Using Shaping to Mold Child Behavior

Shaping (also known as successive approximation) is a teaching technique that involves a teacher rewarding a child as she or he successfully improves the acquisition of a target skill. Shaping is considered an essential process in teaching because behavior cannot be rewarded unless it first occurs. Shaping is intended to lead children in the direction of appropriate complex behavior, and then reward them as they complete each successive step. Best Practices for Behavior Shaping First, a teacher needs to identify the students strengths and weaknesses around a specific skill, and then break the skill into a series of steps that lead a child toward that target. If the targeted skill is being able to write with a pencil, a child might have difficulty holding a pencil. An appropriate assistive step-wise strategy might start with the teacher placing his or her hand over the childs hand, demonstrating to the child the correct pencil grasp. Once the child achieves this step, they are rewarded and the next step is undertaken. The first step for another student who is uninterested in writing but does like to paint might be providing the student with a paint brush  and rewarding the painting of a letter. In each case, you are helping a child approximate the topography of the behavior you want so that you can reinforce that behavior as the child grows and develops. Shaping may require a teacher to create a task analysis of the skill in order to create a roadmap for shaping the behavior or meeting the final skill goal. In that case, it is also critical for the teacher to model the shaping protocol for classroom para-professionals (teachers aides) so that they know what approximations are successful and which approximations need to be cleared and retaught. Although this may seem like a painstaking and slow process, the step and reward process deeply embeds the behavior in the students memory, so that he or she will be likely to repeat it. History Shaping is a technique that arose from behaviorism, a field of psychology established by B.F. Skinner and based on the relationship between behaviors and their reinforcement. Skinner believed that behaviors need to be reinforced by specific preferred items or food, but can be also paired with social reinforcement like praise. Behaviorism and behavioral theories are the foundations of applied behavior analysis  (ABA), which is used successfully with children who fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Although often considered mechanistic, ABA has the advantage of allowing the therapist, teacher, or parent to take a dispassionate look at the specific behavior, rather than focus on a moral aspect of the behavior (as in Robert should know that its wrong!). Shaping is not restricted to teaching techniques with autistic children. Skinner himself used it to teach animals to perform tasks, and marketing professionals have used shaping to establish preferences in a customers shopping behaviors. Examples Maria used shaping to help Angelica learn to feed herself independently, by helping Angelica use the spoon hand over hand — moving to touch Angelicas wrist until Angelica was finally able to pick up her spoon and eat from her bowl independently.While teaching Robert to use the toilet independently to urinate, his mother, Susan, saw that he had difficulty pulling up his pants. She decided to shape this step in her task analysis by praising and reinforcing his ability to pull his pants up to his knees, then stretching out the elastic waist to finish the step, and then helping Robert by using hand over hand to complete the pulling up pants step.One shaping experiment that Skinner conducted was when he and his associates decided to teach a pigeon to bowl. The target task was to get the bird to send a wooden ball down a miniature alley toward a set of toy pins, by swiping the ball with a sideward movement of its beak. The researchers first reinforced any swipe that looked like what they had in mind, then reinforced any that approximated what they wanted, and within a few minutes, they had succeeded.One way modern marketers use shaping is to provide a free sample of a product and include a coupon for the large discount on the purchase price. In the first purchase, the consumer would find a coupon for a smaller discount, and so forth, until the consumer no longer needs the incentives and has established the desired behavior. Sources Koegel, Robert L. Assessing and Training Teachers in the Generalized Use of Behavior Modification with Autistic Children, Dennis C. Russo, Arnold Rincover, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Wiley Online Library, 1977. Peterson, Gail B. A Day of Great Illumination: B. F. Skinners Discovery of Shaping. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 10.1901/jeab.2004.82-317, National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, November 2004, Bethesda, MD. Rothschild, Michael L. Behavioral Learning Theory: Its Relevance to Marketing and Promotions. Journal of Marketing, William C. Gaidis, Vol. 45, No. 2, Sage Publications, Inc., JSTOR, Spring 1981.

Human Trafficking Modern Day Slavery - 1244 Words

Human trafficking Around the world human trafficking happens around us without us noticing or realising what is happening. Modern-day slavery exists around the world and it is known today as human trafficking or trafficking in persons. So, what is human trafficking and why don t many people seek for help or go to athoughty ? Well human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year millions of men and woman and so of the time children are being trafficked in countries around the world and that including the United States (u.s.a) . Human trafficking is like a hidden crime as some of the victims rarely seek for because of the†¦show more content†¦To protect the right that we have and to keep people protected and most social workers are familiar with the issue on human trafficking. There have been limited evidence on people s health consequences of human trafficking like having sexual health problems including HIV , risk of physical and mental problems among the trafficked people. Some of the children and women what they see or being apart at time they get mental problems. Have the time the people think of them as human the probably only care about they more and they don t care who they hurt or if they have lives. Have of their time some do people come to seek for help feel and after they do get they feel as what of happen to them and they can t get have they lives how it was before. Plus human trafficking become trauma , violence , being abducted and abuse to the victims living or being in that situation and not able to see your family members . Most reported physical or sexual violence while trafficked (95%), pre-trafficking abuse (59%), and multiple post trafficking physical and psychological problems. So human trafficking happen around the and many people are alert because it something that is important in our society in our world today. These human trafficking victims suffer from psychological and mental health with the of health care. At times some of the children or adolescents show symptoms ofShow MoreRelatedModern Day Slavery: Human Trafficking 866 Words   |  4 PagesBlood Borne Connections.) Human trafficking is the modern day slavery, it involves taking control over a person through force, fraud or coercion to exploit the victim for forced labor, sexual exploitation. or both (â€Å"What† par.1). This is become the sad reality for many, approximately three out of every 1,000 people worldwide are being forced into this such slavery. Victims of human trafficking are people of all backgrounds and ages, no one is safe from the dirty hands of human traffickers. Every yearRead MoreHuman Trafficking And The Modern Day Slavery Essay1006 Words   |  5 Pagesfield of criminal justice, and is known as the modern day slavery. This paper will also discuss the globalization in human trafficking. The study examin es the impact of economic globalization on the human trafficking inflows around the world. This paper will begin by providing the definition of what human trafficking and globalization is, and how it works within the context of law enforcement. The history of human trafficking and how human trafficking is effecting societies across the world. ThisRead MoreHuman Trafficking And Modern Day Slavery Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesHuman Trafficking There is an ever growing problem that is coursing the world. Every day 3,287 people are sold or kidnapped, and are forced into slavery. (Human Trafficking Statistics Reports 2012) Most people do not realize that modern-day slavery happens closer to home than they think. 14,000-17,500 is the estimated number of people trafficked into the United States each year. (Human Trafficking Statistics Reports 2012) The government has tried to reduce this problem as well as everyday peopleRead MoreHuman Trafficking : Modern Day Slavery1604 Words   |  7 PagesHuman Trafficking One of the most serious crimes worldwide, human trafficking is the buying, selling, and transportation of people for the use of sexual exploitation, forced labor, or organ removal. â€Å"Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.† (What is human trafficking Homeland) It happens in the United States and foreign countries. Many people do not see it happening, but in fact it is happeningRead MoreHuman Trafficking : Modern Day Slavery1531 Words   |  7 PagesHuman trafficking is modern day slavery that occurs with both genders of all ages. Human trafficking occurs mostly in poorer countries like Asia, and Eastern Europe and isn t solely sexual slavery; the victims can be used for labor purposes also. Organizations like Shared Hope International and Coalition Against Trafficking in Women fight to rescue the victims of human trafficking. These organizations spread the dangers of hum an trafficking through education and public awareness. Often times traffickingRead MoreHuman Trafficking : Modern Day Slavery1228 Words   |  5 Pages Around the world human trafficking happens around us without us noticing or realising what is happening. Modern-day slavery exists around the world and it is known today as human trafficking or trafficking in persons. So, what is human trafficking and why don t many people seek for help or go to athoughty ? Well human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year millions of men and woman andRead MoreHuman Trafficking : A Modern Day Slavery961 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish IV Nov. 23 2015 How to Stop Trafficking Women are not the only ones being sold today. Man are not the only ones selling humans today. All different kinds of humans are being sold in something called human trafficking. Human trafficking has become a problem worldwide and is effecting all people male, female, children, LGBT. There are many solutions, one of them is to educate the children at a younger age. Human trafficking is like a modern day slavery. The people being sold are forced inRead MoreHuman Trafficking : Modern Day Slavery1732 Words   |  7 PagesHaley Gooding Mrs. Gallos English 3 Honors 6 April 2017 Human Trafficking One of the most serious crimes worldwide, human trafficking is the buying, selling, and transportation of people for the use of sexual exploitation, forced labor, or organ removal. â€Å"Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.† (What is human trafficking Homeland) It happens in the United States and foreign countries. Many peopleRead MoreHuman Trafficking : Modern Day Slavery1210 Words   |  5 PagesHuman Trafficking Imagine being able to own a business and make nothing but profit. One of the types of trafficking is Labor Trafficking, which helps keep prices cheaper by having cheap workers. If companies do not have people working in factories for very little then a lot of prices would go up crazy like on clothing and furniture. A lot of countries economy are built off sex trafficking which helps the economy significantly. The ongoing â€Å"phenomenon† of human trafficking is not a problemRead MoreHuman Trafficking : Modern Day Slavery Essay1389 Words   |  6 PagesPedraza Human Trafficking Human Trafficking Defined Human Trafficking is â€Å"modern day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act† as defined by the Department of Homeland Security. It is largely unrecognized although it is one of the fastest growing criminal industries. It traffics children, teenagers, and adults. Human Trafficking comes second to drug dealing. There is human trafficking for sexual exploitation, trafficking of organ

Is Hillary Clinton Qualified for the Presidency

When it comes to the Clintons, one of Americas great political families, personal opinion rather than cold hard facts dominates the discussion. And when it comes to Hillary Clinton, Americans either love her or hate her. Shes been vilified by conservatives who not only dislike a strong feminist voice, but object even to her use of private emails to discuss personal family issues. Liberals look forward to the first female to serve in the Oval Office. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi even told an audience in Little Rock, AR, I pray that Hillary Clinton decides to run for president of the United States. So lets get down to brass tacks: Is Hillary Clinton qualified to be the President of the United States? The indisputable answer is yes. No matter what you think of her, no matter what party you vote for, Hillary Clinton is more than qualified to be the President of the United States - more, in fact, than many winners and losers of the presidential races in our history. Starting when she was a young adult, Clintons political career has been varied and rigorous, and given her both knowledge and experience in domestic and international politics. Democratic political analyst Dan Payne argues that she may be the most qualified candidate for the presidency in a generation.    The Basics: Early Experience First, lets eliminate the basic qualifications from controversy with regard to gender. As the U.S. Constitution simply states, No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.   The article does not state that the president must be male. And at 67, Clinton more than meets the age qualification; she is also a natural born citizen who has lived in the United States her entire life. Right there shes already got everything the Constitution requires. But the popular understanding of qualifications for the Presidency goes beyond the mere demographic requirements. Clinton also possesses all the things we want in a president. She is very knowledgeable, the result of an extensive education, including law school, that gave her the intellectual training useful for dealing with the many facets of the presidency. Of the 44 presidents of the United States, 25 have been lawyers.    Clinton combined her interest in law and politics at an early age, and it informed her career. As an undergraduate at Wellesley College, Clinton majored in political science and combined academic excellence with school government. As the first ever student speaker at the college graduation ceremonies, she said, The challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible, possible. She then attended Yale University law school, where she worked on social justice campaigns and provided legal support to children and the poor.    Star Ascendant: National Political Experience Clinton then brought her concern for disenfranchised Americans into the national arena as part of Senator Walter Mondales Subcommittee on Migratory Labor. Not long after, she worked under John Doar on the team that advised the House Committee on the Judiciary about the impeachment process during the Watergate scandal (contrary to a popular lie, she was NOT fired from the Committee.) As the director of field operations in Indiana for Jimmy Carters presidential election campaign, she learned about high level electoral politics; later President Carter appointed her to the board of directors of the Legal Services Corporation. From 1987 to 1991, she was the first chair of the American Bar Associations Commission on Women in the Profession. As First Lady of Arkansas and First Lady of the United States When her husband Bill was elected governor of Arkansas, Clinton brought her legal and professional experience to the job of First Lady for 12 years. There, she continued to advocate for children and families by co-founding the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. She also chaired the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee to reform the states struggling education system, and served on the boards of the Arkansas Childrens Hospital, Legal Services, and the Childrens Defense Fund. In addition, she worked with the business community by serving on the boards of Wal-Mart and other Arkansas-based companies. When Bill was elected President of the United States, he drew upon her extensive legislative and legal experience by appointing her to spearhead the administrations attempt at introducing a national health care program. This drew controversy and failed, but her other activities, including working to create the Adoption and Safe Families Act and the Foster Care Independence Act, were more successful.    National Political Experience Clintons own political career took off after Bills two terms as president ended and she was elected to Congress as the first female senator from New York. There, she satisfied conservative critics by supporting military action in Afghanistan and the Iraq War Resolution following 9/11. As part of her service in the Senate, she worked on the Armed Service Committee for eight years. This may be why, after her failed attempt at securing the Democratic partys presidential nomination in 2008, the winner of that election, Barack Obama, appointed her as Secretary of State by Barack Obama. Though not a great risk-taker, and continually hounded by conservative critics looking for some way to pin Benghazi on her, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has nonetheless described her as one of the most effective secretary of states, greatest ambassadors for the American people that I have known in my lifetime. The First Female President? Clinton is thoroughly qualified for the presidency. Her combination of gold old book learnin and extensive political and legal experience can be an invaluable contribution. The real concern about Clinton seems to be whether or not people like her, not whether or not shes qualified. Now, the American people will have to decide in 2016 whether or not she will be the first female elected to the Presidency.

