Pfizer and its competitive marketing challenges

Pfizer has been the preeminent global pharmaceutical company in recent years and much of their success can be attributed to their marketing responsiveness and innovation. Pfizer is committed to patients, the community and quality product development. As a model in marketing effectiveness they also show how to lead internal resources efficiently to maximize market place opportunities.     

Problems and challenges in social marketing

This article reviews the problems that arise when general marketing principles are applied to social programs. Social marketing is conceptualized as the design, implementation, and control of programs seeking to increase the acceptability of a social ideal or practice in a target group. These problems can occur in 8 basic decision-making areas: market analysis, market segmentation, product strategy development, pricing strategy development, channel strategy development, communications strategy development, organizational design and planning, and evaluation. Social marketers find that they have less good secondary data about their consumers, more problems obtaining valid and reliable measures of relevant variables, more difficulty sorting out the relative influence of determinants of consumer behavior, and more problems getting consumer research funded than marketers in the commercial sector. They tend to have less flexibility in shaping their products and more difficulty formulating product concepts. Problems associated with establishing, utilizing, and controlling distribution channels comprise another major difference between social and more conventional forms of marketing. Social marketers also find that their communications options are somewhat limited as a result of problems associated with use of paid advertisements, pressures not to use certain types of appeals in their messages, and the need to communicate large amounts of information in their messages. Moreover, social marketers must function in organizations where marketing activities are poorly understood, underappreciated, and inappropriately located. Finally, they face problems trying to define effectiveness measures or estimating the contribution their program has made toward the achievement of certain objectives. If all these problems are anticipated and handled creatively, social marketing efforts can succeed.     

Subsidiary knowledge flows in multinational corporations: Research accomplishments,gaps, and opportunities

Research on knowledge flows in multinational corporations has grown considerably over the last 15 years or so. Part of the growth has resulted in the field becoming more “fluid” and thus prone to multiple definitions and measures of the same notions and constructs, as well as leading to contrary findings. We systematically and critically review the literature on knowledge flows in multinational corporations that has defined the subsidiary as the focal unit of analysis. We classify existing studies into four categories depending on the focus of examination: outcomes of knowledge flows, knowledge characteristics, actors involved in the knowledge flows, and relationships between these actors. On the basis of 92 articles published in 15 top management and international business journals from 1996 to 2009 inclusive we identify key accomplishments, existing gaps and future research directions.     

Agriculture in Europe: New challenges ahead

The recent reform of the EC’s Common Agricultural Policy is likely to be only the beginning of the adjustments which will be necessary in the near future. Accession applications by various EFTA countries are pending. At the same time Eastern Europe desperately needs assistance from Western Europe, not only in the form of food aid but also in the form of help in establishing agricultural production and trade based on the laws of the market. The following article takes stock of the situation.     

我国专业化创业服务体系的研究与思考

创新驱动正成为我国经济高质量发展的关键，创业服务平台作为我国中小微企业创新创业的重要载体，服务模式和服务质量对助力创新经济具有重要意义。通过梳理国内众创空间、大学科技园、科技企业孵化器等多层面的创业服务平台运营现状，分析创业服务体系对科技创新和产业发展的显著作用，提出专业化服务能力建设对于推动战略性新兴产业的快速发展，支撑我国产业创新发展和“双创”升级具有重要价值并提出相应的推进策略。     

A perspective of marketing in central and Eastern Europe

The transition of Central and Eastern Europe toward a market economy affords new opportunities but also new risks to international marketers. Based on the work of the authors in the region, this article presents a perspective of the economic shifts which have taken place in these countries. A review of the available international marketing options is offered and a framework for the evaluation of market entry and marketing mix strategies which accommodate these shifts is developed. Emphasis is placed on the need for marketers to go beyond purely commercial criteria in their decision making, by considering the long-term social and economic repercussions of their actions. 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Small businesses as a research subject: Some reflections on knowledge of small businesses and its effects on economic theory

Most economists agree in their view of small and medium-sized enterprises, or small businesses (SMEs), as a marginal scientific subject. They may go so far as to ignore them, either because they think these economic units do not lend themselves to conventional economic studies — studies which, for instance, take into account the sacred cow theory of economies of scale — or because they see them as being not really different from big businesses.However, at least a few economists have recognized, first, the many characteristics differentiating SMEs from big firms, and second, their increasing importance in terms of numbers and job creation within economies. Among these few, Schumpeter was one of the first to show the importance of entrepreneurs and SMEs as the main variable of change in an economy. Simon and Lucas also explained the difference between small and big firms through the differing abilities required by managers to run them. Penrose looked at the question from another point of view by highlighting the interstices taken up by SMEs to fulfil needs that cannot be fulfilled by bigger units. Critics of the theory of economies of scale showed that such economies may be offset by a number of diseconomies, thus justifying the efficiency of many SMEs. More recently, Mills and Schumann suggested that SMEs compensate for their lack of economies of scale by their production flexibility, particularly in today's turbulent economy.The limits of traditional economic theory are clearly demonstrated by the fact that it does not take account of all these theories, concepts and ideas. It thus neglects a number of important economic phenomena, including the persistence and current expansion of SMEs. Consideration of such phenomena may lead to the development of a new economic theory based on the concepts of instability and contingency, together with the behaviour of entrepreneurs and small firms, thus tending to contradict, in particular, the concept of equilibrium in conventional economic theory.A first version of this paper has been presented as invited speaker at the symposium of TETRA Group at Lyon, France, 30–31 May 1990. I thank the colleagues Fritz Rieger, Frances Solé Parrellada, Jacques Filion and the two referees for their very interesting suggestions on a preliminary second version.     

