What is a Strategic Plan?

A strategic plan lays out its future direction, business model, performance targets, and competitive strategy” (Thompson et al, 2020). In essence a strategic plan is like a battle plan. It lays out the objectives that the organization wants to achieve, how it would achieve them, and at the same time allocate resources to meet those activities. In the process the organization has to understand the terrain that it operates in as well as its opponents so that it is able to set realistic objectives.

However, a multi-business organization is not one that has many branches or is spread all over the world but one that deals in different industries. For example, Starbucks has branches all over the globe, but it remains a Sigle unit business because it sells only coffee. Tesla on the other hand is a multi-business company because it has different business units which includes electric vehicles, Energy storage business and energy generation business. Planning for a multi business organization is more challenging because the plan has to ensure that it balances the objectives of all the businesses with the resources available so that they can be able to gain maximum synergy from their investments. For example going back to Tesla, the company decided to focus resources on their Model 3 vehicles when they were getting into production problems and this meant that the other business units were somewhat set aside for the moment yet it turns out that energy generation and storage may actually be bigger than the automotive unit. But their decision was wise because had the automotive unit failed, the whole company would have failed. Now however they are revamping the other units and with their brand reputation everything is going well.

Reference

Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J., & Strickland, A. J. (2020). Crafting & executing strategy: the quest for competitive advantage: concepts and cases (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Leadership Decision Making

My decision-making score was a 66 and fell in the middle category of being ‘OK’. This is what I expected. I was one point away from being in the excellent category, which I was surprised about. I figured my score would fall in an average category, but I thought it would be on the lower end. This was the explanation of my score, “You have a good understanding of the basics, but now you need to improve your process and be more proactive. Concentrate on finding lots of options and discovering as many risks and consequences as you can. The better your analysis, the better your decision will be in the long term” (Mindtools, 2017).

            At the end of the survey there is a list of steps necessary to take to make a good decision, and the first is “establishing a positive decision-making environment” (Mindtools, 2017). My score in this step was 14 out of 20, which was about what I received in every category. To improve my skills in this step I need to make sure I fully understand the issue(s) I am faced with, that I have a process in place to structure my decisions, that I have considered everyone possibly affected or involved with the issue, I create a clear objective and work effectively with a group if needed to make a decision. Especially when trying to make decisions with a group of people it is important to create an environment in which everyone feels comfortable voicing their honest opinions. I think this is a major aspect that hinders me because I always fear what other people will think about me and judge my decisions.

            Another important component of this step is looking at the positive side of your decision-making process, especially if it is resulting from a problem you have encountered. “Every problem, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity” (Arsham, 2017). When I try to find the positives in a situation, I am more likely to make a better decision than if I am upset and trying to solve a problem as quickly as possible. “In many situations, small bad decisions turn out to have important consequences”, so it is important to keep a positive outlook, so you can confidently make the best decisions in the midst of a problem. Most of the time if I need to make a decision that resulted from a problem, I don’t look at the situation as an opportunity to learn and grow so it is an area I need to work on.

            The next step is “generating potential solutions” (Mindtools, 2017). I scored a nine out of 15 on this category. Sometimes I think making decisions is hard for me because I get overwhelmed with all the options, so it is interesting that this step encourages you to think of as many solutions as possible to come up with the best decision. This step also promotes considering other perspectives and a range of ideas from others to help when making decisions. I always ask my friends and family for their opinions about what I should do, but it makes me feel like I can’t make a decision on my own sometimes.

            The next step is to ensure that you are “evaluating alternatives” (Mindtools, 2017). I scored a 12 out of 15 in this category. This step takes the longest and is sometimes why decisions are not made, because people don’t take the time to consider the risks, consequences and feasibility of their decisions (Mindtools, 2017). I expected to score highly in this category because I take time contemplating what risks and consequences are associated with my decisions, and how practical, doable and realistic my choice is compared to my other options.

