Marketing Planning and Orientation Assignment

This assignment evaluates the market orientation and planning process of Wesfarmers. The checklist for market orientation and planning has been filled out and analyzed. The findings suggest that Wesfarmers is quite market-oriented, but the responsiveness to market intelligence is comparatively weak. The marketing plan of Wesfarmers has also been evaluated.

Running head: MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT.
MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 1
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Research aim....................................................................................................................................2
Interpretation of findings from Market Orientation Checklist........................................................2
Intelligence Generation...................................................................................................................3
Intelligence Dissemination...........................................................................................................4
Intelligence Responsiveness.........................................................................................................5
Interpretation of findings from Market Planning Checklist............................................................9
Discussion of the level of the company regarding marketing orientation.....................................16
Discussion of the level of the company regarding marketing planning process...........................17
Recommendations..........................................................................................................................17
Gaps in the research.......................................................................................................................18
Conclusion/ Implications...............................................................................................................18
References......................................................................................................................................19

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 2
Introduction
Business approaches or strategies, which is aimed at identifying and configuring the
hidden requirements or needs of the customers is commonly termed as the market orientation of
an organisation. The purpose of this study is to focus on the Market orientation and the planning
process of a particular organisation, to evaluate the understanding of the relevant concepts
involved in a business. Wesfarmers was chosen as the organisation for the assessment.
Wesfarmers is a conglomerate organisation with its headquarters in Perth, Australia. Wesfarmers
can be considered as one of the largest companies operating in Australia, which is worth $69
billion (Engelen, Gupta, Strenger & Brettel, 2015). Checklists for evaluating the organization's
market orientation as well market-planning process have been filled out, and a critique has been
provided in this regards.
Research aim
The primary goal or objective of this study is to identify the relevant processes involved
in the marketing as well as the market orientation of Wesfarmers. In addition to that, an
understanding is to be developed in this regards to evaluate and critique the activities and
processes involved in the organization’s marketing aspects.
Interpretation of findings from Market Orientation Checklist
The chosen organisation for this assignment is Wesfarmers. The Checklist presented
below depicts certain measures or aspects to be considered for the evaluation of the market

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 3
orientation of Wesfarmers. For instance, Intelligence Generation, Intelligence Dissemination,
Intelligence Responsiveness of the organisation have been critically analyzed to provide insight
into the overall market orientation of Wesfarmers.
Intelligence Generation
1. In our organisation, we meet with customers at least once a
year to find out what products or services they will need in the
future.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
2. In our organisation, we do a lot of in-house market
research.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
3. We rapidly detect changes in our customers’ product
preference
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
4. We survey end users at least once a year to assess the
quality of our products and services.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
5. We are quick to detect fundamental shifts in our industry
(e.g., competition, technology, regulation).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
6. We periodically review the likely effect of the changes in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 4
our business environment (e.g., regulation) on customers
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
Intelligence Dissemination
7. We have interdepartmental meetings at least once a quarter
to discuss market trends and developments.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
8. Marketing personnel in our organisation spend time
discussing customers’ future needs with other functional
departments.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
9. When something important happens to a major customer or
market, the whole of the organisation knows about it in a short
period.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
10. Data on customer satisfaction are disseminated at all levels
in this business unit on a regular basis.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
11. When one department finds out something important about
competitors, it is quick to alert other departments.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 5
Intelligence Responsiveness
12. It only takes us a short time to decide how to respond to
our competitors’ price changes.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
13. We hardly ever ignore changes in our customers’ product
or service needs.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
14. We periodically review our product development efforts to
ensure that they are in line with what customers want.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
15. Several departments get together periodically to plan a
response to changes taking place in our business environment.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
16. If a major competitor were to launch an intensive
campaign targeted at our customers, we would implement a
response immediately.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
17. The activities of the different departments in the
organisation are well co-ordinated.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 6
18. Customer complaints never fall on deaf ears here. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
19. If we came up with a great marketing plan, we probably
would be able to implement it in a timely fashion.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree
strongly
20. When we find that customers would like us to modify a
service the departments involved make concerted efforts to do
so.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree strongly
21. Overall, we are oriented to the market. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I disagree strongly I agree strongly
Therefore, after performing an overall assessment of Wesfarmers, it may be stated that
the organisation is quite market-oriented. Taking several articles and papers published by
scholars, one may evaluate the marketing capabilities of an organisation for marketing
excellence is a crucial component in the overall marketing performed by an organisation
(Moorman & Day, 2016). Figure 1 illustrates the firm performance concerning the market
organisation. The Marking approach has been depicted as well, which highlights the four
essential elements of marketing organisation (Frösén, Luoma, Jaakkola, Tikkanen & Aspara
2016). Furthermore, the Marking approach leads to the 7As or the Seven Market Activity Levers,
which finally leads to the determination of the performance of the firm (Moorman & Day, 2016).

