Marketing

AFT 1013/SAK 1

1. Explain your understanding of marketing.

In my opinion, marketing is a business that satisfies needs and wants of customers. The process commit of planning, executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of goods and services to facilitate exchanges.

Pada pandangan saya, pemasaran merupakan suatu bidang perniagaan yang memenuhi kehendak dan keperluan pengguna/pelanggan. Proses pemasaran melibatkan perancangan, perlaksanaan sesuatu konsep, menetapkan harga, promosi, dan membekalkan barangan serta servis untuk memudahkan pertukaran barang.

2. Explain briefly the various definition of marketing.

Depends on Kotler (1984), Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others. Others, on 1946 AMA define marketing as the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producers to customer or user. Then, on 1985 AMA told that marketing as 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.

3. How do you explain a market?

The market is a place where buyers and sellers of a product and services are exchange. The nature and location of the market depends on the product. For example, within local town, there is likely to be a vegetable market where you would go to buy vegetables. Here, buyers and sellers meet face to face in the same location, and done the trade between them. But, this is not always the case. Market categories consist of human being, governments, NGOs and business entities.

4. Define and explain steps in identifying target market.

Target market is a group of customers with needs and wants that can be satisfied by the business through the supply of goods and services.

An entrepreneurship is focus on certain groups of customers. These customers are chosen based on the business ability to satisfy the needs and wants of the groups. There are three steps in identifying the target market.

First step is to identify the product or service to be offered. A business needs to first identify a viable product or service based on the needs and wants of the market. This is often done through a survey that can give vital information and ideas about products that the business can offer.

Second step is to focus on the marketing effort. This focus of marketing effort consist of three segment which are identifying the market area and business location, collect information and data of customers, and segmenting the market.

A market area can be segmented by certain geographic factors, such as region, states, cities, towns or district. The key factor to consider is the physical distance between the business location and the target market. In collecting information and data of customers, the business has to compile it as much as possible around the market area selected. The information can be based on personal details and attributes of the population in the area, their lifestyles and any psychological factors that may influence buying habits. Segmenting the market can be done by compiling the geographic, demographic and psychographic factors of the market, the business can now divide the total market into smaller groups or market segments based on identifiable common traits and buying preferences.

Third step is to determine target market from the market segments identified. In general, the target market is selected based on the higher sales potential and profits this group is expected to produce compared with the other market segments. This also allows for a more focused and effective marketing effort.

5. Define sales forecast and list factors that should be taken into consideration when preparing a sales forecast.

Sales forecast is the expected sales potential from the selected target market. The sales forecast is quoted in units of sales or in Ringgit for a period of time such as one month or one year.

The factors that need to be taken into consideration when forecasting sales are the customer awareness of the existence of the business, seasonal factors and pre-sales period.

6. What are the components of marketing mix? Explain.

The components of marketing are product/service, pricing, distribution and promotion strategy. Marketing mix is a combination of the 4 Ps which is product, price, promotion and also place (distribution or logistics).

Product is an item, service and idea that was supplied from buyers to satisfy needs and wants for customers. In outlining product strategy, special attention needs to be given in brand, quality, design, brand name, and after sales service.

The price of the product or service is the amount of money charged to the customer for a particular purchase. As the only element in the marketing mix that generates revenue, an entrepreneur must understand the importance of pricing a product or service right. There are several pricing strategies. The most commonly used are cost based pricing, value based pricing, and competition based pricing.

Distribution strategy is aimed at establishing a structured and controllable distribution system to ensure the product offered reaches the target customer. A distribution channel moves goods from producers to consumers. The most common form of distribution channels are direct to consumer, selling through retailers, selling through wholesalers, and selling through wholesaler and retailers or agent.

Promotion strategy is used to disseminate information about the company’s product or services with the purpose of attracting the target market. The three main promotion tools are advertising, sales promotion, and public relations and publicity.

7. Explain five important factors in product packaging.

Five important factors in product packaging are protection, ease of use, attractive to customers, product safety and labelling.

The primary function of packaging is to protect the product. The packaging must be able to. Protect the product during the process of transportation, storage, display and sales until the product is ready for use.

Good packaging is easy for the customers to use. For instance, most baby formula has a plastic cover and includes a measuring spoon. The current trend of disposable packaging is also aimed at ease of use for consumers.

The packaging of the product may be the sellers’ final chance to influence customers. The packaging must attract customers’ attention. The size, shape, material used and colour of the packaging must be attractive to the target market.

Product safety has become a major packaging concern today. With growing consumer awareness and stringent regulations, businesses have come out with childproof and tamper-resistant packaging. Packaging decisions must take into account needs of the target market, society’s interest and environmental concerns.

