The Applicability of Social Psychology within Business

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I have chosen the topic of social psychology and its uses within business. I chose this topic due to my pursuit of a Bachelors degree in Business Management. I am also in the process of starting my own company and know that it is important to not only know what your customers want and need, but also your employees. I have gained this insight as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the United States Marine Corps. Being able to use the techniques researched and their effects will have a positive impact on my future career.
The uses of psychology within the field of business are very broad; this paper will identify and discuss areas in which psychology could assist business. Psychologists and businessmen are very similar, both deal with people, and want to know what drives them, what influences their decision making, and how their attitudes can be altered.
Marketing is a key factor in every company; to market successfully one must know what motivates a consumer to buy a product, in order to gain a new consumer, or win one from the competition. Consumer motivations are the factors that influence a target demographics’ decision making. They are used to identify why a customer chooses Product A rather than Product B. A known way to influence customer motivations is via targeted advertisements. A targeted advertisement is aimed at a specific demographic for a specific product at a specific place or time. An example would be if Product A’ s commercial were to be run during a football game that is being watched in Vermont. This would target a male audience that likes sports, in addition to the teams involved in the game. A commercial for baby toys may not be as efficient in this case as would a commercial for beer.
Knowing the demographic is no...

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... a psychologist is brought in to train the management in change management techniques. This type of change is usually a tremendous task and often fails due to lack of follow through or no to poor training in the management of the change. In conclusion, I have learned that social psychology has tremendous and versatile applications to a business and can be applied to nearly every aspect or a business.

Works Cited

Coyles, S., & Gokey, T. C. (2002). Customer retention is not enough. The McKinsey
Quarterly, 2(2), 81-89.
Dichter, E. (1947). PSYCHOLOGY IN MARKET RESEARCH. Harvard Business
Review, 25(4), 432-443.
Bersin, J. (2013, August 16). Employee Retention Now a Big Issue: Why the Tide has Turned | LinkedIn. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130816200159-131079-employee-retention-now-a-big-issue-why-the-tide-has-turned

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