Purpose

The present study examines the concept of internal market orientation (IMO) and its effects on organisational performance comprising job satisfaction and employees' loyalty in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) research context. Rooted in administrative theory, human relations theory, conventional theories of IMO and internal marketing, this study develops a novel iIMO theoretical framework that evinces the proliferation of ICTs in SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed concept was empirically investigated by means of surveying 316 SME employees with the application of a multi-stage sampling procedure.

Findings

Research findings confirmed the viability of the ICT-supported iIMO framework, its positive effects on SMEs' organisational performance, and exhibited ample empirical evidence for the proficiency of the iIMO concept and its suitability for operationalisation by SMEs.

Originality/value

This study introduces ICTs as a novel IMO dimension which considers the undergoing holistic digitalisation of businesses. In addition, the present research posits the plausibility and confirms the benefits that arise following iIMO implementation in SMEs.

中文翻译：

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信息通信技术与内部市场导向融合对中小企业组织绩效的影响

目的

本研究考察了内部市场导向 (IMO) 的概念及其对中小型企业 (SME) 研究背景下的工作满意度和员工忠诚度等组织绩效的影响。本研究植根于行政理论、人际关系理论、IMO 和内部营销的传统理论，开发了一种新颖的 iIMO 理论框架，表明 ICT 在中小企业中的扩散。

设计/方法/方法

通过使用多阶段抽样程序对 316 名中小企业员工进行调查，对所提出的概念进行了实证研究。

发现

研究结果证实了 ICT 支持的 iIMO 框架的可行性及其对中小企业组织绩效的积极影响，并展示了充分的经验证据证明 iIMO 概念的熟练程度及其对中小企业实施的适用性。

原创性/价值

本研究将信息通信技术作为一个新的 IMO 维度，它考虑了企业正在进行的整体数字化。此外，本研究提出了合理性并证实了在中小企业实施 iIMO 后产生的好处。