Company Background Essays (Examples)

Code of Ethics

Introduction and Company Background

Guiding Principles

Purpose of the Code

Core Values

Training and Education

Covered Employees

Implementation and Communication

Enforcement and eporting

Mission Statement

Code of Ethics: The XYZ Company

Introduction and Company Background

Having a code of ethics is a big part of doing business. It is not something every company has, but those that do have these codes provide them because they want to be ethical and strong. Ethical codes help make requirements clear for every employee, and can avoid discrepancies in conduct (Clark, 2012). Avoiding or lessening the possibility for misunderstandings and discrepancies is an excellent way to protect both the company's bottom line and its reputation. Employees who fail to act in an ethical manner can cause serious harm to the companies for which they work (Clark, 2012). Keeping that in mind, one must ensure that an ethical code is direct and…

References

Clark, C.M. (2012). Individual moralities and institutional ethics: Implications for the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Psychotherapy and Politics International, 10(3): 187-204.

Davidson, B.I. & Stevens, D.E. (2013). Can a code of ethics improve manager behavior and investor confidence? An experimental study. The Accounting Review, 88(1): 51-74.

Hartley, R., Grayston, R., & Ryle, A. (2010). Developing a modern code of ethics for engineering practice. The 5th Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region and Australasian Structural Engineering Conference 2010. Sydney, N.S.W.: Engineers Australia, 2010: 1276-1281.

Short-term wins creation

In this case, the insistence is on the enhancement of credibility for change through demonstrating gains made. In the case of News Corp, those who excel in change related initiatives could be rewarded and recognized going forward.

Building on Change/Consolidation of Gains

Here, quick wins should be taken as a beginning and not as an end. Hence in a way, victory must not be declared before the whole change process is over. When it comes to News Corp, efforts could be undertaken to ensure that each success or failure is taken as an opportunity to learn.

Institutionalization of New Approaches

Lastly, change should and must be made to stick. Hence effectively, change should be made part and parcel of the organization by anchoring the same on the corporate culture. In regard to News Corp, to embed change on the culture of the organization, efforts may be undertaken…

References

Hiatt, J. & Creasey, T.J. (2003). Change Management: The People Side of Change. Prosci.

Mills, H., Dye, K. Mills, A.J. (2008). Understanding Organizational Change. Taylor and Francis.

Pulley, B. (2011, May 5). News Corp. Profit Drops 24% as Film Sales Fail to Measure UP to 'Avatar'. Retrieved October 20th, 2011, from Bloomberg website:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-04/news-corp-s-third-quarter-earnings-decline-24-on-falling-movie-revenue.html 

Shapiro, A. (2010). Creating Contagious Commitment: Applying the Tipping Point to Organizational Change, (2nd Edition). Andrea Shapiro.

Company Mission, Vision, Stakeholders Strategic management starts vision mission. It consists analysis, decisions, actions organization undertakes order create sustain competitive advantages. For project, pick a company ( Harley Davidson), preferably, modules, work understand strategy .

Ducati -- passion leading from bankruptcy to success

Ducati is a name that most motorcycling enthusiasts are likely to associate with passion and brute force. The Italian bike manufacturer is known for making motorcycles designed for a particular type of people and the motorcycles it produces induce intense feelings in individuals riding them. Regardless if they are moving or if they stand still, Ducatis always manage to make heads turn and have succeeded in remaining an important player in a global market involving companies that are much larger than the Italian enterprise. This is also shown by the fact that Ducati has experienced a series of victories in the MotoGP and the Superbike orld Champions…

Works cited:

McIerney, Claire Regina, and Day, Ronald E., "Rethinking Knowledge Management: From Knowledge Artifacts to Knowledge Processes," (Springer, 01.01.2007)

Wit, Bob, and Meyer, Ron, "Strategy: Process, Content, Context, An International Perspective," (Cengage Learning EMEA, 2010)

Company X has faith in its employees to utilize their own ethical judgment in conjunction with the rules and standards set forth by the company in order to assure that actions within the company are performed at an optimal level across the board.

Implementation and Communication

In order to assure that a code of ethics is implemented to the best of its ability into a company, gradual implementation must be used along with clear communication as to each step of the process in order to assure that the code of ethics is fully understood and used within the company by its employees.

In order to begin implementation, a checklist regarding steps needed to begin code adherence could prove helpful in providing a smooth transition into code use. In the early stages of implementation, it is crucial that as many people as possible -- employees included -- are involved in both…

References

Emerson, T., McKinney, J. And Neubert, M. (2010). "The effects of ethical codes on ethical perceptions of actions toward stakeholders." Journal of Business Ethics. 97:1. p. 505-516. Retrieved from: ProQuest Database.

Gaumnitz, B. And Lere, J. (2007). "Codes of ethics with impact." The CPA Journal. 15:1.

p. 106. Retrieved from: LexisNexis Database.

Godkin, L. And Valentine, S. (2009). "Ethics, social responsibility, and ethical reasoning in an education-based center: when doing good results in good employees." Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics. 7:3. p. 1-18. Retrieved from: ProQuest Database.

Almost all the main media groups now have an online edition of their communication content at no cost to Internet clients, making it complicated for companies to evidently be acquainted with some of their clients.

Tactical Information Management

To attain organizational objectives, corporations supervise their memo substance, covering and distribution. Deficient in a comprehensible perceptive of the target addressees causes information blueprint, covering and distribution complicated.

The previous modes of corporate interaction were one-tracked in character. Corporations had been typically the givers of information and their addressees had been the receivers. For the most part, corporations restricted and controlled means of communication. This gave corporations the prospect to arrange their memo in compliance with corporation's objectives. There was also prospect to create coherent memos across manifold media channels. Conversely, because of the disintegration, difficulty, time restriction and interaction of computer contact, businesses might be powerless to cautiously enclose their memo…

Company Strategy: Whole Foods

On the surface, Whole Foods has a unique, almost counterintuitive philosophy. ather than stressing value and volume in terms of food sales, it instead offers more expensive organic and specialty goods. However, its niche marketing strategy has proven to be extremely lucrative. Whole Foods is an interesting case study as a company in the manner in which it has simultaneously capitalized upon popular trends in food without trying to be 'all things to all people.' In 2013, the company had same-store sales growth of 7.5%. It has rapidly expanded: "the company's growth strategy is to seek new locations for its stores in highly populated, often urban, areas. Each store averages around 38,000 square feet, and about 30% of the company's stores were acquired, meaning that they were other health-food stores that were bought out and re-branded as Whole Foods" (Frankel 2013).

Whole Foods' vision and mission…

References

Brown, Joshua. (2013). What Whole Foods learned from the recession. The Reformed Broker.

