...Analysis Strategies for Competitive Advantage MMPBL/590 April 30, 2012 Professor Adeline Boomgaard Wilson began as a private distribution company in 1921. In April 1998, Wilson was purchased by Smith International, Inc. and has since executed major acquisitions on its own accord, purchasing Continental Emsco in 1999, Texas Mill Supply in 2000, and Van Leeuwen (USA) in 2001, as well as a number of smaller acquisitions along the way. These acquisitions have strengthened Wilson’s ability to offer products and solutions to the customer, including PVF, Mill, Tool, Safety, and Janitorial products, Integrated Supply, Inventory Management, Warehouse Management, Supplier Management (Wilson, 2012). Wilson Supply is currently working on the strategic plan for the upcoming year for the Bakken region which is located in the Northern Rockies Region of the United States. The hub of the Bakken is located in Stanley, North Dakota. In creating a strategic plan the company had decided to perform an environmental analysis. An environmental analysis is the evaluation of the possible or probable effects of external forces and conditions on an organization's survival and growth strategies (Business Dictionary, 2012). Wilson Supply understands that there are many factors that can impact the analysis. In order to limit the amount of information that the analysis will bring the company is focusing on the following elements along with sub-elements within each element. The external element includes...
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...Customer Service Specialist. The company was founded in 1956 by Ralph Wilson, Sr. in Temple, TX. Over the next 56 years Wilsonart International overtook all 16 major competitors, and now controls a majority of the market share in plastic laminates. Wilsonart International is a part of the building goods division of it’s parent company Illinois Tool Works, which is a fortune 500 company itself. Using business principles and theories to analyze Wilsonart shows the company has solid plan planning and execution of business aspects. Analysis of Culture, Climate, Ethics, And Diversity The climate and culture of Wilsonart International are positive and supportive. This starts...
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...is the term used in production and inventory control systems and methods which help us find out the answer or questions like: what parts to manufacture, when to start manufacturing, when to stop manufacturing, how many to manufacture and where to deliver them to. Kanban works on a pull systems to automatically schedule more production without intervention of Supervision nor Planning & Scheduling Department personnel. Kanban works for higher volume , repetitive products where setup time is short and there is great deal of demand certainty. A pull system has advantages over push system, 1:It can be observed easily unlike push system 2: Efficiency: Pull system is efficient as compared to push system, 3:Variability: There is less variability in a pull system as compared to a push system because a pull system regulate the fluctuation of WIP levels while a push system does not, 4: Robustness: A pull system is less sensitive to error than a push system is. The main focus of the article is on maintaining a constant flow of production using kanban signals and hence minimize waste of excessive inventories where no production will be initiated before a specific customer order into picture. INTRODUCTION: A Kanban inventory is often seen in accordance with Lean Manufacturing and Just-In-Time philosophies. The purpose of a Kanban inventory system is to have minimum inventory levels, and to keep materials at hand when needed in e.g. production lines . Any given inventory...
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...organizations and nonprofit and organizations. Many view for-profit and nonprofit companies as very different business organizations; however they have many commonalities. Both for-profit and nonprofit organizations are corporations. As a corporation, both are legal enterprises created to operate and transact business. Corporations hire employees to manage day-to-day activities and act in its best interests. For-profit and nonprofit companies work to control spending, find ways to bring in revenue, operate under organizational structures and utilize accounting practices to track and report how efficiently assets are used. Nonprofit organizations fall under a large umbrella in respect to size and mission. The environment under which they do business helps set them apart from for-profit companies. Nonprofit companies have a great need for their services, face cuts in funding and capital limitations. In this paper I will focus on the financial management techniques used by for-profit and nonprofit companies. I will address the following questions: • What are the sources of funds available to for-profit and nonprofit companies? • Is there a conflict between the mission and bottom line of nonprofit companies? • What types of control functions and governance mechanisms face for-profit and nonprofit companies? • What financial reporting is used by for-profit and nonprofit companies? To help illustrate some of the issues, I will use affordable housing providers...
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...Assessment of resources and costs ii. Presentation to Management 6 e. Audience 6 i. Who will benefit 6 ii. How the beneficiaries will benefit 6 iii. The role of senior management in the implementation 6 Milestone 1 a. Business problem relooked 7 i. Problems facing ABC 7 b. Company background 7 ii. ABC’s business 7 iii. ABC’s current state 7 c. Discussion of business issue 8 i. Why MRP Implementations Fail 8 ii. Risks associated with implementation 8 d. Benefits of Solving the problem 8 i. Benefits From Good Design 8 ii. Benefits From Correct Implementation 8 e. Initial business/Technical Approach 9 i. Implementation Approach 9 ii. Management Commitment Required 9 f. High Level Solution 9 i. Requirements and Design 9 ii. Specific Functions 9 Milestone 2 a. Implementation 10 i. Configuration 10 ii. Integration 10 iii. User Education 10 b. Design 10 i. Modules 1. Demand Management Customer Related Files (DM) 11 2. Rough Cut Capacity Planning File (RCCP) 11 3. Master Production Schedule File (MPS) 11 4. Capacity Requirements Planning Routing File (CRP) 11 5. Shop Floor Control (SFC) 11 Milestone 3 a. Technology or Business Practice Used 12 i....
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...between American-owned parts manufacturer, Wilson, and Japanese-owned manufacturer, Morota – is fast approaching a crossroads. The JV was formed in 1993 to support the “transplant” model of assembling Japanese-designed cars in the United States. From an American business mindset, Japanese automakers like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan had a fiercely, almost irrational, loyalty to their suppliers. This loyalty, coupled with the growing market share of Japanese cars and increased domestic supplier competition, made the Wil-Mor JV a natural outgrowth for longstanding licensing partners Wilson and Morota. However, Wil-Mor’s first 18 months was fraught with unexpected setbacks. Neither parent company anticipated the leadership characteristics required to harmonize cultural differences and Wil-Mor’s initial leadership proved so divisive that it had to be removed after a year into operations. Start-up times and costs were much higher than Wilson – and the Wil-Mor pro-forma – predicted. While Japanese quality standards were known to be high, the costs associated with quality (i.e. reduced production output) was also greater than Wil-Mor predicted. And, until recently, Wilson was unaware that the two parent companies had very different definitions of Wil-Mor “success:” Morota’s main aim was to ensure their key buyer, Toyota, was successful in its U.S. endeavors and that U.S. manufactured parts met the automakers high quality standards; Wilson was pursuing ‘low hanging’ profit ‘fruit’...
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...Mighty Mike’s Accounting Service provides two types of services: audit and tax. All company personnel can perform either service. In efforts to market its services, Mighty Mike relies on radio and billboards for advertising. Information on Mighty Mike's projected operations for the coming year follows: Audit Taxes Revenue per billable hour $35 $30 Variable cost of professional labor 25 20 Material cost per billable hour 2 3 Allocated fixed costs per year 100,000 200,000 Projected billable hours 14,000 10,000 a. What is Mighty Mike’s projected profit or (loss)? b. If $1 spent on advertising could increase either audit services billable time by 1 hour or tax services billable time by 1 hour, on which service should the advertising dollar be spent? ANS: a. Audit Tax Total Revenue: 14,000 × $35 $490,000 $ 490,000 10,000 × $30 $ 300,000 300,000 Variable Costs: Labor: 14,000 × $25 (350,000) (350,000) 10,000 × $20 (200,000) (200,000) Material: 14,000 × $2 (28,000) (28,000) 10,000 × $3 (30,000) (30,000) Contribution margin $112,000 $ 70,000 $ 182,000 Fixed costs (100,000) (200,000) (300,000) Profit (loss) $ 12,000 $(130,000) $(118,000) b. Each billable hour of audit services generates $8 of contribution margin ($35 - $25 - $2), tax services generates $7 of contribution margin ($30 - $20 - $3). The advertising should be spent on the audit services. DIF: Moderate...
