Saturday, May 30, 2020

A Tale Of Troubling Events At Stanford GSB

Here’s the short story: Stanford Graduate School of Business Dean Garth Saloner, who has been serving as dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business since 2009, will be leaving his post next summer. He was having an affair with GSB professor Deborah Gruenfeld (of Leanin.org fame) who is getting a divorce from former GSB professor Jim Phills. Phills is currently suing the business school for wrongful termination  and  now teaches at Apple University, where  he had been  teaching before being terminated  and while on leave from Stanford. But this isn’t just a story about an acrimonious divorce, an illicit affair, or even an angry, scorned husband wanting to get even. There are educational and financial elements to the tale as well. According to a lengthy Poets Quants article, there are â€Å"allegations  of  professional and financial retribution against†¦Jim Phills, contempt for school rules and policies, and claims  that the Graduate School of Business is a hostile workplace driven by personal agendas, favoritism, and fear.† The GSB’s reputation has been shaken.  In fact, GSB’s whole culture is now being scrutinized due to other troubling events that point to arrogance, poor social ethics, hedonism, and contempt for laws and policies.   Other claims now being made against the GSB include the accusation that the school is sexist and ageist: Of the 40 senior staff members who have left Stanford GSB in the last five years, most have been women over the age of 40, with the remainder almost all men over the age of 40, highlighting a â€Å"hostile work environment† for people in this demographic. (This is an assertion that was presented in a letter signed by 46 current and former staff members, the â€Å"Group of 46† – read more about this letter and the complaints on page 5 of the PQ article.) For more details, please see the PQ article. Related Resources: †¢Ã‚  Do Stanford GSB Grads REALLY â€Å"Change Lives. Change Organizations. Change the World.†? †¢Ã‚  Get Accepted To Stanford GSB—Webinar On Demand! †¢Ã‚  Catching Up With Recent Stanford GSB Graduate Tim Eisenman

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Strategic Marketing Recommendations For Apple Inc

Strategic Marketing Recommendations Ahmed Salman Argosy University Sebtemper, 24, 2014 Introduction Apple Inc is a large multinational that manufactures a wide range of technological gadgets. In the recent past, the company has faced competition from its rivals especially in the smart phone market. The increasing competition in the smart phone market poses a threat to Apple’s future success with many firms entering into this lucrative business. Google is the latest entry into the software development and smart phone market after acquiring Nokia. Samsung through its Galaxy product line has also made significant strides in the market. This report aims to demonstrate the most appropriate marketing techniques that would enable Apple to guard its market share and achieve a competitive strategy. In addition, the report will suggest the best marketing strategy that will help Apple to acquire new customers, especially in the emerging markets. Company background Apple Inc is a highly respected business organization in global circles due to its contribution in areas of mobile telephony and the larger technology sector. Apple Inc is renowned for its innovative technological products that attract huge attention across the world. The company manufactures and markets a number of technology products such as personal computers, computer accessories, networking solutions, software, and smart phones. Apple’s product line includes notebook PCs, Macintosh range of desktopShow MoreRelatedGb520 Unit1 Apple Case Analysis Essay1486 Words   |  6 PagesCase Analysis – Strategic Management – Apple, Inc. - Unit 1 Anahit Orbelyan GB520-03N Strategic Human Resource Management September 08, 2012 Professor Dr. Kenneth Rauch Case Analysis – Strategic Management – Apple, Inc. Introduction The purpose of this paper is to explain the definition of Strategic Management and why it is critical to the success of an organization in meeting its goals and mission. The paper will include a brief analysis of the situation andRead MoreStrategic Management Case Analysis: Apple Inc. Essay1027 Words   |  5 PagesStrategic Management Case Analysis: Apple Inc. Veronica R. Hart Kaplan University Strategic Human Resource Management Unit 1 GB 520 p. 1-6 March 9, 2011 The 2008 Harvard Business Case Study on Apple Inc, describes the very popular corporation with 24 billion in revenue as of 2007 and how the company has had some problems yet sustainability over the years. The status of the company was examined in detail by the article which revealed a number of strategic moves under the leadership ofRead MoreStrategic Management: Apple Inc. Case Study Essay1090 Words   |  5 PagesUnit 1 Case Analysis: Apple Inc. GB520 Strategic Human Resource Management About â€Å"Strategic management is an ongoing process that evaluates and controls