Category: Business 11471

Introduction

Information sharing is an essential part of cooperation in the workplace, which means that the employees and managers should pay precise attention to it. Knowledge and information sharing in the organization is an initiative taken by respective bodies to ensure critical information is passed across the workforce. Firms provide several forms that information is shared among their workers. These ways include sharing data files, creating online discussion groups, distributing written documents, face-to-face office discussions, holding monthly or weekly presentations, and mentoring the younger employees. It is possible to hypothesize that the active use of different ways to share knowledge allows the company to support its stable development.

Ways to Share Information and Knowledge

The general context influences the choice of sharing information in the workplace. Internet sharing and other online modes of sharing became popular during the pandemic as most were advised to work from home. It is possible to apply the initiative after the pandemic as it proved more accessible than other modes (Ahmed et al., 2021). For example, data can be shared with other coworkers through emails and the companys websites. This sharing model always ensures all workers get the information and knowledge from the official platform hence no confusion. At the same time, distributing written documents, face-to-face communication, and monthly or weekly forums to inform the whole department are still working ways to share data (Liebowitz & Beckman, 2020). Therefore, all these methods can be effective if applied correctly and be well coordinated.

Ways to Look After Information and Knowledge

Many firms prioritize information and knowledge protection as it enables them to have a competitive advantage in production or sales. Moreover, some organizations employ specialists to help protect technical information against external attacks. Firms using this method are deeply ingrained in modern technology as their primary storage and mode of communication. Wong et al. (20191) indicate that organizations always feel vulnerable to external attacks and hence want to apply measures that may reduce that. Many firms do not know how to deal with lack of knowledge except by firing the employee, which does not solve the problem.

Information Management and Knowledge Management

Knowledge management is having executive control over an organizations resources to get a competitive advantage over others. Nevertheless, on the other hand, information management is an enabler of knowledge management and is mandatory in any company. Further, knowledge management is an ongoing and never-ending cycle that always needs ones attention, while information management is a one-time endeavor automated by nature (Krcál & Kubias, 2018). Therefore, one can conclude that the difference between the two is peoples roles.

Conclusion

Therefore, information sharing and protection are essential components of a companys functioning. It allows the employees to support adequate connection, coordinate their actions, and pursue common goals. At the same time, it is critical to manage information and protect it to ensure the safety of corporate secrets and to preserve an advantage in business competition.

Briefing Paper

Sources of Information for the Workplace

There are many sources of information in workplaces, depending on what employees want to know. For example, some organizations prefer getting their information from government documents and publications, media, and organization associations. Media is the most used source of information as it exists in different ways, for example, radios, televisions, and other social media platforms. The complete information on these platforms makes it easy for employees to get their data on their firms or their competition. Government documents and publications provide general information on all organizations within their borders. Through this, employees understand the economic nature and how they are faring. Big firms, through shares, get to know what they need to know to improve their status. Organization associations provide information on related companies and show the relationship between direct competitors (Bystrom et al., 2019). Moreover, despite having their respective roles, these sources of information can be used to educate various employees on their roles.

Evaluation of the Advantages and Limitations of Sources of Information for the Workplace

These sources of information can be advantageous and disadvantageous in some aspects, depending on how one uses them. Social media allows employees to engage others as they share the information indicated. Regular email communication ensures greater participation and ensures each is active in building a better brand. Further, government and organization association publications promote social learning and improve knowledge sharing. Employees can understand what their competitors are doing and the steps they have taken to grow. This sharing enables them to solve problems that increase knowledge and social learning.

On the other hand, media as a source of information exposes companies to hacks and viruses, leading to privacy breaches. They always make the organization vulnerable and in danger of being exposed to external threats. Again, social media is addictive and may consume workers hours reading unrelated topics. The result is decreased productivity and time wastage which could have been used elsewhere (Wong et al., 2021). Therefore, the organization needs to promote what is best and discourage unpleasant behaviors regarding sources of information.

Sources of Knowledge for the Workplace

Knowledge in workplaces is gotten from different sources with the groups directive or firm leaders. Some firms get their knowledge from the organizational memory; the skills are implemented depending on what suits the employees best. It is best implemented by an experienced person who has worked with the team. Externally, knowledge comes from the suppliers, business environment, customers, and the market. Engaging the suppliers gives the firm knowledge of how they perform, which is vital in growing a business. Customers have a role in a business setup as the relationship is usually mutually beneficial. Their feedback always provides knowledge on how new products and services need to be developed. Further, market research will always provide knowledge about competitors, which is crucial in helping one strategize (Simao & Franco, 2018). In exhausting these sources, one needs to determine which knowledge they need and their benefits to the firm.

Evaluation of the Advantages and Limitations of Sources of Knowledge for the Workplace

Knowledge sources in various workplaces allow for flexible transfer of specific and sensitive data within the organization. For example, they are used when a company wants to introduce a new product in the market without needing to formalize the contracts. Further, they help in calculations and estimations of costs the firm will likely incur if they participate in certain activities. External sources of knowledge allow the introduction of new measures related to the product being sold. Many organizations apply this when they want to incorporate a new idea into the existing one. The lack of these sources will expand the organizational practices gap, which needs to be closed to improve workplace performance. However, some market research knowledge is usually outdated and will inaccuracy. For example, product research before the COVID-19 pandemic will not apply during and after the period as much could have changed.

Further, getting customer knowledge always results in a wide range of information that cannot be covered once. Therefore, at times they are inapplicable and hence cannot be reliable (Hart, n.d.). The best source of knowledge will depend on what the organization wants, and they need to analyze them carefully for maximum benefits.

Presentation

Need for Current, Valid, and Reliable Information and Knowledge

The use of current and valid knowledge is essential in the management teams work because it allows leaders to understand the current concerns that do not allow the business to develop adequately. The current society entails an economy characterized by intense competition, economic interdependence, and collaboration. As a result, changes in all aspects call for most organizations to adopt the new methods and be up to date on production, marketing, and service delivery. These changes are always available in reliable, current, and valid sources that publish essential pieces of information over time. For example, many industries are moving to highly skilled workers in the modern setup due to the increased complexity and interactivity of tasks. To get this information on a specific new skill set, people need to read and source these data from government publications, organization-associated official websites and up-to-date, reliable online databases such as JSTOR and Gale (Van Laar et al., 2017). These materials provide verified and reliable data of the required skill set appropriate for the task.

Therefore, the need for current and reliable sources of information for managers is evident because they allow leaders to estimate potential risks and opportunities for business. With the advancement of technology, changes are becoming common, and one needs the latest information and knowledge to avoid lagging (Van Laar et al., 2017). Therefore, organizations need to research the current trends to compete in the modern competitive environment.

Importance of Using Current, Valid and Reliable Information and Knowledge in the Workplace

• Allow managers to look at the pros and cons of different initiatives before applying.
• It helps leaders estimate potential opportunities and risks and understand the situation objectively.
• Talk through with different stakeholders to get each ones view and proposal.
• Implement after agreeing with more than half the members.

Hand-out

• These sources are generally up to date and applicable in most organizations.
• Peer-reviewed articles and journals provide proven statements and findings hence reliable.

How Information and Knowledge can be Validated in the Workplace Before Use

There are several methods to validate information before sharing or applying it in workplaces. For instance, doing appropriate tests, having appropriate authentication meetings, and ensuring the information is for the proper purpose. In doing appropriate tests, members need to run the piece of information through several business cases and case models to establish its usability. This method helps in eliminating applicable and inapplicable information in the business setup.

Appropriate meetings are held to validate any fluctuating data and are mainly applicable to status reports. Most organizations will always analyze trends and get a breakdown of whatever information they need; therefore, they need up-to-date and accurate data. Lastly, when outside sources provide data, firms need to ensure it is the set they require. It can be achieved by explaining the materials beforehand and seeking clarification (Song et al., 2018). Validating data will help the firm avoid confusion and apply the wrong initiatives.

Advantages and Limitations of a Range of Methods of Testing and Validating Information and Knowledge

Appropriate tests will allow accurate information as the variables are appropriately evaluated to produce the best outcome. Again, these tests eliminate doubt on the applicability as they had succeeded in someplace. However, the testing is limited as it cannot be used on innovations. The incapability will not allow for the firms expansion and the formation of new ideas. Second, having appropriate meetings allows each member to be on board and support the organizations initiatives. Through this, organizations promote teamwork and togetherness in these workplaces. Its downside is ignoring the minoritys opinion when voting is involved. The majority will always win, which silences the minorities take on the initiative (Song et al., 2018). These methods validate the need to be implemented appropriately and where they are best suited.

