Competitive Strategies for Business

Competitive strategies are concerned with how a strategic business unit achieves competitive advantage in its domain of activity meanwhile competitive advantage is about how an strategic business units (SBU) creates value for its users both greater than the costs of supplying them and superior to that of rival SBUs. An SBU can have lower costs than its competitors or it can have products or services that are so exceptionally valuable to customers that it can charge higher prices than competitors. There are two basic criteria that can help in identifying appropriate SBUs: Market-based criteria and Capabilities-based criteria. For Market-based criteria, if the parts of an organization are targeting same types of customers through the same sorts of channels and facing similar competitors, they might he regarded as the same SBU. As for Capabilities-based criteria, if they have similar strategic capabilities then the parts of an organization should only be regarded Continue reading

The National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE)

The National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) was set up by leading institutions to provide a modern, fully automated screen-based trading system with national reach. The Exchange has brought about unparalleled transparency, speed & efficiency, safety and market integrity. It has set up facilities that serve as a model for the securities industry in terms of systems, practices and procedures. The National Stock Exchange of India Limited has played a catalytic role in reforming the Indian securities market in terms of micro-structure, market practices and trading volumes. The market today uses state-of-art information technology to provide an efficient and transparent trading, clearing and settlement mechanism, and has witnessed several innovations in products & services viz. demutualisation of stock exchange governance, screen based trading, compression of settlement cycles, dematerialisation and electronic transfer of securities, securities lending and   borrowing, professionalization of trading members, fine-tuned risk management systems, emergence of clearing Continue reading

Corporate Branding Case Study: ‘Power of Dreams’ Campaign by Honda

In 2002 Honda Motor Company was the number-three Japanese automobile manufacturer in the world, behind Toyota and Nissan. While Honda’s automobile sales in Japan and the United States were considered strong, sales in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe were thought to be weak, even though automobile production in the United Kingdom had been ongoing for a decade. Further, Honda vehicle sales had been declining in these regions since 1998. In response to these problems Honda hired ad agency Wieden+Kennedy London office to create an advertising campaign that would directly address the issues. ‘‘The Power of Dreams,’’ released in 2002, was an omnipresent campaign in the United Kingdom and beyond, using television, direct mail, radio, posters, press, interactive television, cinema, magazines, motor shows, press launches, dealerships, postcards, beermats (coasters), and even traffic cones. It built upon Honda’s company slogan, ‘‘Yume No Chikara,’’ which was first endorsed in the 1940s by Continue reading

Definition of Budgetary Control

Budgetary control is the  process of  determining  various  budgeted figures  for  the enterprise for the future period and then comparing the budgeted figures with the actual  performance  for calculating  variances, if  any.  It is a continuous process, which helps in planning and coordination. It  provides a method of control too. The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants, England defines budgetary control as “the establishment of budgets relating to the responsibilities of executives to the requirements of a policy, and the continuous comparison of actual with budgeted results, either to secure by individual action the objective of that policy or to provide a basis for its revision”. According to J.A.Scott, “it is the system of management control and accounting in which all operations are forecast and so far as possible planned ahead and the actual results compared with the forecast and planned ones”. Thus, budgetary control involves the following: Establishment of Continue reading

Leader’s Role in Being a Catalyst for Organization Change

It takes considerable amount of effort and time to set up an organization and get into particular mode of operation. In order to sustain and continuously climb up the ladder of growth, companies need to be lean, flexible and ready to change constantly to implement new processes, introduce or close down particular product lines, incorporate faster technologies, make strategic shifts and decisions thus stimulating creativity, learning, diversity and growth. While the change is inevitable and its need being clearly understood, resistance and adverse affects are also likely to emerge. The important factor in execution of a successful change is that it should be properly planned/ focused along with a high degree of commitment Leadership. A Leader for any organization can be identified as a Spark plug who, because of high energy, good communication and motivational skills, and a can-do attitude, helps realizing important objectives. The leader is the catalyst that Continue reading

Employee Responses to Job Dissatisfaction

Employee can express job dissatisfaction in a number of ways. For example, rather than quit, employees can complain, be insubordinate, steal organizational property, or shirk a part of their work responsibilities. Following figure offers four responses to  job dissatisfaction that differ from one another along two dimensions: constructive/destructive and active/passive. They are defined as follows: Exit: Behavior directed toward leaving the organization, including looking for a new position as well as resigning. Voice: Actively and constructively attempting to improve conditions, including suggesting improvements, discussing problems with superiors, and some forms of union activity. Loyalty: Passively but optimistically waiting for conditions to improve, including speaking up for the organization in the face of external criticism and trusting the organization and its management to “do the right thing”. Neglect: Passively allowing conditions to worsen, including chronic absenteeism or lateness, reduced effort, and increased error rate. Exit and neglect behaviors encompass our performance Continue reading