Midterm Question # 1

Research 1 company that makes use of E-commerce. Describe the nature of this company in 1-2 paragraphs.Identify then, how does this company use e-commerce to achieve strategic advantage. Describe the benefits derived from this strategy.

PGS CRAFTS INC.

Was established in 1989 as a manufacturer of handicrafts and shell crafts. We know that raw materials and labor account to 40 to 60 percent of the product cost, so we source our raw materials especially shells directly from the fishermen. Also, we maintain a 500,000 sq. Meter property planted with lots of bamboos, trees, palm trees, coconut trees, vines and bananas to supply our indigenous raw material requirement.

As long as our shells are combined with these indigenous materials, nobody can beat our price. Our R&D staff are constantly making new products to make sure that our customers will have new and interesting products to sell. From a single entity in 1989, we have diversified our business to different fields such as financing, agro industrial operations, consumer products manufacturing, specialty beverage retail and real estate.

Business Type:
Manufacturer

Product/Service:
Raw seashells, shell packs, shell lamp vases and wind chimes, fashion accessories

Trade & Market
Main Markets:
North AmericaSouth AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeEastern AsiaSoutheast AsiaMid EastAfricaOceania

Exporters Benefits
1. COST-EFFECTIVE ONLINE PROMOTION
As an exporter who has joined CITEM’s trade fairs, trade missions and other promotional activities, you get free web exposure for a period of two years. You are entitled to four web pages: your basic company data, and three photos with description of your product choices for export. Surfers can click on the thumbnail versions of the pictures to enlarge them.

2. INTERNET ACCESS BY FOREIGN BUYERS 24 / 7
The 750 million Net global audience can access your virtual business card non-stop during the day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

3. FREE LINK TO THE COMPANY'S WEBSITE
With the linkage to your own website, you are able to provide more information on your firm. Your website serves as an online brochure of your products and services, your competitive edge, and your management team.

4. REGULAR CHANGE OF PRODUCT PHOTOS
If you need to introduce a new product to the market, all you have to do is send us the new product shot in jpeg format via e-mail to mailto:col@citem.com.ph with the standard product description. You are entitled to a maximum of three product photo changes per year.

5. REGULAR ACCESS TO BUYER INQUIRIES
The CITEM Trade Opportunities Program (CTOP) is the twin e-Business Match Program of Catalog Online (COL).This is a year-round buyer inquiry service. Catalog Online exporters will regularly receive a listing of CTOP buyers by e-mail.

6. EXCERPTS OF SELECTED ARTICLES FROM CITEM’s LIBRARY
AND RESOURCE CENTER
CITEM’s Library and Resource Center has a wealth of trade information materials. A Library Acquisitions Report is available at http://www.citem.com.ph/, and choice articles can be read or downloaded via the password to be issued exclusively to Catalog Online exporters.


Buyers Benefits

1. REFERRAL to CITEM’s DATABASE of EXPORTERS
You will be referred to manufacturers who can supply your required products or services

2. ASSISTANCE in the SEARCH for ADDITIONAL EXPORTERS
Should you need products or services other than those carried by Catalog Online (COL) exporters, you will be provided with selected suppliers through the CITEM Trade Opportunities Program (CTOP), the twin e-Business Match Program of the COL.

3. CITEM PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
You will recieve promotional materials on CITEM-organized events.

4. PRE-ARRANGED BUSINESS MEETINGS and FACTORY VISITS
When visiting the Philippines, you may request us to arrange your business meetings and factory visits with Catalog Online exporters, free of charge.

5. REFERRAL to PROPER AGENCIES and SERVICE PROVIDERS
We can link you to other authorities and organizations involved in practical trade operations and trade promotion.

6. ASSISTANCE in TRANSACTIONS and CONCERNS
We can follow up your transactions, or we can serve as a mediator on issues to be settled with Catalog Online exporters.

