Abstract:
The basis of this study is an examination of the. market
structure and marketing practices of the'Libyan food manufac-
turing industry. Although marketing literature about this
part of the world is almost non-existent, the researcher nude a
considerable effort to obtain relevant information from various
sources available in order to form a comprehensive background
against which marketing practices of different marketing in-
stitutions could be analysed.
Certain environmental factors were examined and proved to
have major influence in shaping the structure of the Libyan
.
market. Consequently, marketing practices differed from one
sub-market to another, i. e. it was found that the physical
structure of the country divided the national market into rela-
tively small sub-markets which in turn favoured an industrial
structure consisting of small units. Accordingly, the levels
of production operations of the Libyan food manufacturers are
relatively low and their related marketing practices are less
than sophisticated.
Despite the fact that Libya became one of the major oil
producing countries as from the early 1960s, it was found that
the availability of capital is not a single answer to the
question of rapid economic and social development. Other
factors such as lack of managerial talents, high illiteracy
rates, low levels of technological know-how, along with other
factors within the socio-psychological set-up of the country,
proved to be decisive factors frustrating rapid industrialisation.
It was concluded that certain marketing conditions have to
be created, some of which within firms and others within the
marketing environment. Without such improvements,
-the
Libyan
food manufacturers are heading towards a situation where the
marketing sector of the economy will be out of phase with in-
dustrialisation.
