Buy-back programs

Buy-back program that Assess product longevity Shelf life evaluation... 

Buy-back programs have two forms. One is when retailers or distributors return product that has not sold and no longer fits its brand profile. The other form is proactive programs that periodically purchases beer from retailers and has the sensory team evaluate how well the product is holding up. Consider a beer that was returned to the brewery and was tasted as part of a proactive buy-back. Once the sensory team has done its work, the differences can be easily contrasted with a sample that is considered Tme to Brand. 

A buy-back program is one way in which a sensory program may extend beyond the brewery, but there is no reason that others who handle the brand cannot be involved in monitoring the prodnct s shelf life. Distributors and sales representatives can be trained to evalnate beer. Business is better for everyone when beer is fresh and remains within its Brand Profile. If beer in trade is not handled correctly, microbiological issues may ensue (Spedding, 2013). 

Figure 18.4 Graph of beer from the Buy Back program contrasted with sample fitting the Brand Profile, provided courtesy of Data Collection Solutions.

Occidental Chemical Corporation has established a buy-back program for postconsumer PVC bottles. For baled material in lots of 5,000 lb and up, with 90% minimum PVC content and without caps, prices paid during the fourth quarter 1990 were as follows clear PVC bottles with wash removable labels, 90/lb mixed colors and clear PVC bottles with non-wash removable labels, 60/lb clear 5 gallon PVC water bottles, cut in half and nested for shipment, 100/lb. Freight is paid by Occidental and truckload quantities greater than 20,000 lbs receive an additional l0/lb. 

A Go/No-Go ballot is the last chance for a brewery to prevent a flawed batch of beer from reaching the market and perhaps negatively affecting the perception of the brand and brewery. This sort of issue can easily result in costly retums/buy-backs. Due to the gravity of the situation, a Go/No-Go panel would ideally be staffed by the best-trained, most proficient sensory panelists available however, when just starting a program, a grasp of the brand profile, enthusiasm, and an appreciation of the work s importance may have to suffice. 

For smaller systems, such as personal computers, the data and programs may be located on the same disk and partitioned by the directory structure. If the backup software is capable of performing selective backups, the comments in the paragraph above apply. However, if there is little sophistication, the whole disk may have to be backed up routinely. Again, for PC systems this may be an area to evaluate closely before buying. An alternative is a PC network where the programs and data are held on a central server and can be backed up more efficiently and effectively than stand-alone systems. 

After considerable evaluation, in November 2000, the firm elected to implement the Ariba Buyer e-Procurement System in conjunction with its existing American Express Purchasing Card program to automate its indirect buy. On the back end, they integrated the Ariba system with the Pfizer financial system to optimize payment processing and eliminate steps that added no value. The firm did evaluate electronic marketplace options only to conclude that their scale was so large that such an alternative offered little added value. 

Standards for collection are only voluntary in many communities in the U.S. Sony, for example, conducted a pilot program in Minnesota to take back its televisions from consumers as part of a municipal waste program. IBM and Hewlett Packard are two companies that offer to take back computers for a fee. Some retailers have agreed to take back nickel-cadmium batteries (Radio Shack and Sears), and electronic products (Best Buy). 

---