Marketing: A Guide to the Fundamentals

Even though organisations have become increasingly marketing-focused in their approach, it is still one of the most misunderstood areas of business. Philip Kotler, an American marketing guru, defines it as 'the business function that identifies current unfulfilled needs and wants, defines and measures their magnitude, determines which targets the organisation can best serve and decides on appropriate products, services and programmes to serve these markets. Thus marketing serves as the link between a society's needs and its pattern of industrial response.' The late Peter Drucker, a leading management thinker, was content to say simply: 'Marketing is looking at business through the customer's eyes'.

This new guide clarifies exactly what marketing is and how it works and explains the techniques involved. For anyone who wants to understand the marketing mix, the factors involved in pricing policy, the different methods of market research, indeed the whole business of marketing, this guide to the fundamentals will be invaluable.