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Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to identify firm groups pursuing different configurations of customer-, entrepreneurial-, and information technology (IT) orientation and to compare their new product development (NPD) capability and NPD performance.Design/methodology/approach– Hierarchical cluster analysis was used on the sample of 156 firms on the basis of their mix of customer-, entrepreneurial-, and IT- orientation. Then, analysis of variance was used to compare the groups' NPD capability (NPDCAP), NPD process efficiency (NPDPROC), new product effectiveness (NPEFF), and new product financial performance (NPPERF).Findings– Of the seven strategy configurations posited, four emerge and two unexpected configurations are revealed. Overall, firms simultaneously pursuing multiple strategic orientations have higher NPDCAP, NPEFF, and NPPERF. Interestingly, all six strategy groups have equally low levels of NPDPROC.Practical implications– To enhance NPDCAP and NPD performance, managers should consider more complex strategy configurations that act in complementary ways, in particular, customer-orientation complemented by either entrepreneurial- and/or IT-orientation. Moreover, more attention is needed to improving NPDPROC, as achieving gains in this area would contribute positively to firm performance.Originality/value– This study presents initial evidence that, at least for firms in Thailand, resources must be configured by pursuing several strategic orientations simultaneously to enhance their dynamic capabilities in NPD, a strategic issue that has not been given much attention in previous literature.

PurposeGrounded on resource-advantage (R-A) theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how customer orientation, as a higher-order or interconnected operant resource, enhances firm performance through creativity capability (i.e. idea generation and problem solving) and innovation capability (i.e. the implementation of creative ideas) – among firms of different sizes and within different market contexts. The authors conceptualize customer orientation as a firm's capacity to create and deliver superior customer value through the processing of market intelligence, as demonstrated by the firm's composite operant resources of market-sensing, customer-relating and customer-response capabilities.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via qualitative in-depth interviews for scale development followed by a mail questionnaire survey for quantitative responses. A final sample size of 190 firms based in Thailand participated and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping multi-group comparisons to investigate the hypothesized mediation and moderation effects.FindingsCustomer orientation enhances organizational creativity and innovation capabilities, which improve firm revenue and financial performance. The relationships among customer orientation, creativity capability, innovation capability and firm performance vary depending on firm size, market dynamism and customer type.Practical implicationsManagers need to consider contextual factors, particularly firm size, market dynamism and the nature of their buyer markets as key contingencies in their resource deployment decisions intended to develop customer orientation and innovation capabilities.Originality/valueThis study advocates R-A theory by empirically revealing how different hierarchical resources within a firm are intertwined to provide firms with competitive R-A. The findings further highlight a contingent nature of customer orientation–innovation–performance relationships among firms in an emerging economy.

PurposeThis study applies social network theory to examine the moderating effects of two online social media network characteristics, namely homophily and consensus, on the influence of negative electronic word of mouth (NeWOM) and of firm crisis response on consumer attitude toward a company.Design/methodology/approachHypotheses were tested using a mixed-model experimental design of three between-subjects factors, including manipulations of homophily (high vs low), consensus (high vs low), and firm crisis response (accommodative vs defensive), and one repeated measure within-subjects factor of attitude toward the company at three different points in time (A0, A1, A2). Data were collected from 328 Thai participants who were randomly assigned to one of the eight experimental conditions.FindingsHigh homophily and high consensus online social media network conditions worsen the negative impact of NeWOM on consumer attitudes. However, high homophily and high consensus strengthen the positive influence of an accommodative response in regaining favorable attitude toward the company. Low homophily and low consensus negate the impact of the firm's defensive response, preventing any further deterioration of attitude toward the company.Practical implicationsMarketers need to understand the relational patterns among members of online social media networks in order to assess the extent to which consumers are influenced by others in the network. In doing so, the firm can better anticipate and manage the impact of NeWOM and can launch an appropriate response strategy that optimizes the recovery, or minimizes the deterioration, of lost company image and reputation.Originality/valueThis study provides a dynamic view of consumer attitudes and highlights the substantial impact that others in the online social media network have on consumers' evaluation of NeWOM and of firm recovery efforts.