...In 2012, HMV plc spent £25 million on social responsibility projects. In January 2013, HMV entered liquidation. With reference to HMV and/or other organisations that you know, to what extent is acting in a responsible manner important for sustained businesses success. (40 marks) Acting in a responsible manner will always be an important part of a business’s success, as it links into a business’s reputation which is ultimately how the customers and potential customers view the business before decided whether to purchase their goods or services from them. If a business, for example The body shop is renowned for being socially responsible in relation to environmental factors and employee issues, then its reputation will be strong and customers will look highly upon the business, as opposed to a business, such as Nike, who was found out to be using sweat shops and abusing their workers not long ago, to which consumers responded badly. HMV for many years has been a very popular and well established business. So behaving in a responsible matter will have proved to be an evidently important factor in the success of their business, before they entered liquidation. In their 2008 social responsibility report, HMV stated that “HMV Group recognises that its businesses have social and environmental impacts and that we have a responsibility to manage these impacts effectively at a strategic and operational level”. Environmental factors, social responsibility and economic growth are all...
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...HMV Group plc Annual report and accounts 2010 Contents Overview 1 2 4 6 8 Introduction Strategic progress and future focus Market overview Chairman’s statement Business review The basics Inspirational brands HMV and Waterstone’s are renowned for their specialist appeal, offering the widest ranges of entertainment and books in their markets. Our stores and the people who work in them strive to be always passionate and inspirational about the products we sell, and provide great service and value for money to ensure that our customers get closer to the entertainment they love, or feel every word between the covers of a good book. We attract the most enthusiastic customers in our markets, with over 4 million loyalty card holders across both brands. Business and financial review: 18 Financial review Governance 24 Board of Directors 26 Corporate governance 30 Directors’ remuneration report 40 Corporate responsibility 46 Directors’ report 51 Independent auditor’s report to the members of HMV Group plc Financial statements 52 Consolidated income statement 54 Statements of comprehensive income 55 Balance sheets 57 Statements of changes in equity 59 Cash flow statements 60 Notes to the financial statements 103 Group financial record HMV In-store Online & digital Live HMV is evolving rapidly as an entertainment brand. Our market-leading retail businesses operate through 417 stores in the UK, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore and transactional local territory websites...
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...The intensity of rivalry among competitors in the industry 6 Structure of industry 6 Conclusion 7 List of References 9 Bibliography 10 Appendix 1 11 Introduction For this assignment I will be investigating the structure and analysing the environment of the music retailing industry. To analysis the industry I will be using three main techniques. These techniques will be a macro and micro environment analysis, porter’s five forces and a PESTEL analysis. Microenvironment The microenvironment is the environment which has a direct effect on the business or industry, such as customers, staff, rivals and etc. The microenvironment is also not confined to one country either because in today’s market suppliers for example often come from all over the world. The effect of the microenvironment is often what leads a business to be a success or failure. The main players in the music retailing industry are Apple, Amazon and HMV (Datamonitor, 2007). The biggest and most recently change in the music industry has been its distribution channels. The only way music could once be purchased was through buying a CD from a music retailer. Now music can be downloaded via a computer, mobile phone etc. The online distribution of music has been such a strong factor it has forced the industry to reconsider and change its distribution channels (Meisel & Sullivan, 2002). 30% of all music purchases are now done through an online retailer such as apple, amazon etc (IFPI, 2011). ITunes which...
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... one of the four strategies in the Ansoff’s Matrix, is a corporate strategy to enter a new market or industry which the business is not currently in, whilst also creating a new product for that new market. Profitable growth is a term often used by CEOs when describing the firm’s strategic objective. Business growth can be achieved either by boosting the revenue of the business with greater product sales or service income, or by increasing the profitability of the operation by minimising costs. Diversification plays a great role in the growth of many large businesses, however, the extent of the growth is largely dependent on factors such as: the type of industry that the business is in or the risks involved into entering new markets. There are many ways in which to diversify a business, all which may be included in the strategy to achieve profitable growth. The most straightforward of these is to provide a natural extension of the goods or services that you already offer to customers. The best example of business that has undergone diversification is Samsung. Samsung is best known for its smartphones, tablets and televisions, however Samsung’s business activities and operations are spread wider than just those two important markets. The electronics giant also makes military hardware, apartments, ships and operates a Korean amusement park. The business currently had around 350,000 employees and in 2011 reported revenues of $220 billion and economists estimate that Samsung’s...
