TASK 1

Part A

The relevant business idea entails an establishment of a designer shop that is meant to help fashion graduates to develop and sell their creations/products. Products involved with the business will range from jewellery, clothes to footwear among others. This will be a shop that facilitates with the provision of materials, manufacturing capabilities and a selling platform. The designer shop intends to operate both as an online and high street business. The business’ physical location will be near the University. In the long-run, the business will be looking to expand in other UK cities and later on become a global brand. This business is a favourable idea given the industry that is involved. In the UK alone, the market value for the fashion industry is valued at 66 billion pounds (Strijbos, 2016). This is an indication that it is an industry that has the potential to create a substantial amount of employment. The industry is expected to grow even further based on the current trends that have emanated in the advent of technology and the Internet. Demand for fashion products is continuing to increase with every day.

Establishment of the designer shop will help fresh graduates and others that have been out there to showcase their creations and produce them with the prospect of making sales. Many individuals tend to get lost once they graduate as they do not know where to start with their endeavours. This business provides a favourable opportunity for such individuals. The growth of such a business is something that would entice potential students to enrol for fashion related courses in the University of Roehampton since they have something to look up to. In addition to offering an opportunity for graduates, the business also aims at ensuring that it creates value for the customers. For this to take place there is a need to ensure that the people accorded the opportunity to work at the designer shop have favourable skills.  They ought to be people that are creative and innovative based on the products that they desire to bring forward. The approach will aim at ensuring that customers are able to get authentic products that are of high quality. This will be much different to what most fashion shops offer around here. They tend to sell similar products from various brands. This business wants that consumers have something different to choose from; which is of high quality.

The level of competition with regards to the fashion industry in this area is quite high based on the number of fashion stores that have been established. Thanks to the internet and the marketing approaches that will be used, the business will be able to access other markets. The table below will identify some competitors within this area.

Store	Competition Prospects
Oliver Bonas	They offer a variety of unique fashion products though most of their products tend to be slightly over-priced.
Nom De Plume	Offers both men and women’s clothing. The boutique pays attention to detail and personal service. There is presence of a good range of prices and styles.
TK Maxx	There is a boast for bargain basement prices and the place is exemplary clean and organised.
The Gap	The store offers a variety of products at favourable prices.
Ben Day	A jewellery shop that guarantees customers something a little bit different and special. The products are very modern and individualistic.

 

Part B

Objectives

To create employment for the graduate students involved with fashion courses. This will give the students with exemplary skills and creativity an opportunity to live their dream by making a living out of something that they like. This is a favourable way of creating employment opportunities for graduates given the hassle that most have to go through after graduating despite them having outstanding skills.

To bring forward a concept of authenticity and creativity. Most of the fashion stores working around this area offer fashionable products, but there is a form of familiarity concept. Most of the brands being sold are similar. Most of the stores are not producing their own products, but selling products from various brands. This means that products being sold from most of the stores tend to be similar (Odell, 2015). The business will help bring something different to the liking of consumers.

To establish a recognized brand by way of offering quality products. This is a business that will commence as something small, but the vision is to ensure that it becomes a recognised brand all over UK and later all over the world. The recognition of the brand will go a long way into ensuring that it is accepted by most consumers hence prompting them to purchase the products on offer. It is duly noted that there are some consumers who purchase products based on the brands associated with them.

To make profit out of the business. Venturing into this business, there is the incentive of making profits as soon as the business break-evens. Making of profits will ensure that we can pay ourselves and help the business move forward.

Form of Ownership

The most favourable form of ownership for this business is a partnership. This form of ownership is the most suitable given that it allows for flexibility. This means that partnerships are quite easy to run and manage since they are not as strictly regulated as companies (Fairlie, 2013). This is in terms of the laws that govern various operations with regards to the formation and partners have the autonomy of making decisions without shareholders’ interference. There is flexibility in management so long as the partners are in agreement on various propositions (Fairlie, 2013).

Another aspect that makes a partnership suitable for the business is that the partners will contribute the initial investment. This means that the more the partners, the more capital will be availed for the business. This is unlike a sole proprietorship where a single individual is tasked with this responsibility. When more money is put into a business, the prospect of growth increases significantly; which also translates to increased profits (Fairlie, 2013).

 

 

 

References

Strijbos, B., (2016) UK fashion industry statistics. Fashion United. Available at: https://fashionunited.uk/uk-fashion-industry-statistics [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016].

Fairlie, R., (2013) ‘Entrepreneurship, Economic Conditions, and the Great Recession’, Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 22(2), pp.207-231.

Odell, A., (2015) Tales from the back row: An Outsider’s View from Inside the Fashion Industry, New York: Simon and Schuster.

 

 

TASK 2

PESTEL Analysis

Political

On various occasions, businesses that sell and produce physical goods are prone to changes in manufacturing laws and tax (Suder, 2011). This is something that the business ought to be conscious about in order to avoid penalties that might accrue as a result of breaches.

As the business grows, there will be a need to source raw materials and other services from overseas countries. Operating as a global brand will also mean exporting the finished products to other countries. In case political conflicts arise between these countries and the UK, it will make the business’ custom related activities difficult (Suder, 2011). Based on the nature of the conflict, exports and imports might be prevented altogether.

On the other hand, the business will benefit from the favourable policies that have been established to help small and medium enterprises in the country. This will be more beneficial when the business will be commencing its operations.

Economic

High cost of raw materials might pose challenges for the business as it commences. This is due to the lack of economies of scale that are enjoyed by other large manufacturers. The high costs of materials would mean reduced profit margins for the organization.

Having access to law labour costs will also be a problem for products that require mass production. Large organizations outsource these services in less developed countries (Yüksel, 2012). This business aims at creating employment for the people around the University hence making such an arrangement is not deemed as being viable.

While expanding the business, there will be challenges in making sales in some emerging markets. This is because the business will not have actualized the status of having “deep pockets” that are required in running massive advertisements in such markets.

Social

Creating favourable relations with the community around the business will be paramount. This will come in the way of participating in community development and other social events. This shows the people that you care about them, and therefore they are likely to turn into your customers (Yüksel, 2012).

The business also needs to embrace a “health consciousness” approach since more people are moving towards practicing better lifestyles. The fashion industry is known for its pollution aspects during the manufacturing of various products. In order to ensure that people achieve their objective of leading better lifestyles, the business will aim at ensuring that pollution levels have been reduced as much as possible.

Changes in consumer preferences might also affect the operations of the business. This is because the products that will be produced based on current preferences. Changes in preferences might result to waste of products that have already been produced (Yüksel, 2012).

Technological

Among the technological factors that will affect the business is social media. Social media has the ability to make things blow up or even whittle away faster (Lopez, 2011). The business aims at using the social media optimally in establishing the brand. As a result, there is a need to be aware that this tool is a double-edged tool hence there is a need to use it correctly.

The technology will also allow the business to use crucial information based metrics. The information will allow optimizing production, targeting and revenue maximization (Lopez, 2011). It becomes easier to keep up with consumer preferences too.

Technology also makes it easier to establish payment methods for consumers. The more methods that the business adopts, the more convenient it will be for the customers. This is a good thing since no one will feel left out.

Legal

Obtaining relevant legal business documents is quite prevalent with the business. This is something that every business must keep in mind while undertaking various business operations. Failure to attain relevant licenses is likely to result in the closure of business.

Another relevant legal issue includes shady marketing practices. This is something that some companies indulge in order to entice potential customers (Suder, 2011). The business will try not to indulge in such practices in order to avoid the relevant legal repercussions.

Protecting the business assets is another factor that ought to be put into consideration. Among the main assets, in this case, will include intellectual property such as trademarks, copyright, and brand among others. This ensures that other unwanted parties do not benefit what is not theirs and the business gets all the relevant proceeds.

Environmental

Among the relevant environmental factors that will affect the business is local competition. This aspect is likely to affect the nature of products that will be produced (Lopez, 2011). There ought to be production of unique and quality products to ensure that the business will prevail in light of the competition.

The talent pool is also likely to affect the business. The designer shop intends to provide graduating students an opportunity to showcase their talents. This on its own does not guarantee that the business will get the required talent; hence it might be problematic to move in the desired direction.

Customer’s traffic is another environmental factor that is likely to affect the business. The aspect of people driving by the store, a sign or viewing ads on various platforms is vital for sales (Lopez, 2011). The more the number of people viewing the offerings, the higher the customer’s conversion rate will be.

 

References

Suder, G., (2011) Doing business in Europe, 2nd edition, New York: SAGE Publications.

Yüksel, I., (2012) ‘Developing a Multi-Criteria Decision Making Model for PESTEL Analysis’, International Journal of Business and Management, 7(24).

Lopez, D., (2011) UK Business Environment: Positive And Forward-Looking | The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel. Metrocorpcounsel.com. Available at: http://www.metrocorpcounsel.com/articles/17068/uk-business-environment-positive-and-forward-looking [Accessed 21 Dec. 2016].

 

 

TASK 3

Part A

The business’ launch event is considered as an important element while establishing the designer shop. The launch event will encompass a launch party that will include a business presentation. The launch is taking the form of a party given the people that are being targeted by the business. A youthful population will find something with entertainment more engaging than a classical set-up. There will be a DJ involved with the entertainment sector. Given the target audience, they are people that would like to dance; furthermore, the event is more of a celebration of something great coming up. When it comes to business presentation, there is a need to show potential consumers what the business offers. The people that will be in attendance will have the opportunity of viewing the samples of products that are on offer. They will be allowed to view them in close proximity and even touch them so that they can have a feeling of what they are all about. This will be an important aspect of the launch event as it will help to show emphasis on the business objective of bringing forward a concept of authenticity and creativity. Through the presentation, the crowd will have the opportunity of assessing the concepts of authenticity and creativity; which the business will be promoting.

The launch event will be held in the evening on a weekend in a venue that will be deemed suitable for a youthful conglomeration. Food and drinks will be served as the event proceeds. The event is expected to host around a hundred people. Among the people to be involved are fashion influencers, people responsible for producing various products, sales agents, and their relevant contacts. Influencers are quite important in such an event due to the leverage that they bring. They usually have a wide base of loyal followers that are likely to check out products and brands that they endorse (Allen, 2009). However, it is important to enhance due diligence when bringing influencers to a launch event. It is good to ascertain that the influencers chosen fit within the target market in order to ensure their impact is positively felt (Allen, 2009). Inviting just “any” influencer would not be productive. Individuals producing various products should be here since the business has the objective of creating employment for university graduates upon its establishment. Sales agents will be here together with their contacts that they will have brought along. They will be helpful in talking to people on various aspects associated with the business and the products on offer.

While at the event, people will be encouraged on social media engagement. The people can try out products and post the pictures on their social platforms. They will also be encouraged to tweet the event and the business’ brand as they share photos of the products on offer. This will be a very good way of creating a buzz, and offering a favourable means for internet marketing (Allen, 2009).

 

Part B

Launch Event Budget

Items	Projected Costs
Location Costs
Site rental fee	£
Permit/License	£
Potential Rental Needs
Furniture (chairs and tables)	£
Flooring/carpeting	£
Labor (for organizing)	£
Food and Beverage
Food/catering	£
Beverages	£
Glasses, linens, plates, utensils e.t.c	£
Entertainment
Television Monitors	£
Cameras/recorders	£
Sound system	£
Technical staff	£
DJ fees	£
Lighting
Special lighting (videos/pictures)	£
Extension cords	£
Decorations and Supplies
Stage/ table decor	£
Flowers/plants	£
Chair covers	£
Props/signs	£
Trash Removal Considerations
Restrooms/port-o-potties	£
Trash service/dumpsters	£
Cleanup crew	£
Disposal service	£
Security
Facility	£
Onsite Brand Promotion
Gifts/giveaways	£
Posters	£
Flyers	£
Brochures	£
Total	£

 

 References

Allen, J., (2009) Event Planning: The Ultimate Guide To Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events, 2nd edition, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Shim, J. and Siegel, J., (2009) Budgeting basics and beyond, third edition, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Incorporated.

 

TASK 4

Marketing Objectives

Product positioning has been viewed as an important aspect while establishing this business. The business intends to position itself as a mass market offering. This is meant to ensure that every potential customer has not been left out. However, there would be segmentation of the consumers based on varied variables. The approach is meant to ensure that every group of consumers gets what they desire hence remain satisfied while interacting with the business (Blick, 2013).

The key brand messages that will be conveyed are quality, uniqueness, and low cost. High quality is something that most consumers envy while purchasing any fashion product. This is because the concept has been highly neglected in the production of most products. This is because companies have gained an awareness of the competition in the market and the rate with which the trends keep changing.  As a result, the companies want to be among the first ones to produce the prevailing trends hence compromising the quality that is being produced (Blick, 2013). This aspect has resulted to most consumers preferring the high-end brands when the term “quality” is being considered. When this designer shop creates a mentality to the customers that it is offering high-quality products, there is a high probability that they will feel enticed. The products produced should be of high quality in order to ensure that the consumers that have been attracted are maintained in the long-run. Relevant steps will be in place to guarantee consumers of quality products by ensuring that the people working in the designer shop have top-notch skills.

Uniqueness, on the other hand, will b used to paint a mental picture to clients that they would find products in the designer shop that are not available in other stores. This is because the people working in this shop will be highly creative and innovative in their respective product designs. Consumers in the fashion industry like unique products. They always want to stand out among their colleagues and friends at all times (Huang and Sarigöllü, 2012). This aspect will push consumers to desire the products on offer.

When it comes to low cost, there are few places that you will find quality, unique products going at low costs. This is what most consumers want to find, and if a business can make it possible, the customers are likely to flow in. This is because most of the high-quality brands tend to be highly priced hence out of the reach of most consumers.

 

Target Markets

The target market for this business is the young people. This goes for both men and women. The young population is known for its avid spending traits. This is more so on things that intrigue them. Young people will even go to the extent of saving to purchase something that they saw and developed an interest despite how irrelevant it might appear to other people (Huang and Sarigöllü, 2012). This means that when you provide this demographic with products that they like, it will become easier for them to convert to potential consumers. The propensity of the young consumers to bring in referrals is always high too. These are people that interact with other numerous individuals based on their schedules and activities that they indulge in. The moment they have something fascinating it creates the urge among the peers in wanting to know where they can get something similar. This is because most youths do not like being left behind; they like being on par with the current trends. This way the business is likely to get word of mouth advertising.

Choosing the youth as the target market has also been influenced by the ease of reaching them. Getting in touch with the youth has become quite easy in this digital age.  A huge percentage are savvy internet users and are involved in various social media platforms. These platforms have given businesses an opportunity to showcase their offerings. The youths tend to get influenced by products that they view on these platforms. It creates a mentality that everyone is having them, and they would not want to miss out (Huang and Sarigöllü, 2012). This helps in convincing them to purchase the products.

Another aspect that pushes for the targeting of the youth is the people behind the design and development of these products. The designer shop intends to incorporate graduates that have not been out of school for a long period. This means that they are still youthful and most of their contacts are within the same age bracket. Through the daily interactions with this age group, the designers are aware of the customers’ preferences. This will mean that the business will be able to produce products that are relevant to this target market. This ability will help in improving the sales levels due to relevance. When consumers are provided with what they desire, they are likely to convert due to the satisfaction that will come with the purchase.

 

Marketing Strategies

Based on the target market involved, the business intends to use varied marketing strategies. Among them is internet marketing. The business targets a youthful demographic hence this comes out as a favourable strategy. Most individuals within this age bracket are avid users of the Internet, more so social networking platforms. The business will use these platforms to reach these individuals by way of paid advertising. Geographic location will not be a big barrier as the business intends to operate an online store in order to serve consumers that are not in close vicinity. The business will also use free methods of internet advertising by posting the different offerings on social media pages that will be created. These pages will also help in enhancing the interaction between the consumers and the business personnel in order to clarify some issues that might not be clear. The business’ website will also be advertised in other relevant platforms such as blogs and affiliate websites. Advertising through the internet is likely to succeed since it has been it has been established that 97% of consumers tend to search for varied businesses online (Blick, 2013).

Collaborating with influencers is another viable marketing strategy. This will come in handy while gaining a new audience and extending brand awareness. The collaboration will be done with the top influencers in the fashion industry. A good example is where top designers are allowed to take control of the business’ social platforms for a certain period. These are people that already have a following, and they are likely to entice them. The young people are easily influenced by the people that they follow on social platforms. They are eager to try out the products and brands that they are promoting (Blick, 2013). This means that it will increase their prospect of checking out the business’ products.

Word of mouth advertising will serve the business well too. This form of marketing is organic, unpaid and so powerful since the current consumers always have good things to say about the products. A recommendation coming from a family member, friend or colleague usually has credibility and is likely to spur increased leads for individuals anticipating to experience the positive associated with the brand (Huang and Sarigöllü, 2012). For this to happen, the business has to stick to its objectives of producing quality unique products that will mesmerize consumers to prompt them to spread the word within their circles. This is something that the business will be reminding consumers as they make their purchases about talking it up with other people.

 

Marketing Mix

Element	Description	Justification
Product	The designer shop will be selling a variety of products ranging from clothes, footwear and jewellery among others.	The business is being developed with the objective of helping graduates to showcase their creations by way of developing actual products. At the same time, the business also wants to ensure that it satisfies the customers through the provision of quality, unique, low-priced product. For a fashion enthusiast, finding variety under the same roof would be more satisfying. As a result, ensuring that there are a variety of products being produced helps in meeting the needs of two parties at the same time.
Price	There is no fixed price for any product at the moment. Every product will have its own price.	The designer shop will be responsible for production of a variety of products. For this reason, there cannot be a single price for all the products. Every product will have its unique price. The price levels will be determined by the cost that has been incurred while producing the relevant products. With every product, measures will be taken to ensure that the cost incurred is as low as possible. This will help in ensuring that a favourable price tag has been attached to each product in order to make them affordable to most consumers.
Place	The products on offer will be available in a shop that customers can visit. The shop will be established near the University. Products will also be sold online through the business’ website. There will be a need to pay a small delivery fee for products bought through the website.	The physical location is based on the fact that there are numerous fashion enthusiasts in the relevant area. This has been evidenced by the number of fashion stores that have been established in this area.  A physical location will be very suitable given the nature of products that are offered in the stores within the vicinity. There seems to be a form of uniformity hence making it possible to enhance competitiveness through offering unique products. The physical location will also enhance the people’s culture of visiting the fashion stores. Selling online through the business’ website will be prompted by the target market. Young people have developed the tendency of using the Internet for all their activities due to the convenience that it brings (Huang and Sarigöllü, 2012). Selling the products through the business’ website will also ensure that the company has gained the ability to reach people outside the business’ physical location. This will help in increasing the business’ market share and make it easy to expand and establish other physical locations in different areas.
Promotion	The promotion strategies to be used will include internet marketing, using influencers and word of mouth advertising.	Internet marketing is deemed favourable for promoting the business because it will help in capturing the internet usage of the young people. This is through the social networks and other internet sites that they visit. Most of them make their purchasing decisions based on what they see on the internet and what others are talking about. A social platform like the Instagram has been very prevalent in promoting various fashion trends. When it comes to the use of fashion influencers, it is likely to work with the youthful consumers. The young people are easily influenced by the people that they follow on social platforms. They are eager to try out the products and brands that they are promoting. Word of mouth, on the other hand, will be enhanced by the quality of products that the designer shop will be producing. A recommendation coming from a family member, friend or colleague usually has credibility and is likely to spur increased leads for individuals anticipating to experience the positive aspects associated with the brand.

 

References

Huang, R. and Sarigöllü, E., (2012) ‘How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix’, Journal of Business Research, 65(1), pp.92-99.

Blick, D., (2013) The ultimate small business marketing book, Surrey: Filament Publishing.

 

TASK 5

Operational Business Decision

The designer shop will make decisions on how to deal with customers complaints. Being a designer shop, there is a probability that varied complaints might arise from different departments of the business. This is because the shop will be dealing with different people encompassing different ideologies. As a result, there will be a need to decide every now and then on how to deal with customer complaints. Given that the complaints tend to vary from time to time, there is a need to decide how different forms of complaints will be handled. This is important since it will ensure that customers receive the full attention that they deserve regarding the problem at hand. It will also ensure that the customers’ grievances are understood. This is because the complaints will have been directed to individuals that are suited to the issues at hand. It minimizes the probability of passing customers from one person to another while they are trying to raise their issues. Ensuring that customers’ complaints are handled in the best way possible will help in creating a favourable rapport, and ensure that the business does not lose its customers (Spetzler et al., 2016).

The information regarding the complaints will be sourced from the business’ data regarding previous complaints. These will be categorized at all times in order to ascertain the prevailing complaints within a certain period. The transaction processing system will be used in the provision of the required information. This is because the transaction processing system is used in the organization while recording daily routines (Davoren, 2016).

Tactical Business Decision

The business will be making decisions on the type of products and quantity to produce. This decision will be based on the number of sales that particular products tend to experience. The sales evaluations will be done every three or four months. In the fashion industry, consumers tend to have different tastes and preferences. There are people that like some products which are disliked in equal measure by other people. As a result, there are products that will be purchased in high volumes compared to others. This makes it important for the business to identify the products that are selling more than the others. This way it becomes easier in deciding the quantities of each product to produce. It is a favourable way of improving stock management and ensuring that there is no oversupply. Some products might become obsolete while in the stores for a long time since fashion trends and preferences keep changing from time to time (Schmidt and Wilhelm, 2000). Ensuring that the stock levels are at the required proportions will help in maximizing profits while minimizing costs.

The information used to make these decisions will be derived from the business’ sales data. Every sale that the business makes is recorded as this is a daily routine. The recording of such information follows the transaction processing system. In this case, the information will be displayed using the management information system in order to get a graphical representation that makes the interpretation quite easy (Davoren, 2016). Getting the right information is critical as it will ensure that the decision made does not lead to surplus production.

Strategic Business Decision

The business needs to make non-routine decisions on how to increase the market share. This is a decision that will usually be undertaken after the business has served the needs of the existing customers optimally and there is need to expand in order to increase the sales levels. Expanding the market share is always important as it results in increased profits due to additional revenues. It also acts as an indication that the business is performing favourably in light of the prevailing competition (Spetzler et al., 2016). Market share has been regarded as the most significant metric that marketers can utilize while judging the effectiveness of varied marketing campaigns. This includes initiatives, branding, CRM programs and advertising campaigns among others. Market share is regarded as being essential since it is more of a relative measure against external benchmarks.

Making this decision requires external data from other organizations within this industry. In particular, there will be an examination of organizations that have the highest market shares within the industry. After the organizations have been identified, there will be the need for analyzing the mechanisms that they have used in the past to increase their market share. The business will then select those strategies that are applicable to the current operations. The decision support system will be used in providing the required information. This is the most suitable business information system since it allows for the use of ad hoc reports (Davoren, 2016). In this case, the decision support system will help in the acquisition of data summary reports such as sales within certain fiscal periods.

 

 References

Spetzler, C., Meyer, J. and Winter, H., (2016) Decision Quality: Value Creation from Better Business Decisions, New Jersey: Wiley.