            This step corresponds with one of the tips in “11 Genius Tips to Be More Decisive”; “evaluate the best and worst that can happen, and then don’t look back” (Suslow, 2017). This tip urges you to think about your desired outcome and then use your available options to consider the best and worst possible outcomes that could result. Once you have decided which to go with it stresses the importance of sticking with that decision and making sure it is carried out until the end. This step is hard for me because I never know what exactly could result from my decisions so I try to think of every possible scenario that could result, and it prevents me from making a decision in a timely manner.

            The next step is to make the decision. I scored 11 out of 15 here. To me, every decision is important, even if it is a small one because a lot of the decisions we make impact our lives in some way. That makes it stressful for me. “To help you deal with these emotions as objectively as possible, use a structured approached to the decision. This means taking a look at what's most important in a good decision” (Mindtools, 2017). This is where I need to ensure that I have a structured process in place to help my decision-making as smooth as possible. I am normally pretty good at this. I take into consideration what the issue is, the possible choices as well as their risks and consequences, what makes the most sense to me, what I feel is the right decision, and I plan how I am going to implement my choice and that I have a reason why it is the best option.

            After making your decision it is important to check it against your alternatives and make sure that it makes sense and is the best possible option. I got a seven out of ten in this category. Like I mentioned earlier, I always second guess myself as to which option is best, even after I have made my decision, so I need to do a better job of evaluating each of my alternatives and determining which makes the most sense to me and ensure that it is the best choice.

            Communicating and implementing your final decision is the last step. Making sure others are aware of what your decision is and informing them of how and why you made the decision will help you gain their support. It is also vital that you have a plan in place for implementing your decision. I scored a 13 out of 15 in this section, which did not surprise me because once I make a decision, I explain how I came to the decision I did and why it was the best choice. I also always have a plan in mind of how I will go about putting my decision into action.

            After completing this survey, I would say my decision-making abilities are closely aligned with a participative or leader-member exchange theory of leadership styles. I value input from others and always want to get opinions from those who have been in similar situations or who will be affected by the decision that will be made. I think it is important as a leader to get to know everyone you are working with so you can make the best decisions for your team and I have done just that when I held various leadership roles in the past. This has been very helpful for me to see what I need to do to improve my decision-making skills to be a better future leader.

References

Arsham, H. (2017). Leadership Decision Making. Retrieved from: https://myeducationmanager.tradepub.com/c/pubRD.mpl?secure=1&sr=oc&_t=oc:&qf=w_sima02
Mindtools, LTD. (2017). How good is your decision making? Retrieved from:       https://myeducationmanager.tradepub.com/c/pubRD.mpl?secure=1&sr=oc&_t=oc:&qf=w_sima02

Suslow, P. (2017). 11 Genius Tips to Be More Decisive. Retrieved from: https://myeducationmanager.tradepub.com/c/pubRD.mpl?secure=1&sr=oc&_t=oc:&qf=w_sima02

Is Tim Cook a Good Leader?

Who is more effective at strategic decision-making, Leaders or Manager?  Leadership and Management employ different skills and methods to decision making and obtaining goals.   Some feel both have different methods; however, achieve the same results.  Some argue there is no difference between the two. Other organizations may feel one skill or decision-making method is more effective over the other.  Organizations that foster both leadership and management decision making methods are more successful than those that only rely on a traditional management style of decision making. 

                                                                                                           

Leadership can have a profound impact on strategic decision-making and the lives of individuals, communities, competition, markets, society, and culture.  Leaders inspire and motivate people to a cause.  Leaders have positive character and ethics, and their ability to be a good leader has typically developed and grown from their life experiences.  Leaders can inspire a nation to follow, an individual to change, communities to band together, lead a company to defeat the competition and a culture to change. 

Managers want something.  Managers get the tasks and the goals accomplished with systems, procedures, structure, process, and policy.  Managers get results through enforcing the guidelines through implementing systems, best practices, standards, rules, and processes (Watson, 1983).  Managers manage tasks, and processes, projects, systems, deliverables, and staff.  Managers provide structure for individuals, communities, society, and culture.  Managers run the established play book for competition and strategic decision making, often making decisions based on structure and guidelines. 

