eCheat.com RSS Feedhttps://www.echeat.com/ TARUS KEVIN SADLER PRIVATE FOUNDATION 2022-03-12T02:28:30.267-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TARUS-KEVIN-SADLER-PRIVATE-FOUNDATION-45551.aspx To Build or Buy A small business like a cafeteria To Build or Buy Name Institution Affiliation Date To Build or Buy A small business like a cafeteria is the most suitable option one can engage on because no matter how human beings get satisfied with other basic necessities, food remains to be the major requirement one cannot do without. For this reason, this business will attract more customers and eventually it will result in more returns on sales. A cafeteria needs a little amount of capital and it is easy to set it up and operate. Strategy for a Business Concept The best business concept strategy that will enable a cafeteria to compete directly in the market is a business plan which will confirm if the business idea is feasible or not. Therefore, a cafeteria business may consider the following business plan as a strategy after research and development before predicting the long-lasting outcomes. Defining the business and vision. To start up a cafeteria, the first step is to define the business and its vision for the sake of making a driving force of the business and clarify the aim. In order to clarify the vision, the business owner should be aware of the customer, the kind of business he or she is in, products and services to provide to customers, plans that are in place for the purpose of growth and he or she should consider the primary advantage in the existing market. Goal setting. To set up a cafeteria, one should list down goals while providing a brief description of their actions. In this step, the business should undergo a period of research and development before predicting long-lasting outcomes. The owner should specifically explain the possible achievements of the business by starting with personal goals then business goals. For instance, what does he or she want to achieve as a person, the size of the business he or she would wish the business to be, whether there is a need to include the family in the business, if he or she desires to recruit a staff to run the business and describe the quality of goods and services to provide to customers for the sake of satisfaction. Further, the goal of the business should admire types of foods and drinks to provide to customers while considering customers’ needs and preferences of foods to provide so that customers’ needs are met (Kumar and Reinartz, 2012). Understanding the customer. The cafeteria should consider meeting customers’ needs while 2017-11-21T03:32:35.647-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/To-Build-or-Buy-A-small-business-like-a-cafeteria-45396.aspx Financial Analysis JPMorgan Chase Financial Analysis JPMorgan Chase Name Institution Financial Analysis JPMorgan Chase In the income statement of the major items for the financial analysis are the net revenues, operating expenses and the net income. The net revenues connote the sales volume for the company that would help in understanding the wholesome growth of the company economically (JPMorgan Chase & Co., 2015). The net operating expenses provides the information of how the management has been controlling the cost to enhance economic growth for JPMorgan chase. The net income reveals how the JPMorgan chase management maximizes the wealth of the shareholder each year. The statistics on these three performance since 2011 to 2015 has been summarized on the below graph. Graph 1.0: Performance Metrics from Income Statement. From the above graph, there has been a steady flow in net revenues which ranges from $80 billion to $ 100 billion. This means the management has been on the forefront in ensuring stability in the sales volume. The operating expenses have been on the decline since year 2011. The net income on the other, has been increasing since 2011. From this analysis, it is evident that JPMorgan chase has had higher economic growth over the years which has culminated into the growth in its net profits (Beutler, 2014). On the balance sheet, the three main items used in this analysis are the total assets, long term debt and common shareholders’ capital. These three items are quite vital in understanding the net worth of the company. The long terms debt shows leverage that the company has and how best the investors can rely on it for more profitability (Healy, & Palepu, 2012). The shareholder equity shows how their wealth has grown over the years and the control the shareholders have on the firm’s management for Chase Company. The following chart provide an insightful information about the trends brought on board by the company through three performance metrics (JPMorgan Chase & Co., 2015). From the above chart, it is evident that the firm has high amounts of assets from the year 2011 which has been increasing until the year 2014. The firm has also increased in terms of the shareholders’ equity. The debts have been reducing since the year 2011 but at a slow rate. So far there are no fluctuation in the amounts of debt of the company meaning the firm management is conservative in terms of 2016-10-23T09:54:28.54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Financial-Analysis-JPMorgan-Chase-35237.aspx Center of Excellence Center of Excellence Introduction Innovation is the most vital element in any business venture. With the ever growing business rivalries, companies have been forced to rely on creative aspects to maintain their competitiveness. In that regard, companies invest substantial amounts in the Research and Development (R&D) docket to ascertain the available opportunities. However, some frequently stagnate due to the lack of sufficient grounds to expand. Others just fear failure. Some entrepreneurs are afraid to venture in novel projects owing to the intricacy involved. Whereas, others are always willing to try something new. Nestle is one such company that was established from novel opportunities. Presently, it is the largest food company across the globe as determined by its revenues. Back in 2014, it was ranked number 72 out of 500 on the Fortune Global. It has a wide variety of products including; bottled water, frozen food, snacks, pet foods, ice cream, baby food, breakfast cereals, dairy products, confectionery, coffee, and tea among others. The company is a practical example of how simple innovation can lead to greater things. Based in Switzerland, the company began with the creation of powder that mixed in with milk to help mothers who could not breastfeed their infants (Monk, 2016). Another aspect related to innovation is the target market. In other words, once the innovator realized some mothers could not breastfeed their children, a solution was developed to alleviate the issue (Monk, 2016). In that regard, innovation is more effective when it targets a particular issue. Such was the exactness of the innovation that resulted to the current expansions in chocolate, coffee and so on (Nestle, 2016). A standard feature in big brands is the ability to monitor the “weak signals.” These are untapped ideas that probably have not hit the market. They can be common in one state yet not popular in another (Monk, 2016). In that respect, companies must have the ability to monitor the ideas and join them together to form a working product or service for the consumers. The companies listen to the trends through platforms such as social media and figure out how improvements can be made. In that regard, consumer insight is one of the key elements of innovation. Relationships are also critical when it comes to innovation. As exemplified at the center of excellence, the marketing and R&D team must have an idea of how a particular product will impact on the 2016-10-04T00:36:21.587-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Center-of-Excellence-35231.aspx BP Management structures BP (British Petroleum) is one of the largest and most dominant oil and gas companies in the world by market capitalization and revenue. Its business in the energy industry included exploration of fossil fuels, production, and refining, petrochemicals, distribution and marketing. Although its primary dealings are in the fossil fuels sector, the company has recently developed interests in renewable sources of energy such as wind power and biofuels. The corporation, whose headquarters are located in London, is rated among the ‘supermajor’ in the global energy sector (Hilyard 2012). BP was founded in the early 20th century as the Anglo Persian Oil Company. It underwent several challenges in the first half of the century before it was acquired by the United Kingdom government, which led to a change of name to British Petroleum (BP). Today, it has a presence throughout the world. BP is mainly present in geographical locations where fossil fuels exist as well as the strategic location for refining, transporting and marketing its products (Bamberg 2009). The most important resource in any organization is the human capital. The success of a business is dependent on the ability of the corporate structures to bring people with shared values together to work towards a common goal. The structure defines how the individuals are built up into a working group. BP is a huge corporation with complex and diverse activities. The management structures are essential in ensuring that the massive workforce, distributed throughout the world, works towards a common objective. In the management structure, people are grouped into layers. Each stratum in the corporate hierarchy has a different level of roles and responsibilities (Albrechtsen & Besnard 2013). The central decision-making organ in BP operations is the board. According to the company website, the board has the responsibility of proving direction as well as oversight over all activities of the organization on behalf of the shareholders. The board represents the owners of the company and, therefore, is accountable to them. It is composed of thirteen members, which includes the chairman (Carl Henric Svanberg), two executive members, nine non-executive members and one independent director. The executive, through the chief operating officer and the chief financial officer, reports directly to the board. To achieve its mandate, it has established principles and values that guide the organization. The foundation of the principles governing its operations is the importance of “clarity of roles 2016-08-02T22:51:28.447-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/BP-35208.aspx Analysis of Apple Inc.'s financial statements for the period from 2013 to 2014 using finstanon.com Analysis of Apple Inc.'s financial statements for the period from 2013 to 2014 using finstanon.com This report analyzes the balance sheets and income statements of APPLE INC.. Trends for the major balance sheet and income statement items and ratio analysis are used to understand the financial position and financial effectiveness of the company. The report studied the 2013 - 2014 period. 1. The Common-Size Analysis of the Assets, Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Table 1. Assets Trend Analysis, in million USD Indicators 2013 2014 Absolute change, +/- Percentage change, % Cash, cash equivalents 14259 13844 -415 -2.91 Marketable securities (short-term investments) 26287 11233 -15054 -57.27 Receivables, net, current 20641 27219 6578 31.87 Inventory, net 1764 2111 347 19.67 Other assets, current 10335 14124 3789 36.66 CURRENT ASSETS (TOTAL) 73286 68531 -4755 -6.49 Property, plant and equipment, net 16597 20624 4027 24.26 Long-term investments, net 106215 130162 23947 22.55 Goodwill 1577 4616 3039 192.71 Intangible assets, net (excluding goodwill) 4179 4142 -37 -0.89 Other assets, noncurrent 5146 3764 -1382 -26.86 NONCURRENT ASSETS (TOTAL) 133714 163308 29594 22.13 ASSETS (TOTAL) 207000 231839 24839 12 It can be noticed from Table 1 that there was a tendency to increase in the total value of the assets. The percentage change was equal 12% in 2014. The value of the assets totalled USD 231,839 million at the end of 2014. The overall increase of the assets reflects a growth in the noncurrent assets by 22.13%, while the value of the current assets dropped by 6.49%. The change of the noncurrent assets value in 2013-2014 was connected with the growth of the following assets: - Property, plant and equipment (24.26%) - Long-term investments (22.55%) - Goodwill (192.71%) The change of the current assets value in 2013-2014 was connected with a negative change of the following assets: - Cash, cash equivalents (-2.91%) - Marketable securities (short-term investments) (-57.27%) Table 2. Sources of Finance (Equity and Liabilities) Trend Analysis, in million USD Indicators 2013 2014 Absolute change, +/- Percentage change, % Accounts payable, current 22367 30196 7829 35 Accrued liabilities, current 4782 7689 2907 60.79 Debt, current 0 6308 6308 division by 0 Other liabilities, current 16509 19255 2746 16.63 CURRENT LIABILITIES 43658 63448 19790 45.33 Long-term debt and capital lease obligations 16960 28987 12027 70.91 Long-term tax liability 16489 20259 3770 22.86 Other liabilities, noncurrent 6344 2015-12-10T09:06:54.107-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Apple-Inc_-s-financial-statements-for-the-period-from-2013-to-2014-using-finstanon_com-35157.aspx Case Study: UPS vs. Federal Express Abstract: This paper is a case study of the two giant delivery companies. It follows the format of a standard written case analysis, beginning with an Executive Summary and following that with a Situation Analysis, Financial Analysis, SWOT Analysis, Strategic Alternatives and Recommendations. (16 pages; 5 sources; MLA citation style. Case Study: UPS vs. Federal Express I Introduction Both United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (FedEx) are successful package delivery companies. Over the years, they have “see-sawed” back and forth, with first UPS and then FedEx holding the top spot. This paper examines the rivalry between the two, their strategies and policies, and other aspects of their operations. It follows the format of a case study. II Executive Summary This report analyzes the on-going competition between UPS and FedEx. The situation analysis explains the “see saw” battle going on between the two, with first one, then the other, more profitable and popular. The financial analysis reveals that both companies are stable and profitable, though at the present time, surprisingly enough, UPS is out-earning its rival. The SWOT shows that both companies have strong corporate cultures, which have proven to be both strengths and weaknesses. UPS’s rigid structure kept if from developing its IT capabilities until recently, yet allowed it to survive the challenge mounted by FedEx. FedEx, on the other hand, charged ahead with a “can do” entrepreneurial spirit, but entered into several business ventures that ultimately failed. They might have done better to be as cautious as their rival. Both companies are threatened not only by one another but by the possibility of new competitors entering the package delivery arena, which is extremely competitive. They also face threats from such widely divergent factors as the uncertainty of fuel prices caused by the American invasion of Iraq, and their enormous fixed costs. But opportunity certainly exists, particularly in new markets, and in that situation, specifically in China. The strategic alternatives section touches on the problems that FedEx has created for itself by scheduling its flights to the second, literally. A one-minute delay at an airport will throw the entire schedule haywire, which is unacceptable. UPS is also “clock watching” but in a different way: it focuses on telling its employees such things as which foot to use to get into the truck, and how to fill out forms while walking back to the vehicle. 2011-10-26T11:54:03.887-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Case-Study-UPS-vs_-Federal-Express-34063.aspx Videos of Irish Bands the Drunken Stoners Video This girl in hip hop video animated instruments video lesbian kissing video clips download video super mario . 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Currently Diversified Industries Inc. is working to improve the special feature of our product so that we will be the lead innovator in the solar powered fan market. Our strategic plan is to target the upper class of society and provide a product that is not only elegant but environmentally sound. Our product harnesses the power of the sun instead of using electricity which reduces the carbon imprint of the consumer. The management team is currently looking into the expansion of our warehouse in region 1 or building in another region to facilitate the growth of production capacity. Sales have continued to increase over last six quarters and are projected to continue to increase at a 6% increase over the next 6 quarters. Although our sales are not as high as our competitors we are second in net profits and thus producing our product more efficiently and effectively. This allows us to cut our manufacturing cost to include the purchase of raw materials and labor. Our net sales started at 699,376 in quarter 0 and have increased to $1,065,942 dollars over a six quarter period. Diversified Industries Inc’s profit margins have been approximately 6% over the past 6 quarters but the management team is committed to improvement. Diversified Industries Inc.’s has been very competitive in the solar fan market and has enjoyed a significant market share. To maintain this share and increase our holdings the management team has developed a strategic plan that includes the heavy investment in quality and the creation of special features for our product. We also believe that investing in our employees and current manufacturing process we can achieve a better product made for less. In creating a finer product for our customers and selling it at a reasonable price gives Diversified Industries Inc. an edge over our competition. The management team has monitored competitive pricing, quality and special features utilizing market research sources and has determined that our product is above the market standard. The process that is utilized in producing our product reduces cost and increases the 2008-04-21T00:12:03-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/An-Example-of-an-Executive-Summary-33565.aspx Nike Bill Bowerman Before there was the Swoosh, before there was Nike, there were two visionary men who pioneered a revolution in athletic footwear that redefined the industry. Bill Bowerman was a nationally respected track and field coach at the University of Oregon, who was constantly seeking ways to give his athletes a competitive advantage. He experimented with different track surfaces, re-hydration drinks and – most importantly – innovations in running shoes. But the established footwear manufacturers of the 1950s ignored the ideas he tried to offer them, so Bowerman began cobbling shoes for his runners. Phil Knight was a talented middle-distance runner from Portland, who enrolled at Oregon in the fall of 1955 and competed for Bowerman’s track program. Upon graduating from Oregon, Knight earned his MBA in finance from Stanford University, where he wrote a paper that proposed quality running shoes could be manufactured in Japan that would compete with more established German brands. But his letters to manufacturers in Japan and Asia went unanswered, so Knight took a chance. He made a cold-call on the Onitsuka Co. in Kobe, Japan, and persuaded the manufacturer of Tiger shoes to make Knight a distributor of Tiger running shoes in the United States. When the first set of sample shoes arrived, Knight sent several pairs to Bowerman, hoping to make a sale. Instead, Bowerman stunned Knight by offering to become his partner, and to provide his footwear design ideas to Tiger. They shook hands to form Blue Ribbon Sports, pledged $500 each and placed their first order of 300 pairs of shoes in January 1964. Knight sold the shoes out of the trunk of his green Plymouth Valiant, while Bowerman began ripping apart Tiger shoes to see how he could make them lighter and better, and enlisted his University of Oregon runners to wear-test his creations. In essence, the foundation for what would become Nike had been established. But Bowerman and Knight each had full-time jobs - Bowerman at Oregon and Knight at a Portland accounting firm - so they needed someone to manage the growing requirements of Blue Ribbon Sports. Enter Jeff Johnson, whom Knight had met at Stanford. A runner himself, Johnson became the first full-time employee of Blue Ribbon Sports in 1965, and quickly became an invaluable utility man for the start-up company. He created the first product brochures, print ads and marketing materials, and even shot the photographs for the company’s catalogues. Johnson established 2008-04-10T23:05:23-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nike-Bill-Bowerman-33557.aspx The Uninsured Who are the uninsured? A growing number of uninsured Americans are one of the biggest and most debated troubles we face in our health care system. The actual count of the number of uninsured gets considerable policy use and media interest and an adequate amount of attention that when national estimates of the uninsured differ, it raises doubts about our ability to design solutions or test their impact. This issue brief begins with a comparison of the total number of uninsured from three major national surveys, demonstrating that these estimates are actually more consistent than what is often perceived. In other words, who the uninsured are does not vary much across national surveys. Transversely, of all surveys according to the Keiser commission on Medicaid and the uninsured, better than half of the uninsured are in low-income families and about half are minorities. The majority of uninsured adults are working, but their lack of education makes it more difficult for them to get jobs that offer employer-sponsored coverage. Several surveys are able to provide national health insurance coverage estimates, including how many are uninsured. Different estimates of the number of uninsured released each year are not exactly the same and that has at times created questions about how large the problem really is. Health insurance estimates from national surveys vary depending on how the questions are couched and how long a period people are asked to recall their familiarity. For instance, respondents may be asked what their insurance coverage is in the month they are being interviewed or if they have been without coverage anytime in the past year or two years. Depending on the reference period respondents are asked to recall, national survey estimates of the uninsured have ranged as widely as 20 to 80 million. At one end, different surveys report 20 and 35 million being uninsured over the course of a full year, while as many as 80 to 85 million have been uninsured for at least part of a two year period. Who Are the Uninsured? All three surveys show that about 80% of the uninsured are adults. Adults are more likely to be uninsured than children because most low-income children qualify for either Medicaid or S-CHIP, while low-income adults under age 65 qualify for Medicaid only if they are disabled, pregnant, or have dependent children. Since many entitled children are not enrolled in these public programs—children 2008-03-16T04:37:34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Uninsured-33542.aspx Daydreaming Boo!! I know that you were daydreaming. Today I am going to be talking about just that daydreaming. There are three important reasons why daydreaming is so good. 1. It relaxes you 2. It keeps you from dieing of boredom and 3. It is known to help you to do more work. Like meditation, daydreaming allows your mind to 2007-08-09T05:12:05-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Daydreaming--33310.aspx Weyerhaeuser Company Profile Weyerhaeuser Company Profile Summary of