1.As Jarratt and
Fayed (2001) state, "The development of integrated supply systems moves competition into
a new phase, with systems competing against systems to create efficiency and client value
at each point in the system" [1,12]. To be considered effective a well-formulated strategy must be implemented successfully. Implementation effectiveness however, clearly depends on the appropriateness, feasibility
and desirability of the strategy. Our argument is that through the development of
competency in implementation--the ability to translate ideas into actions and generate
positive outcomes--can provide a source of competitive advantage for the organization. A
diversity of perspectives has been put forward in defining the concept of strategy
implementation [13]. 1.2 Research Objectives
On the one hand this study aims to investigate role of Marketing Strategy Alignment
in Chemical Companies in specific area (Zanjan Province), on the other hand, tries
to pursue Marketing and it's strategies from wider scope like Supply chain. British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(9): 1356-1375, 2014
1358
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Marketing strategy concept
Marketing strategy is an important principle that an organization uses to organize and
allocate its resources to make profit from customers (who are part of market) with logical
parameters related to its components and size[3]. Aaker stated in his research that
marketing strategies included widespread function of strategies like positioning, pricing,
distributing and globalizing strategies. A successful marketing need and stable competitive
advantageous in planning and executing [4]. In another definition which is presented by Tikanen et al, marketing strategy is a systematic
effort through recognition of organizational goal in making optimums values for customers,
stock holders and other organizational partners who are relating with operational and
strategic goals [5]. Organizational marketing strategy with understanding defined activities
for marketing in organizational business strategy took measures to plan this strategy by
totalizing manager and systematic processes of complicated changes, coordination,
matching, and market and customer intelligence in inside business channel related to
organization [5]. Dramond an Answer defined marketing strategies as environment analysis
and customer requirements definition, matching activities with customer needs and
executing plans to achieve a competitive condition in related with competitors [6]. Two kind of strategic principle are brought up in the literature of this area. The first type of
hypothesis is miles and snow's hypotheses which are of 4 kinds as, Prospectors, Analyzers
Defenders, and Reactors [7]. And the second kind related to generic porter who was divided
strategies in to 3 kinds as leadership cost, differentiation and focus [8]. Both of these
strategies are used in literature widely but porter's hypothesis is considered more because of
marketing view point. Since, it mentions the ways of creating values by organization [9]. As
differentiation and leadership cost and how an organization covers its marketing limitations
[10]. Also Sloter said that there were little researches in the field of investigating marketing
strategies integrally. Then Sloter and Olsoon Categorized marketing strategies which
included offensive marketing, mass marketing, spastic marketing, valuing marketing [10]. Offensive strategies emphasizes on unique, qualitative productions, innovation in
productions with high price and special strategies for distribution. While, mass marketing
presented wide limitations of productions by using of widespread distribution and low prices. Spastic marketing had the least consideration to marketing and valuing marketing of low
prices in contrast with high services to customers [11]. 2.2 Marketing Strategy Alignment
Considering the views and investigation of Green et al. [1] in 2012 a discussion as marketing
strategy Alignment is presented. This view is a near relation with Supply chain processes
and especially making relationship with Supply chain partnership and marketing strategies
Alignment which are used for creating coordination between Supply chain members in
Supply chain, which includes; co-ordination of organizational marketing strategy philosophy
with its other partners, creating new concept of productions and services and productions
expansion, pricing strategy execution, executing promotion strategy, implementing
distribution strategy as well as expansion of unite activity for creating values. British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(9): 1356-1375, 2014
1359
In this research this model is used to investigate marketing strategies and Alignment among
processes. In following we are going to explain these factors and this model. 2.3 Alignment of Marketing Philosophy
The organizations arrange their marketing activities on base of the following five viewpoints. These viewpoints are: generation, selling, holistic. In the following we are going to explain
these philosophies briefly. 2.3.1 Compatible marketing philosophies
2.3.1.1 The production concept
The production concept, one of the oldest in business, holds that consumers prefer products
that are widely available and inexpensive. Managers of production-oriented businesses
concentrate on achieving high production efficiency, low costs, and mass distribution [14]. 2.3.1.2 The product concept
Other businesses are guided by the product concept, which holds that consumers favor
those products that offer the most quality, performance, or innovative features. Managers in
