TITLE : STRATEGIC MARKETING PROBLEMS: CASES AND COMMENTS. 7TH ED.

Decision making in marketing is first and foremost a skill. Like most . skills, it possesses tools and terminology. Like all skills, it is best learned through practice. This book is dedicated to the development of deci- sion-making skills in marketing. Textual material introduces concepts and tools useful in structuring and solving marketing problems. Case studies describing actual marketing problems provide an opportunity for those concepts and tools to be employed in practice. In every case study, the decision maker must develop a strategy consistent with the underlying factors existing in the situation presented and must consider the implications of that strategy for the organization and its environment.

The seventh edition of Strategic Mar/eeting Problems: Cases and Comments seeks a balance between marketing management content and process. The book consists of eleven chapters and forty-five cases.

Chapter 1,

"Foundations of Strategic Marketing Management," provides an overview of the strategic marketing management process. The principal emphasis is on defining an organization's business and purpose, identifying opportunities, formulating strategies, budgeting, controlling the marketing effort, and developing contingency plans.

Chapter 2,

"Financial Aspects of Marketing Management," reviews basic concepts of managerial accounting and managerial finance that are useful in marketing management. Primary emphasis is placed on such concepts as cost structure, relevant versus sunk costs, margins, contribution analysis, liquidity, operating leverage, and preparing pro forma income statements.

Chapter 3

"Marketing Decision Making and Case Analysis," introduces a systematic process for decision making and provides an overview of various aspects of case analysis. A sample case and written student analysis are presented in the appendix at the end of the book. The student analysis illustrates the nature and scope of a written case presentation, including the qualitative and quantitative analyses essential to a good presentation.

Chapter 4

"Opportunity Analysis and Market Targeting," focuses on the identification and evaluation of marketing opportunities. Market segmentation, market tar--geting, and market potential and profitability issues are considered in some depth.

Chapter 5

"Marketing Research," deals with the effective management of marketing information. Decisions involved in assessing the value of marketing information and managing the information acquisition process are highlighted.

Chapter 6

"Product and Service Strategy and Management" focuses on the management of the organization's offering. New-offering development, life cycle m. management, product or service positioning, branding, and product-service mix decisions are emphasized.

Chapter 7

"Marketing Communications Strategy and Management," raises issues in the design, execution, and evaluation of the communications mix. Decisions concerned with communications objectives, strategy, budgeting, programming, and effectiveness, as well as sales management are addressed.

Chapter 8

"Marketing Channel Strategy and Management," introduces a variety of considerations affecting channel selection and modification as well as trade relations. Specific decision areas covered include direct versus indirect distribution, dual distribution, cost-benefit analysis of channel choice and management and marketing channel conflict and coordination.

Chapter 9

"Pricing Strategy and Management," highlights concepts and applications in price determination and modification. Emphasis is placed on evaluating demand, cost, and competitive influences when selecting or modifying pricing strategies for products and services.

Chapter 10

"Marketing Strategy Reformulation: The Control Process," focuses on the appraisal of marketing actions for the purpose of developing reformulation and recovery strategies. Considerations and techniques applicable to strategic and operations control are introduced.

Chapter 11

"Comprehensive Marketing Programs," raises issues in developing integrated marketing strategies. Attention is directed to marketing strategy decisions for new and existing products and services.

The case selection in this book reflects a broad overview of contemporary marketing problems and applications. Seventy percent of the cases are dated in the 1990s. Of the forty-five cases included, thirty deal with consumer products and services, and fifteen have a business-to-business marketing orientation. Fourteen cases introduce marketing issues in the international arena. Marketing of services is addressed in seven cases, and four cases raise issues related to ethics and social responsibility in marketing. Sixty percent of the cases are new, revised, or updated for this edition, and many have spreadsheet applications embedded in the case analysis. All text and case material has been classroom-tested.

Computer-assisted programs and a student manual are available for use with seventeen of the cases in the book. The manual contains all the materials necessary to use spreadsheets. It includes a sample case demonstration, instructions for use with specific cases, and input and output forms. If this material is not available from your instructor or bookstore, please write to the publisher.

The efforts of many people are reflected here. First, we thank those institutions and individuals who have kindly granted us permission to include their cases in this edition. The cases contribute significantly to the overall quality of the book, and each individual is prominently acknowledged in the Contents and at the bottom of the page on which the case begins. We specifically wish to thank the Harvard Business School, The University of Western Ontario, INSEAD, and IMD for granting permission to reproduce cases authored by their faculty. Second, we wish to thank our numerous collaborators, whose efforts made the difference between good cases and_ excellent cases. Third, we thank the adopters of the previous six editions of the book for their many comments and recommendations for improvements. Their insights and attention to detail are, we hope, reflected here. Finally, we wish to thank the numerous reviewers of this and previous editions for their conscientious reviews of our material. Naturally, we bear full responsibility for any errors of omission and commission in the final product.

R.A.K. R.A.P.