A Comprehensive Review of International Research on Market Orientation and the Development of an Applied Model

Considering the importance of performance improvement in the third millennium and its dependence on market orientation as a valuable construct, the aim of the present study was to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature on market orientation and to provide an applied model. Thus, a mixed-methods research that involved quantitative and qualitative measures was adopted. To this end, a systematic review was carried out on the international articles about market orientation and performance indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database during 1900-2020. The quality of the articles was assessed by the CASP checklist. Then, to analyze and map the scientific literature in the field of market orientation, the VOSviewer software was used. In the second stage, through the content analysis with the NVIVO software, the key variables and criteria related to market orientation were extracted from the research articles in the field. Accordingly, a model was developed based on the grounded theory approach. Interpretive structural modeling (ISM) was carried out using the MIC MAC software to assess the constitutive variables of the model and identify the interrelationship of the variables. The results showed that market orientation may be improved in conjunction with learning orientation, entrepreneurship orientation, strategic human resource management, innovation capability, marketing capability, information and communication capability, organizational structure, dynamism of organizational units, total quality management, competitive structure, and business strategy. The results also revealed that increased market knowledge can lead to a better competitive advantage in market, namely competitive and financial performances. Through analyzing the works on market orientation and developing a comprehensive model, the present study provides insights for researchers in the field of marketing and serves as an applied framework for managers and practitioners in various industries.