netrashetty
Netra Shetty
Amphenol Corporation (NYSE: APH) is a major producer of electronic and fiber optic connectors, cable and interconnect systems such as Coaxial cables. Amphenol is a portmanteau from the corporation's original name, American Phenolic Corp.
Amphenol was founded in Chicago in 1932 by entrepreneur Arthur Schmitt, whose first product was a tube socket for radio tubes. Amphenol expanded significantly during World War II, when the company became the primary manufacturer of connectors used in military hardware, including airplanes and radios. From 1967 to 1982 it was part of Bunker Ramo Corporation.
Amphenol's revenues in 2010 were $3.55 billion. The company sells its products into diverse electronics markets, including military-aerospace, industrial, automotive, information technology, mobile phones, wireless infrastructure, broadband, medical, and pro audio. Operations are located in more than 60 locations around the world. The company is included in the S&P Midcap 400 index. Amphenol's Chairman is Dr. Martin H. Loeffler.Chief Executive Officer is R. Adam Norwitt.
Amphenol's world headquarters is located in Wallingford, Connecticut. The largest division of Amphenol is Amphenol Aerospace (formerly Bendix Corporation) in Sidney, New York. This is the birth place of the D38999 cylindrical connector. Amphenol engineers also invented the commonly-used BNC connector ("Bayonet Neill-Concelman").
Amphenol Cables on Demand, another division of Amphenol launched in December 2006, specializes in distributing standard cable assemblies via their e-commerce storefront. They sell more than 2500 audio, video, computer, and networking cables. Offices are located in New York, California, Florida, and China.
The proposed study will only focus on the variables customer relationship management, quality management, and marketing strategies of IPCL. It will only dwell on the company’s performance on the three variables and the recommendations will only be limited to those areas. Regarding the respondents, this proposed study will only conduct the research on employees in the Marketing Division, Customer Relation Department, and the department responsible in quality management, if one exists. Furthermore, the study will also conduct its survey on the top management of IPCL and other employees in the accounting section to determine the profit that the company acquires from projects in customer relations, quality management, and marketing.
The outcome of this study will be limited only to the data gathered from books and journals and from the primary data gathered from the result of the questionnaire survey and interview that will be conducted by the researcher.
Overview of the Methodology
For this study, primary research and secondary research will be used. Primary research will be conducted using questionnaire surveys that will be sent to the employees of the Marketing Division, Customer Relationship Department, and Quality Management Department, if one exists. If there is no department that specifically handles TQM, questionnaires will be sent instead to the Human Relations Management (HRM). Furthermore, the top-management will also be surveyed as well as the several employees in the accounting division. Through this questionnaire survey, the researcher will hopefully get to know the performance level of all the departments mentioned. The researcher will also be conducting interview with certain respondents, particularly in the top-management and the management teams in the three departments, as well as in the HRM.
The questionnaires will be used to collect quantitative data and the interviews will be used to provide qualitative insights into the data collected. A questionnaire would be emailed to the concerned employees of IPCL
in order to gather information to achieve the objectives of the project.
Managers in the marketing division, quality management division and CRM
department would be advised to complete the questionnaire and
interview for more detailed information. The projects handled earlier, if any,
would be researched and analyzed in order to understand the intricacies
of the success and failure of the company. The questionnaires will be designed with a view to get answers that would determine the main objective of the study. All the questionnaires will be structured in a set and will be close-ended with multiple-choice questions. Some questionnaires will be descriptive.
You can find much of this kind of information in local libraries or on the Web, but books and business publications, as well as magazines and newspapers, are also great sources.
Although secondary research is less expensive than primary research, it's not as accurate, or as useful, as specific and customized research. For instance, secondary research will tell you how much teenagers spent last year on basketball shoes, but not how much they're willing to pay for the shoe design your company has in mind.
Primary Research
Simply put, primary research is research that's tailored to a company's particular needs. By customizing tried-and-true approaches — focus groups, surveys, field tests, interviews or observation — you can gain information about your target market. For example, you can investigate an issue specific to your business, get feedback about your Web site, assess demand for a proposed service, gauge response to various packaging options, and find out how much consumers will shell out for a new product.
Primary research delivers more specific results than secondary research, which is an especially important consideration when you're launching a new product or service. In addition, primary research is usually based on statistical methodologies that involve sampling as little as 1 percent of a target market. This tiny sample can give an accurate representation of a particular market.
But professional primary research can be pricey. Tabs for focus groups can easily run from $3,000 to $6,000, and surveys cost anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 and up. Do-it-yourself research is, of course, much cheaper. Services that provide online survey tools usually charge a flat fee (typically around $1 or more per response) plus a setup fee. There are also a host of software products available that will help you conduct your own online and offline primary research.
As brand owners cater to more niche consumer groups and sectors such as men's grooming within beauty continue to grow, gender specificity could move into unlikely industries.
In sectors such as fine fragrances, this type of segmentation is already standard.
Floral and fruit fragrances are typically marketed to female clientele, whilst scents such as oud are targeted at men.
