Marketing Plan For A Business Plan Competition - 1715 Words

2. Literature Review Research shows that business plan competitions throughout time have always provided a substantial opportunity to improve entrepreneurial education. Student entrepreneurs originally were interested in business plan competitions because it was a place for them to create and pitch their business ideas to real investors and get incredible feedback. However, over time, the location of the competitions, the people competing in the competitions, the robustness of business plans, and the outcome of the competition have changed. These four factors affect each other and have changed how people go about growing as entrepreneurs. 2.1 Business Plan Competition Locations More and more business plan competitions have been popping up all over the world in the past ten years. A 2006 survey of 2,100 universities by the Kauffman Foundation shows that 16 percent of universities were offering business plan competitions around the world; so today in 2016 I am sure that percentage has increased (Leffel and Hallum 2008). The United States has some of the better-known business plan competitions, such as the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition. While many are open to international entrepreneurs, most depend on one’s location or affiliation to a university - which is limiting. However, in the middle is the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition where applicants can be from wherever, but all applicants must agree to establish substantial operations in Rhode Island in order toShow MoreRelatedStrategic Marketing Plan For A Successful Business761 Words   |  4 Pagessuccessful business is creating a specific detailed strategic marketing plan outlining pro duct pricing. 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Toyota and Uber Free Essays

As the competition among autonomous driving businesses is getting intense, Toyota and Uber will try to catch up by deciding to partner in developing self-driving cars. They plan to use technology from both companies into Toyota’s Sienna minivans to be deployed across Uber’s ride-hailing network from 2021. Together, they aim to design and produce safe autonomous vehicles for the mass market. We will write a custom essay sample on Toyota and Uber or any similar topic only for you Order Now This deal benefits both Toyota and Uber, and will still likely benefit both companies even in their individual endeavors. Their partnership profits Uber in many ways. Firstly, CEO Khrosrowshahi’s strategy of Uber developing autonomous vehicles through partnerships has successfully began to progress. Secondly, it brings revival to Uber’s self-driving business after a self-driving Uber SUV killed a pedestrian in Arizona back in March, which moved Uber to remove its robot cars from the road, lay off hundreds of test drives and closed its autonomous testing hub in Arizona. Lastly, Toyota’s investment raised the valuation of Uber by $4 billion from the deal Uber had with Alphabet Inc. Uber totaled $891 million losses in the second quarter where the self-driving unit is a significant contributor. However, it can compensate its losses through this partnership. With combined technology, their goal of a safe autonomous vehicle is likely to happen. And with this success, profits from their self-driving business will surely compensate the losses Uber previously occurred. Toyota also profits from this agreement through its transformation to a mobility company as they help provide a path for safe and secure expansion of mobility services like ride-sharing that includes Toyota vehicles and technologies. Its statement that it would not combine its research efforts with Uber may somewhat have a negative impact on the partnership’s progress in producing safe automated vehicles. But, Toyota benefits from the deal when they gain more information regarding self-driving technology as they work with Uber. Together, they make a great teamwork. Uber’s autonomous driving system and Toyota’s commitment to safety and its renowned manufacturing skills is surely to bring a safe self-driving car. Uber have experienced many problems in this path: they had further setbacks in development and testing due to the crash in Arizona, and also has met difficulties with regulators and politicians concerning safety. But Toyota’s Guardian technology, which offers automated safety features, can cover Uber’s flaws. Toyota may be less aggressive than some rivals on moving toward full-fledged autonomous driving but their investment in research and plans to begin testing self-driving cars in the future is a great move. They won’t be able to survive the competitive autonomous self-driving business if they continue to focus on partial autonomous systems. This partnership is a great start for them in their journey to produce fully developed self-driving cars. Toyota’s decision to not combine its research efforts is also a good move since Uber has other partnerships like their partnership with Daimler AG, and a deal with Volvo which does not have the same level of intense labor as Toyota does. This could lead to misunderstandings or conflicts of interest, so it is best that they keep some plans to themselves. Their previous partnership on a car-leasing program for Uber drivers, where Toyota invested in Uber and which Uber decided to close its U.S. leasing business, is also a factor that can affect their relationship. This could mean distrust between the companies that can badly affect their current deal. Overall, their partnership brings great opportunities to both companies. Toyota benefits from the agreement and Uber does, too. Their goal in producing the world’s safest self-driving cars on the Uber network is surely to become reality if they work together in covering each other’s flaws and leveraging their expertise. How to cite Toyota and Uber, Papers

