Howard Schultz built Starbucks into one of the most successful companies in the United States. Indeed, Starbucks has joined such other iconic American corporations as Disney and McDonald’s in spreading its brand across the globe. Indeed, Schultz has come to symbolize a new breed of high successful entrepreneurs. His 2000 memoir, Pour Your Heart into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time, became an instant best-seller. People can be forgiven if they believe Schultz was the company’s founder, but this is not the case. Starbucks, in fact, was founded in 1971. It was already a thriving, albeit small, coffee bean market in Seattle’s Pike Place Market when Schultz first dropped in. At the time, he was selling kitchenware for a Swedish manufacturer. It was, he claims, love at first smell. In 1982, he moved to Seattle and joined the company as director of retail operations. A visit Continue reading
Management Case Studies
Management case studies are real-life examples of issues and problems found in particular workplaces or business organisations. Case study assignments give the opportunity to relate theoretical concepts to practical situations. Most case studies are written in such a way that the reader takes the place of the manager whose responsibility is to make decisions to help solve the problem. In almost all case studies, a decision must be made, although that decision might be to leave the situation as it is and do nothing.
Case Study: Bossard Company’s Digital Transformation
Bossard is a hardware international conglomerate that specializes in the development of fastening technology and devices. It also uses a wide variety of smart and sensor technology to achieve a competitive advantage. It plans to utilize “smart factory” logistics and verge into various new sectors or initiatives where their innovative approach may be useful. Bossard Company’s Business Model Originally, Bossard was founded as a family-owned hardware store in Switzerland. It sold various small hardware and fastening products which consist of bolts, screws, rivets, and nuts. It then expanded to a regional, national, and international level in the $72 billion global fastening industry. It has continued to expand and experience profit with a 15% increase in sales year over year. It has over 70 service locations, 35 logistics centers, and 10 applications engineering laboratories. Bossard went from serving local individual consumers and regional businesses to cooperation with international industrial companies. It Continue reading
Case Study: The Lego Group and Its Sacred Cows
The ability to adapt to the changing environment, customer demands, and market forces is vital to the success of a business. The mindset and practices that have propelled a company to success are not necessarily the ones that would help stay successful in the future. It is often advisable to discard the elements that drag the company down, even if they have been a part of it for half a century. These elements can be regarded as metaphorical sacred cows, which are expected to be exempt from any form of metaphorical animal cruelty. This irrational reverence can make a business go bankrupt before giving up on the familiar but obsolete practices. That exact fate almost befell LEGO, one of the most recognizable toy manufacturers in the world. Only through cutting the unnecessary ideas and changing the litigious mindset could the company save itself from the brink of ruin. Case Background Continue reading
Case Study on Green Marketing: Ecoalf’s Inspiring Business Model
In today’s world, many companies are involved in activities aimed at addressing relevant environmental issues as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. However, some ventures conduct their businesses while using solely green marketing as a mechanism to operate by reducing numerous negative impacts on the environment. One of the factors affecting the sustainability of fashion brands negatively is competition. Some businesses in this sector use radically distinctive development models, which allows them to keep the intermittent interest of the target market. However, without having a reputable history, this is difficult for companies to overcome the competitive barrier. As a result, high competition in such an environment affects the sustainability of brands and can often be an obstacle. The inability to withstand pressure from rivals, in turn, is directly associated with falling profits and, consequently, financial challenges. One of the trends in the fashion industry is the focus on environmental Continue reading
Case Study: IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Adoption by Disney
The Walt Disney Company is an internationally famous corporation that operates in the domains of media and entertainment. Having grown from a small cartoon studio, the company now operates in more than 40 countries around the world and includes such major departments as studios, parks, and experiences, and consumer products. The division of Theme Parks and Resorts is one of the busiest branches of the corporation, with 13 parks, over 40 resorts, and more than 118 million visitors each year. To succeed in such an environment, the Disney company adopted the best practices of IT service management as outlined in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Informational Technology Infrastructure Library or ITIL is a group of practices designed to align IT services with the goals and vision of the business. It was originally developed in the 1980s and since then received regular revisions to suit the changes in technology and Continue reading
Case Study of McCain Foods: Dominating the Frozen Food Industry with Business Expansion
McCain Foods Limited was established in 1957 in Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada. The McCain brothers identified the need for frozen food in Canada and they decided to come up with a company that would satisfy this need. Andrew McCain discovered that there was a vast market for potatoes across the globe. Therefore, he established McCain Produce Company with an aim of exporting seed potatoes. Later, his sons came up with an idea to establish a business that dealt with frozen foods. The company started by hiring thirty employees, and during the first year, it made sales worth $152,678. Today, McCain Food Limited is one of the multinational companies that deal with frozen foods. The company’s operation is so massive that it processes one million pounds of potato products each hour and sells one-third of the world’s frozen french fries products in over 110 countries. Moreover, the company offers jobs to thousands Continue reading