Revisiting the pioneering market orientation model in an emerging economy

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to replicate Kohli and Jaworski, and Kohli's pioneering market orientation model within a highly growth-oriented and competitive banking industry in an emerging Middle-Eastern economy, Jordan. Design/methodology/approach - A survey was conducted among top management personnel of 475 bank branches in Jordan. A total of 11 hypotheses related to market orientation; its antecedents and consequences were examined by estimating multiple regression models. Findings - The study confirms that market orientation-performance relationship is robust across diverse contexts. Also, top management traits are consistent predictors of market orientation. However, organizational factors as direct and linear determinants of market orientation are not completely stable. Further, the nature of the correlations between environmental factors and market orientation may be more complex than has been believed. In addition, within-country variations along Hofstede's cultural dimensions may be possible. Finally, most scales including that of market orientation suffer from weaknesses. Originality/value - This paper provides further validation for a market orientation model and unveils some of its weaknesses and strengths.