...My strategy for SmartMart is to be a niche store and customize themselves to the local conditions. They should be a one stop shop for all the organic products and offer its customers a wide selection. SmartMart should continue with its exceptional customer service and should leverage its brand value to fight the competition from the existing niche store and new entrants. Introducing SmartMart's biofuel and exclusive Organic 2.0 label will help SmartMart differentiate itself in the market and have an edge over other organic retail chains. Securing an Organic 2.0 label from the FDA and government agencies will further add to the credibility of organic products one gets at SmartMart. This will also get SmartMart support from not only its existing customers but also from community members like environmentalist. SmartMart is a successful retail grocery store which focuses primarily on organic, healthy and environment friendly line of products. Its major customers are high end affluent people who seek rich customer service and price is a secondary concern for them. One of its major strength is brand loyalty. Its mission is to create a sustainable future by providing value for all its stakeholders and customers while contributing towards a greener environment and having a strong financial return. With the changing market trends, SmartMart anticipates a need to reassess its existing business model to succeed and maintain its competitive edge in the coming years. In scenario one, I suggest...
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...SmartMart Simulation February 4, 2015 SmartMart Simulation 1. Set out your overall strategy for SmartMart, explaining why you elected to follow this strategy, and how each decision you made contributed to this strategy. Scenario 1: Grow to Compete with Big-Box Mart: 50% of growth in the consumption of organics is driven by the offering of organics at low-cost producers, like Big-Box Mart. Hence, it is essential to compete in this space.The costs of implementing this aggressive growth strategy is significant and there is also a higher payoff. Store revenues are expected to jump from $3M annually to $30M. If SmartMart could retain its distinctive advantage, this strategy would be most profitable because margins would be slightly lower, but volume would increase almost 10 fold. There would a net lower environmental impact as there are efficiencies produced by centralizing the use of trucks and transportation. Moreover, giving the option of a one stop shop to customers would give the benefit of increased sales to SmartMart. Scenario 2: Introducing Bio-fuels: SmartMart has worked with leading researchers and scientists to find the optimal blend of bio-fuels and gasoline. This improved blend of fuel increases an average car's miles per gallon (MPG) by as much as 20%. By offering this innovation at select SmartMart stores, the company stands to gain from the increased revenues of fuel sales, as well as the increase in brand perception. SmartMart should move...
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...at 20% a year. SmartMart has been a dominant player in the organics market since the 1970s, and has benefited from the mainstream acceptance of the organic label. The label and standards adopted by the USDA and the FDA at the turn of the century, currently prevents foods containing additives, artificial and chemical processing, and genetic modification from using the label organic. The use of the label has allowed many suppliers and farmers to adopt organic practices (to varying degrees) and thus organics are now also available from many of SmartMart's low-cost competitors. For example, customers who used to buy meticulously cultivated blueberries from SmartMart can now purchase four times as many "organic" blueberries from Big-Box Mart for the same price. Other product lines are not immune to the disturbing trend and we are seeing the first signs of reduced profitability and decreasing projected growth in the organics segment for SmartMart. Researchers and scientists who work at SmartMart have created a new standard in organic practices which seeks to push the envelope on sustainable practices. Organics 2.0 is a new concept which surpasses the old standard in several ways: 1. In addition to additives and artificial processing, Organics 2.0 takes into account a product's carbon footprint. Currently there are organics being cultivated which actually increase CO2 emission. This new standard would print a Carbon Footprint number (based on a SmartMart Patented system)...
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...Student name: ________________________________ Student ID _______________________ York University Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies School of Administrative Studies AP/ADMS 4250 Marketing Strategy, Fall 2013 Instructor: A. Rusetski, Ph.D. EXAM 1: Case AP/ADMS 4250 Marketing Strategy Exam 1 Page 1 of 7 FIAT RETURNS TO CANADA1 A.RUSETSKI, PH.D F IGURE 1: A 2011 FIAT 500 On March 18, 2011 two hundred strange looking tiny cars lined up on the streets around the Quebec Business Centre. FIAT, a major European car manufacturer, was celebrating its return to Canada after 28 years of absence. This comeback became possible thanks to a partnership with one of the Detroit Big Three car manufacturers – Chrysler. From Montreal, columns of FIAT 500 cars paraded to designated Chrysler dealerships where FIAT opened its “FIAT Studios”. A number of important and at times sad developments led to this celebratory moment. Once a powerful player in the North American market, in early 2000s Chrysler Corporation was struggling with declining demand and decreasing market share. In 1998 the company “merged” with German Daimler Benz to form DaimlerChrysler AG. In fact, the German automotive giant took ownership of Chrysler, but after nine years the new owner acknowledged that the “marriage” was not successful and it could not improve Chrysler’s financial ...