Management Strategies: After doing extensive research on Weyerhaeuser Co., I have found that this particular world wide fortune 200 firm follows all the rules that I have learned taking this course by the book. I found that they value employees, and place emphasis on maintaining values and ethics. The company is also very strict about meeting certain production quotas. They offer competitive salaries , and extensive employer paid benefits to employees and their families. Employees of the firm have also formed a union, which also offers banking services exclusively to employees of Weyerhaeuser. The firm also offers a variety of programs such as a wellness program which offers employer paid discounts on exercising facilities. These are few of the many benefits of being employed by Weyerhaeuser Company. Summary of Marketing Strategies: Weyerhaeuser Company one of the world’s largest integrated forest product companies which is based out of Canada has been in business for over 100 years. So they have pretty much made a name for themselves in the industry years ago. Weyerhaeuser offers a 100% customer guarantee that if the customer is not satisfied, Weyerhaeuser will replace the product free of charge. And with the 100% customer satisfaction guarantee that they stand by, who wouldn’t choose Weyerhaeuser for any paper or containerboard need. I found out that back in 2000, Weyerhaeuser increased the price of containerboard products even to existing customers. This caused a slight decline in sales for a brief 3 month period. Soon after, all the customers returned to Weyerhaeuser finding that no other company could compete with Weyerhaeuser’s 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. Summary of Financing Strategies: Weyerhaeuser’s goal is to earn a 17% return on net assets over the industry cycle. A goal they say they will achieve by executing their strategies, focusing on customers, and maintaining a disciplined approach to capital spending. Recent News: Federal Way Wash., Nov 14, 2001- Weyerhaeuser Company today announced it plans to close or reposition 3 of its North American Operations during the fourth quarter to maintain the company’s competitive position in the lumber market. This news story relates to the concept that the economy has much to do with a company’s ability to grow 2007-04-23T04:08:56-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Weyerhaeuser-Company-Profile-33099.aspx Profile of Nike Profile of Nike Basketball players “wanna be like Mike”, but shoe companies “wanna be like NIKE.” NIKE is the worlds #1 company and controls more than 40% of the US athletic shoe market. The company designs and sells shoes for just about every sport, including baseball, volleyball, cheerleading, and wrestling. NIKE also sells Cole Haan dress and casual shoes and a line of athletic wear and equipment, such as hockey sticks, skates, and timepieces. In addition, it operates NIKETOWN shoe and sportswear stores and is opening JORDAN in store outlets in suburban markets. NIKE sells its product to about 19,000 US accountants, in about 140 other countries, and online. Chairman, CEO, and co-founder Phil Knight owns. Nike Co. is very interesting, as well is a popular brand. Nike, pronounced NI-KEY, is the winged goddess of victory according to Greek mythology. She sat at the side of Zeus, the ruler of the Olympian pantheon, in Olympia. A mystical presence, symbolizing victorious encounters, NIKE presided over history’s earliest battlefields. A Greek would say, “When we go to battle, and win, we say it is NIKE.” Synonymous with honored conquest; NIKE is the twentieth century footwear that lifts the world’s greatest athletes to new levels of mastery and achievement. The NIKE “swoosh” embodies the spirit of the winged goddess who inspired the most courageous and chivalrous warriors at the dawn of civilization. Among artistic representations of Nike are the sculpture by Paeonius (c. 424 BC) and the “Nike of Samothrace.” Rhodians probably erected the latter, discovered on Samothrace in 1863 and now in the Louvre Museum, Paris, about 203 BC to commemorate a sea battle. Excavations have shown that the sculpture was placed alighting on a flagship, which was set in the ground in such a way that it appeared to float. If you were to break the word NIKE down, you would get Ni-key. The pronunciation for Nike is ‘nI-kE. Its function is noun, and its etymology is Greek NiKE. If you defined the word NIKE, you would find out that it means the Greek goddess of victory. Another meaning and definition of a word is SWOOSHING. Main entry: Swoosh, function is noun, and it is an act or instance of swooshing. The origin of the swoosh dates back as far as 1971. Phil Knight was supplementing his modest income from Blue Ribbon Sports Inc. by teaching an accountant 2007-04-18T22:26:38-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Profile-of-Nike--33022.aspx Company Profile of The Home Depot Company Profile of The Home Depot ANALYSIS #1 1. COMPANY BACKGROUND The Home Depot Inc. was founded in 1978 and is the world’s largest home improvement retailer and the second largest retailer in the United States. The sales for the fiscal year 2000 were $45.7 billion, compared to $38.4 billion in fiscal 1999. As of January 2001, the company was operating 1,134 retail stores in forty-seven states, six Canadian provinces, Puerto Rico, Chile and Argentina. Home Depot stores sell a wide assortment of building materials, home improvement and garden products. Twenty-six EXPO Design Center stores sell products and services primarily for design and renovation projects. Additionally, the company operates four Villager’s Hardware test stores, which offer products for home enhancement and small projects. In mid-year, Home Depot also launched a Home Depot Floor Store, located in Plano, Texas. Home Depot stores serve three primary customer groups: do-it-yourself (D-I-Y) customers, who are typically homeowners that purchase products and complete their own projects and installations; buy-it-yourself (B-I-Y) customers, who are typically homeowners that purchase materials themselves and hire third parties to complete the project and/or installation; and professional customers, who are professional repair re-modelers, general contractors and tradesmen. The Company also offers products through two direct marketing subsidiaries: Maintenance Warehouse and National Blinds and Wallpaper. The Maintenance Warehouse subsidiary is one of the leading mail marketers of maintenance, repair and operations products serving primarily the multi-family housing and lodging facilities management market. The company’s National Blinds and Wallpaper subsidiary is a telephone mail order service for wallpaper and custom window treatments. Home Depot stores average approximately 108,000 square feet of enclosed space, with an additional approximately 24,000 square feet in the outside garden area. The basic EXPO Design center is approximately 90,000 square feet. Newly acquired companies, Georgia Lighting Inc. and Apex Supply Company Inc., are each operated by Home Depot Inc. as a wholly owned subsidiary. Georgia Lighting, a leading specialty lighting designer, distributor and retailer, has six retail locations. Apex Supply Company is a wholesale supplier of plumbing, HVAC and other related professional products, with twenty-one locations in Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina. The co-founder of Home Depot Inc. retired as co-chairman on May 30, 2001. Arthur Blank, 58 years old, ran Home Depot since its inception in 1978 and was chief executive from May 1997 to December 2000. He will not seek re-election to the board. 2007-04-18T02:54:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Company-Profile-of-The-Home-Depot-32974.aspx True North Communications, Inc. Company Profile True North Communications, Inc. Company Profile The company that our group decided to profile and document is True North Communications Incorporated. True North is a top global advertising agency and communications company with more than 280 offices worldwide. The company is based out of Chicago, Illinois and is found at 101 East Erie Street. It can be reached on the Internet using the web address, www.truenorth.com. In 1994, True North became a holding agency for a company called Foote, Cone, and Belding which was a company started in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York in 1942 and will be discussed later (www.truenorth.com). David Bell, who became Chief Executive Officer in 1999, heads True North Communications. He runs a company that employs around 13,800 people with a yearly growth rate of 15%, and in the year 2000 earned revenue of $1,557 million (www.wetfeet.com). True North consists of several different subsidiary advertising agencies, all consisting of different sizes. These agencies are FCB Worldwide (Foote, Cone, and Belding Worldwide), Bozell, Temerlin McClain, Marketing Drive Worldwide, and BSMG Worldwide. FCB is a powerful global agency network under True North, with 2000 billings of $9.5 billion and more than 190 offices servicing clients in 102 countries. FCB has key offices in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Southern California. Also, FCB holds the rank of number ten in the world with a top ten ranking in many major markets. Some of these include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China/Hong Kong, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Spain, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Venezuela. FCB offers a broad range of integrated services, which consist of Advertising, Field Service Marketing, Events and Sports Marketing. They offer a unique strategy called “Model One”. This offers all clients one management team, one strategy, one broad creative idea, and one bottom line. FBC also offers FCBi, with operations in thirty-eight offices in twenty-eight countries. This gives clients an Interactive Relationship to Management Solutions both online and offline (www.fcb.com). Bozell Group is a full service advertising agency comprised of six independent full-service agencies: Bozell, Bozell Kamstra, Avrett Free & Ginsberg, Berenter Greenhouse &Webster, Stein Rogan + Partners and Howard, and Merrell & Partners. Bozell is one of the leading U.S. agencies and operates under the banner of True North Communications Inc., 2007-04-18T02:39:10-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/True-North-Communications,-Inc_-Company-Profile-32970.aspx PepsiCo Strategic Positioning PepsiCo Strategic Positioning Industry Analysis PepsiCo, Inc. is in the Food and Beverage industry. The U.S. food and beverage industry sector (SIC 20) is the nation's largest manufacturing sector at $321 billion and it is mature and developed. Additional growth in the food and beverage industry likely to come from overseas market and factors that will affect industry growth are population growth, economic conditions, and foreign trade patterns. The top competitors within the industry are: - PepsiCo - Coca-Cola - Cadbury Schweppes - Kraft Foods The U.S. population is expanding by less than 1 percent annually, and immigrants constitute about one-fourth of this increase. The population is continuing to age as the size of U.S. households shrinks. Current economic concerns cause spending restraint and prompt greater purchases of less costly private-label products and greater patronage of warehouse-club type operations. The trend toward smaller households with increasing numbers of single-person and one-parent households is expected to continue. The combination of an aging population characterized by decreasing household size and greater numbers of single-person and one-parent households indicate that total spending for food and beverages is likely to increase very slowly. More women work outside the home and a higher number of single-person households cause redistribution of the food and beverage dollar away from home and towards other outlays at the expense of the retail grocery industry where potential profits are higher. In order to combat the aforementioned trends, food and beverage processors will be pressured to provide products tailored to older and single-person households to minimize the natural appeal of away-from-home eateries. As mentioned in the first paragraph, domestic market growth will be limited, thus manufacturers will likely compete very aggressively for market share and intensify export efforts to increase sales and enjoy high profits. Although there are lots of challenges, the food and beverage industry is very attractive industry due to following reason: The size of the industry is about $321 billion. If played smart, it could be very profitable for the companies involved. The industry is Global and opportunities exist throughout the world. There will always be demand for food and beverages. Innovation and other alternatives (i.e., non-carbonated drinks, healthy alternatives). Company Background PepsiCo, Inc., incorporated in 1919, is a world leader in convenient foods and beverages, with revenues of about $27 billion and about 143,000 employees. The company consists 2007-04-18T00:50:41-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/PepsiCo-Strategic-Positioning-32939.aspx Company Profile of Motorola Company Profile of Motorola After years of being the world's leading provider of wireless communications, semi-conductors and advanced electronic systems and services, things have began to slow down for Motorola, Inc. This company was once known for its cutting-edge technology and level of quality. Motorola is now working to revamp its image and catch up with the competition. Motorola has not yet recovered despite restructuring efforts. The company attributes some of its problems to the weak U.S. economy and a slow down in telecommunications spending. Heavy cost-cutting has been done by the company. Since August 2000, 48,000 jobs-nearly a third of its workforce-have been eliminated. Over the next nine to fifteen months, four more semiconductor plants will be shut down. This will result in the loss of 2,500 jobs. Motorola's five-point strategic plan In 1998, Motorola decided to reshape the company's strategy. They decided to go back and seek to change everything at Motorola except their principles, characters, and ethics. This five-point strategic plan is as follows: 1. Revitalize the management team 2. Stabilize the balance sheet and improve financial flexibility 3. Reduce costs and manufacturing capacity 4. Produce new, innovative products and growing customer relationships 5. Evaluate and re-evaluate business plans in order to remain competitive in the ever-changing business climate How has Motorola been doing in following its strategic plan? They are making progress in all areas of their strategic plan. The company realizes they still have a lot of work to do. 1. They have placed new leaders in 70 of Motorola's 100 most important assignments within the last 18 months. They also hired a new president and chief operating officer. 2. They generated more than $1.9 billion in positive operating cash flow in 2001 and reduced the ratio of net debt to net debt plus equity from 27 percent to 18 percent. 3. They reduced their employee population by one-third and closed five manufacturing facilities. In 2001, four additional facilities will be closed. 4. They enhanced their position in telematics by design a platform wireless chipset. 5. They launched a new China growth strategy. Although, Motorola addressed the need to add new innovative products in their five-point strategic plan, they did not address the fact that they need to be more aggressive to get on the 2007-03-04T19:00:47-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Company-Profile-of-Motorola-32722.aspx Fujitsu's Corporate Profile Fujitsu's Corporate Profile At the heart of Fujitsu’s corporate profile is what is called on their global website, “The Fujitsu Way.” This set of principles relates the company’s mission to its values and codes of conduct. With a mission statement that aims at providing growing value to the company’s shareholders and stakeholder, as well as customers, through product innovation, increased profits and stronger communal relationships worldwide, Fujitsu voices a strong sense of corporate culture and pride. The statement promotes financial goals that are in tune with a growing global marketplace and international success. The philosophy behind the Fujitsu Way is highlighted in the values of the company listed in order of customers, employees, quality, environment and lastly, profits and growth. The employee base being one of the top core values of the company is reflective of the Japanese mentality that promotes loyalty to one’s firm. If the employees are valued, they will, in return, value the company. This fosters strong long-term relationships which their corporate culture seeks to create. The breakdown of the corporate culture also shows a real dedication of the company to self-promote its values and ideals. In this way, the company aims to cultivate strong internal relations as well as those created from business operations. Looking at the language of the website is immediately illustrative of corporate pride. The corporate profile is called The Fujitsu Way. This promotes a strong sense of corporate identity. The values and conduct of the firm seem to convey the message that the people of the firm truly buy into the corporate self as there is even a Fujitsu Way council in place. Multiple pages are dedicated to corporate culture on their site, documenting the business, the corporate history, the management structure and a detailed outline of Fujitsu’s corporate governance. On one level, much of the wording and language on the site seems less traditionally Japanese as we have examined and more pandering to an international market base. The company strongly endeavors to profit and grow. They are aware that business is their primary objective and to meet global demand they must express this interest. Underlying this tone, however, is a strong emphasis on making sure that corporate culture and dedication are adequately expressed. Many American companies offer only one two pages to these subjects, while Fujitsu’s corporate profile has seven primary links including numerous detailed breakdowns and charts of the various topics 2007-02-19T21:59:18-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Fujitsu-s-Corporate-Profile-32658.aspx Merrill Lynch Company And Industry Background Merrill Lynch - Company And Industry Background Background Merrill Lynch is one of the world's leading financial management and advisory companies, with offices in 38 countries and total client assets of approximately $1.5 trillion. As an investment bank, Merrill Lynch is a leading global underwriter of debt and equity securities and strategic advisor to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals worldwide. Through Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, the firm is one of the world's largest managers of financial assets. (Merrill Lynch, 2002) Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. is a holding company that, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, provides investment, financing, advisory, insurance and related products and services on a global basis, including securities brokerage, trading and underwriting; investment banking, strategic services, including mergers and acquisitions and other corporate finance advisory activities; asset management; origination, brokerage, dealer and related activities in swaps, options, forwards and exchange-traded futures; other derivatives and foreign exchange products; securities clearance and settlement services; equity, debt, foreign exchange, commodities and economic research; banking, trust and lending services, including mortgage lending and related services; insurance sales and underwriting services, and investment advisory and related recordkeeping services. Merrill Lynch provides these products and services to a wide array of clients, including individual investors, small businesses, corporations, governments, governmental agencies and financial institutions. Merrill Lynch's business has three business segments, the Corporate and Institutional Client Group (CICG), the Private Client Group (PCG) and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM). Merrill Lynch provides financial services worldwide through various subsidiaries and affiliates that frequently participate in the facilitation and consummation of a single transaction. This organizational structure is designed to enhance the delivery of services to Merrill Lynch's diverse global client base and position it for worldwide growth. Merrill Lynch has organized its operations outside the United States into five regions, Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Japan; Asia Pacific/Australia; Canada, and Latin America. (Multex, 2002). Business Segments Corporate and Institutional Client Group The CICG businesses provide comprehensive investment banking, financing and related products and services to corporations, institutional clients and sovereign governments throughout the world. These activities are conducted through a network of subsidiaries, including Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S), Merrill Lynch International (MLI) and a number of other subsidiaries located in and outside the United States. CICG's activities predominately involve providing investment banking and other strategic mergers and acquisition advisory services; underwriting; trading, both as a broker and as a dealer, in equity securities, including common stock, preferred 2007-01-29T05:26:16-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Merrill-Lynch-Company-And-Industry-Background-32485.aspx The Business of TV Guide The Business of TV Guide The weekly periodical TV Guide needs to both create and market two new products, TV Guide On Screen, and TV Guide Online. These two new forms of the periodical should be worked on and made available to the consumer as soon as possible, as there are several companies working to undermine TV Guide’s dominance in the industry and are threatening to beat them to the new and informative mediums. Perhaps the most logical way to have the new products gain recognition is to heavily advertise through various forms, ranging from print, radio, and even on television. To help fund and launch advertising campaign, it would be advisable for the publishers of TV Guide to collaborate with the many other companies that News Corporation owns which could, conceivably, reduce the costs of starting the programs. If TV Guide is able to strike a deal with the New York Post, Boston Globe, or one of the many television stations affiliated with News Corporation, there would be a great number of consumers exposed to the new services offered, therefore helping boost the new TV Guide products. In this document, I will explain how TV Guide can develop new means of communication in the television programming schedules. The new developments carry a huge responsibility because they will decide the fate of TV Guide; if they succeed, TV Guide will remain a high quality, informative product for TV viewers everywhere, if they don’t succeed, TV Guide will surely be phased out by its competitors. Background & History TV Guide, founded by a Walter Annenburg in 1953, is a weekly magazine that informs its readers of television program schedules, cover stories about television shows as well as interviews with television celebrities. TV Guide, over time, became the third largest US magazine, as measured by revenue, and in 1994 was the most circulated weekly periodical. At that time, 14 million copies were in circulation each week, which is considerably fewer than the 1979 peak of 19 million. In 1988, TV Guide was sold to News Corporation (“News Corp.”), a worldwide firm in control of newspapers, publishing companies, television stations and satellite companies, periodicals and the like. TV Guide was reportedly sold for a sum of 2.8 billion