National Office Machines Case Essay Example for Free

National Office Machines Case Essay 1. What factors contributed to Euro Disney’s poor performance during its first year of operation? What factors contributed to Hong Kong Disney’s poor performance during its first year?  The factors that led to Euro Disney’s poor performance were the lack of understanding of the French culture, mistaken assumptions, and ethnocentrism by the American management. Since the prices of the hotels and entrances were different and much higher in Europe, the park attendance was low. It was actually cheaper for European families to travel to Disney World in Orlando, FL than to EuroDisney. Eisner was a little arrogant when he assumed people from all over Europe would come to Paris, when there are many different cultures in Europe, each one expecting adaptation. It isn’t like the U.S. where the culture is much the same throughout. Each country has its own culture. The guest expectations weren’t up to par, and the customer service wasn’t as expected. There was a ban on alcohol when the French are the biggest wine drinking country and the poor and underestimated arrangement of breakfast didn’t settle well with the French. It failed in Hong Kong because its service standpoint was below standards. The cultural factors also added to the failure of the theme park they did not adapt to the Chinese culture. They have improved however culture isn’t everything the rides weren’t the quality that guests expected it to be. 2. To what degree do you consider that these two factors were (a) foreseeable and (b) controllable by EuroDisney, Hong Kong Disney, or the parent company, Disney? In terms of the foreseeable factors, they should have taken into consideration cross cultural differences, the Gulf War of 1991, 1980’s European recession, high interest rates and devaluation of several currencies, World Fair in Seville and the Olympics in Barcelona, and the ban on alcohol consumption. Controllable factors were mistaken assumptions, initial pricing, design and marketing policies, early advertising that was more expensive, poor and underestimated arrangement of breakfast, and arrogance of Disney’s management. 3. What role does ethnocentrism play in the story of EuroDisney’s launch? Ethnocentrism is the belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own culture, and all other cultures are measured in relation to it. This happened when the Disney management did not try and understand the French expectations or wishes, and went ahead and implemented the Disney Park as per their wishes. The French, of course did not accept this since they never wanted the Americanized entertainment. Disney management had the resources available to get a marketing opinion from European sources that would have saved them from failure. However, since they were profitable with the other Disney parks, the management did not see as this park being any different. If only they had consulted with European marketers, they could have avoided pricing mistakes, food and drink mistakes, and entertainment mistakes. 4. How do you assess the cross-cultural marketing skills of Disney? In the beginning Disney’s cross-cultural marketing skills were far below par. Simply put, they did not do their homework, but when failure crept up they realized their mistakes. Now they have hired European management, who has a better idea of what they are doing. They not only changed their marketing and pricing strategies, but they also changed the food and drink as well. Therefore, in the end, Disney’s cross-cultural skills have improved significantly. 5. Why did success in Tokyo predispose Disney management to be too optimistic in their expectations of success in France? Discuss. In Japan Disney park was a huge success due to the fact that the Japanese had a sentimental attachment to American cartoon characters. The Japanese tourists enjoyed themselves at the park because they could automatically relate to these characters. This resulted in a profit not only in the first year, but in the second year as well. There were 14 million people that visited Tokyo Disney Park the second year and 3/4th of them were repeat customers. With these high figures and profits, Disney management had high hopes while constructing the park in Paris. They didn’t feel the need to do any research since the Japanese adapted so well to the American customs and Disney management figured the French would be no different. However, this was completely the opposite of what happened. The French did not accept the American customers and a failure resulted in Paris. 6. Why do you think the experience in France didn’t help Disney avoid some of the problems in Hong Kong? First are the cultural differences. In Hong Kong, they only considered Chinese style in the park design. Also, they still overpriced the park. They didn’t take into consideration the actual price level of the country and blindly set prices high so that visitors could not afford, and moved on to other amusement parks. Last is the marketing. Disney management did not market its entertainment concept. Like France, Hong Kong has their own cartoon image and was not familiar with Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. 7. Now that Hong Kong Disney is up and running, will the Shanghai development benefit from the Hong Kong experience? Disney management will know exceptionally well that doing research is the first step. Familiarize the customer base with the characters first and foremost so that way when you â€Å"open the gates† it is a warm, relaxing feeling seeing familiar faces. They should also make sure and set prices at a fair level. Look into the income level of the population and make an educated decision. 8. Now that Disney has begun work on the new Hong Kong and Shanghai locations, where and when should it go next? Assume you are a consultant hired to give Disney advice on the issue of where and when to go next. Pick three locations and select the one you think will be the best new locations and select the one you think will be the best new location for Disneyland X, and discuss. India, Australia, and Brazil are three locations that I would advise Disney to consider next. I think the best location would be India. India is coming up as next big market is almost every field due to strong presence of customer base and more disposable income. American culture is already so popular in India. Hollywood became so popular that India created its own Bollywood. India also has the second largest population in the world, so financially Disney would excel with that customer base. Again Disney would have to be careful with the food choices and pricing. Australia would also be a great choice for obvious reasons. There location from other countries would be ideal since it would not cannibalize other locations’ attendance. Also, since they are an English speaking country there would not be a language barrier. Australia is such a compact nation that no matter where you placed the Disney park people would be able to easily access it. The third country I think would be ideal is Brazil. It is a powerful and emerging nature, and although they have a strong culture, with a lot of research could be very prosperous. They also have a very large population that would financially be beneficial to Disney. It would also be a good location to service Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. 9. Given your choice of locale X for the newest Disneyland, what are the operational implications of the history of EuroDisney and Disney Hong Kong for the new park? After the failed attempt at Disney Paris, Disney should have a lot of experience now in opening theme parks. I think with extensive research and a culturally intelligent management, Disney will excel in Disney India. This time the management will do their homework and find out the cultural differences, customs, traditions, food, drink, etc. Since there is a language barrier, they will also have a team of leaders who are fluent in the language to help the American team.

