Business Marketing Functions and Maslow's Hierarchy

Business Functions and Commercial Variables

The company's commercial function is performed by applying the principles of marketing and encompasses all the techniques, tools, and activities used by an enterprise to meet the needs of its customers through the goods and services produced.

Within the commercial function, there are two types of variables: controllable and uncontrollable. Uncontrollable variables are related to the business environment, and the company cannot influence them. The most important aspects of the commercial function are the controllable variables that can be managed directly by marketers. There are four: product, price, communication, and distribution. The actions carried out jointly on these four variables are called the marketing mix:

• Product: Designing the main features of the goods and services offered by the company to meet customer needs.
• Price: This variable is directly dependent on sales revenue.
• Communication: Proceedings of advertising, promotion, and public relations in order to increase sales.
• Distribution: Decisions on the channels to be used to deliver the product to final consumers.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Maslow believed that the key factor that motivates a person is having an unmet need. For his study, he classified human needs into five categories in the form of a pyramid, so that they are satisfied from the bottom up. According to Maslow, for a need to be activated, it is necessary that the lower needs are satisfied. Thus, he created a hierarchy among the needs.

The first two types of needs are lower-order needs: physiological and safety. If a person has satisfied these two needs, social needs are activated, which belong to higher-order needs. Social needs refer to the membership of a group, while esteem needs seek recognition from others. Finally, the need for self-actualization only works when all others have been satisfied, and with it, people try to grow as individuals.

When a person looks for their first job, they are seeking to meet their physiological and safety needs. Once they have covered these, other larger needs arise, called social needs. Subsequently, this person can aspire to jobs of greater responsibility to obtain recognition from others, thus satisfying their needs for esteem. Finally, concerns may arise to cover other needs related to their own personal fulfillment; the possibilities of self-realization are diverse and depend on the objectives that each person sets for their life.