...is Marketing Strategy? Marketing strategy is defined by David Aaker as a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its resources on the optimal opportunities with the goals of increasing sales and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Marketing strategy includes all basic and long-term activities in the field of marketing that deal with the analysis of the strategic initial situation of a company and the formulation, evaluation and selection of market-oriented strategies and therefore contributes to the goals of the company and its marketing objectives. Effective marketing starts with a considered, well-informed marketing strategy. A good marketing strategy helps organization define vision, mission and business goals, and outlines the steps need to take to achieve these goals. Marketing strategy affects the way organization run entire business, so it should be planned and developed in consultation with team. It is a wide-reaching and comprehensive strategic planning tool that: * Describes business and its products and services * Explains the position and role of products and services in the market * Profiles customers and your competition * Identifies the marketing tactics will use * Allows building a marketing plan and measuring its effectiveness. A marketing strategy sets the overall direction and goals for organization marketing, and is therefore different from a marketing plan, which outlines the specific actions you will take to...
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...Section 6 Lecture Notes for Chapter 1 325 Chapter 1 Strategy and the Quest for Competitive Advantage Chapter Summary Chapter One explores the concepts surrounding organizational strategy. It begins with an explanation of the term strategy and offers a basis for how to identify a company’s particular strategy. Next, it explores the importance of striving for competitive advantage in the marketplace and examines the role strategy plays in achieving this advantage. The chapter then explores the idea that strategy is partly proactive and partly reactive. This is followed by a close look at the relationship between a company’s strategy and its business model. The chapter proceeds forward with a look at what makes strategy a winner and then presents reasons for why crafting and executing strategy are important. The chapter concludes with thoughts on the equation: good strategy + good strategy execution = good management. Lecture Outline I. The Importance of Managing Strategically 1. Three questions must be answered by managers of all types of organizations: a. Where are we now? b. Where do we want to go? c. How are we going to get there? 2. “Where we are now?” prompts managers to evaluate industry conditions and competitive pressures, the company’s current performance and market standing, its resource strength and capabilities and its competitive weaknesses. 3. “Where do we want to go?” this lies within managements vision of the company’s future direction. It pushes...
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...Assignment 1 Compensation practice Erica Nuahn Strayer University Profession: Janine Przybyl Bus 409 Best Buy is the world’s largest consumer electronics retailer, offering advice, service and convenience – all at competitive prices – to the consumers who visit its websites and stores more than 1.5 billion times each year. In the United States, more than 70 percent of Americans are within 15 minutes of a Best Buy store and BestBuy.com is among the largest ecommerce retailers in the United States. Additionally, the company operates businesses in Canada, China and Mexico. Altogether, Best Buy employs more than 140,000 people and earns annual revenues of more than $40 billion. By aligning with Accenture, Best Buy can leverage the provider’s global expertise in building and providing HR services and systems, allowing it to achieve a flexible, scalable delivery model much faster than if it were to build these capabilities in house. In addition to speed to capability, the partnership simplifies the complex challenge of transforming HR, enabling Best Buy’s HR professionals to focus on leading the human-capital component of its transformation. The payroll and bonus administration functions that previously were the province of finance have moved over to the new HR team at Accenture. “Aligning these functions under HR allows for a single point of contact for Best Buy employees, thus improving the overall employee experience,” Walden explains. “It also enables employees in...
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...why? An organizational environment usually sets boundaries to what an organization can and cannot do because of the factors which influence that organization. The term is defined as all elements that exist outside the boundary of the organization and have the potential to affect all or part of the organization. Where the organization physically takes place, or its domain and how the sectors play a role on the organization all have an impact on the structures to react to those factors. The organizational structure is based on the number of levels of hierarchy, grouping individuals together into departments and number of departments in an organization, as well as communication and coordination across departments. Some factors that influence organizations are the task environment including: international, industry, raw materials, human resource and market sectors. These sectors directly impact the organization’s ability to achieve goals. These factors are more capable to control, to a certain extent, by the organization. However, there are also the general environment, like the: sociocultural, government, economic conditions, technology, and financial resource sector. These sectors might not have a direct impact on the daily operations of a firm but indirectly influence it. These factors are much harder to control for a business because it has to respond to these factors on how they are able to achieve their goals. The more external factors that regularly influence the organization...
