Description
Final year project part 1 is done, now it's time for part 2.
The FYP report should be between 10,000 – 13,000 words and cover the following topics:
a. Preface–including title page, dedication, acknowledgment, abstract and translation of abstract, table of content, list of tables, list of figures, list of symbols, list of Abbreviation.
b. Chapter 1: Introduction; background of study, research problem, research objectives, research questions, significance of study, scope of study.
c. Chapter 2: Literature Review.
d. Chapter 3: Research Methodology; operational definitions of variables, research framework, hypotheses/propositions, research design, measurement development, population and sample, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
e. Chapter 4: Research Finding and Discussion
f. Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations
g. References.
h. Appendices.
- Word & Power point.
- 0% plagiarism
Attached files below:
- Final year project guidelines
- Part 2 requirements (Chapter 4 - Research findings)
- Part 1 (Word & Power Point) I'll attach once I assign it to Tutor.
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Explanation & Answer
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THE EFFECTS OF MARKETING STRATEGY ON PROJECT PERFORMANCE IN
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY: A CASE OF VOLKSWAGEN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
Anas Al Raisi
Admission Number: 105510
A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND
ACCOUNTING IN MUSCAT COLLEGE FOR THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF A DEGREE IN BACHELOR OF PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
May 2018
1
DECLARATION
This Research Project is my original work and has not been presented for the award of a degree
in any other College, University or Institution.
Signature: ------------------------------------------------ Date---------------------------------
Anas Al Raisi
May 2018
SUPERVISOR:
This Project has been submitted for examination with my approval as the appointed College
Supervisor.
Signature: ------------------------------------------------------ Date: -------------------------
Supervisors: Mrs. Sheba
MUSCAT COLLEGE
2
DEDICATION
To my wonderful family members for their unconditional love and support through all my
endeavors especially on this study
3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to appreciate my lecturers at Muscat College; my supervisor, Mrs. Sheba for his effective
guidance and acknowledgement during and throughout the preparation of this research project.
Other thanks go to the staff of Volkswagen Company branches for the co-operation and
willingness to give out all the information needed for the completion of this study.
4
ABSTRACT
The study aimed to identify the effects of marketing strategies on performance of the automotive
industry with regards to Volkswagen Company in the Sultanate of Oman as the point of focus.
This study sought to determine whether Volkswagen Automotive industry prioritizes marketing
operations strategies and to ascertain the relationship between Operation strategies and
performance in Volkswagen Automotive industry in Oman. The study also attempted to establish
the marketing operations/ strategies likely to be utilized by Volkswagen Automotive industry in
Oman in addition to outlining the challenges faced by Volkswagen Automotive in the
implementation of marketing operations in Oman. The study focuses on Volkswagen
Automotive marketing strategies and operations that are tailored to suit the Oman market. The
researcher has adopted a descriptive design of the research because there are variables that
cannot be quantified, but which can only be described. The study found that the competitiveness
of Volkswagen Company in Oman depends mainly on its ability to control cost, quality,
delivery, reliability and speed, innovation and flexibility to adapt to changes in Oman market.
The study used semi-structured questionnaires to collect data from Volkswagen branches across
the region. Data analysis was done through descriptive and inferential statistics. Research shows
that Volkswagen Automotive faces fierce competition that leads the company to initiate
additional marketing and operational strategies in order to remain relevant in the market. The
company has adopted strategies relating to Production quality, cost control, reliability, flexibility
and innovation. The study found out that the strategy significantly improved the profit, efficiency
and quality of the service to customers in terms of customer satisfaction, market share and
employee satisfaction. However, Volkswagen Company is facing challenges such as second
5
imports, competition, delivery restrictions, hostility, strict rules and regulations, extended
delivery times, high inventory costs, and more.
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Table of Contents
THE EFFECTS OF MARKETING STRATEGY ON PROJECT PERFORMANCE IN AUTOMOTIVE
INDUSTRY: A CASE OF VOLKSWAGEN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY ....................................................... 1
DECLARATION............................................................................................................................................................2
DEDICATION ..............................................................................................................................................................3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...............................................................................................................................................4
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................................................5
1
CHAPTER ONE .............................................................................................................................................. 10
INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY ............................................................................................................................ 10
2
1.1
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................................10
1.2
BACKGROUND OF STUDY ..................................................................................................................................12
1.3
CONCEPT OF MARKETING STRATEGY ...................................................................................................................13
1.4
VOLKSWAGEN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY ...............................................................................................................16
1.5
PROBLEM STATEMENT .....................................................................................................................................18
1.6
PROJECT OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................................................................19
1.7
RESEARCH QUESTIONS .....................................................................................................................................19
1.8
SCOPE OF THE STUDY .......................................................................................................................................20
1.9
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY ...................................................................................................................................20
1.10
SUMMARY OF THE STUDY .................................................................................................................................20
CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................................. 24
LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................................................ 24
2.1
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................................24
2.2
STRATEGIC ORIENTATION..................................................................................................................................24
2.2.1
2.3
Market orientation, strategic pro-activeness, and Business Performance ............................................26
STRATEGIC MARKETING MODEL.........................................................................................................................27
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2.4
POSITIONING STRATEGIC MARKETING .................................................................................................................28
2.5
MARKETING STRATEGY.....................................................................................................................................30
2.6
MARKETING OPERATIONS AND PERFORMANCE .....................................................................................................32
CUMULATIVE MODEL OF COMPETITIVE PRIORITIES .............................................................................................................32
2.6.1
Competitive Priorities and Marketing operations ..................................................................................33
2.6.2
Dimensions of Competitive Priorities .....................................................................................................34
2.7
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ...............................................................................................................................39
3
CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................................................... 41
4
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................... 41
4.1
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................................41
4.2
RESEARCH DESIGN...........................................................................................................................................41
4.3
TARGET POPULATION.......................................................................................................................................42
4.4
DATA COLLECTION ..........................................................................................................................................42
4.5
DATA ANALYSIS ..............................................................................................................................................43
5
CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................................................ 44
6
DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ............................................................................................ 44
6.1
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................................44
6.2
