SNOW CANCELLATION

Due to the fact that the college cancelled afternoon classes today, December 13th, because of inclement weather, we will be having a make-up class on Tuesday, December 18th at 1:00 PM, as specified in your syllabus. Groups who were scheduled to present today should come prepared to give their presentations next week. I am sorry for the inconvenience this may cause you.

Sirius Radio- Joe Boulanger- Question # 2

Sirius radio has a very basic organizational structure. Their main focus is to attract their target market with commercial free listening. They also base their marketing on providing radio programs that fits every age group and their preference of music.
Sirius has devoted themselves to providing a service that is unlike any local radio station. To distinguish themselves from XM they have different types of music categories, along with news radio, sports, and talk shows such as Howard Stern which most consumers find intruiging and different from any other type of radio service.

Adam McClellan # 2

The age of the internet as brought together the war Apple vs Napster of downloading music. They have both been changing thier products to fit legal need and customers needs. Both companys are trying to reach a global market and persuade consumers to download from them. Napster's organization has taking the back seat to Apple after many legal issues. Also Apples does alot more advertising to certain markets like sponsoring computer and sporting events

I think that coke and pepsi have dominated their market by selling drinks for all types of people. They tailor their product to fit any one persons need. From the average soft drink to sports drinks and even energy drinks. Because they continue to expand throughout different countries and in variety, itwould be nearly impossible for another company to step in and become more popular. Not to mention, if a company started to become more popular, coke and pepsi would probably buy them out and sell another company's product with either of their trademarks. Like Vitamin Water.

Jason Grier-Question 2-Pepsi vs Coke

Over the past 100 years pepsi and coke have both been changing there products to meet the satisfaction of their consumers. Both companys are trying to reach a target market, being teenagers or people that are looking for the same taste in diet drinks than in regular soda. Both companys are also sponsoring companys and clubs. For instance Pepsi is the official sponsor of the NHL. With the rapidly growing market Pepsi and Coke are doing everything in their power to stay on top and out-do one another.

3M-Katie Prentiss-#2

3m being a very science based company uses imaginative products to e a leader in many markets. The attribute their success to their ability to apply their technologies individually and combine to produce an assortment of real-world customer needs. They achieve this by sticking to their commitment “to make life easier and better for people around the world.” Their visions according to the 3m website are: 1) Provide investors an attractive return through sustained, quality growth 2) Satisfy customers with superior quality, value and service 3) Respect our social and physical environment 4) Be a company employees are proud to be part of. By using these values and norms through out the company they have grown to the large profitable company they are today. Sources Used: 3m website Company Information.

charles jordan handy question blogg 15 question#2 for toyota

Toyota culture is defiantly been changing over the years. The company use to be known has the Japanese company that would put out a decent car for a low price. But over the year they have changed, they listen to the people who they sell there cars to. Also they want to be more American so they have done things such as making one of the best trucks in America and also they have joined NASCAR. They are the first non American car in the NASCAR circuit. Toyota now is starting to have more Americans move up in management positions instead of Japanese because they want the edge for the American market.

Senior Seminar- Assignment #15

This group blog must be completed by 10:40AM on Thursday, December 6th. 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. Subsequent entries should be under COMMENTS to that person. Each person must do 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?

Jennifer Omasta-all questions XM v. Sirius

XM and Sirius satellite radio have been becoming popular over the past few years because they have less advertising and give people more listening options then the usual radio. Some changes that they have gone through in the last decade is that Sirius began working with Ford and having their radio installed in the carlines of 2007. The XM radio then moved itself to not only a car radio but an audio radio for at home. In 2004 the programs were having low subscription levels and would not start building a profit til late 2007/2008 where they started to create joint ventures with companies such as ford for Sirius and GM for XM to gain enough subscriptions to make a profit. Both companies have similar cost structures. These alliances with these car companies is a good idea because they are getting their name out there and their product has more of a chance of being used then if they just try to sell it themselves. It has been shown that their profits have gone up ever since they gained these alliances. The most recent internal venture they have undertaken is by cutting their customer cost and charging their programming costs more to gain more of a profit and another charged their costumers more to gain a profit and sustained the same programming cost. The current core competencies are that the company’s are that they are both strong competitors and have a great product out there. They both have advantages over the regular radio but they don’t have as many customers as they like. One of the ways these company’s could fix their problem is by joining together to make one large company and combining their customers and advertising costs to gain more customers.

Question #1 Lindsy Girard - 3M

3M established a new set of environmental goals in 2005, that are extending through 2010. Already since this was established, they have reduced volatile organic air emissions by 66 percent, toxic releases inventory by 72 percent and waste bye 33 percent. Also they are improving their energy efficiency. 3M has reduced energy use by 35 percent. In 2006 they have achieved an annual energy savings of $25 million. 3M has always been very environmentally aware but has made a lot of changes to make everything better. They made these changes to take environmental, health, and safety into account at every stage of a products development.

charles jordan handy question #2 for toyota

I think the major acquisition that Toyota has made in the past few years is that they stop there focus on SUV’s and trucks and turned there attentions to hybrids. knowing that hybrids where the future of the automotive industry. They did this because they are a company that understands how important being environmentally and also that the gas prices in the United States. The smart thing was that Toyota lead the market in hybrids offering the first half gas half electric car. Plus because of the size of Toyota they could offer it at a very low price.
Toyota new what America wanted and knew that if they where going to keep profits rising they would have to be ahead of the market. Knowing this they have lead the automotive industry not just in the hybrid market but the whole market.

SENIOR SEMINAR- ASSIGNMENT #14

This group blog must be completed by 10:40 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 evalutate the strategic rationale behind this acquisition. Does it make sense?
(3) What is the most recent strategic alliance your company has formed? Identify and evalute the rationale behind this alliance. Does it make sense?
(4) What is the most recent internal venture your company has undertaken? Identify and evalutate 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- Michael Garland

Thermo Electron used an unusual diversification method that increased the companies sales rapidly to $3.6 million. The company sold many different diverse products to obtain this rapid increase in the value of the company and its shareholders. This created a huge compound return average for the shareholders. This company obviously benifited from a strategy that can create much more work and unequal performances of the different subsidiaries

Thermo Electron Question # 2- Joe Boulanger

The complexity of the subsidaries can have a dampening effect on the share price. Some investors have complained that the corporate structure is too complicated. Having 23 public subsidaries means producing 23 annual reports and filing 92 quarterly earnings statement a year which is not inexpensive.
The ongoing process of spinning out companies can spread scarce mangement and engineering talent too thin over too many disparate businesses. Bad performance by one subsidary can cast a shadow over the whole company and adversely affect both revenues and share prices.

Thermo Electron- Kathryn Prentiss Question #2

Although it looks as though Thermo Electron is doing well with this strategy there are some draw backs to this strategy. There is the thinning of the talent and the management throughout the spinout companies. The cost of putting together many different annual reports and quarterly earning statements. It is not only a costly event for them to do but it is almost silly.
Also the bad publicity and performance that one of the spinouts could produce for the whole company.

Thermo Electron Question #1-Anne Acerra

Thermo Electron's diversification strategy created value for the company and shareholders because it provided services in areas of the market that no one else was addressing. This gave them the advantage of no competition, and the fact that people could only go to them to get certain things they needed.

Thermo Electron- Question #1 Jason Shaker

Thermo Electron's unusual diversification strategy has created value for the company and its shareholders by drawing on its R & D know-how to develop radically new products that address discrete market niches not alrady addressed by the company or its subsidaries. These products are then spun out as the core of stand-alone companies in which Thermo holds a major equity stake. Between 1983-198, Thermo Electron produced twenty three such spinouts, all but three of which were publicily traded. In the process, Thermo diversified into a wide range of businesses (including power plants, artificial hears, and laser hair removers) and grew its sales over 3.6 billion.

Thermo Electron- Question #1- Beth Ellis

Historically speaking, Thermo Electron used their unusual diversification strategy very well to create value for the company and its shareholders. The approach used from 1983-1997 was to create products to be spun out by subsidiary companies in which Thermo holds a majority of equity stake in. Thermo produced 23 of these spinouts between these years, and grew its sales to over $6.3 billion a year. Thermo’s diversification strategy was different in that it gave the subsidiaries a huge amount of freedom as day-to-day operations and stock contract options were generally handled by the subsidiary (Hill, 2008). This created value for the company during the time as they didn’t have to do as much work with each of the subsidiary companies, allowing the companies to take care of a majority of things for themselves. This created value for the shareholders as during this time period the compound return to shareholders averaged 28% a year (Hill, 2008). Historically, this approach worked well for Thermo Electron.

