Strategic Management Report for Large Corporations

Question: You are required to write a report with reference to at least 15 separate scholarly journal articles and your subject core text. This report will include the following headings: 1) Corporation Identification a. Identify an organisation with product or service portfolios that span multiple business units. i. In your discussion define, with reference to scholarly articles, the term corporation. ii. In your discussion define, with reference to scholarly articles, the terms product portfolio and service portfolio. 2) Corporate Research a. Business Unit Identification. i. Identify the separate business units within the corporation. 1. In your discussion define, with reference to scholarly articles, the term Business Unit. b. Identification of Product and Service Lines. i. Identify the separate product and service lines of the corporation. 1. In your discussion define, with reference to scholarly articles, the terms product lines and service lines. 3) Corporation Revenue Centres a. Identification of Revenue Centres. i. Identify which product and service lines are creating the greatest revenues for the corporation. 1. In your discussion define, with reference to scholarly articles, the term revenue. 4) External Environment Analysis a. Identify the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal operating environments for each business unit. i. In your discussion define, with reference to scholarly articles, the terms Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal. 1. Provide a definition of the term operating environment. 5) Source of Sustainable Competitive Advantage a. Identify the source of sustainable competitive advantage for each business unit. i. In your discussion define, with reference to scholarly articles, the four factors of sustainable competitive advantage. 6) Strategic Direction a. Make recommendations for the future strategic direction for the organisation. i. In your discussion define, with reference to scholarly articles, the term strategic direction Answer: Introduction: Large corporations like PG, Intel and Nokia etc. are basically divided into diverse strategic business units, with the aim of managing their operational activities in an efficient manner. In this unit, we have discussed the global business units, product lines and revenue centres of Procter and Gamble. Apart from it, this unit will also help the learners in identifying the several sources of competitive advantage utilized by PG and several environmental factors affecting the working of the firm. Lastly, learners will be able to learn the strategic direction techniques with the help of this unit. Corporation Identification: The Corporation is the referred as Any firm or the group of firms, which possess the separate legal entity by law, from its owners or the shareholders (Walter, 2015). Corporations basically run on the basis of going concern concept and the limited liability concept. Corporations are managed by the board of directors elected by the shareholders of the firm. Procter and Gamble, Nestle, IKEA, Intel are some of the largest corporations in the world. Let us check out the product portfolios of Procter and Gamble (PG), a leading firm of America. The product portfolio comprises of the wide range of products sold by the company (Kendra, 2008). BCG matrix is utilized by the firms to identify the growth rate and market share of each product sold by the firm. PG portfolio comprises of diverse brand products such as Olay, Tide, Ariel, Pampers, head shoulders etc. PG classifies its product portfolio considering the BCG matrix with the aim of efficiently utilizing its resources. It is also continuously making efforts to diversify its products, for up surging the overall revenues of the firm. For example, among its 254 brands, PG is concentrating more on 65 brands, which is able to generate higher revenues for the firm. Service Portfolio denotes the varieties of services are offered to the customer (Quinonez, 2014). PG service portfolio consists of all essential elements which are needed for every person like hair washing, showering Shaving cream, house cleaning, dishwashing and so on. Corporate research: Global organizations are required to maintain the separate business unit, for managing their product and service lines efficiently. A separate business unit is referred as A section or department, where the operational activities of the corporation are carried out independently (Walter, 2015). It is also referred as the strategic business units. It is controlled and managed by the managers, who are liable to report the headquarters of the firm. These strategic business units are incentive oriented and so managers give their best to upsurge the profitability of these units. Apart from it, as decision-making powers are retained by the managers and so all the important decisions are taken and implemented easily. PG do maintain diverse strategic business units in different countries. PG is divided into separate business units on the basis of its different product lines. The Product lines are referred as the The products, which are either similar in function or price sold under the same brand or company (Quinonez, 2014). For example, Olay manufactures diverse types of beauty creams such as Olay light cream, Olay anti-aging cream, Olay light cream etc. are sold under the same brand and so all such products are considered its product lines. Diverse brands such as Ariel, Olay, pampers, Gillette etc. of PG have their own strategic business units, which are managed independently by the diverse brand managers. Service lines are like a grouping of all the products and services which is related to one particular segment of the organisation (Neumeier, 2016). It is an approach of organised management. As PG has no service lines whereas Deloittes service lines in Australia are Assurance and advisory, con sulting and Finacial advisory and so on. Corporation revenue centres: Revenue is referred as the income generated from the sales of goods and services (Westermann, 2015). Gross revenue is calculated by subtracting the trading expenses from the sales revenue. While net revenue is derived by subtracting the operating expenses from the gross revenue. Revenues are calculated to identifying the overall profitability of the firm. Large corporations do manage their diverse revenue centres, with the aim of increasing the overall revenues of the firm. Basically, sales and marketing departments form the revenue centres of the firm, which carries out diverse promotional activities for up surging the profitability of the firm. PG have maintained diverse revenue centres, which are continuously making efforts to promote its brands globally. Revenue centres of PG are responsible for deciding the price of diverse product lines of the brands considering profit margin of the company. The main aim of PG revenue centres is to up surge the overall revenues of the firm. Revenue centre teams do identify the loopholes in the marketing strategies and take essential steps to revise such strategies. PG have revised its marketing strategies considering trends and have made use of innovative marketing strategies such as social media marketing, online selling, SEO marketing, e-commerce website etc., with the aim of generating more revenues for the firm. This type of revenue centres also maintains relationships with the consumers by effective communication through diverse means such as email, SMS, calls etc. External Environment analysis: PG is a leading multinational company, which have its global business units in diverse countries. Operating Environment denotes the place where the business is running (Tambovceva, 2016). The global business units of PG are located in diverse countries like India, China, North Korea, Russia, France and others. And so it is essential for the firm to consider Social, Economic, and Technological, environmental, political and legal factors of different countries, which affect the working of the firm. The social environment is also referred as social heritage and it comprises of social culture and values followed the society at large (Neumeier, 2016). PG deals in diverse countries and so social culture and values of these countries are taken into consideration before developing its strategies. For example, PG offers discounts in India during Indian festivals. The political and legal environment includes the diverse policies imposed by the government of diverse countries such as taxation p olicy, import policy, pricing policy, trade policy etc. PG consider the political factors of the diverse countries and accordingly it decides the prices of its products. That is the reason the prices of PG products are different in different countries. Technological environment is comprised of the new innovations or technologies, which upsurge the value of the products (Tambovceva, 2016). Technologies or innovations help to simplify the manufacturing process and to improve the quality of the products. PG have always welcomed innovations and new technologies, with the aim of up surging the value of its products. It has also diversified its products and manufacturing processes by making use of latest technologies. The Economic environment comprises of diverse economic factors such as income, growth rate, inflation rate, employment rate, interest rates etc., which directly or indirectly affects the purchasing powers of the consumers (Danny,2012). PG considers the above factors before deciding profit margin and price of its products. For example, PG sells its products with lower profit margins in developing countries like china and India compared to other developed countries. Above all, PG do consider the geographical and psychological factors before developing its strategies for its global business units (Armstrong,2012.) Source of sustainable Competitive advantage: Four important sources such as up surging the Brand loyalty among the consumers, adding unique value to its products and services, increasing the creditability of the firm and enduring innovations are considered by PG for achieving the sustainable competitive advantage. (Lorenze,2006). PG is continuously making efforts for building the brand loyalty among its consumers by carrying out diverse promotional activities through innovative means such as social media marketing, e-commerce website, SEO marketing etc. PG have also diversified its products considering the consumer need and preferences. Apart from it, it deals in products with high quality, which differentiated it from the other brand products and thereby it is able to achieve the competitive advantage( Ellis, 2007). PG do contribute to the society by charities and several social functions, which has upsurged the creditability of the firm. Apart from it, it is continuously making a huge investment in the promotional activities, in order to promote all its brands globally. Day by day new technologies and innovations are used by PG to add unique value to its products. It has changed its manufacturing processes in order to add unique value to its products. Innovations and new technologies have also helped the firm in reducing the overall cost of the products by making efficient use of resources (Jeffs, 2008). Thus PG is able to achieve the sustainable competitive advantage by focusing on the above four sources of competitive advantage. Strategic direction: Large business organizations like PG develop diverse strategies for measuring and improving the overall performance of the firm. The strategy is basically termed as the master plan of the firm. It is essential for the managers to direct and control the activities of the firm, in order to achieve its desired objectives. Strategic direction is referred as The multiple actions taken by the directors of the firm to achieve the goals of its predetermined strategies or targets (Olsen,2012).Basically, strategic direction is set by the board of directors of the company and the executive directors are responsible for the efficient implementation of the strategy. Executive directors need to possess leadership skills, with the aim of improving the performance of its subordinate and thereby achieving the desired targets. Though PG is able to achieve the higher growth rate through its diverse strategies, it should take into account following recommendations for improving the overall performance of the firm. PG should focus on the higher growth markets product brands such as loreal, Wella, tide etc. to up surge its revenues. Apart from it, it should promote its e-commerce website through diverse means to increase the profitability of the firm (Alexander Mugan, 2015). Conclusion: Thus we can say that learners of this unit will be benefitted as all the topics in this unit is briefly discussed in this unit. Here learners will be able to know, how environmental analysis is carried in the large business units such as PG. Lastly, the recommendations given in the strategic direction section will aid the learners to identify the diverse ways to upsurge the overall performance of the firm. References: Albright, Kendra ( 2008). "Environmental Scanning: Radar For Success".Information Management Journal. Alexander Mugan (, 2015)."2015 Careers in Africa Employer of Choice Awards".careersinafrica.com. Armstrong, Gary (2012).Principles Of Marketing. N.S.W: Pearson Australia. Competitive horizons. (2016). Strategic Direction, 32(3). Ellis, P. D.. (2007), Distance, Dependence and Diversity of Markets: Effects on Market Orientation,Journal of International Business Studies, 38 (3), 37486. Erica, O. (2012).Strategic Planning Kit for Dummies, 2nd Edition.John Wiley Sons, Inc Jeffs, C. (2008), "Strategic Management",SAGE Publications Ltd., p. 29 et seq. Lorenzen, M. (2006). "Strategic Planning for Academic Library Instructional Programming." In:Illinois Libraries86, no. 2 (Summer 2006): 22-29. Neumeier, S. (2016). Social innovation in rural development: identifying the key factors of success. Geogr J. pSivida Corporation. (2011). Arzneimittelforschung, 58(08), pp.425-426. Quinonez, N. (2014).5 Product line pricing strategies you need to know. Relationship of mango seedling diseases prevalence to the environmental factors. (2015). Scientia Agriculturae, 10(3). Samson, Danny (2012).Management In New Zealand. Cengage Learning. Tambovceva, T. (2016). Classification of factors influencing environmental management of enterprise. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, pp.1-18. Walter, A. (2015). On the concept of corporation. AJH, pp.47-49. Westermann, D. (2015). Important aspects to allow revenue management to deliver. Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 14(2), pp.123-126.

