate the triple-A supply chain, which emphasizes concurrent capabilities in agility, adaptability and alignment across the supply chain to develop sustainable competitive advantage. Complexity theory suggests however that other combinations of triple-A capabilities may be equally effective, especially given a firm's strategic orientation relative to its market and its supply chain. Our research objective was to examine what combinations of these capabilities lead to the same outcome (i.e. high firm performance).Design/methodology/approachWe collected 182 survey responses from a global sample of supply chain managers. Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) was employed to assess effective recipes of agility, adaptability, alignment, supply chain orientation, and market orientation.FindingsOur results revealed four distinct “recipes” (i.e. combinations of agility, adaptability, alignment, supply chain orientation and market orientation) that lead to high levels of firm performance.Originality/valueOur results indicate that firms currently do not necessarily have to concomitantly develop capabilities across all triple-A components. Considering the costs associated with developing each of these capabilities, the findings allow us to derive several theoretical and managerial insights.

scholarly journals Improving public sector knowledge sharing through communities of practice

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasmus Jørgensen ◽  
Kasper Edwards ◽  
Enrico Scarso ◽  
Christine Ipsen
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practice Improvement ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Development Framework ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to study the impact of intentionally developed communities of practice (CoPs) on knowledge sharing and practice improvement in an administrative public sector organisation (PSO). Design/methodology/approach A case study approach was used to analyse the impact of the CoPs intentionally developed by four different teams at a Danish PSO. The study applied a CoP development framework suggested by the literature to develop the CoPs. Findings Three out of the four CoPs were successfully developed, and they positively affected knowledge sharing and practice improvement. CoP participants engaged in conversations to explore individual ways of working, share knowledge and ultimately improve practice. Standardisation and boundary spanning were identified as contextual factors influencing the CoP activities. Research limitations/implications The findings verify the framework and contribute to a better understanding of the factors affecting the development of CoPs that positively impact knowledge sharing and practice improvements in a PSO context. Practical implications The study provides operations managers in PSOs with a framework for developing CoPs to improve work performance through better knowledge sharing among employees. Originality/value The paper provides case study evidence for the relevance of CoPs in PSO settings and highlights the necessity of investing resources in employee knowledge-sharing interactions.

Ethics disclosure as strategy: a longitudinal case study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sriyalatha Kumarasinghe ◽  
Indujeeva Keerthilal Peiris ◽  
André M. Everett
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Ethical Business ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This study investigates how a globally-oriented, developing country enterprise formulates and implements ethics strategies, policies and behaviours with respect to its stakeholders, and how the case company discloses and utilises its ethics strategies, policies and behaviours to gain competitive advantage and create stakeholder value. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal single case study is presented featuring a tea producer and marketer in Sri Lanka, one of the country’s largest exporters, that is targeting a global consumer market. Applying Spiller’s (2000) framework for ethical business practices, this research analyses data collected in a series of interviews in combination with content analysis of company annual reports and sustainability reports covering 2010 to 2019 supplemented by on-site observation. Findings Analysis reveals that the company maintains ethical strategies, policies and behaviours with respect to its prominent stakeholders, and strategically discloses those practices. The firm’s proactive disclosures of its business and sustainability ethics practices enabled it to establish and sustain competitive advantage over its competitors. The findings are discussed in light of their theoretical and practical implications, identifying areas for future studies. Originality/value This is the first ethics study to include both longitudinal documentary analysis and personal interviews in a single case study based in Sri Lanka. It contributes to discussion regarding balancing ethics and sustainability as parts of business strategies for reputation building and value creation through identifying salient stakeholders and ethics-based non-financial disclosures by contemporary business organisations.

Human resource management practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance: what is the link?

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karim Moustaghfir ◽  
Sara El Fatihi ◽  
Mohammed Benouarrek
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices

Purpose Building on the little guidance in the existing literature regarding the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance, this study aims to generate theoretical propositions that underpin an integrative framework following a systematic literature review, then to test such a framework within the context of a small and medium enterprise (SME) to demonstrate how employees’ knowledge and competencies are translated into added value while fostering the company’s entrepreneurial capabilities and culture. Design/methodology/approach For the purpose of this research, a systematic literature review was adopted to build the propositions underpinning an integrative theoretical framework linking HRM practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. A single case study approach was then followed to test the propositions of the integrative theoretical framework within the context of an SME, while adopting a triangulation methodology for data collection, including questionnaires, interviews and archival data. Data analysis was conducted following the procedures of a pattern-matching methodology. Findings This research confirms the strategic role of HRM practices in fostering the firm’s entrepreneurial orientation and capabilities, while nurturing, enriching and bundling employees’ knowledge, skills and distinctive competencies within the context of a company’s innovation-driven strategy. HRM practices through a strategic alignment with the company’s business strategy, contribute to shaping up organizational attitudes, behaviors and cultural determinants that are, in turn, conducive to better innovativeness, risk propensity and initiative-taking. Theoretical and empirical evidence shows how such corporate entrepreneurialism is then translated into adding value activities, individual and group productivity and overall organizational performance. Research limitations implications This research generates meaningful insights on how HRM practices contribute to shaping up corporate entrepreneurship attitudes and transforming them into both individual and organizational results while building on conceptual assumptions and empirical evidence. The authors believe such insights have the potential to lay the foundations of a comprehensive theoretical model that disentangles the complexities and the dynamics of how strategically-oriented HRM interventions could help an organization redirect its employees’ competencies into innovation and entrepreneurial capabilities to generate a competitive advantage in an ever-changing business environment. Future research should emphasize mainly on multiple case study approaches and ethnographic methodologies for the sake of result generalizability and holistic understandings. Practical implications This research draws significant conclusions for SMEs to cope with the change and the fierce competitive dynamics affecting current business environments. To consolidate and further develop their strategic positioning, this research suggests that SMEs could leverage distinctive individual and group competencies, through strategically aligned HRM actions and investments, to foster learning and generate entrepreneurially-oriented cultural values and management style conducive to innovation, performance and competitive advantage. Originality/value This research offers integrated and holistic views of how HRM practices affect organizational performance while leveraging on learning to create the necessary cultural and managerial conditions for corporate entrepreneurialism. This research builds on both theoretical propositions and empirical evidence to lay the foundations of a comprehensive model linking HRM practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. From a practical perspective, the research findings suggest new human resource developmental venues while placing much emphasis on the value of creating the innovation-driven managerial culture and fostering entrepreneurially-oriented attitudes to achieve better performance results.

Market orientation, marketing capabilities and sustainable innovation

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 698-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shampy Kamboj ◽  
Zillur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Marketing Capabilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Innovation ◽  
Technical Innovations

PurposeThis study aims to observe the association between market orientation (MO), marketing capabilities and sustainable innovation and to determine the contributions of marketing capabilities, sustainable consumption and competitive advantage as mediators. Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were collected by administering a survey, and well-defined scales were used for quantifying the data. Theories propounded by various authors were used to form the theoretical framework of the study while keeping those theories relevant to the Indian context. The study uses structural equation modelling to empirically test proposed hypothesis and research model of the relationships. FindingsThe results indicated that MO has a positive influence on marketing capabilities, including product development, communication, channel linking and pricing. The study also found, albeit with exceptions, a positive association between marketing capabilities and sustainable innovation. These exceptions were communication capability on technical innovations and channel linking capability on non-technical innovations. In addition, findings reveal that marketing capabilities fully mediate MO to performance link while sustainable consumption partially mediates the relation between sustainable innovation and competitive advantage. Competitive advantage also partially mediates marketing capabilities to performance relationship. Research limitations/implicationsThis study deals with four marketing capabilities only and uses cross-sectional data, instead of longitudinal data, that comprises data of 192 service firms in India. Originality/valueThe study sets forth empirical evidence for the argument that specific marketing capabilities lead to sustainable innovation. The study further clarifies contributions of marketing capabilities, sustainable consumption and competitive advantage as mediators in the proposed research model.

The Competitive Advantage of Nations 20 years later: the cases of Sweden, South Korea and the USA

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 306-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy L. Wilson ◽  
Lars Lindbergh ◽  
Jens Graff
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Secondary Information ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on some policy possibilities and outcomes for three countries of interest suggested in Porter’s The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Design/methodology/approach – This research was both exploratory and qualitative in nature and utilized an in-depth case study approach of three major international economies reflecting previous observations in The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Personal contemporaneous observations of individuals in the countries of interest were complemented by current secondary information. The three countries selected for analysis, South Korea, Sweden and the USA, reflected different stages of development at the time The Competitive Advantage of Nations was published and certainly different progress since then. Findings – The Competitive Advantage of Nations advocated new, constructive and actionable roles for government and business. These observations can now be tested after a reasonable time of development. In terms of development, Korea would appear to be the star of the group; Sweden has made strong progress in comparison with other members of the European Union. Although there are areas of strength, the USA recently has lost much of the edge it had at the time of the Advantage’s publication. Research limitations/implications – Because this research was built on case studies, one has the reservations common with that approach. On the other hand, case studies are acknowledged as useful in the identification of important variables in situations in which there is little control over events in a real-world context. Practical implications – Countries must go their own way and find their own paths to success. In some ways, directions are suggested by Schumpeter (1942/1975) and in others, by Porter (1990/1996). Chance appears to have played a role in development in each instance, but government, seen as a fifth determinant possibility by Porter, heavily affected outcomes in each instance. Originality/value – Although relying heavily on Porter, results add insight into the development of economies over time.

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