...Simmons Case Study In the year 2001, the Simmons Bedding Company was experiencing economic difficulties, which needed to be addressed for the company to maintain operation. Charlie Eitel, CEO of Simmons made the decision that the company had to make changes to its culture. A major change Charles Eitel contemplated was implementing the Great Game of Life (GGOL) program into the company. Introducing the GGOL program into the company will bring about positive changes to the company that will boost employee morale, employee performance, and subsequently improve the Simmons’ company. Simmons Background The Simmons Bedding Company is one of the biggest mattress and bed related products manufacturer in the United States. Simmons was founded in 1870, when Zalmon G. Simmons opened his first factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The company’s ability to mass produce beds since 1875 enabled the company to grow into one of the biggest companies in the United States (Casciaro & Edmonson, 2007). In the year 2001, The Simmons Company was facing hard times. It had lost three major customers, the US economy was suffering, and Simmons had to get rid of foam using for bed cushioning because it was bad inventory. In addition, Charles Eitel the CEO had discovered that there was friction between manufacturing plants and low morale throughout many of the company factories. Charles Eitel wanted to make significant changes to the culture of the Simmons Company. One of changes that has been debated is whether...
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...Concepts Professor Camilla Craig Mat 27th, 2016 Russell Simmons has three core leadership qualities that have helped him to become the successful CEO that he is. A common trait that most successful leaders often have is their commitment to accomplishing goals. Russell Simmons is widely known as the father of hip-hop, who embodies these qualities. Russell Simmons wears many hats and is involved in several different business ventures. He co-founded Def Jam Records which he made $100 million dollars by selling Def Jam to Universal Music Group. Then Simmons found the companies Argyleculture, American Classics, and Phat Farm. Russell Simmons is not just a business owner he is a successful author, who is most famously known for his bestselling book Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success. One of the leadership qualities that Russell Simmons personifies is emotional intelligence. When Russell Simmons talks about working with executives and artist, he always emphasizes the importance of everyone being happy in the deal (Harvard Business Review). Simmons made it very clear that his business success comes from starting businesses based on needs that exist. Due to Russell Simmons being aware of the fact that a need exist is an accurate indicator of an emotionally intelligent leader. The second leadership quality that Russell Simmons has is a positive attitude. Russell Simmons believes and advocates that having a positive attitude, openness...
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...Russell Simmons has been successful because he turned an idea into an opportunity. Mariotti and Glackin (2013) states while Russell attend college he saw an opportunity in the underground music genre Hip-hop (p.154). From that moment on Russell knew he could capitalize off hip-hop. Not only did Russell take a chance on an opportunity, he formed a great record label with his friend Rick Rubin called Def Jam Records. However his success did not stop there Russell went on to create a clothing line, Rush Communications and many other ventures. With his knowledge of street entrepreneurship and the philosophy of “keeping it real” (p.154-155), Russell Simmons was able to promote his ventures with great success, making him one of the biggest entrepreneurs ever. Marketing a business can be a challenge; you must know what the people want and how to deliver what they need. Targeting a market that will buy your product is very important. For Russell Simmons his target market was geared toward his surroundings, urban youth. Jennifer Reingold (2003) illustrates “He is not a man who made it big and then abandoned his roots but rather one who is still as comfortable on the streets of the inner city as he has become on Wall Street”. Within that statement one can conclude that Russell Simmons targeted a culture he is familiar with and still associates with while achieving success. The urban youths and Russell Simmons shared the same beliefs of staying authentic and telling the truth...
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...Jeff Shields New Venture Creation – DuVal Russell Simmons – Case Study 1) Early on, Simmons decided that he wanted to make his own way in the world. He wanted to live a fast-paced life and call his own shots. Even though he did not like school, he still enrolled at the City College of New York as a sociology major. 2) The target market that Simmons is trying to appeal to is that of urban teens and young adults. He understood that his target market valued authenticity and “keeping it real”. In his words, “You have to tell the truth. It endears you to the community. The people can smell the truth, and they’re a lot smarter than the people who put the records out.” 3) By growing up while being heavily influenced by hip hop music and culture, Simmons had a distinct advantage in reaching out to and understanding his target market.; as he is/was one of that target market. This is advantages for him because he can know and understand what artist and styles will make it big when it reaches the public due to his experience in hip hop music and culture. This can also be a limitation, because he may not have as much experience in other cultures and music styles, thereby limiting him strictly to hip hop and preventing him from spreading his musical venture. 4) Hold a charity basketball game in the New York City community that features appearances from professional athletes. The market research necessary to ensure that it would be a success would be researching...
