To help a product gain traction in the target market setting, one must deploy a proper marketing strategy and create a sustainable marketing mix framework. Thus, a competitive advantage of the product will become more obvious. There is a distinctive connection between the marketing mix and a marketing strategy; namely, the former informs the latter (Bovaird & Löffler, 2009). Bovaird and Löffler (2009, p. 84) assert that there is a clear link between “strategic management and marketing strategy.” Since, according to Mintzberg, a strategy could be interpreted in a narrower way as positioning a product, the marketing mix, indeed, defines the marketing strategy (Bovaird & Löffler, 2009). However, in a more nuanced sense, one could argue that the two have a reciprocal impact on each other, with the choice of the product positioning and the target audience shaping the marketing strategy, and the latter determining the tools used to represent the product and convey the brand message to the target audience.
Protecting the rights of employees is critical in the context of modern business relationships. Due to the lack of control over the private sector. The instances of employees’ rights being neglected or overlooked increases (Bovaird & Löffler, 2009). Therefore, securing the rights of employees by including appropriate clauses addressing possible areas of concern in the contract is vital. The proposed measure will allow safeguarding the rights of people with protected characteristics such as “sex, race, religion or disability” (Bovaird & Löffler, 2009, p. 104). However, it is dubious that the specified measure will cover all possible instances of the violations of employees’ rights. Therefore, contractual clauses need to be seen as one of the main tools in supporting workers’ rights, yet it should not be the only mechanism for doing so. Additionally, strategies such as the creation of trade unions and the introduction of respective regulations into the UK law must be considered.
The issue of workplace responsibility remains a largely contested issue due to the challenges in reinforcing it within a workplace setting. While the classical models of building corporate social responsibility (CSR) are still regarded as relevant, the NSP ad Barnard–Simon stakeholder models have been gradually introduced into the organizational setting. Although the Barnard–Simon stakeholder model reiterates a range of principles of the utility theory, it still offers a unique perspective on the effects that specific types of leadership have on the extent of employees’ performance, as well as their willingness to perform. Namely, both models guide an employee from understanding work to prioritizing it (Bovaird & Löffler, 2009).
Motivating staff in the public sector context implies facing unique challenges that are not found in other domains. For this reason, specific terms must be introduced into its context to navigate the environment. In the specified setting, one might consider creating teams of “knights” to motivate the rest of the staff. Indeed, due to knights’ altruism, they can become a perfect support system. In turn, “knaves” as self-interested ones can be encouraged by providing options for professional development and education (Bovaird & Löffler, 2009). Pawns as the least assertive members of the workplace team can be encouraged to accept service-related responsibilities in order to satisfy the needs of “queens,” or customers, who must be prioritized.
In the present-day environment, where information technologies have become increasingly accessible to almost any social class, the digital divide might seem as an issue to be easily managed. However, for different reasons and due to an array of obstacles, some employees may have limited access to IT tools. Therefore, the phenomenon of the digital divide should be an issue of major concern for policy-makers (Bovaird & Löffler, 2009). Specifically, the latter should consider the avenues for removing the digital divide and assisting people in mastering the use of required digital tools.
Reference
Bovaird, T., & Löffler, E. (2003). Public management and governance (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.