m&m post1

Db1

Topic: Blue Ocean Strategy

One popular technique for competing in the marketplace is to identify blue oceans. The concept of blue oceans was introduced in 2005 with the very successful book,  Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant, written by Kim Chan and Renee Mauborgne. The text is available in the PG Library. 

Read the article, " Application of the Ocean Blue Strategy in Ukrainian Winemaking Industry " (Didukh & Aiun, 2019).

After reading the article, respond to the following questions: 

· How would you describe the concepts of the blue ocean strategy?

· What steps are involved in identifying blue oceans?

· How would you apply a blue ocean strategy to a similar industry like beer or soda?

Reference

Didukh, S., & Aoun, V. (2019). Application of the blue ocean strategy in Ukrainian winemaking industry.  Food Industry Economics, 11(1), 49–58. https://libauth.purdueglobal.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.343bb1b987048bf9f5d7301cc0fb296&site=eds-live

Journal 1

You will post a minimum of 250 words in the textbox for this journal assignment in response to the bullet item(s) below. The journal is a private communication that is shared only with your instructor for grading purposes. 

Instructions: Enter your posting by accessing the assignments tab. Select the unit journal Dropbox and scroll down, and you will see a textbox for your posting. 

Challenging Michael Porter's Five Forces Model

Read the following:

· Isabelle et al. (2020) article “ Is Porter's five forces framework still relevant? A study of the capital/labour intensity continuum via mining and I.T. industries. ”

· Pages 34 and 35 of your text Marketing Management, 16th edition.

One of the most popular tools for studying industry attractiveness is Michael Porter's five forces model, as discussed in Chapter 2. However, some experts have critiqued Porter's model. 

Respond to the following:

· Select a business you would be interested in pursuing in the near future.

· Apply Porter's model to determine the industry attractiveness. 

· Next, apply the four additional forces suggested by Isabelle et al. (2020).

· Lastly, apply the 5-C framework to the business you would be interested in pursuing in the near future.

Preview the  Unit 1 Journal rubric .

Reference

Isabelle, D. Horak, K., McKinnon, S., & Palumbo, C. (2020). Is Porter’s five forces framework still relevant? A study of the capital/labour intensity continuum via mining and I.T. industries.  Technology Innovation Management Review, 10(6), 28–41. https://www.timreview.ca/sites/default/files/article_PDF/TIMReview_2020_June%20-%203.pdf

Db 2

Topic: Social Responsibility and Marketing

Chapter 21 of your text explains the significance of socially responsible marketing. Some examples of companies demonstrating best practices in social marketing include TOMS®, KFC®, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters®, and FAGUO. 

Respond to the following:

· Provide an example similar to these companies practicing socially responsible marketing.

· What are the marketing benefits of socially responsible marketing?

Think of a company you worked for in the past. 

· Propose ideas to the company's president on how you could promote socially responsible marketing in the organization. 

· Where does the company draw the line in supporting socially responsible programs? How much of its annual budget should go toward these programs? 

· How much time should employees focus on these programs?

Db3

Topic: Value in a New Market 

Marketing managers look for new growth opportunities by pursuing new markets. One of the challenges in seeking new markets is a change in the behavior and marketing process. For instance, sometimes B2B organizations find new opportunities in B2C markets. 

Respond to the following:

· Select a company that predominantly focuses on either B2B or B2C markets. 

· Next, choose a new market for your selected choice. For example, if you selected B2B, describe how customer behavior and the process would differ from marketing to B2C. If you selected B2C, describe how client behavior and the process would vary from marketing to B2B. 

· Describe the challenges you would face in the new process.

· How would you emphasize value for your new market?

Journal 3

You will post a minimum of 250 words in the textbox for this journal assignment in response to the bullet item(s) below. The journal is a private communication that is shared only with your instructor for grading purposes. 

Instructions: Enter your posting by accessing the assignments tab. Select the unit journal Dropbox, scroll down, and you will see a textbox for your posting. 

Value Chains

Over the last several weeks, you learned about competitive strategies. Michael Porter suggests that marketing managers should pay close attention to value chains — a network of value-creating activities. There are five primary value-creating activities and four support activities. 

The primary activities include inbound logistics, operations/manufacturing, outbound logistics, sales and marketing, and customer service. Consider a fictional example of Mike’s Bikes, an online bicycle organization in Anytown, USA. Inbound logistics involve receiving, storing, and disseminating inputs to products. Mike’s Bikes acquire bicycle parts from several manufacturers. The second primary activity in the value chain is operations and manufacturing, transforming inputs into final products. For this step, Mike’s Bikes assemble the parts from the manufacturer to produce a bike. Activity three in the value chain is outbound logistics, which includes collecting, storing, and physically distributing products to the buyers. In this phase, Mike’s Bikes ship the bicycles to their customers. The fourth primary activity includes sales and marketing, inducing buyers to purchase products and providing a means for them to purchase. Mike’s Bikes frequently uses digital marketing and social media to accomplish this task. The final primary activity is customer service, which assists customers’ in using the products. Mike’s Bikes provide 24/7 customer support.

The four supporting activities in the value chain include procurement, technology, human resources, and infrastructure. For procurement, Mike’s Bikes should manage supplier relationships. For technology, investigate new designs for bikes. Human resources need to hire and support employees. Lastly, Mike’s Bikes should manage company resources for infrastructure (Kroenke & McKinney, 2013).

According to Tim Sobierski at Harvard Business School (2020), there are three major steps involved with value chain analysis: (1) Identify all the steps or activities in the process of creating a product or deliver a service; (2) determine how what is produced or created by the company creates value for the customer in terms of quality, utility, what they need and want, and is it financially possible and profitable; and (3) analyze the steps in the company’s value chain to determine whether each step is the most efficient for achieving company goals in a competitive market.

Respond to the following:

· Provide an example of a value chain similar to Mike’s Bikes.

· Identify three value chain goals for your example. 

Reference

Sobierski, T. (2020, December 03).  Understanding the value chain. Harvard Business School Online. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-value-chain-analysis