Economic Intervention :: essays research papers

Economic Intervention Every day our government makes economic decisions that affect our country and ourselves. Some of these decisions are good and benefit our lives greatly; however, many of our government's decisions, such as where our tax money should go, are not in our best interests. The Canadian government, although it is tightening up it's measures now, has been very lax with our hard earned tax money. Things like government officials receiving unreasonable benefits, government loans being given out like water, or government subsidizing of various companies and services that don't need it. These are all indications that Canada needs less government intervention. One large example of government over-involvement is in the case of our correctional facilities and prisons. Should a person who has broken the law be given better lodgings and better care than someone who is a law abiding citizen? We see examples such as prisons being outfitted for the care of inmate's children. This is an area in which government money is being improperly spent. Money that is being used in these areas should be being put to better use in areas such as health and welfare. People who are free and law abiding should be receiving this money to better their lives not someone who has had no previous respect for the laws of our country. Most inmates have free access to physical training facilities that would cost us three hundred to four hundred dollars per year. All inmates are guaranteed a meal, three time a day, when a large portion of the free population can barely afford one meal a day. The prison facilities get thousands of tax-payer dollars to upgrade and maintain suitable environments. Yet many Canadian citizens who are unemployed, who cannot get work, are living on the street or in unsuitable shelters. Why should someone in jail get better benefits than someone trying to make it legally in our society? However, it seems that our government has a certain affinity to people who break its set laws. This vast inappropriate spending of taxpayer's dollars should be stopped. In the near future we should see either proper controls being set on the

Female Protagonists Essay -- essays research papers

The desire for freedom is a similar aspect of the female protagonists Louise Mallard, Mathilde Loisel, and Emily Grierson.In Kate Chopin's, "The Story of an Hour," Guy DE Maupassant's, "The Necklace," and William Faulkner's, "A Rose for Emily," the female protagonist's have a desire for freedom. The stories are about three women living in patriarchal societies. Each character longs for freedom in a different way, but because of the men in their lives they are unable to make their own life decisions.In "The Story of an Hour," Louise Mallard is a repressed married woman that has a heart condition. The reaction to her husbands presumed death is a sign that she is unhappy. After hearing the tragic news she goes up stairs to her room and looks out an open window and notices "new spring life", "the delicious breath of rain", and "countless sparrows twittering in the eaves." As she looks out the window among the storm cl ouds, she stares at patches of blue sky. "It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought." Louise is not grieving over her dead husband or having negative thoughts about her future. She realizes that she will have freedom through her husbands death and whispers over and over, "free, free free!" Her unhappiness is not with her husband, it is with her ranking in society because she is a married woman. Becoming a widow is the only cha...

Comparing Rebels in Pleasantville, Fahrenheit 451, and Lord of the Flies :: comparison compare contrast essays

Rebels in Pleasantville, Fahrenheit 451, and Lord of the Flies Despite the fact that rebels are viewed as troublemakers, in the long run, they help a society grow for the better. In Pleasantville, Fahrenheit 451, and Lord of the Flies, there have been so called "rebels" and these rebels were looked down upon for their different points of view. These rebels were what made these books and movie interesting because in a society, change is sometimes good. In all of these cases, change was feared and thought impossible, but eventually these changes happened, and there was a better civilization because of it. In Pleasantville, one world came clashing with another. These two different worlds had different values and perceptions of a perfect and pleasant life. When David and Jennifer entered the town of Pleasantville and became Bud and Mary Sue, they were looked at differently because they knew something that the others in Pleasantville didn't know. They knew of change, color, and true beauty and because they were spreading this knowledge, they were considered rebels. After color started to spread, the town of Pleasantville was never the same and they now knew what they were missing. A rebel is defined as a minority, going against the majority. As time passed, and more color appeared, the more "rebels" there were. When these "rebels" become the majority, they are not considered different or threatening anymore. Once everybody changed from black and white to color, Pleasantville was now happy again. But this happiness was not because of a boring routine, but because of beautiful change and multicolored experiences. Times change and these rebels that see differently than everyone else influence these changes. Change is what makes the world go round. In Fahrenheit 451, there were also rebels that existed and viewed what everyone was used to, as a living hell. The rebels that I speak of are people like Clarisse McClellan, Guy Montag, Professor Faber, and Granger. These rebels are people that are sick of the way things are and want change to occur. These characters are all bright, intelligent, and bring forth fresh and sensible ideas that nobody even thought of or considered because it was out of the norm and it was risky.

Action Potential Essay

What opens first in response to a threshold stimulus? Voltage Gated (activation gates) Na+ channels open and Na+ diffuses in the cytoplasm What characterizes depolarization, 1st phase of action potential? Membrane changes from a negative value to a positive value What characterizes repolarization, 2nd phase of action potential? Once the membrane depolarizes to a peak value of 30+, it repolarizes to to its negative resting value of -70 What event triggers the generation of an action potential? The membrane potential must depolarize from the resting voltage of -70 mV to a threshold value of -55 mV. ( This is the minimum value required to open enough voltage-gated Na+ channels so that depolarization is irreversible.) What is the first change to occur in response to a threshold stimulus? Voltage-gated Na+ channels change shape, and their activation gates open Resting State All gated Na+ and K+ channels are closed Step 2 Depolarization; Na+ Channels Open During the depolarization phase of the action potential, open Na+ channels allow Na+ ions to diffuse into the cell. This inward movement of positive charge makes the membrane potential more positive (less negative). The depolarization phase is a positive feedback cycle where open Na+ channels cause depolarization, which in turn causes more voltage-gated Na+ channels to open. Step 3 Repolarization; Na+ channels are inactivating and K+ Channels Open Step 4 Hyperpolarization; Some K+ channels remain open and Na+ channels reset How many gates/states do voltage gated Na+ channels have? two gates and three states Closed Na+ at the resting state, no Na+ enters the cell through them Opened Na+ opened by depolariztion, allowing Na+ to enter the cell Inactivated channels automatically blocked by inactivation gates soon after they open How many gates/states do voltage gated K+ channels have? one gate, two states Closed K+ at the resting state, no K+ leaves Opened K+ at depolarization, after delay, allowing K+ to leave Why is an action potential self-generating? depolarizing currents established by the influx of Na+ flow down the axon and trigger an action potential at the next segment The Na+ diffusing into the axon during the first phase of the action potential creates a depolarizing current that brings the next segment, or node, of the axon to threshold. Why does regeneration of the action potential occur in one direction, rather than in two directions? The inactivation gates of voltage-gated Na+ channels close in the node, or segment, that has just fired an action potential At the peak of the depolarization phase of the action potential, the inactivation gates close. Thus, the voltage-gated Na+ channels become absolutely