Coca Cola Case Study Essay

Coca Cola is the most popular drink I have decided to change both the packaging of the drink and the flavouring. This will be quite a challenging task to do, as I will have to do a lot of research on the existing product first. Research work will involve for example looking in the Internet and e-mailing to existing companies for information packs etc. I will offer all the opportunity to customers (people) and listen to there comments on my design of product comparing it to the original product, of course this will be first done by questionnaires and surveys etc. so different peoples views will be analysed at the end and the results will show me if my product will be successful in the market. My objective is basically to research into the different kinds of flavours that I could use to make the product Coca Cola this will also mean asking customers if they would prefer the logo itself to be changed aswell as the packaging. I will only make this product if there is a need in the market as if there is no need in the market my product will not sell which will mean I will not be making a profit. I will also need to consider the following: Taste Flavour Amount of flavouring Wrapping Texture Other please specify Other than the above I will also need to find out exactly how well the drink is selling at present to see just what other changes may be needed. Marketing is concerned with identifying customer’s needs and satisfying those needs at a profit in such a way that the customers come back again and recommend the firm to their friends. Marketing involves everything that an organisation has to make happen if customers are to be satisfied with its products. This is the reason why I have chose to market a mobile phone to my customers as there is a wider market out there for this product. In order for organisations to satisfy customers effectively and successfully, they would need to assess customer needs. By marketing my product I have met consumer needs and this involves developing strategies, which are then translated into a series of marketing plans. Marketing is, therefore, a planned purpose, which by ensuring a business satisfies customers needs and meets its business objectives helps it to outperform its rivals which I think I would be successful in doing as there is the younger generation who are constantly purchasing mobile phones and there is a great market out there. I would need to think about my objectives and in order to do that I would need to research about my product, plan everything out, take steady and smooth actions and try to be in control so that my product sells and then I may be able to meet my objectives. In order to implement a marketing strategy this requires making many decisions: What is the market? Non-competitive market Competitive market Monopoly Oligopoly How do we segment the market? Working out all the possible markets for a good is called segmentation and each part of the market a segment. What are the wants & needs of each segment? Businesses produce goods and services to meet the wants and needs of consumers everybody has wants and needs. What is the best price? If the demand for a good or service starts to increase, prices will follow and suppliers will devote more resources to producing that good or service. Which promotional method should be used? An efficient network of communications is essential for successful promotional activity. The promotional mix comprises all the marketing and promotional objectives of the marketing mix. How should we distribute the product/service? And changing environments mean that marketers’ needs for information are never ending. Social & cultural environment Economic Environment Political & legal environment Technological environment (E1) Produce a marketing strategy for a product or service with a clear understanding of the principles of marketing The marketing principle Many organizations think of marketing as sales. Others think of it as advertising. Twenty years ago students learned the four â€Å"p’s† of marketing: product, place, price and promotion, and today it’s the four â€Å"c’s:† customer, competition, cost and communication. Basically the definition of the market place is continually changing. Because of the fact I will be carrying a similar task, which will involve me to change or make my own product I will have to consider the following: Satisfying – Every and each customer wants their necessities to be met. Matching customers’ needs and expectations demands detailed answers to questions. They want the right goods, at the right time, at the right price. Because my product will be based on a soft drink many consumers would want to try new drinks so I will have to set a reasonable price for it to be sold at to satisfy customers. For example the drink coca cola is aimed at every one and also is reasonably priced. Identify: I would need to consider answering questions like how I will have to keep in touch with customer’s thoughts and feelings and perception about my goods and service? This would also involve identifying what features customers would prefer to have in my good/service. Anticipating: This involves looking at the future aswell as the present. I would need to consider what the public would like to have today and tomorrow. Baring in mind that consumer requirements change all the time such as people become richer and they might buy expensive drinks and even alcohol because they have more money so they would spend on a expensive drink so they stand out from the crowd. Communicating effectively with customers to satisfy their expectations: In order for me to produce any promotional activity I will need to communicate with my customers this would help me to find out there expectations and build an image with the world at large. Images would help others to form a judgment about what the organization stands for, and will influence their dealings with it. The way we communicate our product or service is part of the persuasion process, which would persuade customers to buy the product at whatever price. The ways that customers are persuaded comes under the promotional mix. In order to achieve the promotional objectives the marketing and promotional communication methods are used which come under the promotional mix. These can be broken down into two areas: 1. Controllable and 2. Non-controllable. Non-controllable communication – This includes marketing messages such as a result of word of mouth, personal recommendation or what customers think of a product or service, depending on how long a family has been using the product/service. Designer labels and brands influence consumers spending power. Controllable communication – These include messages that are carefully directed to achieve an organization’s promotional objectives. Such as: Advertisements- messages sent to the media to inform or influence the people who receive them. Direct mail-personally addressed advertising sent through the post. Sales promotions-techniques designed to increase sales, such as money-off coupons, free samples and competitions. Coca Cola should therefore study the