Chapter 9

Marketing

Learning objectives:
By the end of this chapter, the students are able to:
1. Comprehend an English reading passage related to marketing
2. Identify the paragraph patterns and the signal words used to characterize each of
the patterns
3. Determine the patterns of reading texts in English by identifying the employed signal
words.

A. Reading comprehension

In modern terms, marketing is defined as the movement of goods and services

from manufacturer to consumer in order to satisfy the customer and to achieve the
company’s objectives. It can be considered as dynamic field that involves a wide variety
of activities. The ABC of marketing is the so-called marketing mix. It includes four P’s:
product, price, placement, and promotion.
Product (service) is often connected with development of a new product or
service, searching the potential markets, and, finally, introduction it to the market.
Target market selection is the most important task for any firm. A target market is a
group of individuals who will probably buy the product. That involves the development of
a marketing strategy. A successful marketing mix depends on the knowledge about
consumers and their buying habits, gained through market research as well as correct
identification of the target market.
Price is the most changeable element of all the four P’s. Its definition is
exchange of something of value for something else. There are three pricing options,
where the company may take above, with, or below the prices that its competitor is
charging. For example, if the average price for blue jeans is $ 50, a company that
charges $ 50, has priced with the market, a company that charges $ 47 has priced
below the market, and a company that charged $ 53 has priced above the market. Most
companies price with the market, selling their goods and services for average prices
established by major producers in the industry known as price leaders.
Placement involves getting the product or service to the customer. This takes
place through the channels of distribution. A common channel of distribution is:
manufacturer → wholesaler → retailer→ customer.
Promotion includes all kinds of communication with individuals, groups, or
organizations to directly or indirectly facilitate exchange by informing and persuading
them to accept an organization product or service. There are two major ways promotion
occurs: through personal selling, as in a store; and through advertising, as in a
newspaper. One should distinguish advertising campaign which can be developed by
personnel within the firm or in conjunction with advertising agencies, and publicity. That
is the means of communication transmitted through a mass media at no charge.
All marketing activities must be oriented toward creating and sustaining satisfying
exchanges. Both the buyer and the seller must be satisfied. The first should be satisfied
with goods, services or ideas obtained in the exchange. The seller should receive
something of value, usually financial reward. All marketing variables are highly
interrelated. Marketing helps companies generate profit, the lifeblood of economy.
About half of each consumer dollar is spent on marketing activities (Nəbiyeva et al.,
2010, p. 19-20).

Answer the questions by referring to the reading passage above.

1. What is marketing mix?
2. What is called by price leaders?
3. What is the difference between advertisement and publicity?
4. What are the objectives of marketing activities?
5. What two important methods are commonly used to promote products?

B. Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with the words or correct forms of the words given in following
lists:

compete identify determination consumers promotion

1.Market analyst _____________ the target market for a particular product.

2.Advertising agencies are concerned with the ________ of a product.
3.In the marketplace, business ______________ with each other.
4.An analyst makes an accurate ______________of the company’s target markets.
5.The great marketing mix is effected by the understanding of ____________and their
buying custom.
(Nəbiyeva et al., 2010, p.22-23)

C. Language focus
Paragraph Patterns

When we are writing, we certainly follow a certain type of paragraph in

accordance to the type of the text we intend to write. A text never really only employs
one paragraph pattern from the beginning up to the end. It can consist of several varied
patterns of paragraph, and the most dominant pattern will define the type of the text.
However, a paragraph may only use one pattern throughout the paragraph. There are a
number of paragraph patterns, but we will only review five of them.

1. Time order

In this pattern, an explanation of the main idea uses a series of events or steps
that follow one after another. There are two kinds of materials organized in a time-order
pattern, namely sequence (history, biography) and steps in a process (a scientific
experiment, directions for making something).
The important point is that an event happens in a certain order, and the writer
uses signal words to point to the events or steps. Time order signal words include:
before first at that time while at last
 during at first meanwhile since finally
after in the beginning in the meantime later soon

Other signal words used in time order pattern are dates, years, ages, times of
day, seasons, and plain numbers. Example:

A. Sequence
In 1849, Johann Philipp Holzmann founded a company in Sprendlingen, near
Frankfurt am Main, which initially undertook work in connection with the
construction of the railroads, but very quickly expanded its activities to include all
fields of building construction and civil engineering. The first major foreign project
was started in 1882, with the contract for Amsterdam’s Central Station. By the
turn of the century, branch offices and regional offices had been established at
numerous locations throughout Germany. As early as 1885, Holzmann had more
than 5,000 employees. Interesting activities from this period include the
company’s work on the Baghdad railroad and railroad projects in East Africa.
Holzmann has passed through all forms of company organization, from individual
proprietorship via a limited and general partnership through to a GmbH (limited
liability company). The Philipp Holzmann Aktiengesellschaft (public limited
company) was formed in 1917. Companies founded by Holzmann were active in
South America. Even following the losses of manpower and assets during the
Second World War, Holzmann was able, as early as 1950, to recommence its
foreign activities. 1979 saw the acquisition of J.A. Jones Construction Company,
of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, a major American corporation active in the
construction field. This was followed in 1981 by the purchase of Lockwood Green
Engineers, Inc., Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. Together with its USA
subsidiaries Holzmann has responded to the changes occurring in the
construction industry with a flexible and versatile corporate strategy. The
takeover in early 1989 of the Steinmüller Group, one of Germany’s leading
companies in the sectors of power engineering, process engineering and
environmental protection demonstrates this (Nikolaenko, 2008, p 68).

Main idea:___________________________________________________

Signal words Events

1849
1882
By the turn of the century
As early as 1885
1917
During the Second World War
As early as 1950
1979
1981
In early 1989
B. Steps
 in a process

The aim in business writing is to communicate as clearly and concisely as you

can, so when getting started, remember, if you gain control of yourself, you will
gain control of your topic. First of all you ask yourself the question about the
purpose of your writing such as whether you are writing to inquire, inform,
persuade, motivate, or you have more than one purpose. Second, it is necessary
to get interested in its scope by considering your needs, your reader’s needs, and
how much information you should include. Third, you see clearly the contents of
your writing by finding out what kind of information will help you to achieve your
purpose, finding out whether you have all information you need, and also finding
out how, or where, you can get additional information. At last, you should ask
yourself about the available constraints like what makes your task more difficult,
time or cost constraints, your reader’s attitudes, or your own lack of credibility.
Put yourself in your reader’s place and look at the message through his eyes.
Most of the readers want the results of your thinking, not the thinking itself
(Nəbiyeva et al., 2010, p. 199).

Main idea:___________________________________________________

Signal words Steps

First
Second
Third
At last

2. Listing

The main idea is in the form of generalization and gives a list of details to support
the general statement. There are some signals words for listing pattern.

a few one the main and

several another first also
numerous other(s) second too
many for example third in addition
a variety of for instance last besides

Example:
There are three functions of money. First, people use money as a medium of
exchange. It means that a seller will accept it in exchange for a good or service. Most
people are paid for their work in money, which they then can use to buy whatever they
need or want. Another function of money is used as a unit of accounting. Money is the
yardstick that allows people to compare the values of goods and services in relation to
one another. Money that is a measure of value functions in this way as a unit of
accounting. Each nation uses a basic unit to measure the value of goods, as it uses the
foot or meter to measure distance. In the United States, this base unit of value is the
dollar. Money also serves as a store of value. You can sell something, such as your
labor, and store the purchasing power that results from the sale in the form of money for
later use. People usually receive their money income once a week, once every two
weeks, or once a month. However, they usually spend their income at different times
during a pay period. To be able to buy things between paydays, a person can store
some of his or her income in cash and some in a checking account. It is important to
note that in periods of rapid and unpredictable inflation, money is less able to act as a
store of value (Nikolaenko, 2008, p 75).

Main idea: __________________________________________________

Signal words Details

First
Another
Also

3. Comparison/contrast

The main idea of this pattern is a general statement about two things which are
similar and/or different. Specific details about similarities and/or differences are given. In
a comparison, it explains both the similarities and the differences. In a contrast, it
explains only the differences.

Signal words for similarity:

also as both in common
in the same way like same similarity

Signal words for difference:

although while different from more than
however rather conversely less than
but instead in contrast earlier than
yet unlike on the other hand later than
on the contrary distinguish

Comparative forms of adjectives and adverbs are also used to signal differences
(older, faster). Sometimes, it is found that there are two signal words for the same
details. That is because a writer sometimes uses two signals to make the sentence flow
smoothly. Example:

A. Comparison (similarities and differences)

In 1990s both companies, Ford and Honda, started to amend their organizational
structures to exploit the perceived strengths of the other. At Ford, Alex Trotman, the
newly appointed chairman tore up the company’s rulebook in 1993 to create a new
organization. The Ford 2000 restructuring program threw out the old functional
departments and replaced them with multi-disciplinary product team. Honda, by
contrast, has decentralized in recent years. While its car has much the same names
around the world, they are becoming less, rather than more, standardized.
‘Globalization’ – a global strategy with local management – is the watch world.
Eventually the group expects its structure will comprise four regions – Japan, the US,
Europe, and Asia Pacific – which will become increasingly self-sufficient. Both Ford and
Honda argue their new structures represent a correct response to the demands of the
global market. Much of what they have done is similar, but intriguingly, a lot remains
different (Pilbeam, 2000, p.9).