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...aggressive marketing—and sales—of their beds is a dream come true for the bedding industry: Simmons Bedding Company, which makes mattresses for Westin, as well as for Four Seasons and many other chains, has seen its market share triple in the past decade. Selling Sleep Goes High-Tech April 2015 Synopsis: Seeking to help RSAs simplify and streamline the selling process, Atlanta-based Simmons has created a three-part, in-store tech package as part of its SIMposium retail sales initiative. The new digital tools include an online information hub called SleepSells.com; a virtual reality app called SIMulator that enables users to “see” inside Simmons mattresses; and Wright’s RetaiLive program, which provides instant access to Simmons-related content via mobile devices. Previewed at the winter Las Vegas Market, SleepSells.com is a one-stop information hub for the retail sales community. The site houses a multimedia mix of information that RSAs can leverage to strengthen their sales pitches. Content includes behind-the-scenes looks at Simmons’ emerging products and technologies, insights on industry and consumer trends relating to sleep and wellness, and updates on retail best practices. Sharing and comment features will allow for two-way conversation among RSAs, Simmons’ Retail Account Specialists and company decision-makers. The site went live in February. During the winter Las Vegas Market, Simmons also announced that a new virtual reality version of the SIMulator app would be available...
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...Roper v. Simmons | March 4 2013 | Criminal Justice 245 | Mr. Cashdollar | Roper v. Simmons I. Introduction This paper will address the Roper v. Simmons 543 U.S551 (2005); it will specifically address the arrest, trial and the legal issues that arose. It will explain and identify the holdings of the lower courts and it will explain and identify the decision of the U.S Supreme Court. II. The Facts Christopher Simmons, who was seventeen years old, and two of his friends by the name of Charles Benjamin(fifteen years old) and John Tessmer (sixteen years old) had a detailed conversation about committing a murder. Christopher Simmons had a premeditated plan to which included, burglary (breaking and entering), robber and murder. Simmons wanted to bond and tie the victim and discard them off the bridge. Simmons convinced his two friends that they would not be convicted for these acts because they are still considered juveniles (under the age of eighteen). On September 9th at approximately 2 a.m. met up with each other to carry out Simmons plan to murder the victim. Tessmer, left the group after changing his mind, shortly after they met up. Simmons and Benjamin still decided to carry out the plan; they broke into the victim’s home by reaching through an open window and unlocking the back door. While they were in the Simmons turned on the hall light which woke up the owner. Shirley Crook asked “Who’s there?” Simmons followed the voice and went to her bedroom. Upon...
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...1. Russell Simmons has been successful as a media mogul because he was presented an idea/opportunity to create a dynamic business in the music/clothing industry and he jumped on it without second thought. With the help of Rick Rubin, he was able to dedicate his intelligence and skills in these industries to become one of the most well known entrepreneurs today. Since day one he has had a keen sense of what urban youth wanted and has stayed true to “keeping it real.” At the time, hip hop was an underground genre that Russell Simmons was able to deliver to the ears of all who wanted to tune it. 2.) In all of his business endeavors, Russell Simmons has targeted urban youth. This target values authenticity and that’s what Russell Simmons delivers. Through hand selected artists and his Phat Farm clothing line, Russell Simmons has emulated the true meaning of “real.” 3.) Growing up surrounded by hip-hop culture, Russell had an advantage in the marketplace by understanding first-hand what his peers and predecessors wanted that weren’t available at the time. He realized that he could generate revenue through rap; an underground genre that had not yet taken flight, and generate a style that urban youth felt most comfortable with. He was able to give urban youth around the world the music they idolized and the clothes they preferred to wear. 4.) Brainstorm a business ideA business idea I would pitch to Russell Simmons would be creating apps. Applications have become very popular now-a-days...