communication process carefully. It should have a clear idea of what the message is whom it is sent to and what the outcome of sending it is. They should communicate effectively to always persuade consumers to go out to buy it and also have new advertising to persuade them after a while. Profitability: Profit is the key for marketing. If I don’t make a profit there is no point of me trading I will not be able to satisfy customers requirements or identify there anticipation without the resources to put into out going marketing activities. I need to develop Coca cola in order to achieve profits, which is what my objective for the marketing strategy is. I will need to consider a low price and a quality design. I would be able to see if the demand for Coca Cola has Increased or decreased after developing the product. I could improve it by changing the packaging, adding a different taste or flavour, design, price. I will need to consider the results of my questionnaires, which will be obtained from my primary and secondary research before I start making any changes to my product, as consumers will be asked if they would buy my developed product. Understanding Customer Needs: In order for me to make my final product a success I will need to anticipate change. This includes the age structure of the population and consumers income. Market research is the antenna of an organisation from which you could obtain accurate results of what drinks consumers prefer or what they suggest they would like to have changing to the product. This is where marketing research starts. I would need to consider what consumers would like in order to satisfy customers needs and wants which will show if my product is going to become successful. Most marketing activities are therefore designed to meet the needs of groups of customers within a market. I would need to find a sample of my consumers in order to find out their wants and needs so that I could produce or develop a product that satisfies them. The product is the first element in the marketing mix and the rest of the elements would need to be considered later. These may include developing the pricing for the product or service provided, working out how to distribute (place) goods to the customers, as well as how to promote them. Coca cola would need to understand customer, needs to be able to sell their product. In order to produce a product that will make them profit at the end of the day and customer’s wants could be met according to their needs. (E2) Appropriately identify, collect and use primary and secondary data relevant to the marketing strategy If you were to survey 100 people asking them do they drink Coca Cola this would be a difficult question to answer as Coca Cola can be found in several different brands. Some would prefer to choose a Coca Cola – Diet or light or classic, with cherry or with lemon, or with or without caffeine. About five years ago this would be a question that would be feasible to answer, as then Coca Cola existed in it’s original form. A survey that I conducted shows that many people preferred the original Coca Cola. However the results reveal that majority of them (i.e. 17 out of 20) are not satisfied with the packaging of the drink and would like it to be more colorful aswell as in various designs rather than just in one ‘rather boring’ design which has the been the same for quite so many years now. Another feature that customers (from the 20 people I interviewed) would like to see changes and improvements to is the size of the product. Further questioning revealed that th e reason for improving the size i.e. up to 5 litres would be convenient when holding family parties. These findings were very useful to me as they made me realize what the publics demand is and what I need to do to make the product acceptable in the market, which in return would help me make a profit. The twenty people I asked replied on the basis of looking at media, which is one of the things that influences the market. They thought that advertising was a good way to promote Coca Cola, as it is very common and popular. The secondary data shows advertisements are sold in spots and the daytime spots cost less because there are little audiences. Many people watch television in the evening the most as they relax so most of the advertisements are on then, and also mainly in the mornings as a lot of people turn the television on in the mornings. Out door advertising- poster sites in Britain are mainly in big cities alongside main roads close top the cities. They includes the sides and backs of buses, banners and boards at football and other sports events, both the inside and outside of London and other city taxis, bus shelters, and boards at bus and railway stations. Advertising time on TV is sold in ‘spots’ ranging from one minute down to seven seconds. Daytime spots, when audiences are low cost less than those do in ‘Peak time’- the evening when millions of people may be watching Independent Television. Most evenings from 5.30 p.m. to about 10.30 p.m. is peak viewing time when TV audiences are largest. The ITV companies usually show the same programmes, though they may show different advertisements. In the UK, ITV (including GMTV), channel 4 and channel 5 (1997), show advertisements between programmes and in intervals within the programmes themselves. A half- minute spot in mid-evening on a weekday could cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1,250 on Grampian Television whereas a similar spot time cost on Carlton Television might be à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½23,000. One company, Grampian Television, serves only about 2,023,000 homes, but the London Region, whose programmes are provided by Charlton Television during the week and by London Weekend Televisions at weekends, has about 5,491,000 homes- 2 and a half times as many. TV advertising time in Britain is sold on the ‘spot’ system. A ‘spot’ can last for a few seconds as with many of the ‘still’ advertisements for local stops or for a minute or even occasionally more. ‘Spots’ are bunched into breaks which may contain just one advertisement, though this is rare, or several. Each of the programme companies charge different rates, or prices, for its spot time. It is not hard to see why. In 1998, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½14,307 million was spent on advertising in Britain. Over 80 per cent of this was spent on display advertising of goods and services in the press, on television, radio, posters, direct mail and in the cinema. The remaining 20 per cent or so bought classified advertising (small ads), Financial and legal notices, company announcements, and recruitment advertising (job ads) and advertising in the business and professional press. Companies also spend substantial sums on other forms of communication but statistics are not always available. However, it is estimated that in 1995 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½750 million was spent on exhibitions in Britain and substantial sums are also spent on sponsorship, sales promotion, mail order and other forms of activity.

