Case Study on Entrepreneurship: Larry Page

Business Analysis

The Boundaryless Career: Modern Contemperory Perspective on Career

Human Resource Management

Concepts of Throughput Accounting and Theory of Constraints

Financial Management

Gantt Charts – Tool for Project Planning and Scheduling

Project Management

Kaizen – Understanding the Japanese Business Philosophy of Continuous Improvement

Operations Management

Case Study: The Whistleblowing Case of Sherron Watkins in Enron

Whistleblowing Case of Sherron Watkins in Enron Whistleblowing is more about an individual’s moral judgment than it is about clear requirements that obligate individuals to reveal tricky organizational transactions that pose great risks to the public. There are two types of whistleblowing, namely internal and external. In many cases, only external whistleblowing is recognized because reporting that exists within an organization comprises the normal feedback channels that solve internal problems. Moreover, many feedback channels work within the organization and internal issues are not taken outside. In the Enron scandal of 2001, the main whistleblower Sherron Watkins informed the company’s top management that Enron was at risk of collapse because of the innumerable financial inconsistencies she had discovered in the firm’s financial statements. Watkins wrote an anonymous letter to the company’s founder, Kenneth Lay after discovering that Enron was engaging in unethical accounting practices. Prior to the eruption of the scandal, Continue reading

Abey Francis

Art of Prioritization – A Must Tool for Effective Business Management

Setting an agenda, reviewing activities, and allocating time and effort in such a manner as to provide maximum value in a short amount of time is essential in thoughtful prioritizing. Addressing the emails with the various situation also requires certain prioritization and strategic approaches. Because low-priority work may need to be stopped to accomplish urgent tasks, prioritization should also be flexible. We should keep in mind that no matter how carefully focused, there is only so much that can be accomplished in a single day, and certain unpredictable variables are unavoidable. Setting objectives and prioritizing work should both be practical, and the emails have to be addressed in a similar fashion – first, the most urgent and the most potentially valuable case. It is vital to remember that the goal of prioritizing is to spend time on the most important activities, the ones that will matter in the long term, Continue reading

Abey Francis

Difference between Trademark and Trade Secret?

A trademark is one of the most valuable components of a company’s functioning, which can provide it with a significant competitive advantage. Trademarks are a method of protecting symbols that are proprietary to a company. Hence, it consists in confidential information that describes the processes or things that characterize the organization. It can be a phrase, a slogan, a symbol, or a mixture of these aspects. To qualify for a trademark, the information must correspond to specific points. It must have commercial value for the company, must be known to a limited number of people, and fall under such documents as consent to conceal data for the persons by whom it is used. The 3M logo is an example of a trade mark.  The red or black combination, the font, the fact the curves of the “3” lay tangent to the “M” are is something that is universally recognized by a Continue reading

Abey Francis

Strategy Development and Leveraging Core Competencies

Strategy allows an organisation to deliver its vision. To develop a deliberate strategy which could potentially increase the sustainability of an organisation clearly requires the identification of core competencies but often a single strategy is not the answer. Organisations require a headline strategy to fit a brief which resonates the vision but several strategies are required over many departments such as research and development, production and marketing to deliver the main strategy. The process of strategy development is complex and methodology depends on several factors including the availability of resources and the external environment. The second step in strategy development following identification of core competencies, which is the process of leveraging resources so they can be exploited for maximum benefit. An organisation’s resources can be tangible, intangible or human and that these can be matched to its capabilities to eventually provide competitive advantage. This process of exploiting the unique combination Continue reading

Abey Francis

Case Study: Critical Success Factors of Tesco

Tesco PLC is a British merchandise retailer that was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen. It has operations in 12 countries around the world. It is the largest retailer in the U.K. with more than 530,000 employees. Currently, Tesco serves more than 75 million customers every week. Tesco is present in Malaysia, India, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, and China. The retailer is the third largest in the world in terms of revenues and a market capitalization of more than £20.5 billion in 2013. After its founding, Tesco operated for many years selling grocery only in the U.K. Today, the multinational retailer has diversified its operations into other areas that include electronics, furniture, software, clothing, books, internet services, and financial services. The company has good online presence and makes great sales through its website. The success of Tesco has been studied for a very long time because of its size and Continue reading

Abey Francis

Transferring Core Competencies for Organization Success

Development and expansion organizations’ core competency is one of the main success factors of many organizations. However, if organizations do not apply correct measures when transferring core competencies for one business to another, the likelihood of failure is high. Transfer of core competencies is one of the most important business diversification strategies of ensuring organizations reduce costs of starting over again in new business ventures. Transferring core competencies and resource strengths from one country market to another is a good way for companies to develop broader or deeper competencies and competitive capabilities that can become a strong basis for sustainable competitive advantage. It mostly works via capitalizing on operational relatedness, primarily applying the constrained multi-product strategy. This strategy offers organizations a chance of realizing and exploiting economies of scope, a crucial pathway for gaining a competitive advantage over other businesses. In addition, it guarantees organizations opportunities for utilizing existing expertise Continue reading

Abey Francis