The document proposes a new definition of marketing that incorporates religious values and sustainability. It defines marketing as "a way of proficiently understanding the role played by humans as a customer, finding out their needs and wants and delivering them through a managed business process with due regard to sustainable business practices that creates a better world for all." The justification provided is that the traditional definitions of marketing focus only on profit and do not consider customers or society holistically. The new definition aims to address this by taking a skillful, methodical approach to understanding diverse customer needs and wants, managing the process as a business, and creating value for both customers and society through sustainable practices.

1. Lets define “Marketing” in a
meaningful manner to suit the
modern day with religious values
By
Maxwell Ranasinghe
President Catholic Graduates and Professionals
Movement Sri Lanka

2.  "Marketing is a way of proficiently
understanding the role played by
humans as a customer, finding out
their needs and wants and
delivering them through a managed
business process with due regard
to sustainable business practices
that creates a better world for all"

3. Justification

4.  1. Marketing is not just a function
of management. Long ago it is
identified as a business philosophy.
 2. Main focus of marketing is
customer. Refer to earlier definitions of
marketing like Adams Smith’s which
we have now dropped even from our
Study Text.

5.  (Adams Smith( 1776) “ Consumption
is the sole purpose of all production
and interest of product ought to be
attended to, only so far as it may be
necessary for promoting that of the
consumer”)

6.  It talks about the core “the consumer”
and " the activity the marketers
should do” very well.
 We need to revisit it and expand it to
suit the modern day. That’s why we
need to include
 “Proficiently understanding the
role played by human as a
customer”.

7.  Customer means an individual as well
as a group of people.
 A Proficiently will adopt a skillful and
methodical way of identifying the
needs of the customer well.
 Then there will not be a waste of
resources and wrong decisions as the
marketing would adopt a professional
approach.

8.  The waste is enormous in the world. So
much of unwanted products are
developed for few where millions are
without basic needs like food and shelter.
 When I say Proficiently I mean that the
marketers would develop goods only as
much as the world need to sustain.
 The religious ideals of sharing with
others and caring for every
body, including the environment should
be taken into consideration . It is a
holistic approach.

9.  3. Marketing is not just and activity
or societal process: It cannot be
restricted to
creation, promotion, distribution and
pricing of goods and services.
 In my opinion these words should not
be in a meaningful definition as it
restricts the horizons of marketing.
 We need to ring in the fundamental
values in religion and other
philosophies into play.

10.  It is a managed process which
includes, planning, organizing and
implementing.
 It uses a many management tools to
achieve goals.
 Further it focuses much about
developing sustainable relationship
with customers.
 Therefore the inclusion of “managed
process” is very appropriate in my

11. Further the managed process was
expanded to “managed business
process” as all the organizations even
the “non profit organizations” would
prefer a surplus. It could be monetary or
otherwise.
The word “profit”has to go out of the
definition as it creates a selfish idea of
exploiting the customer and beating the
competition with so much of effort.
Therefore “managed business
process” is included taking into practical
consideration of any organisation,.

12.  Marketers have not taken much care
about the needs of the society at large.
 As a result, they are largely responsible
in the degradation of environment,
adopting unethical practices, considering
the world as a bundle of
resources available to satisfy
the needs of the current
human generation without taking
the needs of the other living plants,
animals and the needs of the future
generation

13.  This would even go in line with the
Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic and many
other religious ideals that we expound.
 Already well accepted societal
marketing concept should be
expanded and included in the
mainstream marketing definition

14. It should not be added as an
after thought or suffix
Therefore the “sustainable
business practices that
creates a better world for
all” is included

15.  The marketer should consider
“society also as its customer” and
therefore give value to society too.
 With the current trend in the world,
marketers would be the drivers of the
world.
 Therefore they need to have a broader
vision of the whole world and have an
attitude to work towards world’s
sustainability

16. Having “sustainability” will :
 Optimise the performance of your
business create strong relationships
with your customers, other
businesses, staff and community,
 balance your budget and ensure your
financial sustainability,
 help business community to prosper
as a whole,

17.  Finally
 It will reduce the much needed carbon
footprint of your operations to
safeguard the world that we live bring in
the much venerated religious values
into the mainstream businesses that
runs the world.
 Maxwell Joseph Ranasinghe
 President – Catholic graduates and
Professionals , Sri Lanka
 Contact: maxran1@yahoo.com