Strategic Marketing Research Research Articles

E057 International survey to evaluate current options and user needs for subcutaneous injection of methotrexate to inform development of a new injection device

Abstract Background/Aims Prefilled syringes (PFS) and various types of pens are available for subcutaneous injection of methotrexate (MTX) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or moderate to severe psoriasis. To assess the needs of users and the relevance of features of a new MTX autoinjector succeeding the metoject®/metex® PEN, an international online survey was performed. Methods A structured questionnaire was distributed to physicians, nurses and patients in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Participants received illustrations of the three MTX devices currently available on the market and were informed about the new MTX autoinjector. Results In total, 189 rheumatologists, 111 dermatologists, 90 nurses, and 180 patients answered the questions. Specific reasons for a preference for the use of MTX pens over PFS could predominantly be assigned to the categories “dosing/administration” and “ease of use”. 82% of physicians, 87% of nurses, and 76% of patients stated a positive first impression of the new button-free MTX autoinjector, respectively. The features rated most relevant by the user groups were a) 2-step autoinjector mechanism (receiving a mean 14.1 to 18.1 points of a total of 100 points), b) small injection volume (9.7 to 11.7 points), c) short injection time below 5 seconds (8.5 to 11.1 points), and d) 10 different doses for dose flexibility (8.0 to 13.2 points). Conclusion Autoinjectors for MTX appear to be preferred over PFS in this international survey. In addition, important features of MTX autoinjectors for patients and healthcare professionals were identified including the autoinjector mechanism, volume of injection and injection time. Disclosure U. Müller-Ladner: Consultancies; U.M.-L. was advisor to medac GmbH. Member of speakers’ bureau; U.M.-L. was speaker to medac GmbH. C. Edwards: Member of speakers’ bureau; C.J.E. has been a speaker for medac. A. Erkens: Other; A.E. has performed strategic market research for medac GmbH.

Exploring performance heterogeneity: Integrative insights from strategic management and marketing

The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast several definitions of performance outcomes across the strategic management and strategic marketing literature streams. We motivate our study on the shared history of both fields in explaining performance heterogeneity across firms. Our review of literature on the concept of competitive advantage in the strategic management field, and an exemplar case of strategic marketing research on brand competitiveness, highlights opportunities for cross-fertilization across these domains. In particular, we argue that future research on brand competitiveness may benefit by drawing on the concept of ecosystems, business models, and microfoundations research in strategic management.

AI Think with Me, Or Think for Me?

This research aims to study and analyze strategies for the strategic application of artificial intelligence in marketing by developing a framework that guides artificial intelligence planning strategies in marketing systematically and can be followed up by making decisions about service strategies at the J&T Company. The research locus is the object and source of data from the place being researched so that the information obtained can provide accurate data and truth in research. J&T Cargo is a technologically innovative express company under the auspices of the J&T Group. The locus of this research was carried out at: Marketing manager, HR manager and marketing expert team. The qualitative approach carried out through the data analysis technique used is the Manual Data Analysis Procedure (MDAP) by Rofiah, (2022), from the results of interviews accompanied by triangulation of sources, methods and theories it can be concluded that artificial intelligence for marketing strategies at J&T Cargo is used to determine preferences. Various Consumer Segments; Micro Segment Customers; Target Cause Marketing Outreach; Identify the Best Target; Refining Customer Based Perception Maps; Positioning Slogan; Psychographic Consumer Segmentation; Tourism Consumer Segment; New Customer Promotion Target; Target Digital Consumers; Target Customers Based on Brand with the aim of monitoring local market developments, so that in this business J&T Cargo is not left behind compared to other competitors. This paper also contributes to strategic marketing research by providing a systematic and rigorous approach to identifying research gaps that bridge strategic marketing practice research and artificial intelligence.

Investigation of Managerial Capabilities and Organizational Intelligence in Tehran Municipality Using Marketing and Innovation in Services

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the impact of organizational intelligence on the performance of Tehran Municipality through the utilization of marketing capabilities. Methodology: This qualitative study was conducted in Tehran and utilized semi-structured interviews with senior managers, department heads, and key personnel within the Tehran Municipality. Participants were selected through purposive sampling based on their extensive experience and knowledge related to organizational intelligence and marketing. Data were collected until theoretical saturation was achieved, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the topics. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns and relationships within the data, with findings validated through member checks to ensure accuracy and credibility. Findings: The analysis revealed four main themes: Organizational Intelligence, Marketing Capabilities, Performance Improvement, and Impact on Municipality. Key subcategories included strategic planning, decision-making, knowledge management, innovation, resource optimization, market research, branding, digital marketing, customer engagement, service innovation, public relations, efficiency, service delivery, employee performance, financial management, strategic alliances, public satisfaction, community development, economic growth, policy implementation, and innovation adoption. The findings underscored the importance of integrating organizational intelligence and marketing capabilities to enhance strategic planning, decision-making, innovation, and overall municipal performance. Conclusion: The study concludes that the integration of organizational intelligence with marketing capabilities significantly enhances the performance of Tehran Municipality. Strategic planning, decision-making, knowledge management, and innovation are crucial components of this integration.

Impact of artificial intelligence on marketing

The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has drastically changed the dynamics of today’s business world. One of the most significant applications of AI is in the field of marketing, which assists in enhancing performance. The current research aims at finding out the impact of AI in marketing. A thorough literature research was highlighted, providing a strong knowledge of AI and its use in marketing. Second, the researcher employed a qualitative study strategy that included semi-structured interviews with marketing professionals from several Indian companies. The researcher chose a sample size of fifteen marketing experts to interview. The study's findings emphasise the elements that influence AI integration in marketing, the benefits and obstacles of AI integration in marketing, as well as your company's pre and post AI marketing strategy, ethical considerations, and use of AI in the marketing industry. The study proposes integrating AI into marketing tasks in order to improve corporate performance and, as a result, achieve profitability and competitive advantage. This study also contributes to strategic marketing research by identifying research gaps that bridge strategic AI marketing practise and research in a systematic and rigorous manner.

Značaj i uloga formalnog marketinškog obrazovanja - percepcija akademske i poslovne javnosti

The significance of education for the development of knowledge and skills in the field of marketing is undeniable, but there is a limited number of scientific studies addressing the alignment of formal education with the needs of contemporary marketing practices. This research aims to bridge the identified gap. To achieve this, two studies were conducted. The first study analyzed the offerings of marketing programs and courses in 165 accredited higher education institutions within the territory of the Republic of Serbia. The findings indicate that subjects such as marketing, strategic marketing, consumer behavior, and market research have maintained their leading positions in the curricula, with a noticeable trend of rapid development in other areas (e.g., digital, internet, and social media marketing). In the second study, the attitudes and perceptions of 117 members of the academic and business communities in the field of marketing were examined through surveys. The results reveal a consensus regarding the importance of specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes for working in marketing practice, as well as the necessity of specialized formal education for positions such as executive marketing director, brand manager, and marketing consultant. Conversely, significant differences were observed in the perception of the academic and business communities regarding the preparedness of graduates to apply marketing knowledge and skills practically. The research results provide insight into the state and prospects of marketing, as well as the effectiveness of formal education in equipping graduates with knowledge and skills aligned with the demands of contemporary marketing practice.

The Impact of Organizational Intelligence on the Performance of Tehran Municipality Utilizing Marketing Capabilities

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the impact of organizational intelligence on the performance of Tehran Municipality through the utilization of marketing capabilities. Methodology: This qualitative study was conducted in Tehran and utilized semi-structured interviews with senior managers, department heads, and key personnel within the Tehran Municipality. Participants were selected through purposive sampling based on their extensive experience and knowledge related to organizational intelligence and marketing. Data were collected until theoretical saturation was achieved, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the topics. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns and relationships within the data, with findings validated through member checks to ensure accuracy and credibility. Findings: The analysis revealed four main themes: Organizational Intelligence, Marketing Capabilities, Performance Improvement, and Impact on Municipality. Key subcategories included strategic planning, decision-making, knowledge management, innovation, resource optimization, market research, branding, digital marketing, customer engagement, service innovation, public relations, efficiency, service delivery, employee performance, financial management, strategic alliances, public satisfaction, community development, economic growth, policy implementation, and innovation adoption. The findings underscored the importance of integrating organizational intelligence and marketing capabilities to enhance strategic planning, decision-making, innovation, and overall municipal performance. Conclusion: The study concludes that the integration of organizational intelligence with marketing capabilities significantly enhances the performance of Tehran Municipality. Strategic planning, decision-making, knowledge management, and innovation are crucial components of this integration.

THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL AND ECONOMIC MECHANISM OF STRATEGIC COMPANY MANAGEMENT IN THE NATIONAL ECONOMY

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic caused an economic downturn, and business development strategies based on globalization and integration failed. So it is necessary to develop new organizational and economic mechanisms of strategic company management, which will compensate for the losses of foreign markets. The focus should be on operation within the national economy as a major alternative to globalised markets. The purpose was to develop proposals for improving the mechanism of strategic company management in the context of implementation of investment policy. The study involved scientific developments that consider the theoretical and practical aspects of development, analysis and implementation of dynamic models of company management. The study showed that the main purpose of strategic company management is to maximize its value to shareholders. The methodological framework of the study is systems theory, a systems approach to strategic company management, theory and practice of simulation. The mechanism of strategic company management based on investment activity is suggested. An algorithm for improving strategic investment management is suggested. The mechanism allows the management to identify and analyze possible consequences in implementation of investment strategies, as well as take into account the impact of these factors on the stable company operation. The proposed mechanism of strategic management also allows linking the full range of strategic actions, strategic marketing research, company’s investment policy, measures to control, identify and take into account the degree of risk, evaluate strategies and adjust management decisions to ensure company’s sustainable development. Keywords: innovations, investment policy, management, national economy, organizational and economic mechanism, sustainable economic development. JEL Classification G30 Formulas: 4; fig.: 3; tabl.: 0; bibl.: 25.

The Relevance of Using Market Competencies in the Process of Diversification of Defense Industry Enterprises

The paper presents an overview of the problems faced by the enterprise of the military-industrial complex in the process of diversification when identifying market needs, searching for directions and opportunities for the promotion and sale of civilian and dual-use products. One of the key constraining factors of diversification is the lack of market competencies of the personnel of defense industry enterprises. In the current conditions, the skills of market segmentation and positioning of goods and enterprises, management of trademarks and brands, creation of intangible market assets, formation of business partnerships that allow entering the markets with competitive goods in a short time, ensuring the flexibility of enterprises and reducing the time to enter the markets of civil products become relevant. The condition for the successful implementation of the diversification strategy is the formation of market competencies: strategic analysis and market research, product portfolio management, the formation of product, price, service policy, the implementation of competitive strategies, the development of marketing services: the creation of divisions focused on working with the markets of civil and dual-use products, the development of new functionality for marketers, ensuring the interaction of production, technological and marketing services within the framework of meeting market needs. The development of market competencies will make it possible to realize the production and technological advantages of defense industry enterprises in the process of diversification and ensure: access to new markets for civil and dual-use products; targeted actions in existing markets; increasing the competitiveness of civil and dual-use products and defense industry enterprises in the markets; increasing the degree of adaptability and mobility of defense industry enterprises in the markets of civil and dual-use products to environmental conditions, reducing the response time to market requirements; solving socio-economic problems through broad integration with the high-tech civilian sector of industry.

Export Competitiveness of the Economic Sectors of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract The competitiveness of the national economy, its sectors and companies is essential for economic growth and development in the conditions of the global market. This importance is especially expressed for small open economies, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Bosnia and Herzegovina must strengthen its export position in the most competitive sectors, so that it can develop under conditions of increasingly liberalized world trade, with growing competition. The aim of this paper is to investigate the sectora structure of B&H exports, the competitiveness, significance and performance of certain sectors, in order to identify weaknesses and possible ways o improvement. For the purposes of this analysis, the Trade Competitiveness Map analysis methodology was used to assess the competitiveness of the sector, using the Trade Performance Index (TPI). The main aim of the methodology is to determine sectoral export performance, in order to facilitate strategic market research and monitoring of national foreign trade performance. B&H has the poor export sector structure, with the low level o international competitiveness, reflected in the large share of resource intensive products and low-value processing products with low added value Improving competitiveness could be achieved by strengthening the most competitive sectors, as well as by changing the economic structure towards the development of technologically intensive and highly profitable sectors o the economy.

Special issue of the journal of strategic marketing ‘the state of theory in strategic marketing research – reviews and prospects’

In an article that won the Journal of Marketing’s Harold H. Maynard Award for significant contribution to marketing theory and thought, Manjit Yadav (2010) makes a number of observations on the pub...

O processo de desenvolvimento de novos produtos de uma indústria de produtos lácteos de alto valor agregado: O caso Gran Mestri

O presente artigo teve como objetivo analisar o processo de desenvolvimento de novos produtos de uma indústria de produtos lácteos de alto valor agregado. A empresa Gran Mestri, localizada no Extremo-Oeste Catarinense, se destaca no cenário nacional pela produção do queijo tipo grana padano. O estudo contou com abordagem qualitativa de caráter descritivo e exploratório, e o método de pesquisa utilizada foi o estudo de caso. Foram realizadas entrevistas com auxilio de roteiro semi-estruturado com 6 pessoas que ocupam funções estratégicas e participam do processo de inovação. Também foi utilizada pesquisa documental e observação não participante como técnicas de coleta de dados. Os principais resultados destacam: gestão de portfólio, estratégia, ambientes de projetos, ambientes de projetos, habilidades e recursos, posicionamento estratégico do produto, pesquisa de mercado, liderança, ferramentas tecnológicas e organizacionais e de apoio; equipes multifuncionais e implantação de um Showrrom. O desafio em preparar produtores para fornecer a matéria-prima, e o cliente, em reconhecer um novo produto, são os principais fatores que marcam o processo de desenvolvimento de novos produtos da empresa. Também foi possível identificar a contribuição da empresa com o desenvolvimento regional em tornar a Região Oeste Catarinense como uma das maiores bacias leiteiras do Brasil.

Strategic marketing, sustainability, the triple bottom line, and resource-advantage (R-A) theory: Securing the foundations of strategic marketing theory and research

Addressing strategic marketing's identity problem, several highly complementary works have clarified the field's theoretical foundations, nature, and scope by (1) specifying its domain, (2) defining its central concept, "marketing strategy," (3) proposing the field's foundational premises, and (4) positing its fundamental explananda. Furthermore, the works have shown how resource-advantage (R-A) theory (5) grounds major theories of marketing strategy, (6) illuminates, informs, extends, and grounds the field's foundational premises, (7) identifies three fundamental strategies ("superior value," "lower cost," and "synchronal"), and (8) explains how the three fundamental strategies promote societal welfare. However, a major unresolved issue concerns the second fundamental explanandum of strategic marketing. Specifically, Varadarajan (AMS Review, 5, 78-90, 2015) expands his second fundamental explanandum from "marketplace and financial performance" to explaining triple bottom line (TBL) performance. That is, strategic marketing theory and research should answer: "What explains differences in [social, environmental, and financial] performance of competing brands/product lines/businesses?" This article provides a background discussion on how "sustainability" and the TBL relate to marketing in general and strategic marketing, in particular. Next, it (1) examines the nature of the TBL, (2) shows how the TBL concept and certain issues regarding its measurement parallel those in the "corporate social responsibility" literature, (3) re-examines the value of the TBL framework, (4) makes clear how R-A theory accommodates the TBL, and (5) shows how R-A theory provides seven potential explanations of differences in firms' TBL performance.

Accessing the influence of strategic marketing research on generating impact: moderating roles of models, journals, and estimation approaches

Although the literature debates the sophistication and contributions of statistical/econometric models to strategic findings, there is a lack of understanding of how different model types contribute to the impact of strategic marketing research. We collected data from 485 studies published in top-tier marketing journals over the last 50 years to assess the influence of core strategy areas, and the moderating roles of models, journals, and estimation approaches on the impact of strategic marketing research, measured in terms of citations of the articles. Using descriptive and regression analyses, we find that strategy research focusing on the “customer” and “other areas” had a relatively greater impact, whereas “sales” had a relatively lesser impact on citations than the “4Ps strategy area.” Linear regression, multivariate analysis, and structural equation models had a significantly higher impact on citations than other models. We also find that linear models and SEM positively and analytical models negatively moderate the relationship between strategy research focusing on “customer” and citations. Further, linear, analytical models and multivariate analyses negatively moderate the relationship between “sales” and citations. While strategy-focused journals positively moderate the relationship between strategic research focusing on “other area” and citations, it has a negative impact on the relationship between strategic research focusing on “sales” and citations. Relationship between strategy research focusing on “customer” and “other areas” and citations respectively is positively moderated by the estimation approach. Our study provides a perspective to the “rigor vs. relevance” debate in strategic marketing research.

Changing consumer intake of potato, a focus group study

Purpose – While potato consumption in Europe and North America declines, other carbohydrate sources increase. The purpose of this paper is to explore factors affecting consumers’ changing consumption behaviour as regards fresh potato. Design/methodology/approach – Six semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was made by means of a theory-driven approach. Findings – Seven categories of factors affecting consumer choice of fresh potato were found and discussed: first, convenience and preparation-related factors; second, health; third, information and packaging; fourth, sensory appeal; fifth, monetary considerations; sixth, familiarity and habit; and seventh, sustainability and ethics. Convenience appears to be the strongest explanation to changing food behaviour. Research limitations/implications – The research contributes to present knowledge regarding food choice and consumers’ carbohydrate intake. Findings of previous research is both validated and questioned. Methodological limitations are discussed, suggesting complementary quantitative approaches to the findings based on qualitative research. Practical implications – The findings add to knowledge of consumer behaviour and food choice. The findings may suggest focus areas in strategic marketing research, facilitating strategic decisions in response to falling consumption of fresh potatoes due to changing consumer attitudes and behaviour. Originality/value – By using a theory-driven approach in a thematic analysis, a broad set of interview data from six focus group interviews has been summarised and categorised. The methodology shows an effective way to treat a large amount of qualitative data and condense it to straightforward themes.

New Directions in Strategic Factor Market Research: Processes and Mechanisms

The concept of strategic factor markets is a fundamental element of resource-based theories of competitive advantage. Barney’s (1986) article, which introduced the strategic factor market (SFM) concept, provided seminal insights on the origins of heterogeneous resource positions and subsequent research has made great strides studying the role of information in SFMs. Yet, aspects of SFM activity remain under-explored. This symposium highlights research that builds on and supplements the perspectives taken in prior work. In the session, Jay Barney provides the context for the research to be presented with comments on his 1986 article and the subsequent scholarship that has developed his ideas. The new research presents (1) a conceptual process model that that bridges buying resources in strategic factor markets with building resources through internal accumulation, (2) a formal analytical model of SFM activity that introduces competitive dynamics and seller-side considerations to offer several insights into the role of product market competition in factor markets, and (3) an empirical study that takes a knowledge-based perspective to explore how firms can derive superior ex ante resource valuations in the presence of symmetrical information. Taken together, the three papers provide diverse but complementary new perspectives on the role of SFMs in resource-based theories of strategy. Following the presentations, Jay Barney provides discussant comments on the papers and concludes with additional thoughts on the future of SFM research. Strategic Factor Market Processes: Buying and Building Resources Presenter: Catherine A Maritan; Syracuse U. Presenter: Thomas P. Moliterno; U. of Massachusetts, Amherst How Do Strategic Factor Markets Respond to Rivalry in the Product Market? Presenter: Olivier Chatain; U. of Pennsylvania Knowledge Asymmetries in Strategic Factor Markets Presenter: Rory Eckardt; U. of Massachusetts

Resource specialization, customer orientation, and firm performance: an empirical investigation of valuable resources

This study contributes to the strategic marketing research by empirically investigating the role of customer orientation in explaining how firms leverage their specialized but vulnerable resources. The aim is thus to explore a subset of the means by which resources become valuable to the firm – the first criterion for a strategic resource. Hypotheses are developed and tested using CEO questionnaire responses from a sample of manufacturing firms and census accounting data. The results show that there is a strong link between industry-specific resources and return on assets for firms with high levels of customer orientation. We also report that firm-specific resources are unrelated to firm performance and that a customer orientation – investigated in isolation, may be detrimental to firm performance. Research and managerial implications are discussed.

An Analysis on the International Competitiveness of China’s Traditional Medicine Industry Based on the SWOT Model

Traditional Chinese medicine is a rarity contributed by Chinese people to the whole human world as well as a crystallization of Chinese people's wisdom accumulated over thousands of years. Since the seventh five-year plan, China's traditional medicine industry has kept fast development, forming its special industrial system and groups. Based on the SWOT model, this paper analyzes the international competitiveness of China's traditional medicine industry in the aspects of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. As a common analysis tool for corporate strategy research, the SWOT model combines enterprises' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats formed in their internal and external environments to have relevant analysis in order to establish operation strategies conforming to their reality. Nowadays, this model has been widely employed in corporate strategic management, market research and analysis on competitiveness. This paper plans to introduce the SWOT model into the analysis on industrial competitiveness and to have empirical analysis on China's traditional medicine industry. The analysis on strengths and weaknesses are mainly focused on the strength of China's traditional medicine industry and a comparison with other rivals, while that on opportunities and threats is devoted to the changes in the external environment and their potential impact on this industry as well as the establishment of proper industrial strategies based on it (Zou, 2005). 1. The SWOT Model SWOT analysis means analyzing the factors closely related to the subject investigated and setting out them in matrix form in a certain order, then matching these factors with the systematic analysis method for analysis and drawing a series of corresponding conclusions finally. Actually, SWOT analysis is a method to sum up all the internal and external conditions of the object investigated and then to analyze corresponding strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. With the analysis on strengths and weaknesses focused on enterprises' power when compared with their rivals, that on opportunities and threats is contributed to the changes in the external environment and their possible impact on enterprises. However, the same change may bring about totally different opportunities and threats to enterprises with different resources and abilities. Therefore, they have close relations (Song, 2007).

European Integration: Strategic Market Research and Industry Structures

The paper is concerned with the impact of market research prior to integration, on the structures of noncompetitive industries in integrated economy. The analysis focuses on separated, single commodity, monopolistic markets with stochastic demand. Monopolistic firms are considered in dynamic multiperiod model, where intertemporal links are determined by expenditures on market research in a present period and benefits from this activity (i.e., smaller variance of the prediction error) in the future. Assuming that each firm maximizes its total discounted expected utility from profit in indefinite time, we show that the optimal market research strategy is stationary and depends on market size. Consequently, in the period following integration firms operating prior to integration in small markets (such as Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary or Estonia) are expected to have much less information about the integrated market than their competitors operating before integration on European market. This informational asymmetry may affect the structure of the industry in integrated economy. In the extreme case, the firm operating before integration in the small market can be ruled out from the integrated market.

The Debate over Doing Good: Corporate Social Performance, Strategic Marketing Levers, and Firm-Idiosyncratic Risk

Marketers and investors face a heated, provocative debate over whether excelling in social responsibility initiatives hurts or benefits firms financially. This study develops a theoretical framework that predicts (1) the impact of corporate social performance (CSP) on firm-idiosyncratic risk and (2) the role of two strategic marketing levers, advertising and research and development (R&D), in explaining the variability of this impact among different firms. The results show that higher CSP lowers undesirable firm-idiosyncratic risk. Notably, although the salutary impact of CSP is greater in firms with higher (versus lower) advertising, a simultaneous pursuit for CSP, advertising, and R&D is harmful with increased firm-idiosyncratic risk. For theory, the authors advance the literature on the marketing–finance interface by drawing attention to the risk-reduction potential of CSP and by shedding new light on some critical but neglected roles of strategic marketing levers. They also extend CSP research by moving away from the long-fought battle for a universal CSP impact and toward a finer-grained understanding of when some firms derive more risk-reduction benefits from CSP. For practice, the results indicate that the “goodwill refund” of CSP is not unconditional. They also empower marketers to communicate more effectively with investors (i.e., doing good to better manage the risk surrounding firm stock prices).