...Management Information Systems and Concepts CASE ANALYSIS Cemex: Incorporating IT into a Cement Company’s Strategy Founded in 1906, Cemex is one of Mexico’s few truly multinational companies. It is the largest cement company in the Americas and one of the three largest cement companies in the world, with revenues of $3.7 billion and close to 51 million metric tons of production. Cemex and its subsidiaries engage in the production, distribution, marketing, and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, and related materials. Its strategy includes focusing on cement and concrete products, diversifying globally to cushion against volatility in local markets, developing efficient production and distribution processes, using IT to increase flexibility, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce bureaucracy and excess staffing, and providing training and education for employees. Its state-of-the-art Tepeaca facility supplies one fifth of the Mexican market and may be the lowest-cost cement producer in the world, with operating costs of $25 per ton, roughly $10 lower than the industry average, and emissions far lower than legal requirements. In 1992 Cemex purchased Spain’s two largest cement companies, reviewed their operations thoroughly, invested in facilities, and reduced the workforce dramatically, such as by consolidating 19 offices into one. With continued diversification in the 1990s, Cemex has operations in 22 countries. It is also Latin America’s...
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...three largest cement companies in the world, with revenues of $4.8 billion and close to 65 million metric tons of production. Cemex and its subsidiaries engage in the production, distribution, marketing, and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, and related materials. Its strategy includes focusing on cement and concrete products, diversifying globally to cushion against volatility in local markets, developing efficient production and distribution processes, using IT to help increase flexibility, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce bureaucracy and excess staffing, and providing training and education for employees. Its state-of-the-art Tepeaca facility supplies one fifth of the Mexican market and may be the lowest cost cement producer in the world, with operating costs of $25 per ton, roughly $10 lower than the industry average, and emissions far lower than legal requirements. In 1992 Cemex purchased Spain’s two largest cement companies, reviewed, their operations thoroughly, invested in facilities, and reduced the workforce dramatically, such as by consolidating 19 offices into one. Although it was a laggard IT user through the 1980s, Cemex is now widely recognised as a company that uses IT extensively and views IT as an integral part of its long-term strategy. Lorenzo Zambrano, a Stanford MBA whose family owned a third of the stock, became its CEO at age 41 in 1985. In 1987, he hired an information system director and gave him the mandate of developing Cemex’s then primitive...
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...PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT “Production Management” practices of an organization that you know of, or have worked in. (Wyndham Hotel Group) Individual Assignment, Yuliana Lakhtina. January, 2013 Tables of Contents ------------------------------------------------- Abstract 3 Introduction 3 The body 4 Operation Management 4 Staffing and Organizational Chart (Cycle time) 6 Input- Transformation - Output Process 8 Yield/Revenue Management 9 Pricing 11 Room-Inventory Management 11 Wyndham Hotel Group 12 Lean Philosophy in Hospitality 13 Conclusion 15 Bibliography 16 Abstract This document’s goal is to identify and describe the way operation and production management practices can be used for the properties improvements and costs savings. As hotel companies manage and operate their business, they should focus on several strategies such to achieve the goal. There will be described in text how production management approaches influence hospitality industries. Introduction Hospitality industry has been always one of the most growing businesses in the world. People travel all the time and that is why this part of the business is always in the process of development. Nowadays, there are different types of the accommodation available for the customer, which makes it a very competitive industry. However, hotels are still staying the most preferable and comfortable choice for the travelers. I had a great experience working at the hotel-Wyndham...
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...Chapter 1 Inroduction Paint History Chapter 1 1.1 Paint History: Paint is one of the oldest synthetic substances known, with a history stretching back into prehistoric times. Prehistoric man made it more than 35,000 years ago as they mixed clays and chalks with animal fats and used these paints to depict their hunts on cave walls. By 2500BC, Egyptians had improved the technology by developing a clear blue pigment by grinding azurite, gums, wax and egg white as binders and solvents for their paints. Greeks learnt to blend paints with hot wax, rather than water, making paint both thicker and easier to spread. By this time, colours were available from natural and synthetic sources, one of the most interesting being a purple pigment made from heating yellow earth till it turned red and then plunging it into vinegar. In the eighteenth century, paint factories began to open in Europe and America, and by the nineteenth century, mass production had brought prices down where houses began to be painted. In the twentieth century, paint manufacturing and its function is widely understood especially from chemical point of view, meaning that paint manufacture has finally moved from being an art to being a science. 1.2 Paint Importance and Its Production: Paints are used for the protection and appearance enhancement of houses, buildings, cars, ships and many more. They are used as a safety feature to grab person attention like in lane markings on road and...
