...Avon Calls on Foreign Markets Case Study Introduction Avon is a 125 year old beauty product manufacturer, who has for over a century left a mark on millions of people throughout hundreds of countries. Avon is most popular for their direct selling technique in which the company sells products directly to distributors or final consumers rather than to trading companies or other intermediaries in order to achieve greater control over the marketing function and to earn higher profits. While this method has proven to be successful for Avon and has certainly contributed to their longevity in the market, there are still crucial factors imposing on the company’s global presence throughout the world. The case study “Avon Calls on Foreign Markets” shed light on issues related to branding, pricing, promotion, as well as distribution. Throughout this analysis, I have identified the shortcomings of Avon over the decades and have also provided recommendations for moving forward. Global Branding Avon is known for their standardized branding, which allows the company to create a uniform global quality image while saving costs by using uniform ingredients and packaging. While this method may be helpful in increasing sales in Thailand as consumers prefer to buy beauty products made by foreign companies, this may not necessarily always work out to Avon’s advantage. For instance, Daniels et al (2011) reveals several barriers to uniform branding that Avon should most certainly be aware...
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...Avon Case Study • For 113 years, Avon has used only direct selling. • In the late 1990s Avon was operating in over 135 countries with a sales force of more than 2.3 million independent representatives. • Avon Ladies – their representatives – handled 650 million customer orders and generate more than 2 billion US dollars in commissions per year. • The personalized, friendly customer service offered by Avon Ladies is considered a key competitive strength. • Company moved into China in 1990 and with the common cultural background and relatively new concept of direct selling in China, it appeared to be a promising opportunity. • Key issue/problem, which Avon encountered, was on April 21, 1998; the Chinese government announced an immediate ban on all direct selling. • In response to the ban in China, a course of action Avon could have taken would be to adjust their market strategy in order to continue their operations in China. • Once the ban was set into place by the Chinese government, Avon could have taken the time given by the government to obtain a retailers license. Opening a retail store, the Avon ladies could continue to apply the companies selling approach policy. • Although there could have been am alternative course of action for Avon, choosing to cease sales operations in China was the best course of action. • By ceasing sales operations, Avon was able to maintain their company policy, image, and their competitive strength. Questions: 1. Avon is seen as a...
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...Avon, A Cut Above the Rest Nathaniel J. Wilson Dr. Robert Waldo HRM 532 – Talent Management May 4, 2014 Introduction A door to door merchandise company that began well over a century ago flourishes and then almost crumbles to its knees. Why you might ask, well it’s very simple; when major companies continue to grow faster than the structure will allow, they simply cannot keep up with the consumer demand. Avon Products Inc., a global cosmetics and fragrance company that have a rich history for well over 120 years tried to do the unthinkable or should I say the fundamental movement. As stated by Goldsmith & Carter, they tried to integrate globally while building a larger foundation (2). The company started with one man going door to door selling books and as a consolation would give women samples of perfumes to keep them buying; fortunately turned into a multi-billion dollar empire of women’s goods. Avon grew into a household name that is still very profitable today. While operating in over 40 countries the company never defaulted and stayed true to the brand. Unfortunately, they began to notice that they were unable to operate at the same structure as previously. Companies must evolve and change with the needs of the consumer and the need of the market. Fear of any company will develop imbalance in structure and leadership of the company. Not to be overshadowed by the changes the executives began to shift and restructure of the company for the betterment...
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...Representatives’ opportunities by allowing them to showcase more products than they could carry in their sample cases. 1945 - The company launched one of the most memorable advertising campaigns of all time with the “Ding Dong Avon Calling” commercials. 1946 - With sales of $17.2 million and profit rising to more than $1 million, Avon became a publicly-traded company. 1959 - Avon launched operations in Western Europe, in the United Kingdom and Western Germany. 1969 - Avon entered Japan, expanding its operations to the Asia Pacific market. 2005 - Avon invested $100 million to build a new cutting-edge Global Research and Development Center in Suffern, NY, furthering the company’s commitment to stay at the forefront of the beauty marketplace, bringing leading-edge, technology-based products to women around the world. 2007 - Avon launched the Hello Tomorrow Campaign, a global marketing campaign that encompasses product and representative recruitment advertising; and the Hello Tomorrow Fund, which empowers women and improves society by providing individuals with cash awards that will allow them to pursue a project or initiative to better the lives of women of all ages. 2009 – Avon grew to 6.2 million Active Representative, as women worldwide recognized Avon could be the answer to a challenging global economic environment. BACKGROUND OF THE COMPANY Avon Cosmetics is one of the largest and well known companies producing cosmetics in the world and operating in direct...
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...International Journal of Business and Management May, 2009 A Review of Theories on Transnational Transfer of HR Practice within Multinationals Tianyuan Yu Institute of Enterprise Management, School of Business, Sun Yat-Sen University International Finance College, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus Jin Feng Road, Tangjiawan, Zhuhai 519085, China Tel: 86-756-6126-600 E-mail: tianyuanyu@gmail.com Nengquan Wu Institute of Enterprise Management, School of Business, Sun Yat-Sen University 135Xin Gang Xi Road, Guangzhou 510275, China Tel: 86-20-8411-4155 Abstract E-mail: mnswnq@mail.sysu.edu.cn This article discusses the process of transferring human resource (HR) policy and practice internationally within multinational companies (MNCs), and the factors that influence the transfer process. The first section thoroughly surveys the literature on why MNCs transfer HR practices across borders and generalizes three lines of arguments. The second section looks at “what to transfer” with regard to particular HR issues, and points to a gap in the literature. The next section briefly reviews three main methods of transfer adopted by MNCs. Finally, the results of transfer are discussed both prescriptively and descriptively in light of Kostova’s (1999) multilevel model. The arguments presented in this article have two main implications which are summarized in the conclusion. Keywords: Multinational companies, Human resource policy and practice, Transfer 1. Why transfer ...
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...[Type the company name] | AVON PRODUCTS CASE STUDY 1 | [Type the document subtitle] | | Pamela | [Pick the date] | Abstract Avon Products, Inc was a leading global cosmetics company, with over $8 billion in annual revenue in 2005. As the world’s largest direct seller, the company marketed to women in 143 countries via five (5) million independent Avon Sales Representatives. Avon product lines included numerous popular brand names, and an extensive line of costume jewelry and clothing. Although revenues increased in 2003, 2004 and 2005, Avon’s net income was $848 million in 2005. The company met with stiff competition in the US market from other cosmetic companies. In order to maintain its market share in the US while targeting other countries, especially China, the company drastically changed its global operating structure. This brought senior management closer to its key business geographies, strengthened global integration, accelerated information flow and positioned the company for sustainable growth. Avon expected to incur costs to implement these initiatives over the next several years, with a significant portion of the total costs to be incurred during 2006. Benefits from restructuring helped to fund a notable increase in consumer investment and improved the competitiveness of its direct selling opportunity. Additionally, the company increased investment in advertising, marketing intelligence, consumer research and product innovation. The cosmetics mogul...
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...Avon Products, Inc. – 2013 A. Case Abstract Headquartered in New York City, New York, Avon Products, Inc. competes as one of the world’s largest direct-seller firm, and is the largest direct-seller of cosmetics and beauty-related items. Most of Avon’s sales come from its 6.4 million independent sales representatives (considered independent contractors) that serve in 110 countries. Avon employs 39,100 people and only 4,800 of them are employed in the USA. Avon generates 85% of their revenue from outside of the USA. Avon earned a net income of $517.8 million in 2011, but reported a loss of $38.2 million in 2012. The company has recently slipped in revenue due to currency rates and North American sales with a 13% drop in active sales representative. B. Vision Statement Actual: To be the company that best understands and satisfies the product, service and self-fulfillment needs of women – globally. Proposed: To be the company that provides the best foundation for women by offering a wide variety of products that appeal to any women’s needs and tastes. C. Mission Statement Actual (in summary due to length): 1) Leader in global beauty 2) women’s choice for buying 3) premier direct-selling company 4) most-admired company 5) best place to work and 6) to have the largest foundation dedicated to women’s causes. Proposed: Our mission as a company is to provide a unique portfolio of beauty, fashion and home brands to satisfy women globally. We encourage utilizations...
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...Abstract This paper was created to provide a brief description of the status of the Avon products Inc. that led to its determination that a change was necessary. After, it identifies the model for change theory typified in the case study. Then illustrates the types of evaluation information that were collected and how they are used to benefit the company. And last, it speculates about success of the changes within the next five (5) years and how adjustments could be made if the results become less than ideal. In 2006, Avon Products success story turned ugly. After five straights years of ten percent plus growth and twenty-five percent operating profit growth under CEO Andrea Jung, the company suddenly began losing profits. One of the main reasons of this lost was the fast growth of Avon that couldn’t be supported by its employees. As with many growing organizations the structure, people and processes that were right for a $5 billion company were not necessarily a good fit for a ten billion dollar company (Goldsmith & Carter, 2010, p.2). There were weaknesses that hurt the effectiveness of the employees at the talent management practices. Decisions on talent movement, promotions, and other key talent activities were often influenced as much by individual knowledge and emotion as by objective facts. Neither managers nor Associates have any idea about how the talent practices work. Even the HR department wasn’t sufficient to answer basic questions that might be asked...
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...Research Documents The Research Paper Factory Join Search Browse Saved Papers Home Page » Business and Management The Global Integration of Diversity Management: a Longitudinal Case Study In: Business and Management The Global Integration of Diversity Management: a Longitudinal Case Study Int. J. of Human Resource Management 18:11 November 2007 1895– 1916 The global integration of diversity management: a longitudinal case study Aulikki Sippola and Adam Smale Abstract Whilst the extant diversity management literature has provided a comprehensive array of theoretical frameworks and empirical studies on how organizations can and have approached the management of a diverse workforce, the same cannot be said about the literature on diversity in an international setting. Indeed, from a diversity management perspective we know surprisingly little about how multinational firms are responding to the increasing globalization of their workforce. This study seeks to contribute to this underresearched area through an in-depth longitudinal case study of TRANSCO, a well-known European MNC, which has been attempting to integrate diversity management globally throughout its worldwide operations. Adopting a Finnish host-country perspective, the study investigates what TRANSCO has been integrating, how it has tried to facilitate this and the challenges that have arisen throughout the process. The results indicate that TRANSCO has committed a considerable...
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...3150 Research Paper Self-Sustainable Living: Why? Nicholas Lawrence Abstract What drives individuals to seek out a self-sustained lifestyle, free from the electricity grid? This study aim to determine the reasons individuals and, in some cases, communities strive to be self-sustainable and free themselves from the electricity grid. Data will be collected form informal interviews with different groups of people that have, are in the process of, or do not want to live a self-sustainable lifestyle as well as using Ethnography and scholarly market studies to gather data on individuals behavior in an unbiased manner. The data will show where the renewable energy industry may be headed in the near future and what drives people to make this drastic life change. Sustainable Living: Why? Introduction This is a qualitative study on the individual and group reasoning behind a drastic lifestyle change that seems to be growing in popularity around the word. Unbiased data will be collected via different forms of methodology in order to discover the thought process and driving force behind this subtle, but dedicated movement to live “off-grid”. Ethnography will be one source of data collection as well as different informal interviews and market analyses. I will present the data collected in this study in such a way, that it may be used for future research to assist in discovering where the residential renewable energy market may be headed in the near future. Literature Review “Living...
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...and Using Information Systems, Wiley, 2006 (3nd edition) 2. A package of Harvard Business School Case Studies Additional Readings and Cases: Class handouts as needed. Course Description and Goals This course is designed to provide the current and future managers with understanding and appreciation of the issues that are related to the organization’s information technology assets. The course is not to educate technical specialists, rather, it is to give students a managerial perspective on the use of, design of, and evaluations of information systems that exist in organizations today. The objective of this course is to prepare students to manage information services in both today’s and tomorrow’s environment with its managerial, social, political, ethical and global issues. Conduct of the Course All students are expected to read the assigned materials (text, end-of-chapter discussion board questions (DBQ) and Harvard Business School case studies- HBC) before coming to the class. Some days we will discuss the materials in the text book. You are expected to be prepared to actively participate in this discussion, answering questions such as “What are the issues involved in ...?”, “What do the authors mean by ...?”, and “Give an example of...?” The second use of class time will be group presentation on the selected cases from the case study package. You will be assigned a group and lead the discussion for this activity. Those of you not assigned for...
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...Research Project Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Lethbridge in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT Faculty of Management University of Lethbridge LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA © Salvador Barragán, 2005 ii Abstract It has been ten years since the signature of the NAFTA agreement among Canada, U.S., and Mexico. For Mexico, this was a decisive step away from a protectionism model toward a free trade market. One of the main purposes for Mexico in joining NAFTA was to increase the competitiveness of its manufacturing sector, especially the automotive industry. In this paper, Porter’s Diamond Model of national competitiveness and some critiques that attempt to extend the usefulness of the model are analyzed. The Doubled Diamond and the role of MNEs in a host country are both examined through a case study research of the foreign-owned automobile industry in Mexico. The findings of this study show evidence of a broader role of MNEs than in the original framework, as well as the usefulness of the doubled diamond extension to explain alternative sources of competitiveness in early stages of development. iii Acknowledgments The culmination of this thesis can be seen as a successful project. An analogy with Porter’s Model, one of the premises to have a successful industry is to have supporting and related industries. In the case of this thesis is not the exception. There has been...
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...contemporary organizational issue you find intriguing. Use one field site or example for the entire paper. Also, be explicit about the level issue. For example, if you are using the concept of personality then it is an individual level issue. A list of concepts and their related levels is provided in a separate document. Focus of paper-related requirements: Outline: Submit a formal outline for your paper, complete with references. The purpose of the outline is to help you organize your content, which also results in increased clarity, improved logic, and better structure of the paper. There may be adjustments from this document to your final paper, but at this stage the paper should not require major revisions. Final Paper: Use a case study format for the structure of your paper. Identify and analyze issues using course concepts, and propose recommendations for the organization you are focusing on. Use of course concepts 1. Use a minimum of 8 concepts for the paper. Include a list of the concepts you used at the beginning of the paper. 2. Briefly define each concept you use within the text (a paragraph or two). 3. For each concept, write a diagnosis at one level (e.g., the person level). For example, you might write “The employee misses work frequently due to stress from conflict with her supervisor.” Note, stress and conflict would require definitions.) 4. For each concept, write a solution or solutions. Identify the level(s) you addressed in Step 2...
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...Calendar Overall for Case-Study Presentation & Mid-Term Exam – MGT 4760 (Strategic Management) Sem 1, 2012/2013 Sec 8 (M-W) No. | Week | Topics | Class Day | Date | Schedule | Details | | 1 | Chapter 1: The Nature of Strategic Management | 1- Mon 2- Wed | 10/912/9 | | | | 2 | Chapter 2: The Business Vision and Mission | 3- Mon 4- Wed | 17/919/9 | | | | 3 | Chapter 3: The External Assessment | 5- Mon 6- Wed | 24/926/9 | | | | 4 | Chapter 4: The Internal Assessment | 7- Mon 8- Wed | 1/103/10 | Quiz 1 (Chapter 1.2.3) | | | 5 | Chapter 4: The Internal Assessment | 9- Mon 10- Wed | 8/1010/10 | | | | 6 | Chapter 5: Strategies in Action | 11- Mon 12- Wed | 15/1017/10 | | | | | BREAK(22/10 – 28/10) | 13- Mon 14- Wed | 22/1024/10 | | | | 7 | Chapter 5: Strategies in Action | 15- Mon 16- Wed | 29/1031/10 | Case Presentation Session 1Case Presentation Session 2 | Group 1:L: Lia Hilaliah (Case Study 3)Group 2:L: Mas Syairah bte Mohamad (Case Study 5) | | 8 | Chapter 6: Strategy Analysis and Choice | 17- Mon 18- Wed | 5/117/11 | | (Mid-Term Exam 7/11 Wednesday)Seminar Room 1.1 | | 9 | Chapter 6: Strategy Analysis and Choice | 19- Mon 20- Wed | 12/1114/11 | Case Presentation Session 3Case Presentation Session 4 | Group 3:L: Mohamed Sheikh (Case Study 9) Group 4:L: Izzati Nor binti Salleh (Case Study 14) | | 10 | Chapter 7: Implementing Strategies: Management and Operations...
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...ARCTIC MINING CONSULTANTS Case Synopsis Arctic Mining Consultants is a mining company that deals with mineral exploration. In this case study, the project given is staking 15 claims in Eagle Lake, Alaska. The project Manager was Tom Parker, who has a wide experience and specialized knowledge in all nontechnical aspects of mineral exploration. He is a geological field technician and field coordinator for Arctic Mining Consultants. He assigned his previous field assistants John Talbot, Greg Boyce and Brian Millar to help him complete the project. The job required them to stake at least 7 lengths each day in order to be completed on time. However, the whole team has became very tense and agitated, especially Tom Parker, as the deadline was just around the corner and there’s still many to be finished within the limited time. The problem became worse with the way Tom managed and treated his team. The only motivation to the team was the $300 bonuses promised by the company when the job is done on time, otherwise, they might wished to give up already. This happened because working as a field assistant and in long-working hours only giving them low wages, which is considered unreasonable compared to what they have to do. During the eight hard days, everything had actually proved the strengths and weaknesses of each of the team members, including Tom. Case analysis symptoms 1) What symptom(s) exist in this case to suggest that something has gone wrong? The symptom(s) to suggest...
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