whirlpool case :: essays research papers

Whirlpool is an appliance company headquartered in the United States. The company has a global presence and ranks as number two world wide. They are the market leader in the United States. The major goal of the company is to achieve global growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whirlpool’s global marketing strategy is based on segmenting customers well and providing suitable products for each specific market. They have different strategies and market conditions for developed markets and developing markets. The company segments its products in developed markets like United States and Europe. In United States there are three segments: high end products, medium priced products and low end products. In Europe there are only two: traditionalists and aspirers. In those markets the competition is severe, the market is fragmented and growth rate of the industry is low; around 1 or 2 percent. So, the company tries to maintain its position by cutting costs down by decreasing the number of warehouses & the product development budget and increasing productivity. In developing markets such as Brazil, China and India, Whirlpool tries to produce products that match the local needs and tastes of the majority (low-end customers). They have two major strategies for that. They use platform method and innovations. In the platform method, the company produces same platforms that are the technical core of the end product for each market. Later on market specific capabilities are added to the product. The other method is innovation of a bran new product for a specific local market. Then the company uses this new product in other markets that have similar needs and tastes by using platform method (making minor adjustments for each market).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Market research is used to gather information about the marketplace. By using this data, the company decides what the local needs and tastes are, how the segmentation should be made and which segment gives priority to what features. According to the results the company launches new products or modifies their existing products for the given market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Developing products for low income consumers in emerging markets may be a good strategy. As the majority of people in developing countries are low income consumers, by reaching those consumers the company will have huge brand recognition in that country.

A Cinematographic Vampire’s Tale: Understanding the Symbolism Behind the Horror Icon

Cinema is the place where we as viewers engage in sharing a collective dream. Certainly, horror movies enrich us as viewers with the most dream-like of plots. This is because they open a portal into another world where we are allowed to engage with our nightmares. All over time various horror movies show us how normality is endangered by a monster, but the creature who has haunted the screen like no one is undoubtedly the Vampire. According to Ivan Phillips the figure of the Vampire has drifted and shifted through the pages of newspapers, travel journals, novels, poems, comics, and plays for 300 years, it has haunted cinema and television for almost a hundred, its shadow is creeping into the social, narrative and ludic networks of the digital’. The image of the Vampire is constantly present in the virtual and literature culture of the twenty-first century. Although this being moved from its folkloristic origins in which he appeared in works of J. Sheridan Le Fanu, John Polidor i and Bram Stoker, the vampire still remains an iconic figure in Western Culture. This personage provides paradoxical fascination as it exists ‘at the edges of what is deemed normal, acceptable and safe, the vampire embodies the foreign and the unfamiliar’. Although, the vampire is often seen as a bringer of death, there are numerous metaphorical meanings and readings of this being. Through Marxist discourse the vampire is portrayed as the monster of monopoly capitalism and the agent of foreign ownership. This idea of the ‘bloodsucking capitalist’ is perceived in a negative way the Marxist community. In a xenophobic society this idea of the vampire embodies a general fear of the unfamiliar and may also constitute a racial difference. But the vampire not only represents the non-conformity it also alludes to an illicit desire. According to Jorg Waltje, this being is the embodiment of humanity's ‘hopes and desires: beauty, strength, and immortality’. Although these elements do not express fear in the same way as the vampire's link with death but in the same manner they express an external behaviour which puts at risk society's stability. The vampire hints to a sense of ‘unsettlement’. Through his figure the viewer, in a quite troubled sense, comes face-to-face with the dramatization of humanity. As a creature, the vampire encompasses men's vulnerability and his inability to alter the laws of time. As Sarah Sceats states ‘Vampires represent what we both fear and desire; they evoke a marginal world of darkness, secrecy, vulnerability, excess, and horror. Whatever they are, it is positively Other’. This notion of ‘excess' was also tackled by Omar Calabrese in one of his chapters. According to Calabrese one could only escape from ‘a closed system’ through this notion of excess. The vampire represents this excess as he personifies ‘those aspects excluded or rejected by society, its existence in itself denotes excess’. In addition to this, Calabrese associates this vampiric excess to the exotic erotic which alludes to the scandal and breaks the boundaries of what is socially acceptable. In this sense the vampire's bite is linked with the erotic. Further to this ‘explicit erotic act’ we have an unavoidable act with death. It was Bram Stoker which explored this notion in his novel Dracula. In the scene, where Lucy dies we see an excessive use of the erotic; ‘She seemed like a nightmare of Lucy as she lay there; the pointed teeth, the bloodstained, voluptuous mouth – which it made one shudder to see – the whole carnal and unspiritual appearance, seeming like a devilish mockery of Lucy’s sweet purity’. Through this, Bram Stolker illustrates us with an example of how death is linked to the erotic. The notion of ‘excess' is repetitively used and reused by Stolker. In fact, he describes Lucy as a ‘nightmare †¦ hich it made one shudder to see’ As viewers, as film enthusiasts or as junkies of the silver screen, we have grown accustomed to think that nothing happens outside of the frame. Yet this idea seems to crumble to the ground when it comes to Dreyer's, Vampyr. The latter haunts us with ‘a distinctly innerving sense of not knowing where anyon e is, creating a feeling that anything culd be happening beyond the frame, in the ‘blind space' in which the monsoter lurks’. Visually speaking, Vampyr resembles Jean Epstein's La Chute de la Maison de Usher and Bunuel's Un Chien Andalou. Dreyer's horror movie encapsulates ‘clear moments of crossover between the two movements’. Therefore Vampyr distinguished itself from other movies of the same genre because of the various artistic influences which left their imprint. Comparison can also be drawn between more contemporary movies which are not necessarily classified under an artistic movement but which are still relevant to vampire studies. Coppola's movie is separated by decades from its predecessors and is more straight forward in the narration of events. Visual metaphors are central to its filmic structure and the American director’s interpretation is completely submerged in blood, but while this film is heavily conditioned by an erotic element, the scenes of blood in Vampyr are scarce. The ‘spots of blood’ carry psychoanalytic connotations. Barbara Creed states that the manifestation of horror is culturally and socially constructed through the ‘images of blood, vomit, pus. shit etc’. These images emphasize a split between the law of the father and the maternal influence. This division has to be viewed under a pre-Oedipal line of thought. In this stage there is a fierce attachment to the maternal figure. In Dreyer's vampire movie, blood is linked to the maternal entity because Chopin ‘punctuates the flesh and transgresses the sanctity of the body’. Another overwhelming point stated by Creed is that the female vampire does not limit herself to mutating her victims into creatures which are one with the night. Her victims are testimony of the vampire's ability to destabilize ‘traditional gender definitions’. Although lesbian connotations are often attributed to this particular flick, there is no real intimacy between Leon and Chopin. The scene in which Chopin ‘feeds' upon her young prey, does not communicate a sense of desire. The village doctor who is at the service of Chopin, does not coincide with the medical man who represents a positive force in the traditional gothic horror narrative. In Coppola's Dracula, based on Bram Stocker's novel, Van Helsing is an educated individual and an adversary to the malevolent vampire. The doctor ‘sucks' the blood from the living thanks to the transfusion equipment just as Chopin uses fangs. The victim of the doctor's bloodsucking, artificial technique is Gray. He is the character who often looks at the actions taking place by standing behind doors or windows; ‘he is an outsider peering in’. In fact, Gray is removed from the narrative action even as he witnesses the first death. David