Research the Internet or the Strayer Library for a publicly traded company and then download the annual report for the most recent year reported for use in this assignment.



Based on your review and analysis of the annual report, prepare a ten to twelve (10-12) page report in which you:

1.Analyze the companys mission and vision statements against the performance of the organization. Then, evaluate how well the company lives out its mission and vision statement. Provide support from the organizations performance in your evaluation.
2.Assess how the organizations strategic goals link to the companys mission and vision.
3.Analyze the companys financial performance to determine the link between the companys strategic goals, strategy, and its financial performance. Detail your findings.
4.Conduct a competitive and marketing analysis of the organization to determine strengths and opportunities.
5.Apply the appropriate strategy (low cost, differentiation, or niche) that will maximize the organizations return to shareholders. Provide a detailed rationale for the reason you chose this strategy and state the expected outcome(s).
6.Create a detailed scenario in which a merger or acquisition would be a viable strategy to implement. Consider who the merger or acquisition would involve, the market conditions making it a good choice, and the type of strategy that would make it a success.
7.If you were a leader in this organization, determine the appropriate rewards that would best motivate employees toward achieving the desired strategy. Review the financial performance of the company to ensure the rewards are appropriate. Justify your selection.
8.Evaluate how the companys current strategy supports or discourages ethical business behaviors (or perhaps both). Discuss how you arrived at your assessment.
9.Use at least six (6) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

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; 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 students name, the professors name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Analyze strategies for exerting the internal leadership needed to drive the implementation of strategic initiatives and improve operating excellence.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in strategic management.
Write clearly and concisely about strategic management using proper writing mechanics.

Assignment 5: Federal Contracting Activities and Contract Types
Title: The Boeing Co.
Write a 5-6 page paper in which you:
1.Give a brief overview of the history and background of the company. No more than one (1) page.
2.Give an account of at least one (1) of the recent major contracts that was awarded to the company.
3.Describe the type of contract that they were awarded (fixed-price, cost reimbursement, etc.) and explain why that particular type of contract was chosen over others.
4.List and discuss at least three (3) direct costs and three (3) indirect costs that the contractor incurred.w
5.You must provide at least three (3) qualified outside sources (for example, peer-reviewed journals, government or professional organization Websites) all cited in the proper APA style on a separate reference page.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

?Outline the process to forecast the likely price of an acquisition, calculate semi-variable costs, and allocate direct and indirect costs.
?Describe the various cost classifications, the different allocation bases, and the application of cost-accounting standards.
?Use technology and information resources to research issues in cost and price analysis.
?Write clearly and concisely about cost and price analysis using proper writing mechanics.

Your assignment must:

?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

Case study : Supply chain Whirl
While the 2001 global overhaul of whirlpool?s supply chain systems remains a work in progress today, managers say its success to date is encouraging the remaining system work.
The supply chain whirlpool in 2000 was broken. Indeed, a manger there at the time quipped that among the four major appliance makers in U.S. , Whirlpool ranked fifth in delivery performance.
??We had too much inventory, too little inventory, wrong inventory, right inventory/wrong place, any combination of those things, ??says J.B. Hoyt who was then the supply chain project director. He says a sales vice president approached him one day and said he?d accept even worse performance from supply systems if they would just be consistent rather then wildly bouncing back and forth between good and poor production and shipping plans.
So in 2001, whirlpool embarked on a multi project global overhaul of its supply chain system. The meta project remains a work in progress today, with a number of systems yet to be rolled out and some major technical issues to be resolved. But managers at whirlpool say its success to date including huge improvements in customer service and reduced supply chain costs is providing the psychological and financial impetus to drive the remaining systems work
Whirlpool CIO Esat Sezer says that by 2000, the company had grown by acquisition and geographic expansion to the point that old systems, stitched together by spread sheets and manual procedures, couldn?t cope with the exploding complexity.? Our supply chain was becoming a competitive disadvantage for us,?? he says. Availability ? the percentage of time a product is in the right place at the right time ? was an unacceptably low 83 percent, even as inventories remained too high overall.
The home grown supply systems were primitive and not well integrated with the company?s SAP ERP system, which had been installed in 1999, or with a legacy production scheduling system, Sezer says. And they weren?t integrated with the system major wholesale customers or suppliers of parts and materials. ??The plans we were creating weren?t linking back into reality,?? he says.
In particular, Sezer says, supply chain systems weren?t fine ?grained enough, nor were they very good at juggling priorities and constraints except through slow and cumbersome manual methods. Often, they would optimize locally ? a single product line at one location, for example ? but not for the supply chain as a whole.
Here?s what Whirlpool was using for its North American supply chain in 2000:
- A home grown production scheduling system, the Whirlpool manufacturing control system (WMCS),which was developed in the mid-1980s and extensively modified over the years.
- SAP?s R/3 ERP system, which was installed in 1999 and used for transaction-processing applications such as accounting and order processing.
- I2 technologies demand planner (now called demand manager), which was installed in 1997 and used for demand forecasting.
- A system for distribution planning that was custom-developed for Whirlpool in the 1980s that used optimization software from ILOG.
Then in 2001, Whirlpool began to implement an advanced planning and scheduling (APS) system. It included a suite of supply chain integration and optimization tools from i2 ? Supply chain planner for the master scheduling, Deployment planning and inventory planning. Those three modules, the heart of Whirlpool?s efforts to fix its supply chain, went live in three phases over 2001 and 2002.
In mid-2002, Whirlpool installed the i2 TradeMatrix collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR) system, a web-based collaboration tool for sharing and combining the sales forecasts of Whirlpool and its major trade partners-- Sears, Roebuck and Co., Lowe?s and best buy Co.
The rollout of the a component for Web-based collaboration with suppliers, based on SAP?s inventory collaboration Hub, is just getting under way. And Whirlpool continues to use the old WMCS for production scheduling but plans to replace that with SAP?s production planning module.
It?s available
By all accounts, the supply chain overhaul was a smashing success for the US$13 billion company. CPFR cut forecasting errors in half. APS boosted availability in North America from 83 percent to 93 percent (it?s at 97 percent today), reduced finished-goods inventories by more than 20 percent and trimmed 5 percent from freight and warehouse costs. Whirlpool declined to discuss the cost of the projects.
Managers at Whirlpool give much of the credit for the success of these projects to a close partnership between the IT department and the business units. Says Hoyt, ``it was one of the first times the IT community didn?t say, ?OK, here?s your tool. ?We said the tool had to do x, y and z. We did the requirements analysis together.??
Whirlpool considered standardizing completely on SAP for all ERP and supply chain systems in North America, but i2 ultimately got the nod for the APS system, the critical part needed to fix the company?s availability and inventory problems. ``There was a lot of back and forth, but after a long harangue and discussion of our business requirements, we settled on the i2 tool set in North America, ``Hoyt says.
But while i2 was seen as being more capable than SAP for handling the fine?grained optimization, constraint-based planning and prioritization that the business units wanted, it was far from ideal from an IT perspective. The APS system would cost IT, whose budget is about US$190 million, more than all-SAP supply chain because there would be less integration, more systems interfaces and more skills to maintain in-house. Plus, IT was worried about i2?s deteriorating financial condition.
Whirlpool had already standardized on IBM AIX application servers and zSeries mainframe database servers for supply chain systems and had put systems for all its global operations in a single data center in Benton harbor. Now it was time to standardize on software.
So in 2001, a mandate came from the CIO, via whirlpool?s executive committee, that supply chain modernizations henceforth would be based entirely on SAP. In particular, new systems planned for Europe for 2003 and Latin America would use SAP?s Advanced planner and Optimizer rather than the more capable but costly i2-based APS system used in North America. And they were to use SAP?s NetWeaver for Web collaboration with suppliers and trade partners rather than North America?s TradeMatrix CPFR.
Vivek Mehta, A lead supply chain analyst at Whirlpool, says SAP may catch up with i2 in its optimization capabilities, but in the meantime, i2?s financial condition is worrisome. ``There were 10 guys at i2 that we interacted with, and some of them are gone now, ``he says. ``There?s lack of continuity??.
``We have this challenge, where the IT organization is pushing for everything to be SAP, but the business, on the other hand, is going fro whatever brings them value, ``Mehta says. ``They are now used to the optimal plan, the high service levels, the lower inventories. So if we bring in something and say their availability will go down by couple of points, no way will they buy that.??
Sezer says Whirlpool will probably replace i2 with SAP ``eventually?? but is in no hurry. ``We?d like to get the return out of that investment before making any platform decisions, ``he says.
Sezer says that in the four years since Whirlpool standardized on IBM and SAP as ``strategic partners,?? revenue has increased on average US$1 billion per year and IT expenses have fallen 6 percent per year.He says there are several joint development projects under way involving all three companies.
But for the time being, the combination of SAP and i2 works well for Whirlpool, far better then the legacy tools of a few years ago. Sezer says the company?s supply chain is now a competitive advantage. ``On a global scale, to be able to manage all your operating platforms, I?m not aware that any of our competitors have that today, ``he says.
Think globally, act locally
When time came for Whirlpool Europe to overhaul its supply chain, the company decided not to go with i2 optimization products, as North America had done, but with SAP?s advanced planner and optimizer (APO) for demand and supply-network planning.
Vivek Mehta, a lead supply chain analyst involved in both projects, says Europe was starting from a more primitive systems base, with even more manual procedures and less-integrated systems than had been the case in North America. So for Europe, ``APO was a huge step forward, ``he says.
The integration of Whirlpool Europe?s supply chain systems around APO, though not quite complete, has already boosted inventory availability from less than 80 percent to more than 90 percent, says Walter Manfredi, supply chain director in Whirlpool?s Comerio, Italy, operations center.
``Today, our supply chain is integrated ? process and systems, ``he says. ``Now, demand from a trade partner or customer is integrated into production planning. We can look into production plans and see if this item for this date in this quantity is for this customer. So we can now give priority depending on the type of demand.??
For example, he says, priority is always given to production orders earmarked for specific customers ? for which availability is now 97 percent-- over orders to simply replenish stock.
Still, improvements need to be made, especially at the level of individual factories, Manfredi says. Some factory managers, in an attempt to tweak system rules and parameters to optimize their operations, make the systems so complex that they become maintenance nightmares. And, he adds, attempts by factories to optimize their own performance can be at odds with optimizing the European supply chain overall.
Finally, Manfredi say, while production can be varied daily by altering system rules and parameters, some production modifications require workforce changes or changes in line and equipment capacities, which can take weeks to accomplish. ``That?s very difficult, he notes.
Required : Write a report that answers the following areas:
1) Critically appraise the supply chain management system used by Whirlpool ? North America and evaluate how it contributed to Whirlpool?s business performance and in gaining competitive advantage.
2) Evaluate how Whirlpool?s production helped in making planning and sourcing decision. What set back did Whirlpool face in making delivery decisions that provoked them to move to an optimal platform of supply chain management.
3) Discuss on the future trends and challenges faced by global makers of home appliances in managing their supply chain.
This coursework aims to achieve the following learning outcomes of the module :
- Critically appraise how supply chain management and supplier development can contribute to business performance and competitive advantage
- Critically evaluate planning and sourcing decisions
- Critically evaluate making and delivery decisions
- Identify and discuss future trends and issues in global supply chain management
Resources
Supply chain case studies / Journals of supply chain management / Harvard business review
Supply chain management review / supply chain digest
1)Submission of the paper should follow the standard format , consisting of
- Table of contents
- Executive summary
- Content page
- Main report
- Conclusion
- References (Harvard)
2) Others points to take note
- Printed using Arial font , size 10 , 1-1/2 line spacing
- Do not use first person in your report (no ??I?? , ??me??, ??us??, ??we?? ) Used third person and passive voice
- Avoid making use of jargon. The report should be written in academic form
- Citation and references should be in Harvard referencing format
MARKS
10 marks ? Executive summary , conclusion and references
10 marks ? Presentation and appearance
80 marks ? Contents , Appraise the supply chain management system used by Whirlpool , evaluate
And discuss future trends and challenges faced by global makers of home applicances in managing their supply chain.