these organizations focus on making superior products and improving them over time,
assuming that buyers can appraise quality and performance [14]. 2.3.1.3 The selling concept
The selling concept, another common business orientation, holds that consumers and
businesses, if left alone, will ordinarily not buy enough of the organization's products. The
organization must, therefore, undertake an aggressive selling and promotion effort. This
concept assumes that consumers must be coaxed into buying, so the company has a battery
of selling and promotion tools to stimulate buying [14]. 2.3.1.4 The marketing concept
The marketing concept, based on central tenets crystallized in the mid-1950s, challenges the
three business orientations we just discussed.18 The marketing concept holds that the key
to achieving organizational goals consists of the company being more effective than its
competitors in creating, delivering, and communicating customer value to its chosen target
markets [14]. 2.3.1.5 The Holistic marketing concept
Kotler Define Holistic Marketing Concept in this way "Develop, design and implement
marketing programs, processes and activities that recognize breadth and interdependencies.3.3 Data Analysis Method
3.3.1 Structural equation modeling
Presupposition method of LISREL software in instructional equation modeling is the
probable maximum method, this method estimates a set of parameters, based on these
British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(9): 1356-1375, 2014
1368
estimated primary value, fitness function were calculated, this function is a coefficient that
describes fitness parameters with research data.What to be measured; This topic focused on different issues; In Gunsacaran and
Tuni (2001) on indexes to be costly or not; in works of Ashonsil (2004) on quality,
cost, flexibility and delivery; In Beamon's (1999) studies on resources, output and
flexibility; In Heeber's work in the frame of supply chain cooperation, on combining
and coordination efficiency and in Chan's papers (2003) on input, output and
processing.These factors consist
of: the ability of delivering products without any deficiency to the final customer, the potential
of delivering products and services with value added to the final customer, the ability to
remove any delay, damaged and deficient orders to customers, the capability of replying and
solving customers' issues in a short time, the ability to deliver products in on time, the ability
of delivering the right number and quantity of products to the customers, the capability of
delivering orders in various sizes, being able to offer products of tiny sizes (special products)
to customers, the ability to reduce the total cost, being capable of minimizing any kind of
waste throughout the supply chain, the ability to minimize stored channels along the supply
chain.In the latest studies, the
researchers have examined the different varieties of communications with suppliers; Cannon
and Perrcault believe that relationship with suppliers can be developed according to the level
of exchanged information, operational persistency, cooperation norms and coordination of
seller and buyer.INTRODUCTION
Fast and inevitable change in present day caused by globalization phenomenon and
scientific fast improvement in economic, social, political and industrial dimensions especially
in two previous decades, were companied by tremendous changes in technology in
information and relations.Subsidiary hypotheses correlations
Variables SSP CR LIS QIS PO
Marketing Strategy Alignment 0.53** 0.48** 0.70** 0.74** 0.09
*Correlation is significant at the .05 level (two-tailed).By using ideas
of professors and experts in this field, the questions related to the questionnaire of part
one(marketing strategies Alignment) has changed mainly and one question was deleted
from a set questions in this part, some of these questions in next sections were not
understandable because of some problems in translation that were eliminated by some
reforming.From the discussed descriptions, it can be concluded that CRM is a business strategy for
optimizing profitability, making revenues and customer satisfaction that is designed based on
organizing selling services according to customer needs, increasing the level of customer
satisfaction while core concern is customer and implementing customer locus processes.Main hypotheses correlations
Variables MSA SCMP SCP
Marketing Strategy Alignment
Supply Chain Management Practices
Supply Chain Performance
1.00
0.59**
0.62**
1.00
0.74** 1.00
*Correlation is significant at the .05 level (two-tailed).Producer's marketing strategy and especially the goals that he chooses for gaining
competitive advantage, quality, price, availability, execution engineering and
technical services , complete production line, technical production leadership etc.2.5.2 Customer relationship
The necessity of information technology evolution and in particular global internet network
and electronic commerce has offered an opportunity to improve relationship with customers
in association with previous facilities in today's' competitive markets.As mentioned above, some other postponement strategies were presented by some
scholars like; Cooper, Dapiran, Feitzinger and Lee, Pagh and Cooper, Van Hoek, Yang and
Burns and also Mikkola and Larson.In order to supplying raw materials, Most of companies
make use of cyclic procurement system, in a way that in daily or weekly timelines,
transportations flows are left to be gathered in the form of massive parcels then ordering is
fulfilled.Considering the role of industrial distributors in marketing strategies' success (e.g.
