...Flat-panel TVs display effects of globalization Costs come down for consumers, but U.S. companies, workers pay To understand the trade-offs inherent in 21st-century borderless commerce, consider one of the hottest items in consumer electronics: the flat-panel television set. It begins in spotless, state-of-the-art fabrication centers in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, where the glass panels that form the televisions' heart are produced. From there, the panels travel to Mexican plants clustered along the U.S. border to be assembled into cabinets and loaded onto trucks bound for retailers such as Circuit City or Wal-Mart. Each link in this global supply chain specializes in what it does best and at lowest cost. By collaborating across time zones and oceans, these industrial networks have driven costs down and performance up in ways no single company ever could. With scores of brands jostling for attention -- from global icons such as Sony to newcomers such as Olevia and even "virtual companies" such as little-known Vizio -- a fierce price war is giving consumers more TV for less money with each passing day. Dan Moll of Arlington, Va., just spent $4,000 on a 50-inch Pioneer Elite plasma TV after watching the price fall 25% in four months. "It's phenomenal. It's beautiful. ... It just looks great," he says. The one-two punch of globalization and technological advances that define this industry, however, entails costs as well as benefits. Earlier this year, as manufacturers...
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...becoming more prominent. – Official ABS statistics are not produced for domestic and overseas online retail sales in Australia. – Market analysts estimate that the domestic online share of total retail sales in Australia is between 3 and 7 per cent. The Commission considers the share to be at the lower bound of these estimates at 4 per cent. – Overseas online sales account for around a third of total online sales. That is, around 2 per cent of total retail sales are being spent on overseas websites. – Domestic and overseas online sales account for 6 per cent of total retail spending in Australia in 2010 which equates to $12.6 billion. By comparison, market analysts estimate the online share of retail sales in the United Kingdom and the United States at 11 per cent and 8 per cent respectively. Official estimates for the online share in the United Kingdom and United States are lower at 9 and 5 per cent respectively. – Online sales in Australia are projected to grow by between 10 and 15 per cent per annum over the next three years. New electronic devices including mobile phones with internet capability are stimulating further growth in online sales. Australian consumers are attracted to online shopping due to three main factors — lower prices, convenience and a wider range of goods to choose from compared to those available from bricks and mortar retailers. Online penetration of retail sales in Australia is much higher in categories such as books, CDs, DVDs, clothing, sporting goods...
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...Consumer fire safety: European statistics and potential fire safety measures Versie: 431N8032/3.0, January 2009 This research study has been commissioned by the Consumer Council at the Austrian Standards Institute and was funded by the Austrian Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection. Netherlands Institute for Safety Nibra P.O. Box 7010 6801 HA Arnhem The Netherlands T +31 (0)26 355 24 00 F +31 (0)26 351 50 51 info@nifv.nl Consumer fire safety: European statistics and potential fire safety measures This research study has been commissioned by the Consumer Council at the Austrian Standards Institute and was funded by the Austrian Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection. Netherlands Institute for Safety Nibra: We develop expertise, contribute towards the professional development of the fire service, medical assistance in accidents and disasters and crisis management, and thereby enhance physical safety. Consumer fire safety: European statistics and potential fire safety measures Colophon Client: Contact: Title: Consumer Council, Austrian Standards Institute Heinestrasse 38, 1020 Vienna, Austria Dr. F. Fiala Consumer fire safety:European statistics and potential fire safety measures January 2009 Final report 3.0 431N8032 M. Kobes, MSc, BBE, MIFireE K. Groenewegen - Ter Morsche, MSc Dr. M.G. Duyvis Dr. J.G. Post (Head of the Research Department NIFV) Date: Status: Version: Project number: Authors: Project leader:...
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...CASE STUDY 10 Go online to to find more case studies. Starbucks’ failure in Australia Paul G. Patterson, Jane Scott and Mark D. Uncles All authors are from the School of Marketing, Australian School of Business, University of NSW In mid-2008 when Starbucks management announced that they would be closing nearly three-quarters of its 84 Australian stores there was a mixed reaction. Some people were shocked, others triumphant. Journalists used every pun in the book to create a sensational headline, and it seemed everyone had a theory as to what went wrong. This case outlines the astounding growth and expansion of the Starbucks brand worldwide, including in Australia. It then shifts focus to describe the extent of the store closures in Australia, before offering several reasons for the failure and lessons that others might learn from the case. History of Starbucks While Starbucks may be responsible for ‘growing’ the premium in-store and takeaway coffee market in various parts of the world, competing brands are emerging in many parts of the world. Starbucks’ first store opened in 1971 in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. By the time the company was publicly listed in 1992, it had 140 stores and was expanding at a breakneck pace, with a growing store count of an extra 40%–60% a year. While former CEO Jim Donald claimed that ‘we don’t want to take over the world’, during the 1990s and early 2000s, Starbucks was opening on average at least one store a day...