ASSIGNMENT PART 2B ??" instructions (Individual Written Report):

1. Submit an individual report (1000 words target, 2000 words maximum excluding references) documenting your critical analysis of the case study.
2. You may use the learning and analysis shared in your group and in class, but you must write your own report in your OWN WORDS and not use any words written by others unless referenced.
3. For structure, you may use the structure suggested in Part A, 4 (i) to (v) above if you wish.
4. Please cite references from academic journal articles and other relevant publications to support your arguments and remember to include them in your reference list.
5. You are highly recommended to make full use of the electronic journal database search services such as Business Source Premier (EBSCO), Emerald, Elsevier Science Direct, Wiley Interscience etc. (see Useful websites for SCM research in your notes pack) and other library research facilities such as the printed academic research journals on the 2nd floor of the library and the audio/visual materials on the 3rd floor of the library.
6. You may wish to search for and include some of the following points in your report:
Referenced definitions of supplier development
The foundations which need to be in place to enable the improvement initiatives between customer and supplier contained in the case to take place
The various objectives that the customer and supplier may seek to achieve from such improvement initiatives
The role of leadership at each company in establishing and supporting such initiatives
How commonality of purpose is achieved, and how differences and problems between customer and supplier are resolved?

There are faxes for this order.

1) Overview of Cash Distribution: theories of cash distribution and firm value, information content or signaling hypothesis, dividends vs stock repurchases,
chapter 14 of Corporate Finance, 4th edition by M. Ehrhardt and E. Brigham

May i please request Christiew to write the essay paper? Thanks.

Request same writer , Writers's

Identify company's Mission, Vision and Values

Develop a competitive positioning analysis

Identify the generic/grand strategies being used by the company.

? Organizational Structure - Describe the major divisions/departments within the organization. Identify and describe the different levels of management. Indicate who occupies these positions, and what they do in their job. Identify and describe the style of management that is evident within this structure (see Chapters 2, 3, & 4) (2-3 pages)
? You must describe some of the actual people in management positions and describe the positions they occupy.<<<<<<< If you can find it online.
? In terms of the management structure, recall from our classroom discussions that an organization's management structure may not fit neatly into one of the theories we discussed. It may be a hybrid or combination.
? Your job is to examine the structure and identify and explain which aspects relate to the various management models.
? Organizational Diversity - Provide a full description of the different levels/types of diversity represented within the organization (see Chapter 12). (1 page)
? Organizational Culture - Identify and describe at least 3 important aspects of the organization's culture (see Chapter 5). (2 pages)
? Public Relations - Describe specifically what the organization communicates through its web site. Explain how they communicate their goals, their vision, their responsibility to customers and clients, and anything else that you find interesting and relevant. (1-2
? pages)
? Your job - Indicate what position you would pursue within this organization, and why. Describe what is involved in this position. Also indicate what your dream job would be within the organization, and why. (1 page)



Sources I have to include somehow:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/11/prweb11372708.htm
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/11/prweb11359349.htm


You can add on pages if you need to. I might fail this course! Please fix what you need to.





What I have so far:


Organizational Communication
?

Introduction
Westinghouse energy has a bright future in nuclear development and successful global expansion. I chose to research this company because of their organizational structure and culture. Westinghouse has been recognized for their superb Total Quality Management (TQM). This success in the field of human resources was attractive to me. In the future I would like to become a part of an organization like Westinghouse. For my interview, I was fortunate enough to interview Camille Kovach, the Vice President of Human Resources, Operations, and Global Training & Development.

Research Methods
Interviewing
In my research I prepared four sections of interview questions. I developed a series of icebreaker questions, organizational structure questions, Westinghouse corporate culture questions, and a training and development series of questions. I carefully developed my questions by researching their website and articles pertaining to Westinghouse about their corporate environment. The questions and answers are within my project folder.

Scholarly Sources
When we were first assigned this project I chose to do Westinghouse because of the studies Westinghouse has been mentioned in for performance management. The first study I decided to include in my presentation was The Effects of Total Quality Management on Corporate Performance: An Empirical Investigation. In this study they linked positive financial performance to in-depth TQM systems. Their hypothesis was not supported. From this study I learned what exactly is Total Quality Management. I have also learned from this study that it is an effective way to run an organization internationally. I will include more about this article in the organizational structure portion of my paper.
In the previous source I looked at they mentioned that in the 1980?s Westinghouse was one of six other companies to receive an award by Congress called the Malcolm Balderidge National Quality Award. This award was given to the companies that best used Total Quality Management globally. For my next source I decided to look more into human resources management and this particular award. The Academy of Management released a study called Total Quality and Human Resources Management: Lessons Learned from Balderidge. For this study the companies that won the Malcolm Balderidge National Quality Award developed human resources portfolios to complement the Total Qualtiy Management objectives. In this study they decided to do interviews to best the capture the lessons learned in human resources practices. From their data they derived 14 ?ideal? human resources practices derived from the interview data. I refer to this study in organizational structure and culture.

Other print sources
According to PRWeb, an online newsroom, reports that Westinghouse sees a promising future for nuclear development in Brazil with their growing economy and uranium reserves. Westinghouse is now sponsoring an internship within the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.



Website analysis




Historical overview
Westinghouse headquarters, as of 2009 is located in Cranberry, Pennsylvania. Westinghouse is an international organization located in many states such as: Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Utah, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Washington, Maryland, and many other countries such as Belgium, France, Spain, Sweden, and Germany. Most recently PRWeb released an article about Westinghouse and their future endeavor with energy development in Brazil. But Westinghouse did not start out as an international company superstar like they are today.
Founded in 1872, Westinghouse Electric Corporation?s primary business activity was the manufacture and sale of equipment and appliances related to electricity. Westinghouse expanded into different markets. In 1889, Westinghouse Electric Company was renamed Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. In 1945 the company changed their name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation. In 2013 Westinghouse Electric, which is now owned by Japan-based Toshiba, estimates that almost 50% of nuclear power plants around the world and about 60% of US plants are based on the Westinghouse? technology. Westinghouse has provided design work for new nuclear power plants and makes many of their components to help new plants run. Westinghouse Electric manufactures and supplies the commercial fuel products needed to run the plants, and it offers engineering, maintenance, and quality management services for the plants as well.
Organizational Structure
From my interview I learned that Westinghouse takes the systems approach. I say this because Westinghouse heavily revolves on hierarchical order, interdependence, and permeability. When I asked Mrs. Kovach ?If you could describe your corporate culture in three words, what would you say? And Why?? She replied with almost half of the book definition of the system approach. She first said hierarchical. She said that the nuclear industry is influenced by their history in the military. She says this because it is a highly regulated industry and there is a very strong chain of command. Secondly, she said that they were committed. She said that the workers and managers believe in nuclear energy and are strongly committed to Westinghouse. Lastly, she said focused on technology. She said they bring in the best of the best engineers and her job was to support them.
She also helped me understand their organizational structure when I asked her ?What are all the divisions/departments?? I learned that Westinghouse is broken up into three regions Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia, and America. They are not divisions or departments. At Westinghouse the divisions/departments are broken down into ?product lines? from ?product areas.? Mrs. Kovach works in the corporate center. The product lines within the corporate center include human resources, finance, information technology, quality, supply chain, and legal. The product areas include servicing existing engineering equipment and major projects (EEMP), automation and field services (A&FS), and nuclear fuel. The last product area is nuclear power plants (NPP) they are the product line that services and maintains the power plants.
Westinghouse practices the human resource approach called Total Quality management. Westinghouse was one of the first companies to succeed in Total Quality Management. It was in the 1980?s that Westinghouse decided to take on competition from Japan. In the article, The Effects of Total Quality Management on Corporate Performance: An Empirical Investigation, they simply described the process Westinghouse and many other companies tried to achieve during the 1980?s. The initial key characteristics were process focus, systematic improvement, companywide emphasis, customer focus, employee involvement and deployment, cross-functional management, supplier performance and supplier relationships, and recognition of TQM as a competitive strategy. Westinghouse still uses these key principles today according to their website.
As a winner of the Malcolm Balderidge National Quality Award they were included in a study called, Total Quality and Human Resources Management: Lessons Learned from Balderidge, From their research I was able to relate their 14 ideal human resource approaches to what Westinghouse human resource management really has.



