Optimization-Maximization of Marketing Information Systems in Small and Medium Enterprises: A Linear Programming Approach

Small and medium enterprises (SME’s) adopt software in the marketing area like sales, distribution, warehousing, customer relationship, marketing research, customer service, communications, strategic marketing planning and other areas. The implementation process followed is a need based hierarchy system. SME’s fail to foresee the need for an integrated application development which can maximize the investment returns and can bring down the load on key resources like cost and time. The objective of the study is to throw light on most important factors of MkIS adoption among SME’s and also develop a model for optimization-maximization of investment using linear programming. It was found that confidence on IT, topmanagement commitment; management expectations on returns, strategic advantage and creation of effective marketing platform will influence adoption of integrated IT. The model segments the integrated application into independent domain areas for which company specific or industry specific weightages can be allocated and the best possible investment combination can be derived for an integrated application environment. This model is a reference for managers who are on the decisive mode to invest on integrated functional software in marketing or general.