Draft for Staff Guide

In-House Policies, Procedures, and Best Practice Principles Applicable to The Creation or Collection, Sharing, and Looking After of Information in The Workplace

Policies, procedures, and principles help an organizations smooth and efficient running. Some focus on employee conduct, company property, harassment and discrimination, and social media use. For example, employees cannot share photos from their workplace on social media, and their accounts are analyzed by HR. Those workers who express racist or discriminatory views on the Internet and the company learns about it are fined or dismissed. These policies aim to communicate the firms visions and values, making employees understand what is needed. One of their responsibilities is to create, collect, share and protect data in their respective workplaces.

Security of information is an essential part of corporate policy. The creation and collection of data involve reading various materials and determining what is best for the firm. It explains why some firms have libraries and research materials within the premise. Sharing is done through the sources of information discussed earlier, and the protection is through respective measures depending on the data. Different organizations will store their data depending on technological advancement, but most are shifting into technological storage methods (Byström et al., 2019). Hence, there are no universal policies and procedures but change over time depending on the firms intentions.

Key Legislation Applicable to The Creation or Collection, Sharing, and Looking After of Information in The Workplace

Confidentiality of business information is the primary legislation used in working with data. It includes the confidentiality of personal information about clients and employees and the data about corporate plans, crises, and stakeholders intentions. For example, the employees in the companies that produce new technologies cannot share the details of their work with other organizations due to the confidentiality of this information (Byström et al., 2019). This legislation allows the company to survive in the competition in the market.

The legislation is applied to provide direction to the company by eliminating unacceptable behaviors and indicating the consequences of breaking them. For example, there is legislation on employee conduct in which each employee is required to behave in a certain way. Additionally, legislation on the misuse of the organizations resources is discouraged, and a penalty always follows (Byström et al., 2019). It means that people who represent a particular company should correspond to the image of the professional. It means that impolite or criminal behavior is unacceptable for the employees because people associate them with the organization they work. Therefore, these rules are in place to ensure the organization runs smoothly as each employee performs their respective duties.

References

Ahmed, Y. A., Ahmad, M. N., Ahmad, N., & Zakaria, N. H. (2021). Social media for knowledge-sharing: A systematic literature review. Telematics and informatics, 37, 72-112.

Byström, K., Heinström, J., & Ruthven, I. (2019). Work and information in modern society: A changing workplace. Information management in the workplace. London: Facet Publishing, 1-32.

Hart, O. (2017). Toolkit to Take to Workplace: Equipping Students for Success Beyond College. In The Fifth European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL) (p. 179).

Krcál, M., & Kubias, M. (2018). Differences between Knowledge and Information Management Practices: Empirical Investigation. In KMIS (pp. 190-198).

Liebowitz, J., & Beckman, T. (2020). Knowledge organizations: What every manager should know. CRC press.

Simao, L., & Franco, M. (2018). External knowledge sources as antecedents of organizational innovation in firm workplaces: a knowledge-based perspective. Journal of Knowledge Management.

Song, M. L., Fisher, R., Wang, J. L., & Cui, L. B. (2018). Environmental performance evaluation with big data: Theories and methods. Annals of Operations Research, 270(1), 459-472.

Van Laar, E., Van Deursen, A. J., Van Dijk, J. A., & De Haan, J. (2017). The relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills: A systematic literature review. Computers in human behavior, 72, 577-588.

Wong, A., Ho, S., Olusanya, O., Antonini, M. V., & Lyness, D. (2021). The use of social media and online communications in times of pandemic COVID-19. Journal of the Intensive Care Society, 22(3), 255-260.

Wong, W. P., Tan, H. C., Tan, K. H., & Tseng, M. L. (2019). Human factors in information leakage: Mitigation strategies for information sharing integrity. Industrial Management & Data Systems 119(6), 1242-1267.

Size of the Market

The MealBox vending machine provides food and drinks services. The size of the market is rather big, considering the type of product provided by the device. However, it is targeted to a small percentage of people, as it is situated on the student campus and will provide services to them and the university staff (Brown, Flint, & Fuqua, 2014).

Segmentation Strategies

In terms of the major segmentation strategies, it is important to address all of them in order to make our business successful. First, the target consumers are students (high schools and university students), staff and faculty, visitors, busy consumers, and young professionals on the go, all aging from 14 to 35 years old. Second, the MealBox vending machines will be located in the university area, particularly where the concentration of students is very high. Third, the main focus will be placed on the food quality and quickness of service (Caruso, Klein, & Kaye, 2014). Additionally, as for the psychographic segmentation, our target audience is those whose purpose is to be healthy and fit (Brown et al., 2014).

Competitive Landscape

Our major competitors are all the food stores at the university and the campus canteen. Additionally, among the competitors, there are various fast-food restaurants and food stores that are near the campus. MealBox may be lacking in the variety of food, but its quality and quick service should compensate for this disadvantage (Hollensen, 2015).

Common Promotional Practices

The vending machine is the nearest place to the campus for buying food that provides quick service and quality and healthy food. Also, a daily analysis of customer preferences will be made in order to increase sales (Grech & Allman-Farinelli, 2015).

MealBox will be installed with LED screen with video and voice capabilities. MealBox will have video games. TV advertisements will not be productive, especially considering our limited budget. We think that various print brochures and the creation of a website will be enough to present our services. There will also be discounts on different occasions (Brown et al., 2014).

Cultural Differences

As the variety of food and drinks that can be provided by the vending machine is limited, cultural differences will not be considered. Instead, the food and drinks in MealBox will be universal and applied to different cultures, for example, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, meat, fish, juices, tea, coffee, and so on (Jacobs, 2017).

Comparison to Japanese Vending Machines

Japanese are well-known for their variety of vending machines. In Japan, one can buy almost everything in vending machines beginning from food and drinks and ending with clothes, umbrellas, books, shampoos, batteries, flowers, and even cars. Like certain modern Japanese vending machines, MealBox uses a high-tech system that is capable of fast heating and cooling of food and drinks. The system is based on the circulation of heat, that is, heat from the cooling process is recycled to heat the warm products (Jacobs, 2017).

Salary Ranges

We will have one part-time person and five full-time staff, among who are two managers, one of them will oversee route staffing and physical operations, the other one will oversee front office activities, three vending machine attendants who will be responsible for daily route servicing, and one part-time person who will provide evening route servicing. The average salary for the vending machine attendants will be $2500. The managers will receive approximately $3000. The part-time person will be paid approximately $1500 (Hollensen, 2015).

References

Brown, M. V., Flint, M., & Fuqua, J. (2014). The effects of a nutrition education intervention on vending machine sales on a university campus. Journal of American College Health, 62(7), 512-516.

Caruso, M. L., Klein, E. G., & Kaye, G. (2014). Campus-based snack food vending consumption. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 46(5), 401-405.

Grech, A., & AllmanFarinelli, M. (2015). A systematic literature review of nutrition interventions in vending machines that encourage consumers to make healthier choices. Obesity reviews, 16(12), 1030-1041.

Hollensen, S. (2015). Marketing management: A relationship approach. London, England: Pearson Education.

Jacobs, H. (2017). Japans vending machines tell you a lot about the countrys culture. Web.

A manager is somebody who is responsible for leading a given group in realizing a companys operational goals and the ultimate services/goods production. Management and the roles of a manager are interrelated and they define how an institution is run in regard to, staffing, operation, leadership, and planning among other management credentials. Management can be sub-divided into three main categories: top-level management which is the highest management level in a company that staffs aspire to be, mid-level management, first-level management, and personal contributions. Top-level management is where the top leadership dwells and it is occupied by the companys CEO/chairman. Mid-level managers include directors, departmental heads, and other sub-team leaders. First-level management refers to company supervisors while personal contributors include the duties of cooks, groundsmen, among others.

Managerial duties are designed to encompass all business operations in a bid to realize the goals of a company. Managers, therefore, have to be well acquainted with all business processes so they can ensure the production of goods and services is well coordinated. This coordination calls for good inter-departmental communication channels and general communication from the bottom to the top leadership. A good manager should know the goals, mission, and vision of a company as those are the driving factors that propel a successful company. A managers role involves planning, controlling, recruitment, organizing, and providing leadership. Despite the overall guidance role played by managers, modern business ethics call for managers to act as personal motivators, team players, and facilitators. This is a move that has deemphasized formal management to a friendlier and team-oriented leadership that boosts the morale of employees. This form of management is also known as horizontal management and its ideals are opposed to the top-to-bottom/vertical management model.

Managers must be equipped with basic skills that will ensure effective business operations are run comprehensively. These skills include interpersonal skills, technical knowledge in regard to processes, political skills, conceptualistic skills, and analytical skills. The above managerial skills can be nurtured through behavioral change and developing conceptual knowledge. Besides, a manager can gain managerial skills via observation of how managers carry out their duties. Self-initiated quizzes can also act as a vital source of developing skills as one can personalize his/her own style from the quizzes he/she forms. The most important action by students who aspire to be managers in the future is to put learned skills into action out of the classroom and to practice these skills frequently.

The position of a manager in a company depends on the type of company and how its operating systems are designed. One cannot be a manager if he/she lacks the necessary skills of running a given department. The interviewee justifies this claim because before he was employed in the company, he had practiced management in another company and upon moving to the current firm, he worked for two years before being elevated to the management position he currently holds. Experience is really necessary because an individual has to acquaint him/herself with the operations of a company before he/she takes over. The interviewee also recruits employees considering personality, creativity, originality, and ability to work under pressure. This concurs with the ideals of management that require a manager to recruit staff in his/her docket. Besides, the interviewee is the leader of those in his department.

On the contrary, the management essential above suggests a horizontal management system that modern business institutions employ today. The interviewee however operates under a top-to-bottom/vertical leadership channel that is not employee-friendly. In addition, the interviewee affirms that he forces his employees to adopt his operation ideals regardless of their personal opinion as long as he thinks his moves are geared towards the realization of company targets. The manager however reassures that their mutual relationship is maintained via team building sessions he organizes with his employees. The manager agrees with the fact that managerial duties call for academic credentials. The manager intends to further his education (attaining a degree) so that in the near future he may become Manager/ Visual Zone Director. This conforms with the essentials required of a manager as suggested above. Besides the academic work, a manager has to equip him/herself with the technical skills of a department. The manager interviewed has got skills in creating visual displays which is a technical skill that is in line with this requirement.

In my own view, having looked at the essentials of becoming a manager and the findings of the interview, I believe that management is not as easy as it appears in paper/classwork. Managerial skills are nurtured from academics to real experience before one moves from lower managerial levels to the top level of a CEO/chairman. It is vital for students pursuing managerial posts in the future to get skills out of the classroom in order to get the real picture of what duties befall a successful manager. The most critical role of managers; though, is to be able to master all business operations for good coordination of inter-departmental roles. Besides, this is a move that is crucial when one target to move to the highest level of management.

Executive Summary

Considering the companys success in the market, Nestlé continues to encounter internal and external hurdles that it must conquer to achieve its objectives. However, market dynamism made Nestlé company accept change and develop products appropriate for its clients while sustaining the standards of its basic brand variety (Singh et al. 61). Nestlés earnings improved due to technological developments, company policies, marketing tools, processes, and personnel.

Nestlé passes through numerous problems, especially external ones, which accumulate daily. The company has a higher rate of consumer integrity due to its high standards of commodities, besides customer constancy and confidence (Singh et al. 65). Rivalry is beneficial since it pushes companies to contemplate and formulate tactics to stay above other companies. Companies that exist in a community with kindness in mind may initiate good associations that might help them promote their brands. Companies can enhance consumer retention make the environment safe through corporate social initiatives.

Introduction

Nestlé is a fitness, nourishment, and wellbeing firm that make and delivers fast foods, cooking appliances, drugs, and ophthalmology commodities. Nestlé farm manufactures other dairy products, cereals, and childrens food. The firm is established in about six regions worldwide, including Africa, America, Asia, and Oceania. In 1866, Henry Nestlé established Nestlé, and the firms main offices were allocated in Switzerland (Singh et al. 67). The firm nowadays hires about 339,000 personnel worldwide, and the company has done a lot of implementations of various business initiatives and the launch of new product lines.

Demand

Demand hypothesis analyzes how change in the amount of a product or a service desired by customers influences its market price. The hypothesis implies that, all other things being constant, the higher the rate of a commodity, the demand reduces, implying a bearish trend.The demand variables that impact Nestlés market share and profitability include items cost, rivalry, consumers level of income, and customer interests and needs. When there is a substantial rivalry in the market, a rise in the cost of Nestlés commodities can reduce demand, hence lowering the companys sales (Kee et al. 86). An increase in the consumer earning bracket typically results in the markets rise for the firms brands simultaneously. Furthermore, a good fit between the excellence of a companys commodities and the interests and desires of its customers frequently increases revenues.

The cost of production, technological improvements, and the current market pricing are supply factors that influence the firms sales and profitability. A high market rate stimulates a company to raise its output increase income. Low production costs boost earnings by generating higher earnings (Kee et al. 96). Similarly, technological developments allow the company to reduce its expenses and increase earnings. Due to careful budgetary control and sensible pricing, Nestlé was able to mitigate the effects of unusually high rising costs.

Sustaining Profitability

Nestlé food can uphold its lucrative market position by lowering its manufacturing costs. For instance, the company can apply cost-cutting techniques to manufacture and distribute its products. The firm sells at the current market rate, which will lead to the expansion of its gross margin due to lower manufacturing costs (Kee et al. 90). Furthermore, besides retaining low manufacturing costs, the company can cut its costs just below its average. Nestlé can also promote its commodities to generate demand. Consumers are more inclined to buy a product with enough knowledge about its features and cost.

Elasticity of Demand

Revenue resistance and cost resistance of demand impact Nestlés rating policy and performance. The resistance of demand computes how sensitive a commodity needs to rate changes. Since there are numerous comparable alternatives for Nestlés nutritional adjunct, consumption is likely to be stretchy. Consequently, supplement purchasers have minimal price sensitivity. As a result, they can quickly switch from one adjunct product to another if the price changes. The susceptibility of a commoditys desire due to alteration in the rate of a specific item is measured through cross-price resistance of needs (Kee et al. 94). However, if the value of their replacements or another companys brands rises, interest for Nestlés nutritional adjunct will rise, and conversely. The shift in the need for items that happen as the discretionary income of its users varies is referred to as income elasticity (Chung et al. 60). Because nutritional adjuncts are ordinary items, demand will rise as customers discretionary income rises.

Production and Costs

The main factors that influence Nestlés manufacturing include human resources, materials, farms, and finances. Some of Nestlés components of products comprises of cocoa, coffee grounds, and cereal, just to mention a few (Chung et al. 59). Nestlé possesses a private firm to cultivate the plants, establishing a firm supply of important components. Nestlé employs a huge number of people due to its international corporation. Moreover, Nestlés commodity is mostly dependent on equipment for massive manufacturing.

Components and workforce are two of Nestlés adjustable inputs. In case Nestlé intends to enhance production within no time, they will need extra components and a workforce. Nestlé employs around 339,000 individuals, yet extra operation hours are needed to enhance the high manufacturing of products in a short time (Chung et al. 63). As a result, components and workforce are likely to change in a short period, making them elastic efforts.

Farm and finance constitute Nestlés valuable inputs, and farm, in particular, is a constant source of components for their items. Nestlé cannot acquire a new farm to enhance outputs quickly since the farm will require a lot of time to cultivate the plants required. Aside from money, Nestlé possesses 418 plants in 86 nations, 200 operating firms, and the machinery and equipment needed for production, processing, and transportation (Chung et al. 66). Besides focusing on Nescafe alone, someone can estimate that if the cost of Nescafe rises by 10 percent, the amount purchased will decrease by more than 10 percent (Chung et al. 67). An individual can observe some premium products for Nescafe should they raise the cost, such as Super, Ah Huat, Kopiko, Essence, and many more. When someone can no longer acquire Nescafe, they will look for other less expensive items.

Nestlé has five major corporations in the United States of America, Nestlé experts, Nestlé United States of America, Nestlé Waters North America, and Nestlé Purina PetCare Corporation, and Nestlé nourishment. Those five enterprises hire over 44,000 individuals and function in over 120 sites throughout 47 states (Chung et al. 65). However, Nestlé cannot open a new manufacturing unit to enhance output in a brief time due to an increase in cost, and as a result, Nestlés fixed costs are farm and cash. The total amount purchased, demand elasticity, and a firms net income Nestlés primary emphasis is beverage manufacturing, which includes Nestlé bliss, Milo, and Nescafe.

