The discipline of marketing draws heavily on viewpoints, concepts and methodologies which originate outside its field of study. As a relatively mature discipline it is now not only in the position to contribute to the development of emerging areas of study, but it can also gain from the new...

This article addresses the subject of how manufacturers of mature industrial products compete with each other and how they communicate with customers. Data collected in this research lends credibility to the hypothesis that within mature industrial products there are profound differences...

This article examines the use of customer service as a competitive weapon in industrial markets. The database consists of respondents from industrial firms throughout the United States. While the majority of respondents indicated a willingness to use the service option, only a few had an...

World competition is forcing organisations to re‐examine and refocus their operations and business strategies. It has been argued that price‐based competition has given way to quality‐based competition. Several management techniques such as quality circles and “zero‐defects” have...

With the single market almost upon us, and major areas of responsibility being passed to Brussels, the EC is becoming evermore involved in certain business areas. Somewhat inconsistently the Community is seeking to legislate for competition. The author argues that such a policy is bound to fail...

A knowledge of the rules of EC Competition is vital to those managers involved in businesses operating in the European Community. The regulations are far more encompassing than most managers suppose. Familiarity with the effects of Articles 85 and 86 will become increasingly relevant to the...

In this, the second edition, the experience of actually running a marketing planning process in organisations further updates and revises the highly practical emphasis. The need for vision, how to enunciate it, and the interface between various levels of managers are integrated specifically into...

Michael Porter′s work, has since it first appeared in 1980, been widely read by academics and students. Perhaps more significantly, Porter has become an academic whose ideas are read and used by executives. Recently Porter′s work has been criticised. This article reviews and discusses these...