Creative Task Essay

â€Å"When someone prizes us just as we are, he or she confirms our existence.† My feet were so cold. The only thing I could feel was the muddy water soaking through my timeworn sneakers and my tattered socks as I was walking through the streets of Brooklyn on a cold, rainy December’s evening. After all, how could I feel anything else? I’d just been fired from my job; my girlfriend had just kicked me out of the closest thing I had to a home and the only place I could think to go was my dad’s spare house. I was carrying the only thing I was able to grab from my girlfriend’s apartment, my 6 string nylon guitar which I grabbed so that I could feel a sense of ownership over something. My girlfriend said it was useless to me anyway because whenever I played it, apparently it sounded like a two wild gorillas trying to kill each other. For some reason, whenever she said that I always thought of our relationship. But besides that, I was alone on the streets of Brooklyn with nothing but my wallet, the little money it had left in it, my guitar, my drenching apparel and no hope. After moping around the cold dark streets for an hour I finally found my dad’s old house that he never sold, but kept for a ‘spare’. He gave me a key for it in case I ever found myself in need and at this point in time I’d never felt more this way. I dragged myself up on to the front porch and felt through my pockets for the key. As I stepped closer to the door I heard a growl, a growl that made me feel like I was invading the territory of a wolf in the forest. Despite this feeling I felt no fear of what I could not see in the shadows, but I was curious as to what had made itself comfortable on my front porch. Before I had time to even step into the shadow, what appeared to be a golden retriever leaped out of the shadow. The dog had deceived me in my formerly estimated image as a brutal stray, as it only seemed like a joyous little puppy seeking shelter from the rain. I think that I must have scared the poor little thing as I approached the door of my tempo rary new home. The dog stared at me with wide glowing eyes, as if it was begging me for a place to stay, but the last thing I needed was a dog which would need taking care of, when I was unsure if I could do so to myself. â€Å"You can stay outside little fella†, I murmured to the pup assuming that it would be gone by morning. I received no reply, as the dog just kept the same facial expression whilst glaring into my eyes. I wandered on inside to try and get a good night sleep so I could have a clear mind in the morning to think about how I was going to sort my rock-bottomed life out. Two weeks had passed and I had made a start to gathering what options I had left and turning them into the best possible outcomes. The only problem was – it wasn’t a ‘hole-shot’ of a start. I had been to 2 job interviews which only lasted about 5 minutes each, and I had not heard back from the managers. Isn’t that promising? I had a huge lack in confidence and my self-esteem ha d gone through rock bottom and kept plummeting. It was raining outside so I had thought that I should go and get the newspaper so I could desperately look for any job that I could get my hands on. As I went to open the door I felt a resistance pushing against it. I put the little energy I had into a shove that might have knocked over a pedestal fan, and couldn’t open the door. Finally, I heard this object pull itself up and move out of my way. I opened the door to find the golden retriever puppy staring at me with the same enticing glare it gave me when I first arrived at my house. I couldn’t resist to the stare this time around as it was freezing cold outside and pouring rain, so I thought I would take it in. â€Å"Come on in buddy, let me get you washed up†, I said excitedly. As I let this stranger ride into my home and walked to grab the newspaper, a sudden rush of warmth and excitement ran throughout my body like I had just met my childhood hero. I walked through the door and the puppy was still staring at me the same way it was when I had found it. It didn’t seem to mind the mess as much as my dad did when he came to help me get on my feet a little. I looked closer at the dog and saw a rough looking collar with the name tag ‘Archer’. I fixed Archer some of my leftovers that I had piled up over the past couple of weeks, and by the time I had found one job offer in the newspaper; he had destroyed the collection of cold toast, bacon and baked beans like he was a prisoner on death row receiving his last meal. There was something about Archer’s personality that made me feel comfortable and not alone. I felt that maybe this could be a turning point in my life that was only heading in a southerly direction. The next job interview that I had was probably the worst one yet. The store owner was a complete jerk and told me exactly what he thought of me straight to my face, as if my presence was imaginary. â€Å"Why would anyone want to hire an unshaven, underdressed, useless piece of garbage like you? Get out of my office!† he shouted in my general direction. I was plainly intimidated and embarrassed by this big shot and I was back to square one. All messed up with nowhere to go. Feeling depressed and unsatisfied, I decided to drag myself home and repeat my so called routine that I had developed over the past 3 weeks – look for a job, eat, sleep, look for a job and repeat. As I stumbled back onto my front porch I heard tapping on the floorboards I my house, but wasn’t in the right state of mind to even think what it was. I opened the door without a care and saw a pair of glowing eyes staring right at me. It was Archer, and he looked like he had never been so happy to see me. I had been so humiliated and belittled that I had lost thought of Archer. A tear rolled down my cheek and dropped onto my shirt. I couldn’t figure out whether this tear was because I was unsure of my existence as a part of the human race, or because I had realised that I had something important in my life without realising. I dropped onto my knees and gave Archer a huge hug, feeling relieved. For the rest of the day I played with Archer and cleaned him up. I felt like he was my only friend. The only person who didn’t judge me even if I was a useless piece of garbage. He gave me a sense of confidence that I had never felt before. He made me feel that my existence on planet earth was of some worth. Within a year of the day that Archer had performed the miracle of instilling a person with happiness and friendship, I had completely steered my life around. I had gained enough confidence to go for my dream job – a gig playing my guitar and singing at a top nightclub in Brooklyn. I played my music for the manager at the club and he said I could possibly be the next big thing within a couple of years time. I had found a girl who was perfect for me and appreciated me for who I was, unlike my last partner. I was earning enough money to start renting a house that my girlfriend, Archer and I had moved into and I was feeling like I could do anything that was possible to man. I found it amazing that a dog – just a dog, could turn a man’s life around. It was all thanks to him, making me realise that there are things in life that are worth staying around for. If it wasn’t for him standing at my door on that cold dark day, I’m not sure that I would be here to tell this story today.

