Lewie to launch book on ‘Strategic Marketing for Sri Lankan Businesses’
Monday, 8 July 2013 00:03
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The book ‘Strategic Marketing’ authored by Lewie Diasz attempts to make a powerful case for marketers and marketing as a role in driving Sri Lankan entities towards success by establishing it on a sound intellectual basis.
It is the first-of-its-kind in Sri Lanka, where theories are contextualised and explained using Sri Lankan corporations whilst simplifying complex management theory. The book signing ceremony and launch of ‘Marketing Strategies for Sri Lankan Business Entities’ by Diasz will be held on 10 July at 6 p.m. at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo 7. Please call Strategy College on 489122/0727599282 to reserve your seat.
Following are excerpts on an interview with Diasz:
Q: What’s the contribution of this management book?
A: This book aims at emphasising marketing’s contribution to long-term shareholder value creation, which is a critical discussion today. For marketing professionals the book provides a practical introduction as to how strategic marketing can lead to an organisations sustainable competitive advantage. Students who use this book can benefit from the thought provoking, insightful Sri Lankan case studies and attempt to peruse theory when answering the questions at the end of the chapter.
Many senior managers have noticed a paradox in how firms perceive marketing and every chief executive’s mission statement puts marketing at the very top of the agenda. Getting closer to customers and meeting their needs is seen as the cornerstone of building a world-class company. If managers can show that marketing will increase returns to shareholders, marketing will obtain a much more prominent role in the boardrooms of industries. The discipline itself will also obtain more respect for its greater rigor and direction.
Q: How important is the concept of strategic marketing and market orientation for companies in Sri Lanka?
A: A market orientation is regarded the essential coordinating focus for all disciplines and processes of a business. At the same time, marketing professionals, marketing departments, and marketing as a qualification are not highly regarded. Few chief executives are from a marketing background. Most companies do not have a marketing director on the board, and marketing qualifications are often not treated seriously.
This book is intended for readers in the academic, professional and practitioner markets who are linked by the need for an up-to-date understanding of the meaning and scope of marketing strategy. The material covered will be of direct importance to students of marketing strategy in both postgraduate and undergraduate programmes as a marketing strategy textbook.
It is also useful to those undertaking professional qualifications in marketing and business and who need to build their understanding of marketing as a strategic issue. I believe that this book will be of value to marketing practitioners who wish to explore new ways of looking at the marketing process, their target markets; with a view to managing marketing better as a route to gaining an edge over their competitors.
Q: Your book will feature Sri Lankan case studies, which is a first in Sri Lanka. Tell us about the unique case studies?
A: When I was a student, our tutors used foreign examples such as Coke, IKEA, Wal-Mart, etc. and we often found it difficult to relate theory with these global companies. Sri Lankan brands such as Dialog, Odel, Cinnamon, Commercial Bank and Cargills, etc. are great case studies by themselves and I went through a process to interview the CEOs and owners of these top blue chips in Sri Lanka and wrote these case studies so that the next generation can learn management principles and concepts using Sri Lankan examples.
Q: But then how will students be exposed to the Western world without these global companies?
A: Well, anyone hungry for knowledge can learn about these global companies on YouTube or Google. Whilst highlighting the Sri Lankan case studies and brands which are unique to this book, I am also making an attempt to explain most of the management theories and concepts like Porter’s, Mintzberg’s, Kotler’s, Drucker’s and other gurus’ theories in the context of Sri Lankan companies.
The book will also feature a comprehensive examination tool kit at the end of the book, which is a compilation of an exhaustive list of strategy analysis tools, strategy formulation tools and strategy implementation tools. Once again this is a big requirement for most students who need a short note of all the tools in one page so that they can browse it before entering the exam hall.
Q: What motivated you to write this book?
A: I am completing a decade of teaching and mentoring students at MBA, postgraduate and under graduate level and the process of mentoring and imparting knowledge is also a process for one to unlearn and relearn. When you are an academic for a long period working with brilliant students, you tend to see vacuums and gaps in theory and with the help of research and conceptualisation you are able to fill these knowledge vacuums with new knowledge and conceptual frameworks. This is an intellectually stimulating exercise for us academics.