Senior Seminar- Assignment #13

By 10:00 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# 1-Michael Garland

Starbucks strategy for exbanding overseas creates value for the shareholders for the obvious fact that there are more stores. Starbucks succeeding in international markets will raise the overall revenue and therefor the market will rise which will create value for the company's shareholders.

Starbucks- Question # 3 -Karli Mae Ferris

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

I think they have used these local companies as a source of familiarity for the citizens of the country. If the Starbucks company name is used with a familiar one, then they are more likely to gain foreign customers. The consumers will feel more comfortable going to their shops and buying their products if they are already loyal, comforatble, or familiar with the other local company.

Starbucks Question # 4- Joe Boulanger

Starbucks chose Japan and Britain to start in the foreign market because the population is so large in both of these countries. They also wanted to meet a target market of coffee lovers which had many different kinds of coffee stores in these countries. Starbucks conducted research and found that there was a market for coffee stores in these countries. Starbucks did not open store locations in Europe until 2002 because they wanted to makesure that store locations in Japan and Britian were doing well enough in that foreign market.

Comp Questions K Prentiss...Revised and Added

Here are the revised wrong answers and the rest of the ones not done. Also I am going to post the whole what I believe is all the correct answers can you check them for me? THANKS AND GOOD LUCK ALL!!!!


24 D
26 C
27 C
28 D
33 A
34 A
43 A
44 B
52 A
53 A
64 B
71 A
72 B
73 B
74 C
75 D
81 B
82 D
83 B
84 D
85 D
86 D
87 D
88 B
89 C
90 D
94 B
100 A

Starbucks- Question #1- Beth Ellis

Starbucks’ strategy of expanding overseas creates value for the company’s shareholders in a very obvious way. By expanding overseas Starbucks is seeing a huge increase in revenue. With this increase in revenue stock prices will inevitably rise as they do whenever a company begins to become more profitable. Since expanding overseas has obviously been a good experience for Starbucks and a profitable one, the expansion creates a wealth of profit for the shareholders as profits continue to rise and stocks continue to increase.

Starbucks Question #2 - Amanda Guay

I would classify Starbucks as pursuing an international strategy because they centralized their product development functions, they established manufacturing and marketing functions in each of the major countries, and they undertook some local customization of product offerings and marketing strategy, but it was limited. I believe it has chosen the right strategic posture because they did exceedingly well in countries that were probably thought of as less promising at the time. For example, the basic Starbucks formula has done very well in international markets. Their Lattes have become standard fare the world over, from non-coffee cultures such as China and tea cultures such as Japan to the coffee cultures of Western Europe.

Comp Questions - Amanda Guay

The following are new answers to questions 74 and 75 (which, after correction, were wrong the first time around).
74. C
75. C

The following are the answers for questions 76-80 of the Accounting section:
76. D
77. B
78. D
79. C
80. B

Study Guide Questions: Adam, Jason, Jeff and Pete

All 4 members were present when we answered these questions

Ethics and Social Responsibility:

31: D
32: B
33: D
34: B
35: B
36: A
37: C
38: B
39: B
40: A

Global Economy
51: C
52: D
53: C
54: B
55: D
56: B
57: B
58: D
59: D
60: A

Charles Jordan Handy- comp Questions (the U.S. Legal system and Business Law)

81. A
82. C
83. D
84.A
85. D
86.D
87.D
88. B
89. C
90.D

Study Guide Questions- Management & Marketing

Management Questions 1-5

1. __________ are behavioral patterns associated with or expected of certain positions.

I chose A. Responsibilities because the other options definitions don't match with this statement.

2. __________ involves establishing objectives and goals for an organization and determining the best ways to accomplish them.

I chose B. Planning because the definition in Contemporary Management is: Identifying and selecting appropriate goals and courses of action.

3. What is the time interval used for long-range organizational goals used in strategic planning?

I chose C. 5-10 years because typically long-term goals are anything over 5 years according to Contemporary Management.

4. A _______ is a realistic and achievable view of the future that grows out of an improves on the present.

I chose B. Vision because a vision is defined as:

5. When a small private college hires a new president, the new president drafts a document defining why he believes the college should exist, what it seeks to accomplish, and whom it should primarily serve. The president is drafting a new _______.

I chose B. Mission Statement because the definition in Contemporary Management is: A broad declaration of an organization's purpose that identifies the organization's products and customers and distinguishes the organization from its competitors.

extra credit blog- 100 questions

By 5:00 PM on Tuesday night, November 13th, please post your answers to your assigned questions. This is a group blog assignment. The following are the sections each group agreed to tackle: Karli-Mae: Marketing and Management; Jenn: Organization and Teamwork( I somehow missed your second section); Adam: Ethics and Social Responsibility and Global Economy; Amanda: Accounting and US Legal System and Law.

The first person in the group should do an original post with the answers to his/her questions. All subsequent posts from the same group should be under comments to the first member of your group to post. Label your post: Study Guide Questions. Make sure to indicate the question you are answering, the correct answer, and where you looked the answer up or how you know it is right. I will comment to each group no later than 7:00AM on Wednesday, November 14th.

Senior Seminar- Assignment #12

By 10:00 AM 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. - Lindsy Girard

1. One of Liz Claiborne's partners to start the business was her husband.

2. By mid 1976 Liz Claiborne established a production control office in Hong Kong.

3. Most department stores had shirts, pants, etc. in different areas and Liz Claiborne worked with executives to make sure that all sportswear pieces in the same department.

http://www.lizclaiborneinc.com/company/history.htm

Liz Claiborne, Inc- Jason Shaker

Three pieces of updated information that were not in the case...

1) Trudy Sullivan, President of Liz Claiborne Inc, is leaving to assume a leadership position for another company

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=82611&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1021381&highlight=

2) Narciso Rodriguez and Liz Claiborne Inc. Announce Partnership Agreement, Liz Claiborne is acquiring 50% ownership interest Narciso Rodriquez name and trademark

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=82611&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=996459&highlight=

3) Michael Scarpa Named Chief Operating Officer of Liz Claiborne Inc, Scarpa will will continue to be responsible for the corporation's finance, distribution and logistics

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=82611&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=956527&highlight=

I allow Professor Parent to give me feedback on my personal strategy paper

Liz Claiborne, Inc. - Amanda Guay

1.) Since arriving at Liz Claiborne eight months ago, William L. McComb, one of the youngest and least-experienced chief executives in the fashion industry, has outlined a radical plan for weaning the company off its reliance on department stores like Macy’s by building hundreds, if not eventually thousands, of its own retail stores.

2.) The Liz Claiborne that Mr. McComb inherited was, according to its detractors, a bloated giant perpetually trying to digest its latest acquisition.

3.) Last year, when Liz Claiborne’s board of directors approached Mr. McComb, then a division president at Johnson & Johnson, about taking the chief executive job, they told him they wanted a change. Mr. McComb, the only outside candidate presented to the full board, faced a single internal candidate, Trudy Sullivan, who was president of the company (and has since left to become chief executive of Talbot’s). At several junctures, Mr. McComb broke off the negotiations and appeared to walk away, according to people briefed on the matter, and the search dragged on for 10 months.

Liz Claiborne- Joe Boulanger

1. Liz Claiborne died at the age of 78 on June 27, 2007

2. When Claiborne retired from the company in 1990 it had $1.4 billion sales.

3. Ms. Claibornes company was the first founded by a woman to enter the rankings of the Fortune 500 in 1986.

Source: New York Times. "Liz Claibrone died at 78". Eric Wilson, June 27, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/fashion/27cnd-claiborne.html?hp

Liz Claiborne, Inc. - Beth Ellis

Three facts about Liz Claiborne, Inc. that were not presented in the text:

1. Liz Claiborne, Inc. recently sold four of its midprice-apparel brands to a Hong Kong trading company.
2. Liz Claiborne, Inc. is currently looking to “divest”, or sell, 16 of its 36 clothing labels.
3. Liz Claiborne, Inc. is downsizing the company’s wholesale-apparel busines.

Liz Claiborne Reaches Agreement To Sell Four Labels to Li & Fung. (2007, September 14). Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. B.2. Retrieved October 23, 2007, from National Newspapers (27) database. (Document ID: 1335614181).)

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 10:40 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.

Revised Mission Satement - Amanda Guay

Professor Parent,

I have revised my mission, values and distinctive competencies. Please let me know if I have "hit the nail on the head" or need some more work.

Mission - To provide a graduate school with a candidate unreservedly devoted to pursuing applied research with an interdisciplinary focus to develop solutions to real-world problems through hard work and diligence.

