...required documents are attached Question 2 Response WMT business strategy, goals & objectives: According to page 5 of the 2014 Annual Report, Wal-Mart’s goals and objectives include: “positioning to serve customers, expand opportunities for store associates; drive operational excellence by driving productivity loop to leverage operating expenses; earning trust in communities; ensuring solid performance in challenging environment of retail industry; and embracing the challenge to change in order to make customers save money and live better. Finding the best team in retail is Wal-Mart’s core strategy” (Wal-Mart, 2014). Business challenges/risks facing WMT: According to page 17, Item 1A of the 2014 Form 10-K Wal-Mart faces various risks that may adversely affect business operations: “1) General domestic/international macro-economic factors such as high gas and energy prices; 2) Unable to respond to consumer demands or consumer preference trends in a timely fashion (ex. online shopping); 3) Impediments in expanding in the US such as constructing Supercenters; 4) Impediments to expanding Wal-Mart international operations; 5) Failure to attract and retain qualified associates, changes in laws and other labor issues; 6) Strong competition to other retailers and wholesale club operators; 7) Risks with suppliers with whom Wal-Mart products are sourced and safety issues of products; 8) International operations threatened by instability from political, economic, legislative, judicial...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility Literature review Today, the highly competitive business environment demands an increasingly sophisticated market strategy. In order to satisfy customer’s needs and gain competitive advantages, companies have to take consistent effort to create further value in to their products or services. In the meantime, worldwide government’s policy and legal system are adding more pressure on environmental sustainability. On top this, modern customers are asking for sustainable approach (Gauthier, 2005) and the investors are getting more sophisticated not only on company’s financial performance but also on the company’s sustainability and social responsibilities. All of the factors above, made merely financial oriented approach are not sufficient anymore, the companies who have the ambition to compete globally have to have a forward point of view and establish the sustainable marketing approach. Definition and Debate of CSR The concept of CSR has appeared into public view over last several decades, but a clearer definition has not been reached yet. In principle, CSR refers to a collection of value sheared with business stakeholders, namely, the business approach should meets or exceeds the ethical, legal, commercial and public expectations that holds by society, in order to achieve the sustainable development of the planet. Generally speaking, the concept of CSR widely ranged from ethical standard to accomplish the welfare of society. One famous definition...
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...Question 1 For 4 Dow Jones stocks for a 15 year period, compute quarterly realized betas from daily data. Find firm specific and macroeconomic variables that help explain quarterly beta. Answer 1.1 Factors Introduction Factor model survey the sensitivity of a stock return as a function of one or more factors. There are single-factor and multi-factor models. In factors model, based on the type of factors used, it can be classified to economic and fundamental factor models. Economic factor models use macroeconomic and financial markets variables as factors, while fundamental factor models use firm-specific microeconomic variables, such as financial indicators. In recent research shows that the change in macroeconomic factors could be reflected in the change of systematic risk which impacts a stock’s expected return (Humpe & Macmillan 2007). Macroeconomic factors included industry production index, CPI, GDP, unemployment rate, inflation rate, risk premium, default premium, business cycle index and so on. From Chen (1986) notable study which uses variables include industrial production, inflation, risk premium, term structure, market index, consumption and oil prices to found out that industrial production, unanticipated change in the risk premium, unanticipated inflation, and, a slightly weaker, the unanticipated change in term structure, are the most important factors affecting expected stock returns. The 15 macroeconomic variables used as factors in our model are...
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...Mittal (Roll no: EPGP‐04A‐0 026) Kannan S (Roll no: EPG GP‐04A‐044) Mahesh R Rajesham (Roll no: EPGP‐04 A‐115) Mansi Sha arma (Roll no o : EPGP‐04 A‐ ‐051) Dr. Priyan nka Mallick (R Roll no : EPGP‐04 A‐068) Sandeep G Gawde (Roll n no : EPGP‐04 A‐030) SCM Project – Retail Supply Chain at Wal‐Mart Table of Contents 1. 2. I. II. 3. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 3 About Wal‐Mart .................................................................................................................................... 4 Operating Divisions ........................................................................................................................... 4 Competition and Regional Alignments ............................................................................................. 8 Components of Supply Chain Management (SCM) ............................................................................ 11 A. Main Elements ................................................................................................................................ 11 4. Wal‐Mart’s Method of Managing the Supply Chain ........................................................................... 13 A. Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 13 B. Technology Contribution to overall efficiency ...