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...Table of Content |No |Section |Page | | |Executive Summary | | |1 | |2 | | | | | |2 |External Analysis – Potter’s Five Forces Analysis |3 | | |Internal Analysis – SWOT Analysis | | |3 | |6 | | |Problem Statement | | |4 | |8 | | | | | |5 |Criteria for evaluating strategic alternatives | | | | ...
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...television commercials d. Cost of children’s toys given away free with kids’ meals e. Cost of the posters indicating the special “two cheeseburgers for $2.50” f. Costs of frozen onion rings and French fries g. Salaries of the food specialists who create new sandwiches for the restaurant chain h. Cost of “to-go” bags requested by customers who could not finish their meals in the restaurant Required: Classify each of the cost items (a–h) as one of the business functions of the value chain shown in Exhibit 1-2 (page 6). 1-25 (10–15 min.) Professional ethics and reporting division performance. Maria Mendez is division controller and James Dalton is division manager of the Hestor Shoe Company. Mendez has line responsibility to Dalton, but she also has staff responsibility to the company controller. Dalton is under severe pressure to achieve the budgeted division income for the year. He has asked Mendez to book $200,000 of revenues on December 31. The customers’ orders are firm, but the shoes are still in the production process. They will be shipped on or around January 4. Dalton says to Mendez, “The key event is getting the sales order, not shipping the shoes. You should support me, not obstruct my reach- ing division goals.” Required: 1. Describe Mendez’s ethical responsibilities. 2. What should Mendez do if Dalton gives her a direct order to book the sales?...
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...In the business world, many members of management consider marketing to be the most critical function of a business. Within a business organization the marketing division is in charge of generating the revenue that is important for the growth and survival of the business. In turn, the finance department then manages these revenues and then the production or manufacturing departments use what the marketing team has learned through research to help them to create new products and services. The real challenge that the marketing department faces is being able to generate those revenues and be profitable, and also by being able to satisfy the customers in a socially responsible manner (Esslemont & Lewis, 1991, p. 1). In my opinion, marketing is the act of promoting, researching, producing, and providing new in demand goods and services to the customers and also to other businesses. Marketing is the process of creating and directing the organization on the right path to be able to sell goods and services that people will want to buy. Marketing helps to build and maintain a preference for a particular product for the company within the target market. The use of marketing also involves an acquisition of new customers and being able to retain the existing customers. The American Marketing Association proposed the definition of marketing in 1985, which is that “Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas; goods and...
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...management will consequently facilitate organizational success (Aswathappa 2005). Human Resource Management on the other end is involved with the advancement and realization of people stratagems, which are included with company stratagems, and guarantee that the culture, ideals, and formation of the organization, its member commitment, and motivation contribute abundantly to the attainment of the organization’s goals. Personnel and Human Resource Management As per the name, personnel management is labour force centred, majoring mostly on the organization’s workforce; such as recruiting and training employees, ensuring that they are paid, enlightening them on management’s expectations, and explaining management’s actions. HRM, on the other hand, is resource centred, mainly targeting management, concerning devolving the duty of HRM to line managers and management improvement. Despite being a managerial position, personnel management does not fully relate to management interests, since it becomes inefficient due to lack of understanding and articulation of aspirations and the outlooks of the workforce. Personnel Management is mainly an operational utility, whose main function is executing the day-to-day workforce management tasks. Whereas HRM is strategic in function, that is, it is more concerned with facilitating a more competitive edge to...
