A Study on the Contents and character of Customer-oriented Marketing

A Thesis for the Degree of Master of Business Administration by Chul Keun Chung

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Marketing concept which has been said to appear concretely in the mid 1950's, was favored by most of American firms to cope with buyer's market situation. It is composed of three concepts:Customer focus, profitability, intergrated marketing efforts with focusing on customer satisfaction. Its claims are so basic that no one can refute its rationale in business management philosophy and seemingly helps firms agin profit more effectively and efficiently. But it was challenged by consumerism and so-called societal Marketing in the early 1970's because of its one-side orientation to company profit neglecting consumer interest and society welfare which were surely influenced by or during the company's marketing activities.

The basic element or most important one of Marketing concept in customer orientation and so marketing management/managerial marketing is named as customer-oriented marketing. The customer orientation stems from consumer sovereignty and marketing management. It was interpreted mostly in the perspective of company profit which would naturally be criticized by consumerism or societal marketing concept later. Writer has thought of customer orientation as having altruistic social meaning in its origin and the firm as social organization for consumer welfare, where company must try to serve consumer and is rewarded by profits corresponding its effor to satisfy consumer needs or interest. If we interpret the customer orientation in a more broad meaning, the managerial marketing will cover the consumerism and societal marketing concept. So write tried to give an integrated view to customer oriented marketing, which should be composed of four orientations:

The integration of these four orientations will have marketing management embrace the consumerism and societal marketing concept. By doing so, Company will secure its growth in society and fulfill its social responsibility:Nowadays company should not seek profit maximization only but try to get a profit through consumer satisfaction, consumer interest, employee interest, and society wellbeing and so the integrated orientation towards customer interest, employee interest, society welfare, and company profits is required with focusing on customer satisfaction. Empirical study show very high level(90%) of consensus on this integrated orientation for customer-oriented Marketing.