Is AOL inching towards becoming an Internet Bank?

Is AOL inching towards becoming an Internet Bank?
Is AOL inching towards becoming an Internet Bank?

Is AOL inching towards becoming an Internet Bank?

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for this paper it is critical to follow the instructions and properly elaborate on all the points requested most importantly to support your proposal with documentary evidence and research.

Is AOL inching towards becoming an Internet Bank?

In March 2004, America Online (AOL) launched a streamlined new service for online bill payment. No, it doesn’t yet provide the capability to pay online bills directly through AOL, but it does seem to be a step by AOL toward making that reality.
The service-called AOL Bill pay-is free to all AOL members and is provided through an alliance with Yodlee.com, Inc. (www.yodlee.com) , a company that provides a variety of online personal financial services. After AOL members sign up for the service, they will receive summaries of their online bills via AOL e-mail messages. The messages will include links directly to the business e-commerce websites where members can make their payments.
A nice feature of AOL bill pay is that it creates a single portal (the AOL account) with only one user ID and one password. Once inside his or her AOL account, an AOL member does not have to enter a new ID and password at any of the e-commerce websites.
AOL members can configure AOL bill pay to provide alerts in several different forms (Multichannel service delivery); e-mail, instant messaging, or a text-based message to cell phone. The system can trigger an alert that is more of a warning message when for example, an AOL member bank account balance drops below a certain limit or a credit card transaction exceeds a prespecified amount. It is AOL’s hope that its members will see these types of alerts and warnings as a value-added service.
AOL Bill Pay connects directly to 2,500 web sites that offer bill paying over the internet. If a certain AOL member makes payments over the internet. If a certain AOL member makes payments to a web site not on AOL Bill Pay’s list, AOL can easily add the website to the list.

Assignment questions

Write a 2 page minimum word document responding to this below;

The above case study implies that AOL is “inching” toward becoming an Internet bank. Based on your reading of the articles in the resources below, “The Impact of E-commerce Announcements on the Market Value of Firms” and “E-commerce Processes: A Study of Criticality,” what recommendations would you make to AOL management? What processes (and outcomes) would you advise them to expect?
• Then, consider the case of a small office supply company whose customers are local businesses. The company doesn’t have a big budget for IT, but does have a big need to be able to manage materials, delivery schedules, and build customer loyalty. Based upon your readings this week, would you recommend a B2B model of electronic commerce or instead extend the business by offering a B2C model? What critical factors would come into play in making this decision? Be sure to support your proposal with documentary evidence and research.

Resources.
Articles
• Cullen, A. J. (2007). A model of B2B e-commerce, based on connectivity and purpose. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 27(2). Retrieved from ABI/INFORM global database.

This article presents a comprehensive model by which electronic commerce transactions may be categorized.

• Subramani, M., & Walden, E. (2001). The impact of e-commerce announcements on the market value of firms. Information Systems Research, 12(2). Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global database.

This study examines the impact on market value of B2B and B2C e-commerce announcements.

• Duffy, G., & Dale, B. G. (2002). E-commerce processes: A study of criticality. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 102(8/9). Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global database.

This article examines ten processes critical to the success of an e-commerce engagement
Web Site

• Schoder, D., & Madeja, N. (n.d). Is Customer Relationship Management a Success Factor in
Electronic Commerce? Retrieved from http://www.csulb.edu/web/journals/jecr/issues/20041/Paper4.pdf

This article discusses the relationship between customer relationship management and the effectiveness of B2B and B2C companies in Germany.

Be sure to properly use the resources hear to respond to the questions in the paper, and also read the case study at the beginning before responding to the questions as it will play a critical rule in responding to this assignment.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Is AOL inching towards becoming an Internet Bank?

AOL is largely dependent on business to consumer model and studies show that the model’s cumulative return from investing in e-commerce is higher than for a business-to-business model (Subramani & Walden, 2001). It is thus very pertinent that AOL ensures high-level efficiency of its e-banking system to maximize its performance. AOL requires extensive advertising of its e-commerce services and increase consumer turnover for its services (Subramani & Walden, 2001). It is also important that AOL invest in service differentiation as a way of influencing prices and beating competitive forces that result from multiple companies offering similar digital services.

As a company in the process of developing an internet banking facility, AOL must expect to have strict revenue and expenditure controls through a financial control process. An e-commerce facility employs the use of decentralized order fulfillment of its financial services as well as call center operations and it is imperative that its monitors its payments and credit card clearance through a single financial system (Duffy & Dale, 2002). IT or web changes is another vital process that AOL must anticipate. It involves adjusting e-commerce plat forms promptly responding to threats and opportunities that arise in the business environment.

Prompt response ensures that customers remain satisfied with the e-commerce service and reduce the threat of a mass move to competitors that may have better e-commerce services and response to IT malfunctions (Duffy & Dale, 2002). AOL must also use a call center process to support its e-banking facility. The company may outsource of establish its own call center with round the clock operation and competence on the overall business scenario. It is also very important for the company to ensure a 24-hour sound operation of its website as customers may access it at any time (Duffy & Dale, 2002).

The small supply company that relies on a business-to-business model already requires expanding its model to incorporate a business to consumer model. Studies have shown that integration of e-commerce on attract higher revenues in business to consumer than business-to-business models. In this case, it is important for the company to explore the different types of B2B e-commerce models that would be easily integrated with interact directly with both businesses and consumers (Cullen & Webster, 2007).

It is necessary for the company to clearly understand how different B2B models such as individual trading, collaboration, marketplace, proprietary sales, private exchange aggregation, intranet, and restricted bid may affect its business performance. The different models present different connections serving different purposes to a supplier such as the potential to make large volume sales to an aggregate composed of buyer groups, or making small volume sales to unlimited individual buyers as provided by the individual trading model (Cullen & Webster, 2007). The individual trading model such as website presents the best avenue to tap into both B2B and B2C market for the small supply company.

It is also very important to factor in how to the small supply company intends to manage its relationships with its customers as part of its loyalty management. A customer relationship management system (CRM) is a crucial aspect of an e-commerce venture. It helps the business to analyze customer data and customize marketing initiatives to customers buying habits and preferences. It is essential for the company to focus more intently on valuable customers as a way of improving business performance (Schoder & Madeja, 2004). A CRM is necessary in allowing the company to effectively target its marketing practices to its existing customers and retain them in the long run (Chimote & Srivastava, 2011). It is because it is easier to sell to existing than to new customers.

References

Chimote, N. K., & Srivastava, A. (2011). A Study of the Effectiveness of Relationship Marketing Practices with Existsing Customers in Banaking Industry. Romanian Journal of Marketing, 6(4), 42-48.

Cullen, A., & Webster, M. (2007). A Model of B2B E-commerce Based on Connectivity and Purpose. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 27(2), 205-226.

Duffy, G., & Dale, B. (2002). E-Commerce Processes: A Study of Criticality. Industrial Management+ Data Systems, 102(8/9), 432-441.

Schoder, D., & Madeja, N. (2004). Is Customer relationship Management A Success Factor in Electronic Commerce? Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 5(1), 38-53.

Subramani, M., & Walden, E. (2001). The Impact of E-commerce Announcements on the Market Value of Firms. Information Systems Research, 12(2), 135-154.

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The Malden Mills Case Study Essay Paper

The Malden Mills
The Malden Mills

The Malden Mills Case Study

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The Malden Mills case study just the way you have it.

SAMPLE ANSWER

The Malden Mills Case Study

As a private strategic consultant, the scheduled strategic plan for the company will have to be reviewed as a result of the dramatic misfortune that has befallen it. Owing to this situation, decisions will have to be made on both the strategic and operational fronts and viable plans for the future of the company formulated. In this study, knowledge regarding the strategic planning models, decision processes, and an SWOT analysis of the business and its environment will be applied.
Development of an effective strategic plan for the current unfortunate situation, understanding of strategic thinking processes, and tools such as issue based planning will be used. In the issue-based strategic planning, external and internal assessment to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the current business circumstances need to be determined. The criteria for planning will also involve strategic analysis to identify and prioritize the major issues that arise from this situation and the short and long term goals that need to be made. This criteria will also include the establishment of action plans that will be used to implement these strategies. The areas that will be covered by the action plan will include the needed resources, objectives of the implementation, and the roles of individual stakeholders in the process of implementation. Organic planning can also be used in this case to clarify the organisational cultural values in relation to various stakeholders within the Malden Mills environment (Thompson & Strickland, 2011).

Key stakeholder analysis will also be necessary in the implementation and design of the strategic and operational plan to help move the organisation from the current situation to an ideal one. The stakeholders are people or organisations that are negatively or positively impacted by the operations of the company. Key stakeholders are those with significant amount of influence within the organisation and include the employees who would soon lose their job positions. As a result of the burning of the textile mills, several parties will be affected including the management of the company that includes Mr. Farnsworth, who have to deal with the rebuilding of the company and shareholders who belong to the Farnsworth family. Others include the insurance company that will handle the insurance claim of the fire on the assets of family fabric, and the entire council and community of the town especially the individuals who might have been displaced as a result of the fire. The harmonious relationships among stakeholders will greatly affect the post-crisis responses of this incident in the organisation (Weiss, 1994).