Retrieved:  http://www.thereformedbroker.com/2012/08/12/what-whole-foods-learned-from-the-recession/ 

Dennis, Brady. (2013). Whole Foods executive explains strategy behind labeling genetically modified foods. St. Louis Dispatch. Retrieved:

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/whole-foods-executive-explains-strategy-behind-labeling-genetically-modified-foods/article_7d2c6059-5159-5d63-b716-04ccf1b7b85a.html

Blue Turtle Clothing Company (BTC) is a newly established business in London, Ontario. The company showed poor financial performance in the previous season. Therefore, the owner has decided to redesign the marketing strategies of the company to boost up its sales performance in the next season. This paper presents analysis of the case using different tools and techniques; including situational analysis, market analysis, segmentation analysis, competition analysis, and financial analysis; case keys (key success factors, key contingencies, and analysis of alternative solutions); recommendations, and action plan for the short run.

The paper starts with the problem statement and discusses the situational analysis for the company in detail. The analysis includes individual goals and objectives of the owners and the company, background and forecast for the company, SWOT analysis (internal and external environment), market analysis (including business environment, current and past strategies, marketing mix, segmentation analysis, competitive environment, and financial analysis.…

References

Blythe, J., & Megicks, P. (2010). Marketing Planning: Strategy, Environment and Context, 3rd Edition. U.K: Prentice Hall.

Cadle, J., Paul, D., & Turner, P. (2010). Business analysis techniques: 72 essential tools for success, 1st Edition. London: British Computer Society.

Gilbert, D. (2003). Retail marketing management, 2nd Edition. New York: Financial Times.

Jobber, D. (2009). Principles and Practice of Marketing, 6th Edition. U.K: McGraw Hill.

strategic marketing plan ANGOSTUA LTD related company ( alcohol related). identifing incorporating marketing objective. Use format: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS -Introduction -Company background -Vision -Mission (analyse) -Corporate objectives (financial & financial) -Portfolio analysis BCG show SBU -For SBU selected state critical success factors, unique resources & core competences give a competitive advantage INDUSTY & ENVIONMENT ANALYSIS -pestle implications -SPICC a table -7S's a table -7P's a table -Key drivers change -sector trends COMPETITO ANALYSIS -Porters forces -Identify major competitors, analyse including strategies -Customer analysis competitor -Portfolio analysis competitor -Company's SWOT -Two major competitor's SWOT PODUCT / MAKET FOCUS -Marketing & Product Objectives, SMAT objectives -Target Market -Segmentation -differentiation -positioning MAKETING POGAMME -Include marketing mix, financial data projections (past current sales revenue 3-year forcast (budget) showing sales, gross operating profit) -Option Ansoff growth strategy (choice & ) 2 strategies needed, market penetration objective -Promotional Gantt chart -Assumptions & Contengencies -Control.

Strategic marketing plan…

References:

Clark, W., 2011, Heineken SWOT analysis, eHow, http://www.ehow.com/facts_6790153_heineken-SWOT-analysis.htmllast accessed on August 20, 2012

Dukcevich, D., 2001, Stock focus: alcoholic beverage companies, Forbes,  http://www.forbes.com/2001/04/09/0409sf.html  last accessed on August 20, 2012

Lamb, C.W., Hair, J.F., McDaniel, C., 2008, Essentials of marketing, Cengage Learning

Moore, D.S., 2009, The basic practice of statistics, Palgrave Macmillan

Gateway PC

Gateway Computers

Gateway Computers has a rich heritage and a remarkable business story. Founded in 1985 in a U.S. Midwestern farmhouse, Gateway has grown into one of the world's best-known technology brands with millions of satisfied customers; starting with a $10,000 loan guaranteed by his grandmother, a rented computer and a three-page business plan, founder Ted aitt turned Gateway into a revolutionary company whose innovations helped shape the technology industry (Gateway, N.d.). Gateway's history includes several milestones that helped the computer industry in general develop. Although the company has also experienced many setbacks over the years, Gateway serves as a prime example of how a revolutionary vision can help shape an entire industry. Gateway's vision (before the Acer acquisition) was:

To profitably grow their business faster than the competition by better understanding and serving the desires of their customers and aggressively marketing the highest value directly to their…

Works Cited

Acer Group. (N.d.). Environment. Retrieved from Acer Group: http://www.acer-group.com/public/Sustainability/environment/overview.htm

Alchin, L. (N.d.). Gateway Computers Mission Statement. Retrieved from Specimen Templates: http://www.specimentemplates.org/mission-statements/gateway-computers-mission-statement.htm

CNET. (2009, July 31). eMachines ET1810-03. Retrieved from CNET:  http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/emachines-et1810-03/4505-3118_7-33709100.html 

Gateway. (N.d.). Company Background. Retrieved from Gateway Computers: http://us.gateway.com/gw/en/U.S./content/company-background

JP Kenny (JPK) is a London-based company specialising in the engineering design of subsea pipelines; it offers a number of design solutions including project management to clients within the oil and gas industry.

This report includes an analysis of the Human Resource department and the role they play within the organisation and an evaluation of JPK's performance management of its employees. It takes a look at the human resource department and the role managers play in the performance appraisal system using different theories to analyse the methods used in order to improve the effectiveness of the process, and identifies areas of the process that are "failing" with recommendations for improvement.

Over the past two years JPK has gone through considerable changes, and while the company is growing and getting more complex, the current processes need to be change to accommodate growth. There are a number processes that require changes and…

McDonalds also places strong emphasis on marketing to children, including the use of playgrounds in its restaurants. As a result, McDonalds is able to maintain some pricing power over its customers and to attract customers to its restaurants despite strong competition from a wide number of sources.

Issues and Challenges: McDonald's operates in a number of mature markets, where growth is slow. Growth is now focused not only on overseas markets but for the most part on less desirable overseas markets, the China and India excepted. This has slowed the pace of growth for the company in recent years. Another challenge has been the economic downturn that saw many customers reduce their meals away from home. The result of these two challenges has been that McDonald's saw a reduction in its revenue in fiscal 2009 (MSN Moneycentral, 2010).

The childhood obesity issue is the latest in a string of challenges…

Works Cited:

Allen, N. (2010). McDonalds Happy Meals with toys banned to fight childhood obesity. The Telegraph. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7647021/McDonalds-Happy-Meals-with-toys-banned-to-fight-childhood-obesity.html 

CBC. (1990) Muscovites mad for McDonald's. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from  http://archives.cbc.ca/economy_business/business/clips/12844/ 

Chatterjee, S. (2009). McDonald's offers potato burger with fries, no onions in India. Bloomberg. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from  http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aS3rBACqZf7Q 

Holguin, J. (2003). Fast food linked to obesity. CBS News. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/05/health/main591325.shtml

Wal-Mart

International Expansion

International Expansion (Wal-Mart)

Company Background

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the prime retailer in the world, the world's second-largest company after Exxonmobil and the nation's leading nongovernmental company. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates retail stores in a variety of retailing layouts in all 50 states in the United States. The Company's selling operations and functions serve its customers mainly through the operation of three segments. The Wal-Mart Stores segments comprise its discount stores, Supercenters, and locality Markets in the United States. The Sam's club segment comprises the warehouse membership clubs in the United States. The Company's subsidiary, McLane Company, Inc. gives products and allocation services to retail industry and institutional foodservice customers.

Layout plan

Industry Analysis

The Threat of New Entrants: The discount retailing market was dominated by large players, which by themselves served as substantial barriers to entry for new players. At the micro-level this was accomplished by:…

References

About Wal-Mart. (2004). Retrieved March 15, 2011, from  http://walmartstores.com .

