Case Study on Entrepreneurship: Larry Page

Business Analysis

The Boundaryless Career: Modern Contemperory Perspective on Career

Human Resource Management

Concepts of Throughput Accounting and Theory of Constraints

Financial Management

Kaizen – Understanding the Japanese Business Philosophy of Continuous Improvement

Operations Management

Role of Leaders in Shaping Organizational Culture

Management Principles

Marketing Mix – 4 P’s of Marketing Mix

Concept of Marketing Mix Marketing mix is one of the major concepts in modern marketing. It is the combination of various elements which constitutes the company’s marketing system. It is the set of controllable marketing variables that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. Though there are many basic marketing variables, four factors are most important, called the four P’s of Marketing Mix: Product, Price, Place and Promotion.  However, in recent times, the ‘four P’s’ have been expanded to the ‘seven P’s’ with the addition of process, physical evidence and people. The “Four P’s”, which are still regarded by many theorists as the main ingredients in the Marketing Mix, were introduced by McCarthy. Dividing the multitude of marketing variables or mix into four distinct categories makes it much easier to formulate a marketing strategy. The four categories are (1) product, (2) place, (3) price, Continue reading

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Concepts of Compensation and Compensation Management

Concept of Compensation The literal meaning of compensation is to counter-balance. In the case of  human resource management, compensation is referred to as money and other  benefits received by an employee for providing services to his employer. Money  and benefits received may be in different forms-base compensation in money  form and various benefits, which may be associated with employee’s service to  the employer like provident fund, gratuity, insurance scheme and any other  payment which the employee receives or benefits he enjoys in lieu of such  payment. Cascio has defined compensation as follows: “Compensation includes direct cash payments, indirect payments in the  form of employee benefits and incentives to motivate employees to strive  for higher levels of productivity” Based on above description of compensation, we may identify its various  components as follows: Wage and Salary: Wage and salary are the most important component of  compensation and these are essential irrespective of Continue reading

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How Does International Business Differ From Domestic Business?

It is almost commonplace today to find businesses venturing into international markets. Thanks to advancements in communication and information technology, this trend will most certainly persist for the predictable future. The most domestic organization’s when considering expansion will usually look outside their geographical location. This usually means looking at opportunities in international markets. It is believed that managing and running a domestic business is less complex than undertaking international business for a number of reasons. Nation-states typically have unique laws governing trade and investment, variations in business ethics and culture, different political systems, monetary policies, currencies, and so on. And these are all possible factors that could make international business more complicated and therefore, riskier than doing business at home. In discussing the differences between international business and domestic business, it will make sense to discuss issues involved in doing business internationally that will not otherwise be present or prove Continue reading

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Event Management – A Modern Strategic Marketing Tool

Event marketing is a promotional strategy linking a firm to an event, sponsorship of a sports competition, festival, etc. It is an attempt to coordinate communications around a self-created or sponsored event. The event is an activity that gathers the target group in time in a room, a meeting where a message is communicated and a happening is created. Thus, we can say that event marketing plays a major role in the promotional strategy of firms. With the ever rising promotional costs associated with the traditional channels of corporate communications, with customers’ attention being diverted by many channels and modes of communication, the rising importance of experiential marketing and the ability of events to have a better face-to-face interaction with the target group of customers are promoting many firms to increasingly depend on event marketing for better results. Events like tradeshows, exhibitions, executive meets, road-shows, corporate-customer meets, dealer meets, etc., Continue reading

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Durability of Competitive Advantage

Durability of competitive advantage  determines how long the competitive advantage can be sustained and is considered in terms of the ability of competitors to imitate through gaining access to the resources on which the competitive advantage is built. The key to investing is not assessing how much an industry is going to affect society, or how much it will grow, but rather determining the competitive advantage of any given company and, above all, the durability of that advantage. The products or services that have wide, sustainable moats around them are the ones that deliver rewards to investors. —Warren Buffett (1999) The durability of competitive advantage of a company is a function of three factors: the height of barriers to imitation, the capability of competitors, and the general dynamism of the industry environment. 1. Barriers to Imitation Barriers to imitation are factors that make it difficult for a competitor to copy Continue reading

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Financial Derivative Types: Options – Definition, Types and Benefits

In the volatile environment, risk of heavy fluctuations in the prices assets is very heavy. Option is yet another tool to manage such risks. As the very name implies, an option contract gives the buyer an option to buy or sell an underlying asset (stock, bond, currency, commodity etc.) at a predetermined price on or before a specified date in future. The price so predetermined is called the ‘strike price’ or ‘exercise price’. Option is a contract that provides a right but does not impose any obligation to buy or sell a financial instrument, say a share or security. It can be exercised by the owner. Option offers the buyer, profits from favorable movement of prices say of shares or foreign exchange. Writer: In an options contract, the seller is usually referred to as a “writer” since he is said to write the contract. It is similar to the seller Continue reading

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