Introduction
In my research paper activity, I decide to pick the Ulysse Nardin Company. This is a watch making company with its origin in Switzerland. The company was founded in 1846 to make the earliest chronometers which were useful for the marine operations. This was the initial agenda for the company before it later became a manufacturing company. Currently, it manufactures the latest watches and iPhones fit for mechanical operations (Aaker, 2010). The founder of this company is Ulysse Nardin. The company bears the name of its founder to date.
In 1983 two businessman namely Rolf and Ludwig had an agreement to combine and merge the company. Its main aim was to produce and design high quality timelines. They had to redesign and prelaunch the company's products. The aim was to produce modern chronometer and timepieces. The company had to use various approaches to make massive advances in their products. The two partners had to lure their investors in this business thus; it was a lucrative business to ensure their vision had to be accomplished.
The company had to put into consideration some essential factors to identify needs of its customers. First, the company has to consider various ethical issues to encourage its customers to stick to the company products and maintain its customers. These ethical issues are useful for every company’s existence to realize its success and profit maximization. This has to be in place through the administration of its human resource departments. The management of the company is effectively overseen by various departments from the top to the bottom levels of management in the company (Aaker, 2010). Amongst the issues the company should be liable and accountable for, is its personnel actions of its customers. This is due to the increasing number of its customers. This results from the demand to increase of the customers. The customers have the right to be fully satisfied with the services and products of this company. Failure to satisfy the needs and preferences of the customers might lead to defection of the customers to its competitive companies resulting in loss of profits (Bettencourt, 2010).
‘The Chairman’
The company is known for its manufacture of the smartest iPhone in the market called the chairman. This a stylish phone basically designed with modern technologies. This phone came into existence due to the merger of Ulysse Nardin and the scientific innovations. It is elegantly decorated to suit the customers’ expectations. The chairman is specifically designed with various specifications and features. It has a touch screen and is digitally enhanced to verify the users’ identity. This is through the use of its fingerprint identification system. It has a high megapixel capability to record videos and take pictures from long distances. It is designed for the fastest internet mobile reception with a 3G speed. It has a MX processor and an internal large memory restoration data ability of 32GB.
Service Culture
The company’s staff should have fine communication skill when attending to their customers. Honesty should be in the first place to be guaranteed when dealing with their clients. The company should let the customers know the information concerning the products in advance. They should be aware of the new goods in the market such as, new model watches and other electrical gadgets. They should notify them of the true prices of the goods. No overpricing should be done by any employee. The employees should show fairness in dealing with the company's clients. They should let the customers know the negative side effects of the latest electronic gadgets the company produces. They should advise their clients on the best products to purchase from; they might be ignorant of the new products and lack proper information concerning the commodities (Bettencourt, 2010).
The company should maintain its high moral standards to reflect a better image to its customers. The products should have quality marks. This is to ensure low quality commodities are not produced. This will highly discourage the tinting of its image by other companies and protect its copyright. This aims at, minimizing other growing companies to use its samples, and the production of similar defective products with poor quality. This is to ensure the company does not lose its new customers and the already existing customers (Burns, 2010).
“The chairman” as the company’s main latest electronic device, has received different views and critics from the customers. A research has to be done to determine the side effects and customer complaints that have been received. Thus, a market research has to be conducted. Marketing research of any company depends on various steps and procedures to follow for their strategies to be effective. Research has to be continuously done from time to time. The need of this is to enhance and support the business improve its services. This in turn reflects the customer's consumption of the new products. This helps the company identify the shortage goods that lack in the market. They should be thus introduced in the market as soon as possible to their needy customers. The company has to improve and maximize its profit output.
Different customers need different tastes of goods and products to satisfy their wants. The steps that the company has undergone in the research activity are six. These methods significantly follow each other from top to bottom. The procedures are analyzed below and clearly explained after effective research (Hawkins, 2010).
Steps in Research Activity
The first step is the problem identification. This is the initial procedure we counter in our market research. The company has to identify the problem affecting its customers and notify the problem. The company should note down the effects of the problem to its customers. In this step, we have to note the purpose of the research being done. As a researcher am adequately aware of the basic information i need before conducting my research. I have to come up with the necessary information which causes the problem. This information will be vital in the managerial decision making for the company (Hawkins, 2010). The problem has to be in full notice of the human resource department of the company and the management committee. This is because they are the decision makers in the company and have to be aware of the limiting factor. Interview and grilling of the companies' professionals and personnel have to be done. In the researching process, the available scrutinized data have to be reviewed to come up with convincing statistics. Qualitative research has to be done to determine the approximate number of customers affected by this problem. The research should also focus on a particular group of people in the case study. The group can be middle age men, women, children or even older. In this case we focus on the middle age men (Kerin et al, 2009).
The second step in the research activity is, developing an effective approach. This is the procedure we have to follow in conducting the research work. Various techniques and tools have to be used in the research process, for instance, the use of questionnaires. This is the process whereby different customers are questioned. It also involves filling of the forms concerning a particular product being investigated. The response of the customers through this form is carefully analyzed. This is to enable them come up with a superior solution. The other technique that can be developed is the use of models analytically and using hypotheses (Kotler, 2003). These factors help the company to achieve its strategies by finding a healthier solution to the problems identified earlier. This process is worthy and in line for success since the management committee of the company contributes their views and opinions. The professionals of the company will also share their views for advanced decision making. Case studies have to be done to come up with a superior approach. This will have a positive impact on customers once the problem is successfully solved (Kotler, 2003).
The third step is designing and formulation of the research. This stage involves the capturing of useful information. Its main agenda is to create possible answers to the questions on the research (Kotler et al, 2012). This process helps provide a solution to the problem. Exploratory research has to be fully exhausted and carried out in depth. The information given here is vital for the decision making process of the company by its management. The management committee of the company highly relies on the facts from this stage to make decisions.
