Free Essay Home Depot History and Business Case Analysis free essay sample

First of all, I would like to thank you for giving me the honor to analyze your well organized and developed company. In this memo, I am going to discuss the strategic factors facing Home Depot, the strategies that the company has been following for the past years, and the distinctive competency Home Depot attain. Also, I am going to give my recommendations and opinion. Some of the strategic factors that Home Depot faces are related to product quality, price, advertising, store capacity, competitors, and customers independency and satisfaction. Most of these strategic factors helped in the growth and popularity of Home Depot. Home Depot offers good quality products such as home improvement products, lawn and garden supplies. Installation services for these products are offered too. Home Depot like Wal-Mart Company offers low prices everyday. Operational efficiency had been a crucial part of achieving these low prices while still offering a high level of customer service. We will write a custom essay sample on Free Essay Home Depot History and Business Case Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The company assesses and upgrades its information to support its growth, reduce and control costs and enable better decision-making. From the installation of computerized checkout systems, to the implementation of satellite communications systems in most of the stores, the company had shown that it has been and would continue to be innovative in its operating strategy. In year 1994 Home Depot introduced a prototype store format that offered about 32,000 more square feet of selling space and a significantly broader and deeper selection of products and services, as well as a more convenient layout than the traditional stores. These Type (V) stores were designed around a design center, which grouped complementary product categories. Therefore, this wide store capacity enabled Home Depot to stock like 40,0000 to 50,000 products in each store. I think that this is a very good strategic factor that enables the store to offer a wide variety of products. Lowes is the main competitor against Home Depot. Both companies have big stores, and many products. But Home Depot is still number one. Mike Brune from the Rainforest Action Network declared that Its been a busy month for us all as we attempt to find out the implications of the Home Depot victory on the entire DIY (do-it-yourself) industry, get the all important details of Home Depots new policy, and actually determine to what degree the new policy is a victory at all. The short answer is that there is a lot of good news, with some large question marks. Home Depots announcement, and the extensive press coverage it earned, sent shockwaves through all of Home Depots competitors. (Mike Brune. Important Update on Home Depot and Competitor Policies. Retrieved October 5, 1999, from http://forests. org/archive/america/compdebo. htm). Home Depot has stores all over the map nationally, and is expanding worldwide. It recently put competitor Hechinger out of business, and before that Builders Square. (Rob Landley. A Case for Home Depot. Retrieved January 14,2000, from http://www. fool. com/portfolios/rulemaker/2000/rulemaker000114. htm). Congratulations on being number one in your industry. I would like now to discuss the reasons behind this success for year 2002 . I think that the strategies that you and your employees are following and the great customer service are leading to the growth and success of your company. Home Depot uses a clustering strategy to locate new stores closer to existing ones. The short-term effect is to lower same-store sales. On the other hand, this strategy can create a strategic advantage by raising the barrier of entry to competitors. It reduces overcrowding in the existing stores. It also allows the company to spread its advertising and distribution costs over a larger store base. I think that this strategy led Home Depot to have fewer competitors, and lowered the distribution cost. On the other hand, opening too much stores increase the expenses from equipments, products and employees. Even if, the company can afford to open all these stores, I do not think that the company should open many stores in one area. Another strategy that your company is following is focusing on customer service and satisfaction or what is referred to customer cultivation. Customer cultivation is the result of the provision of highly qualified and helpful employees, professional clinics and in-store clinics. When the company was faced with clogged aisles, endless checkout lines, and too few salespersons, it sought creative ways to improve customer service. Workers were added to the sales floor, shelf stocking and price tagging were shifted to nighttime, when the aisles were empty. Therefore, the availability of sales personnel to attend to customer needs was one clear objective of the Home Depot customer service strategy. It gave the DIY (Do It Yourself) customers the support and confidence that no home project was beyond their capabilities. Home Depot attitude of complete customer satisfaction has led the company to constantly seek ways to improve customer service. I think that this strategy is great and was worth all the expenses because the employees were free to sell during the day and focus more on the customers needs. It the good experience that brings the customer again and its the word of mouth that brings other new customers, therefore, customer satisfaction is the most important strategy that any company shall follow. The third strategy that you company is following is focusing on extensive advertisement. In year 2002, Home Depot spent $895 million on advertising, 9. 5 percent more than the $817 million it spent in 2001 and 24 percent more than the $722 million it spent in 2000. Home Depot is one of the nations largest retail advertisers and spends far more on advertising than comparable stores. Home Depot spent nearly eight times as much on advertising in 2002 than its nearest competitor, Lowes Cos. Lowes, which has just half the annual sales of Home Depot, spent about $114 million on advertising in year 2002. Jim Lovel. Home Depot ad spending $895M. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www. bizjournals. com/atlanta/stories/2003/04/28/story1. html). Therefore, extensive advertising is giving Home Depot a distinctive competency against other companies in the same industry. These strategies are implying higher expenses in order to be achieved, especially the huge expenses on advertising. I would l ike to make a comparison between two most growing companies in the USA (Home Depot and Wal-Mart) . In 2002, Home Depot spent 32 percent more than Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , the worlds largest retailer. Wal-Mart with annual sales almost five times higher than Home Depots spent $676 million on advertising last year. (Jim Lovel. Home Depot ad spending $895M. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www. bizjournals. com/atlanta/stories/2003/04/28/story1. html). Therefore, the more money you spend on advertising, does not lead to increase in annual sales but it leads to increase in expenses. Even though, the extensive advertising made this company have a distinctive competency against other companies but Home Depot spent $ 895 million on advertising and Lowes company spend only $114 million. It is true that the annual sales of Home Depot were more than half than Lowes but Home Depot can lower its expenses of advertising to 5 times and can still be able to compete with Lowes company. So, the main question for you is that can you plan a strategy that does not require higher expenses? I am not implying that these strategies are not working but I think that there should be a strategy that keep the company growing but at least lower the expenses. Net Sales had increase 10. 5% year 2003, comparing to year 2002.

