...CASE ANALYSIS A case analysis method of study provides experiential education—learning by doing. Therefore, the amount of learning students receive from an individual case is directly related to the amount of work they put into it. A major goal of the use of cases is to allow students to gain experience in problem solving. Cases help students learn to: • develop an understanding of problems, • learn how to dissect the various factors relevant to a problem, • learn how to think creatively about solutions to a problem, • learn to critically and thoroughly evaluate alternative solutions, • learn how to make a final decision—one that you are willing to move forward with and one that you feel confident in supporting. Through the use of cases, students learn that the most obvious solution is not always the best solution. The only way to discover a “best” solution is to consider all (the emphasis here is on the ALL) possible alternatives, to identify the potential positive and negative outcomes for all alternatives possible, and then to select which alternative course of action seems best, based on their analysis, and marketing theory, concepts, and principles. Students need to understand the basic factual and theoretical foundations for marketing management...
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...SWOT analysis - an introduction SWOT analysis provides a structure for analysing either your own strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats you face, or in a work context for analysing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats a business or event faces. Ideally it is one step in a process which helps you to 1. appreciate the strengths of a situation, and you may then decide to build on these; 2. define the weaknesses, which you might choose to minimise; 3. make the most of the opportunities that present themselves, and 4. recognise the possible threats and treat them in a planned and organised way. SWOT analyses are not ends in themselves but a step before some action planning. SWOT analyses usually benefit from discussion, get other people’s perspectives. Remember to be realistic and focused on what really happens. In a SWOT analysis you want to note issues under the four headings. If you are new to the process the following questions may be helpful prompts to your thinking. Strengths: What are your personal strengths? What does the company do well? What do you do well? What is the good track record? What do other people see as your strengths? Where does the organisation compete well? Weaknesses: What can be developed What could you improve? What is working less optimally than you wish...
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...Running head: GAP ANALYSIS: GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS Gap Analysis: Global Communications LaDonna Smith University of Phoenix Gap Analysis: Global Communications Global Communication has been under pressure to keep up with new technology that its competitors have been giving to consumers for a very long time through local and international markets. They are getting a lot of slack from their stockholders, whose shares have declined more than half in the last couple of years. Also, they are having the Union people stay on them for not treating their employees properly and fairly. Global Communication was not up front with its people and they are now in an up roar about the unethical acts of Global. They plan to go global in hopes that they can now compete with local markets and increase the value of their stock. Situation Analysis Issue and Opportunity Identification Global Communication eventually was faced with the problem of lower stock values, circumstances before hand caused this problem to happen. Not having the ability to keep up with modern technology was the key to Global Communication keeping up with its local markets. “In a world of increasing globalization and cultural diversity, organizations face new opportunities as well as communication challenges,” (McShane, S., & Von Glinow,M. p.78) Having the ability to go global and communicate well is very valuable to any company’s wealth. Being able to learn new ways of marketing new calling features...
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...Project risk management Planning for the unknown Gee whiz, Bobby! What if these ropes break? Don’t worry, Sally! I took care of it with risk planning. You can swing away without a care in the world! Even the most carefully planned project can run into trouble. No matter how well you plan, your project can always run into unexpected problems. Team members get sick or quit, resources that you were depending on turn out to be unavailable—even the weather can throw you for a loop. So does that mean that you’re helpless against unknown problems? No! You can use risk planning to identify potential problems that could cause trouble for your project, analyze how likely they’ll be to occur, take action to prevent the risks you can avoid, and minimize the ones that you can’t. this is a new chapter 543 risks might occur What’s a risk? There are no guarantees on any project! Even the simplest activity can run into unexpected problems. Any time there’s anything that might occur on your project and change the outcome of a project activity, we call that a risk. A risk can be an event (like a fire), or it can be a condition (like an important part being unavailable). Either way, it’s something that may or may not happen... but if it does, then it will force you to change the way you and your team will work on the project. If your project requires that you stand on the edge of a cliff, then there’s a risk that you could fall. If it’s very windy out or the ground is slippery...
