Paper Title
Market Orientation as a Social Learning Approach to University Performance: A Focus on Universities of Technology in South Africa Using Mktor Scale
Abstract
The marketing concept is posited as the philosophical foundation of the marketing disciplines and market orientation invariably refer to the operationalisation of the marketing concept. There is a general acknowledgement that market orientation is a valuable sphere within the marketing literature. It is noteworthy to mention that Narver and Slater underscored the importance of fine grained research that examines the market driven learning process thus drawing from Bandura�s social learning theory.
The study was conducted with the main objective of seeking to establish Universities of Technology (UoTs) implementation levels of market orientation, possible barriers to market orientation and their influence on university performance. A non-probability convenience sampling method was used in the study. The sampling frame for the study included full-time employed academics in all six UoTs in South Africa.The study employed a cross-sectional quantitative design and reports on the results from a survey of academics in Universities of Technology in South Africa. Pretesting and a pilot study preceded the main survey and the Cronbach alpha and composite reliability values were employed to measure the reliability of the measurement scales. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis and structural equation modelling to test the posited hypotheses.
The results supports the construct of the scales and confirm the applicability of market orientation in Universities of Technology in South Africa.The findings of the study supported the predetermined theoretical and empirical objectives as well as the hypotheses of the study. With strong evidence of the benefits accruing to organisations that adopts a market orientation, it is critical for top management to understand and embrace the market orientation philosophy.
Keywords� Social Learning Theory, Market Orientation, Barriers to Market Orientation, University Performance and Universities of Technology.