Sales Planning and Operations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Sales Planning and Operations - Assignment Example Essentially, marketing is concerned with satisfaction of the consumer needs profitably. Therefore, for an organisation like Hendrix business to be better positioned to anticipate and satisfy the needs of the customers, there is need for them to have information about different targeted customers. Thus, through the efforts of the sales force, relationship marketing becomes firmly entrenched in commercial practice so the role of the sales person will increasingly encompass some of these wider issues. It is important for any organisation that is concerned with its viability to establish relationship with its customers to encourage positive image resulting in customer loyalty and repeat purchasing. The task of selling is principally about communication by word of mouth (Kotler 1999). Purchasers of the products normally need more than just advertisements when they want to make a decision to purchase something. The professional sales person is very flexible medium of communication and is b etter positioned to establish purchasing motives through listening to the buyer. He can then emphasise appropriate aspects of the product or the company in terms of meeting and satisfying the motivational considerations of the buyers. In the given scenario, the sales force can be effectively used to gather the views of the customers and make appropriate decisions that will satisfy the anticipated needs of the customers. This strategy can as well implemented to promote business to business B2B selling where Hendrix business will seek to sell its products to the other organisations. On the other hand, the company’s image is personally delivered... This paper says that the members of the team can also collectively work together to gather information about the potential as well as targeted customers. This information can be used to shape the marketing strategies of the above mentioned organisation. In most cases, a successful marketing strategy is determined by the information about the customers held by the organisation. Concerted efforts of a team are required in gathering this information that can also be used to portray the image of the organisation positively. The main purpose of the sales team is to coordinate their efforts towards the achievement of the sales goals of the organisation. Business is meant for gaining profits which can only be achieved when an organisation is aware of the needs of the customers and their buying behaviour which is the basis of marketing. It approves that Over and above, it can be noted that within a marketing strategy, personal selling plays a pivotal role in the growth and sustenance of business and it compliments other promotional activities. Personal selling plays a major role in gathering information about the needs of the customers, communication needs of the organisation as well as portraying the image of the organisation in a positive way. It has also been noted that the aspect of consumer behaviour has a bearing on the decision making process by the customers in making a purchase for a particular product. Sales teams also play a pivotal role in gathering the informational requirements of the organisation.

Drivers Of The Recent Wave Of Globalisation Economics Essay

Drivers Of The Recent Wave Of Globalisation Economics Essay Globalisation describes the ongoing process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures become integrated through a global spanning network of communication, cultural diffusion, travel and trade. The phenomenon of globalisation has been present since the start of the nineteenth century and it has nowadays been established as perhaps the most vigorous force shaping contemporary society, business, management and economics. The term is sometimes used to refer specifically to economic globalisation, in other words the reduction and removal of barriers between national borders in order to facilitate the flow of goods, capital, services and labour, (1). The unrestricted flow of information, ideas and cultural values add to the globalisation processes promoting converging market preferences and market-driven open economies. Although a situation of perfect integration (called homogenisation), where ideas and values are characterised by a global commonality does not exist (2), business orientation becomes more global based on the belief that the world is becoming more homogeneous and that distinctions between national markets are not only diminishing but, for some products, will eventually disappear (3). Recently the problem of business globalisation has become more evident worldwide. Even the most successful and well-established companies cannot survive on domestic sales alone, if they are in global industries such as banking, consumer electronics, travel services, entertainment, etc. It is, hence, useful to identify a number of key drivers, which affect the structure of economies and markets. According to George S. Yip, it is possible to define globalization drivers in four areas: Market Drivers Cost Drivers Governmental Drivers Competition Drivers The drivers of globalisation are a combination of many factors which have lead businesses to look outside their domestic markets for growth opportunities (4). It is usually the combined effect of just some of these separate factors that have more of gravity rather than all of the factors separately. In the next section the first three globalisation drivers are further analysed. Further investigation Market Drivers Market drivers refer to global market convergence, in other words, the increasing similarity of consumer tastes and product preferences in certain markets, as evidenced by the popularity of global brands in certain markets. Market globalisation drivers depend on customer behaviour and the structure of distribution networks. These factors are analysed in more detail below: Common customer needs: product and technology are transferred by means of communication throughout countries with similar needs. Some products such as Coca-Cola, McDonalds, KFC, etc. have been palatable to many countries. Global customers: not only consumer needs become more similar but also firms operating in globalised markets become global customers and may search for suppliers who can operate on a global basis. Global market channels: free