Marketing Improvement In The Developing World

The articles in this collection discuss the role of marketing in development, and include case studies from various developing countries. They consider state enterprises, marketing education, birth control and comparative marketing models.

Markets are increasingly seen as vehicles to solve problems in developing countries. For example, improvements in market performance make potentially important contributions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Access of smallholders to well-functioning markets is increasingly expected to contribute to poverty alleviation and improvement of both food security and environmental sustainability. This book presents the views of leading experts on where we stand and where we are heading in the field of markets, marketing and developing countries. Twenty essays in this book describe the role of marketing in achieving development goals, the track record of past market policies, the current functioning of value chains, the roles that market institutions play to facilitate market access for smallholders, as well as the potential to add value to farm produce through certification schemes, new technologies or innovation systems. The book is published in honour of the retirement of Aad van Tilburg, one of the pioneers in the field of marketing in developing countries. Early on in his career Van Tilburg recognised that improvements in the functioning of markets and marketing can be key to economic development with special reference to the livelihood of small producers and other market actors in developing countries.

The twin forces of ideological change and the technology revolution make globalization the single most important issue facing executives today. But many companies who have developed a presence in the global market now face the challenges inherent in creating a multinational presence with the demands of the "unglobal consumer" who does not have a "one size fits all" need. Here, HBS Professors John Quelch and Deshpande bring together 13 Harvard Business School professors to discuss these and other problems and benefits encountered by executives in global markets. Topics to be discussed include: operating costs of global advertising and marketing services, global product standards; managing global supply chains; global account management; global brands; global knowledge sharing and performance drivers; managing global customers; and social marketing for global economic development.

Also described for the reader is the unique advertising practice in Papua New Guinea known as workabaut, in which a drama troupe travels from village to village and performs live commercials.