Decision support for build-to-order supply chain management through multiobjective optimization

This paper aims to identify the gaps in decision-making support based on multiobjective optimization for build-to-order supply chain management (BTOSCM). To this end, it reviews the literature available on modelling build-to-order supply chains (BTO-SC) with the focus on adopting multiobjective optimization (MOO) techniques as a decision support tool. The literature has been classified based on the nature of the decisions in different part of the supply chain, and the key decision areas across a typical BTO-SC are discussed in detail. Available software packages suitable for supporting decision making in BTO supply chains are also identified and their related solutions are outlined. The gap between the modelling and optimization techniques developed in the literature and the decision support needed in practice are highlighted and future research directions to better exploit the decision support capabilities of MOO are proposed

Identify successful marketing communication strategies that apply to a small hair salon

A selected organisation provides hair dressing services and hair products to customers. The aim of this report is to analyse how the small hair salon could improve their marketing communication strategies in order to attract more customers and enhance the relationship between customers and the organisation. The approach to collecting information was to use a questionnaire with 50 participants, to gather primary information and to conduct a secondary research study. The result of this research was to decide that the role of a successful marketing communication strategy is to attract the customer to consume. In order to make the marketing communication strategy successful, it needs to choose a suitable channel that enables it to connect with the customer. New media is an effective channel that can promote the business to the customer and interact with them. New media is also suitable for a small business to use. A recommendation for the organisation is they create their own website page, Facebook page, YouTube video and WeChat group to promote themselves and interact with customers. Those channels are popular in New Zealand, with a high number of active users. Most the organisation customers like to use those channels too, so if the organisation applies those channels to their marketing communication strategy they will be able to attract customers and persuade them to consume more products

Trust between service provider and customer in online environments

Nowadays online shopping is getting more and more popular in China. However, opportunities and challenges are coexisting, and the growth of e-commerce is also inevitable. In e-commerce online, trust has become a significant factor hindering development. A New Zealand organisation faces a lot of competitors. In order to increase its market share and remain competitive in the market, the organisation needs to have more loyal customers who repeatedly purchase their products. Therefore, the organisation should find an appropriate way to form or create trust with customers, to retain them. This research investigates how trust has been created in an online environment between an organisation and its customers. A qualitative method was adopted in this research and data collected using semi-structured interviews. The collected data was analysed adopting a thematic analysis method. The research findings show that a two-way communication system is the core factor in forming trust in the online environment. This research suggests that the organisation should consider two-way communication seriously, and develop that as a useful tool to build trust between them and customers; not just as a communication tool but as a tool for trust formation

Marketing strategy for a charitable trust

This research topic is to examine a charitable trust. The motive of this research is to not only evaluate the current or conventional ways of doing marketing for a charitable trust but to find out the best possible marketing strategy to boost the audience in charitable events. This research utilised interviews, which gained valuable results and some eye opening facts. It was found that most of the trusts do not attempt social media marketing. On the contrary, most of them prefer to use print media including some expensive media resources which results in demotivating people from attending the charitable events. The best recommendation is to control costs by opting to use social media marketing instead of print media and television media. Not only that, they should give equal preference to the stakeholder as their opinion can build a good social image of the trust with positive word of mouth. To conclude, the organisation also needs people to join the trust and to promote the events. They should use established marketing ways to get more people to attend and to get more and more people to join hands for a good cause

Internal control system in small businesses

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of the financial part of the internal control system in an organisation. This research is conducted to examine the effectiveness of the financial system. This study adopted qualitative methods by using semi-structured interviews. The primary data collection was by face-to-face interviews. The number of participants was five people, including the manager, owner and two employees working in the organisation. Thematic analysis was used for the primary textual data. The main findings revealed that inventory is not classified according to its types, e.g. food and beverages. There is no separate account used for the financial transaction of food from beverages. The inventory is consumed randomly. In the restaurant no computer system is used, all the transactions are done manually. No allowances are made for urgent cases. There is an inability to detect fraud due to inaccurate manual recording. The organisation does not adopt any strategy of pricing, the process is made randomly. They do not have any future plans. They only have records that relate to sales, which are calculated at the end of each day. It is recommended that the inventory needs to be classified according to its types. The consumption of inventory should be made systematically. A computer system should be used to prevent errors and fraud. A skilled employee who can guide current employees regarding the operations of financial system in the organisation is needed