...resources aligned internally. There are risks associated with outsourcing as well. One must maintain a localized and unified vision, with the firm’s best interest in mind, before deciding to outsource a job and also for the duration of the contract. In the world of business today, everyone is looking for the competitive advantage. Organization’s need to streamline their business practices in order to maximize profit margins and reach sustainability. One way to do this is to outsource. Outsourcing is simply the function of taking internal resources, and giving them to outside firms who then make those work operations their sole responsibility (driveyoursuccess.com). More and more companies seem to be outsourcing their services. A recent study by BlueWolf revealed that 35% of companies will outsource more in the next 18 months. This begs the question, why are companies choosing to outsource their jobs? Some companies spend nearly half of their outsourcing budgets on application services including development, hosting and maintenance (King, 2012). Some of the most common services to outsource are payroll, sales & marketing, IT, manufacturing and finance...
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...in May 2000. More than 210 dotcom companies failed in 2000 and a total of 762 dot-coms closed for the period January 2000 to December 2001. Since many of these dot-coms began to lay off their staff, the unemployment rate also increased from 3.9% to 6% by 2002. The dot-com bubble burst because the boom was based on the false premise that new technology would eliminate the need for brick-and-mortar stores as this new business model would supplant the old one, thereby converting the “Old Economy,” which is based on the production of physical goods into a “New Economy,” which is based on heavy use of information and communication technology. Although a great deal can be learned from examining the dot-com successes, it is equally important to study reasons for the failures. Examining the mistakes made by the dot-coms can provide insight into the evolution of e-commerce as a means of conducting business and furthermore help to form the basis on which new strategies can be developed for the future e-commerce environment. BACKGROUND In the 1990s, the commercialization of the Internet started a revolution in the way business is conducted. In particular, the growth of the World Wide Web has offered a unique opportunity for many companies to increase efficiency...
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...Summary……………………………………………………………………………….2 History…………………………………………………………………………………..4 Market & Competition……………………………………………………………….5 SWOT Analysis………………………………………………………………………..6 Porter’s Five Forces…………………………………………………………………..7 The Ansoff Matrix……………………………………………………………………..8 Product & Service……………………………………………………………………10 Promotional Strategy……………………………………………………………….12 Price Strategy…………………………………………………………………………14 Place & Distribution……………………..…………………………………………15 Recommendation……………………………………………………………………16 Implementation……………………………………………………………………...16 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………19 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….20 Introduction OpenTable is an American public company, slated to be a wholly owned subsidiary of Priceline.com, that offers online real-time restaurant-reservation service. The firm provides online reservations at about 31,000 upscale restaurants around the world seating some 15 million diners a month. The service allows users to search for restaurants and reservations based on parameters including times, dates, cuisine and price range. Users who have registered their email address with the system will then receive a confirmation email. Users can also receive OpenTable rewards points after dining (100 or 1,000); these points can be redeemed for discounts at member restaurants. The company also has a mobile application available in Apple's App Store, Blackberry App World, Google Play, Windows Phone Marketplace and Palm App Catalog that allows...
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...stated "we believe in making a difference. In our customer's eyes, Virgin stands for value, for money, quality, innovation, fun and a sense of competitive challenge... we look for opportunities where we can offer something better, fresher, and more valuable, and we seize them. We often move into areas where the competition is complacent... We are pro-active and quick to act, often leaving bigger and more cumbersome organizations in our wake." (1) Virgin Mobile USA had a number of things going for them despite a crowded cellular marketplace. For starters, they had a CEO who had experience in telecom as he was formerly an executive with AT&T. Schulman also had experience with successful pricing strategies and technology as former CEO of Priceline.com. The biggest plus for the startup was the support and backing by its management and stakeholders who genuinely wanted to garner success against the perception of another market saturated run poorly with complacency and poor customer service. The bar was set high for success, as Schulman's goal was to have acquired 3 million customers by their fourth year of operation. I believe that Virgin Mobile USA took a big gamble in targeting a niche that was essentially written off by the other players in the industry as being largely unprofitable. Perhaps the market leaders over-analyzed or were not as comfortable managing a segment that had fluctuating demand. I also think that Virgin Mobiles approach to targeting customer’s ages 15 to 29 years...
