...Case Study: Target Laval University 01/10/2013 To understand the struggles of Target during the economic crisis that started in 2008, one has to comprehend the relationship Target has with the biggest discount retailer in the United States; Walmart. The two stores are very often paralleled, so much that when one store is brought up, the other one is also brought up for a quick comparison. However, they still have one big difference in the fact that Target is considered to be more up scaled. Often described as “Cheap Chic”, the products at Target are of higher quality for a slightly higher price, while still staying affordable. Before the economic crisis, Target sales were always increasing and the business was growing at a faster rate than Walmart. Target’s profits and sales were increasing from one period to another, while Walmart was basically lagging; not decreasing in sales but not increasing neither. That situation alerted the biggest discount retailer so much that its top manager decided to change their marketing strategy and copy Target. They started to have more and more designer clothing and house furniture lines as well as more gourmet and organic food in its aisles. The well known “Always low prices. Always.” slogan was even changed to “Save money. Live better.” That new catch phrase was designed to take away the...
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...TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 2 Analysis 2 Short Term Issues 4 Porter’s Value Chain/Operations Strategy 5 Long-term Strategic Direction 7 Limitations 7 Conclusion 7 Appendix 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fresh Connections is a fresh food manufacturer that provides meal solutions products to retailers, restaurants and co-pack companies. After a successful stint of one year, Fresh Connections is suffering from variety of short term, operational and strategic issues. In the immediate future, cash liquidity of the company is a problem and it is recommended that take the deal with the co-op client to alleviate their financial situation. Moreover, they are in the position of high financial risk pertaining to their R&D costs and it is recommended they refine their contract policies with clients. Furthermore, Fresh Connections is suffering from a number of operational issues and it is recommended that they improve their processes to increase efficiency and eliminate waste without compromising quality. Finally, they do not have a legitimate business level strategy and it is advised that they take the company in a differentiated direction. ANALYSIS Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis Of Fresh Connection 1. Degree of Rivalry: Competitive rivalry describes the intensity of the competition among existing firms. In the fresh food industry, the intensity of rivalry is influenced by different factors. They are : - Price Rivalry - In this industry, big companies can...
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...Manage risk Every business faces risks that could present threats to its success. Risk is defined as the probability of an event and its consequences. Risk management is the practice of using processes, methods and tools for managing these risks. Risk management focuses on identifying what could go wrong, evaluating which risks should be dealt with and implementing strategies to deal with those risks. Businesses that have identified the risks will be better prepared and have a more cost-effective way of dealing with them. This guide sets out how to identify the risks your business may face. It also looks at how to implement an effective risk management policy and program which can increase your business' chances of success and reduce the possibility of failure. * The risk management process * The types of risk your business faces * Strategic and compliance risks * Financial and operational risks * How to evaluate risks * Use preventative measures for business continuity * How to manage risks * Choose the right insurance to protect against losses The risk management process Businesses face many risks, therefore risk management should be a central part of any business' strategic management. Risk management helps you to identify and address the risks facing your business and in doing so increase the likelihood of successfully achieving your businesses objectives. A risk management process involves: * methodically identifying the risks surrounding your business...
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...Anatomy of a merger: behavior of organizational factors and processes throughout the pre- duringpost-stages (part 1) Steven H. Appelbaum Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Joy Gandell Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Harry Yortis Hydro-Quebec, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Shay Proper Montreal Stock Exchange, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Francois Jobin Kruger, Inc., Trois-Rivie Âres, Quebec, Canada Keywords Mergers and acquisitions, Organizational behaviour, Process efficiency, Managers Introduction Since the late 1980s, the total number of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) has far surpassed the number that occurred throughout the 1960s. Whereas the M&As throughout the 1960s were mainly due to unions between conglomerates, the 1980s and 1990s has witnessed an increase in M&As between firms of different sizes and different industry types (Tetenbaum, 1999). The trend to engage in this type of vertical integration or diversification does not seem to show signs of diminishing in the near future. Yet, at best, the firm that initiates the merger usually only achieves normal economic profits while the value created rests almost solely with the firm that was approached (Barney, 1997). The primary purpose of merging and acquiring new firms is usually to improve overall performance (Lubatkin, 1983) by achieving synergy, or the more commonly described as the ``2 + 2 = 5'' effect (Cartwright and Cooper, 1993a; Hovers, 1971) between two business units that will increase...
