Lesser Known Planning Tools Ansoff, Boston, and the Strategy Clock

Lesser Known Planning Tools Ansoff, Boston, and the Strategy Clock These tools are still widely taught but have largely fallen out of favor over time, as better and more detailed planning and strategic management tools have been developed. Nevertheless, these tools do offer some frameworks for assessing various kinds of strategies, and being familiar with them can serve as a good starting point for developing effective strategic planning methods. Remember, it doesnt matter how difficult your task is, our writers are ready to  help you with any writing assignment you need! The Ansoff Matrix The Ansoff Matrix was developed in the mid-1950s by Igor Ansoff, a Russian-born applied mathematician described by The Economist as â€Å"the father of modern strategic thinking†. Ansoff’s original work was not actually concerned with business management at all but was developed to aid NATO in strategic problem-solving at the height of the Cold War in the early 1960s (Ansoff was an analyst for the Rand Corporation and a Vice-President at Lockheed before moving into the academic field). In practice, various potential alternatives for growth strategies developed by planners are arranged in the matrix according to the generic strategies they represent, where they can then be analyzed in a systematic way through other methods. The biggest shortcoming of the Ansoff Matrix is that it is actually more an information-management tool than a planning or analytical tool; that makes it very helpful for assessing businesses from an external perspective (such as part of a competition analysis), but of limited use in strategic planning. A market penetration strategy is one in which business markets existing products to existing customers. The options available to the company in this strategy would involve promoting the product, adjusting the price, updating or repositioning the brand, and so on; no new product is introduced, and the business is simply cultivating its present customer base. A product development strategy is one in which new products – but products that are still natural evolutions of existing products, rather than being something totally unrelated – are marketed to the existing customer base. A market development strategy is when new markets are sought for existing products. A diversification strategy involves the development of new products and new markets at the same time. Market and product development strategies are opposites of each other, as are market penetration and diversification strategies. The Boston Consulting Group Product Portfolio Matrix (Boston Matrix) The Boston Matrix was developed by the Boston Consulting Group in the 1970s as a tool for assessing a company’s product portfolio and is based on two variables, market share and market growth. Each product is placed into one of four categories: Stars  are products with high market share in high-growth markets. These products generate high levels of revenue, though not always high margins. Cash cows  are products with high market share in low-growth markets. These products generate stable revenue and high margins because they require little investment to maintain their competitive position. Question marks  (in some versions, they are called problem children) are products with low market share in high-growth markets; they have potential because of that but are currently generating poor revenues and margins. Dogs  are products with low market share in low-growth markets. They do not generate worthwhile income (and may actually be losing money for the company) and do not have prospects for improving. In general, a company would want to rid itself of any Dogs and keep its Stars and Cash Cows; Stars may eventually become Cash Cows, and Cash Cows provide the source of funds to support promising Question Marks. Some Question Marks can become Stars, others will not, and become Dogs. One additional advantage of using the Boston Matrix is that the format (in most cases, with the amusing graphics excluded) can be used to plot a competitor’s products alongside a company’s own products, thus creating a simple, clear competitive analysis. The biggest inherent disadvantage of the Boston Matrix is that it tends to lead to oversimplification because it has only two variables; it is best used as a tool that provides input to a larger portfolio analysis, rather than the sole basis of the analysis. Another problem of the Boston Matrix, which is not really a problem with the tool itself but rather the way in which it is used, is that it is often misapplied; using it as a tool to assess entire strategic business units has for reasons that are not entirely clear become somewhat of a management fad. In this  usage, the oversimplification almost always leads to a bad decision, because business units are not products, but are rather more complicated. The Strategy Clock Unlike the Ansoff and Boston Matrices, which are designed for product and marketing planning,  the strategy clock is a firm-level competitive analysis tool  along the same lines as Porter’s Generic Strategies or Five Forces analysis. First published in 1996 (C. Bowman D. Faulkner,  Competitive  and Corporate Strategy), the strategy clock presents options for competitive positioning according to price level (cost advantage strategy) or the level of perceived added value (a differentiation advantage strategy): Of the eight options on the clock, options 6, 7, and 8 are almost certainly doomed to failure, so in practice, the company would want to determine first if it is following or is heading towards one of these strategies. Option 6, increasing the price of a standard product, can only be successful if competitors do the same, or lower the value of their products. Option 7, a high price on a low-value product, can only be successful in a monopoly situation. Option 8, offering a low-value product at a standard price, is an automatic failure because it provides the competition two opportunities to take away market share, either through lower prices or higher-value products. The three most successful strategies, options 3, 4, and 5, can be best illustrated with some well-known examples, auto manufacturers: Toyota  pursues a hybrid strategy, maintaining relatively low prices while offering a high level of value, mainly through having a very wide range of products. BMW  pursues a differentiation strategy, dividing it between providing high value at moderate prices at the lower end of its product range, where the value added comes mostly in the form of brand equity and product quality, and high value through premium pricing at the upper end of its product range. Ferrari  pursues a strategy of focused differentiation, providing high value at premium prices to a specific market segment. The only real drawback to the strategy clock is that  it only provides any useful information when it includes more than one competing company; like the Ansoff Matrix, this makes it perhaps more useful as a case study or competition analysis than as a reflective strategic analysis and planning tool. We hope that this article has been of help to you. However, we are not ignorant of the depth and width of the field of strategic management. If you would like to know more about anything we have discussed in this article or a related topic just get in touch with us. We would love to write you an informative and unique article on any topic of your choice. Place your  order NOW. More tools (ADL Matrix, Gap Analysis, and Directional Policy Matrix) can be found  here.

4 Tips On Making Your Movie Review from EssaySupply.com

4 Tips On Making Your Movie Review How to write a movie review For many people, a review can be the making or breaking point of a movie as it is used to help the reader, or in other terms, a potential audience member gains insight about the film. Even the simplest phrase such as "The best" or "The worst" can be the words that help the potential viewer and audience member decide whether or not they will see the film. As a review writer or reviewer, your job is to give your opinion, as well as help the reader decide whether or not they should see the movie for themselves. These are a few tips on how to write an insightful movie review with many high-quality details. Always watch the film first We've all seen this at least once. An article stating that a film that hasn't even come out yet is saying the movie is one of the best films ever to be produced. Or they use phrases and keywords that make it obvious they had never even watched the movie. This can be a huge turn off to an audience as they want to feel as though the opinion is honest about the film they want to watch. So don't base your opinions on what you hear, instead, take a couple of hours to watch the movie once for entertainment, and if you need to get once again a better opinion of it. Find out who your audience is All films are made with a different audience in mind, some differing with only minor details while others differ majorly. For example, you may write a movie review about "300" from an entirely different standpoint if your audience was a group of theater arts students instead of history students. A simple change can completely switch your mindset, and instead of thinking along the terms of "Is this historically accurate" or "did they dress that way." By changing the audience to theater students you begin to think in terms such as "Why did they choose to film there" or "why did they choose to kill those characters, but not those characters." Don't criticize or praise without detail We can all say whether or not a movie is good or bad. However, the reviewer wants to know why. Instead of saying "This movie was too long." Say something along the lines of, "There were too many subplots that pulled away from the actual story" or "Much of the dialogue could have been cut out and it wouldn't have made much of a difference." Even praise shouldn't exist without particular reason or insight. If you find a movie to be wonderfully entertaining, you may be tempted to write how great it was with no hesitation. However, you should still review it from a critique from a standpoint. Instead of saying something along the lines of "This movie was so fantastic, everyone should see it." You may want to say something like, "I enjoyed this film, it was quick to pull me into the story and kept me on the edge of my seat." to give your audience a more exact reason to see the film. Research the filmmaker Find out what other films they have made, take in the details of each film and how they improved with each film. Even use comparisons, by using phrases such as "One of the best films since his last feature presentation hit." or "The film was obviously an attempted repeat of their classic film" to allow the audience to derive a particular viewpoint on the movie based on the words you give them. Following these easy steps allows to learn fast how to make a movie review, or a small reminder for those who alraedy familiar with the assignment.

Transforming the Enterprise with IT Phase 1 DB 2 Essay

Transforming the Enterprise with IT Phase 1 DB 2 - Essay Example While the company does have its dedicated set of loyal customers, it does face threats when it comes to realising its goals of expanding its business and making an etching mark for itself on the international front. One of the main disadvantages that the company faces, is the fact that it has not expanded its reach in the virtual world, wherein their website needs a revamp, to deliver a lot more than the company overview and contact numbers! Since I am the Director of the Technical Support Team, I shall definitely look into the aspect of basically creating a more user-friendly, customer-oriented Internet approach, that would not only help my company gain in the real world, but also in the virtual one online. The basic requisite for the initiation of this idea, is to immediately make our company website a more informative, interactive and most importantly, a marketable one. In this connection, a Business Model Approach needs to be initiated from the company’s end. We have numerous business models available, like the Brokerage Model, the Advertising Model, the Merchant and Manufacturer Models. Among these, keeping in mind the strengths of the business, which lies in strong reseller network, good products and competitive product prices, it is in the best interest of the company, to follow the Merchant Business Model. This model offers the business, the ability to sell products through retailers and wholesalers or directly to the consumers, through the website. Besides this, it also possesses a brick-and-mortar real-world establishment, wherein the customers can contact in case of any

Marketing discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing discussion - Essay Example The present-day Oscar Mayer campaign is still working to lure moms in similar fashion. Plus, much of it is tapping into current parents' feelings of nostalgia. The target consumer being moms makes a sense, as they are the decision makers of what their child will eat. They establishes relationships with kids by getting the brand name in their vocabulary, and by simultaneously establishing trust with parents. The Internet provides a wealth of new opportunities for solidifying those bonds. Once a target market is identified, the key is to focus on reaching those markets and try not to worry about who you might be missing. The more important aspect is to focus on improving service to your primary customer base. In the long run that is what will make a company successful. After establishing what your message is and whom you are targeting, the brand owner should use all communication from napkins and uniforms to signage and employee conduct to reinforce that connection. The idea is to get the communication going and way it is been established. It can be TV, Internet, magazine or hoardings etc. No matter what medium is in use, main focus should be on the way it is being done and getting the message straight. Successful brands are always serving, learning and caring about their customers; these companies realize that their business and their brands will die if they take their customers for granted or confuse them with conflicting messages. Your message must be credible, unique, and relevant to the needs of your target customer. Your message will be a combination of direct (tag lines, copy, special offers, etc) and indirect (style, brand, images, relational, ease of call-to-action, uniqueness, clarity, etc.) You must best present your message according to the information and marketing preferences of your most profitable target

The effects of media on prosocial behaviour Essay Example for Free

The effects of media on prosocial behaviour Essay There has been substantial number of studies that has provided evidence for the potential value of the media for the development of prosocial behaviour. Prosocial behaviour can be defined as helping behaviour, altruism or generally any behaviour that is positive and calculated to promote the interests of society. Television programmes contain many examples of good behaviour acting kindly and with generosity. Studies demonstrate that children may imitate forms of prosocial behaviour such as altruism, positive interaction with others when exposed to models who display such behaviours. This is especially true when the model is rewarded for their behaviour. In Bryan and Bryans (1970) study, 6 to 9 year olds were shown a specially recorded filmof a character bowling and winning gift certificates. 3 conditions: 1. the character gave some of his certificates to charity 2. He kept them to himself 3. The charater also preached the emnrts of giving to charity. After watching the film, the children were put in a similar situation and wer observed to see if they too would give to charity. Results those who had seen character being generous were likely to display generosity whilst those who saw him being selfish were less generous. Interestingly, it was the actions of the character that were infuenital whilst his words made no difference. One positive effect of television might be that witnessing others behaving aggressively helps viewers to get their aggressive feelings out of their systems and hence be less likely to behave aggressively. This claims that television can act as a form of vicarious catharsis. Singer (1989) provided evidence that shows television is only carthartic for a particular personality type or those who score high on cognitive measures of fantasy, daydreaming and imagination. Greenfield (1984) has claimed that television literacy involves teaching childrem to be informed consumers of television. This includes distinguishing between social reality and the make-believe world of television, interpreting and assessing sex role and minority group stereotypes. Huesmann et al. (1983) allocated young children who were known to have a large amount of exposure to T. V to a control or experimental group. The experimental group received 3 training sessions designed to reduce the modelling of aggessive behaviour seen on t. v. They were taught that t. v does not portray the world as it realkly is, that camera techniqes and special effects give theb illusion that charaters are perofrming their highly aggressive and unrealistic feats, and that most peopel use other methods to solve the problems encountered by characters in t. v programmes. Results compared with the control group, the experimental group showed less overall aggressive behaviour and lowered identification wth televised charaters. These effects had persisted when the participants were followed up 2 years later. OConnor found that specially prepared t.v material can hel[ lonely, self-conscious children t make friends more readily. Children who have difficulty getting on with their peers can watch fictional scenarios in which they see how to mix with others in various social situations. Studies have shown that childrens willingness to help can be increased through viewing a televised example of a specific prosocial behaviour. Television productions such as Sesame Street are designed to enhance the social maturity and responsiblity of young viewers. Children who watch this are able tp identify and remember the cooperative and helping  behaviours are emphasised. They also showed increased abilities to learn from the exercises contained on the programme (e. g. counting, letter recognition) as well as being better prepared for school life (Lesser 1974). However this is not true for all children. Rockman (1980) found that when programmes have a character struggling with a particular problem (e. g bullying, divorce etc) but cannot make a decision, children are able to understand the content and can then generate prosocial rather than antisocial solutions to the problem faced in the plot. The more violence we are exposed to on t.  v, the more densitised we become and so we are less likely to engage in violent behaviour, watching violence on t. v makes me less tolerant to violence in society. Conclusion/evaluation Research focuses too much on the influences of television and are not focusing on the benefits of the newspaper, radio, etc. According to Gunter (1998), the ordinary broadcast material can enhance a wide range of helping behaviours. It is important that people should be able to see antisocial behaviour in the media so that they can distinguish between prosocial and antisocial behaviour.

Nick’s Psychological Development in Ernest Hemingway’s In Our Time Es

Nick’s Psychological Development in Ernest Hemingway’s "In Our Time"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Hemingway’s collection of short stories, In Our Time, we follow a character by the name of Nick Adams. We are introduced to Nick in â€Å"Indian Camp† as a young boy, and follow him to adulthood in both Parts I and II of â€Å"Big Two-Hearted River†. Through this we see Nick develop and learn about some major facts of life. Nick is a character who changes through the effects of war on many different levels. Although Hemingway hardly mentions the war, he uses the stories to express different effects and emotions caused by the war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"Indian Camp† we meet Nick as he joins his father to help a pregnant Indian woman in labor. Nick’s father, a doctor, brings him to experience this as a sort of initiation of life. His father wants him to learn about life and wants to teach his son about being a doctor. While doing this, Nick’s father is unconsciously presenting Nick with life while trying to shield him from death. When the Indian man commits suicide, Nick’s father does not want him to see it. A man who commits suicide lacks courage, and that is not something that Nick’s father wants him to learn. Nick’s father did not say much to him about this incident. This strong, silent masculinity reappears throughout these stories. When this happens, Nick’s behavior also changes. Nick quickly refers to his father as â€Å"daddy† instead of â€Å"dad† as he did earlier. He is looking for his father to fix what has happened and comfort him. This tragic incident scars Nick more than even his father understands. Witnessing suicide was too disturbing to Nick at his young age, thus restraining his psychological development. Reacting to this, at the end of the story â€Å"†¦ [Nick] felt quite sure that he would never die† (19). This makes it obvious that although Nick witnessed death first hand, that he still does not fully understand it. Hemingway is introducing the theme of masculinity in the story, and how Nick is going to struggle with this throughout his life. Nick’s father stormed into a typically female situation (giving birth) and turned it into a male-dominated environment. This introduces Nick to prefer a masculine life rather than a feminine life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the story â€Å"The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife† we briefly see Nick’s family life. All three of the Adams are living in separate worlds. Nick’s mother is... ...h are the two hearts of the big river, making their battle bring them closer together rather than further apart. The reason the two can connect is because they are both male. Even after all that Nick has gone through, he still has not allowed females into his life. He still believes that there can be no unison with women in a masculine life. It is here when it is obvious that regardless of all that he has been through, Nick has still not completely accepted the way traditional society works. He has shut out civilization and has begun the end of his life in solitude.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hemingway used many different emotions in this book to describe what people go through during war. Nick Adams is a character who never really finds peace in society. Instead, he finds contentment in solitude. Had Nick let women into his life and taken a risk of getting hurt, then he might have not spent the rest of his life fishing alone. Nick made the decision that he did not want the domestic life that Marjorie wanted. Now he must spend his days reflecting on his life and the decisions that he made. Whether he is at peace with the decisions he made is questionable, but anything is better than being at war.