refractory to another depolarizing stimulus. What changes occur to voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels at the peak of depolarization? Inactivation gates of voltage-gated Na+ channels close, while activation gates of voltage-gated K+ channels open Closing of voltage-gated channels is time dependent. Typically, the inactivation gates of voltage-gated Na+ channels close about a millisecond after the activation gates open. At the same time, the activation gates of voltage-gated K+ channels open. What marks the end of the depolarization phase? As voltage-gated Na+ channels begin to inactivate, the membrane potential stops becoming more positive This marks the end of the depolarization phase of the action potential. Then, as voltage-gated K+ channels open, K+ ions rush out of the neuron, following their electrochemical gradient. This exit of positively-charged ions causes the interior of the cell to become more negative, repolarizing the membrane. The repolarization phase of the action potential, where voltage becomes more negative after the +30mV peak, is caused primarily by __________. The opening of voltage-gated K+ channels allows K+ ions to exit the cell, repolarizing the membrane. In other words, the exit of K+ ions makes the membrane potential more negative. K+ also exits through leakage channels during this phase because leakage channels are always active. However, most of the membrane permeability to K+ during this phase is due to voltage-gated channels. Voltage-gated K+ channels make the action potential more brief than it would otherwise be if only leakage channels were available to repolarize the membrane. During an action potential, hyperpolarization beyond (more negative to) the resting membrane potential is primarily due to __________. The large number of voltage-gated K+ channels opening during the repolarization phase quickly makes the membrane potential more negative as positively-charged K+ ions leave the cell. K+ ions continue to leave through open channels as the membrane potential passes (becomes more negative than) the resting potential. This hyperpolarization phase of the action potential is therefore due to K+ ions diffusing through voltage-gated K+ channels. The membrane potential remains more negative than the resting potential until voltage-gated K+ channels close. This period of hyperpolarization is important in relieving voltage-gated Na+ channels from inactivation, readying them for another action potential. During the hyperpolarization phase of the action potential, when the membrane potential is more negative than the resting membrane potential, what happens to voltage-gated ion channels? Voltage-gated K+ channels are opened by depolarization. This means that as the membrane potential repolarizes and then hyperpolarizes, these K+ channels close. With the closing of voltage-gated K+ channels, the membrane potential returns to the resting membrane potential via leakage channel activity. Resetting voltage-gated Na+ channels to the closed (but not inactivated) state prepares them for the next action potential. During the hyperpolarization phase of the action potential, voltage eventually returns to the resting membrane potential. What processes are primarily responsible for this return to the resting membrane potential? Voltage-gated K+ channels close. K+ and Na+ diffuse through leakage channels.

How I Became Me

To begin, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is unique. The novel is written from the perspective of a teenager who lives in New York in the 1950's.From the context in the beginning and the end of the book, â€Å"I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy† (page 1), â€Å"I could probably tell you what I did after I went home, and how I got sick and all, and what  school  I'm supposed to go to next fall, after I get out of here, but I don't feel like it† (page 213), we can infer that Holden Caulfield, the aforementioned teenager, is in a  mental  hospital.However, he tells the story through flashback of a three-day period sometime before Christmas the year before. This is unusual because most novels cover much more time than three days. This is one reason why this novel is so unique. Although the novel is spread over only three days, we lea rn so much about the protagonist, and many other characters, because all Holden's thoughts and feelings, especially about other characters, during these three days is portrayed, nothing is left out.My favorite part of the book is probably Holden's interaction with and description of Ackley in Chapter 3. This is probably my favorite part of the book because I can relate to the protagonist in that I have to put up with my neighbor who fits the description of Ackley perfectly. Ackley is a rather nosy fellow who comes over through a window and without permission. He plays with all of Holden's possessions, and then puts them back in different locations.He cuts his nails all over Holden's room, stands in his reading light to talk to him, and he never brushes his teeth. I also enjoy not only this part, but also other descriptions of other characters, because the author has a totally unique way of describing people. â€Å"He was exactly the kind of a guy that wouldn't get out of your light when you asked him to† (page 21), â€Å"He was one of those guys that think they're being a pansy if they don't break around forty of your fingers when they shake hands with you† (page 87).Even though the novel The Catcher in the Rye is set in the fifties, I can still relate to the protagonist, as well as others around his age, because of the lingo. It makes the characters so human, and just about anyone can relate to that! I found myself looking forward to Holden meeting a new character or happening upon an old acquaintance, to see what type of personality the author had given them. Also, there is no brilliant sentence structure or sophisticated diction to this novel.The reason this novel is so good is the incredible insights the author uses, which connects the reader to the characters in a way that is inimitable. Salinger's wonderful insights are enhanced by his strategic use of italics to indicate emphasis, which tells the reader the exact meaning and tone Salinger is attempting to portray as if the reader were to hear the spoken dialogue, â€Å"In the first place, we're both practically children. And did you ever stop to think what you'd do if you didn't get a job when your money ran out?We'd starve to death. The whole thing's so fantastic, it isn't even-† (page 132). This is the type of novel that generates emotion, true, honest emotion, from the reader, because they can connect so well to the characters. A reader would truly cry, say if Phoebe, Holden's younger sister, were to die at the end; whereas in other novels that a character dies in, less of an emotional impact is made on the reader. Finally, only one huge event takes place that effects all the others, and that is Holden Caulfield flunking out of Pencey.All other events in the book are trivial. This keeps the plot simple enough so that the main focus is on the protagonist's thoughts rather than actions. However, I think this novel is so excellent and one-of-a-kind because of the personality of the protagonist. He is easily bothered by the  little  things people do, â€Å"God, how I hate it when somebody yells â€Å"Good Luck! † at me when I'm leaving somewhere. † (page 202), yet he loves to drive others crazy, â€Å"You weren't allowed to smoke in the dorm, but you could do it ate at night when everybody was asleep or out and nobody could smell the smoke. Besides, I did it to annoy Stradlater. It drove him crazy when you broke any rules. He never smoked in the dorm. It was only me. † (page 40). He doesn't seem to buy into religion, as he describes himself as an atheist. He also seems to be an existentialist as well. Every single thing he does is based upon whether he â€Å"feels like it† or not. Holden is a well-crafted character who could be a real person writing an autobiography he is so lifelike. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Difference in Perceptions of Consumers in Different Regions

