Competitive Edge Case Studies Samples For Students

Summary of the Analysis

The mission statement of the company is efficient because it states what Amazon is, what it does, and why it exists, which are critical features. It also provides a guideline for the pricing strategy of the corporation; for instance, its choice to offer the lowest prices for quality products makes it very attractive to online shoppers. The firm formulates and implements its grand strategies, such as pricing, integration, diversification, location, and pricing based on its vision and mission statements. The SWOT analysis reveals that it has significant strengths that give it a competitive edge over its competitors. It also ...

Introduction

Throughout their business operations, Philips (Netherlands) and Matsushita Electric (Japan) had implemented two different business strategies and operated with different organizational structure and competencies. Philips became successful with the development of international portfolio of national organizations whereas Matsushita Electric focused on centralized and highly efficient operations in Japan. In 21st century, both the companies have faced severe challenges to their competitive and established position in the market. Hence, in order to implement the strategic initiatives and to restructure the organization, the top management of both the companies took their organizations in different directions. It is imperative to analyze how ...

What are strengths and weaknesses of whole foods?

Whole Foods Market inc. has various strengths that continuously stamp its authority as a market leader in retail of natural and organic food items. It also has weaknesses that have made it susceptible to competition and comparative disadvantage in the global market. The company, nevertheless, has taken to its stride to capitalize on its strengths and mitigate on its weaknesses in order to retain its competitive edge in the global market.

Strengths

The company has several strengths that explain why it has enjoyed the position of market leader for years in the food industry. The first strength is noted to be ...

The decrease in the number of customers of Rest assured stores calls for attention with respect to the sales volumes which affects the general profitability and productivity of this company. The decline in the number of customers have led to a decrease in its sales turnover thereby affecting the profitability levels of the business. This business therefore needs several measures and strategies in order to improve the profitability levels through retention of customers as well as attracting the prospective customers. The strategies to be adopted by this business should ensure that the welfare of the business is improved in order ...

The business organization under analysis in this case is Mueller-Lemhmkuhl that is involved in production and sale of apparel fasteners and it is located in Germany, Europe. The company has operations on the international front though it is faced with multiple challenges that inhibit is profitability and market dominance. The cost accounting model used has flaws and impinges on pricing of fasteners leading to reduced earnings due to intense competition from rivals. The President of the company, Dr. Richard Welkers attested that HI, a Japanese firm poses a great challenge to Mueller- Lemhmkuhl due to their price wars, as they price ...

With more than 500 stores in at least 37 states and eight countries, Costco has continued to dominate the retail industry in America. Northouse (2015) noted that Costco’s competitive advantage in US retail industry can be explained by three key performance determinants in the flexible leadership theory: efficiency, adaptation, as well as human capital. In light of the company’s success in the retail industry, this paper provides a discussion on three key determinants in the flexible leadership theory and give an explanation of how the company can offer higher compensation to its workforce and still show success ...

The document will analyze financial positioning of ClineKinds Inc that has proposed a loan of its future operation. The goal set for the purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the financial information of the chosen company in order to have in-depth understanding about the company’s positioning. It is also due to identification of the company’s performance are eligible to acquire further loans for its future operations.
Currently, ClineKinds have requested the commercial banks for another loan of $300,000 for at least five years and more. In order to expand its business operations, introduce new ...

Introduction

Having developed form a trading company in South Korea, Samsung has emerged as one of the largest and influential companies around the globe. Though the company has a number of businesses, ranging from trading to insurance, Samsung Electronics is the most successful ranch in the group. Over the years, Samsung has been labeled as the fastest growing brands in the world. The company has achieved through this through redefining its products and the great marketing strategies that the company uses. In the present, the advancement in the technology calls for quick adaption to the technological changes, and Samsung has used this ...

On the 27th September 2013, it was reported in the news that mining company BHP Billiton Limited had put on hold its expected project of expansion of the Olympic Dam owing to a challenge of resources. This brought to the fore the issue of competitive challenges in the company which is regarded as one of the biggest mining company in Australia and indeed, in the whole world. As a consequence, this paper seeks to analyze the company BHP Billiton Limited, also listed in the Australian Securities Exchange, with a view to exposing the competitive challenges that the company faces and how to ...

Introduction

The fast growth and use of information technology has attracted significant interest among information system researchers and decision makers. The researchers and decision makers alike remain keen into determining the economic benefits and the ways in which the economic advantage of information technology can be reaped. There is a heated discussion on the high cost of IT whereas; other studies realize that IT boosts the company’s performance including raising the profit margins. Despite the heated controversies surrounding the application of information system, organizations that tend to ignore the use of IT suffer a great deal and might even be pushed ...

1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM(S)
The problem that was indicated in the case study was the obstacles that the company faced during creation of new entity. This entity was created with the merger of ATK and EDS but with this merger, there were a lot of critiques and questions that were raised as both the organizations had totally different background and were operating in different market as well. It is important for the organizations to carefully analyze and evaluate the different factors and elements before taking a decision of merger or acquisition. If the organization is able to manage ...

Current Strategies of SONY

The major strategic problem which Sony Corporation faced was inefficient and ineffective structures of manufacturing which led to a decrease in the quality of the company’s products. However, currently the Japanese management has taken full control in order to improve the productivity through use of quality control and total quality control. Application of total quality control has been a good strategy for the company which is intended to help Sony Corporation create a way of thinking which is process oriented and thus help the company in developing those strategies that gives a promise of a continuous enhancement.
The qualities of SONY’s ...

This paper gives an in depth analysis of the Johnson and Johnson, commonly referred to as J&J. Johnson and Johnson is an international, diversified pharmaceutical and medicinal producer. Besides, it is one of the largest health care related service providers and has drastically reformed people’s perception towards health care. It is indeed a top achiever in the health care industry as well as in general human health and happiness. In fact, its success is attributed to a well defined vision, mission, objectives and core strategies. Its existing vision, mission, objectives and core strategies are discussed as under.

Johnson and Johnson ...

QUESTIONS

The Vodafone’s key performance indicators (KPI) table reflects that recession has made some impact on their performance during 2009 when compared to their prior performance report of 2007 and 2008. The economic downturn has affected Vodafone’s performance in the areas of service, data revenue, and operating profit. Both service and data revenue keep declining even though the number of mobile customers has increased by 42.1m. The lower growth in the usage and decrease of new customers from 39.5m to 33.6m could have reduced the service and data revenue by 0.3% and 25.9%. However, Operating profit has increased ...

Issue identification and root cause analysis:

Poor internal culture in the organization
Poor brand identification in the market
Understanding the CEO’s new vision for the organization
Strategic effect of the communication plan:
Support the strategic goals of BrightStar by improving brand perception and increasing market share
Establish effective communication practices in the organization
Strategic goals of the communication plan:
Inform persuade obtain buy-in
Improve communication between the company and the buyers
Explain the impact of the merger on the buyers
Establish a clear vision and mission
Gain consensus from buyers on the new vision and strategy
Reposition the company’s brand to increase market ...

Introduction

This paper addresses the major steps that Caring Angle Hospital can implement to realize its goals. Also, it recommends one strategy that the heath care provider can adopt to obtain a large market share. Finally, it examines value-added services will strengthen its value proposition.

Major steps for Caring Angle Hospital

Improve the quality of care
Improving the quality of care is important since it will prevent patients from hopping from hospital to another. Caring Angle Hospital can employ various strategies to enhance the quality of their services. The hospital administration should consider managing the process of care rather than focusing on controlling on the physicians. ...

Harley Davidson is the world’s leading manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles. The company is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been producing motorcycles for more than 100 years. The company provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs principally to its dealers and customers. It operates in two business divisions: motorcycles and related products and the financial services. The company undertakes strengthening its marketplace position through launching new product, reorganization programs and tactical alliances. The company operates in an industry characterized by fierce competition. Its main competitors include Yamaha and Honda. Initially, the company operated in the United States ...

The concept of cloud computing has tremendous advantages for organizations of the future. Organizations can use cloud computing to save cost and time that are usually involved in the implementation and development of the traditional software. It has been observed that leading organizations spend a substantial amount of time on the upgradation and maintenance of the traditional software that adds to the cost of the organization. The IT department usually spends the majority of the time in the planning and the implementation of software so as to improve the operational efficiency of the organization. However, the role of IT in ...

Part 1: Profile of USAID

USAID is an acronym that stands for United States Agency for International Development. It is a non-profit organization that carries out interventions in hard hit areas, primarily in third world developing countries. It is a federal agency of the government of the United States of America primarily tasked with delivering civilian foreign aid.
- Areas of Interest
USAID has interest in many areas around the globe. Firstly, it is important to identify the areas of operational interest for the organization. USAID seeks to help overseas people who are struggling to live a better life, live in the reins of democracy ...

B2B means a business selling to another business rather than selling to the end user customer. On the contrary, B2C stands for business selling its products to the end consumer of such product, as opposed to selling it to another business. In B2C terms, the store represents a business that sells its merchandise to local consumers who are the end users of such product. The main distinction between B2B and B2C is probably the number of stakeholders. In B2B marketing strategies, the key aspect is the type of relationship that exists between the vendor’s sales team and the seller himself. ...

