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Believes that companies which revolutionize the conventional wisdom of their industry rely not on market research but on the leader’s vision. States that competing by being market driven is not the only orientation for companies, there are three more and these are expanded on and discussed in full, using 2 Figures to aid in this. Cites IKEA, the Swedish furniture company as breaking the mould on two fronts: make it virtually impossible for existing traditional furniture companies to copy; and gives IKEA a head start on other new entrants to the industry. Concludes, if companies do not have the ability to see things differently, they will not be able to change the rules of the game.

The key role of operations in the success of a business is never in question. Its relevance and essential role in the continued success of companies in an increasingly competitive world is critically important as many of the order winners and qualifiers in markets are provided by the operations function. The need for the teaching and research agenda to reflect the strategic contribution by operations is an essential change in the mix of the academic portfolio.

The food processing industry copes with high logistical demands from its customers. This paper studies a company changing to more customer‐ (order‐) driven manufacturing. In order to help decide which products should be made to order and which made to stock, a frame is developed and applied to find and balance market and process characteristics. The frame is based on the well‐known Decoupling Point concept and adapted to the needs of the food processing industry. The application in the company helped management in deciding and implementing customer‐driven manufacturing. The main results were lower inventories and less obsolescence, while dependability remained the same. Further research should develop the frame, along with general decision rules for locating the Decoupling Point.

Surveys trends in the supply and consumption of fruit in the UK, covering: the varied range of fruits available and benefits to health associated with them; improved transportation and storage capabilities; contributions by health promoters and retail marketers to increase public awareness of the benefits to health of greater consumption of fruit. Against this background, considers the findings of a recent national survey that, for one week surveyed, 21 per cent of the UK households involved purchased no fruit at all. Discusses some of the quality‐related issues of fruit growth, importation, storage and transportation, including the use of agrochemicals, irradiation processes and the genetic engineering of produce. Gives unreserved support to the efforts of various agencies to promote the benefits to health of increased consumption of fruit (and vegetables).

The purpose of this paper is to extend the literature on market-driven and market-driving management and analyzes the Benetton’s market orientation change from a market-driving to a market-driven orientation. Additionally, this study uses longitudinal data to measure the degree of success of the market-driven orientation.

The study is based on a qualitative case study method and it discusses how Benetton has moved from a market-driving to a market-driven orientation.

The paper analyzes the principal transformations the Benetton Group has gone through to implement a market-driven orientation, including the delocalization of the manufacturing and of trusted suppliers; the downstream integration process; the adoption of a flexible, efficient and responsive logistics; the implementation of a modern information systems infrastructure. Revenues data show that the company has benefited of the new orientation, but only in the short-run. Moreover, the early adoption of the market-driven orientation by competing firms (e.g. Zara) and the economic environment seem to play an influence on the performance of market-driven companies.

The single case study approach may limit the generalizability of the findings. However, this case study is unique and of high importance for managers in different industries.

Although some studies have discussed the benefits of market-driven and market-driving orientations, no study has analysed how companies move from a market-driving to a market-driven orientation. Additionally, existing studies have proved market orientation’s influence on business performance using static measures. This study uses longitudinal data to show the effect of market-driven orientation on a company’s long-term competitive advantage.

Links the concept of market‐driven business strategies with the design of production systems. It draws upon the case of a firm which, during the last decade, changed its strategy from being “technology led” to “market driven”. The research, based on interdisciplinary fieldwork involving long‐term participant observation, investigated the factors which contribute to the successful design and implementation of flexible production systems in electronics assembly. These investigations were conducted in collaboration with a major computer manufacturer, with other electronics firms being studied for comparison. The research identified a number of strategies and actions seen as crucial to the development of efficient flexible production systems, namely: effective integration of subsystems, development of appropriate controls and performance measures, compatibility between production system design and organization structure, and the development of a climate conducive to organizational change. Overall, the analysis suggests that in the electronics industry there exists an extremely high degree of environmental complexity and turbulence. This serves to shape the strategic, technical and social structures that are developed to match this complexity, examples of which are niche marketing, flexible manufacturing and employee harmonization.

