TARGET sharing its experience on market research at Université de Kinshasa

In order to share its experience in market research and marketing field, TARGET SARL joined a scientific day that took place at Faculty of Economical and Management Sciences of Université de Kinshasa (FASEG) hosted by Club des Economistes Marketeurs (Economists and Marketing Agents Club) known by the acronym CEM (organization of students in Commercial and Marketing Management of UNIKIN). That debate occurred on Wednesday June 4^th 2014, and was based on the topic: “Impact of market research on company competitiveness”.

The main speakers were Mr. Serge TUPILA (member of scientific staff of faculty, conference moderator), Mr. Christian KISAKA (Chairperson of CEM) and Mr. Serge MUMBU (General Manager of TARGET SARL, main speaker).

In his introduction, the moderator, Serge TUPILA shows his gratefulness to TARGET agency for its kindly responding to this invitation and described market research as solid foundation of effective marketing strategies enactment with a view to better meeting companies’ objectives. He went further on recalling to his scientific staff fellow-workers mind about their role to instill to students this research spirit and this permanent opposition between theories learned at the university and practical experience on the ground.

In his speech, the Chairperson of CEM expressed his gratitude to the faculty authorities (professors as well as assistants’ lecturers) for both their teaching and training, especially Professor Robert MBWINGA for his support to this kind of initiatives. He also briefly presented CEM history and introduced his operating staff.   

Taking the floor in his turn, Serge MUMBU discussed with students as well as the faculty scientific staff. He first settled up an understanding framework for market research and competitiveness concepts. He explained then different types of market research carried out by Market research agencies (quantitative research, qualitative research and desk research). According to Serge MUMBU, “to be competitive, means to better meet market needs than one’s competitors, a company must have to run market research in order to shrink commercial failure risk.” He well supported these arguments by giving specific cases of local trade companies that used market researches to establish positioning strategies which are successful to date.

The General Manager of TARGET took advantage of this opportunity to emphasize on the importance of a marketing agent which is supposed to have by not presenting him as “job seeker” but rather as “provider of services”. He motivated students to become contractor and/or leader of small firms in the future in order to put into practice their skills at the service of companies, to consider becoming employers instead of employees. A call also went out for students interested in working with TARGET to apply as surveyors.

This meeting was on the line with the framework of sharing of experiences between professional world and academic world that TARGET is especially promoting through conferences at universities: Université Catholique du Congo (UCC), Université Protestante au Congo (UPC) and Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN). For TARGET, it is important nowadays to maintain this free and fruitful exchange framework between universities on the one hand and professional world on the other with a view to dealing with this sharp divide that always existed in DR Congo between academic training considered to be much more theoretical and professional practice.

Pictures of Scientific Day at University of Kinshasa

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