Marketing Plan Analysis and Presentation: Part 2 – Research Template

Directions: Using the company and research sources from the Topic 2 assignment as a starting point, conduct additional research to acquire information related to consumer behavior, product or service, and price associated with the company you selected. In the “Research Summary” section, discuss how the company could use these types of research findings to develop a marketing plan in order to meet the company marketing objectives and business needs.

The Company you are to be researching is CenterPoint Energy

Research Summary: In 250 words, discuss how the company could use these types of research findings to develop a marketing plan in order to meet the company's marketing objectives and business needs.

In the last ten years, social media has become an important marketing communications tool for most businesses.

Discuss whether businesses that are not on any social media platforms can still establish a fruitful relationship and effectively communicate with today’s consumers.

You may use any relevant form of social media platform (online forums, blogs, etc.) to support your position.

Correspondence Assignment

From your college years, you have hands-on experience with a wide range of social media tools, having used them to collaborate on school projects, to become involved in your local community, to learn more about various industries and professions, to research potential employers during your job search, and to stay in touch with family and friends at home. In fact, without social media, you might've never heard about your current employer in the first place. Moreover, your use of social media on the job has already paid several important dividends, including finding potential sales contacts at several large companies (which you referred to the sales department), connecting with peers in other companies to share ideas for working more efficiently, and learning about some upcoming legislative matters in your state that could hamper your company's current way of doing business.

You hoped that by setting an example through your own use of social media at work, your new colleagues and company management would quickly adopt these tools as well. However, just the opposite has happened. Waiting in your e-mail inbox this morning was a message from CEO Nicholas Meyer announcing that the company is now cutting off access to social networking websites and banning the use of any social media at work for all employeesexcept employees in the sales, marketing, and public relations departments. The sales, marketing, and public relations departments retain access to all social media tools in the new policy. The message says that for other employees using company time and company computers for socializing is highly inappropriate and might be considered grounds for dismissal in the future.

Your task: You fight the urge to fire off a hotly worded reply to the CEO about how social media is used by other departments to support the company's success. Instead, you decide to send an email to your immediate superior Anna Abrams that explains why you believe the new policy should be reversed. Using your supervisor's favorite medium, write an email explaining why Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking technologies are valid and valuable business tools and ask for action within your reader's scope of power.

Note, this situation or scenario is the most complex of the ones you have completed this semester. Notice that you're writing to an immediate supervisor about a policy that someone at an even higher level (the CEO) wrote. For this situation, take time to consider the power levels of everyone involved. In particular, consider carefully what action you should ask for (and how) and what kind of information your primary (and secondary) reader(s) would need to be persuaded to act. Consider, too, how your primary reader might use your message.

TRAINING METHODS

• Find the most popular training methods  used by the organizations. (You can refer to the websites of the companies and/or  the management and training consulting firms)
• Create a list and carefully note the features and requirements of each training method. Identify the features you think would make learning easy and fun, then contrast them with features that would make training difficult or boring.
• Identify the training method(s) that enabled better /more effective learning and the one(s) that hindered it.

1. ________ power is the capacity to control and administer items valued by another.

A)Personal

B) Reward

C) Legitimate

D) Coercive

2. ________ feel good when they are received, and they contribute to the recipient's

A)Conditional strokes

B) Compromising strategies

C)Positive strokes

D)Confronting strategies

3. In the context of resolution strategies, the ________ strategy places great emphasis on accommodating the other party's interests.

A)forcing
B) compromising

C)smoothing
D) avoiding

4. Which of the following statements is true of conditional strokes?

A) They are offered to employees if they perform correctly or avoid problems.

B) They may make a person feel good, but they may be confusing to employees because they do not indicate how more strokes may be earned.

C) They feel good when they are received, and they contribute to the recipient's sense of well-being and self-esteem.

D) They hurt physically or emotionally and make recipients feel less proud of themselves.

5. ________ is the process by which all ideas, even unusual and impractical ones, are encouraged without criticism or evaluation.

