Staples-Nicole Damboise-Question #2

The organizational culture of the company has four parts, which are diversity, environment, community and ethics. Staples ensures that the workplace is diverse and accepts all races, age, and genders. They seek environmental excellence through providing products that are recyclable. Staples also helps the community by giving to charity. Lastly, Staples has a Code of Ethics that all employees need to follow, such as customer privacy and conflicts of interst.

Assignment #15- Apple/Napster Ques #3- Mike Dombrowski

I forgot to put my name in the title of the post below. I did the third question for the goup that is doing the Apple/Napster case. I just wanted to make sure it was clear since I forgot to put my name in the title of the post. Much apologies.

Assignment #15- Apple/Napster- Question #3

When looking at the case study, it can be seen that there are two main companies talked about and looked at. The first company mentioned was Napster. We all know about this company due to their prevelance in the news in the early part of the 2000s due to their legal woes. Well after some time, the company has risen again, this time in the legitamite nature and is running operational, abiding by all laws. The organizational structure that can be seen here in the new stages of Napster could be characterized as a "funcitonal structure". This is due to the fact that the first time around they were very small. Due to this they found themselves in many tight spots due to the fact that they did not have people to specialize in certain aspects of the company. This could have been a huge problem for why they got into such leagl trouble earlier in there inception because they did not have competent people looking out for the company in the legal area. Now that they are larger, they have specific individuals set aside for certain tasks so that the company runs well and has all of its bases covered. The second company that is talked about is Apple. We can see that Apple is a company that has the organizational structure that can best be summed up as a "product structure". This is so due to the fact that they offer an array of products. They focus their products, whether it be with the personal computer area or the ipod area, to the tastes of thier consumers and feedback they get from their target market. The production of different products makes them operate with different divisions of the larger company within its whole.

Pepsi and Coke- Eric Yoshikawa- #1

One of the ways both of these companies have been able to evaluate their performance is with the "pepsi/coke challenge". They ask people randomly to try both coke and pepsi, neither of which are labeled. One of the goals with this is to establish who has more consumers. Regardless of the outcome it helps because if pepsi isn't selling as well as cola but people prefer the taste over coke, it's something that they can hit on for their advertising. If it's already selling more then coke and people don't prefer it over coke, they can advertise that it's the best selling brand. From their the managers can compare the actual performannce against the established targets. If pepsi were to decide that they are spending more time making the product faster versus variation in quality they would start by making it flawless in production. This would change the difference in taste from each batch to making them all the same. This would make it so that testing would be more universal with little variations. Also it would make it so the consumer more willing to buying the product if religiously it would be the same. Finally they'd do more with research and development and diversification. One example you see with pepsi is advertising mountain dew to a younger generation versus pepsi. One example is snowboading events, you see mountain dew ads everywhere and almost never see pepsi ads. This is just one of a few examples how pepsi as well as coca cola market themselves

Daniel Wolski: Post 15 question 3

Toyota's Organizational structure by function is "product". Toyota as listened to to the customer and responded to their needs. Toyota's automotive products are one of the most expensive in the market, however the consumer is purchasing Toyota because they have focused on quality and listened to the costumer. In the 1950's Dr Edward Deming told U.S. automotive manufacturers they had to focus on quality, and he told them how to do it. they didn't listen, instead they relied on their laurels, and falled victim to a big ego. Deming went to Japan and taught Toyota and other Japanese manufactures about quality. they listened, and learned to listen to their costumers. while Ford and Chevy have continued to make gas guzzling eight cylinder trucks, Toyota was busy making fuel efficient cars like the Corolla and hybrids. Toyota's Cars last as well and offer features the costumer desire. Toyota Organizational structure by function is "product"

Senior Seminar- Assignment #15

This group blog must be completed by 7:00 AM on Thursday, December 6. Read chapter 9 and as a group answer all of the following questions about the company that you are doing your case study on. The first person in your group should do an original post, all subsequent entries from your group should be under COMMENTS to that person. Each person must answer a different question. You must identify the source you used in order to answer the question you selected. Label your post: The name of your company- your first and last name -and the number of the question you are answering.
(1) What strategic control systems are in place in your company?
(2) Describe your company's organizational culture.
(3) Is your company's organizational structure by function, geography, product, product-team, or multi-divisional?
(4) Is your company's structure tall or flat? How many levels exist in your company's structure?

Assignment #14- Ques 2- Mike Dombrowski

The most recent acquisition by Apple happened right before the original IPOD was introduced in October 2001. While developing the IPOD and licensing the software to run it, they learned that Toshiba was building a comparable hard drive that could hold over 1,000 songs. Apple quickly cut a deal with them allowing them exclusive rights to the drive for eighteen months.
The strategy was to prevent Toshiba from entering the market while being able to be the first to get their product out to the masses. This was a very intellligent move because they capitalized on the initial buyers and made large profits right from the beginning. This acquisition made a lot of sense and was a good idea for Apple in the long run.

Assignment #14~ Mallory Clynes

(1) Identify a strategic change your company has gone through in the last decade.

In 2003, Pepsi-Cola unveiled a new advertising campaign, "Pepsi. It's the Cola," whichis the brand's first major campaign shift since 1999. This new campaign highlighted the popular soft drink that goes with everything from food to fun. In 1999 Pepsi's campaign was, "The Joy of Cola," and in 2000 it was changed to, "The Joy of Pepsi." Also in 2003, Pepsi promoted, "Pepsi Play for a Billion" where they gave 1000 consumers the change to play for $1 billion on a live television show in The WB.

Assignment #14 (5) - Sandra Adams

(5) The core competencies of Toyota are customer first, people are the most valuable resource, continuous improvement, and shop floor focus.

Using the customer first and people are the most valuable resource are the best core competencies to use to decide which new business opportunities to pursue. Since the demand has been growing for fuel efficient and environmentally friendly cars, Toyota decision to improve upon the hybrid car will only bring them towards more success. People are not able to afford gas guzzling SUVs and have developed a new found interest in the environment. By moving towards meeting those customer needs, Toyota will continue to be one of the most successful car manufacturer.

Assignment #14 - Danielle O'Neill

(3) What is the most recent strategic alliance your company has formed? Identify and evaluate the rationale behind this alliance. Does it make sense?
The most recent strategic alliance that Sirius has formed was in December 2003, when Sirius signed a seven-year exclusive deal with the NFL to broadcast games in the 2005-2006 season. Sirius also signed a five-year deal with Howard Stern.
The most recent strategic alliance that XM has formed was in October 2004, when they signed an eleven-year $650 million deal with the MLB, giving XM exclusive rights to the satellite broadcast of MLB games beginning in 2005, including the World Series.
This makes sense for the companies because it justified the premium subscription price of its service for Sirius, and for XM it was a response to moves made by its competitor.

SENIOR SEMINAR- ASSIGNMENT #14

This group blog must be completed by 7:00 AM on Thursday, November 29th. Read chapter 8 and as a group answer all of the following questions about the company that you are doing your case study on. The first person in your group should do an original post, all subsequent entries from your group should be under COMMENTS to that person. Each group member must answer a different question.
(1) Identify a strategic change your company has gone through in the last decade.
(2) What is the most recent acquisition your company has made? Identify and evaluate the strategic rationale behind this acquisition. Does it make sense?
(3) What is the most recent strategic alliance your company has formed? Identify and evaluate the rationale behind this alliance. Does it make sense?
(4) What is the most recent internal venture your company has undertaken? Identify and evaluate the rationale behind this internal venture. Does it make sense?
(5) What are the current core competencies of your company? How could your company use these core competencies to decide which new business opportunities to pursue?

Thermo Electron- Question #1-Nicole Damboise

Thermo electron strategy created alot of value in regards to the company and its share holders, using an unusual diversification method. The companies sales went up an historic 3.6 million dollars through a numerous amounts of different products. This process happened very quickly and it created a large compound return average for its sharholders.

thermo Electron- #2- Eric Yoshikawa

While at first this strategy sounds very good, the idea of massing a bunch of companies together in a conglomerate. This however tends to do well for established companies. Such as GE owning GM and various other companies. Some argue if they have over extended themselves. Now back on the topic of Thermo Electron, more companies means more reports and earning statements. This means more money being spent. While this means that a few companies that aren't ass successful as other companies under Thermo Electron will bring them down. It also means that some of these companies will rush to produce products that might not be ready. Because whether you think it's true or not, they are competiting against each other. Take this for example, if one of the companies isn't doing as well as other companies there'll be more pressure to do atleast as well as that company. This will mean that the company will produce products that aren't quite ready for production. After all nobody wants to be financing the "black sheep" if you will. Buy having all of these companies under them, they are pushing companies to move faster then some of them really should be. Also as soon as Hatsopoulos stepped down as CEO in dropped about half of the companies it had aquired.

Thermo Electron- Question #2 Chad Schrepper

Although the success of Thermo Electron's diversfied strategy there are many drawbacks that they have encoutered as well. The complex strategy has a negative effect on share price, investors also complain that the strategy is to complicated. Having twenty-three subsidaries also means producing twenty-three annual reports and nintey-two quarterly reports, which has turned out to be a very costly process. Also having so many companies it spreads thier management and engineering talen very thin. Aurguably the biggest drawback is that if one of the subsidaries is not doing well, it effects the the whole company.