the business and the industries in which the company is involved; assesses its competitors and sets goals and strategies to meet all existing and potential competitors; and then reassesses each strategy annually or quarterly [i.e. regularly] to determine how it has been implemented and whether it hasRead MoreStrategic Choice and Evaluation Essay examples1429 Words   |  6 PagesStrategic Choice and Evaluation STR 581 University of Phoenix Abstract Identifying a organizations alternatives is a concern for most major companies. The starting point is in strategic analysis, this is process that managers use to evaluate and select their competitive advantages which will help separate themRead MoreStrategic Analysis of Apple Inc1676 Words   |  7 PagesStrategic analysis of Apple inc * * Table of contents * 1. History of Apple inc 2. Analysis of strategy * 2.1 Applying Porter’s strategy framework to Apple Inc * 2.2 future strategies 3. Recommendations 4. Leadership/culture 5. Appendix 6. References * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1. History on Apple Inc * Apple Inc. is an American corporationRead MoreApple Inc. Strategy Formulation1720 Words   |  7 Pagesdescribe the Strategic and Marketing Plan of Apple Inc, Which is the biggest consumer electronics provider in the world. It provides wide range of consumer electronics in the market like MAC computers, IPOD, I Phone, LAPTOP, IPAD. It has about 49,400 employs and over 240 Retails Store all around the world wide out of it 218 are in US and 24 in UK rest in other countries. I personally think that before studying the strategy of any organization we need to understand the basic of Strategic ManagementRead MoreApple Inc. Case Analysis - 11479 Words   |  6 PagesI. Overview: Apple Inc. was founded in 1976 by Steven Wozniak and Steven Jobs. They introduced the first initial version or what was to become the first highly successful mass-produced personal computer, the Apple I. Apple operates in various lines of the computer and music industry today and its operations include not only the designing but also the manufacturing of its computers and software. Apple continues to pursue the personal computer market but not as intently as in the years before.Read MoreApple Computer, Inc Case Study 141554 Words   |  7 PagesApple Computer, Inc case study 14 Apple has created a unique and powerful reputation and product line that continues to be innovative and fresh to the consumer for the last 30 plus years. Apple has continued to be an industry leader for hardware and in the recent years faces the extremely fast-paced market of media and software products including the global marketplace. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths: * Having alliances with other strong and popular businesses is a major plus point for Apple ComputerRead MoreApple Inc. Steve Jobs1431 Words   |  6 Pages APPLE INC. Steve Jobs Apple Inc. Is an American company and also one of the largest companies across the world with highly valued technology which makes and sells many electronics including Mac software, personal computers and consumer electronics such as iPod, iPhone, iPad and Macintouch line of computers. On 1st April 1976 Apple Inc. was established and it almost 40 years. Further we will breakdown with its historical background. (Rawlinson, 2016) The history of Apple Inc. started with twoRead MoreThe Key Strategic Challenges Facing Apple Computer1162 Words   |  5 PagesDescribe the key strategic challenges facing Apple Computer Apple Computer is currently facing many strategic challenges, the first challenge is competition from new and existing companies. Apple’s iTunes, an online music store, faces competition from companies that seek to begin offering online music and video downloading services whether legally or illegally, and from existing companies that plan to modify its current strategies to become better aligned with the strategy of Apple. Many of Apple’s

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Rise Of The Middle Class - 1012 Words

For decades now, our political and economic policy have been constructed around one idea: that if taxes on the rich go up, job creation will go down. This idea has been the backbone of Republican trickle-down Reagan-economics and has been scarcely challenged by Democrats. America’s economy as well as the global economy as a whole are facing extreme income inequality and this idea has only widened the gap. Our political system has been flooded with the money of the rich through lobbyists or super PACs, who then are the ones receiving the tax cuts and are garnering political favors by doing so, effectively moving us farther from a free and fair democracy, but rather towards oligarchy. The middle class has been fading away due to stagnating†¦show more content†¦Hanauer begins his argument by comparing the fallacy on hand to another fallacy we once believed, which turned out to be dead wrong: â€Å"For thousands of years people were sure that earth was at the center of t he universe. It’s not and an astronomer who still believed it was, would do some lousy astronomy.