The Rise Of Technological Advancement - 853 Words

The past 20 years have undeniably been witness to continuously, and unabated change in many aspects of our individual lives. One of the major changes that I believe has encouraged our wakefulness is the rise in technological advancement. Our textbook explains how the light bulb is at fault for our decreasing sleep time, and now things such as the Internet, cable TV, and cell phones seem to be keeping us awake at night. I certainly have found myself surfing the internet, watching television, or scrolling down my apps on my cellphone â€Å"for one more minute† right before I go to sleep, far too many times to count. All of these unhealthy before bedtime rituals involve light, a deterrent of our much-needed slumber. In terms of societal changes, I always seem to relate 20 years ago to â€Å"simpler times,† maybe because I was only a child then, but comparing it to today everything seems to go at a much faster speed now, almost as if there isn’t enough hours in the day to accomplish our â€Å"to- do list† which is why we have leaned towards decreasing our sleep time in order to get more accomplished. 20 years ago we did not have all of this technology flooding our everyday lives, people did not care about posting to Facebook or catching up on a reality show you have to watch all 12 episodes in one sitting, or text messaging every waking moment of our day. 20 years ago the day consisted of going to work in order to provide for the family, getting home in time for dinner, and tucking yourselfShow MoreRelatedToday s Relationship Of Education And Economy880 Words   |  4 Pagesknowledge.† One of the most fundamental building blocks of technological advancements in today’s society is the dependence on education. Creative Destruction, in simpler terms, is the persistent renewal of technology that constantly supersedes the previous forerunner. Many universities play a major role in research and innovation of all areas of study , one notably being technology. It is evident from this that technological advancements are derived directly from educational institutions, which permeatesRead MoreMicrosoft : The Rise Of Technological Development1607 Words   |  7 PagesMicrosoft on the Rise In the technological industry, significant advances are often the results of sequential evolutionary steps. For example, in 1997, the company of Microsoft rose to power and became the world s most influential company, valued at 261 billion dollars. This happened because Microsoft offered something that society was missing: personal computing (a new approach in technological advancement). Microsoft allows the expansion of new horizons and the ability to bring about changeRead MoreImpact Of Globalization On Income Distribution1525 Words   |  7 Pages2007). With the growth of transport and communication networks possible, individuals and businesses can exchange goods, services and information at a rate which us humans would have considered impossible 50 years ago. From improvements in the economy, rise in emerging markets and dramatic growth in technology, businesses have little or no choice but to adapt to the dynamics of globalisation and design strategies that compliment the compl iance structure of current market trends and institutional conditionsRead MoreThe Medieval Machine : The Industrial Revolution Of The Middle Ages1377 Words   |  6 Pageshas a certain connotation to its meaning. People throughout time have found the era synonymous with negativity. It has often been referenced to as the middle or dark ages lending people the view of a world with little to no progress along human advancement. We often paint the picture of medieval Europe with kings, queens, lords and peasants. We also immediately thing of the bubonic plague that wiped out almost a third of the European population at the time. However, there are three sides to everyRead Moretechnology and the workforce Essay837 Words   |  4 Pagesnecessary training for potential employees to be able to embrace technological changes. Vocational training also provides potential employees with the tools needed to survive the technological changes. It is important to note that some people are not able to pursue the continued education necessary to work in an industry where technological changes are rapid. We should not hold back technology to protect the unskilled workforce. Technological advances allow for companies to do and make goods better andRead MoreChanges And Advancements Of Human Resources884 Words   |  4 PagesThere have been many changes and advancements in Human Resources (HR) since companies started implementing HR practices and procedures, officially into their business organizational structure. Some may recall a time when the Human Resource department was simply called Personnel. As with every aspect of business, technology has become an integral and ever changing part of the HR department. It now affects how companies recruit for open positions in their company and even how applicants apply forRead MoreIf There Is Technological Advance Without Social Advance, There Is, Almost Automatically, an Increase in Human Misery.874 Words   |  4 PagesOver the pa st century technology has advanced greatly without a doubt. The three main advancements in technology has improved mechanics, weapons and science in the nature of research and techniques used within the NHS today. From these given examples, the advantages are obvious. It increases the speed capacity of day to day life and it allows the human race to have the freedom of choice against nature. However, the human misery caused behind these examples include, the causation of human lazinessRead MoreGdp Essay1648 Words   |  7 Pagesconstant, and 1-ÃŽ ± and ÃŽ ± are constants between 0 and  1 that together add up to 1. This can also be seen in the Solow Model and the Romer Model, where the different variables can be changed based on changes in amount of labor, capital, and ideas (technological advancements). Donald Trump’s claim to deliver 3% annual GDP growth is not reasonable due to many of the different underlying factors that are necessary to lead to growth that are not occ urring. By studying the state of the nation under Trump and lookingRead MoreThe Impact Of Technology On The Recording Studios1235 Words   |  5 PagesThe advancements of technology have impacted the recording studios more dramatically than any other career within the music industry. Thus the necessity to adapt to these changes is vital for any individual working in this field. However, these advancements have also made the technology of professional recording studios more accessible and subsequently caused the rise of home recording studios. The advancements of technology have impacted the recording studios more dramatically than any other careerRead MoreHow Technology Is Inevitable?1141 Words   |  5 Pages The fact that new technological innovations are being created on a daily basis is not a surprising bit of information. And, for most of us, neither is the â€Å"anxiety about ubiquitous surveillance† (Hunt) that accompanies it. We have our privacy invaded nearly every single day, ranging from having our telephone conversations tapped into to being constantly watched by every surveillance camera in a major retail store. One of the newest wonders in technology is the Google Glass—an interesting pair of

511 Midterm Free Essays

511Part 1. Zomeworks: Four Decades of Design-Driven Innovation in the New Mexico Desert 1. )I believe that no, Zomeworks should not aggressively pursue the solar water heater market. We will write a custom essay sample on 511 Midterm or any similar topic only for you Order Now I believe this for many reasons. Number one being that natural gas is one of the most abundant natural resources that the world has and if individuals are not being compensated for using a different technology then they will not change, it is sad, but it is reality. In today’s present society individuals do not like change nor do they like more expensive change. What I mean by that is it is quite expensive to have a solar water heater installed. I think that Zomeworks has a great opportunity to further maximize their current portfolio as long as they really start to focus on it. Zomeworks is a leader in Passive Solar Technology. I feel that this type of technology is not well known and that by pursuing the solar water heater market they are going to jump their innovative wave too soon. I think a good indication of this is the fact that Zomeworks is producing products right here in New Mexico and I have not heard about them until this midterm. Zomeworks need to capitalize on the very valuable assets it has to offer. For example, Zomeworks Passive Solar Tracker is a great product for them to get their brand name recognized. While all of this is just my opinion I believe that in order to really make an educated analysis on whether or not Zomeworks should pursue the water heater market, the first thing I would look into is the overall goals of the outside investors, since they hold the majority stake in the company. I would want to look at the actual finances of the company. I would conduct research to find actual amount of quantities sold, revenues generated by each product type, and production costs associated with each product. In addition, it would be important to know the firm’s costs of optimizing its existing portfolio and its benefits against the costs and benefits involved in focusing on the solar water heater market. Minimum Winning Game is defined as, â€Å"the first major market opportunity for a new technology that is limited enough to provide a clear target for the technology and product development efforts in the short to medium term and, nd sufficiently large enough to establish the foundation for the long term business and financial success. It requires iterative double linking process of understanding the business opportunity for the technology and linking that to technical priorities. † For example, a minimum winning game for Zomeworks would include many different facets. A winning strategy at Zomeworks would include furt her product and technological development that energizes and inspires its target consumer. The company knows that its target consumer base is mostly comprised of either â€Å"going green† supporters or those off the grid who require their specialized products. Zomeworks simply needs to use a more effective strategy to communicate its message of â€Å"why† consumers should purchase its solar water heater. El Bulli accomplished the communication of its vision by highlighting an expression of innovation and a team that â€Å"constantly sought new techniques and new equipment with which to experiment†, rather than the message of running a restaurant to make money. Zomeworks needs to focus on redesigning the core meaning behind its entire portfolio before it can successfully expand its reach in promoting its solar water heater, Zomeworks currently caters to the niche buyer who has a definitive need for a solar product. If Zomeworks is going to expand into the consumer solar water heater segment, work needs to be done on communicating the environmental benefits of this product. A winning strategy at Zomeworks would include leveraging their customer target segments that show the most growth potential. . ) Full Credit Leadership is one of the key drivers in running a company. Leaders have many techniques and organizational structures to choose from depending on the type and size of the firm. When it comes to Zomeworks I think that an informal organizational structure and leadership technique would be the best. What I mean by informal organizational structure is the acceptance of input from all employees. Since Zomeworks is of a smaller scale they can afford the diverse inputs of their employees. While it is important for a business to have a structure in place as it grows, I feel a formal structure can have unique drawbacks while a company is still small. Employees in a startup business need to feel more like partners in the company’s vision. Placing employees in rigidly defined roles when the company is small enough to ensure that all employees’ work together can create a rift in the relationship between business owners and employees, which can greatly affect the performance of the company. Strategic decision-making is generally more centralized in smaller organizations than in larger companies, again due to the relatively fewer number of managers found in small companies. What I mean by informal leadership is very well illustrated in the Monnalisa Clothing Case. â€Å"The founder is an essential element of our system of control,† says a Monnalisa product manager. â€Å"He knows when to feed the creative forces of the company or when to draw attention to critical production, financial, or quality indicators. As stated in the case, Monnalisa is a medium-sized Italian company that designs and sells clothes and accessories for children. Monnalisa is a great example of a company that has formal (results control) and informal (social control) mechanisms to manage its concurrent and ongoing need for creative design and efficient production processes. At Monnalisa, there’s no intention to limit creativity, but increasingly the company is trying to offer the styl ists a minimum structure by running a series of internal meetings at the beginning of every collection. This collection briefing enables the team to define the objectives in terms of what to create (and its quality standards), when to create it (fashion weeks and availability at the shops for the beginning of the season dictate the timing), and at what target cost. Significantly, the company has introduced new software that allows the stylists to monitor the consequences of their creation(s) in financial terms (through cost cards) and in development terms (through technical cards) as ideas progress. With this tool, we don’t want to limit creativity at all—actually we want to maximize our creative potential and avoid the problems we had in the past when collections ended up to be incomplete on the shelves because we decided not to produce some low margin prototypes,† the CFO emphasizes. I think that for Zomeworks this type of managing between creativity and business would actually be pretty easy. Zomeworks management structure seems like it is very strong and they un derstand what each of their roles is. I think that the hardest part for Zomeworks would be the fact that the employees that work there are so smart and have so many different ideas that if would be hard keeping input to a minimum and explaining why management chose one idea over the other. 3. ) Full Credit Today, in order to be competitive it is essential to recognize the value of â€Å"knowledge† and to strive for an improved ROI and better management of your organization’s knowledge assets. Perhaps your organization has already recognized the value of the knowledge that it has spent its hard-earned capital to obtain. If so, you may already be taking steps to formalize the collection of valuable knowledge gained from experience and organizing knowledge in ways that benefit the entire organization. These new approaches are collectively referred to as â€Å"Knowledge Management†. â€Å"The fact is [knowledge management and best practice sharing] is good for business. The faster and more effectively we can share ideas, the better we can make our product, the better we can serve our customers, the better we can build a committed team of employees, and—bottom line—the better we can earn profits for our shareholders. One way that Zomeworks can increase its internal knowledge capture and internal knowledge sharing is to build their collaborative competency. Collaborative competency is a firm’s ability to realign its internal resources and capabilities to the changing environment by leveraging on external resources and capability-acquiring mechanisms such as strategic alliance s, acquisitions, and joint ventures. Zomeworks could greatly benefit from collaborating and sharing their passive solar technology. For example, lets say that Zomeworks collaborates with the company that is selling the majority of the solar water heaters in Europe. They could use this collaboration to learn flaws that the Europe product might have or vis versa. Also, if they partnered with this European company their brand name would be out there more and this type of collaboration could eventually lead to a joint venture and the entrance into a new economy for Zomeworks. 