mkt assignment

of 22Ashiq 0005612 (MBA-1-SEGi University Collage Malaysia

MARKETING STRATEGY

MKT 5004

Assignment One

♦ Submission to: Daniel Chang

♦ Submitted by: Renee Tan (0005196)

♦ Due date: 29th 0ct 2005

♦ Words count: 3446


TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ………………………… 3

2 INTRODUCTION ………………………… 42.1 An Overview of the Malaysian Industry ………………………… 42.2 The Global Furniture Hub in Asia ………………………… 52.3 Current Major Market Player of Office Furniture in Malaysia … 62.4 Beau Poise Office Concepts Sdn Bhd ………………………... 7

3 INTERVIEW CONDUCTIONS ………………………… 73.1 Perspectives in Marketing Management ………………………… 83.2 Marketing approaches within Beau Poise ………………………… 83.3 Conclusion ………………………… 9

4 MARKETING PRACTICES ………………………… 104.1 Fragmentations of Marketing Practice ………………………… 104.2 Marketing Practices within Beau Poise ………………………… 10

5 MARKETING MANAGER ROLES & THE IMPACTS ………... 125.1 Roles of a Marketing Manager ………………………… 125.2 The Impact of the Manager Roles ………………………… 14

6 MARKETING COMPETENCIES ………………………… 156.1 Core Competencies within Beau Poise ………………………… 156.2 Competitors of Beau Poise ………………………… 166.3 Competencies Sustainability ………………………… 16

7 COMMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS ……………………….. 187.1 Improvising of Marketing Practices ………………………… 187.2 Conclusion ………………………… 19

8 LIST OF REFERENCE ………………………... 20

9 RESOURCES ………………………… 23

10 APPENDIX I ……………………….... 27

11 APPENDIX II …………………………. 29

12 APPENDIX III …………………………. 30

13 APPENDIX IV ………………………… 31


14 APPENDIX V ………………………… 32EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

No matter who you are, or where in the world you are, the chances are that our products

are a familiar part of your daily routine. Every day, around the world, people reach for

Unilever products.

Our brands are trusted everywhere and, by listening to the people who buy them, we've

grown into one of the world's most successful consumer goods companies. In fact, 150

million times a day, someone somewhere chooses a Unilever product.

Look in your fridge, or on the bathroom shelf, and you're bound to see one of our well-

known brands. We create, market and distribute the products that people choose to feed

their families and keep themselves and their homes clean and fresh.

People's lives are changing fast. As the way we all live and work evolves, our needs and

tastes change too. At Unilever we aim to help people in their daily lives. So we keep

developing new products, improving tried and tested brands and promoting better, more

efficient ways of working.

We have a portfolio of brands that are popular across the globe - as well as regional

products and local varieties of famous-name goods. This diversity comes from two of our

key strengths:

Strong roots in local markets and first-hand knowledge of the local culture.

World-class business expertise applied internationally to serve consumers

everywhere.


Focusing on performance and productivity, we encourage our people to develop new

ideas and put fresh approaches into practice. Hand in hand with this is a strong sense of

responsibility to the communities we serve. We don't only measure success in financial

terms; how we achieve results is important too. We work hard to conduct our business

with integrity - respecting our employees, our consumers and

Source: http://www.unilever.com/ourcompany/aboutunilever/introducingunilever /

2. INTRODUCTION

2.1 History Of Uniliver Overview Industr

In the 1890s, William Hesketh Lever, founder of Lever Bros, wrote down his ideas for

Sunlight Soap – his revolutionary new product that helped popularise cleanliness and

hygiene in Victorian England. It was 'to make cleanliness commonplace; to lessen work

for women; to foster health and contribute to personal attractiveness, that life may be

more enjoyable and rewarding for the people who use our products'.

This was long before the phrase 'Corporate Mission' had been invented, but these ideas

have stayed at the heart of our business. Even if their language - and the notion of only

women doing housework – has become outdated.