Firm Organization

Nestlé is a large company with a history dating back around 150 years. The company operates together with international business and engages on an international market to maintain consistent business growth. Nestlé as well retails to third-world countries which require inexpensive, nutritious meals. The company significantly cut waste by 23% and boosted reuse or recovery of by-products by 36 percent since 2000 (Bradshaw 60). The firm has continued to excel in the market and has created other initiatives. Nestlé, for example, contributes to sustainable economic growth around the world through knowledge transfer, apprenticeship programs, and educating local personnel to international norms, as well as paying taxes that help finance local infrastructure improvements.

Authorized individuals from both Nestlé and vendors organizations validate the contracting processes and activities. The team writes a proper authorization, which contains permission levels, roles, and duties for all parties and provisions for market clearances as appropriate (Bradshaw 60). The accessibility of precise and accurate purchasing data aids in making more informed and timely decisions. The information also leads to greater effectiveness in purchasing programs and waste minimization in procurement procedures. Purchasing department gives timely and appropriate updates on expected pricing and supplier consumer preferences and viewpoints.

Market Structure

Nestlé health contends against various firms, distributors, and consumers in a highly competitive sector. Due to increased competition among businesses, manufacturers and customers are sensitive to price changes. In summary, prices of nutritional supplements are influenced by the dynamics of demand and supply rather than individual producers and customers. Additionally, the businesses produce things that are consistent in terms of nutritional content and advantages thus, and there are no differences between them (Van Dam et al. 5). On the other hand, buyers are lacking in comprehensive information on products and prices, and as a result, the demand is not evenly distributed.

Individuals in various areas and with diverse social classes have diverse demands, concerns, and desires. Nestlé, as a worldwide business, literally has a diverse customer market. It is valid in the context of grounded refreshments, as several individuals will have alternative tastes for ground refreshments. Regardless of such differences, market segments create similar clusters, which can assist in the consistency of marketing actions (Van Dam et al. 10). Milos diverse business tactic is the best option because its efficiency has already been demonstrated in the food production sector.

The high-status people and middle-status people are the main target consumers for the Milo product and the majority of items in the powder form refreshments group. Milo, for example, might use the prominence attached with their product to sell their brands at a higher price than the rivals (Van Dam et al. 12). Milos minor target market is the lower-status people expected to transition to higher-end products as discretionary income increases.

Milo has many options for expanding its market dominance in the world. Nestlé company can resolve to expand the market of Milo, assemble the brands, increase the efficiency distribution and emerge into new business developments. Whereas the top-quality approach may appear paradoxical, it is ideal for promoting Milo (Van Dam et al. 15). Nestlé needs to do a lot to promote the product as a high-quality brand and consider smaller packaging to boost sales. The brand can be more accessible to consumers who have limited discretionary cash now but will undoubtedly have more in the future, such as learners, new employees, young individuals with families, and families with young children. In a commoditized market, obtaining such clients increases the likelihood of cultivating brand loyalty.

Factors Affecting the Firms Performance

Nestlés PESTLE study focuses on the firms marketing strategy and explains how political, economic, sociological, and technical factors and environmental issues influence the corporation. A few of the corporations most essential responsibilities is to keep a record of the numerous regulatory changes affecting importation, exportation, customs, and environmental constraints, among other things (Vijayalakshmi et al. 11). Adjustments like these can be advantageous to a corporation, but they can also cause serious manufacturing issues in some regions.

Employment rules that limit or prohibit child slavery in cocoa regions are getting more stringent, which could negatively influence the companys activities. Multinational firms like Nestlé run smoothly when the global climate is stable (Vijayalakshmi et al. 11). When dietary limits change, the corporation needs to do a lot of conceptualizations and experimenting with recreating the product in multiple ways while still fulfilling customer demands.

Nestlés performance relies on the capability to recognize consumer needs and deliver greater, affordable, appropriate, and innovative items. Nestlé has emphasized products that are lower in calories, sodium, and unhealthy lards for a company to remain abreast of nutrition developments. The Nestlé organization trusts internal and external adoption of technology innovations, operations, and processes. With escalating cyber-attacks damaging data accuracy, security, and confidentiality, Nestlé must design a contingency strategy to avoid serious missteps while attempting to enter the digital market (Vijayalakshmi et al. 11). The company activities would become more effective when water usage with actual statistics on its water usage.

Conclusion

Nestlé has been known for delivering exceptional commodities to clients for years. Nestlé must observe personnel health and safety regulations, item hygiene and safety rules, and employment laws enacted in various places. Apart from the rules governing industries, patent and intellectual constraints and environmental regulations must be closely observed. Over the years, preventing rivals from copying the image of the organizations chocolate products has been a major worry. Nestlé obtained a patent for the KitKat form in countries including France, Canada, and Australia, although the logo is not recognized in Europe.

Works Cited

Bradshaw, Karen. Stakeholder Dynamics in Land Development Projects. The Journal of Legal Studies vol. 50, no. 2, 2021, pp. 53-70

Chung, Ern Yee, et al. Improving Food Safety and Food Quality: The Case of Nestlé. International Journal of Tourism and hospitality in Asia Pacific (IJTHAP) vol. 3, no.1, 2020, pp. 57-67.

Kee, Daisy Mui Hung, et al. How Nestlé Succeed in the Food Industry: A Consumer Perspective. International Journal of Tourism and hospitality in Asia Pacific (IJTHAP), vol. 4, no.2, 2021, pp. 84-97.

Singh, Padmini, et al. A Study on Nestlé Promotion Strategy. International Journal of Accounting & Finance in Asia Pacific (IJAFAP), vol, 4, no. 1, 2021, pp. 60-70.

Van Dam, Iris, et al. A detailed mapping of the food industry in the European single market: similarities and differences in market structure across countries and sectors. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 18, no.1, 2021, pp. 1-15.

Vijayalakshmi, R., et al. Brand loyalty of Nestlé brand in fast moving consumer goods. Sustainability, Transformation, Development in Business and Management, 2020, 11.

Executive Summary

Roche Diagnostics Middle East experiences issues with creativity, which could be caused by organizational barriers to innovation. The present report applies the interactionalist model of creativity and innovation to identify and explain organizational creativity setbacks. Based on the analysis, the paper also provides four recommendations for improvement. The results show that the company should improve its internal structure, implement transformational leadership, develop organizational culture, and introduce more training and development opportunities. Applying these changes would enable the company to create a healthy environment for creativity and innovation, while also improving employee performance and motivation.

Introduction

Creativity and innovation are crucial to ensuring a firms competitive position in the market. However, as was discovered in the previous assignment, the chosen company experiences some issues in the area of individual creativity. One of the possible reasons for it is the lack of an appropriate organizational culture of creativity and innovation. Problems related to leadership and human resources management and development can hurt organizational creativity climate.

There are also some social barriers to creativity and innovation, such as poor team relations, impaired workplace communication, and more. Therefore, it is essential to appraise the chosen company in terms of structure, leadership, and HRM/D to determine the causes of individual and organizational creativity setbacks.

The present report will seek to apply the theoretical concepts and models learned in the course to analyze the organizational creativity climate in Roche Diagnostics Middle East. The document will also provide a set of valuable recommendations, which will help the companys leaders to support and enhance creativity and innovation in the workplace, thus improving performance.

Analysis

The different theoretical models of creativity and innovation differ in the way they portray their relationship with other organizational variables. For example, the investment model relates more to individual creativity, as it states that ones creative performance is linked to intellectual abilities, knowledge, and other personal factors (Sternberg & Lubart 1995). According to this model, organizations that strive to create a positive climate for creativity and innovation should focus on developing the skills and knowledge of their workers.

The investment model is somewhat related to the interactionalist climate model since they both include an individual creativity component. However, the interactionalist model views creativity as a combination of social, individual, and environmental influences. The social influences include leadership, management, and teams, whereas organizational factors are the structure, size, strategy, resources, and culture (Woodman, Sawyer & Griffin 1993).

Lastly, the individual components of creativity are personality, motivation, expertise, and creativity skills (Woodman, Sawyer & Griffin 1993). This model provides a comprehensive look at creativity in the workplace, which is why it can be applied to the case of Roche Diagnostics Middle East.

From the viewpoint of the interactionalist creativity climate model, the organization fails to provide the environment necessary for creativity and innovation. There are evident problems in all three components of the environment. Firstly, there are certain problems with the organizational structure, as the company is understaffed and there is no clarity in terms of roles and tasks. The structure has shown to have a significant influence on team performance, individual learning, and motivation (Närman, Johnson & Gingnell 2014; Rao, Mellam & Manohar 2015). These effects are evident in the target company.

Due to understaffing, managers give additional tasks that are not compensated and hurt employees performance of their regular duties. This shows a problem with resources and culture, which are also important variables in the organizational component of creativity.

