...Introduction Benjamin Franklin is accredited for the saying “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Winston Churchill is accredited for saying "He who fails to plan is planning to fail." Both are correct and relevant in today’s business environment. Planning is the cornerstone of any successful business. Today’s planning is governed by two leading processes, strategic and operational planning. I will review the attributes that both plans embody with relations to SWOT analysis conducted on Liberty Global Inc. Strategic and Operational plans for Liberty Global Inc. Strategic planning is a top-down approach provided by top management that defines; goals, objectives, and direction of the organizations for the next three to five years (Robbins & Coulter, 2012). It lays the foundations for growth, improving productivity, and to improve return on investment for the organization’s investors. Operational planning details how the organization will accomplish the goals, objectives, and strategies outlined in the strategic plan. Operational planning is a bottom-up approach that addresses the needs and performance of the organization in the short-term, one-year and under. It addresses the question, what are we going to do this year and how. The operational plan should be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it is on target. Liberty Global is the leading international cable operator. The company operates in 13 countries across Europe and in Chile. The company has...
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...Case 2–2 Sabor Inc. In mid-April, Ray Soles, vice president of supply chain management at Sabor Inc., had become increasingly concerned about the potential shortage of supply of marconil, a new high-tech raw material for air filtration. Sabor Inc.’s three suppliers, during the last two weeks, had ad- vised Ray Soles to sign long-term contracts and he was trying to assess the advisability of such commitments. SABOR INC. Sabor Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, produced high-quality consumer and industrial air-conditioning and heating units. An extensive network of independent and company-owned installation and sales centers serviced customers throughout the North American market. Total company sales last year totaled $800 million. AIR FILTRATION AND MARCONIL Sabor Inc. for decades had sold air humidification and air filtration units along with its prime units in air heating and cooling. Until three years ago, air filtration had accounted for about 7 percent of total corporate sales and had been sold primarily as add-ons to a new air cooling/ heating system. However, with the advent of marconil, air filtration had started to increase significantly as a percentage of total sales. Marconil, a new high-tech product developed as part of the U.S. space effort, had a range of unique properties of high interest to a variety of industries. In the case of air filtration, when processed by a Sabor Inc. developed and patented process, marconil could be transformed into a thin, very light...
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...will be shed on the internal and external environments of Adnexus. Then, discussion will be made on the company’s current status and available solutions. Finally, recommendation and action plans will be devised on the best route for Adnexus. The company competes in the biotechnology industry. A large portion of the market (65%) is controlled by fewer players. The market is characterized by high R&D spending. Adnexus had a successful strategic partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), and leadership was considering weather to further negotiate an acquisition deal with them or instead, go public. One of Adnexus key problems was the struggle to generate a study revenue stream. This is why the company has to decide on an exit route that will generate high liquidity and preserve its mission. Recommended course of action is to take the acquisition exit route. First, on average an IPO can generate up to $52.6 million, which is not enough for Adnexus expenses and operations needs. Prior to acquisition offer, BMS offered Adnexus a deal of $1.5 billion. This is why for an acquisition the company might be welling to pay more. Going public is a costly process, and public companies obligated to comply with higher regulatory standards. With a well devised multi-phase integration and implementation plan, the acquisition will be more favorable. Adnexus can sell 48% of its share and maintain the controlling part of the shares to preserve its purpose. The acquisition will provide a combined leverage...
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...Risk Management – Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance Christopher Peer CMGT/582 – Security and Ethics John Harvey Overview Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance is challenged to align security with business requirements. Business operational and financial integrity alongside compliance mandate that adequate and appropriate policy, operational and technical controls are in place to protect the organization and its information assets. To validate that its security and risk management program is effectively managed to business requirements, KFB relies on an effective risk assessment program to evaluate information security, set priorities, identify weaknesses and shortcomings in current processes, and define changes to improve the overall effectiveness of the security program. KFB frequently compares their information security program to others in the same industry sector to provide appropriate guidance on strengths and deficiencies in the program so they can maintain an appropriate level of information security for their business. The Assessment Approach The Kentucky Farm Bureau risk assessment program is based on industry best practices in the areas of information security and risk management. These practices are first introduced to key management and security personnel to develop proper methods for improving the information security program. The assessment starts with the data gathering phase to collect data that will be used to adapt the assessment data model to the KFB environment...
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... Company Profile 6. Assignment analysis and study A. Reliance Communications has secured loans from a host of Chinese banks to refinance $1.18 billion B. RCom has filed a prospectus with the Singapore Stock Exchange and plans to divest as much as 75% stake in Flag Telecom to raise about $1 Billion i) Background of Reliance Globalcom (Flag Telecom) ii) Cable network of Flag Telecom iii) Solutions offered by Reliance iv) Strategic Move by Reliance to fight with debt crisis C. Reliance Communications has put on hold the initial public offering of its undersea cable unit Flag Telecom in Singapore D. Impact of heavy debt on company's financial credit worthiness and impact of rupee devaluation on overseas loan E. The impact of the high-debt levels has been further compounded because of the steep depreciation of the rupee 7. Impact of Un-hedged foreign currency debts due to rupee devaluation 8. Conclusion INTRODUCTION As a student of International Finance Management (IFM) I am glad to learn the concepts, principles and methodologies of the subject. I am a Telecom professional and working with Reliance communications at Mumbai, I wish to present my IFM assignment on the Debt crisis management by RCom and impact of un-hedged exposure aspects of RCom – a major Telecom Service provider in India. PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT The purpose of this...
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...Abrakadoodle Marketing Plan Table of Contents Executive Summary …………………………………………………………………….. Page 3 Environmental Analysis …………………………………………………………….. Page 4 SWOT Analysis …………………………………………………………………….. Page 8 Marketing Objectives …………………………………………………………….. Page 9 Marketing Strategies ……………………………………………………………..Page 10 Marketing Implementation ……………………………………………………………..Page 12 Evaluating & Control ……………………………………………………………………Page 14 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Abrakadoodle offers full service visual art classes for kids, summer art camps, holiday art camps, art parties and art events that stimulate and educate to more than one million children in schools, community sites, and art studios for kids around the world. Abrakadoodle primarily targets middle-income professional families who are having their children participate in exciting activities that involve arts and crafts. The proposed marketing plan is designed to allow Abrakadoodle to focus on getting their name and professional services out into the Maryland area; specifically the area from Landover to Annapolis. Because of the unique experience of art creativity for kids, Abrakadoodle would like to be known for its excellent classes for kids, well-trained teachers and always allowing kids to have a blast. Expansive art lesson plans are unrivaled, exceeding national standards for visual arts education. Understanding the cost related to quality art education, Abrakadoodle...
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...recent graduate of the Nova Scotia Collage of Art and Design and has taken courses in metalsmithing and jewellery design adding a layer of skilled craftsmanship to the construction of each piece. Market Research Summary The jewellery industry has remained relatively unchanged over the last two decades. Jewellery is successfully sold by a mix of large national chains, regional franchises, smaller independent retailers and individual artisans selling online. According to the Global Gems and Jewellery Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2018 the global market will continue to see increases in jewellery sales overall due to the rising disposable incomes and changing lifestyles. The industry is set to experience strong growth over the coming years. With the diversity of products available and the proliferation of potential sources, creating a niche will be important. Adornya is targeting recent college and university graduates and young professionals with household incomes of $50,000 - $65,000. Marketing Summary To date, Adornya’s brand has grown through word of mouth referrals from current customers wearing the pieces. Adornya’s key marketing strategy will be to expand awareness of the products beyond their existing...