When it comes to strategic decision-making leaders are more apt to driving the strategy decisions, and managers are more apt for helping to carrier out the strategic plan to execute the strategy.  A leader who has been placed in a Win -Lose situation will be more apt to identify the issues in the true face of reality, make the hard decisions, absorb the consequences and willing to support their people and work along side of them until the missions is accomplished.  Leaders are inclined to make wok exciting by encouraging an organization style that is intuitive, highly personal and tied in closely to the “carrots” that motivate key players to perform (Watson, 1983). 

Leaders will make sure their key people are taken care of, ensuring they have what they need, and leaders will be there alongside them with them during difficulty to get the job accomplished.  A famous example is an Air Force general was retiring and during the retirement ceremony his troops were lined up outside the tent where the general was standing inside.  During the ceremony it began to rain.  The general stopped the ceremony, ran to get his raincoat, and stood outside in the rain with his troops during the remainder of the ceremony.  

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple was named the World’s greatest leader by Fortune magazine.  Tim was a former operations manager for Apple and took the helm following Steve Jobs, and had the challenge of being a leader in the shallow of Steve’s reputation.  Tim grew into this own strength as a leader by focusing on the strategy of focusing on the existing strengths of the organization and a lack of interest in micromanaging.  Tim faced a number of challenges and took continued criticisms from the media, showed his leadership in his words of “I am not running for office. I don’t need your vote. I have to feel myself doing what is right.  I think that is a much better way to live”.   Tim has democratic management style looking for consensus among leaders for strategic decisions, is an advocate of human rights, using the strengths of Apple to grow in the market and giving back to the community.  Tim was big into philanthropy and had a plan to give his wealth away to give back to the community (Gamble J., Peteraf M., Thompson A., Strickland L. 2018). 

References:

Watson, C. (1983).  Leadership, Management, and the Seven Keys. 

Gamble J., Peteraf M., Thompson A., Strickland L. (2018). Charting a Company’s Direction, Its Vision, Mission, Objectives, and Strategy. 

Khan, H. (2020). Stop Managing and Start Leading. Retrieved from lbry.tv: https://lbry.tv/@BusinessBalls:9/Stop-Managing-and-Start-Leading-by-Hamza-Khan-:b?r=4C7183PFXyVQhgoDpSvTHumsqoXrgADC

Sinic S. (2020). Management versus Leadership. Retrieved from: https://lbry.tv/@Business:5/Management-vs.-Leadership:7?r=4C7183PFXyVQhgoDpSvTHumsqoXrgADC

Rainforest Alliance

A non-profit I decided to focus on for this discussion board is the Rainforest Alliance. The Rainforest alliance transforms the consumer business practices, consumer behaviors, and land-use practices with the aim to “conserve the biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods” (Rainforest Alliance, 2016). This nonprofit uses youtube to show the work and progress the company has made. Through the use of documentary-style videos it informs viewers of the reasons behind the company's work as well as why the public should care. The content shared on the nonprofit's website varies from interviews with some of its employees and volunteers, to demonstrations of how to take part in the company's work, to showing the impacts of not doing anything to help prevent further damage to the rainforests. 

          I think youtube is a great platform for this non-profit in comparison to other social media platforms. Through youtube they are able to share not only visuals and text but also audio, at a larger scale. Being able to share with their audience the richness that they see in the rainforests enables the non-profit to better communicate their message. Through youtube they can connect to the audience that prefers quick information because a large amount of information can be condensed in a short video through the use of sounds, text, and visuals all combined together. Youtube can also be linked to other social media platforms that the non-profit uses. The link to a video can easily be shared on other platforms such as facebook, instagram, and twitter. Youtube is the perfect fit for the non-profit Rainforest Alliance because it enables it with tools to share the variety of information that it needs to communicate to its audience. 