Although the impact of market‐driven learning on new product success in export markets is assumed in the literature, its role is not yet empirically tested due to an absence of the concept operationalization. Develops a conceptual framework of market‐driven learning and new product success in export markets to address these issues. The authors further test the model using data collected from US software companies. The findings indicate that both customer and competitor learning processes exert positive impacts on new product success in foreign markets. The results regarding market environmental factors offer some evidence suggesting correlations between these factors and behavioral activities of market learning. Concludes with a discussion of managerial implications and directions for future research.

To date, the exact nature and classification of an operations strategy vis‐à‐vis other popular operational solutions have eluded many commentators. Against a background of the various approaches to strategy formulation, including the resource‐based and market‐driven views, the composition of an operations strategy is discussed in terms of the decisions involved. Research findings conclude that such strategies contain diverse building‐blocks initially reflecting various resources, capabilities and competencies. However, their composition and subsequent interconnections are also influenced by the exigencies of the market and other supply network forces. Finally, the work debates how these strategies and their components can be customised to reflect different competitive agendas. This latter aspect breaks new ground, takes the study beyond mere definitions, and has clear implications for both practice and further research.

The purpose of this paper is to hypothesize that value‐driven purchasing of customized kitchen cabinets is more profitable than market‐driven purchasing in industrialised housing construction. The hypothesis is examined through a case study of kitchen carpentry at one of the Sweden's largest producers of industrialised prefabricated multi‐storey housing. By comparing characteristics of market‐ vs value‐driven purchasing, this paper aims to further clarify the benefits and drawbacks of these two strategies.

By comparing characteristics of market‐ vs value‐driven purchasing, a theoretical framework is proposed that clarifies the benefits and drawbacks of the two strategies. An explorative case study of kitchen carpentry at a house manufacturer illustrates purchasing of kitchen cabinets in the industrialised housing industry in relation to the proposed framework.

The case study results indicate that, from a value perspective, a long‐term relationship with a dedicated local smaller supplier is a preferable choice over a short‐term relationship with a low‐price mass producer.

This is a single case study that should be verified by further empirical work of a test delivery from the local sub‐system manufacturer. Such a study would provide more insights into this area of work and make it possible to thoroughly evaluate potential risks. The indicative results in this paper can be made conclusive through quantification of the proposed lean purchasing characteristics.

A comparison of value‐ and market‐driven purchasing is carried out in theory and applied to a real case study that brings new perspectives to purchasing. In this way, the paper proposes alternative purchasing strategies to the construction industry.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how a company’s orientation enables sustainable practices in its supply chains. Specifically, it focusses on how the strategic orientation of a company may stimulate new behaviours in supply chains.

Two in-depth qualitative case studies were conducted. Each company’s orientation to sustainable supply chains was studied using cross-case analysis.

The organisations in this study have a market-driving (i.e. proactive) orientation instead of market-driven (i.e. responsive) behaviour. Using analysis from the process of change for sustainability and explaining some challenges faced by both organisations, findings indicate that a corporate strategy of sustainability modified the companies’ management processes, even for the company that changed its orientation during the time (i.e. sustainability was not the main strategy at first). Practical examples of actions are provided to illustrate the study’s conclusion that a corporate orientation towards sustainability is an enabling factor in developing sustainable supply chain management (SCM).

Strategic management plays an important role in a company’s orientation towards sustainability – internally and throughout its supply chains. Based on the findings, future research should measure the effect of a company’s orientation on sustainable SCM.

This study contributes to the understanding of companies’ strategic orientations and explores ways to introduce sustainability into supply chains.

The paper examines an underexplored debate regarding to how strategic orientations are related to sustainable SCM, focussing on both market-driving (i.e. proactive) and market-driven (i.e. responsive) orientations.