ABC Co. Marketing Strategy Case Essay

ABC Manufacturing Company is a manufacturer of fine furniture designed to resemble the furniture used in various historical periods. The company’s furniture is sold by approximately fifty dealers throughout the United States and in several foreign countries. Dealers are carefully selected by ABC to be sure they maintain the high quality imagine that ABC has established in its 100-year history of making fine furniture. Most dealers sell only ABC’s furniture, but a few also sell noncompeting lines of similar quality. Dealers who sell only ABC’s furniture are franchised to do business under ABC’s trade name and would appear to the public to be branch stores rather than independent business. ABC’s factory is a three-story building of heavy timber (mill) construction located in a New England town of 2,500 population. The first floor is used for warehousing and office space, and the two upper floors house the production facilities. The building is 75 years old and has been occupied by ABC since its construction. The local fire department is above average for towns of this size, but its water supply system does not have adequate reserve capacity to maintain pressure for fighting a major fire over a period of several hours. See more:Â  First Poem for You Essay Adjacent to the factory building is a large frame structure used by ABC to store seasoned lumber for its furniture. Lumber is first air dried in the yard adjoining the shed, with the exact drying period depending on the kind of wood involved. The air-dried wood is then kiln dried in ABC’s own kiln, after which it is stored in the frame storage building until needed. ABC’s power plant is located in a brick building about 50 feet from the main plant. It furnishes heat and steam for all operations. Water for the stream boilers is drawn from a large river adjacent to the power plant. Electricity is purchased from a public utility. Due to the length of the seasoning period, ABC usually has on the premises a supply of lumber adequate for four months of operations. Much of the lumber is purchased within a 200-mile radius of the factory, but substantial amounts are purchased from more distant sections of the United States or from foreign countries. For example, mahogany lumber, which is used in almost half of ABC’s products, is imported by ABC from Latin American and Africa. Most of the lumber arrives at ABC’s yard by railroad and is shipped FOB point of origin. The imported lumber is shipped by water to the nearest port, approximately 100 miles from ABC’s factory, and then by train to the factory. Some locally produced lumber is delivered to ABC by truck, FOB ABC’s yard. Workers in ABC’s factory use some small power tools, such as saws, planers, lathes, and similar equipment. However, the production process is primarily manual. Highly skilled craftsmen build the company’s products, using many of the same techniques that were used two centuries ago. Furniture finishing is done by hand, and most of the stains, varnishes and other finishing materials are compounded by ABC’s employees according to the company’s proprietary formulas. ABC’s labour force is very stable because each craftsman undergoes a lengthy apprenticeship in the plant and because ABC pays wages that are relatively high by the standards of the community. Management considers the high wages to be necessary because of the time and expense required to hire and train a replacement for a craftsman who leaves the firm. Some finished furniture is shipped by railroad, but most of it is shipped by contract carrier trucks. The contract with the trucker does not include any provision relative to liability for damage to goods in transit. Export shipments are transported by truck to the nearest port and by water to the country of destination. All shipments are made FOB purchaser’s warehouse. All sales, including export sales, are made on open account and only to ABC’s established dealers. Export accounts usually are denominated in and payable in the currency of the importer’s country. Accounts receivable, on the average, are equal to about one-eighth of annual sales. Accounts receivable records are kept on ABC’s computer in the office section of the first floor of the factory building. The computer is also used for inventory and production control, payroll management, and other accounting functions. The computer equipment is owned by ABC. The office is cut off from the warehouse section of the first floor by a wood partition. The office and computer room are air conditioned, but the remainder of the building is not. Duplicate computer tapes, updated weekly, are stored in a well-protected vault in another part of the city. A monthly fee is paid for the tape storage. ABC owns several small trucks that are used to move lumber about its own premises and for local pickup and delivery. The trucks are kept in the lumber storage shed when they are not in use. Several lift trucks are used for moving lumber and other heavy items in and around the factory and lumber storage area. A freight elevator moves materials, finished furniture, lift trucks, and other equipment between floors in the factory. Automatic grillwork gates have been installed to prevent workers from falling into the elevator shaft. There is no passenger elevator. Workers use either the freight elevator or the open stairwells when moving between floors. Steel fire escapes have been installed on the exterior of the building to facilitate evacuation of the upper floors in case of fire or other catastrophe. ABC Manufacturing Company is wholly owned by its president, Mr. Carpenter, who is the grandson of the company’s founder. Mr. Carpenter is considered wealthy by local standards. However, his fortune consists almost entirely of the stock of ABC Manufacturing Company, and he is dependent on his salary and company dividends for his livelihood. Nearly all of ABC’s operating profit has been paid in dividends in recent years. Consequently, the company has only a modest cushion of liquid assets in excess of its operating needs. Profits have been consistent, but they have been relatively low because of the inefficiency of the present factory facilities. Although the dollar amount of ABC’s sales has increased steadily because of price increases, the physical volume of sales has remained almost constant over the past several years. The lack of growth has resulted primarily from two factors. First, the present plant cannot accommodate greater production because of space limitations, and there is no available land adjacent to the plant to permit expansion. Second, the long training period required for new employees prevents rapid expansion of