Essay on Combustion Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide

Essay on Combustion Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Essay on Combustion: Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Incomplete Combustion ï‚ § There isn’t enough oxygen to react completely with the fuel (usually a hydrocarbon) ï‚ § Reactants: Oxygen and usually a hydrocarbon as a fuel ï‚ § Products of incomplete combustion are Carbon, Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide and Water ï‚ § When hydrocarbon burns in air, produces large amounts of the by-products o Carbon dioxide, water, carbon monoxide, pure carbon, nitrogen oxides, etc. ï‚ § The by-products are quite unhealthy and damaging to the environment ï‚ § The flame produces is yellowish in colour ï‚ § 2 CH4(g) + 3 O2(g) →2 CO(g)+ 4 H20(l) ï‚ § CH4(g) + O2(g) → C(s) + 2 H2O(l) ï‚ § 4 CH4(s) + 5 O2(g) → 2 CO(g) + 8 H2O(g) + 2 C(s) Complete Combustion ï‚ § Complex sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant ï‚ § Reactants: Oxygen and usually a hydrocarbon as a fuel ï‚ § Products: only carbon dioxide and water ï‚ § There is production of heat and light in the form of either a glow or flames ï‚ § When hydrocarbon burns in air it yields many by-products (small though) o Carbon dioxide, water, carbon monoxide, pure carbon, nitrogen oxides, etc. ï‚ § Carbon dioxide is used in the process of photosynthesis, so it proves to be beneficial to us and the plants ï‚ § When elements such as carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, and iron are burned = will yield the most common oxides ï‚ § CH4(g) + 2 O2(g) → CO2(g) + 2 H2O(l) ï‚ § 2 C8H18(g) + 25 O2(g) → 16 CO2(g) + 18 H2O(l) ï‚ § 2 C2H6(g) + 7 O2(g) → 4 CO2(g) + 6 H2O(l) Within the past five years, creatine has