Secondly, there are issues in HRM and leadership, which affect organizational creativity and innovation, too. The management follows an autocratic leadership style, which impacts employee motivation and job performance (Burnes & Bargal 2017). This means that the managers rely on their authority rather than on internal systems that contribute to creativity, such as rewards and recognition schemes. Also, the managers show poor attitudes toward employees work and the lack of recognition and support of employees.

This impairs the social aspect of creativity and innovation while also not allowing the workers to develop personal creativity skills. Given the shortage of resources and understaffing, it would be helpful for the management to use a different leadership style that would increase the motivation of workers and allow for more innovation. The transformational leadership style would be a more helpful alternative, as it promotes motivation and creativity through the use of non-material rewards and contributes to organizational culture (Tushman & OReilly 2002).

Incidentally, the third problem that is obvious in the company is the lack of a strong organizational culture. According to Zien and Buckler (2002), creating an organizational culture that focuses on creativity and innovation can help companies to develop these qualities in their workforce. This is largely because a healthy organizational culture helps employees to be more confident when expressing ideas (Tushman & OReilly 2002).

A healthy organizational culture could also help to improve staffing rates by reducing stress and increasing retention. The components of an appropriate organizational culture would include a focus on personal and professional development, two-way communication between employees and leaders, and a large number of opportunities for employees to improve their skills and show creativity.

The culture in Roche Diagnostics Middle East lacks all of these features, which contributes to the weakness of its organizational component of creativity. Although there is some flexibility in roles and tasks, the uncertainty and structural issues put additional pressure on employees and make them struggle with new assignments. The managers and leaders, in turn, do not provide adequate help and support to employees who receive unfamiliar tasks or assignments. The lack of organizational support limits the individuals opportunity to excel in their work, reducing motivation and innovativeness.

The last issue that was discovered as part of the assessment process is that employees are not given a chance to develop expertise and creativity skills. For example, it is common for managers to assign new roles and responsibilities without providing the necessary induction and training. The learning and development opportunities offered by Roche Diagnostics Middle East are minimal, and employees have to rely on external sources for knowledge and information. The lack of opportunities for guided learning and development increases workplace stress and reduces job performance. Both of these factors hurt motivation, which also influences the individual component of creativity and innovation.

Conclusions

The application of the interactionalist creativity climate model, as well as related leadership and creativity frameworks, showed that the target company has barriers to creativity in all three components or innovation. In the organizational aspect, Roche Diagnostics Middle East demonstrates a weak structure and a shortage of resources, as well as the absence of an organizational culture of creativity. These negative factors affect employees by reducing their motivation and work performance, and thus have a detrimental effect on organizational creativity. Establishing a supportive environment with well-defined roles and plenty of resources for development should be among the key targets of the business.

The company also performs poorly in the social aspect of creativity and innovation. This aspect involves a supportive climate, attitudes, management, and teams (Woodman, Sawyer & Griffin 1993). The management of the company utilizes an autocratic leadership style, which is often described as strict and unmotivating. The management relies on its position in the company rather than on effective communication and talent management, which affects employees attitudes and their creative skills. The lack of a supportive climate is also evident in the organization, and this impacts how employees perform in their roles and tasks.

The individual components of creativity and innovation are expertise, creativity skills, personality, and motivation. Whereas organizations can do little to influence an employees personality, they can help to develop the individual capacity for creativity by focusing on human resource development. In Roche Diagnostics Middle East, employees have few opportunities for development. When assigning new tasks, the company does not provide on-the-job training to ensure that employees have the necessary skills and knowledge to complete them.

While challenging employees with new tasks is a good idea, it is still essential to assure that they receive the information and training needed to perform them successfully. Also, the company does not offer any courses or training designed to help employees in developing and applying creativity skills.

Recommendations

Firstly, establishing a supportive environment with well-defined roles and plenty of resources for development should be among the principal targets of the business. The organization should seek to improve staffing rates and define each position within the company to achieve a clear organizational structure. With more employees, it will also be possible for the organization to improve the social component of creativity by forming teams and enabling internal knowledge-sharing.

Secondly, the company should implement a transformational leadership style to encourage followership behavior and help employees to enhance their individual capacities while also improving team and company performance (Tepper et al., 2018). To apply this leadership style, the leaders should define their vision for the organization, establish open communication with employees, and encourage them to share ideas on how the company could reach this vision (McCleskey 2014).

Another important recommendation for the company is to develop an organizational culture that promotes creativity, innovation, and knowledge-sharing. To create an appropriate organizational culture, the leaders should resolve structural issues, improve communication with employees, and enhance working conditions. Participatory decision-making is an option that would be appropriate in the firms current situation (Tushman & OReilly 2002).

It would improve innovation by increasing the number of ideas shared by employees and raise individual motivation by providing a sense of belonging and worth. The final recommendation is to introduce more training and development opportunities for employees. According to Dong et al. (2016), individual skill development has a positive influence on creativity, as it presents people with new situations and problems to solve. Therefore, by improving the range of training and development opportunities available to employees, the company would also be able to boost organizational creativity and innovation.

Reference List

Burnes, B & Bargal, D 2017, Kurt Lewin: 70 years on, Journal of Change Management, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 91-100.

Dong, Y, Bartol, KM, Zhang, ZX & Li, C 2016, Enhancing employee creativity via individual skill development and team knowledge sharing: influences of dualfocused transformational leadership, Journal of Organizational Behavior, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 439-458.

McCleskey, JA 2014, Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and leadership development, Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 117-130.

Närman, P, Johnson, P & Gingnell, L 2014, Using enterprise architecture to analyse how organisational structure impact motivation and learning, Enterprise Information Systems, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 523-562.

Rao, PS, Mellam, AC & Manohar, P 2015, Contribution of organisational structures to leaders and followers performances in business enterprises in Papua New Guinea, Universal Journal of Management, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 303-308.

Sternberg, RJ & Lubart, TI 1995, Defying the crowd: cultivating creativity in a culture of conformity, Free Press, New York, NY.

Tepper, BJ, Dimotakis, N, Lambert, LS, Koopman, J, Matta, FK, Man Park, H & Goo, W 2018, Examining follower responses to transformational leadership from a dynamic, person-environment fit perspective, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 61, no. 4, pp. 1343-1368.

Tushman, ML & OReilly, C 2002, Winning through innovation: a practical guide to leading organizational change and renewal, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA.

Woodman, RW, Sawyer, JE & Griffin, RW 1993, Toward a theory of organizational creativity, Academy of Management Review, 18(2), pp. 293-321.

Zien, KA & Buckler, SA 2004, Dreams to market: crafting a culture of innovation, in R Katz (ed), The human side of managing technological innovation, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

Introduction

Philips Company specializes in the production of household appliances. Its markets stretch across the globe with a market presence in over 200 countries. The company is among the leading corporations in the manufacture of household appliances with major competition from Asian producers (Philips, 2010). This essay will analyze five products in its wide array of product lines according to the Boston Consulting group Approach (BCG). Philips has a number of product lines but this paper will only discuss televisions, home theaters, media players, digital photo frames and Blu-ray products.

Stars

According to the BCG matrix, stars are characterized by products with a high growth and high market share. Philips home theatre system is such kind of a product. There is a growing market for Home theatre systems because of an increase in the number of musical copies released in multi channel formats (Billboard, 1995). There is a growing market for appliances to play such music and this contributes to the high growth rate experienced by the Philips home theater products. This in turn results in high growth rate for the product line. More and more models are being developed by the company to cater for the growing market and different consumer preferences. The home theatre product rakes in quite a good percentage in revenues and profits out of this.

Philips product line of Mp3s and media players has also enjoyed considerable growth in market share and revenues. This is still attributed to a growing music business. The technological advancement that has seen the transition from walkmans to Mp3 music players has played a big role in the growth of market. The move by music companies to store music in Mp3 format has also impacted positively to the increase in revenues from Mp3 and media players. This is because of high demand by clients for appliances that can play music in this format.

Dogs

The Television business hasnt been very profitable for Philips. It has been characterized by high competition from other competitors. Moreover, consumers dont pay much attention to the company that produces television; they basically just look at the price. Prospects are rife that Philips may sell off its television product line as a result. Fierce competition has dented heavily on the Television product line as can be witnessed in low product margins. Previous entrants have also exited from the business citing low profit margins and Philips may be just another victim of the same.

Question Marks

Philips digital photo frames are quite unique in the market. What started as a simple technological advancement has been observed to be picking up quickly in the general market. A high growth rate is observed with Philips digital photo frames but the returns are still falling short of expectations. With a low market share due to the presence of substitutes from other companies, Philips digital cameras are rated a question mark. This also contributes to slow revenue realization but the sector remains promising as the world moves to embrace digital photography.

Blu-ray and DVD product line is enjoying immense growth because of the new technology Blu-ray has over other traditional forms of playing movie for instance DVDs. The high market growth can be more attributed to Blu-rays than DVDs. The movie industry has been its biggest market by trying to accommodate the new Blu-ray technology in its production. However, just like other technological appliances, the Blu-ray and DVD product line is experiencing immense competition from other companies such as Samsung. This has eaten up on the market share and now all the companies must engage in cut-throat competition to gain more revenue through product modification.

Conclusion

Product lines are critical to most companies in taking care of different market segments. Proper managerial techniques should be applied in managing the product lines. This could ultimately dictate the profitability of the whole organization. Managing product lines involves thorough research and effective decision making. These factors should be ultimately incorporated into the final decisions regarding management.

References

Billboard, M. (1995). Home Appliances. New York: Nielsen Business Media.

Philips. (2010). Consumer Products. Web.

Introduction

Compensation and reward programs are seen as an integral part of business success. Carefully crafted reward and compensation programs go a long way among other things to motivate employees. When an employee is assured that the company has his/her best interest at heart they encouraged to go the extra mile in their work performance. Moreso, the motivation breeds commitment that assures the employer of total employee trust and input at all times. Compensation eventually involves an individual evaluation and determination of value or worth in exchange for work effort, whereas rewards and incentives may be provided based on realizing organizational or team performance goals, but they must appeal to the individual and be deemed to be of value to have an impact. Nonetheless, careless developing of this compensation and reward programs can cause an employees morale to decline due to high employee turnover and dysfunctional performance, which ultimately leads to loss in business revenue. The main purpose of the compensation and reward programs is workforce management. This involves selectively attracting, retaining and motivating employees; however, there are a number of challenges that affect companies when implementing these programs.

Challenges

Economic situation

According to Total Rewards Conference by World at Work (2010, par.1), harsh and uncertain economic times was cited as the main challenge affecting companies while implementing their reward and compensation reward programs. Engaging in any business in an uncertain economy, cost cutting while at the same time retaining and engaging a workforce in an increasingly competitive global environment has proved hard for many companies.

In addition, this ever-changing state of the economy will require constant reviewing of the compensation and reward programs failure to which the company might be forced to operate on a loss. Nevertheless this will require the full cooperation of all the employees. For example in order for a company to achieve its core business objective of maximizing on their profits and the general survival in this competitive world, then the company may be forced to review some of its reward and compensation policies.

The sales department has continuously been referred to as the most important department of most companies. This is so because the sales personnel have to look for new business everyday to ensure the companies clientele base increases. Though the success of the company does not entirely depend on the sales personnel, the department appears to be on the frontline of any business success while the other departments work from the background. With the cutthroat competition across all business fields, companies are working towards motivating their sales personnel to achieve more of their objectives. The most common rewards scheme utilized by successful companies is offering a commission to their sales employees. This motivates them to look for more business so as to earn more in terms of commission, which is a percentage of the total business brought in by the employee.

According to McDermott (1997, par.1) the increasing pace of change in both business strategy and compensation design are leading companies to consider and implement changes to one side of the bridge without making changes to align it with the other side of the bridge. This makes the strategy weak and often ineffective in achieving the business objectives. However, the above can be effectively handled if the company has clear stipulation on what to do incase of uncertain economic times. Moreso, the company might introduce other programs that will ensure its survival. For example instead of massive layoffs the company might consider introducing a program whereby the employees work in shifts. One group works for one week then goes home leaving room for the other groups. This way the company will not have to deal with industrial unrest caused mal by aggravated employees who feel shortchanged by being laid off. Once the economy stabilizes and business operations go back to normal all the employees will resume their normal duties. This is the program used by Del Monte Company when business is low and it has proved to work.

Choosing the right compensation strategy

Successfully executing an appropriate total rewards strategy can increase a companys market premium. Selecting and implementing the right compensation strategy has perennially become a challenge for most companies. Instead of implementing the reward and compensation programs that augment the overall business strategy and its associated goals and objectives, companies tend to be swayed into employing the most popular or trendy compensation approach (McDermott, 1997, par. 11). One company decided to change its compensation approach to that of earnings per share as the core financial measure of performance in both the short and long term incentive plans. However, this effort turned into a big challenge since the current accounting processes were not friendly to operate. This was particularly difficult because they could not match their colleagues whose operations were smooth. The company was able to invigorate itself when each business unit had its own operating performance pointers in place under the interim incentive plan. Nevertheless the above challenge can easily be solved by critically determining what a given employee can control and what impact their performance has on overall company success. By establishing what an employee can manage best, the compensation expert comes up with several promising targets and goals to be appreciated by offering incentives. In order to determine the type of incentive to give to the individual employee, the compensation expert should first establish the value of the employee within the company.

Equity

How do companies decide on whom gets what without making other employees feel underpaid? This is especially a problem that affects multinational companies. Employees working in a more economically developed country will tend to earn more for the same job done by another employee who is deployed to a developing country. The feeling among the employees is that some employees are favored by the company as compared to others (Watson et al., 2005, 33). However, the company should clearly explain the conditions under which such scenarios are expected.

More often than not companies are unable to strike a balance between the different levels of employment in regard to compensation and reward. Thus the lower level employees are left feeling unappreciated as compared to the executive management. This may have a negative repercussion amongst this group whereby their enthusiasm to work and work effectively will diminish. Companies should strive to be different and move away from common practices. The problem of the lower cadre employees feeling underappreciated should be rectified if the business is to move forward. The best way to achieve this and beat the problem of equity is to have a common policy regarding compensation and rewards. If the business is doing so badly and it can no longer afford holiday allowance for its employees then the rule applies to all from the top management to the operational employees to the messenger.

Conclusion

It has been proven that the way in which employees are treated determines a lot how they treat their customers and this in turn dictates the revenue collected by the company. If the employee feels treasured by the company they will also treat the customer in the same way. In turn, this will develop loyalty with the customer and thus in crease the revenue collected by the company enabling it to realize its business objectives. One way in which employees determine their place in the company is through analyzing the compensation and other reward systems available. According to Berger et al (2000, 485) compensation and other rewards programs send messages about what is valued by the organization. If the programs are effective they encourage employee loyalty, motivation and commitment towards realizing the overall business objectives.

However if the reward systems are ineffective and seem to favour one group, then the repercussions too are not favorable. A common scenario is whereby the top executives are entitled to more incentives as compared to employees in the lower cadre. This partiality leads to demotivation of the lower cadre employees. In addition it has been proven that it is the lowest cadre employees who work harder to achieve organizational objectives. The compensation and reward programs can make or break an organization depending on how carefully the relevant management designs it. Making the employees feel as part of the success goes along way in ensuring the business goals and objectives are achieved on a daily basis.

Reference

Berger, L., & Berger, D. (2000). The Compensation Handbook; a state of the art guide to compensation strategy and design. New York: McGraw Hill Professional.

McDermott, D. (1997). Reinforcing the Bridge between Business Strategy and Compensation Strategy. Web.

Total 2010 rewards. World at Work Conference and Exhibitions; total rewards. Web.

Watson, B., & Singh, G. (2005). Global Pay Systems: Compensation in Support of a Multinational Strategy. Compensation & Benefits Review, 37(1): 33.

Introduction

The economic recession of 2007 affected the operations of many companies and the interests of the public regarding investing in the stock market. The Federal Reserve of the United States adopted immediate measures to intervene and stop insolvency. However, the bond-buying program did swell not only the central banks balance sheet but also created an uncertain future regarding the stock market. Some business sectors continue to feel the impacts of the economic crisis, even though they have put mechanisms to cushion their investments in case of inflation occurs. Today, most companies have adopted the risk-on risk-off trade approach to secure their stocks (Hirsto, 2011). Facebook, Twitter, Nike, Adidas, Google, AstraZeneca, Apple, Dell, Disney, and Verizon have adopted different strategies for marketing their stocks. The fundamental and technical analysis and issues that affect the pricing and demand for their shares and recommendations for improved performance are extensively documented in this essay.

