...Overcoming Weaknesses and Threats to Succeed in a Competitive Market Company Analysis of Chick-Fil-A Each business has strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that contribute to the overall performance it achieves in a market. All companies vary in these four categories to create individual competitive advantages associated with its success and all companies strive for this competitive advantage. A competitive advantage occurs when an organization acquires or develops an attribute or combination of attributes that allows it to outperform its competitors. Chick-Fil-A is an excellent example of a business that uses a SWOT analysis (see Appendix A) to exhibit its strengths and opportunities, as well as overcome its weaknesses and threats to allow them an attainable competitive advantage in their industry. As with any organization, Chick-Fil-A faces threats in their industry; these range from the standard threats of Porter’s Five Forces Model (see Appendix B), to specific issues such as the negative publicity gained from the company’s stance on LGBT rights. Threats from one aspect, may also play a role as a strength for some companies. For example, Chick-Fil-A’s political stance on LGBT caused a wave of protests and a loss in a particular customer base, but it also showcased the strong company core values, which in turn skyrocketed the support of the Christian customer base. Dan Cathy, CEO, admits that ultimately it was an unwise business decision that alienated...
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...Analysis of Papa John’s I. Brief Introduction/Exec Summary The competitors in the pizza industry seem to have balance and be in cooperation with each other. While there are only a few main competitors, they do not seem to be in a price war. The only way for companies to grow in this industry is to take market share away from already-existing companies.The competitors do not differentiate themselves via price, but rather through different promotions and products ("Papa john's international,").Papa John’s have several strengths which include in-house commissaries and a strong supply chain. They also have a few weaknesses, such as fewer locations than competitors and low switching costs for customers.The purpose of this report is to assess Papa John’s in terms of its overall performance, mission, strategy, and capabilities. Strategy is analyzed from four components, which are goals, products market focus, value proposition, and core activities. At last, performance matrix is used to classify operating performance and organizational health. II. Assessing Firm Strategy Mission and values are very useful to inspire an organization and give it a basic sense of direction and broad guidelines for getting there. According to their web site, Papa John’s has four mission statements for customers, team members, franchisees, and shareholders. For customers, they will create superior brand loyalty, like "raving fans", through authentic, superior-quality products, legendary customer...
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...Financial Ratio Analysis: Starbucks Corporation December 11, 2013 Financial Ratio Analysis: Starbucks Corporation Starbucks Corporation has created a crazed coffee culture around the globe. This paper will act as a financial and stock recommendation based of the financial ratio analysis. Starbucks opened its first location in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971, selling quality ground beans over a small counter in an open-air market. Eleven years later, Howard Schultz joined Starbucks as a director of retail operations and marketing. After a trip to Italy to find new products, Schultz fell in love with the cafe environment he found there. His dream then began to bring that environment to the United States and the brand we know today began to take form. With the backing of local investors, Shultz acquired six Starbucks locations in 1987 (Starbucks) and began building his global empire. At the time of its initial public offering on the stock market in June 1992, Starbucks had grown to 140 outlets and had revenue of $73.5M. They opened that morning at $17 a share, and closed at $21.50. (Starbucks) By September 1992, the share price had risen 70% to over 100 times the earnings per share of the previous year. (Globe) After going public, the company took steps to grow the business, expanding the brand by negotiating partnerships with established companies. * Offering Starbucks coffee on United Airlines fights. * Licensing Stores to Barnes & Noble,...
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...Andrew Wash GBA 490-321 Written Case 1 February 12, 2014 Table of Contents Issue #1 ……………………………………………………………………………… 2 Issue #2 ……………………………………………………………………………… 3 Issue #3 ……………………………………………………………………………… 4 Recommendation ……………………………………………………………………. 5 Dominant Economic Characteristics ………………………………………………... 7 PESTEL Analysis …………………………………………………………………… 8 Five Forces Analysis ……………………………………………………………….. 10 Drivers of Change in the Industry …………………………………………………... 12 Current Strategy …………………………………………………………………….. 13 Competitor Analysis ………………………………………………………………... 15 SWOT Analysis …………………………………………………………………….. 17 Financial Analysis ………………………………………………………………….. 19 Issue #1 Trader Joe’s first problem is that information is occasionally leaked regarding the identity of their private label suppliers. Trader Joe’s thrives off keeping the identity of their suppliers a secret to all consumers and media in order to maintain the integrity of their products. Since 80 percent of the products sold at Trader Joe’s are private label, the identity of the supplier is not known because the product is sold under the Trader Joe’s brand name. Information leaks regarding Trader Joe’s suppliers could damage their brand image because it could cause Trader Joe’s to lose its charm to consumers and because it could make other companies wary of supplying their goods. First, information leaks could cause Trader Joe’s to lose its charm in the eyes of the consumer. There were news reports spread within...
