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strategic decision making
strategic decision making
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BlueScope Steel Australia and New Zealand (BANZ) is a manufacturing company that produces a range of flat steel products for the Australian and New Zealand domestic market. BANZ was formed in July of 2011 which saw the amalgamation of company sections; Australia and New Zealand Steel Making Business (ANZSMB), LYSAGHT and Distribution Business. This amalgamation was followed by a major organisational restructure which ultimately led to the closing down of Number 6 Blast Furnace and resulted in around 800 job losses at the Port Kembla works and 200 job losses at the Western Port works in Victoria. The aim of this project is to outline the rationale for the restructure and to provide a strategic analysis of the impact of the restructure on BANZ’s current market position. This will be achieved by first analysing the economic climate pre-restructure and evaluating the managerial decisions that led to the restructure. It will then explore the current economic climate in relation to BANZ to determine whether these strategic managerial decisions were sound. Finally the report will outline BANZ future developments and determine if the company will continue to be competitive in the future.
In 2011 BANZ lost around 1000 jobs due to a restructure that would fundamentally alter the Australian steel industry. However, before we assess whether this decision was economically and managerially sound we must first assess why this occurred.
Following the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2009 BlueScope was in its worst ever market position. As of 2011 the price of shares had hit record lows of 38c compared to $12.03 of just three years earlier, showing a 93% reduction in share prices. Huge financial losses were also recorded. In the 2010/2011 financia...
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...d of supply chain control and market share domination it could have adverse effects.
Therefore, from the analysis provided in this report the strategic decision to implement the restructure was sound. Through the consideration of the economic climate both before and after the restructure we can see a clear trend of cost reduction and an increase in profitability. Major investments in companies such as Nippon have allowed all areas of the business to profit and have opened a range of new markets in areas previously difficult to access. Movement towards future growth and profitability have also been evidenced locally in the acquisition of Orrcon and OneSteel which have allowed for product diversification and more lucrative supply chains. Thus, it is apparent that BANZ is completing its strategic goals, increasing profits and moving towards a more prosperous future.
Nucor Corporation was the largest manufacturer of steel and steel products in North America, with a production capacity of approximately 27 million tons. On an international scale, Nucor was ranked as the 14th-largest steel company in the world based on tons shipped in 2013. Amongst the five generic business strategies, Nucor is known as a low-cost producer, with a known competitive advantage of innovative steelmaking technology. The purpose of this paper is to perform a business analysis of Nucor Corporation by analyzing it using management tools such as SWOT, PESTEL, and Porter’s Five Forces (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, & Strickland III, 2014).
Grand Metropolitan PLC is the world’s largest wine and spirits seller. It mainly operated in London, USA. In 1991, it beats market expectation with a 4.8% increase in pretax profits, and the company Chairman stated that company’s goal “to constantly improve on”. Despite the great performance in the world recession in 1991, the price of GrandMet shares was 10% below the average price/earnings ratio of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. And more important, rumors had that GrandMet, valued at more than $14 billion in the stock market, maybe a takeover target. The management dilemma is to understand why the company’s stock is traded below of what considered being the right price and whether the company is truly being undervalued by the market or there are consistent issues with negative NPV projects and lines of businesses.
A strategic plan will maximize Riordan’s resources to achieve its business objectives and maximize its value. For Riordan to have a successful strategic plan it is best for the company to perform a SWOT analysis. The first step is to identify Riordan’s strengths. Riordan Manufacturing has three operating entities located in Georgia, Michigan and California, plus a joint venture in the People's Republic of China. This allows for them to expand their reach into new markets in both domestic and foreign markets. Riordan has secured fifteen major customers, twelve minor customers, and a government contract for fans. Riordan Manufacturing has weaknesses within the company. It needs to consolidate customer information within all of its locations in order to deliver better value to the customer. Riordan needs to consolidate the close of the general ledger and the income statement and balance sheet in a more efficient and timely manner than is currently being conducted. Riordan has weaknesses in finding an inexpensive and labor friendly way in which to conduct audits. Riordan manufacturing has great potential for opportunity and growth. Riordan can reduce operating expenses, which will lead t...
Mid September 2008 saw a significant change for the Australian economy, with the collapse of the Lehman Brothers triggering the Global Financial Crisis. The Global Financial Crisis was characterised by a tightening in the availability of money from overseas markets and resulting in governments having to intervene to maintain market stability. The Australian economy and its leaders generated considerable discussion about the prospect of a global recession, while most expected the financial crisis would have a major impact on the Australian economy, a factor that was not considered was the immediacy of its effects. The December quarter of 2008, saw business stocks devalue by $3.4 billion, the largest fall on record. In addition, there was a considerable softening in property prices, resulting in many companies/people having too much debt vs. too little wealth. With this, consumer confidence plummeted which in turn deteriorated consumption. Throughout the month of September and into October, the financial crisis spread from the United States to Europe, and all around the global economy, with economies contracting in growth.