Fundamental and Technical Analysis

These companies specialize in offering online and some electronic services to customers located in different parts of the globe. They focus on innovations and the latest trends to attract and retain customers. A close analysis of their performance records shows the improved and outstanding trade and profit activities. Facebook and Twitter offer social networking services to clients located in different countries. The increase in the demand for their services by businesses has led to an influx of marketers to secure platforms to advertise their businesses. Today, most companies have pages on these social network sites and use them to communicate with the public. A survey of the Week 3 and Week 5 trade shows a considerable improvement by both companies. Facebook recorded a 3.13% increase in the prices of stocks from $81.21 to $83.83 while Twitters was 2.63% from the previous price of $47.35 to $48.63. These companies recorded an increase of 2.62 and 1.28 respectively. Their Week 5 report indicates an opposite trend of -$1.61 and -$1.45 which means that there was a decline in the stock prices of these companies by 1.96% and 2.90% respectively. These results show that the prices of the stocks of these companies are unpredictable because they are controlled by forces beyond their control. The current stock price of Facebook is $84.63 while that of Twitter is $51.73. These changes show that the companies have improved by 1.21% (+1.01) and 0.80% (+0.41) respectively. However, the volume of stocks traded remained at $ 100,000. The fluctuations of these prices are caused by the unpredictable number of active members and visitors of these sites.

Nike and Adidas are multinational companies that specialize in the manufacturing of sports shoes, accessories, and clothing. The Week 3 old price of Nike stocks was $98.46 while that of Adidas was $46.00. Nike registered a slight improvement by 3.78 to $ 102.24 while Adidas prices shot by 23.48 to $69.48. The Week 5 results show the stock of these companies closing at $100.33 and $ 73.69 respectively. This means that Nikes price reduced by -1.91 while that of Adidas increased by 4.21. The percentage changes were -1.90 and 5.71 respectively. In addition, the volume of Nikes stock was 98, 131.85 while that of Adidas was 106, 059.30. This means that Adidas enjoyed higher sales than Nike. The current stock values of Nike and Adidas are $100.15 and $74.42. This means that the companies registered a decrease of 0.14 (0.14%) and 1.21 (1.60%) respectively.

Apple, Dell, and Verizon recorded similar performances during the Week 3 and Week 5 trading periods. They opened at $ 126.41, $177.0 and $48.92 respectively. These companies closed on a positive note at $127.12, $177.0, and $49.73. This means that they had improved except Dell whose prices were unchanged. Dell maintained a similar trend during Week 5 while Apple and Verizons prices decreased by 2.74 (-2.20%) and -1.10 (2.26). The market values of these companies were less than 100%, while that of Dell did not change. The current stock prices for Apple, Dell, and Verizon are $128.62, $ 177.0, and $49.57 respectively. This shows a change by +1.71 (1.35%), 0.00 and +0.4 (0.81%) respectively. Dells stock prices remained unchanged, and this trend is expected to last this way for a longer period.

Google, AstraZeneca, and Disney recorded mixed results during the Week 3 and Week 5 trading periods. Googles stock prices slumped from $575.33 to $ 558.28 while those of AstraZeneca and Disney improved from $68.18 to $72.21 and $105.03 to $108.76 respectively. This means that these companies recorded -17.05 (3.05%), +4.03 (5.58%), and +3.73 (3.43%) respectively. The Week 5 results of all these companies were negative with Google, AstraZeneca, and Disney making losses of -10.28 (-1.88%), -3.78 (-5.52%), and -4.72 (-2.26%) respectively. None of these companies achieved the 100% market value of their stocks. The current stock prices of these companies are $539.36, $73.35, and $107.94 respectively. They recorded a -0.26 (-0.24%), +0.65 (+0.89%) and +5.40 (+1.01%) respectively.

Events That May Have Affected the Investments

Economic Inflation. Sometimes, the prices of goods increase despite the interventions put to regulate them. This condition is called inflation and forces people to stop investing in shares and thus prefer saving for the unexpected increase in the prices of basic commodities like food, bus fare, and high (Reilly, & Brown, 2011). The 2007 economic crisis exposed various investors to risks while others lost a lot of money. They feared a return of this ghost and some of them stopped investing in stocks. Those who are still interested do not want to invest a lot of money for fear of losing it. Others diversify their investments to spread risks. Inflation is a serious threat that may have contributed to the low investment levels of customers in the stocks of these companies.

Deflation. Consumers are the greatest beneficiaries of deflation because of the availability of cheap goods in the market. However, investors in the stock market do not enjoy it because they perceive the economy to be weak if deflation occurs (Edmans, 2011). The 2007 economic crisis was an eye-opener to investors, and they have become wiser and studied markets and companies carefully before buying their stocks.

High-Interest Rates. Banks and other money lending institutions control the money in circulation by altering their interest rates. High-interest rates make money scarce because not every borrower can finance expensive loans. Companies may reduce their employees by laying them off and cutting spending to reduce the costs of business operations. Banks earn a huge percentage of their income from the interests charged on loans (Lehman, & Osteen, 2012). However, they cannot make profits if only a few clients borrow loans. High-interest rates on loans reduce the amount of money in circulation and make it difficult for people to invest in the stock market.

Foreign Markets. Developed nations like the United States and China rely on other nations to buy their goods and services. Foreign markets cannot promote the businesses of these developed nations if their economies are weak. There will be no market for the goods produced. A drop in revenues occurs when American companies are unable to sell their goods or services to other countries. The stock exchange activities of foreign markets have adverse effects on the attitude and perception of American investors towards the stock market.

Market Sentiment. It is not easy to predict what may happen to the stock market. The above analysis of various stock values shows that companies may enjoy high prices and suffer serious losses the following day (Braeley, Myers, & Allen, 2010). The sovereign debt crisis in Europe or other developed nations affects the international stock market. Unfortunately, most investors focus on the short-term gains of their investments. Most companies do not have effective marketing strategies of investment consultants to educate the public on the need to focus on the long-term gains of investing in their stocks.

Company News and Reputation. The public has a keen eye and ear on the events that take place in companies. They prefer supporting companies that have robust corporate social responsibility programs and respect their employees. Good or bad news that shape the reputation of a company may encourage or discourage potential and existing investors from investing in its stock (Hirt, & Block, 2012). Companies that acquire others successfully improve consumer trust in their future while those who frequently make losses or lay off their employees discourage consumers from investing in their stocks.

Government

Politics. The United States pays attention to the democratic practices of its trade partners. In addition, it supports leaders who are ready to create a healthy business environment with America. Unfortunately, most countries do not undergo peaceful leadership transitions. The political temperatures rise in developing countries during elections. Market panic occurs in countries that change leadership through violence or corruption. Political instability affects exchange rates, trade agreements, and international relations (Foster, Reidy, Misra, & Goff, 2011). If America stops its association with a country, it means that some of its companies will have to look for markets elsewhere. Trade sanctions lower the popularity of countries, and this affects their stock markets.

Taxation. The government has numerous powers of controlling the prices of goods and services produced within a country or imported (Kaustia, & Torstila, 2011). Heavy taxation of multinationals discourages foreign investments and promotes local business activities. Americas economy is supported by numerous large and middle-size companies that generate a lot of revenue for government expenses. Subsidies and tax exemption programs are important in promoting investments in stocks.

War and Terrorism. Peaceful environments attract investors and create opportunities for utilization of natural resources (Kotler, & Keller, 2011). The government has a responsibility of ensuring its citizens live in a safe and secure environment. However, terrorism has become a stubborn problem in international trade. Fear is a serious threat to investments because nobody wants to invest in a business that may be bombed the following day. The September 11^th, 2001 terrorist attack on Americas business hub center changed the investment habits of many companies and individuals. It takes years before the markets recover from criminal attacks targeting key government installations. Countries spend a lot of money fighting terrorism instead of investing in activities that will create healthy business environments (Ferreira, & Santa-Clara, 2011). Governments that do not provide security for their citizens and foreigners cannot attract investors. For instance, the recent killing of 147 university students in Garissa, Kenya has discouraged many foreign investors from seeking partnerships with the Kenyan government and individuals. The United States and the United Kingdom have issued several travel advisories warning their citizens to be careful when visiting Kenya.

Recommendations

Profitability. The client should analyze the performance records of these ten companies before deciding to continue with the appropriate ones. These companies have shown different performances as indicated in Week 3, Week 5, and current stock prices. Google is the poorest performer because the price of its stock has remained unchanged for a long time. It seems that there is no activity in this company, and this signals a dark future regarding its performance and profits. The company has made three huge consecutive losses with a backward slump in the prices of its shares. This company has become unpopular because of the stiff competition from Yahoo and other search and social network sites. Dell is a dormant company, and there seems to be no activity in its stock values. The investor should consider moving the shares from this to other active companies. Adidas seems to make good profits because the value of its shares continues to appreciate. The client should invest more shares in this company because it has a bright future.