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA.......................................................................................................................................44
6.3
MARKETING STRATEGIES PRIORITIZATION ............................................................................................................45
6.3.1
Quality Prioritization ..............................................................................................................................45
6.3.2
Cost Prioritization ..................................................................................................................................46
6.3.3
Reliability Prioritization ..........................................................................................................................47
6.3.4
Flexibility Prioritization ..........................................................................................................................48
ADOPTION OF OPERATIONS STRATEGIES ...........................................................................................................................48
6.4
EFFECT OF THE OPERATIONS STRATEGIES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS ..............................................49
8
STRATEGIES USED BY THE VOLKSWAGEN AUTOMOTIVE INC. ..................................................................................................50
6.4.1
Strategies used on quality ......................................................................................................................51
6.4.2
Strategies used on costing .....................................................................................................................51
6.4.3
Strategies used on flexibility ..................................................................................................................52
6.4.4
Strategies used on Reliability and innovativeness .................................................................................53
6.5
CHALLENGES FACING VOLKSWAGEN AUTOMOTIVE IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN .........................................................54
6.6
CORRELATIONS OF THE OPERATIONS STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE ........................................................................56
6.6.1
6.7
7
Distribution functions of the factors with regard to the performance ...................................................57
DISCUSSION AND FINDINGS ...............................................................................................................................58
CHAPTER FIVE .............................................................................................................................................. 60
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECCOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 60
8
7.1
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................................60
7.2
SUMMARY OF THE STUDY .................................................................................................................................60
7.3
CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................................62
7.4
RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................................................63
7.5
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ..............................................................................................................................63
7.6
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ...............................................................................................................64
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................ 65
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1
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY
1.1 Introduction
This research study sought to determine the effects of marketing strategies on the performance of
projects with a narrowed focus on Volkswagen Automotive industry in Oman. The objectives of
this study shall entail determining the influence of various marketing strategies on the overall
performance of Volkswagen Automotive and thus able to identify various challenges faced by
the automotive firm in implementing the desired marketing strategies. Therefore, this study shall
adopt a cross-sectional methodology in conducting the research in order to check up the effects
that various marketing strategies may have on the performance of Volkswagen Automotive in
their efforts to achieve superior performance of its projects. Therefore, the automotive industry
being a wide field of study, this research study shall narrow its focus and dwell on Volkswagen
Automotive Company.
The respondents for this research project shall involve marketing managers, sales personnel,
general managers and a number of marketing and sales experts in the automotive industry
market. The study shall utilize questionnaires in collecting the required data and this
questionnaire shall be administered to the respective respondents in Volkswagen Automotive.
The data acquired shall be keyed into a computer-aided tool in a summarized and coded for
further analysis. This computer-aided tools shall include a statistical package for social sciences
(SPSS) that when utilized shall generate descriptive statistics such as the mode, means, standard
deviation and frequency distribution which shall be used to analyze the data collected via the
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self-administered questionnaire. The SPSS computer-aided tool has been given priority over
other techniques since assists the researcher to organize and summarize data by utilizing various
aspects of descriptive statistics. Techniques such as multiple regression and ANOVA will be
utilized to ascertain the link between variables on the dependent variable.
The results of the study were that Volkswagen Automotive faces a number of challenges
including stiff competition and employee turnover which has hindered marketing strategies
application at Volkswagen Automotive to a reasonable extent. This research study is of the
opinion that the automotive industry players should step up marketing practices in order to create
a competitive edge over rivals and also ensure that the human resource being utilized is well
compensated and satisfied enough to perform on various projects. The study also outlined that a
number of automotive companies have a difficulty in developing clear objectives, goals or
priorities and thus unable to know what is important to pursue. Therefore, the study enables to
provide a recommendation that automotive companies should be able to set goals and ensure that
all stakeholders involved in work in progress of a given project are well informed of the overall
expectation the firm.
An automotive company can only be competitive if it has the ability to perform exceptionally
well in various dimensions such as quality, delivery, cost, speed, dependability, innovation and
the flexibility to fit in a dynamic environment. This study is positively influenced by the need to
determine the influence that marketing strategies have on the performance of Volkswagen
Automotive industry. The automotive industry has proven to be a competitive market and
therefore Volkswagen Automotive industry has embraced a number of marketing practices
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aimed at ensuring the firm achieves quality production, reliability, innovativeness and costs
control.
1.2 Background of Study
The process of globalization and trade liberalization are considered to be a twin process that has
influenced the contemporary business environment to be dominated by stiff competition which
has generally resulted in defined markets being diminished. The aforementioned factor has
contributed to a difficult situation where success in manufacturing and survival of firms in the
market is so difficult and impossible to sustain. Therefore, this has forced firms to develop new
strategies in order to remain relevant in the market, thus making the setting of appropriate
strategies a number one priority among the management with respect to the ever competitive
market that is so dynamic and uncertain.
Companies need to innovate at every point in time in order to ensure that their business
operations and output are up to the standards demanded by the market. This is a move that will
not only guarantee the firm survival in the market but also will create a completive edge for the
firm in the long run. The market today can be described as a field that is so informed such that
customers are totally informed in what is going on in various sectors of the economy and
therefore making such customers convert into very demanding individuals when it is time to
spend their disposable incomes. Therefore, for any automotive company to achieve success in
such a demanding market there is need to be responsive to the demands raised by the customers
and the ever-changing conditions in the market. Therefore, this has forced a lot of companies to
develop new products and services in addition to improving the innovative status of their current
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marketing operations. The bottom-line is that companies should be aware that strategic
marketing is a key factor in the management of competition and satisfaction of customers’ needs.
Previous research studies on the effect of marketing strategies on the performance of a firm have
not focused on the effect these strategies have on the performance of Volkswagen Automotive
industry. For instance, Abdullah (2001) conducted an empirical investigation of marketing
strategies of the soft drink industry; another study by Kimani (2002) dwelled on use of marketing
strategies in the marketing of financial services. Nzili (2003) evaluated marketing strategies and
its effects on the performance of nongovernmental organizations while Anyika (2007) focused
on the influence marketing strategies have the performance of motorcycle companies.
Additionally, the same year, Emily (2007) found interest in the same topic and evaluated the
effects of internet marketing on the performance of firms in the automotive industry. All the
results suggest that marketing strategies are a driving force for organizational positioning in an
ever-changing environment. These marketing strategies assist a company to complement its
product development procedures, especially for existing markets.In order to come up with proper
marketing strategies and ensure effective implementation and efficient goal actualization and
inter-industry commitment in product distribution, the automotive industry should develop a
thorough understanding of the actual environment that impacts on their marketing strategies.
