International Food and Agribusiness Management

Question: Discuss about the International Food and Agribusiness Management. Answer: Introduction: Seafood processing sector across the world comprises of the breeding and production of fish and other creatures found in the sea. Many of the firms in this sectors operate vessels which are used for processing and not catching fishes and other food. Besides the industry also have enterprises that freeze the whole fish and offer it to the market. The focus of the report is Tassal salmon company based in the Tasmanian region in Australia. Globally, the seafood and fishing sector is becoming the most luxurious due to expected growth in the coming decades occasioned by the increased demand for seafood products and services (Birch et al. 2012). In Australia, the industry is also performing well, and it is capable of providing the products to the local and other markets across the world. The industry is expanding to meet the increasing demand and broaden the market. In Australia there are many companies but there are various companies competing to satisfy the consumers such as Petuna Seafo ods, Tassal and Huon Aquaculture. Firms operating in this industry adheres to certain environmental practices, are concerned about the society and use resources to meet their objectives (Bose Brown 2000). Marketing Background of the Company Tassal pays a particular attention to the ecological and social issues in the process of providing the services to consumers and other clients. These practices ensure that seafood reaches the consumers but with minimal effects on the fish populations and damage on the marine environment. For example, sustainable environmental practices do not only focus on the number of fish species left in the ocean, it is concerned with the methods of catching the fish, the influence on the marine wildlife and seafloor. It also touches on the regular functioning of the marine ecosystems (Farmery et al. 2014). As such, Tassal is conscious of the practices and takes into consideration the factors. Some of the reason why some companies are unable to satisfy the environmental requirements includes poor management, insufficient knowledge, and catching of the unintended species such as unwanted fish, seabirds, corals, turtles and dolphins (Tassal, n.d.) Tassal deals with seafood caught and farmed responsibly and this prevents depletion of fish populations and no ecosystem jeopardy. Besides, the company sources food from the sea and uses methods which do not threaten the habitats or end up catching huge volumes of non-intended species (Tassel, n.d.). Further, the company supports the surrounding communities by making positive contributions because they are part of the same society and employees live in the same environment. For example, the company is involved in some support activities in schools, local sports clubs, and nongovernment organizations because they are an essential part of an active community (Tassel, n.d.). Tassal Marketing Strategies Tassal is a Food processing, a fishing company founded in 1986 and since then it had grown from private to public company and listed on ASX back in 2003. The firm was established in Tasmania Australia and headquartered in Hobart in Tasmania, and since its inception, Tassal has been proving a full range of delicious, healthy and fresh Atlantic salmon responsibly bred from pristine waters. In the industry where it operates, it is recognized as one of the leading companies with more 800 fabulous employees proving services to consumers (Tassal, n.d.). The company has an extensive range of services and products such as fresh, canned, frozen and smoked salmon recipes. Services offered includes cooking techniques and the methods of preparing salmon dishes to family and friend in homes. To ensure the supply of products, Tassal relies on three hatcheries that are capable of producing ten million of smolt annually through selective breeding programs. The fishes produced are demanded by companies on wholesale while other are exported to other markets (Tassal, n.d.). In the country, consumers can access salmon in two major stores based in Salamanca, Kew and Tasmania and Victoria. The main competitors include Huon, Petuna Seafoods, and Aquaculture (Curtotti et al. 2012). The section explores the marketing mix strategies used by tassel in the market. The focus includes price, place, promotion, product and theories will be used to support the market moves employed. These strategies are important for the firms when marketing their products and services in the market (Goi 2015). This makes the company understand the right product for the market and target consumers, appropriate prices which the target population can afford, placing them in the right place and employing the most suitable promotion strategies to popularize products portfolio and the brand. The purpose of applying the strategies is to ensure the offering have the right and desired features that consumers want, providing good price, delivering them at the right time and making the buyers aware of the availability and cost adjustments (Dentoni et al 2014). The product is the center of the marketing focus by Tassel and therefore resources, energy and innovativeness should be employed to make it appealing to the market. The company should be concerned with the meaning of the product offered to the customer and work on aspects such as its appearance and the benefits to the buyers. For instance, the packaging must be appealing to the people and meets others social requirements such as health benefits which can attract the consumers currently and in the future. Further, the brand can be broadened for tactical