Bordwell believed that Gray ‘is a curious character’ and he is more of a mediator than a provocateur of action. However, Gray still ‘possesses an active and enunciating gaze’. This male character's progress is often hindered by other characters, by the props and also by buildings. What is so overwhelming about Vampyr is the collision between reality and the supernatural. Everything seems to take place within a dream-like state and the movie is ‘ephemeral, polysemic and shifting, provoking opinion and polarising debate’. The movie afflicts the viewer with dissonance and discomfort, especially when our gaze meet Chopin's stare as Gray is sealed in the coffin. The latter is an artefact which shares an endless tradition with the general notion of vampirism. It is the space where these beings retreat and hide away from the daylight. The coffin is the body-fitting box where Dracula and Count Orlock patiently wait their time to rise while the vessel is sailing. This tomb or repository is ‘the most vampiric of all enclosure’. Gray finds himself trapped in a coffin and at this point in the movie's chronology, ‘the spectatorial gaze is doubly trapped, within the confines of a sealed coffin and the immovable dead body’. As the coffin containing Gray's corpse is being carried away, the procession passes next to Gray's unconscious body. In Vampyr, the element of the doppelganger has a heavy resonation. Vampyr is venerated amongst lovers of the genre even though movie makers throughout those years did not have the present technological resources. Old, B&W, silent movies may seem alien in form and content to younger generations, yet what some of these past flicks embody inextinguishable artistic and human values. We've already drawn remarks on Coppola's remake of Bram Stocker's narrative work into film. Long before the release of this movie, ‘the most haunting of any attempt to dramatize Bram Stocker's novel’ was Murnau's Nosferatu. There is a strong resemblance between Murnau's vampire and the one lurking in the book. What is it that viewers find so terrifying about Nosferatu? Is it the vampire’s appearance and inhuman gestures? Does he embody the general notion that â€Å"we fear whatever we cannot explain or understand through rational thinking†? As consumers, for there is no better way to call genuine movie enthusiasts, we ought to dig deeper and deeper into the sequence of images. Most of the time denotations come with connotations and it is up to us to fish out such hidden meanings. The imagery in Murnau’s movie suggests the concept of repression and ‘the arch is a visual leit motif in the film’. Arches and similar structures try to stop the vampire from emerging. Count Orlock is therefore a repressed force who is also linked to Jonathan via these same arches. In a memorable scene in the movie, the Count emerges from under an arch and Jonathan from another as they meet for the first time. Jonathan is also linked to the menacing creature through the house which stands on the opposite side to his. Count Orlock purchases this house, thus becoming the young man’s reflection. Jonathan is a loving companion to Nina while Nosferatu becomes a ‘demonic alternative husband’. Nosferatu contains numerous references to ‘a number of traditional or cultural elements’. Myths about Persephone and Orpheus also produce an echoing effect through this vampire movie. Nosferatu was not meant to float in its own air bubble, separated from all other influences and ideas. Murnau transfuses into the motion picture ‘the product of a synthesis’. This adaptation of Dracula, which donated to all lovers of the horrific this ‘thin, repulsively bald’ being, dates back to ‘the heyday of expressionist fantasy’. What come into collision are the natural and the fantastic. These two distant realms are central to Nosferatu yet neither dominates the film. The viewer cannot but notice the obsession with filing space and the ‘obrusive sets’. Like Tabu, Nosferatu is primarily set in natural surroundings and both of Murnau’s movies deal with a menace. The latter diffuses into an ordinary world and out of a fantastic, paranormal world. Nosferatu portrays an animal-like being (a mixture between a rat and a human skeleton) who is ‘constantly associated with nature throughout the film’. Even Count Orlok’s movements does not coincide with those of a human being , in fact even his castle ‘is like a natural continuation of the rock’ thus the true protagonist in Nosferatu is Nature which is closely linked with its natural settings. In Nosferatu, Murnau used a sort of trick photography also with expressionist angle shots. As Gilberto Perez Guillermo suggests these specific techniques are used to illustrate a remote, fragmented and bizarre environment. Nosferatu is generally seen from distance and this gives us the impression that the nocturnal creature is merging itself with the surrounding nature. Murnau succeeded into creating an iconic- power image through which he shows Nosferatu as ‘seemingly immensely tall’. In particular the scene where the vampire is standing on the deck of the vessel which is no longer conducted by a human being. Murnau makes also the use of the negative image, this technique is ideal to express ‘mystery, fantasy, and unreality’. This negative image basically involves an X-ray photograph, in this film it was used when Jonathan was being carried into ‘the land of phantoms’ in Count Orlock's weird carriage. The three movies which have been discussed so far are all based on similar, if not identical, themes. In each case the relationship between the female character and the parasite represented by the vampire is at the heart of the movie's plot. Guillermo del Toro took on a different approach and directed a vampire movie which derailed from the norm set up by the previously discussed films. Narrative-wise, Cronos ignores the myth of the Count and focuses on a device that causes transformations to take place within the main character's physique. The Cronos looks like an insect which shares some sort of a mutual parasitic relationship with its victim. Apart from a different take on the blood-sucking creature's myth, Cronos proposes characters which are marked by an ‘implied absence’. Del Toro's movie might ‘represent a nostalgic look at the past’ in the sense that the long-gone years receive a corporeal dimension belonging to the present. The main character in this Mexican Gothic is a perfect illustration of this notion. Jesus Gris is the ‘purveyor of antiques and guardian of the new dawn’ the latter being Aurora. What distinguishes Jesus Gris with Dieter de la Guardia, the dying industrialist who is aware of the Cronos' true nature and powers are there past scars which must be dealt with in modern times. On the one hand the ‘scars’ of Jesus are related to family life while on the other Dieter de la Guardia is at the mercy of an ailing health. Above all else, the Cronos is a ‘fascinating hybrid of science and nature’ and the golden case is said to hold an insect which lives off human blood. In return the creature rejuvenates its bearer and prolongs his life, killing off the threat posed by ‘corruptible, material flesh’. The device is needed by de la Guardia because it surpasses the technology of modern times. Only the Cronos can achieve what technology has failed in. There also lies a fine parallelism between de la Guardia and the angel’s statue. The man’s body is full of holes just like the archangel’s interior which is infested by cockroaches and if the statue reminds us of the divine, the deteriorating human body indicates an inevitable ending. Erotism is a stranger to the film’s plot, yet del Toro’s work delves into universal dreams, such as eternal youth and the conflict between life and death. Jesus caries the device while de la Guardia holds the instructions; Jesus is the unsuspecting individual who comes across an artifact of mysterious powers and who ends owning itself to it. The Cronos dehumanizes him and his need for human blood becomes more prominent as the film unfolds. Just as the insect feeds upon the blood of the device’s holder, the latter ends up developing an appetite for human blood. Viewers have grown accustomed to having a female figure within vampire stories. Whether the woman is a prey, a victim or an object of desire, she has been instrumental to Dracula’s and Vampyr’s storyline. In Cronos, Aurora ‘plays the role of the love interest for which the monster must make his sacrifice’. Transformation and shifting of form does not limit itself to Jesus’ metamorphosis, but it also manifests itself in the relationship between the vampire and the female figure. The erotism is replaced by an ‘innocent, filial love’. Contrasting and comparing characters and plots allows us to point out what is present in one movie and absent in another. Some characters from different filmic works may share the same attributes or characteristics, while others may interpret the same role but in a totally different manner. The so-called â€Å"assistant†, the faithful follower who is at the service of his master, is present in all four films discussed so far. However Angel, the nephew of de la Guardia, is not as submissive as Renfield and the village doctor. Angel’s mode of thinking is simply capitalistic. He yearns for his uncle’s wealth and represents the ‘cynical angel’. In contemporary popular culture the power of the vampire’s bite did not vanish but in some manner it did change. We can see this notion