Business Studies

Barriers to Marketing Planning

Based on research by Professor Malcom McDonald of Cranfield Institute of Technology

Contents

Introduction

Professor McDonald and the Main Barriers to Marketing Planning

The Main Barriers to Marketing Planning

Methods of overcoming the Barriers to Marketing Planning

Conclusions

Recommendations

Introduction

Organisations that operate in competitive environment and need to conduct marketing must plan the precise details of their marketing endeavours and this entails a broad range of activities connected to Market research, Marketing Intelligence, Marketing Strategy, and implementation of the final produced Marketing Plan. The large number of people involved in this process within an organisation means that there is plenty of scope for obstacles to arise and hinder the efforts of Marketing Planners. These obstacles can take the form of participants in the marketing process being resistant to the strategies or demands of Marketing Planners, lacking the knowledge or skills required to fully understand the Marketing Planning process, insufficient financial or infrastructure resources within the organisation, or an organisational culture not appropriate for effective Marketing Planning to be conducted.  

According to

One of the foremost authorities on barriers to Marketing Planning is Professor Malcolm McDonald, of the Cranfield Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

Professor McDonald has conducted extensive and continuing research into the issue, beginning in 1989, and concluded that development of barriers to Marketing Planning arise from similar causes, similar behaviour patterns, and result in similar consequences within organisations. His early work produced a list of the principal and most prevalent elements constituting barriers to Marketing Planning. Ths list is known as "The Main Barriers to Marketing Planning.

The Main Barriers to Marketing Planning