Marketing information systems for consumer products companies: a management overview

Knowledge about the external environment is essential for an organization to remain competitive in the marketplace. To this end, a marketing information system (MKIS) can be used as a powerful tool for translating raw data into useful information to assist managers in making strategic and operational decisions. However, even with the vast technological advances of the past decade, research has found that current information systems, in many instances, still exist in rudimentary stages of development, exhibiting disappointing degrees of success. Focusses on examining reasons for this state of affairs and then proceeds to present the knowledge, in a managerially relevant and understandable format, needed to develop and implement an MKIS effectively. Presents applications of effective MKISs along with managerial implications.