Why does organisation undertake market research?

Why does organisation undertake market research? 1) Why does organisation undertake market research? What methods could they use? 1) The collection, analysis and communication of market to assist decision making in marketing is market research. Methods of market research: 1) Primary research: primary research includes getting such data that is not already used by any other organisation. It is especially made to get answer of some specific question that an organisation wants to procure. To get primary data a business should carry out field research: Face-to-face interview- Interviewer gets information from people. (Example-by visiting different houses on different streets) Telephone interviews- Same question like face-to-face interview are asked although often shortly. Online survey- Using internet is prominent way of getting primary data and it is also less expensive than other sources to get primary data. Questionnaires: Questionnaires are sent in post to get the information. Advantage of primary search- A) up to date B) Specific to the purpose C) No other business has access to collected data Secondary data- includes data that is already available. This data has been collected by someone else for another purpose. Secondary research involves exploration of secondary sources of data. Source of secondary data can come from within the firm itself. This is also known as internal secondary data. External secondary data is data that has been published by other firm. Advantages of secondary data: A) Ease of access B) Low cost of acquire C) May answer research question Types of market research: 1) Quantitative research- Statistical basis gathers statistically valid, numerically measurable data Usually related to data on market-size, market shares and growth Sampling plays a key role Data is gathered through surveys Concerned with obtaining hard copy 2) Qualitative research Subjective and personal Concerned with finding out soft information Main purpose is to understand consumer behaviour, perceptions and attitudes Obtained by methods designed to get detailed responses e.g. interview Research topic are usually explored in some depth There are two main qualitative methods- A) Depth interviewing: In most business markets depth interviews are very important form of qualitative research. B) Depth discussion: Focus groups are the main stay of consumer research. Here several customers are bought in discussion. These groups encourage creative ideas from participants. Purpose of market research To gain an understanding of markets To identify changes in the market To improve market answers To gain an understanding of customers needs To reduce the risk and uncertainty To forecast market trends To provide a sound basis for marketing decision To support marketing planning Importance of market research Research is not only used for learning. It is also used to make good decision. While research is key to Decision Making. It does not always to be effective. Some time small efforts such as doing research on internet provide needed information. Marketing research is becoming more important day-by-day by which the firm can get more profits. By market research firm get know about their customer taste what the customer want how much they can pay for the product. By doing market research we get information about other products their pricing and what needs to be done for a good promotion. Conclusion: From above discussion we can say that market research is way to get information about the product, customer and market. There are couple of method for market research such as discussed above primary research and secondary research. In primary research data is collected by face-to-face interview, telephone interview, online survey and questionnaires.   Secondary research is data which is already gathered by someone for another purpose. There are two types of market research as discussed above quantitative research and qualitative research. There are two type of qualitative method depth interviewing and depth discussion. With help of market research firm can procure a lot of information about the market, products, promotion, and distribution and so on that can be very helpful in taking marketing 2) What are they major factors affecting the pricing strategy of firms? What is pricing? Pricing is a method adopted by firm to set price of their product. It usually depends on average cost of product. Different pricing methods place varying degree of emphasis on selection, estimation and evaluation of costs and market situation. What is pricing strategy? Pricing strategy is activities aimed at finding products optimum objectives, consumer demand, market, economic trend and product price, typically including overall marketing. 1) Internal factors- A) Marketing objective- There are some marketing objective given below- To set a price in aim to cover just variable and fixed cost of a product. To set such price that cultivates optimum profit. To decide the price of product in such a way that they can procure leadership in market share. To set high prices in order to get quality leadership in market. B) Marketing mix In marketing mix, there are especially two alternatives as given below 1) Price positioning- In this, an organisation decides the price of any particular product first and then they take other decisions of marketing mix. 2) Non price positioning- In this process,organstions dont decide price first they opt different kind of marketing mix tools because they think customers dont always go for products of low prices. They opt high prices product in aim to get optimum quality and to show prestige and dignity. 2) External factors: Market and demand factors- In this, the price of a particular product depends on demand of product in the market. If products demand is higher than price can be kept higher but on the other hand if demand is lower than price must be lower to attract a certain range of customers. Competition: Almost all marketing decision including pricing will include an evaluation of competitors offerings. The impact of this information on actual setting of price will depend on the competitive nature of market. Government regulations; There is some governmental regulation that applies in deciding the price of any particular product. Marketers cant be price dictators they have to follow some rules and regulations made by government. Government have decided a certain level of price limit that cant be crossed or overcome by any marketer. Conclusion:- From the above discussion we can conclude that pricing is method to set a price of product by a firm to get higher profit or to survive in market. Pricing strategy is activities finding product optium, consumer demand and market needs to set a price. There are several factor affect price decision internal and external factor. Internal factor include marketing objective and marketing strategy. External factors include nature of market, demand competition and government regulations. All these factors play a vital role in pricing strategy of firms. 