Significance of Structure and the Role of Marketing in Organisation - Assignment Example

?Marketing and Management Table of Contents Introduction 3 Section One 4 7 Section Two 8 Conclusion 19 References 20 Bibliography 23 Introduction Thecase study is about Home Support which provides quality domiciliary services to its customers. It mainly focuses upon the elderly population of the country, i.e., the UK. The company has been facing problems related organisational structure and marketing. Therefore, this paper attempts to suggest various remedies through which Home Support will be capable of getting a solution to the problems faced by them, thus enhancing the productivity and achievement of the goals of the organisation. The study suggests the adoption of the internal marketing through which the company is capable of fostering the overall organisation. The paper will assist the organisation with proper organisational structure and thus will suggest ways through which it will be capable of maintaining the competitive position in the market. Section One Significance of Structure and the Role of Marketing in Organisation Innumerable writers have demonstrated the significance of the organisational structure along with its relation with the organisation’s size, technology, culture and environment. A few writers have mentioned the fact that if an organisation wants to achieve high performance, its structure needs to fit and match with the degree of change in its environment. It has further been pointed out that the structure plays a vital role in all the aspects of the human capital of the organisation. The organisation structure and the underlying design principles need to match with the main purpose of the organisation. Else, the organisation is deemed to fail and might not succeed in the long run (McMillan, n.d.). Marketing can be considered as the heart of an organization. The significance of marketing is growing in the non-commercial, public as well as voluntary sectors. The demand for the goods and services of any particular organisation totally relies upon the needs and wants along with the ability to pay. It is significant for the marketers to take these factors into consideration if they want to sell the product that focuses to be successful in the long run (University of London, n.d.). There have been controversies in the recent years regarding the role played by marketing in the competitive strategy. By unambiguous verbalisation of the marketing capabilities, the researchers are capable of arguing the fact that marketing contributes to the theory and practice. The new researches need to focus upon the tasks those require different capabilities of marketing since they contribute to innovative along with entrepreneurial firm behaviour (Weerawardena, 2003). It has been found that the marketers are gaining awareness of the positive impact of marketing actions with social dimensions can have upon the organisation. It has been pinpointed by American Marketing Association members that social responsibility can be considered as a significant element for enhancing the effectiveness of the organisation (Handelman & Arnold, 1999). Marketing plays a significant role in the operations of the business. With the term marketing, it is understood as satisfaction of the wants and needs of the customers. Through product, place, price and promotion strategies, the operation of the business can reflect upon the contentment of the needs and wants of the customer. Marketing links the business and the customers together. It is the duty of the marketer to provide such goods that can be liked by the consumers and they wish to buy it at such a price which customers want to pay in a proper location. Furthermore, the goods must be promoted effectively for enhancing the level of awareness of the product to the customers (Learning Edege, n.d.). It is marketing that is responsible at generation of the revenues as well as profit of the organisation. In case of non-profit organisations, the marketing takes care of attracting the customers so that the mission of the non-profit organization can be achieved. Without strong marketing efforts, a company is unlikely to survive in the market. The structure of the organisation depends upon the objectives as well as strategies that have been chosen for achieving them. If the organisation has a centralised structure, then, all the decisions need to be taken by the top management. However, in case of decentralised organisational structure, the decision making power does not lie upon one particular department and is distributed among few of them. Organisational structure is generally referred as how the tasks are divided, the way work flows and is coordinated and the device permitting coordination to occur. The main requirements of the organisational structure are effective division of labour and coordination. In case of division of labour, the labourers are assigned different tasks which lead to specialisation. Coordination is required so that the workers are capable of working in a way for achieving the goals of the organisation. Coordination tends to occur by means of formal hierarchy, informal communication and standardisation. The main components of the organisational structure are centralisation, span of control, departmentalisation and formalisation (McShane & Travaglione, 2003). Any growing organisation would prefer to have organisational structure in order to offer guidance and clarity on the human resource related problems. If any organisation does not have a formal organisation structure, then they might find it difficult regarding whom they are supposed to report to and the employees become unclear regarding