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

Rumours in Business Organizations

Business Communication

Safety Stock Analysis in Inventory Management

In real life situations one rarely comes across inventory lead times and usage rates that are known with certainty. When usage rate and/or lead time vary, then the reorder level should naturally be at a level high enough to cater to the production needs during the procurement period and also to provide some measures of safety for at least partially neutralizing the degree of uncertainty. The question will naturally arise as to the magnitude of safety stock. There is no specific answer to this question. However, it depends, inter alia, upon the degree of uncertainty surrounding the usage rate and lead time. It is possible to a certain extent to quantify the values that usage rate and lead time can take along with the corresponding chances of occurrence, known as probabilities. These probabilities can be ascertained based on previous experiences and/or the judgemental ability of astute executives. Based on the Continue reading

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Conditions for Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Competitive advantage occurs when a firm is using a strategy that is currently not being currently implemented by any of its present and potential competitors. Sustainable competitive advantage continues to exist after the efforts by competitors to copy that advantage continues to exist after the efforts by competitors to copy that competitive advantage have ceased. That means, the inability of competitors to copy the strategy makes for a sustainable competitive advantage. Achieving sustainable competitive advantage is critical for companies since it is the only way to be successful in business. With a sustainable competitive advantage, businesses may expect higher employee retention, higher product margins, more sales and a stronger focus on the company as compared to their competitors. It is difficult to sustain a significant competitive advantage over a time without periodically revisiting the firm’s identity and purpose. For instance, reducing costs is not a true strategy because it simply provides Continue reading

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Interest Rate Parity (IRP) Theory of Exchange Rate

When Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) Theory applies to product markets,  Interest Rate Parity (IRP) condition applies to financial markets.  Interest Rate Parity (IRP) theory postulates that the forward rate differential in the exchange rate of two currencies would equal the interest rate differential between the two countries. Thus it holds that the forward premium or discount for one currency relative to another should be equal to the ratio of nominal interest rate on securities of equal risk (and duration) denominated in two currencies. For example, where the interest rate in India and US are respectively 10% and 6% and the dollar-rupees spot exchange rate is Rs.42.50/US $. The 90 day forward exchange rate would be calculated as per IRP as follows: = 42.50   (1+0.10/4)/(1+0.06/4) = Rs.42.9250 And hence, the forward rate differential [forward premium (p)] will be; (42.9250 — 42.50)/42.50 = 1% And the interest rate differential will be; Continue reading

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Individual Privacy – A Right Masked as Luxury

Personal privacy is a concept not foreign to most, if not all individuals. Whether it is to keep certain details about themselves private or to stray away from the societal obligations tied to themselves, individuals tend to isolate themselves to prevent things close to them from becoming public. Though in the last twenty years, information technology has essentially erased the barrier dividing what personal and private information should be. Large tech companies have imposed a risk on individuals’ privacy with the way personal information is handled and distributed within those companies. Companies such as Google and Facebook constantly track an individual’s behaviours online and use their data in immoral ways that most individuals are not aware of. Google is notorious for this, and even explicitly states in their terms of service that their “…automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized Continue reading

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Advertising – Definition, Objectives and Importance

Definition and Meaning of Advertising The word advertising originates from a Latin word advertise, which means to turn to. The dictionary meaning of the term is “to give public notice or to announce publicly”. Advertising may be defined as the process of buying sponsor-identified media space or time in order to promote a product or an idea. The American Marketing Association, has defined advertising as “any form of non-personal presentation or promotion of ideas, goods or services, by an identified sponsor.” What Advertisement Is? Advertisement is the process of mass communicating of information intended to persuade buyers to by products with a view to maximizing a company’s profits. The elements of advertising are: It is a mass communication reaching a large group of consumers. It makes mass production possible. It is non-personal communication, for it is not delivered by an actual person, nor is it addressed to a specific person. It Continue reading

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Global Market Entry and Exit Strategies

Each company has a specific strategy may be selected to suit a company’s needs. Many companies use a combination of global and national strategies. Some firms use a global strategy elsewhere some countries and some products are more receptive to global strategies than others. Global strategies are directed at those national product markets that are large and have low barriers to foreign products and companies. They are also likely to compromise the center of world demand, particularly in the newer, more technologically intensive product. Companies adapting global strategies are not likely to target seriously countries with high barriers and small national product markets. However given the long term trend in declining trade barriers coupled with the economic growth, more companies will adopt global strategies. Global Market Entry Strategies Strategy is planning through companies achieve their goals and move forward. A company makes a decision to enter an international market, this Continue reading

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