How football Clubs Utilise B2B

How football Clubs Utilise B2B How football clubs utilise B2B to create strong business relationships Introduction The Cambridge dictionary defines B2B (Business to Business) as business arrangements or trade between different businesses, rather than between businesses and the general public (Cambridge Dictionary, 2017). This report will outline how football clubs have used B2B to improve their infrastructure by linking with other businesses that can offer services to the club, and also receive some provision in return. The decision-making process will also be looked at to identify how clubs decide to choose new B2B partners. Influences of buyer behaviour will also be examined. Current B2B deals in the football industry will also be looked at and the potential benefits of sponsorship. B2B is a great way for businesses to set up long standing relationships that can be in place for many years and be of use on multiple occasions. Businesses make purchases to address problems within the company. For example, if Manchester United sold out of replica shirts in the club shop, they would have to order new stock in to replace the previously sold items. They would contact their kit supplier Adidas and order more stock. B2B agreements are very important for football clubs who want to outsource work that they do not have the staff or infrastructure to deal with onsite. An example of this would-be security and stewarding on match days. Rather than the club having to employ and take responsibility for hundreds of stewards, many employ an agency who would hire and manage the stewards for everything from employment contracts to their working hours. This means the club would only have to approve them to work on any given match day. When looking to identify potential B2B opportunities, companies can use segmentation to narrow down a list of suitable businesses to start a working relationship with. One category would be location. For example, when Manchester City were building the Etihad Campus, they chose to work with nearby companies that sourced building materials locally. Thus, they strengthened their ties within the community by accessing local services (Premier Construction, 2015a). Because Manchester City made a conscious effort to work with local companies, they now have built and maintained B2B relationships with hundreds of local companies. This was done due to them handing out 883 contracts to local businesses (Premier Construction, 2015b). An example of B2B in the football industry are sponsorships. Sponsors offer clubs a significant amount of money to use their name on their kits or even stadiums. Sponsors are willing to pay millions of pounds so they can expand their consumer market by tapping into a football clubs fan base. The benefits of having a sponsor are the clubs brand being linked with a company in a different market, which could help attract more consumers to the club. One potential influence on B2B deals are the owners of football clubs. They tend to have preferences on what companies they like to work with and those they would rather avoid. Mike Ashley, the owner of Newcastle United changed the name of their stadium, St James Park to the Sports Direct Arena. As he was the owner of Sports Direct, he saw this as a good way of investing money into the club while also increasing brand awareness of Sports Direct. Unfortunately for him he was influenced by Newcastles biggest stakeholders, the fans. They would not accept the name change and after 11 months the sponsorship was removed from the stadium (Daily Telegraph, 2012). One example of a sponsor who uses football as a major advertisement opportunity is Emirates. Emirates are an airline based in the United Arab Emirates who have millions of customers in Europe. In football, they sponsor Arsenals Stadium, known as the Emirates Stadium and are their shirt sponsor. They also sponsor European giants Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain and A.C. Milan (Emirates Group, 2016). Another example of B2B in English football is Manchester Uniteds deal with Chevrolet. This deal is more interesting since one of the contract stipulations is that Man Utd officials drive Chevrolets on club business. This was the case when Manchester United signed Paul Pogba for a world record fee. He was spotted being driven in a Chevrolet by Man Utd staff when having his medical (Bywater, 2016). Manchester United have a staggering 64 business partners (official Manchester united Website, 2016). These businesses range from deals such as their record kit deal with Adidas to smaller regional companies such as Chi, a soft drinks company based in Nigeria. Manchester United have 11 regional partners. They are mainly based in Asia and Indonesia. This is because Manchester United realised there was great demand for football in Asia which was at the time a completely untapped market. Manchester United also have a sponsorship deal with Nissin Food Groups. They are the official global noodle partner of Man Utd. As part of this deal Man Utd players have starred in adverts for the brand aired on Chinese television. This helps the Man Utd brand expand into areas of the Asian market where there is a lack of competition from