FACTORS AFFECTING THE COMPETITIVE PROCESS IN THE ACQUISITION OF MAJOR WEAPON SYSTEMS (DEFENSE, MARKETING)

This dissertation examines the competitive process in the defense market to determine what factors beyond the government's specified formal selection criteria, are significant in winning or losing. The principal focus is on the market segment concerned with the development and production of major weapon systems.;A computer based literature survey was performed which encompassed marketing theory, defense marketing, competitive procurement, and defense industry statistics. The marketing theory literature failed to provide an adequate theoretical basis for the dissertation's hypotheses. They are, therefore, empirical, and reflect the experience and observations of highly successful practitioners in the defense community.;Quantitative methods were employed to test the validity of each hypothesis. Data pertaining to all ten hypotheses was acquired via a questionnaire mailed to 250 industry and government candidate respondents. Interviews with selected respondents were used to augment the survey data base.;Various descriptive and inferential statistics were employed as the bases for acceptance or rejection of the hypotheses. They included frequency distributions, correlation matrices, multiple regressions, and Chi-Square tests. Based on the statistical results of the survey data, six hypotheses were accepted, two were conditionally accepted, and one was rejected. The findings pertaining to the remaining one were indeterminant.;The formal source selection process employed by the Department of Defense for competitive acquisitions is described first. Next, ten hypotheses are presented pertaining to factors that are alleged to impact the formal source selection process. These hypotheses were derived from the defense marketing and competitive procurement literature, and from the author's personal experience in this field.;Results of the survey and of the interviews are integrated in a discussion concerning the competitive significance of each hypothesis.;The conclusion of the dissertation summarizes the findings of greatest competitive significance. They are synthesized into a set of eight principles of successful competitive behavior.;The author contends these principles are essential "tools of the trade" for consistent winners in the defense marketplace. He argues that, properly applied, they provide the firm a competitive advantage of overwhelming proportion.