business assignment
Question 1: There is a growing debate on bitcoin and its usefulness as an investment choice. Do a research on bitcoin as an example of kryptocurrency and write a report on the pros and cons of investing in bitcoin.(150words)
Question 2: Watch the following video and answer the following questions
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/
Describe the retail marketing strategy you would use for this product. Be sure to include target, retail format, competitive advantage, location. Explain your rationale for the your choices. (100words)
Question 3: The research project involves picking a pair of publicly traded companies which are the closest competitors in the industry example, Walmart and Target. Each student must have a different set of companies. You must then do a detailed research into the most recent financial and economic data on them and answer the following questions in as much details as you can. 1) Which two companies did you select and what criteria did you use to make sure they are competitors in the business?( 2 points) 2) Write a brief history of both companies .( 4 points) 3) Write a detailed financial analysis of both companies based on most recent income statement and cash flow statement data. This answer should be based on as much hard data as you gathered and analysed. ( 10 points) 4) A new investor is looking to buy shares in a company. As a business analyst which of the two companies would you recommend to a new investor and why? You must give your explanation backed by data and analysis( 4 points) The rough length of the project should be 5 pages excluding the cover page and references or bibliography. All references must be cited. APA style, Times New Roman, 12 font , 1.5 spacing.(5pgs)
Question 4: Buffalo Wild Wings: Competing for the Future
Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW) has experienced rapid and at times explosive growth, since its founding three decades ago. The business, which focuses on chicken wings and related fun food, was founded in 1982 with a single location in Columbus, Ohio, near the Ohio State University. Today, the business is an owner, operator, franchisor model; the franchising element began in 1991. Live sporting events are a focus of the customer experience, with a typical Buffalo Wild Wing’s restaurant having 50 or more televisions for viewing sports. Coordinated marketing and coordinated operational execution has allowed for a consistent brand image across locations; buffalo insignias, a yellow and black color scheme, and stylized buffalo images help build this brand image. BWW has been successful in growing restaurant locations with 786 company-owned and franchise locations in 44 states at the end of the third quarter in 2011.
Growth Strategy
BWW needs to determine its strategy for competing for the future in which the restaurant industry is growing increasingly competitive and fragmented. BWW has a stated goal to continue to grow domestically and internationally. In order to grow successfully the focus is on the following strategies.
■ Continue to strengthen the Buffalo Wild Wings brand.
■ Deliver a unique guest experience.
■ Offer boldly flavored menu items with broad appeal.
■ Creating an inviting neighborhood atmosphere.
■ Focus on operational excellence.
■ Open restaurants in new and existing domestic markets and new countries.
■ Increase same-store sales, average unit volumes, and profitability.
The current business concept is thought to be able to support a unit base of 1,400 locations in the United States with a target of 40 percent company owned and 60 percent franchisor owned. The first international play for the company was Canada with the opening of a Toronto location in 2011, with plans to open 50 Canadian locations in the next five years.
Business Operations
A typical Buffalo Wild Wings location is open on a daily basis with operating hours of 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. The hours of operation can vary depending on local regulations and day of the week. In addition, franchisors agree to operate their locations a minimum of 12 hours per day. Dine-in and carryout is facilitated through ordering with traditional table service as well as a counter that takeout orders can be placed at. Purchases of food ingredients and supplies are negotiated on a system-wide basis in order to obtain the best cost possible; additionally all sauces are manufactured by a single company with BWW owning the recipes and seasonings of its signature sauces to prevent other wing establishments from using the same sauces. Chicken wings are the largest component of the food purchasing costs, and volatility in their prices could have significant impacts on the business. Currently, wings are purchased at market price, although long-term fixed price contracts are a possibility if market conditions warrant the change. BWW restaurants include a full bar, and, in Nevada, gaming; thus the business is subject to the regulations of the appropriate beverage commissions in all states in which it operates and the gaming commission in Nevada.
Financial Performance
A better understanding of the financial performance of BWW can be obtained by examining the data in Exhibits 1–3. Note that net earnings are after-tax net earnings.
QUESTIONS
1. If there is a BWW near you, visit the restaurant or if not take a look at them online (www.buffalowildwings.com). Identify what you see as competitors to BWW.(50words)
2.What do you see as the competitive advantage of BWW? Be sure to discuss its value proposition. (50words.)
3.Where would you place BWW and restaurants it competes with in terms of the retail life cycle?(50 words)
For question 3, you can do costco vs walmart or costco vs sams club. I am really counting on you as this assignment carries a heavy weight on my final grade. If you can kindly work on questions 1,2, and 4 first and do question 3 last that will be great.
Solution Preview
Question 1
Crypto-currency is a digital currency that applies cryptography for security. Bitcoin is an excellent example of crypto-currency. Due to this security, crypto-currency is hardly counterfeited. Bitcoin, being the most original cryptocurrency, is managed by a decentralized network of subscribers and it is not directly controlled by the central banks or states government. Several merits and demerits come with Bitcoin. They include the following.
Bitcoin pros
Bitcoin offers the subscribers freedom in payment. You can send and receive money from any place across the globe. Therefore, the subscribers do not have to strive to walk across the border when transferring money. Other advantages include users controlling their transactions hence is safe to use with an affordable transaction fee.
Bitcoin cons
(2,546 words)