netrashetty
Netra Shetty
Diebold, Inc. (NYSE: DBD) ( /ˈdiːboʊld/, DEE-bold) is a United States-based security systems corporation that is engaged primarily in the sale, manufacture, installation and service of self-service transaction systems (such as ATMs), electronic and physical security products (including vaults and currency processing systems), and software and integrated systems for global financial and commercial markets. Diebold is the largest U.S. manufacturer of ATMs.[1]
Diebold was incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio in August 1876, and is headquartered in the Akron-Canton area; its mailing address is the city of North Canton,[2] but its physical address is located in the city of Green.[3]
Williams (1994) relates that there are two forms of international franchising: domestic and international. As franchisors develop, fine-tune, and become successful with their franchise systems in their home markets, they often look to internationalize their operations. In choosing international markets, cultural and physical proximity is important because of the standardized business format it utilizes. Cultural proximity as a criterion for selecting an overseas market is evidenced by the existence of both types of international franchising among nations reflecting the following cultures (as cited in Preble and Hoffman, 2002). Differing tastes, habits, and preferences were cited by several respondents as important cultural/social factors that international franchising firms would need to consider for adapting their products or services to their country. As such, franchisors appear to be basing their strategies on country-specific advantages of location and culture (as cited in Preble and Hoffman, 2002). Reciprocity could be also a factor in country selection. If a foreign franchisor has success in another country's market, firms in the other country are likely to reciprocate and enter that domestic market.
Further, franchisee is the individual granted a franchise, as to market a company’s goods or services in specific local areas, and the one who grants such franchise is called as the franchisor. Franchisees are always fascinated by the advantages of converging into the concept of franchise that includes established trade name, proven market, access to experienced network and advice, allocated franchise trade area, integral training in business skills and sales, market intelligence from franchisors, bulk buying powers of the franchisors, readily-available financing and lead-time to success. There are inherent detriments to franchising including control, price and conflicts. Though the franchise outlets are owned and operated by the franchisees, the franchisors retain overall control and decisions of the key operations in the form of approval intended for the use of the system, trademarks, assistance training, pricing and marketing thus losing control in the process and shrinking sense of ownership. Further, the cost structures unique to franchising may contribute to the conflict between the two as there are pecuniary obligations from both sides.
As Houlston (2007) puts it, franchising has always had a reputation as a less aggressive form of business that has now changed into economic value-adding endeavour for UK business sector. In UK too franchising was propelled by large international chains and brands from the 1960s and since then it does not experience significant levels of decline. According to Houlston, franchising was viewed as the non-entrepreneurial way to penetrate the business while tapping brand building. For Phillips, franchising is the cheapest and simplest way to strike own business for people who otherwise lacks experience. Franchising is not about acquiring and applying technical knowledge about the business but rather on the ability to run their outlets. As such, UK franchising is the channelling of energy into following plans that gauge the right option (2007).
Fried and Elango (1997) contend that franchising has its own perspective. Based on empirical analysis, they found out that franchising has implications for the society whether the “social benefits of franchising outweigh the costs society incurs because of it”. Though franchising has beneficial impact on society by means of improved economic efficiency, franchising relationship has proven restraints on trade. Profit maximisation has seen to be the motivation for these franchising relationships. A research conducted by Welsh et al (2006) learned that franchisees has immense benefits in the form of periodic system wide programs and promotions, new product innovations and developments, superior market research and advice as backed by reputable franchisors.
The other strategic objective was to identify loader backhoe design advancements desired by the worldwide market at prices the markets were willing to pay. Pursuant to this, nearly 30 executives and engineers from around the world had to agree on a marketing research design that would be effective in their respective countries. To reach this agreement, careful attention was paid to differences among countries with respect to language, loader backhoe usage, cultural variations, psychological differences related to using rating scales, and numerous other nuances that could potentially affect the outcome of marketing research.
