Pest Analysis Essays (Examples)

PEST Analysis

In business and marketing, there are many factors that can affect the business environment from both inside and outside the corporation. Many internal elements can be controlled within the business itself, but the organization has little control over external forces such as politics, the economy, society or technology. The micro-environment and the macro-environment can both affect the way a corporation conducts business (Haughey, 2008).

There are distinct differences between the micro- and macro-environments. Within a firm, a business deals with individuals such as shareholders, customers and vendors. These individuals are able to control certain aspects of the company's operation to maximize its profits. This is known as the micro-environment (Gillespie, 2007). Unlike the micro-environment where factors can be monitored and controlled, however, the macro-environment deals with factors that affect the firm from outside the business sphere. Political, economic, social and technological changes, otherwise known as PEST, are examples…

PEST analysis and comparison of Australia vs. Singapore:

Opportunities in advertising

Although much of the world suffered severe economic setbacks during the recent global recession, two of the hardiest economies have proven to be that of Singapore's and Australia's. Australia has a projected budget surplus for 2012?2013 and the unemployment rate is expected to fall to 4.75% in late 2011?2012, "around levels consistent with full employment" (Australia, 2010, U.S. State Department). Singapore's economy grew 17.9 per cent in the first half of 2010, even while the United States' was struggling (amesh 2010).

Because of their resilience and prosperity, both nations are highly attractive to foreign investors, given their relative wealth, expanding population, and location. However, an advertising firm considering exploring either marketplace must keep other considerations in mind when evaluating opportunities, including the social climate of these nations, the government's attitude towards freedom of speech, and the cultural values expressed…

Social Issues

Social factors relate to assessing the social, cultural, demographic, and environmental profiles of addressable markets (Sears, 2011). These trends are shaping the way Americans live, work, produce, and consume. Such a dynamic society gives Sears the opportunity to be a trendsetter in its various product categories. Sears currently faces many threats from many different retail chains like Wal-Mart and Target. These stores are beginning to offer customers a single store to fill all their shopping needs. Like Sears, such stores offer many of the same products at competitive prices, plus the consumer has the ability to conduct other shopping as well. Similarly, Lowes and Home Depot have been consistently garnering a large portions of Sears' appliance sales. Sears is able to influence how it does business with its partner vendors through environmental sustainable practices of recycling and offering products and services that promote environmental health for customer and…

Moreover, controlling laws are in constant flux, making this area a particularly challenging one for the company. Despite these challenges, people always need groceries and Costco is ready to deliver the goods -- literally -- and these issues are discussed further below.

Economic

Although Costco enjoys a healthy share of its market, the company has not been immune from the Great Recession of 2008 as reflected in its historic stock performance shown in Figure 2 below.

Figure 2. Costco Stock Performance: July 2003 to Date

Source: http://charting.nasdaq.com/ext/charts.dll?2-1-14-0-0-5120-03NA000000COST-&SF:1|5-WD=539-HT=395-

Despite this temporary downturn, the company has regained its momentum and has exceeded its pre-Great Recession performance levels. As noted above, though, while Costco is continuing to grow, the 800-pound corporate gorilla in the department/specialty retail store sector is still Walmart, with the company trailing at a distant second followed closely by Target Corporation as shown in Table 1 and illustrated graphically in…

2005, Amazon.com released its first generation of the Kindle, a hardware and software device that allowed people to read electronic books (Ieadeview, 2010). Since 2005, the Kindle has new competition, including the Nookbook, Sony eader, and the iPad. As the original mainstream electronic book device, the Kindle will have to struggle to keep its leadership in the hardware and software e-book markets. Studying the economic, social, and technological factors may determine its market competition, the marketing problem, and create a strategic recommendation.

The Kindle creators have made a product that continues to bring in revenue. Once the customer purchases the Kindle, the only market that they can purchase from is the official Kindle bookstore. This is a great position for Amazon.com to be in as it may provide a steady cash flow. However, some people may be reluctant in purchasing the Kindle because one seller means limited purchasing opportunities. If…

Personal Development Plan -- PEST Analysis

Factor

Opportunity

Threat

Political

The government argues that the budget allocated to the emergency medical services is large. Legislators are working on how to reduce the budgets through various large contract negotiations. New policies on the drugs imported have been introduced. Paramedics are striking due to salary irregularities in the department of emergency medical services.

Negotiation of large contracts by the legislators will allow the government to save funds, which will be used to buy other emergency services equipment. The funds will be used remunerate the paramedics so that they can be motivated and offer emergency services to their level best. Striking paramedics will make the government pay attention to the services they offer them salary increment (Martin 2006).

New policies on the imported drugs might lead to a shortage of drugs because the companies dealing with drugs might be given a limit, which…

Amazon Web Services’ Expansion to Russia and Mexico
Executive Summary
While globalization has posed numerous potential opportunities and threats in the international business arena, many of these opportunities and threats are specific to individual countries (Zhuplev, 2016). Therefore, a country risk analysis becomes a crucial element to consider for companies doing business on the international scale. In this view, country risk analysis has been the subject of extensive research in recent times with a focus on a range of opportunity and threat factors such as the economic, political, social and technological environments. The type of institutions involved in these analyses is equally broad ranging from debt-rating agencies, research organizations, political agencies, business entities and international entities like the World Economic Forum. Indeed, comparing countries such as Russia and Mexico as will be done in this study will influence the decision that Amazon Web Services will make regarding the market to…

Branding

Ponds PEST Analysis

Political

The political environment in Turkey is one that can be defined by relative stability; especially compared to other countries in the geographic region. In 2005, the EU and Turkey began formal EU accession negotiations. Turkey has adopted many European Union directives, regulations and laws in anticipation of accession. hile continued delays have cooled popular interest in EU membership, Turkey's political and business leadership remains committed to joining the EU, and the current government understands that the process itself contributes to Turkey's global competitiveness (U.S. Embassy, 2012). The political stability of the country make is a prime target for various exports to Turkey.

