project success success factor and success criteria Essay

AN ESSAY ON PROJECT SUCCESS DEFINED BY SUCCESS FACTORS AND SUCCESS CRITERIA by M. Shaw Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm Winston Churchill INTRODUCTION 1. Since the 1960s there have been an increasing number of Project Management scholars that have expressed concerns regarding the ways to manage the success or failure of a project. Crawford (2000) theorised that there are two major avenues of thought in this area being: how success is judged and the factors that contribute to the success. These two avenues were later crowned ‘success factors’ and ‘success criteria’ respectively of which both will be discussed in depth during this essay to provide an insight for†¦show more content†¦Table 1: The Square Root (Atkinson, 1999) Figure 2: The Square Root (Atkinson, 1999) 5. The Information System. Whilst Atkinson (1999) doesn’t detail the information system success criteria other than what is described in the table it is reasonable to suggest he was concerned with the ‘ilities’ of the project. Essentially Atkinson was considering the maintenance of the project to ensure that it was not only resourced but also governed that the information would support its continued success. 4 6. Organisational Benefits. Success of a project must not only be considered from an individual perspective, rather it must look at how it will also benefit the organisation. Table 1 presents these areas however there are two areas that must be considered individually, namely efficiency and effectiveness. Success of a project is not necessarily guaranteed due to efficiency, reducing the amount of workload due to shortening of processing won’t necessarily help without the consideration of effectiveness. Effectiveness considers whether or not the goals are being achieved thus when placed with efficiency it ensures that the goals are being achieve quickly and in full. 7. Stakeholder Community Benefits. The final area of the Square Root that Atkinson considers is the success criterion that benefits the stakeholder community. These criterion consider the wider benefits of not just the direct outcomes of the projectShow MoreRelatedModel of Critical Success Factors and Success Criteria for Project and Project Management Success in a Developing Country2936 Words   |  12 Pagesexplores the relationship between critical success factors (CSF) and success criteria quantitatively using multiple regressions. To develop the relationship four groups of success criteria (iron triangle, organizational benefits, information system benefits and stakeholder’s benefits) and five groups of CSFs (Factors related to project, leadership/manager, team members, project organization and environment) were used. Results demonstrate that every success criteria has at least one significant relationshipRead MoreInfluencers For Project Success Factors Essay1147 Words   |  5 PagesInfluencers for Project Success - Akshay Suresh Rao RESEARCH ESSAY DISCUSSION PAPER Everyone wants to have a successful outcome for his or her project. The golden question is: What are the Influencers for Project Success? We all know every project is unique in terms of size; it’s uniqueness and complexity. But we more or less follow the same Project management guidelines drafted by the Project Management Body of Knowledge. If the process being followed is same then definitely we should be ableRead MoreProject Management : The Iron Triangle Of Cost, Time, And Quality907 Words   |  4 PagesHistorically, project success has been directly tied to the Iron Triangle of cost, time, and quality. While most of the articles reviewed for this study refer to these standards for success criteria, the overwhelming majority find that they are not enough to fully define what success is. Atkinson (1999) defined two types of errors in project management and places using the Iron Triangle as success criteria into the category of not doing something as well as it could be d one. This comes from anRead MoreWhat Is Project Success From My Perspective?1287 Words   |  6 PagesHow to define project success from my perspective? In recent decades, a set of issues have been triggered by the fact concerning how to define project success. Some claim that the traditional views are still suitable to define project success, such as under budget, within schedule and acceptable quality. These traditional criteria are well-known as â€Å"Golden Triangle† or â€Å"Iron Triangle†, which has been used to assess project success over several decades. However, these criteria have been criticisedRead MoreProject Success : Project Management1505 Words   |  7 Pagesensuring project success by project managers can be very challenging due to different opinions of what constitutes project success. For a project manager to ensure project success is achieved the project manager needs to have clear understandings and the criteria for project success and also able to detect some key critical success factors that is needed for his/her project. This essay however aims to understand how a project manager might help ens ure success is achieved in his or her project. ThisRead MoreIntroduction And Objectives Of The Study. Introduction1149 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction and Objectives of the study INTRODUCTION - A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service or result. Selecting projects is often a difficult task. Usually there are more than one dimension for measuring the impact of each project and especially when there is more than one decision maker. The criteria being considered always vary from one contractor to another. Some