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...companies lack the necessary transformational intelligence that is based on constant teaching and learning and the required power of empathy, which bring an increase level of sensitivity to signals changing. The main idea here is to identify change and its associated opportunities in order to become the competitive one and the only one. I am very much agreeing with change and how one can change the rules and not compete head-on. We have to take a look at case by case models of change and understand the quantifiable rate of production. Let’s take for example: the smart car or electric car. If we all agree, it makes sense for the environment to accept a smaller “smart car”, and we achieve 100% adoption as consumers, what happens to the tracking industry and the delivery of our consumptive goods? Are we now willing to transport goods because we have to transport them into smaller containers with less power? Can you imagine a smart car next to a diesel 18 wheeler? Are we willing to sacrifice the safety of our families for the cost of the maintenance of the environment? People are fundamentally selfish and will not voluntarily create a sea change unless they are forced to do so or unless there is no choice. Companies can identify the need to change with the associated opportunities to become the only competition but without government intervention to drive the change at a local global effort, the results are depressing. Blue Ocean is a fantastic way to look at familiar environments in...
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...Chapter 8: Use What You’ve Learned 1. Have you seen the new Smart car? If you have, you are probably part of the buzz that has been heard recently about this new concept car that has made it to the streets. The car seats two, is available in three different models, and costs between about $12,500 and $17,000. The most significant fact about the Smart car is that it gets about forty-five miles per gallon. That fact alone has become central to Smart car’s initial introduction to the driving public. Has “small” finally become better than “large, extralarge, and supersize”? The manufacturer of the Smart car is betting on it. Investigate the Smart car. Once this is done, construct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis for the Smart car. Evaluate the car’s likelihood of success. Strengths: The Smart car has many • Economically priced, beginning at just $12,500 • Small enough to park anywhere • Up to 45 mpg- good for the environment and your wallet • Customizable • 2. Is there a Chick-fil-A in your neighborhood? If there is, you’ve probably eaten at one of the fastest-growing food franchises in the southern United States (seehttp://www.chickfila.com). Chick-fil-A has a unique approach to running their business. Using the company’s Web site and search engines, your task is to investigate the Chick-fil-A organization in order to conduct a situation analysis. During your investigation be sure to comment on the perceived competitive situation...
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...CASE STUDY 3 CASE 10-2 The Smart Car by B. Renea Kosino 1. What is Smart’s competitive advantage? Its brand image? The Smart Car, made by DaimlerChrysler, offers a cost focus and focused differentiation. It brand image is very narrowly focused. Smart appeals to single people (or families with no children), who primarily do city driving and want a no frills automobile that is economical and eco-friendly. Some advantages that Smart brings to the table are as follows. First, the vehicle has an exceptional look that appeal to those who want to be unique. Next, this very small, but roomy vehicle makes city driving and tight parking easier. Subsequently, crash testing and safety experts consider Smart as an extremely safe vehicle. Moreover, its models are very fuel efficient at 35 mpg on average. In addition, this automobile’s low exhaust emissions earned an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) classification. These condition were essential in Smart being one of five automakers to receive Greenopia USA’s highest environmental rating (see attach1). Finally, the vehicle is very economical with the most basic vehicle starting at $12,000. 2. Assess the U.S. market potential for the Smart. Do you think the car will be a success? Why or why not? Smart Car is economical, unique, and eco-friendly. Generation Y (Gen Y) is a target market, which should be pursued because Gen Y’s, those born from 1977 to 1994 (1980-1995, depending on who you ask), is demographically...