References:

Rainforest Alliance, (2016). We Are the Rainforest Alliance. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=Ea_mard7Fag

Social Media as Promotional Platforms

Consumers often believe that franchises are not in need of using too many promotional platforms as they are already well known to the public for the simple fact of being everywhere. Well, the contrary is true for these businesses. Franchises are very common and for that same reason the competition is very strong between brands. Social media has become a staple way for businesses to promote their products, including franchise companies. When a franchise is able to reach its customer through social media, it is able to create a strong root that will develop towards obtaining a loyal customer.  The franchise I focused on for this discussion was Subway. Facebook is one of the most prevalent social media platforms in today’s age and it is also considered to be one of the most noisiest platforms, due to its variety of content options (Martin, 2018). Businesses on facebook are able to share content through text, images, and video in order to promote their products. Facebook also allows businesses to pay for advertising throughout the platform. On Subway’s facebook it features a variety of sources and elements for not only customer engagement but also potential employees. The facebook page of this franchise is promoting the products by constantly updating its audience about new deals or menu items through images, text, and video. Subway is also using this platform by creating interactive online events such as word search puzzle contests to keep the audience engaged and constantly aware of Subway’s brand and products. Subway is not adding more menu items daily, therefore it aims to keep its customers interested in its menu by showcasing mouth-watering images and videos of new ways to enjoy items from the menu. 

References

Martin, G. Z. (2018). The essential Social media marketing handbook: a new roadmap for maximizing your brand, influence and credibility. New Delhi, India: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd

Micro-Blogging on Twitter

Throughout the years, twitter has been known as a “micro-blogging site that limits your post … to about one long sentence” (Martin, 2018). When twitter decides to change from limiting posts to 140 characters to 280 characters it brings on both advantages and disadvantages. Allowing people to write much more makes people question if twitter can continue being different from other social media platforms due to its conciseness in posts. For the same reason, people that once stayed away from twitter due to its limiting characters per post could now show interest in the platform. Something else that can happen with this change is a change in the image of twitter’s feed. With its previous character limitation the platform could have thousands of posts in its feed and still keep a simplistic design for the user. If too many people begin to make longer posts, Twitter may have to update its design if users give negative feedback about the platform looking too crowded or too saturated. On the flipside, if a change to the design of the platform is needed along with the change in character limitations it could be a great opportunity for the company to rebrand itself. Another drawback of having too many characters per post is that some people may quickly ignore longer posts while looking through twitter, causing a great imbalance in the distribution of information within the platform. In the same way, more users may prefer the change in character limitations and use the platform more frequently as a way to fully explain their thoughts and engage in more profound conversations. Depending on the aim of the company and the goals of its platform, Twitter may face various disadvantages or advantages that can affect the future of the famous social media platform.

References

Martin, G. Z. (2018). The essential Social media marketing handbook: a new roadmap for maximizing your brand, influence and credibility. New Delhi, India: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd

Building a loyal social media audience

When building a loyal audience in social media it is crucial for marketers to gain trust from its customers. Three main ways in which credibility can be built within social media are the use of stories, the inclusion of experts, and the use of referencing towards one’s own material. When stories are used in social media, they aim to achieve what is called “results envy” which is when the audience can relate to the story being told and then hope to achieve the positive end result from the story shared (Martin, 2018). When using stories to connect with the customer through social media the brand is aiming for “charismatic integrity” meaning that the trust and credibility gained from the audience is done through a feeling of being included in a like-minded community (Martin, 2018). When credibility is built through the use of expert knowledge it is bringing in a source that the audience can be sure is accredited and therefore creates the belief that the brand is backed up by fact and not only good ideas or speculations. Lastly, and most importantly, a brand that builds a strong foundation of credibility often achieves this by following up on its word. If a brand shares what ranges from ethical standpoints to promotional deadlines its audience expects the brand to follow through. When a brand builds credibility it makes sure to use social media in a way to connect with other groups and promotional individuals that are in line with its message. A brand that builds its credibility through this method also looks at its product and the way it is produced, because its social media presence makes it easy to create a loyal audience due to its consistency in connecting its brand message and values to its actual content. Brands in social media are able to use all three methods to build credibility or focus on one method specifically depending on its product and audience. 

