Marketing & The Engineer

Types of Marketing Relationships: Marketing is the interface between the firm and its customers. In simple terms, it is selling, the exchange of money for the output produced by the firm. Marketing is so very vital to any firm since it is the activity that produces revenues which sustain the enterprise. Transaction based relationships: Market related tasks prior to sale, such as identifying the customer, studying the customers needs, obtaining an opportunity to make an offer to the potential customer and closing a deal. More sustained relationships: The contract between the parties to a transaction is more sustained, as in the delivery of components over time from a single or several contracts, the tasks of marketing may include informing the customer of the status of the order, determining the user satisfaction with deliveries and so on. Highly committed relationships: The commitment between parties is long term and substantial. The supplier must have an understanding of customers environment and requirements.

Engineering Involvement in Marketing Industrial Products

Type of Product -- Description -- Engineering Involvement Installations -- Large, durable custom constructions -- Selling & performance of design service; cost estimation & construction supervision. Ex: Buildings, automated assembly lines. Accessories -- Shorter lived capital goods -- Sellers engineers design for general customer. Ex: Computers, furniture. Raw materials -- Extractive & agricultural products -- Assessment of quality. Ex: Tobacco, grass, coffee beans, tea leaves. Process materials -- Goods that change form in production -- Buyers engineers establish specifications. Ex: Rods to wire, ingots to plastics. Component parts -- Catalog items that do not lose identity in production -Suppliers engineers design for general customer & introduce to users engineers. Ex: Alternators, leaf springs. Fabricated items -- Custom made items -- Buyers engineers design and specify; seller bids on manufacture. Ex: Plastics molders. Maintenance, repair & operating items -- Consumed in process of production or use -- Repair parts & methods specified by makers engineers; users have little engineering involvement. Ex: Filters, spark plugs, lubricants. Services -- Involve only incidental product use -- For engineering services, engineers sell as well as perform. Ex: Telephone, electricity, banking.

Engineers in Service Organizations

Importance of Service Producing Industries Professional and related service employment, more than doubled; the big gainers were health, legal and social services. Business and repair services multiplied almost fivefold; a million were employed in computer and data processing. Entertainment and recreation employment almost tripled, reflecting changing lifestyles.

Characteristics of the Service Sector

Loss in business due to poor or inattentive service. Unhappy customers never complain and happy customers spread the message through word of mouth. Maintaining existing and new customer data base is very expensive. Perfect correlation between employees perception of an organizations human resource policies and the customers perceptions of quality and service. Long term financial success depends on the customers perception of the relative quality of service.

Some Specific Service Industry Examples Computer Applications:

Semi conductors

Transistors
Computer appliance controls Integrated circuits Medical Financial and Banking

Increased capability; decreased cost, size, power requirement for COMPUTERS

Telecommunication

Business

Government

Manufacturing

Transportation

Figure : Impact of computer technology on service-producing industry

Government Service
Streets, highways and bridges: Their specification, maintenance, lighting and traffic control systems. Water purification and distribution, sewage retrieval & pick up and solid waste disposal. Parks, playgrounds, airport and cemetery operation. Zoning, building inspection and code enforcement. Vehicle maintenance.

College Teaching & Research

Graduate education in Masters and PhD. Teaching / Research assistantships during masters. Above average academic capability in teaching.

Biomedical Engineering & Health Services

Biomedical engineering can be broadly defined as the application if engineering concepts, methods & techniques to biology and medicine. Bioengineering is concerned with the quantitative analysis, both theoretical & experimental, of the structural and functional properties of the components of biological systems. Medical / Biomedical engineering deals with the design, development, application & evaluation of the instrumentation, computers, materials, diagnostic & medical information systems. Clinical engineering uses engineering concepts and technology to improve health care delivery in hospitals.