Search

As the sales function continuous to evolve, organizations are increasingly investing in sales enablement, which entails aligning resources across different organizational functions and hierarchical levels to support salespeople in their jobs. Extant literature on sales enablement has been either conceptual or based on general empirical assessments. For a more nuanced understanding, we examine how sales enablement is defined and deployed in a single firm. We report the findings from a single company case study that involved 25 in-depth interviews with cross-functional respondents from sales enablement, marketing, sales operations, sales professionals, and sales managers. Our study shows that the impact of sales enablement on the organization's success is perceived as crucial; however, all stakeholders have different understandings about sales enablement. Findings indicate that different organizational hierarchy levels and functions exhibit substantially different perspectives on and understandings of sales enablement. This ambiguity may have an impact on the effective deployment of sales enablement initiatives within a firm and could result in suboptimal outcomes. We conclude with ideas for future research and provide managerial implications.

The study aimed to determine the level of sales management and profitability among small enterprises renting commercial spaces in Panabo City. As supported by the theory of Wandall and Hoffman (2016), sales operations, sales strategy and sales analysis are the indicators of sales management which can affect the profitability of the business. The researchers employed a survey questionnaire for both variables: sales management and profitability. This study utilizes the descriptive-correlation method with the aid of the adapted survey questionnaire used in gathering the necessary data from the respondents along with mean and Pearson-r as statistical tools. The result of the computation of r-value is 0.51 and a P-value of 0.00 which is lower than the alpha of 0.05 indicating that there is a significant relationship between sales management and profitability. This implies that sales management links to profitability., {"references":["Abubakar, M. (2020). Impact of Financial Literacy on Profitability of Small-scale Enterprises in Nigeria. African Journal of Accounting and Financial Research. Volume 3, Issue 1, 2020 (pp. 44-52). Retrieved on May 1, 2021. Taken from","Adepoju, A., Akinwale, Y. and Olomu M. (2017). The Impact of Technological Innovation on SME's Profitability in Nigeria. Research, Innovation and Commercialization, Vol. 1, No.1.","Eggers, F. (2020). Master of disasters: Challenges and opportunities for SME's in times of crisis/. Journal of Business Research. Vol. 116, Pages 199-208.","Grimson, J. & Pyke, D. (2017). Sales & Operations Planning: An Exploratory Study and Framework. International Journal of Logistics Management. Volume 18, Issued 3:322 346.","Hofstrand (2009). Understanding Profitability. Iowa State University Extension Business Management: Analyzing Finances","Luis, Jr. S. (2020). Business ill-prepared to resume operations under GCQ-ECOP. Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP). GMA News Online","Margaretha & Supartika (2016). Factors Affecting Profitability of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Firm Listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. Journal of Economics, Business Management, Volume 4, No. 2","Petersen, F. (2017). Design of a Sales Management System for Organizations with an Equal Focus on Standard and Project Business. Master of Science Thesis: Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.","Quaranta (2017). Descriptive Correlational Research. SAGE Research Methods Cases Part 2."]}

En el presente documento contiene la información relacionada con las actividades realizadas durante el periodo de practicante en la empresa Medtronic, una multinacional con sede en Bogotá D.C enfatizada a la comercialización de dispositivos médicos, siendo así, el líder global en dicho mercado. Es por esto por lo que se tendrá en cuenta las funciones realizadas en el cargo de Sales Operations, las cuales sirvieron para el aprendizaje de validación de facturas en plataforma ECATS, recolección de acuses de recibido, generación de cotizaciones en plataforma Bionexo, revisión de contratos con proveedores y clientes, entre otras, además de hacer un paralelo de las contribuciones entre practicante y empresa. Por lo tanto, se explicarán diferentes procesos con los que cuenta la empresa para lograr de forma correcta sus objetivos, tales como la distribución de dispositivos médicos, capacitaciones a personal de la salud, licitaciones con entidades públicas, entre otros, siendo así de gran provecho para mantener la compañía en un buen posicionamiento, aumentando las ventas del área de diabetes en un diez por ciento y proporcionando una mayor cantidad de cotizaciones a entidades públicas. Finalmente, el practicante debe tener en cuenta que el entendimiento de algunas herramientas brindadas por la compañía facilita los números procesos a los que se ve envuelto el mercado. This document contains the information related to the activities performed during the internship period in the company Medtronic, a multinational company based in Bogotá D.C. emphasized in the commercialization of medical devices, being the global leader in this market. It is for this reason that the functions performed in the Sales Operations position will be considered, which served to learn how to validate invoices in ECATS platform, collection of acknowledgements of receipt, generation of quotations in Bionexo platform, review of contracts with suppliers and customers, among others, in addition to making a parallel of the contributions between the intern and the company. Therefore, different processes that the company has to correctly achieve its objectives will be explained, such as the distribution of medical devices, training to health personnel, bids with public entities, among others, thus being of great benefit to keep the company in a good position, increasing sales in the diabetes area by ten percent and providing a greater number of quotations to public entities. Finally, the practitioner should keep in mind that the understanding of some of the tools provided by the company facilitates the number of processes involved in the market. Profesional en Negocios Internacionales http://www.ustavillavicencio.edu.co/home/index.php/unidades/extension-y-proyeccion/investigacion Pregrado

Salespeople interact with individual customers to drive revenues by identifying and finding solutions for customer needs. The external knowledge salespeople acquire in conjunction with the network position they hold in their firm suggests that the sales force has great value in facilitating organizational innovativeness. Sales managers set the tone for sales operations, and an intellectually stimulating sales manager can create ripple effects of innovative thinking across the sales force and organization. In this paper, we propose that sales manager intellectual stimulation helps drive organizational innovativeness and, in turn, sales growth. Survey data collected from a cross-industry sample of business-to-business sales leaders are linked to an objective measure of firm sales growth. The results indicate that sales manager intellectual stimulation leads to organizational innovativeness. They also suggest that the degree to which the sales department is integrated within the firm strengthens this positive relationship. Finally, the relationship between organizational innovativeness and sales growth follows a non-linear U shape.

Goal: This article characterizes the application of the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process in an audiovisual content production industry, whose production model is Engineer-To-Order (ETO), adding important empirical knowledge for S&OP in this production strategy within a unique context. Design / Methodology / Approach:The methodology adopted is based on an exploratory case study. The research adopts a well-known framework to characterize the process observed within the company. Results: The findings characterize the S&OP process based on the main components of the context, inputs, structure and process and outcomes / results, demonstrating that, even with the particularities of the industry, S&OP can be a key process to manage the business complexity and to achieve the objectives by the company. Limitations of the investigation:This study was based on the observations made in only one company, which is a research limitation towards the generalizability of the findings. Thus, for a deeper understanding of the theme, future research is necessary, expanding the observations to other companies. Practical implications:Practitioners can take stock of the S&OP characterization and the lessons learned herein to help to support their S&OP initiatives, especially regarding ETO contexts. Originality / Value:This article sought to reduce the research-practice gap in the literature concerning the need for a complete characterization of the S&OP process from empirical researches and the understanding of S&OP application in the ETO production model.

This study aims to offer novel means for rethinking contemporary business-to-business (B2B) sales operations and the assumptions that underlie them in the digital era. This rethinking relates especially to sales managers’ efforts to facilitate cognitive unlearning in B2B sales management during the ongoing digital transformation taking place in enterprises. Unlearning—the process of purposely reflecting on and discarding old ways of knowing and doing—is crucial to prevent outdated organizational knowledge and routines from becoming a barrier to change. Before adopting new sales practices, sales organizations must first discard old ways of knowing and doing. Drawing insights from unlearning and B2B sales management literature and conducting empirical qualitative research on 31 executives and senior managers operating in various industries, the study outlines a four-phase process for unlearning as well as several key themes within each phase. The findings emphasize how top management facilitates cognitive unlearning regarding digital business transformation in the B2B sales context. The study contributes to sales management literature by introducing cognitive unlearning as a new theoretical angle on the issue of digital transformation. It also offers insights for sales managers on how to elevate and leverage the unlearning of salespeople. publishedVersion

PurposeRisks can easily disrupt the demand–supply match targeted by sales and operations planning (S&OP). As surprisingly little is known of how organizations identify, assess, treat and monitor risks through tactical planning processes, this paper zooms in on the S&OP set-up and process parameters to explore how risks are managed through S&OP.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study analyzes the S&OP processes of seven organizations in the process industry, drawing on 17 in-depth interviews with high-ranking representatives, internal and external documents, and a group meeting with participating organizations.FindingsThe study finds that organizations proactively design their S&OP based on their main risk focus stemming from the planning environment. In turn, such designs proactively support organizations' risk identification, assessment, treatment and monitoring through their S&OP execution. Reactively, a crisis S&OP meeting – making use of the structure of S&OP – can be used as a risk-treatment tool, and S&OP design can be temporarily adapted to deal with emerging risks.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to empirically elucidate risk management through S&OP. S&OP design, execution and adaption are identified as three interconnected strategies that allow organizations to manage risks. The design enables risk management activities in the monthly execution of S&OP. The reactive role of S&OP in risk management is particularly novel.

This chapter traces the history of AA Enterprises, a company set up in 1986 to sell anti-apartheid merchandise. It interprets the company as an attempt to transform the well-known anti-apartheid boycott into a buycott to support the liberation movements in South Africa and its neighbouring states. The chapter analyses the sales operations of the company and the way it tried to use consumer products to raise awareness about apartheid. Secondly, it contextualizes the company within a broader transformation of NGOs and social movements in the 1980s, in which consumer products and popular culture became a key factor of political campaigns. I use the term ‘banal solidarities’ to describe the way political protests were linked to everyday practices in these forms of consumer activism.

In an increasingly technology-driven retail landscape, retailers face the challenge of making the most effective decisions regarding the selection and use of innovative technology. Although previous research provides insights into the added value of technology, it does not directly guide retailers in overviewing and selecting technology that supports their sales operations. This chapter contributes to the field of retail technology studies by introducing a sales-oriented model intended to assist retailers in inventorying available technologies and making decisions regarding the selection and use of these technologies for their physical stores. The model uses an updated version of the seven steps of selling as a foundation and, in line with the resource life cycle, decision support system and self-service technology literature streams, proposes applying technology in such a way that it supports the stages of the retailer's sales process. This chapter concludes with a discussion of practical guidelines for applying the model.

As traditional offline retailers complain about manufacturers' decision to compete with them by selling their products directly online, many are responding by starting their own online sales operations. This paper analytically examines when an offline retailer's expansion online is desirable and how it affects channel members' strategies and profits in a dual channel. We found that staying out of the online market when it is still not large enough or is extremely large could be a better alternative for an offline retailer. Otherwise, a retailer's online expansion cannibalizes offline sales, but increases the retailer's overall sales. It increases the retailer's channel power at the expense of the manufacturer, who continues however to have the lion's share of the channel profit. Depending on market conditions, the retailer may or may not set the same price across channels, while the manufacturer always sets a lower price than the retailer in the online channel. Finally, a price war across channels in a relatively large online market further reduces offline prices and can drive the retailer out of the offline market.