A recommendation for direct action will involve short-term crisis management strategies such as ensuring those injured in the inferno have the most effective health care to avoid any lawsuits that may arise due to negligence. Sending corporate gifts and get-well messages as a simple act of compassion can save the company millions of dollars in legal and compensation fees. The next most immediate action would be to salvage any assets left after the inferno. These would include raw materials, finished goods, and some plant and machinery that might have survived the inferno. The cost of reusing these materials or refurbishing these assets would be far much less than procuring and buying new items. The employees of the company will then be asked politely through direct email to not resume work until investigations about the cause of the fire are finished, and cumulative damage done to the factory accounted for. This notice will provide the management of the company with ample time to set up back-to-work strategy for the employees since the company is deemed as an economic cornerstone for the community. This communication will minimize the expected worry and uncertainty of workers, the community, and other stakeholders in general and give at a minimum some hope and reassurance (Wells, 1997).

The long-term strategy for the future of family fabrics will depend on its long-term considerations. These considerations include the rise of competition in the textile market since the outdoor clothing manufacturers and design houses have expressed an interest in the product and the demand for it is high. The second consideration for the future would be providing a plan to ensure that the universal decline of the textile industry due to technological advances, foreign competition because of the availability of cheap labour, and other hosts of economic factors such as the decline of disposable income from traditional customers of the company, does not affect the company. The third factor to consider for the future of the company would be securing the necessary funds from other financial bodies such as banks and other outside investors for the restoration of the century-old building and all its contents including other machinery and technology. Closure of the company is not an option since its death will result to the death of all the economic activities in the town due to the loss of jobs for the employees who are inhabitants of the town. Increased financing from either debt or equity might make the Farnsworth family lose a significant share of their stake in the company unless they find a way of getting all the finances necessary to rebuild Family Fabrics by themselves (Hill & Jones, 2010).

A plan for viable business options for family fabrics would include painful decisions such as reducing the overall employee numbers working in a factory until all operations resume as usual. Other business options would be to expand the market base for the “Arctic Cloth” into other international markets. This can be done cheaply by considering building a branch of the company in an area with cheaper labour and freer labour loss. The profit margin of the company as a result might increase if the management of the company decides to reduce the retail price of the commodity thus maximizing in the economies of scope and scale. The company also needs to invest in more technologically advanced processes of production and utilize the produced by order basis (Drucker & Maciariello, 2008).

The efforts above will guide the management in the development and growth of the operational plans necessary to achieve a “big picture” as prescribed by the longer-term considerations of the management team of family fabrics if the organisation’s core competencies are used to bring about some competitive advantage and critical goal achievements.

References

Drucker, P. F., & Maciariello, J. A. (2008) Management (Rev. Ed) New York, NY: Collins.

Hill, C. W., & Jones, G. R. (2010) Strategic management cases: an integrated approach (9th Ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western/Cengage Learning.

Thompson, J., & Strickland, I. A. (2011) Crafting and executing strategy: concepts and readings global edition concepts and readings (18th-rev. ed., global Ed.). London: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Weiss, J. W. (1994). Business ethics: a managerial, stakeholder approach. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Pub. Co

Wells, S. J. (1997). Choosing the Future the Power of Strategic Thinking Burlington: Elsevier

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Report of candlewick Ltd Assignment

Report of candlewick Ltd
Report of candlewick Ltd

Report of candlewick Ltd

Order Instructions:

Instructions:
You need to produce an initial report to Candlewick. You will need to produce a further report once the business has been trading for six months. The report needs an Executive Summary, a numbered index, font size 11, Calibri or Arial font. All tables need to be placed into an Appendix. Place a footer on your document with your name, student number and page number. The report may have references and a bibliography.

Scenario
You are an accountant working for an accounting practice and have been asked to help a new client plan and control her business finances. John Wick has started a business selling candles in Bath. Candlewick Ltd has been open for one month (January, 2013). It is located in a busy part of the town, near the Pump House – a major tourist spot, but where there is at least one other established competitor.

1. Cashflow Forecast (6 marks)

Construct a cashflow forecast for Candlewick Ltd. The owner has produced the following figures which he has researched and believes are correct.

1. An initial £10,000 capital has been placed into the business.
2. John buys candles from a local supplier for £15 per box, and sells them online for £20 per box. The supplier will allow one month’s credit. This will represent 75% of the business’s revenue. John will allow customers two month’s credit.
3. The shop in Bath will represent the final 25% of the revenue, and will deal in cash sales.
4. Expected purchases: January – February £400; March £500; April £560; May £600; June £600
5. Expected sales: January – February £400; March £500; April £560; May £600; June £600
6. Equipment including van is purchased on the 1st January cost £13,000, but will not be paid for until February 2013.
7. Rent is paid £150 per month, payable at the end of every month.
8. Advertising will be £250 per month payable in arrears.
9. Telephone and internet expenses will be £450 per quarter payable at the end of each quarter, the first payment being at the end of March.
10. Printing, postage, stationery, which include packaging, are estimated to be £600 per month apart from January, and will be payable in cash.

2. Working Capital Requirements (10 marks)
• Analyse the cashflow forecast. Which month does John need to add additional cash?
• Outllne the main options for sources of funds available to Candlwick Ltd.
• Should John look at a bank loan, loans are available for start-ups of £18,000, £6,150, £5,100, £4,800, £3,700. Interest rates are 7.4% and can be fixed for a two year maximum.

3. Actual Trading Figures (12 marks)
Candlewick has now been trading for six months, and you have been given the following figures. Prepare another cashflow statement. Conduct a variance analysis. What have been the main differences?
1. Sales (cash): January £1,600; February £1,800; March £2,000; April £3,500; May £4,000; June £4,500
2. Sales (credit): January £0; February £0; March £4,800; April £5,400; May £6,000, June £7,800
3. Purchases: January 0, February £6,000; March £6,000; Apirl £7,500; May £8,400; June £9,000
4. Equipment including van: £13,000 paid for in February.
5. Rent: January – June £500
6. Advertising: January – June £50
7. Telephone and internet: January – June £450 payable quarterly (first payment end of March).
8. Printing and postage: January £0; February £100 – June £ 100
9. Interest payments: January – June £40
10. Salaries: January £0; February – May £500; June £660

4. Trial Balance for Candlewick Ltd (9 marks)
Using the cashflow balances, construct a trial balance.

5. Prepare an Income Statement for Candlewick Ltd. (6 marks)
The following adjustments need to be taken into consideration:
1. Closing inventory is valued at £750.
2. Rent, advertising, telephone and internet, printing, postage and packaging and salaries are allocated 50% to distribution costs, 50% to administrative expenses.
3. Acrrued expenses for Advertising £100 and £200 telephone and Internet.
4. Printing postage and packaging are prepaid by £100.
5. Equipment is expected to be kept by the business for 4 years with an estimated residual value of £1,000, using the Diminishing Return or Reducing Balance method. Depreciation will be charged. Depreciation will be charged in the following ways: 50% to distribution costs; 50% to administrative expenses.
6. An allowance for doubtful debts will be based on 10% trade receivables. This allowance will be charged 100% to administrative expenses.
7. Income tax to be paid by 31 January 2014 will be £8,970 (30%).
8. John is the only shareholder, however, he will leave all profits in the business to help it grow, rather than take some out in the form of a dividend.

Using the actual cashflow forecast (Activity 3), and trial balance, construct an Income Statement for Candlewick Ltd.

6. Prepare a Statement of Financial Position for Candlewick Ltd (17 marks)
1. Accounts receivables include those purchases in May and June.
2. Accounts payable need to be included – June’s payment.
3. Identify closing inventory figure.
4. The cashflow statement shows a surplus figure, which is an asset.
5. John invested capital into the business and a loan.
6. The profit figure has been calculated.
7. There will be a tax liability (30%).
8. Acrrued expenses for Advertising £100 and £200 telephone and Internet.
9. Printing postage and packaging are prepaid by £100.
10. Equipment is expected to be kept by the business for 4 years with an estimated residual value of £1,000, using the Diminishing Return or Reducing Balance method. Depreciation will be charged. Depreciation will be charged in the following ways: 50% to distribution costs; 50% to administrative expenses.
11. An allowance for doubtful debts will be based on 10% trade receivables. This allowance will be charged 100% to administrative expenses.
12. Using the actual cashflow forecast (Activity 3), construct an Income Statement for Candlewick Ltd.
13. Income Tax is 30%.

• From the Income Statement, analyse Assets (Equipment, cash owed and closing inventory) compared with Liabilities (equity, loan, cash owed to supplier and tax authorities).
• What advice can you John regarding the difference between the cashflow figure and income statement figure?

6. Ratio Analysis (24 marks)
• Using a minimum of eight appropriate ratios, investigate the profitability of Candlewick Ltd.
• What limitations might there be on these figures?
• What would you advise John to do about the future of his business?
• Word limit 1000 words.

Presentation and English (5 marks)
Referencing (5 marks)

SAMPLE ANSWER

Report of candlewick Ltd

Contents                                                                    pages                                                                                                                                                                 

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………..3         

 

Forecasted Cash flow 1………………………………………………………………………2

 

Forecasted cash flow 2………………………………………………………………………5

 

Trial Balance…………………………………………………………………………………..6

 

Income Statement………………………………………………………………………………7

 

Statement of financial Position………………………………………………………………7

 

Ratio Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………..8

 

References………………………………………………………………………………………10

Executive Summary

Candlewick limited is a company that trades in candles. The company purchases candles and resells them at a mark-up that constitutes its profit margin.  John Wick is the entrepreneur who operates the business. In January 2013, he advanced a capital of £10,000 to his candle business. The forecast however revealed a very different scenario.

1.

Candlewick   Ltd
Cash flow  Forecast
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
£ £ £ £
Sales 400 500 560 600 600
Purchases 0 400 500 560 600 600
van 13,000 0 0 0 0
Rent 150 150 150 150 150 150
Advertising 250 250 250 250 250
Tel & Int 0 450 0 0 450
Printing & Stationery 600 600 600 600 600 600
Total Expenses 750 14,000 1,850 1,500 1,560 2,050
Total income receivable 0 0 0 300 375 420
Net cash flow -750 -14,000 -1,850 -1,200 -1,185 -1,630
Opening bank balance 10000 9250 -4750 -6600 -7800 -8985
Closing bank balance 9250 -4750 -6600 -7800 -8985 -10615

 

 

  1. The candlewick forecast cash flow will have a deficit balance in the first month of operation as the debtors have been allowed two months credit upon which they can make their payments. The sales in January will most likely be paid in March while the February sales will be received in April. The rental payments, Advertising costs, Printing & Stationary are constant and they amount to £1000. Rent can be classified as a fixed expense but advertising & postage and printing are variable expenses. (Faul, du Plessis & van Vuuren 2001) The cost of purchasing the van can be classified as an asset and only its depreciation is chargeable to income and expenditure while its Book value is depreciated according to the rate of depreciation agreed before it’s posted to the balance sheet. (Drury 2004)

John needs to add some additional cash in February to cater for the payment of the Van. The operational cash that has been banked at the bank will be inadequate to pay all the expenses in February together with the van purchases’. (Garrison, Noreen & Brewer 2006)

The major options open for John to fund his company are limitless. The bank can offer some financial assistance by offering some funds but at an agreed rate of interest. The other option would be to invite a partner who can contribute a similar amount of capital that can be used as operation cash for a certain amount of shares in the candlewick ltd. (Hansen & Mowen,  2005) John can also borrow funds from friends or family members to finance his company. The other option is to register the company as a public limited company and enlist it to a stock exchange so as to float its shares to the public. The funds can be used to fund the company’s operations but the problem is that it would take some time before the company can be registered, float its shares and obtain the required minimum amount of shares to commence trading and finally to obtain a trading license. (Marshall, McManus & Fiele 2004)

The recommended start up loan would be £3700 at 7.4%.

  1. The variance analysis for John’s business between the forecasted and the actual results reveals that the closing balances would have very large disparities. In January 2013, the closing balance would higher than originally estimated. The actual closing balance is £11,600 while it was estimated to be £9250. The budgeted amount would a have a deficit of £2350
Candlewick   Ltd
Cash flow  Forecast 2
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
£ £ £ £ £ £
Credit sales 0 0 4800 5400 6000 7800
Cash sales 1,600 1800 2000 3500 4000 4500
Purchases 0 6000 6000 7500 8400 9000
van 13,000 0 0 0 0
Rent 0 100 100 100 100 100
Advertising 10 10 10 10 10
Tel & Int 0 225 0 0 225
Interest payments 40
Printing & Stationery 0 100 0 0 0 100
Salaries 0 0 0 0 500 660
Total expenses 0 13,210 6,335 6,110 8,110 9,495
Total income receivable 1,600 1800 2000 3500 8800 9900
Net cash flow 1,600 -11,410 -4,335 -2,610 690 405
Opening bank balance 10000 11600 190 -4145 -6755 -6065
Closing bank balance 11,600 190 -4,145 -6,755 -6,065 -5,660

 

 In February, the closing balance is forecasted to be deficit of £-4750 which the actual balance resulted in an excess of £190. The variance was occasioned by the balance brought forward from January and the actual cash payments that were made in January and February. The other months were also affected by the inclusion of the cash payments which could not be exactly forecasted. The actual total expenses were also very high compared with the forecasted amounts. (Gitman 2000) The actual expenses amounted to £43260 instead of the forecasted £20960. The Income receivable amounted to £1095 instead of the actual £27600. The net cash flow in June was a deficit of 15660 of the budgeted deficit of 19865. (Harrison & Hongren 2001)

4.

Candlewick   Ltd
Trial Balance
DR CR
Balance brought forward 4825
Credit sales 24000
Cash sales 17400
Purchases 36900
van 13000
Rent 500
Loan 1081
Advertising 50
Share capital 3679
Tel & Int 450
Interest payments 40
Printing & Stationery 200
Salaries 1160
Closing balance 10,835
Totals 57060 57060

 (Garrison & Noreen 2003)

5.

Candlewick   Ltd
Income and Expenditure
Credit sales 24000
Cash sales 17400
Total sales 41400
Less
Purchases 36900
Less closing stock 750 36150
GP 5250
Administrative Expenses 3880
Distribution exp 2500
Income tax 30% 8970
Total expenses 15350
Net Profit -10100

 6.

Candlewick   Ltd
Statement of Financial Position
Assets
Non Current assets Cost Dep NBV
Property, plant & Equip 13000 3000 10,000
Total non- current assets 10,000
Current Assets
Inventories 750
Trade receivables 12420
Cash -10,835
Prepayments 100
Total current Assets 2,435
Total Assets 12,435
Equity and Liabilities
Share capital 3679
Deficits -10100
Total Equity -6421
Non-current liabilities
Long term borrowing 1081
Total non-current liabilities -5340
Current liabilities
Trade Payables 9000
Accrued expenses 300
Current tax payable 8970
Total current liabilities 18270
Total equity and  liabilities 12930

 

  1. The major differences between the cash flow figure and the income statement is that the cash flow includes the purchases of assets such as the van while the income statement is restricted to revenue items only which excludes the assets and liabilities or prepayments. (Gill & Johnson 1997)

6b.

Financial Ratios June
Current Ratio Total Current Assets/Total current liabilities 0.64
Quick Ratio TT Current Assets – inventories /total current assets 0.60
Receivable turnover Annual credit sales/average receivables 1.93
Inventory Turnover Cost of goods sold/Average inventory 48.20
Asset turnover Sales/Average total assets 3.33
Times interest earned EBIT/Annual Interest Expense -28.50
Debt to total Asset Debt/Assets 0.09
Profit margin on sale GP/sales 0.13

 

The current ratios indicate a grim future for Candlewick limited. (Flynn 2003) The standard ratios for current assets and the current liabilities is a ratio of 2:1. The ratio of candlewick is 0.64:1. This means that the company cannot pay off its liabilities. The quick ratio suggests that the company is still operating below the required minimum ratio of 1:1 It cannot meet the immediate obligations that may face the company. The profit margin on sales is also very low.

The major limitations on this figures is that they represent a very large variance between the actual results and the forecasted results.

John should advertise and market his business to draw more business and also diversify in other business that may supplement his income besides the income from the Candlewick limited.

Reference

Drury, C., 2004, Management and Cost Accounting. Thomson Learning.

Epstein, M.J. & Lee, J.Y., 1999, Advances in management accounting, 8. Stanford, Con.: JAI Press.

Faul, M., du Plessis, P.C. & van Vuuren, S.J., 2001, Fundamentals of cost and management accounting. Durban: Butterworths.

Garrison, R.H., Noreen, E.W. & Brewer, P.C., 2006, Managerial accounting (11th Ed) Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Hansen, D.R. & Mowen, M.M., 2005, Management accounting (7th Ed) Mason, Ohio: Thompson/ South-Western.

Harrison, W.T. & Hongren, C.T., 2001, Financial accounting (4th Ed). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Marshall, M., McManus, W. & Fiele, D.F., 2004, Accounting: what the numbers mean. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Flynn, D., 2003, Understanding finance and accounting (rev. 2nd Ed). Durban: Butterworths.

Garrison, R.H. & Noreen, E.W., 2003, Managerial accounting (10th Ed). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Gill, J. & Johnson, P., 1997, Research methods for managers (2nd Ed). London: PCP Publishing.

Gitman, L.J., 2000, Principles of managerial finance (9th ed.). Menlo Park, Calif.: Addison Wesley.

Appendices

Credit sales 24000
Cost of sales 36150
EBIT -1140
GP 5250
Earnings -10150
Taxes   8970
Interest 40
Sales 41400

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The Current State of IT at Amazon

The Current State of IT at Amazon
The Current State of IT at Amazon

The Current State of IT at Amazon

Order Instructions:

It is important to note that this paper is in two sections , and it is critical that the writer follow every bit of instructions noting that this is a continues paper of which another section will be coming in the weeks ahead. They are resources at the end of the paper that can also aid in the completions of the paper.

The Current State of IT in Your Organization: A Snapshot
For this paper you will have an opportunity to examine theoretical, practical, and empirical points of view regarding the use of IT to establish competitive advantage. This exercise will allow you to apply the knowledge you have gained to the MIS situation in your own organization, or one you know well. You will conduct first-person research, so choose an organization where this will be possible. You will conduct an assessment of the “state” of IT within your organization, or the organization you have chosen to investigate, including an analysis of the organization’s key MIS initiatives, in which you evaluate the current MIS strategy and its impacts. A key element of the Praxis Paper is the identification and framing of an organizational problem that relates to the topics covered in the course. Your research should lead you to identify possible solutions to the problem(s) you identify. You will apply knowledge gained in the course in order to present advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to the problem(s).

The Praxis Paper 1 will comprise 8–10 pages in APA format. One to three diagrams and presentation slides may be included, but they will be additional to the required length of the paper. You are required to include research from at least two first-person interviews and at least two peer-reviewed practitioner or scholarly journals. For this paper, you will submit 2 sections to your Instructor:
As you identify and analyze key MIS initiatives, strategies, issues, and/or problems unique to your chosen organization in your paper, be sure to incorporate a discussion on subjects such as :
• Any ethical concerns related to managing and communicating data or information that may be confidential or protected, such as customer information or intellectual property.
• The types of knowledge that your organization is attempting to or would like to encode in KM systems.
• Issues related to knowledge management and sharing across business units such as products, services, and sales.
• The impact of database management and knowledge management on business objectives.

SECTION A
Write details about the organization you have chosen and the individuals you plan to interview
For this section identify three individuals in your chosen organization whom you will interview for the purposes of this assignment. They should be individuals who understand the organization’s strategic use of IT to achieve competitive advantage in the marketplace and are willing to meet with you to discuss these initiatives. Please be aware that you will also interview individuals in your chosen organization for the Praxis Paper 2 . Please ensure that you properly schedule your interviews based on the individuals’ availability.
For this section , analyze
• The company you have chosen to examine and an explanation for your choice.
• The names, titles, and details of availability for the individuals you will interview.

SECTION B
This section should include a complete draft of your paper in order to receive and incorporate feedback from your Instructor
As you identify and analyze key MIS initiatives, strategies, issues, and/or problems unique to your chosen organization in your paper, be sure to incorporate a discussion of the themes found in this week’s topics, where appropriate. These may include:
• Any ethical concerns related to managing and communicating data or information that may be confidential or protected, such as customer information or intellectual property.
• The types of knowledge that your organization is attempting to or would like to encode in KM systems.
• Issues related to knowledge management and sharing across business units such as products, services, and sales.
• The impact of database management and knowledge management on business objectives.

Resources
Course Text
Haag, S., & Cummings, M. (2008). Management information systems for the information age (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Chapter 1, “The Information Age in Which You Live: Changing the Face of Business”
Articles
• Carr, N. G. (2003). IT doesn’t matter. Harvard Business Review, 81(5). Retrieved from the Business Source Premier database.

This article claims that IT within the business environment is becoming less important as it becomes more widespread and the costs associated with it decrease.
• Bhatt, G., & Grover, V. (2005). Types of information technology capabilities and their role in competitive advantage: An empirical study. Journal of Management Information Systems, 22(2). Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.

This article presents an empirical study of firms that have invested in IT capabilities and the impact those capabilities had on establishing competitive advantage. This article identifies concrete and practical results of IT investment. It is a refutation of Carr’s article (2003) in the Harvard Business Review.

SAMPLE ANSWER

The Current State of IT in Your Organization

The Current State of IT at Amazon

Amazon.com is an internet giant and one of the fastest large-scale retail companies selling its products online through their website. As such, it will offer a good case study for analysis of the state of IT in earning competitive advantage within the industry. Since its 1995 inception, it has grown to become the largest internet retailer globally. Amazon has special interest in innovation in business strategy as well as the management of information systems. The two aspects of business, innovation and management of IS, are interconnected at Amazon with its business innovations being driven by the huge investment the company has in information systems.

The founder, Jeff Bezos, took advantage of the business opportunity being offered by the internet back in 1995 to start Amazon as a website for selling books online directly to customers. The idea was to store as many books as possible, which would not have been possible through a physical bookstore. The concept of the virtual bookstore presented this opportunity, and he was able to offer lower prices since he did not have to maintain much inventory rather operating through distributors. Consequently, he did not have to pay for the maintenance of a physical storefront or a large sales staff. Through online tracking and shipping information, ability to pay for purchases using a single-click and a credit card, and telephone and e-mail customer support, the company is able to provide superior customer service. 1n 1998, Amazon expanded its sales and revised its business strategy to include other products such as music, CDs, DVDs, and videos as well as electronics, gourmet food, jewelry, personal care, apparel, and home improvement equipment (Thompson, 2013).

At Amazon, the three individuals to be involved in the interview are Jeffrey Blackburn; Business Development Director, Andrew Jassey; the Web Services Director, and Jeffrey Wilke; Consumer Business Director. The three directors were chosen for the interview because of their availability and the fact that on request they agreed to participate in the study.  Again, the three leaders are well versed with the company’s strategy pertaining to IT and the competitive advantage it offers the company.

Section B

Commenting on how they are able to maintain a competitive advantage over rivals, Jeffrey Blackburn in charge of the company’s Business Development talks of benchmarking the business processes against competitors and consequently identifying best industry practices. They do this by comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of their business processes against strict standards and then embarking on measuring performance against those standards. This sets the platform for the improvement of the business strategies and processes through operational excellence, improving profit margins, lowering costs, and fostering a closer relationship with suppliers and customers. He further notes that by working with all the people involved in the company and information systems, Amazon is able to gather customer information from all available avenues and harness this electronically and to use it to improve the customer experience. For instance, at Amazon, they have systems that make it easy for suppliers to open stores and display goods on their website. The company has a well-developed system that coordinates the shipment of goods to the customers. Moreover, the shipment tracking system enables them to access customer information for use in benchmarking.

For Jeffrey Wilke, the Consumer Business Director, the customer tracking strategy where they are able to customize customer’s experience is an effective way of gaining a competitive advantage for the company. By analyzing the information gathered through the knowledge management strategy, they are able to recommend certain products for existing clients every time they visit their website. Wilke affirms that Amazon is able to offer personalized customer service based on an analysis of their past purchases. The company also adopts the direct Amazon-to-buyer approach to sales.

Andrew Jassey is the Director in charge of the Web Services in the company notes that their multi-leveled e-commerce strategy is what offers them a competitive advantage that they enjoy over others in the industry. The company has an application on their Website that allows potential sellers to use their platform to reach out to customers. Through the application, Amazon allows the sellers or associates to build websites on their platform. Jassey notes that this application allows the growth of a very rich database of applications and products accessible by customers. At Amazon, Jessey further notes that IT plays a powerful role in establishing business ecosystems. The company through the use of IT systems has developed IT-based platforms that other companies can use. Amazon’s offers their online store business platforms to other companies such as Fortune 500 firms like Dell to sell directly to the customers. IT has enabled Amazon to create highly synchronized industry specific value chains. The value webs are a collection of independent companies using IT to coordinate their value chains so as to produce a product for the market collectively.

The value web diagram:
(Goh & Kauffman, 2013).

Strategic IT systems have the capacity to change a company as well as its operating procedures and products, driving it into new behavioral patterns. Amazon has had to change their business strategy a number of times so as to reflect new technologies, procedures, and products as the company expands. The case of Amazon demonstrates that successful use of MIS is a challenging task that calls for precise coordination of the management, organizations, and technology. According to Goh and Kauffman (2013), companies using the MIS strategy to earn a competitive advantage over others in the industry are faced with the challenge of losing it over time as other companies have access to the same and can easily copy and adopt the systems. As such, there is a need for continuous and aggressive adoption of new strategies and technologies to keep ahead of others. This should, however, be coupled with effective management strategies and other organizational elements such as unique corporate culture as is the case at Amazon.

One of the ethical dilemmas facing Amazon is on the ownership of the company data. Customer information is such a crucial asset for Amazon, which poses a challenge in safeguarding it from potential theft by employees or system hackers. Such intrusions by criminals could lead to comprise of crucial customer information and great losses for the company (Goh & Kauffman, 2013). The company has a mandate to safeguard customer information from any intrusions. Amazon’s knowledge management strategy treats knowledge component of their business activities as an explicit concern of business and reflected in their business strategy, policy, and practice at all the levels of the company. This has been made collaborative and integrated process directed towards creating, capturing, organization, and access of the intellectual assets. Through the knowledge management process, customer information is turned to actionable knowledge and electronically made available in a usable form to the various departments.

Some scholars have in the past claimed that IT no longer earns businesses a competitive advantage. Nick Carr in his article “IT Doesn’t Matter,” for the first time challenged the strategic value of IT. His argument is that the opportunities for gaining competitive advantage through it are dwindling. The idea is that most of the best practices that most can be built into software and for IT-spurred transformations has already happened or is in the process of happening. Carr instead advocated for less spending on IT as a means of reducing costs and decreasing the risk of buying the equipment that are fast turning obsolete (Carr, 2003). During the time of writing the article, IT companies were in a hurry to sell latest server models seen then as a key to strategic advantage. Companies were in turn in a hurry to position their business on the cutting-edge of infrastructure. One thing though is certain; Carr got people thinking about the direction that IT application was going. For instance, the main challenge of companies concerning their It department has shifted to cloud computing. Companies are now restructuring their IT departments in an effort to form them around cloud systems and applications.

The skeptic view of IT in earning a competitive advantage for companies, in other studies and by several scholars, has been widely refuted.  Scholars postulate firms can achieve a better understanding of the IT-based competitive advantage by demarcating specific forms of capabilities.  Specifically, companies need to clearly distinguish between dynamic, competitive, and value capabilities as the three distinct types of capabilities.  Moreover, within each of the categories specific capabilities can be identified as IT business experience, It infrastructure, intensity of organizational learning, and relationship infrastructure.

Bhatt and Grover in 2005 conducted an empirical study involving chief IT executives from 202 manufacturing firms. The aim of undertaking this analysis was to test the model describing the relationship between the three distinct types of capabilities and competitive advantage. The findings of the study revealed that the relationship infrastructure and the quality of IT business expertise had a significant effect on competitive advantage. In addition, the intensity of organizational learning was also shown as significantly correlated with the capabilities. As such, the results point to the significance of delineating capabilities that can create differentiation in the marketplace and the dynamic capabilities as important antecedents to IT capacity building (Bhatt & Grover, 2005).

In another study, Roberts and Grover investigated how IT facilitates a company’s customer agility and in so doing competitive advantage. The study conducted in 2012 involved 1200 marketing managers working in high-tech companies. The results showed that a Web-based customer infrastructure to a great extent facilitated the capability of a company in customer-sensing. They also identified that systems integration moderates the relationship between the capability of a company to respond to customers and the inter-functional coordination positively. In addition, they found out that agility alignment also affects the efficacy of an organization’s competitive actions. Information systems play a crucial part in facilitating a firm’s knowledge creating synergy derived from the interaction between a firm’s analytical ability and its Web-based customer infrastructure. In turn, the alignment between a company’s customer-sensing capacity and its customer-responding capacity greatly impacts its competitive advantage (Roberts & Grover, 2012). The study confirmed claims that IT capability to create knowledge and enhance processes can be a great step towards facilitating a company’s ability to sense and respond to market opportunities. By facilitating a company’s customer agility, IT promotes competitive advantage. Agile organizations are in a position to adapt and perform well even in rapidly changing environments through capitalizing on opportunities for competitive action and innovation such as developing strategic alliances, entering new market segments, and launching new products. The advancement of IT presents a unique opportunity for companies to engage their customer agility. Customers can generate ideas for new products and use IT-based tools to provide end-user product support on the online environment. As a result, the social relationships developing between the different entities in online communities generate a continuous flux of very valuable knowledge. Consequently, companies that are able to absorb this external knowledge effectively are better able to sense and respond to opportunities.

As Luse and Mennecke (2014) note, other studies have revealed positive linkages between IT investment and productivity attributing the scenario to improvement in business structures, processes, and practices needed to leverage technologies. This is contrary to the earlier discussed assertions by Carr that It is ubiquitous, costly, and accessible to all companies and as such cannot provide differentiation advantage. In this regard, what companies need is to distinguish between undifferentiated IT assets as the ability to manage the assets. Effective managing of the IT assets is a capability capable of creating uniqueness and providing competitive advantage.

Information Technology strategy:

(Goh & Kauffman, 2013).

In economic sense, IT alters both the cost of information and the relative costs of capital as a factor of production substituting the traditional labor and capital. As such, It should be seen to reduce the cost of production in terms of labor and cost of certain capitals such as buildings and machinery.  The use of networks is helpful in lowering the cost of market participation making it worthwhile for companies to contract external suppliers instead of the use of internal sources. Arguing from the Agency Theory perspective, IT can also reduce the internal costs of management. According to this theory, a firm is conceptualized as a nexus of contracts that is in existence among self-interested individuals in it rather than a unified, profit-maximizing entity. The principle owner then employs agents to perform work on his behalf. Nevertheless, agents will require constant management and supervision, and as firms grow in size, the agency costs rise (Luse & Mennecke, 2014). By reducing the cost of gathering and analyzing information, IT allows companies to reduce the agency cost since it becomes easier for the management to oversee greater number of agents.

The interaction between IT and an organization is dependent on several mediating factors such as organizational culture, structure, business processes, politics, management decisions, and surrounding environment.  Information systems have in the modern marketplace become an integral, online, interactive tool in the daily operations of organizations. They have over the past decade fundamentally altered the way activities are carried out within organizations, thus, greatly impacting on the possibilities of conducting business.

References

Bhatt, G. D., & Grover, V. (2005). Types of Information Technology Capabilities and Their Role in Competitive Advantage: An Empirical Study. Journal Of Management Information Systems22(2), 253.

Carr, N. G. (2003). IT doesn’t matter. Harvard Business Review, 81(5). Retrieved from the Business Source Premier database.

Goh, K., & Kauffman, R. J. (2013). Firm Strategy and the Internet in U.S. Commercial Banking. Journal Of Management Information Systems30(2), 9.

Luse, A., & Mennecke, B. (2014). IT can matter: co-evolution fostering IT competitive advantage. Management Research Review,37(6), 574.

Roberts, N., & Grover, V. (2012). Leveraging Information Technology Infrastructure to Facilitate a Firm’s Customer Agility and Competitive Activity: An Empirical InvestigationJournal Of Management Information Systems28(4), 231.

Thompson D. The Riddle of Amazon: the global shopping behemoth is beloved by investors despite practically nonexistent profits and a bewildering grand strategy. What exactly is Jeff Bezos trying to build?. The Atlantic [serial online]. 2013:26.

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General Motors that uses technological workforce

General Motors that uses technological workforce
General Motors that uses technological workforce

Case study of General Motors that uses technological workforce

Order Instructions:

You are going to write up a case study for a company that uses technology in the workforce. An internet/library search will give you a good idea about companies that have case studies on technology. In terms of the selection of the company, you could use one that is listed throughout the textbook or one from any of the articles you have read. No one is to do Apple, Iphone, Dell, Nike as everyone likes to do them, you will all be competeing with each other. Try to choose a company that no one else will think to do.

When writing a case study analysis, you must first have a good understanding of the case study. Before you begin the steps below, read the case carefully, taking notes all the while. It may be necessary to read the case several times to fully grasp the issues facing the company or industry.

Once you are comfortable with the information, begin the step-by-step instructions offered below to write a case study analysis.

Here’s How:

Investigate and Analyze the Company’s History and Growth. A company’s past can greatly affect the present and future state of the organization. To begin your case study analysis, investigate the company’s founding, critical incidents, structure, and growth.
Identify Strengths and Weaknesses Within the Company. Using the information you gathered in step one, continue your case study analysis by examining and making a list of the value creation functions of the company. For example, the company may be weak in product development, but strong in marketing.

Gather Information on the External Environment. The third step in a case study analysis involves identifying opportunities and threats within the company’s external environment. Special items to note include competition within the industry, bargaining powers, and the threat of substitute products.

Analyze Your Findings. Using the information in steps two and three, you will need to create an evaluation for this portion of your case study analysis. Compare the strengths and weaknesses within the company to the external threats and opportunities. Determine if the company is in a strong competitive position and decide if it can continue at its current pace successfully.
Identify Corporate Level Strategy. To identify a company’s corporate level strategy for your case study analysis, you will need to identify and evaluate the company’s mission, goals, and corporate strategy. Analyze the company’s line of business and its subsidiaries and acquisitions. You will also want to debate the pros and cons of the company strategy.
Identify Business Level Strategy. Thus far, your case study analysis has identified the company’s corporate level strategy. To perform a complete analysis, you will need to identify the company’s business level strategy. (Note: if it is a single business, the corporate strategy and the business level strategy will be the same.) For this part of the case study analysis, you should identify and analyze each company’s competitive strategy, marketing strategy, costs, and general focus.

Analyze Implementations. This portion of the case study analysis requires that you identify and analyze the structure and control systems that the company is using to implement its business strategies. Evaluate organizational change, levels of hierarchy, employee rewards, conflicts, and other issues that are important to the company you are analyzing.
Make Recommendations. The final part of your case study analysis should include your recommendations for the company. Every recommendation you make should be based on and supported by the context of your case study analysis.

SAMPLE ANSWER

General Motors that uses technological workforce

Company history and background

General Motors was founded on September 16, 1908 in Flint, Michigan. It was founded as a holding company for Buick which by that was controlled by William C. Durant. It was co-founded by Charles Stewart Mott who by the time of GM’s inception owned a carriage company. Late 1908, GM acquired Oldsmobile. (General Motors Company (GM) – Clean Technology – Deals and Alliances profile, 2014). In 1909, Durant bought Cadillac, Elmore, Oakland and several other companies. In the same year, GM acquired the Reliance Motor Truck Company of Owosso, Michigan and the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company of Pontiac, Michigan. In 1910, Durant lost control in GM. This was due to a bankers’ trust that was caused by the large amount of debt taken on its acquisitions coupled with a collapse in new vehicle sales. Durant started Chevrolet Motor Car Company through which he controlled major interest in GM. General Motors was re-organized into General Motors Corporation in 1916. In the early 1980s, GM experienced an unprecedented growth during which it employed 349000 workers and operated 150 assembly plants, under the leadership of Alfred P. Sloan (Houghton, 2013).

Over the years, GM has grown to be a big automobile manufacturing company which, together with its partners, has been able to design, build and market cars, trucks and spare parts around the world. The brands include Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Pontiac, Opel, Fleet and Commercial, Vauxhall and Saturn. Moreover, GM provides automobile financing services through its subsidiary, General Motors Financing Company (Essays, UK, 2013). The company sells cars and trucks to daily rental car companies, commercial fleet customers, leasing companies and the government. This is either done directly or through a network of dealers that have been established over the years. GM has operations in North America, South America, Central America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia (Oceania). It has its headquarters in Detroit, USA  (Houghton, 2013).

Though GM has grown over the years to enjoy dominance of the auto industry, it has internal factors that have influenced its performance, growth and expansion. It has enjoyed strengths from within and in equal measures has had its share of weaknesses. The strengths include:

  1. Customer Satisfaction that has been brought about by perfect branding

            General Motors has in the past produced quality products. This is indicated by its scores in 2010 American Customer Satisfaction Index. GM’s Buick and Cadillac brands took the second and third spots in overall customer satisfaction. The GMC brand also appeared in the top 10, sitting in slot number 8 above Toyota and Nissan hence demonstrating a 2.4% increase over the previous year (Klikauker, 2012).

  1. Huge market share depicted by its worldwide presence:

GM has an international presence with factories in Poland, Russia, South Africa, Ecuador, Egypt, Argentina, Australia, Germany, Belgium, China, Colombia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Thailand. Moreover, it has assembly, manufacturing, distribution, office and warehousing operations in 55 other countries. Though GM lost the top slot for global auto sales after 77 years in 2009(Reuters, 2010), it still has the top market share for any American car Company, as reported by  “The Wall Street Journal,” leading in both overall sales as well as light truck sales (Klikauker, 2012).

  • Lower labor costs that have been put in place since 2009

                    GM has kept labor cost low in most of the world, including foreign markets. In 2009, it cut its white collar labor force by 14%, according to Huffington Post. This effectively reduced overhead for the company and ensured increase in profitability without an actual increase sales or productivity (Klikauker, 2012).

  1. Leaner Operations

        When GM came out of bankruptcy in 2009, it had adopted a much leaner operation system. It had cut brands, plants and employees so as to streamline production costs, according to “The Washington Post” with the executive committee being reduced to eight members. This enhanced the company’s efficiency and increased the speed of decision making (Business: Rising from the ashes in Detroit; General Motors’ IPO, 2010).

The following weaknesses have however hindered its operations.

  1. Diminishing Dealer Network: GM has identified more than 1000 dealership markets that are due for closure. It also announced that it would not be renewing its franchise agreements with almost one quarter of its dealership in the U.S. As at December 31 2008, GM had 715 dealerships in Canada and as at May 2009 plans had been put in place for closure of 200 dealerships (Goussak, Webber & Ser, 2012).
  2. Insufficient Liquidity that has negatively affected both Research and Development and relationship with suppliers (Goussak, Webber & Ser, 2012).
  • Inadequate performance among some Business Segments: In 2008, the GME segment accounted for 21.8% of the total revenues and its revenues decreased by 8.8% to $32,440 million. Other business segments experiencing declines include GMNA which fell by 23.9% to $82,938 million, and GMAP which stood at $12,477 million for the 2008 fiscal year indicating a major decline (Klikauker, 2012).

Threats

Intense Competition:  GM is vulnerable to fierce competition from firms like AB Volvo, Bayerische Motoren Werke, Daimler, Fiat Group Automobiles, Ford Motor, Honda, Hyundai Motor, Mazda, Nissan, Peugeot Citroen, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen. Many of these have responded to the financial crisis by adding vehicle enhancements, providing subsidized financing or leasing programs in order to sell more vehicles. They also offer option package discounts, marketing incentives and reducing vehicle prices in certain markets. These actions may have negative effects on GM’s pricing, market share and operating results, particularly on the low end of the market (Research and markets adds report: ‘General Motors Corp. – SWOT framework analysis’, 2010).

Global Recession: Dire predictions for the global economy were realized in 2009(Klikauker, 2012). These resulted in stalled economic growth that stretched into 2010. The decline in the economy came with reduced consumer demand for less fuel efficient vehicles, including full size pick-up trucks and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) which had been GM’s most profitable products. The decline also resulted in tighter credit markets making it quite hard for customers to finance automobile purchases. The meltdown also resulted in the government of US buying out GM (Klikauker, 2012)

Opportunities

Growth Potential in India and China: There are positive projections for General Motors ventures in China and India. In China, the market for new cars has grown by 14% and was projected to reach $97billion by the end of 2008. (Webb, 2005). Moreover, in India, the market grew by 15.5% in 2008 to a dollar value of $28billion. This is a strong indicator that India will play a bigger role in the projected increase. (Webb, 2005)

Increased Global Truck Market: It is projected that in the coming years there will be steady growth rates. The market volume is also expected to increase. (Asia News Monitor, 2014)

Rising Demand for Hybrid Vehicles: With its hybrid models of Saturn Vue and Aura Hybrids, Chevrolet Malibu and Tahoe Hybrid as well as Cadillac Escalade, the company will move fast to meet this demand. Vehicles market would boost the demand for GM’s products.

Though GM has gone through recession, notwithstanding the economic scars that tainted its reputation, it needs to understand that there is increase in global competitive pressure and realize the significance of it understanding the organizational behavior and dynamic changes to its cultural and ethical environment. GM may not remain competitive if some aspects of its operations are not improved (Groussak, Webber and Ser, 2012)

Corporate Level Strategy

GM has a powerful vision backed by a powerful strategy. It is focused on a single global vision: To design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles. This would in effect power the development of world-class products that are winning in the market place, and is helping to transform business and fortify the balance sheet. This model also creates a self-sustaining cycle of reinvestment that drives continuous improvement in vehicle design, manufacturing discipline, brand, competitive pricing and margins (Groussak, Webber and Ser, 2012)

GM has annuals sales of over 9million vehicles and operations in more than 120 countries. Its business is diversified across products and geographic markets. The company meets local sales and service needs for its retail and fleet customers with a global network of independent dealers. Across the world, GM is a top manufacturer led by diverse portfolio of brands that share core platform efficiencies and are connected by its global reach (Groussak, Webber and Ser, 2012)

GM has equity ownership stakes directly or directly in entities through various regional subsidiaries like GM Korea, Shanghai General Motors Co Ltd, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Company, FAW-GM Light Duty Commercial and SAIC GM Investment Limited (HKJV) (Asia News Monitor, 2014).

Business Level Strategy

Brand Restructuring: GM focuses to restructure Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick. It also plans to either close or sell out brands like Saab, Saturn and Hummer. These actions are based on sales statistics that are lagging in the domestic market (Asia News Monitor, 2014)

Fuel-Efficiency: This has been the demand brought about by effects of global warming and green technology for industries to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Cost cutting: This will be achieved through the reduction of GM brands and models and closure of some dealerships across the world. Cost will also be reduced through salary cuts for employees and executives. (Asia News Monitor, 2014)

Emerging markets: Markets in India and China present GM with the opportunity to expand its brands and become a force to reckon with in these markets. (Asia News Monitor, 2014)

Marketing Strategy: GM needs to re-establish itself as America’s leading brand. Advertisements and commercials must not only promote this position but also emphasize the developments in sustainability and fuel efficiency. (Asia News Monitor, 2014)

Recommendations

General Motors needs to expand its marketing strategy to cover markets in China, India, Europe and the larger American continent. The message of its fuel efficiency cars and better quality should be heard across all its ancient markets.

General Motors also needs to invest more of its resources in Research and Development Centers in African and India. This will help in establishing the need for cars in those regions and also aid in coming up with better designs for such regions and low end customers.

References

Business: Rising from the ashes in Detroit; General Motors’ IPO. (2010, Aug 21). The  Economist, 396, 49-50.

Essays, UK. (November 2013). A SWOT Analysis of the General Motors Company Marketing Essay

General Motors Company (GM) – Clean Technology – Deals and Alliances profile. (2014). London: Global Data Ltd.

Goussak, G. W., Webber, J. K., & Ser, E. M. (2012). A CRITICAL NEEDS PLAN FOR GENERAL MOTORS: A CULTURAL PLURALISM APPROACH. Review of Business & Finance Studies, 3(2), 45-53.

Houghton, J. D. (2013). What is good for General Motors: The contributions and influence of Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Journal of Management History, 19(3), 328-344.

Klikauer, T. (2012). A General Motors works council’s response to the capitalist global financial crisis: A case study from Germany. Capital & Class, 36(2), 303-322.

Research and markets adds report: ‘General Motors Corp. – SWOT framework analysis’. (2010). Manufacturing Close – Up

Webb, A. (2005). General Motors plans more choices for china. Automotive News, 79(6144), 21. World: General Motors chief reveals business strategy. (2014, Jan 23). Asia News Monitor

Fixing what’s wrong with General Motors and other U.S. manufacturers; American business concepts issues opinion editorial. (2005, Jun 06). Business Wire

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Business Frameworks and Strategies

Business Frameworks and Strategies
Business Frameworks and Strategies

Business Frameworks and Strategies

Order Instructions:

It is critical to pay attention to the details of this paper and get it right the first time.

Frameworks and Strategies

Michael Porter argues that the strengths of a business fall into one of two categories: cost advantage or differentiation. He goes on to explain that the application of these categories will result in three “generic strategies“: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. According to Porter, competitive advantage is achieved by leveraging the strengths of the organization. Consider how Porter’s strategies relate to an organization in which you work now or have worked at in the past.

Referring to the below mentioned journal articles and other scholarly resources, explain how you would use Porter’s Three Generic Strategies to leverage IT resources at your organization and increase its competitive advantage.

Resources
Readings
•Haag, S., & Cummings, M. (2008). Management information systems for the information age (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Chapter 1, “The Information Age in Which You Live: Changing the Face of Business”
Chapter 2, “Major Business Initiatives: Gaining Competitive Advantage with IT”

Articles
• Carr, N. G. (2003). IT doesn’t matter. Harvard Business Review, 81(5). Retrieved from the Business Source Premier database.

This article claims that IT within the business environment is becoming less important as it becomes more widespread and the costs associated with it decrease.

• Bhatt, G., & Grover, V. (2005). Types of information technology capabilities and their role in competitive advantage: An empirical study. Journal of Management Information Systems, 22(2). Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.