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 7
Figure 1: Firm Performance and marketing organisation
(Source: Moorman & Day, 2016)
According to the studies presented by Kohli & Jaworski (1990), the implementation of
the concept of market orientation has been regarded as weak, considering an analysis of the
market for 35 years. Kohli & Jaworski (1990) had interviewed 62 managers for the research
paper. The customer orientation had been found consistent among all managers, regardless, the
understanding of market intelligence as a broader concept had not been established. Market
intelligence is subject to the exogenous market factors, which includes regulation and
competition among other factors (Wrenn, 2015). In addition to that, market orientation has been
identified as a concept, which is less politically charged, therefore, making the idea of market
orientation to be acceptable by non-marketing departments as well. Furthermore, it also focuses
on highlighting several paradigms in marketing and their respective limitations.
Furthermore, as stated by Kohli & Jaworski (1990), the explication of the market orientation
construct requires the identification and analysis of the essential components of market

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 8
orientation, namely intelligence generation, intelligence dissemination as well as the
responsiveness to the factors above. Similar context has been identified with regards to
Wesfarmers as well. The checklist attached in this context provides an insight into the three
aspects of market orientation of Wesfarmers. Ratings from 1 to 7 had been provided for each of
the questions presented in the checklist. For Intelligence generation, they are meeting with the
customers as well as detection of the preferences of the customers in undertaken (Caruana,
Ramaseshan & Ewing, 2015). Furthermore, it has been noted that Wesfarmers focuses on
conducting in-house surveys for detecting customer choices and requirements. Therefore, it may
be mentioned that Intelligence generation is handled carefully, receiving an average rating of 5.5
on the checklist.
In addition to that, the dissemination of intelligence in this regards has received an average score
of 4.6, indicating that though intelligence is gathered, it is often not adequately distributed
among the respective chains for market orientation. The data collected concerning customer
satisfaction is often not spread out to the entire organisation (Hattula, Schmitz, Schmidt &
Reinecke, 2015). Furthermore, it has been observed from the checklist that any relevant data
identified is not timely informed to other departments (Pelham, 2015). Therefore, information
with the marketing department remains with the respective department but reaches the customer
service department later. Therefore, it may be stated that adequate planning is required with
regards to the dissemination of the available information or data.
Lastly, the responsiveness in this regards is considered, which received an average score
of 4.72, thereby inferring that the response generated with regards to the information gathered
and disseminated is comparatively weak (Lee, Kim, Seo & Hight, 2015). An organisation like
Wesfarmers is held in high regards; however, the customer satisfaction rate is to be met with the

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 9
appropriate response from the company's behalf. Though an overall market orientation rating for
Wesfarmers has been mentioned as 6 out of 7, the responsiveness in the matter requires attention,
gaining an average of 4, in most of the questions on the checklist. It has been noted until the
intelligence gathered and disseminated is not customer or market-oriented; it cannot be regarded
as an effective measure for enhancing the satisfaction of the customers (Kohli & Jaworski,
1990).
Interpretation of findings from Market Planning Checklist
Market planning is a vital aspect of comprehending the value of marketing for an
organisation. Wesfarmers is the organisation considered in this regards as well. The checklist
highlights the various aspects to be taken into account for analyzing the marketing content of
Wesfarmers (Uslay & Sheth, 2015). It may be mentioned in this context that the evaluation of the
marketing plan undertaken for Wesfarmers involves several aspects such as analyzing the
importance of a written marketing plan produced to the senior management of the organisation.
Furthermore, whether the marketing plan is discussed and input from the managers is encouraged
is integrated into the checklist as well.
Company: Wesfarmers Completed By:
The Part of Marketing Planning on which we are focusing:
Questions About Your Marketing 1 2 3 4 5
Completely Completely
False True

