Business 601 Reflection Essay

Business 601 Reflection Essay
A Reflection of Business 601: Global Management Perspective A reflection of Business 601: Global
Management Perspective The business world today is more global than ever before. Every business
from manufacturing to fast–food and coffee has gone to a global format. The market place that
businesses must compete for market share in is no longer just a domestic one, the competition they
will face is in the foreign market as well as in the digital market place. With the new ever changing
business world, the business plans that organizations utilize, must be updated and continuously
improved to ensure the organization is changing with the demand of the market. The global business
has to have an effective business plan that ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Then Starbucks focused on their global dominance just like McDonalds had previously. They let
their focus slide from keeping their current customers and only worrying about gaining new
customers. These missteps and the refocus of McDonalds, led to Starbucks losing the market share
they had won over, plus some that wasn 't McDonalds before. The mistakes of McDonalds were
realized and the business plan was adapted. Starbucks really lost more in the end, because they made
the same mistakes they had benefited from earlier. Benchmarking is a good form of learning and
growing as your organization develops them into a global performer. When an organization is
growing and expanding, they will run into issues where they have successes and failures alike. The
organization has to take these and develop best practices to utilize going forward. These best
practices or benchmarks are what allows the organization to grow and what makes the organization
grow. When mistakes are made, these need to be documented and then a plan put into place that then
passes the information along, so that the organization as a whole learns from the mistakes of their
predecessors. Benchmarking and best practices can really save the organization time, resources and
money. When a best practice is established, you show where the mistake caused the organization a
loss and then you establish
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Examples Of Porter's Five Forces
Porter's Five Forces Model
Porter's Five Forces are the following: Potential entrants with their threat of entry; Buyers with
bargaining; Suppliers with their bargaining power; Threats of substitutes and Rivalry. I will describe
the Five Forces and how they are helpful in the international area. I will also discuss their current
applications and conclude with the limitations that this model has. The first force to discuss is the
supplier power. This force leads to buyer–supplier relationships between firms and industries. When
suppliers are in a position of strength they have influence over the industry that provides raw
materials; their goal is to sell raw materials at a higher price in order to capture some of the
industry's profit. An example of this can be Jewelry stores holding ... Show more content on
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When new industry enters the market if throws of the balance, affecting competitions. In theory we
have a free market; meaning any firm can enter and exit the market at will. The reality it's just not
that simple due to barriers of entry. When profits are high many firms what to enter the market and
over time profits will decrease. When the profits begin to decrease then firms begin to exit the
market. Barriers are unique characteristic in the industry to reduce the rate of entry of new firms into
the market. One type of barrier is entry–deterring pricing, this is when the price is kept relatively
low to discourage other firms from entering the market. Government barriers are those in with the
government create monopolies through regulations. An example of this type of barrier is the utility
market, in which the government rather have one company providing efficient service. Other
barriers are patents and assets specificity. Exit barriers keep a firm from leaving the markets.
Examples can be that they have specialized assets that difficult to liquidate, high exit cost and
interrelated

In Today’S World The Business Environment Is Rapidly Changing
In today's world the business environment is rapidly changing so the strategy formulation and
implementing it should me the vital key role in any organization. Hence Strategy management is
defined as the process of making strategies and implementing strategies to meet the long term goal
and sustain in the competitive world (Schermerhorn, 2012).It involves the environmental factors
(both internal and external), strategy formulation and implementation, analysis and control.
The organization chosen is Samsung in which the critical evaluation will be done in reference with
the Porter's five forces. Samsung was founded in 1969 in Korea, since then it is rapidly growing in
the global information technology. The company has many home appliances ... Show more content
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Samsung also has a strong customer loyalty to its brand which can be a strong barrier to the new
entrant. According to the (Anonymous, 2009) Mikah Martin Cruz,marketing director of Samsung
Electronics UK claims that nurturing the customers brand loyalty to samsung is the main pillars of
marketing direction. The threat of substitute for Samsung may be due to the similar phones with
more advanced feature that are usually of competitor brands like the Apple iphone,Huawei etc.Price
also may play a role in chances of substitution when a competitor brand provides the same feature
with a relatively low price. Due to the rapid growth in technology the smart phones are likely to be
substituted more advanced technologies. (Boult, 2015) claims that smart phones may not exist in
another five years as consumers are getting interested in Virtual Reality VR.The power of
consumers is high as there are varieties of smart phones available in the market. In case of Samsung
too consumer has the power to bargain and have choices of different varieties of phone with same
features and relatively low prices. The Power of supplier is low for Samsung because Samsung has
its own supplier for most of the components. Samsung supplies its own raw material and also
manufactures its own processor and its components.

Porter Five Forces Assist an Organisation in Their...
How does Porters Five Forces Model assist an organisation in their strategic planning? Before
understanding "how" we must know "what" Porters Five Forces model really is (Michael E. Porter,
2008). Company strive to secure a competitive advantage over their rivals, I mean who doesn't want
to be the best? Although the intensity of rivalry varies within each industry and these differences can
be important in the development of strategy, but rather the five forces (Porter, 2008) being a strategy
of any sort, it acts a framework in securing a strategy. The only time where strategy is irrelevant,
would be when you have no competitors where ultimately the environment is a monopoly, or when
you have a ton of money to throw around and waste. But ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
So when barriers for entry and exits are high, it means that companies have a higher potential to
make more profit and the opposite occurs when barriers are low. The threat of substitutes: where it
refers to substitute product as those that are available in other industry which can also fulfil the need
and want of the consumers. It can affect competition in an industry by placing an invisible ceiling on
prices which companies within the industry can charge, due to the fact that if the cost of substitute is
low then the consumers will tend to purchase substitutes, therefore limiting the prices that a
company can place on certain items to gain maximum profit. For example, lemonade can be
substituted for a soft drink. Generally, competitive pressures arising from substitute products
increase as the relative price of substitute products declines and as consumer 's switching costs
decrease. The bargaining power of buyers is affected by the concentration and number of
consumers, when buyer power is strong, they gain the power to choose between producers and
ultimately equip themselves with bargaining power which then the producers will have to conform
to in order to produce profit, under these conditions the buyer has the most influence in determining
the price of products. Also when buyers have strong bargaining power in the exchange relationship,
competition can be affected in several ways. Powerful buyers can bargain for lower prices, better

Matching Dell
We will first try to analyze the pc industry by the help of Porter's Five Forces Model and then
continue with explaining Dell's business model, its positioning, and its competitive advantages,
which heavily depend on extremely successful direct sales model and supply chain management. We
will wrap up the case with some recommendations. The PC industry has started to develop fast in
the 80's when IBM, the leader of the industry thanks to the first mover advantage, launched its first
PC series and later on when numerous small companies entered the market. PC is a new product and
companies had to create the demand to it from the scratch. We will apply the Porter's 5 Forces model
to examine the PC market and see how forces of competition ... Show more content on
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Dell is able to sustain a competitive advantage over competitors in the computer industry because of
an extremely efficient supply chain/distribution system and its JIT inventory system. Since
inventory and labor are the highest liabilities of a firm and Dell operates with a few days of
inventory, they are able to cut costs on warehousing, hiring people to track and maintain inventory,
and avoid holding on to obsolete technology. Dell uses a JIT inventory system because Dell's
customers can only order computers directly through Dell itself. Dell uses their website
www.Dell.com to take customer's orders. Dell focuses on direct sales, cutting out other distribution
channels entirely. This allows for a deeper relationship with the customers whereby Dell can offer
their customer's better service, savings, convenience, and efficiency. Dell's Positioning and
Activities (see appendix 2 and 3 for Dell's and its competitors' positioning) Having the low cost
advantage Dell is able to expand the gap between cost and customer's willingness to pay. Therefore,
they are able to satisfy their end–consumers, who are educated want product stability, high–end
performance and low lifetime costs. They have served the US market and started to expand their
market worldwide; in addition, they have