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...Anatomy of a merger: behavior of organizational factors and processes throughout the pre- duringpost-stages (part 1) Steven H. Appelbaum Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Joy Gandell Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Harry Yortis Hydro-Quebec, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Shay Proper Montreal Stock Exchange, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Francois Jobin Kruger, Inc., Trois-Rivie Âres, Quebec, Canada Keywords Mergers and acquisitions, Organizational behaviour, Process efficiency, Managers Introduction Since the late 1980s, the total number of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) has far surpassed the number that occurred throughout the 1960s. Whereas the M&As throughout the 1960s were mainly due to unions between conglomerates, the 1980s and 1990s has witnessed an increase in M&As between firms of different sizes and different industry types (Tetenbaum, 1999). The trend to engage in this type of vertical integration or diversification does not seem to show signs of diminishing in the near future. Yet, at best, the firm that initiates the merger usually only achieves normal economic profits while the value created rests almost solely with the firm that was approached (Barney, 1997). The primary purpose of merging and acquiring new firms is usually to improve overall performance (Lubatkin, 1983) by achieving synergy, or the more commonly described as the ``2 + 2 = 5'' effect (Cartwright and Cooper, 1993a; Hovers, 1971) between two business units that will increase...
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...They quickly achieved market dominance in the communications sector. As the communications sector became increasingly regulated by government, some of Mitel’s major customers lost market share resulting in fewer sales for Mitel. This resulted in Mitel’s competitors advancing ahead of them in industry dominance. Over time, Mitel was sold and resold with its share value increased, decreased, and then increased again but to only a fraction of what it used to be. Mitel continued to be a company that stayed rooted to its initial specialities in the communications industry. As other sectors developed to the extent that the communications sector only occupied 0.5 per cent of the overall market, Mitel has been unable to diversify such that its future is again dependant on unforeseen changes in the industry. It is critical that Mitel achieve the ability to secure product to enable further product development and enhance its research and development so it may diversify its products and balance its products among various markets, so that event changes in a particular market will not compromise the entirety of Mitel. 2 Overview In the 1960s, semiconductors were developed and quickly became the “backbone of all electronic devices. Consumer electronics, automobiles, aeroplanes, space travel, appliances and many other products depended on semiconductors to perform even the most basic operations” (Liddy, G., Vandenbosch, M., & Large, D., 1999, p. 1). It was a time when innovation...
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...Sher-Wood Hockey Inc. Group Research Project One Global Logistics Management Executive Summary Sher-Wood is one of Canada’s most respected most innovative market and valuable brand in the hockey equipment industry founded in 1949 with its headquarters located in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Sher-Wood Hockey has multiple viable opportunities for reaching new demographics, market expansion, and lowering manufacturing costs for the hockey stick sector of the company. In 2013 Canada cut import tariffs and duties on hockey gear between 2.5% and 18%, this reduction causes the landed costs of importing to decrease. Outsourcing manufacturing also allows for currency hedging contract to be made between Chinese partners and Canada to protect themselves against unexpected changes in currency exchange rates [1]. The only way the firm can keep their hockey sticks at a competitive price point and still make a profit is to engage in outsourcing their manufacturing of hockey sticks to China as mentioned previously. Sher-Wood hockey’s decision to begin full outsource of manufacturing for their hockey sticks in 2011 was an method to maintain their competitiveness in the global hockey stick market, the Standardization Administration allows Sher-Wood Hockey Inc. the ability to lower production costs while still maintaining confidence that their products will be delivered with high quality standard. China is an optimal environment for Sher-Wood to outsource their production efforts to because of...
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...Course Schedule Course Modules Review and Practice Exam Preparation Resources Module 7: Change, leadership, and interpersonal skills Overview In this module you study the process of change in organizations and how managers can facilitate, measure, and evaluate that change. Change has become a constant rather than sporadic occurrence in the business world. There are many reasons, not the least of which is the changing environment in which organizations operate. Over the past three decades, advances in technology, especially telecommunications, have revolutionized how the world does business and the pace at which it does business. You can now deal with customers and competitors 24 hours a day if you choose. Add to that economic and political changes that favour trade liberalization across and within borders, a more mobile workforce, increasing numbers of consumers with enough buying power and interest in new products and services to reward innovation and risk-taking, and the added complexity of an increasingly volatile financial and economic environment. Accounting standards and financial management techniques are changing to keep pace. This is the world of business today — fast-paced and around the clock, trying to stay abreast of developments and keep one step ahead of the global competition. In such an environment, the manner in which organizations embrace and manage change can be the difference between success and failure. Change is here whether...