Organizational Diversity
Westinghouse is a very diverse company. From their diversity of skills to their diversity in nations, Westinghouse has learned how to take care of their people as a whole. Mrs. Kovach currently is working on standardizing human resources management system across Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). This week she is meeting with the Vice president of Europe human resources and Vice President of Asia human resources in Brussels, Belgium. They are always looking to tweak their current system to better assist their employees. The challenges they face are much different than other companies because of their diversity in skills.
They have changed their organizational structure many times to account for their diversity in different product lines. Within their product lines

Organizational Culture
In the article, Total Quality and Human Resources Management: Lessons Learned from Balderidge, they mention the importance of the visions and values of a company. Westinghouse has provided their company with a clear corporate message, ?No company is more focused on nuclear technology.?
This vision is clear within each product line. All of the product lines know they are working on providing future generations with safe, clean and reliable electricity.
The hero in this industry is George Westinghouse.

Values
Heroes
Rites and Rituals The rites and rituals they practice are giving incentive bonuses after their annual year end review.
Cultural network
Internally Westinghouse has a communication system. From office to office you can instant message or email. At Mrs. Kovach?s she attends many meetings daily.
Total Quality Management culture as described by The Academy of Management:
?TQM requires a change in organizational culture, a fundamental change in the way individuals and groups approach their work and their roles in the organization, that is, from an environment of distrust and fear of reprisal to one of openness and trust where creativity can flourish; from working as individuals to working as teams; from protection of organizational turfs to the breakdown of departmental barriers; from an autocratic management style of direction and control to a softer style of team leader and coach; from power concentrated at the top to power shared with employees; from a focus on results to a focus on continuous improvement of the processes that deliver the results; and finally a change from making decisions based on gut-feel to an analytic, fact-based approach to management.?

Public Relations
Your Job?










Interview Questions and Answers
December 1st, 2013 1:00 PM (EST)
Camille Kovach, Vice President of Human Resources, Operations, Global Training & Development
*She did not wish to be quoted verbatim*

Icebreaker Questions
What is your job title?
Vice President of Human Resources, Operations, Global Training & Development
What skills and abilities are required to succeed in this job?
? Strategic Thinking
? Teamwork
? Collaborating
? Personable effectiveness
? Knowing your role and function
What is your typical workday like?
She has early morning meetings and sometimes on the phone on the way to work with Europe or Asia because of the time difference. She has been working through lunch recently. She is usually engaged with Europe or Asia for her most recent project during this time. They are developing new leadership competencies managers of managers, managers, and lower executives. They are looking at 10 possible leadership competencies. Her afterhours preparation consists of returning emails, preparing for presentations, reading new Westinghouse materials put out by CEO, and currently developing the leadership competencies.
Organizational Structure
What are all the divisions/departments?
Westinghouse is broken up into three regions Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia, and America.
At Westinghouse the divisions/departments are broken down into ?product lines.? Mrs. Kovach works in the corporate center. The product lines within the corporate center include human resources, finance, information technology, quality, supply chain, and legal. The product areas include servicing existing engineering equipment and major projects (EEMP), automation and field services (A&FS), and nuclear fuel. The last product area is nuclear power plants (NPP) they are the product line that services and maintains the power plants.
What is management like within those product lines? Centralized or decentralized?
Although the product lines are separated, they support each other. Their chain of command is centralized for each product line.
Corporate Culture
If you could describe your corporate culture in three words, what would you say? And Why?
She said hierarchical. She said that the nuclear industry is influenced by their history in the military. She says this because it is a highly regulated industry and there is a very strong chain of command. Secondly, she said that they were committed. She said that the workers and managers believe in nuclear energy and are strongly committed to Westinghouse. Lastly, she said focused on technology. She said they bring in the best of the best engineers and our job is to support them.
What?s the best part about working in the environment that I would not see from just a walk around the office?
Mrs. Kovach says the fun part is working with incredibly smart engineers and learning from some of the best in all of the product line fields.
New Hire
What are the skills and abilities required to succeed in a new hire position?
? The ability to take assignments willingly.
? Work on your own to fulfill this position.
? Take initiative, work independently towards a goal.
? Make sure you are turning in thorough work and complete.
? Do not work half way.
What is the biggest challenge someone will face in this job their first 6 months?
She sees a lot of engineers struggle with interfacing customers, whether on or off the job they represent Westinghouse. In the support organizations she sees new employees that do not want to talk or work with upper level management.
Impromptu Training and Development portion
What is the current training program for new employees?
Westinghouse has a performance management program. Managers also give feedback regularly. At the beginning of the year upper management and lower management establish goals. At six months they informally meet to discuss goals. The meeting time is recorded. By the end of the year they complete the end of year annual assessment. This rating determines pay increase.

In addition to the energy that the AP1000 plant provides, Westinghouse is committed to benefitting the local economy through our We Buy Where We Build? approach to new-plant development. ~Jeff Benjamin, SVP, Westinghouse Nuclear Power Plants

The chosen company that this paper is to be written on is Nutrisystems Inc

Background Reading for Case 5

While most of models of organizational diagnosis that we have been exposed to in this class recognize the existence of feedback loops, none of them really offer a thorough discussion of the complexity of feedback or how it can be used to promote organizational improvement and development. To get a better view of this topic, we turn to the work on systems thinking and organizational learning. Much of this literature is based on the work of Peter Senge whose seminal book The Fifth Discipline popularized the notion that organizations are capable of learning.

In all of the readings, pay partiular attention to the two types of Feedback Loops: Reinforcing Feedback that causes growth, and Balancing Feedback that provides stabilizing effects.

This first reading is a good overview.

Bellinger, G. (2004) Introduction to systems thinking. Retrieved from http://www.systems-thinking.org/intst/int.htm

This second reading is quite long and reviews much of the work in the area of learning organizations. Read it all if you like (see menu on left side of the page), but the most relevant part of the paper for this course is part VI, which covers systems thinking:

Larsen, K., McInerney, C., Nyquist, C., Santos, A., & Silsbee, D. (1996) Learning Organizations (Part VI: Systems Thinking) Retrieved from http://leeds-faculty.colorado.edu/larsenk/learnorg/index.html

IF YOU ARE STILL CONFUSED ABOUT FEEDBACK LOOPS, here is another tutorial on this complex concept. Bathtime, anyone?



Optional Case 5 Reading:

Bellinger, G. (2004) theWay of systems. Retrieved from http://www.systems-thinking.org/theWay/theWay.htm

Bellinger, G. (2004) Archetypes. Retrieved from http://www.systems-thinking.org/arch/arch.htm

This is the home page for the extensive site from which much of the material for this module was taken. http://www.systems-thinking.org/index.htm

BACKGROUND

In this final Case of the Integrated Case Project, you will to take a look at feedback loops in your organization . Identify one Balancing Loop and one Reinforcing Loop. Draw on the background readings from this module in constructing your diagnosis. Within each of these feedback loops there are opportunities for learning and improvement.

REQUIRED READING:

Refer to the background readings on System Feedback Loops.

CASE 5 ASSIGNMENT:

You need to present two cases in this paper. For each Feedback Loop (Balancing and Reinforcing) Make a Case for the Learning Opportunities.

Be sure to include references. Turn in the 5-6 page paper by the end of the module.

KEYS TO THE ASSIGNMENT:

This is what you need to do:

Generate evidence for the grounds of your cases. Describe each Feedback Loop that you identify in your organization and explain why you selected them. Make sure you explain the Loop, the cause and effect process within the Loop. You could also include a Causal Loop Diagram. If you do, show the arrows and direction of affect (+ or -). Also, determine what the warrant is for your case.
Briefly discuss the theory of organizational learning (the warrant and additional grounds.)
Identify the opportunities for organizational learning in each Feedback Loop. Make a Case that these are learning opportunities. Logically show how the feedback process provides an opportunity for the organization to learn and improve its performance. Be precise. Depth and breadth in your discussion is always a good thing.

This small size organisation with 43 employees will be analysed.

The company managed by 3 individuals: director, general manager and national sales manager. The company consist of 43 males and 3 females. Average age of employees is 30 years old.

The managers are in their middle 60?s and old friends, who?s managing approach is very outdated. Screams, abuse and not willing to listen. Not willing to adapt to technology, high spending of company profits and very law salaries. High expectations no appreciations. Also employees simply do not respect those managers.

Also gender issue exists in the company. Female?s more work, take responsibilities but paid less and not respected. High turnover of employees.

The Diversity issues such as Gender factor, and generational profiles should be analysed in this essay. As well as Spiritual orientation.


Analyse the impact of the factors you have chosen from the list (culture, age, gender, or individual factors such as emotions, relationships or personality, for example) on the communication that occurs within the group. You may also consider any organisational or management policies or practices that affect interpersonal communication in the workplace and the interpersonal communication amongst group members. Finally, suggest how individuals or the organisation, including yourself, might contribute to improving communication, paying special attention to the factors stated. You may use first (I) or third person where it is appropriate to do so. For example, use 'I' if you are describing your own actions or perceptions. You can also choose to observe a group in an organisation where you
are not a direct participant but where your interaction with the group is sufficient to observe and analyse the dynamics of the communication.

Assignment 2: Avon Products or GE Money America Case Study


From the Goldsmith & Carter textbook, select either the Avon Products (Chapter 1) or GE Money Americas (Chapter 6) case study for this assignment.



1.Provide a brief description of the status of the company that led to its determination that a change was necessary.
2.Identify the model for change theory typified in the case study of your choice. Discuss what led you to identify the model that you did.
3.Illustrate the types of evaluation information that were collected and how they are used to benefit the company.
4.Speculate about success of the changes within the next five (5) years and how adjustments could be made if the results become less than ideal.
5.Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

Proposal Structure

? Length: 500 Words (Max)
? Title
? Research Question
? Overview/Description of Problem
? Methodology
? Purpose/Perceived Value

To date, many large public companies over the globe have resisted adoption of the new standards international accounting standards and U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Standards (GAAP) as reflected in IFRS that have promoting by (FASB, IASB and SEC)

The purpose of this dissertation will be to employ a Delphi methodology - or you can add any other methodology- accompanied by principal component analysis (PCA) and other statistical procedures to generate a theoretical explanation of this documented resistance to convergence. The main deliverable of the study will be a list of weighted resistance factors.

Minimum number of research question (2) Citations (Harvard) bibliography (any- old and new)

Please follow the proposal structure and kindly note that I will continue with you if I will be satisfied with the proposal, the dissertation will be approximately 11000 to 14000 words

There are faxes for this order.

This essay is for the course: Research methodology in psychology.

The topic for this essay is educational psychology of children in schools. The paper should be written in APA consistant throughout. The main focus should be on the tests and measures associated with 3-5 theories on the topic. Main areas to include in the essay surrounding the topic should be the identification of 3-5 theories defining the research probelm, analyzing the research methodology behind each theory, identification of the nature and the sources of error in each reseach theory, critically evaluating each research theory.

NO internet resources are allowed for use in this essay, only refereed material such as substantiated journal articles and books. The essay should be based on 12 original journal articles in the particular field of interest.


INstructions from the prof:

The essay should NOT simply be an annotated bibliography of the papers you have read. The essay should be organized to present what is currently known about the topic and at the same time provide a good story line. Papers should not be text-book like summaries, or look like pamphlets from a medical or industrial company. They should also not be a series of personal anecdotes.

Analyze the topic. Depth of analysis is preferable to breadth. Tell the reader lots about something not a little about a lot of things. Try to develop some form of a theme. It may be helpful to think of the paper as an attempt to establish an argument or make a point. You don't need to formulate a specific hypothesis about your topic, but your paper should have some form of direction.

Avoid vague descriptive terms. For example, do not write "the performance of the rats in Lashley's early experiments provided significant steps in understanding behiouristic learning principles." (what does this sentence mean? Why were the experiments significant? Did they provide incentive to work harder? Who knows? Who cares? Also avoid rhetorical questions.

Begin the paper by introducing the topic and what the approach to the topic is going to involve. Start with broad concepts and work towards the specifics. Don't begin or conclude the paper with profound statements. Begin the arguments and when you have finished what you are going to say, stop. At the end of the paper provide whatever conclusions you have arrived at and then stop. Try to write clearly and precisely even at the risk of being a bit dull at times.

paper title: u10a1 Project ??" Final Marketing Analysis

Syllabus

Marketing Analysis Project Description
Overview : Research and produce a marketing analysis of a product, service, or company. This will include a current marketing profile developed from Internet research of business periodicals with specific focus and analysis of the four Ps of marketing and how they apply and are managed in that situation.

Product: AVON ANEW Lash-Transforming Mascara + Serum
o Brand decisions.
o Product features.
o Packaging.
o Product lines.

Place:
o Channels of distribution.
o Physical distribution.
o Retailing choices.
o Inventory decisions.

Price:
o Cost-based pricing.
o Value-based pricing.
o Competition-based pricing.

Promotion:
o Communication plans.
o Public relations.
o Advertising.
o Sales and selling activity.

Your final marketing analysis should include the following:
Company Description section describing the company you chose for this project.
Product Analysis section.
Place Analysis section.
Price Analysis section.
Promotion Analysis section.
Overall Marketing Strategy Analysis section with a discussion of the company's overall marketing strategy, and your analysis of how that will impact their business success.
Integrated Marketing Program Analysis section with a discussion of how well integrated their marketing program is, and your analysis of how that will impact their economic success.
Recommendations and Management Implications section, with your key recommendations related to the above areas. This should include the impact your recommendations will have on management, such as when and how your recommendations should be implemented.
References page.

Grading criteria:
Examines basic use of product in the marketing mix and recommends improvements.
Examines basic use of place in the marketing mix and recommends improvements.
Examines basic use of price in the marketing mix and recommends improvements.
Examines basic use of promotion in the marketing mix and recommends improvements.
Examines the implications of an integrated marketing program to business economic success, and draws conclusions related to a specific business situation.
Examines the relationship of basic marketing strategies to business success, and draws conclusions related to a specific business situation.
Evaluates the management implications of marketing and sales plans, and draws conclusions related to a specific business situation.


I have papers written that I swill send as attachments that has some of the information I have, done by your company, that needs to be used in the writting of this paper.

There are faxes for this order.

My name is Nik. I spell my name a little differently. But, with so many folks named Nicholas, Nicolette, Nicole, Nikoleta, Nikola, and more, I figure Id let people guess.
Like everyone else, I periodically imagine what paradise on Earth would be for me. In my imagination, my trip to paradise includes having a wonderful, loving relationship, finishing my college degree, getting a meaningful job, seeing some of the rest of the world, and getting my dog, Leonard, housebroken.
Although Id been working on all this stuff for what seems a lifetime, I couldnt believe that they all came together for me within a three week period; although, Im still working on Leonard.
Within two weeks of finishing my degree, I landed a job with great potential in a solid organization. All the investment of time, energy, and money in school finally paid off, not to mention I learned a lot more than I thought I would. The next week I reconnected with a former friend, that could prove to be the love of my life. Did I point out Im still working with Leonard?
Adding to paradise found, my first assignment with my new company required me to travel to another part of the worldan island country of Kava, in the South Pacific to be exact. Now who thinks of the South Pacific and doesnt image a physical paradise white beach, gentle surf, swaying palm trees, tropical breeze I sure did, and so did the prospective love of my life. We agreed the first trip would be strictly business. So, I would be traveling alone. Poor Leonard. If this assignment and our relationship worked out well, however, we could spend other occasions together in paradise.
My first week of work was entirely engulfed in a brief introduction to the company, HR procedures, organizational processes, overview of Kava, and flight arrangements. Although I received a great deal of help in putting together the trip to Kava, no one knew exactly what I would be doing there.
Youll be working with Alex, our director of strategic planning, was the short, quick, and consistent response I got. Very experienced, very demanding, very influential executive. What an opportunity for you!
So, the following week I was off to Kava, to meet with Alex, my supervisor and mentor, for my assignment in paradise.
I hope the love of my life gets Leonard housebroken while I am gone. My first reminder that lifes events are not as we perceive them to be is when I landed in Kava. What I found was that this part of paradise was a mess, at least where I landed. It was a mess all the way to our companys office. It was a mess around the office.
I opened the door of the trailer, our make-shift office. The office was a mess, too!
Before I could focus myself to say anything, even to greet the receptionist sitting behind the desk, the hectic yet very welcoming voice rang out, Greetings, Im Alex.
I was a bit surprised. Correction: I was very surprised. People never look like you picture themnothing is like your mind ever pictures itbut I was way off with Alex. I should have known better, but I still answered, Really? Youre not the receptionist? Youre not at all how I pictured you.
Really? Alex responded, How did you picture me.. gesturing me to introduce myself.
A significant island country in the South Pacific.
The people:
Over 50% under 15 years of age
Ethnic mix of indigenous South Pacific tribes, Asian (Chinese primarily), African, French, Spanish, and since World War II, a sizeable number of Americans.
Religions Indigenous 50%, remainder closely divided between Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic.
Languages Numerous indigenous, as well as English, Spanish, and French.
The economy:
Petroleum, coffee, cocoa, spices, bananas, sugar, tourism, fishing, and natural gas, as well as inexpensive, quality labor.
Disasters threats:
Tidal waves/tsunami
Typhoons/Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Floods
Fires
Volcanic eruptions
Earthquakes
HIV/AIDS
Petroleum spill
High risk for avian flu
Terrorism, from within and outside the country
Helping organizations:
Governmental service local, state, and national levelsincluding the military
Community based organizations
Faith-based groups
Businesses
THE SITUATION:
After Alexs introduction to Kava, reviewing the potential risk associated with our location, and thinking Im showing Alex my great observation skills, I declare, Thats why the mess all around here. Some disaster hit this place. Right?
Alexs eyes spoke, No kidding, slugger. But kinder and more informative words came from Alexs mouth that said, No, not some disaster. It was some disastersfastballs being thrown from all sides, so to speak.
I asked my first stupid question, What kind of disasters have they had here?
With some chiding, but great patience, Alex replied, Dont they teach about things that happen in the rest of the world at your college, or did you get hit by a pitch?
They do, I answered, but like everybody else, I guess, it if doesnt affect me directly, I dont pay much attention.
Every day, in many ways, youre affected directly by things that happen in many parts of the rest of the world, Alex responded, this time with less patience. I bet what happens in Kava impacts your life at least three times a day, every day. You may not get all the fly balls, but youre still in every part of the game
What happened here was..
How did the folks deal with all that? I interrupted with amazement.
Too much, too many, and over too short a period, Alex answered with sigh. Add to that the diverse composition, beliefs, attitudes, and ideologies, and youve got a melting pot boiling over.
Or, everybody thinks they can pitch, eh? as I took a swing at metaphoric statements.
Good one, Alex stated. Yep. Now, lets get to work on our game plan.
THE TASK:
Alex began to define our mission and my assignment:
Our company is considering establishing a greater presence here in Kava, Alex started. That greater presence could take various forms, based on whats good for our company and whats good for the people of Kava. You and I get the chance to analyze, synthesize, and prescribe regarding that decision.
Because so many disasters happen here? I questioned. I think I can write up this recommendation in two words, Forget It.
Again with great patience, Alex explained, slowly and deliberately, I guess you can just take your ball and go home. But our organization chose to play in this game and you chose to join our organization. If you really want to play, you will have to take your turn at bat. There are no designated hitters in this game.
I rephrased my thoughts, OK, we want a greater presence on Kava, because so many disasters happen here.
Alex answered, Yes, but even more. Certainly, one reason is that whatever happens here affects us there. Ill make sure you understand that as we create this study. As youve seen recently, disasters happen at home, too. We can avoid, deny, or ignore them. We have to turn them into opportunities. Another huge reason is the founder of our company, Chris Morales, has a deep-seeded commitment to doing what is right. Not because of the economics, or politics, or recognition, but because its the right thing to do. Our organization is far from perfect, but we keep trying to upgrade who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Chris believes we cant keep taking more from Kava, if we dont give more back. Chris wants to live up to that Morales name. And, the third, maybe most consequential reason is the government of Kava, and Im sure indirectly a bunch of other organizations, are asking us to bring our business culture to Kava.
Why is their government asking our company, a for-profit business, to help them with their, uh, social needs? I asked.
There are also three big, basic reasons, for that, Alex answered, and loads of other minor ones.
First of all, through our growth, our company has demonstrated that we can develop and manage a very effective, as well as highly efficient, organizational structure and processes. That includes all aspects of he company; marketing, finance, purchasing, technology, human resources, physical resource, transportation, strategic planning, leadership, etc.
Secondly, the goods and services that come from Kava, have a significant impact on our company, you and me, and most folks back home, as well as people all over the world.
Last, and certainly not least, as Chris has preached and demonstrated, In the long run, economics drives everything.
Alex concluded with, So, are you ready for your turn at bat?
I guess, I answered will all the confidence of a first-time skydiver. But, I wouldnt mind if youre the leadoff hitter, at least for right now.
OK, then. Keep your eye on the ball, Alex instructed, because heres what we, by that I mean you, need to do first.
All those fresh new critical-thinking skills you developed in your education should be applied, because I want you to write a not-too-long Part I to what will be our companys plan about how we have a greater presence on Kava. I think Part I of the plan should discuss at least three areas; organizational processes, human resources, and ethics.
So, how to be, or how not to be here, I joked, That is the question.
Thats right, Hamlet. Alex joked in return, Although I think was Milton not Shakespeare who wrote Paradise Lost. Lets see if we can find it.
-difining issues that appear in th business scanario,discuss the forces that are involved in formulation problem,using forulation tools &techniques describe the organization and enverolment obstacle in a way that consider various key holders that will impact by decisions and apply citical thinking in the desicion.

