Growth Strategy Essays (Examples)

Growth Strategies and Handling a Downsizing:

As a seasoned marketing veteran, Mr. Terry Wilson has decided to examine growth options for an importer of Italian furniture known as Tuscan Treasures. This imitative by Mr. Terry Wilson has largely been fueled by the recent decline in profits for the company. As part of his examination, Mr. Wilson seeks to identify the possible causes of the decline and whether downsizing or expansion could be the most suitable measure to improve the situation.

Possible Growth Strategies:

If Mr. Wilson and Tuscan Treasures choose to either downsize or expand the business, some of the possible growth strategies would include:

Evaluation of the Core Business:

As one of the customer-focused growth strategies, the evaluation of the overall performance of the core business involves analyzing and benchmarking profitability, revenue growth rate, and the company's reputation with the most important customers (Liabotis, 2007). The evaluation of the…

References:

Jennings, D.K. (2008, July 31). When Company Downsizing and Layoffs Become Necessary.

Retrieved January 16, 2012, from http://www.hrtools.com/benefits_and_compensation/insights/when_company_downsizing_and_layoffs_become_necessary.aspx

Liabotis, B. (2007, August). Three Strategies for Achieving and Sustaining Growth. Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved from  http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/strategy/three-strategies-for-achieving-and-sustaining-growth

Branding & Product-Market Expansion

Corporate Branding and Product-Market Expansion

Growth strategies developed within companies vary according to the nature and dynamics of the market or industry that the company's products and services are competing in. Different strategies are utilized, such as increasing market penetration, undergoing a market expansion, implementing vertical integration, or developing innovative/creative ideas for the market/industry. In the market of consumer goods and services, a prevalent practice and the strategy that has proven to be economically viable and effective in strengthening corporate branding is through product-market expansion.

In product-market expansion, the company increases its growth through the development and launch of additional products and services that are still categorized under the corporate brand but extends the company's scope by expanding or adding more markets apart from the existing markets that the company already operates in. In product-market expansion, the company thinks about the specific market that it wants…

As an environmentally friendly fossil fuel, and a mainstay of much of the world for energy, the natural gas trade is one of huge growth potential. To exploit that growth, BASF has increased pipelines to nearly 2,000 kilometers in Europe, and uses Western Europe's largest natural gas storage facility (BASF, 47). By increasing their pipelines and storage capacity, BASF plans to use this market for even higher future growth.

There can be no question that BASF uses its non-cyclical products as a mainstay of growth, as can be seen through a comparison of the divisions' revenue in 2002. In total, oil and gas sales in 2002 were higher than in any other BASF division (BASF, 46). In comparison, the sales of agricultural products, typically cyclical in nature, were the lowest in the same year (BASF, 43). Additionally, in 2000, BASF announced their intention to increase their market share of non-cyclical…

References

BASF. Annual Report 2002. Germany: BASF Aktiengesellschaft, 2002.

BASF. "About Us." BASF: North America. 2006. 12 Dec. 2006.  http://www.basf.com/corporate/aboutbasfindex.html .

BBC News. "Finland's Paper Strike Rumbles On." 23 June 2005. 12 Dec. 2006.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4124040.stm .

IAL Consultants. Polyurethane Additive Markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa. United Kingdom: Business Research Group, 2006.

Strategy Mapping & the Learning and Growth Perspective

Learning and growth is the fourth category of the balanced scorecard, which makes up the basis of any strategy. In this perspective, there is establishment of the employee capabilities, skills, technology, and a corporate environment to support a strategy. There are several objectives identified by Cattaraugus ehabilitation Center Mission (CCM) in an attempt to improve their learning and growth. These include (i) recruit, orient, manage, develop and retain personnel, (ii) Utilize technology to progress the organization's information systems and (iii) Promote, train and practice the organization's culture (Kaplan and Norton, 1992).

Objective

Measure

Target

Action

ecruit, orient, manage, develop and retain personnel

The turnover rates

Attract the best employees in an attempt to achieve sustainability

Develop a motivated and satisfied employee

Utilize technology to improve and progress the organization's information systems

The number of staff who successfully complete training

Incorporation of technology…

References

Kaplan, R., & Norton, D. (1992). The balanced scorecard: Measures that drive performance.

Harvard Business Review, 70(1), 71-79.

Martello, M., Watson, G.J., & Fischer, J.M. (2008). Implementing a balanced scorecard in a not-for-profit organization. Journal of business & economics research, 6(9), 67-80.

Strategy Mapping

Please title Case 4 I attached Previous 3 Papers (Case1-3) Explain process strategy mapping relates performance management establishing propositions. You discuss theoretically Glacier Inn case study presented Armitage Scholey (2009) document readings serve integrating ideas.

Strategy mapping, performance management and establishing value propositions

Virtually all organizations today have some sort of defined 'strategy' which they are ostensibly attempting to put into action -- but merely articulating strategy is not enough. Executing the strategy is the critical often-forgotten element. Following through, organizations often face roadblocks, both internal and external. A strategy map sets "appropriate overriding objectives in a corporate setting" and is intent upon "establishing a dominant value proposition that will set the direction for achieving those objectives, and "using that proposition to guide the selection of critical financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth strategies" (Armitage & Scholey 2006: 4).

Analysis

Although strategy mapping shares many similarities…

Reference

Armitage, H., Scholey, C., (2006). Using strategy maps to drive performance. Society of Mgt.

Accountants of Canada. Retrieved from:

 http://www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/Tech_MAG_Strategy_Mapping_March07.pdf

Strategy mapping is an approach to strategy implementation that flows from the balanced scorecard approach to formulation and measurement. Strategy mapping allows for a clearer understanding of the dynamics of strategy to be understood, especially at the implementation level. The framework was developed in order to do three things. These are to set appropriate objectives, establish a dominant value proposition, and then find critical strategies that support that position. The strategies relate to the four different elements of the balanced scorecard (Armitage & Scholey, 2006). Murby and Gould (2005) reinforce the idea that the balanced scorecard does not directly address strategy formulation, so the strategy mapping process acts as the set of guidelines for formulation in light of the findings of the balanced scorecard development process.

Strategic Mapping Process

Armitage and Scholey (2006) outline the six steps of strategy mapping. The first step is to specify an overriding objective, the…

References

Armitage, H. & Scholey, C. (2006). Using strategy maps to drive performance. Management Strategy Measurement. Retrieved November 16, 2013 from  http://www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/Tech_MAG_Strategy_Mapping_March07.pdf 

Murby, L. & Gould, S. (2005). Effective performance management with the balanced scorecard. Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. Retrieved November 16, 2013 from  http://www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/Tech_rept_Effective_Performance_Mgt_with_Balanced_Scd_July_2005.pdf 

Treacy, M. & Wiersema, F. (1993). Customer intimacy and other value disciplines. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved November 16, 2013 from  http://hbr.org/1993/01/customer-intimacy-and-other-value-disciplines

The country has traditionally relied on growing its workforce as a means of increasing its economic capabilities. hile Hong Kong has done the same in the past, its policy has diverged at this point. Faced with an influx of labour from the PRC, Hong Kong now faces a situation where it needs to focus on bringing in high-end labour, rather than the unskilled labour that is currently flooding in. Singapore shares a similar need, but has less space for new arrivals. A more open border with Johor Bahru on the mainland gives Singapore the ability to house labour out of the country that Hong Kong does not enjoy, but could encourage businesses to relocate there as well, to Malaysia's benefit.

