The case of the Dessing Dot, while left unresolved, is not headed in a positive business direction for any of the principal characters, including the employees.
This analysis aims to research the problems of the business situation the Dessing Dot Company has appeared in, and the measures which might change the situation to a more successful outcome for this business venture. Generally, the company needs changes in the following variables: the company strategy, approach to marketing and sales, and financial management.
The success of the Dessing Dot venture depends on at least five variables. Each of these variables, as defined below, is
- company strategy,
- approach to marketing and sales,
- leadership,
- financial management, and
- training methods.
- Variable 1: No business involvement by the inventor of the device – complete business involvement by the inventor. In this case, the inventor postponed almost all the business decisions and addressed them to the company’s President.
- Variable 2: Active sales – passive sales and more advertising. In this case, the decision-maker of the Dessing Dot Company has chosen active sales investing a lot of money in this area with the minimum of success.
- Variable 3: leadership. Passive position from the company’s leader – active approach from the President of the company to the work with the person including coaching and motivation. In this case, the chosen strategy is thorough work with the person including motivating and coaching.
- Variable 4: financial management. The financial flow is directed to paying to the sales specialists – the financial flow is directed to advertising the device. In the case, the financial flow is focused on the personnel which at times can be evaluated as a wise decision; however, in this case, it has proved unsuccessful and should be more focused on an advertising campaign.
- Variable 5: training methods. No training for the company’s personal – regular training symposiums and systematic coaching. In this case, the thorough approach to training is chosen, the personnel accepted a lot of directions and recommendations from the company’s President.
The setting or positioning of variables, as stated in the case, has led the young company to the brink of failure. The main reason for this situation is in the set of rules established in the area of wine sales. The major sellers of wine are restaurants that have their selling technologies centered on their traditions set in the field for decades. The restaurants and the other sellers are not ready for changes in their field of marketing. They explain it with the position of their customers who would not tolerate IT technologies including electronic chips and electronic scanners next to their wine as these technologies are believed to be harmful to organic products and for human health. Another reason for this failure is in the managing strategies existing within the restaurants nowadays which are also rather convenient and allow finding the needed bottle within five minutes. One sommelier described the situation with the following words: “our wines are meticulously cataloged by row and column, and entered in a registry as soon as they arrive at our cellar; name any wine on our wine list and I can hand it to you within five minutes” (Bell 4).
If different choices had been made in a few of the key variables, the outcome of this case could be much more successful in business terms for the enterprise. First of all, the company strategy should be improved including the involvement of the device inventor in the process. Of course, an inventor can be hardly addressed as a qualified specialist in the area of marketing; however, what is very important is the motivating spirit which he might bring as a creator of his “brainchild”. Those companies offering revolutionary products which can be somehow compared to this one including Microsoft and Apple were able to succeed being inspired by the inventors. In addition, the other component of the company’s strategy is the area chosen by the inventor, I mean, selling wines. The device is very promising and can find its successful application in numerous areas where they sell not-food products. Nowadays people have a special concern for their health and electronic technologies affecting it. That is why it seems that the device might have found its implication in some other areas; for example, selling construction materials, or textiles. Finally, the financial management of the company is too much focused on paying the personnel but has few expenses for an advertising company. “Advertising is the engine of commerce”, everybody knows this simple truth. How many companies have proved the truthfulness of this saying! Only wise financial management focused on aggressive advertising companies can prove to be successful.
In conclusion, with the changes in place of the company’s management and financial politics, the case would likely have developed in a different way for the company. By finding more fields of marketing where the device can be successfully implemented along with a wise advertising company, the Dessing Dot might become a successful and flourishing company occupying new markets with its revolutionary “know-how” making the work of sellers easier and more accurate.
Works Cited
Bell, Art. “When the Leader Hits the Wall: a Case of Organizational Paralysis”. University of San Francisco, (n.d.). Print.