...Best Financial Services Inc. Critical Issues In order to succeed in reaching Best’s sales levels of $332,153 total revenues for the current year and grow the company to make Best Financial a leader in the financial planning market in Sarnia, Best Financial Services Inc. must address the following critical issues: Inefficient allocation of resources is compromising the company’s ability to achieve their strategic goals 10% of Best’s total customers hold over 50% of total assets. Analysis Company – Segmentation analysis Best Financial Services is facing a high risk of decline in business value with their current strategy of employing the products and resources they possess. Best Financial is currently serving four market segments concurrently: Blue collar workers, white-collar workers, retirees, and baby boomers. Best employs the same marketing strategy for all four segments, which possess different values and investing styles ignoring individual segment values and investing styles. Best focuses on the 50 and up age high asset demographic providing lower risk investments in mutual funds. 10% of Best’s total customers hold over 50% of total assets, therefore being the most valuable customers. Therefore damages from losing one customer are extremely high to the value of the business. Industry Analysis Best is positioned in a market where large investment companies such as Scotia McCloud currently target the same demographic in the same market rendering...
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...Best Financial Services Inc. This report is consistent with our signed Academic Integrity Form on file with the instructor. Matt van den Boogaard Emily Bedwell Alla Fedorets Saghi Ahmadi David Merlo Miguel Veloz September 28, 2015 ENTR 3140 – S10 1 Critical Issues In order for Best Financial Services Inc. (BFSI) to attain a growth in revenue of 5%1 per year for 4 years and for Linda Best to maintain a healthy work-life balance (35 hours/week2 and retirement in 10 years) (Grasby and Dunn, 2009), the following issues need to be addressed: • • • How to diversify the aging target market to decrease the amount of lost revenue streams How to address the current maximum capacity of clients in the extremely competitive environments How to gain a competitive advantage by achieving a score that is equal to or greater than private firms (as measured in the competitive matrix, see Exhibit 1) in the global economic depression Analysis Over 50% of BFSI’s clients are aged 51 years old or older (Exhibit 2). This aging target market will be inclined to start withdrawing their investments throughout their retirement (Exhibit 3). This is a major threat for BFSI because the company heavily relies on this declining market and will be losing revenue streams. BFSI has a major issue in that 57% of their clients are not making breakeven revenues (Exhibit 14). In addition, the smallest client segment is making the company the most money. The financial industry...
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...order to grow Best Financial’s business steadily in the future and make it become a leader in the Sarnia market, it has to address the following: * How to increase the daily work efficiency in the office so that Best Financial can serve more clients than it currently does which is 600. * Which option Linda should choose so that the company will grow in a sustainable way. * How to maintain existing clients so that Best Financial’s existing client base (600) will be loyal and stable. * How to develop a new marketing plan so that it will be more cost-effective. (unnecessary marketing expenses will decrease by approximately $550 per year) Analysis: Due to Best Financial’s good work ethic and values, its sales level and client base had been growing steadily throughout the years. However, things have changed right now, the recent loss of the top client-Gerald Young was a wake-up call for both Linda and Best Financial. First, the competition in the financial services industry in Sarnia is high (Exhibit 2), especially because of the existence of those 4 big companies (Exhibit 3). Second, according to Sun life Financial’s annual report, its sales decreased by 12.8% in 2007. This might be a big signal that the overall market environment is facing a recession. Therefore, if Best Financial still wants to grow in the future, it has to take advantage of its strengths and try to improve or avoid its weaknesses (Exhibit 1). In last couple years, Best Financial was trying to...
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...threats or opportunities. Answer: Financial planning is one distinct segment among many within financial services industry. The aim of the financial planners is to assist people to maximize the potential of their financial assets. Financial planners evaluate a client’s goals, personal circumstances and risk tolerance to help them grow and preserve their wealth, minimize taxes , complete estate planning and determine insurance needs. The financial planning has a prescribed six step process for financial planning outlined by FPSC(Financial Planners Standard Council). The industry offers various products suited to different needs of the different customers. A variety of products like Mutual Funds, Guaranteed investment certificates(GIC) , Life Insurance and Retirement plans are popular. The Revenue is generated through commissions and trailers. Additional revenue stream could be generated through life insurance sales and income tax preparation. Approximately 50000-600000 individuals offered financial advice or sold financial products in Canada out of which only 17000 had a CFP Certification. The CFP(Certified Financial Planner) designation was monitored by the FPSC and assured a client of the credibility of the financial planner as the certification assured a client that the planner had a sound understanding of the business. The future growth prospects for the industry were positive as a US study revealed that employment of personal financial advisors was expected to grow by...
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...La industria de la que forma parte Best Financial Services (BFS) es la de servicios financieros, por lo general, este tipo de servicios están positivamente correlacionados con el desempeño de la economía local. En países desarrollados como lo es Canadá, estos servicios representan una parte importante de la economía, asimismo, suelen ser bastante estables en cuanto a crecimiento de ingresos. En estos mercados, la competencia suele ser fuerte y la diferenciación suele ser amplia. Específicamente, BFS se desenvuelve en el segmento de planeación y asesoría financiera, por lo que sus operaciones son por cuenta de terceros sin hacer un uso intensivo de su capital en actividades que le impliquen un alto riesgo de crédito o de mercado a su balance, dado que no tienen posiciones en el mercado por cuenta propia. Lo anterior, significa que la mayor parte de sus ingresos vienen de comisiones y tarifas pagadas por sus clientes por dichos servicios de planeación y asesoría. Dado que es un servicio donde se manejan los activos de terceros, la regulación canadiense lo monitorea de cerca y exige certificaciones para su desempeño. Para llevar a cabo esta actividad, el Asesor tiene que aprobar una serie de requisitos y exámenes de estándares nacionales que lo acrediten y certifiquen con los conocimientos y habilidades necesarias para manejar de manera ética, profesional y razonable los activos de terceros. El mercado meta para BFS se encuentra en Sarnia, ciudad que se encuentra en el suroeste...
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...Team 4 Best Financial Services Inc. Team 4 Critical Issues In order to retain valuable customers and capture a new customer segment for sustainability, Best Financial Services Inc. must address the following: How to identify a new segment of customers that can be developed for future years so that Best Financial Services can address an aging Sarnia population and differentiate itself against growing competition. Design a marketing plan which will target the chosen segment so that the values of this segment can be addressed. Analysis Industry and Competitive Analysis Best Financial Services Inc. (BFS) is currently positioned in a highly competitive market. BFS competes with both corporate competition (Exhibit 1 for Competitive Analysis) and private practices. Of the five variables listed in Exhibit 1, BFS only has control over the brand image, and service aspect of their business. Consumers in the market have high bargaining power due to low switching costs and many substitutes available. The long-term objectives of corporate competition are to target the general population as a whole, whereas the small competitors focus on niche needs and specific consumer markets. The financial services industry is largely based on reputation, relationship, and cooperation therefore relying on leveraging industry experience to strengthen BFS’s marketing strategy. Please refer to Exhibit 2 for Industry Analysis. Best Financial Service Inc. Client Segmentation Analysis According to the...
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...and externals factors impact on compensation | Bus assignment # 1 | idiane1000 11/8/2009 | Contents Introduction 2 Internal factors affecting the best buy co Inc new compensation strategy 2 Best buy financial capital affect on compensation 2 Internal structure affect on compensation: 3 Employees’ acceptance of the new compensation 3 External factors affecting BEST BUY CO INC. compensation strategy 6 Economy factor on compensations: 6 Legal compliance on the compensation strategy: 6 Competitors impact on compensations strategy 6 Best buy summary 8 Conclusion 9 Figures: Median salary by job..…………………………………………………………………5 Median bonus by job…………………………………………………………………...6 Average weekly vacation by years experience…………………………………………6 Introduction With so many changes within the industry best buy the number one electronic retailer decided to implements new compensation strategy within their organization to gain competitive advantage against their competitors. An organization employing over 170,000 employees within the US will have hard time developing a compensation strategy for every employee. Therefore the organization decided to focus on its retail store managers. Data reveals that best buy Inc is employing little of two thousands retail store manager. The organizations is developing new compensation strategy so that they will be expose to fewer managers...
