Wk 1 HW AC721

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Brenau University *

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721

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Economics

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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Aiesha Smith AC 721 Week 1 Homework Professor Kathryn Yancey, CPA 14 May 2023
1. Gross Domestic Product measures an economy’s economic output, in 2021 the GDP was $23315B versus 2022 where the GDP was $25464B, a clear and positive increase. However, predictions for 2023 have the GDP level out and no longer grow due to the sharp increases in interest rates early in the year; thoughts are that GDP will start to recover in the latter half of the year. a. Home Mortgage statistics have shown the mortgage rates on a slow steady increase over 2021, 2022, and into 2023. However, projections state that mortgage rates will begin to decline in the second half of 2023. Rates hit a historic low in 2020 and will most likely not get back to that low and are still historically low compared to the economic state. b. The current state of the economy based on those statistics shows the economy is in a delicate position. It is not at the greatest GDP or state of GDP however the country is still performing well and exporting products despite the current inflation and interest rate issues. Home mortgage rates are slowly increasing but when put into perspective of the historical low we saw in 2020 due to the pandemic these increases are to be expected and households are continuing to purchase and refinance their homes, which is a good indicator of how individual household are fairing in the economy. 2. Interbrand a. Top 10 Brands of 2021: i. Apple ii. Amazon iii. Microsoft iv. Google v. Samsung vi. Coca Cola vii. Toyota viii. Mercedes-Benz ix. McDonalds x. Disney xi. For the top 10 brands of 2021, I would consider McDonalds and Amazon to be cost leaders. I would designate Apple and Mercedes-Benz as differentiators. I refer to McDonalds and Amazon as cost leaders because the market themselves as the affordable alternative with comparative services as their competitors and have charted at the top 10 because of that. Apple and Mercedes-Benz are differentiators because they are simply known by their brand and logo and are seen as the “better option” for service in their respective fields. b. Top 10 Brands of 2022: i. Apple ii. Microsoft iii. Amazon iv. Google v. Samsung vi. Toyota vii. Coca Cola
viii. Mercedes-Benz ix. Disney x. Nike xi. For the top 10 brands of 2022, I would consider Amazon and Nike to be cost leaders. I would consider Apple, Mercedes-Benz, and Disney to be differentiators. I would call Amazon and Nike cost leaders because they offer a service to the masses that claims to be better than or just as good as the competition at a better more affordable price and have been able to make the top 10 brands because of it. Apple, Mercedes-Benz, and Disney are differentiators because they offer a service/product that is known or viewed as better than any competition or other options, they have made the top 10 brands because of the usage that follows their brand. 3. HP critical success factors: a. Financial Perspective(How do we look to shareholders) i. Revenue Growth ii. Selling expenses to sales ratio iii. Training dollars per employee iv. Gross Margin v. Operating Cost Ratio b. Internal Business Perspective(What must we excel at): i. Product manufacturing time ii. Materials Inventory iii. Manufacturing defects c. Innovation & Learning Perspective(Can we continue to improve and create value): i. Number of new manufacturing processes developed ii. Number of emerging technologies evaluated iii. Number of new manufacturing processes under development d. Customer Perspective(How customers see us): i. Customer perception ii. Order processing time iii. Customer retention iv. Customer satisfaction with speed of service 4. Competitive Strategies/ Critical Success Factors a. Performance Bicycles- their competitive strategy would be differentiation by making a name for themselves with the types of bicycles and services offered versus what competitors are offering. The main critical success factors would be realizing the focus is to cyclists and their specific needs known in the industry, following the input received from consumers so we know that our products are desired and are designed specifically for those people. b. The Oxford Omni- their competitive strategy would be differentiation since they specialize and have a niche of serving business travelers. They would focus on the needs of the customers and what business travelers need and desire to have the best most desired accommodations.
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