Introduction
The company decided to implement the Brand Focused Value Creation strategy to improve the quality of services it offers its customers. Whirlpool intended to make its customers more loyal to its products to increase its market share. Whirlpool’s management sought to strengthen the value of its brands in the market to make them more appealing to customers. Whirlpool had implemented different brand strategies in the past which had not been successful.
The BFVC strategy was intended to make the firm more competitive in the global market because it wanted to introduce innovative processes that would enable it to come up with new products. The firm had become the largest producer of home appliances in the world and is intended to sustain its competitiveness in order to remain at the top (Rivkin, Leonard, and Hamel 8).
Main body
Whirlpool’s management wanted to align its brands to prevailing consumer behavior and attitudes to improve the value of its products in the market. Many customers in the market had begun to develop preferences for products that satisfied their domestic needs and expectations. There were a lot of products in the market which consumers were able to choose from depending on their needs and income. Consumers had developed different attitudes regarding products they wanted to buy and this compelled the firm to change its brand strategy in the market. Changes in consumer behavior and lifestyles required the company to change its long term outlook. It had to come up with products that satisfied consumers’ needs and expectations (Rivkin, Leonard, and Hamel 14).
Whirlpool implemented the new BFVC strategy by introducing innovative practices in its operations. The firm encouraged all employees to contribute ideas on how different improvements in the company’s processes could be implemented. Senior managers led other employees in developing new systems that improved the quality of work processes in the firm. The firm encouraged all employees to collaborate in their duties by sharing their skills and expertise to achieve good results.
This improved the quality of Whirlpool’s products which made them more competitive in the market. The firm wanted to make its employees more committed to their duties to improve results obtained from different work processes. Senior managers were trained on new methods they needed to use to make all employees more passionate in their duties (Rivkin, Leonard, and Hamel, “Change at Whirlpool B” 4).
All managers set new goals and objectives for their departments which made it easy to implement the new company policy changes. Innovation teams were established and they were tasked with the responsibility of coming up with new ideas to help the firm improve its internal and external processes. These teams were spread out regionally and they analyzed market opportunities in different markets which had the potential of helping the firm grow its revenues and market share.
These innovation teams developed new market concepts that became popular with many consumers. Whirlpool later initiated a shift in consumer trends and behavior in the market which improved the reputation of its brands (Rivkin, Leonard, and Hamel, “Change at Whirlpool B” 9).
Whirlpool’s BFVC strategy helped the firm come up with new product lines which increased the demand for its products in the market. The strategy helped the firm strengthen its ties with customers because the value of its products in the market had increased. The company’s management understood customers’ needs and expectations which were captured by the shift in strategy. The BFVC strategy enabled all workers in the organization to collaborate to good outcomes.
The strategy improved knowledge management in the firm because employees were encouraged to contribute ideas which improved the quality of all processes. The firm’s management recognized the value employees add to its operations and this motivated them to improve their performance and output (Rivkin, Leonard, and Hamel, “Change at Whirlpool C” 5).
The BFVC strategy helped the firm to improve its internal product development functions which became more aligned to existing market needs. The strategy made the firm allocate resources based on priority needs which enabled the firm to implement quality systems in all internal operations. The BFVC strategy made the firm more cohesive because it encouraged different divisions to exchange ideas and skills which helped the firm improve its internal functions. This strategy made it easy for the firm to segment its target customers in different global regions based on their needs, backgrounds, and attitudes. This made more customers have confidence and loyalty in the firm’s products because of their strong attachment to the firm (Rivkin, Leonard, and Hamel, “Change at Whirlpool C” 7).
Conclusion
Whirlpool’s BFVC strategies have made the company more competitive in its operations in the market. The firm also needs to improve its supply chain functions to encourage customers with a low purchasing power to purchase its products. Asian, Latin American, and African consumers have a higher sensitivity toward prices. The firm needs to develop a global strategy that enables it to sell low-priced products in these markets which have large numbers of low-income customers. This approach will make it possible for the firm to increase its sales revenues. The firm needs to train its managers on cross-cultural management to make it easy for them to deal with customers from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
Works Cited
Rivkin, Jan W., Dorothy Leonard, and Gary Hamel. “Change at Whirlpool Corporation (A).” Harvard Business School Case Study 9-705-462 (2006): 1-17. Print.
Rivkin, Jan W., Dorothy Leonard, and Gary Hamel. “Change at Whirlpool Corporation (B).” Harvard Business School Case Study 9-705-463 (2006): 1-12. Print.
Rivkin, Jan W., Dorothy Leonard, and Gary Hamel. “Change at Whirlpool Corporation (C).” Harvard Business School Case Study 9-705-464 (2006): 1-10. Print.