Key Features and Changes

In this version of our text, we have made a number of substantial changes, as well as revising some of the features from the second edition of Marketing: Principles and Perspectives.  Each chapter has been revised to include the most current marketing thought and practice.  New and updated examples, cases, and chapter openings have been incorporated into what we believe is a very up-to-date presentation. 

 

The major features and changes include the following:

 

The text begins with an exciting prologue that tells the marketing story of America Online, one of the most innovative marketers heading into the 21^st century.  The brief introduction provides a description of marketing practice at a well-known company of interest to students that will get them enthused about the study of marketing.  A new America Online video segment accompanies the Prologue.  This in depth examination of a leading-edge company created an exciting introduction to the principles of marketing.  

 

E-Commerce

In our previous editions, the authors have emphasized the role of technology as a source of new products and as a means of enhancing marketing practices.  In the last edition, at a time when marketing on the Internet was in its infancy, we included Web pages as part of each chapter opener and Web exercises for each chapter.  In addition, we discussed the role of technology in marketing throughout the text.  In the current edition, we continue to offer these features and have added a complete chapter on electronic commerce (Chapter 21).  In this new chapter, we discuss the primary e-commerce business models, key marketing issues in e-commerce, and provide in-depth coverage of ethical and legal issues in the electronic arena.  Still in its formative years, e-commerce and the more comprehensive practice of e-business are often treated as if they are distinct from other business activities.  However, e-commerce is fast becoming a crucial part of the very fabric of business, not a separate activity conducted only by Internet-based companies.  This edition recognizes the growing importance of e-commerce throughout the book, and underscores its importance with an addition chapter on this topic. 

 

Marketing Perspectives

In this edition, we continue to integrate seven perspectives that are critical to effective marketing practice, which are discussed within the text where appropriate.  These key perspectives are: global, relationship, ethics, customer value, productivity, technology, and entrepreneurship.  They are integrated throughout the text by direct discussion, examples, photos, and ads.  Student exercises, boxed inserts, and cases address these timely themes as well.  Briefly, the perspectives can be summarized as follows: 

 

Global—A global perspective includes searching for marketing opportunities around the world, competing effectively against international competitors, and working with multicultural suppliers, employees, channel partners, and customers. 

Relationship—A relationship perspective consists of building partnerships with firms outside the organization, encouraging teamwork among different functions within the organization, and developing long-term customer relationships.

Ethics—The ethics perspective stresses the importance of incorporating moral and social responsibility issues, including ecological concerns, within marketing decision making.

Customer Value—A customer value perspective means constantly looking for ways to give customers “more for less,” often by continually striving to improve product and service quality.

Productivity—The productivity perspective focuses attention on improving the management of marketing resources for optimum results. 

Technology—The technology perspective encourages marketers to incorporate the latest technological advances to both improve marketing practice and the development of new products. 

Entrepreneurship—The entrepreneurship perspective encourages marketers to emphasize creativity, innovation, and risk-taking in their marketing efforts. 

 

An Emphasis on Student Learning

We see important trends emerging in marketing education.  For one thing, teaching is receiving more emphasis at most colleges and universities—but not teaching as traditionally viewed and practiced.  It really does not matter what we teach, if students do not learn.   And student learning is viewed differently, too.  Learning is not just the recall of facts by passive students, but the understanding of concepts and the ability to apply them appropriately.  Such learning requires the active participation of students.

 

The complete package for Marketing Principles & Perspectives, third edition, is oriented toward student learning; and the text and the teaching resource materials are designed to complement each other toward that end.  In keeping with our philosophy that students should be able to understand the text largely from their own reading and study, we write in a lively, interesting, informal manner to capture their attention and interest. Major concepts are presented clearly and simply in a way that students can understand.  Encouraged by our reviewing panels, we did not include everything we know about every topic, but only what we believe students at this level need to know.  We streamlined the discussion of concepts and then reinforced them with interesting examples and exciting visuals, and incorporated a number of learning tools to facilitate the learning process.  The pedagogical features emphasize our student-focused learning approach: 

 

HOME PAGE CHAPTER OPENERS   Every chapter opens with an actual home page and discussion of how that site is being used to market the company or organization that created it.  Companies represented include eBay, Pfizer, Information Resources Incorporated, British Airways, and Dell Computer Corporation, to name a few.  The book’s home page will include a hot link to all of the web sites mentioned in the text, including the chapter openers.

 

THINKING CRITICALLY  Two critical thinking questions are included within each chapter to help emphasize the importance of effective decision-making.  Each question relates to one of the concepts within the chapter and is constructed to encourage the student to think critically about a complex issue.  The decision-making scenarios presented here are drawn from both real and theoretical companies. 

 

SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE  This edition also includes comments about marketing from business professionals.  WE highlight on such person in each chapter and include three comments on key issues  discussed in that chapter.  By inclusion of these Speaking from Experience remarks, practitioners help bring to life the text material and add additional depth of explanation.   The marketers included represent a range of large and small companies from a variety of industries.  Example companies include: Bank of America, Ralston-Purina, The Pampered Chef, Prudential Life, Brown-Forman, and Doe-Anderson Advertising.  Interestingly, the positions represented by these marketers include both senior individuals and young professionals in the early years of their careers.  Consequently, students should be better able to identify and understand the varied opportunities available in marketing and how important marketing can be to professionals in other functional areas of business.   

 

USING THE WWW IN MARKETING  Internet exercises are found at the end of each chapter.  These questions require the student to consider how the Internet can be used to address marketing concepts or decision.  In addition, you can visit our home page where additional marketing examples and up-to-the-minute information will be posted.

 

Other Student Features

 

All chapters in the third edition have been formatted so that each pedagogical feature contributes to student learning by supporting the text material, including the principles and concepts covered in the chapter. 

 

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES  Every chapter begins with several learning guides to help students focus attention on major concepts in reading and studying the chapter.  At the end of each chapter, the summary is organized around the introductory learning objectives. 

 

BOXED INSERTS  Each chapter contains two boxed inserts designed to provide current examples of three important topics: Earning Customer Loyalty, Being Entreprenuerial, and Using Technology. 

 

EXHIBITS AND PHOTOS  The visual aspects of each chapter were designed to increase student learning.  The exhibits, photos, and ads visually enhance and expand upon the chapter discussion.

 

UNDERSTANDING MARKETING TERMS AND CONCEPTS  The most important terms and concepts are in boldface and defined when first introduced.  Each boldface term is listed at the end of each chapter with the page number where it is defines.  A glossary of terms and definitions is also included at the back of the text.  

 

THINKING ABOUT MARKETING  Ten review and discussion questions also are included at the end of each chapter.  These questions reinforce the decision-making aspects of the text by including both critical thinking questions and recall of the most important material covered in the chapter. 

 

APPLYING MARKETING SKILLS  Every chapter includes three application exercises.  These exercises can be sued as either homework assignments or as in-class discussion topics.  The exercises provide varied and interesting ways for students to apply what they have read or are covering in class. 

 

MAKING MARKETING DECISIONS  All chapters conclude with two cases representing well known companies and current situations.  At least one of each pair is global in orientation.  Questions are included to encourage students to make decisions regarding the current activities of each company.  A mix of both consumer and business-to-business cases, multinational firms and small business, service and retail situations reflect the current diversity of the business world.