Aligning IT Strategies to Business Strategies: A Case Study of Avon Incorporated Abstract Most entities do not acknowledge the impact of business-IT alignment on the corporate value of IT. Given that the effect of business-IT alignment is often difficult to quantify, several managements are skeptical of the idea that digital strategies are vital in attaining organizational goals. In 2015, Avon sought the services of OptiMonk solutions to boost its underperforming website. The company’s site was victim to the e-commerce trend of having more visitors than purchasers. Subsequently, OptiMonk’s software offered practical solutions to the problem and enabled Avon to generate more sales in 2017 compared to previous years. In review, Avon’s case is a perfect illustration of aligning IT and business strategies. Aligning IT Strategies to Business Strategies: A Case Study of Avon Incorporated Avon Incorporated is a multi-level marketing entity with a specialty in beauty, personal care, and household items. The firm enjoys considerable success with billions of annual sales. The corporation’s primary business strategy is direct-selling since it employs representatives to market and distribute its commodities. Currently, Avon…

Steve Jobs Cases study Steve Job’s style of leadership can be classified as transformational leadership. Steve Jobs will be remembered as an outstanding entrepreneur who had impossible dreams and asked: “why not?” Steve Jobs was able to use his experiences to connect dots across his career. As a transformational leader, Steve Jobs presented opportunities to his company that not one of his stakeholders could imagine was possible. However, he had an imperfect leadership history with flaws such as not being a democratic leader and his habits of not disclosing his moves to anyone until the last minute. Applied Theory: Transformational leadership theory While transactional leaders gain compliance through rewards and benefits, transformational leaders focus on creating valuable and positive changes in their followers. The core aspects of transformational leadership are the consistent promotion of the values, mission, and vision of the organization to the team. Transformational leaders have a clear vision such that they know what to expect from every interaction. Thus, their followers’ trust, admire, become strictly loyal to them, respect, and are willing to work harder than expected.…

Business Case Study Format INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND In most organizations, resource shortages are a way of life. To make profits, the business strives to meet its goals with lower resources. Besides, they strive to satisfy the customers ‘demands, as well as taking up new opportunities with limited resources. Either, most of the companies target on building capability to improve performance with time through learning(Morrison, 2015). To meet these increase capability needs, organizations need to invest time and resources. As a result of the current challenging economic conditions, we can expect more companies to cut down costs by reducing human resources. This is done under the slogan of “do more with less.” Scholars have come up with the consequences associated with under-resourcing. It is related to shortages in process improvement initiatives like total quality management (TQM) implementation, falling in the product development process, standards erosion, quality degradation, and violations in the rules set in the regulated industries(Morrison, 2015). In the Overworked American, workplace pressures have resulted in Americans putting an average of 9 hours in work, which is a little higher than working…

Cloud Computing Case Study on Amazon.com, Inc. Abstract Page Cloud computing is a technology that has a significant impact on business operations. The advances in technology are phasing out the use of physical infrastructure, and the use of virtual resources is gaining popularity. The provision of pay per use model offers a flexible and cost-saving platform to get access to calculate the use of resources. As a result, companies are investing in research in cloud computing, with some firms setting apart a dedicate team of scientists and developers. Despite the cost involved in transitioning towards cloud-based computer operations,  the benefits that would be achieved by the transition are significant. Amazon, which is an e-commerce platform for sale of a wide variety of products ranging from food products to electronic devices, is a critical focus in this paper. As a leading retail platform globally, it has transitioned to cloud computing from its previous tape-based information storage systems. This was necessitated by a large amount of information being received from consumers and needed to be efficiently stored and processed. Additionally, traditional tape-based…

&Pizza Case Study Analysis             The concept of shared value refers to a set of organizational policies and practices that promotes competitiveness while simultaneously enhancing the social and economic conditions of its immediate environment such as the community (Porter & Kramer, 2019). Although the majority of organizations have dedicated departments dealing with corporate social responsibility, the aims and objectives differ with those of shared value. This is because shared value focuses on the simultaneous growth of both the organization and the community. Besides, Porter & Kramer (2019) state that in shared value, the community is a core aspect of the organization, while in corporate social responsibility considers societal issues as peripheral operations. Therefore, the central element of the shared value concept is to deliver value rather than benefits. &pizza, a fast-casual pizza company established in 2012, can be considered to have several opportunities of sharing value with its community. As described by Michael Lastoria, the co-founder of &Pizza, the organization aims to become the leading fast pizza place in the U.S. that considers both the immediate environment and its business…