Singapore has also focused on trade more than Hong Kong has. Traditionally, Singapore has adopted a role as a trade hub, where Hong Kong was a finance and insurance hub.…

Works Cited:

CEDB. (no date). Home page. Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong. Retrieved March 15, 2013 from  http://www.cedb.gov.hk/about/index.htm 

Chen, S. (2013). Singapore GDP growth beats initial estimate as Asia recovers. Bloomberg. Retrieved March 15, 2013 from  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-22/singapore-economy-expanded-more-than-expected-in-fourth-quarter.html 

Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. (2009). Hong Kong's growth strategy linked to six new industries. Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Canada. Retrieved March 15, 2013 from  http://www.hketotoronto.gov.hk/newsletters/hkn0910/policy.htm 

Lim, L. (2008). Singapore's economic growth model -- too much or too little? University of Michigan. Retrieved March 15, 2013 from  http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/ecs/scape/doc/24Oct08/Linda%20Lim.pdf

Small Business Growth

Achieving the desired organizational growth is a dream most organizations aspire to realize. Organizational growth entails an increase in the total productivity, sustainability, and competitiveness in the marketplace. Organizational behaviors such as the adoption of the desired culture, leadership style, and effective management of the employees ensure the realization of the desired organizational growth. However, environmental factors such as the adoption of the new technology, constantly changing consumer demands, and stiff competition make the realization process a challenge. Despite these, adoption of the most effective interventions often enables organizations to achieve their objectives (Neale & McElroy, 2004). Therefore, this research paper analyzes a case that involves a small business owner (Kelly) who plans to expand her business.

Analysis

Kelly should take some steps while organizing and prioritizing her business growth strategies. Mrs. Kelly should consider involving the employees of her business in the planning and prioritization of…

References

Arriola, L.R. (2012). Multi-ethnic coalitions in Africa: Business financing of opposition election campaigns. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Cinnamon, R., & Helweg-Larsen, B. (2006). How to understand business finance. London: Kogan Page.

Dlabay, L.R., & Burrow, J. (2007). Business finance. Mason, Ohio: South-Western.

Neale, B., & McElroy, T. (2004). Business finance: A value-based approach. Harlow [u.a.: Prentice Hall.

Strategic Mapping & the Learning and Growth Perspective

The execution of a strategy in an effective manner is a crucial factor to success and survival of organization and businesses. Despite of the significance of effective implementation of strategy, very few companies and businesses are actually successful in executing their own strategies. Generally, many companies continue to fall short of their own expectations and those of others when executing their strategies. One of the major reasons for the relative poor execution of strategies is the seeming inability by organizational leaders to communicate their vision in a manner that others can participate and contribute to its achievement. Even though many companies have clearly defined procedures for developing strategic plans, there is usually a major disconnect between formulation and implementation stages of strategy. This paper will mainly focus on explaining the strategy mapping process and its link to performance management and the development…

References:

Armitage, H.M. & Scholey, C. (2006, March). Using Strategy Maps to Drive Performance.

Retrieved December 29, 2013, from  http://www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/Tech_MAG_Strategy_Mapping_March07.pdf 

DiCenso, C. (2004, June). Build Your Strategy Map and Balanced Scorecard. Retrieved December 29, 2013, from  http://www.growthstrategypartners.com/about/balancedscorecard-july04.htm 

Murby, L. & Gould, S. (2005, July). Effective Performance Management with the Balanced

Valve Corp

The central problem is to determine a strategy going forward for Valve Corporation. The company is the market leader in its space, but needs to consider how to either expand this business or enter new ones. Growth is the major strategic objective for Valve at present. The company can also place emphasis on reinforcing its competitive advantages, but this leaves it vulnerable to changes in its industry space, and given the size of some of the competitors such changes could ultimately be unfavorable to Valve. So expanding the business and building out new opportunities seems like it should be the main strategic priority for Valve.

There are two central opportunities for Valve. The first is international expansion, bringing its platform to audiences around the world. Predominantly a U.S.-based business, Valve can grow quickly if it is able to establish its business either in Asia or in Europe. The…

Strategy Management

Current Situation

Home Depot is a "category killer" retailer, selling supplies for home and garden. Home Depot operates with a cost leadership strategy, as it seeks to use its buying power in particular to offer customers a low price. Home Depot also incorporates a service element to its business model, something it hopes will give it a competitive advantage. Home Depot is currently undergoing a change in terms of its structure and culture, and this has caused some disruption. That said, Home Depot is the second-largest retailer in America behind Wal-Mart and has experienced strong sales improvements during the Nardelli years.

The competitive situation is intense. Home Depot is a dominant competitor in the industry, but faces strong competition from Lowe's, which is almost the same size. These two competitors operate as something of a duopoly, although in other businesses there are specialist firms that are strong competitors.…

Growth Opportunities

Discuss the challenges of values-based business decision making ethics in the current marketplace.

A values-based business decision is focusing on how ethical practices will influence the actions of the firm, their relationship with customers and its long-term impacts on the brand name. This can provide organizations with the tools they need to become more competitive and it enables clients to offer them with something more. In the future, this helps an organization to be able to stand out and offer stakeholders with something more. (Khanna, 2010) (McMurrian, 2006)

However, there are challenges associated with using this basic approach in the current marketplace. The most notable include: added costs and creating a congruent strategy. In the case of added costs, the use of this model has been shown to increase the amounts of training and time discussing why ethics are important to staff members and managers. The basic idea…

References

Aslund, A. (2012). The U.S. Should Establish Normal Trade Relations. Washington: Peterson International

Economics.

Khanna, T. (2010). Winning in the Emerging Markets. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press.

McMurrian, R. (2006). Building Customer Value. Journal of Business and Economic Research, 4 (11), 11- 18.

That can get them into a lot of trouble.

In short, uncertainty is always going to be there in the business world. Nothing is one hundred percent certain when a person is owning and operating a business. During a time when economic uncertainty is higher than normal, there is even more uncertainty that has to be addressed. Overall, though, most uncertainty falls into levels one and two. By the time it has gotten to level three the economy and industry are both struggling and it may be better not to make any exotic or unexpected changes during that time. In level four, there is no need to start creating strategy. It is simply too dangerous to consider, because it offers too large of a range of choices to be seen. When it is completely impossible to address or even determine ever reasonable option or outcome that could occur, it is…

Just as Sarbanes-Oxley legislation created significant opportunities for management consultancies, the same holds true for sustainability requirements in European nations.

In conclusion, all management consultancies are attempting to position themselves as trusted advisors to firms looking to stabilizing existing sales while growing into emerging markets. Of the five included in this analysis, all also have social media channels that are well-populated with content meant to convey their thought leadership in specific areas as well. Yet in the area of equating strategies to IT investments, the majority take the approach that more IT spending is potentially the path out of strategies not performing well. Only the Boston Consulting Group takes a more strategic view of systematic change to businesses, choosing to layer in TI after the frameworks have been created. Their legacy strengths in the BCG and Growth/Share Matrices could be the impetus for this approach. Despite that fact, Boston Consulting…

References

Greiner, L., Motamedi, K., & Jamieson, D.. (2011). New consultant roles and processes in a 24/7 world. Organizational Dynamics, 40(3), 165.