may only consider the revenue and value of project, whilst some may focus on its financial of ownerRead MoreSuccess And The Field Of Construction Engineering1042 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is success and how is it achieved in a particular field? The description of success in the field of Construction engineering has been different from the past to Present-days. Because the way of constructing building, roads and dams has been changing all the time. Notably Kerzner, (1998, cited in Khosravi and Afshari, 2011) asserts that meaning of success has changed from the decade to decade. He explains that in 1960s, construction success measured by whether the outcome worked or it did notRead MoreProject Management Techniques For Success And Failure1589 Words   |  7 PagesProject Management Techniques for Success and Failure Individual Assignment BPM501, Semester 1 2016 Table of Contents Executive Summary 1. Introduction 2 2. Project Classification 2 2.1 project success factor 2.2 cause of project failure 2.3 project success factor of IT 2.4 project failure factor of IT 3. Scope of the literature 4 3.1 Key words 3.2 Databases 3.3 Journals 4. Background (Headings and subheadings) 5 5. Discussion 6. Recommendations 7. Conclusion 8. YourRead MoreThe Role Of Different Projects Management Techniques1140 Words   |  5 PagesABSTRACT: The role of different project management techniques Is to implement projects successfully has been widely established in areas such as the planning and control of time, cost and quality. In spite of this the distinction between the project and project management is less than precise. This paper aims to identify the overlap between the definition of the project and project management and to discuss how the confusion between the two may affect their relationship. It identifies the differentRead MoreOrganizational Design Is A Formal Guided Process For Integrating People, Information, And Technology796 Words   |  4 Pagesof looking into technology options, Success factors was purchased by SAP in 2011. In efforts to maintain a consistent message Allstate entered into an agreement to use Success factors and SAP to provide the technology needed to perform day-to-day functions in Human Resources. Allstate began to implement the use of Succesfactors to conduct employee performance review s. Success factors provided the user with easier of sharing data between SAP and Success factors. This relationship seemed ideal considering

News Coverage of September 11th, 2001 Essay - 1649 Words

The attack that occurred on September 11th, 2001 on the World Trade Center in New York City is an event that lingers in the minds of many Americans and other people throughout the world. Most people can recall exactly where they were and whom they were with when they first heard about the airplanes crashing into the towers. It was a day that changed the way people looked at the world and brought to light the realities that even the wealthiest and most military advanced country was not safe from acts of terrorism. The dangers posed by religious extremist were being carried out on national and international news outlets live in front of millions if not billions of people worldwide. The events that occurred on this day changed the way†¦show more content†¦The viewers saw the pictures on the screen at the same time as the anchors did (Morgensen 38).† Garry Tuchman a National Correspondent from CNN states, â€Å" The most important thing is to be accurate†¦be hones t and explain that there’s a lot of commotion and chaos. And while you’re staying clam, explain we’re trying to gather the information the best we can. We are going to give it to you as it comes but if we’re not sure about it, we’ll make it clear to you (Morgensen 38).† Newscasts from NBC, Sky, and BBC World reported the news almost identical and in a way that informed viewers that they too were unsure of the motive if any behind the plane crashes into the twin towers. It was clearly stated by both domestic and foreign news stations that many detail were unclear and they would be made available as they came in. It was not only a story that affected Americans but also people throughout the World. For the first time since Pearl Harbor Americans were being attacked on their own soil. Due to the surprise and scale of the attacks of 9/11 it focused the worlds’ attention to New York City because it showed if this could happen to the mightie st country in the world it could happen to any other nation. It is important to note the way in which the news was broadcasted. A new name would become embedded into the minds of Americans, Osama Bin Laden along with his terror network known as Al Qaeda. As the media in the United States began to find a motivation behind the attacksShow MoreRelatedA Brief Note On The United States Security1644 Words   |  7 PagesToni Ann Grasso Professor Sperrazza Sociology 101 Sociology Research Paper November 25, 2014 Security Post September 11, 2001 Post September 11th 2001 people ages 40-60 lost all trust within America. Faith in humanity was lost and now we need faith more then ever, we have lost what we call our security blanket. Every time we open a newspaper or watch the news after a long day of work we have the temptation to despair, filling ourselves with fear more and more each day. Everyone in our eyes is theRead MoreRelationship Between The American And Western Media And Their Audiences971 Words   |  4 PagesDoes the mass media affect people’s ideologies and value, do people tend to be deceived themselves by media and become prisoners in the cave. Is it still possible for people to mediate the effects of