Business Finance Homework Help

There are 3 discussion posts, you have to answer each one of them. Each answer has to be between 150-250 words, including 1-2 references. You have to agree or disagree with what it says, and say why.

first one:

An IFE Matrix is a good tool to get a bigger picture of a company within a few minutes. It is easy to read and shows some of the most important features just by looking at it for a few moments (David, 2020). With having a rating system within the matrix, it is also possible to assign different weights to the factors influencing firms to understand their concept better. In P&G’s case, which is the most effective managed firm in the United States voted for by Rating by Drucker, it is easy to recognize their strengths (David, 2020).

Proctor and Gambler’s highest weighted strength would be financial responsibility. With competing in the consumer-product industry and having high sales throughout the year, they still decided to cut back on products and make sure they focus on other categories. This saves a lot of money and gives the company the option to make more money in the long term when having the perfect product in some categories and satisfying the producer (David,2020). Another strength but with a lower weight is customer satisfaction. With cutting back some of their product lines and focusing on just some, P&G want to make sure that they can provide the best quality possible for their customer with spending more time and money for research on fewer products (David, 2020). As is the case with many strengths, cutting back on a product can also be seen as a weakness with harming customer satisfaction. Since there is less variety in the market, customers might be disappointed if the one product they used to purchase from P&G is no longer available (White, 2018). The lack of choice Proctor and Gambler are offering can give a new competitor chance of being successful in the market and taking over some of their market shares. A weakness with high weight is that P&G’s attrition rate in their workforce is very high compared to other companies in the business (David, 2020). This means that more money needs to be spend compared to their competitors to train and develop their employees. A strength with high weight is P&G’s strong dealer community. Over the years, the company has built a culture among distributors & dealers with the dealers not only promoting the products but also invest in training the sales team. This helps in customer interaction and satisfaction since the employee can explain how to get the maximum benefits out of the products (White, 2018). This strength is also based on reliable suppliers who are important to deliver raw materials to the company and to make sure every product is available all the time and there are not going to be any delays in the supply process (David, 2020). On the other hand, P&G has been struggling with integrating firms that would fit in the Matrix with a low rating and weight. The company has not been successful at integrating especially small companies that want to merge but have a different work culture (White, 2018).

Overall, when having an IFE Matrix, it is easy to assign strengths and weaknesses with high rating and weights since they are the most obvious factors for the success of a firm. P&G’s main strength is customer satisfaction while their biggest weakness is their high attrition rate especially compared to other companies in the same market.

second post:

The question of whether or not Facebook should expand its services to aid in the job application process is a fairly complex one. On one hand, most Americans prefer to keep their private lives and professional lives separate from one another. Most people do not want their employers to have access to every detail of their personal lives and would probably be hesitant to apply for a job over the social media platform. However, on the other hand, expanding Facebook to include a job search and application feature could be a phenomenal business move if played correctly. Facebook has a much larger reach than LinkedIn. The majority of people on LinkedIn are highly educated and upper-to-middle class, while Facebook has incredibly wide demographics and could use this feature to cater to blue-collar workers and small business workers, as well as independent contractors. I did a bit of research on my own Facebook account and realized that Facebook already does have a job search component and the majority of the jobs differ greatly from those posted on LinkedIn. On LinkedIn, one can expect to find salaried positions based upon higher education and experience. On Facebook, one can expect to find hourly positions that do not require a college degree. By being accessible and inclusive to lower-educated individuals, Facebook has utilized a demographic that is constantly left out of LinkedIn. This was definitely a great business decision for them.

2. While I do think that Facebook should expand its features to include the job search and application process, I do think that there needs to be a focus on ethics when determining if businesses should be allowed to search for employees on Facebook. I see no issue with posting job descriptions and job vacancies, however, I have a few concerns about the idea of businesses being able to search through the private profiles of individuals in order to hunt for new employees. This could easily be seen as a privacy violation and could hurt Facebook. However, if it was executed properly, it could be successful. There should be a feature that allows individuals to turn their account into “hire mode,” which would give potential employers the ability to view their profiles.

