... activity has increased. The expectations of the customer have increased so much, that traditional marketing perspective where the customer is easily satisfied has all but disappeared. Customers now want, and expect not only the core benefits of a product, for example, a washing machine that gets your clothes clean, but also secondary benefits such as, design, reliability, brand names, and various colours. Customers also now demand what Palmer (2000) refers to as, the augmented product. This would include, low energy usage, extended warranties, free delivery after purchase, or interest free credit. These secondary and augmented aspects of the product, amount to the overall superior value proposition given by the company to the customer. The challenge that an organisation faces, is how best to employ its scarce resources to add value to the total product or service offer, whilst meeting the demands of various stakeholders. As stated by Kotler (2001), it ...

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