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...Aircraft Manufacturing Industry Outsourcing in a Global Market Aircraft Manufacturing Industry Outsourcing in a Global Market Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Abstract 2 Introduction 3 Growth of Outsourcing 5 Benefits of Outsourcing 6 Disadvantages of Outsourcing 8 The Global Market and Aircraft Manufacturing 9 Conclusion 12 Bibliography 13 Abstract The aircraft manufacturing industry is dominated by a few key players: Bombardier, Boeing, and Airbus being the most prominent. It is in a constant struggle to deliver ever more intricate machinery that are safe and reliable - while maintaining a competitive cost structure. With countries such as China and India becoming more commercialized, air travel will continue to grow at a consistent rate; however, steady growth is not without its challenges: rising fuel prices and mounting material costs have forced aircraft manufacturers to look for other ways of maintaining a competitive structure. One way of maintaining a competitive cost structure is through outsourcing of non-fundamental core jobs. This practice has become so prominent with some of the world’s major aircraft manufacturers that the parts used to build planes today come from all over the world. The airline industry is a fairly resilient industry, even with slow economic times the need for people to travel for business and pleasure is still present. Outsourcing of non-core jobs may be the answer for cost efficiencies but can have serious...
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...Licensed to: CengageBrain User Licensed to: CengageBrain User This is an electronic version of the print textbook. Due to electronic rights restrictions, some third party content may be suppressed. Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. The publisher reserves the right to remove content from this title at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. For valuable information on pricing, previous editions, changes to current editions, and alternate formats, please visit www.cengage.com/highered to search by ISBN#, author, title, or keyword for materials in your areas of interest. Copyright 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. Licensed to: CengageBrain User Sociology in Our Times: Ninth Edition Diana Kendall Sponsoring Editor: Erin Mitchell Developmental Editor: Renee Deljon/Kristin Makarewycz Freelance Development Editor: Tricia Louvar Assistant Editor: Linda Stewart Editorial Assistant: Mallory Ortberg Media Editor: Mary Noel Marketing Manager: Andrew Keay ...
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...increasing debt to countries such as China, and the recent budget cuts to the country's military spending, the stability of the American economy seems more than a little rocky. Consequently, the addition of numerous corporate scandals has left the American people's trust in their businesses and government officials on shaky grounds. The tainted view of the American business world is the product of corporations' greedy endeavors, more willing to do anything "for profit", than following the ancient 'for-consumer' mantra "the customer is always right". As our economy crumbles and people's confidences wane, surprisingly, some companies have survived through the deterioration of our economy, some have even managed to grow throughout the recession. Jefferey Hollender and Bill Breen, authors of The Responsibility Revolution, believe these companies have thrived because they have a different standard set for themselves. The standard of responsible contribution to society and the environment. Hollender and Breen believe that this standard is starting to revolutionize the business world by prioritizing integrity into their value system. Being responsible demands companies to do the right thing, doing the right thing starts with "Integrity". The lack of integrity that runs from the government through our businesses has resulted in a system that is no longer stable and predictable. Consequently, the businesses that show heart in what they aim to do, whether it is to become more financially...
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...Case Study – Procter & Gamble ® / Case # 24 Student Name BUS 4333.50 Dr. Derek Crews July 26, 2009 Table of Contents Topic Page 1. Executive Summary 2 2. Introduction 3 3. Problem Statement 3 - 5 4. Environmental Scanning 5 5.1. SWOT Analysis 5 - 10 5.2. Financial Ratios 11 - 14 5.3. Porter Five Forces Analysis 14 - 16 5. Strategic Formulation 16 - 17 6.4. Recommendation for Alternative Strategies 17 - 19 6.5. Selection of Alternative Strategy 19 6. Strategic Implementation 19 - 20 7. Evaluation and Control 20 - 22 8. Reference / Work Cited 23 - 26 1. Executive Summary The objective of this case study is to assess the Procter & Gamble (P&G) corporation within its current environment by evaluation of its present performance with in its industry (Hunter, 2009). The assessment is based on information provided in the 2007 case study by Professor Shamsie and Eisner as well as various other secondary research materials. The objectives of the case analysis are to point out potential problems with P&G, conducting a SWOT analysis, strategic Porter Five Forces analysis, reviews various recommendations to the problems stated and implement a strategic recommendation. Regarding the problem in this case, as research will show, P&G’s faces three major problem...
