The reasons for choosing the major. My future major is logistics

business logistics is the study if how management can best provide a profitable level of distributing services to customers through effective planning organizing and controlling of the move-store activities that facilitate product flow. I chose my major because the subject is interesting and essential.

11) The role of information for managing a business. It’s very difficult to overestimate the role of information. Information can be considered as the raw material used in producing each and every decision taken in an organization. In carrying out marketing analysis, planning, implementation and control, marketing managers need information at almost every turn. They need information about customers, competitors, dealers, and other forces in the marketplace.

The notion of the MIS, its components and goals. Intelligence gathering: Snooping on Competitors. The Marketing Information System (MIS) consists of people, equipment, and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute needed, timely and accurate information to marketing decision makers. The MIS begins and ends with marketing managers. First, these managers have to assess their information needs. Next, the needed information is developed from internal company records, marketing intelligence activities, and the marketing research process. Finally the MIS distributes information to managers is the right form and the right time to help them in marketing planning, implementation, and control.

The definition of Marketing Research. To obtain the information, the company will need formal marketing research.

We define marketing research as a function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information – information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; to generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; to monitor marketing performance; and to improve understanding of the marketing process.

The four steps in the marketing research process.

The marketing research consists of 4 steps:

1. Defining the problem and research objectives

2. Developing a plan for collecting the information needed

3. Implementing the research plan

4. Interpretation and reporting

The research approaches.

There are 3 main research approaches: the observational research, survey research and an experimental approach.

Contact methods. Contact methods of collecting information are by mail, telephone, or personal interview.

Sampling plan. Marketing researchers usually draw conclusions about large groups of consumers by studying a small sample of the total consumer population. Designing the sample calls for 3 decisions:

• Who is to be surveyed? ( what sampling unit?)

• How many people should be surveyed? (what sample size?)

• How should be people in the sample be chosen? (what sampling procedure?)

Research instruments. In collecting primary data, marketing researches have a choice of 2 main research instruments – the questionnaire and mechanical devices.