Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Basic management theory
Basic management theory
Basic management theory
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Sun Microsystems Inc., Customer Focus Is Their Strategy
Strategic management is the ongoing process of ensuring a competitively superior fit between the organization and its ever-changing environment (Kreitner, G13). Strategic management serves as the competitive edge for the entire management process. It effectively blends strategic planning, implementation, and control. Organizations that are guided by a coherent strategic framework tend to execute even the smallest details of their mission in a coordinated fashion. The strategic management process includes the formulation of a strategy/strategic plans, implementation of the strategy, and strategic control. A clear statement of the organizational mission serves as the focal point for the entire planning process. People inside and outside the organization are given a general idea of why the organization exists and where it is headed. Working from the mission statement, management formulates the organization's strategy, a general explanation of how the organization's mission is to be accomplished. Then general intentions are translated into more concrete and measurable plans, policies, and budget allocations. Implementation is the most important part of the strategy. Strategic plans must be filtered down to lower levels to be success. Strategic plans can go astray, but a formal control system helps keep strategic plans on track. In the strategic management process general managers who adopt a strategic management perspective appreciate that strategic plans require updating and fine-tuning as conditions change. Given today's competitive pressures, management cannot afford to let strategic plans sit as is. A strategic orientation encourages farsightedness. Sun Microsystems Inc. is one company that developed a strategy to become the competitive leader and become the most reliable in the net business. I will explain how Sun's strategy integrates their marketing, management, technology, and service functions into one effective strategy. First I'll discuss who Sun is and what encouraged them to develop their strategy.
A complete analysis conducted on the financial statements and status of Sun Microsystems exposed key issues determined to be of great import to shareholders. After examining the research findings and analysis, it seems that Sun Microsystems finances have not maintained a steady incline. In fact, it had definitely experienced some highs and lows in its return on investment and stockholders’ equity over a four- year evaluation spanning the years 1998 through 2001. In an effort to decipher the problems within the company’s operations, data from the following reports and ratios offered considerable clues.
SUN Microsystems Case Analysis Sun Microsystems had an extremely tough decision to make in regards to its procurement strategy. They had to decide if they were going to take on an “E-sourcing” or “dynamic bidding” auction-type strategy with making purchases from their suppliers. Taking on this type of procurement strategy would benefit Sun with cost-savings on procurements, but may jeopardize their supplier relationships and quality of inputs for Sun products. After reviewing the enclosed financial data for Sun from 1996-1999, it is apparent that some trends are consistent. Sun’s cost of goods sold has consistently been around half of their revenue for prior fiscal years, resulting in an approximate gross margin of 50%.
Strategic management is the set of managerial decision and action that determines the long-run performance of a corporation. It includes environmental scanning (both external and internal), strategy formulation (strategic or long range planning), strategy implementation, and evaluation and control (Hunger & Wheelen, 2011). In this report I will do research about the strategy of Marriott International, Inc. I will give advise on how Marriott can improve their strategy and I will come up with an advisory strategy.
The PC industry is highly competitive and constantly changing as technology evolves and customer needs change. Some of the top competitors in the PC industry are IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Apple. Theses rivals are constantly jockeying for the top competitor’s position. They compete in prices, product innovation, advertising, etc.
This case study analysis is on Samsung Electronics Company (SEC) and how it has climbed up the ranks in the past decade via calculated marketing strategies, extensive market research and analysis, and a risky bet on how the market will evolve. Samsung’s principle outlook took time and education from within and thereafter the general market.
began to take over the worlds market for tabulators, clocks, and electric type writers. By 1940 it was the us largest office firms that deals with machines. There sales had reach $50 million.
Throughout the global economic environment the desire to out-perform the competition is always present. In every situation, the companies who do better are the ones with superior strategy (Rothaermel, 2013). Strategic management is therefore important in every company, no matter what industry or market they operate in; and as stated by M. Carpenter and G. Sanders, 2013, is described as "The process by which a firm manages the formulation and implementation of its strategy". Strategic management is a constant topic under discussion with different schools of theorists with different beliefs and attitudes which is described as "A tense array of disagreement" (Rees, 2012).
