On the opposite spectrum from supplier bargaining power is the bargaining power of buyers. These buyers do not just represent the end user consumer who purchases a PC, laptop computer, or other computer accessory, but represent the buyers all along the entire supply chain from concept and research and development to manufacturing, customization, packaging, transportation, sales, and delivery and in some cases, after the sale customer service. Their overall buying power as a group is considered…
Unfortunately, some companies have mismanaged their greatest asset—their brands. This is what befell the popular Snapple brand almost as soon as Quaker Oats bought the beverage marketer for $1.7 billion in 1994. Snapple had become a hit through powerful grassroots marketing and distribution through small outlets and convenience stores. Analysts said that because Quaker did not understand the brand’s appeal, it made the mistake of changing the ads and the distribution. Snapple lost so much…