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...To what extent is an e-commerce strategy the best way for businesses to increase their profits? (40 marks) E-commerce is the online transaction of goods and services, which has completely revolutionized business and the way in which businesses can operate. It’s now easier for customers to compare prices/products with a little time spent browsing the Internet opposed to dragging themselves to the stores. This means that e-commerce is having an impact on what and how much businesses sell, therefore influencing the profits the business gets. In this essay I will consider whether an e-commerce strategy is the best way for a business to increase their profits, or whether e-commerce is not the best strategy to do this. I will be arguing that with the use of e-commerce businesses have more reach to customers and can provide more options to increase their profits. Alternatively I will also talk about how e-commerce may not work for all business plans/strategies, therefore increasing the risk of loss. Introducing an e-commerce strategy allows the business to increase its customer reach, creating a larger customer base, as e-commerce is accessible to anyone who can use the Internet. E-commerce also creates an ease of use/purchase for customers, which means they do not have to go the physical stores, saving money and time. The combination of ease of use/purchase and larger customer reach results in the ability for companies to increase sales, and so this would lead to higher revenues...
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...Аbstrаct The report detаils on the Industry- e-commerce, to which Аmаzon belongs аnd how Аmаzon implemets E-commerce in its model. Аmаzon’s business strаtegies аnd it’s mаrket strаtegies hаve been covered in brief. Аmаzon is one of the biggest plаyers in the field of cloud computing аnd the wаy it’s implemented hаs been covered. Vаrious MIS tools аnd Models which аre employed by Аmаzon in it’s business solution, helps in developing better understаnding of the compаny аnd the subject in generаl. Industry Introduction: E-Commerce Electronic commerce populаrly known аs e-commerce is а new growth direction for the business community. It is the use of digitаl trаnsаctions between businesses аnd individuаls. In other words, e-commerce is the use of the Internet to conduct business trаnsаctions. Given the huge potentiаl thаt this formаt hаs, technology will certаinly improve ecommerce аnd hence provide individuаls with more choices, thereby аdding to the economy. E-Commerce is аlso defined аs the аbility of а compаny to possess а dynаmic presence on the Internet which will thus аllow the compаny to conduct its business electronicаlly; in other words shift to аn electronic shop. Products here аre аdvertised, sold аnd pаid electronicаlly. Due to the expаnsion of the internet, аdvertising аnd is аvаilаble to people аcross the world for аlmost negligible. Аn аdditionаl аdvаntаge is thаt, the technology offers immediаte up grаdаtion аnd solution to issues. The biggest chаllenge for...
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...Club IT part 2 Mark Reis Xbis/219 August 18, 2013 Katherine Escobar Club IT part 2 Ruben Keys and Lisa Tejada along with many other business owners understand that information system technologies will let their originations to compete and flourish in the market place. Lisa, Rubin, and a systems consultant have analyzed the current information system status and during this analysis they have identified three areas that need improvement. This prompted Lisa and Ruben made the decision to upgrade their information management systems. The first problem their information system identified was neither Lisa nor Ruben were not up-to-speed with e-commerce. The second problem is that their computers are old and out-dated along with that their Internet connection was the old hard-wired system that plugged directly into the computer. The third problem, they need a better way to keep track of customer orders along with keeping track of inventory. A “Water Fall” method was Lisa and Rubens choice of method to use in their systems analysis (Wiley Higher Education, 2006). Current Information System Lisa and Rubin use their information system to help run their business and in their decision-making process’ (Wiley Higher Education, 2006). Their intranet and using the Internet helps them search for and retrieve needed information quickly. The web site has a login for employees, and they can access their personal information like, how many hours they...