Question # 3 Danny Santana

The Thermo Electron strategy holds major drawbacks that beed to be assessed. When the company expaneded the parent company was losing track of the subsidiaries that were tangent with the company because there were too many subsidiaries. Rather then holding out and not going public most of the subsidiaries went public too early in the begining. This created more work for the parent company to keep up with overall. Thermo Electron could have used the strategy more efficiently if they would have invested time and thought in each of their companies. Because they did not do this it was hard to throw these the subsidiaries in the market and make them efficient on there own.

Thermo Electron- Question #1- Mallory Clynes

Thermo Electron was historically seen have having an unusual diversification strategy that created value for the company and its shareholders. They grew their sales over $3.6 billion, which also included power plants, artificial hearts, and laser hair removers. During the 1983-1997 time period, shareholders compound returns is averaged 28 percent a year.

CoCo Minott-#2

Because Thermo Electron chose to use a diversification strategy; problems occured quickly, and they were in every division. Thermo Eledctron should have established themselves with their main branch before even try to expand into different productions. It is nearly impossible to become successful on a different product/branch when the main one is not even successful and well known yet. Also by doing this Thermo Electron loses trust from their shareholders.

Thermo Electron - Question #3 John Garrity

The problems that occurred for Thermo Electron may be considered a downfall, but in comparison, shouldn’t degrade or invalidate the strategy that Mr. Hatsopoulos has created. Although rapid growth produced “premature” products per say and a complex corporate structure, the numbers say everything. Any large company are going to run into problems and downfalls in business, some more severe then others, but unless the numbers drastically change and the company’s success goes down the tube, the validity of the company shouldn’t be ruined by a few imperfections. Most of the problems due to the complex structure can be fixed or restructured with a little work. On the other hand, recalls and premature production needs to be relinquished because in the long run, there are no excuses for bad business. Bad business leads to more problems, and more problems pose a risk to the validity of the company.

Giardina #1

The Thermo Electron's unusual disversification strategy created value for the company and it's shareholders very quickly. Because they were so diverse into many different things, their sales were the first thing to grow and they did to 3.6 billion. If the company is making money then the stock is going to go up, making money for the shareholders.

Thermo Electron- Question #2 - Sandra Adams

The strategy used be Thermo Electron holds some major drawbacks. As the company expanded into various fields, the parent company was losing track of all the subsidiaries because there were too many too quickly. Rather than building a reputation for any of the subsidiaries almost all of them went public in the beginning, creating more work for the parent company to keep track of. Overall, Thermo Electron could have used this stragety more efficiently if they would have invested more time and thought into each of their companies rather than throwing them into the market to see how far it could be pushed.

Senior Seminar- Assignment #13

By 7:00 AM on Tuesday, November 27, your group is responsible for reading chapter 7 and answering all the questions at the end of the case, "Thermo Electron". The first person in your group should post his/her answer to any one of the questions. Subsequent entries from your group should address the remaining questions in any order under COMMENTS to the first person in your group to post. If you are the fourth or fifth person in your group to post, please research the company's website or look for electronic articles about the company in the Wall Street Journal or Harvard Business Review. Under comments post 5 new things you learned about the company from your research. Label your post: Thermo Electron- Question #- or the name of the website you visited- your first and last name.

Starbucks-Question#2- Eric Yoshikawa

I would classify Starbucks as pusuing the localization strategy. It has reacted well to markets overseas. One example given in the book was a green tea Frappuccino in asian countries. In the U.S. making the product based around the "on the go market". places like the U.K 85% of the sales are consumed on the premises. Obviously the difference from paper cups to actual mugs will start to pay off if you can reuse products such as these. In my mind this is the only strategy. You need to keep the core of what got you to where you are and you need to custom fit it to the market you entering.

Starbucks-Question #1~ Mallory Clynes

Starbucks' strategy of expanding overseas creates value for the company's shareholders because they are able to expand everything in the long run. Starbucks transfers a small amount of Americans to international markets, perferring that foreign operations be run by local managers who understand the market better. They have all of their store managers and employees attend training classes that are all very similar.

coco minott-#2

Joint ventures for starbucks is one of the easiest ways to have a successful business overseas. It is also one of the most effective. By having a partner business overseas, Starbucks will have an automatic in with the culture, language, economy etc. Starbucks wont have all the trouble of figuring out what works the best, the partner business will take care of this. It is also effective money wise, having a partner business to share expensives will be a huge advantage as well.

Planet Starbucks - Nerrisa Pareja

2. Using the global strategy framework I would classify Starbucks as pursing a localization strategy. The reason being is the fact that Starbucks is customizing its products to match the tastes and preferences of different national markets. For example, to cater to local tastes in Taiwan and Japan Starbucks came out with a "green tea frappuccino" and it is now the largest selling frappucino. In addition, in places over seas such as Japan, China, and the UK far more of what is ordered is eaten on premises therefore, Starbucks offers more seating and porcelain cups in their overseas retailers. This gives them a chance to linger and have their purchased items on Starbuck's premises. In America however, it opposite because people are more inclined to order to go. The book stated that 86 percent of the item order are taken in paper cups. I think that this is the correct strategy for Starbucks because they are adapting to their surroundings and they have succeeded in international markets.

Question #3- Chad Schrepper

3. Why do you think that Starbucks has used joint ventures with local companies to enter many foreign markets?

Establishing a joint venture with a foreign company has been favored for entering a new market. Joint ventures give a company the advantage of benefiting from local partners knowledge of countries competitive conditions, culture, language, political systems, and business systems. They can also gain benefits by sharing costs and risks with a local partner when development costs and risks are high when opening up a foreign market. It’s also easier for them to set up operations overseas when they have a local partner rather than trying to enter on their own. Starbucks used the joint venture to successful globalize and best suit the foreign cultures that they were pursuing.

Starbucks- Question # 3 - Sandra Adams

Starbucks has used joint ventures with local companies to enter many of the foreign markets because it provides them with a competitive advantage by teaming up with someone who knows the culture of the country. By using joint ventures, Starbucks has become more successful in integrating the company into the culture of these countries because they hold insider information on what the customer is looking for in the different locations. By providing each country with what they want from Starbucks, the company has become extremely successful globally.

Starbucks - Question #3 Dan Attella

3. Why do you think that Starbucks has used joint ventures with local companies to enter many foreign markets?

I think that Starbucks has decided to use joint ventures with local companies because the nature of the market is a very conditional one. It is very clear that different countries of different backgrounds prefer different types of food. Coffee seems to be inherently a cultural luxury. This means that if a culture doesn’t particularly enjoy coffee on a regular basis, than they would not take kindly to starbucks moving in and attempting to establish a customer base. Even a big company needed the help of local companies to help understand their market better before they tried to penetrate it.

Senior Seminar- Assignment #12

By 7:00AM on Tuesday, November 20,your group is responsible for reading chapter 6 and answering all the questions at the end of the case, "Planet Starbucks". The first person in your group should post his/her answer to any one of the questions. Subsequent entries from your group should address the remaining questions in any order under COMMENTS to the first person in your group to post. Label your posts: Starbucks- Question # _- your first and last name.

Liz Claiborne, Inc- Nicole Damboise

Source- http://www.lizclaiborne.com/

Liz Claiborne- Nicole Damboise

1. Partnered Brands include-
Axcess
C &C California
Claiborne
Concepts by Claiborne
Dana Buchman
DKNY jeans/DKNY Active
Ellen Tracy
Enyce
Kensie
Kensiegirl
Laundry by Design
Liz & Co
Liz Claiborne
Mac & Jac
Monet
Narciso Rodriguez
Prana
Sigrid Olsen
Viillager

2. Trudy Sillverman, the President of Liz Claiborne, is leaving the company to take a leadership position in another company.

3. Liz Claiborne offers clothing for plus size women.

Liz Claiborne, Inc. -Tyler Bishop

1. Liz Claiborne Inc. now puts out a Magazine that offers all their seasonal clothing that they put out. It is called LIZ IS and you can subsribe to it online on their website.

2. Deloitte & Touche LLP serve as the Company’s independent public accountants and they have been doing so since May 16, 2002.

3. Liz Claiborne Inc.’s principal offices are located at 1441 Broadway, New York, NY 10018. This is a great advantage to them because New York City is the fashion capital of the world.

Liz Claiborne, Inc. -Tyler Bishop

Liz Claiborne Inc. now puts out a Magazine that offers all their seasonal clothing that they put out. It is called LIZ IS and you can subsribe to it online on their website. Deloitte & Touche LLP serve as the Company’s independent public accountants and they have been doing so since May 16, 2002. Liz Claiborne Inc.’s principal offices are located at 1441 Broadway, New York, NY 10018. This is a great advantage to them because New York City is the fashion capital of the world.

