Market driven innovation and entrepreneurial behaviour: The strategic value of a market orientation in primary agriculture

This paper examines the strategic value of a market orientation using concepts from the resource based view of the firm. We show that a market orientation can be a strategic resource as it is heterogeneous, imperfectly mobile, and is imperfectly substitutable. Using examples from both small-scale and large-scale production agriculture, we show how a market orientation can contribute to the awareness and implementation of new processes to improve performance. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of market orientation and firm strategy, along with a discussion of managerial implications and calls for future research.