Book excerpt: The CIM Handbook of Strategic Marketing targets senior executives responsible for shaping and managing the company's strategic direction. The strategic dimensions of marketing management are emphasised along with the critical importance of matching the company's capabilities with genuinely attractive market sectors. The Handbook's strategic perspective and pragmatic outlook pervade the text and underpin its practical foundations. The rise of global competition and continuous innovation have redefined market structures, reshaped industries and given customers unprecedented value and choice. In this era of customer sovereignty there is a tremendous amount of pressure on organizations to adopt the principles of the marketing concept and to develop a much sharper strategic focus. The CIM Handbook of Strategic Marketing is a reference source to guide effective marketing practice. It provides supportive material for managers and employees who are building their marketing competence by attending training programmes, and includes contributions from leading academics - such as, Peter Doyle, Malcolm McDonald, Nigel Piercy The book amounts to a firm blueprint written by leading marketing thinkers for designing and implementing effective marketing strategies and improving business performance. Colin Egan is Professor of Strategic Management at Leicester Business School. Michael J Thomas is Professor of Marketing at the University of Strathclyde Business School.