Criminal Justice System Research Paper

Research Paper on Criminal Justice System

Terrorism and Homeland Defense from the Perspective of the Criminal Justice System

Introduction

Criminal justice, terrorism, and homeland defense are issues that affect every country at many different levels. Politicians, law enforcement agents, governments and citizens are all stakeholders that are affected by these phenomena. Although there are many common principles of engagement amongst different countries and their governments in regards to these matters, the criminal justice system of a respective country has its own structure, rules and procedures. In this paper, reviewed is the United States of America’s criminal justice system and its implications on the matters associated with terrorism and homeland security.

The United States criminal justice system has recently been growingly glorified in countless eye-popping dramas such as ‘Criminal Minds’ and ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’, spread over a variety of American television networks. However, it is also majorly misrepresented seeing as in its truest form, it is one of the most complex and intricate systems ever created. Because of this, this report merely discusses one function of the criminal justice system. The report profiles the activity of The Department of Homeland Security and its interdependent faculties in the fight against terrorism. The length of this article allows for only a brief overview of the major acts, bodies and functions and how they interact with the three-step process of the criminal justice system. In order to provide a clear understanding of this process, the author presents an overview of the US Criminal Justice System and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), before highlighting the collection and responsibilities DHS law enforcement agencies. The literature goes on to include a profile of The USA Patriot Act, the National Security Division, the federal court system, and the issues surrounding the corrections of terrorists.

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An Overview of the US Criminal Justice System

The US president’s commission defined the purpose of the US criminal justice system is to “enforce the standards of conduct necessary to protect individuals and the community” (President’s Commission, 1967). Designed to uphold social order through sanctions and prevention, this system holds itself up on three pillars: law enforcement, adjudication, and corrections. This three-step model is the basis for execution and enforcement of all legal rules and regulations. Each of these agencies plays a specific role. The law enforcement body is responsible for the first contact with a criminal, in which an investigation may lead to an arrest. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an exemplar of a leading law enforcement agency in the US. Courts are responsible for settling disputes and administering justice. The process involves a judge, a prosecutor and a defense attorney, among other individuals. In the last step, correctional authorities administer punishment if necessary, for example, in the form of prison, exile or execution (Andreas & Price, 2003). The following profile of The US Department of Homeland Security and US anti-terrorism initiatives and laws should be taken in context of the aforementioned elements of the US criminal justice system.

The Department of Homeland Security

In response to the attacks of September 11th, the US federal government launched an initiative on the 25th of November 2002 called The US Department of Homeland Security. The goal of this department is to respond to domestic emergencies such as terrorism. Peter Andreas is a border theorist who, in his journal entitled Redrawing the Line calls the Department of Homeland Security “the most significant government reorganization since the cold war” as well as “the most substantial reorganization of federal agencies since the National Security Act of 1947” (Andreas, 2003). The following federal agencies all communicate directly with the secretary and deputy secretary of the DHS: Transportation Security Administration, US Customs and Border Protection, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, US Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the US Coast Guard. However, there are even more bodies such as the National Cyber Security Center, Domestic Nuclear Detection office, as well as other advisory groups who are also in direct communication with the office of the secretary.

DHS Law Enforcement

Many of the aforementioned agencies service the DHS by providing law enforcement activities. CBP was mentioned in a list of agencies working under the umbrella of the DHS. In order to understand how the DHS operates from a criminal justice perspective, one can learn from a detailed breakdown of the responsibilities of different figures in CBP. For example, both CBP Officer and Border Patrol Agent (OBP) serve as a unit of law enforcement that contributes to the fight against terrorism. Border Patrol Agents aim to prevent entry of terrorists and terrorist weapons through activities such as “line watch”, which involves surveillance from a stealthy covert positioning, decoding and following tracks, and the operation of electronic sensor television systems. Some other forms of law enforcement within the DHS includes the Federal Protective Service, which provides security for federal buildings, assets and properties, and the aforementioned US Secret Service, which provides protective services for US currency and important government officials( Thessin, 2003).

Surprisingly, the government passed the bill so that law enforcement agencies, FBI and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) were not incorporated in the bill. This was received with a lot of controversy and criticism. However, soon thereafter the DHS and the US Department of Justice created fusion centers, which are terrorist prevention centers used to assist interaction and information sharing between the local government, state government, CIA, FBI, Department of Justice, and the US Military. The application of fusion centers can help law enforcement and adjudicating officers work as a team for a more swift and streamlined process, through which suspected terrorists are brought to trial without delay.

The USA Patriot Act

Enduring reauthorization twice in two years, the USA Patriot Act continues to play a major role in the USA’s fight against terrorism. The first time was in 2005 when Congress reauthorized provisions found in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. The notable changes included new requirements relating to the death penalty for terrorists, enhancing security at seaports, and new powers for the Secret Service. The USA Patriot Act consists of ten titles that summarize the aim of its fruition. They are as follows; Enhancing domestic security against terrorism, Surveillance procedures, Anti-money laundering to prevent terrorism, Border security, Victims of families and victims of terrorism, Terrorism criminal law, Improved intelligence, and Miscellanous (Yeh & Doyle, 2005). The USA Patriot Act received a lot of criticism for being rushed in a time of panic and widespread fear. In February of 2010, president Barack Obama extended three controversial provisions of the Patriot Act allowing courts to approve wiretaps/ surveillance of phones, to seize records and property in terrorist cases, and permit surveillance of lone-wolf terrorists.

National Security Division

The US Department of Justice, National Security Division was created along with the finalization of the USA Patriot Act Reauthorization in 2005. The main purpose of this department is to combine national security and intelligence labors of the Criminal Division as well as the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review. Initiatives such as the CounterTerrorism Section, Counterespionage Section, and most notably, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act were formed into one cohesive division.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 has gone through recent amendments, particularly the Terrorist Surveillance Act and National Security Act of 2006 These acts respectively grant the President statutory authority to conduct electronic observation of suspected terrorists and retroactive amnesty for surveillance conducted without a warrant, furthering the autonomous structure of FISA. The Protect America Act of 2007 instated deregulations regarding the approval of wiretapping and surveillance of terrorist suspects involved in communications with foreign countries.

The Federal Court System

The federal court system is made up of the Supreme Court, the US courts of appeals, US district courts as well as courts with original and appellate jurisdiction over specific subject matter. The US Congress creates federal courts to be limited in their jurisdiction or to have complete independency from the Congress. However, Congress does not hold power over the Supreme Court. Different constitutional and legislative courts within the federal court system usually handle cases of terrorism (Wheeler & Harrison, 1994) .

In 1996, the Alien Terrorist Removal Court members were selected following the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 signed by Bill Clinton, incited by the Oklahoma City bombing (Moore & Turner, 2005). The court was modeled after a court created by Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and was given the authority to determine whether someone should be removed from the US on the basis of being an alien terrorist. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is accountable for appealing decisions made in this regard. The DC Circuit is one of the most important appellate courts as it reviews many decisions made by independent US government agencies. The decisions of these courts will determine the measures necessary for correction and guide the correctional authorities in the correctional facilitation of the prosecuted persons.

Correcting Terrorism

One of the most controversial areas of criminal justice associated with terrorism is method of corrections. This is a job for correctional administrators, politicians, and law enforcement among many others. The responsibility of corrections in regards to terrorists is immense. It is at times difficult to know what to do with a terrorist once captured, especially when considering the many cases of terrorist inmates recruiting other inmates while in prison. Many questions arise in these matters, such as should the terrorist prison population be separated from the rest of the population? The regimes for terrorists in prison often aim to de-radicalize and disengage both the individual and the group (Sturgeon, 2005).

Once a terrorist is captured and convicted, the response of the counter-terrorist organization will often range from necessary to immoral. Depending on who is asked, different moral standards and opinions indicate different measures. In some cases, further interrogation is administered, in others immediate imprisonment or deportation. In recent cases, such as the Greyhound bus beheading, the public opinion has gone as far as to say that capital punishment is appropriate. US operations have been heavily criticized for their treatment of detainees held captive in Iraq. This type of criticism can be directly attributed to the The Protect America Act of 2007, which amended rules regarding surveillance of terrorist suspects. There have been many terrorist cases in the past that can be highlighted as a means of understanding correctional action. In the case of the Capture of Achille Lauro hijackers in 1985, the US military turned 4 hijackers to Italy, where the terrorists were convicted. Other situations call for more extreme measures such as targeted killing, commonly used by US forces against terrorist groups such as Al-Queda and Hamas. Often times, the orders for these killings are issued by the President (Shane, 2010).

Conclusion

It is evident that the government of the United States has ongoing concerns about the security of the country. It is also evident that there are a lot of measures which have been taken to ensure the security of the American people. The criminal justice system has been effective in law enforcement and ajudication through appropriately appointed officials. However, there are a lot of unanswered questions with regards to corrections. Although there has been much legislative change and reform in regards to homeland security and terrorism, there is still a lack of understanding of how to deal with terrorists as human beings. Those who educate, study, regulate and serve the field of criminal justice must continue to pursue the psychological understanding of terrorist groups and the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for their actions.

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Research Paper on Medicine and Ethics

Analyzing the Environment of the Marriage between Medicine and Ethics

Abstract

The following article raises awareness regarding ethics in the field of medicine. The article highlights issues and institutions that may contribute to the changes of ethical behavior among physicians, patients, health care professionals, and other stakeholders of different forms of health care. The main issue discussed includes the evolving nature of a patient-doctor relationship, starting with paternalism. Applications of theory include of the involvement of the pharmaceutical industry, the role of technology, and special circumstances such as sports medicine.

Introduction

Ethics is a subject that has been aged like fine wine, discussed and disagreed upon by many. Therefore it is unavoidable that the coupling of ethics with a field as important as medicine is bound to create friction among many. The topics surrounding ethics in medicine face a lot of contradicting theories that have been debated and will continue to be debated for a long time. A clinical ethics study released in 2001, but conducted ten years prior, correctly predicted many factors to change in the proceeding ten year period, including ethical challenges posed by advanced in biotechnology. The concern was manifested by the recent controversies concerning issues such as stem cells and the Human Genome Project. 

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The result is an increasing involvement and greater activity of journals such as the American Journal of Bioethics, BMC Medical Ethics, and the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare ethics. This has caused maturation and a raised awareness of the importance of ethics in the medical field. It is due to a collaborative effort of those exploring challenges through narrative ethics, feminist theory, and clinical ethics, which we will speak about in detail throughout this research paper.

There are many distinctions in these theories associated with these schools of thought. The root of the problem according to clinical ethics, whether the topic being argued is about fitness, abortion, euthanasia, or pharmaceutical products, lies within the patient- doctor relationship. This relationship, due to major changes in societal values as well as many internal and external influential factors, should be examined as precept to determining what classifies as ethical practice and communication of medicine.

Dr Richard Friedenberg reiterates Dr Mark Stiegel’s 1998 article entitled “The future of the doctor patient relationship”, reminding readers that throughout the years, the patient-doctor relationship has passed through three primary phases; the age of paternalism, the age of autonomy, and the age of bureaucracy (the age of the payor).1 The move from one age to the other changed the way people viewed and interacted with the healthcare industry. When it came to making health related decisions, the decision-making process used to rely heavily on the expertise of the physician. More recently, it became heavily dependant on the choices of the patient and the patient’s family, and it is becoming more and more centered on health care corporations such as insurance companies and pharmaceuticals.  As health care not so slowly but surely turns to managed care, the focus shifts from patient-orientation to cost-efficiency orientation. Health care and its associated products are being treated as a scarce resource. Phrases such as managed care, marginal benefits, the futility standard, and end of life decisions spring to mind when considering the issues that should be examined to any health professional trying to determine how to provide the best quality care for each patient.

Paternalism, Autonomy, and Bureaucracy

As mentioned before, medical practice has seen a dramatic change in the communication of its publics, benefactors, and stakeholders. It has become a standardized process that focuses on norms and general acceptance. However, the decision is now split up into many deciding factors that blur the ethics of the situation. Nevertheless, one of the longest argued and prevalent forms of patient doctor relationships we find today is that of one which is paternalistic.

This is the type of relationship gives authority and power to a physician, while setting the patient down into a more dependent role. Many believe this to be the safest and most beneficial power structure for the medical field as the professional is often much more advanced in the knowledge of the subject at hand. This can be especially true for the severely injured, minors, and the mentally ill.

From an ethical standpoint, it makes sense to allow the medical professional to decide health related decisions. However, moral dilemmas are not necessarily the expertise of a physician, and this may cause some friction. For instance, a secular physician may not value the same things as a religious patient, and vice versa.

This is why in the past 50 years; we have seen autonomy takeover paternalism quite aggressively. The idea of self-determination has been used to reject paternalism in western bioethics, giving patients stronger rights such as informed consent. 6 Often times, it is hard  to determine whether the patient is acting out of relational identity with his or her family, or whether it is undue pressure that is causing them to decide differently. Although there are negative connotations with a patient’s autonomy in regards to the medical paternalistic approach, Dr. Ho, the Associate PhD argues family intervention should usually be considered a positive contribution to a patient’s health decisions, barring neglect and abuse.

