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This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/02634509710184893. When citing the article, please cite: Kwaku Appiah-Adu, (1997), “Marketing in emerging countries: evidence from a liberalized economy”, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 15 Iss: 6, pp. 291 - 298.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how market leaders use marketing strategies to maintain strong performance in their respective sectors within different economic contexts in an emerging developing economy.

Case studies of three consistent, high performing market leaders based on the Ghana Club 100 rankings over the past decade are conducted. This involves structured interviews with chief executive officers (CEOs) and chief marketing officers (CMOs) of the organisations studied.

The findings indicate that irrespective of the country of origin of the firm, or the economic context in a developing country, effective marketing strategies can be used to enhance the performance of organisations in their respective sectors.

The approach used in this paper enables the authors to address the effectiveness of the marketing strategies across the past three decades covering the periods of pre-, during and post-economic reforms, and to examine the influence of different types of ownership (local, mixed foreign/local ownership and a multinational) on the execution of marketing strategies in a developing economy.

Research findings on emerging markets over the last decade indicate that economic reform policies in many developing countries have not only changed the environments of these economies, but also influenced the attitudes of firms towards the marketing concept. This study determines the degree to which marketing activities are practised in foreign and domestic firms in an emerging developing economy and the effects of such practices on business performance. The research instrument comprises five marketing activity components and six performance dimensions. Data were generated from a sample of 200 firms through a self‐administered mail survey. Results of the study reveal that foreign firms perform more marketing activities and perceive all marketing components as important determinants of performance in comparison with their domestic counterparts. To conclude, managerial implications of the findings as well as study limitations and future research directions are discussed.

The purpose of this exploratory empirical study was to examine the link between effective marketing practices and business performance in the financial services industry. Based on a multi‐item construct of marketing effectiveness, data were generated from 52 banks and building societies. The effects of different marketing effectiveness dimensions upon profitability and growth as well as customer‐based performance indicators were investigated. Our results suggest that organisational variables such as customer philosophy, operational efficiency, marketing information and integrated marketing organisation are generally, significantly and positively associated with business performance. To conclude, managerial implications of the findings, study limitations and future research directions are discussed.

This study examined the customer orientation ‐ performance link in small‐ and medium‐sized businesses and tested for the possible effects of innovation orientation, market dynamism and competitive intensity on the degree of customer orientation among these firms. Specific performance measures used were new product success, sales growth and return on investment (ROI). Based on constructs of these measures, a research scale was developed for the study and data were collected via a self‐administered mail survey among a UK samples of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). The results show a positive effect of customer orientation on SME performance. There are also findings on the varied influences of innovation orientation and the competitive environment on the levels of SME customer orientation. In the light of existing literature, implications of our findings for SME managers, the study’s limitations and future research directions are subsequently addressed.

Following a review of the current economic trends in emerging nations, discusses the importance of marketing within the macro and micro contexts of business environments in a typical liberalized economy. Provides a background to changes taking place within the market environments of emerging nations which have instituted policies to liberalize their economies, with a focus on Ghana, which has been hailed as a successful bright star of the developing world. In the context of developing countries, highlights the relevance of marketing and follows this by identifying a number of areas in which effective marketing strategies are gaining increased importance in Ghana’s evolving marketplace, and in this context, discusses case studies of three companies which have achieved superior performance as a result of improved marketing practices. Addresses the implications of the changing environment for business and marketing managers of both foreign and domestic firms.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of marketing in the economic growth and competitive strategies of Sub-Sahara African firms. It also seeks to offer a backdrop for the papers in the present volume of AJEMS.

It is based on a review of a selection of literature that highlights past and current perspectives of marketing’s contribution to economic growth and firm performance in developing economies.

The review suggests that trade liberalization in African countries since the 1980s has changed the competitive landscape of firms located in these countries and has compelled them to develop market-oriented strategies in order to enhance their performance. But the strategies adopted tend to target the growing middle income segments of the population in the urban areas and to ignore the poor.

It provides directions for future research into issues of inclusive marketing policies and strategies – i.e. strategies that embrace the bottom of the pyramid and transforms the production base of African economies.