Enterprise Resource Planning-BAEB3209 | Hershey- ERP Systems Implementation – Challenges & Consequences | | HIGHER COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY | | | | | Q1. What benefits did Hershey hope to get out of the implementation of its new system? Consider both impacts on the business and on their technology infrastructure. Ans:- Hershey's biggest continuous challenge was that it must rack up its multibillion dollars in sales of 50 cents or one dollar at a time, requiring huge numbers of its products to be sold. Such quantities means Hershey must have very reliable logistics systems.
This was proven with thorough laboratory and onsite testing that B&D products are not mechanically inferior to any of the competing power tools. This case study thought us the lesson that on top of the product’s quality by itself, the brand positioning is very important. Brand positioning is about creating customer perceptions of a particular brand among other brands (including competitors and other brands offered by a company). In this case, it appears that professional-tradesmen did not want to use the same tools that housewives used at homes. Tradesmen viewed B&D tools more for home use rather than on the job.
A lack of process meant that there were no limits to authority and rules were not followed. An example would be the way remuneration policies were adopted and how senior executives approached the chair for discussion. Risk management was also the Achilles’ heel in HIH because they showed little analytical procedures when considering their investments eg. CareAmerica, Allianz, FAI. Opportunities HIH had the capability to expand its operations and diversify into related products and it also had several acquisitions that were horizontal integration resulting in greater market share.
There is one question that is left unanswered at the end of the case. The question is how to carry out the layoffs? It leaves us to evaluate all avenues of how to achieve the reduction moving forward. I believe the main problem in the case was the complacency of the entire workforce at Bradley Marquez after the initial downsizing of the workforce. The workforce was lead to believe that there were not any financial problems at Bradley Marquez.
Fillmore had inherited an undeniable success story. Research Associate Inna Francis prepared this case under the supervision of Professor Kamran Kashani as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a business situation. Certain data and financial information have been disguised. This case won the 2011 ecch Case Award in the category Marketing. Yet he was not complacent.
Ans. I don’t think the employee swap between Google and P&G is good idea for all companies. It may be a good idea between companies which have difference in there Organizational Culture and need of other organization to achieve some sort of goal. Swap of the employee between companies should benefit both companies. If the employees are swapped between companies without mutual benefit for just learning organizational culture, may not allow employee to learn other organizational culture without serving the other organization.
GE's Growth Strategy: The Immelt Initiative Jeff Immelt, the GE CEO while taking charge makes the pledge to deliver the double-digit growth to the company but he faces the tough situation at the initial stages because of the debacle of world trade center which make his company the billion of losses .Jeff keeps the idea about the company’s growth during the time of his former CEO Welch who has delivered the double-digit growth to the company and GE gets the immense reputation in the world. Being the head of $150 billion company, Jeff strives to implement the vigorous growth strategy in the tough business environment and brings some positive reforms by reinvigorating the latest technology in GE, brings the vast expansion of various services in many sectors, expands its business to many countries, introduces some constructive focus on commercialism and makes the efforts to realign the business portfolio of GE in the world on the platform of growth. Within in weeks of taking charge he started making significant investments to align GE’s businesses for growth. Seeing opportunities to expand its nbc broadcast business to capture fast growing Hispanic advertising market. Also it is because of his visionary and entrepreneur insights that Jeff brings some employees-oriented reforms in GE where cultures for promoting the growth of the employees and company towards innovation and risks taking.
I will then note similarities and differences in their professional stories and touch on factors that I believe may have impacted their business success. So, exactly who are these men that have created successful businesses and legacies in the world of technology? Andras Grof, better known as Andy Grove, was a foreigner to the United States who endured grueling times before working his way through college and eventually cofounding a chip manufacturing company named Intel. The main contribution he made to Intel was the preparation for drastic changes to the company as a whole. Grove called this drastic change a "strategic inflection point-a point at which a company comes face to face with a massive change, one that is powerful enough to threaten the life of the enterprise.” (Krames, 2003 p. 141) Michael Dell on the other hand, was a technology minded college student who, from a very young age, fiddled with electronics and eventually built computers out of his dorm room.
Modern day managers who care less about employee motivation and satisfaction do so at the business’s peril. It is imperative that the business managers put in place strategies to maintain low staff turnover by placing value not only on clients but also on the employees (Grant, 1984). Fullerton and Toossi (2001) assert that doing this assures the business of continuity and gives it a competitive edge over its competitors. The case of a Peter Gibbons working for Initech exemplifies this issue by contrasting the working conditions at Initech to those at Coffee Beans. Peter’s achievement orientation Peter is not motivated and cares less about his work.
Electrolux: The Acquisition of GE Electrolux: The Acquisition of GE Michael White Strategic Management 520-01 Dr. Ugboro September 13,2014 Electrolux: The Acquisition of GE According to Fortune magazine, “GE is one the worlds most respected companies” (http://www.GE.com). Taking cues from the technology firms of silicon line its operations, and Sweden’s Electrolux is buying GE’s appliance business for $2.2 billion in cash in one of the largest acquisition’s ever. The transaction significantly advances GE’s industrial strategy and Electrolux will be a good fit for its customers and employees. GE’s industrial strategy is to be a more consistent infrastructure and invest more heavily in technology. GE is creating a new type of industrial company, one with a balanced, competitively positioned portfolio of business with strong technology advantages, growth markets and a more simplified culture.