Dr Mark Stiegler 1 explains that the present age of bureaucracy has demonstrated an unwillingness to include individualism in managed care. It is defined by the cost of care, rather than quality of care, a wish of both patient and doctor, which loses priority as the involvement of external stakeholders, administrators, and bureaucrats. He defines five factors that can obstruct the autonomy of both patient and physician.

There are (5) five ways in which patient and physician’s autonomy are limited and can directly be linked to and referenced as resulting factors of managed care. In the past, patient’s and their physicians tried to maximize even a 1% chance of success. (1) Futility standards can affect (2) end of life decisions, via insurer imposing standards such as greater than 15% chance of success; otherwise the case is deemed futile. As an ethical maxim, the health care system is taking a universal/ collectivistic approach while traditional beliefs state that health care require an individualistic approach. A perfect example of this is the discrepancies in the view of  (3) quality of life standards. If a patient is currently living in a situation that the insurer deems as a low quality of life situation, the insurer may not cover treatment. The concept of (4) social utility causes third party intervention in regards to dying patients and valuable resources, which limits the patients and the doctor’s decision-making rights. (5) Practice Guidelines and clinical paths further standardize health practice and limit the rights of individual patients and physicians.

Medical Students and Doctors Via Pharmaceutical Industry

When patients weigh in the influences that accompany health related decision, they may take into account their own knowledge, the advice of their family and close friends, and of course the recommendations of their physician. However, it can be assumed that not every patient is aware of how many outside forces may be influencing the decision making of the physician. A standard practice for pharmaceutical companies is to shower doctors with gifts, lucrative job opportunities, and most effectively, free drug samples which are then passed on to the patient, 89.1% of the time merely because they are available. Under 63% of the respondents claimed to distribute due to a “knowledge of the efficacy of the product”.

However, this statistic comes rather surprising seeing as the pharmaceutical industry is responsible for over 60% of America’s medical education. Pharmaceutical companies have given out scholarships and grants, meanwhile the term healthcare PR is becoming synonymous with medical education in general. 5 In the past decades, it has become a common practice for pharmaceutical groups, and even tobacco companies to pay academic writers and journals, such as “Journal of the American Medical Association upwards of $300,000 to write favourable literature in order to promote their products. As the goal of every for profit corporation is to provide stakeholders with positive returns, whereas the goal of a physician and a clinic is to provide the best quality care for a patient, a conflict of interest may arise. This is where the ethical dilemma gains even more importance.

The Role of Technology

Advances in technology have transformed the way doctors practice and patients communicate. Biotechnological advances have recently created opportunities that were never thought to be possible before. However, the high price tag on much of the new technology makes it virtually impossible to the average patient. Electronic medical records are replacing physical records and are allowing patients greater flexibility. Whereas in times prior, physical records meant that it was hard for patients to acquire a valid second opinion, giving more power and responsibility to the regular family physician that is familiar with the patient. Due to the recent advances in information and communication technologies such as practice management systems, autonomy gains more power.

On the other hand, patients are still vulnerable to the organized usage and manipulation of private information that is now wired to many sources at once. In order to qualify, patients often have no choice but to surrender the rights to their private information to those in and out of the Health industry. There is hope that there is a possibility of establishing electronic medical records without a problem, should the health industry follow the model of the military and the banks. 8 The ethical proportions here are tremendous and they can be qualified as simultaneously positive and negative contributions to the argument in favour of a more paternalistic patient-doctor relationship. Should patients begin to doubt the system, a shift back towards paternalism should manifest. Should the public gain trust in the system, they would feel free to choose their providers more selectively and they would not require nor appreciate the same support. As of now, the general consensus is that electonic medical records may present a more secure alternative to traditional paper records.

Ethics in Sports Medicine

Although it is a general consensus that the health of the patient is the primary responsibility of a physician, there are some situations that are not so clear, in which paternalism can be detrimental in this regard. Let us assume a team physician for a professional sports team. The rules are a little different and physician must make that clear to the patient, as the patient must trust him. Some would say trust should not be in the hands of organizations who’s primary concern and responsibility in an organization is to meet fiduciary duty to their stockholders.

The physician’s primary goal is to improve performance and prevent patient injury. These are goals through which a completely different set of norms apply, such as those associated with confidentiality, patient autonomy, third parties, advertising, and innovative technology. 7 In this case, innovative technology refers to experimental high-end treatments that a team physician may be inclined to over-credit. Here we can clearly foresee how there is a possibility of undue pressure for the athlete coming from multiple sources. These issues, along with others such as drugs and confidentiality are all ethically and legally outstanding but not unusual circumstances, which would not be served well by a paternalistic approach alone.

Conclusion

Although paternalism is a model of health care that served a long time effectively, the idea that this is currently the only realistic and effective model of the doctor patient relationship is challengeable proclamation. There is a clear intervention of both the autonomous and bureaucratic trends, and their effect is strong. As the medical process becomes more streamlined, and influenced by biotechnology, communications technology and privately owned corporations in the professional and educational field, it may create the need for more autonomy among both physicians and patients. All forms of communication have their weaknesses and strengths. Ethical considerations must always be made on so many levels, whether it’s the patients’ privacy or their ability to live or die according to their own values. Although there are certainly situations where paternalism can prove to be utmost effective, such as life or death situations, it is not always necessarily the right decision for every patient. Outside factors such as careers, family and finances are inevitable and unavoidable. The best form of communication for patients is to surround them selves with trustworthy people who will assist them to make an informed decision every step of the way, whether it is a physician, friend, family member or even themselves.

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This is a free research paper on Medicine and Ethics topic. Keep in mind that all free research project samples and research paper examples are taken from open sources – they are plagiarized and cannot be used as your own research project. If you need a qualitative custom research project on Medicine or Ethics for college, university, Master's or PhD degree – you are welcome to contact professional research writing company to have your paper written online by academic research writers.
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Research Paper on Globalization

Sample Research Paper on Globalization

Introduction

Many opinions have been expressed recently about the term of globalization, although one cannot consider it exactly a contemporary phenomenon. First of all, globalization is described as the trend of global exchange in all aspects and spheres of human life and referred to the ideology of interdependence between nations, countries, and continents (Brown 2008: 44). The concept unifies the dependence of domestic markets and currencies on foreign trade, and the improving role of the global corporations (Landefeld, Kozlow 2003: 111).

The profile of the firm affected by the globalization is the following: a company uses global sourcing to produce some type of goods or services, overcome political and legal barriers in each country for the reason of opening an office or a store and employ local population, maintain worldwide distribution, and adapt packaging, advertising, and point-of-sales materials for each geographical region. In addition, it may also face scandals and conflicts on a local level, which can later affect the global image of the company.