Anderson, F. (1994). U.S. Discounters Head North and South of the Border. (Cover Story). Discount Merchandiser, 34, (9), p64.

Bianco, A., Zellner, W. (2003). Is Wal-Mart Too Powerful? BusinessWeek, (3852), p100.

Biddle, R. (2004, Mar. 28). Wal-Mart:Bully or Benefactor? Megachain an Economic Godsend in Many Areas Daily News, pV1.Financial Report. (2003). Retrieved March 15, 2011 from  http://financeyahoo.com

Organizational Case Study -- Nutri Systems

Company Background - Nutrisystem is an American company that provides weightloss products and services. Originally, the company's sales and marketing model focused on Brick and Mortar stores, in-person counseling and exercise sessions, and the sale of prepackaged supplements and food products retail. In 1999, however, largely due to the number of diets on the market and exhaustive competiton, Nutrisystem began selling online with support through 800#s and email. The company expanded to QVC in 2001 and Costco since 2009 (www.nutrisystem.com).

The foundation of the organization is portion-control and a diet that has a low glycemic index. Separate plans are offered for men and women that support a 1-2#/week loss. All plans have love sugar, cholesterol and sodium and cost from $280-400/week. Users must also purchase additional fresh items locally, but 2009 clinical trials showed that persons with Type-2 diabetes consistently lost more weight and…

WORKS CITED

Organizational and Diagnostic Models. (2008). Retrieved December 2011, from Leadersphere.com: http://www.leadersphere.com/img/OrgmodelsR2009.pdf

NutriSystem Investment Guide. (2011, December 17). Retrieved from Wikiinvest:  http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/NutriSystem_ (NTRI)

Liu, Y., & Yang, R. (2008). Competing Loyalty Programs: Impact of Market Saturation. Journal of Marketing, 73(2), 93-100.

Lowman, R. (2005). Importance of Diagnosis in Organization Assessment. Manager Journal, 8(1), 17-28.

company code of ethics for Boeing. In this document I will explore Boeing's code and attempt to reveal important items relevant to understanding how a functional code of ethics may be applied to a large organization. I will first describe a general background of the company to help provide context in this evaluation. Next, I will give an overview of the code of conduct and highlight important details that are worthy of discussion. This paper will also include how this code of ethics can be applied to the differing levels of responsibility and accountability within the company itself. I will also examine a recent specific case study of ethical violations within Boeing to help test the validity and quality of this company's attitude towards ethics. This specific case will help understand important factors on the stability and feasibility of their ethical codes and programs.

Background

Boeing's company website describes the…

Works Cited

Boeing Corporate Website. Ethics. Viewed 31 Aug 2012. Retrieved from http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/aboutus/ethics/hotline.html#howto

Reeder, J. & Hickey, D. (2005). Boeing strengthens, enhances ethics program. National Defense. February 2005. Retrieved from http://www2.gtlaw.com/pub/articles/2005/reederj05a.pdf

Richman, D. (2005, Mar 7). Analysis: Boeing conduct code worked properly, expert says. Seatllepi.com. Retrieved from  http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Analysis - Boeing-conduct-code-worked-properly-1168027.php

However, there is one more step that needs to be done along with the installation of the new software. That is, to upgrade the operating system of the Accounting department from Windows 2000 into Windows XP.

Project Objectives

Following are the objectives that are expected to meet the project successfully.

Main Objectives

To improve the accounting process in the Accounting department by replacing the current accounting software of the company with a new one that features the latest technology in accounting software market.

To provide a new accounting software solution that will meet the company's budget and schedule.

General Actions Aimed to Meet the Main Objective

To replace the old accounting software and install a new one that features new technology for managing accounting tasks.

To upgrade the current operating system of the Accounting department from Windows 2000 into Windows XP to meet the requirements of the new accounting software.…

company or organization may reach its potential it must first understand the availability of all its capabilities and weaknesses. When organizations maximize their potential, this appears only after they have a full understanding of not only the market, but of its own internal interpretive mechanisms that help dictate the strength and pace of its operations. In today's world, knowledge management has emerged as an instrument to assist in those responsible for developing adequate systems for these types of work relations. Leadership at all levels within the company are responsible for implementing the proper system in order to facilitate current tasks and challenges and knowledge management is connected to every single decision in some way or the other. The purpose of this essay is to examine an implications of knowledge management for my organization. I will compare and contrast knowledge management to other important terms that help define it and contrast…

Bibliography

Bogorad, I. (2010) An Executive's Primer on Knowledge Management, Tech Republic, May 10, 2010. Retrieved on July 26, 2010 from  http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/tech - manager/?p=3546

Li, B. And W. Song (2009) A Discussion on the Relationship and Mutual Effects of Knowledge Management and Information Management, Asian Social Science, Retrieved on July 26, 2010 from  http://journal.ccsenet.org/index.php/ass/article/viewFile/3458/3132 

Wilson, T.D. ( 2002) The nonsense of 'knowledge management'. Information Research, Vol. 8 No. 1. Retrieved on July 26, 2010 from the World Wide Web:

 http://informationr.net/ir/8-1/paper144.html

Micro and Macro Practice |

Background of Social Work

The profession of social work sparked off as an effort to aid the impoverished, needy and marginalized classes of a swiftly evolving social order. This aim is still pursued to this day, though possibly with a few sporadic departures from the initial direction and spirit. In America, social work mostly resulted from the very industrial revolution which gave rise to an industrial society and welfare state. Industrialization resulted in a factory system requiring flocks of concentrated personnel, eventually bringing about the phenomena of mass migration, urbanization, and innumerable related issues. Social work served as a reaction to mass impoverishment, illiteracy, mental health issues, disease, food shortage, and several other urban issues. The Settlement House Movement and Charities Organization Society developed in response to the aforementioned issues, guiding social work's development and professionalization in America (McNutt, 2013).

The Dichotomy between Micro and…

However, that does not mean that the COO, for instance, is much more suited for this kind of activities.

Analytical skills and community involvement are also qualities that determine the success of a CEO. Executive officers need strong analytical skills in today's fast changing marketplace. The needs of many groups have to be addressed everyday, while the interests of the organization must also be fostered. A CEO, cannot appear distant, single-minded or out of touch. The need to interface with all parties and to creatively analyze all information becomes more and more important. From this point-of-view, due to their analytical nature, CFO are well prepared for the job. As far as community involvement is concerned, my opinion is that it is the nature of the individual that decides the degree a company and its top representative are involved in social events of all types. I think that a CFO is…

Reference:

1. Brewis, Janine, "How a CFO can graduate to CEO," Corporate Finance; London; Jun 1999; Iss. 175; pg. 13

2. Picker, Ida, "Do CFOs Really Make Good CEOs," Institutional Investor; New York; Aug 1989;

3. Sandrick, Karen, "From CFO To CEO: What Does It Take To Make The Leap?," Healthcare Financial Management, 07350732, Dec95 Supplement, Vol. 49, Issue 12

4. "Bestor: CFOs With Expanded Skills Are Good Ceo Candidates," Healthcare Financial Management, 07350732, Jun2001, Vol. 55, Issue 6

Career Overview of the Two Non-Entry Level Executives

Sara Wyer, Project Director

Sara Wyer joined the Livet Reichard Company in 2014. She is a native of New York, a graduate of the School of Visual arts and holds a BFA in illustration. Before joining the company, she worked for other three years in other arts related companies wjhere she had assisted in the successful implementation of various unique events. She started her career as an intern for an arts related PR company while she was still a student where she was able to secure a part time job and a full time job after she graduated. There, she was able to grow within the company in an organic way before moving onto Livet Reichard where she also had to grow within the company. Sara's key moments or challenges that she faced, overcame, and helped in developingher into the professional she…

The second step is to initiate a supplier code of conduct. The greatest potential for ethical violations falls with suppliers such as agricultural firms or offshored service providers, and these violations can result in negative publicity for the company.

