You can often tell a lot about a company's degree of marketing orientation by looking at its website. Look at the following sample of websites:

Tesco Stores: www.tesco.com
Lidl: www.lidl.co.uk
Dell Computer: www.dell.co.uk
Morgan Computers: www.morgancomputers.co.uk
British Airways: www.ba.com
Ryanair: www.ryanair.com

Now ask yourself the following questions about each of the sites that you have visited:

1. How well does the company's website make it easy for people to use?

2. Has the design of the website been thought out with customers in mind above all else? Or is there evidence of the website being designed to be technically good, above all else?

3. Can you contact the company easily? How many different methods can you use to contact it?

4. Is the range of products on offer customer focused in its range and depth?

5. How well integrated do the marketing, operations and personnel functions of the company appear to be?

6. Overall, would you consider the site to be a good example of a market-orientated company?