CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background of the study

Marketing plays a dominant role in the successful management of business in the world of Drucker [1973; 9] business enterprises have two basic functions, marketing and innovation. Only marketing and invocation produce results; all the rest are cost. Marketing as the only revenue generating functions; must make plan attempts to implement and control such plans to the extent that its objectives are achieved.
Developing good strategies and tactics, after analysis the marketing environment are only the beginning toward the successful managing of the marketing efforts, usually surprise occurs during the implementation of marketing department therefore must engage in marketing control system and essential in making sure that the company operate efficiency and effectively. As a plan implementation and control are related. All resource available to any business whether human or otherwise must be mobilized into a daily; monthly, yearly and even annual activities that will cause the strategic plan to work well. Management should develop its basics control process along the following step as suggested by Koontz and Weihrich [1988; 540
-establishing standard
-measurement of performance and
-correct of deviations
Standards may be in the form of short term goal and long term objectives which should be measured against actual result and corrective action should be taken when necessary. When actual performances deviates greatly from annual plans, the corrective plans may be to adjust objectives and long term objectives which should be measured against actual result and corrective actions. Would be taken when necessary. Where actual performance deviates greatly from annual plans, the corrective action may be to adjust objectives and goals by making them realistic and attainable.
A number of techniques have been developed overtime and these are readily used in marketing management across the globe kotler[1980;640-644]broadly classified marketing control process into four categories namely;
1. Annual plan control; sales analysis; marketing ratio analysis; market share analysis and consumer attitude tracking.
2. Profitability control; consisting of effort to determining profitability of different products, territories, and trade channel and consumer groups.
3. Efficiency control; means determining more efficient ways of managing sales force advertising, sales promotion and distribution.
4. Strategies control; consists of efforts aimed at periodically examine whether a company basics strategratics marched to its opportunities.
Marketing control techniques as a component of the marketing information system must be able to provide information to management about performance. Interestingly, a good management will like to know which product sales and highest and why, whether the product is profitable; what is selling and at what cost. Very often; the traditional accounting report are usually of little help to the manager ;a company account might be showing an overall profit arising from the business. Without specifying which of the centre is doing very fine and which is not?
A detailed breakdown of firm’s sales records can be very useful and informative such breakdown can update marketing executives who have been out of touch. Additionally, routine sales analysis prepared weekly; monthly or even yearly may show trend thus permitting marketing executing to check their basics assumptions about performances, [kotler1986].

1.2 SSTATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The important of marketing control techniques in the efficient management of companies cannot be over stressed.
Thus in the word of Mocker [1972:2] marketing or management control is a systematic effort to set performances standard with planning objectives, to design information feedback system, to compare actual performances with those per-determined standard, to determine whether there are deviation and to measure their significance, and also to take any action necessary to ensure that all corporate resources are being used in the most effective and efficient way possible in achieving corporate objectives.
This view was also supported by Udeagha (1999:281) when he defined management control as consisting all the measures undertaken by an organization to measure performances against standard to ensure that the planned organization activities objectives and goal are achieved.
Notwithstanding the positive views; expressed by these two authors above, evidences abound that most of the companies do not apply marketing control in their day to day operations.This view was expressed when Kotler (1980:729) argued that in spite of the need for effective marketing control; many companies have inaugurate control procedures. He recent further to argue that many companies fall to compare them price with competition to analysis warehousing and distribution costs, to analysis the cause of returned merchandize, to conduct formal evaluation of advertising effectiveness, and to review their sales-forces reports.
The negative attitude of some companies towards the application of marketing techniques control for their operations as pointed in one of the major factors that stimulated to researcher to embark on this study. The ideas was to find out whether Enemite Limited as a roofing sheet manufacturing company based in Enugu applies the concept of marketing control in its operation and the findings of the study to make some recommendations.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The researcher work was embarked upon to achieve the following objective
i. To investigate to what extent manufacturing firm time formal plans for their activities.
ii. To determine whether the application of marketing control has any effect on the achievement of the corporate goals and objectives of their organization
iii. To find out the specific area where the application of marketing control are necessary.
iv. To determine the various marketing control techniques available in their company.
v. To determine whether the application of marketing control techniques enhance a firm’s competitive position.
vi. To ascertain the most frequently used marketing control techniques among manufacturing firms.
vii. To make recommendation based on the findings of the researcher work that will ensure improved productivity and efficiency.

1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

For the successful completion of the study, the following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher; 

H0: the application of marketing control techniques does not enhance a firm’s competitive position

H1: the application of marketing control techniques enhance a firm’s competitive position

H02:there are no most frequently used marketing control techniques among manufacturing firms

H2:there are most frequently used marketing control techniques among manufacturing firms

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The main purposes of this study is to investigate the application of marketing control techniques in manufacturing firms in Enugu east local government area and determine whether it’s one is prevalent among firms. The study will also attempt to find out it control techniques which will be made between the firms based on their types and size defined by the annual sale level or turnover. Information generated in this study will be immensely helpful to marketing executives of Emenite Limited Enugu in the control of marketing programmers in terms of sales goal and objectives, cost and the exploitation of opportunities available, marketing manager should be able to check their basics assumptions about performance.
Furthermore marketing manager will be in a position to determine problems area which would have been submerged and this proffer solution that will improve performances. It will also benefit the researcher as it is a partial fulfillment for the award of an ordinary b.sc degree in the field of study. It has also added to the existing literature in the field.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study is the research boundary emphasis is laid on the application of marketing control techniques in manufacturing firms in Enugu east local government area with a view of finding out how this concept has been applied’ it has on productivity. And so on. The scope of the study is limited to manufacturing firms in Enugu east local government area; especially Emenite Limited a leading roofing sheet in manufacturing firms.The researcher encounters some constrain which limited the scope of the study;

a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study       

b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.

c) Organizational privacy: Limited Access to the selected auditing firm makes it difficult to get all the necessary and required information concerning the activities.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

MARKETING: Marketing is the study and management of exchange relationships. The American Marketing Association has defined marketing as "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating

CONTROL: A person or thing used as a standard of comparison for checking the results of a survey or experiment

TECHNIQUE: A way of carrying out a particular task, especially the execution or performance of an artistic work or a scientific procedure

MANUFACTURING: Manufacturing is the production of merchandise for use or sale using labour and machines, tools, chemical and biological processing, or formulation

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study  

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