Institute of business management| DIFFERENCES IN PERCEPTION OF CUSTOMERS BELONGING TO DIFFERENT LOCALITIES REGARDING CONSUMPTION OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS, SPECIFIALLY PEDIASURE. | Methods in Business Research| | Muhammad Bilal Arif SaharAnum IqbalAhetezaz HaloFaiz Mehmood| 12/10/2012| | Contents Acknowledgment3 Abstract4 Introduction5 Statement of Problem6 Significance of Problem/ Purpose6 Statement of Hypothesis6 Limitations6 Literature Review7In order to write this literature review we had to take out journals and articles from a lot of areas the reason being that there are almost no similar researches done considering this topic. Even if researches are done they tend to cater to the perceptions of westerners or people which are not belonging to the Pakistani society. In order to conduct and use whatever information we could get there were 3 pieces of materials used to conduct this review. The researches that we have found are concerning similar products that is why we have used these.Each of these researches has been combined with our research and then we have written down the Literature review. If we go along well see what is the motive of our research and what do we want. 7 Design of study10 I. Problem Definition and Hypothesis Formulation10 II. Gathering Data11 III. Sources of Data16 IV. Research Instrument17 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS18 RESTATEMENT OF PROBLEM18 DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURES18 MAJOR FINDINGS19 RECOMMENDATIONS19 BIBLIOGRAPHY21 APPENDIX22 Abbott Nutrition22 Questionnaire22Product Comparison1 Acknowledgment We would first like to thank the Almighty Allah for giving us the strength and endowing us with the privilege of completing term report on the â€Å"DIFFERENCES IN PERCEPTION OF CUSTOMERS BELONGING TO DIFFERENT LOCALITIES REGARDING CONSUMPTION OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS, SPECIFIALLY PEDIASURE. † We are also extremely thankful to our mentor and guide Ms. Kausar Saeed for her constant support, encouragement and guidance, without which we could not have successfully completed the task.Secondly, we would like to thank our respondents for their precious time and energy spent in completing our Questionnaires. Abstract Abbott being a very large pharmaceutical company is not only trustworthy but excels in the pharmaceutical industry. Its aim is to provide quality and high class products in the market so that people can benefit from it. The report that we are planning to write is about the perceptions of customers regarding consumption of Nutritional Supplements and factors that the customer considers while buying different medicines/nutritional products in different localities.Our main aim was to figure out the basic reasons in sluggish growth in sales of Abbott. The issue is actually significant at the moment because the Sales data of different territories over the past few years indicate a negative trend in a few areas but approximately constant in others. One reason for this difference could have been different percept ions that people are likely to hold in these different areas, therefore we decided to find out whether perceptional differences are the reason behind the negative trend and what are the possible solutions to the problem.We did manage to collect sufficient data through questionnaires from the mothers of children who were the eligible consumers of the product, and then we analyzed the data using SPSS. We were able to reach a seemingly valid analysis. Introduction Abbott a global, broad-based health care company devoted to discovering new medicines, new technologies and new ways to manage health. Their products span the continuum of care, from nutritional products and laboratory diagnostics through medical devices and pharmaceutical therapies.Their comprehensive line of products encircles life itself – addressing important health needs from infancy to the golden years. With over 70,000 employees worldwide and a global presence in more than 130 countries, Abbott is committed to i mproving people's lives by providing cost effective health care products and services that consistently meet the needs of customers. Abbott Pakistan is part of the global healthcare corporation of Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, USA. Abbott started operations in Pakistan as a marketing affiliate in 1948; the company has steadily expanded to comprise a work force of over 1500 employees.Currently two manufacturing facilities located at Landhi and Korangi in Karachi continue to use innovative technology to produce top quality pharmaceutical products. Abbott Pakistan has leadership in the field of Pain Management, Anesthesia, Medical Nutrition and Anti-Infective. On June 29, 2005 Abbott Pakistan Achieved Class ‘A' accreditation against the Oliver Wight ABCD Check list. This was an outstanding achievement, which puts Abbott Pakistan amongst some of the best global companies in terms of operational excellence.A continuous process of innovation, research and development at Abbott's wor ldwide facilities enables Abbott Pakistan to offer effective solutions for various healthcare challenges, with products and services that are well focused, within the customer's reach and contribute to improved health care of the people of Pakistan. Abbott believes that Corporate Social Responsibility is fundamental to earning and deepening the trust of the people it serves, an integral part of its commitment to improve lives has contributed to a number of humanitarian causes and supported various institutions in various fields including health and education.The promise of this company is in the promise that their work holds for health and for life. PediaSure Complete is a complete and balanced nutrition for children who are pricky eaters and who have to catch up for growth. Some of its salient feature includes: * Good nutrition leads to healthy growth * To grow properly, kids need to eat the right amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals. * For times, when you believe that your child is not getting adequate nutrition from regular food then PediaSure is the thing to give.No matter which ever flavor you choose, each can of PediaSure contains 25 essential vitamins and mineral, along with adequate amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats. With PediaSure you can be sure that your child is receiving the perfect amount of nutrition’s needed to grow. It is available in 400gram tins and 180 gram packs in chocolate and vanilla flavors at reasonable prices. It is available in most leading pharmacies and superstores of Pakistan. PediaSure is even an international product of Abbott. Statement of ProblemThis research is conducted to find out that whether the decline in sales of PediaSure is because of some different perceptions held by the potential consumers, factors which are most and which are least preferred by the consumers while making the purchase. This will cater to two areas specifically Defence and F. B area. Significance of Problem/ Purpose The problem is highly significantfor not only the company but forindividuals/ customers too. With the help of this study we will be able to find out the different type of ideas and perceptions customers carry when going to buy medicines/nutritional products.We will also find out some of the rare spending patterns of customers based in different areas or localities and what factors do they consider in buying such products. The main purpose of this study lies with the fact that Abbott will realize which particular point they need to cater to stop the sales from falling. It could be a marketing problem which they missed to address or a quality problem, which is very unlikely since Abbott is very strict about its standards and most importantly it could be the perceptions of the people.Summing it all up, through our research we will investigate the spending patterns of different localities, their preferences and why the sales of PediaSurehas declined in some areas since the past few years. Statement of Hypothesis 1. There is no difference between Perceptions of customers of Defence and Federal-B area. 2. Knowing the available competitor’s, consumer will prefer Pediasure over competitors as a Nutritional Supplement. 3. Consumers will purchase the product if they are told about the benefits. 4. Creating Awareness will impact the sales of Pediasure. . Whether high nutrients are preferred over other variables like Price and Recommendations. 6. Whether being a Medicinal product is good for the image of Pediasure. Limitations 1. One of the biggest limitations is that our study is restricted to only two areas namely defence and F. B area. It is due to time constraints and a large number of medical stores throughout the city. 2. Defence itself has about approximately 50 medicines stores while F. B area 92. Finding and going to all these stores would be very costly and time-consuming so we decided to take a small no.Of stores and interviewing around 2 respon dents from every store. 3. The time and cost associated with the study was a not very encouraging. 