1.3 Concept of Marketing Strategy
The logic that the company hopes to achieve profitable relationships is called a marketing
strategy. The creation of marketing strategies involves four specific steps: market share, market
focus, different positions. The process of dividing the market into different categories of buyers
13
with different needs or behavior is called parting of the market. This Market View is aimed at
evaluating the attractiveness of each market share and select one or more sections to be included.
The company should focus on groups that generate value for the customer and develop that value
over time. It offers great value for the consumer. Positioning is defined as processes of
strategically setting a product. The position of the product must exploit the competitive
advantage within the market. The concept of strategic marketing is used in different ways and
various definitions have been developed. For example, while StratMark has defined strategic
marketing as a customer-oriented concept that focuses on managing long-term vision of
competitive advantage through product creativity, another function is completely subordinate to
this process. While customers base every idea, creative trends come from the organization
(Vassinen, 2006). From the StratMark point of view, therefore, internal and external guidelines
are of great importance for strategic markets.
The marketing strategy provides a way to use utility resources in order to achieve organizational
goals and objectives. Overall, marketing strategies are involved in addressing the marketing
status of mixed components and environmental forces. Therefore, the marketing strategy is to
determine the nature, strength, direction, and communication between the elements of marketing
and environmental issues in some situations. Marketing practices, however, do not expect
consistent details about the behavior of users.Through experiments and errors, the practice is
always looking for ways to explain the impact of consumer responses, even if, in the case of
some sellers and advertisers, especially if the practice is limited. For example, the software
applications industry is constantly terrified by the fact that new businesses and new programs try
to weaken and overshadow the most widespread applications. The same applies to the popular
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culture industries, such as music videos in which music and groups seek to outshine each other,
turning all extremes into a competitive appeal to attract consumers (Li et al., 2000).
The strategy indicates the implementation plan to achieve a specific goal. In the modern
economy, global competition is an important factor in which business management does not put
me in the background. This competitive level requires that more leadership involve departments'
leaders in strategic planning sessions. , strategic identity and planning remain joint efforts,
ensuring that business leaders listen to the comments of department heads and heads of business
units (Hill, 1993).
According to Slack and Lewis (2000), the operational strategy is a general model of decisions
that creates long-term capabilities for any type of activity and its contribution to the overall
strategy, through the reconciliation of market demand and resource resources and also as a tool
that helps to define ways to produce products or services offered to customers. The objective of
the operational strategy in the marketing operations management and management system
processes is to undertake a basic process of planning the program linked to the main objectives
of the organization.
The objective of the operating strategy is to support and strengthen the general objectives of the
company. It is the main problem of the production process, of the operating procedures and of
the production activities. This includes product selection, plant location, station center and
production. On conversely, organizational activities and competitive advantages have a basic
management base system, which includes the long-term goal of the production system, the
operational process and production activities, trends and attention. In general, the business
15
strategy can be considered as a general functional system that manages the management to solve,
support and collaborate with companies to obtain competitive access to the market in the field of
the workforce (Johne, 1999).
1.4 Volkswagen Automotive industry
Volkswagen is a car production company in Germany. Volkswagen is a German word which
means "automobile". Now the Volkswagen motto is "Das Auto". Volkswagen was founded in
1937 by Ferdinand Porsche. The Volkswagen headquarters is located in Wolfsburg, Germany.
The current president of the company is Martin Winterkorn. It has over 3658500 employees and
revenues of 94.7 billion Euros (2011). Volkswagen is the largest carmaker in the world. Others
are Toyota, General Motors, and Honda, etc. Volkswagen has used many strategies to achieve a
leadership role in the production of automobiles.
The Volkswagen Group is experiencing a tenacious and competitive industrial perspective but
has become a powerful company with reliable products and linear products built for decades.
China returns internationally, with China's highest growth and growth in North America. Toyota
has created a dynamic presence all over the world, with the combined reach of Toyota and Lexus
products. In addition, Ford Motor, General Motors and others have been in a good position.
Many companies can prove that those producers who have no innovation and enthusiasm will
end up interrupting their market share and losing profits. In an important competition with the
research and development objective, innovation and the attractiveness of customer desires are
two key results for stakeholders in the sector. Two additional sources of competitive pressure are
suppliers and users.
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Car repair requires different materials and needs. Furthermore, the growing and industrialized
world creates strong claims on metals, sand, and silk. Operators of certain materials based on the
demand of many industries, leaving vehicle manufacturers who are subject to power in
independent markets. On the other side of the precious chain, more products including even in
lower price categories. As in the history of the car manufacturer, luxury items are needed and
launched at very low points. Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi, high-definition audio and more
operational capabilities, such as the ability to park in parallel without driver intervention, claim
something else in the basic models. Fortunately, manufacturers are now in the same sector facing
low pressure from potential new members and supervisors. Car repair requires a high cost and it
takes many years of big losses for your benefit. While Tesla Motors has shown that these
companies are also involved in the acquisition of shares. Since managers do not have a serious
threat of competition since many alternatives are used publicly. These include public transport,
light railways, and rail operator marketing operations.
The car is also known to give freedom to many of these managers. Despite this difficult
overview, the Volkswagen Group has a great opportunity to exploit opportunities in the sector.
With a great opportunity in China and other Asian markets, Volkswagen and, in particular, Audi
products have emerged as a market leader in the region. In addition, Volkswagen has provided
vehicles with low fuel consumption, with its result. These include increased environmental
awareness, strengthening the principle, urban growth, and dependence on cars that are already on
the road. The Volkswagen Group is located in the European Union, where for some time it has
been using small engines and turbochargers and high-end cars, the compressors. This
17
transmission package allows high performance, especially in terms of power and speed, while
using less fuel. Power for Group can be your product and all these products, Porsche, has helped
create a new era of hybrid supercars. Volkswagen showed incredible flexibility and width.
1.5 Problem Statement
It is a strategy for industrial efficiency that will focus on the competitive advantage of its
competitors. However, there has been a strong debate about the performance criteria that are
important for the organization among those who say that industrial organizations can overcome
the feeling they are experiencing. An earlier survey took place in Germany on the operational
strategy, for example, researchers conducted a research strategy for industrial industries followed
by leading industrial companies in Germany as a way to stay in the global war environment.
