Bayer AG Overview
My current employer is Bayer Business Services. This is an operating service subgroup under holding company Bayer AG. Bayer AG looks after all Bayer’s separate operational and strategic managements. The group’s core businesses have been transformed into limited companies and are each controlled by Bayer AG. These companies are Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience, and Bayer MaterialScience and three service companies which are Bayer Technology Services, Bayer Business Services and Currenta. The company now has operations in over 55 countries across the world (Blake, 2013). Bayer AG holds a key position in four market sectors: healthcare (pharmaceuticals), agriculture (seeds and agro-chemicals), polymers (plastics, synthetic rubber, coatings) and chemicals (chemical raw materials and specialized chemicals) ("Bayer AG : Overview", n.d.).
As of December 31, 2013, Bayer AG had 113,200 employees worldwide. There were
53,600 employees in Europe, 15,200 in North America, 28,000 in Asia/Pacific, and 16,400 in
Latin America/Middle East/Africa ("Profile and Organization", 2013).
My specific role within Bayer Business Services is an IT Analyst for the eBusiness Solutions team. My team and I take care of hosting all internal and external websites for Bayer AG’s companies. We currently host over 1,000 websites. Some of these sites include aleve.com, petparents.com, and oneaday.com. We also manage over 200 Information Technology applications for Bayer AG’s companies.
Global Environment Observations
With Bayer AG being such a vast global organization, it both affects and is affected by the global environment. Bayer CropScience is a great example of this. Recently, BayerCropscience has been extremely involved in the global...
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...an increasing demand for high-quality products ("Bayer Expands Production for Coating Raw Materials in China", 2014). According to Daniel Meyer, who heads the Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties Business Unit at Bayer MaterialScience, "The construction of our new HDI plant documents our confidence in the Asia/Pacific market and China, in particular. We are determined to continue to grow here in harmony with the rising demand in the region for innovative solutions for polyurethane-based coatings and adhesives." The expansion of production capacity at the site in Shanghai will ensure that Bayer MaterialScience will be able to supply the global and regional market with HDI. The new plant will utilize gas-phase technology, which requires substantially less energy and solvent than conventional processes ("Bayer Expands Production for Coating Raw Materials in China", 2014).
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a worldwide health and personal care company with major businesses in medicines, beauty care, nutritionals, and medical devices. BMS is a leader in innovative therapies for cardiovascular, metabolic and infectious diseases, central nervous system and dermatalogical disorders, and cncer. They are also leaders in consumer medicine, orthopaedic devices, ostomy care, wound management, nutritional supplements, infant formulas, and hair and skin care products.Some of the very well known products manufactured by Bristol-Myers Sqibb are Bufferin, Excederin, Enfamil, Clairol, and Sea Breeze. Another large part of BMS is their research and development of new pharmecutical products. Their annual budget for research and development is in excess of one billion dollars.
Monsanto Company are a public American multinational agricultural and agrochemical biotechnology corporation who leads in the production of genetically engineered seeds. Founded by John Queeny in 1901, the organization initially produced industrial chemicals such as sulphuric acid and plastics, including polystyrene and synthetic fibres. It was not until 1983, where the company was among the first to genetically modify a plant cell and conduct field trials of genetically modified crops. This scientific breakthrough shifted the company 's corporate focus towards the agricultural industry with the implementation of biotechnology. The company’s primary line of products consist of herbicides and genetically modified seeds.1
Abbvie, one of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical company that spans across 170 countries around the globe with 25,000 dedicated employees involving scientists, researchers, manufacturing specialists, communicators and other value adding professionals is a top competitor in pharmaceutical industries (Abbvie, 2013). Abvie is an offshoot of Abbott Labs has evolved primarily focusing on capturing information about world’s greatest health challenges, innovating solutions in conjunction with variety of areas and through the help of scientific & technological advancements.
Challenges facing the Monsanto Company have been many. This company has been engaged in unscrupulous undertakings that have resulted in innumerable lawsuits against the company. In many countries, Monsanto Company’s products continue to be banned while others face law suits on their viability and safety of the public.
Monsanto is a multinational agricultural and agrochemical biotechnology corporation based in America and is the largest producer of genetically engineered seeds. Monsanto argues that using science and newfound research to create genetically modified food is necessary in order to save our world from starvation. Eduardo Blumwald, a professor of cell biology and employee for Monsanto, says that genetically modified food could be “the only viable solution we have for our future” (Ostrander 24) where it is predicted that the temperature and population will soar. Blumwald argues that without genetically engineering food to produce under high temperatures with little water, the world could potentially starve in this predicted future. Yet regardless of “biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit” (“GMO Facts”). Instead, Monsanto genetically modifies food to resist RoundUp, a pesticide the company has created to kill any plants or bugs other than the genetically engineered crop. According to the World Health Organization, this pesticide “is a probable human carcinogen” (“GMOs”) due to glyphosate, a
5. Milmo, Cahal. "Organic Farming 'no Better for the Environment' - Green Living, Environment - The Independent." The Independent. 19 Feb. 2007. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .
Harnischfeger’s corporate recovery plan was a four pronged approach that involved (1) changes in top management, (2) cost reductions to lower the break-even point, (3) reorientation of the company’s business and (4) debt restructuring and recapitalization. These changes at first glance appear to have allowed Harnischfeger to improve its financial performance from a net loss of $3.49 per share in 1983 to a net gain of $1.28 per share in 1984. In addition, Harnischfeger has appeared to have achieved a majority of its desired outcomes from each of its four changes as shown below.
The Hershey Food Corporation is a very successful and quality business. Many products are manufactured by this corporation. Most relating, but not limited to chocolate. The corporation plays a role in deciding where products are produced. Hershey’s has expanded to both Canada and Mexico, which calls for many corporate decisions. There are an amazing amount of products associated with Hershey. These include Jolly Ranchers, Hershey Kisses, Hershey drink mixes, the entire line of Reese’s products as well as good old fashion chocolate bars. These products serve in the candy/snack foods division of sales. Society could do without them... but why would we want to?
The objective of the company in this area is to meet the needs of the local people and prepare for the challenges ahead, particularly in the areas of healthy food production and sustainable energy. An example is the challenge faced by China with its ever growing population and decreasing food supply. Through an act of social responsibility, DuPont partnered with the Chinese government and has committed more than $10 billion dollars in research and development for improving the sustainable farming practices and producing approximately 4,000 new nutrition and safety products by 2020 to provide a solution
The second “giant” that needs to be laid to rest is the fear of agricultural technology and GM crops. Europe has banned the im...
...ales Force optimization. Outsourcing customized machinery based products. Importing raw material rather than using domestic steel. Promoting plastic strapping as a way to the future. Adopting price flex strategy so as to incorporate cost leadership and umbrella pricing. Strategically reducing number of customized products so as to reduce costs. Capitalize on the Services aspect strapping and packaging industry. Maintain and regain its lost customers by identifying their needs more effectively. Empowering sales force on account of increase in contribution margins. So to meet firm’s objective of increased profits, Signode should stimulate further volume growth by taking actions to convert nonusers into users, to increase use frequency among current users, or to expand into untapped or underdeveloped markets.
The original case was about Chiron, a biotechnology company, in the United States. Chiron was acquired in 2006 by Novartis, a Swedish company formed by the merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz Laborites. Since Chiron itself no longer exists, we have focused our case around Novartis as of 2013. Novartis specializes in diagnostic services, generic and name brand medications, ophthalmological tools, as well as a small segment in pet health. The business prides itself in producing the latest drugs, hiring the best talent, and being a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry. Over the years the company has survived by focusing on its internal development in addition to a series of mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructurings. Being a pharmaceutical company, the entire population is impacted: patients, physicians, employees, hospitals, and investors are some of the most important stakeholders.
Plant/R&D locations: To keep costs low, the company operated in different geographical locations like China (manufacturing) and India (R&D).
6. Nestle focused more on customization instead of the then resounding and domineering globalization. They believed in customizing a product to suit a local niche one market at a time. That way new product failure rate remained minimal and New product Development grew significantly. This process is referred to as local adaptation by the writer.
Ensign PC 2004, ‘A resource based view of interrelationships among organizational groups in the diversified firms’, Strategic Change, Vol. 13. pp. 125-137.