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...recent graduate of the Nova Scotia Collage of Art and Design and has taken courses in metalsmithing and jewellery design adding a layer of skilled craftsmanship to the construction of each piece. Market Research Summary The jewellery industry has remained relatively unchanged over the last two decades. Jewellery is successfully sold by a mix of large national chains, regional franchises, smaller independent retailers and individual artisans selling online. According to the Global Gems and Jewellery Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2018 the global market will continue to see increases in jewellery sales overall due to the rising disposable incomes and changing lifestyles. The industry is set to experience strong growth over the coming years. With the diversity of products available and the proliferation of potential sources, creating a niche will be important. Adornya is targeting recent college and university graduates and young professionals with household incomes of $50,000 - $65,000. Marketing Summary To date, Adornya’s brand has grown through word of mouth referrals from current customers wearing the pieces. Adornya’s key marketing strategy will be to expand awareness of the products beyond their existing...
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...strategy to the overall business strategy may have been weakened by the frequent shifts that characterize business today. The pace of change in both business strategy and compensation design are leading many companies to consider and implement changes to one side of the bridge without making changes to align it with the other side of the bridge. As a result, the bridge becomes weaker and is more likely to undermine the overall success of the business. This process encompasses the following key steps such as articulating the company's long and short-term business strategies and making sure they are aligned with current compensation approaches; choosing the compensation approach that will best reward and reinforce the company's articulated strategic goals; and periodically evaluating the compensation approach against the business strategy to see if goals have been met and make necessary adjustments. To align compensation with the business strategy, a company must first be able to articulate what that business strategy is. While identifying and articulating the business strategy seems self evident, many companies have lost sight of their strategy or find that a strategy is in place but not explicitly recognized or communicated. And in this era of constant change, companies can't assume that they are pursuing their official business strategy. In other words, a company whose business strategy is obsolete may have adopted a more relevant strategy without taking the time to explicitly...
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...preferred stock, bonds, notes and debentures convertible into common or preferred stock, stock purchase warrants and rights, equity interests in trusts and partnerships as well as American, Global or other types of Depositary Receipts. The Fund may leverage up to 10% of its total assets. The Dow 30 company selected for this assignment is Caterpillar. As per the last annual report of the company, the major investment decisions of the company in the recent fiscal year include: The company heavily invested in expansion or growth plans for emerging markets such as India and China. In June 2008, as part of its strategic plan to increase its manufacturing footprint in the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific region, Caterpillar announced a four-year, $200 million investment to increase manufacturing capacity in India. In terms of investments, the company's investment portfolio comprises of government debt, corporate bonds and equity securities. Cat Insurance maintains a well-diversified equity portfolio consisting of three specific mandates: large cap value stocks, small and mid cap growth stocks and international growth and income stocks. The Morgan Stanley's emerging markets funds, as per the objective of the fund, is mostly invested in emerging markets securities whereas Caterpillar has a mix of treasury securities, corporate debt and equity securities in its portfolio.The current investment environment will heavily impact the composition of their portfolios, not only as it...
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...Executive Summary This analysis was undertaken in an attempt to evaluate NonStop Yacht’s strategic direction in the Mega-Yacht industry due to the firm’s consistent inability to meet financial expectations. This case focused its efforts on answering. This poor financial performance has led the firm’s management to question whether or not a strategic alliance might be a beneficial alternative to their current business model. To address the firm’s current quandary, this case has answered the following central question: Should NSY strategically align with key industry players; or, would organic growth be a more beneficial option for generating the additional value needed to once again realign the company with both internal and external expectations? Analysis of the situation focused on three strategic issues found to be key in determining the firm’s strategic options: NSY’s core competencies; their internal environment which encompasses the firms operations, structure and culture; and how the industry trend of consolidation might affect the firm’s positioning. Based on a thorough analysis, it is recommended that NSY forgo an alliance with an industry player, instead focusing on organic growth. This growth is recommended to first begin by reinvigorating their e-commerce approach. NSY’s website must deliver on the value that was originally intended at the firms inception. Second, it is recommended that NSY steadily grow their brick and mortar footprint throughout locations...