The Opportunities And Challenges Facing Small And Medium...
A popular method when internationalising is to use an alliance or joint venture. Critically evaluate
the opportunities and challenges facing small and medium sized enterprises
Student name: Jui Yi Kung (Gabrielle)
Student ID:S1439922
Luxury Brand Management
Introduction
Nowadays, more and more firms have shown interest in international business and it is still an
expanding field of research today. In addition, many small and medium sized enterprises are trying
to integrate into the world economy so that they are able to get more frequent opportunities in the
global market. In order to analyze this research, this thesis will focus on the opportunities and
challenges facing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) which aim to become international
firms. When looking at becoming an international business, there are two popular methods that are
used, which is to form an alliance or become part of a joint venture. Therefore, this essay will also
critically evaluate which method is highly efficient and feasible when looking at those two paths.
Following the information provided I aim to give the reader a deeper understanding regarding the
importance of small and medium sized enterprises. More, in this essay I will use one of the
designer's brands "victim fashion street" as a base example to analyze how a local brand can be
helped into the global market, as well as use theoretical perspectives to analyze the impact of the
internationalisation of small

Dell 5 Forces
Porters Five Forces – Competitor Analysis Michael Porter's five forces model is used to explore the
competitive environment in which a product or company operates. In this case it will explore the
competitive environment of Dell and the Tab Streak. The Five Forces Analysis looks at five key
areas: | New Entrants | | Suppliers | Industry competitors and extent of rivalry | Buyers | | Substitutes
| | Threat of New Entrants The computer industry is a highly competitive one with continuing
developments. Therefore new entrants barely stand a chance. Also because of the price of a tab
(around 500) people are more likely to go with big brands they 'know' or are loyal to brands they
trust. Beside that most existing computer ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Power of Buyers/Customers These days the bargaining power of the customers is increasing more
and more. The computer industry has many competitors and customers can retrieve information
about them and about products more easily because of the internet. Not only can they sometimes
buy the products cheaper online, there are also major possibilities to compare products and get
customer reviews. Besides this the number of customers is huge and they are price sensitive because
of the economic crisis past years. On top of that all they have low switching costs, because most
stores offer various brands and therefore customers can easily choose another brand. However the
customers do not have all the bargaining power since prices are usually set. . Competitive Rivalry
When Dell entered the market; it found an intensely competitive market. This causes players to be
highly aggressive, which resulted in Dell forming its unique direct selling model. However Dell's
direct selling model in not as effective anymore because of new rivalries; low cost Asian
competitors, such as Lenovo and Acer. These competitors have lower producing cost and are
therefore very attractive for the price sensitive customers. Therefor Dell is already changing its
model and is selling its products also at retail points. All to reach the customer in every way

Polaris Securities Co. Ltd
Polaris Securities Co. Ltd has experienced substantial growth in the countries of Taiwan and Hong
Kong. This document will review a case created around Polaris Securities and the strategies behind
its success. This review will contain a synopsis of the case, a brief history of the company as well as
identify some key issues in the terms of generic strategies that the company used. The document will
define the problem with their strategy and what would or would not work accordingly. An analysis
of Porter's five forces against the strategy employed by Polaris will also be reviewed. Finally, a
comparison of the company's competitors will be completed and a summary of the case conclusions.
Synopsis of the Case Study Polaris Securities Co. Ltd experienced significant financial success for
over twenty years in its home country of Taiwan and through expansion into the Hong Kong market.
The company is known for embracing entrepreneurship, innovation, and the latest technological
advances. As the securities industry evolved in other parts of the world, Taiwan was slow to adopt
these changes. Polaris's strategy of embracing these changes and bringing them to the Taiwan and
Hong Kong markets proved to be very profitable for the organization. To increase its position in the
global marketplace, the company is planning to expand its operations into three additional markets.
The markets of Vietnam, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi will be a challenge for Polaris. Polaris's global

Strategic Position Review of Michael Hill Jewelers in New...
Michael Hill Jewellers (MHJ) is one of the most recognizable names in the New Zealand retail
jewellery industry. In 1979, Michael Hill opened his first store in Whangerei. Until then, jewellery
stores had been run primarily by craftsmen jewellers. Michael Hill changed this with the philosophy
"to make jewellery buying less intimidating and more accessible to the public." In order for any
company to succeed, it has to take a look at the environment in which it operates. This is why an
external environmental analysis is so important. This involves a continuous process of scanning,
monitoring, forecasting, and assessing the external environment. Doing so will illuminate any
opportunities to be exploited or threats to minimize. The first ... Show more content on
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The jewellery industry needs to ensure that they purchase raw materials from only environmentally
sustainable mining companies.
Legal
Due to the size of some of the companies in the jewellery industry along with the large sums of
money and power that accompanies it, there are strict antitrust laws in place. The Responsible
Jewellery Council is an international organisation set up to oversee and protect the jewellery
industry from various practices. This council has set up antitrust policies in order to protect its
members.
Industry Environment Analysis – Porter's Five Forces
Porter's Five Forces model is used to evaluate the degree of rivalry between competitors in a given
industry through assessing the four forces that lead to this outcome. These forces are the threat of
new entrants, the bargaining power of suppliers, the bargaining power of buyers, and the threat of
substitute products.
Threat of New Entrants
Is the ease in which a new company can start into the retail jewellery industry. It is not difficult to
start a jewellery store as the only requirements are start up capital and a premises. There are many
small sole trader jewellery shops in New Zealand to attest to this. Therefore, the threat of new
entrants is: HIGH
Bargaining Power of Suppliers
Is the control that suppliers have over the pricing and distribution of their products across the
jewellery industry. Once the

The Porters Five Forces Model
The Porters Five Forces Model was devised by Professor Michael Porter. The aim of the model is
too analyse the nature of competiton within an industry. This means that the porters five forces
model can be a powerful tool (E. Dobbs, 2014). The first of the forces is competition in the motor
industry. There is a high level of competition within the motor industry as the companies have a
high level of competition between themselves especially when it comes to marketing and innovation
this is seen on a daily basis with the sometimes odd tv adverts used by car companies in order to
differentiate themselves. The industry has many firms in it that have chosen to specialse across all
areads such as cost, fuel efficient, brand image and style. However the Auto industry is segmented
as it ranges from high cost and very specialist companies all the way down to low cost mass
production companies. This can be seen as you wouldn't say that Ferrari is competiting with KIA.
However there is a high level of competition between firms. The next of porters five forces is the
bargaining power of buyer which in this case is customers. The customers of the Auto Industry are
what provides the revenue for all of the incumbents in the market. The result of this is that there are
low switching costs in the market place this means that customers would be able to switch between
competing firms for no extra cost. This ties in with the next point which is that customers also have
access to accurate

Global Clothing Industry Overview And Five Forces Analysis
Global Clothing Industry overview and five forces analysis
From 2005 the liberalization textiles and clothing industry, the exports of this industry increased
from 480 $ billion to 709 $ billion until 2012. (WTO.2005, 2013) The textiles and clothing industry
accounts for a 4 per cent share in global merchandise exports. (The ILO, 2014) Garment industry
has particularly characteristics, which selectivity and pertinence at production and market.
(Adhikari, R. &Yamamoto, Y. 2007) Garment industry provides a lower investment cost and low
skill labor in developed and developing countries. This industry has low barrier entry, so that
clothing industry suitable for developing countries. But free trade and low barrier make it possible to
adapt to rapidly changing market conditions. Therefore, the clothing industry characterize is high
intensity of competition. This industry is the most protected in the global economy of all
manufacturing industries, in both developed and developing countries. (Nordås, H. 2004)
This report Incorporates five forces competitive environment to analysis clothing industry. Five
forces model make different factors together in a simple model, as a tool to analyze the basic
competition in an industry. Five forces model to determine the five main sources of competition.
(Porter, 1980) For example, suppliers and buyers bargaining power, the threat of potential entrants,
threat of substitutes, and from the current competition between companies in the same

Ann Taylor: Survival in Specialty Retail" Essay
Established in 1956 by Robert Liebeskind, Ann Taylor, an upscale woman's clothier began operation
in New Harford Connecticut. Ann Taylor was established to cater to working women who wanted
style and class to be their trademark. Ann Taylor or ANN is in the retail clothing industry. According
to the ANN website, their purpose is to, "inspire and connect with women who put their best selves'
forward each day." (Ann Taylor) Kay Krill, CEO of Ann Taylor states on their website that, "At
ANN Inc. we share a profound commitment to our clients. For more than half a century, we have
evolved with the needs of real women, who live full active lives. Our values are her values. We
understand that a woman expresses herself by what she wears– at work, ... Show more content on
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The recent recession has hurt the entire retail market and regaining profits will be a constant
challenge for the entire industry. In order to remain competitive, Ann Krill states," value and
versatility have become very important. She needs an incentive to shop." (Hymowitz, 2012) Ms.
Krill goes on to say," I think in uncertain economic times, value becomes more important..."
(Hymowitz, 2012)
Although has seen some growth in certain segments of their company, such as Loft and Outlet, the
Ann Taylor stores have not fared as well. As stated by Katherine Krill, "sales for the fourth quarter
increased 10% to $567 million with comparable sales up 5%. Excluding charges, net income was
$5.5 million or $0.10 per diluted share compared to net income of $11 million or $0.19 per share a
year ago. Overall, the results reflected strong performance across all channels of the LOFT brand
and in the e–commerce and factory channels of the Ann Taylor brand, offset by significantly lower–
than–anticipated results in the Ann Taylor stores channel ." (Seeking Alpha, 2012) Due to the
competitive focus of the fashion retail industry using differentiation strategy makes the most sense.
In order to draw consumers to the ANN brand of clothing

Umuc Haircuts Stage 1 : Business Environment Analysis
UMUC Haircuts Stage 1: Business Environment Analysis I. Introduction: Myra Morningstar is the
owner of UMUC Haircuts, which has been in business since 1995. She has expanded the business
over the years and the number of customers has increased as well. With rumor that a new Hair
Cuttery will be opening just five miles away, Myra is concerned and wants to remain competitive.
She has selected a strategy for competitive advantage using a cost leadership strategy. The business
process she would like to focus on is employee and customer scheduling, as it is fundamental to her
business. She would like to implement a technology solution to help with this, and feels it will help
bring UMUC Haircuts into the 21st century. II. Five Forces ... Show more content on
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Myra has noticed that the price she is paying for supplies has been increasing. Supplier power in this
industry is low since there are many suppliers that offer similar products needed by Myra's business.
Negative Yes Threat of substitute products or services Products/services that can be substituted for
your own; can be from own or other industries (UMUC, 2016). UMUC Haircuts offers haircuts,
styling and shampoo to both men and women. Customers could opt to style, wash, or cut their own
hair but it is much easier and more convenient to have it done professionally. The threat in this case
is low. Neutral No Threat of new entrants The threat of new entrants in this industry is high. UMUC
Haircuts was the first to open in 1995, but since then other barber shops have opened and a new Hair
Cuttery will open five miles away. Myra's profits could be impacted due to the competition.
Negative No Rivalry among existing competitors How competitive and profitable an industry is;
based on: number of competitors; slow market growth; products not differentiated; etc. (Jurevicius,
2013). Rivalry in this particular instance is high since customers have a variety of options. Of
utmost importance is the quality of service provided. Positive No III. Justification of Selected
Strategy for Competitive Advantage: Myra has

Why The Chinese Market Is Responsible For The Consumption...
Christine Bigham
Bringing Beer to China On the surface, bringing beer to China seems to be undoubtedly a good idea.
The Chinese market is responsible for the consumption of a quarter of the world 's overall beer
volume. Also, a tenth of the revenue from the beer industry can be traced to the Chinese market. The
Chinese beer market is so massive it seems like a sure–fire way to generate an increase revenue for
any beer company. The Chinese market seems so viable that many western brands are looking to
expand into the market possibly as a way to compensate for lagging sales in America as a result of
the increase in American preference for craft beers and local brews. In order to enter this highly
competitive Chinese beer market, western companies should try some various less conventional
tactics to entering the marketplace. As stated in the article the Chinese market is experiencing
stagnant growth in their beer industry. This stagnant phase has been attributed to the Chinese
economic slowdown, population aging, as well as the increased interest of Chinese consumers in
comparable beverages and local brews. In order to address these concerns, western companies
should figure out how to take their brand name, but make a local version of it. Making a premium
local craft beer product line specifically for the Chinese market would tap into the Chinese interests
in craft beers, while also simultaneously tapping into the market of younger consumers that are
pushing the