dollars. News Corp. wanted more than to merely own TV Guide, they were interested in expanding it, and moving it into new and progressive technologies to increase 2007-01-11T04:41:44-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Business-of-TV-Guide-32347.aspx The Core Competencies Of Daimler Chrysler The Core Competencies Of Daimler Chrysler INTRODUCTION: Theory and Principles In 2002 companies will continue to grow and become market leaders only if there ability to examine the companies core competencies by identifying, cultivating, and exploiting these competencies continues now and beyond into the future. Failure to do so could be catastrophic for even the most powerful of companies, not in the short run but over time competitors will get ahead and the technology gap is so significant in core competencies that these corporations will never be able to catch up. That is why as we progress into the 21st century core competencies of a company is what is going to keep the company competitive and ahead of the rest, and on the brink of technological breakthroughs in their specified area. In this new-economy world, where companies compete on the basis of core competencies and relationships, human resources (meaning a skilled and knowledgeable workforce) will emerge as a key source of competitive advantage. Core competencies, by definition, are “knowledge sets and technical skill sets,” (Vicere, 2001) which is “the collective learning of the company as a whole” (Prahalad & Hamel, 1990). Thus, core competencies of a company will only get stronger as application or the sharing of ideas and or poaching of personnel enhances them. Just as easily “core competencies can also diminish if they are not being applied or shared within a company relating to Strategic Business Units (SBU)” (Kotler, Armstrong, Brown & Adam, 1998). Strategic alliances between companies is emerging, and this encompasses the merging of two companies core competencies and producing core competence, core products and end products which no other company can rival, thus producing technological breakthroughs which previously seemed impossible. The goal of core competencies is “to build world leadership in design and development of a particular class of product functionality” (Bradmore, Joy, Kimberley, & Walker, 1997). Having advantages and control over core products is critical for several reasons. A dominant position in core competencies and core products enables a company “to shape the evolution of applications and end markets” (Jain, 2000). Strategic core products born from the evolution of core competencies leads companies to economies of scale and scope. It should be noted that cultivating core competencies does not necessarily mean spending millions and millions on research and development, rather “core competency is: co-ordination of production skills, integrating technologies, organisation of work, delivery of value, communication, 2007-01-11T03:48:30-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Core-Competencies-Of-Daimler-Chrysler-32338.aspx Union Bank and Trust Expanding Abroad Union Bank and Trust “Expanding Abroad” 1. What would be UBT’s country risk exposure if it where to establish itself in Chile The political risk of Chile is minimum, which makes a very attractive country to start the Latin America Operations of UBT, since the dictatorial military regime led by Augusto Pinochet ended in 1990. After this period, a free elected president was installed and the economy has stabilized from 1991-1997 and has helped the country to secure the country towards a democratic and representative government. Growth slowed in 1998-99, but recovered strongly in 2000. Chile has a well establish government that also reduces the political risk to enter the country. The government is divided in three branches: Executive, legislative, and judicial. Executive power with president directly elected; successive reelection not allowed. Presidential candidates must win a majority or face a runoff. Under a constitutional reform approved by Congress in February 1994, the presidential term was reduced from eight to six years, the traditional term. In addition, Chile is a perfect country to establish a UBT division since it maintains relations with more than seventy countries. The restoration of democratic government in 1990, has reestablished political and economic ties with other Latin American countries, North America, Europe, and Asia. United States-Chilean relations have improved considerably since return to democracy and progress on issue of 1976 assassination in Washington of former Chilean ambassador to United States Orlando Letelier and United States citizen Ronnie Moffitt. Although shunning multilateral regional integration schemes, entered into bilateral tariff-cutting accords with individual Latin American countries--including Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and Mexico--in early 1990s, as well as negotiated framework trade agreement with United States in October 1990. Since joining the Mercosur Group in 1991, has played active role in promoting democracy within inter-American system. Indicators: GDP: purchasing power parity: $ 153.1 billion (2000 estimate) GPD real growth rate: 5.5% (2000 estimate) GPD per capita: purchasing power parity: $10,100 (2000 estimate) GDP composition by sector: Agriculture: 8% Industry: 38% Services: 54% Population below poverty line: 22% Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.2% Highest 10%: 41.3 Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% Labor force: 5.8 million Labor force by occupation: Agriculture: 14% Industry: 27% Services: 59% Unemployment rate: 9% Budget: Revenues: 16 billion Expenditures: $17 billion Major Industries: Cooper, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles. Industrial growth rate: 6% Agriculture: wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets, potatoes, fruit, beef, poultry, wool, fish, timber. Exports: $ 18 billion (fob 2000) Export commodities: cooper, fish, paper, chemicals. Export partners: EU 27% USA 16% Japan 14% Brazil 6% Argentina 5% Imports: $17 billion (fob 2000) Import commodities: consumer goods, chemicals, motor vehicles, fuels, electrical, machinery, food. Import partners: US 24% EU 23% Argentina 11% Brazil 6% Japan 6% Mexico 5% Debt - external: $39 billion (2000) Economic aid – recipient ODA, $40 2007-01-06T18:25:16-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Union-Bank-and-Trust-Expanding-Abroad-32248.aspx Company Description of Dewhirst Group Plc Company Description of Dewhirst Group Plc Dewhirst Group Plc manufactures and distributes clothing and toiletries. Operations are carried out in the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Morocco and Indonesia. Manufacture of clothing accounted for 91% of revenues for the year ended 14th Jan 2000 and toiletries accounted for 9%. Competitor Analysis Dewhirst Group Plc operates in the Diversified Apparel Mfrs. sub-industry, which is a sub sector of the Apparel & Textiles industry. They supply clothing to companies such as Marks & Spencer’s and also police uniform. This analysis compares Dewhirst Group Plc with, Worthington Group Plc (2000 sales: £26.47 million of which 100% was Textile Products). Worthington Group Plc manufactures, imports and distributes sewing threads, narrow textile fabrics, pocketing, waistbands, specialist linings, buttons, shoulder pads, interlinings, elastics and other trimmings and accessories. The clothing, home furnishing and industrial markets uses these products. All of the group's subsidiary undertakings are registered and operates in the United Kingdom. Sales Analysis Dewhirst Group Plc reported sales of £380.40 million for the year ending January of 2000. This represents a very small increase of 0.06% versus 1999, when the company's sales were £380.15 million. Sales at Dewhirst Group Plc have increased during each of the previous five years (and since 1994, sales have increased a total of 54%). Recent Sales at Dewhirst Group Plc 247 279 316 364 380 380 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 (Figures in Millions of Pounds Sterling) Just over half of the company's 1999 sales were in its home market of the United Kingdom: in 1999, this region's sales were £198.13 million, which is equivalent to 52.1% of total sales. In 1999, sales in Morocco were up at a rate that was much higher than the company as a whole: in this region, sales increased 35.3% to £88.76 million. Dewhirst Group Plc also experienced significant increases in sales in Malaysia (up 17.4% to £30.89 million). Although the company's overall sales increased, sales were not up in all regions of the world: sales in the company's home market of the United Kingdom were down 16.4% (to £198.13 million) and sales in Rest of Europe fell 18.2% (to £29.10 million) and sales in Rest of World fell 19.4% (to £1.42 million). Dewhirst Group Plc currently has 14,749 employees. With sales of £380.40 million, this equates to sales of £25, 791 per employee. This is lower than the Worthington Group Plc whose sales per employee equated to £29 2007-01-03T21:01:18-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Company-Description-of-Dewhirst-Group-Plc-32191.aspx Honda's American Subsidiary the American Honda Motor Company Honda's American Subsidiary, the American Honda Motor Company The American Honda Motor Company was established as a subsidiary by Honda in 1959. During the 1960's the type of motorcycles brought by Americans underwent a major change. Motorcycle registrations increased by over 800,000 in five years from 1960. In the early 60's the major competitors were Haley - Davidson of U.S.A, BSA, Triumph and Norton of the UK and Motto - Guzzi of Italy. Harley-Davidson had the largest market share with sales in 1959 totaling a6.6 million dollars. Many of the motorcycles produced were large and bulky and this led to the image of the motorcycle rider as being one who wore a leather jacket and went out to cause trouble. The Boston Consulting Group ( BCG ) report was initiated by the British government to study the decline in British motorcycle companies around the world, especially in the USA where sales had dropped from 49% in 1959 to 9% in 1973. The two key factors the report identified was the market share loss and profitability declines an the scale economy disadvantages in technology, distribution, and manufacturing. The BCG report showed that success of the Japanese manufacturers started with the growth of their own domestic markets. The high production for domestic demand led to Honda experiencing economies of scale as the cost of producing motorbikes declined with the level of output. This provided Honda to achieve a highly competitive cost position which they used to penetrate into the US market. " The basic philosophy of the Japanese manufacture is that high volumes per model provide the potential for high productivity as a result of using capital intensive and highly automated techniques. Their marketing strategies are therefore directed towards developing these high model volumes, hence the careful attention that we have observed them giving to growth and market share." (BCG p.59 ). The report goes on to show how Honda built up engineering competencies through the innovation of Mr Honda. The company also moved away from other companies who relied upon distributors to sell their bikes when the company set up its headquarters in the west coast of America. The BCG found that the motorcycles available before Honda entered the market were for limited group of people such as the police, army etc. But Honda had a "policy of selling, not primarily to confirmed motorcyclists but rather to members of the general public 2007-01-03T16:18:45-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Honda-s-American-Subsidiary-the-American-Honda-Motor-Company-32190.aspx Company Status of Apple Computers Company Status of Apple Computers During the time of this case Apple Computer’s status was not looking too good. It was the close of fiscal fourth quarter of 1997 and Apple’s revenues were $1.6 billion, a 30% decrease from the year before. The company’s net loss for the quarter was $161 million compared to a net profit of $25 million the previous year. To get a better understanding of the company’s 1997 financial position with respect to the previous year see Exhibit 1 Apple’s Financial Ratio Analysis. Steven Jobs was once again in charge but only as acting CEO while Apple as in search of a new CEO. Prince Aliweed owned 5% of Apple and they were looking for suitors to by Apple and fix it. The decline in demand, resulting in losses and the combination of intense price competition led the company in it’s decision to continue restructuring it’s business in 1997. Apple Computer focused on reducing it’s core structure, improving its competitiveness, and restoring it’s sustainable profitability. In February 1997, Apple acquired NeXT. The purchase brought Steve Jobs back into the company. To better understand Apples position we need to analyze where they are currently at. The Positives- 1. Brand Recognition- It is no secret Apple has a world renowned brand name and catchy hardware design. Apple’s success was due to marketing and technological innovation in the high growth. 2. User Friendly Architecture- Apple kept the architecture of the Macintosh proprietary, and it could not be cloned like the open system IBM PC. This allowed them to charge a premium for their distinctive user friendly features. This user friendly feature not only helped them to take a large portion of the general market share it helped them to be the dominant player in schools. 3. Purchase of NeXT Software- The Acquisition of NeXT brought a host of talented quality programmers along with Steve Jobs and other executives. They knew Apple, the industry, and were full of vision which is what Apple desperately needed at this time. 4. Good Core Products- Apple had strong core products, the Macintosh still had a strong foot hold in the market. In the early 1990’s Apple sold more personal computers than any other computer company. Net Sales grew to over 7 Billion, net income to over $530 Million, and earnings per share to $4.33. The basis for these products allowed Apple 2006-12-08T03:12:10-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Company-Status-of-Apple-Computers-31949.aspx The Threat of Competition to Nike The Threat of Competition to Nike The athletic shoe industry is slowly becoming a global oligopoly. There are many barriers to entry preventing new entrants from capturing significant market share. Nike can enjoy economies of scale that create cost advantages over any new rival. Today’s athletic shoes are highly technical. An extremely large capital investment is required for new firms to open athletic shoe factories and conduct research and design to create a popular athletic shoe. Nike has incorporated forward vertical integration into their corporate level strategy. Nike opened discount factory outlet stores in rural areas and retail stores in urban shopping Mecca’s. Monolithic athletic manufacturing companies utilise economies of scale by spending millions on product endorsements and advertisements by spreading the high cost over their entire yearly sales. The aggressive marketing campaigns turn their products into household names making it arduous for new firms to compete. Athletic shoe manufacturers greatly attempt to differentiate their products from all shoe manufacturers. For example, Nike aggressively markets their shoes with a visible air chamber in the sole. The capital requirements can be a high entry barrier to a new firm to the industry. However, an existing dress shoe manufacturer may enter the athletic shoe industry simply by re-tooling their manufacturing plant. Access to athletic shoe distribution channels is a moderate barrier to entry. This all depends on the status of the entering firm. If they are a start-up firm, it is extremely difficult to get shelf space at major shoe retailers. If the firm is currently in the dress shoe industry, and is entering the athletic shoe industry, they may use their existing connections to easily access athletic shoe distribution channels. Switching costs are very low for the athletic shoe industry. Shoes are relatively inexpensive personal goods that are frequently replaced. Cost disadvantages independent of scale are moderate. Many athletic shoe customers are brand loyal and are reluctant to try a new athletic shoe. Additionally, previous aggressive marketing campaigns have increased not only brand and individual product name recognition. Government policy is a low entry barrier, as all manufacturers in every industry are subject to factory safety laws. Threat of Retaliation The threat of retaliation is high in the athletic shoe industry. For example, if a small new competitor attempts to gain market share by dumping their products, the much larger computer firms are more capable of absorbing losses associated with driving the new competitor out of business. The threat of new 2006-08-31T17:10:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Threat-of-Competition-to-Nike-31387.aspx Unfair Business Ethics for the Employees of Wal-Mart Unfair Business Ethics for the Employees of Wal-Mart Wal-Mart is a superstore that has facilities all over the world. Wal-Mart is known as the friendly neighbor superstore. But until recently Wal-Mart has found it’s self not so friendly and is battling in unfair labor practices. An employee working for the Wal-Mart in New York has accused the world’s top retailer of unfair labor practices. 2006-08-08T15:07:32-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Unfair-Business-Ethics-for-the-Employees-of-Wal-Mart-31178.aspx About Greyhound Bus Corporate Strategy and Growth Potential About Greyhound Bus' Corporate Strategy and Growth Potential What were the critical incidents in Greyhound’s growth and development over time? Greyhound was founded in 1914 and its first business was providing bus transportation for mine workers. After that the company continued to grow and expand its bus routes, by 1930 the name Greyhound Corporation was adopted and the running-dog logo ,its unique brand sign, was introduced. The next 20 years Greyhound continued to acquire bus interests in order to consolidate routes either by purchase, stock swaps or mergers. By 1960 the company had substantially achieved its objective of operating a bus system that could carry passengers to most destinations throughout the States. In 1962, however the company was facing the prospect of increasingly limited opportunities to expand its route systems. Since the successful bus operations were generating excess cash the board of directors to diversify into new operations. Over the year 1962 the company began to acquire other companies which turned the business into a conglomerate of different businesses. Greyhound diversified into transportation manufacturing as well as into equipment leasing and financial services. As a result by the end of 1963 Greyhound was operating in three major businesses: transportation, manufacturing and financial services. In 1966 Gerry Trautman was appointed CEO and he continued the strategy of diversification through expansion and growth. From 1966 till 1970 Greyhound acquired more than thirty widely different companies and formed a new operating division, services: it specialized in managing transportation-related businesses such as duty free operations, building displays for exhibitions, aircraft servicing business, cruise ship lines, furniture moving, limousine service and the like. This diversification strategy was the basis for later on critical incidents which will be shown later. Trautmans aim was to create a company conglomerate, so that each individual business unit was recession proofed and all were enhancing the financial strength of the holding company. The first major critical incident occurred through a big acquisition of Armour&Co in 1970. This company was a large conglomerate holding interests in food and consumer products. Greyhound paid $400 million for a company which was operating primarily in the marginally profitable meat packing business. However, Armour also had interests also had interests in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and consumer products. After realizing he had overpaid for Armour Trautman, he sold a large part of the acquisition for $225 million and in 1977 he sold another piece which left over Armour`s 2006-08-01T20:14:02-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/About-Greyhound-Bus-Corporate-Strategy-and-Growth-Potential-30985.aspx Harley Davidson Inc The History and General Situation Harley-Davidson, Inc.: History and General Situation Arthur’s brothers, William Harley and Walter, started Harley-Davidson Motor Company in 1903. They first started the business in the Davidson family’s backyard in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1904, the company then moved into an office. The company was acquired by AMF Inc, which favored short-term profits instead of investing in research and development and retooling. Harley focused solely on sales, while competitors were continuously improving the quality of their motorcycles. This resulted in a downturn of the company with weak profits. In 1981, a new management team joins to buyout the company. Harley-Davidson Inc. acquired the Buell Motorcycle Company during 1993. This investment offers Harley-Davidson the possibility of gradual entry into the sport and performance motorcycles market. In 1995, the company acquired Eaglemark. As a financial service company, Eaglemark provides financial services to leisure product manufacturers and their dealers and customers in the United States and Canada. At the same time, Eaglemark provides motorcycle floor planning to participate North American dealers of the Motor Company because it is a majority-owned subsidiary. They also offer retail-financing to the Motor Company’s domestic customers, and provide insurance for motorcycles as well as service contracts extensions. Eaglemark works complementary for the Motor Company. Harley-Davidson Inc. operates in two business segments: Motorcycles and Related Products and Financial Services. These two segments offer different products and services, and they are managed separately. However, the financial service works as a complementary for the Motor Company. Industry Essentials The motorcycle industry is a consolidated industry. The U.S. and international heavyweight motorcycle markets are highly competitive. The major players, such as Yamaha, Suzuki, and Honda, generally have financial and marketing resources that are substantially greater than the non-major players. Competitions in the heavyweight motorcycle market are based on several factors; price, quality, reliability, styling, product features, customer preference, and warranties. Harley’s first segment is the motorcycle and related products business. It included designing, manufacturing, and selling primarily heavyweight touring and custom motorcycles and offering a broad range of related products that included motorcycle parts and accessories and riding apparel. The custom products charge a higher price because of its features, styling, and high resale value. Their target market is mainly in US. By the end of 1997, they have an approximate 48.3% share in the US market, 6.1% share in European, and 16.5% share in Asia/Pacific. 