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Explain how the “fixed quote” obligation on government bond dealers in Euro-MTS exposed them to market risk. How could they hedge this risk when accepting trades of modest size? Why was it difficult to hedge this risk when a large proportion of normal daily trading was placed on the market at a single time? Note that Citigroup sold its futures positions before conducting the trades. How might Citigroup have traded in futures contracts to make a larger profit? Any suggestion why they did not do this?

The fixed quote government bonds in the Euro MTS markets were non-dynamic bonds that had a fixed rate of return on them as quoted by the government. This made them a highly stable investment for the customers as despite the market conditions the bond would respond with a stable or...

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“Ultimately, the study of international business is no different from the study of domestic business. Thus, there is no point in having a separate course on international business.” Evaluate this statement.

Both are typical examples from the school of economics and business administration of academic trends with practical uses. Their skills and knowledge are recognized in all diverse sectors; from the central bank to ministries, from information technology and telecommunication companies to commercial banks and industries, therefore there is no significant...

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How have changes in technology contributed to the globalization of markets and production? Would the globalization of production and markets have been possible without these technological changes?

Technology change has enhanced globalization by increasing the amount of information being transferred. The information is transferred at low costs, which is very useful in emerging markets because it helps to raise opportunities due to plummeting global communication costs. In general, vast changes in technology have influenced the high globalization...

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“The study of international business is fine if you are going to work in a large multinational enterprise, but it has no relevance for individuals who are going to work in small firms.” Evaluate this statement.

In multinational businesses, for anyone to achieve success in executing strategies in order to develop markets he or she will be required to have a high degree of flexibility, ability to adapt in most unforeseen ways to local conditions and have a long-term perspective which will help to build a...

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Describe the shifts in the world economy over the past 30 years. What are the implications of these shifts for international businesses based in Great Britain? North America? Hong Kong?

Over the last 30 years, China has emerged to become a major player in the world market. Even though their workers work in terrible conditions with poor pay compared to Great Britain and America, today it is the major exporter and is slowly taking control of a large slice of...

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Why should an airline not be able to establish service anywhere in the world simply by demonstrating that it can and will comply with the local labor and business laws of the host country?

An airline after being demonstrating that it will comply with the regulations is still not able to establish itself in the host country. The main reason behind this phenomenon is the governments’ regulations on foreign airlines to enter the domestic markets. Governments impose certain restrictions on foreign airlines as they...

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What advantages might former Vice President Al Gore enjoy regarding his addition to the board of directors of Apple Computer? What advantages might Apple expect? On the other hand, what would the disadvantages be for either party?

Al Gore will get a new experience of managing huge international corporations such as Apple. He will also enrich his qualifications in IT corporation management, finances, and human resource management. Such experiences can be easily applied in politics and government practices later, which will help to improve different aspects of...

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Discuss the significance of the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act to investment banking. Are there any procedures in place to protect a bank’s capital? Explain.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act is often referred to as Financial Services Modernization Act which opened free competition among banks, insurance companies, and securities companies. Earlier, Glass-Steagall Act prevented banks from offering other services besides banking services only. Such an act opened the area for financial consolidation for different financial institutions such...

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Explain why valuation might be described as a “fickle” process to a stockholder. What factors tend to make the process fickle, and what factors tend to make it more predictable?

There are many factors that make the valuation of the company to be described as fickle. These factors include the financial statements used are historical. Secondly, valuation is always done for the purposes of buying or selling the shares. The shareholder is interested in the value of income received from...

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Offer evidence that supports the concept that finance, as a field of study, has evolved over time in response to changing business management needs.

Finance is often defined as a science of managing money, which explains that it’s a more applied field of study than general economics. The concept of finance as a field of study had experienced several stages of evolution as now it includes more than pure financial management and accounting operations....

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What were Structural Adjustments Programs?

Structural Adjustments Programs (SAPs) are based on a short-term, profit-maximization model that perpetuates poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation. SAPs share a common objective: to move countries away from self-directed models of national development that focus on the domestic market and toward outward-looking development models that stress the importance of complete...

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Explain why a high rate of inflation is bad for the economy.

The term ‘inflation’ is used when explaining the economic process of rising prices. An economic situation is considered to be inflationary when either the prices or the supply of money are rising and in practice, both will rise together. Typically, countries through their central bank’s carry out fiscal, monetary, or...