fellow clubs. In 2016 Manchester Uniteds value grew by 7% from the previous year (Jefferson et al., 2017). This is attributed to their  £950m, 10-year deal with Adidas that started in July 2015. There are many positives for both businesses in this deal. Adidas pay for the right to make Manchester United merchandise and distribute it worldwide, this is great exposure for Adidas as anyone who buys Manchester United merchandise is also buying Adidas merchandise. A partnership between 2 giants of sport is mutually beneficial for both parties as the size of the 2 brands combined can reach a global audience. The decision-making process is a time-consuming necessity when starting a new B2B partnership. The first stage of the process is the club recognising the problem that needs to be solved. For example, the IT technology used by the club could be breaking down due too it being considered out of date. The next stage would be to identify what they specifically require to solve the problem. They would need to obtain replacement computers for their head offices. The next stage would be to start a search for a supplier that specialises in IT solutions for businesses. Once potential suppliers have been sought out by the club, they will offer proposals to the club on what they will deliver and what sort of price they are looking for. This is a vital stage of the process as it gives the club a chance to evaluate all their options on the table. Plus, the offers that have been presented are open to negotiation, so they can get the best deal possible. After they have negotiated with each of the companies, they will make their selection based on the proposals offered to them. Once the selection is complete, the club will put in their first order of equipment from their new supplier. Several months into their new B2B deal, the club will evaluate whether it has been successful so far. If they are satisfied with the supplier, they will look to maintain the B2B partnership over a longer period (Kotler and Armstrong, 1998). There are many influences on organisational buyer behaviour. One such influence are economic issues such as the price of the product, the reliability of the supplier and the product specification. An example of this would be if the supplier of the product is unreliable, then the organisation is less likely to purchase the product from that company. Or if the supplier has increased the price of the product, then the company will probably look at other suppliers with a lower price. Conclusion Overall B2B has a very important role in the football industry providing services and financial backing to football clubs. A long process is undertaken to start a B2B partnership which can be from a local company or from a business based on the other side of the world. Many influences effect the behaviour of potential buyers which could result in any deal not taking place. While sponsorships are the biggest B2B in football, that doesnt stop other companies from taking advantage from this method. Manchester United have proved that any company worldwide can have a relationship in the football industry whether they are based in the USA, Nigeria or China. B2B will only grow in the sports industry and plays a key role in the financial development of football. Word count: 1399 References Bywater, A. (2016) Paul Pogba jets in for Manchester united medical. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3729304/Paul-Pogba-jets-Manchester-United-medical-world-record-110million-Juventus-inches-closer-completion.html (Accessed: 28 February 2017). Cambridge Dictionary (2017) B2B meaning in the Cambridge English dictionary. Available at: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/b2b (Accessed: 27 February 2017). Construction, P. (2015a) Football academy is worlds best. Available at: http://premierconstructionnews.com/2015/03/16/football-academy-is-worlds-best/ (Accessed: 28 February 2017). Construction, P. (2015b) Football academy is worlds best. Available at: http://premierconstructionnews.com/2015/03/16/football-academy-is-worlds-best/ (Accessed: 28 February 2017). Emirates Group, T.E. (2016) Emirates sponsorships | football. Available at: https://www.emirates.com/uk/english/about/emirates-sponsorships/football/football.aspx (Accessed: 28 February 2017). Jefferson, R.S., Henry, J., Hynes, C., Wood, T., Campbell, R., Mourdoukoutas, P., Seymour, L., Levy, P., Setaro, S., Fisher, D., Kruger, D., Saunders, P. and Connolly, M. (2017) Manchester united on the Forbes soccer team valuations list. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/teams/manchester-united/ (Accessed: 28 February 2017). Kotler, P. and Armstrong, K. (1998) Principles of marketing: European edition. New York: Financial TImes Prentice Hall. Newcastle united remove sports direct arena branding on stadium to make way for the return of st James park (2012) Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/9610091/Newcastle-United-remove-Sports-Direct-Arena-branding-on-stadium-to-make-way-for-the-return-of-St-James-Park.html (Accessed: 28 February 2017). Official Manchester united club partners official Manchester united Website (2016) Available at: http://www.manutd.com/en/Partners.aspx (Accessed: 27 February 2017).

