Markets Flashcards
Define competition
The number of firms that are operating in the same market, they are competing to sell similar products to the same target market
Define a market
A place where buyers and sellers come together to exchange goods or services, usually involving an exchange of money at a set price
Define competitive advantage
A feature of a business that allows it to perform more successfully than others in the market
State the strategies of competition
New product development, Changing or improving existing products, promotions, changing prices, improving distribution channels and improving customer service (training staff)
State the 5 types of markets
Local-Global, Mass-Niche, Trade-Consumer, Product-Service, Seasonal
Comment on product targeting, segmentation, appeal, availability and advertising in mass markets
Products are targeted at a wide range of people
The market is not segmented
Appeals to a wide range of customers
Widely available through a range of markets
Mass media used to advertise
Comment on gap filling, target market, promotion and price changes in niche markets
Identifies small and currently unsatisfied gaps
Target market is well defined with distinct characteristics
Promotion is targeted at a small subsection of the whole market
Often charge higher prices
Discuss the logistics of trade markets
Where businesses are selling to other businesses, the technical specification of the product and service is likely to be more important than the physical environment
Discuss the logistics of consumer markets
Where businesses sell to the public, the product and the price are of equal importance to the physical environment but more important than place (it doesn’t matter what channels the product went through to reach the consumer
What is market size
The total value or volume of sales in the market, number of units sold multiplied by selling price
What is market share
The proportion of total market share that a firm has, sales of one firm divided by total market sales multiplied by 100
What are market trends
The overall changed in the market, (growing, static or declining) which businesses are gaining or loosing market share
What is market segmentation
When the market is split into subgroups of consumers with similar characteristics
What are the 4 types of market segmentation
Demographic, geographic, income and behavioral
Describe demographic segmentation
Identifies subgroups of the population based on their demographic profile or characteristics, looking at the social and economic characteristics of individuals and households
What are the categories of demographic segmentation
Age, gender, level of education, race, religion, family size, stage in life
Define geographic segmentation
Defines market categories based on where people live, people from different places have different characteristics
What are the categories of geographic segmentation
Warmer and colder regions, taste and tradition, infrastructure
Define income segmentation
Identifying subgroups of the market based on their level of income and profession
Explain socio-economic groupings (income segmentation)
A - Higher managerial (chief executives and directors)
B - Intermediate managerial (accountants and doctors)
C1 - Supervisory, clerical or junior professional (teachers)
C2 - Skilled manual (Plumbers)
D - Semi and unskilled workers (window cleaners)
E - Pensioners, casual workers, students and unemployed
Define behavioral segmentation
Characterizes subgroups based on the behavioral patterns of the consumer rather than their characteristics
What are the characteristics of behavioral segmentation
Reasons for making purchases, frequency of purchase, time of purchase, brand loyalty, method of purchase and triggers
Explain the impact of market segmentation
Advertising can be targeted so spending on advertising is more effective, profitability of customers can be identified, avoid less profitable markets, easier to launch new products, greater variety of goods and services in the market
Define competitive environment
The degree of competition in the market and the buying and selling power of customers and suppliers within the market
Describe a monopoly
When one firm dominates the market
Describe an oligopoly
When a few firms dominate the market
Describe monopolistic competition
When there are many firms in the market but there is some form of product differentiation
What assumptions is the model of perfect competition based on
Large number of producers, identical products, freedom of entry and exit and readily available information
Describe producers in the context of perfect competition
Each firm is relatively small in size and sell to a large number of buyers, all producers are price takers and so cannot influence price, each firm can sell all of its output at the current market price therefor it would not lower its prices
Describe homogeneous products in the context of perfect competition
Buyers cannot tell the difference between products from different firms, there is no branding and brand loyalty does not exist, firms cannot raise their prices beyond competitors, in reality firms will sell unique products
Describe freedom of entry and exit in the context of perfect competition
Firms are free to enter or exit the market if they wish to do so, therefor entry costs are very low or even non existent, firms can move into the market if they see that profits are higher than usual, the opportunity to charge higher prices is restricted
Describe readily available information in the context of perfect competition
Perfect knowledge exists, all economic targets (buyers) have a comprehensive understanding of all the factors within a market, all buyers have all the info about prices and availability of goods and services in the market, all sellers know how to produce goods and services so produce the same quality of output
Define imperfect competition
A type of market structure that exhibits some but not all elements of perfect competition
What differences does imperfect competition have
Less firms in the market, some form of product differentiation, some barriers to entry and exit, demand curve is downward sloping, suppliers can influence prices
Define price leaders (monopoly)
They can charge high prices but these are often restricted by government regulation
Is new product development effected by competitors in a monopoly
No
How do monopolies inform and persuade customers
Promotion
How do monopolies increase sales revenue
Increasing the market size
How do the government define monopolies
Any company that has more than 25 percent market share
Why are monopolies regulated by the government
They can exploit customers by charging high prices
What barriers to entry exist in a monopoly
High capital costs, economies of scale, legal barriers (only pharmacies can sell prescription drugs)
What is a pure monopoly
One firm exists in the industry
What is a duopoly
There are only two firms in the market
What competitive strategy is prominent in a duopoly
Non - price competition like promotion
What is collusion
Mostly in duopolies where agreements are made to restrict competition, this is illegal
What is an oligopoly
Where there are only a few firms in a market
Why is it crucial for oligopolies to pay attention to competitors
If one firm lowers prices the rest will follow suit and the market as a whole will lose value