Types of Channels in Marketing Essay Example for Free

Types of Channels in Marketing Essay Most businesses use third parties or intermediaries to bring their products to market. They try to forge a distribution channel which can be defined as all the organisations through which a product must pass between its point of production and consumption Why does a business give the job of selling its products to intermediaries? After all, using intermediaries means giving up some control over how products are sold and who they are sold to. The answer lies in efficiency of distribution costs. Intermediaries are specialists in selling. They have the contacts, experience and scale of operation which means that greater sales can be achieved than if the producing business tried run a sales operation itself. Channel levels consist of consumer marketing channels or the industrial marketing channels. A factor common among both channel levels is that both include the producer as well as the end customer. 1) Zero Level channel / Direct Marketing Channel – Consists of a manufacturer directly selling to the end consumer. This might mean door to door sales, direct mails or telemarketing.  Dell online sales is a perfect example of a zero level channel marketing. 2) One Level channel – As the name suggests, the one level channel has an intermediary in between the producer and the consumer. An example of this can be insurance in which there is an insurance agent between the insurance company and the customer. 3) Two level Channel – A widely used marketing channel especially in the FMCG( fast moving consumer goods are products which are sold at a relatively low cost and are sold quickly) and the consumer durables industry which consists of a wholesaler and a retailer. ) Three level channel – Again observed in both the FMCG and the consumer durables industry, the three level channel can combine the roles of a distributor on top of a dealer and a retailer. The distributor stocks the most and spreads it to dealers who in turn give it to retailers. Number of intermediaries There are three broad options intensive, selective and exclusive distribution: Intensive distribution aims to provide saturation coverage of the market by using all available outlets. For many products, total sales are directly linked to the number of outlets used (e. g. igarettes, beer). Intensive distribution is usually required where customers have a range of acceptable brands to chose from. In other words, if one brand is not available, a customer will simply choose another. Intensive distribution is appropriate for products such as chewing gum, candy bars, soft drinks, bread, film, and cigarettes where the primary factor influencing the purchase decision is convenience. Industrial products that may require intensive distribution include pencils, paperclips, transparent tape, file folders, typing paper, transparency masters, screws, and nails. Selective distribution involves a producer using a limited number of outlets in a geographical area to sell products. An advantage of this approach is that the producer can choose the most appropriate or best-performing outlets and focus effort (e. g. training) on them. Selective distribution works best when consumers are prepared to shop around in other words they have a preference for a particular brand or price and will search out the outlets that supply. Selective distribution may be used for product categories such as clothing, appliances, televisions, stereo equipment, home furnishings, and sports equipment. Exclusive distribution is an extreme form of selective distribution in which only one wholesaler, retailer or distributor is used in a specific geographical area. Products such as specially automobiles, some major appliances, certain brands of furniture, and lines of clothing that enjoy a high degree of brand loyally are likely to be distributed on an exclusive basis. This is particularly true if the consumer is willing to overcome the inconvenience of traveling some distance to obtain the product. Usually, exclusive distribution is undertaken when the manufacturer desires more aggressive selling on the part of the wholesaler or retailer, or when channel control is important, exclusive distribution may enhance the products image and enable the firm to charge higher retail prices. Terms and Responsibilities of Channel Members * Price policies: This out the price at which middlemen will get the product from the manufactures and the discount schedule. It also mentions the price at which middlemen may sell the product. Condition of sales: The manufacturing firm stipulates mode or payment terms. For example, some firms ask middlemen to put a deposit with them. Some other firms insist payment to reach them on the day the intermediary takes physical possession of the goods. Others may accept a letter of credit as a payment mode . Credit policy of the manufacturer stipulates the period in which it must get paid. * Territorial Rights: The manufacturer should spell out the territorial jurisdiction of each of the distributor to avoid any territory jumping. This will also help in the distributor’s evaluation.

Knowledge of Good in Platos The Republic Essay -- Philosophy Religio

An Intellectual Knowledge of Good in Plato’s Republic Socrates might be a wise philosopher but one of his ideas strikes me as particularly naive. In the allegory of the cave, he tells Glaucon that "in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort [Â ·] and that this is the power upon which he [the intellectual] would act rationally" (517b-c). In other words, he seems to be implying that knowledge of goodness is a sufficient condition for being good. A person who has seen what goodness is will henceforth act in a way that is good. Is this belief justified? For instance, we sometimes do things that we know are not good but we do them nonetheless and feel guilty after that. If, as such cases imply, knowledge of goodness is not a sufficient condition for being good, then Plato's dream of a utopia ruled by philosopher-kings could well be a nightmare. The philosophers who are supposed to have attained the "idea of good" (and are thus privileged to hold the citizens together "by persuasion and ne cessity" [519e]) might turn out to be dictators. What is this idea of good which Socrates is talking about? According to him, it is the "universal author of all things beautiful and right" and the "source of reason and truth in the intellectual" (517c). But it does not make any sense to me that a mere idea alone can produce great achievements with attributes like beauty, justice, reason and truth. Could it be that my interpretation of Socrates' "idea of good" as a mere idea is mistaken? Perhaps what Socrates means is more than just an intellectual idea of good. Perhaps what he means when he says that one sees the idea of good is that one experiences goodness itself directly. In that case, se... ... he really has no solid evidence to back him up. If there is no evidence to show that the capacity for goodness is innate in human beings and that people who have seen what goodness is will want to be good, then there is also no justification for the belief that attaining the idea of good is sufficient for being good. Basically, Plato's vision of utopia lies on the fundamental premise that the philosopher who has seen the light will "either in public or private life" fix his eye on this light (517c). In other words, he believes that the philosopher who has attained the idea of good will necessarily become good. But there is no justification for such a belief (at least not in the allegory) and hence, his idea is not obviously sound. Work Cited Plato. Republic. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. 8 Jan. 2001. .

Racism in medical treatment

The topic I chose for the library assignment was â€Å"racism in medical treatment†. I felt that this topic comes up in the novel, â€Å"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks† by Rebecca Slot multiple times and also relates to the theme â€Å"voice† which is what we have been focusing on in our First-Year Experience class. Even though the time of â€Å"racism† is over, there are still acts of discrimination in the field of medicine.Many actors and even more, patients, have been treated unfairly based on their race. Patients have been misdiagnosed or given a false diagnosis in order for the doctors to make money off of them because the doctor could care less about their health. Discrimination also causes the patients to act differently because of their â€Å"race†. This relates to the theme, â€Å"voice† because some people who are discriminated against are unable to properly defend themselves leaving them without a voice Just like HenriettaLac ks. This topic is interesting to me because before I read this book I didn't give any of this much thought. I didn't think that doctors, people that are there to help us, would discriminate against people and treat them differently. It made me want to do more research and see how many people have gone through things like this. 1 . What evidence can we find that shows acts of racism In the book? 2. What outside evidence is there of racial discrimination In medical treatment 3.

How to Recognize the German Subjunctive I, II