Wal-mart and dell Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wal-mart and dell - Assignment Example Due to his entrepreneurial skills and leadership vision, Dell has remained a leader in the industry, only to be surpassed by Hewlett Packard through a combination of selling strategies of retail and direct sales. In this regard, since the corporate culture for Dell was to sell their products through direct selling and through the Internet, it needs the expertise of Michael Dell in the implementation of a new strategy selling PCs through retail. An organizational culture is the integrated pattern of organization behavior and norms which are considered one of the bases for decision making. Since Dell had been originally known for its direct selling strategy, using Wal-Mart as a marketing chain for selling their products through retail needs revising the organizational culture to reflect the change in strategy. A new organizational culture is needed once critical components such as goals and objectives, strategies for products and services, target market, are changed. The organizational elements like strategy, structure, systems and cultural orientations must always be compatible with the existing culture through which a shift in strategic direction is to be implemented. Retail partners, such as Wal-Mart and Costco, have certain marketing strategies that should be consistent with Dell’s mission, vision and goals. Strategic change like shifts in various management processes, reward and information systems, reporting relationships, people’s skills and competencies, and, in Dell’s case, in selling strategies, should create a better match with existing organizational cultures, not only of Dell, but with Wal-Mart and Costco, as well. By shifting into retail selling, as successfully implemented by Wal-Mart and Costco, Dell needs to share implementing strategies which are consistent and collaborative with the retail chains. All other marketing functions, advertising,

Operations Strategy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Operations Strategy - Coursework Example The paper begins with business description and SWOT analysis of each of these three fast-food chains. From the SWOT analysis and business background information the paper shall identify the key operations performance objectives for each company and relate them to their competitive factors. The paper shall then conclude by identifying which internal performance objectives that McDonald’s, Subway and KFC need to focus on in their operations strategy if they are to remain competitive in future. 2.0. Business description and SWOT Analysis 2.1. McDonald’s McDonald’s Corporation franchised and operated a total of 32,737 restaurants in 117 countries as at end of 2010. This essentially makes it the biggest fast-food retailer in the world. McDonald’s revenues come from sales by its own restaurants and fees – in form of royalties and rent – from its franchised restaurants. Fees levied to these franchises vary depending on a myriad of factors stipulated in the franchise agreement that typically runs for 20 years. McDonald’s realised sales slightly in excess of US$ 24 billion in 2010 which was a 6 per cent increase over the 2009 revenue figures (McDonald’s, 2011). The business is managed as distinct geographic segments, namely: the US, Latin America and Canada, Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA), and Europe. The bulk of its revenues originates from Europe, US and APMEA in that descending order. Within Europe, more than half of the company’s revenue comes from three countries: France, Germany and the UK. The UK therefore is a major market for McDonalds. Also according to the 2010 Annual Report, restaurants in the U.K., France and Russia are entirely company-operated (McDonald’s, 2011, p.14). 2.1.1. SWOT Analysis Strengths McDonald’s is the global market leader in the retail fast-food industry. Its huge international presence enables it to benefit from economies of scale that bring dow n its costs which supports its low-cost pricing strategy. Additionally, this huge international presence, allows the company to spread risk thus so as to reduce negative effects that may emanate from poor economic performance of certain countries. The McDonald’s brand, which is among the world’s best known is another source of strength as the company benefits from all the advantages that accrue due to brand recognition and loyalty such as increased sales. An additional strength for McDonald’s comes from its large real estate portfolio. McDonald’s real estate operations bring in large revenues and allow it to open more stores. Moreover, the strategic location of McDonald’s outlets – in areas of high visibility, traffic volume and ease of access – further strengthen its brand recognition. The company has also continued to innovate in terms of its menu variety – for example introducing limited offers, introduction of healthy salad s and shakes – and restaurant re-imaging. McDonald’s â€Å"Plan to Win† strategy that focuses on people, products, place, price and promotion that has been in operation since 2003 is also another source of strength as it shows alignment with the company’s corporate strategy. Weaknesses According to Zagat’s 2011 fast food survey, despite being the global leader in market share, McDonald’s was ranked third in the overall ratings of retail mega chains. This implies that the company’s average for food quality, facilities and customer service is lower than expected from its strong brand. Threats Rivalry among competitors in retail fast food industry is intense and it is slowly gravitating towards price competition largely because products and services offered by McDonald’s and its rivals are almost identical and there are virtually nil