Here one may see that in order to analyze the impact of governments and supranational organizations on a business, macro environment should be taken into consideration. Macro environment includes the list of factors, which can categorize the perspectives of cooperation between the official bodies and the global corporations. Oxford University Press (2007) identifies the LoNGPESTEL analyzing tool, the derivative from the PESTEL framework, as the one that helps firms to make decisions in the global environment. This model can be useful in analyzing six main categories of factors which matter on local, national, and global levels and propose suggestions about the ways how governments and other supranationals can help the firms that are affected by globalization. These factors include political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal. 

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Categorization of assistance for the firms
Political Sphere
Membership in international organizations
As an example of political support for the firms, one can mention the creation of international unions and organization of different profiles such as World Trade Organization (WTO), European Union (EU), United Nations Organization (UN) and many others. These supranational organizations are supposed to serve firms by investing in their research and development activity, broadening of their distribution networks, simplifying and reducing taxes and tariffs in the issues of international trade. The role of the government is ensuring the acceptance to certain international organizations, which comprise the highest political and economic interest for the country and namely the global firms within its borders. It is an important step toward the development of already operating global businesses in the country and, in most cases, the guaranteed access for the emerging firms to the international markets. 

Image and ideology
According to Mayda, O’Rourke, Sinnot (2007: 9-10), ideology of the nation plays a significant role in shaping an attitude towards other nations, their principles of life and work. Political issues between the countries may become the obstacles in trade relationships. One of the functions of the government is creation of a positive image of the country in the international arena, which helps to attract foreign investors, promote tourism, and, what is more important for the domestic companies going international, - conduct exporting activity. The image that the country possesses may be easily projected on each firm established in that country and will either help or block successful trade with other countries.    

Economic Sphere
Trade barriers versus free trade
The openness of the markets, outsourcing and global sourcing are the determining factors of the contemporary globalization for that economic growth tends to the countries with rapidly emerging economies. Brutto (2010: 513) points out that nowadays the economic growth in different countries is not fairly distributed, that’s why the developed countries design the policies that are aimed at establishing trade barriers and filtering the imported goods. The reasons for this are usually the slow internal growth, high rate of unemployment within those countries, and the abundance of cheaper alternatives of products manufactured in the less developed countries. Such isolation policies do not benefit the development of free trade making globalization efforts less effective. Besides, it leads to the trend of economic nationalism, which can be considered as negative for the global economics.
Under the firms affected by globalization one can understand the companies, which conduct exporting and importing activity. Based on the aforementioned, governments can help companies affected by globalization by encouraging import and export. With the well-established trade activity, the exchange of goods can be easier allowing for quicker turnover, better utilization of manufacturing facilities, shorter production terms, wider distribution, and larger demand for the products. As a result, it will stimulate the creation of new jobs, lower the prices, and make the competition in the industry more challenging. Besides, free trade is the basis for global sourcing, a strategy of searching for partners and contractors around the world gaining a possibility to offer the best products and services for the most affordable prices.
  
Governments in different countries specify customs rules and norms for the imported goods. They include establishing tariffs and duties based on the specifications and characteristics of products, as well as other types of requirements necessary for certain categories of products. That’s why one the most effective solutions in benefiting global corporations lies in adjusting and reducing taxes and tariffs on import. This is mostly possible within the trade organizations like WTO and and under GATT, which were established with the primary idea to alleviate the duties on export and import.
  
Countertrade
Another solution that may help the firms to benefit is countertrade – a form of agreement helping to develop commercial cooperation between two nations on the basis of import activity. Such type of agreements are usually maintained on a governmental level for that they usually takes into consideration the currency conversion rates, foreign trade policies and other type of regulations promoted by governments. An offset, the most popular form of a countertrade, allows importing to a foreign country with a condition that the components will be fractionally taken from or even produced in the importing country. On the one hand, such type of agreements may reduce the involvement of the manufacturing company because less materials, components and work force is required from the producer, but on the other hand, it helps to expand globally, enter new large markets, and increase distribution and revenues associated with it.

However, countertrade can be based on another concept – barter, for example. In this type of agreement, two nations are involved in the exchange of goods produced domestically avoiding money as the means of exchange. The government can help its domestic producer by distributing the goods to another country obtaining other type of commodity for the equal amount of money in return. Being far-from-ideal method of bargaining, barter is usually applied in the period of unstable economic situations and helps both the government and the producer to benefit.

Export guarantees
Export guarantees can also be considered a means of helping firms working on a global basis. By issuing the long terms loans for the businesses, the government can support the national companies involved in international activities and overseas projects. The principle of such agreement between the company and the government is in transferring political and economic risks from the manufacturing company to the corresponding governmental body.
  
Acting as a customer or a partner
Finally, governmental bodies and supranationals can act as customers purchasing products and solutions from the firms for own purposes. These legislative bodies also have physical headquarters and offices, employ people, and accomplish different types of projects. Therefore, governments can support the national manufacturers making a win-win deal. They can also function as intermediaries by searching for foreign partners and customers or promoting the business of the firms abroad. In addition, many firms going international would find it useful to obtain some sort of trainings and workshops, the main purpose of which is learning the principles of working with other countries, international business ethics or any other type of knowledge applicable on a global basis. The Chamber of Commerce may be the most appropriate body within the state administration dealing with such type of issues.    

As it turns out, a direct investment in foreign business in the country usually results in higher return on investment compared to an investment in a domestic business (Landefeld & Kozlow 2003: 117). Following this suggestion, the governments can help international businesses to prosper by investing in them, although it would not be always the best solution, especially for the countries, which intend to support national manufacturers.

Social Sphere
Medicine and healthcare
The most obvious examples of globalization are certainly found in solving universal problems of health care and medicine, which are usually the concern of governments and supranational authorities as those primarily responsible for the living conditions of population. For example, such diseases as AIDS or cancer are the international concern so global efforts have to be dedicated to fighting them (Brown 2008: 42-43). But how can we tie this together with the concern for the firms? Obviously, the statistics for global economic processes will show that the changes in demographics and work force supply take place as these problems are being settled. Firms act as employers and certainly depend on people, who work for them. To ensure the health of the employees and the potential of customers means to ensure the prosperity of business and other types of activities in the country and outside it, which is of high concern for the state governments and public organizations.