This article presents an empirical study of firms that have invested in IT capabilities and the impact those capabilities had on establishing competitive advantage. This article identifies concrete and practical results of IT investment. It is a refutation of Carr’s article (2003) in the Harvard Business Review.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Business Frameworks and Strategies

To achieve a competitive advantage, business and information technology managers need to apply three generic strategies that were postulated by Micheal Porter in 1980. These generic strategies include the cost leadership strategy, product differentiation, and focus strategy. For maximum resource utilization, Porter claimed that a company should choose only one of the three strategies or risk wasting the precious resources. Porter also believes that the ability to attain competitive advantage is achieved by the leveraging of the company’s strengths while minimizing its weaknesses. While these strategies refer to long-term goals and objectives, leverage is the act of doing more with much fewer resources (Robert, 2000).
The cumulative experience obtained in my work in IT has resulted in the understanding that even with more resources than its competitors, a company that spends more on research and development with far more advanced resources in information technology does not necessarily mean it is strategically more successful unless it has the correct strategy in place. The availability of resources only reflects past leadership and past successes of the business and has nothing to do with the future of it. Therefore, this does not guarantee success, but only depends on the strategic vision, better processes, services, and compatible sub-strategies (Smith & Fingar, 2003).

. To leverage IT and IS resources in an organization, it is usually important to look at the scale of resources the organization has. A company with less information technology resources may experience the need to innovate, use the most efficient and least costly processes and systems that would reduce the costs of operations and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Information systems in place. This helps them to outmaneuver the competition rather than just out-powering them. Resource surplus firms, for example, spend a lot of resources on developing information technology and systems. With the best infrastructure in place, it is important for this large resource endowed firms also to match software and hardware acquired with proper training of employees who will run, monitor, and man the systems. The proper training of employees in the use of these resources leads to competitive advantage in the sense that the work can be organized and done faster in a more efficient, effective, and reliable way (Haag & Cummings, 2008).

Technological advancement in information technology is happening in a fast rate in this modern competitive business environment. To remain competitive, a company needs to draw up plans to be able to adapt to the changing circumstances by ensuring technological absorption and new product introductions. According to Carr (2003), unplanned technological absorption without a long-term outlook to costs and benefits may lead to resource wastage and unwanted or unsustainable changes that might cause serious problems and cause more harm than good (Smith & Fingar, 2003).

Since information technology in the business environment has become cheaper with new advances over time, new ways of exploiting IT opportunities have been invented. These inventions have different information technology capabilities and roles in acquiring and maintaining competitive advantage. These strategies focus more on core competencies and find alternative solutions to business IT problems. An empirical study of firms that have invested
in IT capabilities reveal that firms prefer bespoke IT systems that consist of unique innovation improvements, than relying on system imitations from competitors (Zhao, 2008). These innovations lead to capabilities that are able to work with other organizational strengths to match existing established advantages to become strategically more competitive with much more practical results with IT investments.

References

Haag, S., Cummings, M., & McCubbrey, D. J. (2004) Management information systems for the information age (4th Ed) Boston: McGraw-Hill

Robert, M. (2000) the power of strategic thinking lock in markets, lock out competitors. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill.

Smith, H., & Fingar, P. (2003) IT Doesn’t Matter – Business Processes Do: A Critical Analysis of Nicholas Carr’s I.T. Article in the Harvard Business Review. Tampa, FL: Megan-Kiffer Press.

Zhao, F. (2008) Information technology entrepreneurship and innovation Hershey PA: Information Science Reference.

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Case analysis of franchisee/franchisor

Case analysis of franchisee
Case analysis of franchisee

Case analysis of franchisee

Order Instructions:
OBJECTIVE:
The assignment is intended to foster the following objectives:
a. Improving your critical thinking and application skills.
b. Identifying various sources of financing and skills management for different stages and types of new ventures.
c. Conducting a brief research and case study analysis on how a new venture acquires and fulfils its business needs and preferences within different stages of its business operation.
d. Combining knowledge from other courses with the new material presented in the course to develop sophisticated analyses and solutions to pursuing business solutions in today’s fast-paced, global, and highly competitive macro environment.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the case below and answer ALL questions. Then, select a business franchise (franchisor or franchisee) as a case for analysis

The Malaysian National Franchise Development Blueprint 2012-2016, states that the Malaysian Government intends to increase the number of franchisors from the current number of 492 in 2010 to 650 by the year 2014 and the number of franchisees from 4,838 in 2010 to 6,050 by the year 2014. Meanwhile, the government would like to see the total franchise sales to GDP, to increase from 2.2 percent in 2010 to 3.3 percent by the year 2014. In terms of franchise employment to total national employment, it contributed 0.9 percent in 2010 and this figure is expected to rise to 1.1 percent by the year 2014. Currently, there are more than 268 franchise systems with more than 6,000 franchisees. Hence based on the franchise statistics in Malaysia, the prospect and potential of new business ventures through franchise system is very bright and promising. Nonetheless, it is not without hurdles and challenges. There are a number of issues that potential franchisees and franchisors must consider before venturing into this business.

QUESTIONS:
1. Discuss both qualitative and quantitative assessments from the viewpoints of franchisees and franchisors respectively before they can agree to venture into the franchise business system.
[30 marks]

2. Select a successful business franchise (EITHER A FRANCHISOR OR FRANCHISEE), which has been in the market for more than 5 years. This could be someone you see as an example of how a business venture succeeds sequentially through a franchising system; beginning as a small entity and then growing and expanding successfully. Your analysis should critically discuss whether the reality of practice reflects what is reported in the literature on franchise management. Is it the same or different? If it is different how and why is this so?
[60 marks]

[TOTAL: 90 MARKS]

Note: The grade for this assignment will be substantially influenced by the originality and overall ability of the student to compare, evaluate and analyze the franchise management challenges and opportunities for organizations. Any form of plagiarism and / or lack of proper referencing will result in a substantial mark down or fail result.

ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION:

All assignments must be handed in at the stated time and in the stated form or they will automatically receive a grade zero. It is your responsibility to retain a copy of your assignments should any questions arise later concerning the said assignments.

PRESENTATION (10 marks)
You will deliver an oral presentation (Power Point slide between 8 -10 minutes) at the end of the semester (Seminar 5) highlighting the salient points of your investigation and opinions. This will comprise 10 percent of overall marks for all face to face students. Online students are exempted.

ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES / ASSIGNMENT FORMAT:

• Your assignment should be typed on A4 paper using 12-point Times New Roman and 1.5 spacing.
• Your assignment should NOT exceed 3500 words, not including appendix and reference.
• Your must provide references. References should use the American Psychological Association (APA) format.
• References should include the latest journal/book publication (year 2005 and onwards).
• You are to submit a softcopy of your assignment via email. You must receive acknowledgement email from your facilitator to confirm submission.
• Plagiarism is not acceptable. If you are not sure what is meant by plagiarism, refer to the various websites which discuss this matter, e.g. owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts.
• Plagiarized assignments will receive a ‘Fail’ mark.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Case analysis of franchisee

Introduction

The major economic value of franchising is that it creates self employment and provides more employment opportunities in an economy. Franchising provides an efficient system of distributing goods and services to different levels in the economy. Franchisors provide and facilitate professional business advices to their own franchisees who in return assist in service delivery and consumer identification.

Franchising as a business organization form contributes to business operations and expansion in many countries. The success of franchised business operations has been largely attributed to the strict criteria franchisors use to evaluate, select and recruit franchisees. The other reasons that may contribute to these successes are the franchisor support systems, levels of financial bases and the general relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee. (Frazer & Winzar, 2005)

The qualitative assessments include personal integrity of the potential franchisee, his management and communication skills have to be above average. Financial management, personality and leadership skills must be positively evident to enable a potential franchisee to be recruited. Some franchises like McDonalds insists on hands on management, that’s the franchisee must be able to participate on critical business operations and decision making processes.

Quantitative assessment includes the assessments of the franchisee’s financial capabilities and the ability to achieve the requisite operations standards of the franchisor. The franchisee must be a successful business person and a person who has literally demonstrated some business capabilities and has financial acumen. McDonald’s franchisees recruitment is often rigorous and the selection is very competitive.

The franchisee on the other hand  before deciding to invest on a particular franchise must ask several questions on the profitability of the franchise and whether to invest on a new franchise or buy an existing franchise and also find out the reasons why the franchise is being sold out. The terms of the franchisor also matters to the franchisees decision whether to accept or reject the terms.

 

McDonalds

McDonalds is one of the world’s largest fast food restaurants globally. The hamburger is the basic symbol of McDonald fast food restaurant that serves over sixty eight million customers every day and has presence in over 119 countries globally. McDonald management system is based on the franchise system where most of its sales are in the form of royalties and other fees paid by the franchisees. In the year 2012, McDonalds earned a total profit of $5.5 billion dollars from a total turnover of $27.5 billion dollars. The primary sales of McDonald’s products come from hamburgers, chicken, soft drinks, French fries, cheeseburgers, desserts and milkshakes. And lately salads fish and fruits. McDonalds operates about 15% of the total McDonald’s operations which are wholly owned by McDonalds worldwide. The rest are operated as franchises. (McDonald’s publication, 2012)

In the UK and parts of Ireland, Only a hand full of the restaurants operates as franchises, majority are wholly owned by McDonalds. In the UK, a typical restaurant that may house a McDonald’s facility ranges between £125,000 and £325,000. McDonalds requires an upfront payment of 25% as the value of the unencumbered funds. The rest can be provided through financial assistance as bank loans. McDonalds also charges £30,000 as a franchise fee payable once and a further £5,000 as training fees which is refundable after successful training. The other charges payable by the McDonalds franchisees are mostly the monthly rent based on the business profitability which is about 10-15%, use of McDonald’s brand 5% of sales and McDonald’s marketing 4.5%. The average turnovers on most McDonald’s outlets range from £ 95,000 to £ 200,000 annually in the UK. (MCDONALDS CORP 2013 Annual Report Form 10-K , 2014)

Franchising businesses as spelt out on management books are a little different as the terms of most franchisors are mostly business oriented and they literally take most of the profits from the franchise business operations like in the case of McDonald’s. Their fees account for about 20% of the total sales turnover which is practically most of the net profits from the business operations.  The franchisee must carefully analyze the business structure and terms of the franchisor before accepting or rejecting the franchisors offers.

