Essays and Research Papers on Management & Business

A 6 page paper. This essay identifies Harley's core competencies and discusses the strategies Harley-Davidson has used to regain and improve their competitive advantage. One of the competencies of this company is the ability to develop passionately loyal customers. Strategies have included moving to single-source suppliers, using technology and introducing new bikes. For the last ...

A 5 page paper answering specific questions about a price war among grocery chains in Quebec in 1983. The price war came about as a result of a marketing research effort, and taught as many lessons about the usefulness of marketing theory in real-world application as it did Steinberg’s ability to affect the local ...

An 8 page paper. Another title for this paper could by "Why Teams Fail." Teams fail at an astounding rate for many reasons, one of which is the lack of training. If diverse individuals are going to be placed in a group, they must have training in interpersonal skills if that collection of individuals is ...

This 17 page paper examines the cruise line company Carnival Corp and plc. The paper looks at the vision and mission, examines the opportunities and threats facing the company as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the company along with a competitive profile Matrix and an IFE matrix. The bibliography cites 4 sources. ...

A 6 page paper based on Harvard Case 399-102, chronicling the paths of Philips and Matsushita in becoming global companies. Matsushita has had more success overall; the purpose here is to identify issues that have been key for each and to comment on those key issues leading to recommendations for the companies. Bibliography ...

An 8 page paper discussing current conditions and recent predictions regarding the recovery of the semiconductor industry, particularly as it applies to Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which together constitute the largest portion of the semiconductor industry relative to Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley’s economy is improving slowly, but it is not expected to ...

A 4 page paper discussing current conditions at this restaurant operating company; examining economic indicators; and discussing the relative value of economic indicators for business planning. Bob Evans operates in the pure competition market structure, and as such, has the ability to affect only itself and its own results. The paper concludes that ...

A 9 page paper assessing varying views of cost accounting in a manufacturing environment. As is so often the case, Premier Products is using an inadequate cost accounting system, one that makes its most profitable product appear to be the least beneficial. Premier’s management suspects that the system itself is the culprit, however. ...

A 6 page paper discussing several events that have occurred just prior to the end of the quarter as the controller of ABC Manufacturing is about to prepare the company’s quarterly statement. A good customer has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy; the company has sold real estate for a profit; a study indicates greater revenues ...

This 8 page paper looks at what mergers and acquisitions take place and consider who and why many will fail. By looking at the reasons behind the failures companies may be better placed to attain the potential benefits that are identified. The paper uses examples to illustrate the points raised. The bibliography cites 11 sources. ...

This 8-page paper discusses leadership and the culture of Southwest Airlines, why it has been so successful and the challenges the company currently faces. Also discussed are leadership styles evidenced by SWA's leader Herb Kelleher.

A 6 page paper discussing the economic impact in Denver of establishing a small specialty apparel manufacturing facility there. This business and others like it have the ability to turn around the issue of competition. At present, small apparel manufacturers wring their collective hands over how to remain in business when giant producers ...

This 4-page paper covers a strategic case study dealing with Oscar Mayer Foods and how they can revitalize their brand name through various strategies.

A 4 page paper discussing the need for and results of structural reorganization at a small company. Relinquishing centralized control enabled Measurement to provide better customer service; faster customer response; and greater security for irreplaceable paper tests. It also increased Measurement’s ability to grow further. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3-page paper compares leadership aspects between two books, Norman Schwarzkopf's autobiography and Peter Drucker's Management Challenges for the 21st Century.

This 4 page paper discusses the merger between Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and Caesars Entertainment Inc. and reports some of the comments from analysts who do not understand the purpose of the merger as well as comments from analysts who think the merger makes perfect sense. An underlying question is: will Harrah's be able to manage ...

A 3 page paper assessing the types of factors and items venture capitalists will look for in assessing a manufacturer’s potential for the future. The small United States manufacturer is producing and selling the owner’s invention on which he holds the patent. The inventor believes the firm and the product are ready to ...

A 4 page paper comparing activity-based and volume accounting. The throughput approach can provide a ballpark assessment of the costs of producing a specific product, but ABC can provide accurate cost figures of each of the steps of production. Volume accounting can be misleading in terms of identifying which products or activities are ...

A 7 page paper that provides specific information about Wal-Mart beginning with an overview of the business and the business model Wal-Mart uses. Financial performance and profitability are discussed as key performance indicators. The bulk of the paper is supposed to be a report for improving the company's key performance indicators. Since Wal-Mart is on ...

This 9 page paper discusses the reasons or influences that explain why takeover activity, in the form of mergers and acquisitions is characterised by industry clustering. The factors considered include industry profitability, industry growth, industry concentration, capital intensity an industry deregulation. The paper also considers the motivations and potential impact on the acquiring and target ...

This 21 page paper examines the position of Apple, the developers of the iMac and the iPod. The paper considers how the economic environment and consumer confidence impacts on the company performance. The market position and market share is examined, along with the target market and the technological developments that have and are likely to ...

This 15-page paper is a comparison and contrast between two Japanese automakers -- Toyota and Honda. Aspects compared include financial statements, quality control programs, product lines and human resources management. Bibliography lists 16 sources.

This 11 page paper examines five dilemmas of change in business for change managers. These are Adaptive verses rational strategic development, cultural verses structural change, continuous improvement verses radical transformation, empowerment verses leadership and command and economic verses social goals. The paper examines these individually, looks at how they may manifest and the ways ...

A 6 page paper discussing the evolutionary forces that contribute to the formation of hurricanes and created a living system of Wal-Mart’s data mining activities. Many retailers (and former retailers) feel that they’ve been ravaged by the hurricane called Wal-Mart; otherwise there appears to be no connection between the two. Each, however, provides ...

This 12 page paper considers how a service organisation can deliver quality to the customers. The [paper looks at the concept of the value chain and the use of TQM and the SERVQUAL approach. The bibliography cites 30 sources.