4. )When it comes to the question of determining your target market you have to take into consideration what your product is and how your product is going to be used. Whether or not suburban residential southwestern United States is the right target market for the solar water heater is not the biggest concern for me. I think the bigger question to ask is, is it the only target market for the solar water heater and the answer is no, it’s not. I would agree that solar water heaters are more effective in the southwestern United States. I do not think, however, that the southwestern United States is the only target market to approach. If we again refer back to the scenario of just the Albuquerque area we know that the residents that live close to the natural gas lines are the residents that are going to be using gas water heaters because it is extremely cost effective. Therefore these individuals will have no financial incentive to give up their gas water heater for a solar water heater (refer to figure 1. ) The real target market for residential Albuquerque would be those residential areas that are further away from the gas lines since they are most likely using electric and propane heaters, which are around 10X as much to use than gas water heaters. Since customers are spending a lot more on electric and propane heaters they would be the best residential target market for the solar water heaters since even though the instillation of a solar water heater will be expensive in the beginning it will quickly earn its value compared to how much the resident owner was originally paying to operate an electric water heater. Figure 1 The key to remember is that there has to be a real problem that solar water heaters solve in order to warrant mass adoption, something I don’t see happening in the United States, at least in today’s society. It appears that Zomeoworks is best positioned to pursue emerging markets, because these markets have conditions that produce problems that Zomeworks can solve. The Chotukool refrigerator further exemplifies the importance of having used a product to solve a problem. In rural Indian villages, traditional refrigerators were too expensive and an unreliable power source made them unconventional. The Chotukool merged the gap between having a functional and inexpensive refrigerator (something the Tata nano also did). Obviously this product would never serve as a primary cooling unit in the U. S. and I feel like solar water heaters fall into a similar category. The only target markets worth actively pursing are either idealists and those homeowners living off the natural gas line (self-centered). Since people with no gas lines typically use costly and inefficient electric and propane water heaters, installing a solar water heater would be a cost effective solution. The difference of course is that idealists have an emotional drive toward the product while those living off the natural gas line have a functional, self-centered need for the product. . ) I think that currently the company has a reserve the right to play strategy see figure 3 below. This means that the company invests enough to stay in the game, but avoid premature damages. This strategy may work for them now, especially since customers find them due to very little outside advertising, besides of course a magazine ad that targets the same consumers who are already are knowledgeable in the technology. Basically, Zomeworks is following a strategy aimed at maintaining production for the relatively localized and sporadic level of demand. I don’t see the company having as much potential by encroaching on the traditional energy market. Instead of adapting, Zomeworks needs to use a shaping strategy to redefine what it means to actually use solar. Lets face it, at the end of the day consumers are going to buy what they are most comfortable with and whatever is most popular. Incidentally the people making decisions for businesses act the same way. People want to be energy conscious consumers. Zomeworks needs to step into the wave and excite customers about the solar philosophy. How about designing a marketing campaign that shows which companies use Zoneworks products and how it has impacted the earth. This creates a popular group where individuals and businesses get social recognition for supporting rentable sources of energy. If I was going to make a shaping view for Zomeworks the biggest part would be for the based of Steve Baer’s philosophy. I think that Steve could have his engineers work quite diligently on producing a solar water heater that could be a leading example in the industry. It would set out and educate that population of what a big deal this type of technology is and how good it is for our world. I would really push advertising since we want to create a lot of demand. Figure 3 6. )B2C is defined as any business who sells primarily to the end customer while, B2B refers to any business who sells primarily to other businesses both online and offline. B2B markets are generally small vertical markets, often niche in size, comprised of a few thousand sales prospects to maybe as large as 100,000 prospects. B2C markets are typically large broad markets of tens to thousands to millions of sales prospects. I believe that Zomeworks should try a B2B approach instead of a B2C for the solar water heater market. I think that a B2B approach would be better for Zomeworks to pursue for many reasons. I think that the greatest reason that Zomeworks should go to B2B is to benefit their Research and Development department. If Zomeworks uses a big-box retailer to sell their products than it can increase the funding it has towards R;D projects. If Zomeworks wants to have better product placement it needs to improve dealer relationships and further relationships with businesses that are possible customers. The benefit of using a B2B approach is that more effort can be spent on support and instillation, assuming that B2B results in a lower number of buyers. Instead of trying to cater to individual consumers, Zomeworks could appeal to servicing multiple needs of entire organizations and cultivating lasting relationships with its clients. Zomeoworks also needs to find a partner in the appliance industry. A reputable business partner would add credibility to Zomeworks and its products, and marketing multiple variants of its products would help diffuse solar technology into the market. Plus since brand identity in B2B markets is created through personal relationships and consultative selling with the other business Zomeworks doesn’t have to worry about product advertising. They can use the other businesses and resellers to do the marketing for them if they used the B2B approach. With their client base typically being repeat customers the transition would be easy. The lifetime value of a B2B customer is much higher due to the higher cost of sales and the likelihood of repeat or add-on sales to the same customer. † I think that with a B2B approach it would be easier to have multiple product configurations. I think that my having multiple product configurations Zomeworks is helping sell more of their product without the annoyance of pushing all of their products onto the cust omer, which in return could make them not want to buy the product since they will then be locked in. I elieve that by having a B2B approach it will help facilitate the diffusion of technology. I believe this because if you have many or even just another business selling your product they are able to advertise and speak to the value of the product. I believe that the one of the greatest ways to diffuse technology is to educate people of that technology. When individuals are fully educated on what the different products are used for etc. , they will be able to make an educated decision on whether or not the different products would be a right fit for them and their needs. The ever-changing market that is technology can very easily influence people, so by having resellers be able to answer questions and explain the products they are helping Zomeworks diffuse the technology. I think that a good example of a situation in where technology was diffused is in the example that Everett Rogers gives, â€Å"the implementation of water boiling to obtain higher health and wellness levels of the individuals living within the village of Los Molinas. † In this case the residents of the village have no knowledge of the link between proper sanitation and reduced levels of illness. In Los Molinas, a stigma is linked to boiled water as being something that only the â€Å"sick† or â€Å"unwell† consume, and thus, the idea of healthy residents boiling their water prior to consumption was frowned upon, and those who did so wouldn’t be accepted by their society. †3 Much of the reason for the lack of success is because the social norms and s tandards of acceptance into society greatly outweighed the idea of taking on this innovation. Zomeworks could also levarge what there target market should be in order to diffuse technology. With the proper market the customer base will be very accepting of this new technology. For example, bringing the technology to individuals that are very environmentally friendly. 7. )I believe that although Zomeworks is great at the RD aspect of their company. I think acting as an RD laboratory and licensing out technology and products would be a smart move for Zomeworks. They currently have a limited manufacturing layout (I am assuming since the one location is in Albuquerque), so switching to a pure RD structure would be relatively easy. If Zomeworks focused more on the RD aspect of the business they could contract out to companies that would pay very well. TTTech faced a similar problem when deciding to either license out its time triggered system or become an engineering partner. The benefits of licensing its technology would be faster diffusion into the marketplace through various product variants. Its possible that firms would see alternative uses for Zomeowrks technology and products, just like how coolcell was designed because of a outside firms asking for a solution to cool batteries and increase there usable life. Another benefit of licensing includes focusing more on invention and innovation, which would help Baer diffuse his solar philosophy into a wider range of products. They could become a B2B company, which would free up the amount and time it would take set up stores everywhere and sell directly to the customer. I think that if Zomeworks handed over the sales operations to one or multiple companies then it would be a lot better off in the sense that it would really have the opportunity to perfect the products that it currently has and the time to invent new ones. I think that there are pros and cons to both solely being a RD company or readjusting their sales strategy. I feel that with RD come two main types. The first type of RD is going to be the hardcore image processing and specialized stuff, which is giving you substantial competitive advantage. This is usually less than 5 percent of all the software developed, takes years, and gives you an edge and the ability to do projects others just won’t or can’t do. For example, I currently am an intern at Sandia National Laboratories and the company performs a lot of WFO (work for others) and R;D research, but at the same time Sandia has corporate tools that they would not share with anyone simply on the fact that the knowledge an product are so valuable and crucial for the company. The second type of R;D can be described as general utilities written to spare time. For everything that falls under section one you have to be careful since this kind of stuff can either simplify the life of your competitors too much. To have in-house SW of this kind also usually means hiring a master in computer science or a genuine mathematician to actually develop it. For everything under section two you are doing a proactive disservice to the community by keeping these closed. You could spare a lot of people a lot of grief by giving them access to what you have, and get the same in return. The pros and cons of just revamping the sales process would be the fact that you would be able to monitor how your products are being sold and used. You could know that the purpose of your product is being used for what it is actually meant for. I personal feel that for Zomeworks I wouldn’t become solely an R;D company, but a lot of my attention would go to this aspect of my business. 8. )Steve Baer I believe is a very good leader. He takes care of his employees and values the company’s vision and mission. A deeper meaning of Zomeworks’ products is that they present society with a decreased dependence on high technology, and therefore a more direct relationship with the sun and the natural world. â€Å"Industrialist, manufacturers, and scientists have made man so successful that he is becoming rude to nature. Let us not allow this. Engineers and businesses must lead the way a to good manners. With more energy, more experiment, and more study, man can spread throughout the universe while being polite to nature at home. Appropriate industry utilizing science will allow part of the earth to be left alone. Packing up to leave would show good manners. † I believe that the above quote really emphasizes what Steve Baer is trying to convey with the hidden meaning in Zomeworks’ innovative technologies. I believe the true meaning of the solar water heater is not that we can passively heat our water by ourselves, but is more about the idea of not subsidizing our natural resources mainly the sun in this case. I think it is greatly related to the fact that we should be able to take care of ourselves and if we continue to deplete the world of our natural resources then we are going to destroy our species. For Steve Baer I believe that the acceptance of the passive solar water heater would show that the world is moving towards a place where they are starting to appreciate the world around themselves. Zomeworks needs to communicate its products reliability and functionality in ways that support and augment high technology. A big question would be, how does one publicize the purchase of a water heater and how will they be socially rewarded for the purchase that sits hidden in the home. A water heater is much different than sporting a recycled water bottle or eco friendly clothing, but what if there was a way to publicize the product? 9. ) Full Credit When thinking about how Zomeworks could help the public in understanding its products I think that one of the first questions they should ask themselves is â€Å"who are our customers? † By asking themselves this question they put into perspective whether or not their customer will have any questions about their product. Usually Zomeworks customers are highly inquisitive individuals so making sure that their products are explained well is very important. Also, since many of the customers are returning customers they will want to be consistent on how they explain their products. The case illustrates to us that the potential United States solar water heater market is lower in comparison to foreign markets such as the European Union. Solar water heaters definitely have a positive public image, but public awareness is low due to poor publicity. If Baer does decide to produce his solar water heater he will definitely have to explain the benefits well enough so that the general public would be interested and want to purchase one. One way that Baer could inform the public on his products is through quick vignette tapings that he could easily post to his website or you-tube. I think that if Baer did want to pursue the solar water heater market he would have to explain the product to the public more. I think that he could easily do this without compromising his vision. He doesn’t have to offer bribes or subsidiaries in order to communicate the benefit that the solar water heater has to offer. He just has to explain how great the solar water heater is that way people will want to buy it on their own. I think that explaining the products better will actually help Baer in the selling of his products because to be honest people don’t want to buy something they know nothing about. I believe that no, Zomeworks should not expand into producing educational tools; I believe that the market is too small to make anything more than breaking even. Plus I think that if they were to expand into any other market they should shoot for what they are passionate about which is solar water heaters. Whether or not Baer’s water heater is an invention or an innovation is a good question. An invention is defined as, â€Å"A new device, method, or process developed from study and experimentation. † An innovation is defined as, â€Å"The act of introducing something new. †So in essence innovations lead to inventions. An innovation is the idea and invention is the creation and actual outcome of innovation. So based on what I understand the differences between the two to be I believe that the solar water heater is an invention that was based on the innovation of having a more direct relationship with the natural world. I feel that Zomeworks models a design process like Bang and Olufsens. It is very similar to a â€Å"Manhattan Project† type production place. Manhattan project design is a type of production development where many ideas are explored in parallel in early stages. It is a very design driven process. I think that the amount of controls in Zomeworks is pretty spot on. I think that everyone in the company shares the same values, which leads them stay on route to the mission. I don’t believe that Zomeworks engages their customers like Lego did. I think that they rely really on only the engineers and Steve Baer for the designs and input of the designs. I think that it would be very beneficial if Zomeworks did decide to leverage its passionate customer base. I think that by leveraging their customers they would be able to gather very innovative and diverse responses on their current products, or they could get ideas for new products. 10. ) I believe that Zomeworks’ innovations are not too radical for conventional houses. I think that the products they design are good for any type of house I think that their designs may be too radical for the conventional person. Conventional people don’t need the products that Zomeworks produces. There is little incentive to buy a solar product that requires a labor-intensive expensive instillation, and periodic adjustment. Furthermore, its not likely that Zomeworks would be able to convince consumers to purchase multiple products to install in their â€Å"conventional homes†. Again, there is no problem conventional homeowners have that need to be solved with solar technology, unless they live off the grid or in an area with unreliable electricity, which is unlikely in the U. S. In today’s world there are all sorts of different people you have minimalists compared to the materialistic, you have the environmentalists compared to the contaminator. Zomeworks sell product not for the general public it sells products to a very specific kind of person and although the world in moving towards more an an eco-friendly environment there are still many people out in the world that will not buy Zomework products based on the fact that they are really not value added in a personal way. Unless there is a cost benefit to use these products Zomeworks is going to have a hard time appealing to the individuals who are just concerned about how it affects their personal bottom line. I think that Zomeworks should continue to sell their products to anyone who will buy them I think that there is definetly not a big enough market for Zomeworks to bring back the production of Zomes. What would be smart is to make Zomes available as an order to make strategy. You could order custom homes such as Lego did with the custom lego sets. This way you could personalize your Zome with all or none of the other Zomeworks products. I feel that Zomeworks would increase they sales of products quickly because everyone would want the most up to date Zome. 11. ) Zomeworks technology is different than a Nintendo game system or smartphone operating system. Zomeoworks cannot lease out the sun in the same way that Nintendo can demand money and incentives from game developers. If Zomeworks decided to sell its technology as a platform it wouldn’t work the same way as traditional â€Å"conventional† products. Whereas game system manufactures usually have tight controls over their platforms, Zomeoworks technology is not that advanced. Likewise, why would you give your technology away so that others can imitate your products? This is one reason why TTTech decided against leasing out its technology or even co-engineer products using its proprietary technology. The only product that I think Zomeworks could position as a platform are the Zomes. They could encourage architects to purchase their Zomes to build modern, environmentally friendly homes. Just like Apple pushed third party developers to come up with different Apps that individuals can download to their different Apple products. I think that Zomeworks should keep all the other products and possible just have re-sellers for them because I feel like the other products are what gives Zomeworks their competitive edge. A winner-take-all strategy is defined as; a company – usually in a new space that is growing very quickly – should spend a lot of money today in order to achieve the top spot in market share, because they will likely keep that spot in the future. The polarization of winners and underperformers is intensifying. Once, a chief executive officer could claim that the performance of the industry, not the company, was the prime mover for stock prices. But with the advance of globalization and technology, companies whose products or service models have the slightest edge over the competition can quickly exploit that advantage. Investors are scrutinizing companies one by one, screening out those with merely average performance and investing the bulk of their money with the top one or two players in each arena. This phenomenon has created a â€Å"winner-takes-all† dynamic. There will be many companies who will destroy their companies in the next 18 months by pursuing a winner takes all strategy. They will think they are doing what’s needed now to assure their future success. Instead, their reckless spending will exhaust their cash and they will likely find investors are too skeptical to keep giving them more money in the future. I don’t believe that the solar water heater market is a winner take all. I don’t believe this because although it is new space it isn’t growing quickly. The solar water heater product is going to have to be perfected before if can even become its own market. Yes, Zomeworks is going to be up against network effects in the because as time moves on competitors are going to start coming out to the woodworks in American and put peer pressure on Zomeworks to develop faster and develop a better product. Also, I believe that the RD segment at Zomeworks is going to constantly be pushing themselves on different innovations to become the best solar water heater available. 12. )I think that Zomeworks has a very loyal customer base and really need to optimize the relationship between them. Zomeworks could even reward companies or individuals who buy their products by advertising a list of â€Å"socially responsible companies†. I think that Zomeworks could mimic the practices of Bang an Olufsen especially how Bang and Olufsen â€Å"think how their customer lives. † When you work with very specialized products you are not going to sell to that general public you are going to be selling to individuals that believe in the product just as much as you do. I feel that a very smart tactic that Zomeworks could use in order to leverage their customer base is to develop a loyalty program. All loyalty programs are unique, and they require ongoing and complex communications. If customers don’t understand a program or if the terms change, they will become disinterested at best or feel betrayed at worst. The characteristics of a good loyalty program might include: †¢ Clear benefits †¢ Achievable rewards †¢ Consistency †¢ Sustainability †¢ A feeling of appreciation †¢ Engagement †¢ Personalized, ongoing communications (print and electronic) †¢ Reward for referrals Loyalty programs in general are a huge opportunity for print and value-added services. These programs can be used for program planning, creative collateral development, customer support, or rewards and redemption management. In today’s market, success requires defining a targeted market, becoming an expert in understanding customers’ business issues, taking a cross-media approach to engaging customers’ clients, leveraging cross-media to drive interaction between print and electronic communications to improve and measure campaign response, and leveraging loyalty programs to generate ROI for you and your customers. I used to work for BCBG Max Azria, which is a high-end clothing store for women. Because our price points were so high our sales greatly relied on the consistent client. This company uses a loyalty program and that is why I think they do so well. They make sure that every client that goes into the store is treated like a queen with a personal shopping experience. All of the clients at BCBG Max Azria always get first choice on sale merchandise. They do this by having events strictly for clients the day before the sale actually begins for the general public. Also, Zomeworks could give out samples of its technology in the form of small prototypes. Recall that GB tested out its product experiments at religious festivals attracting thousands of people. After considerable excitement stewed among the participant, GB used community members to distribute its Chiotokool in Godrej. Zomeowrks is not leveraging its current customer base or future customer base. Current customers need to be rewarded and leveraged to promote the products to untapped markets. 13. ) Full Credit I think that Zomeworks should create a business model for the solar water heater like the business model Tequila Mobile has. I think that a multi-sided would be the best choice for Zomeworks because it would allow them to have the best of all worlds. Their technological environmentally friendly products would prosper in this type of market. They would be able to have an RD side that could sell solar water heaters to large industrial firms, and other large entities. They could supply solar water heaters to construction companies that are building homes and along with the solar water heater look into selling Zomes to the construction companies. To take that scenario a step farther Zomeworks could contract out interior decorating companies that can make household decorations (couches, desks, beds, etc. ) to fit nicely in the odd shaped Zomes. Some of the Indirect/Direct network effects that Zomeworks would run into are the having lower operational/overhead costs since re-sellers will take over the duties of selling most of the items. They will also have lower advertising costs since the re-seller would take on those costs too. Also they would benefit from developing the Zomes and specialized products to equip the Zomes for example, the solar water heater. Users Traffic Partners 3rd Party Developers Billing Partners Multi-sided Platform 14. ) I think that Zomeworks would never use social media as a way to commercialize their water heater. I feel that Zomeworks could either greatly benefit or greatly suffer. Let’s talk about the negative aspect of using social media firkst. I think that Zomeworks would suffer greatly if they even tried to. I believe this because of the simple fact that Zomeworks is so against the use of high technology just because it is available to us. I think that if Zomeworks did try to use social media it would send the wrong message to the customers that know what Zomeworks believes in and stands up for. I will discuss below, the underlying causes of social failures may be very different. Social failures represent opportunities for firms to step in and provide social functionalities that enable people to pursue new relationships or strengthen existing ties. Most of us are not accustomed to think about the social world in terms of social failures. We have been conditioned to think about the world in terms of the relationships and interactions we do have, rather than those we do not have. However, a moment’s thought will reveal that you may be facing some of these social failures yourself. Maybe you and your closest friend wish you could spend more time together, but you cannot, because you are separated by thousands of miles. Perhaps you and your dad wish that you could confide in each other more, but both of you are afraid of making the first move for the fear of being rebuffed by the other. When talking about Zomeworks I believe that social media would not solve any social failure besides advertising. When even considering advertising Zomeworks would have to consider the fact that they are a company that is completely against the use of high technology because the company believes that â€Å"high technology has disempowered us†. The company could come off hypocritical if the advertising choice they decide to use is one that involves the idea of high technology. On the beneficial side, Zomeworks use popular issues such as climate change to create a Facebook presence. Increasing exposure is not a joke. Zomeworks needs to make an emotional appeal to people and Facebook is the easiest way to communicate it. A lot of ideas could be generated for the RD team at Zomeworks and real time demand information could be obtained by following the social media posts. Part 2. : Expressing the Terroir of Rioja 15. )If you refer to figure 3 on page 6 you can see that with a shaping view we are trying to take on the leadership role of deciding how an industry operates. The winemaker that I choose to make a shaping view for is Maria Jose Lopez de Heredia who runs the Marques de Murrieta Bodega. The reason that I picked Maria is the fact that I believe from the way she talks in the case to be very passionate about Rioja. I would want to base the shaping view on the fact that her grandfather was very modern and had the courage to change many of the historical and traditional practices of Rioja. I feel that she would be the most accommodating winemaker to challenge the process, which is the main goal of a shaping view. I think that it would be a good start to come up with a mission and vision, as well as the values that could be held by all in the industry. Our vision would center on keeping the traditional style of Rioja with bringing in modern flavors. Since there isn’t much research on the grapes the use to be used there would be a lot of rial and error. I think that from being a family member of one of the region’s most historic estates, the other bodega owners will most likely respect Maria and follow in the values that we set up for the industry. 