Liz Claiborne, Inc.- Mallory Clynes

1. Direct Brands now include:
Juicy Couture
Kate Spade
Lucky Brand Jeans
Mexx

2. has a men's selection

3. donates clothing to homeless shelters

www.lizclaiborne.com

Liz Claiborne

1. They now have Plus sizes
2. They donates clothes for homeless.
3.There is now a magazine just for home furnishings, bedding and rugs

Jenna Giardina

1. Liz Claiborne Inc, also caters to men.

2. There is a sunglasses line

3. There is a magazine, LIZ IS

http://www.lizclaiborne.com/home/index.jsp

Liz Claiborne, Inc. - Sandra Adams

The company sold Emma James, Intuition, J.H. Collectibles

Moved into the footwear industry

Partnered with Best Buy to sell electronic accessories

Senior Seminar- assignment #11

This is a group project. Read chapter 5 of the text and the case study, Liz Claiborne, Inc. Search the web for updated information about Liz Claiborne, Inc. since the case study was written. By 7:00 AM on Thursday, October 25th list three facts you found out about the company that were not included in the case study. Be sure to identify the website where you found your data. The first person to post from your group should do a PUBLISH POST. Subsequent entries should be made as COMMENTS to the first person in your group to post. Make sure that you do not repeat any facts that anyone else from your group has already loaded. Label your posts: Liz Claiborne, Inc.

EMERGENCY ROOM HELP AVAILABLE

Sunday night from 8-9 PM I will be staffing an emergency room help session for anyone struggling with his/her paper. A student may load any question onto the blog and get my help with it. Please read what other students have asked and the answers to their questions before you make a post. You may find your concern has already been addressed. Good luck with your first draft. Remember that 2 copies are due in class on Tuesday, October 23rd.

Bishara Etienne part a

Mission Statement
To provide businesses with the skills, leadership qualities that will help them be succesful.

Vision
To be a manager or open my own business someday.

Values
dedicated individual, committed, hardworker, strive for quality all the time

destinctive qualities
good time management skills, ability to learn quickly, ability to work under pressure,

permission for proffesor Parent to comment

Assignment #10 - Dan Attella Part A

Mission: To show inteligent, respectful, and wise judgement skills to the ones that I come into contact with throughout my life. And to offer invaluable insight into business and industry issues.

Vision: To provide the best in video game entertainment by using thouroughly developed management skills to run my own Production company.

Values: All of my work will be done with Reliability, Punctuality, Quality, Insight, inteligence, and comitment.

Distinctive Competencies: Extremely organized, learns very quickly and can adapt to almost any difficult situation.

Permission for Professor Parent to provide feedback.

Assignment #10- Mike Dombrowski

Mission Statement: To provide a comfortable and exciting atmosphere that gives an individual the ability to strive for and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Values: Employees must work with diligence, courtesy, and enthusiasm in order to help all patrons to the gym reach their fitness goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Vision: To reach the highest eschelon in the fitness industry, while spreading the joy of fitness and the healthy lifestyle worldwide.

Distinctive Competencies: To possess a hardworking, up-beat, physically fit, and knowledgeable staff from the very top to the very bottom of the company.


Permission for Professor Parent to provide feedback.

Assignment # 10-Nicole Damboise

Mission statement-To provide a comfortable sense of hospitality to a luxurious and prestigous hotel, so the constumers can relax, unwind and settle down under the supervision of a passionate and eager manager.

Values- a passionate, hardworking, eager, enthusiastic, honest and responsible manager who will offer the highest quality of customer service.

Vision- to become a hotel manger who strives to perfect a strong feeling of comfort and relaxation to a prominant group of customers.

Distinctive Comptencies- I will work diligently to satisfy every customer that walks through the doors of a respected and luxurious environment.

I give permission to Patricia Parent to give feedback

Assignment #10 -Tyler Bishop

Mission Statement: To provide an understanding and knowledge for my students to be successful in their scholastic and athletic endeavors.

Vision: A High School Athletic Director that cares about his students student athletes and wants to see them thrive in college.

Values: To Listen and provide understanding about my own experiences both good and bad. I want my student athletes to know how to find the right college for them, both scholastically and athletically.

Distinctive Competencies: I am here to educate my student athletes about sportsmanship and how to choose the college for them. I want to motivate and instill confidence that they can succeed in college and there is a college for every kid out their.

Permission for Professor Parent to provide feedback.

Assignment #10 - Ronnie Vajdak

Mission: To open an automotive customization store and garage to provide customers with the products, services and tools they need to complete their performance projects.

Vision: To establish a nationally recognized performance shop that is the leader in customer trust and satisfaction.

Values: Honesty, accurate information, fair pricing and exceptional service will be expected of all employees in order to provide the highest customer service. Employees will be expected to follow these values in order to provide the most effective work environment.

Distinctive Competencies: I have years of experience in both the mechanical and the business side of the automotive industry. I am also a fast learner, and am quick to grasp new concepts and innovations in this field.

Permission for Professor Parent to provide feedback

Assignment #10 - Nerrisa Pareja

Mission: To create a memorable spa experience by presenting the highest level of services as well as engage customers in the feeling of hospitality and dedication, in a welcoming atmosphere.

Vision: To pursue a career in the Beauty Industry and develop into an owner of a Day Spa/ Salon.

Values: Enthusiasm, reliability, punctuality,openness, hard work and dedication, making others feel valued, meeting standards.

Distinctive Competencies: Capability to gain knowledge rapidly, the ability to be understanding and organized, as well as meeting dead lines.


Permission for Professor Parent to provide feedback.

Assigment 10 Joe Fields

Mission: To provide the valued service of real estate appraisals in the state of Pennsylvania while investing in other aspects of real estate.

Vision: To become a certified real estate appraiser in the state of Pennsylvania while obtaining and renting other properties in my community.

Values: To offer an honest opinion on the value of real estate in order to keep the market in a stable condition. I must work hard, be reliable, and offer valued opiions on real estate in order to succeed.

Distinctive Competencies: I am efficient, honest and dedicated to providing a quality product.

Assignment #10 - John Garrity

Mission

To allocate the resources and skills I have been given and/or acquired to share my love for the outdoors with everybody from all walks of life.

Vision

To be an innovative entrepreneur; creating a successful business to satisfy my customers to the greatest extent.

Values

To share my enthusiasm and compassion for helping others who are less fortunate or underprivileged. Expressing my intrinsic morals as an outgoing and zealous leader, showing the world that you can make a difference whoever you may be.

Distinctive Competencies

I am here to create an environment where individuals can have fun no matter what your economic situation, skill level, physical/mental condition, or mobile capacity may be. I will promote outdoor leisure activities as an alternative to life’s struggles, forming a program/opportunity to get away from it all while taking in the beautiful outdoors.

Permission for Professor Parent to provide feedback.

Assignment #10 Daniel Wolski

Mission:
My mission is to live a happy and prosperous life, by being generous to those in need
and acquiring wealth through the purchasing and sales of real estate.

Vision:
To become the owner of several homes and many hundreds of acres of land.

Values:
I must never lie, cheat or steal, and I must treat those whom I do business with as I
would like them to treat me. In order to achieve my mission I must work hard, and
make wise conservative decisions and not waste money frivolously.

Distinctive Competencies:
I can sell someone the shirt off of their back, and I am a gifted public
speaker. I am not selfish or greedy and I believe to whom
much is given much is expected

Assignment #10 - Danielle O'Neill

Mission: To provide great leadership and time management skills while offering an enthusiasm and energy to various work environments and people.

Vision: To become a committed leader and/or manager in the business industry worldwide.

Values: To offer a compassion for work, integrity and honesty, and fully committing myself to big challenges presented and seeing them through completely.

Distinctive Competencies: Offer a performance, durability, reliability and quality like no other.

Permission for Professor Parent to provide feedback.

Assignment #10 - Sandra Adams

Mission: To provide Massachusetts School of Law with a dedicated and hardworking student who is looking to continually increase my knowledge in various fields of law. I believe I would be an asset to MSL because I have a broad range of experiences, both personally and academically.

Vision: To be a successful self-employed attorney dedicated to making changes in enforcement of environmental, real estate, land use and planning laws by way of making case law.

Values: Hard work, quality work, dedication, understanding the material and how to apply it in real life situations

Distinctive Competencies: Willingness to invest the time necessary to complete more than just one concentration, ability to learn quickly, use resources in a productive and efficient manner


Permission for Professor Parent to provide feedback

ASSIGNMENT #10- Senior Seminar

This is an extra credit blog. You may complete part A or part B and get credit for doing one blog. If you complete both part A and B you will get credit for 3 blogs.
Part A is due by 7:00 AM on Wednesday, October 17 and part B is due by 7:00 AM on Thursday, October 18. For Part A please publish a new post that includes your mission, vision, values and distinctive competencies. For Part B please post comments to 2 people in your group. Tell each of these students which part of their post was best as well as which part of their post needs improvement. Suggest a specific way to improve their post. If you would like me to comment on this blog regarding your entry write : "Permission for Professor Parent to provide feedback" as the last sentence in your post. I will respond within 48 hours of the last student to comment on your post. Label your post: Assignment #10.

Dan wolski, Google Question 1

almost every time I am searching for anything on the internet I use Google to help me find it. based upon Google's success and profits I am not alone. Google is extremely valuable to consumers because it makes researching products or a particular product easy. Before the advent of Google the consumer had limited resources aiding in the choices and selection of a product. Now the practically the entire world market and all of its choses and variation and competitive pricing is at my fingertips.
Google is equally valuable for businesses, whom without it could never think to reaching the global market that they do. If not for Google, many companies simply would never be happened across as they are with Google and there for the costumer would never be aware of their existence.

