Business Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Business Project - Essay Example It is also seen that a retailer should also take care of their own end of the process. For instance, it can be a good idea for a retailer such as Walmart to make sure that their fleet are efficient and drivers trained to reduce fleet idle time. The case analysis part looks at the things that Walmart has done to make sure that their supply chain is sustainable. At this stage their shortcomings are also discussed. However, at the conclusion it is concluded that despite the fact that there are a number of things that Walmart has not done, the sustainability of their supply chain has significantly improved over the past decade. There are a number of recommendations made on how Walmart can further enhance the sustainability of their supply system. Walmart Inc. is an American multinational company that runs a chain of warehousestore and department stores. The company’s headquarters is in Bentonville, Arkansas. By revenue, Walmart is considered to be the largest company in the world. It is also believed to be among the top private employer in the world with a record of more than 2 million employees. The company has more than 11000 stores in 27 countries. The company uses different names in different countries. In the US the company is known as Walmart. In Mexico it is known as Walmart de Mà ©xico y Centroamà ©rica. In the UK Walmart uses the name Asda, while in Japan and India it uses the names Seiyu and Best Price respectively. Walmart is controlled by the Walton family who own 50% of the company. Walmart is considered to be the largest retailer of grocery products in the US. The operations of Walmart in the US are categorized into retail formats namely: Walmart Supercenter, Walmart Discount Stores, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Supermercado de Walmart, and Walmart Express. Walmart Discount Stores carry general merchandise and various groceries. Many of them also have pharmacies,

Maths Statistics Coursework :: Papers

Maths Statistics Coursework Aim: In this investigation I am trying to investigate how readable 3 newspapers and if there target audience buys them. What am I going to do? To do this I am going to get 3 national newspapers, a tabloid, a broadsheet, and an in-between, and find out how readable they really are. My choice of newspapers will be: The Sun -------------- Tabloid The Times ----------- Broadsheet The Daily Mail ----- In-between How am I going to do it? To do it I have decided that the best way would be to get 5 of the same news stories on the same day in the 3 papers, and take the first 100 words of each article to see how many letters are in each word. The reason I have chosen to see how many letters are in each word is because generally small words are easier to read. Prediction: I predict that in The sun the words will be very short, hence easier to read. The Times will have the longest words, and The Daily Mail will have words that are in-between in length. The reason I have made these predictions is because I believe that The Sun is aimed at less intelligent people who like gossip were as The Times is aimed at people who are in high profile jobs, or are just more intelligent people in general. The Daily mail is more of a larger group as it has both tabloid and broadsheet qualities such as gossip and serious news all the way through. Articles Chosen to use Monday 3rd February: 1: Taxpayers may foot bill for EU students' fees. 2: Train drivers threaten strike over equal pay. 3: Race abuse officers suspended. 4: Archbishop backs Tories on detention of refugees. 5: Grandchildren cash in on legacies their parents don't need. Results: [IMAGE] [IMAGE] The Shaded areas are to show the 3 highest frequencies of letters in words for each article.