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...Russell “Rush” Simmons began his trip to being hip hop’s main man in the late 1970’s. Through hard work, struggle and determination, he achieved things that a young entrepreneur only dreamed of. By promoting early hall of fame group Run DMC, in which one member of the group is Simmons’ brother Joseph “Run” Simmons. Throughout the years, Russell Simmons has taken Hip Hop to great lengths in our economy and in African American Business. Russell Simmons was born October 4, 1957 in Queens New York. He was an excellent student through grade school and made his was to CCNY-Harlem to study in sociology. This is where he found his passion for music. In the late 1978, Russell began using his spare time to promote some early hip hop block parties and club shows around Harlem and Queens. Often, he would promote these parties with his friend Curtis Walker, who later adopted the name Kurtis Blow, who is another Hip Hop icon. Russell later became his manager and co-wrote the 1979 single “Christmas Rappin’”. By this time Russell had dropped out of college and pursued artist management as a full-time gig. This is when Rush Productions was born. During this time the country was in over $700 billion dollars in debt and personal bankruptcies were constantly rising, Russell found a way to do what he loved and make an income doing it. In the beginning of the 1980s, Russell took his younger brother, Joseph Simmon’s, group as his clients and they then became Run-D.M.C. Over the next...
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...Critical Argument Analysis Gabriel Martinez ENG/215 November 9, 2015 Professor Stephanie Critical Argument Analysis “There’s not a man that can’t be thrown, not a horse that can’t be rode, a bull that can’t be stopped, there’s not a disco that I Coke La Rock can’t rock”. (DJ Coke La Rock 1973) This line spoken by Coke La Rock was the birth of rap and hip-hop music. This one bar made Coke La Rock the very first rapper in Hip-Hop and birthed a new genre of music, we now know today as Rap music. John McWhorter, Opio Lumumba Sokoni, and Desi K. Robinson all have written about their different views and opinions on the good the bad and the ugly of rap music. They all offer different arguments on the effects of rap music. Rap music began as a way for black families to focus on bringing families together and uplifting each other’s spirits in times of heartache and pain. However, now since its humble beginnings so much has changed and developed but the spirit of its heart and soul stays the same. John McWhorter argues in his article, “Mean StreetsTheater,” (2003) on the negativity of rap music and the violence that it promotes. He argues that the violence of rap music is causing the rappers to be murdered. He goes on to say that not only are rappers being murdered but also they’re being murdered in front of their children, exposing their children to the violence. Today in our society many agree with his point of view and are causing...
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...Simmons Laboratories Case Study Simmons Laboratories is an organization that takes a strong approach on small teams to solve problems in studies. The organization has a project head, Dr. William Goh, who sets up the teams to work on a project. Simmons Laboratories team leader for the Photon Correlator is Brandon Newbridge. Newbridge took pride in his achievements of moving up quickly through the ranks at Simmons Laboratories and kept one thing in mind, Dr. Goh telling him “The sky is the limit for anyone who can produce!” This was all threatened by Lester Zapf. Dr. Goh suggested Lester Zapf work on Newbridge’s team to get him familiar with the research and organization. Newbridge noticed Zapf’s competence of the research, some of which Zapf compared to his own research. However, this also made Newbridge feel threatened and in turn, he did not really want Zapf on his team but agreed nonetheless. Often, Newbridge would stay late and look over the research. He felt challenged when Zapf also stayed late and read over the previous reports. Newbridge’s immediate thought was Zapf would find a problem in the reports, however, Zapf only provided positive feedback. Following further review, Zapf found some issues with previous experiments and wanted to present these in a small group meeting rather than the normal morning meeting. During the meeting, Zapf became fond of the team’s mathematician, Link. In the first meeting since discussing Zapf’s findings, Newbridge had stated there had...
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...1. Both Iam Charlotte Simmons and Schooldaze were based on college experiences. Charlotte Simmons is a naive and innocent young woman who wins a scholarship to elite Dupont University. College is a rude awakening for Charlotte. Instead of being a bastion of research and scholarship, athletic, fraternity, and alumni concerns trump everything else at Dupont University. It is awash in beer and sex, and at the top of the pile of corruption is the basketball program, where cheating and fake courses run rampant. Charlotte's innocence and purity don't stand a chance against this background, and her story mirrors a society undone by fame and money. In the movie Schooldaze it was all dream based on Spike Lee's experiences at Atlanta's Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University, it is a story about fraternity and sorority members clashing with other students at a historically black college during homecoming weekend. It also touches upon issues of real and perceived racism within the African-American community. 2. Social scientists frequently note that "early marriage" is the No. 1 predictor of divorce. Additionally, the average student graduating today has about $23,000 in debt, and money problems don't exactly help a marriage. With that being said the movie was showing that when you get married and have money problems it will most of the time lead to divorce or problems in the home. In Perry’s movie the objective is to convey a message to the viewers that all the...
