A synthesis model of sustainable market orientation: conceptualization, measurement, and influence on academic accreditation – a case study of Egyptian-accredited faculties

Higher education institutions are increasingly concerned about accreditation. Although sustainable market orientation (SMO) bears on academic accreditation, to date, no study has developed a valid scale of SMO or assessed its influence on accreditation. The purpose of this paper is to construct and validate an SMO scale that was developed in Egyptian faculties. SMO is identified as a one-dimensional construct consisting of four overlapping components. Using a survey, data were collected from 204 respondents in 6 Egyptian-accredited governmental faculties. Both item analysis and split-half methods were used to purify the measurement scale and assess its stability. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess dimensionality, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the construct and convergent/discriminant validity. Nomological validity was assessed with a structural equation model. Results suggest both a validated scale and empirical evidence of the influence of SMO on academic accreditation.