This study found that in terms of appropriate strategies, they include high quality, affordability,
timeliness/speed, creativity, and flexibility. Although research focuses on industrial strategies,
we have not analyzed the activity among car partners. Ndungu et al. (2008) conducted a survey
showing how the slow growth of the car industry in Germany has been linked to various
problems, including; competition from third-party companies, environmental challenges, and
reduction in the use of key customers, particularly in the corporate sector. The study also states
that it is expected that they will affect the market sector if appropriate measures are not taken.
The study did not focus on the activities of the sector.
An additional investigation by Makembo (2011) revealed that the Germany automobile has
created some characteristics. These characteristics involve the provision of affordable housing
for car ownership and a high level of personal mobility and increase social benefits. Although
this study focused on the development of the automotive market, the researcher did not analyze
18
the operational strategies for market development. However, very little has been done, especially
to manage marketing operations in the car industry in Germany. Previous studies have focused
on manufacturing and marketing in industries.
1.6 Project Objectives
The objectives of the study were;
1. To establish the marketing operations/ strategies utilized by Volkswagen Automotive
industry in Oman.
2. To determine whether Volkswagen Automotive industry prioritizes marketing operations
strategies
3. To establish the challenges faced by Volkswagen Automotive industry in
implementation of marketing operations in Oman.
4. To determine the relationship between Operation strategies and performance in
Volkswagen Automotive industry in Oman.
5. To establish the influence of strategic marketing practices on the performance of the
Volkswagen Automotive in Oman.
1.7 Research Questions
This research study sought to survey the marketing operations strategies of the Volkswagen
industry in Oman, by answering the following questions:
1. What are marketing operations strategies and their influence on performance of
Volkswagen Automotive industry' in Oman?
2. DoesVolkswagen Automotive prioritize marketing operations strategies?
3. What challenges are faced by Volkswagen Automotive industry in the implementation of
marketing operations in Oman?
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4. What is the relationship between Operation strategies and performance?
1.8 Scope of the Study
The study is based on the automotive companies in Oman. The result of the study would
illuminate managers on marketing strategies that would improve the performance of their
organization both in external and internal environments. The study would illuminate the public
on the marketing strategies used by car companies. This information is provided to potential
buyers of vehicles. The results of the study would provide important information on the
challenges related to the implementation of marketing strategies by car companies in Oman.
They are useful for managers. The results of the study added value to the current corpus of
information and literature. This is a reference to academics that were doing other studies related
to strategic marketing practices in the automotive industry.
1.9 Significance of study
It is added to the existing body of knowledge. The result of this study can be as follows:
This study will provide information on the sector and will provide vital information needed for
decision making. Secondly, it will create awareness on how to operate in the automotive
industry.
Not only will it be a reference source, it will also provide a platform for future research.
1.10 Summary of the Study
The most important challenge faced by most car Volkswagen Automotive industry is the
increased competitiveness of organizations which led managers to review their operational
strategies. Lee (2003) stated that the ability to do well in terms of costs, quality, service delivery,
reliability and speed, innovation and flexibility. The study found that car Volkswagen
20
Automotive industry in Germany worked on cost efficiency through the relationship between
quality and price, performance, defects and greater product reliability. Companies make their
marketing operations efficient through various strategies. This includes prioritization of aspects
such as production costs, inventory costs; value-added costs and financial costs. However, fixed
costs were a low priority. Nyamwange (2003) stated that this is one of the major challenges for
manufacturing industries in the design and implementation of operational strategies. Some of the
early scholars of Stevenson and spring (2007) have stated that this is the case with an uncertain
business environment. The results show that we have a high priority in the delivery time, in the
delivery times of the suppliers, in two dates of execution for the customer and in the frequency of
the orders. It works in the combination of products, manages different levels of production at the
same time and has introduced new processes and product lines. Hire qualified staff, focusing on
customer participation, continually focusing on improvement, complying with government
standards legislation, collaborating on projects and focusing on product demonstrations and
demonstrations.
This is in line with Phusavat and Kanchana (2007), which is a low defect rate, quality of
performance, the durability of the product, environmental appearance, certification and product
reliability. Non-essential functions, mass production, blocking strategies with other suppliers and
compliance with tax laws.Automotive companies have adopted other strategies, such as
increasing operational capacity, hiring staff to increase workforce, conducting training courses
and rotating non-core employees and subcontractors in their marketing operations. In addition,
companies need to be prepared before launching their products, investing in human resource
training and adopting technology in their marketing operations and contracts reliability (Ward
21
&Durray, 2000).Management strategies have had some positive impacts on the performance of
companies, such as high profitability, quality of customer services and company efficiency. This
reinforces the argument of Prajogo and Sohal, (2006) that there is a direct link between the
strategies adopted by companies and their performance.
The study concludes that auto Volkswagen Automotive industry in Oman face fierce competition
within the industry, which has increased the pressure on managers to find ways to remain
competitive. The study also finds that
1. Volkswagen Automotive industry in Oman has favored quality measures by checking the
quality-price ratio, quality performance, low defects and making products highly reliable.
2. Cost priorities include production costs, inventory costs, value added costs and financial
costs.
3. Reliability was guaranteed by giving priority to delivery times, two customer
performance dates and order frequency.
4. Operate in the combination of products, operate on different levels of production and
introduce new processes and product lines.
The study concludes that the main challenge is the importation of used vehicles from abroad.
Other challenges include
1. increased competition
2. hostile policies and regulations
3. long delivery times
4. delivery restrictions
22
5. tight distribution
6. marketing networks
7. poor infrastructure
8. high inventory costs
9. unreliable suppliers
10. High credit costs.
The use of trading strategies has positively improved the performance of automotive
Volkswagen Automotive industry by increasing the benefits, the quality of customer services and
the efficiency of companies.
23
2
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
This chapter brings out the literature review related to the objectives of the study. Literature from
related studies has also been reviewed. It also has a conceptual framework for the study. This
chapter includes the following subsections; literature review, operational strategy, a cumulative
model of competitiveness, size of the competition, competitive marketing operations. Slack and
affirm that a company can try to articulate its position on the market in various ways. It can
appear with a competitor or, alternatively, can be associated with the needs of a particular group
of customers. Krajewski and Ritzman (2004) define as competitive the operational advantages
that the company needs to overcome its competitors. A company consists of many processes that
must be coordinated to provide the overall result for the customer. A customer-led business
strategy and a clear understanding of the company's long-term goals as materialized in its
business strategy. It also requires an inter-functional marketing effort and marketing operations
to understand the needs of the market segment.
