Sunday, December 29, 2019

Choosing A College Involves Researching Multiple Factors

Choosing a college involves researching multiple factors, such as program requirements, transfer credits, costs, and more. Compiling a list of personal, professional, and academic goals, and how you will accomplish them, is the first step to finding the right school for you. Once you have identified several programs that meet your needs, there are additional criteria you can use to compare your options and find the best fit. Add quantitative data, such as retention and graduation rates, to your school search to help you narrow down your choices and compare schools. College and university data is available online from multiple sources, including: Government websites: The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) collects an extensive amount of information from higher education institutions; they make it accessible through The College Navigator. Use this site to search for information about a particular school or to find schools that match your criteria (e.g., major, location, costs). You can even conduct a search for distance learning only opportunities. School websites: Colleges and universities share a wide-range of information about academic and non-academic resources on their websites. In addition to details about majors and services, you ll find reports featuring graduation rates, student-to-faculty ratios, and more. Use an online search engine find the websites of schools you are interested in attending, then follow the menus and site search options to explore theShow MoreRelatedLearning With Style Essay912 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1979 Howard Gardner started researching human potential, this research led to a book entitled â€Å"Frames of Mind† this book introduced the theory of multiple intelligences (Armstrong). The theory of multiple intelligences challenged the conventional idea that intelligence could be measured and scored by a simple test giving us an â€Å"IQ† number. (Armstrong) The theory of multiple intelligences propounds that intelligence can be found in many forms and that different learning methods are required forRead MoreImproving Your Emotional Intelligence Can Be Jump1244 Words   |  5 Pagesthe spoken message (p. 67-68). When a conflict arises it is important to be aware of all of the above factors in an attempt to best understand the situation at hand, only then can you more objectively assess the situation and its potential solutions. Resolving conflict requires having not only sufficient emotional intelligence and listening skills, but also the ability to be flexible in choosing the correct resolution style to fit the situation. The common conflict resolution styles of accommodatingRead MoreWriting Project 2 : Analyzing Research1878 Words   |  8 Pageshealth or has no relation at all. Meanwhile, Jeffrey H, Nathan, and others, conducted experiments regarding mental health problems and the seriousness of criminal issues. In, Attribution and Serious Mental Illness: Understanding Multiple Perspectives and Ethno Cultural factors, these scholars focused on the idea that mental illness and violence are set off by other attributes, such as stress, anger and family problems. Both of these articles deal with the aspects of mental illness and the possibleRead MoreRelationship Between Career And Technical Education And High School Graduate Achievement2121 Words   |  9 PagesRunning head: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE ACHIEVEMENT A Pre-Prospectus Paper Presented To The Faculty of the College of Graduate Studies Lamar University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership by Marcus Lamar Walker July 11, 2016 Rationale for the Study The federal, state and local government has a concern for education. Depending on the individual who wants to give theirRead MoreCareer Choice Factors of High School Students18925 Words   |  76 PagesCareer Choice Factors 1 CAREER CHOICE FACTORS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS By Michael Borchert A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science Degree With a Major in Career and Technical Education Approved: 2 Semester Credits ____________________________________________________ Investigation Advisor The Graduate College University of Wisconsin-Stout December, 2002 Career Choice Factors 2 The Graduate School University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie,Read MoreThe Dimensions Of A Career2895 Words   |  12 PagesAccounting Rafael Cartagena SOC 116 Term Paper April 28, 2015 Introduction A career in public accountant/internal auditing involves communicating, summarizing, classifying, interpreting and presenting financial positions about an enterprise to the management, auditors, owners or shareholders of a company. Having a strong accounting foundation is an important factor when it comes to running a successful business. In every business there is need for a bookkeeper, accountant or a chief financeRead MoreEssay about Behind the Scenes of Politics2553 Words   |  11 Pagescoordinate campaign strategies, arrange meetings, and publicize candidates and their party’s cause.2 Political consultants are advertising executives who help in polishing a message, designing direct-mail and television publicity, raising money, researching an opponent’s background, crafting a slogan, and in avoiding legal technicalities that can trip up a campaign and generate bad publicity.3 However, even the best political consultants recognize they are a necessary evil and it i s easy for a candidateRead MoreBusiness Ethics Notes3727 Words   |  15 Pagesthe organization’s culture sets standards for determining the difference between good and bad decision making and behavior. In the most basic terms, a definition for business ethics boils down to knowing the difference between right and wrong and choosing to do what is right. The phrase business ethics can be used to describe the actions of individuals within an organization, as well as the organization as a whole. Business Definition for: Business Ethics a system of moral principles appliedRead MoreEssay On Communication And Professional Relationships With Children7131 Words   |  29 Pages I should make sure that it is appropriate for the age of the child/person, matching the stage of their development, their personal circumstances, and their needs. But communication isn’t just about the actual words that I say out loud, but also involves the way in which I speak and how I use my body language, my emotional expressions and actions to add to the mood or feeling of what I am saying. Non-verbal communication sometimes has a far more powerful impact than actually speaking. I need toRead MoreEssay on Value Creation8662 Words   |  35 Pagesnow referred to as â€Å"relationship selling†. According to Johnson and Marshall (2009), this â€Å"new paradigm of selling is to help clients reach their objectives and find resolutions to their problems by the use of the product being sold.† The concept involves preparation on the part of the salesperson to research the individual or company being approached even before the first sales call. With a vast array of information now available on the internet, buyers are becoming more educated about products they

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Renewable Energy and Business The Case of Solarcity Essay

Renewable energy and business Renewable energy and business are closely related. There are many countries in the world producing electricity from renewable energy sources and using it in the intermediary way. This intermediary chain is private business. Everyone knows the fact that business works better when it belongs to private sector and not to the government. In this section, we focus on renewable energy and business. We analyze several renewable energy companies and research how business can influence the renewable energy market. SolarCity is an American provider of energy services to homeowners, businesses, and government/non-profit organizations. Moreover, this company has very an interesting and dignified mission. SolarCity’s†¦show more content†¦Elon Musk said that governments should stop buying electricity, which is produced from unsustainable resources. He said: â€Å"There will be bit of a hardship for them. But we have no choice. We have to decide if we’re going to have clean, sustainable energy or not and if we decide want good future...and the only good future is one with [clean] energy.† Elon Musk believes that renewable energy business is a great niche for those who think about good perspectives. Conclusion All energy sources have an impact on the environment. Concerns about the greenhouse effect and global warming, air pollution, and energy security have led to increasing interest and more development in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydrogen. All in all, our generation must start reducing fossil energy production and put efforts to increase the share of renewable energy. In this literature review, there are many answers related to renewable energy topic. Moreover, there is some information on what types of renewable energy production are the most popular in the world and their weak and strong points. In Renewable energy in different countries chapter, you can examine dissimilarities between renewable energy policy in Russian and China, or the USA and Denmark. Like every nowadays invention, this source of energy has also some negative aspects. WeShow MoreRelatedMarketing Analysis : Marketing Strategy Essay1445 Words   |  6 PagesAn interesting aspect is represented by promotion. In the solar Industry a great part of the promotion effort lies in the downstream, and this is where SolarCity put a greater effort: on the 2,510 employees (2012), 661 work in sales and marketing and 248 work in customer care (SolarCity, â€Å"SolarCity annual report 2013†, SolarCity, 2013). SolarCity promotion relies mainly on a well-trained direct sales force used for what the founder calls in-house sales. The direct-sale force is backed up by a callRead MoreSolar Installation Firms2778 Words   |  11 PagesINTRODUCTION People, Profit, planet are the three focuses of sustainable business. Social sustainability focuses on people and community, Economic sustainability focuses on Profit, and environmental sustainability focus on the Planet. With this in mind we are going to look at a budding industry that is profitable and sustainable. Solar installation is a budding industry that creates jobs, clean power, and profits. To gain a better idea on the health of the solar industry we will be looking atRead MoreA Brief Note On The Largest Solar Power Provider7266 Words   |  30 PagesIntroduction: SolarCity was founded in 2006 by brothers Peter and Lyndon Rive and are headquartered in San Mateo, California. Ever since 2007, SolarCity was the leading company for solar energy in California and holds its place as the number one residential installer in 2013 for the United States and also a second place for solar installation for the country. As the largest solar power provider, SolarCity is proud to provide clean energy for schools, homes, government and non-government organizationsRead MoreEssay Final Strategic Business Plan5430 Words   |  22 PagesFinal Strategic Business Plan BUS/475 Integrated Business Topics Crib Sheet Individual Final Strategic Business Plan Paper and Oral Presentation | Resources: Vision, Mission, Values, SWOTT Analysis, Synopsis Analysis, Balanced Scorecard, and an Oral Communication Plan for your presentation.Write a 1,500 to 2,100 word section for your strategic business plan in which you add your strategies and tactics to implement and realize your strategic objectives, measures, and targets. Include marketingRead MoreThe Power Of Solar Energy1640 Words   |  7 PagesPower Use Solar power or what is commonly referred to as solar energy is the energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. This form of energy is the cleanest and most abundant since it is almost everywhere in the world. It is also renewable and hence through modern technological advancement it be harnessed into a wide range of uses such as electricity generation, lighting or indoor use, water heating, machine driving and other commercial as well as industrial applicationsRead MoreAlternative Sources Of Energy Essay961 Words   |  4 PagesIn the early 2000’s, the latest view of climate change and its devastating effect on the environment had scientists, politicians, and the business community worried about the contribution of human activities from the production of greenhouse gases such as the carbon dioxide emitted by cars. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes more than 1,300 scientists from the United States and other countr ies, has forecasted a temperature rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit overRead MoreWal-Mart Goes Global2828 Words   |  12 Pagessolar panels to generate power, contributing to the company’s broader goal of being supplied 100 percent by renewable energy. Walmart’s investment in solar power typically generates an average of 48 contract positions per site. By working with California-based SolarCity, the company’s focus on solar power has generated more than 3,000 contract construction jobs in California. In turn, SolarCity has hired 1,213 employees since announcing its first Walmart projects in September 2010. The San Mateo, CalifRead MoreNuclear, Coal, Natural Gas, And Solar1445 Words   |  6 Pages and solar. These four are known for being the major sources of energy. All have pros and cons that are pretty much well known. Solar is renewable but expensive. Natural gas is cheap but damages the environment. Nuclear has a large power generating capacity bu t is dangerous and coal abundant and cheap but is just too dirty. What if there was a fifth type of fuel? A so called â€Å"invisible fuel.† The cheapest and cleanest energy choice that is often over looked, efficiency. An article in TheRead MoreThe Indian Solar Pv Market10243 Words   |  41 Pageslenders were also able to provide financing at rates lower than those offered by domestic banks. Coupled with the falling cost of solar modules, this low-cost financing strengthened the industry by contributing to an impressive drop in the cost of solar energy even as new capacity was added. The viability gap funding (VGF) mechanism employed in the first batch of NSM Phase 2 projects in 2014 allows developers to bid for additional upfront capital required to make the project financially viable at a tariffRead MoreThe Case Of Itc Hotels1823 Words   |  8 Pagesthat is considered an indulgence rather than a necessity. Whereas sustainability is long lasting, ethical, and conservation of natural resources. How could two seemingly opposing concepts be linked together? ITC Hotels, as a leader in sustainable business practices, has presented a successful example of how to close the gap of the two. In this st udy, by analyzing some topics between luxury and sustainability, such as, the new concept that ITC brought to luxury, a few causes that lead to this emerging