 

References

Martin, G. Z. (2018). The essential Social media marketing handbook: a new roadmap for maximizing your brand, influence and credibility. New Delhi, India: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd.

Social Media Changes

Like many departments of technology social media is changing on a daily basis. Companies and businesses have to learn how to keep up with these daily changes in order to successfully grow in their respective industries, if their businesses have core foundations through social media. It is important for the companies that have built the majority of their business through social media, to keep up with these changes because these platforms help “[establish and reinforce their expertise]” (Martin, 2018). Three ways in which companies can stay on par with social media changes is to focus on their audience feedback, the newest technologies, and the global news that would affect the business. Keeping in touch with their customers by understanding the niche that they are in will help companies navigate social media changes in a way that benefits their customer’s concerns. Being able to fluidly connect with their customers by adapting to the changes in different platforms will make it easier for their customers to reach the company's content despite the changes. Understanding where a company’s customers are located comes hand-in-hand with being updated in global news. If a company has a large percentage of customers living in an area that is faced with a weather catastrophe the company can promote content that is conscious of their customer’s situation. Likewise, if the company is aware of a rise in consumer spending within the area of its audience it can better promote sales or know how prices may fluctuate for the profit of the company. Lastly, understanding the newest technology before it becomes viral is important as this will allow the company to be ready when its customers consume from either a new platform or a new gadget. If a company is able to benefit from having a product related to the newest technology it will be much more profitable having the product ready for the market once the new technology has become viral, rather than waiting for the technology to become common and then begin to create the complementary product. 

 

References

Martin, G. Z. (2018). The essential Social media marketing handbook: a new roadmap for maximizing your brand, influence and credibility. New Delhi, India: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd

Career Planning with Career Services in a University

Receiving top performance grades in school only amount to the number of opportunities that are appointed to any individual. Being able to obtain those skills and functional knowledge outside of school in the workplace will tell if there has been actual growth of knowledge. The career services center has a plethora of options to choose from. From interacting with students, to finding job postings.

Career Services

The key features and benefits of the Career Services are allowing students that are close to graduation of just in general a chance to connect with each other as well as find job positions that are opening. This allows the students to be interactive, persistent, dedicated and motivated for their future. Understanding that these options are just options. Students are also able to look for opening positions on other sites as well. My opinion on the Career Service department is to help students progress in the right direction outside of school. Containing the right amount of information for the right job.

This platform also provides resume advice. Which is phenomenal, because there are a lot of people no matter the age that cannot construct a well-thought out resume that meets business standards. I think this platform will provide insight and guidance to me in the future because I graduate in May. It is literally around the corner. Providing all and any type of information on job openings as well as current positions that need to be filled locally would help.

This will allow me to better further my commitment to myself for continuing my journey as well as education in the long-run. Accepting that the Career Service can only do so much. It is there job to help find local positions, but it is the student’s duty to fulfill that position. Such as filling out the paperwork, posting their resume(s), and providing the right information and background to basically sell themselves to the company.

The main component that will help me compose a very well thought out plan for my future will be the job postings. This will provide and direct me with proper long-term guidance that will help establish my future. Basically, allowing me to better prepare myself for my family and the lifestyle that I want to obtain. Thus, this will provide a better learning experience for the present and the future judgement.

The Career Services will be useful to me for the present because if I can obtain a job that is local right now making the same amount if not more than what I am currently, I would be able to set my future goals higher. Containing a position in my field for management would be great but depending on the job and the business it also might be demanding. When jumping into a new business, this will show how intelligent and hardworking you can be. Every business is different. Which means that a lot of project management positions may come with a bunch of stress and high demanding components. There are other jobs that required the same duties but may not cause a lot of stress or demanding components. That is why, searching for jobs and jumping back and forth will allow for better judgement as well as understanding what an individual is really looking for.