2006-08-01T18:54:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Harley-Davidson-Inc-The-History-and-General-Situation-30955.aspx Carlsberg Brewery Activities and Production Carlsberg Brewery Activities and Production Carlsberg Brewery (M) Bhd. is the market leader in the beer market with the share of over 60%. Carlsberg primary activities are production, sales and distribution of beer. Carlsberg emphasizes the importance of quality and strong competitive positioning of brands and 2006-08-01T10:09:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Carlsberg-Brewery-Activities-and-Production-30929.aspx Analyzing Business Policies of Safeway Company Analyzing Business Policies of Safeway Company Safeway Company has policies that require employees to smile at and make eye contacts with customers. Most of the customers would view this kind of facial gestures as a friendly way of doing business, but some customers might misunderstand them as a “flirt”. Twelve employees had filed complaints about this “Superior Service” policy and found it unethical for the company to have undercover shoppers to spot if there is any violator. This led to Union to get involved and suggest the company to modify the policy. However, the headquarters disagreed that the policy was the cause of the misunderstanding. And they think it is necessary to train their employees to be friendly and having the right attitude to serve their customers. Critical Thinking: 1. How, specifically, does this case illustrate the process of attribution? The case illustrates this company enforcing this “Superior Service” policy to their employees, and might somehow attribute the cause of misconception from the customers. Employees were asked to smile and keep eye contact to their customers, but these friendly gestures were considered by some of the customers as flirt. The internal cause would be the smile and eye contact, and the external cause would be the customers’ responses or perception. The correspondent inferences could be the smile and extensive cares of customers might lead to assumption to some customers as flirt. 2. What do you suppose is being done to help train people to be more friendly toward customers? In other words, what do you imagine goes on in Safeway’s “Smile School”? I would imagine students sitting in groups and exchanging ideas on how to serve the customers better. Instructor would also have employees to perform “role-playing”, having one side act as customers and the other side doing their job as clerks. Different scenario would be provided and employees will be asked to solve each case in a polite manner. Instructors would correct their mistakes and provide feedback to each individual. In addition, employees would always be reminded to smile and keep eye contact to their customers. 3. What do you think of sending undercover shoppers into stores to spot violators of the customer service policy? In your opinion, is this ethical? In my opinion, sending undercover shoppers into stores to spot 2006-07-31T15:31:03-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analyzing-Business-Policies-of-Safeway-Company-30892.aspx Informational Report on Coca Cola Informational Report on Coca Cola The Coca-Cola Company is one of the reigning soft drink manufacturers in the world. Some analysts contend that Coca-Cola is the most widely used and well-known brand name product in the world. The purpose of this report is to provide Coca-Cola stockholders with an understanding of the product development in the company. Since Coca-Cola began its operations in 1902, it has introduced several distinct products and marketing campaigns that have led to its financial stability and market standing. Some of the facts presented are statements of Coca-Cola head officials; therefore, the report contains a degree of bias. The Coca-Cola Company controls over 45 percent of the global beverage industry. Coca-Cola has been able to maintain this high market share due to innovation in the product development aspect of the company. The income received from product sales has been made Coca-Cola a financially stable company within the industry. Coca-Cola recorded increases in all financial areas in 1994; namely, earnings per share, closing market price of stock, net operating revenue, and income available to stockholders. Coca-Cola will focus on the goal of increasing global market share throughout the 1990s. Coca-Cola producing consists of a soft drink market and a food market. The food market is involved primarily with the producing of fruit juices. The soft drink market is involved with the distribution of soft drink concentrates and syrups. Over the past few years, Coca-Cola has introduced a variety of highly successful products into its soft drink and food markets. The revenue received from the sale of these products has been a source of financial stability for the Coca-Cola company. The Coca-Cola Company focuses the majority of its investment opportunities on the soft drink market because the soft drink market offers a low capital requirement and a high rate of return. Coca-Cola has invested in the development of Diet Coke, Decaffeinated Diet Coke, and Cherry Coke. In 1993, the demand for soft drinks such as these increased to where they account for 27 percent of the soft drink market. By 1996, the diet drink segment is forecast to exceed 30 percent of the soft drink industry. Forecasts such as these reflect the concerns consumers have with health and diet. Coca-Cola recognizes these concerns and has altered its soft drink producing to 2006-07-23T19:50:46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Informational-Report-on-Coca-Cola-30557.aspx History of Google before Going Public History of Google before Going Public Google is a privately held company. The funding partners include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital. In June 1999, Michael Moritz, general partner of Sequoia Capital joined Google’s Board of Directors. Other investors include Stanford University; Andy Bechtolsheim current vice president at Cisco Systems and Ram Shriram. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 by Stanford University Ph.D. candidate Larry Page and Sergey Brin to create a new generation of powerful, scalable search engine services to improve the user experience of searching the web. Based on years of advanced research in computer science, Google is dedicated to providing the best user search experience be delivering a powerful, yet simple to use, format for finding the most relevant answers to search queries. Google offers a search solution though its own website at www.google.com, as well as co-branded web search solution for information content providers. Google’s mission statement is to organize the world’s information, making it universally accessible and useful. Google focuses exclusively on delivering the best search experience on the World Wide Web. Though innovative advances in search technology, Google helps users find information they are looking for quickly and effectively. Google is a privately held company with their equity capital standing at about $25 million in June 1999; no recent equity standing is available at this time. Google’s advanced Web Search technology allows site publishers to offer web search to their own users on their own sites. Google Web Search is used in more than 30 countries by clients including Yahoo! Virgin.net and Netscape’s Netcenter portal. Google’s own web site at www.google.com attracts advertisers who wish to reach users with specific interests. Unlike other search engines, Google advertising is precisely targeted and graphically designed to enhance a user’s overall search experience. Google uses a software robot called Googlebot to identify and evaluate more than a billion pages of content on the web, making it the world’s most comprehensive search engine. Google’s proprietary technology relies on PageRank™, developed by Google founder Sergey Brin and Larry Page, to determine the relative importance of each page Google crawls on the web. Google will continue to be around for years to come because I believe they have assembled an experience and well built team to get the job done and reach the companies goals. They also have the 2006-07-22T18:52:05-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/History-of-Google-before-Going-Public-30493.aspx Company Analysis of Whirlpool Corporation Company Analysis of Whirlpool Corporation Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. The company manufactures in 13 countries and markets products in more than 170 countries under major brand names such as Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Roper, Estate, Bauknecht, Ignis, Laden, Inglis, Brastemp and Consul. Whirlpool Corporation is also the principal supplier to Sears, Roebuck and Co. of many major home appliances marketed under the Kenmore brand name. Internal environment is critical: operation and employees management Internal Environment: Strength and Weaknesses Whirlpool Corporation structure is strategic business units. It composed of the microwave oven business unit and the global air treatment. The other one is whirlpool financial corporation. In order to increase their profit, they try to reduce their cost. Some of their actions are they closed several plants and streamlined organization in several group. Though the culture of Whirlpool not mentioned explicitly, we assume that the culture of this company give a positive influence to company performance. The other thing, their future product will be designs as an environmental friendly product in accordance to customer expectations. The marketing strategy of Whirlpool is market driven, and to gain competitive advantage, this company is leveraging a global presence in various regional markets. They also concern market mix of the company that differs of each country. They segmented the market by regional because almost every country has unique preferences that are influenced by environment condition, custom, economic condition, etc. The goal of technology organization was to develop advance, innovative products and move them to market quickly and competitive. Several functions was organized to achieve that goal, such as: -Global Procurement organization: bought and organized the distribution of all materials and components needed by appliance production facilities. -The Corporate Technology Development: develop product and process technology capabilities and provided technical service to Whirlpool business -An Advance Product Concept unit: develop new product concepts that were identified through market research -The Advance Manufacturing Concepts team: bring new manufacture process, identify and develops simulation tools and best practices to be used on global basis -Strategic Assessment and Support organization: identify and evaluated non-traditional new product opportunities In 1988, Whirlpool has eight manufacturing locations and in 1995 they have 12 plants that located in 12 countries. There are some problems occurring in operation and logistic area, such as manufacturing inefficiency and increasing raw materials cost. In term of reducing cost, they closed some 2006-07-22T18:46:11-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Company-Analysis-of-Whirlpool-Corporation-30490.aspx Ben and Jerry's Expansion into Russia Issues with Expanding Ben & Jerry's into Russia Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc., the Vermont-based manufacturer of ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet, was founded in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. Their first shop was in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, with a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of which was borrowed). Within a short time, they became popular for their innovative flavors, made from fresh Vermont milk and cream. The main products of Ben & Jerry’s are ice cream, low fat ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and novelty products and are produced in pints, quarts, and 2.5-gallon tubs. Their products are distributed nationwide as well as in selected foreign countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchised Ben & Jerry's scoop shops, restaurants and other venues. Ben & Jerry's franchises scoop shops in both the U.S. and Canada. The company also has wholly-owned operations in France, Japan and the United Kingdom, and licensees in the Benelux countries, Israel, Canada, Peru and Lebanon. In 1999, Ben & Jerry's employed 814 people worldwide, primarily covering only the manufacturing, central and distribution facilities in Vermont. Economy Overview in Russia: After the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia was struggling to establish a modern market economy and achieve strong economic growth. Russia heavily depended on exports of commodities, particularly oil, natural gas, metals, and timber, which accounted for over 80% of exports. Russia's agricultural sector beset by uncertainty over land ownership rights, which had discouraged needed investment and restructuring. Another threat was negative demographic trends, fueled by low birth rates and a deteriorating health situation - including an alarming rise in AIDS cases. Russia's industrial base was dilapidated. Other problems included widespread corruption, capital flight, and brain drain. Ice Cream Industry in Russia: Russia has always been known for its tasty ice cream—eaten all year-round. Ice cream is one of the few quality food products and so popular that is available even when supermarket shelves were otherwise bare. Russians in Moscow consume 170 tons of ice cream per year, 98 percent of which is Vanilla. Since Russia was the third largest market in the world in the late 1980’s, the ice cream business represented enormous potential. While one can still purchase the Soviet-era standard, the vanilla waffle cone, now Russians can choose from a dizzying array of flavors and ice-cream products. The Russian ice cream industry has also become 2006-07-18T19:24:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Ben-and-Jerry-s-Expansion-into-Russia-30376.aspx Overview of International Business Machines Overview of International Business Machines International Business Machines, better known as IBM started out as Computing Tabulating Recording Company in the 1890's. Their corporate name changed to IBM in 1917 and now has become the world's top provider of computer hardware. IBM's long-term success can be attributed to serving many of the world largest, most important firms. In the early 1980's the PC was introduced and made its way into homes, schools and small businesses. However, despite the success of the PC, IBM was experiencing major problems with their new mainframe revolution which was causing annual net losses. When Lou Gerstner joined the company as the new chairman and CEO in 1993 IBM had a remarkable turnaround. Gerstner used his strategic thinking and customer oriented skills that he had brought with him from his CEO position at Nabisco to stabilize the company. Currently some of their main competitors include Microsoft, Compaq and Hewlett-Packard. This Intense competition is the driving force behind IBM that creates the need to lead the computer industry in the creation, development and manufacturing of information technologies. More importantly IBM has taken the information technologies that they have created and translated it into customer value, allowing customers to reap the benefits of their technology they have to offer. The company strives to create the most advanced computer systems, software, networking systems, storage devices and microelectronics. They make and sell a wide array of computers, including PC's, notebooks, mainframes, and network servers, selling more than $10 million of products on average a day. Today the Internet is the most widely used source of transferring information quickly and efficiently and has increased the benefits of information technology. Companies, both big and small are turning to IBM for their expertise in service providing, with the hopes that they can offer assistance in what is needed to stay on top of competition. IBM operates most effectively by leveraging from strategic outsourcing.ss Machines, better known as IBM started out as Computing Tabulating Recording Company in the 1890's. Their corporate name changed to IBM in 1917 and now has become the world's top provider of computer hardware. IBM's long-term success can be attributed to serving many of the world largest, most important firms. In the early 1980's the PC was introduced and made its way into homes, 2006-07-16T22:06:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Overview-of-International-Business-Machines-30271.aspx Gillette's Path to Global Success Gillette's Path to Global Success The story of Gillette, one of the most successful global consumer-packaged good companies, well known for product innovation. It offers insights on the innovation, acquisition, and global strategies of Gillette. It is chronologically well organized and is filled with interesting examples and facts, as can be expected from its journalist author Gordon McKibben. This book is aimed at practitioners and students of business. Although it covers consumer-packaged goods, some of the lessons are applicable to all product categories. There are five parts: "The Stage is Set," "The Search for Balance," "Fight for Survival - The Takeover Threats," "Fast Track to Global Leadership," and "Gillette's Global Culture in Practice." The last two chapters are perhaps the most important chapters in the book, considering Gillette is one of the truly global companies: 70% of its sales, 72% of its profits and 80% of its employees are outside the U.S. This book does a good job of highlighting the keys to Gillette's global success. The chapter on the Sensor shaving system (razor and blade) is relevant and interesting. The Sensor shaving system is one of the enduring innovation successes of Gillette. Al Zein, who became the Chairman of Gillette in 1991 and was the head of "Sensor" project, is claimed to have directed his engineering head to first get the product in shape for testing and conduct a broad-scale consumer user test ("CUT" in Gillette jargon). Only later did Gillette figure a way to manufacture it, underscoring the fact that consumers come before manufacturing for Gillette. Gillette's marketing acumen was another driving force behind Sensor's success. The now famous tag line "The Best a Man Can Get" was born in the late 1980s for the brands Atra in the U.S. and Contour in Europe, but was used heavily for promoting Sensor. This advertising blitz was preceded by a teaser ad campaign that announced "Gillette is about to change the way men shave forever." Symons, who then was president of the Shaving Systems Group, was so obsessed with the masculine perception of the product that he wanted a proper masculine sound and feel as the package was ripped open! Gillette also has its own new product organization structure that has contributed to its success. It has a program management system under which all technical activity 2006-07-13T19:12:03-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Gillette-s-Path-to-Global-Success-30238.aspx Fiscal Update and Analysis for Starbucks Corporation Fiscal Update and Analysis for Starbucks Corporation Starbucks Corporation continued its impressive growth after the close of the case, recording fiscal 1999 revenues and earnings of $1.7 billion and $101.7 million, respectively. The company's 1999 revenues represented a 28% increase over fiscal 1998 revenues, while the earnings increase represented a 25% increase over 1998's earnings before expenses related to the 1998 acquisition of the Seattle Coffee Company. The chain's same store sales increased 6% during 1999. During its first 30 weeks of 2000, revenues increased 33% over the same period in 1999 to $1.2 billion. Same store sales increased 9% over the comparable 30-week period in 1999. Starbucks income statements for fiscal 1998 and 1999 and the first six months of fiscal 2000 are presented in Table 1. On April 6, 2000 Starbucks announced that effective June 1, 2000, Howard Schultz would step down as CEO to become the company's new Chief Global Strategist. Schultz would remain the company's chairman and Orin Smith, the current COO and President, would become the new CEO. The transition was said to allow Schultz to focus on global expansion and international brand development. Starbucks undertook a number of initiatives in 1999 and 2000 to maintain its historical revenue and earnings growth. The company continued its domestic and international expansion, announced plans to make its premium home brewing equipment available through traditional retail outlets in addition to its own Starbucks locations, began an office coffee program, entered into a licensing agreement to open over 100 coffee bars in Albertson's supermarkets, and introduced a line of chocolate confections that would be sold in Starbucks' 2,498 locations. Starbucks also added organically grown coffees, extended its line of super-premium ice creams with six new flavors (including four non coffee flavors), introduced two new flavors of Frappuccino blended coffee drinks, and added cool beverages for summer that included iced coffee and blended juiced teas. In addition, Starbucks added 484 coffee shop locations in North America, the United Kingdom, the Pacific Rim, and the Middle East during the first 30 weeks of fiscal 2000. Starbucks' stock experienced mediocre performance for the last half of 1999 and the first quarter of 2000 after the company announced in early June 1999 that its products and an array of non coffee products would be offered over the Internet to 2006-07-03T15:43:08-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Fiscal-Update-and-Analysis-for-Starbucks-Corporation-29942.aspx Southwest Airlines Company Profile Southwest Airlines Company Profile While flying home to Texas last summer with Southwest Airlines, I had the most fun and unique experience with an airline that I could ever remember. It all started out quite oddly enough in the lobby just before takeoff. As I was checking in at the ticket counter, the representative asked me if I wanted to play a game that could get me free round trip tickets. "Sure, who wouldn't," I exclaimed. As she gave me my boarding pass she said, "Great, how many holes do you have in your socks?" Initially caught off guard, I responded, "Excuse me!" "The free tickets are being given to the customer who has the most holes in their socks," she explained with a perky smile. It was just my luck that I was wearing sandals. I told her, "Too bad your not checking underwear, because I'm sure I could be in the running for some free tickets with that sort of game." The remainder of the flight was filled with jokes and gags yet quality service from the pilot to the flight attendants. I can remember our flight attendant, dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes along with the rest of the staff, enhanced the safety announcements with the remark: "There may be fifty ways to leave your lover, but there are only six ways to leave this aircraft." Having fun is obviously a big part of Southwest Airlines formula to success. It all starts from the top with their childish yet brilliant boss Herb Kelleher. Kelleher, the company's CEO, is the "nut" behind these shenanigans. This chain-smoking, Wild Turkey-drinking Texas transplant from New Jersey has: • Dressed for employee celebrations as Roy Orbison, Elvis, a medieval knight and a teapot; • Passed out the peanuts himself on board his orange and brown 737s • In front of cheering employees, arm-wrestled another CEO for the right to use the slogan "Plane Smart." (He got whipped, but he used the slogan anyway.) This man, once called "The High Priest of Ha Ha" by Fortune Magazine firmly believes: "If you feel real good about coming to work, if you feel real good about what you're doing, if you feel you are doing something for a meaningful cause and you're having fun while you're doing it, then you look forward to coming to work. You don't succumb to stress as easily and 2006-06-20T14:20:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Southwest-Airlines-Company-Profile-29667.aspx Analysis of Subway Chains and their Creator Fred Deluca Analysis of Subway Chains and their Creator Fred Deluca Fred Deluca may not be known to the world, but his restaurant is. Today many people eat at the famous submarine sandwich shop called SUBWAY, now the second largest restaurant chain in the world. It