Marketing Organization and Functional Integration
The primary challenge described is the integration of specialized product management functions with the operational line function of sales. This requires a structure that allows for dual focus and reporting.
Understanding Organizational Structures
Different marketing organization types suit different needs:
- Functional organization: Groups activities by common function (e.g., advertising, market research). It can lead to specialization but may create silos between departments like product management and sales.
- Territorial organization: Organizes activities around geographic locations. This is effective for market coverage but doesn't inherently solve the integration of different functional specialists.
- Matrix organization: Combines two or more types of structures, typically functional and product/project. Employees report to both a functional manager and a product or project manager. This structure is specifically designed to bring together specialists from different areas (like product management) with line functions (like sales) to work on specific products or projects, facilitating the required integration.
Addressing the Integration Challenge
The matrix organization directly addresses the challenge of integrating specialist knowledge (product management) with line operations (sales) by creating a dual reporting system. This allows for efficient coordination and information sharing between these critical functions, enabling top management to overcome this integration hurdle.
Conclusion
Therefore, a matrix organization is the most suitable structure for integrating specialist product management functions with the line function of sales.
The correct answer is Option C.
Important Questions from Marketing Organisations
Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other labelled as Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct answer using the code given below.
Assertion (A): Cultural differences, behavioural attitude of workers, social environment, values and beliefs affect industrial relations and loyalty.
Reason (R): Differences relating to labour mobility and cultural influences affect the way of addressing the superior authority.
Monopoly situation in the market is not desirable mainly because the monopolist
Match the items of List I with the items of List II and choose the correct answer from the code given below. These items relate to BCG matrix.
List – I
(Names of the quadrant)
List – II
(Action required)
a
Dogs
i
Have excess resources that can be spun off to those products that need it
b
Question marks
ii
Require a heavy resource investment to fuel their rapid growth
c
Cash cows
iii
Should be phased out unless they are needed to complement the sales of another product or for competitive reasons
d
Stars
iv
Require significant resources to maintain and potentially increase their market share
Despite differences in cost of production the oligopolists will not vary the prices of their products as per which combination of the following models?
(a) Collusion model
(b) Cournot’s model
(c) Kinked Demand model
(d) Price Leadership model
Select the correct code.
Match the items of List - II with the items of List - I and suggest the correct code:
List-I List-II (a) Style (i) That comes quickly into public view, are adopted with great zeal, peak early, and decline very fast. (b) Fashion (ii) Basic and distinctive mode of expression appearing in a field of human endeavour. (c) Fad (iii) Currently accepted or popular style in a given field.
Codes:
