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Despite substantial research on market orientation in manufactured goods companies, few studies have examined the adoption of market orientation by retailers. Develops a framework for market orientation and examines the pattern of market orientation in UK multiple retail companies. Shows that market‐orientated retail companies bear similar characteristics to similarly orientated manufacturing companies. Finds that the overwhelming majority of multiple retail companies have a marketing department but most of them are more akin to marketing services departments with a responsibility mainly for support activities rather than for policy. UK retailers tend to be either market or operations orientated. Although 40 per cent of companies reported a market orientation, about 70 per cent claimed to be moving towards a market orientation in the next two years. A market‐orientated retailer introduces more new formats, tailors offers to targeted groups of customers, researches customers more and, to a large extent, co‐ordinates business activities. However, market‐orientated retailers do not enjoy higher financial performance than retailers with other orientations. Discusses the managerial and research implications.

The paper aims to test seven marketing‐orientated factors that have the potential to discriminate between the setting of successful high and low prices. The significant factors are then applied by means of a decision support model that can be used by managers to aid their price decision‐making.

Following exploratory research, a mail survey was conducted using a questionnaire based on the dual scenario technique.

Six marketing‐orientated factors – i.e. ability of customers to pay, brand value, degree of competition, price acting as a barrier to entry, demand compared to supply, and the use of a building market share objective – significantly discriminated between the use of successful high versus low price strategies. Using these variables, a highly statistically significant model was developed based on discriminant analysis.

The sample excludes services and is based on responses from managers. Cost‐orientated factors were excluded from investigation to provide focus. The study demonstrates the potential for using the dual scenario technique in survey research, provides measures for seven constructs and highlights the dangers of using reverse‐polarity items to measure constructs.

The decision support model can be used by managers to aid their price decision‐making. The significant factors can also be helpful in market segmentation and targeting analysis.

The study supports a marketing‐orientated theory of price determination based on market, customer and competitor factors. It is the first to provide a systematic and cogent analysis of marketing‐orientated variables that have the potential to affect the high versus low pricing decision. By applying these variables in a decision support model, marketers have access to a tool that can aid their marketing decision‐making.

The generally accepted means of implementing the marketing concept is the model of the marketing mix (or the 4Ps). But despite its almost universal application, this model is highly limited and specific: it was developed in the US, from research on consumer packed‐goods and durables. Recent European research in the areas of industrial and services marketing has revealed both the inadequacy of the old model and the basis for a new definition of marketing. This is geared to what the customer wants from marketing, rather than what is convenient for the company to provide – i.e. it is truly market orientated. At the core of marketing is the establishment and development of long‐term customer relations. This market‐orientated emphasis requires a fresh management approach, seeing marketing less as a specialist function and more as a part of overall management responsibilities. The implications of this, as regards ′part‐time marketers′ and the keeping of promises, are also discussed.

Since Shapiro’s vexed question, “What the hell is market‐orientated?” several marketing scholars have revamped their concepts and found empirical evidence to demonstrate the superior performance of firms closest to their new prescriptions. This paper questions the ontology of market orientation and the evidence used to support it. It also challenges supporters of market orientation to show why it would be in the social interests to adopt it, even if their arugments concerning its efficacy were to be accepted.

Looks at the author's research among several companies in Sweden and Finland with regard to market‐orientation of service as against physical goods. Found the main difference between them was the difficulty of developing a concrete, tangible service offering. Points out that many experts believe service marketing must differ from goods marketing, but, nevertheless, no radical effort to develop a marketing theory, or ever some marketing concepts, for service firms aiming at solving their problems, seems to have been made — service industry companies deserve a better deal. Discusses this related matter and suggests marketing mix planning to support a hypothetical framework. Investigates, in depth, service industries and their characteristics and weaknesses, accessibility, human resources, auxiliary services and intra‐corporate elements. Presents two case studies — one inclusive tours marketing and the other barber's shop marketing. Concludes that concepts and models for marketing mix planning do not seem applicable in service industries — but further research is required — such as a consumer study.

