BOOK REVIEW

MARKET DRIVEN MANAGEMENT-how to define, develop, and deliver customer value (2 nd edition), Wiley.

Frederick E. Webster, Jr. (2002), 308 pages.

This is an interesting book indeed. Frederick Webster is one of the foremost marketing academics of his time. A prolific writer on the marketing concept and the importance of systematic study of its application, he has produced a book of great analysis and application.

This is one of those rare occasions where an academic has written a popular management book that goes far beyond mere speculation and conjecture about the way marketing should work. He shows us how marketing should work by providing substantial empirical evidence. That means he has cited a number of studies which demonstrate the value of a market orientation and postulates how an organization assuming high degrees of market orientation outperforms its peers.

In addition, the topics covered in the book are not merely variations on a theme but are in fact quite innovative and distinct from most topics you find in popular management and marketing texts.

'For example, the chapters on marketing as process (chap. 3), strategic partnering and network organizations (chap. 6), and organizational culture and customer orientation (chap. 7) are both unusual for a book of this nature and practically insightful. In particular, chapter 3 offers an indepth look at the relationship between marketing and quality.

This book is one that should be on the shelf of any person who seriously wants to gain a deeper understanding of the marketing concept and its raison d'etre.