James M. Sinkula

The Synergistic Effect of Market Orientation and Learning Orientation on Organizational Performance.

Although a large body of research theoretically asserts a positive relationship between market orientation and organizational performance, fewer empirical studies demonstrate it using multiple and varied organizational performance measures. Additionally, a series of recent studies have theoretically proposed, but not empirically demonstrated, that a firm’s learning orientation is likely to indirectly affect organizational performance by improving the quality of its market-oriented behaviors and directly influence organizational performance by facilitating the type of generative learning that leads to innovations in products, procedures, and systems. This empirical study supports all of these specific contentions and the more global notion that higher order learning processes may be critical in creating a sustainable competitive advantage in the firm.

A Framework for Market-Based Organizational Learning: Linking Values, Knowledge, and Behavior

The authors review the concept of organizational learning and present a broad conceptual framework for its modeling. Within this framework, one specific process for market-based organizational learning is postulated. An empirical test of this model leads the authors to conclude that a more positive learning orientation (a value-based construct) will directly result in increased market information generation and dissemination (knowledge-based constructs), which, in turn, directly affects the degree to which an organization makes changes in its marketing strategies (a behavioral construct). Managerial implications are discussed.

Learning Orientation, Market Orientation, and Innovation: Integrating and Extending Models of Organizational Performance

Recent studies have demonstrated effects of learning orientation or market orientation on innovation-driven organizational performance. While these studies have enhanced our understanding of innovation processes in the firm, they have been unable to determine the relative contribution of learning orientation and market orientation to innovation. The integration of these two fundamental strategic orientations in this research enables such an assessment. The model in this research also measures the degree to which market orientation and learning orientation influence organizational performance, independent of their effect on product innovation. The most notable finding is the potential preeminence of learning orientation over market orientation. The implications are of critical importance to marketers because they provide insights into the type of organizational culture that is associated with high levels of performance.

Market Orientation, Learning Orientation and Product Innovation: Delving into the Organization's Black Box

Many scholars now agree that market orientation is necessary, but not sufficient to facilitate the type of innovation that breeds long-term competitive advantage (cf. Dickson, 1996). In addition to a strong market orientation, a firm must also be able to institutionalize higher order learning processes, the type of learning that enables radical innovation. Recent research (cf. Baker and Sinkula, 1999) has empirically established a synergistic effect of market orientation and learning orientation on organizational performance. This paper attempts to add to the literature by offering a more complete theoretical explanation of how these two constructs interact to affect product innovation capabilities. Three types of marketing firms are identified. Phase I firms learn primarily through modeling and are typically limited to manager-driven incremental innovation. Phase II firms learn primarily through adaptive learning and are typically limited to market-driven incremental innovation. Phase III firms engage in generative learning and pursue ongoing radical innovation. We propose that only Phase III firms are capable of maintaining competitive advantage in dynamic market environments.

Environmental Marketing Strategy and Firm Performance: Effects on New Product Performance and Market Share.

Recent studies on marketing and the natural environment have called for research that links environmental marketing strategies to the performance of the firm. This research operationalizes the enviropreneurial marketing (EM) construct and examines its relationship with firm performance. It is the first empirical research to operationalize the EM construct. The new scale, albeit a first attempt, demonstrates encouraging psychometric properties. According to the resource-based view of the firm, a resource such as EM should directly influence firms’ capabilities (e.g., new product development success) but not competitive advantage (e.g., change in market share). A nationwide study of top-level marketing managers supports this perspective. In addition, although market turbulence also affects new product development success, it does not have an impact on EM. This suggests that EM formation is driven by internal rather than external forces.

Market‐based success, organizational routines, and unlearning

Information, whether it is acquired from an external source or generated internally, is subjected to perceptual filters made up of the organization’s norms, procedures, and beliefs that influence what information the organization attends to and ultimately accepts. This paper examines the role which these organizational filters play in unlearning; viewed here as a specialized form of organizational learning. Unlearning is defined as the “process by which firms eliminate old logics and make room for new ones” by Prahalad and Bettis. The author argues that firms which engage in unlearning activities are better able to cast aside established routines in order to replace them with ones that ultimately result in superior value to their customers.

Perceived characteristics, organizational factors, and the utilization of external market research suppliers

Abstract A paucity of research has been conducted on the degree to which organizations utilize external market research suppliers. Yet one of the primary tasks of the marketing and research manager is to balance the amount of market research that is done internally versus externally. This study, unlike those that have focused on the degree to which managers use the output of market research, examines how organizations accomplish the research project. In-house market research departments (or client organizations) are sampled and questioned as to their utilization of external research suppliers. Diffusion theory (Brown, 1981; Rogers, 1962, 1983), with particular emphasis on the concept of continuous innovation, is used to explain the utilization of external market research suppliers.

Export Information Use: A Five-Country Investigation of Key Determinants

Although information use is crucial for effective export decision making and ultimately export performance, most of the extant literature focuses on information acquisition rather than information use. Using data from a five-country survey of exporting firms, this study examines the impact of information-, export-, and context-specific variables on different types of export information use. The results show that the effects of these factors depend on the type of information use considered and the mode of information acquisition involved. The authors discuss implications of the findings and identify further research directions.

Centralization and information acquisition by in-house market research departments

Abstract Certain types of organizations acquire more information than they use. Research has shown that centralization impedes the use of market research. Yet, no investigation has been done regarding the way information is acquired in centralized organizations. This study concludes that centralization promotes the usage of external vendors for the acquisition of market research information. We suggest that the way information is acquired will affect the way it is used and that intended uses will affect the way information is acquired. Organizational structure is a significant factor in determining information acquisition and usage behavior of the firm. Knowledge of these relationships will help managers to design, structure, and manage the market research function in the organization.

Status of Company Usage of Scanner Based Research

Recently, the technology associated with Universal Product Code (UPC) scanners has given rise to the development of a number of research middlemen who accumulate, store, and analyze data for an as yet undescribed clientelle. This is a study which describes these end-users of UPC derived data and scanner based research from two standpoints. The first takes an organizational demographical approach in profiling the most likely adopter. The second explores user applications of scanner based research. A national sample of directors of marketing research is utilized to develop the organizational profile of the user of scanner based research. Findings show that general usage is (but specific usage applications are not) related to the demographics of the organization.