CASE 3: Understanding Consumers

CHRISTIAN KING S. ILARDE

1. Burst of Energy is a food product positioned in the extreme sports market as a performance
enhancer. A distributor of the product has seen a change in the demand for the product. The
manufacturer has done nothing to generate the demand, but there have been a couple of
reports that two popular celebrities were photographed with the product. Could something like
this happen? What move will you make?

To increase sales, I will devise a marketing strategy. One example is a marketing strategy. The analysis of
the global Food Enhancer Market's manufacturing price structure should make visible key aspects such
as trade chain structure, manufacturing method, raw materials, and their suppliers. Science is taken into
account in the engineering process and in terms of product components. The market is dynamic in
nature, and this will rouse testing requirements as well as the advancement of superior hardware,
advancing the market's event possibilities.

2. Suppose you own a small business that provides PC repair services to local businesses. In
addition to the basic fix-it services you now provide, you are thinking about offering new
services. Applying the “systems-selling concept”, what additional services could you offer that
would make a complete package or systems solution to your customers?

Many companies have used the concept of systems selling to guide their product and marketing
strategy in recent years. The economic consequences of system selling for the industrial goods seller
are examined in this paper by Lars-Gunnar Mattsson. There are four distinct types of revenue
consequences identified. It is argued that the seller should let its market analysis be influenced by
which of these four consequences are consistent with its objectives in choosing a systems selling
approach. It has been demonstrated that selling systems increases product differentiation and
market entry barriers. As a result, the system selling firm's profit opportunities increase. The cost
consequences are examined in terms of investment size and customer heterogeneity, and the paper
concludes with a discussion of the factors influencing the relative advantage for systems sold in the
international market.

FOCUS ON ETHICS:

You are the senior buyer for a growing technology company and an avid golfer. You have just
opened an invitation to attend the masters Golf Tournament in Georgia this coming spring. The
invitation is from a supplier company that has been trying to sell you its new line of products for the
past year. They will pay for everything, travel, room, meals and you’ll even get an opportunity to
play in the pro- am event on Wednesday before the match starts. You have read the newly released
Employee Manual and there is no reference or rule that specifically states that an employee cannot
accept a fully paid trip from a vendor; although there are some vague restrictions on lunches and
dinners paid for by suppliers.
 1. Do you accept or decline the invitation?

No, our goal in marketing is to market in ways that maximize the good and happiness for all.
Achieving only our business goals without regard for others in our company, such as making
outrageous claims that earn clicks or leads but make our sales and customer service teams
miserable, does not create the greatest good for all.

2. Just because it is not specifically mentioned in the Employee Manual would you be acting
ethically if you accepted?

"No state officer or state employee shall have a financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in any
business, transaction, or professional activity, or incur any obligation of any kind that is in conflict with
the proper discharge" of the state employee's official duties.

3. Do you think the supplier will expect “special” treatment in the next buying situation?

Yes, because there would be a conflict of interest. That event could interfere with your ability to
perform your official duties properly. Outside employment, a volunteer activity, ownership of a private
business, or any private activity, relationship, business, etc. that would impair/conflict with your ability
to make decisions on behalf of the state could be considered.

4. How would other company employees interpret your acceptance of this invitation?

Accepting the invitation may cause an employee to act in ways that are contrary to the interests of his or
her employer or coworkers. Employees in the workplace want to avoid any behavior or choices that may
indicate a conflict of interest. They are detrimental to the employee's reputation, integrity, and
trustworthiness in the eyes of coworkers and management.