Firm survival through a crisis : the influence of market orientation, marketing innovation and business strategy

As an outcome of the economic crisis, the global manufacturing sector is collapsing. Focusing on Chinese manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), this study investigates whether marketing innovation, defined as improvements in the marketing mix, can assist in withstanding the challenges of operating under the current economic conditions. A conceptual model linking market orientation, marketing innovation, competitive advantage and firm survival is tested using structural equation modelling. Three key findings are derived. First, the examined Chinese manufacturing SMEs had a greater perceived likelihood of survival had they developed and sustained a competitive advantage. Second, marketing innovation assisted in developing and sustaining competitive advantages based on differentiation and cost leadership strategies. Third, marketing innovation capabilities improved when the examined manufacturing SMEs were competitor oriented and had good inter-functional capabilities.

The use of the web as a marketing tool by selected arts organisations in Vietnam : a preliminary investigation

This paper presents exploratory findings into the use of the web as a marketing tool by arts organisations in Vietnam. The uniform resource locators (URLs) of Vietnamese arts organisations listed in the cultural profiles category of the directory of Vietnamese Cultural Organisations/Departments created by Visiting Arts (UK) for the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, Vietnam (MCST) (formerly Ministry of Culture and Information – MOCI) were accessed. 17 of these websites were ‘live’ at the time of the study and were evaluated to determine current levels of marketing functionality utilised within the sites. The findings of the evaluation were analysed from the perspective of the four elements of marketing mix (price, place, product and promotion). The study found that all 17 Vietnamese arts organisations analysed were less sophisticated in the usage of the web as a marketing tool compared with their Western counterparts, and that such organisations’ websites contained basic information catalogues and contact details but had limited multimedia functionality. The implications to audience development will be explored further through a survey with stakeholders of the 17 arts organisations in Vietnam as a future research stream.

Investigating socialization, work-related norms and the ethical perceptions of marketing practitioners

This study examines the influence of socialization on work-related norms (WORKNORM). We tested the hypothesis that organizational (ORGSOC) and professional socialization (PROFSOC) are antecedent influences on WORKNORM, employing a sample of 339 marketing practitioners. The results of covariance structural analysis indicate that ORGSOC and PROFSOC and WORKNORM are discriminant constructs within the tested model. The study also reveals that the influence of ORGSOC on WORKNORM is stronger than the influence of PROFSOC on these same norms. Because this social learning occurs in work-related activities, in organizations, and in professional life, it is important that managers appreciate that these three separate domains influence decision making under ethical conditions. The limitations of the study and future research directions are discussed.

Marketing planning : operationalising the market orientation strategy

Despite strong empirical validation of the relationship between market orientation and business performance, the literature is inconclusive on the implementation of the strategy. This paper reviews the implementation of market orientation, and investigates the associations between market orientation and marketing planning and their associations with business performance. A survey of 216 Australian larger business organisations was conducted to find evidence of these relationships. The results highlight a close association between market orientation and marketing planning, with virtually the same level of association between them, and the business performance measures used. This evidence suggests that they arguably represent the same domain. The results suggest that marketing practitioners may use the marketing planning technique as an intangible productive resource to operationalise the market orientation strategy, and use it to design a specific style and magnitude of market orientation suitable for an organisation.

Marketers' perceptions of the implementation difficulties of multichannel marketing

This paper identifies implementation difficulties associated with multichannel marketing as perceived by senior marketers. While, multichannel marketing is being increasingly used because of its revenue enhancing and cost reduction opportunities, it appears more difficult to implement than 'traditional' single channel marketing. Traditional strategy implementation frameworks as typified by Miles and Snow and Porter, do not appear to address the implementation complexities of multichannel strategies especially when considering the dynamism of contemporary external environments. Using the methodology of thematic analysis, three implementation difficulty themes were identified: (1) understanding multichannel customer behaviour; (2) delivering sales, service and pre-purchase information; and (3) dealing with organisational politics and conflict caused by emerging channels. We propose that dynamic strategic frameworks can better address complexity and uncertainty, and overcome implementation difficulties. The paper concludes with general and specific research propositions to test the effectiveness of dynamic strategic frameworks in terms of the three themes.

Practitioner prognostications on the future of online marketing

In arguably the most dynamic period in the history of marketing, and in particular the management of marketing communication, the challenges and opportunities presented by online marketing are both immense and unprecedented. In an effort to understand how these challenges are perceived at the ‘coal face’, this paper solicits and longitudinally compares senior marketing practitioners’ perceptions and perspectives, both recently (late 2008) and five years prior (2003). Due to the rapid evolution of online marketing and its impact on both consumer behaviour and marketing strategy, a longitudinal qualitative research design was employed to track changes in senior marketers’ perceptions. Findings are presented and discussed within the context of six recurring themes: interactivity, personalisation, integration, evaluation, agency structures, and capabilities. The paper concludes by examining the utility of integrated marketing communication as a marketing management framework for online marketing strategy.