Possibilities of Growth. This is another factor that investors should consider. Today, companies like Apple, Samsung, LG, and Sony offer good returns on investors shares because of the huge demand for modern technological devices and services. There is a possibility of increased demand in the future because more people are getting used to modern technology and rushing to buy devices to make their lives easier and better. Mobile phones and other technology-based companies produce goods and services that are in high demand because of the exemplary market research conducted by their developers (Hirsto, 2011). Therefore, they have steady and reliable markets and a huge following that promotes their reputations and attracts high dividends on shares.

Reputation. The reputation of a company determines its popularity among investors. Companies that have scandals (social, economic, and political) have a bleak future because they may collapse anytime. Those that have successful acquisition records should be given priority. A companys reputation is the first selling point of its products or services because the public does not want to be associated with scandals.

References

Braeley, R. A., Myers, S. C., & Allen, F. (2010). Principles of Corporate Finance. New York: McGraw-Hill/ Irwin.

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Introduction

The goal of Sneaker Star is to inspire others. The company is aware of how important it is to take into account the elements that motivate employees to give their best effort. It is impossible to overstate how important having a worldwide presence is for any successful business. Within the next four years, Sneaker Star wants to design a brand of footwear that is easily affordable. The production and marketing teams will achieve this objective by finding inexpensive, high-quality components and using little brand markup

The Vision Statement for Sneaker Star

Inspiring others is one of the main themes of Sneaker Stars goal. Because Sneaker Star is the business that knows how to motivate its customers the bestby providing them with comfortable sneakersit has been at the forefront when it comes to this topic. The company also understands how important it is to take into account what motivates workers to provide their best effort. Consider looking at its wide variety of sports shoes to understand what it is all about. The next crucial element of Sneaker Stars mission is innovation and new perspectives.

SMART Goals Benefits for Sneaker Star

Sneaker Star deserves to be in the industry because of its unwavering goal of providing the most adaptable, visually beautiful, and, most importantly, dependable items. This is accomplished by adding the most innovative thinkers to our professional team so they can lead our innovation agenda when we introduce any new product to the market. The importance of having a worldwide presence cannot be overstated for any thriving firm. Sneaker Star demonstrates the desire of this business to be felt everywhere in this area. The companys diversification strategy, which includes global miscellaneous items geared towards athletes, is explained by the need to satisfy this component.

The SMART Goal for Sneaker Star

The SMART systems objectives are precise, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. It is possible to ensure that the goals can be accomplished within a specific time frame by determining these factors concerning the companys aim. This method eliminates commonality and hunches, creates a precise schedule, and simplifies monitoring progress and spotting missing milestones. In the next four years, Sneaker Star wants to establish an affordable footwear line for most consumers. The manufacturing and marketing teams will achieve this objective by locating cost-effective, high-quality components, using little brand markup, and engaging in flexible, skilled marketing. In addition to the firm, the sports community and most demographic groups will gain from achieving this aim.

Managing Inventory Issues at Sneaker Star

There is a situation in which our company is starting to experience inventory issues in Sneaker Star. As a result, the company cannot order or delay delivery of some of our sneakers, including some of our best sellers. Other shoe businesses in the area face similar problems. The first step is to define the problem, that is, the immediate problem of logistics. Based on this, decision criteria were determined. The criteria are bottom line profit, bottom line costs, supply chain recovery time, and impact on product quality and sales. The criterions weight is determined by the overall effectiveness of the process and its consequences, that is, whether it will be less profitable, more profitable, or will not affect the business. The main alternative to the inefficient supply chain is constructing a new and urgent search for a new supplier. When developing an interaction plan, the company must find a new supplier based on the criteria described above and establish cooperation. This option is rated the most effective in the long run, allowing us to survive the crisis and beat the competition.

Conclusion

In summary, one of Sneaker Stars key focuses is to inspire people. The business is aware of how crucial it is to consider the factors that encourage employees to put up their best effort. The value of having a global presence cannot be emphasized for any successful company. Company expand professional staff to include the most creative minds who will drive our innovation agenda. Sneaker Star intends to create a widely accessible footwear line within the next four years.

NationaliTeas is a fast-growing online tea shop that managed to grow from an unremarkable local business to a highly popular global organization with international partnerships and ties. At the same time, for the expansion and successful development of the company in the future, specific guidelines concerning communication with both international and domestic audiences are required. That is why NationaliTeas that has not operated in the international market previously needs the following global communication plan for a culturally sensitive and professional approach to the public.

Analysis

Target Audiences

The identification of target audiences is highly important for the development of any company as it helps to define appropriate strategies of promotion based on peoples peculiar features. Sacramento, California, and London, England, were chosen as target locations. Both cities are among the worlds most ethnically and culturally diverse, however, the target audiences are White English-speaking men and women aged 18-30 with high education and average income. The choice of the audience was determined by the significance of tea in Asian and British cultures, locations characteristics, the general utility of the English language, and the companys prices.

Risk Assessments

The companys risks are primarily connected with the locations diversity. N the one hand, it may be regarded as a substantial advantage as the presence of completely different people enlarge the companys opportunity to increase sales. On the other hand, the representatives of multiple cultures do not choose teas as a preferable drink. The climate may provide certain risks as well  for instance, hot summer in London will probably reduce the consumption of hot tea. Concerning traditional economic and physical risks, the companys expansion will inevitably require substantial investments in machinery, workforce, materials, and rent. Expenditures may not be completely covered by profits in the available time.

Cultural and Social Factors

Despite the diversity of people in target locations, both cities are united by the prevalence of the White population with similar interests and traditions and the common use of the English language. Tea is familiar to the representatives of western culture, especially to British people. In addition, the use of the English language by mass media will facilitate communication with the target population.

Political and Economic Factors

Both London and Sacramento are cities with massive commerce where mass media may bring benefits to businesses as it is responsible for the advertisement, the creation of the products credibility, and sales increase. In turn, these abilities of mass media are guaranteed by the freedom of speech and the press provided by lawmakers. For its development in both local and international markets, NationaliTeas needs to be accepted and approved by mass media to build customers awareness and loyalty.

Understanding of International Relations and Events

Mass media communications may have both positive and negative impacts on peoples perception of traditions and events related to other cultures. nationalities should create a positive image of drinking tea and cultures where tea plays a significant role to attract not only the target audience but the representatives of other cultures as well.

Best Practices

Defining Standards and Principles

For the successful entering the international market, NationaliTeas should present a high-quality product and demonstrate the understanding of different peoples cultural peculiarities and needs as the company is ready to serve all people regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, gender, education, and socioeconomic status. Its internal group will be responsible for the examination of the locations cultural background and target audiences and the advantages and disadvantages of the target market to create an appropriate advertising campaign and provide people with an understanding of the value of using NationaliTeas products.

Proactive Benefits

The understanding of cultural needs will have a highly positive impact on the companys acceptance by the public. In other words, people will buy products if they see that the company respects not only their culture but create a positive image of other nationalities and their traditions.

Potential Miscommunications

To avoid miscommunication, it is possible to introduce several other languages of communication that are used in target locations as well. In addition, the variety of prices will allow people with different incomes to buy high-quality, through affordable products.

International Law and Ethical Considerations

The companys performance in the international market should correspond to international law and the main principles of ethics. That is why any advertising that may contain culturally-offensive content will be eliminated. In addition, any discrimination based on gender, race, or ethnicity within the company will be prohibited as well.

Messaging

Media Channels and Communication Methods

The traditional media channels will include TV advertising, radio, and newspapers. However, the companys attention will be focused on new media channels, such as social networks and media platforms. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are highly beneficial as they presuppose follow-up and help to reach more people in a short period and, send direct and clear messages. In addition, the company may attract people through Youtube as well by posting videos about the benefits of tea, its significance in different cultures, and cooking methods.

Media Message

Rationale

Media messages differ based on the locations analysis. People in Sacramento in the age group of 18-30 pay particular attention to their health and choose drinks that may complement their diet (Vieux et al., 2019). In turn, in London, people will be highly attracted by cold drinks during the summers hot weather.

Reference

Vieux, F., Maillot, M., Rehm, C. D., & Drewnowski, A. (2019). Tea consumption patterns in relation to diet quality among children and adults in the United States: Analyses of NHANES 2011-2016 data. Nutrients, 11(11), 2635. Web.