Organizational processes for B2B services IMC data quality
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
ISSN: 0885-8624
Article publication date: 16 January 2014
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper is to investigate IMC metrics in the lens of an institution-wide change management process, and to do so, the authors develop and test an organizational data quality enhancement model.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative research was conducted, with a follow-on quantitative pre-test. A subsequent, larger-scale quantitative survey resulted in a total of 128 responses, 124 useable. A regression analysis was conducted using the factor scores of the six organizational dimensions as independent variables and overall data quality as the dependent variable.
Findings
The findings show that overcoming poor IMC data quality requires a corporate culture that reduces cross-functional and departmental divides. The authors also support the idea that horizontally organized learning organizations not only have superior IMC data, but they also achieve higher rates of return on their cross-platform IMC efforts.
Research limitations/implications
The research has limitations in terms of substantive generalizability, since it focuses on one industry within the USA. Future research can expand to other industries and expand to a global setting in order to replicate these findings.
Practical implications
Most improvement seems to be needed in the area of sharing customer data. The findings provide a signal to marketing organizations that want to connect with their customers that data quality must be a strategic priority, with appropriate processes in place to manage data at every touch point.
Originality/value
Research is needed that establishes effective methods for measuring the success of data-driven communication efforts to support management.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Marketing Science Institute, the Direct Marketing Policy Center at the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, for their financial support of the data collection phase of this research. Received 23 September 2011 Revised 5 October 2012 Accepted 11 October 2012
Citation
Zahay, D., Peltier, J., S. Krishen, A. and E. Schultz, D. (2014), "Organizational processes for B2B services IMC data quality", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 63-74. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-09-2011-0132
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited