...MINI CASE – 1 DEAL-R-US BROKERS Questions a. Classify the two alternatives in terms of what type of application architecture they use. The first alternative in terms of application architecture is a client-based architecture. As it states that the downloaded tool will communicate with the DRUB server to select data and analyze, which is very similar to the client-based architecture where the clients tells the server what data to select and analyze and processes data will be sent back to the client for display. The second alternative in terms of application architecture is two-tier client-server architecture. The application logic can be partitioned between the client and the server. The server is responsible for the data and the client, the application and presentation. Using the web browser the client will talk to the web server using a standard called HTTP (Jerry Fitzgerald, 2009). b. Outline the pros and cons of the two alternatives and make a recommendation to Fred about which is better. 1. Client-based architecture: a. Pros: 1. Much more inexpensive to implement as microcomputers are considerably cheaper versus mainframe. 2. Hardware of different manufactures or platforms can function together on the same network. b. Cons: 1. Data traffic must be sent and received between client and host. 2. Due to the potential amount of information that must be sent between client and host, this can put a significant performance hit against the network, affecting...
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...Many of us have shopped at Toys “R” Us whether we were just kids looking for toys or adults shopping for gifts. Toys “R” Us Inc. is the world’s leading dedicated toy and baby products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. Toys "R" Us has in excess of 1500 superstores in the United States and Worldwide. It also owns the baby brand, Babies R Us that adds another 200 or more stores. Toys “R” Us is actually the second largest retailer in the United States making them a high revenue company touching approximately $13.646 billion dollars. They also help improve the world’s economy by employing 70,000 people across the globe. Toys “R” Us may have many strengths but every company has a few weaknesses so that they can improve and become better. These days, Toys “R” Us has no single and sustainable competitive advantage, other than brand. In the US, its traditional stronghold, the company has lost its number one position, as toy retailer to Wal-Mart. Being large may not be enough for them, when customers can just go to another large retailer and buy the same or similar items, for a better deal. Also with Toys “R” Us, sales depend upon the season and the product range is not that much attractive for the seasons other than Christmas. There are opportunities for joint ventures and strategic alliances. Toys "R" Us works closely with Amazon.com and its baby products category. This not only plays to the strengths of both companies, but also provides...
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...Case study Toys “R” Us JAPAN Case study Toys “R” Us JAPAN TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3. Japan Background and facts: 4. Background: 4 Facts: 5 Toys “R” Us Background 7. The Beginning: 7 Market Expansion 8 More ways to shop Toys “R” Us 8 Evolving business 9 Toys “R” Us in Japan 9 Case analysis: 10 Attractive factors of Japan toy market: 10 Barriers to Entry: 10 Success Factors for Toy's "R" Us-Japan 11 TRU Strategy 13 Our opinion: 14 Recommendations: 15 Conclusion: 16 References:: 16 Introduction: Toys R Us is the large distributor in the US and it is one of the more successful foreign retailers in Japan after overcome hard barriers. This successful is a result of right decision-making and strategy in overseas expansion by global retailer’s and gradual changes after entry into foreign markets. Also the strategy in respect of standardization adaption before and after entry has great effect in this successful. Coming lines, shows some factors that attract TRU to join venture in Japan. Then, we will discuss group of barriers that TRU had overcome, and how it’s overcome these barriers. In the end, we will evaluate Toys “R” Us in Japan market. Japan Background and facts: Background: Government: Parliamentary with constitutional monarchy Prime Minister: Shinzō Abe (elected Dec 2012) Capital: Tokyo Population: 127,368,088 Population Growth Rate: -0.077% (2012 est.), World Rank: 198th Birth Rate: 8.39 births/1,000 population...
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...Water Sports company, I read with interest your posting for a receptionist in the water sports company. I believe I possess the necessary skills and experience you are seeking and would make a valuable addition to your company. In today's economy, there's no time to waste on workers who lack the necessary skills and motivation. I've got what you need. The attached resume details my extensive experience and training. If you choose to interview and hire me, you will not be disappointed. As my resume indicates, I possess more than 2 years of progressive experience in the customer service field. My professional history includes positions such as guest services/cashier at Babies R Us as well as a sales associate at macys. Most recently, my responsibilities as a guest service cashier at babies R us match some of the qualifications you are seeking. As the guest service cashier, my responsibilities included answering phone calls;assisting guest with different concerns and working with computers. I assisted in the successful completion of assisting guest accurately. My supervisor also relied on my ability to maintain front end guest services all by myself. I have attached my resume for your review and I look forward to speaking with you further regarding your available position. I'd be happy to provide greater detail about my skills and experience during an interview. Please call me at your earliest convenience. I am very interested in meeting to review your needs and possible ...
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...Mini Case II Deals-R-Us Brokers (Part 1) Fred Jones, a distant relative of yours and president of Deals-R-Us Brokers (DRUB), has come to you for advice. DRUB is a small brokerage house that enables its clients to buy and sell stocks over the Internet, as well as place traditional orders by phone or fax. DRUB has just decided to install a new e-mail package. One vendor is offering SMTP-based two-tier client-server architecture. The second vendor is offering Web-based e-mail architecture. Fred doesn’t understand either one but thinks the Web-based one should be better because, in his words, “the Web is the future.” a. Briefly explain to Fred, in layperson’s terms, the differences between the two. b. Outline the pros and cons of the two alternatives and make a recommendation to Fred about which is better. How E-mail Works The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the most commonly used e-mail standard simply because it is the e-mail standard used on the Internet. E-mail works similarly to how the Web works, but it is a bit more complex. SMTP e-mail is usually implemented as a two-tier thick client-server application, but not always. Two-Tier Thick E-mail Architecture With two-tier thick client-server architecture, each client computer runs an application layer software package called a mail user agent, which is usually more commonly called an e-mail client (Figure 1). There are many common e-mail client software packages such as Eudora and Outlook. The user creates the...
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...CHAPTER 2: MINI-CASE I. DEALS-R-US BROKERS (PART 1) Question 1: Classify the two alternatives in terms of what type of application architecture they use. a. The first suggested solution is a client-based architecture since it’s the client that tells the server what data to select to analyze, making the client perform most of the work. b. The later architecture is two-tier Client-Server architecture since it requires an application layer, in this case, a web browser and all processing is done by the server. The server is responsible for the data and the client, the application and presentation. Using the web browser the client will talk to the web server using HTTP standard. Question 2: Outline the pros and cons of the two alternatives and make a recommendation to Fred about which is better. Solution 1: Client-based Pros 1. This method will be much more inexpensive to implement as micro-computers are considerably cheaper versus mainframe. 2. Hardware devices from different manufacturers/platforms can function together on the same network. Solution 1: Client-based Cons 1. Data always flows through the network between the client and the server. 2. So much data traffic on the network between client and host could put a significantly slow down the network thereby affecting performance and response time. Solution 2: Two-Tier Client-Server Pros 1. Performance in this method will be better as processing is distributed to multiple machines (in this case...
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...Toys "R" Us, Inc. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Toys "R" Us, Inc. Recent Developments Jan 31, 2011 : Toys "R" Us offers to pay staffers $1m in back pay Fast Facts Headquarters Address One Geoffrey Way, Wayne, 07470, United States of America Telephone + 1 973 6173500 Fax + 1 973 6174006 Website www.toysrus.com Ticker Symbol, Stock Exchange N/A Number of Employees 70,000 Fiscal Year End February Revenue (in US$ million) 13,543.00 SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Efficient distribution capabilities Dependence on selected vendors Industry recognition Seasonal nature of the business Multiple channel selling strategy Wide geographic presence Opportunities Threats Growth of web-based store concept Increase in counterfeit products Increase in consumer spending in the US Increase in organized retail crime Strategic collaborations Jan 31, 2011 : Toys "R" Us offers to pay staffers $1m in back pay Jan 31, 2011 : Toys "R" Us offers to pay staffers $1m in back pay Toys "R" Us, Inc. - Company Overview Toys "R" Us, Inc. (Toys"R"Us) is a specialty retailer of toy and baby products. The company’s product portfolio includes children’s apparel, juvenile, learning, entertainment, core toy, parenting and seasonal products. These products are sold under various private labels such as Fast Lane, Imaginarium, Dream Dazzlers...
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...value Deal Structure Financial Engineering Conclusion Casestudy: The Hertz Corporation 13.12.2007 3 Intro Ford Motor Company Hertz Corporation CD&R Other PE firms Casestudy: The Hertz Corporation 13.12.2007 4 Hertz‘ business areas Off/On-airports 1,77 million cars Off/On-airports 12% share of the market $10 bln market revenues RAC Hertz HERC $17 bln market revenues 180 largest airports The third largest company $1,2 bln revenue The fourth largest company $152 mln revenue USA Casestudy: The Hertz Corporation Europe 13.12.2007 5 Region Agenda Hertz – Company Overview How to create value Deal Structure Financial Engineering Conclusion Casestudy: The Hertz Corporation 13.12.2007 6 Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Inc. Private equity investment firm founded in 1978 Investments in 39 US and European businesses Specialized in acquiring under-managed divisions Has obtained a higher and steady return on investment The case of Hertz Casestudy: The Hertz Corporation 13.12.2007 7 First Stage: Uninteresting Bid YEAR 2002 CD&R began studying the rental car business (RAC). Early in its investigation, CD&R studied Budget and Alamo. Hertz Much more attractive. Ford dismissed the proposal as uninteresting and unfeasible. CD&R financing challenge Securitizing Hertz‘s rental fleet in cooperation with Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank New proposals. Casestudy: The Hertz Corporation YEAR 2003 CD&R convinced...
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...12, 2008 Assignment Questions: 1. Consider the challenges facing the company. As a member of the Amazon.com board of directors in early 2001, what actions would you take? 3 pts. I would not have partnered with the dot-com retailers because they didn’t need topartner with another dot-com realtor it was a good move to partner with companys that need the partnership. 2. Do you agree with the decision to pursue the Toys “R” Us deal? Why did the company do the deal? Should they do more deals like this? What impact does the Toys “R” US deal have on Amazon.com’s business model in early 2000? What is the present status of relationship between Toys “R” Us and Amazon.com? Provide your comments. 5 pts. The deal with Toys “R” Us were brought upon as a result of Amazon.com reevaluating its business model due to the dot-com crash and declaring bankruptcy. They made a decision not to partner with anymore dot-com retailers but to lean towards the traditional retailers. I do agree with the decision that was made to pursue the deal with Toys “R” Us because it brought expansion to Amazon.com’s business model as a logistics services provider. The objective was helping traditional retailers that desired to develop its online retailing systems capabilities while upgrading and enabling its distribution and nourishing skills that enabled its end-to-end visibility and speed while doing business online. 3. Trace the evolution of the Amzon.com business from the...
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...administrative approach in this organization (Hynes, 2010). The organization I work for is managed very administratively with a chain of command and a great deal of organization but it lacks the communication and employee relationship that is necessary to maintain good business and communication. The managers are very focused on a couple of Fayol's principles. Let me go into depth here on exactly what I'm referring too to give you a better understanding. There is a division of work at my company, as defined by Fayol's principles. Workers are assigned locations and are limited to these "zones" where they are to stay during the duration of their shifts. The authority principle is also evident (Hynes, 2010). My managers tend to go after the authoritative stance on many issues we have faced at Airserv. They are quick order things that are necessary to keep the day "running smooth" and they have gained a greater deal of authority based on their skills and experience in the field of work that their employees are needed in. Another principle of Fayol's that my company has exhibited is how subordinate individual interests aren't the precedent over individual's interest (Hynes, 2010). Airserv has a contract with Jetblue unbeknownst to us the employees of the details and specifics of this contract we trust and rely on our managers and higher ups to provide us with orders and instructions based on these documents. Where Fayol's principle comes in is that if individuals care to know these contracts or...
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...Toys “R” Us is the world’s leading retailer of toys, children’s apparel and baby products. It sells merchandise in more than 1,550 stores in 35 countries, 849 stores are located in the United States, 170 in Japan, and 700 in other overseas locations. Toys “R” Us is divided into 5 corporate divisions which are Toys “R” Us, U.S., Toys “R” Us, International, Kids “R” Us, Babies “R” Us, and Imaginarium; accumulating between the 5 divisions an estimated business value of around $11 billion. Japan is an Asian country with 377,835 sq. kilometers and an estimated population of a little over 127 million inhabitants, it is known as an economically powerful an stable country. Japan’s economy is among the 3 largest economies worldwide and is the second most technologically powerful economy. From a cultural perspective Japan has strong cultural values greatly influenced by Confucianism and western cultures. When analyzing Japan from Hoftede Cultural dimension point of view it is clear that is low power distance culture with high collectivism, high masculinity, high uncertainty avoidance, and long-term oriented. This tendencies are reflected in marketing practices and consumer behavior, it also has a great impact on management as long-term oriented employment, high uncertainty avoidance, and long-life employment are expected from both employers and employees. Also managers have to be aware there is preference to local and high quality products, however there are some entry barriers and...
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...1. Review of Amazon’s strategy between 2007 and 2009 Strategic analysis Profiling the business: ➢ Mission: Amazon’s mission is to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible price[1]. ➢ Product/service analysis: Since the establishment of Amazon, new products has been kept adding into the original book category and Amazon has moved further to provide service. There are three product categories in Amazon, media category, electronic and general merchandise category and other category like Amazon web service and Amazon Enterprise Solution. This means you can buy almost everything from Amazon. ➢ Sales and gross profit analysis: The net sales growth of Amazon in year 2007 and 2008 was in average 30% and the total sales in 2008 was $19166m. In the same time, the gross profit grew from $3353m in 2007 to $4270 in 2008. Actually, both the sales and profits grew quickly since 2001 and they seemed to grow at a quicker way. External environment analysis ➢ Opportunities and threats: • Opportunities: to further improve the speed of delivery; international expansion in emerging markets such as China and India; extension of brands into new areas; through acquisitions and partnership to consolidate Amazon’s technological capability. • Threats: unexpected changes in regulatory requirements both U.S. and abroad ( take taxes policies...
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...already be shopping through Amazon and will come across products from these networked businesses. Because Toys' R Us was struggling with making good time during the holiday season which affected their sales, going through Amazon made sure that their toys were delivered on time while also giving profit. This was good for Amazon as well because this gave another set of items that could be sold through their site expanding their business even further. At the same time this also gave Amazon money for doing this for Toys' R Us. This way I believe was another form of advertising for Toys' R US, a way of expanding through Amazon. For other toy retailers this gave the option to not only buy from Toys R Us but also from Amazon at possibly a lower price. Amazon saw this deal as a way to expand through partnering with Toys R Us instead of having to sell them it all by themselves. 2. Advantages of signing with Toys R US was that it would give a mutual benefit of profit and reputation to both parties. That having Toys from such a popular store would be good for the company. It also helped give them more merchandise without having to do all the work themselves. The profit that Amazon would make working with Toys R Us was a substantial amount of money. Disadvantages would be having to keep a promise not to sell any other products of that sort except those that were from Toys R Us, and the fact that it was a ten year agreement was quite a long time to not do business with other companies...
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...Ingenuity, shows us how companies around the world have been innovating. It is important to understand what ingenuity really means. It is defined as the quality of being ingeniously inventive, creative, and practical; inventiveness. The chapter starts out with the quote, “When people ask me ‘What is your competitive advantage?’ I say, ‘The quality of our engineers.’” This was stated by Mauricio Botelho, President and CEO of Embraer (A successful Brazilian aircraft manufacturer) from 1995 to 2007. John Engler, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, in 2005 said that the United States is and remains on being the world’s frontrunner in innovation. He emphasizes that other countries are advancing in technology as enthusiastically as we are and that therefore we cannot assume we are safely ahead of the world. Throughout the chapter we are shown how challengers have been investing in innovation by capitalizing in research and development. Some examples included are companies like ZTE, a Chinese telecom equipment maker that spent 12% of its $3 billion 2006 revenue on research and development. In accordance to VentureOne, Venture capitalists invested $1.89 billion in Chinese companies in 2006. In total, from 2005 to 2006 there was a 34% increase in investments in Chinese information technology firms. Governments are also becoming aware of how important innovation is when it comes to modernization. For example, the Russian President’s, Vladimir Putin, New Deal consisted of...
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...have to obey to the political, social and legal factors that are within the world. These factors can have both a negative and positive effect on the business. The businesses I will be concentrating on is Toys ‘R’ Us and National Health Service. Toys ‘R’ Us Political Factors Political factors that affect businesses include new legislation such as the national minimum wage and setting tax rates such as VAT or Corporation Tax. Most business operators will keep a watchful eye on any political factor, such as new laws or regulatory shifts, which could have a substantial impact on how their company operates. Politics can affect a business in many different ways. For example grants, taxation and support. All these can change the outcomes of the business. They can affect profit, customers and revenues. Taxation can affect every business in the world including Toys ‘R’ Us. Taxes are collected by national government and local government. Taxation helps the government ti raise revenue and also enables it to discourage various activities and to encourage others. This can include many things such as: cigarettes to discourage smoking or high fuel composition cars to discourage pollution. In March of every year, the government release information about the changes of taxation. Toys ‘R’ Us have to discuss if they are going to make their products more expensive in order to cover lost profit. If not, this can result to them losing their customers and if this continues, the consumers may decide to...
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