Strategic Management

Strategic management analyzes the major initiatives taken by a company's top management on behalf of owners, involving resources and performance in external environments. It entails specifying the organization's mission, vision and objectives, developing policies and plans, often in terms of projects and programs, which are designed to achieve these objectives, and then allocating resources to implement the policies and plans, projects and programs.

Now that we have the definition of what Strategic Management is now we will look at how this process assists businesses around the world in running effectively. Some do not understand the important of having some knowledge on the subject. Any business can benefit and it also gives higher ranking executives and managers a better understanding of business in a whole.

Strategic Management gives the people in charge the ability to develop clear goals, understanding of all of their markets, identify strength and weaknesses, as well as planning strategies for the future. There are several other break downs of the process that allow the higher ranks in making decisions that include:

Evaluating Strategy

Suitability; does the strategy effectively address the mission?

Feasibility; can it be made to work?

Acceptability; will stakeholders accept the strategy?

Suitability

Does the strategy address the mission?

Does it reflect the organization's capabilities?

Does it make economic sense?

Feasibility

cash flow analysis and forecasting

break-even analysis

resource deployment analysis

Everything stated above contributes to the Strategic Management process. Asking questions along with trial and error will always be a big part of the process but having answers to some of these questions can point executives and managers in the right direction.

Implementation is also important. It is always great when an idea or strategy works but we must also analyze the ones that do not. Some may need to be retired altogether but some may have potential but a new approach is needed. Before deciding to continue an investment in a product or service a proper analysis should be run.

To find out more about business strategies and management check out our blog articles at http://akutagawainternational.blogspot.com or visit our Company Website and click on Blogs for more information

Gross Marketing or Pure Genius?

There were some great commercials during the Super Bowl last night. Everyone has different opinions of which were better. A gave a few of my executives a small task during the Super Bowl. Enjoy what you do ( watching football) and pick your favorite commercial. My Chief Technology Officer Anthony Ling-Hawthorne asked why they were doing this. I told him because I am curious of their picks. Why did certain commercials grab their attention? How do they think consumers will respond to their brands after a specific commercial? A commercial is an advertisement. It is part of a marketing strategy. Every business needs advertising, and every business can not survive without marketing. I want to see what others are doing.

As the CEO and Chairwoman of Akutagawa International I take pride in my company and the services we offer; however I do have my own personal Brand favorites. People use different products for different things. I run a company that offers several of the same services as many others but I do wash my own clothes because that is my choice, and I prefer to use Tide. I prefer a blackberry but my Director of Consulting prefers his iPhone. The Director of Sales will only use a Toshiba laptop while my Director of Research & Analytics uses Samsung. At the end of every day we are all human and all enjoy products and services from the brands we prefer.

There were many article out when I turned on my laptop referring to the different commercials of last nights Big Game. I came across one because my Director of Consulting Mark Kedjora picked it as one of his favorite while Todd Behrendt of FOX Sports said it was one of his least favorites saying " The look on Bar Refaeli's face after kissing nerd/character actor Jesse Heiman in this commercial pretty much sums up how everyone else probably felt after watching it". I can understand both opinions here. Lets break the commercial down a little.

You have a very attractive woman. That alone will get any mans attention. Then you have a very nerdy looking man. Go Daddy is playing with the idea of beauty and brains. This is something everyone prefers. How often do individuals say they are looking for someone smart and beautiful. A lot of times you get one without the other, which shouldn't matter but lets be honest. It Does! Go Daddy is saying that when you use them you get both.

Now the kiss! I will admit it wasn't something I would generally watch for fun. Some people felt it was a little too much. Maybe it was but when you think about many are still talking about it just because of that alone. Word of mouth is powerful. When a consumer likes something a lot they will talk about it for a long time. It works for the other side as well. When we don't like something we talk about it just as much. People are now saying "That kiss was just gross", but it is marketing. As businesses we want people to remember us. Some may also think why would a business want to be known for something gross? That isn't the case. Whether we like something or not we will become curious as humans and want to know more about it. The finished this commercial with " When sexy meets Smart you small business scores". My Director of Consulting thought this was brilliant and frankly so do I. We want consumers talking and Go Daddy will sure have that.

Visit http://akutagawainternational.com to find out more about our Super Bowl Commercial Picks.

Remember to visit http://t.foxsports.msn.com/worst-super-bowl-xlvii-commercials?gt1=39002 to read Todd Behrendt of FOX Sports list

See what other experts are saying http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZBvyGERWNY

Marketing Helping Business

Authored By: Lee Myung
                       Director of Business Services
                       Akutagawa International

 

 

 

 

What is Marketing?

 

Marketing is how you sit when you want to explain how great and awesome your product is and why people should buy it.

 

Marketing is an ad, a brochure, a press release, and now has become a facebook page or a twitter account.

   

Marketing to many business professionals, is simply selling at a larger scale.  The reality is that marketing sits at the intersection of the business and the customer.  The greater arbiter of the self interests of the business and the greater needs of the buyer.  As the global economy settles into a new normal of consistent doubt, marketing has several setbacks, such as identity problems, a brand perception gap, and maybe even a crisis of confidence.

 

    Marketing is not about who can talk faster, or close better. It’s about deep psychological understanding of customer needs.  Every innovation in the history of the world combined an uncanny understanding of human needs and the innovative vision to deliver ~Forbes Magazine

 

    There are four elements of marketing and defined as such in the 4 P's.