McDonald s Rebirth Through a Low Growth Strategy Essay

For several decades McDonald’s experienced uninterrupted growth in sales, profits, and number of stores opened. When the company seemed to reach maturity in life cycle, one CEO’s decision for a low-growth strategy started the rebirth of McDonald’s. In its early years, McDonald’s success was founded on principles of high quality standards and service. However, as time passed, their standards and controls slipped and same store sales began a downward trend. Some insisted that the dip in same store sales was evidence of market saturation. However, McDonald’s executives disagreed. With strong support, one McDonald’s CEO went on a new-store binge. As McDonalds continued its unprecedented expansion, relations with franchisees deteriorated because corporate owned outlets were cannibalizing franchisee’s profits. Another CEO began to acquire other fast-food restaurants, but that model failed as it proved a drain on profits. McDonald’s was struggling to keep its growth mode. Then James Cantalupo took the reigns and began a low-growth strategy that turned the company’s fortunes around as he slashed capital expenditures by 40% by closing poorer performing restaurants and adding fewer new restaurants. Eighteen months into Cantalupo’s stint as CEO, McDonald’s stock price rose from eighteen dollars per share to just over twenty-four dollars per share. Just as McDonald’s fortunes seemed to turn, James Cantalupo died suddenly of a heart attack. SWOT Analysis Internal Strengths & Weaknesses: Among McDonald’s greatest strengths are its brand recognition, strong advertising, and market share. It was the most valuable fast food brand worldwide in 2013 with an estimated brand value of eighty-five billion dollars, three times its closest competitor, Starbucks [see appendix 1.1]. McDonald’s strength of brand recognition can primarily be attributed to its strong advertising and market share. This is evidenced by a 1970’s survey which revealed that ninety-six percent of children identified with Ronald McDonald, ranking him second only to Santa Clause. Furthermore, McDonald’s uses high-profile sponsorships and major advertising campaigns to maintain awareness and promote new launches (e.g. 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2014 Winter  Olympics). In 2013, its advertising expenditure in the United States alone was 1.43 billion dollars [for details see appendix 1.2]. McDonald’s has won its market share via strong marketing/advertising efforts and providing convenience for its customers. When McDonald’s accelerated growth period ended, it had approximately 13,000 domestic restaurants. The belief was practical; the more stores in a city, the more per-capita transactions would result. As of 2013, McDonald’s had 35,429 restaurants worldwide- 14,276 of which are domestic (Statista, 2015). McDonald’s other internal strengths include: partnerships with big brands (e.g. Disney), international presence, localized food menus, and revenue. Now that we have examined McDonald’s internal strengths, lets examine the company’s internal weaknesses. Among McDonald’s greatest internal weaknesses are its negative publicity, low presence of corporate social responsibility, high employee turnover, and low strategy differentiation. McDonald’s is heavily criticized for offering unhealthy foods to its customers, further exacerbating the obesity problem in America. The documentary film â€Å"Super Size Me†, which explores the health consequences of a diet based solely of McDonald’s, is one example of the negative publicity surrounding McDonald’s. Environmental groups often criticize McDonald’s for a lack of sustainable sourcing of beef products (USA Today, 2014). This reflects poorly on McDonald’s for having a weak presence of corporate social responsibility. Furthermore, McDonald’s has a high employee turnover as it offers low paying and low skilled jobs. These jobs are often seen negatively by employees and usually result in high employee turnover. This is an internal weakness because it increases training costs and adds to McDonald’s overall costs. Lastly, McDonald’s has low strategy differentiation. It has become incredibly difficult for McDonald’s to differentiate itself from other fast food restaurants; thus, forcing McDonald’s to compete on price rather than features. This is an internal weakness because price wars reduce a company’s gross margin, which results in deteriorating profits. McDonald’s other internal weaknesses include: Declining market share, disgruntled franchisees, quality and taste of products, slowed revenue and income growth. External Opportunities & Threats: McDonald’s is in the unique position to rebrand itself by offering healthier menu options and increasing its corporate social responsibility. In 2006, McDonald’s newly redesigned logo and restaurant layout are being credited for 8-9% sales growth. Furthermore, McDonald’s has the unique opportunity to be the first fast food restaurant to source 100% of its ingredients from sustainable production. Younger generations are very conscientious of the impact their purchasing habits have on the environment. The aforementioned opportunities can be done still pursuing a low growth strategy. But, McDonald’s still has opportunities for growth. Economic research suggest that China’s middle class is on pace to grow from six percent of its population to fifty percent of its population by 2020 (Business Insider, 2014). McDonald’s has historically targeted middle class families, so there is plenty of opportunity for growth in China. If McDonald’s is able to make a more localized menu and provide an atmosphere that can strike the right accord with the Chinese culture then McDonald’s has the opportunity to flourish in China. Among McDonald’s greatest threats are the growing segment of health conscience consumers and the strength of competition. The health conscience consumer, a growing segment of society, poses both a threat and opportunity for McDonalds. The change in customer’s habits represents new needs that must be met by McDonald’s. In an attempt to cater to this market, McDonald’s has added salads, fruit, and oatmeal to their menu. Additionally, they have eliminated trans-fat oil- a product blamed for the nations obesity. Other areas of concern are the threat posed by Starbucks, which plans to offer a breakfast and lunch menu. McDonald’s strongest competitor remains Yum! Brands- owner of popular fast food chains: Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Wing Street [see appendix: 1.1. Other external threats include: saturated market, macroeconomic factors. Recommendations The central strategic decision that needs to be addressed is whether McDonald’s will commit to rebranding itself so that it is seen not only as an economical food destination, but as an appealing high quality one as  well. The societal shift to a more health conscience consumer provides McDonald’s such an opportunity. Alternatives to Strategic Decision Making McDonald’s has three viable options for continued success. The first two, allow McDonald’s to continue it’s low growth strategy. First, McDonald’s can create and promote an attractive menu that that will grab the attention of health conscience consumers. Second, it can focus on the stronghold it’s gained in the coffee space, as this could be an interesting new endeavor to follow (i.e. a new SBU). The third option would be to pursue a growth strategy for Asia, especially China. However, it must be noted that the growth strategy may burden the company with debt to pay for capital-intensive expenditures, but should it be successful McDonald’s revenues and profits could reach new ceilings. It would behoove McDonald’s to fill the need of the health conscience consumer by adopting and promoting a healthier menu. This can be done without abandoning their staples (e.g. Fries, Big Mac, Happy Meal, and Egg McMuffin). If McDonald’s is able to meet the changes in customer’s needs and habits, there is no reason why they shouldn’t continue to experience growth in sales. I believe that this is the best option because it is not capital intensive, yet it could allow McDonald’s access to a new segment of the market. Furthermore, McDonald’s number of locations provides the health conscience consumer with convenience. Implementation Evaluation and Control The following steps are keys to a successful implementation of a strategic marketing plan: 1. Who are we? Who are our customers? What do our customers want? 2. Set strategic marketing goals: Assess internal strengths and weaknesses then compare your vision/mission to the reality of your external environment. Once you have identified the areas of need, choose specific goals to address those areas. 3. Establish strategic marketing activities/plan of actions: Once specific goals have been set, identify various activities to utilize resources and choose the best course of action to implement. 4. Establish timeline to execute goals and plan of actions: By having a clear understanding of your strategic marketing goals then you  can establish common understanding of when such action plans can be reasonably accomplished. 5. Review and re-evaluate progress: By consistently reviewing and re-evaluating progress in implementing or instituting plan of actions, you can take a proactive approach in making adjustments due to changing business climate, environment, external threats and opportunities that may arise in everyday business decisions. References Brumley, James. (April 23, 2014). McDonald’s Is About To Tap Into A Huge Growth Opportunity. Retrieved from: http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-expanding-international-2014-4 Horovitz, Bruce. (April 30, 2014). McDonald’s sets 2020 sustainable goals. Retrieved from: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/04/30/mcdonalds-sustainability-fast-food-social-responsibility-restaurants/8513245/ Statista. (February, 2015). Retrieved from: http://0-www.statista.com.leopac.ulv.edu/topics/1444/mcdonalds/