Work force security
In addition, not only health of the nation determines the quality of the labour force. Mayda, O’Rourke, Sinnot (2007: 4) point out that the rates of production and trade in each country depend on the skillfulness of workers, so it is quite reasonable to mention that labour market of each country affects globalization. After observing the international trends, one can mention that high-skill labour tends more to the countries with higher welfare rates, which discloses the unfair distribution of the work force between the countries. Consequently, Mayda, O’Rourke, Sinnot (2007: 6) conclude that ‘opposition to economic integration – analyzed as the dependent variable – is negatively affected by welfare policies’. Research shows that the more the government of the country rejects the possibilities of free international trade, the less opportunity exists in the labor market of the country and the less security the work force gains. As a result, the rates of skillful work force emigration increase and the GDP, which incorporates national spending for labor market, decreases. Based on this, globalized companies may not be satisfied with the quality of the labor force, which will negatively reflect on the operations in the given countries making business there unreasonable. That’s why the governmental policy aimed at labor protection will benefit both employers and employees on a national and international scale, providing competitive environment for maintaining international business relationships and reducing risk associated with uncertainty about the globalization processes on a domestic scale (Mayda, O’Rourke, Sinnot 2007: 20). 

Specialized education
According to Becker (2006: 271), globalization and global competition nowadays require employees to possess special knowledge and education. However, the system of education that exists in many countries does not allow reacting sufficiently to such changes and should be reshaped in accordance to the contemporary business environment. Education falls under the range of governmental responsibility, that’s why namely the government can restructure the system in order to accurately correspond to the up-to-date demands in the globalized society. 

Public events sponsorship
Sport, charity, art and other aspects of life worldwide are managed by international organizations and supranationals, which are usually non-profit and resort to the help of sponsors and patrons when searching for financial resources and investments. UNESCO, FIFA, International Olympic Committee are among such worldwide known independent organizations. Investment in the aforementioned spheres guarantees acknowledgement of the sponsoring company due to the PR activity and advertising associated with it. The company gets promotion on an international scale, has a possibility to create a positive image for the customers, and sometimes even to present its products or services to the global public. Such type of cooperation between non-profit organizations and businesses are mutually profitable and always noticeable.

Technological Sphere
Research & Development
One of the crucial manifestations in the process of globalization is the increase in sharing of knowledge and advancements in technology. This is the primary role of governments and supranationals acting in the interests of firms. Corporate policy of global corporations usually insists on uniformity in operations and equipment, which makes the necessity in the compliance of processes within the organization obvious. Because of the inequality in the countries’ rates of overall development, the distribution of know-how and technological novelties usually appears to be essential for a certain type of business. This primarily concerns the joint venture companies, which are usually established with the support from the governments and aimed at a common goal in research and development. The role of the government for such types of firms is well-defined – the government should act as an investor and ensure the growth and improvement for the firm, the result of which can later become the national or even global property. Supranationals can provide even greater contribution to the advancement of technologies by financing the projects of the manufacturing companies. As the European Union expands and unifies new countries, it invests in new prospective businesses in those countries. This allows the firms to handle projects, which were not previously affordable to them in financial terms and broaden the distribution network by obtaining partners within the member states of EU. 
   
As Landefeld and Kozlow (2003: 115) point out, research and development is a delicate issue for the global corporations. The primary concern is that the technological advancement can be easily transferred to partners and contractors in other countries, which leads to losing the global competitive advantage to certain extent. Governments cannot be fully in charge of protecting the technology developed domestically. However, the governments of the importing countries can help in the technology transfer and implementation of know-how through the franchisees and other types of partnership by establishing loyal regulations and encouraging investments in the country by the foreign companies and organizations.
  
Statistical data and international standards
When entering new markets, a company must be certainly interested in market statistics and looks forward to conducting a marketing research or buying statistical data, which satisfy the necessary parameters. For such reasons, governments should be able to present the requested data. In order to understand the data correctly, international standards should be applied to all types of information. Standardization of information and introduction of standards comprise the duties of supranational organizations on a universal scale and appear to be another point in helping the firms affected by globalization. Landefeld and Kozlow (2003: 119-120) specify the requirements for the statistical data insisting on their accuracy, consistency, and quality by saying that ‘the obligation of statistical organizations is to keep pace with changes in the world economy’.   

Environmental Sphere
Environmental concern
The problem of resources has always been a major concern for different companies, especially those involved in production. That’s why much attention nowadays is paid to the environmental concern and the natural resources, which people consume. According to the summary of Brown (2008: 49), ‘the major problems with globalization are in relation to concerns about energy renewal, sustainability of the world’s ecosystem, the inequalities associated with the global market’. In other words, the scarcity of resources available is predetermined by the rates and frequency of usage. For those resources that cannot be replenished quickly, certain policies should be established. They may even affect the activity of the firm on a global basis leading to diversification of business and other drastic changes. Oil industry can serve an example for this because petroleum has to be substituted with another type of fuel in future.

Some global companies try to assure the availability of resources for themselves. For example, IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, plants trees on a regular basis to support the ecosystem (American Forests 2009). However, the role of environmental protection organizations is inevitable in such type of issues for that they are supposed to implement control over the utilization of natural resources, identification of endangered species, and regulating the distribution of amounts of natural supplies.

Omitting environmental concern
According to Landefeld and Kozlow (2003: 117), when pursuing the development of international business in the country, the governments can sometimes ignore the environmental impact, which global corporation produce in the country. This appears to be the case in the third world countries where norms and regulations are still not so strict and the corruption in the legislative bodies still takes place. This is supposed to benefit the firm because the firm enters the market in shorter terms and with less paperwork but is originally a question of business ethics, which casts doubt upon the positive image of the firm.

Legal Sphere
As mentioned above, sometimes governments make concessions in order to attract foreign businesses in the country. Technically, the government helps the firm to establish presence in the given country aimed at mutual benefit but it is sometimes made neglecting environmental issues, rights of the citizens or contradicting with fair competition. In such cases, supranationals are supposed to act as independent spectators and resolve the disputable issue.

In whole, governments and supranational organizations can assist the global corporations in regulating the issues of brand identity, employment of the personnel, managing insurance of the risks, establishing taxation norms and laws, etc. In terms of globalization, the law is also globalized to certain extent, so international practices become more applicable each day.  

Conclusion
Nowadays globalization is strongly associated with risk for the firms and individuals. Firms tend to see the advantages of globalization, although they cannot handle them without any external help. This help is found in the support of the governments and independent international organizations, which identify own interests in providing assistance for the companies. As a result of such interaction and cooperation, new units appear in a global business network, broadening the supply and the opportunities for customers, contractors, suppliers and even competitors. All principles and technologies that a company uses become a universal property that is shared on an international basis, leading to either prosperity or decline of the business. I suppose that the main fair of globalization is exactly in the uncertainty, which appears after the company turns from a domestic producer into a multinational corporation, namely the firm affected by globalization.

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Research Paper on Solution Selling

Solution Selling to Gain Competitive Advantage Research Paper

Summary

Solution Selling is an approach to the workings of salespersons and organization, which stresses the importance of mutually finding buyers’ most critical problems (known as pain) and trying to resolve them with the seller’s capabilities. It therefore poses an alternative to traditional approaches to marketing and sales that usually focus on buyers’ needs and wants and sellers’ offerings. More importantly, the literature on Solution Selling prescribes a step-by-step process to communicating, developing mutual vision and sustaining relationships between companies and their clients, using the salesperson as an intermediary that supports buyers, provide consultation and aims directly to buyers’ most important considerations.  

