...Harmon Foods Case | The Problem Statement Harmon Foods was experiencing significant challenges with forecasting in the sales of Treat, their ready-to-eat breakfast cereal. Huge variations in actual sales versus forecast created a myriad of problems that led to costly production changes resulting in lower profitability. The Company must seek to develop accurate forecasting techniques that will result in low deviations from actual sales. Key Demand Factors Management identified seasonal factors which included Year- End Inventory reduction by Stores, Plant closing (summer) and Salespersons vacations. Non Media promotions like Consumer packs and Dealer allowances impacted sales positively during the months they were shipped. Inventory build-up from shipment of consumer packs created a lag in the subsequent months. Brand managers also provided information on competitor’s strategies and pricing. Management did not consider the following factors and we believe they also affect the demand of shipments of Treat: 1. Increases in the price of raw material: Increases in supply costs will increase production costs and ultimately increase the price of Treat to market. If the price of Treat increases, ceteris paribus (all else remain unchanged), the quantity demanded may fall resulting in reduced shipments. 2. Substitutes and other complimentary products: Price increase in complimentary products like milk may influence consumer’s decision to find other substitutes and shift...
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...Tesla is a growing motor vehicles company founded in 2003 by a group of fearless Silicon valley engineers who set out to prove electric vehicles are practical and awesome. Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning were responsible for creating the company. Leading the first investment was Elon Musk in February of 2004. In 2008 the company released the Tesla Roadster, to which there was no equal. The electric vehicle drives emission free in 37 countries. Tesla registered for an Initial public offering during January of 2010 and began trading on the NASDAQ exchange in June of the same year. When the market opened, shares sold at $17 dollars. At closing the price per share was $23.89, an increase of 40.5%, netting Tesla 226.1 million in funding. Investors saw potential in a company with a vision of the future that was back by an emerging Elon Musk. Elon Musk was born June 28, 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa. After earning a degree in physics from the Universty of Pennsyvania and a degree in business from the Wharton School at UPENN, Musk started Zip2. The web software company was sold for $307 million dollars. He received 7% or $22 million dollars from the sale. Musk moved on to co-found PayPal which was aquired by E-bay in 2002 for $1.5 billion in stock. The early growth of PayPal can be credited to the campaign created by Musk. Waisting no time, Musk founded his third company, Space Exploration Technologies(SpaceX), in 2002. With Musk as the CEO and CTO, SpaceX would become the first...
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...conducting any other activity. This is quite important as India is a huge market place with diversity in terms of costumer’s spending power. Kellogg’s should increase its communication channels so as to address the huge population of India. Further one of the main challenges for Kellogg’s is to find product to suit well to the Indian taste. It should find products that could appeal well to the Indian masses. Kellogg’s should collaborate with other small local companies of India which can lead to saving its costs and adding constancy to its productions. As India is one of the booming economies of the world with a vast potential of growth, so Kellogg’s moving to Indian market is fully justified. Its entrance in the Indian market was not quite easy as it had to suffer huge loss due to unacceptance of its products by the Indian masses. Kellogg’s used a lot of innovative strategies to remain in the Indian market. There are a lot of challenges which Kellogs has to face in India like fluctuating oil prices, repositioning its brand correctly, conducting good market analysis and...
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...to their customers. Its organizational strategies can be classified as below. * Leadership in innovative products * Strengthening the company's seven largest cereal market. * Develops a focused organization * Strategy of continuing to reduce the costs. Introduction: Breakfast is considered as the most important meal of the day. And the best choice among all is cereal breakfast which provides essential nutrients. Many people claim that skipping breakfast is the fastest way to lose weight. As they do not realize the importance of breakfast which is most important meal of the day.( Patanathabutr, Chaiyakal) Kellogg Company is a multinational producer for breakfast foods,snack,cookies and crackers. It is famous for the production of ready to eat breakfast cereals. The company operates in the Americas Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Its headquarters is at Battle Creek Michigan and employs around 30,277 people as of December 28,2013 Rice Krispies Cereal was introduced to Kellogg's company by Eugene McKay in 1927 and was released to the public in 1928. Rice Krispies is considered a family cereal. To create the crisped rice, rice grains are cooked, dried and toasted. They expand as a result, which creates very thin and hollowed out walls that are crunchy. The cereal is known for the crackling sounds it creates when exposed to heat. The sounds, most commonly known as “Snap, Crackle and Pop” became the slogan a year later. In 1933 Snack, Crackle and...