Values - Belief in hard work and dedication in combination with an affirmative attitude; I believe in striving for daily self-improvement with the ability to be a team player at the same time; and lastly, I believe in meticulousness.

Distinctive Competencies - The ability to display outstanding analytical, communication, and organizational skills, and the aptitude to handle challenges and multi-task simultaneously.

Emergency Room-Jennifer Omasta

Mission: To achieve success in marketing and selling the companies products with innovative and new ideas.

Vision: To achieve above and beyond the sales of competitors and prove to be a more knowledgeable and credible sales representative.

Values: To respect all company policies and to respect other companies that I may work with, and doctors.

Core Competencies: I have a strong and outgoing personality and can get along well with others. I also have three years experience working for a pharmaceutical company and have worked in the field of marketing.

I allow Professor Parent to respond to my post.

Emergency Room Help Available- Sunday night

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.

Mission: To push myself to reach my maximum potential as a professional athlete and make it to the highest level that I can possibly achieve.


Vision: To be able to provide for my family and fullfil a lifelong dream without having any regrets of all the time that I have put into a sport. To also provide my family with more opportunties than I had to improve their chances of succeeding in life.



Values: Hard work, determination, the willingness to always improve my game.

Core C: To push myself without the help of anyone else while still accepting critcism and using it to help me improve. I must never let my pride get in the way of my goal.

Assignement #10 Katie Prentiss

Mission: To be a diligent student at a competitive school to better my stance in future endeavors and/or employments by applying knowledge gained.

Visions: To be able to provide for my family by using the knowledge gained through out my life and experiences to better my standing both in life and persuits.

Values: Agressivness, Drive, Personality

Core Competancies:Being able to drive myself and not have to have a person behind me pushing me to do waht needs to be done in life and in school

Assignment #10- Beth Ellis

Mission- To provide a marketing firm with a market analyst dedicated to providing accurate information with analytical ability and excellent qualitative research skills.

Vision- success in a marketing research firm, using research methods such as surveys and focus groups to provide quality information for large corporations

Values- hard work, honesty

Distinctive Competencies- fast learner, excellent qualitative research skills, working knowledge of the SPSS software, analytic ability, detail oriented, ability to maintain composure in


Permission for online review by Professor Parent.

Assignment #10- Jason Shaker

Mission- To find a job in the professional sports industry that allows me to use my knowledge of sports.

Visson- To set goals for myself to get a job with a professional sports team and work my way up the organization

Values- Dedication, hardwork, trust worthy, eager to learn, competitive,

Core Compentencies- My core compentencies is my willingness to try and learn new things that come my way, if a sports team asks me to do something I will do my very best to get the job done.

Assignment #10-Pete Wilson

Mission: To find an occupation that deals with the sports and recreation field.

Vision: To be able to achieve the right goals for myself and for the company in which I forsee.

Values: Dedicated, productive, confident, and motivated.

Core Competencies: To be able to achieve the goals I set for myself and the job I choose, that allows the campany to be successful.

Assignment #10- Brendan Stribula

Mission- To provide an advertising company with a dedicated and passionate worker, who is willing to do whatever is necessary to enhance the company's value.

Vision- Represent a sports-related company through the advertising and promotion of products.

Values- Dedication, hard work, commitment, strong work ethics.

Distinctive Competencies- Sense of humor, commitment, communication, friendly demeanor, ability to adapt quickly to new situations.

Assignment #10- Jeff Scott

Mission: To find a job in the sports and recreation field.

Vision: To set goals for myself and my job that hopefully I can forfill.

Values: Trustworthy, confident, competitive, and hardworking.

Core Competencies: Use my values in the job I choose to help achieve the goals I set for myself and the company.

Assignment #10- Steve Moore

Mission- Strive to engage myself as a leader within a Professional Sports Organization by committing to the franchise from the off-season to season's end.

Vision- To represent a Sports Organization with high energy in purpose to help build a winning franchise.

Values- work well in groups, committment, dedication to team, dilegent worker, sports knowledge

Distinctive Competencies- work quickly and dilegently, communication, travel, great attitude when it comes to sports

*Permission for on-line feedback from Prof. Parent

Assignment # 10 Ryan MacKinnon

Mission Statement- To do the best I can to achieve perfect success in recreational management.

Vision- To have fun with what I am doing and make good money

Values- Leader by example in a working industry, love to work, and being helpful whenever possible.

Core competencies- The love for sports and being outside helping others is what I have always strived for.

Assignment #10- Karli Mae Ferris

Mission Statement- "To be a successful student at a grad school looking for hard working individuals, committed to achieving their career goals through higher education."

Vision Statement- "To become a successful manager in the accounting field with equal commitment to both my profession and home life."

Values- "I should be able to conduct my studies and daily responsibilities with an open mind and a positive attitude towards interacting with and helping others."

Distinctive Competencies- I have a distinctive competency in positivity. No matter what the situation is, I can always find a positive outlook and can handle the situation appropriately.

Assignment # 10- Michael Garland

Mission- To provide a strong foundation of development, to an organization of diverse musicians so they can grow, learn and teach comfortably, with the support of an enthusiastic and knowledgeable fundraiser.

Vision- To be profitable and budget guarded, to go above and beyond the monetary plan set forth by the board of directors of a non-profit, however affluent organization of various musicians.

Values- enthusiastic, knowledgeable, tightfisted, capable, dedicated and committed

Core competencies- Ability to go above and beyond expectations and potentials, having fine communication skills and the willing to perform assertively in demanding situations.

I give Patricia Parent permission to give feedback

Adam McClellan #10

Mission: To find a job and progress through a sports marketing firm.

Vision: To achieve all goals set forth by myself and the company to climb the corporate latter in the sports marketing firm.

Values: hardwork, dedication, trust, competiviness and reliability

Core Competencies: To use the goals and values to set a high standard for myself to climb the corporate latter in the firm.

Blog # 10 Part A Charles Handy

Mission:
To be a superior student over all other applicants to law school and and learning all the tools and keys to become and success full and excellent lawyer and citizen for the United States.

Vision:
To become a very successful and highly admired lawyer and to lead a great career in politics.

Values:
My Values are to be a honest hard working American that works to become a better student and stronger citizen, in hope to better serve our country.

Core Competencies:
My Core Competencies is my people skills and my speaking abilities in front of large groups.

Luke Ferreira #10

Mission - to find a job in the field of sports and recreation that offers a good chance for advancement, with hard work and dedication.

Vision- on behalf of the company I will put in a great deal of time and energy to better my skills as well as better the company.

Values- dedication , hardworking, committed, striving to be the best , teamwork and always having a positive attitude .

Distinctive Competencies - very good people skills, ability to multi-task , excited and eager to learn new things, positive attitude, and constantly being dedicated to trying my best.

Assignment #10 - Amanda Guay

Mission - To provide a graduate school with a candidate unreservedly devoted to furthering the knowledge and experience necessary in the accounting world through hard work and diligence.

Vision - Passing the CPA exam in the state of Massachusetts, and success within a prestigous and well respected accounting firm whether it be regional or national.

Values - Hard work, dedication, daily self-improvement, team player, meticulous, and an affirmative attitude.

Distinctive Competencies - Ability to leave personal matters out of the workplace, to learn new items quickly and efficiently, and to take the good with the bad all while showing outstanding analytical, communication, and organizational skills.

*Permission for on-line feedback given to Professor Parent via e-mail, please.

Assignment 10- Anne Acerra

My Mission Statement: Passionately committed to representing a pharmaceutical company in order to improve their sales.

Vision: representing a pharmaceutical company for the purpose to selling their products.

Values: Teamwork, hard work, diligence, commitment, compliance with rules, dedication.

Distinctive Competencies: great attitude, hard worker, never give up, fast learner, great with meeting new people, great with traveling, great communication skills, work really well with others.

Assignment #10- Senior Seminar

This is an extra credit blog. You may do Part A and get credit for one blog or Part B and get credit for one blog. If you complete both Part A and Part B you will get credit for 3 blogs. Part A is due by 10:40 AM on Wednesday, October 17 and Part B is due by 10:40 AM on Thursday, October 18th. Part A requires you to publish a new post that includes : your mission statement, vision, values and distinctive competencies. Part B requires you to comment to 2 members of your group. Your comment to each of these 2 students should include what was best about their post as well as what could use revision. Make a specific suggestion to them about how to improve their post. If you would like me to comment on this blog regarding your entry please write at the end of your post: "Permission for on-line feedback given to Professor Parent." I will post my comments within 48 hours of the last student to comment to you. Label your post: Assignment #10.

