Environmental Scan: The Gap and Urban Outfitters
An environmental scan refers to the process of carefully monitoring both the internal and external environments of a particular company to determine if there are an nascent signs of threats or opportunities which might impact its present or future plans or intentions.

For example, if one were to examine the retailer Gap, Inc., this is a company which has undergone a great deal of stress and challenges in the last fifteen years. The 1990s was the company's heyday, when it was at the height of its popularity. This was when the company was able to garner strong success in all their stores, capitalizing on the 90s culture of simple designs and grunge appeal. The next 15 years showed a tremendous amount of challenge to the company, largely through external and internal threats. Consider the external threats: massively successful companies like H&M and Forever 21 were…...

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References

Bogenrief, M. (2013, March 9). Why gap is in more trouble than you think . Retrieved

from   think-2013-3http://www.businessinsider.com/why-gap-inc-is-in-more-trouble-than-we -

Trefis, T. (2014, March 12). Anthropologie & free people propel urban outfitters despite a slump in namesake brand. Retrieved from  http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/03/12/anthropologie-free-people-propel-urban-outfitters-despite-a-slump-in-namesake-brand/

Environmental Scan of Two Companies:
The first step towards an organization's strategic management is environmental canning, which involves collecting information for the internal and external of the company. Generally, environmental scan is described as the watchful evaluation and monitoring of the internal and external environments of the company to identify early indications of opportunities and threats that may affect the firm's current and future plans. Through this process, the organization can understand factors needed to achieve its short-term and long-term objectives. In light of its essence on organizational strategic management, this article focuses on examining environmental scanning in two successful American Companies i.e. McDonalds Corporation and Apple Inc. This analysis focuses on internal and external environments of these companies to understand their competitive advantages and strategies.

Internal and External Environments:

The entire process of environmental scanning is geared towards providing managers with knowledge for enhancing the long-term efficiency and creates strategic plans for…...

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References:

Ivanova, E. (2011, November 8). McDonald's Company Analysis. Retrieved November 22,

2013, from  http://dc445.4shared.com/doc/nAYYRGF9/preview.html 

Thomas, S. (2012). Culture Through a Customer Service Excellence Lens. The New Researcher,

5(2012), 12-16. Retrieved from http://www.newport.ac.uk/research/Journals/newresearcher/vol5/Documents/5NR3.doc

Environmental Scan
External Environmental Factors

Stryker is a medical equipment manufacturer and marketer. The regulatory environment is the most critical external factor for the company. The medical device industry is governed by the FDA, which must approve all medical devices prior to their use by the public. Almost all of Stryker's products is under FDA jurisdiction, and therefore the company is highly dependent on the FDA for getting its products to market. If a product is not granted approval, it cannot be sold until it has been modified to get approval. There are high costs to the company associated with the regulatory burden, and the company needs to develop competency in navigating these regulatory waters.

The legal environment is another point of interest, at the very least, for Stryker. The new health care laws of the Affordable Care Act are likely to affect the industry in a range of ways. The most important…...

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References

FDA.gov. (2013). Stryker Orthopaedics -- ShapeMatch Cutting Guide Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved February 17, 2014 from  http://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/safety/listofrecalls/ucm348536.htm 

Garde, D. (2013). Stryker recalls spinal implant, gets deadly FDA label. Fierce Medical Devices. Retrieved February 17, 2014 from  http://www.fiercemedicaldevices.com/story/stryker-recalls-spinal-implant-gets-deadly-fda-label/2013-08-29 

MSN Moneycentral. (2014). Stryker Corporation. Retrieved February 17, 2014 from  http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/stock-income-statement/?symbol=SYK 

Hollmer, M. (2013). Stryker confronts mounting metal hip recall lawsuits. Fierce Medical Devices Retrieved February 17, 2014 from  http://www.fiercemedicaldevices.com/story/stryker-confronts-mounting-metal-hip-recall-lawsuits/2013-06-04

Environment Scan
Environmental Scan:

Just Homestay LLC

The emergence of technology in the past decades has led the world to many innovations. Things that were once impossible to conceive, such as minute-to-minute trans-Atlantic communication, are now commonplace. ith the opening of communication, furthermore, has come the opening of borders and thus of constant interaction of communities that had previously interacted only in limited amounts. The history of studying abroad and of host families has been long in existence. But with this aforementioned 'opening' it has become even easier to travel, whether for education purposes of otherwise, and especially to find easy accommodation, whether with friends, families, at such sites as www.justhomestay.com or www.homestayfinder.com, or trustworthy strangers, at www.airbnb.com, for instance. The pages below will study one of these websites, namely www.justhomestay.com, and with it the 'host family' industry, and will aim to examine both external and internal factors that have contributed to this…...