Caterpillar Inc (CAT): Porter's Five Forces Analysis
Threat of New Entrants: Low Caterpillar's main industry of machinery has many barriers to entry
which makes it difficult for new organisations to enter the market. It is a mature and highly
competitive industry with few dominant competitors who have cemented their position over the
decades. Furthermore, these corporations have sustained a competitive advantage over any new
entrant that tries to enter into the industry. The large initial capital investment needed for new
entrants is another major barrier. The cost of machinery and manufacturing is expensive. It is hugely
important and costly to have a global presence in manufacturing as it is extremely expensive to ship
machinery to clients around the globe. Maintaining profits in this ... Show more content on
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It is clear Caterpillar is not overly worried with the power of the suppliers. (Anderson, 2012)
Bargaining Power of Buyers: Moderate One of Caterpillar's determining risk factors with the
bargaining power of buyers is the size of the potential customer. Large multi–national corporations
and third world countries have huge influences and larger revenue potentials than smaller
organisations. This leads to some difficulty for Caterpillar in achieving solutions to meet terms with
these organisations in order to take advantage of the substantial revenues they offer. Caterpillar are
able to hold their ground against smaller entities as they have less of an influence and attempt to
compete much more on price due to the competition in the industry while Caterpillar are focused on
the highest quality product and service. Caterpillar's extensive competitive advantage allows the
organisation to focus their attention on their main customers and huge efforts are being put in
nationwide and globally with larger organisations and various countries around the globe. Threat of
Substitute Products: Low The threat of substitute products is low to Caterpillar. This is due to
organisation's use of the most efficient technology for the associated cost of operations. There is no
other viable option for buyers to consider the task to be completed in a resourceful and more timely
manner. A vast majority of Caterpillar machinery are

Porter Five Forces in the Robotics Industry
Porter's Five Forces in the Robotics Industry Iryna Varniaga University of Maryland University
College Fall 2013 Turnitin score: 25% Porter's Five Forces in the Robotics Industry "Porter's five
forces": Introduction. "Porter's five forces" is widely applied in today's business world. Harvard
Professor Michael E. Porter's first HBR article "How competitive forces shape strategy" was
published in 1979. It became revolutionary in the field of strategy. Porter's subsequent work has
brought big changes to the study of competitive strategy for corporations, regions, and nations. With
assistance from his colleagues from Harvard Business School, Porter continues to update and extend
his classic work, providing practical guidance for ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The industrial robots are applied in all branches of the industry. The highest level of application is in
the automobile industry, but the number of installed robots is increasing in other industries as well
(Karabegovic, Dolecec, Husak, 2011). As the information technology is constantly developing and
there are permanent changes in industrial robotics, new functional solutions and higher possibilities
of the industrial robots applications are expected in the foreseeable future (Karabegovic, 2013). The
extended rivalry model, developed by Porter, will be applied to the robotics industry to determine
how attractive this industry is. By evaluating the strength of individual forces (potential entrants,
rivals, substitutes, buyers, and suppliers), it is possible to determine the degree to which forces of
globalization influence the structure of the robotic industry. Existing Competitors. Rivalry among
competitors within an industry use price discounting, new products, marketing, and other techniques
to be competitive. Profitability of an industry suffers from high rivalry. The intensity with which
companies compete and the basis on which they compete determine to which degree rivalry brings
down an industry's profitability (Porter, 2008). Pure competition is considered by economists as a
competition with a high

Analysing Mcdonalds (Fast Food Outlets) Using the Porters...
Introduction McDonalds Corporation truly began in 1954 when Ray Kroc decided that he would
turn the successful Californian store owned by the McDonald brothers into a chain. Today
McDonalds is the world's largest restaurant chain, worth over $70 billion (Yahoo7Finance 2008).
McDonalds has grown via constant refinement of business practices and by knowing their customers
needs. They have placed great importance on their long term relationships with suppliers and their
aim is to ensure customers receive a consistent product quality. Analysis of McDonalds Corporation
using the Porters 5 forces model to asses its competitive position in the fast food industry. As the
name suggests the Porters 5 Forces model focuses on 5 key ... Show more content on
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This health option has served to give McDonalds are point of difference from its competitors. Power
of Suppliers Suppliers are essential to business have greatest power when are no substitute products
or it is costly for a business to change suppliers (Porter five forces model). To assist with
maintaining control over supply and quality, McDonalds uses suppliers which have systems
dedicated to production for the company (McDonalds Australia Corporate Social Responsibility
Report 2007'). In this way McDonalds can stipulate quality and it becomes very costly for the
supplier to cease its contract with McDonalds. This leaves McDonalds in a commanding position
regarding suppliers. Power of Buyers Buyers can exert control over an industry when, there is little
differentiation over a product and substitute products can easily be found, customers are sensitive to
price and switching to another product is not costly (Porter five forces model). Substitute products
of similar price and quality are easily found in the fast food industry, giving buyers great power and
influence. There are a number of programs which McDonalds engages in to help set its self apart
from others. They have there own charity organization Ronald McDonald House, they say

Analysis Of ' The Broadway Cafe ' Management Strategy
1.BRIEF SUMMARY
This business proposal analysis uses Michaels Porter 's Five Forces Model to analysis "The
Broadway Cafe" management strategy. This proposal clearly identifies the issue and the factors that
are affecting in declining Broadway Cafés sales. In, nutshell this proposal reveals the road map the
Café to achieve its significant goals of keeping the business running, increase profit and to bring the
café into 21st century business. 2.ISSUE
The Broadway Cafe emerged in 1952 in Brooklyn, NY. That is specialized in coffee, tea and full
service bakery. This café thrived for 59 Years but now faces declining in business from last 5 Years
as the new competitors are arriving rapidly tho it had competitive advantage from an established
menu and loyal customer base. Now it seeks ambitious approach to realize its goals to bring the café
back in the business. To make this vision possible some questions have come forth:
Reason of declining and how it can be conquered?
Can any new competitive advantage be created?
How profit can be increased?
How do we increase our capabilities to get the cafe in game and ahead too?
3.CONCEPT
This analysis is conducted on the Porters Five Forces theory that is crucial for effective strategic
decision–making, the five forces that shape industry competition are:
Bargaining power of suppliers: This force analyzes how much power a business 's supplier has and
how much control it has over the potential to raise its prices, which, in

An analysis of eHarmony, including the five forces...
An analysis of eHarmony, including the five forces according to Porter
1.1 The threat of new entrants
The biggest threat to eHarmony and other paid dating sites was the free dating sites that were the
newest entrants into the market. These sites did not have major restrictions to joining and did not
necessarily do the match–making for the members. According to Piskorski, Halaburda & Smith,
very many people subscribed to such sites as witnessed by the rise of "Plenty of Fish" in 2007 to
become the most frequently visited in Canada and the U.K, and fourth in the United States(8).
1.2 Bargaining power of suppliers
A study by eHarmony showed that couples who met through eHarmony had happier and more
successful relationships than those ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However, even non–paying members could be matched with potential partners only that the former
could not send messages. This caused paying members to complain that sometimes they sent
messages to non–paying members and never got any response, meaning it was a loss in investment.
This made the company consider showing paying members which messages had been read and
which ones had not.
2. eHarmony's value proposition
At eHarmony, the customer gets the chance to communicate with a potential partner after having
paid for the communication process. The value provided in eHarmony's business model concerns
giving the paying member guided communication with a potential partner. The company ensures
that they consider the preferences of the applicants before starting on the match–making process.
According to Piskorski, Halaburda & Smith, the company considers the similarities among
applicants in order to start the match–making process (6).
In line with this, the company considers a person's characteristics, interests, and values and looks for
a person whose profile is similar. In fact, the company has gone against the traditional idea that
opposites attract and opted for the similar traits while match–making. This assures the customer of
the value of the investment they make when subscribing for the site as it offers more personalized
and workable options than other sites.
3. eHarmony's business level strategy eHarmony's success is based on the business

The Porter 's Five Forces
The Porter's five forces is a competitive position analysis and business strategy format created by
Michael Porter in 1979. The premise behind the format is to provide them with five forces that
shape every industry. Mr. Porter 's theory is that if a company analyzed the information received
from reviewing the five forces, the company would be able to compete in a higher fashion against its
competitions. Following the five forces would allow a firm to determine the type of market or
industry it is operating in. Each of the five works as an individual factor in the microenvironment,
but one force could not exist without the out force in a stable economy. The five forces are Supplier
Power, Buyer Power, Threat of substitutes, the threat of new entrant and Competitive Rivalry. Three
forces affected the market horizontally while two affected, it vertically from each side. A review of
the movie rental market from the Porter's five forces. Competition Rivalry is at the center of the
Diagram. This force receives pressure from all of the remaining forces. The pressure from those
forces defines the way a competitor will be able to compete inside of an industry. A highly
competitive market may prohibit additional competitors from entering the marketplace. Lower
competitors are willing to lower prices cause a price war and maintain a low price that would slash
or narrow a perspective competitor from entering the marketplace. Current industry leaders are
already having market share

Porter's Five Forces In Retail Industry
Andrew Foles
Georgia Breunig
Sameer Omar
Xiyang Sun
Industry Environment: Analysis of United States retail industry using Porter's Five Forces.
What is the retail industry?
Retail industry sector encompasses companies and individuals that are engaged in selling products
to consumers. As the biggest economy in the world, retail industry in the U.S. is one of the biggest
industries in the world with total sales of nearly $5 trillion in 2016 as per www.census.gov. National
retail foundation's report mentions retail industry as the largest private sector employer in the United
states with about 15 million people working in the industry. Retail industry in the united states
comprises brick and mortar stores and a growing e–commerce sector. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
This requirement might deter new entrants.
2. Low product differentiation and economies of scale: There isn't much product differentiation at
play in the retail industry as there are well known manufacturers whose products are offered for sale,
which leaves price to compete on. Current well established retailers with thousands of stores enjoy
the economies of scale to control their cost that a new entrant might not be able to replicate after
immediately entering the industry.
3. Switching Cost: If there is anything that can go in favor of a new entrant is switching cost of the
buyer. Only loyalty buyers typically have these days is to value. If a new entrant can offer better
value, buyers can switch to the new entrant with no switching cost. Better value can only come from
sacrificing profits which might deter new entrants as a low profit margin does not promises long
term growth.
Force 2 – Bargaining Power of Buyers (customers):
Companies in the retail industry operate in a high price elasticity environment as there is not much
product differentiation to leverage. Buyers face almost no switching cost if they chose a substitute
offering better value. On the contrary, large and diverse population making small purchases works in
favor of the industry. No one individual or a small group has the power to significantly impact the
industry, but overall buyers enjoy have a high bargaining power in the industry.
Force 3 – Bargaining

Porter 's Five Forces Framework
Porter's Five Forces Framework EnQuest PLC, Oil and Gas Industry Cristina Cebotari BA (Hons)
Business Studies with Finance Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 3 1. ABOUT THE MODEL 3
1.1 ADVANTAGES 3 1.2 DISADVANTAGES 4 2. APPLYING PORTER'S FIVE FORCES TO
ENQUEST PLC 5 2.1 COMPETITIVE RIVALRY 5 2.2 BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS
7 2.3 BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS 8 2.4 THREAT OF ENTRY 9 2.5 THREAT OF
SUBSTITUTES 9 CONCLUSION 10 APPENDIX 11 REFERENCES 13 Introduction In this paper
I will apply Porter's Five Forces Framework on the traditional oil and gas upstream industry in the
UK. The company of my choice is EnQuest PLC, the largest UK independent oil producer in the UK
North Sea. 1. About The Model Porter's Five Forces model is designed to assess the attractiveness of
an industry based on the actual or potential competition through the following five forces: Rivalry
Among Existing Competitors; Threat of New Entrants; Bargaining Power of Buyers; Bargaining
Power of Suppliers; Threat of Substitute Products or Services (Johnson et al., 2014). The framework
is a holistic approach to analysing any industry and is based on the principle that the stronger the
five forces are, the less attractive it is to compete. Hence, high threat of new entrants and substitutes
combined with high bargaining power of buyers and suppliers diminishes industry profitability
(Porter 2008). 1.1 Advantages Historically, the Five Forces Framework has

Investor Identification And C : Value Analysis
Investor is a word that is used to describe an individual, group of people, or a business that shares
the same awareness or fear in a corporation. In order for Microsoft to maintain a successful
sustainability, they have to give recognition to major stakeholders. Furthermore, the company
should gain the powers of the participants, their essential views, and introduce a part inside
Microsoft for supervising the stakeholder. The proceeding paragraphs will discuss two key areas a)
investor identification and b) value analysis.
Enterprise Level Strategy Leaders of technology and other industries' focus, for years, has mainly
been on keeping up their speed by incorporating technologies, and sending them on time on a
budget set by the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
At Microsoft, the IT development technique arrangements concentrate on an undertaking association
's one of a kind business objectives and apply a people–focused outline way to deal with accomplish
them. Microsoft helps organizations make convincing encounters and compelling business
arrangements through the inventive use of Microsoft innovation. Microsoft enterprise methodology
and innovation counseling group is committed to focusing on genuine industry results and esteem
for the cash (Microsoft, 2016).
Organizational Culture Type Administration is basic in systematizing and keeping up a hierarchical
reason, abilities, and ideas. Forerunners commitment to the case by breathing the modules of
humanity: talents, observes, methods, and actions. Abilities are futile lacking replacement
components. Like anything beneficial, society is something in which people contribute. An
association 's standards and qualities aren 't shaped through talks yet through activities and group
learning. Solid societies have strength. They are a great deal more than trademarks and hollow
guarantees. A few associations go separate ways with the individuals who don 't oversee as indicated
by the qualities and practices that different representatives embrace. Others achieve the

Marketing Reflective Essay
With regard to presentation we have been asked to select brand (product or service), perform as its
specialist and finally present our findings/ideas. Our group chose one of the largest companies that
operates in the UK Supermarkets market – Tesco Plc. In order to analyse macro, micro, and
internal–environment of selected brand were used such an important tools as PESTLE/PEST, SWOT
Analysis, Porter's 5 Forces and BSG Matrix. And ultimately we have been asked to write an essay.
The purpose of this reflective essay is to think about findings individually of group presentation
with a particular focus on the logic and rational recommendations, probable results, estimation of
methods and tools. According to Jobber (2010, p.98) PESTLE or PEEST ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Thereby, all the findings allowed our team to highlight areas in which company has got some
challenges, such as Clothing (Question mark) and Technics (Dogs) which helped our group to make
recommendations at the end of presentation. With regard to recommendations, I would like to pay
attention on the fact that all of the tools and methods which have been used in presentation, helped
our group to outline some challenges of Tesco Plc. Due to that statement, we outlined key areas,
such as online shopping market, music and video markets, on which Tesco Plc must focus on in case
of potential progress, increasing profit and customer loyalty. In general, despite of the fact that all
used tools have helped us to analyse the company's performance, some of them have limitations
which impede clear understanding of situation. Nevertheless, the mix of these tools gave us solid
method how to examine performance of the company. As a final point, I would like to state that,
generally, our group did presentation well. Whilst I had a feeling that some of my partners were a bit
apprehensive