A) Social Loafing

B)Social facilitation

C)Consensus
D) Deferred judgment

6. The alternative behavior that is in contrast to groupthink is ________.

A) Social Loafing

B) Polarization

C) commitment

D) Devil's advocate

7. An informal leader:

A) has limited power and does not work on complex tasks.

B) often engages in behaviors that sustain the group's cohesiveness.

C) makes the best formal manager.

D) normally emerges from outside the informal group.

8. Informal groups generally emerge at work on the basis of all of the following EXCEPT:

A) proximity.

B) common interests.

C)organizational goals.
D) friendships.

9. One of the main principles of brainstorming is ________.

A) deferred judgment

B) egocentrism

C) social loafing
D) social facilitation

10. In the ________, members are selected because they are experts or have relevant information to share and the time available to do so.

A) Delphi decision-making process

B) dialectic decision-making process

C) critical path method

D) program evaluation and review technique

11. ______ gives employees a greater sense of competence, because they can perform different kinds of work in different ways.

A) Task identity
B) Skill variety

C) Task significance
D) Autonomy

12. ________ are presented without any connection to behavior.
A) Conditional strokes
B) Negative strokes

C) Positive strokes
D) Unconditional strokes

13. In an informal organization, workers may embrace a set of ________ different from those the organization expects of them.

A) beliefs
B) attitudes
C) sentiments
D) all of these

14. Which of the following steps in the relationship-restoring approach involves the victim voicing the grievance?
A) Acceptance
B) Acknowledgement of error

C) Signaling the offense
D) Appreciation

15. Which of the following statements is true about the factors of effective committees?

A) Leaders of committees lack the power and opportunity to select committee members.

B) When selecting members of the committees, leaders merely need to consider the members' interest level.

C) The primary role of the task leader is to sense the mood of the group and help members become aware of it.

D) A group of five members is often preferred for typical situations.

How are the strategies of Sony PlayStation and Nintendo different from each other? (Are they different? Or are they not different?)

Refer from the:

Nintendo:

https://professornerdster.com/nintendo-business-strategy-analysis-2017-beyond/

Sony:

https://www.dualshockers.com/sony-explains-strategy-and-investment-for-playstation-business-driven-by-ps4-and-playstation-network/

. A bike shop is selling a fashionable newly designed folding bike. The shop is now considering how many of them to order for the coming season. The supplier requires that orders for the bikes must be placed in quantities of 25. The cost per bike is $820, $790, $750 and $700 for an order of 25, 50, 75 and 100 respectively. The bikes will be sold for $1,200 each. Since there will be a new design for folding bikes next season and there is no spare storage space in the store, any bikes left over at the end of this season will have to be sold at a low price of $450 each to another bike shop. However, if the shop runs out of bikes during the season, it will suffer a loss of goodwill among its customers. The shop estimates this goodwill loss to $60 per customer who is not able to buy a bike. From past experience, the shop estimates that the demand for folding bikes this coming season will be 25, 50, 75 and 100 bikes with probabilities of 0.4, 0.3, 0.2 and 0.1 respectively.

(a) Construct the payoff table for the above situation.

(b) Which alternative should be chosen using each of the maximax, maximin, minimax regret, Hurwicz (take α = 0.6), equal likelihood, expected value, and expected opportunity loss criteria?

(c) Find the expected value of perfect information.

Your organization is hiring a new director. You are on the hiring team (but not leading it). The hiring team leader (powerful and senior to you) wants to hire A.

You believe B is a much better choice. The rest of the hiring team is supporting the team leader due to groupthink. In response to this scenario, explain how you would use ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade the team to select candidate B (your choice).

Create your own e-commerce business in Saudi Arabia (website or mobile application), you need to explain the process that you will follow in building your e-commerce presence.

Before you begin to build a website or app of your own, there are some important questions you will need to think about and answer. The answers to these questions will drive the development and implementation of your e-commerce presence.

