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Showing posts with label Marketing Aptitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marketing Aptitude. Show all posts

Wednesday 4 February 2015

Balance Sheet

Balance sheet.

A balance sheet is a statement of a company's financial position at a particular moment in time. This financial report shows the two sides of a company's financial situation -- what it owns and what it owes.
What the company owns, called its assets, is always equal to the combined value of what the company owes, called its liabilities, and the value of its shareholders' equity. Expressed as an equation, a company's balance sheets shows assets = liabilities + shareholder value.

Saturday 8 November 2014

Marketing Aptitude for Banking Examinations: List of Topics

Marketing Aptitude for Banking Examinations: List of Topics

A - Basics of Marketing Management
  1. Understanding Market
  2. Definition of Marketing
  3. Difference Between Selling & Marketing
  4. Who is a Customer?
  5. Evolution of Marketing
  6. Features of Marketing
  7. Functions of Marketing
  8. Importance of Marketing
  9. Meaning & Functions of Marketing Management
  10. Basic Concepts of Marketing
  11. Basics of Marketing Process
  12. Marketing Process: The Basic Schematic
B : Basics of Marketing Environment and Consumer Behavior
  1. Understanding Marketing Environment
  2. Understanding Consumer Behavior
  3. Cultural & Social Factors Affecting Buyer's Behavior
  4. Personal Factors Affecting Buyer's Behavior
  5. Economical Factors Affecting Buyer's Behavior
C- Basics of Market Segmentation
  1. Understanding Market Segmentation
  2. A Marketer’s Questions on Segmentation Analysis
  3. Variables of Segmentation: Consumer Markets
  4. Variables of Segmentation: Industrial Markets
  5. Understanding Targeting Approaches: Differentiated, Undifferentiated, Niche & Micromarketing
D : Basics of Marketing Mix
  1. Understanding Marketing Mix : 4P's and 4C's
  2. The Extended Marketing Mix for Service Industry: Additional 3 P’s
Revision Summary:
  1. Summary Notes -1
  2. Summary Notes 2
  3. Summary Notes 3
  4. Summary Notes 4
  5. Summary Notes 5
E : Product
  1. Product Life Cycle

Definition of Marketing

Definition of Marketing

Marketing is an integrated communications-based process through which individuals and communities discover that existing and newly-identified needs and wants may be satisfied by the products and services of others.

Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. The term developed from the original meaning which referred literally to going to market, as in shopping, or going to a market to buy or sell goods or services.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as "The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably."

Marketing practice tended to be seen as a creative industry in the past, which included advertising, distributionReturn to investors of the accumulated income of a trust or mutual fund and distribution of capital gains. and selling. However, because marketing makes extensive use of social sciences, psychology, sociology, mathematics, economics, anthropology and neuroscience, the profession is now widely recognized as a science, allowing numerous universities to offer Master-of-Science (MSc) programmes. The overall process starts with marketing research and goes through market segmentation, business planning and execution, ending with pre and post-sales promotional activities. It is also related to many of the creative arts. The marketing literature is also infamous for re-inventing itself and its vocabulary according to the times and the culture.

A common set of conditions are present in the marketplace, viz.,
1) Buyers outnumber sellers
2) Any individual buyer is weaker than any individual seller economically, but
3) The total economic power of even a fraction of the buyers is enough to assure the existence of, or to put out of business, most sellers or groups of sellers, and
4) Consequently, the sellers compete to sway the largest number of buyers they can to their, rather than another seller’s (competitor’s) offerings. Finally and intriguingly,
5) The sellers in their attempt to meet competition and attract the largest number of buyers, are influenced as well, regularly modifying their behaviours so they will have more success, with more buyers, over time.

What is Utility?

What is Utility?

Want-satisfying power of a good or service is called utility
There are four basic kinds of utility – form, time, place and ownership utility.
Form utility is created when the firm converts raw materials and component inputs into finished goods and services.
Time and place utility occur when consumers find goods and services available when and where they want to purchase them.
The transfer of title to goods or services at the time of purchase creates ownership utility.

Examples:
Form Utility : Conversion of raw materials and components into finished goods and services example : Biscuit made of several ingradients.
Time Utility : Availability of goods and services when consumers want them example: dial-a-cab service
Place Utility: Availability of goods and services where consumers want them example: home deliveryPresentation of securities with transfer deeds in fulfillment of a transaction. services of Pizza Hut
Ownership Utility : Ability to transfer title to goods or services from marketer to buyer : sales of a motorcycle.

ABC Method

ABC Method

ABC methodIt is a method of stock control in which each item is designated by the letter A, B or C depending upon its value to .....: ABC method refers Attention, Benefits and Close or sometimes Always Be Closing. Its a sales method, where the customer’s attention is attracted, the salesperson then shows the benefits of the product to the customer, and finally closes the deal.

It is different from ABC analysis which is a technique that has been used in business management for a long time is the categorization of large data into groups.

Friday 7 November 2014

Understanding Market

Understanding Market

Before we understand the meaning of marketing, we should know what a market is. Market is a place where buyers and sellers meet each other to enter into transactions. The transactions involve transactions of ideas, goods, services and information. The exchangeRegulated market place where capital market products are bought and sold through intermediaries. of goods or services for money is a transaction.

Market comprises not only the actual buyers but also the potential buyers of a product or service. The potential buyers are those people who profess some level of interest in a good / service/ information and who can afford it. For example, a mill produces a cotton cloth. The mill (manufacturer & seller) and all the potential and actual buyers of the cloths will constitute the market.

