...Abstract The funeral industry, one of the oldest and among the most stable of industries regardless of economic trends, is facing one of the biggest challenges of its existence, and the threat is coming from an unlikely source – their own customers. People’s attitudes towards funerals have been changing and as a result, the number of traditional funerals has been declining. "Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals." -- Sir William Gladstone Survival in the U.S. Funeral Industry: A PESTEL Analysis The funeral industry, one of the oldest and among the most stable of industries regardless of economic trends, is facing one of the biggest challenges of its existence, and the threat is coming from an unlikely source – their own customers. People’s attitudes towards funerals have been changing and as a result, the number of traditional funerals has been declining. Funeral customs and services are as old as civilization itself. Throughout the history of mankind, every culture and civilization studied has attended to the proper care and disposition of their dead by way of three common things: some type of funeral rites, rituals and ceremonies, a sacred resting place and memorialization (Whittaker, 2005). Researchers have discovered Neanderthal burial grounds dating back to 60,000 BC along with animal...
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...The Home Depot - Business Analysis Part I The Home Depot (HD) was founded in 1978 on the vision of one-stop shopping for the do-it-yourselfer (DIY). It has become the largest company in the home improvement retail industry with $70 billion in sales in 2011 (Home Depot Annual Report 2011, 2012). Throughout its history, HD has focused on providing the best customer service in the industry, which is the basis of their success. Home Depot draws investor dollars by capitalizing on strengths, minimizing weaknesses, taking advantage of opportunities, and reducing threats. SWOT Analysis Strengths The table below identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) that need to be analyzed when making investment decisions. HD’s greatest strength is customer service. In the annual report to shareholders, customer service is identified as the foundation of the business (Home Depot Annual Report 2011, 2012). HD not only offers products the DIY needs but also clinics to teach customers how to complete their projects. HD has transformed the industry by providing the DIY market the know-how and tools while also saving them money. HD has also developed supplier partnerships and supply chain management processes that have delivered significant benefits in terms of product availability and cost reduction. HD is committed to leverage e-commerce business (Home Depot Annual Report 2011, 2012) such as UPC scan and mobile applications. Weaknesses HD operates in atmosphere...
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...BACKGROUND In 1981, AHP had reached sales of more than $4 billion by producing 1,500 marketed brands in 4 different kind of business; prescription drugs, packaged drugs, food products, and housewares and households products. Moreover, AHP is known to be the largest and profitable business in prescription of drugs; however, the company has a sizable market share in antihypertensive, tranquilizers, and oral contraceptives. The company has almost debt- free balance sheet and growing cash reserves (40% of net worth in 1981). AHP was able to gain this huge success in these lines was by marketing expertise. CULTURE OF THE BUSINESS AHP's corporate culture distinctive and this culture had several components. First, the company's culture was known to be reticence. A second element, that the managerial philosophy of AHP was prudence and had a strict financial control. For example, all expenditures that are greater than $500 had to be personally approved by Mr. Laporte, who was the CEO of AHP, even if was authorized in the corporate budget. Another important component of AHP's culture was conservatism and risk aversion. Finally, The Company has a long- standing policy of centralizing, where the chief executive had complete authority. STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT AHP's managerial philosophy was proven to be successful as it produced impressive results. AHP's financial performance was stable with consistent growth and profitability. In the year 1981, the firm was able to increase sales, earnings...
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...FINAL PROJECT PLAN Advanced System Analysis and Design – Abstract The outcomes from this final technical paper will be conclusion of all assignment I wrote related to Reliable Pharmaceutical System(RPS).I will try to process a prescription order for RPS. To process a prescription order I need to know about patient, nursing home and its unit. Then for data storage requirement I will draw Entity-relationship Diagram and domain class model. Then as explained in question three I will develop activity diagram for each use case related to entering new order, creating manifests and fulfilling orders. For the same I will draw system diagram and develop state machine diagram and three layer architecture. Now I know that RPS system has user who process orders in the reliable office and users who place orders and monitor order information in the nursing homes. For this I will Design two separate menu hierarchies ,one for Reliable employee and other is for nursing home employee. In the last part of Final Project Plan I will write step of the dialog between the user and the system for the use case place new order for nursing home employees. Last but not least I will identify all input control and create work breakdown with memorandum. Entity-Relationship Diagram for Data Storage Requirement (Question...