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Works Cited:

No Author. "About Us." Justhomestay. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. .

No Author.

MACROBUTTON HTMLDirect

"Homestay Finder - Helping Host Families and International Students to Find Each Other." Homestay Finder - Helping Host Families and International Students to Find Each Other. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. .

The long-term objectives of the pre-paid phone card company need to first focus on gaining new customers quickly, ensuring they stay loyal over the long-term. This has much more to do with branding and service than price.

In addition to this strategic objective, there is also the need to continually add new services and innovation to attract new customers, while requiring suppliers to also innovate over time (Porter, 1980). The additional objectives include the defining of supply chain efficiencies and the continual development of relationships with the key suppliers the company is based on.

Question # 4: Please discuss the tools needed for the performance of an environmental analysis in an organization (Pre Paid Phone Card Company).

The tools required to complete an environmental analysis include market research tools, strategies and techniques used for capturing both qualitative and quantitative data (Beal, 2000). There is also the need for quickly finding patterns from unstructured…...

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References

Beal, R (2000).Competing effectively: Environmental scanning, competitive strategy, and organizational performance in small manufacturing firms. Journal of Small Business Management. 1, 27-476.

Reinhold Decker, Ralf Wagner, Sren W. Scholz (2005). An internet-based approach to environmental scanning in marketing planning. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 23(2/3), 189-199. Retrieved July 27, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 872115141).

Tony Grundy (2006). Rethinking and reinventing Michael Porters five forces model. Strategic Change, 15(5), 213. Retrieved July 27, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1165588081).

Michael E. Porter (2008). The FIVE COMPETITIVE FORCES THAT SHAPE STRATEGY. Harvard Business Review: Special HBS Centennial Issue, 86(1), 78-93. Retrieved July 27, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1406854351).

Environmental Scanning: emote and Industry
Environmental Scanning: emote & Industry

Environmental Scanning

emote and Industry

The objective of this work is to answer the questions from simulation of (1) What are the lessons learned relative to the importance and effectiveness of environmental scanning? (2) What concepts and analytic tools will you be able to use in the development of strategic planning for your own organization? (3) What do the results reveal about the challenges facing strategic planners? This work will also provide (1) a clear description of the business environment problem identified in the organization; (2) relevant facts and circumstances that created the identified problem (3) a brief discussion on how the current problem can be turned into an opportunity; (4) presentation of the risks associated with the implementation of the new business opportunity and suggestions of how to mitigate such risks; and will further identify the type of information the organization will need…...

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References

Boynton, A, Gales, L & Blackburn, R 1993, 'Managerial search activity: The impact of perceived role uncertainty and role threat', Journal of Management, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 725-747.

Brush, C 1992, 'Marketplace information scanning activities of new manufacturing ventures', Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 41-53.

Costa, J 1995, 'An empirically-based review of the concept of environmental scanning', International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 7, no. 7, pp. 4-9.

Daft, R, Sormunen, J & Parks, D 1988, 'Chief exe Parks, D 1988, 'Chief executive scanning, environmental characteristics, and company performance: An empirical study', Strategic Management Journal, vol. 4, no. pp. 137-151.

Introduction
Environmental scanning can be defined as an approach of obtaining information regarding external events that can be beneficial to organizations in the identification of prospective trends and construing them. In other words, it encompasses the analysis of factors that are external and beyond the control of the organization. More often than not, these trends usually comprise of five dissimilar sources, including the economic, social, technological, legal and competitive forces (Jain and Haley, 2011). This paper lays emphasis on the economic environmental aspect, specifically laying emphasis on the manner in which the current state of the economy will impact the completion of an environmental scan.

One of the key objectives of an environmental scan is to gain knowledge and insight that would be beneficial to top-level management in its endeavor of mapping out and outlining the future course of action of the organization. The prevailing state of the economy can have an…...

Surveillance System for an Environmental Health Concern Introduction
Environmental health is an important concern for health care providers because it comprises the areas of human health that are impacted by external factors, such as chemical agents, biological agents, physical environment and so on. Issues that fall under environmental health are air pollution, water pollution, pesticides, chemical spills, and other areas (Laroque, 2009). Because of the risk of these areas negatively impacting human health, there is a need to monitor environmental health areas. One major area of environmental health that desperately needs surveillance is the quality of the air in urban areas near major airports. As Schlenker and Walker (2015) point out, airports are responsible for some of the highest concentrations of air pollution in the nation. An as West et al. (2016) show, air pollution is the cause of millions of premature deaths all over the earth. Thus, there is tremendous reason…...

It gives useful information to Apple about what improvements and innovative features its potential consumers want to see in its products.
As far as the effectiveness of these measurement guidelines are concerned, Marketing esearch is the most effective way of knowing the consumers' response, whereas Development brings the most stylish and highly advanced products in the market. The investment which Apple makes on &D never goes waste; instead, gives it returns that are many times higher than those investments.

Environmental Scan for Marks & Spencer's

Marks and Spencer's, incorporated in 1884 is among the top market leaders in garments and food industry in the United Kingdom (marksandspencer.com, 2011). Facing a stiff competition in both the businesses, Marks and Spencer's ensures the highest quality of its products all the way through highly efficient business operations and Total Quality Management (TQM) so as to maintain its top position.

Thus, the most important competitive advantage of…...

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References

Business Insider.Com, (2011). Apple. Retrieved on August 28th, 2011 from

Ferrari.com, (2011). About Ferrari. Retrieved on August 28th, 2011 from

Marks and Spencer's.com, (2011). About M&S. Retrieved on August 28th, 2011 from

Moutinho, L., Chien, C., S. (2007). Problems in marketing: applying key concepts and techniques. U.S.: SAGE Publications.

This savings on fuel has also given Southwest more funds to invest in programs to reduce turn-around time of their jets between flights .
Southwest Airline's Internal Weaknesses

As with any company the size of Southwest, they have several weaknesses, with the most significant being their heavy dependence only on passenger traffic as their primary source of revenue. Despite efforts to move into logistics and supply chain services, the company is still struggling to gain significant success in more profitable business services markets (Kumar, Johnson, Lai, 2009).

Despite having an employee base that has the lowest turnover and highest levels of morale, Southwest also has one of the most rapidly declining sales-per-employee revenue levels for U.S.-based airlines (Kumar, Johnson, Lai, 2009). One of the factors that contribute to this is the fact that Southwest has more ground crew members than other airlines, an investment the company makes to attain the rapid MTT…...

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References

Christopher P. Ball. (2007). Rethinking Hub vs. Point-to-Point Competition: A Simple Circular Airline Model. The Journal of Business and Economic Studies, 13(1), 73-87,116.

Bernoff, J., & Li, C.. (2008). Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(3), 36-42.

David a Carter, Daniel a Rogers, & Betty J. Simkins. (2006). Does Hedging Affect Firm Value? Evidence from the U.S. Airline Industry. Financial Management, 35(1), 53-86.

D'Aurizio, P.. (2008). Southwest Airlines: Lessons in Loyalty. Nursing Economics, 26(6), 389-92.

Pacific Oil-Strategic Plan
Pacific Oil Startegic Plan

COMPANY BACKGOUND

Vision

Values

ENVIONMENTAL SCAN

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN-OGANIZATIONAL STATEGY

ISK Management PLAN

Monthly Monitoring

Accountability

esponding of isk management Process

Evolution of isk Management

Policies and Procedures

152011 Identified isks

isk Disclosure

Pacific Oil-Strategic Plan

This paper presents a strategic plan or Pacific Oil. The paper starts with organizational background consisting of business mission, vision and the corporate values. The nature of the business of Pacific Oil has been clearly identified with some highlights on the business divisions operating in the oil industry. An environmental scan has been performed in order to have a clear insight into the circumstances in which the Pacific Oil is operating. This environmental scan for Pacific Oil is accompanied by a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities & Threats) Analysis. Strengths and weaknesses of Pacific Oil relate to internal organizational environment while opportunities and threats relate to external environment of pacific Oil. After environmental scan, the corporate strategies of Pacific Oil have been identified in order…...

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REFERENCES

Canales, James E.; Kibble, Barbara D.; Terk, Natasha, 2008. "One Step Beyond Strategic Planning." Foundation News & Commentary, Vol.41 Issue.

Hay, Robert D., 2009. Strategic management in organizations, Westport: Greenwood Press.

llison, Michael & Kaye, Jude, 2010. "Why Plan?" Strategic Planning for Organizations, New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Polyack, Jolene, 2009. " Organizations Need Marketing Strategies To Meet Goals." Business Journal -- Serving Fresno & the Central San Joaquin Valley, Issue 322490.