purposes like competition from other salmon companies which means the company need increase the innovation of its products and services and also cater for fluctuating demand for Seafood in the coming decades (Constantinides 2006). According to segmentation theory, the products and services offered to consumers seek to satisfy and address customers' problems and needs. However, all buyers have different needs and want, and therefore some will find the product not favorable to them. Therefore, the firms should produce products based on the target segments purchasing power. Thus, Tassel makes products that are tailored toward particular segments based on demographics, desires, and behaviors and the marketing efforts and strategies are directed to the prospects segments to them (Dentoni et al. 2014). The Life Cycle theory argues that the marketing strategies adopted by the firm should evolve as the product goes through various phases such as growth phase and maturity. In the early phases, the marketing should be tailored toward informing consumers of the benefits to spark interests, at other stages, the aim should be to build loyalty and achieve differentiation (Lam Harker 2015). In the marketing mix theory aspects, the price is essential as it helps the company generate sales revenue to support other activities. This means that the set prices of the product and services provided have a significant role in determining the value made by the firm (Lam Harker 2015) To this regard, the salmon costs are determined by understanding the customers perception on what the real value of the services and product are. The management, therefore, has initiatives aimed at exploring the consumers opinions and using them to adjust the price based on what customers value what they pay for. However, there are diverse marketing forces which affect the pricing strategy of Tassal, and this makes the pricing policy to keep evolving. This is due to time changes and circumstances in the market such as demand, supply and seasons (Constantinides 2006). According to pricing theory, the prices of the products and services are determined by the cost incurred, demand and the level of competition in the industry. According to the model, pricing strategy concerns three main points namely the cost and profit targets, the demand and the level of competition (Hollensen 2015). Therefore, regarding the model principles, Tassel should set their prices based on the costs incurred during the production of its products. Other factors that need to be considered is the demand for good during different seasons by researching on the industry accepted range. Because Tassal has significant local and international competitors, there is need to check their prices and reduce its pricing rate to capture and retain more consumers. The strategy is sustained by understanding the demand, completion, and production pricing and adjusting them to gain competitive advantages. Although the figure may be different based on the products offered to the market, there is a significant share of cost which is used to get the product and services closer where the customer can access them. This is the Tassal as the place where their stores are set serves the roles of storing and making available to the consumers (Hollensen 2015). For instance, the firm has significant stores based in Salamanca, Kew, Tasmania and Victoria where customers can access quickly and be transported to other areas through roads. But many of the products are processed by factories in different locations and delivered to wholesalers who takes them closer to the retailers. In addition the processing centers are placed in a strategic location where people from different geographical locations can access them easily (Birch et al. 2012). According to operations theory in marketing, the business location is essential as it determines the access of products and services by the primary consumers. Besides, the place where the business is located has an enormous impact on the profits and revenues generated by the company. Therefore, Tassal should seek and establish their stores and processing facilities where it is possible to maximize the scale of income generated and minimize the costs incurred to reach the peoples. When the business is placed in a disadvantaged position, they experience rising competition, incurs huge costs of reaching consumers, have communications challenges and face falling demand (Hollensen 2015). The Promotion strategy by the organization has the primary objective of communicating to the consumers on why they should buy the product and how. The aim is to make the relevant information available in a bid to help the customers makes the decision on whether to purchase the product or service or not (Posner 2015). Tassal just like any other organization engages in a range of promotional activities in the digital, print and broadcast media to inform the consumers about their service and product offerings and to boost the sales. The strategy is also employed by Tassal to deal with the issues of competition from local and international companies invading the Australian market and others where they have demand (Friel et al. 2014). Alignment theory is relevant to the promotion strategies used by Tassel to capture more consumers in the market. For the promotion strategy used to be effective, then it must communicate the product features, benefits associated with it and others based on the target consumers. Therefore it is paramount for Tassel to use alignment strategy to during promotional activities such as PR, advertising (Kozlenkova et al. 2014). For example, when marketing Salmons they should be presented as aimed toward