America Needs Preschool for All Children Essay -- Argumentative Persua

America Needs Preschool for All Children As you stroll into the room, a diminutive child approaches your legs and presses your knees. Screeches of pleasure skip off the dividers as children boogie to Disney tunes, and another gathering is carefully drawing pictures of rainbow hued snowmen. The swoon smell of newly prepared chocolate chip treats drifts through the room. Wherever you look, there are grins. Sounds extraordinary? Going to preschool resembles going through a field of dreams. Lamentably, few out of every odd youngster gets the chance to encounter preschool. For low-salary families, especially single parents, preschool is a colossal money related weight. In spite of what guardians need for their kids, it isn’t consistently a down to earth choice; now and again, the expense of selecting their kids exceeds the cash earned at an occupation (Mason 46). Before long, moms are sending their children to preschool so they can work to bring in cash to pay for preschool. Moreover, without instruction, guardians are kept to the lowest pay permitted by law employments with no desire for headway (49). Where’s the motivator to work? Robin Mason depicts one single mother’s inspiration. For her, business is something beyond cash; rather, it’s additionally a way to help her confidence, increase budgetary freedom, and set a positive model for her youngsters. She underscores her obligation to her youngsters to keep a rooftop over their head, be a decent mother, and pick a quality childcare (47). The estimation of preschool is regularly ignored as guardians think about it for its utilitarian purposes. Albeit most preschools do work as a childcare, the benefits picked up from early training follow youngsters all through their whole lives. Youngsters at this ready age are anxious to learn, amped up for the humming scene aroun... ...cial and intellectual abilities endure under the strain (195). In any case, there is trust: a cherishing, steady condition that urges youngsters to develop into themselves. Preschool. Government programs are set up to help low-pay families counterbalance the expenses, and national organizations offer multidimensional help for preschoolers and their families. Seven hours in a homeroom doesn’t fix the issues at home. Or maybe, these projects are intended to help low-pay families through a multi-faceted methodology, assaulting a few issues in one compelling blow (Olson, Ceballo, and Park 427). These projects offer an assortment of assets, including child rearing classes, stress the board courses, family directing, and sustenance training. Through these projects, the whole network is accepting accountability for dealing with its kids. All things considered, it takes a town to bring up a kid. America Needs Preschool for All Children Essay - Argumentative Persua America Needs Preschool for All Children As you stroll into the room, a small child approaches your legs and crushes your knees. Screeches of pleasure ricochet off the dividers as children boogie to Disney tunes, and another gathering is fastidiously drawing pictures of rainbow shaded snowmen. The black out smell of newly prepared chocolate chip treats drifts through the room. Wherever you look, there are grins. Sounds extraordinary? Going to preschool resembles going through a field of dreams. Lamentably, few out of every odd youngster gets the chance to encounter preschool. For low-salary families, especially single parents, preschool is a gigantic monetary weight. In spite of what guardians need for their kids, it isn’t consistently a commonsense choice; now and again, the expense of enlisting their youngsters exceeds the cash earned at an occupation (Mason 46). Before long, moms are sending their children to preschool so they can work to bring in cash to pay for preschool. Besides, without instruction, guardians are limited to the lowest pay permitted by law employments with no expectation of headway (49). Where’s the motivating force to work? Robin Mason depicts one single mother’s inspiration. For her, work is something other than cash; rather, it’s additionally a way to help her confidence, increase budgetary freedom, and set a positive model for her kids. She stresses her duty to her youngsters to keep a rooftop over their head, be a decent mother, and pick a quality childcare (47). The estimation of preschool is frequently disregarded as guardians think about it for its utilitarian purposes. Albeit most preschools do work as a childcare, the benefits picked up from early training follow kids all through their whole lives. Kids at this ready age are anxious to learn, amped up for the humming scene aroun... ...cial and psychological abilities endure under the strain (195). Be that as it may, there is trust: a cherishing, steady condition that urges youngsters to develop into themselves. Preschool. Government programs are set up to help low-pay families counterbalance the expenses, and national offices offer multidimensional help for preschoolers and their families. Seven hours in a study hall doesn’t fix the issues at home. Or maybe, these projects are intended to help low-salary families through a multi-faceted methodology, assaulting a few issues in one forceful blow (Olson, Ceballo, and Park 427). These projects offer an assortment of assets, including child rearing classes, stress the executives courses, family directing, and nourishment training. Through these projects, the whole network is accepting accountability for dealing with its kids. All things considered, it takes a town to bring up a kid.

Robin Hood free essay sample

An individual who concocts the specific plan to maintain the business or one who put forth attempts to pick up the benefit to the organization is the CEO (Chief Executive Officer). Here, Robin Hood assumes a job of a CEO. President isn't the main individual who runs the association at the same time, there are individuals get employed who supports to accomplish the objectives and goals or vision and crucial the association. In this situation Robin Hood had four primary people who were supporting him by dealing with different offices, for example, Finance, HR, Purchasing and the insight and they’re a great deal of representative who underpins him in his business yet he was missing to oversee them. With the assistance from the accompanying outline bifurcation of the individuals are as per the following: Robin Hood (CEO) VISION AND MISSION An individual effectively accomplish something in a similar way an association that maintains the business for a particular objective for which they investing their amounts of energy to accomplish something which is known as Vision and to accomplish the vision toward the finish of the particular time frame or one who accomplish the objective or target toward the finish of the visionary time frame is known as Mission. For any association Vision assumes a most significant job and mission works at the same time. Vision of the association changes after a specific period relies on the circumstance of the market or of the association. Vision can be clarified and characterized from multiple points of view. Be that as it may, as indicated by Benson Peter and Lansdell Sally vision is to accomplish the specific focused on objective and goal in explicit years to contend with the market. It is significant that for each individual who is in the association including the top administration of the organization should chip away at the equivalent and explicit vision not for his/her own advantage. Crucial likewise characterize and clarified from multiple points of view. In any case, According o Catlin-legutko, and Cinnamon strategic only the last objective or goal accomplished by the association so that in the wake of accomplishing it everybody ought to be profited, for example, investors, speculators, representatives of the association, and so on. ROBIN HOOD’S VISION AND MISSION As Robin realized that he needs to begin thinking about the endurance in the business so he began to change in his own conduct and procedure. His vision and mission was to come over the vendors or the opponents whom so ever interferes with in his business so he can even now get by in the market and for his seat. He was beginning dealing with his workers and attempts to make the individuals to go along with him and bolster him for his association. For which he acquaint the strategies with take from the rich and give it poor. In any case, by doing this he would land up with substantially more foes. Individuals will quit confiding in him and notoriety in the market and even according to the individuals would be as a cheat, that was less simple at the same time, he put forth his attempts by utilizing progressively various abilities and procedures. Robin presents the strategy for cargo sending in which he went about as a center man, with the goal that his notoriety in the market stays predictable. He additionally turned into the broker buying the merchandise from them and selling at more significant expense by the method of assessment. He additionally thought of executing the contender yet that was not all that simple for him to do it. It is human conduct that when they begin losing their vision and strategic be steady, they thing and use various procedures. In short brain glimmers with various thoughts doesn't stay steady, something very similar occurred with the Robin Hood he thought of various plans to endure or to exist in the market. For any association to accomplish the vision or strategic CEO must realize the economic situation and about the contenders inside and remotely so an organization should know where it stands and coordinates with the economic situation or probably they need to turn out to be inside to accomplish their particular objective. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTH WEAKNESS OF THE ROBIN HOOD Organization The principle quality of the Robin that he had enormous vision. For which even he had a great deal of labor and can select or present and even pull in individuals as a result of his image picture and can utilize then more into his business. More labor there will be proficient and persuaded deals power. Taking a gander at the labor and the economic situation of the business he can without much of a stretch panic the contenders. As he had numerous labor yet he couldn't oversee use them appropriately. He was missing to give them the fundamental needs, for example, food. Indeed, even he was confronting the opposition dread from the vendors. OPPORTUNITY THREAT OF THE ROBIN HOOD Organization Robin primary quality was his labor. With that he can extend his current business or go into new business in better places and division. Chance to begin conveying the representative their needs and make a conveying picture with the goal that they shouldn’t leave him. As each coin has different sides, his labor was his greatest danger, danger of losing them. Contenders or the opponents can take the advantage of the market since they have different assets which Robin doesn't have. Key OBJECTIVES According to Bromiley Philip vital target implies that concentrating on the bigger customer in the market or encouraging them by giving best of value item absent substantially more spending on the item. An organization ought to extemporize on their item plan, profitability or on the creation procedure and the improvement in the worker with the goal that they can accomplish their objective. As in the setting with the Robin Hood association, he is confronting part of difficulty in the business in light of the fact that there were many pot openings which need to fixed by proficient long haul key arranging which could help him in any event to conceal with his need which are essential and this will assist him with building a relationship with his representatives. With this positive conduct he will likewise get the help from the representatives and he will complete his work too. On the off chance that he needs to be fruitful and need to make his business gainful he needs to rely on the worker. I would propose following vital destinations to Mr. Robin Hood they are as per the following: As he is the ruler situates on the seat he should have parcel of land, utilize that land for development of your own food grains, own animals for cultivating, natural products, vegetables, therapeutic plants, building representative houses, and so forth encourage them with all the fixings so they you get reliant on one another. On the off chance that the harvest develops more than the desire in the wake of providing for your whole worker so you can send out and acquire more cash. This will increment in your benefit, advertise rate, your altruism you will increment by each side of bit. Their will even increment in the economy rate. It will require some investment for the above things at any rate you can begin escort administrations to the representative till where they can locate their essential needs. Increment your business by buying the place that is known for the other zone using to your own extension of business. You can likewise extend by giving cargo sending administrations to the organization. Giving your labor on causality premise to the next firm which will assist you with building up a business relationship. You can execute new strategy in bows and arrows and preparing ought to be given. This will assist Robin With hooding in the development of his business as well as fabricate a decent solid relationship with in the association and support balance in the market. MICHAEL PORTER’S GENERIC STRATEGY MODELS Generic systems implies that an organization embraces create and execute another business methodology to contend in the market with the contender. Watchman prescribes this methodology to the bases of the nonexclusive system which will be the bit of leeway for serious increases. There are three kinds of conventional key as indicated by the Porter: Each type is clarified in detail as underneath: Low Cost According to the Porter Model Company execute the technique of diminishing the cost of the ware with the goal that purchaser can purchase their item at a less expensive rate contrast with the others organization product. Purchaser feels that equivalent item is been sold at the less expensive rate in contrast with other yet, they doesn't have the foggiest idea about this is all business system. Organization diminishes the nature of the item so their assembling cost get lessen and can sell a similar item at a less expensive rate to contend in the market with the another organization. They utilize this strategies to turn into the pioneer in the market of cap certain item selling at the least expensive rate by diminishing the nature of the item. Separation Porter clarifies in this technique that an organization delivers the item with the new thought, idea, highlights and appealing structure which never presents in the market. The activity of the advertising director is harder in this in light of the fact that the chief needs to do a great deal of appropriate itemized look into as far as quality, amount and the value which they have to work together in the bigger market. Essentially an organization as to present a dynamic or a special item which has been never at any point actualized in the market. What's more, ought to be actualized so that they ought to fulfill the customer needs and spread the whole enormous market. Center Porter depicts an extraordinary significance of the customer to the firm. Wherein a firm focus and make fascination on a gathering or on a specific zone individuals with their best of the nature of merchandise they have created. Nature of the item assumes a significant job in this unique circumstance. To put it plainly, they grap the consideration of the purchaser by redirecting them from the contender item by giving them an extraordinary consideration and significance of them in the organization. Explicit GENERIC STRATEGY GIVEN TO THE ROBIN HOOD It is a lot of significant for any association to fulfill, encourage and give best of merchandise administrations to them, so that can rival the other association in the market. It takes part of endeavors by the individuals to utilize best of their aptitudes and methods to accompany a powerful item which can supplant the contender items however not the need of the customers. On account of Robin Hood the fitting strateg

Product-driven vs. Customer-driven Businesses

Product-driven vs. Customer-driven Businesses DRAWING THE LINEBut why is there really a need to clearly distinguish one from the other? Why does it matter when the purpose of the business is to become profitable?We must keep in mind that profit or the “bottomline” is only one of the many vital aspects of running a business. Aside from the question on whether the business would make money or provide a return on your investment, there are other questions that will come into play in the course of its operations. And that is when knowing how to identify a product-driven business and a customer-driven one comes in handy.Even before starting a business, one of the first questions that an entrepreneur would have to wrestle with is the type or kind of business that he or she will set up. Once the entrepreneur decided on one, he will have a clearer picture on the direction that the business will take. But even the kind of business is not going to be permanent, since there are instances when the business may decide to make changes in its operations and structure, and there may be a need to go back and redefine the identity of the business. Thus, being a good manager entails being able to tell the difference between a product-driven and a customer-driven business.THE PRODUCT-DRIVEN BUSINESSA product-driven environment involves the business developing a product first, then searching for a market for it. Basically, it operates under the assumption that with great products come great customers which, in turn, bring in the profit and revenue.In a product-driven setting, the usual picture that comes to mind is a room enclosed with four walls, with a team of talented individuals within it, and a single figurehead or figure of authority to keep everything together. They will be brainstorming, throwing brilliant ideas on the table, and develop a product, without taking into account the current state of the market or, more specifically, the needs and preferences of the customers or users.All the functions of the company a re focused on the product â€" its design, features, capabilities, and its subsequent design and manufacture. All the other departments act as support for the product, and that includes the finance, human resources, and even IT sections. The marketing and sales team will be responsible for taking the product and introducing it to the market.In this setting, products are managed as though they are independent business segments or even standalone businesses. Persons will be assigned specifically to the product, and the product manager is at the helm, taking on the role of the CEO of that product. All their efforts and resources will be poured into that product.Take, for example, Apple. In this product-driven organization, the ones who make the major decisions are the executives and designers. In Amazon, it is the product managers that decide what to put out to the market. The engineers of Facebook are the ones who call the shots on what feature to introduce. The same is true within Goo gle: it is the engineers who make the big decisions. Saying that they are the ones who make the decisions might be overstating it a bit but, at the end of the day, they are the main drivers of the roadmap that the business is on.Some Techniques and Strategies Employed by Product-driven BusinessesA product-focused business tends to focus on the product it is offering instead of the customer. Some of the strategies that these businesses employ include:Use mass marketing. Since a product-driven business assumes that there is already a large number of customers that are looking for products, although they are not fully aware what those products are, mass marketing is the most efficient strategy to apply. The purpose of this is to inform as many number of potential customers as possible that the business offers these products.Create unique products. You must create products that are unique and distinctive. It should turn out that you are the only business that makes or sells the product. Customers must not have other sources of the product other than your company.Focus on your positioning. If you cannot create a unique product, you should position it so that it comes out to be the most favorable or the best one among its competitors. The marketing team would have to be more creative when it comes to positioning your product. One good example is how Coca-Cola positioned itself as the best soft drink, even if there are other soft drink companies operating at the time.Apple: A Product-Driven BusinessThe most classic and often touted example of a product-driven business is Apple. Steve Jobs and his team have successfully created products that the market did not even know initially that it needed or wanted. They operated on the “build it and they will come” strategy, creating the iPod even before the market knew that it is something that it must have. They created the product without necessarily identifying the market or customer; they just knew that there is going to be a market for the product once it is out.First, Apple developed a team to create the iTouch. Another team was separately working on building the iPhone. The iTouch team focused solely on developing it, and the iPhone team did the same. Granted, the products have similarities. However, this did not become a constraint as they focused on the product instead of being competitive. As a result, Apple was able to build these products in a shorter time than expected, and they actually complemented each other.Apple was able to come up with distinctive products so that, at the time of their release or launch, they are the only ones selling the devices.Amazon: A Product-Driven BusinessAmazon is also another prime example of a business that has successfully adapted the product-driven approach. This was described by Amazon CTO Werner Vogels as “working backwards”, a process where they write the Press Release and the Frequently Asked Questions document which are both needed at the produ ct launch. These include mockups, and detailed narratives and descriptions, all