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Chapter four
Technical Analysis of Project
4.1 The role of feasibility study
Feasibility literally means whether some idea will work or not. It knows beforehand whether
there exists a sizeable market for the proposed product/service, what would be the investment
requirements and where to get the funding from, whether and wherefrom the necessary technical
know-how to convert the idea into a tangible product may be available, and so on. In other
words, feasibility study involves an examination of the operations, financial, HR and marketing
aspects of a business on ex-ante (Before the venture comes into existence) basis.
Feasibility is a multivariate concept; that is, a project has to be viable not only in technical terms
but also in economic and commercial terms too. Moreover, there always a possibility that a
project that is technically possible may not be economically viable. After the problems of an
organization or economy have been determined and objectives and strategies agreed, concrete
steps have to be taken. The main form this takes is that of formulating appropriate development
projects to achieve plan objectives and meet the development needs of the economy. Proposals
relating to them are then put to the plan authorities for consideration and inclusion in the plan.
These proposals as pointed out above take the following forms of feasibility studies:
1. Market/Commercial viability
2. Technical feasibility
3. Economic feasibility
4. Financial feasibility
5. Other feasibility considerations like legal, administrative and ecological analysis
The scope for scrutiny under each of these five heads would necessarily render their careful
assessment and the examination of all possible alternative approaches.
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4.2. Market and Demand Analysis (Market feasibility)
Market and demand analysis aims at determining the aggregate demand for the product/service
and the market share of the proposed project. Traditionally entrepreneurs try to make the
statement that “the market is attractive”. This is simply the expectation of the investors, but it is
misleading. Formal thorough market and demand analysis increases the project’s probability for
success if it is done in an orderly and systematic manner. This unit deals with the practice of
forecasting demand for the proposed project. More specifically, it deals with:
- objectives of market analysis
- the marketing elements
- situational analysis
- collection of information
- characterization of the market
- demand forecasting techniques
A. Objectives of Market analysis
Market and demand analysis is a key activity for determining the scope of an investment, the
possible production programme, the technology required, and the choice of location. What are
the objectives of market and demand analysis? The objectives of demand and marketing analysis
are:
i. To determine the effective demand for the envisaged (proposed) project
ii. To determine the characteristics of the corresponding market in terms of unsatisfied
demand, competition, imports, exports etc.
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B. Marketing Elements
What is marketing? What are the elements of marketing? Marketing is defined as a managerial
and social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through
creating, offering and exchanging products of value with others. Marketing is characterized by
the following elements:
a) Business philosophy
Marketing puts the problems, needs, and desires of the existing or potential consumer groups at
the center of business activities of the firm.
b) Marketing research
Market orientation of project preparation considers both demand market and supply market.
Marketing research provides information to develop marketing strategies which needs effective
Marketing instruments. The successful implementation of marketing strategies requires shaping
and influencing the market in a well-planned manner, using the necessary combination or mix of
marketing instruments.
c) Marketing plan and budget
Based on the findings of market research, it is necessary to determine the required means and to
prepare plans of actions in achieving marketing objectives.
C. Situational Analysis and Specific of objectives
The project analyst should be able to establish the relationship between the product and its
market. To do so, she/he may informally talk to the following parties:
- customers,
- competitors
- middlemen (wholesalers and retailers)
The purpose of contact with the above parties is to learn about the preferences and purchasing
power of customers, actions, and strategies of competitors, and practices of middlemen. The
main benefit of such informal contact is to avoid formal study of the market if adequate and
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relevant information is obtained about project demand. If enough data was not generated at this
stage, formal market and demand analysis should be carried.
D. Collection of information
In order to achieve the market and demand analysis objectives, information should be obtained
from various sources. These sources are generally classified into primary sources and secondary
sources.
What kind of information should be gathered through market survey? The following types of
information may be collected through market survey:
- Total demand and rate of growth of demand
- Motives for buying
- Demand in different segments of the market
- Income and price elasticity of demand
- Purchasing plans and intentions
- Satisfaction with existing products
- Unsatisfied needs
- Attitudes towards various products
- Distribution and price practices and preferences
- Socio-economic characteristics of buyers
E. Characterization of the Market
Market characterization involves describing the market for product/service in terms of the
following factors:
- effective demand in the past and present
- breakdown of demand/segmentation
- price
- methods of distribution
- promotion
- consumers
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- supply and competition
- government policy
1. Effective Demand in the Past and Present
In order to gauge (measure) the effective demand in the past and present, apparent consumption
can serve as the starting point. Apparent consumption can be computed as follows:
Consumption = P + I – E – CSL
Where,
P = production I = Imports E = Exports
CSL = Changes in stock level, usually increase in stock. The figure of apparent consumption has
to be adjusted for consumption of the product by the producers and the effect of abnormal
factors. After such adjustments, the consumption series may be obtained for several years.