4. We cannot expect that each of the stores in the city have kept PediaSure which made our study very difficult to generalize. 5. It was hard to find mothers having children below the age of 12 shopping during the days. 6. Customers and Storekeepers were being very receptive. Literature Review In order to write this literature review we had to take out journals and articles from a lot of areas the reason being that there are almost no similar researches done considering this topic.Even if researches are done they tend to cater to the perceptions of westerners or people which are not belonging to the Pakistani society. In order to conduct and use whatever information we could get there were 3 pieces of materials used to conduct this review. The researches that we have found are concerning similar products that is why we have used these. Each of these researches has been combined with ou r research and then we have written down the Literature review. If we go along well see what is the motive of our research and what do we want.The first article included in this literature survey talks about the guide to consumer’s pharmaceutical purchasing behavior. The pharmaceutical purchasing behavior of consumers is the subject of unending market research for the nation's pharmaceutical companies and managed care organizations. Despite the industry's best efforts to predict future trends based on past experiences, consumers continue to confound the prognosticators. Several issues particularly pertinent to MCOs were explored in a recent consumer survey conducted by Emron, Inc.In this article, explore consumers' behaviors are explored relative to medication purchases in these areas: * Sources of advice about prescription and non-prescription medications * Communications with prescribers about cost and impact on quality of life * Opinions about price equity of medications * Importance of the pharmacy benefit in health plans * Role of advertising in purchasing decisions for non-prescription medications The study first starts with talking about the advice the customer takes in order to buy any type of pharmaceutical products.The results are divided in among the physicians, nurses, pharmacists, family e. t. c. the highest rank is of course given to physicians followed by pharmacists. So we get to know that one thing that is the sources of advice for customer’s affects customer’s perceptions of buying a medicine. So it may be possible that a doctor living in each of these localities may give different type of preference if one may prescribe pediasure other may prescribe ensure. The second factor that affects is prescriber’s communication about cost and quality of life.From the study we see that people are mainly concerned for their life rather than the cost of medicine, we all know that pediasure is a very high quality product and in order to keep your nutrition value very high you will make sure that you use pedia sure, but never the les this is one of the important factors taken in to consideration when investing in to medicines. Whatever the cost of the product is you tend to spend on it if it’ll increase the quality of your life. Consumers also look for fair consumer prices.When they figure out if one of the products is not giving a fair consumer price then they will surely not buy it even in case of medicines as now even in this market you’re faced with immense competition. If the price of Pediasure is not fair according to some then the customers will move their target towards ensure as these two are the biggest competitors available. According to this study some of the customers were even asked to talk about the main factors which result in going to a pharmacy and buying a medicine.The highest price as usual was given to the price and prescription of the doctors which shows that these two fa ctors are the main ones which affect the benefit and the buying plan of customers. A very high rank was also given to non-prescription medicine buying pattern, that is that many customers by medicine without any prescriptions, they use the help of either billboards or any other means of advertisement. This is somewhat the case with pediasure as well because I have prescribed many people to give pediasure to their children as regular diet and they have actually followed and abided to it.Summing it all up this study basically talks about the buying patterns of individuals while buying nutritional products or medicines. We get a clear view on what factor do the consumers keep in mind when making an effort to go and buy this product. The second research here talks about the consumer’s choice process when purchasing the staple food, it was chosen as for some pediasure is a medicine hence a necessity. After 1989, there were significant changes in food consumption, both in volumes a nd structure.These changes happened due to various factors. The most important factors with influence on demand and food consumption were: development of income levels of Czech inhabitants, development of consumer prices of food and non-food products and services, offer and availability of products on the market, advertising and promotion, health education, joining the EU. Besides these above, an impact on consumption also has such factors as quality development, extent of self-provision with food products, or the degree to which the needs are satisfied.The fundamental influence on consumption has the development of consumer prices of food and capital goods and services in relations to development of incomes, thus buying power. In the last few years, there was a visible tendency to decreasing influence of prices on food consumption. The paper focuses on the development of consumption and changes in consumption patterns, motivation and attitudes. Presented data are based on the marke ting research conducted by the Department of Marketing and Trade, Mendel University in Brno, in fall 2004.However, results of the recent research have proved that, when buying foodstuffs and beverages, consumers are influenced also by habits, current moods, situations, emotions and that the behavior of individual consumer segments is quite different. This could be the case with PediaSure as well. Factors, which influence purchase decision, affect individual groups of consumers in a different way. For a consumer research concerning individual staple food categories, the following demographic characteristics were used: sex, age, affiliation with a social group and domicile.Demographic characteristics, which are easily available, measurable, and helping to localize the target market, were used. Analysis and results of the survey (via questionnaire) about customer behavior then allow predicting the behaviour of customers and to learn what, why, when, where, how and how often they buy. T he survey via questionnaires aiming to analyze the consumer decision process when buying staple foods and beverages was conducted using a sample of 1 750 respondents.The sample was selected in such a way that it should represent the structure of the Czech population according to 4 identification characteristics – age, sex, social group, and size of the settlement where the respondents have their permanent place of residence. The answers provided information about reasons and the decision-making process when buying four staple food categories, meat and meat products, milk, dairy products and eggs, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages and bakery and confectionery products.Frequencies of respondents, whose motives for purchases of basic foodstuff were influenced by routine, newcomers, healthy lifestyle or other unidentified factors . As PediaSure is also a dairy product that is the reason why we use this result which says Milk and dairy products illustrate that routine purchase s predominated also when buying milk, butter and eggs. Purchases of cheese and yogurts were influenced by the assortment and by the healthy lifestyle. Frequencies of respondents classified into individual ocial groups did not show any significant differences It follows from these results that changes in consumption patterns of milk and dairy products were influenced by the factors of health protection andhealthy lifestyle. Extended offer of products was another important factor. Financial reasons were mentioned in the last place. We can differentiate in the behavior of retired people; their decision-making process is influenced by financial reasons. The healthy lifestyle is the most important factor in the age group of â€Å"productive age† (25–60 years).The place of residence did not show any significant effect on differences in the behavior of people from towns and villages. It is of interest that that there were differences in factors