How to Know You Aren’t Running Your Business Efficiently

Business efficiency is crucial for productivity and profit. As a result, you might expect every business to run efficiently to maximize its money-making potential. However, business efficiency is not a natural result of being in business. It takes time, effort, planning, and the right processes. As much as you might hope to achieve optimal business efficiency, these signs might indicate that you’re yet to achieve that goal:  You Have High Operational Costs It’s not always easy to know when you have higher-than-normal operational costs. You might have always been paying as much as you are and know no different. However, comparing your operating costs to other businesses in the same industry can be worth doing. If they seem higher than average, you might need to make changes to bolster your bottom line.  Fortunately, you have time to turn things around. You can reach out to operations experts like Ops Kings Continue reading

Financial and Economic Meaning of Investment

Investment is the employment of funds with the aim of getting return on it. In general terms, investment means the use of money in the hope of making more money. In finance, investment means the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. Investment of hard earned money is a crucial activity of every human being. Investment is the commitment of funds which have been saved from current consumption with the hope that some benefits will be received in future. Thus, it is a reward for waiting for money. Savings of the people are invested in assets depending on their risk and return demands. Investment refers to the concept of deferred consumption, which involves purchasing an asset, giving a loan or keeping funds in a bank account with the aim of generating future returns. Various investment options are available, offering differing Continue reading

Relationship Marketing – Relationship Based Marketing Strategy

Relationship marketing is the philosophy of doing business, a strategic orientation that focuses on keeping and improving current costumers, rather than acquiring new costumers. This philosophy assumes that the costumers prefer to have an ongoing relationship with one organization than to switch continually among providers in their search for value. Relationship Marketing refers to all marketing activities directed towards establishing, developing, and maintaining successful relational exchanges. From these to definition it can be see that the overall objective of relationship marketing is to create long lasting relationships with consumers instead of focusing on the point of sale approach (which is to attract new consumers each sale). The firm must create a unique relationship with the consumer which cannot be replicated by their competitors and thus give them a long lasting competitive advantage. It can also be argued that it is cheaper to retain a consumer than to attract a new Continue reading

Case Study of General Motors (GM): How a Lack of Innovation can Cause Business Failure

Innovation is the process whereby the management team of an organization is charged with the responsibility of introducing something new, which might be a new idea or a methodology or rather, a contrivance to facilitate the operational concerns and production. The Old General Motors failed with innovations in the company. These innovations were needed to ensure that the Old GM able remains competitive, and the company was able to manufacture cars that are in line with the client’s demands. This is related to the Old GM field of business to ensure that the organization do continue to produce the respective consumer centered product. The manufacturing industry such as the General Motors, innovation ensure that the output they deliver to the consumer do meet their needs, and expectations in a way that is realistic and makes their product to have a preference by the consumers against other same need satisfying product. Continue reading

Case Study of Mastercard: Going Upscale

Check, cash, or credit card? How many times have you heard that question and replied “credit card” without even thinking about it? When you do think about it, however, credit cards are a relatively new phenomenon. Yet when it comes time to pay, it seems we’re more likely to use the credit card (and to have several of them) than checks or cash. Indeed, some writers have even suggested that, in the not so distant future, we will all operate with “plastic money” all the time. MasterCard had its beginnings in 1966, when a group of banks joined together to form the Interbank Card Association (ICA). The ICA was founded by an association of banks rather than by a single dominant bank. Member committees ran the association by establishing rules for authorization, clearing, and settlement as well as marketing, security, and legal matters. In 1968, ICA went “global” by forming Continue reading

What is Competitive Advantage? Definition and Meaning

The choice of industry affects firm performance but, within any given industry, some companies are more profitable than others. Why do some companies do better than their competitors? A firm that formulates and implements a strategy that leads to superior performance relative to other competitors in the same industry or the industry average has  a  competitive advantage.  The greater the performance, the greater is its competitive advantage. A sustained competitive advantage occurs when a firm maintains above-average performance for a number of years. “When a firm sustains profits that exceed the average for its industry, the firm is said to possess a competitive advantage over its rivals. The goal of much of business strategy is to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage”  (Porter, 1985) Strategy describes the goal-directed actions a firm intends to take in its quest to gain and sustain competitive advantage.  The firm that possesses competitive advantage provides superior Continue reading