Contract Law and the Law of Negligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contract Law and the Law of Negligence - Essay Example As such, every individual is under a duty of care towards others to employ reasonable care, in order to circumvent causing injury to them or their possessions (Judicial Education Center, 2013). Alec has a duty towards Kelly, just like that towards any other person on the walkway. In some instances, the act or omission of the defendant could cause damage to the claimant. However, the claimant may not have any action, because the affected interest may not be provided with the protection of the law. This situation is termed as harm without legal wrong or damnum sine injuria (Cooke, 2011, p. 5). Alec’s rash driving resulting in damage to Kelly’s shop attracts the provisions of the law of negligence. A defendant could be made liable for committing a tort, if the act had been intentional. This usually takes place in crime. Liability is also attached to the defendant, if the act was negligent, although unintentional. This is because the defendant had failed to fulfil his duty of care towards the petitioner (Judicial Education Center, 2013). In our case, Alec has failed to perform his duty towards Kelly, although it was unintentional. In Page v Smith, Lord Hope described primary victims as individuals who had undergone psychiatric injury. Such injury should have been the outcome of the fear or distress resulting from the accident that had taken place due to the negligence of the defendant or its immediate aftermath (Turton, 2008, p. 1014). Kelly suffered mental distress, the next day after the incident. She cannot take recourse under the category of primary victim for psychiatric injury. Whether there was a breach of duty From the legal perspective, negligence is the breach of a duty to ensure care, while committing an act. It is also the failure to act in the manner that a prudent or reasonable individual would have acted under circumstances that were similar. Such action or failure must be the proximate cause for the injury caused, if the plaintiff is t o recover damages from the defendant. Some of the defences to a negligence action are, the assumption of risk or injury by the plaintiff, or the injury was due to the plaintiff’s negligence (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2011).A contractual relationship can generate an obligation to act with care. An instance of this is the duty of care assumed by a carrier to protect passengers and goods from injury or damage. In addition, the law presupposes that every person, in the ordinary course of conduct, is under a duty of care to abstain from injuring others. This duty, in every non – contractual situation, requires every individual to act as a reasonable person. If an injury occurs, despite such care being exercised, or due to circumstances that are beyond human control, then no compensation can be claimed. The doctrine of strict liability renders entities engaged in certain services and trades liable, even if the conduct is not negligent (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedi a, 2011). While deciding whether a breach of duty had taken place, the courts would evaluate the conduct of the defendant, with reference to what a reasonable person would have done under similar circumstances (Tingle, 2002, p. 1129) In Blyth v Birmingham Waterworks Co, it was opined that negligence was failure to do a thing, which a reasonable man would have done, in accordance with the considerations that normally regulate human conduct (Tingle, 2002, p. 1129). In our case, Alec, due to coming late, attempted to quickly cross

Nursing Informatics FACT Sheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nursing Informatics FACT Sheet - Essay Example rmation required does not pertain only to technical knowledge, scientific development, quality control, clinical and administrative documentation, but also extends to the domains of human materials and resources and their availability for the delivery of the required nursing care (Marin, 2005). Information technology began to be used for processing the vast amount of information as a part of nursing care. Nursing informatics evolved from a nice-to-have accessory to nursing to the current status of an essential part of the nursing profession (Simpson, 2007). The two main catalysts in the development of nursing informatics have been the federal initiatives that have encouraged the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and the evidence that suggests clinical information systems improve processes that lead to better patient outcomes (An emerging giant: Nursing informatics). Safety is expedited by nursing informatics through continuous monitoring, seamless transition at points of transition between care settings, when the probability of mistakes are at the highest and appropriate information-sharing in clinical decision making. Nursing informatics addresses equity issues by facilitating access, like discharge information in the language of the patient and furthermore nursing informatics is blind to race, gender, age, economic status and physical appearance. The incompatibility of databases of institutions is a barrier to nursing informatics, and has virtually remained so because of the fear of legal repercussions or proprietary information falling into the hands of competitors. The fear of the nursing professionals that nursing informatics may lead to the nursing becoming a mere implementation of a set of standardized protocols and cause the profession becoming reductionistic (McBride, 2005). Information technology has transformed human development in many dramatic ways. Nursing informatics making use of information technology offers to lift nursing care of