† In doing this, Hanauer seeks to bring out the â€Å"duh!† response out of people and relate it back to the argument at hand. The argument being that if a policy maker who believed that the rich and businesses are â€Å"job creators† and therefore should not be taxed, would make policy equally as lousy. Although he incites the emotional response in the reader he also backs it up with facts and his experience as one of the plutocrats. He cites his experience as well as,going into some basic economic theory: â€Å"I have started or helped start, dozens of business and initially hired lots of people. But if no one could have afforded to buy what we had to sell, my businesses would have all failed and all those jobs would have evaporated.† He uses this to pivot to his next point, which is the main point of the argument: â€Å"That’s why I can say wi th confidence that rich people don’t create jobs, nor do businesses, large or small.† He backs it up with his theory, which is a basic economic principle of demand when broken down: â€Å"What does lead to more employment is a ‘circle of life’ like feedback loop between customers and business.† Not only is it not the rich who create

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Strategic Analysis of Woolworths Limited †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Strategic Analysis of Woolworths Limited. Answer: Introduction Strategic position can be understood as positioning of a company in future considering changing environment and systematic positioning realization (Abushova, Burova and Suloeva 2016). The objective of the paper is to conduct strategic position analysis of Woolworth Limited along with describing the financial conditions and strategic analysis of the company. Moreover, the report also intends to evaluate the ethics, values and social responsibilities of the company in order to recognize the issues faced by the company. Based on such issues certain recommended actions will be provided for improvement of Woolworths Limiteds financial and strategic position. This will also pose implications and certain suggestions for the future study. Company Background Woolworths Limited is positioned as an Australian based company that is involved in retail business operations. Business segments of the company includes Australian petrol and food segment, Endeavor drinks group, BIGW, New Zealand supermarkets and Hotels(Akbar and Ahsan 2014). The Australian petrol and food segment is involved in procurement petroleum and food products for resale to the Australian consumers. The New Zealand supermarket is centered on acquiring food and liquor products resale to the New Zealand consumers (Van Niekerk 2015). The hotel segment is involved with provision of a segment of hospitality and leisure services encompassing alcohol and food, entertainment, accommodation along with gaming within Australia. The brands of WoolworthsLimited encompass Dan Murphys, BWS and Woolworths. The New Zealand food segment is associated with acquiring along with resale of food and drinks to all its consumers. The company has its business operations in 84 countdown supermarkets a nd it is involved with wholesale operations (Amaldoss, Desai and Shin 2015). Analyzed Issues Financial Conditions of Woolworths While carrying out quantitative analysis of Woolworth Companys financial position, balance sheet along with profit and loss statement of the company facilitated in analyzing whether the performance has resulted in negative and positive loss/gain for the company (Balasubramanian, Bhattacharya and Krishnan 2015). The financial situation analysis of the company revealed that Woolworths Company is under-performing over the past financial year. This might be attributed within the slide in the first quarter sales all through the business as per the records of Australian stock exchange. From the financial condition investigation of the company, it is revealed that there are mixed results over a five-year duration. This might bring in some poor results in the financial year as losses are associated with Masters joint venture along with increased competition within the core liquor and food business initiating to take hold (Barney and Hesterly 2015). Poor financial performance of Woolworths Li mited resulted in drop of share price drastically from $27.87 to $23.60 just after four days. From the profit and loss statement analysis of the company it is gathered that the operating expenses decreased from 5% to 3% in the upcoming years. Unfortunately, because of the poor revenue figures in the year 2017, certain increased expenses cost although trending lower led to a soft EBIT figure of $3,350,000 (Bayne, Schepis and Purchase 2017). Values, Ethics and Social Responsibility Woolworths Limited is dealing with issues associated with its social responsibility strategies. Taking into account the food waste it is observed that their private standards along with in-store practices generates considerable food waste in stores (Cheng, Green and Ko 2014). The managers of