Changing Methods Of Explanation Within The Scientific...

Changing Methods of Explanation In the scientific community, there are numerous models used to explain data, which despite being argued over, can be used to spread knowledge. One model proposed by Hempel is the â€Å"Covering Law Model,† which can be explained when he writes: â€Å"The kind of explanation thus characterized I will call deductive nomological explanation; for it amounts to a deductive subsumption of the explanandum under principles which have the character of general laws† (Hempel, 658). Essentially, the D-N model explains scientific explanation as deductive, requiring the truth of its premises to ensure the truth of the conclusion, which also must be backed up by an accurate prediction of whichever phenomenon is being explained. However, there are problems with this model, as explained by Kim when he writes: â€Å"In a nutshell, then, the trouble is that we have had models, but not theories, of explanation† (Kim, 53). Hempel’s critics want to include metaphysics under explanation, which would essentially mean putting more emphasis on causal factors to make sense of the world, rather than using readily explainable phenomenon like gravitational pull. Though they have their disagreements with each other, I believe that both methods have merit, and adding causal realism to the Covering Law Model is currently the best solution to explaining scientific concepts. Hempel reinforces his Covering Law Model with ideas from other scientists to demonstrate its usefulness. ForShow MoreRelatedHow Has Nuclear Medicine Propagated Science And Society?922 Words   |  4 PagesHow has nuclear medicine innovated science and society? Within the last century, science faced several discoveries that caused the scientific community and society to change one another. When evaluating the scientific discoveries during the twentieth century, the decisive advancements took place in the study of nuclear physics. 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