Abstract:
While marketing information use is often cited as a critical facet of decision-making and a key
denominator of competitive firms, little empirical evidence currently exists on its relationship
with organizational performance. This study addresses this gap by examining the mediating
role that marketing planning plays in the information use-performance relationship. A
structured questionnaire was administered to New Zealand manufacturers, and 253 useable
mail responses were obtained. Measures were tested using exploratory and confirmatory
factor analyses, and hypotheses were tested via moderated hierarchical regression. Findings
indicate that instrumentallconceptual use of information and interfunctional coordination are
positively related to marketing planning effectiveness, while the latter is negatively related to
symbolic use of information. In turn, marketing planning effectiveness was found to be
positively linked to organizational performance. Conclusions are drawn and future research
avenues proposed.