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...service fits into the marketplace. Effective positioning puts you first in line in the minds of potential customers. As individuals, we continually position ourselves. The responsible older sibling, the class clown, a number cruncher, a super genius are all examples of positioning. These identifiers help us define ourselves and distinguish our abilities as unique and different from other people. Positioning is a powerful tool that allows you to create an image. And image is the outward representation of being who you want to be, doing what you want to do, and having what you want to have. Positioning yourself can lead to personal fulfillment. Being positioned by someone else restricts your choices and limits your opportunities. That's why it's so important for entrepreneurs to transform their passion into a market position. If you don't define your product or service, a competitor will do it for you. Your position in the market place evolves from the defining characteristics of your product. The primary elements of positioning are: * Pricing. Is your product a luxury item, somewhere in the middle, or cheap, cheap, cheap. * Quality. Total quality is a much used and abused phrase. But is your product well produced? What controls are in place to assure consistency? Do you back your quality claim with customer-friendly guarantees, warranties, and return policies? * Service. Do you offer the added value of customer service and support? Is your...
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...BUY THIS COURSE AT: http://myessaybank.com/essay_bag/view_paper/id/1890 | Management Effectiveness Using Technology Resources | Phase 1 - Task 1 | Task Type: | Discussion Board | Deliverable Length: | See assignment details | | | | | Primary Discussion Response is due by WednesdayYou have been called in by your boss. The company is considering buying another smaller firm; however, some business analysis is needed for your company management to make its final decision about purchasing. Your boss has asked you to look at the firm that he or she is considering to buy in terms of competitive advantage. You have been asked to explain to senior management how you would provide this information. You have been tasked with using Porter's five forces to make this determination. Discuss and defend to your management how utilizing Porter's five forces to analyze any organization or industry would provide an understanding of competitive advantage. | | Phase 1 - Task 2 | Task Type: | Individual Project | Deliverable Length: | See assignment details | The company that you are working for is considering buying another smaller firm. However, there is some business analysis needed for your company to make its final decision about purchasing. Throughout this course, you will be working on creating the Business Strategy and Management Plan.Keep in mind that the final Business Strategy and Management Plan template should contain the following...
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...concerned with ‘doing the right thing’. Strategic management is the deliberate effort to allocate resource and get above average returns through competitive advantage so that in the long run the organisation can generate wealth maximization for its stakeholders. There are a number of advantages of strategic management as stated by Pearce and Robinson (2009:10), it helps reduce resistance to change therefore getting buy in from all stakeholders is critically important. It also results in better decisions because it facilitates group interaction. Group based strategic decisions generate a variety of specialized input which involves all the different areas in the organisation and an in depth range of alternatives and makes it more likely that the best solutions will be chosen. Strategic management enhances the organisation’s ability to prevent problems. It creates a framework through which managers can encourage their staff to focus on planning, monitoring and evaluating the success of these plans. There are also disadvantages of strategic management as Pearce and Robinson (2009:10) identified three types of risks. Firstly, it requires time and managers to be actively involved in the planning, implementation and evaluation process of strategic management as well as do their operational responsibilities. Secondly, the formulators of the strategy need to be involved in its implementation to avoid mangers shirking their responsibilities and decisions. Lastly,...
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...Elevator Pitch - Investor Presentation - Business Plan - Financials Strategic Issues - Challenging Times - Competitive Barriers - Measuring Performance - Outsourcing - Strategic Alliances - Strategic Planning - Sustainable Growth Sales & Marketing - Better Branding - Developing E-newsletters - Online Feedback - Market Analysis - The Plan The Human Element - Hiring/Keeping Employees - Advisory Boards - Corporate Board Miscellaneous - Selling Your Business Unlike a business plan, a marketing plan focuses on the customer. It is your plan of action - what you will sell, to whom you will sell it, how often, at what price, and how you will get the product to the buyer. It also covers what you’ll say about your product or service, and where and when you’ll say it. Here’s a closer look at putting together a marketing plan that works. 1. Define Your Product’s Features, Benefits and Distribution: Describe what the product or service does, how it works, what features it offers and most importantly what problem it solves - people buy solutions. Describe the product’s physical characteristics such as size, weight and color. Define its benefits in emotional as well as functional terms. Know which features and benefits of your product or service will appeal to different market segments. Give information on pricing, including whether and how you discount. Price is not rigid; it may have a range and vary by market since it is based on perceived value, cost structure...
