Marketing Practices of Chinese Township Enterprises : MBA-thesis in marketing.

Abstract: Aim: The aim is to explore the Chinese way of marketing activities in township enterprises by linking the formation and implementation of marketing strategies and tactics with the impacts of environmental factors and contextual conditions. Specifically, the aims are: - Identify the managers’ perceptions of their marketing environments; - Explore how their perceptions of the environments shape the formation and implementation of the marketing strategies and tactics; - Explore how social cultural values influence the marketing activities at these enterprises, Method: Fieldwork was conducted in the summer 2007, at three enterprises in Fujian province in southern China. In depth case analysis was employed in this study. Interview guides, designed to learn their experience through their own words were used. Result and Conclusion: The research reveals that unique Chinese social and cultural values are deeply ingrained in the three township enterprises’ marketing practices. It also reveals that a competitor centred orientation, competitive advantages based on low cost labour and marketing expansion, and an innovative imitation strategy are some of the characteristics of marketing practices. Suggestions for future research: One of the disadvantages of a case-based approach is that it may be difficult to achieve generalizability. This research is also limited as it is focused on the three enterprises whose products all fell into consumer goods. Future research could also combine both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Such as looking at data on profits, return on assets and revenue we could also look to see the correlation between performance and market orientation of these types of enterprises. Contribution of the thesis: This research provides a reference frame for township enterprises to make their marketing decisions when they are involved in marketing circumstances similar to those presented in this research. Also, the findings may help global marketers to better understand township enterprises with whom they are competing or will compete in the Chinese market.