Strategic Marketing.Pdf

Case study

Strategic marketing planning for a supplier of liquid food packaging products in Cyprus
Demetris Vrontis
Marketing Department, School of Business, Intercollege, Nicosia, Cyprus

Harry Kogetsidis
Department of Management and MIS, Intercollege, Nicosia, Cyprus, and

Andreas Stavrou
Henley Management College, Henley-on-Thames, UK
Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to provide a strategic review of the marketing function for a Cypriot company operating in the liquid food packaging industry (for reasons of confidentiality the name of the company is withheld). The paper focuses on the dairy market, where the company does not have a very strong market position, and illustrates how through an analysis of the environment (internal and external audit) the company’s strategic direction and marketing plan can be designed more effectively. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts a case study approach with primary research through in-depth interviews with managers of the company under investigation. Findings – The paper concludes that, by undertaking to rectify its weak marketing function, the company can develop capabilities that will lead to a fully integrated relationship with all its customers and significantly improve its market share. Originality/value – The value of the paper lies in providing a new case study that highlights the importance of making the marketing function a more market/consumer oriented process that bridges the gap between strategic change and industrial complexity and instability. Keywords Business environment, Marketing planning, Management strategy, Strategic marketing, Dairy products, Cyprus Paper type Case study

Introduction
The aim of this paper is to provide a strategic review of the marketing function for a Cypriot company operating in the liquid food packaging industry. The company was established in the early 1980s and the purpose of its business is to provide marketing and after-sales services of its products to

References: Ansoff, I. (1957), “Strategies for diversification”, Harvard Business Review, September/October, p. 114. Fifield, P. and Gilligan, C. (2000), Strategic Marketing Management, Planning & Control and Analysis & Decision, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, ButterworthHeinemann, Oxford. Hellenic Bank (2002), Cyprus in Figures, Hellenic Bank, Nicosia. Heskett, J.L., Jones, T.O., Loveman, G.W., Sasser, W.E. Jr and Schlesinger, L.A. (1994), “Putting the service profit chain to work”, Harvard Business Review, March/April. McDonald, M., Rogers, B. and Woodburn, D. (2000), Key Customers – How to Manage Them Profitably, ButterworthHeinemann, Oxford. Porter, M. (1985), Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, The Free Press, New York, NY. RAI Consulting Services (2003), Services Retail Audit Report, RAI Consulting Services, Richardson, TX. Vignali, C. and Vrontis, D. (2004), Global Marketing and Export Management, Foxwell and Davies, London. Vignali, C., Vrontis, D. and Vranecevic, T. (2003), Marketing Planning. Analysis, Strategy and Tactics, Foxwell and Davies, London. Vrontis, D. (1999), “Bass plc – an assessment, evaluation and recommendations of their strategic approach in entering foreign beer markets”, International Marketing Review, Vol. 16 Nos 4/5, pp. 391-405. Vrontis, D. (2003), “McDonald’s – the impact of the external environment on its international marketing operations – standardisation, adaptation or adaptstandation?”, International Journal of Management Cases, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 30-40. Vrontis, D. and Vignali, C. (1999), “An entry strategy report for Dairy Crest in Germany: a theoretical application of matrix marketing”, British Food Journal, pp. 393-408. About the authors Demetris Vrontis studied in the UK and obtained a BSc (Hons) degree in Business from the Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), a PGCE (HE) from MMU, a VTC from Henley Management College, an MBA (Distinction) from the University of Hull and a PhD in International Marketing from MMU. From 1997 to 2003 he worked at the Manchester Metropolitan University Business School (MMUBS) in the UK, where he led and directed two of the University’s postgraduate programmes. Currently, Demetris is the Head of Marketing Department at Intercollege University in Cyprus and Director of the Institute for Retail Studies. Demetris is a founder member of CIRCLE – the Centre for International Research for Consumers and Location and their Environments (a strategic alliance made by seven Universities from different countries). The aim of the alliance is for its members to collaborate and cooperate in publications and research grants, undertake research and provide consultation to a number of national and international companies in both consumer and trade markets. Other activities include being an external examiner and moderator for Nottingham Trent University (in its cooperation with a number of Greek Business Schools in Athens, Thessalonica and Heraklion) and a visiting professor at a number of universities around the world. Currently he is an associated faculty for Henley Management College, a Visiting Professor for Vorarlberg University in Austria (Master’s level) and a Visiting Fellow at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK. Demetris teaches marketing and international marketing at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate research students, both in Cyprus and abroad. His prime research interest is on international marketing planning and marketing strategy, areas that he has published widely on in refereed journal articles and presented papers to conferences around the world. He is also the author of seven books in international/global marketing and strategic marketing planning and the editor of the EuroMed Journal of Business (EMJB). Harry Kogetsidis was a Lecturer in Business Systems at the University of Luton in the UK between 1994 and 2002. In 2002 he joined Intercollege University in Cyprus, where he is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Management and MIS. His prime teaching and research interests are in management and business forecasting. Harry has written and delivered forecasting courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, trained UK managers in forecasting methods and taught in a number of MBA programmes in Europe. His interests also include developing distance learning material on forecasting. He has published a number of papers on management and management science in international journals and has presented his work in conferences around the world. Harry is a member of the International Institute of Forecasters and of the British Operational Research Society. Andrew Stavrou is an MBA Student at Henley Management College, Henley-on-Thames, UK. To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [e-mail] Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints 261