Presentation and Validation of Strategic Marketing Model in Major Steel Companies

Marketing plays an important role in determining the strategic goals and the outcomes of the company's performance. Regarding the importance of the steel industry as the second non-oil export industry in the country, this study tries to identify, categorize and model the affecting factors on marketing in the major steel companies by using the qualitative research method. According to 30 interviews with experts in the steel industry in the year 1396 AH, 16 major categories were identified based on the Paradigmatic Model of grounded theory that have been structured in the form of six dimensions. Strategic management as the causal conditions, corporate social responsibility, market orientation and internal marketing as intervening conditions, appropriate investment as the underlying condition were identified. Territory, supply chain management, logistics and transportation, appropriate scale of production, production technology, proper interaction with customers, productivity, price, and product as the interactive dimensions have been identified. Strategic marketing as ‘central phenomenon’, and the performance and brand equity as ‘consequent dimensional’ have also been identified. In the quantitative section, the obtained model by the distribution of 384 questionnaires, was tested by structural equation modeling and the position of the variables was tested by t-test. The results showed that position of the variables of the strategic management, territory, supply chain management, investment, corporate social responsibility, logistics and internal marketing are not suitable. Also, in ranking of affecting factors on strategic marketing, it was specified that strategic management, market orientation and product quality are the most important factors.