Main idea:___________________________________________________

Signal words Details

Both
By contrast
Similar
Different

B. Contrast (differences)

Most management and marketing writers now distinguish between selling and
marketing. The selling concept assumes that resisting consumers have to be persuaded
by vigorous hard-selling techniques to buy non-essential goods or services. Products
are sold rather than bought. The marketing concept, on the contrary, assumes that the
producer’s task is to find wants and fill them. In other words, you don’t sell what you
make, but you make what will be bought. As well as satisfying existing needs, marketers
can also anticipate and create new ones. The markets for the walkman, video
recorders, videogame consoles, CD players, personal computers, the internet, mobile
phones, mountain bikes, snowboards, and genetic engineering, to choose some recent
examples, were largely created rather than identified (MacKenzie, 2002, p. 63-64).

Main idea:___________________________________________________

Signal words Details

Distinguish
Rather
On the contrary
But
Rather

4. Cause and effect

The main idea of this pattern explains one event or action caused by another
event or action. Causes and effects are parts of our daily lives. Therefore, this pattern is
often used by writers of history books, science texts, and novels. It is important to
recognize the cause/effect patterns when you read texts, but it is sometimes more
complicated than some of the other patterns such as deciding what happened firs or
next.

These words are used in sentences where the cause comes first
Causes Signal words Effects
cause
lead to
is the cause of
result in
create
produce
give rise to
bring about
make
provoke
contribute to

These words are used in sentences where the effect comes first
Effects Signal words Causes
is due to
is the result of
come from
result from
is produced by
is a consequence of
follow
is caused by
because of

Example:

Gold price continues rising because of the increase of inflation, any problems in
gold cartel, and the rise of gold demand. First, inflation may cause the increase of gold
price because in the uncertain economic situation, people cannot predict if the inflation
will rise or fall. In that kind of situation, they prefer to save gold since if there is a sharp
growth of inflation, the price of the gold will increase. Furthermore, the increase of gold
price is caused by any problems by a gold cartel. However, at one time, the central
bank cannot perform their job well. It has been selling gold bullion reversing with large
scale. Therefore, it may lead to the stock of gold bullion at the central bank getting
limited or nearly sold out. It can make the demand for gold keep increasing which
makes the gold prices continues to rise. The last reason is that the increase of gold
price is a consequence of the rise of gold demand. The gold consumption in many
countries increases with the development of era. Hence, inflation, bad situation in gold
carter, and the increasing demand of gold from some countries may affect the increase
of gold price.
Main idea: __________________________________________________

Causes Signal words Effects

Cause
lead to
Make
Affect

Effects Signal words Causes

because of
Since
is caused by
is a consequence of

5. Problem - solution
The main idea explains a statement of a problem and how it is solved. This
pattern is important because it is found in almost every kind of text (OCB Team, 2015,
p.60). Example:

Although most organizations are hierarchical, with a number of levels, and a line
of command running from the top to the bottom, hierarchies should be avoided because
they make decision-making slow and difficult. A solution to this problem is matrix
management, which allows people from the traditional functional departments of
production, finance, marketing, sales, etc. to work together in teams. Another solution is
decentralization: the separation of the organization into competing autonomous
divisions (Nikolaenko, 2008, p 62).

Main idea: __________________________________________________

Problem Solutions

D. Exercise
1. Read the passage below very carefully and answer the questions.
A company uses certain methods to recruit people. At the first stage, it advertises
in national newspapers. It is needed to look at the backgrounds of applicants: their
experience of different jobs and their educational qualifications. The company usually
does not ask for handwritten letters of application as people usually apply by email;
handwriting analysis belongs to the 19th century. After that, that company invites the
most interesting candidates to a group discussion. Then it conducts individual interviews
with each candidate. Next, it also asks the candidates to do written psychological tests
to assess their intelligence and personality. The following stage is shortlisted three or
four candidates before checking their references by writing to their referees: previous
employers or teachers that candidates have named in their applications. If the
references are OK, we ask the candidates to come back for more interviews. Finally, we
offer the job to someone, and if they turn it down we have to think again. If they accept
it, we hire them. We only appoint someone if we find the right person (Nikolaenko, 2008,
p 13).

Pattern : __________________________________________________
Main idea: __________________________________________________

Signal words Details

2. Make a review about paragraph patterns as stated above into an infographic.