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...Australasian Marketing Journal 18 (2010) 41–47 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Australasian Marketing Journal journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/amj How the local competition defeated a global brand: The case of Starbucks Paul G. Patterson *, Jane Scott, Mark D. Uncles School of Marketing, Australian School of Business, University of NSW, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t The astounding growth and expansion of Starbucks is outlined, both on a global scale and within Australia. The focus then shifts to the abrupt closure of three-quarters of the Australian stores in mid 2008. Several reasons for these closures are described and examined, including that: Starbucks overestimated their points of differentiation and the perceived value of their supplementary services; their service standards declined; they ignored some golden rules of international marketing; they expanded too quickly and forced themselves upon an unwilling public; they entered late into a highly competitive market; they failed to communicate the brand; and their business model was unsustainable. Key lessons that may go beyond the specifics of the Starbucks case are the importance of: undertaking market research and taking note of it; thinking globally but acting locally; establishing a differential advantage and then striving to sustain it; not losing sight of what makes a brand successful in the first place; and the necessity of having a sustainable...
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...ONE GOOD COOKIE A Final Business Plan Presented to Professor Hal Lefkowitz School of Business and Management National University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for MGT 610C and the Degree Master of Business Administration by Virginia C. Hire Damrauer September 2010 Copyright 2010 Virginia C. Hire Damrauer ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Executive Summary When I was traveling for work, it struck me that the interesting places were *not* the chains I find at home, it was the unique experiences that I was craving. Not a franchise, and not an internet thing, just a face-to-face unique experience kind of place. One Good Cookie is a sole proprietorship business with the vision of providing “One Good Cookie at a Fair Price.” Our slogan is “One Good Cookie Deserves Another! TM” and our mission is “To make unique, creative, high quality cookies and provide them locally at a fair price in a single-store cookie shop.” Our values are community, quality ingredients, and fair prices. Our financial objectives are to achieve an average sales transaction of $4.50 per customer by the end of the first year and to increase the first year profit by 5% in the second year of business. The top local competitors are profitable with revenues of over $500,000 per year (Manta.com, 2010b, 2010d) and are sustainable as most have been in business for 15 years or more (Manta.com, 2010a, 2010b, 2010d). Financial projections show that the business...
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...Themes, Entertainment ________________________________________ The theme park, as an experience design, differs from amusement parks in the critical design intent of its architects. Theme landscapes are developed to distill a glimpse of world /out of this world locations, not unlike a world's fair, at a single location. These entertainment complexes are familiar vacation territories for generations of the world's travel public, as theme parks are deliberately designed to be internationally-focused attractants. The successful dynamism of these landscapes designed for appeal and dependable itinerary offer assurances of what can be expected, with safety and value for the expense of time and money. Generally, themed landscapes perpetuate and promote folk history and cultural traditions, as these are exploited, yet celebrated, simultaneously. Perception of space in the themed environment, without apologies, is inauthentic, but never-the-less successful, and delightful moments for the viewer. Intentionally, architecture is manipulated in order to impart the necessary factors which will aid in promoting happiness by use of ironic realism. Despite pretentions, everyone enjoys themed experiences at some level. Ambivalent designers are not undermined by the pristine and ineffectual notions the design profession propagates on what characterizes good design. Rather, the successful destination architect gives social value and art to underappreciated human elements in architecture. Human...
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...CHAPTER 1 Managers and Managing Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to: LO1-1 Describe what management is, why management is important, what managers do, and how managers utilize organizational resources efficiently and effectively to achieve organizational goals. LO1-2 Distinguish among planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (the four principal managerial tasks), and explain how managers’ ability to handle each one affects organizational performance. LO1-3 Differentiate among three levels of management, and understand the tasks and responsibilities of managers at different levels in the organizational hierarchy. LO1-4 Distinguish between three kinds of managerial skill, and explain why managers are divided into different departments to perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively. LO1-5 Discuss some major changes in management practices today that have occurred as a result of globalization and the use of advanced information technology (IT). LO1-6 Discuss the principal challenges managers face in today’s increasingly competitive global environment. Management part 1 A MANAGER’S CHALLENGE Steve Jobs has Changed His Approach to Management What is high-performance management? In 1976 Steven P. Jobs sold his Volkswagen van, and his partner Steven Wozniak sold his two programmable calculators, and they used the proceeds of $1,350 to build a circuit board in Jobs’s garage. So popular was the circuit board, which...
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...For the exclusive use of D. Xiang, 2015. 9-200-044 REV: JANUARY 15, 2002 LISA MEULBROEK Kmart Inc. and Builders Square Introduction In July 1997, Kmart appeared to be nearing a year-long effort to sell its faltering Do-It-Yourself (DIY) home improvement chain, Builders Square. Leonard Green & Partners, a Los Angeles-based retail buyout firm, had proposed to buy Builders Square (BSQ) and merge it with Hechinger’s, a Washington, D.C.-based DIY chain that had been a pioneer in the retail home improvement industry. The newly-formed Builders Square-Hechinger combination would create the nation’s third largest DIY retailer, and seemed to be one of the few options left to Kmart. Kmart’s CEO, Floyd Hall, had a difficult decision to make: should he move forward with Green’s offer of $10 million for Builders Square, or should he continue the search in hopes of receiving a higher offer? Green’s offer seemed surprisingly low, even given Builders Square’s recent sub-par performance, yet bidders for Builders Square had been slow to materialize. Indeed, Kmart’s recent talks concerning a joint venture with Waban Co.’s HomeBase centers ended when Waban’s management withdrew without explanation. As the decision neared, Kmart’s options seemed limited and time was short. Kmart and its Entry into Specialty Retailing Kmart Corporation, one of the world’s largest mass merchandise retailers, began as the S.S. Kresge Company in 1912 and by the 1950s it was one of the largest...
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...CHAPTER 1 Managers and Managing Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to: LO1-1 Describe what management is, why management is important, what managers do, and how managers utilize organizational resources efficiently and effectively to achieve organizational goals. LO1-2 Distinguish among planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (the four principal managerial tasks), and explain how managers’ ability to handle each one affects organizational performance. LO1-3 Differentiate among three levels of management, and understand the tasks and responsibilities of managers at different levels in the organizational hierarchy. LO1-4 Distinguish between three kinds of managerial skill, and explain why managers are divided into different departments to perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively. LO1-5 Discuss some major changes in management practices today that have occurred as a result of globalization and the use of advanced information technology (IT). LO1-6 Discuss the principal challenges managers face in today’s increasingly competitive global environment. Management part 1 A MANAGER’S CHALLENGE Steve Jobs has Changed His Approach to Management What is high-performance management? In 1976 Steven P. Jobs sold his Volkswagen van, and his partner Steven Wozniak sold his two programmable calculators, and they used the proceeds of $1,350 to build a circuit board in Jobs’s garage. So popular was the circuit board, which...
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...CHAPTER 1 Managers and Managing Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to: LO1-1 Describe what management is, why management is important, what managers do, and how managers utilize organizational resources efficiently and effectively to achieve organizational goals. LO1-2 Distinguish among planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (the four principal managerial tasks), and explain how managers’ ability to handle each one affects organizational performance. LO1-3 Differentiate among three levels of management, and understand the tasks and responsibilities of managers at different levels in the organizational hierarchy. LO1-4 Distinguish between three kinds of managerial skill, and explain why managers are divided into different departments to perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively. LO1-5 Discuss some major changes in management practices today that have occurred as a result of globalization and the use of advanced information technology (IT). LO1-6 Discuss the principal challenges managers face in today’s increasingly competitive global environment. Management part 1 A MANAGER’S CHALLENGE Steve Jobs has Changed His Approach to Management What is high-performance management? In 1976 Steven P. Jobs sold his Volkswagen van, and his partner Steven Wozniak sold his two programmable calculators, and they used the proceeds of $1,350 to build a circuit board in Jobs’s garage. So popular was the circuit board, which...