Google Question # 1- Chad Schrepper

Google creates great value for both customers and advertisers in different ways. Customers that use Google’s search engine get faster and more accurate results for the searches that they make. Also Google as produce satisfaction because they have done research in order to better match the web-cites that appear with customer searches. Google also provides great value to the advertisers that use Google for their advertising. Google sells the advertisers the words that are used in customer searches and when their words are used they appear at the top of the search. Also Advertisers to not pay Google unless their ads get clicks through the Google search engine. This translates into higher revenues and profits because the better services that are offered by Google for both advertisers and customers means more profits for the company.

Google Question #4 -Eric Yoshikawa

mission- Googles mission is to be known as one of biggest search engines not limited by language. It not only has text, but images. It also is used to promote products. For one of my classes we have to review a few stocks and in the past month google has jumped about 50 points which shows significant success. On top of that it continues to expand. It has started tracking what people search for how long they are searching for these items and has numerous follow-ups.

vision- It's vision is to be ahead of the industry and change it in ways that make it unique while also making it the dominant player in search engines

values- To focus on the user. To do one thing really well, not to over extend themselves, faster service is better then slow, You don't need to be at your desk to need answers. to provide more information then what is out there

Core competency-To support every changing technology. One example was Northwestern University, had to discontinue previous alumni's e-mail accounts because the system couldn't support it. They used a google application to make use of the old accounts so that alumni's wouldn't lose contacts with their friends after graduation.

Google Question #2 - Dan Attella

Google has many simple, but key competitive advantages. The most prevalent being their programming behind the search engine. It searches for the most relavent results and list them from most relevent to least. I also believe that a large portion of its success is due to its simplicity, and "Less is more" appearence. When someone wants to search for something on the web, they want answers and nothing more. The rest of the competition offers many other services, which doesnt make them bad, in fact it seems to work against them. Now that Google bought youtube.com it seems that their winning streak is not over. Another competitive advantage is their google toolbar, it provides quick access to customers without wasting time.
I'm sure that Google has isolated itself from competitors becuase it already has an incredibly valuable chunk of market behind it, and not to mention a long standing reputation with its loyal customers. In order to keep its competitors from moving in on them, they have to move forward. Purchase new ventures, and thats exactly what Youtube is.

Google- Ian Stuart

Un-deniably the best search engine, is the serivce google provides to its customers. The value can be pricless for it's customers and also pricless for the companies that advertise on google. Because google is the biggest search engine, it's consistantly providing value and it's worth, as a whole, to both customers in the research and advertisment fields. Because google is the best, it turns their company into a financial powerhouse and their revenues are outstanding. Their revenues are so astouding becuase they use auctioning to get the best price for their advertisment space. Companies bid on certain search words and the highest bidder gets the best spot on the advertisement space on the website, due to this, google has become the biggest and best search engine on the web.

Google Question #1- Mallory Clynes

The value that Google creates for customers is the benefit of a search engine. The value that Google creates for advertisers is the idea of some kind of revenue. Google sells advertisers words that customers might search. Essencially, this is a way for advertisers to gain some kind of revenue for their company/organization.

Bishara #1

The value google creates for its customers is the ability to find specific and useful information on a topic. The value google creates for advertisers is more visits to their websites. This value translates into higher revenues and profits because google uses a bidding process. Therefore advertisers will bidd more money to be at the top of a given search.

Google Question #3- Andrew J. Gordon

So, competitors such as Microsoft and Yahoo.com do have the capabilities and the assets to compete with Google.com as a corporate entity, to compete with one another as a search engine though is another question. Google was rated the # 1 most recognizable brand name in the world for 2007. It beat long lived countries such as General Electric, BMW, and McDonald's. This brand name identification is priceless. I do not believe Microsoft and Yahoo can mimic that success. When it comes to search engines Google has a monopoly over the industry. Now, even using the same algorithms as Google i do not believe the same success can be mimicked. Google has infiltrated and flooded the market to a point where there is no room for another competitor or competitors at all. Competitors have been eliminated. The only way I could possibly see a competitor moving in on the success of Google, is if there was a managerial or cultural error on the part of Google such as the incident with Yahoo.com and Nazi memorabilia in France. Its going to take a major failure on the part of the governance of Google to topple its success even while competitors threaten Google with simple and easier versions of search engine the simplicity and brand name acceptance is priceless.

Google Question #1 - Sean Doherty

The value that google creates for its customers is faster and more accurate search results through their search engine. The value that google creates for its advertisers is more hits on their website that was brought up through googles search engine. These values translate into high revenues and profits by google selling advertisers words that people search for and ditinguishing between websites that are independent and website that are sponsered. Google uses a bidding process knock as a Vickery second price auction which determines the price to charge advertisers for words that people would search for.

Google Question # 1- Nerrisa Pareja

A.)The value that Google creates for their customers is that they are providing a very beneficial search engine. They believed that the existing search engines did a poor job of distinguishing between useful and trivial websites. So they built a search engine that not only examined words on web pages, and then index them as other search engines did but they also looked at where the words were being used and how many websites that were connected to the page. Therefore, giving their customers the most useful source at the top of the page.
B.)The value Google creates for there advertisers is that they only sell them the words that people put in when they search for something on the web. So which ever advertiser bids the most for the word will have their link put at the top of the page when someone is using Google and the sponsor does not pay Google unless a user clicks on their link.This value in the long run turns into higher revenues and profits because Google uses a automated bidding process. This way forces the bidders to pay a cent more than the bidder below them. Google found a significant way to make money and it is working, if they keep showing their customers and advertisers this method of value their profits will keep increasing.

CoCo Minott, #4 What isGoogle's mission, vision, values and core competency?

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Google focuses on the users, providing the best user experience possible."The perfect search engine," says Google co-founder Larry Page, "would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want." Googles vision is to is to provide a much higher level of service to all those who seek information, whether they're at a desk in Boston, driving through Bonn, or strolling in Bangkok.
Google's core compentency is a search engine online, that links people and information all over the world to provide the most relevant and effective searches.

Google Question # 1 - Sandra Adams

The value that Google creates for customers are a more accurate search results for what they are looking for. The value that Google creates for advertisers is a way to generate more traffic to their websites.
This value translates into higher revenues and profits because customers are more likely to use Google for their searches because it will yeild results they are looking for and provide advertisers with a way to pay a low price for more traffic. Since the price advertisers are paying are so low, they will pay more to be on the first page for the results of a keyword search, which results in a profit for Google.

Senior Seminar- Assignment #9

By 7:00 AM on Tuesday, October 16, your group is responsible for answering all the questions at the end of the case, "Google" plus question #4: "Go to Google's website. What is its mission, vision, values, core competency?" If you have 5 people in your group, the fifth person who logs on should answer question #5: "Evaluate the strategic leadership of Sergey Brin, Larry Page and Dr. Eric Schmidt." The first person in your group should post his/her answer to any one of the questions. Subsequent entries from your group should address the remaining questions in any order under COMMENTS to the first person in your group. Label your posts and comments: Google Question # _- your first and last name.

Plane Wreck Question # - Mallory Clynes

Yes budget airlines are in a different strategic group than the other major network airlines. Budget airlines gives a 30 to 50 percent cost advantage over traditional airlines. They set their prices low to fill up the seats and also fly "point to point" which most flyers look for.

Bishara Etienne #4

For the industry to return to profitability a number of things need to be done. I think that the airlines need to find and use different advertising techniques that will persuade people to fly. Also probably some of the airlines need to merge so that consumers will have less option and this can help raise the cost to fly. Furthermore I think that maybe the Government can intervene and find a way to reduce the cost of oil to the airline industry so that jet fuel can be cheaper.

Plane Wreck Question # 2 Chad Schrepper

Yes, I feel that budget airlines are in a totally different strategic group than major network airlines. Budget airlines have a completely different strategic approach, for instance they focus on cutting costs by landing on smaller less expensive runways, and they cut down the flight accommodations and point A to Point B flights, along with hiring non-union employees. On the other hand major network airlines focus on comfort throughout flights which costs more money for the airline, which in turn increases the ticket prices for customers. Because of these reasons the small budget airlines are able to sell more tickets and produce a greater profit compared to the major network airlines.

Jenna Giardina - Plane Wreck- Question 4

I think for the airline industry to return to profit some things have to change. I think more of the bigger companies should take a look at what the budget flights are doing. For example for air plane pilots to take ticket stubs isn't hard. This like the book said decreases the payroll budget which is a big expense. They need to cut as many costs as they can. At the same time though I think with the growing income of the average family people are going to start flying more. So promote flying and vacations lower your prices and fill up the plane.

Plane Wreck- Question # 4- Kyle Toelken

I think that the Airline industry has a long way to go in the terms of profitability. Every company is in business to make money, but some companies take longer to do so than others. The airline industry has to start looking at their options in what they have and also what they are about. Airlines, I think have to start cutting employees and start making their star players work harder in many areas. If you cut the amount of money you spend, then your profitability will began to rise. Airlines have to start looking at their competitors to determine if there are too many of them. Maybe they will have to start merging companies to survive in the long run. If airlines merge, then they can cut costs for the individual to use that particular airline service. Profitability is always going to be their in the airline industry. People have to fly and they will to start paying whatever the price is to get there.