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...are about to be analyzed as representative examples of their differentiative and cost leadership character. VIN and Spirit, a Swedish firm which was the creator of Absolut Vodka compared with Diageo, Smirnoff’s enterprise. VIN and Spirit Company without the basic knowledge of a global strategy, it managed to obtain one of the leading market beverage segments being also a very representative example of advertising and packaging differentiation (Vin & Spirit Annual report, 2007). The second company, DIAGEO is producing popular products ne of which is Smirnoff Vodka. Because of its well known products worldwide, Diageo does not concentrate on a specific product (DIAGEO Annual Report, 2007).Instead it uses very good organized mechanisms of production, promotion packaging and distribution with lowest cost which offers the advantage of selling cheaper than the competitors, without spoiling product’s quality (Michael Porter, 1980). Information about the mentioned enterprises was taken from their 2008 annual report, before VIN & Spirit sold “Absolut” to Pernoid Ricard Company. Differentiation versus low cost Companies that are sharing the same market haven’t necessary the same...
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...ReaseachA SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER/THESIS/DISSERTATION ON ASPECTS OF ELEMENTARY LINEARY ALGEBRA by James Smith B.S., Southern Illinois University, 2010 A Research Paper/Thesis/Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science Degree Department of Mathematics in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale July, 2006 (Please replace Name and Year with your information and delete all instructions) Copyright by NAME, YEAR All Rights Reserved **(This page is optional)** RESEARCH PAPER/THESIS/DISSERTATION APPROVAL TITLE (in all caps) By (Author) A Thesis/Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of (Degree) in the field of (Major) Approved by: (Name of thesis/dissertation chair), Chair (Name of committee member 1) (Name of committee member 2) (Name of committee member 3) (Name of committee member 4) Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale (Date of Approval) AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF NAME OF STUDENT, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in MAJOR FIELD, presented on DATE OF DEFENSE, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. (Do not use abbreviations.) TITLE: A SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER ON ASPECTS OF ELEMENTARY LINEAR ALGEBRA MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. J. Jones (Begin the abstract here, typewritten and double-spaced. A thesis abstract should consist of 350 words or less including the heading. A page and one-half is approximately 350 words.) ...
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...A SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER/THESIS/DISSERTATION ON ASPECTS OF ELEMENTARY LINEARY ALGEBRA by James Smith B.S., Southern Illinois University, 2010 A Research Paper/Thesis/Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science Degree Department of Mathematics in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale July, 2006 (Please replace Name and Year with your information and delete all instructions) Copyright by NAME, YEAR All Rights Reserved **(This page is optional)** RESEARCH PAPER/THESIS/DISSERTATION APPROVAL TITLE (in all caps) By (Author) A Thesis/Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of (Degree) in the field of (Major) Approved by: (Name of thesis/dissertation chair), Chair (Name of committee member 1) (Name of committee member 2) (Name of committee member 3) (Name of committee member 4) Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale (Date of Approval) AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF NAME OF STUDENT, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in MAJOR FIELD, presented on DATE OF DEFENSE, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. (Do not use abbreviations.) TITLE: A SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER ON ASPECTS OF ELEMENTARY LINEAR ALGEBRA MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. J. Jones (Begin the abstract here, typewritten and double-spaced. A thesis abstract should consist of 350 words or less including the heading. A page and one-half is approximately 350 words.) iii DEDICATION (NO REQUIRED FOR...
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...Contents 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3 2. History………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....3 3. Current Market of Sony Corporation………………………………………………………………………..3 4. Organizational Orientation……………………………………………………………………………………….4 5. Sony's current Market analysis…………………………………………………………………………………4 6. Sony’s Orientation……………………………………………………………………………………………………6 7. Sony's Competitive Advantage Analysis……………………………………………………………………7 8. Porter's generic strategies………………………………………………………………………………….......8 9. Porter's competitive Forces………………………………………………………………………………........9 10. Marketing Mix………………………………………………………………………………………………………..11 11. Sony’s Product Mix and Product Line……………………………………………………………………..12 12. Price Mix………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..14 13. Sony’s Promotion Mix………………………………………………………………………………………......17 14. Sony‘s Place Mix…………………………………………………………………………………………………….18 15. Sony‘s Distribution Channels………………………………………………………………………………….19 16. Sony Corporation's Success………………………………………………………………………………….…20 17. SWOT analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………………........22 18. Recommendations to maintain Competitive Advantage…………………………………….…..24 19. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….25 20. Bibliography / References………………………………………………………………………………….....27 Introduction: Sony is a leading corporation primarily operating in electronics. They are leading manufacturers in electronic goods. Sony holds a great...
