The Report On Marketing Strategy For Dell Marketing Essay

The Report On Marketing Strategy For Dell Marketing Essay Successful companies under todays competition have one thing in common: they attach a great importance to their consumers perspective and needs, and they are putting a lot energy and money into marketing. They encourage every employee in their organization to construct long-term relation of loyalty through providing consumers with services or products of high quality at a reasonable price (Coughlin Louis, 2001). When Dell Inc. is concerned with this respect, it has done a pioneering job in marketing by selling its products through telephone or via internet. However, with the changing marketing and competition environment, it is of great significance of the company to make adjustment in the following fields: marketing segmentation, marketing communications tools as well as distribution channels. Under the circumstances of buyers market and fierce competitions between companies, marketing plays an indispensible role for promoting sales and, as the result, an enterprises competitive competence. And when it refers to modern marketing, it is not just confined in developing a good product, pricing it attractively, and making it available to target customers (Thomas Reed, 2002). In terms of the computer market, it has also witnessed unprecedented competition among rivalries. Here in this report, the case of Dell Company is discussed under the guidance of relevant marketing theories and concepts. It primarily includes the following parts: firstly, this report starts with the introduction of the concept and theory of marketing segmentation, and five marketing segmentation approaches, which include geographic, age and life-cycle, gender, and behavioral and income segmentation, are recommended for Dell; secondly, five communications tools, consisting of personal selling, sales promot ion, advertising, public relation, direct marketing, are suggested for Dell to promote its sales under the guidance of the theory of marketing communications mix and its content ; lastly, as the company has made collaboration with some retailers, such as Sams Club and Wal-Mart stores, to sell its personal computers, the evaluation of this strategy is made in terms of both advantages and disadvantages. 2. Marketing segmentation of Dell Markets are composed of different consumers, and they differ from each other in one or more aspects, such as purchasing attitudes, consumption practices, resources, desires and locations. Therefore, it is of great necessity to divide the computer market into smaller ones to match the unique demands of different customers by marketing segmentation. 2.1 The concept and theory of market segmentation Market segmentation refers to partitioning a special market into distinct units with varied demands, features, or behavior which might need separate products or marketing mixes (Stanley, 1992). And when it comes to methods which are used to segment a particular market, there is more than one way. A marketer can try varied segmentation variables, alone an also in combination, to search for the best approach to view the market structure (Kotler, 2002). The primary components which might be made use of during the process of making marketing segmentation are geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioral and income variables. And here in the case of the company of Dell, five marketing segmentation approaches would be recommended. 2.2 Five marketing segmentation approaches for Dell Considering the reality of computer market and the successful approaches taken by Dell in market segmentation, geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioral and income segmentation are illustrated. geographic segmentation When the market is divided into different geographical units such as regions, nations, counties, states, cities or neighborhoods, this method is called geographical segmentation (Stanley, 1992). One enterprise might determine to run its business within one or a few special regions or to carry out its business all over the country and even the world but would undoubtedly notice the geographical variances in terms of consumer demands. In case of Dell, it has become a global company with its products sold around every corner of the world. However, due to geographical differences, it is of great significance to segment the global computer market geographically. Up to now, the company has segmented the global market into three parts: the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific/Japan. However, with the development of some emerging and potential market, for instance, China, it would be better to segment the market into smaller ones. Age and life-cycle segmentation Age and life-cycle segmentation refers to dividing a market into different ages and life-cycle groups (McCarthy, 1960)). The rationality of segmenting market on the basis of age lies in that peoples demands and wants change with age. Therefore, it makes sense for Dell to provide different products or taking advantage of varied marketing tools for varied age and life-cycle groups. For instance, when advertising its products by adverting on TV or via Internet, the theme of advertisements to teenagers and young people should be full of adventures, fashions, beat-up music and fast-paced cutting from scene to scene, and the content for adults could be more mature, softer. Gender segmentation In terms of gender segmentation, it indicates to divide a market into different groups due to differences in gender (Kotler, 2002). Traditionally, the method of gender segmentation has long been applied in cosmetics, clothing, and magazines and so on. However, as the expansion of Dells business in Asia and other regions, it should take gender variable into consideration. This is because of the increased social status and financial independence of Asian women in recent years. And the gender segmentation can be reflected by designing the appearance of PCs differently. behavioral segmentation When it comes to behavioral segmentation, it refers to segmenting a market into groups based on customers knowledge, use, attitude, or response to a product (Gatignon, 1993). In terms of this market segmentation approach, Dell has really done a great job by providing a wide range of service or products from desktop to notebook computer, form hardware products to software. To make best use of behavioral segmentation method, the company may, on the basis of use for different people, develop computer for business people, student, or home use. income segmentation When marketers divide a market into income groups, this is income segmentation (Doyle, 1994). In tradition, computer marketers target on affluent consumers as computer once was considered as luxury. However, with the popularity of computers, it is of great significance to focus on customers of low-income. This is especially true when Dell run its business in developing countries, such as China, India and African countries. Therefore, when Dell starts business in the developing areas, it is of great necessity of pay attention to develop low-end products. 3. Recommendations for Dell in marketing communications Here in this part, Communication mix is emphatically discussed. The communication is comprised of direct marketing, advertising, personal selling, promotion and public relations. Communication mix is mainly used to promote the new products. It is an effective method to attract consumers and increase the selling (Gatignon, 1993). 