16. )The term ‘dynamic’ refers to the capacity to renew competences so as to achieve congruence with the changing business en vironment; certain innovative responses are required when time-to-market and timing are critical, the rate of technological change is rapid, and the nature of future competition and markets difficult to determine. Innovation occurs in a network of relationships between firms. Collaborative competency is a firm’s ability to realign its internal resources and capabilities to the changing environment by leveraging on external resources and capability-acquiring mechanisms such as (strategic alliances, acquisitions, and joint ventures. ) Nintendo’s strategy is open innovation. Open innovation is where you start optimizing your secondary talents that in return it creates a brand new market. So instead of competing head on, you bypass the other competitors by creating your own market. Dynamic marketing competencies enable firms to move into new territories by market sensing and technological shifts. Apple’s strategy is one of simplicity that was greatly fostered by the former CEO Steve Jobs who was probably one of the greatest visionaries ever. The company executed this strategy of simplicity by executing the timing of their products to the â€Å"T†. Also all of their products are capable of doing pretty much anything and all with just one button. I feel that I would use a mixture of those approaches. I would not fully commit to the idea of open innovation because I don’t think that it would be wise to leave the market of Rioja. It is not like a game console to where you can switch into different markets quite easily. I like the idea of using Apple’s competencies of innovation and superior quality. When markets are dynamic and ever-changing two things that you want to stay constant are your ability to always be innovative and the reputation of superior products. If I were a winemaker in Rioja I would reach out to the other Bodegas and see if any of them would want to start a strategic alliance. First off there is power in numbers and secondly you get access to more resources during all the different phases of development. 17. ) Full Credit The first scenario is that if I had a client that didn’t have a budget or didn’t care about the mass market I would want them to follow the business model of Elbulli. Elbulli didn’t care about anything except making the best most innovative meals and providing the most amazing experience. The only reason that I think my client should model the elBulli model is because money isn’t an option and the only thing that is a requirement is high quality. Elbulli has a very unique model in the sense that it isn’t about the bottom line, in fact ElBulli went out of business for a period of time and is now currently out of business again. Elbulli serves this meal that is worth at least 800-1000 euros but is only charging 230 Euros, why is that? Ferran Adria the owner and top chief of Elbulli says it isn’t about the money it is about the customers and what they get out of the experience. Adria also teaches many culinary students how to develop this menu throughout most of the year. My client would manage the organization and their innovation strictly by creativity. I think that my client would express the Rioja Terrior in a very positive light since their whole process is run by passion. The second scenario is that my client wanted to be â€Å"born global† and compete internationally in the mass market I would recommend that they run their business like nano. My client could make a first mover advantage into different foreign markets. The first step in this move is they would have to conduct a lot of research in order to determine the different demographics that they would be selling to. Different individuals have different taste buds for wine. They would have to know about the different market drivers for each area. I think that their attitude toward expressing Rioja terrior would vary depending on which foreign market it chooses. I think that yes the same company could operate with both of the two preceding goals. I think that it would probably be more difficult but that it could be done. All the company would have to do is be able to be both creative and structured. I think that if a company did decide to operate with both goals the leader of the company would have to know the happy medium between how to lead with creativity and structure. This company that wants to operate with both of the two preceding goals would want to follow the business model of Monnalisa. Monnalisa is a great example of a company that has formal (results control) and informal (social control) mechanisms to manage its concurrent and ongoing need for creative design and efficient production processes. At Monnalisa, there’s no intention to limit creativity, but increasingly the company is trying to offer the stylists a minimum structure by running a series of internal meetings at the beginning of every collection. 18. I don’t think that the expression of terroir should be limited by tradition, but I do think that it should be tied to regional identity. Terroir is a traditional view, but I think that when things get stuck in tradition they loose innovation and change is good. I think that terroir has been limited by tradition and that is probably why there are so many arguments between the different bodegas because some are ready to a ccept the change and some are not. I do think that terroir should be tied to regional identity because along with regional idea comes culture and along with culture comes values. When the Rioja winemakers have the same values it would be easier to discuss issues that might arise in the industry as a collective group. Yes, I believe that the marketplace should determine which expressions of terroir are â€Å"classic†. The reason that I think this should be the case is because there is no one else more suited for judging what is â€Å"classic† or not than the actual individuals that are involved in the market. You would never ask clothes salesmen to change your oil just as you would never ask a mechanic to judge you wine. I think that the authority of this decision should be given to the local market. I also believe that terroir should be combined with â€Å"locally produced† I think that by giving your product a local background it adds to the value. For example in the Zomeworks case how they refused to offshore their production. By being made in the U. S it showed how much Zomeworks cares for the local community. I think that it would be wise to have a board of directors for the Rioja and they could meet and discuss what the breakdown of payment should be, but if all of the Rioja territory is going to be considered â€Å"locally produced† then they all need to make the necessary payments. Just because a market is transnational, doesn’t mean that the expression of terroir should be transnational. I don’t think that by selling your product internationally you have to give up your cultures identity. 19. ) Full Credit Terroir is concerned with the relationship between the characteristics of an agricultural product (quality, taste, and style) and its geographic origin, which might influence these characteristics. The concept of terroir is frequently used to explain the hierarchy of high-quality wines. It can be defined as an, â€Å"interactive ecosystem, in a given place, including climate, soil and the vine. To understand the way terroir functions, it is essential to take into account the interactions among the factors that contribute to terroir. While very high quality wines are grown in various climates, it is impossible to define the ideal climate for fine wines in terms of temperature, rainfall (amount and distribution), or solar radiation. Nor can one define the best possible soil for growing high-quality wines in terms of pebble, clay or lime content, soil depth or mineral content. These factors of the natural environment have to be considered in terms of their interaction with the vine. Human factors, such as history, socioeconomics, as well as viticulture and oenological techniques, are also part of terroir. I believe that the actual managing of the terroir is a technology and a process, but I do not believe that the expression the terroir is a technology. The expression of terroir to me is more of a value that in engraved in the local community and culture. I think that terroir should be both expressed and managed. This could also relate back to Apple. While simplicity is the company’s strategy on how they execute their products it is also a vision for their company. It’s the belief that this is how they execute and will always execute. Same goes for terroir, it is much more than just managing the land a certain way. It is an expression of local history. 20. ) Full Credit Are the denominacion de origen and France’s appellation d’origine controlee effective examples of regulation. Products labeled Denominacion de Origen, apart from being of superior quality, are expected to carry specific characteristics of geographical region or individual producer and be derived from raw materials originating within the region. Like most of these designations, a fundamental tenet of a DO label is that no product outside of that region is permitted to bear the name. I believe that yes the denominacion is a good/effective way of regulation I just don’t believe that there will be any such regulation that will help the winemakers at Rioja. Each winemaker is always going to believe that they have the superior product no matter what regulation is being used. I think that the government has gotten involved enough on the regulation aspect. I feel that regulation or no regulation the marketplace is going to always have its own view. I feel that a simple solution of an unbiased tasting took place. Even with that thought I feel that every individual has very different tastes which could again not provide a solution to this ever heated debate. Another way the this matter could be resolved is from the article Peer Power, from Potholes to Patents, â€Å"For two centuries, we have lived in a mass society defined by passive consumption, vast corporate hierarchies and the centralized control of state power. Those organizations didn’t seem artificial to us because we couldn’t imagine alternatives. But now we can. Peer networks are a practical, functioning reality that already underlies the dominant communications platform of our age. They can do things as ambitious as writing a global encyclopedia or as simple as fixing a pothole. † The bodegas could start a peer-networking group that could listen to the problems that the Rioja territory is having and come to an unbiased solution. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. http://www. scribd. com/doc/61931601/Minimum-Winning-Game [ 2 ]. Susan Elliott, â€Å"American Productivity Quality Center Conference Attendees Discover the Value and Enablers of a Successful KM Program,† Knowledge Management in Practice, Issue 5, December 1996/January 1997, p. 1 [ 3 ]. http://www. mymarketingdept. com/comparing-b2b-versus-b2c-marketing/ [ 4 ]. Rogers, E. â€Å"Diffusion of Innovation† 1962 [ 5 ]. Baer, S. Appendix 1 [ 6 ]. http://www. answers. com/topic/invention [ 7 ]. http://www. answers. com/topic/innovation [ 8 ]. SEGUIN, G. (1986) ‘Terroirs’ and pedology of vinegrowing, Experientia, 42, 861–873. [ 9 ]. Johnson, S. Peer Power, from Potholes to Patents. 2012 How to cite 511 Midterm, Essay examples

Apollo Food Berhad Business Environment & Strategic Management Case

Question: Discuss about the Business Environment Strategic Managementfor Apollo Food Berhad. Answer: Porter Five forces for Apollo Food Berhad London Biscuit Bargaining power of suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers is medium for Apollo Food and London Biscuit. These companies operate in bakery and confectionary business. There are a large number of suppliers that provides raw materials to companies in this sector. The companies are dependent on the suppliers to get quality raw material. Therefore, it can be said that the bargaining power of suppliers is medium in this industry. It is expected that the number of suppliers would further increase in the market and it should further reduce the existing bargaining power of supplies (Cross Belich, 2015). Bargaining power of buyers: The bargaining power of buyers is high in this industry. The competition is high in this industry and the players like Apollo Food compete with several other players. The end customers have the options to choose from various companies. Therefore, the bargaining power of buyers in this industry. The buyers or the consumers would often want to try the food from different vendors. It is expected that the bargaining power of buyers would further increase with time. With the increased penetration of e-commerce, the consumers have got more choice. It is expected that the bargaining power of buyers would further increase as the customers would have more options to choose from (Anders Schiendorfer, 2015). Threat of substitutes: The threat of substitutes is high in this industry. The food industry is a dynamic industry where customer loyalty is usually low. The customers would easily change their taste and preferences from bakery to some other food. Therefore, it can be said that the threat of substitutes is high in this industry. The threat of substitutes is also high as people do not feel any cost to switch from one player to another. Moreover, there are number of food options to choose from. The people would often get bored from the same type of food. Therefore, there would be a natural desire in people to change their food preferences. Threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrants is also high in this industry. The organization in this industry does not have to make any huge initial investment. Therefore, companies would easily enter the market and exit the market. The low barriers to entry and low barriers to exist make the threat of new entrants high. The Malaysian market is a growing market and it is expected that the threat of new entrants would further increase in the market. Going forward, there would be more and more domestic and international players that would enter the market (Bhattacharjee Berger, 2014). Industry rivalry: The existing industry rivalry is high in this industry. There are a large number of players in the market that compete among themselves for customers share of mind and wallet. The companies would often expand to increase their business. It would further increase the existing industry rivalry. In recent times, the industry rivalry has also increased due to entry of various international players. In the current business environment, both domestic and international players compete together (Berthon Pitt, 2015). SWOT Analysis: Apollo Food Holdings STRENGTH 1. The brand name of the company is its biggest strength. Apollo is a reputed name in Malaysia and global market (Huang Sarigollu, 2014). It provides a unique strength to company The legacy and the experience of the company is another key strength of Apollo Food Holdings. The company has the experience in food industry in not only in the local Malaysian market but at international level. Apollo Food Holdings has several patents on its names. This is also one of the key strength of the company. There are few products of the company that competitors cannot imitate. Therefore, the company is able to charge the premium prices for its products. The company is able to keep its prices low and this has been possible with an efficient and effective supply chain (Lewis Siu, 2015). WEAKNESSES The employees of the company have limited say in the company strategy making. They dont feel that their employees should have a say so when it comes to executive decisions, therefore management makes all the decisions based on what is best for the company rather than the employees themselves. Another weakness of the company is that it has a closed system in place. consist of a large number of heterogeneous agents that are embedded in a dynamic and potentially hostile environment. Since the agents behavior and objectives are possibly not under the control of the system designer or other agents, only few assumptions can be made about them (p. 3). This statement succinctly summarizes one problem that could arise from this type of system. It is often difficult to ensure collaboration and cooperation among diverse entities. At times, two departments or environmental agents may actually be working against each other, rather than working together for the good of the organization. THREATS The biggest threat for Apollo Food Holdings is the threat from competition. There are several players in the market that compete among themselves for customers share of mind and wallet. In recent times, the industry rivalry has also increased due to entry of various international players. In the current business environment, both domestic and international players compete together. There also exists threat from various external factors like government regulations and environmental factors. The manufacturing of the products and food items requires large volume of Palm oil. It pollutes the environment and there is a possibility that the government intervention would increase to use the clean form of energy. OPPORTUNITIES The good thing for Apollo Food Holdings is that the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) industry is a growing industry in Malaysia and internationally. It is expected that the industry would continue to grow at a CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) of 7% to 8%. It means that the company would have various avenues and target market to explore in domestic and international market. There is also an opportunity for the company to increase its reach. In recent times, there has been an increase in the disposable income of consumers and this possess a huge opportunity for Apollo Food Holdings (Rocker Homburg, 2016). SWOT Analysis: London Biscuit Food Holdings STRENGTH The biggest strength of London Biscuit is its brand equity. People consider London Biscuit as a premium brand. The company has been really successful to improve its brand image and brand perception. The organization has a unique way and unique formulae to manufacture the biscuits. There are a large number of people that are fan of the existing products of London Biscuits. The use of Information Technology and ERP systems to manage its supply chain is also a big strength for Apollo Holdings. With the Supply Chain Management System, the company is able to optimize its cost. WEAKNESSES One of the weaknesses of the company is lack of HR policies in the organization. When managers receive feedback internally and externally, it is important to analyze the information in order to make informed decisions about future actions. When there is a vast amount of information available to managers, they should try to implement filters so that information is disseminated to the proper channels to be utilized in helpful ways. Daft (2016) mentioned that the use of liaisons can be helpful to filter and communicate changes with teams in order to keep everyone aligned toward specific goals. THREATS The biggest threat for London Biscuit is the threat from competition. There are several players in the market that compete among themselves for customers share of mind and wallet. In recent times, the industry rivalry has also increased due to entry of various international players. In the current business environment, both domestic and international players compete together (Vargo Lusch, 2014). There also exists threat from various external factors like government regulations and environmental factors. The manufacturing of the products and food items requires large volume of Palm oil. It pollutes the environment and there is a possibility that the government intervention would increase to use the clean form of energy OPPORTUNITIES The growing demand in the market and increasing growth rate of food industry is biggest opportunity for London Biscuits. The market would continue to grow at a good growth rate and it would create more market possibilities for London Biscuits. There is an opportunity for company to improve its leadership skills and abilities. When a leader is dedicated to serving others, it only helps to improve the employees knowledge, abilities, and performance. While culture may vary from one country or religion the qualities of desiring to serve others comes from within. References Anders, G., Schiendorfer, A., Siefert, F., Steghoffer, J, Reif, W., (2015).Cooperative resource allocation in open systems of systems.ACM Transaction on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems, 10(2), 1-44. doi:10.1145/2700323 Bhattacharjee, A., Berger, J., Menon, G. (2014). When identity marketing backfires: consumer agency in identity expression. Journal of Consumer Research, 41(2), 294-309. Berthon, P., Pitt, L. F. (2015). Marketing and Human Resource Managers: Differences in Perception and Decision-Making. InProceedings of the 1995 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 63-63). Springer International Publishing. Cross, J. C., Belich, T. J., Rudelius, W. (2015). How marketing managers use market segmentation: An exploratory study. In Proceedings of the 1990 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference (pp. 531-536). Springer International Publishing. Huang, R., Sarigollu, E. (2014). How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix. InFashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors(pp. 113-132). Springer New York. Lewis, L. F., Siu, W. S. (2015). Corporate Entrepreneurship and Ethical Decision-Making of Marketing Managers. InProceedings of the 1997 World Marketing Congress(pp. 646-655). Springer International Publishing. Rocker, L., Homburg, C., Vomberg, A. (2016). Which Characteristics Make a Difference? Comparing Successful Managers in Marketing and Sales. Vargo, S. L., Lusch, R. F. (2014). Service-dominant logic.What it is not, What it.

Financial Statement Analysis in Mergers and Acquisitions Essay Sample free essay sample

Fiscal statement analysis is cardinal to a corporate acquirer’s appraisal of an acquisition or amalgamation campaigner. As portion of its due diligence probe. a corporate acquirer typically analyzes the current and prospective fiscal statements of a mark company. This analysis is used in gauging the ‘value’ of the portions or net assets of the mark company. and in finding the monetary value and footings of a dealing the acquirer is prepared to offer and accept. This paper will turn to the practical applications of fiscal statement analysis typically performed by corporate acquirers in unfastened market rating and pricing exercisings. This paper is non intended to be an across-the-board treatment. and some of the points discussed may non be applicable in a given state of affairs. Every unfastened market dealing is alone. and judgement is required to find the appropriate nature and degree of fiscal statement analysis that should be undertaken in each instance. Determining value and monetary valueThe chief determiners of the value of the portions ( or underlying net assets ) of a mark company in an unfastened market dealing are:– 2 – †¢ the quantum and timing of prospective ( after-tax ) discretional hard currency flows that will be generated. This typically includes discretional hard currency flows to be generated by the mark company from its operations on a ‘stand-alone’ footing every bit good as discretional hard currency flows that a purchaser anticipates will originate in the signifier of post-acquisition synergisms ; †¢ the acquirer’s required rate of return given its sensed degree of hazard of accomplishing said discretional hard currency flows and its perceptual experience of the mark company’s ‘strategic importance’ ; †¢ redundant ( or non-operating ) assets that are acquired as portion of the dealing ; and †¢ the sum of interest-bearing debt that is assumed by the acquirer. As a simple illustration. presume that the acquisition of Company X is expected to bring forth $ 10 million of prospective discretional hard currency flow per annum ( including anticipated postacquisition synergisms ) . and that the prospective acquirer considers a 12 % capitalisation rate to be appropriate based on its cost of capital. and its appraisal of Company X’s operations. the industry in which it operates. and the hazard of bring forthing said discretional hard currency flows. Further assume that Company X will sell excess assets with a net realizable value of $ 2 million and that the acquirer will presume $ 25 million of Company X’s involvement bearing debt duties. It follows that the value ( usually defined as just market value ) of the portions of Company X by and large would be estimated as : – 3 – Prospective one-year discretional hard currency flow $ 10 millionDivided by: capitalisation rate 12 %Peers: capitalized hard currency flow $ 83 millionAttention deficit disorder: excess assets $ 2 millionPeers: endeavor value $ 85 millionDeduct: involvement bearing debt ( $ 25 million ) Peers: just market value of the portions of Company X $ 60 million The existent monetary value ( and related dealing footings ) that a corporate acquirer might be prepared to pay for the portions ( or underlying net assets ) of Company X may be higher or lower than its estimation of just market value. This is due to such things as the negociating places of the parties involved. the figure of acquirers interested in Company X at a point in clip. and legion other factors that may merely come to light during the class of dialogues. An analysis of the historical and forecast fiscal statements ( where available ) of a mark company is used when measuring each of the determiners of its equity value. In add-on. the footings of an unfastened market dealing usually qualify that accommodations to the agreed monetary value may be required pending the consequences of the buyer’s concluding due diligence probe. Prospective Discretionary Cash FlowBusinesss typically are valued based on their ability to prospectively bring forth discretional hard currency flow. Discretionary hard currency flow is defined as hard currency flow from operations ( frequently termed net incomes before involvement. revenue enhancements. depreciation. and amortisation. or ‘EBITDA’ ) . less income revenue enhancements. capital outgo demands ( cyberspace of the related income revenue enhancement shield ) . and incremental working capital demands. Discretionary hard currency flow represents the sum of money available to the suppliers of capital of a concern ( debt holders and stockholders ) that can be withdrawn without impairing the bing operations of the concern. or its ability to bring forth its prognosis operating consequences. An estimation of prospective discretional hard currency flow to be generated by a concern usually involves an appraisal of the historical operating consequences of the mark comp any and any fiscal projections that have been prepared. In add-on. an appraisal of the prospective discretional hard currency flows to be generated usually includes those of the mark company itself. and those that the acquirer anticipates will be realized in the signifier of postacquisition synergisms. Historical operating consequencesIn most instances. recent historical operating consequences ( usually the past five old ages. with greater accent on the most recent old ages ) are considered when gauging prospective operating consequences. The sum of weight afforded to historical operating consequences depends on whether and to what extent they are believed to stand for what the mark company prospectively is capable of bring forthing on a stand-alone footing. For illustration. where the mark company has undergone important alterations in recent old ages ( e. g. in footings of its merchandise lines. capacity. direction doctrine. the kineticss of the industry in which it operates. and so on ) . historical operating consequences may non be declarative of future outlooks. and any analysis thereof should be discounted consequently. In add-on to supplying an indicant of the degree and variableness of historical profitableness and hard currency flow. an analysis of the historical fiscal st atements of an acquisition mark usually involves the computation of assorted fiscal ratios that can by and large be categorized as: †¢ profitableness ratios ( e. g. gross border and operating net income border ) that indicate the proportion of grosss retained by the company at different degrees. and the company’s sensitiveness to fluctuations in grosss ; †¢ efficiency ratios ( e. g. yearss in receivables and stock list turnover ) which assist a purchaser in measuring incremental working capital demands that will be needed to back up prospective grosss. and in measuring direction efficiency ; †¢ liquidness ratios ( e. g. the current ratio and speedy ratio ) . which measure the short term fiscal strength of the concern. and whether the purchaser will be required to do a capital injection to back up the operations of the mark company ; †¢ fiscal purchase ratios ( e. g. long term debt to equity and times involvement earned ) which step mark company’s ability to suit involvement bearing debt. This may in bend affect the acquirer’s cost of capital. and its needed rate of return ; and †¢ runing ratios ( e. g. gross revenues per employee and mean merchandising monetary value per unit sold ) . which help a purchaser in measuring the resource and capacity demands of a mark company. Ratios and tendencies in this can supply a purchaser with penetration into the grounds for a mark company’s historical public presentation. However. ratio analysis must be tempered by consideration of alterations in accounting policies. direction patterns. and so on. which might falsify such analysis. In add-on. when analysing the historical fiscal statements of the mark company. it is of import to see the province of the economic system and the industry at the clip those consequences were achieved. When reexamining historical operating consequences. purchasers should closely size up a mark company’s recent historical fiscal statements for ‘window dressing’ . Prior to selling a concern. many proprietors and directors will take stairss to reflect the best possible fiscal consequences. cognizing that those consequences frequently are a cardinal component in dialogues with prospective acquirers. Therefore. proprietors and directors sometimes cut down disbursement in discretional histories such as advertisement. research and development. and so on. to increase short-run profitableness. However. these actions may hold serious long term effects to the vendor’s concern. The analysis of historical fiscal statements besides involves the designation of unusual or non-recurring points. This is because. by definition. historical unusual and non repeating points are non declarative of prospective operating consequences. Sellers usually are speedy to indicate out unusual and non-recurring points that negatively impacted historical operating consequences. However. a purchaser should see whether these things genuinely are nonrecurring. For illustration. while a dearly-won work stoppage may be unusual. it may repeat in the hereafter. and hence should be considered either through a decrease of prospective