Mors, M.. (2010). Innovation in a global consulting firm: when the problem is too much diversity. Strategic Management Journal, 31(8), 841.

Klaasjan Visscher, & J. Irene A Visscher-Voerman. (2010). Organizational design approaches in management consulting. Management Decision, 48(5), 713-731.

Strategy Formulation: Evaluating Efficiency and Effectiveness

For any business to continued growing over time it must balance the strategic formulation of its business model with the implementation of strategies (Buttner, 2006). There is however, an inherent conflict between strategic formulation on the one hand, or effectiveness, and the implementation of strategies, or efficiency, on the other. As markets change and economic conditions vary by country and region, strategy formulation and implementation are forced to flex or change over time to keep serving customers and generating revenue. The intent of this analysis is to explain how strategic effectiveness becomes more critical the greater the uncertainty there is in a given industry or geographic market. The effectiveness of a business must also be based on a solid foundation of agility and market focus (Dandira, 2011). Efficiency must be increasing in speed and accuracy of execution in highly competitive markets, yet must be…

References

Bettina Buttner. (2006). Effectiveness vs. Efficiency: Growth-Accelerating Policies in a Model of Growth without Scale Effects. German Economic Review, 7(3), 297-316.

Martin Dandira. (2011). Involvement of implementers: missing element in strategy formulation. Business Strategy Series, 12(1), 30-34

Desposito, J... (2010, October). With iPad Sales Soaring, Are Netbooks Dead? Electronic Design, 58(14), 13.

Meskendahl, S.. (2010). The influence of business strategy on project portfolio management and its success - A conceptual framework. International Journal of Project Management, 28(8), 807.

In indirect
selling and marketing strategies, there are often larger sales forces to
manage the many distributors and dealers. In direct selling and marketing
models, often it is the coordination of multiple channels of distribution
including websites, direct mail, 800 numbers, and for the largest direct
accounts, sales reps. The costs of sales in a direct marketing, when
organized across multiple electronic sales and marketing channels, can be
significantly less than the indirect sales and marketing models companies
use. In summary, the growth of electronic communication, increased power
of analytics applications, and the costs of maintaining a direct versus
indirect strategy all combine to the growth of the direct marketing model.
eferences:
Arnold (2003) - Matthew Arnold. 5 Factors Driving Direct Marketing.
Marketing Management Magazine. June, 2003. Accessed from the Internet on
July 22, 2007 from location:
http://offlinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk/Misc/MMM/Features/603%20DIECT%20MAKETING%203
8-49.pdf

References:
Arnold (2003) - Matthew Arnold. 5 Factors Driving Direct Marketing.
Marketing Management Magazine. June, 2003. Accessed from the Internet on
July 22, 2007 from location:
http://offlinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk/Misc/MMM/Features/603%20DIRECT%20MARKETING%203
8-49.pdf

Strategy & Decision Making

Vision

Wal-Mart has become a global corporation. The company's primary vision focuses on a more global presence and promotion of the organization's ethical culture across global stakeholders. The company's concept of a vision statement focusing on a culture of ethics is vital in globalization. The company has embraced diversity and culture in their global operations thus leading to a competitive advantage and good reputation. By promoting a culture of ethics, Sam Walton has assisted stakeholders and customers to make informed decisions thus doing the right thing (Griffin, 2012).

Wal-Mart's mission statement focuses on quality customer service, striving for excellence and respect for individuals. Therefore, based on their core beliefs and values, the mission of the company emphasizes on the provision of daily low prices and exceptional services to customers. The company has managed to uphold their business for long because the top executives and managers work…

References

Griffin, R.W. (2012). Fundamentals of management. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage

Learning

Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., & Hoskisson, R.E. (2009). Strategic management: Competitiveness and globalization. Mason, OH: South-Western

Husted, B., & Allen, D.B. (2011). Corporate social strategy: Stakeholder engagement and competitive advantage. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press

The primary aspect of Billy's scenario is that he has the propensity to be disruptive. I believe that this tendency of his is due to the fact that he is able to complete his work relatively quickly, the work is easy for him to accomplish, and then he becomes bored. The larger issue involved here is the fact that he evidently needs to be on an advanced track for learning, and is involved in a school in which homogenous learning occurs.

That said, Billy is one of the primary candidates to benefit from community-building -- mostly because it will allow him to apply his considerable intellect to some other aspect of academics that he has not already mastered. There are several facets of his character that make him perfect to become involved in perspective taking. He is naturally gregarious, so the essential concept of community-building is already ingrained within him.…

References

Hardin, C.J. (2012). Building Community. In C.J. Hardin, Effective Classroom Management: Models and Strategies for Today's Classroom (3rd ed., pp. 139-154). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Jankowski, K.A. (2002). "Community building: A positive approach to discipline in schools." Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. Retrieved from  http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED475324.pdf 

Kohn. (1997). I BELIEVE YOU HAVE THIS RESOURCE -- it CAME FROM YOUR PARAGRAPH

McFarland-Piazza, L., Lord, a., Smith, M., Downey, B. (2012). "The role of community-based playgroups in building relationships between pre-service teachers, families and the community." Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. 37 (2): 34-41.

For Apple, this strategy has translated into market dominance in the smartphone and tablet PC markets. The success of that company continues to underscore the inherent value in synchronizing these three elements of an HM framework, transformational leadership, and a continual supply of disruptive innovation for heavy investment in &D.

The Practicality of Agile HM Frameworks and Their Impact on Long-Term Financial Viability

The creation of an effective HM framework, continual improvement of transformational leaders and their skill sets, and the infusion of innovation can transform a company much like these approaches worked at Apple. For the majority of companies however the practicality of how best to manage these three areas and attain profitability remains a challenge. The majority of companies struggle with creating an agile HM framework that can balance the urgent need to get employees hired and accomplishing tasks quickly using transactional leadership vs. getting employees to buy…

References

Ann, G. & Pamela, D. & Jerry, W. 2008. 'Characteristics of leadership effectiveness: Implementing change and driving innovation in organizations' Human Resource Development Quarterly, vol. 19, no. 2, pp153. (Online Pro-quest)

Avolio, B. & Walumbwa, F. & Weber, T. 2009. 'Leadership: current theories, research and future directions', Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 60, no. 5, pp. 421 -- 449. (Online Pro-quest)

Brown, M. & Trevino, L. & Harrison, D. 2005. 'Ethical leadership: a social learning perspective for construct development and testing', Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 97, no. 3, pp. 117 -- 134. (Online Pro-quest)

Cshawn, B. & Dana, E. & Sims, E. & Eduardo, S. 2007. 'Trust in leadership: A multi-level review and integration'. Leadership Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 6, pp 606 (Online Pro-quest)

In 2004, it established its operations in Mexico to cash in on the high rate of diabetes in this country. Diabetes is responsible for 13 out of every 100 deaths in Mexico and Novo Nordisk expanded into this Latin American market. It also encompassed Mexico as part of its global campaign and its representatives went to schools and villages to spread awareness about the disease and the ways and means to cope with it.