3. LinkedIn currently allows people to post personal pictures and videos on the site. While this may seem unnecessary for a social media site for professional networking, this is a feature that I strongly support. Since the site first launched in 2003, it has changed consistently (Arruda, 2020). LinkedIn began with the goal of giving professionals a social media space for networking, and while this is still its main focus, LinkedIn has recently come out with the goal of “fostering human connection” (Arruda, 2020). As seen through other social media sites, sharing pictures and videos is a great way to share in a connection with another person. I also think that by sharing photos and videos, employers are able to build their brand and show off the amazing things that they are doing with their careers and their companies. The same can be said for potential employees. In 2021, it is a no-brainer, LinkedIn definitely should keep this feature and allow users to share pictures and videos.

4. While on the surface, LinkedIn and Facebook share some similarities, they are actually quite different. LinkedIn focuses primarily on job seekers and job recruitment, while Facebook is a “true social media platform” and a space for pure social interaction (Bersin, 2012). I do not think that LinkedIn and Facebook should merge, as they are better off separate. The major pro for merging Facebook and LinkedIn would be the growing demographics for LinkedIn. Facebook has a much higher population of users who are much more diverse than those on LinkedIn. LinkedIn would benefit from the additional diversity of Facebook users. As mentioned earlier, Americans like to keep the private and professional lives separate from one another. If Facebook and LinkedIn combined, I think that people who traditionally relied on LinkedIn would begin using sites such as Indeed. Overall, I do not think that it would be a good idea for these two organizations to merge.

5. I definitely think that both Facebook and LinkedIn would benefit from cooperating with one another. They could do this by entering into a joint venture, sharing data, or by sharing features with one another. By entering into a joint venture, both organizations would benefit from sharing terms of business. Facebook and LinkedIn could cooperate by sharing customer data with one another, however, I do not think this would be highly ethical, as Facebook tends to track location data. Facebook and LinkedIn could also share features with one another through individuals pages. For example, they could add a feature on Facebook where you can easily access someone’s LinkedIn from their page and vice versa.

third one:

Should Facebook develop features to allow people to efficiently hunt for jobs on their website, including posting their professional vita?

Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, and it has a headquarters located in Menlo Park, California (David & David, 2020). From someone who enjoys social media, I do not think Facebook should be turned into a platform for job searching. The reason I engage in Facebook is to share my personal life and accomplishments with friends and family. Facebook is not a place to search for employment opportunities. However, various companies have Facebook pages for advertisements and information given to customers. If an individual needs a job, there are other sites to help with that need, like LinkedIn. Facebook is a form of social media, and it allows individuals to express themselves and see what is happening in the world. I do not see it as a platform to find employment and hunt for jobs.

Should Facebook develop features to allow businesses to hunt for employees on their website, including posting job descriptions and job vacancies?

Facebook is continuing to develop and add new features to its network (David & David, 2020). If a business wanted to advertise employment opportunities on its page, there would be nothing anyone could do. However, Facebook should not have additional features to accommodate companies and their need for employees. I think social media platforms given room for personal updates and a place for opinions. If additional features were added, then the network would quickly be taken over by companies seeking employees. Therefore, Facebook would no longer be considered a part of social media.

Should LinkedIn develop features to allow people to post personal pictures and videos on their website?

LinkedIn is one of the largest expert networks that allows individuals to upload their profiles and seek job opportunities posted by employers (David & David, 2020). As a member of LinkedIn, I have uploaded personal pictures to my profile for companies to put a name with a face. However, there is a line between uploading an image for a profile and sharing activities and hobbies about an individual’s personal life.

Should LinkedIn and Facebook merge? What are the pros and cons of a merger for the two firms?

I do not think that LinkedIn and Facebook should merge. The networks have different purposes and platforms. Facebook is used more for social media for individuals to share their personal life. Whereas, LinkedIn is a platform used for employers and employees to seek opportunities. A pro for a merger would be the number of users would be increased, and the networks would be more known to the public if Facebook and LinkedIn joined. A con would be users would have to be efficient in looking for jobs, due to the number of people trying to seek the same opportunity at once. Each site should establish dominance in its way and allow users to use them both in different circumstances, one being for personal use and the other being for employment.

Should LinkedIn and Facebook cooperate rather than merge? Identify and describe three ways the two rival firms could cooperate in mutually beneficial ways?

The cooperation between LinkedIn and Facebook would be beneficial to one another’s platform. First, there would be an increase of connections between the two networks, which would potentially increase users as well for both sources. Secondly, the networks could work together to advertise specific events and spread the word about opportunities around the community. Lastly, the platforms could educate individuals who have no work experience and allow them to seek opportunities to build his/her resume with connections via mutual friends or employers.