TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND PLANNING

TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND POLICY INSTRUMENTS

The need for technology policy springs from an explicit commitment to a national goal and the acceptance of technology as an important strategic variable in the development process. Technology policy formulation ought to naturally follow the establishment of a development vision or perspective plan. This plan is characterized, among others, by a desired mix of the goods to be produced and services to be provided in the country in the coming one or two decades. The formulation of a technology policy begins with the establishment of a vision for the country and the corresponding scenario of the mix of goods and services to be produced and provided. The policy framework has to be broad and flexible enough, taking into account the dynamics of change.

A technology policy is a comprehensive statement by the highest policy making body (Cabinet/ Parliament) in the Government to guide, promote and regulate the generation, acquisition, development and deployment of technology and science in solving national problems or achieving national objectives set forth in the development vision or perspective plan.

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PRODUCT DECISIONS AND STRATEGIES

PRODUCT :

Product related decisions form one of the 4Ps of marketing mix. These decisions include introduction of new products, Improvement of existing products, planned elimination of obsolete products and, packaging and branding.

Most product decisions are taken in the context of the overall strategy of an organisation. This strategy may also include important areas of diversification.

Product is the bundle of benefits or satisfactions offered to a customer. Product or Goods is a composite of the characteristics and features-physical and psychological-which are offered for purchase by a customer, whether it is a consumer or an industrial purchaser. How people personally feel about, or perceive the product is just as important as the actual physical characteristics of it. 

Product Differentiation: You must have understood now that a product is really a bundle of potential benefits offered to a purchaser. However, there are certain products which basically look alike. Take toothpastes, for example. These are offered by different manufacturers and were it not for the tube and the branding; the customer would not even be able to distinguish between the products of most different manufacturers. To make their product distinct from others the manufacturers identify them to the customer, that is, `differentiate', by using different packaging, colouring etc. and by emphasising different benefits or advantages in their promotion.  

Product Positioning: You know that all products do not appeal to all income groups or age groups, unless they are meant to satisfy basic necessities. A manufacturer can thus use the need-oriented segmentation. For example, a toothpaste manufacturer may appeal to prevention of `tooth decay', while another might offer `sociability' in the sense of preventing bad breath. Still another may provide the need to be `attractive' by emphasising the whiteness of the teeth which his product, toothpaste, gives. This lathe concept of product positioning. In the case of soft drinks, positioning can be done in terms of pricing, calorie contents and in many other ways. Thus positioning is used for bringing about differentiation in a manufacturer's product.

 

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