Grueling field tests
The first step was qualitative research, but traditional interviews or focus groups would not suffice. Because of the major financial investment resting on the results of this research, we did not want comments about brands which were based on an operator's memory alone or on perceptions that may have been formed without any hands-on experience with each of the brands. Since a loader backhoe can cost at much as $100,000 it is unlikely that operators would have owned, or even operated, all the leading brands of loader backhoes. For this reason, operators could not realistically compare the brands in consumer-style interviews or focus groups.
Qualitative research was needed which obtained the same type of information as consumer-style focus groups or in-home product tests, but which also addressed the problem of operators not having experience with each brand. We chose field tests with each of five leading brands as the best way to level the playing field for brand experience. And we made the field tests grueling so that any real performance differences could be detected by operators.
The field tests were a week of 12-hour days in a remote location. Up at first light each day, operators tested all five leading brands in common but demanding loader backhoe jobs, such as digging trenches and backfilling, lifting 2,000-pound weights, maneuvering in tight spaces, and loading a dump truck with soil.
Operators were carefully recruited from all over the U.S. to provide a balance of: brands of loader backhoes owned, geographical location, small and large companies, range of ages, and varied primary use of the loader backhoe. The purpose of this was to give no brand an advantage in the field tests. And the field tests were conducted by Chicago-based Strategic Business Research, which implemented a large number of security precautions so that no operator could determine the sponsoring company.
Operators put each loader backhoe brand through the field test for a long enough period of time to effectively evaluate the actual operating performance of each brand. Following each test, operators rated the brand on an extensive list of performance attributes, and then took notes on the reasons for their ratings. Operators used their notes later in the day during in-depth discussions led by a moderator from Strategic Business Research.
During these talks, operators detailed the reasoning behind each brand's ratings. Strategic Business Research further explored additional areas that were experienced but not part of any field test such as: cab and seat comfort, loader backhoe lighting on the job area, gauges, dealer service, and reasons for brand selected in the most recently purchased loader backhoe.
Scale surprises
The field tests also were used to customize and pre-test scales for later use in the quantitative stage of the marketing research. The intent was to develop scales that reflect the way operators think about loader backhoe performance. Researchers who routinely use symmetrical 7- or 9-point scales in their research may be surprised by our findings.
Operators clearly discerned four levels of satisfaction with loader backhoe performance attributes. They did not discern four levels of dissatisfaction. So the symmetrical satisfaction scale commonly used in marketing research was inappropriate for subsequent quantitative research.
We also found that use of the word extremely, as in "extremely satisfied," was inappropriate. While operators frequently said that more than one brand would be very effective for their job needs, they did not perceive anything "extremely" and never used a scale point with that adjective. So if we had presented a 7-point scale with the anchor points "extremely satisfied" and "extremely dissatisfied," as is common in marketing research, we really would have been presenting a 5-point scale from the operator's perspective.
We eventually determined that the scale which most effectively reflects the way operators think about their loader backhoes has four levels of satisfaction, a neutral point, and one level of dissatisfaction - a 6-point asymmetrical scale. (Subsequently, we learned that this applies to other construction equipment also.)
A larger scale would have introduced "noise" into the responses. Similarly, insisting that there be an equal number of levels of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction points would have clouded over subtle differences in operator responses.
Worldwide brand comparisons
Following the field tests and in-depth discussions, quantitative surveys were developed for the countries with the highest-volume loader backhoe markets. A number of procedural safeguards were used to assure dependable data in each country.
Three translators were used in each country to assure the questionnaire was effectively worded, meant the same thing in each country, and reflected the way operators actually talk about equipment. Researchers who use one translator when doing international research might be surprised to learn how long and difficult it is to get three bilingual people to agree on translations of simple questions and scales.
Both CNH Global and Strategic Business Research personally participated in the instruction sessions for the international interviewers. Although we are not bilingual ourselves, it was very clear from observing interviews and from interviewer feedback that taking an active role in the instruction sessions resulted in better-informed interviewers and higher-quality interviews. And we gained a stronger appreciation of the cultural and linguistic differences among countries that can impact responses to seemingly simple questions.
