Founded in 1905, SAE International, a global association of over 200,000 engineers, technical experts and volunteers, is a leader in technical learning for the mobility industry. Ongoing feedback from industry partners indicated that companies struggled to find engineering graduates with knowledge and skills required to work in robotics and automated vehicles. Many employers cited participants in SAE's Collegiate Design Challenge as delivering candidates that are ahead of the curve, having succeeded in designing, testing and racing their vehicles as part of a team. SAE's challenge was to find an innovative way to meet industry skills gaps and build the pipeline of engineers. These cases explore the vision of the Chief Growth Officer and the research and partnerships that fueled the development of a robotics boot camp program whose pilot was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Identifying the right business model for addressing global customers and formalizing that model into a global customer management program is a key challenge for any firm with global aspirations. The key to success is embedding the program firmly within the firm's corporate strategy. Simply leveraging domestic or regional account management into such a program will not deliver the desired results. This article presents a framework for successfully introducing a global customer management program, describing key challenges companies face at each stage of the process. It also identifies specific strategies and key principles to help firms transition to becoming truly customer-centric on a global basis.
Brenda Cooper, a new regional sales manager for Hausser Food Products, is stumped after a year on the job. In charge of selling infant foods to customers in the Southwest, Cooper realizes that she's fighting against demographic trends such as declining birth rates, as well as a movement to produce homemade baby food. In this case students examine Hausser's organizational structure, its incentive system, and sales plan to consider how Brenda might earn the support she needs.
Amicon holds a patent on a new process for the separation of blood plasma from whole blood. It has to decide whether to pursue a direct entry, joint venture, or licensing strategy. If it chooses licensing, there are many sub-issues to consider.
Introduces the student to the concept of the product life cycle. The meaning and fundamental underpinnings of the product life cycle are presented. Further, the nature of market and competitive forces at different stages in the life cycle, and the implications for managerial action, are discussed.