Strategic marketing planning: a grounded investigation

Using grounded theory, the authors present an inductive model of strategic marketing planning (SMP) which extends the domain of the marketing planning literature. Based on a field investigation of four large organisations drawn from a single industry using a multiple‐case design, the authors present findings using the views and perspectives of those involved in SMP development and implementation, and identify and group relevant variables into seven major themes or “core categories” that characterise the SMP process. The authors integrate a broad literature search, both within and without of marketing, with the exploratory research results, to develop a grounded theoretical description of multiple layered factors that characterise a SMP process. This grounded “picture” supports the innovative work of Piercy and Morgan, and Greenley and Oktemgil who advocate a broader domain of SMP. We suggest that extending practitioners’ understanding of the nature of these inter‐related factors may lead to better insights of how a SMP process can be managed more effectively.