The paper discusses and demonstrates the effectiveness of marketing research techniques in the specialised area of health and social planning. The prime objective of the research was to gain insight into the health and social needs of a highly specific sector of the population, viz. the physically disabled, and not merely to quantify types of disability. It was undertaken in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, U.K. with the enthusiastic backing of the Bolton Community Health Council (CHC) and with valuable cooperation from professionals in the medical and social services.
The paper discusses the complexity of the modern marketing environment and the need for a more comprehensive view of buying behaviour. Over the past decade several new factors, such as increasing government intervention in industry and commerce and the highly articulate and organised criticism of business practices, have indicated the need for management to acquire a broader appreciation of trends in their markets. By taking note of psychological, sociological, and cultural factors as well as economic variables, a far more realistic appreciation of buying behaviour can be obtained, marketing education should include some systematic introduction to the fundamental principles of psychology and sociology, which, together with economic theory, are able to offer a more complete explanation of the complex needs of modern society.