Economical

Because of its proximity to the unrest in North Africa, Turkey has been punished by equity investors and as a result the country has gone from one of the best performing emerging markets in 2010 to levels not seen since March 2006…

Porter's Model Of 5 Forces

PEST Analysis

Value Chain Analysis

The paper is an analysis of the Holiday Inn Franchise. The paper will start giving an introduction of the franchise and its success followed by the main body which will include the objectives and values of the hotel as they stand today. The management functions, planning and organization of the hotel will also be discussed here followed by leadership styles, SWOT analysis, and Porter's model of 5 forces, PEST Analysis and the value chain analysis. This will be followed by conclusions and recommendations on the future aspects or growth potentials of the hotel

Holyday Inn is the part of InterContinental Hotels (IHG) and is one of the most prominent brand hotels. It has a global reputation to provide best quality services, value and comfort. It has one of the world's largest networks of hotels which include a total of 238,440…

External Environment of the U.S. estaurant Industry

restaurant industry is one of the most vibrant in the world. New players come to America due to some factors as the strength of U.S. economy, a population with high purchasing power, and the diversity of cultures resulting in popularizing various profitable cuisines. The country is the world's center stage of trade and has been growing to accommodate more ideas and creativity in investments. With the increase in the number of new entrants to the country, better forms of trade are witnessed. The better part of all these is the fact that the political environment is conducive for the inception of better trade options for the people interested in doing business. The Demographics also support the whole course in a big way. These factors are discussed below in light of how the industry has grown to the current robust state.

The External Factors…

External Analysis Motorcycle Industry

External Analysis of the Motorcycle Industry

Harley Davidson

Harley Davidson, the heavy-bike manufacturer holds the purpose of fulfilling dreams of personal freedom (Purpose: Harley Davidson, 2013). The company functions in segments of Motorcycles & elated Products and the Financial Services. It is however globally known for heavy bikes that have engine displacement of 651+cc (Harley-Davidson Inc. 2013). The company enjoys a unique position in the market yet it is exposed to many new market challenges in recent future. The demand for heavy bikes has increased among those that are not necessarily filthy rich and other companies are also entering the industry. Here is the PEST analysis of Harley Davidson to study what challenges it is facing in external environment.

PEST Analysis

The PEST analysis offers a detailed picture of how the macro environment factors affect the performance of Harley Davidson. The PEST stands for Political, Economic,…

Coca Cola -- External Analysis

An external analysis of Coca-Cola (NAICS # 312111 -- Soft Drink Manufacturing) requires scrutiny of the specific industry environment with Porter's 5-Forces model and examination of the larger business environment through a PEST analysis. In his interview on YouTube, Porter speaks of the five factors of Competitive Rivalry, Threat of New Entrants, Threat of Substitute Products, Bargaining Power of Suppliers, and Bargaining Power of Buyers. He also discusses the underlying forces for each factor, examining the Airline Industry, in which all five factors are strong, and the Soft Drink Manufacturing Industry, in which all five factors are "benign," essentially making the Soft Drink Industry "a license to print money" (Harvard Business Publishing, 2008). Porter stresses the importance and flexibility of his five forces, which keeps an organization focused on "underlying fundamentals" so the organization's leadership is not tricked or trapped by the latest trend or…

Annual reports are strong for the breadth of information discussed, but with respect to depth are better used for internal analysis. They provide an overview of external issues but that overview should be supplemented with other research. Trade magazines and academic journals often have very specific articles that may or may not be of relevance to an external analysis. hen they are relevant, they tend to provide excellent detail. Analyst conference calls, as with annual reports, are best used for internal analysis, but in these calls if management feels that external forces were the key factor in firm performance in the past quarter, the discussion will center on that performance. The Bureau of Economic Analysis is valuable for learning about broad economic trends, but those trends are not put into context of the industry. Newspaper articles may be excellent sources, but they can also be useless. Information literacy is required…

External Analysis of Southwest Airlines

External Analysis Southwest Airlines

Will Southwest Airline's strategic plan continue to bring success in the new airline industry landscape? This paper sought to answer this question by examining the external increasingly consolidated environment in which Southwest competes. The review was conducted through application of Porter's Five Forces, a PEAT analysis, and a SWOT analysis.

The report concludes that Southwest has gained ground and maintained stability, changing only as much as it needed in order to remain the friendly domestic budget airline it started out as, and to compete effectively but with fidelity to its vision and values.

This paper will present a brief analysis of the competitive landscape for Southwest Airlines based in order to assess the airline's future capabilities in an environment in which other airlines are increasingly co-opting Southwest's successful and innovative strategies. This deductive exploration of the landscape will continue at the…

External Environmental Analysis

Overstock.com

This is an online business that offers direct retail sales as well as online auctions both at the international level and locally. It is an online market place where potential buyers can visit for designer brands and home goods at the best price bargains. It also offers a platform where sellers of items can get onto the market platform online and sell their items to other people within or outside the U.S.A.

Porter's Five Forces model and the overstock.com (Mind Tools Ltd., 2014)

Supplier power- this refers to the concentration of other businesses or suppliers that can provide the same service that overstock.com offers. This threat can be rated as high since there are several websites like amazon, ebay among several others that offer the same services.

Buyer power- this refers to the ease with which the buyers of the goods or services can drive down…

The main advantage is that the stories are well documented and written in an objective manner.

