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

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)

The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) was established in India with a view to provide an insurance cover against various risks in life. A monolith then, the corporation, enjoyed a monopoly status and became synonymous with life insurance. Its main asset is its staff strength of 1.24 lakh employees and 2,048 branches and over six lakh agency force. LIC has hundred divisional offices and has established extensive training facilities at all levels. At the apex, is the Management Development Institute, seven Zonal Training Centers and 35 Sales Training Centers. LIC of India is one of India’s leading financial institutions, offering complete financial solutions that encompass every sphere of life. From commercial banking to stock broking to mutual funds to life insurance to investment banking, the group caters to the financials needs of individuals and corporate. The LIC has a net of over Rs. 1,800 crore. With a presence in 82cities in Continue reading

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Case Study on Business Ethics: The Inside Story of the Collapse of AIG

AIG or  American International Group and its subsequent failure are one of, if not the most well-known company failures in financial history. Of the more recent bankruptcies filed for companies like Enron and Worldcom, the effects and unforeseeable consequences of the failure of a company like AIG would be much more widespread and felt by many more Americans at the lay person level. AIG is primarily an insurance company that sells Property casualty, life, and travel insurance to customers the world over. However, there was another arm to the company known as AIG FP or American International Group Financial Products division. This division dealt in the financial markets as more than an intermediary, but actually as a trader. The most publicized and understood version of what happened at AIG is that the federal government bailed them out. The term bailout has come to be understood as a final resort transaction Continue reading

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Case Study: Starbucks Social Media Marketing Strategy

With more than 17000 Starbucks stores in the world, spanning throughout 49 countries  , and with significantly higher prices than the market average, the Starbucks enterprise is a tale of success, and a direct result of a genius social marketing and branding strategy. At the core of the business their signature fresh, dark-roasted, full-flavored coffee brews and beans consorting with specialty teas and blended beverages, the special ambiance, its principles and its sense of connection and community; it’s all about creating the ‘Starbucks Experience’, which is the soul of the business, a place to gather, talk and enjoy the allures of their savory brews, a ‘Third Place’ in people’s lives between home and work, for customers to feel perfectly comfortable and imbued with familiarity. Connecting and engaging with the customers is a very important aspect of Starbucks philosophy and one of the reasons why they have been so successful in Continue reading

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Bank Rate or Discount Rate – Bank Rate Policy Defined

Bank Rate or Discount Rate  is one of the earliest methods of general credit control developed by the Bank of England and it was considered an effective method till the outbreak of First World War. After the war, Bank of England developed other methods as it found the bank rate policy to be not so effective. The essence of discount rate policy that commercial banks approach the central bank whenever they are in need of financial accommodation. They get the necessary assistance by re-discounting the eligible bills and other securities. The Central bank would re-discount these instruments at a rate which directly determines the volume of funds which the commercial banks can get through this method of financial accommodation. A revision of this re-discounting rate by the central bank will necessitate the commercial banks to change their rate of discounting of eligible bills and securities.  As a result the businessmen Continue reading

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Transnational Corporations (TNCs) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Decisions

Knowledge-intensive production, technological change, shrinking economic  space greater openness have also changed the context for Transnational Corporations (TNCs). There are new  opportunities and pressures to  utilize  them. The opening of markets creates  new geographical space for TNCs to expand in and access tangible and intangible  resources. It also permits wider choice in the methods firms can use (FDI, trade,  licensing, subcontracting, franchising, partnering and so on) to operate in  different locations. At the same time, advances in information, communication  and transportation technologies, as well as in managerial and organizational  methods, facilitate the trans-nationalization  of many firms, including SMEs. The  combination of better access to resources and a better ability to  organize  production  trans-nationally  increases the pressure on firms to  utilize  new  opportunities, lest their competitors do so first and gain a competitive advantage.  Competition is everywhere – there are fewer and fewer profit reservations and  market niches that remain protected Continue reading

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Business Valuation Methods

The cardinal rule of business valuation is, that the value of something cannot  stated in an abstract form; all that can be stated is the value of a thing in a particular place, at a particular time, in particular circumstances. Valuation of the target requires valuation of the totality of the incremental cash  flows and earnings.  Valuation of a target is based on expectations of both the magnitude and the timing of  realization  of the anticipated benefits. Where, these benefits are difficult to forecast, the valuation of the target is not precise. This exposes the bidder to valuation risk. The degree of this risk depends on the quality of information available to the bidder, which, in turn, depends upon whether the target is a private  or a public company, whether the bid is hostile or friendly, the time spent in preparing the bid and the pre-acquisition audit of the target. Continue reading

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