Philippine Independent Cinema Essay Example for Free

Philippine Independent Cinema Essay Independent films, more commonly known as indie films, are films not made by mainstream production houses or movie studios. They are independent of the influences, authority, and control of the mainstream industry (Makuha, 2010). The emergence of new and highly-advanced cameras in the market and the advancement of technology have spawned the growth of indie films. This allowed anyone to create his or her own film in accordance to his or her own style without the influences of mainstream movies, which indeed have good effects on the film industry, especially in the Philippines. These films became more noticed and more important and they have saved the slowly dying film industry (Makuha, 2010). Read more:Â  Essay About Philippine Independent Cinema In the brief history of film, advances in technology have from time to time challenged and changed industry models. These advances have wrought their most significant changes on independent sectors of the movie business. In the glory days of the studio system, a parallel or serious rival to that system coming from the independent industry would be unthinkable; the cost and challenge of production and post-production was prohibitive, difficulties of promotion insurmountable. The Internet and many new digital distribution technologies are now starting to remove barriers for the makers and distributors of independent films (Landers, 2006). The development of the 16mm camera and advances in sound technology made it possible, though still difficult, for individuals or small groups of filmmakers to make their vision clear – something rarely possible in the days of the Edison monopoly on technology, or the prohibitive cost of 35mm cameras and professional lighting setups. The challenges of film making were still large in number, but the development of an independent sector of the industry forced the majors to take notice, though the development of subsidiaries specifically tasked to take note of and distribute promising independent films failed to materialize. Independent film had a confined audience, generally limited to subcultures of underground or experimental film. (Such audiences were often primarily composed of fellow filmmakers – though it bears noting that in many cases, these self-selecting individuals were not those who would turn out to view a majority of the studio efforts.) (Tioseco, 2005) Within the last several decades, advances in digital cinema have furthered a similar and all the more powerful renaissance. High-resolution digital video offers an image quality that rivals that of film stock, while video camcorders, and relatively affordable professional-quality editing software capable of being run on inexpensive PCs have made the production and post-production process possible, reasonable and accessible for a substantial number of individuals. With the resulting increase in the number and quality of such films being made, a resulting cultural scene emerged alongside, but not quite outside, the mainstream (Landers, 2006).

Knowledge :: essays research papers

After an exhausting game of basketball on my Playstation two it was time to eat. As my search for food was coming to an end I came across a bag of potatoes. So using the cooking skills that I have acquired in my many years I decided to make french-fries. As I cut my potatoes I started to think about Michael Pollan’s essay â€Å"Playing God in the Garden†. This essay is about the creation of â€Å"genetically engineered† potatoes that produce their own insecticide right inside their leaves. I began to wonder if the potatoes on my plate were the same â€Å"New Leaf† potatoes that Pollan talked about. I started to change my mind about eating the fries that I had already melted cheese on but they looked to good to give to my roommate so I continued thinking while eating. The government does not require New Leaf potatoes to be labeled in stores so it must mean they feel it will have no harm on people. One of the many reasons that government exists is to look o ver the wealth fare of its citizens. Think of some of the things that a company must put on their products, labels on alcohol and cigarettes tell the dangers that come from using them, and all foods packages must have the ingredients printed on them. The government also sets up programs like family first to help people in need. Even in high school a person needs four years of gym. Peter Drucker touches this subject in his essay â€Å"The Age of Social Transformation† as he talks about a changing society. The government made the decision that using the knowledge that Monsanto found was the right thing to do for the farming industry. The best times will come when the knowledge that people have is used to enhance their lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What good is knowledge if it is not used? There is no point in learning new things if the only reason for learning them is to prove a point or to know more than someone else. Knowledge should be used and the New Leaf is just a potato that has had knowledge applied to it. The potato helps farmers because they no longer have to bathe their fields in harmful chemicals. Imagine living on a farm and someone offers a job that pays more, has fewer hours and is easier than farm work.

