Gillette free essay sample

Case Analysis for Gillette: Product and Marketing Innovation 9/11/2012 Abstract Gillette is seeking means to retain dominance in market share they have lead for the last century. Along with sustaining market share Gillette has continued focus on expanding worldwide into less saturated markets. In this analysis multiple alternatives will be explored in order to make a recommendation on steps that would favor Gillette’s organization in meeting their aspirations. Situation Analysis Product quality and efficient marketing are the core value propositions that set the pace for Gillette’s success.With continued innovation in both product development and marketing strategies Gillette has been able to retain a commanding worldwide market share in a highly competitive, but mature, razor and blade market. Strong market share allowed Gillette to sustain profits even through economic droughts in recent years. On the flip side, Gillette’s innovation success also posed challenges. In order to maintain their market share, a dependency on continuous product improvement formed over time. We will write a custom essay sample on Gillette or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Now Gillette will need to determine how to balance investment in research and development along with other areas of the organization. At times their own innovation of new product lines impacted their leading product lines in the market. During the 1990s Gillette found themselves cannibalizing their own successful products when trying to out due the competition. Even though internal competition shifted sales from one product line to another, Gillette’s sales were able to re-coop development costs. Expanding market share around the world also revealed challenges with varying religious and culture beliefs. Western influences have started to generate growth with European woman as younger generations watch American movies and television that depict women with sleek underarms and legs. Gillette’s latest innovation, the Fusion 5(+1) blade, was back in 2006. Since then Schick, Gillette’s leading competitor has not responded with their own break through. Gillette should be wondering what Schick might do next. Problem As the market Gillette has lead for so long became mature, their growth ultimately declined due to market saturation and increase competition. Fluctuations occurred only when newer, more innovative products were introduced.This put more pressure on development advancements and marketing tactics. Many analysts believe that Gillette and Schick, leaders in razors and blades, have reached the end of meaningful product innovation [1]. In 2006 when the Fusion 5(+1) blade was introduced, it exploded off the shelves. Gillette sold more than 4 billion Fusion razors with in the first two months. The Fusion’s initial success was quickly fleeting as sales reports showed that razors were outselling the cartridge refills. This was very concerning to Gillette as it is well-known that razor manufacturers earn most of their profits from refills, not the initial razor purchase.Critics also questioned why five blades were needed to get the best shave when Gillette had touted its three-bladed Mach3 as †the best a man can get. † â€Å"Consumer reports conclude that there were no additional performance benefits provided by the five-bladed Fusion, especially when compared to the Mach3† [1 pg391]. Economic recession also impacted sales as Gillette’s products went up in price due to a need to re-coop development costs. How can Gillette continue to maintain or grow market share in a mature market and keep future strategies aligned with customer wants?Alternatives Continue product line and marketing without major change. No additional research and development costs would need to be spent, which in return reduces the need to raise prices for maintaining their profit margin. However the risk looming would be competitor innovation impacting current market share. Schick may produce a new innovative product that would sway consumers from purchasing Gillette’s products. As stated in the case Gillette must find new ways to innovatively out-produce or out-market the competition.Investing in research and development to create new product line or enhance current products adds considerable expenses. Development costs will need to be re-cooped. This will keep competitors in check, but will be challenging to keep pricing competitive. Compliment current leading product lines that keep consumers happy. Promoting Christmas, Father’s day and Mother’s day gift grooming kits that meets more of the consumer’s needs will also introduce consumers to other product lines Gillette has to offer. Focus marketing potential growth opportunities globally by challenging resistance in product awareness and interests.As a Gillette razor consumer, I have encountered an inconvenience that I think can be solved and build customer loyalty. I’ve been using Mach 3 razors for over fifteen years, and when purchasing refills I have found it difficult to find blades that are compatible with the razor handle that I own. Thinking out of the box, what if Gillette were to make razor handles that are compatible with any of Gillette’s product line of refills? This would then provide consumers the freedom to purchase from a variety of Gillette’s product lines without having to spend extra money on a handle that works with the particular product refill.Owning a Gillette universal handle would also encourage customers to stay with Gillette refills as converting to another brand would cost more with the initial required handle purchase. Implementation From the case I would assume Gillette will continue to â€Å"innovatively out-produce or out-market the competition† [1]. I believe moving forward with developing a universal handle with Gillette refills would accomplish this. This would require investment into developing a new handle and rollout of the product. Here is an approximate timeline to complete.

