The theory and practice of marketing planning in the smaller business

Amid an increasingly turbulent and competitive business environment, strategic marketing plann‐ing is typically referred to as the management discipline which enables the firm to improve its competitiveness by becoming more responsive and adaptable to changing market conditions. Most of the literature, however, deals with the application of strategic marketing planning as it relates to big business. By contrast, this article provides an understanding of how all the key principles can be applied in the smaller business, in the form of a practical framework for plan development. In addition, it features a case study showing how a small UK‐based computer company used the framework to develop its marketing plan.