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LOCUL I ROLUL AUDITULUI DE MARKETING N PROCESUL PLANIFICRII STRATEGICE DE MARKETING Prof.univ.dr. Iuliana CETIN Conf.univ.dr. Ionel DUNITRU Lect.univ.dr Violeta RDULESCU Academia de Studii Economice Bucureti Rezumat: n cadrul planificrii strategice a activitii, o etap deosebit de important o reprezint desfurarea auditului intern i extern. Auditul de marketing nu este un proces izolat n interiorul organizaiei, ci este o component a auditului de management, care examineaz impactul factorilor de mediu asupra ansamblului activitilor organizaiei. Dei, auditul de marketing este considerat de muli autori doar o analiz a mediului intern i extern a organizaiei, pentru fundamentarea strategiei de marketing, amplasarea sa n cadrul procesului planificrii strategice de marketing, arat c este in acelai timp un instrument de evaluare i control a modului de elaborarea i implementare a acestei strategii.

THE ROLE AND THE PLACE OF MARKETING AUDIT IN THE MARKETING STRATEGIC PLANNING Professor PhD Iuliana CETIN Associate Professor Ionel DUNITRU Lecturer PhD Violeta RDULESCU Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest Abstract: During the strategic planning activity process, a very important step is to conduct internal and external audit. Marketing audit is not an isolated process within the organization; it is a component of the management audit assessing the impact of environmental factors on all activities of the organization. Marketing Audit is considered by many authors only an analysis of internal and external environment of the organization. In the development and substantiation of marketing strategy, marketing audit is set in the strategic marketing planning, which shows that it is an assessment tool and control and, at the same time, a way of the strategy implementation. The audit marketing is therefore part of the organization's strategic marketing plan.

Cuvinte cheie: planificare strategic de Key Words: marketing strategic planning, marketing, audit de marketing, control i marketing audit, control and evaluation. evaluare Market-oriented planning represents Planificarea strategic orientat ctre the managerial process of establishing and pia, reprezint procesul managerial de maintaining a viable relationship between stabilire i meninere a unei relaii viabile objectives, personnel training and resources ntre obiectivele, pregtirea personalului i of a certain organization on the one hand, and resursele unei organizaii, pe de o parte i market situation on the other hand. Strategic planning from senior conjunctura pieei, pe de alt parte.1 Planificarea strategic de la nivelul management level involves mission defining, managementului superior implic definirea setting goals consistent with the mission and misiunii, stabilirea unor obiective conforme the operating field, and activities' organizing, cu misiunea, a domeniului de operare i so that the risk factors specific to the current
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organizarea activitilor, astfel nct s se elimine elementele de risc caracteristice perioadei actuale, iar organizaia s-i ating obiectivele propuse. Dup analiza planificrii strategice la nivelul conducerii, etapa urmtoare este cea de planificare strategic la nivelul unitilor strategice de activitate i planificarea de marketing, care presupune stabilirea misiunii unitii, auditul de marketing, formularea obiectivelor i stabilirea strategiei. Comparativ cu planificarea efectuat la nivelul organizaional superior, cea realizat la nivelul unitii strategice de activitate, nu vizeaz ntreaga organizaie n ansamblul, ci doar o parte a acesteia. La acest nivel, managerii urmresc identificarea i exploatarea avantajului competitiv pentru asigurarea viabilitii unitii strategice de activitate. Despre auditul de marketing se poate vorbi cu anul 1967, cnd Philip Kotler dedic un ntreg capitol auditului de marketing n lucrarea sa Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control. Zece ani mai trziu n 1977, Kotler, Gregor and Rogers public articolul The Marketing Audit comes of Age, ce reprezint un punct de cotitur n dezvoltarea auditului de marketing. 2 Definiia i caracteristicile auditului de marketing formulate de Kotler, Gregor and Rogers n 1977 au fost ulterior preluate de o serie de autori: Brownlie n 1993 i n lucrarea sa The Marketing Audit: A Metrology of Explanation iar apoi n 1996 cnd consider c n practic exist confuzii cu privire la modul n care trebuie condus auditul de marketing.3 Aubrey Wilson n 1982 n lucrarea sa The marketing Audit Handbook tools, techniques & checklists i revizuite apoi n 1993, 1996, 2002 consider c auditorul trebuie s utilizeze o serie de liste de pentru a colecta datele i apoi a compara rezultatele cu un set de puncte de referin (standarde) care au fost dezvoltate n cadrul industriei sau firmei.4 Bruno Camus n 1982 n lucrarea Audit marketing consider auditul ca o

