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A key concern for retailers today is reducing inventory and inventory driven costs across their supply and distribution networks. Pressure to cut inventories continues to build for several reasons. Manufacturers no longer manage linear or stable supply chains. In the last few years a new paradigm has emerged: where one finds operations teams and planning teams of the manufacturer applying the latest techniques and technologies to improve inventory visibility, control and management across the extended supply network. We call this collection of efforts as Inventory optimization. Inventory optimization helps retailers control inventory driven costs and address today’s demand volatility and the uncertainty of demand. We discuss several trends in inventory optimization including opportunities to apply this new technology to solve more than just high inventory costs. Inventory optimization can enable smarter product launches, lower direct material cost of goods and faster manufacturing and ...

This is a tale about energy and power. At the heart of this narrative is the historic re-emergence of China which has undergone revolutionary changes since the Maoist era of Communist austerity and energy self-sufficiency. President Nixon’s ‘opening up’ of Communist China in the seventies started a process of engagement with the capitalist world for China’s oligarchs. The resulting transformation into a super-charged globalised economic powerhouse has transformed the lives of millions of people. Hundreds of millions of Chinese are pursuing a Chinese Dream; of cars, modern flats, TVs, designer clothes, refrigerators, electricity, and a western-style diet. Along with materially aspirational Indians and Arabs, the Chinese middle classes have led an explosion of energy demand. Global supply of oil and gas production has risen to new heights to sustain the growth of energy consumption in the developing world by the private oil majors and the state-owned oil companies. Economists have argued...

This final year research project has been derived from the initial research phase of the project whereby the problem of privacy was examined in the context of globalisation, that current approaches to privacy are culturally biased, reflecting only one of a number of possible standpoints. Substantial research conducted on internet privacy resulted in countless cultural standpoint theories but few studies focused on the consumer’s expectations which are the key to gaining a successful competitive advantage in the global business market. In recent years there has been some interesting debate about privacy; particularly interest in storage of personal data; that has several social, cultural and economic implications attached along with apprehension towards the information society. Current philosophy focuses the problem of privacy mainly on Western society’s expectations that is shown to be limiting growth and development of e-commerce businesses. Results based on surveys are used to demons...

This project describes how music retailers have been affected by the upsurge of illegal music download. In the presence of illegal music downloads, which are accessible when using the Internet, users are in fact downloading as many music files as possible for their personal use and furthermore for the event of trading, these files are copied into disc and are being sold illegally as pirated copies. Record companies need to unite with their buyers (i.e.) music retailers and use the authority of law in order to prevent such illegal activity to continue and use alternative ways to expedite the process to legality. Throughout the course of this research the above menace will be examined, as questionnaires and interviews are used with the eventual verdict presented in the conclusion. Not only is today’s life vast and improving for illegal traders, but also there exists the possibility and hope that one day this will stop, which will then allow the much needed relief to the legal traders to ...

In this research we analyzed thе consumer perception and expectation in the retail property market in London. The methodology allows us identify thеmain independent concepts оr attributes which describe thеcustomer perception of a specific property expressed in his own wоrds. Thеse attributes are accоrding to the influence of the consumer on thеoverall opinion in оrder to quantify thеir relative impоrtance. A quantitative model fоr forecasting an overall aѕsessment from symbolic attributes could be obtained. Thеresearch also provides a quantitative way of predicting thеsuccess of a specific property on sale by evaluating thеmain factоrs that condition it. Mоreover, an elaborated comparative analysis of thеstrengths and weaknesses of different competing properties could also be made. Chapter 1: Introduction Rational Fоr thе Research Objective of thе Research Outline of thе Paper Chapter 2: Literature Review Significance of Retail Property Оrganisations and Thеir Goals Оrganisations and ...

