An appraisal of the 7P's of marketing in respect of building surveying
Authors
Houghton, GaryAdvisors
Rajkhowa, GautamPublication Date
2007-05
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The key to long-term profitability for any professional is the creation of a service that states the needs and wants of one's clients and facilitates the exchange of those services in such a manner that provides value and satisfaction to the client. One creates these services through the combination and blend of a set of tools that are referred to as the marketing mix. We define the marketing mix as a set of controllable, tactical marketing tools that the firm blends to provide the result it wants in the target market. It might be useful to use an analogy of a combination lock. In a typical combination lock, you need to know the pattern of three numbers to successfully open the lock. In marketing a firm's services, we attempt to take everything that the firm can do to influence the demand for its services and organise them in such a manner that best meets the needs, wants and desires of the customer. Many combinations are possible with marketing's controllable varables, know as the seven P's. These P's are product, price, place, promotion, physical evidence, processes and people (Kotler & Armstrong 2001). Marketing has an important role to play as the organisation's interface with the environment. It is a "boundary-spanning organisational function through its constant interface with the external environment at large and with customers, competitors and channel members in particular" (Varadarajan 1992), as well as with the various groups within the organisation. The key role attributed to the marketing function is as a tool designed to maximise efficiency. Marketing has been very reluctantly adopted as a management tool by the professions. This dissertation addresses how the 7Ps framework can be applied to professional services given the intensity and complexity of environmental pressures they have been subjected. The research has focused on an appraisal of the 7 Ps when applied to several Building Surveying firms based in both United Kingdom and Brisbane Australia. The findings indicate that change within the building surveying profession only takes place if subjected to contingency pressures by their clients and, in general, it is slowed down due to the barriers of the profession itself. The study has revealed that building surveyors are torn between the pressures of change and the need for respectability and maintenance of the status quo. The adoption of the 7 P's of the marketing mix has been proven to be a powerful driver for change in terms of initiating and leading the marketing process. The review of perceptions of the concept and role of marketing within professional service firms has revealed generational differences, misconceptions and outright conflict leading to resistance to adopt the 7P"s framework in terms of its introduction and application, although professionals have individually practiced a wide variety of marketing activities in their pursuit of gaining and maintaining clients. There has been conspicuous resistance to the acceptance of marketing as a management tool across the building surveying professional service organisations. Understanding on how marketing has being practiced within the professional organisation researched has been considered important in establishing the nature of the response to contingency and institutional forces. The research has been focused on the level of importance given to marketing as a strategic tool as opposed to the traditional tactical, communications mainly tool.Publisher
University of ChesterType
Thesis or dissertationLanguage
enCollections
The following license files are associated with this item: