Herman Millar Inc.

Real household disposable income has reflected a downward trend from 2009 to 2013 and household saving did not decrease during 2012, which reduced the level of cash flow meaning store sales will be affected by a decreased level of income remaining for shopping after spending on daily necessities. In addition to this, switching costs remain low for customer changing their preferences because of the diversity of options like Myer, K-Mart or the brand retailer like ZARA and Gucci.

With the economic downtown, this may affect sales for the company as consumers’ discretionary spending become less and less. Macy’s also faces intense competition which is inherent to the retail and department stores industry.

1. How strong are the competitive forces in the movie rental marketplace? Do a five-forces analysis to support your answer.

Due to the economy downturn period, Macy’s and many other retailers were suffering. Fortunately, Macy’s has chosen the beneficial marketing strategy to fit the objective of business. This paper will analyze the company’s situation from its financial aspect, industry aspect, the competitive part and Macy’s marketing strategies to conclude that Macy’s could have stable profit in the next three to five years.

As previously stated the buyers in the furniture manufacturing industry are furniture retailers. Therefore they will require furniture to continue business. There are no substitutes that provide the same use as furniture. In relation to the furniture industry as a whole, there are still very little substitutes to furniture aside from a higher use of closet space or unorthodox measures by consumers. An example of this would be one's choice to live without furniture, which in most cases is very unlikely. Furniture has become a household necessity and consumers have little or no desire to change their lifestyles by eliminating that need. Therefore the threat of substitutes to the furniture manufacturing industry is very low to the point where it is almost non-existent.

Despite being well-established, over the last three years, sales at Atherley Furniture Company have remained the same while profits have declined by almost 24%. Their chair division produces three different types of chairs, the Atherley, the Caledonia and the Parkdale. Each model has its own production plan and production costs. The increasing production costs, alongside the intense competition the company faces, have become a great cause of concern for John Atherley.

Choose a specific industry (e.g., grocery retailing, the airline industry, etc.), and apply Porter 's Five Forces Model to discuss that industry 's competitive forces and their relative influence.

To assess the industry structure and profitability, a Five Forces analysis will be conducted on the department store-retail industry.

The household wood furniture industry is healthy and growing. Total industry sales in 2007 were estimated to be $31 billion at manufactures prices. Three categories of furniture divide the industry. First upholstered furniture which makes up 50% of sales, Secondly wood furniture at 40% of the industry market share which has grown 2.5% in 2007 and is projected another 4% in 2008, this second category includes dining room and bedroom furniture. Third and last is the other category at 10% this includes ready to assemble and casual furniture. Haverwood has established themselves as a medium to high priced furniture company through 1,000 carefully selected high

5) Threat of substitutes is low, in comparison with technology that constantly evolves, furniture cannot be easily substituted. But its insignificant impact is fully neutralized by high competition problem.

classified as highly competitive. The key players are Bed Bath & Beyond, LinensN-Things, Williams Sonoma, and Pier 1. The home furnishings industry is also

How strong are the competitive forces in the movie rental marketplace? Do a five-force analysis to support your answer.

1. How strong are the competitive forces confronting lululemon in the market for performance-based yoga and fitness apparel? Do a five-forces analysis to support your answer.

Within the retail environment, scheduling and a rapid response to changing consumer sentiments are critical. As such, the organizations systems must reflect this change in consumer dynamics to maximize sales and profitability. A systems approach works well in accomplishing this task. In many instances, consumer demand, consumer sentiments and macroeconomic factors all influence one another. In the context of Macys, macroeconomic factors determine consumer demand and confidence. Attempting to forecast this demand, the organization must then adjust scheduling and inventory levels accordingly. The input elements in this system would therefore be aligned with macroeconomic considerations. Aspects such as income growth, discretionary income, consumer confidence, tax policy, and commodity prices all affect the system. For instance high gas prices, can potentially cause less discretionary income for individuals. This lack of discretionary income ultimately hinders the amount of spending on discretionary items. This lack of spending impacts Macys on the output side as the company must now lower inventory levels or markdown merchandise to compensate consumers. Therefore inventory management is critical system in which Macys can use to add value to the consumer, the company, and its

Herman Miller is an American company that was founded in 1905 in Zeeland, Michigan as the Star Furniture Co. They are the major American company of office furniture and equipment. In 1919 Dirk Jan De Pree became the president of the company and renamed the company The Michigan Star Furniture Co. Then Dirk and his father Herman Miller buy 51% of the company in 1923 and renamed Herman Miller Furniture Company, and in 1960 became Herman Miller Inc.