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...SG C1 True/False Indicate whether the statement is true or false. __T_ 1. IBM defines electronic business as "the transformation of key business processes through the use of Internet technologies." ___T_ 2. A transaction is an exchange of value. ___F_ 3. A transaction always has one or more activities associated with it, and an activity will always be related to a transaction. __T__ 4. Transferring funds, placing orders, sending invoices, and shipping goods to customers are all types of activities or transactions. __F__ 5. Business-to-consumer electronic commerce occurs when a person sells an item through a Web auction site to another person. __T__ 6. The U.S. government is one of the largest EDI trading partners in the world. __T__ 7. Firms such as Walmart and General Electric have been pioneers in using EDI to improve their purchasing processes and their relationships with suppliers. __T__ 8. A value added network (VAN) is an independent firm that offers connection and transaction-forwarding services to buyers and sellers engaged in EDI. __T__ 9. The increase in broadband connections in homes is a key element in the B2C component of the second wave. __T__ 10. In some cases, business processes use traditional commerce activities very effectively, and technology cannot improve upon them. __F__ 11. The skills of merchandising and personal selling can be easy to practice remotely. __F__ 12. A small-denomination item...
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...The Growth of Alibaba pg.8-pg.10 * Alibaba Business Model pg.11 * Five Forces Analysis pg.12-pg.13 * Present the Corporation Now pg.13 * Business Environment pg.14-pg.15 * The Financial Analysis pg.17-pg.18 * SWOT Analysis pg.19 * Recommendation for Alibaba pg.20 * Conclusion pg.20 * References pg.21 Definition * E-commerce Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce, is a type of industry where the buying and selling of products or services is conducted over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. Electronic commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at one point in the transaction’s life-cycle, although it may encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail, mobile devices, social media, and telephones as well. Electronic commerce is generally considered to be the sales aspect of e-business. It also consists of the exchange of data to facilitate the financing and payment aspects of business transactions. This is an effective and efficient way of communicating...
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...Li & Fung : Strategic Role of E-Commerce 2006/9/13 ECT 7010 Fundamental of ECommerce Technologies 1 Defensive posture of Li & Fung to the Internet at the beginning “Would the Internet disintermediate us? Would we get Amazoned by someone who will put together all of the information about buyers and factories online?” Answer: The Internet facilitates supply chain management and Li & Fung were not going to be disintermediated Key: have the old economy know-how and yet be open to new economy ideas 2 2006/9/13 ECT 7010 Fundamental of E-Commerce Technologies Internet Issues August 2000, beta launch of the new Businessto-business(B2B) e-commerce portal Important issues: Was there any chance of channel conflict or cannibalization between the offline business and the start-up? How would the market reach to the start-up once it was launched the following year? How specifically would e-commerce ultimately transform his family’s century-old company? 2006/9/13 ECT 7010 Fundamental of E-Commerce Technologies 3 Company Background 2000 – Li & Fung a $2 billion global export trading company 3,600 staff worldwide Sourcing and managing the global supply chain for high-volume, time-sensitive consumer goods Product mix – hard and soft goods Soft goods – apparel, including woven and knit garments Hard goods – fashion accessories, festive or holiday products, furnishings, giftware, handicrafts, home products, furnishing, home products, fireworks, sporting goods, toys...
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...Associate Level Material Appendix D Club IT, Part 2 To learn more about Club IT’s operations, you stayed until the 2:00 a.m. closing this morning to see how everything was tallied and accounted at the end of a business day. Although it was a late night and you had to wake up early this morning to report back to work, you now have a better understanding of the daily business cycle at Club IT. You are energized when Lisa asks you for suggestions on how to use club and public resources to keep Club IT’s edge as the high-energy, high-impact club it strives to be. The Internet research you have been doing for Lisa and Ruben has been eye-opening, but it is also exasperatingly slow on their dialup connection in their cramped back office. You have a lot of ideas for useful network applications at Club IT. There are many opportunities for discovery and collaboration among employees, members and business partners. You decide to take the initiative and research network applications for the benefit of Club IT. You have interviewed Ruben and the rest of the staff at Club IT and have compiled the following notes: • Club IT’s customers are mostly Net Generation and Millennials. They regularly use mobile technologies such as Blackberries, PDAs, camera phones, and other wireless communication devices. Online shopping is a regular part of their lives. • Not many nightclubs have taken advantage of various e-commerce activities, and Ruben sees this as an opportunity to gain...