3) What are the main criticisms against marketing? To what extent are these criticisms valid? Marketing have thousands of benefits but even after that it is criticized due to some reason. There are some common criticisms against marketing. Marketing encourage people to purchase what they do not need: Possibly the criticism most frequently made about marketing is that marketers are only concerned with getting customer to buy whether they want the product or not. As we will discuss, while many marketers are guilty of manipulating customers into making their mind to buy products which they dont need. The vast majority understand that undertaking such method will not lead to loyal customers and is unlikely to lead to longer term success. Marketers adorn product claim: Marketers are often criticized for exaggerating the benefits offered by their product. This is especially the case with part of marketing that engages in customer communication. Such as advertising and sale people. the most serious problems arise when product claim are seen as misleading customers into believing a product can offer a certain level of value but it was not. But few times there is a fine line between what a rational person should accept as a ‘reasonable exaggeration and which is considered as downright deceiving. Fortunately, many countries offer customers some level of protection from misleading claims since such business practise may subject the marketer to legal action. Again using this method is likely to lead to marketing failure as customers dont like anything and will likely not return the product. Yes I think criticism is valid in marketing because marketers only wants to sell the their products they dont want customer to satisfy with the product their mean of selling product is only selfishness they only want profit nothing more than it. In some countries customer cant claim product if he/she is not satisfied with product this is because in some countries people buy products for occasionally use after that the occasion they claim the product and get money   back due to this marketers dont want be loss so they kicked claim policy in some countries but by this customers are always think twice before buy product in that country where we cant claim product so by this some real claim are disclosed due to no claim policy by which customer are dissatisfy so criticism is valid up to   high level in marketing I think so. Conclusion:- From the above discussion we can say that market is seen as benefits to firm and society there are a number of criticisms against marketing like to create a need where there is no need, so much exaggeration about products and false promises to the customers in aim to just increase the sale. So up to some extent these criticisms are valid but not all are alike. Has Feminism Achieved its Goals? Has Feminism Achieved its Goals? This essay will assess the question: has feminism achieved its goals? The essay will outline the three strands of feminism. The first section focuses on Liberal feminism which asserts the idea that in order for feminism to achieve its goals it must create equality among men and women. The second section turns to socialist feminism that believes that the only way feminist goals can be achieved is with the overthrow of the capitalist system and that of patriarchy. The Third and final section analyses radical feminism that advocates the goal of political lesbianism. This essay will conclude that feminism has not achieved its goals, however Liberal feminists believe their aim for equality is achievable in the near future. Has Feminism achieved its goals? Feminism as an issue first became prominent in the 17th and 18th century in France and America. It was not until the suffragette movement of the 19th century that feminism was seen as important in Britain. The scholar Estelle Freedman compares first and second-wave feminism saying that the first wave focused on rights such as suffrage, whereas the second wave was largely concerned with other issues of equality, such as ending discrimination.  [1]  Feminism is a contested issue, therefore difficult to define, due to the fact that feminism has a directory of meanings, however the term feminism can be used to describe a political, cultural or economic movement aimed at establishing equal rights and legal protection for women. Within feminism there are many strands, the most important and commonly known strands are Liberal, Socialist, Radical and more recently Post-modernist. Within these strands there is an on-going argument of whether or not feminism has achieved its goals. Early feminism was heavily influenced by liberalism. Liberal Feminists main goal comes from the liberal idea of equality of opportunity, freedom for the individual. The idea that everyone, both men and woman deserve to be considered to be of equal worth. However these liberal feminists take into consideration that this is not the case in society. Their goal thus being to create a society consisting of a culture of equal rights. They believe that womans subordination is a product of stereotyping, for instance seeing a woman as a mother only. It is often implied that feminine behaviour is a weakness meaning that men are seen as the stronger part of society, creating this inequality. Friedan sees this as the feminine mystique which she refers to as a cultural myth.  [2]  This is the idea that woman see certain things as more important; for instance the need for security and love is typically seen as feminine, whereas success and superiority is typically seen as masculine. This assum ption thus disadvantages women and separates them from entering employment. Liberal feminists therefore dismiss the notion that biological differences make women less competent than men, and believe that societies socialisation patterns need to change, so that gender socialisation does not occur, in other words males and females need to distance themselves from stereotypical roles. As both men and women our humans, they should have the same type of freedom and rights. Wollstonecraft asserts this view claiming that the distinction of sex would become unimportant in political and social life  [3]   Liberal Feminists believe that they can achieve this goal of equality through reform, for instance laws against sex discrimination in employment secures equal opportunities for woman. Added to this, they have the belief that society should not be organised by gender, but as Mill puts it: according to the principle of equality  [4]  and that accidents of birth like the sex of the child should be irrelevant, thus suggesting that women should be open to all the aspects of society, just like men, having all the rights and liberties that men enjoy such as the right to vote. Liberal Feminism is an optimistic theory, and overall believes that the goals of feminism are progressing and that over time gender equality will become the norm. This progression can be seen through different rights such as the right to initiate divorce proceedings and the reproductive rights of women to make individual decisions on pregnancy. Thus they believe that the goals of feminism may not be