Brand management of Slovenian export companies

Author(s): Boris Snoj,Aleksandra Pisnik Korda / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2008

This paper describes the characteristics of brand management in the context of the companies in Slovenia that are intensively engaged in the internationalization of their business operations. Using a sample of the 200 largest export companies in Slovenia, it explores the impact of internationalized business operations on the marketing mix component strategies to identify the most frequent internal and external hindrances to the internationalization that exert influence on the companies’ most important brands. The paper also analyzes the importance of long-term experience and knowledge of the market in the consolidation of brand effectiveness and the companies’ reputation and ascertains whether the companies with a higher level of internationalization employ a larger number of less tangible brand performance criteria than those with a lower level of internationalization.

Paths to continuous improvement of a CRM strategy

Author(s): Lluís G. Renart,Carles Cabré / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2008

The concept of relationship marketing has led to a paradigm change in marketing. Over the last few decades, numerous studies have analyzed the impact of customer relationship management (CRM) programs on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Quite a few CRM programs have been found to have little or no impact. Having already published several articles and cases on the subject, in this paper we set out to answer the following question: assuming a company already has a reasonably successful CRM strategy in place, how can it continuously adapt and improve that strategy? Our recommendation is that such companies implement a continuous improvement process at four different but complementary levels: first, review and reinforce the company’s mission, culture and values; second, reconsider and, if necessary, redesign the CRM strategy; third, manage the various relationship-building activities more effectively; and lastly, review and, if necessary, improve the quality of material and human resources, program execution and process governance. A systematic review of these four levels or "paths" of improvement should help generate and maintain high quality relationships over time.

Kritički prikaz: Vranešević, T.: Upravljanje markama

Author(s): Irena Pandža / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 1/2008

Importance of marketing management in the world pharmaceutical industry

Author(s): Dragan Kesič,Andrej Bertoncelj / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2008

The world pharmaceutical industry has changed tremendously in the last decade. Globalization processes reinforce a consolidation of the world pharmaceutical industry. Mergers and acquisitions prevail more and more as a strategic orientation of numerous world pharmaceutical companies. In our research we found out that marketing management has been playing an increasingly important or even a crucial role in day-to-day activities and strategic business operations of the world pharmaceutical companies. We may point out that a rapid consolidation of the world pharmaceutical industry is definitely a market-driven process, one conditioned by typical strategic marketing management issues, such as a lack of brand new products, intense competitiveness, globalization processes, increased global marketing and sales activities, changing structure of global competitors as well as a furious fight for global market shares and customers’ loyalty. We estimate that marketing management is to play an even more important and, especially, the top priority strategic role in the future globalization and concentration processes of the world pharmaceutical industry. Some experiences and lessons from the global perspective of the world pharmaceutical industry could also be useful to the management of pharmaceutical companies in the transition countries of the Central and Eastern European region. Taking into consideration the current market position of these companies, some marketing management guidelines for their marketing management policies and strategies could be suggested. We conclude that underestimating, or even complete neglect of the importance of marketing management issues may pose the greatest threat to the future strategic orientation and performance of the world pharmaceutical industry.

Društveni mediji: Istraživanje američkih poduzeća iz skupine The INC. 500

Author(s): Eric Mattson,Nora Ganim Barnes,Mira Marušić / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 1/2008

As a great challenge in communications, social media are widely accepted among the general population. Being very flexible and adaptable, they offer an opportunity of active participation to users, thus repre- senting a public forum. This study presents the results of social media acceptance in the business world on a sample of the Inc. 500 companies in the US. The research found that familiarity, the value placed on social media and the use of different forms of social media are all related. These companies know that engaging social media requires education and a change of the management effort. They use them to gather critical strategic information by listening to what is being said about themselves and their competitors in the social media world. The Inc. 500 companies accept social media as a medium. They recognize that the marketplace is moving their conversations online and the business world needs to join in. These fast-growing, innovative companies offer us a glimpse of the business future because where they lead, others will certainly follow.

