It would be relevant at this point to look at the way finance directors (FDs) view marketers. The 1998 Finance Directors' Forum assessed the relationship between finance and marketing. Although most finance directors still believe the marketing department con- siders them "enemy number one", they were keen to stress that this does not colour their perceptions of marketers. Top of the list for sources of conflict were a lack of fiscal discipline, poor administration and over-confidence and enthusiasm. Their pet hates included "numbers always being rounded up to X1000", "always spending up to or over the budget", and "a lack of regular visibility in the office".
THE PERCEPTION OF MARKETERS BY FINANCE
Many marketers are thought to suffer from a desire to shine at all costs, even if their pet projects are not performing well, thus reflecting a perceived lack of willingness to be held accountable for their mistakes. Common adjectives used to describe marketing people were "brash", "salesmen" - in the pejor- ative sense - "loose cannons", "uncontrollable" and "wide boys". Most finance directors believe marketers have an equally jaundiced view of them. They feel they are perceived to be "boring", "mean", "cautious", "risk averse", "unimaginative", and "interested in the cost of everything and the value of nothing".