The role of strategic marketing

There are three clear issues facing managers in the technology sector in the 1990s: customer orientation; technology content; and reducing development time of new products. The evidence is increasing that organisations which become market-oriented (that is providing the benefits the consumer wants) will tend to be more profitable than nonmarket-oriented firms (Narver and Slater, 1990). There is evidence, in many markets, that having superior skill at commercialisation is critical for industry leadership. (Nevens et al., 1990). At the same time, technological development is leading to new products and increased modification of existing products. The author describes how this, combined with the pressure to reduced the development time from design through to commercialisation, is leading to organisations that are becoming technology driven