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...ability to succeed, a desire for immediate feedback, a high level of energy, skill at organizing, and value of achievement over money. There are many reasons why someone may take this path but the bottom-line is this person has a strong will and determination to succeed. The leading entrepreneurs I have chosen are Mary Kay Ash and Russell Simmons. Russell Simmons is a business mogul, activist, best-selling author and he is owner and founder of RUSH Communications. RUSH Communications is a leading multi-faceted holding company with investments in well-known and respected brands in three industry segments: entertainment and media; fashion and lifestyle; and empowerment. RUSH Communications, Inc. includes a management company, the hip-hop record label Def Jam, and the sneaker company Run Athletics. He is also the founder of the clothing lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and American Classics. Some of Simmons other ventures include a film and television production company, Simmons Lathan Media Group, Unirush Financial Services, Simmons Jewelry Company, and GlobalGrind.com. Rush Communications is currently worth approximately $340 million. Simmons leads in a situational approach style. His style adapts to the situation and he is able to use different leadership styles to get many different jobs done. He uses his democratic style to receive input from his employees on what they feel consumers want and need. He uses this information to make sound business decisions to keep his companies...
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...IKEA Case Study – Alan B. BalesWeek 21. What are IKEA's competitive priorities? IKEA’s corporate mantra is to have “Low Price with Meaning”. In other words,their desire is to manufacture and present a product that is both functionallysound and inexpensive at the same time. Notice, I did not use the word “cheap”or inexpensively manufactured using sub-standard materials with untested orquestionable processes. They strive to make things less expensive without evermaking customers feel “cheap”. To accomplish this, IKEA has to maintain abalance between design, manufacturing, and distribution. 2. Describe IKEA's process for developing a new product. The team behind a new product at IKEA consists of designers, productdevelopers, and purchasers of materials who get together to discuss overalldesign, materials and suitable suppliers. Each specialist contributes theirknowledge. For example, a buyer will use their contacts with suppliers all overthe world through the IKEA Trading Services office to determine who can makethis at the best quality for the right price and at the right time. This process is acollaborative effort and takes into account everything from colors to selling priceon the floor of an IKEA store. It is not corporately mandated design; it is design bycommittee if you will. 3. What are additional features of the IKEA concept (beyond their design process)that contribute to creating exceptional value for the customer? IKEA’s model also creates additional value by working...
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...TEXAS WOMAN’S UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS (v. 2014 02 05) Semester: Spring 2 | Year: 2014 | Course Prefix: BUS | Course Number: 5433.62 | Course Title: Managerial Accounting | Course Description and Overview:The success of all business organizations requires the use of accounting concepts and practices. Accounting provides key data to managers for planning and controlling as well as for costing products, services and customers. In order to be an effective manager, one must understand the basics of both financial and managerial accounting. This course is designed to help the manager better understand the basics of financial statements and how managers use accounting data to plan, control and make decisions.Per TWU Graduate Catalog 2012-2014: Use of accounting information in decision-making; statement of changes in financial position; budgets, responsibility accounting, and quantitative techniques. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours. http://www.twu.edu/gradschool/graduate-catalog.aspSee TWU Web Advisor for officially published Location and Dates for this course: Click on the "Class Schedules" link found at the TWU Home page. Then at the bottom click on “Search for Classes”. Then enter the identification information for this class. Click “Submit”. Official Location & Meeting dates are found printed in Red Ink there. | ------------------------------------------------- Meets Core Curriculum Requirements Faculty Contact...
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...Leading Change at Simmons with the GGOL Simmons Opportunity to Roll Out the GGOL Program William A. Owen MGMT 6351 Dr. Donna Stringer 10/16/14 Executive Summary The following case anlaysis has been conducted on the Harvard Business Review’s Leading Change at Simmons article. The analysis intends to present the situation at Simmons during 2001 and some key management decisions to consider that would positively decide the organization’s fate. There are several challenges facing Simmons, both within and beyond the organization’s control, that will require a visionary to help navigate them to success. This paper takes the position that the newly appointed CEO of Simmons, Charlie Eitel, can convince the shareholders to invest in culture change for Simmons and positively build the organization’s value. In an effort to provide objective analysis and empirically based recommendations, the analysis has followed a methodology that presents some important organizational theoreis pertaining to the situation with Simmons, as well as insight into goals, risk, and capabilities. Following that analysis will be a set of reommendations for how to implement the goals into plans that could achieve the desired results, namely convincing the investors to allow Eitel to roll out the costly Great Game Of Life program and rebuild the company from its core. Case Overview Simmons is currently one of the top mattress firms in the U.S. and has been repeatedly recognized as...
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