through the creation of diverse pop culture vampires such as Angel and Spike in the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). These modern vampires have been ‘desexualized and de-victimized’ because they only obtain and drink blood from butchers. Now the vampire is made more human and this highlights the fact that contemporary vampires have a more mundane appearance. In the new millennium the vampire seemed to have changed from a creature of fear to a creature of ‘sympathy and emulation’. This is made more evident in online discourse about the vampire. As argued by Mary Williamson in her book Lure of the Vampire, in the virtual world the vampire is perceived as a ‘forgivable outcast’ and thus we sympathize with him. In Facebook, a social network used by millions in the world the presence of this being is very strong. Through one particular application called Vampire application we see several imitations of the ‘folkloric tradition of the vampire’. This application is diffused from one user to another via a ‘virtual bite’. During this process a user is sent an invitation to enrol himself to such application, were the user gets to interact with other individuals who share their interest and curiosities about this subject. Users get to fight other vampires, fill their hunger or feed upon weaker vampires. Once cravings for this so called ‘virtual-violence’ are stated by many, users can also send gestures such as hugs to their nearest companions. Feeding and fighting are the highlight of this application were vampires get points and money for doing so which than they can be exchanged for weapons or to improve their senses or powers . In this application placing someone in a suit will result in losing all their fights for two consecutive days, which is quite a deal breaker. This application also embraces violence amongst friends. Some of the many options this application boasts are the way one can attack another throughout the Facebook community. This application is filled with the erotic; this notion solidifies the ‘traditional elements of the transgressive vampire’. At each and every single level the vampire's abilities achieves a new rank and this creates a new type of vampire. As noticed by Mary Williamson in the virtual world this being is not perceived as an ‘outcast’ but rather a fundamental figure through which players communicate. In the online world the vampires have become a part of a different ritual, a social ritual by which relationships and friendships are maintained and expanded’. In this application, what used to frighten about this creature is eliminated and instead it is accepted. In fact, with the loss of penetration of the bite the vampire is ‘de-sexualized and sanitized’. According to C alabrese, the vampire represents only a slight alteration beyond what is socially accepted and thus it represents; the shifting of limits. ‘When confronted by an ‘acceptable’ excess, the limit is simply moved (perhaps to a considerable distance) in order to absorb it’. When in the virtual world, elements like blood and the penetration of the bite are removed ‘the virtual vampire becomes the monster that is us’. In the twentieth century, sympathy for this being has grown bigger. In fact as stated by Williamson, this being has generated new implications and attitudes ‘towards the ‘self ’ in the twentieth century’. There is a great desire to imitate the vampire not as a rebellious figure but rather to imitate a ‘bohemian outsiderdom which locates the individual as the desirable outsider, the sympathetically alienated’. In the virtual context perception of the self becomes ‘fluid and flexible’. As it is no longer linked with the body but it is highly linked with the fulfilment of desires. In this sense identity is constructed as one desires. The virtual identity can be understood through the Lancian psychoanalytic theory. ‘In the online world the virtual identity is not reflected but is rather constructed; the subject is not created in the reflection but rather in the digital composite’. This leads us to do a parallelism between the vampire and the virtual identity. According to Shannon Winnubst, the site represents the mirror reflection in which an individual forms and constructs his ideas about the self. On the other hand the vampire ‘in lacking a mirror reflection, does not even register on the radar of identity-formation: he does not have the necessary condition for the possibility of becoming a subject’. Also Rhonda Wilcox explored this theme using the imaginative Id and the Jungian shadow. According to Wilcox the online body represents the negative aspect of one's personality. In this manner the vampire is portrayed as the doppelganger of the victim before it was biten. Stoker's Lucy and Angel in Buffy are the perfect examples, Stoker’s Lucy from chaste to ripely erotic, or perhaps the souled and soulless incarnations of Angel in Buffy – so too does the virtual body provide opportunity for the vampiric shadow to find form in cyberspace. As stated by Wilcox, the imaginative Id illustrates the unconscious which is repressed and which encourages the pre-vampiric identity to free itself. In this sense online where the personality is fluid the wishes of the Id can be fulfilled as there are no repercussions which constitute some sort of restriction in the corporeal world. When talking about horror movies there is a subtle difference between the onster and the human being. But as indicated in films by Dreyer, Murnau, Coppola and Guillermo del Toro a strong link exists between the two beings. The myth and the vampire have always been subjects of debates. Although there are number of similarities and differences between Vampyr and Nosferatu yet both films show us the vampire as being more than just a b lood sucking, nocturnal creature but it is also the representation of the darkest corners of the human psyche ‘For this is one of the functions of our monsters: to help us constrict our own humanity, to provide guidelines against which we can define ourselves’.

Pestel Analysis

Literature review * Political factors – Essentials of Marketing (2002) says that many of the legal, economic and social developments in society is nothing more than political decisions put into action. The political climate is of great significance to the marketing firm and has a direct effect on many aspects of the economy and society. Factors in the political environment both national and international should be carefully monitored.Modern Management (2006) describes how nationally the government can affect business through its policies in relation to industrial service development, tax incentives, capital grants and expansion schemes that are available. Internationally it describes the influences the business has through policies in relation to international trade and deregulation. The main ways in which the government influence international trade in through their input into the general agreement on trade and tariffs. Individual governments can impose embargoes or sanctions on trade with any particular country they wish.Developments in the European Union in recent years have seen the deregulation of financial markets, public utilities and the airline industry. The aim is to remove protective restrictions on operations and to allow greater competition between countries. * Economic factors – In Modern Management (2006) they describe the economic factors as being shaped by the state of the economy in a particular country and the economic policies that is implemented within that country. In Essentials of Marketing (2002) they describe economic factors as being vital to marketing firms because they influence cost, price and demand.They can be viewed as opportunities or threats. Tieran et al, (2006) describes government’s implementation of different economic policies which affect key areas such as taxation, inflation, exchange rates and economic growth. Interest rates determine the extent of an organisations loans and investments. An increase in the inflation rate results in a demand for an increase in worker’s wages. As inflation increases the purchasing power of consumer’s declines as they can no longer afford products or services that they have been previously buying.Exchange rates have a huge impact on company’s who export large amounts of their products. If the currency rises in the country that the business is exporting to, their goods become expensive and in turn reduce their competitiveness. A business needs a firm exchange rate and low inflation rate to ensure that their business grows. As Ireland is a small open economy an important development has been the emergence of global interdependencies between different economies. * Social factors – Modern Management (2006) tells us that social factors are concerned with the demographics, attitudes and behaviour of members in society.Lancaster et al, (2002) say people’s basic beliefs, attitudes and values are shaped by the society the y grow up in. Modern Management (2006) describes demographics as identifying characteristics of people living within society, these include work groups, organisations and countries. These characteristics can be measured in terms of age, gender, family size, education and occupation. Buying behaviour is influenced by social conditioning. The social culture has an impact on the business environment. The company needs to be aware of the demographics when planning recruitment, selection and training of employees.Demographics have an impact on human resource policies and on what kind of products and services are available within society. Developments in the social environment can have implications for a business in terms of the behaviour and attitudes of their workforce and consumers being more environmentally aware. * Technology factors – Affect the way goods are distributed and promoted. It increases efficiency on how products can be distributed. Tieran et al, (2006) states that no organisation is immune to the effects of technology.It can affect the company in the following ways; technology innovation, production techniques, how the company is managed and how communication takes place within the company. Essentials of Marketing state that technology has a major impact on how market research is gathered and conducted. Sales forecasting is important and has become easier to do with the technology that companies have. The laser checkout can record consumer purchases automatically and is used to analyse sales, control and re-order stock. Sales reps can use audio visual to entice people to buy their good or services.Technology has influenced developments in products such as genetic engineering and cameras. * Environmental factors – Includes the weather and climate change. No organisation can ignore environmental issue according to Mastering Marketing Management (2002). Their actions have serious consequences on land, sea and air. In Principles of Market ing (2010) companies are expected to take measures to conserve and allocate scarce resources properly. They must be seen to show active interest in the welfare of the community and the people living within it.Consumers want to buy products and services from a company that is seen to be environmentally friendly. * Legal factors – Is related to the legal environment in which the firm operates. Legal changes can affect a firms cost and demand. In Principles of Marketing (2010) organisations are affected by government monetary and fiscal policies such as import/export policies and custom duties. Anti-pollution laws impact on marketing plans and policies. Marketing policy-making is influenced by government policies and controls throughout the world.There are many laws that a company must follow some of these are health and safety, employment laws and consumer law to name a few. Introduction of company chosen The company chosen to carry out an analysis of their macro-environment is Mc Ardle Transport Ltd Callenberg, Inniskeen, Dundalk, Co. Monaghan. According to Mc Ardle transport Ltd website (www. mcardletransport. com). Mc Ardle Transport Ltd was established in 1968. It operates one of the largest fleets of road transport equipment in Ireland. It employs 80 people on their site.Mc Ardle transport Ltd has become one of the leading specialists in transport, logistics, warehousing and supply chain management. They currently operate a fleet of 45 vehicles and in excess of 125 trailers ranging from mega trailers, euro liners, box vans, box fridges and skelly trailers. They are committed to providing a well-organized, flexible service, operating integrated satellite tracking and communications solutions in order to ensure peace of mind for their customers. They try to deliver a reliable, efficient, cost effective and personal service. Services offered by the company According to Mc Ardle Transport Ltd website (www. cardletransport. com), they offer transport and distribution services which include national and international transport. This covers collection and delivery service, full load and part load service, container loads, hazardous cargoes and refrigerated cargoes. Their export and import service include food, pharmaceutical, engineered machinery, palletised cargo, hazardous cargoes and chilled cargoes. They also offer a warehousing service, they have 5 separate warehouse units on site and 16 dock levelling loading ramps. It is a customs approved premises and department of agriculture food and fisheries approved.Warehousing services include materials intake, good manufacturing practices (GMP), inspection of export containers, container loading and safe operation fork truck and pallet truck. . Finally they offer satellite tracking on their fleets, this ensures that goods are delivered to the correct location, at the correct time, in the correct condition, thus customers are satisfied. PESTEL analysis of Mc Ardle Transport Ltd For the f ollowing PESTEL analysis the author spoke to Micheal Mc Ardle of Mc Ardle Transport Ltd to ask how the macro environment affected his company. Political factors: Government policies that have a major impact on Mc Ardle Transport Ltd are taxes such as duty taxes and regulatory policies relating to employment. In the current climate these government policies push costs up within the company. Mc Ardle Transport Ltd would like the current government to abolish green diesel completely and offer a rebate to essential users of diesel. For instance farmers that use green diesel have them as essential users, and rebate them to lower the price of white diesel. This would eliminate the problems relating to the laundering of diesel. companies within Ireland import all fuel to Ireland, one of these import 80% of all fuel to Ireland. Revenue would benefit if this area was properly controlled and it would also boost their income on tax. The current government could change taxes that are charged on trucks regarding toll roads in Ireland. Trucks pay a disproportionate amount of taxes compared to other road users. The government need to change policies with regards to how trucks are taxed. Currently trucks are taxed based on weight instead of being taxed by emission, if this was changed it would entice companies to cut down emissions and to re-invest in their company. Economic factors: In regards to exchange rates this area has little effect on this company. The Euro has eliminated this problem the majority of business is done in Euro, some in Sterling and very little in Dollars. Some of the costs are in dollars for example deep sea shipments outside Europe are usually quoted in dollars. Inflation rates over the last couple of years have tended to be reasonably stable which is positive for this company. Inflation was a problem in 2006-2008 in regards to wage inflation as it was difficult to get the right quality people for the job as they were drawn to higher paid jobs in other areas.Interest rates have been very stable over the last couple of years, which has assisted this company in re-investing. Mc Ardle Transport has invested in their company this year with a new fleet of trucks and expansion of their warehousing. * Social factors: Mc Ardle Transport Ltd encourages staff to up skill. They have some of their employees in DKIT courses ranging from management, logistics, health and safety and business admin. This is positive for the company as it’s a win/win for both sides. It helps the company and the employees to adapt to the current climate. Technology factors: Mc Ardle Transport is very dependent on broadband and uses an array of technology within the company. Satellite tracking is used to track the position of all trucks on the road and is used to send messages to and from the trucks. Engine management gives every detail of the truck, number of times the brakes is pressed, speed of the truck, working time and fuel consumption. It is used to m ake sure that working time directives are followed, management of fuel consumption, maintenance of trucks is kept up to standard and also tracking temperatures of cargoes carried.The driver sets the temperature of the cargo if the temperature goes up or down the company is notified by an alarm 24/7 through e-mail or text messaging. The company can give a full download of the temperature history of the cargo to the customer on arrival. Barcode scanning is used in the warehouses. All products received are scanned on arrival, this shows what the product is, how much of it there is and the batch number. This also is used to locate a position within the warehouse and it shows the location of each pallet. The company uses e-mail, telephone and internet on a daily basis. Environmental factors: Mc Ardle Transport Ltd has all of their warehousing insulated as well as temperature controlled and monitored. There are very aware of fuel emissions and when upgrading their fleet, they look for fue l efficient vehicles. They use technology such as engine management to monitor fuel consumption of all vehicles. They have an environmental officer on site to report on energy usage on site and to assist drivers in any way possible. They work with their customers to select the best route to help them reduce their carbon footprint. They offer to track their customer’s carbon footprint from collection to delivery.One of the major problems during last winter was access from their site to the main road, it also impacted on the efficiency of the schedule they could keep. Mc Ardle Transport tries to reduce their carbon footprint by assessing their fleet and the life cycle of their vehicles every year. * Legal factors: As Ireland is part of the EU, Mc Ardle Transport Ltd must follow EU regulations such as employment law, drive time directives and authorised economic operators, this is recognised companies who are compliant with revenue. They received their department of agriculture certificate and medicine board certificate from the EU.All vehicles must be DOE approved they must be passed and issued with a certificate of road worthiness. In terms of health and safety an independent consultant comes on to the site every week. Mc Ardle Transport Ltd provide training for health and safety, drivers who are working alone, first aid, fire safety, robbery response training and drivers who are carrying hazard material training. Conclusion As you can see from the above Mc Ardle Transport Ltd is affected by all of the macro-environmental factors particularly legal and technology factors.Being a part of the European Union has many advantages. It gives common standards to similar companies like Mc Ardle Transport Ltd throughout the EU, customers can recognise these standards and can see who is compliant. In terms of technology the lack of broadband options in Ireland is putting Mc Ardle Transport Ltd at a disadvantage. They are very dependent on a good broadband system fo r the daily running of their business in terms of satellite tracking their trucks, taking orders, sending quotes etc.All of these macro-environmental factors need to be monitored in order for the company to move forward and be successful in the future. Bibliography Lancaster, G. , Massingham, L. & Ashford, R. (2002) Essentials of Marketing, 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill Education Tieran, S. , Morley, M. & Foley, E. (2006) Modern Management and practice for Irish students, 3rd Edition, Gill & Macmillan Cartwright, R. (2002) Mastering marketing management, 1st Edition, New York, Palgave Dundalk Institute of Technology E- library (2011) Principles of Marketing [online], available from: http://site. brary. com/lib/dkitlib/Doc? id=10415387&ppg=47 [accessed 7 October 2011] Appendices McArdles Transport LTD 1) What government policies affect your company? 2) How has the current government affected your business? (i. e. any decisions they have made) 3) In terms of exporting your goods how has th e following affected that; a) Exchange rates? b) Inflation rates? c) Taxation changes? d) Interest rates? 4) In the current economic climate have you found that staff are up skilling in your company? (i. e. going back to college, evening courses) ) What technology does your company use? 6) How does this technology benefit your company? 7) Does the technology used benefit your customer in any way? (if yes then how) 8) During last winter how did your company cope with the extreme weather? 9) Was it a difficulty to keep on schedule during this time? 10) How have you prepared for this years winter? 11) Have you any pressure coming from environmental groups in terms of your company’s fuel emissions? 12) What measures have you taken to try and reduce your carbon footprint? 3) How has the price of fuel impacted on your company? 14) Do you find there is a pressure coming from your clients to be more eco-friendly? 15) Do you find that being a part of the EU gives your company an advan tage when doing business? 16) What are the main EU regulations that your company must abide by? 17) How did you obtain government approval for your warehouses? 18) What regulations must all your vehicles go through in order to obtain a certificate of road worthiness? 19) Brief overview of the main safety regulations that must be abided by?

B2B Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The report will firstly analyze the external audit of Processed Food & Food Service and Confectionery & Bakery industries, which consist of two parts – market analysis and customer analysis. From these two parts, the opportunities and threats of the suppliers in these industries, especially DKSH, will be outlined. In the market analysis, business environment, the market and competitors will be examined respectively.Particularly, the opportunities about the increase in demand or a good signal of industrial development will be explained in social factors, economic factors and industry part; these factors will give general information about Vietnam young population and their Western culture receptivity, which will easily increase the demand in such industry.On the other hand, legal factor will threaten DKSH due to the strict requirement in canned food industry that the firm needs to take caution in order to adapt to new regulation; while the economic factors onc e again strengthen the opportunity from social factors due to the increase in GDP growth and income. However, the inflation rate should also be considered because it could cause the inconstant demand and be difficult to forecast future demand in the future. The market part also gives some general information about the size based on the value of packaged food industry around US$12. billion in 2011 with the prediction of 4. 2% growth rate in next two years, which promises the development of these two clusters in the near future. Secondly, customer analysis is divided into two main features, which are current customers and potential customers. In current customer analysis, the report will give the information about each cluster’s market share of the top companies holding the highest percentage; Masan in sauce market, Acecook in instant noodles market, and Kinh Do in confectionery & bakery market.Then, more details information about these current customers will be examined in ter m of sales, their expectation such as building up deeper relationship with their multinational suppliers, and difficulty such as high input cost. After that, potential customer part is analyzed based on proposed potential customer list; this part contains some companies regard to Lien Hoa, Hieu Cau Den in processed food; and Huu Nghi and Hai Ha in bakery and confectionery. Especially, some reasons will be given based on the research and analysis about these companies in order to prove that they re ideally potential customers of DKSH. Thirdly, the internal audit is conducted to give the brief idea about the company; DKSH sales structures are activated in product and geographically based, and the strengths of the company about qualified staffed and good value added service are figured out in resources and marketing mix management part. From industry and customer analysis, the SWOT gives the summary of company strengths and weakness; and opportunities and threats in graph illustration form. Next, the marketing plan is proposed in order to give the best fit with the SWOT.The marketing objective that applied SMART approach will aim to increase the demand, brand awareness as well as the way to approach to potential customers with the specific point of time which is from 1st October 2012 to 1st April 2013. Then, the implementation plans relied on marketing mix, including direct marketing, personal selling and sale promotion will be planned specifically. To give more visual prospect about the marketing plan, the marketing program gives detail schedule as an action plan; and finally the performance evaluation will give some idea about how to evaluate the success of this marketing plan.Contents I. Introduction5 II. External Audit6 A. Market Analysis6 1. Business Environment6 2. The Market8 3. Competitors10 B. Customer Analysis11 1. General Information11 2. Current Customers13 3. Potential Customers17 III. Internal Audit23 A. Company Analysis23 1. Sales23 2. Management o f marketing mix23 3. Resources23 IV. SWOT25 A. Strengths25 B. Opportunities25 V. Marketing Objectives26 VI. Implementation Plans26 VII. Marketing Program27 A. Direct Marketing27 1. Telephone Marketing27 2. Email Marketing27 B. Personal Selling29 C.Sales Promotion29 D. Action Plan29 VIII. Performance Evaluation31 IX. Conclusion32 X. Appendix33 A. Potential Customer List33 B. Mapping Itinerary37 1. Southern37 2. Northern40 XI. Reference41 * Introduction DKSH is one of leading companies in market expansion services that has been established in 1865 and exist for 150 years in Asia. Thus, â€Å"Think Asia, Think DKSH† is recognized as company's slogan and that could tell how successful DKSH is in Asia. With a strong financial performance that has increased rapidly from 2002 to 2011 that exceed 8. % in net sales, DKSH becomes a strongest successful market leader recently. Obviously, its objectives are to help firms to grow their business in new and existing market by supplying know ledge, advice, relationship to reach each individual's goal, expand company's revenue opportunities and increase their market shares by making sure that their client's products are always visible on the shelves at all times. DKSH's business units are divided into 4 main business lines: Food ; Beverage (F;B), Personal Care, Pharmaceuticals and Specialty Chemicals.In fact, this report is going to analyze on 2 small clusters: Confectionary ; Bakery, and Processed Food which included in F;B industry in order to help DKSH to remain on the existing market and expand their business to the new market. To be more specific, integrated marketing communication tools that are direct marketing (telephone ; email), personal selling and sales promotion (trade promotion) will be applied to support push strategy in order to approach to potential customers. External Audit Market Analysis Business EnvironmentSocial Factors According to General Statistics Office (2010), Vietnam population in 2010 is aro und 88 millions with 51. 