2.2 Strategic Orientation
The strategies can vary in the individual state of the individual business. However, there are
several ways to divide generic strategies. Strategies derived from the market rule - In this
program, companies are chosen based on their market participation or industry management as
either: Leader, Challenger Strategies, follower or lender Porter usually establishing strategic
24
market penetration intermediate, while strong strategic means to the benefit of firm competition.
The generic strategy configuration (Porter 1984) has two different forms and two alternatives.
It is a different and profitable, broad or restricted leadership and guidance. Strategies for the
discovery of the market segment; tackle the level of new product development and the business
innovation business model. There are three types: pioneers, almost late. The strategy of growth
strategies makes the highest demand; "Should the company grow?" There are different ways to
grow, but the most common is fairness, vertical cooperation, and diversity. The strategic
direction has been discussed in the management and strategic management.
It often reflects the beliefs and models of mental health professionals (Hitt et al., 1997). The
previous study mentioned many types of strategic direction. The two known types are Miles and
Snow (1978) (for example, seekers vs. defenders) and Porter (1980) (for example, a low-cost 9point strategy). They include innovation, learning, entrepreneurship and personnel management.
Inventory orientation (often the orientation of technology or product) is presented during the
implementation of new ideas, products or processes (Lukas and Ferrell, 2000). It is associated
with investments in technology management and quality products.Innovation affects the longterm success of companies, as it enhances flexibility, flexibility, and reduced organizational
inertia (Hult et al., 2004). Development of skills in the organization relative to the culture of an
organization helps shape and influences the basic principles (Hult et al., 2004). Entrepreneurial
ethics reinforce corporate change and recovery, can help create new skills and create new
businesses within existing companies. They allow companies to benefit from emerging
opportunities and are an important driver of new products and business growth (Luo et al., 2005).
Employer orientation is linked to the internal corporate governance of human resources,
25
providing wellbeing and staff satisfaction in the presence of other stakeholders (Harris and
Ogbonna, 2001). Employees led by employees are well known with intermediate decisionmaking processes, investments in staff development and representative representation. Other
factors are Satisfaction of the organization, motivation, and commitment to the organization. The
previous study showed a good effect on staff management, which, in turn, can increase the flow
of income companies (Harris and Ogbonna, 2001).
2.2.1
Market orientation, strategic pro-activeness, and Business Performance
(Kirca et al., 2005)In discussing the relationship between market trends and company
performance the main point is that market trends are good for business (Slater and Narver, 1994).
The research concluded that market trends provide market connections and customer service
(Hult and Ketchen, 2001). In terms of customer satisfaction, market trends are recognized as
customers and are required to meet these requirements. The efficiency and performance of the
product are also linked to market trends. Despite the high-risk market trends, some studies
indicate unnecessary or even negative in relationships and business performance (Sandvik and
Sandvik, 2003) effects. The negative effects of market trends are evident in companies that have
invested technology and offer more products based on customer needs. Glazer and Weiss (1993)
Report this article (in Italian) and the related reporting formalities in a context of rapid evolution
and rigorous functionality. The research also contributed to the conflicting results related to the
improvement of the relationship in question (Grewal and Tansuhaj, 2001).
In order to provide more information on the relationship, Atuahene-Gima et al. (2005) They
studied the small constructs (tests) of market trends and their new connection to the product
performance program. Research studies of meta-analysis research by Kirca et al. (2005) supports
26
a very strong relationship between market and performance (both direct and monitored).
Sampling behavior seems to influence the power of the subsidiary and industrial companies are
shown in the direction of the market: the party's business affiliation services, probably the reason
for the high standards of customization required by the service companies. In addition to the
good functioning of market trends, the strategy has also considered a contribution to
performance.
These guidelines for their relationship with business practices are very static research in the past,
at least in different contexts. In this study, proactivity strategies are the direction of the scene to
take the risk and refers to the move in which companies actively seek to seize the opportunity to
introduce new products, anticipate changes and generate benefits that move first: That the market
trends are modeled (Matsuno et al., 2002). The strategic plan focuses on the proactivity that
individuals and organizations shape their environments through their actions (Krueger, 1993).
The company is authorized to maintain initiatives, take risks and move to a recognized option,
trying to convince trends and perhaps even create demand (Lumpkin and Dess, 1996). Influenza
has proven to be the best contributor to performance (Hult and Ketchen, 2001). A company
dedicated to strategic proactivity will be set up to identify new market opportunities and act in
those positions causing a higher rate of all mental generation and response (Kohli and Jaworski,
1990).
2.3 Strategic Marketing Model
Today marketing people are used to understanding customers and communicating with them an
understanding of staff and other interested parties. The marketing person is a legendary story
27
about every part of the client that your organization is serving. Someone in history has been
given the person's name and stories describe the perspectives, love, interests, and needs of the
customers. Creating and exchanging marketing people makes it easier for everyone to
understand, feel emotions and make correct decisions about the customers they serve. The
SWOT analysis (Power, Disability, Opportunity, and Threats) is known and easy to understand.
The SWOT surveys include actions and analyzes, which make the ship feel more alone. Explain
exactly where the organization will continue. Develop a solution for strengths and opportunities
while reducing the effects of weaknesses and threats. During the development of strategic plans,
he analyzed external contexts (eg culture, economy, competition, technical skills, financial
sources, population, etc.). The SWOT can be run by managers, designers or the entire project
team. Group strategies are very effective in designing, guiding, transposing and focusing on a
strategy on a strategy that could otherwise be in motion (Bartol et al., 1991).
