How the model of antecedents and consequences of market orientation is impacted by business and cultural contexts in the case of South African non-profit organisations

How the model of antecedents and consequences of market orientation is impacted by business and cultural contexts in the case of South African non-profit organisations

This research focuses on the antecedents and consequences of market orientation within the non-profit sector in South Africa to explore whether and how they are impacted by both business and cultural contexts.
The model of market orientation and its consequences and antecedents (Jaworski & Kohli 1993), has provided a sound platform for many different types of businesses to implement the marketing concept which ultimately delivers a stronger customer focused business approach that results in long-term financial stability (Narver & Slater 1990; Kohli & Jaworski 1990; Jaworski & Kohli1993). However, this model has had limited application in the non-profit sector and even less in the business context of an emerging economy. Indeed most of the work to date has only considered the structural elements of the model and not the usefulness and applicability of the dimensions of the constructs themselves. If a non-profit organisation in an emerging economy were to apply the model of antecedents and consequences of market orientation, it is anticipated that both the structure and dimensions may need to be re-specified to more accurately capture the most pertinent elements of these contexts. The results of this study support this premise and propose modifications to the original model of antecedents and consequences of market orientation which more accurately account for the nuances of the non-profit organisation business context and the unique characteristics of a South African cultural context.
The research confirmed that whilst the structure of Jaworski and Kohli’s (1993) model is robust and stable, the model’s constructs and dimensions required modification in order to be more relevant to the non-profit context and the South African context. The most sensitive elements of the model to these contexts were the antecedents: top management, inter-departmental dynamics and organisation systems. However, all constructs required re-specification to make the model more relevant.
Finally, the results also provided evidence for the inclusion of an additional moderating variable in the model, entrepreneurial culture, which captured specific characteristics peculiar to non-profit organisations not previously considered in the original model.