Djelovanje promocije na korištenje usluge dječje štednje

Author(s): Damir Ribić / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 1/2008

Promotion activities directed at specific target groups can vary according to their type and intensity. In modern banking, where competition is very strong, it is the task of marketing experts to decide which activities to push in a specific situation depending on bank interests and financial resources available. Bank marketing in current circumstances is gaining another dimension, not only because the clients who use banking services are becoming more educated and sophisticated but also due to new legislation, intended to protect their best interests. High competition creates strong pressures on the market so banks and marketing experts must be able to produce untraditional and innovative solutions in response to a greater challenge. Through banking history, insuficient attention was paid to children entirely for the reasons of very low profitability in this segment. This area was poorly explored so there are very few researches of the activities aimed at promoting the banking products created especially for children. This paper includes a review of the researches available to the author that focus on the marketing activities directed at children through the historical development of the banking sector. By using case study methods, it describes the way in which two promotional campaigns were planned, and analyzes the course of their performance. The chosen campaigns show similarities in some elements but also certain differences that indicate the complexity of the problem of their approach, along with the need to apply greater creativity. The key elements for the (lack of) success in the campaigns with children as the target groups are identified as well as what needs to be done in order to maintain the banking market share and reinforce the bank’s image.

Praca z rodzinami dzieci umieszczonych w pieczy zastępczej

Author(s): Marzena Sendyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

The modern system of child and family help has to focus its attention on supporting troubled families before the circumstances force children to foster or residential care. Unfortunately sometimes such a solution is necessary. In such a situation child interest requires organizing adequate cooperation with his/her family and taking efforts leading to the reconstruction of natural ties and family life normalization. In some cases this enables a child to return to the family. Effective cooperation requires the engagement of all subjects, according to specified rules using different forms.

Realizacja świadczeń w zakresie lecznictwa uzdrowiskowego dzieci w Polsce (ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem województwa dolnośląskiego)

Author(s): Aleksandra Gromelska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

This paper concentrates on the problem of marginalisation of the role of sanatorium and health resort treatment of children in the health care system. In the face of children’s health problems such as: diabetes, obesity, allergies, orthopaedic and injury diseases, the respiratory system diseases, the nervous system diseases and cardiovascular diseases, resources spent on the health resort treatment of children are being increasingly reduced. While the number of health services within the scope of health resort treatment in Poland contracted out by the National Health Fund is decreasing, at the same time a certain number of service providers which have so far specialized in this kind of services are resigning from their activity. This article, describing the extent of the undergoing changes, also points out their most important causes as well as possible consequences.

Usługi społeczne a ich odbiorcy

Author(s): Stanisław Kamiński / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

The aim of the article is to present three models of social services’ users. A user as a client is first of all passive. A user as a consumer is given a choice what enables him to make important decisions regarding the shape of services. A user as a citizen has the right to participate in political process and influence the shape of services in more indirect way. The classification presented may be used to indicate important tendency in contemporary social policy: from users as citizens-clients to users as consumers. As a result, social policy must face some new challenges including the potential increase in social inequalities.

Usługi społeczne a problemy rynku pracy w XXI wieku. Polska na tle polityki Unii Europejskiej

Author(s): Marta Makuch / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

The services of the labour market constitute a fundamental element of the social policy effectively operating within the area of the labour market – and especially of active policy. Their provision ensures the existence of the social model in Europe. The services can be provided by the institutions of the government or public sector, but also by private job centres or non-profit organisations. The article presents the situation on the labour market in the EU countries. This is a starting point for outlining an analysis from the perspective of institutional structures and types of the services on the Polish labour market in comparison with the EU policy.

Usługi społeczne i praca socjalna a praktyka funkcjonowania ośrodka pomocy społecznej

Author(s): Jacek Pluta / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

In the paper, the possibilities of implementation of social services are presented in the perspective of welfare administration on the district level. The main thesis is the conviction that on-going changes in priorities of social politics must take into account questions related to the manner of organization of welfare centers work in the field. The increase of social services role as a form of in-field social work, in connection with effectiveness control, necessarily leads to the emphasis on the development of social work standards, but at the same time creates new quality and challenges for the welfare system. The final part of the article is devoted to the discussion of few of those problems.

Uczniowie ze specjalnymi potrzebami edukacyjnymi w polskim systemie edukacji

Author(s): Izabela Buchowicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

Pupils with special educational needs constitute a special group of people to whom educational activities are addressed. Education is particularly important for this group of pupils. It could provide a chance to live a normal life, to improve the living conditions, or to change their social environment. First of all, however, education contributes to the disclosure and development of intellectual potential of pupils with special educational needs. Polish legislation favours these pupils by giving them special opportunities, such as increasing learning time and creating favourable conditions during examinations. However, it is of special concern, that the increasing number of pupils at school has an certificate of special educational needs, or is considered by teachers and educators as pupils with special educational needs.