their final responsibility. The operational effectiveness tends to be enhanced since the employees are aware of their roles and responsibilities at all the levels of the organisation. The flexibility in the organisation increases and they can focus upon their time on generation of the productive task. Organisational structure can also assist in internal promotion and thus permits the organisation in creating employee advancement tracks for the new employees. It has been found from the case study that because Rosemary was solely engaged with meeting of the needs and demands of the customers, running the day-to-day business and managing the staffs of the organisation, the organisation has been unable to focus upon the long-term marketing efforts of the organisation. It has already been a known factor that marketing is the life blood of an organisation. Therefore, Home Support needs to pay due attention towards the marketing activities such as product management, pricing, distribution management, communication management, marketing planning as well as marketing research. From the case study, it has been found that Rosemary seems to have recognised the importance of marketing at Home Support and thus have taken steps to initiate changes in the organisation. Furthermore, Home Support did not have proper organisational structure which was hindering their successful operations. Therefore, in this regard, it can be mentioned that if Rosemary develops a proper organisational structure in the organisation, then she will be capable of enhancing the productivity of the organisation. The staffs will be cleared in their minds as to whom to report and the roles of each employee will be clearly laid out in the process of organisation structure. Section Two Person Specification Requirement Essential Desirable Education, Qualifications and Training It is significant for the marketing manager to have bachelors’ or masters’ degree in business administration. He must also possess certain important credentials as well. Post Doctoral degree in marketing management can also be required. Experience The candidate needs to have completed his/her internship during the course of MBA program for gaining experience. Apart from that he/she needs to have 5-10 years of experience in the related field. Have worked with any of the MNCs Knowledge: The marketing manager is supposed to have the knowledge of subject properly. Furthermore, he must also have computer knowledge. It is desirable that the marketing manager have knowledge of certain marketing software. Skills & Abilities: One of the criteria for the marketing manager is that he/she needs to be physically healthy and thus capable of devoting long hours at work. The marketing manager needs to be intelligent for understanding the marketing scenarios. By juggling the elements of the marketing mix, he must be capable of coming up with a winning combination. It can be observed that since there is cut-throat competition in the business environment, it becomes significant of the marketing managers to come up with marketing strategies that can assist the organisation in defeating the competition. This can be achieved if the marketing manager is capable of implementing the political bent of his mind along with intelligence together. As part of the job profile, marketing manager is supposed to lead a group of people so that the goals of the organisation are met. With his/her social abilities, he/she must make himself likeable and highly regarded to the subordinates. Marketing manager must possess moral values as well as principles. The individuals having high moral and possessing certain principles are always respected which adds to the personality (Bootwala & Et. Al., 2009). Negotiation skill can also be an added advantage to the marketing manager post. Personal Attributes: In addition to the above mentioned qualities, it is significant for the marketing manager to possess risk taking abilities. He/she must embrace challenges and must be fearless. Leadership is essential for the marketing manager to effectively lead his/her subordinates in the organisation. He/she must never abstain from any sort of challenges or tasks that are assigned to him/her. Furthermore, he/she needs to ensure that the followers also possess the similar skills. It is worthy of noticing that he/she must be flexible enough to adjust himself with the environment. He/she must also be customer centric and thus value customers. By keeping himself/herself updated with the latest technology, marketing manager can benefit the organisation as well as place himself/herself as a very important person in the organisation. Leading the group in a systematic way. Other: Good communication skill is essential for the marketing manager. It can be stated that education which a person culminates in master degree in business administration prepares the person to lead a team so that any project can be tackled properly. Therefore, if Rosemary appoints the marketing manager with MBA degree, she will have a manager who is capable of resolving the conflicts at the organisation and build effective team members at the organisation. Furthermore, she will have a marketing manager who is capable of implementing creative programs through which there is greater exposure along with stimulated customer experience and increased revenues and profitability. Therefore, it can be analysed that a person with master degree qualification can be good for Home Support. Experienced candidates are suggested to Rosemary because experience makes a man perfect for any job. It assists the person in developing the required skills related to communication and team working. The candidate will have