9% of this figure is younger than 30. Hence, it could become an opportunity for confectionery and processed food markets in increasing demand for consuming these kinds of product due to the receptivity of young population as well as the influence of Western culture. For this reason, suppliers of ingredients for these products can potentially enhance the number of customers as well as their sales in Vietnam market.Legal Factor According to Civil Law Network (2010), the ministry has implemented a new regulation for food safety, and requires all enterprises in food industry to strictly comply with the law of standard safety food. To be more specific, the Government encourages food manufactures in using high quality ingredients and adding more nutrition in their products. Moreover, they also require the manufactures in focusing on managing the supply of ingredients from upstream.Consequently, it could be the threat for food manufacturing companies to manage and have a specialized knowledge about supplied ingredients and their suppliers are expected to invest more in innovating their products in order to meet the regulation and more persuasive for the manufacturing firms to use their products. Furthermore, the regulation for environmental friendly packaging in food service also stricter (Civil Law Network 2010). Thus, it requires food service suppliers to put more effort in investing new or innovating current kinds of packaging that could adapt to environment issues.Economic factors In 2010, Vietnam’s GDP growth rate was 5. 83% (tradingeconomics. com 2012), hence the monthly average income per capital had increased to 39. 4% compared to 2008 and was estimated to be 1,387 thousand VND. As the result, this increase in income have gradually shifted Vietnamese consumers in premium segments such as sweet, ice cream or cakes and consumers also have higher requirements of diverse tastes, food quality, and nutrition for package food and also bakery (Vietnam package food, 2011).It is the good opportunities for supplying companies to catch up with these trends by developing current and new ingredients in respond with these market trends. However, the significant influence of the inflation rate cannot be denied. Based on tradingeconomics. com data, the Vietnam inflation rate in the third quarter in 2011 was around 22. 42% whish was the highest rate in Asia (bbc. co. uk). Hence, the demand in food market had declined in this period; therefore, manufactures can be threatened in forecasting future demand due to some unpredictable economic factors.Consequently, the suppliers are also affected by that because it could be difficult for them to rank the potentiality of their customers in near future. The Market In the report â€Å"Newzealand Trade;Enterprise† (2011), the author states that the value of packaged food industry in Vietnam was approximatelyUS$13. 3 billion in 2011 with the average growth rate at 4. 2% in the next two year. In addition, based on General Statistics Office website (2011), the value of confectionery sales is predicted to increase to US$ 471. 6 million at the end of 2012 and this figure is going to increase more than 10% each year for the next four years. These numbers indicate that there is a very highly potential demand for confectionery and processed food industry. * Competitors Connell Brothers, DKSH and Brenntag have been ranked as top 10 leading chemical distributors in Asia in 2011. Specifically, they all operate in Vietnam and engage in many types of industries such as food ; beverage, personal care, specialty chemicals, and pharmaceutical industry.As shown in the graph, it can be seen that DKSH has much less sales as well as power compared to Connell Brothers in the global market in 2011. At the meantime, the sale of DKSH and Brenntag is slightly different. Therefore, DKSH is required to put more efforts to gain its market share globally in order to build further di stance with Brenntag and shorten the distance with Connell Brothers. Customer Analysis General Information First of all, the paper is going to show some figures related to market share of some leading firms in Vietnam (2011) for two industries: processed food and bakery.For processed food market, market share of sauce and instant noodles have been displayed; while in bakery industry, confectionery and biscuit market have been demonstrated. Market Share- Processed Food (Source: Euro Monitor International) Sauce market For the diagram above, it shows that Masan owns comparatively larger market share than any other firms in such market. But since the portion of â€Å"others† still has 25% of the marker share, it is believed that some potential customers in this category can be found. Instant noodles marketThe major key player in this industry is Acecook, with 51% of market share while the other firms are holding less than 20% respectively. The report selects Masan food as an ins tance to explore knowledge under current customer analysis. Market Share – Bakery (Source: Euro Monitor International) Confectionery market Confectionery market is diverse, with many firms hold similar portion of shares. Among them, Kinh Do takes the 1st place in the market, follow by Huu Nghi and Hai Ha. The 2nd and 3rd key players in the market can be the potential customers for DKSH.Further information related will be given below in â€Å"Potential customer†. Biscuit market There are mainly two key players in the market, Kinh Do and Kraft Food, while each of other firms retain from 4~11% as their market share in the biscuit industry. Due to Kinh Do has an outstanding performance on the market share, the report will take it as a specimen in analyzing current customers. Current Customers There are many customers that DKSH is currently having connection with, including both local and foreign firms.The paper will choose one customer from each cluster, Masan Food and Kin h Do, to analysis the position of it through searching on background information, sales performance, and then raise opportunity and threat. Masan Food (Processed food) Mason Food is belonged to Masan Group, a firm that specialized on Techcombank financial services. After years of operation, Mason Food has become leading brand of processed food market in Vietnam, which has dominance on market share in some product categories. The product range includes fish sauce, soy sauce, instant noodles (74%, 78%, 14% of the market respectively) and other kinds of product.Sales Performance (Source: Business Monitor International ) Opportunity Despite Masan Group is established as a local enterprise, it recently decides to build a relationship of acquisition with Nuiphao Mining Joint Venture Company Ltd, becoming one of the largest private sector resources companies (Masan Group Investor Update n,d). Cooperating with local or foreign investment is an opportunity for firm to receive more capital to invest in its operations. Due to DKSH is a multinational firms already, the business is expected to be enrich by cooperating with local firms in other industries to expand the operation range.Threat As a processed food manufacturer, Masan Food faces a problem that sometimes the price for raw materials is fluctuating(Business Monitor International, 2012). For the earning benefit point of view, Masan Food should pass the costs from consumers, but that can threaten the chance of losing customers. To illustrate, the FMCG industry is a price sensitive environment that contains many brands at similar level. If one brand’s price is higher result from increasing costs to reflect its margin, customers can easily choose another brand because the switching cost is low.Volatile input costs can be a threat to the food manufacturer because the manufacturer needs to choose whether to burden itself or to pass on customers. Same story is applicable in DKSH’s case, if the input price h as a significant increase, DKSH has to decide whether to bear the costs or compensate from its customers; both decisions are having certain drawbacks needed to be considered. Sales Breakdown (Source: hsc company update) Kinh Do Corporation (Bakery and Confectionery) Kinh Do is a local brand that established in 1993, which is one of the largest food producers in Vietnam nowadays.The core business of the firm is food related products: confectionery (cakes, candies), beverage (water, juice) and dairy products. Kinh Do also involved in some other industries such as real estate and grocery retailing. The brand creates a good image that allows them to gain certain customer awareness and even awarded as top ten of Vietnam’s best brands (Ha 2011). Sales Performance (Source: Business Monitor International) Opportunity As indicated before in the report, health awareness has raised from customers when they purchasing confectionery product.Consequently, higher level of quality is require d from food manufacturer in order to satisfy customers. As showed from annual report, Kinh Do provides best materials in manufacturing their products, aim to satisfy its customers in a better extent. Indeed, sellers should be responsible to meet the requirement when there is a concern about product’s specification such as â€Å"health† mentioned above. Without doubt, they can gain more recognition if they can achieve the condition. DKSH is getting involved in this health concerned manufacturing process due to it is one of sellers of Kinh Do.If DKSH can attain the requirement, which it already does, it is expected that the buyers will be satisfied, and they are willing to create more opportunities to corporate with DKSH in the future. Threat Kinh Do depends largely on the domestic market but that makes the company fragile with the fluctuating customer demand (Business Monitor International, 2012). Actually, change in customers’ preference can affect organizationa l demand in both positive and negative ways, but here it seems more likely to be threat from the view of the Kinh Do.Because local buyers are the main sources of generating sales, if the number of them is not stable, firm’s overall performance will obviously be affected. Likewise, inquiry that DKSH received from food manufacturers is affected by customer’s demand. If the perception of buyers is low, sellers will gain lesser results from the declining demand, and vice versa. Being instable with the demand can be interpreted as the firm is actually dependent by the market trend. In this case, DKSH has no control over the changing demand; therefore it can be a threat. Sales Breakdown (Source: hsc company update)Potential Customers Apart from keeping relationship with current customers, exploring new customers is also important for a business. To give our more precise information, the report lists four potential customers from the two clusters, with background information, product range and reason why it is recommended as being â€Å"potential†. Detail contacts of other potential customers can be founded in appendix. Lien Hoa (Processed food) Lien Hoa was established since 2008, by Thierrty Pham, an industrialist who has more than 15 years’ experience in the industry.The firm operates following European standard to ensure the quality of the products. As mentioned from the official website, Lien Hoa has signed exclusive contract with other brands such as Uni-President and Siam Brothers to be its business partners. Moreover, the products of Lien Hoa are widely distributed with supermarkets like Giant, Metro and Big C (Lien Hoa, 2011). Reason Although the brand is new compares to some other existing sellers in the market, it is expected to grow due to qualified and experienced methodology used by the firm.Furthermore, the brand has shown its ambition to boost the market by cooperating with well-known brands like Uni-President. Product rang e Hieu Cau Den Sausage (Processed food) It is a sub branch of Black Bride Food from Taiwan. The brand mainly offer traditional Taiwanese dished rice dumplings, meat floss, and some products commonly seen in Vietnam such as sausage and dumplings. The brand is also an importer for some food and beverage from Taiwan. Even though the brand is not as famous as other brands in the existing market, it is quite popular among the Taiwanese because the products fit their taste better.Reason Situation is slightly different compares to dealing with other brands in this case because the brand is not really concentrating on mass market but more likely on niche market, for Taiwanese currently. Becoming the supplier of it creates an opportunity to enhance brand awareness towards foreign consumers. Moreover, the location is in the same district with DKSH, and therefore it will be easier for DKSH to access. Product range Huu Nghi (Bakery and Confectionery) Huu Nghi is known as a noticeable confection ery brand in Vietnam since 1950’s. is having more than 120,000 retailers throughout Vietnam. Similar to other brands in confectionery industry, the brand holds eligible qualifications as criteria to control fabric of the products. The business expands its relation across the nation to many countries: United States, Japan and Singapore. In addition, Huu Nghi also exploits the business to agricultural products such as pepper and corn (Huu Nghi, 2011). Reason The firm possesses proficient knowledge in trading with businesses across the country, thus, it is foreseeable that their experience can abound the business prospects.Also, as DKSH is a multi-national enterprise, Huu Nghi can understand the operation or regulations better result from their sophisticate. Product range Hai Ha (Bakery and Confectionery) Hai Ha Confectionery Joint Stock Company (HaiHaCo) has set up for more than 40 years and turns it status from public to private in 2003, aiming to provide qualified products to serve its customers. With advanced technology, Hai Ha can utilize its equipment plus the specialists to maximize its effort to engage in confectionery industry.Consumers of Hai Ha choose it as â€Å"Vietnam high-quality goods† for continuous 13 years (Hai Ha, 2011). Reason Apart from dominant brands like Kinh Do, Bibica and Kraft, Hai Ha ranked as 4th in market share of both confectionery and biscuit sector in Vietnam. It can be a great opportunity if DKSH can work with them as a seller due to Hai Ha’s high portion of sales caused by variety products. Product range Sales performance (Source: hsc company update) Internal Audit Company Analysis Sales DKSH has structured its sales force by product based, in which different sales team will be organized based on business lines.This method has created the strength for sales team as it can offer professional and skillful staffs with deep knowledge about their products. Face to face communication facilitates the interaction w ith customers by allowing them to question and negotiate directly, and thus lead to the opportunity to build long-term relationship. Additionally, to ensure the effectiveness of sale team, DKSH also divides its sales force based on geography, in which each sales team will be located and responsible for different areas across Vietnam.Management of marketing mix The annual report of DKSH claimed that DKSH will work with its customers to understand their needs, and then provide customized solutions to them. This is indicated that they are achieving cooperation relationship, which integrated into NPD (new product development) and new resolutions. Moreover, in order to strengthen their relationship, DKSH has provided customers the access to knowledge, advice, relationship, and logistics. At the mean time, DKSH ensures that the customers’ products will successfully grasp the right market.This is shown that there is a chance to build long-term collaborative relationships between the m. If this relationship remains well, then there will be potential to create long term alliances – to build specialist knowledge or strategic partnerships. Resources Due to the world wide sourcing network in more than 70 markets and the expertise in each cluster, DKSH is very confident in providing any needed ingredients for its customers. Moreover, for highly applicable purpose, research and analysis service can also help customers in creating and developing new or customized product ideas.Obviously, this is also one of DKSH strengths as it helps customers to be able to sustain in their market and differentiate their product offerings over competitors. DKSH has applied SalesForce. com as its own tool to manage sale teams. It allows each individual sales person to organize the new, potential and current customer’s information and the managers then can look at the working process of their inferiors. Moreover, DKSH can also translate all customer data to up date informat ion in timely manner. Another strength of DKSH is that it can efficiently manage its distribution channel.To allocate the channel tasks, the firm needs to achieve four main factors regarding reduce complexity, increase value, transaction efficiency and service quality. DKSH has industry expertise and offer â€Å"comprehensive Market Expansion Services†; therefore the firm can help its customers to reduce the number of separate exchange that they need to take place in order to collect different ingredients that are needed for their production. The firm does not only provide materials to manufactures but it also provides the concepts and formulations that go with these materials.For this reason, understanding what customers expect is one of the necessary key that takes part in DKSH’s success; therefore value is added in each process. Moreover, DKSH offers the whole supply chain management; hence its customers can be beneficial in getting lower operational costs and also in increasing the value. Non-stop in innovating the new sources or materials to meeting customer’s needs for their own application or market trend is one of the advantage that illustrates for DKSH’s good service quality.Furthermore, the organization also have good after sales services such as monitoring of technical staff at customer site, order processing and warranty timely delivery. SWOT Strengths DKSH recruits experienced staff and professions in the field, the prominent knowledge level can be a base for providing stronger technical support. Instead of only supplying for ingredients, DKSH offers formulation description discussion with customers to understand them better for value-added services. With this tradition, DKSH can set up a long term relationship with its customers. DKSH offers â€Å"comprehensive market expansion service†.This benefits customers by reducing the number of exchanging points to go through. Consequently, operating and transaction cost s can be lessen. Opportunities Purchasing power of customers in Vietnam is enhanced caused by an increase in GDP; they have better earning to make purchase and thus greater demand of luxury food items can results. It is expected that lifestyle of young population in Vietnam will differ from Generation X, preferring more ready meal like confectionery products and processed food. Hence, a growth in demand is foreseeable. Marketing Objectives Objectives of the marketing plan will be outlined based on SMART approach.Firstly, the new potential customer list which does not include in DKSH’s current customer list helps DKSH to expand