4 Influencer: Does not directly make the product or supplier choice but
has a major impact on the decisions made. In this case an individual
from the computer services unit in the organisation will lay down the
technical requirements of the software based on the need for it to inte-
grate with the current hardware system.
5 Decider: This is the individual who actually makes the decision to pur-
chase. This individual may not have direct line management control of
the merchandise or IT areas of the business but occupies this role
because of the power and influence they have over the area being
investigated. This is a crucial position in the DMU and yet it can be the
most difficult to identify because several individuals may potentially
play this role. In this case it may be the merchandise director, the
finance director (many finance directors are responsible for the IT
function) or the managing director.
6 Gatekeeper: Determines the flow of information within the DMU with-
out being directly involved in the buying decision. They control
whether a potential supplier gains access to other individuals in the
DMU. The flow of promotion material and information about sup-
pliers is also under their guidance. Secretaries are very obvious gate-
keepers but any individual in the DMU can potentially play this role.
A technical person may favour one particular supplier and only passes
their promotional material to other members of the DMU.
The size of the DMU will depend in part on the type of purchase decision
being undertaken. Where a simple low risk purchase is being made one or
two individuals could undertake all the roles in the DMU. A high-risk
expensive purchase may involve a large number of people from different
functional areas in the company. Organisational purchases can be classi-
fied in terms of their level of risk as follows:
● Routine order products: These are used and ordered on a regular basis.
The product or service are unlikely to pose any problems regarding their
use or performance and are therefore low risk (e.g. office stationary).
● Procedural problem products: These products may involve some level of
training in order for individuals to successfully adopt them. This will
increase the risks associated with the successful introduction of the
purchase to the company (e.g. personal computers or word processors).
● Performance problem products: The risks here lie with the question of
whether the product can perform at the level required to meet the
users’ requirements. There may also be concerns about the product’s
ability to be compatible with the companies existing resources and
current equipment (e.g. introducing new technology).
● Political problem products: Political problems could arise where a pur-
chase takes away resources from another area within the organisation.
A high investment in a product for one area of the business may mean
that another area has to forgo investment. Political problems can also
take place where it is planned that the same product will be used by
several different units, each having their own requirements (e.g. a new
information system).74 Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control