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buy custom Systems Planning and Selection essay Information technology is an essential factor in the success of many aspects and businesses in the world. The wave of new technology and gadgets has brought with it a lot of desire and the rise and fall of companies. The best example is Amazon that is an online shop. With the invention of online businesses by many companies for any company to remain afloat, it has to take the same route. This is where the emerging concept of cloud computing comes in. It is defined as the storage of data by many companies so that they can be accessed by their workers and interested parties. This means that data and information can be stored over the web. The platform of IT is broadly divided into three groupings. The utmost grouping that can benefit any business is the Infrastructure as a service (IaaS). This is because it helps a business grow its available resources. The paper discusses in length the concept of cloud computing and its benefits and implementation in a business. Cloud Computing Cloud computing is defined as the usage and access of a computer as a service more than a merchandise. Data is provided over several computers in this process. The data include software and information. The services are easily linked through other computers instead of storing in one computer. This is enabled using the internet. The new technology provides the storage of software and data without using the same access point, hence, the users do not require knowing the source and specific location of the data. The users of this service are known as cloud users (Elsenpeter, 2009, p. 243). The users of the service can get information without using the resources that are currently required to carry out computing. The resources are, however, used within limits. This process can be compared to electricity consumption, in which people can access information over long distances, without acquiring the knowledge of how process of the manufacturing is done. The process is also beneficial for inf ormation technology, since it is based on internet protocols and is capable of provisioning of services that are unattainable in the current system. It is a product of the provisioning of services easily with remote computers. The programs that have been put easy to access by the new technology are website based tools and applications. They can be accessed via web browser, and when they are accessed, it will look as if they are installed in the computer that they are accessed. The cloud computers provide applications via the website that can be accessed from different web browsers via desktop computers, laptops or mobile devices. However, the business software and information are stored on servers at a location. The cloud computing technique provides an ideology in which there is a base of uniting infrastructure. The infrastructure in this case is the shared services (Knorr, 2011, p. 1). This enables businesses to unite their applications and speed up the process of internet growth. There is additionally less maintenance of the data that the company has in its web browser. This in the end leads to increasing demand and supply of goods by a business. The data presented are extremely essential because they are numerous and they are accessed from a single point. The new development has enabled United States government to reduce its expenditure on information technology as the new development reduces the expenses that are required. With the current move of resources to the internet by many businesses, it is essential that a person identifies the best resource that he or she can make use of, to maintain the face of the business. The current business world requires an organization to have adequate resources in the in internet in order to capitalize on the web. However, there are several challenges that the online business faces (Miller, 2008, p. 27). The key problem is being restricted to a single workspace. This problem affects many institutions. Nonetheless, cloud computing can be used to solve it. The effects of this action are that there are reduced costs and increased input. The cloud computing theory puts in practice th working of an organization over the internet. In the current world, many businesses do not initiate the proper control process and that is why many businesses fail. It is noted that the current business environment requires to a business diversify its resources and locate its services over t he web. Web advertising is the best way of increasing the working ratio and getting the best inputs after a business. Many corporations such as Coca-Cola have used the new strategy to increase its revenues and it has been proven to work. If a company does not have adequate internet access and resources, there are high chances that it will realize low outputs than a company that is already utilizing the new technology. Cloud computing further increases the number of workforce. This can be conceptualized by saying that a company can share its resources with many workers and yet they are working from their own homes. This is a classic example of realizing how a company can benefit from employing this strategy. The restriction of operating in a single workplace creates a lot of unnecessary jam in the business that can be avoided by employing new strategies that are beneficial for growth. Therefore, for the success of a firm to be realized it has to incorporate cloud computing into its systems (IBM Cloud Computer, 2011, p. 1). The number of workforces can be increased if a company has the right tools for the job. With cloud computing, an organization has to look at the way it wants to grow. If a person is operating a busi ness that can be operated from home, there is no need of carrying information in memory sticks as they are sometimes bulky and can easily get lost. The best way to operate on this issue is accepting cloud computing since the business can locate all its data over the internet and efficiently share it with its employees. This sharing is essential in ensuring that employees can work on the availed files and this in the end, increases the size and output of the business. The idea of cloud computing has been conceptualized for very many years and since it is