The H system that was implemented in Mexico was different from the one that existed in Denmark and this was mainly due to the differences in culture, work attitude of the people and national factors that have a profound impact on the employment benefits of the workers. For example, in Denmark, every worker gets to participate in the decision making process. This is a part of the Danish culture and comes from the long-standing democracy and…

References

Shields, John. 2007. Managing employee performance and reward: concepts, practices and strategies. Boston: Cambridge University Press.

Bratton, John. 2001. Strategic Human Resource Management. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan .

Bamberger, Peter; Meshoulam, Ilan. 2000. Human Resource Strategy: Formulation, Implementation and Impact. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.

No Author. No date. Human Resources UC Berkeley. UC Berkeley. [Online]. Available at:  http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/guides/managing-hr/interaction/diversity/resources

This system has the ease of being used in any lighthouse irrespective of its current lighting and power systems. Due to this, Vega is the sole company in the world having such advanced technological and optical competencies. Through the system, all the beacons installed can be monitored from a central location, thereby reducing the quantity of false call outs and identifying faults which require manual attention.

Considering the Total Cost of Ownership -- TCO Vega's product offer a low TCO as their IT products recover the average cost of $30,000 for installation since it reduces the $1,250 per hour helicopter-assisted maintenance. The computer-managed systems have to be fail-proof as any type of false call could cost up to $3,500. This system manufactured by Vega uses the interactive technology capable of permitting technicians to switch lights on or off from a remote location. Vega enjoys economies of scale as it has…

References

Vega Industries Ltd.: A History" (May, 2004)

Case Study- Given by client

These new customers of the optimal industry are looking for their own long-term competitive advantage through better alignment and direction of their own resources.

Differences between competitors are significant and aligned more on quality and customization of products than on price or aggressive discounting and the use of promotions. As a result, price elasticity is a permanent factor of the market and also signals the use of more effective means of differentiation, including the delivery of exceptional levels of service and greater levels of product customization expertise.

Supplier Power

In the optimal industry there are also an abundance of suppliers, each with highly differentiated and highly efficient supply chains of their own, all ensuring perfectly filled orders. The supply chain then is the greatest competitive differentiator of the industry from the manufacturing and fulfillment perspective.

The highly unique approach to service that is provided by suppliers also focuses on the…

References

Porter (1990) - Competitive Advantage of Nations. Harvard Business Review. March, April, 1990 Edition of Harvard Business Review. Dr. Michael Porter.

Figure 1:

Porters' Five Forces Model

With four newer plants able to produce higher qualities and quantities of products at more efficient rates all scheduled to come online within the next decade (and with two of these expected to be operational in the next few years), this area of the business is almost certain to become unprofitable for Lockwood.

The timber land that the company holds, however, is still quite valuable, though according to the consultants (and logic) it is most valuable as a source of controllable raw materials for the actual product-manufacturing end of the forest product division's operations. At the same time, the consultants suggest that the value of the timber land will increase dramatically over the next decade, and if this asset can be held with minimal carrying costs while the rest of the forest products division is sold immediately this would be ideal, as the timber gains in value while the paper…

Consistency, coupled by approval generates legitimacy. A government system is only legitimate if it receives the support of plural citizens. Therefore, a good example is Hosni Mubarak's one party, which was illegitimate. Any policy enjoying the majority approval of the citizens is said to be a legitimate policy. In this context, the United States invasion into Iraq has been perceived as illegitimate. This is not because many citizens of Iraq disapproved the policy but also due to the fact that majority of the Arabs recorded substantial support. As the global military utility continues to decline, a country perceived as consistent and legitimate will encounter minimal resistance from the new Arab world while the U.S. continues to execute its policies.

The occurrence of the Second World War is reflected from the relations between the American grand strategy and the initial existence of the realism, constructivism, and liberalism. Moreover, it is evident…

Reference List

Betts, Richard K. Is Strategy an Illusion?

International Security 25, no. 2 (2000): 5-50.

Grant, Robert M., and Judith Jordan. Foundations of Strategy. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley and Sons, 2012.

Gray, Colin. Why Strategy is Difficult. Joint Forces Quarterly, Summer 1999, 6-12.

Samsung's Marketing Strategy

Marketing management is an important component for the success and profitability of a company in its respective industry or market. Samsung, a South Korean company, has faced intense competition from Apple and other smartphone companies across the globe. Since 2014, Samsung's profit and market share have significantly declined due to intense competition from Apple and Chinese players. However, Samsung has experienced tremendous profitability and increased in the past year because of the adoption of new strategies. According to Jung -- a (2016), Samsung Electronics predicted its best quarterly results in over two years in June 2016. The company experienced increased profitability at a time when the smartphone sector or industry was characterized by declining sales. While Apple, LG Electronics, and Chinese players struggled to cope with the decreased demand for smartphones, Samsung enjoyed high margins of operating profits estimated at $7bn for the June 2016 quarter (Jung-a,…

International Strategies

Whole Foods Market (WFM) is a grocery store chain that has operations in the U.S., Canada and the UK. Competitor The Fresh Market (TFM) is based only in the United States at this point. While Whole Foods is substantially bigger, these two companies are close competitors of one another based on the similarity of their product lines and their target markets. This paper will analyze the strategic tactics of each of these companies, based on their respective growth strategies.

The Merger & Evaluation

By 2007, Whole Foods was becoming the dominant player in the natural foods grocery business. It sought to grow further, and decided to purchase struggling competitor Wild Oats (Fineman, 2007). At the time, Whole Foods paid $18.50 in cash for each share of Wild Oats. There was concern from the Federal Trade Commission about the deal, because it put Whole Foods in a dominant position…

References

Bartz, D. (2009). Whole Foods, FTC settle on Wild Oats merger. Reuters. Retrieved November 30, 2013 from  http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/06/us-wholefoods-ftc-idUSTRE5253AL20090306 

Fineman, J. (2007). Whole Foods agrees to buy Wild Oats; profit declines. Bloomberg. Retrieved November 30, 2013 from  http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aZtDQutxeDsU 

MSN Moneycentral. (2013). Whole Foods. Retrieved November 30, 2013 from  http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/stock-price?symbol=WFM&ocid=qbes 

MSN Moneycentral. (2013). The Fresh Market. Retrieved November 30, 2013 from  http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/stock-price?symbol=TFM&ocid=qbes

Marketing

Case #8: Global Strategies

Critically evaluate Dolce & Gabbana's decision to launch 15 new stores in China

Dolce & Gabbana's decision to launch 15 new stores in China is a smart one. First, the U.S. Visa process is making it difficult for Chinese tourists to shop here, so D&G will have to take business there in order to get to those Chinese consumers who cannot buy here. Secondly, sales of luxury goods in mainland China were expected to reach $16.9 Billion dollars in 2011, which is a huge market, so G&B is going after some of those Billions. Third, G&B already has 26 stores there, so they are already known in China and G&B already know they can successfully sell in China. Fourth, they can sell a lifestyle of D&G, just as Ralph Lauren did, so that people will buy new products that support that imagined lifestyle.

As we…

Growth Techniques: The Entrepreneurs

Many entrepreneurs were born during this period of time and often used specific growth strategies that were key to their empires and their fortunes. None of them went about it in exactly the same way but it all came about to the same end. One of the largest entrepreneurs of the time was Gould. Most of his fortune was made in the western railroads and he also became involved with the Western Union Co., which is still around today. Although many of the enterprises he involved himself in eventually came to ruin he amassed a fortune that was over $100 million at the time of his death. The basic key growth strategy that Gould used had to do with creating great wealth for himself and not being concerned about those that he left in his wake.

Another individual that made his fortune in railroads during that…

Noting some of the limitations of Microsoft's browser, Google set out to create its own browser that would not only outperform Internet Explorer but would also favor its own search engine (Martellaro). Google is in the process of expanding the Chrome brand into Chrome OS, an operating system designed to compete with Microsoft Windows but tailored towards the niche market of netbooks.

The most recent phase of Google's "moat" strategy is Google+, the company's new social media platform. Its direct competition is Facebook, a company whose product does not directly affect Google's search engine market but whose monopolistic hold on the social media sphere potentially cuts off Google from marketing and expansion opportunities. Google+ has a search engine-related feature that allows users to search shared content. It has been tremendously successful since its launch in June of this year; in the past five weeks, it has acquired over 10 million…

References

"Frequently Asked Questions." Google Investor Relations. Google. 30 July 2011. Web.

"Google Stock Quote." NASDAQ. NASDAQ.com. 30 July 2011. Web.

Gurley, Bill. "The Freight Train That Is Android." Above the Crowd. 30 July 2011. Web.

Martellaro, John. "Eric Schmidt Explains Google's Chrome Strategy." Mac Observer. 30 July 2011. Web.

International expansion is one of the growth strategies that are embraced by companies in order to improve their bottom-line/profitability. In this paper, we present an elaborate international marketing strategy for ed Bull energy drink. The marketing plan begins with an introduction into the concept of international expansion and marketing and a brief overview of the company. A review of the main conclusions and recommendations is then presented. This is then followed by a discussion of internalization strategy. In this section, the context as well as context and reasons for the firm's internationalization initiation or expansion decision, as well as a discussion of the stage of internationalization at which your chosen firm finds itself. The next section is a discussion of the foreign market segmentation and targeting strategies. Under this section, we justify our choice of a market concentration or diversification strategy, incremental vs. simultaneous entry, the number of countries you…

References

Doodle, I. And Lowe, R., 2004. International Marketing Strategy: Analysis, Development and Implementation, ThomsonLearning, London.

EastBridge Import & Export Co., LTD, The Import Procedure of Food and Drink, Viewed 14 March 2012, http://www.eastbridgechina.com/En/Show.asp?id=33.

Encyclopedia of the Nations, China Country overview, Viewed 30 April 2012,  http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/China.html .

Euromonitor International, Red Bull plans Asian expansion, Viewed 14 March 2012, http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1232&Itemid=77

Those proposals included broadening its vital presence, and strong growth, in commercial markets and health imaging, refocusing research and development dollars; speeding investments in commercial markets; and taking over other companies and technologies to enlarge Kodak's portfolio of digital products and services.

On the force of its taking over Kodak Versamark and NexPress, Kodak's Graphic Communication Group is piling a portfolio of major variable-date printing equipment providers. Kodak's Digital and Film Imaging Systems business persists to prove its success in digital markets. In 2003, Kodak's share of the consumer digital camera market went up to No. 4 across the world, making the strong acceptance of the Kodak Easyshare range of cameras. Kodak the sole company coming in the Top 5 also ranks No. 2 in digital camera sales in America. Following just 8 months after entering the snapshot printer market in April 2003, Kodak claimed the top slot and persists…

References

Eastman Kodak.  http://www.coursework.info/i/51664.html . Retrieved from Accessed on 4 June, 2005

Health, Safety, and Environment 2004 Annual Report: Employee Training an Important Practice at Kodak. Eastman Kodak Company. Retrieved at  http://wwwcaen.kodak.com/U.S./plugins/acrobat/en/corp/environment/04CorpEnviroRpt/HSE2004AnnualReport.pdf . Accessed on 4 June, 2005

Introduction. Retrieved at  http://www.kodak.com/U.S./en/corp/kodakHistory/index.shtml . Accessed on 4 June, 2005

Kodak Reports Significant Progress in Digital Growth Strategies. 22 September, 2004. Retrieved at  http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=10658Accessed  on 4 June, 2005

Exporting apparel to France would reveal a slightly similar difference. As integrant part of the European Union, France has removed numerous financial barriers in relationship to other EU member states. It has however intensified its barriers relative to product quality and sanitary standards. In terms of the direct relationship between France and the United States, this is generally a positive one, revealing mutual gains and lack of controversy. Efforts are currently being made to reduce the trade barriers between the United States and the EU as a whole (Buy USA, 2009).

4.2. Franchising

A franchising entry strategy would reveal numerous benefits for Miana Fashion, such as reduced risks and shared responsibilities, but would also imply shared financial results. In France nevertheless, such a strategy would stand increased chances of success, supported by all political, economic, cultural and legal backgrounds. France is the leading franchising country of the European Union, with…

References:

Dickson, D.M., August 13, 2009, Trade Panel Hits China's Import Barriers, Washington Times

Hugh, E., 2009, Global Manufacturing: France Outperforms while Spain Continues to Flounder, Seeking Alpha,  http://seekingalpha.com/article/170859-global-manufacturing-france-outperforms-while-spain-continues-to-flounder  last accessed on December 7, 2009

Pinto, J., 2009, Global Manufacturing -- The China Challenge, Automation,  http://www.automation.com/resources-tools/articles-white-papers/articles-by-jim-pinto/global-manufacturing-150-the-china-challenge  last accessed on December 7, 2009

2008, China Real Estate Market Faces Slump, NuWire Investor,  http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/looming-housing-slump-in-china-52103.aspx  last accessed on November 26, 2009

Merger, Acquisition, And International Strategies

Google, Inc.:

From a humble beginning in 1998 of responding to about 10,000 queries by offering search engine services, Google, Inc. has grown to a gigantic multinational corporation providing immense and widely used, actually over 30, services with a search engine capacity that responds to more than 200 million queries daily.