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What is meant by the phrase “growth strategy”? What alternative growth strategies are available to a company? What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each strategy? Why do so many mergers fail to deliver the benefits that the senior management of an organization expect when they enter into merger negotiations? What actions could senior managers pursue in order to improve the probability of a merger being successful?

‘Growth Strategy’ refers to a strategic plan formulated and implemented for expanding a firm’s business. There are many types of growth strategies, and each strategy has its own advantages and disadvantages. A firm can adopt different strategies at different points in time. Every firm has to develop its own growth...

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Explain the internal rate of return term and illustrate your answer.

The internal rate of return (IRR) or yield can be defined as the discount rate, which equates the present value of the expected initial cash investment with the present value of the expected cash inflows. In other words, the IRR is the discount rate that, when applied to an investment’s...

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Explain the payback method term and illustrate your answer.

The payback method is a very popular investment appraisal technique. It is essentially an expression of the time taken to recover the initial cash outlay on investment from the investment’s cash flow returns. Generally, firms tend to set a fixed maximum payback period (PBP) for projects and use it for...

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What is a constituency? How does it affect the HR department?

Traditionally, the word constituency is interpreted as a group of people, who share common goals, identity, moral values, ethical principles, and so forth. However, if we are speaking about management, we should say that this concept acquires a different meaning; it denotes a group of people, on whom the company...

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Explain the job characteristics theory. How does it tie in with intrinsic compensation?

On the whole, job characteristics theory is a method, employed to describe and evaluate the functions which an employee performs in the organization or company. This approach relies on such criteria as the variety of skills, required for the given position, task identity or task significance, the degree of autonomy,...

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What is your opinion on the “three benefits” for eBay’s acquisition of Skype? To what extent do you agree or disagree with these “three benefits”? To what extent do they justify the price paid by eBay?

The three benefits have been highlighted in the case as reducing ecommerce friction, incorporating a pay per call model and options available to eBay for cross marketing. The mentioned benefits are derived form the nature of Skype, its operations and the technology used by the company. By acquisition of Skype...

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What ethical issues are raised by RugMark’s inspection and audit process?

The carpet producers that are in registration with the RugMark commit to them that they would not use child labor (children under 15), they allow their looms to be inspected unexpectedly and their carpets are sold bearing the RugMark label and the entire promotion is carried out by the RugMark...

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Who are the core stakeholders in a village carpet factory supplying RugMark?

India and Nepal are the core stakeholders in a village carpet factory supplying RugMark. It was founded in 1994 by the humanitarian organizations which are located in Germany. This was supported by the carpet importers and the government of Germany. This was formed in response to the concern expressed by...

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Joseph applied for life insurance and wrote a check to pay for the premium. The insurance agent issued him a conditional receipt. On the same day, the insurance company underwriter rejected his application and filed a request to the insurance company’s accounting office to return his premium. The next day, Joseph died in an auto accident before he received the returned premium. Joseph’s wife files a claim on his life insurance contract. Explain whether the claim is covered.

Most of insurance contracts are simple contracts, and in the case of simple contract, there are some essential elements, and out of these three elements are most important such as a) Unrevoked Offer, b) Unqualified Acceptance and c) Consideration and these are discussed below: A) Unrevoked Offer: To start with,...

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Jenny was the agent of an artist. She receives 15% of the artist’s earnings as commission. Jenny checked out a special insurance policy that would compensate her if the artist lost her voice and could not perform any more due to illness. One year later, the artist discontinued the agent-client relation with Jenny. A few days after the determination, the artist lost her voice permanently due to an infection. Jenny filed claims with the insurance company. Explain whether the claim is covered.

In the case of insurance, the insurable interest is one of the essential elements, and without it, no insurance will be valid. Insurable interest means the pecuniary relationship that exists between the policyholder and the subject matters. That means only the person who has an insurable interest in the subject...

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Annie is married and has a nine-year-old daughter. She was recently hired by an educational publishing corporation as their assistant designer in the kindergarten division. The job requires her to do a lot of typing and editing on a computer. The job requires her to do a lot of typing and editing on a computer. The job comes with a term life insurance equal to three times her annual salary and long-term disability insurance. The long-term disability insurance policy defines total disability as ‘any gainful occupation.’ The company does not provide health insurance and Annie has not purchased any health insurance herself. The financial planner recommends the following health insurance policy. The health insurance policy has a $2,000 deductible and 90% co-insurance clause. a. Suppose Annie was injured in an auto accident and cannot use her hands to type for six months. Her long-term disability insurance provider is willing to provide her training to use voice-activated software in lieu of using her hands to type. Is she able to receive her disability benefits from her long-term disability insurance? Explain. b. Explain why health insurance should be an integral part of a financial plan. c. Annie recently had knee surgery to remove a bone spur in a private hospital. Suppose Annie had purchased the health insurance policy. How much of the above expenses would be covered?

a. People purchase the long term disability insurance policy in order to protect themselves from any kind of unexpected disability for a long period in future because any serious illness or injury can impact negatively on his or her ability to work. At that time, the long term disability insurance...

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Explain the law of comparative advantage.

The law of comparative advantage explains the benefits that all parties can get from trade. Parties involve countries, individuals, and regions. The law explains that this is only possible if the parties trade produces goods with differing relative costs. The outcome is called gains from trade.

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Assume you work for a New Zealand company exporting a container of kiwis to Mauritania in West Africa. The customs official informs you that there is a delay in clearing your container through customs and it may last a month. However, if you are willing to pay an “expediting fee” of US$200, he will try to make it happen in one week. What would you do? How does Chapter 4 of “Global Strategy” by Mike Peng help you understand and participate in the debate above?

Every business undertaking is very sensitive to time. This is because every minute lost in the course of carrying out businesses activities translates into a loss of huge amounts of cash inflow into the business. In this perspective, for the container to take one month to be cleared by the...

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What are three biosphere rules that can be implemented to produce sustainable and profitable manufacturing? Explain why sustainable manufacturing is or is not an e-business ethical issue? Why might the issue of sustainable manufacturing be important to a business-to-consumer e-business?

Rule 1: Use an economical Palette “Do more with less”. To make simpler the provide chain and create recycling simpler by rethinking the resourcing tactics and radically decreasing the number and categories of materials applied in the company’s production. It is essential to rethink design to require not “What is...

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Discuss the power to tax that the U.S. Constitution grants to the federal government as well as the limits that are placed on such taxation powers. Also include in your answer a discussion on how the government uses such funds to benefit U.S. citizens.

The USA constitution has mandated Congress to levy a tax without regard to the state or census. The federal government, therefore, collects taxes from individuals, businesses, and groupings without discrimination. Other items that are taxed by the federal government include wages, salaries, and commissions. All the tax that is collected...

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Discuss the difficulty economists encounter when trying to forecast changes in the business cycle as well as the tools they use to make such predictions. Include in your answer examples of the importance of accurate predictions for those who make decisions in the corporate world as well as in the government.

One of the difficulties is instability in macroeconomic relations. This difficulty is a real problem in real-time forecasts and for other users of the macroeconomic models. These instabilities are created due to the many variables that are taken into consideration. One major tool or indicator of a shift in business...

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Explain the difference between positive and negative externalities, citing several examples of each. Include in your discussion how the government reacts to each type of externality and why.

Externalities are the impacts of a business or economic decision activity that causes external costs or external benefits on another party who is not involved directly in the decision. Negative externalities are related to the environmental consequences of production and use. Some examples of negative externalities include climate change is...

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Explain why investing is an essential part of the free enterprise system and discuss the different types of investments and the advantages and disadvantages of each (including bonds, certificates of deposit, money market mutual funds, and stocks).

Investing is a way in which profit (interest) is generated from the capital employed. In a free enterprise, the investor is not directly involved in the generation of the interest or in the venture but only reaps the benefits of the investment. Some types of investments include; a certificate of...

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Discuss the four requirements that a market must have in order to meet the criteria of a perfectly competitive market as well as the factors that can lead to imperfect competition in a market.

Perfect competition describes a market in which no buyer or seller has more market power than the other. Perfectly competitive markets are usually allocative and display productivity efficiency. A market that can be described as a perfectly competitive market is such a market that is characterized by the fact that...

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How did Automotive Builders, Inc., (ABI) handle forecast risk?

The identified bases behind the conducting of ABI’s risk forecasting are given below: Forecasting sales of the product Applying three scenarios Analyzing historical data Non-statistical risk measurement Identifying feasible competitors as well as Japanese Examining present and future market situations that point to use pistons predicting the increase of demand...

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Assess whether Arauco should build the large new pulp plant at Itata (expanded pulp capacity plus further diversification into sawmilling and wood-processing)? Why has Arauco moved away from its traditional “pulp alone” strategy? Is the new pulp plant at Itata consistent with its moving away from “pulp alone”?

Arauco has three main product segments: pulp products such as bleached and unbleached Kraft pulp; forestry products like pulpwood and sawlogs and wood products that included lumber, remanufactured wood products, and panels. The president wants to invest 61 billion USD to build a chemical pulp plant. It already has a...

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Assess Deutsche PostWorldNet’s (DPWN) strategy for diversification and acquisition.

Market selected The DPWN management selected to go international by trying to sell its mailing services and products to a number of markets internationally. Market entry mode These are ways in which DPWN seek to market its services globally and this usually depends on the quality of the company’s products...

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Discuss the main aspirations of key stakeholders and how these have influenced Deutsche PostWorldNet’s (DPWN) strategy.

DPWN’s success is attributed to a number of factors. The company is a top innovator and it has been able to gain loyalty from its customer for consistently manufacturing human-friendly mailing services and products. In addition, the company offers technical support to its customer further promoting trust. Through diversification of...

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Assess Deutsche PostWorldNet’s (DPWN) strategy for diversification and acquisition.

Diversification is typically defined as a strategy that takes the organization into new markets and products or services and therefore increases the diversity that a corporate parent must oversee. Diversification might be undertaken for a variety of reasons, some more value-creating than others. Three potentially value-creating reasons for diversification. Firstly,...

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Discuss the main aspirations of key stakeholders and how these have influenced Deutsche PostWorldNet’s (DPWN) strategy.

Johnson, G. et al. defines stakeholders as stakeholders are those individuals or groups who depend on an organization to fulfil their own goals and on whom, in turn, the organization depends. Important external stakeholders would usually include financial institutions, customers, suppliers, shareholders and unions. The main aspirations of key stakeholders...

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Evaluate the competitive strength of Deutsche PostWorldNet (DPWN) in the UK or France using Porter’s Value Chain Analysis.

Porter, M. E. introduced the Value Chain Analysis answer the attack on his Five Forces Analysis. It was criticized that the five-force framework has no implementation methodology that connects the cracks among internal competencies and opportunities within the competitive background of an organization. This Value Chain Analysis framework works as...

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How can an e-business site or portal strongly engage online shoppers and get them to revisit a site? What are the other four practices that are important to retaining online?

Nowadays, online sales growth does not always satisfy business leaders; the main reason for this is that they are not aware of the most important engagement valued by consumers. One of the biggest mistakes observed in e-business is that companies provide only narrow, limited information about their products only. The...

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If a private company is “going public,” what does this mean, and how would the company do this? What are the advantages of doing this? Do you see any disadvantages? If so, what are they?

‘Going public’, also known as the initial public offering (IPO), refers to when a private company decides to sell its shares to the public through a stock exchange. A private firm goes public by hiring an investment bank that will conduct the underwriting process, which includes preparing legal documents, finding...

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Do you feel the ASICS company is on the right track?

It is valid to say that the company is on the right track. It is clear that ASICS closely monitors major environmental trends (including the expansion of online presence) and competitors’ performance but also strives to maintain and rediscover its unique voice and style. Diversification of product and brand portfolios...

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Was it wise for ASICS to acquire the fitness app RunKeeper?

The purchase of RunKeeper by ASICS is a controversial issue and, judging on the apps’ ability to generate income, it was not a wise decision. Besides the problems of profitability, it is not clear so far how RunKeeper can benefit the company in terms of brand promotion and attraction of...

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ASICS is moving forward. Evaluate its product lines, channels to market, and communications.

ASICS is a Japan-based sports footwear and apparel brand and one of the leading companies operating in this segment of the global market. It primarily specializes in the production of technological, high-quality, and functional shoes for professional athletes, including marathon runners, as well as volleyball and tennis players. However, ASICS...

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Are Wal-Mart’s competitive advantages transferable to international locations?

Walmart has expanded beyond the United States and achieved considerable success, but it is not as dominant there as in its home country. The company can research product demand in its foreign locations and satisfy the needs of the customers. It can also establish robust logistics, though the establishment of...

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What are Wal-Mart’s competitive advantages? Are they sustainable?

Wal-Mart has driven many competing chains out of business due to its strengths as a company. Each of its numerous locations stocks goods that are in demand locally at prices that frequently undercut the competition. The latter trait is enabled by Walmart’s power in its relationship with suppliers, as its...

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Angie’s List, Venmo and Lyft are considered transformational new businesses. Where did the idea for the business come from? If you can’t find this information, speculate.

Ideas to create new businesses can come from different sources, including everyday problems and difficult situations. For instance, Angie’s List was created by Angie Hicks because she could not find a reliable general contractor in her city. When it comes to Venmo, the idea to design a new service to...

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Angie’s List, Venmo and Lyft are considered transformational new businesses. Was there an innovator advantage? Explain your answer. If there was an innovator advantage, how long did it last?

Different companies’ success can be explained with reference to an innovator’s advantage. It involves the presence of advantages over competitors due to access to new technology or customer loyalty. Angie’s List was established in 1995 before the emergence of other customer rating services (Yelp, Trip Advisor, etc.). Its popularity grew...

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Angie’s List, Venmo and Lyft are considered transformational new businesses. How was each business different from what came before? For example, Yellow Pages pre-dated Angie’s List; Western Union pre-dated Venmo; and taxi cabs pre-dated Lyft. What was similar to what came before? Scale them in terms of “newness” from truly transformational (5) to substantial (1). Explain your rationale.

Although the three businesses (Angie’s List, Venmo, and Lyft) are dissimilar in terms of the offered services, they share one common trait due to being considered transformational. Speaking about Angie’s List, the idea is similar to that of yellow pages – telephone address books that provide information about businesses in...

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Provide a brief summary of the advice you would provide to your organisation on good and lawful practice for managing dismissal, retirement and redundancies.

Fair and legal practices for managing dismissal are associated with employers communicating at least one out of five reasons for firing a worker. These include misconduct and generally inappropriate behaviours, poor performance, redundancy, a breach of statutory restrictions or some other substantial reason (SORS). The latter includes the expiration of...

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Briefly explain briefly why people leave or remain with organisations and provide a summary of some of the costs associated with dysfunctional employee turnover. Go on to assess the strengths and weaknesses of at least two different approaches to retaining talent.

The indicators of employee turnover and retention usually point to the well-being of an organisation in terms of the satisfaction of workers and the potential prosperity. High rates of turnover have an overall adverse effect on the performance of companies, and understanding the reasons behind employees leaving companies is essential....

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Explain some of the main legal requirements in relation to recruitment and selection and briefly assess the strengths and weaknesses of at least two different methods of recruitment and selection.

When speaking of the legal requirements associated with the recruitment of workers, it is imperative that employers hire workers of legal working age. It is also unlawful to discriminate against individuals with disabilities, gender reassignment, those who are pregnant or have children, people of various ethnic and racial backgrounds as...

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Develop and provide a basic succession and career development plan.

A basic career and succession development plan is concerned with identifying future opportunities for high-potential employees. In regards to a succession plan, it is critical to address the changes that will occur after employees resign, retire, or are fired, which leads to the advancement of other workers to their roles....

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Briefly describe the main principles of effective workforce planning and give some examples of any tools that may be used for this.

An effective strategy of workforce planning is essential for addressing the critical human resource needs of organisations. For example, it will align the program for human capital development with the current and emerging missions and programmatic goals. In addition, such a strategy will help in developing long-term objectives for acquiring,...

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Give a brief description of the role of government, employers and trade unions in ensuring future skills needs are met.

The development of a skilled workforce is considered essential for ensuring the sustainable growth of communities on both local and national levels. The establishment of a highly competent workforce is important for encouraging the growth of the private sector and ensuring the prosperity of communities across a country. Therefore, national...

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The line-item objective of expenditure budget structure organized according to administrative units frequently has been attacked by academic observers of the budget process. Nevertheless, it survives, in one form or another, internationally and at all levels of government in the US. a. What is the origin of this budgetary structure? b. What are the scholars’ primary criticisms of it? c. What factors account for its broad acceptance and continued use?

The line-item budgetary structure is a frequent form of control over public finances. According to Pernsteiner et al., it originates in the classical system of hierarchical political control that allows officials to distribute funds through the allocation of grants for special needs. The authors criticize this model for its inflexibility...

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Through the years governments in the United States have developed a variety of budgeting strategies, e.g., line item, PPBS, and ZBB. How do these strategies influence the administrative state? Do they generally alter the way that agencies conduct themselves? Why or why not?

The existing budgeting strategies provide stakeholders with an opportunity to manage public financial resources based on various approaches. For instance, Ho gives examples of institutional models that are based on the principle of interaction with the authorities and mentions organizational management implying increased responsibility and professionalism. These strategies change the...

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Define – then compare and contrast – line-item budgeting, performance budgeting, planning programming budgeting system (PPBS), and zero-base budgeting (ZBB). What are the features, advantages, and disadvantages of each? Which do you think should be used today? Defend your answer.

Line-item budgeting is an expenditure control system aimed at the proper management of funds by implementing efficient administrative structures. This approach is very simple and employs a good accounting mechanism, yet it usually fails to establish links between financial inputs and program outcomes. Performance budgeting implies the allocation of resources...

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Aaron Wildavsky famously asserted “a normative theory of budgeting would be a comprehensive and specific political theory detailing what the government’s activities ought to be at a particular time.” That is, a theory of budgeting is a theory of politics. Discuss in detail the point of Wildavsky’s assertion. Do you agree or disagree?

Aaron Wildavsky suggested that the country’s budget process reflects its social order and power relationships. In the US, the budget process involves multiple discussions between different actors and agencies and does not follow any strict guidelines in terms of how to decide which sum of money must be allocated to...

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Describe the process through which the federal government makes its budget. Who are the major actors in the process? What strategies and tactics do they use during the budget-making process? What are the significant strategies, problems, and constraints that influence and shape the process?

The making of the federal budget is a complex process and involves many actors. The president plays a major role in drafting the budget, whereas the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, and the Congressional Budget Office perform the research and monitoring functions. The budget process includes...

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In the field of public administration, the issue of public budgeting is often contentious. Discuss you view on the following: budget deficit, budget surplus, and balanced budget. Which is preferable and under what condition?

Controlling expenditure and revenue in public administration may lead to various budget combinations, which in turn allow the involved office to adjust its spending tactics. While a balanced budget sounds best to most people, it has its time, place, and use. Thus, recognizing the drawbacks and benefits of a surplus...

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In your opinion, what is policy making in the context of budgets?

Policy-making is a process of development and implementation of a policy. Budget is a key element of any business enterprise and, because of the complexity inherent to it, budgeting requires extensive planning and a properly structured approach to be successful. Competent policy-making provides rules and principles to guide the process...

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Toyota expects a 3% reduction in costs each year from its suppliers. Even with these year-after-year price reductions from suppliers, how does Toyota maintain its reputation for product quality? The company’s willingness to work collaboratively with suppliers to identify ways to jointly reduce costs is in stark contrast to simply mandating reductions, reductions that could lead to decreases in product quality and safety. Basing on the information given in this case, how companies can balance between Cost Reduction Pressures and Supplier Quality?

The belief that lower costs always yield value for customers is flawed because it could compromise quality. This statement is important and relevant to today’s business environment because many companies are engaged in cost-cutting measures. It is difficult for an organization to strike a perfect balance between cost reduction and...

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Why should a purchaser evaluate the cost of making an item instead of simply evaluating the purchase price? Is this true for all types of products? Why or why not?

A purchaser should pay attention to the cost of making an item instead of merely looking at the purchase price for several reasons. One of them is that the purchasing cost is a function of manufacturing. Therefore, production costs would help a purchaser to make informed decisions regarding how much...

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Discuss the following statement: If a purchaser decides to select a supplier based on the results of the initial evaluation, the supplier must then meet the purchaser’s continuous performance requirements.

The supplier evaluation process is often conducted using different tools, including the financial performance, expertise, and operational health of the supplier. After such an evaluation, a purchaser may choose to select a supplier based on the initial evaluation. I can’t entirely agree that suppliers must meet the continuous performance requirements...

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What are the benefits associated with a comprehensive policy and procedure manual for purchasing function? Is there a downside to the manual’s being too comprehensive?

Many organizations prefer to use a comprehensive procurement and procedures manual to undertake their purchasing functions because of its ability to improve corporate performance. Doing so serves several purposes, including streamlining organizational functions and creating synergies. The Emirates Group is one such company that adopts a comprehensive policy of its...

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Develop a list of topics that non-purchasing personnel should be allowed to talk about with their counterparts at suppliers. Develop a list of topics that only purchasing should be allowed to talk about with suppliers.

The non-purchasing personnel can talk to suppliers on several issues, including: Corporate social responsibility;Sustainable and ethical procurement;Supplier diversity;Sustainability. Comparatively, purchasing personnel can talk to suppliers about the following topics: Quality control;Innovation and technology;Delivery timelines.

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Why don’t companies seek full partnerships with all of their suppliers?

Companies could refrain from seeking full partnerships with suppliers for several reasons. One of them is that doing so would complicate the firm’s activities. Therefore, such companies may choose to seek partial partnerships because they want to maintain the simplicity of their operations. Secondly, organizations may choose to seek partial...

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