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...4 int Po ing g urn etin f T rk s o ma l rie se ocia a in on s rth ces u Fo our res The Manager’s Guide to Social Marketing Using Marketing to Improve Health Outcomes from the Social Marketing National Excellence Collaborative THE MANAGER’S GUIDE TO SOCIAL MARKETING The Manager’s Guide to Social Marketing is one of several social marketing resources available for public health professionals from Turning Point, and the Turning Point Social Marketing National Excellence Collaborative, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It is intended as a stand-alone tool to help you apply effective social marketing to your public health programs and practices. It may be integrated with other social marketing resources, many of which are available free of charge. Visit www.turningpointprogram.org or check the More Resources For You section at the end of this publication for more information. Acknowledgements The Manager’s Guide to Social Marketing was developed under the auspices of the Turning Point Social Marketing National Excellence Collaborative, one of five national collaboratives working to strengthen and transform public health as part of the Turning Point Initiative. Seven states and two national partners participated in this project: Illinois, Ohio, Maine, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided...
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...Product and Brand Management (MGMT-MKTG-638) - Revision Exercises - 1. “Customer analysis & competitor analysis are necessary for developing product strategy”. Comment. 2. Explain the steps involved in developing a new product with suitable examples. . Idea Generation The development of a product will start with the concept. The rest of the process will ensure that ideas are tested for their viability, so in the beginning all ideas are good ideas (To a certain extent!) Ideas can, and will come, from many different directions. The best place to start is with a SWOT analysis, (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), which incorporates current market trends. This can be used to analyse your company’s position and find a direction that is in line with your business strategy. In addition to this business-centred activity, are methods that focus on the customer’s needs and wants. This could be: •Under-taking market research •Listening to suggestions from your target audience – including feedback on your current products’ strengths and weaknesses. •Encouraging suggestions from employees and partners •Looking at your competitor’s successes and failures #2. Idea Screening This step is crucial to ensure that unsuitable ideas, for whatever reason, are rejected as soon as possible. Ideas need to be considered objectively, ideally by a group or committee. Specific screening criteria need to be set for this stage, looking at ROI, affordability...
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...companies profitably providing housing for the poor, the Tier 4 population, instead of governments or not-for-profit organizations. CEMEX manufactures and sells raw cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, and clinker (used to make cement) under different brand names. As the largest cement company in Mexico, CEMEX operated in a highly protected legal environment with little competition until the 1990s. It competed mainly on price and controlled 65 percent of the market share in Mexico. However, during the 1990s, the legal barriers in Mexico broke down, paving the way for international competition. CEMEX found itself operating in a highly competitive open environment. Starting in 1987, under the leadership of Mr. Lorenzo Zambrano, CEMEX experienced explosive growth, mainly through acquisitions and global expansion. Today, the company has 235 cement and ready-mix plants in Mexico, 60 in the United States, 85 in Spain, 45 in Venezuela, 4 in Indonesia, and 4 in Egypt. In the new competitive arena and under new leadership, CEMEX fundamentally changed its ways of conducting business. The company’s strategy 147 148 The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid emphasized improving profitability through efficient operations. The company also shifted from selling products to selling complete solutions. With this new strategy, CEMEX has established a very strong brand and has managed...
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...Part 1: Defining Marketing and the Marketing Process (Chapters 1–2) Part 2: Understanding the Marketplace and Consumers (Chapters 3–6) Part 3: Designing a Customer-Driven Strategy and Mix (Chapters 7–17) Part 4: Extending Marketing (Chapters 18–20) After examining customerdriven marketing strategy, we now take a deeper look at the marketing mix: the tactical tools that marketers use to implement their strategies and deliver superior customer value. In this and the next chapter, we’ll study how companies develop and manage products and brands. Then, in the chapters that follow, we’ll look at pricing, distribution, and marketing communication tools. The product is usually the first and most basic marketing consideration. We start with a seemingly simple question: What is a product? As it turns out, the answer is not so simple. Chapter Preview 8 Products, Services, Building and Brands Customer Value Before starting into the chapter, let’s look at an interesting brand story. Marketing is all about building brands that connect deeply with customers. So, when you think about top brands, which ones pop up first? Perhaps traditional megabrands such as Coca-Cola, Nike, or McDonald’s come to mind. Or maybe a trendy tech brand such as Google or Facebook. But if we asked you to focus on sports entertainment, you’d probably name ESPN. When it comes to your life and sports, ESPN probably has it covered. W The ESPN Brand: Every Sport Possible—Now Television: From its original...
