Swot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Swot Analysis Essay IT also supports Wal-Marts efficient procurement. * A focused strategy is in place for human resource management and development. People are key to Wal-Marts business and it invests time and money in training people, and retaining a developing them. Weaknesses * Wal-Mart is the Worlds largest grocery retailer and control of its empire, despite its IT advantages, could leave it weak in some areas due to the huge span of control. * Since Wal-Mart sell products across many sectors (such as clothing, food, or stationary), it may not have the flexibility of some of its more focused competitors. The company is global, but has has a presence in relatively few countries Worldwide. Opportunities To take over, merge with, or form strategic alliances with other global retailers, focusing on specific markets such as Europe or the Greater China Region. * The stores are currently only trade in a relatively small number of countries. Therefore there are tremendous opportunities for future business in expanding consumer markets, such as China and India. * New locations and store types offer Wal-Mart opportunities to exploit market development. They diversified from large super centres, to local and mall-based sites. Opportunities exist for Wal-Mart to continue with its current strategy of large, super centres. Threats * Being number one means that you are the target of competition, locally and globally. * Being a global retailer means that you are exposed to political problems in the countries that you operate in. * The cost of producing many consumer products tends to have fallen because of lower manufacturing costs. Manufacturing cost have fallen due to outsourcing to low-cost regions of the World. This has lead to price competition, resulting in price deflation in some ranges. Intense price competition is a threat.

The United States Contribution to the Rise of Pinochet Essay -- Pinoch

The United States Contribution to the Rise of Pinochet The date September 11th is not only a date of terror for the United States, but for the country Chile it also marks the anniversary of a new error of fear. On September 11th, 1973 General Augusto Pinochet overthrew President Salvador Allende, a democratically elected socialist. For seventeen years after this Pinochet dictated over Chile and caused for the murder of over three thousand Chileans, the disappearance of over a thousand, and the torture and jailing of tens of thousands more. What might be even more shocking though, is that the United States had a direct contribution to this brutal dictators rise. The United States’ fear of communist nations developing and the ignorance of secretary of state Kissinger to mention the human rights abuses that Pinochet was responsible for, allowed for the United States to assist in the brutal tyranny (Kornbluh 2003, pages 19-22). The United States dire fight to end communism caused them to severely overlook the evil of Pinochet. In search around the globe for rising communism President Nixon instructed the CIA to cause the downfall of Allende, despite a 1970 CIA report that stated â€Å"‘the US has no vital national interest within Chile,’ and that the world ‘military balance of power would not be significantly altered’ if Allende came to power† (Kornbluh 2003, page 19). Even before Allende became President the fear of having a successful socialist or...

Interpreting Financial Results Essay

Financial ratios analysis shows the connections concerning the facets of the company’s dealings and delivers to the public the companies’ situation and performance. Financial ratios could offer signs and indications of the financial situation and warnings of possible problem areas. I was assigned the Waste Management Inc. company they the â€Å"leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. The subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. They are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States† (SEC.gov, 2013) This paper contains Waste Management Inc. financial reports from the years 2010 through 2013. I used the company’s last four years of balance sheet to calculate and compare numerous financial ratios against the company’s industry benchmarks. Waste Management, Inc.’s statement is separated by three categories; solvency, efficiency and profitability. Due to its complications in the fact that it’s a service industry and not sales industry, some of the figures are different from a sales company. Solvency ratios Current Ratio The current ratio of Waste Management Inc. shows 0.77, 0.80 and 0.83 for years 2011 through 2013.The formula I used is â€Å"cash & bank balance+ acct. receivable year) / total current liabilities of year† (Mergentkbr, 2014). It is trending upward but shows that it’s slight below the industry standard which shows 1.0, 1.0, and 1.0 from 2011, 2012 and 2013. According to our text book, the higher the current ratio the healthier the company becomes. By not meeting the industry standards, this can make investors leave and look for different companies to invest on. Quick ratio The quick ratio shows that in 2011, 2012, and 2013 resulted in .72, .74 and  .77. the formula I used is â€Å"total current assets of year / total current liabilities of year† ( Mergentkbr, 2014) Once again, the trend is on the upswing and the industry median standard is 1.30, 1.40 and 1.30 in 2011 to 2013 which shows that due to its low inventory, the numbers did change as much and that a good thing due to the fact that inventory delays progress. Efficiency Ratios Collection Period (days) According to the data, the collection period during 2011to 2013 are 33.75, 37.43 and 39.40 I used the formula â€Å"account receivable of year *365/ sales of year† (Mergentkbr, 2014), this shows that it’s trending upward but still outperformed the industry standard which shows 36.30, 39.30, and 41.60 from 2011 to 213. Reason for this collection period growing could be as simple as customer size multiplying every year due to population growth. Sales/Inventory (times) According to the data, 2011-2013 sales/inventory shows 42.52, 78.13, and 51.20 from 2011 to 2013. I used the formula â€Å"sales of year / inventory of year† (Mergentkbr, 2014) to calculate for sales and inventory times. As you can see in 2011-2012 there was major spike in the inventory which matches with the industry standards. Industry median standard shows 62.60, 78.40 and 52.20 from 2011 to 2013. In this case Waste Management Inc. is above the industry standard which allows them to have a faster turnaround time and gives flexibility of getting rid of their inventory faster. Profitability Return on Sales According to the data, return of sales 3.50%, 4.30% and 2.30% from 2011-2013, I used the formula â€Å"100* net profit of year / sales of year† (Mergentkbr, 2014). From 2012 to 2013 there’s 2% dip in percentage in return on sales, this coincides with Industry median standards which shows the numbers of 3.40%, 3.90% and 2.40%. The company is right on the industry standard in this case. Return on Assets According to the data, return on assets shows 5.10%, 4.20% and 3.67% from  2011 to 2013, I used the formula â€Å"100*net profit of year / total assets of year† (Mergentkbr, 2014). It is on the down swing and it’s below the industry median standard. Industry shows 5.20%, 3.80% and 3.20%. Summary A financial ratio normally by itself doesn’t mean anything unless benchmarked with other companies in the same industry. It shows how well the business measure up against the competition and also can be a tool to measure growth of the business towards eventual company goals. Ratio analysis, when implemented frequently over a period of time, can assist small companies identify and adjust to trends that affects their procedures. References: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/823768/000119312512065370/d260235d10k.htm http://www.mergentkbr.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/index.php/reports/industry

Ethical Challenges Faced By Mcdonald s - 1338 Words

Ethical challenges faced by McDonald’s Introduction Globalization and industrialization has influenced international business and ethics to consider a different approach to culture. There are certain perspectives to culture which demand change in the organizational and managerial functions. International companies today formulate separate business plans to strategically overcome cultural and ethical challenges in host countries. Globalization has internationally integrated the world with respect to products, ideas and different aspects of culture. The word culture regulates international businesses as it performs non identically in host countries and the home countries. Ethical challenges faced by a multinational company in a host country often juxtaposed with challenges faced by the company in home countries to see a strong contrast. The external factors and resources that affect the business are different across the globe. The first McDonald’s restaurant was run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, California. There are now 36,258 McDonald’s restaurants in 119 countries, of which 29,544 are franchised serving over 69 million customers every day. Ray Kroc who was an American Businessman and philanthropist who joined McDonald’s and made it into the most successful fast food operations in the world. â€Å"Kroc ... believed fervently in the ethic of mass production† (E, Schlosser, 2004). It is a multinational corporation which has changed its organizationalShow MoreRelatedReconciling Ethics in the Global Market1025 Words   |  5 Pagesperson’s life, as he or she acquires personal beliefs of right and wrong, (Walker, 2001). Ethics are standards of conduct that indicate how individuals ought to behave when faced with difficult situations. These standards are based primarily on values and principles about what is right or wrong. 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