production. Mr. Carpenter has considered building a new factory at another location in the same town. However, such a move is not financially feasible unless the present plant can be sold, and no prospective purchasers have been found. A move to any location outside its present hometown would not be practical because of the company’s dependence on its well-trained craftsman. The sales manager estimates that both the dealer network and sales could be increased by 30% over the next 5 years if production facilities could be provided. The cost to rebuild the present factory building in its present form would be $2.5 million. However, Mr. Carpenter has indicated that he would not build a new mill-type building to replace the current structure because of the high cost of the thick brick walls and heavy timber interior construction. A new, one-story, noncombustible masonry and steel building of comparable floor area would cost approximately $2 million to build and would be more efficient for ABC’s purpose. The actual cash value of the present factory building is estimated to be $1.5 million, and ABC has insured it for that amount against fire and the extended coverage perils. The lumber storage shed, power plant, table and lumber kiln are also insured for their actual cash values. The following table shows the actual cash value and replacement cost for each of the structures. Table 1: ABC Company Building Values ___________________________________________________________________________________ BuildingActual Cash ValueReplacement Cost Factory$1,500,000$2,500,000 Lumber shed 150,000 200,000 Power plant 230,000 300,000 Kiln 270,000 320,000 ___________________________________________________________________________________ ABC’s annual premium for fire and extended coverage insurance is $136,000, including the coverage for contends of the buildings and for lumber stored in the yard. There have been no fire or extended coverage losses during the past five years and only minor losses prior to that time. The company’s estimated annual workers’ compensation premium is $165,000. Loss experience has been fairly consistent from year to year. Based on past experience, with adjustments for inflation and current benefit levels, normal losses of $104,000 can be expected. The most frequent claims have been small and have resulted from such minor injuries as splinters in hands, several minor dermatitis cases, and sawdust or metal particles in eyes. The more serious injuries have included back strains and loss of fingers in power saws and other power tools. ABC now has 15 percent debit under workers’ compensation experience rating plan. (That is, they are paying a rate 15% greater than manual rates). Questions 1. Identify the following loss exposures faced by ABC Manufacturing Company: 1) Direct property loss exposures 2) Indirect property loss exposures 3) Liability exposures 2. Your suggestions in risk management for ABC Company Case 2: Bite-O-Burger Company (Risk Management and Insurance) Description of Operations The Bite-O-Burger Company is a publicly held corporation. It owns and operates 843 fast-food restaurants located in eleven states in the United States. The restaurants feature a limited menu consisting of hamburgers, French fried potatoes, fried chicken, chili, related food items, and nonalcoholic beverages. The restaurants vary in size, but each is located in a free-standing building and surrounded by customer parking areas. All of the buildings were built to Bite-O-Burger’s plans and specifications and share enough architectural characteristics to make them easily recognized as units of the chain. All have forced air heat and are air conditioned. At current prices, the average replacement cost of the restaurants is estimated at $125,000 per unit for the building and $100,000 for the equipment. Because of differences in size, the replacement cost, including building and equipment, ranges from $175,000 for the smallest restaurants to $300,000 for the largest. The average actual cash value is $205,000 for building and equipment combined. The restaurants vary in age from a few days to approximately 20 years. All of them are owned by Bite-O-Burger, but the newer ones are subject to substantial mortgages. The home office of the company is located in leased space in a building in the business district of a midwestern city. Bite-O-Burger occupies the upper three floors of the thirty-story building. The company’s data processing centre is located on the top floor. All of the computer equipment is leased from the manufacturer. Bite-O-Burger also occupies a leased warehouse near the home office. It is used for storage and distribution of supplies (paper cups, wrapping materials, etc.) and nonperishable food items. Perishable food items are purchased from local suppliers near the restaurants in which they will be used, and they are delivered directly to the restaurants by the suppliers. There is no refrigeration equipment at the warehouse, but each restaurant has a large, walk-in refrigerator. Items from the company warehouse are distributed to the individual restaurants by a fleet of 30 owned tractor-trailer units. The same units also transport goods from the suppliers to the central warehouse when truck-load quantities are purchased. Smaller lots are shipped by common carrier FOB point of shipment. The values of the contents at the warehouse and home office are $15,750,000 and $3,200,000, respectively. Values at both locations are relatively constant throughout the year. Bite-O-Burger advertises extensively in newspapers in the cities in which it has several restaurants. Many of its advertisements feature endorsements of its products by prominent athletes and theatre personalities. Some advertisements feature pictures of local people and their favourable comments on the company’s food and service. The company also sponsors softball and bowling teams in some cities as a part of its public relations program. Bite-O-Burger’s profit and loss statement and an abbreviated balance sheet for last year are shown in Tables 2-1 and 2-2. The company’s operating results for last year were typical of past years, but sales and assets have been growing at a rate of approximately 20% per year. Bite-O-Burger’s fire and extended coverage losses for the five years are shown in Table 2-3. The quotations shown in Table 2-4 have been obtained for fire and extended coverage protection–blanket on buildings and contents on an actual cash value basis. Bite-O-Burger is well aware of the fire exposures associated with restaurants. Extensive fire control equipment has been installed in the kitchens of all units, and especially in the range hoods and in the cooking areas.

