Essays and Research Papers on Management & Business

This 5 page paper discusses the factors associated with the success or failure of certain stores. Nordstrom is used as the success story and Woolworth is used as the failure story. Other stores mentioned include, JC Penney, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, and Kresge. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 6 page paper discussing Harvard Case 9-795-115. By 1993, computers were beginning to make themselves indispensable in Chinese business. The Chinese view was that the machines themselves needed to be purchased, but the information within them that caused them to operate should be a part of the machine, rather than a separate ...

A 9 page paper using Coca-Cola’s annual report for 2004 to examine a long-term financing decision and assess it in terms of the economic, business and competitive environments at the time it was made. The paper also discusses the company’s risk management policies and proposes Cott, the leading supplier of private-label soft drinks, as ...

A 5 page paper applying the principles of activity-based costing (ABC) to Wilkerson Smokers, a two-location manufacturer of barbecue smokers. Similar to grills in that they do cook food and use an open fire, the grills are constructed to provide the greatest exposure to wood smoke possible, delivering at the same time an infusion ...

This 5 page paper examines this check verification service that also provides a great deal of other services. A bit about the rationale for such services is also provided. Industries discussed include banking and retail. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page paper discussing productivity differences in manufacturing in the UK and the US, and possible reasons behind those differences. Studies estimate that the US leads the UK in productivity by 25 to 30 percent. Identified reasons include America’s consumer culture, greater ease of expanding or relocating and American employees’ state of ...

A 6 page paper discussing seasonal, Delphi, technological, time series and correlation/regression forecasting models. It concludes with an example of Maxwell, a small furniture retailer and its need to combine the result of at least two forecasting techniques, taking the average of the combined result. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

An 8 page paper discussing Target, the “other” discount retailer. The paper discusses the industry; provides a brief history of Target; provides five years’ financial information; corporate culture; and motivational strategies. Target eclipsed Kmart long ago. Wal-Mart is the world’s largest company and castigated for its practices. In contrast, people like ...

A 12 page paper discussing Gap’s present position for the purpose of determining whether Gap’s stock is a good investment at present. Investors are bemoaning Gap’s decline in stock price, but industry analysts urge patience. The company suffered a setback of much the same kind in the early 1990s, and Gap appears to ...

This 4-page paper discusses the preparatory phases of negotiation, as outlined by Peterson and Lucas in their article "Expanding the antecedent component of the traditional business negotiation model: Pre-negotiation literature review and planning-preparation propositions" from the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice (Fall, 2001).

This 4-page paper provides an example of a model for organizational conflict as introduced by Jameson in her article “Toward a comprehensive model for the assessment and management of intra-organizational conflict: Development the framework,” published the International Journal of Conflict Management (1999). Discussions include desired outcomes of such models and three major strategies when it ...

A 10 page paper examining Chicago’s newest 5-star hotel. With strikes against it, the Peninsula has prospered since its 2001 opening and recently was named the best hotel not only in Chicago, but in all of the United States. Its direct competition in Chicago is limited to the Four Seasons (in 18th place) ...

This 4-page paper examines a part of the management system of NAVSEA, the company that manufactures and maintains battleships for the Navy. The paper also examines the management system through management expert Richard L. Daft's perspective, and sees where there might be problems. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 9 page paper assessing the statement, “The travel and tourism industry is the only truly global business incorporating the simultaneous interaction of users, hosts, suppliers and regulators.” It seems rather arrogant to proclaim that travel and tourism industry is the only truly global industry, given the dramatic changes that have occurred in all ...

This 7 page paper examines the case of Super; a new dessert product to be manufacturers by a company already manufacturing Jell-O. The project has been proposed and issues considered include whether existing costs, both capital and overhead costs should be included, or merely the marginal costs. The paper then calculates the net present value ...

A 3 page paper examining the current situation of a small engine and lawnmower repair shop to make recommendations for expansion. Murphy seeks to expand its current business but is not profitable enough to support another dedicated location. There are several alternatives available to the company; the recommendation is that it automate financial ...

A 4 page paper discussing risk associated with a potential new product. Assessing the project risk is difficult in that we cannot know all conditions that will apply by the time the product reaches the market. It does appear that there is less risk than originally believed, however, based on the results of ...

A 9 page paper discussing Southwest’s history, corporate culture, capital structure, management and financial results for the purpose of performing investment analysis. Still boasting that it has had 54 consecutive profitable quarters, Southwest would have lost money in 1Q2003 and 1Q2004 without its successful fuel-hedging activities. It still clings to the never-a-losing-quarter mantra, ...

A 5 page paper discussing the project manager’s role in a scenario in which the original project manager and several team members have quit. In the end, it is communication and respect for individuals that lead to project success. The project itself must be well-thought out and well planned, but even projects meeting ...

A 3 page paper arguing that self-employment is preferable to working for someone else. The self-employed typically make less over a lifetime than do those who work for others, and they are notorious for not having sufficient retirement funds. However, the self-employed also have the ability to define precisely what they do for ...

This 4-page paper is a series of questions that places consumer products powerhouse Proctor & Gamble in tandem with certain types of organizational theories. Discussions include the advantages of P&G's acquisitions of Gillette, as well as how Proctor can increase its competitive advantage. Bibliiography lists 4 sources.

A 3 page paper discussing training's influence on employee retention at Ritz-Carlton hotels and Pal's Sudden Service, a fast food chain in east Tennessee. Both companies have won the Baldrige Award for Quality; both have employee turnover rates at or below one-third of the average rates of their respective industries. Not only did ...

A 5 page paper discussing the feasibility of opening a new zipper manufacturing company in the Western Hemisphere. The paper features a 13-question questionnaire used in a fictitious interview of the president of a Taiwan zipper company reviewing the state of the global industry, nearly all of which focuses on China. XYZipper's location ...

A 3 page paper analyzing the mission statement of this popular coffee vendor. Starbucks' mission statement is meaningful, valuable and to-the-point. It avoids grandiosity, and it is not restrictive aside from keeping the company on the path it has set for itself. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 7-page paper introduces four leadership theories: Contingency, situational, leadership-membership exchange and tranformational, and applies them to what an office manager might or might not do. Bibliiogaphyl lists 5 sources.