The foreword points out the major external forces shaping marketing: the Internet, globalization, global competition, and the aging population. The editors have gathered contributions from some 500 experts and have organized material in six A-to-Z volumes and a seventh volume containing the subject index as well as a cumulative index of authors. Each volume contains contributions pertaining to an aspect of the subject, as follows: marketing strategy, marketing research, consumer behavior, advertising and integrated communication, product innovation and management, and international marketing. The entries range in length from a column or two defining terms to multi-page articles on broad themes--the aim being to offer an integrated view to aid strategic short and long-term planning and response. The far-reaching scope and integrated organization of the material make this reference something of a cross between a handbook and an encyclopedia. Editors-in-chief Jagdish Sheth (Emory U.) and Naresh Malhotra (Nanyang Technological U., Singapore; and emeritus, Georgia Institute of Technology, US) were aided in this undertaking by ten volume editors with affiliations in academia and private enterprise in the US. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)