trade, which was facilitated by regional trade blocks such as the formation of EU and NAFTA, and falling trade barriers have formed globe-spanning channels that enable companies to distribute goods and provide services internationally. For example, Carrefour and Wal-Mart have developed global channels to distribute products. Deloitte and HSBC have expanded their services worldwide. Lead countries: some countries have built up reputation in certain manufacturing industries. For instance, Japan is well known for consumer electronics, Switzerland for watches as well as its banking system, USA for computer software, etc. Transferable marketing and global branding: Adidas, Top Shop, IBM, Toyota, Apple, Samsung, Kodak, Vodafone have become local brands in the global environment. Global market convergence is measured by the percentage of worldwide sales attributed to standardized products. We have the example of NOKIA here, which increased its Indian market share from a mere 300,000 subscribers in 1996 to a whopping 55 million subscribers in 2004 (5). More and more global brands are brought to life, with the percentage of worldwide sales attributed to them continuously increasing. Cost Drivers Globalisation of the productive process allows firms to choose concentrating or dispersing value adding activities around the world according to the location advantages to be obtained. The cost advantage obtained affects activity concentration and depends on the following factors: Global scale and scope economies: national markets cannot be large enough for a domestic business to achieve all economies of scale and scope. A global organisation can expand and coordinate internal production and operations to increase its value through a combination of manufacturing, reduced delivery costs and economies of scale. The aim is to join multiple markets and sell a standardized product in several countries, increase overall sales thereby reducing the cost per unit of development, concentrate selected value activities and shift production in response to exchange rate fluctuations (6). Figure 1 shows the rise of standardized IT serves. Almost 60% out of the 340 companies of the survey admitted a significant benefit of using standardized products due to lower production and services costs of the product, lower operations costs and easier deployment (7). Figure : The Rise of Standardized IT Servers Sourcing efficiencies: centralized purchasing of new materials can significantly reduce the costs. We have two categories of sourcing efficiencies: outsourcing and offshoring. Outsourcing is when a company relocates a whole process, a piece of a process, a function, or a discrete piece of work outside of its own corporate boundaries. India has been the most popular outsourcing destination the last decade. Off-shoring refers to the relocation of a whole process, a piece of a process, a function, or a discrete piece of work outside the geographic boundaries. The work can be done in an offshore location either within the boundaries of the company or outside the boundaries of the company. Favourable logistics: A favorable ratio of sales to transportation costs enhances the ability of the company to concentrate production. Other factors are negligible need of location close to customers, absence of time urgency, even the shape of the product. Favourable logistics is the main reason retailing accounts for 75% of logistics activity in China. The sector is also stretched to the breaking point. The total handling capacity of Chinas coastal ports is already over one billion tons, and capacity is increasing quickly. Not quickly enough though (8). Knowledge and experience: some industries are characterised by an emphasis on creating value from new ideas and concepts, the so called knowledge-based industries. The accumulation of foreign market expertise can be highly beneficial for technology intensive many sectors like software development, engineering services and biotechnology. Other areas include financial services and pharmaceuticals. The steeper the knowledge and experience curve, the higher the benefit. We have the case of increasing workforce being educated in Western countries and returning to their Eastern located home countries. Product development costs: product development costs are rising due to short life of products that require higher return on investment, e.g. airlines, communications, pharmaceuticals, etc. These costs can be reduced by developing a few global or regional products rather than many national products. Differences in country costs and skills: Factor costs vary across country. The availability of particular skills also varies. Concentration of activities in low-cost or high skill countries can increase productivity and decrease costs. Managers, however, have to anticipate the danger of training future offshore competitors. Governmental Drivers The increased globalisation of financial markets, the fading of trade barriers and the formation of global alliances provide firms with the opportunity to take advantage of beneficial national regulations. Unrestrictive trade and investment policies: Reduction of tariff barriers, creation of trading blocks, decline in role of government, reduction in non-tariff barriers, shift in open market economies, increase in level of world trade, increase in foreign acquires of corporation, increased formation of global strategic alliances and globalization of financial markets are all favourable trade policies that promote globalisation of industries and services. Compatible technical standards: differences in technical standards, especially government imposed standards, limit the extent to which products can be standardized. For example Motorola products were withdrawn from the Japanese market because they were operating at a higher frequency than permitted. Common marketing regulations: the marketing environment can also affect the extent to which global marketing policies can be applied. Certain types of media can be prohibited or restricted. For example, it is the case that in many countries advertisements showing children toys are either not allowed or allowed after a particular time of the day. Globalisation drivers are revealed by the increasing percentage of countries that possess uniform or mutually- recognized technical standards, increasing staring from US and Canada, EU to China which recently became an open economy.

