Consumer Issues and Awareness
Products evolve for many reasons:
- Technology Push
- Market Pull
- Social Changes
- Fashion
Products also improve through companies continually trying to improve their products.
Continuous Improvement (CI)
Recently companies have introduced "continuous improvement" which gives them more chance of being market leaders. Many international companies such as Rolls Royce and Toyota work to a very high standard such as BS EN ISO 9000:2000. This means they can show production control and product quality to their customers. They include their employees at every level of CI.
things that are taken into consideration include:
- product durability and obsolescence
- feedback from customers/clients
- fashion
- new technology
- costs
- impact on the environment
- costs
- etc
Companies who do this often use an approach called 'total quality management' (TQM)
- Technology Push
- Market Pull
- Social Changes
- Fashion
Products also improve through companies continually trying to improve their products.
Continuous Improvement (CI)
Recently companies have introduced "continuous improvement" which gives them more chance of being market leaders. Many international companies such as Rolls Royce and Toyota work to a very high standard such as BS EN ISO 9000:2000. This means they can show production control and product quality to their customers. They include their employees at every level of CI.
things that are taken into consideration include:
- product durability and obsolescence
- feedback from customers/clients
- fashion
- new technology
- costs
- impact on the environment
- costs
- etc
Companies who do this often use an approach called 'total quality management' (TQM)
Task:
What advantages are there when employees are involved in TQM?
What advantages are there when employees are involved in TQM?
Market Research
Companies often do market research to find out how well a product or service meets customers' needs. It is important that the correct market is asked so you get the best feedback.It is pointless asking groups of OAPs about gaming consuls!
A variety of methods can be used:
- Questionaires - easy to send out in post but might not get a good return.
- Surveys - carried out locally, targetted at specific groups
- Testing - consumers given samples and they feedback
- Sales - this shows popularity
- Longitudinal studies - seeing how customer tastes change over time
A variety of methods can be used:
- Questionaires - easy to send out in post but might not get a good return.
- Surveys - carried out locally, targetted at specific groups
- Testing - consumers given samples and they feedback
- Sales - this shows popularity
- Longitudinal studies - seeing how customer tastes change over time
TASK
How do you think Apple have used Continuous improvement to improve their products? What sort of questions would they have asked, how and to whom?