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Week 1 Discussion Response – Strat_Man

Discussion 1 Response

BY: S,J

The growth of a company is assessed by the following categories: gestation, youth, middle age, and old age (Liebler & McConnell 2011). The stages can be categorized as such due in a large part to leadership.  I feel Walt Disney  and the Walt Disney brand can be measured by the performance and success that they have attained and continue to breed.

The market power of Disney is immense.  It goes beyond just the theme parks and movies, but also includes TV, retail, cruise lines, international resorts, Broadway theater, games and video games, music, etc.   They have even continued to aquire ABC Television, ESPN, Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm Ltd., and Marvel Studios (The Walt Disney Company, 2017). 

Disney has over 170,000 more employees than their biggest competitor Time Warner and the market cap is more than $83,000 greater at Disney (Morningstar Financials, 2017). Disney leadership created their own culture and ensure a commitment to staffing , transparency in implementation and planning along with connecting purpose to work completed and focusing on leadership strategies.

 

References

Liebler, J. & McConnell, C. (2012, 6th Ed.). Management principles for health professionals.

     Jones and Bartlett Learning, Sudbury, MA.

 

Morningstar Financials. (2017). Walt Disney Co. Retrieved  from             http://financials.morningstar.com/competitors/industry-   peer.action?t=DIS®ion=usa&culture=en-US

 The Walt Disney Company. (2017). About - Leadership, Management Team, Global, History,       Awards, Corporate Responsibility. Retrieved , from            https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/

 The Walt Disney Company. (2016, November 10). The Walt Disney Company Reports Fourth       Quarter and Full Year Earnings for Fiscal 2016. Retrieved , from       https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/walt-disney-company-reports-fourth-quarter-earnings-full-year-earnings-fiscal-2016/

Discussion 2 Response

BY: M,H

Describe the core characteristics of a “Strategic Leader” and their impact on strategy execution and the performance in any organization. Please provide some examples of very successful leaders and those that failed. Please utilize the various leadership models as a guide for our discussion assignment.

A study of 20,000 executives in a study conducted the Wharton School identified 6 skills, when used together, allowed the leaders to think strategically and become effective.  The 6 skills were: the ability to anticipate, challenge, interpret, decide, align, and learn (Schoemaker, Krupp, & Howard, 2013).  The article further described a leader that has the ability to use all of these skills in concert was an adaptive leader.  This individual was described as someone who is both resolute and flexible, and persistent despite facing setbacks (Schoemaker, Krupp, & Howard, 2013). 

I found this article interesting because it spoke to my perception that a leadership style should fit the circumstance.  For instance, command and control is usually discussed with a negative perception; however, it is very effective in times of chaos or transitions.

When I first started at my current organization I met the CEO.  He was very charismatic, honest, and direct.  I would characterize his predominant leadership style as visionary.  He was well liked and respected by the majority of employees, and the stock price doubled within my first 5 years.  The CEO was very focused on people and treating employees well, which was very smart because the organization’s business strategy was a differentiation strategy that charged customers a premium price for a premium service. 

One great example of leadership failure is Custer’s Last Stand.  General Custer split up his exhausted cavalry unity of 660 men to face 1,500 well-armed Native Americans that were defending their families and land (Anthony, 2011).  Some of the issues that led up to his fatal decision at this battle was: he lacked trust in his leadership team, he did not adapt well to changing circumstances, he did not communicate proficiently, and he was not self-aware (Anthony, 2011). 

 

Anthony, N. (2011, June 26). Leadership Lessons from Custers Last Stand . Retrieved from Star Tribune Web site: http://www.startribune.com/leadership-lessons-from-custer-s-last-stand/124519498/

Schoemaker, P. J., Krupp, S., & Howard, S. (2013, January 1). Strategic Leadership: The essential skills. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2013/01/strategic-leadership-the-esssential-skills

   

Week 1 Discussion Response – Man_Acct

Discussion 1 Response

BY: J,G

This past week, I went to Newks (similar to Panera) for a lunch. Though it is not tradition fast food, it is a quick sit-down or to-go experience. To best break down the costs, I have divided costs into building costs, staff, and product and business-related costs.

Building Costs

The location is a prime location on the corner of a busy intersection. Purchases are taken at the front by two POS systems run by cashiers. These are likely contracted/leased, labeled from NCR.

· Rent

· Maintenance/Cleaning supplies

· Potential Leases/Debt on kitchen or store equipment

· POS systems

Staff

Newks has a pretty comprehensive, task-based staff with clear distribution of roles. The managers mostly worked the floors, gauging customer satisfaction and making sure all aspects of floor, including condiments stations are fully stocked, are in good standing. They will likely offer benefits for full-time employees as well.

· Cashiers

· Cleaning/Table Bussing

· Kitchen

· Managerial

· Corporate

Product

Newks’ product is amongst my personal favorites. They offer quality soups, sandwiches, salads and pizzas with a complimentary condiments section for personalization of your meal. This diversity does not come without cost though as they carry many ingredients that do not stay fresh for long. Mandated, high inventory turnover leads to wasted products. They offer disposable utensils and their cups are plastic but reusable.

· Food Inventory

· Kitchen Supplies

· Consumption inventory – cups, utensils

· Newks To-Go – Premade meals (grab ‘n go)

Business-Related Costs

At a corporate level, they will incur business-related costs that the store might have to contribute towards.

· Marketing/Advertisement

· Taxes

· Any franchising fees or required payments

Profit margin is not just the calculation of income minus cost of goods sold, but also must consider all of these additional costs incurred. Newks is more expensive than some would like out of a fast(ish) food restaurant, but the quality of product and experience are increased as a result.

Discussion 2 Response

BY: I,H

While we do have the occasional bite at our local fast food restaurants, the last time we actually sat inside instead of just ordered drive-thru was at McDonald's in Oak Brook which is very close to the headquarters so it is a nicer location than most. These are the costs that I noticed. 

Furniture - tables, chairs, booths

Inventory - food, bags, boxes, straws, napkins, condiments, happy meal toys

Employee - salary, uniforms, PTO, education assistance, benefits, training

Maintenance- janitorial services, landscaping, snow removal, play place upkeep, window washing

Real Estate - lease/rent, utilities

Software/Electronics - tv's, computers, software for orders, software for inventory

Other - flowers (this location has a small centerpiece at each table with a little bouquet of flowers), balloons, ads

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