Research Paper on:
Marketing

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
of glandhanding, promotion, and advertising all undertaken to sell some sort of product. It is fair to say that marketing -- the profession, the practice, the art, and the overall  concept all fit in somewhere between the two extremes. People in America think of shopping and accumulating things as something of a hobby, even a passion. Consider how often one  hears that a persons favorite hobby is shopping or see bumper stickers with some phrase such as "this car breaks at Nordstrom." People identify with what they buy and often  are identified by their purchases as well. The person in the suburbs who drives a Land Rover is viewed differently than his or her neighbor who is driving the ubiquitous  mini-van. Marketing is about image, appeal, position, and far more emotional concerns than one would ever think could be involved with inanimate and, all too often, useless things. Regardless of  any particular sociological commentary on why people buy what they buy, marketing and marketing professionals are behind the manipulation and promotion of those items. The "Logic" of Marketing There is  a certain degree of logic about marketing. As already noted, a persons purchases are not necessarily about the item or service purchased. Of far greater interest to the consumer  are the costs, the utility, and the popularity of any given item . . . and not necessarily in that order. How he or she perceives a particular item is  key to whether they want, need, or desire it. Shopping and consumption have become tied up with far more factors than need, function, or amusement. Complicated issues such as  sexuality, status, and self-esteem are connected to the purchases of everything from cars to handbags. Regardless of whether such a statement is accurate for any single individual or