The incorporation of market orientation in the school culture

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the major features of market orientation (MO) and its benefits for schools, suggests an inventory to measure the degree of MO in a school, and provides strategies to incorporate elements of MO into the school culture. Design/methodology/approach – An instructional, technical approach which is based on empirical literature both from business and service marketing and from the emergent research on educational marketing is taken in this article. Findings – The paper analyzes the implications of MO for the management of school-environment relations, and provides an inventory to measure the degree of MO in individual schools. In addition, a stage by stage approach to incorporating MO into the school culture is broadly discussed, with a focus on the principal's key role in this process. Practical implications – The paper concludes by suggesting some implications for future research on MO in schools and other educational institutions and highlights the significance of MO for our understanding of school marketing in the era of competition and choice. Originality/value – As MO frequently underpins the development and implementation of successful organization-environment relationships, the current paper is a first attempt to help principals and administrators incorporate MO into their school, thereby capitalizing on the great advantages of market-oriented organizational cultures.