...quality in final product [2]. Since the evolution of Toyota Production System in 1950s [2], the lean movement has been widely accepted in automobile industry. However, acceptance of lean technology in the process industries (steel sector) have been much slower [3]-[4]. For removing the obstacles like resource complexity, the idea of the point of discretization for the process industry has been explained by Abdulmalek et al. (2006). This notion is based on the fact that in production flow route...
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...Leadership and Organizational Issues ( Case 1 ) Case 1 Client: Industry Association Topic: Organizational Restructuring Situation Our client was: An industry association In a situation where government was going to provide funding to stimulate the particular industry area In need of an organizational strategy and restructuring to qualify for the funding Challenges The challenges facing us were in: Forming an organization representative of the industry to acquire the necessary funding Consolidating all of the groups under a single organization that would be self-sustaining and not in need of government funding after a three year period Addressing the many factions within the group, all equally strong-willed and all possessing a certain amount of paranoia towards other groups Dealing with the presence of differing interests — resulting in difficulties in articulating/identifying what the groups required and desired A requirement that the work be completed within a tight time frame Actions The actions we took to address the challenges were: Conducted strategic and operational planning for the groups to help them develop their organization Assisted the organization in identifying potential opportunities for funding in order to eventually become self-sustaining Assisted in the consolidation of groups by bringing forth the underlying vision of the organization, while understanding each group's issues Provided an objective approach as an unbiased third...
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...B2B Wavin Case Analysis Introduction Business-to-Business (B2B) marketing is fundamental in how successful a business is by concerning itself with the marketing of goods and services to customers. The nature of the customer, which is another organisation, is the key distinguishing feature between B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C). What should B2B marketing strive to achieve? In its most simple state B2B marketing should do, at the very least, two things. It should reduce the costs of doing business and enhance the relationship between trading companies by being more reliable, more accurate and more adaptable through the exchange of information. In trying to achieve these minimum requirements, if not more, B2B marketers face a variety of problems, these being the ability of identifying the customer, understanding the customer’s needs and creating value for the customer. In order to eliminate these problems four important concepts of B2B marketing can help the marketer. These are identifying customer value, segmentation, establishing and maintaining relationships within a network and the dimension of business ethics. The importance of these concepts can be divided into two main aspects. Firstly, we have the fundamentals of B2B marketing which are customer value and relationships, without these closely intertwined aspects there is no business as a company lacks, in simple terms, associations with customers and suppliers. Secondly, the strategy of an...
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...retain or replace an existing machine (c) Whether to process further or not (d) Whether to shut down or continue operations (e) Whether to accept orders below cost or not (f) Whether to expand or not (g) How much reduction in the selling price should be made in case of depression? 4. Helps in fixing Selling Prices: It helps the management in fixing selling prices of products or services by providing detailed cost information. 5. Helps in Inventory Control: It helps in inventory by using various techniques such as ABC analysis, Economic Order Quantity, Stock levels, Perpetual Inventory system and Continuous Stock Taking, Inventory Turnover Ratio etc. 6. Helps in Cost reduction: It helps in the introduction of cost reduction programme and finding out new and improved method to reduce costs. 7. Helps in measurements of Efficiency: It helps in measurements of efficiency of operations through establishment of standards and variance analysis. 8. Helps in preparation of Budgets: It helps in the preparation of various budgets such as Sales Budget, Production Budget, Purchase Budget, Man-Power Budget, Overheads budget. 9. Helps in identifying Unprofitable Activities: It helps in identifying unprofitable activities so that the necessary...
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...Arthur A. Thompson, Jr. University of Alabama 1. J. mmmm m University of Alabama University of South Alabama Crafting and Executing Strategy The Quest for Competitive Advantage Concepts and Cases 17TH EDITION McGraw-Hill Irwin Boston Burr Ridge, IL Dubuque, IA New York San Francisco St. Louis Bangkok Bogota Caracas Kuala Lumpur Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan Montreal New Delhi Santiago Seoul Singapore Sydney Taipei Toronto Irfbfl ®(f Part O n e Concepts and Techniques for Crafting and Executing Strategy 3 Section A: Introduction and Overview 1. What Is Strategy and Why Is It Important? 4 What Do We Mean by Strategy? 6 Strategy and the Quest for Competitive Advantage 7 Identifying a Company s Strategy 10 Why a Company's Strategy Evolves over Time 11 A Company s Strategy Is Partly Proactive and Partly Reactive 11 Strategy and Ethics: Passing the Test of Moral Scrutiny What Makes a Strategy a Winner? 15 13 14 The Relationship between a Company's Strategy and Its Business Model Why Are Crafting and Executing Strategy Important? 17 17 Good Strategy + Good Strategy Execution = Good Management Illustration Capsules 1.1. Starbucks' Strategy in the Specialty Coffee Industry 8 1.2. Microsoft and Red Hat: Two Contrasting Business Models 16 2. Leading the Process of Crafting and Executing Strategy 22 What Does the Strategy-Making, Strategy-Executing Process Entail? Phase 1: Developing a Strategic Vision 24 28 How a Strategic...
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...Authority Mary Jane McQuillen ClearBridge Investments Jennifer Coulson British Columbia Investment Management Corporation Christie Stephenson NEI Investments Lisa Domagala Solaris Investment Management Ralf Frank DVFA (Society of Investment Professionals in Germany) Dr. Hendrik Garz Sustainalytics (previously employed by West LB) Bryan Thomson British Columbia Investment Management Corporation Mike Tyrrell SRI-Connect Stéphane Voisin Cheuvreux Niamh Whooley Société Générale Robert Hauser Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) Between March and May 2012 the ESG Integration Working Group interviewed 17 brokers, research providers and investment managers to draw out best practice examples of integrated equity analysis. These case studies form the basis of this review (see Appendix 1 for a list of those interviewed and the research reviewed). Thanks to the PRI ESG Working Group who have written this document in...
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...Authority Mary Jane McQuillen ClearBridge Investments Jennifer Coulson British Columbia Investment Management Corporation Christie Stephenson NEI Investments Lisa Domagala Solaris Investment Management Ralf Frank DVFA (Society of Investment Professionals in Germany) Dr. Hendrik Garz Sustainalytics (previously employed by West LB) Bryan Thomson British Columbia Investment Management Corporation Mike Tyrrell SRI-Connect Stéphane Voisin Cheuvreux Niamh Whooley Société Générale Robert Hauser Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) Between March and May 2012 the ESG Integration Working Group interviewed 17 brokers, research providers and investment managers to draw out best practice examples of integrated equity analysis. These case studies form the basis of this review (see Appendix 1 for a list of those interviewed and the research reviewed). Thanks to the PRI ESG Working Group who have written this document in...
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...Falsification of Experience and Qualifications Poindexter A. Hocutt Everglades University There are a lot of reasons why the opinion’s from the public about the construction industry is not always positive. It takes years to build a great reputation within this industry; however, it can be destroyed in the fraction of that time. The construction industry has some of the most issues when it comes to ethics. A lot of things play a role in this from bid cutting, poor documentation and even unfair treatment of contractors. All of these issues are big issues and there are many more that could be brought up, however, there is one that stood out to me the most, due to it being the most occurring act, which, happens to be competitors’ falsification of experience and qualifications. This false and misleading thing should not be going on. No one should be able to perform engineering work without being a registered professional. There are so many concerns that are present when doing projects with falsified credentials, such as safety and quality of the engineering projects. It may seem that this type of thing is impossible and one may wonder how is this even possible, but there are a lot of things like this going around. Individuals in this industry are making fake degrees and also stealing them from other experience individuals in this profession. Some get off with just fines and being force from there job, however, I think that there should be no easy way out when this is done. You...
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...Learning and Development Identified Training needs: Some of the training needs we identified based on the case study were as follows: 1. Gender Sensitivity Training 2. Job skill training 3. Safety Training. Some of the methods that might be used to identify training needs are: 1. Surveys 2. Interviews- gender sensitivity training 3. Skill Matrix Gender sensitivity: Identifying the needs: We have used the interview format to identify this. Since the interview will be dealing with a very emotional and sensitive information, the interviewer must be chosen carefully and have good listening skills. All information must be kept confidential, and the interviewee will be assured of this. The interview will be semi-structured. Some questions are: 1. Do you think men and women with equal efficiency can do all kinds of work? 2. Are women paid less as compared to their male counterparts? 3. Do you feel your work is not taken seriously and/or your say is not considered in decisions by male colleagues? (ask a female employee) 4. Have you ever been sexually harassed at the workplace? 5. Do you think women cannot be good bosses? (ask a male employee) 6. Are women given flexibility in work hours? Training method : Class-room teaching What will be covered: * Getting to know each other-Expectations & Anxieties-To analyze perceptions and Understanding, * Causes of Misunderstandings * Understand the perception men and women have about...
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...operational. PAPER WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED VIA EMAIL. Make sure that you understand and follow the instructions in “A Guide to Case Analysis” posted in the “Course Documents” link. Please remember that analyzing a case does not mean to write up a history of the firm - please refer to the “Guide to Case Analysis” p. 2, under “Identification.” The Coach case provides an excellent example of a best-cost strategy discussed in Chapter 5. It contains ample information to conduct an industry analysis: dominant economic characteristics, driving forces, Porter’s Five Competitive Forces (chapter 3), SWOT analysis, VRIN framework (chapter 4), five generic competitive strategies (Chapter 5), etc. Start with an analysis of the industry (reading the case you will recognize the other companies in the industry) – identifying the dominant characteristics, doing a five forces analysis, assessing the impact of driving forces, and identifying the key success factors. Then you can proceed to look at the company’s strategy, do a SWOT analysis, and conclude with recommendations. The following questions MUST be addressed in the case analysis: 1. What are the defining characteristics of the luxury goods industry? What is the industry like? 2. What is competition like in the luxury goods industry? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness? What are the competitive weapons that rivals are using to try to outmaneuver one another in the market place...
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...Monica is a 34 year old African American female who currently has an open DCF case for stable housing and income. Monica’s case a direct file case which means the children is allowed to remain in her custody and care with supervision by the department for 6 months. The case came to the abuse hotline due to reports of the mother and her children sleeping in the car. The mother is currently residing in a shelter and is working with a social worker on identify appropriate and affording housing for her and her children. The social worker is also working with Monica on identifying employment. Monica’s two task from the department are stable housing and income. This is the first session with the social worker. Monica has already completed her intake with the agency 2 weeks prior to session. What skills did you implement that worked well? What is your basis for this determination? Assisting the client...
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...H&M Case Study Case study on H&M Introduction In recent years, H&M has marked the retail clothing industry by the phenomenal pace at which it has expanded the number of its stores across a diverse range of countries and markets spanning Europe, the United States and recently Asia. H&M distinguishes itself from its competitors notably by offering clothes that are trendy, fashionable yet accessible in terms of price. So how does H&M manage to combine these seemingly divergent characteristics, especially in such a fast-moving and fiercely competitive industry as the retail clothing business? In the following report, I attempt to cast some light on some of the approaches that account for the success and reputation of the company and that have enabled it to remain competitive over the years and across markets in which it operates. I also seek to raise some of the drawbacks related to those approaches in terms of risk for the business. Practice of Market Orientation The practice of market driven marketing rests upon the core idea of generating and offering value to a particular target market better than competitors, which in turn will enable the company to grow and be successful.[1] Generally a market oriented strategy involves focusing on the buyer’s needs and determining the best means by which the consumer will be satisfied. As we will see in the next section, a market oriented strategy begins with identifying a particular target group within a segment and then focusing...
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...1. What are some strategic metrics that movie exhibitors care about that are reported in the case? How does your exhibitor compare to the other exhibitors? The industry average? Number of theaters by complex size, market leaders, tickets sold and box office gross, average movie ticket price Changes in interest rates and the availability and cost of capital, the effect of the leverage on its financial condition, prices and availability of operating supplies, cost control procedures on operating results. 2. What metrics does your movie exhibitor report on their web site? Are they similar or different from what is reported in the case? Concessions, Advertising, Box-office revenues. Small to mid-size markets, Acquisitions, which is focusing on taking advantage of opportunistic small market acquisitions. Screen advertising, box office admissions, concessions and other revenues. 3. Using your company’s spreadsheets, or the summary spreadsheet, prepare your evaluation of: a. Short-term solvency, or Liquidity – Are they solvent in the short term? Ratios increased from 09 to 12, which means they already meet its shot-term financial obligations. b. Long-term solvency, or financial leverage. Ratios decrease from 09 to 12, not meet the long-term financial obligations. c. Asset utilization, or turnover. Efficiently manage its assets d. Profitability. Have profits e. Summarize your evaluation of the common-size income statement and...
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...HBR Article: Diamonds in the Data Mine March 31, 2010 By Gary Loveman This is a pretty nice and short yet highly effective article that outlines the importance of providing an exceptional customer service in today’s service industry, especially in the gaming industry as it is the case of Harrah’s Entertainment casino. Actually, from its inception, Harrah’s former CEO Phil Satre had instituted this policy of “changing Harrah’s from an operations-driven company that viewed each casino as a stand-alone business into a marketing-driven company that built customer loyalty to all Harrah’s properties”. In doing so, Satre asked Gary Loveman to head a strategy to affect this change in all Harrah’s organizations, and so Loveman did follow through on this task. He effectively focused on delivering customer service and on understanding and marketing effectively to the customer. This is the secret to Harrah’s success, which allows him and Harrah’s to maintain loyalty from its customers based on the database they had collected over the years, as they were able to identify their customers’ needs and wants as well as to have good reward and incentive programs in place to recognize their clientele according to the time and money they spend gambling over their facilities. Yet, for their workforce, Harrah’s instituted a bonus system tied to job satisfaction. “Rewards hinge on everyone’s performance at a casino- and on customer satisfaction, not a property’s financial performance”. Also...
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...Review the case and identify the relevant facts Problem situations or cases often include extraneous information or irrelevant ‘stuff’. Therefore, when you are trying to find a solution to a situation or to answer a case question, the first step is to identify the key facts so that you can figure out what is going on before deciding how to answer or solve the problem. In advanced courses, this usually involves extensive research but in an introductory or foundation level course, you will typically only use the information in the case. However, to do well in any case study assignment, it is important to read the case carefully and also to make sure you fully understand what the assignment and/or case questions are asking for. As you review the case, this will help you to identify what you need to pay attention to and what to ignore. That’s what relevance means – eliminating ‘stuff’ and identifying the important facts in a situation. Let us assume that you have just read a case entitled XYZ company and are trying to answer the following question: What are the current challenges facing XYZ company? You must identify and list the key facts which, for the purposes of our example, are those listed below: * The government has recently deregulated the industry to stimulate competition. * Telecommunications advances have led to increasing internet use. * More and more users are comparison shopping on the internet * Price competition in the industry is increasing...
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