A reexamination of customer orientation and business performance: From a cultural perspective

As the most foundation of market orientation, which is the cornerstone of modem marketing thought, customer orientation is the focus in theory and practice. This study reexamined the direct relationship between customer orientation and business performance from a cultural perspective, and showed the moderating effects of manufacturing versus service firms non-nation-own versus nation-own firms and small versus big firms. Based on the scales of customer orientation and performance, a research questionnaire was developed for the study and data were collected from 116 firms. The result showed a significant positive relationship of customer orientation and business performance. And the relationship between customer orientation and business performance is stronger in non-nation-own firms than in nation-own firms. So did in manufacturing firms and service firms; small firms and big firms. Research limitations and agenda are also mentioned at the end of the paper.