The aim of the article. The aim of the article is to develop a methodology for conducting a cabinet marketing research, the practical use of which can be a significant basis for the development of effective management decisions. The results of the analyses. The paper proposes a methodology for conducting cabinet marketing research. The peculiarities of calculation of indicators of sales’ volumes contained in the financial and tax reports of enterprises are viewed. Forms of accounting of incomplete sales operations are proposed in order to reduce the implementation risks of the enterprise. On the example of indicators of sales’ volume of products, and profits of the industrial enterprise of Odessa, features of the implementation of the cabinet marketing research through the application of the system of statistical methods are shown; the expediency of using the methods of analysis of interrelations – index, regression and correlation methods – which reveal the factors that have the greatest influence on the results of the enterprise activity, is substantiated; the distribution of the growth of the effective indicator by factors in the multiplicative models by the methods of chain substitutions and the identification of the isolated influence of factors is conducted. Paradoxes that arise while using the method of identifying the isolated influence of factors are shown, the ways of their solution are proposed. The patterns of the change in the magnitude of the increment of the effective indicator due to the joint action of the factors are proved. Conclusions and perspectives for further research. The conducted research made it possible to conclude that for the purpose of conducting a cabinet marketing research on the basis of the analysis of indicators that characterize the results of the enterprise as a whole and the marketing department in particular, it is advisable to use the information contained in the enterprise’s reporting documents, since the use of such information increases the reliability of the analysis’ results. In the absence of the necessary information in the reporting documents, data can be obtained from the registers of current accounting and through the subsequent data accumulation. It is important in marketing research to use the methods of analysis of interconnections, since they allow quantitatively to determine the degree of influence of one (factor) indicator on other (effective) indicator, as well as to assess the expediency of money investments, time expenditures, etc. to achieve the expected results. It is proved that under conditions of unstable development of the Ukrainian economy as a whole and individual enterprises, the use of index models becomes increasingly important for the analysis of problems, since the construction and analysis of multi-factor multiplicative models does not require information for a long period of time – data for two years is enough (or for any two other periods of time). In multiplicative models, the distribution of growth by factors can be carried out by various methods, among which the most common one is the method of detecting the isolated influence of factors, and the method of chain substitutions. However, in each case, the choice of method depends on the object of research and the tasks of the analysis. It is expedient to use the complex economic and mathematical methods to conduct thorough marketing research, since it becomes possible to determine how the influence of each factor in the regression model varies over time with the result (is it increasing or decreasing) which allows obtaining more information for making effective decisions. However, this issue is underdeveloped and requires further research. Key words: marketing research, volume of sales, profit, multiplicative models, regression and correlation analysis. DOI: 10.15276/mdt.2.1.2018.3 Natsionalne polozhennia (standart) bukhhalterskoho obliku 1 «Zahalni vymohy do finansovoi zvitnosti» [National Accounting Standard 1 "General Requirements for Financial Statements"]. Order of the MFU from 7th February 2013. Kiev: The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine [in Ukrainian]. Yerina, A.M. (2001). Statystychne modeliuvannia ta prohnozuvannia [Statistical simulation and forecasting]. Kyiv: KNEU [in Ukrainian]. Kulynych, R.O. (2006). Indeksnyi analiz vplyvu chynnykiv na formuvannia obsiahu valovoho vnutrishnoho produktu Ukrainy [Index analysis of the influence of factors on the formation of the volume of gross domestic product of Ukraine]. Universytetski naukovi zapysky [University scientific notes], 1, 307–316 [in Ukrainian]. Richna finansova zvitnist pidpryiemstva «PrAT Odeskyi koniachnyi zavod». Annual financial statements of «JSC Odessa Cognac Factory». smida.gov.ua. Retrieved from https://smida.gov.ua/db/participant/00412056. Osypov, V.I. (2005). Ekonomika pidpryiemstva [Business Economics]. Odesa: Maiak [in Ukrainian]. Orlovska, T. (2012). Indeksnyi metod v analizi pokaznykiv prybutkovosti pidpryiemstv [Index method in the analysis of profitability indicators of enterprises]. Ekonomichnyi analiz [Economic analysis], 11, part 2, 378–382 [in Ukrainian]. Tkachenko, I.S., & Proskurovych, O.V. (2017). Ekonomiko-matematychne modeliuvannia finansovoho rezultatu pidpryiemstva [Economic-mathematical modeling of the financial result of the enterprise]. Ekonomika: realii chasu [Economy: realities of time], 3 (31), 84–94 [in Ukrainian]. Deriia, V.A. (Eds). (2016). Problemy i perspektyvy rozvytku statystyky, audytu ta ekonomichnoho analizu [Problems and prospects of statistics, audit and economic analysis]. Ternopil: Krok [in Ukrainian]. Kazinets, L.S. (1963). Teoriya indeksov [Theory of Indexes]. Moscow: Gosstatizdat [in Russian]. Pidhornyi, A.Z. (Eds). (2012). Metodolohiia statystychnoho zabezpechennia rozvytku rehionu [Methodology of statistical support for the development of the region]. Odesa: Atlant [in Ukrainian]. Yuzbashev, M., & Rudakova, R. (1976). Regressionnyie modeli i indeksyi v analize selskohozyaystvennyih predpriyatiy [Regression models and indices in the analysis of agricultural enterprises]. Vestnik statistiki [Bulletin of Statistics], 5, 56–66 [in Russian]. Eliseeva, I.I., & Yuzbashev, M.M. (2004). Obschaya teoriya statistiki [General Theory of Statistics]. I.I. Eliseeva (Ed). Moscow: Finansyi i statistika [in Russian]. Oklander, M. A,. Oklander, T. O YashkIna, O. I. (2017). Tsyfrovyy marketunh – model marketinhu ХХІ storichchya [Digital marketing is a century-old marketing model] Oklander, M. A (Ed.). Monografiya.Odesa: Astroprynt, 292 p. Oklander, M.A. & Ped'ko I.A. (2016). Metody ekspertnykh i prohnoznykh otsinok obsyahiv zbutu promyslovykh pidpryyemstv [Methods of expert and forecast estimations of volumes of sales of industrial enterprises]. Mekhanizm rehulyuvannya ekonomiky, V. 1, 69–77.

O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar o processo de acompanhamento e controle financeiro informatizado das operações de vendas em uma empresa comercial de material de construção. Adicionalmente, propõe-se a adoção do planejamento orçamentário de vendas como instrumento de gestão. Para tanto, foi desenvolvido um estudo de caso em uma empresa de material de construção mineira de pequeno porte. O estudo discute as vantagens do processo de acompanhamento e controle financeiro informatizado das operações de vendas, por meio da apresentação de telas do Sistema de Informação utilizado pela empresa e as opções disponibilizadas aos usuários para o referido processo, desde o cadastro de clientes até o recebimento. Considerando-se que a empresa não elabora o Planejamento Orçamentário anual, tão importante instrumento de gestão, o presente trabalho propõe a adoção do Orçamento de Vendas, e apresenta as vantagens da sua implantação. Entende-se, contudo, a importância em se estender a implantação do orçamento as demais peças orçamentárias. Como resultado obteve-se que são inúmeros os benefícios do Sistema de Informação para o gerenciamento financeiro das operações de vendas. O Orçamento de Vendas apresenta-se como alternativa para o acompanhamento da execução e controle das operações de vendas e para o processo de tomada de decisão.

Companies are increasingly adopting practices aimed at improving the quality of management, with the main purpose of enabling them to act competitively in the present market characterized by high competition and strong organizational changes. Among the improvements developed, we highlight the adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. However, the high cost of deploying and maintaining this type of technology can be a barrier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that want to achieve such advances. Therefore, it is essential to develop a reference model of typical business planning modules to support ERP implementation, aiming at reducing time and cost in the elaboration of a particular model. In this context, the main objective of this paper is to develop a reference model from the elaboration of the processes related to Sales Operations Planning (SOP) and Aggregate Planning (AP), important modules of Production Planning and Control (PPC). The methodology used for the elaboration of this work was divided in eight sequential stages: study of the functions of SOP and AP, study of process modeling area, definition of reference model processes, choice of modeling notation, choice of modeling tool , development of the reference model, software development and results analysis. The modeling methodology employed in this work was the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), through the tool Bizagi Process Modeler version 3.1.0.011. The software was developed through the interface Delphi version 7.0 (Object-Pascal language) in order to apply the reference model in the support to the implementation of a business management tool. As results, from a formal documentation, the reference model proved to be a useful tool in understanding and communicating the business processes raised. It is also concluded that the implemented model is able to support the implementation of production management systems in real situations.

Digital Forensics become one popular term because Currently many violations of cyber crime. Digital techniques Computer Forensics performed or with analyze digital device, whether the device is a media Actors or as a media victim. Digital Forensic Analysis Being divided into two, traditional / dead and alive. Forensic analysis traditionally involves digital data Deposited permanent Operates in Irish, while live forensic analysis involves analysis of data Namely temporary in Random Access Memory or Deposited hearts transport equipment in the Network. Singer proposes journal Forensic analysis of life in the latest operation system windows 10. That study focused IN case several email security browsers Sales Operations manager of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer Edge. In addition, although many digital forensics type software applications not free, goal on research objectives compares browser security information so it will be more minimize abuse email.

In this study, the possible effects and impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on real estate development and management processes were examined by making an evaluation and an insight on administrative and media records. Crises and global effects of pandemics were described as an unforeseen event which have negatively affect project development in the real estate sector, sales operations of existing real estate, costs estimates, values and rates of return of existing real estate sector in general. The inception of new policy and precaution measures, especially travel bans and restrictions on domestic and foreign tourists impacts the tourism sector and causes its revenue to decrease, the narrowing of the volume of transactions in real estate such as retail facilities, office and residence transactions, increased vacancy rate in hotels, the additional measures taken due to the pandemic causes the significant increase in operating costs, decrease of rent collection creates losses due to declining in demand, net operating income and investment value also tends to decline. Change in business orientations, working and living conditions necessitates a review of planning, project development, marketing strategies, use and management processes of settlements. This study has It is observed that Turkish the government wants to revive the real estate markets only with the increase of sales of existing residences and businesses and tourism-oriented measures (such as a hygiene certificate), but it is clear that the measures taken for radical change in the long run are still inadequate. It should be emphasized that there is not yet enough work done to estimate how long the impact will continue and what is its financial burden will be in the years after March 2020, when the first case of the outbreak has been reported.

Outsourcing in sport is not a new phenomenon. Specifically, outsourcing in intercollegiate sport has become common among athletic departments across the NCAA. While outsourcing can be employed to generate increased revenues via enhanced sales, marketing, or fundraising functions, many midmajor institutions are utilizing outsourcing partners exclusively to manage ticket sales. As such, this case presents a scenario in which an athletic director and her management team are faced with assessing three options related to ticket sales outsourcing at a midmajor NCAA Division 1 institution. Utilizing the lens of multi criteria decision-making, financial, nonfinancial, and circumstantial data are provided for readers to address an outsourcing decision in the context of intercollegiate athletics. By examining three options including maintaining the status quo, considering another outsourcing partner, or bringing ticket sales operations in-house, this case provides an opportunity for students to investigate the role of ticket sales outsourcing as it relates to revenue generation, a pertinent issue for athletic departments across the NCAA.

Production of services in the field of tourism, the marketing, purchase, making the payment, such as the realization of many operations can be performed online delivery. Online platform does not require much physical effort on behalf of bookings and ticket sales operations, topersonalize the platform purchase, consumers time and services, together with the costsavings, brand, because it all owstheprice and operational benchmarking has entered in the most popular online activities. Explaining the purpose of marketing and online booking system on the internet towork in this context, the tourism industry in addition to examining the online perception of quality in the tourism industry online quality perception and to clarify the perceived risk factors.

Objetivo: configurar un estímulo fiscal para que las personas físicas contribuyentes que presentan declaración anual puedan deducir el pago de alimentos con miras a garantizar su derecho al mínimo vital, principalmente en época de incertidumbre debido al impacto económico negativo generado por la pandemia de SARS-CoV-2. Metodología: en razón del enfoque cualitativo, se recurrió a la hermenéutica para comprender, interpretar y explicar las fuentes el importante volumen de operaciones de venta que llevan a cabo los proveedores de alimentos formales del derecho y los pronunciamientos de algunos miembros de la Corte, igual se acudió a la aplicación de entrevistas realizadas a expertos fiscalistas y contribuyentes. Asimismo, se utiliza simulación Monte Carlo para evaluar el impacto de la propuesta en los ingresos del fisco federal. Resultados: propuesta a la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público de un estímulo fiscal al pago de alimentos para conceder un beneficio gracioso a las personas físicas contribuyentes y propiciar mayor control en la fiscalización de las operaciones realizadas por los proveedores. Conclusiones: el estímulo fiscal al pago de alimentos garantiza el derecho al mínimo vital, fortalece el ingreso familiar para hacer frente al impacto económico generado por la pandemia de SARS-CoV-2 y posibilita al Estado la rectoría recaudatoria sobre.

This study shows that upgrading sales operations in host countries towards production allows MNCs to perform global arbitrage in their networks of foreign subsidiaries and thereby contributes to a strategy of reaping the benefits of multinationality. We predict and find that operation upgrades follow opportunities of improving resource flows in the subsidiary network to exploit the advantages of host countries in tax rates, investment incentives, and technological knowledge across borders. Performance effects on the level of the MNC network give evidence of these benefits from global arbitrage.

International audience; By definition, Supply Chain Management includes a huge number of collaborative decision processes. In a manufacturing environment, the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process is often used to support strategic and tactical decisions such as recruitment, investment on machines or subcontracting. S&OP was invented in the eighties when collaboration issues between and within companies were radically different from what obtains today. Many rules and opportunities that are important for manufacturing collaborative decisions have changed but not in this process. Recently, the Demand Driven Institute has developed the Demand Driven Adaptive Enterprise system that includes an innovative process called Adaptive S&OP. The purpose of this paper is to develop a structured comparison between the traditional S&OP and the new Adaptive S&OP, to objectively characterize their differences, and to highlight points of vigilance regarding future Adaptive S&OP implementations. Based on this analysis, some suggestions for future research works are made.

The objective of this research project is twofold: to outline how and why Windsor Group is meeting the challenge of modernising their marketing operations with new digital technology in the automotive sector. Chosen Company: Windsor Group Windsor is held to be one of Ireland's leading automotive dealership franchises. Ranked 314th overall and 34th for transport industry category in the Irish Times Top1000 companies (Irish Times, 2017), Windsor has a long tradition in selling and servicing vehicles from their operational group of dealerships. Established in 1964, employing over 300 staff, and famed for their Dublin car auctions of the 1960s, Windsor have long marketed themselves as putting consumers' best interests at heart by providing affordable options across the life-span of the consumer. Whether a consumer is purchasing their first car, a new car or family car, and wherever a consumer is at on life's journey, Windsor has always had the car for them. They are life-time consumer retention oriented, community based, relationship selling invested, and future focused. With a brand rejuvenation project, a new marketing team of six, and an increased marketing budget in excess of €1million, they recognise that they face considerable technological challenges in terms of: moving their marketing towards a digital media model, integrating zero emissions and hybrid petrol technology models to their brand marque portfolio to align with carbon emissions regulatory requirements, and adapting their service and sales operations to vehicle intelligent mobility and software sophistication for road safety (RSA, 2017). Thus, this report focuses on how new digital technologies will become increasingly important to facilitate this ethos relying on a full-funnel brand marketing framework to produce engagement, lead generation and conversion with the introduction of modern digital channel marketing (e.g., LinkedIn, 2016; HubSpot,2017). Moreover, the report researches why the economic context calls for this full funnel approach to digital modernisation (e.g., profitability by market or competition displacement), to maintain and grow this national leading brand (e.g., CSO Automotive Indices, 2017; CSO Economic Indices, 2017; CSO, Irish Top Motors, 2017; SIMI, 2017). To achieve the research objective a quantitative-qualitative mixed methods research method (e.g., Bryman & Bell, 2015; Bryman, 2016) tested if key communications content (i.e., a manageable cross-section: corporate news), could generate organic industry significant engagement, lead generation, and conversion for target segments key to Windsor’s sales strategy, by introducing a new digital blog and its social media distribution (i.e., website Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter). A full-funnel marketing framework of automotive marketing was used to map consumer engagement from point of brand awareness for the 181 pre-sales period November 2017 (i.e., blog engagement) to lead generation (i.e., clicking through to landing page) aligned to key market segment sales targets to the sales period January 2018 (i.e., market share and sales results 10-day-report 181 for sales period January 2018). An analysis of this engagement and lead data showed that blogging is an effective new digital technology which increased lead generation for the following commercial, community, and trust building automotive content categories: finance offer news on new and used models, commercial product releases and brand marque awards news, road safety, hints and tips, and community sponsorship (see Kotler, 2013; HubSpot, 2017). The results show that our new blog achieved an average click through rate (CTR) 3.5 times greater than the automotive industry average (see HubSpot, 2017), and for early in-house sales figures that have become available; brand marque Nissan achieved a 11.2% sales increase and 0.8 market share increase (versus the same period in 2017; *Nissan represents 70-80% of our dealership capacity; Nissan 10-Day Market Analysis 181, Irish Market, January 12th 2018). Moreover, our new policy of supporting our commercial marketing with 10% communications aligned with national road safety category campaigns (i.e., recycling content from RSA and Government initiatives from September 2017), excitedly became active in a year in which road fatalities were lowest since 1959 (RSA Annual Review, 2017). Finally, Windsor LinkedIn which runs in tandem with the Windsor blog now ranks 3rd rather than 8th for followers compared to key competitors such as Frank Keane BMW and Joe Dufffy Group, with the number of visitors, shares, and comments increasing up to threefold from blog conception in September to end of year 2017 compared to the first half year. The secondary research explains why Windsor must meet the challenge of modernising their marketing due to external factors other than company marketing tradition such as economic market forces, which have defined, and will continue to define all future marketing strategy for the automotive sector regardless of brand identity. Drawing from economic data and secondary data sets and sources such as the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Irish Motor Society (SIMI), KPMG, CDK Global and Red C Research, conclusions are drawn about how population demographics, consumer spending, and UK Imports will impact the Irish automotive market, thereby determining what will constitute viable market segments and digital marketing target audiences moving forward. The report concludes with a discussion of how the evolution and impact of technological innovation may affect: target audience differentiation, impact positively both locally and globally by growing an online automotive market economy with lean operations and community flourishing prospects, prepare automotive industry for the challenges presented by diffuse social media networks, and intelligent mobility software technologies for automotive road safety.

Purpose – Thecenter of the transformation of companies’ supply chain development is salesand operations planning (S&OP). Although S&OP is emphasized in previousresearches, the related resources and the literature are very limited. For thispurpose, it is aimed to develop a mixed framework for firms to analyze theirS&OP processes and to monitor these processes within a maturity model. Methodology - It hasbeen researched how the S&OP maturity model can be used to determine thestages and the stage in which the firm is located. Literature research wascarried out and synthesized. By examining these studies, concepts are blendedin terms of academic and practitioner perspectives. Findings - S&OPliterature is limited, there is no Turkish resource about the maturity level.By way of existing S&OP models, a more understandable collective model hasbeen proposed. In addition, an efficiency evaluation checklist, which can beused with the maturity model, is presented.Conclusion - Therecommended checklist shows how a company should develop the S&OP processand where it is weak; Maturity model is useful for understanding the currentstate of the S&OP process as well as the appropriate next improvementsteps. This will guide the companies that are in the S&OP process.

Pharmaceutical companies have traditionally relied on product-specific in-person calls to physicians (detailing) to market their drugs. However, US pharmaceutical sales representative access to phy...

Marisol has forged a successful legacy in Brazil in the market for clothes with a sophisticated, stylish look. Success in Brazil enabled the firm to garner overseas customers. The establishment of subsidiaries in Argentina, Italy and Mexico, as well as sales operations in several countries – including Chile, Colombia, Spain, and the USA, among others – represented important steps in Marisol's internationalization. Marisol's executives have to decide on several issues: how to consolidate their position in the USA market and in other countries? What modes of operation – own stores, franchisees, multi-brand stores, private label supply – to use in which countries? Which brands to launch abroad and whether to adapt them to local tastes, while exploiting the image of Brazilianness?

Objectives: This Article aims to raise Strategies Commercial Provider Chains Pharmaceutical Abatement of their costs of logistics. Methods/Statistical analysis: The process was divided into four (4) phases Diagnosis, analyse, proposals e implementation. Findings: The first proposal is to increase the value of Minimum Order Value (MOV), which forces customers to pass orders greater value and volume generating more stock in their warehouses and therefore make fewer orders. This positively impacts the logistics department budget, given the savings generated in fixed administrative costs and transportation. The second option is a total restructuring of the business strategy, simplifying business conditions, normalizing discount rates, establishing new promotions, creating a bonus system that offers the customer different discount rates depending on the total order value, the influences the customer and brings it to place orders for larger volume, therefore less requested a year. Application/Improvements: This proposal seeks to simplify the logistics strategy and sales operations, reducing operating costs and incremental search business.

This paper tests whether accurate sales forecasts for Nike are possible from Facebook data and how events related to Nike affect the activity on Nike's Facebook pages. The paper draws from the AIDA sales framework (Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action) from the domain of marketing and employs the method of social set analysis from the domain of computational social science to model sales from Big Social Data. The dataset consists of (a) selection of Nike's Facebook pages with the number of likes, comments, posts etc. that have been registered for each page per day and (b) business data in terms of quarterly global sales figures published in Nike's financial reports. An event study is also conducted using the Social Set Visualizer (SoSeVi). The findings suggest that Facebook data does have informational value. Some of the simple regression models have a high forecasting accuracy. The multiple regressions have a lower forecasting accuracy and cause analysis barriers due to data set characteristics such as perfect multicollinearity. The event study found abnormal activity around several Nike specific events but inferences about those activity spikes, whether they are purely event-related or coincidences, can only be determined after detailed case-by-case text analysis. Our findings help assess the informational value of Big Social Data for a company's marketing strategy, sales operations and supply chain.

We investigate the impact of early adoption of an innovative analytics approach on organizational analytics maturity and sustainability. With the sales operation planning involving the accurate determination of physician detailing frequency, multiple product sequencing, nonlinear promotional response functions and achievement of the right level of share of voice (SOV), an analytical approach was developed by integrating domain knowledge, neural network (NN)’s pattern-recognition capability and nonlinear mathematical programming to address these challenges. A pharmaceutical company headquartered in the U.S. championed this initial research in 2005 and became the first major firm to implement the recommendations. The company improved its profitability by 12% when piloted to a sales district with 481 physicians; then it launched this approach nationally. In 2014, the firm again gave us its data, performance of the analytical approach and access to key stakeholders to better understand the changes in the pharmaceutical sales operations landscape, the firm’s analytics maturity and sustainability of analytics. Results suggest that being the early adopter of innovation doubled the firm’s technology utilization from 2005 to 2014, as well as doubling the firm’s ability to continuously improve the sales operations process; it outperformed the standard industry practice by 23%. Moreover, the infusion of analytics from the corporate office to sales, improvement in management commitment to analytics, increased communications for continuous process improvement and the successes from this approach has created the environment for sustainable organizational growth in analytics.

This article examines governance decisions within an emerging and increasingly common form of channel: the partially integrated channel (PIC). The PIC is defined as a single vertical channel in which both market governance and hierarchical governance exist (i.e., the employees of one channel member work on a full-time basis at an exchange partner's facilities, performing functions that the exchange partner traditionally performs). Building on the transaction cost analysis and governance value analysis literature streams, the authors examine ongoing governance decisions within the PIC. Data were collected in the fashion apparel market of South Korea using multisource, reciprocally matched data in which a manufacturer's directly employed sales force is deployed at department store retailers as the sole frontline employees for their brand. The authors find that brand reputation, downstream market uncertainty, and sales force performance ambiguity influence manufacturer control over sales operations and manufacturer flexibility with retailers in unique ways. The authors discuss implications of this work for theory and practice.

Internationalization consists of extending an organization's operations abroad. It involves decisions based on objective criteria and on an evaluation of strategies for entering the foreign market. The problem addressed in this study concerns a Brazilian firm’s difficulties developing its operations abroad. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the internationalization process of an industry in the sanitary ware segment in the development of its operations in another country. The research method employed was the single case study and data was collected by means of a semi-structured research script applied to company executives. The results showed that the internationalization process is characterized by the dynamic learning model (Uppsala Model), according to which an organization develops its activities abroad gradually, as it acquires experience and expertise in the market. The company is attempting to overcome cultural barriers and psychic distance in a slow internationalization process, aligned with the differentiation strategy and focus that it uses in the Brazilian market. This strategy comprises a sequence of planned and deliberate steps, with low investment exposure and risk. It was found that the firm adopts a strategy of exporting through distributors, this being a critical success factor, but that the distributor approval and development process lacks robust and formalized structuring. There are opportunities for improvement in the process of competitive intelligence in order to systematize the search and interpretation of information about the markets in which the company wants to operate. Key-words: Internationalization of companies. Uppsala Model. Strategy. Competitive intelligence.

PurposeThis study seeks to present a structured methodology that can be used to develop an operations strategy for the IT service sector in developing countries that would in turn help to increase strategic fit.Design/methodology/approachIn this constructive case study for BTC‐Egypt – an IT service provider, the previous success of the company's sales operations is examined with the prioritized operational strategy during their previous sales to determine the discriminating competitive priorities. Account managers used an AHP model to measure the relative importance ratings given to a comprehensive set of competitive priorities derived from the accumulated literature. Qualitative analysis for individual operations and quantitative analysis including logistic regression and correlations were used to analyze the data.FindingsThe proposed structured approach is shown to assist BTC‐Egypt in determining its differentiating competitive priorities and identify the various market segments. Results of the model showed Quality as an operational strategy rated the highest across all sales, and Customer Focus and Service Provision to be the two most discriminating variables for successful sales.Practical implicationsThe methodology used here is new to the formulation of operation strategies, and works to enhance internal consistency throughout the organization and external fit with the competitive environment.Originality/valueWhile the paper relied on previously developed competitive priorities well grounded in the literature, it used relative ratings to propose a structured methodology for determining the differentiating competitive priorities of a company based on its previous performance.

IN MARCH, Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey B. Kindler hosted a meeting with stock analysts in New York City at which he outlined his plan to “change the DNA” of the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. Having completed a conventional downsizing of Pfizer’s manufacturing, research, and sales operations in his first year on the job, Kindler hoped to convince critics in the audience that his vision for a redesigned Pfizer will generate the revenue growth needed to compensate for the pending loss of patent protection on its top-selling drug, Lipitor. Many in the New York audience had pressured Kindler to do something big and fast to offset the loss of billions of dollars in sales for the statin blockbuster. But Kindler asserted that a major acquisition, on the scale of the company’s purchases of Warner-Lambert and Pharmacia, would be too disruptive. Instead, he laid out a markedly less conventional approach to growth and business development ...