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...Chapter 1: Q: You are a U.S. citizen recently assigned as the manager of distribution in a European country where bribery is relatively acceptable. Your job description includes responsibility for accepting shipments as they enter the local port authority. On your first trip down to the docks to sign for a shipment, the customs agent in charge asks for a “tip” to clear the goods for pickup. The value of the incoming shipment is around $150,000. Knowing that the government has recently launched an initiative to reduce corruption, how do you react? If additional information would be helpful to you, what would it be? Min 700 words (this includes the question)A: To my point of view as a manager this would be a very difficult situation. To begin I would be in a complete different country, which means and I know the customs, rules, and laws are not the same. First I would need additional information such as, what would the governments initiative consist of. For example if the government’s initiative consist of making bribery illegal. Also if people could report a bribery, to the police and it would be considered a crime. Or even if people would be willing to work undercover to see which of the major companies are participating in bribery or supporting it. In my opinion this would be since I would work for a company that receives goods through the port. Also I would need to know more of my company. For example what if this bribery or “tip” occurs only for companies that are surrounded...
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...02-Cawsey.qxd 5/23/2007 10:59 AM Page 33 CHAPTER 2 Change Frameworks for Organizational Diagnosis How to Change Change is. —Anonymous Chapter Overview • The chapter differentiates between how to create organizational change, its process, and what should be changed, the content. Change leaders must understand both. • Lewin’s classic “Unfreeze-Change-Refreeze” model is discussed. • A modified version of Beckhard and Harris’s change management process is developed in depth. The model asks: (1) What is going on in the organization? (2) Why change? (3) What is the gap between the existing and desired states? (4) How do we close this gap? and (5) How do we manage during the transition phase? • These explicit models will help change leaders articulate their implicit models of how organizations work and how to change their organizations. Sweeping demographic changes, technological advances, geopolitical shifts, and pressures to be more sensitive to our physical environment are combining with 33 02-Cawsey.qxd 5/23/2007 10:59 AM Page 34 34——TOOLKIT FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE concerns for security and organizational governance to generate significant pressure for organizational change. Awareness of the political, economic, sociological, and technological (PEST) aspects of any organization’s external environment forewarns us of the need to pay attention to such factors. Furthermore, it alerts managers to a need to have some means in place to attend...
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...Strategic Uncertainty and Alternative Futures: Evaluating Our Options in the Post-September 11 World Eric K. Clemons Steve Barnett 23 April 2003 Draft 3.6 1. Introduction Our perception of our world changed dramatically on September 11, 2001. Our sense of safety, security, and certainty were altered, perhaps for years to come, perhaps for the rest of our professional lives. Although it is clear that our personal, political, and business environments have all been altered, it is not immediately clear how they have been changed; this is, it is not clear what the details of these changes will be, or how we must respond. We now live in a period of greater strategic uncertainty. This brief paper summarizes the results of two workshops held by the Reginald H. Jones Center that attempted to provide some insight into the origins of the current conflict that the U.S. faces in the Middle East, as religious (Islam vs. the West) or economic (the developed West vs. the developing Middle East), or a clash of cultures, or some other form not as yet identified1. The hope was that by developing an understanding of the origins of the conflict, we would develop some insights into the form of the conflict and its duration; this in turn would lead to an understanding of the business implications that might result and strategies that might provide appropriate responses in different strategic contexts. We faced a high level of uncertainty about what had happened and what was likely to happen...