3.1 Personal selling Personal selling is the interpersonal arm of the promotion mix (Kotler, 2002). Different from the non-personal and one-way communication approach of advertising, personal selling makes salespeople and consumers communicate each other directly by phones, through web conferences or video or other methods. However, when it comes to different types of companies, personal selling can have quite different roles. In terms of the computer company Dell, final consumers can rarely meet salesperson. This is because Dell interacts with its consumers through its Websites or by telephone. Therefore, in terms of utilizing this marketing tool, Dell set a good example for its competitors. 3.2 Sales promotion Sales promotion refers to activities or performances taken by companies in a short term to stimulate the purchase or sale of the product or service using varieties of formats such as premiums, coupons, contests, etc (Brick, 1982). Through a serial of activities or performances, it can promote people to purchase more. And sales promotion is targeted at final buyers, wholesalers and retailers, other business customers and members of the sales force (Schall, 1983). It can be effective especially for introducing new products or services. Therefore, considering benefits brought by promotion, Dell should take advantage of this marketing tool especially when the company sells new products. 3.3 Advertising It is any paid form of no personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor. It is a widely-used means of publicity. The major media types for advertising are: newspapers, television, magazines, radio, internet and so on (Rao, 1993). Advertisements help to draw the publics attention and make people aware of this product. As a result, it undoubtedly could promote sales of Dell. However, it is also kind of double-edged sword as advertisements can be very money-consuming. What is more, advertisements may mislead consumers if they are not properly designed or contain any exaggerated information. Therefore, when choosing advertisements as it means for promotion, Dell must be very careful to select an advertising company and be clear the messages and the image that it wants to convey to it current and perspective customers. 3.4 Public relation Public relations mean establishing good relations with the publics by earning a good reputation, shaping a favorable image and dealing with the companys rumors and events (Doyle, 1994). It mainly contains keeping good relations with the firms different social groups by getting favorable publicity and setting up a healthy and good corporate image in public and at the same time, tackling or heading off stories, rumors, and events which damage its reputation. As a result, consumers get a good impression with this kind of firms and, therefore trust and purchase products manufactured by them. From the perspective of enterprises social obligations, especially in modern times, companies can be condemned and eventually be abandoned by consumers if they fail to perform their social responsibilities. Therefore, today, it is not whether firms should build good relations with the public, but how to construct it in a better and more impressive way. 3.5 Direct marketing It refers to direct contacts with carefully targeted individual customers in order to acquire a reply in time as well as cultivate permanent consumer relationship, for example, using telephone, mail, fax, e-mail, the Internet, and other tools to communicate directly with specific consumers (Kotler, 2002). Direct marketing is very useful helps companies obtain the first hand information directly from consumers. And companies can give an immediate reply to their customers if there are any questions. Through this way, customers obtain a sense of being respected and cared by firms and, therefore, consumers can be loyal to this kind of companies. However, there are also negative effects brought by direct marketing. Firstly, it undoubtedly costs a lot of money, time and human resources. Secondly, companies may not draw any useful conclusions for decision-makers at all if information is processed in a scientific way. Therefore, to make full use of direct marketing, firms must make sufficien t preparations. 4. The evaluation of Dells cooperation with retailers in PCs distribution In the filed of marketing, marketing channel is very important in many aspects (Coughlin Louis, 2001). In recent years, in order to defeat its competitors including Hewlett-Packard, Gateway and Acer in the sales of personal computer and other equipment, Dell determined to cooperate with worlds largest retailer Wal-Mart. This plan is carried out in more 3500 Wal-Mart and Sams Club stores in the USA, Puerto Rico and Canada. And the models of Dell computer, including the necessary accessories, in Wal-Mart is sold at the price of no more than $700. As far as this strategy is concerned, it could bring the company both benefits as well as risks. (1) The advantages of Dells alliance with retailers in PCs distribution As it is known to us that Wal-Mart the largest retailer in the world, therefore, the company is world famous and it has a wide contact with consumers from rich people to the poor. As the result, Dells cooperation with the biggest supermarket would make its products exposed to consumers completely, which would stimulate the sales of Dell. Secondly, considering Wal-Marts proposition value of Always Low Price, Always, Dell sells its product at a price of less than $700. This is perfectly coincided with the value of Wal-Mart and would undoubtedly be helpful to sell its low-end products to consumers of low income. In addition, Dell revolutionized its industry by selling personal computers directly to it consumers instead of through retail stores (). However, today, it changed its strategy partially for surviving in the fierce competition. And this flexible adjustment could promote the sales its low-end products by increasing its distribution channels. (2) The disadvantage of Dells cooperation with retailers in PCs distribution The biggest challenge for Dells setting distribution channels with retailers is that the company cannot readily replace distribution channels with enterprise-owned Web sites or stores when the external or internal circumstance changes. This is because cooperation with retailers involves negotiation, compromise as well time lag in feedback, which costs time. And in the business world, time determines the promptness in reaction to the market and, undoubtedly, it competitive capabilities. Besides, selling its products through a supermarket like Wal-Mart would not helpful for Dell to get the direct information from the consumers. This can result in incorrect decisions from top managers and, as the result, in disadvantaged positions in competition with its rivalries. 5. Conclusion As one of the largest computer producers in the world, Dell Inc. has made progress in the field with a unique style and has done a revolutionized job in marketing by selling its products directly to customers rather than through retailers. Because of the unique approach in marketing, the company has made big profit. However, as the market become much more fierce than ever before and its competitors becomes more competitive, it is of great significance for company to adopt creative marketing approaches, for instance new marketing segmentation methods and marketing communications mix. Besides, it also makes sense to make adjustment in distribution channel.

