Case Study Essay

CHARDONNAY GRAPES • 2009 harvest: 100,000 pounds • purchase price: $85,500 • expected loss in volume through fermentation: 10% GENERIC WHITE GRAPES • 2009 harvest: 60,000 pounds • purchase price: $38,500 • expected loss in volume through fermentation: 5%  WINEMAKING • Chardonnay grapes are fermented in oak barrels; each barrel results in the production of 40 cases of wine. • Barrels cost $500 apiece. Because the barrels lose some of their oak flavorings each use, AVS

Airline distribution systems are undergoing a dramatic change in the way airline tickets are distributed due to the influence of different factors such as new technology, low-cost demands, and the changing needs of travelers. This paper will discuss those factors and discuss Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and what advantages airlines would gain from being in control of ticket distribution. The strengths and weaknesses of such systems will be discussed and a government report will be reviewed throughout. Finally, two websites will be researched as to their successfulness and ease of use for customers. The two airlines for

1. I think that auditors should be held liable for failing to discover fraud. There are many ways the fraud could have been discovered over the years if the auditors performed an objective audit that followed rules and regulations. It is an auditor’s obligation to perform an audit with objectivity, skepticism, independence, and objectivity. Ernst & Whinney failed to meet these criteria. The auditors did not follow professional skepticism because when Minkow asked them to sign a confidentiality agreement to not follow up with any contractors, insurance companies, or building owners. This is not something to simply accept from Minkow. Ernst clearly did not perform a thorough audit and did not perform the necessary

(HF). She was discharged from the hospital 10 days ago and comes in today stating, “I just had to come

IBM had barely escaped the misfortune of being broken up and sold in pieces thanks largely to the leadership, drive and determination of Lou Gerstner. In keeping the company intact, he had preserved the inherent differentiating capability that IBM had at that time, which was as an end-to-end complex technical

IBM’s lack of an acceptable solution to this garnered them over a fifty percent market share loss within a decade. Given these changes, IBM faced a vastly more complex marketplace both in terms of niches and in the number of its competitors globally.

In 2002 the management made a strategic decision to outsource a significant portion of their Information Technology infrastructure to IBM to gain a better position in various markets. This decision however did not workout as expected, the firm faced a decrease in productivity due to fall in employee moral caused by the shift and management faced difficulties in carrying out their day to day duties.

IBM’s strategic positioning led to the company’s success in the 1960s and 1970s. Applegate defines four key factors of strategic positioning; product positioning, market positioning, business network positioning, and boundary positioning (Applegate, p.44). During this period, IBM’s primary product positioning was the S/360 mainframe computers. The S/360 systems were the first of its kind in the industry and were designed to suit the needs of their customers (Applegate p.6). IBM’s product positioning led to huge success in the company’s market positioning because IBM offered products that customized solutions to a range of business problems. The company hired key account sales person who reached out and successfully sold IBM products to large corporations. Revenue from mainframe computers composed of 70 to 80 percent of IBM’s profits in the 1980s (Applegate, p.8). IBM dominated the IT industry during this time by providing innovative products that competitors simply cannot match during this time period. As a result of their specialized products and expertise, IBM created barriers to entry and thereby generated sustainable competitive advantage for decades to come.

An important strength that needs to be identified is that IBM was able to transition from a computer hardware company to a services and solutions provider. Considering that the internet was growing each year, IBM needed to advance in their electronic business. By doing so, IBM contributed with one of their first campaigns called “subtitles” that was later introduced as “E-Business.” “The campaign helped IBM support their business through advertising, merchandising, inventory management, order fulfillment and customer service” (Greenwald). This campaign helped IBM get their company’s message out there. Their message was that, they are a

Gerstner also led IBM to take another risk. He expressed IBM 's new vision - that network computing would drive the next phase of industry growth and

2 Abstract In the past 15 years, the IBM Company has undergone a remarkable transformation from a struggling seller of hardware to a successful broad range solutions provider. Underlying this change is a story of foresighted strategy and disciplined execution—of connecting knowing to doing. In strategic terms, the IBM transformation illustrates the ideas behind dynamic capabilities, showing how the

I. Introduction: The Company that has been chosen for this case study is International Business Machines abbreviated IBM. This company was founded by Herman Hollerith in 1896 as the Tabulating Machine Company. It was later incorporated as the Computing Tabulating and Recording Corporation on June 16 1911. The Company was listed in the New York Stock Exchange in 1916 and one year later the Canadian and South American subsidiaries became what we know today as International Business Machines. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2010) 1IBM 's first U.S. trademark was for the name "THINK" filed as a U.S. trademark on June 6, 1935. "THINK" was the IBM

This horizontal structure enabled IBM-PC “clones” like Compaq, a host of start-ups and established computer firms like Hewlett Packard to enter the market and manufacture their

From the findings, we learn about the management style of both, Michael S. Dell, Kevin B. Rollins and his management. At start, Mr. Dell was seen as aloof and Mr. Rollins as autocratic. Trying to improve the company, Mr. Dell took step to enhance relationship with their team. In order to be the leader in low-cost PC, he uses a direct sales model which causes Dell to transform from a no-name PC player to a powerhouse. He focuses on cost efficiency to reach his goals. As a result, his overhead expense was just 9.6% revenue,

As discussed in our lecture, development of new technology is impeded without sufficient and appropriate support in intensity of competition. Fear of losing to a competitor led Hewlett-Packard acquire a peer company like Compaq. Carly Fiorina, after becoming the Chief Executive of HP believed that HP had become sluggish and less productive over the years. She decided to merge HP and Compaq. Both HP and Compaq suffered risks like, unable to cater to