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...Strategic Human Resource Management Model Environmental Analysis Organizational Mission and Goals Analysis Analysis of Organizational Strengths and Culture Analysis of Organizational Strategies Choice and Implementation of Human Resource Strategies Planning Human Resources Attracting Human Resources Human Resource Tactical Plans Placing, Developing, and Evaluating Human Resources Maintaining High Performance Motivating and Rewarding Human Resources Human Resource Systems and Procedures Review and Evaluation of Human Resource Strategies CHAPTER ONE Strategic Importance of Human Resource Management The successful 21st-century organization will not take the loyalty of talented people for granted. It will constantly try to recruit and keep them. … The mutual commitment of an employer and an employee will be one of the most important factors for a 21st-century organization. Subhir Chowdhury1 One CHAPTER OBJECTIVES After studying this chapter, you should be able to: • List challenges facing Canadian organizations in the context of managing their workforce. • Discuss the objectives of human resource management. • Discuss the meaning of strategic human resource management and steps in implementing the same. • Discuss how human resource departments are organized and function. • Discuss future roles of the human resource profession in this country. CHAPTER ONE Strategic Importance of Human Resource Management ame the greatest accomplishment...
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...[Please do not circulate or cite without permission] Written Constitutions and Unwritten Constitutionalism Mark D. Walters Faculty of Law Queen’s University February 2007 To Be Published In: Grant Huscroft (ed.), Expounding the Constitution: Essays in Constitutional Theory (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming) I. Introduction Defending the idea of ‘unwritten law’ has never been easy. Jeremy Bentham thought the very expression to be a ‘paradoxical and unmeaning epithet’.[1] In his view, social reform required ‘fixed and accurate’ laws—laws that ‘[w]e see, we hear, we touch; in short we handle…’[2] This empirical concept of law follows from the ideal of law as something produced by conscious acts of sovereign will. Central to this concept are, to use H.L.A. Hart’s expression, ‘rules of change’ that permit societies to escape the confines of ‘primitive’ custom.[3] The progressive march of legal theory, it may be said, has been away from medieval notions of law as customs practiced time out of mind or as the immutable dictates of natural law, away from the fiction that judges discover rather than make law, and towards modern notions of law as creative political acts recorded in writing. In terms of constitutional law, this march leads to the idea of written constitutionalism, a destination that the rebelling American colonists are often said to have reached first.[4] It was a task especially ‘reserved’ to the American people, wrote...
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...Strategic Human Resource Management Model Environmental Analysis Organizational Mission and Goals Analysis Analysis of Organizational Strengths and Culture Analysis of Organizational Strategies Choice and Implementation of Human Resource Strategies Planning Human Resources Attracting Human Resources Human Resource Tactical Plans Placing, Developing, and Evaluating Human Resources Maintaining High Performance Motivating and Rewarding Human Resources Human Resource Systems and Procedures Review and Evaluation of Human Resource Strategies CHAPTER ONE Strategic Importance of Human Resource Management The successful 21st-century organization will not take the loyalty of talented people for granted. It will constantly try to recruit and keep them. … The mutual commitment of an employer and an employee will be one of the most important factors for a 21st-century organization. Subhir Chowdhury1 One CHAPTER OBJECTIVES After studying this chapter, you should be able to: • List challenges facing Canadian organizations in the context of managing their workforce. • Discuss the objectives of human resource management. • Discuss the meaning of strategic human resource management and steps in implementing the same. • Discuss how human resource departments are organized and function. • Discuss future roles of the human resource profession in this country. CHAPTER ONE Strategic Importance of Human Resource Management ame the greatest accomplishment...
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...learn new competencies and skills. Ideally, new skill requirements should be identified and developed early in the change process in order to ensure that managers and employees are ready to face their new tasks and roles when the changes are implemented. However, despite good intentions at the top management level, employees and middle managers often report uncertainty and a lack of the necessary skills required to implement change. In this paper, we report from a qualitative study of two planned organizational change initiatives in the public sector. The changes involved new work tasks and managerial roles for a group of middle managers. Although the skill requirements appeared to be clear and formal training was initiated, a number of uncertain and ambiguous issues emerged among the change recipients. We examine the types of uncertainty and ambiguity that emerged and how change recipients attempted to handle these challenges. Our findings suggest that although necessary and important, formal training procedures are not adequate for resolving competence-related uncertainties and ambiguities during change. Instead, more informal and horizontal communication appears to successfully resolve ambiguities about new skill requirements during change. Keywords:training, organizational change, change recipient A MODERATED MEDIATION MODEL OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DISCRETION AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS Avgar, Ariel C.; U. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign;...
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