discretional hard currency flows. or in the degree of hazard of accomplishing those hard currency flows. Simply because an point is classified as ‘unusual’ or ‘extraordinary’ in the fiscal statements does non needfully intend that it will non repeat. Conversely. non-recurring and unusual points that favorably affected historical operating consequences frequently are buried as portion of grosss or disbursals from ongoing operations. Examples include non-recurring belongings revenue enhancement refunds. a important erstwhile sale. and the recovery of assets that had antecedently been written down. The sensing of these things requires careful analysis of the historical fiscal statements. including ratios. tendencies. and so on. The analysis of historical fiscal statements should non be limited to one-year consequences. Quarterly and monthly consequences besides should be considered as these can supply insight as to seasonality and interim public presentation. Where practical. the analysis of historical fiscal statements should be accompanied by an analysis of back uping agendas. such as the test balance and other working documents that may be available. Many points are classified for accounting intents in such a manner as to falsify the analysis of these consequences. In add-on. the categorization of grosss and disbursals for fiscal statement presentation intents may alter over clip. once more falsifying ratios and evident tendencies. While much of the analysis of historical operating consequences will concentrate on the income statement and the balance sheet. the statement of hard currency flows and notes to the fiscal statements besides are of import. Historical hard currency flow statements provide an indicant as to the capital investing necessary to prolong and turn the operations of the concern. The notes attach toing the fiscal statements uncover such things as important committednesss that the mark company has made that will impact prospective discretional hard currency flows. Forecast operating consequencesWhen fixing a concern for sale. the proprietors. directors or advisers to a prospective marketer may fix prognosis operating consequences. Where prognosiss are prepared. they usually are for a period of 3 to 7 old ages. Where meaningful prognosiss are available. a purchaser typically will gauge the value of the mark company’s equity utilizing a ‘discounted hard currency flow’ methodological analysis. As a practical affair. the discounted hard currency flow methodological analysis typically is the preferable methodological analysis of corporate acquirers. While an account of the mechanics of the discounted hard currency flow methodological analysis are beyond the range of this paper. it is an extension of the ‘capitalization of discretional hard currency flow’ rating methodological analysis presented earlier. Frequently in their rating and pricing analysis. purchasers will trust on the seller’s fiscal statements without carry oning sufficient analysis to find whether or non those projections are sensible. Common countries of prognosis lacks include: †¢ internal incompatibilities. Sellers frequently will calculate grosss to turn at a much higher rate than disbursals. reasoning that many disbursals are fixed in nature. While this may be true to some extent. many fixed costs are ‘step costs’ . and are merely fixed over a certain scope of operating activity ; †¢ inordinate optimism compared to historic operating consequences. Prognosiss frequently explicitly or implicitly assume certain degrees of efficiency will be achieved in the hereafter that had non been achieved in the yesteryear. Comparing prospective fiscal ratios with historical ratios can supply an indicant of where optimism in the prognosis may be ; †¢ inadequate prognosis period. Where a concern is cyclical. the prognosis should be of sufficient length to show public presentation over an full concern rhythm ; †¢ deficient capital outgo demands. In order to accomplish an addition in grosss. most concerns need to increase their capital outgos. Prospective capital outgos should be analyzed to find the extent that they represent ‘maintenance capital’ as opposed to ‘growth capital’ ; and †¢ failure to adequately see incremental working capital demands. Buyers and Sellerss sometimes neglect to see that to accomplish gross growing. a comp any normally needs to increase its histories receivable. stock lists. and other current assets. While a part of the addition may be financed through higher histories collectible and other ‘trade’ liabilities. most concerns require a net addition in working capital to turn. To the extent that hard currency is invested in working capital. it can non be withdrawn or invested elsewhere in the concern. Therefore incremental working capital demands should be deducted in finding prospective discretional hard currency flows. It is non sufficient merely to analyze the prognosiss themselves. but to understand the implicit in premises and back uping computations thereto. In add-on. prognosiss should be considered in the context of outlooks for the industry and the economic system in general. Where possible. it is helpful to compare year-to-date existent consequences with budgets and prognosiss that were antecedently prepared to measure the ability of those fixing the prognosis to do sensible anticipations. In add-on. when measuring forecast runing consequences that were prepared by the staff or advisers of a seller. the purchaser should be cognizant of false synergisms that have been incorporated therein. Often when fixing prognosiss in contemplation of a sale. a seller will liberally expect synergisms that it believes a ‘typical buyer’ will be able to accomplish by uniting the vendors’ operations with its ain. Synergies may include head count decreases. nest eggs in operating costs. and in some instances. additions in grosss. As discussed in the undermentioned subdivision. while synergisms are an of import constituent of unfastened market minutess. they are alone to every prospective buyer. Where a prospective purchaser fails to place and segregate synergisms that have been incorporated into a vendor’s forecasted operating consequences. it risks exaggerating or dual numbering those awaited benefits. Post-acquisition synergismsIn most unfastened market minutess affecting corporate acquirers. the acquirer anticipates that it will recognize some synergisms or strategic advantages by uniting the acquired company with its bing operations. In unfastened market minutess. awaited synergisms by and large should be assessed individually from the estimated discretional hard currency flows that a mark company is expected to bring forth on a stand-alone footing. In most instances. awaited synergisms that can readily be quantified ( such as head count decreases ) are assigned a chance factor based on the likeliness that they will be realized. The probabilized synergisms are so added to the awaited discretional hard currency flows of the company on a stand-alone footing to deduce the buyer’s outlook of discretional hard currency flows to be generated following the dealing. Synergies are alone to each acquirer. In most instances. an acquirer has a moderately good thought about the synergisms that are expected to originate following a dealing based on its cognition of its ain operations and those of the mark company. Fiscal statement analysis can help corporate acquirers in measuring the plausibleness of its synergy premises. and in placing synergisms that may non be readily apparent. Measuring the rationality of awaited synergisms by and large is done through an rating of prognosis informations. Where the operations of the mark company and the acquirer are similar. their several fiscal ratios sometimes can be compared to find whether the mark company’s operations can be rationalized to the extent anticipated. In some instances. it may be possible to happen meaningful industry informations to help in the analysis. The designation of ‘hidden’ synergisms by and large involves an analysis of the mark company’s historical fiscal statements. and a comparing of relevant runing ratios to those of the acquirer ( where the two are comparable ) . For illustration. where the acquirer has lower working capital demands than the mark. it may bespeak that nest eggs are possible through more rigorous histories receivable aggregation policies or more efficient stock list direction. However. purchasers must be cautioned against presuming that merely because their ain operations appear to be more efficient than those of the mark company does non needfully intend that synergisms are available. Alternatively. if such synergisms are possible. they may be hard to recognize. and hence should be discounted consequently. Risk Assessment The 2nd major constituent in concern rating and pricing is the finding of an appropriate rate of return ( expressed either as a price reduction rate or a capitalisation rate ) to use against the prospective discretional hard currency flows anticipated from an acquisition. The finding of an appropriate rate of return is a complex and subjective undertaking that should take into history the acquirer’ cost of capital. the nature of the mark company’s operations. the industry in which it competes. and predominating economic conditions. Most corporate acquirers have target ‘hurdle’ rates of return that are used when measuring the value and monetary value of acquisition campaigners. These hurdle rates sometimes are adjusted ( reduced or increased ) to reflect such things as the buyer’s perceived hazard and its sensed ‘strategic importance’ of the acquisition. In the terminal. the rate of return chosen by a corporate acquirer should reflect the hazard that prospective discretional hard currency flows will fall short of prognosis. Consequently. all things equal. the more optimistic the prospective fiscal consequences. the greater the degree of hazard in accomplishing those consequences. and the higher the needed rate of return. Historical operating consequencesWhere a mark company’s historical fiscal statements are believed to supply some indicant as to future outlooks. an analysis of those fiscal statements is an of import portion of hazard appraisal and rate of return finding. This usually involves an analysis of: †¢ historic net income and hard currency flow degrees and volatility therein. Where historical operating consequences have been fickle. this usually suggests lower predictability. and therefore higher hazard. It besides is helpful to measure whether historical operating consequences demonstrate an upward or downward tendency. and whether a net income and hard currency flow rhythm exists ; †¢ the mark company’s public presentation under different economic and industry conditions. Relative public presentation provides an indicant as to a company’s susceptibleness to altering economic and industry conditions. and management’s historical ability to respond to such alterations ; †¢ the cost construction of the mark company. specifically the grade to which its operating costs are fixed as opposed to variable. Companies with high degrees of fixed costs have a higher grade of operating purchase. As a consequence. their profitableness typically is more sensitive to alterations in grosss. Higher variableness usually implies greater hazard ; and †¢ historical returns. such as return on net assets employed and return on invested equity. These ratios provide an indicant as to resources required to bring forth economic returns to suppliers of capital. The notes to recent historical fiscal statements besides are of import to see in measuring hazard. The notes unwrap such things committednesss. eventualities. and so on. that may increase or diminish hazard. For illustration. a company that hedges its foreign exchange exposure with forward contracts may be less hazardous than one that does non. Alternatively. a company confronting a legal claim against it that can non be readily quantified would unwrap such a eventuality in the notes to its fiscal statements. Balance sheet analysis A utile analysis to carry on in measuring an acquisition mark is to segregate its most recent balance sheet between net runing assets. excess assets. and funding. This allows the acquirer to compare its estimation of endeavor value ( before excess assets ) against the net runing assets of the concern. and to specifically acknowledge the involvement bearing duties that it is presuming. and any excess assets that may be available. Where practical. it besides is utile to repeat assets and liabilities at their value in usage ( or – 15 – market value ) as opposed to their book values. This gives the purchaser some indicant as to replacement cost of the implicit in assets. A treatment of how market values and values in usage are determined is beyond the range of this paper. While replacing cost typically is non a chief economic driver in amalgamations and acquisitions. higher replacing costs frequently result in a lower degree of hazard. and lower required rate of return. This may be supported on several premises. including: †¢ higher touchable plus values frequently allow a company to obtain greater debt funding. Since the cost of debt is less than the cost of equity. this reduces the price reduction and capitalisation rate. which usually is expressed as a blend of debt and equity ; †¢ higher capital plus demands may turn out to be a barrier to entry. thereby cut downing prospective competition ; and †¢ in the event that the acquired concern fails. higher returns of settlement may be achieved. thereby cut downing the degree of downside hazard.The difference between the ‘enterprise value’ of the mark company ( i. e. the entire value of the concern. without respect to how it is financed ) and net touchable assets represents the sum of value attributable to intangible assets. including good will. As a general regulation. a lower rate of return is required on the implicit in cyberspace touchable assets of a concern as contrasted with intangible assets such as good will. Therefore. where the sum attributable to goodwill appears to be inordinate or deficient. this may propose that the purchaser should increase or diminish ( as appropriate ) its rate of return demands consequently. Following the illustration presented earlier in this paper. presume that prospective discretional hard currency flows from an acquisition are expected to be $ 10 million per annum. and that a 12 % capitalisation rate is considered appropriate. This derives capitalized hard currency flows ( or ‘enterprise value’ before consideration of excess assets ) of $ 83 million. Further assume that the mark company has a recent balance sheet as presented in Exhibit 1. A restatement of the balance sheet to market values. and a segregation of those values into the classs of operating. redundant. and funding. may uncover that the purchaser would be paying about $ 33 million in touchable net assets and hence. about $ 50 million of good will. If we assume that the purchaser requires a return of 9 % on touchable net assets acquired. so the inexplicit rate of return on the good will constituent would be 14 % . determined as: Annual discretional hard currency flow $ 10 million Less: return on cyberspace touchable assets ( $ 33 MM @ 9 % ) $ 3 million Discretionary hard currency flow attributable to goodwill $ 7 millionImplied return on good will ( $ 7 MM / $ 50MM ) 14 % If the purchaser believes that the implied rate of return on the good will constituent is deficient. given the nature of the mark company. the industry in which it competes. the ‘strategic importance’ of the acquisition. and so on. it should set its overall capitalisation rate of 12 % upward as appropriate. – 17 –Exhibit 1Target Company Balance Sheet ( $ 000 )Book ValueValue in Use Operating Financing RedundantCurrent assetsCash 800 800 800Histories receivable 6. 