Tutor:
Hello Lara, thank you for coming in to discuss the work you've done so far on your assignment on multinational companies.
Tutor:
I've had a good look at it.
Tutor:
I'm interested in your research on this chocolate and its brand image.
Tutor:
You've shown that it's quite different in different markets, and the differences in advertising campaigns.
Tutor:
How in some countries it's sold in pretty upmarket places, whereas in others it's sold in supermarkets that appeal to a different customer.
Tutor:
Did you know that they use different amounts of caffeine and sugar to appeal to tastes in different countries too?
Lara:
I'll look into that too.
Lara:
Do you think this next section on the aim of global marketing is clear?
Tutor:
Well, I got a bit lost when you talked about starting production in another country.
Tutor:
The link to the aim of global marketing could be clearer, but what I thought worked really well was your explanation of how a huge increase in sales is what most companies who go global are after.
Tutor:
You could then link that to profits to finish off that section.
Lara:
Yes, that's down on my plan.
Lara:
Another thing that's grabbed my attention is the messages for young people in advertising by multinationals.
Tutor:
You could follow up on that thought.
Tutor:
Other moral issues come up.
Tutor:
For example, the supermarket chain who offered free plastic bags in a market which is very environment conscious.
Tutor:
Their aim had been to bring in lots of new customers quickly by getting their name seen everywhere in town, but they'd forgotten that that market didn't want any more plastic polluting their environment.
Lara:
There seems to be a sort of arrogance on the part of some multinationals.
Lara:
Well, it's okay if the multinational comes into your country, takes over a company and introduces better working conditions or new machinery, but it's the way they often bring in their own management team who ride roughshod over everyone and who don't exactly go in for consultation at local level.
Tutor:
That's an interesting observation.
Tutor:
What do you have in mind for the last section?
Lara:
I'd like to look at distribution.
Lara:
It can be key to the success or failure of so many businesses.
Lara:
Of course, there's the whole idea of managing time and what happens when customers don't get their goods on time, but I'd like to read up on the effects of managing all distribution from just one office, because if a company isn't used to that and it's suddenly introduced, it can be chaos.
Lara:
I looked at the issue of stock control in last term's paper, so I'd rather not revisit that.
Tutor:
Now you need to finish off with a company case study, and I see you've been looking into some possibilities.
Tutor:
What did you find out about Drummond's?
Lara:
At first I thought they'd be good to illustrate the importance of getting the workforce right, but I'm not sure I'd have enough information.
Lara:
But what I could use them for is to show how you have to base your company in the right part of the world to benefit from tax advantages.
Lara:
That's what Drummond's did.
Tutor:
Yes, that could be good.
Tutor:
There's also multi-plan.
Tutor:
I read recently that they've made the classic mistake of going for an international market before they've really grown enough, and that's causing them some headaches.
Tutor:
So no matter where they'd expanded their business to abroad, they'd have faced the same problems.
Lara:
There are really detailed figures showing that by going global, they were in a strong position to negotiate rock-bottom prices for their materials because they were buying in bulk.
Tutor:
Yes, they would be a good choice because it would allow you to present data effectively.
Tutor:
Babis would be good for that too.
Tutor:
All the figures relating to their staffing levels before and after going global are available.
Lara:
Oh, and they're huge, aren't they?
Lara:
I did look at how Emerson went to different companies who provided them with components they needed when they went global, and what a huge difference this made to quality.
Tutor:
So just check through to see which one would give you scope to develop a good case study with a clear focus.