influencing purchasing decision s of men and women. Men tended to appreciate a wider assortment than women. As a reason for changes in consumption of these products, women mentioned more often the healthy lifestyle, while men appreciated a wider assortment. For Beverages, the reasons for changes in consumption patterns were different than those mentioned for foodstuffs.Financial reasons were as important as the healthy lifestyle and a wider assortment. This could be influenced by the fact that the question concerned all beverages so that this was a very variable category of products and for that reason the answers were too general. For producers, important information represents the fact that consumers are influenced by newcomers, innovations and advertising when buying staples. Consumers, who were strongly interested in their health, purchasedcereal bakery products, fish, poultry, yogurts, cheese and mineral water.When analysing the reasons of changes in consumption patterns, it was demonstrated that the reasons differed in dependence on the affiliation with the individual groups of customers. There were different reasons for individual social groups, individual age categories, and different localities. If we omit these identification groups, the most frequent reason for changes in consumption patterns in all categories of foods was the healthy lifestyle followed by a wider assortment. Financial reasons were mentioned on the last place.The reason for using this study was to show that although not for everyone but for those who consume pediasure is similar to a staple food. The reason being is that you have to include it either in your milk or your beverage. So when we talk about the buying and selling of dairy products overhear we can always link it to PediaSure as it is a dairy product for most. When we look at the buying patterns of consumers we can always similarize it with the buying patterns of pediasure . Starting from the price to marketing to health safety all of these affect the bu ying of pediasure.It might be one of these factors that would have resulted the sales to go down at the end of the study it said that prices didn’t matter most so it may be a possibility that there may be another factor other than price. Reference for literature review: Guide to consumers pharmaceutical purchasing behavior (MARSHA FAHEY , writer and editor, Emron, Ine. , Warren, New Jersey) Consumer choice process when purchasing the staple food (J. STAVKOVA, J. TURCINKOVA Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry, Brno, Czech Republic) Design of study I. Problem Definition and Hypothesis FormulationThis research is conducted to find out the reasons behind the decrease in sales of Pediasure for the past few years in certain areas, and whether consumers of different localities; specifically Federal-B Area and Defence have different perceptions regarding the product and the following variables: * Brand Image * Usage Pattern * Preference * Satisfaction * Availability * Aware ness Following Hypothesis was tested during the study: 7. There is no difference between Perceptions of customers of Defence and Federal-B area. 8. Knowing the available competitor’s, consumer will prefer Pediasure over competitors as a Nutritional Supplement. . Consumers will purchase the product if they are told about the benefits. 10. Creating Awareness will impact the sales of Pediasure. 11. Whether high nutrients are preferred over other variables like Price and Recommendations. 12. Whether being a Medicinal product is good for the image of Pediasure. Research Design: The study seeks to find the ultimate solution to solve the problem of declining sales of Abbot’s Pediasure find and to seek whether it is feasible for conducting additional promotional activities. Since we were seeking to explore the reasons for declining sales we used Exploratory Research Methods.Sampling Technique: Convenience sampling method based on a non-probability sampling technique was used t o gather data from the respondents. A questionnaire based survey was conducted to validate the findings. The questionnaire-based survey is designed as to measure both quantitative and qualitative variables. Its methodical profile includes multi-perspective, cross-sectional design and broad random samples. The questionnaire tests the following variables: * Brand Identity * Usage Pattern * Preference * Satisfaction * Availability II. Gathering DataWe questioned 50 mothers from different stores in Federal-B Area and 30 from stores in Defence. The main reason for having an unequal sample size for both areas is because number of medical stores in Federal-B Area is a lot more than that in Defence, so we thought it would me fair if we had more respondents from Federal-B area. Our target respondents were mothers of age in between 30-40, but it was not very easy to find them in the medical stores. We questioned as many as we could find and the rest was filled by fathers of around the same ag e group on behalf of their wives.It was our good fortune that the fathers were surprisingly well-informed about the products being used for the infants. 1. Analysis of Results The data was first entered in Microsoft Excel and then one of our group members double-checked and copied it to the SPSS software and then analysis were conducted using SPSS Statistical Software. Pearson Chi-square test was used to analyze the result and hypothesis with assumed significance greater than . 05 were rejected. HYPOTHESIS 1 HO Area of residence affects use of nutritional supplementsHa Area of residence does not affects use of nutritional supplements AREA OF RESPONDENT * CURRENTLY USING SUPPLEMENT Crosstabulation| | | | CURRENTLY USING SUPPLEMENT| Total| | | | YES| NO| | AREA OF RESPONDENT| FB| Count| 49| 1| 50| | | % within AREA OF RESPONDENT| 98. 0%| 2. 0%| 100. 0%| | | % within CURRENTLY USING SUPPLEMENT| 61. 3%| 16. 7%| 58. 1%| | DEFENCE| Count| 31| 5| 36| | | % within AREA OF RESPONDENT| 86. 1% | 13. 9%| 100. 0%| | | % within CURRENTLY USING SUPPLEMENT| 38. 8%| 83. 3%| 41. 9%| Total| Count| 80| 6| 86| | % within AREA OF RESPONDENT| 93. 0%| 7. 0%| 100. 0%| | % within CURRENTLY USING SUPPLEMENT| 100. %| 100. 0%| 100. 0%| Chi-Square Tests| | Value| Df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Exact Sig. (2-sided)| Exact Sig. (1-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 4. 558a| 1| . 033| | | Continuity Correctionb| 2. 911| 1| . 088| | | Likelihood Ratio| 4. 707| 1| . 030| | | Fisher's Exact Test| | | | . 078| . 044| Linear-by-Linear Association| 4. 505| 1| . 034| | | N of Valid Cases| 86| | | | | a. 2 cells (50. 0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 2. 51. | b. Computed only for a 2Ãâ€"2 table| At 5%significance level do not reject H0 Area of residence does affect the use of nutritional supplement HYPOTHESIS 2HO: AREA OF RESIDENCE AFFECTS AWARENESS OF PEDIASURE H1 AREA OF RESIDECE DOES NOT AFFECT AWARENESS ABOUT PEDIASURE ARE YOU AWARE OF ABBOTS CHILD NUTRITION PRODUCT PEDIASUR E? * IF YES THAN HAVE YOU EVER BOUGHT IT? Crosstabulation| | | | IF YES THAN HAVE YOU EVER BOUGHT IT? | Total| | | | YES| NO| | ARE YOU AWARE OF ABBOTS CHILD NUTRITION PRODUCT PEDIASURE? | YES| Count| 19| 14| 33| | | % within ARE YOU AWARE OF ABBOTS CHILD NUTRITION PRODUCT PEDIASURE? | 57. 6%| 42. 4%| 100. 0%| | | % within IF YES THAN HAVE YOU EVER BOUGHT IT? | 100. 0%| 100. 0%| 100. 0%| Total| Count| 19| 14| 33| % within ARE YOU AWARE OF ABBOTS CHILD NUTRITION PRODUCT PEDIASURE? | 57. 6%| 42. 4%| 100. 0%| | % within IF YES THAN HAVE YOU EVER BOUGHT IT? | 100. 0%| 100. 0%| 100. 0%| Chi-Square Tests| | Value| Df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Exact Sig. (2-sided)| Exact Sig. (1-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 1. 075a| 1| . 300| | | Continuity Correctionb| . 632| 1| . 427| | | Likelihood Ratio| 1. 079| 1| . 299| | | Fisher's Exact Test| | | | . 341| . 214| Linear-by-Linear Association| 1. 060| 1| . 303| | | N of Valid Cases| 70| | | | | a. 0 cells (. 0%) have expected count less than 5. The mini mum expected count is 14. 14. b. Computed only for a 2Ãâ€"2 table| At 5% significance level do not reject H0 Area of residence affects awareness of Abbots product Pediasure HYPOTHEIS 3H0 Knowing the available competitor’s, consumer will prefer Pediasure over competitors as a Nutritional Supplement. H1 Knowing the available competitor’s, consumer will not affect consumer preference of Pediasure over competitors as a Nutritional Supplement. Paired Samples Test| | | Paired Differences| | | | | | Mean| Std. Deviation| Std. Error Mean| Pair 1| ARE YOU AWARE OF ABBOTS CHILD NUTRITION PRODUCT PEDIASURE? – IF YES THAN HAVE YOU EVER BOUGHT IT? -. 