Question # 6

Research one multinational corporation like Procter and Gamble, Unilever, IBM, Microsoft, Honda and etc. Identify and describe how their subsidiaries are managed and how technology has assisted them in their corporate and/or local operations. Further, identify one Philippine company that has gone worldwide (eg. Jollibee and BENCH) and describe their strategies. Evaluate the strategies of foreign companies with that of Philippine corporations.


Hitachi Ltd.

History

Hitachi was founded in 1910 as an electrical repair shop. Today, it is one of the leading manufacturers in new technology.
Hitachi Works

Hitachi Works is the oldest member of the Hitachi Group and consists of three factories: Kaigan, Yamatte, and Rinkai Works. Yamatte Works, the oldest of the three factories, was founded in 1910 by Namihei Odaira as an electrical equipment repair and manufacturing facility. This facility was named Hitachi, and is regarded as the ancestral home of Hitachi, Ltd.
Many management trainees intern at Hitachi Works before being permanently assigned to other Hitachi divisions. Senior management personnel are often participants in rotations at Hitachi Works for a few years as their career develops towards eventual head office stature. As a result, many of the senior managers of Hitachi Ltd have passed through Hitachi Works.
Spin-off entities from Hitachi Works include Hitachi Cable (1956) and Hitachi Canadian Industries (1988).
In 2007, Hitachi won the Investment in People Award, Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards from Enterprise Asia, a regional NGO based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for their continued efforts in building human talents.


In November 2006, Hitachi announced a new corporate strategy to promote collaborative creation and profits. The strategy focuses on a market-oriented approach with profit creation as the basic policy. The aim is to establish a structure that consistently generates profits. The company has taken few initiatives such as the implementation of fully FIV (Future Inspiration Value) based management.
Scope of this report
Contains corporate strategy, value chain presence and SWOT Analysis
Provides detailed business description, segment analysis, 5-year financial trends, key products and key competitors
Includes information on suppliers/ partners, shareholding structure and key employees with biographies
Research and analysis highlights
Hitachi and the Hitachi Group are part of a corporate group of 1,100 companies, including 450 consolidated subsidiaries and 79 affiliated companies in Japan, and 484 subsidiaries and 86 affiliated companies outside Japan.
The company has a diversified product mix ranging from electricity generation systems to consumer products and electronic devices.Hitachi’s widespread customer base in domestic and overseas markets encompasses large industrial companies, financial institutions, utilities, governments and individual customers.
The Hitachi Group promotes innovation with an emphasis on profitability as one of its basic strategies.To increase the efficiency of group management the company is engaged in implementing a specific plan to reduce the number of consolidated subsidiaries to 700 by restructuring its businesses.
Key reasons to read this report
Access all the important information and analysis on the company in a single report
Understand company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats along with business strategy and value chain
Gain access to company’s adjusted five year financial data along with key ratios and market capitalization.

For Business

Hitachi Ltd. introduce wide array of IT and security products, digital devices and parts, and power and industrial services.

Information Technology

Hitachi responds to business needs with high added-value solutions and our collective group strength.
Our goal is an enriched society with ubiquitous information. Hitachi contributes to the development of information lifelines by offering reliable, high-performance advanced platform technologies and solutions.

Security

Hitachi is ensuring a sense of security and safety in wide range of fields from Information System Security to Physical Security.

Question # 5

As a future manager, What is your computer ethics program? Justify each activity.

>As a future manager it should be as follows:

• Alert to and aware of how the computer is affecting society.
• Must do something about it by formulating policies to ensure that the technology is used in the right way.
• The computer will not be used to unduly invade a person's privacy.
• Every measure will be taken to ensure the accuracy of computer processing.
• The sanctity of intellectual property will be protected.
• The computer will be made accessible to society so that its members can avoid the indignities of information illiteracy and deprivation.

Question # 4

If you are just a student of RMMC, cite a manual procedure here in our school which you prefer to computerize. Describe how this system should function and how can this help the employees and the students of RMMC.

>As a student of RMMC it would be better to computerized the library specifically the using of card catalogs.Instead of finding a certain book through a card catalog it would be better to find it in just updating it to computers.By just entering the title of the books in computers it will immediatly appear to the monitor where the books are located,who is the author and others.