| Student’s Signature (type your full name): | | Midterm Cases: Eastman Kodak & Harley-Davidson Midterm Cases: Eastman Kodak & Harley-Davidson Technological advancements impact on industries has reshaped the business strategies of industry leaders such as Harley-Davidson and Kodak. The motorcycles and digital imaging industries are impacted by technology, competition, economic times, and changing consumer demographics. A solid foundation and adaptable strategy is the foundation for success in technological advanced industries. Synopsis of the Cases Kodak & Harley-Davidson are industry leaders and have survived the turmoil many of its competitors failed (site 1, site 2). The companies are customer centric and focus on the users experience (site 1, site 2).
As is stated in the article, the company used to have a major competitive advantage in terms of movie selection, where, “…customers could browse through thousands of titles…” (Hitt 106). Now, the entire scope of the market has changed and Blockbuster was much too slow to respond. The recent moves that it has made will surely generate profits, but not enough to sustain the company in the long run, seeing as there is nothing that differentiates Blockbuster’s services from that of its competitors. In order to fully gain lost market share back, the company would have to create some sort of highly innovative way of viewing or renting movies that none of its competitors has already thought of; It would have to be something that is rare, difficult to imitate, not easily substituted, and able to generate above-average returns. Unfortunately, at this point it looks as if none of this will come into fruition because Blockbuster has essentially decided to latch on to other companies, creating a sort of symbiotic relationship where the company feeds off of the success of its competitors.
Unfortunately for the team and the company, the fourth quarter performance reports for Allround were not as positive as management expected. Therefore, the OCM team has been under the intense scrutiny of senior management. Allstar Brands' Allround product is the market share leader in the over-the-counter (OTC) cold and allergy remedy market. The consistent success of the brand in terms of profitability and sales has made it a critical component of the Pharmaceuticals Division's long-term strategic plan. The division anticipates that the brand's cash flow in the coming periods will allow the company to pursue new opportunities in emerging markets.
During the 1990’s, it was one of the fastest growing retailers in history. This was mainly due to the fact it trained its employees to form enduring long-term customer relationships rather than push for immediate sales. In 2001, a new CEO implemented a number of new initiatives intended to make the business more competitive. These changes led to significant dissatisfaction, low morale, high turnover, reduced productivity, and general discontent among the associates (Dr. Ronald L. Hess, Jr., 2012.) As a result, the company suffered a decline in customer satisfaction and financial performance.
Unit six Written Assignment MT435 Operations Management 9/7/2013 Albatross Anchor Introduction Albatross Anchor has grown tremendously over the years causing issues with production and the administrative area of the business. KU consulting is going to Identify short and long term operations changes that the business needs to make to give a clear and sustainable competitive advantage. When making the decision to produce a new product the company took on the work without carefully reviewing the lay out of the floor which cost them time and money with the 36 hour shutdown time to set another process up which is the biggest issue that needs to be addressed. With technology changing and customer demands changing for products now it is time the company implemented changes and become more efficient remodeling is needed as well as new technology to bring everything up to date to meet the needs of the company and customer. Question One Carefully review the assignment scenario/case study.
The senor industry is facing a new challenge, the SEC had just announced the breakup of monolithic corporation Sensors, Inc. Though difficult as it may be for Sensors, Inc., new opportunities has risen from the dramatic government intervention. The old monopoly had burned to the ground but from the ashes 6 companies will enter the new competitive arena to compete and benefit the consumers with its ever ending urge to advance in sensor technology and better suit their demands. The sensor industry is expected to grow for 14%-16% per year for the next 8 years, it is a great outlook for our company and for the entire industry, but it is up to us to establish a foothold in this race and out compete the other 5 companies. The sensor industry as a whole will track consumers demand with 5 segments of products: low tech, traditional, performance, high tech, and size.
Apple operates in an industry where the latest and greatest is old news by mid next month. There are constant changes which lead to huge dollars being spent to stay ahead of the competition. Apple has been successful as of late developing and introducing products that are wanted in the market place. They are extremely successful in creating a buzz around their products and a demand for the products which allows them to keep the prices high. One of the biggest challenges that Apple is facing is the compatibility to other computers and devices.
CGC sales increased from $5 mil in 1988 to over $800 mil by 1997 because of the company’s commitment to his vision. Richard Helmstetter, V.P. and Chief of new products, is also a factor to CGS’s past and future success. He not only contributed to their success significantly, but he had a unique approach to R&D, which was an ongoing project called “RCH Tough Questions”. Questions that usually led to bright ideas and products that consumers did not know they wanted.
After Jobs death, the identity of the company took a hit as well as their market share. To counter this, apple had to get creative with it’s techonolgy and even recently, at the release of the newest phone, displayed features to it’s phone that had never previously been touted as “tacky” . To compete and stay relvant, a change had to be made and the change was to do what it’s competitors had
With the loss of Jobs these launching events will no longer be “spectacular”, according to Shalini Verman a principle analyst at Gartner, “This tends to impact the perception of the company among "technology enthusiasts" who will influence consumers' buying behavior over time.” Following in the footsteps of a genius is what Tim Cook has faced in the years since the death of Steve Jobs. His challenge was maintaining the momentum at the most famous and world’s largest technology company, that provided a decade long period of turn around and innovations. Cook indicates that “Some people see innovation as change, but we have never really seen it like that,” Cook told BusinessWeek magazine. “It’s making things better.” Cook understood how important it was to developed the political support, when he found it necessary to fire long time mobile software head Scott Forstall and Apple Store chief John Browett, who he felt was no longer a good fit with the company’s culture. Cook has his own strengths; he has chosen to build a partnership with the Apple talent.