In a history that now crosses three centuries, Unilever's success has been influenced by

the major events of the day – economic boom, depression, world wars, changing

consumer lifestyles and advances in technology. And throughout we've created products

that help people get more out of life – cutting the time spent on household chores,

http://www.unilever.com/ourcompany/aboutunilever/introducingunilever


improving nutrition, enabling people to enjoy food and take care of their homes, their

clothes and themselves.

Source: http://www.unilever.com/ourcompany/aboutunilever/history/default.asp

Mission

Applies to the corporate and business unit levels By understanding its business, an

organization can take steps to define its mission, A statement of the organization’s scope,

Often identifying its customers

I. Markets,

II. Products,

III. Technology

IV. Values.

Source: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~renglish/370/notes/chapt02/

Vision

"To be the leading provider of goods and services all over the wold with satisfied

customers, shareholders and enthusiastic employees".

Source:http://www.unilever.com/ourcompany/aboutunilever/history/default.asp

http://www.unilever.com/ourcompany/aboutunilever/history/default.asp

http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~renglish/370/notes/chapt02/



3. Marketing situation analysis of unilever

3.1 Linking Marketing And Corporate Strategies Of Unilever

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were grade school classmates on Long Island. In 1978

they headed to Vermont and eventually started Ben & Jerry's–a company that produces

dozens of flavors of ice cream, ice milk, and yogurt. Some of their early products and

flavors: Rainforest Crunch, Peace Pops, and Chocolate Cookie Dough ice cream.

They and their website have a creative, funky approach to business–linked to a genuine

concern for social causes. In fact, Ben & Jerry's contributes 7.5 percent of its pretax

profits to charity. But by the late 1990s Ben and Jerry concluded the company’s sales

were flattening and it needed additional financial resources to grow. So in 2000, Ben &

Jerry’s agreed to be acquired by Unilever, a huge multinational. Ben & Jerry’s would

operate separately from Unilever’s current ice cream business to preserve the company’s

legendary concern for the environment and social responsibility, and both cofounders

would continue their involvement. Because of intense competition, firms must

continuously revisit both marketing and corporate strategies, as Ben and Jerry have had to

do.


3.2 Growth Strategies: Where Do We Want to Go?

Knowing where the organization is at the present time enables managers to set a direction

for the firm and start to allocate resources to move in that direction. Two techniques to

aid in these decisions are (1) portfolio analysis and (2) market-product analysis



The Portfolio of Businesses - BCG Analysis

Strategic Business Unit (SBU)

Characteristics of SBU's

Distinct mission Specific target market Control their resources Their own competitors

Single business OR a collection of related businesses Plans independent of the other

businesses in the organization Require a separate mission statement

Source:http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~renglish/370/notes/chapt02/

SWOT ANALYSIS OF UNILEVER

Business Portfolio Analysis uses quantified performance measures and growth targets to

analyze a firm’s business units (called or (SBUs by BCG) as though they were a

collection of separate investments. This analysis has also been applied at the product line

or brand level. The SBUs are positioned on a growth-share matrix





Stars Question marks or problem

children

High share of high-growth market

But may not generate enough cash Low share of high-growth markets

Requires a lot of cash to maintain

. Market,

Management must choose which

to invest in and phase out the rest

To support the star’s

Own demanding needs for future

Growth.

Cash cow Dogs

Dominant share of slow-growth market low share of low-growth markets.

Do not hold promise of becoming

winners for the firm.

Enables SBU to generate large amounts

of cash to pay company overhead and to

Invest in other SBUs.




STRENGTHS:

Forces firm to assess each of its SBUs in terms

f relative market share and industry market growth rate.

Requires firm to forecast which SBUs will be cash producers and which will be cash

users in the future


WEAKNESSES

Hard to get the information needed to locate SBU on growth-share matrix.

Other important factors are missing from this analysis, such as possible synergies among

the SBUs when they use the same sales force or research and development facilities.