Leadership and Management Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Leadership and Management Development - Essay Example As the paper discusses  the dynamism in technology and the overall globalization are attributable to the leadership and management styles in today’s organizations, particularly the corporation under consideration. For instance, Barclays bank has an intensive structure of communication from a centralized point. The global operations of Barclays are monitored from a central location. This has been made possible by embracing technology in networking and programming. In fact, the bank’s management is able to monitor millions of transaction daily. This is one of the primary benefits of technology. This study observes that, Barclays bank embraces a considerable level of virtual management compared to physical. The bank has edged competitively in the banking and investment industries through apt leadership and management skills, which are in line with the latest technological trends.From the discussion it is clear that  Barclays bank’s leadership and management cons ist of numerous departments and sub-departments that act as the overall administration unit of the bank. Some researchers term it as the heart beat of the company. It oversees and coordinates all the activities of the bank in a daily basis. In fact, its absence literally implies absence of the bank’s transactions.  The primary function of the management and leadership team of any organization is to work to ensuring high level of alignment between the company’s structure and the attributed strategies intended for execution.... Some researchers term it as the heart beat of the company (LEES, 1992). It oversees and coordinates all the activities of the bank in a daily basis. In fact, its absence literally implies absence of the bank’s transactions. Consider the following structure. Courtesy of Mumford A. and Gold, J. (2006) Management Development: Strategies for Action, London, CIPD Management Strategy and structure alignment at Barclays bank The primary function of the management and leadership team of any organization is to work to ensuring high level of alignment between the company’s structure and the attributed strategies intended for execution. Alignment of the two instruments is fundamental in the overall realization of a firm’s objectives (MULLINS, 2010). For the case of Barclays bank, strict flow of information in both vertical and horizontal directions as illustrated in the management structure remains the core priority. It enables proper conveyance of information of emerging t rends in diverse sectors of the firm. Such information needs to be relayed frequently due the ever-dynamic business milieu (SCHEIN, 1989). Effective managers should apply informal managerial skills to ensure interactive culture with all the stakeholders to facilitate effective leadership that is characterized by inclusiveness. Management and leadership operations As depicted from the structure above, the Barclays bank’s leadership has become more challenging due to the global dynamism that the industry is facing today. The company has become more flexible to change, responsive and less structured (PERREN, & BURGOYNE, 2002). While the CEO’s have remained the ultimate authority, the bank continues to depend on

Weekly progress report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Weekly progress report - Coursework Example government through wired technologies that have been replaced by mobile technologies because of easy availability and large penetration and acceptance. I also read the article titled Principles of Public Administration written by Jeong C. and Nawi F. (2007) on Tuesday and Wednesday, three hours each day, to understand the role of information communication technologies enhancing the efficiency of government’s information. I also read the article titled M-Commerce: Technologies, services, and business models written by Sadeh (2002), stating mobile government is the strategic and advanced use of government services through mobile and cellular devices, on Wednesday and Thursday, three hours each day. The research conducted by Caroll (2005), titled Risky Business: Will Citizens Accept M-government in the Long Term, stated that unless the government understands the needs and requirements of citizens, long term value cannot be achieved. In the upcoming week, I will gain deep understanding over research methods and designs by following the book Research Methods for Business Students written by Saunders et al (2007). Based on the reading and personal idea, I will be formulating strategies for collecting primary data along with identifying samples for the research process. I will be reading chapter 4 based on understanding research philosophies and approaches on Saturday and Sunday for three hours each day; chapter 5 based on formulating research design, chapter 7 titled Collecting Samples, and chapter 11 based on collecting primary data through questionnaires on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday respectively for four hours each day. It will help me in forming a profound understanding over sampling and data collection methods. I will preferably use snow ball sampling method as it allows identifying few numbers of respondents and seeking further references for them. This strategy will be used to identify samples for the su rvey purpose. I will also design questionnaires for

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Marketing - Essay Example The report then looks at how RLL can fit into the hot chocolate market using various promotional strategies as well as its existing resources. II. Customer Audit From the interview findings, all the respondents do like hot beverages and many of them take hot chocolate. Both male and female respondents across a wide range of age brackets like taking chocolate. Those who take chocolate drinks take them for indulgence reasons and other for relaxation. Most people get their chocolate drinks from supermarkets and local shops. When buying their chocolate drinks, most people are influenced by the thickness, a rich flavor and smoothness. Others get whatever is new in the market. The respondents who take chocolate said they would buy a hot beverage called Silk. III. Internal Audit A. Operating Results Tea and coffee dominate the UK hot drinks industry, which account for more than 90% of the industry’s total sales. The remainder of the sales (10%) is accounted for by other food beverage s such as hot chocolate. The hot beverage industry is worth more than ?1.5 billion. The tea industry is worth ?655 million, coffee industry is worth ?739 million while the other food beverages are worth ?125 million. The Forecasted future sales in the UK hot drinks industry is ?1.7 billion by 2016. ... 67% of those consumers with a household income of ?20,000-?24,999 use food beverages. Other high consumers of food beverages are those with household incomes of ?25,000 – ?34,999 (62%), ?15,000 – 19,000 and ?35,000 (64% each). The sales of instant chocolate and add milk chocolate increased from the year 2005 to 2007. B. Strategic Issues Analysis 1. Marketing objectives Launch a new hot chocolate product Generate over ?200,000 in the new product’s sales by the end of the first year. Increase the new product’s sales by 40% by the end of year 2. 2. Market segmentation All hot drinks customers from all age brackets prefer high premium products, which are full of flavor and exotic. They like expensive but restrained image. Their preferred brand does not have to be branded. Young C1C2 customers like convenient products that come at a moderate price. They also like branded products with standard products being the most accepted. For this age group, the kind of pu rchase they make conveys their status. Older C1C2s do not mind the price of the product as long as its quality is right. For them, taste is the most important factor when purchasing hot drinks products. They do not care much about the products image or exotic products. They normally view own label as poor quality. For the younger DEs the product’s price is very important. They tend to buy smaller packages of branded products whose quality must be good. They are also concerned about the image and they are likely to change products quite often. Older DEs mostly buy the cheapest products and they stick to those products that they know, that is, the traditional products. They also value own labels. 3. Competitive Advantage The company has hi-tech production facilities that

Homeopathic remedies (argumentative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Homeopathic remedies (argumentative - Essay Example The second principle is that the natural property of homeopathic remedies is maintained and retained even after the repeated dilution and sucussion beyond the Avogadros number. The fundamental theory of Homeopathic remedies is that the micro doses of these materials are used to stimulate the natural protective and healing mechanism of the body resultantly aiding as a remedial system. The interesting part of homeopathy is that this alternative medical branch utilizes diluted doses of such materials which are assumed to cause similar symptoms as that of the actual disease. The basic theory involved is that imparting such foreign materials would cause and prompt the body to formulate a defensive mechanism which ultimately would help the remedy of the actual disease. This possibilities branch of such a remedial system was first explored by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician in the year 1796 (Jonas, Kaptchuk & Linde 2003, 393-399). The continued dilution of the naturally extracted mater ials is achieved by serial shaking and the dilution is expected to continue till a stage where least of the original ingredient remains. The remedial outcome is assumed to increase with the continued dilution. The general strategy followed by the homeopaths in determining the remedial measure is through the assessment of the disease symptoms with reference to a calibrated index of symptoms (Rite Care, 2009). Along with this, the physical and psychological state of the patients is taken into account while recommending the remedial measure (Rite Care, 2009). In the present scenario of clinical research, homeopathy is increasing growing in importance. A lot number of researches are seriously undertaken so as scientifically to confirm the benefits of homeopathy as an effective remedial branch of medicine. This should be read together with the fact

American History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

American History - Assignment Example 1800s, soldiers stationed at the former mission named the place as the Alamo which means â€Å"cottonwood† in Spanish — in reference to where these men came from, Alamo de Parras, Coahuila. For years, the Alamo became the home of Mexican revolutionaries and royalists during the war for independence. The military — Spanish, Rebel, and then Mexican — continued to occupy the Alamo until the Texas Revolution. Though Texians and Tejano volunteers were able to successfully occupy the Alamo in 1835, they were greeted by a surprise attack from General Santa Anna’s army – an assault which was held out for 13 days. Because of the intensity of the battle, the commander of the Alamo, Col. Travis sent forth couriers asking for help to communities in Texas. However, as the hope for outside help faded, Col. Travis drew a line on the ground and asked those who were willing to fight to step over. All of them except one stayed to defend the Alamo. The defenders risked their lives to protect the key to Texas’ defense. They would rather die than surrender to General Santa Anna’s army. Before the daybreak in March 6, 1836, the final assault of Mexican soldiers came as they scaled the walls and rushed inside the compound. The battle still continued as defenders continued to desperately fight the enemies. However, by sunrise, the battle ended as General Santa Anna entered the compound to proclaim his victory. At first, I found it rather odd that defenders wrote extensively about the weather in Texas. However, in my view, the defenders found Texas weather to be rather odd and new for them. That is why, in their journal entries, defenders took time to note and comment heavily about the weather. For historians, the weather diary is important to dispel the myth that in 1835 the coldest winter swept through Texas. This idea was held on because Mexican troops encountered a freak blizzard as they were on their way to Texas during the night of February 13 onwards. However,