offers a healthy alternative to fast-food. Today, there are more than 15,000 restaurants in 76 different countries. Fred Deluca made the very first SUBWAYÒ Restaurant sandwich in 1965, and, today, he still serves as president. Fred Deluca had just graduated from high school and was looking to get into college. He worked at a job in a hardware store for the minimal hourly wage of $1.25. He wanted to go to college to study to become a medical doctor. Fred Deluca was friends with the Dr. Peter Buck, a crucial part of his success. It was Dr. Buck who suggested the idea. and eventually became a co-partner of SUBWAYÒ. Also, Dr. Buck lent Fred a thousand dollars to start the business. When he first started as an entrepreneur, Fred Deluca was a hard-working, competent and dependable young man at the age of 17. Taking subtle risks and winning, he learned quickly to make his business successful. Struggling just to have food on the table every night, it was difficult to make a lot of money. Fred struggled with his first two restaurants in the first couple of years, but he endured and starting to make money on his third restaurant that he opened. Originally called Pete’s Super Submarines, the name was changed to Subway in order to increase visibility. When he made it past the industry's standard death point, he set his sights higher; he no longer had his dream of becoming a medical doctor. Instead, he set a goal for himself to open 5,000 SUBWAYÒ Restaurants by 1994. Ahead of schedule, Fred Deluca started opening franchises at the rapid pace of almost 100 stores a month. In 1993, Subway was named Entrepreneur magazine's number-one rated franchise for the second time. He even out-ranked McDonalds, Dunkin' Donuts, and 7-Eleven. In 1997, he established MILE (the Micro Investment Lending Enterprise), a nonprofit organization designed to provide micro loans for new entrepreneurs. I believe that Fred was successful as an entrepreneur rather than a manager because Fred was an ambitious person who wanted to do something with his life by going to college. It turned out that he started a 2006-06-15T15:55:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Subway-Chains-and-their-Creator-Fred-Deluca-29539.aspx Walt Disney bridging Past and Present Walt Disney bridging Past and Present “When your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme, when you wish upon a star your dreams come true.” Walt Disney is by far one of the influential people of the twentieth century. Try to imagine a world without Walt Disney’s magic, his movies, or even his theme parks. He has signal handedly shaped the entertainment industry in to what we know today. He pioneered the fields of animation, movies, and entertainment. Walt Disney was our bridge from the past to the future. Walt had a very early interest in drawing and art. When he was seven years old, he sold small sketches and drawings to nearby neighbors. Instead of doing his homework, he doodled pictures of animals and nature. He attended McKinley High School in Chicago. There he divided his attention between drawing and photography. At night he attended the academy of fine arts to better his drawing abilities. At his teacher’s invitation, he would tell his classmates stories while illustrating on the chalkboard. At the age of sixteen he began driving an ambulance for the American Red Cross. After a year of driving for the Red Cross, Walt decided to pursue a career in commercial arts, which soon led to his experiments in animation (Walt Disney, Biography, 2002). He began producing short animated films for local businesses. During this period he combined live performers with cartoon figures, made most popular in the movie Mary Poppins. Soon after that he returned to straight cartoon format, he produced twenty-six cartoons in the Oswald the Rabbit cartoon series. After his twenty-sixth cartoon in that series he lost his rights to the Oswald character in a New York contract dispute. He knew he needed a dynamic new character. Referring to a series of sketches he settled on a cartoon mouse as his next star. Originally the mouse’s name was Mortimer, but thankfully his wife suggested the name Mickey. Soon after that he had finished two Mickey Mouse cartoons. However prior to their release he saw his first talkie and realized that the future of films was in sound (Walt’s Story, 2002). Immediately he went to work on a third Mickey Mouse cartoon called Steamboat Willie incorporating sound and therefore revolutionizing the film and 2006-06-13T18:59:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Walt-Disney-bridging-Past-and-Present-29458.aspx Company Profile of Executone Information Systems Company Profile of Executone Information Systems Executone Information Systems, based in Milord, Connecticut, which designed and marketed telecommunications products for small-and medium-sized businesses, has become a major telecommunication company competing with AT&T and Northern Telecom since 1988. Because of economic recession in 1993, many companies had to change their product strategy to overcome this unbreakable situation. Not only the largest company in this business area such as AT&T decided to lower price and revenues, but also Executone reduced its profit margin since it had recently overhauled healthcare communication system that was malfunctioning after installation. With this current situation, even though Executone showed slightly incremental Return On Sale from 0.4% in 1991 to 1.2% in 1992 in its Annual Report, this was not yet its great appreciation. After facing this crisis, Alan Kessman, the president of Executone Information Systems, questions its future business that it would be able to conquer with its rivals in the market. To achieve the highest degree of success in this industry, Kessman wonders whether any mid-course adjustment should be implemented. u Alternatives 1. Continuing every product with more advertisement and introducing promotion campaigns 2. Dropping non-system telephone hardware 3. Dropping healthcare system and making some changes in its organization u Analysis of each option Continuing every product line on the market by putting more advertisement and introducing promotion campaigns is not the best solution in helping Executone to become successful in this situation since there were some flaws from this approach. With adopting its strategy, the company could gain more sales, resulting in increase in return on investors. However, this approach would definitely not only cost the company a huge amount of expense but also impact on its overall profit. Furthermore, by implementing all of current company products, the total expense was about 98.5% of total sales. Then, income before taxes for shareholders was only 1.5%. This number was fairly low (See Appendix A). Therefore, the critical issue at this time was operating decision that could control cost of good sold, sales, general, and administrative expenses (SG&A), as well as other expenses, not promotion strategy. To complicate the matter, the company might not have enough money to invest in any sales or marketing strategies because its income before taxes was practically small. Therefore, in this situation, managing cost would be considered as one of the most important factors that could increase bottom line profit and equity investorsf capital. These 2006-06-13T18:24:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Company-Profile-of-Executone-Information-Systems-29437.aspx Company Analysis of Coors Brewing Company Company Analysis of Coors Brewing Company The brewing industry makes a drink known from the most ancient of times. Through advances in time and technology the brewing industry has changed essentially into one of the largest modern multinational industries that exist today. It was not until the early nineteen hundreds that the beer industry initialized through the creation of lager beers. The technological advances created at the same time were, “Mechanical refrigeration greatly aided in the production as well as the storage of beer. Pasteurization was also adopted during this period, which opened the way for wide-scale bottling and off-premise consumption of beer. In addition, developments in transportation allowed brewers to ship beer long distances in refrigerated rail cars, increasing both marketing volume and area” (Goldhammer, 1). The beer industry has remained generally stable in our economy since the prohibition era. A strong economy, diversity, and foreign trade rates are several factors that maintain the success and growth of such a mature product. The brewing industry is part of the second largest industry in the nation. Beer has given the definition of alcohol seeing that, “The alcoholic beverages industry is a $95 billion dollar a year business in the United States…beer held a 57% market share against other alcohols” (www.activemediaguide.com). The industry requires a continuous update in knowledge of the history and current standings of the beer market, market trends, and competition that exist throughout. The market perspective of the brewing industry is incredible. The wholesale volume in the beer industry approximated $13.7 billion. In domestic brands, from 1983 to 1984 there has been a decline in consumption of -1.2%. In the imported section there has been an increase of 14.3%. The total industry as a whole declined .7% from 1983 to 1984. As a result of the decline in consumption of beer a similar result in production occurred with a decline of 1.2%. The estimated forecast for 1985 will continue along the same trend as did 1984. The long term outlook for the industry is that sales will remain flat for the next 10 to 20 years. (Goldhammer 1-7). Yet, through the development and market of light beer and targeted market segments, the last five years have shown an increase in market awareness and revenue. Within the last several months, the industry has not had the continual success as recent 2006-06-13T17:44:16-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Company-Analysis-of-Coors-Brewing-Company-29417.aspx Human Resources Strategy of Johnson and Johnson This particular case is centered around the Human Resources strategy that was implemented by Johnson & Johnson in 1997. This strategy includes many key aspects of corporate culture, leadership and global strategy integrated into one single global human resources program. This program allowed Johnson & Johnson to diversify their current employees, raise the standards for future employees, redefine the standards of leadership within J&J and improve global management overall. The first portion of this human resources plan was to redefine the standards of leadership within J&J. This was accomplished by creating a new credo set of company values with over 60 specific behaviors that will dictate how well the company will perform. This new set of credo values serves as the foundation for the new HR plan to build on. There are six essential core credo values that were defined within the new plan, one of which is to behave with honesty and integrity. Integrity is the most important core value within the leadership that is important to employees according to the survey mentioned in lecture. Why is integrity so important? The definition of integrity is adherence to a code of values this means that every employee within J&J must adhere to the credo values; but integrity to me means something a little more than just sticking to a core set of values. Integrity is how a person’s demeanor and actions inspire others to follow in the same footsteps as they have. For example, a manager is not judged by what they say but what they do and how well they adhere to what they have promised. If a manager cannot act with integrity then the employees cannot either; therefore lowering the expectations of employees. No organization can function properly without someone to inspire employees to work towards a common goal and to hold them to a high standard of effort. If a manager does not have integrity then his/her employees will follow therefore breaking down the corporate culture to the minimal requirements. The second credo value is to treat other with dignity and respect; this creates a corporate culture that respects ideas and innovations of others and creates an overall inspiration for innovation within the company. Having a lack of respect for others within an organization discourages employees from trying to work harder 2006-06-12T18:56:09-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Human-Resources-Strategy-of-Johnson-and-Johnson-29351.aspx Acheiving Successful Results in the Publishing Industry Acheiving Successful Results in the Publishing Industry Ace Publishing, which is based out of New York, recently purchased the publisher of six trade magazines, King Communications. Ace Publishing is well established in the United States and also has established an international presence in several other countries. Ace would like to begin an exchange program that allows U.S. employees to travel aboard, as well as offer individuals from various other countries the opportunity to work in the United States. There are several problems that might occur with the exchange program that Ace is trying to implement. First, cultural differences and adapting to those differences play a large role. It is very difficult to understand a culture without living it first hand. Ace needs to think more clearly about cross-cultural issues and learn to value the benefits of diversity before assembling international teams. Second, some employees might resist change. People tend to become very comfortable with their lives and the positions they hold. If you are dealing with people like this, there will be more reluctance to change. It is quite possible that your initial reaction to life abroad will be euphoria, sparked by a sense of freshness and adventure. It is also quite possible that the euphoria will give way to a less pleasant emotion, as you try to make your way through an unfamiliar culture. You may realize that your old habits do not fit your new circumstances and that you are unable to follow your usual routines. This could cause a big problem when trying to place an individual in a different culture. (PATSY-MAYBE YOU COULD SPEAK ABOUT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OR WHATEVER THRID PROBLEM YOU WANT) We recommend identifying a clear framework for analyzing and understanding cultural differences. Also, assisting in the transformation to another country could prove to be useful. Ace could possibly send the individual and his family abroad in order to determine if they have what it takes to survive. Lastly, design a general policy that applies to both indigenous and foreign people. By doing this Ace is eliminating any possibility of procedural problems abroad. (PATSY-THIRD RECOMMENDATION IS BASED ON THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURE PROBLEM, SO IF YOU COME UP WITH A NEW PROBLEM, PLEASE CHANGE THIS). We believe the best solution would be to build awareness of your own culture and 2006-06-11T20:20:55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Acheiving-Successful-Results-in-the-Publishing-Industry-29244.aspx A Corporate and Financial Analysis of Ebay Inc A Corporate and Financial Analysis of Ebay.Inc Executive Summary Section One - Corporate Level Part 1 - Brief History of the Corporation eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar's in his San Jose home in September of 1995, under the name AuctionWeb. From its early beginnings it was meant to be a marketplace for the sale of goods and services for a variety of interested individuals. It was incorporated in 1996, and has since grown to become the world’s largest most financially successful online auction company. After realizing the overall potential of his idea, Pierre and his cofounder Jeff Skoll brought on Meg Whitman, as CEO, to efficiently handle the growing popularity, and sustain eBay’s success. Meg earned a MBA at Harvard Business School, and had gained high acclaims and top-shelf experience at the successful company of Hasbro. With the addition of Meg Whitman’s expert experience eBay soon expanded rapidly to service a wide variety of buyers and sellers, and in September of 1998 the company went public. The shares were initially offered at $18 and immediately rose to $47 by the end of the day. The company has not faltered since, rising to revenues exceeding $700 million by 2001. In its short history, eBay has chosen several different paths than traditional companies to get to where it is. Most all of eBay’s advertisement was done through word of mouth and through agreements with a few Internet companies such as AOL and Disney. The large portion of savings from low advertising costs is invested in innovative marketing strategies to keep them ahead of its competitors. I believe that eBay is has achieved such an incredible amount of success in such a relatively short period of time because of its beginning philosophy of giving power to its users. With that foundation of loyal users it is able to expand its name by word of mouth and continue to grow to service a wider variety of users and their products. Also eBay’s ability of provide access to such a broad variety of products at relatively low prices will continue to attract more users and profits in the future. Part 2 - Corporate Level Analysis 1. Does the corporation have a mission statement? Does it define the business, identify the major goals, and articulate the corporate philosophy? Yes, eBay does have a mission statement. I believe that this mission statement defines the business 2006-06-11T19:04:06-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Corporate-and-Financial-Analysis-of-Ebay-Inc-29203.aspx Corporate Strategy and Direction of The North Face Inc. Corporate Strategy and Direction of The North Face Inc. The North Face, Inc. sneaker industry, is a highly sophisticated designer, distributor, and marketer of technically innovative sneaker products. We have built a strong, widely recognized line of products, and have been established as the world’s premier brand for outdoor apparel. Our sneaker line offers state-of-the-art technology that offers comfort, support, and style, backed by a lifetime manufacturers warranty so that our consumers are provided with all of the luxuries that they deserve. 2.0 Situation Analysis The North Face, Inc., offers a wide variety of specialized sneakers, designed primarily for professional climbers, and outdoor enthusiasts. The North Face, Inc. offers incomparable state-of-the-art technology, which has satisfactorily led to increased levels popularity and customer loyalty. However, currently The North Face sneaker retains less than 5 percent of the market share due to the popularity and general distribution of our top competitors such as: Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and Saucony. Our North Face trail sneakers are primarily sold at specialty/outdoor sporting good stores for between $59.95 and $105.00. Adidas offers sneakers with minimal technology, which are trendy reasonably priced, with high-end retail prices of about $65.00. New Balance offers sneakers with limited technology, which are stylish and competitively priced, with high-end retail prices of about $80.00. Nike offers comparably priced sneakers, however like New Balance and Adidas, Nike’s channel of distribution is primarily centralized around general retail shoe/sneaker stores. Nike’s annual sales for 1999 were $8,776.9 M, approximately 35 times that of North Face which in 1999 had sales of $247.1 M. The North Face, Inc., intends to accrue and retain unprecedented percentages of our customer base over the next decade. We believe that once a consumer purchases one of our products, that they will recognize how far superior we are to our competition and appreciate our intentions of staying there. The North Face, Inc., intends to create a shift in general consumer preferences, leading to an increasing demand for our highly functional products at the expense of fashion-oriented products. We seek to promote a superior acceptance of our outdoor apparel as casual wear, and we intend to encourage an increase in the technical sophistication of the products in this field. 2.1 Market Summary The North Face, Inc. is a highly 2006-06-07T16:51:09-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Corporate-Strategy-and-Direction-of-The-North-Face-Inc_-29111.aspx Proposed Capital Structure for Du Pont Corporation Proposed Capital Structure for Du Pont Corporation The Du Pont Corporation was founded in 1802 to manufacture gunpowder. After nearly two centuries of operations, the company has greatly diversified its product base through acquisitions and research and development,, and is one of the largest chemical manufacturers in the world. In 1995, Du Pont had revenues of $42.2 billion and net income of $3.3 billion. In this same period, 50 percent of the company's sales were outside the United States. Du Pont operates in approximately 70 countries worldwide, with about 175 manufacturing and processing facilities that include 150 chemicals and specialties plants, five petroleum refineries, and 20 natural gas processing plants. The company has more than 60 research and development labs and customer service centers in the United States, and more than 20 labs in 10 other countries. Currently, Du Pont is the thirteenth largest U.S. industrial/service corporation (Fortune 500). Until the 1960's, the company's capital structure had historically been very conservative, with the corporation carrying little debt (Figure 1). This was possible primarily because of the enormous success of the company. However, in the late 1960's, competition for Du Pont had increased considerably, and the company experienced decreased gross margins and return on capital Figure 1. The capital structure of the Du Pont company from 1965 to 1982. The company had very little debt as late as 1965, but after the acquisition of Conoco, Du Pont changed to a considerably more leveraged capital structure. During the 1970's, three primary variables combined to exert considerable financial pressure on Du Pont: (i) the company embarked on a major capital spending program designed to restore its cost position, (ii) the rise in oil prices increased costs and requirements for working capital, and (iii) the recession in 1975 had a dramatic impact on Du Pont's fiber business. The case analyzed in this report was written in 1982, at which time the company had a capital structure of approximately 36% debt (Figure 1). The company has ambitious research plans in the future, which require a considerable amount of externally generated capital for 1983 through 1987 (Table 1). Therefore, the company is seeking to develop and stick to a capital structure, which will support the company's research and development interests in these years and the decades to come. Table 1. Financial Projections for 1983-1987, in millions of dollars. An obvious solution for the company would be to reduce or eliminate dividend payments. 