Describe the functional organization of a marketing department in terms of its structure, advantages, and disadvantages.
The most common form of marketing organization consists of functional specialists reporting to a marketing vice president. The main advantage of a functional marketing organization is its administrative simplicity. It can be quite a challenge for the department to develop smooth working relationships, however. This form also can result in inadequate planning as the number of products and markets increases and each functional group vies for budget and status. The marketing vice president constantly weighs competing claims and faces a difficult coordination problem.