Business Environment Concept – Meaning, Definition, Features and Importance

All living creatures including human beings live within an environment. Apart from the natural environment, environment of humans include family, friends peers and neighbors. It also includes man-made structures such as buildings, furniture, roads and other physical infrastructure. The individuals do not live in a vacuum. They continuously interact with their environment to live their lives. Just like human beings, business also does not function in an isolated vacuum. Businesses function within a whole gambit of relevant environment and have to negotiate their way through it. The extent to which the business thrives depends on the manner in which it interacts with its environment. A business, which continually remains passive to the relevant changes in the environment, is destined to gradually fade-away in oblivion. To be successful business has  not only recognize different elements of the environment but also respect, adapt to or have to manage and influence them. The Continue reading

Cost Accounting – Definition, Objectives, Scope and Limitations

DEFINITION OF COST ACCOUNTING An accounting system is to make available necessary and accurate information for all those who are interested in the welfare of the organization. The requirements of majority of them are satisfied by means of financial accounting. However, the management requires far more detailed information than what the conventional financial accounting can offer. The focus of the management lies not in the past but on the future. For a businessman who manufactures goods or renders services, cost accounting is a useful tool. It was developed on account of limitations of financial accounting and is the extension of financial accounting. The advent of factory system gave an impetus to the development of cost accounting. Cost Accounting is a method of accounting for cost. The process of recording and accounting for all the elements of cost is called cost accounting. The Institute of Cost and Works Accountants, London defines Continue reading

Concept of National Innovation Systems

There is no widely agreed definition of national innovation systems. National innovation systems are built on the assumption that understanding the interconnectedness of the actors engaged in innovation is crucial to enhancing technical performance. Innovation and technological advancement are the outcomes of a multifaceted network of connections between actors who produce, transmit, and consume various types of knowledge. The manners in which these actors interrelate with one another as components of a social system of knowledge consumption and generation, and also the technology they employ, have a significant influence on a country’s creative performance. The most prevalent actors are public research institutions, universities, and commercial enterprises, as well as the individuals who work for them. Equipment acquisitions, cross-patenting, personnel exchanges, joint research, and a number of other methods can be used to establish links. The analysis of national innovation systems emphasis on knowledge flows. The focus of analysis is increasingly Continue reading

Theories of Capital Structure

In practice it is difficult to specify an optional capital structure-indeed, managers even feels uncomfortable about specifying an optional capital structure range. Thus, financial managers worry primarily about whether their firms are using too little or too much debt, not about the precise optimal amount of debt. Even if a firm’s actual capital structure varies widely from the theoretical optimum, this capital structure decisions are secondary in importance to operating decisions, especially those relating to capital budgeting and the strategic direction of the firm. Different kinds of theories have been propounded by different authors to explain the relationship between capital structures. The four important theories of capital structure  are: 1. Net Income Approach: According to this approach, a firm can minimize the weighted average cost of capital and increase the value of the firm as well as market price of equity shares by using debt financing to the maximum possible Continue reading

Case Study of Nestle: Training and Development

Nestle is world’s leading food company, with a 135-year history and operations in virtually every country in the world. Nestle’s principal assets are not office buildings, factories, or even brands. Rather, it is the fact that they are a global organization comprised of many nationalities, religions, and ethnic backgrounds all working together in one single unifying corporate culture. Culture at Nestle and Human Resources Policy Nestle culture unifies people on all continents. The most important parts of Nestle’s business strategy and culture are the development of human capacity in each country where they operate. Learning is an integral part of Nestle’s culture. This is firmly stated in The Nestle Human Resources Policy, a totally new policy that encompasses the guidelines that constitute a sound basis for efficient and effective human resource management. People development is the driving force of the policy, which includes clear principles on non-discrimination, the right of Continue reading

Analysis of Porter’s Diamond Model of National Advantage

Michael Porter introduced the diamond model of national competitive advantage (1990) to explain why a number of countries are more competitive than others and why a number of businesses within the countries are more competitive. Porter’s Diamond Model proposes that the national home base of an industry plays an important role in achieving an advantage on a universal scale. This home base contributes the essential factors that will support the organisations in building advantages in global competition. Porter identified four determinants in attaining a national competitive advantage he concludes that a combination of the four determinants within a nation has an enormous influence on the competitive strength of the firms located there. Porter argues that competitive industries take the form of specialized clusters of home based firms. Clusters are correlated through vertical relations such as buyers integrating with suppliers or through horizontal relations through customers, technology, skills, distribution channels etc. Continue reading