Google Question #1- Jason Shaker

The Values that Google creates for customers is a search engine with well over 4 billion WebPages indexed in 2004, while handling over 300 million inquiries a day. Major Web portals such as Yahoo and AOL were using Google's search engine technology. It is estimated that 75% of Internet searches were made using Google in 2003. Google is one of the most reliable search engines and provides great value to customers because of the range of topics that can be searched and results found.

The Values Google creates for advertisers is by selling advertisers the words that people put in when they search for something on the web. What makes this so great for the advertisers is that they only have to pay if the user on the internet clicks on the link via Google. This is smart because it keeps advertisers coming back because they know they are paying for what it being click on and it is generating traffic onto their website.

This all translates into higher revenues and profits because it brings in a lot of advertisers and the customers keep coming back which makes the advertisers want to keep using Google.

Google question # 1 - Lindsy Girard

What is the value that Google creates for (a) customers and (b) advertiser? How does this value translate into higher revenues and profits?

Google creates value for customers by basically having the first real search engine that people could type in anything they were looking for and it gives you a list of things related to what you are looking for. They realized that what other search engines were doing wasn't working so they changed it by inventing this search engine which included "backrub". Also customers don't have to pay to use it so most people in the world searching use Google because it's easy and free.

Google also creates a value for it's advertisers. The advertisers don't have to pay Google until their advertisement is actually clicked on. Depending on how many times their advertisement is clicked on they determine then how much to charge the advertiser.

Since Google owns so much of the Internet so many companies want to put their advertisements on their website, which then makes them money because so many people use Google and click on the advertisements. So that is how they make so much more money than other search engines.

Google Question #1 - Amanda Guay

The values that Google creates for its customers are: (1) a search engine with over 4 billion indexed webpages, (2) a search engine so popular most major web portals (including Yahoo and AOL) were using Google's search technology, and (3) some 75 percent of Internet searches are made using Google. Coming from a consumer standpoint it would make one think that Google is one the (if not THE) best search engine there is on the market.

The value that Google creates for its advertisers is that they sell the advertisers the words that people put in when they search for something on the Web via an auction. To make the deal more appealing, the sponsor only has to pay Google if the user clicks through to it from a Google-generated link. I think it is a fantastic idea because the sponsors do not have to pay Google for the amount of time the advertisement runs like most types of advertisements. This also is a very fair and clever condition because it will keep sponsors at their knees begging Google to use their advertisement, which essentially translates into higher revenues and profits. It is a win/win situation all around as long as you are the sponsor that bids the highest.

Google Question # 1- Joe Boulanger

Google creates many different benefits for their customers. Before Google there was no real way to sort and search through all of the different web sites. Customers could not use a search engine to type in whatever it was that they were looking for. Google creators changed that and invented a search engine which included the technology of "backrub". Today billions of people a day are using the google.com website in order to find websites for all of their inquires. Google provides a quick and easy way to search for sites on the internet without any hassels. It's free to use, which is one thing consumers love and google get's their funding by charging businesses to appear on googles search engine.
Along with many benefits for the consumer their many values for advertisers. Google allows consumers to search anything on the internet, and allows them to view web pages of businesses all over the world. By making this easy for the consumer, they can find the businesses they are looking for faster, and advertisers can be publisized much clearer. The best benefit of using google for an advertiser is that they do not have to pay google unless their advertisement is actually clicked on by a customer. Google determines how much to charge the advertisers depending on how many times their link is clicked on.
Unlike many other .com businesses google was able to find a way to make a profit. In 2003 the company made $967 million in revenues and $105 million in net profits. The basic concept to making a profit is simple. Google sells to advertisers the words that people put in when they search for something on the web.

Google Question #1- Beth Ellis

What is the value that Google creates for (a) customers, and (b) advertisers? How does this value translate into higher revenues and profits?

Google creates value for customers by having a state of the art search engine, one that is rated number one for regenerating a list of web pages with the most useful ones on the top. Google realized the problem with pre-existing search engines and fixed that problem so that the internet community would be able to operate more efficiently. Since customers do not have to pay a fee to use Google, this is a very valuable resource for them.

Google creates value for advertisers in a similar fashion. Since the web site is free to customers, they handle over 300 million queries a day, and since Google found a way to put the results of a web search in an order that lists the most useful ones on top, they have come to own over 75% of the Internet search market. A company that uses Google to advertise is sure to get coverage. Google also doesn’t make sponsors pay unless a user clicks on it from a Google link, so the advertiser is sure that people are actually having their ad seen for the money being paid.

Since Google has such a unique ability to shift through information, and since they own a majority of the search engine market, a majority of companies want to advertise through the company. Google is a company that makes profits off from advertisements, so the more companies that advertise, the higher the revenues and profits will be for the company.

Senior Seminar- Assignment #9

By 10:00 AM on Tuesday, October 16, your group is responsible for answering all the questions at the end of the case, "Google", and question #4: "Go to Google's website. What is its mission, vision, values, distinctive competency?" If you have 5 people in your group, the fifth person to log 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 # 2- Joe Boulanger

Yes the Budget Airlines are considered in a different strategic group than the major airlines for many reasons. First of all the budget airlines has a strategic posture that gives them a 30 to 50% cost advantage over traditional airlines. The budget airlines all purchase just one type of aircraft, they hire non union labor and cross train employees to perform multiple jobs to keep costs down and ticket prices low. In looking at Southwest which is a budget airline they only need 80 employees to support and fly an aircraft, compared to 115 at one of the bigger airlines like U.S. AIRWAYS. The budget airlines also perfer to fly point to point rather than through hubs, and they often use cheap secondary airports rather than major hubs.

Plane wreck #3- Michael Garland

Question #3 Compare and contrast the different strategic approaches of the network and budget airlines. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach?
Netork airlines direct their flights through significantly larger cities where the hubs are more dominating. This strategic approach is called the "hub and spoke system". High gas prices have resulted in the customers paying alot more money to fly. There are also alot of in flight services that have made flying more costly. Buget airliners are fly out of secondary hubs rather than the more dominating hubs. This is alot cheaper. They also hire nonunion workers who learn and multi task different jobs. They don't have any complementry foods or drinks and this results in cheaper tickets. People might be more comfortable and satisfied if they were able to grab a bite to eat or a drink when they're thursty and not having in house services could turn the customer away. They also only offer one type of plane which i think isn't a bad idea because the workers can develope some sort of consistency as far maintaning these planes.

Plane Wreck # 1 by Jenn Omasta

1. Use the competitive forces model to analyze the structure of the airline industry during 2001-2004. How well does this analysis explain the low profitability of the industry?

The competitive forces model focuses on five forces that shape competition within an industry. These five forces are: the risk of entry by potential competitors, the intensity of rivalry among established companies within an industry, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, and the closeness of substitutes to an industry’s products.

The first factor, risk of entry by potential competitors, was a major factor for airlines during 2001-2004. The airline industry took a big hit when oil prices went up and the want to fly due to 9/11 had gone down severely. Airlines needed to stay ahead of their competition to survive and several companies found themselves filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, etc. to keep themselves established. If new competitors were to come in at this time the main airline companies could go out of business since the demand to fly was down and prices were skyrocketing for oil. This explains the low profitability of the industry by showing how h0w potential competitors would bring down the profits of the other companies in the industry since the demand for flying was low at the time.

The second factor, the intensity of rivalry among established companies within an industry, was also key during this time. Companies were challenging each other by price instead of quality. Consumers were now more concerned with lower price tickets then the quality of their seat due to the fact that oil prices went up therefore ticket prices went up. This affected the companies whose main focus was quality because they had to change into the market of price and started to become competitive with the airlines that were already focused on price. This explains the low profitability of the industry because it shows how each company was fighting over price so they were all lowering their prices and trying to stay equal with each other and not a lot of the companies were gaining a profit.

The third factor, the bargaining power of buyers, is shown through the budget airlines. They were a target for consumers because they were cost driven and focused on getting the consumers the flight they want at a good price. This is also shown by network carriers who were more for business travelers who paid for tickets at last minute and were more concerned for the quality of their flight not the price. This shows low profitability because they were trying to bargain with the buyer and give them the cheapest deal possible which was lowering the profits.

The fourth factor, the bargaining power of suppliers, is also shown through the budget airlines when they moved into the coast-to-coast markets, which were high fare prices. The budget airlines were able to control the consumers because they knew that they were going to get consumers so they directed them towards buying higher priced tickets to make money. This affected low profitability because when they went for coast-to-coast markets the tickets were higher but the cost of oil was higher so they were still not making much of a profit due to the fact of their cost v. demand to travel the long distances went down.