1. The Nature of Solution Selling

One of the fundamental concepts in the field of marketing stipulates that marketers’ main task is to satisfy consumers’ wants and needs. Kotler and Keller define needs as “the basic human requirements,” running the gamut from food and air to education and entertainment. These basic needs underlie consumers’ wants, which are essentially “specific objects that might satisfy the need” (26). Essential as it is for marketers, this basic approach may often be less straightforward when consumers cannot define certain needs and/or when they are not aware of products and services that may satisfy them (and hence cannot consider whether they want them or not). This holds especially true for highly innovative products or services and for needs that may be well defined by the seller but are latent to the buyer (Bosworth, 34).

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The conventional scheme of needs and wants may be described as too generic because of the competitive nature of the sales process. Sellers compete not only with products and services that pose an alternative to their own, but also with sellers who aim to satisfy other needs and wants. Given the fact that buyers’ purchasing power and attention are limited, sellers have to work in two parallel directions: First they must create and/or enhance the priority given to the need by the buyer. Second, they should stress the advantages of their product over the competition to ensure that the buyer perceives their offer as the most beneficial solution to an acute problem or ‘pain.’

Solution selling can be described as a means to solve such discrepancies by reframing the relationship between buyers and sellers. Simply put, the method subscribes to the idea that instead of identifying needs and wants that can be satisfied with their products, marketers need to pay attention to what disturbs customers, thus positioning their products as a resolution to the problem. The solution selling literature converts this notion into selling techniques by using two leading constructs, namely customers’ problems (known as pains) and marketers’ solutions.

The next two chapters discuss these two domains and elaborate on the major techniques to implement them into substantial competitive advantages for marketers. They do so by bringing insights from the four components of the solution selling process, namely the philosophy, the map, the methodology and the sales management system that underlie successful salespersons’ (known as eagles) work (Eades, 5).

2. Pains and the Three Levels of Needs

As briefly argued above, the first major obstacle to sale is the prospective buyer’s subjective perception of the needs and wants that may underlie the decision to buy a specific product or service. The latter may be means to achieve a goal, to ease work, etc. However, both the seller’s offerings and the buyer’s prospective benefits from there may be utterly covert for the buyer. Bosworth defines three levels of needs, which help not only to understand the buyer’s preliminary attitude towards the offer, but also allow for a structural development of arousal. The three levels are (1)latent needs, (2)pain and (3) vision of a solution.

2.1. Latent Needs

Also known as ‘latent pain,’ this level represents absence of interest in the means in which a product or service can benefit the buyer. This mainly occurs due to a buyer’s ignorance of the prospective solution, or after a process of rationalization, in which the buyer examines the alternatives and concludes that none of them may be beneficial to solve a problem (e.g. due to poor perceived cost effectiveness). As a result, the need is suppressed and remains “in the mind of the seller, not the buyer” (Bosworth, 35-6). Alternatively, latent needs may result from low perceived urgency or due to inability to ‘put the finger’ on the problem (Eades and Kear, 127).

2.2. Pain or Undeveloped Needs

The second level in the scale is known as ‘pain’ or ‘undeveloped needs.’ Unlike the preceding level, customers in this stage are aware of a problem and are actively seeking a solution. The awareness to the problem creates a sense of discomfort (pain), which appears to motivate the customer to resolve the problem. If a plausible solution is not to be found, the need is likely to become latent (Bosworth, 37).

This level is also called the ‘undeveloped needs’ stage because although potential buyers may feel the need, they have yet to process it along with corresponding market offerings, thus do not have a vision of a solution. Thus, as argued by Graham, although they have already developed a preliminary intention to buy, buyers tend to pass the responsibility for finding a solution to the salesperson. If the latter is competent, she will go ahead to evoke the pain, seek for the customer’s direct request to solve the problem and position her product of service as the optimal solution. 

2.3. Vision of a Solution

This level is obviously the last step before a sell, but also a rather tricky one. By its essence, buyers that reach a clear vision are not really aware of a problem and the product or service as a plausible solution, but are also prone to collaborate with the salesperson during their decision-making process. In other words, they take back the responsibility that was previously delegated to the salesperson and reflect on the offer, its benefits, its costs and the ways to implement the purchase (Bosworth, 38).

There are, however, several things that salespersons must keep in mind when sensing that the buyer has entered this level. Because the buyer is again ‘in control’ at this level, it is vital to allow the customer to develop his or her own vision, not the seller’s: “Sharing a seller’s opinion or trying to impose that opinion on a buyer won’t work in most cases” (Bosworth and Holland, 152). In a competitive business environment, buyers who adopt the seller’s vision prematurely are highly likely to fail to implement the solution, switch to the competition or losing loyalty after the first purchase (Bosworth, 39). 

2.4. Diagnosing Pain

Assessing an individual buyer’s level of pain, the nature of pain and changes in it throughout the selling process requires a diagnostic process. Based on structural, discussion-like questioning, the diagnostic process underlies the seller’s strategy for this specific buyer. In addition, the exchange of ideas is by itself an important element of building and sharing a vision. Stressing the importance of diagnosis, Bosworth argues that

Diagnosis is key in gaining buyer loyalty when creating, participating, or reengineering the buyer's vision of a solution… Even if the vision is unaltered, by taking the buyer through the diagnosis process, you now "own" that buyer, whereas before you did not. Therefore, the diagnosis process is key for the buyer to buy into you personally, your sincerity, your expertise, and your experience. People want to buy from people who validate them, who understand their business, who see the world through their eyes, who share their vision, and who empower them to see themselves in control of their problem. Sellers must go through diagnosis and vision processing with their buyers.(38)

It follows that diagnosis contributes to the selling process in four major ways: First, it allows the salesperson to understand the reasons, the specific attributes and the level of the buyer’s pain. Second, it breaks it ice between the buyer and the salesperson, as the former invites the latter to participate in his or her thinking processes, priorities and the effects of the current situation on the buyer’s emotional state. Third, it is an opportunity for the salesperson to introduce him or herself as a professional, caring and empathic person, thereby warranting future claims regarding the product and service under question. Finally, it can be used as a means to create awareness to pains, create anxiety towards problems and arise a sense of urgency (Eades and Kear 157). 

