Literature reveals that the influence of Marketing on firm performance, especially on the bottom line, has been extensively explored, mainly from a resource-based view (RBV) perspective (Hooley et al. 2005; Fine 2009; Nath, Nachiappan & Ramanathan 2010). It seems natural to estimate that Marketing (no matter its forms: Market Research, Marketing mix etc.), as long as it generates sales, impacts in a positive manner the bottom line.
In late 1960s, Ford was facing increasing competition from domestic carmakers and Japanese imports.
Mandate
In June 1967 Ford started planning a new model that would outdo the competition. Lee Iaccoca, Vice-President and head of production at the time championed the project that was meant to deliver what was nicknamed “Lee’s car”. lee formulated a set of performance indicators with specific targets to define the parameters of the new product: “The Pinto was not to weigh an ounce over 2,000 pounds and not cost a cent over $2,000” (Dowie, 1977).
Performance measurement and reporting for control is not the sole purpose of tracking results against targets. One of its very important dimensions is that of enhancing accountability towards stakeholders; in private-owned organizations, reporting is directed mostly to shareholders and managers, whereas in governmental institutions, communication is directed towards the entire community served.
Since its launch on a Windows platform in 1987, Microsoft Excel has gradually become omnipresent on business desktop environments. It is widely used in businesses of all sizes for data management, analysis and reporting. In a way, it can be considered the first Business Intelligence (BI) software product mass marketed.
Almost since its launch, Excel’s position in the market has been challenged by various products with advanced data integration and analysis functionality. Together, they formed the basis of the today’s BI market, by going through several successive phases:
1987-1996 Formation – initial product launches
1996-2005 Growth – product maturity and market formation
2005-2010 Consolidation – by various mergers and acquisitions involving the major software producers in the world.
A useful resource for assessing the market of Business Intelligence (BI) Platforms is The 2010 Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence Platforms, released on 29 January 2010, by Gartner. The report provides a comprehensive evaluation of the main software vendors for the BI platforms, as well as defining the BI market and its trends. An eagerly expected publication in BI circles, this year’s report was authored by four Gartner analysts: Rita L. Sallam (ex Oracle), Bill Hostmann (ex IBM – Informix), James Richardson (ex Hyperion, now Oracle) and Andreas Bitterer (ex IBM).