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...Portland State University School of Business Administration FIN 565: Cases in Corporate Finance Case Descriptions and Suggestions Fall 2010 As you review the case descriptions and read the cases, develop a plan for your analysis. The case report and presentation should include, but not be limited to, the suggested questions I have provided. Do not submit or present the case a simply a numbered series of answers to the questions. The case analysis must be a narrative report that includes the information needed to answer the questions. Financial Statement Analysis Identify the Industry – 2007 Substantive Issues This case provides financial statement data for 10 companies from 10 different industries from Thomson Banker One – Analytics. Using knowledge of the industries’ financial characteristics and financial rations, you are asked to match each of the 10 financial statement data sets to an appropriate industry. You are provided with common-sized income statements (all items scaled by revenues), common-sized balance sheets (all items scaled by total assets) and selected financial ratios. All data are averaged over three years – 2004 – 2006 – to smooth out one-time items. Pedagogical Objectives This case illustrates the difficulty of identifying a company in an industry since do few companies operate in a single homogeneous industry. It also serves to get each class member engaged with team members in an effort to determine the strengths of each member...
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...Charles McCarthy MGMT 340 Chapter 3 What are some sources of risk in a systems analysis and design project, and how does a project manager cope with risk during the stages of project management? Many problems can plague of software project. A risk is a potential problem; it might happen, it might not. But regardless of the outcome, it's a really good idea to identify it, assess its probability of occurrence, estimate its impact, and establish a contingency plan should the problem actually occur. The key to managing risks is to build contingency plans for risk and to build enough time into your project schedule to mitigate risks that you do not know about. A risk in a project is an event that (might) happens that affects the project. Most of the risks are negative and hinder the progress of the project, but some of them are positive. The stages of project risk management are as follows: Risk Identification Risk Analysis Risk Response Planning Risk Monitoring and Control Suppose that you have been contracted by a jewelry store to manage a project to create a new inventory tracking system. Describe your initial approach to the project. What should your first activity be? What information would you need? To whom might you need to speak? An inventory tracking system for jewelry is a very challenging one and has its own complexities because jewelers usually adopt the system of tracking inventory based on traditions that have been followed for years together...
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...MODULE 7: FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF EDUCATIONAL PLANNING BUDGETNG: its IMPLICATIONS TO EDUCATIONAL PLANNING A national budget indicates, in terms of manpower, money, machines and materials, the country’s total resources to be utilized for various activities during a specified period. It is scrutinized by the country’s legislature; it becomes a piece of legislation when the legislature approves its adoption. The annual budget of an educational institution is approved by the institution’s governing board. The approved budget becomes the legal authority by virtue of which executives, agency heads or administrators can initiate or carry out activities designed to achieve organizational objectives. What is Budgeting? Budgeting is the process of systematically relating expenditure to achieve planned goals and objectives. It follows five phases and has three major functions. The phases of budgeting are as follows: Phase I – identification of programs/projects/activities to be accomplished during the budget period; Phase II – identification of resources in terms of manpower, money, machines and materials; Phase III – costing of resources, which is the most important activity in budgeting since the budget is fundamentally a financial statement; Phase IV – presentation of the budget in accordance with guidelines periodically issued by the proper authority, e.g., the Department of Budget and Management in the case of the Philippines; and Phase V – obtaining the...
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...Winter 2014 Memorial University of Newfoundland Case Analysis A case analysis method of study provides experiential education—learning by doing. Therefore, the amount of learning students receive from an individual case is directly related to the amount of work they put into it. A major goal of the use of cases is to allow students to gain experience in problem solving. Cases help students learn to: • Develop an understanding of problems • Learn how to dissect various factors relevant to problems • Learn how to think creatively about solutions to problems • Learn to critically and thoroughly evaluate alternative solutions • Learn how to make a final decision that you are confident in supporting Through the use of cases, students learn that the most obvious solution is not always the best solution. The only way to discover a “best” solution is to consider all possible alternatives, to identify the potential positive and negative outcomes for all possible alternatives, and then to select an alternative course of action that seems best based on the application of relevant theory concepts from the course. Students need to understand the basic factual and theoretical foundations of organizational theory to make well-reasoned decisions. There are no right and wrong answers, but some recommendations are better supported than others. Outline for Analysis of Cases 1. Problem Statement This statement...
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...1999. ISBN 0-566-08122-9 Twelve years down the track I wrote this book chapter in 1999. Since then, my thinking and practice have moved on considerably. So you will understand that I had reservations about continuing to make the work available. However, much of what I wrote 12 years ago is just as relevant today, and I have set my reservations aside. I hope you will find the content useful. Jack Martin Leith Bristol, UK November 2011 A complex world calls for strategic collaboration They say we’ve moved into the information age. But that’s not completely accurate. What we’re witnessing is not just an explosion of information. We’re seeing the proliferation of just about everything. No matter whether it’s street cultures or nation states, drugs or spiritual practices, providers or consumers, TV channels or distribution channels, pluralism is now the norm. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find a way through all of this proliferation, diversity and complexity using the inflexible, machine-like model of organisation that we inherited from the industrial revolutionaries. We badly need an organisational model that’s considerably more adaptable and responsive. This chapter is about a new approach to organisation called strategic collaboration. Strategic collaboration is a way of getting significant work done when faced with a lot of complexity, diversity and uncertainty, and very little clarity. It enables widely differing groups of people to work together on issues of...
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...and knowledge to anyone's life, especially in the life of a young person. As any new situation in life, an exchange also has changes that may be crucial for somebody’s life. Among these changes five are fundamental in my opinion. An exchange program to study and specialize using a language of a foreign country has the opportunity to be a great investment not only to mature in life and can also be a great career move, either for teenagers or young people who attend a university in their own country. Even if the period is one year or even six months, this feature brings aggrandizing your resume with a rich cultural background, and improvement in language skills. On the other hand a person who did not live this experience as much as he wants to do different courses, or even learn new language within their own country, still carries with him that the person never experienced life outside. This adventure also brings opportunity to grow not only professionally, but as a person matures. This new situation face the student alone and outside the country of origin. My older sister for example, had the opportunity to study in Argentina for six months, I remember that during this period she would call home asking my father, if he could require the owner of the property where she was living to arrange the place ideal for heating during winter. My father listened with care and affection, but in the...
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...Part 1 Obtain the information about marketing strategies that are currently being considered by your organization. Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its resources on the optimal opportunities with the goals of increasing sales and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Marketing strategy includes all basic and long-term activities in the field of marketing that deal with the analysis of the strategic initial situation of a company and the formulation, evaluation and selection of market-oriented strategies and therefore contributes to the goals of the company and its marketing objectives. Therefore I would like to discussion current marketing strategies of Starbucks. Starbucks is particularly proud of their commitment to maintaining quality, integrity, and great taste of coffee through the course of its growth, and coupled with that commitment is the high value placed on the employees (partners) worldwide. "We realize our people are the cornerstone of our success, and we know that their ideas, commitment and connection to our customers are truly the essential elements in the Starbucks Experience." Starbucks' value for people goes beyond the employees, however. The relationship between the strength and vitality of the communities and the success of Starbucks is highly valued: investing in communities is not only the right thing to do, it has become part of the tradition of the Starbucks culture, to help produce social, environmental...