Career Service department also provides exceptional guidance on providing and constructing cover letters. For most businesses cover letters and resumes are key components that will allow your application to stand out from other candidates. Thus, constructing your profile to further the process by being called for an over the phone interview or in person interview. These options aren’t foreign to me. I have contributed to a plethora of in person and over the phone interviews from my past experiences in my field. As well as constructing personal relationship from previous workplaces. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do hope that I can become something that is bigger than myself.

Building a Website

Squarespace.com was the second one of top ten I looked at, create your own website design to stand out online with professional website or portfolio. Any idea can make into reality here with award winning designs for unrivaled best in class websites. Use one of their templates or design to fit your professional style, needs of products, deploy in custom galleries, add password protected pages to provide direct to clients. A good way to announce product releases, share, schedule your post to make your content work for you. Built in SEO tools for businesses features useful guides to help maximize performance, search results and analytics to learn about customers. You can learn about what they look for, how they interact with your content, audience insights very helpful tools. And least of all how to build effective blogging from using the tools they provide, apps provide by revenue, units sold.

www.squarespace.com/websitedesign.

Best Website Development Tool

Wordpress.com was first one I picked off best you tube sites search, you can just share ideas, start a business run a business from there. Personal, freelance, small business or online store, they have 4 packages priced up to Vp package that provides everything you need to own a business. A boost to business build, rated by some best in class for customer experience at scale by people using it-admire it to be the Cadillac of platforms for bloggers, the Vp one costs 1700 a month for everything they want and need. They support the infrastructure with providing a truly life changing experience. Affordable, free training thru 30 webcasts, each time addressing a different subject next day from their blogging university they call it.

www.wordpress.com

Connecting theory to what’s happening right now

This unit was about expanding our horizons in the social media realm. Most notably, we learned about
LinkedIn and its features. Creating a LinkedIn is important for any professional in this day and age. It
provides a myriad of resources and opportunities for anyone who is looking for them. This week we
explored the article function. As experts, it is helpful to provide writing samples alongside your
credentials to let those in your professional orbit that you are both qualified and knowledgeable. Being
able to write articles on a social media such as LinkedIn is also a uniquely helpful networking tool, as you
have the opportunity for your information to spread like any other post on social media, and gain views
that would never happen in a real world circumstance.This unit was about expanding our horizons in the social media realm. Most notably, we learned about
LinkedIn and its features. Creating a LinkedIn is important for any professional in this day and age. It
provides a myriad of resources and opportunities for anyone who is looking for them. This week we
explored the article function. As experts, it is helpful to provide writing samples alongside your
credentials to let those in your professional orbit that you are both qualified and knowledgeable. Being
able to write articles on a social media such as LinkedIn is also a uniquely helpful networking tool, as you
have the opportunity for your information to spread like any other post on social media, and gain views
that would never happen in a real world circumstance.

Insights from Raymond Pirouz, marketing faculty at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business:

“Depending on what we are covering in class, I try to bring in related news articles and show the linkage between theory and real life. I’ll highlight key passages, take a screenshot, and paste that image into my PowerPoint. Although the news is less structured than traditional learning materials, I use it almost like a mini case. We read the article as a way to get a discussion going and hear students’ opinions. I also ask them some questions and relate it back to the lesson plan. Then we jump into those ideas in a more structured way.

It’s really important to students that they are able to connect the theories they are learning in class to their practical lives. When you connect what’s happening in the real world with what you’re talking about in class, it just makes the content more relevant and the discussion livelier.”

Subway Social Media Strategy

For this discussion I focused on the company Subway. I looked at Subway’s website, facebook account, twitter account, and instagram account. When first opening their website they immediately appeal to a customer’s pathos by showing a pop-up message of the business being open for delivery and takeout due to the COVID-19 virus. In the facebook page it appeals to a customer’s ethos and pathos by informing the customer about how many meals the company has been able to donate during the COVID-19 crisis. Subway’s twitter does a combination of what is immediately seen in its website and facebook, promoting to its customer Subway’s goal to help while still providing service to its customers. Through its instagram it provides the customer with a chance to interact with others as well as learn about Subway’s new subs and its new achievements. For the brand platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, where it can engage with customers, can be very helpful in understanding what customers want and what their opinions are on the organizational changes, through the use of a digital media and contests or polls (Freeman, 2014).