Hard to motivate people in an SBU labeled a dog or cash cow that is unlikely to get new

resources or provide opportunities for promotion


STRATEGIC MARKETING PROCESS:

Planning Phase - Step 1: Situation (SWOT) Analysis

I. Situation (SWOT) Analysis

II. Identify Industry trends

III. Analyze Company

IV. Research Customer






THE SITUATION ANALYSIS

Involves taking stock of where the firm or product has been recently, Where it is now,

and Where it is headed in light of The organization’s plans The external factors andtrends

affecting it. An exhaustive study of the four areas in Step 1 of the planning phase:

Identifying trends in the firm’s industry. Analyzing the firm’s competitors. Assessing the

firm itself. Researching the firm’s present and prospective customers.


SWOT ANALYSIS

A short-hand summary of the situation analysis An organization’s appraisal of its Internal

Strengths Weaknesses External Opportunities Threats. SWOT analysis helps a firm

identify the critical factors affecting the firm build on vital strengths, correct glaring

weaknesses, exploit significant opportunities, Avoid disaster-laden threats

MICHAEL PORTERS’ FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Michael Porter is a leading authority on competitive strategy and the competitiveness and

economic development. His two seminal books ‘Competitive Strategy: Techniques for

Analyzing Industries and Competitors’, and ‘Competitive Advantage: Creating and

Sustaining Superior Performance’ have been hugely influential.

In them, he describes a concept that has become known as the ‘Five Forces Model’. This

concept involves a relationship between competitors within an industry, potential



competitors, suppliers, buyers and alternative solutions to the products or problem being

addressed.

Two things determine a company's profitability - the industry in which it competes and

its strategic position in the industry. Some industries have inherently low profit potential

while others are highly profitable. The most profitable companies have a strong

competitive position in a highly profitable industry. The poorest companies have weak

positions in weak industries.

Porter's Five Forces are:

Buyers'/customers' power

Suppliers' power

Rivalry among competitors

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitute products

Source: www.strategy4u.com

http://www.strategy4u.com/


SOURCES OF POWER IN THE FIVE FORCES MODEL

Buyer power

Number of buyers relative to sellers

Product differentiation

Switching costs to use other product

Buyers’ profit margins

Buyers’ use of multiple sources

Buyers’ thread of backward integration

Sellers’ threat of forward integration

Importance of product to the buyer

Buyers’ volume

Supplier power


Supplier concentration

Availability of substitute inputs

Importance of suppliers’ input to buyer

Suppliers’ product differentiation

Importance of industry to suppliers

Buyers’ switching cost to other input

Suppliers’ threat of forward integration

Buyers’ threat of backward integration

Rivalry among competitors

Number of competitors (concentration)

Relative size of competitors (balance)

Industry growth rate

Fixed costs vs. variable costs


Capacity augmented in large increments

Buyers’ switching costs

Diversity of competitors

Exit barriers

Strategic stakes

Threat of new entrants

Barriers to entry


Economies of scale


Capital requirements

Switching cost to buyers

Access to distribution channels

Other cost advantages

Government policies

Incumbants’ defence of market share

Industry growth rate

Threat of substitute products

Relative price of substitute

Relative quality of substitute

Switching costs to buyers

Source:www.manyworlds.com

PROBLEM OF UNILEVER NEW CURRENCY PROBLEM OF EUROPE

A recent report by the accountants Grant Thornton International claims that over one

third of European businesses have not yet begun to upgrade their systems to be euro

compliant. With the deadline fast approaching, Finance Line spoke to members of

Unilever's treasury to find out how they are preparing and how the euro will affect their

business. & quantify you traveled around the world you would find homes across all

continents where people used Unilever products. In fact in many countries it would be

http://www.manyworlds.com/


hard to find homes without Unilever products. & quota; So says the Unilever marketing

material. The company has operations on all continents, hundreds of subsidiaries and

thousands of suppliers. So what exactly does the introduction of the euro mean for the

treasury department of a company operating on this scale?

