Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 11

Marketing - Essay Example I found the group activities that were part of the course to be quite stimulating. I will admit that the ‘Functional Presentation’ part of the course provided a greater challenge for me than did the mainly theoretical part of course; however, both sections challenged me to find new ways of learning. I found out that most of the time, businesses in today’s world operate in an environment where customers not only have much more information regarding the available financial services, but they also have greater demands. Financial services have to be offered in environments that meet with the customers’ expectations. In the present banking environment, for instance, the way in which financial services are packaged can win a deal or lose it. In the past, how a service was packaged was deemed to be irrelevant; what mattered was the product or service being offered. In the present environment, however, nothing could be further from the truth. The marketing of finan cial services has come to be regarded as one of the most significant aspects of developing a financial institution. It is an investment that brings great proceeds when well managed. However, there are still many financial corporations that regard it as being something to be looked into when all the other more ‘solid’ objectives have been considered. Service marketing is usually confused with the function of advertising or selling. In reality, marketing takes many factors into account. Some of these include employer branding, corporate culture, reputation, corporate social responsibility, market research, ethics, distribution, price points, product development, new business prospects and communication with customers,. For service marketing to be successful, the main strengths of the firm have to be clearly articulated. In one of the groups I was a part of, which were formed to determine the factors that can result in the success of financial services marketing, we came u p with some of the questions that are necessary for every team member to realise what will draw customers. Some of these questions included: What services set our financial services corporation apart from our business rivals? What are the services that make our company exceptional or unique? Which are the ‘behind the scenes’ abilities, or intellectual assets that make the success of our company hard to copy? Which technologies does our firm have that give it an edge over its business rivals? As a group, we came up with a strong brand for out service offerings. The brand included strong expressive messages that could capture the attention of potential customers. We decided to advertise this brand through smart campaigns and creative copywriting. Our company’s strategy was one that stimulated curiosity and enhanced our business’ image. We choose to market it through various communication mediums such as online exposure, business to consumer models, as well a s business to business or business to consumer communication. To ensure that we benefitted from the talents of the best graphic designers for our digital campaigns, we, as a group, interviewed various experts within the student community. One big advantage of having an online business presence is that a company can receive feedback from all over the world. Gaining the attention of curious overseas entrepreneurs greatly inspired our group to try even more

Leadership Styles Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Leadership Styles - Research Paper Example 2003). The leader uses his/her abilities to socially influence others to perform particular tasks for the common good. The person needs to possess particular competences that enable him/her to effectively persuade people to follow certain guidelines that he/she thinks need to be used for success to be accomplished. Beattie (2002) observes that leadership involves steering others to do something that is desirable or to develop something that is useful. In organizations, competent leadership is one of the aspects that are important in enhancing the accomplishment of organizational goals. Competent leaders can propel an organization ahead through effective management of resources and maintenance of a favorable working environment. Finding solutions for workplace conflicts that may hamper the accomplishment of organizational goals is usually the responsibility of the leader (Kotter, 2001). All professions require strong leadership for goals to be accomplished. The success of organization s relies on the leadership to a large extent. It needs to be differentiated from management roles that are mainly focused on maintaining high profits with minimal use of resources. Leadership is about providing direction through socially influencing the followers and ensuring that they understand that the leader’s role is not focused on supervisory activities only. Rather, leadership needs to be seen as an important aspect of the organization that promotes harmonious working relations in the workplace (Barrett, 2006). Managers can possess the qualities of strong leaders, but it is not obvious that all managers are effective leaders. When people note that their personal needs are disregarded by their leaders, they are likely to develop a negative attitude towards their tasks, which may lead to failure in accomplishing organizational goals (Kesler 2002). Strong communication skills are significant for effective leadership. The leader should be in a capacity to effectively commu nicate ideas to the subordinates. Effective organizational relationships are based on good communication. The leader should also be honest with the management team as well as with the subordinates. He/she needs to possess unquestionable integrity to maintain confidence among the subordinates. The leader should be a visionary person who can see ahead of the others. This enables him/her to help others to understand the destiny of the organization. The leader should be in a position to select a strong team that has the capacity to act as an enhancement of his/her skills (Avolio & Bass, 2002). 2.0 Problem Statement Failure by leaders to apply tactical leadership in organizations is a major impediment to success. Strong leadership skills can be accomplished through understanding the appropriate leadership style for teams and organizations. This paper seeks to address this issue by highlighting various leadership styles and their impacts on