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...Customer Relationships - Defining a Market-Oriented Mission o Mission Statement (Statement of the organization’s purpose) ▪ Should be market-oriented ▪ Defined in terms of customer needs ▪ Should not be too narrow/broad ▪ Should be realistic ▪ Should be specific ▪ Should fit market environment ▪ Should base on distinctive competencies ▪ Should be motivating - Designing the Business Portfolio ▪ Strength of SBU’s position in that market or industry • Invest more to build share • Invest just enough to hold at current level • Harvest to milk short-term cash flow regardless of long-term effect • Divest by selling or phasing it out o Shape future portfolio ▪ Objective must be “profitable growth”, not growth itself ▪ Market Penetration (Making more sales to current customers without changing products) ▪ Market Development (Identifying and developing new markets for current products) ▪ Product Development (Offering modified or new products to current markets) ▪ Diversification (Starting up or buying businesses outside of current products and markets) • Careful not...
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...DOLAT CAPITAL Analyst: Nehal Shah Tel : +9122 4096 9753 E-mail: nehals@dolatcapital.com Associate: Mahvash Ariyanfar Tel : +9122 4096 9736 E-mail: mahvash@dolatcapital.com October 5, 2011 India Research DOLAT CAPITAL October 5, 2011 Int en tio na lly Le ft B lan k 2 India Research Index Industry DOLAT CAPITAL Executive Summary..................................................................................................5 Indian Plastic Consumption......................................................................................6 Global Scenario………................................................................................................8 Innovation: Key to Growth & Margins.......................................................................9 Polymer Demand & Pricing.....................................................................................10 Plastic Composites.................................................................................................12 Major Companies: Key Parameters.........................................................................14 Companies Supreme Industries Investment Rationale.........................................................................................17 Company Background.......................................................................................25 Financials................................................................................................
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...Andrew Whalley Strategic Marketing Download free eBooks at bookboon.com 2 Strategic Marketing © 2010 Andrew Whalley & Ventus Publishing ApS ISBN 978-87-7681-643-8 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com 3 Contents Strategic Marketing Contents Preface 9 1. 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.3.1 1.3.2 1.3.3 1.3.4 1.3.5 1.3.6 1.3.7 1.4. 1.4.1 1.4.2 1.5 So what is marketing? The Three levels of Marketing The value of Marketing; Needs, Utility, Exchange Relationships & Demand The Theoretical basis of competition Generic Strategy: Types of Competitive Advantage What is the basis for competitive advantage? How is competitive advantage created? How is competitive advantage implemented? How is competitive advantage sustained? What are core competencies and capabilities? Resource-Based View of the Firm (RBV) Alternative Frameworks: Evolutionary Change and Hypercompetition Evolutionary Change Hypercompetition The Marketing Concept 11 11 13 20 21 23 24 27 30 31 33 36 36 37 38 2. 2.1 2.2 2.3 What can be marketed? Core Benefit Product Basic product Augmented product 43 47 47 48 Create connections with more impact Technology Roles This is a chance not just to work with a vast range of clients – but to use technology to help them solve some of the most complex challenges they face. In other words, whether you’re in a technical role or one that’s focused...
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...Supplier Development at Honda, Nissan and Toyota: Comparative Case Studies of Organizational Capability Enhancement* Mari Sako Professor of Management Studies Said Business School University of Oxford Park End Street Oxford OX1 1HP, UK Email mari.sako@sbs.ox.ac.uk October 2002 * This study was funded by the International Motor Vehicle Program (IMVP), the UK Economic and Social Research Council, and the Japan Foundation. I am grateful to the interviewees at the three automakers and suppliers who gave generously of their time. I also appreciate the comments of many colleagues, and in particular those of Bill Lazonick. Abstract What factors facilitate and constrain the development and replication of organizational capabilities at suppliers? This question is addressed in a comparison of historical case studies at Toyota, Nissan and Honda in Japan. First, as expected, replication difficulty is overcome by enabling companies to share the process of accumulating tacit knowledge. Second, the interdependence in the hierarchy of routines, that constitute organizational capabilities, has led companies to broaden the scope of supplier development. Third, this broadening challenges suppliers to accept buyer companies’ intervention in internal investment decisions, requiring a certain type of corporate governance. It is argued that the boundary of a capability-based organization may go beyond legally distinct units of financial control when firms are subjected to a cumulative process...
