QUESTION 2:

What are the conditions that create creativity in entrepreneurship

Identify the sentence that is grammatically correct. All of the other sentences contain a dangling modifier.

Atlantic Video, a small video rental store in Philadelphia, is open 24 hours a day, and—due to its proximity to a major business school—experiences customers arriving around the clock. A recent analysis done by the store manager indicates that there are 10 customers arriving every hour, with a standard deviation of interarrival times of 1 minute(s). This arrival pattern is consistent and is independent of the time of day. The checkout is currently operated by one employee, who needs on average 2.90 minute(s) to check out a customer. The standard deviation of this checkout time is 2 minute(s), primarily as a result of customers taking home different numbers of videos.

(a) If you assume that every customer rents at least one video (i.e., has to go to the checkout), what is the average time a customer has to wait in line before getting served by the checkout employee, not including the actual checkout time (within one minute)?  (Round your answer to two decimal places.)

The average waiting time is ___ minutes?

(b) If there are no customers requiring checkout, the employee is sorting returned videos, of which there are always plenty waiting to be sorted. How many videos can the employee sort over an eight hour shift (assume no breaks) if it takes exactly 1.9 minutes to sort a single video?  (Round your answer to nearest whole number.)

Number of videos the employee can sort is ___ sorts ?

(c) What is the average number of customers at the checkout desk (both waiting and being served)? (Round your answer to two decimal places.)

The average number of customers is ?

(d) Now assume for this question only that 12 percent of the customers do not rent a video at all and therefore do not have to go through checkout. What is the average time a customer has to wait in line before getting served by the checkout employee, not including the actual checkout time? Assume that the coefficient of variation for the arrival process remains the same as before. (Round your answer to two decimal places.)

The average waiting time is ?

Carrie Southern supervises the clerical division of the public works department. The department is made up of several divisions, some that focus on management support and others that provide direct public works services such as street maintenance and repair. Southern found that she makes approximately 30 percent less than three male supervisors in the department. In examining the situation with four other female supervisors, she noticed that they are all paid 20 to 30 percent less than the male supervisors. Southern talked with her female colleagues, and they all agreed that the pay structure seemed discriminatory. They asked for a meeting with the director of public works and asked him to rectify the situation. He denied the request saying that the pay structure was within his discretion to establish and that he believed it was fair. Southern and her colleagues appealed to the next level, the assistant city manager. Normally, the assistant city manager would ask the personnel department to investigate, but the personnel director is married to the director of public works. You are called in as a consultant to investigate the situation and prepare a report and recommendations for the assistant city manager.

Question

1. Prepare a request for information on which you will base your report and recommendations. In this report, indicate the facts you need to know in order to examine this case and why you need the particular information you are requesting.

