Managing external influences
Introduction
We all make use of the services provided by transportation companies. For example, you will
probably have caught the bus into town or travelled on a school bus or made an intercity
journey by train. Some of you may have travelled on a super green energy-efficient tram or
used a Park & Ride bus service.
FirstGroup plc (known as First) is the UK’s largest surface transportation company. It has
revenues of over £5 billion a year. It employs over 135,000 staff throughout the UK and
North America and moves more than 2.5 billion passengers a year.
• First is the largest UK rail operator carrying almost 270m passengers every year. This is
one quarter of the passenger network. First operates rail passenger services, which include
regional, intercity and commuter services such as First Great Western, First TransPennine
Express, First Capital Connect, First ScotRail and Hull Trains.
• First is Britain’s largest bus operator running more than one in five of all local bus services.
A fleet of nearly 9,000 buses carries around three million passengers a day in more than
40 major towns and cities, such as Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.
• The company also operates First GBRf, a rail freight business and the Croydon Tramlink
network which carries almost 25 million passengers a year.
• In North America, First is the largest provider of student transportation carrying nearly
3 million students every day.
First is the leader in providing reliable, safe, innovative and sustainable transport
services. Although First is a global business, it aims to be local in its approach. This means
that local issues are dealt with by people that largely live and work in that location. This< ... |
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Avon Case Study
Executive Summary : Avon Products, Inc. (Avon) is based in New York. The firm engages in the manufacture and marketing of beauty and complimentary products primarily in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific (Yahoo Finance, 2005). Avon's products are classified into three product categories: Beauty, Beauty Plus, and Beyond Beauty. The Beauty category consists of cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, and toiletries; Beauty Plus includes fashion jewelry, watches, apparel, and accessories; and Beyond Beauty comprises home products, gift and decorative products, candles, and toys (Ibid). The company sells and markets its products through a combination of direct selling, marketing by independent Avon representatives, and via its consumer Web site, avon.com.
This paper will explore how the company is fairing under the leadership of its current CEO, Andrea Jung. There are two opposing views regarding the company's current and future success. One group feels that the firm has a promising future with Jung at the helm while the other group does not. This paper will analyze the pros and cons uncovered by each team member and discuss which view prevailed in the debate and why.
Pros of Jung and Avon : Andrea Jung became president and CEO of Avon in 1999 and has totally revamped the company. Under her leadership, the company has updated its product line, launched new advertising, and created a new image (Fact Monster, 2005). Avon's sales have increased by 30 %, profits 40%, and the stock price has dramatically improved (Ibid). Jung's has been able to align the firm's core capabilities with its strategic targets which has lead to phenomenal results. It appears that Jung has been able to establish a clear vision for the firm that has been inc ...
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