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...NEWSLETTER 12 Pages Join us on Facebook… … a weekly news bulletin www.xedintellect.com 20th Sep 2012 – 26th Sep 2012 IN BRIEF COVER STORY REFORMS AT LAST !!! ECONOMIC INDICATORS Brent Crude $110/barrel BSE 18,694.41 points (as on Tuesday, September 25) PERSONALITIES OF THE WEEK Christine Lagarde Sachin Bansal CORPORATE INTELLIGENCE BIG THREE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCIES NEWS DIGEST… BUSINESS NEWS GLOBAL NEWS MISCELLANEOUS NEWS Wal-Mart plans to open its first outlet in India within 12-18 months More than two-thirds in USA live pay check to pay check Foxconn unit in China closes after workers clash ECONOMIC INDICATORS 2 COVER STORY 3 PERSONALITIES OF THE WEEK 4 CORPORATE INTELLIGENCE 5 NEWS ANALYSIS 6 JOB PROFILE 11 PART TWO KNOW YOUR BASICS: DATA ANALYTICS KNOW YOUR BASICS: DATA ANALYTICS D ata analytics (DA) refers to examination of raw data for drawing meaningful conclusions usually with the help of the latest IT tools. DA is categorised into exploratory data analysis (EDA) and confirmatory data analysis (CDA). EDA refers to finding new features in the data (similar to data mining) while CDA is used to examine the validity of existing hypotheses. There‟s another category known as Qualitative data analysis (QDA) which is generally used in the social sciences to draw conclusions from non-numerical data like words, photographs or video. The term "analytics" has been used by many business intelligence (BI) software firms...
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...Abstract In the following paper discussed are issues foreign host could be exposed to, cultural barriers and the importance of diversity and its issues. Political and economic factors play significant roles during global expansions therefore, those issues will be brought to light as well as how Germany and Japan are similar to the United States in the business arena. Global Operations Management Introduction Manufacturing companies are very familiar with the path to globalization. Years ago, the surfacing of companies who offer low-cost items, such as Wal-Mart, and swift economic expansion had a huge impact on their competition. In order to compete with such low product pricing, many companies relocated their operations to other low-cost countries to try and enter new markets. Today, companies do not debate if they should relocate their business to another host country but with the cost of doing so with concerns such as managing international employees and successfully marketing to diverse consumers. International Expansion Issues When companies expand their operations to another country try can have a positive, negative, or both results upon the host country. Foreign automobile manufacturers, such as Volkswagen has strategically decided to expand to the U.S. to compete with domestic automobile manufacturers. Last year Volkswagen opened a Passat plant in Tennessee, a lower-cost area to manufacture in the U.S., and created around 11,000 jobs; they were also...
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...Italian Renaissance patterns on the ceiling, the circa 1925 council chamber room of Akron's municipal hall evokes a time when the America's manufacturing heartland was at the peak of its power. But when the U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission, a congressionally appointed panel, convened there on Sept. 23, it was not to discuss power but decline. One after another, economists, union officials, and small manufacturers took the microphone to describe the devastation Chinese competitors are inflicting on U.S. industries, from kitchenware and car tires to electronic circuit boards. These aren't stories of mundane sunset industries equipped with antiquated technology. David W. Johnson, CEO of 92-year-old Summitville Tiles Inc. in Summitville, Ohio, described how imports forced him to shut a state-of-the-art, $120 million tilemaking plant four football fields long, sending Summitville into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Now, a tenfold surge in high-quality Chinese imports at "below our manufacturing costs" threatens to polish Summitville off. Makers of precision machine tools and plastic molds -- essential supports of America's industrial architecture -- told how their business has shrunk as home-appliance makers have shifted manufacturing from Ohio to China. Despite buying the best computer-controlled gear, Douglas S. Bartlett reported that at his Cary (Ill.)-based Bartlett Manufacturing Co., a maker of high-end circuit boards for aerospace and automotive customers...
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...An Integrated Approach to Strategy Running Case Featuring Wal-Mart Wal-Mart’s Competitive Advantage (Chapter 1) ● Working Conditions at Wal-Mart (Chapter 2) ● Wal-Mart’s Bargaining Power over Suppliers (Chapter 3) ● Human Resource Strategy and Productivity at Wal-Mart (Chapter 4) ● How Wal-Mart Became a Cost Leader (Chapter 5) ● Wal-Mart’s Global Expansion (Chapter 6) ● WalMart Internally Ventures a New Kind of Retail Store (Chapter 8) ● Sam Walton’s Approach to Implementing Wal-Mart’s Strategy (Chapter 9) Strategy in Action Features A Strategic Shift at Microsoft (Chapter 1) ● The Agency Problem at Tyco (Chapter 2) ● Circumventing Entry Barriers into the Soft Drink Industry (Chapter 3) ● Learning Effects in Cardiac Surgery (Chapter 4) ● How to Make Money in the Vacuum Tube Business (Chapter 5) ● The Evolution of Strategy at Procter & Gamble (Chapter 6) ● Diversification at 3M: Leveraging Technology (Chapter 7) ● News Corp’s Successful Acquisition Strategy (Chapter 8) ● How to Flatten and Decentralize Structure (Chapter 9) Practicing Strategic Management Application-based activities intended to get your students thinking beyond the book. Small-Group Exercises Short experiential exercises that ask students to coordinate and collaborate on group work focused on an aspect of strategic management. Exploring the Web Internet exercises that require students to explore company websites and answer chapter-related questions. Designing a Planning System (Chapter 1) Evaluating...