The presence of sellers and actual & potential buyers of a products or services over the Internet is known as "Online market" or "web market".

In a broadest sense: A market is any one of a variety of different systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby person’s trade, and goods and services are exchanged, forming part of the economyeconomy. It is an arrangement that allows buyers and sellers to exchange things"

Can Two Persons make a Market?
Two persons can trade. However to create a market it takes at least three persons to have a market, so that there is competition on at least one of its two sides.

The offerings may include physical products, Services, Ideas and information. These offerings have values for their customers.

"Exchange" is central to marketing. Exchange in which two or more parties give something of value to each other to satisfy felt needs is the core of the market place. Exchanges may include tangible goods for money or also intangible services.

Features of Markets:

  • As mentioned above, two people can trade but cannot create a market. In markets, the buyers outnumber sellers.
  • An individual buyer is weaker than any individual seller is economically, but the total economic power of even a fraction of the buyers is enough to assure the survival or death of most businesses.
  • The sellers compete to sway the largest number of buyers they can to their, rather than another seller’s (competitor’s) offerings and attempt to meet competition and attract the largest number of buyers, are influenced as well, regularly modifying their behaviors so they will have more success, with more buyers, over time.

Definition of Marketing

Definition of Marketing

After understanding the Market in the last chapter, now let us understand what the marketing is. In market, the sellers and buyers exchangeRegulated market place where capital market products are bought and sold through intermediaries. ideas, goods, services and information for money. The ideas, goods, services and information possess a value for the customer. Every organization or firm has to create a value for its product or service and this is very much essential for its survival.

The economists call this value “utility”. Utility is the want-satisfying power of a good or service. The utility is of four kinds- form utility, time utility, place utility and ownership utility.

Form utility is created when the firm converts raw materials and component inputs into finished goods and services. Any firm’s production function is responsible for creating form utility and marketing provides important inputs that specify consumer preference. Marketing creates the other three utilities, time utility, place utility and ownership utility. Time and place utility occur when consumers find goods and services available when and where they want to purchase them. EBay and other online retailers have a 24X7 format. This format emphasizes the time utility. Cola vending machines at malls and complexes focus on providing place utility for people buying snacks and soft drinks. Similarly, dial a pizza creates place utility. ATMs in banks also create the place utility. The transfer of title to goods or services at the time of purchase creates ownership utility.

Utility is created by marketing. The firms determine what products or services may be of interest to customers. In simple words, the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development is called marketing. Marketing is an integrated process through which a firm creates value for customers and builds strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in return.

Just like transaction is central to a market, customer is central to marketing. Marketing involves identifying, retaining and satisfying the customer.

Marketing is not an isolated process. it is an integrated process which involves the planning, execution, pricing, distributionReturn to investors of the accumulated income of a trust or mutual fund and distribution of capital gains. , promotion and after sales service. The American Marketing Association as has defined the marketing as:

"Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives"

The latest definition of MarketingMarketing is an integrated communications-based process through which individuals and communities discover that existing and newly-identified needs and wants may be satisfied by the products ..... by AMA in October 2007 was revised as:

"Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."

The Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as "the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably"

Difference between Selling and Marketing

Difference between Selling and Marketing

The market is a place for economic transactions. The buying and selling are two sides of the same "coin" that is "transaction'. Selling is different from marketing. While selling means offering to exchangeRegulated market place where capital market products are bought and sold through intermediaries. something (intangible or tangible) of value for something else, marketing means much more. Selling is a part or component of marketing. Marketing may start even before production of goods and services. Marketing involves analyzing consumer needs, securing information needed to design and produce goods or services that match buyer expectations, creating, and maintaining relationships with customers and suppliers.

The selling starts from the factory in case of tangible goods, while marketing starts in the market place. The focus of selling is "product or service" which exists, while the focus of marketing is "customer needs". The means of selling is a sale and to conclude a sale depends upon the "Persuading art" of the sales person, means of marketing is a complex, integrated and interdependent factors.

The ultimate end of selling is profit while the ultimate end of the marketing is "Customer satisfaction".

A common person, due to continuous exposure to advertising and personal selling links marketing and selling. There are some misconceptions or myths regarding the selling and marketing, biggest of which is "Marketing and selling are synonymous". The other myths are:
1. Marketing job is to create good advertising campaign
2. Marketing means to push the product to customer.
3. Marketing is transaction oriented.
4. Marketing is short term strategy
5. Marketing is an independent function.
6. Marketing is part of selling.

Both marketing and selling promote a product or service but marketing involves selling, promoting, educating and exciting people about a product or service. Marketing builds a brand.

Who is a customer?

Who is a customer?

A customer, also known as a client is a current or potential buyer of a product -good or service. The firm or organization is seller. A potential customer is also known as prospective customer or client. A customer may view, check, experience the service but not purchase.

The word "customer" has derived from custom, which means a habit (of going to frequently to a shop). In today's cutthroat competition, "the Customer is a King". Marketing professionals ironically say “Customer is always right".

