...Gillette Taking it on the chin Apr 16th 1998 | BOSTON From The Economist print edition The launch of a new razor will test whether Gillette deserves to be so admired by management gurus HOW many ways can there be to remove the 15,000 bristles that sprout so relentlessly on the male chin? Gillette, saved from humiliation eight years ago by the launch of the Sensor range, with not one but two blades, this week unveiled an even more revolutionary advance in shaving: the Mach3 (see article). Gillette’s future may not exactly be on a razor’s edge—it has 71% of the North American and European market for razors and blades—but it needs those bristles. The company, whose consumer brands include Duracell batteries, Oral-B toothbrushes and Parker and Waterman pens, is beloved by management consultants. But investors have begun to fret about slowing growth, lacklustre sales and an imminent change in top management. Growth has slowed in the hugely profitable razors division, partly because Schick, its smaller rival, has recently launched a new razor of its own. Last August, the mildest of profit warnings was enough to send the shares tumbling nearly 20%, although they have since recovered. The Mach3 is the company’s biggest and most important new product since the Sensor, and the company hopes it will have a similar effect. Eight years ago, Gillette was losing its grip on the razor market to cheap throwaways and facing the fourth in a succession of hostile takeover bids. Sensor...
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...affinity between the Turkish and Chinese people. But there is a further potential factor: the two countries’ involvement in the Middle East In February when Xi Jinping, vice president of the People’s Republic of China, visited Turkey, the grand meeting hall of one of İstanbul’s largest convention centers witnessed an historic moment. Xi entered the hall to great fanfare, and responded to a standing ovation from literally hundreds of Turkish business executives with the announcement of several trade and investment projects intended to strengthen economic linkages between Turkey and China. Xi’s visit was important not only because he is the presumptive heir to President Hu Jintao, and hence the person who is likely to lead China over the coming 10 years, but also because his visit produced concrete results, such as 28 business agreements with total worth of $1.4 billion signed in a single day, cementing the strategic partnership agreement inked between the two countries back in 2010, and providing clues to the path along which Turkish-Chinese relations are likely to progress under Xi’s tenure. For Turkey, engaging more effectively with the new global economic powerhouse is not an option but a must, as international conjuncture is increasingly shaped by economic interdependence and interconnectedness between nations. China is neither a threat that one has to stay away from, nor a pure opportunity promising lucrative profits; it is simply a key global actor Turkey needs to work with...
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...Downloaded by SEGi International Bhd At 05:58 16 March 2015 (PT) Downloaded by SEGi International Bhd At 05:58 16 March 2015 (PT) International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research Factors influencing family business succession Michael H. Morris Roy W. Williams Deon Nel Article information: To cite this document: Michael H. Morris Roy W. Williams Deon Nel, (1996),"Factors influencing family business succession", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 2 Iss 3 pp. 68 - 81 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13552559610153261 Downloaded on: 16 March 2015, At: 05:58 (PT) References: this document contains references to 42 other documents. To copy this document: permissions@emeraldinsight.com The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 5908 times since 2006* Users who downloaded this article also downloaded: Barry Ip, Gabriel Jacobs, (2006),"Business succession planning: a review of the evidence", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 13 Iss 3 pp. 326-350 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14626000610680235 Robert N. Lussier, Matthew C. Sonfield, (2012),"Family businesses' succession planning: a seven-country comparison", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 19 Iss 1 pp. 7-19 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14626001211196370 Yong Wang, David Watkins, Neil Harris, Keith Spicer, (2004),"The relationship between succession issues and business performance: Evidence from UK...
