A merger, which results in meeting the test of increasing the wealth of the shareholders, is said to contain synergistic properties. Synergy is the increase in value of the firm combining two firms into one entity i.e., it is the difference value between the combined firm and the sum of the value of the individual firms. There may be various sources for this extra value arise i.e., the increase in wealth of the shareholders as a result of merger. The key to the existence of synergy is that the target firm controls a specialized resource that becomes more valuable when combined with the bidding firm’s resources. The sources of synergy of specialized resources will vary depending upon the merger. In case of horizontal merger, the synergy comes from some form of economies of scale, which reduce costs, or from increased market power, which increases profit margins and sales. There are Continue reading
Business Strategies
Business Level or Generic or Competitive Strategies
Business level strategies are popularly known as generic or competitive strategies. Business level strategies are intended to create differences between the firm’s position relative to those of its rivals. To position itself, the firm must decide whether it intends to perform activities differently or to perform different activities as compared to its rivals. Michael Porter classified these strategies into overall cost leadership, differentiation and focus. The first two strategies are broader in concept as their competitive scope is wide enough whereas the third strategy i.e the focus strategy has a narrower competitive scope. The experience curve: Cost has been correlated with the accumulated experience by the experience curve. The underlying principle behind the experience curve is that as total quantity of production of a standardized item is increased, its unit manufacturing cost decreases in a systematic manner. The concept of the experience curve was presented by BCG in 1966 Continue reading
Role of Mission Statements in Guiding Marketing Planning
It is vital that a marketing plan has a mission statement that states the purpose of the marketing plan, and explaining why a person is in a business. Both personal and business goals should be included in the mission statement. Although the mission statement is usually a short paragraph, of one to three sentences long, but it is important because it focuses a company’s attention on the company’s most important goal. The mission statement will review company’s business goals and objectives and identify marketing strategies that will achieve them. The managers and employees who do not understand their organizations goals and objectives will face a significant challenge and have a higher likelihood will not achieve it. Without a clear understanding, managers and employees might be making a decisions without the benefit of the guidance that provided by the organizations goals and objectives. Many of them will get lost along the Continue reading
Effects of Innovative Culture on Organizations
Growth creates a need for structure and discipline, organisation changes which can strain the culture of creativity that is so vital to future success. To sustain competitive advantage, companies need to institutionalize the innovation process; they need to create an internal environment where creative thinking is central to their values, assumptions and actions. Management changes and management generally is about implementation. When the managers of an enterprise feel pressured, the fear-driven response is generally to implement better and which generally results doing more of the same only quicker or cheaper. While this is great for doing more of the same, it is still the same and meanwhile everything else is changing — customer’s needs, technology, society, macroeconomics and geopolitics are all changing. Innovation is the engine of growth. It is also a mindset — meaning it is influenced by beliefs, values, and behavior. Company culture therefore has a huge influence Continue reading
Case Study of KFC: Establishment of a Successful Global Business Model
By mid 1950s, fast food franchising was still in its infancy when Harland Sanders began his cross-country travels to market “Colonel Sanders’ Recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken.” He had developed a secret chicken recipe with eleven herbs and spices. By 1963, the number of KFC franchises had crossed 300. Colonel Sanders, at 74 years of age was tired of running the daily operations and sold the business in 1964 to two Louisville businessmen — Jack Massey and John Young Brown, Jr. — for $2 million. Brown, who later became the governor of Kentucky, was named president, and Massey was named chairman. Colonel Sanders stayed in a public relations capacity. In 1966, Massey and Brown made KFC public, and the company was enlisted on New York Stock Exchange. During late 1960s, Massey and Brown turned their attention to international markets and signed a joint venture with Mitsuoishi Shoji Kaisha Ltd. in Japan. Continue reading
Case Study: Causes of the Recent Decline of Tesla
Tesla is a pioneering company that was founded in 2003 by a group of innovative and driven engineers. For years electric cars had a stigma for being worse than traditional gas-powered vehicles. The general public believed that a high-quality electric car could not exist. This is where Tesla stepped in, the firm quickly went to work crafting a high-end electric car and released the revolutionary Roadster sports car. The Roadster was considered a major feat because it could travel very far on a single charge unlike many other electric cars. The Roadster was a very physically attractive car that helped make the idea of riding around in an electric sports car seem like a sleek and cool thing. The Roadster served as Tesla’s coming out party and launched the company to major fame as people began to take notice. Tesla’s next mission was creating the Model S. The Model S Continue reading