The biggest challenge is for an organization is - how to create a customer?
Creating a customer means identifying needs in the marketplace, finding out which needs the organization can profitably serve and developing an offering to convert potential buyers into customers. (Guiltinan and Paul)
The marketing professionals are mostly responsible to create customers. The activities, which are necessary to create customers, are as follows:

  • To identify the customer needs.
  • To design the goods and services that meet those identified needs
  • To communicate the information about those goods and services to prospective buyers
  • To make goods and services available at times and places that meet customers’ needs
  • To price goods and services to reflect costs, competition and customers’ ability to buy
  • To provide necessary service and follow-up to ensure customer satisfaction after the purchase

Evolution of Marketing

Evolution of Marketing

Marketing has changed over the centuries, decades and years. The production centered system systematically changed into relationship era of today and over the period; the specializations have emerged such as sales versus marketing and advertising versus retailing. The overall evolution of marketing has given rise to the concept of business development. Marketing has taken the modern shape after going through various stages since last the end of 19th century. The Production oriented practice of marketing prior to the twentieth century was conservative and hidebound by rules-of-thumb and lack of information. Science & technology developments and specially the development of information technology have now changed the way people live, the way people do business and the way people sell and purchase. Following is a short summary of the various stages of evolution of marketing.

  • Production Orientation Era: The prevailing attitude and approach of the production orientation era was -"consumers favor products that are available and highly affordable" . The mantra for marketing success was to “Improve production and distributionReturn to investors of the accumulated income of a trust or mutual fund and distribution of capital gains. ". The rule was "availability and affordability is what the customer wants". The era was marked by narrow product-lines; pricing system based on the costs of production and distribution, limited research, primary aim of the packaging was to protect the product, minimum promotion. Advertising meant, "Promoting products with a lesser quality".
  • Product Orientation Era: The attitude changed slowly and approach shifted from production to product and from the quantity to quality. The prevailing attitude of this period was that consumers favor products that offer the most quality, performance and innovative features and the mantra for marketers was ‘A good product will sell itself’, so does not need promotion.
  • Sales Orientation Era: The increased competition and variety of choices / options available to customers changed the marketing approach and now the attitude was "Consumers will buy products only if the company promotes/ sells these products". This era indicates rise of advertising and the mantra for marketers was “Creative advertising and selling will overcome consumers’ resistance and convince them to buy".
  • Marketing Orientation Era: The shift from production to product and from product to customers later manifested in the Marketing Era which focused on the "needs and wants of the customers” and the mantra of marketers was " ‘The consumer is king! Find a need and fill it’. The approach is shifted to delivering satisfaction better than competitors are.
  • Relationship Marketing Orientation Era: This is the modern approach of marketing. Today's marketer focuses on needs/ wants of target markets and aims at delivering superior value. The mantra of a successful marketer is ‘Long-term relationships with customers and other partners lead to successes

The following sentences summarize the above evolution of marketing.
1. Production era: ‘Cut costs. Profits will take care of themselves’
2. Product era: ‘A good product will sell itself’
3. Sales era: ‘Selling is laying the bait for the customer’
4. Marketing era: ‘The customer is King!’
5. Relationship marketing era: ‘Relationship with customers determine our firm’s future’

Summary Notes -1

Summary Notes -1

Q.1What is UtilityWant-satisfying power of a good or service is called utilityThere are four basic kinds of utility – form, time, place and ownership utility.Form utility is ..... in reference to marketing?
Utility is the want-satisfying power of a good or service. There are four basic kinds of utility –
  1. Form Utility :
  2. Time Utility
  3. Place Utility
  4. Ownership Utility.

Form utility is created when the firm converts raw materials and component inputs into finished goods and services. Although marketing provides important inputs that specify consumer preference, the organization’s production function is responsible for the actual creation of form utility. Marketing function creates time, place and ownership utilities.

Time and place utility occur when consumers find goods and services available when and where they want to purchase them. Online retailers with 24*7 format emphasize time utility.

Vending machines focus on providing place utility for people buying snacks and soft drinks.

The transfer of title to goods or services at the time of purchase creates ownership utility.

Q 2. If you are a Marketing Manager of a Firm, How you will "Create a Customer"?
‘creating’ a customer means identifying needs in the marketplace, finding out which needs the organization can profitably serve and developing an offering to convert potential buyers into customers. Marketing managers are responsible for most of the activities necessary to create the customers the organization wants, These activities include:

  1. Identifying customer needs
  2. Designing goods and services that meet those needs
  3. Communication information about those goods and services to prospective buyers
  4. Making the goods and services available at times and places that meet customers’ needs
  5. Pricing goods and services to reflect costs, competition and customers’ ability to buy
  6. Providing for the necessary service and follow-up to ensure customer satisfaction after the purchase

Q 3Recently, Felix Baumgartner jumped from the edge of space, attempting to break a series of records which have stood for more than 50 years. The ...... What is the meaning of " Relationship Marketing" ?
Relationship Marketing focuses on needs/ wants of target markets and delivering superior value. Besides it also means to develop 'Long-term relationships with customers and other partners lead to success

Q 4Recently, which among the following Indian banks has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (Africa) to serve the growing needs ...... Which are the eras of Evolution of MarketingMarketing has changed over the centuries, decades and years. The production centered system systematically changed into relationship era of today and over the period; the ..... ?
There are five eras in the history of marketing the production era, the product era, the sales era, the marketing era and the relationship marketing era.

Q 5. What was the focus of marketing in production Era?
In the production era, the production orientation dominated business philosophy. Indeed business success was often defined solely in terms of production victories. The focus was on production and distributionReturn to investors of the accumulated income of a trust or mutual fund and distribution of capital gains. efficiency. The drive to achieve economies of scale was dominant. The goal was to make the product affordable and available to the buyers.