Schmidt, G. and Wilhelm, W., (2000) ‘Strategic, tactical and operational decisions in multi-national logistics networks: A review and discussion of modeling issues’, International Journal of Production Research, 38(7), pp.1501-1523.

Davoren, J., (2016) Types of Information Systems in an Organization. Smallbusiness.chron.com. Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-information-systems-organization-43097.html [Accessed 21 Dec. 2016].

 

 

TASK 6

Element of the supply chain	How is this going to be addressed in the business	Why is this the correct way to operate?
Suppliers of Raw Materials	It is vital to ensure that the supply of raw materials has been handled in the best way possible. This is because the quality of the products that are going to be manufactured is dependent on the quality of the raw materials. As a result, there is a need to ensure that the appropriate supplier has been selected. The business intends to source its raw materials from overseas countries in the long-run. This does not necessarily mean that all the raw materials will be from one country. The country that is more favourable for a certain supply will be selected in that sector.	Sourcing raw materials from overseas countries is likely to ensure reliability. This is because there is a wide pool to choose from. Sourcing materials from overseas countries ensures reliability since there are a lot of suppliers to choose from. This is also the best approach since the business intends to offer a low price on the products that will be on sale.  Sourcing raw materials from overseas countries will ensure that the business gets a favourable pricing in order to ensure that offering low prices is feasible (Wisner et al., 2014). Ensuring that the final products are of high quality will also become feasible while sourcing raw materials from overseas countries. This is because there is a wide pool to choose from hence creating the opportunity to order the best that is available in the market.
Information to Share with Suppliers	In order to ensure that the suppliers are operating within the confines of the required business standards, there is need to disclose some information to them. Among the information to disclose is the target market and quality of products that the business intends to offer. However, there is need to ensure that the business does not share much information with the suppliers. This is because they might be supplying a competitor and there is a probability of confidentiality breach.	Sharing some information with the suppliers will be important in order to ensure they are on the same page with the relevant business requirements. When sharing the expected quality levels for the products being manufactured, the suppliers will ensure that everything they supply to the business is of high quality. This will enable in the production of high-quality products. Ensuring that the suppliers are also aware of the target market will ensure that the products they deliver fit well within this market. It is good to ensure that the business does not over-share since this might be detrimental in case competitors came across the information (Brandenburg et al., 2014).
Automation of Procurement Activities	Automating procurement activities will aid the business in establishing efficiency in this area. Using procurement software such as Fishbowl Inventory, Rubberstamp and QuickBase among others will come in handy. The automation will be integrated into all tasks and activities that are associated with purchasing, payables and sourcing.	It is vital for the business to automate procurement activities in order to ensure that they are streamlined across the business’ supplier network. This will help the business to create strong relations with the vendors, establish better assessments and management of their activities and improve negotiations in order to negotiate bulk or volume discounts and other cost-cutting measures (Wisner et al., 2014).
After Sales Services	Offering after-sales services are vital for keeping the customers interested in future interactions with the business. In this case, the business will be offering several after-sales services. Among them are credit terms while making future purchases, warrantees on purchased products, a return policy and discount on future purchases.	After-sales service is part of the supply chain that is neglected by most organizations. This is because they do not realize the benefits that would accrue if they did put the relevant emphasis. By offering the prescribed after-sales services, the business aims at creating competitive advantage in the process. These are services that are likely to make consumers happy, and looking forward for future purchases. This is because of the satisfaction that they derive (Kurata and Nam, 2010).

 

References

Wisner, J., Tan, K. and Leong, G., (2014) Principles of supply chain management, 4th edition, Boston: Cengage Learning.

Brandenburg, M., Govindan, K., Sarkis, J. and Seuring, S., (2014) ‘Quantitative models for sustainable supply chain management: Developments and directions’, European Journal of Operational Research, 233(2), pp.299-312.

Kurata, H. and Nam, S., (2010) ‘After-sales service competition in a supply chain: Optimization of customer satisfaction level or profit or both’, International Journal of Production Economics, 127(1), pp.136-146.

 

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