Competitive Strategy : Techniques For Analyzing Industries...
In 1980, Michael E. Porter, of Harvard University, wrote a book called Competitive Strategy:
Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. The purpose of the book was to discuss his
"Five Forces Model of Competition" and expose students and businesses alike to his ideas on policy
and strategy (Porter, 1980). The external analysis of industry, competition, and the general external
environment is based on Porter's Five Forces Model of Competition. Industry/Competition Current
Rivalry. Industry competitors are considered rivals in today's staffing industry. According to the
United States Census Bureau (2007), it is estimated that there are about 17,000 staffing companies
in the United States; which means 16,999 companies are competing against one another.
Consequently, there are opportunities and threats when it comes to rivalry within a given industry.
The staffing industry is struggling with "labor shortages, competition for applicants, and workforce
diversity" (Ployhart, 2006). The industry is also becoming increasingly competitive within domestic
and international markets (Enright & Pemberton, 2016). Companies that are joining the industry are
ultimately threatening the profits of existing companies. Therefore, there is an opportunity to see
what makes the competition successful. New and existing companies may have an innovative
service offering that most companies do not offer yet; which is an opportunity to set the company
apart from the competition. Companies

Porter's Five Forces Apparel Industry
The Threat of New Entrants within the Apparel Industry
Porter's five forces model seeks to portray how attractive an industry is in relation to the five
competitive forces which includes, threat of substitutes, threat of entry, bargaining power of
customers, intensity of competitive rivalry and bargaining power of suppliers.
The threat of new entrants of the porter's five force model refers to the threat that potential new
competition pose to existing competition within the industry. This threat is the force of the model
which would shape the competitive nature of the fashion and apparel industry.
The fashion and apparel industry is one of high profits and this is why it has attracted many
competitors. Since there is a slow growth increase within the industry this has increased the
competition and this has caused an ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The barriers to entry are the factors which alter the entrance of potential competitors within any
apparel and fashion industry. These barriers act as stops for potential competitors; which are seeking
to enter. Some of these barriers to entry within the industry would include:
Economics of scale; refers to the cost advantages that a company have because of its scale of
operation, size and output. Economies of scale are also seen as; if there is a decline in the unit costs
of a product within the industry, this would cause the volume in output to increase which in turn
would be very beneficial to existing firms. This barrier forces potential new entrants to try to come
in on a small scale which would force a cost disadvantage to them. This is why existing firms with
economies of scale have a cost advantage over small competitors and potential new entrants;
because these entrants will also try to match existing competitors this would be disadvantageous to

Porter's 5 Forces Analysis
Porter five forces analysis is a tool which is used to analyze level of competition within an industry
and its strategic management. Porter's 5 forces determine the competitive intensity of an Industry
and the industry's profitability. If the intensity of competition is high then profitability is drawn
down. Across different industries the levels of profitability differ. Graph 3 1: Porter's 5 Forces
Threat of New Entrants and Entry Barriers:
The 7 major sources of barriers to entry that incumbents have relative to new entrants are supply
side economies of scale, demand side benefits of scale, customer switching costs, capital
requirements, incumbency advantages independent of size, unequal access to distribution channels,
restrictive ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Strong established players exist in the market, not necessarily serving healthy food, such as off of
Stadiou St., near Syntagma, is a sophisticated, slightly upscale restaurant called Pasaji, serving
'modern' Greek food. Other restaurants near Syntagma square (at Plaka) are Byzantino a Greek
restaurant with authentic and fairly–priced Greek food. At Kolonaki is Oikeio, a small, charming
restaurant with reasonably priced gourmet Greek food. Also Brasserie Valaoritou, a stylish yet
casual café/restaurant offering tasty Greek and international cuisine. At Lykavittos Hill is the
"Lykabettus" restaurant (Nesacenter, 2012). According to Stochasis sector analysis (2012) the fast
foods revenues are 481.5 million euros (with a percentage change of 11,4% for the years 2012–13).
Though the revenues for food industry is 1,8 billion euros. Souvlaki fast food restaurants are still
resilient to the crisis though burger fast foods have reduced their 18,6% their revenues compared to
the previous year. Burger fast food restaurants have 40% of the market, snack/sandwich shops have
30% of the market share, pizza 20% and souvlaki only 10% of the total market share. In the market
there are no many restaurants. The majority of restaurants are family businesses which are the 80%
of the

Assignment : Umuc Haircuts Stage 1
Milanka Perera IFSM–300 Assignment: UMUC Haircuts Stage 1: I. Introduction: UMUC Haircuts,
is a business started in 1995 by Myra. In the recent years she has seen an increase in competition
from multiple other competitors. The latest update is that there is a Hair Cuttery that will open about
5 miles away, Myra is worried about how the new salon might affect her business. She wants to
continue to grow as a business and increase her profits by improving some area of her salon. II. Five
Forces Analysis: Michael Porter's Five Forces Model is a useful tool for analyzing a business. The
model is used to analyze the competitive forces and determine a strategy to develop a competitive
advantage for profitability of a business. With Porter's Five Force Model, it is possible to combat the
completive forces by identifying opportunities, competitive advantages, and competitive
intelligence. If the forces are strong, they increase competition; if the forces are weak, they decrease
competition. The Five Forces are: 1. Supplier Power: Myra does need to have a relationship with
Suppliers but she has a variety of hair product companies to buy her supplies from which gives her
the freedom to change products without affecting the profits. Supplies have low power because it is
very simple and inexpensive for Myra to switch the suppliers if neccesary. It would be a good
marketing strategy for Myra to collaborate with the best–known products like L'Oreal and Garnier
to attract more customers

Apple Corporation : Competitive Advantage With Evolving...
The Apple Corporation Apple Corporation was initially operating into the personal computer arena
but later diversified into other segments. The change was brought by changes in management and
differences in views that were coupled with missed opportunities resulting in loss of competitive
advantages. The company currently operates in the music and personal computer industry as part of
its initiative to continue providing innovative products for its customers. Despite venturing into
different industries to enhance competitive advantages, the corporation is still confronted by intense
opposition across all its business segments or industries. The aggressive competition is mainly
because the markets for personal computers, mobile communication devices, consumer electronics,
and digital music services are increasingly competitive. The competitiveness of these markets is also
attributed to the rapid technological advancements that constantly increase the capabilities of these
devices. In light of the increased competition, the Apple Corporation needs to develop and establish
measures for sustaining competitive advantage with evolving external environment and executive
succession.
Apple Profile Due to its recent diversification initiatives, Apple Inc. operates in the Information
Technology industry where it produces different kinds of computers including personal computers,
software, and digital music players. The company operates in a high end market that is