Of course, we pre-tested the questionnaires in each language. More importantly we statistically examined the distribution of responses to questions in each country. That the distributions (but not necessarily the scale results) were similar reinforced our confidence that the translated questionnaires were working effectively.
Diebold was incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio in August 1876, and is headquartered in the Akron-Canton area; its mailing address is the city of North Canton,[2] but its physical address is located in the city of Green.[3]
Williams (1994) relates that there are two forms of international franchising: domestic and international. As franchisors develop, fine-tune, and become successful with their franchise systems in their home markets, they often look to internationalize their operations. In choosing international markets, cultural and physical proximity is important because of the standardized business format it utilizes. Cultural proximity as a criterion for selecting an overseas market is evidenced by the existence of both types of international franchising among nations reflecting the following cultures (as cited in Preble and Hoffman, 2002). Differing tastes, habits, and preferences were cited by several respondents as important cultural/social factors that international franchising firms would need to consider for adapting their products or services to their country. As such, franchisors appear to be basing their strategies on country-specific advantages of location and culture (as cited in Preble and Hoffman, 2002). Reciprocity could be also a factor in country selection. If a foreign franchisor has success in another country's market, firms in the other country are likely to reciprocate and enter that domestic market.
Further, franchisee is the individual granted a franchise, as to market a company’s goods or services in specific local areas, and the one who grants such franchise is called as the franchisor. Franchisees are always fascinated by the advantages of converging into the concept of franchise that includes established trade name, proven market, access to experienced network and advice, allocated franchise trade area, integral training in business skills and sales, market intelligence from franchisors, bulk buying powers of the franchisors, readily-available financing and lead-time to success. There are inherent detriments to franchising including control, price and conflicts. Though the franchise outlets are owned and operated by the franchisees, the franchisors retain overall control and decisions of the key operations in the form of approval intended for the use of the system, trademarks, assistance training, pricing and marketing thus losing control in the process and shrinking sense of ownership. Further, the cost structures unique to franchising may contribute to the conflict between the two as there are pecuniary obligations from both sides.
As Houlston (2007) puts it, franchising has always had a reputation as a less aggressive form of business that has now changed into economic value-adding endeavour for UK business sector. In UK too franchising was propelled by large international chains and brands from the 1960s and since then it does not experience significant levels of decline. According to Houlston, franchising was viewed as the non-entrepreneurial way to penetrate the business while tapping brand building. For Phillips, franchising is the cheapest and simplest way to strike own business for people who otherwise lacks experience. Franchising is not about acquiring and applying technical knowledge about the business but rather on the ability to run their outlets. As such, UK franchising is the channelling of energy into following plans that gauge the right option (2007).
Fried and Elango (1997) contend that franchising has its own perspective. Based on empirical analysis, they found out that franchising has implications for the society whether the “social benefits of franchising outweigh the costs society incurs because of it”. Though franchising has beneficial impact on society by means of improved economic efficiency, franchising relationship has proven restraints on trade. Profit maximisation has seen to be the motivation for these franchising relationships. A research conducted by Welsh et al (2006) learned that franchisees has immense benefits in the form of periodic system wide programs and promotions, new product innovations and developments, superior market research and advice as backed by reputable franchisors.
The other strategic objective was to identify loader backhoe design advancements desired by the worldwide market at prices the markets were willing to pay. Pursuant to this, nearly 30 executives and engineers from around the world had to agree on a marketing research design that would be effective in their respective countries. To reach this agreement, careful attention was paid to differences among countries with respect to language, loader backhoe usage, cultural variations, psychological differences related to using rating scales, and numerous other nuances that could potentially affect the outcome of marketing research.
Grueling field tests
The first step was qualitative research, but traditional interviews or focus groups would not suffice. Because of the major financial investment resting on the results of this research, we did not want comments about brands which were based on an operator's memory alone or on perceptions that may have been formed without any hands-on experience with each of the brands. Since a loader backhoe can cost at much as $100,000 it is unlikely that operators would have owned, or even operated, all the leading brands of loader backhoes. For this reason, operators could not realistically compare the brands in consumer-style interviews or focus groups.