424| . 502| . 087| Paired Samples Test| | | Paired Differences| | | 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference| | | Lower| Upper| Pair 1| ARE YOU AWARE OF ABBOTS CHILD NUTRITION PRODUCT PEDIASURE? – IF YES THAN HAVE YOU EVER BOUGHT IT? | -. 602| -. 246| | Paired Samples Test| | | | | | | | | t| df| Sig. (2-tailed)| Pair 1 | ARE YOU AWARE OF ABBOTS CHILD NUTRITION PRODUCT PEDIASURE? – IF YES THAN HAVE YOU EVER BOUGHT IT? | -4. 856| 32| . 000| At 5% Significance level reject HO Awareness is not the only reason why consumers will prefer Pediasure over competitor’s product HYPOTHEIS 4HO: High nutrients are preferred over other variables like Price Ha: High nutrients are not preferred over other variables like Price Chi-Square Tests| | Value| Df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 238. 264a| 24| . 000| Likelihood Ratio| 183. 809| 24| . 000| Linear-by-Linear Association| 62. 765| 1| . 000| N of Valid Cases| 93| | | a. 29 cells (82. 9%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 32. | AT 5% significance level reject H0 Nutrients are not preferred over variables such as price HYPOTHESIS 5 HO: High nutrients are preferred over other variables like RecommendationHa: High nutrients are not preferred over other variables like recommendation Chi-Square Tests| | Value| D f| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 217. 033a| 25| . 000| Likelihood Ratio| 206. 420| 25| . 000| Linear-by-Linear Association| 69. 663| 1| . 000| N of Valid Cases| 115| | | a. 30 cells (83. 3%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 24. | At 5% significance level reject H0 High nutrients are not preferred over other variables like recommendation HYPOTHESIS 6 H0: Being a Medicinal product is good for the image of Pediasure.Ha: Being a Medicinal product has no effect on the image of Pediasure. III. Sources of Data * Primary Sources: * Respondents Our main aim was to get fresh information from the parents directly, so we could better figure out the main reasons behind the sluggish growth of sales. There were some instances where the store managers were being receptive and the respondents showed disinterest in providing information. Due to our persistence we managed to get a great deal of good information. We mostly had to read out the questions to th e respondents, while they shopped and marked the answers according to their response.The questionnaires were all filled under supervision of either of the members of the group to avoid the chance of misunderstandings. * Secondary Sources: Secondary data was not as such required in our research it was mostly based on primary data. The literature review only required thorough reading of different articles. This helped us in getting a better idea about different aspects of the research work. We learned how to design the questionnaire in a way that would get the maximum possible information without offending the respondents in any way.It also helped us to figure out how the issue of differences in perception of people living in different type of areas in the same city has been dealt. Some important information regarding Pediasure and its competitors Contents was also gained using some secondary data. It was gathered from the websites of these companies and also from reading the packages of the respective products. This was basically done to compare different variables in different supplements. The comparisons were eventually used to analyze which variable is most important for the consumers. IV. Research InstrumentAs mentioned above, a questionnaire based survey was conducted, the questionnaire was designed collectively by the entire group members, keeping in mind all the dos and don’ts of Questionnaire designs taught by our mentor/teacher. It was also SPSS friendly, so it was really easy for us to statistically analyze it through the software. Before moving ahead with it, we also got it checked to reduce as much chances of errors as possible. It was scripted using simple and familiar language, few questions that were easy to answer and supervision was given throughout. The sampling technique was partially random.The stores in all the areas were shortlisted through systematic random sampling technique. There were a total of 92 stores in F. B area and 56 sto res in Defence, and we randomly selected 25 and 15 stores from the respective areas. Then from each store 2 respondents were surveyed upon. The questionnaire contained 14 questions measuring different variables that are mentioned above. The variables tested through our research are usage pattern, preference to competitors, frequency of purchase, brand identity and purchase intention. Some questions were even included to get a little idea about the demographics of the target population.We faced some trouble during data collection, since the respondents seemed totally disinterested in giving their valuable knowledge to us. The staffs of the stores were also being receptive due to the agitation of the customers. In cases where store managers were not allowing us to interview in the store, we had to wait outside to get our target respondents. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS RESTATEMENT OF PROBLEM The research problem was to identify the reasons behind the decline in sales of Abbot's flagship pr oduct Pediasure. This was done by dividing selected areas in the city, mainly Defense and F.B Area, into class A and class B and finding out the perceptions of the users about the product. DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURES Research Design The study seeks to find the ultimate solution to solve the problem of declining sales of Abbot’s Pediasure and to seek whether it is feasible for conducting additional promotional activities. Since we were seeking to explore the reasons for declining sales we used Exploratory Research Methods. Sampling Technique Convenience sampling method based on a non-probability sampling technique was used to gather data from the respondents. A questionnaire base survey was conducted to validate the findings.The questionnaire-based survey is designed as quantitative and qualitative both. Its methodical profile includes multi-perspective, cross-sectional design and broad random samples. The questionnaire tests the following variables: * Brand Image * Usage Patter n * Preference * Satisfaction * Availability * Awareness Following Hypothesis was tested during the study: 1. Area of residence affects use of nutritional supplements. 2. Area of residence affects awareness of Pediasure. 3. Knowing the available competitor’s, consumer will prefer Pediasure over competitors as a Nutritional Supplement. . High nutrients are preferred over other variables like Price. 5. High nutrients are preferred over other variables like Recommendation. The data was entered in Statistical Software SPSS v. 17 and Pearson Chi-Square Test was used to conclude findings. If the value of assumed significance was greater than . 05, the hypothesis was rejected. MAJOR FINDINGS 1. Area of residence affects use of nutritional supplements We do not reject our hypothesis which means that there is a difference in perceptions of people living in different areas. 2. Area of residence affects awareness of Pediasure.We do not reject our hypothesis showing that again area of re sidence is a factor which contributes to the differences in attributes of people. 3. Knowing the available competitor’s, consumer will prefer Pediasure over competitors as a Nutritional Supplement. We reject our hypothesis because awareness is not the only reason why consumers will prefer Pediasure over competitor’s product. 4. High nutrients are preferred over other variables like Price. We reject our hypothesis with the conclusion that price is the principle variable considered in buying nutritional supplements. 