THE MARKET, ITS DEFINITION AND STRUCTURE

A market consists of all the consumers who purchase a particular type of good or service. The market may be sub-divided into separate segments each of which can be considered to be a separate market in its own right. It is very important for a business to be able to define its market: 1) So that it can estimate the size of the market. 2) So that it can forecast the growth of the market. 3) To identify the competitors in the market. 4) To break the market down into relevant segments. 5) To create an appropriate marketing mix to appeal to customers in the market.
There are different types of markets, for example: Business-to-Business (B2B) markets in which a businesses customers are other businesses; Business-to-Consumer (B2C) markets in which businesses sell to other customers.

Some markets take place in a physical location e.g. a street market, whereas others may be virtual markets e.g. when people buy and sell through the medium of the Internet. The size of the market can be calculated in terms of the number of customers that make up the market, or the value of sales in the market. A business can then calculate its market share in terms of the number of customers its sells to, or the total value of its sales.

Markets are typically structured into segments. Primary segmentation is between customers buying entirely different products. For example, an oil company manufactures a wide range of fuels and lubricants for road, rail, water and air transport and for industry, all of them for different groups of customers.
Further segmentation can be based on demographic and psychographic factors. Demographics segment people by clearly ascertainable facts their sex, their age, size of family, etc. Psychographics segment people by something less clearly ascertainable and often disputable: their 'life-style'. A person's lifestyle is built up from his or her attitudes, beliefs, interests and habits.

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EUROPEAN UNION

The European Economic Community (EEC) was established in 1958 by the Treaty of Rome in order to remove trade and economic barriers between member countries and to unify their economic policies. It changed its name and became the European Union (EU) after the Treaty of Maastricht was ratified on November 1, 1993. The Treaty of Rome contained the governing principles of this regional trading group. The treaty was signed by the original six nations of Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Membership expanded by the entry of Denmark, Ireland, and Great Britain in 1973; Greece in 1981; Spain and Portugal in 1986; and Austria. Sweden, and Finland in 1995.

Four main institutions make up the formal structure of the EU. The first, the European Council, consists of the heads of state of the member countries. The council sets broad policy guidelines for the EU. The second, the European Commission, implements decisions of the council and initiates actions against individuals, companies, or member states that violate EU law. The third, the European Parliament, has an advisory legislative role with limited veto powers. The fourth, the European Court of Justice (ECJ), is the judicial arm of the EU. The courts of member states may refer cases involving questions on the EU treaty to the ECJ.

The Single European Act eliminated internal barriers to the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital between EU countries. The Treaty on European Union, signed in Maastricht, Netherlands (the Maastricht Treaty), amended the Treaty of Rome with a focus on monetary and political union. It set goals for the EU of (1) single monetary and fiscal policies, (2) common foreign and security policies, and (3) cooperation in justice and home affairs.

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Date: 2015-12-11; view: 778