Marketing in the International Aerospace Industry

The aerospace industry has a unique business culture and business practices. It is also subject to unique regulatory requirements and financing conventions. Aerospace products are unlike anything else. Pricing arrangements are arcane, and large-scale cooperative alliances among industry players are commonplace. The market is dichotomized into parts, civil and military, of approximately equal value, and is further divided into dozens of major product segments. The complexity of the aerospace market is commensurate with its size. It is a leading exporter among industrialized nations, employing millions of highly-skilled workers and serving as a technology incubator, while developing nations target the aerospace industry for development within their own economies. Yet, in spite of the importance and uniqueness of the aerospace industry, there has been no serious comprehensive guidance about how the industry's markets function. Marketing in the International Aerospace Industry provides that much-needed overview and best-practice guidance. It analyses the distinctive environment and practices of the aerospace industry, and provides specific, practical guidance for marketing professionals. The content is presented in clearly-defined chapters that relate directly to the professional challenges facing the marketer in the industry. It is written for these professionals and also students of aviation and aerospace management. The book has a fundamentally international optic of the aerospace industry. It consistently examines universal management issues from the point of view of the aerospace industries in the United States, the UK, France, Germany, and Japan, comparing and contrasting national practices in these countries and elsewhere.

Wesley E. Spreen is Director of International Marketing and Sales for Boeing Helicopters.