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Basics of Marketing - Kotler Philip

Scientific and technical environment

The most dramatic force determining people's destinies was technical and applied science. The scientific and technical complex has produced such miracles as penicillin, open heart surgery, birth control pills. He also endowed the world with such horrors as a hydrogen bomb, a nerve gas, an automaton. He also created such contradictory goods as a car, television and white bread. The attitude toward the scientific and technical complex depends on whether the person admires him with miracles or is rather amazed by his gross blunders.

Any new technique appears in place of the old one. Transistors have damaged the production of vacuum lamps, photocopiers, copier paper, cars? Railways, television? Film distribution. Instead of turning into new industries, the old industries either struggled against innovations, or ignored them, while losing the scope of their activities.

Any scientific and technical innovation is fraught with major long-term consequences that can not always be foreseen, for example, the creation of contraceptives has led to a decrease in the size of families, an increase in the number of working married women and an increase in their independent incomes. And as a result ? Increased costs for travel and tourism, the purchase of durable goods and a number of other things.

The market operator should closely monitor the leading trends within the scientific and technical complex.

ACCELERATION OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL PROGRESS . A lot of customary products today did not exist a hundred years ago at all. Abraham Lincoln did not know what a car, plane, gramophone, radio, electric light. Woodrow Wilson did not know what television, aerosol, home freezer, dishwasher? Automatic, room air conditioning, antibiotics, electronic computers. Franklin Delano Roosevelt did not know what a photocopier, synthetic detergents, tape recorder, birth control pill, artificial Earth satellite. And John Kennedy did not know what a personal computer, electronic clock with digital indication, video recorder, word processor.

Alvin Toffler in his book "Shock of the Future" foresees an acceleration of the pace of creation, implementation and wide dissemination of scientific and technical innovations. 9. More new ideas are being developed; The time gap between the appearance of an idea and the successful implementation of it into practice is rapidly shrinking. Significantly reduced and the time from the introduction of the idea to achieve on its basis the maximum possible level of production. Ninety percent of all scientists who have ever lived on Earth? Our contemporaries. Scientific and technical thought feeds itself.

APPEARANCE OF UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES . Today, scientists are developing a staggering number of new technologies that can radically transform our products and production processes. The most exciting developments are in the field of biotechnology, solid-state electronics, robotics and materials science10. Today, scientists are working to create such promising goods and services as:

? Practical use of solar energy,

? Means for treating cancer,

? Chemical means of combating mental illness,

? Means of combating lung and liver diseases,

? Equipment for desalination of sea water,

? Reusable space technology for commercial purposes,

? Home robots, able to cook food and clean in the apartment,

? Tasty, nutritious foods that do not cause obesity,

? "Pills of happiness"

? Electric cars,

? Electronic devices for anesthesia,

? Absolutely safe and effective contraceptives.

Along with this, scientists estimate the possibilities of creating such fantastic innovations as small flying cars, individual rocket belts, settlements in space, humanlike creatures. And in each case, the main difficulties are not only technical, but also commercial. After all, we need to create a product that is both practical and affordable.

GROWTH OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR R & D. The United States holds the first place in the world for R & D costs. In 1981, expenditures for these purposes exceeded $ 68 billion, and since then, according to experts, until the end of the 1980s, they will increase by an average of 3% each year.

The following five industries spend the most on R & D: aviation and rocket and space industry; Electrotechnical industry and communications industry; chemical industry; Machine building; Automotive and transport industry. The least spend on R & D industries that produce timber and lumber, furniture, textiles, clothing, paper and products from it. The branches of the upper echelon allocate for this purpose 5-10% of the sales amount, and the branches of the lower echelon? Less than 1%. The average firm spends about 2% of its turnover on research and development.

IMPROVING ATTENTION TO INTRODUCE SMALL IMPROVEMENTS IN ALREADY EXISTING GOODS . Instead of taking risks, offering major innovations, many companies are engaged in minor improvements to existing products. Carefully behave in this sense, even such firms, mainly dealing with problem studies, such as "DuPont", "Bell Laboratory" and "Pfizer". Most are content with allocations to copy competitors' products and introduce minor improvements in their characteristics and design. Most of the research work is defensive rather than offensive.

THE STRENGTHENING OF STATE CONTROL OF GOOD-QUALITY AND SECURITY OF GOODS . The public needs to know that the proposed novelties are safe. State institutions study the goods and prohibit those of them that may prove potentially dangerous. The Federal Office for the Control of the Quality of Food, Medicines and Cosmetics issued issued instructions on the testing of newly created medicines, which significantly increased the costs of conducting industrial research and extended the interval between the onset of the idea and the release of the drug to the market by almost half (from five to nine years) . The requirements to safety and harmlessness of goods in such industries as the food and automotive industry, the production of clothing and electrical appliances, and construction have been tightened. Market operators should be aware of all these requirements.

Scientific and technological progress is confronted with opposition by those who see it as a threat to nature, a threat of intrusion into life, a threat to all natural and even human nature itself. Various groups oppose the construction of nuclear power plants, high-rise buildings, attractions and entertainment in national parks.

Market operators need to understand the changes occurring in the scientific and technological environment, and how new technology and technology can be put into the service of meeting human needs. They need to work closely with R & D specialists and encourage them to conduct research that is more targeted at the market. They should be sensitive to the possible negative aspects of any new idea, which can result in damage to users and cause their distrust and opposition.