Stalin Hitler Mussolini Essay -- essays research papers

Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Benito Mussolini were all famous leaders of their time. When the word famous is mentioned for their description, it is not necessarily good. In fact none of them were known for anything good. You could say they were in†famous†. They all lead during the same time period; during the early to mid 1900s. Stalin was part of the Russians, Mussolini was with the Italians, and Hitler was with the Germans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Joseph Stalin, of Russia, was completely uninterested in ideological debates, as he wanted to establish his own power within the Soviet system. Stalin had Trotsky expelled and ousted Bukharin in order for this to occur. Because of his torture technique for people to confess their crimes, about 10 million Russians were arrested in the late 1930s. Stalin even sent an assassin to kill Trotsky in 1940. In 1928, Stalin implemented the Five-Year Plan to expand Russia into an industrial nation. In order to find money for this, Stalin forced the kulaks, or wealthy peasants, to work on the farms. All of this brought the Soviet Union to a major industrial power in the end of the 1930s, while all others were in a devastating economic depression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Benito adopted his father’s Socialist beliefs. His views began to change during the war when Mussolini broke with his fellow Socialists and supported Italy’s entrance into the war. He formed the National Fascist Party, which fought leftist organizations. The...

Nike Inc

Kim Ford, the portfolio manager, outstanding performance of the fund. In order to evaluate Nikkei as a viable choice, Kim has to calculate the cost of capital for the company and make sure assumptions are a direct function from the estimates. The cost of capital calculation or WAC helps to see if an investment is worthwhile to undertake. However, the assumptions made to calculate WAC, in this case, are the underlying problem because some of the assumptions made are incorrect. Analysis Nikkei held a meeting to discuss company performance at 2011 end of fiscal year.In the meeting, management discussed their strategy to improve revenues and net income by developing more athletic shoe products in the misplaced segment of selling shoes at $70-$90 a pair. The company also planned to increase sales for its apparel line, which it had performed really well lately. Management was also concern in the drop of market share from 48%, in 1997, to 42% in 2000. Nikkei was also committed to make an ef fort in controlling company expenses more diligently. Yet, Nine's investment value was not clear to Kim Ford. Analysts' reports had mixed recommendations about the value of the company.Some analysts were recommending buying the stock and some others were recommending holding the stock. Different recommendations were based on the company's declining performance and the proposed strategies to improve the same. Weakening revenues and net income since 1997 are displayed in their firm's consolidated statement showing an improvement in the later years as well. Therefore, Ford had to run her own calculations. Kim Ford performed a discounted cash flow forecast that resulted in a 12% discount rate with an overvalued estimate for Nikkei at the current share price.Ford also performed a quick sensitivity analysis that showed Nikkei was undervalued. Ford figured the best way to make a choice about Nikkei is by calculating the cost of capital cause Nikkei is financed through equity and debt. Ford asked her assistant, Johanna Cohen, to estimate Nine's cost of capital. WAC is the cost of capital for a firm as a whole and can be interpreted as the required return on the overall firm (Ross, Westfield & Jordan, 2010). Some of the assumptions made by Johanna Cohen in calculating the cost of capital are incorrect.As stated before, the correct assumptions are necessary in order to make the right choice. Johanna used the book values for equity and debt. While book values are acceptable values for debt at times, book values for equity are not. Book values may be important from an accounting point of view but market values are forward looking. Therefore, Johanna should have calculated the equity market value. The debt market value calculated by Johanna is also slightly incorrect. Johanna did not include Redeemable Preferred Stock in her calculation.Consequently, Cone's To figure out the cost of equity Johanna used CAMP, a widely used method. CAMP tells what to expect in regards to fut ure returns on a share of stock. Johanna did right by using this method; however, her calculations include an average for six years on Betas and it should be an average for five years, since the 6th year is not finished. In addition, the 5. 