...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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..."Competing in World Markets" Please respond to the following: · Evaluate the barriers to international trade and determine which barrier is the most significant 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...
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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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...What’s the Buzz on Smart Grids? CASE STUDY What’s the Buzz on Smart Grids? CASE STUDY T T he existing electricity infrastructure in the United States is outdated and inefficient. Energy companies provide power to consumers, but the grid provides no information about how the consumers are using that energy, making it difficult to develop more efficient approaches to distribution. Also, the current electric- ity grid offers few ways to handle power provided by alternative energy sources, which are critical compo- nents of most efforts to go “green.” Enter the smart grid. A smart grid delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to save energy, reduce costs, and increase reliability and trans- parency. The smart grid enables information to flow back and forth between electric power providers and individual households to allow both consumers and energy companies to make more intelligent decisions regarding energy consumption and production. Information from smart grids would show utilities when to raise prices when demand is high and lower them when demand lessens. Smart grids would also help consumers program high-use electrical appliances like heating and air condition- ing systems to reduce consumption during times of peak usage. If implemented nationwide, proponents believe, smart grids would lead to a 5 to 15 percent decrease in energy consumption. Electricity grids are sized to meet the maximum electricity need, so a drop in peak demand...
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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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...facilitate ecommerce through the use of business to business and business to customer technology. INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BUSINESS What's the Buzz on Smart Grids? Case study 1. How smart grids differ from the current electricity infrastructure in the United States The current electricity infrastructure within the U.S. provides power to shoppers with the smart grid providing info of how shoppers use energy. This makes it exhausting to be able to develop varied methods and approaches to finding ways of optimally distributing power. This infrastructure conjointly doesn't effectively handle power that's generated from energy sources. On the opposite hand smart girds digitally deliver electricity from suppliers to shoppers in a vary means that enables back and forth communication between suppliers and shoppers thereby enhancing selections created on energy production and consumption. This helps in saving energy, reducing prices and pollution and increasing transparency and re-liableness since the smart grid system is able to apportion involuntary changes to the energy stations. This permitting induces the energy they have, enhancing higher energy distribution whereas preserving it at identical time (What's the Buzz on Smart Grids, 2010). 2. Management, organization and technology issues to be considered when developing a smart grid Such managerial controls need...
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...A Survey of Electronic Cash, Electronic Banking and Internet Gaming 1 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ..........................................................................................................................5 FOREWORD ..........................................................................................................................7 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 11 ELECTRONIC CASH .......................................................................................................... 15 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... SMART CARDS/STORED VALUE CARDS........................................................ The Basics ..................................................................................................... Stored-Value Card Issuers ............................................................................ COMPUTER E-CASH ............................................................................................ The Basics ..................................................................................................... E-Cash Issuers ............................................................................................... REGULATORY POLICY ......................................................................................... SUMMARY OF ELECTRONIC CASH...
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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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...Abstract— Cities need to become smarter by becoming more sustainable, more efficient and more livable. Information technology is helpful in making the city smarter. Smart cities are based on eight pillars comprises of buildings, energy, water, recycling, healthcare, mobility, services and finance. This paper focuses mainly on energy, environment and infrastructure which include all the eight pillars. The key drivers in smart city in terms of energies are maintaining grids reliability and stability, improving energy efficiency across the value chain, integrating intermittent CO2 free energy and intelligent energy storage. Smart infrastructure in smart cities are sensor networks, digital management of water and waste management, resources awareness,...
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...Recently, all the banks in Kuwait use the smart cards instead of the regular credit and debit cards. A smart card resembles a credit card in size and shape, but inside it is completely different. First of all, it has an inside -- a normal credit card is a simple piece of plastic. The inside of a smart card usually contains an embedded microprocessor. The microprocessor is under a gold contact pad on one side of the card. Think of the microprocessor as replacing the usual magnetic stripe on a credit card or debit card. The microprocessor on the smart card is there for security. The host computer and card reader actually "talk" to the microprocessor. The microprocessor enforces access to the data on the card. If the host computer read and wrote the smart card's random access memory (RAM). The Smart Cards provides unlimited benefits to the customers, and its used recently almost in every organization and the business benefit from implementing the smart card. The most common smart card applications are: Credit cards Electronic cash Computer security systems Wireless communication Loyalty systems (like frequent flyer points) Banking Satellite TV Government identification Advantages and Disadvantages: Advantages: 1- Flexibility: Smart cards have a lot of flexibility. They can store multiple types of information including identification, credit cards, business and family contacts. 2-Cost and Availability: Smart card readers are expensive to produce...
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...Smart Cities will be the biggest enabler of Internet of Things Before going on and on about the mentioned subject, a question must be answered. What is a smart city? A smart city is a city where modern technologies and advanced resources are used to uplift the standard of living with the society. The target is achieved with better resource management and adapting methods that are more in accordance with the environment. A smart city is a city which has lower levels of pollution and other adverse effects on the biosphere and environment around it. It might sound something of similitude from science fiction of some perfect utopian future where robots serve as personal comfort assistants of the Human race, people travelling in flying cars or any such levitated contraptions and where we have trade relations with beings from another part of the Universe. To the contrary of the previous sentence, smart cities are not a part of a distant utopian future, but are happening now and the World Wide Web of the Internet has been the greatest tool in achieving it. In fact there are examples of Smart cities in the past such as Bletchley Park, where Professor Alan Turing deciphered the infamous Nazi cipher Enigma machine during World War II. Alan Turing who is often called the father of modern computing, is only fitting that he too once lived in a smart city that changed the course of history and we know and live now. Compared to the early 21st century, our way of living, at least in the Tier...
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...in their daily life for example people with dementia who have difficulty in remembering details and managing daily life activities can now live independently with the assistance of smart computer systems. Sleep regulation warnings, ergonomic assistance in moving around the living space and cooking assistance systems are a few examples in this regard. Moreover, assistive technologies help ageing population better interact with technological devices such as smartphones. The emergence of smart technologies has opened the portal for the development of increasingly powerful and customized tools to help people with disabilities. The potential for technology to improve the living standards of disable individuals is enormous. But how exactly does the intervention of technology in improving the lives of disable individuals. Though many believe that smart homes are expensive and not useful for people with disabilities, smart homes are the best suitable assistive technology that a disabled can get. In a fast paced world that thrives today, smart and technologically advanced home environments provide a safe and convenient lifestyle that promotes a general well being of individuals and an improved quality of life. As Emily Agree, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health states that “Smart home devices also improve well-being by promoting independence. The use of assistive technology enhances the ability of adults to make choices about when and how they carry out...
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...through internet. They also intern generate data and can be stored on cloud for further processing or the data required for control mechanism of these THINGS may exist on cloud itself. The crux of such exercise is to achieve improved efficiency, effectiveness, accuracy and economic benefit. I chose not to tell you the whole story but few specific examples of IoT which will bring us on same page of thoughts and make us easily understand in future anything we come across which is related to IoT. Smart Home: Smart home widely working on ZigBee protocol (considered as most secured and safe till now) is basically automation of lights, AC, door lock, Curtains etc.. In home and also able to communicate via internet through a gateway to any smart device connected to internet like smart phone and be accessible to any authorised user so as to monitor or control home appliances sitting globally anywhere using a smart home specific application. For example a Chinese brand called Wulian for smart home which entered Indian market recently (Where I did my SIP) has some of its application mentioned as follows which gives you a flavour of what exactly it is like. Scene Control Users can customize the multiple scene modes for lights, AC, multimedia devices etc... at once with scenes like home, out, party, visitor, sleep etc.. Linkage Control There is a...
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