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...If Saab becomes Chinese should it rename? • Vladimir Djurovic, president at Labbrand, suggests the name might not work well in China. “We have already found in previous research projects on car brand names, that names with this term were not a favourite choice in China because they are a little too spiritual”. • Given both Labbrand’s expertise and MG’s experience, the acquisition might be the perfect opportunity for repositioning the Saab brand, especially if the product line were to change. However this move is not risk-free. • Saab’s name “萨博” is widely recognized by the Chinese audience, so renaming might mean losing loyal customers. To solve this Vladimir Djurovic, president of Labbrand, believes that “instead of renaming, Saab could consider developing a better tagline to fit the Chinese market and make the brand more vivid in the imagination of Chinese consumers”. Chivas Regal Trademark Case • Chivas Brothers failed to establish that the spirits brand was “well-known” in China before the registration of Chivas Regal clothing in 2003, which would have been grounds to deny the application.Before the 2003 registration by the Wenzhou squatter, Chivas Brothers (the brand owner) had registered the marks in a number of Classes, including 33, which includes alcoholic beverages. However, just because a brand owner registers the mark in one Class this does not automatically protect against other registrants for different goods/services or for products in other Classes...
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...Insert name Tutor Course Date Introduction American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an American insurance company. Its business headquarters are situated in the American International Building of New York City. The British headquarters is located on the Fenchurch Street of London while the European headquarters is situated in La Défense, Paris, while the Asian main office is situated in Hong Kong. Reports from the 2008 Forbes Global 2000 listing highlighted that AIG was by then the 18th-biggest public corporation worldwide, and also appeared in the reports of the Dow Jones Industrial survey between April 8, 2004 and September 22, 2008. AIG experienced a liquidity catastrophe when its financial ratings dropped below "AA" rankings around September 2008. The U. S. Federal Reserve Bank on September 16, 2008 formed an $85 billion credit capacity to allow the company to overcome its increased collateral requirements following the credit ranking downgrade, in a swap over for the issuance assets merit to the Federal Reserve Bank for 79.9% equity of the AIG. The Federal Reserve Bank along with the U. S. treasury around May 2009 extended the potential monetary boost to the AIG, with the enhancement support in form of $70 billion investment, of which $60 billion was channeled on credit line as well as $52.5 billion to purchase mortgage-based properties belonging to or insured by AIG, raising the total sum available to around $182.5 billion. AIG later sold some of its...
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...Changing ownership and its impact on Firm performance: A detailed pre and post crisis study on Indian firms Several studies are available establishing relationship between firm performance and ownership structure and the results are mixed. Several authors have found significant relationship while others have not found any significant relationships. In Indian context also, there are several studies which propagates to have both kind of results. The way literature is linking the owner ship with performance has always been via addressing the agency (outsiders and insiders) problem, board structure, size, leverage etc. but, literature is sparse to identify these variables as moderating the relationship between ownership and firm performance. The purpose of this study is to establish and study the relationship between ownership and performance in Indian context. Considering following points, I recommend a framework to study the changing ownership and firm performance under the premise that agency costs and information asymmetry acts as moderating variable, which increases/decreases performance when ownership changes. * In India, it is confirmed by several authors that concentrated and complex ownership structure is found which creates problem of heterogeneity and opacity. * India has agency type 2 problems; few studies are available addressing type 2 problem and variables to measure this. * Opacity and complexity creates Information asymmetry and tunneling respectively...
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...LE BRAS BIANCHI Oceane CHINESE CULTURE China is a very interesting country with a lot of values, way of life, cultural traditions and customs differed from western countries. In first we will see the filial piety, which is a very important value for Chinese people, the origins and how it is nowadays and in second time, we will see the taboos in China in different categories. To beginning, it is important to know what is the filial piety to talk about that, filial piety means to be good to one's parents; to take care of them, to engage in good conduct not just towards them but also outside the home so as to bring a good name them and ancestors; to perform the duties of one's job well so as to obtain the material means to support them as well as carry out sacrifices to the ancestors. You have to do not be rebellious; show love, respect and support; display courtesy; ensure male heirs, uphold fraternity among brothers; wisely advise them, including dissuading them from moral unrighteousness; display sorrow for their sickness and death; and carry out sacrifices after their death. It supposed to be the normal behavior for all people around the world, but in China, the origin is very deep and ancient. It is a a concept originating with Confucianism that outlines the way in which family members should interact with each other. It is based on a hierarchical relationship, in which parents and older family rank more highly than children and younger family members, and men rank...
