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

The Customer Satisfaction Model – Based on American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)

Marketing Management

Limitations of Break Even Analysis

To the management, the utility of break-even analysis lies in the fact that it presents a picture of the profit  structure  of a business firm. Break-even analysis not only highlights the areas of economic strength and weaknesses in the firm but also sharpens the focus on  certain  leverages which can be  operated  upon to enhance its profitability. Through break-even analysis, it is possible for the management to examine the profit structure of a business firm to the possible changes in business conditions. There are some important limitations of break-even analysis, which are to be kept in mind while using break-even analysis. These limitations are as follows: When break-even analysis is based on accounting data, it may suffer from various limitations, such as negligence towards imputed costs, arbitrary depreciation estimates and inappropriate allocation of overhead costs. Break-even analysis, therefore, can be sound and useful only if the firm in question maintains Continue reading

Abey Francis

Case Study on Business Ethics: Al Dunlap at Sunbeam

Early Days of Sunbeam Sunbeam was formed in 1897 as the Chicago Flexible Shaft Company. The company originally manufactured and sold agricultural tools. By 1910 the company introduced the iron as its first electrical home appliance. Later other appliances such as mixers, toasters and coffeemakers were introduced. Sunbeam came to be known as a recognized designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative consumer products aimed at improving lifestyle. In 1946, the company changed its name to Sunbeam Corporation. In 1960, Sunbeam acquired Oster which allowed Sunbeam to expand into other home products such as hair dryers and health and beauty appliances. The company later added electric blankets, mattresses, humidifiers, vaporizers and thermostats, among other innovations. Sunbeam soon became the leading manufacturer of electric appliances. The company survived the 1980’s as the US economy suffered, and many companies underwent acquisitions, restructuring, and closings. In 1981, Allegheny International acquired Sunbeam, and the company Continue reading

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Employee Separation Methods

Concept of  Employee Separation   An employee who works for an organization has to leave the organization one day or the other. Even in Japanese organizations, where there is life-time employment, separation is inevitable. Separation is the act of an employee leaving his organization because of any of the reasons viz., superannuation, turnover, transfer, dismissal, retrenchment, etc. A manager, who looks after the staffing function, has to adhere to the formalities, rules, terms, conditions, legal provisions, standing orders etc. in separating any person who works for the organization. While an unconfirmed employee must be given notice pay, a confirmed employee must be given compensation, gratuity, pension benefits etc. according to rules. Similarly, when an employee is not able to make the contribution expected of him, the organization would not be able to go on tolerating it. Hence, the need for separation arises. But the manager must be able to determine Continue reading

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Technological Discontinuity and Corporate Alliances

A technological discontinuity might be defined as a breakthrough innovations that advances by an order of magnitude the technological state-of-art, which characterize an industry. Technological discontinuities are based on new technologies whose technical limits are inherently greater than those of the previous dominant technology along economically relevant dimensions of merit. Organizations are now being managed through a period of discontinuity because of revolutionary technological changes causing what they called “creative destruction”: where existing methods are changed in favor of new and better methods. Each technological discontinuity brings about a technological cycle. Some discontinuous innovations are competence destroying, while others are competence enhancing. Competence enhancing is when a breakthrough pushes forward a new state by building on an existing knowledge, while competence destroying totally obsoletes the old technology and knowledge and replaces them with new products and brings about new learning curve. Usually competency-destroying discontinuities require new skills, abilities, and knowledge Continue reading

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Social Criticism of Advertising

Advertising is often criticized as a wasteful activity and an unnecessary evil. Its critics offer the following arguments to prove their contention. Multiplies the needs. Advertising multiplies the needs of the people by inducing them to buy even those things which are not required by them. Since an advertisement is continuously repeated, it creates a desire in the mind of the public to buy the advertised product. Makes the product more costly. The amount of money spent by an advertiser on his product’s advertisement is added to the distribution cost of the product. Thus, the customers have to pay more for the product advertised. Increase in demand at the cost of another manufacturer. Advertising does not always increase the demand of the product. When the demand is inelastic, advertising shifts demand from one producer to another. That means a large amount of money spent on advertising by the manufacturers goes Continue reading

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Downsizing – A Corporate Restructuring Strategy

Downsizing or layoff is a widespread strategic decision and change practice since 1970’s and during the economic downturn in the year 2016 it became a more common phenomenon. Changing patterns in reasons cited for job loss support this impression of the rising importance of restructurings. Differences in factors such as the state of the economy and the signal sent by job loss could make the process of downsizing and the effects of job loss differ between restructurings of healthy organizations and downsizing due to financial distress. Downsizing Approaches There are many kind of approaches in downsizing. The reasons for the firm to undertake such approaches also varies. They include restructuring, closing or selling of a business unit, cost reduction, cost savings, increased productivity through greater efficiency and effectiveness and coping with external pressure including recessions and economic downturn, economical change, increased competitive pressures through greater globalization of business and technological Continue reading

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