Mo’men, the sandwich company, launched its first branch in 1988 as a family-run business for sandwich takeaway and delivery. Today, Mo’men is the third biggest player in Egypt’s fast-food market and has the third biggest market share, serving over 9.5 million customers a year. This transformation from a small family business to one of Egypt’s leading fast-food players did not happen overnight; it is a result of a combination of ingredients, which, when put together, created the perfect recipe for success. When the three Mo’men brothers first launched Mo’men, their main focus was to define its brand identity and product offering. They succeeded in building a brand with a local family feel. They also succeeded at differentiating Mo’men’s product offering across three levels: product composition, product packaging , and product variety. Once brand identity and product offering were defined, the next challenge was to expand Mo’men’s operations across Egypt without compromising the quality of its products or services. In order to do so, clearly defined operating standards had to be established and implemented. Accordingly, the Mo’men brothers developed the Mo’men standard review to audit the company operations and ensure consistency across all branches. The idea behind Mo’men was to offer innovative sandwiches for quick pick-up or delivery to customers. The first branch opened in Heliopolis and did not have a sit-in area for dining. The business started with a capital of EGP 12,000 (US $2000) and no brand recognition. When the company launched, the main objective of the three brothers was to turn the store into a profitable, revenue-generating business; they successfully did so. The first ingredient in Mo’men’s success was finding a catchy, easy to remember name that set it apart from international and local brands that would enter the Egyptian market. The name Mo’men was initially chosen in reference to the last name of the three founding brothers. This name has built the foundation for Mo’men’s brand image: it is catchy, easy to remember name with a local ring to it. “Mo’men” translating into ‘faithful” or “believer”, has a differentiated proposition from international competitors. It is seen as a home-grown champion in the Egyptian market which offers a blend between local taste and culture with international branding and quality. Building a brand based on a family name instilled the second ingredient in Mo’men’s branding success: a strong sense of family culture. From the start of its operations in 1988 till today, Mo’men continues to value and emphasize the sense of family in its working culture. For instance, when Mo’men opened its second branch in Agamy, a popular summer destination in Egypt, its staff wore shorts and t-shirts to mirror the culture of its clients. The Agamy branch became an instant hit, and further expanded recognition of the Mo’men brand. The second ingredient to Mo’men’s success is differentiation of its products. Mo’men was able to differentiate its products on three levels: product composition, product variety and product packaging. Its key competitive advantage was to offer innovative sandwiches that were not already present in the market. The ingredients used were available and well-known in the market. However, the Mo’men brothers succeeded in combine these ingredients to create sandwiches that had anextra twist to them. For instance, when M’men first started , it was renowned for its shawarma sandwiches. The success of the shawarma sandwiches was due to the addition of extra spices that other shawarma sellers did no add. There was no R&D department. Instead the three Mo’men brothers would just try adding or removing ingredients until they found the perfect combination for the company’s signature sandwiches, such as the Chicken Keuive, were developed. Mo’men also provided its customers with a large variety of sandwiches, making it one of the few players in Egypt fast-food market to offer such a wide range of choices. For instance, Mo’men offers customers six categories of food: chicken, seafood, salads, snacks and deserts. This categorization is similar to ther players in the market. However, what is different is the large number of different products offered under each category. Mo’men offers 12 beef sandwiches, 12 chicken sandwiches, 6 seafood sandwiches, 6 types of salads, and five different deserts; thereby ensuring every customer’s taste is met. The Mo’men brothers then took an extra further step in differentiating their products. Not only did their sandwiches taste different , they were also packed differently. All sandwiches are packed in a colorful , high-quality carton, which is color-coded according to type of sandwich. Beef sandwiches are packed in red cartons, chicken sandwiches are packed in warm yellow cartons, and seafood sandwiches are packed in golden yellow cartons. As production of Mo’men sandwiches began to grow, the Mo’men brothers wanted to ensure that all Mo’men sandwiches looked and tasted the same, regardless of who assembled them and where they were served. In order to fdo so the Mo’men brothers began to define operating standards. Operating standards included the exact amount of ingredients to be used in each sandwich, the amount of time each sandwich should be served in store, the exact way of communicating an order between staff, and so on. The Mo’men brothers recall the starting point for defining operating standards began with defining the exact amount of condiments to be used in each sandwich. Condiment jars were weighed before and after each sandwich was made. The net weight became the set target for condiment use per sandwich. Today, each Mo’men store has identical menus and identical sandwiches. Clearly defined operating standards and operating processes have enabled Mo’men to grow without compromising the quality of its products or service. Clear definition of operating standards and processes enable Mo’men to deliver the same level of quality across its branches. However, in order to sustain this level of quality over time, a special ingredient needed to be present: the auditing of operating standards and processes. Auditing occurs in a cycle. It refers to the examination of each operating standard to ensure it is fully followed as well as continuous identification of ways to improve each operating standard. For example, when it comes to auditing operating standards for Mo’men sandwich delivery, an auditor examines each step involved in delivering the Mo’men sandwich , sets a target for the time this process should take, and continuously looks for ways to exceed the target delivery time. These new ways become the basis for anew action plan to improve delivery time, which is then audited again. Accordingly, the company has developed the Mo’men standard review (MSR), which is a scoring system for each restaurant, designed specifically to audit Mo’men’s level of service, quality and cleanliness. Each branch has a quality team which is responsible for filling out the MSR and communicating it to the branch staff. The MSR pinpoints critical areas of operational improvement. On reviewing the score, the branch’s staff can identify operational strengths as well as development areas. These development areas form the basis of a new action plan to further improve operations. This combination of ingredients has created the perfect recipe for Mo’men’s local success. Mo’men restaurants are serving more than double the number of customers and achieving double the sales per restaurant compared to any of the international brands operating in Egypt. Today, Mo’men restaurants are in the process of rapid expansion to open more restaurants, serving Mo’men sandwich lovers all over Egypt and Overseas. Mo’men’s next challenge is global expansion of its brand and products. It has set out on this path via a series of joint ventures and acquisitions. In October 2005, Mo’men opened its first branch in Sudan, which became an instant success, generating revenues four times those forescasted before its opening. Since then, Mo’men has opened up branches across the Arab world and beyond, with eight branches in Bahrain, three in Lybia, two in Sudan, one in Malaysia, and one in the UAE. The UAE expansion began in 2007 as a joint venture between Mo’men and AL Islami food, with a 15 year span and a total investment of US$22 million. In Malaysia, Mo’men is looking at acquiring a chain of about 20 restaurants for approximately US$5 million. According to Mo’mem’s chairman, the company is looking to acquire various local firms working in food production outside the meat and dairy sector, and has up to US$12.5 million to exapanf ist market presence globally. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Emirates are among the markets in which the group is eyeing acquisitions. Mo’men has gone from a small local takeaway and delivery business to Egypt’s third largest fast-food player after MC Donald’s and KFC. The Mo’men brothers leveraged Mo’men’s success in Egypt and aspired for global growth. Through a series of acquisitions and joint ventures, they were able to expand gradually throughout the Arab world. Mo’men’s plans dp not stop at global expansion. Mo’men group is planning to sell a 40 per cent stake in itself in an initial public offering (IPO)in late 2012. The IPO’s value would not be less than US$70 million. If Mo’men moves in this direction its main challenge would be to maintain a favorable environment for effective corporate governance, where each employee’s role is clearly defined and communicated, starting from the chairman all the way to the cleaner. Corporate governance is a key ingredient in maintaining transparency to investors.

Q: What expansion strategies did Mo'men pursue?

Sarah’s Organic Soap Company makes four kinds of organic liquid soap: regular, lavender, citrus, and tea tree. The demand for the four scents are 150, 120, 75, and 50 kg per hour respectively. Sarah’s production process can produce any soap at the rate of 450 kg per hour, but 1.5 hours are needed to switch between scents. During those switchover times, the process doesn’t produce any soap. Sarah wants to choose a production schedule that (i) cycles repeatedly through the four scents, (ii) meets the required demand and (iii) minimizes the amount of inventory held.

How many kg of regular soap should Sarah produce before switching over to another scent? (Round the answer to 3 decimal places.)

Number of Regular Soap in kg?

Sarah uses 1,000 kg of organic palm oil per day on average. The supplier charges a $60 delivery fee per order (which is independent of the order size) and $4.75 per kg. Sarah's annual holding cost is 25%. Assume 52 weeks per year and 5 days per week.

Sarah’s supplier is willing to sell her palm oil at a 5% discount if she purchases 10,000 kg at a time. If she were to purchase 10,000 kg per order, what would be her average inventory holding and delivery fees per day (in $)? (Round both answers to 2 decimal places.)

(Note: Do not include her purchasing costs per day, which would be 1,000 × 4.75 × 95%.)

Inventory Costs per Day ?

Delivery Feeds per Day ?

1. What are three challenges that Netflix faces? 2. What are the key elements of Netflix's strategy today? 3. Why is Netflix in competition with Apple, Amazon, HBO, and Google, and what strengths does Netflix bring to the market?please need good answer!

Ascena: Odds of Survival in Speciality Retail (case 33)

Porters Five Force Model

1. Threat of New Entrants?

2. Bargaining Power of Buyers?

3. Bargaining Power os Suppliers?

4. Threat of Substitutes?

5. Intensity of Rivalry?

2. Describe the value net for a local brewing company of your choice. How can coopetition serve this company and others connected to this industry?

Use this information for the next four Questions

A firm is experimenting with its approach to forecasting. They are using exponential smoothing, but trying different smoothing parameters. When forecasting demand for even numbered weeks, they use a smoothing parameter of .35. For odd numbered weeks, they use .25. For week 3, the forecasted sales were 125 units. Based on this information, calculate the forecast for week 5.

The forecast is _________________.

Group of answer choices

None of the other choices

125

113

120

140

Question 11

The forecast for week 7 will be less than the forecast for week 4

Group of answer choices

True

False

Question 12

The forecast error for week 5 had a higher magnitude (Absolute Percentage Error - APE) than the error for week 6.

Group of answer choices

False

True

Question 13

What is the % difference in APEs for weeks 4 and 6?

Group of answer choices

2% difference

20% difference

4% difference

8% difference

Clothing manufacturing is among the most controversial industries in the world. During the past 20 years or so, much greater attention has been paid to how and where our clothes are made, particularly in light of tragedies such as the blaze that tore through a garment manufacturing facility in Bangladesh in 2012, killing 117 people – a factory that supplied clothing to American retailers including Walmart and Sears. Considering greater awareness about the use of sweatshops, demand for ethically made clothing has soared in recent years, a trend that has given rise to dozens of companies that want to change how we make and view clothing, including Ivorlane. Founded in 2010 by Michael Sussman, Ivorlane is boldly committed to ethical manufacturing. All Ivorlane’s garments are made in factories that meet the most stringent quality standards – not only in terms of the clothes themselves, but also in how workers are treated. Ivorlane only partners with manufacturers that demonstrate a strong commitment to their workers’ welfare, a fact the company prides itself upon in its marketing material. it tells its brand story, including how the company champions the rights and well-being of the workers who make its clothes. What’s interesting about Ivorlane, though, is its commitment to radical transparency.

4. Provide three examples of why Ethics is central to any company’s role.

5. Provide three examples of why without ethics problems in a company can last for generations.

6. In your opinion, what is the unit in the organization that can enforce ethics in daily practices.

QUESTION 45

According to Hofstede’s dimensions of national cultures, which of the following terms refers to the degree to which a society accepts unequal distribution of authority?

QUESTION 41

A culture that includes nonverbal signals and a strong consideration of situational cues when interpreting communication is a(n)…

QUESTION 37

_____________ involves having people with different backgrounds and skills. ____________ refers to leveraging those different backgrounds and skills by making sure all employees feel like an important part of the organization.

How might poor SHRM have a negative impact on organizations?

Assume that you are hired in a marketing manager position at a hotel. You are supposed to develop a marketing positioning statement and communicate it with all employees so that they can understand organizational marketing directions. There is no precedented work about a marketing strategy, and sooner or later, you need to start with the work. How can you lead to develop the positioning statement? Explain the process of developing the statement from the beginning (NOT about just making the statement).