Julia Child: Master Chef and TV Star Essay -- Biographies Cooking Pape

Julia Child: Master Chef and TV Star O Julia, Julia, Cook and nifty wench, Whose unsurpassed quenelles and hot soufflà ©s, Whose English, Norse and German, and whose French, Are all beyond my piteous powers to praise- Whose sweetly-rounded bottom and whose legs, Whose gracious face, whose nature temperate, Are only equaled by her scrambled eggs: Accept from me, your ever-loving mate, This acclamation shaped in fourteen lines Whose inner truth belies its outer sight; For never were there foods, nor were there wines, Whose flavor equals yours for sheer delight. O luscious dish! O gustatory pleasure! You satisfy my taste-buds beyond measure. - Paul Child Julia Child is a creative genius who changed the culinary world with her energetic personality and fine cooking skills. She is a fine example of the gusto-olfactory intelligence with special accents of visual spatial and interpersonal intelligence’s. There were many chefs that could fall in this intelligence category, including Escoffier, Beard, and Farmer . I chose Julia because she is a woman who broke new ground in the world of cooking. She empowered America by encouraging them to cook and enjoy food. The gusto olfactory intelligence is really a matter of taste and smell. A gusto olfactory intelligent person is able to create a specific taste, to create their own additions to recipes, and to bring something new to the sense called taste. Childhood and Heritage Julia Carolyn McWilliams was born in Pasadena, California, on August 15, 1921 to her proud parents John and Caro McWilliams. Caro, as she was called, was an energetic woman who wanted to see the world before settling down. When she finally married John McWilliams she maintained her independent free s... ...and mind. As Gardner expected it took a great deal of time and steady work at her discipline to master it. Julia Child cast off in new directions never explored before. She fought the battle of being a woman in a male dominated field and world, along her way. She found the tools and status quo of her field unsatisfactory and began work on a new way of thinking about food. Julia, however, did not follow Gardner’s concept of Faustian bargain, but rather had good interpersonal relationships. Julia’s creative genius allowed her to succeed in a critical world. Bibliography Child, Julia. The Way To Cook. Knopf Inc. Canada, 1989. Cooper, Ann. A woman’s Place is in the Kitchen. Reinhold, 1998. Fitch, Noel Riley. Appetite For Life. Doubleday, NY. 1997. Internet sources: www.sallys-place.com www.foodwine.com www.iacp-online.org www.unknown.nu/Julia/

Technological Momentum and Education

Hughes presents a case for talking about technological momentum as a point between two opposite ideas; social constructivism and technological determinism. This raises questions as to what exactly the relationship is between technological momentum and soft determinism. Both ideas deal with the effect society has on technology and the effect that technology has on society. I will argue that while both ideas seem to be the same, there are important distinctions to make between the two. One is that Hughes’s idea of technological momentum is time dependent.So it is sensitive to society, culture, and the changes that occur to a technological system as it matures. On the other hand, soft determinism doesn’t distinguish between when a system will tend to be affected most by society, and when that technological system will have the most influence on society. In his essay, Thomas Hughes presents a case for technological momentum. The idea of technological momentum lies between t he extremes of social constructivism and technological determinism. Social constructivism is when social or cultural forces determine technological change.Technological determinism, on the other hand, is the idea that technical forces determine social and cultural changes (Smith, 102). Within his essay Hughes points out how technological systems evolve during their lifetime to fall under either of these extremes. According to Hughes, the maturity of the system often times dictates its influence on society and the impression the society itself can have on the technological system. One might point out that the idea of technological momentum is similar to the idea of soft determinism.The soft view of determinism is the belief that technological changes drives social change, but social pressures also influence it. Both of the ideas use the view that technology effects society, and that society effects technology. The ideas of technological momentum and soft determinism are very similar in the ways that they view the relationship between society and technology, as both state that social development shapes and is shaped by technology (Smith, 102). However there are important distinctions between the two that prove that they are indeed different.One important distinction to make between technological momentum and soft determinism is that Hughes’s technological momentum is time dependent and takes into account the multitude of changes that a technological system undergoes during its lifetime. Hughes emphasizes that a young or less complex system will be influenced more by society than influence society, which maintains the social constructivist’s view that it is primarily society that influences technology and technological change within the system.Ultimately, technological momentum and soft determinism are not two concepts referring to the same idea because of the emphasis Hughes puts on time and the maturity of the technological system, and how that pl ays a role in whether it’s technologically deterministic or socially constructed. In his essay Technological Momentum, Hughes uses examples of various technological systems