[pic credit: this is my first attempt to use Adobe AI services to generate image]

My work revolves around an assumption that all of us have an ultimate wish and desire to lead a happy and peaceful life. We design, develop, and decide our pathways accordingly. At times it becomes challenging to choose appropriately so we tend to surrender to the situation and taking things as they come by. At times it becomes difficult to follow those pathways yet we stay firm and committed.

Earning the livelihood to become independent sounds primary condition. In contemporary world both physically and otherwise, money gets to play one of the most important roles as it helps in exchanging goods and services, comforts and conveniences, prestige and privileges.

Market molds and monitors the movements of money. Market becomes a key player to provide for our needs and aspirations, preferences and provisions. Market fulfils the demands of customers on one side and fuels the appetite of the producers and/or providers. Market is a place or space, physical or virtual, allowing buyer and seller to meet, negotiate, and keep nurturing each other’s aspirations.

Marketing is a process of bringing the customer to market and to look after the customer needs and expectations after sale.  It includes assuring customer support and to provide after sale services and building strong relationships with the customers. The target is quite clear in the eyes of the marketer that customer is the king and one has to believe that the king can do no wrong. However, a marketer to a very great extent influences buyer decision.

Marketing brings people to shop, selling converts these people or a visitor to a buyer, again marketing takes the buyer home, allows him/her to express experience and satisfaction (or delight, as the case may be) through different via media or spreading the word of mouth, influencing others to make positive buying decision.

If the employees build relationship with the customers with an inherent intent that they need to please the customer as their survival depends on them, reflects an opportunistic mindset. However, if the approach is to serve the customer to the best ability and believing that he/she is the guest, develops a better sensibility.

Let me take you back to what people, whether they are employees or customers, workers or societies, aspire for – their happiness and well-being.

The big question is whether market is helping people or forcing them, whether producer is providing good quality products and assuring value for money or compromising on quality and using adulterated material, whether marketer is creating right kind of awareness and being an effective information system through advertisements and campaigns or using surrogate advertising to befool innocent customer.

Economics, social philosophy, psychology, political science, environmental science, law, and commerce are some of those disciplines that explore the interplay between markets, marketing, and happiness.

The laws of demand and supply, the question of ethical consideration and moral practices, the factors influencing human behaviour and their happiness, the role of state in regulating business and markets, the concern for environmental issues, the provision and compliance of laws, and the manufacturing and trading of products and services, need to be appropriately addressed and adhered to assure general well-being (or happiness) of people.

Because we may not live without market, we should not be misinformed and abused by the market for its benefit.  The belief that individuals (buyer and seller) depend on markets more than the market depending on individuals leads to a condition where we tend to surrender our independence (of choice) to market. Market forces become so strong that they start dominating over our decisions.

It is true that markets drive economic growth and help improve economic health of a nation.  It is equally true that the ultimate wish of a state or nation is that its citizens lead happy and peaceful life.

It is true that market fosters innovation and creativity which provide opportunity to people to explore and grow.  It is also to be seen that these innovations do not compromise national interest and integrity.

The domination of market forces should not lead to inequality, concentration of wealth, exploitation of people, negative externalities, and disturbing social indicators.  The need of the hour is proper alignment between human aspirations (happiness), market, and marketing.

Also Read –

Money, Income, and Happiness (2023)

Behaviour, Finance, and Markets (2023)

Happiness, Money, and Positive Emotions (2023)

Future is here (2016)

Future of now (2018)

Money-Happiness Relationship (2020)

Organizational Realities (2020)

Why to work hard (2023)

Human efforts and respect (2023)