Set up Your E-Commerce Presence

• What is the idea? (the visioning process)

• Introduce your e-commerce business.
  • Provide an overview of your business idea
• Product and type of services.
  • What are the different types of products? Explain
  • What kinds of services are provided by your online store? [ customer service, exchange and return, delivery and payment options] Explain
• Business statement.
• Business vision.
• Business objective.

• Where’s the money:
  • What is the company’s business model?
  • Give a general idea of how your business will generate revenues

• Who and where is the target audience? Explain demographics, lifestyle, consumption patterns, etc.
• What is the ballpark? Characterize the marketplace. - Size, growth, demographics, structure.
• Where’s the content coming from?
• Know yourself— conduct a SWOT analysis for your business.
• Develop an e-commerce presence map.
• Develop a timeline: Milestones. - 6 phases.
• How much will this cost?

Building an E-Commerce Site: A Systematic Approach

• Planning: The Systems Development Life Cycle

• Systems analysis/planning

• Business objectives. What are the capabilities you want your site to have?
• System functionalities (Shopping cart, payment system …. etc.)
• Information requirements (Dynamic text and graphics catalog … etc.)

• Systems design

• (Logical and Physical)
• How it will look likes in terms of design and format

• Building the system (a simple website layout)

• Create your own website using wix.com www.wix.com
• Or you can design the layout using any free e-commerce website template.
• Include 2-4 screenshots of your site

• Testing (What type of testing will be applied?)
• Implementation

Choosing Software

The development of e-commerce required a great deal more interactive functionality, such as the ability to respond to user input (name and address forms), take customer orders for goods and services, clear credit card transactions on the fly, consult price and product databases, and even adjust advertising on the screen based on user characteristics.

• • Functionality for web server
  • Provides basic functionality for sales
• Online catalogue
• Shopping cart
• Credit card processing

Explain the different software you need for your site functionality.

Choosing Hardware

• Underlying computing equipment needed for e-commerce functionality
• Right-Sizing Your Hardware Platform: The Demand Side and the Supply Side
• Explain the different hardware needed for your site or app.

Payment and Security

• What are the methods of payment you are going to use in your online store and why?
• What are the commonly used technologies to secure your online transactions?
• Develop a privacy policy. The policy should outline how information will be collected and used?

Categorize marketing and advertising strategy and method.

• Explain the online, offline and social media marketing strategies you will use to bring people to your website? And why?

Explain your business e-commerce process

• Explain in detail all the steps from the time a visit is recorded until the final user buys a product.

Conclude your report.

Guidelines for the assignment:

• Make sure to include the cover page with all information required.
• This is group project, which is part from your course score. It requires effort, search and critical thinking.
• Use font Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial.
• Use 1.5 or double line spacing with left Justify all paragraphs.
• Use the footer function to insert page number.
• Ensure that you follow the APA style in your project and references.
• Your project report length should be between 2200 to 2500 words.

please notice that the due date is today 19/4 i need it to be solved today

*** please i need fully, unique and new answers using your own word not the same posted ones i need it to be complete as its worth 15 marks ****

*the answer must be unique not copied "plagiarized "

and thank you<3

1. Your mother operates a small restaurant but has limited knowledge of how to arrive at a selling price that would cover her cost and yield a desired profit. Based on your knowledge of calculating menu selling prices; you have decided to assist your mother with a strategy that would effectively cover her cost and earn a profit which is in line with her objectives of achieving 40% profit at the end of the year. You are required to

1. Discuss appropriate pricing approaches outlining their respective advantages and disadvantages.
2. Recommend an approach to your mother. Give 5 reasons for your selection.

Each kitchen organized its staff in terms of the respective responsibilities and reporting relations. Contrast the responsibilities of Chef de Cuisine to Chef de Patisserie.

Illinois law does not require an employer to ensure the safety of every person who happens to come into contact with the employee simply because his / her employee status. Every situation is fact-specific. The duty to refrain from hiring or retaining an employee, who is a threat to third-persons, to whom the employee is exposed, must be considered especially in the pre-hiring process.

Bob was hired by GRP, Inc. as a Quality Control Technician for its manufactured items. GRP, Inc. manufactures specialty security systems, which it installs and maintains for both commercial and residential use. Bob's position requires him to visit local businesses and private residences wherein GRP's security systems have been installed and are maintained under service contracts.

GRP, Inc. required, as a condition of employment, a background check on all employees. Bob successful passed the background check after an initial offer of employment was made. Unknown to GRP, Inc., Bob misrepresented his identity, submitted a false social security number, and lied about his former experience.

The police arrested Bob six months into his employment with GRP, Inc., after one of GRP, Inc.'s corporate customers learned that Bob stole approximately $50,000.00 (in cash and securities), while at its premises and while making various service calls on behalf of GRP, Inc.. Apparently, Bob had access to the cash and securities while at the company's premises.

At the time of Bob's arrest, he already spent and converted the cash and securities. He subsequently pled guilty to the criminal charges and is awaiting sentencing by the judge. GRP, Inc. fired Bob after learning of his guilty plea (he was suspended for investigation following his arrest).

The company, ABC, Inc., which was the customer of GRP, Inc. involved in this matter, has now sued GRP, Inc. seeking to recover the $50,000.00 loss of its cash and securities. Its argument is that GRP, Inc. negligently hired Bob and is, therefore, liable for damages. GRP, Inc. denies any claim of liability. What are the arguments for and against liability based on these facts and your understanding of the law? Who wins? Why / why not?  

Advise the restaurant manager of measures he could use to improve the menu items identified as plow-horses and puzzles on his offerings.

1.Identify the main research problem.

2.Analyze the main underlying causes of the existing problem.

3.Establish the cause-and-effect relations between the various aspects.

4.Formulate the best solutions to address the problem.

CASE 1: ZAPPOS FACES COMPETITIVE CHALLENGES

Zappos Faces Competitive Challenges

Zappos, based in Las Vegas, is an online retailer with the initial goal of trying to be the best website for buying shoes by offering a wide variety of brands, styles, colors, sizes, and widths. The Zappos.com brand has grown to offer shoes, handbags, eyewear, watches, and accessories for online purchase. The company’s goal is to provide the best service online, not just in shoes but in any product category. Zappos believes that the speed with which a customer receives an online purchase plays a critical role in how that customer thinks about shopping online again in the future, so the company is focusing on making sure the items get delivered to its customers as quickly as possible.

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has shaped the company’s customer-service-focused culture, brand, and business strategy around 10 core values:

•           Deliver WOW through service.

•           Embrace and drive change.

•           Create fun and a little weirdness.

•           Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded.

•           Pursue growth and learning.

•           Build open and honest relationships with communication.

•           Build a positive team and family spirit.

•           Do more with less.

•           Be passionate and determined.

•           Be humble.

“Deliver WOW through service” means that call center employees need to provide excellent customer service. Call center employees encourage callers to order more than one size or color because shipping and return shipping is free. They are also encouraged to use their imaginations to meet customer needs.

Zappos has received many awards for its workplace culture and practices, including being frequently recognized in Fortune magazine’s annual rankings of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. The job of human resources at Zappos is more than just a rule enforcer. HR’s job is to protect the culture and to educate employees. HR focuses on interactions with managers and employees to understand what they need from HR (HR is even invited to attend work teams’ happy hours). Zappos’s employment practices help perpetuate its company culture. Only about 1 out of 100 applicants passes a hiring process that is equally weighted on job skills and on the potential to work in Zappos’s culture. Some managers at Zappos believe that if you want to get a job the most important value to demonstrate is “be humble” including a focus on “we” instead of “I.” Job candidates are interviewed for cultural fit and a willingness to change and learn. For example, they observe whether job candidates talk at lunch with others or just the person they think is making the hiring decision. The HR team uses unusual interview questions—such as, How weird are you? and What’s your theme song?—to find employees who are creative and have strong individuality. Zappos provides free lunch in the cafeteria (cold cuts) and a full-time life coach (employees have to sit on a red velvet throne to complain), managers are encouraged to spend time with employees outside of the office, and any employee can reward another employee a $50 bonus for good performance. Call center employees can use an online scheduling tool that allows them to set their own hours, and they can earn more pay if they work during hours with greater customer demand. Most of the over 1,500 employees at Zappos are hourly. Every new hire undergoes four weeks of training, during which the company culture must be committed to memory, and spends two weeks dealing with customers by working the telephones. New recruits are offered $2,000 to leave the company during training to weed out individuals who will not be happy working at the company. Zappos provides free breakfast, lunch, snacks, coffee, tea, and vending machine snacks. Work is characterized by constant change; a loud, open office environment; and team interactions. Employees at Zappos move around. For example, call center employees can bid for different shifts every month.

To reinforce the importance of the 10 core values, Zappos’s performance management system asks managers to evaluate how well employees’ behaviors demonstrate the core values such as being humble or expressing their personalities. To evaluate task performance, managers are asked to regularly provide employees with status reports on such things as how much time they spend on the telephone with customers. The status reports and evaluations of the core values are informational or used to identify training needs. Zappos also believes in helping others understand what inspired the company culture. The company created the Zappos.com library, which provides a collection of books about creating a passion for customer service, products, and local communities. These books can be found in the front lobby of Zappos offices and are widely read and discussed by company employees.

Corporate culture is more than a set of values, and it is maintained by a complex web of human interactions. At Zappos, the liberal use of social media including blogs and Twitter facilitates the network that links employees with one another and with the company’s customers. Zappos takes the pulse of the organization monthly, measuring the health of the culture with a happiness survey. Employees respond to such unlikely questions as whether they believe that the company has a higher purpose than profits, whether their Page 63own role has meaning, whether they feel in control of their career path, whether they consider their coworkers to be like family and friends, and whether they are happy in their jobs. Results from the survey are broken down by department, and opportunities for development are identified and acted upon. For example, when it was clear from the survey that one department had veered off course and felt isolated from the rest of the organization, a program was instituted that enabled individuals in the group to learn more about how integral their work was. To keep the company vibrant, CEO Tony Hsieh spent $350 million to develop a neighborhood in downtown Las Vegas, which is the home of Zappos.com’s new headquarters. Hsieh wants to provide employees with a great place to work as well as to live and socialize.

Recently, Zappos adopted a management philosophy, holocracy, which gives employees the freedom and responsibility to decide how to get their work done and eliminated people managers. Hsieh’s intent was to allow employees to act more like entrepreneurs and help stimulate new ideas, bring their full selves to work, and have a purpose beyond making money, all of which he believes will benefit the business. Employees work in teams or “circles” rather than as individuals, and team membership can change. However, employees are finding the new management system confusing and requiring them to spend more time in meetings. Also, they wonder how they will earn raises and advance their careers without management jobs. In all, 210 employees found the new philosophy so dissatisfying that they took three months of severance pay and left the company. Zappos is changing its recruitment process to ensure that its new hires are comfortable with holocracy’s self-management style.

Despite this setback, other companies are trying to learn from Zappos’s practices. Zappos Insights is a department within Zappos created to share the Zappos culture with other companies. Zappos Insights provides programs about building a culture (3-Day Culture Camp), its WOW service philosophy (School of WOW), the power of a coaching-based culture (Coaching Event), how the HR function protects the culture and how its programs support it (People Academy), and custom programs. The cost to attend these programs ranges from $2,000 to $6,000 for each attendee.

QUESTIONS

1.         Zappos seems to be well-positioned to have a competitive advantage over other online retailers. What challenges discussed in Chapter 1 pose the biggest threat to Zappos’s ability to maintain and enhance its competitive position? How can HRM practices help Zappos meet these challenges?

2.         Do you think that employees of Zappos have high levels of engagement? Why?

3.         Which of Zappos’s 10 core values do you believe that HR practices can influence the most? The least? Why? For each of the core values, identify the HR practices that are related to it. Explain how the HR practices you identified are related to the core values.

4.         How might the change to the holocracy management style undermine Zappos’s core values and cause employees to have lower levels of engagement?