In most organisations it is now the intellect of the people that is the key resource. This, combined with the notion of the learning organisation and the convergence of telecommunications and computer technologies, has shifted us into an era where"knowledge has become the key economic resource and the dominant - and perhaps even the only - source of competitive advanatge" (Peter Drucker). The focus of this course is on current issues relating to how firms use this "new knowledge" to better understand and reach their key target markets, develop customer retention programs, and how it might be used to create a competitive advantage. This requires going behind some of the popular ideas in marketing today (interactive media, global marketing, mass customisation, value-added marketing, partnerships and strageic alliances and virtual relationships, and group-wide networks) and exploring their true impact on the business organisation. The course is for students who want to question more conventional treatments of marketing.