Financial Strategies for Value Creation

Futronics Inc. is a $2 billion firm that sells communications services. Founded in 1937, Futronics Inc. has provided consumer products, as well as government systems and services, for well over half a century. Due to a sharp increase in competition, flattened sales, and external economic conditions, Futronics Inc. is implementing a corporate overhead reduction program. The proposal is to replace the company’s central office stores with outside vendors. The investment will cost $1,000,000 and yield incremental cash flows of $450,000 in year one (1), $350,000 in year two (2), $300,000 in year three (3), and $250,000 in year four (4). There is no salvage value of the asset, and the firm has a cost of capital of 8%. Using capital budget methods, Net Profit Value, Internal Rate of Return and Payback method, the capital investment can be appraised. Futronics Inc.

When a certain point is reached regarding a company’s success, a set of different opportunities arise and partnerships may unfold. However, with every possible strategy available, risks and benefits also come into play; without discarding any of them beforehand, every option is a strong candidate until a final decision is made. In this case study we will analyze the current business strategy pertaining

“A progressive success story.” Mallaby offers a few words from Jason Furman of New York University in description of the company so many know as

Primary assumptions to the theory include, high barriers to entry and exit, high sunk costs and imperfect knowledge of the market. In addition, this paper will analyze the company’s current standing in the market along with competitive strategies executed to grasp a greater portion of market share.

To summarize, AT&T has a very organized management team that is always planning new things for the company’s well being. The AT&T managers believe in happy employees and happy customers. The company offers great employee benefits and salaries and by doing this they keep the employees working for the company a longer length of time. AT&T realizes that the longer the employees are with the company the more educated they are about the products and services and about company regulations. In turn AT&T spends less money training new employees because the employees that are with the company stay with the company as long as possible. AT&T also manages to keep long lasting relationships with the customers with different things like bundles and by introducing

A long-term financial plan begins with strategy. Typically, the senior management team conducts an analysis of the markets in which the firm competes. Managers try to identify ways to protect and increase the firm’s competitive advantage in those markets. For example, the first priority of a firm that competes by achieving the lowest production cost in an industry might be to determine whether it should make additional investments in manufacturing facilities to achieve even greater production efficiencies. Of course, being the low-cost producer is difficult if the firm’s fixed assets are chronically underutilized. This type of firm therefore will spend a

According to Gitman, the goal of the firm, and therefore of all managers and employees, is to maximize the wealth of the owners for whom it is being operated (2009). The financial manager is responsible for acquiring sources of financing and allocate amongst competitive investment alternatives. The ultimate goal is to invest in projects yielding higher returns than amount of financing used to invest, so profits can be used satisfy claims and increase shareholder wealth. The issues facing financial managers are therefore to 1) increase sources of financing from investors and 2) increase shareholder wealth while maintaining a

By spending money on non-core acquisitions and stock buybacks as opposed to reinvesting cash into the development of

In today’s highly competitive market, the continuous changes that are occurring in the social, politic and economic environment create serious challenges in the corporate world. Corporations cannot afford to do business as usual if they want to remain in the game and be successful. In order to achieve their goals and objectives, they need to evolve, adapt, learn and apply different new strategies that will help them secure long-run success and performance. Among those strategies, we are going to discuss ten of them and their advantages in connection with corporation’s goals and objectives.

Strategy formulation has been acknowledged as one of the most crucial factors of ensuring the long-term growth of the business. However, the manner in which strategy is formulated, and most importantly, the nature of the strategy chosen for the company determines its future position in the marketplace (Grant, 2005).

Applying our knowledge about Economics of Strategy, we know that there are different ways to create additional value:

 As a consequence of the governments intervention, the AT&T lawsuit settlement, as well as the shift in the telecommunication industry, it was clear that AT&Ts local telecommunication business was slowly moving away from a monopoly franchise environment. It was moving towards a more competitive environment characterized with more consumer choice and greater competition. Companies such as IBM saw the divestiture of AT&T as an opportunity to provide new telecommunication equipment and services, which would allow them to gain a higher market share. AT&T's stock had up till then been regarded as a stable utility-type stock because of its steady growth and consistent dividend yield. However, AT&T should have kept in mind that they would not have as much market control in the future as they did prior the divestiture, much due to the intensifying competition and regulatory environment changes.

This case analysis looks at Southwest Airlines and how the company is in a vital financial position. The analysis was done using news articles, the company’s website and finance websites. The research was used to focus on how they have a strong employee to company relationship and customer to company relationships that they do not want to jeopardize and ruin but they need to bring forth $100 million without laying off employees and losing customers due to raising fare prices. This analysis shows how Southwest is looking into new ideas that will enhance the brand and in the long run make them successful.

“Competitive strategy involves positioning a business to maximize the value of the capabilities that distinguish it from its competitor’s” (Porter 1980:47). A successful business plan requires first and foremost the formation of an appropriate strategy. Through the implementation of a suitable strategy, the company is able to obtain its own industry niche and gain an understanding of its customers (Porter 1985). Whichever strategy is adopted it must be adequately integrated within the firms goals and missions to achieve a competitive advantage (Parker and Helms 1992).

AT&T was broken up into the Bell companies in “1974 by the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust suit against the monopoly” (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Today AT&T has become a competitor vying for control of the telecommunications industry. “In monopolistic competition, there are many firms vying for control of one market. Each firm offers a different type of product, as opposed to perfect competition in which all offer the same product. Each firm, then, has a monopoly in the market of their own product”(Oracle ThinkQuest Education Foundation) AT&T in 1988 began purchasing stock in Sun Microsystems to begin its diversity in product services. Throughout the 90s AT&T continued purchasing more computer companies and cell phone companies to gain market share in the growing telecommunication industry (CyberStreet). Good pricing structures align with costs. AT&T Wireless realized that the marginal cost of a cellular minute was small compared to the cost of acquiring and maintaining customers. Their switch to a flat fee “One-Rate” plan was a huge success, stealing heavy users away from the competition. Prices increased for light users and many became hooked on the cellular lifestyle (Lake Partners Strategy Consultants, Inc. [LPSCI], 2001-2004). AT&T has seen that the ability to change quickly in the ever-evolving telecommunications market will help in gain market share. Its ability to see the value in keeping customers rather