Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Marketing has long been seen as a qualitative discipline following a rather soft approach. This, in many circumstances, resulted in a loss of marketing's credibility against other more quantitative managerial disciplines. Out of this plight, numerous marketing practitioners and experts during the past two decades have developed ways to prove that marketing can indeed be quantifiable. Born were the theories of marketing metrics as tools to make marketing measurable and, thus, to justify its existence. As can be assumed, in most organisations, the existence of the marketing discipline is not threatened; yet, an increased importance is placed on the fact that marketing expenditure is located wisely and efficiently in order to make a contribution to bottom line. This is particularly significant for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) which typically have only small marketing budgets and dispose of limited marketing expertise. The purpose of this study is to examine whether such a medium sized enterprise, the Tepass + Seiz KG, a German group of car dealerships, shows a marketing behaviour typical for that of an SME and does not use a sophisticated system of marketing metrics to measure the efficiency of its marketing activities. Primarily, a literature review was performed to illustrate the role of marketing metrics within large corporations and smaller enterprises and to shed light to the typical marketing behaviour of SMEs. The subsequent examination of the Tepass + Seiz KG and its marketing performance measurement system was built onto the findings of that review. The study was conducted, following a single case study strategy with the use of in-depth interviews to collect the data. The analysis illustrated that the Tepass + Seiz KG, even though conducting numerous different marketing activities, shows a marketing behaviour typical for a medium sized enterprise and that it does not measure its marketing activities efficiently. Consequently, recommendations on how to improve its measurement systems were made and various marketing metrics were introduced and suggested for implementation. The development of a stringent marketing strategy in addition to the metrics recommended was found to be a necessary further step towards a sophisticated marketing management within this enterprise. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Bemarking word lank reeds beskou as 'n kwalitatiewe dissipline met 'n taamlike sagte aanslag. Dit het onder vele omstandighede gelei tot 'n verlies aan geloofwaardigheid vir bemarking vergeleke met ander meer kwantitatiewe bestuursdissiplines. As gevolg hiervan het baie bemarkingspraktisyns en bemarkingskundiges oor die afgelope twee dekades maniere ontwikkel om te bewys dat bemarking inderdaad kwantifiseerbaar kan wees. Daaruit is die teorieë van bemarkingsmaatstawwe gebore as 'n instrument om bemarking meetbaar te maak en om sodoende die bestaan daarvan te regverdig. Daar kan aanvaar word dat die bestaan van die bemarkingsdissipline in die meeste organisasies nie bedreig word nie; nogtans word al meer klem gelê op die feit dat bemarkingsuitgawes slim en doeltreffend aangewend moet word om 'n bydrae tot winsgewendheid te lewer. Dit is veral belangrik vir klein en mediumgrootte ondernemings (KMO's), wat gewoonlik oor slegs klein bemarkingsbegrotings en beperkte bemarkingskundigheid beskik. Die doel van hierdie navorsingstudie was om te ondersoek of so 'n mediumgrootte onderneming, die Tepass + Seiz KG, 'n Duitse groep van motorhandelaars, bemarkingsgedrag tipies van 'n KMO toon en nie gebruik maak van 'n gesofistikeerde stelsel van bemarkingsmaatstawwe om die doeltreffendheid van sy bemarkingsaktiwiteite te meet nie. Daar is primêr 'n literatuuroorsig uitgevoer om die rol van bemarkingsmaatstawwe binne groot korporasies en kleiner ondernemings te illustreer en om lig te werp op die tipiese bemarkingsgedrag van KMO's. Die daaropvolgende ondersoek van die Tepass + Seiz KG en die metingstelsel vir sy bemarkingsprestasie is gebou op die bevindings van die literatuuroorsig. Die studie is uitgevoer volgens die strategie van 'n enkele gevallestudie met die gebruik van in-diepte onderhoude om die data in te samel. Die ontleding het aangetoon dat die Tepass + Seiz KG, hoewel daar baie verskillende bemarkingsaktiwiteite uitgevoer word, die tipiese bemarkingsgedrag van 'n mediumgrootte onderneming uitvoer en nie sy bemarkingsaktiwiteite doeltreffend meet nie.
Gevolglik is aanbevelings gedoen oor hoe metingstelsels verbeter kan word en verskeie tipes bemarkingsmaatstawwe is voorgestel vir implementering. Daar is bevind dat die ontwikkeling van 'n streng bemarkingstrategie bykomend tot die aanbevole maatstaf 'n noodsaaklike verdere stap is vir gesofistikeerde bemarkingsbestuur binne hierdie onderneming.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/968 |
Date | 12 1900 |
Creators | Wilkes, Henrike-Raija |
Contributors | Herbst, F. J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business. |
Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
Language | English |
Detected Language | Unknown |
Type | Thesis |
Rights | Stellenbosch University |
Page generated in 0.0019 seconds