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...Social entrepreneurship through forest bio residue briquetting Contents 1. The social problem and the opportunity 4 2. Mission, vision and values 7 3. Our solution (strategy and business model) 9 4. The entrepreneurial team 15 5. Human resources 16 6. Context 18 7. Scaling strategy 20 8. Impact measurement 22 9. Risks 25 10. Financial Plan 28 Bibliography 29 Figure 1. Exposure of the population to natural disasters 4 Figure 2. Lean canvas 8 Figure 3. Manually operated briquetting machine 11 Figure 4. Crushing option 12 0. Business plan summary This section should briefly present the main ideas of the following sections and thus should resemble an elevator speech. Accordingly, it has to be written last, after all the details of the business have been established. Length of section: 0.5-1 page 1. The social problem and the opportunity Most of the time Romania ranks last in sectors like education, health and sustainable development among European countries. But when it comes to antagonistic areas, the situation changes abruptly: Romania occupying the fourth place among the European countries threatened by natural disasters like drought, floods and landslide. In 2012 Institute for Environment and Human Security of the UN launched the World Risk Report which focused on environmental degradation and disasters. According to the study, Romania features an average risk. The report underlined the following aspect: “The risk...
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...APPENDIX: Kellogg Consulting Club Practice Cases While most cases require multiple analytical techniques, the category indicates where the candidate will likely spend most of the time. SECTION I: Sample Case Interviews 1. 2. New Drug Launch Prozac SECTION II: Profitability/Operations 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Shamrock Chemical Chilled Beverages Distilled Spirits Commodity Manufacturer Snack Food Conglomerate ROIC Increase Agricultural Equipment Manufacturing Paint Manufacturer Super Regional Bank Local Banking Demand Cement Manufacturer Beverage Company Candy Company SECTION III: Industry Analysis/Growth 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. Direct Mail Retailer Selective Binding Case Iberia Gasoline Pricing Pipeline Company Permanent Light Bulbs Aluminum Can Manufacturer Science Industry Information Services Company Meat Packing Industry Video Games Merger Candidate in Chemical Industry Machine Loading Case Telecommunications Diversification Packaging Material Manufacturer Page 34 SECTION IV: Market Entry/Expansion/Investment 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. Corn Feed Company Buenos Aires ENT Consulting Firm (I) Concrete Manufacturer Healthcare Company Gas Manufacturer Vitamin Manufacturer Entry into China SECTION V: Market Sizing/Estimation/Brainteasers 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. Cigar Bar New Magazine Piano Tuners Cars in the Chicago Loop Chewing Gum Market Golf ball Market Entry Oil Refining Industry SECTION VI: Miscellaneous ...
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...THE ROLE OF LEAN MANUFACTURING AND LEAN TECHNIQUES IN THE SUCCESS OF AN ORGANIZATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Requirements of this project were rather stringent as sufficient knowledge of the topic was not enough. It was also necessary to have abundance of devotion and willpower together with an ability and willingness to perform hard labour for successful completion of this project. It would be unfair on my part not to acknowledge the contribution of all those who had encouraged me all through and kept my spirits from flagging and that include my parents, friends and well wishers. These people, though not directly involved with the project, did most certainly provide the ambience that was sorely needed while undertaking such a strenuous task. I feel extremely fortunate that I had Mr/Ms Xxxx as my project leader and cannot thank him/her more for the unstinted encouragement I had received throughout this period. If his/her suggestions that resulted in necessary and timely course corrections were not there, I doubt very much whether this project would have at all seen the light of the day, let alone being successfully completed within the deadline. ABSTRACT The word that is most significant in Lean Manufacturing process is ‘lean’ which literally means a body or a system that does not have any unnecessary or avoidable flab or float. Such flab or float exists in manufacturing systems and are manifested through unnecessary or nil value movements or costs that do not add to the final...
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