its customer database in its internal network regard to salesforce. com. Secondly, the direct marketing such as telephone and email marketing plan will be proposed from 1st October 2012 to 8th March 2013 in order to approach the potential customer list step by step and enhance the brand awareness in both current and potential customers. It will be able to achieve 40% of number of potential customers who are willing to answer through phone call or email.Thirdly, personal selling plan is applied from 15th October 2012 to 31st October 2012 to achieve the remained number of potential customer from above step; hence the sales of the company is estimated to increase by 30%. This plan will be conducted according to the mapping itinerary which helps the sale team easily to visit customer based on the efficient action plan. Finally, sales promotion program is planned as the boom strategy in order to help DKSH easier to create the demand among potential customers that applied in direct marketing and personal selling plan.Implementation Plans The most appropriate B2B marketing communication strategy that should be used to approach to potential customers as well as make them become DKSH’s â€Å"current† customers is push strategy. Specifically, direct marketing, personal selling, and trade promotions will be used by DKSH to make its potential customers aware of its products and create demands, as well as to maintain and strengthen relationships with the current customers. Marketing Program Direct Marketing Telephone Marketing Potential customersIn direct marketing, telephone marketing should be used to directly communicate with these potential customers; DKSH should come up with the calling schedule, which indicates the number of sales people and the number of manufacturers (potential customers) need to be contacted in each region in one day. To illustrate, there are around 60 potential customers founded by the research team; DKSH can assign its sales people to make the call to 10 manufacturers in one day. This means DKSH will reach all 60 manufacturers within 6 days.In order to save customers’ time and the company’s costs, the sales persons should not introduce too much about DKSH’s history and its achievements via telephone. Instead, they should go straight to the core information su ch as types of products or ingredients that the customer needs, the price, and what DKSH can do for them. Moreover, the good point of this strategy is that it offers two-way communication and thus allows customers to question directly. For this reason, it is very important for DKSH to assign skillful spoken sales people to this project. Current customersIn addition, it is also important to schedule the calls to current customers in order to inform them about DKSH’s new products or ingredients, promotions, as well as to remain relationships with them. To illustrate, DKSH now has totally 105 current customers for food ; bakery cluster; assume that it will call to 10 customers in 1 day, so it will finish calling to all 105 customers within 11 days. It is recommended that DKSH should make this calling schedule every six months; at the beginning of each month for the current customers in order to keep frequent contact with them to update their latest situation and their new demand s.Email Marketing Potential customers As mentioned above, telephone marketing is used for the purpose of reaching potential customers by going straight to the core issue and providing them the core information. Therefore, other general information such as company’s background, history, achievements, number of skillful staff and techniques, and types of business lines will not be discussed in detail via telephone marketing. For this reason, it will be a good idea to email this information to DKSH’s potential customers so that they can have a clearer sight about DKSH.It is recommended that DKSH should email to the potential customers that it cannot successfully reach in telephone marketing for once a month to remind them and make them aware of DKSH products; it should do this at the beginning of each month. Current customers In telephone marketing, the sales people will inform the current customers about new products or ingredients, and the promotions. Then, in the email marketing, these sales people will email to the customers the related information in detail, such as the price table that indicates the price of each type of new product.Obviously, this tool is faster and incurs lower costs compared to other tools. Moreover, it tends to be more convenient to the customers compared to the telephone marketing. To illustrate, some contacted customers are so busy that they cannot listen too much what DKSH sales people want to tell them. In this case, email will be a better choice. As mentioned above, DKSH should make calling to the current customers every 6 months to frequently update their new demands.Simultaneously, DKSH should also try to come up with new products every 6 months to help its current customers to sustain in the competitive market as well as to retain them. Then, the sales people will email this related information in details to these customers; also do this for every 6 months, and at the beginning of each month. Personal Selling In pe rsonal selling, sales representatives of DKSH will be assigned face-to-face to these potential manufacturers in each region; these manufacturers (potential customers) are those that DKSH cannot catch in direct marketing.The number of sales representatives will be decided relying on the number of manufacturers in a particular region. To be more specific, DKSH can go to visit 4 manufacturers in 1 day; keeping doing this until it can catch up all of the potential customers that left in direct marketing. The main task of these representatives is to try to understand customers’ purchasing criteria as well as to provide brief information about DKSH’s main industries and products in order to increase the product awareness. Moreover, it is important to emphasize the benefits that DKSH can bring to them. Sales PromotionIn trade promotions, the telephone marketers and sales representatives should emphasize that DKSH will offer lower prices (5% discount) compared to the market pr ice to its potential customers for their first purchases; this means the more they purchase, the more discount they can get. Therefore, it will be the incentive for these customers, and this type of promotion will be applied to the potential manufacturers in all regions. Action Plan Task| Timeline| | 1st October – 31th December 2012| | W1| W2| W3| W4| W5| W6| W7| W8| W9| W10| W11| W12| Telephone Mkt| | | | | | | | | | | | |Email Mkt| | | | | | | | | | | | | Personal Selling| | | | | | | | | | | | | Sales Promotion| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Timeline| | 1st January – 1st April 2013| | W13| W14| W15| W16| W17| W18| W19| W20| W21| W22| W23| W24| Telephone Mkt| | | | | | | | | | | | | Email Mkt| | | | | | | | | | | | | Personal Selling| | | | | | | | | | | | | Sales Promotion| | | | | | | | | | | | | Performance Evaluation | Objective| Strategies| Evaluation| 1| Increase Brand Awareness| * Telephone * Email * Personal Selling| * Numbers of customer who are willing to answe r a call and give helpful information. Numbers of customer who reply email and make a request for further discussion. * Numbers of customer who are willing to interact with sell person and distribute in the conversation. | 2| Increase Sale| * Personal Selling * Sale Promotion| * Numbers of customer who accept to make a contract with DKSH in supplying necessary ingredients. | 3| Create Demand | * Sale Promotion| * Number of customers who firstly have no demand in finding new suppliers but changing later due to competitive proposed price. Conclusion In this report, the general information about Processed Food ; Food Service and Confectionery ; Bakery clusters will be analyzed in order to outline the SWOT analysis for DKSH. Additionally, Push strategy will be applied to reach 60 potential customers. Specifically, integrated marketing communication tools such as direct marketing (telephone and email marketing), personal selling and trade promotions will be used to support the push strat egy to approach to the potential customers.At the same time, these tools can help to retain and strengthen relationships with the current customers. Appendix Potential Customer List Mapping Itinerary Southern Northern Reference 1. ‘DKSH seeks a boost in Asia’ 2012, ICIS news, posted 13th August, viewed 1st September 2012, ;https://docs. google. com/a/rmit. edu. vn/viewer? a=v;pid=gmail;attid=0. 1;thid=1392e4d1b429e96b;mt=application/pdf;url=https://mail. google. com/mail/u/0/? ui%3D2%26ik%3D0e4ae12cf9%26view%3Datt%26th%3D1392e4d1b429e96b%26attid%3D0. %26disp%3Dsafe%26zw;sig=AHIEtbQnvWZ6Rh09SpbtN_3J-u-kBRPiKg; 2. Agri-Food Canada 2011, Package Food in Vietnam, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, viewed 14 August 2012, ; http://www. gov. mb. ca/agriculture/statistics/agri-food/vietnam_packaged_food_en. pdf; 3. BBC 2011 â€Å"Vietnam Inflation Rate Hits 13. 9%†, BBC, 22 March 2011,viewed 15 August 2012, ; http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-12845809; 4. Brenntag Asi a Pacific 2012, Brenntag Vietnam Co Ltd, viewed 28th August 2012, ;http://www. brenntag-asiapacific. com/en/pages/Brenntag_Asia_Pacific/Lo

Topic should be something involving macroeconomics Essay

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