Quality and Productivity Sustainability Improvements - Essay Example

Student’s Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Quality and Productivity Sustainability Improvements Introduction Elite Manufacturers intends to sell hot beverage products to help it increase its revenues in the market. The research and development team has developed new innovative products improvements to enable the firm increase its competitive edge in the market. All products are going to be rebranded to ensure they conform to the expectations of customers in different market segments they target. The firm has carried out a market study and it has found out that it needs high quality marketing and product positioning strategies to take advantage of different opportunities in the market. The new idea or product to be discussed in this paper is hot beverages markets which have a lot of opportunities because they are not well served in the market. The firm intends to attract young consumers to make them more interested in consuming its products. Discussion In the past, Elite Manufacturers marketed its products in department stores in various parts of the country. This approach meant that its products had to compete with other substitutes from other companies which had been in the market for a longer period of time. As a result, the firm has decided to change its market approach to ensure its products are visible to customers in different market locations to boost its profitability. The firm has decided to go for direct marketing approaches to ensure that both marketing and sales functions are integrated to help it connect more with its customers (Kolb 45). The firm has realized the importance of building positive relationships with its customers in different market segments to increase their loyalty in its products. The management has decided to build important partnerships with learning institutions to increase the value of its products to consumers. The market study undertaken by the firm uncovered that many consumers of chocolate bars, ice cream and other snacks are aged 7 to 23. The firm also discovered that most snacks are consumed in the summer and many companies have not developed appropriate products that can be consumed during the winter periods. Therefore, the new product development strategy was developed to find out ways the firm could come up with products which can be consumed by customers in winter. A key factor that was considered by the firm was whether it is likely to benefit from introducing new products in the market which can serve alternative customer needs (Rafinejad 78). The firm intends to introduce hot beverages in the market in the next three months. These hot beverages will create value for the firm’s brand because they will bring about a positive transformation in its long term operations. The firm has developed flavored tea, coffee and cocoa products which will be sold in schools, colleges and institutions. The firm is still negotiating with various institutions to establish viable partnerships to help it sell larger volumes of its products. Consequently, the firm intends to extend its influence in the market by attracting new consumers from different market segments. This strategy will be executed in the next six months and will heavily rely on data and statistics gathered from the market study carried out early this year (Annacchino 98). The firm seeks to partner with elementary and high school administrations all over the state, to ensure it acquires exclusive rights to sell its products to customers directly. This strategy will help the firm to assess factors that have an impact on consumption of its products in the market. As a result, the firm will be in a position to review specific quality improvements that are needed to make its products more competitive in specific target markets. The firm’s survey revealed that the hot beverage market was not properly served and this compelled managers to request the R&D team to develop products that can attract consumers from different backgrounds. The firm will distribute dispensing machines in schools, hospitals and colleges with a self service feature to save time and money. This approach will help the firm to increase the value associated with its products because customers will be able to get value from what they pay for. However, its additional products such as snacks, candy and chocolate bars still continue to register positive sales in different institutions they are sold in. Additionally, the cold winter climate will make customers understand the benefits they will gain from consuming these hot beverages (Schottler 42). As a result, the firm will be in a position to rely on other products to increase its sales revenues in the market. The product diversification strategies implemented by the firm will give it more influence in the market. As a result, the firm is in a better position to extend its market share to help it compete effectively with other firms in the market. The R&D team has managed to develop blended beverage products which have a unique taste and smell (De Mooij 112). The firm has undertaken all quality checks required to ensure that various ingredients that are contained in its products will satisfy all health requirements put in place by government regulators. Additionally, the firm has upgraded its production systems to ensure that its products will conform to customers’ high expectations. These changes are intended to give the firm a long term competitive edge in the market to help it satisfy constantly changing needs of its customers. Consequently, the firm has gone a step further to create new divisions with new staff to ensure that all processes move on as expected. These new employees are well trained and they understand the firm’s new policies and long term market strategies. The firm has undertaken various measures to make its production processes more innovative. As a result, employees who have worked in the firm since its inception have been encouraged to acquire new skills to make them well prepared for various opportunities in the firm. The high quality human resource practices which have been initiated by the firm will help it improve the quality of its internal and external processes (Ulrich 78). Managers and all employees have realized the importance of collaborating on various tasks to improve the long term performance of the firm in the industry. Internal human resource policies have been changed to ensure they are aligned with the management’s desire to institute high quality systems in the firm’s operations. As a result, all employees have been encouraged to improve the quality of their performance to ensure that they are able to register positive output in their work tasks. Talent management programs which have been instituted will help the firm to encourage employees to work in teams to solve various problems they face in their workstations (Nargundkar 103). Problem solving approaches which the firm has implemented will make it easy for workers to acquire knowledge in multiple areas. As a result, employees will be able to develop critical thinking skills to make them well prepared to handle different challenges that are related to work tasks they are required to perform. In effect, this approach will make them well prepared to deal with changing customer needs and expectations in the market. The quality of customer service will also improve significantly in the next one year. The firm intends to implement high quality customer service management strategies to help it strengthen its image in its key markets. More employees have been trained to handle customer’s issues more effectively to help the firm attain its long term business goals. They will be more willing to solve customer’s problems and situations they are facing, a factor that has helped the firm increase its market share. Customers’ opinions and feedback will be taken seriously and they will be used to improve internal processes in the firm (Bradley 67). Quality customer management strategies help the firm develop effective understanding with its customers. As a result, the firm will be in a position to engage constantly with its clients. Recommendations The firm needs to certify all its processes to ensure they conform to internationally recognized benchmarks. The firm needs to come up with effective human resource policies to help it retain its highly qualified employees in the long run. The firm needs to increase the impact of its research and development programs to help it set trends in the industry. The firm also needs to develop partnerships with other firms to help it understand changing customer needs in the market. The firm needs to conduct constant inspections and routine checks to ensure its operations are safe for workers and consumers alike. Conclusion The product diversification strategy will help the firm to attract new customers from different market segments. However, the firm needs take note of other factors that are likely to impact on its operations. The firm needs to understand the lifestyles and expectations of customers it serves to help it come up with appropriate products that can satisfy their needs. This approach will help the firm take time to improve the quality of its brands to ensure they are in a good condition to satisfy different needs in the market. Works Cited Annacchino, Marc A. New Product Development: From Initial Idea to Product Management. New York: Elsevier, 2003. Print. Bradley, Nigel. Marketing Research: Tools and Techniques. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print. De Mooij, Marieke. Global Marketing and Advertising: Understanding Cultural Paradoxes. London: Sage, 2009. Print. Kolb, Bonita. Marketing Research: A Practical Approach. London: Sage Publications, 2008. Print. Nargundkar, Rajendra. Marketing Research: Text and Cases. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill, 2008. Print. Rafinejad, Dariush. Innovation, Product Development and Commercialization: Case Studies and Key Practices for Market Leadership. Fort Lauderdale, FL: J. Ross Publications, 2007. Print. Schottler, Jörg-Stefan. Innovation and New Product Development. Berlin: Grin Verlag, 2004. Print. Ulrich, K.T., & Eppinger, S.D. Product Design and Development. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print. Read More