International business Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

International business - Movie Review Example Later in a staff meeting, Sam Rogers (Kevin spacey) reveals to the remaining employees that the company only sacked the underperforming staff thus retaining its best employees as he says, †they were good people and good at their jobs, but you were better. †.When working hours are over, Peter stays behind to work on the unfinished project as the other employees go to celebrate that they haven’t been sacked. Upon completion, he realizes that their firm is hanging on a whisker in the market. He contacts Will (his supervisor) who looks at the findings and calls his boss Sam. Seeing that he can’t handle that big an issue, Sam calls his superiors to an emergency meeting through the night, while at the same time a helicopter brings in the CEO John Tuld (Jeremy irons).Two opinions come to motion as they discuss which actions to take. Jared Cohen (Simon Baker) thinks they should sell all the available firms toxic assets when it’s still early since the market d oes not know of their worthlessness, because as they figured would soon know as opposed to Sam’s strong objection. This opinion is also shared by John Tuld. However, it is john’s mandate to decide which opinion to implement. It’s revealed that Sarah Robinson (Demi Moore) who is the chief risk management officer tried to warn John of the current matter about a year ago, an opinion which he declined. Will and Seth are sent to get Eric who has now arrived at his place. Against his will, Sam implements John’s strategy when the market opens. Sarah and Eric sit in a room earning lots of cash the whole day until the market closes. Sam decides to resign but john talks him into staying for 24 more months, while Peter is promoted. After all, they just survived another financial day as usual. In the final end it all comes back to the main business objective:†survival and