2006-06-07T16:44:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Proposed-Capital-Structure-for-Du-Pont-Corporation-29109.aspx Extensive Case Analysis on Wal-Mart Case Analysis on Wal-Mart using the IE Matrix, SWOT Analysis and more Overview When Sam Walton founded the first Wal-Mart in 1962, the idea of bringing in a discount-shopping store into rural America was almost unheard of, except for the local five and dime stores. When Walton noticed that he had a lot of competition from regional discount chains, him and his wife Helen traveled the country to study other new retailing concepts, and were convinced that it was the wave of the future. With Walton's vision, Wal-Mart grew to be a multi-billion dollar, international company, operating about 4,600 stores around the world. Wal-Mart competes in many industries that include: 5331- Retail-Variety stores, 5411-Grocery stores, 5311-Department stores, 5812-Eating Places, 5399-Miscellaneous General Merchandise store, and 5912-Drug stores and Proprietary stores. Since there are several industries to choose from, our group chose to go with retail-variety stores, SIC code 5331. These establishments are primarily engaged in the retail sale of a variety of merchandise in the low and popular price ranges. Sales are made on a cash and carry basis, with the open-selling method of display and customer selection of merchandise. Wal-Mart's milestones began in 1962 when the first Wal-Mart was opened in Rogers, Arkansas. Seven years later the company incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Then a year later they opened the first distribution center and home office in Bentonville, Arkansas, and also went public on the New York Stock Exchange. Several years later, in 1988, the first super center was opened. Then in 1991, the first international unit was opened in Mexico City. By the turn of the century, Discount Store News had named Wal-Mart "Retailer of the Century" and made Fortune magazine's lists of the "Most Admired Companies in America" and the "100 Best Companies to Work For." They were also ranked on Financial Times' "Most Respected in the World" list. In 2002, Wal-Mart became number one on the Fortune 500 list and was presented with the Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership, a presidential award that recognizes companies for outstanding achievement in employee and community relations. Mission Statement Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. does not have a formal mission statement. This is because Kim Ellis, the Public Relations Coordinator, said that they believe the customers are more interested in other aspects of the business, and they, the company, are focused on meeting their basic consumer needs. Since Wal-Mart does not have a mission statement our group has created a 2006-01-30T08:18:31-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Extensive-Case-Analysis-on-Wal-Mart-28463.aspx Starbucks Coffee Executive Summary STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Starbucks Coffee Company is North America's leading roaster and retailer of specialty coffees. Headquartered in Seattle, WA, Starbucks has 931 retails stores and 75 major airport locations. The Company's objective is to establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand of coffee in the world. To achieve this goal, the Company will continue to rapidly expand its retail operations, grow its mail order and specialty sales operations, and selectively pursue other opportunities to leverage and grow the Starbucks brand through the introduction of new products and the development of new distribution channels. Employees are one of the most important resources to Starbucks. If the company is to prosper, the employees must be treated well. All employees are eligible for Starbucks' health care and benefits package, as well as a starting wage above the minimum. Starbucks' strong commitment to the environment is guided by an environment committee. The Company endeavors to offer an environmentally safe product, as it believes that the welfare of people, plant and product are linked. Starbucks prides itself on being a "good citizen" locally and in the various coffee producing countries. They make significant contributions to local charities that focus on children, the environment, the homeless, and AIDS research/support. Financially, Starbucks has had solid earnings and returns. While still in the fast-growth stage, the Company has managed to continue healthy operations while generating enough public funds to finance store expansion. The company is expanding its empire overseas. Japan was Starbucks' first expansion outside of North America. Starbucks also plans to open coffee bars in Singapore. Although Starbucks expects same-store sales, which showed 20% increases in the past five years, to fall, overseas expansion and joint ventures promise to be major growth areas for Starbucks. Despite this potential problem, Starbucks remains excited about future growth and continues to be hopeful about the future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY Starbucks and its subsidiaries ("Starbucks" or the "Company") include Starbucks Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries: The Coffee Connection, Inc. ("The Coffee Connection"), Starbucks New Venture Company ("Starbucks New Venture"), Starbucks Coffee International, Inc. ("SBI"), and Starbucks Holding Company. In 1994, Starbucks acquired all of the capital stock of The Coffee Connection, a roaster/retailer of specialty coffee. Starbucks New Venture was created in fiscal 1994 to develop ready-to-drink coffee-based beverages in partnership with the Pepsi-Cola Company. In October 1995, SBI was created to pursue development of Starbucks stores outside of North 2006-01-05T06:46:50-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Starbucks-Coffee-Executive-Summary-28401.aspx Swisher Mower and Machine Company SMC SWISHER MOWER AND MACHINE COMPANY (SMC) Introduction Wayne Swisher, CEO of SMC, is concerned with the company’s future prospects. The unit volume sales of the SMC riding mower, which constituted 64% of the total sales of SMC, had plateaued in recent years. He is presented with an attractive private-brand arrangement that can impact SMC’s prospects and has to decide whether to accept it. Alternatively, or additionally, he can decide to have more aggressive advertising and sales effort to recruit new dealers and assist current dealers. SMC is also preparing for the introduction of a new Trim-Max product. Wayne’s ability to make the right strategic marketing decisions now will decide the destiny of SMC in the future. Product Line Swisher Mower Company (SMC), established in 1945, has a current portfolio of three products – push mower kits, trailmowers and riding mowers. It is also in the process of developing a new product – all-in-one trimmer, edger and mower. Chart 1 shows the percentage contribution of each of these products to SMC’s total sales and Chart 2 shows the percentage contribution of each of these products to SMC’s total gross profit in 1995. Assuming that 80% of the parts business is generated from the sales of the riding mowers, we can infer that 80% of SMC’s profit arises from the sales of riding mowers or their spare parts. We can therefore observe that SMC’s company’s performance is largely dictated by riding mower sales. Riding Mower Referring to the material, we observe in Exhibit 7 that there is a rising trend in the unit sales of riding lawn mowers and lawn tractors in the 1990s for the mower and tractor industry. However, Exhibit 1 shows that the sales trend of SMC’s riding mowers for the same period is constant. Compared to the 1970s and 1980s, the market share of SMC has also fallen in the 1990s. In terms of unit volumes, the SMC’s sales peaked at a volume of 10,000 riding mowers almost 30 years ago i.e. 1966. They were able to generate sales near this level till 1973 (nine years). Unit sales declined to about 4200 riding mowers in the year 1974. They have been selling at this level for approximately 21 years now. However, during these 21 years, industry sales for riding mowers and lawn tractors have gone up from 640,000 units to about 2006-01-01T21:24:59-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Swisher-Mower-and-Machine-Company-SMC-28366.aspx IKEA the Leader in home furnishings sales IKEA the Leader in home furnishings sales. By PR .december.02.2005 Denmark is where the Swedish company IKEA was first found in 1943, and it operators a multinational chain of stores for furniture. It is the world's largest furniture retailer, which specializes, in stylish but inexpensive designed furniture. At the end of 2002 (1 September 2001 - 31 August 2002), the IKEA Group of Companies had a total of 175 stores in 31 countries. In addition, there were 19 IKEA stores owned and run by franchisees, outside the IKEA Group, in 12 countries including the one in Newhaven Connecticut which was opened in 2004. During the IKEA financial year 2003-2004, 323 million people visited IKEA . The IKEA logo is blue and yellow and that’s because these are the colors of the Swedish flag. In Sweden, nature and the home both play a big part in people's lives. In fact, one of the best ways to describe the Swedish home furnishing style is to describe nature -- full of light and fresh air, yet restrained and unpretentious. In the late 1800s, the artists Carl and Karin Larsson combined classical influences with warmer Swedish folk styles. They created a model of Swedish home furnishing design that today enjoys world-wide renown. In the 1950s the styles of modernism and functionalism developed at the same time as Sweden established a society founded on social equality. The IKEA product range -- modern but not trendy, functional yet attractive, human-centered and child-friendly -- carries on these various Swedish home furnishing traditions. Many people associate Sweden with a fresh, healthy way of life. This Swedish lifestyle is reflected in the IKEA product range. The freshness of the open air is reflected in the colors and materials used and the sense of space they create: blond woods, natural textiles and untreated surfaces. In a climate that is cold and dark for much of the year, these light, bright living spaces create the sensation of summer sunshine indoors all year round. The IKEA Concept, like its founder, was born in Småland. This is a part of southern Sweden where the soil is thin and poor. The people are famous for working hard, living on small means and using their heads to make the best possible use of the limited resources they have. This way of doing things is at the heart of the IKEA approach to keeping prices low. But quality is not 2005-12-08T15:30:05-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/IKEA-the-Leader-in-home-furnishings-sales-28170.aspx Australian Company Report Group Oral Presentation: the drivers and conditions for the survival and success of an Australian business enterprise Qantas Airways Limited ABN 16 009 661 901 October 2005 Fact File QANTAS AT A GLANCE HISTORY Qantas is the world's second oldest airline. It was founded in the Queensland outback in 1920 and is Australia’s largest domestic and international airline. Qantas is also recognised as one of the world's leading long distance airlines, having pioneered services from Australia to North America and Europe. The Qantas Group employs approximately 38,000 staff across a network that spans 145 destinations (including codeshare services) in Australia, Asia-Pacific, Americas, Europe and Africa. BUSINESS & INVESTMENTS The company's main business is the transportation of passengers. In addition to the Flying Businesses, the Qantas Group operates a diverse portfolio of airline-related businesses. These include Engineering Technical Operations and Maintenance Services (ETOMS), Airports and Catering, Qantas Freight, Qantas Holidays, Qantas Defence Services and Qantas Consulting. Qantas Airways Limited owns 44.5 per cent of Orange Star, which owns and operates the value-based intra-Asia airlines Jetstar Asia and Valuair, based in Singapore. Qantas also holds a 46.3 per cent shareholding in Air Pacific. ROUTES The Qantas Group’s Flying Businesses are Qantas, Regional Airlines (QantasLink and Jetconnect), Australian Airlines and Jetstar. Domestically, Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar operate over 5,000 flights a week serving 62 city and regional destinations in all states and mainland territories. Jetconnect also operates more than 250 domestic flights a week for Qantas within New Zealand. Internationally, Qantas and Australian Airlines operate nearly 700 flights a week, offering services to 83 international destinations (including codeshare services) in nearly 40 countries in Asia-Pacific, Americas, Europe and Africa. AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS The Qantas Group operates a fleet of 201 aircraft, comprising Boeing 747s, 767s, 737s and 717s, Airbus A330s and A320s, Bombardier Dash 8s and British Aerospace 146s. OPERATIONAL STATISTICS QANTAS GROUP Passengers carried: Year ended 30 June 2005 Year ended 30 June 2004 Domestic: 23,257,000 (incl Jetstar) 20,965,000 (incl Jetstar) International: 9,401,000 (incl Australian Airlines) 9,111,000 (incl Australian Airlines) Total: 32,658,000 30,076,000 RPKs*: 86,986,000 81,276,000 ASKs**: 114,003,000 104,200,000 Average Aircraft utilisation: 10.3 hrs per day 9.9 hrs per day * Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs - the number of paying passengers carried, multiplied by the number of kilometres flown) ** Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs - the number of seats available for passengers, multiplied by the number of kilometres flown) FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE QANTAS GROUP In the year ended 30 June 2005, Qantas recorded a profit before tax of A$1,027.2 million, up A$62.6 million or 6.5 per cent on the previous year. Net profit after tax of A$763.6 million was 17.8 per cent up 2005-12-03T02:07:20-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Australian-Company-Report-28150.aspx Campbell Soup Company Campbell Soup Company 1. Describe Campbell Soup's corporate strategy under Gordon McGovern's tenure. What key changes did David Johnson make? What about Dale Morrison? Joseph Campbell founded Campbell Soup Company in 1869. They are considered a leader in their industry. They employ over 24,500 people and have revenues around 6 billion. Currently they have over 2000 products on the market. Over the years they have diversified into a number of businesses, however soup has been its core business. Since 1980, Campbell Soup Company has undergone three different strategies under three different CEOs who brought their own agenda in order to build value for the company and its shareholders. Gordon McGovern took over as CEO in 1980. Immediately upon assuming his new position he began initiating changes in the century-old company. Under McGovern, Campbell's strategic focus was on developing and introducing new products, and expansion of the business portfolio through acquisitions. He wanted his employees to be creative and have a willingness to experiment. He encouraged entrepreneurial risk, by decentralizing Campbell's management and rewarding employees who showed these traits. He also had a strong focus on the consumer. He expected his employees be knowledgeable in the areas that were important to the consumer. McGovern organized the business into six different divisions. They were Campbell U.S., Pepperidge Farm, Vlasic Foods, Mrs. Paul's Kitchens, Other United States, and International. He set 4 specific key performance targets that he wanted to reach - a 15 percent annual increase in earnings, a 5 percent increase in volume, a 5 percent increase in sales revenue, and a 18 percent return on equity. Unfortunately for McGovern his strategy had flaws, and he did not met his performance targets. McGovern was experiencing a lot of pressure to resign and eventually did in 1989. Campbell's new CEO was David Johnson. He took office in January of 1990 and took a different approach then Gordon McGovern. "His first priority was crafting a new strategy for Campbell that would grow earnings and win the confidence of the Dorrance heirs" (436). He wanted to boost the company's performance quickly to discourage a takeover. He set new key performance targets - 20 percent earnings growth, 20 percent return on investments, and 20 percent return on assets. "Johnson disagreed with McGovern's view that Campbell's growth should come primarily from the acquisitions of small, 2005-09-11T06:24:35-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Campbell-Soup-Company-27953.aspx Sony Company Profile History and Culture and SWOT Sony Corporation Company Profile, History and Culture, and SWOT Executive Summery Sony's current financial difficulties are tied into its corporate culture which were stated over 30 years ago. With such a large multinational corporation, greater planning and more use of strategies should be pursued. Sony could start with the implementation of a new mission statement, with profit and benefits of the company tied more closely to everyday operations. Internally, the four forces, the management, the designers, the production and the marketing should achieve better communication and cooperation. Alliance and cooperation between competitors should also be actively sort after in order to create standards in new fields. Sony should aim at being the leader instead of being the maverick. As for cost cutting, Sony should seriously consider setting up operations in other Asian countries in order to take advantage of the cheap labour and the budding markets. Finally, diversification, instead of pursuing the fast changing and easily imitated consumer goods market, Sony should use its technological know-how for high-end business and office equipment. With SWOT analysis and Porter's competitive forces model, we can view that the market is much more competitive with less profit margins and lead-time for product innovation. The conclusion is that change is needed in Sony. However,even with strategirial and structure change, the Sony spirit of innovation should remain intact because that is what made Sony grow and would make it stay strong. Introduction The first thing that comes to peoples minds of the company and products of Sony is its high-technology-filled-with-gadgets electronic goods and innovation. It was also this innovation that make Sony the greatest company that started in post-war Japan. Sony has used its innovation in building markets out of thin air, created a multibillion, multinational electronic empire with products such as the transistor radio, the Trinitron, the Walk-in and the VTR. that changed everyday household lives forever. However, this consumer targeted quest for excellence and constant innovation instead of targeting mainly at profit also has a lot to do with current crisis Sony is facing - sales and profits are down or are slowing down, capital investment cost and R&D are climbing, competitors are moving in with copycats, the battle between VHS and Beta and the search for a smash hit product such as the Trinitron or the Walk-in. This volatility and emphasis (or gambling) on new products instead of concentrating on profit and loss statements have always 2005-08-15T08:12:24-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Sony-Company-Profile-History-and-Culture-and-SWOT-27662.aspx South West Airlines Case Study History and Analysis South West Airlines Case Study Executive Summary Thousands of people travel by air; Southwest Airlines provides low-fare air transportation service among 58 cities in the United States. Although the industry suffered a major blow from the terrorist attack of September 11th, the company is still holding strong; while other airline companies are in debt. The information was majority gathered and analyzed from the internet; sources such as "News Week," and "Wall Street Journal." According to the acquired knowledge of Southwest, the company maintains steady sales. The major success to their continued success is due to their low-cost model and competitors are aware that they cannot match Southwest Airlines low prices therefore, by dropping the price even lower; Southwest Airlines can force a company to go bankrupt. Introduction In 1971, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher started an airline service with one simple notion: "If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline." They were right about that. Southwest Airline is now a major airline, in fact, the fourth largest airliner in the United States that is trading under the Symbol LUV on NYSE. The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit. It primarily provides short haul, high-frequency, point-to-point, low-fare air transportation service among 58 cities (59 airports) in the United States. Here are some numbers that will give a brief idea how the company is operating: Net income: $241 million Total passengers carried: 63 million Total RPMs: 45.4 billion Passenger load factor: 65.9 percent Total operating revenue: $5.5 billion The airline industry has been hit hard by the terrorist attack of September 11th. There is a 13% insurance raise for the airlines and the government is enforcing fees regarding security problems. The operation cost increases dramatically and there are less people traveling by air. Most of the airliners are losing money expect a few. Southwest is one of those airlines which have remained profitable. Organization of Southwest Airlines is described as an upside-down pyramid. The upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line employees (~35000), who are the experts. This is Herb Kelleher's unorthodox leadership style, in which management decisions are made by everyone in the organization, 2005-08-04T05:44:31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/South-West-Airlines-Case-Study-History-and-Analysis-27535.aspx Motivation Techniques at Microsoft Motivation Techniques at Microsoft With more than 4,000 of its 27,000 employees already millionaires, Microsoft faces the challenge of figuring out how to motivating its employees though means other than pay raises. While this problem is not unique to Microsoft, the circumstances under which this problem evolved however, are. As a company that must caters to the needs of the 'professional' worker, Microsoft's motivational strategy should center around recognition of individual employee achievements, the work itself, responsibility, growth, and other characteristics that people find intrinsically rewarding. By simple virtue of its position as a high-tech company - where highly trained, highly skilled 'professional' workers account for the vast majority of its employees - under normal circumstances money factors would play only limited role in actually motivating employees. As a company composed of 'paper millionaires,' Microsoft is in a unique position - while many Microsoft employees may be labeled 'professional' employees, the company's financial position will play a special interest to many of its employees. As Microsoft stock-holders, the average Microsoft millionaire (the so called paper millionaire') has a vested interest in helping the company succeed and advance its financial position. This is true because the stockholder will directly correlate the amount of money they earn with the perceived worth to the organization. Driven by the idea that their financial success or failures are directly related to the performance (as well as public image) of the company, these employees will work with great vigor to maintain the success of their company. Until their financial position no longer depends on the company's stock performance - that is, until theses employees sell their stock and secure their fortunes - the Microsoft millionaires will likely view themselves as masters of their own destiny. Hard work, they are likely to reason, will translate into better company performance which in turn, will translate into steady (if not increasing) stock performance. Clearly, money plays an important role in motivating job performance. But as mentioned earlier, money has its limitations as a motivator, especially in the world of the 'professional' worker. In the work of management theorist Frederick Herzberg, a fair salary is considered a "hygiene" factor - something people need as an incentive to do the jobs they are hired to do. Hygiene factors include adequate workspace, light and heat, and the necessary tools such as a computer or telephone. Without any of these items, employees will be demotivated and 2005-08-01T07:36:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Motivation-Techniques-at-Microsoft-27506.aspx Hershey History Financial Report Analysis Company Profile Financial report analysis of Hershey Foods Corporation, Hershey Foods History INTRODUCTION Hershey Foods Corporation is engaged, with its subsidiaries, in the manufacture, distribution and sale of confectionery and grocery products. The Company's principal product groups include confectionery products sold in the form of bar goods, bagged items and boxed items, as well as grocery products in the form of baking ingredients, chocolate drink mixes, peanut butter, dessert toppings and beverages. Hershey Foods manufactures confectionery products in a variety of packaged forms and markets them under more than 50 brands. The different packaged forms include various arrangements of the same bar products, such as boxes, trays and bags, as well as a variety of different sizes and weights of the same bar products, such as snack size, standard, king size, large and giant bars.. The Company also manufactures and/or markets grocery products in the baking, beverage, peanut butter and toppings categories. Principal products in the United States include Hershey's, Reese's and Heath baking pieces, Hershey's chocolate milk mix, Hershey's cocoa, Hershey's Chocolate Shoppe ice cream toppings, Hershey's Hot Cocoa Collection hot cocoa mix, Hershey's syrup and Reese's peanut butter. Hershey's chocolate- and strawberry-flavored milks are produced and sold under license by various dairies throughout the United States, using milk mixes manufactured by the Company. The Company's products are sold primarily to grocery wholesalers, chain grocery stores, candy distributors, mass merchandisers, chain drug stores, vending companies, wholesale clubs, convenience stores, concessionaires and food distributors by full-time sales representatives, food brokers and part-time retail sales merchandisers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 2002, sales to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and subsidiaries amounted to approximately 21% of Hershey Foods' total net sales. Hershey Foods manufactures, imports, markets, sells and distributes chocolate products in Brazil under the Hershey's brand name. Additional products in Brazil include IO-IO hazelnut creme items and chocolate and confectionery products sold under the Visconti brand name. In China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines, the Company imports and/or markets selected confectionery and grocery products. It also markets confectionery and grocery products in over 90 countries worldwide. ANALYSIS OF BALANCE SHEET ASSETS Total assets increased $233.1 million, or 7%, as of December 31, 2002, primarily as a result of higher cash and cash equivalents, prepaid expenses and other current assets, and other non-current assets, partially offset by lower deferred income taxes, inventories, property, plant, and equipment, and goodwill. Current assets increased by $96.1 million, or 8%, principally reflecting increased cash and 2005-08-01T03:35:18-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Hershey-History-Financial-Report-Analysis-Company-Profile-27490.aspx Home Depot History and Business Case Analysis Home Depot Business Case Analysis Letter to CEO To: Robert L. Nardelli, - President and CEO of Home Depot, Inc. Date: March, 04, 2004 First of all, I would like to thank you for giving me the honor to analyze your well organized and developed company. In this memo, I am going to discuss the strategic factors facing Home Depot, the strategies that the company has been following for the past years, and the distinctive competency Home Depot attain. Also, I am going to give my recommendations and opinion. Some of the strategic factors that Home Depot faces are related to product quality, price, advertising, store capacity, competitors, and customer's independency and satisfaction. Most of these strategic factors helped in the growth and popularity of Home Depot. Home Depot offers good quality products such as home improvement products, lawn and garden supplies. Installation services for these products are offered too. Home Depot like Wal-Mart Company offers low prices everyday. Operational efficiency had been a crucial part of achieving these low prices while still offering a high level of customer service. The company assesses and upgrades its information to support its growth, reduce and control costs and enable better decision-making. From the installation of computerized checkout systems, to the implementation of satellite communications systems in most of the stores, the company had shown that it has been and would continue to be innovative in its operating strategy. In year 1994 Home Depot introduced a prototype store format that offered about 32,000 more square feet of selling space and a significantly broader and deeper selection of products and services, as well as a more convenient layout than the traditional stores. These Type (V) stores were designed around a design center, which grouped complementary product categories. Therefore, this wide store capacity enabled Home Depot to stock like 40,0000 to 50,000 products in each store. I think that this is a very good strategic factor that enables the store to offer a wide variety of products. Lowes is the main competitor against Home Depot. Both companies have big stores, and many products. But Home Depot is still number one. Mike Brune from the Rainforest Action Network declared that " It's been a busy month for us all as we attempt to find out the implications of the Home Depot victory on the entire DIY (do-it-yourself) industry, get the all important details of Home Depot's new policy, and actually determine to 2005-08-01T03:34:02-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Home-Depot-History-and-Business-Case-Analysis-27489.aspx A Strategic Management Paper on Walmart A strategic management paper on Wal-mart Abstract Sam Walton, a leader with an innovative vision, started his own company and made it into the leader in discount retailing that it is today. Through his savvy, and sometimes unusual, business practices, he and his associates led the company forward for thirty years. Today, four years after his death, the company is still growing steadily. Wal-Mart executives continue to rely on many of the traditional goals and philosophies that Sam's legacy left behind, while simultaneously keeping one step ahead of the ever-changing technology and methods of today's fast-paced business environment. The organization has faced, and is still facing, a significant amount of controversy over several different issues; however, none of these have done much more than scrape the exterior of this gigantic operation. The future also looks bright for Wal-Mart, especially if it is able to strike a comfortable balance between increasing its profits and recognizing its social and ethical responsibilities. Why is Wal-Mart so Successful? Is it Good Strategy or Good Strategy Implementation? -- In 1962, when Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in Rogers, Arkansas, no one could have ever predicted the enormous success this small-town merchant would have. Sam Walton's talent for discount retailing not only made Wal-Mart the world's largest retailer, but also the world's number one retailer in sales. Indeed, Wal-Mart was named 'Retailer of the Decade' by Discount Store News in 1989, and on several occasions has been included in Fortune's list of the '10 most admired corporations.' Even with Walton's death (after a two-year battle with bone cancer) in 1992, Wal-Mart's sales continue to grow significantly. The Wal-Mart Philosophy -- Wal-Mart is successful not only because it makes sound strategic management decisions, but also for its innovative implementation of those strategic decisions. Regarded by many as the entrepreneur of the century, Walton had a reputation for caring about his customers, his employees (or 'associates' as he referred to them), and the community. In order to maintain its market position in the discount retail business, Wal-Mart executives continue to adhere to the management guidelines Sam developed. Walton was a man of simple tastes and took a keen interest in people. He believed in three guiding principles: 1. Customer value and service; 2. Partnership with its associates; 3. Community involvement (The Story of Wal-Mart, 1995). The Customer -- The word 'always' can be 2005-08-01T03:30:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Strategic-Management-Paper-on-Walmart-27487.aspx Wal-Mart History: Study in Managing Technical Transitions Wal-Mart - A Case Study in Managing Technical Transitions WAL-MART - A Case Study in Managing Technical Transitions Managing Technical Transitions Prof. Michael Lawless February 24, 2001 Prepared by: Andrew Bender Ann Howell Amy Lavin David Torgerson Founded in 1962 by Sam Walton, Wal-Mart followed an amazing pattern of success and growth, eclipsing all other U.S. department store retailers by the early 1990's. In early spring 2001, Wal-Mart enjoyed a huge market capitalization of over $230B, which was down from highs of nearly $300B in early 2000. Over the last year, however, Wal-Mart had suffered a number of failures in its Internet-based operations, as it tried feverishly, along with many other traditionally "bricks-and-mortar" companies, to make a transition to the Internet. As much of the commotion in the markets relative to the Internet subsided due to a slowing economy and a number of high-profile "dot-com" failures, Wal-Mart continued to experiment with it's Internet presence and corporate strategy. In this paper, we discuss Wal-Mart and its technical transition to the Internet. First, we examine the company from a value chain and core competency perspective, to gain insight on what value the company brings to the table, both in its traditional and Internet operations. We give a synopsis of Wal-Mart's recent and current online philosophies, and then turn to Wal-Mart's strategy as it relates to the transition. Finally, we provide an analysis of Wal-Mart's prospects and recommendations for the future. Sources of Value Wal-Mart had always invested heavily in infrastructure. They were among the first to use point-of-sale Uniform Product Codes (UPC) scanning, and intra-store radio frequency (RF) transmission of product UPC and pricing information between central store inventory systems and personnel with scanners on the store shelves. However, their most valuable infrastructure investments were made at a significantly higher level. A satellite system connecting all stores was initially installed in 1983, and grew into a complex communication network that included all stores, headquarters, and distribution centers, as well suppliers. This system facilitated a modified just-in-time process of inventory control, a feat virtually unheard of in general merchandise retailing. Put simply, as each store sells an item, a message is automatically sent to the supplier of that item, who then knows to include a replacement in the next shipment (usually that day) to the nearest distribution hub. This degree of connectivity allows rapid response to inventory needs, and reduces dramatically the amount of inventory 2005-08-01T03:30:27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Wal-Mart-History-Study-in-Managing-Technical-Transitions-27486.aspx Amazon.com Situation Analysis Amazon.com Situation Analysis Jeffrey Bezos started Amazon.com in 1994, after recognizing that Internet usage was growing at a rate of 2,300 percent a year. Operating from a 400-square foot office in Seattle, Jeffrey launched Amazon.com on the Internet in July 1995. Amazon.com mission is to use the Internet to transform book buying into the fastest, easiest, and most enjoyable shopping experience possible. By the end of 1996, his firm was one of the most successful Web retailers, with revenues reaching $15.6 million. Almost overnight Amzon.com quickly became the world’s largest e-tail bookstore in the world. Amazon has continued to expand its customer base, and sales revenues have increased every year. The firm’s revenues increased from $15.7 million in 1996 to $2.76 billion in 2000 (Table 1). Today, Amazon.com is the place to find and discover anything you want to buy online. Amazon offers the Earth’s Biggest Selection of products to 29 million people in more than 160 countries across the world making them the leading online shopping site accessed via the World Wide Web. Over past several years Amazon.com has grown and developed very rapidly. The key core processes that have lead to Amazon’s success are convenience, selection, service, and price. Convenience can best be described when Bill Gates stated that, “I buy all my books at Amazon.com because I’m busy and it’s convenient. They have a big selection, and they’ve been reliable.” With over 106 million adults purchasing books every quarter, Amazon has capitalized on the convenience of on-line ordering. The next key process for Amazon is selection. Amazon is able to offer the world’s largest selection because they are an e-tailer with virtual directories. Amazon only keeps recent publications in stock for quick order fill, but directly orders any other requested books from the publisher. This business practice allows Amazon to have low warehouse cost, and offer the largest selection of books at the same time. The third key process for Amazon is service. Amazon offers customers everything from email notifications when their orders are filled, to chat rooms so customers can discuss and recommend books. Amazon also allows customers to search for books with similar titles or subject matters. Currently about 63% of Amazon’s business comes from repeat customers. The last key process for Amazon is price. 2005-07-24T05:20:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Amazon_com-Situation-Analysis-27362.aspx Everything Related to the Coca-Cola Company Everything Related to the Coca-Cola Company Founded in 1886 in Atlanta, Coca-Cola Company is the world’s leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, used to produce more than 230 beverage brands. It is also the world’s most inclusive brand and company. It has already ventured regionally out of Atlanta to other states of United States since the late 19th century and its signature contour bottle was first manufactured in the early 20th century to distinguish themselves and assuring the genuine Coca-Cola. Though the company grew rapidly and roared into some European countries during the 1900s, its presence worldwide grew swiftly only after World War II. Year after year, the company has been discovering new foreign markets to bring higher profits as to fulfill its ultimate obligation to provide consistently attractive returns to the owners of the company and to enlarge its customer base in order to achieve economics of scale. Due to strong competition with Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola wants to reduce its dependence on United States market, which is their similar domestic market, as to reduce its risk and increase its global market share by going international. Presently, the company has already reached six billion consumers in nearly two hundred countries. Coca-Cola Company has been very successful in international marketing effort. Aggressive advertising, branding and market segmentation have played an important part in the success. It has portrayed itself as fun, playfulness, freedom, lifestyle and the international appeal of Coca-Cola was embodied by a 1971 commercial, where a group of young people from all over the world to a hilltop in Italy to sing “I’ll like to buy the world a Coke”. The company has been sponsoring big events, like Olympics, Sea Games, FIFA Cup, International Film Festivals all over the world to create awareness, credibility and to brand itself as world-class company. It also makes big donations to organizations, charities and involvement in the communities. These activities have aided Coca-Cola in creating a positive image and consumers’ perception toward the company. Though the company makes the world its target market, segmenting by diverse consumer preferences would still required to help Coca-Cola to serve the consumers better. As different segments of different countries have various preferences or cultures, Coca-Cola tried to expand with new flavors, brands and even reduced the sugar contents in its Coke, to suit all the different segments. This 2005-07-24T04:47:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Everything-Related-to-the-Coca-Cola-Company-27357.aspx Background on Pizza Hut & Existing Marketing Mix of Comp The history of pizza hut and existing marketing mix of this company Pizza Hut strategic plan Executive Summary This proposal describes Pizza Hut and the introduction of a new product called "The Extreme." A brief history of Pizza Hut is provided at the beginning of this proposal along with an analysis of the fast food industry. Current trends in demographics and eating habits are included. A SWOT analysis has been done to identify Pizza Hut's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats so that these factors can be taken into consideration in deciding whether or not to launch the new "Extreme Pizza." Some of the key elements of our marketing plan first describe the "Extreme Pizza." It will be the largest pizza on the market, with double the cheese and double the toppings. We will target the X and Y Generations, which is the fastest growing segment in America. This segment has been successfully targeted before using the "extreme" angle. This segment is has been a segment that hasn't been targeted to the level that they should in this industry and we plan on changing that. We have used past financial data to establish reasonable goals for the product and have set limits on promotional spending. We will be using a high/low pricing strategy, pricing this new pizza at $9.99. Our main sales promotions will be offering the Extreme Pizza bundled with Mountain Dew to target Generation X and Generation Y. We will be using direct channel distribution as well. This pizza will be available through dine-in, carry-out, delivery, and ordering on the Internet. 1)Introduction Pizza Hut was started in 1958, by two brothers in Wichita, Kansas. Frank and Dan Carney had the idea to open a pizza parlor. They borrowed $600 from their mother, and opened the very first Pizza Hut. In 1959, the first franchise unit opened in Topeka, Kansas. Almost ten years later, Pizza Hut would be serving one million customers a week in their 310 locations. In 1970, Pizza Hut was put on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PIZ. In 1986, Pizza Hut introduced delivery service, something no other restaurant was doing. By the 1990's Pizza Hut sales had reached $4 billion worldwide. In 1998, Pizza Hut celebrated their 40th anniversary, and launched their famous campaign "The Best Pizzas Under One Roof." In 1996, Pizza Hut sales in the United States were over $5 million. Out of all the 2005-06-26T20:44:46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Background-on-Pizza-Hut-amp-Existing-Marketing-Mix-of-Comp-27161.aspx History of Janus Capital Group and Ethical Battles Janus Capital Group: History of the company, What are the ethical dilemmas that the management has faced? Janus Capital Group is a mutual fund company that specializes in the active management of investor assets. They are responsible for the investment advisory, distribution, and marketing of their various funds throughout the world. The company's asset management disciplines include growth, core, international and value. As of February 29, 2004 total assets under management at Janus was $147.5 billion (Janus.com). Tom Bailey established Janus Mutual Funds in 1970 with only 30 investors and less than $500,000 in initial capital. By 1980, Janus had accumulated $33.5 million in assets and was easily beating the S&P 500 returns by investing in value-oriented stocks. In 1984, Kansas City Southern Railroad executive Landon Rowland decided that the railroad industry was stagnant. Rowland was looking for a way for his company to diversify and approached Tom Bailey with an offer to purchase his fund company. Tom decided he would sell 90% of his company to Kansas City Southern but managed to retain control of the firm through a clause in his contract. By 1990, the Janus family of funds had accumulated over $4 billion in assets and launched one of the first international funds in America, the Janus Worldwide fund. In 1996, Janus begins their first foray into national advertising and a year later become one of the first fund companies to offer a website for investors to research their funds. In 1997, international fund manager Helen Young Hayes is named by Morningstar as fund manager of the year. In 1998, fund manager Scott Schoelzel is named Manager of the Year by Mutual Fund Magazine. Also in 1998, Janus is named "Family of the Year" by Mutual Funds Magazine and Fortune ranks Janus as one of the top 100 companies to work for. By 2000, Janus was managing $250 billion and was the most revered fund company in America easily beating its peers in almost every investment category. In 2002 Janus shareholders were shocked to learn that Tom Bailey, the company's founder, decided to sell his remaining ownership to Kansas City Southern, effectively relinquishing control of the company he founded. 