annals of the university of petroşani ∼ economics ∼ vol. xi - part i ...

274 Vasile, E.; Carapancea, D.; Balan, M.
Universes or contexts, in which the decisions are placed, can be grouped into
four categories based on classification of the forms of uncertainty:
safe universes in which case it is assumed that each action alternative
corresponds to a single result, which is perfectly known by decision
maker;
random universes, in which the consequences of decisions taken into
account are estimated to depend on a series of random events;
undetermined universes, when the uncertainty is generated by the fact
that the effects of intended actions depend on events over which there
is no information;
antagonistic universes specific to market economy with a high level of
competition.
Smooth and consistent conduct of activities and exchange processes implies
the existence of administration and management activities that are coordinated by
marketing management. The decision, as an essential element of marketing
management, is considered the most important tool of expression.
"Marketing is a distinct and unique business operation. A firm is different from
all other human organizations in that it promotes and sells a product or a service, "says
Peter Drucker (Crainer, 2002).
In general, it is estimated that achieving proper management of all marketing
functions, depends largely on the quality of decisions, the merits of their substantiation.
Appropriate decisions by which to achieve the scientific management of marketing
activity, is the result of a complex process and involves overcoming certain difficulties.
Many of these decisions have a unique character, in that decision makers don’t have
any "historical" data, which to use in fundament with the help of the statistical
methods.
Moreover marketing phenomena and processes are extremely complex,
therefore solutions are more difficult than in other areas of decision-making belonging
to the enterprise. The complexity of these decisions is amplified by the fact that this
type of decisions, exercising an important influence on the achievement of
organizational objectives, are often made under uncertainty of the results.
The decisions in the marketing of extractive product can be grouped after the
nature of followed objectives into:
strategic which have the character of framework decisions and are
aiming at screening the way for reaching the set marketing basic
objectives and the line of action that the company has settled it to
follow it towards them;
operational tactic, which have the character of derived decisions and
target the concrete means the company will act through to accomplish
the marketing objectives subordinated to the fundamental objectives.
Decisions are distinguished depending on the methodology for developing and
adopting into: recurrent decisions (which are taken with a certain frequency, after a
well-defined routine for their implementation) and non-recurrent decisions (they have a
character of novelty, unique and are carried out in a specific way in each situation).