achieved at this moment in time, but the changes in society mean that soon they will be. Liberal feminists have been criticised for this over optimism, they see the obstacles to equality as simply the prejudices of individuals or irrational laws, ignoring the possibility that there are deep seeded structures causing womens oppression, such as patriarchy. Socialist and radical feminists criticise liberal feminists stating that one needs to recognise the underlying causes of female subordination, and that it is naive to believe that changes in the law will be enough to bring equality. Instead, they believe that revolutionary changes are needed. Socialist feminists connect the oppression of women to Marxist ideas about exploitation, oppression and labour. They think unequal standing in both the workplace and the domestic sphere holds women down. Socialist feminists see prostitution, domestic work, childcare and marriage as ways in which women are exploited by a patriarchal system that devalues women and the substantial work they do. They focus their energies on broad change that affects society as a whole, rather than on an individual basis. They see the need to work alongside not just men, but all other groups, as they see the oppression of women as a part of a larger pattern that affects everyone involved in the capitalist system. Socialist feminists dismiss the liberal feminist view that womens subordination is due to stereotypes. They see womens subordination as rooted in capitalism; although men may benefit from women, the main beneficiary is capitalism. For them the tension between men and women is due to the economic structure of society and only by overthrowing capitalism will women be equal to men. Thus their goal is: a revolution- that is they believe that the subordination of women can only be understood in terms of economic factors, for instance the idea that women are unpaid workers in the home. This subordination performs a number of functions for capitalism: women reproduce the labour force; women absorb the anger of men. Ansley for example describes wives as takers of shit  [5]  . It is for these reasons that womans interests and thus their goal should be the overthrow of capitalism. If this is their goal, then it is quite clear that feminism, according to the socialist feminist side has not achieved its goals. However modern socialist feminists refuse to look at the status of women in terms of economic factors and instead focus on the cultural roots. Mitchell suggests women perform four functions in society: 1) members of the workforce, 2) reproduce the human species 3) responsible for socialising children 4) sex objects.  [6]  Looking at this, the only way according to modern socialist feminists to achieve their goal is if they separate themselves from each of these areas, not just the idea of capitalism being replaced by socialism. This has yet to be achieved. Many criticisms have been made of socialist feminists. For some, they fail to explain womens subordination in non-capitalist societies. As womens subordination is also found there. Unpaid domestic labour may benefit capitalism, but it does not explain why it is women and not men who perform it. They place insufficient emphasis on the ways in which men and not just capitalism oppress women and benefit from their unpaid labour. Radical Feminism dismisses both liberal and socialist feminism, focusing on gender as the reason for all social divisions. They consider the male controlled capitalist hierarchy, which it describes as sexist, as the defining feature of womens oppression. Radical feminists believe that women can free themselves only when they have done away with what they consider an inherently oppressive and dominating patriarchal system. For them the key concept is Patriarchy: which literally means rule by fathers and is seen process of gender oppression. Patriarchy has come to mean a society where men dominate women, that there is a male-based authority and power structure and that it is responsible for oppression and inequality. As long as the system and its values are in place, society will not be able to be reformed in any significant way. Patriarchy is universal, existing in all societies. According to Firestone the origins of patriarchy are in biology; women bearing children makes them more dependent on men. However this is criticised by De Beauvoir who believes that the position of women is based not on natural factors but social factors, showing a critique of patriarchal culture. The basis of radical feminism is the idea that sexual oppression is the biggest feature of society and that other forms of inequality for instance class exploitation take a back seat. For radical feminists patriarchy is the biggest form of inequality, men are womens main enemy. Most radical feminists advocate the idea of separatism and Political lesbianism. Separatism refers to the idea of living apart from men creating a culture of female independence. Political Lesbianism is the idea that women become involved in lesbian relationships for political reasons. Many radical feminists argue that lesbianism is the only non-oppressive form of sexuality; feminism is the theory; lesbianism is the practice  [7]   The relationship between men and women must be transformed if women are to be free. Radical feminists argue that women and men should be separate, women should raise their consciousness about womens oppression in women only groups and they stress that political lesbianism is the only non-oppressive form of sexuality. Thus, this means that the goal of radical feminists is to live separate lives from men. However they recognise that this will not solve all the problems of the patriarchal society. Some radical feminists see no alternatives other than the total uprooting and reconstruction of society in order to achieve these goals. These goals have clearly not been achieved as heterosexual relationships are still the norm, although having said this there has been a rise of homosexual relationships in the last thirty years. Socialist feminists argue that class, not patriarchy, is the primary form of inequality. They also argue that capitalism is the main cause and beneficiary of womens oppression, and not men. Radical feminism offers no explanation of why female subordination takes different forms in different societies. It assumes that all women are in the same position and ignores class, ethnic differences. Liberal feminists argue that womens position has improved greatly and that women are now more equal to men. These three strands represent the different views and ideas of different feminist theorists. Although they all have different opinions, having considered all the arguments it is clear that they all believe that feminist goals have not been achieved. Liberal feminists believe that they are well on their way to achieving equality, whereas both socialist and radical feminists disagree. Socialist feminists asserting the view that an overthrow of capitalism is needed, whereas radical feminists assert the view that in order to be free they need to live separate lives from men.