A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney Essay -- English Literature

In writing A Taste of Honey, what impact did Shelagh Delaney hope to have upon her audience? What techniques did she use to achieve these aims? Shelagh Delaney wrote "A Taste of Honey" in 1958 when she was only 18. "A Taste of Honey" is a story about the relationship between a girl and her mother. The mother, Helen, who is a semi-whore, leaves her daughter, Jo, to get married to Peter. Jo has a relationship with a sailor and gets pregnant. The sailor then leaves for duty. Jo meets Geoff, they become friends and Geoff offers to help Jo bring up the baby. Helen returns after splitting up with Peter and wants Jo back. The audience that Shelagh Delaney was writing for consisted mainly of middle class and upper class people. Her audience were used to seeing productions about characters leading similar lives to their own. The stereotypical play was where the men worked and the women stayed at home, cleaning and cooking. "A Taste of Honey" did not have these qualities at all. Shelagh Delaney's aims were to shock her audience into seeing what the real world could be like. The audience of the time were relatively un-aware of the truth about working classes and their lives. This type of play was new to the theatrical stage, and could take time before the "working class" plays would be accepted and appreciated. The upper classes were mostly unaware that the lower classes were leading such different lives to themselves. Shelagh Delaney's play brought to light what the lower classes lives were like and the differences between the two classes. The plays of the time had very structured, clear story lines, with stereotypical happy families. Shelagh Delaney challenged these ideas about the ideal play along with man... ... "A Taste of Honey" was inspiration for many writers. The writers of "Soaps" like Coronation Street and Eastenders will have been greatly influenced by the new ideas that Shelagh Delaney had brought into theatre. Shelagh Delaney will have influenced these writers because she had written a play about a topic that hadn't been shown on television before and the producers were looking for new ideas. Shelagh Delaney's work only has a small relevance to today's audience. Most of the ideas and concepts in it are aimed to suit the audience of the 1950's/60's. The theatre audiences of today know that most modern working classes do not live as the characters do in "A Taste of Honey". In "A Taste of Honey" Shelagh Delaney shocked her audience by presenting them with situations that they were not used to. This effect created a well structured and enjoyable play.

Modern Management – Unilever

1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How effectively do you think Unilever’s mission statement establishes the Company’s direction and important values?   What changes, if any would you recommend and why? Unilever’s new mission statement was ‘Add vitality to life’.   They were considering making people feel that with their personal care products, they could look and feel good, and get more out of life.   The managers and employees which were working for Unilever could now do their work activities in wellbeing of the clients that belong to the communities the products are sold in. Through this mission statement Unilever tried to differentiate its products from its competitors in a global market.   Fitzgerald, the outgoing Chairman of Unilever, took into consideration several factors including the fast rate of urbanization, the constantly increasing age of the people and healthy living strategy adopted by people.   He decided to use this strategy for his nutrition, personal care and hygiene items.   The strategy adopted by Unilever was quite unique and was keeping in tune with the needs of the people.   The â€Å"Unilever 2010 Strategy† was appearing on the products and promotional of the company.   To some extent, the strategy adopted by Unilever was effective and good for its growth. As it was keeping in tune with the changing needs of the people, it was a step ahead of other companies such as Proctor and Gamble, Nestle and Reckitt Benckiser.   However, if this strategy could enable a high growth rate of the company was doubtful.   This was because the company had to take care of other strategies such as effective brand-building, marketing and product innovation.   Several assumptions over sales, growth, profit, cost debt, etc, were made.   The company was competing against 20 other companies and had to ensure that their new mission statement was supported by sound development in the other areas. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify one or more Unilever strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.   How might Cescau use the strengths to counteract the threats? Unilever strengths 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company was formed by a merger of two giants, namely the British Lever Bros and the Dutch Margarine Unie, and had a stronghold in both these nations. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unilever established itself as an MNC in about 150 different countries. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It had a very good human resource team (about 234, 000 employees). 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 2004, it had about 12 products which were in the $ billion-brand mark.   This was up against it 4 such brands in the year 1999, suggesting growth of the company. Unilever weaknesses 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the year 2004, the revenue growth of the company, was far below the targeted 5 to 6 % mark. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company did not apply a strategy that would thrive in the market environment of its 2000-2005 strategy.   Hence, this strategy adopted by the company did not work on past experiences and could have been risky to adopt. Unilever Opportunities 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company began to realize the changing needs of the people and the situation of the market whilst adopting its 2005 to 2010 strategy.   They realized that people were becoming more and more health consciousness and were getting older.   They also realized that the urbanized areas of the World were becoming larger and more populated. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company was now working for the well-being of the people and the communities, which could help differentiate the company from their rivals.   This was a unique feature of their strategy. Unilever Threats 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unilever was making assumptions of the sales, growth rate, profits, debt and costs. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   They were competing against 20 other companies that had sound finances. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The other companies were adopting strategies that were based on market research As the company adopted a unique strategy that helped it to be differentiated from other companies by the people and the society, the chances of the company growing were high and realistic.   Besides, Unilever were selling their products in tune with the changing needs and ideas of the population.   Hence, there were chances of it surviving and becoming successful in the Market. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Where on the BCG matrix would you place Unilever’s 400 remaining brands?   Where would you place any newly developed products being introduced? Explain. The 400 remaining brands of Unilever were â€Å"Stars† as they had a high-growth rate and required huge amounts of investments in the long-term.   The new range of products from Unilever were â€Å"Question Marks† as they had a high-growth rate but doubts whether the management would invest in them in the future existed. References: Cresto, S. C. and Cresto, S. T. (2006). Chapter 3: Planning, Modern Management, (10th ed), New Jersey: Upper Saddle River, pp. 199-200.            