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...SWOT Analysis of JavaNet Internet Café BUS/210 November 20, 2011 SWOT Analysis of JavaNet Internet Café JavaNet Internet Café is a new business venture that offers Internet access accompanied by quality coffee and bakery products in an upscale environment. This café will be the first of its type in the community. After reading the business plan for this establishment a SWOT analysis was created. This analysis exposes the business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths JavaNet offers a unique experience for customers wanting Internet time away from home, and it will be the first of its kind in the community of Eugene. JavaNet will offer knowledgeable, trained, and friendly employees that will be able to assist customers with all of their needs. The business model presented by the owner, Cale Bruckner, is well-developed and addresses all the concerns of a new business. The products offered in the Internet Café will satisfy the needs of its customers with state of the art computer hardware, powerful Internet speeds, high-quality printing, and powerful software applications. An upscale environment will also strengthen the business’s perspective to potential customers. It will offer areas for large and small meetings for the professional customer as well as friendly gatherings. The organizational structure is well-defined and easily managed because of the small size of the establishment. A clear vision...
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...Case Analysis Kunst 1600 Prepared by Mathew Chandy – EPGCMM-07-14 Nimish Mohanan – EPGCMM-07-15 Sinoj Cyriac – EPGCMM-07-16 C.K.Cherian – EPGCMM-07-07 1. What are the major, quantifiable value and price elements associated with the Kunst 1600 1. Reduce operating costs If value can be shown in the way of reduced operating cost of the Kunst 1600 as compared to that of the other pumps in the various segments, customers are willing to consider to moving to the new Kunst pump B. Increase the number of jobs that can be done by the Kunst pump per week 2. Construct a customer value model for the Kunst 1600 in the residential AC, home refrigerator, and light commercial refrigerator repair market segments AC repair segment * USP -- Kunst 1600 did not require oil changes. Haggling between owners and technicians on who should do the oil changes could be avoided which was of interest to the owners and technicians * Operations costs analysis( If done by a maintenance worker) Labour: $ 12 / hour Time required for oil change: 30 minutes Oil: $ 8 / quart 1 quart oil required per oil change Souring soap: $ 0.50 Towels: $ 0.15 Disposable charge : $ 5 per gallon (1 gallon = 4 quart) a) Total operating cost / oil change = (12*0.5) +8 + 0.50+ 0.15 = $14.65 Disposable cost = 0.25x5 = $1.25 per oil change per quart Total operating cost (cost of changing oil) : = 14.65+1.25 = $ 15.9 Let us consider an oil change per month. ...
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...Coffee Express Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary Mission statement- our mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit and knowledge, with fast, friendly and personalized service. One person, one cup, and one culture. 2. Situation analysis Coffee Express just opened its doors for business. We differentiate from others more traditional cafes because they have giving us the ability to effectively compete on the beverage and pastry side of the business with already established competition. Sales are brisk and in line with projections. The SWOT analysis provides us with an opportunity to examine the internal strengths and weaknesses of Coffee Express. Coffee Express has a valuable inventory of strengths that will help it succeed. These strengths include: a knowledgeable and friendly staff, state-of-the-art computer hardware, and a clear vision of the market need. Strengths are valuable, but it is also important to realize the weaknesses Coffee Express must address. These weaknesses include: a dependence on quickly changing technology, and the cost factor associated with keeping state-of-the art computer hardware. Coffee Express strengths will help it capitalize on emerging opportunities. These opportunities include, but are not limited to, a growing population of daily Internet users, and the growing social bonds fostered by the new Internet communities. Threats that Coffee Express should be aware of include, the rapidly falling cost of Internet access, and...
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...financial support? All have responsibility for the quality of the social care they provide. Achieving quality is a combination of individual, team and organisational responsibility. Organising that effectively is the purpose of social care governance. Evidence-based practice tells us that this is best achieved by teams reflecting in a structured way on the service they currently provide and then on how it could be developed. Social care is in the process of changing working methods, organisational systems and culture to achieve the range of intentions around creating a more personalised care for older people in our regions social care system. For example Personal budgets comprise funding from different agencies whilst individual budgets just comprise social care funding. The objective is to offer improved corresponding, greater personalised services which are readymade to match the person’s requirements. Therefore, people developing care governance have opportunities to make sure that their approach matches the changing nature of social care and contributes to looking at services from the perspective of the people who use them (Warren,...