Friday, December 13, 2019

Google Case Ethical Principle Free Essays

It is rather difficult to talk about ethics as it involves different point of view based on different moral standards one has and based on different ethical principles one uses. This Google China-cases mostly talks about the ethical dilemma faced by the company, whether it should obey the local law or put its global ethical standards as its best interest. Obeying the local law will push them to do self-censoring, which then raise many criticism internationally. We will write a custom essay sample on Google Case: Ethical Principle or any similar topic only for you Order Now Based on ‘cultural relativism’, it is said that ethics are nothing more than the reflection of a culture – all ethics are culturally determined, so that each firm should adopt the ethics of the culture in which it is operating. It has been explained before that China has an totalitarian political system contrasts with the Western culture which supports civil rights and liberties. So, based on this theory, doing self-censoring may be considered as ethical. However, this pragmatic view won’t be very suitable for justifying an action. The restriction from the Chinese government regarding some sensitive political themes may be recognized by some international people as denying the human rights. Here, based on the rights theories, human beings have fundamental rights which establish a minimum level of morally acceptable behavior. Because of the censoring, Chinese people lose their freedom of speech, especially less freedom in receiving information. However, it is part of their law and political system, which should be accepted by every company who wants to conduct business in China. Some Chinese people have accustomed with the censorship, not consider it as violating human rights, and support it for the sake of the nation. By self-censoring their website, Google is complicit with the Chinese government’s effort to restrict the freedom of speech. According to ‘Kantian ethics’, it is wrong toward treating people as means, since people should be treated as ends and never as means to the ends of others. When deciding that the benefits of operating in China outweighed the costs, Google used the ‘utilitarian approaches’. It holds that the moral worth of actions is determined by their consequences. An action will be judged as ethical and desirable if the balance of best consequences are over the bad consequences. What are the benefits and the costs should be measured carefully by Google. Google claimed that ‘Google. cn’ would provide better internet service to its customers in China while making more profit for the company. It also raised ethical awareness by making its users aware that some results were omitted, thus also put pressure on the other companies to do the same. In addition, it is better to give Chinese users access to information, than to none at all. Those practical and ethical benefits combined with the increasing profit has been considered by Google as outweighing the negative effects of censorship. The negative effects for the company might be criticism for the inconsistence with the ‘Don’t be Evil’ motto. For Chinese people, I think, there will be no significant net negative effects as the Chinese users will still get the censored search results, since the government would block the contents using the â€Å"Great Firewall†. After months criticism, Google shut down its Google. cn. It tried to regain its integrity and to protests implicitly the censorship in China. The reasons might come because it realized it couldn’t give better services to Chinese users due to many problems, it had denied the human rights, and also it gained the lower market share and profit rather than expected. It made greater harm for the company. In my opinion, China has different culture and law that should be considered before a company conduct business there. Each company should obey the rules in which it is operating. Censoring is considered as denying human rights in many parts of the world – especially USA, but in China it should be done in order to gain greater advantages for the whole nation. The problem here is because Google has basic ethical principle of ‘Don’t be Evil’ which contradict this kind of action. Moreover, it won’t influence much to Chinese users whether Google stays there or not, as it has better local search engine – Baidu. That is why, considering the condition and all the consequences, it is better for Google to leave China. Next, we can analyze this case based on Kantian perspective called ‘Universalizability’. It means that the companies have the duty to commit only those actions which could be universally applied. It can be demonstrated by the question: â€Å"What if every company agreed to self-censor in order to gain access to China? †. The answer is there will be unbeatable suppression of rights of freedom of speech and information. On the opposite question, the multinational corporations may influence the societal change and perhaps will improve the level of freedom of speech in China. How to cite Google Case: Ethical Principle, Papers

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Challenges Faced Current Global Environment-Myassignmenthelp.Com

Questions: What Are Some Of The Important Challenges Faced By The Accountant Professionals? What Are The Challenges Faced By The Business While Adjusting With The Change In Market? Challenges To Manage Global Business In The Current Time Are There Any Advantages Or Disadvantages Related With The Usage Of Financial Statement? Answers: Introduction Any decision maker in the current time understands that the industry is going through varied ranges of transformations and it also impact this transformation which is hitting all in a single act and with entirely new kinds of crucial business challenges. The practices in accounting are primarily implicated in the present financial crisis and in the process of recapitalizing the institution as well as balancing the stability to the international financial system (Teittinen et al., 2013). The report will discuss the methodological as well as theory based gaps in accounting research that widely explains the failures to predict the future and also restricts the capacity to evaluate as well as respond to it appropriately. The objective the report is to decide the overall effectiveness of financial accounting and its challenges faced by it in a current global environment. The significance of the based financial accounting in the business cannot be just overlooked. The overall scope of the report will aim at many challenges and issues faced by accounting industry while working in the current sensitive global environment (Sudaryanti et al., 2015). It is important to understand the role of accounting in a number of organization that is working on the global platform. Following is the detailed discussion of challenges: - Developing newer businesses: there is over seventy-five percent of respondents that says that to attract as well as develop new businesses is the main issue for accounting as well as finance based Service Company. This is done in line with various present trends that are popular across the different set of professional service based industries. In the many parts of segments, it is developing more and also challenging to develop new customer. It is important to understand that competition is fierce in this case (Gereffi and Fernandez-Stark, 2016). Especially as per accounting and finance based firm has a feeling of a lot of pressure from global competition. Since there is the existence of competitive pressure, the existence of growth and development is critical objectives for the companies (Otley, 2015). Finding and retaining good staff: the study also says that the trend is in the market for some time now and the pressure to find the talent is continuously heating up. There are many talent based mergers and acquisition which is further becoming the part of significant attention with some companies (Dufour et al., 2014). But it is challenging, and it has been already touched since there is an existence of generational transformation along with a shortage of labor. Since the baby boomers in a time of retiring and it is becoming urgent for companies to save the strong base for talent and also plan for the upcoming wave of leaders (Guthrie and D. Parker, 2014). The brand of the company plays a major role in the current process, and part of the company's brand is based on the reputation to employ as well as cultivate the leaders. However, it is also important to build that kind of reputation. Internal change challenges: the impact of baby boomers can be seen here since there is mass retirement and it is becoming a challenge. Companies are expending a lot of energy and dealing with questions about internal transformation and leadership. The answer to the question in above discussion says that to employ as well as developing leaders, what should be the process. (Arnaboldi et al., 2017) The answer to this can be experts with high visibility. May be the company has experts in the company and the management just have to figure out the widely identify the industry and goes way beyond for the sake of talents (Lele, 2017). Some popular professionals are also termed as visible experts to boost the overall opinion of the present brand among customers and workforce (Almeida et al., 2017). Justification The management accountants in the last century are not a part of the concept of bean counting however now the role has transformed to hybrid accountant within a company. People are now facing fierce competition with loads of challenges and are further expected to adapt with quick transformation in a business environment (Stubbs et al., 2014). The organization looks for an accountant who is more proactive by nature since they are now expecting to become a major role of management and also all ready to deal with the challenges (Van et al., 2017). The report discusses the issues on organizational as well as environmental characteristics which further are believed to be a significant contributor to the important issue faced by accountants in the present time. There is an existence of a concept based framework which was developed in varied forms that the relationship between an accountant and his roles, works and features driving towards the transformation that leads to the challenges fac ed by the accounting managers (Frezatti et al., 2014). It is important for the now to comfortably adapt to all the current changes to be more competitive and ready for the future. Normally many factors can impact the changes to the present state of accounting profession (Stubbs et al., 2014). Also, multiple features are always causing the changes which includes the environment of the organization and factors like customer attentions, globalization and quick change in technology becoming the part of it (Bartram et al., 2014). Research design and methodology The accounting process consists the evaluation of human nature which is also mixed with research with the assistance of gaining clarity about the nature of using the accounting based information. Therefore this kind of research will help in forming a detailed form of the survey through a questionnaire that will have some crucial open ended and closed ended doubts (Albu et al., 2014). Quantitative research The quantitative research is done with the help of well-structured survey in the form of the interview which is conducted with a similar number of respondents on the phone along with face to face interaction (Adenike et al., 2016). This further will make sure that every interview will have a similar set of queries. It is important to understand that comparisons that exist between different kinds of organizations (Rathee and Kapil, 2015). Sample size The case will ask people who are obviously above the age of 18 which means are major. This further can be done to make sure the opinions taken on the challenges of the global organization in some institutions can be covered in all possible ages. The sample taken in the study is a representative of the population that can be explored, and therefore the findings are based on sample related population that can be analyzed and also represented the population of study (Rathee and Kapil, 2015). Sampling The study will take random sampling techniques. The method has a huge population, and it is also challenging to recognize every member of the population. The complete process of sampling is done in one step with every subject selected in an independent manner of other parts of the populations (Jacobs, 2016). The word random has very selective based meaning, and one can't just collect the answers at one place and form a random kind of sample (Rathee and Kapil, 2015). The technique helps every member of the complete population has an equal opportunity to select it as a subject. Variables The various variables selected for the research can be divided into two categories which are dependent variables as well as independent variables. The dependent variables are those variables that are part of the researchers who show interest in taking part of it, and then there are independent which get impacted by the dependent variables (Osborne et al., 2014). The variable in the dependent category will base the research on factors like gender, age and other physical factors of the respondents. On the other hand, independent variables will consist of the basic nature of the business and whether it can be used the standard accounting guidelines with the level of impact of many financial statements. Data collection The data will obviously be collected through respondents through various email addresses while there is other that can be delivered by hand and by each assistant in research. The participants will be asked to answer the questions of the questionnaire and the responses taken from the questionnaire and the data collected from it will be entered in excel file to analysis it properly (Brusca et al., 2016). The data here will further be exported into a varied version of SPSS based on data analysis software; it is evaluated and presented by using descriptive statistics like mode based percentages or method of standard deviations. Data analysis The data collected will be summarized which will be an outcome and will further be presented in the form of charts, tables or graphs (Thrane et al., 2017). Also, there will be many linear based regression model utilized to answer the effectiveness of many financial based reporting for the organization taken as a sample here (Brusca et al., 2016). There are so many bases for control the impact on some variables, and it will also provide information based on the impacts of many independent variables. Conclusion In the current business environment, some management accountants are experiencing crucial transformation in the form of role and work (Edwards, 2013). This is why, the competent and trusted place in an organization, many management based accountants can proactively be part of leadership and operational based alignment with improvement. These variables are now accountable as the internal consultant to the business. It is further expected to work closely with all kind of managers at the top level and operational (Brusca et al., 2016). They also help the management in providing important information in the decision making. It also consists of many issues that pertain to many value added operations and the fast moving culture need them to properly adapt to so many changes that are unexpected. They cannot be regarded as conservative accountants. One of the greatest challenges of the accountant at the present time is related to preparing the globalization in the international market. The c oncept of globalization with the intense or fierce competition with ever changing regulations by government and innovation with the use of technology that led to a transformation in a current market environment which the has substantial impact on the company. Many organizations have initiated going international by taking the business operations to become more and more voluminous and complicated to address. But with the advent of technology, there are much innovative software and another kind of tools that have been developed to help the management accountant in dealing with the work (Brusca et al., 2016). This further shows or exhibits that the business environment in the current time functions without the help of any technology. The future of accountant also depends on how they are adapted and responded with some emerging technologies. The overall usage of different tools in this research is also related to the threat based on the concept of reliability as well as the validity of the outcomes. For the sake of primary data evaluation for validity and reliability will help in finding out the same outcome and can be reproduced. At the same time, there is secondary data, and there will be no requirement of conducting the test. Some of the important drawbacks of the research method will research regarding having long time-based efforts needed. Also, the research will also need more and more resources to collect enough data so that it can answer the set-out research questions and doubts related to it (Brusca et al., 2016). Reference Adenike, A.T. and Michael, A.A., 2016. Effect of Accounting Information System Adoption on Accounting Activities in Manufacturing Industries in Nigeria. Albu, C.N., Albu, N. and Alexander, D., 2014. When global accounting standards meet the local contextInsights from an emerging economy.Critical Perspectives on Accounting,25(6), pp.489-510. Almeida, S. and Fernando, M., 2017. Making the cut: occupation-specific factors influencing employers in their recruitment and selection of immigrant professionals in the information technology and accounting occupations in regional Australia.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,28(6), pp.880-912. Arnaboldi, M., Arnaboldi, M., Busco, C., Busco, C., Cuganesan, S. and Cuganesan, S., 2017. Accounting, accountability, social media and big data: revolution or hype?.Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal,30(4), pp.762-776. Bartram, J., Brocklehurst, C., Fisher, M.B., Luyendijk, R., Hossain, R., Wardlaw, T. and Gordon, B., 2014. Global monitoring of water supply and sanitation: history, methods and future challenges.International journal of environmental research and public health,11(8), pp.8137-8165. Brusca, I., Caperchione, E., Cohen, S. and Rossi, F.M. eds., 2016.Public sector accounting and auditing in Europe: The challenge of harmonization. Springer. Dufour, D., Teller, P. and Luu, P., 2014. A neo-institutionalist model of the diffusion of IFRS accounting standards.Computational Economics,44(1), pp.27-44. Edwards, J.R., 2013.A History of Financial Accounting (RLE Accounting)(Vol. 29). Routledge. Frezatti, F., B. Carter, D. and FG Barroso, M., 2014. Accounting without accounting: Informational proxies and the construction of organisational discourses.Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal,27(3), pp.426-464. Gereffi, G. and Fernandez-Stark, K., 2016. Global value chain analysis: a primer. Guthrie, J. and D. Parker, L., 2014. The global accounting academic: what counts!.Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal,27(1), pp.2-14. Jacobs, K., 2016. Theorising Interdisciplinary Public Sector Accounting Research.Financial Accountability Management,32(4), pp.469-488. Lele, U.J. ed., 2017.Managing a Global Resource: Challenges of forest conservation and development. Routledge. Osborne, S.P., Radnor, Z., Vidal, I. and Kinder, T., 2014. A sustainable business model for public service organizations?. Otley, D., 2015. in Management Control.Critical Perspectives in Management Control, p.27. Rathee, S. and Kapil, S., 2015. AN INVESTIGATION INTO RECENT TRENDS AND CHALLENGES OF ACCOUNTING'CLIMATE INSTRUMENTS'.Journal of Services Research,15(1), p.7. Stubbs, W. and Higgins, C., 2014. Integrated reporting and internal mechanisms of change.Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal,27(7), pp.1068-1089. Sudaryanti, D., Sukoharsono, E.G., Baridwan, Z. and Mulawarman, A.D., 2015. Critical Analysis on Accounting Information Based On Pancasila Value.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,172, pp.533-539. Teittinen, H., Pellinen, J. and Jrvenp, M., 2013. ERP in actionChallenges and benefits for management control in SME context.International Journal of Accounting Information Systems,14(4), pp.278-296. Thrane, S. and Balslev, L., 2017. Institutional contradictions and change of organisations and accounting: Case evidence from Greenland.Journal of Accounting Organizational Change, (just-accepted), pp.00-00. Van, H.T.T., Ha, D.B. and Ha, H.T.V., 2017. Vietnamese Commercial Banks in Global Integration Context: Opportunities, Challenges and Recommendations.Accounting and Finance Research,6(3), p.184.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Snapdeals Journey from Deal-a-Day Site to India Essay Example

Snapdeals Journey from Deal-a-Day Site to India Essay Snapdeal’s Journey from Deal-a-day Site to India’s Largest Online Marketplace E-commerce, in the popular sense, can be defined as: the use of the Internet and the Web to conduct business transactions. A more technical definition would be: e-commerce involves digitally enabled commercial transactions between and among organizations and individuals. Ecommerce differs from e-business in that no commercial transaction, an exchange of value across organizational or individual boundaries, takes place in e-business. E-business is the digital enablement of transactions and processes within a firm and therefore does not include any exchange in value. E-commerce and e-business intersect at the business firm boundary at the point where internal business systems link up with suppliers. For instance, e-business turns into e-commerce when an exchange of value occurs across firm boundaries. Introduction Snapdeal is an ecommerce company headquartered in New Delhi, India. This online retail firm was founded by Karun Bahl, a Wharton graduate and Rohit Bansal, alumnus of IIT Delhi, in February 2010. Their website Snapdeal. om features a wide range of products and services from thousands of national, international and regional brands with a wide assortment of products across categories like mobiles, electronics, fashion accessories, apparel and footwear, kids, home and kitchen, sports, books, restaurants, entertainment and spas amongst others. Snapdeal has become a shopping destination for millions of online users across the country. Snapdeal enables small and medium sized retailers to cost effectively acquire hundreds of customers by offering discount deals at their establishments through its online e-commerce platform. We will write a custom essay sample on Snapdeals Journey from Deal-a-Day Site to India specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Snapdeals Journey from Deal-a-Day Site to India specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Snapdeals Journey from Deal-a-Day Site to India specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This leads to cost savings on the marketing side and leads to more brand awareness. History Snapdeal was started in February 2010 by Karun Bahl, a Wharton graduate and Rohit Bansal, alumnus of IIT Delhi. Snapdeal. com started as a daily deal platform. It was essentially a Group buying or crowd bargaining site which offered deals and discounts on restaurants, spas, car wash, etc. Snapdeal charged a marketing fee from the retailer for every deal sold on the portal. Bargain Website Model The services are usually for registered customers, who are informed of the deals through emails and text messages every day. The system works like this. A local store, a fashion chain or a restaurant approaches the bargain website with its best deals, and the bargain website in turn offers or sometimes auctions them to its members for a nominal amount to be paid upfront through a debit or a credit card. Customers get their coupons either through email or in the form of a text message or both. The retailers pay a stipulated amount — or a commission — for every redeemed coupon to the website. Group buying sites benefit from a relatively simple minimum number of buyers. The limited time period creates a sense of urgency, prompting impulse purchases. All interested buyers must provide their credit card information, but are only charged if the deal goes live. Little money is locked up in working capital because the group buying website either bills the entire amount of the purchase upfront and retains a commission before passing the rest of the payment onto the merchant, or charges a token amount and directs the user to pay the rest at the merchants site. If the deal does not materialize, the group buying site isnt stuck with any back inventory because the discounted service or item is sourced at the participating business. Buyers receive vouchers for their purchases via e-mail or text message and they have anywhere from one to three months to redeem the offer. Snapdeal’s idea was to give consumers a better price through deals if they purchase in greater numbers; and that was the basic premise of group buying websites that had emerged in India and in other parts of the world. According to Bahl, Jasper-owned group buying sites in general accumulated 350,000 registered users in just over six months of operations. This was proved right when Googles DoubleClick advertising arm posted the number of unique visitors for Indian group buying siteSnapDeal as 290,000 for the end of August 2010. IT for Differentiation In an effort to drastically improve the customer experience of its 4 lakhs subscriber base Snapdeal launched a revamped website which was far superior in terms of technology and performance. The new website, which was built on the latest technologies like Servlet 3. 0, had enhanced security and was highly scalable. The website load time is less than 2 sec. While being extremely advanced technologically, the website continued to be a user friendly interface, which helped it break the clutter among the otherwise similar looking group buying websites. This helped Snapdeal in becoming the largest group buying website with 65% transactional market by September, 2010, reaching a remarkable milestone of selling one coupon every minute on their website. The seven-month-old ventures revenues were increasing at 150 per cent month-on-month. Offering discounts of up to 95 per cent, SnapDeal. com used to its advantage the huge pile of distress inventory accumulated by retailers. It featured more than 2,000 retailers such as Ferns amp; Petals, Indiahikes, Fitness Studio, Bikanervala, Future Bazaar and XtremeSports Bar. The company received2,000 vouchers from one merchant in a day sometimes and was able to offer one new deal a day from each of the 30 cities it has a presence in. Each deal stayed on the site for not more than three days. According to Mr. Bahl, retailers of these services suffered from distress perishable inventory of as high as 80 per cent, and it worked for them to give heavy discounts to be able to offload the inventory within the expiry period. By the end of November 2010, the e-commerce phenomenon in India had a new Poster boy from obscurity 9 months back to becoming one of Indias most visited site Snapdeal. com had come a long way in a short span. By December 2010, Snapdeal was offering deals in four areas including dining, personal care, entertainment and travel. There was a tremendous response from various merchants as well. 90% of the service providers who had been featured on Snapdeal. com wanted to use the service again to attract customers. For the local retail services, it acted as a powerful performance based marketing channel to acquire new customers, while reaching out to a large base of prospective customers, without spending anything upfront on branding or advertising. And this channel was not restricted to small businesses alone. For instance, Carnation, which is Mr. Jagdish Khattars one-stop-shop retailer for cars, acquired 5000+ customers through SnapDeal in a span of 3 days. Many other merchants have had similar experiences. The e-commerce platform had worked wonders not only for Snapdeal, but also for many of its clients who were able to attract a huge set of new customers. In less than one year, it reached a subscriber base of 1 million attracting a $12 million investment round, led by Nexus Venture Partners and Indo-US Venture Partners. And the subsequent round of funding a few months later helped it raise another $ 40 million. Mobile commerce also proved to be an asset for Snapdeal. Another reason for the site’s rapid growth in 2011 came from its recently launched products deals business, in which Snapdeal sold branded lifestyle products, like fashion accessories, electronics, apparel, etc. at significant discounts. The products business was doubling each month and within three months accounted for 15 percent of Snapdeal’s total business. Its big idea was to move into products by taking its existing experience in local deals and combining it with a wide array of personalized product deals, especially in lifestyle e-commerce. This was the first step for Snapdeal towards the transformation to an online marketplace. In 2012, Snapdeal announced its foray into the ‘brand stores’ concept in which the company aimed to be an enabler for the thousands of local retailers who couldn’t reach out to the growing masses buying online. Each store had a login and a password for managing the assortment. Brands were able to decide the look and feel of their page, customize product selection, and manage promotions and exclusive launches. The Snapdeal platform was akin to multiple single-brand stores, many of these international. Regulatory issues would not apply to Snapdeal, as it was a marketing platform like eBay, and transactions carried out here were between merchants and customers; hence, following a ‘Zero Inventory’ model. The company also broadened its 200-category strong product portfolio — from one with mobile phones and laptops to one that offers fashion apparel as well. Now, it had moved from being India’s largest group buying website to being a competitor of the Indian online retail major Flipkart. What is an Online Marketplace? Market: An interaction mechanism where the participants establish deals (trades) to exchange goods and services for monetary payments (i. e. quantities of standard currency). Marketplace: In fundamental terms, a marketplace is nothing but a group of markets. Technically, a marketplace is the space (actual, virtual or metaphorical) in which a market operates. Online marketplace (or online ecommerce marketplace) is an ecommerce website. The product and is provided by the third parties, and the transactions are processes by the marketplace operator. Online marketplaces are the primary type of multichannel ecommerce. The transactions are delivered and fulfilled by the participating retailers or wholesalers. An online marketplace offers products from a wide array of providers. Hence, the selection is usually wider, availability is higher, and prices are more competitive (compared to vendor-specific online retail stores). SnapDeal’s Marketing Strategy In the beginning, the only form of marketing for Snapdeal was through social media, mainly Facebook, Twitter and various blogs. By the end of 2010, using radio, TV and even sponsorships, Snapdeal had managed to warm the hearts of an otherwise hard-to-sell internet-wary society. Snapdeal plans to drive marketing through ‘Analytics’ in order to move from mass media campaigns and focus more on data driven marketing techniques that ensure every rupee of marketing spend is measured. This helps them to analyze the buying behavior of the consumer and pitch a product to the target consumer accordingly. Latest Developments at Snapdeal Traffic Rankings According to Alexa the web traffic analytics company Snapdeal is 37th most popular website in India and 557th in the world as on July 2013. Most of the users are male aged between 18 to 26 years. Company is eying sales growth of over 2000 crore in 2013-2104. Snapdeal Vs Flipkart Snapdeal from the start of 2013 is catching up with India’s most popular ecommerce website Flipkart. Page views per user the metric which tells user engagement with the website is around 5. 5 for Snapdeal (increase of 1. 5 pageview per user from 2012) if we take last 6 months average, same is around 8 for Flipkart. Average time spent per user on website has also increased from 5mins to little over 6 mins which is a positive sign. There is good amount of competition between Flipkart and Snapdeal and users usually visit both of these website before making a decision to buy. Logistics They also have a shipping platform called Safeship, which has integrated large number of local and national courier companies so that there is no burden on the sellers to find a courier service. Sellers can track and manage movement of product by themselves. SnapDeal provides Cash on Delivery and EMI options which has got lot of favour from Indians as lot of them don’t have credit/debit cards, and those who have are sceptical of using them online. With the advent of interest free EMI option lot of Indians who don’t have immediate cash can use this option to pay principal and the interest in easy instalments. Snapdeal on Mobile Snapdeal has launched its mobile app both on GooglePlay for free. Through this app user can easily see mobile version of website as an app on their smartphones, improved search lets you narrow down search using sort and refine. Snapdeal hopes to increase its customer base as more and more people are using tablets and smartphones now days. App can identify user location and give customized deals for user of that city. Snapdeal User Reviews for Products Buyers can now review products by adding comments and stars against the items they purchase. Pros, Cons, and average rating lets the prospective buyers decide on various parameters before the make the purchase. Comments also engage buyers as they feel the part of the system and Indians are always good at reviewing. Social Media Integration Users can now share the products they like or buy on their favourite social networks like Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter. These external links provide fresh web traffic to Snapdeal. TrustPay TrustPay protects customers with a 100% moneyback guarantee if there is any issue with product quality, size or delivery. Trustpay payment system can be used by other online retailers to connect to global payment systems of Visa/Mastercard. Snapdeal has filed for intellectual property protection for Trust pay because of the potential it has. Zero Inventory model Company does not hold inventory which has become important for any company operating in India as India has large supply side, which gives Snapdeal opportunity to collaborate with this unorganized and large supply side without making investments in Inventory. Also for large inventory one needs to hire thousands of people. Large logistics area, and high operating costs are incurred. Marketplace model also benefits when a seller wants to sell his unsold items quickly, which otherwise on retail malls can take considerable time. Most Lovable City: Online Campaign Snapdeal initiated mylovecapital campaign where people voted for their most loved city on the eve of Valentine’s Day of 2013. Voting for the event began on February 4 and the website recorded votes from people across the country. Delhi emerged winner with 53,174 votes followed by Mumbai with 49,010 votes and Srinagar with 29,047 votes from all over India on its website mylovecapital. com. It was an endeavour to bring back positivity and love for ur country, cities and its people. To publicize the event various videos were also uploaded on youtube. Anshuman, actor and singer campaigned for Chandigarh and Delhi, while stars such as Saniamirza campaigned for Hyderabad. Some major achievements for SnapDeal. com Snapdeal Buys Sports amp; Fitness Equipment E-com Startup eSportsBuy E-commerce firm Jasper I nfotech Pvt Ltd, which runs the daily deals and now horizontal e-com site Snapdeal. com, has acquired  eSportsBuy. com, an online retailer of sports and fitness equipment and accessories. eSportsBuy was started in 2011 by IIT Delhi alumni  Prateek Agarwal  and  Amit Monga. Snapdeal already stocks some sports equipment but these are not showcased as a separate category (we found badminton racquets featured in the ‘Kids amp; Toys’ category). So eSportsBuy would certainly help boost Snapdeal’s vendor relations for those products and also help expand the product catalogue in that segment. For eSportsBuy, it would mean a bigger platform to be associated with and that can help it bargain harder with vendors, at least as long as it maintains the site independently. It could also draw synergies in operations, especially at the backend. For Snapdeal, this is the second acquisition to build out its business. In 2010, it had acquired group buying site  Grabbon  and that site now redirects to Snapdeal. com. Snapdeal also has the means to take the inorganic route to expand quickly. Last year, it had risen over $50 million in two rounds of funding – from  Bessemer Venture Partners and Nexus Venture Partners  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ as well as from the existing investor Indo-US Venture Partners. Indias Top 10 Buzziest brands In February 2012, Snapdeal. com was ranked 7th in India in the Afaqs annual poll for buzz making brands, that the consumers found exciting enough to talk about. Online shopping site Snapdeal to increase headcount Snapdeal increased its headcount by adding 500 people by the next six months starting from March 2012. Snapdeal earmarks $20 mn for acquisitions Snapdeal. com has earmarked $20 million (around Rs. 100 crore) to make up to four acquisitions by 2012. Snapdeal set to enter music, movies and books segment In June 2012, E-commerce company Snapdeal. com ventured into music, movies and books segment one of the most lucrative segments for online retailing. Way Ahead Taking note of the way SnapDeal. com is expanding its reach and winning hearts, the future definitely looks very bright for the brand. Apart from geographic expansion, Snapdeal. om has forayed into new categories which have shown excellent traction in the brief period since launch. The two new categories introduced were – products and travel. The product categories include very attractive deals, typically 50 per cent off on products such as mobile phones, electronic gadgets branded fashion products, sunglasses wallets, an d among others. In the case of travel, SnapDeal. com features the best leisure and business travel destinations across India at national best prices. Competition for the brand though on face seems to be growing with the emergence and existence of other websites like ebay, tradus etc. Snapdeals Journey from Deal-a-Day Site to India Essay Example Snapdeals Journey from Deal-a-Day Site to India Essay Snapdeal’s Journey from Deal-a-day Site to India’s Largest Online Marketplace E-commerce, in the popular sense, can be defined as: the use of the Internet and the Web to conduct business transactions. A more technical definition would be: e-commerce involves digitally enabled commercial transactions between and among organizations and individuals. Ecommerce differs from e-business in that no commercial transaction, an exchange of value across organizational or individual boundaries, takes place in e-business. E-business is the digital enablement of transactions and processes within a firm and therefore does not include any exchange in value. E-commerce and e-business intersect at the business firm boundary at the point where internal business systems link up with suppliers. For instance, e-business turns into e-commerce when an exchange of value occurs across firm boundaries. Introduction Snapdeal is an ecommerce company headquartered in New Delhi, India. This online retail firm was founded by Karun Bahl, a Wharton graduate and Rohit Bansal, alumnus of IIT Delhi, in February 2010. Their website Snapdeal. om features a wide range of products and services from thousands of national, international and regional brands with a wide assortment of products across categories like mobiles, electronics, fashion accessories, apparel and footwear, kids, home and kitchen, sports, books, restaurants, entertainment and spas amongst others. Snapdeal has become a shopping destination for millions of online users across the country. Snapdeal enables small and medium sized retailers to cost effectively acquire hundreds of customers by offering discount deals at their establishments through its online e-commerce platform. We will write a custom essay sample on Snapdeals Journey from Deal-a-Day Site to India specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Snapdeals Journey from Deal-a-Day Site to India specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Snapdeals Journey from Deal-a-Day Site to India specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This leads to cost savings on the marketing side and leads to more brand awareness. History Snapdeal was started in February 2010 by Karun Bahl, a Wharton graduate and Rohit Bansal, alumnus of IIT Delhi. Snapdeal. com started as a daily deal platform. It was essentially a Group buying or crowd bargaining site which offered deals and discounts on restaurants, spas, car wash, etc. Snapdeal charged a marketing fee from the retailer for every deal sold on the portal. Bargain Website Model The services are usually for registered customers, who are informed of the deals through emails and text messages every day. The system works like this. A local store, a fashion chain or a restaurant approaches the bargain website with its best deals, and the bargain website in turn offers or sometimes auctions them to its members for a nominal amount to be paid upfront through a debit or a credit card. Customers get their coupons either through email or in the form of a text message or both. The retailers pay a stipulated amount — or a commission — for every redeemed coupon to the website. Group buying sites benefit from a relatively simple minimum number of buyers. The limited time period creates a sense of urgency, prompting impulse purchases. All interested buyers must provide their credit card information, but are only charged if the deal goes live. Little money is locked up in working capital because the group buying website either bills the entire amount of the purchase upfront and retains a commission before passing the rest of the payment onto the merchant, or charges a token amount and directs the user to pay the rest at the merchants site. If the deal does not materialize, the group buying site isnt stuck with any back inventory because the discounted service or item is sourced at the participating business. Buyers receive vouchers for their purchases via e-mail or text message and they have anywhere from one to three months to redeem the offer. Snapdeal’s idea was to give consumers a better price through deals if they purchase in greater numbers; and that was the basic premise of group buying websites that had emerged in India and in other parts of the world. According to Bahl, Jasper-owned group buying sites in general accumulated 350,000 registered users in just over six months of operations. This was proved right when Googles DoubleClick advertising arm posted the number of unique visitors for Indian group buying siteSnapDeal as 290,000 for the end of August 2010. IT for Differentiation In an effort to drastically improve the customer experience of its 4 lakhs subscriber base Snapdeal launched a revamped website which was far superior in terms of technology and performance. The new website, which was built on the latest technologies like Servlet 3. 0, had enhanced security and was highly scalable. The website load time is less than 2 sec. While being extremely advanced technologically, the website continued to be a user friendly interface, which helped it break the clutter among the otherwise similar looking group buying websites. This helped Snapdeal in becoming the largest group buying website with 65% transactional market by September, 2010, reaching a remarkable milestone of selling one coupon every minute on their website. The seven-month-old ventures revenues were increasing at 150 per cent month-on-month. Offering discounts of up to 95 per cent, SnapDeal. com used to its advantage the huge pile of distress inventory accumulated by retailers. It featured more than 2,000 retailers such as Ferns amp; Petals, Indiahikes, Fitness Studio, Bikanervala, Future Bazaar and XtremeSports Bar. The company received2,000 vouchers from one merchant in a day sometimes and was able to offer one new deal a day from each of the 30 cities it has a presence in. Each deal stayed on the site for not more than three days. According to Mr. Bahl, retailers of these services suffered from distress perishable inventory of as high as 80 per cent, and it worked for them to give heavy discounts to be able to offload the inventory within the expiry period. By the end of November 2010, the e-commerce phenomenon in India had a new Poster boy from obscurity 9 months back to becoming one of Indias most visited site Snapdeal. com had come a long way in a short span. By December 2010, Snapdeal was offering deals in four areas including dining, personal care, entertainment and travel. There was a tremendous response from various merchants as well. 90% of the service providers who had been featured on Snapdeal. com wanted to use the service again to attract customers. For the local retail services, it acted as a powerful performance based marketing channel to acquire new customers, while reaching out to a large base of prospective customers, without spending anything upfront on branding or advertising. And this channel was not restricted to small businesses alone. For instance, Carnation, which is Mr. Jagdish Khattars one-stop-shop retailer for cars, acquired 5000+ customers through SnapDeal in a span of 3 days. Many other merchants have had similar experiences. The e-commerce platform had worked wonders not only for Snapdeal, but also for many of its clients who were able to attract a huge set of new customers. In less than one year, it reached a subscriber base of 1 million attracting a $12 million investment round, led by Nexus Venture Partners and Indo-US Venture Partners. And the subsequent round of funding a few months later helped it raise another $ 40 million. Mobile commerce also proved to be an asset for Snapdeal. Another reason for the site’s rapid growth in 2011 came from its recently launched products deals business, in which Snapdeal sold branded lifestyle products, like fashion accessories, electronics, apparel, etc. at significant discounts. The products business was doubling each month and within three months accounted for 15 percent of Snapdeal’s total business. Its big idea was to move into products by taking its existing experience in local deals and combining it with a wide array of personalized product deals, especially in lifestyle e-commerce. This was the first step for Snapdeal towards the transformation to an online marketplace. In 2012, Snapdeal announced its foray into the ‘brand stores’ concept in which the company aimed to be an enabler for the thousands of local retailers who couldn’t reach out to the growing masses buying online. Each store had a login and a password for managing the assortment. Brands were able to decide the look and feel of their page, customize product selection, and manage promotions and exclusive launches. The Snapdeal platform was akin to multiple single-brand stores, many of these international. Regulatory issues would not apply to Snapdeal, as it was a marketing platform like eBay, and transactions carried out here were between merchants and customers; hence, following a ‘Zero Inventory’ model. The company also broadened its 200-category strong product portfolio — from one with mobile phones and laptops to one that offers fashion apparel as well. Now, it had moved from being India’s largest group buying website to being a competitor of the Indian online retail major Flipkart. What is an Online Marketplace? Market: An interaction mechanism where the participants establish deals (trades) to exchange goods and services for monetary payments (i. e. quantities of standard currency). Marketplace: In fundamental terms, a marketplace is nothing but a group of markets. Technically, a marketplace is the space (actual, virtual or metaphorical) in which a market operates. Online marketplace (or online ecommerce marketplace) is an ecommerce website. The product and is provided by the third parties, and the transactions are processes by the marketplace operator. Online marketplaces are the primary type of multichannel ecommerce. The transactions are delivered and fulfilled by the participating retailers or wholesalers. An online marketplace offers products from a wide array of providers. Hence, the selection is usually wider, availability is higher, and prices are more competitive (compared to vendor-specific online retail stores). SnapDeal’s Marketing Strategy In the beginning, the only form of marketing for Snapdeal was through social media, mainly Facebook, Twitter and various blogs. By the end of 2010, using radio, TV and even sponsorships, Snapdeal had managed to warm the hearts of an otherwise hard-to-sell internet-wary society. Snapdeal plans to drive marketing through ‘Analytics’ in order to move from mass media campaigns and focus more on data driven marketing techniques that ensure every rupee of marketing spend is measured. This helps them to analyze the buying behavior of the consumer and pitch a product to the target consumer accordingly. Latest Developments at Snapdeal Traffic Rankings According to Alexa the web traffic analytics company Snapdeal is 37th most popular website in India and 557th in the world as on July 2013. Most of the users are male aged between 18 to 26 years. Company is eying sales growth of over 2000 crore in 2013-2104. Snapdeal Vs Flipkart Snapdeal from the start of 2013 is catching up with India’s most popular ecommerce website Flipkart. Page views per user the metric which tells user engagement with the website is around 5. 5 for Snapdeal (increase of 1. 5 pageview per user from 2012) if we take last 6 months average, same is around 8 for Flipkart. Average time spent per user on website has also increased from 5mins to little over 6 mins which is a positive sign. There is good amount of competition between Flipkart and Snapdeal and users usually visit both of these website before making a decision to buy. Logistics They also have a shipping platform called Safeship, which has integrated large number of local and national courier companies so that there is no burden on the sellers to find a courier service. Sellers can track and manage movement of product by themselves. SnapDeal provides Cash on Delivery and EMI options which has got lot of favour from Indians as lot of them don’t have credit/debit cards, and those who have are sceptical of using them online. With the advent of interest free EMI option lot of Indians who don’t have immediate cash can use this option to pay principal and the interest in easy instalments. Snapdeal on Mobile Snapdeal has launched its mobile app both on GooglePlay for free. Through this app user can easily see mobile version of website as an app on their smartphones, improved search lets you narrow down search using sort and refine. Snapdeal hopes to increase its customer base as more and more people are using tablets and smartphones now days. App can identify user location and give customized deals for user of that city. Snapdeal User Reviews for Products Buyers can now review products by adding comments and stars against the items they purchase. Pros, Cons, and average rating lets the prospective buyers decide on various parameters before the make the purchase. Comments also engage buyers as they feel the part of the system and Indians are always good at reviewing. Social Media Integration Users can now share the products they like or buy on their favourite social networks like Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter. These external links provide fresh web traffic to Snapdeal. TrustPay TrustPay protects customers with a 100% moneyback guarantee if there is any issue with product quality, size or delivery. Trustpay payment system can be used by other online retailers to connect to global payment systems of Visa/Mastercard. Snapdeal has filed for intellectual property protection for Trust pay because of the potential it has. Zero Inventory model Company does not hold inventory which has become important for any company operating in India as India has large supply side, which gives Snapdeal opportunity to collaborate with this unorganized and large supply side without making investments in Inventory. Also for large inventory one needs to hire thousands of people. Large logistics area, and high operating costs are incurred. Marketplace model also benefits when a seller wants to sell his unsold items quickly, which otherwise on retail malls can take considerable time. Most Lovable City: Online Campaign Snapdeal initiated mylovecapital campaign where people voted for their most loved city on the eve of Valentine’s Day of 2013. Voting for the event began on February 4 and the website recorded votes from people across the country. Delhi emerged winner with 53,174 votes followed by Mumbai with 49,010 votes and Srinagar with 29,047 votes from all over India on its website mylovecapital. com. It was an endeavour to bring back positivity and love for ur country, cities and its people. To publicize the event various videos were also uploaded on youtube. Anshuman, actor and singer campaigned for Chandigarh and Delhi, while stars such as Saniamirza campaigned for Hyderabad. Some major achievements for SnapDeal. com Snapdeal Buys Sports amp; Fitness Equipment E-com Startup eSportsBuy E-commerce firm Jasper I nfotech Pvt Ltd, which runs the daily deals and now horizontal e-com site Snapdeal. com, has acquired  eSportsBuy. com, an online retailer of sports and fitness equipment and accessories. eSportsBuy was started in 2011 by IIT Delhi alumni  Prateek Agarwal  and  Amit Monga. Snapdeal already stocks some sports equipment but these are not showcased as a separate category (we found badminton racquets featured in the ‘Kids amp; Toys’ category). So eSportsBuy would certainly help boost Snapdeal’s vendor relations for those products and also help expand the product catalogue in that segment. For eSportsBuy, it would mean a bigger platform to be associated with and that can help it bargain harder with vendors, at least as long as it maintains the site independently. It could also draw synergies in operations, especially at the backend. For Snapdeal, this is the second acquisition to build out its business. In 2010, it had acquired group buying site  Grabbon  and that site now redirects to Snapdeal. com. Snapdeal also has the means to take the inorganic route to expand quickly. Last year, it had risen over $50 million in two rounds of funding – from  Bessemer Venture Partners and Nexus Venture Partners  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ as well as from the existing investor Indo-US Venture Partners. Indias Top 10 Buzziest brands In February 2012, Snapdeal. com was ranked 7th in India in the Afaqs annual poll for buzz making brands, that the consumers found exciting enough to talk about. Online shopping site Snapdeal to increase headcount Snapdeal increased its headcount by adding 500 people by the next six months starting from March 2012. Snapdeal earmarks $20 mn for acquisitions Snapdeal. com has earmarked $20 million (around Rs. 100 crore) to make up to four acquisitions by 2012. Snapdeal set to enter music, movies and books segment In June 2012, E-commerce company Snapdeal. com ventured into music, movies and books segment one of the most lucrative segments for online retailing. Way Ahead Taking note of the way SnapDeal. com is expanding its reach and winning hearts, the future definitely looks very bright for the brand. Apart from geographic expansion, Snapdeal. om has forayed into new categories which have shown excellent traction in the brief period since launch. The two new categories introduced were – products and travel. The product categories include very attractive deals, typically 50 per cent off on products such as mobile phones, electronic gadgets branded fashion products, sunglasses wallets, an d among others. In the case of travel, SnapDeal. com features the best leisure and business travel destinations across India at national best prices. Competition for the brand though on face seems to be growing with the emergence and existence of other websites like ebay, tradus etc.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Those Crazy Acronyms

Those Crazy Acronyms Acronyms are those convenient abbreviations we all know about that replace long words or complex titles for quicker communication of complex ideas or names. They usually come from the initial components in a much longer phrase or name thats in common use in a business, specialty, or culture. The components that form acronyms are often the first letters of the most important words in that longer title or name or concept, as in CEO for Chief Operating Officer or IBM (International Business Machines) or http (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) in website addresses.Where do we use acronyms today? Nearly everywhere. We see them online, in research papers, on cable television, e-mails, social networking sites, phone texting, technical documentation, computer data systems, and many other places. Acronyms are especially recognizable when we dont understand what they mean and whats being said to us or written in what were reading. When we understand the meaning of an acronym, however, we rush right by it and keep reading.There is definitely a major upsurge in acronym use in writing today and frankly in all areas of communication. Acronyms have become a favorite tool for fast and brief communication and likely a direct outgrowth of our modern approach to thinking - say it fast and move on to the next idea or task. Speed is the main instigator of all the acronym use we are seeing now. Another cause is the expansion of complicated bureaucracies that force us to try and avoid writing long titles and department names and regulatory references over and over in favor of more brevity. Then we can move on to our next task more quickly.Most of us are familiar with well-known acronyms like the FBI or NASA or UPS or VISA or even USA, but what happens when we try to figure out the following communication with no explanation there?Its important to review APCAT fully for USQRW and follow the instructions found in the ZEPX of the database, or you will likely apply the TYOP in error.There is quite a difference, dont you think?We all have also had the exasperating experience of being in a non-understandable discussion with a colleague from another department or a customer service representative or hearing a lecture in school thats confusing or reading a journal article were sourcing for a research paper and running into a bunch of acronyms that arent explained anywhere and used too indiscriminately. Its frustrating and confusing. The experience keeps us from fully understanding a key idea at a meeting, the details of a project proposal, a key element of a paper, or even an important safety concept. We are annoyed when we cant get done what we need to get done because we cant figure out the exact meaning of a few acronyms and have to go ask someone or look them up.If you want to be a good communicator and deliver the clear, specific writing that others will thank you for, you have to learn how to handle acronyms in daily writing. You need to know when to use them, when t o identify them, and when to fold them, i.e., avoid using them at all. Whats the best way to deal with these choices? How can you use specialized coded language effectively? The following suggestions are helpful, both to you as a writer and those who read your writing and want to understand it better. These acronym hints will help you communicate more clearly and let your readers keep their sanity when you do include acronyms in your writing.Make a concerted effort not to overuse these sometimes useful abbreviations. Dont turn everything you write into an unneeded acronym - it makes for annoying as well as confusing text. Use acronyms discriminately and only when it makes sense to use them and they truly fit into your discussion.Dont use internal acronyms that are known only to your department or team outside of that special environment without explaining what they mean to those other colleagues;In written material, at first mention of an acronym, write it out in parentheses as wel l to explain its full meaning the first time you use it. Dont keep your reader in the dark. Of course the exception to this hint are acronyms we all know and use every day.In that same vein, make sure your reader has the cultural background and professional experience to know even the most common acronyms - always remember and respect your reader.If the acronym you introduced disappears for a bunch of pages, repeat the explanation to refresh your reader. Assist your reader in understanding what youre trying to say. Its only polite, and it helps you get your idea across too.If you need to use a lot of technical or specialized acronyms in a piece of writing, i.e., a scientific paper, then add a Glossary or Appendix at the end and post all the acronyms and their meanings there as well for all to review. Those of your readers who know the meanings wont use the Glossary, but those who dont know what you mean or how an specific acronym fits into your text will have a ready-made source to find out and will thank you.Applying these simple writing tips will relieve a lot of reader tension in your delivery of ideas and produce clearer, more precise, even safer, communication. The truth is if your reader misses the meaning of an important acronym (or two or three) in your writing, he or she will likely also miss a major part of the meaning of your piece and the effort youve given it or at the very least a key part of the background that is vital for your reader to know to understand your idea.So, do use those crazy acronyms, but use them judiciously and with care. Remember that too much of the best spice can hurt any gourmet dish. Moderation is the key to good eats and good writing.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Professional Development Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Professional Development Activity - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that this year, for the first time, the hairdressing department would like to attempt the use of flexible delivery of the Certificate II in hairdressing to school students who may have the intention of accomplishing their course within a year instead of the usual administrative two years which has been the norm within the previous years. This previous method meant that the students who might have begun the course within their final year of the school may be disadvantaged since they might only be able to finish half of the units hence may only receive an attainment statement to cover the units which were successfully completed. This then would imply that the students would have to resume post-school in order to finish the remaining units before they could be considered qualified. To deliver the qualifications within one calendar year yet still adhering to Board of Studies and school, requirements demand that the course should be partially be delivered within the school holidays. Because of a learning management system’s flexible nature, students would be able to accomplish part of their study off campus. The structure of the program would include four days face to face instruction and a one-day off-campus instruction with self-directed activities. MOODLE has been selected as a learning management system since it may enable teachers to manage, communicate and track student progress while off-site.... Professional activity The professional development activity that I would like to undertake as a participant is a MOODLE course creator workshop. An individual given the role of a course creator may be able to assume a teacher’s role for the courses under review, create courses and have access to hidden courses. He may also have the ability to assign teachers the role of delivering the created courses. The course creator role may be mainly aimed at instructional designers, educational developers and teachers who engage themselves with online teaching (Moore, Michael & Greg, 237-249). At my place of work, may often be narrowed down to a program coordinator, head teacher or a teacher from each faculty selected on their computer competence. Instruction in a MOODLE course creator role may be freely available online through You-Tube video tutorials, e-learning course in MOODLE 2.2 making use of the topic format and then populating each topic with activities and learning resources th at include learning objects from the retail operations toolbox. MOODLE may be considered a management system for learning which may be designed in order to aid instructors in the creation of the online classroom settings having the chances for rich collaboration and interaction. It may comprise of a number of design aspects, which may allow students and instructors to interact freely, experience and collaborate online learning within multiple ways. It may be said to be significant in supplementing underground courses or even hosting complete online courses (George, 53-77). I would like to effectively come up and provide web-based and instructor-led learning in my course. The development of learning processes and

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

New Health Medical Systems Memo Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New Health Medical Systems Memo - Research Paper Example Staffing should incorporate specified basic rules which play a part in managing the human resources of an organization. New Health Medical Systems should have a durable staffing strategy which will be significant in attaining its objectives.The strategic decision of placing advertisements in the local newspapers and contacting staffing agencies that specialize in placing technicians into healthcare facilities is extremely significant for New Health Medical Systems. This will help in creating awareness among the qualified technicians. Organizing a job fair for local professionals to attend will also be essential for New Health Medical Systems. The job fair will enable the organization to analyze technicians who are qualified from the ordinary ones. New Health Medical Systems will receive numerous applications from technicians coming from different regions due to the job fair and visiting professionals. The final strategy of offering a $1,000 signing bonus to anyone who joins the organ ization and stays for at least 180 days is novel but ineffective as it will enhance the expenditure of the organization.The management of New Health Medical Systems should provide training for its current employees and put forward an offer for them. Also, any member of staff who recommends a qualified technician should get monetary rewards. This will help in developing and acquiring qualified technicians. The organization should employ all forms of media so as to adequately advertise the vacant positions.... There is need for appropriate forecasts regarding possible employee transfers, retirements, and turnover outside the zone. Training employees in the organization is a basic step for filling positions which are not required instantly. Staffing should incorporate specified basic rules which play a part in managing the human resources of an organization. New Health Medical Systems should have a durable staffing strategy which will be significant in attaining its objectives (Conaty & Charan, 2011). The strategic decision of placing advertisements in the local newspapers and contacting staffing agencies that specialize in placing technicians into health care facilities is extremely significant for New Health Medical Systems. This will help in creating awareness among the qualified technicians. Organizing a job fair for local professionals to attend will also be essential for New Health Medical Systems. The job fair will enable the organization to analyze technicians who are qualified from the ordinary ones. New Health Medical Systems will receive numerous applications from technicians coming from different regions due to the job fair and visiting professionals. The final strategy of offering a $1,000 signing bonus to anyone who joins the organization and stays for at least 180 days is novel but ineffective as it will enhance the expenditure of the organization. Recommendations The management of New Health Medical Systems should provide training for its current employees and put forward an offer for them. Also, any member of staff who recommends a qualified technician should get monetary rewards. This will help in developing and acquiring qualified technicians (Boudreau & Ramstad, 2007). The organization should employ all forms of media so as to adequately

Monday, November 18, 2019

Strategic Audit - Lowe's Companies, Inc Term Paper

Strategic Audit - Lowe's Companies, Inc - Term Paper Example i. Customers are increasingly looking at â€Å"Smart Technology†, such as one-touch programming for spas and baths; heated, self-cleaning and self-closing toilets; washers and dryers with humidity sensors and steam cycles, which provides an opportunity for Lowe’s to sell product upgrades. ii. China is providing a potential market, as that country has new laws that ease restrictions on buying homes. Moreover, homes in China do not come equipped with basics, such as flooring, fixtures and appliances, so the Chinese people must purchase these items when they buy a new home, which provides avenue for Lowe’s if they decide to expand into that market. a. Rivalry high – Lowe’s continues to be a distant second to Home Depot in terms of overall revenue. Price competition is keen, and rivals continue to offer new services and new products to attract customers. b. Potential entry of new competitors is low to moderate – There is limited customer loyalty, capital requirements to enter the industry are high, industry growth rates have been slow because of the recession. c. Competitive pressures from substitute products is moderate-high – substitutes would include stores that are outside of the home improvement industry, such as Wal-Mart and Costco; brand-name stores, such as Maytag Appliances and Sherwin-Williams paint; and trained professionals, such as plumbers and electricians. i. Pros – since small, locally-owned businesses are the main threat to Lowe’s, by partnering with these businesses and providing products and services, they get a piece of that pie as well. Small businesses probably need the cash infusion, so everybody wins. ii. Cons – Increased R&D costs are risky, as there is no telling how the green market will be in the future. It might be a fad, or might be long-lasting. Also, the costs for these items will probably increase with

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Pestel Framework Categorizes Environmental Influences Commerce Essay

The Pestel Framework Categorizes Environmental Influences Commerce Essay The PESTEL framework categorizes environmental influences into six main forms: political, economic, social technological environmental and legal. Where by the politics highlight the role of government; economic refers to macroeconomic factor such as exchange rates, and discrepancy economic growth rates around the world; social influences include changing culture and demographics; technological such as internet; environmental issues such as pollution and waste; and finally legal embraces legislative constraints. The Western European brewing industry is highly penetrated; The PESTEL framework can be used to help identify the key forces that are driving the change in the market. Political Factors might be the dynamic operation of European government against drunken driving, binge drinking, and consequently long term health and fitness problems. These campaigns have the potential to push for law changes surrounding what alcohol can be bought in restaurants, pubs, bars and retail outlets. Decrease in the consumption of beer in Europe as many traditional key markets have increased awareness of the social problems associated with alcohol drinking. Economic Economic recession in 2009 has also lead to an effect on beer sales mainly in the United Kingdom where an estimate of 50 pubs closed per week due to downturn. Beer consumption per capita varies broadly among countries, for example being four times higher in Germany than in Italy. Example in table 1 comparing year 1980 to 2000 the consumption of beer has increased from 3534000 hectoliters to 6453000 hectoliters which is approximately 82.60%. Social Lifestyle in emerging market has changed due to the increase in the availability of disposable income, leading to an increase in beer consumption. The new trends like wines, non alcoholic beers, extra cold lagers and fruit flavored beers will adversely affect the consumption of beers. Education and health; there is an increasing awareness of the effect of alcohol on health and fitness. Particularly in the United Kingdom there is increasing hostility to so called binge drinking excessive alcohol consumption in pubs and clubs. Technological Rate of technological change; as seen in the Anheuser Busch InBev (Belgium) company that efficient advantages will come from more central management of purchasing, together with media and IT from the optimization of its hereditary network of breweries and from the distribution of finest practices across sites internationally. Innovation of new products; the case witnesses that the introduction of higher priced premium products such as non alcoholic beers, extra cold lagers or fruit flavored beers has led to increase in sales. Environmental Pollution; population are getting more and more alert of the environment and it is essential that the companies do everything to avoid environmental pollution. It is important that the environmental load through the brewing development is as low as possible. Waste and recycling; reusability and recycling is significant, the brewing industry for instance treats their effluents so that they can use it again for irrigation. Through this they save power and lessen sludge disposal. Legal International law; when comparing Europe with the United States we have witnessed that in America it is prohibited to drink in public places comparing to Europe where one can drink alcohol wherever they want. This could lead to new laws that restrict drinking in the public places. Acquisition, licensing and strategic alliance have all take place as an important brewers conflict to control the market. For example in 2004, Belgian brewery Interbrew merged with Am Bev, the Brazilian brewer group to create the largest brewer in the world. A five forces analysis The five forces study was originally developed by Michael Porter in 1990, as a way of assessing the attractiveness of different industries or sectors in terms of competitive forces. The five forces constitute an industrys structure, although initially developed with businesses in mind the industry structure analysis with the five forces framework is of value to most of the organizations. As well as assessing the attractiveness of the brewing industry the five forces can assist set an agenda for action on the range of areas that they identify. The five forces are: Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Competitive rivalry POTENTIAL ENTRANTS COMPETITIVE RIVALRY Threat of entry Threat of substitutes Bargaining power Bargaining power SUPPLIERS BUYERS SUBSTITUTES FIG 1 THE FIVE FORCES FRAMEWORK Threat of substitutes The threat of substitute is high because there is an availability of wine, fruit flavored beer and also extra cold lagers. From table 1 and 2 in the case study we can witness the negative effect of the substitute on beer; taking an example of Denmark table 1 shows a decline in the beer consumption and in table 2 shows increase in the importation of exotic beers from overseas. Threat of new entrants Threat of entry depends on the degree and height of barriers to entry; barriers of entry are factors that need to be defeated by new entrants if they are to battle effectively. According to the case the threat of new entrants is very low because the industry is highly penetrated and mergers taking place, also there are global pressures for consolidation which sustain their competitive position in the industry. There are very few big brewery companies which makes them dominate the market, so for a new entrant would be hard to have that financial effort. Bargaining power of buyers Customers of course are necessary for the survival of any business, but sometimes consumers can have such high bargaining power that their suppliers barely make any profits. The bargaining authority is high due to the supervision campaign strongly against drunken driving, and binge drinking which has led to an increase in off trade (retail) than on trade (beer consumption in pubs or restaurant). The off trade is increasingly more conquered by big supermarket chains such as Tesco and Carrefour which gives them the bargaining power. Bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers are those who supply the organization with what it needs to produce the product or service. The main purchasing costs are wrapping, raw material such as barley and power. The case shows that the bargaining power of supplier in packaging is high due to the availability of only three can makers and shifting cost from one can maker to the other could be high either in terms of money or even technology. Competitive rivalry Competitive rivalry is are businesses with same products and services aimed at the same customer group. The competitive rivalry in the brewing industry is very high because almost all companies have the same product/ product differentiation is low, high rate of acquisitions, alliances and strategic alliance and also consolidation due to over capacity within the industry. Conclusion With regard to the PESTEL analysis and the Porters five forces analysis I conclude that in order to sustain the competitive position and market share in the brewing industry, one should acquire, license or strategic alliance with an existing company could be small, medium or already a large company. Question 2 Anheuser-Busch InBev [Belgium] A-B InBev is the largest brewer in the world; it achieved this position when InBev acquired the leading American brewer Anheuser Busch for 52bn. The company now has nearly 300 brands and approximate 50% share of the US market and owns 50% of Mexicos leading brewers. The company is frank about the approach to renovate itself from the biggest brewing company to the best. STRENGTH WEAKNESS Largest brewer in the world Inherited network of breweries Strong financial power The merger of Belgian Interbrew and Brazilian Am Bev in 2004 The companys strategy to transform itself from the biggest to the best by: Building strong global brands Increase competence through more central management of purchasing including median and IT. Greene King [United Kingdom] Greene King is now the largest domestic British brewer, which was established in 1799. It has expanded through a series of acquisition including Ruddles [1995], Morland [1999] and Hardys and Hansons [2006]. STRENGTH WEAKNESS Brew high quality beer from an efficient single site. Medium size brewing company Focused brand portfolio which is minimizing the complexity and cost of a multi brand strategy. Less financial power 2000 pubs across the UK with a particular dominant position in its home region of East Anglia. Expansion through acquisition, which led to critics calling the company greedy king. Tsingtao [China] Tsingtao brewery was found in 1903 by German settlers in China, after state ownership under communism Tsingtao was privatized in the early 1990s and listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 1993. Tsingtao has 13% market share of its home country, the company has described its ambition thus; to promote the continuous growth of the sales volume and income to step forward the target of becoming an international great company. STRENGTH WEAKNESS It is the Chinese brand leader in United States Small brewing company Its now sold in more than 62 countries. Less financial power Almost 50% of exports Home market share is very low {13%} A bottle of Tsingtao appeared in the 1982 science fiction film blade Ronner. REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBILIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 2) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 45) REFERENCE www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/74880013?width=360 www.studymode.com www.writemypapers.org Question1 Strategic capabilities refer to the adequacy and suitability of the resources and competences of an organization for it to survive and prosper. The framework used to analyze the strategic capabilities is the VRIO framework; the acronym stands for four questions that need answering to determine the competitive potential of an organizations resources or capabilities: the question of Value, Rarity, Inimitability [easy/difficult to imitate] and Organization [ability to exploit the resources]. Dysons has value because of being distinctive from the customer; the distinctive factor is built upon the innovative products like bag less vacuum cleaners to energy efficient and time efficient hand dryers for public places to desk fan with no blades. Dysons believes in patent to protect its differentiated but that doesnt mean competitors dont try to imitate, within Dysons vacuums there is patented Ball technology for improved maneuverability. Dysons products are rare because even after the competitors trying to imitate the vacuum cleaners they arent able to make an exact copy of it. Example the Dysons vacuum and Hoover USA; Dysons colors are usually bright and it does launch exclusive editions based on novel colors while Hoover USA wind tunnel vacuums are available in fresh colors. The inimitability in Dysons is very difficult because it believes that the combination of design engineering and manufacturing is crucial in developing the most inimitable competences which could be protected through patents. The business is organized to fully exploit its competitive advantage; like in their UK headquarter access to the building and then subsequent area is via thumb print and even then some areas are out of bounds. They have even developed their own sound absorbing panels to ensure that conversations can be kept serious. Question 2 Competitors, especially in this area could imitate several capabilities of the Dysons company are: Technology and design [color, durability, and packaging]: Dysons follow a superior design result; in order to provide legitimate competition for Dyson, the competitors will have to hire superior engineer designers and also focus much on innovation. Cost efficiency: its possible for competitors to copy the relocation strategy; by moving the manufacturing plant to a cheap labor country like china rather than producing in home country with high cost. By adopting the cost efficient strategy the completion would increase because competitors like Miele and Excel Dryer Corporation will be having a competitive price as Dyson. Product features: Competitors are already trying to imitate these products with the USA wind tunnel vacuums and Mjele swivel head vacuums; however, the patent Dysons has placed on their products prevents other companies from outright stealing their ideas. Question 3 Threshold capabilities are capabilities needed for businesses to meet the basic necessities to compete in a given market. These could be threshold resources required to meet minimum requirements of its customers and threshold competences required to deploy resources so as to meet customers requirements and support particular strategies. The distinctive capabilities which may overtime become a threshold capability are: Engineering design is like an identity of Dysons products and which makes them distinctive in the market. With time engineering design which is currently a distinctive capability could become one of the most necessary capabilities in order to survive in the market. The existence of Dyson in the market is due to the strength of innovative high quality design and engineering of their products which is due to having highly specialized engineers and the updated technology. It is a product engineering that takes centre stage on the company website and generally in all company communication. Low cost manufacturing; currently it gives James Dyson a distinctive capability and a high profit margin but with time as the competition is increasing low manufacturing cost will become a threshold capability in order to survive in the market. Innovation; the company is obvious in its desires to promote the idea that a Dyson product means new, different, and a radical change; a Dyson product whether vacuum or washing machine is an innovation that the bright colors help these clever product stand out from the crowd. It is witnessed in the case that Dyson has been the starting point of the product and then follows the competitors; due to the quality and differentiated factor the consumers are ready to buy Dysons products at a high price. One main factor which is maintaining Dysons primary conceit is the improvement of a design which will clearly be threshold capability overtime. Question 4 With regard to answers to question 1 and 2, Sir James Dyson seems to be very serious with the companys future. The strategic capabilities are maintained strongly and those capabilities which a competitor could imitate are not easily given a chance, the competitor has to really put in effort to try imitating Sir James Dysons products. The effect of completely leaving or selling the company will be much more on the negative side because mainly the customers who value his innovation wont get the innovative products anymore and even if they it do it wont be Sir James Dysons standard. It is witnessed in the case that Though by 2010 the company was run by CEO Martin McCourt, James Dysons own image and personal brand remained central to the firms promotion. Due to that may be the there could be a decline in the customer base which could directly or indirectly affect all parts of the company; finance, sales, marketing and also production. And the decline in production could affect the china market also because it is said that contracts like Dysons help pull china up the manufacturing value chain too towards ever more complex products of the highest quality. REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 3) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 6) REFERNCE www.antiessays.com/free-essays/128170.html www.antiessays.com/free-essays/172844.html www.writemypapers.org www.studymode.com Question 1 John Howie has pursued changes in many parts of Faslane, some of the changes are: Change in management structure; as it is witnessed in the case study that there was a management structure which wasnt right to deliver change. There were seven layers in it and now [2006] its down to a maximum of four layers. In the process of change in the management structure there was also reappointment of jobs. Changing in mindset; it is believed that a big opportunity might come from changing the mindset, to see their job as to deliver with the possible minimum spend. They believing in changing the mindset because the public sector manager whos got wide ranging responsibilities and a fairly large budget has no incentives to reduce cost and dont share any benefits and were brought up in a system where if the budget hadnt spent this year, it would be cut next year. Another change pursued by Faslane was the change in management system from infrastructure focus to naval focus. The commodore in charge saw partnering as an opportunity to better manage the people, but in the management team there were a mix of people who believed and were willing to give partnering or people who were likely to be personally disadvantaged by partnering and were less supportive. Also cost reduction is one the change pursued by Faslane, as it is witnessed in the case that by 2000 the MOD had decided to significantly reduce the cost and improve operational effectiveness of their naval bases. And in 2002 they signed a contract of cost affecting without affecting the service provided to the navy. Question 2 Change can be managed using different styles; clear direction may be vital to motivate a desire or create readiness to change; participation or intervention can help in gaining wider commitment across the organization and develop capabilities to identify blockages to change. The managing styles used in the case of Managing change at Faslane are as follows: Direction or coercion managing style; by definition direction managing style means making use of private managerial authority to establish a clear future strategy and how will the change occur. As it is witnessed in the case that we asked other companies which had been through large scale changes, what we should learn from what you did? And the answer was implementing the management structural changes. The change in the management structure was influenced from other companies which gave Faslane an advantage and  £14 million in the first year against the target of  £3 million. Participation or collaborative managing style; is mainly concerned with the contribution of those who will be affected by the change agenda. As seen in the case where it says that there was a process that required any change to be documented and passed through a series of review points. At each stage of the process people were given 14 days to review it but everybody looked at it on the thirteenth day so a total of 56 days process. By removing those stages people are free from the bureaucratic burden and instead of 56 days they are only given 14 days to review it. Performance scorecard; it is another change brought in by Craig Lockhart it was intended to measure the outputs and let the business system transparent. Everyone down to team leaders had become acutely aware that business performance is not something to be hidden, however it mainly didnt aim at measurement but also the business plan had been top-down. Question 3 Levers for managing change need to be considered in terms of the type of change and context of change. Such levers include changing operational processes and routines, the importance of political processes and other change tactics. The levers of changes used and others which could be used are: Changing operational process and routines; strategies are always delivered through day to day processes and routines of the operations of the organization. There is therefore a need for planning operational change: the identification of key changes in the routines of the organization. In effect strategic change needs to be considered in terms of the re-engineering of organizational process. This lever of change is used in the case and witnessed where it explains an example of the process that required any change to be documented; now that 56 days process is 6 days, a simple example of process of re engineering. Power and political processes; there is a need to consider the management of strategic change within this political context and also the stakeholder relationships in and around the organization. As seen in the case firstly it is important to understand who you need to have as allies such as the naval base commander. Above that the wider stakeholders like the commanding officers of the ships and submarines, security and also the local community are to be looked at. Question 4 The change brought in by Craig Lockhart and John Howie has been very much effective in terms of savings, service. Their target was achieved over 20% reduction in annual running costs, by the end of year 10 they are expecting a saving of  £280 million which is 38.2%. The navys view was that the service they received was better; the attitude, communication and responsiveness towards the navy were also better. So by making a few changes they brought about cost reduction and service improvement. The changes made in the management structure [from seven layers to four layers] have made them reappoint all the jobs, and the implementation has positively affected the cost by a saving of  £4milion in the first year against a target of  £3 million. Faslanes change in the measuring of outputs through performance scorecard has made the business system transparent. Everyone down to team leaders has become acutely aware that business performance is not something to be hidden. The changes led Craig to announce that in April 2010 Faslane would become the home base, not just for nuclear submarines but for the whole UK submarine fleet. This change is expected to create more jobs and the expansion of Faslane which will fulfill the need of the unemployed; the ways used to work together and bring about effective change within Faslane worked luminously. REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 10) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 12) REFERNCE www.writemypapers.org REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRABY BIBLIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 2,3 10) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 4,5,6 12)