Q 6. What was the focus of Marketing in Product Era?
In the product era, the goal was to build a better mouse trap and it was assumed that buyers will flock the seller who does it. However, a better mousetrap is no guarantee of success and marketing history is full of miserable failures despite better mousetrap designs. Inventing the greatest new product is not enough. That product must also solve a perceived marketplace need. Otherwise, even the best-engineered. Highest quality product will fail.

Q 7. What did the firms attempt in Sales Era?
In the sales era, firms attempted to match their output to the potential number of customers who would want it. Firms assumed that customers will resist purchasing goods and services not deemed essential and that the task of selling and advertising is to convince them to buy. But selling is only one component of marketing.

Q 8. Describe the marketing Era of Marketing History:
During marketing era the company focus shifted from products and sales to customers’ needs. It can be explained best by the shift from a seller’s to a buyer’s market – one with an abundance of goods and services.

The advent of a strong buyer’s market created the need for a customer orientation. Companies had to market goods and services, not just produce them. This realization has been identified as the emergence of the marketing concept.

The keyword is customer orientation. All facets of the organization must contribute first to assessing and then to satisfying customer needs and wants.
Q 9. What is the meaning of Relationship Marketing?

Organization’s carried the marketing era’s customer orientation one step further by focusing on establishing and maintaining relationships with both customers and suppliers. This effort represented a major shift from the traditional concept of marketing as a simple exchangeRegulated market place where capital market products are bought and sold through intermediaries. between buyer and seller.
Relationship marketing, by contrast, involves long-term, value-added relationships developed over time with customers and suppliers.

Q 1Recently, which among the following country has launched the Practice-9 A and Practice-9 B satellites into space? [A]USA [B]China [C]Russia [D]France Answer: China The Practice-9 A and B are the first .....0. The statement " Customer is King" comes from which era of marketing History ?
Marketing Era

Q 11. Today Marketing is Customer Oriented or Product Oriented or profit oriented?
Customer oriented

Q 12. What is the center Point of Marketing Concept?
Customer

Q 13. Which will you keep in modern marketing concept? "Make & Sell" or "Sense & Respond" ?
Sense & Respond

Features of Marketing

Features of Marketing

The marketing Management refers to planning, organizing, directing, control of the activates which facilitate the exchangeRegulated market place where capital market products are bought and sold through intermediaries. of goods and services between the producers to end consumers. Firms today need to spend money to create time, place and ownership utilities .The main features of modern marketing are as follows:

  1. Marketing is a science as well as art: Marketing has evolved from the economics but it has a closer relationships with social and behavioral sciences. Marketing is closely associated with streams of science as well humanities and subject lines such as Economics, Law, Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Information Technology etc. Marketing heavily depends upon the demographic features of the target market, political environmentenvironment, philosophy, mathematics, statistics etc.
  2. Exchange is essence of marketing: Marketing revolves around commercial exchange. This also involves exchange of technology, exchange of information and exchange of ideas.
  3. Marketing is Goal Oriented: The ultimate goal of marketing is to generate profits through the satisfaction of the customer.
  4. Marketing is a continuous process: marketing is not an isolated, static process but is a complex, continuous and interrelated process. It involves continuous planning, implementation and control. It is an important functional area of the management.
  5. Marketing is Consumer Oriented: All firms exist because of their business to satisfy the human needs, wants and demands. The ultimate objective of marketing is to find out what the consumer wants and how to fulfill consumer need. This leads to production of the goods and services as per the needs of the customer.
  6. Marketing starts with consumer and ends with consumer: Marketing is consumer oriented and it is very important to know what the consumer wants.

Functions of Marketing

Functions of Marketing

The ultimate aim of marketing is exchangeRegulated market place where capital market products are bought and sold through intermediaries. of goods and services from producers to consumers in a way that maximizes the satisfaction of customer’s needs. Marketing functions start from identifying the consumer needs and end with satisfying the consumer needs. The universal functions of marketing involve buying, selling, transporting, storing, standardizing and grading, financing, risk taking and securing marketing information. However, modern marketing has some other functions such as gathering the market info and analyzing that info. Market planning and strategy formation. To assist in product designing and development also comes under the marketing functions. The marketing functions have been discussed here briefly:

  1. Market Information: To identify the needs, wants and demands of the consumers and then analyzing the identified information to arrive at various decisions for the successful marketing of a firm’s products and services is one of the most important functions of marketing. The analysis involves judging the internal weaknesses and strengths of the organization as well politico-legal, social and demographic data of the target market. This information is further used in market segmentations.
  2. Market Planning: Market-planning aims at achieving a firm’s marketing objectives. These objectives may involve increasing market presence, dominate the market or increase market share. The market planning function covers aspects of production levels, promotions and other action programmes.
  3. Exchange Functions: The buying and selling are the exchange functions of marketing. They ensure that a firm's offerings are available in sufficient quantities to meet customer demands. The exchange functions are supported by advertising, personal selling and sales promotions.
  4. Product Designing and development: The product design helps in making the prodyct attractive to the target market. In today’s competitive market environmentenvironment not only cost matters but also the product design, suitability, shape, style etc. matter a lot in taking production decisions.
  5. Physical DistributionReturn to investors of the accumulated income of a trust or mutual fund and distribution of capital gains. : The physical distribution functions of marketing involve transporting and storing. The transporting function involve moving products from their points of production to locations convenient for purchasers and storing function involve the warehousing products until needed for sale.
  6. Standardization and Grading: Standardization involves producing goods at predetermined specifications. Standardization ensures that product offerings meet established quality and quantity. It helps in achieving uniformity and consistency in the output product. Grading is classification of goods in various groups based upon certain predetermined characteristics. It involves the control standards of size, weight etc. Grading helps in pricing decisions also. The higher quality goods and services attract higher prices.
  7. Financing : The financing functions of marketing involve providing credit for channel members or consumers.
  8. Risk Taking: Risk taking is one of the important marketing functions. Risk taking in marketing refers to uncertainty about consumer purchases resulting from creation and marketing of goods and services that consumers may purchase in future.
  9. Packaging, labeling and branding: packaging involves designing package for the products, labeling means putting information required / specified on a product’s covering. Packaging and labeling serve as promotional tools now a days, Branding distinguishes the generic commodity name to a brand name. For example, Wheat Flour is a generic name of a commodity while “Ashirvad Aata” is a brand name. In service industry, also branding matters a lot.
  10. Customer Support: Customer support is a very important function of marketing. It involves pre sales counseling, after sales service, handling the customer complaints and adjustments, credit services, maintenance services, technical services and consumer information. For example, water purifier comes with an onsite service warranty of 7 years helps in marketing and is an important marketing function as well.

