...Toyota’s identification or focus on becoming the world’s leading car company was materialized in 2012 when they achieved record sales ahead of Volkswagen and GM which followed closely behind. The car industry however is one characterized by volatility and is highly susceptible to shocks or any slight change in the environment. Competition as well is extremely aggressive, car companies each day fight to be and stay at the top. Competitive advantage is usually short-lived thus Toyota has to constantly be looking for new ways of maintaining their competitive advantage. Their strategy, as highlighted in the case began with a focus on North America in the 1980s and 1990s where the company gained competitive advantage by emphasizing quality with lower manufacturing costs as opposed to their US counterparts. Toyota, continuing into the 1990s shifted its focus slightly to the European market, however they were criticized for designing reliable, yet ‘dull’ cars. The European consumer is deemed to be more style conscious and therefore this early approach by Toyota did not serve the company well. They changed their approach when they introduced the Yaris specifically for the European market which became somewhat of a success. The Toyota Production System has resulted in its success in lowering factory costs tremendously and achieving economies of scale. Strong supplier relationships, effective marketing and strong branding have also contributed tremendously to the company’s success....
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...ASSIGNMENT ON THE DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT OF BUSINESS Submitted To: Mr. Ruhual Amin Faculty Member, BRAC University Submitted By: Iffat Zarin Khan ID No: 15364042 MBA, BRAC University Subject Name: Business Environment Subject Code: BUS503 Date of Submission: 8-12-15 Review and Discussion Questions 1. What is meant by an “ageing population”? Examine some of the key ways in which an ageing population can affect the supply side of the economy? Answer: Population ageing is a phenomenon that occurs when the median age of a country or region rises due to rising life expectancy and/or declining fertility rates. Aging of population (also known as demographic aging, and population aging) is a summary term for shifts in the age distribution (i.e., age structure) of a population toward older ages. A direct consequence of the ongoing global fertility transition (decline) and of mortality decline at older ages, population aging is expected to be among the most prominent global demographic trends of the 21st century. Population aging is progressing rapidly in many industrialized countries, but those developing countries whose fertility declines...
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...Executive Summary Nike manufactures and markets sports apparel and equipment on a global scale. They operate in 160 different countries, and have revenues of $18.6 billion. Yet, they are a growth company. Without any significant acquisition, they have consistently grown revenues and profits over the past several years by shifting emphasis on brands they own in growth sectors. Nike’s marketing strategy revolved around two concepts – premium positioning and everyone with a body is an athlete. These concepts drive their strategies, including endorsements from the world’s most popular athletes, and the development of products for both the serious athlete and the mass market. Financially, Nike is strong. They are liquid and are on a steady growth trajectory. They are, however, underleveraged. The company derives significant strength from its global production and logistics network. Despite this, the company faces many threats, both competitive and economic. Nike is well-positioned to defend against these threats. Their move into growth sectors of the market shows savvy. It is recommended that their convoluted organizational structure to reduce operational duplication. They should also adjust their capital structure to make it more efficient. It may also be time for Nike to make a major acquisition, capitalizing on slumping equity markets to strengthen their defenses against economic downturn and competitive threats. If Nike is able to make these adjustments and strategic...
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...basic beliefs that govern individual and group behaviour in an organization. * Michael Porter’s Model * Low Cost Provider Strategy: Low cost - in demand in the market * Broad Differential Strategy: High cost - in demand in the market * Best Cost Provider Strategy: Low/High cost - in demand in the market * Focus Niche Low Cost * Focus Niche Broad Differentiation * Competitive Advantage - the characteristics of a firm that enable to earn higher profits that its competitors * Tangible Assets - easiest to value and the only ones that appear on the company’s balance sheet, such as land, raw materials, location and cash * Intangible Assets - these assets are not consumed, and may even grow in value and include company reputation, brands and patents. * Capabilities - a complex combination of people and processes which represent the firm’s capacity to deploy resources that have been purposely integrated to achieve...
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...this program allows employers to hire employees in occupations that usually require at most a high school diploma or a maximum of 2 years of job specific training. Visas maybe issued for 24 months. Employers are required to cover recruitment and return airfare costs, to ensure that suitable accommodation is available, to provide medical coverage until the employee is covered under a provincial plan and to sign an employee/employer contract. The work permit is issued with reference to a specific employer. Employees generally work in sectors such as cleaning, hospitality, manufacturing, oil and gas and construction. (Elgersma, 2007) Tim Hortons "is a company that a lot of Canadians identify with and it is very proudly a Canadian brand," says Howard Ramos, an associate professor of sociology at Dalhousie University in Halifax. "But it's also a company that is a pioneer in hiring temporary foreign workers and so for this reason I think it's important to highlight Tim Hortons as an exemplar of how the temporary foreign worker program has changed and expanded. (Davison, 2012) The temporary foreign worker program has man is a resort companies use to hiring as they will have exhausted all other avenues for finding employees locally. It is a great program mainly for foreign workers who come and work in Canada and if they like it here they can apply for permanent residency. Unlike immigrants, temporary foreign workers come to Canada on restrictive visas and do not have the rights...
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...production method. We believe the entrance of this new competition will have a significant impact on the sustainability of Sealed Air potentially reducing sales by 55% and eliminating 40% of 1980 EBIT (see exhibit for backup). Given the significant impact we feel Sealed Air must employ a defensive strategy and start production of uncoated bubbles. Sealed Air can use a current production process which would allow them to effectively compete with the new competition requiring no additional capital. Company Analysis Sealed Air produces 2 main products (see exhibit for product breakdown, sales and market share) and also licenses to Astro its patented technology to produce coated and uncoated bubbles. Sealed Air’s core strengths include 1) 1st to market and leader in R&D, innovation and technical development, 2) best trained sales staff in industry, and 3) premium pricing position 4) patented manufacturing process for sealed bubbles. Significant weaknesses include 1) limited resources, 2) having premium products aimed at niche segments of the protective packaging customers, 2) lots of cheap competition and lack of easily demonstrable universal superiority confusing end users. Deciding to start manufacturing uncoated bubbles does not significantly leverage Sealed Air core competencies and is inconsistent with current company culture and organizational image. Exhibit 2 shows key competencies and the positive of negative impact of starting production of uncoated bubbles. ...
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...Common Principles and Practices Used to Successfully Manage the 21st Century Technology-Intensive Organization Sudheer Bhogadi CWID : 50154553 Assignment #1 TMGT 510 01E Management of Technology in Organizations Presented to: Dr. Jerry D. Parish, Professor of Technology Management Date October 11th, 2015 Department of Engineering & Technology Abstract Looking at the Features between the old and the new. New Technology vs. Old Technology. We have reshaped the innovation of the past's. Many components are performed at a touch of a bottom. The capacity of today's innovation has far exceeded yesterday's. According to Cary(2012) now-a-days organizations are "focusing on efficiency, cost reducing and growth" in the present world. Organizations over the territorial and volume range have embraced an arrangement of assembling ideas got from both mass and incline generation ideal models, and the late influx of union implies that territorial examinations can never again be made without considering the complexities affected by the different possession structure and plenty of worldwide joint efforts. In this part we audit these flow and propose a twofold helix model showing how the premise of rivalry has moved from expense administration amid the prime of Passage's unique large scale manufacturing, to mixed bag and decision taking after Sloan's portfolio system, to enhancement through administration in outline, innovation or assembling incredibleness, which denote the current...
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...2,697 (Included picture/chart in-text citations) | Bachelor of Commerce Program Assignment Cover Page BUSM3311: International Business Name: Vu Tran Hoang Anh | Student ID: s3343719 | SABECO | BUSINESS REPORT | Contents BACKGROUND OF COMPANY 2 AUSTRALIAN MARKET BACKGROUND 4 Market overview 4 Market opportunity 7 COMPETITORS 8 BUSINESS MODEL CONSIDERATION 9 International Joint Venture (IJV) 9 Exporting 10 Wholly Owned Subsidiaries (WOS) 10 PEST ANALYSIS 11 Political 11 Economics 11 Social 12 Technology 13 CRITICAL RISK 14 CONCLUSION 14 REFERENCE LIST 15 BACKGROUND OF COMPANY Saigon Beer Alcohol and Beverage Corporation (SABECO) has a developing history going along with the raise of the brand Saigon Beer. SABECO was officially established in 2003 and the head office is located in 06 Hai Ba Trung Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Before officially getting in with the current name of SABECO, company had been through several stages of developing and merging. In 1977, Southern Beer Alcohol Company took in charge Cho Lon Beer Company from BGI and then established Saigon Beer Company. In the years from 1988 to 1993, company had 20 branches over Vietnam and took up Saigon Ice Cube Manufacturing Factory, Dakai Mineral Water Factory, Saigon CarnaudMetalbox Joint-venture Company (tin can manufacturer) and Vietnam Malaya Glass Joint-venture...
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...A REPORT ON MARKETING & BRANDING OF BAJAJ PULSAR DTSi SUBMITTED BY: Krishna Prasad Sheena Bansal BAJAJ ‘Hamara Naya Bajaj’ Bajaj Auto came into existence on November 29, 1945 as M/s Bachraj Trading Corporation Private Limited. It started off by selling imported two- and three-wheelers in India. In 1959, it obtained license from the Government of India to manufacture two- and three-wheelers and it went public in 1960. In 1970, it rolled out its 100,000th vehicle. In 1977, it managed to produce and sell 100,000 vehicles in a single financial year. In 1985, it started producing at Waluj in Aurangabad. In 1986, it managed to produce and sell 500,000 vehicles in a single financial year. In 1995, it rolled out its ten millionth vehicle and produced and sold 1 million vehicles in a year. Bajaj Auto is a major Indian automobile manufacturer. It is India's largest and the world's 4th largest two- and three-wheeler maker. It is based in Pune, Maharashtra, with plants in Waluj near Aurangabad, Akurdi and Chakan, near Pune. Bajaj Auto makes and exports motorscooters, motorcycles and the auto rickshaw. It is widely believed that Bajaj is headed for a de-merger into 2 separate companies: Bajaj Auto and Bajaj Finance. The Forbes Global 2000 list for the year 2005 ranked Bajaj Auto at 1946. [pic] Key Highlights • The total...
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...Starbucks in Cambodia Introduction Globalization, a process of international integration from the interchange of world views, products, ideas and cultures which can benefit all countries that embrace international trade. With the right strategy to involve in international trade, a country can successfully grow economically, as well as socially. Cambodia is a country located at the central of Southeast Asia, with population of over 14.8 million people. With an open investment policy, Cambodia offers opportunities for creative entrepreneurs and dynamic businesses. It is evident through her rapid development and strong, positive growth over the last 15 years. It provides opportunities for foreign investment. In this paper, we will discuss the global coffee company-Starbucks Corporation and its potential expansion into Cambodian market. Starbucks Corporation is an American global coffee company and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks has developed an internationalization strategy to enable the company to open stores and franchises in countries across the globe. They provide unique tasting products and have improvised the recipe of traditional coffee according to modern tastes. While Starbucks was very successful in its domestic market, the leaders of the company sees the potential of foreign markets and planned to expand its business to foreign countries through globalization in order to fully utilize the potential that the company had. In 2003, Starbucks...
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...Activity 19.1 − answer provided on Student’s CD-ROM. Activity 19.2 (page 374): Zumo the energy drink 1 As a business analyst, write a report to Zumposa’s board of directors recommending an appropriate marketing strategy for this product in your country. It should contain: explanations of global marketing and localisation; advantages and disadvantages of both strategies for this product in your country; details of the changes you would recommend for the marketing strategy in your country. Don’t forget that your marketing strategy should be integrated. [20] Advantages Global marketing: A pan-global marketing strategy adopts common products, branding and promotional campaigns across the world. Disadvantages • There will be economies • The brand name may • • • of scale as the product is the same in each country. Therefore, purchasing economies of scale can be utilised. No need for different flavours of Zumo. Promotional costs will be reduced as the same advertising is used everywhere – thus no need to commission different adverts in different countries. Advertising already used in Spain can simply be translated for other markets. The economy is increasingly globalised and there are fewer and fewer differences between tastes in countries around the world. The product may benefit from a common global identity. This has worked well for Coca Cola. • • • not be suitable in all countries, e.g. Plop, a popular Swedish chocolate bar, would struggle in the UK market. Does this apply...