Porter's Five Forces : Strategic Forces
Porter's Five Forces
Entrepreneurs who are ready to start their business today might need to take a second and gather
industry information in regards to profitability together before taking a plunge into their chosen
industry. Professor Michael Porter developed has developed five competitive forces that if applied to
the selected industry the framework will determine profitability. Any change among one of the
forces will have an impact on the overall profitability of the company. We will describe each of the
five forces: Threat of Substitutes; Threat of New Entrants; Rivalry Among Existing Firms;
Bargaining Power of Suppliers; Bargaining Power of Buyers and Application of five forces to the
entrepreneurial idea and finally summary of the analysis.
The first of Porter 's five forces is the Threat of Substitution. When threat substitution level is low,
the appeal to start in the market is high. Barringer describes it more "This means that products or
services from other industries can 't easily serve as substitutes for the products or services being
made and sold in the focal firm 's industry." (Barringer, Ireland, 2016, p. 155) The cultivation of
brand loyalty will help to reduce threats of substitutions for the given product or service. The second
force is the Threat of New Entrants. Having outside competitor is having the ability to come into a
chosen market and copying standards to generate profits is the threat of new entrants. Certain
industries can have a lower level

Tips For A Successful Career
What should you do to forge a successful, gratifying career? Briefly explain each of the four
dimensions that should be considered. Where do you need to improve? What is your plan to
accomplish your improvement?
To forge a successful career you should be a specialist, a generalist, self–reliant , connected and also
be able to actively manage your relationship with your organization and be able to survive and
thrive in the world.
According to the text it is said you should be a specialist and a generalist, since in your career you
do not just want to be a specialist, you want to advance up and get into higher positions in which
your responsibility increases, you will deal with more people and and understand if not all at least
more areas of the organization. To be a specialist you need to be skillful expert in a particular
valuable area which will help give the firm and the customers a more concrete and knowledgable
value. To be a generalist means to have a wide range of knowledge about diverse areas in the
organization. To be self–reliant means to be autonomous and take responsibility for your own
actions. As a human who wants to grow it is our duty to go the extra mile and do what is necessary
to grow without the help of a boss or a company, we must try to be entrepreneurs and take risk and
see where we make mistakes, work hard towards improving those mistakes via practise and rise
upwards. To be connected means to have a lot of good relations with clients and people

Sainsbury's Internal And External Environment
Introduction In the following report we will be going over our analysis and findings during the
process of our study of Sainsbury's internal and external environment. Sainsburys is currently the
second largest chain of supermarkets within the UK, with a current supermarket sector share of
16.9%. Sainsbury's was founded in 1869 and today operates in over 1,200 supermarket and
convenience stores, and has over 161,000 employees. We will be looking at a number of areas
internally and externally and see how they are effectively or not effectively performing. External
Environment PESTLE analysis The PESTLE analysis is a tool which 'allows a manager to identify
the key macroeconomic factors that influence the future development of the business' 50MINUTES.
(2015, pp. 5). The PESTLE anaylsis consists of six factors which are political, economic, social,
technological, legal and environmental. Political factors Makos (2015) states political factors are
mainly based on the country's current political situation. The types of political factors that affect
Sainsbury's are, government policies, taxes laws and tariff, stability of government along with
others. In relation to the environmental factor, this regulation was put forward due to the amount of
plastic bags handed out by supermarkets in England as in 2014 it rose to 7.64 billion–200 million
more than in 2013. Campaigners argued that the bags blight streets, spoil the countryside, and
damage

Panera Bread Swot Analysis
Company's Background
The Panera Bread company was started in 1981 as Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. Established by Louis
Kane, and Ron Shaich, the organization thrived along the east shore of the United States and
universally all through the 1990s and turned into the predominant administrator inside the pastry
shop bistro classification. Units were opened in the mall, shopping centers, and airport throughout
the 1980s and 1990s. In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. bought Saint Louis Bread Company®, a chain
of 20 pastry shop bistros situated in the St. Louis range. Near 1993 and 1997 normal unit volumes
expanded by 75%. At last, the idea 's name was renamed to Panera Bread in 1997 in every market
outside St. Louis. By 1997, Panera Bread could end up ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
have higher growth rate than the company
Inflation that will shot up the prices of food items.
Macro environment Analysis by PESTEL Model
PESTEL stands for – Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental & Legal factors
that can impact the macro environment of a company. PESTEL investigation gives awesome insight
about working difficulties Panera Bread Company will look in common large–scale condition other
than focused powers. Among the 5 factors that can affect the macro environment, I have chosen two
factors. These are: –
1) Social–culture factor
2) Laws and regulations
Talking about Social–culture factor, Society 's way of life and method of doing things affect the way
of life of an association in a situation. Some of the social factors are: –
1)Socioeconomics and expertise level of the populace
2)States of mind (wellbeing, natural awareness)
3)Level of education
4)Attitude
5)Culture
6)Age and gender role
Talking about more in detail, due to increasing interest in eating healthy food, Panera bread's menu
is consistently reviewed and revised to keep the interest of regular customers, fulfilling their
changing consumer preferences and adaptive to change in environment. I would consider it as an

Opportunity. To be in the food industry it has made so many changes to be in the market. According
to the case study, the company had developed

The Analysis of Mark and Spencer
1. Sample Case Study on Marks and Spencer 2. Marks and Spencer Case Study 3. Introduction 4. 5.
The essay explains what the important parts of Marks and Spencer's (M & S) current and
historic strategies are. The value chain is analysed to explain M & S's competitive advantages.
The value chain focuses on inbound logistics, operations and marketing & service analysis of
M & S. Furthermore, the essay interprets what the problems of present strategies M & S
will meet in the future and what new strategy M & S may follow. 6. 7. Key Components of M
& S's Current and Historic Strategies 8. 9. M & S implemented different strategies to
solve various problems when it was at ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
M & S built good relationship with its supplier. The relationship between M & S and its
suppliers guarantees not only quality of products but also improves cooperation between them. The
relationship is concerned with encouraging its suppliers to use the most modern and efficient
production technologies and working with them to get the highest standards of quality. On the one
hand, M & S used mainly British suppliers in order to ensure the quality of products. On the
other hand, M & S established a trade mark 'St Michael' as the sign of its high quality. These
actions are helpful to satisfy customers' requirements about quality of product so that M & S
may get more competitive advantages for quality of products than its competitors. Moreover, one of
the successful facts is that M & S emphasised its store layout. It built a pilot store and other
stores are asked to follow it so that M & S may keep consistency of its image. It is good for
keeping good company image among customers. 20. 21. Finally, the changes about marketing
& service of M & S also added its competitive advantages. Initially, M & S built 'St
Michael' as its quality sign of product so as to build customer loyalty and attract customers to
purchase its products. However, M & S has to respond for the challenges for its competitors,
such as Tesco, Gap, because M & S's competitors has responded more fast for customers'

