Network technologies, modern organizational and marketing functions have transformed the way businesses operate nowadays and consequently have an effect on all sectors of the economy. Contemporary firms become members of the Internet society since the profits are high and innovative wireless broadband technologies allow to serve customers globally 24/7 while the relative cost keeps lessening (Andreopoulou, 2013). Internet constitutes a thriving means to promote a firm and can incorporate advertising and marketing activities, Total Quality Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, social media promotion, communication features in the firm's website. Nevertheless, Social responsibility, green marketing and environmental sustainability are becoming important practices for modern firms influencing the formulation of different types of corporate environmental practices within a green firm strategy (Tsekouropoulos et al, 2014). While many food and drink firms have already their online store through their website presentation, this paper aims to describe the modern organizational and marketing challenge in contemporary firms and the new trends (Werther and Chandler, 2006). An Internet search was conducted in eighty large firms that operate in food and drink sector in the prefecture of Central Macedonia, Greece. Their websites are analyzed and their features, such as CSR, advertising, marketing, consumer's behavior, social media etc are studied (Andreopoulou et al, 2014).
Modern businesses have to face multiple and significant challenges, due to market
globalization, increasing competitiveness among businesses and a constantly
changing business environment. Recently, the appreciation of supply chain as an
innovative solution for successful business has been a great change and challenge for
the businesses’ operation
Contemporary firms become members of the Internet society since the profits are
high and innovative wireless broadband technologies allow serving customers
globally 24/7, while the relative cost keeps lessening. The approach to these
customers and the development of their trust towards the firm can be achieved
through the quality, the comfort of markets, the price competitiveness and the offer
of right products and services
Many companies have already created websites and they consider internet a
powerful tool within the competitive business environment. The website can be the
storefront of a company and therefore it should always operate efficiently and have
the adequate style and image that will attract and preserve its visitors and future
customers
Internet features have significantly contributed to the automation and reduction of
the production process cost and the internal business administration and marketing
processes (Tsekouropoulos et.al. 2012). At the same time, they add to the expansion
of contact with the customers and to the increase of the supply chain. According to
Canavari et al. (2008), “e-business includes a number of functions that vary in
complexity and are defined as the use of the internet or other electronic means, for
the execution of transactions, the support of business operations and the
improvement of cooperation between the entities of the supply chain”. In particular,
the term of entrepreneurship can be defined as an attempt to convert the initiative
into effect with the ultimate aim of producing a profit
Social responsibility programs, funds and sponsorships are presented in a firm’s
website as an effort to inform the public and potential customers that the firm, apart
from the business part related to the cost, intends to return profit to the society
The natural environment is progressively seen as a integrated level of CSR.
Research on CSR and environmental sustainability in the management literature, is
often converging because of shared environmental, economic, and social concerns,
while environmental responsibility can be analyzed through a number of factors,
such as the existence of anti-pollution programs, the extent to which a firm
contributes to the conservation of natural resources, involvement in voluntary
environmental rehabilitation initiatives, environmental friendly practices and the
methodical reduction of waste and emissions from various operations (production,
logistics, etc)
The sample of the research is primarily going to be consisted of 80 respondents/companies. All of the subjects will be English speakers and managers or marketing managers of the firms. A non-probability judgmental/purposive sampling is going to be used as a sampling method. The choice of the particular sampling method was made with regard to the recruitment of the participants in the research as well as the choice of the respondents was made from a particular sampling frame which include all the companies of the area. 2.1 Data analysis
The analysis of the data was made with the statistical software for data analysis SPSS. Descriptive statistics will be used to illustrate the answers of the respondents while inferential statistics (x2) will be used to examine the relationship between the variables.
!
Type of products/ Business or Marketing plan
No
3 42.9%
31 62.0%
17 73.9%
51 63.7%
Yes
4 57.1%
19 38.0%
6 26.1%
29 36.2%
Total
7 100.0%
50 100.0%
23 100.0%
80 100.0% !
Type of products / Total Quality Management ISO HACCP
Moreover, from the application of χ2 test, it was found that there is a statistical significant relationship between the type of the products and the application of total quality management (sig.= 0.046). Value df
Management flow chart
No Yes 100.0% 7 47 20 74 94.0% 87.0% 92.5% 0 3 3 6 0.0% 6.0% 13.0% 7.5% 100.0% 7 50 23 80 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Promotional activities
47 19 71 71.4% 94.0% 82.6% 88.8% 2 3 4 9 28.6% 100.0% 6.0% 100.0% 17.4% 100.0% 11.2% 100.0% 7 50 23 80 Social responsibility
15 53 42.9% 70.0% 65.2% 66.2% Yes 4 8 57.1%
15 30.0% 34.8%
27 33.8% 7 50 23 80 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Sales via the internet
17 58 57.1% 74.0% 73.9% 72.5%
Yes 3 6 42.9%
13 26.0% 26.1%
22 27.5% 7 50 23 80 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 3 Conclusions
Taking into account all the above mentioned, most of the companies which sell drink products or a combination of drink and food products, do not use business and marketing plans, while the bigger percentage of the companies which trade only food products, have applied marketing or business plans. In addition, most of the companies which sell food or drink products do not use Total Quality Management practices, while the bigger percentage of the companies which trade both food and drink products have applied Total Quality Management practices.
Despite the type of the products, most of the companies do not use a management flow chart and also promotional activities. Moreover, most of the companies which sell drink products or a combination of drink and food products do not use social responsibility practices, while the bigger percentage of the companies which trade only food products, have applied social responsibility practices. Finally, most of the companies which sell drink products or a combination of drink and food products do not make sales via the internet, while the bigger percentage of the companies who trade only food products have made sales via the internet.