The book A Christmas Carol Essay Example For Students

The book A Christmas Carol Essay The book A Christmas Carol was published in 1843. Each stave was published weekly in a magazine. Charles Dickens (the author) has written many classic, famous novels. They were all very long and very complicated. He was only 58 years old when he died. One of the main reasons that all of this is important is because they were written in a time where there was a great interest in novels. This is because it was written in the Victorian times. Also this made it popular because it made people interested and made people buy it each week; this made it quite a social thing and people would talk about it. We will write a custom essay on The book A Christmas Carol specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now This made people develop more of and interest. This gave Charles dickens more of a reputation which makes more people read his books. Christmas Carol was set in London this makes it popular as it is the capital and it is easy to relate to. Also it was set in the winter which is a season everyone likes because of Christmas. Now the festival is celebrated greatly. Then it wasnt celebrated as much and Dickens became known for restarting the interest and putting the fun back into it. The key points of the novel include the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. This makes it popular because of the interest factor. He shows the idea of time travelling and the new concept of the future. This influenced our ideas like sci-fi. Another key point is a mean person changing for the good. This helps make it popular because enjoy a moral story. Also this means it has a happy ending which is still being enjoyed. Marley is also important as he is very real ghost and not just a vague shape. You can see his buttons. He also has a bandage around his jaw which is convincing and fascinating. Tiny Tim also contributes to the popularity as he is saved; which is part of the happy ending. Also he helps for the popularity because he is very young we feel sorry for him. Right from the start, Dickens novel appeals to us. One of these is that he uses staves instead of chapters. Staves are used in carols. This is clever as when we figure this out it makes us feel good about our self. Dickens himself writes with a good story telling manor. He uses a narrator and writes in great detail about things. This allows us to visualize and to relate to the story more. He also makes Scrooge at the start look like a nasty man at the start which is interesting and enjoyable to read. It also makes us anticipate how he is dealt with. Charles Dickens describes scrooges character really well. The way he describes him gives you a distinct impression of what he is like. The cold within him freezed his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek. I think Charles Dickens does this so that it emphasises how mean and nasty scrooges character is. Charles Dickens creates scrooges character in a way that makes us have mixed feelings for scrooge. We dislike him because he is mean and nasty. We also feel sorry and sympathise him because we realize that the mean nasty man must have feelings. Even the blind mans dog appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts.

DEBT RETIREMENT IN PAKISTAN essays

DEBT RETIREMENT IN PAKISTAN essays The two gap theory suggests that the developing countries have to rely heavily on foreign capital in flows ( FCI s ) to fill two gaps: the import export gap and the savings investment gap.Despite the fact that all developing countries need FCIs for their development the volume the type: Project , non-project assistance The country size and the state of economic development mainly determines the size and type of FCIs . As a less developed country Pakistan has long been relying on foreign aid and has been the largest recipient of foreign direct investment. More over the external debt situation of an individual country may not seem to be interesting when analyzed from an international perspective. For example the external debt situation of a south Asian country as Pakistan. The external debt situation of this individual country has strong repercussions on their development. Debt is the largest capital in flow in Pakistan and it has played a critical role in the country development. The trends and pattern and the terms of have changed much in recent years. Pakistan lacks physical financial and human capital infrastructure and political and macro economic stability. Its economic structure remains in flexible and foreign transactions are regulated. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF DEBT On one hand the debt augments the domestic resources of the recipient, helps to promote growth and structural transformation, assists to over come the balance of payments and government budget deficits, transfers advanced technology and improves human resources. On the other hand, foreign aid may distort domestic savings, introduce in appropriate technology, and increase the debt burden of the r ...

