Book Reviews
Concise, Organized, Diversified Cases
SELECTED CASES IN MARKETING MANAGEMENT,
by David Faville.
(Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1961. Pp. xiii, 352. Text: $4.95.
Trade edition: $6.60.)
This new addition to case books in marketing puts
emphasis upon the managerial and decision-making
aspects of the field. The book contains a total of 92
cases; no text material is included.
Selected Cases in Marketing Management achieves
good coverage of the areas of marketing management
with added sections on consumer attitudes and the use
of marketing research. The book is divided into ten
sections as follows:
Section 1. Attitudes of the Consumer-9 cases
Section 2. The Use of Marketing Research in De-
cision Making-7 cases
Section 3. Product Planning, Policy, and Develop-
ment-12 cases
Section 4. Selection of Channels of Distribution-
12 cases
Section 5. Decision on Change in Channels of Dis-
tribution-8 cases
Section 6. Management of Personal Selling-10
cases
Section 7. Advertising Policy-10 cases
Section 8. Management of Sales Promotion-8
cases
Section 9. Price Consideration in Marketing Strat-
egy-10 cases
Section 10. Marketing Programs-6 cases
Cases are brief, concise, and well organized. They will
probably be appreciated most by instructors whose ob-
jectives and teaching methods are suited to the short-
problem type of case. Questions at the end of each
Toward Liberalization of Advertising ...
THE ROLE OF ADVERTISING, by C. H. Sandage
and Vernon Fryburger.
(Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 1960. Pp. ix, 499. $6.00.)
It will be no news to the readers of the J.oURNAL OF
MARKETING that a major revolution is taking place on
business school campuses all over the country. Sparked
by various studies of the past few years highly critical
of extant business courses, curriculum committees have
been busy reexamining the old offerings. In reaction
to criticisms that there are too many "cookbook"
courses which stress business procedures instead of
principles and theory; that courses fail to be inter-
disciplinary and ignore the substantial literature of
sociology, psychology, economics, etc. that would liber-
alize business subjects; and that students are not being
trained to be responsible citizens capable of exerting
needed leadership in public affairs, courses are being
developed that try to explain "why" rather than "how."
Advertising is no exception to the rule. For example,
115
case are appropriate, thought-provoking, and directed
toward decision-making aspects of marketing manage-
ment. The author indicates that certain cases are
designed to serve as "springboard" cases from which
the instructor may launch class discussion. Others have
more adequate information and depth within themselves
and may be used for written reports.
Case subject matter, as to type of marketing institu-
tion, is well diversified. In addition to manufacturers,
cases deal with marketing problems of retailers, such
as chains, variety, women's specialty, electrical appli-
ance dealers, and department stores. Distributors, agri-
cultural co-operatives, and agents are also represented.
Of the total of 92 cases, 15 deal with industrial goods.
Among the out-of-the-ordinary features of the book are
such subjects as marketing of specialty agricultural
products, management of marketing services, and
influence of labor unions on marketing decisions. Thir-
teen of the cases deal with European companies, and,
the author says, were included to aid in developing a
better understanding of the nature of the marketing
manager's problems abroad.
A teachers' manual provides alternatives and sug-
gestions and indicates preferred decisions for each
case. The book should make a most useful and welcome
addition to a field which has constant need for ade-
quate, appropriate case material.
NUGENT WEDDING
University of Illinois
in 1955, the Wharton School established a course in
Fundamentals of Promotion which attempted to analyze
the place of adverticing in our society, show the psy-
chological basis of persuasion, analyze the economic,
ethical, moral, and political implications, and discuss
present and possible formal and informal social con-
trols over the fields of advertising, selling, and public
relations. Those charged with developing sources looked
in vain for a suitable textbook. Therefore, articles,
monographs and excerpts from books were collected and
reproduced by mimeograph for the students. The qual-
ity of these was uneven and few dovetailed nicely into
the various topic areas assigned. For some areas, in-
deed, there were simply no suitable materials, and
the instructors had to impart knowledge by lectures.
The readings in The Role of Advertising by Sandage
and Fryburger are for the most part worth-while and