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...3. Comprehensive Discussion on Consumerism Issues Panasonic adopted Firefox OS on their TV Panasonic faced huge competition in distributing and promoting the smart TV with operating system among the competitors such as Sony with Android TV, LG with webOS and Samsung with Tizen. In order to stay stable among the competitors, Panasonic made a great effort in their Smart TV platforms. Hence, Panasonic united together with Mozilla and subsequently came out with Panasonic Smart TV powered by Firefox OS. (Hands on: Panasonic Firefox OS Smart TV, 2015). By launching Firefox OS in smart TV, it will definitely bring more choices to customers, hardware manufacturers, developers and community. Panasonic has used the Firefox OS since year 2014. This development of the Firefox OS enhances the accessibility of the smart TV by supporting the HTML5 and web technologies on desktop computer and smart phones or tablets. (Harris, 2014). Simultaneously, this platform also facilitates the consumers in the optimal access to web browsers as well as broadcasts the content and services through the Internet. With the introduction of new Mozilla-pioeered WebAPIs for hardware operation, next generation smart TVs are capable of monitoring and controlling the devices of the home appliances. (Harris, 2014). Other than that, the manufacturers can create innovative applications across the connected devices by leveraging the flexibility of the web. (First Panasonic Smart TVs powered by Firefox OS Debut Worldwide...
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...types of EC activities Business-to-Business (B2B) An interaction between the business people and other organizations is known as Business-to-Business (B2B). For example www.walmart.com and www.Sams club.com Business-to-consumer (B2C) Business selling to individual shoppers is known as Business-to-consumer (B2C). For example www.Barnes&Nobles.com. E-tailing Online shopping having access to products of interest for the consumers, by visiting their website directly is called E-tailing. For example Amazon, e-Bay. Business-to-Business-to-consumer (B2B2C) Business providing some product or service to a client business that maintains its own customers is known as (B2B2C). Consumer-to-Business (C2B) A consumer uses internet to sell products or services to organizations or individuals seeking sellers, to bid on products or services they need. For example e-Bay. Business-to-employees (B2E) Organization delivers services, information, or products to its individual employees. For example www.asics.com Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) Consumer sells the product directly to other consumer. For example www.craigslist.com List of advantages and disadvantages of Electronic Commerce Advantages - 24/7 services for buying or selling products - Readily available to customers - Easy to manage a business - Faster and user friendly buying/selling procedure - Low operational costs and better quality of services - No need of physical company set-ups for business Disadvantages - No...
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...Product Design and Development Strategy On 5 September 2012, BBC reports that Lumia 920, which is the flagship device in Europe, features wireless charging as well as its revolutionary camera pure view, which allows you to take pictures at night. Nokia argues that it can capture 10 times the amount of light, compared to the rest of the Smartphones in the market (“Nokia unveils two” 2012). This feature creates competitive advantage for the company as well as technological leadership. The 820 model featured also wireless charging however less impressive technology and a slightly smaller display (Stevenson, 2012) Customers have encountered problems with the phone software. Such as, Lumia 900, which is the flagship device for US, has been introduced with software bug, which prevents users from connecting to the Internet (“Bug hits new”, 2012). This has surely caused negative word of mouth for the devices, as well as disappointment for the owners of the Windows phone, it has surely affected European customer base as well. Apps that run on Windows phone are much less than those that Android and IOS offer for their customers. This is a huge problem for Nokia, as apps are really important for the Smartphone user. Nokia’s devices are offered in different colours such as green, red and yellow so the customers can customize the phone by their preferences. The devices are differentiated in the product part of the marketing mix. However it does not become clear whether the products...
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...brand in a business-to-business context different from doing so in the consumer market is very important in both sectors. Creating and emergent a strong product is a very serious step towards introduction or situations a corporation apart from its challengers. This pace depends on many inconsistent within the company settings within which the corporation subsist and be in the right place. An case in point an group has to comprehend its process, its promotion and most prominently who its patrons and opponents are within the industry. A trademark is basically a name, drawing or score that notifies and advises its clients the distinctiveness of a goods and also facilitates patrons to decrease most jeopardy concerned in the exchange conclusion. To grow a business-to-business (B2B) product, a business must be ready and capable to apportion and conduit some of its possessions and liveliness on enlightening its customers. This engages, the opening to the good(s) in subject and the organization’s character such as its competence and the customary and eminence of its good(s). Responsiveness and edification and operations are the furthermost paraphernalia’s in a B2B to facilitate the sale of the standing of a company and its trade name and good(s), which Cisco effectively accomplished. In a B2B the embattled assemblage is more often than not a firm, institute or corporation. During its B2B, Cisco listening carefully to its thought on manufacturers of IT conclusion within business and company...
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