The fifth factor the closeness of substitutes to an industry’s product, this was shown by the budget airlines coming in and taking the consumers away from the network airlines by lowering the price of their tickets. Which shows low profitability because the tickets where cheaper and they were also taking consumers away from other companies which were putting them into debt.

Plane Wreck # 2 and 4 by Adam McClellan

# 2 Yes there are different strategies between budget airlines and the major network airlines. The six major airlines are based on a “hub and spoke” system, while the budget airlines are on a point to point system. Also most budget airlines don’t serve food and also have employees use multiple roles in the airports.


# 4 For the industry to return to profit they need to be bale to manage how far they fly compared to prices on barrels of gasoline. Also they need to keep operating prices down to allow for tickets prices to be able to be set at a high price. Also maybe to find a way to change laws for major airlines to allow them not to slip into bankruptcy so easily.

Plane wreck question #2 charles handy

Are the budget airlines in a different strategic group then the major airlines?
I would have to say that they do have different strategies, the major airlines works on a hub and spoke strategy which means they network there routes through major hubs. They do this so they can serve more cities then they would flying point to point. This helps them also fill the seats on the planes. they also have unions for their employees so this means they pay higher salaries.
The budget airlines strategy is to save the customers money by cutting cost. They train their employees to be able to do multiple task instead of one job. Also they offer no frills on their flights meaning no food or drinks. This helps keep their cost low. Also they only fly in the large market routes such as the east coast. One way that they make sure they keep there cost low is they buy a mass amount at once of the same type of plane so they get a discount.
So to over view the differences in strategies the budget airline offers a low cost flight with no frills through a high traffic routes. They do this with a small crew and less employees. The major airlines work on a hub and spoke strategy and offer comfort and frills. They also work with a large amount employees and crew who have unions.

Plane Wreck- Question # 3 -Karli Mae Ferris

Question #3 Compare and contrast the different strategic approaches of the network and budget airlines. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach?

Network airlines strategic approaches:

The network airlines have used a couple of successful strategic approaches over the last couple of years. This includes using a "hub and spoke" system. This means that the network airlines route their flights through major hubs, usually dominating hubs in major cities around the world.

The network airlines do suffer from a couple different weaknesses in their strategic approaches, such as they have a higher cost structure due to unionized work forces and superior in-flight services and high gas prices have generated higher operating costs, which raises the prices for their customers.

Budget airlines strategic approaches:

Some positive, succesful strategic approaches that budget airlines have used are they hire nonunion workers and corss-train employees to perform multiple jobs. This cuts the amount of people budget airlines need to support and fly an aircraft. They also use cheaper secondary airports rather than major hubs and they offer no in-flight food or complementary dirnks. All of these factors help cut operating costs to keep their ticket prices down for their customers.

A weakness for the budget airlines may be exactly what their cost-reducing tactics are. For example, no in-flight food or drinks, not operating out of many major airports, and they offer no other plane then the Boeing 737. This may be a turn off for some consumers who are looking for luxery and convience and are willing to go to network airlines and pay higher prices for them.

Plane Wreck- Question #1- Beth Ellis

The competitive forces model is based upon five factors. These factors are as follows: risk of entry by potential competitors, rivalry among established companies, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, and substitute products. When comparing these five factors to the airline industry during 2001-2004, it is easy to understand the low profitability to the industry during this time period.

The first factor, risk of entry by potential competitors, was clearly shown as the network airlines were infiltrated by the budget airlines. The network airlines did not distinguish and absolute cost advantage and that cost them numerous potential clients. The second factor, rivalry among established companies, is also shown in the airline industry during this time period. Prior to the infiltration of the budget airlines, the industry was a consolidated industry, dominated by approximately six large companies. This was a problem, because when one company made a move it directly affected the market share of its rivals and thus their profitability, so when the budget airlines entered with their low prices, the network airlines were directly effected. The third factor, the bargaining power of the buyers, was perhaps the largest part of the downfall of the airline industry. When these new budget airlines hit the scene, it gave potential customers more choices, which inevitably allowed them to bargain with the big airlines easier. With the low prices of the budget airlines, the network airlines had no choice but to drop their costs as well, something that they could not afford to do. The fourth factor, the bargaining power of suppliers, relates highly to the cost of oil. All of the major airlines were affected when the price of oil shot up, and since this is a product that the airlines need to be able to operate, it was absolutely impossible for them to seek an alternate supplier. The fifth and final factor, substitute products is in essence what the budget airlines became for people looking for a cheap and reliable flight. With the new budget airlines, consumers were given more choices, which in the long run was cause for more of the network airlines to go under.

Since each of the five competitive forces came into play in the airline industry, it is obvious why there is such low profitability in the industry. With the competition between network and budget airlines, the lack of a substitute supplier for oil, and the overall economy surrounding air travel, the airline industry is going to have to rethink their strategic planning in order to be successful in the future.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM PROFESSOR PARENT

Dear Seminar Students,

Class on Tuesday, October 9th will start one-half hour late at 2:10 PM. I will see you then.

Have a nice weekend,
Professor Parent

Senior Seminar- Assignment #8

By 10:00 AM 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 2001-05." 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 #4- Jason Grier

Depending on the circumstances, it depends whether or not the CEO is paid when he or she is fired. There can be many different reasons why someone can be fired and some are minor that deserved to be paid and then there are the cases that are major and without a problem or lawsuit the people should not be allowed to be paid. The CEO's should be able to be fired and they should not be able to do anything about it.

My Reaction Tip to #7-Ryan MacKinnon

7) Link all long-term incentives to performance goals.

In all my management classes all I have been doing is making goals before the semester begins. It is the most important tip in my eyes because without making performancing goals who knows where the company should be going. Once you make the goal "official" make sure its not out of reach and its a goal that is reachable. If you go above and beyond the goal like GE did then employees deserve incentives. Whether it goes from a pay raise, promotion, extra vacation/sick days etc. When an employee achieves a goal then they should be rewarded so they will keep it up and want to come to work and perform their tasks and meet the goals of the company.

My reaction Tip #4-Michael Garland

There should be legal action taken if anyone is fired and doesnt recieve pay. CEO'S are usually the most respected people with in their companies and should recieve pay just out of respect. It's the companies fault if they don't put certain things in contract stating if the CEO denies to be investegated or denies to give a testamony then thats a cause and reason for firing. Alot of companies consider the concept of "firing for cause" insead of "firing for failure". The companies are losing tons of money for outputing CEO'S. The example givin in the article stated that three CEO'S got millions of dollars after taking the company to court saying they were fired with out pay and without cause. Companies will save and benifit from not losing cash if they take the idea of "fire for cause"

My Reacion to Tip #4-Anne Acerra

I believe that if a CEO isn't doing his or her job then that person should be fired without pay and there should be no legal action that they can take against the people who fired them. I believe that all companies should do as Walt Disney Co. did and devise a way so that CEOs don't have the upper hand in everything. They can fire their leader with reasonable cause if they need to and the leader can't do anything about it.

My Reaction to Tip #7- Karli-Mae Ferris

"Link all long-term incentives to performance goals"

I believe this was one of the most important tips because it makes the most sense and would increase productivity. If an employee has a goal or positive incentive to work harder and to do better work then the company, as well as the employee reap the benefits. I think this would also increase employee satisfaction if they are achieving goals, raising their moral, and making their job an achievable challenge, rather than a day-to-day job without any thought, hope, or goal to work towards for the future.

My Reaction to Tip # 7- Joe Boulanger

I feel that it is a good idea to link all long term incentives to employees performing goals. What is a better way to reward hard working employees than to give them something in return. Employees work harder when there are incentives at stake, and many of them strive to accomplish goals not only for their regular salary, but for the incentives such as bonuses, vacations and others.
I think that more companies should have incentive programs to accomplish long term goals within the company. I have always found that whenever management offers me anything as an incentive at one of my jobs I tend to work harder, and work towards the goal of getting that incentive.

My Reaction to tip # 7 Charles Jordan Handy

After reading tip #7 I would have to say that I completely agree with it. Setting a link to incentives with long term company goals can only save the company and reward a job well done. By linking it to the amount of cash flow and stock price will help motivate the management team to do what is best for the company and share holders.
This way companies don't give incentives just to give them, but instead for good performance and leadership. This will save companies money and also help them keep track of the performance of there CEO.