John Garrity -Plane Wreck Question #4

When reading this case on the airline industry, the first thing that came to my mind was the lack of adaptability between the two strategic approaches known as the budget and the network airlines. Usually when you see businesses in the same industry, they continuously compete, taking others ideas and turning them into their own. What’s wrong with the airline industry today is the lack adaptation, depending on what they have done all these years, instead of molding new trends into their businesses. As you can see, the budget airlines have taken a new approach to bettering the overall needs of their customers, offering low fares and direct flights from cheaper airports. The network airlines need to rethink their strategies for the industry to return to profitability. An option may be taking an airline such as US Airways or Delta and add a budget airline to their business to boost revenue, while still offering the network flights as they always have. Budget airline profits have done nothing but create a solid increase in the past few years. Like I said previously, the bottom line is adaptation. If the airline industry wants to see a change, including profitability, there needs to be acquisitions made such as mergers or new budget airlines formed that add onto the network airlines.

Plane Wreck - Question #4

Planwreck Question # 2 Jonathan Coltrain

Yes, budget airlines are in a different stratgeic group than major network airlines. Budget airlines use a strategic posture that gives them a 30 to 50 percent cost adavantage over traditional airlines. Each budget airline purchases only one type of aircraft. Then they hire nonunion labor and cross-train emloyees to perform multiple jobs. Budget airlines also favor "point to point" flying, instead of stopping off a major hubs they use smaller less expensive runways. They also focus on large ares with lots of traffic. Most major networks tend to fly into all major hubs, instead of a "point to point" flight.

Plane Wreck Question #2 - Sean Doherty

Yes, i feel that the budget airlines are in a different strategic group than the major network airlines. They are in a group that is more appealing to customers by favoring flying "point to point" rather than indirect flights by major airlines. They also fly out of cheap secondary airports rather than expensive major hubs. So all in all the set prices low in every aspect to fill up their seats on the plane.

Plane Wreck-Question # 2 - Sandra Adams

The budget airlines are in definitely in a different strategic group than the major network airlines. The budget airlines are a more recent and up to date group that provide direct flights with little accommodations and cheap prices. This is very appealing to customers because many people are looking to get from A to B as fast as possible and as cheap as possible. The major networks have not transformed to keep up to date with the times. The major airlines are still catering to customers with old technology, high prices, many perks during the flights because they are very long, and extremely high prices. It is no surprise that the budget companies are making a profit and the major networks are not because of the different strategies they are using.

Senior Seminar- Assignment #8

By 7:00AM on Tuesday, October 9th your group is responsible for answering all the questions at the end of the case, "Plane Wreck: The Airline Industry in 2001-2005." The first person in your group should post his/her answer to any one (or more) of the questions. Subsequent entries from your group should address the remaining questions in any order under COMMENTS to the first person in your group to post. For groups with less than 5 members, some members will need to address more than one question. Label your posts: Plane Wreck-Question # _- your first and last name.

My reaction to tip #6- Eric Yoshikawa

The tip is called "kill unjustifiable perquisites." Basically this trimming expenses that aren't needed. When I say expenses they aren't exactly business expenses. They are more perks for senior executives, a "thanks for the hard work" if you will. Now keep in mind the title is called "ten ways to restore investor confidence in compensation". While the workers want to be compensated for their hard work, they are very well especially most executives. While the investors still want to be compensated for lending their money out. Ihave found that bonuses are always appreciated. I think paid for activities are better though. I've worked for several different people some of them would take me out to bars or to dinner. I've found this way you feel like your not just a "number". That your dedication isn't a cash symbol. One example give was how personal flights on corporate jets were changed to financial counseling. I've read several book on investing money, and it always interests me how few people will be ready to retire. I think financial counseling shows the workers that they don't want you to work for the rest of your life. They want you to retire happy. If you've got a corporation that cares this much about you, how would you not want to do your very best for them. I think this is the underlying theme, is to help your workers feel like they matter, so they will do the best they can do for you.

My reaction to tip #4 - Sean Doherty

The tip that caught my attention the most was to retreat from "pay for failure" by making it easier to fire for cause. I like this tip because to me it means rather than paying people off for firing them for the wrong cause you should know how your business practices and fire if you have to for the right reasons or causes. If a CEO doesnt want to comply with an testimony or an investigation about the businesses pratices then i feel it is poor management.

My Reaction to tip # 5 Jonathan Coltrain

After looking through the article and reading each tip, i found that tip number five stuck out the most to me. It was a tip called "skeptical view of "peer group" comparison. Basically it is a tip saying that inorder to keep up with other companies in the same field, you need to keep up with wages that other companies offer. Although the companies they mention do differ in size and overall income, I still feel in a business related world if you want the best employees on your job offer the same wage as the other business if not alittle more. This way you will be able to hire your fair share of well qualified employees. Your business will not be sucessful if the company down the street offers the same product, but the employee is making with more effort becuase he or she's salary is higher.

My Reaction to Tip #4 - Danielle O'Neill

I agree with the tip "retreat from 'pay for failure' by making it easier to fire for cause" because it ensures that big corporations will not be facing lawsuits for firing people without just cause. If a company is going to fire a top executive for not cooperating with an investigation or for refusing to give a testimony, then the company knows that they will not be facing a lawsuit for millions of dollars.

My reaction to Tip #6 - Ronnie Vajdak

Out of all of the suggestions, I believe that tip number 6 - the reccomendation to reduce the perk packages of CEO's is the best way to restore investors' confidence in compensation. Many investors question the large amount of "freebies" that CEO's get with their employment. When these upper level employees are already recieving such high pay and many valuable stock options and retirement benefits, it is difficult to justify also paying for their golf fees and vacation flights. Companies could restore investors' confidence in spending if they eliminated many of the perks that average employees would never have access to. It is difficult for investors to feel confident providing perks to employees who could easily pay for the privaleges themselves, while providing very little to their other employees. Also, the general public is often resentful of the perks that the very rich recieve, which could contribute to investor problems. When the public has more respect for the company's policies, it would be easier for investors to have confidence and support.

My Reaction to Tip # 8- Mike Dombrowski

When looking through the article, the one that caught my attention was tip number eight. It stated, "Divulge precise measures that shape payouts for performance-based awards, and set hurdles high." I think that this is a very important idea to carry out in any large business or corporation. Everyone should have knowledge of what is expected and what types of awards will be given out. Awards should be given out depending on the nature of what in fact was accomplished. The ability to reach obtain these awards and payouts should however not be a very easy thing to come by. The bar for certain awards need to be set high enough so that people will work hard enough to obtain them. However, these bars need to be set high enough so that they will not be obtained too easily. There needs to be awards given for goals reached that took effort and were not so easily accomplished.

Reaction to TIp #1 Joe Fields

I feel that you should keep financial cosultants seperate from management because it will allow for consultants to give their honest opinion. When consultants are under the supervision of management they are constantly worried about their job. If a consultant was to go a against managemnet they face the possibility of losing their job. If consultants are seperated from management stockholders can be sure that they ar not being manipulated and their money is safe.

Tip #10 Bishara Etienne

Basically it is the investors that provide the money to pay the executives. Therefore they should have a say about executives pay packages. As an investor in a company you want to be reassured that the money you invested in a company goes to good use. And is not used to pay for executive luxuries. For example including in their pay packages, compensation for personal flights or club membership fees.

My reaction to Tip #6 Tyler Bishop

It is important for companies to eliminate unjustifiable perks for executives. Stock holders and investors do not want their money going into executives luxuries. By "killing" the excutives perks it will allow the company to focus its money on more important things, like making the company better and more successful. I think its a good idea for the boards of companies to publish the executives perks that are more thatn $10,000 dollars, because that is a substancial amount of money that should be going towards the company, not an individual. This will give investors and stockholders, more clarity on where their money is going.

My reaction to Tip #8 - John Garrity

I chose tip number 4 labeled; Retreat from “pay for failure” by making it easier to fire for cause. The activist is right when explaining the fact that firing high officials could come back to bite you in the end. Unlawful firing practices could pose as a huge lawsuit; therefore, this fire for cause is a great idea. If a company decides to fire a high ranking official, an investigation should be done BEFORE the actual termination. If the individual decides not to testify against his or her poor performance for the company they should have no right to even think about suing for unlawful firing. It shouldn’t matter if you want to keep the person who is being fired happy, its worth having somebody mad then costing millions or billions in a settlement case.

My Reaction to Tip # 9 - Kyle Toelken

As I was looking over all of the "Ten ways to restore Investor Confidence in Compensation" the one that caught my eye was number 9. In the ninth tip, the companies talk about doing regular check-ups in their financial department concerning audits and their financial balances. If companies start to look at the problems that other companies are having with internal fraud then they can learn from that to make necessary changes within. Companies are becoming smarter than ever before, they are realizing that the financial well-being of a company rides in the financial department. They are starting to rotate people, so that the auditor isn't always doing the books. This makes it harder for people to find loop holes within a given organization.

