Market orientation and business performance in a Chinese business environment

Market orientation (MO) is the prerequisite for a successful business operation. To test the assertion empirically, this study looks into the nature of the correlational relationship between MO and company performance using sample data from firms engaging in China trade in Hong Kong. Narver and Slater's scale for measuring the extent of MO is tested and used. The results show that there is a significant positive correlation between MO and business performance. In other words, there is a significant difference in the performance of China trade companies that are market-oriented and those that are not market-oriented. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.