Business Commons^™

Preparing And Executing An Effective Sales Call, Mackenzie Wright

Honors Theses

This thesis is written in a business document format. It will have four main sections: Introduction, Preparation, Execution, and Conclusion. Each section will include subsections. I will be discussing my involvement in the International Collegiate Sales Competition (ICSC), which was my thesis project. I will be comparing my participation in the ICSC to the knowledge I gained during my tenure as a Sales and Business Marketing student in the Haworth College of Business.

Any data or information was taken from WMU’s website, the ICSC website, and my knowledge from WMU sales classes.

Competing In The International Collegiate Sales Competition, Christina Cook

Honors Theses

The following report aims to analyze the process that is involved in competing in the International Collegiate Sales Competition. There will be an overview of the selection process and the competition itself and an analysis of the overall performance at the competition. In addition, there will also be an overview of lessons learned by competing along with general suggestions to future competitors and competition coordinators.

Before examining the details of the competition, this thesis will address the Sales and Business Marketing program at Western Michigan University. In addition, there will be models referenced within Western Michigan University’s sales program that …

Does Social Media Help Create Brand Loyalty?, Ali Russo

Honors Theses

Throughout my time at Haworth College of Business, Social Media has been a big topic of discussion. The issue has not been if companies should use it as a tool to reach consumers but how do companies effectively utilize Social Media sites. Companies have two important ways to utilize these sites: the first is to collect data from users, and the second is to create a platform where they can interact and influence purchasing decisions. I wanted to create a thesis that focused on the interaction side of Social Media. Initially, I wanted to see if Social Media would create …

Creating Competitive Advantage In The Premium Market Segment Through A Sustainability Strategy, Andrew E. Iberg

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Training Needs Of A Worldwide Military Exchange Salesforce, Chelsea Camarda

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the training needs of a worldwide military exchange salesforce to enhance their ability to train store personnel on product knowledge and customer service at military exchange stores.

Social Good And The Competitive Advantage Of Doing It Well, Morris Shawn

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study then is to show that though social good has become largely common in Corporate America, very few businesses are doing social good well. This creates an opportunity for competitive advantage and for a few businesses to capitalize on it.

Differing Effects Of Goals On Sales Control Systems And Multifaceted Job Satisfaction, Anne Gottfried

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

This research empirically explored the differing effects of both quantitative and qualitative goals on sales force motivation in the context of sales force control systems and the various facets of job satisfaction. An interactive sales controls–goal systems model was presented with the objective of more clearly understanding what is going on inside the black box. Relevant to this study was capturing all seven facets of the INDSALES scale. Given the limitations of global measures of job satisfaction, this investigation more fully explained the relationships among types of sales force control systems on multifaceted job satisfaction than what currently exists with …

Sales And Operations Planning: A Performance Framework, Scott C. Ambrose

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

Despite a robust body of practitioner-oriented literature focused on the importance of balancing customer demand with product supply within companies, there is very little empirical research suggesting how to achieve it. Sales and Operations planning (S&OP) is a tactical approach meant to help firms accomplish demand and supply balance at aggregate levels. While guidebooks authored by consultants suggest best practices that lead to S&OP success, many experts agree that companies have fallen short of achieving the anticipated benefits. Carried out by cross-functional teams, S&OP entails getting people from different thought worlds to work toward a common goal, a challenging task …

Why Empowering Salespeople Is A Double Edge Sword, Lucy Matthews

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

Salespeople in business-to-business markets are given autonomy to manage firms’ relationships with their customers. This autonomy implies that salespeople are responsible for making decisions that not only benefit but may also adversely impact customers (e.g., offer an account preferential treatment vs. terminate an established account). While numerous studies establish that autonomy (a critical facet of empowerment) has a positive impact on sales employee’s job outcomes, this study investigates the possibility that salesperson autonomy also has undesirable effects on salesperson job outcomes because it makes them responsible for decisions that have adverse consequences on the customers they are charged with satisfying. …

Old Style Havana Rum: Start Up Plan, Bryan S. Midlik

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Old Style Havana Rum Start Up Plan includes the market analysis and feasibility of creating start up rum company in North East Ohio. A rum industry analysis helps lead to a creative start up strategy and a first year financial plan for what will be a new liquor on the market.

Folgers: The New Era Of Coffee, Anthony J. Jakubowski, Danielle Hickman, Annie Pang, Adrianna Hartman, Alex Naragon

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The primary purpose of this paper is to discuss the repositioning of the Folgers brand through a new and improved Brand Pyramid and two strategic recommendations. In order to come to these conclusions, the group utilized secondary research to gain a background on the coffee industry as a whole, the acquisition of the Folgers brand by Smucker’s, the competition relative to Folgers in the coffee market, a social media analysis focusing on the competitors, and finally research regarding the Millennial generation. The conclusions from this secondary research led to the methodology used in order to come up with the new …