Just as diagnostic processes vary among and within medical professions, different products and/or target groups require different approaches to diagnosis. Nevertheless, when planning and executing the structure of their diagnoses salespersons usually determine one or more domains they need to explore (i.e. kinds of diagnostic exploration), by asking questions from three types. These six components of diagnosis are, as suggested by Sullivan:

Kinds of diagnostic exploration:

1. Identify reasons for pain: Listing and elaborating the specific factor(s) that underlie the buyer’s pain. After identifying the main forces it is also worthwhile to assess the relative weight of each factor to the total pain. Ideally, the product or service will be able to target the most important reasons and/or indirectly affect them to a significant extent.
2. Determine impact of the pain: The pain and its components usually influence the organization, its work and the people in it in more than a few ways. This domain may require not only mapping of the effects, but also identification and prioritization of the main loci of impact needed to be eased. Moreover, it is also possible to quantify (although rather roughly) the monetary value of these loci in terms of e.g. decrease in efficiency/effectiveness, employee turnover, waste of time/resources and rate of innovation.
3. Visualize capabilities needed: This final phase is comparable with physicians’ attempt to set treatment guidelines after deciding upon the most probable pathology. It is based on prescribing/recommending the means in which the salesperson and the product/service can solve one or more of the reasons for pain. Despite the consultative nature of this domain, it is necessary to ensure the compliance of the suggested solutions to the buyer and the relevant reasons for pain. 

Types of questions:

1. Open-ended Questions: Questions such as “Why do you think this (=the problem/pain) is happening?” and “what do you usually do when…” allow the buyer to reflect and inform the salesperson about specific problematic phenomena. These questions characterize the early stages of the sales meeting and facilitate an open, deep and friendly discussion. The also help to indicate the buyer’s sense of priority concerning specific problems and introduce the salesperson to the narrative of the buyer’s organization and work.
2. Control Questions: Question that narrow the scope of the conversation but still allow the buyer to speak and reflect rather freely. For example, if the salesperson wants to know if the buyer is satisfied with her current server, he might want to ask specific question such as “how often does the server crashes?” or “is your server reliable?” (control questions) instead of “how do you find your current server?” (an open-ended question). Ideally, control questions direct the discussion towards the major capacities of the product or service under question.  
3. Confirming Questions: By using phrases such as “am I right?” and “do you agree that…” salespersons create a sense of agreement between them and the buyer. The aim of this rhetoric is to bring the buyer into agreeing with the salesperson’s suggestions without coercion. These questions, which typically appear in later stages of the meeting, also build a common narrative that facilitates a mutual vision of a solution. They can be also used to state the price in a rather mutual fashion, by asking questions such as "I think a good budget for this dinner would be about $45 a head. Is that anywhere near what you had in mind?" (Spence 18).

Combined together, the three domains of exploration and the three types of questions construct a matrix, known as the Nine Block model, which creates a diagnostic process that is rather easy to follow (see fig. 1). A typical sales meeting or call will include all the blocks of the model, usually moving from number one to nine.

3. Solutions

Together with pain, solution is the second major construct on which Solution Selling is based. The theory and practice of Solution Selling has obviously developed alternative definitions of solutions, just as it does in regard to pain. These definitions and their implications to organizations may vary among authors, but three elements are always at the heart of the concept of solution: “a mutually shared answer to a recognized problem, and the answer provides measurable improvement” (Eades 3).

As suggested by the latter definition, Solution Selling is not an innovative method to reposition traditional strategies, but rather a conceptual shift. This is to say that it does not simply changes the wording of concepts, but rather breaks down supply-side and demand-side considerations into their underlying components. Then, it reassembles them into the three dimensions suggested by Eades above, namely (1)recognized problem (2)mutual answer, and (3)measureable improvement. As a whole, the premise of Solution Selling entails not only the actual sell but also, and to a very wide extent, a process of mutual responsibility for the buyer’s successes through the seller’s capabilities. 

3.1. Recognizing and Emphasizing the Problem

A good diagnosis ends should lead to a definition of the main problems and pains. Sometimes it may occur that the salesperson will recognize problems that are vague to the buyer and/or try to reconsider the priorities of some of the pains, problems and reasons mentioned by the buyer. In order to do so while maintaining the mutual atmosphere of the diagnosis, the salesperson must develop a sense of pain in respect to the (previously ignored and/or unseen) problem. A handful of ways to develop latent and/or inexistent problems into pains have been previously suggested. They can be generally divided into two major groups, namely anxiety creation and provocative selling.

Anxiety creation is defined by Bosworth as a “’mini’ need development technique, in which

We want to see if we can take a specific latent pain from a buyer's "background" and bring it around to the “foreground." We want our buyer to go "ouch!" The specific latent need we are pursuing, naturally, is a perfect match for something we are selling! Instead of setting up a row of bowling pins, we are setting up a "spare," a single pin. (65)

The technique is based on confirming questions, which aim to specific pains that the product or service can resolve. This process of controlling is very likely to hit a weak spot, cause pain and prepare the grounds for a solution. The latter should be offered immediately, thereby giving immediate hope to the most recent pain the buyer can recall.

Anxiety creation is essential to develop latent pain. However, when the buyer is not aware of the problem, the salesperson should take an alternative approach. Sometimes regarded as a sales technique by its own right, provocative selling “focuses on finding a problem in the customer's blind spot that is in critical need of attention,” and is therefore appropriate when the buyer “isn't aware of the problem, but once informed, is eager to address it” (Dandridge 48).

Lay, Hewlin and Moore prescribe three steps to provoke hidden problems:

1. Identify a critical problem facing your customers: ‘Critical’ means that the targeted problem should be material and significant to the business operations. Hence, critical problems cannot be ignored once brought to the buyer’s attention.   
2. Formulate a proactive point of view: The presentation of the problem must enhance the buyer’s perception of it. It should therefore be interesting, provide the buyer new perspective and call for immediate action.
3. Lodge your provocation: The problem and its solution should be forwarded directly to the relevant decision-makers. It is also very important to create a sense of urgency.   

3.2 Establishing Mutual Answer to the Problem

By this stage both sides have agreed upon the problem(s) they intend to address, i.e. the pain(s) they intend to resolve. It is now that the buyer decides whether or not to cooperate with the salesperson towards the latter’s goals, namely to make a sell and to establish long-term relationship with the buyer. Such as relationship capitalizes on two main grounds, namely a good match between the solution and the problem it solve, and a high level of trust between the buyer and the seller. 