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...An Integrated Approach to Strategy Running Case Featuring Wal-Mart Wal-Mart’s Competitive Advantage (Chapter 1) ● Working Conditions at Wal-Mart (Chapter 2) ● Wal-Mart’s Bargaining Power over Suppliers (Chapter 3) ● Human Resource Strategy and Productivity at Wal-Mart (Chapter 4) ● How Wal-Mart Became a Cost Leader (Chapter 5) ● Wal-Mart’s Global Expansion (Chapter 6) ● WalMart Internally Ventures a New Kind of Retail Store (Chapter 8) ● Sam Walton’s Approach to Implementing Wal-Mart’s Strategy (Chapter 9) Strategy in Action Features A Strategic Shift at Microsoft (Chapter 1) ● The Agency Problem at Tyco (Chapter 2) ● Circumventing Entry Barriers into the Soft Drink Industry (Chapter 3) ● Learning Effects in Cardiac Surgery (Chapter 4) ● How to Make Money in the Vacuum Tube Business (Chapter 5) ● The Evolution of Strategy at Procter & Gamble (Chapter 6) ● Diversification at 3M: Leveraging Technology (Chapter 7) ● News Corp’s Successful Acquisition Strategy (Chapter 8) ● How to Flatten and Decentralize Structure (Chapter 9) Practicing Strategic Management Application-based activities intended to get your students thinking beyond the book. Small-Group Exercises Short experiential exercises that ask students to coordinate and collaborate on group work focused on an aspect of strategic management. Exploring the Web Internet exercises that require students to explore company websites and answer chapter-related questions. Designing a Planning System (Chapter 1) Evaluating...
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...Yu, Wantao (2011) Operations strategy, business environment, operations resources and performance: an empirical study of retail firms in China. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. Access from the University of Nottingham repository: http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/14191/1/546558.pdf Copyright and reuse: The Nottingham ePrints service makes this work by researchers of the University of Nottingham available open access under the following conditions. · Copyright and all moral rights to the version of the paper presented here belong to the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. · To the extent reasonable and practicable the material made available in Nottingham ePrints has been checked for eligibility before being made available. · Copies of full items can be used for personal research or study, educational, or notfor-profit purposes without prior permission or charge provided that the authors, title and full bibliographic details are credited, a hyperlink and/or URL is given for the original metadata page and the content is not changed in any way. · Quotations or similar reproductions must be sufficiently acknowledged. Please see our full end user licence at: http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/end_user_agreement.pdf A note on versions: The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher’s version. Please see the...
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...Corporate Carbon Strategies Threats and opportunities arising from the new energy imperative Reference Code: BI00036-019 Publication Date: March 2011 1 About the authors Professor Merlin Stone Merlin is Head of Research at The Customer Framework. He is author or co-author of many articles and thirty books and also on the editorial advisory boards of several academic journals. He has a first class honors degree and doctorate in economics from Sussex University, UK. In parallel to his business career, he has also pursued a full academic career, holding senior posts at various universities. He is now a visiting professor at De Montfort, Oxford Brookes and Portsmouth Universities, teaches economics for the Open University and marketing for Exeter University. Jane Fae Ozimek The author is a writer and researcher in the areas of IT, Business and the Law. Jane is currently editor of the Journal of Database Marketing and has previously published works on the use of statistics in business and Marketing Resource Management. Recent research papers include publications on the misuse of security protocols by major corporations, and a re-evaluation of the Loyalty Ladder concept in marketing theory. Jane was also co-author of the recently published Carbon Trading and the Effect of the Copenhagen Agreement (published by Business Insights, 2010). 2 Disclaimer Copyright © 2011 Business Insights Ltd This report is published by Business Insights (the Publisher). This report...
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