Business Studies
Competitive Analysis for the Bean

Before opening a coffee shop, called The Bean, at the Yokosuka Naval Station, Japan, it is necessary to consider the competitive environment. A competitive analysis looks at the competition that exists within the proposed market, this requires the identification and consideration of the types of firms and products that 'The Bean' will need to effectively compete with if the venture is to be successful. The competition may be divided into different types of competition; the first category will direct competition, firms that are seeking to compete in the same market with the same, or a very similar product. Firms that are competing for the same market, with a differentiated product will also provide competition. It may also be argued that the firm will also compete with companies that provide a different product, but satisfies the same customer needs (substitute products) (Mintzberg et al., 2011).

As The…...

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References

Doutor Coffee, (2014) accessed at http://www.doutor.co.jp/

Lewis, L, (2003, Nov), Japan's Coffee Kings and the Starbucks Effect, Japan Inc., accessed at  http://www.japaninc.com/article.php?articleID=1218 

Mintzberg Henry, Ahlstrand Bruce, Lampel Joseph B. (2011), Strategy Safari: The Complete Guide Through the Wilds of Strategic Management, Financial Times / Prentice Hall

Montgomery, N, (2004, March 31), Starbucks' debut perks up Yokosuka, retrieved  http://www.stripes.com/news/starbucks-debut-perks-up-yokosuka-1.18263

industry and competitive analysis? Why is it important? Competitive environment involves the actions of rival firms, buyer behavior, supplier related considerations and so on. They are important because they are the factors and forces that have the biggest strategy shaping impact on the company. To conduct industry and competitive analysis there are seven questions that must be asked and answered? Understanding the nature and purpose of each one of these questions is essential. What are the industry's dominant features? What kinds of competitive forces are industry members facing, and how strong is each force? What forces are driving industry change, and what impact will these changes have on the competitive intensity and industry profitability? What market positions do industry rivals occupy? Who is strongly positioned and who is not? What strategic moves are rivals likely to make next?
What are the key factors for future competitive success? Does the outlook…...

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Bibliography

Marketing analytics: the evolution of marketing research in the twenty-first century

Hauser, W.J. (2007). Marketing analytics: The evolution of marketing research in the twenty-first century. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 1(1), 38-54. doi:10.1108/17505930710734125

Mixed methods designs in marketing research

Harrison, R.L., & Reilly, T.M. (2011). Mixed methods designs in marketing research. Qualitative Market Research, 14(1), 7-26. doi:10.1108/13522751111099300

Roughly $3 trillion remains on the sidelines and as a known quantity in the institutional market (albeit a somewhat faded one), the firm stands to capture at least a portion of that capital when it finally goes back to work.
The firm also has a chance to benefit from the great demographic shift from wealth accumulation (retirement saving) to wealth distribution (retirement income) in the United States and Western Europe. Provided Alliance Bernstein has retirement income products in place, it stands to go on generating fees from its existing accounts for decades to come, or even win flows from other fund complexes that have not considered the need to deliver income.

Unlike many U.S. asset managers, the firm also has a viable brand identity outside North America. Alliance Bernstein is actively expanding its presence in U.K. retirement plans and while it has pulled out of some marginal markets like New Zealand,…...

Discuss the competitive rivalry between the two companies The auto industry is one of the most competitive industries in the world, with more and more classes and types of vehicles being manufactured and unveiled every year. Two of the leading companies in this industry include General Motors and Ford. The intense rivalry between Ford and General Motors is considered to be the mother of all competitions, with the rivalry starting out as early as 1908. The two companies have been contesting it out for returns, market share, and also boasting rights. In the contemporary business setting, these two major firms in the auto industry are battling a serious content over market share. In particular, General Motors is presently the leader in general, however there continues to be debate as to who is the actual winner. In accordance to statistics, General Motors has a market capitalization of $50.9 billion whereas Ford has…...

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References

Dunn, J. (2017). Tesla is valued as high as Ford and GM — but that has nothing to do with what it\\\\'s done so far (TSLA). Business Insider.

Grant, R. M. (1995). Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Concepts, Techniques, Applications. Blackwell.

Seeking Alpha. (2017). GM Vs. Ford: Which Is Best Positioned To Seize Growth Opportunities? Retrieved from: https://seekingalpha.com/article/4086461-gm-vs-ford-best-positioned-seize-growth-opportunities

 

Business of Dillard's, Inc.
With retail operations in more than half of the states, it is reasonable to suggest that most Americans are not only familiar with Dillard's, Inc. and its line of quality products, they have personally shopped there in the recent past. Founded 78 years ago, Dillard's has weathered economic downturns and changes in consumer preferences to emerge as a leading national retailer that enjoys a solid brand reputation for quality and customer service. To determine the facts about this company and its business operations, this paper provides the history and background of Dillard's, a brief history of the firm, a description of its product lines and business, a brief description of industry in which it operates and an analysis of its vision and mission statements. An evaluation of Dillard's core competency and the firm's strategy is followed by an assessment of the firm's overall strategy. In addition, an…...

