Essay on Whirlpool Corporation

Wegmans’ model of contribution and giving back to its community proves to be a successful and profitable way of doing business. Wegmans’ philosophy of taking care of their employees, the customers and community that keeps them in business, insures that they will continue to expand and build positive relations with whomever they encounter. Wegman helps support the communities it surrounds by providing support for charities, employee scholarships, customer promotions and maintaining sustainability.

The grocery industry has a relatively high market commonality; a lot of grocery stores are somewhat related in terms of technologies used, labor force and the products or services offered in the stores. Differentiation with other competitors is key for survival in this highly competitive industry.

Whirlpool is the world’s largest producer and marketer of small and large home appliances such as mixers, food processors, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. Whirlpool also has a long standing relationship with Sears, which sells Whirlpool products under the brand name Kenmore. In addition to its North American presence (both manufacturing and sales), Whirlpool also has a strong presence in Mexico, and Europe. Being the largest producer in the world has helped Whirlpool to compete on lower costs through economies of scale and through its Global Procurement Organization (GPO). In addition, its large networks also help in

1) Should Wal-Mart be expected to protect small businesses in the communities within which it operates?

The purpose of this business report is to gain familiarity with Wal-Mart and to learn about the different aspects that make Wal-Mart a successful company. This report gives an in-depth analysis of the company history, services and products provided, the company philosophy, business methods, organizational structure, and financial and competitive analysis.

In 1950, former J.C. Penny employee, Sam Walton opened Walton’s Five and Dime in Bentonville, Arkansas. By 1965, in the same small town Walton would open the first Walmart store unknowing that his investment would become the world’s largest retailer. By keeping sales prices low Walton was able to get ahead of the competition and successfully opened an additional store within the same year. Walton’s success continued and by 1967 his chain of stores had grown to 24 locations, and was bringing in about $12.6 million dollars in sales annually.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. is the fourteenth largest retailer in America, and overall the world’s second largest home improvement retailer. They are the 108th ranked corporation on the Fortune 500 top corporations list. With an impressive in store stock of 40,000 home improvement items on hand, ranging from lumber to Home décor items, plus an additional 400,000 home improvement items available through a special order program. Lowe’s provides a onetime stop for all home improvement needs, for both the Do-It-Yourselfer, and the ever-expanding market of the Commercial Business Customer.

Industrial Equipment INC. sold and serviced a variety of industrial equipment and related products to hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, motels and various other organizations in the four Atlantic Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland/Labrador. In addition to distributing a broad line of specialized equipment IE provided design, specification and planning assistance to architects,

Sears began as a small retailer but as the years have gone by, they have become

The Whirlpool Europe case provides an opportunity to look at different ways to evaluate a major IT investment the company is considering. To undertake this analysis we have to make a few assumptions because the case does not have all the details needed to estimate benefits and investment cost. However, if you were in a company faced with this situation, these numbers would be available.

12. Please return the cost of capital to 9%. Sigma squared is the variance in the rate of return of the project. The calculations for the variance are in the first table of worksheet 2. Determining sigma squared is one of the most challenging tasks in calculating the value of a real option. In this example, we suggest asking managers for their best and worst case estimates of the benefits, given the expected benefits taken from worksheet 1. Just above the table, there is a percentage number for the range surrounding the expected returns, which starts at 20%. This says that the worst estimate is 80% of the expected, and the best is 120% of the expected.

The Kroger Company grew in 128 years from one store to over 3,500 stores of various banners and products. The Kroger Company is the largest food and drug retailer in the United States and is growing constantly with diversity in the retail market, dealing in food, pharmacies, apparel, jewelry and fuel. Kroger is governed by a 14 member Board of Directors including a Chief Executive Officer. Kroger is a leader in Corporate Social responsibility by maintaining environmental consciousness, social awareness and energy conservation awareness. Kroger is committed to customers, builds diversity and focuses on growth. The company operates a large part of it’s own manufacturing and distribution to increase profit

The accounts receivable from artists is significantly higher than last year. With 165 artists charged $40 per month, you only have about $6,600 in revenue monthly. However, your accounts receivable from artists is $15,000. This represents more than two months of website revenue. Your revenues doubled by raising the price which has resulted in quadruple the amount of receivables. This leads us to believe that some of these receivables may be uncollectable. According to GAAP, a loss must be recognized when the

Harnischfeger’s corporate recovery plan was a four pronged approach that involved (1) changes in top management, (2) cost reductions to lower the break-even point, (3) reorientation of the company’s business and (4) debt restructuring and recapitalization. These changes at first glance appear to have allowed Harnischfeger to improve its financial performance from a net loss of $3.49 per share in 1983 to a net gain of $1.28 per share in 1984. In addition, Harnischfeger has appeared to have achieved a majority of its desired outcomes from each of its four changes as shown below.

 Illustrates low prices and at the same time, not portray a cheap image to consumer.