For decades, the steel industry has been one of the toughest markets on a global scale with most steel corporations ending up in bankruptcy. Foreign and domestic competitors, management issues, environmental issues, political agenda’s and technology have had much to do with the demise and more so of the success of the steel industry. The issues that this case focus on Nucor Corporation was of:
The stock price of a company is one way to gauge the relative health of the company. The stock market, which includes the buyers, sellers, and investors, is always looking for ways to measure one company against another. By using stock price, dividends, earning per share, and bond rating, outsiders are able to gauge the overall health of a company against another one. In this method of looking at the trends of these indicators, comparisons can be made between Team Andrews and Team Baldwin over the course of rounds 4-6 in the Capsim simulation.
The driving forces of globalisation have a direct impact on the success of the iron ore mining industry in Australia in terms of the national and global economies. BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto Group, both as Transnational Corporations (TNCs), have further increased industry sales and exports, and reduced the costs of production by utilising economies of scale. Mine expansion and the opening of new mines in the iron-rich areas of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria have resulted in great benefits for the Australian economy and rapid national growth in the global economy.
A situational analysis is the first step in the marketing process and is essential in providing businesses with information regarding its current position within the market enhancing their understanding of their competitors. This involves conducting a SWOT and product life cycle analysis as to gather information from both the external and internal business environment. A SWOT analysis involves business identifying internal strengths and weakness whilst determining possible opportunities and threats from the external business environment. This process is conducted at Qantas as I as follows; strengths; Excellent safety record, successful fuel hedging programme and Australia’s leading domestic carrier comprising 65% of domestic market share and 84% of the corporate market. Weaknesses; ongoing disputes between Qantas management and militant unions and higher labour and operational costs as opposed to competitors, opportunities; growth in the Asian market has seen proposed new launch a premium airline within Asia and the expansion Jetstar international and improving aircraft technology , Threats; the continuing glob...
Despite the increase in volatility, the NASDAQ Composite Index is up by 15.4% for 2007 and by 28% since the last MoneySoft M&A Outlook was published. During the same period, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has moved from 10,705 to 13,930—an increase of 30%, but the market is “wobbly.”
Walton, Joe.? ?The Bessemer Steel Process.?? Forging a Future:? Pittsburgh and the Question of Progress.? The Steel Industry.? (2000):? n. pag.? Online.? Internet.? 1 Dec. 2000.? Available http://webpub.alleg.edu/employee/m/mmaniate/pittprogress/walton.html.
The local response — divided, rarely ambivalent — is fascinating to the outside observer. Old and not so old men hang on to memories or fight old battles in bars, greasy spoons, and ethnic clubs. Others (perhaps most, though `most´ have died so it´s hard to say) escape to the hills and suburbs and pay little attention to the now dangerous towns in which they were raised unless a shopping mall, complete with the chain restaurants, turns their bad memories into nostalgia.The great steel cities of the past- places like Pittsburgh and Birmingham in the US and Sheffield in the UK- have all experienced the painful shock that occurs when the invisible hand of the market withdraws its support. What has happened since to people of these regions is both a reflection of the legacy of steel production and of the extreme social uncertainty created by its absence.
Industry Analysis – Nucor has established itself as a leader in the steel industry through efficiency and innovation.
...k, John. "US Steelmakers in Continuing Crisis." Challenge.Vol. 47, no. 1, January/February. M. E. Sharp, INC. 2004. 86-106.
The company has diversified so much that it has lost its core competency. Also, the acquired businesses are irrelevant in nature. The tool business needs a ‘Business to Business’ type of marketing. However, some of the firms are ‘Business to Consumer’ (e.g. Bakery Business, Dry cleaning store chain) and ‘Business to Government’ (e.g. Firm engaged in Defence research work) as well. So, lack of integration of the business is one of the key issues we need to address.
We analyzed the market for two weeks to determine when the equity market would turn from a bearish to bullish market. Without a change in the market and a declining bond price, we decided to invest in equities according to our investment strategy, which brought us into the second phase of our portfolio. Therefore, at the beginning of February we bought shares in Sirius, Microsoft, Neon, Washington Mutual, and Nike. As assumed, the equity market continued to plummet decreasing the value of all our stocks except for our Gold Corporation stock.