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References

About Dillard's. (2016). Dillard's. Retrieved from  

Firearm Accessory Identification Software
Factors that affect demand, supply, and equilibrium prices in the market in which the competitor organization operates

There are numerous factors that will ultimately affect both the supply and demand for firearm software. The first, and often most contentions factor is that of regulation. Over the recent events of school shootings, terrorist attracts, and the controversial "stand your ground law," regulation will have a profound impact of firearm adoption and usage. This will directly impact the use of accompanying firearm software. egulation, or the prospects of regulation, helps bolster firearm demand as consumer flock to purchase firearms before regulation is implemented. This concept has occurred on numerous instances directly after a publicized school shooting or attack. Gun ownership tends to increase dramatically as consumer fear regulation. This bodes well for firearm software manufacturers over the short-term as they can raise prices on the belief of lack of supply…...

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Reference:

1) Kelly, Jack (2004). Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive That Changed the World. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-7867-3900-4

2) Lee, R. Geoffrey (1981). Introduction to Battlefield Weapons Systems and Technology. Oxford: Brassey's Defence Publishers. ISBN 0080270433

Industry and Competitive Analysis
Industry Analysis

Google offers services three industries. The first industry is the internet industry, through Goole search engine, Gmail and Google Adwords as product offerings. Secondly, there is the computer software industry through Chrome OS, Picasa, Google Earth and Picasa as product offerings. This service works in tandem with the mobile operating software industry as Google bought Android. Third, there is the consumer electronics industry with Google offering Chromebook, Google TV and Nexus as product offerings. One of the distinctive elements of these industries is the proliferation of technology in the market. With the increase in innovation, these industries face the trend of having new products offerings and services in the market, which prompts the need for more products and invention. In addition, there is a greater increase in consumer preference, which prompts the need to ensure that consumer needs are satisfied. This is why Google and its…...

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References

Buganza, T., & Della Valle, E. (2010). The search engine industry. In Search Computing (pp. 45-71). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Market Line. (2015). Company Profile: Google Inc.

Perreault, W., Jr., Cannon, J., & Mccarthy, J. (2015). Essentials of marketing: A marketing strategy planning approach (14th ed.). New York, NY: Mcgraw-Hill.

Stark, J. (2015). Product lifecycle management. In Product Lifecycle Management (pp. 1-29). Springer International Publishing.

In terms of Interfunctional Coordination, the company I work for is average, there is not a strong level of functional coordination to deliver customer value; rather the concentration is on creating stand-alone superstar products that carry other divisions financially.
The triad of Customer, Competitor, and Interfunctional Coordination that comprise the definition of a market-oriented culture (Narver, J. & Slater, S., 1990) are essential for competitive differentiation and competitive advantage. Further, the combining of these factors contributes to an organization becoming more agile and capable of responding to market conditions. The essence of competitive advantage is in aligning internal strengths or core competencies with external market opportunities while minimizing threats (Christiansen, C., 2001).

eferences

Narver, J. & Slater, S. (1990). The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing, 54/4, 20-36. etrieved December 3, 2007 from EBSCO Host database.

Christiansen, C. (2001) the past and future of competitive advantage. MIT Sloan…...

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References

Narver, J. & Slater, S. (1990). The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing, 54/4, 20-36. Retrieved December 3, 2007 from EBSCO Host database.

Christiansen, C. (2001) the past and future of competitive advantage. MIT Sloan Management Review, Winter: 105-109. Retrieved December 3, 2007 from EBSCO Host database.

Competitive Analysis and Positioning Strategies
Why do strategies fail?

The main reasons behind the failure of strategies are wrong execution practices. Some aspects of a strategy aren't really addressed. Bad strategies produce disappointing results. However, it should be noted that some good strategies also fail. It is much harder to figure out how things went wrong when a good strategy fails. Although good planning is obviously desirable; and indeed putting the strategy in action, few management chiefs really make an effort to fine-tune the process and leadership aspects that lead to the realization of the anticipated results. It is the lack of know-how in the execution of strategies that leads to the failure of, even, great strategies. The consequences are often grave.

One of the common identifiable reasons why strategies fail is to allow a strategy objective to change with time. Another common reason why strategies fail is because there are senior managers…...

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References

Baskerville, P. (2014, March 28). How do you compete with Starbucks in the coffee industry? Retrieved from Quora: https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-compete-with-Starbucks-in-the-coffee-industry

Bhasin, H. (2012). Levels of Strategy. Retrieved from Marketing 91:  http://www.marketing91.com/levels-of-strategy/ 

Slater, S. .., Olson, E. .., Tomas, G., & Hult, M. (2005). Making Sure That Marketing Decisions Match The Business Strategy. Marketing Management, 23-28.

Wharton. (2005, August 10). Three Reasons Why Good Strategies Fail: Execution, Execution ... Retrieved from Wharton School:  http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/three-reasons-why-good-strategies-fail-execution-execution/

Thus, the competitive intelligence assisted the company to align its strategic plan as well as keeping executive informed about the key element of decision-making. The company also derived advantages from market intelligence advantages and the advantages assisted the company to understand the market activities and competitive market environment. Typically, Avnet also used the competitive intelligence to create a Strategic Leverage Matrix (SLM) that the company literarily plots to understand the competitors in 2X 2 matrixes. Using this strategy, the company was able to understand the sales growth and the working capital of the competitors. The CI process includes:

Plan and Collect

Analyze and Access

Make ecommendations

Distribute EIS.

Using CI analysis, the company will able to analyze the industry and be able to make an informed decision about the market and the competitors.

Conclusion

The report shows how the Avnet could use the competitive intelligence tool to achieve a competitive market advantages. The CI is an intelligent…...

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References

Cavalcanti, E.P.(2005). The Relationship between Business Success and Business Intelligence. Journal of Competitive Intelligence and Management: 3 (1 ).

Downey, J. (2007) Strategic Analysis Tools Topic Gateway Series No. 34. The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Haag, S. (2006). Management Information Systems for the Information Age. (Third Edition). McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

Hovis, J.H. (2000). CI at Avnet: A Bottom-Line Impact . Competitive Intelligence Review.11(3): 5.15.

Competitive Market
The author of this report is asked to look at a competitive market and its main business that leads or otherwise exemplifies the sector. The sector that will be looked at is retail. The far and away leader of this retail market is Wal-Mart but they have three competitors in the form of Target, Kroger and K-Mart/Sears, that each compete against Wal-Mart in their own way. Despite the fact that they are in the same general line of business, they each have their own niche that they target.

Niche of Each Business

Wal-Mart's clear objective is to sell in bulk at low prices. They deal heavily in the grocery and hardline sectors and are very aggressive discounters in both markets. In half a century, they have risen a nascent retail to a worldwide juggernaut that employs more than a million people in the United States alone and nearly two million worldwide…...

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References

K-Mart. (2013, September 26). Kmart - Deals on Furniture, Toys, Clothes, Tools,

Tablets & TVs. Kmart - Deals on Furniture, Toys, Clothes, Tools, Tablets & TVs.

Retrieved September 26, 2013, from  http://www.kmart.com 

Kroger. (2013, September 26). Kroger. Kroger. Retrieved September 26, 2013, from http://www.kroger.com

The bargaining power of suppliers

Suppliers have a relatively high bargaining power. On a market like organic foods, suppliers are very important for companies' activity. In other words, they practically depend on their suppliers.

As a consequence, suppliers represent the most important environmental factor of influence for Whole Foods, and the same situation applies in the case of any organic foods company. This business consists mainly in the raw materials that the company uses to produce the goods it sells under this brand. The company's activity depends on the quality of the raw materials, and on any potential delays from suppliers. The prices negotiated with suppliers have a direct impact on the production costs, and on the end-user price.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

The company's strong position on the market in ensured by the numerous strengths the company benefits from. First of all, the company is renowned by the quality of its products. This further creates…...

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Reference list:

1. Industry Statistics and Projected Growth (2008). Organic Trade Association. Retrieved February 8, 2010 from  http://www.ota.com/organic/mt/business.html .

2. Hunt, N. & Dorfman, B. (2009). How green is my wallet? Organic food growth slows. Reuters. Retrieved February 8, 2010 from  http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE50R01C20090128 .

Cost leadership

Attracting more customers and gaining financial advantage over the competition as profits would increase

4

Forces the company to drastically reduce costs, meaning that product quality could suffer demises

-4

0

6.

Focus strategy

Can achieve either of cost advantage or differentiation

4

Addresses a niche market

-4

0

7.

Differentiation strategy

Product uniqueness which allows for the charging of a premium price to cover for the additionally incurred expenditure

5

Additional costs which will reduce overall financial gains (they will however be recuperated from the premium price)

2

3

7. Description of the Selected Strategy

Based on the analysis conducted at the previous stage, it becomes obvious that the most adequate course of action at this stage is that of implementing differentiation strategies. These actions basically translate into the promotion of new products onto existent markets, meaning that Porter's differentiation strategy is the analogue of Ansoff's product development strategy. The table above even reveals that both these strategies have received the highest scores, meaning that they are the…...

