Marketing [antikvár]

These are very exciting times for all of us. During recent years, we have seen the true arrival of the PC age and the World Wide Web, the steady global movement toward service- rather than production-driven economies, a growing understanding and interest in customer service and customer satisfaction, greater focus on consumer diversity in the marketplace, the emergence of free-market economies in Eastern Europe, business and government grappling with such ethical issues as the consumer's right to privacy, the impact of deregulation on society, and many similar events. The years ahead promise to be even more intriguing—as the European Union becomes more strongly unified; North American countries make their markets further accessible to one another,- opportunities in other foreign countries grow,- technological advances continue,- and we try to cope with slow-growth economies in various parts of the globe. As we prepare for the rest of this decade and beyond, a thorough understanding and appreciation of marketing becomes critical. We believe that a good marketing textbook must do several things in order to provide this critical understanding: It should incorporate both traditional and contemporary aspects of marketing, including the careful consideration of environmental factors,- address the roles of marketing and marketing managers,- and show the relevance of marketing for those who interact with or who are affected by marketing activities (such as consumers). We also believe that presentation is important: A textbook must describe marketing concepts to readers in an interesting, comprehensive, and balanced manner. As we indicate at the beginning of Chapter 1, marketing is truly "an exciting, fast-paced, and contemporary business discipline." Although the basic, or traditional, components of marketing (such as consumer behavior, marketing research and informations systems, and product, distribution, promotion, and price planning) form the foundation of any introductory-level marketing textbook, contemporary techniques and topics also need to be covered in depth. Among the contemporary topics that are examined in full chapter length in Marketing are strategic planning and marketing,- societal, ethical, and consumer issues,- global marketing,- final consumer demographics,- final consumer life-styles and decision making,- organizational consumers (including manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, government, and nonprofit institutions),- goods versus services marketing (including nonprofit marketing),- and integrating and analyzing the marketing plan. Environmental effects are noted throughout the book. Marketing explains all major principles, defines key terms, integrates topics, and demonstrates how marketers make everyday and long-run decisions. Examples based on such diverse organizations as Andersen Consulting, Black & Decker, BMW, British Airways, Coca-Cola, Hyatt, Kodak, Lands' End, MCI, Metropolitan Life, Perrier, Pizza Hut, Radio Shack, Swatch, Toyota, United Parcel Service (UPS), Visa, and Wrigley appear in each chapter. The illustrations build on the conceptual material, reveal the exciting and dynamic nature of marketing, cover a wide variety of firms, and involve students in real-life applications of marketing.