Course purshasing Essay Example for Free

Course purshasing Essay * Founded by France Dominique Mandonnaud in 1969 as a simple perfume shop. * By 1979 the company was already expanded to â€Å"several stores† * Originally, Sephora was planned to be self-service store that offers a variety of products. * Its founder Mandonnaud rebranded his combined set of stores in order to expand is market. * Mandonnaud extended its branches all over France by acquiring 8% of total French retail perfume market and was purchased by LVMH, luxury product group, for $262 million in 1997. * Sephora expanded its operations and services beyond the perfume industry and expanding its core of products to cosmetics. * Under LNMH’s ownership and opened its first U. S store in New York City in 1998 However, this presented a challenge for the company as they had a difficult time to supply the products from other prestigious brands; such as Estee Lauder and Clinique. * The Company banked on rather unknown brands to fill its shelves therefore, these relationships grew strong and eventually this fact led to the innovation and creativity of these brands to introduce new lines of products. * Sephora confronted many issues on their cosmetic line division, especially with the direct line of supply from other stores. * Bottom line, Sephora offers more than 200 brands that go from the typical classics to new and exotic brands; altogether, Sephora counts with more than 20,000 products. Among those products we could find top of line and sophisticated brands as well as not so well know products. * Sephora formed an strategic alliance with JC Penny. * Sephora. com was projected to generate 15-20% of Sephora USA sales in 2010. * Sephora. com ranked top 50 retail sites in U. S SWOT analysis Strengths * Globally distributed with more than 1000 shops worldwide * Strong parent company; LVMH * More than 20,000 products to offer. * Strong online sales * self-service approach to cosmetics * Strong emphasis on construct loyalty brand by tracking down the customers shopping habits. Weaknesses * Modest operational budget. * Low brand recognition * Lack of TV promotions and print ads. * Higher price than drugstores and supermarkets Opportunities * Enhance their customer loyalty program in order to build a â€Å"relationship† with the product consumers. * Sign contracts with famous celebrities to endorse their products. * Introduction to enter into emerging economies such as Brazil and India. Threats * Economic downturn. * Other companies in the same industry. * Amazon and other online companies that sale cosmetic, with their aggressive approach could certainly become a threat. Identification of Problem * Personnel and financial constraints needed to be addressed. * Imagination and inventiveness was greatly needed. * Budget limitation, presented a real challenge when it comes to budget allocation to different initiatives. * Outcomes assessment of social media campaigns as well as mobile applications constituted a real test to overcome. Sephora Direct Julie Bornstein took Sephora on another journey. She transforms the marketing view to a much modern and up to date campaigns. * New Budget request was introduced in order to launch a major campaign that will include social media, web site enhancement as well as the implementation of â€Å"customer relationship† campaigns. * Campaign success should be assessed thorough out Facebook â€Å"likes† and twitter followers as well as I phone application downloads. Sephora. com and Beauty Insider * Sephora. com was implement on 1999 with very imp clear short and long term goals. * Up to 25% of sales should be generated by Sephora. com by 2010. * By 2007 Sephora developed its Beauty Insider campaign. * Incentives such as 1 point for every dollar, redeem points programs are among those strategies in order to create that â€Å"relationship† with its customers Social Media Although this initiative had a rocky start, eventually become a success, Bornstein visionary initiative and her persistence, this initiate obtained 1 million product reviews posted on their web site. (Ofek, 2012). Facebook * Sephora join Facebook by 2008 in less than a year their account had close to 300,000 fans in Facebook. * Last statistics show the Sephora page with more than 900,000 Twitter * By 2010, Sephora had approx. 100,000 users. * Primarily used for current promos, contests, events, etc. * Customers used it to tweet about newly found products. You Tube * Used by Sephora to upload â€Å"How to Videos† on make-up applications; however this sharing video site could be utilized on a much more aggressive way. Cell phone applications * The rapid pace of technology forced mayor companies such as Sephora to create applications for smart phones like IPhone, Droid, Blackberry, etc. Alternatives Budget Re-distribution As stated previously the fast pace of technology constitute a real challenge not only to Sephora but to every single company. Therefore, I would like to present the following suggestions: * Cellphone applications should really receive a great attention and consequently, more financial Resources. * Pros * Instant reaching out to their customer base * Cons * Increase cost of application development fees. * Facebook, according to younger generations has become â€Å"not cool† and obviously not as attractive for younger women, therefore Sephora should look into other popular social media networks in order target new customers that eventually become loyal customers. Instagram, Pheed, thumb, Medium, etc. should be receiving at least 5% of the developmental budget for emerging social sites. * Pros * Targeting potential new buyers, young men and women that are eager to take on the world. * Cons * This target population might take some time in order to become actual customers. * Beauty Insider should remain at 20% as this constitutes the strongest campaign for Sephora when it comes to help â€Å"Sephora loyal customers†. * Pros * Continuous catering of â€Å"loyal customers† * Cons * Become obsolete if new strategies are not develop. * Retailing – print catalogs, store animations. Should receive 30% percent of their developmental budget as these tools have become obsolete for the most part. (Personal opinion) * Pros * Reduction of cost in traditional advertise. * Cons * Potential loose of mature but loyal customers. Recommendation Finally, my recommendation will be to start a comprehensive Research of outcomes in the different categories of initiates developed under Julie Bornstein leadership. Based on those findings re-restructure the entire budget and re-think some of our means to reach out to new and existing customers. We live in a fast speed life and therefore our customers are as busy as they could help. Therefore Sephora must constantly evaluate and re-design their marketing strategies in order to provide the upmost friendly user options to inform serve and sell our products and services to their consumers. Therefore I would choose the Cellphone application development to receive a greater part of the advertisement developmental budget and at the same time re-balance other line of the budgets in order to adjust the budgets accordingly to the outcomes evaluation done thorough the above suggested research.

