Customer-Focus or Competitor-Focus? A Financial Services Example

The present article examines the relationship between an organization's market-orientation, in terms of either customer focus or competitor focus, and the organization's market share performance in a financial services environment. The study includes samples of chief executive officers in the financial services sector, specifically credit unions. The paper begins with the development of a market orientation typology matrix, and is followed by a presentation of the hypotheses. The authors find that increases in a firm's market share are associated with high levels of competitor-focus and not with customer-focus or interactions between the two.