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...by divesting pieces of IBM. At the time, Gerstner was viewed as one of the few executives w ho could save the compan . ny When Gerstner arrived on the scene, internal IBM te ams were considering splitting IBM into as many as 13 smaller companies, each of which could com pete as an independent en y. Ironically, in ntit the 1980s under the leadership of former CEO John Opel , IBM had fought off an anti-trust suit from the U.S. government seeking to break up IBM into mult iple companies because of its dominance of t the mainframe computer business. In this same time fram AT&T was ordered to separate its longme distance service, local telephone service, manufacturing a nd R&D into independent companies. Gerstner quickly concluded that breaking up IBM wo uld be a mistake of historic proportions. He l recognized that IBM had drifted from its roots of provid ing superior customer service and offering complete systems to its customers (often criticized as “bundling”). He also realized the company’s management had become very insular and internally focu sed. At that time IBM was primarily run by a series of large committees. The organization had many l ayers and very high corporate overhead.1 Gerstner decided to restore the company to its cu stomer-focused roots. To reduce internal orientation, he simplified its...
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...country you visit, there’s so much for holidaymakers to do, both in peninsular Malaysia and in the separate states of Sarawak and Sabah, on the island of Borneo. Apart from its natural beauty and fantastic wildlife such as orang-utans and Sumatran rhinoceros, the country has great activities, from diving and white water rafting, to golf and bird watching. Penang I was born on Penang, so it’s one of my favourite places. Called the Pearl of the Orient, the little island has been one of Malaysia’s top tourist destinations since the 1970s, when backpackers first discovered its beautiful beaches. I can remember riding around on my moped and camping out with friends when I was a teenager. Penang is a fascinating blend of Malay, Indian, Chinese and a bit of British, in its architecture, religions, customs and especially in the cuisine. In the late 1700s, the island’s port was one of the busiest in the region, attracting traders and settlers from all over the world. Today, people come from all over Asia to taste Penang’s food, which is delicious. The Tho Yuen restaurant (Campbell Street; 04 261 4672) serves tasty chicken rice, a simple staple...
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...For exclusive use at University of Technology Sydney, 2015 S w W13017 BEIERSDORF AG: EXPANDING NIVEA’S GLOBAL REACH1 Vanessa C. Hasse wrote this case under the supervision of Professor Paul W. Beamish solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation prohibits any form of reproduction, storage or transmission without its written permission. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7; phone (519) 661-3208; fax (519) 661-3882; e-mail cases@ivey.uwo.ca. Copyright © 2013, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation Version: 2013-03-04 On April 26, 2012, Stefan F. Heidenreich walked into the conference center in Hamburg, Germany, for Beiersdorf’s annual stockholder meeting. There, he would officially be introduced as the new chief executive of the NIVEA producer and take the reins in a time of transition and complex challenges. His predecessor, Thomas-Bernd Quaas, was to give his farewell speech in front of 800 shareholders. Quaas had been the...
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...The Lauder GLobaL business insiGhT reporT 2014 rebalancing the Global economy Lauder-Report-2014.indd 1 12/18/13 12:07 PM Introduction The Lauder GLobaL business insiGhT reporT 2014 rebalancing the Global economy In this special report, students from the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies examine current trends and recent developments shaping today’s global marketplace. The articles cover a wide variety of topics ranging from technology, innovation and brand building to infrastructure, entrepreneurship and social impact. A section on consumer markets looks at the popularity of e-cigarettes in France and elsewhere, efforts by Japanese firms to expand their businesses into Asia, new trends in French gastronomy, changes in Japan’s traditional food-consumption habits, and how a sector of the Chinese population is spreading, and spending, its newfound wealth. The report offers an analysis linking market-driven strategies with social impact in Peru and Colombia, as well as an article describing South Carolina’s embrace of innovative research. Other articles look at the Russian government’s attempt to reboot the city of Skolkovo as an innovation hub, the mixed success of innovation efforts in China, and the growing threat of cybercrime to businesses across the world. The challenges of infrastructure and planning are addressed in analyses of transportation in areas of Latin America, deficiencies in Brazil’s infrastructure, and real estate’s...
