Research Paper on:
Organizations and Market Orientation

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
become more competitive than ever before, and that was before either the beginning or recognition of the current downturn in the economy. The shift away from the high-flying times  of the decade of the 1990s is even more apparent now in organizations dedication to ensuring that they maintain the proper market orientation.  What It Is One author writes that it is common in management study and application "to be faced with concepts and ideas  that appear to rest on commonsense and intuition, and yet at an operational level defy easy definition and use. Market orientation is a case in point" (Uncles, 2000; p. 1).  In essence, the market-oriented organization follows what the customer wants, and in a manner that results in "a demonstrable and measurable impact on business performance" (Uncles, 2000; p. 1).  In order to provide what the customer wants, it follows that the organization must first know what it is that the customer wants.  This, in turn, requires that the organization both ask customers what they want and then make efforts to supply those needs. Several have found that ignoring customers changing  needs can lead to demise or threat of it. An IBM Example Until the beginning  of the 1990s and slightly beyond, IBM was known for its rigidity in dealing with both employees and customers. To managements thinking, each faction was to remain firmly in  its place. Customers would purchase those systems IBM chose to manufacture, or they would do without. IBMs rigidity was able to dictate employee dress and demeanor, and certainly