Computer tech case 2 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Computer tech case 2 - Term Paper Example Literacy skills involving getting and presentation of information using hardcopy There are several instances that I use hard copy books, magazines, newspapers and brochures to get information. I spend an approximate average of 2 hours to physically read hardcopy books. In most cases, I read short story books to enhance my reading and research skills. There are several instances where I communicate through letters especially when making applications for part time jobs and when writing friendly letters to my cousins. During school days, some of my assignments are presented in form of hardcopy and so, writing and reading skills has been imperative on the techniques I use in presenting my assigned essays, research papers and proposals. Although I use pens in writing and reading hardcopy text in my daily activities, it is not my major priority of presenting and receiving information because I accord them minimal time (Lewis, 2001). Media literacy skills and practices Media literacy can be defined as comprehending the modalities of producing and distributing information. Currently, the best informal communication method that I use is the social media. The common social media platforms that I use are www.facebook.com and www.twitter.com. I use these sites to communicate with friends, relatives, in some cases my instructors and to express my opinion on political, social and economic issues that affect me directly. I accord social media approximately five hours a day. As such, I can state that I spend a large portion of my time on social media. There are other forms of media that I use formally for my learning and communication with my instructors. I spent an approximate average of 3 hours a day on them. The major media that I use are education websites such as www.thefreedictionary.com where I get educational information after conducting research, Job searching websites such as LinkedIn where I seek for part time jobs and get information about the requirements of diffe rent types of jobs, and institutional website that I utilize to upload my assignments to my instructors, get instruction material and for general communication with the institution (Bassnet &Lefevere, 1998). Technology literacy skills and practices The modern world has experienced a major revolution in technology in literary practices. There have been hi-tech innovations in technologies resulting in state of art information processing devices such as computers, communication devices such as cellular phones, and other digital technologies such as state of art televisions. The computer has been essential in my daily activities, and my computer literacy has assisted me in utilizing the device accurately in processing and receiving different forms of information. I use the computer to access academic and non academic information in the internet. Further, I use the computer to write and do calculations. The computer enables me to access social media, educational websites and undertake co mmunications through emails. I spend approximately 7 hours a day on my personal computer. I use cell phones specifically for making formal and informal communications. Further, I use it to access the internet and conduct internet

Hazardous Waste and International Environmental Policy Essay

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Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 19

Discussion Questions - Essay Example This difference has caused social and economic changes in Europe and United States, which include aging population, changing role of women in the labor force, changing family structure, and demographic shifts towards urbanization (Bloom, Canning & Fink, 2008, 15). Labor force is expected to increase but due to changes in age participation rates and low fertility, youth dependency is lowered and female participation in the labor force increases. Economic growth apace and aging population proliferates due to betterment of health care. Thus, to stabilize and increase populations, developed countries focused on behavioral and economic responses that would aid in the betterment of health of working individuals to improve economic growth (Bloom, Canning & Fink, 2008, 1). 2. You are studying the community of a small pond and discover two similar species of fish. You believe they may be competitors, but you want scientific evidence to support or refute this idea. How would you conduct research, including studies you might carry out and findings you would expect if your hypothesis were true? Explain. Answer: To support the belief that two similar species of fish can be competitors, a research should be conducted and started through review of literatures, studies, and theoretical bases as these would provide the strong foundation for the study. For instance, Helfman, Collette, Facey & Bowen (2009) support the idea that members of the same species (like fishes) can compete with the resources and is called intraspecific competition (542). Researcher might carry out an experimental type of research observing two set ups – two same species of fish and two different species of fish to differentiate existence of competition or to assess the degree of competition between two set ups. The existence of competition even with the same species is the expected

Ernest Gordon and the Wisdom of Forgiveness Research Paper

Ernest Gordon and the Wisdom of Forgiveness - Research Paper Example At the mercy of their ruthless Japanese captors, subject to torture, execution, starvation and disease, they faced an age-old decision – they could give vent to an instinctive desire for revenge and kill as many Japanese as possible, or they could respond according to Christian principles of forgiveness and forbearance. Given the animal brutality of the Japanese and the harshest life-and-death situation imaginable, it seems incredible that anyone could even contemplate forgiveness. That anyone did is attributable to the intelligence and immeasurable moral strength of Captain Ernest Gordon, an officer of the 69th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who realized that the only way to defuse the situation was to forego displays of anger and outrage over their inhuman treatment. Instead, Gordon taught his compatriots that their best chance of survival depended on earning the respect of the Japanese, and to bear their hardships with grace and restraint. The 2008 film To End All Wars is a true-to-life portrayal of what these soldiers of the British Army endured and of the spiritual transformation that took place in the presence of the basest inhumanity. The film illustrates that a true and lasting devotion to peace calls for a far greater courage than is Ernest Gordon 3 required to perpetuate the cycle of violence. Gordon and the other prisoners of war find themselves in desolation, a wasteland of the body and of the soul. As such, they have nothing but each other to sustain themselves. â€Å"When you surrender in war, you’re stripped of your dignity as a soldier. And all you’ve got left is your fellow comrades, many of whom you’ve just met,† Gordon muses (Cunningham, 2001). Gordon is a realist in that he understands the prisoners are utterly alone and vulnerable, with nothing to protect or sustain them but the strength they have to put into their convictions. If they do this, he realizes, they have a chance of being useful and produc tive as prisoners. Indeed, it is their only hope: the code of honor by which the Japanese lived had no regard for soldiers who allowed themselves to be taken prisoner. For the soldiers of the Emperor, to be taken captive was an utter disgrace: Bushido called upon them to commit suicide instead. Consequently, their British Army captives had committed an unforgivable breach of honor and were not seen as deserving humane treatment. Gordon found himself in a deadly clash of cultural values. Determined to carry on after the death of the regiment’s commanding officer, Gordon organizes a â€Å"church without walls† and a forum for discussing and debating philosophical matters. In these gatherings, Gordon urges the men not to give up hope but to endure their suffering stoically as British POW Dusty Miller has done. Miller, a mild-mannered gardener with a strong spiritual sense, nursed Gordon back to health and, by example, began the young Scot’s metamorphosis from agnos tic to avowed Christian. In his book, Gordon pays tribute to Miller’s quiet, dignified Christianity. â€Å"Within the camp there was†¦daily inspiration. The strong and simple faith of Dusty Miller was one of them; it suggested that he had found the Ernest Gordon 4 answer so many of us sought† (Gordon, 1963). A simple, unpretentious sort, Miller excused himself from the debates in which the prisoners took part, possibly intuiting that true spirituality isn’