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...Annu. Rev. Anthropol. 1999. 28:i–xxiii Copyright © 1999 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGICAL ENLIGHTENMENT? Some Lessons of the Twentieth Century Annu. Rev. Anthropol. 1999.28:i-xxiii. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org by 197.179.183.136 on 11/03/13. For personal use only. Marshall Sahlins Department of Anthropology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637; e-mail: m-sahlins@uchicago.edu Key Words: modernity, indigenization, translocality, culture, development n Abstract A broad reflection on some of the major surprises to anthropological theory occasioned by the history, and in a number of instances the tenacity, of indigenous cultures in the twentieth century. We are not leaving the century with the same ideas that got us there. Contrary to the inherited notions of progressive development, whether of the political left or right, the surviving victims of imperial capitalism neither became all alike nor just like us. Contrary to the “despondency theory” of mid-century, the logical and historical precursor of dependency theory, surviving indigenous peoples aim to take cultural responsibility for what has been done to them. Across large parts of northern North America, even hunters and gatherers live, largely by hunting and gathering. The Eskimo are still there, and they are still Eskimo. Around the world the peoples give the lie to received theoretical oppositions between tradition and change, indigenous culture and modernity,...
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...prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shirk, Susan L. China: fragile superpower / by Susan L. Shirk. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-530609-5 1. Nationalism—China. 2. China—Politics and government—2002– I. Title. JC311.S525 2007 320.951—dc22 2006027998 135798642 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper For Sam, Lucy, and David Popkin This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Strong Abroad but Fragile at Home China’s Economic Miracle Domestic Threats 35 13 The Echo Chamber of Nationalism: Media and the Internet 79 The Responsible Power 105 Japan: “When the Chinese People Get Angry, the Result Is Always Big Trouble” 140 Taiwan: “A Question of Regime Survival” 181 The United States:...
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...In 2006 the worlds total economic output was around $47 trillion Total value of the stock and bond market was $119 trillion Derivatives $473 trillion The world is connected through the stock market with London at it’s center not only geographically but time wise Globalization has vulnerability to financial shocks and political forces Big and Painful crisis West caught up in full blown because of mortgage lending we wanted to export to the rest of the world Americans there is no place like home we take the universal priveledge to own a home for granted Before the 1930’s no more than 2/5 of American households were owner occupied; however, it was born out of an American financial crisis. During the Great Depression in 1929 everyone stuggled to pay rent and mortgages. The greatest hurt was in Detroit the auto industry was cut in half as well as the wages. On March 7, 1932, 5,000 workers that were laid off marched to the factory to demand unemployment relief. Unarmed crowd in deerborn police officers reached out and fired into the crowd 5 workers were killed. A few days later 60,000 people were honoring them at their funeral. A communist newspaper accused henry ford’s son of leading a massacre Diego rivera mural showing Detroit as a sign of cooperation not class conflict was a lifelong communist 1933 seen as travesty The new deal is what began to reunite the us pioneered the idea of a property owning democracy Gov rigged housing market to give incentives...
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...Radical Transformation A series of fatal accidents, coupled with operational inefficiencies snowballed Korean Air into troubled times. Then, at the beginning of the 21st century, its CEO/ Chairman, Yang-Ho Cho undertook various transformation initiatives - for instance, improving service quality and safety standards, technology integration, upgrading pilot training, better business focus; putting in place a professional management team, improving corporate image through sponsorship marketing, etc. He gave a new corporate direction in the form of '10,10,10' goal. However, Korean Air is held up by a slew of challenges. Among which are inefficiencies of - Chaebol system of management, possible clash of its cargo business with its own shipping company, limited focus on the domestic market and growing competition from LCCs. How would Korean Air manage growth as a family-owned conglomerate? The case offers enriching scope for analysing a family business’s turnaround strategies, with all the legacy costs involved. Pedagogical Objectives • To discuss the (operational) dynamics of Korean Chaebols - their influence/ effects on the country’s industrial sector and the economy as a whole • To analyse how family-owned businesses manage the transition phase - from a supplier-driven economy to a demanddriven economy • To identify all the possible reasons for Korean Air ’s turbulent times and assessing whether they are controllable or not • To critically evaluate Korean Air ’s transformation efforts...
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