2.3. Market orientation and competitive advantage
Competitive advantage refers to the comparative positional
superiority in the marketplace that leads a firm to outperform its
rivals (Porter, 1985). For example, afirm can achieve a cost advantage
when thefirm operates at a lower cost than its competitors but
offers a comparable product. Also, afirm can achieve a differentiation
advantage when customers consistently perceive its offerings as
superior to those of its competitors (Porter, 1985).Miller (1987, 1988)
further distinguishes between two types of differentiation advan
tages: innovation and market. In particular, a market differentiation
advantage occurs when a firm creates a unique image in the
marketplace and achieves customer loyalty through meeting custo
mers' particular needs (Miller, 1987), and aninnovation differentiation
advantage arises when a firm creates “the most up-to-date and
attractive products by leading competitors in quality, efficiency,
design innovations, and style”(Miller, 1988: 283).本文来自^辣@文~论^文%网*原文请找腾讯#32,49114
Innovation and market differentiation advantages are related
yet distinct. Innovation advantage occurs when afirm leads its com
petitors in the development and successful commercialization of new
goods and/or services. An innovatingfirm emphasizes R&D and the
latest technologies in its new product development and aims at being
the first to market with new products (Li, 2005; Miller, 1988). In
contrast, a market differentiation advantage requires afirm to use
attractive packaging, good service, convenient locations, reliable
products, and careful pricing to create a unique image, which does
not imply a highest quality or most up-to-date product (Miller, 1987).
For example, some hotel brands (e.g., W, Radisson and Meridien
Hotels) use advanced technologies to top their competitors in terms
of cutting-edge design, rapid guest check-in, and in-room amenities.
Clearly, thesefirms differentiate themselves on the basis of innova
tion. Other brands, such as Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton, achieve a
market differentiation advantage through providing a unique atmo
sphere, service consistency, and a full range of services. While these
latter brands continually introduce new services, they do not
complete head-to-head with other hotel brands in terms of techno
logical innovation.
The direct relationship between market orientation and firm
performance is well-established (seeKirca et al., 2005for a review).
Under-studied is the processes through which market orientation
affects performance (Hult et al., 2005). To explain why customer
and competitor orientations may differ in their performance impacts,
this study compares how customer and competitor orientations
differentially affect afirm's ability to achieve market and innovation
advantages, which consequently affect firm performance. Because
previous research appears to have reached a consensus that com
petitor orientation likely leads to a cost advantage (e.g.,Day and
Wensley, 1988; Han et al., 1998), this study focuses on market and
innovation facets of differentiation advantages as reasons why
customer and competitor orientations differ in their performance
implications.本文来自^辣@文~论^文%网*原文请找腾讯#3249,114
Customer orientation emphasizes understanding one's target
customers sufficiently so as to continuously create superior value for
them. Because customers' needs change rapidly, a customer orienta
tion requires a clear understanding of the cost and revenue dynamics
of target customers in both the present and the future. Due to its
external focus on collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information
about customers, a customer-orientedfirm can anticipate its custo
mers' changing needs and respond to them through continuous
innovation (Han et al., 1998). Moreover, when afirm clearly recognizes
a gap between its customers' needs and its market offerings, thefirm
can direct resources toward filling that gap through successful
innovations (Slater and Narver, 1998). Recent empirical research has
also found customer orientation to be an important determinant of an
organization's innovativeness and new product advantage (Zhou et al.,
2005b).
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