the media? On September 11th, 2001, when the World Trade Centre in New York was allegedly attacked by hijackers of Al-Qaeda terrorists, the relationship between the United States of America and the rest of the world changed. This essay focuses on the relationship between the American and Western mediaRead Mor eThe Bombing Of The United States1463 Words   |  6 PagesSeptember 11th, 2001, the United States of America was attacked on its soil when alleged Al-Qaeda members hijacked four passenger planes, Boeing 757s. Two planes flew into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, one plane flew into the Pentagon, and the remaining plane was possibly targeting the White House or the Capitol but was unsuccessful. People all over America felt an utter shock and disbelief after this tragic event as people demanded answers. After the terroristRead MoreTerrorist Attacks On The United States1453 Words   |  6 Pages September 11th, 2001, alleged Al-Qaeda members attacked the United States of America with four passenger planes, Boeing 757s. Two planes flew into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, one plane flew into the Pentagon, and the remaining plane was possibly targeting the White House but was unsuccessful. People all over America felt an utter shock and disbelief after this tragic event as people demanded answers. After the terrorist attacks, a portion of AmericansRead MoreThe War On Terrorism And Terrorism1614 Words   |  7 PagesIts more than 15 years yet America is not, nor is the world the same as prior to September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Suspicions and distrust of â€Å"other†, fear of the unknown, and unease about the role and status of the United States of America permeates the air. Islamophobic attacks increase by 1,700% in 2001. Prior to 9/11, the FBI recorded just 28 hate crimes against Muslims. The following year it increased to 481. For visible Muslims, the threat of violence and abuse is even higher (especiallyRead MoreGeorge W. Bush s President Of Texas1685 Words   |  7 PagesBorn in July 6, 1946, George W. Bush, America’s 43rd president, served in the White House office from 2001 to 2009. Before coming into the White House, he was the oldest son of former 41st U.S. President George H. W. Bush, who was also a two-term Republican governor of the state of Texas. George W. Bush was a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business majoring in business administration. George W. Bush worked in the Texas oil industry and he was also an owner of the Texas Rangers baseballRead MoreEssay on Media Coverage2618 Words   |  11 PagesMedia Coverage Before modern mass media was at hand, giant news events could not be made known to the public until long after they occurred. The media has always made disasters and wars the large news stories. These have always been the prime news events for the last few decades. And with the development of television and other technologies the ability to show the public what is going on became easier and easier. Now that mass media was available the public could almost immediately view or readRead MoreThe Influence of Media on Society1266 Words   |  5 Pagesgovernment, and with mistakes made by the government, some would argue that these worries are justified. Zogby International, which is the reliable North American political polling agency used by Reuters, did a poll of 1200 Americans asking about the September 11th attacks. What they found is quite interesting, and indicative of the distrust toward the American government, and the official story given behind the cause and details of the towe r attacks and subsequent collapse. 44% of those polled believedRead MoreWhy Terrorists Attack the U.S. Essay502 Words   |  3 Pagesbe a threat or an actual act of aggression. They create a common surrounding of fear in a selected target of the population. This is done so that they may provoke some kind of political and/or social change. Since the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001, there has been a lot of controversy on why terrorist attacks are so frequent in the United States. By doing some research I have found that there are several possible answers to this question. This paper will explore the possibilities andRead MoreDelta Airline Case1312 Words   |  6 PagesSummary of Case In the case study changing Dynamics of the U.S. Airline industry were discuss and dealt with. Between 2001 and 2005, Delta Airlines, the third largest U.S. Airline, lost $10 billion. Delta wanted to increase its liquidity so they decided to sell its subsidiary Atlantic Southeast Airlines to Sky West Airline for $425 million in August 2005. Analysts believed that Delta was on the merge of bankruptcy. The Civil Aeronautics Board 9cab) imposed major restriction on marketing entry and

Nursing Midwifery And Babies Pregnancies †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Nursing Midwifery And Babies Pregnancies? Answer: Introducaton: Karen has Gravida 2 and Para 1. Gravida 2 means that she had 2 pregnancies regardless of whether they were interrupted or relented to a live birth, Para one means she has ever had one pregnancy which reached viability i.e. above 20 weeks gestation. Prenatal glucose tolerance tests helps to diagnose gestational diabetes in order to provide early treatment and prenatal care of gestational diabetic mothers (Sosa, Kennell, Klaus, Robertson Urrutia, 2008). This is done to ensure normal baby and good maternal health after the pregnancy. Normal rages are 7.8mmol/l or less but not excess after drinking the glucose solution. Glucose test after fasting should be 5.3mmol/l one hour after taking sugar