period should be eliminated and the organization should reach the intended objectives. After the strategic planning analysis by the management, the next stage is that of strategic planning at the level of the strategic units of activity, and marketing planning which implies the unit's mission setting, marketing audit, objectives' drafting and strategy setting up. By comparison with the planning carried out at higher organizational level, the one carried out at the level of the strategic unit of activity does not imply the whole organization, but only part of it. At this level, managers aim at identifying and turning to good account the competitive advantage in order to ensure the viability of the strategic unit of activity. We can talk about marketing audit starting with the year 1967, when Philip Kotler dedicates an entire chapter to marketing audit in his work Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control. Ten years later, in 1977, Kotler, Gregor and Rogers publish the article The Marketing Audit comes of Age which represents a turning point in the development of the marketing audit. Marketing audit definition and characteristics put forward by Kotler, Gregor and Rogers in 1977 were subsequently taken up by other authors: Brownlie in 1993 and also in his work The Marketing Audit: A Metrology of Explanation and then in 1996, when he considers that "in actual practice there is confusion on how marketing audit should be conducted." In 1982, Aubrey Wilson, in his work The marketing Audit Handbook tools, techniques & checklists and its revisions in 1993, 1996 and 2002, considers that auditors should use a number of lists to collect data and then to compare the results with a set of reference points (standards) that have been developed within the concerned industry or company. In 1982, Bruno Camus, in his work Audit marketing, considers audit as a

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metod de control strategic i introduce termenii de auditul gestiunii, auditul pieei i auditul strategic( adic a rezultatelor comerciale i de marketing).5 Aa cum se observ, auditul de marketing face obiectul preocuprilor diverilor specialiti, care prin definiiile pe care le formuleaz ncearc s explice i locul i rolul acestuia n cadrul planificrii strategice de marketing. Astfel, auditul de marketing const n specificarea, culegerea, msurarea, analiza i interpretarea datelor i informaiilor referitoare la mediul intern i extern al organizaiei, cu scopul de a identifica punctele forte i slabe ale sale, oportunitile i riscurile specifice mediului extern6, opinie potrivit creia auditul de marketing st la baza fundamentrii strategiei de marketing a organizaiei. ntr-o alt abordare, acesta reprezint analiza extensiv a productivitii, un proces prin intermediul cruia se poate aprecia eficiena cu care sunt utilizate resursele n cadrul departamentului de marketing. n acest context, termenul are o conotaie contabil; denot o analiz menit s-i permit auditorului s aprecieze calitatea actului managerial n marketing, accentul fiind pus dup cum se observ pe evaluarea activitii de marketing, a eficienei acesteia n raport cu obiectivele propuse.7 n aceeai lucrare, se clarific i locul acestuia n cadrul planificrii strategice de marketing, auditul de marketing reprezentnd unul dintre cele mai importante stadii n procesul de planificare, prin care se evalueaz att situaia existent, ct i potenialul companiei n ceea ce privete marketingul.8 David Parmerlee, unul dintre autorii care au tratat pe larga problema auditului de marketing, att din punct de vedere teoretic, ct i practic, consider auditul de marketing un instrument prin care se msoar valoarea, riscul i eficiena eforturilor de marketing. Considerat a fi diferit de cercetarea surselor primare i secundare de date, auditul de marketing sporete eforturile de obinere a datelor ce vizeaz performana organizaiei i

strategic control method and he brings in the terms of management audit, market audit and strategic audit (that is, commercial and marketing results' auditing). As it may be seen, marketing audit is subject to studies of various experts' who, through the definitions they are wording, are trying to explain also its place and role in the marketing strategic planning. Thus, marketing audit "consists in specifying, collecting, measuring, analyzing and interpreting data and information concerning the internal and external environment of the organization for the purpose of identifying its strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and risks specific to the external environment", opinion according to which the marketing audit is the basis of the organization's marketing strategy substantiation. According to another approach, it represents "the extensive analysis of the productivity, a process through which the efficiency of resources utilization within the marketing department may be assessed. In this context, the term has an accounting connotation; it stands for an analysis meant to enable the auditor to evaluate the quality of the managerial act in marketing", emphasizing as it can be seen the assessment of marketing activity, of its efficiency in relation to the proposed objectives. In the same work, marketing audit's place within the marketing strategic planning is also clarified, as it represents one of the most important stages in the planning process through which the current situation, as well as the company's potential as far as marketing is concerned are evaluated. David Parmerlee, one of the authors who have treated in detail the marketing audit subject from theoretical, as well as practical point of view, considers the marketing audit as "an instrument through which marketing efforts' value, risk and efficiency are measured. Considered to be different from the investigation of the primary and secondary sources of data, marketing audit

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perspectiva viitorului prin prisma trecutului i prezentului.9 David Parmerlee introduce termenul de auditul managementului de marketing considerndu-l o etap n cadrul planificrii de marketing i avnd rolul de a rspund la trei probleme fundamentale: Viziunea organizaiei i abordarea organizaiei asupra pieei pe care acioneaz; Valoarea produselor oferite; Eficiena aciunilor ntreprinse pe piaa produselor sale. Aubrey Wilson definete auditul de marketing ca fiind o metod autoadministrat de identificare i realizare a modului de utilizare a resursele de marketing10, acesta avnd rolul de analiz a mediului intern i extern pentru fundamentarea strategiei de marketing, ct i pe cel de revizuire i control a eficienei activitii desfurate. Bruno Camus definete auditul de marketing ca examinarea profesional precis i exact a unei situaii i menioneaz c acesta constituie un ajutor n fundamentarea deciziilor pe baza unui studiu exploratoriu i explicativ a trecutului i prezentului, util pentru viitor.11 Camus, face o delimitare mult mai clar a rolului auditului de maraketing n cadrul procesului de planificare strategice de marketing prin precizarea funciilor acestuia:12 - ofer recomandri prealabile punerii n aplicare a politicii de marketing a ntreprinderii; - pune la dispoziie mijloace de control i urmrire a modului de implementare a politicii de marketing; - permite elaborarea de strategii de consolidare sau de repliere. Mc Donald13 scoate mult mai bine n eviden att rolul planificrii de marketing n cadrul strategice la nivel corporativ, ct i pe cel al auditului de marketing n cadrul procesului de planificare strategic, aa cum este redat mai jos:

amplifies the efforts for obtaining such data which aim at the organization's performance and at the prospective of the future from the past and present time angle. David Parmerlee brings in the term of marketing management audit, considering it as a stage of the marketing planning that has the role to answer three fundamental issues: Organization's vision and its approach in respect of the market on which it operates; Value of offered products; Efficiency of actions taken on the market of its products. Aubrey Wilson defines the marketing audit as "a self-administered method of identification and accomplishment of the manner of utilization of the marketing resources", having the role to analyze the internal and external environment in order to substantiate the marketing strategy, as well as the role to revise and control the efficiency of the activity. Bruno Camus defines the marketing audit as "the accurate and exact professional examination of a situation" and states that it "represents an aid in decisions' substantiation on the basis of an exploratory and explanatory study of the past and present time that is useful for the future." Camus provides a much more clear delineation of the marketing audit role within the marketing strategic planning process, by specifying its functions: - it offers recommendations prior to the implementation of the company's marketing policy; - it makes available the means of control and tracking of the manner of marketing policy implementation; - it enables the drafting of consolidation or yield strategies. Mc Donald highlights much better the role of the marketing planning within the strategic plan at corporate level, as well as the role of the marketing audit within the strategic planning process, as it is shown herein below:

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Table 1. Marketing Planning and Tabelul 1Planificarea de marketing i locul Its Place within the Strategic Planning su n cadrul planificrii strategice

Sursa: McDonald, M. Marketing plans, Sixth Edition: How to prepare them, how to use them, Elsevier, 2007, pag. 43 Michael Baker trateaz problema auditului planificrii strategice de marketing, auditul fiind considerat o metod de evaluare a modului n care s-a desfurat procesul planificrii strategice de marketing, avnd rolul de a propune o serie de recomandri ca urmare a concluziilor desprinse14. Dup cum se observ din tabelul prezentat, auditul de marketing este o component a planului de marketing al organizaiei, fiind subordonat alturi de celelalte planuri de distribuie, operaional, financiar, personal planului la nivel corporativ. Referitor la rolul auditului de marketing n cadrul planificrii strategice de marketing, Mc Donald, plaseaz auditul de marketing ca o etap n cadrul procesului, ce st la baza stabilirii obiectivelor i strategiilor de marketing, urmnd ca dup implementarea acestora s se urmreasc modul n care au fost atinse obiectivele organizaiei, iar n cazul schimbrii condiiilor din mediul de marketing, sau nerealizrii acestora conform ateptrilor procesul s fie reluat. Dup analiza planificrii strategice la nivelul conducerii, etapa urmtoare este cea de planificare strategic la nivelul unitilor strategice de activitate, care, conform lui Philip Kotler, cuprinde urmtoarele etape: definirea misiunii, analiza SWOT pe baza analizei mediului extern i intern al

Source: McDonald, M. Marketing Plans, Sixth Edition: How to prepare them, how to use them, Elsevier, 2007, p. 43. Michael Baker treats the marketing strategic planning audit issue, "audit being regarded as a method of assessment of the manner of conducting the marketing strategic planning process which has the role to propose a series of recommendations further to the conclusions that have been drawn."18 As it may be seen in the above table, marketing audit is a component of the organization's marketing plan and is subordinated together with the other plans of distribution, operational, financial, of personnel to the plan at corporate level. In respect of the marketing audit role within the marketing strategic planning, McDonald places the marketing audit as a stage of the process which is the basis for setting up marketing objectives and strategies; further to the implementation of such objectives and strategies, the manner of achieving the company's targets would be assessed and, in case of changes in the marketing environment or of non achievement of such targets as expected, the process should be repeated.

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companiei, formularea obiectivelor, stabilirea strategiei, stabilirea programului de marketing, implementarea, feed-back i control.15 Kotler apreciaz astfel, c fiecare companie trebuie ca periodic s-i revizuiasc abordarea strategic prin intermediul unor instrumente de control cum ar fi auditul de marketing16. Figure 1. Marketing Strategic Planning Process Source: Malcom McDonald Marketing Plans, Sixth Edition: How to prepare them, how to use them, Elsevier, 2007, p. 49. Further to the strategic planning at management level, the next stage is that of strategic planning at strategic units of activity level which, according to Philip Kotler, consists in the following stages: mission defining, SWOT analysis based on the company's external and internal environment analysis, objectives' drafting, strategy setting up, marketing program establishing, implementation, feed-back and control.19 In this respect, Kotler considers that "every company must revise periodically its strategic approach by certain control instruments such as the marketing audit".20 In his opinion, "marketing audit represents a periodical, comprehensive, systematic and independent analysis of the marketing environment of the company's strategic units, of the objectives, strategies and actual actions thereof in order to ascertain opportunities and threats and to recommend a plan of action for the improvement of the company's performance"21, opinion that specifies much more clearer the marketing audit role throughout the entire process of strategic planning. Further to the specified definition, Kotler identifies also the four audit characteristics which have the function to enforce the marketing audit role within the strategic planning:

Figura 1Procesul planificrii strategice de marketing Sursa: Malcom McDonald Marketing Plans, Sixth Edition: How to prepare them, how to use them, Elsevier, 2007, pag. 49 n opinia lui, auditul de marketing reprezint o analiz periodic comprehensiv, sistematic, independent a mediului de marketing al unitilor strategice ale companiei, ale obiectivelor, strategiilor i aciunilor concrete ale acestora cu scopul de a determina oportunitile i ameninrile i a recomanda un plan de aciune pentru a mbunti performanele companiei17, opinie ce precizeaz mult mai clar rolul aduditului de marketing pe parcursul ntregului proces de planificare strategic. Ca urmare a definiiei prezentate, Kotler identific i cele patru caracteristici ale auditului, acestea avnd meritul de a ntri rolul auditul de marketing n cadrul planificrii strategice: Comprehensiv - auditul de marketing trebuie s acopere toate activitile majore ale ntreprinderii, nu doar pe cele care creeaz probleme. Dei auditul parial - al forelor de vnzare, al preului sau a altor activiti de marketing - s-ar dovedi funcional, el nu ar contribui ntotdeauna la cele mai bune decizii de management. De exemplu un venit redus

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rezultat din activitatea forelor de vnzare, ar putea fi o cauz nu a pregtirii deficitare a forelor de vnzare sau al recompensrii, ci i al calitii mai slabe a produselor sau al promovrii. Sistematic auditul de marketing este o examinare a micro i macromediului organizaiei, a obiectivelor i strategiilor de marketing, a sistemelor de marketing i a activitilor specifice. Auditul indic direciile de aciune viitoare, ncorporate n planuri corective pe termen lscurt i lung n scopul creterii eficienei activitii de ansamblu a organizaiei. Independent Auditul de marketing poate fi realizat fie de ctre personal din interiorul firmei, fie din afara acesteia. Conform specialitilor cel mai bun audit este cel realizat de consultani din afara firmei deoarece au o obiectivitate mai mare, o mai vast experien n ct mai multe domenii i de asemenea o nedivizare a timpului i ateniei. Periodic Organizaiile iniiaz n mod frecvent auditul de marketing doar dup ce vnzrile au nceput s scad i companiile traverseaz perioade de criz, acest fapt datorndu-se n mare parte faptului c nu iau revizuit periodic strategiile i activitile de marketing. De aceea este important ca anul s se realizeze auditul de marketing pentru a putea corecta disfuncionalitile aprute pe parcurs n obiectivele stabilite i strategiile adoptate. n concluzie, ca o sintez a diverselor puncte de vedere, auditul de marketing este un instrument prin care se verific periodic abordarea strategic de marketing a companiei, este un instrument de evaluare i control a performanei de marketing.