Definition of Adams-Onis Treaty

Definition of Adams-Onis Treaty The Adams-Onis Treaty was an agreement between the United States and Spain signed in 1819 which established the southern border of the Louisiana Purchase. As part of the agreement, the United States obtained the territory of present day Florida. The treaty was negotiated in Washington, D.C. by the American secretary of state, John Quincy Adams, and the Spanish ambassador to the United States, Luis de Onis. The treaty was viewed as a significant event at the time, and contemporary observers, including former president Thomas Jefferson, lauded the work of John Quincy Adams. Background of the Adams-Onis Treaty Following the acquisition of the Louisiana Purchase during the administration of Thomas Jefferson, the United States faced a problem, as it was not entirely clear where the border lay between the territory obtained from France and the territory of Spain to the south. Over the first decades of the 19th century, Americans venturing southward, including Army officer (and possible spy) Zebulon Pike, were apprehended by Spanish authorities and sent back to the United States. A clear border needed to be defined before minor incidents on the border escalated into anything more serious. And in the years following the Louisiana Purchase, the successors to Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe, sought to acquire the two Spanish provinces of East Florida and West Florida (the regions had been loyal to Britain during the American Revolution, but following the Treaty of Paris, they reverted to Spanish rule). Spain was barely holding on to the Floridas. And was therefore receptive to negotiating a treaty which would trade away that land in return for clarifying who owned land to the west, in what today is Texas and the southwestern United States. Complicated Territory The problem Spain faced in Florida was that it claimed the territory, and had a few outposts on it, but it wasnt settled. And the region wasnt being governed in any sense of the word. American settlers were encroaching on its borders, essentially squatting on Spanish land, and conflicts kept arising. Escaped slaves were also crossing into Spanish territory, and at time U.S. troops ventured into Spains land on the pretext of hunting fugitive slaves. Creating further complications, Indians living in Spanish territory would venture into American territory and raid settlements, at times killing the residents. The constant problems along the border seemed likely to erupt at some point into open conflict. Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. In 1818 Andrew Jackson, the hero of the Battle of New Orleans three years earlier, led a military expedition into Florida. His actions were highly controversial in Washington, as government officials felt he had gone far beyond his orders, especially when he executed two British subjects he considered spies. Negotiation of the Treaty It seemed obvious to leaders of both Spain and the United States that the Americans would eventually come into possession of Florida. So the Spanish ambassador in Washington, Luis de Onis, had been granted full power by his government to make the best deal he could. He met with John Quincy Adams, secretary of state to President Monroe. The negotiations had been disrupted and nearly ended when the 1818 military expedition led by Andrew Jackson ventured into Florida. But the problems caused by Andrew Jackson may have been useful to the American cause. Jacksons ambition and his aggressive behavior no doubt reinforced the fear that of the Spaniards that Americans could be coming into the territory held by Spain sooner or later. The American troops under Jackson had been able to walk into Spainish territory at will. Spain was beset by other problems. And it did not want to station troops, which would have to be supplied, in remote parts of Florida to defend against any future American encroachments. There was no escaping that if American soldiers could march into Florida and just seize it, there was little Spain could do. So Onis thought he might as well dispense with the Florida problem entirely while dealing with the issue of borders along the western edge of the Louisiana territory. The negotiations were resumed and proved fruitful. And Adams and Onis signed their agreement on February 22, 1819. A compromise boundary was established between the U.S. and Spanish territory, and the United States gave up claims to Texas in exchange for Spain giving up any claim to territory in the Pacific Northwest. The treaty, after ratification by both governments, became effective on February 22, 1821.  The treaty was eventually followed by other treaties that essentially confirmed the boundaries set out in 1821. An immediate result of the treaty was that it reduced tensions with Spain, and made the likelihood of another war seem remote. So the military budget of the United States could be cut and the size of the U.S. Army reduced in the 1820s.

Social work ethics - reflection paper Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social work ethics - reflection paper - Article Example Majority of the surviving American troops, referred to as veterans of the Iraq war are in dire need of therapeutic treatment which could be obtained from various help centres. The U.S. Department of veterans' affairs is charged with referring these patients to specialised mental centres (www.socialworkers.org). One such patient has been recently referred to me. Since my client had very nasty and frightening experiences in Iraq, it would be my noble responsibility to handle the situation most professionally and delicately to avoid causing further sufferings and anguish to him. My foremost action would be to assess the extend to which the war had on my client's emotional and psychological states by subjecting him to various interrogations concerning his social history; and psychiatric status. The social history would involve a brief review of relations, work and educational experiences prior to, during and after military service while the psychiatric aspect of the interrogations would involve a review of past and current psychological symptoms and traumatic experiences during military service, if any. This would greatly help me decide the best help to accord the client. Because the client is confirmed to be suffering from PSTD, my most immediate action would be to institute a type of counselling

