Market orientation is best defined as an organization-level culture, a set of shared values and beliefs about putting the customer first in business planning. This book demonstrates the importance of market orientation on organizational culture (the shared set of values for putting customers first), on strategy (the creation of superior value for a firm's customers), and on tactics (the set of cross-functional activities directed at creating and satisfying customers).

In the fall of 1990, the Danish government started a comprehensive research pro gramme to improve the competitiveness of the Danish food sector: The Research and Development Programme in the Danish Food Sector (Det F!Ildevareteknologiske Forsk nings- og Udviklingsprogram, F0TEK). The programme was based on a combination of basic research to be carried out by universities and other research institutions, and a series of collaboration projects between researchers and food companies. The programme was originally designed as a technological research programme. However, in the planning phases of the research programme, the view that the development of new technologies and products may not be sufficient to improve competitiveness made some ground. A small comer of the overall research effort was therefore set aside for market-oriented research. This comer was filled by the research programme Market-based process and product innovation in the food sector (MAPP). MAPP was a joint research programme in which researchers from several Danish universities and business schools participated; it was coordinated by the Aarhus School of Business. MAPP set out to achieve a difficult task: to conduct high quality research on various aspects of the marketing of food products, to do so in cooperation with food companies, and to win under standing and recognition from the colleagues in the food technology departments.

This essay attempts to structure a forward-looking approach to the evolving role of marketing in today's economy. Many organisations today recognize the need to become more market responsive in the global and interconnected market in which they operate.

Marketing orientation is both the key objective of most food producers and their biggest challenge. Connecting food and agricultural production with the changing needs and aspirations of the customer provides the means to ensure competitive advantage, resilience and added value in what you produce. But market orientation is not something that you can just buy in or bolt on to what you do. Market orientation is a matter of changing the culture of your organisation; finding ways of learning more about your customers and understanding their needs; changing your development and reward systems to educate your employees; it may also involve significant changes to your production processes. This comprehensive collection of original research explores the challenges and opportunities associated with market orientation along the food supply chain; from the animal feed industry to meat retailing and from organic foods to old world wines. All the chapters provide exceptional insight into understanding how market orientation can benefit food suppliers and how it is essential for long-term success.

Business Development: A Market-Oriented Perspective is designed to help enable market-oriented business developer to conceive, craft, and execute a superior business plan. The text is divided into three modules focusing on the market-oriented business developer's mindset, on providing a state-of-the-art toolbox for careful strategic analyses and decisions, and lastly on the critical aspects of business plans and their content. The approach is focused and selective in its choice of content and provides a cumulative development of the relevant topics. Each chapter includes an ‘implications for the market-oriented business developer' at the end to enhance a student's learning. The content is applicable to any new business venture and inherently international in its scope, and includes numerous real world examples that are taken from the author's own experience, as well as from the wider global business community.

Market orientation is best defined as an organization-level culture, a set of shared values and beliefs about putting the customer first in business planning. This book demonstrates the importance of market orientation on organizational culture (the shared set of values for putting customers first), on strategy (the creation of superior value for a firm's customers), and on tactics (the set of cross-functional activities directed at creating and satisfying customers).