CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.1
Introduction
As the
economy is dynamic, so also situation change because present socio economic
setting is different from what it used to be in the past.
Many
industries today have to contend periodically with shortages while others face
intensive competition. People’s value diminishes drastically and there is
growing demand for better quality of life. These social and economic changes
activated changes in the market performance which pose challenges on marketers.
Marketers however, come out with the aim of war against the problem facing
product performance and they find it necessary to adopt marketing strategic so
as to improve market performance. So far, markets have the capability to alter
or influence 4p’s i.e to adopt bet pricing strategic, to use the best
distribution network, to produce best and uses a proffered promotional mix.
Therefore,
many marketing strategies such as a re-packaging, re-pricing, product
modification, product diversification, e.t.c may be used in order to maintain
better market performance. Re-packaging as a marketing strategy can e adopted
in order to e-juvenile a product, especially to a decline stage and maturity
stage. The management of a product life cycle finds it necessary to use 4
strategy that will make them to determine the success and failure of a product
before it is introduced.
Also, it is
essential for the company to cycle before it is introduced.
Therefore, it
becomes necessary for the management to anticipate the marketing requirement of
use stage. To re-package a product, identifies and differentiates the product
from competitor and also improve the image of a company’s product.
It becomes
important for a product to be re-packaged when such product is found perform
below expectation. The decision to find what marketing strategy is to be adopt
become a critical issues.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
The problem of the study has to do with
the problems which the researchers intend to proffer a solution to and these
problems are:
ØIs marketing industry well-understood
and employed by soap market?
ØDoes soap industry evolve a marketing
strategy that will make what does re-packaging get to do with soap market?
ØCan the market performance be improved
using re-packaging as a strategy?
ØDoes re-packaging have any importance
to soap market?
In the course of carrying out this
study, a solution must be proffer to the above mentioned problems.
1.3
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objective of this study implies
what the researcher intends to achieve in carrying out this study.
Thus, the researcher work is being
conducted on the marketing which is one of the valuable determinants as well as
added value in soap market.
Most organization i.e manufacture,
distribution, retailers and trade association have already asserted the
importance of re-packaging as a marketing strategy for enchaining better market
performance and added market value to a company’s product (soap). This study
also aims analyzing various strategies and techniques being adopted by soap the
market, i.e 4p’s of marketing (place, product, promotion, price in achieving
their desired objectives. It also analyze different marketing strategies which
a marketer can use to juvenile a product, especially at a declining stage i.e
re-pricing, re-branding,
re-packaging e.t.c
It is equally conducted to convince to
more people the impact of re-packaging, as a strategy is to improve market
performance and add value and enhance their development.
It also conducted to convince people on
various strategies to be used in different stages of product life cycle.
1.4
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study will e immense to the
industries producing toilet soaps in Nigeria especially those who have experienced
endless problems in the declining state of their market performance in the
product life cycle.
Also the research will serve as a point
to the soap industries that the shortcut to the realization of their objective,
which is profit, is through adopting marketing strategies, especially in this
economic meltdown.
It will also change how they operate by
using various marketing strategies, which would give maximum results.
The study will also be of significance
to the future researchers as a reference for new research work.
The study is of immense value to the
researcher by building on existing knowledge.
The study will also be useful to
intending trying to deal with decline sales to improve on the problems of poor
product’s performance of the present or old product’s and the recommendations
will be used by the industries to plan ahead of time before embarking of
endeavoring in the production of any improve the performance of their product
in the target market.
1.5
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study means it areas
of coverage. Therefore, this study will be restricted to re-packaging as
strategy for added value market performance and other marketing tact’s that are
being used as yardstick in comparing how effectiveness is used in achieving
organization objectives, the industrial scope of this study would cover all the
toilet soap industries in Ilorin as the industries in Nigeria because of some
constraints the time scope of this is between 2004 – 2008. The conceptual scope
of this study is on marketing and the aspect of marketing that meant as to do
with packaging.
Thou geographical location of the case
study is located in Ilorin metropolis.
1.6
LIMITATION AND CONSTRAINT TO THE STUDY
Gathering of all needed data in most
studies is usually met with a number of obstacle and constraints which are
financial barriers stand as big constraint during the exercise and had caused
several hindrance to effectiveness study. This is because a lot of money was
required to administer questionnaire, so also that time devoted to conduct the
interview was based upon booked appointment which was not realized for several
days. The management of an organization may also be unwilling to divulge needed
information fearing that it might be divulge to their competitor. Finally, the
access to books written on marketing are not mush available, so getting the
full information doubt these are limited.
In some library textbooks, journals, written
on packaging are insufficient to carry out this study which hinder it provide
solution to the problem stated.
1.7
DEFINITION
OF TREMS
ØMARKETING: it can be defined as
management process responsible for identifying anticipating and satisfying customer’s
requirement.
ØMARKET: generally speaking, a market
can be described as a network of arrangement which binds both sellers and
buyers together.
ØOBJECTIVE: this can be defined as the
general statement of measurable results to be achieved.
ØPACKAGING: this is an important, if not
a major element in formal/fringe sub-product. It can be defined seen as the
practices of enclosing product in graphically design containers.
ØADVERTISING: it can be defined as any
paid form of non-personal presentation of ideas, goals or services through a
media by an identified sponsor.
ØRESEARCH: it is the systematic
objective and exhaustive search and study of fact relevant to any problems in
field being studied.
1.8
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
For the purpose of this study, the
research was determining the population and was specified and the data was
presented and analyzed.
In an attempt to achieve a better and
meaningful research for this study, the researcher made use of personal
interview method, questionnaire and also review some textbooks written on the
subject matter.
And also questionnaire was used, the
questionnaire were administered for customers as well as the distribution so as
to get necessary data for the study. Research was conducted in order to know
their opinion or how re-packaging improve the market performance and added
value in the market.