TITLE:
The Impacts of Industry 4.0 on Marketing Activities and Strategies of Iron and Steel Industry in Developing Countries: Case for Uganda
AUTHORS:
Alfred Ocheng Komakech, Jiaguo Liu, Alfred Omo, Emmanuel Afanga Archelaus Basua
KEYWORDS:
Uganda Steel Industry, Industry 4.0, Marketing Strategy and Activities, Technological Development, Marketing Mix, Internet Technology
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.9 No.5,
May
26,
2021
ABSTRACT: The iron and steel industry is one of the main contributors to the total
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of most developing countries in Africa and is key
for both domestic and global markets. The holistic approach to Industry 4.0
needs a wider look at the transition taking place in the area of marketing. The
paper aims at investigating the impacts of Industry 4.0 on marketing activities
and strategies of iron and steel companies in developing countries by
identifying which consideration factors are relevant when adopting industry 4.0
in relation to the cost of doing business, then propose strategies and possible
solutions that could be considered. A research by survey method through
distributes descriptive and deductive approach to collect primary data in questionnaire
format. The results show statistical evidence to explain impact of industry 4.0
on marketing activities and strategies such as; effects of rapidly evolving
technological capabilities, product quality, quantity, and raw material,
increased supply chain and channel strategy, value addition, organizational
realignments to integrate physical and digital technologies, positioning in the
market, pipeline management, illicit trade practices, skills gap, research and
innovation, website foundation, technology stack, content strategy, lead
generation, pipeline management, and data analysis (analytic tools). Steel
companies should adopt new technologies to improve productivity and
standardization, and call for enhancement of regulatory mechanisms to remove incentives
for illicit trade practices such as tax evasion, falsification and substandard
products.