Ultimately, it is not expected that these ethical standards will form a competitive advantage for the company. Having high ethical standards is more of a hygiene factor in that it is something a company needs to have to avoid negative impacts, but few companies get any particular competitive mileage from their ethical policies. There is little impetus to join the fair trade or organic businesses for most of the products we sell. hile many consumers are willing to pay more for said products, it remains a niche category especially in Europe and the UK. This usually means that the volumes are too low to justify the effort. Overall, the best approach…

Works Cited:

FAO. (2001). Ethical issues in food and agriculture. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved March 22, 2011 from  http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/X9601E/X9601E00.htm 

HRW. (2010). Hellish work. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved March 22, 2011 from  http://www.hrw.org/en/node/91458/section/3 

Hussein, M. (2009). Hiring and firing with ethics. Human Resource Management International Digest. Vol. 17 (4) 37-40.

Van Tulder, R. & Kolk, a. (2001). Multinationality and corporate ethics: Codes of conduct in the sporting goods industry. Journal of International Business Studies. Vol. 32 (2) 267-283.

Unionization of Southwest Airlines

Background of the Airline

The airline was founded more than 38 years ago, and is driven by the belief, taking passengers to their destinations, on time and at the lowest fares, will make people fly your airline. The airline has managed to keep its head above waters despite crisis like terrorism, recession, and high fuel prices that have an adverse effect on the airline industry (Southwest airlines, 2010). This is associated to several advantages and strengths of the company. One advantage and management strategy revolves around the culture of building welfare for employees, where the employees come first and customers second. Southwest airlines believe in the delivery of excellent service and provision of job security to employees. This culture has seen the airline cut back the number of flights, rather than lay off employees in the last recession (Southwest airlines, 2010). The company values its employees…

References

American and Southwest Flight Attendants Union Applaud Proposed OSHA Policies. (2012, Dec 03). SkyTalk. Retrieved from  http://blogs.star-telegram.com/sky_talk/2012/12/american-and-southwest-flight-attendants-union-applaud-proposed-osha-policies.html .

The Mission of Southwest Airlines. (2010, January 24). Southwest Airlines. Retrieved from  http://www.southwest.com /html/about-southwest/index.html?int=GFOOTER-ABOUT-ABOUT' target='_blank' REL='NOFOLLOW'>

Business Studies

Clipboard Tablet Company - Comparing the Time Warps

Finally 2016 has arrived and after moving through the period 2012-2015 twice due to Groundhog Day, the results of the different strategies can be compared.

Time warp

In time warp 1, the first consideration was the X5. As the price was noted as being higher than competing products the price was lowered to $220. As the product was already established in the first time warp it was decided that the research and development (&D) budget should be reduced to 10%, as a higher level of investment may not gain sufficient returns in a maturing product. The X6 was different; this was a product that was being sold to a market which was not price sensitive. The initial strategy was to increase the price to take advantage of this lack of prose sensitivity and increase the revenue per unit, with the…

References

Carter, M, (2014, Feb 22), Why Whole Foods Market May Have a Big Problem, Motley Fool, accessed 22nd Feb at  http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/22/why-whole-foods-market-may-have-a-big-problem.aspx 

Lambert, T, A, (2008), Four Lessons from the Whole Foods Case, CATO Institute, accessed 22nd Feb at  http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/regulation/2008/2/v31n1-4.pdf 

MacKey, J; Robb, W, (2013). Letter to Stakeholders, accessed 22nd Feb 2014 at  http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/sites/default/files/media/Global/Company%20Info/PDFs/WFM-2013-Letter-to-Stakeholders.pdf 

Meador, Don; Britton, Mike; Phillips, Paige; Howery, Andrew, (2007), Case Analysis -- Whole Foods Market, accessed 22nd Feb 2014 at  http://pnphillip.asp.radford.edu/whole%20Foods%20Case.pdf

Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Lowe's Companies Inc.

Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Lowe's Companies, Inc.

This report discusses the home improvement retailer, Lowe's Companies, Inc. The report profiles Lowe's, providing information about its background, operations, size, and relative industry position, as well as lists key competitors. The report also includes a profile of the home improvement retail industry and discusses the current economic outlook and sales forecasts through 2015.

The report also analyzes Lowe's consolidated cash flow statements and discusses the company's sources and uses of cash. Lowe's cash inflows and outflows include the issuance of common stock, repurchase of common stock, repayment and issuance of long-term debt, and investments in property and store information technology.

In addition to reviewing Lowe's cash flow, financial analysis reviews Lowe's performance by comparing Lowe's key ratios to industry ratios. In general, ratio analysis shows Lowe's needs to improve its efficiency and generate more sales. Even though…

Reference List

Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI). "The March 2012 home improvement products market sales forecast grew 3.8% in 2011 with an increase in 2012 to 5.0%." Accessed April 27, 2012.  http://www.hiri.org/?page=Media .

Lowe's. 2012. "Corporate information." Accessed April 27, 2012.  http://www.lowes.com/AboutLowes/AnnualReports/annual_report_11/includes/pdfs/Lowes_2011_Annual_Report.pdf 

Lowe's. 2012. "2011 Form 10-K." Accessed April 27, 2012.  http://www.lowes.com/AboutLowes/AnnualReports/annual_report_11/includes/pdfs/Lowes_Form10K.pdf 

Yahoo! Finance. 2012. "Home improvement stores." Accessed April 27, 2012.  http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/736.html

Fictional Company and Branding

Effective branding means that a company is able to extend a consistent, compelling and effective image and vibe over to the entire firm and along its products. Sometimes the branding of a product will be identical to the exact branding of the entire company: sometimes a company will need to select and develop distinctive branding for all of its products. The best course of action really does depend on the product that needs to be sold.

Consider the following situation: Procter and Gamble has a particular stream-lined image of professionalism, perfection, science and cutting edge research behind their brand name. However, they still represent a range of many different kinds of brands, all of which have their own unique look, objective and ability. For example, Procter and Gamble is has both Head and Shoulders along with Dolce Gabbana as products and brands that they represent and…

References

Stine, G. (n.d.). The Nine Principles of Branding. Retrieved from Polaris-inc.com: http://www.polaris-inc.com/assets/pdfs/9_principles_of_branding.pdf

Heinz Company

orn in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania (just north of Pittsburgh) in 1844, Henry John Heinz was selling surplus foodstuffs from his mother's garden at the age of 8, and by the time he turned 12 he was working his own 31/2-acre plot of land. Although Heinz was a bricklayer by profession (starting out in his father's brickyard and then moving on to operate his own brick factory), he was also a local purveyor of bottled horseradish. The pungent spice was valued both as an appetite-sharpening condiment and for its medicinal qualities, but it was available only in root form, and its preparation required tedious and time-consuming grinding in the kitchen. Anticipating the nascent processed food market, Heinz went door-to-door peddling ready-to-use horseradish, packaged in clear glass bottles to demonstrate its lack of fillers and impurities.

H.J. Heinz Company, commonly known as just Heinz, famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan, was…

By 1972, sales had reached the billion-dollar mark. In 2001 Heinz paid $57 million to have the new home of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team dubbed Heinz Field. Today, Heinz sells more than 1,300 products worldwide ranging from ketchup to baby food and canned seafood.

CEO Bill Johnson took the helm in 1998, and the Heinz veteran immediately began implementing numerous changes in order to turn the bloated, poorly disciplined conglomerate around. It has taken some time to get the company moving in the right direction, but Johnson, and the managerial resources he has brought on board, seems to be working. He has adopted a low-risk strategy of growth in the four core businesses of ketchup, condiments and sauces; meals and snacks; infant nutrition; and foodservice. It is part of their commitment to become a faster-growing, more focused company.

Heinz is a global marketing-oriented, U.S.-based food powerhouse, with a world-class portfolio of powerful brands holding number-one and number-two market positions in more than 50 countries. The Heinz brand is a $2.5 billion global icon and Heinz's top-15 power brands account for two-thirds of annual sales. Heinz is a leader in ketchup, condiments and sauces, selling worldwide in 140 counties. Heinz's line up of "meal enhancers" are number-one and it offers an expansive range of tomato

Arrow Company and Plume Inc. atio Analysis

Arrow Company and Plume Inc. Financial atio Computations

atio

Computation

Arrow Company

Computation

Plume Inc.

ate of eturn on Equity (OE)

$610,000/$2,189,200

$887,000/$2,682,000

eturn on Assets

$610,000/$3,855,700

$887,000/$4,477,500

Gross Margin

$1,720,000/$4,175,000

$2,117,000/$4,705,000

Inventory Turnover

$2,550,000/$435,000

$2,800,000/$595,000

The Collection Period

$380,000/($4,175,000/365)

$585,500/($4,705,000/365)

Fixed Asset Turnover

$4,175,000/1,695,000

$4,705,000/$2,512,000

Debt to Assets atio

$1,601,500/$3,855,700

$1,790,500/$4,477,500

Debt to Equity atio

$1,601,500/$2,189,200

$1,790,500/$2,682,000

Current atio

$2,105,700/$845,500

$1,940,500/$1,375,000

Acid Test

($2,105,700 - $435,000)/$845,500

($1,940,500 - $595,000)/$1,375,000

Analysis: Interpretation

From the ratios computed in Table 1 above, it may be possible to tell which company is in better financial health than the other. To begin with, we can use a number of ratios computed in the table above to measure the success of the two entities at profit generation. Looking at the companies' rate of return on equity, it is clear that shareholders of Plume Inc. earn much more than…

References

Albrecht, W.S., Stice, E.K. & Stice, J.D. (2010). Financial Accounting (11th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Needles, B.E. & Powers, M. (2010). Financial Accounting (11th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Rich, J.S., Jones, J.P., Heitger, D.L., Mowen, M.M. & Hansen, D.R. (2011). Cornerstones of Financial & Managerial Accounting (2nd ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Ryan, B. (2004). Finance and Accounting for Business. Bedford Row, London: Thomson Learning.

Amazon and eBay. Both companies were among the first movers into the Internet. Amazon opened the doors to its online store in July, 1995 and completed its initial public offering in 1997. eBay was also founded in 1995 and went public in 1998. These two companies have always been among the leaders in e-commerce. Amazon began with a focus on books and music. It soon expanded its product lines significantly to become a general merchandiser. Amazon is also an intermediary for third party vendors. eBay has always played the intermediary role. Unlike Amazon, where goods are offered for sale, eBay has used an auction platform in order to move its goods, taking a fee on the sale. Both companies remain as industry leaders. Amazon has withstood challenges from leading bricks and mortar retailers to remain as the number one vendor on the Internet (Internet Retailer, 2012). eBay has struggled to…

Works Cited:

Amazon.com website, various pages. Retrieved December 4, 2012 from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97664&p=irol-faq#6986

Asay, M. (2012). PayPal is bleeding market share and it's all eBay's fault. The Register Retrieved December 4, 2012 from  http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/18/ebay_paypal/ 

Bosman, J. (2012). The bookstore's last stand. New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2012 from  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/business/barnes-noble-taking-on-amazon-in-the-fight-of-its-life.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 

eBay website, various pages. Retrieved December 4, 2012 from  http://www.ebayinc.com/history

04

1,204.52

1,264.15

1,060.36

Accounts receivable

1,892.39

1,855.93

1,953.50

2,033.68

2,125.03

Other receivables net

Net eceivables

Inventories

2,417.37

2,629.60

2,502.83

2,431.84

2,526.98

Assets held for sale

Discontinued operations

Other current assets

Income Taxes

Prepaid expenses

Subtotal

5,063.31

5,137.28

5,041.29

5,026.67

5,274.03

Total Current Assets

6,083.35

6,121.94

6,245.81

6,290.82

6,334.40

LIABILITIES

Accounts payable

2,170.42

2,236.14

2,194.42

2,220.41

2,337.33

Accrued liabilities

1,326.44

1,198.68

1,274.71

1,414.72

1,437.94

Compensation

Shortterm debt

Other current liabilities

Income & other taxes

Deferred income

Cash dividends payable

Total Current Liabilities

3,759.82

3,933.80

3,907.24

4,074.28

4,205.46

Working Capital

2.223.83

2.128.94

As being revealed in Table 5, the working capital ratio from 1.53 in 2011 to 1.58 in 2012 revealing the company is growing strong in term of its working capital.

Table 5: Staples Working Capital atio

Nov. 3, 2012

Aug. 3, 2012

May 3, 2012

Feb. 3, 2012

Nov. 3, 2011

Y / Y Current Liabilities Growth

-10.6%

Y…

Ethics, Corporate Governance and Company Social esponsibility

OCED state-owned enterprises and Privatized companies

In the past few decades, emerging economies have launched ambitious plans to privatize their state owned enterprises (SOEs). The volume of privatization in emerging economies has increased from $8 billion in 1990 to about $65 billion in 1997 (Dharwadkar, George, & Brandes, 2000). In privatization, ownership is transferred from the state to new private and public owners, which may include management, employees, local individuals, institutions, and foreign investors, with the state also retaining a certain percentage of ownership after privatization. The new diversified ownership structure after privatization makes corporate governance an important issue in emerging economies (ajagopalan and Zhang, 2008).

On the one hand, the new ownership structure creates the traditional principal agency problem whereby self-interested executives aim to maximize their private interests rather than the owners' interests. To address this problem, it is necessary to design…

References

Aman, H. And Nguyen, P. (2008). Do stock prices re-ect the corporate governance quality of Japanese "rms" Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 22(4), 647 -- 662.

Buchanan, J. And Deakin, S. (2007). Japan's paradoxical response to the new "Global Standard" in corporate governance. Accessed on October 12, 2011 from  http://ssrn.com/abstract=1013286 

Dharwadkar, R., George, G., & Brandes, P. (2000). Privatization in emerging economies: An agency theory perspective. Academy of Management Review, 25(3), 650-669.

Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs. (2005). Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises: OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises. Accessed on October 14, 2011 from:  http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/51/34803211.pdf

Winsome Manufacturing Company

Describe the possible risk events for the project. Identify the high probability, high-impact risk events. For each of those risk events, identify the possible actions to mitigate the risk.

According to the case, Winsome Manufacturing Company operates along with its sister concern with various functional units divided between the two entities. The sister concern of Winsome Manufacturing Company is primarily a unit that deals with purchasing products from outsourced manufacturers, brand the products, educate the sales representative about the product and market it to the final target market, which are home consumers through home sales event. The sales department is also responsible for forecasting sales, pricing, monitoring sales, identifying new markets and bringing in new products into product line.

There is little chance that any project in the corporate sector is a completely risk free project. Given that a project consumes some degree of investment and scarce…

References

Burkholder, N.C., Edwards, P.J., & Sartain, L. (Eds.). (2004). On Staffing: Advice and Perspectives from Hr Leaders. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Retrieved September 24, 2011, from Questia database:  http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=114932019 

Culp, C.L. (2001). The Risk Management Process: Business Strategy and Tactics. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved September 24, 2011, from Questia database:  http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=108847651 

Doherty, N.A. (2000). Integrated Risk Management: Techniques and Strategies for Managing Corporate Risk. New York: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved September 24, 2011, from Questia database:  http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=116734954

ith respect to footwear lines, the industry is segmented. The segments are often by sport, with Classic being a non-sport addition. The leading sport is running/jogging, which was worth $3.16 billion in 2008; classic was second with $1.98 billion and kids was third with $1.78 billion. Sport-specific segments, including tennis, basketball, soccer, skate/surf, outdoor/adventure and sports sandals are smaller, but can be high growth segments. Many of these segments are intensely competitive and the major players tend to compete in all segments vigorously. Thus, while K-Swiss has attempted to carve a niche for itself, it still faces intense competition from other differentiated providers.

The industry is dominated by two major key success factors -- marketing and design. Firms in the athletic footwear industry spent billions on marketing, including endorsements deals with athletes, advertising, and securing distribution networks. For smaller firms like K-Swiss, distribution is more difficult to achieve, but it…

Works Cited:

2009 K-Swiss Annual Report. Retrieved April 2, 2011 from http://www.kswiss.com/kswiss/pdf/KSWISS_2009_AR.pdf

Marcus, M. (2009). K-Swiss run down. Forbes. Retrieved April 2, 2011 from  http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/05/kswiss-dividend-footwear-markets-equity_earnings.html 

MSN Moneycentral: K-Swiss. (2011). Retrieved April 2, 2011 from  http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/results/statemnt.aspx?symbol=KSWS 

SGMA. (2009). SGMA says sales of equipment, shoes & more exceed $66 billion. Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Retrieved April 2, 2011 from http://www.sgma.com/press/132_SGMA-Says-Sales-of-Euipment,-Shoes-%26-More-Exceed-$66-Billion

The organization places significant importance on its induction process, an assessment based on two facts. The first is the amount of money that McDonalds spends on developing formal induction systems. The second is the recognition at the corporate level that service is a critical element of their business and that with rookie employees a substantial amount of training is required for them to understand the expectations of a professional work environment -- McDonalds has to be good at training or their store will not function well at all.

McDonalds has not noted any major problems with its induction system, but it is always working to improve its systems. The extensive use of e-training is something that reflects the company's commitment to constantly improving its induction processes. The induction system at McDonald's is highly successful. The company is a certified trainer in Australia, a reflection of its commitment to the highest…

Works Cited:

Business Week: Today Corp. (2011). Retrieved November 3, 2011 from  http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=24113982 

Computerworld. (2006). McDonalds rolls out online recruitment. Computerworld Retrieved November 3, 2011 from  http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/152239/mcdonalds_rolls_online_recruitment/ 

No author. (2011). Training and development at McDonald's. Maccazine Kalgoorlie. Retrieved November 3, 2011 from http://www.maccazine.com.au/more-at-maccas/training-development-at-mcdonalds/

" Of these respondents, over 50% of them stated that they lack a disaster recovery plan (Anthes, 1998). However, most of the problems stem from the lack of communication at the corporate level. (Hawkins, et al., 2000).

Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and other forms of strategic planning are no longer a luxury, but a must-have factor and an important element of any organisation's risk management system. Organisations are increasingly dependent upon it systems and infrastructure and eventually subjected to many risks, so business is inherently risky. How long can your organisation afford system downtime? How long does it take to recover a disaster; and, what does it cost? These kinds of questions are the ones that have to be addressed for BCPs. Also important, however, is using strategic planning to look toward the future and determine where a business wants to be at a specific point, so that plans to…

References

Theoretical

Bolman, LG & Deal, TE (1997). Reframing Organisations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership, 2nd ed, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Bowden, P (1985). Organisation and Strategy, McGraw-Hill, Roseville.

Byrne, JA. (1996, August 26). Strategic Planning. BusinessWeek.  http://www.businessweek.com/1996/35/b34901.htm .

While the first chapter was brief, it is important to explain what will be studied and then move forward into the literature review.

In Chapter 2, the literature review provides a review of academic literature by way of journals and textbooks. This information is placed into separate sections which allow for ease of understanding. An introduction is made to capital structure, and information is given on the Indian capital structure specifically.

Chapter 3, the data methodology, provides the methodology that was used for the data. The reasons behind the methodology and what was studied are both discussed.

Chapter 4, data analysis and findings, is the chapter in which the results of the data analysis are presented.

Chapter 5, the conclusion, provides not only a conclusion to the research that was conducted in this paper but questions that are left and areas for further research in the future.

Literature Review

The…

Bibliography

Baral, K.J. (2004). 'Determinants of Capital Structure: A Case Study of Listed Companies of Nepal'. The Journal of Nepalese Business Studies, Vol. 1(1).

Baral, K.J. (2004). 'Determinants of capital structure: A case study of listed'. The Journal of Nepalese Business Studies, Vol. 1(1).

Bauer, P. (2004). 'Determinants of Capital Structure Empirical Evidence from the Czech Republic'. Czech Journal of Economics and Finance .

Bellalah, M. & Wu, Z (2009). "An intertemporal capital asset pricing model under incomplete information." International Journal of Business. 1st January 2009. Downloaded from  http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-192485625.html  as at 17th September 2009.

