Exploring the effect of Internet marketing orientation, Learning Orientation and Market Orientation on innovativeness and performance: SME (exporters) perspectives

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between Internet Marketing Orientation, Market Orientation, Learning Orientation, Innovation Capabilities and Performance. The study also investigates the role of Internet Marketing Orientation integration in the linkage between Market Orientation-Innovativeness and Learning Orientation-Innovativeness. From an analysis of usable survey data from 101 Bumiputera SMEs-Exporters, three dimensions of Market Orientation (Customer Focus, Inter-Functional Coordination, Information Dissemination), two dimensions of Learning Orientation (Shared Knowledge, and Vision and Commitment to Learning), one dimension of Internet Marketing Orientation and one dimension of Innovation Capabilities and Performance are extracted from the factor analysis results. The results of regression analysis show that Customer Focus, Shared Knowledge and Vision, and Internet Marketing Orientation directly influenced SMEs’ Innovation Capabilities. However, Internet Marketing Orientation is more influential in developing innovation capabilities among SMEs compared to others. While, Shared Knowledge and Vision is the crucial factor in enhancing the business performance among SME (exporters). The relationship among a firm's Internet Marketing Orientation, Learning Orientation, Market Orientation and Innovation Capabilities and Performance are considered a crucial research area in developing countries. The implications for Malaysian SMEs are discussed.

Keywords:

• Learning Orientation
• Market Orientation
• Internet Marketing Orientation, Innovation Capabilities
• Performance
• Malaysia Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)-Exporters

JEL Classification:

• M1
• M31

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Norzalita A. Aziz

Norzalita A. AZIZ continues her career at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia/UKM (National University of Malaysia) after seven years working experience as a marketing and corporate communication executive in a multifaceted conglomerate involved with education, finance, hospitality, and manufacturing. Her area of research interest, dating back to 1999, focuses on various aspects of tourism marketing, services marketing and Internet marketing including consumer/tourist behaviour, technology acceptance in the tourism industry, travel motivation, destination image, CRM, brand destination, innovation & SMEs and market orientation studies. She gained her PhD in Electronic Tourism Marketing at the University of Malaya (UM). She now serves as a Director of Corporate Communication Centre in UKM and also as an Assoc. Professor in the UKM-Graduate Business School teaching marketing research, consumer behaviour, international marketing and marketing management. She is also a fellow member of Centre for Entrepreneurship & SMEs Development, UKM (CESMED) and a member in Marketing Asia Pacific Group (MAG). She has more than 60 publications in refereed journals, refereed conference proceedings, and book chapters in related areas of interests.

Nor Asiah Omar

Nor Asiah OMAR is an Assoc. Professor in Faculty of Economic & Management, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia). She earned her PhD in marketing from MARA University of Technology, Malaysia (UITM). She teaches courses in consumer behaviour, marketing management, entrepreneurship and marketing research. Her research special interest in CRM and she has published numerous articles on CRM, loyalty and retailing. She was previously a faculty member in the Department of Marketing at the University of Tun Abdul Razak (UNITAR), Malaysia.