74% rate on 20- year treasury bonds is sufficient to use as the risk-free rate. The geometric mean for current equity risk premiums is more representative to use.Under the cost of debt calculation, Johanna missed a simpler way to calculate the cost of debt. â€Å"The cost of debt is simply the interest rate the firm must pay on new borrowing. For example, if the firm already has bonds outstanding, then the yield to maturity on those bonds is the market required rate on the firm's debt† (Ross et al, 2010). Johanna could have simply calculated the YET on Nine's bonds. Since some of Cone's assumptions are incorrect, the cost of capital calculation does not reflect an accurate result. Nike Inc Kim Ford, the portfolio manager, outstanding performance of the fund. In order to evaluate Nikkei as a viable choice, Kim has to calculate the cost of capital for the company and make sure assumptions are a direct function from the estimates. The cost of capital calculation or WAC helps to see if an investment is worthwhile to undertake. However, the assumptions made to calculate WAC, in this case, are the underlying problem because some of the assumptions made are incorrect. Analysis Nikkei held a meeting to discuss company performance at 2011 end of fiscal year.In the meeting, management discussed their strategy to improve revenues and net income by developing more athletic shoe products in the misplaced segment of selling shoes at $70-$90 a pair. The company also planned to increase sales for its apparel line, which it had performed really well lately. Management was also concern in the drop of market share from 48%, in 1997, to 42% in 2000. Nikkei was also committed to make an ef fort in controlling company expenses more diligently. Yet, Nine's investment value was not clear to Kim Ford. Analysts' reports had mixed recommendations about the value of the company.Some analysts were recommending buying the stock and some others were recommending holding the stock. Different recommendations were based on the company's declining performance and the proposed strategies to improve the same. Weakening revenues and net income since 1997 are displayed in their firm's consolidated statement showing an improvement in the later years as well. Therefore, Ford had to run her own calculations. Kim Ford performed a discounted cash flow forecast that resulted in a 12% discount rate with an overvalued estimate for Nikkei at the current share price.Ford also performed a quick sensitivity analysis that showed Nikkei was undervalued. Ford figured the best way to make a choice about Nikkei is by calculating the cost of capital cause Nikkei is financed through equity and debt. Ford asked her assistant, Johanna Cohen, to estimate Nine's cost of capital. WAC is the cost of capital for a firm as a whole and can be interpreted as the required return on the overall firm (Ross, Westfield & Jordan, 2010). Some of the assumptions made by Johanna Cohen in calculating the cost of capital are incorrect.As stated before, the correct assumptions are necessary in order to make the right choice. Johanna used the book values for equity and debt. While book values are acceptable values for debt at times, book values for equity are not. Book values may be important from an accounting point of view but market values are forward looking. Therefore, Johanna should have calculated the equity market value. The debt market value calculated by Johanna is also slightly incorrect. Johanna did not include Redeemable Preferred Stock in her calculation.Consequently, Cone's To figure out the cost of equity Johanna used CAMP, a widely used method. CAMP tells what to expect in regards to fut ure returns on a share of stock. Johanna did right by using this method; however, her calculations include an average for six years on Betas and it should be an average for five years, since the 6th year is not finished. In addition, the 5. 74% rate on 20- year treasury bonds is sufficient to use as the risk-free rate. The geometric mean for current equity risk premiums is more representative to use.Under the cost of debt calculation, Johanna missed a simpler way to calculate the cost of debt. â€Å"The cost of debt is simply the interest rate the firm must pay on new borrowing. For example, if the firm already has bonds outstanding, then the yield to maturity on those bonds is the market required rate on the firm's debt† (Ross et al, 2010). Johanna could have simply calculated the YET on Nine's bonds. Since some of Cone's assumptions are incorrect, the cost of capital calculation does not reflect an accurate result.