2.4 Positioning Strategic Marketing
Vassinen (2006) has done an extensive bibliometry study to explore what ideas have influenced
the market in strategic marketing. (Ii) Competitive environment, (ii) commercial and operational
performance, and (iii) business opinion and (IV) market trends and performance. The concept of
a competitive environment addresses the popular Porter competition (1980) when Kotler's
marketing concept (eg, 1999, 2003) is used as a reference for operational operations.(Kotler,
2003) Although the terms "strategic marketing" and "marketing strategy" are very similar to each
other; a long-term marketing strategy Intuitively, given that the concept is not yet known as
"operational markets" but strategic markets, opinions become more important to do in terms of
justice than of justice (Drucker, 1966). However, at least sufficient levels of effectiveness and
28
efficiency are necessary for the success of companies. It is common in strategic markets, for
marketing and strategic approach. External capacity can be linked to cost management or
distinctive strategy, possibly with greater cost management. Narver and Slater (1990) were
supported by a different strategy, being an external emphasis; it is likely to be followed by the
organization. The approach strategy can be considered linked to market trends and their external
potential, increasing
In fact, Porter's differentiation strategy is not far from the concept of marketing. Kotler (2003) is
a marketing customer as a basic concept of clients where work is not valid for customers. The
organization is better than the competition in creating, giving and communicating. Therefore, the
concept of marketing has a perspective: it starts with a specific market, focuses on the needs of
the client, and coordinates all the activities that interest the customers and offers advantages to
satisfying customers (Kotler, 2003). More effective "and" selected marketing objectives "in the
definition also establish a more economic and strategic approach to the concept of marketing.
Marketing management may seem to have five steps:
(1) Survey,
(2) Segmentation, segmentation, and space,
(3) Marketing mix,
(4) Implementation, e
(5) Control
(Kotler, 1999). Here we are dealing with a distinctive strategy, we are considering here at
another stage. The combined combination (product, price, place, and promotion) and
29
implementation, or conversely, is involved in internal external capacity; good work performance,
for example. In the implementation phase, it is necessary to have a market. According to the
control phase, it should be collected from the market and corrective measures should be taken
based on the information
According to (Collins, 1993), market unpredictability and the frequent introduction of new
merchandise have pushed for companies to initiate responsive manufacturing systems within
their processes. To stand competition in a competitive environment, a firm needs to be well
equipped by having the ability to deliver exceptionally well in areas such as good quality of
products, controlled costs, on-time deliveries, speed, dependability and innovativeness in product
development. Additionally, affirm should be able to be flexible in order to adapt to the variations
in demand by customers (Lee, 2003).In the market, companies compete in a number of ways
with some deciding to carry out trade-offs as a technique their competitive dimension in an effort
to strengthen its key areas of strength as brought out in the trade-off model, which was
propagated by Skinner (1999).In marketing, there has been a growing interest in market
orientation as one of the tangible factors that have a significant effect on the overall performance
of a company (Homburg et. al. 2003).According to (Slater and 6 Nervier, 2000), marketing
orientation can be explained as a form of business culture aimed at producing good performance
through creation of superior value to users of a firm's products and services.
2.5 Marketing Strategy
Share or establish a new market trend. All business organizations are worried about how they
will live and succeed in the future. It is considered to be a long-term strategy for future
30
commercial success. However, regardless of how the plan is, it can not be implemented, the
organization may be true, in practice, if appropriate (Barney, 1991). According to Skinner
(1969), business marketing is important because many activities refer to daily activities within
marketing operations. It's a great daily job when it is generally considered the long-term strategic
direction of the organization. The relationship between organizational strategy and performance
is a factor that determines their ability to achieve long-term success or even to survive. Business
success is only possible for long-term strategic marketing activities and contributes to
competitive advantage. The relationship between markets and other commercial activities is also
important. The goal of marketing is to produce products and services that customers need and
manage in the most effective way possible. This can lead to conflicts within the organization.
Three levels in an organization;
First of all, there is a company-wide strategy that represents the highest level of strategy. If the
organization consists of more than one business unit, it will be what it should be, how resources
will be allocated (eg cash) and how business units are to be administered. Organizations often
express their strategy in the form of a corporate mission or statement of vision (Slack and Lewis,
2002).Secondly, there is a company-wide strategy that depends on the organization's corporate
strategy and a business unit, a business unit or a strategy can be limited by the lack of resources
or strategic limitations. In organizations of individual companies, the corporate level strategy is
synonymous with company-level strategy (Hill, 1993).The third level of strategy is the functional
level of the strategy (marketing operations, marketing, finances, etc.). These strategies are related
to the way they work. It should be the way they manage their resources in pursuing these goals
(Hill, 1993)
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2.6 Marketing Operations and Performance
Strategic literature has also been proposed as a direct link between a company's strategy and
performance. The idea that the strategy supports the performance of a company has been the
focus of several studies (Prajogo and Sohal, 2006). Some of the studies examined different
individual dimensions of the company performance strategy (White, 1996). A quality strategy
isthat one which will lead to the achievement of a better reputation in the market, cost reduction
and higher productivity which results in higher sales growth and greater market share. A lowcost strategy leads to improvements in efficiency and an increase in sales growth and market
share.. Finally, a company with punctual and reliable deliveries can expect greater customer
satisfaction that could potentially lead to sales growth and market shares (Prajogo and Sohal,
2006)
Cumulative Model of Competitive Priorities
Nakane (1986) presented the cumulative model for the first time. He proposed that the Japanese
company follow a pre-established sequence in the development of competitive capacity. Similar
to Hall's research, which defined the process as a gradual progression through features, which are
offered as a typical goal progression: quality, reliability, cost, and flexibility. In other words,
companies should first focus on the quality of achieving the progressive capacity goal (Hall,
1987). In other words, it is possible to improve the efficiency of other capacities
(Schmenner&Swink, 1998). In this perspective, the cumulative model provides a different
approach to explaining the relationships between competitive capabilities. The ability to produce
at low cost could be supported if good performance in other capacities is achieved. Therefore,
depending on the sequence, success sequences of strategic support capabilities are called
performance improvement paths (Clark, 1996: and Hayes & Pisano, 1996).
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2.6.1
Competitive Priorities and Marketing operations
The consideration of the client's needs in the special relationship The fundamental purpose of the
marketing operations is to create goods and services. What customers consider important,
therefore, the operation should also be considered important. If the customer wishes to provide a
range of products or services, the operation should be more flexible. Customer needs and
preferences determine the importance of marketing operations within the operation (Imai, 1986).
Slack (2007) recommends the application of sand cone theory in marketing operations in that this
theory holds that dimensions in competitive priority must be prioritized in a particular order.
