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This thesis identifies and evaluates the marketing-planning practices of British industrial goods companies operating internationally, and examines the validity of the widespread belief that formalised marketing planning facilitates success. Part I defines the theoretical framework for marketing planning and describes a logical sequence of activities leading to the setting of marketing objectives and the formulation of plans for achieving them. Part 2 contains detailed case histories describing the marketing planning practices of a sample of industrial goods companies. It also contains a summary of the results of in depth'interviews with 385 directors and senior managers from 199 companies covering a broad spectrum of size and diversity, the purpose of which was to establish the extent to which the theory is practised and what the consequences are of either conformity or non conformity. Part 3 contains conclusions and recommendations from the field- work, which revealed that 90 per cent of British industrial goods companies do not conform with the theory. This was universally true, irrespective of size and diversity. There was widespread ignorance about marketing and confusion about the difference between marketing planning and sales forecasting and budgeting, which encouraged operational managers to perpetuate an essentially parochial and short term view of business, and to extrapolate the business unchanged into the future. There was a commonality of operational problems in those companies not conforming with the theoretical framework, which centred around declining organisational effectiveness, and confusion over what to do about it. In contrast, those companies with complete marketing planning systems enjoyed high levels of organisational effectiveness, and a high degree of control over their environment. The major benefit of marketing planning derives from the process itself, rather than from the existence of a plan. This process is itself universal, irrespective of circumstances. However, what is not universal, is the degree of formalisation of the planning system, which is a function of company size-and the degree of product or market diversity. No marketing planning system will be complete unless the following conditions are satisfied: the chief executive has to understand the system and take an active part in it; there has to exist the means of integration with other functional areas'of the. business at general management level; in a closed loop system, some mechanism has to exist to prevent marketing inertia from over-bureaucratisation; operational and strategic marketing planning have to be part of the same system. Finally, the introduction of a complete marketing planning system may require a period of up to three years because it has profound organisational and phsychological ramifications, requiring, as it does, a change in the way a company manages its business.

This research develops a framework to guide practitioners through the process of implementing Just In Time manufacturing in the commercial aircraft manufacturing industry. The scope of Just In Time manufacturing is determined through an analysis of its evolution and current use. Current approaches to its implementation are reviewed and shortcomings are identified. A requirement to allow practitioners to tailor the approach to the implementation of Just In Time manufacturing, according to the context of the particular manufacturing system, is endorsed. Three case studies of Just In Time manufacturing implementation within the commercial aircraft manufacturing industry, conducted as part of this research, are presented and analysed. The benefits of Just In Time manufacturing implementation in the cases are shown to be signficant and immediately apparent. Two key factors in the implementation of Just In Time manufacturing are identified. These are the concepts of perceived opportunity for improvement and distributed support for implementation. These concepts are supported by other researchers. They form the basis of the practical framework to guide the implementation of Just In Time manufacturing. The framework combines the concepts with existing research in the areas of: strategy formulation; performance measure selection; target setting; the nominal group technique; and, literature on the techniques of Just In Time manufacturing. The framework provides a novel and reliable mechanism that allows a practitioner to identify which of many potential approaches towards Just In Time manufacturing should be taken. This is achieved using the detailed mechanisms presented in the framework to evaluate the perceived opportunity and distributed support.

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The achievement of radical process orientation is vital to the strategic and operational integrity of organisations. However, organisations have a dismal record of implementing process orientation, especially when it involves radical organisational change. There is scant research to guide organisations through the design and implementation of radical process orientation. Hence, this research develops a model that provides insights into the achievement of radical process orientation. The research uses the interpretive mode to examine the achievement of radical process orientation in two organisations. Therefore, the views of people directly involved with the changes are important. A transparent trail of evidence is established between the data and the theory developed from the data. These cases provide rich data from which to build a model for the achievement of radical process orientation. The model suggests the need for radical process orientation be consciously established and tentative criteria for doing so are provided. The model focuses attention upon the nature and content of the changes that need to occur, especially the realignment of organisational elements, such as strategy, structure and information systems, to a function and process orientation. It proposes 'buy-in' from people be considered in relation to their acceptance of the changes that actually need to occur and the changes they are willing to allow to affect them. The model suggests that radical and evolutionary modes be utilised to operationalise the issues that bring about the changes, and that people be willing to implement these issues. It proposes that the roles of people that are responsible for implementing the changes and people affected by the changes are reciprocal. This research challenges conventional thinking about the achievement of radical process orientation, and provides fresh insights for the achievement of radical process orientation.

This thesis presents the development of a framework for relating the reasons for problems of producibility that occur in manufacturing to the sources of information available to designers. Advice and guidance on Design for Manufacture was obtained from textbooks, journal articles and conference papers that sought to improve the process or report on design-related difficulties in manufacturing. Industrial experience was gained from a two-year project in defence aerospace, researching concurrent engineering in the extended enterprise. Examples of good practice across a range of industries were gained from interviews with practitioners, with advice both from customers engaged in design and from manufacturing suppliers. Further industrial experience was provided by two studies of civil aerospace, covering in-house and outsourced manufacture. Potential problems were classified and then related to the sources of knowledge available to prevent these problems reaching the shop floor. The detailed analysis of findings is presented and provides a structured approach that could assist in planning concurrent engineering processes, especially communications and teamworking. This would enable potential producibility problems to be addressed in a comprehensive manner so as to minimise the costs, effort and delay associated with them. It would also encourage opportunities for improvement to be promoted at the earliest stage in product development, where they are the most effective.