Market orientation and enterprise policy

The purpose of this paper is to examine the merit of enterprise policies that seek to enhance market orientation as a driver of firm performance. The approach takes the form of empirical research utilising the MKTOR survey instrument, administered to senior marketing managers in high-value-added sectors in Ireland; and both subjective and lagged objective measures of firm performance. Findings support international context-specific research. Market orientation is not found to be directly associated with firm performance in high-value-added firms in the Irish economy. Research directions should include the evolving understanding of market orientation, and the exploration of what alternative orientations lead to improved performance in different contexts. For public policy, a re-examination of the conceptualisation of, and support for, market orientation is warranted. The paper presents a new contribution to understanding the merit of market orientation in enterprise policy in developed economies.