Using a combination of personal logging information and other information gathered from its spectrum of services and Google cookies, it is capable of building large dossiers of pertinent information of its individual users. In this essay I wish to examine Google's three most popular and innovative services namely: Ad Sense, Gmail and Google Search in order to show how the huge amount of data gathered from these three services are used to create incredibly big profiles of all its individual users. I will not, however, underestimate the important role its other services like Google…

Bibliography

Bhatia, A., Deep, G., & Sachdeva, A. (2012). Strategic analysis of search engine giant: A case study of googleinc. International Journal of Computing and Business Research. Retrieved from  http://www.researchmanuscripts.com/isociety2012/55.pdf 

Delichatsios, S.A., & Sonuyi, T. (2005). Get to know Google, because they know you. Retrieved from http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/student-papers/fall05-papers/google.pdf

Dess, L.E.(2012). Corporate level strategy. Retrieved from International Strategic Management:  http://brianhenderschiedtbsad428.blogspot.ca/2012/03/walmart-corporate-level-strategy.html 

Digication.(2014). Google's corporate level strategy. Retrieved from  https://stonybrook.digication.com/calvins_google/Corporate_level_strategy

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

Merger, Acquisition and International Strategies

Mergers, Acquisitions and International Strategies

A merger is a combination of two or more business entities with the aim of consolidating the resources that they have and creating a single entity with that. The process of merging is done through acquisition or direct pooling together of the resources available. Acquisition occurs when a firm buys a stake in another firm and assumes control of it. Acquisitions are part of growth strategies paid for in cash, payment through stock of the acquiring company or both. Mergers and Acquisitions commonly denoted by M & A work hand in hand and are in recent times seen as one. M & A is a strategy of finance and management dealing with the selling, buying, combination of, firms and entities to help grow a firm rapidly. M & A occur to help a firm create a new strategy, joint venture…

References

GM:New York Stock Quote - General Motors Co - Bloomberg. (n.d.). Bloomberg - Business, Financial & Economic News, Stock Quotes. Retrieved December 1, 2012, from  http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/GM:U.S .

General Motors | GM.com. (n.d.). General Motors | GM.com. Retrieved December 1, 2012, from  http://www.gm.com/ 

Tesla Motors | Premium Electric Vehicles. (n.d.). Tesla Motors | Premium Electric Vehicles. Retrieved December 1, 2012, from  http://www.teslamotors.com/

Management Strategy

Identify four factors that affect whether an industry does or does not present a company with a good business opportunity?

The business environment has become highly complex and challenging for firms due to various macro-environmental factors. These factors directly impact the operational and financial performance of firms in one way or another (Sharp, Bergh, & Li, 2013). The economic, political, legal, social, cultural, competitive, and technological forces collectively form the external business environment for business organizations (Hill & Jones, 2010). However, the four leading factors that drive the performance of organizations whether their industry does or does not present them with good business opportunities include: globalization, technological advancements, consumer behavior, and competitive intensity (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2013).

Globalization:

Globalization has a significant influence on the performance of local and international firms operating in a country. Now firms not only have to compete with their domestic competitors, but…

References

Batra, S.K., & Kazmi, S.H. (2008). Consumer Behavior: Text and Cases, 2nd Edition. New Delhi: Excel Books.

Hill, C.W., & Jones, G.R. (2010). Strategic Management Theory: An Integrated Approach, 9th Edition. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., & Hoskisson, R.E. (2013). Strategic Management: Competitiveness & Globalization - Concepts, 10th Edition. Mason, OH: South-Western.

Johnson, G., Scholes, K., Whittington, R., & Pyle, S. (2011). Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases, 9th Edition. Harlow: Prentice Hall.

This hurts the low-wage labor pool, which is the function of large employers that able to pool many jobs under one roof rather than many jobs under many roofs. Small businesses suppliers are often eliminated due to state government dealings with big business. States can assist with these problems by only enabling such entities to operate away from the small businesses and only operate in areas where there are a small number of small businesses with very strong customer loyalty to where the businesses in that area enjoy an inelastic demand curve and fear losing no business to the outside.

eferences

Bell . 2010. Smart Grid, Smarter City. ICMA September 2010.

http://icma.org/en/BlogPost/11/Smart_Grid_Smarter_City

Lare PV 2006. Growing Toward More Efficient Water Use: Linking Development Infrastructure, and Drinking Water Policies. Copyright EPA 2006.

icma.org/Documents/Document/Document/1739

San Diego Budget & Finance Committee (2006) FY 2008 to FY 2012 -- City of San Diego Five-Year…

References

Bell R. 2010. Smart Grid, Smarter City. ICMA September 2010.

 http://icma.org/en/BlogPost/11/Smart_Grid_Smarter_City 

Lare PV 2006. Growing Toward More Efficient Water Use: Linking Development Infrastructure, and Drinking Water Policies. Copyright EPA 2006.

icma.org/Documents/Document/Document/1739

The marketing strategies that will create positive relationships with the shareholders will certainly be in the growth strategies category. Following the discussion we have previously had for the customers category of stakeholders, a diversification strategy seems to be the most appropriate to encourage positive relationships with the shareholders.

Indeed, a diversification marketing strategy will encourage the shareholders to believe that the company is constantly willing to promote its own business model and its own particular products and services on the market. Additionally it will also sustain the idea that the company has a clear plan and strategy for the future, one that will support the company's profitability.

On the other hand, the company also has to promote innovation strategy of the leader/pioneer type. Such a strategy will determine the fact that the management's aim is towards supporting a leadership path into the future. Such marketing strategies will allow the shareholders…

Bibliography

1. Starbucks Corporation Corporate Social Responsibility / FISCAL 2006 ANNUAL REPORT. On the Internet at  http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/csrannualreport.pdf.Last  retrieved on July 17, 2007

For Tresemme, for example, the color scheme and general layout of the package is consistent with other Tresemme products and is not specific to the dry shampoo product.

Packaging -- Recommended

Given that the pricing need not change, the package size does not need to change either. The layout and color tone are dictated by the overall branding of Tresemme so are going to be difficult to change. Two aspects of the packaging can change, however. The first is the shape of the package, which should be changed to convey to the consumers that this is a different product from Fresh Start. The second is that the package should have a different name (not Fresh Start) and should impress upon the consumer that it is a new product. The new selling proposition "unique" should also be incorporated into the text of the packaging.

Target Market -- Recommendations

It is recommended…

Works Cited:

Amazon.com. (2013). Retrieved April 15, 2013 from  http://www.amazon.com/TRESemme-Fresh-Start-Shampoo-Dry/dp/B0037LKIAG/ref=sr_1_2?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1365976478&sr=1-2&keywords=tresemme+fresh+start 

Riley, J. (2012). Brand positioning and market mapping. Tutor2U.net. Retrieved April 19, 2013 from  http://www.tutor2u.net/business/marketing/brands_positioning.asp 

Product, Branding, and Packaging

Increase Market Share

Seneca Foods was founded in 1949 and is a producer of canned, frozen and bottled foods for the supermarket trade, often under store labels. In 2013, Seneca posted $1.27 billion in sales and net income of $41.4 million. The company is in the mature stage of growth for both itself and the industry, growing mainly with increases in population and inflation. The company's operations are subject to variability from weather, which affects the crops at the heart of the supply chain, and the seasonality of the industry.

Internally, Seneca has a strong supply chain, wherein it contracts with farmers to ensure supply of critical fruits and vegetables for its products. That said, Seneca remains quite small compared with many of its competitors, as Seneca mainly sells in the U.S. And has few major brands. Larger competitors sell globally and have individual brands as large as Seneca's entire operation. One of…

References

"Retail." Seneca Foods. Retrieved from http://www.senecafoods.com/products/retail

"Seneca Foods 2013 Annual Report." (2013). Seneca Foods. Retrieved from http://www.senecafoods.com/sites/default/files/node-annual_report-field_annual_report_pdf_/annual_13report.PDF

"Farming Operations." Seneca Foods. Retrieved from http://www.senecafoods.com/farming-operations

"About Us." Seneca Foods. Retrieved from  http://www.senecafoods.com/about-us

organization can pursue in pursuit of a market. The most important breakdown is between being a cost leader with a low cost strategy and pursuing a differentiated strategy. A low cost strategy needs to be supported by tactics that allow the company to be the cheapest in its market, because they are trying to win over the customers that are most attracted to low prices. The differentiated company is not seeking to offer the lowest prices but it is seeking instead to justify charging higher prices by offering the customer a unique value proposition.

