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  • July 1989
  • Background Note
  • HBS Case Collection

What Is Marketing?

  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:18
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Abstract

An introductory note for MBA students on the nature of marketing and topics encountered in its study. Defines the topic then breaks marketing into two major conceptual pieces--the tools, tasks and variables of the marketer, and the marketing process. In the tools piece, promotion (advertising and selling primarily), pricing, distribution, and product policy are considered. In the processes one, situation analysis, strategy formulation, planning, organizing, budgeting, marketing implementation, and marketing performance analysis are introduced. The intent is to give the beginning MBA student an overview of both the discipline and the major topics involved in its study. The organization proposed captures in large measure the design of the First Year Marketing course at the Harvard Business School as well as the organization of the book Marketing Management by the authors of this note.

Keywords

Marketing

Citation

Bonoma, Thomas V., and Thomas J. Kosnik. "What Is Marketing?" Harvard Business School Background Note 590-007, July 1989.
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