2003 ushered in change for Janus as the company merged with Berger Funds and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the tick JNS (Janus.com). Janus' mission statement has always been to "get investors where they want to go." 2005-06-19T08:32:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/History-of-Janus-Capital-Group-and-Ethical-Battles-26968.aspx Walmart History Strategy and Corporate Overview Basic History Overview Wal-Mart's history is one of innovation, leadership and success. It started with a single store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962 and has grown to what is now the world's largest - and arguably, the most emulated - retailer. Some researchers refer to Wal-Mart as the industry trendsetter. Today, this retailing pioneer has annual revenues of over $100 billion, 3,000 stores and more than 750,000 employees worldwide. Wal-Mart operates each store, from the products it stocks, to the front-end equipment that helps speed checkout, with the same philosophy: provide everyday low prices and superior customer service. Lower prices also eliminate the expense of frequent sales promotions and sales are more predictable. Wal-Mart has invested heavily in its unique cross-docking inventory system. Cross docking has enabled Wal-Mart to achieve economies of scale which reduce its costs of sales. With this system, goods are continuously delivered to stores within 48 hours and often without having to inventory them. This allows Wal-Mart to replenish the shelves 4 times faster than its competition. Wal-Mart’s ability to replenish theirs shelves four times faster than its competition is just another advantage they have over competition. Wal-Mart leverages its buying power through purchasing in bulks and distributing the goods on it’s own. Wal-Mart guarantees everyday low prices and considers them the one stop shop. Case Overview The case study starts off with quotes from Wal-Mart executives with their thoughts of how employees/consumers should feel about the arguably most innovative retailer. “Wal-Mart employees who do not think globally are working for the wrong company.” “Wal-Mart must think and act as if it’s a global company. Otherwise, it cannot grow enough in the United States to maintain its stock price. It needs to be in South America. It needs to be in Asia. It needs to be in Europe.” Wal-Mart has taken their mind and cash over the last 20 years to become the world’s largest retailer. Wal-Mart had a base of 2,200 stores in the 80’s, closing out of the 90’s with a bang of 3,600 stores and $4.4 billion in net income. Spurred by NAFTA, Wal-Mart took advantage foreseeing potential growth in the foreign markets. Currently they have stories in the following countries: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, China, Korea, United Kingdom, and in 1998 a controversial Germany. Most analysts believed Wal-Mart would move into eastern European countries however Wal-Mart confounded the analysts when they 2005-06-05T01:15:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Walmart-History-Strategy-and-Corporate-Overview-26824.aspx Kellog's Traded Company Kellog's Traded Company Financial Statement Analysis Executive Summary Objective: Our goal in composing a financial statement is to construct the most comprehensive, thorough document possible, in order to attract investors and to confirm that we have taken the time to explore as many potential issues for your business as may arise. Summary of findings: Our level of cereal marketing investment early in 1998 was not sufficient in the face of extremely competitive market conditions. This situation hurt our volume performance for much of the year and, combined with other issues in markets around the world, led to a decline in both sales and earnings. Nonetheless, we continue to have the utmost confidence in the future of our grain-based businesses, and we are fully committed to return to both top-line and bottom-line growth. Appendix # 1- Market Research Description of firm and its management: Kellogg's products are manufactured in 20 countries on 6 Continents and distributed in more than 160 countries. Mr. Langbo has been employed by the Kellogg's Company since 1956. He was named President and Chief Operating Officer in 1990 and became Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in 1992. In June of 1998, Mr. Carlos M. Gutierrez was named President and Chief Operating Officer. The competitive environment: The Company has experienced intense competition for sales of all of its principal products in its major markets, both domestically and internationally. The Company's products compete with advertised and branded products of a similar nature as well as unadvertised and private label products, which are typically distributed at lower prices, and generally with other food products with different characteristics. Principal methods and factors for competition include new product introductions, product quality, composition, and nutritional value, price, advertising and promotion. Economic climate and outlook: Although our 1998 business results were below our performance expectation, it was a year in which we put in place key elements of a stronger foundation for future growth. This included investments in new product development and a complete overhaul of our corporate headquarters and North American organizational structure. Should suitable investment opportunities of working capital needs arise that would require additional financing; management believes that the Company's strong credit rating, balance sheet and earnings history provide a base for obtaining additional financial resources at competitive rates and terms. Based on the expectation of cereal volume growth, and strong results from product innovation and the continued global 2005-05-31T06:02:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Kellog-s-Traded-Company--26804.aspx Henry Ford and the Assembly Line Henry Ford and the Assembly Line Henry Ford the most influential person in the last century, created a cheap inexpensive traveling carriage. By doing this, people in America and soon people around the world could travel 200 miles in a ten-hour period. Before this invention of the automobile people could only travel 20 miles in one day by horse. Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863. He was the first of six to his parents William and Mary Ford. Henry grew up in a typical 19th century home and attended a one-room schoolhouse. At an early age, he had an interested in mechanical things and a dislike for farm work. At the age of 16 in 1879, Henry left his home to work as an apprentice machinist in Detroit. For three years Henry worked as an apprentice, then returned to his home town. The next couple of year's Henry worked at home, and occasionally fixed steam engines, and briefly took over his dad's farm. In 1891, Henry Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit. Henry was promoted to Chief Engineer in 1893, which gave him enough money to experiment. In 1896 Henry completed his self-propelled Quadricycle. This Quadricycle had four wire wheels that looked like big bike tires. To steer this contraption, a tiller like a boat was used: The automobile had two speeds and no reverse.After two unsuccessful attempts to make a manufacturing company to produce automobiles, the \"Ford Motor Company\" was built in 1903. Fords first assembly line was became the models for future assembly lines. Henry became the Vice-President and Chief Engineer of his own company. The factory built only a few cars a day but still remained in business. Ford soon began working to make a simple, sturdy car that large numbers of people would be able to afford. He achieved one of the first such cars with the Model T, which appeared in 1908. This was the only car Ford produced. The original price of a Model T was $825. This was too high of a price for many customers. To lower the price, Ford and his coworkers tried new ways to reduce production costs. The company created an assembly line method in which conveyor belts brought automobile parts to workers. Each worker performed a particular task such 2005-05-21T08:27:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Henry-Ford-and-the-Assembly-Line-26695.aspx Early History of IBM IBM History, IBM Corporate Profile 1890-1938: The early years IBM was incorporated in the state of New York on June 15, 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company. But its origins can be traced back to 1890, during the height of the Industrial Revolution, when the United States was experiencing waves of immigration. The U.S. Census Bureau knew its traditional methods of counting would not be adequate for measuring the population, so it sponsored a contest to find a more efficient means of tabulating census data. The winner was Herman Hollerith, a German immigrant and Census Bureau statistician, whose Punch Card Tabulating Machine used an electric current to sense holes in punch cards and keep a running total of data. Capitalizing on his success, Hollerith formed the Tabulating Machine Co. in 1896. In 1911, Charles R. Flint, a noted trust organizer, engineered the merger of Hollerith's company with two others, Computing Scale Co. of America and International Time Recording Co. The combined Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co., or C-T-R, manufactured and sold machinery ranging from commercial scales and industrial time recorders to meat and cheese slicers and, of course, tabulators and punch cards. Based in New York City, the company had 1,300 employees and offices and plants in Endicott and Binghamton, N.Y.; Dayton, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; Washington, D.C., and Toronto, Canada. When the diversified businesses of C-T-R proved difficult to manage, Flint turned for help to the former No. 2 executive at the National Cash Register Co., Thomas J. Watson. In 1914, Watson, age 40, joined the company as general manager. The son of Scottish immigrants, Watson had been a top salesman at NCR, but left after clashing with its autocratic leader, John Henry Patterson. However, Watson did adopt some of Patterson's more effective business tactics: generous sales incentives, an insistence on well-groomed, dark-suited salesmen and an evangelical fervor for instilling company pride and loyalty in every worker. Watson boosted company spirit with employee sports teams, family outings and a company band. He preached a positive outlook, and his favorite slogan, "THINK," became a mantra for C-T-R's employees. Watson also stressed the importance of the customer, a lasting IBM tenet. He understood that the success of the client translated into the success of his company, a belief that, years later, manifested itself in the popular adage, "Nobody was ever fired for buying from IBM." Within 11 months of joining C-T-R, Watson became its president. The company 2005-05-19T03:06:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Early-History-of-IBM--26664.aspx Mega Manufacturing Company Analysis and Suggestions Mega Manufacturing Company Analysis and Suggestions Mega Manufacturing is a manufacturer of sports shoes for men and women. They are investigating each department in order to cut back on spending in order to eliminate wastes of resources. One potential waste is coming from the cutting department. The waste of material is costing the company monitory resources that could further benefit the company if allocated elsewhere. Several solutions have been discovered with the cutting process but if the problem were to be solve d there is both a salary saving and the elimination of waste, in this particular department. However the solution lies with the employees of this department and the solution will cost some of them their jobs. The variables effecting the disclosure of this information vary from one's need for monitory income, to the esteem of the position. Management is facing several possible decisions that include employee employment assurance to cost savings and company bottom line figures. Their decisions are founded on management decisions, employee motivations and resistance to innovations and the notion of getting these resistant employees to adopt the innovations. First, the management decisions regarding the cutting process and the problems that are associated with them. The notion that the skilled workers of the cutting department are aware of a solution to the problem with the breaking dies indicates that there is a solution to the problem. On the standpoint of the company, investigation into the proper use and successful completion of the cut using the die needs to be resolved. The die eliminates wastage and will speed up productivity of the cutting process. It will also make the individual machine operator more efficient which will conclude with the elimination of several positions may allocated more resources previously spent on employee salaries. This cost savings will free up allocations previously spent on overhead and allocated to other departments that may increase spending in order to increase sales, or add more to the stockholders bottom line. As a machine operator aware of this notion that relinquishing this information could cost him/her their job, there needs to be some cause for hesitation. The workers are paid on an hourly base so the increase of efficiency will also allow management the ability to cut hours, which will also hurt the workers. If faced with this dilemma I would have to first find out if the solution the breaking dies were legit. Because 2005-05-15T02:08:11-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mega-Manufacturing-Company-Analysis-and-Suggestions-26611.aspx Norwegian Cruise Lines Executive Summary: In this study of Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) our group analyzed the company’s overall position with focus on their marketing. NCL has been underperforming in their financial reports as compared to the rest of the cruise industry leaders and has been unable to obtain positive income consistently. The cruise industry is rapidly growing with many lucrative opportunities. While there are many different cruise lines, Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean dominate ownership and market share. NCL’s main marketing strategy is known as “Freestyle Cruising.” This new approach to cruising is an industry first and has revolutionized cruising. Recently NCL has also adopted several cruises departing from Hawaii and mainland America, and they have flagged some of their fleet under the U.S. flag. While we believe that NCL offers a high value service, they still struggle to inform many potential clients of this value. Overall we believe that more NCL needs to educate their customers and travel agents of what they have to offer. History and Financials: NCL was founded by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison in 1966, creating a single class, casual cruise line, departing from Miami all of which were relatively new to the cruise industry . Arison eventually left, founding Carnival Cruise Line, but NCL still prospered through the 1980’s. In 2000, Singapore-based Star Cruises acquired NCL. Soon after the acquisition, NCL introduced its Freestyle Cruising concept and U.S. Flagged ships. Currently NCL has ten cruise ships and is continually expanding its fleet (See Appendix Q). NCL has an eleven percent control of the market compared to its competitors Royal Caribbean, with thirty-five percent, and Carnival Cruise Lines, with forty-nine percent. Over a three year period these percentages have changed very little (Appendix A). Since Star Cruises acquired NCL the financials contributed by NCL have been buried within Star’s financials. In figuring out how much income was the result of NCL under Star Cruises, we looked at the past financial history of both. Two years of complete financial statements were found and it was determined that NCL contributed around seventy percent of the revenue, which is lower than industry leaders. When looking at the competition it was clear that SG&A expenses are more then double that of Carnival and Royal Caribbean as a percentage. It also had higher non-operating and COGS expenses compared to Carnival as a percentage. 2005-05-14T17:10:20-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Norwegian-Cruise-Lines-26599.aspx Philip Morris Company Timeline, History, and Profile This report will give the history of the Philip Morris Company, all of the changes, leaders and acquisitions that it went through to get were it is today. Also all the battles that it is still has to fight in the 21st century. Philip Morris, Esq., a tobacconist and importer of fine cigars founded Philip Morris in the mid 1800's, by opening a shop on Bond Street in London (picture-attachment I). It's first cigar was produced in 1854. Leopold Morris took over his brother's business in 1873, when he passed. Leopold joined Joseph Grunebaum and created Philip Morris & Company and Grunebaum, Ltd. This partnership was separated two years later in 1887; the company now became Philip Morris & Co., Ltd. In 1894 Philip Morris was for the most part controlled by William Curtis Thomason and his family, due to the company being taken over by creditors. Only six years after being taken over by creditors it was appointed tobacconist to King Edward VII. George Eckmeyer, imported and sold English-made cigarettes in the United States, since 1872, he was Philip Morris' only agent in the U.S. He incorporated Philip Morris & Co., Ltd. in New York, in 1902. The ownership was split 50-50 between the British parent and the American partners. It sold the following brands: Philip Morris, Blues, Cambridge, Derby, and one named after the street its London factory was on, Marlborough2. Philip Morris purchased a factory in Richmond, Virginia in 1929, where it first began to manufacture its own cigarettes. Whelan's Tobacco Products Corporation crashes shortly before the market in 1929; Rube Ellis, who calls in Leonard McKitterick and appoints him president, picks up Philip Morris2. Only 3 years later Otway Hebron Chalkley was appointed president of Philip Morris and then became chairman of the company in 1945. Johnny Roventinni, was a bellhop who was discovered in 1933 in a New York Hotel and became the Philip Morris spokesperson for the next forty years. The Axton-Fisher plant and facilities in Louisville, Kentucky was bought out by Philip Morris in 1944. An investor group headed by A.P Giannini, founder of the Bank of America, had bought the Axton-Fisher Tobacco Company in 1942. The company was unsuccessful in making their new Fleetwood cigarette a major contender to Lucky Strike, Camel, and Chesterfield, Axton-Fisher was sold to Philip Morris3. Another 2005-03-19T22:58:33-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philip-Morris-Company-Timeline,-History,-and-Profile-26380.aspx Lancôme Cosmetic Market Analysis, Company Profile Rich Experience in cosmetics industry Lancôme has been established in cosmetics market since 1935. Lancôme products have great varieties. Its products include skincare, makeup and fragrance products. In this way, Lancôme's experience of producing many different kinds of cosmetics products has been accumulated for 66 years. This remarkable achievement can make the customers more confident of its products. Guaranteed Product Qualification In order to improve the quality of all its products, Lancôme setup several research centers which collaborate with the international medical community to deepen its understanding of skin. Also, there are more than 2000 experts working there who are professional in innovating and developing products in respond to either problematic skin or normal skin. High Reputation and Professional Image These two strengths has not been only established by rich experience and large scale of research centers but also promoted by famous model, a unique symbol and institutes. Firstly, the famous models are regarded as intelligence, beauty and spiritual symbols in society, for example, Uma Thurman and Isabella Rosselini. They contributed much in developing and promoting the elegant and professional image of Lancôme's products. Moreover, the unique symbol, Lancôme Fragrance Rose, help to establish a unique and easy to be remembered image of Lancôme. Furthermore, Lancome setup an institute to provide the customers with comprehensive services such as body, skin treatment, massages and lessons in order to enhance its professional image. Weakness Lack of experience in youngster cosmetics market Despite the rich experience of producing cosmetics products for adult, Lancôme is a new entrant in youngster cosmetics market. This may negatively affect the customers confident of Lancôme products. A fixed and inflexible image Lancôme professional image has been established for about 66 years. Also there is no change in the image and it has been fixed during this period. This image is mainly designed for targeting adult but not youngster. In order to develop youngster cosmetics market, Lancôme need to setup a new product line or image, which other competitors originally possess. Threat Keen Competition in Cosmetics Market Recently, the competition in cosmetics market has been very keen. Many cosmetics companies such as Fancl, MaxFactor and Shisheido have started to promote their products by all kinds of media. In order to survive, Lancôme has to develop a new product line to diversify its customer type. Strong Competitors in youngster cosmetics market In Hong Kong, there are many well-known cosmetics companies have develop the youngster cosmetics market for several years. For example, Kose, ZA and 2005-02-20T06:18:41-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Lancôme-Cosmetic-Market-Analysis,-Company-Profile-26277.aspx Nike Former University of Oregon track coach and co-founder of Nike Bill Bowerman once said: “If you have a body, you are an athlete!” (NikeBiz) This way of thinking is how Nike conducts every aspect of their business. Every person is a potential athlete or “consumer”. This is a common term when used in the realm of athletics but when Bill Bowerman said this it was in direct reference to the shoe industry. From their marketing strategies to their selling philosophies, Nike has developed one of the most recognizable and demanded name and logo tandems ever. Nike, which is the Greek Goddess of Victory, was born in 1972 when BRS, Blue Ribbon Sports, launched its first branded shoe at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. A former University of Oregon track team member Phil Knight created Blue Ribbon Sports. At Oregon, Knight was coached by the legendary Bill Bowerman and then went on to become and alumni of the Stanford School of Business. BRS was crafted in 1962 when Knight made a deal with Onitsuka Tiger Company, a Japanese shoe company, to import their shoe to the United States. Knight had the idea to sell a low cost shoe with a very high quality. Knight had high aspirations of taking Adidas out the top spot in the athletic shoe market. In 1964, Bill Bowerman decided to join Knight as a partner at BRS to create a joint quest to be number one. Bowerman redesigned the Tiger shoes while Knight acted as the accountant/personal seller and went on the road to sell their newly crafted sneakers at track meets and local shoe stores. By 1966, Blue Ribbon Sports opened their first store in Portland, Oregon. Knight and Bowerman managed the store with the only other employee being a former Stanford runner Jeff Johnson. (story/chrono, 1) During 1971, BRS caught a break when a trading company called Nissho Iwai introduced BRS to important letters of credit. This credit allowed BRS to subcontract its own shoe line and by 1972 it was selling Nike Brand shoes. Over the next decade Nike expanded almost double its size each year from the previous year. Nike is officially called Nike in 1978 and has signed on tennis great John McEnroe, New York City marathon champion Alberto Salazar, women’s marathon gold medallist Joan Beniot, and Olympic track star and gold medallist Carl Lewis. (story/chrono, 1-2) Also during 2004-12-30T02:38:53-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nike--26103.aspx Microsoft: Monopoly or Capitalist Triumph? Since 1990, a battle has raged in United States courts between the United States government and the Microsoft Corporation headed by Bill Gates. What is at stake is money. The federal government maintains that Microsoft's monopolistic practices are harmful to United States citizens, creating higher prices and potentially downgrading software quality, and should therefore be stopped, while Microsoft and its supporters claim that they are not breaking any laws, and are just doing good business. The only thing Microsoft is guilty of is taking advantage of free enterprise. Microsoft's antitrust problems began for them in the early months of 1990(Check 1), when the Federal Trade Commission began investigating them for possible violations of the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts, (Maldoom 1) which are designed to stop the formation of monopolies. The investigation continued on for the next three years without resolve, until Novell, maker of DR-DOS, a competitor of Microsoft's MS-DOS, filed a complaint with the Competition Directorate of the European Commission in June of 1993. (Maldoom 1) Doing this stalled the investigations even more, until finally in August of 1993, (Check 1) the Federal Trade Commission decided to hand the case over to the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice moved quickly, with Anne K. Bingaman, head of the Antitrust Division of the DOJ, leading the way. (Check 1) The case was finally ended on July 15, 1994, with Microsoft signing a consent settlement. (Check 1) The settlement focused on Microsoft's selling practices with computer manufacturers. Until now, Microsoft would sell MS-DOS and Microsoft's other operating systems to original equipment manufacturers (OEM's) at a 60% discount if that OEM agreed to pay a royalty to Microsoft for every single computer that they sold regardless if it had a Microsoft operating system installed on it or not. After the settlement, Microsoft would be forced to sell their operating systems according to the number of computers shipped with a Microsoft operating system installed, and not for computers that ran other operating systems. (Check 2) Another practice that the Justice Department accused Microsoft of was that Microsoft would specify a minimum number of operating systems that the retailer had to buy, eliminating any chance for another operating system vendor to get their system installed until the retailer had installed all of the Microsoft operating systems that it had installed. (Maldoom 2) In addition to specifying a minimum number of operating systems 2004-07-05T09:33:33-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Microsoft-Monopoly-or-Capitalist-Triumph-25345.aspx