Text 5 Product Development and Planning

The number of new products coming into the market of western countries every year is overwhelming. The major part of these products is not new, but adaptations. It means that these products are not new, they are existing items to which a modification has been made. Only few products are really original or innovations. For instance a clock –television is an adaptation, but TV-set itself, the refrigerator – each was an innovation. A great number of innovations and adaptations are designed, produced and marketed by small businesses. Very often a new product is formed on the basis of the new business. Sometimes there is a patent to make the business more successful. But it happens very often that market research hasn’t been done carefully.

Even in case larger scale producers do more research and testing there is no sure success. A promising new product may be also robbed of success by unreasonable prices, inadequate promotion and poor selling methods. Generally less than one fifth of all new products turn out to be profitable.

Text 6

Industry of the Republic of Belarus.

The Republic of Belarus is one of the most economically advanced regions among the countries united in the CIS.

Belarus has succeeded in industrial development of such branches as motor industry; manufacture of tractors and agricultural engineering, machine-tool industry and manufacture of bearings, electronics and electrotechnical industry, manufacture and refining of petroleum, mining, manufacture of synthetic fibers, light industry and food-processing industry.

The republic specializes in producing wheeled universal furrow tractors, and exports tractors with the trademark “Belarus” to more than 40 countries in the word.

In Belarus there are powerful facilities for producing computers, micro-electronic devices. It produces watchers, radio-receivers and TV sets, electric devices, devices for controlling and regulating technological processes.

The share of light industry comprises 7.7% of industrial production of Belarus. The leading place here belongs to textile, clothing and shoe industries.

On the basis of flax cultivation the republic has developed flax and flax-processing industry. The largest flax-processing factory in the republic is in Orsha.

Text 7 Agriculture of the Republic of Belarus

Almost half of the territory of the Republic of Belarus, covering 20.7m ha, is occupied by agricultural lands (i.e. agricultural reclamation comprises 46%). The number of workers engaged in agricultural production 17.0% of all workers. Agriculture produces more than 11% of the gross national product of the republic.

A large part of agricultural production is made by large agricultural enterprises: collective farms – ready-made production are the property of all the members of these farms, and state farms – ready-made productions are the property of the state. Alongside the Republic of Belarus develops private farms.

Favorable natural conditions of the Republic of the Belarus allow it to produce such highly profitable commodities as milk, beef, poultry meat, eggs, grain, potatoes, fiber flax, sugar beets, etc.

The potential of cattle breeding, the main commodity branch of agriculture, is great enough and is based on industrial technologies.

The grain sector is mainly presented by rye, wheat, barley, oats. Grain crops are developing in the first place; this concerns mainly wheat, which previously was imported by the republic from other countries.

As a result of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, 20% of farmlands were subjected to radioactive pollution and were excluded from agricultural use.

Text 8

Sales Promotion

Products are made and services are provided in response to consumer needs and wants. If consumers needs or want a particular product they will buy it, provided they know it is available and believe it offers some advantages over similar products. The problem is to make the consumer aware of the product and the advantages it offers. This process is known as marketing or sales promotion. There are three main types of marketing. The product or service is presented: (1) on television or radio, (2) through written sales messages, or (3) in person by sales people.

Today even small businesses are engaged in nation wide or international business activities. The size of the potential market and growing competition have called for improved marketing methods. While radio, television, and personal selling are all major sales media, selling by mail continues to be an important marketing method.

Text 9

Marketing

Generally speaking the basic function of marketing is to determine the needs of the customers and then to satisfy them, thus, bringing profit to the firm.

Marketing research collects and analyses information to help manager make decisions. It covers, trends of the market, demand and supply, analysis of the product for sale and of the product produced by competing firms.

Export promotion means economic and political publicity, advertising, personal selling, fairs, exhibitions and sales promotion.

Advertising informs people about the new product, gives its characteristics, persuades people to buy it.

Personal selling means personal contacts between the seller and prospective buyer. In other words it means collecting contacts.

Public relations are to show the reliability of the firm, its respectful attitude to the clients, the high quality of its products and specialists working in it. They also mean the presentation of films and booklets on the history and achievements of the firm, as well as special radio and TV programmers.