Nowadays, there is intense competition in the world economy. In this competition, the service sector becomes more and more important when considering the standardisation and globalisation of the products. This may be the reason that many studies investigate the service sector. Most of these studies aim to evaluate the quality of service through comparing customers’ expectations and perceptions. This is because there is a relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction and service loyalty. In fact, the satisfaction and loyalty of customers are factors enabling service providers achieve successes. From this point of view, the expectations and perceptions of customers to the service quality are determined as the core of a marketing channel. To evaluate this core, a measurement of expectations and perceptions of customers needs to be implemented. However, according to different core characteristics of services, each service sector can apply different methods to measure quality ...

Efficient Markets Hypothesis has been recently more often challenged on base of the empirical evidence which was suggested not be consistent with the theory such as excess volatility, market seasonalities, autocorrelation and predictability of equity returns. There is still ongoing discussion on relevancy and interpretation of these phenomenons and its consequences in investment strategy. This work link empirical data gathered from equity markets to equity markets theory and investment strategy framework. Importance of the work lies in providing guidance to investors on capital allocation on equity markets. Utility of three investment strategies was evaluated in this work which were buy&hold (index), contrarian and momentum. Research is focused on research of mutual funds and custom portfolios in regard to their returns and investment strategy. In mutual funds research the funds were categorized on base of their investment strategy and performance parameters were evaluated to gener...

Different techniques and skills are used to achieve an organisation’s goals and objectives. One of the techniques used by organisations is team working. This research paper presents an empirically based case study on an organisation’s team working techniques and also investigates the effectiveness of team working in the men’s apparel department. The organisation that has been examined for the purpose of this research is Company Z, a chain of departmental stores situated in Mumbai. Questionnaires were developed and sent to both, the staff and managers to analyse the team working effectiveness and techniques adapted to form and develop teams respectively. Structured interviews were also conducted among five (5) managers to understand the organisation’s rational for team working and techniques adapted to form and develop teams. Finally conclusions and recommendations have been presented in the end and areas for further research have also been suggested. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Backgroun...

CRM is an integrated effort to recognize, maintain, and build up a network with individual consumers and to constantly strengthen the network for mutual benefit of both sides, through interactive, individualized and value-added contacts over a period of time. The core theme of all CRM is its focus on co-operative and collaborative relationships between the firm and its customers, and/or other marketing actors. CRM is based on the premise that, by having a better understanding of the customers’ needs and desires we can keep them longer and sell more to them. An important facet of CRM is “customer selectivity”. Several research studies have shown not all customers are equally profitable. The company must therefore be selective and tailor its program and marketing efforts by segmenting and selecting appropriate customers for individual marketing programs. In some cases, it could even lead to “outsourcing of some customers” so that a company better utilize its resources on those customers ...

Traveling by air had always been like an inspirational factor for the common Indians. Air – travel even a year back used to be like a distant dream to many of the India’s 200 million middle class community. The industry was always looked down once upon a time with only state-owned players enjoying a monopoly. In the last couple of year, the Indian Aviation sector has metamorphosed in a big way. A cluster of new airlines rolling out the warm hospitality of red carpets to the Indians, for who air travel was simply an Aspiration and a distant dream. These airlines are called the No-frills or low cost Airlines, the new buzz in the Indian Aviation sector. As the name suggest, the no-frill airlines are the de-glamorized version of the conventional or full service Airlines. In today’s scenario, venture capital of $10 million or less is enough to launch an airline. Private airlines are known to hire foreign pilots, get expatriates or retired personnel from the Air Force or PSU (Indian Airlines...

The last two decades have been characterised by trends such as globalisation, technological breakthroughs and consequently an increasing competition for organisations of all shapes and sizes. Especially organisations that operate in a constantly changing environment have to work hard in order to keep up with their competitors. At the same time they have to face retiring baby-boomers and enormous geographic changes which basically create a war for talent. Selecting and recruiting talented C-level staff is crucial to an organisation‟s future and must be therefore deliberate and well arranged, whereas often time and money determine the decision. Executive search firms (ESF) could offer help and act as an external consultancy to find people who fit with the needs of the organisation. These third-party advisors, who are also known as head-hunters, could bring in the right balance of objectivity, comprehensive knowledge about a particular industry and help organisations to focus more on thei...

The consumer decision-making process illustrates the certain stages consumers experience before making a final purchase decision. In general, this decision-making process is acknowledge to be an extraordinarily complex model which is affected by numerous factors, such as personal, situational and socio-cultural influences. However, the decision-making process also varies according to the type of product (hedonic or utilitarian) and to the degree of involvement. This project provides an insight into the different stages of the consumer decision-making process and identifies possible factors which might influence this process. Moreover, the increasing significance of the Internet has considerably affected the consumers‟ decision-making process, in particular their pre-purchase behaviour. This can be mainly attributed to the wide variety of product information online available as well as to interactive decision aids, which allow consumers to compare different products in-depth. However, d...

The consumer decision-making process illustrates the certain stages consumers experience before making a final purchase decision. In general, this decision-making process is acknowledge to be an extraordinarily complex model which is affected by numerous factors, such as personal, situational and socio-cultural influences. However, the decision-making process also varies according to the type of product (hedonic or utilitarian) and to the degree of involvement. This project provides an insight into the different stages of the consumer decision-making process and identifies possible factors which might influence this process. Moreover, the increasing significance of the Internet has considerably affected the consumers‟ decision-making process, in particular their pre-purchase behaviour. This can be mainly attributed to the wide variety of product information online available as well as to interactive decision aids, which allow consumers to compare different products in-depth. However, d...

International trading and business are becoming a more and more important part of nowadays globalising world. It seems to become easier to do international business thanks to technology but the main problem persists: misunderstanding due to cultural differences. This dissertation discusses the effects of culture on negotiations in an international business context and identifies which areas of negotiations are influenced by culture and to what extent. The study reveals that this topic is multi-layered and that culture affects negotiation in many ways, covering all areas involved in negotiations. It suggests that cultural influences persist during the entire negotiation, from preparation to after-sales contact. It also highlights that knowledge about this is mostly gained through experience and observation. Furthermore, this study discusses more detailed the influence of culture during the interaction of parties by using a framework. This discussion leads to the suggestion that at this ...

Since 1992’s economic reform, China’s retail sales has kept rising and a large number of western supermarkets have been built up in this country. However, after more than ten years’ expanding and developing, western supermarkets fail to win the major share in China’s retailing market. A substantial proportion of total revenues are still accounted by traditional wet markets. This fact may be unbelievable to most people. This paper attempts to provide a understanding of Chinese consumers, find out the reasons why they prefer wet markets rather than western supermarkets. Literature review provides the concept of consumer behavior as well as the models on consumers’ decision making. The primary research focuses on the population in south-eastern China and attempts to find out how the internal and external factors would influence their decisions. The findings suggest two main reasons why Chinese consumers favor wet markets over supermarket: western supermarkets can not fit Chinese consumers...

Since the 1990s economic reform, China’s retail sales has kept increasing exponentially and a large number of western supermarkets have been built up in this country. However, after more than ten years‟ expanding and developing, western supermarkets fail to win the major share in China’s retailing market. A substantial proportion of total revenues are still accounted by traditional wet markets. This fact may be unbelievable to most people. This paper attempts to provide an understanding of Chinese consumers, find out the reasons why they prefer wet markets rather than western supermarkets. Literature review provides the concept of consumer behaviour as well as the models on consumers’ decision making. The primary research focuses on the population in south-eastern China and attempts to find out how the internal and external factors would influence their decisions. The findings suggest two main reasons why Chinese consumers favour wet markets over supermarket: western supermarkets can n...

This text deals with Slovenia's culture in general and in terms of business affairs. Literature of contemporary culture theorists is critically discussed. Focus is set on Geert Hofstede´s cultural dimensions and Edward T. Hall‟s theory of high –and low-context cultures. Slovenia has been evaluated or respectively, re-evaluated according to these theories and consequently an original theory of Slovenia‟s culture has been designed. For this purpose, a small and thus not representative sample of the Slovenian population has been interviewed and these findings have been analysed on the basis of Hall's and Hofstede's work. The outcome of this work differs from Hofstede´s results and provides an end result of Slovenia being mainly low-context. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Topic and Purpose Context Boundaries – Focus of the Study Aims and Objectives Constraints Outline of the Chapters CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Geert Hofstede´s Work Further Notes to Hofstede´s Dimensions C...