Essay --

Case Facts and Overview Cambridge Science Pharmaceuticals (CSP) is an international health care company that focuses on developing and marketing products that treat metabolic disorder and other acute and chronic medical conditions. CSP is coming up with a new product named Metabical after listening to a focus group participants that communicated their life struggles with weight loss. 65% of the adult US population is considered overweight, obese, or severely obese and that can measured by Body Mass Index (BMI) scale to understand more under which category they are. BMIs between 25 and 30 are the ones Metabical can benefit. There are over the counter non-prescription drugs for overweight category and the only FDA approved was Alli. Metabical at the time of the case would be the first prescription drug with an approval by the FDA, and clinical trials proved that participants reached their target goal by week 12. Metabical had few side effects when excess fat and calories were consumed. As a result, CSP decided to come up with a support program that included reference material, online tools and exercise plans similar to Alli the OTC drug, but was going to be more comprehensive, in order to help maintain the weight and minimize the side effects. Health care providers were enthusiastic about a drug that can help patients with their overweight struggles and maintain the weight loss. The company conducted a marketing research that shows overweight is on the rise, with 34% of US adults considered in the 25-30 BMI scale. The marketing research also shows that the highest percentage was for the age 65-74 for men, and 45-54 to women. A further research shows that 12% of the respondents said they would make an appointment and purchase the ... ...li. As for the communication strategy, sticking to heavy pull advertising and adding more money into push advertising is recommended. Furthermore, sales representatives have to be trained well on how to convince physicians and know a lot of information about Metabical before they do their visits. PR events and direct mail should also take place and be informative. My final recommendation would be not to include a celebrity, as sometimes celebrities can create a bad image especially that it is a prescription, and not just a herbal treatment. As for the timeline, it is important to create awareness for the physicians through direct mail, sales representatives visits, and seminars before the launch of the product, followed by more direct mail and DTC to the consumers. After the launch, the online contest should take place, and viral marketing should continue heavily.