There are other approaches to strategy as well . For example, there is the customer relationship strategy, where a company differentiates itself by focusing on building strong relationships -- this is basically a tactic within the differentiated strategy, but it works quite strongly in some industries. An investment advisor, for example, is by his or her…

There is also the threat that given the significant inefficiencies in Compass Group that the risks of currency fluctuations could become very significant over time, especially as the dollar loses value and yet suppliers and logistics networks must be paid in this currency. Simply put, the price of food and the costs of running a global supply chain in perishable goods is exorbitant when currency fluctuations are also taken into account (Buzalka 2005, 46,48). To date there does not appear to be any benchmarking of sourcing, procurement, labor or inventory carrying and obsolescence costs, all factors that are major threat to Compass Group operating throughout North America and in the UK. All of these risks are in addition to the acute financial condition the company finds itself in during this period, with Net Current Assets as a Percentage of Total Assets (Table 1) negative throughout the five-year periods. This is…

References

Amanda Afiya 2005. Time for Compass to confront its demons. Caterer & Hotelkeeper, November 24, 5.  http://www.proquest.com  (Accessed July 21, 2008).

Tom Bill 2005. Compass in UN probe over £35m contract. Caterer & Hotelkeeper, October 20, 14.

Cards

Alternatives for Growth

SendOutCards has a number of different options for growth. The company utilizes what it terms a "network marketing" model, wherein its distributors are responsible for selling the cards, and bringing in new potential distributors as well, for which they receive a payment. This is the company's growth model and therefore an integral part of its strategy. For each individual distributor, however, there are different alternatives for growth. The first of these is via social media and the second is via more traditional marketing efforts.

There are several advantages to social media marketing. These include increased brand recognition, repeated exposure, leveraging word-of-mouth, creating influence and driving traffic (Chandler, 2013). The direct benefits of social media are that it allows you to reach the people within your circle, but they expand outwards. An example of how this works is to send out cards to people that you know,…

References

Chandler, S. (2013). The hidden benefits of social media marketing: Why your strategy may be working better than you think. Forbes. Retrieved April 3, 2014 from  http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/03/12/the-hidden-benefits-of-social-media-marketing-why-your-strategy-may-be-working-better-than-you-think/ 

Clark, W. (2014). Examples of grand strategies in business. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 3, 2014 from  http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-grand-strategies-businesses-14377.html 

Online Greeting Card Sales. (2014). IBIS World. Retrieved from:  http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/online-greeting-card-sales.html 

Quick MBA. (2010). Porter's generic strategies. QuickMBA. Retrieved April 3, 2014 from  http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml

S. market anticipated to deliver between 5 and 7% margin growth over the next five years. Further, the Chinese marketplace is also one marked by lower labor costs and a lack of the stigma associated with working in fast food establishments that exists in the United States and other westernized nations.

Looking at Table 2: U.S. Operating Profit Source by Brand for 2004 according to SEC filings (2004) clearly Taco Bell contributes the majority of profits followed by Pizza Hut at 34%, then KFC at 15%. Long John Silver's and A & W. have been continually losing share and profits relative to larger competitors.

Table 2: U.S. Operating Profit Source by Brand

Taco Bell

Pizza Hut

KFC

Long John Silver's/A&W

Contrast U.S. profit source by brand with International profit sources, and the critical role of KFC in any expansion strategy becomes clear. Table 3, International Operating Profit Source by Brand…

Mergers, Acquisitions, and International Strategies

A well crafted strategy is crucial for business success in the both the local and the international market. Firms achieve this success by using business-level strategies or corporate-level strategies, or both. Business level strategies (such as cost leadership and differentiation) influence a firm's competitive advantage in its products and markets, while corporate-level strategies (such as mergers and acquisitions) affect the firm as a whole (Hill & Jones, 2012). Firms operating in the global market must also choose effective international business-level strategies and international corporate-level strategies. This paper compares an international company, Samsung, with a history of mergers and/or acquisitions, and a US-based company, Hibbert Sports, Inc., which is based solely in the US and does not have a history of any mergers or acquisitions. The paper specifically evaluates Samsung's acquisition strategy as well as its international business-level strategies and international corporate-level strategies. Also, the paper…

References

Frainshmidt, S., Smith, A., & Judge, W. (2016). National competitiveness and Porter's diamond model: the role of MNE penetration and governance quality. Global Strategy Journal, 6(2), 81-104.

Hibbett Sports Inc. (2017). Investor relations. Retrieved from http://phx.corporate- ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=78137&p=irol-irhome

Hill, C., & Jones, G. (2012). Essentials of strategic management. 3rd edition. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Johnson, G., Scholes, K., & Whittington, R. (2010). Exploring corporate strategy. London: Prentice Hall.

Week 1
The corporate level strategy of General Mills is the horizontal growth strategy. Imperatively, horizontal growth is accomplished by expanding its business operations into other geographic expanses or by expanding the range of products as well as services being offered in the prevailing market. In this regard, General Mills has expanded its business operations not just in the United States but also internationally and increasing its wide range of products retailed in its stores. The generic Porter strategy followed by General Mills is the differentiation focus strategy. This is in the sense that the company strives to accomplish differentiation in its target segment (Porter, 1985). This is largely owing to the fact that the company deals with different products within its segment including cereals, frozen vegetable, fruit, dry dinners, frozen pizza as well as pizza snacks, and an extensive range of organic products (Forbes, 2018). The strategic choices of…

NEW PODUCTS and SEVICES:

The new products and services would also enable Aetna to stay with the current market and yet find enough opportunities for growth and expansion. New products and services in existing market would require thinking of new ways to serve current market segments. For example Aetna can develop a new product to serve the teenage drivers' market. Every parent wants its teenager to be compressively insured, and hence Aetna can develop new products and services to serve this market even better. It can develop new products that would meet the needs of young drivers and make them more pocket friendly so teenagers can also get involved with the payment plans instead of depending heavily on their parents.

MAKET PENETATION:

Aetna can expand also by expanding its reach. This means if its products and services are more widely available and more easily accessible, it will have deeper market…

Reference

Treacy, M., & Wiersema, F. (1993, January-February). Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines. Harvard Business

Entrepreneurial Firm's Size, Age, And Growth Goals Help Determine Its Character And Strategic Direction

An entrepreneurial firm's character and strategic direction is guided by its overall goals, including its long-term vision and intent (Entrepreneurship Video, 2013). Age, history/heritage and ambitions for growth also play an important role. For instance, a younger firm must fully define and understand its customer base, and then create offerings to meet and exceed customer expectations. This might involve investment in market research during the first few years, a very important strategic step. Even more established firms benefit from this strategy. By continually assessing strengths, weaknesses and resources, a firm is better able to determine its unique value proposition and carve out a distinct place in the market while meeting customer's needs (Audretsch & Thurik, 2011).