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...obr11544_ch10_359-411 9/8/06 11:33 AM REAL WORLD CASE F Page 386 2 Harrah’s Entertainment, LendingTree, DeepGreen Financial, and Cisco Systems: Successes and Challenges of Automated Decision Making or over half a century, the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has promised that computers would relieve managers and professionals of the need to make certain types of decisions. Computer programs would analyze data and make sound judgments whether it be to configure a complex computer, diagnose and treat a patient’s illness, or determine when to stir a big vat of soup with little or no human help. But automated decision making has been slow to materialize. Many early artificial intelligence applications were just solutions looking for problems, contributing little to improved organizational performance. In medicine, for example, doctors showed little interest in having machines diagnose their patients’ diseases. In the business sector, even when expert systems were directed at real issues, extracting the right kind of specialized knowledge from seasoned decision makers and maintaining it over time proved to be more difficult than anticipated. But now, automated decision making is finally coming of age. The new generation of applications, however, differs from prior AI-based decision support systems in several important respects. To begin with, the new systems are easier to create and manage than earlier ones, which leaned heavily on ...
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...CASE STUDY 2 : AMAZON.COM | 1. By using Porter’s 5 forces’ framework, describe the forces that affect the core initial market of amazon (the online retailing industry) (5 points). Threat of new entrants: MEDIUM TO LOW * Creating a website is cheap, unskilled or old people can set up a little retail business shops fairly easily but E-Retail is a difficult-to-master business. Moreover, since the “technology bubble” burst two years ago, many people are threatened to enter the game. * BUT cost to establish an online retail outlet is high: * Start up capital with long term investors * Maintenance cost of equipment and expertise * Compliance of government regulations on data protection and privacy * The possible use of patents and proprietary resources * Marketing and advertising cost * Technology cost R&D * Distribution cost * By the way, Internet has shown to us that a simple idea well developed can offer extraordinary results, examples such as Facebook.com, Plentyoffish.com, Youtube.com and so forth, these companies have developed their web sites in a short period of time with incredible final results. This can be the proof that a threat of new entries into the market is possible. Threat of substitutes: MEDIUM RISK * The way how e-Retail business works today creates a lot of substitute threats to conventional retailing players. Amazon.com itself started as a substitute of conventional...
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...and social landscape. Tourism provides economic benefits and influences the local residents in many other ways as well (Oui, 2005). Tourists are exposed to local politics implicitly by being exposed to conditions that are present for local residents. Only countries with safe and stable image draw tourists in abandon, so in other ways increasing levels of tourists imply an endorsements of concerned location’s ambient environment. Political regimes are indirectly bolstered by tourists, therefore tourism not only aids in economic development but for international support of governmental policies (Oui, 2005). In case of a crisis or disaster, economy is disturbed and livelihood of many may be affected. Crisis indicators may be useful in highlighting areas of concern and minimize affects on tourism. The damage to tourist destination may be substantial, as in the case of SARS outbreak or Bali bombings and full recovery may take a significant time and effort. Crisis management requires intervention to manage the situation from deteriorating and to minimize damage caused. (Nicolette de Sausmarez, 2007) Heritage tourism UK As Emma (2006) reports tourists are drawn to Britain because of its rich and varied heritage and by preserving and maintaining tourism industry in UK could be improved further. British governments have been using tourism as a...
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...and social landscape. Tourism provides economic benefits and influences the local residents in many other ways as well (Oui, 2005). Tourists are exposed to local politics implicitly by being exposed to conditions that are present for local residents. Only countries with safe and stable image draw tourists in abandon, so in other ways increasing levels of tourists imply an endorsements of concerned location’s ambient environment. Political regimes are indirectly bolstered by tourists, therefore tourism not only aids in economic development but for international support of governmental policies (Oui, 2005). In case of a crisis or disaster, economy is disturbed and livelihood of many may be affected. Crisis indicators may be useful in highlighting areas of concern and minimize affects on tourism. The damage to tourist destination may be substantial, as in the case of SARS outbreak or Bali bombings and full recovery may take a significant time and effort. Crisis management requires intervention to manage the situation from deteriorating and to minimize damage caused. (Nicolette de Sausmarez, 2007) Heritage tourism UK As Emma (2006) reports tourists are drawn to Britain because of its rich and varied heritage and by preserving and maintaining tourism industry in UK could be improved further. British governments have been using tourism as...