References

Frazer, L. & Winzar, H. (2005) Exits and Expectations: why disappointed franchisees leave. Journal of Business Research 58 (11), pg.1534 – 1542.

MCDONALDS CORP 2013 Annual Report Form 10-K (2014) United States Securities and Exchange Commission. February 24, 2014.

McDonald’s publication (2012) Corporate FAQ, McDonald’s Corporation. Retrieved 2012-11-27.

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Criterion when selecting a business Paper

Criterion when selecting a business
Criterion when selecting a business

Entrepreneurship: criterion when selecting a business

Order Instructions:

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT This assignment calls for critical thinking and analysis of the entrepreneurial process in entrepreneurship. ASSIGNMENT OBJECTIVES: The assignment is intended to foster the following objectives: ? ? ? Improving your critical thinking and application skills. Identifying innovation and organisational management opportunities and applying them strategically as needed to grow and sustain for profit / not for profit ventures. Combining knowledge from other courses with the new material presented in the course to develop sophisticated analyses and solutions to pursuing innovative solutions in today’s fast-paced, global, and highly competitive environment.

ASSIGNMENT QUESTION “One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you.” – Jeff P. Bezos What does Jeff Bezos mean and what is the impact for would-be entrepreneurs? In this regard analyse the workings of Amazon.com. How is it a global company? What makes it competitive and if so is it sustainable? On this matter how can Yemen create success stories like Apple, Samsung, Google and others like them in Yemen? Apply the William D. Bygrave model of the entrepreneurial process to comprehensively recommend a workable approach for Yemen today. You are required to discuss and evaluate the challenges posed and substantiate your answer with local and global examples where appropriate. [80 marks]

SAMPLE ANSWER

Entrepreneurship

Criterion when selecting a business

Purpose of the Paper

This paper delineates on the criteria that entrepreneurial gurus recommend to be used while selecting a business venture. With special focus on Jeff Bezos sentiments about entrepreneurial passion, this paper develops a concise but analytical synthesis of the workings of Amzon.com, focusing on its competitiveness, its global performance, and relates this success with other international entities like Apple, Samsung, and Google among others. The stories of these successful multinationals are then intricately applied to the case of Malaysia, where the author focuses on the strategies that the said country can use to register a similar stellar performance.

Discussion

Advising entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon Inc., notes that it is better to pick something one is passionate about instead of chasing the hot thing. He had to decide to leave his good job at Wall Street and start his own company. His guiding philosophy was to start now and avoid regret later. When one does the thing that they are passionate about, they are likely to build better products and to succeed. Since its inception in 1995, Amazon has grown into the world’s largest retailer with sales totaling over $60 billion in 2012 (Spector, 2008). Amazon has sites across several countries in the world, over 20 fulfillment centers around the globe with more than nine million square feet of warehouse space making it a global company.

Amazon.com employs a number of strategies in creating a competitive advantage over their rivals. One such strategy is customer tracking where they are able to customize customer’s experience and recommending certain products for existing clients. Amazon is able to offer personalized customer service based on an analysis of their past purchases and other services such as lists of guides and reviews written by users who have bought the product before. The company also adopts the direct Amazon-to-buyer approach to sales. It offers a wide array of products from books, beauty products, entertainment devices, and several others. Their multi-leveled e-commerce strategy is another competitive advantage they enjoy over rivals. The company lets a great deal of potential sellers to use their platform. Through innovation and technology use, Amazon allows associates to build websites based on their platform. This allows the growth of their rich database of applications and products (Spector, 2008). These strategies are very sustainable through the use of technological advancement in IT that is inexhaustible and unlimited. As more advanced technologies and innovation continue to be developed companies that are innovative and swift in adopting the same are able to take advantage of this sustainable competitive advantage.

In order to realize entrepreneurial growth, Malaysia can create conducive environmental factors and programs to nurture personal characteristics in order to increase the tendency toward opening small businesses. The role of the government should be focused on facilitating the interaction between the individual and environmental factors as well as the organizational variables. In innovation, the environmental factors such as role models, creativity, and opportunities interplay with the personal characteristics such as risk taking, education, and creativity. Innovation leads to the triggering stage, which also involves the personal characteristics, environmental factors, and the sociological networks. At this stage, Malaysia needs to consider policies that are business related, incubator services, and resources availability. Government policy is also very crucial during the implementation and growth stage (Bygrave & Zacharakis, 2009). In this perspective, the entrepreneurial process is approached as a start-up through opportunity exploitation. Israel is known for its heavy investment in research and development and risk taking culture that promotes innovation and creativity. The growth of companies such as the Onavo in Tel Aviv offers a good example for Malaysia.

Moreover, entrepreneurship should be taken as an integral part not only of the political system but also of the education system and the national culture if Malaysia is to achieve goals in creating global brands. The primary focus should be in fostering an entrepreneur culture to reinforce the efforts of the education system in promoting innovation and creativity. The education system is a key factor in creating the necessary prerequisite for potential fast growth companies and technology based business. This will help the country to forsake the well-trodden paths and open up new territory in the global platform; turning dreams into reality.

Entrepreneur culture requires that people are motivated to pursue their personal dreams through positive personal characteristics such as risk taking and creativity. An entrepreneur culture promotes competition and collaborations. Through competition and more efficient allocation of resources is what drives emergency of new and vibrant entrepreneurship. Emerging entrepreneurs in this approach have the capacity and the motivation to destroy the existing market equilibrium through innovation, technology, competition, and creative destruction.

Notably, successful start-ups require a lead entrepreneur who is supported by a management team. Businesses cannot thrive in the absence of the people, the idea, and the resources. The people in this case represent the founder as well as the management team. This group is there to provide the necessary leadership and motivation in embracing and working towards the vision of the company. The idea is a developed and refined concept that is focused on exploiting market opportunities. In addition, start-ups require resources in setting up and making the business grow. Effective management and leadership reinforced with the necessary resource and innovative ideas would drive new entrepreneurs to demand a voice in the global markets.

The entrepreneurial process in Malaysia as a developing country is likely to face the challenges of financing and risk management. Entrepreneurs are likely to face hardships in convincing prospective venture capitalists concerning their projects. Lack of information concerning the importance of buying an insurance coverage for businesses is likely to affect the success of entrepreneurship in this country.

A framework for entrepreneurship conditions would involve promoting an entrepreneurial culture and venture spirit, reduction of administrative burdens, easy access to advisory services, competitive entrepreneur taxation, and smooth financing market, and commercialization of research (Bygrave & Zacharakis, 2009). A country that has been successful in promoting entrepreneurship through such strategies is Denmark ranking fifth globally in terms of entrepreneur activity with over 20, 000 new companies per annum.

In lieu of the facts and arguments presented herein, it suffices to conclude that the role of personal characteristics in the entrepreneurial process coupled with government support is evident from the Bygrave model and several case studies such as the Amazon.com. When individuals are encouraged to follow what they love doing through active programs and process that promote entrepreneurship, they are likely to venture more into business and be successful. This should involve creating an education system that fosters such elements as innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, as well as developing good policies and business environment. The cases of some of the most renowned multinationals such as Google, Apple among others present a benchmark on which Malaysia as a country could utilize to gain a competitive advantage, and become a force to reckon with in the global market. Lastly, Amazon.com also provides useful insights that could be borrowed to facilitate the improvement of Malaysia. Overall, entrepreneurial ventures must involve strategic analysis and approaches, as made rife in the above analysis.

References

Bygrave, W. D., & Zacharakis, A. (2009). The Entrepreneurial Process. Portable MBA In Entrepreneurship (9780470481318), 1.

Spector, R. (2008). Amazon.com : Get Big Fast. Pymble, NSW: HarperCollins e-books.

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Long-term Financing and Ownership of Business

Long-term Financing and Ownership of Business
Long-term Financing and Ownership of Business

Long-term Financing and Ownership of Business

Do contrasts in the long-term financing and ownership of business explain national differences in the governance and management of firms, and fundamentally account for the success of major economies?
Detail see the attached field

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
  • Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

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Analysis of the Coca-Cola International marketing

Analysis of the Coca-Cola International marketing
Analysis of the Coca-Cola International                                      marketing

Analysis of the Coca-Cola International marketing in China and UK

The major of this course is International business. I just received the feedback of this essay and there is tutor’s advice of editing on it as well, please check the feedback and improve this essay. The range of changing on this paper should be no longer than 1000 words.

Please:
1. Try to improve it to a 2:1 level according the feedback.
2. I will also upload a sample for you which got a high mark, but please do not copy anything from it. The similarity ratio of this paper must be lower than 20% including reference and appendixes.
3. Please highlight the part you changed while you send the done paper to me.
4. Please send me a massage while you done reading this instructions

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