ABSTRACT
The idea of market orientation has been applied to public organizations in New Public Management and reinvention reforms. Market orientation shifts the focus to the citizen as a customer and offers this as a key to improving the quality of service, thereby strengthening the relationship between government and its citizens. According to Osborne and Plastrik (1998: 178), redirecting the focus to customer service could put government under the supervision of a system of “dual accountability”. This system requires that government agencies should not only be held accountable to the law, elected officials, and the courts but also attempt to satisfy the needs of customers (Osborne and Plastrik 1998; Thompson and Riccucci 1998). Investigating customer-focused market orientation in public organizations can shed light on how public organizations should structure their communication systems to meet the needs and preferences of citizens. Ensuring an effective communication system has the potential to improve citizen trust by reducing information asymmetry between government and citizens and encouraging citizens to adjust their perceptions of government agencies (Rainey 2009; Welch, Hinnant, and Moon 2005).