to help support his claims. His example for a system that both shaped and was shaped by society is EBASCO. The Electric Bond and Share Company (EBASCO) was an American electric utility holding company of the 1920’s.EBASCO provided financial, management, and engineering construction services for the utility companies. There are multiple instances of social construction within EBASCO’s history. Hughes begins illustrating the social constructivism side of the spectrum by showing the technological forces that helped shape the EBASCO system. â€Å"The spread of alternating (polyphase) current after 1900, for instance, greatly affected, even determined, the history of the early utilities that had used direct current, for these had to change their generators and related equipment to alternating cur rent or fail in the face of competition. Smith, 106-107)† This example demonstrates how EBASCO was technologically influenced by society. If the new alternating current technology hadn’t been gaining popularity at the time, EBASCO wouldn’t have been forced to change their equipment to keep up with the competition. Not only did external technological forces shape EBASCO’s technical core, but economic ones did as well. Hughes points out the political forces that shaped the EBASCO system during its evolution. â€Å"Small urban utilities became regional ones and then faced new political or regulatory forces as state governments took over jurisdiction from the cities.Regulations also caused technical changes (Smith, 107). † This political influence shaped the EBASCO system as well. As the state governments took over they implemented guidelines that pushed for changes within the EBASCO system if they wished to stay in business. In addition to political an d technical influences, Hughes uses an example of geographical forces playing a role in EBASCO’s development. He states â€Å"As the regional utilities of the EBASCO system expanded, the confronted geographical realities as they sought cooling water, hydroelectric sites, and mine-mouth locations (Smith, 107). Hughes would say that these geographical issues played a role in EBASCO’s development as they had to discover a way to work around some forms of geography and while learning the most efficient means to utilize the other. Hughes would say that from a social constructivists’ standpoint, these technological, economic, political, and geographic forces all, with varying levels of intensity, influenced the EBASCO system during its development. While all of these social components did influence EBASO over time, Hughes claims that â€Å"the interaction of technological systems and society is not symmetrical over time (Smith, 108). Here, Hughes emphasizes his clai m that as a system becomes larger and more complex, it gathers momentum and becomes less shaped by and more the shaper of its environment. By the 1920’s the EBASCO system was now a large technological system with capital investment, customers, and influence on local, state, and federal governments. The company also largely interacted with many industries and communities. Hughes claims that these various components added to the momentum of the EBASCO system. Hughes also uses an example of another technological system in his essay to show the role of technological determinism.As merchant ships began to be replaced by submarines during World War I, the United States attempted to increase its supply of nitrogen compounds. They selected a process that required large amounts of electricity so the government had to construct a hydroelectric dam and power station. However, before the nitrogen-fixing facilities being built near the dam were completed, the war ended. Now, the supply of synthetic nitrogen compounds exceeded the demand. The U. S. government was left not only with process facilities but also a very large dam and power plant (Smith, pg 110).In 1933, however, a hydroelectric, flood-control, soil- reclamation, and regional development project sponsored by Senator George Norris and the Roosevelt administration and presided over by the Tennessee Valley Authority became created. The technological momentum of the dam had carried over from WWI to the New Deal (Smith, pg 111). Hughes views this process of creating a technological system and observing it go beyond its original purpose and going on to shape the society in which it resides as a prime example of technological determinism.Hughes sums up the technological determinism present in the hydroelectric dam example by stating that â€Å"this durable artifact acted over time like a magnetic field attracting plans and projects suited to its characteristics. Systems of artifacts are not neutral forces; they tend to shape the environment in particular ways (Smith, pg 111). † In his essay, Hughes has some claims about when social constructivism would be the dominant influence and when technological determinism would be the stronger influence.Hughes’s idea of technological momentum can be described as a spectrum that determines the way a technological system is manipulated. On one end you have social constructivism. On this end Hughes claims that younger developing systems tend to be on this end of the spectrum because they are more open to sociocultural influence. On the other end of the spectrum lies technological determinism. Hughes claims that technological systems that are technologically deterministic tend to be the more mature systems because they are older and prove to be more independent of outside influences and therefore more deterministic in nature.By defining technological momentum as being time dependent Hughes maintains that the concept of technological moment um avoids the â€Å"extremism of both technological determinism and social construction by presenting a more complex, flexible, time-dependent, and persuasive explanation of technological change (Smith, 104). † One objection to my claim might be the fact that just because soft determinism doesn’t explicitly address time doesn’t mean that it doesn’t consider time because it would be difficult for a technological system to be socially constructed and technologically deterministic at the same time.My response would be that while it may be assumed that only one action can be done at a given time, it is not specifically stated in the description. The idea of technological momentum looks at time within the context of the maturity of the technological system. Soft determinism looks solely at whether a system can be both socially constructed and technologically deterministic, but not how this may change overtime due to the maturity of the system and the momentum it has gained.In conclusion, Hughes explains his idea of technological momentum by placing it on a spectrum with social constructivism on one end and technological determinism on the other. Technol ogical momentum is related to soft determinism because of the effect society has on society and the effect that technology has on that society. However, it is important to make an important distinction regarding time. Hughes’s technological determinism is time dependent so it is sensitive to society, culture, and the changes that occur to a technological system as it matures.

The True Definition of a Strong Team

The True Definition of a Strong Team What is a team one may ask? The formal definition of team is â€Å"a number of persons associated in some joint action† (Team). A group of athletes, a group of employees, or a group of friends can call themselves a team when united to complete a common goal. Truly any group of individuals can call themselves a team, but only when this group possesses the right characteristics is when they can be called a true, strong team. Being a strong team is much more than getting a group a group of people together and declaring it is a team. A strong team is constructed with more than speech; it deals with strong feelings, dedication, and hard work. Strong feelings provide great importance when construction a strong team. Whether people are part of a sport team or a work force, they all must possess the characteristic of having strong feelings for the situation they are placed in. If the person’s feelings are so strong, he/she will be more than willing to strive for that goal. If he/she did not care much for the situation they are placed into, they will most likely not strive and excel and unfortunately, the team will suffer by the goal not being reached. When each individual in a team has strong feelings toward the completion of or reaching that goal, a strong team is reached. Everyone, apart of the team, who has those strong feelings are on the same page allowing them to strive together with a great feeling of passion. When this passion is reached, every team member will know exactly how to complete their team goal with their inner feelings. When a team all has the same feelings toward a common goal it shows the strength of the team as a whole. A team may all have a strong feeling toward completing a goal, but each individual has to portray many other characteristics in order to become a strong team. With strong feelings, teams can reach many goals. But in order to complete and achieve more challenging goals, a strong team must posses’ dedication. Dedication is a very important characteristic that every great team out there acquires. Dedication requires individuals to do the best they can always. For example, always showing up for dance class, always being on time for dance class, always being at every rehearsal, and so fourth. When portraying the dedication attitude, others will envy that and respect the fact that this individual wants to be apart of something much greater than any individual. Dedication can also be portrayed through showing respect for the team. This can be done by putting others first. If every member of a team is willing to put others before themselves, a team will be able to accomplish goals the never thought they could before. Dedication is a characteristic every team must have in order to be called a strong team. A strong team that possesses dedication are the teams heard to be accomplishing phenomenal goals, not only because they are extraordinary at their sport, but because they have the passion and dedication of being apart of a team. Dedication is a possession that truly great teams have and with dedication comes hard work and if you are dedicated, you will work hard! Working hard is something each individual must provide their team. By working hard, a team will become stronger and will learn how to work together by working off each others’ strengths. Working hard means that people always put forth their best foot and try their hardest at all times. Through hard work, individuals will mold themselves to become better, along with helping others improve. When a team is able to work hard every day and put forth everything they have, that team will strive. In the end, what that team puts in is what they will receive out and each individual is going to get stronger through their teams improvement. Undergoing these strong feelings toward a goal will help the team succeed. Hard work will better the chances of completing this unique goal the team holds. Dedication is a key characteristic in all teams. Dedication most importantly makes the team not only stronger as individuals but as a team. Dedication builds the base for a strong team and hard work keeps that team functioning beautifully together. These characteristics will give that passion to excel towards a sport, job or any such life goals. When each of these characteristics are reached, I give the permission to call themsel