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...overall. Explain your rationale. · From the e-Activity, asses the barriers to entry you foresee as the Smart for two EV expands into foreign markets to determine which will be the most difficult to overcome. Support your answer with examples or evidence. The cultural and social differences are factors that should be taken into consideration when deaing with issues of trade. Social and cultural differences brings the aspect of trade on a more personal level. Cultures are constantly changing and evolveing but few things stay the same such as lanuage, religion, and values. For a company to stay economically ahead of the curb they need to make sure that thier employees are familiar with international cultures. Empolyees will not only need to understand the culture but they will also need to be able to communicate in order to do business buiness internationally. The rules are duffult and there to protect, and it is the businesses responsiblity to have the proper people in place to understand how these rules affect thier business and the cultures they will be conductiong business. Barriers to entry for theSmart for two EV as it expands into different markets is the economic baarrier the product will face. The product has a lot of great features and well dsigned, however the price of an electric car versus a vechile that runs on gas is much more expensive. The frist model of the smart car did not result in high market sales. For example the US economy today is very unstable and with...
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...Brief History of RFID: RFID technology was invented in 1948, but it was not mainstreamed for commercial applications until the 1980s. One of its first known applications was during World War II, when it was used by the British radar system to differeniate between German aircraft and their own aircraft with attached radio transponders. Only recently, due to technology advances, have the price points dropped to where RFID is now feasible for companies to adopt. Wal-Mart was among the first commercial enterprises to select RFID technology to achieve improvements in the inventory supply process and theft control. Wal-Mart started the process of implementing RFID throughout its retail distribution chain by requiring its top 100 suppliers to use RFID tags by year-end 2004 on the pallets and cases they shipped to Wal-Mart. However, in 2004 due to the status of standards and limited tag production capabilities, manufacturers of RFID tags were unable to meet the volume of demand within Wal-Mart's desired time frame. As the standards further evolved, production capabilites expanded and price points kept dropping, Wal-Mart's implementation is now in full swing with most of their top suppliers delivering RFID tagged pallets and crates to all of Wal-Mart's distributions centers. RFID use has started to penetrate other corporate supply chains, but in many cases these implementions are closed loop systems. In other words, the RIFD is deployed within a particular corporation's supply...
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...Executive Summary The Smart car has been around for over 10 years; it is currently being manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. The car is incredibly small; the two-person model is only 2.5 meters long from front to back (half a meter shorter than a Mini Cooper). The doors make up three quarters of the car's length. It's almost as wide as it is tall. The Smart car is obviously very easy to park. The plastic body panels on the car are replaceable. You can change them after an accident, or whenever you want, even with a different colour. The seats apparently are quite comfortable, with sufficient legroom, and headroom is adequate for most passengers thanks to the car's tall stance. Assessment and Diagnosis In the late 1980s, SMH (makers of the Swatch brand of watches) CEO Nicolas Hayek began developing an idea for a new car using the same type of manufacturing strategies and personalization features used to popularize Swatch watches. He believed that the automotive industry had ignored a sector of potential customers who wanted a small and stylish city car. This idea soon became known as the "Swatchmobile". Hayek's private company Hayek Engineering AG began designing the new car for SMH, with seating for two and a hybrid drive train. Analysis of Change Strategy: Nicolas Hayek, the CEO used a transformational Change strategy which involves radically rethinking and redesigning a major business process with the objective of achieving large-scale improvements in overall business...
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... I do not dream about over the line expensive cars, I dream about a car that fits both my current and future needs as well as what’s best for the planet. My dream car is a Smart fortwo Brabus. This is my dream car because for eight reasons. Those reasons include style, high gas mileage, maneuvers well, the comfortable feeling, easy to clean, I don't have to take someone who I don't want in my car, the storage compartment in the back and technology. I have a car which is named Chevrolet Geo-Metro which was introduced in 1992. It is not a car many teens who be happy to say they own. I have seen many different cars but this car is something different. This car has an engine of 3-Cyl, 1.0 Liter with the 55-79 horsepower and 58-75 lb. of torque. This Geo-Metro has some smooth features in it such as the hard roof, seatbelts that are connected to the windows and its unique shape which gives an edgy look. In addition, the Chevrolet Geo-Metro has manual gears in it. It can catch the speed of 55 mph in a matter of seconds. The fastest car ever right? I know that maybe slow to others. But nowadays there are faster and bigger cars than the Geo-Metro. I have a dream of having a Smart fortwo Brabus in my driveway. The Smart fortwo Brabus is an electric car but yet has a "Save the Earth" vibe. The Smart fortwo Brabus is an absolute beauty. It has both a sporty but yet classy look. Its sporty look makes it popular and trendy. It is something that a young person such as me, would...