My Reaction to Tip #3 - Daniel Attella

I agree that a severance package is not necessary for upper level officials. Typically CEO's, CFO's and other high-ranking officials in an organization hold enough stock in the company to keep them afloat for the rest of their life. For example I had recently heard about Exxon Mobil' CEO Lee Raymond has a retirement package valued over $400 million the largest retirement package in history. Is this necessary? I'm not sure if anyone is worth that much. I think that these CEO's and higher ups can live very well with what they have earned throughout their time as CEO. Stock accumulation is one method, another would be a solid 401K plan, or an IRA, or other sources of investments to keep what they have at the time of retirement in a growth phase.

My reaction to Tip #1- Sandra Adams

By keeping the financial consultants separate from management, it will eliminate a huge conflict of interest. If the financial consultants are working under the management, it will definitely create a biased atmosphere in benefit for the management. The managers are able to manipulate the consultants by threatening their jobs. Putting these two positions separate will show stockholders that their money is not being manipulated into the pockets of managers.

Senior Seminar Assignment #7

Read the article "Ten Ways to Restore Investor Confidence in Compensation" in the Wall Street Journal, April 9, 2007.

By 7:00AM on Thursday, October 4, please post your reaction to any one of the 10 tips the article makes to produce executive pay plans acceptable to disgruntled stockholders. Label your entry: My reaction to Tip #_- Your first and last name.

Research tip: In this same edition of the Wall Street Journal you might find information on the 2006 compensation package of the CEO for your group case study. See article, "The Boss's Pay".

Question 5 Ian S

To be paid 52 Million dollars in one year, you are probably guilty for something. Arthur Anderson is on the same level as both Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling. They are all guilty of misleading consumers and stock holders, as well as their staff of thousands. Arthur Anderson is not only guilty, but he helped facilitate in misleading everyone. As the auditor he was suppose to be honest, but was dishonest and allowed pay offs. It was greed that makes him guilty of the crime.

-Ian Stuart

Bishara Etienne Question #5

I believe that Arthur Andersen did not behave ethically. As the auditor he knew what Enron was doing was wrong and the company was not acting in the well being of its shareholders, employees etc. Also if Andersen knew that he was not being ethical because his patner instructed his staff to shred documents relating to the audit of Enron. I think that Arthur should have overlooked the lucrative payments and do what was morally right, which was to report Enron.

Enron Question #5- Andrew J. Gordoin

Asking if someone acted ethically in the business world is like asking if you like making money. Of course you like making money, and of course people do not always act ethically. At the end of the day though, it is necessary for success and prosperity. What Arthur Anderson did, I would not consider ethically wrong. Morally wrong it may be, but in the world of business it was wrong. Mr. Anderson was hired as a Consulting/Auditing firm to do an analysis of the company as it was. Now i am basing my answer on what i have been told and not all the facts. The primary job of a consulting firm, is to analyze the problems of the company and or task of which is in question. They are to analyze and indicate weaknesses in the managerial system and or to her problems within the company. It is not the job of a consulting firm to implement any of these changes, and the analysis is confidential to purchaser unless allowed to be distributor by its owner. Mr. Anderson, from what it reads, located numerous problems, as it mentions about him shredding multiple documents around the time of Enron's implosion. While yes, what Mr. Anderson may have discovered was not proper business practices, it was not his job to change and alert authorities. his job was to notify Enron Superior's to the potential risks, which he did. What Enron executives choose to do with this information is their choice and not he choice of Mr. Anderson's team, unless directed to implement changes by Enron Executives. In conclusion, Arthur Anderson is not acting against ethical principals of the business world. He is just doing his job. It was Enron executives acting unethical.

The Collapse of Enron #5 Dan Wolski

Arthur Anderson absolutely behaved unethically. Anderson ignored the truth and distorted the figures to help Enron execute their scam. As an auditor you need to act impartially for the sake of the stakeholders. In this case the actions of Skilling, Lay, Fastow, Anderson and anyone else who new or partook in the scheme acted unethically because the stakeholders especially the stockholders were mislead and taken advantage of. in the end a lot of people lost a lot of money. the executives of Enron walked away filthy rich. Then they went jail, i say good! the David D'Alessandro quote for the Tuesday agenda is most fitting for chapter two. "Don't lie, cheat, or steal. Power won't protect you from disgrace."

The Collapse of Enron - Question #3

3. How might the culture of the company under the leadership of Lay and Skilling have contributed to Enron's ethical problems?

Enron's ethical problems were significantly impacted by the leadership of Lay and Skilling. They performed in such a way that only benefit themselves and their families ,which is exactly why Enron eventually fell through. Lay and Skilling obviously did not behave ethically and they had no ethical code to abide by. The mistake on Lay's part was when he found out about the risks associated with the partnership strategy. He was sent an outline from an Enron Official that informed him of all the things that could make his partnership project fall through. Yet, he still continued with the partenerships, and in 2001 he sold millions of dollars in his own holdings at Enron. Lay also made a point to make sure that his employees did not sell their stocks with Enron. The second mistake was when succesor Jeff Skilling decided to move out 15 percent of the employees that were considered "underperformers" every six months. He was lieing on performance appraisals and making a certain employees look better than they actually were.
Lay and Skilling had very poor decision making skills and if they would have been good leaders they would have done away with the parternships. I think that the worse thing that Lay could have done was to know about the risks that could take place and still continue what he was doing. If Lay and Skilling actually stopped to think about the importance of Enron as a business and the responsibily of being a manager these issues would never have taken place.

Question #4
I feel Kenneth Lay was definitely not a victim of an agency problem. High level executives such as himself could not possibly be unaware of a scandal so large in their own organization. Bryce made it clear that Lay was not the most ethical person and had abused his position at Enron to help make his families business ventures successful. I think its clear that Kenneth Lay had some type of involvement in the scandal and even if he did'nt, theres no way he did'nt know about what was happening. Either way Kenneth Lay definitely played a role in a role in the demise of Enron legally and ethically.

Class Code Of Ethics

1. Honesty (Don't lie, cheat, or steal) or (Tell the truth)

2. Respect Others (Don't interrupt) or (Listen to others)

3. Come to Class Prepared (Don't skip chapter assignments or blogs) or (Bring pen,notebook, and brain)

4. Be Punctual (Don't skip class or group meetings) or (Come to class within reason)

5. Trust (Trust leader/group members to be organized) or (Don't fail to come through)

Sanctions: Warning first

Enron- Question #5

5. Did Arthur Andersen behave ethically? If not, why not?

As far as I am concerned Arthur Andersen is just as guilty, if not more, than Ken Lay, and Jeff Skilling. He was acting in his own interest, and to save an important client. They paid him almost $52 million in the year 2000, I think it is obvious that they were paying him off to keep their sketchy business practices under wraps. An auditor is supposed to review physical assets, journals and ledgers, and board minutes to ensure that all activity with significant financial implications is adequately disclosed in the financial statements. After reading this case, I can safely say that this was not the what was happening.

Enron- Question #2- John Garrity

In the wake of one of the largest scandals in US history, many of us could just drop our jaws in shock and disgust of how low people in our society get go, pertaining to the burden they put on their shareholders and employees. Fiduciary duty is defined as a person or entity whose property or power is entrusted for the benefit of another. Enron did not carry out their fiduciary even to the smallest extent…the evidence being their secrecy of their partnerships and the selfishness and profit hungry individuals who ended up ruining just about every employees life and retirement funds. The limitation behind the board of trustee’s effectiveness deals with Lay’s secrecy. How can the board of trustee’s be effective when nobody but the high executives knew about the partnerships in the first place? This is true example how what goes on behind closed doors, sometimes stays behind closed doors. We all know that if anybody on the board decided to squeak out any information, many, if not all, would lose their multimillion dollar salaries in an instant. I don’t know about you, but how can a board of trustee’s be effective if they aren’t letting the community around them know about the importance of many things that are going on around the company itself. I understand that some things need to stay out of public view, but the fact of the matter is that if it deals with the company’s well-being and survival of the company, somebody should be relaying that information to their employees. The magnitude of Enron’s problem not only sunk them into jail, it brought down almost every single employee with them.

Enron- Question #1 - Sandra Adams

Fastow, Lay, and Skilling were acting their own best interest with complete disregard for other employees and stockholders. It didn't make a difference to either of them who would lose everything as long as they had plenty of money and didn't get caught. The extent to which these individuals acted ensured not only the downfall of the entire company but everyone that had anything to do with the company.

Enron is definately an example of the agency problem. The managers were clearly not working for the benefit of the stockholders, but for themselves. The stockholders played the role of funding these poor strategies and losing a great deal of money for it.

Senior Business Seminar- Assignment #6

Read chapter 2 and the case study at the end of the chapter, "The Collapse of Enron". By 7:00 AM on October 2, please do the following. Your group will be assigned one of the five questions at the end of the case. The first person in your group to post should publish a new post labeled: Enron- Question #_- their first and last name. The rest of your group members should publish their remarks under comments to their fellow group member. They should specifically state whether they agree or disagree with the original post and support their position. The last person in the group to post must summarize the best thinking of the group.

Communications Question # 3 Tyler Bishop

Level Three Communications strategy was to “raise money, rapidly build a high-capacity fiber-optic network that linked major cities in the United States, and then cut prices to attract demand from major users of fiber-optic networks…” Crow initial strategy did not work and actually ended up putting Level Three in bankruptcy. However they managed to stay afloat and went into a different direction with the company.