The construction of a stable sand cone requires a stable base of quality, on which levels of
reliability, speed, flexibility, and costs can be built. This theory suggests that we are making
progress on the second priority of improvement. According to the theory, the first priority should
be quality, as this is a precondition for any lasting improvement. Only when the operation has
reached the next problem, that of internal reliability is achieved by an organization. However, the
most important thing is to include reliability in the improvement process. Once the critical level
of reliability is reached, the next step is to further improve quality and reliability.
A company can increase the quality and speed with which goods and services are developed
without increasing costs. One way to do this is to identify and eliminate all activities without
added value. Even poorly designed production facilities and process designs that cause injuries to
workers contribute to waste of resources in the long run.. Time is also wasted when managers
and professionals attend meetings, write and then review reports and exchange memoranda. It
can also be found in the form of business projects, develops and supports products (Assink,
2006).
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2.6.2
Dimensions of Competitive Priorities
Over the years, different contributions to the competitiveness of manufacturing industries depend
on their ability to achieve good results in terms of cost, quality, delivery, reliability and speed,
innovation and flexibility to adapt to demand on demand (Carpinetti, Gerolamo, and Dorta, 2000
). By improving the production process, the improvement process is the key to improving the
production process. Four widely accepted competitive competitors are cost, delivery, quality, and
flexibility. Phusavat and Kanchana (2008) identified the following competitive advantages:
quality, cost, delivery, flexibility, customer focus and innovation that were adopted in this study.
Quality
Quality has been shown to be a constantly changing concept, partly due to the vision of different
criteria based on their individual roles in the production-marketing value chain. Furthermore, the
meaning of quality continues to evolve as the quality professional grows and matures. Neither
consultants nor business professionals agree on a universal definition. According to Dale (2003),
quality has different characteristics.Note that quality is not negotiable and that an order, contract
or customer is lost based on the quality of the non-conforming product and/or service, it is much
more difficult to recover one in terms of price or delivery.
The client could be lost forever; In simple terms, the organization has been overtaken by the
competition. Secondly, quality is omnipresent. There is a unique focus number. However, with
the improvements made by companies in their way of operating, the reduction of monopolies,
government legislation, and deregulation, changes in market shares, mergers, acquisitions, and
collaborative joint ventures, there is less distinction between companies than a few years
ago.Thirdly, quality increases productivity. Nyamwange (2003) found that the quality of the
marketing operations of the producers. Raw materials of raw materials and human resources
34
make quality research difficult. It becomes impossible. Improvements in terms of costs,
productivity and quality are complementary and not alternative objectives. Fourth, quality leads
to better performance on the market. Quality is an important source of competitive advantage; as
a result of improved quality and design compliance, as shown in Figure 2.1 below
The value of a product in the market is influenced by the quality of its design. Improvements in
design will improve the product of its competitors, improve the company's reputation for quality
and improve the perceived value of the product. These factors allow the company to obtain
higher prices and achieve greater market participation.
Phusavat and Kanchana (2007) state that an organization is committed to quality in six
levels: low defect rate, quality of performance, the durability of the product, environmental
aspect, certification and product reliability. Customer-driven performance standards should be
35
used for goal setting, problem-solving, performance evaluation, and compensation for incentives,
non-financial rewards and resource allocation. At the process level, organizational units are
classified as functions or departments, such as marketing, design, product development,
marketing operations, finance, and purchasing.
Cost
Slash and Lewis (2002) define the cost of financial support for the operation that is able to
produce their products and services. Companies choose to compete for the price or for other
things compared to the price. For companies that compete directly in the price, they will clearly
be their main performance targets. The lower the production cost of your products and services,
the lower the price for your customers.According to Hill (1993), costs can be classified into three
parts: operating expenses, capital expenditure, and working capital. This category includes
several other dimensions. Labor costs imply the costs of hiring people with special abilities.
Labor costs can be expressed in two ways. The hourly cost is per hour. Unit cost is an indication
of the cost of labor per unit of production (Slack, Chambers & Johnston, 2007). A study
conducted by Nyamwange (2003) found that it is one of the biggest challenges for manufacturing
industries in the design and implementation of operational strategies.
This study finds constant price fluctuations that make it difficult to control costs, poor
infrastructure in Germany, the difficult transport of raw materials and the cost of energy, oil
products, and fuel. Inventory costs represent a significant population of total production costs.
The higher the average inventory level, the greater the total cost of production. In general,
inventory costs include item costs, order costs (process configuration), maintenance costs and
36
inventory or shortage costs (Schroberger and Knod, 1997). The costs of the items are the
purchase price of the things a company buys or the cost of something they produce.
The costs of installing the process include the costs incurred to change the production process
from one to another.Of the quantity purchased or produced. Maintenance costs are the costs
incurred when the items are kept in the inventory. Secondly, capital expenditure includes the
financial inputs of the operation that finances the acquisition of the facilities that produce its
products and services. It includes the money invested in the acquisition of land, buildings,
machinery, vehicles and other accessories. Brush (1999) notes that it is funding a series of small
flows of funds, in the form of additional revenue or cost savings. The third is working capital.
This includes all the financial inputs needed to finance the time difference between regular
departures and incoming cash flows. In most transactions, payments must be made on the various
types of operating expenses necessary to produce goods and services before payment can be
obtained from customers (Riise et al, 2007)
Flexibility
Zhang et al. (2003) define flexibility as the ability to manage production resources and
uncertainty to meet the demands of different customers. In the same vein, Kathuria and Partovi
(2000) state that flexibility offers production facilities the ability to quickly introduce new
designs or products into production, quickly adapt capacity, customize products, and manage
changes in product mix quickly and easily. manage changes in customer delivery
times.Stevenson and Spring (2007) According to a company that is characterized by an increase
in the number of companies in the business context. Therefore, flexibility should be considered
at the level of the company strategy level. Likewise, different types of uncertainty and different
37
environmental factors could be managed according to specific types of flexibility to improve the
performance of a given company. Nyamwange (2003), therefore, the only flexibility that must
work overtime on weekends. Difficult to respect, to maintain and maintain
in very short ads.