Research a FORTUNE 500 company (Footlocker), analyze its financial condition and recommend methods to improve performance.

Using Footlockers MOST CURRENT financial statements and ratio analysis demonstrate an understanding of its financial conditions and recommend a minimum of FOUR actions/methods to improve performance. Be specific in your plans and defend your recommendations. Cleary show how the company is doing in relationship to eithier an industry standard OR a company within the same industry.

Identify all reference sources with MLA style footnotes and bibliography.

MUST USE 2007 FINANCIAL REPORTS FOR FOOTLOCKER FOR THIS PAPER.

Additional notes:
Please email copies of any NON-ONLINE resources if any are
used.

Will email 1page document to assist writer, so they know what needs to be included in each section


There are faxes for this order.

The essay is about Freight forwarding company, that provides services in the United states. services provided by Air, Truck, and rails. the following has to be included in the Market Plan essay.

1- Executive Summery
2- Services description and situational analysis (Strength, Weaknesses, Oportunities, and Threats) " SWOT" analysis
3- Target Market
4-Competitors and Substitutes
5- Pricing
6-Channels od Distribution
7-Promotion ( promotion budget)
8-Conclusion

you can use www.southlandcargo.com. website as the company we are writing about.

This is a Group assignment : We have selected AFLAC as one of the best 100 companies to work for. We are to investigate the firm's human resource polices and to discuss what is so special about the organization. What HR polices make them an excellent place to work for? Identify and discuss at least five of these. The format of the paper should be as follows: 1. Introduction. 2. Overview of the company. 3. Distinctive HR Policies and Practices (an Introduction followed by second-level headings for each policy and/or practice that you are going to discuss). 4.Implications for HR Practices in other Companies. 5. Conclusion. 6. References......MY RESPONSIBILITY IS TO WRITE ABOUT IMPLICATIONS FOR HR PRACTICES IN OTHER COMPANIES, with FOCUS on RESPECT. Also to explain what other companies can learn from the company.(AFLAC) i'm studying. This is the one section of the paper where you are analyzing what you have learned and extrapotating in order to make recommendations. Besides AFLAC websites, make sure you use published journals, Like journal of management etc. Please remember my FOCUS, RESPECT!

Retail Supply Chain

Assignment: The Case of Company X

Company X has been a well-established online retailer in UK, selling a variety of food and non-food products and delivering them at consumer?s doorstep. Its success has attracted interest by competitors and subsequently, new online retailers have emerged in the UK market the past few years. The latter has resulted in a decrease in sales and profits and Company X?s key stakeholders are now concerned about its future strategic direction. Following a meeting with the key stakeholders, the Managing Director announced that Company X will start operating in the traditional ? store retail market too and twenty sites for new stores have been identified in major cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. The Managing Director expects to expand the company operations across the country in the next few years but these cities will be the priority for expansion for the first few years.
The assignment will focus on the retail logistics and supply chain management issues in relation to this venture. Specifically, students will list three key logistics and supply chain management challenges emanating from Company X?s expansion into traditional ? store retailing. Subsequently, students will provide appropriate solutions for these challenges.
Therefore, students are asked to:

Task 1: Identify three key challenges that Company X will face during its expansion into traditional ? store retailing. These challenges should be related to the retail logistics and supply chain management material covered in the module. (50% of the mark)

Task 2: Suggest possible solutions in order to tackle these three challenges. These solutions should be related to the retail logistics and supply chain management material covered in the module. (50% of the mark)



GUIDANCE NOTES
1) This is an individual assignment that should be 2000 words maximum (excluding references and Appendixes). Longer assignments will be penalized.
2) In task 1, students need to identify three key challenges and justify why they think these are the key ones for the company. They should also discuss how these challenges relate to the retail logistics and supply chain management operations. For task 2, students need to provide one relevant solution minimum per challenge.
3) Your analysis should be a thorough and detailed one and not just a description of facts. For both tasks, students should build their arguments upon the lectures and other relevant academic material such as textbooks and journals such as, inter alia, the following journals: International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Journal of Enterprise Information Management.
4) Students should also consult relevant websites and other secondary data sources (e.g. reports). For both tasks, students must make a critical, thorough and detailed use of that material in the arguments / challenges / solutions stated.
5) The analysis should be well-structured and should contain the following elements: a Section related to Task 1, a Section related to Task 2, a Concluding Section, a Reference List, and Appendices (if appropriate).
6) Where specific ideas, arguments, models, information, etc are drawn on in your discussion, the author and date of the source text should be included in the body of your discussion. All quotations should be clearly acknowledged and sourced including page references. Full details of all source material should also be included in the Reference List.


Criteria for assessing the Assignment
Clarity of argument; correct identification of challenges; evidence of secondary data that support your solutions; clear, interesting and relevant solutions in relation to the challenges identified; justification of chosen solutions; presentation; originality and innovation.

The questions below are based on the Harrison Case study. I can upload this information if its easier for you to view. I would need this single spaced as well.

QUESTION 1 ? Implications of Integrated Business Processes (LOCATED AT END OF CASE ANALYSIS)
Strategy Definition


Provides integrative and detailed description of an overall strategy tied to assumptions. Strategic direction is clearly and adequately defended. Case for the ability to finance the strategy has been made.
Operational Considerations
Convincingly links all relevant functional areas to strategy. Explains functions in detail to support a credible strategy.

QUESTION 3 ? Synthesizing/Analyzing Information
Probability of Success ?
Marketing
? Sales Forecast
? 4 Ps (Product, Price, Place, & Promotion)
? Integration with Other Functional Areas Functional plan contains logical and detailed elements that connect to other operational areas or strategies. High probability of success exists.
Probability of Success ?
Finance
? Ratios
? Implications
? Constraints & Options
? Effects on Other Areas Functional plan contains logical and detailed elements that connect to other operational areas or strategies. High probability of success exists.
Probability of Success ?
Logistics and Operations
? Supply Chain Changes
? Store Operating Changes
? Integration with Other Functional Areas Functional plan contains logical and detailed elements that connect to other operational areas or strategies. High probability of success exists.

QUESTION 4 ? Identifying Industry and Global Trends
Identifies Trends Identifies at least two industry trends and two global trends in sufficient detail. Trends are reasonable and clearly related to the company?s current situation.
Effect on Strategy Provides sound and well-reasoned arguments for specific effects of relevant trends on strategy. Does not overstate potential trend effects.

QUESTION 5 ? Leadership and Group Dynamics
Leadership Actions Identifies two or more appropriate leadership actions and provides convincing justification for why they will contribute to the success of operating and strategic initiatives. Actions are linked to specific leadership theories.
Awareness of Group Dynamics Identifies at least two challenges faced by the group and clearly describes techniques to overcome them in detail. Provides a reasonable and practical application of a variety of organization behavior theories.

Case Study guideline
You are the new president of Harrison Company, taking over in the late spring of the current year and tasked with improving the performance of the company. Several actions that should not be part of your strategy include: your resignation, the sale of the business, mergers/acquisitions, filing for bankruptcy, or any other action that would prevent you from running the company, as is, over the next five-year strategic planning period.


The Harrison Company Case
General Information

The Harrison Company, a public company headquartered in State College, PA is facing a time of crisis. (See Attachment 1 for financial statements.) The company is a mid-sized regional retailer. It has 80 stores in seven states, primarily in the Northeast. It also owns two equally-sized distribution centers, one in Pennsylvania and one in Massachusetts. All of its stores are in rural areas and generate exactly $600,000 per store in sales per year (to simplify the case). As shown in the attached financial statements, sales and profits have been dropping over the last three-year period. You have been brought in as president to move the company in a new and better direction. The previous president has just retired at age 70, is no longer on the board of directors, and has broken all contacts within the company.
Although your predecessor did not see the need to employ an explicit strategy for running the business, competition from retail chains, such as Wal-Mart and Dollar General, has become more intense. In the past, your company has been somewhat shielded from competition by its stores? rural locations. Now there is a Wal-Mart store within 10 miles, on average, of each of your stores. Your eight home office employees have not developed advanced business skills. For example, your marketing manager does not prepare either store or company-level sales forecasts.
As you look at the company situation, there does not appear to be an obvious choice between a low-cost strategy (such as that followed by Wal-Mart) and a differentiation strategy (such as that followed by Nordstrom). Next year?s plans, which you can alter, call for the purchase or construction of eight new stores, as well as the renovation of the Pennsylvania distribution center. Planned new store locations include three stores in West Virginia, two stores in Rhode Island, two in Vermont, and one in New York. The board wants to know if you agree with this specific action plan. There have been no store openings, closings, or changes to the distribution centers last year or this year.
There are several immediate concerns that face you upon taking over as president. One of your store managers, who has recently been fired, has gone to the press with accusations that your company has been buying very inexpensive clothing from a Honduran company whose employees face slave-like conditions. He claims that the main reason for his being fired was that he insisted on raising this issue with top management. There seems to be no documentation within the company related to this issue.
As with many of your competitors, you find that the company is actively discouraging the entry of unions into your company. Although this seems to be taking place primarily by store managers, it would seem reasonable that company headquarter personnel are directing this effort. This resistance, bordering on being illegal, seems to be driven by the company?s culture.
Harrison Company has traditionally supported a local charity near the company headquarters, which is the favorite charity of the previous president. Over the past several years, substantial contributions have been approximately $1,000,000 a year. The company has also supported a wide variety of other community endeavors in the general locale of some of the stores, such as sponsoring little league baseball teams. The total support for these other organizations has been roughly $25,000 per year in total. You wonder if these donations can be maintained, given the company?s current financial condition. If cutbacks are necessary, how much should they be and how should they be phased in?

Locations and Logistics
Locations and Logistics
When you examine the company?s store locations and distribution network, you find that that there are 16 stores in Massachusetts, 12 in Connecticut, 10 in Maine, 10 in Vermont, 10 in New York (four of those in Western New York), eight in Pennsylvania (six of those in Western Pennsylvania), four in New Hampshire, four in Rhode Island, three in West Virginia, two in western Maryland, and one in New Brunswick, Canada. (See Attachment 2 for a map of distribution centers and store locations.) All stores are the same size and carry the same merchandise. Your company owns all of its own trucks (nine) and makes all deliveries directly from the distribution centers to the stores. Distribution (including trucking) expenses have been steady at 8% of cost of goods sold, except for the last 10 months. During these months, distribution expenses have been approximately 9% of the cost of goods sold, due primarily to a spike in fuel costs.
Fifteen percent of the stores account for 20% of annual profits. The Pennsylvania distribution center serves the 10 stores in New York, the eight stores in Pennsylvania, the three in West Virginia and the two in western Maryland. Depending upon specific needs, the Pennsylvania distribution also serves the 10 stores in Vermont and/or seven stores in western Massachusetts. As can be seen from the map, both distribution centers serve some stores that are more than 250 miles away. A constraint of this case is that no drop-shipments directly to the stores are allowed.
Merchandise orders from the stores are received on a daily basis and trucks make deliveries to the stores once a week. This is done weekly in order to fill up each truck (partially-full trucks are discouraged). Because of different store merchandise needs, trucks are not permanently assigned to selected stores. Distribution centers receive merchandise from suppliers on one side of the center, place them in inventory, and ship from the other side of the center. Inventory is stored with the large size items closest to the bays for shipping to the stores. Shipments from individual suppliers are received once every two to four weeks. You accept no partial contract deliveries from suppliers. Emergency quick-delivery contracts are frequently made when multiple stores report stock-outs. No inter-store transfers are made. Forty percent of your suppliers are located in eastern Canada, 40% from developing countries, and the balance from the United States, east of the Mississippi River. You have approximately 500 suppliers.

Marketing and Store Characteristics
Your marketing people have described their strategy as a push strategy with heavy advertising to create customer demand. Seventy-five percent of your sales occur during the summer vacation months (June through August) and the Christmas holiday season (late November and December). Advertising consists of 50% local television spots and 25% sponsorship of local events, such as concerts, which attract a significant number of tourists. The remaining 25% of marketing cost relates to discount coupons placed in motels, restaurants, and other locations such as nearby ski resorts. Due to deteriorating financial conditions, normal store maintenance has been significantly reduced. The company has recently developed an on-line store which accounts for 0.05% of sales.
Store designs are quaint and are modeled on a rural local corner store theme. Each store is 2,800 square feet in total area. The industry average is $400 sales/per square foot per year. Approximately 20% of each store?s total floor space is devoted to a back-room area for inventory storage and an employee break area. Harrison calculates its sales per square feet using front end space only (not the inventory area). Fifty percent of the merchandise could be categorized as a combination of country style and new age high-end products. Employees dress ?country-style? or ?hippie-style? to support this atmosphere. This half of the store?s merchandise includes such things as candles, paintings, incense, jewelry, music CDs, and country-style furniture (e.g., oak rocking chairs, bed headboards, and cabinets). Premium pricing for this merchandise is the norm. The other 50% of store merchandise consists of consumer non-durables (convenience items), targeted primarily to the local community. These items are moderately priced and include a wide range of items from soap to cookies to laundry detergent to clothes. These items must be sold at competitive prices. All products are marketed as high-quality items. Country/new age items are claimed to be produced by small ?home? or local producers despite the fact that they are produced in moderate volumes by small producers from a variety of places and shipped exclusively from the two distribution centers. Merchandise production identifiers, such as ?made in China? are covered over where possible. Most of the stores are located in the downtown area of the small rural towns.
Each store currently operates from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. Stores are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas day, and New Year?s Day.

Finance and Store Operations
Your finance people have provided you with only basic financial information as shown as Attachment 1. You are on a calendar year and the last year?s financial statements, the most recent, have been issued in April of this year. The financial needs to support your company?s current operations and the implementation of your new strategy must be assessed. Unfortunately your financial people do not have the skills to prepare these and other important analyses. For example, you would like to see an assessment of the profitability and efficiency of company operations. There will most likely be other financial information that you will need to effectively manage the company. Inventory turns might be just one of many pieces of useful information. There is much to do.
Currently the company is paying suppliers on more than a sixty-day average, despite the fact that suppliers have contracted for a thirty-day payment. Even on late payments your company is still taking supplier prompt payment discounts. Your suppliers have little control over this situation because they are relatively small compared with your company. In fact, the delay in payments has recently caused one very small supplier to go out of business. The company continues to put pricing pressure on suppliers. None of your long-term debt repayments were due in the last three years or are due within the next two years.
Attachment 1 shows a line item called ?Operating Expenses.? These are expenses related to operating the stores, such as payroll or electricity. The separate line item called ?General and Administrative? reflects similar expenses, but only for the company headquarters. Notice that this detail is available only for Harrison Company. Information for the largest competitor and the industry average capture this information only at a summary level called ?Operating, General, Selling, & Administration? (as shown in Attachment 1).
Store managers receive salaries of $35,000 including benefits. Your eight home office employees average $70,000 per year including benefits. Your salary is $150,000 per year including benefits. The previous president made $200,000. Annual salaries are for a base of 2,000 hours worked. The warehouses operate less than five days per week. Each store is staffed at 6,500 hours per year including store managers? base work-load. No overtime is paid to salaried employees. Part-time workers are heavily relied upon, most making the minimum wage.

Industry and General Conditions
The recession has significantly affected your industry in the last eight months. Some of the low-cost companies, such as Wal-Mart, have actually seen revenues increase an average of 7% per month over the prior year?s same monthly sales. Boutique and high-end stores have held steady. The industry as a whole (USA) is down 4% from the prior year?s comparable monthly sales. Consumers have become more price-sensitive, although some retailers have maintained customer loyalty.
You have received an industry and general economic forecast from a trusted consulting firm. The following information has been included in their report:

Consultant?s Report ? Current Industry Position
The industry is experiencing significant consolidation and many companies are facing financial pressures. This current trend may be particularly significant since consolidation began to increase before the recession. Normal consolidation results in highly leveraged positions, since debt is a major source of acquisitions. Consolidation has taken place as companies strive to achieve economies of scale and expand geographic coverage. Several of the larger companies are in the process of developing a global presence in their placement of stores. The large majority of companies in the industry rely on merchandise from developing countries, due to price benefits from low labor costs. The union movement in the USA is strengthening, but only slightly.

Consultant?s Forecast ? Three Year Projection
Diesel fuel costs will increase steadily to about $4.80 per gallon in three years, and then drop by about 10%. Heating and electrical costs will continue to rise steadily at about 15% per year. Inflation, which had been fairly insignificant for many years, will increase to about 9% within three years. Unemployment will peak at 11% in two years and decrease very slowly after that. Despite inflationary pressures, the Fed will maintain a relatively low Fed Fund Rate of 2-4% starting this year. This will be an attempt to support the economy and to help it to expand. This will also most likely affect exchange rates. The recession will continue to be more severe and the government more proactive in the United States than in other countries. Many economists are uncertain about inflation and unemployment relationships because of the massive amount of money that has been spent by the federal government on stimulus packages.

Your reaction to the report
As with most consultant reports, this report provides only a starting point for strategic development. You are struggling to determine what to believe and how it would affect not only operations, but more importantly the strategy that you are developing. One of your biggest challenges is to determine what aspects of the report to communicate and to whom. On the one hand, many people do not have the expertise to make much use of this information. Yet, withholding information may have a negative effect on morale.