5.High nutrients are preferred over other variables like Recommendation. We reject our hypothesis because considering the nutritional aspect is not a preference over other factors such as recommendation. RECOMMENDATIONS * The image of Pediasure should be improved for the consumers to identify it as a medicinal product. * Increase in the number of flavors of Pediasure would boost the sales. * There is a requirement from the marketing department to be more acti ve and engage in activities such as personal selling. * If there is a possibility then the price of the product should be reduced keeping in mind the costs. If not then the company should emphasize the benefits of the product as in Nutritional value should be highlighted in the campaigns like â€Å"37 vital nutrients† to motivate the customers into buying the product. * Different promotional campaigns according to different mediums should be designed highlighting the strong points of the product. Choosing brand ambassadors with high percentage of popularity among the children is a good idea. BIBLIOGRAPHY Guide to consumers pharmaceutical purchasing behavior (MARSHA FAHEY , writer and editor, Emron, Ine. , Warren, New Jersey) Consumer choice process when purchasing the staple food (J.STAVKOVA, J. TURCINKOVA Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry, Brno, Czech Republic) http://www. abbott. com. pk/ APPENDIX Abbott Nutrition Questionnaire Name: Age: Profession: Area of res idence: Husband’s profession: Currently using (Any supplement): 1. _________(AGE:___) 2. _________(AGE:___) 3. _________(AGE:___) Questionnaire for Mothers 1. How many children do you have? * 0-2 * 2-4 * More than 4 2. What are the ages of your children? * * 1 ____________ * 2 ____________ * 3 ____________ * 4 __________ * 5 ___________ 6 ___________ 3. Are you satisfied with your child’s (children) growth (height and weight) that are under the age of 10? * Yes * No 4. Does your child (ren) fall sick often? * Yes * No If your answer to any of the above question(s) 3 ; 4 is YES, then proceed to Q5 5. In which school(s) does your child (ren) study that are under the age of 10? 1 ________________ 2 ________________ 3 _______________ 4 ______________ 6. Were you recommended by someone to use the product or you use it on your own * Recommended by someone * Used on the own 7. If recommended, then who recommended you to use the supplement? Doctor * Friends * Neighbors * Rela tives * Other, Please specify: __________________________________________________________ 8. How many times in a day do you give the supplement to your child (ren)? * * Child 1 * Child 2 * Child 3 * Child 4 Once Twice Thrice 9. Are you aware of Abbott’s Child Nutrition Product’ Pediasure’? * Yes * No 10. If YES, then answer the following questions If no then jump to Q#12 : (a) Have you ever bought it? * Yes * No (b) When did you buy it and whose recommendation did you buy it? ____________________________________________ (c) Any why did you discontinue buying it? ___________________________________________________________________ 11. If your answer to Q#10(a) is NO, then what is the reason for not buying it? ————————————————- 12. Have you ever been to a pediatrician or child specialist? * Yes * No 13 If you are told that Pediasure is the Child Specialis t’s first choice for child nutrition and for children who are picky/fussy eaters and it not only enhances growth (Height& Weight) but it also builds immunity. It is also clinically proven to reduce number of sick days and the incidence of infections, would you start using it? * Yes * No 4 If NO, Why? ____________________________________________________________________ 15 Rank the considerations (in order of priority) on a scale of (1-9) 1 being the highest and 10 being the lowest, if you are to make a decision to buy a nutritional supplement? * * Price * Company * Nutritional value * TV Ads * Doctor’s recommendation * Packaging * Someone else’s recommendation, Please specify: * Other, Please specify: _____________________ 16 If I tell you that per month cost of Pediasure is Rs. 2100 (1 serving per day) and the cost of supplement that you are using is ____________, then would you prefer buying Pediasure? Yes * No Product Comparison Product Comparison | Approximat ely Analysis Powder Per 100gm| | Pediasure Comp. | Promise PE| Horlics Junior| Meiji Big| Enervit Junior| Energy PER 100G| 492| 451| 406| 467| 489| Calories Per Serving| 225| 200| 101|   | 185| Per Rs. Calories| 3| 3| 3. 5|   |   | Nutrints|   |   |   |   |   | Protien| 14. 8 gm| 16 gm| 17. 5 gm| 20| 15 gm| Fat| 24. 6 gm| 16 gm| 7. 1 gm| 19| 24 gm| Carbohydrate| 52. 8 gm| 61 gm | 67. 5 gm| 54| 53. 4 gm| FOS| 1. 75 gm| 1. 4 gm| NA|   | 2 gm| Taurine| 35. 4 mg| 21 mg| NA| 33| 30 mg| Carnitine| 8. 4 mg| 7. 7 mg| NA|   | 10 mg| Inositol| 39. 4 mg| 34 mg| NA|   | 40 mg|   |   |   |   |   | Minerals|   |   |   |   |   | Calcium| 483 mg| 563 mg| 800 mg| 700| 490 mg| Phosphorus| 300 mg| 383 mg| NA| 470| 360 mg| Zinc| 4. 9 mg| 5. 4 mg| 4. 5 mg| 4| 3. 2 mg| Copper | 0. 5 mg| 0. 39 mg| 0. 34 mg| 320ug| 0. 37 mg| Selenium| 14. 8 mcg| NA| 20 mcg |   | 14. 8 mcg| Iron| 6. 9 mg| 8. 4 mg| 14 mg| 8| 6. 9 mg| Iodine| 47. 3 mcg| 42 mcg| 90 mcg| 100ug| 62 mcg | Niacin| 8. 42 mg| 3. 1 mg| 6 mg| 6| NA| Magnesium| 98 mg| 50 mg| NA| 70| 47 mg| Sodium| 227 mg| 212 mg| NA| 270| 200 mg| Potassium| 640 mg | 856 mg| NA| 970| 570 mg | Choloride| 493 mg| 495 mg| NA| 630| 360 mg| Manganese| 1. 23 mg| 0. 5 mg| NA| 45ug| 25 mg|Chromium| 15 mcg| NA| NA|   | NA| Molybdenum| 24. 6 mcg| NA| NA|   | NA| Vitamins|   |   |   |   |   | Vitamin A| 1270 IU| 1500 IU| 300 mcg| 1300IU| 400 mcg| Vitamin C| 50 mg| 54 mg| 30 mg| 55MG| 50 mg| Vitamin D| 158 IU| 301 IU| 5 mcg| 300IU| 4 mcg| Vitamin E| 11. 4 IU| 7. 4 IU| 6 mg| 6MG| 8 mg| Vitamin B1| 1. 35 mg| 0. 58 mg| 0. 5 mg | 0. 4MG| 0. 9 mg| Vitamin B2| 1. 03 mg| 0. 7 mg| 1 mg| 1. 6MG| 1. 03 mg| Vitamin B6| 1. 3 mg| 0. 56 mg| 1 mg| 0. 3MG| 8 mg| Vitamin B12| 1. 5 mcg| 1. 1 mcg| 1. 8 mcg | 2UG| 1. 4 mcg| Vitamin K| 18. 8 mcg| 28 mcg| 30 mcg| 25UG| 20 mcg| Nicotinamide| 8. 4 mg| NA| NA|   | 8 mg| Pantothenic Acid| 3. 45 mg| 2. 5 mg| NA| 2MG| 3. 4 mg| Folic Acid| 108 mcg| 31 mcg| 300 mcg| 0. 1MG| 100 mc g| Biotin | 18. 2 mcg| 11 mcg| NA|   | 18 mcg| Choline| 148 mg | 135 mg| NA|   | 80 mg | Additional details about Promise PE Gold | Powder Per 100gm| Protein | Alfa lactulbumin 0. 81 gm| | Fat| Linoleic Acid 4054 mg| DHA 8. 1 mg| AA 12 mg| | Carbohydrates| Lactose 29 gm| Maltodextrine 11 gm| Corn Syrup Solid 11 gm| Sucrose 9. 5 gm| | Vitamin | Beta Carotine 68 mcg| | Nuclotides 12 mg| | Leutin 90 mcg| | Age 2-10 Years| | Dilution| 5 scoops (44 gm) powder in 175 ml water | Scoop Size 8. 8 gm| | Flavor Vanila | | Fat formulation contains Palm Olein Oil|

The Basic Maketing Concept

The report also hopes to target specific business functions and show ways of using the marketing concept to improve them. It will also identify ways in which marketing can help achieve various goals within the organisation. The Marketing Concept (alternatively known as a ‘business philosophy' or ‘a way of doing business') has become an effective way of improving the overall performance of many businesses in recent years. Companies have realised that in order to make profits and sustain them, they must consider the needs and wants of their customers. They must then compare these needs and wants to the product or service that they currently offer. The concept of marketing is based upon the idea that if the customer has a need and is satisfied with the product, then ultimately sales will be good – hence profit will be good. It goes without saying that every company's aim is to maximise their profit margin, but in order to do this, some tend to focus too much on the selling aspect and not enough on the actual customer. A Company can be orientated in different ways: A sales orientated company will focus purely on the amount that they sell, working on the assumption that sales and sales only can make money. Companies adopting this attitude have come under scrutiny, due to the actions of over-zealous salesmen who will stop at nothing to get a sale – you are probably familiar with the phrase â€Å"never trust a salesman†. This way of doing business is no longer acceptable as it has become apparent that in order to sell something, someone must want to buy it. The old style of â€Å"conning† the customer into buying goods whether they need them or not, purely to ensure a sale, is now shunned by most industries. A marketing orientated company is a customer orientated company. They take into account customer requirements and focus on them. Communication between a company and their customers is essential to ensure the success of any marketing method. Market research is used to identify specific requirements of both existing and potential customers. Satisfied customers are loyal customers who will inevitably create repeat business as well as providing free word-of-mouth advertising. This would undoubtedly result in increased profits. A production orientated company will focus purely on the production of their product. A company who cares enough about their ability to produce goods of only the highest quality possible must be admired for their dedication. However, dedication does not necessarily guarantee profit, and without profit, a company could easily fold. Although a similar concept to the one of the production orientated company (above), the product orientated company focuses on the product itself. The aim is to make the best product possible. Research