Marketing Information System Essay

INTRODUCTION: Marketing was the first functional area to exhibit an interest in MIS. Shortly after the MIS concept originated, marketers tailored it to their area and called it the MKIS (MARKETING INFORMATION SYSTEM). Early graphic models of MKISs provide a basis for organizing all functional information systems. The MKIS consists of three input subsystems: AIS, marketing research, and marketing intelligence. The output subsystems address the information needs of the four ingredients of the marketing mix (product, place promotion, and price), plus an integration of the four. SUMMARY: FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The term organizational structure refers to how the people in an organization are grouped and to whom they report. One traditional way of organizing people is by function. Some common functions within an organization include production, marketing, human resources and accounting. FUNCTIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS FIS also known as functional information system may be described as a computer program system which processes the daily information’s such as TPS (Transaction Processing Systems). MARKETING PRINCIPLES One definition states that marketing â€Å"consists of individual and organizational activities that facilitate and expedite satisfying exchange relationships in a dynamic environment through the creation, distribution, promotion, and pricing of goods, services and ideas.† THE MARKETING MIX The objective is to develop strategies that apply these resources to marketing the firm’s goods, services, and ideas. The marketing strategies consist of a mixture of ingredients called the Marketing Mix: product, promotion, place, and price. They are known as the four Ps. Product – is what the customer buys to satisfy a perceived want or need. A product can be a physical good, some type of service, or an idea. Promotion – is concerned with all the means of encouraging the sale of the product, including advertising and personal selling. Place – deals with the means of physically distributing the product to the customer through a channel of distribution. Price – consists of all the elements relating to what the customer pays for the product. EVOLUTION OF THE MARKETING INFORMATION SYSTEMS CONCEPT In 1996 Professor Philip Kotler of Northwestern University used the term marketing nerve center to describe a new unit within marketing to gather and process marketing information. He identified the three types of marketing information. These are the following: Marketing Intelligence – information that flows into the firm from the environment. Internal Marketing Information – information that is gathered within the firm. Marketing Communications – information that flows from the firm outward to the environment. EARLY MARKETING MODELS Brien and Stafford were among the first modelers. Basing their design on the four Ps and emphasizing the development of strategic marketing programs. King and Celand stressed strategic planning; whereas Kotler, Montgomery, and urban, and Crissy and Mossman emphasized decision support. These modeling efforts began in the 1960s and continued into the 1970s. MARKETING INFORMATION SYSTEM MODEL It consists of a combination of input and output subsystems connected by a database. Output Subsystems Each output subsystems provides information about its part of the mix. * Product Subsystems provides information about the firm’s products. * Place Subsystems provides information about the firm’s distribution network. * Promotion Subsystems provides information about the firm’s advertising and personal selling activities. * Price Subsystems helps the manager make pricing decisions. * Integrated-Mix Subsystems which enables the manager to develop strategies that considers the combined effects of the ingredients. Database A structured collection of data. The data that is used by the output subsystems comes from the database. Input Subsystems * Accounting Information System gathers data describing the firm’s marketing transactions. * Marketing Intelligence Subsystems gathers information from the firm’s environment that has a bearing on marketing operations. * Marketing Research Subsystems conducts special studies of marketing operations for the purpose of learning customer needs and improving marketing efficiency. ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEM The collection, storage and processing of financial and accounting data that is used by decision makers. An accounting information system is generally a computer-based method for tracking accounting activity in conjunction with information technology resources. The resulting statistical reports can be used internally by management or externally by other interested parties including investors, creditors and tax authorities. Data for Preparation of Periodic Reports A classic example of how marketing information can be provided by the AIS (Accounting Information System) is sales analysis. Sales Analysis is the study of the firm’s sales activity in terms of which products are being sold, which customer are buying the products, and which sales representatives are selling them. Data for Preparation of Special Reports The vast majority of data that is used to respond to managers’ database queries likely comes from the AIS, e.g. to prepare a sales analysis using 4GL. Data for Mathematical Models and Knowledge-Based Systems A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling.