Competitive marketing strategy development: a case study in the Indonesion steel industry

In modern organisational theory, four organisational levels can be identified: enterprise, corporate, business, and functional. The functional level includes marketing, manufacturing, finance and personnel.A company should develop strategies for each of these levels. Marketing is by its very nature concerned with the interaction between the company and the marketplace. Marketing strategy is the most important functional area strategy in beating competition. Targeting consumers should be at the centre of marketing strategy. The company identifies the total market, divides it into smaller segments, selects the most promising segments and focuses on serving them. It designs a marketing mix using mechanisms under its control: product, price, place and promotion. The company engages in marketing analysis, planning, implementation and control to find the best marketing mix and then to take action. The company uses these activities to enable it to watch and adapt to the marketing environment. Marketing strategy is increasingly becoming a necessity for any business venture because of the extremely volatile environment in which a business operates.The objective of this research is to investigate the need for changes in marketing strategy, specifically for the Indonesion steel industry following changes in the business environment. Based on this objective, it is central to the research to find out the main factors needed for developing an appropriate marketing strategy for Indonesian steel companies. The findings of the research will be of practical use for the steel industry in increasing its competitive edge in the marketplace.From a theoretical point of view, the findings are relevant for the development and adaptation of the marketing strategy model in a dynamic business environment. Though the case study is on three steel companies, it is reasonable to assume that the findings are applicable to Indonesia steel companies because a large part of the Indonesian flat steel products are effectively covered and they are players in the same market.In line with the objective, the following research questions were formulated:1. What are the changes in the business environment that will influence the marketing strategy of the steel companies?2. What are the current marketing strategies of Indonesian steel companies?3. What model can be used to analyse the marketing strategy development of Indonesian steel companies?4. What issues are relevant to the development of marketing strategies in Indonesian steel companies?