Particularly McDonalds and Starbucks fight daily on sales as well as share prices (Brush, 2011). The Starbucks growth has been slow during last some periods yet it offers a tough competition to the McDonalds by offering extensive sale points. The two companies are in competition war yet the customer base of the two is totally different. The Starbucks customers are more affluent and the McDonalds customers are more price sensitive (Shaughnessy, 2013).
The company can work on the customer pool that lies between total affluent and totally price sensitive. The company, like it has done before in 2012, can float the videos of its hygienic processes on YouTube. It can show that McDonalds operates cleaner that the clean companies and that eating at McDonalds mean eating healthy and quality. Thus there should be deals and sitting areas designed for middle and rich class too so that a big customer base…...

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References

Brush, M., (2011), "McDonald's or Starbucks: Who wins?" Retrieved from:

 http://money.msn.com/investment-advice/mcdonalds-or-starbucks-who-wins-brush 

Choi, C., (2013), "McDonald's Profit Falls Short of Wall Street Expectations', Retrieved from:

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/22/mcdonalds-profit-earnings_n_3634398.html ?

fictitious business that you created for this assignment.
Light Up the Sky, Inc. is a company that manufactures luminescent kites. This company has been in business for the past 10 years and during this time has established itself as a high quality manufacturer of these kites. Even though this company appeals to a small fraction of the entire kite industry, they had been able to maintain a 20% profit margin. Due to the lagging economy, their profit margin dropped below the breakeven point and they are now considering shutting down production.

Assess the current environmental scan factors. Determine the factors that will have the greatest impact on plant operations and management's decision to continue or discontinue operations.

When considering whether or not to continue operations, there are several factors to consider. First is to perform a market analysis to determine whether or not continuing operations is really feasible. For example, luminescent kites…...

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References

1. Planning Resource Center. What is an Environmental Scan? Retrieved from  http://work911.com/planningmaster/faq/scan.htm .

2. Minnesota Management and Budget. Internal and external environmental scanning factors. Retrieved from http://www.mmb.state.mn.us/keyinfo3/1708-internal-and-external-environmental-scanning-factors.

3. North Carolina State University, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Management Tools for Increasing Profitability. Retrieved from  http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/resources/economics/ag418/

Kudler's advertising and marketing in its present form is through the Easter and Thanksgiving holidays with the local newspaper flyers every month. Marketing is a key component of a successful business and KFF should consider different methods of involving the community. For example, television advertising, Internet, radio stations and more promotions are viable. Secondly, employees must be sufficient time for KFF to obtain benefits. Many organizations have begun to provide additional part-time employees package was found, but 30 hours per week. (Shim & Siegel 2010)
In addition, Kudler is to buy stock, catering, and any major issues such as responsible business, so if she fell ill, no one can proceed on the basis of business operations. Most organizations have managers that work with the president so that if necessary, they are available. Kudler is important to hire more administrative staff to assist some of the duties. Finally, the payment offered…...

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REFERENCES

Gomez-Mejia, L.R. & Belkin D. (2002). Management: Management and Its Evolution. The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Kudler Fine Foods, retrieved on February 19, 2011 from http://kudlerfinefoods.info/

Shim, J.K. & Siegel, J.G. (2010). Financial Management (2nd ed.). Barron's Educational Series.

Turban, E., Rainer, R.K., & Potter, R.E. (2003). Introduction to Information Technology: Strategic Systems and Reorganization. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Currently, 100 workers, working 20 days are producing 6000 units. That means that each worker is producing 6,000 / (100*20) = 3 units per day.
Given only those financial figures that have been provided, it is impossible to do a complete financial calculation. A huge part of the decision making for this scenario depends upon the marginal cost of additional production. Marginal cost refers to the cost of producing one more unit of a product (Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2003). In economies of scale, the greater the production, the lower the marginal cost, so that increasing production increases profit. However, there is not enough information to determine if this is true for Tinker's Toys, and, if so, to what number it would be true.

Improving Profitability

Without knowing the fixed costs and worker capability, it is impossible to determine some critical financial numbers. Can workers reasonably increase production or is a 3 unit…...

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References

Byrnes, J. (2011 August 8). Improving profitability from a granular level. Business Finance

Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2012 from Business Finance Magazine website:  http://businessfinancemag.com/article/improving-profitability-granular-level-0808 

Choo, C.W. (1999). The art of scanning the environment. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science, 25(3), 13-19.

Sullivan, a., & Sheffrin, S. (2003). Economics: Principles in action. Upper Saddle River: