...Kingsford Charcoal case Kingsford Background and Problem Overview Kingsford, an all-American brand, is the prominent manufacturer of charcoal in the United States. The overall charcoal industry has enjoyed a consistent growth for almost 20 years. However, since the summer of 2000, the overall growth in the charcoal category has suffered from a clear decline; the charcoal category growth has declined from 4 % from 1998 to 1999 to 2 % from 1999 to 2000. Several factors have contributed to that, they are summarized below: * Gas grilling, which represents a new competitor to the overall charcoal category, came into play with a massive media expenditure communicating the value of cleanness, convenience, short cooking time, and high control over cooking temperature. * Kingsford failed to fully exploit the opportunity to distinguish itself from gas grilling. It has significantly cut down the advertising budget since 1988 while relying heavily on sales efforts. * Unlike Kingsford, which kept its price almost constant over the years, other competitors in the charcoal industry such as Royal Oak and private label brands have increased their prices and cut back on promotion funding at retailers which results in a decline in the overall category growth due to the shift of new customers getting into grilling who negatively responded to the charcoal price increase. * Unlike previously mentioned factors that can be controlled, weather patterns during the year 2000 showed a significant...
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...Discussion questions for case Kingsford Charcoal 1. Describe the main challenges faced by brand managers Marcilie Smith Boyle and Allison Warren. Of what relevant trends should they be aware? Main challenges specifically relevant to brand managers at Kingsford Charcoal: * A slow down in the growth in the charcoal category from 4% growth to just 2%, which is only predicted to decline further. *Possibly a symptom of weather conditions or changing consumer trends which lend themselves toward gas grilling* * A rise in the use of gas grilling (shown through number of shipments), as opposed to charcoal grilling also may have been a symptom of the underlying problem, that of the competitor’s price increases * The decision of some of KC’s channel partners to raise prices in line with other brands (especially considering the minimal price increases in the past) * The sales of charcoal are somewhat dependant on weather, an uncontrollable variant * Brand managers may have to recoup losses incurred in NOT significantly advertising over the last two years since 1998. * An important challenge is to engage retailers and distributors with the brand, and ensure they are willing to offer promotions, stock an adequate supply, and utilise product placement to its best ability. * Brand managers need to ensure profitability is healthy, as well as reinvigorating the existing brand equity Trends and associations that the brand managers should be aware of: * Charcoal...
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...Kingsford Charcoal Unit 4 12/1/2010 1. Given your analysis of the Kingsford case, what are (or reasonably could be) the key drivers impacting the observed trend towards declining growth rates in recent years? How would you prioritize these issues? Make sure that you include your rationale in your answer? There are many reasons that are leading to a decline in growth rate of the entire charcoal category in the years leading up to 2000 and 2001. The biggest reason and the toughest for Kingsford to combat is the gas grill. The perception of gas grilling as easier, faster, and almost the same taste as charcoal grilling has hampered the charcoal category. With the emphasis on “green” living and environmental consciousness, charcoal and charcoal production and its negative effect on the environment, is another reason people are turning to gas grilling. Gas grill shipments grew 8 percent in 2000, while charcoal grill shipments dropped 3 percent over the same time period. Gas grill shipments have increased each year from 1997 through 2000. Charcoal grills only increased one of those years. It is very unlikely Kingsford can reverse this trend. They must strive to slow gas grill usage and remind the grilling public about the advantages of charcoal grilling; better taste, it is a true grilling experience, and the fact that certain charcoal products like Matchlight, are almost as quick as gas grilling. Kingsford has a unique advantage in the entire grilling population;...
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...Kingsford Charcoal ande Kunal P kunalpande@hotmail.com Prof-‐ Bob Carroll MKM805ms The Charcoal category has seen a loss of 2% from 4% between 1998 -‐2000, this can affect Clorox’s business growth if Kingsford sales and revenue takes a hit. • The unanticipated weather conditions in the United States added to the softening of Sales in charcoal category between 1998-2000. • The Convenience of using a gas grill increased causing consumers shifting from charcoal grilling to Gas grilling • Kingsford curtailed its advertising budget excessively from $6m in 1997 to $1m in 2000 • Promotional activities were cut back which were one of the key drivers of Kingsford’s Sales. Kingsford market share leveraged from the increase in prices from royal oak and private label Year 1999 2000 Kinsgford 54.2 57.7 Private label 33.3 33.9 Private label 13.7 7.1 Kingsford is a brand with superior quality compared to royal oak and private label and is proven in lab tests. ...
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...KINGSFORD CHARCOAL ASSIGNMENT (10 Points) 1. The Kingsford Charcoal case takes place in July 2001. 2. Kingsford’s primary competitor is gas grills. Most people do not want or have the time to spend on getting charcoal ready for grilling; therefore, the concept of convenience, greater control over cooking temperature, shorter cooking times, and ease of clean-up makes the selling points for gas grilling. 3. The two ways for Kingsford to determine variables that segment the market, they are heavy Kingsford users and gas grill users. The “heavy” Kingsford users can be segmented into “Regular Exclusive”, “Instant Acceptor”, and “Instant Exclusive” (Exhibit 9). Gas grillers can be segmented into “own gas only grills” or “owns both”. 4. SWOT Analysis example for Kingsford would looks like: a. Strength: Established brand b. Weakness: Advertising budget c. Opportunity: Number of US grilling events have more than doubled since 1987 d. Threat: Increasing trend of gas grills shipments (Exhibit 5). 5. Use Exhibit #10 and compare the 4 scenarios below: a. The pricing scenario that resulted in the smallest reduction in dollar sales is the “Minimum (2.5%) Blue Bag Pricing Increase” (#2). b. The amount of the smallest decrease in dollar sales is $1,110. c. The pricing scenario that resulted in the greatest increase in profits is the “Total Line pricing (5%) Increase”. d. The amount of the greatest increase in profits is $1,870. 6. Kingsford...
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...Kingsford Smith Drive Upgrade Mahdi Mohammad (n9428691) Queensland University of Technology Table of Contents ABSTRACT 3 1.0. INTRODUCTION 3 2.0. NEED FOR THE INITIATIVE 5 3.0. INITIATIVE’S LIFECYCLE 5 Initial Planning 6 Procurement 7 Design 9 Development 10 Delivery 11 Operation and Maintenance 11 Retirement 13 Civil Engineering Research 13 4.0. CIVIL ENGINEERING SYSTEM 15 5.0. STEWARDSHIP OF THE INITIATIVE 16 6.0. VALUES REGARDING THE INITIATIVE 16 Economic 16 Social 17 Sustainability 17 Political 18 7.0. ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM REVIEW 19 8.0. CONCLUSIONS AND INFORMED POSITION 20 Conclusions 20 Informed Position 20 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 21 REFERENCES 22 ABSTRACT The Brisbane City Council is embarking on the project of completing the staged upgrade of Kingsford Smith Drive to decrease traffic congestion and advance safety on the busy road. The Kingsford Smith Drive is a major lane connecting Brisbane CBD to the Brisbane Airport, Port of Brisbane, North-shore Hamilton, and the Australia Trade Coast area. The road was called after the aeronaut Charles Kingsford Smith. It links the suburb of Pinkenba to the Brisbane central business district at the Breakfast Creek. The Roadis categorized as a primary freight route. The demand for transportation of freight on Kingsford Smith Drive is anticipated to grow promptly. Construction of the phase one of the projects that widened a portion of Kingsford Smith Drive from four to six lanes was accomplished in mid-2011...
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...QA Concept Introducing LoadRunner • Why should you automate performance testing? • What are the LoadRunner components? • Understanding LoadRunner Terminology • What is the load testing process? • Getting Familiar with HP Web Tours • Application Requirements The Power of LoadRunner • Creating the Load Test • Running the Load Test • Monitoring the Load Test • Analyzing Results Building Scripts • Introducing the Virtual User Generator (VuGen) • How do I start recording user activities? • Using VuGen’s Wizard mode • How do I record a business process to create a script? • How do I view the script? Playing Back Your Script • How do I set the run-time behavior? • How do I watch my script running in real time? • Where can I view information about the replay? • How do I know if my test passed? • How do I search or filter the results? Solving Common Playback Problems • Preparing HP Web tours for playback errors • How do I work with unique server values? Preparing a Script for Load Testing • How do I measure business processes? • How do I emulate multiple users? • How do I verify Web page content? • How can I produce debugging information? • Did my test succeed? Creating a Load Testing Scenario • Introducing the LoadRunner Controller • How do I start the Controller? • The Controller window at a glance • How do I modify the script details? • How do I generate a heavy load? • How do I emulate real load...
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...Preparing Business Scenario Analyses The following general guidelines may be used in preparing for an oral or written business scenario analysis and presentation. There may be several feasible courses of action regarding the solution to any case. It is more important to concern yourself with the process of problem definition and isolation, analysis, and evaluation of alternatives, and the choice of one or more recommendations, rather than trying to find a single answer. Very often, the right answer is the one that you can propose, explain, defend, and make work. • The Process of Analyzing a Case 1. Read and study the scenario thoroughly and efficiently. Read the scenario once for familiarity, noting issues that come to the forefront. Read the scenario again. Determine all the facts, making notes about symptoms of problems, root problems, unresolved issues, and roles of key players. Watch for issues beneath the surface. 2. Isolate the problem(s). Get a feel for the overall environment by putting yourself in the position of one of the key players. Seek out the pertinent issues and problems. 3. Analyze and evaluate alternatives. a. Once the problems and issues are isolated, work at gaining a better understanding of causes. In what area of the unit do the problems exist? Why? What caused them? Examine and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the unit’s processes (e.g., planning, communication), human behaviors, and/or exhibits (e.g., financial statements,...
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...PEST Analysis One way of planning your business is to undertake a PEST analysis.1 PEST analysis involves looking at the Political, Economic, Socio-cultural and Technological factors that could affect your business. Every business needs to consider a range of external forces in order to take decisions. For many people imagination is very limited and is coloured solely by their own experience and personal beliefs. This can lead to wish fulfilment or a refusal to see reality or recognise the critical changes that are happening in the world around them. It can also lead to grabbing short-term solutions that, if they do not exacerbate problems, certainly ignore the longer term. In the business world pressure is often applied to take decisions quickly, acting on judgement and instinct rather than careful analysis. There are many driving forces in the external environment that might impact on your business. These can be categorised as: • Social; • Technological; • Economic; • Environmental; and • Political. Social forces Social forces include, for example, changing demography and education, etc. The population in Western Europe is relatively static, but the age bands are changing. The number of older people, for example, is growing rapidly. Technological forces Technological forces are changing dramatically quickly. What effects will this have on your production, marketing and distribution plans? Depending on your market, technology might either raise or lower entry barriers...
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...Fall 2015: Industry Analysis in Emerging Markets Your role in this analysis is to work with your team and to look at emerging technologies. From autonomous drones to emergent AI to 3D printers, you are going to research and get a better understanding of our fast-approaching technological future. Scientific American compiled the Top 10 List of Emerging Technologies for 2015. You can start here, but you are not limited to these technologies. You must choose an emerging industry, and will analyze the history of this technology and its industry, the trajectories of the technology, the key competitors, and the trends in the market. The end goal is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the industry, the competitive landscape, emerging trends to watch in the future, and an overall assessment as to the attractiveness of this industry. Your final deliverable for this project will be an in-class presentation, due April 26th. 1) What SIC/NAICS code does your industry fall under? 2) Describe your industry- a. Provide a brief history of your industry. (You may use a timeline in a separate appendix) b. List and describe the characteristics of the products your industry offers in the marketplace. c. Who are the key competitors in the industry? d. What are the main differences between the products offered by key competitors? e. What strengths & weaknesses (capabilities, complementary resources, related intellectual property, etc.)...
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...http://www.mysensex.comPESTLE « Pestle Summary: India | Main | Pestle summary: USA » 03/28/2009 Pestle Summary China Well, I guess this is where I get controversial, at least a bit. There are others who have predicted that China was in for a tough ride over the past few years, but they mostly got ignored, or were proven wrong by events. And, to a certain extent, if you cry doom long enough you'll always get proved right, given the laws of entropy. So this is a bit 'faux' controversy... This is the introductory note taking exercise for a Pestle analysis of China, drawn on conventional internet sources such as Wikipedia, the CIA World Factbook and Nationmaster. China is the most populous country in the world, with 1.34 billion people. It has the third largest GDP, with $4.84 trillion, behind Japan and the U.S. Like India, the currency and conditions make it useful to look at some statistics using Purchasing Power Parity, which bumps up China's GDP to $7.8 trillion, which would move it ahead of Japan. It also is the second in the world in annual military spending, although that needs a bit of context, as the world's number two spends about 15% of what the world number one (USA) spends. But with PPP, that looks like more money, and insofar as it is used to pay salaries, rather than buy Israeli rocket parts, PPP is valid in this context too. China is badly governed by the Communist Party, and in my five-year Pestle forecast I will be making the case that misgovernance will...
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...McCauley, COO * Hugh McCauley, COO of Riordan has sent a service request to us. The service request SR-rm-022 stats that Riordan wants to make improvement on their current HR tools. They are currently using a variety of HR tools and would want’s us create one integrated application. To do this we will have to do a system analysis of their current system. An analysis will be made with recommendations to upgrade and consolidate their system. * The service request is basically a project statement. This is a document from the customer who clearly states what the project should deliver and outline the high-level work required for completing this project * (SR-rm-022). Riordan Manufacturing has 550 employees worldwide and has projected earnings of $46 million. It is a fortune 1000 enterprise with $1 billion in excess revenues. It is wholly owned by Riordon Industries and based in San Jose , California. * . We will use the joint application design (JAD) for our system analysis, this should help keep the analysis efforts to a minimum. Fact finding is at the core of system analysis. Interviewing of individuals who understand the current system and any known issues, including future activities needed. To do this observation of how data is handled and how this is used for their jobs. Through study of the documents, policies, and procedures in reference to the system. * Interviewing and gathering...
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...29th, 2013 Angela Lucente Planning For People Job analysis is an important process, any organization used to use it in order to collect information and data about required skills, level of education, work environment, responsibilities, and the duties to create a job description, recruiting plans, and performance development planning (Susan M. Heatfield, 2013). Once job analyses are updated as described, a summary of the results is normally prepared in writing in the form of a job description (Wayne F. Cascio, 2010). According to my reading chapter five about job analysis process. There are some topics I felt comfortable with, such as alternative perspectives on jobs. This topic add to my knowledge many information and explained how jobs are important to organizations, what is the highly unusual jobs that some organizations required it, and distinguish job analysis form job design (Wayne F. Cascio, 2010). On the other hand, I struggled with topic job requirements because there are many methods created in order to study job requirements and none of them alone is sufficient. Thus, it is essential to integrate this methods to obtain the results of the tasks and duties of a job (Wayne F. Cascio, 2010). It is not that easy to implement the methods of job analysis, such as job performance, observation, interview, critical incidents, and structured questionnaire, those are the most five common methods of job analysis and each one of those takes time and effort to achieve desirable...
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...------------------------------------------------- Running header: Job Analysis Methods ------------------------------------------------- Abstract Examination of different methods utilized to create a comprehensive job analysis, including advantages and disadvantages of all approaches. There are several methods that can be utilized to create a comprehensive job analysis. A job analysis provides a better understanding of the positions within an organization, which will allow the recruitment process to be more focused, consistent and thorough. The first method that can be employed to create an effective job analysis is the Critical Incidents Technique. This technique identifies circumstances that arise in a current position, what action was taken, and the consequences of the action, to identify the effective and ineffective behaviors in job performance. These critical situations are documented by interviewing former jobholders, supervisors, or by reviewing documents and logs from the job. Job duties are examined, and then critical incidents are identified to determine poor or good performance issues related to a specific job requirement. This technique is useful for covering job events that may not be covered in a general job description. Identifying atypical circumstances that may arise in a position can aid in finding a candidate that would be an ideal fit. Reviewing these critical incidents also enable the recruitment process to be shaped to include more pointed questions...
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...to accomplish that soon, also technology is to expensive. Other companies building autonomous cars said that they are working on vehicles that will be able to safely make that switch. Volvo says that it expects to have its cars tested on city streets by 2020. The Google management team faced several questions. Should Google continue to invest in the technology behind self-driving cars? How could Google's core software-based and search business benefit from self-driving car technology? As large auto manufacturers began to invest in automotive technology themselves, could Google compete? Was this investment of time and resources worth it for Google? Environmental Scanning (external and internal analysis): PEST Analysis After reading the case study Google car I have used the PEST analysis model in which the following was concluded: 1. Political Factors: Government’s regulations on automobile transportation are one of the major aspects in Google's car that have legal barriers. Due to that most of the governments do not have specific laws for self-driving vehicle and there are no federal standards for autonomous cars special permission in all US states adjusted for road test. Laws need to be adapted to accidents liability for insurance purposes. 2. Economic Factors: Cost is a concern, due to the investment in technology required to be adapted to cars an estimated of $150,000 in equipment. The consumers are not willing to spend more than $3,000 for autonomous driving applications...
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