My Reaction to Tip #5 - Steve Moore

As a CEO of a company you need to keep an eye on your competitors in the same business. The new disclosure rules are great because smaller companies are now required to name the companies that they are comparing their prices, etc. to. A representative from Eli Lilly & Co. said that they compare their pay practices against eight other drug manufacturers. Lilly & Co. is a smaller drug manufacturer that keeps a close watch on companies such as Johnson & Johnson to scope talent that they could bring to their company. This tip is focused toward the smaller companies that are focusing on keeping pace with thier competitors. Lilly spokesman, Mark Taylor, made a great point when he said that his company uses top-tier companies as benchmarks to make sure they are offering similar competitive packages.

My reaction to tip #1

1. Make sure the board's pay consultants don't also work for management

I feel that it is important to pay and get advice from consultants outside of the company because this allows for a outside view which you might be blinded to if you work inside the company. For example with Enron they used inside consulting which led to confusion and coruption. Also this allows for error free work.

My Reaction to tip #9

I believe that conducting checkups about pay practices is a very good idea. The economy is constantly changing and you want your company to be going with the flow of the economy. It is always good to be reviewing your pay practices and making sure everything is flowing properly and that there are no problems in the system. If you don't constantly check on your pay practices then there could be small errors that can end up causing huge problems in the long run.

My Reaction to Tip #4 - Amanda Guay

I have mixed feelings about departure deals for CEOs. Good for them if the deserve. Deals like that are usually part of a contract or in some form of writing. In contrast, if the CEO does not deserve it and has been shady, then I have a problem with them receiving a nice "going away gift." On the other hand, if it is going to cost the company even more money to go through litigation, then it is almost worth giving the CEO the money so he can run. I suppose one would have to weigh out the pros and cons of the situation.

Also, if companies are beginning to devise a new reason to fire their leaders for cause, for example Roger Iger, because they refuse to give testimony or cooperate with an investigation "into their or the company's business practices," then that is cause to get rid of them. If they do not want to testify to save themselves, then they are obviously shady and trying to hide something.

Classroom Ethics

1. Honesty
A. Students should be decisive and to the point.
B. Don't be unsure

2. Respect
A. Be quiet while others are talking.
B. No side conversations while others are talking.

3. Respect Syllabus policies
A. Show up on time.
B. Don't miss more that two classes without authorization of teacher.

4. No Sexist/Racists/ Party Potty language
A. Students should speak respectfully.
B. Students should not use party/potty language.

5. No lying, cheating, scamming
A. Br truethful/ do you own work.
B. Students should not take advantage of others.

PENALTIES!!!!

1. Two private warnings.
2. Meeting with professor and the affected party.
3. Penalty box in next class period.

My reaction to tip # 9 Pete Wilson

My reaction to tip #9 "Conduct regular checkups about pay practices."

ConocoPhillips directors will consider rotating their pay consultant every five years. "The benefit clearly is that you will get a fresh look," says Mr. Augustine, chairman of the ConocoPhillips pay panel. Basically what Mr. Augustine is stating is that it is important for a company to constantly keep refreshing their payments to their consultants. It is important to keep their trust and wanting to come back to that company knowing that they are the best company for them to deal with.

My Reaction to Tip #4 Jeff Scott

My reaction to tip #4 "Retreat from "pay for failure" by making it easier to fire for cause."

I believe this is a good trend that should catch on with many companies quick. It says that investor advocates have long complained about extravagant departure deals for unsuccessful CEO's. In September, three former CEOs won millions after challenging boards that fired them. I believe that if the CEOs were fired for good reasons then they should not be allowed to challenge the boards.

My Reaction to tip #7 -Jason Shaker

My reaction to tip #7 "Link all long-term incentives to performance goals"

It is important to base incentives after performance goals because it gets the employee to set goals for his or herself to strive for so that they can reach these incentives. It is always good for companies to have their employees set goals so there is a positive environment at work.

Senior Seminar- Assignment #7

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

By 10 AM 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".

Adam McClellan Enron question # 3

The culture of the Enron Company lead to many ethical problems throughout the downfall of this company. One of the first cultural problems started right when Kenneth Lay began to run the company. Lay instead of fixing or making the scam public he continued on with the unethical ways of the former CEO Jeffrey Skilling. Another cultural flaw within Enron was when a employee Sherron Watkins sent a memo to Lay informing him about the risks of this unlawful partnership. Watkins warned Lay that Enron could implode in many accounting scandals. Lay did not acknowledge these problems and continued on with the partnership and the scandal.

More cultural problems came about when Lay started to benefit his family handsomely through Enron. For example: when they used his sister’s travel agency as the corporate travel company. These and many other cultural flaws in the Enron Company led to many unethical acts.

Enron-Question #5 -Karli Mae Ferris

Question: Did Arthur Andersen behave ethically? If not, then why not?

Arthur Andersen was Enron's auditor who must have known about Enron's unknown partnerships after he preformed an audit on Enron. It was reported that "the Andersen partner responsible for the Enron audit had instructed his staff to shred documents related to the audit". It is also known that Andersen was paid $52 million in 2000- $25 million for auditing and $27 million for consulting services.

These facts all contribute to the theory that Andersen knew about the partnerships and the true financial state of the company. The fact that he did not make this information public and expose what Enron was doing was ethically wrong. He should have immediately made this information public to the stockholders, employees, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Enron- Question # 1- Joe Boulanger

The only people that Fastow, Lay and Skilling really cared about were themselves and not the company, employees and stock holders. They were looking to get rich and trying to get away with it, with whatever methods possible. These three found a golden opportunity to score a lot of money, and there plan was to leave the company once they had cashed out. There actions affected thousands of poeple during the span of the meltdown of Enron, and in the end nobody profited from this whole situation.
I believe that Enron was run by unethical executives who were greedy. The story of Enron gives big companies like this bad names, and makes people who work hard for their money always worrying about job security. I'm sure that most big firms like this have internal problems, but not as severe as with Enron.

Enron- Question #4

I do not believe that Lay was a victim of an agency problem as he claimed. He obviously used Enron to better his own family, as it is proven in the case when it states that he used his sister’s travel agency even after being told that it would be more economical for the company to use a different one. He also used Enron to help his family as shown when it states that he hired his son even was facing fraud and embezzlement charges. Finally, he even allowed his daughter to use the Enron jet for personal use.

Even if he didn’t personally fix the books, he should bear a lot of legal responsibility for the demise of Enron. Being CEO and taking advantage of your company for personal benefit and not stopping an unethical operation, that he was fully aware of, is cause for legal action to be taken against him.

Enron - Question #2 - Amanda Guay

If I was an employee for Enron during the late 1990s I would believe that Enron's board of directors were performing their fiduciary duties. A few years later I would have been proven to be a fool. The board of directors of Enron were clearly not performing their fiduciary duties during the late 1990s because they lied, cheated, and cooked the books every way that was humanly possible.

The effectiveness of the board may have been limited by the fact that Kenneth Lay was chairman because even though he may not have been calling the shots, he still had a very strong influence on a lot of the illegal transactions that occurred. This proves to me that a board of directors can be influenced at any time by a dollar sign, even if it means hurting the futures and retirement funds of their employees. Though I know not all board of directors scam, Enron's board of directors does make me second guess their intentions.

Senior Business Seminar- Assignment #6

Read chapter 2 and the case study at the end of the chapter, "The Collapse of Enron". By 10:00 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.

Level 3 Communication Question #4- Brendan Stribula

The emergent strategies of Level 3 have been to purchase the two companies, Software Spectrum and Corporate Software. These two companies sell, install, and do the maintenance for software made by companies. These two companies serviced nearly 9,000 people. Originally it was not in the plan to purchase these companies but with the possible threat of bankruptcy on the horizon, Level 3 had to act fast. By purchasing these companies, Level 3 could use its fiber-optic network to not only dispense but maintain the upkeep of the software. This would in fact lower their own costs, and strengthen the views of the company by investors.

Another strategy made by Jim Crowe was to acquire one of its bankrupt competitors for a fairly low price in order to consolidate the industry and get rid of competitors. The market was changing, and therefore Crowe's strategies changed as well as his company decided to offer Voice over Internet Protocol services to its customers.

Level 3 Communication # 3 by Adam McClellan

Jim Crowe though that internet traffic was increasing by 1,000 percent, but in reality it was increasing by 100 percent a day. The reason why Crowe and his company was so succesful was because he was putting so much money back into the company. With all the money he put into the company he began to invest in certain software to improve his company. These investments lead to stockholders having security when investing in Crowes company. This also helped secure Level 3 communication. Jim was not succesful at first but with the use of Level 3 communication and smart investing he brought his company to the top of fiber optic companies.