Importance of Marketing

Importance of Marketing

Whether a firm is a profit making organization or a nonprofit making organization, marketing has to play a very important role in the firm’s business, society and country. While raising the standard of living by designing products suitable to needs and wants of the customers, marketing also helps in development of the national economyeconomy. Producing goods and services for the society according to the needs and create demand for them and thus improving the standard of living of the people is one of the most important role played by marketing. For a firm, marketing helps in reducing the cost of business by reducing market distributionReturn to investors of the accumulated income of a trust or mutual fund and distribution of capital gains. cost. Marketing also helps in increase in the employment opportunities. The successful marketing channel involves services of wholesalers, retailers, transporters; storage functionaries finance professionals, insurance services and so on. By creating, maintaining and increasing the demand marketing indirectly adds to the national income. Marketing also helps to build a cushion against slack business and recession.

Meaning & Functions of Marketing Management

Meaning & Functions of Marketing Management

Management is the processes of planning, organizing directing motivating and coordinating and controlling of various activities of a firm. Marketing is the process of satisfying the needs and wants of the consumers. Management of marketing activities is Marketing Management.
Management Guru Philip Kotler defines marketing as “Marketing Management is the analysis, planning, implementation anc control of programmes designed to bring about the desired exchanges with target audiences for the purpose of personal and mutual gain. It relies heavily on adoption and coordination of the product, price, promotion and place for achieving response”:
In other words, a business discipline, which is focused on the practical application of marketing techniques and the management of a firm’s marketing resources and activities, is Marketing Management.
Marketing Management focuses upon the psychological and physical factors of Marketing. The Marketing managers are responsible for influencing the level, timing, and composition of customer demand accepted definition of the term. While the psychological factors focus upon discovering the needs and wants of the consumer and the changing patterns of buying behavior, habit etc. the physical factors focus upon fulfilling those needs and demands buy better product design, channel of distributionReturn to investors of the accumulated income of a trust or mutual fund and distribution of capital gains. and other functions.
In summary, Marketing in action is marketing Management.
Marketing Management has the responsibility of to perform many functions in the field of marketing such as planning, organizing, directing, motivating, coordinating and controlling. All these function aim to achiven the marketing goals.
Following is a brief summary of functions of MarketingThe ultimate aim of marketing is exchange of goods and services from producers to consumers in a way that maximizes the satisfaction of customer’s needs. .....

  1. Marketing Objectives: marketing management determines the marketing objectives. The marketing objectives may be short term or long term and need a clear approach. They have to be in coherence with the aims and objectives of the organization.
  2. Planning: After objectively determining the marketing Objectives, the important function of the marketing Management is to plan how to achieve those objectives. This includes sales forecast, marketing programmes formulation, marketing strategies.
  3. Organization: A plan once formulated needs implementation. Organizing functions of marketing management involves the collection and coordination of required means to implement a plan and to achieved pre determined objectives. The organization involves structure of marketing organization, duties, responsibilities and powers of various members of the marketing organization.
  4. Coordination: Coordination refers to harmonious adjustment of the activities of the marketing organization. It involves coordination among various activities such as sales forecasting, product planning, product development, transportation, warehousing etc.
  5. Direction: Direction in marketing management refers to development of new markets, leadership of employees, motivation, inspiration, guiding and supervision of the employees.
  6. Control: Control refers to the effectiveness with which a marketing plan is implemented. It involves the determination of standards, evaluation of actual performance, adoption of corrective measures,
  7. Staffing: Employment of right and able employees is very crucial to success of a market plan. The market manager coordinates with the Human Resource Manager of an organization to be able to hire the staff with desired capability.
  8. Analysis and Evaluation: The marketing management involves the analysis and evaluation of the productivity and performs mace of individual employees.

Basic Marketing Concepts

Basic Marketing Concepts

Anything that has a value can be marketed. A product, a service, a place, a person, an idea, information , an event, an organization, property or even experiences. However, there are some basic concepts of marketing, which are interrelated, and one building on one before it. These concepts are summarized in the following figure.

Here is a brief Description of the fundamental marketing concepts:

  1. Needs, wants and demands: A need is a state of felt deprivation or feeling of being deprived of something. Human need is the most basic concept underlyingThe designated financial instrument which must be delivered in completion of an option or futures contract. the marketing. Need is a part of human nature. There are many kinds of needs such as physical needs, social needs, spiritual needs, etc. Needs are shaped up by culture, personality and religion and they become wants when the need indicate an object to fulfill that need. Wants depend upon the internal as well as external factors. Want is defined in terms of an object that will define the need. If thirst is need, water, a cola drink, or a fruit juice may be the want. If hunger is need, pizza, burger, bread, or chapatti is a want. There may be more than one object that may fulfill a need and this is called a want-list. People have choices to choose a desired object or service from the want-list to fulfill a particular need. However due to limited resources, people want best value of their money. When a want is backed by buying power, it becomes a demand. So if no buying power, no demand. Money is required to create as well as fulfill a demand. This is the most fundamental concept of marketing. The marketer has to know the potential want list of his target market and make them available the best value for their money.
  2. Product: Anything tangible or intangible that is offered to satisfy a need or want is a product. They are called goods (tangible) and services (intangible). The tangible products are physical products, which can be touched or felt or tested, while the intangible products cane only be experienced. For example, a service of a hotel can be experienced (intangible) while food in the restaurant in the same hotel can be tested (tangible). Cars, groceries, computers, places, persons , ideas and informations -everything are objects that have the capability of fulfilling the needs and wants. When products are offered in the markets they are called market offering. A good market offering has to have a good value for money.
  3. Value & Satisfaction: The potential want list may have many products, which may fulfill the need and want of a customer. However, a customer chooses what gives him or her best value for money. There are market offerings for the objects in their potential want list. The market offerings have to provide the best value of the money and satisfaction of fulfilling a want. This is the fundamental concept of marketing, that when there are so many offerings in the market, the customer buys a product on his / her perception. Based upon their own perception the customers estimate the product value and judge whether, it has the capacity of fulfilling their need.
    Customer value is a guiding principle. The customer may rank the products as per his / her estimate of a products’ capability to satisfy a need. The price attached to the product may also affect this ranking. Ultimately, the customer chooses a product, which gives him / her best value of his / her money.

  4. ExchangeRegulated market place where capital market products are bought and sold through intermediaries. , Transactions and Relationships: As mentioned above, the wants backed by buying power create demand. The demand is fulfilled through exchange. Exchange is the act of obtaining a desired object from someone by offering something in return. Barter is also an exchange. One person cannot make exchange happen. To make exchange happen, two people are required at least. However, the transaction between two people can be a trade. Two people cannot create a market. Three people are at least required to create a market, so that there is competition from at least one side. For exchange to take place, two people are needed. Both of them must have something to offer each other and both of them should have a value to offer each other. Each of them must be free to accept or reject the offer. Both of them must be able to communicate with each other and must be able to deliver what they offering to each other. These are some basic conditions to make exchange happen.
    Exchange cannot be forced. Both the people must be independent and able to accept or reject one another’s offer. Exchange may be for profit or also for no profit. Whether for profit or no profit , an exchange must give some value to the exchange partners. A successful exchange is a transaction. The transaction is the unit of measurement in marketing. The value associated with transactions is the trade values. A monetary transaction involves money for goods / services and a barter transaction involves good/ service for good / service.
    A marketer does not want a single transaction. His aim is to continuously make market offerings and the continuous exchanges / transactions create relationships. Today’s marketing is relationship marketing. The focus of marketing is not to get maximum profit from a single transaction but to get long running relationship with the customers. If there are good relationships, the transactions will follow and runA run involves a person creating activity in a security by successively buying or selling that security. The intention is that the increased activity would, ..... long term.
  5. Markets: As we have discussed, an exchange may take place between two people, but three people are required to create a market. There are always many potential buyers and many potential sellers and the set of these potential buyers and sellers is market. A market essentially needs competition (except in absolute monopoly). A market may be a physical market with few shops to a large complexes and shopping malls. A market also may be virtual and today virtual markets are no inferior to the physical markets, thanks to greater access to information technology.

Basics of Marketing Process

Basic Marketing Concepts

Anything that has a value can be marketed. A product, a service, a place, a person, an idea, information , an event, an organization, property or even experiences. However, there are some basic concepts of marketing, which are interrelated, and one building on one before it. These concepts are summarized in the following figure.

Here is a brief Description of the fundamental marketing concepts:

  1. Needs, wants and demands: A need is a state of felt deprivation or feeling of being deprived of something. Human need is the most basic concept underlyingThe designated financial instrument which must be delivered in completion of an option or futures contract. the marketing. Need is a part of human nature. There are many kinds of needs such as physical needs, social needs, spiritual needs, etc. Needs are shaped up by culture, personality and religion and they become wants when the need indicate an object to fulfill that need. Wants depend upon the internal as well as external factors. Want is defined in terms of an object that will define the need. If thirst is need, water, a cola drink, or a fruit juice may be the want. If hunger is need, pizza, burger, bread, or chapatti is a want. There may be more than one object that may fulfill a need and this is called a want-list. People have choices to choose a desired object or service from the want-list to fulfill a particular need. However due to limited resources, people want best value of their money. When a want is backed by buying power, it becomes a demand. So if no buying power, no demand. Money is required to create as well as fulfill a demand. This is the most fundamental concept of marketing. The marketer has to know the potential want list of his target market and make them available the best value for their money.
  2. Product: Anything tangible or intangible that is offered to satisfy a need or want is a product. They are called goods (tangible) and services (intangible). The tangible products are physical products, which can be touched or felt or tested, while the intangible products cane only be experienced. For example, a service of a hotel can be experienced (intangible) while food in the restaurant in the same hotel can be tested (tangible). Cars, groceries, computers, places, persons , ideas and informations -everything are objects that have the capability of fulfilling the needs and wants. When products are offered in the markets they are called market offering. A good market offering has to have a good value for money.
  3. Value & Satisfaction: The potential want list may have many products, which may fulfill the need and want of a customer. However, a customer chooses what gives him or her best value for money. There are market offerings for the objects in their potential want list. The market offerings have to provide the best value of the money and satisfaction of fulfilling a want. This is the fundamental concept of marketing, that when there are so many offerings in the market, the customer buys a product on his / her perception. Based upon their own perception the customers estimate the product value and judge whether, it has the capacity of fulfilling their need.
    Customer value is a guiding principle. The customer may rank the products as per his / her estimate of a products’ capability to satisfy a need. The price attached to the product may also affect this ranking. Ultimately, the customer chooses a product, which gives him / her best value of his / her money.