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...Overview…………………………………………………………………… 3 Accounting Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Financial Ratio Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………. 4 Analysts Evaluations……………………………………………………………………………………… 4 Overview of Firm and Industry............................................................................... 5 Industry Overview and Analysis………………………………………………………………………….. 8 Rivalry Among Existing Firms………………………………………………………………………….8 Threat of New Entrants…………………………………………………………………………………. 15 Threat of Substitute Products………………………………………………………………………… 17 Bargaining Power of Buyers…………………………………………………………………………… 18 Bargaining Power of Suppliers……………………………………………………………………….. 20 Characterization of Industry……………………………………………………………………………20 Value Chain Analysis: Key Success Factors…………………………………………………………. 21 Competitive Advantage Analysis…………………………………………………………………………. 23 Cost Leadership……………………………………………………………………………………………. 24 Differentiation……………………………………………………………………………………………….27 Accounting Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………… 30 Key Accounting Policies…………………………………………………………………………………. 30 Accounting Flexibility……………………………………………………………………………………..33 Accounting Strategies…………………………………………………………………………………… 36 Quality of Disclosure…………………………………………………………………………………….. 41 Manipulation Diagnostics………………………………………………………………………………. 43 Potential Red Flags………………………………………………………………………………………. 49 Undo Accounting...
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...TERRY L. VON THADEN, WILLIAM D. GEIBEL University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Introduction Even though proper maintenance is crucial for aviation safety, tracing the effect that human error in maintenance operations has on accidents and incidents remains a difficult task. According to a UK Civil Aviation Authority study (2003), maintenance and inspection deficiencies ranked fourth (12%) as a factor in aviation accidents overall. Other studies have described that as technology has improved, aviation accidents attributed to mechanical failures alone have decreased, yet those attributed to human error have not shown the same reduction (Wiegmann & Shappell, 2003). Aircraft maintenance requires high reliability and is an important concern in the human factors realm for several reasons. On the one hand, automation, which has reduced flight crew workload, does not apply in maintenance operations (Reason & Hobbs, 2003). On the other hand, maintenance tasks generally access critical areas where human errors lead to serious consequences (Reason, 1997). From a human factors perspective, in the current competitive environment of commercial aviation, occupational opportunities relating to aircraft maintenance technicians (AMTs) are declining. While oil prices soar, fares remain low due to competition (Bond, 2008). Employing fewer technicians and making turnaround at the airport gate shorter are two of the various ways airlines have sought to improve financial efficiency...
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...Marketing Chapter 1: Defining Marketing for the 21st Century * Marketing plays a key role in addressing challenges such as helping firms to prosper financially and survive in the face of an unforgiving economic environment * The broader importance of marketing extends to society as a whole => it helps introduce and gain acceptance of new products that have eased/enriched people’s lives * Good marketers seek new ways to satisfy their customers and beat their competition => if they don’t carefully monitor their customers and competitors and don’t continuously improve their value offerings and marketing strategies, don’t satisfy their employees, stockholders, suppliers and channel partners in the process, the firm is at risk to fail * What is marketing? => identifying and meeting human/social needs meeting needs profitably * Selling is not the most important part of marketing the aim is to know and understand the customer so well that the product/service fits him and sells itself * What is marketed? => 10 main types of entities 1) Goods => physical goods such as canned, bagged, fresh, and frozen food products and other tangible items 2) Services => e.g. airlines, hotels, car rentals, barbers, etc. => mixes of good and services are also possible such as restaurant because they offer food and service at the same time 3) Events => 4) Experiences => e.g. Walt Disney World 5) Persons => e.g. artists, musicians, etc...
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...challenge for marketers to achieve symbolism for their products in India. (14) 10. The challenge for marketers is to ensure a judicious mix of traditional values and contemporary thinking for such segments. (16) 11. The presence of unorganized sector in several categories has created challenges to marketers at the lower price ranges. (18) 12. illegal duplicates prevalent mainly in Rural and Semi rural markets pose a threat to reputation of the company. 13. High degree of price sensitivity is a strong cultural trait in the Indian mass market. (20) (23) 14. Indian customers buying decisions are more of review oriented i.e, they prefer to get reviews before a buying decision. (24) 15. Launch timing of product category is a critical factor in Indian markets. (25) 2 16. Refraining from online payments is hampering online stores to grow as a popular and convenient sales medium. (26) 17. Acceptance for new technology is low,...
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...Sector Coverage A pril 15, 2008 Indian Processed Food Industry Opportunities Galore Industry Overview Global Processed Food Industry Indian Processed Food Industry Processed Food Industry - A Sunrise sector Where the opportunity lies- areas for investment Industry Analysis Driving Forces Major Challenges Indian Food Processing Industry by sectors Diary Fruits and Vegetable Grains Meat and Poultry Fish Packaged/Convenience Food Aerated Soft Drinks, Packaged drinking water Exports FDI in Food Processing Government Regulation and support Regulatory framework Outlook Initiating Coverage Lakshmi Energy & Foods Ruchi Soya Analyst - Nisha Harchekar nishaharchekar@way2wealth.com Sectors - FMCG, Pharma, Entertainment WAY2WEALTH Securities Pvt. Ltd., 15/A Chander Mukhi, Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400 021. Tel: +91 22 4019 2900 email: research@way2wealth.com website: www.way2wealth.com Indian Processed Food Industry Sector Coverage Opportunities Galore Executive Summary The size of global processed food industry is estimated to be valued around US $3.6 trillion and accounts for three-fourth of the global food sales. Despite its large size, only 6% of processed foods are traded across borders compared to 16% of major bulk agricultural commodities. Indian food-processing industry is miniscule in comparison and is estimated to be US $40 billion and is likely to grow at over 10%, on the basis of an expected GDP growth rate of...
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...Supply Chain Management: An International Journal Emerald Article: Innovation and competition in UK supermarkets Mark Harvey Article information: To cite this document: Mark Harvey, (2000),"Innovation and competition in UK supermarkets", Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 5 Iss: 1 pp. 15 - 21 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13598540010294892 Downloaded on: 16-10-2012 References: This document contains references to 8 other documents Citations: This document has been cited by 8 other documents To copy this document: permissions@emeraldinsight.com Users who downloaded this Article also downloaded: * Ronan de Kervenoael, Catherine Canning, Mark Palmer, Alan Hallsworth, (2011),"Challenging market conventions: Supermarket diversification and consumer resistance in children's apparel purchases", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 15 Iss: 4 pp. 464 - 485 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13612021111169951 Andrew Hollingsworth, (2004),"Increasing retail concentration: Evidence from the UK food retail sector", British Food Journal, Vol. 106 Iss: 8 pp. 629 - 638 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00070700410553611 Torben Hansen, Jan Møller Jensen, Hans Stubbe Solgaard, (2011),"When supermarket consumers get stocked in the middle", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 39 Iss: 11 pp. 836 - 850 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09590551111177954 Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided...
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...Volume 3 Number 1 2004 Accounts Manipulation: A Literature Review and Proposed Conceptual Framework by Hervé Stolowy, HEC School of Management (Groupe HEC), Department of Accounting and Management Control, 1, rue de la Libération, 78351 - Jouy en Josas Cedex, France and Gaétan Breton, Université du Québec à Montreal, Department of Accounting Sciences, P.O.B. 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal (Québec), H3C 3P8 - Canada Abstract Accounts manipulation has been the subject of research, discussion and even controversy in several countries including the USA, Canada, the U.K., Australia, Finland and France. The objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature and propose a conceptual framework for accounts manipulation. This framework is based on the possibility of wealth transfer between the different stakeholders, and in practice, the target of the manipulation appears generally to be the earnings per share and the debt/equity ratio. The paper also describes the different actors involved and their potential gains and losses. We review the literature on the various techniques of accounts manipulation: earnings management, income smoothing, big bath accounting, creative accounting, and window-dressing. The various definitions of all these, the main motivations behind their application and the research methodologies used are all examined. This study reveals that all the above techniques have common elements, but there are also important differences...
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