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...businesses. In order to remain at the fore front in the current dynamic world, then an organization should adopt the various application of information technology. This will put the organization at the forefront in terms of innovation as well as give the organization a competitive advantage (Hitt & Robert, 2011, p.10). Value chain analysis is a model that was developed by Michael Porter to help an organization develop a strategy for its organization. Michael porter suggested that organization activities can be grouped into two major categories which include the following; primary and support activities. Primary activities are those activities that are geared towards the creation and delivering of a product. Examples of primary activities include component assembly (Schmitz, 2005, p.20). Support activities on the other hand are not directly related to the production of a product or service. Such activities are those activities that can increase the efficiency or effectiveness within a business. For example, human resource management is an example of support activities. This essay is going to evaluate the process of value chain analysis and its application in the following two companies; Netflix and Redbox companies. 2.0 Background information. Netflix is an online movie streaming and email DVD Company. The company offers consumers a chance to stream live various movies over the internet. In order to use Netflix, consumers are required to register on the company’s...
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...How to Write a Marketing Analysis 9 inShare clipped Connect with Evernote: Please Login to Connect Your Account with Evernote After you find out about your market for a business plan, you also want to communicate that knowledge to the readers of your plan. Keep your explanations clear and concise. The depth of detail in market analysis will depend a lot on the type of plan. You may not need to provide a complete market study in a plan developed for internal use, when all of your team knows the market well. Maybe you'll just cite the type of customers you attract and the part of town you serve. The market analysis section in a business plan is the section that is most likely to require research for information from outside your business, while most others require thinking and analysis of factors within your business. This is a good point to add a word of caution about the level of detail required. Please remember that planning is about making good decisions, applying focus, and enforcing priorities. A useful business plan doesn't necessarily include a market analysis suitable for a Ph.D. candidate in market research. Planning is not about testing your knowledge. If you are looking for investment, then you may have to use this section to display your wisdom and understanding of your industry, but don't overdo it. If you are planning an internal plan and have no audience other than your own team, I recommend enough market research to make sure you're not missing key points...
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...External and Internal Environmental Analysis STR/581 April 17, 2014 Cheesecake Factory External and Internal Environmental Analysis A very small number of people have succeeded in their lifetime what the Overton’s accomplished through theirs. By way of a countless work hours, audacity and willpower, Oscar and Evelyn Overton became conscious of their vision - to possess a fruitful small-business such as the Cheesecake Factory. Cheesecake Factory customer base: The average customers to this restaurant are middle to upper class families; business owners and their clients conducting deals in professional yet relaxed setting. Additionally, tourists that have heard of the great cuisine and customer service offered are patron at this establishment. Founded in 1972 by the Overton’s son David the Cheesecake Factory made its home in Beverly Hills CA. With very little notion of a business plan David set to provide the best dining experience offered to the Cheesecake Factory’s customers. Mission statement: “To create an environment where absolute guest satisfaction is our highest priority”. Vision statement: “Through a shared commitment to excellence, we are dedicated to the uncompromising quality of our food, service, people and profit, while taking exceptional care of our guests and staff. We will continuously strive to surpass our own accomplishments and be recognized as a leader in our industry”. The restaurant business is perpetual, and in today’s economy it is also challenging...
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...5. 5. 2016 PESTLE Analysis of Starbucks What are you looking for? PEST ANALYSIS MARKETING SWOT ANALYSIS STEEP ANALYSIS BUSINESS PEST Analysis, PEST Examples GET MORE ANALYSIS Subscribe to our mailing list and get our articles and updates to your email inbox. Enter your name here PESTLE Analysis of Starbucks Jim Makos 1 Year Ago FACEBOOK 0 Comments PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE PESTLE is a strategic analysis tool. It is often seen as the most effective analytical tools to analyze the Enter your email here impacts of external issues. It is an extended version of PEST analysis. Other forms of this tool are PESTEL, SIGN UP NOW STEEP, and STEEPLE. The acronym PESTLE stands for 6 factors which affect the business. The factors are: We respect your privacy Political Economic http://pestleanalysis.com/pestleanalysisofstarbucks/ 1/9 5. 5. 2016 PESTLE Analysis of Starbucks Social Popular Recent Technological Legal Environmental In this article, I am discussing the PESTLE analysis of SWOT Analysis Examples for Every Business Situation December 30, 2013 Starbucks. The constant global economic recession has dented the macroeconomic environment which Starbucks operates in. The recession has hurt the consumer’s purchasing power. Recent market research re䈠ects that consumers have not cut down on their coffee...