Entrepreneurial competencies and motivations to enhance marketing innovation in Europe

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) country profile variables were analyzed using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). This analysis identified which combinations of entrepreneurs’ competencies and motivations boost marketing innovation. Marketing innovation contributes to defining and reinforcing competitive advantages, goal setting, and business performance. The findings of this study can help policymakers design strategies to foster regional marketing innovation and economic growth.     

The application of "integrated marketing communications" to social marketing and health communication: organizational challenges and implications

Influencing consumer behavior is a difficult and often resource-intensive undertaking, with success usually requiring identifying, describing, and understanding target audiences; solid product and/or service positioning relative to competitors; and significant media and communication resources. Integrated marketing communication (IMC) is a new way of organizing and managing persuasive communication tools and functions which involves realigning communications to consider the flow of information from an organization from the viewpoint of end consumers. Although the application of IMC to social marketing remains relatively unexplored, the IMC literature and recent efforts by the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control suggest that integrated communication approaches have much to offer social marketing and health communication efforts. IMC, IMC and social marketing, and implications of IMC for public and private sector social marketing programs are discussed.     

UK and German defence industry change: Some perspectives on strategic marketing

Over the past decade, the European defence industry has had to respond to increasing pressures of reduced defence spending, exacerbated more recently by removal of the immediate military threat from the former Soviet Union. Under the “Options for Change “, the UK has abandoned certain weapons programmes, while Germany has had the additional economic and social problems brought on by re‐unification. The industry's options comprise conversion, diversification or specialization, thus continuing to face structure change and competition from defence imports and “off‐the‐shelf” systems and equipment. Given the high exit barriers and past “cushioning” of the industry by governments, the presence of skills and know‐how to compete effectively is questionable. The case for strategic marketing approach for those suppliers remaining is clear; as buyer (monopsonistic) power strengthens, the threat of new entrants increases and the associated competitive rivalry intensifies. However, the ingrained “defence culture “ in many supplier organizations may be an impediment to change.     

Beyond matrices and black-box algorithms: setting marketing priorities with Marketing Strategy Conferences

With this paper, we introduce Marketing Strategy Conferences to set strategic marketing priorities effectively and allocate marketing-related resources accordingly. The system is based on managerial preference modelling with a decision model (analytical side) and communication-enhancing strategy conferencing (interactive side). After a review of alternative resource allocation frameworks, as rule-of-thumb approaches, matrix-based analyses, statistical analyses and management science models, we analyse existing analytical, behavioural and organisational impediments to effective marketing resource allocation. Addressing some of these impediments, this paper outlines two Marketing Strategy Conference cases, which we carried out for a pharmaceutical company, Schering Argentina.     

The impact of market similarity on international marketing strategies: The automobile industry in Western Europe

The formulation of an optimal marketing mix is quite complex when that mix must be effective across multiple international markets. At the crux of the problem is whether markets are similar to each other or interdependent and how this influences marketing mix decisions. Examining the marketing mixes of more than 30 automobile companies competing in the five major markets in Western Europe, it was found that easily changed marketing mix elements, such as prices and advertising, reflect market similarity, interdependence, and product‐market conditions, although not always in the expected ways. The least flexible element, the number of models offered, does not appear to reflect any of these types of conditions. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Coca‐Cola's marketing challenges in Brazil: The tubaínas war

This case presents the challenges the Coca‐Cola Company faces in Brazil. Not only is Coke up against its nemesis, Pepsi, but it must also compete with hundreds of local brands, many of which do not pay taxes. These local brands are generically called tubaínas. The case provides background information on the history of Coke in Brazil, trends in the Brazilian soft drink market, and competition by Pepsi and the many local soft drink firms. In addition, Coke's strategies for competing are outlined. The main question raised by the case is what marketing strategies can Coke adopt to better compete in Brazil. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Research,myths and expectations: New challenges for management educators

During the late seventies and early eighties unprecedented numbers of women attempted to reach the top of the corporate hierarchies. This paper examines three factors which have handicapped management educators in preparing these women to meet this objective. It also discusses the impact of these factors on research in management education.Dr. Grondin is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the Faculty of Administration at U.N.B. Dr. Grondin's major teaching consulting and research interest at U.N.B. include consumer behaviour and marketing communications and she is the author of numerous government documents and publications on these topics.     

Competition and its influence on consumer decision making in social marketing

Abstract

This paper extends the largely conceptual understanding of competition in social marketing by empirically investigating, from a consumer perspective, the nature of competition and its influence on decision making at the individual level. Two phases of qualitative inquiry in Australia, comprising 30 and 20 semi-structured interviews, respectively, examined the role of competition in young adults’ decision to adopt and maintain help-seeking for mental ill-health. The findings from thematic analysis suggest that competition operates at both the behavioural and goal level to influence consumers’ decision to perform behaviour and that the types of competition in operation may vary from the adoption to the maintenance of behaviour. The findings are integrated into a framework that social marketers could employ to identify, analyse and address competition.     

Networking in SMEs: Evaluating its contribution to marketing activity

This paper examines the networking activities of SME owner/managers within a food distribution channel, and considers them in relation to the marketing decisions made in an increasingly competitive marketplace. The study period coincided with dynamic changes within a UK regional market resulting from the market entry of multinational supermarket companies. Research findings show that there was wide variation in the extent of networking and marketing carried out by the SME owner/managers working within this channel. However, the level of marketing-led decision-making by each SME owner/manager was related to the level of networking, whereby an SME owner/manager who was proactively networking and utilising his/her marketing network displayed a more sophisticated level of marketing-led decision-making. These findings are the result of a 2 year in-depth qualitative study of 12 SME owner/managers working within the same channel.