Validation of a market orientation adoption scale in rural tourism enterprises. Relationship between the characteristics of the enterprise and extent of market orientation adoption

Market Myopia in the Development of Hiking Destinations: The Case of Norwegian DMOs

“…Prior research on MO in tourism has found that it contributes to the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (Blankson & Cheng, 2005) and that market orientation has an effect on their outcomes, such as financial results and consumer's behavior intention. MO is also recognized as an important strategy for the rural tourism sector to improve competitiveness (Polo Peña, Dolores, & Rodríguez, 2012).…”

“…Several new articles, mostly from the academic field of leisure and outdoor life, surfaced (Breivik & Løvmo, 1978;Nedrelid, 1992;Odden, 2008;Olwig, 1995;Vaagbø, 1993), but no further articles or research regarding marketing or market orientation in hiking were found. We might suggest that even though a positive relationship between market orientation and business performance was established several years ago (Diamantopoulos & Hart, 1993;Greenley, 1995;Slater & Narver, 2000), only a limited number of studies have addressed market orientation topics in tourism (Qu & Ennew, 2008) and research in activity-based tourism literature such as hiking seems to be nonexistent (Polo Peña et al, 2012). A theoretical framework, therefore, needs to be built from the wider field of research on marketing orientation.…”

Market Orientation Adoption among Rural Tourism Enterprises: The Effect of the Location and Characteristics of the Firm

“…To measure MO, the scale outlined in Polo‐Peña et al . () was used (the items relating to MO can be seen in Appendix 1). In the work by Polo‐Peña et al .…”

“…Elliott and Boshoff, ; Stare et al ., ), in emerging areas, or in areas with lower economic development and with limited services (Vermeulen et al ., ; Rodríguez et al ., ). In such circumstances, the learning derived from a process of imitation among firms in the sector represents an accessible medium, indeed sometimes the only medium, with which RTEs can to learning about the ‘mechanics’ of the tourist market (Polo‐Peña et al ., ).Re‐training in a new profession. Often, undertaking this entrepreneurial activity in a rural location means re‐training in a new profession for the members of the rural community who are attempting to replace or complement those activities undertaken to date that are no longer profitable and to develop other activities that are more in demand (Cánoves et al ., ; Hall, ; Diéguez‐Castrillón et al ., ).…”

“…The local entrepreneur needs to develop the necessary skills to perceive and fulfill client preferences and discern competitor behavior, among other things (Wood et al ., ). The activities of other neighboring RTEs may represent an important reference point for the local entrepreneur who needs becoming familiar with the market and learning about how it operates (Polo‐Peña et al ., ).…”