Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 

Date of this Version

Winter 2-20-2012

Comments

The research results indicate that state and private university libraries in Jordan have applied the concept of market orientation, although there are differences in the application of the components of market orientation. It can be noted that the most commonly applied market orientation component in state and private libraries is "customer orientation" and that the least commonly applied component in state libraries is "environmental adaptation", while the least commonly applied component in private libraries is "competition orientation".

The results also indicate that there are significant differences between the trends regarding the application of all of the components of the market orientation concept together due to respondents’ specializations, educational qualifications and years of experience, and due to library characteristics, namely, the number of employees and duration of establishment. Furthermore, there are no significant differences between trends regarding the application of the market orientation concept which are attributable to the variables of respondents’ gender or to library sector (state or private). The results also indicate that the impact of the application of all market orientation components is a high positive impact on users' satisfaction and on increasing the number of users.

In light of what this study has found, there is a need to lay the foundations for the staff of libraries in order to work with them during their efforts to apply the market orientation. This would gain the libraries a competitive advantage, primarily by adopting a strategy of first meeting users’ needs and desires. The awareness of library staff in terms of market orientation strategy and its benefits for libraries could be raised through periodic training courses for all staff members, and this would ensure their adherence to the fundamental aspects of this approach. With regard to this, it is important to encourage the library staff, without exception, to collect information on the market (users) through contact with them, to know their opinions, and classify this information according to importance, then disseminate this information between all library staff in order to take appropriate decisions. A core part of such an approach is the development of methods of collecting, classifying and storing information, and how to use the information in a marketing plan, and adjust the plan in accordance with the information received. Furthermore, there is a need to focus on access to information concerning competitive libraries to identify their abilities and marketing methods used, and the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, in order to address these in the future.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the application of the market orientation concept and its components on marketing performance in state and private university libraries in Jordan from the point of view of their managers and heads of departments. The initial study sample consisted of 170 library managers and heads of departments, of whom 95 (55.9 %) responded to the questionnaire.

The study revealed that both state and private university libraries in Jordan apply the concept of market orientation, although there are differences in the application of the components of market orientation. It also revealed that there are significant differences between the respondents' points of view, which could be attributed to the dependent variables of specialization, educational qualification and years of experience, and due to libraries’ number of employees and duration of establishment. There are no significant differences between the respondents' points of view that could be attributed to the dependent variables of gender and sector (state or private). It also revealed that all market orientation components has a high positive impact on marketing performance.

The study introduces some recommendations related to the findings, such as the need to develop environmental adaptability and competitive orientation, and to pay more attention to finding out the needs of users.

Share

COinS