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

Marketing In word formation Systems (MkIS) Support for the Marketing Management ProcessIntroductionMore and more, companies are faced with the inquire to control an ever bigger and rapidly changing marketing environment. The tuition processing requirements of companies are expanding as their competitive environment becomes more dynamic and volatile (Child, 1987). To handle the increasing immaterial and internal information flow and to improve its quality, companies have to take advantage 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 effective marketing. By collecting and sharing marketing information and by using it to promote bodily and brand image, IS offer new ways of improving the internal efficiency of the firm. IS allow dynamic marketing communication between personnel in corporate planning, accounting, advertising and sales promoti on, product management, channels of distribution and direct sales. These systems also relate to marketing strategy, marketing planning and the entire marketing management process.IS bracing the boundary between the organization and its environment by connecting the customers and partners to the firms warehouse, factory and management. Today interorganizational relationships and interorganizational information systems (IOS) have become a common form for processing transactions and there are many examples of IOS that create electronic linkages between firms (see Bakos, 1991 Cash and Konsynski, 1985).IT has a key role in new supple organization forms such as strategic partnerships and cross-functional networks. New organizations will be designed 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 des igners should therefore be better aware of the avenues available to integrate 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 answer these questions we first develop the analytical framework, and consequently we describe the survey of 50 marketing organizations in Finland.