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...we are going to focus on. Since one could write a many page paper just on how the technology works, this paper will focus on how it works in simple terms, and the pro’s and con’s of this technology. NFC is a wireless technology used by manufacturers such as Philips or Sony. It makes it possible to establish communication between two objects, for example a mobile device and a base that has been equipped with an ad hoc antenna. NFC is both a read and write technology. In each connection there must be one reader devide and one writer device so that the appropriate exchange of data can be established. In writer or “card emulator” mode, the device replaces physical cards – contactless or other - normally used. Examples being credit cards, smart cards, even SIM cards in your cell phone. In reader mode; holding the device near a compatible tag, it can retrieve information that enables you to access contextual information broadcasting services (Gizmodo). Several types of usages are possible with NFC technology. In “card-emulation” mode, the device can host virtual payment cards and enable the user to...
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...Essay Week 2 Daniel Farella I.T.T. Technical Institute Author Note: This essay is being submitted on 5/9/2013 for Earl Robinson intorduction to security class. Essay week 2 * The remote access control policy consists of * Group membership * Type of connection * Time of day * Authentication methods * Advanced conditions: * Access server identity * Access client phone number or MAC address * Whether user account dial-in properties are ignored * Whether unauthenticated access is allowed After the connection is authorized, remote access policies can also be used to specify connection restrictions, including the following: * Idle timeout time * Maximum session time * Encryption strength * IP packet filters * Advanced restrictions: * IP address for PPP connections * Static routes Additionally, you can vary connection restrictions based on the following settings: * Group membership * Type of connection * Time of day * Authentication methods * Identity of the access server * Access client phone number or MAC address * Whether unauthenticated access is allowed On this network I recommend a WAN network . Because the wan network is great for going cities to cities or state to state plus there are more security features that can be recommended. The physical and logical access controls are as follows Authentication Identification is usually...
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...entire system crashing could happen if the right actions are not taken (McCoy, 2013). In this research, Learning Team D looks at HECO to determine what actions they need to take to solve this solar issue. First the team provides research questions and hypotheses as well as variables and ethical considerations HECO should think about. Second they discuss the significance, scope, magnitude, and feasibility. Last they end with the research’s purpose and teams’ conclusion. Research Questions What type of action is involved to build smart grids and provide installation of advanced meters in neighborhoods across Oahu? How will smart electric grid technology improve electric service? At HECO, management focuses on solving the problem by upgrading their technology system to provide adequate electric service in urban areas of east Honolulu. HECO completes the East Oahu Transmission Project to improve the electric systems responsiveness and efficiency. Smart grids approach would save money and it allows HECO to limit the construction impacts to the surrounding community (Hawaii’s Energy Future, 2012). Hypotheses In this research, Team D will use the explanatory hypotheses. Cooper and Schindler (2011) describe explanatory hypotheses like an independent variable and a dependent variable because a change in one variable causes the other variable to change as well. An increase in the cost of imported fuel leads to an increase interest in renewable energy. An...
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...AS Level Module 2 Information: Management and Manipulation Lecture One 11.1 Data Capture Lecturer: Deepak Gautam Email: gautamd@wolverhamptoncollege.ac.uk Room: 120, Wulfrun Campus Telephone: 01902 821133 Overview of Data Capture The process of collecting data in a form suitable for use in an information system is termed data capture. For example, before an electricity board can charge a customer for the use of electricity, the customer’s meter must be read and recorded, or captured, on a suitable form. The data must then be transferred into the computer system by means of an input device appropriate to the method of data capture. Sometimes the data capture form is directly readable by an input device, as, for example, in the case of mark sensitive forms which can be read by optical mark readers (OMRs). On other occasions, the data on the form must be first transferred to a suitable medium by a data entry person using a key-to-storage device. Sometimes the data to be captured is pre-recorded on an item to be sold, as with bar codes, so that a data recording form is not required at all, but in many instances, some sort of data capture form is required. The design of such forms is of great importance, since the clearer and more concise the form, the less chance there is of inaccurate data being recorded. Frequently it is necessary to use questionnaires or observation sheets to collect data for statistical...
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