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...Team B - Business Failure Analysis Jeffery Rhymes, Terri Zubrod, Abel Dominguez, Eric Paniagua, Su Rodriguez LDR/531 January 11, 2015 Professor David Warren Introduction The mission statement for Redbox and Blockbuster both have focused on providing customer satisfaction with media entertainment that includes movies and games. In the years prior to the inception of Redbox in 2002, Blockbuster offered customers a value price entertainment experience, combining the broad product depth of a specialty retailer with local neighborhood convenience (Poggi, 2010). Blockbuster Inc. was a global business with 8,000 stores and offered movie and game rentals for home use by consumers (Poggi, 2010). Since 1992, Outerwall LLC had looking for ways to provide value, convenience and simplicity to consumers and retailers with the kiosk brands best known, Coinstar a leader in money services and Redbox, the best value in home entertainment. Outerwall LLC has a network of more than 66,000 kiosks and will be re-imagining new retail solutions to fit everyday consumer needs for the present and the future (Outerwall.com, 2015). Blockbuster – Success and Failure Blockbuster’s vision Statement: "At Blockbuster, diversity means valuing differences. It's a corporate value that must be continually developed, embraced and incorporated into the way we do business" (Poggi, 2010). Blockbuster was a video rental store that started in Dallas, Texas the first store was opened in October, 1985 and the...
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...new career did I want were questions I had a hard time answering. After searching for answers on the internet and speaking with academic counselors from several colleges, I realized getting a MBA was a possibility. I did not know having a bachelor degree was all one needed to start the MBA program. I was under the impression that thebachelor degree needed to be in an area of business. Hopeful and excited, I decided I needed to get my MBA. Facing my parents with the idea of going back to school and changing careers was not going to be easy. I could hear their objections: you make good money, the MBA will be expensive, you do not have the time, pharmacists are in demand, you won’t ever have trouble finding a job, and finallythat is just not something you do. You have a career, stick with it. Changing careers is not that unheard of these days, as opposed to when my parents were choosing their careers. According to Holmes and Cartwright, in the 1970s and 1980s, more people started changing careers. This change was due to “the rapid rate of social, economic, and technological changes that encouraged the development of successive or multiple careers” (Holmes, 1993). The Vocational Guidance Association states that “between 1985-1988 there was a 30 per cent increase in career changers over 35” (Cole, 1988). Getting my MBA will be costly, but with the help of student loans, it will be obtainable. With online degrees like the ones available at The University of Phoenix, time is not such...
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...Work Related Project Analysis The analysis of a system is a required and formal investigation which must be done in order to assist a person or an organization in a decision making process. Better choices or decisions are made with a system analysis than without (Kay R, 2002). Identification of the underlying issues or the main complaints made by a client must be included as part of the system analysis. Problems and alternative methods including the risks and benefits of the alternative methods must be assessed as well as part of the system analysis. For the consumers and development team to make the best choice from the several improvement methods, it is important to consider these risks and benefits (Kay R, 2002). Personal and cooperate plans, development, and other services typically use the system analysis in directing decision making. The Reliable Pharmaceutical Services Some health care organizations offer pharmaceutical services to other health care delivery organizations that do not have the ability to run such services. The book ‘System Analysis and Design in a Changing World’ by John W. Satzinger, Robert B. Jackson and Stephen D. Burd illustrates this by the use of a case study of a Pharmaceutical company, The Reliable Pharmaceuticals Services. In this case study, the pharmaceutical services are offered or provided to hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation homes. These health care facilities have to ability to make prescription orders on the telephone to the...
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