Methaphor & Metonymy – Condensation & Displacement.Doc

Displacement; a shift or move in the unconscious when the mind redirects a thought or word dangerous or unacceptable and substitutes it with a more affable thought or word. Condensation; where all the different elements, bits and pieces of thought and dreams combine into one to make sense. In this way they can stand for several different thoughts, feelings, wishes, ideas, etc. For Freud, condensation and displacement / substitution were used as a defense mechanism to contain aggressive and sexual impulses and hide the true unconscious thought (anxiety). Brought to light through slips, jokes and dreams, these little bits of language produce the whole picture. The Signorelli example, from The psychopathology of everyday life is a fine example of displacement and linguistics. Travelling through Bosnia, Herzegovina; Freud forgets the name of a famous painter; Signorelli. Two other less familiar names come to mind; Botticelli and Boltraffio. By combining different bits and parts of the words Signorelli, Botticelli, Boltraffio and Bosnia, Herzegovina, he realises the repressed thought (death and sexuality regarding a patient). A further example comes from jokes and their relation to the unconscious, during a conversation Hirsch – Hyacinth of Hamburg; Pottery agent and extractor of corns, recalls a meeting with the wealthy Baron Rothschild where Rothschild treated him as his equal – ‘quite famillionairely’. (Condensation accompanied by the formation of a substitute) Metaphor – A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or concept it does not literally denote in order to suggest comparison with its basic meaning (metaphors = suppress). A rough man. Metonymy – is a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related or which it is a part i. e. substitution of one word for another. (metonymy combines). The cup was drunk. Jacques Lacan; (1901-1981) believed that the human psyche is found in language. He thought it an extremely important part of Freud’s understanding of the unconscious. He wanted to expand on Freud’s work or condensation and displacement. Using metaphors and metonymy Lacan related directly to Freud’s thinking in terms of condensation and displacement in so far as the original is changed and a new idea – concept is formed. He placed great importance on linguistics’ (phonemes, multiple use of the same material, double meaning, puns etc) in relation to slips and Para praxes . He relied on the borrowed work of a number of linguistics in this regard. The linguist, De Saussure believed the relationship between words were greater than objects. Two elements combine in a relationship called signification to produce the linguistic sign. There must be both a signifier (idea) and signified (concept). Lacan noticed the similarities between Saussure and Freud’s work in relation to signifier and signified. In Freud’s representation S/s the signified slips beneath the signifier. A second linguistic, Roman Jacobson believed the production of language twofold. Selection / substation and combination of the linguistic units. He gives an excellent example of the use of metaphor and metonymy. Quoting from Lewis Carrols, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: ‘â€Å"Did you say pig or fig? said the cat. ‘I said pig,’ replied Alice. (Baby to pig suggests a person who is not nice). Other examples include, the Cheshire cat (grin like a Cheshire cat). The March Hare (as mad as a March Hare) etc, etc.

Business Ethics Across the World Essay

Have you ever thought of how globalization hasn’t just moved nations nearer together, but also how it has generated a single moral perception for nations conducting business together? Management teams are discovering that there are great moral challenges waiting to be found out by the enhanced progress to a global scale. If ethics are an issue inside a country, visualize the difficulties that crop up when the quantity of people involved grows up to an international scale, cultures are different, as well as the language is alien. In this report we are going to thrash out two articles which deal with the moral perceptions of China and India, how these articles add to understanding international ethics, and how China’s and India’s business ethics contrast to that of the United States. Santa Clara University printed an article penned by Stephen Rothlin called â€Å"Business Ethics in the Chinese Context† that thrashed out some of the growth China achieved in 2006 and 2007 in business ethics. Stephen Rothlin works as the general secretary of the Center for International Business Ethics in Beijing. January 2008, Rothlin modernized the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics business and Organizational Ethics Partnership with the growth he had seen since his last trip in 2006. Rothlin thrashed out six types including; conditions for oral companies, community role, ecological sustainability, anti-corruption action, and customer privileges. In each of the six types he discussed both developments seen as well as suggested fields which required concentration for progress (Business Ethics in the Chinese Context, 2008). China’s work standards and employee privileges have progressed through the improvement of their Labor Contract Law which now defends China’s longtime workers from being dismissed from a job without particular reason. It also needs organizations to make a payment to employee social security accounts and has enhanced the workers’ protection by improving rules of working conditions. The new law also defends kids through child labor laws and now they are trying to make sure that China pursues these new rules and regulations (Business Ethics n the Chinese Context, 2008). In 2007, China dealt with a key setback with the surge of product recalls. Rothlin discussed how China must improve their advertising, product security, and China’s measures taken on such issues as being a most important moral problem for China. Rothlin also talked about anti-corruption measures of China as well as how dismissing Mayor Chen Liangyu sent a shockwave throughout China as part of the onslaught on corruption there. Rothlin said that â€Å"We have to depend on the dedication of top officers to fight corruption,† and that â€Å"they [top officers] lose reliability by doing nothing. A significant difficulty with corruption in China is paying-off through gift giving. Rothlin thinks that declining a gift would be against cultural standard in China, but that officials require concentrating on how a rule of conduct can set particular restrictions to giving gifts (Business Ethics in the Chinese Context, 2008). Rothlin also talked about ecological sustainability as well as how with the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China has persuaded executives to solve the present water and air pollution issue, preserve energy, and clear out the public transportation system. The society has been encouraged to assist through the new tax scheme which was introduced. With that, social obligation has turned out to be a growing interest, particularly with education. The final item that he talked about is how his business is upgrading new standards for moral businesses that will be utilized to assist identify the most moral businesses in China (Business Ethics in the Chinese Context, 2008).

William Shakespeare s Hamlet - A Corrupt And Chaotic World

In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, a corrupt and chaotic world is illustrated through the through the portrayal of contrasting realms, the interior and exterior. Within in the play, Shakespeare illustrates the story of a Danish prince, Hamlet, whose uncle murders the Hamlet’s father, marries his mother, and claims the throne leading to Hamlet’s journey to avenge his father all coinciding with in the city of Elsinore. Simultaneously with Hamlet’s journey Shakespeare juxtaposes a seemingly healthy exterior concealing an interior sickens of not only the people of Elsinore but the castle surrounding Elsinore itself. This reoccurring motif embodies the play with a duplicit nature, one of concealed evil and disease that continually reminds us that, in both a specific and a broader sense, â€Å"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark† (I.i.4). This construct is exemplified through an established dichotomy of interior and exterior thematic perceptions of health from the physical setting to the characters in the Hamlet, overarching the theme of corruption to further shed light on the duplicit nature of society thus providing support for the unveiling of the truth cultivate a better understanding of how to act within society and overall lead to greater benefits for society as a whole. Corruption in the context of Hamlet, first appears in the play’s introduction. Shakespeare begins Hamlet by describing Elsinore and Denmark as a whole. The seemingly simple setting brings more to the playShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s The Morality Of Hamlet- Sweet Prince Or Arrant Knave Essay1340 Words   |  6 PagesA literary critic of Hamlet, Patrick Cruttwell, explores in his writing titled The morality of Hamlet- ‘Sweet Prince or ‘Arrant Knave’? the purpose of religion during Elizabethan times to set moral value sets that often conflicted with man’s nature. Additionally, Cruttwell states the actions in the play aggressively clash with the religious values of the time period. Shakespeare illustrates throughout the play that not abiding by the only moral structure of the time period, religion, man is doomedRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words    |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturersRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesbuilt-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Kim S. Cameron UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Prentice Hall Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto Delhi Mexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul SingaporeRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesinteresting and valuable. Peter Holdt Christensen, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark McAuley et al.’s book is thought-provoking, witty and highly relevant for understanding contemporary organizational dilemmas. The book engages in an imaginative way with a wealth of organizational concepts and theories as well as provides insightful examples from the practical world of organizations. The authors’ sound scholarship and transparent style of writing set the book apart, making it an ingenious