Waste Management & Business Strategies for Sustainability
Waste Management and Sustainable Business
Recycling and Waste Treatment
Waste management is a crucial environmental tool. Effective waste management involves these objectives:
- Minimizing waste generation
- Recycling reusable materials
- Promoting reuse of waste products
Achieving these goals requires shifts in consumer behavior, responsible corporate practices, and direct intervention from public administration.
Business and the Environment
Businesses related to the environment include those focused on:
- Renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass)
- Organic agriculture (without pesticides or chemical fertilizers)
- R&D related to environmental solutions
- Environmentally friendly products
- Ecotourism
- Environmental consulting (EMS)
- Waste reuse (glass bottles, cardboard)
Market Research
Market research is the process used to develop a marketing plan. It involves applying market investigation techniques to understand the market situation.
This systematic process aims to gather relevant and reliable information to enable strategic marketing planning and informed decision-making.
Key considerations for market research:
- Objectives: Defining the points to be analyzed
- Research plan design: Choosing the appropriate method
- Data collection: Gathering data through interviews, internet searches, etc.
- Data analysis: Grouping and interpreting the collected data
Information Sources
Information sources are categorized as:
- Primary: Data collected specifically for the current project
- Secondary: Pre-existing data from statistics, books, journals, databases, or previous studies
Distribution and Logistics
Distribution in Marketing
Distribution connects production and consumption, ensuring product availability to the end-user.
Phases of Distribution:
- Order collection
- Product transportation
- Sales to customers
Distribution Channels:
Intermediaries between producers and consumers facilitate product movement.
Importance of Intermediaries:
Intermediaries, while increasing costs, perform essential functions:
- Physical product distribution
- Increased product variety
- Sales support for producers
- Information management
Distribution Methods:
- Exclusive: One intermediary
- Selective: A few distributors
- Intensive: Many sales points
Distribution Policies:
- Pull: Promoting products to consumers, who then demand them from distributors
- Push: Offering incentives to distributors to promote and sell products
Production Planning and Control
MRP (Material Requirement Planning)
MRP plans and anticipates material needs in production. Based on the final product plan, it generates purchase or production orders for materials.
JIT (Just-in-Time)
JIT produces only when there’s customer demand. Benefits include increased agility, reduced production times and costs, improved inventory management, and better supplier integration.
PERT and Gantt Methods
PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) is a project management method. The Gantt chart visually represents activities and their duration on a timeline.
Market Dynamics and Communication
Competition
Competition represents anything that can reduce a company’s demand.
- Direct: Offering the same product
- Indirect: Offering substitute products
Demand
Demand is the quantity of goods or services buyers are willing to purchase at a given time.
- Global Demand: Total purchases of a product in a period
- Company Demand: Purchases of a product from a specific company
Market Share
Market share is a company’s percentage of total sales.
Formula: Market Share of Company A = (Company A Sales) / (Total Market Size)
Marketing Communication
Production/Commercial Communication
This process involves transferring product or company information from seller to buyer to achieve a positive commercial response.
Advertising
Advertising transmits a paid message through mass media to influence consumers.
Elements of Advertising:
- Message: Clear and understandable information
- Form: Attractive and persuasive design
- Budget: Investment allocated to advertising
- Support: Choice of advertising media (TV, radio, etc.)
Principles of Advertising:
- Credibility: Trustworthy information
- Clarity: Easy understanding
- Repetition: Reinforcing the message
- Opportunity: Targeting the right audience at the right time
- Attraction: Capturing consumer attention
Limitations of Advertising:
- Respect for dignity and rights
- Avoiding misleading, unfair, or prohibited advertising
- Restrictions on comparative and subliminal advertising
Merchandising
Merchandising uses techniques to highlight products at the point of sale, differentiating them from competitors and encouraging purchase.