solution less than 10.0mmol/l ,2 hours after glucose solution less than 8.6mmol/l and 3hours after glucose solution less than 7.8mmol/l. Fundal height during pregnancy is used to measure the size of the uterus. This is done to be able to asses fetal growth sand and development during pregnancy (Barclay et al., 2009). This measurement should correspond to gestational age in weeks between 16 and 36 weeks for a vertex fetus. Fundal height is also used in determining descend of the fetus especially from 36 weeks. Spontaneous labour is the labour that begins and progresses without pharmacological, mechanical or operative interventions, leading to delivery of a normal baby without complications to the mother. The first stage of labour is usually the longest (Salariya, 2010). It could even last for more than 20 hours. to some women who are prim gravida but short hours to some women, cervix starts to soften and open up or dilate with regular rhythmic contractions, preparing to push the baby via the birth canal Accounting. The meconium stained liqar can lead to infant respiratory distress and syndrome (Renfrew et al., 2014). This is a respiratory distress which occurs within 4 hours of birth. It becomes worse in 48 to 72 hours. If not fat, it resolves within 72hours. Meconium stained liqar also leads to persistence pulmonary hypertension of the new born. This occurs where the fetal circulation resists, with blood being shunted away from the lungs through the foramen ovale and the patent ductus arteriosus. Meconium stained liqar also leads to chronic lung disease. This is as a result of intense pulmonary intervention. These infants with meconium aspiration have a slightly increased incidence of infection in the first year of life. This is because lungs are still in recovery. Shoulder dystocia is a case of obstructed labour which occurs after delivery of the head. the anterior shoulder of the infant cannot pass below, hence requiring significant manipulation to pass (McCormick, 2014). The pubis symphysis, diagnosed when shoulders delays to deliver after the fetal head is delivered, is grouped in obstetric emergency case and death of the fetus can occur if not delivered and compresses on umbilical cord. Apgar score is a standardized way of evaluation, assessing and recording the condition of a new born baby. It is done within one to five minutes after birth. Apgar score is done by a multiple of doctors or midwife. The vital signs assessed includes; skin colour which should be pink or according to the tribe. If the colour is blue the baby scores zero. If the skin is pink and extremities are blue, the baby scores one. Pulse / heartbeat is evaluated using a stethoscope. if there is no heart pulse or heartbeat, the baby scores are zero. If the heart rate is less than a hundred beats per minute the baby score one (Salariya et al., 2011). If heart rate is greater than a hundred, the baby scores two. If there is grimacing the score is one, and if there is grimacing and cough, sneeze or vigorous cry, the score is two for reflex irritability. Activity or muscle tone activity are loose and flappy, the baby scores zero. If there is muscle tone the score is one. If there is active motion the infant scores two. Respiratory effort. If the baby is not breathing he or she scores zero. Respiratory rate slow or irregular the baby scores one (Leahy?Warren et al., 2012). If he or she cries well, the score is two. Classification according to total scores, if Apgar is between 7-10, the baby is said to be normal. If Apgar is 4-6, the baby is moderate asphyxia and Apgar 0-3 is severe asphyxia and it requires resuscitation. Antenatal care aims at monitoring the health of both mother and baby (Leahy Warren, 2010). This is achieved through monitoring blood glucose level, which is done by advising the mother to test through fasting, premeal, post meal and also bedtime levels of glucose. This is done daily during pregnancy in order to develop a baseline on how to control the sugars. If the mother is on multiple daily injection regimen to test the glucose level through developing targets for self-monitoring. This also helps in taking risks of hypoglycemia. Antenatal care is also achieved through monitoring HbA1c which is hemoglobin A1c (Kirkham, 2010). it is used to test the amount of glucose in blood over a period of one month to pregnant mothers. It determines the level of risk of the pregnancy. It is mostly considered during second and third trimester of pregnancy. prevents insulin treatment risks to hypoglycemia by using short acting analogous, which have advantage over soluble human insulin. Mothers are also advised to keep fast acting form of glucose like juices. They are also taught on signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia for early interventions. Antenatal care also involves monitoring of well-being of the fetus before 38 weeks. It is also done especially when there is risk of fetal growth restrictions. Postnatal care included blood glucose level control, medicines and breastfeeding. insulin should be reduced immediately after birth and monitor glucose levels accurately to adjust the dose. The mother should be informed that she is at a risk of hypoglycemia (McInnes Chambers, 2008). The should therefore take meals or snacks with every breastfeeding. She is also advised to discontinue blood glucose lowering therapy after birth. Mothers should also avoid any medicine for treatment of diabetes complications which were discontinued for safety reasons in the preconception period. Giving psychological care concerning diabetes, which may resolve after delivery. Some medications should also be stopped