008, GSK Outlines Plans to Become More 'Biotech-like', Fierce Biotech, http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/gsk-outlines-plans-become-more-biotech/008-06-10 last accessed on June 3, 009

009, GlaxoSmithKline Plc., Hoovers, last accessed on June 3, 009 -- Hoovers is a centralized database that reveals information on multiple organizations. The benefit is that the data offered is extensive and comprises features such as industry forecasts, competition nature and organizational financial highlight, alongside with description of the respective company. The downside of the source is however given by the reduced amount of free information and for more extensive data, the user has to create a paid account.

009, The Industry Handbook -- Biotechnology, Investopedia, http://www.investopedia.com/features/industryhandbook/biotech.asp last accessed on June 3, 009 -- Investopedia.com has been developed as an initiative of the highly popular and leading business publication Forbes. It can be useful for novice as…

These refer to the characteristics of the political and regulatory environment (P), the economic environment (E), the socio-cultural environment and finally, the technological environment. The analysis of the climate in which an organization activates is also known as the PEST analysis.

4.1 Company

Product Line

Starbucks offers a wide selection of coffee-based beverages, with both caffeine and without caffeine. Aside their coffee beverages, they also offer whole-bean coffees, food items and coffee-related products and hardware equipment. "Starbucks stores offered a choice of regular or decaffeinated coffee beverages, a special "coffee of the day," and a broad selection of Italian-style espresso drinks. In addition, customers could choose from a wide selection of fresh-roasted whole-bean coffees (which could be ground on the premises and carried home in distinctive packages), a selection of fresh pastries and other food items, sodas, juices, teas, and coffee-related hardware and equipment."

About 61% of the sold items…

In the long-term, we need to focus on improving the financial performance and improve out financial position. Based on the brief market analysis, we identified those products that are more popular among consumers and the type of consumers we should address these products to and we will try to focus on them. We will also take under consideration the cost structure of our production and try to focus on those products for which the ratio of costs to sales is the lowest. The marketing department will run a more thorough analysis on market structure, cost structure and consumer behavior so that we get more accurate signals of market changes, because it seems that the market is becoming more dynamic every day. In terms of boat shows, we will continue to participate to most events Yellowtail participated in the past, while trying to strengthen our relationship with existing suppliers and develop…

External Analysis Southwest Airlines

One of United States' most successful airlines in the business is Southwest airlines. The company has been one of the most successful businesses in the economy with no case of worker layoff or strike being recorded in the organization. The company has dedicated its commitment to ensuring it provides a favorable environment for its workers. The company's corporate culture has played a significant role in the success of the company as it recognizes the workers emotions. Positive attitude is influential in the workplace as the workers become more productive. The air transport business is in an industry where profit maximization is a challenge to many players. The struggling economy and the increased number of players in the company make the industry unfavorable for business. The industry is also affected by the increased price of fuel which increases the cost of transportation. The paper conducts environmental analysis…

Strategic Analysis of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Division

This study provides the strategic analysis of Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical division to assist the company developing an effective strategy to achieve the competitive market advantages. The paper uses the SWOT analysis, PEST analysis and Porter's five forces for the strategic analysis. The outcomes of the analysis reveal that Johnson & Johnson is one of the top players in the pharmaceutical industry making the company enjoying superior market advantages in the United States and outside the United States. However, the company is still facing stiff competitions with other key players in the industry. Moreover, the company has not been able to reduce its cost of operations. The study recommends that Johnson & Johnson should launch its products in China to enjoy huge Chinese markets. Moreover, the company should take advantage of Chinese low stringent laws and regulations to produce drugs for Indian…

Business - Management

External Environment Analysis

Southwest Airlines is the nation's low fair, high customer satisfaction airline. It mainly serves short haul cities, offering single class air transportation, which aims for the business commuter as well as leisure travelers. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) classifies Southwest Airlines as Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation - 481111 (North American Industry Classification System, 2011).

When conducting an external analysis it is important to look at Porter's five forces to determine the competitive strength and therefore magnetism of a market. Porter's five forces comprise five forces from horizontal competition and vertical competition. These forces are: threat of substitute products, the threat of established rivals, and the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of suppliers and the bargaining power of customers (Porter's Five Forces a Model for Industry Analysis, 2010).

The first threat is that of the threat of new entrants into the…

New Marketing Plan

Overview of Company

Dawn is a startup company that plans on making the most of the prospect that is the entrance into retirement age of the Baby Boomer generation. The company perceives this as a business opportunity to offer services to this population. In particular, the company will serve as a housing community that offers the product package or services to active seniors who have attained 55 years of age and above. This will encompass assisted living that could be partial or full-time, depending on the needs of the client. Dawn intends to not only offer these services, but also other amenities that will make life comfortable for the adult patients. The company plans on setting up its premises in Boston. The following is a marketing plan that is purposed on creating a profitable business model for the company.

Market esearch Strategies

The company will make use…

Labor Market Analysis: H Professionals / Employment Analysis in H Profession 2015

Critical analysis of current labor market trends

Evaluation of the impact of external factors

Analysis of advertising, recruitment and selection methods

Professional standards and competences (including behaviors) for H Professionals

The place of interaction between employers and potential employees is termed as the labor market. Here, there is competition among employers to attract the most skilled individuals from the candidate pool, and among workers for acquiring the best jobs. The current U.S. labor market for human resource professionals is healthier, in economic terms, than it ever was since the Great 2007-09 ecession.