Apple, Inc is a well known name in the computer technology world; Apple, Inc leads the computer industry in innovation thanks to the award winning desktop and notebook computer known as OS X operating system (Yoffie & Slind, 2008). This paper will focus on Apple Inc., strategic management and why is it critical to the success of the organization in meeting its goals and mission. It is therefore important to define strategic management, according to Certo, Peter & Ottensmeyer, (2005), strategic management is a continuous process that directs an organization to be appropriately suited to its internal and external environment. Strategic management benefits organizations by providing personnel, capital, helps to set standards and most importantly activates people. For an organization to have a successful strategic management plan, the mangers must learn to think strategically and have the ability to evaluate their environment and develop new ideas. Steve Jobs one of the founding fathers of Apple Inc used strategic planning to his advantage by making Apple’s mission a simple one- bringing easy to use computers to the general market, revolutionizing the computer market.
Strategic management is the way of implementing different business strategies and plans to attain certain specific aims and objectives. It involves collection of decisions and different rules and policies that tend to define the results that are generated in the form of better business performance. For undertaking these activities, management should possess an in depth understanding and be able to assess the general and competitive external and internal business environment to take proper business decisions (Cornelis, 2010). McDonalds is an organization that offers a range of products and services in a very effective manner that makes it a market leader in providing fast food services all over the world. By enforcing suitable strategies, McDonalds can increase its level of sales and will also help in upgrading as well as sustaining the market by acquiring competitive advantage (Schoenberg, Collier and Bowman, 2013).
Samsung used the “new product development” strategy. According to Kotler/Armstrong new product development is defined as the development of original products, product improvements, product modification, and new brand through the firm’s own product. Samsung also unveiled a new strategy, which is called “new management,” a top- to-bottom strategy for the entire company. Lee Kung Hee, CEO, hired young designers to produce new ideas that could get the company in the direction that he wanted it. New designs .Sleek, bold and beautiful products, so that they could target high-end users to the company. Samsung also was testing new product concepts.
One of the duties of the managers of a company is to engage in strategic decision making. Strategic management is a broad subject on its own that borrows from other social science disciplines. According to AllBusiness (2011), strategic management involves all the activities undertaken by management to better place the company in the industry it operates in. It is important for every manager to realize that his firm does not exist alone in the business environment. Its environment has parties like competitors and customers, both internal and external; suppliers and government authorities that must be analyzed and addressed appropriately. Laying down the best strategy will involve assessing the needs of the market and the firm’s capabilities, formulating its mission and vision and communicating the goals and objectives set down to the employees. Once all this is done, managers have to assess the tasks to be done and allocate resources in a manner that will avoid wastage.
Originated as low-cost manufacturer of black and white televisions in the year 1969, super sized with a semiconductor segment in 1970s, Samsung delivered massive volume of low-cost consumer electronics to domestic and OEM products to both domestic and global markets until 1993. Due to this fact, company didn’t develop global brand awareness until then. In the global arena, Samsung’s brand message was fragmented and its logo presentations were inconsistent.
For these outcomes, the team has chosen three possible options for alternatives (1) recall, (2) no recall or (3) delay of release. As for the aforementioned list, the group examined there values alongside the fixtures of corporate social responsibility and the consumer sovereignty test. The team analyzed the alternatives with the former under the following four criteria; economic, legal; ethical, lastly philanthropic responsibilities. For the latter concept, the following criteria was utilized, consumer capability, information and choice.
...c management or planning presents a structure or agenda for dealing with issues and solving problems, therefore, understanding potential risks or pitfalls of strategic management and being prepared to deal with them is critical and vital to success. Strategic management not only permits top leaders and managers to be more proactive than reactive in building or developing their own potential or outlook in an organization, and it also lets them to make the first move and influence activities, consequently, executives and management can control or in charge of the company’s own future, and achieve its main goals and objectives. Overall, increasing cost-effectiveness and efficiency, improving the value for its stakeholders, and advancing customer services and management excellence are the key objectives of strategic management and decision making in an organization.
According to Lamb (1984), “Strategic management is an ongoing process that assesses the business and the industries in which the company is involved; assesses its competitors and sets goals and strategies to meet all existing and potential competitors; and then reassesses each strategy annually or quarterly [i.e. regularly] to determine how it has been implemented and whether it has succeeded or needs replacement by a new strategy to meet changed circumstances, new technology, new competitors, a new economic environment., or a new social, financial, or political environment.” [1]