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...society and social landscape. Tourism provides economic benefits and influences the local residents in many other ways as well (Oui, 2005). Tourists are exposed to local politics implicitly by being exposed to conditions that are present for local residents. Only countries with safe and stable image draw tourists in abandon, so in other ways increasing levels of tourists imply an endorsements of concerned location’s ambient environment. Political regimes are indirectly bolstered by tourists, therefore tourism not only aids in economic development but for international support of governmental policies (Oui, 2005). In case of a crisis or disaster, economy is disturbed and livelihood of many may be affected. Crisis indicators may be useful in highlighting areas of concern and minimize affects on tourism. The damage to tourist destination may be substantial, as in the case of SARS outbreak or Bali bombings and full recovery may take a significant time and effort. Crisis management requires intervention to manage the situation from deteriorating and to minimize damage caused. (Nicolette de Sausmarez, 2007) Heritage tourism UK As Emma (2006) reports tourists are drawn to Britain because of its rich and varied heritage and by preserving and maintaining tourism industry in UK could be improved further. British governments have been using tourism as a political and...
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...A–Z OF eBUSINESS MODELS Written and researched by Suntop Media Adobe Systems A Adobe Systems Adobe Systems was founded by John Warnock (now CEO and chairman) and Charles Geschke (president and chairman). Both worked at Xerox’s famous Palo Alto Research Center (Parc). Geschke arrived there via Carnegie Mellon and Xavier University. Warnock took a more circuitous route by way of the Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Computer Sciences, IBM and the University of Utah. Adobe helped ignite the revolution in desktop publishing in the early 1980s. Its software includes Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Photoshop. Headquartered at San Jose, CA, it now employs 2,700 people. Adobe’s interests include Adobe Ventures and Adobe Ventures II. Venture capital partnerships with Hambrecht and Quist have earned over $100 million since 1994. Links: www.adobe.com Amazon.com Amazon.com must be the most talked about company in the world. For a business that’s just five years old that’s quite an achievement; for one that has yet to make a single penny in profits, it’s unheard of. But then Amazon.com is more than just a business; it’s a business phenomenon. Launched as a website in June 1995, by the beginning of 1999 Amazon.com Inc. had a market capitalization of $6 billion, by August 1999 it had jumped to $20 billion. Amazon’s value can vary by several billion depending on stock market sentiment. Founder Jeff Bezos has promoted Amazon.com to the point where it is now synonymous with ecommerce...
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...Analysis of the Online Business in Supply Chain Management and Marketing Strategy by © Renjie Wu __________________ 2011 Student Number: WU_11340881 Tutor: Dr Luca Lo Sicco Table of Content |Chapters |Pages | |Abstract |3 | |I. Introduction |4-6 | |1.1 Introduction of online business |4-5 | |1.2 Current situation of online business and the reason for this issue being raised |6 | |II. Research significance of Pattern changes in terms of Supply Chain Management in Fashion industry. |7-9 | |2.1 Definition and the importance of Supply Chain Management |7 | |2.2 Recent changes in Supply Chain Management in retailers under the impact of online business booms |8-9 | |2.3 Identify the advantages and disadvantages of the changes. |9 | |III. Research the Marketing strategy and Analysis |10-15 ...