Critical analysis of current labor market trends

US unemployment rate in June was at a record low of 5.3% in this economic recovery and about half its October 2009 peak (10%). A strong average job growth rate of around 243,000 jobs a month was recorded last…

Organizational Change

Provide a background analysis about the organization's internal and external environment (SWOT AND PEST)

Organization -- W.A. Police Communications (24/7 police operations call center)

SWOT Analysis (Sheriff Grady Judd, 2013)

Strengths

Weakness

Leadership

Teamwork

Communication

Education & Training

Technology & Equipment

Job Security

Benefits

Vehicles

Take Home

Hiring Process and Standards

Promotional and Transfer Opportunities

The Economy and the Budget

High Turnover

Employee Shortages

Unchanging Pay Scales

Loss of Experts to etirement

Loss of Experts to Other Law Enforcement Agencies

Obsolete Vehicles

Consistency

Morale Succession Strategy

Inadequate Overtime Pay

Loss of Grants

External

Opportunities

Threats

Training and Educational Opportunities Multi-Agency Collaboration

Professional Certifications

Grants

Prospective Candidate Diversity

Community elations

The Economy and the Budget

Issues with etirement System

Fuel Prices

Workforce Shortage/ Large Vacancies

Crime ate ise Because of Economic Factors

Growth of Inmate Population

Comparison of etirement Agency Pay to that of Other Agencies

Lost Grants Sponsoring…

The process would then need to continue so that the changes that can be seen in the environment can also affect the changes in entry strategies.

Environmental factors, economic factors, political/legal factors, social/cultural factors and also technological factors should all be considered. The legal factors that need to be addressed include issues in employee law, monopolies and mergers legislation, environmental protection laws, and wider issues such as foreign trade regulations. The political factors refer to the stability of the government. The taxation policy, the government spending, the relationship that the government has with other countries, and the industrial policy and all issues should be considered.

The economic factors that need to be addressed refer to inflation, disposable income, unemployment, business cycles, GNP growth rates, interest rates, exchange rates, energy, and the basic prices for raw materials. Factors from cultural and social standpoints include population demographics, the income distribution, what levels…

Economics

Sources of Information for a Porters Five Forces Analysis on Kraft Foods

To undertake a Porters Five Forces analysis it is necessary to identify potential sources of information that will give the required information. The Five Forces analysis will require an assessment of the five areas; degree of rivalry among competitors, threat of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of customers, and availability of substitutes. This process can be examined by looking at the sources which may be used for a Porters Five Forces analysis of Kraft Foods, a firm that competes in the food industry. Each of the forces will be considered separately.

Degree of rivalry among competitors

Source 1; CSI Market; UL is http://csimarket.com/stocks/competitionSEG2.php?code=KFT

This is a very useful web site which has the primary aim of providing information to potential investors. The page on Kraft Foods is particularly useful in assessing the firm's position…

PESTLE analysis?

MacDonald's STEP analysis

Technological

Economic

In this paper, we explore the concept of STEP analysis by means of illustration. We perform an elaborate STEP analysis of McDonald's, the world's fast food giant. This is then followed by a recommendation on what actions McDonald's can do in order to take care of the issues that have been exposed via the STEPanalysis.

McDonald's is a food and beverage franchise that by 2001 boasted of close to 28,700 outlets spread in 120 nations Karen,2005). The company's food outlets are very popular among the youth. It offers an environment which is perceived to be safe for families as they can enjoy quality food at an affordable price in a clean environment. The food chain offers its client a familiar environment that is characterized by a McDonald's clown as well as stunning interior worldwide as pointed out by Debres (2005). The company has…

External Analysis: Overstock.com

Porter's Five Forces Model

Porter's framework, as Hill and Jones (2009) point out, concerns itself with forces (five in number) that configure or structure competition within a given industry. These, according to the authors, include: "(1) the risk of entry by potential competitors; (2) the intensity of rivalry among established companies within an industry; (3) the bargaining power of buyers; (4) the bargaining power of suppliers; and (5) the closeness of substitutes to an industry's products" (Hill and Gareth, 2009, p. 42). The subsequent sections of this text will apply Porter's Five Forces model in an evaluation of Overstock.com's operating environment.

Discussion

Overstock.com is "a technology-based retail company offering customers a wide variety of high-quality products, at great value, with superior customer service" (Overstock.com, 2014). Some of the products the company offers for sale include, but they are not limited to; jewelry, furniture, handcrafted items and products,…

The company is itself a major driver of innovation in this area, and the efficiency of renewable energy engines and power generators will decrease the cost of operations for the company even as the same products and efficiency increases will enhance and increase its sales (Quantum 2011). Twnety years from now, it is expected that major utility grids will at least be in the beginning stages of being capable of handling energy input from renewable sources, and this will increase industrial demand for many of Quantum Technology's products enormously (Foo.com 2011).

SWOT Analysis

Quantum Technology's diversification is a major strength of the company, as it is somewhat shielded from major changes in any one application or industry in which its products are used. A weakness can be found in its dependence on external business contract and a lack of direct-to-consumer sales. A large opportunity exists for the company in the…

This is evident in reports such as the one by othman (2009), indicating that airlines were struggling in the economic downturn. A handful of exceptions to the struggle were mentioned, of which easyJet was one.

Pricing Strategy

EasyJet's low prices are its most powerful weapon (Stirmedia, 2005). Its market position is therefore significantly strong because of this. The company's focus on efficiency in terms of strategy, pricing and routes have made it one of the leaders in its market. Indeed, the growth of the airline has shown that the main consideration for customers in choosing airlines is price rather than the type of additional services they receive on board.