An Irresistibly Powerful Rosa Parks - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1033 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/03/27 Category Politics Essay Level High school Tags: Rosa Parks Essay Did you like this example? Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, on February 4, 1913, to Leona , an instructor, and James McCauley, a woodworker. Notwithstanding African lineage, one of her extraordinary granddads was Scots-Irish and one of her incredible grandmas was a Native American slave. She was little as a youngster and endured weakness with incessant tonsillitis. At the point when her folks isolated, she moved with her mom to Pine Level, simply outside the state capital, Montgomery. She experienced childhood with a homestead with her maternal grandparents, mother, and more youthful sibling Sylvester. They all were individuals from the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), exceptionally old autonomous dark division established by free blacks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the mid nineteenth century. McCauley went to rustic schools until the age of eleven. As an understudy at the Industrial School for Girls in Montgomery, she took scholarly and professional courses. Parks went ahead to a lab school set up by the Alabama State Teachers College for Negroes for optional instruction, yet dropped out with the end goal to think about her grandma and later her mom, after they moved toward becoming ill. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "An Irresistibly Powerful Rosa Parks" essay for you Create order Around the turn of the twentieth century, the previous Confederate states had embraced new constitutions and discretionary laws that successfully disappointed dark voters and, in Alabama, numerous poor white voters also. Under the white-set up Jim Crow laws, go after Democrats recovered control of southern lawmaking bodies, racial isolation was forced in broad daylight offices and retail locations in the South, including open transportation. Transport and prepare organizations authorized seating approaches with isolated areas for blacks and whites. School transport transportation was inaccessible in any shape for dark schoolchildren in the South, and dark instruction was constantly underfunded. Parks went to grade school in Pine Level, where school transports took white understudies to their new school and dark understudies needed to stroll to theirs: Id see the transport pass each day be that as it may, to me, that was a lifestyle; we had no real option except to acknowledge what was the custom. The transport was among the primary ways I understood there was a dark world and a white world. In spite of the fact that Parks collection of memoirs describes early recollections of the thoughtfulness of white outsiders, she couldnt overlook the prejudice of her general public. At the point when the Ku Klux Klan walked down the road before their home, Parks reviews her granddad guarding the front entryway with a shotgun. The Montgomery Industrial School, established and staffed by white northerners for dark kids, was singed twice by fire playing criminals. Its staff was excluded by the white network. Over and again tormented by white youngsters in her neighborhood, Parks frequentl y battled back physically. She later stated: As far back as I recall that, I would never think as far as tolerating physical maltreatment without some type of countering if conceivable. Rosa Parks was also an activist in the common right obvious best known for her significant job in the Sir Bernard Law Montgomery Bus Boycott. The United States Congress has called her the main woman of social liberties and the mother of the exception development. On December 1st,1955, in Montgomery, AL, Parks rejected transport driver James F. Blakes structure to give up her seat in the hued segment to a white traveler, after the white-just segment was filled. Parks was not the main soul to oppose transport nonconformity, but rather the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) trusted that she was the best possibility for seeing through a court test after her capture for common noncompliance in disregarding Alabama isolation laws. Parks conspicuousness in the network and her ability to wind up a disputable casing enlivened the dark network to blacklist the Montgomery transports for over a year, the primary Major direct activity crusade of the social equality move Her case progressed toward becoming stalled in the country courts, yet the Federal Montgomery transport claim Browder v. Gayle prevailing in November 1956. Parks demonstration of disobedience and the Montgomery transport blacklist ended up vital images of the development. She turned into a universal symbol of protection from racial isolation. She sorted out and worked together with social equality pioneers, including Edgar Nixon, leader of the nearby part of the NAACP; and Martin Luther King, Jr., another priest in Montgomery who increased national conspicuousness in the social equality development and proceeded to win a Nobel Peace Prize. At the time, Parks was secretary of the Montgomery part of the NAACP. She had as of late gone to the Highlander Folk School, a Tennessee community for preparing activists for laborers rights and racial fairness. She went about as a private native tired of giving in. Albeit generally respected in later years, she additionally languished over her demonstration; she was terminated from her activity as a needle worker in a nearby retail chain, and got passing dangers for quite a long time subsequently. Not long after the blacklist, she moved to Detroit, where she quickly found comparative work. From 1965 to 1988 she filled in as secretary and assistant to John Conyers, an African-American US Representative. She was likewise dynamic operating at a profit Power development and the help of political detainees in the US. After retirement, Parks kept in touch with her collection of memoirs and kept on demanding that the battle for equity was not finished and there was more work to be done.In her last years, she experienced dementia. Parks got national acknowledgment, including the NAACPs 1979 Spingarn Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and an after death statue in the United States Capitols National Statuary Hall. Upon her demise in 2005, she was the primary lady and third non-US government authority to lie in respect in the Capitol Rotunda. California and Missouri remember Rosa Parks Day on her birthday February 4, while Ohio and Oregon celebrate the event on the commemoration of the day she was captured, December 1. My favorite person to learn about in history class when I was the 5th grade was this amazing woman and what has done not only for the south and her kind but what she has done for the United States.