It is not uncommon for a product or service to evolve as a solution to an array of different problems. This proposition stems directly from the essence of Solution Selling – the withdrawal from product-focused selling to using the product or service as a means to assist the buyer. A good salesperson, who by now have led the buyer into interest in the pains that be resolved through the seller’s capacities, can determine an abundance of ways in which his or her solution delivers value. Just as a medical specialist, the salesperson can and should provide high-end consultancy concerning how the product or service in question (for example, an innovative online payment system) might help to solve problems from diverse sources, such as:

Enhancing customer revenues: e.g. shortening the time span between delivery and payment;  

Decrease customer risks: e.g. eliminating the option of defaulting receivables; and  

Reducing Customer Costs: e.g. halving credit card companies’ fees  

In addition to their prospective benefits, it is possible to indentify solution by their nature. Choos and Surdel distinguish three categories of solutions:

1. Prefabricated solutions: Changing the messaging and positioning of an offering without changing the basic offering.   
2. Bundled solutions: Offering a menu of existing services and/or products to address a customer’s specific need.
3. Customized solutions: Developing a completely new, customized (and usually more complicated) offering from scratch for a customer’s individual needs. (29) 

Nonetheless, offering a plausible and affordable solution is not sufficient nowadays, particularly in a competitive environment. The responsibility of building sustainable and long-term relationships with clients, a central task in the salesperson’s work, calls for a different kind of ability, namely to establish high level of trust.

During the diagnosis phase, when the salesperson tries to engage the buyer to cooperate and share his pains, the buyer also starts to ask questions, most often in her head. These questions aim to inquire the nature of the salesperson and through which the nature of the organization and its solutions. Solution Selling stipulates that these questions usually revolve around issues of trust and general (i.e. not sector-specific) professionalism, especially in the initial phases of the sales meeting or call.

Typical questions that the buyer might ask herself include:

• Does this salesperson understand my business issue and the reasons contributing to it? 
• Has this person thoroughly diagnosed my situation?
• Should I discuss the impact my issue has on other areas of my business?
• Do I agree with the capabilities suggested and the value presented?     (Keogh 62)  

A proactive approach is needed to provide answer to such question before they arise or at least before the buyer has any reason to doubt the salesperson. An established salesperson will try, as argued by Spence, to engage in proactive measurements such as:

Asking questions about the buyer as a person in order to establish mutual understanding and respect;

Earning trust by expressing interest in the buyer’s business, as well as by working to understand the challenges the buyer and the organization face.

Asking the buyer’s permission to tell him or her a story. When granted, a story about “how people much like your prospect have benefited by using your product” helps to give a personal dimension to the solution.

Price should be revealed as fast as possible, preferably by sharing the salesperson’s thoughts about it. This tactic helps to prevent building tension towards disclosing the price, hence clearing the issue from the table.

Risk reduction measures such as free trials and refunds are essential to convey the seller’s confidence in the solution. Or, as elegantly argued by Spence: “When prospects realize that selling a lemon will affect you more than it will hurt them, they'll be set to sign” (18).

3.3. Measuring Improvement

It is rather easy to understand that a solution is intangible and thus very weak and quite worthless if cannot be measured. The buyer is obviously interested much more in the ways in which the solution will make a positive change in the problematic areas than in the offer itself (e.g. the technical specifications of the product). By the same token, the salesperson would be like to know if and to what extent the solution was effective. This kind of information contributes to an array of post-sales activities, to building long-term relationship and to assist the salesperson with future buyers.

Furthermore, the ability to measure the effect of the purchase implies that the buyer has an opportunity to get feedback on her decisions, as well as to communicate to others the means in which the decision has actually helped to improve the organization. This feature is therefore an important feature of the solution and a consideration in the buyer’s decision-making process. The measurement technique, however, might be sometimes hard to design and implement. Therefore, the salesperson (and not the buyer) must integrate his or her professional skills with the findings of the diagnostic stage to offer a feasible measurement that sheds the best possible light on the offer.

4. Some Examples of Successful Implementation

Solution Selling is considered by many as the most popular and certainly indispensible current approach to sales (Dandridge 48). Its techniques, philosophy and teachings have been developed and improved over the years, and have brought about new fields of research and practice such as optimization methods for salespersons who pursue Solution Selling (see e.g. Choos and Surdel). It should therefore come with no surprise that evidences for this approach’s success (as well as some sporadic examples of failure) are abundant and cross industries, continents and firm sizes. Here are three representative examples:

In a recent review of healthcare technology marketing, O’Mara describes a shift of manufacturers from a focus on products and/or customers to a focus on comprehensive solutions. The typical nature of such solutions is an offer that include all the physician’s and/or the provider’s need to optimize their performance in regard to predefined clinical cases. Patients with high risk for heart attack, for example, can be monitored by an integrated system that combines mobile, home-based and clinical measurement tools, all of which ‘seat’ on the same IT platform. This elimination of steps towards monitoring patients’ status is considered by many as a new frontier in cardiology.

Microsoft is also very active in the promotion of Solution Selling. The software giant trains sales staff and intermediaries to listen to the customer’s needs and problems and offer corresponding solutions instead of its traditional top-down approach. Microsoft's UK managing director Alistair Baker confirmed this shift in a 2005 interview to MicroScope, saying that the company seeks to “work more closely with a particular type of reseller - those that are able to sell a solution, not just a product” (19). 

Even more comprehensive is IBM’s interpretation to Solution Selling. The company is actively involved in establishing, organizing and participating in so-called ‘solution networks,’ i.e. collaborations among sellers to offer clients with complete and customized solution packages. Networks such as the IBM-centered Support Net are considered by hardware sales professionals as one of the most promising development in the field (Zarley 37).      

5. Criticism on Solution Selling

Despite (or perhaps because) of its success, Solution Selling and the techniques derived from it received quite a lot of criticism throughout the years. Most of the criticism, as it seems, focuses on the overexploitation of the concept of ‘solution’ instead of traditional terms such as offers, products, etc., often with very little (if any) relevance to the original meaning of the term in the Solution Selling literature. Stating that the term Solution Selling simply “offends his ears,” author Robert Herjavec argues that

"Solutions" is such a vague and commonplace term, now that cars are personal transportation solutions and the iPad just another mobility solution. And "selling" takes us right back to the boxing ring; it's you trying to separate clients from their cash.     (Spence 18)

In areas such as financial services and insurance, which typically require the buyer to be rather sophisticated in order to understand the nature of the service, Solution Selling may arguably hinder sales. Koco agrees that this approach had helped to keep salespersons away from their traditional role as ‘product pushers.’ She indicated, however, that when companies pursue Solution Selling instead of offering clear-cut services, it is “difficult to determine just what the advisor, firm or company actually does or sells,” since

For the increasing number of consumers who research financial products before they but, the solutions hype is gibberish. Many of them wouldn’t know an insurance or financial solution from a fishing rod. (12)

Such dangers can and should be avoided, however. It is current and future marketers’ responsibility to use the powerful premise of Solution Selling in a comprehensive manner and to think about ways to keep clear from its pitfalls. Collaboration with customers, as it seems, will continue to dominate salespersons’ narrative in the future to some.  

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