Team Work, Group Efficiency and Performance Essay

Team Work, Group Efficiency and Performance - Essay Example This research will begin with the definition of a team as a group of people working together in an organization. This definition is too general and does not do justice to the functioning of a team in an organizational setting. In purely organizational sense, team is defined as â€Å"a group of workers functioning together as a unit to complete a common goal or purpose†. It is best defined by West as â€Å"groups of people embedded on organizations, performing tasks that contribute to achieving the organization’s goals†. Teams work towards achieving the overall organizational objective and have the necessary resources, autonomy and authority to achieve those objectives. Team and teamwork in an organizational setting can be best understood by the following explanation by Woods and West. The following is a direct quote by Woods and West and has been used directly for better understanding: A team is a relatively small group of people working on a clearly defined, cha llenging task that is most efficiently completed by a group working together rather than individuals working alone or parallel; who have clear, shared, challenging, team level objectives derived directly from the task; who have to work closely and interdependently to achieve these objectives; whose members work in distinct roles within the team (though some roles may be duplicated); and who have the necessary authority, autonomy and resources to enable them to meet the team’s objectives.... They are different types of teams in an organization (Griffin & Moorhead, 2011) but they can be grouped into the following types based on their nature: Problem Solving Teams: These are the most common type of teams and in some cases are used temporarily. Problem solving teams brings together employees with different knowledge backgrounds in order to tackle a specific problem. These teams consist of highly talented and skilled individuals who are brought into the team in order to induce and bring about a specific change (Boone & Kurtz, 2011). Self Managed Work Teams: these are teams with groups of employees who have the skills as well as the authority to manage themselves. Many experts in the field argue that the employees in such teams are the most satisfied and motivated. This is because they have greater job control and task variety (Boone & Kurtz, 2011). Cross Functional Teams: Cross functional teams are the latest trends in the business world. Earlier, teams were formed on the ba sis of specific speciality or functionality. But in today’s dynamic business world this is not enough. Projects are more complex today and need employees with different skill sets and abilities to be working on the same project. Hence, cross functional teams have been formed which consists of individuals with varying skills, expertise and specialities working to achieve a common goal (Robbins, 2009). Virtual Teams: There is no need for teams to be geographically close as developments in communication technology have made it possible for team members to be geographically separated but still work as a single unit. Hence, virtual team is one wherein team members are

Texting While Driving Essay Example for Free

Texting While Driving Essay About 41% of teen reported that they had texted or emailed while driving. This is true even though there are horrifying commercials and campaigns aimed at keeping teen drivers’ eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. Also, the bulk of teen deaths are due to motor vehicle crashes. But texting and driving isn’t the only risky business teens are engaging in. About 41.3% of teens said they’re using computers for more than 3 hours daily. About 14.8% of students said that they had been bullied online. Another risk that is that sexually active teens are having more unprotected sex that in the past: around 41% of sexually active teens. The annual survey of 9th through 12th graders examines the unhealthy behaviors of teens over the past 12 months is what is used to gage the leads to unintentional injury, obesity, and unplanned pregnancies. About 13,500 surveys, which were administered at public and private high schools, were examined to determine results. It is sad to see the number of teens partaking in risky behaviors rise even though statistics show how many teens are ruining their lives. Schools are now even showing videos of the consequences of partaking in these behaviors and videos of people that tell how the consequences aren’t worth the short term enjoyment. I want to know the mentality of teens that text while driving because judging by their actions, it seems like they value replying to a text more than their own lives. It’s unbelievable how teens still text and drive even though they know that they could die at any moment. Either teens need to change their ways or parents need to start intervening to save their children from becoming victims to risky behaviors.