Sunflower Incorporated management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sunflower Incorporated management - Essay Example Brands such as Frito-Lay, Nabisco, Pringles, Borden’s and Planters are determined to increase their market share through renewed marketing strategies of their products (Cummings and Worley 239). These imminent dangers to the company propelled the president of Sunflower, Mr. Joe Steelman, to pirate Agnes Albanese from a competitor. The new position of Director of Pricing and Purchasing was created specifically for her. Her direct superior was Mr. Mobley, the Vice President for Finance. The president and Mr. Mobley both gave her freedom in her position and to create rules and procedures as she sees fit. Her position as a new top executive of the company necessitated coordination with each region and this was made known to all concerned personnel for compliance. Less than a month from taking on the job, Albanese implemented a number of new policies that every region must comply with toward a standardized system for all regions. These changes are, first, financial executives must notify her of more than 3% changes in local pricing, second, contracts amounting to more than $5,000 must first be cleared by her office. Though the latter rule is in fact inoperable since majority of the items are bought in bulk and distributed from the head office and only 40% are from within each region. These guidelines, she decided, were to be sent to the regional executives through email and shall be implemented immediately and thereafter be included in the company’s policies within four months (ibid 240). Haphazard Changes The major mistake that Albanese committed is in coming up with new procedures without proper diagnosis of the needs of the company and... Sunflower Incorporated is primarily a distribution company which purchases salty snack and liquor and supplies it to various retail stores in the United States and Canada. The company has had an established system focusing on geographical location as its main consideration. The main unit of Sunflower has given its branches ample leeway in terms of autonomy since each location consists of a varied demand correlative to the predisposition of the consumers of their given area. Understandably, each region consumes a greater amount of one product over another. Where whisky and bourbon is a major demand in the northeast part of the United States, vodka, gin and rum is popular in the West while Mexican taste is replicated in the snacks distributed to the southwest. The company in its outlets in the two countries is divided into 22 regions where each has an independent finance department, purchasing department, sales team and a central warehouse. The signs were clear early on but Agnes Albanese opted to disregard them and instead obstinately carried on a plan which lacks procedural and substantive purpose. She acted as though time was not on her side and executed changes that are ill-fitting to the organization as it stands. She took the liberty given to her by the highest ranking executives of the company and despite the cautionary advice of her superior, Albanese proceeded with her plan instantaneously. There was no proper evaluation of all surrounding conditions nor was there a concrete plan of action that everyone is on the same page. Evidently, it is easier to say yes on email than to argue with the computer.