BIBLIOGRAFIE: 1. Kotler, Ph. Managementul

Comprehensive marketing audit must cover all the major activities of the company, not only those that generate problems. Although partial audit of sales forces, price or other marketing activities would prove functional, it wouldn't always contribute to the best management decisions. For instance, a low income resulting from the sales forces might be a cause not only of poor training of sales forces or of rewarding, but also of inadequate quality of products or promotion. Sistematic marketing audit is an examination of the organization's micro- and macro-environment, marketing objectives and strategies, marketing systems and specific activities. Audit indicates the future course of action integrated in short term corrective (strategic or operational) plans meant to improve the company's overall business efficiency. Independent Marketing audit may be conducted by staff within the company or from outside it. According to experts, the best audit is that carried out by consultants from outside the company, as they are more objective, and they have a larger experience in many fields of activity; also, they need not share out time and attention. Periodical Organizations frequently initiate the marketing audit only after sales begin to drop and companies go through crisis periods, mostly due to the fact that they did not revise periodically their marketing strategies and activities. This is why it is important to carry out the marketing audit yearly, in order to be able to correct the malfunctions occurred in the established targets and adopted strategies, as in the current context of the main markets evolution the traditional strategic plan set up for a 3year period is considered outdated and worthless.22 Consequently, as a synthesis of the various opinions, marketing audit is an instrument through which companies periodically assess their strategic marketing approach, an instrument of evaluation and control of the marketing

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marketingului, editura Teora, performance. Bucureti, 1998 2. Kotler, Ph., Gregor, W., Rodgers III, W. - The Marketing Audit Comes of BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Kotler, Ph. Managementul Age, marketingului, editura Teora, http://academics.eckerd.edu/instructor Bucureti, 1998 /trasorrj/MN%20373/The%20Marketi 2. Kotler, Ph., Gregor, W., Rodgers III, ng%20Audit%20Comes%20of%20Ag W. - The Marketing Audit Comes of e.pdf Age, 3. Taghian, M., Shaw, R. - the marketing http://academics.eckerd.edu/instructor audit and business performance: a /trasorrj/MN%20373/The%20Marketi review and research agenda , ng%20Audit%20Comes%20of%20Ag http://smib.vuw.ac.nz:8081/www/AN e.pdf ZMAC1998/Cd_rom/Taghian64.pdf 4. Camus, B. - Audit marketing, Les 3. Taghian, M., Shaw, R. - the marketing edition dorganisation, 1988; audit and business performance: a review and research agenda, 5. Balaure, V. (coordonator) http://smib.vuw.ac.nz:8081/www/AN Marketing, Editura Uranus, Bucureti, 2002; ZMAC1998/Cd_rom/Taghian64.pdf 6. ***Marketing, Ghid propus de The 4. Camus, B. - Audit marketing, Les Economist, Editura Nemira, editions dorganisation, 1988; Bucureti, 1997 5. Balaure, V. (coordinator) - Marketing, 7. Parmerlee, D. Auditing Markets, Editura Uranus, Bucureti, 2002; Products, and Marketing Plans, NTC 6. ***Marketing, Ghid propus de The Business Books, Chicago, 2000; Economist, Editura Nemira, 8. Wilson, A. The marketing Audit Bucureti, 1997 Handbook tools, techniques & 7. Parmerlee, D. Auditing Markets, checklists, Kogan Page, london, 2002; Products, and Marketing Plans, NTC 9. McDonald, M. Marketing plans, Business Books, Chicago, 2000; Sixth Edition: How to prepare them, 8. Wilson, A. The marketing Audit how to use them, Elsevier, 2007; Handbook tools, techniques & 10. Baker, M. - The Strategic Marketing checklists, Kogan Page, London, Plan Audit, Cambridge Strategy 2002; Publication Ltd., 2008; 9. McDonald, M. Marketing plans, 11. Kotler, Ph., Keller, K. L Marketing Sixth Edition: How to prepare them, Management, !3th edition, Pearson how to use them, Elsevier, 2007; International Edition, 2009; 10. Baker, M. - The Strategic Marketing Plan Audit, Cambridge Strategy Publication Ltd., 2008; 11. Kotler, Ph., Keller, K. L Marketing Management, 13th edition, Pearson International Edition, 2009;

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