...their interest and one of those things are tools. A handy man, contractor, or just hobbyists have one thing in common, and that’s their passion for his or her tools. Notwithstanding, certain elements need to be present for customer loyalty and those elements include customer service, warranty, and durability of the tools. There are many manufacturers in the industry of tools, some of which manufacture hand tools while others manufacture power tools or even heavy equipment. At the same time, some manufacturers make all three types of tools. Moreover, among some of the well-known tool manufacturers available are Ridgid, Craftsman, and Snap-on. Even though, these three companies are among the most popular of tool brands in the United States, each have benefits and drawbacks. Benefits Ridgid, Craftsman, and Snap-on all have one very important thing in common that plays a major role with the purchasing decision of the passionate tool user, and that is all three carry a lifetime warranty on mechanic’s tools; such as wrenches, ratchets, screwdrivers, sockets, and a few others. Equally important, tools produced by all these manufacturers are durable and can withstand some abuse. Regardless, of brand an individual decides to purchase the ease of getting a tool replaced is very important. For example, if a Ridgid tool breaks the owner can go to the local Home Depot and get it replaced. Furthermore, if a Craftsman tool was to break he or she can...
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...THE BOEING COMPANY Hoyan Yu 5/11/15 The Boeing Company Topic: Boeing products, technology, economies of scale, forces of competition and experience curve effect. Context: Boeing is one of the top industrialized companies of commercial aircrafts and other aircraft related products. The founding city was Seattle, Washington by William E Boeing. It was founded in 1916 and integrated on July 19th, 1934. Acquirement of defense in 1996 and space unit of Rockwell International expanded its market size. Later it merged with Mc Donnell Douglas to become the largest aerospace company. Boeing Company manufactures markets commercial aircrafts. It also provides associated support services to profit-making airlines across the world. It keenly engages in research and growth of armed weapon systems for defense purposes. In addition, the corporation broadened its expansion in information systems and space surveillance systems. Boeing faces a solid contest from Airbus Company, which is its leading rival. The healthy competition has enabled them to enjoy duopoly in developing innovative aircraft with new sophisticated skill. However, Boeing benefits a larger market share for having a wide range of products and services. For instance, it supplies defense system to the United States government and space systems to NASA. The current forces of competition have made Boeing focus deeply on research and development to cater the need of consumers. In order to survive, Boeing reduces running...
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...On August 9, 2000, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. announced it would recall more than 6.5 million tires, most of which had been mounted as original equipment on Ford Motor Co. Explorers and other Ford light trucks. Bridgestone/Firestone had become the subject of an intense federal investigation of 46 deaths and more than 300 incidents where Firestone tires allegedly shredded on the highway. The Firestone tires affected were 15-inch Radial ATX and Radial ATX II tires produced in North America and certain Wilderness AT tires manufactured at the firm's Decatur, Illinois, plant. This tire recall was the second biggest in history, behind only Firestone's recall of 14.5 million radial tires in 1978. The 1978 tire recall financially crippled the company for years to come and the August 2000 recall threatened to do the same. Consumers, the federal government, and the press wanted to know: Why didn't Ford and Firestone recognize this problem sooner? Let us look at the series of events surrounding the tire recall and the role of information management. 1988---Financially weakened from its 1978 tire recall, Firestone agreed to be acquired by Bridgestone Tires, a Japanese firm. To increase its sales, Firestone became a supplier of tires for Ford Motors' new sport-utility vehicle (SUV), the Explorer. March 11, 1999---In response to a Ford concern about tire separations on the Explorer, Bridgestone/Firestone (Firestone) sent a confidential memo to Ford claiming that less than 0.1 percent of...
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...ECON 2010 11 November 2012 Chinese tire tariff lifted September 2009 marked the beginning of a major tariff on imported Chinese tires created by President Obama in an effort to curtail imports considered to possibly be a detriment to U.S. workers. This motion was brought to the table by a complaint filed to the Federal Trade Commission by the United Steelworkers union citing unfair trade practices by China1. The belief was that cheap, imported Chinese tires were the root cause of the loss of over a thousand U.S. jobs in tire manufacturing. Many believe that the tariff was political posturing from Obama aimed at the ever critical Ohio automotive unions. Politics aside, the economic impact over the last 3 years has been great, or not so great, depending on which side of the fence you are standing. Import tariffs by design are used to help control trade balances with foreign countries in an effort to create a somewhat level playing field for all firms within an industry. The Chinese tire tariff has arguably been an irrelevant political attempt to bolster the support of union labor in Ohio. Beginning as early as 2000 the United States had approximately 87,000 workers domestically in tire manufacturing with that number shrinking each year down to 55,000 in 20093. As with much of domestic manufacturing, tire companies began to look to foreign countries to produce their products due to lower costs and higher volume capabilities. With approximately 46.5 million imported...
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...SUBMITTED BY: RAMAKRISHNA KASETTY MU ID: 901719348 INSTRUCTOR: DR. TRACY CHRISTEFERO 1 Table of Contents 1. Background ......................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Founders Name ................................................................................................................................... 4 3. Vision................................................................................................................................................... 4 4. Mission ................................................................................................................................................ 4 5. Objectives............................................................................................................................................ 4 6. Product and Services ........................................................................................................................... 7 7. Market Competition.......................................................................................................................... 10 8. Laws and Regulations........................................................................................................................ 11 8.1 Business Insurance ...................................................................................................................... 11 9. Marketing Strategy...
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...top priority. It was now November 28, 2007—approximately one month before Christmas. The plant would be closed from Christmas to New Year’s for retooling and annual maintenance. By the time the plant reopened in January 2008, Wall intended to complete a thorough analysis of the problem and a plan of action to correct it. The Treadway Tire Company employed almost 9,000 hourly and salaried staff in North America. The company was a major supplier of tires to the original equipment manufacturer1 and replacement tire markets, selling Treadway Primo, Treadway Performance, and private tire brands. The Lima Tire Plant was one of eight manufacturing plants operated by the Treadway Tire Company. No For the prior several years, tire manufacturers had been faced with a variety of challenges, including skyrocketing raw material costs and intense global competition. Raw materials represented about 55% of the cost to produce a tire, and petroleum derivates were...
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...COMPETITION With regards to securing sales for the aquatred tires in the passenger car replacement market, Goodyear faced a few competitors in the same market. Their competitors could essentially fit into two distinct categories: Primary (manufacturer-level) and Secondary (retail-level) Competitors. Primary Competitors Goodyear’s primary competitors are other tire manufacturing companies, both foreign and domestic, such as Michelin, Firestone, Bridgestone, etc. (Also, “private label” tire manufacturers fit in this category?) The industry had, in the last year, experienced many acquisitions or takeovers of smaller tire companies by dominant firms with a bigger market share. The disappearance of the smaller players was indicative of a mature market, thick with price competition, yielding economic conditions that have almost completely annihilated profit margins for all players. At the same time, consumers were becoming savvy about the need for reliability and longevity in their replacement tires, which made it critical for surviving companies to adhere to the new demands. Of all the competing tire companies, Michelin and Bridgestone, in particular, posed the biggest competition to not only Goodyear as a company, but the aquatred as a superior tire. The major key points are that: i. Michelin and Bridgestone were planning to introduce a new tire in the next two years with an improved warranty of 80,000 miles. This was as a result of increasing demand for longer-wearing...
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...pack, it is not difficult to prove that Tesla Motors can be a viable business. We can look at the question using the five forces competitive analysis checklist. 1.The threat of entry is low. The customer switching costs are moderate, they can trade in their current CV and buy a Tesla. Also government encourages EV by providing tax credit and even rebate to customers. 2.The power of suppliers is low. A regular CV usually sourced from more than a thousand suppliers, and the most complex part was the powertrain. However powertrain of a Tesla is nothing more than a electric motor, also they decided to bring the full assembly of the Model S in-house. Not only they made their own powertrain, they also sold electric powertrains to other car manufacturers and provided design services for electric powertrains. 3.The power of buyers is low. Tesla has direct sales store unlike dealership in which dealers take some of the margin. The customers are most likely regular people. 4.The threat of substitutes is moderate and rivalry is low. There are some electric cars on market, Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius, VW Golf and Ford Focus, but they are all low-end family car. Also Tesla is going to build an even more affordable car in the future competing with BMW 3 series, Mercedes C class and Audi A4. The technology of Tesla is so far ahead among his competitors, the Model S was controlled by software that could be wirelessly updated using cellular. It is also the first car with autopilot which is a self-driving...
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...Case Analysis Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Submitted by: Rick Fletcher MB545 Marketing Management City University, Renton MBA 2000 Program Fall Quarter, 1999 Introduction The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is currently the #1 tire maker in the world[1]. The 101 year-old company has maintained that position through most of the company's history. However, in the early 1990's Goodyear slipped to #3 as France's Michelin and Japan's Bridgestone found better ways to get their products to consumers. To regain their #1 status, Goodyear was forced to re-think their century-old practice of marketing their product exclusively through its dealer network. Problem Definition Goodyear is facing tough competition from tire companies that focus their attention on the replacement tire market rather than the new car market. Also, their competitors do not rely solely on dealer networks to distribute their product. To respond to these challenges, Goodyear decided to focus on the replacement tire market and to sell tires through Sears, Wal-Mart, Discount Tire, and other discount stores in addition to their traditional franchise stores. The decision to sell tires through discount stores created some problems for Goodyear: • Allowing tire franchises and multibrand discount stores to sell Goodyear tires upset Goodyear dealers because it drastically increased competition. • Multibrand outlets may lure customers...
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... Penny Wilkins Contemporary Business February 18, 2015 Selected product to research: Home Furnishings Selected two (2) companies within the selected product category. Basset Furniture INC and Ethan Allen Introduction: Bassett Furniture is a furniture manufacturer headquartered in Bassett, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1902 by John David Bassett (July 14, 1866 – February 26, 1965) and C.C. Bassett. Bassett Furniture is one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in Virginia and has been producing hand crafted furniture for over 100 years. “Incorporated in Delaware in 1989, Ethan Allen Interiors Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ethan Allen Global, Inc., and Ethan Allen Global, Inc.’s subsidiaries (collectively, "We," "Us," "Our," "Ethan Allen" or the "Company"), is a leading manufacturer and retailer of quality home furnishings and accessories, offering a full complement of home decorating and design solutions through one of the country’s largest home furnishing retail networks. We refer to our Ethan Allen retail outlets as "design centers" instead of "stores" to better reflect these expanded capabilities” (COMMISSION, 2013). Ethan Allen is a furniture manufacturer headquartered in Danbury, Conn in the United States. It was founded in 1932 by Nathan S. Ancel, Ethan Allen Co-founder. Ethan Allen furniture is one of the of the nation's largest furniture companies, with more than 300 dealers and 21 manufacturing plants in the United States...
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...Best Practices HON Company HON Company has an extremely customer orientated culture and is a leader in implementing their corporate culture into their key accounts. Since 1944, HNI Corporation comprises 10 businesses that manufacture office furniture and hearth products. The HON Company has consistently held an impressive market share in the office furniture industry. HON has kept a focus on implementing its corporate culture effectively to each of its accounts through its best practice key account selling. HNI Corporation has seen challenges like any other business, but has effectively been a leader in the industry considering they are the second largest office furniture manufacturers in the world. The HON Company’s domestic market is split between two customer segments: the contract segment and the commercial segment. Due to the nature of the industry HON adjusts its distribution channels to capture the entire office furniture market. HON adjusts its personnel and products so that they can make their product accessible to everyone. The contract segment includes large corporations, healthcare organizations and governments that buy office furniture for new office facilities and office renovations. Customers in the contract segment require customized furniture, so goods for this type of segment are sold directly by the company or through a network of company-owned and independent dealers. (Ruiz, 2014) Unlike the contract segment, HON also tends to the needs of the commercial...
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...HYUNDAI MOTOR INDIA LTD Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company (HMC). HMIL is the largest passenger car exporter and the second largest car manufacturer in India. It currently markets eight passenger car models across segments -- in the A2 segment it has the Eon, Santro, i10 and the i20, in the A3 segment the Accent and the Verna, in the A5 segment Sonata and in the SUV segment the Santa Fe. HMIL's fully integrated state-of-the-art manufacturing plant near Chennai boasts of advanced production, quality and testing capabilities. HMIL forms a critical part of HMC's global export hub, it touched 1.5 million in exports in March 2012. It currently exports to more than 120 countries across EU, Africa, Middle East, Latin America and the Asia Pacific. HMIL has been India's number one exporter for seven years in a row. To cater to rising demand the company commissioned its second plant in February 2008 having an installed capacity of 330,000 units per annum. To support its growth and expansion plans HMIL currently has 346 dealers and around 800 service points across India. In its commitment to provide customers with cutting-edge global technology, HMIL set up a modern multi-million dollar R&D facility in Hyderabad. The R&D centre endeavors to be a center of excellence in automobile engineering. Mission To create exceptional automotive value for our customers by harmoniously blending safety, quality and efficiency...
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...Tire Companies & Rubber Fabian D. Benson Instructor: Sharif Muhammad BUS620: Managerial Marketing 21 May 2012 Michelin North America is the world’s number one seller in commercial and heavy truck tires. Michelin North America has been around (in America) since 1907. It was founded in 1888 by Andre and Edouard Michelin brothers from France. Throughout the years this company has been in some stiff competition; like all companies go through that produce a certain product that is vital to the needs of companies, businesses, and individual needs. The competition has been Firestone, Bridgestone, and Goodyear. Although Michelin tires are by far the better product in the tire business out of the three brands, now that the economy is at one of the worse points ever; individuals are looking for the least expensive brand and product. When you have the best product it normally means you have the best technology, equipment to make the product, masterminds behind the ideas, and best goods and services. Along with being the best there is a high cost. Over the years Michelins tire prices have gone up with the cost of rubber. There are two types of rubber that Michelin uses: 1) Natural Rubber and 2) Synthetic Rubber. Synthetic Rubber is the cheapest rubber and the natural rubber is the most expensive. Rubber is a material from latex sap trees that is vulcanized and used in various products; it is the most important piece that goes into a tire. When looking at rubber...
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...FINAL PROJECT REPORT FORD FIGO: MARKETING PLAN SECTION B GROUP 10 Ranjitha G P FPM-08/10/M Arun Kumar Agarwal PGP/18/070 Kalpana Sharma PGP/18/080 Neha Prasad PGP/18/090 Punit Rathi PGP/18/100 Sourav Pattanayak PGP/18/110 Yaman Rai PGP/18/120 Executive Summary The market today is dominated by young and youthful people. Where a research agency says that 65% or over 700 million Indians are younger than 35 years. They are open to risk, novelty seeking and are willing to try anything that sets a trend, an attribute that has been accounted by their growing potential of purchasing power. As a result, marketers are forced to try innovative strategies where Markets have become too congested with competition. The launch of Ford Figo was an important event and a turning point in the history of ford which entered the small car segment which was a sweet spot during 2009-10. As the competition grew and major macro environmental factors brought a dramatic shift in the economy, it became tougher and tougher for figo to sustain in the market. This marketing plan analyses the current situation of Figo in terms of macro and micro environment, SWOT analysis and its current marketing strategies in order to internalize and project a effective and efficient plan for 2014-15. The major objective of Figo in this Marketing plan is to enhance the market share and sales by the next year 2015 as a short term strategy and bring a product innovation...
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...Ford and Firestone Case Study Safety issues involving Firestone tire tread separations specifically on Ford Explorer SUV’s and resulting vehicle rollovers were brought into the public’s view in early 1998 as a result of several tragic accidents. Tire tread separation photo, Associated Press, 2000 One accident involved a junior high school girl named Jessica LeAnn Taylor from Mexia, Texas. Jessica was a passenger in a Ford Explorer with Firestone tires, during the accident the tire peeled off and forced the vehicle to lose control and proceed to roll. This young girl died from complications caused during this accident. Another accident involved a Ford Explorer driven by Victor Rodriguez from Laredo, Texas. The Firestone tire shredded off while Victor was driving. His car flipped and Mr. Rodriguez’s 10 year old son Mark Anthony died at the crash site. On February 7, 2000, Anne Werner, a reporter at KHOU-TV, in Houston, TX, introduced Cynthia Jackson, who described how her husband of a year and a half had died and how her own legs were amputated above the knee because their Ford Explorer fitted with the original Firestone Radial ATX tires flipped after the front tire came apart1. Firestone later reprimanded Robert W. Dechrd, CEO of A.H. Bello Corporation (owners of KHOU) and Peter Diaz, President and General Manager of KHOU, for airing the story which, according to them, “contained falsehoods and misrepresentations that improperly disparage Firestone and...
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