Beggar's Opera Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Critical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Critical Analysis - Essay Example In this paper, the authors report on the effects of PDNF on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity, a rate-limiting enzyme during the synthesis of dopamine and other catecholamine neurotransmitters. TH is important because it is involved in increasing the production of neurotransmitters. The study came up with the following additional actions of PDNF: Strengths. The paper has many strengths. First, it presented data that was based on solid experimentation that covered a wide range of immunological, molecular, and imaging techniques. The data was clearly presented using graphs and images. The discussion was straightforward and concise. The strongest point of the study is the methodology followed to arrive at the results. The authors arrived at their results through a series of experiments that each showed the action of PDNF on TH. To show that PDNF increased the TH expression in PC12 cells and primary mesencephalic neurons, the authors grew the cells in media that was treated several times with PDNF. Results obtained with immunostains were confirmed using immunoblots. Western blots and SDS-PAGE were also utilized. The study also used a luciferase gene assay to check the effect of PDNF on the promoter of TH. The method used to confirm the mechanism of action of PDNF on TH was done in a simple manner, where a construct of a mutation for the cAMP response element (CRE) labelled with luciferase transfected to PC12 cells. This step was able to show the effect of CRE on the action of PDNF on TH promoter activity. The discussion portion was able to summarize in a clear manner the results of the experiments, and related these to previous work done in the field of TH activation. The paper points to the mechanisms that could explain the action of PDNF. As an example, it was pointed out that PDNF mediated the phosphorylation of serine residues in the catalytic sites of TH. The phosphorylation activity of PDNF was

Report 'Holyhead to Cowes' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Report 'Holyhead to Cowes' - Essay Example It is in line with this that the report was prepared to give stakeholders a very vivid idea of the final costing and planning of the event. The report focused on key aspects of the planning that has been done so far and how the event is hoped to be delivered on the due date. Key areas of planning that has been put in place so far include completed work structure, costing structure, health and safety preparations, risk management, and communication plans. Based on these preparations that have been completed, it has been concluded that the university is in a position to successfully start off its race on the planned date. 2.0 Event Management 2.1 Pre-planning The pre-planning focuses on answering the 5W questions (Brenke &Wagner 2006). On the question of why the event is important, it would be noted that this is an event that will serve as a platform for the union to be of relevance to its society through the raising of fund to support society welfare. On the question of what will be p resented at the event, a simple answer of a cycling race will be given. There will be detailed information on where the event will take place but this could be summarised as following a route from Holyhead to Cowes. The event is planned to take place on the 4th of May 2014, in the open lanes of the identified route from 6am to 5pm on each day; and this answers the question of when. Lastly, the question of who is answered by identifying the stakeholders of the event, who include executives of the union, event planners, cyclists and community members 2.4 Event overview Generally, this is an event of fund raising cycle ride that is to take place from Holyhead on Angelsey to Cowes. The event can therefore be said to be made up of two major broad goals, the first of which has to do with the need to have a cycling race in place for selected cyclists. As part of the cycling component of the event, event planners are expected to gather thirty (30) cyclists in good standing who will be engag ed in competitive cycling sport from Holyhead to Cowes. The second component of the event is the fund raising, which requires the event planners to be in a position to put in place structures that will ensure that philanthropists and other donors give to a good course, which is being championed by WUCC. The whole event is scheduled to take place on the 4th of May, 2014. 2.3 Work Structure The structure of the event is expected to have five (5) major divisions or parts, which will be made up of route management, hotel booking, registrations, operations and marketing. The structure is however expected to follow a multi level approach, meaning that each of the major components will have its own sub divisions. For example under the route management, there is expected to be the appointment of team leaders who will further map out the required areas for the race. Under the hotel booking, it is expected that search will also be made for bike

Stevens Johnson Syndrome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stevens Johnson Syndrome - Essay Example Recommendations for managing this conditionStevens-Johnson Syndrome is an emergency that needs immediate hospitalization in burn or intensive care units. The initial treatment in managing this condition is based on determining the cause. In this case, the condition is triggered by medication, thus, discontinuation of the medication is recommended (Sooriakumaran et al. 2006). According to Patterson et al. (2009), early discontinuation of the causative drug has been proven to improve survival rate in affected patients (p. 234). As a precaution, all medications ought to be discontinued, to minimize complications. Next, oral lesions are administered mouthwashes. According to McCance & Huether (2014) anesthetics are used in pain control, as the pain is intense (p. 1627). In addition, the patient must be allowed to rehydrate their bodies via intravenous fluid repletion, the ocular surface is lubricated. The patient has to be given a consult by an ophthalmologist because of the eye damage r isk (Wright & Spiegel, 2006). Regions which contain shed skin ought to be covered with compresses of Burow or saline solution and tetanus shots must be administered to the patients. Special attention is given to hemodynamic and airway stability. Nutrition also plays a vital role in managing this condition. Proper management entails supportive care to the patient as the treatment is symptomatic. A vital pointer is that the environment must be hygienic and sterile, to prevent any infection.

Examining Barriers to effective physical health care management of Literature review

Examining Barriers to effective physical health care management of people with schizophrenia - Literature review Example same to different factors such as the association between mental and physical illnesses and the complications resulting from the mental illness itself following persistent use of medication. Schizophrenia patients and other mentally ill patients often suffer many physical health-related problems. Various studies on the interaction between physical health and mental health indicate psychiatric patients often endure physical health complications. In their article, Heggelund et al (2011) posited that most of the patients with Schizophrenia and major depression often suffer from cardiovascular and respiratory disease. The authours attribute the occurrence of these diseases in these patients to higher rates of smoking. In addition, Harrison and Gill (2010) suggest that the people with Schizophrenia experience poor dietary habits, poor living conditions and cognitive impairment among others. Heggelund et al. (2011) observed that patients suffering from Schizophrenia tended to gain weight and become obese. A research conducted by Brown and Mitchel (2012) showed that the incidence of obesity was high in Schizophrenia patients, accounting for up to 42% compared with 27% of the general population. The high percentage of Schizophrenia patients developing obese has thus been a key physical concern largely because it leads to the development of diabetes among other diseases. The tendency by the Schizophrenia patients to become obese has been attributed to different factors. In their article, Connolly and Kelly (2005) suggested that one of such factors is because the patients, in many cases, consume poor diets that are rich in fat and low fibre content without any consideration of the health implication. The authors also argue that these patients tend to lead a sedentary life, and this often reflects symptoms such as apathy and somnolence. The accumulation of calories in their bodies coupled with poor diet and lack of regular exercise serve as the predisposing factors for

Journal for Notorious Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journal for Notorious - Essay Example The viewer is waiting for a close-up of the principle character but has to look for the woman in the crowd. It is also necessary to add that Alicia appears as an elegant woman pertaining to the high society. In this case, the director remains ‘faithful’ to this image and the woman appears as the same elegant lady in exquisite gowns throughout the entire movie. When it comes to Devlin, he appears as the ‘mysterious’ Mr. Right. He is sitting in the forefront and only his silhouette is seen. The viewer observes numerous things happening in the room. For instance, the couple is dancing, other people are sitting. It is clear that Alicia is interested in the Mr. Silhouette. The viewers are bound to focus on the mysterious man and wait when his face is seen. It is possible to note that the degree of anticipation is greater when Devlin’s silhouette appears. When it comes to the character’s costumes, he is always elegant and elaborate. 2. The viewer starts caring about the two leading characters when they are on the board of the plane taking them to Rio. Devlin tells the news about Alicia’s father (which is really intimate) and she shares her feelings about her relationships with her father as they used to be. She opens up her heart and it is clear that she is a good person just like Devlin is. It is also clear that the two are destined to be together though this idea comes to the viewers’ mind during the first scenes of the movie when Alicia meets Devlin at the party. 3. Hitchcock sets a romantic and somewhat dramatic tone to the film. There are elements of a comedy but the overall mood is rather dramatic. It is especially vivid in one of the final scenes when Devlin saves Alicia and tells her about his love. There is always a reminder of the war or spy secrets and duty or some plot. More so, the principle female character’s life has been rather tragic and it is not clear whether there will be a happy end for her. She is