Marketing Information Systems (MkIS) Support for the Marketing Management Process :: essays research papers

trade Information Systems (MkIS) Support for the Marketing Management ProcessIntroduction more than and more, companies are faced with the acquire to control an ever larger and quick changing marketing environment. The data processing requirements of companies are expanding as their agonistic environment becomes more dynamic and volatile (Child, 1987). To handle the increasing outside and internal training flow and to improve its quality, companies cave in to take expediency of the opportunities offered by modern information technology (IT) and information systems (IS). Managing marketing information by means of IT has become one of the most vital elements of trenchant marketing. By collecting and sharing marketing information and by utilise it to promote corporate and brand image, IS offer current ways of ameliorate the internal efficiency of the firm. IS allow dynamic marketing communication amidst personnel in corporate training, accounting, advertising and sales pr omotion, product instruction, carry of distribution and direct sales. These systems also relate to marketing strategy, marketing planning and the entire marketing management process.IS span the boundary between the plaque and its environment by connecting the customers and partners to the firms warehouse, factory and management. Today inter schemeal relationships and interorganizational information systems (IOS) have become a common form for processing proceedings and there are many examples of IOS that create electronic linkages between firms (see Bakos, 1991 interchange and Konsynski, 1985).IT has a key role in new flexible organization forms such as strategic partnerships and cross-functional networks. New organizations will be knowing around business processes rather than functional hierarchies (Rockart and Short, 1989) and we will face the need for new kinds of IS in marketing. In fact, IS will be the cornerstone of new approaches to marketing. Management and systems desi gners should therefore be better aware of the avenues available to commix marketing and management processes in new innovative ways.The objectives of this empirical survey among Finnish wholesale companies are threefold. First, we evaluate which information included in marketing information systems (MkIS) has been important in providing support for the marketing management process. Second, we analyse what improvements in marketing and sales have been realized by implementing MkIS to support the marketing management process. Third, we investigate, in more detail, what operational MkIS sub-systems have contributed to improved effectiveness for implementing and controlling marketing efforts.In order to retort these questions we first develop the analytical framework, and then we describe the survey of 50 marketing organizations in Finland.