Kingsford Charcoal Case

Recognizing an organization’s alternatives for growth is an important process for companies. By evaluating and selecting the competitive advantages within a market a company can distinguish themselves from their competition. For an organization the “grand strategies indicate the time period over which long-range objectives are to be

Grilling is engraved in American culture as well as a highly seasonal activity. Kingsford Charcoal is in the business of selling charcoal for grills. Even though Kingsford increased its market share in 2000, their forecast indicates they will not reach the initial revenue mark. With the charcoal market’s growth slowing, and the gas grill market gaining market share, Kingsford needs to revise its strategy, and their marketing mix to meet original expectations for itself and Clorox. The following report will identity the issues Kingsford faces in the market place and recommend actions to take to resolve these problems. First we will examine

You chose to place Burnin\ ' Rock in health food store chains and the organic food sections of supermarkets. This was the best choice for reaching your target demographic.

2. Evaluate Gordon Biersch's organizational alternatives to realize its growth ambitions. Recommend a course to follow?

The goal of the promotional activity is to increase the sales and consumers consumption of the all charcoal category by optimizing merchandising, assortment, pricing and shelving. By example, within the merchandising, they

Executives have noted that beef consumption in the US is declining and this explains why volume sales have remained stagnant over the past few years. On the other hand, consumption of chicken and turkey has doubled since the 1970s (AMI, 2009). Considering this information, one recommendation is to offer a sale “Buy one A.1. Steak Sauce, get one A.1. Marinade free”. This type of sale will appeal to customers who plan on grilling both steak and chicken during Memorial Day weekend. Because of the small amount of steak sauce used at one time some consumers do not find it necessary, nor are they interested, in buying 2 bottles of steak sauce for $5. This promotion would also help increase brand awareness for A.1. marinades without spending a lot of money on outside advertising.

Kingsford had reduced its media spending from over $6 million in 1998 to a little over $1 million in 2000. Gas Grill increased its media spending during the same time period. * Reduction in Promotions: Royal Oak had contributed substantial funds towards merchandising opportunities at retailers such as temporary price reductions, features and displays. Kingsford’s merchandising in 2000 was consistent with that in 1999. * Weather Pattern: Precipitation and temperature comparison with 1999 showed a slight increase in rainfall in October through December 2000, coupled with major drop in temperatures. Cold weather reduced the opportunities for grilling occasions. * Lack of R&D: Kingsford was consistent with research and development and had spent $63 million since 1998. Kingsford’s research team not focused on how to overcome to Gas Grill. Lack of research on what makes the charcoal easy to use and require less preparation. These key problems cause the decline in the Sales. Let’s see what are the alternatives available to this key problems and how can we overcome with it. Some of the Key problems require funding, for example Media Advertising.

In the early 1700’s, sperm whale oil was found desirable over right whale oil when burning candles, due to lacking an unpleasant odor. This led to a direct spike in the killing of sperm whales, until 1859, when petroleum took a demanding lead in the candle and lamp market. In 1861, when the Civil War began, many Confederate Whaling ships were sunk, and even though the country was focused on the land battle that raged, whaling continued at the steady rate that is was before, because oil lamps were used in both the North and South. Around 1872, after the rise in popularity of natural gas in Pennsylvania, a “spark” of electricity shot around the world, and the whale oil use for lamps was suddenly decreased sharply. Any remaining oil lamps since then were mainly run on kerosene, because of it’s cheaper price (Whale

The most influential factor that allowed coal to become a household item was its cheap price. If the dramatic changes in transportation never occurred, people would simply not be able to use coal for home heating, as it would have been way to expensive. This along with the marketing skills of coal industry, allowed for a swift change. Marketing coal was not as simply as one way assume, as its smell, and waste were a common complain. However, when looking at the late 1820’s coal seems to begin its eventual rise to the top in home heating.

In 2000 BC"According to the report of an early missionary to China, coal was already being burned there for heating and cooking, and had been so employed for up to 4000 years. Likewise, in early medieval Europe, the existence of coal was no secret, but the 'black stone' was regarded as an inferior fuel because it produced so much soot and smoke... Thus, until the 13th century, it was largely ignored in favor of wood.

Both the gas grill and charcoal grill offer a great outdoor cooking experience. Grilling on either is more fun than cooking indoors. Because choosing one over the other may be a challenge, some people have both types of grill. I personally have both but I prefer the great taste of the charcoal grill over the convenience of a gas grill. Ultimately, cost, convenience, and taste may be ok reasons the reasons we love our outdoor grills and the main reason we look forward to our

The summer months are the time to enjoy the outdoor living and fresh caught fish on the BBQ. I decided to drill into the pros and cons of the charcoal BBQ’s. Although I’m already biased toward Webber and never use gas grills for cooking, why not further my understanding of Webber’s competition in case there is something I’m missing. My initial search parameter was “Charcoal BBQ” and 4 of the top 5 results were Webber products. They have products ranging from $30 - $300 dollars and the reviews are fantastic. Personally I own 4 of the top five rated BBQ’s accept Webbers high end competitor, the Big Green Egg. The disadvantages to the Big Green Egg are the cooking area and the price. If one is to compare the Webber Smokey Mountain Smoker

Assess the external threats affecting this corporation and the opportunities available to the corporation. Give your opinions on how the corporation should deal with the most serious threat and the greatest opportunity. Justify your answer.

In this paper, I will select an organization and prepare a strategic plan to grow the business over the next three years. This strategic plan will include certain criteria. That criteria includes:

This information, coupled with the firm 's mission statement, will help participants crystallize in their own minds particular strategies that they believe could benefit the firm most. Creativity should be encouraged in this thought process.