Testing Kotler's high-performance business model on sales growth: Dayan, Arnolds and Struwig in Acta Commercii (2010)

Dayan, Arnolds and Struwig (2010, Acta Commercii) test an adapted version of Kotler's high-performance business model to find which factors drive sales growth across industries. Using 571 usable responses from marketing and product development practitioners in multinational food, motorcar and high-technology manufacturers, and structural equation modelling, they propose a model in which distribution channel development, third-party agreements, e-business, e-savings and a market-oriented organisational culture influence sales growth.

Can Kotler's high-performance model, which links business success to the management of stakeholders, processes, resources and organisation, serve as a generic model for increasing sales growth across different industries?

The study examines marketing strategies, resource management (labour, materials, machines, information technology and energy), total quality management and organisational culture as drivers of sales growth.

• Provides an empirical test of a widely taught textbook model (Kotler, 2003), turning a conceptual framework into a tested path model.
• Develops a generic, cross-industry model of sales growth by testing the same adapted model in three manufacturing industries.
• Identifies which components of the high-performance model carry empirical weight once the measurement model is revised.

• Distribution channel development influences sales growth.
• Third-party agreements influence sales growth.
• E-business and e-savings influence sales growth.
• A market-oriented organisational culture influences sales growth.

Acta Commercii promotes research in management and related disciplines. It is indexed in Scopus, DOAJ and SciELO SA and is accredited by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training. The journal reports a CiteScore of 1.6 and an SJR of 0.22 for 2024.

The article is open access under CC BY 4.0 and available in full at the DOI link.

• Managers seeking sales growth can prioritise distribution channel development and third-party agreements.
• Investment in e-business and in e-savings is associated with sales growth.
• A market-oriented culture is part of the sales growth model, so culture work belongs in growth planning.

sales growth, high-performance business, Kotler, marketing strategy, distribution channels, third-party agreements, e-business, market orientation, organisational culture, total quality management, structural equation modelling, manufacturing industries

Dayan, O., Arnolds, C. A., & Struwig, M. (2010). Empirical testing of Kotler's high-performance factors to increase sales growth. Acta Commercii, 10(1), 181–202. https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v10i1.128

@article{Dayan2010Kotler,
  author  = {Dayan, Oren and Arnolds, Cecil A. and Struwig, Miemie},
  title   = {Empirical Testing of Kotler's High-Performance Factors to Increase Sales Growth},
  journal = {Acta Commercii},
  year    = {2010},
  volume  = {10},
  number  = {1},
  pages   = {181--202},
  doi     = {10.4102/ac.v10i1.128}
}

• Article (DOI)
• Journal
• Author profile, Oren Dayan on ResearchGate

Acta Commercii. (n.d.). Journal information. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://actacommercii.co.za/index.php/acta/pages/view/journal-information

Dayan, O., Arnolds, C. A., & Struwig, M. (2010). Empirical testing of Kotler's high-performance factors to increase sales growth. Acta Commercii, 10(1), 181–202. https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v10i1.128

Kotler, P. (2003). Marketing management (11th ed.). Prentice Hall.

• What drives sales growth in manufacturing firms? Evidence from 571 practitioners
• Testing a textbook model: an empirical test of Kotler's high-performance business
• Market-oriented organisational culture and sales growth