Customer orientation and performance outcomes in supply chain management

Abstract

Purpose – Despite an extensive body of knowledge on the importance of customer orientation in the marketing and management literature, the impact of customer orientation and interactive system infrastructure throughout enterprise networks is not fully understood. The purpose of this paper is to present a model linking customer orientation, interactive system infrastructure, value chain practices, and network performance outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The prior literature on customer orientation and supply chains is reviewed and a framework is presented which shows the relationship between customer orientation and network performance outcomes, along with other variables. Findings – The conclusion supports the importance of customer orientation in the context of the proposed value chain framework. Research limitations/implications – The framework introduced in this paper provides a review of customer orientation in the enterprise network and a basis for further empirical validation. Practical implications – The research framework suggests that customer orientation practices may have a positive impact on network infrastructure design, practices, and performance outcomes. Implementation of customer orientation practices and outcomes within this research framework may allow management to meet customer requirements more effectively. Originality/value – This paper expands the concept of customer-orientation in the extended enterprise network context.