765 6. 765 6. 765Due from affiliate 2. 000 2. 000 2. 000Inventories 11. 311 11. 311 11. 311Prepaid disbursals 380 380 38021. 256 21. 256Fixed assets ( cyberspace ) Land and edifice 14. 775 16. 000 16. 000Machinery A ; eqpt. 9. 069 12. 000 12. 000Furniture A ; fixtures 2. 211 2. 211 2. 21126. 055 30. 211Deferred costs 1. 407 0Entire Assetss 48. 718 51. 467 48. 667 800 2. 000Current liabilitiesHistories collectible 9. 404 9. 404 9. 404 Accrued liabilities 3. 736 3. 736 3. 736Current part of LTD 5. 000 5. 000 5. 00018. 140 18. 140Long term debt 20. 000 20. 800 20. 800Deferred income revenue enhancements 4. 577 2. 800 2. 800Entire liabilities 42. 717 41. 740 15. 940 25. 800 0Shareholder equityCapital stock 1. 477Retained net incomes 4. 524Entire equity 6. 001 9. 727 32. 727 ( 25. 000 ) 2. 000Entire liabilities A ; equity 48. 718 51. 467Segregated as– 18 –Forecast operating consequencesWhen measuring the degree of hazard in forecast discretional hard currency flows ( where they have been prepared ) . a purchaser by and large should see:†¢ how those consequences compare against historical public presentation. Normally where prognosis operating consequences are significantly better than historical public presentation. it implies a higher degree of hazard ;†¢ the footing of the gross projections. including back uping agendas detailing grosss by merchandise. by client. by district. etc. For illust ration. where a big part of grosss is anticipated through new merchandises or new clients. this may bespeak a higher degree of hazard. Similarly. where a smattering of clients account for a big part of the company’s grosss. this may besides bespeak a higher degree of hazard ; †¢ the resources ( i. e. operating disbursals. capital outgos. and incremental working capital demands ) that are assumed to be required to run into the gross projections. As antecedently discussed. prognosiss prepared by a seller in expectancy of a sale frequently include optimistic premises sing the mark company’s prospective ability to leverage its cost base ; †¢ the sums afforded to awaited synergisms ( where these have been included in the prognosis discretional hard currency flows ) . and the likeliness that those synergisms will be attained ; and†¢ expected industry and economic conditions. and the expected rate of growing in the market. For illustration. where grosss are forecast to turn at a faster rate than the industry as a whole. this necessitates taking market portion from rivals. Increasing market portion usually is more hard ( i. e. more hazardous and/or more dearly-won ) compared to turning at the rate of the industry as a whole. It frequently is helpful to execute sensitiveness analysis on prognosis operating consequences. This involves placing a few ( usually two or three ) identify economic drivers of the mark company’s prospective fiscal consequences ( e. g. ; industry growing rates. capacity use. and so on ) and measuring the mark company’s exposure to alterations in those economic drivers. Greater variableness to alterations in cardinal economic drivers typically indicates a higher degree of hazard. Redundant AssetssRedundant ( or ‘non-operating’ ) assets are defined as those that are non required in the on-going operations of a concern. and which can be extracted from the concern without impairing its ability to bring forth prospective discretional hard currency flows as prognosis. Examples of excess assets may include marketable securities. loans to attached companies. and vacant land. As a practical affair. excess assets normally are removed by a seller prior to a sale of the concern. However. where they are non withdrawn. excess assets represent a beginning of incremental value that purchasers usually will pay for. – 20 –While in many instances excess assets are apparent from an scrutiny of the mark company’s balance sheet near the dealing day of the month. this may non ever be the instance. A careful analysis of recent historical fiscal statements and back uping certification can assist in the designation of excess assets that may non readily be evident. For illustration: †¢ histories receivable may include sums that are due from other parties aside from trade receivables. such as sums due from employees or attached companies. This could be discovered through an analysis of the test balance back uping the fiscal statements ; and †¢ decreases in fixed plus turnover may bespeak the being of idle equipment that can be sold as bit. thereby bring forthing extra hard currency. Buyers must be cautioned. nevertheless. that what appears to be a concealed excess plus may merely be the consequence of the nature of the mark company’s operations or inefficiencies in its direction patterns. Therefore. it may be hard or dearly-won to recognize extra value from those ‘hidden’ redundancies. In such instances. the part of those excess assets to the endeavor value of the mark concern should be discounted consequently. In order to measure up as redundant. the plus in inquiry must be for good excess. For illustration. a company may hold marketable securities on manus at a given day of the month. but given the seasonal nature of its concern. it may necessitate those assets to finance an addition in receivables or stock lists in the close hereafter. Where assets are temporarily idle. they do non represent excess assets. and they are non a beginning of extra value. An analysis of the mark company’s quarterly or monthly operating consequences may assist in placing evident excess assets that are non genuinely so. In add-on. an scrutiny of the mark company’s prognosis runing consequences may uncover that some assets looking to be redundant at a given day of the month are expected to be deployed in the concern in the hereafter ( e. g. vacant land ) . and hence are non excess. A concluding subject in excess plus finding is the intervention of a mark company’s hard currency on manus at the dealing day of the month. As indicated in the illustration under ‘balance sheet review’ . a mark company’s hard currency on manus usually is applied against its bing involvement bearing debt duties. which serves to apportion a greater part of the mark company’s endeavor value to its equity value. This suggests that hard currency on manus at the dealing day of the month is excess. which may non ever be the instance. A purchaser should analyze the mark company’s constituents of ‘net trade working capital’ ( by and large represented by histories receivable plus stock lists. less histories collectible and accumulated liabilities ) . every bit good as its overall on the job capital demands ( entire current assets less entire current liabilities ) . and net runing assets acquired. Where some or all of the mark companyâ€℠¢s hard currency on manus is required to back up its operations. that hard currency is non ‘redundant’ . and hence should non function to cut down the mark company’s involvement bearing debt. nor should it be added to the endeavor value of the mark company as a excess plus. Interest Bearing Debt DutiesThe sum of a vendor’s involvement bearing debt that is assumed by an acquirer pursuant to a dealing reduces what the purchaser will pay for the equity ( portions or net assets ) of the mark company. ( Recall that endeavor value less involvement bearing debt peers equity value ) . This usually includes both long term and short term involvement bearing debt duties. including loans. mortgages. lines of recognition. capital rental duties. and so on. While the sum of involvement bearing debt outstanding at a given day of the month frequently can be discerned from the balance sheet. this is non ever the instance. In peculiar. where a purchaser acquires the portions ( as opposed to the net assets ) of the mark company. the purchaser assumes duty for any concealed duties. Consequently. the notes to the fiscal statements should be closely scrutinized for such things as: †¢ off balance sheet funding. Accounting criterions sometimes allow companies to enter duties in the notes to their fiscal statements as opposed to the liability side of the balance sheet. For illustration. assets that have been securitized sometimes are removed from the balance sheet along with the related debt duty. In its analysis. a purchaser should set both the assets and liabilities of the mark company to understand both what it is geting. and the duties that it is presuming ; and †¢ warrants of liability of other companies ( or its employees. managers. stockholders or other parties ) . As a practical affair. given the uncertainness of whether or non warrants will be called. they typically are withdrawn prior to the sale of a concern. In add-on. some debt duties. while non involvement bearing themselves. are tantamount to involvement bearing debt. and should be treated consequently. This is more common in privately-held companies where stockholders and related parties lend money to the company involvement free. but which sums are repayable on demand. While such debts usually are apparent from a reappraisal of the balance sheet. this is non ever the instance. Sums owing to related parties sometimes are combined with other liabilities for fiscal statement presentation intents. Therefore. a close examination of the notes and back uping agendas or test balance of the fiscal statements is required. Finally. a mark company’s hard currency on manus usually serves to cut down the sum of involvement bearing debt assumed. As antecedently discussed. this assumes that hard currency on manus at the dealing day of the month efficaciously is a excess plus. Buyers should measure the plausibleness of such an premise prior t o automatically using hard currency on manus against involvement bearing debt. Similarly. it may non be appropriate to cut down endeavor value by the full outstanding balance of a bank line of recognition in fortunes where the line of recognition is at a impermanent ( seasonal ) high to back up hyperbolic stock lists or receivables that will be liquidated in the close term. Other Liabilitiess and AdjustmentsWhile non-interest bearing liabilities ( such as histories collectible. accrued liabilities. and so on. sometimes referred to as ‘trade liabilities’ ) are non deducted from endeavor value in geting at equity value. they do affect equity value indirectly. This is because trade liabilities cut down the net touchable assets of the mark company. As antecedently explained. all things equal. lower cyberspace touchable assets usually translate into greater hazard. Further. trade liabilities must be satisfied through future hard currency flows. thereby cut downing prospective discretional hard currency flows. While trade liabilities usually are reflected on the balance sheet. this may non ever be the instance. Particular accent on placing ‘hidden’ trade liabilities should be made when the fiscal statements of the mark company are non audited. Even where a clean audit sentiment is rendered. it means that the fiscal statements are non materially misstated harmonizing the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. There remains the possibility that liabilities have non been reported. or that they have been disclosed in the notes to the fiscal statements as opposed to being presented with liabilities on the balance sheet. Consequently. the notes to the mark company’s fiscal statements should be closely scrutinized for concealed trade liabilities. In add-on. a thorough appraisal of the operations of the mark company is cardinal to understanding where concealed trade liabilities may be. Where a purchaser discovers material unostentatious liabilities ( or overstated assets ) d uring its concluding due diligence probe following the executing of a missive of purpose. it may ensue in an accommodation to the concluding monetary value. Alternatively. it may bespeak countries where a purchaser should obtain specific seller representations and guarantees as portion of the footings of the dealing. Common countries of concealed trade liabilities include:†¢ under-funded pension duties. In peculiar. the recent downswing in the fiscal markets may hold exasperated this state of affairs for many companies ; †¢ post-retirement benefits. Many companies offer their retired persons continued benefits such as medical and dental attention and certain insurance coverage. Often these liabilities are non to the full accrued for ; †¢ guarantee duties. While guarantees by and large are accrued. the footing for finding the guarantee allowance should be closely scrutinized. peculiarly in instances where the mark company has late introduced new merchandises for which there is small history for finding warranty duties ; †¢ costs associated with discontinued operations. Accounting criterions require that discontinued operations be individually disclosed. and that estimated costs be to the full accrued for at the clip the determination is made to stop the operations in inquiry. However. accumulations for discontinued operations sometimes fail to see all of the associated costs of rupture. legal claims. and so on. that often arise ; †¢ environmental liabilities. which have become of increasing concern in visible radiation of more rigorous environmental criterions in recent old ages. and a more litigious environment with regard to these liabilities ; †¢ take or pay contracts. where the mark company must accept bringing of certain goods. regardless of whether they are needed. This may merely be a impermanent issue where the stock list that must be accepted can later be sold. However. it does bind up hard currency during the interim period. and in some instances. the merchandises taken may hold to be written down in order to be liquidated ; and†¢ losingss on forward currency contracts and hereafters contracts. Some companies will utilize forward and hereafters contracts to cut down operating hazards. However. hazard decrease in this regard besides means that a company will non bask the upside potency where it occurs. For illustration. a hard currency flow prognosis may hold favorable premises sing foreign exchange rates. However. where the mark company is locked in at a less favorable rate. either the prognosis should be adjusted. or the pending loss on the forward exchange contract should be recognized. In add-on to merchandise liabilities. purchasers should mind of exaggerated assets. For illustration. in the months prior to a sale. a marketer sometimes will prosecute in cargo gross revenues in order to increase its grosss and histories receivable. Alternatively. some companies will hold an stock list count that includes disused points that antecedently had been written off. Inflated trade assets have the same impact as concealed trade liabilities. Therefore. close examination of tendencies. ratios. and alterations in recent fiscal consequences is needed to observe such exaggerations to the extent possible. DecisionsA thorough and nonsubjective reappraisal of the fiscal statements of an acquisition or amalgamation campaigner is an indispensable constituent of unfastened market minutess. This includes both historical fiscal statements. prognosis operating consequences ( where they exist ) . and the back uping notes and agendas thereto. The focal point of the analysis should be on the determiners of equity value. including the sum and timing of prospective discretional hard currency flows. the degree of hazard involved. the being of excess assets. and the sum of involvement bearing debt ( and equivalents ) outstanding. In add-on. it is of import to find whether any concealed trade liabilities exist that serve to cut down the implicit in cyberspace runing assets of the mark company. and consequently reduces the value and monetary value that would be paid for its portions.