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...Objectives 1. To target a 20 percent increase within one year. The firm can thus aim to increase its profits by utilizing its available resources in the most efficient manner 2. by creating new products and better processes with the help of the latest technology. It is imperative that the firm undertake rigorous research and development programs to develop new ideas targeting all the required accounting services. There are many accounting firms and CPAs, so you must gain the competitive advantage by procuring new accounting resources, such as computer software. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3. To control a greater percentage of the market share, the business must ensure customer satisfaction by providing the highest level of service possible to its clients and increasing the product range. The members of the firm should combine their expertise, experience and energy to provide each client with close personal and professional attention. For example, they should channel their efforts toward enabling a business to optimize its profitability and minimize its tax exposure. 4. 5. To secure and setup an office space which start operating in three months’ time. 6. Sign up at least one client per month for the next six months; and up 15 clients for the first 12 months of operation. 7. To . Doggies Best Friend will be guided by its mission vision and strategic plan, which clearly stipulates that customer satisfaction, is a guarantee. The company outlines some...
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...distribution and promotion. The typical career path for an MBA is to enter as an assistant product manager and move up to brand manager after three to five years. A brand management team shares the ultimate responsibility for a particular product. Brand management involves developing a strategic direction for a brand based on what consumers want. It is not just about lowering price or creating commercials, although they are elements of a strategic plan. Rather, managing a brand means finding a way to deliver value to consumers. Brand managers lead cross-functional teams to achieve the goals outlined in annual brand plans. Whether it's managing a spending budget or convincing upper management through numeric analysis to "size-up" a package size to boost sales, everything you do funnels towards the goal of selling more units, thus making more profit for the company and putting smiles on shareholders' faces. Although the needs of a particular brand and product often dictate the level of exposure you have to different issues, one thing all brand managers have in common is a fast-paced schedule. Seldom does a day go by where you won't be running from meeting to meeting and visiting employees from Legal, Packaging, Finance, Market Research, Consumer Affairs, Operations, Public Relations, and Research and Development, among others. Given the broad exposure to so many aspects of business and the supply chain, these positions...
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...Guide to Enterprise Risk Management F R E Q U E N T LY A S K E D Q U E S T I O N S Guide to Enterprise Risk Management: Frequently Asked Questions Page No. Introduction The Fundamentals 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. What is Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)? Why implement ERM? How does the scope of ERM compare to existing risk management approaches? What is the value proposition for implementing ERM? Which companies are implementing ERM? If companies are not implementing ERM, then what are they doing? Who is responsible for ERM? What are the steps companies can take immediately to implement ERM? Is ERM applicable to smaller and less complex organizations? Why have companies that have tried to implement ERM failed in their efforts? Does implementation of ERM ensure the success of a business? What is the difference between ERM and management? What does it mean to “implement ERM”? Generally, how long does it take to implement ERM? Is there any way to benchmark the level of investment required to implement ERM? Don’t successfully run companies already apply ERM? How long has ERM been around and why is there a renewed focus on it? What percentage of public companies currently have an ERM process or system? Is there an example of effective ERM as it is applied in practice? How does the application of ERM vary by industry? Are there any organizations that need not implement ERM? What are the regulatory mandates for implementing...
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...Executive Summary: According to the 2010 Interbrand Best Global Brands report, “McDonalds Corporation is the 6th most valuable brand globally”. The calculated value of the iconic golden arches logo has an estimated net worth of $33.58 billion (Interbrand, 2010) The company is ranked as the #1 restaurant brand and on an average day will provide food and beverage service to 60 million customers around the world. This corporation is a pioneer in global expansion and emulated by many competitors. Since the opening of the first McDonalds in California in 1940, the company has continued on its journey to continually enhance the brand and support higher sales. In July of 1966, McDonalds listed on the NYSE. By 1970 they surpassed $1 billion in annual sales; the corporation’s vision for growth and their unique business model paved the way for a global footprint that would stir media frenzy. As a global economic presence, McDonalds is a superpower. There are famous stories reported across the globe such as when McDonalds served 30,000 hungry Russians on the opening day of McDonalds Moscow in 1990. This paper will demonstrate the global reach that McDonalds has by reporting and analyzing on the global FX and debt markets and how changes in currency rates and interest rates impact the company’s financials. The analysis will provide an overview of the firm and then delve deeper into the current global presence of the organization and breakdown certain specifics by region globally...
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