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...Gap Inc. and Nike, Inc. Overview Gap Inc. and Nike, Inc. Overview Financial Performance: Nike, Inc and Gap Inc. Nike, Inc. and Gap Inc. achieved top ranks for specialty retailers of 2007 according to CRO (Corporate Responsibility Officer, 2007) Magazine for “100 Best Corporate Citizens 2007.” Shareholders review various financial reports which help determine which organization yields the greatest profits and minimum loss in cash flow. This review contains two-year comparisons for Nike, Inc. and Gap Inc. by analyzing ratios for Liquidity and Asset Utilization, Debt and Interest Coverage, and Market based ratios. Analysts evaluate market and industry trends periodically that help determine where a company is most profitable. Usually, stockholders are interested in profitability ratios. However, lenders and suppliers favor liquidity ratios detailing how assets compare with current liabilities. Respectively, according to results for Liquidity and Asset Utilization, the current ratios, (current assets / current liabilities) shows for every $1.00 of current liabilities for Nike, Inc. has 3.1:1 (2007) and 2.8:1 (2006). On the other hand, Gap Inc. has 2.2:1 (2007) and 2.7:1 (2006). Specialty retailers’ average return is greater than 3 and the general retail average is 1.0 - 1.2. Nike, Inc. at 3.1:1 (2007) has the greatest financial responsibility to pay bills over the next year timely. However, Gap Inc. also has money to meet obligations with a 2.7:1 (2006) which is generally...
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...Financial Analysis Week 6 Assignment 1. Elizabeth Bermudez Dr. Chee Piong ACC 556: Financial Accounting for Managers. 8-14-2015 Financial Analysis Week 6 Assignment 1. Introduction In this paper, we will be interpreting and analyzing a company’s health from an investor’s point of view using financial statements. For the purpose of decision making, two retailer companies featured in Fortune is the focus of this analysis. Fortune 100 best companies to work for ranks at 58 Recreational Equipment, INC., (REI) at (Fortune, 2015 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®, 2015). Fortune 500 ranks 393 Dick’s Sporting Goods, INC. (Dick’s), (Fortune, Fortune 500, 2015) Decision making from an investor or leadership role explores reliable sources such as Fortune. Investment decision based on business practice influenced by business regulations are the investor's goal. Financial tools of ratios analysis used to determine profitability, liquidity, and solvency are used to evaluate performance. Ratio tools assist in the decision-making reasons for choosing to invest or not to do so. Annual Report Financial Statement The annual report introduces financial statement reports formatted for investor’s analysis. The main forms of interpretation include; Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Income, Stockholders Equity or Member’s Equity. The Balance Sheet reports critical information of assets and liabilities to determine profitability, liquidity, and solvency. Specific tools used to analyze financial...
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...Apple Inc. Apple Inc. formerly Apple Computer, Inc., is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Cupertino, California that creates and retails consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. Apple’s mission and vision summarizes its committed efforts in bringing the best user experience to its customers through its advanced hardware, software, peripherals, and services along with a unique ability to design and develop its own operating system, hardware, application, software, and services, in order to provide its customers new products and solutions with superior case-of-use, seamless integration, an innovative design (“Apple Inc. Form 10-K Annual Report”, 1, 2012). Company’s mission and vision statements against the performance of the organization Apple’s mission and vision statements and objectives are neither interchangeable nor autonomous. Without objectives, the mission and vision statements are impractical. Without the mission and vision statement the objectives have no relevance. Both statements are too broad to be measurable, and the objectives are too definite to provide the big picture. When properly coordinated they strike a balance that helps to shape the business operations and service strategy. Apple Inc.'s mission statement is as follows - Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through innovative hardware, software and...
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... Course title: Name of institution: Date: INTRODUCTION Twilight Inc. is a large multinational company that specializes in the production of petroleum products. With its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, Twilight Inc. has numerous branches throughout the United States of America and in different countries in Europe and Asia. It has employed over 15, 000 people in different capacities and on an annual basis, Twilight Inc. rakes in excess of $1 billion in terms of revenues. The success of this company is demonstrated by the fact that it’s already listed on Wall Street and on the London bourse. Considering the fact that Twilight Inc. is one of the biggest multinationals, it is thus of paramount importance to establish a comprehensive risk management plan. In essence, a risk management plan refers to the combination of activities or processes that are intended to determine the various hindrances that might curtail the normal operations or functioning of an organization and thus act as a stumbling block towards the achievement or realization of the organizational goals and targets. (Frenkel...
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...ACCOUNTING BEST BUY FINAL PROJECT General Student’s Discussion and Analysis History: Best Buy Inc is a leading provider of consumer electronics. The company is a top rated Fortune 500 company and is considered to the largest specialty retailer within its sector throughout the United States. It accounts for about 21 percent of the market. Best Buy Inc also is present in the Canadian, Chinese and Mexican market places. The company was founded in 1966 and is a public company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange as BBY. The company is headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota and the founder, Richard Schulze, is still on board and is chairman for the company. This retail business is specialized in consumer electronics. In 2008, Best Buy Inc has revenue of more than 40 billion dollars with 12.7 billion in assets. The company also employs about 150,000 people (2008 numbers.) Best Buy Inc also has a number of subsidiaries. This includes its computer repair service The Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video and Pacific Sales. The company operates both Best Buy retail stores and Future Shop label products and stores in Canada. Best Buy Inc is an aggressive company and set out to become one of the country's best providers of consumer electronics from the beginning. The most recent announcements for plans of the company included a statement in 2007 of pushing for a 40 percent increase in its operations. The company plans to operate more than 1800 retail stores around the world. Of these...
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...Caitlin Doonan Subject: ZZZZ Best ------------------------------------------------- Date: October 10, 2013 ZZZZ Best Company, Inc., a carpet cleaning and restoration company became the illegitimate business front for one of the largest investment frauds in American history. Barry Minkow started working in the cutthroat carpet cleaning industry at a young age. A risky Minkow began perpetrating frauds on a small scale and eventually took his Ponzi scheme public. Red flags went unnoticed from banks, investors, and auditors. Crucial auditor mistakes postponed the uncovering of Minkow’s scam. ZZZZ Best, Inc. significantly impacted both the accounting and auditing industry both in practice and standards. Barry Minkow founded ZZZZ Best Company at the age of sixteen. Minkow’s exposure to the carpet cleaning industry came from his mother. She answered phones and conducted clerical work for a carpet cleaning company in the San Fernando Valley of California (Knapp). The carpet cleaning industry required very little start-up capital, even less experience, and no licensing requirements. These attributes enticed Minkow, a young entrepreneur, to start his own company.. However, the competition in the carpet cleaning industry made it difficult for Minkow to make profitable sales. Vendors wanted money from Minkow and sales were not enough to cover his costs. Banks refused to loan him money because his company barely made a profit (Knapp). These financial struggles Minkow incurred led...
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...Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation Summary I am a marketing manager for Thorr Motorcycles, Inc. As a five billion company it has been successful throughout the years pleasing an older range of customers. Thorr Motorcycles, Inc. not only offers customers to purchase motorcycles, but also a variety of items. This variety of items includes; t-shirts, hats, shoes, leather goods, and toys. I have been hired to create a marketing plan for the company and either reposition or create a new motorcycle. Through the process of this simulation I must choose parameters that are important to Thorr’s customers and are also fundamental to the business. I was given a budget of thirteen million dollars to implement my new plan. Through the use of a simulation I will come to a decision that best fits Thorr Motorcycles, Inc. and RRoth. When beginning the simulation a background of Thorr Motorcycles, Inc. was provided, but the first step in this process was to choose four parameters relevant to the motorcycle industry and has the highest potential. These four parameters are lifestyle image, quality engineering, service offerings, and price. Lifestyle image is important because customers are influenced to buy for the image rather that the functional features. Quality engineering is important because it allows Thorr Motorcycles, Inc. to maintain a high image because quality engineering includes aspects such as, product design, styling, and engine capacity. Service offering is important...
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...Tootsie Roll Industry Financials Molly Matyka, Dalisa Santiago, Kevin Spalding, Denise Sudler, ACC/561 October 22, 2012 Karen Lascelle Loan Package for Tootsie Roll Industry In order to obtain a loan to help finance the Tootsie Roll Inc., whether it is through a banking institution or a private lender; a properly written loan package is needed to obtain the proper financing for the company’s future advancement. Each funding source is needed to be detailed to ensure the right financing is obtained and the best terms for Tootsie Roll Inc. to re-pay the loan back once it is obtained. Tootsie Roll Inc. has decided to modernize the organization and wants to improve its technology to be compatible with other business organizations. Additional capital is needed to help the company transition through this phase of growing the business as well as updating system regarding technology growth and renovations. This report contains a customized loan package detailing the financial aspects of Tootsie Roll Industry business operations, its ability to repay the loan as well as its funding and operation costs to support future expansion and growth of the business. The Need for the Loan Package In an effort to remain profitable in these economic times, it is essential for Tootsie Roll, Inc. to strive for efficiency in production. To enable this quest for maximum efficiency, an investment into the production facilities is necessary. Tootsie Roll Inc. strives to minimize...
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