MARKET RESEARCH WITHIN THE BUSINESS CONTEXT OF MARKETING Essay

MARKET RESEARCH WITHIN THE BUSINESS CONTEXT OF MARKETING - Essay Example It may also prevent further mishap or casualties that it may encounter later on. A solid comprehension of how the facts can help in managing business must be the foundation for administering market researches (Wrenn, Stevens, and Loudon 25). The aim of this paper is to analyze the importance of market researches in business settings. Market Research According to American Marketing Association, a market research is an event that connects consumer, customer, and public to the buyer and seller of different goods and services by way of exchanging information (qtd. in Kolb 7). This information is utilized to distinguish strength and weakness, create, enhance and assess marketing administration supervise performance, and enrich the realization of marketing as a procedure (qtd. in Kolb 7). All the participating parties in trading are found in the market. The buyers and sellers bargain with each other; consumers and customers meet and interact, and investor and borrower negotiate. These cons tant interactions among the participants generate and transfer information. Now, when these sets of information are circulated, it can be used by the receiving party. A stockbroker who recently learned that the prices of stocks are low may choose to disregard and pass an investment option. Thus, by skipping an investment opportunity, the stock broker engaged in market research and has successfully used it to its own advantage. Role of Market Research Since the main purpose of market research is to help in the decision making, it is divided into four measures. First is to identify the presence of a threat or opportunity. Second is to analyze the problem or opportunity, then third is to classify option, and fourth is to choose a solution (Wrenn, Stevens, and Loudon 3). Determining a problem or opportunity must be the first step in the decision making because it is the basis of having a solution. Observation and recognition must be necessary to point out any possible trouble or positiv e prospect that may arise. The analysis of the trouble and opportunity comes next to determining problem. While it is necessary to pinpoint troubles, if there is any, a better judgment must be made in categorizing the choices. There are some cases that a small inconvenience inside an agency may become an opportunity for the whole. This is followed by the evaluation of option. After recognizing and interpreting the problem, it is best to evaluate the options. Application of the information gathered for the possible solutions must be thoroughly enforced. This precedes the final step as selecting the right solution. In choosing the accurate solution, the goal of the market research here is fulfilled as decision making is made in this move. Precisely, a market research pertains to the steps and processes used in planning and gathering of information, and in examining and proposing of data utilized for forming marketing decisions (Stevens et al. 2). Different kinds of techniques are used in market researches depending on the objectives and purpose of the research. These sets of techniques are often confused with the decision making. The marketing research should be centered on the making of decisions and not on the sets of techniques involved in obtaining information to implement decision making (Stevens et al. 2). By doing so, it evades undesirable situations of unsuccessfully gathering of data

IBM Mergers & Acquisitions - A critical analysis of the problems Essay

IBM Mergers & Acquisitions - A critical analysis of the problems occurred by major acquisitions - Essay Example Although commonly misinterpreted as one, merger and acquisition are two different business strategies in the sense that merger is the process of combining two or more business organizations which often occurs through the purchase acquisition of another business entity (InvestorWords 2011a) whereas acquisition is referring to the act of gaining control over a company by purchasing its stocks as a way of gaining the legal rights to take-over the business (InvestorWords 2011b; Hill and Hill 2005). As explained by Massoudi (2006, p. 19), it is important for IBM Tivoli to learn more about the market potential and profitability of acquiring another company like the BigFix by carefully examining the value of its IT technology and expertise IBM Tivoli could gain out of purchasing another company. As a strategy to improve IBM Tivoli’s security-related field, IBM has been continuously acquiring other IT companies that specializes in the development of IT security software. As IBM Tivoli ’s 11th acquired producers of security-related software, the company made its final decision to formalize its acquisition of the BigFix Inc. for the price of US$400 million (?263 million) back on the 1st of July 2010 (Diaz 2010; Hoffmann and Saitto 2010; IBM 2010; Rogers 2010). Founded back in 1997, the BigFix Inc. is a US-based company that specializes in the reduction of cost and complexity when managing network servers, personal computers and mobile system (Haikes 2011). In line with this, Amrit Williams – BigFix’s CTO stated that â€Å"BigFix is a leading global provider of high-performance system and security management software designed for the special needs of enterprise companies and that BigFix’s unified management platform provides the users with real-time visibility and control through the use of a single infrastructure, single agent, and single console for systems life cycle management, endpoint protection, security configuration, and vulnera bility management† (Winman 2010). Using relevant merger and acquisition theories, this report will identify and critically analyze the merger and acquisition problems that occurred when IBM Tivoli decided to acquire BigFix Inc. To give the readers a better idea about this research topic, this report will discuss the significance of merger and acquisition towards the business success of IBM Tivoli followed by discussing the common internal and external factors that may lead to merger and acquisition failure. Based on the actual business experiences of IBM Tivoli after acquiring the BigFix Inc., this report will evaluate whether or not the act of acquiring the BigFix Inc. has been a good business decision or not. Significance of Merger and Acquisition towards the Business Success of IBM Tivoli’s Decision to Acquire BigFix Inc. In general, the main purpose of entering into merger and acquisition is not limited to the need to increase IBM Tivoli’s market shares but a lso in terms of obtaining critical mass, expanding its geographic business coverage, increase the quality and widens the scope of IBM Tivoli’s IT-products and services, improve the company’s existing competitive advantages and improve its existing diversified portfolio (IBM 2011b). Applicable to desktops, servers, and laptops, Diaz (2010) reported that IBM Tivoli’s decision to acquire BigFix will enable IBM Tivoli offer BigFix’