Global strategic marketing Planning has become increasingly important with
the advent of worldwide competition and the growing rapidity of change in t
he international marketplace. In this article, research and commentaries fr
om the strategic management and international marketing planning literature
s are brought together in a model examining what factors influence global s
trategic marketing planning formality, and whether competitive and organiza
tional benefits accrue from the process. Responses from 90 multinational co
rporations were subjected to a LISREL analysis. Corporate culture, supply c
hain elements foreign regulations and competition were identified as key de
terminants of planning formality. Considerable non-financial benefits also
accrue as planning formality increases.