...External Environment Analysis Kristy Sanchez MGT/488 September-Sunday 11, 2011 Jeannette Guignard External Environment Analysis Introduction This essay is written in regards to the Home Depot and the evaluation of their external environment. The Home Depot is a highly successful retail industry that has expanded globally. The Home Depot has a wide variety of supplies and materials for all home improvement projects. They even have tools, equipment, and trucks that can be rented out to assist with any larger home improvement needs. The Home Depot has made a continuity plan to assist with protection of the customers, associates, and the industry if a crisis or disaster occurs. A continuity plan is basically the instructional list or procedures for the company in the event that a crisis or natural disaster occurs and how they will handle that event. This essay will look at how the external environment affects that plan. This essay will also look at the affects of the environment in three other areas as well, including general, industry, and competitor. Finally, it will look into the business ethics and see how they play a role when gathering information for competitor intelligence. The Home Depot has a continuity plan that they follow that can be found in their code of conduct and ethics manual. That continuity plan is as follows: “We are committed to taking all reasonable steps to minimize risks to our associates, customers, facilities, information assets and supply chains...
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...HISTORY: IKEA is a globally famous home furnishing retailer. IKEA was founded by a 17 years old boy Ingvar Kamprad in 1943. It has grown rapidly and today it is the world's largest furniture retailer, known for its cost control, operational details and continuous product development, allowing it to lower its prices while continuing its global expansion. Since then, the IKEA Group has grown into an international retail brand with 131,000 co-workers in 41 countries generating annual sales of more than 24.7 billion EURO. IKEA carries a range of approximately 9,500 products, majority of which is flat-pack resulting in reduction in costs and packaging. This wide range is available in all IKEA stores and customers can order much of the range online through IKEA’s website. IKEA stores include restaurants and cafés serving typical Swedish food. They also have small food shops selling Swedish groceries. The biggest sales countries are Germany, USA, France, UK and Sweden. Competitive prices are one of the foundations of the IKEA concept and help to make customers want to buy from IKEA. This low price strategy is united with a wide range of well designed, useful products. IKEA’s products provide for every lifestyle and life stage of its customers, who come from all age groups and types of households. This is vital in times when the retail sector is depressed, as it increases IKEA’s potential market. I have selected The Home Depot for comparison with IKEA which are one of the largest...
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...policies tilt on education, strategic management at the university became increasingly important. Some schools use strategic management in facing the challenges and catch the opportunities brought by environmental changes to earn improvements and thus to achieve a historic leap forward. Competition exists in every field not only in similar businesses, but also in other industries that offering competing products or services (Stacey 2007). The only way to surge ahead of competitors is to have new approaches in the competition. Strategic management principles of the institution must be innovative and creative. It is important because all the organizations are trying to employ traditional methods and this can mean a closer competition level. This essay will discuss the main strategies in existing and new markets of the University of East Anglia under the current situation of UEA in the whole UK educational industry. New market space New market space is the creation or reinvention of existing products in such a way that it must appeal to the existing customers as well as a whole new group of customers. The products offered must be unique in every aspect and it should make the organization a clear leader in that particular market segment. According to Hitt et al., (2008) “Imagine a market universe composed of two sorts of oceans: red oceans and blue oceans. Red ocean represents all industries in existence today. This is the known market space. Blue oceans denote all the industries not...
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...their strategy for keeping employees optimistic and engaged. Planning to survive the recession could have fatal implications if management is too short-sighted. Cutting costs alone will not see the company through the recession without seeing the investment opportunities that exist during these times; the most important of which is the investment in people. Managers at Bain & Company, Home Depot, and Best Buy have taken a variety of steps in the past to build and maintain talent during the recession; utilizing Schwartz’s value theory to keep employees engaged and motivated. According to Schwartz, values “represent broad goals that apply across contexts and time." He proposed that there are ten primary values that guide human behavior: Power, achievement, hedonism, simulation, self-direction, universalism, benevolence, tradition, conformity, and security. Shalom Schwartz, PhD (2012) explains that “values are critical motivators of behaviors and attitudes." Because of this, organizations often create strategy based on one or more these values to influence employee attitudes. Home Depot is aware of the importance of these values; utilizing achievement to boost morale during the recession. Chief Executive Frank Blake lowered hourly...
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...Case study: Companies are trying to improve Employee attitudes during the recession. This is a case study which revolves around the steps taken by managers and corporations in improving the attitudes of employees towards recession. Real life examples are given in the form of consumer services giants like Bain & Co, Home Depot and Best buy. Now let us look at the facts and the answers to the questions asked. Facts Presented in the case: 1. Bain & co.’s CEO Steve Ellis hired people even during the recession. He added consultants in the hot-growth areas such as emerging markets and targeted experienced consultants who were left stranded during the hard financial times. 2. Home Depots chairman and chief executive Frank Blake set realistic goals to boost employee morale in spite of handing pink slips to some of the employees. This resulted in many employees getting high bonuses thus resulting in high employee morale. 3. Companies which took advantage of employees in the downturn were rewarded with many employees leaving the company. 4. Best buy found ways to boost employee morale by getting them involved in the organization. 5. JetBlue has cut back across the board and over the past year –delaying aircraft orders, trimming head count through voluntary unpaid leaves and even shedding the free pillows from its aircraft in order to cut costs. Identifying the Key issues: The key issues that can be observed from the above case are as follows. 1. Corporations...