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References:

Kotelnikov, V., Differentiation Strategy -- How to Survive in the Era of Hypercompetition, 1000 Ventures,   last accessed on July 2, 2009http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/differentiation_strategy.html 

Kowalski, M., August 14, 2007, Chocolate Prices On the Rise, Business Week,   accessed on July 2, 2009http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/aug2007/gb20070814_776262.htmlast 

Rupani, S., August 31, 2007, The Sweet Business of Gourmet Chocolate, Business Week,   last accessed on July 2, 2009http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/aug2007/db20070829_846210.htm 

2009, Euphoria Chocolate Company, Hoovers,   -- /free-co-competition.xhtml last accessed on July 2, 2009http://hoovers.com/euphoria-chocolate/--ID__122582,FRIC__ 

272). However, the authors do not include a counterbalance to such arguments -- longer seasons also can result in viewer attrition of interest, the competition from other sports beginning while the season sprawls on, and the anger of fans if they feel that their team has been unfairly treated by new rules.
The authors do acknowledge there are also psychological facilitators of interest in sports besides win-loss competition, and could have treated this critical issue with greater depth. The hope that the underdog will triumph can create a psychological perception of competition that occasionally, as in the case of the recent SuperBowl between the undefeated New England Patriots and the New York Giants, is substantiated in fact, especially in the selective memory of sports fans (Sanderson & Siegfried, 2003, p. 261). The local desire to have a winning team and fan loyalty will also factor into the success of creating…...

Competitive Market Analysis to Determine the Product's Potential Success
Issues that the automobile industry faces that affect its competitiveness and long-term profitability

The relevance of a competitive strategy for Car Company A is to establish a position within the 4-cylinder engine car market. This will help the company to compete with Toyota Corolla (LE) 1.8L four-cylinder engine competitive forces. As a potential entrant, Car Company A is at a disadvantage in capital markets. Unless it penetrates the Cylinder engine market through diversification, its four-cylinder car will be at an inherently riskier position than the established (LE) 1.8L four cylinder engine of Toyota (Maxton & Wormald, 2013). This will be reflected in the risk premiums Car Company A will be forced to pay to attract capital.

Car Company A will face barriers because other players like Toyota enjoy economies of scale in the industry. This means a decline in a product's unit costs leads…...

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Reference

Maxton, G. & Wormald, J. (2013). Time for a model change: Re-engineering the global automobile industry. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press

Creating a business plan for a podcast is a great step towards structuring and professionalizing your project. Here's a guide to help you draft an effective business plan:

1. Executive Summary

• Podcast Name: Choose a catchy and relevant name.
• Mission Statement: What is the core purpose of your podcast?
• Goals: Short-term and long-term goals for your podcast.

2. Description of the Podcast

• Concept: Describe the theme, format, and style of your podcast.
• Target Audience: Define who your listeners are.
• Unique Selling Proposition (USP): What makes your podcast stand out?

3. Market Analysis

• Industry Overview: Trends in the podcast industry.
• Target Market:....

1. Data-driven decision making: Business statistics provide organizations with quantitative data that can be used to make informed decisions. By analyzing data on market trends, customer behavior, and operational performance, organizations can make strategic decisions that are based on evidence rather than intuition.

2. Performance measurement: Business statistics allow organizations to track their performance over time and compare it to industry benchmarks. By measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) such as revenue, profit margins, and customer satisfaction levels, organizations can identify areas for improvement and set goals for future growth.

3. Risk management: Business statistics can help organizations identify potential risks and opportunities....

Process of Analysis:

1. Problem Definition: Identified the core problem as the decline in market share and profits for the electronics company.

2. Data Collection: Gathered data from financial statements, sales reports, market research, and competitive analysis.

3. Hypothesis Generation: Formulated hypotheses related to factors contributing to the decline, such as product innovation, marketing effectiveness, and operational efficiency.

4. Data Analysis: Performed statistical analysis (regression, correlation) to test the hypotheses and identify significant factors.

5. Root Cause Identification: Used causal mapping and decision trees to determine the underlying causes of the decline.

6. Insights Generation: Developed recommendations and actionable strategies based on the insights gained from....

There are several ways a business development officer can identify new growth opportunities for a company. Some strategies may include:

1. Market research: Conducting thorough market research to identify current trends, customer preferences, and potential growth areas in the industry can help identify new opportunities for the company.

2. Networking: Building and maintaining relationships with industry experts, potential partners, and customers can provide valuable insights and opportunities for collaboration and growth.

3. SWOT analysis: Conducting a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis can help identify areas where the company can capitalize on its strengths and minimize weaknesses to take advantage of new growth....