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15 Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P. (1993). Putting the balanced scorecard
to work. Harvard Business Review, September/October, 134–147.
Chapter 6 case studies
This section examines the critical issues raised in implementing rela-
tionship marketing strategies. There are many fundamental changes
that organizations will need to undertake if they are to become truly
relationship-oriented businesses. The two cases presented in this
final section give an indication of the ‘pan-company’ approach that
must be adopted in order to implement successful relationship mar-
keting strategies.
Laura Ashley Case 6.1 Relationship marketing: Lessons from
Ashley
This case was written by Helen Peck, Research Fellow at Cranfield
School of Management.
Abstract
This case describes the attempts of the Chief Executive of Laura
Ashley, Dr Jim Maxmin, to restore the financial health of an ailing
business through a company-wide change programme. Whilst he
was unsuccessful in his efforts to achieve a turnaround, the case pro-
vides an insight into the challenges of managing the ‘Six Markets’
and highlights the need to follow through from mission statement to
implementation with a clearly defined relationship strategy.
Learning points
Some of the key learning points to emerge from this case are: the
importance of managing all the six markets, not just the brand, in an
integrated and focused way; the critical role of the ‘influencer’
market and the importance of managing the processes that support
the delivery of value to the ultimate consumer.
Broad marketing and strategic issues:
Creating and implementing relationship marketing strategies 429