...Case study Toys “R” Us JAPAN Case study Toys “R” Us JAPAN TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3. Japan Background and facts: 4. Background: 4 Facts: 5 Toys “R” Us Background 7. The Beginning: 7 Market Expansion 8 More ways to shop Toys “R” Us 8 Evolving business 9 Toys “R” Us in Japan 9 Case analysis: 10 Attractive factors of Japan toy market: 10 Barriers to Entry: 10 Success Factors for Toy's "R" Us-Japan 11 TRU Strategy 13 Our opinion: 14 Recommendations: 15 Conclusion: 16 References:: 16 Introduction: Toys R Us is the large distributor in the US and it is one of the more successful foreign retailers in Japan after overcome hard barriers. This successful is a result of right decision-making and strategy in overseas expansion by global retailer’s and gradual changes after entry into foreign markets. Also the strategy in respect of standardization adaption before and after entry has great effect in this successful. Coming lines, shows some factors that attract TRU to join venture in Japan. Then, we will discuss group of barriers that TRU had overcome, and how it’s overcome these barriers. In the end, we will evaluate Toys “R” Us in Japan market. Japan Background and facts: Background: Government: Parliamentary with constitutional monarchy Prime Minister: Shinzō Abe (elected Dec 2012) Capital: Tokyo Population: 127,368,088 Population Growth Rate: -0.077% (2012 est.), World Rank: 198th Birth Rate: 8.39 births/1,000 population...
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...Analysis of the Case R&R Date: September 28th, 2011 Bob Reiss was an entrepreneur. He saw an opportunity in the market to make a profit and he succeeded. The following describes his market transactions and whether they were right or wrong using transaction cost economics theories. I will use Oliver Williamson’s theories and rules to decide whether the transactions were correct. At the end I will have enough information to decide if every opportunity needs a firm and if there is room for entrepreneurs who depend on the price mechanism. Reiss’s first major market transaction was designing the game. He took this to the market and found a professional inventor, whom he knew. This was the right decision. This game only needed to be designed once. The frequency was low. Therefore there was no point in wasting time and incurring the costs of creating it. Also this product was unique. He would not have been able to create it as simply as the market, which had more experience. Since Reiss knew the designer the uncertainty of him defaulting on the contract was very low. He also knew that the designer would be motivated to complete the project because he aligned their interests together through a sales motivated contract. Next was Reiss’s responsibility to set up operations to take the game to market. He didn’t have the cash flow to do this. Instead of raising the money himself he established a partnership to create the firm Trivia Inc and went to the market...
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...Harvard Business School 9-386-019 Rev. November 15, 1987 R&R During the summer of 1983, Bob Reiss observed with interest the success in the Canadian market of a new board game called “Trivial Pursuit.” His years of experience selling games in the U.S. had taught him a rough rule of thumb: the sales of a game in the U.S. tended to be approximately ten times those of sales in Canada. Since “Trivial Pursuit” had sold 100,000 copies north of the border, Reiss thought that trivia games might soon boom in the U.S., and that this might represent a profitable opportunity for him. Reiss’ Background After his graduation from Harvard Business School in 1956, Reiss began working for a company that made stationery products. His main responsibility was to build a personalized pencil division, and he suggested that he be paid a low salary and a high sales commission. He was able to gain an excellent understanding of that market, and by 1959 could start on his own as an independent manufacturer’s representative in the same industry. His direct contact with stores that sold stationery products revealed that many of them were beginning to sell adult games. He decided to specialize in those products. In 1973, Reiss sold his representative business to a small American Stock Exchange company in the needlecraft business in exchange for shares. He then set up a game manufacturing division and ran it for that company, building sales to $12,000,000 in three years. Reiss decided to go into...
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...R&R Case Write UP By: XXXXXXXXX Bob Reiss is an experienced player in the Toy/Game market. Currently he is deciding how to follow his successful TV Guide trivia game. He could try to create a spinoff of the TV guide game. He could launch a new proposed trivia game called Whoozit, where you guess people based on clues. Mr. Reiss has to make a decision launch Whoozit, a new trivia game, or try to spin off the TV Guide game. My recommendation is to launch Whoozit. The Whoozit game allows Trivia Inc. to leverage their skills developed in the launch of the TV guide game. Trivia Inc. has access to the channels, the manufacturers, and the pulse of the trivia market customer. The case indicates that Trivia Inc. had a preliminary royalty deal with the Bettman Archive, keeper of the images necessary for Whoozit. I think the addition of a magazine like People, Life, or Time would create a direct point of touch/access and lend more recognition to the endorsement. Another reason to launch Whoozit is the low cost of the endeavor. If analogous estimation holds true, Trivia Inc. could produce these units for about $5/unit and stand to make profits of about $2.00 per unit on 500,000 units. The total cost to launch The TV trivia game was $50K, but profits were over $2M net for Trivia Inc. If Whoozit could be executed as successfully as TV Guide TV game, it would be money well spent. Finally, the lessons that Reiss had gleaned from Trivial Pursuit’s US launch are incorporated...
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...1. What factors created an opportunity for Bob Reiss and the "TV Guide Game?” Reiss had previous experience on the game industry, which provided him with good understanding of that business. He knew about the popularity of trivia-based games in the U.S., the preceding Canadian success of Trivial-Pursuit and he envisioned the transferability of this success to the U.S. market. Reiss also hit the target by adding the TV element to the trivia-based game, in a time when the average U.S. family spent 7 hours in front of the television. Finally, Reiss’ good contacts in different industries allowed him to get a partner, to marshal funds, and to make further contacts to secure the required resources for his enterprise’s success, obtaining large benefits, involving low cost and risk levels. 2. What risks and obstacles had to be overcome in order to pursue the opportunity successfully? How did Bob Reiss accomplish this? Reiss had to confront several risks and obstacles. First, the presence of bigger players offering similar products, which Reiss handle by differentiating its product with the introduction of the TV element. Second, Reiss had to deal with seasonality of the toy industry, with the short life-cycle of game products, and with potential early market saturation. He managed to put its product in the market on time, finding the opportune associates to secure manufacturing inputs, and figuring out ways to simplify processes (i.e. replacing question-cards with printed booklets)...
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...R&R Case Study What factors created an opportunity for Bob Reiss and the “TV Guide Game?” In order for Bob Reiss to be successful with the “TV Guide Game,” he had to be aware of a multitude of factors that would lead to his success. For starters Bob had a background in business from Harvard Business School, one of the most prestigious school in the nation. This business education gave him many key insights into the market and how to conduct a successful business. For example the article cites that when he started his own company he “kept overhead very low, even in good years, and never own or be responsible for a factory.” He had great people skills. This was proven by the fact that he wanted to be paid a low salary and a high sales commission. This is not something that most people ask for when first starting off. He must have been confident in his intrapersonal skills and understanding what people wanted when being sold a product. Bob saw an emerging market, in Canada alone there were 100,000 copies sold of the trivial pursuit game. He knew the market well enough to understand that there were be 10x the sales in the U.S. that would be 1million copies merely starting out. He worked for a couple other companies before starting his own to understand the business and how to build sales. At the time there were not many competitors in the market-space so he was able to act quickly enough before all the major game manufacturers jumped on board. All of these factors combined...
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...Bob Reiss was a passionate entrepreneur with a strong background in the gaming industry. He was very successful with his new game venture with sales of $12,000,000 in three years. Once successful, Reiss decided to continue in this space and started his own business under the name of R&R. The toy and game industry was an established market with a very short lifecycle, frequently of no more than two years. Based on the case, I think Bob did the following things right which made him highly successful with his Trivia game: What did he do right? 1. Market awareness- He was an experienced professional when it came to the gaming industry. He acknowledged that entering an established market is going to be challenging and understood the pros and cons of launching the game in such a market. 2. Experience- Bob Reiss had been successful with his last two ventures providing him the necessary experience and strategic vision to start a new business. He was an operations guy with a clear understanding of how products are manufactured for a niche but steady market. He leveraged his experience and successful track record to connect with individuals who could play an influential role for his venture. 3. Realistic Execution- Bob was aware about his strengths and weaknesses from the beginning whether it was funding, resources, etc. When he decided to enter this market, it was very critical for him to execute the strategy for him to make this venture successful and profitable. He...
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...Available online at www.sciencedirect.com International Journal of Project Management 26 (2008) 38–43 www.elsevier.com/locate/ijproman Organisational project management: An historical approach to the study of PMOs Monique Aubry *, Brian Hobbs 1, Denis Thuillier Received 3 August 2007; accepted 9 August 2007 2 ` ´ ´ ´ Universite du Quebec a Montreal Business School, Department of Management and Technology, Montreal (Quebec), Canada, H3C 3P8 Abstract This paper aims at providing a grounded theoretical foundation on which to base a better understanding of organisational project management. This paper delivers empirical evidence that project management offices (PMOs) and organisational project management can be understood as part of an historical process within an organisational context, departing from the traditional boundaries of positivist project management theory. The history of PMOs in four organisations is documented and analysed. The evolution of the organisations and their PMOs is punctuated with events, tensions and changes. An historical process provides a better basis for the development of a theory on PMOs and more globally on organisational project management. Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd and IPMA. All rights reserved. Keywords: PMO; Organisational project management; History; Process approach 1. Introduction Rethinking project management! This paper is aligned with the present vitality found in the movement to rethink the field of project management [1]. The...
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...Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien clearly conform to the conventions of the fantasy genre in a number of ways. The main elements of fantasy are discussed in relation to the two texts, with examples provided. This essay will discuss several of the core characteristics of fantasy literature, including the concepts of magic, otherworlds, good vs. evil, heroism, special character types and talking animals. These characteristics of literature are all identified in the two texts, Assassin’s Apprentice by Hobb and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. Fantasy, as a genre of literature, is a story or series of stories, which exhibits certain definable elements that make the plot unreal and challenge the reader to suspend disbelief. There are many of these unreal elements, which feature in the fantasy genre. These unreal elements vary from mythical beasts roaming an imagined world to Earth-like natural settings in which animals take on human characteristics. There are also clearly recognizable conventions of fantasy, such as toys coming to life, miniature humans, magical powers, and time-warp stories. A fantasy novel would usually encompass more than one of these unreal elements. However, a fantasy story needs to possess only one of these unreal features in order to be classified as a part of the fantasy genre. Put simply, a fantasy story is one with at least one element that cannot be found in the human world. Magic is the most basic element of fantasy;...
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...Dmitry Lovket, 01.04.2014 Foreword Castles, knights, dragons, battles and even newly-invented language – all these features are typically attributed with storyworlds created in the tradition of J. R. R. Tolkien. George R. R. Martin not only shares the initials with the author of The Lord of the Rings, but with A Song of Ice and Fire, has created a series of books that received enthusiastic reviews from critics and readers all over the world, nominating him the unofficial title of ―American Tolkien‖ [9]. In 2007 Martin agreed to collaborate with cable network HBO‘s writer-producers David Banioff and Daniel B. Weiss on the adaptation of his epic novel series to TV under the name Game of Thrones (GoT) [14]. Its narrative features the medieval fantasy world of Westeros, in which five noble families struggle to seize the all governing Iron Throne, and, with a complete broadcast of three seasons, the result has led TV critics to hail the show as one of the pinnacles of quality television narrative [21]. The show has also obtained an exceptionally broad and international fandom. The series has won numerous awards and nominations. It is the most recent big-budget media franchise to have contributed to the popularity of epic fantasy genre in mainstream TV. This essay will analyze the transmedia storytelling strategies applied to promote the TV series Game of Thrones. Transmedia storytelling is understood as a story told throughout numerous media platforms, with special...
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...J.R.R. Tolkien My selection for this project was J.R.R. Tolkien. The reason I chose this individual was because of his books such as “The Hobbit” (J.R.R. Tolkien- 1936) this book has such realistic characteristics along with mythological characteristics. The other books I liked were “Lord of the Rings” which was broken into sequels. There orders were “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Two Tower” they were published in Great Britain in 1954. The third one was published in 1955 it was called “The Return of the King.” These great books kept me on my toes; I did not want to put them down. It is hard to actually find a good book to read that will keep your attention throughout and also make you feel like you are in the big picture yourself. J.R.R. Tolkien overcame many obstacles to achieve his successes a writer and also a teacher. In 1896 his father (Alfred Tolkien) died of Rheumatic fever. His mother (Mabel Tolkien) died from diabetes in November of 1904. J.R.R. Tolkien and his brothers were orphaned until they were taken in by a priest (Francis Xavier Morgan). In 1916 J.R.R. Tolkien went off to WW1 in 1916, and contracted “trench fever” in 1917. J.R.R. Tolkien was discharged from the military in 1917. After dealing with all of this he yet managed to be married, return to college, attain degrees and also pursue his writing and teaching. These were a lot of obstacles to overcome but J.R.R. Tolkien did. He has a strong will, and such a passion and desire to...
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...THE HOBBIT WEBSITE SCAVENGER HUNT: WHO WILL BE THE WINNER? Go to: http://www.tolkien-online.com/index.html Home Page: What have scholars debated about, regarding his novels? Scholars have debated true greatness of these popular novels. “Tolkien creates out of the void a complete and fully-realized world. He weaves his spell around us, suspends all disbelief, and gives us our own modern day adventure and discovery quest.” The Hobbit: Date of first publication? It was published in 1937, and it remains Tolkiens' first published book and the one of the best books of the 20th century. What sentence has become one of the most recognizable in English literature? “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” What knowledge did Tolkien draw from to write The Hobbit’s characters and plot? ancient mythology, primarily northern (Norse) mythology. Middle-Earth: Why did Tolkien first begin writing his imagined world? ________________________________________________________________________ “Tolkien’s Middle-earth is a fully-formed world with its own _______________, ______________, ________________, ‘_____________’, a _______________ story, a Fall, grief, joy, and all of those many things that our own world has.” Middle-Earth: Tolkien and Language Which languages did Tolkien have an affinity for? ______________________________ Tolkien created _______ languages for Middle-earth’s various races, and in many respects these languages...
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...The Value of Literature Literature can be used to place value on a wide span of topics. From books that may break our hearts to one’s that make us laugh uncontrollably. Even though literature is only written in words, it is our imagination that makes those words come to reality, by the way we see the words in our imaginations. Whatever literature that is read, it is in the perspective of the author and you are reading through the lens of the writer. Philip Marchand said “Not to understand the disposition of things is the fate of children or slaves. Imaginative literature is the race's best tool for acquiring such understanding. This is the childishness and slavishness in the soul of someone who cannot respond to great literature.” Marchand talks about how our imagination is one of the most important tools that an individual can have. Ultimately, with the way literature uses up the creativity side of the brain, it truly helps expand our imagination. From a very young age, many of us were introduced to books with big pictures and little words. These simple little books were meant to teach us the names of colours, the alphabet and what noise animals made. While continuing to grow older, individuals starts to explore more genres of literature to find what they enjoy. For example, in the last couple years of high school, I have really gotten into the horror/mystery genres of book which is the reason I chose The Shining as my ISU novel. The fact that I had read The Shining before...
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...Is Bilbo a leader whenever Gandalf is away? The dwarves would never have made it to the Lonely Mountain without Bilbo. Bilbo is the one who killed the spiders and freed the dwarves from their webs. He is the one who led their escape from the Elven palace. The hobbit shows creativity and confidence throughout the journey. Both of those are characteristics of a leader. Bilbo is definitely a leader when Gandalf is away. Bilbo killed the spiders and freed the dwarves from their webs. The dwarves would never have made it to the Lonely Mountain if Bilbo had lacked the courage to fight the spiders. The group would have been eaten by the spiders. Bilbo demonstrates confidence while fighting and killing the spiders. Bilbo also exhibits creativity....
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...enjoyed The Hobbit, I again dragged my feet before beginning The Lord of the Rings. For inexplicable reasons, I thought that The Hobbit may have been good, but The Lord of the Rings could not be. I read the back cover and scoffed at the name Frodo, wondering who this Bilbo imposter could be. He was clearly no match for Bilbo, who had helped Thorin's company reclaim their homeland. Hesistantly, I began The Fellowship of the Ring. It took me an equal amount of time, if not longer, to take an interest in the book. Once I did, the book sucked me in, even more than The Hobbit had. Halfway through The Two Towers, I was completely in love with The Lord of the Rings trilogy. By the time I had finished The Return of the King, my love for the works of J. R. R. Tolkien was beyond words. After reading the works of Tolkien, I found myself completely obsessed with Middle Earth. Even more, I wanted to inspire people the way his books had inspired me. With the incredible themes of hope, courage, love, and perseverance in impossible circumstances, I personally was inspired at a whole new level. It took me quite some time, but I eventually realized I wanted to become an author. Now let me be blunt; not a year prior to this realization, I hated all writing with my entire being. If I could avoid it in any manner, I would. This probably does not give justice to the amount of willpower it took to get me to actually write. My mother can attest to my hatred. Despite my revolution, I did nothing about it until...
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