Globally Distributed R&D Work in a Marketing Management Support Systems (MMSS) Environment

Globalisation, liberalization and rapid technological developments have been changing business environments drastically in the recent decades. These trends are increasingly exposing businesses to market competition and thus intensifying competition. In such an environment, the role of marketing management support systems (MMSS) becomes exceedingly important for the long-term growth of an organisation’s marketing expertise and success. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of a globally distributed R&D project spanning three continents in developing an MMSS for the motion picture industry. We first provide the conceptual background of the MMSS and knowledge management systems relevant for our work. We then provide a detailed case study of our MMSS implementation. We specifically focus on the following elements of our work: globally distributed R&D efforts, knowledge elements, and fit between demand and supply sides of MMSS. We conclude with a discussion of implications for future research in this area.