        

        1.  Identification, selection and development of a product

        2.  determination of its price

        3.  Selection of a distribution channel to reach the customers place

        4.  Development and implementation of a promotional strategy

 

    Marketing is our way of strategy for allocating resources (time and money) in order to achieve our objective. (A fair profit for supplying a good product or service).

 

 How Marketing Helps Businesses?

 

    Marketing is the lifeblood and the backbone of any organization.  Without this, a business is as good as nothing.  Marketing conceives the product, prices it, distributes it among all the logistically feasible areas and promotes it the best way it should (Going back to the 4 P's).  More so it also formulates the most effective stategy/ies in order for the business to cope up and meet the ever-changing and fast-paced trends and demands of the business environment.  It conducts, research, creates short, mid and long term plans and develops feasibility studies on whether a certain venture would become a click or match in the market.

Visit http://akutagawainternational.com to find out how we can assist your company with its marketing efforts at extremely low rates in 2013

Follow us on Twitter @AkutagawaUSA for more helpful resources

Akutagawa International's Super Bowl Commercial Picks "Psy"

 

 

Authored By: Jason Tanaka

                       Director of Sales

                       Akutagawa International

 

Well, well, well! What do we have here! PSY! The Korean Pop Sensation that took the world by storm with his HIT Gangnam Style. Combine that with awesome nuts and you have the ultimate Oppa Snack. Everyone around the world is aware of Psy, and dancing pistachios? You couldn't help but dance with him and look for one to crack open.

This will grab the audience because once the music starts playing; you know the song, you know the artist, and you immediately start dancing in your chair. This was my top pick because I love Psy but I also love pistachios. 2 of my favorite things come together in this well put together advertisement.

Akutagawa International's Super Bowl Commercial Picks " Doritos"

Authored By: Lee Myung
                    Director of Business Services
                    Akutagawa International

I picked the Doritos commercial from the super bowl.  It was the one of the little girl wanting to have her dad play with her but he wanted to play with his friends outside.  The reason I chose this commercial was because Doritos is a house hold name brand we have grasped onto for a long time.  It is a brand name we trust, like Lays, Pringles, and Cheetos.  It has become a very popular potato chip with its sister bag "Cool Ranch".   Which is still very popular with the younger group as it has with the older generation now. 

 

I liked it because in order for her dad to play  with her she was holding a bag of Doritos like a bribe for him.  When his friends come looking for him they find him in a compromising way wearing a ballerina outfit and makeup, then a few minutes later the wife walks by and sees all the men dressed up the same way.  All the while as Doritos was still held in the forefront of the advertisement.  No matter how we act or what we do we still love the taste of Doritos. 

 

(Which by the way I was eating a bag of Doritos during the game).

Akutagawa International's Super Bowl Commercial Picks "Taco Bell & Go Daddy"

Authored by:   Marc Kedjora
                      Director of Consulting General Contracting & Investing
                      Akutagawa International

 

The Super Bowl is known for its amazing commercials. My picks are Taco Bell and Go Daddy.

 

The Taco Bell commercial grabs the attention of the consumer because in a way we can all relate to it. At some point in our lives we were out late, hanging with friends, going to clubs, drinking, making out, getting tattoos and so on. The spin on this commercial is that the elders are doing it. Age is truly nothing but a number. Taco Bell is also known for being open 24 hours. When you are out doing these sorts of things you tend to get hungry. Nothing is better than a 24 hour place that offers its consumers options at all prices. The play with the concept that we all do it or have done it. The elders were just a great touch to finish it off.



What can I say about the Go Daddy commercial. It is very simple. You have a sexy girl and a geeky guy. They put sexy and smart together and then killed it with " When Sexy Meets Smart Your Small Business Scores!" There is nothing more to say.

Both brands did excellent jobs.

Akutagawa International's Twitter Contest Winner " The Think Tank Marketing & PR Agency" London

Akutagawa International offers our Milestone followers on Twitter.com special promotions. These promotions include retweets of relevant information in the business industry, featured mentions, company Listings, and more. @AkutagawaUSA milestone followers are counted on the 100th; however every 1000th milestone follower gets a little more. 1000th Twitter Milestone Followers will also receive a featured blog article about their business that will run on Google+, Wordpress, Blogger, and syndicate to Akutagawa International's Company Website.

Our Milestone followers blog article will also be posted on our B2B network sites to increase your companies exposure. This is why we encourage businesses to spread the word about Akutagawa International. Our firm loves to make others aware of great businesses around the world. This can assist any business with growing their network. Visit http://akutagawainternational.com

Akutagawa International is proud to announce our 1000th milestone follower, The Think Tank Agency in London.

"The Think Tank is a leading B2B marketing and PR Agency, combining creative thought and fresh thinking for a truly integrated marketing approach."

The think Tank is a full service marketing and PR Agnecy offering professional services in Strategic Marketing Consultancy, Brand Development, Integrated Marketing, Advertising and Media Planning, Press, Media & Public Relations, Digital Services, Social Marketing, Design Services, and more.

Businesses in 2013 need great marketing strategies with options. The Think Tank seems to offer their clients with many services to choose from. Feel free to visit the website at http://www.thinktank.org.uk/ for more information on services, pricing, and career opportunities.

Again Akutagawa International @AkutagawaUSA is happy to announce our 1000th Milestone follower.