Study
Using Porter's Five Forces, answer (and discuss with your peers) the question, "Is healthcare an
attractive industry?"
Porter's Five Forces model was used in many different industries.The five forces are threat of new
entrants, threat of substitute products or services, bargaining power of customers (buyers),
bargaining power of suppliers, intensity of competitive rivalry. This theory is based on the concept
that there are five forces that determine the competitive intensity and attractiveness of a market.
Porter's five forces help to identify where power lies in a business situation. This is useful both in
understanding the strength of an organisation's current competitive position, and the strength of a
position that an organisation may ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Retrieved from：http://www.medicalpracticeinsider.com/blog/competitive–analysis [Accessed: 25
Mar 2014].
Hi Jingjing:
Thanks for sharing your discussion with me and I like it. Your discussion is well–organized and
reasonable. We all know that, in Porter's model, intensity is a function of the threat of new entrants
to the market, the level of rivalry among existing organizations, the threat of substitute products and
services, the bargaining power of buyers (customers), and the bargaining power of suppliers.The
strength and impact of these five forces must be carefully monitored and assessed to determine the
viability of the service category today and may be used to assess the changes likely to occur in the
future. (Ginter and Duncan et al., 2013). You stated that healthcare services were not the easily to be
substituted.I totally agree with that point. Healthcare service is a kind of special service which
includes technologies, equipment and professional skills. Obviously,to be a professional medical
staff is not easy.
References:
Ginter, P. M., Duncan, W. J. and Swayne, L. E. 2013. Strategic management of health care
organizations.
Hi Qian:
I totally agree with your points which you stated in your post.What's more, I am very interested in
the bargaining power of buyers. An assessment of how easy it is for buyers to drive prices down.
This is driven by the: number of buyers in the market; importance of each individual buyer to the
organization; and cost to

Under Armour Inc. Based
Under Armour Inc. based in Baltimore, Maryland, is one of the leading designers, marketers, and
distributors of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories for a wide variety of sports and
fitness activities. The Company engages in the design, development, marketing, and distribution of a
range of apparels and accessories utilizing various synthetic microfiber fabrications in the United
States and internationally. It offers a wide variety of merchandises including sporting goods and
lifestyle products. Under Armour was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank, a former football player
with the University of Maryland. Plank came up with a synthetic fabric design which enabled sweat
to be "wicked–
away" during high levels of physical activity. The company was originally named KP
sports and changed their name to Under Armour in 2005 when the company went public. Plank
believed that Under Armour's potential for long–
term growth was achievable due to the company's
ability to build an incredibly powerful brand in a relatively short time, significant opportunities to
expand, and the fact that company was only in the early stages of establishing its brand and
penetrating markets outside North America (Thompson).
The goal of any company is to achieve the competitive advantage of over their rivals on the basis of
a variety of features, such as higher quality, wider product selection, and added performance, value
added services, more attractive

Small and Medium Enterprises
INTRODUCTION SME Definition Presently, there is no common definition of small and medium
enterprises (SME) in Malaysia. Different Agencies define SME based on their own criteria, usually
bench–marking against annual sales turnover, number of full–time employees or shareholders'
funds. In addition, present definitions focus mainly on SMEs in the manufacturing sector. The
establishment and adoption of standard definitions for SME will facilitate better identification of
SME across sectors, thus enabling more effective formulation of SME policies and implementation
of SME development programs, and provision of technical and financial assistance. It will also
allow better monitoring of SME performance and their contribution to the economy, but the way as
officially, SME can be define as the Small and Medium Enterprise. In Malaysia, have one
corporation that control the SME movement to support the operation of SME company. SME
corporation is the one company that has been create under the Ministry in Malaysia. The function of
SME firstly is coordinate the policies and program for those are under SME company means
formulate broad SME policies across all sectors and coordinate, monitor and evaluate effective
implementation of policies and programs across relevant Ministries and Agencies. Secondly, center
on advisory and information, wheres SME corp Provide business advisory through the One Referral
Center, disseminate information on Government funds and incentives on SMEs, channel

The Five Factor Model
THE FIVE –FACTOR MODEL
James Baron and David Kreps had given the Five–Factor model, which is based on Michael Porter's
Five Forces model of business analysis (Porter, 1980). These factors will influence the Competitive
Intelligence system in any organization. These factors are External Environment, Workforce,
Organizational Culture and Structure, Organizational Strategy, and Technology of Production and
Organization of Work (Baron & Kreps, 1999). Lack of correspondence between any one of these
factors can lead the firm's CI practices to the failure.
Figure 15.1 The Five–Factor model. (Source: Adapted from Baron & Kreps [1999]).
External Environment
The External Environment component takes into ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This could also work to the firm's disadvantage, since gathered intelligence should never be
considered static. New developments are always transpiring that render recently collected
intelligence obsolete and invalid. The firm that fails to recognize this will have surely wasted its CI
efforts.
Workforce
The workforce element of the Five–Factor model concerns demographic factors such as social (or
workforce) homogeneity (i.e., workforce uniformity with respect to education, work experience,
etc.). Workforce consistency also includes the skill set incorporated into the team. Demographic
factors can also seriously impede or enhance CI and strategy (Baron & Kreps, 1999). The skill–set
that the CI team leader possesses is vital to team success. Managers need to be able to understand
the degree of management their particular team requires. Due to the creative and sometimes
ambiguous nature of CI, team leaders must know when to step in and give direction or when to let
the CI team members find their own resolution. Micro–management from the team leader will likely
undermine team effectiveness and inhibit team performance as members become dependent upon
guidance or possibly resentful of interference (Simon, 2000). Too little direction from the team
leader may lead to confusion with regards to the composition of team deliverables. The team

General Mills ( Gm )
Introduction: General Mills
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, General Mills (GM) is global manufacturer and marketer
of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores
Operates through 3 major segments: US Retail (59% of FY2014 net sales), International (30%) and
Convenience Stores and Foodservice (11%)
Manufactures its products in 16 countries and markets them in over 100 countries.
Derives majority of its revenues from the US (66% in FY2014)
Brands: In the US, General Mills has a strong number 1 position in many products like Grain snacks
– Nature valley, Refrigerated dough – Pillsbury, Dessert mixes – Betty Crocker, Mexican aisle
products – Old El Paso, Fruit Snacks – fruit roll ups and has a strong number 2 ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Brands: Kraft 's portfolio of iconic brands includes 10 labels with more than $500 million in annual
sales and names such as Kraft, Kool–Aid, Oscar Mayer, Maxwell House, Planters, Philadelphia,
Velveeta, Capri Sun, and Jell–O. Kraft 's products can be found across all major meal occasions,
both at home and in foodservice locations
Operates through 6 business segments: Cheese (22% of FY2013 net revenues), Refrigerated Meals
(18%), Beverages (15%), Meals & Desserts (13%), Enhancers & Snack Nuts (12%), and Canada
(11%). The remaining business is aggregated under 'Other Businesses'.
Operates 36 manufacturing facilities, 34 in the US and 2 in Canada (as of Dec 28, 2013)
Derives majority of its revenues from the US (86% in FY2013)
Market Capitalization: 32,389 MM Revenues: 18,098 MM EBITDA: 4,658 MM
Founded in 1980, the Company employed approximately 22,500 people as of Dec 28, 2013
Revenue breakdown: FY2013 (total: $18.2MM)
Five Force Analysis – Industry Analysis Porters Five Forces Analysis
Bargaining power of customers– High
This industry has a high customer concentration. Sales are highly reliant on few large customers that
have a lot of bargaining

Business 601 Reflection Essay

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