Introduction to Strategy and Marketing
Main student. The discussion of the vision and mission of SAIC shows that company strategy, its implementation, and decisions made are closely connected. Having started as an individual group, using appropriate organizational strategy and necessary decisions, SAIC has managed to become an enterprise. The decision to be focused on market-driving, solution-seeking and mission-focus for gaining more success and profit proves that strategy implementation is based on powerful decisions.
Classmate. If to relate this response to the main student’s one, the general picture appears that to experience success and become more market-oriented in a long-term period, it is crucial to pay attention to the application of innovative technologies, HR management, planning, cross-selling, etc. These components are the parts of the organizational strategy and decision making that shows the connection between these instruments.
Professor. The problem of the importance of marketing and strategy has many opinions and it is difficult to put any of the notions in the first place. Having evaluated the responses to the main student and classmate, it can be completed that these notions are interconnected, so it is important both, where the company functions and what it does.
Value Creation, Communication, and Evaluation
Main student. Training is really important for the company and the necessity to adapt to customers’ demands should be supported with appropriate training if the working process requires adequate knowledge and skills. The failure to train HR may place SAIC in a complex position when they will be unable to meet the customers’ demands.
Classmate (Student B (HS)). Using the strategy of building consumer perception and trying to build the services based on the competitors’ analysis, the company fails to consider the customers’ feedback, as sometimes customers may refuse the innovative and changed products in favor of the one they have got used to.
Professor. The possession of good theoretical knowledge in value creation, communication, and evaluation is the first step for successful practical use of this knowledge as it is the basis for practical implementation.
External Environment
Main student. Much attention is paid to the services the company provides, but the impact of or on the external environment has not been the focus of this discussion. Having read this comment, I could not get the idea of how SAIC functions in the global arena and the customers’ role in the company strategy and marketing.
Classmate (AK). I agree with this comment, as Mary Kay did not conduct thorough research of the external environment, so it failed to succeed in some countries. The peculiarities of customer needs, behavior, and opportunities affect marketing and strategy in the global environment.
Professor. When the company wants to enter the global market, it should identify the risks and check whether it is ready to meet cultural, administrative, geographic, and other differences. Mary Kay was not ready, as well as it did not do anything to try being too self-assured.
Industry Analysis
Main student. Science Applications International Corporation should keep abreast of scientific innovation and use new technologies as soon as possible after their appearance. This is a guarantee of the company’s success.
Professor. The discussion is focused on the advantages of the 4th option, but I suppose others still require attention and it is possible to try to get the best out of those strategies and use each of them, providing no chances for other players. The mixture of the strategy may be used as the basis for implementation only in case when all the threats and opportunities are researched that affair is worthy.
Customer Analysis
Main student. Good discussion. The steps are perfectly stated and the outcomes of each are considered. When the results are dissatisfactory, the next step is taken with the reference to those mistakes. The research is full and each new step is taken only after the results of the previous one are analyzed in detail.
Classmate. Market segmentation, target marketing, and positioning take part in the company’s success and are considered to be central, but they are not the only processes that should be considered. A lot of other issues should be checked while evaluating and trying to achieve success.
Professor. The examples of the cloths market are the best one within this topic as it helps analyze the market segmentation, target marketing, and positioning and the influence of these factors on customers’ choice.
Competitive Advantage
Main student. As I see, SAIC is a company that serves under the governmental directory, so this is the competitive advantage as a whole. At the same time, the organization performs exclusive tasks and the environment is not easy to enter due to high strengths and positive image of the company within its customers.
Classmate. I am not sure that industry consolidation is a good option for a customer, as the absence of competition is not a good activity. The products and services which exist without competition are not interested in satisfying customers’ needs as they will be bought for sure, as there is no other option.
Professor. The concluding words that “Coke and Pepsi are the classic cases of ‘smart’ competitors: when they go to war, they kill the bystanders — not themselves” are reasonable and characterize the main idea of Cola Wars. These competitors regulate their competitive strength to remain the leaders in the industry they have created.
Differentiation and Brand Positioning
Main student. As I see, being a leading organization that serves governmental needs, SAIC still can lose its unique position due to the existence of a re-compete procedure which may help other participants of the competition get this unique position. Thus, having a good branding position does not mean that the company has an opportunity to relax while working. This information can be related to the part with the advantages of the competition which must be for proper quality of the services/products.
Classmate. To avoid the problem with changes in product, packaging, and advertising, the company should plan those changes and pay more attention to delivering the information to the customer about the nearest changes. It is important to prepare a customer, to inform him/her and it will not influence the sales.
Professor. The differentiation and brand positioning may be applied using different strategies and it does not mean that one of them is better than another one. It just means that they are different that is all.
Corporate Strategy in the New Economy
Main student. The attention is paid to the innovative strategy which is going to be used in the future, but the comment does not focus directly on the peculiarities of the corporate strategy in a new economy. How SAIC is going to function within the current economical conditions? Having stated the long-term objective to implement the BirdDog usage in practice by 2015, the economical problems are not referred to.
Classmate. The corporate strategies of Internet companies are perfectly identified. It is possible to consider the ways the giant Internet companies get profit in the new economy. These companies build their selling strategies on the principles of a new economy that make them leading in the profit rate.
Organizing for Effective Performance
Main student. The organizational structure of SAIC is presented, but the main student does not consider the reasons for the choice of such an organizational structure and does not point whether it is successful or not. Of course, being the leading company in the industry, it is successful, but it does not mean that corporate bureaucratic design suits HR employed there.
Classmate (Q5). Choosing the flat hierarchical model for organizational structure in SBU, it is necessary to consider not only the advantages of such structure, like team management but also the problems which may appear in the organizational structure. It is necessary to be ready to cope with those problems having implemented the necessary strategies.
Professor. Detailed monitoring of the problem and the environment is not a guarantee that the chosen organizational structure is going to be successful. It is necessary to consider the cultural peculiarities and the HR which are going to be employed. The peculiarities of the business are also important.
Government-Centric Global Marketing and Strategy
Main student. SAIC’s global marketing and the strategies it uses directly depend on the politics provided by the government. The organization is dependent on the government and its profit also depends on it (approximately 88% of the whole profit), so the organizational strategy and marketing principles should rely on the principles of the state’s international politics.
Classmate (JH). Much attention is paid to the leadership and personal experience in this sphere. Still, leadership is not the only factor that must be considered while exploring global marketing and strategy. Entering the international arena the organization should be aware of the opportunities it has and strengths it may use as well as the weaknesses and threats.
Professor. Shakti should be better viewed as the business strategy initiative, looking at the conditions the company exists in and should function at.
Global Marketing and Strategy
Main student. Basing the company HR management on the principle of training is a good opportunity to meet customers’ needs as functioning in the constantly changing environment, the employees should be aware of the innovations and be able to apply the technologies properly.
Classmate (GE). The decisions made in the company have allowed meeting specific purposes. The hard decisions and the power to bear the responsibilities one person has shown made it possible to conduct the changes in the company and create more successful conditions for global marketing.
Professor. Welch was able to conduct the changes, they have been successful, so they were necessary. If the results of the changes are not encouraging, so there is no reason for supporting those changes. In the case under discussion, the changes have been necessary as they resulted in a positive outcome which is crucial for business development.