Role of VOS in the Marketing Success of VOS Enterprises - Essay Example

Case study proposal: Role of VOS in the marketing success of VOS Enterprises – Revda by of the of the of the Tutor Name of the University Name of the Department Date Case study proposal: Role of VOS in the marketing success of VOS Enterprises – Revda A case study is a micro-sample that provides crucial information about the macro-phenomenon of which it forms a part. One definition of case study has been as “an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident” (Yin, 1994, p.13). In this context, a case is defined as “the singlemost defining characteristic of case study research” (Merriam, 1998, p.27). The marketing research proposed in this paper, is based on the case study of VOS Enterprises-Revda, wherein VOS Enterprises is a network, the expanded name of which being All Russia Association of the Blind (VOS). Revda is a manufacturing company that employs blind people in huge numbers and utilizes the network of VOS in its marketing interventions. In the back drop of the marketing problems faced by this enterprise in the changed context of post-Peristroika Russia and also in view of the contribution that VOS played in winning back its market success, this study envisages finding out the role of VOS in the marketing success of Revda Enterprises. VOS Enterprises – Revda: A Brief History The prolonged period of centralized and autocratic rule in Russia came to an end when in April 1985 Gorbachev’s Perestroika opened up Russian society and let in the ethos of democracy. Perestroika resulted in the development of a democratic political system and the beginnings of a market economy which was to supplant the failing Marxist model. These changes also meant that the disabled were to get better and more employment opportunities, whether in open industry or under specialised supervision. The modern vision of getting the disabled, the chance to have full participation in life, slowly became established as part of the national policy. VOS became established an was structured around ‘enterprises’ that were training and manufacturing centres that employed visually impaired workers. The Revda enterprise, established in 1948, in the Central Urals was headed by Ivan Boormatov and it functioned in an area rich in natural resources with a history of industrial activity spanning back to the late 18th Century. In 1995 the enterprise had an employee strength of 1250 and among them, 430 were visually disabled. The company served an immediate regional market of 4.5 million people. The VOS enterprises faced a huge setback after the failure of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) which had hitherto been supporting it in marketing and raw material supply. After suffering from an 80% fall in demand for its products, the company attempted to remodel its production and marketing strategies by introducing new products based on new technologies and also deciding to employ 50% visually disabled and 50% able-bodied people. While handling technologies that could not be handled by the visually disabled, new enterprises were established and able-bodied persons were employed in them. These new enterprises produced, plastic moulds, painting, galvanic coatings, arts paintings and stone processing, which had better market demand. A new vision was also initiated for the new society and economic era that dawned in Russia by identifying areas crucial to and needing immediate attention for marketing success. These new areas were, development of new technologies, development of new products, computerisation, particularly in-house software, and introduction of automation and automatic control equipment in factories. As a result, in February 1995, the product range had grown upto 160 different products. Statement of the Problem The enterprises in post-Peristroika Russia generally had to face two major problems and these were, 1) the flow of new legislation and accompanying regulations that remodelled the whole system and demanded that the enterprises knew the dynamics of the new system in order to attain success, and 2) the changes in the management and control of the economy including monetary financial systems, banking, integration into a hard currency system, customs regulations, and the attempts to stimulate foreign trade. Until the 1990s, as with all other enterprises in the VOS system, the Revdan enterprise was functioning in a stable and predictable environment as all other VOS enterprises. All of them had an assured supply of raw materials and a network of market outlets facilitated by the government itself. But once this support was withdrawn as a result of the socio-political changes, Revda Enterprises faced a serious problem. Methodology This study will follow a methodology that bases itself on triangulation of three research components, namely, grounded theory, naturalistic generalisation and synthesising (Johansson, 2003). This is in acceptance of the notion that “the essence of case study methodology is triangulation, the combination on different levels of techniques, methods, strategies or theories (Johansson, 2003, p.11). Using grounded theory, “data from within” the case study will be identified and conclusions will be arrived at through inductive analysis. (Johansson, 2003, p.9). In the specific context of the case study of Revda, the different marketing options made use of by Revda including the VOS-facilitated strategies, will be identified, and their perceived effectiveness will be determined through a stratified sample survey of the employees of the enterprise. Secondly, while using naturalistic generalisation, the marketing success of this enterprise will be compared with another case study of an enterprise that does not make use of the VOS network and conclusions will be made on the qualitative change in marketing success brought about by the VOS network. The third part of the triangulation will be synthesising the case study using ----theory. After these three components are completed, the results will be triangulated. Research Questions 1) Which are the strategies used by Revda Enterprises that helped it attain marketing success in the post-Peristroika Russia? 2) What is the role of VOS in the marketing success of Revda Enterprises that helped it attain marketing success in the post-Peristroika Russia? Objectives of the Study This study has an objective to identify the successful strategies that can be adopted by VOS Enterprises and particularly Revda through reviewing past experiences and adopting new approaches in the current and future scenarios. As the year 1995 was dedicated as the year of marketing by Revda, it is clear that the enterprise has realised the importance of developing a new approach to marketing in the changed socio-political situation. The markets for Revdan products extended throughout Russia and into Belorussia, Ukraine, Kazakstan and the Far East and in these markets, financial restrictions had constrained market development. The VOS network had helped to establish contacts so that a total of six regions and two republics were served. Apart from success achieved through product range diversification, and categorisation as domestic and industrial products, the company sent representatives of the enterprises to attend trade fares and exhibitions in every region. Advertising was done through newspapers, radio and television and by using the Register on Enterprise. In this backdrop, this study envisages finding out the appropriate marketing strategy for VOS enterprises so that the challenges put forth by the new societal system could be addressed effectively. References Johansson, R. 2003, Case study methodology: Key note speech at the International Conference: Methodologies in housing research, Royal Institute of Technology in cooperation in association with International Association of People-Environment Studies, Stockholm, pp.22-24. Merriam, S.B. 1998, Qualitative research and case study applications in education, Jossey Bass, San Francisco. Yin, R.K. 1994, Case study research: design and methods, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Read More