Both are equally important. For the first, we will have company specialists describing the software development tools we used, as well as the mechanisms that are included in the development of a new module or product within the suite.

On the other hand, presenting and implementing the organizational culture of the company is equally important. Besides promoting this in day-to-day operational activities, we will also have, from time to time, people from the company upper management visiting Bucharest and presenting the mechanisms and values that the company uses.

Potential competition

The labor market for software developers in Romania is one where the competition is quite challenging, especially since it comes both from internal and external forces. Internally, we are dealing with small to medium software developing companies, generally operating for larger companies abroad or working with a bigger international client. These are generally companies that have 30-50 employees and who…

Woody's Project Management:

The Custom Woodworking Company is relatively a medium sized cabinet and furniture making firm whose headquarters are at Industrial Estates, BC. The founder began the company in 1954 following his apprenticeship as a cabinet maker before moving to the current location in 1959 together with his wife. Woody's currently manufactures custom furniture, typical kitchen and bathroom cabinets, and various wholesaler or retailer furniture products. Following its continual growth since its inception, the company has established a solid reputation for supplying millwork to the construction industry ("Background," 2000).

Project Management in the Construction Industry:

Project Management is a multi-faceted activity with numerous dimensions that are entirely based on the kind and class of project. However, regardless of the project type and class, every level of project management involves the same approach though it's only the branch and size of the activity that varies from project to project (Wideman,…

References:

"Background." (2000). Project Management Case Study: The Custom Woodworking Company

Woody 2000 Project. Retrieved December 21, 2011, from  http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/woody2000/background.htm 

Gheorghiu, F. (2008, March). Starting A PMO From Scratch: A Challenge or Unbearable

Burden? Retrieved December 21, 2011, from  http://www.pmforum.org/library/cases/2008/PDFs/Gheorghiu-3-08.pdf

16; Wilbert, 2006, p. 2)

Strategic process, planning and decision making

As confirmed by Lee Scot's words regarding the aggressive strategy followed by each Wal-Mart store (Mohideen, 2009, p. 9), even if general stream planning and decision making is still largely centralized, being undertaken at the Wal-Mart Headquarters in Arkansas (for elements such as type of products to be sold, stores to be opened or closed, financial results and objectives, etc.), for issues regarding how to battle the local competition and better respond to customer needs, planning and decision making takes place at store level, as mentioned before in the "Functions and roles of managers" chapter.

Managing by objectives is a very much used practice within Wal-Mart, regional objectives being cascaded to store level. As is to be expected, the number one objective at store level and beyond is to reduce costs as much as possible.

Human Resource Management is…

Bibliography

Adubato, S. (2008), Why Wal-Mart's Communication Fell Short, Caucus Educational Corporation, retrieved November 18th 2009 from Caucus website, at  http://www.caucusnj.org/adubato/starledger/2008/052708.asp 

Carmichael, E. (2008), Motivation and Strategies for Entrepreneurs, Lesson #1: Motivate Your Workers, retrieved November 18th 2009 from Mr. Carmichael website, at  http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/591/Lesson-1-Motivate-Your-Workers.html 

Klinger, M., Tweraser, S., (NA), Motivating front line staff for bottom line results, McKinsey, retrieved November 20th 2009 from McKinsey website, at  http://www.mckinsey.com/practices/retail/knowledge/articles/Motivatingfrontlinestaff.pdf 

Mohideen, A. (2009), Wal-Mart, A Corporate Giant or a Corporate Beast? (PowerPoint Slides), retrieved November 19th 2009 from AuthorStream website, at  http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/akmohideen-193472-wal-mart-case-study-education-ppt-powerpoint/

Value of Money

My SLP company is Wal-Mart. For me I would pay less than $100,000 for this bond, because I know that the $100,000 face value of the bond is not going to have the same purchasing power in a year as it does today. The value of the bond will therefore be less than $100,000, based on the prevailing interest rate. Wal-Mart is a company with a high amount of cash flow that is quite reliable. Thus it is not expected that Wal-Mart would pay much in the way of interest, maybe 2% per year. This implies the value of the bond would be around $98,000.

The discount rate for this bond, based on a $98,000 price, would be 2.04%, as calculated by ($100,000 -- 98,000) / 98000. This reflects the return that the bond offers to the investor.

Target is a company in the same industry as…

Build an expectation model through the focus groups that will be used for Step 2 (below).

Using data from the focus groups, further hone the CVM approach to a dual qualitative and quantitative approach to very select clients (database will be purchased); send out survey with goal of at least 10% returns. Provide small incentive (cash, coupon or gift card approach to encourage participation).

Analyze data, use data to rehone the value relationship that these clients want, encouraging feedback for future strategic decisions (Farace, 2007).

Conclusions - Value means many things to many people at all income and demographic / psychographic levels. Certainly, no one wants to pay more than they have to for a particular project. However, certain items flow well into good value, CarnivorTrue, being ideal. If we use a CVM value table for the product, we find that Watts' ideas are valid and with research focus, appropriate…

REFERENCES

Luxury Brands: Marketing the Upscale During a Downturn. (November 12, 2008). Knowledge at Wharton Marketing. Retrieved from:  http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2091 

Caldwell, L. (a) (September 9, 2008). Client Value Management, Customer Value Management, and What is Value? Knowing and Making. Retrieved from:  http://www.knowingandmaking.com/2008/09/client-value-management-customer-value.html 

____. (b) (August 9, 2008). Business: Is CVM the new CRM? Eacademy. Retrieved from:  http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=109905 

Farace, V. (2007). Measuring and Managing Customer Value in the Marketplace. Satmansys.com. Retrieved from: http://www.satmansys.com/downloads/Measuring%20and%20Managing%20Value%20in%20the%20Marketplace%20v2.pdf

Training and Development

Background of the Organization

Customer support is the heart and soul of any business. Excellent customer support helps the business to retain the business of old customers, and gain the business of new customers through word of mouth. Offering excellent customer service is the key to business growth and stability. In the area of customer support the importance of training and development cannot be overemphasized. Customer support is directly related to the ability to attain and maintain a competitive advantage.

No where is customer support more important than in the online world. Amazon .com is one of the biggest online retailers. Amazon began its venture on the Internet by selling only books, but soon it expanded its product offerings to more than just books and book related items. Now Amazon is one of largest retailers of general merchandise on the Internet. It has used its position as…

References

Amazon.com. 2011. Media Kit: Timeline and History. Available at: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-corporateTimeline

Bondarouk, T. And Ruel, H.J.M. 2009. "Electronic human resource management: challenges in the digital era," The International Journal of HRM, 20, pp. 505 -- 14. Available at: http://organized-change-consultancy.wikispaces.com/file/view/HR+Management.pdf 

Bondarouk, T. & Ruel, H. 2010. "Dynamics of e-learning: theoretical and practical perspectives." International Journal of Training and Development. 14 (3), pp. 149-154.

Bulut, C. & Culha, O. 2010. "The effects of organizational training on organizational commitment." International Journal of Training and Development. 14 (4), pp. 309-322.