Labelling performs several functions such as identifying, grading, describing or even promoting the product. Labels provide information about the manufacturer, the contents of the product, and usage instructions of warnings. For Muslims, the label of ‘Halal’ is important for them.

Mini Project

REPORT OF THE BEST EID DAY CELEBRATION

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is celebrated by Muslims over the world to commemorate the win day of fasting month. On the day of Eid day, Muslim people went to the mosque for praying “solat sunat Hari Raya”. After going back from mosque, all the family members will gather together to have a breakfast and giving forgiveness between them. They also visit their relatives to ask for forgiveness. This month is the blessed month of Muslim. All Muslim take this opportunity to ask forgiveness from their family for any mistaken that they had done. Every year, family members will return to their hometown to celebrate Eid day with their family members.

This year was different than Eid day before. Although university life are the fourth time that I had my fasting month in hostel since I was in form four, it is quite different because this year the preparation for Eid day are simple. This is all because of busyness that my family members had among them. As I always make cookies of Eid day with my aunties since I was child, I cannot do the same for this year because my aunties are busy with their effort to finish their sewing order for Eid dress.

As my sympathy, the curtains that actually must be sewed by my auntie that I call “Mak Tih” were sewed by me. It is a new record for me! Although the sewn are just straight and simple, it is all my effort to help her, and by the way I can have the new curtains to celebrate Eid day in my house. My mother just smiles when she knows that I help my auntie to sew our curtains as she knows her daughter is not like to do something work like sewing. My mother just knew about this a day before Eid day because I was sewed at my auntie house. After sewing, I know it is a enjoy works when we had finish. It is happiest when others satisfied for what we have done.

A day before Eid day, my siblings and I which are live at my grandmother and auntie houses are gathering at our own house. We are ready to decorate our house with new accessories. We were dividing the works among us. My older sister and I settled the kitchen area while my three younger sisters settled the dining and guest room. We are always like this nearest to Eid day. That is how we celebrate Eid day among us. For this Eid day, I slept early before my other sisters because of my sleepiness.

In the morning of Eid day, my sibling and I prepared our self. After we had our bath, it is the noisy time where we rush to iron our new clothes. I also helped my parent to iron their new clothes for Eid day. After my father came back from “Solat sunat Hari Raya”, all my family members were gathered at guest room to ask forgiveness from him and my mother. Then, we are ready to have our guests. I had prepared the cookies into the containers. Other than that, we also provide tapai, meat cuisine and ketupat. The dishes are quiet different than Eid day before because we not serve satay for our guest in first of Eid day like years before.

The day became busy when my uncle came with his family to visit us. I serve them with “hot tea” because that day was cold as there was raining in Kuantan on the night of Eid day. After they had done eat and forgive each other, they were going to another relative houses which are located near to another house of our house. Then, my sibling and I were followed them except my mother to visit other relatives. There were six houses of my relative’s house including my house in the same land in Kampung Alor Ladang. The houses own by my father’s sibling. So, we round all the houses continuing.

The first house that I went for Eid day was my third uncle house that located beside my house. This house and my house are joined as a pair. For this Eid day, my uncle’s wife served us with Laksa Penang as main menu and not forgotten the ketupat, meat cuisine, and cookies. This day became havoc when my auntie’s family that live in Johor Bahru join us to visit them. I very miss these nephews as we are rarely met together. These children of my auntie are having differ behavior that will make me and another laugh.

After that, we are going to my father’s elder sister house which located in the centre of the land. As my auntie was paralyzed on the right side, we shake on her left hand as symbol that respect and ask for forgiveness from her. She uses the wheelchair to make easier for her to visit other relatives. When my relatives and I went to other house, her sons push her using the wheelchair. My other nephew was staying at her home to make sure their relatives from Malacca will not left at their home without its owner.

Then, the cluster went to my fourth uncle and fifth auntie houses. Our visited were welcomed by them with happy smiling. They served us with satay, chicken rice and not forgotten the lemang and meat cuisine. Actually on every year, my father and his two younger brothers will compete to serve the best and delicious satay. But this year, we just serve the satay on the third day of Eid day. This is because of some technical problems that we had to make the satay. If not, every year on the early morning, my eldest sister will toast the satay on the toaster.

The last house of my father sibling that located in the same land that I call “Ayah Tih” was serving the crowd with lontong. This dish was opened my appetite as I very like lontong. Other than that, the cookie that I cannot leave when I visit my entire relative is pineapple tart. It is my favourite cookies and first choice when I open any container on all houses that I visit. I am very satisfied with my auntie’s creation. She is a good cooker as she also takes order to make cookies and chips. The cluster was enjoying the visit and returned home with happy heart.