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...The Future of Executive Coaching: Analysis From a Market Life Cycle Approach Where are we, where are we going, and how do we prepare for what’s next? Sheila Maher, MA., MBA. and Suzi Pomerantz, MT., MCC [This article first appeared in the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations, 2003, 1(2), 3-11. It can be downloaded and printed for personal use only. Please obtain prior written permission for wider printing and d istribution from J ohn L azar, IJCO Co-Executive E ditor, at john@ijco.info .] In launching this journal the editorial board envisioned that the journal would provide a forum for “reflection and analysis…by those leaders of this eme rging field who recogn ize coach ing to be a fixture rather than a fad...” 1 This a rticle exp lores the m arket life cycle o f executive coac hing , considerin g its history and growth, and estimating its current position. We discuss the four stages of the market life cycle: product introduction, market growth, market maturity, and sales decline, exploring the implications for our profession of each stage. Understanding where coaching is in the market cycle allows u s to consider strateg ies to stim ulate the co ntinu ed growth of the pro fession . In this a rticle we present our th esis that “this emerging field” is actually already in the mature stage of its lifecycle and we make recommendations for mo ving the professio n forw ard. It is clear that coac hing is no t a fad an d it is not ne w. Coaching is rooted in a range...
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...anti-establishment and unlicensed all night dance parties, featuring electronically-produced dance music (EDM), such as techno, house, trance and drum and bass. Since their late 1980s origins in the U.K., raves have gained widespread popularity and transformed dramatically. Consequently, their many cultural traits and behaviors have garnered much sociological interest, which mostly falls into two competing perspectives: cultural studies and public health. In this paper, we review what raves look like today compared to their high point in the 1990s. We then discuss how the cultural studies and public health perspectives define raves and have studied them over time, focusing on the “pet” sociological concepts each has sought to advance. Our analysis of these literatures reveals important differences in rave research by country and over time. We end by discussing the politics associated with the shift in rave research. Introduction Society has been greatly influenced by many alternative scenes, subcultures, or lifestyles oriented around music, youth and young adults (Epstein 1998). Some of the more notable ones include the English punk scene in the 1970s- 1980s, the U.S. jazz (1930s-1940s) and hippie scenes (1970s), and the 1990s rave scenes in the U.K. and U.S. From them have come musical innovation, social identity, fashion and other aesthetic nuances, and mainstream and alternative cultural production. Increasingly, sociology has used scenes and lifestyles to investigate...
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...Commerce - is the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. E-Commerce * “E-commerce is the sharing of business information, maintaining business relationships and conducting business transactions by means of telecommunications networks: includes not only the buying and selling of goods , but also the various processes within individual organizations which support that goal.” ~Zwass Elements of E-Commerce Three main elements or disciplines in the application of e-commerce: 1. Business information 2. Business transaction 3. Telecommunication Business Information * Involves customer’s information, logistic, supplies, request, payment, products and other information which is suitable and accurate to help make a decision. Information is the asset and income of a firm or organization. Information is very important in the world of e-commerce. Business Transaction * All activities such as promotion, selling, purchasing, bargaining, delivery, customer service and etc is required to make a transaction complete. Some of the transaction in e-commerce is carried out digitally 100% but there is also transaction which uses both digital and physical method. This is because some products only can be described clearly physically. Telecommunication * Requires an electronic form of communication such as a telephone line, modem, mobile phone, a telecommunication network etc.Without this, an online transaction cannot be done between...
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...As the outcome of the research is the report — I have included in Appendix A the outline that needs to be followed when writing a research report. The sample questionnaire used in the article is presented in Appendix B 1 Introduction Every stage of marketing research is important but the most important stage is the designing of questionnaire since if the questionnaire design is faulty then no amount of clever interviewing, analysis and interpretations can provide meaningful answers. Questionnaire is the basic research tool and can be defined as collection of a formalised set of questions — drawn up with the research problem in mind — used for obtaining information from the respondent for finding solutions to the research problem. The various steps in questionnaire design can be classified as follows:(i) Identifying constructs to be measured (ii) Preparing the questionnaire flow (iii) Deciding the type of questions (iv) Wording and writing the questions (v) Piloting the Questionnaire (vi) Administering the questionnaire. The problems of analysis and reporting is outside the scope of this article and shall be discussed in details. However, to provide a standard structure to the report,...
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...Volume VIII No. 1 It’s About Time Message from the President by Patrick B. Ford Contents Message from the President Patrick B. Ford Marketing: Planning for Success Michael Lane Sondhi™ Signature Treatment System Doing the Right Things Right Anoop Sondhi, D.D.S., M.S. – 3 AlastiK™ Easy-To-Tie Ligature Development Susan Tzou – 9 The Art of Scheduling Terry A. Sellke, D.D.S., M.S. – 12 Continuing Education – 18 A recently reemphasized paradigm of business is that time is one of the most important factors to be considered by an organization. To use time efficiently, we need to choose and implement those products, processes and practices which are effective within the time we can provide, while maintaining the highest standards of service. The articles in this issue of Orthodontic Perspectives address this topic, and offer insight into methodology and products that can help you be successful in your practice. I am pleased to introduce two new members of The Leadership Committee (TLC) of 3M Unitek who will have an important role in how we serve you in the years ahead. Ajay Myer is appointed Senior Laboratory Manager in charge of Research and Development, and Norm Clason is now Manufacturing Operations Manager. Both have long histories with 3M, and I’m sure you will be hearing about their activities in future issues of this magazine. Following is an article by Mike Lane, TLC member and Manager, 3M Unitek Global Marketing Operations, who offers a view of the increasingly...
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...RO T E U L D GE · r & Fr a nci s G ro SAP implementation at Metalica: an organizational drama in two acts M ICH EL AVIT AL and BETTY VANDENBOSCH Department of Information Systems, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-7235 USA This play attempts to reconstruct the social reality of key players at Metalica during the ® rst couple of years of SAP implementation. Rather than adopting one perspective about the SAP project, we provide the views of different participants using their own words, arguments and ideas as much as possible. The play is constructed from summaries of systematic interviews which were changed only to suit scholarly objectives and a dramatic presentation. At the request of the company involved, the names and locations in this case have been disguised. Act 1 describes the company’ s vision concerning the implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, a crisis which emerged during the initial phase of implementation and the actions taken to remedy the shortfalls. Act 2 describes the project management, the dynamics between the implementation team members and the organizational implications of an ERP system implementation. The actual performance of the play and a subsequent discussion among the participants enable students to re-create and experience the thrills, frustrations, dilemmas and concerns originally expressed by the people who inspired this account of SAP implementation. Using...
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...The White Tiger Summary The entire novel is narrated through letters by Balram Halwai to the Premier of China, who will soon be visiting India. Balram is an Indian man from an impoverished background, born in the village of Laxmangarh. Early on, he describes his basic story: he transcended his humble beginnings to become a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore, largely through the murder Mr. Ashok, who had been his employer. Balram also makes clear that because of the murder, it is likely that his own family has been massacred in retribution. In Laxmangarh, Balram was raised in a large, poor family from the Halwai caste, a caste that indicates sweet-makers. The village is dominated and oppressed by the “Four Animals,” four landlords known as the Wild Boar, the Stork, the Buffalo, and the Raven. Balram's father is a struggling rickshaw driver, and his mother died when he is young. The alpha figure of his family was his pushy grandmother, Kusum. Balram was initially referred to simply as “Munna,” meaning “boy," since his family had not bothered to name him. He did not have another name until his schoolteacher dubbed him Balram. The boy proved himself intelligent and talented, and was praised one day as a rare “White Tiger” by a visiting school inspector. Unfortunately, Balram was removed from school after only a few years, to work in a tea shop with his brother, Kishan. There, he furthered his education by eavesdropping on the conversations of shop customers. Balram feels that...