Similarly to your experience, Subway, the brand I looked at, had strategically used delicious images on its Instagram page. What stuck out to me, when comparing the different social media platforms, had been the use of eye-catching images on Instagram opposed to informative or even statistical images in the other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. I realized that in order for a brand to successfully use a social media platform it must share content catered to the user of such a brand. Although images are used in both Facebook and Instagram, Facebook users are accustomed to seeing lots of text along with images whereas Instagram users see more eye-catching images and very little text. What do you think the users of each platform can tell a brand based on where most of its clients reach it from? What do you think a consumer can learn based on the platform he or she uses the most?

 

References

Freeman, B., Kelly, B., Baur, L., Chapman, K., Chapman, S., Gill, T., & King, L. (2014). Digital Junk: Food and Beverage Marketing on Facebook. American Journal of Public Health, 104(12), e56–e64. 

Competitive Advantage Competency

The competency in competitive advantage and differentiation are important for every business no matter scale, product invention would be considered as well for being able to assist in establishing a successful positioning strategy. The company can differentiate its product to not just the high or low end of the market, but any consumer can find a path to purchase of any grade product. This being done can create a competitive advantage, multiple areas of the market being covered by one company can make it difficult for competition to forecast business. Going green with production is a chance to innovate technology and process that has not been cornered yet and opens market options further to the company.

The company is seeking ability to produce product by involving more green process in production. If the company also takes in the research and development part of that “green process” they can take and patient or retain rights to any technology that is created through it and market product based on that. If a company claims to product using a percentage of wind energy, they may be investigated by legitimate organizations and in found making false statements about this will lose business. Our business will have the greener options of waste reduction available and seek to reduce it continuously until a zero-waste goal can be reached.

The green message will strongly outline the positioning strategy for the company. The high end of the market with consumers having the cash flow to support the development of green processes. Investors are often consumers and can help with the development cost of funding a low waste production line. Our customer is environmentally aware and will see advertisement for our product and wonder if we are adhering to the standard the public has set. The production department has set goals of waste production decrease of five percent a year. Energy needs will begin with existing technology and process to transition the company mind set to green.

Our being set apart from our competion opens us to new competitors that have been in the market a bit longer. We want to have the customer able to see us in the green market but not forget us in the high end sustainable market as well. Our product can cost more, and the customer knows it goes into the sustainment of the environment and can have reassurance about their investment into the product. Creation of a competitive advantage can help the enterprise of the business market in a positive manner, the enterprise capital can be valued low or high depending on the local market to the product. The company will need a firm understanding of doing business on the environmentally friendly side of the fence, basing all start points in the recyclable mind set will put the business where it needs to be fundamentally.

Stakeholders and shareholders can be reassured where their investment and return will come from, most when environmentally considered are using to making donations along with being invested in the company they are giving to for environmental research or preservation. The value of the product is going to be customer driven in this market, how much do they want to contribute to the goal of more green production? Society usually wants to see the environment protected and preserved. Most companies can agree though most often violate, the general accepted waste levels and methods for proper disposal.

The positioning strategy I would submit to the company would be from an inclusive mindset, all leaders in the company should have inclusion into the creation of the strategy so they can better disseminate this to the individuals throughout the company. I would encourage every board member and manager individually in the company to help their subordinates to foster more into the renewable support and supply chains in the company. Getting the workforce behind the company to consciously make decisions based on the green production idea we are chasing, will keep cost down and increase our investments. Truly keeping the environmental friendly production is a simple business model away from a company the customers can get behind. Board members will have a community of employees that want to be a part of what the company is doing, and the customers doing so by their purchase of the product. Choosing not to purchase from a competitor based on their environmental impact sends a message that can help with the branding and image of our company that will have a good place in the customer mindset and promote sale.