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...Plan What is a Marketing Plan A marketing plan provides direction for your marketing activities. Marketing plans need not be long or cost a lot to put together. Think of it as a road map, with detailed directions on how to get to your destination. Sure there may be a few bumps in the road, perhaps a diversion or two, but if the marketing plan is carefully researched, thoughtfully considered and evaluated, it will help the organization achieve its goals. The marketing plan details what you want to accomplish with your marketing strategy and helps you meet your objectives. The marketing plan: • Allows the organization to look internally in order to fully understand the impact and results of past marketing decisions. • Allows the organization to look externally in order to fully understand the market in which it chooses to compete. • Sets future goals and provides direction for future marketing efforts that everyone in the organization should understand and support. • Is a key component in obtaining funding to pursue new initiatives. A marketing plan includes these elements: • • • • • • Summary and Introduction Marketing Objectives Situation Analysis Target Markets Strategies Tracking and Evaluation 1 How do I begin? Where do I start? Summary and Introduction Your marketing plan should start with an executive summary. The summary gives a quick overview of the main points of the plan. It should be a synopsis of what you have done, what you...
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...HOW TO WRITE A MARKETING PLAN How to Write a Marketing Plan What is a Marketing Plan A marketing plan provides direction for your marketing activities. Marketing plans need not be long or cost a lot to put together. Think of it as a road map, with detailed directions on how to get to your destination. Sure there may be a few bumps in the road, perhaps a diversion or two, but if the marketing plan is carefully researched, thoughtfully considered and evaluated, it will help the organization achieve its goals. The marketing plan details what you want to accomplish with your marketing strategy and helps you meet your objectives. The marketing plan: • Allows the organization to look internally in order to fully understand the impact and results of past marketing decisions. • Allows the organization to look externally in order to fully understand the market in which it chooses to compete. • Sets future goals and provides direction for future marketing efforts that everyone in the organization should understand and support. • Is a key component in obtaining funding to pursue new initiatives. A marketing plan includes these elements: • • • • • • Summary and Introduction Marketing Objectives Situation Analysis Target Markets Strategies Tracking and Evaluation 1 How do I begin? Where do I start? Summary and Introduction Your marketing plan should start with an executive summary. The summary gives a quick...
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...Plan What is a Marketing Plan A marketing plan provides direction for your marketing activities. Marketing plans need not be long or cost a lot to put together. Think of it as a road map, with detailed directions on how to get to your destination. Sure there may be a few bumps in the road, perhaps a diversion or two, but if the marketing plan is carefully researched, thoughtfully considered and evaluated, it will help the organization achieve its goals. The marketing plan details what you want to accomplish with your marketing strategy and helps you meet your objectives. The marketing plan: • Allows the organization to look internally in order to fully understand the impact and results of past marketing decisions. • Allows the organization to look externally in order to fully understand the market in which it chooses to compete. • Sets future goals and provides direction for future marketing efforts that everyone in the organization should understand and support. • Is a key component in obtaining funding to pursue new initiatives. A marketing plan includes these elements: • • • • • • Summary and Introduction Marketing Objectives Situation Analysis Target Markets Strategies Tracking and Evaluation 1 How do I begin? Where do I start? Summary and Introduction Your marketing plan should start with an executive summary. The summary gives a quick overview of the main points of the plan. It should be a synopsis of what you have done, what you...
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...Nike Inc. Case 1. What is the WACC and why is it important to estimate a firm’s cost of capital? WACC is weighted average cost of capital, which is the expected rate of return on average from all the company’s existing debts and securities. It takes into account all different types of financing in the company’s capital structure. The reason it is important to estimate WACC is because it measures what it costs the firm to take on a project based on its current Debt and Equity mix. When the firm decides to take on a project it needs to discount the future cash flows of the project by the company’s WACC to determine whether or not to take the project on. High WACC generally indicates more risk since the company pays more for its capital. It is generally used by managers to decide if a new investment project is worthwhile. All developing firms require more capital to accommodate more demand. As a result, the firm needs more capital. Capital is raised through debt, preferred stock and common equity. Debt is acquired either through bonds or through borrowing from banks. The common equity form of the capital can be raised through either retaining the earnings and reinvest in the future company development or it can be raised through issuing common stock. The preferred stock is the least favorite method to raise capital. While interest payments provide the earnings for holders of debt, the cost of equity is the opportunity cost demanded by investors for making the funds available...
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