Trade Marketing as a Source of Competitive Advantage (Essay Sample)

Trade Marketing as a Source of Competitive Advantage
(Dissertation Methodology)
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
 
Trade Marketing as a Source of Competitive Advantage
(Dissertation Methodology)
4.1. Conceptual Model
The degree of a realized analytics technology with the synergy in a context of the trade marketing management ultimately depends on the merging of capabilities. First, is the ability to collect data, followed by the ability to derive knowledge from the information that has been collected and lastly, the extent of the usage of the analytics in trade marketing. Basing on the approach outlined in the in chapter two, a compatibility of the analytics with the organization usually influences the extent of a synergy that is realized from the analytical initiative. The compatibility is the concept that is aggregated, which mirrors the degree of fit between the analytics and every other complementary resources of the organization. On the different point, the compatibility that is low would result into time lag deployments of the analytical innovations that would impact negatively on the speed as well as on the costs of innovation. According to Davies (2010), it is worth to remember that trade can be defined as the discipline of marketing, which is related to the increasing the demand for the level of the distributor, the retailer or the wholesaler rather than at the level of the consumer. However, it is usually a fact that there is also a need to continue with the strategies of brand management so as to sustain the need at the end of the consumers (Barney & Hesterly, 2012). As such, the following hypotheses can be elucidated basing on this reasoning;
1. The more the capability of the trade marketing, the greater competitive advantage can be attained.
2. The lesser the compatibility between the trade marketing and the complementary resources, the lower the trade marketing capability.
More so, the complementary resources may also function as a barrier to the erosion of the achieved competitive advantage.
4.2. The Methodology of Research
4.2. 1. Motivation of the Mixed Approach
The study employees a couple of research methods: the approach of an explanatory case study and the approach of quantitative analysis that is conducted through a survey. The case study is employed to add some portion to the organizational knowledge that is related to phenomena, where the boundaries cannot be vividly defined, and the perspective is inappropriately developed as well. Additionally, the phenomena can only be viewed in the natural settings and hence, the evidence is gathered in the natural surroundings. Furthermore, a case study is a method that is recognized in the study of business. A survey data on the trade marketing practices was applied to attain the method triangulation that enhances generalizability and the validity of the study findings because robust source triangulation of evidence was impossible to hold. The case study, as well as the survey, was carried out in MTN Nigeria but there is no any risk that there was communication with the same respondents during the survey and the case studies (Goodluck, 2011).
Not all the findings of the case study can be statistically checked. Therefore, it is worth to note that one of the case study research critiques is that it offers a base for the scientific generalization. The case studies are generalizable to the theoretical propositions, but not to the population. The core objective of the case study is the analytical generalization rather than the statistical generalization (Kumar, 2005). As such, that was among the reasons carrying out an extensive literature research and identifying the propositions up front. 
4.3. The Case Study
The selection criteria for the case
The case aimed at the empirical investigation of trade marketing contribution to the attainment of the competitive advantage. Additionally, the barriers to the erosion of the achieved advantage are studied for each case as well. The cases were selected under the following criteria;
a. The company should be willing to take part in the research
b. The case must be in the industry of service
c. The firm must have presence in Nigeria
The components of case study design
The components that can be used in the design of the case study include the unit of analysis, the hypotheses/propositions and the research question. An organization is the core unit of analysis of the study. However, the technology also impacts on the processes of the business and as such, it is also considered. The impact of technology is also covered and its implications on the firm’s competitive advantage as well (Kotler & Armstrong, 2012). The research question was determined in the first chapter while the hypotheses stemmed from the analysis of the relevant theory. Additionally, the interview guide was developed to collect data. Although interviews provide sufficient data in just a short while, they are costly in terms of time and efforts required to analyze the results. The within-case analysis was conducted after gathering data so as to understand the context of every case distinctively as a standalone entity (Ketchen, 2006). The next step was the cross-case analysis that assists in determining the similarities and differences between cases so as to draw conclusions.
4.4. Quantitative Study
The survey is conducted to investigate the relationship between the trade marketing and the competitive advantage. However, Newman & Benz (2010) asserts that it is impossible to link the research framework to the survey data directly and such, it is essential to judge the quality of research validity and reliability, where validity is the extent to which the research mirrors the chosen research problem. On the other hand, reliability is the consistency of the set of measurements and in the survey; the internal consistency was measured by the alpha tests of Cronbach where the construct had a scale that was complex.
Statistical Methods
The factor analysis is applied to reduce the number of variables. The factor analysis is the technique to construct one or multiple new dimensions depending on the number of variables. The Principle Axis Factoring extracts shared variable variance to create a sole indicator while the Bartlett’s technique estimates the factor scores, whereas the Kaiser Criterion retains extracted factors (Roberts, 2013). Lastly, the regression analysis tests the hypothesis and as such, it aids to identify the extent to which the independent variable may determine the dependent variable.
4.5. Summary
In this chapter, the conceptual model was created as a result of the review of literature and two hypotheses were formulated;
1. The higher the capability for the trade marketing, the greater competitive advantage can be achieved.
2. The lesser the compatibility between trade marketing and the complementary resources, the lower the trade marketing capability.
A mixture of the quantitative and the qualitative analysis was selected to do the research because of the limitations of access and time. The internal validity was not high due to data source triangulation limitation and as such, the results need to be cautiously treated.
 
References
Barney, J., & Hesterly, W. (2012). Strategic management and the competitive advantage: The Concepts and cases (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Davies, G. (2010). Trade marketing strategy (3rd ed.). London: P. Chapman Pub.
Goodluck, N. (2011). The impact of the CRM on the Organizational Performance - a case study of the MTN Nigeria the link between the customer relationship management and the organizational performance. Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller.
Ketchen, D. (2006). Research methodology in strategy and management. Amsterdam: Elsevier JAI.
Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2012). Principles of marketing (14th ed.). Boston: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Kumar, R. (2005). Research methodology: The step-by-step guide for the beginners (2nd ed.). London: SAGE.
Newman, I., & Benz, C. (2010). Qualitative-quantitative research methodology is exploring the interactive continuum (3rd ed.). Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press.
Roberts, C. (2013). The dissertation journey: The practical and the comprehensive guide to the planning, writing, and defending your dissertation (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.