the company are struggling to make sure that any surplus vegetables and fruits are disposed in the bin and is donated within food rescue companies. The company is also dealing with the concern of deforestation taking place from the high impact commodities for its own brand products that includes timber, palm oil, paper, pulp along with packaging. The company focuses on setting goals for decreasing its carbon emissions by 10% in the upcoming years (Das Nair and Dube 2017). The ethical audit indicated that the company is involved in unethical practices, child labor use and ingredients while a staff of the organization was all edged of taking kickbacks. From this scandal it is observed that Woolwort hsLimiteddid not comply with policies on work conditions, pay and corruption. It is also revealed that some of its suppliers was involved in the acts of corruption and bribery and was also involved in falsifying all its records and documents (Feigin 2016). Evaluation of Identified Issues Financial Conditions and Analysis In order to analyse the financial condition of Woolworths, the financial figures of the previous two years have been taken into consideration. The financial data of the last two years depict that the firm is improving its performance in terms of profitability, since the profit level of the organisation has increased from ($1,234.80) in 2016 to $1,533.50 in 2017 (Frederick Rose, Hawryszkiewycz and Kang 2014). On the other hand, the liquidity position of the business has not been able to match with the industrial average. This could be better illustrated with the help of quick ratio, which helps in evaluating the ability of a firm to meet current obligations with short-term asset base.From the financial condition investigation of the company, it is revealed that there are mixed results over a five-year duration that might bring in some poor results in the financial year as losses associated with Masters joint venture along with increased competition within the core liquor and food busi ness initiating to take hold (Hubbard, Rice and Galvin 2014). Particulars Details 2016 2017 Current assets A $7,227 $6,994.20 Inventories B $4,558.50 $4,080.40 Current liabilities C $8,992.70 $8,824.20 Quick ratio (A-B)/C 0.30 0.33 In this case, the ideal industrial standard is considered as 1 and the ratio is quite below the industrial average, which denotes that Woolworths is suffering from cash flow problems. Such issue might result in insolvency in future, which might reduce its debt paying capacity (Hubbard, Rice and Galvin 2014). If the organisation could not pay such debt, it would need to borrow money that would influence its profitability level. With such lower revenue, it would not be able to fetch higher returns to its investors due to fall in share price in the market. As a result, the investors might not be willing to invest in the shares of the organisation. However, it is to be borne in mind that their numerous revenue streams for Woolworths, which would help in ensuring consistency in cash flow (Johnston et al.2017). In addition, Woolworths is involved in operating retail stores, consumer electronics outlets and departmental stores, which are dependent mainly on cash sales. As a result, the organisation has a fixed source of cash flow flowing into the organisation. In addition, the organisation has financial priorities, as it acts on its portfolio for maximising the wealth of the shareholders. Furthermore, it has formulated a new strategy, in which it has planned to open 39 new supermarkets, which would raise its income and profit levels. With such higher growth, the organisation would be able to receive greater amount of dividend to its shareholders (Karmanov et al. 2016). However, if the stores could not work as per the planning, it might have adverse impact on the financial performance of the organisation. Ethics, Values and Social Responsibility It is of utmost significance for each organisation to assure ethics and values with its stakeholders for maintaining effective relationship with them. The values and ethics explain the primary framework within which all the firms are required to operate (Kilroy and Schneider 2017). Hence, it is significant for Woolworths Limited to assure ethics and values, which implies that it would follow the primary guidelines and business rules as well as of the society. Woolworths ensures ethics and values of its suppliers by undertaking efforts in enhancing the social and environmental practices with them. Due care is exercised in order to assure that it is involved in working regularly with the suppliers for increasing their satisfaction level. The intention is to obtain timely delivery of the raw materials. The firm is involved in providing clear and understandable directions to the purchasing staffs in order to encourage and motivate them (Morioka, Evans and de Carvalho 2016). In addition, it needs to maintain its brand level by ensuring that its actions do not influence its corporate reputation and image of its individual brands. Effective working conditions are provided to the staffs for safeguarding the basic human rights along with ensuring overall protection of the surrounding environment. The company is involved in functioning maturely the primary guidelines of the society. For assuring the continuing success of the business, it is significant to maintain the ethical and moral standards along with maintaining its reputation. Woolworths is involved in assuring labour right regulation where the workers are free to select the employment of their choice(Parkinson 2016). They are not compelled to work in the company; instead, they could leave the organisation at the time they wish. A reasonable notice is to be provided on the part of the staffs before they decide to leave the organisation. Along with this, the staffs could form trade unions and they could involve in collective bargaining with the management of the organisation over their problem areas. The employer openly accepts the trade union activities in the organisation (Thorlakson, Hainmueller and Lambin 2018). Along with this, the organisation maintains sustainability by maintaining effective ethical practices. It is a serious challenge for Woolworths to maintain the strong employee base present in Australia and New Zealand (Sewell, Mason and Venter 2017). In addition, the company is devoted in meeting the targets along with delivering quality products and services to its customers. Thus, it could be stated that Woolworths has maintained its social responsibility in an effective manner. Recommended Solutions Through observing the issues faced by Woolworths Limited regarding ethics, social responsibility and maintaining efficient financial position, certain effective recommendationsare provided to the company. From evaluation of financial and social responsibility strategy it is gathered that despite of the companys successful corporate strategy as the basis of its major operations, there are some major areas where the process is lacking. Certain effective recommendations are explained below: There must be a performance measurement along with control process existing within the sustainable growth strategy. A suitable performance evaluation at different stages alongwith regular feedback on performance might facilitate in decreasing gaps within the level along with efficient decision for addressing objectives. This must also consider actual attainment of such objectives. For maintaining effective social responsibility, the company is recommended to inform all its stakeholders regarding the strategy. In its financial planning the management must be properly communicated. This is for the reason that such information is simply grasped by the concernedparties and makes it simpler for the employees for contributing towards attainment of company strategy. Woolworths is provided with recommendations regarding increasing online sales aggressively to more than 20% of overall Australian sales through regular investment within innovative digital development. This is deemed to offer a highly connected retail experience to all the consumers. This also involves focusing on personalization and digital accessibility through improving mobile platform and target communications. The company is also recommended to increase its operational efficiencies along with savings associated with water, energy and waste. This must be made possible with increased focus on developing green stores along with integrating sustainability within its new office within Melbourne. Partnering with the suppliers to ensure positive ethical, social along with environment change beyond compliance. Woolworths Limited is recommended to design products with sustainability attributes and driving responsible sourcing strategies for all the major commodities that includes cellulose, cotton, leather, timber and wool. The company is also contusing to partner with major charity companies to make certain difference along with offering opportunities for the teams to be associated with supporting local communities. Woolworths must focus on implementing a hygiene, disposal along with recycling program in which they can re-use packaging for various purposes along with implementing hygiene for enhancing cleanliness within the surrounding. In return it can also enhance the companys public image along with generating high exposures due to a good cause. Future Study The current paper focused on analyzing the strategic position of Woolworths Company considering the financial situation analysis along with social responsibility evaluation of the company. Despite of having certain implications, the report did not cover evaluation of some factors for strategic position analysis of the company. Considering the same, the future study will focus on evaluating the industry and competitive evaluation along with analysis of diversities strategies (Tan and Carrillo 2017). This indicates that evaluation of multi business companies. The future study will also focus on corporate social responsibility that can describe a situation where an organization attains sustainable development not just in the economic dimension but also within environmental and social dimension. The paper will also reveal that the companys ethical policies that includes analysis of its commitment towards implementing and sustaining an efficient program of corporate social responsibility which includes social and environmental responsibilities. The future study will also recognize that success is not possible to be measured in consideration to growth and profit along with the ways in which Woolworths Community Group. This will be considered in the manner through which it is possible to decrease the environmental impact. It I also believed that associating the companys financial performance with non-financial segment that can increase value for the stakeholders and the members. Conclusion The objective of the paper is to conduct strategic position analysis of Woolworth Limited along with describing the financial conditions and analysis of the company. Based on such issues certain recommended actions will be provided for improvement of Woolworths Limiteds financial and strategic position. It is gathered from the paper that while carrying out quantitative analysis of Woolworth Companys financial position, balance sheet along with profit and loss statement of the company facilitated in analyzing whether the performance has resulted in negative and positive loss/gain for the company.For marinating effective social responsibility, the company is recommended to inform all its stakeholders regarding the strategy. References Abushova, E., Burova, E. and Suloeva, S., 2016. Strategic analysis in telecommunication project management system. InInternet of Things, Smart Spaces, and Next Generation Networks and Systems(pp. 76-84). Springer, Cham. Akbar, S. and Ahsan, K., 2014. Analysis of corporate social disclosure practices of Australian retail firms.International Journal of Managerial and Financial Accounting,6(4), pp.375-396. Amaldoss, W., Desai, P.S. and Shin, W., 2015. Keyword search advertising and first-page bid estimates: A strategic analysis.Management Science,61(3), pp.507-519. Balasubramanian, S., Bhattacharya, S. and Krishnan, V.V., 2015. Pricing information goods: A strategic analysis of the selling and pay-per-use mechanisms.Marketing Science,34(2), pp.218-234. Barney, J.B. and Hesterly, W., 2015.Strategic management and competitive advantage concepts and cases. Pearson. Bayne, L., Schepis, D. and Purchase, S., 2017. A framework for understanding strategic network performance: Exploring efficiency and effectiveness at the network level.Industrial Marketing Management,67, pp.134-147. Cheng, M.M., Green, W.J. and Ko, J.C.W., 2014. The impact of strategic relevance and assurance of sustainability indicators on investors' decisions.Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory,34(1), pp.131-162. Das Nair, R. and Dube, S.C., 2017. Growth and Strategies of Large, Lead Firms-Supermarkets. Feigin, L.M., 2016.The effects of protests and boycotts on a brand and its reputation: a case study on Woolworths and boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS)(Doctoral dissertation, The IIE). Frederick Rose, J., Hawryszkiewycz, I. and Kang, K., 2014. When and how to facilitate the introduction of new knowledge processes in organisations.VINE: The journal of information and knowledge management systems,44(2), pp.210-227. Hubbard, G., Rice, J. and Galvin, P., 2014.Strategic management. Pearson Australia. Johnston, R., Stafford, J., Pierce, H. and Daube, M., 2017. Alcohol promotions in Australian supermarket catalogues.Drug and alcohol review,36(4), pp.456-463. Karmanov, M.V., Korotkov, A.V., Gryzunova, N.V., Kiseleva, I.A. and Kuznetsov, V.I., 2016. The Strategic Analysis of Industry-Specific Competition and Environmental RisksAn Integrated Approach.International Journal of Environmental and Science Education. Kilroy, D. and Schneider, M., 2017. Valuing the Current Strategy. InCustomer Value, Shareholder Wealth, Community Wellbeing(pp. 109-141). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Morioka, S.N., Evans, S. and de Carvalho, M.M., 2016. Sustainable business model innovation: exploring evidences in sustainability reporting.Procedia CIRP,40, pp.659-667. Parkinson, M.M., 2016. Corporate governance during financial distressan empirical analysis.International Journal of Law and Management,58(5), pp.486-506. Sewell, W., Mason, R.B. and Venter, P., 2017. Socio-economic developmental strategies as retail performance indicators: A balanced scorecard approach.Development Southern Africa,34(3), pp.365-382. Tan, Y.R. and Carrillo, J.E., 2017. Strategic analysis of the agency model for digital goods.Production and Operations Management,26(4), pp.724-741. Thorlakson, T., Hainmueller, J. and Lambin, E.F., 2018. Improving environmental practices in agricultural supply chains: The role of company-led standards.Global Environmental Change,48, pp.32-42. Van Niekerk, E., 2015.Integrated reporting compliance with the Global Reporting Initiative framework: An analysis of the South African financial industry(Doctoral dissertation).