enhancing individuals health and capacity and downplaying another fundamental aspect which is not relevant for the promotion activity. Comparison of Marketing Mix Strategies In the Australian market, the main competitors of the organization of Tasssal include Huon, Petuna Seafoods, and aquaculture. The comparison mainly focuses on the product, pricing, place, and promotion strategies employed in the market. These strategies have more similarity but with slight differences. First of all, all the companies are competing in the seafood and fish industry, and their common products to consumers are Salmon. These firms provide framed salmon for the market, but there are differences in how they present the products in the market based on their target consumers and the demographics. Moreover, the companys products are offered to the consumer with their health benefits to attract them. There is difference in the way the products are packaged to make more appealing (Birch et al. 2012). The pricing strategy has a lot of similarities and differences. The competitors pricing strategy is determined by the perception held by consumers regarding the value of the products. These rivals tries to offer great products that are well packaged at a higher price. The advertising means and messages adopted by these companies position the salmon products as bearing higher values which outweigh the products. However, the costs of the product are not the same as they are determined by location, mode of delivery amongst others (Fleming Lim-Camacho 2014). The place strategy of the organization also has some differences and similarities. Where the company place is services is dependent on the consumers being targeted and the mean of transporting adopted as it is a determining factor on how the product is purchased. Both Tassel and Huan Tasmania Aquaculture operates in Tasmania and mainland Australia to reach the distributors and the consumers quickly. Both have stores at strategic locations in places such as Salamanca, Kew, Tasmania, Victoria, Habert and other location for easy access to markets and consumers. This also helps them to be in virtually all geographical areas (Fleming Lim-Camacho 2014). Lastly is the promotion strategies used by the competitions. The platforms and strategies are similar only the messages adopted are different due to the target consumers. The rise of technology and high penetration of internet has changed the way companies tries to reach people in the market and turn them into customers. Some of the leading digital platforms used to advertise and engage the consumers in including blogs, social media and websites where consumers can comments on various issues. Other strategies used includes public relations where the companies explain few issues that users might not understand well about the products. There is also a heavy reliance on sales promotion to move their goods faster in the market (Emery et al. 2017). Recommendation on How Tassal Should Improve Its Marketing Mix The best way for Tassal can understand and improve their 4Ps and move toward market domination is learning what persuades the customer toward purchasing a product or subscribing to the service and the areas where improvement is required to create more satisfactions. For packaged Salmons, the management should improve the packaging to make it look appealing, making it environmental conscience and differentiate it with that of the rivals. On the other hand, the place includes the places where the consumers can access the product. The firm should have store distributed across regions, a specialist boutique and make their packaged products to supermarket chains locally and internationally to make it accessible to users of all kind. Tassel should also improve and use the right distribution channels, try to perfect their supply chain management, learn the mistake and differentiate the company brand. Price strategy should take into consideration the value of the product and service offered to the buyer. The Tassel group should seek to understand the established price points in the industry and research whether the consumers are price sensitive to figure out whether a decrease in price can gain the firm a substantial extra market share against the rival. It is also essential to know discounts could be offered to customers and distributors. Lastly, the company can understand where the Promotion strategies can be applied by understanding where the message can spread quickly in the markets. For instance, Tassel should seek to understand sustainable and efficient platforms such as digital and others such as TV, radio, billboards or direct marketing. The company should know when to engage in promotional activities and when to avoid such strategies in the future. The plan also includes understanding how the competitors do their work and the best choices to combine to reach people. Tassal SWOT Analysis STRENGHS Dominance in the local market There is a strong existing distribution and sales networks Production of unique products Product diversification WEAKNESES Satisfying the future market size OPPORTUNITY Growing demand Income level is Increasing New Acquisitions Growth Rates And Profitability THREATS Increasing rates of interest in the region The bargaining power of suppliers is high Bibliography Birch, D., Lawley, M. Hamblin, D., 2012. Drivers and barriers to seafood consumption in Australia. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29(1), pp. 64-73. Bose, S. Brown, N., 2000. A preliminary investigation of factors affecting seafood consumption behaviour in the inland and coastal regions of Victoria, Australia. 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