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...This page intentionally left blank Download at www.Pin5i.Com Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design Download at www.Pin5i.Com Editorial Director: Sally Yagan Editor in Chief: Eric Svendsen Executive Editor: Bob Horan Editorial Assistant: Ashlee Bradbury Director of Marketing: Patrice Lumumba Jones Executive Marketing Manager: Anne Fahlgren Senior Managing Editor: Judy Leale Production Project Manager: Kelly Warsak Senior Operations Supervisor: Arnold Vila Operations Specialist: Cathleen Petersen Creative Director: Blair Brown Senior Art Director/Design Supervisor: Janet Slowik Text Designer: Michael Fruhbeis Creative Director/Cover: Jayne Conte Cover Designer: Suzanne Duda Cover Art: Fotolia/3d mosaic/©Redshinestudio Manager, Rights and Permissions: Hessa Albader Media Project Manager: Lisa Rinaldi Media Editor: Denise Vaughn Full-Service Project Management: Tiffany Timmerman/S4Carlisle Publishing Services Composition: S4Carlisle Publishing Services Printer/Binder: Courier/Kendallville Cover Printer: Lehigh-Phoenix Color/Hagerstown Text Font: ITCCentury Book Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on appropriate page within text. Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation in the U.S.A. and other countries. Screen shots and icons reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Corporation. This book is not sponsored or endorsed by or affiliated with the Microsoft...
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...AVB 10-K 12/31/2013 Section 1: 10-K (10-K) Use these links to rapidly review the document TABLE OF CONTENTS PART III UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 Commission file number 1-12672 AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES, INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Maryland (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) 77-0404318 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) Ballston Tower 671 N. Glebe Rd, Suite 800 Arlington, Virginia 22203 (Address of principal executive office) (703) 329-6300 (Registrant's telephone number, including area code) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: (Title of each class) (Name of each exchange on which registered) Common Stock, par value $.01 per share New York Stock Exchange Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ý No o Yes o No ý Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding twelve (12) months (or for such...
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...Hati&Hati Colour Shoppe BUSINESS PLAN 401 Central Ave. SE Albuquerque, NM 87102 (505) 489-2222 April 28, 2008 Prepared For: Paul Sandoval Table of Contents Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………............................4,5 Management and Organization Plan………………………………………………………………………..6,7 Management team…………………………………………………………………………….…………..6 Compensation and ownership…………………………………………………………………………6 Board of directors/advisory council………………………………………………………………....6 Infrastructure………………………………………………………………………………………………..7 Contacts and franchise agreements…………………………………………….……………………7 Insurance…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…7 Employee stock option plan and other incentives……………………………………………..7 Organization charts………………………………………………………………………………………..7 Product/Service Plan……………………………………………………………………………………………….. Purpose of the product or service……………………………………………………………………8 Unique features…………………………………………………………………………………………….8 Stage of Development……………………………………………………………………………………9 Future research and development…………………………………………………………………..9 Trademarks, patents, copyrights, licenses, royalties…………………………………………..9 Government approvals ………………………………………………………………………………..10 Product/service limitation……………………………………………………………………………..10 Product/service liability…………………………………………………………………………………10 Related services and spin-offs…………………………………………………….......................10 Production………………………………………………………………………………………………….11 Facilities…………………………………………………………………………………………………...
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...BJ’S RESTAURANTS, INC. 2012 ANNUAL REPORT INCREASE IN REVENUES TO $708.3 MILLION 14 % % Resonating with the consumer. INCREASE IN COMPARABLE RESTAURANT SALES 3.2 11 % INCREASE IN OPERATING WEEKS $ 31.4Million fISCAL 2012 NET INCOME $ 1.09 fISCAL 2012 NET INCOME PER DILUTED SHARE BJ’S RESTAURANTS, INC. INVESTING IN QUALITY A loyalty proven by our financial results. 61 2 3 5 4 1 2 1 1 3 6 1 28 1 11 selected financial highlights (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts) Revenues Net Income Net Income Per Share: Basic Diluted Total Assets Shareholders’ Equity Number of Restaurants at Year End Comparable Restaurant Sales Increase (Decrease) $ $ 2012 $ 708,325 $ 31,409 1.12 1.09 2011 $ 620,943 $ 31,570 $ $ 1.14 1.08 2010 $ 513,860 $ 23,162 $ $ 0.86 0.82 2009 $ 426,707 $ 13,038 $ $ 0.49 0.48 2008 $ 374,076 $ 10,308 $ $ 0.39 0.39 $ 566,876 $ 371,834 130 3.2% $ 502,079 $ 332,449 115 6.6% $ 430,085 $ 287,826 102 5.6% $ 381,122 $ 252,979 92 (0.8%) $ 335,209 $ 232,277 82 (0.3%) TOTAL LOCATIONS / JANUARY 1, 2013 130 We opened 16 new restaurants, including one relocation, which translates into an Certain statements in this Annual Report and all other statements that are not purely historical constitute “forward-looking” statements for purposes of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to be covered by...
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