Volume 19, Number 3 Article by Krishanu Rakshit September, 2007
Product and Services Management : By George J Avlonitis and Paulina Papastathopolou, Sage Publications, New Delhi, 2006, pp 270 pages, Price: £ 24.99.
The authors indicate at the beginning that the objective of the book is to provide a complete and systematic approach to the examination of product decisions. They further claim that the book provides a holistic approach to the understanding of product and services management, the key highlights being the introduction of product development and the deletion of products as well as services. This is a research-based book with examples out of major European and North American markets.
The book is one of the best endeavours in capturing the essence of product development and management over the product life cycle. The authors have managed to bring together diverse literature from the product and services development area as well as product life cycle management. This book has one of the most comprehensive sets of references that the reviewer has come across in the recent past. For the instructor in product management, this book can well serve as the authoritative source for all relevant references. However, this very strength raises doubts about the book’s acceptance among its intended target audience – practising managers and undergraduate students. The authors’ treatment of most chapters is a collection of important literary contributions in related fields. While a seasoned reader can appreciate the effort put in by the authors in terms of making a humungous effort to assimilate all available knowledge in the field, the set of apparently disjointed articles and viewpoints is likely to confuse the beginner reader.
While most of the topics have been covered extensively, there are some which deserved more attention; for example, the branding of products and services, where several important contributions like Kapferer’s Brand Prism are not discussed. Similarly, some of the constructs needed for clarity for the comprehension of a general audience are lacking. The way the material is organised also requires readers to go back and forth to comprehend some of the dense topics. Again, in the product portfolio discussions, the authors seem to have got lost in the myriad frameworks, which dilutes the tone to a large extent. For most of the literature, the authors have maintained an adequate balance of presentation of different models and critiques of these models; however, every time the need for coverage has taken over, the balance has tilted in favour of coverage rather than critique. In some of the chapters, this over-arching need to cover a large body of knowledge has played tricks with the sense of continuity that a reader looks for in a well-written book.
One feels that the authors have failed to deliver on one major count – in being systematic as they had promised in the preamble. The authors have provided several cases adjoining the text, but the cases covering the Greek and European markets seem too detailed. The cases on the US, the UK and other North American markets are much smaller, although well-written with a bird’s-eye-view and with some clarity in perspective. This aspect of the book can possibly be looked into in future editions. Some of the cases are placed too prematurely in the text, and the reader may not be able to grasp the essence of these readily. They could be placed at the end of the chapter to enable discussions (undergraduate students) and as highlights (for managers to grab the essence from practice).
In spite of these drawbacks, the initial mandate holds, and it can be potentially a useful handbook for instructors of marketing as well as managers with advanced knowledge of marketing. The book’s comprehensive coverage of literature will save many a manager (and instructor) the trouble of rummaging through piles of journals to find just the ‘right one’. The treasure trove of literature combined with great coverage would surely make it a best-seller among marketing academics.
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