Starwood Hotels and Resorts Case Summary
Starwood and its competitors Vision and Mission Statement
Vision
At IBM, we strive to lead in the invention, development and manufacture of the industry's most advanced information technologies, including computer systems, software, storage systems and microelectronics. We translate these advanced technologies into value for our customers through our professional solutions, services and consulting businesses worldwide. Create experiences that combine the magic of software with the power of Internet services across a world of devices We recognize and seize opportunities for growth that builds upon our strengths and competencies N/A
Mission
IBM main activity is to find solutions to its wide range
…show more content…
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Page 5
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Case Summary
Strengths
1. IBM is capitalizing on the global warming-triggered revival of interest in nuclear power as an alternative to coal-fired plants 2. IBM has plan for Transferring itself to a innovation-centric globally integrated corporation that focus on new high profit high value added business and service 3. Using a very unique approach to engage their employees in an online intranet using its Jam technology 4. IBM is well known for its sale-centered business culture as it continues to hire its executives and managers from its sales force 5. 13 acquisition were completed, enabling IBM expand its software and service business 6. IBM is known to have more patent than any other American technology company 7. IBM’ s revenues increased 7% to $69.92B in 2007 8. Net income from continuing operations increased 9% to $6.46B 9. EPS has been increased steadily to $6.06 in 2006 10. ROE has a good reputation which means 33% in compare with actual rate, which almost 24%
Weaknesses
1. Return on Assets is started to make a gap with industry and can be a potential for further problem (9.19% to 11.75%) 2. Account Receivable Turnover has the negative gap with industry which means increasing in Collection period almost more than 2 times 3. Debt Equity Ratio which shows the
The company have generated very low operating cash flows, which is caused by a negative net income(16, 55) in 94,95, again with sales going down and cost of goods sold increasing. The company current ratio (2.3, 2.1, 2.5) in 93, 94, 95 are indicating satisfactory but when analyze quick ratio (1.1, 1.1, 1.3), and we also know that sales are down which mean more inventories. Now the account payable days has been increasing (49, 62, and 66). They have been delaying there payment which mean more cash on
IBM Global Services, the technology services and consulting division of International Business Machines (IBM), is the world’s largest provider of systems integration and technology consulting. It offers services in areas such as application development, data storage, infrastructure management, networking, and technical support (Datamonitor Plc., 2007, p.4). IBM Global Services is also among the world leaders in providing business consulting and outsourcing services. IBM Global Services’ headquarter locates in Armonk, New York. The company has more than 190,000 employees around the world.
Although the company seems to be profitable, it has faced shortage of cash. It happened due to increase in Accounts Receivable as well as Inventories. On the other hand, Accounts Payable does not increase that rapidly and difficulties regarding cash collection become evident. Furthermore, the cash collection cycle becomes larger (59 days in year 2003, while more than 70 in year 2006).
The decline of inventory turnover presents the incresed possibility of inventory obsolescence which is likely to be assessed as higher business risk. In debts to equity part, the ratio in current year is much higher than that of preceeding year, which means the extent of use of debt in financing company is much higher than before. Pinnacle has used most of its borrowing capacity and has little cushion for addional debt.This action brought high business risk to Pinnacle. In addition, Pinnacle puchase more inventory in current year that that of preceeding year, and net sales are increasing also compared previous year. However, the net income is decreased significantly. These changes show expenses (maybe direct or indirect) have increased dramaticly. The company uses more expensive materials and labors to manufacure and sell products.
The second reason would be due to the ratio of rate of return on total assets, for the current year 2011 the company has a ratio of 6.1% and this is a low rate of return ratio because the company's net income declined by 79.20% compared to the previous year 2010. This also indicates the company is fragile because it measures how the company is using its assets to generate revenue.
Marriott is renowned for its elegant and comfortable hotels and resorts. The company caters to a targeted customer base, ranging from the frequent corporate business traveler to the family enjoying their occasional weekend get-away. Marriott has continued its rise in the lodging, contract services, and restaurant industries. The company continuously strives to meet the needs and wants of its customers while strategically maneuvering the rigors of today’s competitive and ever-evolving market of glamorous destinations and convenient services. In order to remain relevant in a highly-competitive environment, Marriott must strike that successful balance of minimizing costs, and gaining and effectively
The company’s cash has been decreasing over the 2 years however its current and quick ratio has gone up, from 2.26 to 2.53 and 1.06 to 1.26 respectively, due to its increase in accounts receivable and inventory, the company may need to minimize amount of sales based on credit or require however down payment on its installment sales. Haefren must also be offering more lenient credit terms to its customers since its average collection period has also gone up significantly, this could be correlated to the lax credit terms Wiegandt currently offers Haefren. Haefren’s return on equity is also declining, using the DuPont method, as a result of our low net profit margin and our decreasing asset turnover (as a result of lower sales and higher assets). The company currently finances itself with bank loans which have decreased while cash is decreasing, the increase in debt may be growing to an unsustainable rate as our debt to equity ratio has almost doubled from 5.84 to 9.37 between 1993 and 1994. This poses a major a problem for the corporation as cash and sales are decreasing and loans are increasing, the company may need to liquidate the warehouses. The warehouses could be a major factor in another problem: low profitability. Low operating profit margins of 1.6% suggests high operating expenses. The company may need to cut operating expenses by reducing by
Strategic planning can dictate the success of any organization if properly planned as well as the failure of an organization if not implemented as planned. Strategic planning is all about making choices. It is a process designed to support leaders in being intentional about their goals and methods. Simply stated, strategic planning is a management tool, and like any management tool, it is used for one purpose only—to help an organization do a better job. This portion of the strategic plan will explain why an
Return on Total Assets was 4.43% which is below five percent. That indicates that the company is not accurately converting its assets into profit. The total for Return on Stockholders’ Equity was 8.89%, however financial analysts prefer ROE to range between 15-20 %. The company’s low ROE indicates that the company is not generating profit with new investments. Lastly, Debt-to-Equity ratio for the company was 1.01 which indicates that investors and creditors are equally sharing assets. In the view of creditors, they see a high ratio as a risk factor because it can indicate that investors are not investing due to the company’s overall performance. The totals of these three ratios demonstrate that the company’s financial state is not as healthy as it should be.
Also, according to its leverage ratios, the company’s debts are not only very high, but are also increasing. Its decreasing TIE ratio indicates that its capability to pay interests is decreasing. The company’s efficiency ratios indicate that despite the fact that its fixed assets are increasingly being utilized to generate sales during the years 1990-1991 as indicated by its increasing fixed asset turnover ratio, the decreasing total assets turnover indicate that overall the company’s total assets are not efficiently being put to use. Thus, as a whole its asset management is becoming less efficient. Last but not the least, based on its profitability ratios, the company’s ability to make profit is decreasing.
IBM needs to grow revenue and stay competitive in the dynamically changing computer marketplace of the 1990’s by maintaining technological leadership and accepting the organizational transformation which needs to be undertaken for them to excel. IBM needs to recapture their previously held powerful position in the personal computer and microprocessor markets and regain value in the company which will increase its stock value and competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Prior to their cultural change that took place in the early 1990’s, many would have said that IBM was on a fatal downhill slide. At this point they were beginning to become obsolete. IBM at one point was among the leaders within the world for hardware/software development and information technology services, but all divisions within the organization were run independently from one another. They were not a unified enterprise. To solidify this even further, “rather than working together as a team, divisions competed against each other both internally and in the field” (DiCarlo, L., 2002).
It’s noticeable how the company’s operations have been deteriorating as they are having a more difficult time translating sales into cash. Their A/R turnover is not where it needs to be, and in line with that, their liabilities are increasing as well. The company has also been inefficient with the use of their assets as their current activity ratios are not up to par with the industry standards.
Over the past five years, IBM has quietly transformed itself into a "software, solution and services" company. With the transformation from a hardware vendor to a solution provider, it has entered the area of consulting services.
It has constantly outperformed its competitors and has generated higher returns. IBM should continue to be a leader in differentiation by offering product and services through its constant strive of innovation. It should follow unique practices to maintain a strong culture and positively impact customer experiences. It should be open to change and blend itself to the environment adding its own stroke of colour (introducing new technologies according to the changing