Internal Market Orientation and Its Impact on Social and Business Purpose Fulfilment in Organisations

ABSTRACT The present study examines the Internal Market Orientation (IMO) concept and its impact on corporate social and business purpose fulfillment. Recognizing employees as pivotal assets, businesses increasingly integrate IMO into their Human Resource Management (HRM) strategies. In this vein, this study positions IMO as a complex internal marketing concept influencing job satisfaction and, subsequently, fulfilling both corporate social and business purposes. To achieve the posed aim, this research employs an empirical quantitative approach and causal study by developing an original theoretical framework, positing seven research hypotheses and surveying 405 employees in business organizations operating in Eastern Europe with an application of the recognized PLS‐SEM technique for model validation and hypothesis testing. The findings stemming from this study corroborate the positive effects of IMO implementation on fulfilling an organization's corporate and business purposes. However, this study has not evinced a positive impact of the corporate social purpose fulfillment on accomplishing the organization's business purpose. These and other findings revealed by the present research have significant implications for marketing, HRM, and strategic management literature. On top of that, this research generates valuable insights and recommendations for managers aiming to align HRM strategies with social and business purposes through deploying the IMO concept in their organizations.