Corporate Finance Companies and Business

Question: Discuss about the Corporate Finance for Companies and Business. Answer: Introduction Companies and business entities apply several methods to measure their performance in the market. One of the methods commonly used by corporations is the financial analysis where several techniques are used to examine the companys past and present performance and project its future trend. Financial analyses help firms to identify their strengths and weaknesses in the industry. They then focus on either maximizing the internal strengths by taking advantage of the external opportunities or minimizing the internal weaknesses through mitigating the external threats. Car Ab Ltd is one of such companies. Car Ab Ltd specializes in supplying automotive components in the industry. The company has developed an excellent reputation and brand by proving quality products and reputable services. Car Aib Ltd has created business objectives which emphasize on customer-oriented services. However, the organization is currently facing fierce competition in the industry arising from market saturation. This paper focuses on evaluating the companys comparative financial performance during the 2014 and 2015 fiscal years. Some of the financial performance indicators to be analysed are; a) evolution of the working capital and capital employed; b) the cash-flow statement; c) the financial leverage and the Return On Equity; and d) the financial leverage and the Return On Equity. Finally, a brief comment, conclusion, and recommendation will be provided based on the results obtained from the financial analysis. Note: the companys comparative balance sheet and income statement for the financial years 2014 and 2015 were provided and had been used in the respective financial performance indicator. Analyse the evolution of the working capital and capital employed the working capital At the End of 2015 At the end of 2014 Working Capital -3566 -1904 including: Add: Trade + Other Receivables 6291 6080 Add: Inventory 6913 5800 Less: Payables 10600 8945 Less: Operating Liabilities + Others 6170 4839 End of 2015 End of 2014 Working Capital (Days of Sales) -22 -12 including: Add: Receivables 38.34092333 37.4659797 Add: Inventory 42.13174423 35.74057274 Less: Payables 64.60241413 55.1205902 Less: Other Liabilities 37.60348068 29.81872957 Brief analysis Working capital technique is used by companies and business entities to evaluate their ability operational liquidity. It shows that ability of the business to meet its short-term financial obligations (Blocher, et al., 2009, p. 198). A firm should have a positive working capital to fund sufficiently its short-term debts nearing maturity, finance its operational expenses and continue with its daily operations. A negative working capital means that the firm cannot meet its daily operations, fund its upcoming expenses or operate sufficiently (Horngren Sundem, 2013, p. 45). Car Ab Ltd had a negative working capital both in 2014 and 2015. Its working capital reduced further from negative (- 1904) in 2014 to negative (-3566) in 2015. Conversely, the working capital(days of sales ) which shows the number of days it takes the customers to clear their credit sales by the company increased further from negative(12) in 2014 to negative (22) in 2015 (Gleim, 2001, p. 61). The reduced working capital was attributed to the increased amount of inventories from 5,800 in 2014 to 6,913 in 2015 and increased amount of credit sales i.e. payables from 8,845 in 2014 to 10,600 in 2015. A number of other liabilities also rose from 4839 in 2014 to 6170 in 2015. In 2014, it took customers 24 days to clear their debts. However, the number increased to 39 in 2015. It is important to note that the receivables account rose from 6,080 in 2014 to 6,291 in 2015 ( Cheffi Beldi, 2012, p. 94). With a more negative working capital and working capital in days on sales, Car Ab Ltd is not in the position to meet its short-term financial and operational obligations. The capital employed Capital Employed End of 2015 End of 2014 Fixed Assets 22545 20722 Working Capital -3566 -1904 Capital Employed 18979 18818 Equity 14590 14718 Net Debt 4389 4100 Capital Employed 18979 18818 Brief Analysis Capital employed refers to the total amount of capital invested in acquiring revenue. The Car Ab Ltd.s capital employed decreased by $ 161 from $ 18818 in 2014 to 18979 in 2015. Fixed assets increased from 20,722 in 2014 to 22,545 in 2015. The reduction experienced in the operating capital was contributed by significant reduction of the working capital as stated above (Ittelson, 2009, p. 54). Conversely, net debts investments increased significantly by $289 from $4100 in 2014 to $4389 in 2015 while Equity investments decreased from 14,717 in 2015 to 14,590 in 2015. The information shows that the companys shareholders demanded to be paid more dividends leaving the company with less amount to invest (Tracy, 2012, p. 89). To enhance its growth regarding operational performance, and increased revenues, the management should increase the capital employed by reducing the amount of bonus and dividends payable to shareholders as well as look for other methods of funding its projects besides debts. For instance, the company should authorize the sale of more common shares to the public through Initial Public Offering (IPO) ( Hoyle, et al., 2012, p. 187). Build the cash-flow statement The Car Ab Ltd cash flow statement for the year 2015 is calculated as shown below; Cash Flow Statement 2015 Net Income 812 Depreciation 415 Change in Working Capital -1662 Operating Cash Flow 2889 Less: Investment Expenses 2238 Free Cash Flow 651 Add: Capital Increase 0 Less: Dividends 940 Add: Change in borrowing 1374 Change in Cash 1085 Brief Analysis The company had a free cash flow of 651 after investment expenses had been deducted. The free cash flow was also affected by the adverse change in working capital and positive changes in the fixed asset depreciation (Ross, 2010, p. 145). Part of the free cash flow was used to pay dividends to the shareholders (940) and paying part of the company debt capital (1374) However; it should be noted that the company did not increase its equity/ capital investment from the income. The change in cash and cash equivalents increased by 963 at the end of 2015 ( Kieso , et al., 2011, p. 46). Analyse the operating performance (ROCE) Operating Performance 2015 2014 Effective Tax Rate 0.35 0.32 ROCE (Before Tax) 0.0923 0.125 ROCE (After Tax) 0.06 0.085 Operating Margin (B4 Tax) 0.0297 0.04 Operating Margin (After Tax) 0.0193 0.027 Capital Employed Turnover 3.11 3.1 Brief Analysis The companys ROCE before tax decreased from 9.23% in 2014 to 12.5% in 2015. The change shows the company ineffectiveness in controlling its growth. The companys operating margin decreased from 4.02% to 2.97% before and 2.7% in 2014 to 1.93% in 2015 after tax (Kelly Barrow , 2016, p. 121). The deterioration of the companys operating performance was majorly contributed by the decreased of capital employed in investments. However, the company made efficient use of its operating capital as shown in the Capital Employed turnover. The ratio progressed slightly from 3.1 in 2014 to 3.11 in 2015 (Byrne, 2012, p. 46). Assess the financial leverage and the Return On Equity ROE Financial Leverage 2015 2014 Return on Equity 0.056 0.087 Effective Cost of Debt 503 459 Kd 0.1147 0.112 Gearing 0.3008 0.279 Financial Leverage -0.0043 0.0024 Brief Analysis: Just like the reduction of the ROCE after tax, the Return on Equity dropped from 8.72% in 2014 to 5.7% in 2015. The effective cost of debt increased from 459 in 2014 to 503 in 2015. Poor ROE returns resulted from the rising cost of debt and negative financial leverages. For the gearing percentage, it can be revealed that the company reduced its dependency on debt to fund its investment and operational; activities. In 2014, gearing stood at 30.08% but decreased to 27.9% in 2015. The ROE and financial Leverage analysis shows that the company is performing poorly as far as its investments are concerned (Kaplan, 2012, p. 287). Assess solvency and liquidity Solvency and Liquidity 2015 2014 Gearing 0.3 0.279 Net Debt / Operating cash flow 1.52 - Current Ratio * 0.94 1.01 Quick Ratio * 0.58 0.64 Cash Ratio * 0.26 0.26 Brief Analysis The company has no issue with solvency. The gearing percentage (i.e. the extent of which debt versus equity funds the company's operations) decreased from 30% in 2014 to 27.9% in 2015. Likewise, in 2015, 15.2% of the operating cash flow came from net debts. Therefore, the creditors should be a bit worried (Michael, 2012, p. 18). The liquidity ratios are very low, and the company is not in the position to meet its daily financial obligations. The current ratio, which shows the ability of an organization to fund its day-to-day operation using current liability decreased from 1.01 in 2014 to 0.94 in 2015. Likewise, the quick ratio, which is obtained by dividing current assets minus inventories by current liabilities reduced from 0.64 in 2014 to 0.58 in 2015 (Michael Pizzica, 2015, p.122). However cash ratio, which is the amount of cash and cash equivalents an organization has against current liabilities, remained constant between the two periods. brief summary with your comments and recommendations on the financial situation and performance of the company The Car Ab Ltd is not competitive in the market based on the financial analysis conducted above. The company has failed to control its operations efficiently and is also faced with liquidity issues. The number of days it takes the customers to clear their credit sales by the company increased during the 2015 financial period (Proctor, 2012, p. 97). Therefore, during the days of the sales period, the company is not in a position to meet its short-term financial obligation. The