The commitment for Corporate Social Responsibility is voluntary and exceeds obligations imposed by law or expectations of society with the aim to improve the welfare of the community. Its importance is reflected in the fact that highly recognised institutions like the EU or UN have addressed this issue. Corporate Philanthropy, an element of Corporate Social Responsibility, represents in this context the opportunity for companies to return something to the community or society in which they are operating by giving direct donations or conducting a range of other philanthropic initiatives. Thus they behave like corporate citizens and can improve the company’s image. If applied in a strategic way, Corporate Philanthropy can even become a powerful instrument in order to satisfy the company’s stakeholders or create competitive advantage. This study aims to provide an insight into the application of Corporate Philanthropy in the PV solar electricity sector. Therefore, the primary research con...

The increase in competition of stock exchanges, due mainly to the transformation of the securities markets, has led to mergers, technological agreements among existing exchanges, price wars, takeovers, and the creation of new exchanges, even within the same country. Recently, exchanges have also faced competition from quasi-exchanges, which are also known as ECNs. They not only free-ride on the process of listing given that they generally trade only securities listed on other exchanges, but also on the price-discovery process facilitating members of exchanges to direct trade to them. ECNs are increasingly cannibalizing the businesses of the existing stock exchanges. The evolution of new financial instruments, the falling monopoly of banks as a source of direct funding to borrowers and of direct investment for investors, the tremendous improvement in information technology, and a greater financial culture among common people as well as the fluctuations in interest, price, and exchange r...

When first deciding on what topic to research it was logical to choose a topic that had relevance and an interest to the author. In today‟s society it is almost the norm for everyone to have a bank account and so it is a vital sector in the UK Economy. However, one thriving aspect of the banking sector is the student market. This market is continually growing and banks are competing to gain customers whilst they are young. Almost every student has had some contact with banks and their attempts to gain customer loyalty. However, in the academic world there is a lack of research on the decision-making process that students go through when deciding on their bank account. This study is an attempt to build on the current research available and make relevant comparisons. There are several objectives attached to this study. The first task is to review and analyse the current literature on the student market and their decision-making process with regards financial institutions. Once this has b...

The aim of this study is to develop and support previous theory as well as answer the question Are Entrepreneurs Born or Are They Made? In progressing this, the author researched into a variety of different sources including both primary and secondary data. The secondary information led the author to comprise a number of different hypotheses where the primary research was then focused. The research concluded that entrepreneurs are mainly born rather than made, stating that entrepreneurial characteristics are more visible in the entrepreneur‟s personality in comparison to others. The findings portray this general understanding but also states for these results to be completely reliable then further research may be needed. Chapter 1 – Introduction Background Focus of Study Aims and Objectives Structure Chapter 2 – Literature Review Introduction Entrepreneurs Defined Can we define the entrepreneur’s characteristics? A more sociological approach to entrepreneurship Impetus for entrepreneur...

The author seeks to identify trends in compliance with the revised Combined Code of Corporate Governance in 2003 with emphasis on provisions regarding NEDs through the study of annual reports published for the 3 consecutive years after the implementation of the revised Combined Code of Corporate Governance. The compliance with revisions made to the Code in 2006 regarding the composition of the remuneration committee will also be accounted for. The results gathered will be discussed against theoretical frameworks to indicate whether companies are pursuing an agency theorist‟s perspective or a resource dependence theorist‟s perspective to the role of NEDs. 1. Introduction Research overview Research objectives Research question Research outline Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Literature review Chapter 3: Methodology and methods Chapter 4: Analysis and discussion Chapter 5: Conclusions Summary 2. Literature review Introduction Agency theory The revised Combined Code of Corporate Governa...

The UK wine market has reached the maturity stage of the business life cycle. Despite this, it continues to experience change as a result of a shift in wine importer patterns and consumer tastes. These factors, exemplified by the effects of reduced barriers to entry, serve to provide a dynamic environment incorporating copious areas ripe for investigation. Producer pricing strategy is at the core of the change in the wine market, consequently it has been selected as the focus of this dissertation. The purpose of this dissertation is to establish and analyse the rationale of small wine producers when determining the price at which to sell their wine to the UK market. Moreover, it aims to discover the degree to which producers from different countries use origin as the primary determinant in devising a pricing strategy. Profit is the direct financial consequence of the pricing decision, either in the long or short term (Cannon and Morgan, 1990). Hence, this project will also determine th...

In today’s era, different facilities have become available for building customized application that uses available maps and its extensive database. In this perspective, it would be very helpful if a commercial application could have been developed using an easy to use Maps API. The customized application can be developed that is easy to use for general public to request their job tasks and field operatives to get and maintain allocated job tasks details easily. A successful creation of application should provide the easy to use interface for public to find the required location on the map and submit job task request specifying its location and few details to city council. It should also facilitate the field operatives to login their own account and allow them to view allocated job tasks and maintain updated details related to allocated job tasks. The application has been developed in such a way that it provides user friendly interface for job task requester and all functionalities whic...

The Indian banking industry is going through turbulent times. With the lowering of entry barriers and blurring product lines of banks and non-banks since the financial sector reforms, banks are functioning increasingly under competitive pressures emanating from within the banking system, from non- banking institutions, and from the domestic and international capital markets. India’s banking sector is growing at a fast pace. India has become one of the most preferred banking destinations in the world. The reasons are numerous: the economy is growing at a rate of 8%, Bank credit is growing at 30% per annum and there is an ever-expanding middle class of between 250 and 300 million people (larger than the population of the US) in need of financial services. All this enables double-digit returns on most asset classes which is not so in a majority of other countries. Foreign banks in India achieving a return on assets (ROA) of 3%, their keen interest in expanding their businesses is understa...

This dissertation is concerned with the strategic analysis of UK E-retail industry. It contains information about UK E-retail industry and is very basis of this dissertation. E-retailing occupies an eminent in the economies of all modern societies. The E-retail sector changing at an ever-increasing rate and this is leading to greater competitor activity. Such activity leads to need to improve the way companies approach E-retail marketing. Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction Background Online Retailing in the UK: An Overview Research Area Objective Limitations Chapter 2: Research Methodology Introduction Research Methodology Purpose of Research Exploratory Research Descriptive Research Explanatory Research Research Approach Research Strategy Primary Data Collection Case study Method Steps in Case study Method Advantages & Disadvantages of Case study Questionnaires Secondary Data Collection Data Analysis Chapter 3: Literature Review Introduction Growing Importance of E-retail Indu...

The research in this dissertation will highlight and achieve the aims and objectives as set out below. The aim and objectives were achieved through carrying out effective desk and field research. The aim will be achieved by meeting the following objectives; * Evaluate Absence Management Theories through carrying out effective desk research. * Evaluate and Discuss the Private sector’s Absence Management Policies and Procedures. * Evaluate and Discuss the Public Sectors Absence Management Policies and Procedures * Discuss Public Sector Absence Management theories in comparison to Theory. * Discuss Private sector’s Absence Management theories in comparison to Theory. * Analyse findings from interviews and discuss different HR manager’s views on effectiveness of Absence Management Policies and Procedures. * Draw conclusions on effectiveness of Absence Management Policies In order to achieve the above aim and objectives, a specific research methodology was chosen...