A conversation between Michael Moon (MM) and Matthew Gonnering (MG) discussing marketing, sales, and creative operations and the changing processes as a result of new technologies. Marketing teams become sponsors of the change shaping the behaviors of sales operations and contributing to the creative workflows. Michael and Matthew discuss the roles and trends of sales, marketing and creative teams and the effect Web 2.0 has had on the process. In their conversation, they isolate how Widen has advanced their marketing services and product line to include screen cast video production and expansion into an on-site digital embassy complementing the hosted platform.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the managerial perspectives of building, nurturing and evaluating sales teams in Mexico. This study discusses the impact of sales team design in reference to the underlying rationale of management control and team coordination as indicators of performance and sales unit effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe major focus of the study is to discuss the impact of sales team design and task coordination as predictors of effectiveness of sales unit performance. A sample of 258 respondents has been covered under the study, categorizing them in equal proportion into three broad areas,: type of sales team, type of product market, and type of sales operations. Four industrial streams in sales were covered while selecting the sample respondents: consumer goods, consumer durables, industrial products, and consumer services.FindingsThe study reveals the balance between team designing and team coordination in performing sales. Work environment is largely governed by team coordination effects for the salespeople. Sales team‐building process has a substantial effect on sales organization effectiveness both directly and indirectly through its relationship with salespeople's behavioral performance.Practical implicationsThe results of this study reveal that team performance largely depends on the effectiveness of team coordination, leadership and performance control through behavioral attributes. Sales managers may implement such controls effectively by establishing coordination, training, and feedback process rather than imposing command and control policy.Originality/valueThe thesis of the paper is developed around issues of the cross‐cultural variables and team management affecting workplace environment. The paper explores and maps the symbiosis between cognitive drivers of team members and team culture in performing the tasks.

This paper presents preliminary results from an ongoing empirical study that seeks to understand the relationship between IT-complementary factors and the individual productivity of information workers. Although there is substantial evidence of positive IT complementarity effects on productivity at macro-, meso-, and micro-levels of the economy, we still lack knowledge on the configuration of these factors at the individual level. To investigate this gap, we have designed a new research model of an information worker’s individual productivity when an IT system is used jointly and synchronously with both individual and organizational factors. The model is tested in a longitudinal field study of sales operations of an international pharmaceutical company with a multi sub-case set-up. While we continue to collect data, preliminary findings from difference-in-difference analysis are presented here and demonstrate that the introduction of a “full” set of IT complementarities has had a positive and significant effect on the number of sales calls performed.

In order to achieve better sales growth, Unilever Pakistan Limited (UPL) launched Project Ferrari in July 2002. The launch was the culmination of preparatory work done over a year and a half. Significant investments in terms of time, money and other resources were deployed to conduct an internal assessment of marketing and sales operations of UPL. An assessment of the concerns and issues of stakeholders in the external environment was also done. The external assessment focused on benchmarking UPL's sales and distribution practices and processes with leading multinational manufacturers and distributors in the country. In this regard, a number of UPL distributors were interviewed. The external environment assessment also involved a detailed census of UPL's point of purchase (POP) outlets. This effort, and the subsequent launch of Project Ferrari, was undertaken to achieve a double-digit average annual sales growth through a ‘focused selling’ approach. This approach entailed focusing UPL and distributor sales efforts on product category, as opposed to product assortment. In the two-year post-launch period, UPL faced stiff resistance from SBE (Pvt.) Limited. SBE was one of their major distributors for a part of Lahore. SBE's management believed that if significant revisions were not made in the project, it would have a negative impact on the viability of distributor operations.

The authors examine the consequences of sales management's behavior- and compensation-based control on important salesperson and organizational consequences from the sales manager's perspective. The few existing studies on this topic have been conducted in developed countries. The authors examine sales management control in three less developed countries: Greece, India, and Malaysia. The conceptual model considers the relationships among behavior-based control, compensation control, satisfaction with sales territory design, salesperson behavior and outcome performance, and sales unit effectiveness. Contrary to the prevailing conceptual logic, the findings from less developed countries provide no support that a combination of high levels of both behavior- and compensation-based control have a negative, conflicting impact on salesperson and organization consequences. The findings have several important implications for decisions about international sales operations.

Many conventional sales organizations are under intense pressure from escalating customer demands for superior value, accompanied by the emergence of new business models that replace some traditional sales functions and processes (e.g., Internet-based direct channels, Customer Relationship Management technology), and new organizational strategies to partner with major customers (e.g., key account management and global account management). While this scenario suggests continued down-sizing and closure of conventional sales operations, particularly those with primarily order taking roles, it also identifies a major opportunity for the evolution of the conventional sales organization towards a strategic customer management role. Underpinning this role are three major issues: new ways of leveraging of intelligence to provide added-value for major cus tomers, better management of the interfaces between sales and other parts of the organization to identify new value-creating opportunities; and, the integration ...

Organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) is discretionary employee behaviour that promotes organizational effectiveness, and has become recognized as an issue of potentially substantial importance in the management of sales operations. Identifies sales management control strategy as an important antecedent to salesperson OCB, which has been neglected in prior OCB research. Uncovers an important gender dimension in the display of OCB by salespeople, not previously investigated, and identifies an important relationship between sales manager gender and the OCB displayed by a sales unit or team, which is associated with the effectiveness of the sales unit. The findings have a number of important implications for managers concerned with enhancing sales organization effectiveness, as well as identifying a number of promising research directions.

We develop a polynomial-time algorithm to optimise a variant of the one-dimensional bin-packing problem with side constraints. We also develop a pseudo-polynomial procedure to actually implement that optimal solution. The speci"c application is the allocation of excess of a population of various types of cards (e.g., left over from a previous selling season) to "xed-sized &&variety packs’’ which guarantee a given level of variety (i.e., no more than k of any type of card). Some card types with large numbers (perhaps the most unpopular from the previous season) may have to be discarded to preserve the variety constraint. The method developed employs a test for feasibility of a given number of packs and includes a simple allocation procedure. A numerical example is provided along with (worst-case) complexity calculations. In addition, we solve a practical problem in which an organisation marketing Christmas cards sought to determine the impact of pack size and variety level on the level of unallocated cards. Scope and purpose Organisations involved in the stocking and sale of seasonal &&style’’ items such as greeting cards, may periodically face excess stock of various items (e.g., from previous seasons), and may decide to market the items in packs guaranteed to contain a certain degree of variety. Our objective in this paper is to show how to maximise the number of card packs that can be formed from an assortment of excess stock, where there is a marketing-based variety constraint restricting the number of each type of card in each pack. The solution procedure developed is intuitively appealing and can be easily implemented on a spreadsheet. In addition to presenting a numerical example, we provide results from the application and implementation of the method in the card sales operations of a charitable organisation. The method could also have broader application in other settings where variety is sought } such as in groups or teams. ( 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

This paper presents a case study with several managerial actions having an impact on the improvement of both time performance and productivity in logistics chains. It is based on in-depth analyses of the development of speed, delivery performance and productivity in the logistics chains of a paper mill. During the analysis period both time performance and productivity improved significantly. The study of the operational actions at the case mill revealed that the changes in production and inventory planning principles at the mill were the key issues behind the positive development. Combined with the development of sales operations and product palette, they eventually led to better logistics chain synchronisation.