The British retail banking market has changed markedly since the beginning of the 1970s, and important trends and developments have increased the competitive pressures facing banks. The whole nature of competition in British retail banking has altered. New competitors and new forms of competition have appeared with increasing rapidity. These changes and the associated pressures on banks have intensified during the 1980s. At the same time, banks have increased the comparative importance of retail banking within their strategies. These pressures and their associated implications for British retail banking strategy are explored. It is emphasised that marketing will need increasingly to dominate bank strategies in retail banking. This orientation towards marketing has important strategic and managerial consequences for banks.

This paper is the result of exploratory research forming part of ongoing study into the value and relevance of market orientation as a strategic option for library managers. The aim of the study is to define the concept of market orientation relative to the library sector.

A series of focus groups and field interviews were carried out in order to validate the established constructs of market orientation prevalent in the management literature. Focus groups were used to gather data from librarians working at different levels in two different sectors, health and arts. Interviews were carried out with library service managers in two other sectors, academic and public. Senior library policy makers were also interviewed. The object was to gain an indication of the breadth of opinion across sectors. The data were coded and analysed using a taxonomic map developed during the study.

Market orientation is a concept that library professionals see as being valuable. Library managers define market orientation in the same way as the concept is defined in the management literature. Their understanding of the concept is developing.

There are implications for further research. Methods used to measure market orientation in other domains are likely to be relevant for libraries.

Fostering an organisational culture that supports market orientation has implications for service management and development.

Research in market orientation in libraries is limited. This study provides the basis for research development into market orientation and its value for libraries.

Market orientation analyses have focused on two broad‐ranging approaches: the behavioural and the philosophical. The concepts of innovation and market orientation are gaining ground steadily in the context of an increasingly competitive and highly volatile environment, subject to the pressures of rapid‐changing customer needs and desires. This premise underlies the general aim of this study, which is to determine to what extent companies operating in the same sector and with similar market orientation are similarly concerned about innovation.

The population for this study comprises the leading 465 textile companies operating in Spain, listed in the ARDAN database. Data were gathered from in‐depth personalised interviews with 17 company directors operating within the textile sector. In order to verify the hypotheses, groups with similar market orientation were identified using a combination of two techniques: multidimensional scaling analysis; and cluster analysis. After this, ANOVA was used to characterise each group.

This study of the textile sector, and more specifically of its leading companies, enables one to conclude that market orientation and innovation are not isolated fields. First, four groups of firms which differ significantly in their commitment to market orientation have been found. Second, although a direct relationship between market orientation and innovation could not be statistically proved, some tools and policies considered in the innovation scale are more heavily used by the firms more orientated to the market. Third, in the context of the traditional debate in the literature about the market orientation‐performance relationship, the results of this study support a positive relationship between these two concepts.

The limitation of the sample size should lead one to treat the final results with caution.

The concepts of innovation and market orientation are gaining ground steadily in the context of an increasingly competitive and highly volatile environment, subject to the pressures of rapidly‐changing customer needs and desires. In this sense, through this paper companies can observe how these two concepts are related in a particular industry and obtain some interesting implications.

This special issue contains selected extracts from Marketing and Selling Bank Services, a learning resource from MCB University Press designed to help practising bank managers to refine and apply bank marketing skills. Competition in financial services is growing and an organisation's ability to market and sell its services is essential for success. Marketing, marketing channels, service levels, pricing, communication with customers, persuading the customer, creating an effective salesforce, interviewing the customer, and international banking are all aspects that are discussed. Suggestions for action are made to enable a manager to put into effect some of the ideas presented.

The article in the previous issue provided a background to privatisation and highlighted how previously nationalised companies were managing the transition of change. This article continues this theme at a more detailed level and presents details of applied research into three formerly nationalised companies, namely: The National Remote Sensing Centre, Royal Ordnance Environmental and The Stationery Office. It concluded that pre privatisation, notions of quality service, lower prices and working for the good of consumers was not achieved, as profits were not seen as a commercial requirement. Of the companies researched, two seemed to be strongly influenced by the culture of their new parent company. The two companies that have adopted a marketing culture seem to have fared better than the one company with a strong financial culture. Despite the moves towards being more marketing orientated it is also concluded that all three companies were having difficulty in breaking free from an inbred philosophy of production orientation.