Political, Economic, Social and Technological Factors

Political factors that could affect easyJet's operations include employment laws. The company is paying its employers less than the market average for traditional airlines (Karivate, 2004). A risk could be created should government regulations change…

Pride

Analysis of "Oedipus the King"

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18, NIV)

Pride is a destructive force that has been recognized as such since the beginning of recorded time. People are subject to it because, as generally selfish creatures, humans put themselves above others. Of course, as a person matures he or she will usually lose much of this me first attitude, at least publicly, but it remains in part because it is difficult to completely deny self. This undeniable fact, that pride does indeed precede, a fall is evidenced by many ancient writings one of the most profound and remembered being the story of Oedipus. He was a king who could not let a simple matter end, and the result was that he lost almost all that had been given to him. The story can easily be analyzed based on the Fitzgerald…

Starbucks PESLTE Analysis

Starbucks' consumers due to the economic recession have not cut down on their coffee consumption. Instead, they are shifting to options with lower prices. This means that the firm can still influence the buying power by offering cheaper products. In this week's discussion, once you have learnt what a PESLTE analysis is and read the Starbucks study files, provide an answer to these questions:

What are the political factors that Starbucks must consider in its external environment?

is a highly polarized political system with some level of instability and some consider the country to be more politically volatile than any time in recent history. There are many political factors that could influence Starbuck's operations. For example, U.S. internal trade agreements could affect how Starbucks acquires raw materials such as coffee beans and how much taxes or tariffs that they would pay. Starbuck has developed a well-managed global…

qual xchange Strategic Management Analysis

Introduction of Company

The (qual xchange) is an organization that distributes organic, cocoa, bananas, tea, gourmet coffee, chocolate bars and avocados produced by farmers in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. stablished in 1986, the core competence of the is by paying the agricultural product directly from the farmers assisting the organization to purchase the product at a fair price. Moreover, the organization promotes the sustainable farming by educating farmers to develop quality products. The strategy assists the in procuring quality products at affordable prices, however, the company is facing several threats in a business environment, which affect its operations.

The objective of this strategic paper is to discuss the general environmental factors affecting the in the industry. The paper also discusses the threats facing the company and the strategy to address the problems.

Situation Analysis

In a competitive business environment, the qual xchange is being…

Health Policy Analysis for Maryland AC (Affordable Care) Act

McLaughlin, & McLaughlin (2014) rank 11 areas of health innovation based on their impact on costs and quality of healthcare delivery. The process improvement is the highest ranking item. However, the authors identify data analytics, disease management, "non-physician delivery alternatives," and "alternative to fee-for service" (McLaughlin, & McLaughlin, 2014 p 335) as other innovation items that can enhance quality and reduce costs. Additionally, the authors point out that innovation in electronic medical records, diagnosis, and pharmaceuticals can also assist with quality and cost.

Objective of this health policy paper is to evaluate the items that can play important role in the health policy process of Maryland's ACA (Affordable Care Act).

Healthcare items for Health Policy Process for in Maryland Affordable Care Act

The ACA (Affordable Care Act) is a federal government legislation focusing on healthcare coverage for small groups and individuals.…

Smuckers has a number of strengths from which to gain competitive advantage. The company has a roster of leading brands that are household names (2009 Annual Report). It has saturation-level distribution around the nation. The company is consistently profitable and has a healthy balance sheet (MSN Moneycentral, 2010). It is liquid, has a low debt ratio and the company is growing faster than the industry average -- impressive since its business tend to be mature. One weakness of Smuckers is that its brands lack dynamism -- they are staples and do not excite consumers. The company's margins typically lack those in the industry over the past five years, indicating that Smuckers has lower pricing power than its competitors.

There are a number of opportunities in the market. Smuckers can place increased emphasis on the growing organic segment. Organic groceries have grown from $1 billion in 1990 to $23 billion in…

There are minor differences in prices, quality, and features of these products. Therefore, consumers can choose those products that best match their current needs. In the new market, Technosoft will need to strive hard for building a strong customer base by producing and promoting innovative technology solutions.

v. The Bargaining Power of Suppliers:

The bargaining power of suppliers is strong against new and small scale software manufacturers while very low against top market leaders. eason being, large scale manufacturers take advantage of their financial strength and make long-term collaborations with the raw material suppliers in a view to get regular and non-stop supply. On the other hand, small manufacturers can neither make strategic collaborations nor make bulk purchases for getting discount on raw material. As a result, the bargaining power of suppliers increases against these small manufacturers.

Section 3: Marketing Plan

3.1: Potential Target Market

Technosoft specializes in operating system…

Saudi Arabian pharmaceutical market is one of the largest in the Middle East. Within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saudi Arabia represents 65%, or $1.7 billion, of the pharmaceutical market (EPSICOM, 2011). This work will analyze the unique opportunities within the Saudi pharmaceutical industry along with challenges, such as heavily regulated price controls and the barriers to access faced by international pharmaceutical companies. Through a better understanding of these factors, a more complete picture of the market can be obtained.

Saudi Arabia is a unique pharmaceutical market. It is the largest consumer in the GCC, with more than 82% of the medicines utilized being imported (aines, 2009). Also, the GCC is unique from nearly every other global region in that patients favor brand products over generics. This is despite that generics are the vast majority of the drugs produced in the Kingdom and the GCC. One study estimates the market…

Kraft

Over the last few years, Kraft has been dealing with unique challenges. This is from the wide range of products and markets the firm is competing. In this study, there was a focus on the current opportunities and challenges. What was determined is that Kraft is facing considerable risks from a number of industry and external factors. To address these issues, the firm must maintain constant amounts of watchfulness of new changes and quickly adjust to them. This will help the company adapt with critical challenges and address the needs of stakeholders.