But what about less chartered territories such as flavours? Is there growth potential for gendered flavours for food and drink? With the global food/beverage flavours market expected to grow nearly 2.5% between 2010 and 2015, this niche segment is worth exploring.
Sex sells
Though gender specificity is more pronounced in areas such as beauty, experimentation around gender has been limited within food and drink. In soft drinks, Coca Cola's Diet Coke and Coke Zero are two well-known examples that have been specifically targeted to women and men, respectively.
Yet, these are similar products being marketed to the different genders rather than unique formulations specifically designed for male or female consumers.
Therefore, the food and soft drinks players which are currently creating and positioning products to suit a specific gender are the front runners of a trend which is occurring simultaneously across very different markets.
In Brazil, PepsiCo recently launched Ruffles “Your way,” chips/crisps with a barbecue flavour for men and a cream cheese flavour for women. In Japan, a range of ginger and yuzu flavoured bottled waters placed in 'feminine' packaging have been launched for female customers.
With soft drinks accounting for nearly 32% of the global food/beverage flavours market, it is no surprise that these players are testing the waters here first.
Females, flavours and functionality
Of course, with health and wellness as a driving force for the food and drinks industries, there is ample opportunity for brand owners to incorporate not only gender-specific flavours but also those that evoke gender-specific nutritional requirements and functionality.
Soy flavours, which can be marketed as both feminine and functional because of soy's links to breast cancer prevention and relief of menopause are a good example.
Flavours of fruits well-known for their antioxidant properties such as blueberries can also be targeted at beauty-conscious female consumers. Japan's Sapporo recently launched its yuzu flavoured Bi (beauty) soda which not only contains dietary fibre and collagen, but is flavoured with yuzu, a fruit which is renowned for its links to skin health.
More gender-specific flavours could be targeted at the health and wellness beverage sectors expected to see the most growth – RTD coffee and tea, which are forecast to grow 50% and 5% respectively between 2009 and 2014.
Transcending gender
Of course, the success of gender-specific flavours could very much depend on the strength of gender roles in a given market, as these specialised products are much more likely to take off in regions where male and female roles are still clearly defined.
However, as more women join the workforce in emerging markets and are free to spend their disposable incomes as they choose, these specialised products might be exactly what they desire.
Of course, players will need to take a nuanced approach which addresses gender differences in a subtle and tasteful way that does not offend or alienate any specific consumer groups. The trick will be creating the appropriate brand image and accompanying it with a high-impact marketing and educational campaign.
Either way, this blossoming trend highlights the need for flavour and fragrance houses to take a closer look at further consumer segmentation. Undoubtedly, there are also opportunities beyond gender, with other niche consumer groups distinguished by age or lifestyle.
Amphenol was founded in Chicago in 1932 by entrepreneur Arthur Schmitt, whose first product was a tube socket for radio tubes. Amphenol expanded significantly during World War II, when the company became the primary manufacturer of connectors used in military hardware, including airplanes and radios. From 1967 to 1982 it was part of Bunker Ramo Corporation.
Amphenol's revenues in 2010 were $3.55 billion. The company sells its products into diverse electronics markets, including military-aerospace, industrial, automotive, information technology, mobile phones, wireless infrastructure, broadband, medical, and pro audio. Operations are located in more than 60 locations around the world. The company is included in the S&P Midcap 400 index. Amphenol's Chairman is Dr. Martin H. Loeffler.Chief Executive Officer is R. Adam Norwitt.
Amphenol's world headquarters is located in Wallingford, Connecticut. The largest division of Amphenol is Amphenol Aerospace (formerly Bendix Corporation) in Sidney, New York. This is the birth place of the D38999 cylindrical connector. Amphenol engineers also invented the commonly-used BNC connector ("Bayonet Neill-Concelman").
Amphenol Cables on Demand, another division of Amphenol launched in December 2006, specializes in distributing standard cable assemblies via their e-commerce storefront. They sell more than 2500 audio, video, computer, and networking cables. Offices are located in New York, California, Florida, and China.
The proposed study will only focus on the variables customer relationship management, quality management, and marketing strategies of IPCL. It will only dwell on the company’s performance on the three variables and the recommendations will only be limited to those areas. Regarding the respondents, this proposed study will only conduct the research on employees in the Marketing Division, Customer Relation Department, and the department responsible in quality management, if one exists. Furthermore, the study will also conduct its survey on the top management of IPCL and other employees in the accounting section to determine the profit that the company acquires from projects in customer relations, quality management, and marketing.
The outcome of this study will be limited only to the data gathered from books and journals and from the primary data gathered from the result of the questionnaire survey and interview that will be conducted by the researcher.
Overview of the Methodology
For this study, primary research and secondary research will be used. Primary research will be conducted using questionnaire surveys that will be sent to the employees of the Marketing Division, Customer Relationship Department, and Quality Management Department, if one exists. If there is no department that specifically handles TQM, questionnaires will be sent instead to the Human Relations Management (HRM). Furthermore, the top-management will also be surveyed as well as the several employees in the accounting division. Through this questionnaire survey, the researcher will hopefully get to know the performance level of all the departments mentioned. The researcher will also be conducting interview with certain respondents, particularly in the top-management and the management teams in the three departments, as well as in the HRM.
