Organisation A
Description
An international media company providing subscription-based
publications, books and conferences had grown rapidly but its
efficiency was limited by lack of specialist marketing skills and
poor IT systems.
Assignment Objective
Help the Marketing Director to create a central marketing
department which provides specialist direct marketing skills and
computer-based reporting systems, and which operates in partnership
with P&L responsible publishers. The new department would influence
the company by personal persuasion rather than through prescriptive
means.
Organisation B
Description
A multinational publisher of high price business information
products had recently carried out a fundamental re-organisation,
changing from an editorial dominated hierarchical structure (which
focused on product features) into a market-based matrix structure
(which focused on customer needs). The marketing function was
transformed radically and new working practices were required.
Assignment Objective
Organise and deliver a series of training workshops for key
marketing staff in each of the three publishing centres around the
world. |
 |
Organisation C
Description
A multinational publisher of books and academic journals acquired
a German publisher of scientific books and journals.
Assignment Objective
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the German organisation’s
resources and expertise for marketing scientific journals on a
worldwide basis. Recommend a suitable organisation structure: should
journals and books be marketed by different groups of people, or
should the work be split by scientific discipline or by geography?
Organisation D
Description
The journals division of a well-established company, was paralysed by internal conflict.
Each editor ran his (or her) title as a self-contained unit and
resented advice, guidance and authority from the divisional heads.
There was no co-ordination of business objectives and no agreement
over the usage of shared resources such as production, distribution,
marketing, customer services and accounting.
Assignment Objectives
1. Review the entire business operation - identify strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each title and for the
division as a whole
2. Determine a business strategy which was both realistic and could be
supported by each member of staff
3. Recommend changes to organisation structures and working methods |