Generally, effective demand and apparent consumption are equal in a competitive market.
However, due to exchange restrictions and controls on production and distributions, competitive
markets do not existing in most developing countries. As a result, the figure of apparent
consumption should be adjusted for market imperfections, but difficult to do so.
2. Breakdown of Demand/Market Segmentation
Market segmentation is defined as the dividing of the target market into subgroups of consumer
population with identifiable, distinct and homogeneous characteristics. (Philip Kotler, 1999).
The main reasons of market segmentation are:
1. For efficient use of marketing resources
2. For better understanding of customer needs
3. For better understanding of the competitive situation
4. formulate marketing programs and strategies
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Market is segmented on varies bases. Some of the most common bases are:
Geographic segmentation – divide the market into different geographic units such as
western, eastern, northern, southern, central etc.
- Demographic segmentation – divide the market on the basis of age, sex, family size,
marital status, language, religion and so on
- Socio-economic segmentation – divide the market on the basis of income levels,
consumption levels, caste level ,culture and the like
- Psychographics segmentation – divide the market based on how consumers think, feel,
and behave
3. Price
Price represents the value of a good or service for both the buyer and the seller. Price is the only
element in the marketing mix which generates revenues. Price may also be defined as the value
of product attributes expressed in monetary terms which a consumer pays or is expected to pay in
exchange and anticipation of the expected utility. Factors which affect the pricing decisions are
- Demand for the product/service
- Competition
- Economic conditions
- Cost of materials and labor (or cost of inputs)
- Objective of the firm
What pricing strategy the firm may follow?
A firm that is planning to introduce new product may follow any one of the following pricing
strategy:
a) Market skimming pricing
It is the approach of setting a relatively high initial price for a new product.
b) Market penetration pricing
It is the strategy of setting a relatively low initial price for new product.
During market and demand analysis, the price statistics must be gathered along with statistics
concerning physical quantities.
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4. Method of distribution
The methods of distributing a product/service vary with the nature of the product. The typical
geographic separation of the manufacturer or producer from the ultimate consumer requires some
means for bridging the gap between the producer and the customers: what are the major
components of the distribution system? Distribution system has two components; namely,
channels of distribution, and physical distribution. Channels of distribution refer to
intermediaries or the process through which the products are transferred from the producers to
the ultimate users. Channels include wholesales, retailers, dealers, agents and other parties
involved in transferring the product or service to the consumers.
On the other hand, physical distribution is concerned with the flow of goods to the ultimate
consumers. Physical distribution includes transportation, warehousing, and inventory
management.
Therefore, the methods of distribution (channels and physical distribution) employed presently
and their rationale must be specified during market and demand analysis. Such a study may
explain certain patterns of consumption and highlights and difficulties that may be encountered
in marketing the proposed products.
5. Promotion
In marketing, the word “promotion” is used in many ways. In general sense, promotion is
defined as “any identifiable activities (efforts) on the parts of the seller to persuade buyers to
accept the seller’s information and store it in retrievable form”. The promotional function of any
organization involves the transmission of message to present, past, and potential customers.
The means of promotion are:
a) Personal selling – It involves face-to-face contact between seller’s representative and the
buyer
b) Advertising. It is paid form of non-personal mass media communication by an identified
sponsor. The media may include print media, direct mail, TV, radio, billboard, Internet
etc.
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c) Sales Promotion. It includes activities that seek to indirectly induce or indirectly serve as
incentives to motivate a desired response on the part of target customers, company sales
people and middlemen, and their sales force.
d) Publicity. It involves the news carried in the mass media about a firm and its products,
policies, personnel or actions, such as news releases, press conference etc.
6. Supply and Competition
It is necessary to know the existing sources of supply. The existing sources may be domestic or
foreign. The following information should be gathered for domestic sources of supply.
- Location - Capacity utilization level
- Present production capacity - Bottlenecks in production
- Planned expansion - Cost structure
The study should also cover competition from substitutes and near-substitute products.
7. Government Policy
Government may have significant role in influencing the product’s demand and market. How
government affects the demand and market for the product? Governmental plans, policies and
legislations may have bearing on the market and demand of the product. Some of the areas of
influence are:
- production targets in national plans
- trade control on imports and exports or incentives
- taxes
- credit controls
- financial regulations
F. Demand forecasting
After gathering information about various aspects of the market and demand from primary and
secondary sources, an attempt is made to estimate future demand. The market analyst has several
methods of forecasting the demand. Generally, these methods are classified in to qualitative and
quantitative methods.