Marketing Essentials - Apple

MAIN BODY

Apple Inc., is chosen for this entire study, it world’s largest information technology company in terms of revenues. The firm was founded in 1977; it offers mobile communication, personal computers, laptops, media devices and portable digital music players. In addition, to this the firm also sells wide range of software, accessories, networking solutions as well as third party digital context and applications. iPhone is the Company's line of smartphones based on its iOS operating system. iPhone includes Siri, a voice activated intelligent assistant, and Apple Pay and touch ID on qualifying devices. Apple Inc., provides its services over the world by having 500 retailing stores. The overall revenue of the company is US$229.234billion whereas its total operating income is US$61.344billion. There are over 123,000 are presently working with the organisation. Beside this, Apple is following traditional hierarchal organisational structure but as per the time changes management has made some changes in its working styles which suits market and industry demand. The organisational structure of the company enables it to make innovations rapidly and helps in high market growth and success.

P1 Roles and responsibilities of marketing functions

Marketing is a key administration aspect that empowers the makers of merchandise and enterprises to translate client needs, needs and wants and afterward coordinate, or surpass them, in conveyance to their objective buyers. It is consequently a continuous procedure that places the buyer at the focal point of all exercises and influences each part of a business (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel, 2011). It is process that is responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably." Apple Inc., conducts effective marketing and promotional campaigns in order to attain and retain its customers; the firm has wide client base which helps it in raising sales and profitability over the world.

Nature of marketing –

• Marketing generates four parts of utilities, i.e. time, place, form and possession. All these components helps in attaining and retaining customers for long term period and build up strong public relations as well.
• Marketing is a goal oriented activities, it tries to accomplish benefits for sellers and buyers both in terms of fulfilling individual desires. A definitive objective of marketing activities is to produce benefits which enables to satisfy a customer in the best possible manner (Pike, 2015).
• In this modern era, marketing is the core function business entities which describes that what, when, how to create. It is equipped for managing and controlling business.
• Marketing grasps all the business activities which are engaged with getting products, i.e. from the hands of manufacturer to the hand of end users.

Following are the main roles and responsibilities of marketing functions: -

• Marketing research – It is tied in with gathering data concerning firm’s objective and attaining customers. Marketing research is required to recognize the requirements, needs and requests of the customers and after that breaking down the distinguished data to touch base at different choices for the fruitful advertising of an association's products and administrations is a standout amongst the most essential elements of marketing (Malhotra, Birks and Wills, 2013). The investigation includes judging the inner shortcomings and qualities of the association too politico-lawful, social and statistic information of the objective market. This data is additionally utilized as a part of market divisions.
  • Buying and selling – The buying function ensure that availability of product offerings in enough quantities in order to meet needs and wants of target audiences. Firms are required to purchase raw materials so as to produce efficient goods whereas retailers, whole sellers, purchase finished goods in order to sell them to their end users and gain high profit margins. Apart from this, selling function is associated with sell goods and services by meeting customers’ desires in the best possible manner. For this purpose, marketers uses advertising, sales promotion and personal selling. Apple Inc., also purchase raw materials from its suppliers which are presented over the world so as to make attractive products and sell its products through direct selling and by third party selling.
  • Risk taking – In this competitive era, marketers are required to take risk so as to accomplish firm’s goals and objectives. When a new product is launched in market there is chances of both success and failure. Thus, management should assess the future risks and uncertainties it results creation and marketing of goods and services that consumers may purchase in the future (Jones and Rowley, 2011). Apple is multinational company which operates in several nations, there is a risk of credit crunches in an economy which can affects sales and profitability of the company. in addition to this, risks are also associated with a company – changes in technology, market conditions legislative measures etc.
    • Transporting - Function related to generate the availability of product or services at marketplace. Transporting is used in order to move products from their points of production to location convenient for buyers. Although, transportation is fundamental from the acquisition of raw material to the carriage finished products to its end users. The type of transportation is based on a few contemplations, like- reasonableness, speed and cost. Transportation might be performed either by the purchaser or by the vender. The sort of transportation facilities identifies range of marketing areas, contingency in supply, uniform value maintenance and easy accessibility to suppliers.
    • Standardising and Grading – With an aim to provide more featured and value added products with compromising the quality, marketers standardise products. It would ensure that product offerings meet customers needs’. In multinational companies, managers establish and give and grading products on the basis of quality and quantity, they also put standards of size, weight, and other product variables. Although, a standard conveys a uniformity of the products.
    • Marketing information system – The functions tend towards gathering information or data about customers, competitors and channel members, i.e. whole sellers and retailers so as to take imperative marketing decisions. Most of marketing activities relies upon market information that can be obtain from external environment (Papasolomou and Melanthiou, 2012). Many marketers seeks to determine customers’ expectations, current market trends and competitors’ strategies before introducing any product in market. It helps firm to get aware about market conditions and product products accordingly for getting high cutting edge and increase market share.

P2 How Roles and responsibilities of the marketing department are interrelated with wider organizational context

In today’s corporate world. it is fundamental for entire management to work with proper collaboration and cooperation so as to do all tasks and activities in the best possible manner. In Apple, decisions are focused on how to engaged all departments together hence they can work for common goals and objectives. In context of marketing, marketers need to work with other functional units while doing any marketing activity. For example- before launching any new product and service there is required to conduct a proper study of market; it is the obligation of R & D department. There is defined interrelationship of all business units with marketing department of the company, such are stated as under: -

Finance department – It is the main obligation of marketing department is to offer greatest merchandise and fulfil the shoppers. Its item's information cost will diminish if all items are sold by advertisers of organization. For building up the item, advancement exercises and dissemination exercises of showcasing office require some cash for paying business people, publicizing spending plan and other limited time costs (Huang and Sarigöllü, 2014). For this advertising division influences his showcasing to spending plan and it is cleared by back office, however at some point fund office won't all particular showcasing costs yet showcasing office require that sort of costs for advancement of offers. This will make confliction. Great relations will be useful for the two offices. On the off chance that both office does meeting and show conduct like great relative, the issue can without much of a stretch understand. The two offices should surmise that both are the piece of organization's association and co-appointment between them is must. At some point, showcasing office acquires huge request for providing the products, around then fund office should help promoting office for course of action of cash for purchasing crude material and providing fast immediately.

Human resource department - There are many benefits to be gained from collaboration between Human Resources and Marketing leaders including more effective execution, higher productivity and innovation. On the other side, marketing division assists businesses to attain their objectives by developing a strong brand image, raising sales through advertisements and surveying over the markets. All this can be done through if firm has effective workforce which has high potentials to do various tasks and activities in the best possible manner. The HR manager of the firm organise training and development assistance for employees in order to improve their skills and knowledge level as they can generate new and innovative products for customers. In Apple HR professionals focus on how to manage entire workforce and provide them job satisfaction level. People also feel proud to work with a strong brand like – Apple. It increases their enthusiasm and force them to work in more effective manner.

Production and operation department - Marketing is the transfer of goods and services from the producer and provider to the consumer.But this can be possible if goods are produced on or before time of delivery. Thus, production department of the firm obliges that customers are getting products and services whenever they are required. Operation manager of the company ensure about quality and quantity of products so as to gain higher customer satisfaction level (Kim and Hyun, 2011). Along with this, production and marketing departments cooperate each other while introducing new product in market. In which, marketers discover what individuals need whereas producers gives advise to marketing unit what it takes to deliver the thing, and how including highlights changes value/creation time. They cooperate each other in order to make an effective product that both the market needs, and they can effectively create.

Research and development department – Marketing and R & D department normally come together while the need of product development at various edges. In organizations where R&D is effective, marketing can once in a while be heard grumbling about offerings that are difficult to comprehend and utilize. Apart from this, marketing is more in control, R&D's dissensions have a tendency to be about an absence of creative energy, of excessively numerous incremental developments. In Apple the research and development unit helps the company in remaining aggressive with others at marketplace. It looks towards assessing or investigating the products different organizations are making, and in addition the new patterns inside the business. This exploration helps the division in creating and refreshing the items made by the organization. It results enhancement in sales and profitability of the company for long term period.

Customer service department – The main role of customer service department is to listen customers’ complaints and ask them for things. For this, firms need to hire people those who can handle all this in an effective manner; the process is called customer service. Because improper customer services can reduces clients’ interest towards the brand, this can also affect market image and goodwill of the company (Leonidou, Katsikeas and Morgan, 2013). In Apple customer service executive’s works for marketers and they are involved in any kind of discussion, plans as well as launching of a new product. Such people takes proper information from customers through a phone call and any other and convey the same with marketing managers as they can produce the such goods in order to meet market needs and demands in an impressive manner.

P3 Marketing mix of two different business organizations

Marketing mix is an intermixture of all components which are required to consider by a firm while developing a marketing plan. It ensure firm’s growth and success and supports in attaining organisational goals and objectives. Seven elements of marketing mix are – product, price, place, promotion, physical evidence, people and process; all these briefly explained as under:-

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