These are what will be used to gauge whether or not the candidate qualifies for the position in terms of their education background. Therefore, there is no need for a paper and pen integrity test since a successful candidate has already passed the integrity test if they have the required education qualifications.

Question 4

I would use a structured behavior interview that is designed specifically for this particular job. This is due to the fact that the H manager position requires someone who is straight forward in terms of their behavior. Any candidate who does not present themselves well and fails the structured behavior interview does not qualify for the position since they are not up to the challenge that the job entails. Therefore the structured behavior interview is quite essential for anyone who is interviewing for the job position (Heneman, Judge, & Kammeyer-Muller, 2012).

Question 5

I will use…

References

Heneman, H.G, Judge, T.A, & Kammeyer-Muller, J.D. (2012). FYI text book is Staffing Organizations (7th ed) .

Spoden, C.M.(2012). EEOC Guidance to Avoid Negligent Hiring.Retrieved july 25,2013 from  http://www.stites.com/news/763/eeoc-guidance-to-avoid-negligent-hiring

Woody's Case

Woody's

The background of this case is relatively straightforward, despite the complexities of the described project's ultimate failure. The younger generation of the company's leadership wanted to see Woody's, a manufacturing concern, enlarged so it could take a greater market share and respond to increases in demand. While these goals might have been laudable in a general sense, the project suffered from a great deal of lack of foresight and planning, major communication issues among the various project leaders and designers, and an overall lack of control that led to many expenditures, a significant loss in productivity, and a near-total failure that had a negative impact on morale and company loyalty. No one acted with malicious intent or even laziness in order to lead to the outcome in the attempted expansion project, but a lack of expertise and over-ambition caused a failure nonetheless.

The solution to this problem…

Balanced Scorecard

The company that I am going to study is Google. This company makes most of its money from online advertising. hile it has a wide range of different services and products -- Android and Chrome being to prominent ones -- advertising is where it makes its money. The mission of Google is to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" (Google.com, 2013). The company does not have an explicit vision statement. It competes on a differentiated strategy. This means that it seeks to sell more ads than its competitors by delivering the most eyeballs, but also by being able to provide significant data about those eyeballs. Google sells ads, therefore, by allowing its customer to better target their ads, something that adds value. Competing on value-added is typically associated with a differentiated strategy.

Google has a rather exceptional financial situation, in that it is…

Works Cited:

MSN Moneycentral. (2013). Google. Retrieved April 30, 2013 from  http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/stock-balance-sheet/?stmtView=Qtr&symbol=GOOG 

Google.com. (2013). About Google. Google.com. Retrieved April 30, 2013 from  http://www.google.com/about/company/ 

Forbes. (2013). Best companies to work for 2013. Forbes. Retrieved April 30, 2013 from  http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/best-companies/2013/snapshots/1.html 

Stewart, J. (2013). Looking for a lesson in Google's perks. New York Times Retrieved April 30, 2013 from  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/business/at-google-a-place-to-work-and-play.html?pagewanted=all

obert ay Courtney

Case Background

In 1998, One of obert Courtney's sales employees, Eli Lilly, noticed inconsistencies between the quantity of the cancer drug Gemzar that Courtney shipped in and the amount he sold. Lilly upon investigation of the issue was unsuccessful in unearthing any evidence of illegality and concluded the issue without further action. Two years later, Eli mentioned the issue to a medical practitioner who worked in the same building who was also a customer. This medical practitioner, working as an oncologist took a sample of the medication for testing and the results revealed that the prescription was diluted, she notified authorities. It is estimated that Courtney diluted almost 100,000 prescriptions between 1990 and 2001, which were administered to over 4000 patients. In 2002, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to 20 counts of tampering and adulterating the chemotherapy drugs Taxol and Gemzar.…

Reference

Draper, R. (2003, June 8). The Toxic Pharmacist. New York Times. .

Montgomery, R., & Stearns, M. (2001, August 15). Pharmacist's supporters describe 'compassionate,' 'honorable' man. The Kansas City Star.

New York Times. (2002, December 6). 30-Year Sentence For Druggist. New York Times.

Southeast Missourian. (2001, August 20). Pharmacist Filled Niche Market. Southeast Missourian.

M.I.S. And S. ubway ackground

Importance of M.I.S in Contemporary Society

Technology has indeed gone far in influencing the lives of many people. With the different innovations that were born out of technology, the daily living of the society seems to have been touched by technology. One element of technology that greatly affects our society is Management Information Systems (MIS).

Management Information System has been a part of the many activities in our daily lives. For instance, every time we use our ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) cards, we may not be aware that management information system works for us to help us withdraw money. Or, in the hospital, we can see how hospital staffs can easily retrieve our hospital records just by asking our name and typing it in the computer. Moreover, when you use your fare card to ride a metro train or a bus, do you wonder how…

Bibliography

Rosenthal, Kelli. A Vital Sign of the Time: CIS Software

Nursing Management Journal, April 2004, pp 75-76.

Subway. Subway Online. http://www.subway.com

Management Information Systems. Wikipedia Online. http://www.fact-index.com/m/ma/management_information_systems.html

Globalisation has presented business organisations with an opportunity to do business internationally. Today, multinational corporations (MNCs) are prevalent, with many commanding immense power in the global marketplace. Nonetheless, operating in the global scene is usually not a straightforward undertaking. The global business environment presents numerous complexities, which MNCs must effectively deal with if they are to be successful (Noorderhaven and Harzing, 2003).

One of the major complexities MNCs face relate to human resource management (HRM). Indeed, managing human resources in the international context can be a daunting task. This is particularly because of considerable cultural, institutional, economic, and political differences across countries (Thite, Wilkinson and Shah, 2012). National (country-of-origin) characteristics tend to influence how MNCs behave in the host country. They influence not only corporate strategy, but also the kind of HRM practices MNCs adopt in the host country (Sethi and Elango, 1999; Yu, Park and Cho, 2007; Cox, 2014;…

Despite the company's name Horace Hagedorn and his family controlled the business. By 1995, Miracle-Gro became America's leading brand name in gardening.

The Hagedorn family emerged as Scotts' leading shareholders, holding over one-third of the stock. In 1996, CEO Theodore Host was ousted by Horace Hagedorn and the Scotts' board of directors. Host was replaced by Charles M. Berger, a former Miracle-Gro director, who was also made president and chairman of the board of Scotts. Horace Hagedorn's son, James, was promoted to the head of all U.S. business.

Other Risks

In recent years Scotts has been aggressively expanding its LawnService business and has began to explore the possibility of expanding its brands into other segments such as potted plants, pottery, watering equipment and garden tools. The threat of EPA suits brought against the company by large governmental entities is very real and diversification is important to steady the high risk…

Works Cited

Corporate Watch, Scotts: A Corporate Profile. 2006. Website http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=367.

Cuomo, Andrew. The Secret Hazards of Pesticides. Office of the New York State Attorney General, Environmental Protection Bureau, (Audit Report E1EPF1-05-0117-1100378, Sept. 27, 1991) 1996.

Pederson, J.P. The Scotts Company, International Directory of Company Histories, 22:474-476. 1998.