The primary job of marketing managers is the design and execution of marketing programme. Before programmes can be designed, the market situation must be understood. In order to understand the market, the manager must have information. Before the marketing manager can have information, there must be data.
Marketing Research is the systematic design, collect, analysis and reporting of data and findings relevant to a specific marketing situation facing the company.

The whole marketing research can be done by:

• Engaging students or professors to design and carry out projects
• Using the Internet
• Checking out rivals
• Syndicated-service research firms
• Custom marketing research firms
• Specialty-line marketing research firms

If you are willing to do the marketing research by yourself, you can check out the basic process of marketing research with this link.

How to Gathering Information and Measuring Market Demand

Step 1: Define the Problem, the Decision Alternatives, and the Research Objectives
Step 2: Develop the Research Plan

• Data Sources
• Research Approaches
• Behavioral data
• Focus group research: Gathering data by observing people, actions and situations.

Step 3: Collect the Information: It can be the most expensive and prone to error; therefore you should beware of how the data is collected.
Step 4: Analyze the Information (extract pertinent findings from the collected data)
Step 5: Present the Findings (pertinent to the major marketing decisions facing management)
Step 6: Make the Decision: Don’t forget evaluating the outcome.

The Marketing Research Process

A Marketing Intelligence System is a set of procedures and sources used by managers to obtain everyday information about developments in the marketing environment. MIS consists of people equipment, and procedures to gather, sort, analyze evaluate and distribute needed, timely, and accurate information to marketing decision makers.

What is Marketing Intelligence System?

Management accounting as providing both financial information and nonfinancial information. The role of management information as supporting strategic (planning), operational (Operating) and control (performance evaluation) management decision making. In short, management accounting information is pervasive and purposeful. In short, management accounting information is pervasive and purposeful.

Examples of management accounting information include:

• The reported expense of an operating department, such as the assembly department of an automobile plant or an electronics company.
• The costs of producing a product
• The cost of delivering a service
• The cost of performing an activity or business process such as creating a customer invoice
• The costs of serving a customer

Management accounting also produces measures of the economic performance of decentralized operating units, such as:

• Business units
• Divisions
• Departments

These measures help senior managers assess the performance of the company's decentralized units. Management accounting information is a key source of information for decision making, improvement, and control in organizations. Effective management accounting systems can create considerable value to today's organizations by providing timely and accurate information about the activities required for their success.

Basic of Management Accounting Information

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1. Success in sales is not necessarily determined by the demand for the product, current market conditions, company or location, prospect or customer needs, or even the sales techniques used. The ability to think big, disregard objections and rejections, never worry what others say or think, constantly be enthusiastic and optimistic, overcome fear and doubt, and have confidence and belief in ourselves - this mentality is what is needed to be effective in sales, regardless of what the product is.
2. Anyone can be effective in sales if they work harder, longer, and do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals. Sales is a numbers game - and the more calls made, appointments set up, or doors knocked, the more success is experienced. Never forget, however, that because it is a numbers game, many of those numbers will be a 'no.' And always remember that the greatest baseball players in the world usually only hit the ball 3 out of every 10 times they are up to bat - and they get paid extremely well for striking out or getting out those 7 other times. Sales techniques are secondary to perseverance, daily action, and working hard.
3. The word 'no' means the customer does not understand, does not see the benefit, or needs more information. Successful salesmen understand that hearing the word 'no' is nothing personal, signifies more information is needed, and is a necessary step to the word 'yes.'
4. Your mentality, body language, words used, and actions should always communicate that you know that the customer will buy from you. Your approach is not one of hope, but of complete confidence in yourself, the product, and the fact that they need this product - and they thus are going to buy from you.

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27 Successful Sales Tips for 2010

Applicant Name ............................................................
Company Contacted.....................................Date.................…………..
Person Contacted.............................Title......................................…….

1- Dates of Employment From............................To..............................……..
2- Positions & Duties Held..............................................................………….
3- Attendance Record Poor Average Good
4- Reasons for Termination Discharged Resigned
5- Job Performance Rating Poor Average Good
6- Friendliness Distant Approachable Warm
7- Attitude Uncooperative Cooperative
8- Knowledge of Field Poor Average Good
9- Strengths and Weaknesses.....................................................
10- Any Additional Information Obtained.........................................

Signature of Person Conducting Reference Check..................

Sample of a Reference Check Form

1. Cognitive Aptitude tests

• Used to determine general reasoning ability, memory, vocabulary, verbal fluency, and numerical ability.
• Helpful to identify job candidates who have extensive knowledge bases.
• Identify who can adapt quickly to job changes and rapid technological advances.

2. Psychomotor Abilities Tests

• To measure strength, coordination, and dexterity.
• Especially important due to miniaturization in assembly operations.

3. Job Knowledge Tests

• Measure candidate’s knowledge of the duties of the job for which he or she is applying.
• May also be specially designed based on the data derived from job analysis.

4. Work-Sample Tests (Simulations)

• Require an applicant to perform a task or set of tasks representative of the job.
• Try a simulated job (much effective to have them do actual jobs).

5. Vocational Interest Tests

• Show the occupation a person is most interested in and the one likely to provide satisfaction.
• Can be used in screening applicants, but their primary use has been in counseling and vocational guidance.

6. Personality Tests

• Used to classify personality types.
• Use as selection tools, they lack face validity.
• Honesty and integrity are important personality traits to consider in the selection process.

7. Genetic Tests

• Can determine whether a person carries the gene mutation for certain diseases, including heart disease, colon cancer, breast cancer.
• Predictive testing allows employers to reject certain employees and maintain a more productive workforce.
• Allows employers to foresee likely health-care costs and to avoid hiring at-risk candidates.
• It enables therapeutic intervention, thereby allowing carriers to get appropriate therapy.

8. Grapho-analysis (Handwriting Analysis)

• Involves using a trained analyst to examine the lines, loops, hooks, strokes, curves, and flourishes in a person’s handwriting to assess the person’s personality, performance, emotional problems, and honesty.

Types of Employment Tests for Selecting New Employees

What is selection in Human Resource?
Selection is the process of choosing from a group of applicants those individuals best suited for a particular position and an organization.

1. Legal Considerations

• Make sure that useful selection tools should also be legally defensible
• Thus, requires extensive knowledge of the legal aspects of selection (needs lawyers)

2. Speed of Decision Making

• Make sure that useful selection tools should also be legally defensible
• Some positions might need to be filled immediately while other can wait.
• If speed is necessary, there will be more danger to have legal problems.

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Factors Affecting Selection Process (Human Resource)

Recently Wall Street has marked top 10 analyst upgrades and downgrades as the following:

• Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) Cut to Sell at Kaufman Bros.
• Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) Started as Market Outperform at JMP Securities.
• Charles Schwab (NASDAQ: SCHW) Raised to Neutral from Sell at Goldman Sachs.
• First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) Cut to Neutral at Merriman Curhan Ford; Cut to Hold at ThinkEquity.
• Infosys Technologies (NASDAQ: INFY) Raised to Buy at Kaufman Bros.
• The Knot, Inc. (NASDAQ: KNOT) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• Liz Claiborne Inc. (NYSE: LIZ) Raised to Buy at KeyBanc.
• Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
• WebMD (NASDAQ: WBMD) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.

Source Page

Wall Street Marks Top 10 Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Recruitment is the process of attracting individuals on a timely basis, in sufficient numbers, and with appropriate qualifications, and encouraging them to apply for jobs with an organization.
Even if additional or replacement employees are needed, the firm may decide otherwise ( due to costs involved, difficult to remove hired employees).

The following are some alternatives to recruitment:

• Contingent Workers: 
• Part-timers, temporaries, and independent contractors.
• Flexibility due to global competition and changing technology (do not want to hire and then lay off), and control costs.
• Provide temporary workers fulfill all the obligations normally associated with an employer.
• Avoids expenses on recruitment, absenteeism and turnover, and employee benefits.

• Outsourcing 
• External provider will do some jobs (subcontracting).
• Greater efficiency and effectiveness of external provider, avoid hiring additional employees, to implement reengineering program and the subsequent downsizing of the firm.

• Overtime 
• Most commonly used method of meeting short-term fluctuations in work volume.
• The employer benefits by avoiding recruitment, selection, and training costs.
• The employees gain from increased income during the overtime period.
• Problems, pay more but work less (because of fatigue); employees work slowly so that overtime is assured; get used to high income, thus will likely complain when there are no more overtime work.

During the process of recruiting new employees, you will notice that there are two different environments that directly and indirectly affect the whole process:

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Basic of Recruitment in Human Resource

It is not just a matter of number of employees you have but it covers the whole company's operation as well as other external environment. In Human Resource Planning Process, you will see yourself going through four main phrase:

1. Scanning external environment

• Workforce composition (Gender, racial, educational changes.....)
• Work pattern (Use of contingent workers, alternative work schedule, sharing jobs..)
• Government influences (Govt. trade policies and restrictions affect HRP)
• Economic conditions (Business cycle of recession and boom, inflation, unemployment,........)
• Geographic and competitive concerns (Other employers in the area, employee resistance to geographical relocation......)
• Technological changes
• Society/Culture
• Labor Unions

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Human Resource Planning Process

The typical entrepreneur is usually large, one aspect of its activities and a little light in many areas when it comes to expertise. In this context, it is useful to a professional, when applying for tax, accounting, insurance and others. With the services of a professional to get some weight on the shoulders of merchants, and opened a space that could cost tens of thousands of dollars. It advocates a good man or a tax professional insurance may, in fact, more money in your pocket in case of disaster or control by the Internal Revenue Service.

Another advantage is to hire a professional if you allow a professional, solid recommendations, try replacing the contractor to find things that the holder can drive now these actions to promote products and services to ensure that clients are all fat and happy, looking for where to cut or the actual cost of the marketing plan that works best for his business.

An accountant spends his time doing nothing but book is sure to make your life easier, because he knows very well all the tax laws, tax law changes and proposed changes. When taxes are due on a quarterly basis, taking all the necessary formalities when it is time to file the annual tax, knows how to use that dozens of different ways to save money in the long term to remain in accordance with the law.

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Professional Services Are Very Helpful to New Small Business

I have come across an articles about boosting team’s performance that you also may find it important to keep your business flowing; therefore, you have spend 15 minutes scanning through the article below:

10 Ways to Improve Your Team's Performance and Gain Back Your Personal Time

Are you having trouble getting your team to meet company goals? Is your team lacking energy, creativity and motivation? Are you stressed, overwhelmed and feeling the need to work long hours just to hold your department together? It doesn't need to be that way you can take control of the situation. You can get your team working effectively towards a common goal and you can gain back your personal time. Work is important and you want to exceed company expectations but having control of your time to pursue personal interests is just as important. You want to be there to see the kids grow up and have time for that significant other (Yes honey I meant you and not golfing)... but you also want to have time to shave a few strokes off that handicap as well. Whatever your interests are you need to find balance. Work on implementing these 10 steps and you will improve your teams performance and gain back your personal time.

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Tips to Save Time While Improve The Performance of Team

Once you hear people saying that share your idea with other people, you may think that the one who share the idea must be an outstanding person. In business that person can be employer or Board of Director or any senior employee.

That is the problem! Sharing idea doesn’t mean that you need to be the outstanding person in the company. Everyone starts from nothing and achieves the title that they deserve. Therefore, if you want to be the best then you can start now. Never let any important case stay out of your eye. You may hear some ideas from your employers or BOD. Just remember that they are seeking the most practical ideas.

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Idea Sharing Is Important in Business