  4. ExchangeRegulated market place where capital market products are bought and sold through intermediaries. , Transactions and Relationships: As mentioned above, the wants backed by buying power create demand. The demand is fulfilled through exchange. Exchange is the act of obtaining a desired object from someone by offering something in return. Barter is also an exchange. One person cannot make exchange happen. To make exchange happen, two people are required at least. However, the transaction between two people can be a trade. Two people cannot create a market. Three people are at least required to create a market, so that there is competition from at least one side. For exchange to take place, two people are needed. Both of them must have something to offer each other and both of them should have a value to offer each other. Each of them must be free to accept or reject the offer. Both of them must be able to communicate with each other and must be able to deliver what they offering to each other. These are some basic conditions to make exchange happen.
    Exchange cannot be forced. Both the people must be independent and able to accept or reject one another’s offer. Exchange may be for profit or also for no profit. Whether for profit or no profit , an exchange must give some value to the exchange partners. A successful exchange is a transaction. The transaction is the unit of measurement in marketing. The value associated with transactions is the trade values. A monetary transaction involves money for goods / services and a barter transaction involves good/ service for good / service.
    A marketer does not want a single transaction. His aim is to continuously make market offerings and the continuous exchanges / transactions create relationships. Today’s marketing is relationship marketing. The focus of marketing is not to get maximum profit from a single transaction but to get long running relationship with the customers. If there are good relationships, the transactions will follow and runA run involves a person creating activity in a security by successively buying or selling that security. The intention is that the increased activity would, ..... long term.
  5. Markets: As we have discussed, an exchange may take place between two people, but three people are required to create a market. There are always many potential buyers and many potential sellers and the set of these potential buyers and sellers is market. A market essentially needs competition (except in absolute monopoly). A market may be a physical market with few shops to a large complexes and shopping malls. A market also may be virtual and today virtual markets are no inferior to the physical markets, thanks to greater access to information technology.

Marketing Process: The Basic Schematic

Marketing Process: The Basic Schematic

Marketing process is a complex & complicated set of various activities. The given graphic makes you understand the basic schematic of the marketing process.


Every marketer has to understand some basic questions before making a marketing plan. The first set of areas of analysis is 5C’s of the market viz. Customers, Company, Competitors, Collaborators & Context.

  1. Customers: Customer is the king and ultimate goal of marketing process is to derive profit as well as satisfy the customer needs. The marketer has to find out what are the needs and demands of the customers and how the firm would seek to satisfy those demands. Customer is central to marketing as well as business and existence of a firm.
  2. Company: Today’s markets are competitive and here goes the principle “survival of the fittest”. The company has to have some competencies and abilities to survive and flourish. The marketer has to judge, analyze and make marketing plans and strategies within the limits of the competencies and capabilities of the firm.
  3. Competition: Market essentially has competition. Competition makes choices & options available to customers as well as provides the best value for money to the end consumers. The marketer has to find out who competitors are and how to meet that competition. There is always competition in the market offerings and unless the competition taken into account, the marketer may lead the firm in wrong direction.
  4. Collaborators: Someone who assists in a programme is a collaborator. The collaborator term in marketing involves all the people whose help required meeting the marketing goals. The personnel of the company as well as external collaboration such as advertising agencies, direct sales agents etc. need to be discussed.
  5. Context: Context deals with the external and internal environmentenvironment of the firms and markets. The efficient marketer has to judge the political, legal, social, cultural and technological environment of the market and decide upon the factors, which may affect the course of marketing process.

The above specification leads to analyze the market prerequisites. It is followed by specification of the target market.

A target market is a set of customers that the firm decides to aim its marketing efforts.

A well-defined target market is the first element to a marketing strategy. The selected market needs to be segmented on the basisIn a futures market, basis is defined as the cash price (or spot price) of whatever is being traded minus its futures price for the ..... several of geographic, demographic/socio-economic, psychographic, behavioral & product-related criteria and this is called market segmentation. Apart from this, the firms need to create an image or identity in the minds of the target market for its product/ service, brand or organization.
Next comes the Marketing Mix.

Neil Borden first used the term market mix in 1953. Neil Borden used this term in his American Marketing Association presidential address.

Marketing Mix refers to Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Place here means the channel of distributionReturn to investors of the accumulated income of a trust or mutual fund and distribution of capital gains. . Most important is the pricing decision.
The 4P’s altogether creates value for the customer and creates value for the firm too. This leads to Customer acquisition and customer retention for a long-term profit for the firm.
List of Topics :Marketing Aptitude for Banking Examinations

Understanding Marketing Environment

Understanding Marketing Environment

Marketing EnvironmentEnvironment refers to the forces or variables of the outer and inner environment of a firm that affects the marketing management’s ability to build and maintain the successful relationships with the customer. The marketing environment framework consists of macro environment and micro environment.
Microenvironment variables are close to the firm and include the suppliers, marketing intermediaries, customer markets, competition & publics. Microenvironment also refers to the internal environment of the company and affects not only marketing but also all the departments such as management, finance, research and development, Human resources, purchasing, operations and accounting.
Macro-environment deals with the Demographic, economic, Technological, Natural, socio-cultural and politico-legal environment of the markets.
The following graphic shows the environmental framework.