entering new products to the market, fulfilling the needs of small segments in the market)
industrial distributors' features and particular capabilities must be examined [23].2.6 Indexes of Performance Measurement in Supply Chain
Altogether, variety of efforts have been made to clarify the indexes for performance
measurement in supply chains that each effort entails a different view and approach for
categorizing and grouping such indexes.Customer oriented criteria like the percentage of fulfilling orders (rate of supply),
minimizing the delay in product delivery, minimizing the time to respond customers,
British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(9): 1356-1375, 2014
1365
minimizing LT (the time between obtaining and delivering the order) and minimizing
tasks replication
?In a supply chain, transportation processes are taking place in a way that comes below:
Supplying raw materials from foreign suppliers or from a remote domestic factory to
the place of manufacturing, from the logistic outlook both are the same.The first part,
relates to marketing strategies Alignment in which 7 questions are presented to evaluate the
Alignment of these strategies, the second part relates to Supply chain management practice
which includes 5 factors that a question is presented for each, and the third part relates to
British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(9): 1356-1375, 2014
1367
Supply chain Performance that 11 questions are presented for its measuring.According
to Soni and Kodali, The constructs of the framework are frequently used and observed
constructs in SCM literature so it is the reason to call it a framework for SCM excellence [26].2.5.1 Strategic supplier participation
Managing suppliers depends on the kind of communication that the organization establishes
in developing and maintaining the relationship with suppliers.Operational persistency involves functional
integrations of the organization in establishing relationship from the view of systems,
British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(9): 1356-1375, 2014
1363
procedures and technologies.As a process, CRM entails supervising customers (e.g.
gathering their appropriate data), managing and evaluating data and finally creating real
advantage from the output information of transaction with them [34].- Consuming goods to wholesalers and retailers are often sent in customized tiny
sizes that demands combining transportations when they are launched [27].RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The aim of this research, at first stage investigates marketing strategies among chemical
industry companies in specific geographical region (Zanjan province).In
this research, secondary information includes using related English and Persian sources and
similar investigations as well as existing information in industries and mines organization
archive, chemical companies through internet and expert in this field.Acceleration speed of these changes in deferent dimensions guide
managers to improve inside processes of organizations and companies to help their survival
in world that is more competitive than yesterday.2.3.4 Promotion Strategy
In managing a marketing communications systems require a draft strategy and sales
programs that effectively and efficiently.The ultimate aim of
turning this communications and transactions into more profitability is through increasing
repurchasing and decreasing the costs of obtaining customer [30].Some definitions for
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) from the theorists' point of view are narrated
below:
CRM is a part of a strategy of an organization for discovering and maintaining customers'
satisfaction and transform them into permanent customers.Meek Helen, Meek Richard, Strategic Marketing Management (Planning and Control),
an imprint of Elsevier Science, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford; 2002.On
the other hand, marketing strategies and Alignment between them have a great importance
in advance of organizational goal in implementation of Supply chain processes.The business processes that must necessarily be integrated and coordinated include:
purchasing, manufacturing, marketing, logistics, and information processes.2.3.5 Defining the role of distributor in marketing strategy
Marketing strategy plays a crucial role in managing the channels of industrial distribution.2
primarily was developed for accounting goals in order to discern the profitability of different
processes in production and manufacturing.2.5.5 Postponement
Postponement is defined as the transference of one or some processes (manufacturing,
resource finding and delivering) to another spot in supply chain.[41]
Various kinds of postponement strategy and discussions about its benefits are introduced in