of which attempt to provide a precise and detailed explanation on the customer experience. What will the customer do with the product? What features will the product be able to provide for the customers? This often entails writing a User Manual, and that is what Amazon does. This will give everyone at Amazon a clearer vision and direction on what product they are going to build for the customers.THE CUSTOMER-DRIVEN BUSINESSWhen a business goes out and gets information on its customers, and subsequently develops a product based on the information gathered, then it falls under the customer-driven category. In short, the focus is on the customer. How do you make the customer happy? What can your business do to address their needs? How can you meet and exceed their expectations?This type of business, which is also often referred to as a market-driven business, operates under the assumption that it can only s urvive if the customers are satisfied. Thus, you have to make every effort of delivering high quality products and services, coupled with excellent customer service and support.Product development in this setting is largely based on what the customers want. Market research is conducted, focusing on the needs and preferences of customers. Based on the information obtained, the product development team will then come up with a design that addresses those needs. Once the product is launched, it will be something that is created primarily to satisfy those needs.In terms of marketing, a product-driven business is not greatly invested in marketing the product. After all, the product has been designed and created with the customer in mind, so it goes without saying that there is already a market (and customers) for it.Some Techniques and Strategies Employed by Customer-driven BusinessesIt goes without saying that the business should have a quality product, which means that it should have f eatures and functionalities that the market is looking for. On top of product quality, the business also has to employ some techniques to ensure that the business earns. It also relies heavily on customer and business intelligence, which entails performing activities such as data mining and database marketing and maintenance.Put emphasis on speed. In this day and age, things seem to be moving at a faster pace than usual. Competition is fierce and, often, whoever is faster gets the customer (and the sales) first. Customers want products and services to be faster, saving them time. This is a huge part of the reason why many businesses are now taking the operations online, since transactions can take place in real time, cutting through the usual waiting times associated with the traditional way of doing business. This also applies to how fast you respond to customers when they present their inquiries and requests. Answers must be made promptly and, yes, responding is a must, even if yo u have to deliver a negative reply. Customers will appreciate being given an unfavorable answer than being met with cold, hard silence. Make sure the response time is reasonable and tolerable. Make it snappy, because a customer that is kept waiting is not a happy one.Prioritize flexibility and convenience. Just like speed, convenience is also something that customers look for in the products that they buy. Some businesses do this by offering various sizes of their products, even making them small enough as to be portable. Establishing an online presence is seen by many businesses as a way to make things more convenient for their customers (on top of speeding up the whole process). Another simple example is how fast foods and restaurants now accept payments made using credit cards and debit cards. Adding priority lanes for elder customers is also another strategy aimed at improving convenience.Maximize customer contact. Since the business operations are essentially driven by the cust omers and their needs, preferences and expectations, it is important to keep in contact with them. Having a dedicated customer service and support arm of the business is essential since it will act as the link between the business and the customers. Even seemingly trivial techniques such as floating customer survey forms and sending service emails, or obtaining customer feedback through Twitter, blogs and other social media platforms are very useful. Face-to-face interactions are appreciated by most customers more than impersonal phone calls or online conversations. In any case, courtesy should always be exercised, no matter what platform is used for communicating with customers. Keep in mind that customers will not hesitate to bring their business (and money) elsewhere if they find the customer service to be rude or lacking in any way.Include value-added benefits for customers. Customers look for more than freebies and tangible perks in the products that they buy. Intangible value even goes farther than their tangible counterparts, so businesses should always make it a point to pack their business with as much intangible value as possible. Your goal should always be to exceed the expectations of the customers, not just meet them.Practice consistency in service standards. There should be standards in place on how customers are served or handled. It will do the business no favors if a certain group of customers is given better treatment than others. Be consistent in your application of your customer service.Samsung: A Customer-Driven BusinessOne of the more well-known customer-driven brands is Samsung, establishing itself as a business that puts a lot of its efforts and resources in understanding the customers and the market, and designing