Dividend Policy at Fpl Group, Inc. Essay

The negative outcome with this strategy would be that it may not lock-in retailers. More research and negotiation with retailers will be needed. Another negative affect would be that this strategy would be costly. We would have to see if we are financially stable to invest.

The first of Porter’s Five Forces is the threat of new entrants. According to the case study, there has been a wave of new entrants to the retail industry. These include Best Buy, Costco, Wal-Mart, Old Navy and the recently irrelevant, Target Canada. The second force, the threat of substitute products or services, is also prevalent in the retail market. Inevitably, the target audience that the Hudson’s Bay Company is trying to cater to, will shop at other retail stores for the same goods due to consumers behaviours and preferences. Another impacting force is the bargaining power of suppliers. However, this force does not play as large of an impact to HBC as one might initially assume. Traditionally, HBC among other large retail stores makes a large percentage of their

Traditional retail stores cannot strictly be classified as competitors, because of their different operating methods. While retailers rely on consumers setting foot into their stores, Calyx & Corolla reaches out to its target market by way of catalogs, telemarketing, and in some cases, promotional tie-ins with selected retail stores. Even the approach of FTD follows more closely the traditional retail model than that of Calyx & Corolla. It is precisely for this reason that Ruth Owades saw an opportunity to delve into an unexplored market. However, while Calyx & Corolla enjoy a much higher operating gross per sale,

Lowe’s is the 14th largest retailer in the United States and is presently planning aggressive expansion, opening a new store on average every three days. Lowe's revenue growth is primarily a function of penetration of the market increase resulting from a burst of new locations instead of the same store sales. Although Lowe’s has grown tremendously, it remains half the size of Home Depot and has serious debt burden that increases its risk level drastically. Lowe’s is Home Depot’s largest competitor because both companies have the same products, services, and enormous warehouse formats. In this major retail market Lowe’s and Home Depot stores go toe

• Tremendous price and wage competition in a recurring industry will lead to additional losses in profits.

* The various products of the financial planning industry were targeted towards baby boomers or blue collar employees so strategies and products could be developed with the target market as the young people below the age of 25.Q2. Analyze Best Financial’s strengths and weaknesses. How will these corporate capabilities affect the growth strategy?Answer:The strengths and weaknesses of Best Financial are:Strengths: * In one of the biggest cities in Southwest Ontario, Sarnia had an average population of 70000 with the average age of 43.2 years which fell in their target customer segment, hence, their current focus on the clients in that age range was one of the strengths of Best Financial. * The domain expertise of Linda Best was one of the main strengths of the company as she had about eight years of experience in the financial services industry. She got her CFP certification very early on in her career and had been assisting clients in making important financial decisions since then. Another employee, Mary Thompson had been in the financial services industry and had a thorough knowledge of Canadian and US Income tax and of mutual funds. * Best Financial had formed good personal relationships with many clients and managed over 1000 financial plans. They had a sturdy client list with some of the clients, in the same household , taking more than one financial plan. * Their

Due to the (Harvard Business School, 9-298-095, May 2001) Norfolk Southern expresses its concern about a merger between CSX and Conrail. It would have significant consequences on Norfolk Southern way of doing business. They could be excluded from important markets. As a broker says letting the CSX Contrail merger pass could mean the end of doing business for Norfolk Southern. We believe that this is the main reason, but Norfolk Southern can also see synergies inform of both cost savings and increasing revenues.

Diverse specialists that definite into Pharaoh were the equipped power head, the focal treasurer, and the minister of open works. These experts each had unmistakable obligations and powers, however Pharaoh had the last say. A substantial number of the Pharaoh's specialists were priests and recorders.

Finally, while it is not mentioned in the case, it may be that FPL could use the rise of retail wheeling to expand its market outside of Florida itself. With low projections of capital expenditure anticipated for the following years, and an ensuing dividend cut, FPL could choose to invest significantly in increasing capacity so as to be ready to

2. What do the results say about how firms in this industry can deliver strong financial returns in different ways?

Stepping onto Columbia’s campus on 116th Street was like walking into an architectural version of myself. The air smelled of intellectual curiosity and ambition. The sound of a nearby feminism debate greeted my ears. A monumental library engraved with the names of history’s greatest philosophers and authors enticed my vision. From this moment, I knew Columbia University was where I wanted to be.

he retail industry is in the middle of an unprecedented economic crisis. All retailers are trying to figure out how to cut costs, retain customers, conserve cash and more importantly stay in business. Recently, the National Retail Federation (NRF) polled readers of its SmartBrief asking them what was on top of their mind. Loss Prevention (LP) came in second only to the overall economy! It is no surprise given that every dollar saved from retail shrink is a dollar added directly to the bottom-line. Looking back in history, we have seen tough times like these are conducive for higher shrink numbers. This is mainly due to retailers cutting down

Coaching is a process, not a one-shot deal. Coaching sessions with employees usually take place over several weeks. The initial session is to identify the problem behaviour, elicit input from the employee, and provide specific coaching suggestions. Then, over the course of the next few weeks, you observe performance, providing immediate feedback (both positive and negative) as appropriate. Within two to three weeks, sit down with the employee again and let him or her know your perception of how things are going and ask the employee to tell you how he or she feels things are going. Ask the employee whether there is something you can do to assure his or her success. If necessary, redirect the employee toward appropriate behaviours and repeat the cycle until the behaviour meets your expectations. We find it helpful to provide the employee with a written coaching plan. This is not for the purpose of documentation, but rather to enable the employee to refer back to the specific steps that must be taken in order to be effective on the job. Coaching plans are written in a positive, upbeat manner. Start out by thanking the employee for his or her cooperation and indicating your confidence in his or her ability to successfully achieve the behavioural changes required. Next, make suggestions that include identification of the problem behaviour and appropriate alternative behaviours.

a. Summarize the key elements of FPL’s financial policy and compare it with other relevant firms.

| * Having very little financial resources can leave Fresh Connections susceptible to the business uncertainties of this industry * Currently highly dependent on a stagnating market segment as Retail make up half their sales