debates of marketing, logistics and supply chain management.Products distribution from a factory to the customers Distribution system depends on
the kinds of products:
- Capital goods like machineries or industrial customers' equipment are carried
through a specific transportation linkage just once or rarely.H1-1- Marketing Strategy Alignment in Chemical Companies positively and directly
affects Strategic Supplier Partnership.The primary
information in this research is totally collected by questionnaire method as well as email and
in some cases because of impossibility of this method; the questionnaire method is used in
verbal and personal way.3 (MSA1 to MSA6) is related to Marketing Philosophies, New
Product Development and Innovation, Pricing, Promotion, Distribution and Value Chain
Respectively.So,
competitiveness, flexibility and products diversity are considered by productive
organizations.A company should constantly
look for new goods and marketing improvement to supply customer's satisfaction constantly
and offend itself against competitors is removing them away.Johnsozn defined innovation as commercializing new things which could be investigated
through following items:
? However, different types of promotional tools (e.g., monetary and nonmonetary
promotions) may have different effects on sales, profitability or brand equity [22].The technical specifications and characteristics of production, especially far different
production features among various marks in the world and technical judgment of
satisfying customer needs.Selling products using industrial distributors must be done through the marketing strategies'
framework, because industrial distributors have an important role in meeting market
demand.2.3.6 The concept of value and value chain
Value chain is like a precious index that its usefulness in determining the strategies for
attaining competitive advantage is proved.Conceptual framework
2.4 Supply chain management
The concept of supply chain management (SCM) originated and flourished in the
manufacturing industry [25].Based on mission and vision, business strategy is
formulated that is referred to as competitive strategy which is at the bottom of building that
signifies on the basis of business strategy only, further strategies are framed [27].2.5 SCM Practices
SCM practices have been defined as a set of activities undertaken in an organization to
promote effective management of its supply chain.Cooperation norms are the level of expected prototype of
cooperating with each other to reach individual and shared goals [29].CRM is the collection of methodologies, processes, software and systems which assists
institutions and companies in effective and organized management of customer relationship
[32].Managing customer
relationship is a business and marketing comprehensive strategy which integrates the
processes technology and the entire of business activities all-round the customer [35].In the process of implementing supply chain management both of these
dimensions are extensively effective while each has been put forward as an independent
variable in the previous studies of supply chain management.The word level refers to the
quantitative facet of information sharing and it clarifies to what extent crucial and private
information should be shared with supply chain partners [37].The literature of this issue is filled up with examples of nonfunctional effects of presented
information in supply chain that are inaccurate and deferred.Alderson
discussed postponement from the marketing viewpoint that put forward this theory as a
promising reaction to demand uncertainties which leads to drop in costs.In some papers qualitative section of the postponement
strategies are remarked and in others quantitative section has been reviewed [44].Focusing on the status of indexes being qualitative or quantitative that has been
examined in the works of Beamon in 1999.Considering strategic, operational or technical focus of indexes to which the studies
of Gunasacaran (2001) were devoted [45].An integrated view on transportation processes, manufacturing and inventory
maintenance is a description of the concept of a modern supply chain management.In which manufactured items are transferred to the sale points in the
form of large parcels, then representatives of distribution process initiate selling and
delivering the items to the customers.As it can be seen it in Fig.1 it includes
4 dimensions Internal Marketing, Social Responsible Marketing, Integrated Marketing and
Relationship Marketing [14].Stability: price doesn't always have a special value and the agreement between
seller and buyer determine it precisely.Negotiable: buyer and seller negotiate to archive and agreed price.Sales promotions are also a key marketing tool in communication programs that influence