Qualitative research was needed which obtained the same type of information as consumer-style focus groups or in-home product tests, but which also addressed the problem of operators not having experience with each brand. We chose field tests with each of five leading brands as the best way to level the playing field for brand experience. And we made the field tests grueling so that any real performance differences could be detected by operators.
The field tests were a week of 12-hour days in a remote location. Up at first light each day, operators tested all five leading brands in common but demanding loader backhoe jobs, such as digging trenches and backfilling, lifting 2,000-pound weights, maneuvering in tight spaces, and loading a dump truck with soil.
Operators were carefully recruited from all over the U.S. to provide a balance of: brands of loader backhoes owned, geographical location, small and large companies, range of ages, and varied primary use of the loader backhoe. The purpose of this was to give no brand an advantage in the field tests. And the field tests were conducted by Chicago-based Strategic Business Research, which implemented a large number of security precautions so that no operator could determine the sponsoring company.
Operators put each loader backhoe brand through the field test for a long enough period of time to effectively evaluate the actual operating performance of each brand. Following each test, operators rated the brand on an extensive list of performance attributes, and then took notes on the reasons for their ratings. Operators used their notes later in the day during in-depth discussions led by a moderator from Strategic Business Research.
During these talks, operators detailed the reasoning behind each brand's ratings. Strategic Business Research further explored additional areas that were experienced but not part of any field test such as: cab and seat comfort, loader backhoe lighting on the job area, gauges, dealer service, and reasons for brand selected in the most recently purchased loader backhoe.
Scale surprises
The field tests also were used to customize and pre-test scales for later use in the quantitative stage of the marketing research. The intent was to develop scales that reflect the way operators think about loader backhoe performance. Researchers who routinely use symmetrical 7- or 9-point scales in their research may be surprised by our findings.
Operators clearly discerned four levels of satisfaction with loader backhoe performance attributes. They did not discern four levels of dissatisfaction. So the symmetrical satisfaction scale commonly used in marketing research was inappropriate for subsequent quantitative research.
We also found that use of the word extremely, as in "extremely satisfied," was inappropriate. While operators frequently said that more than one brand would be very effective for their job needs, they did not perceive anything "extremely" and never used a scale point with that adjective. So if we had presented a 7-point scale with the anchor points "extremely satisfied" and "extremely dissatisfied," as is common in marketing research, we really would have been presenting a 5-point scale from the operator's perspective.
We eventually determined that the scale which most effectively reflects the way operators think about their loader backhoes has four levels of satisfaction, a neutral point, and one level of dissatisfaction - a 6-point asymmetrical scale. (Subsequently, we learned that this applies to other construction equipment also.)
A larger scale would have introduced "noise" into the responses. Similarly, insisting that there be an equal number of levels of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction points would have clouded over subtle differences in operator responses.
Worldwide brand comparisons
Following the field tests and in-depth discussions, quantitative surveys were developed for the countries with the highest-volume loader backhoe markets. A number of procedural safeguards were used to assure dependable data in each country.
Three translators were used in each country to assure the questionnaire was effectively worded, meant the same thing in each country, and reflected the way operators actually talk about equipment. Researchers who use one translator when doing international research might be surprised to learn how long and difficult it is to get three bilingual people to agree on translations of simple questions and scales.
Both CNH Global and Strategic Business Research personally participated in the instruction sessions for the international interviewers. Although we are not bilingual ourselves, it was very clear from observing interviews and from interviewer feedback that taking an active role in the instruction sessions resulted in better-informed interviewers and higher-quality interviews. And we gained a stronger appreciation of the cultural and linguistic differences among countries that can impact responses to seemingly simple questions.
Of course, we pre-tested the questionnaires in each language. More importantly we statistically examined the distribution of responses to questions in each country. That the distributions (but not necessarily the scale results) were similar reinforced our confidence that the translated questionnaires were working effectively.