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Guillermo Furniture Store

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Guillermo’s Furniture Store
Aleshia Huffman
FIN 571
John Kushner
April 29, 2013

Guillermo’s Furniture Store
Guillermo’s Furniture Store, a once profitable business in Sonora, Mexico, has recently experienced some new competition and a decrease in profits. By using three different financial principles, Guillermo has been able to identify several possible solutions to his problem. While there is no clear “right” answer for his company, he has found three viable solutions to his loss of profits situation, including imitation, diversification, and using the theory of comparative advantage.
The Behavioral Principle The behavioral principle states that you can “look for guidance in what other firms similar to your firm are currently doing and have done in the recent past” (Emery, Finnerty, & Stowe, Chapter 2, 2007). Basically, this principle says that you should look at others in your industry for direction on how you should proceed. In Guillermo’s case, he has researched his competition to see how they have managed to thrive in this new market situation. After finding out that many other companies are consolidating, he decided that was not the option for him; he does not want to lose his independence. Still, by looking at the competition, he was able to identify one solution to his profit loss: consolidation.
The Principle of Diversification A second financial principle is the principle of diversification. The idea here is that investors do not want to invest everything in one firm or idea; by spreading their money around into different ventures, they can lower their risk (Emery, Finnerty, & Stowe, Chapter 2, 2007). The same idea can be true for a company as well. If a company can diversify their products, they can lower the risk associated with being in one single market. Guillermo understands this principle and has given it some thought. Guillermo currently deals with high-end custom work. He has a competitor who operates in a different market; this competitor does not want to expand into different markets, but he will use distributors in Mexico. Guillermo is considering the possibility of keeping his high end work and also being a distributor for this competitor. If he chooses this alternative, he will diversify his own investments and lower the risk of staying with manufacturing alone.
The Principle of Comparative Advantage A final financial principle is that of comparative advantage. The idea behind this principle is that a company will do what it does best and outsource things it does not do best to companies that can do them better (Emery, Finnerty, & Stowe, Chapter 2, 2007). In Guillermo’s situation, he has patented a process for coating his furniture that involves two coatings, a flame-retardant and a stain resistant coating. However, only the first coating is actually marketable for Guillermo. He has found another coating product he can use that will add the same amount of value to his finished products. By using this other product, Guillermo will save time and money in producing his furniture. He will also be using the comparative advantage theory by letting someone else make the coating. This other person can make the coating in a better and more efficient manner, allowing Guillermo to focus on what he does best: making the furniture.
Conclusion
While Guillermo’s Furniture Store has had financial problems recently, Guillermo has been able to come up with at least three viable options for his future. Guillermo can imitate others in the industry, diversity his business, or look to the principle of comparative advantage to improve his sales and his position in the market. Although these are not his only options, they are the three most viable alternatives for his current situation.

References
Emery, D.R., Finnerty, J.D., & Stowe, J.D. (2007). Corporate financial management (3rd ed.). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/TOC.aspx?assetdataid=41076c5b-8356-4937-9ff1-cd58c02003a1&assetmetaid=c0b456ce-0b58-47fd-8e6a-55ea7072

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