and marketing effectively to fit that customer or market.The first step it takes before developing a product or making important business decisions is to find out what the customer wants. From there, they will do what they co uld to fulfill those needs and requirements. Samsung is always seen to heavily invest in customer care and after-sales services and efforts.Samsung may not have revolutionized the smartphone, as Apple did when it created iPhone. However, what Samsung did was listen to the clamor of users who are looking for more affordable alternatives to the iPhone. Then it proceeded to launch a string of smartphones with features that can easily rival those of iPhone, and offered it at more affordable prices.A Comparison: Pixar vs DreamworksPixar Animation Studios, or Pixar, is one of the most recognizable names in the world when it comes to animated films. It is, at heart, a product-driven organization. It was known for setting up the Pixar Braintrust, which is essentially a think tank where all the directors, writers and storyboard artists of the studio regularly gather together to look at each others projects and conduct peer review or critiquing. Through these reviews, they can move forward wi th film projects to produce, create, and eventually release.Dreamworks is also one of the biggest film production companies in the world, producing films, television programs and video games. In their setup, the driver’s seat is not left for the executives and directors alone. Ideas are solicited from employees and staff members, as well as simple moviegoers and film enthusiasts, and they are pitched to the powers-that-be, whose decisions will be influenced by the results of the gathering of ideas and pitches.SUMMARY Many take for granted the significance of having a product-driven business as opposed to a customer-driven business. This is mostly down to their reasoning that the business is operating for the same purpose: growth and profitability. So it does not really matter whether it is product-driven or customer-driven, is it?Business experts would disagree, since there is actually a distinction between the two concepts, and that difference could also spell a significant difference on how managers should run their business, directly affecting their decisions. In this article, we will start with 1) drawing the line between product and customer driven businesses, and explore then 2) the product-driven business, 3) the customer-driven business, and 4) a summary.DRAWING THE LINEBut why is there really a need to clearly distinguish one from the other? Why does it matter when the purpose of the business is to become profitable?We must keep in mind that profit or the “bottomline” is only one of the many vital aspects of running a business. Aside from the question on whether the business would make money or provide a return on your investment, there are other questions that will come into play in the course of its operations. And that is when knowing how to identify a product-driven business and a customer-driven one comes in handy.Even before starting a business, one of the first questions that an entrepreneur would have to wrestle with is the type or kind of business that he or she will set up. Once the entrepreneur decided on one, he will have a clearer picture on the direction that the business will take. But even the kind of business is not going to be permanent, since there are instances when the business may decide to make changes in its operations and structure, and there may be a need to go back and redefine the identity of the business. Thus, being a good manager entails being able to tell the difference between a product-driven and a customer-driven business.THE PRODUCT-DRIVEN BUSINESSA product-driven environment involves the business developing a product first, then searching for a market for it. Basically, it operates under the assumption that with great products come great customers which, in turn, bring in the profit and revenue.In a product-driven setting, the usual picture that comes to mind is a room enclosed with four walls, with a team of talented individuals within it, and a single figurehead or figure of authority to keep everything together. They will be brainstorming, throwing brilliant ideas on the table, and develop a product, without taking into account the current state of the market or, more specifically, the needs and preferences of the customers or users.All the functions of the company are focused on the product â€" its design, features, capabilities, and its subsequent design and manufacture. All the other departments act as support for the product, and that includes the finance, human resources, and even IT sections. The marketing and sales team will be responsible for taking the product and introducing it to the market.In this setting, products are managed as though they are independent business segments or even standalone businesses. Persons will be assigned specifically to the product, and the product manager is at the helm, taking on the role of the CEO of that product. All their efforts and resources will be poured into that product.Take, for example, Apple. In this product-driven organization, the ones who make the major decisions are the executives and desi gners. In Amazon, it is the product managers that decide what to put out to the market. The engineers of Facebook are the ones who call the shots on what feature to introduce. The same is true within Google: it is the engineers who make the big decisions. Saying that they are the ones who make the decisions might be overstating it a bit but, at the end of the day, they are the main drivers of the roadmap that the business is on.Some Techniques and Strategies Employed by Product-driven BusinessesA product-focused business tends to focus on the product it is offering instead of the customer. Some of the strategies that these businesses employ include:Use mass marketing. Since a product-driven business assumes that there is already a large number of customers that are looking for products, although they are not fully aware what those products are, mass marketing is the most efficient strategy to apply. The purpose of this is to inform as many number of potential customers as possible t hat the business offers these products.Create unique products. You must create products that are unique and distinctive. It should turn out that you are the only business that makes or sells the product. Customers must not have other sources of the product other than your company.Focus on your positioning. If you cannot create a unique product, you should position it so that it comes out to be the most favorable or the best one among its competitors. The marketing team would have to be more creative when it comes to positioning your product. One good example is how Coca-Cola positioned itself as the best soft drink, even if there are other soft drink companies operating at the time.Apple: A Product-Driven BusinessThe most classic and often touted example of a product-driven business is Apple. Steve Jobs and his team have successfully created products that the market did not even know initially that it needed or wanted. They operated on the “build it and they will come” strategy, creating the iPod even before the market knew that it is something that it must have. They created the product without necessarily identifying the market or customer; they just knew that there is going to be a market for the product once it is out.First, Apple developed a team to create the iTouch. Another team was separately working on building the iPhone. The iTouch team focused solely on developing it, and the iPhone team did the same. Granted, the products have similarities. However, this did not become a constraint as they focused on the product instead of being competitive. As a result, Apple was able to build these products in a shorter time than expected, and they actually complemented each other.Apple was able to come up with distinctive products so that, at the time of their release or launch, they are the only ones selling the devices.Amazon: A Product-Driven BusinessAmazon is also another prime example of a business that has successfully adapted the product-driven appro ach. This was described by Amazon CTO Werner Vogels as “working backwards”, a process where they write the Press Release and the Frequently Asked Questions document which are both needed at the product launch. These include mockups, and detailed narratives and descriptions, all of which attempt to provide a precise and detailed explanation on the customer experience. What will the customer do with the product? What features will the product be able to provide for the customers? This often entails writing a User Manual, and that is what Amazon does. This will give everyone at Amazon a clearer vision and direction on what product they are going to build for the customers.THE CUSTOMER-DRIVEN BUSINESSWhen a business goes out and gets information on its customers, and subsequently develops a product based on the information gathered, then it falls under the customer-driven category. In short, the focus is on the customer. How do you make the customer happy? What can your business do to address their needs? How can you meet and exceed their expectations?This type of business, which is also often referred to as a market-driven business, operates under the assumption that it can only survive if the customers are satisfied. Thus, you have to make every effort of delivering high quality products and services, coupled with excellent customer service and support.Product development in this setting is largely based on what the customers want. Market research is conducted, focusing on the needs and preferences of customers. Based on the information obtained, the product development team will then come up with a design that addresses those needs. Once the product is launched, it will be something that is created primarily to satisfy those needs.In terms of marketing, a product-driven business is not greatly invested in marketing the product. After all, the product has been designed and created with the customer in mind, so it goes without saying that there is already a m arket (and customers) for it.Some Techniques and Strategies Employed by Customer-driven BusinessesIt goes without saying that the business should have a quality product, which means that it should have features and functionalities that the market is looking for. On top of product quality, the business also has to employ some techniques to ensure that the business earns. It also relies heavily on customer and business intelligence, which entails performing activities such as data mining and database marketing and maintenance.Put emphasis on speed. In this day and age, things seem to be moving at a faster pace than usual. Competition is fierce and, often, whoever is faster gets the customer (and the sales) first. Customers want products and services to be faster, saving them time. This is a huge part of the reason why many businesses are now taking the operations online, since transactions can take place in real time, cutting through the usual waiting times associated with the traditi onal way of doing business. This also applies to how fast you respond to customers when they present their inquiries and requests. Answers must be made promptly and, yes, responding is a must, even if you have to deliver a negative reply. Customers will appreciate being given an unfavorable answer than being met with cold, hard silence. Make sure the response time is reasonable and tolerable. Make it snappy, because a customer that is kept waiting is not a happy one.Prioritize flexibility and convenience. Just like speed, convenience is also something that customers look for in the products that they buy. Some businesses do this by offering various sizes of their products, even making them small enough as to be portable. Establishing an online presence is seen by many businesses as a way to make things more convenient for their customers (on top of speeding up the whole process). Another simple example is how fast foods and restaurants now accept payments made using credit cards and debit cards. Adding priority lanes for elder customers is also another strategy aimed at improving convenience.Maximize customer contact. Since the business operations are essentially driven by the customers and their needs, preferences and expectations, it is important to keep in contact with them. Having a dedicated customer service and support arm of the business is essential since it will act as the link between the business and the customers. Even seemingly trivial techniques such as floating customer survey forms and sending service emails, or obtaining customer feedback through Twitter, blogs and other social media platforms are very useful. Face-to-face interactions are appreciated by most customers more than impersonal phone calls or online conversations. In any case, courtesy should always be exercised, no matter what platform is used for communicating with customers. Keep in mind that customers will not hesitate to bring their business (and money) elsewhere if they find the customer service to be rude or lacking in any way.Include value-added benefits for customers. Customers look for more than freebies and tangible perks in the products that they buy. Intangible value even goes farther than their tangible counterparts, so businesses should always make it a point to pack their business with as much intangible value as possible. Your goal should always be to exceed the expectations of the customers, not just meet them.Practice consistency in service standards. There should be standards in place on how customers are served or handled. It will do the business no favors if a certain group of customers is given better treatment than others. Be consistent in your application of your customer service.Samsung: A Customer-Driven BusinessOne of the more well-known customer-driven brands is Samsung, establishing itself as a business that puts a lot of its efforts and resources in understanding the customers and the market, and designing and marketing effectiv ely to fit that customer or market.The first step it takes before developing a product or making important business decisions is to find out what the customer wants. From there, they will do what they could to fulfill those needs and requirements. Samsung is always seen to heavily invest in customer care and after-sales services and efforts.Samsung may not have revolutionized the smartphone, as Apple did when it created iPhone. However, what Samsung did was listen to the clamor of users who are looking for more affordable alternatives to the iPhone. Then it proceeded to launch a string of smartphones with features that can easily rival those of iPhone, and offered it at more affordable prices.A Comparison: Pixar vs DreamworksPixar Animation Studios, or Pixar, is one of the most recognizable names in the world when it comes to animated films. It is, at heart, a product-driven organization. It was known for setting up the Pixar Braintrust, which is essentially a think tank where all t he directors, writers and storyboard artists of the studio regularly gather together to look at each others projects and conduct peer review or critiquing. Through these reviews, they can move forward with film projects to produce, create, and eventually release.Dreamworks is also one of the biggest film production companies in the world, producing films, television programs and video games. In their setup, the driver’s seat is not left for the executives and directors alone. Ideas are solicited from employees and staff members, as well as simple moviegoers and film enthusiasts, and they are pitched to the powers-that-be, whose decisions will be influenced by the results of the gathering of ideas and pitches.SUMMARYIn a product-driven approach, development of visions start from the internal process within the company; in the customer-driven approach, visions start from outside the company, particularly in the marketplace where the customers are.Customer-driven organizations alread y assume that customers do exist, and they have a fixed behavioral pattern, particularly in terms of what they want and need. These customers do not change. The only thing left to do for the business is to identify what those wants or need are, and understand them. Then you will have to find ways to meet these wants and needs.On the other hand, a product-driven organization does not assume that there are customers for the product. However, they will employ business strategies in order to attract the customers and make them realize that they want and need the product. In this approach, the customers do not have stable patterns of behavior, and it is up to the business to change or alter their behavior or attitude in a way that will be beneficial (and profitable) to the company.