Company Culture and Internal Considerations
During your interview with the seven member board of directors, you received the impression that there was still a great deal of loyalty to the previous president and his past decisions. The board appeared to be quite conservative. Three directors were focused only upon company performance. It is no coincidence that these three directors own 65% of the company stock. Although sales and profitability are often correlated, you had the impression from the board that profitability is a strong priority, both in the short and long run. Presently, the company has only one class of common stock (voting). Three of the other directors are CEOs from companies in other industries.
Having met with your home office personnel, both collectively and individually, you have become somewhat concerned. None of the team members demonstrate leadership ability. They seem to be ?yes? people. When asked direct questions about their areas of expertise, none are able to give a coherent or concise answer. They do not seem to have an understanding of either the big picture or specific details in their area. There is commonly a great deal of silence when you ask questions during meetings.
A different consulting company had been hired the previous year to assess the morale of people at the company headquarters. This consultant?s report had been based upon anonymous individual meetings and the results seem to have been quite direct and blunt. Conclusions included:
1) There was significant infighting between people.
2) There was no accountability for decisions and, in fact, actual clear decisions were rare.
3) There were many examples of passive-aggressive behavior.
4) Six of the eight people said that they would not recommend the company as a place to work.
5) Employees felt that the company was in financial difficulty and moving in the wrong direction. Most felt insecure about their jobs.
You have no information about the morale of the stores? workforce or store managers. You have decided that you must tour several stores in order to assess morale and see the overall conditions of the stores. Until you have time to do this, you must make assumptions about store morale.



The Harrison Company Case Questions and Tasks

Rubric Question #3 ? Synthesizing/Analyzing: None of your functional managers have adequate expertise and you must develop the analyses that you need to make both functional and strategic decisions. Provide a detailed analysis of the three functional areas listed below. Provide a brief conclusion for each. (Learning Goals #1 and #3)
a. Marketing: Prepare a five-year sales forecast for the company. List and explain/quantify each factor that went into your forecast (e.g., past three year company sales trends). Do not rely solely upon past sales trends. Make this a high level forecast and include broad items that would affect strategy. Show your calculations in a table and, if needed, explain your calculations so they are clear. Analyze your marketing efforts in terms of product, price, place, and promotion. Be specific for each of the four items and pay particular attention to the strategic implications of your pricing plan and product mix. What might be some of the financial, logistical, and strategic implications of your marketing plan?
b. Finance: Prepare financial analyses using data from the financial statements (Attachment 1). Use specific ratios or other measures to assess the financial strengths and weaknesses of your company using appropriate baseline comparisons. Provide this in table form. Provide the formula for each item used. Address any other issues in the case that might affect the current financial position. Be sure to address Liquidity, Safety (e. g., leverage), Profitability, and Efficiency ratios. What is your overall financial position and how should it be handled? If needed, what is an appropriate way to finance your strategy and what funding constraints might affect your strategy? Explain. Describe the specific financial linkages and effects on marketing, logistics, and strategic initiatives.
c. Logistics and Operations: Discuss supply chain issues and possible areas for improvement. Desired improvements should be stated specifically. The logistics areas should address all parts of the supply chain which may or may not be limited to the following six items:
i. Supplier transportation to Harrison?s distribution centers
ii. Storage (inventory) at the distribution centers
iii. Transportation from the distribution centers to the stores
iv. Storage (inventory) in the stores
v. Information needs, covering all the above items including merchandise purchasing and store re-ordering
Item iii is one of the most important, strategically. Given your strategy, you will increase the number of stores (expansion strategy), decrease them (retrenchment strategy), or keep them the same (holding strategy). Although you do not need to draw a map (see Attachment 2), you should identify the number of stores affected by location in a table. Changes in distribution centers, if any, should also be outlined in this table. You will address these issues further when you discuss your strategy (Rubric #1).
In terms of store operating expenses, there are several things to consider. Are the stores the right size? Constraints of the case are that you own all of your stores and you cannot lease (you may only purchase) new stores. You cannot relocate to a different store in the same town.
Prepare an additional operating analysis which outlines the planned employee load schedule for a store. Provide this in table form and clearly explain your calculations. For example, you might state that all Saturdays throughout the year should be staffed by two employees. Your analysis should reflect the number of hours available per store. How might sale forecasts be important for making these logistical and operating decisions? What might be some financial implications for the company?

Rubric Question # 4 ? Identifying industry and global trends: What specific industry and global trends might have the greatest potential to affect your company and its business strategy? What would be the specific effects or constraints on your strategy? What other industry and global trends are worth watching? Why? (Learning Goal #4) List the industry and global trends separately.

Rubric Question #5 ? Leadership and Group Dynamics:
a. What specific leadership actions and behaviors must you take to stabilize the company and allow you to achieve success for one of your specific key aspects of strategy (as described in your answer to Learning Goal 1 below)? How will you interact with and demonstrate leadership skills in dealing with the board of directors? Make sure to link your leadership actions directly to your strategic initiative. In answering this, you should address specific leadership theories. For example, what are the commonly identified types of power and which ones will you use as part of your leadership style?
b. You believe the consultant?s report about home office morale. Discuss how you would address infighting, unnecessary arguments, and the quiet resistance between home office personnel. Specifically identify the organizational behavioral aspects of this problem using existing theories. For example, list generally accepted concepts for dealing with conflict and identify which ones you will use. Another example is that if you suggest ?better communication? as a behavior to be developed, then be more specific. How, specifically, would you work to change individual and group behaviors? How long will it take to facilitate these changes in behavior? What will you do if the identified actions that you just described are resisted by one individual? (Learning Goal #5)

Rubric Question #1 ? Implications of Integrated Business Processes: Will you develop an offensive strategy or defensive strategy and why? What will be the specific key aspects of your strategy? Describe how each of the functional areas will be part of your strategic plan. How do these functional plans fit together and influence each other in support of your business strategy? What generic strategy (i.e., low cost or differentiation) will you adopt as the new head of Harrison Company? Explain. Provide an overview of the aspects of your business strategy that will support your generic strategy. Will your store decisions reflect a retrenchment strategy, a hold strategy, or an expansion strategy? How long and to what degree can your generic strategy be implemented over the future five-year period? Because this is an outline of your strategy, it should restate specific conclusions from your previous analysis. Do not downplay the importance of this section. (Learning Goal #1)
ATTACHMENT 1 ? HARRISON COMPANY CASE FINANCIAL
AND COMPETITOR/INDUSTRY INFORMATION


INCOME
STATEMENTS Harrison
Last Year Harrison
Percent of Sales Harrison
2 Years Ago Harrison
Percent of Sales Harrison
3 years
Ago Harrison
Percent of Sales Global Market Leader Global
Market
Leader Industry
Average
$Million $Million $Million $Million
Revenue 48.127 100.0% 48.992 100.0% 52.102 100.0% 348,650 100.0% $25.00
Cost of Goods Sold 38.453 79.9% 39.292 80.2% 41.786 80.2% 265,152 76.1% 80.0%
Gross Profit 9.674 20.1% 9.700 19.8% 10.316 19.8% 83,498 23.9% 20.0%
Operating Expense 7.893 16.4% 8.132 16.6% 7.659 14.7% xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx
General & Administrative 1.059 2.2% .686 1.4% .625 1.2% xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx
Marketing .193 0.4% .245 0.5% .313 0.6% xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx
Operating, Gen., Sell, & Admin. xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx 64,320 18.4% 15.0%
Interest Expense .385 0.8% .193 0.4% .312 0.6% 1,529 0.4% 1.6%
COGS and Total Expenses 47.983 99.7% 48.548
99.1% 50.695 97.3% 331,001 94.9% 96.6%
Net Income Before Taxes .144 0.3% .444 0.9% 1.407 2.7% 17,649 5.1% 3.4%
Taxes .048 0.1% .147 0.3% .469 0.9% 6,365 1.8% 0.9%
Net Income After Taxes .096 0.2% .297 0.6% .936 1.8% 11,284 3.3% 2.5%
BALANCE SHEETS $Million
% Total Assets $Million % Total Assets $Million % Total Assets $Million % Total Assets

Cash & Equivalents .288 1.0% .440 1.5% 2.421 7.9% 8,373 5.5% 1.7%
Receivables .548 1.9% .469 1.6% .429 1.4% 3,840 2.5% 2.2%
Inventory 7.694 26.7% 8.155 27.8% 8.582 28.0% 34,375 22.8% 24.6%
Total Current Assets 8.530 29.6% 9.064 30.9% 11.432 37.3% 46,588 30.8% 28.5%
Land, Stores, Equipment, Distribution Centers, & Trucks 20.289 70.4% 20.268 69.1% 19.216 62.7% 104,605 69.2% 71.5%

Total Assets 28.819 100.0% 29.332 100.0% 30.648 100.0% 151,193 100.0% $13.457


Accounts Payable 7.407 25.7% 6.921 23.6% 3.287 10.7% 28,371 18.8% 12.1%
Other Current Liabilities 5.043 17.5% 8.151 27.8% 6.554 21.4% 23,363 15.4% 10.1%
Total Current Liabilities 12.450 43.2% 15.072 51.4% 9.831 32.1% 51,734 34.2% 22.2%
Long Term Debt 4.813 16.7% 2.407 8.2% 3.900 12.7% 37,886 25.1% 39.3%
Stockholder's Equity 11.556 40.1% *11.853 40.4% 16.917 55.2% 61,573 40.7% 38.5%
Total Liabilities & Stockholder Equity 28.819 100.0% 29.332 100.0% 30.648 100.0% 151,193 100.0% $13.457

Year End
Stock Price $6.25 $10.00 $13.13
Dividends $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
*Equity withdrawal in ?2 years ago?

First off this is for my economic survey class which is a general overview of economics, so try and keep that in mind. Now the specific topic is to pick a large company (I choose coca-cola) and write 5 pages on them including a brief background and there current status, The most important thing to consider is this needs to be totally based around economics so include figures and numbers and all the things that make up economics. Thanks as always -Chris

A. Topic -The Gillette Company's global strategy


B. Subject area will be involved in this topic:

1. Interl Business

2. Strat Mngt

3. Marketing



C. The project is based predominantly on Library research



D. Deadline - MAR 14, 2005



E. Words - not less than 9000 in UK english style



F. Benchmark for undergraduate requirement--
1.Dissertation subject matter:

A topic in business, management or economics (including named / specialist degrees)



2.Research objectives:

Clearly defined objectives relating to the topic and based upon the literature in the field



3.Research strategy:

Must demonstrate an awareness of different research strategies (e.g. survey, case study etc.) and must justify, explain, select and recognise the limitations of the strategy chosen at a basic level



4.Research methods:

40 ? 60 journal

Must demonstrate an awareness of different research methods (quantitative and /or qualitative) and justify, explain, select and recognise the limitations of appropriate research methods for the dissertation topic

Must explain the practical details of the conduct of the research and recognise limitations

Primary research may or may not be conducted. Students may undertake primary research (quantitative or qualitative etc.) or they will need to undertake some re-analysis of existing material (e.g. quantitative - financial data, budgets, trade statistics, or qualitative - minutes of meetings, use of diaries and other archival materials etc.)