After rest for an hour at home and received another visit from some far relatives, my sibling and I were ready to walk to my grandmother’s house while my parents went there by motorcycle. The house is located in near village, name Kampung Rumbia. This is my grandmother’s house of my mother side. She is the only grandparents that I had now as the others were passed away. My grandmother is a strong woman. She is still healthy although her age is about 68. I very love her as I grew up on her own guard.

Although it was taken about 15 minutes to arrive to my grandmother’s house, the tiredness was not felt as we were so excited to see my grandmother and our nephews from my mother side. We were ran to my grandmother house when it is became near. My aunties were shocked with our arriving because on years before, we will ask my uncle to take us as my father just have a motorcycle and not enough space to sponge us which are consist of five girls. Our plan to make my grandmother, aunties and uncles surprise was successful!

The first thing that I cannot wait was to play with my youngest nephew. She is as cute as her age which is two years old. She likes to watch “Pingu” and “Spongebob” cartoons. That is why she talks like Pingu. She is so funny. I like to kiss her cheek because it is soft and make me furious. She was made my family’s Eid day became havoc. When she saw the angpau, she will come quickly to the person that having it to shake on their hand.

After that, my sibling, nephews and I were made a line like train to go to shake on our grandmother’s hand. We had an angpau per a person. The oldest will shake on first followed the younger one. My grandmother just has nine grandchildren and will receive new comers on this November. While my aunties which are five of them plus my youngest uncle are still single, it is why we had more angpau from them. Although I am nineteen years old and still having my studying in University, I also got Eid money. I have got about RM165 from my relatives. I used the money as my modal for entrepreneurship weeks in University Malaysia Kelantan.

A few minutes later, far relatives from my mother side came. The house became full and that is why I took my youngest nephews out of the house. We took some pictures with my siblings and nephews as memories at the outside of grandmother’s house. When we bored, we go to visit the nearest neighbour. Auntie Nor was very happy to have us as her guest. Although she is poor and having many children, she still celebrated Eid day with great heart.

The first of Eid day looks like come to an end when my beloved nephews are return to their home. But the celebration still goes on with the visit of my grandmother’s neighbours. It is normal for the villagers to visit among them on Eid day. I helped my aunties to serve the guests with orange juice and refill the cookies that were finish into their containers. I am very happy to have many visitors as we can firm close the relationship between the villagers and relatives.

End of the day of this eid day are still goes on with the second and third of eid celebration. But for the fourth day, I had taken my bus to come back to University. Although I just spend three days with my family to celebrate eid day, it is always became a sweet memories for me. For this year, I think the memories of first day of Hari Raya were the unforgettable experience for my sibling and me.

Kuih Raya Recipe - Pineapple Tart

It is time for the best cookie recipe in town! What else if not Tat Nenas or Pineapple Tart. This is my favourite cookie. This recipe of Eid day’s cookie are separate into two parts, one for making the jam, and two for making the pastry.

INGREDIENTS:

Makes about 150 tarts

Pineapple jam:
2 medium-size pineapples, grated
300g sugar
Some cinnamon and star arise (optional)

METHOD:
1. Cook grated pineapple in a pot with sugar for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Cook until the pineapple jam starts to leave the sides of the pot. Remove from stove and set aside to cool.
3. Roll jam into small balls.

Tart pastry:

300g butter
130g margarine
100g icing sugar
80g milk powder

1 egg
600g cake/superfine flour
30g custard powder

METHOD:
1. Preheat oven at 170-180 deg C.
2. Cream butter and margarine in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Add egg and beat well.
4. Sift icing sugar, milk powder, flour and custard powder into the mixture. Fold to incorporate all ingredients to form smooth pastry dough.

For pineapple rolls:
1. Place some pastry dough into mould. Pipe dough about 5 cm in length using your thumbs. Place a jam ball on it and roll the pastry up to enclose the jam.
2. Brush tarts with egg wash. Bake in a greased, lined baking tin for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
3. Cool the tarts on wire rack.

NOTES:
1. Amount of sugar is for guidance only. Please adjust this amount according to size and sweetness of the pineapples.
2. For the preparation of pineapple jam, what I did was cook the jam a day before I wanted to make the tarts. Set the jam aside to cool and then refrigerated the jam overnight. I found the jam was much easier to handle and roll (not too sticky) the next day.

InTRo

Assalamualaikum, hari ni 22/3/2011 tiba-tiba Shahida dapat idea untuk berkongsi assignment2 lepas dengan satu dunia... ^_^ Moga dapat dimanfaatkan oleh semua rakan2 seangkatan dalam jurusan keusahawanan (perdagangan). Jangan copy semata-mata kerana grammar tak dijamin Halal.. ehehehe...