Im Rahmen eines sich stetig verandernden wirtschaftlichen Umfelds steht die Supply Chain auch bei Konsumguterherstellern vor grosen Herausforderungen. Dabei ist eine der wichtigsten Aufgaben der Supply Chain, zu jedem Zeitpunkt die Lieferfahigkeit zu gewahrleisten. Daruber hinaus muss diese die Nachfrageschwankungen der Konsumenten verstarkt berucksichtigen, um das richtige Produkt in der richtigen Menge auf dem Markt anzubieten. Bei der heutigen Produktvielfalt in den Regalen muss das eigene Produkt zu jedem Zeitpunkt dem Endkunden zur Verfugung stehen.

IntroductionThis journal has recently published a series of important articles on the process of economic reform in Cuba, especially since the public consultation and Communist Party Congress that resulted in the adoption in 2011 of the Lineamientos de la Politica Economica y Social del Partido y la Revolucion (Guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution; Kassman 2012; Lamrani 2012; Ludlam 2012; O'Sullivan 2012; PCC 2011; Peters 2012; Rodriguez 2013; Triana Cordovi 2013; Wilkinson 2012; Wylie and Glidden 2013). Very little of that analysis, though, made much comment on the announcement of a new form of social property in the proposals to form non- agri- cultural cooperatives of manual and professional workers in both the service and the production sectors. In his article, nevertheless, one leading Cuban economist at the heart of the change process identified the operation of non-agricultural cooperatives as one of the four policies 'decisive for the transformation process' during 2013/14 (Triana Cordovi 2013: 126). And in the major new academic collection on cooperativism and socialism in Cuba, the claim is made that the island's changed socio-economic reality has opened a new era of cooperativism in the history of the Revolution (Fernandez Peiso 2012b: 392-3).The Cuban Constitution refers only, in article 20, to agricultural cooperatives of small producers and makes no reference to them constituting a socialist form of property (Republica de Cuba 1992: 13). The Lineamientos, though, opened this new departure in the following sections (PCC 2011, official English translation):COOPERATIVES25. Grade 1 cooperatives shall be established as a socialist form of joint ownership in various sectors. A cooperative is a business organization that owns its estate and represents a distinct legal person. Its members are individuals who contribute assets or labor and its purpose is to supply useful goods and services to society and its costs are covered with its own income.26. The legal instrument that regulates the cooperatives must make sure that this organization, as form of social property, is not sold or otherwise assigned in ownership to any other cooperative or any non-State organization or any natural person.27. A cooperative maintains contractual relations with other cooperatives, companies, State-funded entities and other non-State organizations. After satisfying its commitment with the State, the cooperative may pursue sales operations free from intermediaries and in accordance with the business activity it is authorized to perform.28. Subject to compliance with the appropriate laws and after observance of its tax and contribution obligations, each cooperative determines the income payable to its employees and the distribution of its profits.29. Grade 2 cooperatives shall be formed and the partners of which shall be Grade 1 cooperatives. A Grade 2 Cooperative shall represent a separate legal person that owns assets. The purpose of this cooperative is to pursue supplementary related activities or conduct operations that add value to the goods and services of its partners (such as production, service and marketing operations) or carry out joint sales and purchases for greater efficiency.It is worth noting, in passing, that the two significant amendments to the original, made in the public consultation on the draft Lineamientos, were to insert 'as a socialist form of joint ownership' in paragraph 25, and 'may pursue sales operations free of intermediaries' in paragraph 27 (PCC 2011: 6-7). The effect of these amendments was both to legitimize such cooperatives as an essentially socialist form of economic ownership, and by implication not merely a more acceptable form of social enterprise, and to grant them the maximum independence from state agencies in their activities (the lack of which had been identified as stifling the new agricultural cooperatives of the 1990s, noted below). …

Im Beitrag werden die Grundsatze im Sales & Operations Planning (S & OP) und der Integration von Absatz- und Wertschopfungsprozessen erlautert. Es wird deren zunehmende Relevanz vor dem Hintergrund erhohter Volatilitat dargestellt sowie methodische Grundlagen erlautert.

Honda’s business in Latin America has been operated in South America, particularly Brazil, and in Central America, particularly Mexico. If, however, Honda’s business bases in the world were divided into six, the Central America business operation would be included in North America. Here, I will cover their local production activities in Brazil and Mexico as Honda’s Central and South American business operations. I have an impression that this region is not highly regarded among Honda’s world business bases. I could feel that was true when I was talking with the people in Honda in Japan. In contrast to the topic about India’s rapid expansion, they did not talk about that production reached one million motorcycles in 2006 at the assembly plant in Manaus. Even on the Honda website, we can see ‘South America’ in the regional break-down of ‘Honda’s global operations,’ but in the chart of their major production bases, Manaus, Brazil, is put into ‘Others.’ Meanwhile, however, the local production and the sales performance of motorcycles in Brazil are expanding outstandingly, and have moved into the front line in the world as you see below. Still, other than this, while firm and other interest operations are consistently being conducted in the region, the production and sales operations of four-wheel vehicles in Brazil and motorcycle and four-wheel vehicles in Mexico are still small. Recently, small-scale production of motorcycles just started in Argentina (four-wheel vehicles in 2009) and in Peru.

In this paper we study the cross-functional integration of project sales and project operations—two crucial functions when conducting business in global project-based firms. In particular we address contextual factors that are associated with integration needs among project sales and operations functions across project phases and report on how integration is managed across phases in three global projects with different contextual conditions. Using Galbraith's (1973) and Tushman and Nadler's (1978) model of the organization as an information processing system as our theoretical lens, we develop a set of propositions drawn from the general arguments of the theory and illustrated by these observations. The proposed theory underlying these propositions begins to explain how the contextual variables drive the use of different cross-functional integration mechanisms for sales and operations across project phases in global project-based firms. Subsequent research focusing on these and other key functions that require integration in different project phases can begin to validate and further elaborate this contingent framework for cross-functional integration in global project-based firms.

Working capital management is concerned with the problems that arise in managing current assets (CA), current liabilities (CL) and the interrelationships that exist between them. Business success heavily depends on the ability of financial executives to manage effectively receivables, inventory and payables. While inadequate working capital has the potential to disrupt production/sales operations of otherwise well-run business enterprises, excessive working capital adversely impacts profitability. Therefore, the firms should strive to maintain adequate amount of working capital to ensure smooth production and sales operations. The importance of efficient working capital management (WCM) is therefore indisputable. This chapter is a modest attempt to gain insight on the working capital management practices of the sample companies.