John E. Spillan

The journey from market orientation to firm performance: A comparative study of US and Taiwanese SMEs

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the link between market orientation and performance of US and Taiwanese small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). This study is primarily centred on empirically investigating two issues: test the effectiveness of MARKOR (a widely used market orientation measure developed by Kohli et al.) in US and Taiwanese SME contexts, and investigate the factors influencing US and Taiwanese SMEs’ performance.Design/methodology/approach – This studys participants were owners or managers from 138 SMEs located in three states in the USA (i.e. Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania) and 151 SMEs located in Taiwan. A survey was created to collect data: market orientation scale items used in this survey were mainly adopted from MARKOR; performance scale items were adopted directly from previous studies. Structural equation modelling was employed to analyse the data collected.Findings – This study finds that neither US and Taiwanese SMEs’ intelligence generation, nor intelligence diss...

Customer service‐orientation of small retail business owners in Austria, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, and Slovenia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the feasibility of using a biodata inventory to measure service‐orientation – ones disposition to be helpful, thoughtful, considerate, and cooperative – across cultures in a sample of 1,324 owners of businesses.Design/methodology/approach – Subjects in Austria, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, and Slovenia are given the inventory in order to predict their on‐the‐job service‐oriented performance.Findings – Within the samples, the service‐orientation ratings are highly correlated with extroversion and openness to experience in all six countries, and agreeableness in five countries and conscientiousness in four countries. The correlations of these scales with service‐orientation are as high as or higher than those generally obtained with measures of service‐orientation with customer service representatives.Research limitations/implications – The analysis lends credence to the notion that service‐orientation may be effectively measured by biodata w...

Logistics and supply chain process integration as a source of competitive advantage

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of logistics and supply chain integration on firm competitiveness in manufacturing firms. Design/methodology/approach – Utilizing the resource-based view of competitive advantage along with the transaction cost economics theory, the authors address the critical role of logistics and supply chain strategy as the driver of logistics and supply chain integration and firm competitiveness. Structural equation modeling is used to determine the effect of two sets of logistics and supply chain integration practices (logistics/supply chain information integration and logistics/supply chain process integration) along with logistics outsourcing decision practices (logistics investment decisions and private warehousing decisions) on firm competitiveness. Findings – The results indicate that logistics/supply chain strategy is the main driver of logistics and supply chain integration and logistics decisions. Furthermore, the findings suggest that l...

Market Orientation in the Chilean Small Business Context: An Empirical Study

Abstract Market orientation has been considered a key factor in successful business operations across different markets. To test this assertion, the authors examine the influence of a firms market orientation on small business performance in the Chilean retail environment. They go on to report empirical information about the characteristics of the market-oriented retailers in Chile. The Kohli, Jaworski, and Kumar (1993) MARKOR scale is used in the study to assess the market orientation in the context of a developing country environment. Data for the study were collected from small retailers in Chile through self-administered questionnaires using a drop-off/pick-up method. The results show a significant correlation between market orientation and small business performance. Path analyses found that the best structure among the Market Orientation dimensions is: Intelligence Generation→ Intelligence Dissemination → Responsiveness. Moreover, these performance measures differed significantly among the three different partitions obtained using a k-means cluster analysis. The findings indicate that the MARKOR scale is both valid and reliable in a diverse Chilean small business environment.

A comparison of the effect of logistic strategy and logistics integration on firm competitiveness in the USA and China

Purpose – The purpose of this manuscript is to empirically compare logistics strategies in Chinese and US manufacturing firms and the outcomes of these strategies to test the underlying factor structure and measurement equivalences of Bowersox/Daugherty model and its relationship with critical success factors.Design/methodology/approach – A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from Chinese and American logistics managers. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the authors compared the three dimensions of the overall logistics strategy (OLS) – process strategy, market strategy, and information strategy – in two countries. A structural equation model (SEM) was then used to assess the impact of OLS on perceived competitiveness in two countries.Findings – Although the economic, political, and cultural dimensions of the two countries differed substantially, the findings were similar. Data from both countries provided strong support for the three dimensions of overall logistic strategy (OLS). In ...

Market Orientation and Firm Performance: An Empirical Analysis of Ghanaian Microenterprises

ABSTRACT While previous researchers have explored the relationship between market orientation and firm performance in larger organizations, such studies in microenterprises are scarce. This empirical study uses a structural equation model to examine the role of market orientation on firm performance of microenterprises operating in Ghana. To measure market orientation, we used a well-known scale (MARKOR), and the data (N = 347) for this study were collected from Ghanaian microenterprises using personal interviews. Study results indicated that the MARKOR scale provided a good measure of market orientation in Ghanaian microenterprises. The conceptualized model provided a good fit to the relationship between market orientation and the performance of Ghanaian microenterprises, indicating that market orientation as measured by MARKOR had a statistically significant positive impact on performance. However, the explanatory power of the model was relatively low, indicating the potential impact of other factors that were not incorporated in the model. Study implications are discussed.

An empirical study comparing Guatemalan and United States logistics strategies

Purpose – This manuscript aims to empirically examine logistics strategy in Guatemalan firms and compare the findings to recent research into logistics strategy research of USA firms.Design/methodology/approach – Data on logistics strategies and logistics outcomes were gathered from Guatemalan logistics managers and then compared with empirical data gathered from US logistics managers.Findings – While the fundamentals of logistics strategy in Guatemala were similar to those of USA firms, it was found that Guatemalan logistics managers place somewhat less importance on process strategy but greater importance on market strategy and information strategy to achieve logistics coordination effectiveness, customer service commitment, and organization competitive responsiveness. Possible reasons for these differences include culture and size of the economy.Practical implications – The results suggest that logistics strategies in different countries may be affected by differences in culture, the size of an economy...

Competitive Strategy, Uncertainty, and Performance: An Exploratory Assessment of China and Turkey

This study explores links among strategic uncertainty, competitive strategy, and performance in Chinese and Turkish businesses. Clear associations between market, technological, and competitive uncertainties and competitive strategy were not found in either nation. Chinese and Turkish organizations pursuing prospector, defender, and analyzer strategies outperformed their counterparts pursuing the reactor strategy. Scores along Porters typology suggested marked differences between managers conceptualization of competitive strategy in both countries. Along the Miles and Snow typology, defenders represented the highest performing group in China, whereas analyzers outperformed other groups in Turkey. Similarities and differences in findings between the two nations are elaborated.

Business Strategy and Performance: An Assessment of Retailers in Guatemala

ABSTRACT Although competitive strategy has attracted much attention in the literature, a limited number of studies have attempted to investigate the strategy-performance nexus within the context of local business units in emerging economies. This study investigates the relationship between competitive strategies and business performance among industry in Guatemala, Central America. Data from 364 retail firms in Guatemala suggest that in terms of both financial and operating performance retailers employing a combination of the cost leadership and differentiation strategies outperformed those adopting only one of the two pure strategies.

Predictive Power of Personal Factors in Studying Students' Perception of Sales Profession in Ghana

Since Poland has become a member of the European Union, free market activities have increased dramatically. The purpose of this study is to explore university students perceptions of personal selling as a career in Poland. Using logistic regression and Z-test methodologies, we analyzed the perceptions of 114 students. The results confirm the findings of previous studies that personal factors play a significant role in predicting students perception of sales profession as a career. The findings presented in this study show that Polish students have a biased perception about sales as a career; however, interestingly, few dimensions show a significant effect. Understanding students perceptions of the sales profession will help corporate recruiters achieve their goals by selecting those students most likely to excel in sales careers.