MAL 11/16 | Page 90

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MARKETING AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ISSUES By Felix Owaga Okatch B oth marketing and corporate governance are concerned with customers and more specifically that target market includes stakeholders. Their focus is increased sales and profitability from their respective target markets who are in a sense their customers. By definition, marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering and exchanging of product of value with others. This means that marketing and all its related peripherals is business. Corporate governance on the other hand refers to a frame work of rules and practices by which a board of directors ensures accountability, fairness and transparency in company relationship with it stakeholders which includes customers, financiers, employees, government and the community. As we mention target market for marketing and corporate governance, one example of a great Jewish leader called Jesus Christ son of Joseph and Mary cannot be overlooked. When a company develops a strategy in a chosen market, it is putting in place managerial structures and departments to get business from the target market. Jesus Christ of Nazareth was a good marketer and manager in corporate governance of his time. He said that his target market were the poor and sinners. He performed miracles and saved the sick and poor. The business of whatever nature has a customer and a market. The business of hospitals, restaurants, transport, telecoms etc do all have target markets. The choice of target market is very important in marketing. The same applies to corporate strategy and corporate governance. ‘‘By definition, marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering and exchanging of product of value with others. This means that marketing and all its related peripherals is business.’’ 88 MAL 11/16 ISSUE On corporate governance, he taught in parables and used distribution and personal relations to appoint his twelve disciples to market and distribute his teachings in his environment and beyond. In doing so he achieved his business mission and vision. In modern marketing therefore a business needs managerial tools to get to the target market. The use of advertising and many other marketing tools are now prevalent. Advertising so far is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by an identified sponsor. Advertising is generally expensive and care must therefore be taken to develop a good message by