1. Define the following terms based on how each one was used in the thesis
a. Strategic marketing
It is defined as a deeply stakeholder-oriented concept that focuses on a company’s long term vision for competitive advantage and value-addition through innovation.
b. Marketing resources
This kind of resources can be a competitive advantage wherein they use the division of capabilities in market driven organizations and incorporate two of them – outside-in, or customer linking capabilities and inside-out, or marketing support capabilities in the conceptual model.
c. Business orientation
It is also known as market orientation where in it is defined as a learning orientation which can be divided into responsive (market-driven) and pro-active (marketing-driving).
d. Company performance
A complex phenomenon, when it is modeled using competitive advantage, market performance, and financial performance. To examine its performance they use the four key strategic marketing concepts which are market orientation, innovation orientation, and the two marketing capability categories (outside- in and inside- out capabilities).
2. Why did the study center on Austria, Finland and Germany?
Austria, Finland and Germany are chosen as the study center because Austria currently boasts one of the fastest-growing engineering industries in Europe, while in absolute numbers, Germany remains by far the largest producer of engineering equipment in the EU but despite of the strengths of Germany in engineering related industries, the German companies have lower levels of marketing professionalism. Likewise in Finland, marketing is not important but engineering do. These are all based on the study conducted by the marketing and management department so they can examine the marketing orientation, innovation orientation and their marketing capabilities affect the financial performance of companies through competitive advantages and market performances.
3. Explain briefly the results of...