Which of the following is not the difference between the philosophy a…

Business Idea

Jaya, Pooja and Manvi are school friends running their own successful businesses separately. They regularly meet and discuss their business ideas and exchange notes on production, customer satisfaction, product designing, product pricing, marketing efforts, selling techniques and social concerns etc. In one of such meetings, Jaya drew the attention of Pooja and Manvi towards exploitation of consumers. She said that most of the sellers were exploiting the consumers in various ways and were not paying attention to the social, ethical and ecological aspects of marketing, whereas she understood the importance of these factors and was trying to implement so. Pooja said that they were under pressure to satisfy the customer but stated that the customers would not buy, or not buy enough unless they are adequately convinced and motivated to do so. Manvi emphasized on the importance of keeping consumer's needs in mind and said that it was their duty to keep the customer satisfied and to take decisions from the point of view of consumers. She believes that someone who fails to identify customer preferences fails to satisfy the customer, cannot run their business with success in the long run.

Which of the following is not the difference between the philosophy advocated by Pooja and Manvi?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → Pooja’s philosophy is production oriented, whereas Manvi’s philosophy is market oriented.

Option (1) Pooja’s philosophy’s main motive is sales, whereas Manvi’s philosophy’s main motive is customer satisfaction. — A difference between the two (Incorrect). The selling concept aims at profit through a large volume of sales. The marketing concept aims at profit through customer satisfaction.
Option (2) Pooja’s philosophy focuses on the existing product, whereas Manvi’s philosophy focuses on customer needs. — A difference between the two (Incorrect). Under the selling concept the firm starts with the product it has already made and tries to push it. The marketing concept starts from the market, with what customers need.
Option (3) Pooja’s philosophy is production oriented, whereas Manvi’s philosophy is market oriented. — Not a difference between the two (Correct). “Production oriented” describes the production concept, the earliest philosophy. That concept is about making goods available in large quantity at a low cost. Pooja’s worry is how to persuade customers to buy, not how to produce more. So the first half of this statement does not describe her philosophy, and the statement cannot be a difference between the two.
Option (4) Pooja’s philosophy emphasizes on sellers’ needs, whereas Manvi’s philosophy emphasizes on buyers’ needs. — A difference between the two (Incorrect). Selling looks at the seller’s need to turn the product into cash. Marketing looks at the buyer’s needs and builds the product around them.

Note: In the original question, both Option (2) and Option (3) were correct as per the NTA Answer Key. The paper printed Option (2) as “In Pooja’s philosophy cost determines the price, whereas in Manvi’s philosophy customers determine the price.” and Option (3) as “Pooja’s philosophy is production oriented, whereas Manvi’s philosophy is market oriented.” For the benefit of students and to ensure a single answer, Option (2) has been changed to “Pooja’s philosophy focuses on the existing product, whereas Manvi’s philosophy focuses on customer needs.”

NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “The Production Concept … The focus of business activities was, therefore, on production of goods. It was believed that profits could be maximised by producing at large scale, thereby reducing the average cost of production. …”

“The Selling Concept … It was assumed that the customers would not buy, or not buy enough, unless they are adequately convinced and motivated to do so. Therefore, firms must undertake aggressive selling and promotional efforts to make customers buy their products. …”

“The Marketing Concept Marketing orientation implies that focus on satisfaction of customer’s needs is the key to the success of any organisation in the market. …”