International Trade and Globalization Essay

According to Hill, globalization refers to the shift toward a more integrated and interdependent world economy (2009). Globalization has several facets, including the globalization of markets and the globalization of production. Globalization of markets is to the merging of historically distinct and separate national markets into one huge global marketplace. Globalization of production is to the sourcing of goods and services from locations around the globe to take advantage of national differences in the cost and quality of factors of production (such as labor, energy, land, and capital) (Hill, 2009). There are several traditional international trade theories that would support the concept of globalization. The first theory is free trade that refers to a situation in which a government does not attempt to influence through quotas or duties what its citizens can buy from another country or what they can produce and sell to another country. Another theory is mercantilism, which is an economic philosophy advocating that countries should simultaneously encourage exports and discourage imports. The final theory is the theories of Smith, Ricardo, and Heckscher-Ohlin. Smith, Ricardo, and Heckscher-Ohlin show why it is beneficial for a country to engage in international trade even for products it can produce for itself. According to Adam Smith, â€Å"countries should specialize in the production of goods for which they have an absolute advantage and then trade these good for the goods produced by other countries† (2009). Heckscher-Ohlin theory predicts that countries will export goods that make intensive use of those factors that are locally abundant; while importing goods that make intensive use of factors that are locally scare (2009). Finally, Ricardo’s theory suggest that countries should specialize in the production of those goods they produce most efficiently and buy goods that they produce less efficiently from other countries (2009). There are two major factors that drive globalization. The first driver is the decline in barriers that allow the free flow of goods, services, and capital that has occurred since the end of World War II (2009). For example with the decline in barriers, countries can export merchandise freely without any disruptions in hipments. During the 1920s, many of the world’s nation-states erected formidable barriers to international trade and foreign direct investment (2009). Many of the barriers to international trade took the form of high tariffs on imports of manufactured goods (2009). The second driver of globalization is technology change (2009). For example, the constant change in technology allows companies the ability to produce more, which in turn allows other countries to participate the building of developments. Another example is throughout time, the progress in technology permits communication to be more advanced by allowing people to access the Internet and the World Wide Web. The final example of technology change is the change in transportation. The change in technology such as commercial aircrafts and freighters that are tractor trucks and cargo ships that allows shipments to be packed in containers and shipped across the world. The effects of globalization have impact to the military, especially during a time of war. Armed Forces Network (AFN) is the main source of television communications throughout Europe. AFN supplies network to the military in Afghanistan and Iraq so the troops can unwind and watch television. AFN provides cross-border flow of television services. Another effect of globalization that impacts the military while being deployed is food services. Food that the local nationals transport to different military posts in Afghanistan is shipped in from other countries and cross through Iran. The third effect on the military of globalization on the military is the acts of violence against the military overseas. A poor country such as Afghanistan, rely on their local grown produce but instead is being taken over by products foreign product verses using the locals products. The final effect of globalization that impacts the community is the problem of outsourcing jobs. American’s have a high unemployment rate due to the lack of jobs in the market. The military is over strength because of citizens not able to find work. In the deployment zone, many civilians are risking their own lives to work as a contractor for the government because they cannot find work.