Lion Nathan Breweries and the China market

Q1. The Porter's Five Forces concept is a unique and powerful tool for determining the position of a particular business with respect to its competitors. The Five Forces is very significant as it helps to analyze both, the strengths of the current competitive position and the strength of the position in which the organization is considering moving into China market (Porter, 2008). Lion Nathan or LN was an international brewer basically with presence in two countries Australia and New Zealand. LN operated in these countries with a portfolio of over 50 brands and more than 10 breweries. In the year 1993, LN ...

Question 1

Drop box is a company dealing with the backup of files and data for companies. It therefore deals with sharing of information and data through networks for the purposes of security. This company has a competitive edge over the others like carbonate and Mozi. Drop box has a higher storage capacity in the account of the customer making them also easy to share files from one account to another while both Mozy and Carbonite have no capability of sharing files. This product is easy to use and it provides search capabilities in full-text.
It is also compatible with Macs, Linux and ...

Abstract

This paper aims at discussing and evaluating the strategic management of Four Seasons Hotel and Resort’s current situation and future position and development. This research report identifies the sources of competitive advantage for Four Seasons and strategic challenges faced by the company on its expansion plans. The paper adopts some management models to help better understand the current situation. PESTLID and Porter’s five forces help to understand the current challenges facing the company from the perspective of the hospitality industry.

Introduction

As the world’s leading operator of luxury hotels and resorts, the goal of Four Seasons is ...

- How would Xerox define diversity? How has its definition changed over the years?
Xerox is one organization which values and respects diversity. It treats diversity as a means to include all strata of people in its organization rather than going by numbers or just concentrating on gender and race. Xerox believes that a diverse workforce facilitates innovation and has incorporate diversity in its workforce policy.
Post the race riots of 1960, the first Chairman of Xerox, Mr. Joseph C. Wilson incorporate a policy which employed a diverse workforce including individuals from minority groups and women. Gradually the diversity policy of ...

Table of Contents

Introduction.2

Mission and Goals2
Situation Analysis3
Corporate Level Strategy..10
Business Level Strategy11

Executive Summary

This is a case analysis of Turner Construction Company, a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF operating in the construction industry and offering related services. The report starts with a short introduction followed by the company’s goals and objectives. This is followed by situational analysis of the company’s past and present situation using strategic tools such as SWOT analysis. The subsequent section that follows is the company’s corporate and business level strategy. This is followed by business structure, promotion and finally recommendation of ...

Want Beverages strengths

Want Beverages is a beverage company based in Burlington, Ontario owned by Bill and Angela Moffat. Even though the company owners could clearly picture where they want their company to be in the next few years, they are not sure of the means of making it get there. Strengths are those attributes that will enable the firm to increase its sales to a level that will ensure success in achieving its long-term goals. The firm operates in a dynamic industry, which requires it to position itself to achieve a competitive edge over other competitors (Fredrick and Gary, 2011).

The Moffats have represented various ...

Training and development is critical in the management of business today. Training can be defined as the action of impacting employees with knowledge on certain areas in order to help them keep up to date with the changing environment. It reduces redundancy of employees and ensures the workforce is skilled and motivated. Development on the other hand is about the growth of an individual from one level to another higher level. It ensures an individual can be able to cope in the marketplace equipped with the right expertise to have confidence in tackling the tasks ahead (Raymond 26).

There ...

Introduction

Molson Coors Brewing Company (MCBC), a multinational company dealing with alcoholic and non-alcoholic products has three major operating segments. MCBC operating segments are in Canada, Unites Kingdom, Unites states of America, and Molson Coors International.

The company was incorporated in the year 2005, after a merger between Molson and Coor brewing companies. The company has a wide portfolio of products including Carling, Molson Canadian, and Coor Light, and produces partner brands such as Heineken. The company mission is to provide consumers with high quality beers designed to appeal to wide range of consumer tastes, preferences and occasions.
A SWOT matrix is ...

Nintendo’s Strategy

Nintendo Co. Ltd is a Japanese business company dealing with technological machines such as the video game. In 2006, the company came up with the disruptive strategy that made it a game-changer in the video game industry. This strategy was different because it was using the disruptive technology. This technology involves focusing on improving the results of an existing product. It also involves introducing new and exciting features in the old products. Nintendo used this strategy stand out in the market. The company decided to focus on non-gamers with an intention of being different from the rest (Joshi, & Tsang, 2009, ...

The Macdonald’s case demonstrates the concept of strategy as defined in the text. From the case, a strategy is perceived to be a mix developed to enhance business growth, to attract, please and retain customers. Besides, it presents the ability to have a better competitive edge via successful competition in the market. Endless desire to achieve set objectives is also a recipe to strategic competitiveness. These however can only be achieved by reorganizing a business’ operations. Notable strategies employed by the Macdonald’s Cooperation revolve around cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategies. The case also provides a nice lead-in to discuss anticipated environmental changes ...