The Marketing Plan [antikvár]

Introduction After more than half a century of marketing theory and practice, marketing planning still remains one of the great, unconquered challenges. This challenge continues to grow as the environment in which organisations operate becomes increasingly hostile, abrasive and dynamic. Indeed there is one view which believes that it is this very turbulence which somehow makes planning a pointless exercise, for surely the world is moving on at too fast a pace to be planning for five, three, or even two years ahead. But against this view, there is a growing body of evidence to show that the difference between efficiency and effectiveness (or in planning terms, the difference between tactics and strategy) is becoming more, not less important. Today, successful chief executives are grasping the absolute necessity of understanding where their companies should be going, with this direction properly articulated in plans that identify and develop those things that make a company significantly and profitably different over time. It is not difficult to spot those organisations that have not adopted this strategic planning orientation. They reorganise with regular monotony, and more and more such firms are being taken over by more enterprising firms that have learned to drive using the strategic planning approach. Such marketing planning will never be easy Indeed, it grows more difficult by the day It is our most sincere hope that this book's unique approach to this complex subject will both aid understanding and at the same time encourage readers to delve deeper into the subject, for example by reading Marketing Plans: how to prepare them; how to use them (Heinemann 1984). We hope you find this book interesting, amusing and, above all, useful. Malcolm McDonald Peter Morris April 1987