Vidsoft technologies Essay Example for Free

Vidsoft technologies Essay Vidsoft technologies was an Internet company in California and it developed enterprise software to solve the procurement needs for its clients such as Cisco systems, Johnson and Johnson and Telespain companies. Keith Nash who was the companys chief executive officer of Vidsoft had instilled a culture in the organization where employees were free to speak their minds, work hard and deliver customer satisfaction because he believed that so long as the Vidsoft customers were success full, so would the company. The organization also encouraged employees and it had several motivational activities for its employees which included football pingpong tables and social gathering during Fridays so that the employees can enjoy themselves and feel free to talk about the events of the week and what they felt about the company or any situation which may be there. Managers were promoted from within the organization and the company always looked for those who were better than the existing ones. However as Internet need expanded, they few individuals remaining demanded high salaries therefore the criteria for hiring people relaxed where they chose to employ people then train them. Babatunde was the senior technical support manager, Hsu was a technical support engineer who was a hard worker but was not a team player and wanted to climb the corporate ladder faster. Babatunde promoted Li into management and although she was determined to fit, Hsu was not happy that Li was his boss and wanted to be transferred to another group because he did not respect Li, he joined Vidsoft because of Babatunde and therefore wanted him to remain his boss and that Li was not experienced for the job so there was nothing which he would learn from her. Although Babatunde tried to resolve the situation, Hsu did not want to be under Li and she did not want him to leave because she feared that others may have negative views of her. In this case Babatunde can resolve this situation by making Hsu the manager of the group dealing with the other line of the product because it did not yet have a manager and he had necessary skills for the position. This would be a powerful motivator for Hsu and he would be able to learn to associate with others and also involve himself in the team work which was highly valued by the company. The internal promotion of Hsu would also generate loyalty through his recognition and it would increase his morale by fulfilling his need of increased status and his want to climb up the corporate ladder. This is because Hsu was an experienced person for the managerial job and with his degree in computer engineering, he would effectively manage the other group and bring good results to the customers and the company. Due to Hsu attitude and his response to Lis promotion, there was no surety that he would be comfortable with the other new manager who would be brought to manage the other group if he was to be shifted from Lis team. This therefore means that if he was the manager, he would be directly under Babatunde which he always wanted and he would be comfortable in his position. Through this promotion also, others would not despise Li as they had already started to be influenced by Hsus attitude because there would be a good reason for removing Hsu under her management. This situation could have been avoided initially by first talking to each and everyone in the group which was to be managed by Li about the decision of promoting her as their manager. Those not comfortable like Hsu would have then been given the chance to move to the other group initially therefore the problem would not have occurred. Other employees would have also been informed about the promotion so that whoever who might has been interested such as Hsu would have a chance to be taken as one of the candidates to fill the position. In future, this problem can be avoided by talking to all the people concerned and the entire group which will be managed before making the move of promoting one of them so that they are all comfortable with the decision. Others should also be taught on how to accept others and their capabilities but not just think of themselves and how they can be able to move up the corporate ladder, they should be made to think of the company first and how it can be made to improve it and this will in future prevent such scenarios from reoccurring. The employees should also be taught ti respect each other and be ready to work under the supervision of any of them who would be promoted for a more superior position. Vidsoft technologies and its management should also provide opportunities to the employees through a job-bidding procedure or during the performance evaluation of employees by the managers to declare any interest which any of them may have in a specific promotion opportunity in the organization. The employees should be notified that they should identify higher positions which they may be interested in and they should not only use a general statement that they would someday want to have a better job but they should be clear and specific so that the management can be aware and therefore monitor such an employee for any possibilities of leadership or management skills. Performance evaluation should also be conducted on all the employees on basis of written specifications and all the standards which are related to the job and the appraisal should also be written so that they can be used in future. Vidsoft managers should conduct meetings with individual employees so they their evaluations can be signed and also determine their abilities in management. A system should also be developed so that the employees can be alerted on when any promotional opportunity is available in the organization so that they can have a chance to express their interest in the positions given (Devon 2007). Transactional leadership works in situations where clear structures are created and it is very clear of what is needed of the subordinates and the rewards they are meant to get when they follow orders given to them by their seniors. Although punishments are not mentioned, the subordinates understands them well and there are formal ways of instilling discipline in them which is put in place. The early stage of transactional leadership is where the contract is negotiated, and the subordinates are given salaries and benefits and managers gets authority over the subordinates in the company. The work allocated to subordinates by the managers is considered his/her responsibility whether or not there are resources available to do the work and in case anything goes wrong during work, the subordinate is seen to be at fault and is given a punishment for the failure just the way they are rewarded if they succeed in their work. The transactional leaders uses management by exception where they work on the principle that if something is operating to defined performance, then it does not need to be given any attention and that exceptions require praise for exceeding expectations and collective action is applied for performances which are below expectations. Transactional leadership is based on contingency where reward or punishment are contingent upon a persons performance. It is still a popular approach for managers despite its limitations such as the assumption of the rational man who is seen as a person who is mostly motivated by the money given to him/her or the simple rewards offered therefore their behaviors can be predicted. While the common transactional leadership relies on the assumptions about human beings, their motivators and how the organizations work, today these assumptions are seen as incorrect, false and inaccurate. This kind of leadership is linked to behaviorist approach to human functioning which is incomplete and it focuses more on management not leadership. Transformational leadership Transformational leadership is the process which changes or transforms individuals where they are made to want change, to improve and to be led. They access employees motives, satisfy their needs and value them and they are likely to make the organizational more successful. Transformational leadership begins with development of a vision which may emerge from different discussions and then the vision is sold where the transformational leaders convince others to contribute. The leaders seeks to transform the organization as well as the followers so that they can be good leaders. The major differences between transformational and transactional leadership is that while transformational leadership deals with building need and meaning in individuals, transactional leadership deals with building on the need to get the job done and make a living out of it. Second is that transformational leadership is usually pre-occupied with purposes, values, morals and ethics while transactional leadership is pre occupied with power and position, perks and politics. Transformational leadership transcends daily affairs and is oriented towards the long term goals without compromising on the human values and principles while transactional leaders swamp daily affairs and look at short term goals. The transformational leaders separates causes and symptoms and work to prevent and treat, and it focuses more on missions and strategies to achieve the goals, it makes the full use of the available resources such as human interactions, they design and redesign jobs so that they are meaningful and challenging and strive to work effectively within the human potential in the current systems of the organization and they align the internal structures and systems to reinforce the goals which have been set. On the other hand, transactional leaders confuses the causes and the symptoms, they focus on the tactical issues, rely on human relations to oil, they follow and fulfill the expectations from their roles and they support structures which reinforce they organizations goals (Bass Riggio 2005). Transformational leadership creation of a moral aspiration for followers and leaders alike Transformational leaders motivate their followers so that they can take action and do their work well by appealing to the shared goals and values and by satisfying the higher order needs of the people whom they are leading. They satisfy the aspirations and expectations of the people whom they are leading and it becomes moral because it raises the level of human conduct as well as their level of ethical aspirations of both the transformational leader and the people whom they are leading and therefore it has a transforming effect on both the leader as well as the led. Transformational leaders fosters the appropriate changes by adding into and shaping the common goals, needs and wants between them and followers and they also develop and carry an evaluation of others in accordance to the set values in the organization. There are four factors of transformational leadership which create a high level of moral inspiration to both the leaders and their followers, these are one, it has an idealized influence which describes managers who are exemplary role models for associates and therefore the followers like them because they believe that they will help them. Second is inspirational motivation which describes managers who motivates their followers to commit to the organizations vision and they also encourage team spirit to reach the already set goals. Third is intellectual stimulation which describes the managers who encourage innovation and creativity through challenging beliefs or views given by a group and the forth is individual consideration which describes managers who act as coaches and advisors to the associates or followers by encouraging them to reach goals so that they can help themselves as well as the organization (Sadler 2003).

Sulas Wines Essay Example for Free

Sulas Wines Essay Question 1: The Indian wine industry presents some interesting characteristics that can be analysed using the Porter’s five forces framework to understand to what extent it is a profitable one, and why it is attractive or not. Let us get started with Rivalry: here it is important to differentiate between the Indian and the global market. In fact, at the time the case was written, the Indian market was expanding so rapidly (25/30% per year) that business opportunities were flourishing and all the existing participants could easily sell their products without the need to attack others’ customer base. However, if we broaden our point of view to the global industry, rivalry is way fiercer and exports are likely to be a less profitable business than the domestic one. Overall, LOW/MODERATE. Buyers’ power: in this industry, it is incredibly difficult to â€Å"lock in† a solid customer base made of individual consumers that face virtually zero switching costs and have different tastes for wine. Additionally, wholesalers and retailers can exert significant pressure on wine producers for what concerns shelf space and wine selection. Therefore, it seems that buyers’ power is HIGH compared to producers’, thus lowering profitability. Suppliers’ power: if we think in terms of the raw materials needed to produce wine, i. e. grapes and juice, we can state that, being them commodities, these are subject to the seasonal fluctuations in price, quantity and availability typical of agricultural products. In periods of excess supply, high quality grapes could be purchased for lower prices and vice versa. Also, regulatory changes in 2001 reduced both sales taxes and the costs of imported bottling items, thus increasing profitability. However, India has a major issue that turns out to be of crucial importance to farmers and producers, i. e. he lack of stable electricity supply; this could in principle give some bargaining power to suppliers of diesel and generators. Thus, suppliers’ power is LOW/MODERATE. Threat of substitutes: although the Indian government has recently granted several concessions and liberalizations for both sale and consumption of wine, the threat of substitutes is still HIGH, especially for cultural reasons whereby whiskey, for instance, is traditionally preferred by the majority of Indians to wine. However, given the rapid expansion of the industry, there seems to be more than a hope that this mind-set will change in the near future. Barriers to entry: wine is definitely no easy business to start. There are several reasons to justify this point; first of all, as Sula’s case clearly shows, it takes time to obtain the various licenses; also, the knowledge and know-how required are extremely sophisticated and specific; additionally, wineries are capital intensive businesses and the initial investment to set them up is substantial. However, as we can see from the case, the Indian wine industry has benefited from governmental liberalizations that have encouraged many new wineries to enter the business. We can conclude that BTE are MODERATE/HIGH. The Porter analysis provides us with a moderately profitable scenario, in which it is not easy to start a successful business unless the exact skills and capabilities needed are present. In the following answer, these resources will be analysed in the context of Sula’s activity. Question 2: The biggest challenge that Samant faced when he returned to India to produce wine was that of changing the â€Å"alcoholic tastes† of consumers. To do so, he had to rely upon a strategy that would leverage on the core resources and competencies he had brought back from California. Also helped by a specialized consultant friend, Samant meticulously configured his piece if land in order to exploit the good potential of its location; additionally, he successfully realized that an unconventional growing/harvesting schedule had to be adopted if they wanted to take advantage of the seasonal characteristics of the weather, such as monsoons. He managed to earn a solid and valuable reputation, refusing to bribe officers to obtain the necessary licenses and took care of promoting its products, through marketing campaigns and wine tasting events, in the attempt of changing Indians’ culture towards wine. For what concerns the type of wines to start production with, Samant successfully identified those that could best accompany the spicy flavours of the Indian cuisine and, subsequently, he diversified the firm’s portfolio by introducing more varieties of white and red wines. Finally, he has secured the unique and valuable expertise of some of the brightest players in the financial sector, who have enthusiastically joined him in the firm’s activities. This combination of factors have allowed Samant to put Sula’s Vineyards in a very comfortable position to exploit the huge growth that everyone expects from he Indian wine market; right now, the firm seems to have a competitive advantage to further develop in the near future, if the right strategy will be pursued. Question 3: Looking at the numbers, Sula has been extremely profitable in 2007, with net profits that increased more than six fold since the year before; also, sticking to market forecasts, it seems that an explosive growth has just begun in India, an opportunity that should definitely be exploited. Now that the business is well established and generates a steady stream of revenues, Samant may consider to raise additional debt to finance the long-term challenge of producing premium red wines in a separate winery, something that, if successful, would give Sula’s business a major boost both in sales and in reputation. In the meantime, revenues from national sales would provide the capital necessary to feed the already existing business. Moreover, it could also be worth it to â€Å"attack† the global market with initially lower prices to gain some market share also in Europe and in the U. S. at first, relationships with touristic targets such as hotels and restaurants would be established and, if this strategy worked out, then Sula would face an ever-growing demand for its products, at least for the next 10 years, that could be met by working together with other local producers of premium wine. The idea of a â€Å"consortium† of Maharashtra firms could be attractive for many reasons, among which a significant increase in bargaining power towards the government when it comes to requesting the necessary improvements of regional infrastructures, such as roads, electricity supplies, etc.