management should introduce policies aimed at reducing the number of days the customers are possible to stay with the companys debts. For example by introducing discounts and bonuses on cash sales, many customers will strive to go cash purchases to have the discounts stated (Simons, 2013, p. 154). Likewise, introducing a policy where credit customers are offered discounted for clearing their debts within ten days following the sales would increase cash collections. Second, the company has an ineffective internal control system. This has been revealed by increase on the number of stocks in the companys warehouse at the end of 2015. Likewise. The number of liabilities also increased. It would be expected that with the number of increased ordering of stock, the companys cash and cash equivalents would have increased significantly ( Horngren , et al., 2011, p. 67). There is a possibility of growing number of dead stock. The company should introduce an effective internal control system to reduce the stock being held in the warehouse. For example, the management should offer discounts on large purchases. Second, the company should use the ABC stock ordering method. The shareholders demanded to be paid dividends even with the poor organizational performance, therefore, escalating the level of financial risk facing the company. Payment of dividends limited the companys ability for further growth or investment. The gearing percentage shows that the company depends on mostly on debts to fund its operations (Vaughn, 2007, p. 150). Low level of equity capital can only mean that the shareholders have lost their trust on the management to maximize the value of their funds. Things are likely to worsen when the bank and other financial institutions cannot give the company loans to run its activities. With the current financial trend, the organization is heading to insolvency (Gibson, 2008, p. 211). The liquidity ratio also shows that the firm is facing adverse short-term liquidity problems. First, from the current ratio it has been revealed that the company lacks enough current assets to meet its daily obligations. In 2015, the company only had 0.94 in current assets to pay for my dollar owed to the creditors (Tracy, 2012, p. 108). Second, the quick ratio was even whose with only o.58 dollars to pay for a single dollar owed to the creditors. With the current situation, the company is not in a position to expand its market share, invest more capital, meet both its short-term and long-term financial obligations and compete in the market (Guenther, 2004, p. 303). Conclusion Car Ab Ltd is in a financial crisis, and there is a lot to be done to save the company from insolvency. The management should strive to gain shareholders trust and influence them to invest more money in the company. References List Cheffi, . W. Beldi, A., 2012. An Analysis of Managers' Use of Management Accounting. International Journal of Business, 17(2). Horngren , C. T., Datar, S. M. Rajan, M. V., 2011. Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Hoyle, J. B., Schaefer, T. Doupnik , T., 2012. Advanced Accounting. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Kieso , D. E., Weygandt, J. J. Warfield, T. D., 2011. Intermediate Accounting. New York: Wiley. Blocher, E., Stout , D. Cokins, G., 2009. Cost Management: A Strategic Emphasis. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Byrne, A., 2012. Practical Accounts and Bookkeeping In Easy Step, London,UK: In Easy Steps Limited. Gibson, C., 2008. Financial Reporting and Analysis: Using Financial Accounting Information. New Jersey: Cengage Learning. Gleim, I. N., 2001. CMA Review, Part 2: Financial Decision Making. London, UK: Gleim Pubns. Guenther, D. A., 2004. Financial Reporting and Analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill. Horngren, C. Sundem, G., 2013. Introduction to Management Accounting Global Edition. New York: Pearson. Ittelson, T. R., 2009. Financial Statements: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports. New Jersey: Career Pr Inc; Rev Exp edition. Kaplan, D., 2012. Introduction To Financial Statement Analysis. New Delhi, India: The Kaplan Group. Kelly, J. E. Barrow , P., 2016. Bookkeeping For Dummies. 4th ed. London, UK: John Wiley Sons. Michael, P. Pizzica, A. J., 2015. Financial Ratios for Executives: How to Assess Company Strength, Fix Problems, and Make Better Decisions. London: Apress. Michael, Z., 2012. Financial Decision Making Using Computational Intelligence, Chicago: Springer . Proctor, R., 2012. Managerial Accounting: Decision Making and Performance Improvement. 4TH ed. London, UK: Pearson. Reed, P., 2014. Strategic Marketing: Decision Making and Planning. 4 ed. Australia: Cengage Learning . Ross, S. A., 2010. Corporate Finance. London, UK: McGraw-Hill Higher Education; European. Simons, R., 2013. Performance Measurement and Control Systems for Implementing Strategy Text and Cases: Pearson New International Edition. London, UK: Pearsons. Tracy, A., 2012. Ratio Analysis Fundamentals: How 17 Financial Ratios Can Allow You to Analyse Any Business on the Planet. New York: Bidi Capital Pty Ltd. Vaughn, R. H., 2007. Decision Making and Problem Solving in Management. 3rd edition ed. London: Crown Custom Publishing.