13
conceptual
tenant
of
this
paper
is
that
customer
orientation,
perceived
customer
value
and
business
performance
are
positively
linked (Martinette, 2003). Specifically,
Narver
and Slater (1990) and Kohli and Jaworski
(1993)
found
a
relationship
to
customer
orientation
and
business
performance
while
Woodruff
(1997)
suggests
that
a
focus
on
customer
value
improves a
firm’s opportunity to
have a
superior competitive advantage
in the marketplace.
Thus,
identifying
customer
desires
and
needs
is the
most
valuable
attribute
that
a
firm
has, which ought to be an ongoing process borne out of
necessity. A
market driven
firm
reflects an ongoing ability to anticipate and react to market trends and events, suggesting
an ability to accurately interpret market information (Day, 1999).
Moreover,
achieving
a
customer
orientation
involves
the
use
of
superior organizational
skills
in understanding and satisfying customers.
Becoming
market oriented requires
the
involvement and support of the entire workforce to monitor rapid changing customer
needs
and
wants,
determined
the
impact
of
those
changes in
customer
satisfaction,
increase
the
rate
of
product
innovation and
implement
strategies
to
build
the
organization’s
competitive
advantage
(Cravens
and
Piercy,
1991).
To
sum
up,
Craven
and Percy also suggested there are four characteristics of Customer Orientations:
I.
Customer Focus:
A
market-oriented organization
understands customer’s
preferences and requirements and effectively deploys the skills and resources
of
the
entire
organization
to
satisfy customer.
Buyer’s
decision
in
using
the
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