Depending on how a product is presented to me the first time, I tend to shape my opinion about it and the company that produces it. The company that comes first in my mind and in the consumers mind, when thinking about a specific product are the ones that have the larger market share and the most profitable

Take Toms shoes as an example. The new campaign that the company follows is called “One for One” where for each pair of shoes that is sold a pair is given to an impoverished child,http://www.toms.com/our-movement/l#stepbystep, This gives the company an image of a charity and of social awareness.

In class we talked about value proposition and brand positioning and the impact it has to the consumers’ minds. Companies like Toms have strong points of difference that makes them unique and helps them be more successful.

The more competitive a market is the better positioning a company needs to obtain in order to be profitable. A great example is the soft drink industry. Advertising can have a great influence on consumers.  An example is Pepsi and Coca-Cola. The video we saw in class illustrates exactly the power of advertising. Positioning is valid for the success of the company.

Sources:

http://www.toms.com/our-movement/l#stepbystep

photo source:

http://crochettoms.com/content/1729-looking-good-and-feeling-good-have-a-whole-new-definition

Dr. Mahesh Nagarajan introduced the concepts of operations and supply chain management and he gave us an idea of how important these are. Businesses rely on these concepts in order to be able to keep a balance between cost and performance.

Starbucks, one of the larger companies in the coffee industry, have both very effective operations management system and also a consistent and well developed supply chain system.That is one of the reason why is as successful as we know it is today.

What is very impressive about Starbucks supply chain system is that each cup of coffee is made using products coming from almost 19 different countries. In that way  Starbucks can expand easily and unite many countries either they are in the developed or in the developing world. “The magic bean shop”  as the supply chain is named is very difficult process and great organization is needed.

Operational and chain management are very important in order every business to function properly and effectively.

Sources:

http://www.supplychain247.com/article/behind_the_scenes_at_starbucks_supply_chain_operations

www.starbucks.ca

photo source:

http://business.inquirer.net/54427/starbucks-plans-china-expansion

http://www.supplychain247.com/article/behind_the_scenes_at_starbucks_supply_chain_operations