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...Define m-commerce and explain its role as a market mechanism. 9. Discuss competition in the digital economy. 10. Describe the impact of e-marketplaces on organizations and industries. CHAPTER Content How Blue Nile Inc. Is Changing the Jewelry Industry 2.1 E-Marketplaces 2.2 Types of E-Marketplaces: From Storefronts to Portals 2.3 Transactions, Intermediation, and Processes in E-Commerce 2.4 Electronic Catalogs and Other Market Mechanisms 2.5 Auctions as EC Market Mechanisms 2.6 Bartering and Negotiating Online 2.7 E-Commerce in the Wireless Environment: M-Commerce and L-Commerce 2.8 Competition in the Digital Economy and Its Impact on Industries 2.9 Impacts of EC on Business Processes and Organizations Managerial Issues Real-World Case: Wal-Mart Leads RFID Adoption Appendix 2A: Build-to-Order Production ISBN: 0-558-13856-X 42 Electronic Commerce 2008: A Managerial Perspective, by Efraim Turban, David King, Judy McKay, Peter Marshall, Jae Lee, and Dennis Viehland. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. M02_TURB3315_05_SE_C02.QXD 9/4/07 7:54 PM Page 43 EC Application HOW BLUE NILE INC. IS CHANGING THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY Blue Nile Inc. (bluenile.com), a pure-play...
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...MARKETING (WH) {MKTG} L/R 101. Introduction to Marketing. (C) Niedermeier. The objective of this course is to introduce students to the concepts, analyses, and activities that comprise marketing management, and to provide practice in assessing and solving marketing problems. The course is also a foundation for advanced electives in Marketing as well as other business/social disciplines. Topics include marketing strategy, customer behavior, segmentation, market research, product management, pricing, promotion, sales force management and competitive analysis. 211. (MKTG773) Consumer Behavior. (C) Cutright, Reed. Prerequisite(s): MKTG 101. This course is concerned with how and why people behave as consumers. Its goals are to: (1) provide conceptual understanding of consumer behavior, (2) provide experience in the application of buyer behavior concepts to marketing management decisions and social policy decision-making; and (3) to develop analytical capability in using behavioral research. 212. (MKTG756) Marketing Research. (C) Shen, Eliashberg. Prerequisite(s): MKTG 101, STAT 101. Students are highly encouraged to take statistics in the semester immediately preceding this course. This course examines the role of marketing research in the formulation and solution of marketing problems, and the development of the student's basic skills in conducting and evaluating marketing research projects. Special emphasis is placed on problem formulation, research design, alternative methods...
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...The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 22, No. 3, January 2011, 746–761 Customers cocreating value with the firm: implications for IHRM Milorad M. Novicevica, Allison B. Dukeb, Erin R. Holmesc, Jacob W. Brelandd, M.R. Buckleye* and Mark N. Binga Department of Management, School of Business Administration, University of Mississippi, MS, USA b College of Business, Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN, USA; cSchool of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, MS, USA; dWCBA, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH, USA; e Michael F. Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA The purpose of this article is to develop a theoretical framework for governing an organization’s relationships with customers engaged as contributors to the organization’s business processes (i.e. customers as quasi-employees). Based on our suggested framework, we explain how appropriate customer-centric HRM practices can support more cost-effective and accommodating adaptations in the organization’s governance of its relationships with customers. We complement these propositions with practical examples illustrating how customers who take different cooperative roles will increasingly become valuable organizational assets. The collaborating customers not only provide the information necessary for the successful performance of the service exchange, but also contribute human and social capital in performing tasks that are a complement to or a substitute for employee...
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...Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Case Study Background The Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has been in business for close to 25 years. It operates in the luxury hotel segment, with a focus on one-of-a-kind hotels. Each hotel reflects the local culture and character of its location. Up to this point it has allowed properties to thrive on their own with very little corporate identity. However, management feels there is an opportunity for growth in the market and is considering a new brand strategy; one that would establish the Rosewood brand and incorporate it into the name of each property as well as introduce more Rosewood branded items in the hotels. It needs to present its strategy to the Board of Directors and is questioning how far it can push the branding without hurting the individual identities of the properties. Industry There are two distinct groups in the luxury hotel industry, the “Collections” of individual properties such as Auberge, RockResorts, and Orient-Express, and the Corporate Branded hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons. Rosewood operates in the “Collections” group. It built its concept around “A Sense of Place®”, which is meant to reflect how each property captures what is unique about its location. This is fairly typical of the “Collections” brand model, where companies focus branding and marketing on individual properties, with the overall corporate brand relatively muted in the background. The Corporate Branded hotels focus heavily...
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