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...Unleashing the Ideavirus 1 www.ideavirus.com Unleashing the Ideavirus By Seth Godin Foreword by Malcolm Gladwell ©2000 by Do You Zoom, Inc. You have permission to post this, email this, print this and pass it along for free to anyone you like, as long as you make no changes or edits to its contents or digital format. In fact, I’d love it if you’d make lots and lots of copies. The right to bind this and sell it as a book, however, is strictly reserved. While we’re at it, I’d like to keep the movie rights too. Unless you can get Paul Newman to play me. Ideavirus™ is a trademark of Do You Zoom, Inc. So is ideavirus.com™. Designed by Red Maxwell You can find this entire manifesto, along with slides and notes and other good stuff, at www.ideavirus.com. This version of the manifesto is current until August 17, 2000. After that date, please go to www.ideavirus.com and get an updated version. You can buy this in book form on September 1, 2000. This book is dedicated to Alan Webber and Jerry Colonna. Of course. Unleashing the Ideavirus 2 www.ideavirus.com STEAL THIS IDEA! Here’s what you can do to spread the word about Unleashing the Ideavirus: 1. Send this file to a friend (it’s sort of big, so ask first). 2. Send them a link to www.ideavirus.com so they can download it themselves. 3. Visit www.fastcompany.com/ideavirus to read the Fast Company article. 4. Buy a copy of the hardcover book at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970309902/permissionmarket. 5...
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...SYLLABUS Cambridge International AS and A Level Travel and Tourism 9395 For examination in June and November 2015 Cambridge Advanced Changes to syllabus for 2015 This syllabus has been updated, but there are no significant changes. Cambridge International Examinations retains the copyright on all its publications. Registered Centres are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use. However, we cannot give permission to Centres to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within a Centre. ® IGCSE is the registered trademark of Cambridge International Examinations © Cambridge International Examinations 2013 Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Why choose Cambridge? Why choose Cambridge International AS and A Level? Why choose Cambridge International AS and A Level Travel and Tourism? Cambridge AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) Diploma How can I find out more? 2. Teacher support .............................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Support materials 2.2 Resource lists 2.3 Training 3. Assessment at a glance ................................................................................................. 7 4. Syllabus aims and assessment objectives.....................................................
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...Osama bin Laden (on video) “The acme of this religion is jihad.” — Osama bin Laden (Bergen, 2001, p. 41) Many have asked, “what can we do to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)? ” There have been a variety of suggestions from airstrikes, isolation , establishing a national unity government in Iraq to the feasibility of a counter-offensive using 'local' militia's and only as a last resort U.S. Boots on the ground. These are all worthy ideas; however, it is imperative to get a fundamental understanding of what has caused this problem because ISIS is growing and becoming stronger (even though current air strikes and counter-offensives have been successful). Before a decision can be made a rigorous analysis is necessary, a sociological analysis, so that the United States and the rest of the world can determine what must be done regarding ISIS and why. (Thesis): This paper will argue that the challenge of removing IS lies in our ability to understand and realize that the terror group’s appeal is not its alleged goal of a regression to the glorious past of Islam (as Armstrong put it), nor that Islam is the fundamental cause of this anomaly, but that ISIS's appeal is, as Dorsey and Ali state, “...the opportunity it offers the socially, economically...
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...to De Ta ve lo ct an pY dT ou ip s rB us i O n nes lin s e ics Media 101 hr r Yo The Social is B r r og an ng au th or of C N k e A im s t T u ts s e s e nt b g s li el T ew Praise for Social Media 101 “Dismissing social media is not an option, but neither is recruiting a small army of consultants to move your business forward. If you need a crisp view of what’s relevant and how to implement what’s measurable and meaningful today do not miss Social Media 101. Chris Brogan has clearly established himself as the “Social Media Compass” for the rest of us. By the time you finish reading this sentence, there’s something new to tweet about, but you can count on Chris to keep you headed in the right direction.” —Beth Dockins Director, Customer Service, Scotts “Social media is a new and fascinating playground for the complexities of human nature. Chris Brogan understands social media because he puts in the time—observing, understanding, and most importantly, taking action in ways that work.” —Brian Clark Owner/Publisher of Copyblogger.com “Social Media 101 is packed full of the kind of actionable information I wish I’d had starting out in the game.” —Darren Rowse Publisher of Problogger.net “It’s terrific to see Chris Brogan capturing so many of his thoughts on social media in one resource. He’s a person who I follow just for that reason. He offers clever insights and is always at the front of the learning...
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