and development is usually involved in the process, ensuring that there is a substantial demand for the product. It is hoped that a company will end up with a high quality product that will sell. The marketing mix consists of various factors that a company can mix to determine of there is a match between the needs of the customer and what the company currently offers them. There are four main elements of the marketing mix – Defining the characteristics of the product to meet customer requirements e.g. introducing optional features with a product that are not standard or providing an additional warranty that may not be deemed necessary in law, i.e. providing more than legally necessary with regard to the product. An important element of the marketing mix, the price places a value on the product. It is possible for the buyer and the seller to compare this price to that of competing products. It is then possible to alter the customer's perception of the value by offering additional elements such as cash trade discounts, credit facilities and easy payment terms. From the marketing point of view, the price is the ultimate way of calculating profit. Another word for distribution of the product. The product must be easily available to the customer in order for it to sell well. There are various channels in which a product can be distributed. For example, TJ600 would probably choose to distribute their goods by way of a supplier, but they could also introduce a direct mail order service to increase sales. In deciding which methods to use, you must first consider who your potential customers are and where they are likely to shop for these products. Although part of the marketing mix, promotion consists of four elements of its own called the â€Å"Promotion Mix†. These are – Advertising – paid presentations such as television advertising, newspapers and posters fliers etc Public Relations – the launch of a new product and the ways it can be promoted to the trade and consumer press Personal Selling – a method of promoting sales by means of oral communication. This can be either face to face or over the telephone. Sales Promotion – a way of enhancing consumer purchasing. This usually consists of displays, shows and exhibitions. Market Research is used to identify not only customer requirements but to identify any marketing problems that the company may be experiencing. Planning is extremely important when compiling the data to be used in the market research. In order for the results to be accurate, the questions asked must be relevant. This will involve discussions with marketing management and on occasion, outside consultants. Research can be used to improve any element of the product (detailed in the marketing mix). When considering any form of market research, it is important that any external factors affecting the results are considered. These are commonly known as PEST: Political – any new legislation that may affect the product Economic – unemployment rates, spending power of the consumer Social – environmental issues that may affect the product Technological – introduction of new technology that may affect the company Once a decision has been reached regarding the purpose and content of the research, it is necessary to determine the best way of getting a response. There are numerous ways of conducting market research, including postal surveys, telephone surveys and face to face interviews. The best response rate, however, tends to be with face to face interviews (usually questionnaires), due to the fact that an immediate response is given by the interviewee. It is vital that once data has been collected that it is carefully reviewed, in order to interpret the information given as a result of the research. Additional research may be carried out if the data shows that there is another area that can be improved upon. In order for a company to go forward in business, they must set objectives goals. These usually form questions relating to the business, such as: For example, the organisational goals of TJ600 may be to: Expand product range & distribution These objectives are usually made at a strategic level – in this case the managing director would be responsible for setting the objectives. It is reasonable to assume that TJ600 are aware of their position in the manufacturing business, due to the fact that they have been successful for 20 years. The goals detailed above give an idea of where the company would like to be in the future. All that is left is to figure out how to get there and it is at this point that marketing plays its role. Outlined below are ways that marketing could help achieve the aforementioned goals: In order to retain customer loyalty, it is important that the customer is satisfied with the product they currently buy. Market research is extremely useful in identifying customer needs and to establish whether or not they are completely satisfied with the product. It is at this point that elements of the marketing mix can be used to alter certain characteristics of an existing product e.g. if market research was to show that existing customers were basically satisfied with a product supplied by TJ600, but would welcome more after sales service, then management would want to look at the product element of the marketing mix. It is possible from there to ascertain whether extended warranties etc would be viable to the business with regards to cost effectiveness i.e. would additional staff be required? Again, market research is useful to determine whether there is a market for expansion of a certain product or expansion of an existing product to another country. Past and present success of a company cannot be taken as a guarantee for the future. Many large companies invest in regular market research to ensure that they stay one step ahead of their competitors. Although TJ600 has had continuing success in the past, it would be rather arrogant to expect the same success in the future. Expansion is a good way of improving on something that is already popular and offering the customer more choice at the same time. In today's business world, it is inevitable that at one point someone will offer customers an improvement on their current product. Investing in market research will help to ensure that, if a product would benefit from expansion, then you will be first to do it. Once a company has established their organisational goals and the marketing methods that they are going to use to achieve them, they must ensure that they have the co-operation of every department. Communication plays a vital part in marketing to ensure that the changes are implemented with maximum effect. For example, using the organisational goals detailed previously for TJ600, it would not be possible to make changes to the product range by consulting only the production department. Outlined below are the roles that other business functions would play in marketing: The finance department is usually responsible for setting annual budgets for the whole of the company and expects other departments to adhere to them. They are also responsible for setting time limits on credit facilities and these sometimes tend to be shorter than the customer would like. Communication between the finance department and marketing could look to improve credit terms if required and may allow room for compromise if a certain department required more money. It is the responsibility of the finance department to ensure that the company makes a profit and they may not be keen to spend more money or wait longer for customers to pay. This is where communication plays an important role; if it is explained from a marketing point of view that these additional costs would result in a higher market share or increased sales, then the finance department would realise that this would lead to increased profits. The production department is unlikely to welcome the idea of modifications or improvements to the product. They tend to work in long production runs and like to keep things as standard as possible. Communication between marketing and the production department may help them understand the need for improvements to a certain product – it may be that improvements are necessary in order for them to stay ahead of competitors in the same market. It is vital to the smooth running of any organisation that the right people are employed for the right jobs e.g. marketing may have highlighted the need for customised orders to be introduced, which in turn would mean that staff are required to work more flexible hours. It is the responsibility of the personnel department to ensure that the company has adequate staff to meet these requirements.