I have just finished writing a review of this book by Philip Kotler and John A Caslione and I have to say that I found it a thoroughly gripping read offering immense reassurance to those of us who did our MBAs a long time ago – some of those favourite tried and tested models can still serve us well in these troubled times.
In essence they are advocating that we beef up our information collecting early warning systems, spend time developing alternative future scenarios so that we have a chance to “rehearse the future” and then have dual vision (planning for today and planning for tomorrow) as well as triple planning (short term (50% projects), intermediate term (30% projects) and long term (20% projects). An organisation can then be responsive, robust and resilient and achieve Business Enterprise Sustainability (BES).
Oh. And by the way. The book provides numerous warnings against across-the-board cost cutting, supports the need for maintained/increased marketing spend, offers guidance on cut/delay, outsource and increase/accelerate decisions and re-emphasises the need for continued authentic communication.
Read the full review next month in Professional Marketing magazine