The questionnaires will be used to collect quantitative data and the interviews will be used to provide qualitative insights into the data collected. A questionnaire would be emailed to the concerned employees of IPCL
in order to gather information to achieve the objectives of the project.
Managers in the marketing division, quality management division and CRM
department would be advised to complete the questionnaire and
interview for more detailed information. The projects handled earlier, if any,
would be researched and analyzed in order to understand the intricacies
of the success and failure of the company. The questionnaires will be designed with a view to get answers that would determine the main objective of the study. All the questionnaires will be structured in a set and will be close-ended with multiple-choice questions. Some questionnaires will be descriptive.
You can find much of this kind of information in local libraries or on the Web, but books and business publications, as well as magazines and newspapers, are also great sources.
Although secondary research is less expensive than primary research, it's not as accurate, or as useful, as specific and customized research. For instance, secondary research will tell you how much teenagers spent last year on basketball shoes, but not how much they're willing to pay for the shoe design your company has in mind.
Primary Research
Simply put, primary research is research that's tailored to a company's particular needs. By customizing tried-and-true approaches — focus groups, surveys, field tests, interviews or observation — you can gain information about your target market. For example, you can investigate an issue specific to your business, get feedback about your Web site, assess demand for a proposed service, gauge response to various packaging options, and find out how much consumers will shell out for a new product.
Primary research delivers more specific results than secondary research, which is an especially important consideration when you're launching a new product or service. In addition, primary research is usually based on statistical methodologies that involve sampling as little as 1 percent of a target market. This tiny sample can give an accurate representation of a particular market.
But professional primary research can be pricey. Tabs for focus groups can easily run from $3,000 to $6,000, and surveys cost anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 and up. Do-it-yourself research is, of course, much cheaper. Services that provide online survey tools usually charge a flat fee (typically around $1 or more per response) plus a setup fee. There are also a host of software products available that will help you conduct your own online and offline primary research.
As brand owners cater to more niche consumer groups and sectors such as men's grooming within beauty continue to grow, gender specificity could move into unlikely industries.
In sectors such as fine fragrances, this type of segmentation is already standard.
Floral and fruit fragrances are typically marketed to female clientele, whilst scents such as oud are targeted at men.
But what about less chartered territories such as flavours? Is there growth potential for gendered flavours for food and drink? With the global food/beverage flavours market expected to grow nearly 2.5% between 2010 and 2015, this niche segment is worth exploring.
Sex sells
Though gender specificity is more pronounced in areas such as beauty, experimentation around gender has been limited within food and drink. In soft drinks, Coca Cola's Diet Coke and Coke Zero are two well-known examples that have been specifically targeted to women and men, respectively.
Yet, these are similar products being marketed to the different genders rather than unique formulations specifically designed for male or female consumers.
Therefore, the food and soft drinks players which are currently creating and positioning products to suit a specific gender are the front runners of a trend which is occurring simultaneously across very different markets.
In Brazil, PepsiCo recently launched Ruffles “Your way,” chips/crisps with a barbecue flavour for men and a cream cheese flavour for women. In Japan, a range of ginger and yuzu flavoured bottled waters placed in 'feminine' packaging have been launched for female customers.
With soft drinks accounting for nearly 32% of the global food/beverage flavours market, it is no surprise that these players are testing the waters here first.
Females, flavours and functionality
Of course, with health and wellness as a driving force for the food and drinks industries, there is ample opportunity for brand owners to incorporate not only gender-specific flavours but also those that evoke gender-specific nutritional requirements and functionality.
Soy flavours, which can be marketed as both feminine and functional because of soy's links to breast cancer prevention and relief of menopause are a good example.
Flavours of fruits well-known for their antioxidant properties such as blueberries can also be targeted at beauty-conscious female consumers. Japan's Sapporo recently launched its yuzu flavoured Bi (beauty) soda which not only contains dietary fibre and collagen, but is flavoured with yuzu, a fruit which is renowned for its links to skin health.
More gender-specific flavours could be targeted at the health and wellness beverage sectors expected to see the most growth – RTD coffee and tea, which are forecast to grow 50% and 5% respectively between 2009 and 2014.
Transcending gender
Of course, the success of gender-specific flavours could very much depend on the strength of gender roles in a given market, as these specialised products are much more likely to take off in regions where male and female roles are still clearly defined.
However, as more women join the workforce in emerging markets and are free to spend their disposable incomes as they choose, these specialised products might be exactly what they desire.
Of course, players will need to take a nuanced approach which addresses gender differences in a subtle and tasteful way that does not offend or alienate any specific consumer groups. The trick will be creating the appropriate brand image and accompanying it with a high-impact marketing and educational campaign.
Either way, this blossoming trend highlights the need for flavour and fragrance houses to take a closer look at further consumer segmentation. Undoubtedly, there are also opportunities beyond gender, with other niche consumer groups distinguished by age or lifestyle.
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