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Marketing & The Engineer

Types of Marketing Relationships: Marketing is the interfacebetween the firm and its customers. In simple terms, it is

selling, the exchange of money for the output produced by thefirm. Marketing is so very vital to any firm since it is the activitythat produces revenues which sustain the enterprise.

Transaction based relationships: Market related tasks prior tosale, such as identifying the customer, studying the customers

needs, obtaining an opportunity to make an offer to thepotential customer and closing a deal.

More sustained relationships: The contract between the partiesto a transaction is more sustained, as in the delivery ofcomponents over time from a single or several contracts, the

tasks of marketing may include informing the customer of thestatus of the order, determining the user satisfaction withdeliveries and so on.

Highly committed relationships: The commitment betweenparties is long term and substantial. The supplier must have an

understanding ofcustomers environment and requirements.

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Engineering Involvement in Marketing Industrial Products

Type of Product -- Description -- Engineering Involvement

Installations -- Large, durable custom constructions -- Selling & performance ofdesign service; cost estimation & construction supervision. Ex: Buildings,

automated assembly lines. Accessories -- Shorter lived capital goods -- Sellers engineers design for general

customer. Ex: Computers, furniture.

Raw materials -- Extractive & agricultural products -- Assessment of quality. Ex:Tobacco, grass, coffee beans, tea leaves.

Process materials -- Goods that change form in production -- Buyers engineersestablish specifications. Ex: Rods to wire, ingots to plastics.

Component parts -- Catalog items that do not lose identity in production --Suppliers engineers design for general customer & introduce to usersengineers. Ex: Alternators, leaf springs.

Fabricated items -- Custom made items -- Buyers engineers design and specify;seller bids on manufacture. Ex: Plastics molders.

Maintenance, repair & operating items -- Consumed in process of production oruse -- Repair parts & methods specified by makers engineers; users have littleengineering involvement. Ex: Filters, spark plugs, lubricants.

Services -- Involve only incidental product use -- For engineering services,

engineers sell as well as perform. Ex: Telephone, electricity, banking.

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Characteristics of the Service Sector

Loss in business due to poor or inattentive service.

Unhappy customers never complain and happycustomers spread the message through word of

mouth.

Maintaining existing and new customer data base isvery expensive.

Perfect correlation between employees perception of

an organizations human resource policies and the

customers perceptions of quality and service.

Long term financial success depends on the customers

perception of the relative quality of service.

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Some Specific Service Industry Examples

Computer Applications:

Computer appliance

controls

Financial and Banking

Business

Manufacturing

Medical

Telecommunication

Government

Transportation

Semi conductors

Transistors

Integrated circuits

Increased capability;

decreased cost, size, power

requirement for

COMPUTERS

Figure : Impact of computer technology on service-producing industry

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Government Service

Streets, highways and bridges: Their specification,

maintenance, lighting and traffic control systems. Water purification and distribution, sewage retrieval &

pick up and solid waste disposal.

Parks, playgrounds, airport and cemetery operation.

Zoning, building inspection and code enforcement.

Vehicle maintenance.

College Teaching & Research

Graduate education in Masters and PhD.

Teaching / Research assistantships during masters.

Above average academic capability in teaching.

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Biomedical Engineering & Health Services

Biomedical engineering can be broadly defined as the

application if engineering concepts, methods &techniques to biology and medicine.

Bioengineering is concerned with the quantitative

analysis, both theoretical & experimental, of the

structural and functional properties of the componentsof biological systems.

Medical / Biomedical engineering deals with the design,

development, application & evaluation of the

instrumentation, computers, materials, diagnostic &

medical information systems.

Clinical engineering uses engineering concepts and

technology to improve health care delivery in hospitals.