A1.I made my brand design decisions in the simulation by taking into account what the customers were looking for in a product. The simulation provided me with information as to what was important to the customer and what the customer wanted in their ideal computer. I then took that information and made sure that I included all of it in the product. In the first design which was aimed at the Mercedes target market; I did not make the screen size as big as the customer wanted it.
When the simulation showed me my product compared to my competitor’s product, my competitors were in the lead.After seeing this information I changed the design to the screen size and made it bigger. I also included some extra games and made the keyboard more user friendly. My results after the changes were favorable. After making a few changes to the advertising as well, we emphasized on those factors that were important to the customer including the screen size. We then started to do better than our competitors.
The simulation showed that we were the preferred brand within customers of the Mercedes and the Travelers market. For the Workhorse market I determined the design decisions just as I did the Mercedes and Travelers market.I made sure to include everything the customer was looking for according to the information the simulation provided me. Our product aimed at the Workhorse market did well and was the preferred brand from the time it was introduced. Our success compared to our competitors was very good. We were the preferred brand in all three markets.
The reason for that was I made sure to include all the customer was looking for in a product. Our competitors simply created the computers according to what was at the top of the customers list. They also did not include any extras as we did.Our competitors simply focused on what was most important and built the computers according to that information.
I could have produced better results if I had been more detailed from the beginning of the design stage. Careful consideration should have been taken to make sure all the customer was looking for was included in the Mercedes market product. Because we had to change the screen size to a bigger size, that incurred an added expense to change the design to the product.A2.If I had to do the simulation over I would have not selected the Mercedes arket.
Thinking back to my decisions I think this was a poor choice. The Mercedes market was a high end product and it was not a high volume product. If it were a high volume product it would have been an excellent choice because the profits would have been high. To produce this product was expensive because of what the customer wanted in the product also. Instead of redesigning the product to a bigger screen size I should have discontinued the product and focused on the other two designs which were in higher demand according to the simulation results.
The Mercedes market brand was the slowest and less profited product in our line according to our simulation results even though we were the preferred brand. Better results could have been achieved if this brand would have been removed after the first or second quarter or if it would have not been selected at all.A3.The sales offices I selected were all good decisions and necessary to achieve good results. All sales offices were placed in locations that according to the simulation were a high demand area for these products. My actions to open three sales offices showed in the simulation to be favorable.
I also increased the number of employees in the third quarter for these locations. The simulation showed that more sales were achieved because of the increase in locations and personnel to cover a wider range of customers. I believe we achieved more success compared to our competitors because they did not have open as many sales locations as we did. Because we had a wider area to cover we were able to make more sales.
I also believe that this contributed to our brand being the preferred brand with customers. Our competitors focused on the U. S. nd Asia when it came to sales locations. I think I could have achieved better results if I had originally opened all three locations at the first quarter and would have had more sales personnel as well.
Instead I did not increase my personnel and opened the third location till after the third quarter. Better results I believe would have been achieved if I had a bigger team from the beginning. This would have given us a lead from the beginning and it also would have given us more profits.A4.
The choice to spend on market research was necessary. I would not have changed that decision. Because of the research I was able to have improvements made for our brands, stay competitive within the market and also had information as to what the customers were looking for. Market research also provided information as to which brands were preferred brands with customers. Investments in market research are necessary within all manufacturing businesses, especially those with international markets. I don’t believe that if I invested more money than I had into market research that I would have different results.
The information that I needed to stay competitive and to become the preferred brand was achieved therefore I did not invest more than what I had originally invested in the first quarter. I don’t believe an alternative decision was in order in this case because the simulation showed that we were the preferred brand amongst customers.B1.The decisions that factored into opening the international offices were the demand numbers. Tokyo and Brazil had the highest demand after the U. S.
location. Having a sales team in these locations would produce more sales.More locations and more sales personnel mean that they can cover a wider range area and reach more potential customers which would then give us more sales. Locations that our competitors had opened did not factor into my decision making. I just focused on which locations had the highest demand according to the information the simulation provided me with.
If a heavy international commitment was required I would have focused on the international side first by opening up all locations overseas in the first quarter and then opening the U. S. location last if needed.
