The operations of the Marketing Department can be further divided into the following:
MARKETING DEPARTMENT
MARKET PRODUCT SALES ADVERTISING DISTRIBUTION AFTER SALES
RESEARCH /PLANNING & &
& DEVELOPMENT PROMTION CUSTOMER
SERVICE
Market Research.
This is where the basis of product planning and development stems from through customer knowledge.
Sales.
Again, identified by Marketing Research, the placed product has to be sold at the right price that the market it has entered into will support. The price also has to reflect customer acceptance but at the same time cover company overheads such as labour, input costs, whilst attaining a profit.
Advertising & Promotion.
The cost of advertising reflects the size of the audience it is intended for, established by the Market Research.
Promotion – Again, Marketing Research will highlight ways in which an organisation can influence a particular market: through initiatives such as ‘special offers’.
Distribution.
Marketing has to ensure that the products/ services that are to be provided are physically available to customers who wish to purchase them.
After Sales & Customer Service.
Follow-up enquiries and customer Complaints. This domain is essential to enable organisations to target customers for both current and future ventures.
- Identify the contribution of the function to the overall performance of an organisation.
Marketing in organisations focuses on customers, with the aim of becoming a successful business through customer satisfaction. The idea that if the customer is happy then profits rise, is heavily pushed. Without the function of Marketing, organisations could not progress as they would continually produce goods/ services, distributing them, and then waiting for profits to roll in. This way of thinking is all very well, but it gives absolutely no attention to changes in the developing market place, in relation to competitor advances and ever-changing customer requirements.
It is the lifespan of a product or service that clearly shows this department’s contribution.
Product Life Cycle.
Introduction The product is launched into the market, at the right time and place. Of which has been decided on with reference to the Marketing Research (MR).
Growth If the research and development techniques of MR have been correctly exercised, then sales are should rise: thus boosting the organisation’s market share.
Maturity Where maximum products have been achieved, sales are still to be accomplished through initiatives such as sales or Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF). Both of which require the go ahead from finance.
Saturation As the growth rate tails off and the market for the product/ service is no longer growing, the Marketing Department has already begun research into the market as a way of assessment to how to organisation can move forward.
Decline The product/ service eventually looses its sales volume, through replacement by another product from either our organisation or a competitor.
Product Life Span.
£
Sales
Profits
Time
Introduction Growth Maturity Saturation Decline
- Identify in what ways the function interrelates with other functions within an organisation.
It is widely accepted that a prosperous organisation is one that has reacted quickly to the perceived needs of customers. This is why more and more organisations are becoming more marketing-orientated. However, without the required financial resources for purchases of new technology or recruitment of new people and without the production’s flexibility to rearrange current production lines to enable the production of new lines: marketing effort is wasted.
The interrelation of a Marketing Department is therefore crucial to the business in terms of providing high customer satisfaction levels and of course profits. The links between the marketing department and other departments ensures that the organisations objectives are achieved. Functional Convergence is ultimately a key player in today’s organisations.
Marketing & Operations Management.
The Research & Development Stage is the point where Marketing clearly receives a close supportive working relationship as they have to decide on product/ service design and agree on the input that are to be needed.
Then the Operations Management team can decide on costs and the market sales price.
Marketing & Finance.
Finance is responsible for ensuring that the organisation has enough disposable finance to perform all of the organisation’s activities. Marketing must therefore bring products/ services to market that can be sold at a sustainable, market-acceptable price that will still give profitability to the organisation.
Marketing & Human Resources.
The Human Resources department needs to know of any new or improved products/ services that the Marketing department embark on. They need to know this in order to educate or recruit persons that have the relevant skills and experience.