  1. Customers: Customers are the core of the marketing environment. There are different types of customers such as end consumers, business customers, government customers, international customers and retailer customers.
  2. Suppliers: A slightest delay in receiving the supplies may result in dissatisfaction of the customers. The marketers have to watch the supply availability and other trends related to the suppliers
  3. Marketing intermediaries: The resellers, physical distributionReturn to investors of the accumulated income of a trust or mutual fund and distribution of capital gains. firms, marketing services agencies, and financial intermediaries all make marketing intermediaries. They help in promotion of the company and sales and distribution of the company’s products. Stores and warehouses are the physical distribution firms that store and transport the company’s product from its origin to its destination. Other intermediaries are marketing services agencies, which are responsible for conducting marketing research, advertising, and consulting. Financial intermediaries are institutions such as banks, credit companies and insurance companies.
  4. Publics: Publics is any group that has interest or impact on firm’s ability to meet its goals. This includes the financial publics, media publics, government publics, local publics such as NGO and citizen action organizations. While the financial publics can hinder a company’s ability to obtain funds affecting the level of credit a company, the media publics can publish articles of interest regarding the company and editorials that may influence customers’ opinions. Similarly, government publics is capable of affecting the company by passing legislation and laws that put restrictions on the company’s actions and citizen-action publics (eg. environmental groups and minorityMuslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains have been notified as minority communities under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities ..... groups ) can question the actions of a company and put them in the public spotlight.
  5. Competitors: Competitors are the companies with similar offerings for goods and services. To remain competitive a company must consider who their biggest competitors are while considering its own size and position in the industry. The company should develop a strategic advantage over their competitors.
  6. Politico-legal factors: Political factors include how and to what degree a government intervenes in the economyeconomy. This includes monetary and tax policies of the government, labour laws, environmental laws, various trade restrictions, tariffs. Political stability is one of the main factors. This also includes the merit goods and demerit goods as per the provisions of the local government. Legal factors deal with the discrimination law, consumer law, antitrust law, employment law, and health and safety law.
  7. Economic factors: Economic factors are general economic growth, interest ratesWhen a person borrows some money from another person, this money comes at an interest which can also be called the "Opportunity Cost" of the ....., exchangeRegulated market place where capital market products are bought and sold through intermediaries. rates , balance of paymentsBalance of Payments (BOP) is a systematic and summary record of a country’s economic and financial transactions with the rest of the world, over a ....., monetary policies, inflation rate etc. These factors play a very important role in business operations. These factors have the capability to alter the cost of operations, cost of capital and returns ultimately. There is a major impact of the exchange rates on exports and imports of the country.
  8. Social factors: Social factors are the social and cultural aspects, which include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety.They, have a major impact on demand of a firm’s products and services.
  9. Technological factors: Technological factors include the research and development, automation, expansion of internet and other communication technologies, technology incentives and technological barriers. They affect the efficiency of the production. Outsourcing decisions mainly depend upon technological environments.
  10. Natural Environment Factors: These factors include the weather, climate, and climate changeClimate Climate is often defined as 'average weather'. Climate is usually described in terms of the mean and variability of temperature, precipitation and wind over a ....., availability of water, availability of raw products etc.

List of Topics :Marketing Aptitude for Banking Examinations

Understanding Consumer Behavior

Understanding Consumer Behavior

“Consumer is King” and “Consumer is always right” are the buzzwords in modern marketing. The activities of the marketer revolve around the consumer behavior. The firms have to provide what their consumers want and for this purpose they adopt various types of marketing strategies to reach and alter the consumer’s buying behavior in favor of their products and services.
Consumer behavior is a dynamic, multidisciplinary and multidimensional process and studies when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy. Marketing has borrowed the elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and economics to explain the consumer behavior. The consudmer behavior is now a distinct discipline of marketing which attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups
Kurt Lewin, a German-American psychologist who is also known as of the the pioneers of modern social, organizational, and applied psychology provides a very useful classification of Buyer's behavior. this is known as Lewin's Proposition. The Lewin's proposition says:
B= (P,E)
The above proposition says that Buyer’s behavior (B) is a function of Personal Influences (P) and Outside or External environmental forces (E).
The most generic model of understanding the buyer behavior is stimulus-response pattern, which say that response of the consumer is a result of different types of stimuli. These stimuli are applied to the consumer and consumer in return comes up with a response. The stimuli can be marketing or environmental stimuli. The marketing stimuli are subject to manipulation by the marketer while the environmental stimuli like economyeconomy, culture etc are subject to consumer’s environmentenvironment. The response is to buy and not to buy, what to buy, which brand, which dealerA firm that enters into transactions as a counterparty on both sides of the market in one or more products. , which location and so on…
The above simple model is shown in following graphic:

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The above graphic shows that there is a complex and continuous interaction of stimuli, consumer characteristics, and decision process and consumer responses. The different determinants of the Consumer behavior are discussed briefly in the following pages:

List of Topics :Marketing Aptitude for Banking Examinations

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