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...Ethics are defined as the moral values, beliefs, and rules that one upholds in their life on the job and personally to ensure right from wrong.” (BRIGHTHUB) The project was full of ethical issues, not only from Gary Allison but SEC as a whole. “The project management team should be aware of, subscribe to, and ensure that all team members follow professional and ethical behavior.” (PM book reserve) Henry Larsen began the project unethically when he advised Gary Allison not to tell the customer about the first technical issue. Gary Allison actually followed Henry Larsen’s advice and did not tell the customer. Gary Allison also allowed the proposal to state that the product would work in up to 155 degrees F, when it would not function about 130 degrees F. When SEC decided to allow this falsification into the proposal they were being unethical. Henry Larsen was then unethical again when he advised Gary Allison about the new material. Henry Larsen and Paula Arnold should have informed Gary Allison as well as the project staff of the changes in material. Instead they began testing the new materials without letting anyone know. Therefore Gary Allison could not tell the customer right away. However, once Gary Allison found out about the change, it was his responsibility to inform the customer. SEC was also using the money from the customer in order to test the new...
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...supply chain management Teaching Notes It is important to emphasize that Supply Chain Management involves the entire range of production and distribution processes. Students need to understand the trade offs involved in supply chain function related to JIT, inventory management purchasing and delivery lead times and quality. Supply Chain Management requires a broad view of the entire flow from purchasing to final delivery to the customer. Supply Chain Management is becoming increasingly more important due to the following factors: 1. Implementation of JIT systems. 2. Emphasis in reduction in inventories. 3. Emphasis in reduced order cycles and reduced lead times. 4. Continuous and rapid change in products and product designs (shorter product life cycles). 5. Shorter product introduction and product development times. The importance of Supply Chain Management can not be underestimated because it ensures that the right materials are at the right place at the right time at a minimal cost and maximum quantity. In addition, supply chain management requires very careful coordination of activities between various business organizations on the chain. Integration of databases and sharing key pieces of information among the different business organizations on the supply chain not only provides timely and valuable information to companies on the supply chain, but also assists in improving the trust and the overall relationship between suppliers and their customers. The...
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...7431 MARKETING STRATEGIES OF BOTTLED WATER PRODUCING COMPANIES: THE CASE OF KOSOVO Ejup Fejza, Mr.Sc Alban Asllani, MSc. Universum College, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo Abstract One of the main functions within a company is the marketing area and as it is of the utmost importance and relevance of having an already established and well functioning department of marketing within the company, which would implement proper, just-in-time and a step-ahead of competition marketing strategies. Such an established and wheel functioning marketing department could potentially result in the company getting a better positioning in the market, will increase the company’s market share and satisfy customer needs, wants and meet their demands. Thus, creation and implementation a successful marketing strategy in business is very crucial, especially when we deal with a business such as water production, still or sparkling. The purpose of the research is to analyze the implementation of marketing strategies by Kosovo producers of water and to provide clear recommendations for companies that do not use marketing strategies. During the research we have found that water producers do not even have an already established marketing department, have not employed any marketing personal, nor they have a qualified sales person representing the company. According to our research of the existing water producing companies in Kosovo, only few of these companies, and in particular two out of ten have invested and...
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...business manager is a person who drives the work of others in order to run a major business efficiently and make a large profit. He or she should have working knowledge of the following areas, and may be a specialist in one or more: sales, marketing, and public relations; research, operations analysis, data processing, mathematics, statistics, and economics; production; finance; accounting, auditing, tax, and budgeting; purchasing; and personnel.[citation needed] Other technical areas in which a business manager may have expertise are law, science, and computer programming.[citation needed] In many businesses, the role of business manager may grow out of a small business-owner's desire to shed some of the multiple roles mentioned above to focus on specific aspects of company expansion or market penetration. The business manager for a time may share duties with the owner, as the owner gains trust in the business manager. Ideally, the business manager and the owner work synergistically to ensure that the business of running a successful business is attended to. This can often be a process of the owner relinquishing the functions for which there is a comparative disadvantage for his or her continued involvement. In the context of the music industry, a business manager is a representative of musicians and/or recording artists, whose main job is to supervise their business affairs, and the proper handling of their financial matters. The role as it is understood today was largely originated...
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