Level 3 communication #3

Jim Crowe though that internet traffic was increasing by 1,000 percent, but in reality it was increasing by 100 percent a day. The reason why Crowe and his company was so succesful was because he was putting so much money back into the company. With all the money he put into the company he began to invest in certain software to improve his company. These investments lead to stockholders having security when investing in Crowes company. This also helped secure Level 3 communication. Jim was not succesful at first but with the use of Level 3 communication and smart investing he brought his company to the top of fiber optic companies.

Level 3 Communications Question #3 Chris Ciota

Jim Crowe’s planned strategy is unrealized in present time. Crowe believed that internet traffic was growing by 1,000 percent when in actuality it was growing 100 percent a year. Many of the companies failed and went bankrupt, but Crowe’s company did not because of large sums of money thrown back into the company. With this abundance of money, Crowe decided to invest in Software Spectrum and Corporate Software two companies that helped secure Level 3 Communications and ensure investors and stockholders to have faith in their company.
Jim Crowe still believes that in the end his dream of huge traffic on the internet and the necessity for the amount of fiber optics his company is able to supply will bring him the same if not more of a gold rush when he owned MFS’s UUNet. So even though Crowe’s strategic planning didn’t work out at first, the company of Level 3 Communications still believes Jim Crowe’s “original vision will be vindicated”.

Level 3 communications #1- Michael Garland

Jim Crowes had a very clear strategic plan. He felt that "he was convinced that the growth of the internet was the mother of all business opportunities. The goal was to raise money, rapidly build a high-capacity fiber-optic network. The company was funded by a number of wealthy investors."(Hill pg23) Crowe felt that demand was going to take over supply and stated that a growth rate was over 1,000 percent a year.
Crowe had a shift in strategy. The shift "involved the purchase of two software distribution companies."(Hill) Both companies specialized in selling, stalling and maintaining software. The logic behind this shift was that "Level 3 xould use its fiber-optic network to distribute a nd maintian the software, as opposed to doing manually. This reduced cost (Hill, pg 23)

Level 3 Communications

I think that Crowes approach to take over the fiber optic network market was a very smart idea because the demand for the product was so high, and still on the rise. Crowe's strategy to basically corner the market and force other major telecommunications and internet providers to help with the creation of this network, that links throughout all major corps in every major city in the United States is genious in the sense of strategic business planning. Even though some of the numbers of the rise of the market weren't completely correct, his business strategy for a market with high demand can definetly be a successful plan.

Level 3 Communications Question #3- Karli Mae Ferris

I believe that their planned strategy was intended because Crowe was a "big advocate of strategic focus". Crowe knew what he was doing in the beginning and even after the market fell and most of his competitors went bankrupt, he still had a strategy. He knew that acquiring the companies Software Spectrum and Corporate Software would be a highly strategic move for his company because it showed his investors that he has long term plans for his company that he intended to use. To this day he still believes in his original vision and knows that his company will be successful in the future because of his strategies.

Level 3 Communications Question #2- Jenn Omasta

Why was level 3 communication able to raise so much capital?

In 1998 the company had gone public and immediately started building a fiber-optic network. This allowed the company to raise $13 million dollars by 2001, most of this money was in the form of debt. The goal of this plan was to raise money and rapidly build a high-capacity fiber-optic network that linked major cities in the United States, and then cut pieces to attract demand from major users of fiber optic network, including corporation, internet networks, etc.

Another way that the level 3 communication company was able to raise so much money was through the internet researcher at AT&T. He was able to show that the demand for internet accesses was going up 1,000percent a year. His prediction was right and in 2002 less that 3 percent of the fiber that had been laid in the ground was actually being used.

Level 3 Communications Question # 1 –Charles Handy

The planned strategy of Level 3 Communications during the early 1990s was fairly simple. According to Jim Crowe, the growth of the Internet was the mother of all business opportunities.” With this in mind, Crowe set out 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.” This would be possible, Crowe assumed, because he was under the belief that demand was going to “far outstrip supply” and that network growth was over “1,000 percent a year.”

The second part of Crowe’s Level 3 Communications strategy was to work exclusively for “service providers and corporations.” These clients would be the one to utilize Level 3’s fiber-optic network more than any other potential client, which helped with Crowe’s financial model because the profits that would be garnered from these clients would be equal to or leveraged against the volume and once the built in costs were covered, money would come rolling in.

Level 3 Communications Question #1 - Lindsy Girard

Jim Crowe's planned strategy was to start up a fiber optic network. He wanted to do it because the chief scientist O'Dell said that the network traffic was doubling every 100 days which was 1,000% a year. In doing this Crowe believed that there was no way his plan could go wrong.

The plan that Crowe had, which was to raise funds and build a high capacity network then cut prices to attract demand from high usage customers such as large corps, but it didn't work because O'Dell was wrong about the numbers, they weren't even close to 1,000% a year. Because of this Crowe saw his company almost go out of business.

Level 3 Communications Question #2 - Steve Moore

Level 3 Communications was able to raise so much capital by using a clear strategic plan. CEO Jim Crowe knew exactly what he was doing when in 2001, Level 3 Communications raised nearly $13 billion dollars, which came in the way of debt. It seems that Crowe had been researching the field of fiber-optic networks and found that there was a large demand in that sort of market. He aimed his focus on the major users of fiber-optic networks, including several corporations, AOL, and other telecommunications companies. The plan that was put in place is explained in this quote, "The goal 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 the major corporations, Internet providers, and telecommunications companies.

Jim Crowe and his Level 3 Communications company was nearly run out of business by other companies that were entering the business with almost the same exactly plan to gain capital. As I see it Crowe made this best decision yet when he purchased two software distribution companies that carried over 9,000 corporate clients. Level 3 was able to make progress and move forward into 2004, when they had the idea to use its network to offer Voice over Internet Protocol services to its customers. Crowe knew how to run a business and with the risks the took he rebuilt Level 3 Communications into a powerhouse in its industry.

Level 3 Communications Question #2-Pete Wilson

Level 3 Communications was able to raise so much capital due to the fact that Jim Crowe was so smart and saw the potential opportunity of Level 3 in which he could established a company to build a state of the art fiber-optic network. Level 3 quickly raised 3 billion dollars. By 2001 Level 3 raised 13 billion dollars. This was because Crowe had a very clear strategic plan. The goal 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, including Internet service providers such as AOL.

Crowe was also a big advocate of strategic focus, believing that Level 3 should concentrate exclusively on carrying Internet traffic for service providers and corporations. The financial model was straightforward; because most of the costs of the business were fixed (the costs of building out the network), profitability would be highly leveraged to volume. Once the fixed costs were covered, it would be like printing money. Basically, Crowe was very business savy and created this very productive network in which millions of businesses and people around the world could use in order to communicate with one another.

Level 3 communications question #2- Jeff Scott

Level 3 communications has a company funded by a number of wealthy investors, including Crowe. Crowe was CEO and level 3 quickly raised $3 billion achieving the goals Crowe had. The biggest goal was to raise money, rapidly build a high-capacity fiber-optic network that would link major cities in the United States, and then cut prices to attract demand from major users of fiber-optic networks, including corporations, Internet service providers such as AOL, and traditional telecommunications companies.

Crowe's strategic shift involved the purchase of two software distribution companies- software Spectrum and Corporate Software that specialized in selling, installing, and maintaining software made by companies such as Microsoft on the PCs and servers of some 9,000 corporate clients. The logic underlying the acquisitions was that level 3 could use its fiber-optic network to distribute and maintain the software, as opposed to doing that manually, thereby reducing costs.

Level 3 Communications Queston #1- Jason Shaker

Jim Crowe's planned strategy of level 3 communicatons in the late 1990's was to go public and immediately start buiding its fiber-optic network. The reason that he wanted to do this is because a UUNet's cheif scientist Michael O'Dell stated that nework traffic was doubling every one hundred days. O'Dell went on to say that there was not enough fiber-optic capacity to go around and that "demand will far outstrip suply for the foreseeable future."

Crowe quickly raised $3 billion by 1998 which was when Crowe went public. By 2001 Level 3 raised some $13 billio, much in the form of debt. The goal 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, including corportations, Internet service providers such as AOL, and traditional telecommunicatons companies.

