Armellini Italian Ice Cream and Coffee Chain Business Issues Essay - 9

Armellini Italian Ice Cream and Coffee Chain Business Issues - Essay Example There are several important strategic tools such as Porter’s five forces model, SWOT analysis etc. that are heavily used in the industry. Furthermore, there are various ways, developed in the past few decades, which could be used in developing business. Franchise rout of growing business is one the most widely used method of developing business. This paper is all about an ice cream and coffee chain company named Armellini Ice Cream and Coffee Chain and its strategic decision. The paper includes an in-depth analysis of the competitive forces that would have a significant influence on the process of strategic decision making. The paper also includes the implications for the management of quality for the company in adopting the franchise route of growth. Armellini Ice Cream and Coffee Chain was founded by an Italian lady named Maria Armellini during the period when the Second World War just ended. Initially, it was located in a coastal town that was near to Venice in Italy. In the first cafà © products like traditional Italian ice cream as well as espresso coffee along with cooked pies, light snacks, sandwiches, and beverages were sold. After the death of Maria, the company was taken over by Alessio, Maria’s eldest son. Under his leadership, the business grew as the chain of restaurant and cafà © outlets in all over Western Europe. In the entire process, Alessio was assisted by his siblings. Alessio used to give significant importance to various things like maintenance of the quality and cleanliness and proper record keeping. Alessio or any of the family members used to visit each of the cafà ©s at least once a month in order to see how things were going on. It was a business audit most of the time which was carried by Ales sio himself. He used to visit the outlets without any prior notice with the objective of seeing the real picture of the outlets. Furthermore, there was a monthly financial report regarding used food items, wages, labor hours etc.   

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

International Business - Essay Example Globalization has led to integration of global production (global sourcing and coordination between the diverse locations) and integration of global markets (the rise of global brands and international distributors). Ultimately, globalization yields to increasing: culture convergences; interdependence among states economic integration; trade liberation; and, global capital markets (Hill 2012, p.4). Globalization of markets Globalization of markets delineates the progression witnessed in the assimilation and amalgamation of different world markets into a shared market. This means that national markets are increasingly amalgamating into one vast marketplace. This process eventually yields to the adoption of common products or services propelled by the resultant cultural shift. ... The growth of national companies such as Coca Cola and MacDonald’s into larger global organizations has drawn attention to the fact that global companies can now be able to synchronize their operations across continents, yielding to enhanced efficiency and attainment of economies of scale. One of the paradoxes of globalization that can be highlighted details that technology has fostered the efficient delivery of standardized products, as well as promoting diverse forms of tailored products for various markets; however, the registered growth of global markets has been highly prevalent within sectors that depend on standardized products for all clients. Markets for consumer products, on the other hand, have not been homogenized as anticipated (Reinert 2000, p.42). The positioning numerous markets, especially within advanced economies have increasingly been reversed as imports of standard products are frequently cheaper compared to the local equivalent. Hence, domestic manufactur ing companies are increasingly struggling to match the multinationals that enjoy economies of scale, in addition to, massive resources. Globalization of production The factors that impact on the situating of an entity’s manufacturing infrastructure usually vary between countries, and may be complementary in a foreign country relative to the host country. This means that entities are persistently placing their individual productive operations at highly rewarding global locations (Hill and Jones 2007, p.265). As such, it is becoming immaterial to label various products as ‘Japanese,’ ‘American,’ German,’ or ‘British.’ This derives from the breaking down of the manufacturing process into separate stages in which each phase takes place within the most