Step 1- pick a focal company.

Step 2- pick a focal relationship that this company has. Either look forwards to customers, or backwards to suppliers, but make sure that it is an important relationship.

Step 3- map out the broader supply chain that is involved.

Step 4- now identify all the other network actors that influence how this network functions.

Step 5- analyse this network picture looking at three different facets:

• 5.1 - examine the circles (i.e. actors) - identify the most important ones.
• 5.2 - examine the lines (i.e. relationships between actors) - are there any that are particularly important? Are there any lines that do NOT exist between the important actors and other circles, indicating where it might be worth trying to forge new relationships to make things work more smoothly?
• 5.3 - look at the 'white spaces' where there is nobody - can you think of any other actors that you might try to bring in to this network which could make things work more smoothly?

Step 6- as a result of this analysis, what might you now try to do differently?

this is for marketing