Management – Design Process – Burberry & Experian from UK Essays

Design Process – Burberry & Experian

According to Kotler and Rath, most companies lack a design touch but that successful design is integral to a companies success. Design is not just the look/ feel/ styling of a product, rather it is much more than that and that companies may experience an increase in profitability by taking on board the design elements of performance quality, durability, appearance and cost. (Kotler et al) and ensuring that customers needs are met both practically and aesthetically.

Using the above concepts, pertinent questions, such as those suggested below, may be asked of existing and potential clients. By understanding and communicating the design requirements appropriately, Experian and Burberry can aid their corporate performance by selling products and services that customers want and increase satisfaction because they are delivering what the client needs.

1. providing access to a wide variety of markets

2. a core competence should make a significant contribution to perceived customer benefits

3. should be difficult for competitors to replicate.

GUS is a retail and business services group (www.gusplc.com) which has been stream-lined from a diverse conglomerate into a group with three clear divisions or strategic business units (SBU) ARG, Experian and Burberry’s (Appendix 1). Each division is clearly defined and cover the mass market (ARG), the quality high end market (Burberry) and customer intelligence (Experian).

It can be seen from the SBU review (Appendix 1) that individually, non of the business units ‘pass’ the three step competency test, however, taken corporately as one, the GUS empire, together they form a unique portfolio and work together for the benefit of the overall group (GUS) and quite possibly unique in having three such distinct, and yet complementary divisions, all necessary to ensure corporate advantage and market growth.

Market Growth/ Market Share (Boston Group Matrix) overview and recommendations.

Having ascertained the customers’ exact needs and product requirements, Trueman and Jobber take the concept further by taking the design principle to a competitive level and introducing the four dimensions Value, Image, Process and Production (VIPP). Should Experian and Burberry’s introduce such a system, then this value added process ‘monitors’ the new product/ service development through concept to delivery.

Value represents the customers’ perceptions of value and whether expectations have been met, whilst the image portrayed by the company in delivering the product or service to the client is of paramount importance to the company. This should all be driven by a process from concept to fruition and the production timely and efficient.
All elements within the VIPP process can be monitored by undertaking research throughout the four stages and by imposing quality control systems for both the customers’ and companies benefit, as demonstrated in the table below.

(Based on article Competing through design)

Note: Ms Bravo

Further to our recent discussions, please find listed below an overview of how the design process may be managed at Burberry’s.

Firstly, it is most important that the process has not only senior management buy in, but has a senior member of staff with overall responsibility to drive the process and show commitment to all staff concerned. I would recommend taking the following steps if they are not in place at present:-

By undertaking the above activities the company will introduce and maintain a stronger design and customer focus.

Bibliography

Brassington, F, Pettitt, S (2000) Principles of Marketing (2nd Edition) (Essex, Pearson Education Limited: 2000)

Donaldson, B (1995) Customer Service as a Competitive Strategy Journal of Strategic Marketing, Vol.3 No.2: June 1995

Doyle, P (1998) Marketing Management and Strategy (2nd Edition) (Hemel Hempstead, Prentice Hall: 1998)

Drummond, G, Ensor, J, Ashford, R (2003) Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control (2nd Edition) (Oxford, Butterworth Heinemann: 2003)

Egan, C (1997) Creating Organisational Advantage (3rd Edition) (Oxford, Butterworth Heinemann: 1997)

Grant, R (1992) Contemporary Strategy Analysis (2nd Edition) (Cambridge Massachusetts, Blackwell Publishers: 1992)

Johnson, G. Scholes, K (2002) Exploring Corporate Strategy (6th edition) (Harlow, Financial Times, Prentice Hall: 2002)

Kotler, P (1997) Marketing Management – Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control) (9th Edition) (New Jersey, Prentice Hall: 1997)

Kotler, P Rath, A (year of journal to be inserted by customer??) Design: A Powerful But Neglected Strategic Tool(???name of journal to be inserted by customer)

Lynch, R (2003) Corporate Strategy 3rd edition. (London, Financial Times Pitman: 2003)

Porter, M (1985) Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance (New York, Free Press: 1985)

Prahalad, C.K. Hamel, G (1990) The Core Competence of the Corporation (Harvard Business Review May – June 1990)

Trueman, M Jobber, D (1998) Competing Through Design (Long range planning, Vol.31, 1998)

Whittington, R (1997) What is Strategy and does it Matter? London, International Thompson Business Press: 1997)

www.bbc.co.uk

www.gusplc.com

Appendix

Burberry’s

Experian

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