immediately after birth. Mother is also informed that she is at risk of developing gestational diabetes with other pregnancies. References Barclay, L., Everitt, L., Rogan, F., Schmied, V., Wyllie, A. (2009). Becoming a motheran analysis of women's experience of early motherhood.Journal of advanced nursing,25(4), 719-728. Kirkham, M. (Ed.). (2010).The midwife-mother relationship. Palgrave management. Leahy Warren, P. (2010). First?time mothers: Social support and confidence in infant care.Journal of advanced nursing,50(5), 479-488. Leahy?Warren, P., McCarthy, G., Corcoran, P. (2012). First?time mothers: social support, maternal parental self?efficacy and postnatal depression.Journal of clinical nursing,21(3?4), 388-397. McInnes, R. J., Chambers, J. A. (2008). Supporting breastfeeding mothers: qualitative synthesis.Journal of advanced nursing,62(4), 407-427. Renfrew, M. J., McFadden, A., Bastos, M. H., Campbell, J., Channon, A. A., Cheung, N. F., ... McCormick, F. (2014). Midwifery and quality care: findings from a new evidence-informed framework for maternal and newborn care.The Lancet,384(9948), 1129-1145. Salariya, E. M., Easton, P. M., Cater, J. I. (2011). Duration of breast-feeding after early initiation and frequent feeding.The Lancet,312(8100), 1141-1143. Sosa, R., Kennell, J., Klaus, M., Robertson, S., Urrutia, J. (2008). The effect of a supportive companion on perinatal problems, length of labor, and mother-infant interaction.New England Journal of Medicine,303(11), 597-600.

South Beauty Group Case Analysis free essay sample

Strategic competitiveness is achieved when a firm successfully formulates and implements a value-creating strategy (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 4). RCC model Resources Tangible Resources |Observations | |Financial Resources |South Beauty Group’s estimated revenue in 2007 was RMB 384 million. | |Organization Resources |South Beauty Group’s structure has 2 divisions: head office functions and restaurant operations. | | |The head office manages the finances, HR, RD marketing, quality control of food supply and strategy of | | |the company. | |Individual restaurants manage its own operation, and a department specialise in managing and setting up | | |franchises. | |Physical Resources |As at 2007, South Beauty Group owns a total of 20 restaurants, 13 in Beijing, and 6 in Shanghai and 1 in| | |Chengdu. | | |Locations of restaurants are placed at office building in major cities in order to attract its target | | |customers. | |Has a central kitchen to prepare uncooke d raw material and main dish packets, and send to its various | | |restaurants for cooking. | |Technological |Establish its own CRM system to record customer information. We will write a custom essay sample on South Beauty Group Case Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page | | |Built an ERP system for purchasing process and to control key financial variables. | | |Uses remote conference system to enhance internal communication between all its restaurants. |Intangible Resources |Observations | |Human Resources |Waiters are trained at the company’s training center for a duration of 3 months. Restaurant managers are| | |to undertake a two years on-the-job training program. | | |Recruited Chinese executives from Coca-Cola and MacDonald’s. | | |Engage consulting firm to create new people management system to motivate workers. |Innovation Resources |Has an independent RD team to create new dishes. | | |Combines Chinese and Western cuisine and creates original new flavors. | | |Developing healthy and stylish cuisine. | |Reputational Resources |2007’s top 100 restaurants companies in China, ranked 72. | Capabilities |Functional Area |Capabilities | Distribution |Uses computer software to calculate the amount of raw materials used, the number of dishes sold and | | |check the stocks of materials. | |Human Resource |Employs managers from Coca-Cola and Macdonald’s | | |Engage consulting firm to create new people management system to motivate workers. | |Management Information System |Establish its own CRM system to record customer information. | |Built an ERP system for purchasing process and to control key financial variables. | | |Uses remote conference system to enhance internal communication between all its restaurants. | | Competitor analysis focuses on each company which a company directly competes. South Beauty Group positions itself as a high-end Chinese dinner segment, thus it does not compete directly with ordinary restaurants, fast food chain restaurants and hot pot restaurants. South Beauty Group focus on Sichuan cuisine, therefore it does not compete with other high-end restaurants in term of cuisine. Nonetheless, they are considered competitors. The main competitor is identified; it is the local fast food chain, Kungfu. Currently it has 200 restaurants, and it plans to open 2,000 restaurants by 2012, and establishing three logistics centers in China for raw material procurement, delivery and food processing. In this analysis, we look at the future objectives, current strategy, assumptions and capabilities of South Beauty, and the response of competitors. Future Objectives South Beauty Group seeks to expand its restaurant business domestically and internationally. Emphasis should be placed in its domestic market, which is to expand and create awareness locally, before expanding to the international market. There are risks involved, as expansion requires financing. Currently, South Beauty Group uses its earned profit to reinvest. They are seeking IPO to finance its future expansion. Current Strategy South Beauty Group positions itself as a high-end Chinese dinner segment. The current strategy is to continue creating new and innovative dishes to have competitive advantage over its competitors. They seek to venture to new businesses such as airline catering and to sell semi-cooked frozen food in retail outlets. These are ways to diversify its business. Assumptions South Beauty does not operate under a status quo; they seek to expand locally and to the international markets. Competitors will seek to improve and expand as well. South Beauty must be a market leader to venture into new markets and different businesses to outsmart competitors. Capabilities The strengths of South Beauty are having trained staff and its ability to come out with new and stylish dishes. The weakness is the lack of marketing in creating awareness among consumers. South Beauty Group must continue to build on its strengths, and improve its weakness by having more aggressive marketing strategy. South Beauty is ranked 72 among the Chinese catering industry. It is not a bad result, but there are rooms for improvement. Yum! Brands is ranked 1st in China’s catering industry, with annual revenues of more than RMB 11 billion (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 159). South Beauty has a big gap in term of the profit earned. Response Competitors will seek to expand and explore into other businesses. South Beauty should quicken its pace on its new businesses in airline catering and sell semi-cooked frozen food in retail outlets. The objective is to be ahead of its competitors. Question 3 Strengths Making use of technology to enhance the process is a wise choice and is necessary to provide an edge over competitors in many different areas, such as to track sales, procurements and store customers details will prove useful in the long run. South Beauty Group positions itself as a high-end Chinese dinner segment, thus it does not compete directly with ordinary restaurants, fast food chain restaurants and hot pot restaurants. South Beauty Group focus on Sichuan cuisine, therefore it does not compete with other high-end restaurants in term of cuisine. Trainings are procided for staff. Waiters are trained at the company’s training center for duration of 3 months. Restaurant managers are to undertake a two years on-the-job training program. South Beauty Group is able to recruit Chinese executives from Coca-Cola and MacDonald’s, proves that it has positions itself well to attract talents and managers. South Beauty Group has an independent RD team to create new dishes. Under tight assessment, only 2 percent of all new dishes are launched (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 156). Its cuisine combines Chinese and Western cuisine and creates original new flavors. It also develops healthy and stylish cuisine. Weaknesses The weakness lies in its marketing. South Beauty Group needs a more aggressive and consistent advertising campaigns. South Beauty Group is part of 2008 Beijing Olympics food catering provider. In doing so, it creates more customers’ awareness of South Beauty Group’s restaurants. As the Olympics caters to 13 million athletes, media reporters, support personal and other guests for a duration of 3 months, in which 30 percent is Chinese cuisine (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 163). This is a very good marketing aspect if they are able to provide good food and service. Not to mention that it will generate additional revenue, this will impact greatly on South Beauty Group balance sheet. Opportunities An opportunity is a condition in the general environment that if exploited effectively, helps a company achieve strategic competitiveness (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 35). China has the biggest population in the world, and it is a fast developing nation. Judging by the demographics and economics of China, and food being a necessity, it appears to be a good business venture. Annual expenditure per capita on restaurant meals increased from an estimate of USD65 in 2004 to USD105 in 2007. The figures in more advanced cities such as Shanghai and Beijing are higher up to five times national average. And South Beauty Group operates mainly in these two cities. South lay a part in 2008 Beijing Olympics as a Chinese cuisine provider. As a food supplier to Olympics Games, South Beauty Group will undergo a critical technical transition in terms of the food and process standardization and logistics capacity. South Beauty Group needs to upgrade their operations in order to cater to the large scale requirements of the Olympics Games. Through this transition, if successful, it will fare well for South Beauty Group’s position in China’s catering industry in the future (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 163,164). Threats A threat is a condition in the general environment that may hinder a company’s efforts to achieve strategic competitiveness (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 35). The threat lies in the legal aspect, whereby copiers enjoy local protection in cities which South Beauty Group has not entered. This is a serious issue, as branding is very important for any company, especially in the food catering industry. Innocent consumers are tricked into going these fake restaurants which may provide poor service, which in turn affects the reputation of South Beauty Group. Using porter 5 forces, we determine that the food catering industry has a very low barrier of entry. Competitor can come in any time with a low budget. The bargaining power of customers is high, as they have many choices even in terms of high-end dinner restaurants. Sichuan cuisine is South Beauty Group’s main focus, although