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

Organizational Culture – Development and Importance

Management Principles

Five Important Organizational Cultural Models

Management Principles

Customer Spotting Techniques in Retail

Customer spotting techniques include several methods by which the retailer attempts to “spot” customer origins on a map. By carefully observing me magnitude and arrangement of these origins the retailer can identify the dimensions of the trading area. Retailers normally define customer  origins  by home addresses, although customers place of employment are also important. Some of the more common customer  spotting techniques include surveys of customers’ license plates, customer surveys, analysis of customer records and studies of customer activities. License Plate Surveys. By recording the license plate numbers of automobiles in the store’s parking area, retailers can obtain customer home addresses. Sampling normally includes the checking of licence plates at different times of the day, different days of the week and different weeks of the month to ensure a representative sample. The major advantage of this technique is it is relatively in expensive method. However, the advantages are; (1) It Continue reading

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Industrial Buying Behavior Models

The buying decisions of industrial buyers are influenced by many factors. Usually, these are influenced by organisational factors or task-oriented  objectives viz. best product quality, or dependable delivery, or lowest price and  personal factors or non-task objectives viz. like promotion, increments, job  security, personal treatment, or  favor.   When the suppliers proposals are  substantially similar, organizational buyers can satisfy organisational objectives  with any supplier, and therefore personal factors become more important. When  suppliers offers differ significantly, industrial buyers pay more attention to  organisational factors in order to satisfy the organisational objectives. There are  two models available to provide a comprehensive and integrated picture of the  major factors that combine to explain organisational buying  behavior. These  are: The Webster and Wind Model The Webster and Wind Model of organisational buying  behavior  is quite a  comprehensive model. It considers four sets of variables:  environmental, organizational, buying center, and individual, which, affect the Continue reading

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Porter’s Five Forces Analysis of Dell Computers

In 1984, Michael Dell had a vision for personal computing, a vision that customers could buy customized computers direct from their home. That vision would soon be emulated, but never at the same level as Dell. The industry is more than just personal computers; it includes servers, data storage devices, networking switches, printers and printer cartridges, and services as well.  Dell has been able to remain innovative in their approach to building computers. They proved throughout their years of existence that providing differentiated, customizable computers with exceptional customer service at reasonable prices is possible. During the early years, Dell was able to undercut the competition by substantial margins. When they developed their strategic plans to sell computers internationally, they were quickly able to capture some of the market share once held by super-giant IBM. As a result, in 2007 International sales accounted for over 41% of Dell’s sales. To expand Continue reading

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The Causes and Effects of Unemployment

The term unemployment is used to describe anyone who is able to work, but doesn’t have an occupation. Unemployment is one of the most common and chronic problems worldwide. It is a concern for individuals as well as global communities. Unemployment is expressed as percentage of the total available work force that is unemployed, but actively seeking employment and willing to work which is known as the unemployment rate. Basically there are five types of unemployment: frictional unemployment, cyclical unemployment, structural unemployment, real wage or classical unemployment, and seasonal unemployment. The level of unemployment varies with economic conditions and other circumstances. The causes of unemployment include increased population, rapid technological change, lack of education or skills and rising cost lead to financial, social and psychological problems. There are four main causes of unemployment. Firstly, the increased population which leads to higher unemployment rates. As the number of people who are Continue reading

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Place Component of the Global Marketing Mix

The American Marketing Association defines channel of distribution as “An organized network of agencies and institutions, which in combination, perform all the activities required to link producers with users to accomplish the marketing task.” Distribution is the physical flow of goods through channels; as suggested by the definition, channels are comprised of a coordinated group of individuals or firms that performs functions adding utility to a product or service. The major types of channel utility are: Place (the availability of a product or service in a location that is convenient to a potential customer); Time (the availability of a product or service when desired by a customer); Form (the product is processed, prepared and ready to use, and in proper condition); and Information (answers to questions and general communication about useful product features and benefits are available). Since these utilities can be a basic source of competitive advantage and product Continue reading

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Factors That Affect Currency Values

To date, there is no exchange rate model that can predict future currency prices with 100% accuracy. In rapidly growing global foreign exchange markets, currency movements become harder to predict as more participants enter the market on a daily basis, bringing with them all their research opinions, emotions, and expectations about where currencies should be headed. Currency movements in the short term can be influenced by publicly available information like the release of the country’s gross domestic product data, the consumer price index, or employment data. The following publicly available information can have immediate impact on currency movements: Local economic data releases and the anticipation of those releases. Economic data releases in foreign countries, especially of major trading partners, and the anticipation of those releases. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve or the European Central Bank, raising or lowering interest rates. Central banks making public their thoughts on Continue reading

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