Reliability
Ward and Durray, (2000). Reliability of delivery is sometimes referred to as reliability or timely
delivery. Noori and Radford (1995) note that although reliability can rotate around delivery, this
is only one aspect. Another is to comply with legal and moral contracts with customers and
suppliers. Reliability is the other half for example, in theory, high reliability could be achieved
simply by citing long delivery times. In this case, the difference between the expected delivery
time and the time is related to the customer. However, companies trying to absorb the
dependence of long waiting times (Krajewski and Ritzman, 2004). There are two reasons for
this. First, the delivery of an operation to get delivery in two weeks when there are three
available is ambitious and allows you to relax the operation. High work in progress, a long-term
result of a large amount of time with no added value. All these trends are confusion, complexity,
and lack of control, which are the main causes of the lack of reliability. Good reliability can
often be helped with fast performance rather than hinder it. Reliability = two delivery times effective delivery time
Innovativeness
In today’s highly dynamic and competitive business environment, we face rigorous challenges to
meet the growing needs and expectations of the market and customers and tackle technological
obsolescence. According to Assink (2006), innovation has a connotation of novelty,
development, and adaptation of an idea or behavior, new to the adopting organization. In another
38
perspective, Kumar et al. (2000), define innovation as something that is invented for the first
time and that is a commercial success. Johannessenet al. (2001) classifies innovation into three
types; that is to say: product innovation, process innovation, and market innovation. According
to Langley et al. (2005), unlike minor innovations that include a new set of attributes, a new
category of products and induced behavioral changes on behalf of users may improve the
marketability of a product. Although the new products have been considered "the vanguard" of
market innovation (Tidd et al., 2005), process innovations have proven to be a significant
strategic effect on competitiveness. According to Johne (1999), innovation provides the means to
safeguard and improve quality and save costs. This also applies to the supply of the main product
and to the support part of any offer.
2.7 Conceptual framework
The study has hypothesized the relationship of the variables as shown in the following diagram
figure 3. These variables include quality, cost, flexibility, reliability, innovativeness, and
39
performance.
40
3
4
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.1 Introduction
This chapter establishes several phases and phases that will be completed at the end of the
investigation. It involves a plan for collecting, measuring and analyzing data. Specifically, the
following subsections have been included; research design, target population, data collection and
finally data analysis. This chapter is a model of the methodology used by the researcher to find
answers to research questions. In this chapter, the research methodology is presented in the
following order: research design, target population, sampling procedures, data collection
methods, data collection tools and pilot study. The section also explains how the data were
analyzed to produce the required information needed for the study. This chapter establishes
several phases and phases that will be completed at the end of the investigation. It involves a
plan for collecting, measuring and analyzing data. Specifically, the following subsections have
been included; research design, target population, data collection and finally data analysis
4.2 Research Design
It was ideal for study as it gave the current status of strategic marketing practices. This study was
adopted in a survey research project. This is simply a data collection tool for conducting survey
searches. Pinsonneault and Kraemer (1993) defined a survey as a means of gathering information
on the characteristics, actions or opinions of a large group of people. Surveys can be used to
assess needs, demand and examine impact (Salant and Dillman, 1994). The investigations are
able to obtain information from large samples of the population. - Also suitable for the collection
of demographic data (McIntyre, 1999, p.74). Interviews and questionnaires The questionnaires
41
were opened and closed. It was ideal for study as it gave the current status of strategic marketing
practices.
4.3 Target Population
Participants in the study respondents involved sales and marketing managers or general
managers of automobile companies. The study gave a questionnaire to each company. The target
population for this study was the assembly of motor vehicles. These companies include; Toyota,
Cooper Motors Corporation, General Motors Middle East and DT Dobie. Respondents of these
companies were senior staff in engineering, manufacturing, finance, sales and after-sales
departments. This is due to the fact that the departments take an active part in the strategies for
the functioning of the companies. The researcher has distributed two questionnaires per
company.
4.4 Data Collection
Data will be collected using a questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of a part that meets the
requirements of the study. The questionnaires were distributed to the interviewees. Primary data
collected through questionnaires based on the study of the study. The articles in the questionnaire
were open and closed. They had time to fill in, after which the completed questionnaires were
completed after a period of three days. The questionnaire was divided into four sections, namely
section A, B, C and D. Section A collected data on the general information of the interviewees,
p. your position, department and your experience. Section B addresses the objective, ie the
marketing operations adopted by Oman; section C concerns objective 2, which consists in
determining whether the companies in the automotive assembly sector prioritize the operating
42
strategies, while the management of Section D is involved in the implementation of marketing
operations and in the relationship between marketing operations and performances.
4.5 Data Analysis
Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. They consisted of average scores, standard
deviations, frequencies, and percentages. Furthermore, inferential statistics, p. the correlation
was used. The correlation was used to test the relationship between quality, cost, flexibility, and
reliability and innovation capacity. The study used a chi-square test to verify if the factors have
distribution functions that are identical with respect to performance. The collected data have
been examined and verified in terms of integrity and understanding.
The data were summarized, coded and inserted into a computerized tool for analysis; Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) which generated descriptive statistics such as means,
standard deviation, and frequency distribution was used to analyze data. SPSS was used to
perform the analysis, as it allows organizing and summarizing the data using descriptive
statistics.
43
5
6
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
6.1 Introduction
This chapter introduces the results from analyzed data. This chapter has population data,
competition level in the market, prioritization outcomes, strategy adoption, strategies applicable
by Volkswagen automotive company, the challenges facing the automotive industry in Oman
and the correlation of all these operational and marketing strategies with the performance of
Volkswagen Company.
6.2 Demographic Data
The respondents were to provide the name of an automotive assembler in Oman that they have
worked for. Survey shows that more respondents come from regular automotive companies such
as Volkswagen (VW) (22%), Toyota. Co., Ltd. (22%), CMC Engine (22%) and Colt Engine
(22%). Other respondents were from DT Dobie (11%).Respondents who participated in the study
served various management positions. The population sample was composed of the managing
directors; part of the inventory managers, Corporate Directors, Warehouse Managers, Service
Managers, General Managers and Sales Managers. Therefore, the data for this study was
obtained from actual employee’s feedback about their company's marketing and operational
strategy. The data collected in this study comes from employees in various departments of the
automotive industry in Oman. Departments of interest included (37.5%) of spare parts
department, heavy business sector (25%), finance (12.5%), business(12.5%) and production,
procurement and supply chain (12.5%).Researchers asked respondents to indicate their working
hours for the organization and the results show that most of the participants to the study worked
44
for their companies for 2 to 5 years (44%), 33% of them worked with the company for 6 to 10
years, while the remaining percentage worked with the company more than 10 years. In addition,
interviewees were asked...