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 10
1. We produce a written Marketing Plan
2. Our Marketing Plan is produced annually
3. Marketing Planning activity is part of the
formal planning system in the company
4. Our Marketing Plan starts with written objectives
5. Our Marketing Planning involves an audit of the
company’s strengths and weaknesses
6. Our Marketing Planning involves an audit of the
opportunities and threats we face in the environment
7. Our Marketing Plan covers 3 to 5 years, not just the next
12 months
8. Our Marketing Plan includes the plan for all
elements of marketing, i.e. Products, Prices,
Distribution and Communications; operations
and sourcing; and personnel and financial
requirements
9. Our Marketing Plan includes far more than just sales
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 11
targets and cost budgets
10. Our Marketing Plan includes financial estimates
(revenue, cost, and profits) of the outcomes of our strategies
11. Our Marketing Plan is presented to top management
12. Our Marketing Plan involves substantial inputs from other
functional departments – finance, production, personnel, etc
13. Our Marketing Planning involves all senior managers in our
marketing/sales organisation
14. Our Marketing Planning uses experience and
knowledge from our marketing/sales organisation
15. We give Marketing Planning adequate time & resources
16. Good management performance in Marketing Planning
earns the same rewards as good operational performance
17. Marketing Planning is certainly not seen by managers
as a meaningless ritual
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 12
18. In our Marketing planning managers are rarely
uncomfortable or ineffective in thinking and planning about the long-
term future
19. It would be unusual for our Marketing Planning to
become just a struggle for resources - budget, headcount, and
so on
20. Managers are committed to Marketing Planning and
could not be said to just "go through the motions."
21. Our Marketing Planning details responsibilities and
the timing of actions to be taken
22. Our Marketing plan is the basis of the allocation of
resources throughout the period it covers
23. Our Marketing Plan provides the basis for evaluation
and control
24. Our Marketing Plan could never be said just to sit on
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 13
the shelf unloved and unread – because it is constantly
in use
25. Our Marketing Plan is seen as one of the most valuable
documents we have in the company 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 14
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 15
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
The marketing plan of Wesfarmers is considered as one of the most important documents in
the organisation. Furthermore, the marketing plan developed is designed for a certain period. It

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 16
may be mentioned in this regards that the score derived for all of the questions had to be rated on
125 as the total score. Wesfarmers received an average score of 83 out of 125 upon a thorough
analysis of the practices prevalent in the organisation. It is to be mentioned in this regards, the
allocation of the resources is covered in the marketing plan along with a detailed outline of the
period to be covered with the marketing plan. However, the overall execution of the plan is
regarded as insufficient as the formal objectives are in a written format. However, most of the
construction of the marketing plan is done efficiently as a draft format, leading to a lower rating
for the checklist (Tseng & Liao, 2015).
However, the overall organization of the marketing plan seems inadequate as a result of the
rating obtained. It has been observed that though the organisation plans for a longer period,
marketing ideas are often known to become obsolete over a shorter period (Sayil, Donmaz,
Simsek & Akyol, 2016). Hence, the modifications and consideration of newer ideas may prove
beneficial for Wesfarmers. It may be mentioned in this regards that the resources and the
allocation for the resources are done during the development of the marketing plan for
Wesfarmers. However, with the change in the requirements or the needs of the customers, the
marketing plan is to change, which results in the average score of 3 out of 5 for most of the
aspects of marketing considered in the checklist.

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 17
Figure 2: Marketing Productivity chain
(Source: Hanssens & Pauwels, 2016)
In addition to that, it is to be stated in this context that each of the marketing actions is known to
be responsible for a particular respective outcome. For instance, the tactical actions such as
advertising or improvements were undertaken with regards to service and so on, can be attributed
as the result of the several strategies implemented by the firm (Qu & Zhang, 2015). The
strategies may include product strategy, strategies for promotion and more. However, the impact
of the strategies to be implemented have been found to be evident on the marketing assets,
thereby influencing the market position of the firm, through the impact on market shares and so

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 18
on. It may also be stated in this regards that the financial position as well as the value of the firm,
Wesfarmers is affected as a result. Figure 2 represents the chain of marketing productivity. The
overall relationship between the marketing actions and the net impact it has on the firm has been
illustrated in Figure 2.
It may be mentioned in this context that the impact of the marketing activities undertaken
by the firm becomes evident through the impact on the customers, which further influences the
impact on the market, which in turn motivates the market position of the firm. The market impact
is also to be considered responsible for the financial impact, which is noted through the ROI as
well as EVA. In addition to that, impact on the firm value is channelized through the financial
impact. Wesfarmers follows such a marketing channel, which highlights the productivity chain.
However, it may be taken into account that the average ratings have been observed to be poor to
mediocre, which is strongly attributed to the insufficient effort on behalf of the marketing team
(Paladino, Widing & Whitwell, 2015). Proper planning with the scope of adequate
implementation is to be considered in this regards as well. It becomes evident that a budget and
resource allocation is not the only aspects to be taken into account for drafting an adequate and
appropriate marketing plan.
Discussion of the level of the company regarding marketing orientation
The level of the company is ascertained through the rating achieved as per the checklists. Though
Wesfarmers is regarded as one of the largest companies operating in Australia, the checklist aids in
determining the level of the company with regards to the orientation of the company with the market.
This can further be evaluated through the observations of customer satisfaction. It is to be noted that a
satisfied customer signifies better catering and understanding of the requirements of the customer

