Hi BoredAtWork, I feel we don't contradict eachother so, without making any new points, let me attempt to further clarify some parts of my post base on yoru reply.
Companies are not people. As such they have no right to receive gratefulness. Companies are commercial entities to make money. They are not entities doing me a favor and they don't exist for doing favors. An essential point in capitalism is that everyone takes care of himself the best he can. If everyone takes care of himself you get strong market participants, and as such a strong market. And the market it the holly cow of capitalism, the market sorts out everything.
Companies are commercial entities that exist as a collection of people possibly sharing similar ideas and resources, with an ultimate objective of profit. My point was not companies not being commercial entities, it was about them being a collection of people/stakeholders and as such there is great variation of attitudes within a company.
Customers have long been denied a strong market participation. The ones most eager to deny customers their position were, drum role, companies, with the help of the politicians they bought. Customers were dumbed down to consumers. So much for being grateful.
The main focus of businesses has changed several types over the 20th century (more on ref 1 and 2). From the beginning of the 20th century and until the late 1920’s businesses were production-oriented. The aim then was to manage production cost in an effort to minimise it and obtain cost leadership as a core competency. Furthermore, the value of a business was taken to arise from the installed capacity and fixed assets of the company.
Following the production-focused era, was the sales-oriented business until the early 1950’s. During that period businesses were focused on short-term returns from ‘one-off’ transactions with customers. What is more, marketing tactics such as door-to-door sales force were introduced in an attempt to force customers into buying the products by leaving them no choice.
Subsequently and until the late 1990s, executives and academics found that the original ‘4-Ps’ of marketing – Product, Place, Price, Promotion – that were introduced in the United States towards the end of the sales-oriented era, were inadequate, especially for services based companies (more on ref 1). An era centred on marketing began with the focus moving towards the needs of the customer. Marketing was adopted on a strategy level and market analysis was used to anticipate the needs of the customers and develop a proactive strategy in an attempt to meet those needs efficiently and effectively.
Nowadays, relationship marketing puts the customer in the centre of the business strategy. The customer, or whoever is involved in the purchasing process, is now treated as a long-term investment rather than someone to have a single transaction with. Relationship marketing aims to create and maintain a ‘profitable bond’ between the company, its products and the customers. The focus is no longer only the product and its features, but the entire purchasing experience.
That is not to say that there is genuine care for the customer/consumer. They still want to make profit, but the methods are changing. We are not saying contradicting things.
It is not about being nice. Companies aren't social welfare. They aren't interested in the advancement of sciences as such, in bringing the industry forward, or helping society. They are just interested in making money.
That is not what I meant, you misunderstood. What I meant was, by staying competitive with new products and services (for profit) they take the industry forward.
People, like you, who tell me I need to be grateful towards a company are also trying to deny me a strong market position as a customer, and essentially do the work of the company.
That was not my point. My point was not to jump into conclusions without forming, and seeing, the bigger picture first. Providing positive feedback for the things companies get right, you help them know what you want and subsequently hot to make profit from you. It is a win-win, you make them work for you essentially and at the end everyone is happy. But as I said above, you can’t generalise based on only a few incidents.
Having to make products is an unpleasant side effect of them wanting to make more money.
Well, they need to offer something in return for the money they get, and products are usually fulfilling a need of the customer needs so offering products is a good idea. Yes, there are individuals within a company that consider customers as puppets (and many times they are right), but if you say that nobody in the company wants to make products you are ignoring all the design engineers (a tiny example) that get a kick from it. That is inline with one of my previous points, sometimes you need to break down a company into departments or even individuals before you can make a judgement.
Then investment was a business decision. If we invest in R&D now we will have a product or products in the future that make us money. Companies keep R&D departments not for the advancement of scientist or society, but because it is part of their system to make money.
Yes, of course it was, and we agree it was to make a profit. But how they can ensure they will make a profit? By listening to what the customer needs (or made to what they are made to think they need).
It is the company's job to highlight what they do right. That part is in no way my job. Why should I weaken my own market position by doing the work of the company, even for free?
Yes, they do highlight what the think they did right. But sales is not a perfect measure of performance for a product so it is also your job to let them know so that they keep on doing something that pleases you. You will come back to you for their next product because you offer that market response insight they need, cheaply. By opening a communication channel you are actually strengthening your position.
The whole thing is not about being fair. Fairness has no place in capitalism. Therefore there is no reason to try to be fair to companies according to your suggestion. Companies aren't fair to you. Why on earth do you want to be fair to them? A dream to become true? Oh yes, for the companies. You are suggesting nothing else than playing by the companies' tunes to help them make more money. Sorry, not my job.
Not to be fair to the company. but to the rest of the people in the company that implemented the features you like. Thats what I meant and said about being fair.
If you want to practise what you preach about companies, then sell the equipment from companies that have disappointed you on some occasion in the past and also equipment from companies that dissapointed someone else online and never buy from them again. Otherwise you are not being honest to yourself.
Home
Help
Search
Login
Register