However, even with the failure of the initial strategy Crow believes that his first strategy will work in the future. I don’t think the plan was unrealized, in the technology business it is impossible to predict the future. Sometimes people and companies are lucky with their strategies and others backfire like Level Threes did. Crows initial strategy is still part of the company, but they have expanded their business strategies instead of just focusing on the initial strategy that failed.

Level 3 Communications # 1 Chad Schrepper

In the late 1990's the strategy of the Level 3 Communications was to was to meet the demand of the fiber optic capacity due to its growth rate of 1,000 percent a year. Level 3 Communications was established by Crowe because the " demand will far outstrip the supply for the foreseeable future. The company was funded by a number of wealthy investors including Crowe. The overall goal was to raise money, rapidly build a high capacity fiber optic network that linked many cities in the United States, and cut prices to attract demand from major users of fiber optic networks.

Level 3 Communication

Level 3 dealt with fiber-optics, and like most companies in the technological boom of the 90's, they were looking for rapid growth and even more rapid increase of assets. This was their planned strategy. While they were trying to attract large firms with their price cuts and attract demand with their high capacity network, they were trying to build up their monetary situation. Their plan, in its entirity, by cutting prices and offering a higher capacity network, was to generate a higher profit, by catching a large majority of the market.

Level 3 Communications Question #2- Mike Dombrowski

The planned strategy of Level 3Communications in the late 1990's has multiple parts and goals. The first part and goal was for Level 3 Communications to raise money and also rapidly build a high capacity network of fiber-optics that will connect many major cities in the United States. Another part of the planned strategy is to cut prices in order to attract demand from major users of fiber-optic networks which include major corporations, Internet service providers like AOL, and other traditional telecommunications companies. Crowe also believed that the demand for his network would be "highly elastic" and that if he cut prices, that the revenues of Level 3 Communications would rise rapidly.

Level 3 Communitcations Question #3- Andrew J. Gordon

Level Three Communications is an interesting company. It has a very specific strategic plan on when, how, and why their company was going to be successful. Level Three took an optimistic look at the potential for great profit in the future. Unfortunately though, I do not believe Level Three took into account any of the drawbacks or threats that were also foreseeable in the future. The company was so caught up with the idea of flooding the market with this new technology that was essential to the world, that they did not think of other advances in technology which would also make business communications more proficient and profitable.

Level Three had a remarkable business plan. Their only flaw was the fact that they did not recognize their threats, those being competitors, advancements in technology, and capitalistic greed. Best thing they need to do is to acknowledge not only your competitive advantages but also your threats and risks.

Level 3 Communications Question # 2 Eric Yoshikawa

2/ Why was Level 3 communications able to raise so much capital? It was able to gain so much captial because it was a successful company. They had a product that was in demand. This was around the time internet got really popular. The market wasn't ready for it and couldn't support it. The rate at which internet traffic was growing was high but not high enough. Or atleast not to be "printing money". While the product was in demand it wasn't as high in demand as Mr. Crowe thought it was. He was very successful, had lots of funds to his name, and his company was doing well. Nobody expected it to go down. While it wasn't a total loss. The company found ways to do work and still use the fiber wires, but not as much as was intended.
So was it a total loss? In my mind no. It was ahead of its time yes. It however was not a loss. Eventually we will need what Mr. Crowe predicted for communications. Not right away though. The company still has the chance to grow and be ahead of the competition, it still has other avenues it can use until that time reaches.

Level 3 Communications Question #3: John Garrity

When reading the case about level 3 communications, I had one vision along with Jim Crowe; growth! His planned strategy from the beginning seemed to surpass the competition after choosing to move on instead of retiring. It wasn't the fact that his plan was unrealized, it was the commitment and strategy's of his company which may pay off in the long run.
After acquiring all of the businesses he bought out, the 21st century has seen some growth. Crowe believes that success is coming with time and patience. I believe that Crowe has initiated his intended strategy to grow, therefore, creating more opportunities in the long run. Yes, it may be a risky situation, but who's knows what could happen without trying. Sales have been increasing along with debt decreasing, so why not take a shot. Whether or not his prior strategies have been working, it comes down to the future, not the past.

By the late 1990’s network trafficking began to grow rapidly. Crowe’s anticipation of the growth allowed him to raise funds in order to make his company a major producer of fiber optics. By having everything planned out investors were eager to get into the business early. With the knowledge that internet network traffic was doubling every hundred days his company was able to cut costs in order to raise demand. Crowes plan turned out well and level 3 communications was able to make billions.

Level 3 Communication-Danny Santana

Level 3 communication was able to raise money for many of reasons. Crowe got money by showing the lack of capacity for rapid demand. If level 3 got involved it would make money almost instantly. By having a clear strategic plan that would pay off, helped investors make the important decision to jump in.

Level Three Communications #2- Jenna Giardina

Level 3 was able to raise so much money because of a couple reasons. One what Crowe was selling was basically a promised money maker. "Once the fiexed costs were covered, it would be like printing money". Also Crowe got money from investors because he showed that soon enough there would be not enough capacity for the rapid demand that was comming and if Level 3 became involved then it was an instant money maker. Investors I think were also eager to jump in because of his clear strategic plan that promised a big pay off in the end.

Level 3 communications Question # 2

In the late 1990’s Crowe’s beliefs were starting to come true, concerning the rise in net-work traffic. The net work traffic was doubling in demand every 3 months. This was astronomical for any company and their future in the world of net working. Crowe decided to start the company “Level 3 Communications” where they would specialize in building state-of-the-art fiber optics.
The strategy of the company was a very, well thought out and to the point. Crowe’s goal was to raise money, build a high capacity fiber optic network, and then cut prices to bring in high demand from huge organizations that are in desperate need for a faster networking capability. Crowe believed that in cutting the cost in the net-work price, and then he will bring in higher revenue for the company. That is why the company was able to raise so much Capital. Lower cost by 1 percent, yet the demand has risen 1,000 % in one year. These type of odds will really bring in a huge gain for the organization.

Level 3 Communications Question # 4 - Ronnie Vajdak

Level 3's business strategies have evolved over the years but still aim at the original goals of the company. Level 3 began as a fiber optics production company to meet the expected huge demands of internet growth. When that growth did not immediately materialize and Level 3 and its many competitors began to lose profit, a new strategy was needed. Crowe acted quickly to change his company's direction with the help of investors. He first took the company in a new direction, buying two software distribution companies, which he claimed would reinvigorate the use of his fiber optics by distributing and maintaining the software over his network rather than manually, cutting costs and eventually bringing a profit. Crowe also began buying up his bankrupt competitors, in an effort to consolidate the fiber optics business and reduce competition. In 2004, Level 3 began working on an internet telephone network, giving new competition to the traditional telephone companies.
With these new strategies, Level 3's revenues have been growing again. Crowe still believes that the original business plan will be saved by the new technologies his company now provides. He believes that the software distribution and internet phone services will gradually begin to increase demand for fiber optics networking, which will repay the original debt of his company. In this way, the new strategies of the company are making it possible for the old one to be realized.

Level 3 Communication Questions #2 - Sean Doherty

Level 3 Communications was able to raise so much capital by the explosive growth of the internet. Scientist Michael O'Dell told Jim Crowe that the internet network traffic was doubling everyone hundred days. This inspired Crowe to establish a state of the art fiber optic network that would link major cities in the United States. He made all of his money by after establishing the new network, Crowe cut prices to attract the demand of the major users of fiber optic users.

CoCo Minott #2

When Crowe sold his company there was already an explosive growth of the internet, along with a surge in the amount of digital data being pushed through fiber optic pipes. By 1997 the network traffic was said to double every 100 days. This put fiber optics in very high demand.

This gave Crowe the perfect opportunity to start his new business, for fiber optics. By 2001 his company was already worth 13 billion dollars. Because Crowe was well known he was aslo able to survive the crash of the fiber optics market later on.

Level 3 Communications Question #1 - Danielle O'Neill

The planned strategy of Level 3 Communications in the late 1990's was to raise money and build a high-capacity fiber-optic network that linked major cities in the United States, and then cut prices to attract demand from major users of fiver-optic networks, including corporations, Internet service providers and traditional telecommunications companies. Crowe believed that Level 3 should concentrate exclusively on carrying Internet traffic for service providers and corporations.

Level 3 Communication Question # 1 Jonathan Coltrain

During the late 1990's Level 3 Communication wanted to develope a state of the art fiber-optic network. They wanted to create this so they could balance the growing demand of the internet. Jim Crowe stated that the price elasticity of this product would be very high. He recommend if lowered it would bring in more customers. But as it turns out the idea was already being pursude by other companies as well.

Level 3 Communications Question #1- Mallory Clynes

The planned strategy of Level 3 Communications in the late 1990s was to build a state of the art fiber optic network to balance the growing demand of the Internet. Jim Crowe argued that the demand for his network would be highly price elastic. He also believed that Level 3 Communications should concentrate on carrying Internet traffic for service providers and corporations.