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...Marketing Strategy Do I need a marketing strategy? Making and using a marketing strategy has a strong positive impact on profitability. This is because firms that employ a marketing strategy tend to focus on their customers and markets, integrate their marketing responses and work out in advance where their profits will come from. This briefing answers a range of questions people in small business often ask about marketing strategy: * what is a marketing strategy? * what's the difference between marketing strategy and business strategy? * where does the marketing mix fit in? * what is a marketing plan? * what information do I need and where do I get it? * what should my marketing strategy consist of? * how do I get started? What is a marketing strategy? A marketing strategy defines objectives and describes the way you're going to satisfy customers in your chosen markets. It does not have to be written down but it is easier to communicate to outsiders, like your bank manager or other investors, when it is. A set of strategies found quite commonly in smaller businesses are growth strategies. One way to look at strategies to grow your business is through the way you will use products and markets or customers. * Current product/current market Market penetration is a strategy of increasing your share of existing markets. You might achieve this by raising customers' awareness of your products and services or finding new customers. For further information...
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...Decision Making “What do we do well?” “What do buyers need?” “What are competitors doing?” “Where should we compete?” “How should we compete?” I. Situation Analysis A. Internal 1. The Organization’s Goals and Objectives 2. The Organization’s Strengths and Weaknesses B. External 1. Customer Analysis 2. Competitor Analysis 3. PEST Analysis C. Identify Key Problems & Opportunities 1. Perform SWOT Analysis 2. Set Priorities 3. Develop an Overall Assessment II. Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning (STP) A. Identify Relevant Markets and Segments B. Select Target Markets and Target Segments C. Develop Positioning Strategy III. Determine Marketing Mix Alternatives A. Product (Goods and/or Services) B. Price C. Place (Distribution) D. Promotion (Advertising and Promotion) E. Evaluation of Alternatives IV. Implementation, Adaptation, and Renewal A. Implement Decision B. Monitor & Control C. Adapt & Renew Figure 1 Framework for Marketing Overview The framework for marketing - the process for implementing the Value Cycle - is illustrated in Figure 1. The basic steps are outlined on the previous page and each is developed more fully in the pages that follow. It is best to begin with a brief overview. The first stage, the Situation Analysis, combines internal analysis of the organization with external analysis of its customers and the competitive environment. Careful analysis...
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...objective, scope, and advantage of their business in a simple statement. If they can’t, neither can anyone else. Can You Say What Your Strategy Is? by David J. Collis and Michael G. Rukstad Reprint R0804E It’s a dirty little secret: Most executives cannot articulate the objective, scope, and advantage of their business in a simple statement. If they can’t, neither can anyone else. Can You Say What Your Strategy Is? by David J. Collis and Michael G. Rukstad COPYRIGHT © 2008 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Can you summarize your company’s strategy in 35 words or less? If so, would your colleagues put it the same way? It is our experience that very few executives can honestly answer these simple questions in the affirmative. And the companies that those executives work for are often the most successful in their industry. One is Edward Jones, a St. Louis–based brokerage firm with which one of us has been involved for more than 10 years. The fourth-largest brokerage in the United States, Jones has quadrupled its market share during the past two decades, has consistently outperformed its rivals in terms of ROI through bull and bear markets, and has been a fixture on Fortune’s list of the top companies to work for. It’s a safe bet that just about every one of its 37,000 employees could express the company’s succinct strategy statement: Jones aims to “grow to 17,000 financial advisers by 2012 [from about 10,000 today] by offering trusted...