5.Literature review:

Discussion of relevant literature

Critical review

Explanation of role of the literature in the dissertation



6.References:

An adequate range and number of journal articles and books are to be used / cited.

All may not be current



7.Referencing:

Harvard



8.Analysis:

Application of relevant theory to the data gathered to gain understanding

Discussion of the data in relation to the theories

Displays competence in the subject matter and related theory

Use of appropriate quantitative / qualitative techniques at a simple level



9.Critical reflection:

Recognition of need for further research

Simple statements of what has been learned



10.Conclusions:

Conclusions are drawn from the analysis and supported by the data

Conclusions are related to relevant prior research



G. TABLE OF CONTENTS


Abstract

Contents Page







CHAPTER1 INTRODUCTION

Reason for choice of topic

Academic objectives of dissertation

Outline of chapters



CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW



Rationale for literature reviewed

Critical review of literature relating to academic objectives



CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY



Scope of the research

Basic methodology

The design and implementation of the inquiry

Sources of bias

Limitations of research process



CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS and ANALYSIS



CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS





References

Bibliography

Appendices A - Short Statement of Learning

B

C

- PLAGIARISM IS VERY CONCERN...PLEASE BE CAREFUL

- ANALYZING ANNUAL REPORT
You are required to examine in detail the latest available Annual Report of the EasyJet company (the report is in attachment resources) , in order to provide an in depth analysis of the business and its financial performance.

The assessment examines three specific factors:

a. Content
b. Interpretation, and
c. Presentation

Your submission should include a detailed review of the most recent available Annual Report and will use key financial ratios to analyse the financial statements in the Annual Report i.e.

Consolidated/Group Balance Sheet (or Statement of Financial Position)
Consolidated/Group Income Statement (or The Profit and Loss Account)
Consolidated/Group Cash Flow Statement

The behaviour of the ratios should be explained using appropriate references to:

Relevant Notes to the Accounts where appropriate

Board Members reports e.g.:
Chairmans statement
Chief Executive Officers Review
Financial Directors Report / Financial review
Business review or equivalent
All quotes from these reports must be clearly referenced


Please note:
All ratio calculations must be shown and should be incorporated into the main body of the analysis
The following statements from the Annual Report should be submitted electronically as appendices to the assignment:
Consolidated/Group Income Statement
Consolidated/Group Balance Sheet (Statement of Financial Position)
Consolidated/Group Cash Flow Statement
Notes relating to any Gross Profit calculation.
Any figures used in your analysis which are not shown in the above statements must be clearly referenced.


It is expected that Students will also research independent press commentary referring to the relevant company. (Where referred to in the submission these should also be included in the appendix.)

- In the attachment resources, one of them are example of essay from student who got good score. Please follow the pattern BUT BE CAREFUL on plagiarism!!!! **********



There are faxes for this order.

Case Analysis - Howard Schultz and Starbucks Coffee Company HBS 5-801-374

In this case analysis, here are some general guidelines to follow in the response:

? identify key organizational issues (decisions or actions required in a given situation).
? analyze the situation (identify problems; understand the underlying causal factors; and identify and evaluate options)
? recommend specific actions (what should be done, by whom, when and in what sequence) to address the key issues.

Please answer the following questions below in the paper. This part can be in outline form where a statement of the question is followed by a bulleted or numbered list of the key items in your response.


1. In the early 1980s, how did Howard Schultz view the possibilities for the fledgling specialty coffee market? What were the most important factors in shaping his perspective?

2. In 1987, Schultz bought Starbucks from its original founders. At the time, Seattle based coffee been retailer had six stores and a roasting plant. By the end of the twentieth century, Starbucks had 3,300 locations in 17 countries and was the leading specialty coffee purveyor in the world. What were the critical drivers of Starbuck?s success?

3. What is the source of Starbuck?s competitive advantage? Is it sustainable? What should the company do next to enhance its position in the market?

4. It?s 2011, and you?re leading a panel discussion at your University Reunion on great companies and their leaders in the Information Revolution. What role do you ascribe to Starbucks and Howard Schultz?

Module name 'Buyout strategies'- MSc Finance.

Your task: Part A-70%

You work in the finance division of a large alcoholic beverage company that is interested in expanding its product range and its presence in the UK wines and spirits market.

Your finance director has asked you to write a report analysing a small traded wines and spirits company,
"BLAVOD WINES and SPIRITS"plc as a potential buyout target. You can access Blavod's annual reports by clicking on the following link:
http://www.blavodwinesandspirits.com/investors/accounts

An extract from a resent brokers report on the company is as follows,

"Blavod Wines & Spirits" (BES) has released an upbeat trading statement - with "trading in line with market expectations "and a "focus on key brands producing increased sales", whilst a recently implemented new sales order transaction and reporting system "has greatly improved efficiencies in processing orders".

The company emphasised it "has continued to expand its market coverage with four new export markets for owned brands in North America, Europe and Asia and an additional three markets in mainland Europe becoming active". Looking forward , it expects to see sales increased in new and existing European markets as a result of recent distribution agreement with Waldemer Behn GmbH & Co for the production of Blavod Black Vodka in Germany (noted to be "progressing well") and it has also trademark registered a new premium spiced rum , RedLeg , "in all key markets around the world". The initial production run of this has been successfully completed and first orders are now being dispatched to customers.

It looks clear that (new executive Chairmen ) Don Goulding & co. have already achieved much in strengthening the company's operations and expanding sales and distribution channels, though additional working capital remains "required to meet the ongoing cash requirements of the business and ultimately to allow the development of the company over the medium term ". On this , the company is again positive - noting "discussions with a number of parties", that "a further announcement on this matter is expected to be made shortly " and that "once adequately funded, will be in position to accelerate this growth".

Blavod shares are currently unchanged , at 1p, on today's announcement - giving a sub ?1 million market cap. This looks to materially fail to reflect the value of the company's brands and I continue to believe in Don Goulding's ability to lead an unlocking of this value - Goulding having a deep knowledge of the market having held a number of commercial positions internationally and lastly as Managing director in the UK, of industry giant Diageo. Pending the financing outcome, I retain my stance but may well be upgrading on satisfactory outcome being reached. For now , I view the shares as, at worst, a "hold".

The purpose of the report is to indicate whether Blavod may be a suitable buyout target , what your company should be prepared to offer for it and how the transaction should be structured.

Please include the following in your report:

1) Five financial ratios. Choose five financial ratios that you think would be useful in analysing Blavod, explaining in each case the reason for your choice. Calculate the ratios you have chosen for the last three years and comment on the results.

2) Company valuation. Calculate the value range for Blavod using at least two and not more than four valuation
techniques and suggest the maximum price that your company should be prepared to pay.

3) Buyout procedure and regulations. Summarise the relevant procedures and regulations governing a buyout of Blavod ,bearing in mind that it s shares are listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.

4) Arguments for and against the buyout. Summarise the arguments for and against a buyout of Blavod and come to a conclusion whether or not it is an attractive target for your company.

5) Buyout strategy. Assume that your board has decided to proceed with the buyout , consider the sources of finance available for the acquisition and summarise the pros and cons of each. Outline a strategy for improving the performance of the business. What can be done to impove these returns and where should management focus? Attempt to quantify what Blavod's results might look like in three years time having applied this strategy.


Part B - Critical writing 30%

"I believe the record shows that private equity firms hurt their businesses competitively, limit their growth, cut jobs without reinvesting the savings, do not even generate good returns for their investors, and are about to cause the next great credit crisis." Josh Kosman,The Buyout of America, 2009, The Penguin Group

Recent press comment has described US presidential candidate Mitt Romney's former company Bain Capital as "a vampire " sucking the lifeblood out of American business.

Write a critical appraisal of leveraged buyouts as a business tool considering whether private equity firm's use of LBOs has had a beneficial effect on the structure and competitiveness of business or whether the impact on stakeholders outweighs the positive effects.

Useful materials:
1.Investment Banking: Valuation, Leveraged Buyouts, and Mergers&Acquisitions, Joshua Rosenbaum, Joshua Pearl
2.Principles of Corporate finance, 10th edition, Brealey, R., Myers., and Allen( Hereafter "BM&A")

Module 8. International Issues


H20 Organization, mid-sized Software Development company (3,000 employees) based in Germany, is seeking advice from several consulting groups regarding best practices. H20 would like to expand operations from Germany into the US, but is concerned about crossing over without aligning the Company?s HR Initiatives with the US practices. H20 is currently leading the market with compensation and benefits, has Google.com-like company culture and is considered one of the best companies to work for in Germany. H20 is looking for some general information and theory on how to operate in these critical functions as well as some specific applied research on companies with best practices in each HR Discipline.


Module 8 for the course project will detail various International topics that H2O must be prepared to address as a result of the opening of a location in the US. First, the company must understand the nuances of sending home country employees to work in the US. Your team should review the legal issues that will arise and must gain an understanding of how this affects the company and the employee. We will assume that H2O will send at least 5 expats to work at the new site- for a period of no less than 2 years (per employee). Your team must develop a compensation package (expat offer) for these employees. H2O should understand the cultural considerations that must be reviewed prior to sending employees to work in the new site. In close your team will provide recommendations for how H2O will select, send and monitor the expats while on assignment in the US.

a. Sending Home Country (German) Nationals to work in the US
b. Compensation/Benefits and Contract overview for short term (90 day) and long term (90 days-3 years) assignments
c. Legal Considerations (visas, taxation, etc)
d. Cultural Considerations (training, housing, family, language, schooling)
e. Recommendations for H2O for placing home-country workers in the US

( Dear Sir/Madam, It is absolutely critical that I receive my order on time, thank you kindly)