here, it is the best opportunity as many people would wish to work together to realize profits. The success of Amazon can also be attributed to cloud computing. By creating a private cloud, the company, fully realizes its potential and goals. A private cloud means that one which is only shared by a business. This is essential since the corporation is ensured security, and in addition, there is the availability of resources that can be used to manage and enable an increase of ideas in the business. The use of diversification of business using information technology also ensures that there are distributed risks. This is a significant factor as it means that the business can run its operations without the fear of being run down through a risk. The diversification in the end is essential, as the other divisions of the business can employ different tactics and this in the end means that there would be many services that the business could offer. This ensures a constant cash flow and an increase in the finances of the business. The other factor that can be ensured by incorporating cloud computing is reduced costs. An example is using a plan that is not diverse. Therefore, the company will employ many employees who can access the business data and utilize it. This is in contrast to a business operating without the new technology, because it will have to construct new sites and in each new site, they will need and additional employee to foresee the running of the site. To avoid all these costs, a company, can employ cloud-computing (Han, 2011, p. 199). In any business setting, a distributed risk ensures that the workforce is working without fear, and this leads to more input, and for any company to survive it must employ this working criterion. Systems Restricted workspace is a major problem in many businesses and requires a whole lot of diversity to tackle it. The cause of having a restricted workplace is majorly finances. An upcoming company cannot manage to operate on vast resources and then maintain the working of its employees. This is because the task requires a lot of capital and it additionally neeeds a large number of workforces. This affects the growth of many businesses and the proper way to capitalize on this loss is to enter into the internet market. The entry into the internet market has additionally been boosted by the introduction of cloud computing (Elsenpeter, 2009, p. 123). Using cloud computing, many companies have managed to bring out excellent results and if any business is in doubt of the internet wave, he or she should look at the new strategies, that even financial institutions are employing to maintain the customer base. The main problem of space sometimes is not only brought forth by finances but also the lack of space. If an individual is operating, a company that he or she thinks can work with outsourced people then they can apply the formula of cloud computing. The effect of workplace immobility has led to innovations that are meant to counter the unavailability of space, but not many people have been able to come up with a clear and concrete solution like cloud computing. Therefore, for the success of a business to be realized, the best way is to follow this new trend. The lack of space is not a problem that only affects small business, as mentioned priory; the inadequacy can also be seen through the lack of land and not just merely finances. Therefore, it is essential that even gigantic firms try the new form of creating space (Han, 2011, p. 200). This will ensure that there is adequate competition and use of resources that will maintain the running of the industry as a whole. It is also notable that business has taken new shape and competition is notably moving to the internet. Therefore, for a company to survive and market itself, what better place than the web and utilizing the cloud computing in particular. Many current business leade rs, for example, Warren Buffet, have come up with ideas that the internet is the best source of gaining success by companies. In a research conducted by the University of Oxford, it was found out that the most profitable businesses had in one way or the other employed internet technology. This, therefore, calls for a new rise in technological and visionary ideas in companies and that is where cloud computing plays the key role. The main success factor for internet torrent sites is the ability to share files and this is the new concept that has been employed only that the files are secured this time round. Another case example is a company that has employed the best ideas and used adequate resources in maintaining its success in the IBM Company. Throughout history, innovative companies have always stood out as champions. Therefore, it is essential for a company to reconstruct its vision and mission plus the setting up ideas to incorporate the new technology of cloud computing. In a move, to gain a new and stronger market, the Money bookers organization chose the internet to further its interests and this has acted positively towards creating space and gaining new customers. The company is currently placed as one of the best companies that have emerged in the financial market. This is a good case example of identifying the need of cloud computing (IBM Cloud Computer, 2011, para 1). Technology is an essential factor in the very day growth of companies and is additionally a great market place to outsource ideas and that is the reason cloud computing should not be ignored as a new technological wave but a concept that is here to stay. Conclusion In conclusion, the best way that a company can ensure that it has a right way forward is through the utilization of the internet. Therefore, the idea of cloud computing is generally the best idea that has ever come up in the technological world. Therefore, utilizing it is one among the best strategies that a company can use. The new technology comes with many benefits and these benefits are represented in terms of common pull. A company can have set several goals and consequently it does not have a focal point in which it can share its resources and information. Cloud computing presents a base in which the business can operate and, therefore, utilizing it is the best way forward. Buy custom Systems Planning and Selection essay