A Web-enabled hybrid approach to strategic marketing planning is established in this paper. The proposed approach combines the group Delphi technique with a Web-based expert system, called WebStra (developed by the author), to support some key stages of the strategic marketing planning process. The Web-enabled approach is based upon client–server architecture that enables the sharing and delivery of computerised planning models and knowledge via the Internet, intranets or extranets, which allows widespread access by authorised users around the clock, across the world or throughout the company. In order to assess the overall value of the proposed approach, case-based evaluation work has been undertaken. Evaluation findings indicate that the approach is effective and efficient in terms of overcoming time and geographical barriers, saving decision-making time, coupling analysis with human judgment, helping improve decision-making quality, etc.
The globalisation, the complexity and the dynamics of the business environments present real challenges to strategic marketing planners in the 21st century. The needs for appropriate techniques and technologies in support of strategic marketing planning have never been so great. Over the past years, attempts have been made by researchers to develop computer-based systems to support the process of strategic marketing planning. Some related typical work in this field may be found in Belardo et al., 1994, Carlsson et al., 1996, Cavusgil and Evirgen, 1997, Levy and Yoon, 1995, McDonald and Wilson, 1990 and Mitri et al., 1999, Li, 2000 and Li and Davies, 2001, etc. The relevant systems developed in the past, however, are mainly restricted to assist with individual users using standalone PC-based programs, which may limit users' access to computerised models and support systems. Moreover, program distribution is a serious problem for many types of expert systems, because most knowledge bases must be updated regularly (Eriksson, 1996). In addition, the critical importance of capturing and combining managerial judgment, especially groups of decision-makers' judgment and intuition, with computer-based support has not been highlighted adequately in previous research in this field.
The World Wide Web is emerging as an increasingly important platform that can reduce the technological barriers and make it easier for users in different geographical locations to access the decision support models and tools (Shim et al., 2002). The widespread use of World Wide Web and the Internet provide an opportunity for enabling computer-based decision support widely available.
It is also argued that the Internet can complement traditional ways of competing (Porter, 2001). Appropriate Internet applications can improve communications with actual and potential customers, suppliers and collaborators; and can be a powerful promotion and sales tool (Hamill, 1997). Internet technologies and e-commerce applications can be used strategically for creating competitive advantage in the global markets. Devising Internet marketing strategies and associated e-commerce strategies as an organic part of business strategies is something that strategic marketing plans today should not neglect.
The purpose of this study is to establish a Web-enabled approach that combines the advantages of a Web-based expert system with the benefits of the group Delphi technique and links strategic marketing planning with Internet and e-commerce strategy formulation. The paper is structured as follows. The opening section outlines the logical process, the main functional components and judgmental ingredients of the Web-enabled approach. This is followed by discussions on the evaluation of the overall value of the approach. The final section offers some general conclusions and discussions.
In this paper, a Web-enabled hybrid approach has been established to integrate the group Delphi technique and a Web-based expert system to support the process of strategic marketing planning. The logical procedure and the main components of the approach have been described, with evaluation work discussed. The pilot evaluation findings suggest that the Web-enabled approach is efficient and effective in terms of overcoming time and geographical barriers, saving time, helping build group consensus, coupling analysis with human judgment, helping improve decision-making quality, etc.
Through the provision of improved accessibility, reduced time in decision-making, and better decision-making quality, the Web-enabled hybrid approach can help improve the availability and usability of computerised planning models and expertise.
Further work is being undertaken to include more strategic analysis models and guidelines. Another priority for next stage of this study is to evaluate the approach with larger number of participants or with industrial users.
It should be emphasised that groups perform at a level rarely as well as their most proficient members (Rohrbaugh, 1981). Thus, with the approach established in this paper, sound judgment and intuition of the most proficient members of the decision-making group should always be considered and incorporated into the strategic planning process.