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...Employee Engagement Definition of Employee engagement Emotional Employee engagement is a concept whereby an employee feels an emotional attachment to their employers and the goals and values the employer holds. There doesn’t appear to be a definitive description of employee engagement, but most agree that the emotional attachment is a key element to being an engaged employee. “The term employee engagement has gained considerable popularity in the past 20 years yet it remains inconsistently defined and conceptualized”, Shuck B & Wollard K (2010) - Human Resource Development Review. This emotional attachment could be described as a passion for the organisation and their part in it and a feeling that they can make a difference. “Engagement is about passion and commitment-the willingness to invest oneself and expand one’s discretionary effort to help the employer succeed, which is beyond simple satisfaction with the employment arrangement or basic loyalty to the employer”, BlessingWhite, 2008; Erickson, 2005; Macey and Schnieder ,2008. Definitions of Employee Engagement often contain references to other related concepts, such as Job Satisfaction and Organisational Commitment and indeed, an engaged employee will often exhibit these traits, but they in themselves do not define employee engagement. Employee Engagement is a two way bilateral relationship, whereas Job Satisfaction and Employee Commitment tend to concentrate on what the employee is providing to the employer...
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...1.1 Recommendations 5 2.2.1 Recommendations 6 2.3.1 Recommendations 7 2.4 Empowerment Programs 8 2.4.1 Recommendations 8 2.5 Stakeholder-Consumers 9 2.5.1 Recommendations 10 3.0 Conclusion 11 4.0 References 12 1.0 Introduction Nike is a very famous and successful corporation in the world. It is originally founded by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman in January 25, 1964. Nike is a market leader of sportswear and gear and it is also enjoys possessing more than 47% market share around the world. (About Nike - The official corporate website for NIKE, Inc. and its affiliate brands., 2015) Nike’s mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete. According to Bill Bowerman, “If you have a body, you are an athlete”. Besides that, Nike’s corporate responsibility mission is to help the company to achieve profitable and sustainable growth and to protect and enhance the brand and company. Besides that, Nike’s corporation has over 700 shops around the world and it has many offices in 45 countries outside the United States. Most of the factories are located at Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Thailand and etc. Nike produces wide range of sports equipment. The first product which produces by Nike was the track running shoes. Nike was currently made shoes, jerseys, shorts and etc. Nike has recently introduced cricket shoes “Air Zoom Yorker”, designed to be 30% lighter than their competitors. In 2008, Nike introduced the Air Jordan XX3...
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...its code of conduct and with Chinese law, including a program to monitor Olympics-related suppliers this year. Government attitude The Chinese government may have a love-hate relationship with the West — eager for Western technology yet threatened by democracy. Therefore, it is an disadvantage for Nike when expanding its business in China. But for Chinese consumers, Western goods mean one thing: status. China's biggest seller of athletic shoes, Li Ning, recently surrendered its top position to Nike, even though Nike's shoes — upwards of $100 a pair — cost twice as much. The new middle class "seeks Western culture," says Zhang Wanli, a social scientist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "Nike was smart because it didn't enter China selling usefulness, but selling status." Although the government might influence badly on Nike but the customer can protect this brand. Therefore, because of the influence of the Chinese...
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...broad strategy because it was a broad corporation. Circle Vision: Services (acquisition), Technology (leading edge), Core (re-invest in productivity) Support, Outside, Ventures. Internally wanted company “lean and agile,” chip away bureaucracy example laborious strategic planning system or budgeting process (targeted towards competitors), reducing hierarchical levels from 9 to 4 ensured all business reported directly to him Downsizing, de-staffing, de-layering 123,000 staff cut, operating profits rose dramatically, and set base for strong increase in sales and earnings for second half of decade (exhibit 5) Replace 12 of 14 business heads, called “Varsity Team,” all strong commitment to new management values, and willingness to break old culture, and ability to take charge and bring change. 2.What was Welch’s objective in the series of initiatives he launched in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s? What was he trying to achieve in the round of changes he put in motion in that period? Is there a logic or rationale supporting the change process? In the late 1980’s GE’s restructuring was complete. But still culture shock and...
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