A firm's age can be a competitive advantage, particularly if there has been adequate time to establish a loyal customer…

References

Audretsch, D.B., & Thurik, A.R. (2011). Unraveling the shift to the entrepreneurial economy. Rochester: doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1664466 

Entrepreneurship Video. Retrieved from  http://video.mit.edu/watch/leadership-and-entrepreneurship-9505/ .

McCafferty, D. (2011). Brave, New Social World. Communications of the ACM, 54(7), 19-21. doi:10.1145/1965724.1965732.

Rhey, W.L., & Gryna, F.M. (2001). Market research for quality in small business. Quality Progress, 34(1), 31-38. Retrieved from  http://search.proquest.com/docview/214772010?accountid=14749 .

Microsoft in India and China

Microsoft: Strategy in India and China

Microsoft's Strategy in China

Although the Chinese Trademark Law is now largely in conformity with the TRIPs Agreement, the benefits of protection may not be realized for some time. At ground level there is a general culture of acceptance of counterfeit goods, partly because it makes previously unobtainable foreign goods affordable and partly because there is a lack of interest in enforcing IP rights that are largely owned by foreign companies. In this environment, counterfeiting will always seem attractive as it allows those involved to access an already existing market with low entry costs. In the meantime, however, foreign entities could take an active role in furthering the protection of their rights.

Licensing of IP rights to Chinese nationals and establishing joint ventures would be advantageous. The foreign party would have the benefit of local assistance in navigating legal…

Bibliography

Butterton, G., 'Pirates, dragons and U.S. intellectual property rights in China: problems and prospects of Chinese enforcement' (2008) 38 Arizona Law Review 1100.

Leung, M. 1999. 'Counterfeit Beanie Babies: customs to the rescue', The China Business Review, p. 18.

USTR, 2006. Executive Office of the President, USTR Announces Results of Special 301 Annual Review, Official Press Release.

Xinbin. Yang 2008. "Laser Disc Industry:"Opening Up Golden Road. Jingji ribao (Economic Daily) (April 2): 1. In FBIS-CHI, as "China: Article on Laser Disc Industry."

Global Marketing -- Country Penetration Strategies

Global Marketing

Global marketing refers to the degree to which a business organization strategizes to operate in an international market in a competitive way. This paper focuses on the Country Penetration strategies that are formulated to ensure a potential entry and a sustainable future into a new international market (Lord & anft, 2000). The increasing trend towards Globalization has opened attractive opportunities for large-size organizations to expand their business operations in potential international markets. In order to thrive and develop their strong presence in those markets, organizations need to perform a comprehensive situational analysis and formulate marketing strategies so that they can avail the attractive opportunities and encounter the possible threats (Lord & anft, 2000).

This paper covers all those country penetration strategies that are devised by large MNCs when they target some international market as a part of their expansion or growth strategy.…

References

Achrol, R., S., (1991). Evolution of the Marketing Organization: New Forms for Turbulent Environments, the Journal of Marketing, American Marketing Association, Vol. 55, No. 4 (Oct., 1991), pp. 77-93

Dickson, P., & Ginter, J., (1987). Market Segmentation, Product Differentiation, and Marketing Strategy, the Journal of Marketing, American Marketing Association, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 1-10

Farley, J., (1964). Why Does "Brand Loyalty" Vary our Products? The Journal of Marketing, American Marketing Association, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 9-12

Gronroos, C., (1994). From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Marketing, Management Decision, Vol. 32 Issue 2, pp. 4-20

Smuckers is inexperienced with the global coffee trade. For Smuckers, the Folgers acquisition has increased its risk significantly, while the benefits are incidental and synergistic. In short, the gains from the acquisition may not have been worth the risk. The degree of diversification is low, which means that there is little improvement in the company's product-line risk position to counter the increase in risk faced as a result of increased exposure to the global coffee market. Time will tell if the expected increase in coffee prices makes the acquisition looks like a poor choice,

The recent strategic choices by Smuckers do not lend the firm any new sources of sustainable competitive advantage. The moves were made in order to take advantage of marketing and merchandising synergies. These moves, therefore, have strengthened existing competitive advantages. One of the primary sources of sustainable competitive advantage for Smuckers is its broad, complementary product…

Works Cited:

No author. (2007). Porter's generic strategies. Quick MBA. Retrieved March 10, 2010 from  http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml 

Bhattarai, a. (2008). Smuckers to pay $3 billion for Folgers Coffee. New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2010 from  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/business/05folgers.html 

MSN Moneycentral: JM Smucker Co. (2010). Retrieved March 10, 2010 from  http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/results/statemnt.aspx?Symbol=SJM&lstStatement=Income&stmtView=Ann 

JM Smucker Co 2009 Annual Report. Retrieved March 10, 2010 from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MzQyODkzfENoaWxkSUQ9MzI5MzkwfFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1

P&G Branding Strategy and Advertising

ecently installed Proctor & Gamble (P&G) CEO Bob McDonald spoke to shareholders recently and articulated the vision of the company, "to touch and improve lives" (Leader's Interviews. N.D.). In this context the indefatigable CEO has set out a bold initiative of adding one billion consumers of its products within five years, adding to the existing four billion customers who already are P&G customers (Sewell, D. March 6, 2010). Accomplishing this goal however, requires a carefully crafted mix of marketing strategy which allows for reaching a differential of customers across demographic variances including: socioeconomic, age, technological awareness, and geography. McDonald, points to the "hundreds of millions of people who have yet to buy their first bottle of Tide, their first Pampers diaper or a Gillette shaver" (Sewell, D. March 6, 2010). In implementing this global strategy of reaching existing and new consumers, P&G utilizes a diverse…

References

Leaders Magazine (October 2010). Leaders Interviews. The Power of Purpose: An

Interview with Bob McDonald. Leaders Magazine. Retrieved December 29, 2010 from  http://www.leadersmag.com/issues/2010.4_Oct/ROB/LEADERS-Bob-McDonald-Procter-Gamble.html 

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P&G Case Study.

Squares

A SWOT analysis is a means of understanding both the internal and external environments in which an organization operates (MindTools, 2017). It is commonly used as a means of strategy formulation, to help firms understand how they can use their strengths to take advantage of opportunities in the market, and to shore up their weaknesses to defend against external threats. To that end, it is worth analyzing the internal and external environments of 3 Squares, the meal delivery service for seniors, in order to see where the best market opportunities lie, and what challenges the company is going to face.

Strengths

There are a few different strengths that the company has internally. 3 Squares has a strong business plan. It has researched the market, and identified that there is an opportunity in providing food delivery for seniors. This is a growing market, and one that only has some competition.…

Mass Communications Strategy Leads to Services

Initially focusing on creating educational television and successfully launching this as a public service will give Nik and his team credibility in the company and also in the kava community. Given the reach of public access television in the community, Nik needs to next consider the other unmet needs throughout Kava, which are banking and healthcare.

The decision implementation to pursue services is also underscored by the demographics of the island as well. Further supporting a decision implementation strategy to concentrate on services is the ability to compete on increased knowledge vs. increased spending on fixed assets. Services-based businesses are also complimentary to the existing industry base of Kava and the entire region. When all these factors are taken into account in addition to the unmet needs of the population of Kava, the following recommendations are made. First, there is the need for inexpensive…