Bench Strength

Any thriving business is cognizant of the fact that their success hinges significantly upon the services and loyalty of key personnel, as well as the ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified staff. Of course it does not stop with hiring and retention, the most important aspect of human resources is to be able to recognize potential leaders and train them accordingly so as to prepare them for more responsibilities and leadership roles as they grow with the company. The term bench strength refers to the depth of any given company’s pool of qualified and potential executives and managers.These short-listed people are being groomed to go up the corporate ladder, in a seamless succession of leadership that will bring stability and increased growth for the company. To make sure that the potential leaders will be up to the task, every company must invest in the training and development of their personnel. This training and development program is so designed in such a way tha t will harness the skills and strengths of these people, in the hopes that they will be able to steer the company through rough waters and towards higher grounds.Potential leaders must be identified, mentored, and exposed to all levels of the company’s operations. This way, these people are able to gain a broader and deeper insight of how the business functions, and as such, be able to contribute in all the levels of operation of the business. According to Conger (2004), â€Å"Succession management must be a flexible system that is oriented toward developmental activities, and not just a rigid list of high-potential employees and the slots they might possibly fill.† An effective bench strength strategy is to create a program that successfully marries succession planning and leadership training and development. This way, the company knows the skills required for leadership positions, and training will be aligned in such a way that these skills are successfully developed . Conger (2004) further maintains that the companies that have the most success in bench strengthening programs are â€Å"those that merge succession planning and leadership development in order to create a long-term process for managing the talent roster across their organizations. †Of course a company cannot develop a succession program if its fails to institute a hiring and retention program that would ensure the appropriate fit of employees to their respective job responsibilities. Human resources must be able to attract and hire the right people the first time. If a company fails in this regard, staffing will eat into the company’s resources, and cause disruption in the business because there is frequent change in personnel, leaving the business without any real sense of succession. (Burkholder, 2003, p. 150) In such cases, some companies are forced to hire outsiders for leadership roles.While this is not necessarily bad, personnel who have been groomed for sensit ive and executive positions are will require less adjustment both from subordinates and higher-ups alike. Companies must first look within and find potential leaders among the ranks. The sense of opportunity and career growth will inspire people and motivate them to work harder and give their best performance in every endeavor. Employees who know that their efforts are noticed and recognized have no reason to leave in search of greener pastures and better opportunities.A company with loyal and hard-working personnel will also have the pool of leaders that they need for a seamless succession of leaders. This internal development program not only saves on cots in terms of cost in time and additional compensation to attract and hiring outside people, but more importantly, boosts the morale of the personnel and ensures the stability of the company in terms of human resources. Therefore before any successful succession and leadership development can be designed, an effective staffing pro gram must first be put in place.Burkholder (2003, 151) maintains that staffing â€Å"must be aligned with the rest of the organization. † This means that staffing must take a proactive role in the company, and not just act on a need basis. There are many techniques to ensure an effective staffing program. One method is called the Baldridge process. This program requires a company to take self-assessment. This self-assessment is designed to help companies align their business processes and operations with fluctuating business needs and with the highly fickle labor market. By so doing, this recognizes the strategic role of the staffing group in the business.(Burkholder, 2003, 152) The main advantage of using the Baldridge process is that it empowers the staffing group and acknowledges their value in the business. Knowing that they have full support of the company, an empowered staffing group is thus able to create better and more efficient hiring and recruitment programs that w ill ensure the best matching of people to their spheres of responsibility. The entire business must operate as a single entity, with each department geared towards forwarding the business’ core values and achieving financial success for the company.When designing or implementing any type of staffing and retention programs, it is important to involve all the employees. It is a good idea to solicit their ideas and feedback. A cross-section of all departments must give their suggestions, this is to ensure that staffing and retention practices will be highly aligned with the needs of the company. After the programs have been implemented, there must be a system that will regularly monitor and evaluate the programs.Such a system allows dfor continued improvement; buttressing the good points and working on the not-so-good aspects of the program. (Harris & Brannick, 1999, p. 206) Every organization, regardless of its size will benefit from competent people. The issue that every compa ny must address is how to invite these people and keep them once they have been hired. The next step once you have retained these leaders, is to provide them with growth opportunities that would harness their skills and competencies to the benefit of the entire business.As the company grows, your key personnel should be made capable to handle decision-making responsibilities. To achieve this, your staffing group must be explicitly involved in the planning and implementation of the company’s business plan. By being aware of the objectives of the company, the staffing group has a framework by which to design its own hiring and retention procedures and programs in such a way that contributes to the realization of these goals. (Becker, 2001, p.29) Indeed when a department knows what is expected of them and how they can help the organization, all their energies will be focused towards the attainment of that common goal. Every company must endeavor to encourage a sense of community and participation across all levels of the organization. Only then can a business ever have a chance at carving a niche for itself in the highly competitive world of the free market. References: Becker, B. E. , Huselid, M. A. (2001). The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy, and Performance.Harvard Business School Press. Brannick, J. & Harris, J (1999). Finding & Keeping Great Employees. NJ: AMACOM Div American Management Association. Burkholder, N. C. , Edwards, P. J. , Sartain, L. (2003). On Staffing: Advice and Perspectives from HR Leaders. NJ: John Wiley and Sons. Conger, J. A. & Fulmer, R. M. , (2003). Bench Strength: Grooming Your Next CEO. Developing Your Leadership Pipeline. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 81, No. 12. Retrieved on August 5, 2007 from http://hbswk. hbs. edu/archive/3855. html

The Role Of Women in Hamlet Essay - 1063 Words

The mindset of the unequal genders in the past is thought to have influenced the way playwright William Shakespeare portrayed females in his plays. Shakespeare exemplified this in his revenge tragedy Hamlet, written in 1601 with one of the most significant characters, Gertrude. She is central to the plot due to her relationship with the main character, Hamlet, being his mother. However, not only is she the mother to the tragic hero Hamlet, she is also widow to his laid father, King Hamlet Senior, and also newly wed to Hamlets uncle, Claudius. In this tragic play, we witness not only the downfall of women of the play in general, but specifically the falling out of Gertrude as a mother to Hamlet, as a wife to the new King Claudius, and as a†¦show more content†¦This soliloquy not only expresses Hamlet’s feelings toward women, but also signifies the beginning to his madness. Not too much further into the play Gertrude realizes her sons abnormal behavior and her conscious kicks in, leading her to feel shame and guilt towards herself. â€Å"I doubt it is no other but the main, /His father’s death and our o’er- hasty marriage† (II.ii.56-57). Here Gertrude acknowledges her flaws as a mother to Hamlet, because she finally understands and convinces herself that because she moved on so quickly after the death to marry Claudius, Hamlet has become mad. This is essentially the falling action of Gertrude as a character because she is trapped between trying to please her husband and her son. Initial incident and consequently the lead to the denouement of her character, was Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius, little does she know of course. As the audience, we are aware of the plots and schemes developing throughout the play without Gertrude’s knowledge. Frailty, thy name is woman: Gertrude: in the Middle suggests, â€Å"It is, in fact, one of these covert actions (as usual kept from Gertrude) that causes her undoing. In effect, Gertrude does not know what she has married, and the gradual realization provides one way to chart her trajectory through the action of the play. To begin with, there is the fact of Claudius’ role in her former husband’s demise†Show MoreRelatedRoles Of Women In Hamlet982 Words   |  4 Pagesthe evolving roles of women in playwright has constantly been up for debate by directors, writers, audiences, and even the actors who portray these characters. For many years in the past, women played a small role socially, eco nomically, and politically. Because of this, many plays and works of literature represent this diminishing role of women. The importance of realistic roles played by women has been a huge factor in the progression of playwright. Specifically, the roles of women in plays suchRead More Hamlet- The Role Of Women Essay1127 Words   |  5 Pagesamp;#9;Today women have many rights. We can vote, work, and even voice our own opinions. In the past women were seen as mothers and housekeepers, always taught to respect, listen, and serve there husbands or the man of the house. In those days this was considered normal, therefore women had no choice but to obey and do as they were told. In Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays a similar relationship between women and men. He allows men to hold the higher position in the causing, them to treat women as lesserRead MoreThe Role Of Women In Shakespeares Hamlet1119 Words   |  5 PagesThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is generally regarded as the gre atest of all Shakespeare’s plays and also one of the world’s classics of all time. In the play, Hamlet, has to take revenge for his dead father and the murderer is not only his uncle but also the new King of Denmark. 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Women were suppressed by the males in their lives (brothers, fathers, and partners) and were always inferior. Ophelia and Gertrude have little or no power due to restricted legal, social and economic rights that were found in Elizabethan society. The male characters in Hamlet reflect this sexist view pointRead MoreAnalysis Of Shakespeare s Hamlet 1021 Words   |  5 Pages Women’s Roles in Hamlet â€Å"There’s a remarkable amount of sexism on TV. When male characters are flawed, they’re interesting, deep and complex, but when women characters are flawed, they’re just a mess.† Ellen Pompeo. In â€Å"Hamlet† Ophelia and Gertrude are the only females mentioned throughout the Shakespeare’s tragic play. The two women are unappreciated and are considered fragile and weak-minded by the men in the play. Although the women play unforgettable leads, theyRead MoreThe Profound Impact Of Female Characters Of Shakespeare s Hamlet930 Words   |  4 PagesCharacters in Hamlet How much of an impact can the women in a man’s life have on his thoughts and actions? A mother is the first woman her son will come into contact with, and can skew her son’s image of women through her actions. A man’s significant other also has the ability to bring out the best in him, but can also become the target for his anger and stray emotions. In William Shakespeare s Hamlet, although there are only two main female characters, both women†¯possess crucial roles in the playRead MoreEssay about Women’s Roles in Hamlet1033 Words   |  5 PagesWomen’s Roles in Hamlet In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare, the author, creates female characters that occupy very different roles than in his other plays. In this play, Hamlet plays opposite two women who are used by the men around them in order to further their own interests. One woman is named Ophelia. In many of Shakespeare’s other plays, he creates women that are very strong and play a very real role in the life of the protagonist. In Hamlet, however, Ophelia occupies a very different role-she exemplifiesRead MoreEssay about Ophelia: Harshly Criticized1027 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century, has been subject to evaluation for centuries. Each character has been broken down and analyzed. The psychology of each character has been examined. Every relationship has been studied to find more answer surrounding the play. Harold Bloom and Sigmund Freud have examined it extensively. Scholars have dissected all parts of the play. One character that has r ecently been analyzed more and more is Ophelia. She has been defended by