For many firms, globalization has increased the competitive pressures they are facing inside the marketplace. This has transformed the kinds of strategies they are utilizing. In the cases of Kraft Foods, they are facing similar issues from these and other factors such as: high raw material and energy costs. This has the potential to hurt their ability…

S. production value. Exports account for approximately half this amount (Binnquist, Lopez, and Shanley). Figure 2 portrays three views of bamboo. One: A bamboo forrest; Two: A bamboos shoot; Three: A bamboo grove walkway.

Figure 2: Three Views of Bamboo (adapted from Stickman).

As bamboo production levels have risen, the amounts of raw materials needed to facilitate the production have simultaneously increased. The bamboo industry in Anji predominantly harvests bamboo from plantations, as it primarily grows a fast growing and easily cultivated, bamboo species, locally known as "maozhu" or "moso bamboo" (phyllostachys heterocycla) (Binnquist, Lopez, and Shanley). .

Currently in Anji, the cultivation of moso bamboo encompasses 60% of the forest area, with the percentage rising as plantations expand. Along with the hefty production of bamboo, the intense cultivation bamboo industry uses mammoth amounts of fertilizers and pesticides; which contributes to negative environmental effects. In reference to the bamboo production…

HSBC BNP

Comparative Analysis

HSBC: An Outlook

BNP Paribas: A Helicopter View

Comparison Between HSBC and BNP Paribas in the Banking Field

SWOT Analysis and the Bank's Operations in Middle East Especially in Dubai & Bahrain

PEST Analysis And the Bank's Operations in Middle East Especially in Dubai & Bahrain

External Analysis of HSBC and BNP

Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM)

Example of HSBC and BNP Around the World

Decisions

Quantitative Analysis

Customer Values Analysis

Value Chain Analysis of the Banks

The current corporate world and environment can be referred as the resolution of administration. Way backed in which bread-and-butter development depends entirely on accurate and automated inventions. However, in the avant-garde apple acceptable administration is all-important for able and able alive of organization, forth with abstruse advancement. Administration is all the added significant between the ambience of the enterprises of the business, neither a business can run on itself nor…

Company

Apple is a personal electronics manufacturer and marketers. The company competes in personal computers, mp3 players, tablet computers, software and smartphones (Apple.com, 2011). Apple has improved revenues and profits rapidly of late (Apple, 2011). Apple is financially strong with a great balance sheet (MSN Moneycentral, 2011) and strong brand loyalty (ithers, 2008). The company's stock is currently trading at very high multiples because of its multi-year track record of hit product launches, its lack of slowdown during the recession and the company's continued ability to resonate with consumers. Apple's entrant into smartphones is the iPhone. Apple holds 25% share of the market, good for third place behind Android and Blackberry (Blodget, 2011). Apple just introduced its latest model smartphone, the iPhone 4.

Product Description

The iPhone 4 is the latest incarnation of Apple's iPhone line of smartphones. The smartphone market is divided by operating system, rather than device manufacturer.…

Strategic eview

Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis formed Skype in 2003. The two produced VoIP software based on P2P architecture that revolutionized the field of communication. The software provided its users with high quality and free voice calls, as firewalls did not affect this software. The company rapidly grew due to the free quality voice calls reaching its critical user mass in a short time. The company later started premium Skype products to corporate users, which increased the revenue generated. VoIP technology used by Skype means that the company relies on the internet or IP-based networks to transmit the signal. The information transferred through the software requires protection from hackers and for privacy thus encrypted.

Microsoft acquired the company in 2011 for a record 8.5 billion U.S. dollars. This is considers one of Microsoft's most expensive acquisitions as the company grows to become the number one software company in the…

3 Squares is a company that has remained profitable across its operations because of suitable internal and external environment factors. These internal and external factors have enabled the company to effectively identify market opportunities and capitalize on them to become one of the profitable meal delivery service for seniors. Based on the findings of a SWOT analysis, one of the historical factors that have contributed to change in the company's market segment is the changing demographics of modern populations. In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of the elderly populations in developed countries, particularly the United States (Wiener & Tilly, 2002). Since the company focuses on delivery of meal services to seniors, the growth in the elderly population has contributed to change in the firm's market segment. This change has implied that the firm has a huge customer base because of the increase…

business, there are a number of issues that will have an impact on a firm's ability to compete and increase their profit margins. One of the most formidable is the transformations that can occur inside an industry. This means that corporations have to understand potential threats and create strategies for mitigating them. Otherwise, there is the possibility that a company could lose their market share and dominance in the sector.

A good example of this can be by looking at General Motors. From 1946 until 2008, they were considered to be the world's largest automaker. Yet, foreign manufacturers continued to erode away at their position. This is because the management failed to understand the challenges they were facing and adapt with them. The long-term effects are that the firm was forced into bankruptcy and had to receive government bailouts in order to stay in business. This is illustrating how not…

Organization Behavior

A eport on Advertising Industry

This paper presents a detailed report on the environmental factors, competitive environment, and current trends in the advertising sector. The purpose of this report is to highlight and discuss the major challenges which companies in the advertising sector are facing in the present business landscape. It starts with a brief overview of the advertising industry; its introduction, functions, and purposes, and proceeds by discussing the major environmental forces that impact the companies in this industry. These are political, economic, social and technological forces. The later section explains the competitive environment in detail. That is, how advertising companies are managing to compete in the presence of a stiff competition from existing competitors, new entrants, and substitute services. The report also discusses the introduction and role of the five key players of the advertising industry. Moreover, the trends, opportunities for graduates, Gap analysis and action…

Ultimately, the airline has been able to extract concessions from its other unions and can expect to do the same with the AMU. Qantas should deal with the issue of worker unhappiness through non-financial means, such as fostering an organizational culture change.

The airline industry is facing a difficult operating environment. Qantas must find new ways to cut costs in order to remain competitive. The recent mechanical failures are not likely related to the acrimonious relationship that has developed between Qantas and the union representing its mechanics. Given that the Labor government has taken an anti-union stance, Qantas should move towards outsourcing maintenance. This will upset the union, but it is unlikely that quality will suffer as a result.

orks Cited

Robbins, Liz. (2008). " Qantas Involved in Another Incident" New York Times. Retrieved online December 14, 2008 at http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/qantas-involved-in-another-air-incident/

Qantas financials retrieved from Reuters, online, December 14, 2008 at…

Spain

As of late 2010, rumors in the financial community persist that Spain is going to be the next Eurozone nation to suffer an economic crisis. Spain's high unemployment rate, coupled with a lack of economic recovery and being unable to adjust interest rates due to its participation in the euro, has resulted in a rapid appreciation of interest rates in Spanish sovereign debt in recent weeks amid speculation in the bond markets that Spain will be unable to meet its obligations (Krugman, 2010; Krause, 2010). The Spanish economy, it would seem, has been suffering in recent years and that suffering is not expected to end any time soon.

For a company looking to do business in Spain, the current situation is certainly cause for alarm. The economic fundamentals of the country look troubling, and there are significant structural reasons why Spain will not be a good place in which…

Part 3: On the Subway.com website, Subway highlights some of its sustainability initiatives. The company works with Energy Star to reduce the energy usage of its stores by using more efficient light bulbs. The company does this in partnership with Philips, the manufacturer of the light bulbs.

Subway has a new store concept known as the eco-store. The first Subway eco-store opened in Kissimmee, Florida in 2007 and two more are open in Oregon. The eco-store is built according to standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Such features of these stores include high efficiency HVAC systems, remote condensing units for refrigeration and ice-making, high efficiency lighting, low flow water fixtures and decor made from sustainable resources, including recycled materials. hile there are only three eco-stores in existence, the company is developing more. At some point, Subway could take the…

Direct mailers will first go to the 535 green businesses on a monthly basis and will be expanded from this number as needed to continue to provide the average 15 event total to meet the strategic goals.

Type: All types of businesses, with 10 or more employees will be targeted as potential customers to this service with the first emphasis being on businesses who have strategic planning around green/sustainable business practices.

Value Drivers: Intentions of practicing sustainable standards in business, seeking mid range catering for meetings and events, seeking alternative to cheaper/less healthy alternative catering offerings, seeking to try something new with a greater level of service and sustainable business practices, a desire to support other local businesses with a similar goal, a desire to improve business climate with only limited resources, a desire to offer vegetarian fare to those who choose it, a desire to offer healthier alternatives to…

Organization Behavior

ASDA Stores

Business ASDA

ASDA Stores is a large scale retailer in the United Kingdom. It has grown over the decades by regularly expanding its business operations all over the country. Currently, ASDA Stores is present in more than 564 locations and offers a wide array of grocery items, general merchandise, and financial services. The business operations of ASDA Stores are affected by a large number of environmental factors. These factors fall under political and governmental forces, economic forces, social, cultural, and demographical forces, technological forces, legal forces, and environmental forces. All these forces have a direct impact on the company's sales, operations, and financial performance. In order to encounter the environmental challenges and operate in the most competitive and profitable fashion, ASDA Stores has to carefully analyze these forces and design its strategic directions in the best interest of its business affairs.

The resource management practices of…

exist for wood and veneer manufacturer Chabros International. he company is located in Lebanon which could cause problems due to the new political unrest which has plagued the country over the past four years. However, Chabros has positioned itself well by diversifying its business to other countries in the region. he business has grown in the past two decades, largely due to its emphasis on growth outside of Lebanon and its focus on the veneer industry. his report use Porter's five forces, a PES analysis and a SWO analysis to determine the advantages of moving to other areas of world. he issue at hand is that the companies sales have been greatly affected by the economic downturn which stopped many projects in its largest area of growth, Dubai. Because the economic situation has been tenuous for the past three years, Chabros has had to study its situation and try to…

Health Staff

the Allied health care staffing agency is a staffing agency that focuses on the niche of the nursing jobs within the healthcare industry in Chicago

The Allied healthcare staffing agency works to recruit registered nurses belonging to all medical Specialties, Practical Nurses that are licensed also called LPNs, Nursing Assistants that are certified also called CNAs and Specialists from the allied health sciences. These professionals would be hired both from the area of the metro city as well as the suburbs and placed within the hospitals, the neighborhood medical centers, Adult care facilities, clinics, and rehabilitation centers.

The mission of the Allied Healthcare Staffing Agency is to provide the best opportunities of employment both to its collaborators which are the local healthcare organizations as well as serving the entire nursing community to provide amply amount of job opportunities to choose from in a time when the turnover of…

Therefore, they use strict evaluation criteria to make choice among different alternatives. Keeping in view the strength of customers' bargaining power, Toyota and other automakers are expending huge amounts on advertisements and promotional campaigns to create awareness about their brands and convince these customers to prefer them over all other brands (Jenny & Scammon, 2010).

5. Internal Environmental Analysis for Toyota Motor Corporation

5.1. The esources Types:

Like other types of business corporations, Toyota also relies on four different organizational resources. These are: financial resources, human resources, informational resources, and physical resources. Financial resources are the money invested by the company's shareholders and the profits left after paying off liabilities. These resources enable the company to run its day-to-day operations, run marketing campaigns, and make strategic investments to keep it innovative and competitive in all aspects. Secondly, the human resources are the intellectual capital that plays a major role in…

There is a risk, however, that the company begins to lag the pace of technological change, and in such a situation would see reduced relevance in its industries. hat the PEST analysis shows is that in general the external environmental forces have either a favorable or neutral impact on Apple's operations. Traditional sources of external risk (political/legal) are minimal and the other key risk source (technological change) has traditionally been an area of strength for Apple. The trends for the future are positive, so Apple is likely to continue to succeed simply by staying the course.

In the external environment, a firm like Apple has innumerable opportunities. The ones most appealing are closely related to either Apple's technology or media properties. Extensions of Apple TV to compete with Netflix could be an opportunity. Video game consoles are a related business where Apple can succeed, just as rival Microsoft has. There…

2 Marketing Communication Objectives

• Promotional Objectives: Initiate grass root, interactive, and experiential campaigns, over a six-month period, throughout the United States, to increase brand awareness, trial consumption, and long-term end-users. Target the college and college-aged segment, and college beach territories. Track consumer activity through specialized giveaways and promotions one to 1.5 years to determine the number of resulting repeat, long-term users. Aside from branding results, promotional efforts, with a budget capacity of $300,000, aim to secure at least 20,000 new long-term users or $250,000 in traceable sales, within one to 1.5 years.

• randing Objectives: Maintain and augment a fun, celebratory brand image for Wispa bars. Contract brand ambassadors to foster brand awareness among 250 U.S. colleges, and reach 250,000 U.S. college-aged students with gratuitous Wispa bar samples, over a six-month period.

• Sales and usiness Development Objectives: Establish relationships with five new major retail distributors in the United…

Internalization of Fast Food Business

Internationalisation of Fast-food Business

PEST Analysis for India

Political

Economical

Social

Technological

PEST Analysis for United States

Political

Economical

Social

Technological

Comparison between the two Countries

Changes in the Global Environment due to Financial Crisis

Impact of Financial Crisis on Internationalisation

Fast food has transformed the eating habits of the entire population, whether they are resided in UK, U.S., Asia or any other country. The changing trend of the eating habits evidently exhibits that fast food industry is one of the industries that have developed over the time. Even though fast food consumption has shown an increasing pattern of factors that has affected the health in many ways such as increased overall calorie intake, contribution to weight gain, and elevation in the risk for various diseases, yet, the consumption trend at the same time has represented an escalation in the recent years (Parsa & Kwansa,…

Companies such as XYZ Widget Corporation are well situated to take advantage of burgeoning markets in developing nations, particularly in Asia and Africa.

2. XYZ can grow its business by expanding its operations to certain developing nations in ways that profit the company as well as the impoverished regions that are involved, particularly when marketing efforts are coordinated with nongovernmental organizations operating in the region.

3. Several constraints and challenges must be overcome in order to succeed in selling to impoverished regions of the world.

4. Time is of the essence. First movers will enjoy distinct competitive advantages over their counterparts who adopt a "wait-and-see" approach to targeting the poor in developing nations as potential markets.

Introduction

The world's population has never been larger, and there are more poor people today than ever before in history. Current trends provide some mixed messages concerning the direction that poverty is taking in…

These four dimensions are the tools for developing the company's marketing strategy and deciding which product line to cultivate, preserve, yield, or get rid of. Strong products should be grown or maintained. eak or unprofitable lines should be sold or discontinued as soon as possible. "Four basic factors are critical in the decision to manage individual product lines.

Consumer demand

Cost to produce

Gross margin

Total sales volume" (Berry, 2012).

Going through the process of developing a marketing plan will help CVS to figure out how they are going to draw people into their stores and sell them things beyond discounted generic drugs. A provides the market with a source of discounted drugs among other products. This market need is important today as many Americans are faced with the dilemma of using their limited income on food or meds. A pharmacy should seek to fulfill the following benefits that are…

Nike Inc.

Operations Evaluation of Nike Incorporated

Marketing Mix Price

Marketing Mix Place

Market Situation

Factories Based on Region and Product

Current Situation of Footwear Industry

Marketing Mix Product

Nike Current Situation

Strengths

Marketing Mix Promotion

eaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Critical Evaluations

PEST Analysis

Growth Opportunities

Political Evaluation

Economic Evaluation

Social Evaluation

Technological Evaluation

Changes in Operations orkers at Factories

Code of Conduct Grade Assessment

Operations Evaluation of Nike Incorporated

Understanding how globalization affects a company will be analyzed to explore how Nike Incorporated handles the multiple risks and capitalizes on the benefits of such expansion. As Nike has faced immense growth and criticism due to the complex business model that has led to the number one position in the athletic footwear industry. It has been a challenge to balance strong organizational performance along with required corporate ethical standards expected for a global leader. A critical evaluation of Nike Inc. will…

Zongshen +d

Innovations in strategic planning

Organizational analysis of Chinese industrial firm, Zhongqing Zongshen Automobile Industry Manufacturing Co., Ltd., offers much in terms of understanding the global powerhouse as an industrial economy of scale. If China's macro-economic position is one of increased export growth, then micro-analyses enable us to uncover the ingenuity and strategies behind the giant. Zongshen Motorcycle brand is one of the core subsidiaries of Zongshen Industrial Group, with consumer recognition in the capital market. The mission of the company is to improve the quality of life of human beings through innovation of clean, convenient and safe transportation tools (Zongshen, 2010).

In 2008, expansion of the two-wheeled motorcycle concern in its multi-scale strategic plan encouraged growth through: domestic sales, import and export agreements, and key & important component distribution. The integrated strategy resulted in substantial returns, with export sales at $100 million alone. The Company reports cumulative assets…