There have been many studies observing the effects of mergers and acquisitions on the stock price of target and bidding firms. This paper investigates returns to UK and US firms announcing mergers and acquisitions between 2002 and 2004. The returns to both bidder and target firms are examined. Further to this, variables explaining the returns are investigated. The study employs event study methodology, and uses the market model to observe abnormal returns to firms on the announcement day. As anticipated, the findings suggest that target shareholders in both the UK and US earn significant positive returns. However, the returns to bidders in the UK and US vary. UK acquirers earn zero adjusted returns while US acquirers suffer significantly negative returns on announcement. With regard to the method of payment, US targets receiving pure cash offers experienced the highest returns, followed by mixed deals and pure stock deals; this evidence supports the information content hypothesis. Une...

Due to the growth in competition in contemporary media environments sports organisations are becoming more and more preoccupied with their image. As a result of the high profile and fame that a sports personality attributes, they are utilised to help brands create a competitive advantage, allowing their advertisements to stand out in today’s cluttered media environment. It is recognised that this integrated communication strategy has the power to influence consumers, leading to the change in perception of a brand’s corporate identity and image by sustaining loyalty through purchase behaviour. The aim of this dissertation is to distinguish transnational purchase intentions as a repercussion of examining consumer perceptions towards celebrity endorsements between Italy and the UK. Secondary research was derived from an amalgamation of Internet sources, online databases, newspaper articles as well as academic journals in which a critical review of the current literature was examined. In o...

This research paper examines the importance of culture management within the financial services industry. The research uses a case study approach to discover whether culture management is prevalent in the UK banking sector. The comparative analysis focuses on the retail and investment banking sectors in particular. It reviews culture literature to identify key relationships between culture management, emotional intelligence and knowledge management. It examines the extent to which organisational structures and policies impact on the management of organisational culture. The paper analyses the key themes within cultural literature and demonstrates the importance placed by the banks on processes such as recruitment, training and development. The paper finds that managing culture is seen as a source of competitive advantage at investment bank ‘Y’ (IBY) whereas retail bank ‘X’ (RBX) primarily focuses on maximising customer service and meeting sales targets. Research Objectives: 1. This ...

The study assesses employees’ perceptions on factors influencing organisational changes and the internal and external factors causing these changes. A study conducted on the retail store River Island, located in a major UK city was undertaken to gain a more in-depth study on organisational changes within a specific retail store, where the literature to date serves to fail. The study researches literature on key internal and external factors influencing organisational changes, giving the reader a better understanding on the reasons for organisational changes and its effects upon organisational structures. Literature examined consists of various studies on organisational changes in a range of industries. An investigation was carried out at the River Island store to establish employee perceptions on organisational changes within their working environment and the effects it has had on them. This investigation is undertaken via interviews of managers and frontline employees to give a variet...

The primary focus of this research study is to investigate the impact of M&A activities on the shareholders of acquiring companies, by examining M&A that occurred in the UK Pharmaceutical sector in the period 2002-2006. To date most of the available knowledge on M&A comes from researches on US markets, with little research on UK markets. With references to M&A activities in the pharmaceutical sector, existing empirical literature tend to cluster exclusively on the US market or European market. This research attempts to broaden the scope of existing literature by going beyond the US and focusing on the UK. This research aims to: 1. Critically evaluating if the shareholders of acquiring companies experience wealth effects as a result of M&A. 2. Replicate test that have been done on US data, to see whether similar result emerge for the UK. Each countries result may be unique because of different organizational and regulatory conditions. On the other hand similar ...

Total Quality Management generally provides the fundamental core of the leadership and management process within an organisation so as to face the challenges posed by the new age environment. In recent years, many organisations in an attempt to survive and regain competitive advantage have embarked within the long journey of quality. As the needs and expectations of the customers in the tourism industry become more challenging, the Cyprus Tourism Industry in order to cope with these expectations have in the last few years focused on the quality. Methodologies like Total Quality Management systems and ISO 9000 quality systems standards can assure quality within the several sectors of the Cyprus Tourism Industry and help it in general to regain competitive advantage. This dissertation examines the concepts of Quality and Total Quality Management and its impact on the four different sectors of the Cyprus Tourism Industry. The examination and analysis of the quality concept and total quali...