Assessment Information: Report and Case Study Analysis Assessment Information: Report and Case Study Analysis (weight 100 %) TITLE: Case Study: [The Case studies and all the costings and grids for your calculations are on Moodle under Essentials] Produce a report that analyses financial practices and principles, and how budgets and costs are managed ;and from the given case studies demonstrates an understanding of how costs are calculated ,and sets out a cost benefit analysis of case study options. This is a REPORT so include a contents page at the beginning followed by – 1: an Introduction 2: an Analysis and Evaluation of financial practices and principles underpinning the purchasing and provision of services in health and social care in the UK /Wales; including Best Value and the 3 E s [40% for section 2 ] As long as you include best Value and the three Es you can choose any relevant area of health and social care to comment on [eg the NHS, Social Care] or you could comment on the topics we covered in the first three lectures [Where…

Assessment task 1: Case Study Description Intent: For students to predict and avoid failures due to human factors, design flaws, materials failure and extreme conditions. Task: Engineering failures are categorised depending on the level and size of impact: Large and localised Medium and localised Small and localised Large and widespread Medium and widespread Small and widespread Students identify and describe two engineering failures from different categories that occurred previously. For each failure, students set the boundaries, identify stakeholders, define the inherent risk, describe in detail the causal chain, and explore if the case studies affected or were affected by Indigenous communities. Length: 2700 to 3000 words Objectives: Incorporate the values of culture and history of Indigenous communities in risk analysis studies and the development of risk management plans. Identify stakeholders, boundaries and uncertainties in engineering projects and systems Introduction: Engineers have an important role in society. They are responsible for designing, building or creating something based on a specification or guideline to meet a particular need. What they develop must function without failure, for its intended lifetime. Engineers are responsible…

BRIDGE WATER CASE STUDY Statement of the problem: Bridgewater is facing the problem of the transition of leadership. The firm faces the challenge of ensuring that the administration that precedes Dalio’s can maintain the unique culture of giving values to meaningful work as well as fostering meaningful relationships. Dalio, who stepped down as the CEO of Bridgewater and in his tenure, led the company into acquiring assets and keeping a track record of excellent returns. Over the years, Dalio has been maintaining the organization’s unique qualities that made it stand out and succeed. As he steps down, it is not clear how the company will move on and keep its standards of services and values without his leadership. Theory: The person-environment fit approach best suits the crisis that Bridgewater is currently going through. The theory explains that an individual should match and be compatible with the work environment. Applying the person-environment fit theory: Bridgewater associates get the credit for standing out as the world’s largest hedge fund for long. However, Bridgewater was founded by Dalio, who led the organization to…

Explain the type of discrimination or harassment that took place in your case study Scenario. What were the key indicators that this behaviour was a violation of workplace Policy? According to my case study, the form of sexual harassment that took place included rape and sexual assault.     Both of these cases are serious crimes. Rape is when an individual penetrates another’s vagina mouth or anus with a penis, without consent from the other individual. On the other hand, sexual assault is an act in which a person intentionally sexually touches another person without that person’s consent The overall definition of sexual assault is an act of physical, psychological and emotional violation in the form of a sexual act inflicted on someone without their permission. It involves either forcing or manipulating an individual to witness or participate in a sexual act Some cases of sexual assault do not include violence; neither do they leave physical injury. Sexual assault, in most cases, causes severe distress, emotional pain and other injuries that are not visible. They often take time for a victim to recover…

The GlaxoSmithKline Case Study Important factors influencing the business environment for pharmaceutical firms in the 21st century Increased access to the Internet, which facilitates the online purchase of prescription drugs from pharmacies around the world (Shull and Morris, 33). The Internet allows consumers to choose from various alternatives and acquire drugs at the best price regardless of physical location, making many Pharmacies turn to e-commerce to grow sales. A growing population of people aged 65 and above (Shull and Morris, 32). The aged people require more healthcare services as they are more prone to illnesses hence provide a market for prescription drugs. GlaxoSmithKline’s Main strengths High profitability generated from the sale of pharmaceutical products across the world hence more revenue for growth and expansion. A well-established brand known for quality products. GSK is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Britain, and its many years of existence makes its products more trustworthy. Also, a diverse product range comprising of prescription drugs, vaccines and consumer health products for various health conditions enables the company to serve a larger market globally (Shull and…