the required maturity since he has work experience by working in other related jobs. The marketing manager has already acquired valuable skills such as communication, innovation, professionalism, and teamwork and time management. Therefore, Rosemary can thus gain the benefits from such experienced candidate. The marketing manager with computer knowledge has been suggested to Home Support since computer plays a vital role in the organisation for various purposes. Therefore, if marketing manager does not have adequate knowledge of computers he will not be capable of functioning effectively. Skilled staff has been suggested for Home Support since it is the marketing manager who would be responsible for the overall success and failure of the organisation. If the manager is not skilled, then he/she will not be capable of achieving the goals of the organisation and thus Home Support will be consigned to failure. Therefore, Rosemary needs to check if the marketing manager has the skills that have been mentioned in the person specification table. It has also been analysed that it is quite significant for the marketing managers to possess risk taking abilities since the job itself demands such capabilities. The marketing manager must accept challenges and thus must lead the organisation towards success. The marketing manager with such attributes is good for Home Support. When there is alteration in the organisation, it becomes significant for the marketing manager to be flexible enough so that he can adjust himself with the situation. Rosemary will be benefited to greater extent by having such skilled marketing manager. If Rosemary considers all the above qualities in the marketing manager, she will be capable of bringing her organisation back on track properly thus achieving the aims of the organisation. Home Support will be capable of achieving awareness among the public and thus the profitability and revenues of the company will be enhanced to a greater extent. It is a good marketing manager who forms various strategies and thus manages all the marketing activities of the organisation. By recruiting the marketing manager with the above mentioned qualities, Home Support will be able to eradicate all the difficulties that it is facing. Concept of Internal Marketing Internal marketing can be considered as a process through which the staffs at all the levels can be involved in effective marketing programmes by means of comprehending them their role in the marketing process. Internal marketing program also involves training and staff development, integration scheme, effective internal communication that has been prepared for augmenting the knowledge and skills of the marketing orientation in the organisation (Piercy & Morgan, 1991). The main function of the internal marketing has been to manage the changes in the organisation. The inter-departmental and inter-functional conflicts can be lessened with the assistance of the strategic internal marketing co-operation and commitment that is required can be developed. The four main essentials of good internal marketing program are motivation, co-ordination, information and education for effectively implementing the corporate and functional strategies and thus to satisfy the need of the customer by the creation of customer centred and motivated employees (Slideshare, 2009). Significance of Internal Marketing It can be mentioned that the customer complaints do not merely involve customers taking the initiatives to circulate their dissatisfaction regarding the products and services. There are multifarious psycho-sociological conflict resolution processes where the relation of the market partner bounds them. Internal marketing tends to assist in creating the psychological conditions for the organisation and the individual employees and thus ensure that the complaint management system has been properly implemented and accepted (Hennig-Thurau & Hansen, 2000). The significance of the internal marketing in service operation can be found in the augmented prominence in the service quality especially at customer oriented organisations (Davis & Paul, 2005). It can further be stated that the through internal marketing, motivated employees are created since it makes use of four ‘E’ behaviours namely energizing, enabling and empowering and finally ensuring that the employees have achieved their objectives as stated and thus are awarded and recognised for attaining their objectives. The main task of the internal marketing is to ensure that the brand promises are met (Drake & Et. Al., 2005). Implementation of the Internal Marketing to Home Support A small private care company that provides domiciliary services to the disabled and the elderly is Home Support. The company is providing the services to the local areas. The company has been successful at providing quality services to its customers. Nevertheless, the company seems to have been facing two main internal marketing problems that have been affecting its successful operation and profitability. One of the major problems has been related to the organisational structure or the personal system at Home Support. From the case study, it has been found that there is no proper and clear description in relation to who reports to whom in the organisation. The other problem that the company faces is related to the fact that there has been stiff competition in the domestic market itself. Implementing Changes When changes are triggered in an organisation, it becomes difficult for the organisation to implement such changes as certain resistances to change can occur. Rosemary needs to take into consideration various steps so that the changes are implemented effectively. At the outset, it is significant for Rosemary to depict the significance of such changes in the organisation. At times, people oppose changes if they are not familiar with the necessity of changes that are proposed to take place. Rosemary then needs to build a leadership team that can guide during the process of change. She further needs to generate a vision regarding the changes that is supposed to occur and hence its desired results. After that, meeting with the staffs of the organisation can be held and thus communicated regarding the process of change to them. Communication regarding the changes can be held by preparing a draft. Training plays a significant role in the process of change. Therefore, it becomes vital for Rosemary to empower the employees by providing them adequate training and development which can ease the process of change in Home Support and thus the goals of the organisation can be achieved. It is to be remembered that Rosemary needs to allow the staffs as well to actively participate in the process of change. Their participation is highly important. Rosemary needs to identify if there are any barrier to successful implementation of the change in her organisation. The cross-functional teams need to make use of the force-field analysis so that the driving and restraining forces can be identified. It is also important for Rosemary to motivate her employees on a continuous basis while implementing the changes. It is significant that Home Support celebrates the milestones that will be achieved and the short-term goals attained in the process of achieving the goal. Rosemary needs to ensure that there is greater compatibility among the culture and the change. Internal Marketing Technique to Minimise Conflict In order to minimise the conflicts with Rosemary and the rest of the employees, it is vital to take care of the following internal marketing techniques. Communication: A study by an American Management Association stated that approximately 20% of the time of the managers is spend on managing the conflicts, staffing and development and motivating the employees. Therefore, it becomes significant for the managers to communicate with the staffs as well as others so that they are capable of understanding the needs and wants of the staffs and thus there is less likelihood of any conflict in the organisation. It would be better for the marketing manager to understand the needs and expectations of Rosemary, since she is the leader of the organisation (Verma, 1998). It can further be stated that if the marketing managers are not capable of communicating their expectation in an effective way via job description and delegation then the employees are surely going to overlook the significant tasks. In order to conquer the conflicts, it is significant for the managers to communicate regarding the work priorities and responsibilities. Conflict can be minimised in Home support if the marketing manager is capable of creating an environment of open communication where each and every individual is provided with an opportunity to communicate their views and opinions with Rosemary (Duncan & Moriarty, 1998). Motivation: It is significant for the companies to motivate the employees on a regular basis so that there is no chance of conflicts in the organisation. Workers in the organisation can be motivated by means of salary and wages. By means of incentives and other pays and rewards, it becomes easier for the companies to motivate the staffs of the organisation. When the staffs are motivated to work, they do not quarrel and hence harmony can be maintained in the organisation and effectiveness and efficiency achieved. Motivation makes the employees feel good and thus they contribute their hundred percent for the work (Munroe & Luck., 2005). Relation with the Boss: A number of the marketing managers possess expertise in their subject related matter; however lack the skill of people management. The managers are not capable of building strong relation with the bosses. It is significant for the marketing manager to build good relation with the bosses so that he/she can understand the bosses well and thus can minimise the conflicts in the organisation (Lee & Et. Al., 2005). Conclusion Marketing is the life blood of any organisation. It plays a significant role in identifying the need and wants of the customers and thus tries to meet those needs by providing them the goods and services. It was found that Home Support was not able to pay more attention towards the marketing department since Rosemary had to take care of other tasks as well. This is the reason behind several problems in the organisation. The requirement of the marketing manager was sought in the organisation. It has been suggested to Home Support that it is required to pay attention towards the internal marketing so that it can overcome the competition and thus will be capable of managing the staffs in a better way. Furthermore, it has been suggested to have open communication to minimise the conflicts in the organisation. Marketing manager in Home Support will need to have political, physical, social, moral and mental qualities that will assist him/her to achieve the goals of the organisation and to become an ideal leader for the organisational progress. References Bootwala, S. & Et. Al., 2009. Principles of Marketing. Nirali Prakashan. Drake, S. M. & Et. Al., 2005. Light Their Fire: Using Internal Marketing To Ignite Employee Performance And Wow Your Customers. Kaplan Publishing. Davis & Paul, J., 2005. The Effects Of Internal Marketing On Service Quality Within Collegiate Recrational Sport: A Quantitative Approach. Abstract. 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