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 19
(Ozkaya et al., 2015). However, there are several aspects to be taken into consideration as well. For
instance, one may mention that the information or data collected with regards to the level of customer
satisfaction may prove the interests of the organisation. However, the dissemination of the information
also plays a vital part in the determination of the marketing orientation of the firm. It has been noted in
this context that Wesfarmers deploys the best interest regarding the collection or generation of the data.
However, the scattering of the information has been identified as a concern for the organisation.
Furthermore, it is to be noted that the responsiveness of Wesfarmers regarding customer satisfaction has
been adequate but not overwhelming. It is essential for a company, the size and reputation of Wesfarmers
to have a significant grasp over the markets in Australia. Therefore, the level of the Wesfarmers can be
ascertained as a Corporate leader in the market. Despite the identified concern regarding the market
orientation of Wesfarmers, the company has been noted to have a significant impact on the market,
which thereby affects the growth and development of the organisation as well.
Discussion of the level of the company regarding the marketing planning
process
Considering the marketing planning process of Wesfarmers, it is to be mentioned that despite the
average annual growth or the market dividend growth of approximately 12.60% per annum, Wesfarmers
demonstrates a lack of serious, thorough planning (Day, 2018). The market plan developed by
Wesfarmers involves planning for a long time, along with the allocation of the resources and the budget
constraints for the projects. Though the planning for the resource, time frame as well as the overall
budget may be beneficial for the organisation, it is to be noted that the need or requirements of the
customers are ever-changing, which needs to be addressed at all times, in order to maintain a market
reputation (Baker & Sinkula, 2015). In addition to that, it may be stated that the drafting of the initial

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 20
objectives for the market plan can be ascertained as a flaw on behalf of Wesfarmers. Taking the market
plan of Wesfarmers into account, it becomes evident that the organisation is a functional one. It is to be
noted that the market plan is regarded as just functional, since planning for a prolonged period may result
in the plan becoming obsolete as a result of the changing requirements of the clients.
Recommendations
It is to be noted that after performing a thorough analysis of the checklists provided for
the assessment of the market orientation as well as the market planning of Wesfarmers, the
organisation requires to focus on the responsiveness to the customer requirement and satisfaction
information obtained. Furthermore, focusing on the dissemination of the intelligence gathered
through several sources may yield beneficial results for Wesfarmers. In addition to that,
following up on a thorough, detailed marketing plan can be undertaken by Wesfarmers as well.
The marketing plan has been found to be one of the weak spots of Wesfarmers, despite a
flourishing business. It may be stated in this regards that the role of a proper draft for the
objectives for the marketing, as well as the allocation of budget and resources, are to be well-
maintained (Selmi & Chaney, 2018). Additionally, it is to be noted that the revival and revision
of marketing plans are to be undertaken after regular and frequent intervals of time.
Gaps in the research
The gaps identified in this regards can be attributed to the better segregation of the
checklist for the marketing plan of Wesfarmers. It may also be noted that the checklist rubric for
the marketing plan could have been categorised as per the aspects or components involved in the
marketing of the organisation.

MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 21
Conclusion/ Implications
This study focuses on the several aspects of market orientation as well as market planning
of an organisation. The operations of Wesfarmers have been taken into consideration for the
completion of this paper. The checklists filled out to evaluate the performance of the firm with
regards to market orientation had been categorised as per the three crucial elements of market
orientation namely, intelligence gathering, intelligence dissemination and responsiveness to the
customer satisfaction data. Wesfarmers has also been analysed regarding the market plan which
it follows. The gaps in the research have been identified as the insufficient identification of the
components of marketing for the checklist. Additionally, it has been recommended that
Wesfarmers focuses more on the responsiveness as well as intelligence dissemination and the
market plan to undertake a better position in the market, considering market excellence as a vital
part for its success.
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MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 22
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MARKETING PLANNING AND ORIENTATION ASSIGNMENT 24
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