TQM and market orientation as strategic initiatives have been associated to improved
organisational effectiveness and financial performance. However, each orientation is
often discussed as a separate discipline in the literature. This paper integrates these
orientations into a conceptual model of coherence business practises. It highlights
the critical components of the model in relation to firms’ efforts to sustain high
performance through delivering superior customer value for the end customers - the
basis for sustainable performance. An empirical investigation is proposed to
operationalise this market-based quality orientation.