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...entire Company and plans for future ventures and objectives involving people in the Company. (Handy, 1999) Research has shown that the human aspect of resources within an organisation contributes approximately eighty percent of the organisation’s value. This implies that if people are not managed properly, the organisation faces a serious chance of falling apart. The Human Resource Department’s main objective is to bring out the best in their employees and thus contribute to the success of the Company. These roles come with certain positive and negative aspects. However, the negative aspects can be minimised by improvements to their roles and functions. These issues shall be examined in detail in the subsequent sections of the essay with reference to case examples of businesses in current operation. Positive aspects of Roles and Functions of the Human Resource Department Recruitment of Employees This is one of the most fundamental roles of the HR department. This is because this function ensures that the Company under consideration selects the most skillful and competent person from a sea of applicants at that time. This function involves evaluation of ability and competency of potential employees in relation to what the Company needs. This role falls under the Staffing role of management. If this...
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...Assessment Task 2: Case Study Analysis. Scott Maxwell Miller Student ID: 12219053 Central Queensland University NURS20157: Mental Health Nursing Assessment and Formulation. Word Count: 2735. Submitted: 29/02/2024 Note: I have written this essay prior to changes made to the case study and task description. I have done my best to adjust and edit my essay to suit the new criteria. Section 1: Case Study in Brief. Juho is a 45 year old male living with paranoid schizophrenia. He was born in Finland but moved to Australia as a child, and speaks both English and Finnish. He was stable on a fortnightly Risperdal Consta depot injection but continues to experience distressing auditory hallucinations. Juho currently struggles with self-care,...
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...ethical, performance management process is critical to the long-term success of any organization. Indeed, it is perhaps the most vital function of thriving business leaders. Furthermore, the ability of a manager to develop and retain his/her talent is a direct reflection of his/her leadership skills. This paper will discuss the appraisal process utilized by the world's largest home-improvement retailer, The Home Depot concluding with recommendations for improvement. Commencing in 2004, the organization adopted a forced ranking performance appraisal system. Careful evaluation of this assessment process suggests that the compulsory classification of an arbitrary number of employees has resulted in several unintended consequences while raising ethical concerns. The following topics relative to the utilization of a forced distribution system have been evaluated. The proposed benefits of forced distribution. The impact of forced ranking on employees and managers. The results of a forced ranking model on employee retention. Application of ethical theory to the forced ranking model. SWOT Analysis. Conclusion. This review of the forced ranking methodology will assess the moral and ethical implications of the model. Additionally, it will evaluate the impact on the organization, as well as the individuals employed by the firm. The Proposed Benefits of Forced Distribution "Performance evaluation systems are one of the most pervasive and important human resources...
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...CASE: Barilla SpA (A) I.Overview of the Case Barilla SpA (Barilla) is a renounced Italian manufacturer that sells several brands of pasta to retailers mainly through third-party distributors. The company was founded in 1875 by Pietro Barilla in Parma, Italy, on Via Vittorio Emanuele. The company passed through the hands of generations from Pietro to his son Ricardo, then to his sons, Pietro and Gianni. The sons “drove the Barillas deeply into debt”; in 1971 the company was sold to a U.S. firm, W.R. Grace, Inc. (Book, 144). Not able to see a profit with their investment, Grace sold the company back to Pietro Barilla. During the 1980s, Barilla relished in an “annual growth rate of 21 percent” with 35 percent being sold in Italy and 22 percent sold Europe. Barilla progressed into a highly vertically integrated company operating flour mills, pasta plants and fresh bread plants as well as distribution warehouses. With growth, there are falls… Barilla was experiencing problems in the manufacturing and distribution systems caused by fluctuations in demand. Giorgio Maggiali, Director of Logistics became extremely frustration with the situation. Mr. Maggiali tried to implement the just-in-time distribution (JITD), which was proposed earlier by his predecessor, Brando Vitali. It was an up-hill battle because “Barilla’s customers were simply unwilling to give up their authority to place orders as they pleased” and did not share their sales data which would have assisted...
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...CONTENT Introduction – IKEA’s background……………3 IKEA’s Supply Chain Analysis……………….3-4 IKEA’s Logistics Activities……………………4-6 IKEA’s Internal Environment…………………6-7 IKEA’s External Environment…………………8 Problems and Solutions……………………….8-10 Conclusion…………………………………….11 References…………………………………….12 Introduction Since first founded in 1940s, with its mission statements to “create a better everyday life for the many people”, IKEA’s business idea has achieved great success. In this report, we would mainly focus on IKEA’s logistics function, We begin by analyzing IKEA’s supply chain, adopted strategy, the internal and external environment. Second, we investigate into IKEA’s logistics operations. At the last part, we discuss the problems of business and logistics aspect IKEA faces, and give our advices to solve them. IKEA’s Supply Chain Analysis For the IKEA’s supply chain, it includes suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and customers. Firstly, IKEA has thousand amounts of suppliers provide raw materials and components for the manufacturing acticities globally. It also has cooperation with a number of suppliers as joint owners or financiers in Poland, Slovakia, Russia and China such as Konakovo factory (Russia) providing four different items for IKEA’s Moscow store, Priozersk factory (Russia) providing five different chair models, RPOFIm (Poland) providing three different types of office chairs etc. This can ensure the continuous flow of manufacturing services...
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...email. Come to see me about it. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES In this course, we will study how transnational firms manage the risks of trade in goods and services, the protection and licensing of intellectual property, and foreign direct investment. We will examine both private and public law issues from both an international and comparative perspective, focusing on transactional aspects of international business. You will learn about international business law, international business transactions, and the law of international trade and investment, as well as general principles of the law of nations and the work of various intergovernmental organizations such as the WTO and the UN. You will study both foreign laws and case decisions for comparison purposes, to illustrate differences in legal and economic systems, and to offer examples of doing business in other countries. The course will look at the resolution of international disputes, liability of air and sea carriers, sales contracts, the WTO, NAFTA, GATT, the European Union, labor law, environmental law, and intellectual property rights. You will also learn, through doing, how to lead discussion in group settings, how to direct a group, and how to motivate and facilitate group work, all of which is essential for success in the modern business world. COURSE MATERIALS Schaffer, Earle and Agusti, International Business Law and Its Environment, 8th Edition. This book is available in the bookstore...
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...AN ESSAY WRITING ON SOLVING A WORKPLACE PROBLEM SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE CURRICULUM For THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT (HRM 855) At SENECA COLLEGE OF APPLIED ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADA By OLAMIDE ESTHER OLASEHINDE 055-962-138 18TH NOVEMBER, 2013 4,970 Words In this case I will be examining and provide possible solutions to a workplace problem On this day “2nd of April 2012”, walking into my office as the human resources personnel of Statham (a private) Manufacturing Company that deals with consumable-livestock products ranging from fish, meat located at Markham Ontario, an employee by name “Adam Jones” came lodging a complain that he sees to be of disturbing concern to him. Adam Jones, a 45 years old man from a Christian background was hired on the 6th of January 1997 and has been working for the company for 15 years. He started as a low level plant worker but has received lots of appraisals and due to his good performance. The new manager Grey wood who prefers to be called Mr. Wood was appointed into the company on 2nd December 2011 as the senior manager replacing the former manager who left the company to head a newly established branch. Adam as he is generally referred to by other co-workers was promoted to the main production section of the company with the newly appointed senior manager named “Grey Wood” who seems to have shown disgust to Adam right from the first day he came in contact with him at the company and this was...
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...Introduction Strategic Supply Chain Management At Tesco Commerce Essay Tesco plc is a UK multinational with diversified retail operations in 14 countries in Europe, America and Asia. Tesco is the 3rd largest retailer in the world with £ 62.5 billion sales in 2009, having 4811 stores worldwide and 472000 employees. The core business is grocery items and main market is UK with c70 % of total annual sales. Tesco offers more than 70000 food and non food products and services by using different store formats as shown below in the diagram. The diagram shows different type of store formats and product and services offered by each format. The above complex structure makes supply chain operations even more complex to manage. This paper attempts to explore how the complex supply chain is managed at Tesco and looks at different supply chain practices implemented by Tesco. The paper discusses the supply integration practices adopted in the industry and looks at Tesco’s approach towards integrating the supply chain. Finally, the paper suggests some recommendation for improving Tesco supply chain. 2 Tesco Supply Chain Analysis Supply chain has been defined by many authors in different ways; in the context of Tesco’s supply chain the definition given by Stevens is most appropriate: “A system whose constituent parts include material suppliers, production facilities, distribution services and customer linked together via a feed forward of materials and the feedback of information”(Stevens...
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...Introduction Human resource management (HRM), or human resource development, entails planning, implementing, and managing recruitment, as well as selection, training, career, and organizational development initiatives within an organization. The goal of HRM is to maximize the productivity of an organization by optimizing the effectiveness of its employees while simultaneously improving the work life of employees and treating employees as valuable resources. Consequently, HRM encompasses efforts to promote personal development, employee satisfaction, and compliance with employment-related laws. To achieve equilibrium between employer and employee goals and needs, HRM departments focus on these three general functions or activities: planning, implementation, and evaluation. The planning function refers to the development of human resource policies and regulations. Human resource managers attempt to determine future HRM activities and plan for the implementation of HRM procedures to help companies realize their goals. Implementation of HRM plans involves four primary activities: acquisition, development, compensation, and maintenance. Acquisition entails the hiring of workers most likely to help a company attain its goals. The development function encompasses the training of workers to perform their tasks in accordance with company strategy. This activity also involves company efforts to control and change employee behavior via reviews, appraisals, incentives, and discipline...
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