brand equity.The importance (capability) of production immediate access (product) to customer or
vice versa, to the extent to which customer needs are predicted and planned.For
companies, value chain provides a tool for finding out approaches to create more customer
British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(9): 1356-1375, 2014
1362
value and it deals with analyzing the capabilities of an organization.The term which has been mainly used for SCM in the literature
is framework though apparently there is a lack of consensus about what actually a
framework [26].Many researchers and consultants have tried to propose frameworks to
perform developments in SCM over a period of time.After all some researchershave noted
the lack of clear definitional constructs to consider as the base to SCM research.2.5.4 Quality of Information Sharing
The quality of information sharing involves dimensions like accuracy, scheduled plan,
sufficiency and credit of the exchanged information [38].Cost based criteria like minimizing cost, cutting down investment in inventories,
maximizing profit and maximizing Return On Investment (ROI)
?2.7 The Green's Method in Evaluating Supply Chain Performance
For examining supply chain performance, Green et al. considered 11 scales in their article.1.2.4 The role of logistics in supply chain inchemical companies
Transportation processes are one of the necessary sectors of supply chain.- Also materials for production are forwarded to industrial customers; regularly,
repeatedly and through the same direction.Marketing Strategy Alignment in Chemical Companies positively and directly affects
Supply Chain Management Practices.H1-5- Marketing Strategy Alignment in Chemical Companies positively and directly
affects Postponement.1Marketing Strategy Alignment (MSA)
2Supply Chain Management Practice(SCMP)
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1370
Table 2.Organizations review their strategies by
different ways and find survival code in creating more satisfaction of customers.In this regard, one of the considered philosophies was Supply chain manger philosophy.Holistic marketing dimensions
Source: [15]
2.3.2 New product development and innovation
Innovation is a survival source of blood in an organization.Anyway, this is just part of
equation, and innovation also depends on changes in goods, processes and activities [16].A new instructional diagram or a new managing approach or a combination of these
two or more components [17,18].2.3.3 Pricing strategy
Pricing is a value (which is measured by some money) those sellers agree to exchange the
goods with money and the buyers agree to take goods or services in exchange of paying the
value [19,20].Promotion is a key element in corporate campaigns
and promotional campaign is best done by satisfied customers.In 1985, Porter
claims that to a large scale competitive advantage is determined through the way that
companies manage each element and the transactions between the elements.In the framework mission and vision of a business are situated on the top of the house that
this fact clarifies that the ultimate goal to a company or a member of supply chain is to
achieve mission and finally vision.Managing customer relationship means creating and retaining personal relationship
with profitable customers [33].Shared information in contemporary supply chain
system requires information among direct partners (members) and also all Networks that
encompasses the entire of supply chain.Since information sharing is
important, its importance on supply chain management relies on three elements:
British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(9): 1356-1375, 2014
1364
What information is shared?Diverse interests and seeking
their own favors among supply chain partners and information asymmetry along the supply
chain impacts information quality [39,1].Postponement allows the organization to have different flexible production in meeting
customers' changing needs and product differentiation or change in demand function.Alderson and Bucklin
presented two articles in this area.Bucklin introduced
this concept in the distribution channels area and offered this question; where, how and
when to store the inventories to decline the cost [42,43].Productivity based criteria like; maximizing the use of capacity and making use of
resources.H1- 2- Marketing Strategy Alignment in Chemical Companies positively and directly
affects Customer Relationship.H1-3- Marketing Strategy Alignment in Chemical Companies positively and directly
affects Level of Information Sharing.Holistic Marketing recognizes that everything Matters.Fig.(In Persian)
24.1.?2.3.4.2.??3.H1.