Modelling and simulation in engineering marketing

In automating the marketing process, the objective is to gain higher efficiency, with a consequent economic benefit, through improved control. Many elements of the marketing process lend themselves to this approach as an aid to decision making, but, in exploring this field, engineering has lagged behind other sectors of industrial activity. Basic research into the behaviour of markets, organisations and individuals is a prerequisite, and much of the progress in this field is the result of work done in the USA. The focus of interest is on simulation techniques, and it has been demonstrated that many aspects of the marketing process can be modelled and simulated. The techniques are most rewarding when they are used with interactive computing facilities. These are now widely available, so further development of such techniques in engineering marketing is governed largely by the extent to which managerial interest, research talent and interactive computing facilities can be brought together.