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...Can You Say What Your Strategy Is? by David J. Collis and Michael G. Rukstad CAN YOU SUMMARIZE YOUR COMPANY’S STRATEGY in 35 words or less? If so, would your colleagues put it the same way? It is our experience that very few executives can honestly answer these simple questions in the affirmative. And the companies that those executives work for are often the most successful in their industry. One is Edward Jones, a St. Louis–based brokerage firm with which one of us has been involved for more than 10 years. The fourth-largest brokerage in the United States, Jones has quadrupled its market share during the past two decades, has consistently outperformed its rivals in terms of ROI through bull and bear markets, and has been a fixture on Fortune’s list of the top companies to work for. It’s a safe bet that just Getty Images and IPNstock 82 Harvard Business Review | April 2008 | hbr.org It’s a dirty little secret: Most executives cannot articulate the objective, scope, and advantage of their business in a simple statement. If they can’t, neither can anyone else. Can You Say What Your Strategy Is? about every one of its 37,000 employees could express the company’s succinct strategy statement: Jones aims to “grow to 17,000 financial advisers by 2012 [from about 10,000 today] by offering trusted and convenient face-to-face financial advice to conservative individual investors who delegate their financial decisions, through a national network of onefinancial-adviser...
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...some may assume that the entire world knows about it. However, when have we last verified this assumption through in depth research in the key markets? Is it our own perception or that of those involved in the tea trade, or only in the minds of the older generation? Does today’s ‘new consumer’ know about it? Even more important, when another brand of tea (local or foreign owned) uses the slogan ‘Pure Ceylon Tea’ what impact has that on the buyer of that brand? Does adding this slogan increase the value perception of the brand? These are questions for which answers must be found in both developed and developing markets. Generic branding promoting Ceylon Tea might be initiated but unless such communication is based on a realistic marketing strategy taking into...
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...by: Purohit hardik 11F16 MBA 2nd year (Div: A) 2011-13 What is Vision & and Mission? A Mission Statement defines the organization's purpose and primary objectives. Its prime function is internal – to define the key measure or measures of the organization's success and its prime audience is the leadership team and stockholders. Vision Statements also define the organizations purpose, but this time they do so in terms of the organization's values rather than bottom line measures (values are guiding beliefs about how things should be done.) The vision statement communicates both the purpose and values of the organization. For employees, it gives direction about how they are expected to behave and inspires them to give their best. Shared with customers, it shapes customers' understanding of why they should work with the organization. Bowman’s Strategy Clock In many open markets, most goods and services can be purchased from any number of companies, and customers have a tremendous amount of choice. It's the job of companies in the market to find their competitive edge and meet customers needs better than the next company. So, how, given the high degree of competitiveness among companies in a marketplace, does one company gain competitive advantage over the others? When there are only a finite number of unique products and services out there, how do different organizations sell basically the same things at different prices and with different degrees of success? This...
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...Chapter 3 Questions: 1. How would you categorize Generation X using the five segments of the marketing environment? A: Competitive Environment B: Political-legal environment C: Economic environment D: Technological environment E: Social-cultural environment 2. Joe and Ryan both have storefronts in the local mall. Joe sells candies and Ryan sells pretzels. Are Joe and Ryan in direct competition with each other? A: Yes B: No Consumer Behavior and Marketing Reading: Contemporary Marketing: Chapter 5 Questions: 1. Rachel and Sarah’s parents always purchased groceries from the local Aldi marketplace. What is this type of behavior an example of? A: Cultural influences B: Social Influences C: Personal factors 2. Maryanne purchases Maxwell House coffee every two weeks from the grocery. What is this type of behavior an example of? A: Routinized Problem Solving B: Limited problem solving C: Extended problem solving 3. Aaron does research on several local colleges before applying to his first three choices. This is an example of: A: High – involvement purchase decision B: Low – involvement purchase decision Marketing Plans Reading: Contemporary Marketing: Chapter 2 + Ch. 2 Appendix Web sites: http://www.jpec.org/handouts/jpec33.pdf http://www.netmba.com/marketing/process/ Questions: 1. Strategies are designed to meet objectives. Tactics are designed to implement strategies. Are tactics designed to be long-term...
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