Level 3 Communications Question # 1 - Sandra Adams

In the late 1990s, the strategy of Level 3 Communications was to build a state-of-the-art fiber-optic network to balance the growing demand of the Internet. The increase in fiber-optic cables would provide stronger communications between networks and large cities. Also, the forecasted demand would be so elastic that by lowering the price by a small portion would bring in more customers. The strategy used by Level 3 Communications would have been extremely successful, but unfortunately for them, too many other companies were executing the same idea.

Senior Business Seminar-Assignment #5

By 7:00 AM on Tuesday, September 25, read the case study at the end of chapter 1, "Shattered Dreams: Level 3 Communications". Select any question at the end of the case that has yet to be answered by 4 students. Publish your answer in a new post of no more than 2 paragraphs. Label your post: Level 3 Communications Question # _ - Your first and last name.

Strategic Leadership-Mallory Clynes

After reading the article, both authors have the same views on strategic leaderships. Great strategic leaders have commitment, are well rounded, and can work well with any obstacle that comes his or her way.

My view has not changed on what I believe a strategic leader is. I still feel very strongly that a great strategic leader can multi-task and work with anyone or anything that comes his or her way. He or she is also able to come up with situations for different problems that they may or may not face in the future as well.

leadership 2- Andrew Gordon

This is a continuation of my prior blog.

While i do not agree with all the points that the reading selection and video touched upon, i do agree with that success is measured through results, and results vary on what is going on in the world and where the world is heading. Results are what allows leaders to shine... When you have the determination to accomplish something the true leader in you will thrive...

Leadership - Andrew Gordon

I have read all this work on leadership qualities, and how people are trying to transform our generations into the future leaders of the world. I have always been a devout believer in leaders are born not made. While yes practicing certain charachteristics can make you have the qualities of a good leader, i have always viewed your best leaders are those that lead without trying. What i mean by this is, A leader does not expect to be a leader nor want to be a leader. He or she does what they do just because they need their to be a certain outcome and in order to achieve that outcome they take the neccessary steps in leading others to success and their ultimate goal.

Strategic Leadership - Danielle O'Neill

After reading the article, "Building A Leadership Brand," I believe that many of the points stated in the article coincide with many of the points brought up in the text. The biggest difference is that the article focuses mainly on strengthening the team rather than the individual, but the concept is very similar. The 5 strategies listed in the article follow the 6 qualities of being a strategic leader; First, setting a strategy and finding talent. Second, make sure that the leaders reach the customers expectations. Third, use customer feedback for evaluations. Fourth, invest in programs that will better the managers. And lastly, track the success of the leadership over a long period of time.

After taking into consideration all three sources, I believe that my opinions of being a strong leader have remained the same. All of the sources have great strategies and list great qualities for being a successful leader individually and as a team.

Leadership- Ian Stuart

Success can be gained in a multitude of ways, but it seems to me, that leadership is the most important factor of success. Strategic management is the most important tool a company can have. If their management is spot on, than any type of company, offering any type of service, can become succesful. Though strategic leadership is the most important key, there is no set process in said management. Jack Welch did not conform to any type of leadership process, and in fact, that is probably what made him so sucessful. So strategic management, is crucial, but can be taken a number of different ways, this said, strategic mangement can become succesful if the managers can be forceful in their mission of implamenting a management plan. Because of this, I will be able to look at strategic management with an open mind and open eyes. I'm now aware that the way i manage is the key to my success and not my actual business (within reason).

-Ian Stuart

Leadership- Danny Santana

After reading both assignments for class I came to the conclusion that if you are compassionate to your employees then you are a good leader. Also, a good leader clearly states goals the company has to set forth in order for them to be successful.

I agree with these readings some what. I don't believe that compassion makes a good leader. Yes, the leader has to deal with employee issues that may arise but he/she should be stern in order for tasks to get done properly and effectively. If you are too compassionate your employees will walk all over you and your company will be negatively effected.

Strategic Leadership- Mike Dombrowski

After reading the article "Building a Leadership Brand" in the Harvard Business Review, I came to the conclusion that the two authors of this article, Ulrich and Smallwood, would agree with the textbook of ours on what characteristics facilitate a good strategic leader. They feel that a person needs to have certain attributes, like compassion and caring for fellow employees and those under them. Also, a person in this position needs to have the ability to have a vision of where they want the company to go, while at the same time having the ability to convey this to the consumer.
My view on what constitutes a good strategic leader has not changed much since I have read the textbook and what it stated were the pieces that make up a good strategic leader. Both the DVD we watched on Mr. Welch, former CEO of GE, and the article we were just assigned to read, "Building a Leadership Brand", have backed up the textbook. All three of these pieces of media have suggested and reiterated similar ideals about the characteristics a strategic manager should be made up of.

Strategic Leadership- Dan Attella

Strategic Management is something that is generally implemented prior to the company going into business, embedded into their mission statement, or something that needs to be implemented slowly. In the article "Building a leadership Brand" Ulrich mentions a few different companies, in different industries, with similar goals. It is obvious that from the beginning, these companies have embraced the ideas of strategic management, where managing is not just the allocation of a companies resources, but also the effective and intelligent use of HUMAN resources. To be able to offer the best services and products for people (customers) one has to recognize the fact that the business itself is run by people (customers). Everyone is a customer in one way or another and for a company to embrace strategic management it effectively recognizes that people need to be treated like people, not machines.
He also goes on to mention that a leadership brand is what a customer can come to expect from all facets of a company. It is the production of not only a product or service, but also exceptional leaders to accompany the process. A process is only as good as the minds behind it. The authors in the article, and the book seem to agree with each other in terms of strategic leadership. They both seem to be saying that strategic management is about managing everything, including what isn’t on the surface. Ulrich says, "Leadership brand is a reputation for developing exceptional managers with a distinct set of talents that are uniquely geared to fulfill customers’ and investors’ expectations." I believe that this unique set of talents is listed in our text on pages 19-21. Vision Eloquence, and Consistency, Commitment, Being Well Informed, Willingness to Delegate and Empower, The Astute Use of Power, and last but not least, Emotional Intelligence. My thoughts on strategic leadership have been affected, but not changed. I respect Welch for who he is and what he has done, however I think the reason why he was and is so succesful is becuase he did it his way. Conforming to someone elses leadership style is not the way to go if your planning on being the next Jack Welch. There is no "Next Jack Welch" However there will be the new leaders of tomorrow, and one day they will be up on stage being grilled by an audience of potential MBA recipients, all becuase they were inovative and creative when it came to managing their company. So my mind will forever be open to new ideas when it comes to managing and running a business.

Strategic Leadership - John Garrity

When I was done reading the article tittled "Building a leadership brand", there was one section that seemed to jump out at me concerning the similarity between the 6 principles in our text. The strong leadership brand has many similarities in relation to the 6 principles of strategic leadership in chapter one of our text. The leadership brand follows 5 principles which include many instances that seem to agree towards the skills expressed within each of the 6 principles in the book. These similarities include; setting a strategy (Brand) & Vision/Direction (6 Prin); Managers internalize external constituents (Brand) & Being well informed (6 Prin); Development of skills (Brand) & Emotional intelligence (6 Prin). Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood also explain that it takes a long time to build a leadership brand, which in turn, also means that there has to be a lot of commitment/patience involved to created a great final product. Theses are just a few examples to provide evidence that the authors of "Building a leadership brand" agree with the views of strategic leadership.
My views of strategic leadership have changed slightly after reading the article and watching the DVD. I am a true believer in what Jack's was trying to promote as a leadership style. I think along the same lines as Jack and support everything he has to say. It was eye opening experience to see a billionaire speak about his experiences with meaning and passion behind it. The Leadership Brand concept has a lot of good ideas, but didn't change my view of leadership compared to Jack.

Startegic Leadership- Jonathan Coltrain

After reading "Building A leadership Brand", and through our book for class about leadership, I found out that they are quite similar. In both the article and book, they pretty much believe that it takes compasion to be a good leader, someone who will show trust to their co-workers. Also, someone who clearly states their goals and follows up on them as well.

I believe that my belifes towards leadership have not change since watchin the movie and reading the article. I feel that i have gained newer information towards my thoughts on it though, through listening to people who have had lots of experience in the leadership role.

In my opinion the article "Building a Leadership Brand" and our text book share the same views on leadership. In order for a company to succede they need to have strong and intellingent leaders who clearly state their goals and follow through with them thoroughly. If the leaders of a company work hard and set a good example it is likely that the rest of the company will folllow due to the respect their superiors have earned from them.

After watching the video and reading the article i feel strategic leadership is the only way to lead a business. Jack Welch used a pretty simple strategy backed by the best leaders he could possibly find and became very succesful. In the end i feel good leadership will always get the job done.

Strategic Leadership - Sean Doherty

After reading the article "Building a Leadership Brand" out of the Harvard Business Review and the six different leadership characteristics from out text, i have found that both authors state similar facts on what types of characteristics leaders should have. The key similarites i found were that a leader has to have compassion for what he/she is doing, individuals are very different and will have different qualities, and a leader should always support a positive reputation for the company.

After watching the movie on Jack Welch and reading this article, my personal beliefs on leadership qualities have not changed but increased. I found that both take on leadership establishing mottos, such as Jack Welch's 4 E's in a P and the, "outside in" program from the article.