Edukacja podstawowa dziecka niepełnosprawnego w polskim systemie oświaty

Author(s): Agnieszka Makarewicz-Marcinkiewicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

Learning and improving incentives have been and will be determining the equality of opportunities. In Poland, actions have been taken, which, according to the originators, are aimed at the creation of conditions for children and young people with disabilities to foster their own development and change negative ratings, opinions and attitudes towards people with disabilities. This article examines the current legal status of the education of children with disabilities and assesses the results of practical application of these solutions. The purpose of this paper is to verify the Polish educational system solutions focused on eliminating impairments of disabled people in access to education and to demonstrate whether most socially desirable integration process actually takes place.

Usługi pomocy osobistej jako wsparcie rodzin z osobami niepełnosprawnymi

Author(s): Olga Kowalczyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

Personal assistance services have been developing in a lot of European countries and the United States for decades. In Poland, the concept of these services, fundamentally different from traditional care services provided in the social assistance, is still not fully understood. There are existing large gaps in family support in the implementation of protective function for the dependent family members which must be made up as soon as possible. It has been required by the membership of our country in the EU structures, the consequences of the demographic crisis as well as the changing awareness of disabled people for exercising their social rights, which implementation without the development of these services is not possible.

Wsparcie rodzin przez ośrodki pomocy społecznej. Analiza statystyk z lat 2001-2010

Author(s): Beata Ziębińska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

The reform of the public assistance system as conducted at the beginning of the nineties was to alleviate social consequences of economic reforms. After twenty years of functioning of the system, a question can be posed about the extent to which social, economic and demographic transformations are reflected in the scope of services provided by public assistance institutions in favour of families. This study is aimed at making an attempt to determine the scale of the assistance provided by the said institutions in the years 2001-2010, the types of families included in the system as well as the types of the reasons bringing about the use of the public assistance. A particular attention is paid to the services provided by public assistance centres.

Sytuacja życiowa oraz formy pomocy bezdomnym kobietom na Lubelszczyźnie

Author(s): Renata Maciejewska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

Synthetic studies from the field of the social politics underline the growing pace of homelessness. The professional and social section of population of homeless persons clearly changed in the last several years. Homelessness among women is the new area of interest. Women in the population of homeless persons are still the rarity, but the data accumulated by non-governmental organizations offering help to homeless persons show that their number grows. This problem also relates to children looked after by homeless mothers.

Jak pomóc dziecku w obliczu rozwodu rodziców? Poradnictwo i mediacje dla rozwodzących się rodziców

Author(s): Maja Piotrowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

Every year, an increasing number of divorces can be noticed in our country. According to the CSO in 2009 Poland recorded the highest number of divorces so far − 72000. There are also predictions that in the coming years one should expect a more increasing than decreasing trend in terms of the number of divorces in our country. Thus, there will be an increasing number of children, who will grow up in divorced families. A divorce of parents is a critical event for the entire family system. Minors and already grown up children are particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of parents divorce. The article addresses issues concerning the divorce in the family and provides practical hints for professionals working with families, as well as for parents facing a decision of divorce. The presented text particularly emphasizes the different ways of help and support for a child of divorcing parents.

Lokalny system wsparcia dla rodzin dotkniętych chorobą alkoholową

Author(s): Andrzej Gołębiowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

One of the most important social problems that families face is the phenomenon of alcoholism. On one hand, alcoholism is a disease and requires treatment, and its victims require support and care from the society. It evokes an urgent need not only to treat the addicted people but also to prevent the causes of alcohol addiction in the individual and social dimension. They require specialist care of therapists and also financial support from social services. The subject of the following material is an attempt to show the functioning of system of local support for families with the alcoholic problem in the area of Radom.

Wsparcie społeczne dla ubogich kobiet

Author(s): Emilia Nassalska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

In Polish families mainly women organize help in condition of poverty and contact with aid organizations. Therefore diagnosing the support for poor women we get the information about the support used by their whole families. This article aims at assessing the social support to poor women in Poland. The authoress analyses the scope and the forms of assistance given to the poor women by formal sector (bases on the results of her own research conducted among 109 poor Poles with in-depth interview techniques). This article in particular assesses public social assistance as one of the most important social services in the sphere of poverty.

Animacyjna funkcja usług społecznych na rzecz rodziny

Author(s): Dariusz Szrejder / Language(s): Polish Issue: 239/2011

This article presents specific ways to understand social policy. Social policy is not only the states implementation of coordination of social needs and the intervention in social problems. By using social services and public goods it becomes a system for social development, and the realization of specific needs which is important for the state and self-government. There is a new approach of the place of social policy – animation of using selected services and goods by families and local community.