[From the Editor]

Gary W. Oster

The single, most important reason for any company to exist is to serve the desires and needs of customers. Before companies may satisfy those customers, they must first identify and communicate with them.

The focus of this special issue of the Regent Global Business Review is to answer the fundamental question, “Who is my customer?” In his article “Revaluing the Customer as Community, Dr. Bramwell Osula takes us to the bustling marketplace in Lagos, Nigeria to examine why we must build relationships through the development of community so that we may value, nurture, and encourage customers as our brothers and sisters. Next, globally renowned entrepreneur and author Seth Godin exhorts companies to develop direct and intimate customer relationships with his blog post “Getting Small,” which received the most response of any post he has written. In “Attributes of Innovation: Building Blocks For Effective Customer Service,” Dr. Greg Stone explores the intriguing idea that the concepts developed by Everett Rogers historically used to explain the rate of adoption for innovations can effectively be applied to strengthen customer service. Finally, in “Christian Innovation,” I consider the special opportunity we have through the process of innovation to learn about and worship the God who made us all.