not many high-end restaurants engage in using the similar cuisine, customers have choices of other cuisines such as Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisines. Conclusion In conclusion, knowing the SWOT, South Beauty Group must continue to build on its strengths of using technology and have trained staff and experienced managers. Staff retention and attract more talents into the company is very important. South Beauty Group must exploit the different opportunities given, in order to gain competitive advantages over its competitors. The threat is a pressing issue, in term of the legal aspect in China. The company must continue to explore ways to protect its branding, such as entering into different markets in other cities, to get hold of its branding rights. The weakness lies in the marketing aspect, which South Beauty Group must be more aggressive in promoting its restaurants. It has to come out with a good marketing plan to build on its branding as high-end restaurants. Question 4 A business level strategy is an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions the firm uses to gain a competitive advantage by exploiting core competencies in specific product market (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 90). There are five business level strategies, and from my analysis, South Beauty Group uses the differentiation strategy. This strategy has a board target in competitive scope, and focus on uniqueness in competitive advantage. The differentiation strategy is defined as an integrated set of actions taken to produce goods or services at an acceptable cost that customers perceive as being different in ways that are important to them (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 102). Taken from the case study Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt 2011, Luo Yun explained that: We focused on brand differentiation to cater to a wide range of customers. Thus, South Beauty Group target business people aged 30-45 years. LAN Club targets successful businesspeople aged over 45 years. SUBU targets younger and more fashionable office workers (p. 56). The value chain is used to determine if a firm is able to link the activities required to create value by using the differentiation strategy (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 103). Below are the value-creating activities associated with differentiation strategy: |Primary Activities |Value Created |Analysis | |Inbound Logistics |Yes |Have 2 central kitchens (Beijing and Shanghai) to prepare uncooked raw material and main dish packets. | |Operations |Yes | Individual restaurants manage its own operation. |Outbound Logistics |Yes |Food menu are standardized mainly due to central kitchens. | |Marketing and Sales |No |In need of more aggressive and consistent advertising campaigns. | |Service |Yes |Trained Staff. | |Secondary Activities |Value Created |Analysis | |Procurement |Yes |System to track sales and procurements of raw materials | |Technological |Yes |Establish its own CRM system to record customer information. |Development | |Built an ERP system for purchasing process and to control key financial variables. | | | |Uses remote conference system to enhance internal communication between all its restaurants. | |Human Resources |Yes |Waiters are trained at the company’s training center for duration of 3 months. Restaurant managers are| |Management | |t o undertake a two years on-the-job training program. | | | |Recruited Chinese executives from Coca-Cola and MacDonald’s. | |Firm Infrastructure |Yes |South Beauty Group’s structure has 2 divisions: head office functions and restaurant operations. | | |The head office manages the finances, HR, RD marketing, quality control of food supply and strategy | | | |of the company. | | | |Each restaurant manages its own operation, and a department specialise in managing and setting up | | | |franchises. | The five forces of competition is used to explained how South Beauty Group uses differentiation strategy to position itself to earn above-average returns. |Function of Five Forces |Threat |Case Analysis | |Threat of New Entrants |High |Low barrier of entries, competitors are able to join the industry easily. |Bargaining Power of |Low |There are many suppliers, thus South Beauty Group is able to negotiate for better prices due to | |Suppliers | |its large orders | |Bargaining Po wer of Buyers |High |There are many restaurants, and customers have choices. | |(Customers) | | | |Product Substitutes |High |There are others Chinese cuisines not served in South Beauty Group’s chain of restaurants. Serves| | | |mainly Sichuan cuisines. | |Rivalry among Competing |High |There are many high-end Chinese restaurants. | |Firms | | | Using differentiation strategy, there is a risk that customers may decide that the price differential between the differentiator’s product and cost leader’s product is too large (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 105). In view of this, South Beauty Group may be offering differentiated features that exceed target customers’ need. South Beauty Group will be vulnerable to competitors if the competitors are able to offer a combination of features and prices that are in line with customers’ need (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 105). There is risk that the differentiated product becomes less valuable if imitation by competitors causes customers to perceive that they offer the same service and goods, but at a lower price (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 106). The customers’ experience may narrow their perceptions of the value of the differentiated features (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 106). Counterfeiting is another risk. Counterfeits may bear trademark that is identical to South Beauty Group. South Beauty Group spent highly on the restaurants interior design. They acknowledged that customers come to their restaurants not just for the food, but the ambience as well. They employ well-known interior designers to create different decoration for each restaurant, spending of an average USD 1 million for each restaurant. The luxury LAN club which targets high-end customers has a total investment of USD 13 million on the restaurant (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 156). Meal prices are more expensively priced to cover cost, and restaurants are placed in high-end office buildings. This combination develops the upper middle-class brand image (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 156). South Beauty Group has an independent RD team to create new dishes. Under tight assessment, only 2 percent of all new dishes are launched (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 156). Its cuisine combines Chinese and Western cuisine and creates original new flavors. It also develops healthy and stylish cuisine. South Beauty Group uses technology to further differentiate itself. They established its own CRM system to record customer information. They built an ERP system for purchasing process and to control key financial variables. They use remote conference system to enhance internal communication between all its restaurants. They use system to track sales and procurements of raw materials for better control of cost of raw materials. South Beauty Group must continue to differentiate herself and providing services and food products that create value for customers, in order to retain and attract more customers. Question 5 South Beauty Group has ventured into different segment to test the markets, which is the correct approach. Firstly, they cooperate with Air France and KLM Royal Dutch airlines to provide business travelers with South Beauty-branded Chinese dishes (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 156). Secondly, they planned to open 2 restaurants in Hong Kong and test the market in United Arab Emirates (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 165). They planned to have 30 restaurants in short term and 100 restaurants within three years. 35 restaurants will be located in china, and 65 in international market, in cooperation with partners in New York, Tokyo and other major cities (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 165). Thirdly, they plan to supply semi-processed food to retail outlets in the domestic market (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 165). This is a way to diversify its business of partially cooked frozen foods such as dumplings. Different flavors should be offered. To do this, South Beauty needs to expand its RD. Chengdu is the birthplace of Sichuan food, and it is perceived the Sichuan food offered is not as spicy as the original cuisine, thus not a genuine Sichuan food restaurant. But customers are pleased of South beauty’s wide range of innovative dishes (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 163). South Beauty needs to continue to improve their food and process standardization and central logistics capability. The 2008 Beijing Olympics will be a good test for South Beauty Group, testing the standardization and logistic capability. South Beauty must build on the experience in order to achieve quality logistics and standardization of products for future development. South Beauty must continue to engage itself in such international events. As international events such as the Olympics has a wide range of customer base in almost all countries. South Beauty can use the events as a stepping stone to create more awareness. South Beauty Group is able to achieve annual growth of 55%, and claim a niche market share of more than 7% (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 154). Thus it is able to fund its own growth plans by reinvesting its profits (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 166). This attracts the attention of private venture capitalists and investment banks such as Credit Suisse and Citibank, expressing interest in financing with South Beauty (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 166). There is plan to develop a franchising system to expand on its restaurant chain in China (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 165), South Beauty has an existing department specializing in franchising, and should build on it. One of South Beauty key strength lie in the RD department, which design new dishes. Under tight assessment, only 2 percent of all new dishes are launched (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011, p. 156). Its cuisine combines Chinese and Western cuisine and creates original new flavors. It also develops healthy and stylish cuisine. To order to have a competitive advantage, South Beauty must continue to create new and creative dishes. There is planning to go IPO. This is a big step in raising funds to finance all its operations and penetrating to new markets. From the analysis, the key weakness is in its marketing strategy. South Beauty Group needs a more aggressive and consistent advertising campaigns. As it expands and goes into other markets in different part of the cities or countries, creating awareness of its branding is equally important. In conclusion, to provide good and quality food is an advertisement by itself and the restaurants’ ambience will be a value added points to enhance customers’ experience.