Level 3 Communications Question #3- Jason Grier

Crowe's strategy for Level 3 Communication is unrealized because Crowe "was able to use the acquisitions to convince investors that Level 3 still had a viable long-term strategic vision." Even though the original strategy failed, which was the purchase of two companies -- Software Spectrum and Corporate Software-- that specialize in selling, installing and the maintaining software, the latter down the road would be a plus because the investors were convinced that it would work. The strategy will also work because Level 3 bought Genuity for less then $300 million, which means that Level 3 now has the customers from Genuity. So everything that has happened was almost unintentional and it was not planned but it ended up working in the end.

Level 3 Communications Question #4- Joe Boulanger

The latest strategy for Level 3 Communications has been the purchasing of two software distribution companies. These companies are Software Spectrum and Corporate Software. They specialize in selling,installing, and maintaining software made by companies. The reason why Level 3 purchased these companies was because Level 3 could use it's fiber optic network to distribute and maintain the software, as opposed to doing that manually, thereby reducing costs.
By making these two acquisitions Crowe was able to convince investors that Level 3 still had a viable long term strategic vision. Since Level 3 made a great profit in the purchase they were able to buyout one of their competitors Genuity for under $300 million, and by doing this Level 3 brought on Genuity's customers and more business for themselves. This new way of going about their strategic planning goes along with their original ideas. The reason why this company was started and any business for that reason is to make a profit, and the new steps that Level 3 is taking is making the competition run for their money along with making a profit.

Level 3 Communications Question #1-Anne Acerra

Crowe's strategy was to build a fiber-optic network to accommodate the rapidly growing network traffic. Crowe based his strategy on Michael O'Dell's data which stated that the traffic was growing at 1,000 percent a year. With this rapid growth rate Crowe believed he had a plan that couldn't go wrong.

Crowe's plan for the fiber-optic network was to raise funds and build a "high-capacity" network then cut prices to attract demand from high usage customers such as large corporations. This plan would have worked if O'Dell's numbers had been correct. It turns out Crowe should have listened to Andrew Odlyzko who predicted the numbers were not even close to 1,000 percent a year. Odlyzko was correct in his prediction and Crowe almost saw his company go down.

Level 3 Communications Question #1- Beth Ellis

The planned strategy of Level 3 Communications in the late 1990s was very direct and purposeful. Jim Crowe, CEO of Level 3, believed that “there was not enough fiber-optic capacity to go around and that ‘demand will far outstrip supply for the foreseeable future’” (Hill 23). He purposed that Level 3 build a state-of-the-art fiber-optic network, which would help with this supply issue. He wanted to raise money to build the fiber-optic network, and then cut the prices so that it would attract potential users. His main focus was on corporations, Internet service providers, and traditional telecommunication companies. Research had shown that this supply and demand issue was of such a huge issue that many other companies thought of the same exact planned strategy.

This was what would be the downfall of Level 3 Communications. It was only after the company was more than $13 billion in debt that research showed that the growing percentage of Internet traffic was not actually 1,000 percent a year, but actually at a mere 100 percent a year. With a growth rate such as that, Level 3 Communications and its competing corporations would not find that the supply of fiber-optics would run out, making it nearly impossible to stay afloat.

Strategic leadership

I feel that A leader should be someone that is concentrated on a goal and is willing to do anything to achieve it. With this said, a good leader's enthusiam will impact who he/she is leading. For example, Welsch from General Electric is a good leader. But for what reason? He is a good leader because he believes that his job is managing people effectively. He believes that if he assesses people in the right manner he will get the right results out of them. He believes in the philosphy of appraising people, but only if you are completely honest. Being dishonest with a person regarding their work is the worst thing that you can do to that particular person because it doesnt help them, it hurts them. Welsch, in some ways is a different type of leader because of his attitude, but how can you hate someone who is always honest. It's easy to understand why he is so succesfull. His "straight shooter" ethics have made him billions of dollars, so it's impossible to argue with his methods.

Senior Business Seminar- Assignment #5

By 10:00 AM on Tuesday, September 25th, 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 - Steve Moore

"You want your leaders to be the kind of people who embody the promises your company makes to its customers. To build this capacity, follow these five principles" (Ulrich, 1). The authors Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood believe that the same five characteristics that are listed in the book are needed for good strategic leadership. The article lists several companies that they call "leader feeder" firms. Companies like PepsiCo, Disney, Boeing, etc. are producing leader after leader because they are focusing on the broader topic of building a more general leadership capability. "In observing 150 successful leader feeder firms of various sizes over the past decade, we have found that most of them have developed a similar outside-in approach, which helps them produce an excellent pipeline of leaders generation after generation" (Ulrich, 2). This shows they while conducting their research they have found that the five principles listed in our text on pages 19-21 and the article are exactly what is needed to build strong strategic leadership skills.
My view of what constitutes a strategic leader has not really changed that much. I had somewhat of an idea that a leader needed the five principles listed but I had no such order in which they went. The article has proven why companies like PepsiCo and Disney are lead so well and have made the name that they have made for themselves. This is because they have had great leaders that have made all the right moves and have lead with strategy. Listening to Jack Welch speak in the movie we watched, made me realize why he was a great leader. The first thing that he has going for him is that he was committed to General Electric. I could tell that he was a great leader because of the way he spoke and the confidence that he had in himself and his company to get the job done. I believe that become a great leader starts with vision, confidence, and then committing to the job.

Strategic Leadership- Ryan MacKinnon

After reading a short description from the Harvard Business Review, it seemed to me as if they were stating the same leadership strategies as the text just in different words. Unfortunately I could not find the full article, but even with the short description I found on google, I can say that in management if you are going to take on the role as a leader you need to have a good vision, a plan and execute the plan to perfection. If you don't have enough knowledge on the situation then your company won't go very far. With GE they had and still have a great vision and the capability to stay atop their market.





Being a leader in any business is like being a leader on any sports team. If you understand how a business is supposed to be run and know where it should be in a few years then its a piece of cake. Now take a sports team and if your the captain/leader you know exactly what your supposed to be doing well in advance. The Walch video has helped me realize how to approach being a leader in a way that I have always been, and thats being a competitor. However I have never really thought of it as being a failure by coming in second place. I basically knew what it took to be a strategic leader but now after watching the movie and reading the text and the brief discription my understanding of how to be the best leader you can be has definately changed. I always knew what it took to be a leader, but not an excellent leader.

Strategic Leadership-Michael Garland

After reading the Article titled " Building A leadership brand", I think the authors agree with the characteristics of leadership that's stated in the text. The authors in this article "asked the representives from each organization to send us their leadership competency model which, listed the "unique" characteristics that they sought in their leaders (has a strong vision," "fosters teamwork," demonstrates emotional intelligence," and the like."(Ulrich 95) They found that these company leaders concentrate on having a focus of where the company is going to go. They make sure that everyone with in the organization has a common vision based off their customers needs. These representitives have also stated (as in the quote above) the attributes of emotional intelligence which makes up an effective leader.
My idea of a leader has changed after watching the DVD of Jack Welch. He has a very strong personality and you can tell he really understands what it takes to be an effective leader. He said that you have to have more passion than the others. I've always thought that if you have more passion in a subject than someone else, you will be that much more successful. You get what you see when it comes to Jack Welch. He states having the edge, which is apart of the 4 E's, is a big part of leadership. Having the edge means saying yes or no and not maybe. I'm the type of person that would probably say maybe and after seeing the DVD, it made me want to strive to change that. I think that's something that has definitely changed my vision of leadership. When you say "maybe" your trying to put something off till later and when it comes to business there seems to be no later. It's now or never.

Strategic Leadership - Amanda Guay

The authors of the Harvard Business Review article and our textbook go hand in hand. For example, our textbook identifies the key characteristics of good strategic leadership as (1) vision, eloquence, and consistency, (2) commitment, (3) being well informed, (4) willingness to delegate and empower, (5) astute use of power, and (6) emotional intelligence. In the article, the authors talk about how they asked representatives from nine companies that were household names what their leadership models were. They listed "has a strong vision," "fosters teamwork," "demonstrates emotional intelligence," and the like. This was an obvious comparison to our textbook because not only did the authors of the article have this in mind, so did the representatives. The article also talks about how to build a leadership brand through principles. One of the principles is "nail the prerequisites of leadership." This principle also goes hand in hand with our textbook because the prerequisites of leadership are the key characterisitcs of leadership.

After reading the pages in the textbook, reading the article, watching the Jack Welch DVD, and learning in depth about these characteristics, I have concluded that my personal views about strategic leadership have not changed. My views and feelings about strategic leadership agreed with the textbook and the article to begin with which did not create anything for me to disagree with. It takes a great leader to make a company a household name. It takes character, knowledge, articulation, skills, and perspective just to name a few, and I think that is what the authors were trying to convey in this article.