Direct-Object Pronouns in Spanish

In Spanish as in English, a direct object is a noun or pronoun that is directly acted upon by a verb. In a sentence such as I see Sam, Sam is the direct object of see because Sam is who is seen. But in a sentence such as I am writing Sam a letter, Sam is the indirect objects. The item being written is letter, so it is the direct object. Sam is the indirect object as one who is affected by the verbs action on the direct object. A difference with Spanish, however, is that the set of pronouns that can be direct objects differs slightly from those that can be indirect objects. The 8 Direct-Object Pronouns of Spanish Here are the direct-object pronouns along with the most common English translations and examples of their uses: me — me — Juan puede verme. (John can see me.)te — you (singular familiar) — No te conoce. (He doesnt know you.)lo — you (singular masculine formal), him, it — No puedo verlo. (I cant see you, or I cant see him, or I cant see it.)la — you (singular feminine formal), her, it — No puedo verla. (I cant see you, or I cant see her, or I cant see it.)nos — us — Nos conocen. (They know us.)os — you (plural familiar) — Os ayudarà ©. (I will help you.)los — you (plural formal, masculine or mixed masculine and feminine), them (masculine or mixed masculine and feminine) — Los oigo. (I hear you, or I hear them.)las — you (plural feminine formal), them (feminine) — Las oigo. (I hear you, or I hear them.) The differences between these pronouns and the indirect objects are found in the third person. The indirect third-person pronouns are le and les. Note that lo, la, los, and las can refer to either people or things. If they are referring to things, be sure to use the same gender as the name of the object being referred to. Example: Where the noun is masculine: Tengo dos boletos.  ¿Los quieres? (I have two tickets. Do you want them?)Where the noun is feminine: Tengo dos rosas.  ¿Las quieres? (I have two roses. Do you want them?) If you dont know the gender of the direct object, you should use lo or los: No sà © lo que es porque no lo vi. (I dont know what it is because I did not see it.) Word Order and Direct-Object Pronouns As you can see from the above examples, the location of a direct-object pronoun can vary. In most cases, it can be placed before the verb. Alternatively, it can be attached to an infinitive (the form of the verb that ends in -ar, -er or -ir) or a present participle (the form of the verb that ends in -ndo, often the equivalent of English verbs that end in -ing). Each sentence in the following pairs has the same meaning: No lo puedo ver, and no puedo verlo (I cant see him).Te estoy ayudando, and estoy ayudà ¡ndote (I am helping you). Note that when the direct object is added to a present participle, it is necessary to add a written accent to the last syllable of the stem so that the stress is on the proper syllable. Direct-object pronouns follow affirmative commands (telling someone to do something) but precede negative commands (telling someone not to do something): està ºdialo (study it), but no lo estudies (dont study it). Note again that an accent needs to be added when adding the object to the end of positive commands. Le as a Direct Object In some parts of Spain, le can substitute for lo as a direct object when it means him but not it. Less commonly in some areas, les can substitute for los when referring to people. You can learn more about this phenomenon in the lesson on leà ­smo. Sample Sentences Showing Use of Direct Objects Direct objects are shown in boldface: Me interesa comprarlo, pero mà ¡s tarde. (I am interested in buying it, but much later. The me in this sentence is an indirect object.)Tu nariz està ¡ torcida porque tu madre la rompià ³ cuando eras nià ±o. (Your nose is bent because your mother broke it when you were a boy. La is used here because it refers to nariz, which is feminine.)Puedes vernos en el episodio 14. Nos puedes ver en el episodio 14. (You can see us in Episode 14. Both of these sentences mean the same thing, as the direct object can either come before the verbs or attached to the infinitive.)Te quiero mucho. (I love you a lot.) Key Takeaways A direct object is a noun or pronoun that is acted on directly by a verb.In Spanish, direct- and indirect-object pronouns can differ in the third person, unlike in English.When the direct object of a verb is the equivalent of it, in Spanish you need to vary the gender of the pronoun according to the gender of the noun being referred to.