- •Череповецкий государственный университет
- •Кафедра экономики
- •Современный бизнес
- •Contents
- •Введение
- •Unit 1. The effects of demand and supply on business
- •1.1. Markets
- •Test Questions
- •Case study ‘Understanding the Market’
- •1.2. The Operation of Markets
- •If social costs exceed social benefits, the decision to produce a good or service makes society worse off even if the producers make a profit.
- •If social costs are less than social benefits, the decision to produce a good or service will make society better off. Test Questions
- •Case study ‘Record Industry’
- •1.3. The Effects of Government Policy on Markets
- •Indirect taxes
- •Test Questions
- •Unit 2. The competitiveness of a firm
- •2.1. The Performance of an Industry
- •International Trade
- •International comparisons
- •2.2. Government Action to Improve Competitiveness
- •2.3. Government Action and International Trade
- •2.4. Business Competitive Strategies
- •Test questions
- •Case Study
- •Unit 3. Business Organisations
- •3.1. Types of Business Organization
- •3.2. Organizational Structures
- •3.3. Factors Influencing the Organisational Structure
- •Internal factors
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Business Organisation & Structure’
- •Unit 4. Administrative systems
- •4.1. The Purpose of Administrative System
- •4.2. Administration Functions in Business
- •4.3. Evaluating Administrative Systems
- •4.4. Information Technology in Administration
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Satellite Supplies’
- •Unit 5. Communications Systems
- •5.1. Why Do Businesses Need Communications System?
- •5.2. The Objectives of Communication
- •5.3. Verbal Communication
- •Internal communications
- •5.5. Evaluating Communication Systems in Business
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Can You Communicate?’
- •Unit 6. Information Processing
- •6.1. The Purposes of Information Processing
- •6.2. Types of Information Processing Systems
- •Information Technology: positive and negative effects
- •6.3. Evaluating Information Processing Systems
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study “Information Technologies in Business”
- •Unit 7. The principles and functions of marketing
- •7.1. What is Marketing?
- •7.2. The Objectives of Marketing
- •7.3. Implementing the Marketing Mix
- •Test Questions
- •Unit 8. Market Research
- •8.1. What is Market Research?
- •8.2. Sources of Marketing Information
- •Information requirements
- •Internal sources
- •8.3. Primary Research
- •8.4. Market Changes
- •Information on sales
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Sun Rush’
- •4M Brits shrug off gloom in sun rush
- •Unit 9. Marketing Communications
- •9.1. Targeting an Audience
- •9.2. How to Reach a Target Audience
- •9.3. Product Performance
- •9.4. Guidelines and Controls on Marketing Communications
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Marketing Communication’
- •Unit 10. Customer Service and Sales Methods
- •10.1. ‘The Customer Is Always Right’
- •10.2. Placing the Product – Distribution
- •Indirect distribution via intermediaries
- •10.3. Closing the Sale
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Company Handbook’
- •Unit 11. Production
- •11.1. What is Production?
- •11.2. Just in Time Production and Total Quality Management
- •11.3. Improving the Productivity of Labour
- •11.4. Health and Safety at Work
- •11.5. Reducing Pollution from Production
- •In the working environment
- •In the natural environment
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Production and Productivity Consulting’
- •11.6. The Costs of Production
- •Identifying business costs
- •Indirect costs
- •Insurance
- •Variable costs
- •Test Questions
- •Case study ‘Waterhouse Waffles’
- •Unit 12. Pricing decisions and strategies
- •12.1. The Pricing Decision
- •12.2. Cost-Based Pricing
- •12.3. Market-Based Pricing
- •12.4. Competition-Based Pricing
- •12.5. Problems with Demand- and Competition-Based Pricing
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘What Price Promotion?’
- •Unit 13. Monitoring business performance
- •13.1. Accounting for Business Control
- •13.2. Budgetary Control
- •Variance analysis
- •13.3. Ratio analysis
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Business Performance’
- •Unit 14. Preparing a business plan
- •14.1. What Is a Business Plan?
- •14.2. The Purposes of a Business Plan
- •14.3. Legal and Insurance Implications
- •Insurance
- •14.4. Business Resources
- •14.5. Potential Support for a Business Plan
- •Some review questions
- •Unit 15. Producing a Business Plan
- •15.1. Business Objectives and Timescales
- •15.2. The Marketing Plan
- •15.3. The Production Plan
- •15.4. The Financial Plan
- •15.5. Conclusion
- •Some Review Questions
- •Case Study ‘Business Plan’
8.4. Market Changes
Information on sales
The aim of market research is to identify market opportunities. An important aspect of research is to track sales in order to try to identify those products which are likely to experience rising sales and those which for which sales are declining. Falling sales indicate falling profitability and declining market opportunities. Rising sales indicate an opportunity to expand market share and profits in the long run.
Consumer spending patterns
Of particular interest to market researchers is how consumer spending patterns change over time. For example, between 1957 and 1992 expenditure on food as a percentage of total household expenditure fell from around 34% to 17.5%. However, households are now devoting more of their total expenditure to housing, which has risen from 8.7% of household expenditure to 17.4% in 1992. This is a reflection of the trend towards 'owner occupation' resulting from rising incomes and the aspiration of people to own their own house. The average weekly household income in 1957 was just 18 pounds, compared to around 343 pounds in 1992.
However, changes in consumer spending patterns cannot be explained only by the increase in household incomes over time. New products such as videos, camcorders, and compact discs have become available for consumers to want and buy.
There have also been significant cultural and social changes. For example, mainland Europeans, such as the French and Italians, are often characterised as lovers of good food and wine. It is suggested that the increase in foreign travel by UK residents has allowed them to sample and enjoy these aspects of European culture, and this has resulted in the increase in the consumption of wine and meals at restaurants in the UK.
Increasingly consumer spending decisions are linked to the moral views of consumers. Nowhere is this more evident than in the market for ‘green’ or environmentally friendly products.
Market research suggests that the 1990s could be the decade of the green consumer. When the Consumers’ Association surveyed readers of Which? magazine, 90% said they were concerned about environmental pollution. Surveys by the market research group Taylor Nelson Applied Futures suggest that 36% of British people subscribe to attitudes which make them green consumers. Research suggests that they are the fastest-growing group in the population.
Test Questions
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1. |
A company decides to undertake primary research because it: |
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A. |
Is simple to collect |
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B. |
Is low cost |
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C. |
Provides qualitative information |
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D. |
Can be tailored to suit the research |
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Questions 2 – 4 share the following answer options: |
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The following are examples of research methods: |
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A. |
Telephone interviews |
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B. |
Postal surveys |
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C. |
Electronic monitoring |
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D. |
Face-to-face interviews |
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Which method would you advise a firm to use in the following situations? |
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2. |
When an instant response is required to test a TV advertising campaign |
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3. |
When the background to the research needs to be explained in full and requires detailed understanding |
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4. |
When respondents wish to remain totally anonymous |
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Questions 5 – 7 concern the following information: |
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A DIY superstore intends to carry out some market research. It has identified the following possible methods: |
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A. |
Desk-based research |
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B. |
Interviews |
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C. |
Observation |
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D. |
Electronic monitoring |
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Which method should the store choose if: |
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5. |
They want to calculate their share of the total DIY market? |
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6. |
They want to find out what people buy, and why? |
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7. |
They want to find out patterns of movement around aisles in the store? |
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8. |
Which of the following is not an example of a secondary source of data? |
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A. |
A newspaper article |
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B. |
Social Trends |
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C. |
Economic Trends |
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D. |
A questionnaire |
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Questions 9 – 11 share the following answer options: |
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A. |
Telephone interview |
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B. |
Postal survey |
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C. |
Test marketing |
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D. |
Personal interview |
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Which of the above methods of primary research have these advantages and disadvantages? |
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9. |
No need to train interviewers but a poor response rate |
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10 |
Time consuming and expensive, but individual questions can be probing and answers detailed |
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11. |
Reduces risk of expensive national product launch being ill-designed, but consumer preferences may differ by area |
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12. |
Answer the following questions:
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13. |
Answer the following questions:
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