This is the stage where information received from the customers is identified. This stage requires a number of processes to make a successful research. For instance, extensive analysis is done on the provided data. Qualitative research is vastly done about the problem and the methods of collecting information clearly explained (Kotler et al, 2012). The information found should be clearly understood by the committee before making their decisions. The statistical data and questionnaires filled by the customers should be interpreted. Consequently, the methods used and how to carry out the procedures are clearly stated. The number of the group the research concentrated on is thus considered to plan the data for further analysis.
The fourth step is the field work procedure. Under this stage, different tools are collected and the research work begins. The research activity in this stage requires excess labor to make it successful (McDaniel et al, 2005). It requires extensive research including mailing of the customers, door to door interviews and using telephones to call different clients in different locations. This ensures that the customers are chosen randomly and effective measures are put in place to realize perfect favoring results. The personnel used in the field work should be properly trained before engaging in the field work. They should be basically given the necessary information and guided on areas to conduct their research. Training of the research team should be done efficiently. This is to ensure the team members are well conversant with whatever activity to carry. The team should be under a supervisor who regularly inspects the fieldwork of its members. The resourceful information retrieved from the customers should be evaluated. The information is given to the research team (McDaniel et al, 2005). The same information is used to eliminate any error which might occur during the procedure. The research team should be professionally trained to ensure the information given is not distorted. This is to enable the original information given not lost.
The fifth stage is the data preparation. This stage involves editing of the collected information from the customers concerning the company. The given raw information to the researchers is edited. The errors made during research operation are eliminated here. The unnecessary information is eliminated and only the useful ones kept. Coding of information takes place here, (McDaniel et al, 2005). The information is coded differently and subjectively. The numbering of the responses from different customers is done. This is done after evaluating the information given on the questionnaires. Transcription of information is taken into consideration. Verification of information is done finally here to come up with the perfect resourceful details. The unnecessary information is removed from the data and only the useful ones are kept for future and current use. The data retained has to fully bring meaning to the analyzed problems (McDaniel et al, 2005).
The last procedure in this stage of marketing research is the report preparation. This is the final procedure in conducting a market research. All the gathered information is all worked up here and a conclusion made to come up with a report (Michelli, 2008). The problem is identified and its remedies are presented. The full research should be documented in a written form to answer the research questions that were gathered. It is this last stage that still addresses the approaches that were used in the research activity. This is still the stage where the motives of the research design are clearly explained. The analysis of the data is also explained here thus, why it was rather necessary to carry it out. The methods of data collection are also discussed in detail how it was conducted from step to step (Peppers et al, 2008). The results of the research are also presented at this stage. The findings are laid down and remedies to it explained. The findings are presented in a comprehensive nature for easy interpretation thus, adequate decision making. For instance, oral information can be relayed in the form of data, charts, graphs and figures to imply the required information.
The above steps are used to determine the various needs of customers. This is to realize their needs that might have not been satisfied earlier by the company services. These steps are the remedy to the solution of all the disadvantages the customers received. To satisfy the needs of the customers, various conditions have to be met by the producing company to its customers. This should be the motive of any company with the need satisfy its customers. Amongst the factors that need to be taken into consideration is understanding. This is for the customers to feel appreciated by the company. This makes the customers feel honored in their dealing with the company (Smith, 2003).
The second need the customers need is to feel satisfied is the feeling of fairness. The customers should feel they are treated fairly by the company. The customers should not feel annoyed and discouraged from the services offered by the company. The customers should be treated at the same levels (Smith, 2003). No customer should be given superior treatment than other customers. They should all feel equal and treated in a similar manner. This is because; all the customers purchase all the commodities at the same price irrespective of their backgrounds. They should pay similar prices. No customer should be given fair treatment since all of them are useful to the company and pay for their services equally.
The third factor the customers need to feel and make them feel satisfied is the act of friendliness. The company should be friendly to all its customers. The company should assist its customers and treat them in a friendly way. This is to make them feel appreciated worth to the business. The customers should be welcomed whenever they visit the business premises and hospitality accorded to them. They should be greeted when they come to the business premises and feel free (Smith, 2003). They should ask questions about the commodities in the market stalls. The customers should be offered discounted services. They should be allowed to purchase some of the goods on higher purchase price terms.
The fourth basic need factor is the feeling of control by the customer. The customers should feel that they are the ones who control the business. The company should let them know that they are the reason for the existence of the company (Wiid et al, 2009). The customer should have the right to demand whatever good he feels to buy. The company should work according to the customers wish and will. There should be no unreasonable rules laid down. This is to discourage limiting the desire of customers in whatever product they seem interested.
The factor that the company needs to consider to make its customer need to get satisfied is considering his option. The customer’s options should become first before options of the company staff and management (Wiid et al, 2009). The customers should feel they are the managers of the business. Their alternatives have to be considered before anybody’s alternative in the business. The customers should feel like the wheels of the company. Their plight should be the priority of the company. The company should offer guarantees and warranties. This should be issued on their products to encourage customers to buy the commodities in bulk.
The fifth basic need the company has to fulfill is its customers need for information. The company has to inform its customers about the latest products in the market. The customers need to be educated about the usage of the new commodities in the market. The customers should not be ignorant of the goods and services offered to them by the company. They have the right to; get the right and detailed information about the latest commodities. This is to ensure that the precious commodities purchased do not go to waste (Wolfe et al, 2003).
In conclusion every company has to satisfy the need of its individual customers. The customers' needs and preferences should be the first task to consider. This is to ensure success and profit maximization of the company. After extensive analysis, the consumer complaints concerning the chairman have to be solved. Thus, numerous changes have to be done on the phones manufacture and design.
References
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