Source:http://www.trema.com/solutions/

UNILEVER EURO PROJECT

Unilever started its project to prepare for the euro nearly three years ago. The

organization's large number of subsidiary companies presented many extra considerations

and a higher workload than many other companies are facing. The treasury employs over

30 people and is involved in nearly all market activities - foreign exchange, interest rate

management, cash management, investments and funding. Unilever has two parent

companies, Unilever NV and PLC, of which NV will immediately adopt the euro for

Treasury operations. Consequently all Treasury transactions will use the euro as the base

currency. Unilever NV will also net payments in euro. Unilever PLC will continue to use

sterling. Gerard Tuinenburg, Treasury manager back and middle office for Unilever,

says, & quot;We act as an in house bank for our European subsidiaries and the euro

presents many opportunities and challenges. At the end of last year we started addressing

our cash management requirements. From a basic cash management perspective many of

our tasks will be much easier. For each subsidiary we will only need to have one euro

account instead of multiple currency accounts. & quota;

Source: http://www.trema.com/solutions/

http://www.trema.com/solutions/



ENCOURAGING THE USE OF THE EURO

From a payments perspective Unilever is not requiring third parties to invoice in euros

but internal invoices will all be generated in the new currency. Unilever is consulting all

of its third parties and encouraging them to use euro but not stipulating that they must.

Tuinenburg continues, & quot;All the banks we deal with, including non participant

member state banks, want to see us using the euro & quota. Initially the treasury lacked a

lot of information regarding what needed to be done in order to prepare. By attending

seminars and generally raising the level of information in the department, key issues and

changes became clearer in terms of what operational changes would be needed.

Tuinenburg points out that obviously much of the work is system related but stresses, &

quot;We have been working with Trema to ensure we have everything covered.

Essentially this has meant being involved with system planning, specification and

training. From a personal perspective I spend roughly 25 percent of my time on the

project although testing and training obviously takes longer. All our instruments will be

re-denominated as from 1 January 1999 & quota. Funding decisions will not be changed.

Unilever will issue commercial papers in euros unless there are differences in local

markets that present arbitrage possibilities. From an accounting perspective Unilever will

initially deal with two denominations, the guilder and the euro. From 1999, it will plan in

euro and as per 2000 the external reporting will change to euro

Source: http://www.trema.com/solutions/ .



TRADING OPPORTUNITIES

Tuinenburg comments, & quot; From a liquidity perspective, a single currency will

obviously make things easier. Investment activities for instance will change as certain

instruments will become more prominent in euro, such as credit or asset backed notes. &

quota; & quot;We feel that 'euro land' is going to present many new, interesting

possibilities. As the financial market gets bigger, so it will become more efficient and

transparent. If we have the need to issue bonds or carry out a substantial financial

activity, whereas previously we may have looked to the US market, we will now have a

sizeable financial market on our doorstep. Of course, we may have to use local markets

and comply with local regulation as long as these are not yet harmonized, but we expect

the euro market will give us a depth compared to the US market. & quot;


A NEW SUBSTANTIAL MARKET

Anon Kamphuis, Treasurer Parent & Holding Companies, sees the creation of a large

new financial market as probably the main benefit presented by the euro. &

quot;Basically we are looking forward to the development of a large capital and money

market from which we can either withdraw or invest large amounts if necessary. The size,

liquidity and further deregulation of the market present the major opportunities. The ease

of settlements and the possible development of the new clearing systems will be

beneficial. There will also be opportunities for savings resulting from the elimination of

exchange rate differences and removal of exposures will make business decisions easier.

& quot; He continues, & quot; we also see a major risk. The euro market may come

under intense pressure from financial and political sources. We have to bear in mind that



the European Central Bank may take some time to build up credibility. From a political

perspective the member countries all move at different paces and a common interest rate

may pose problems. There is an issue as to whether this common rate will work.

Ultimately I suppose the threat is that there is a breakdown of the new system. & quot;

Transition presents Unilever with a big workload. As 1999 approaches more information

is becoming available about conventions and regulations in the new market but there are

still many fundamental unanswered questions. Kamphuis gives an example, & quot;Will

Euro-Libor or Euribor become the benchmark standard? There has been a wealth of

information available to us but the difficulty has been to assess which is the right

information. Many of the answers are simply not known. The banks, for instance, can talk

conceptually about how it will be but they certainly can not show anything working yet.

Effective cross border payment mechanisms, for example, still have not been developed.

& quot; When asked to sum up the treasury's attitude towards the euro next year,

Tuinenburg is confident, & quot;In general, I could say that there might be a problem

with the length of the transition period. It may be too long, which could present problems

with rounding and conversion. But in general rearranging cash management across

Europe will make our lives easier. & quot; Tuinenburg and Kamphuis are confident that

Unilever will be adequately prepared, & quot; we put a lot of faith in our systems

suppliers but yes, we expect we will be ready. & quot;


.

SOLVE THE PROBLEM



Term offers two distinct solutions tailored to the varied needs and operational

complexities of today’s treasuries:

The Term Suite: is a versatile treasury & asset management suite that supports the

widest range of instruments and functions, in a single integrated, yet open and modular

system. It delivers unprecedented ROI by providing companies with immediate visibility

and control, and easy compliance throughout the enterprise. The Trema Suite Version 7

includes a new instrument framework enabling faster instrument implementation and has

unique support for structured products helping borrowers to lower their funding cost. A

new global accounting support and parallel accounting framework facilitate the

compliance with evolving accounting standards. It also introduces a Commercial Lending

Module (CLM) with dedicated features to manage the whole lifecycle of commercial

loans.

The Trema Suite™ can also be used by banks and financial service providers to provide

complete corporate treasury services to their customers on a secure, cost effective and

scalable platform.


The Richmond Suite is an effective corporate treasury solution that is quick to install,

easy to use, maintain and yet delivers best practice in one cost effective package. It

encompasses everything a mid-sized corporate treasury requires to manage its daily

processes, including cash management, deal administration, risk management and

accounting.



The Richmond Suite can be deployed on the desktop or over the web and is available in

ASP mode. It comes with a powerful task scheduler which can automate, time, and

sequence many workflow processes, including the import or export of data to and from

other systems.


Conclusion

With the interview conduction, it is affirmed that in Beau Poise, products were developed

in response to different segmented target market, for the designers and architects in terms

of pricing, function and flexibility with a comprehensive range of the system furniture. In

today’s turbulent business environment, and with numerous competitors, marketing

management and approaches are increasingly important and it is the key to the business

by providing excellent CRM with the support of PRM to gain market shares, attracting

and retaining profitable customers with the value of satisfaction of the customers.

Market-ing is the soul, not just one part of the body in any organization. Therefore,

everyone in an organization should be a marketer. [Kotler, Kartajaya, 2003, p. 1, 2]



List of Reference

web reference

1. http://www.unilever.com/ourcompany/aboutunilever/introducingunilever

access date: 25/11/2005 10:55 pm

2. http://www.unilever.com/ourcompany/aboutunilever/history/default.asp

access date: 22/11/2005 08:25 pm

3. http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~renglish/370/notes/chapt02/

access date: 23/11/2005 11:38 pm

4. www.strategy4u.com

access date: 18/11/2005 11:20 pm

5. www.manyworlds.com

access date: 25/11/2005 10:48 pm

6. http://www.trema.com/solutions/

access date: 21/11/2005 12:33 ap


http://www.manyworlds.com/

http://www.strategy4u.com/



http://www.unilever.com/ourcompany/aboutunilever/introducingunilever


Appendix I

mkt assignment

Documents