Introduction
Barclays bank is one of the oldest banks in the world. Its history dates back in the 17th century when, banking services were being introduced in the United Kingdom. Although the bank has generally been successful over the years, it has encountered numerous challenges. The most recent one was the economic melt down between 2008 and 2009, where many weak financial institutions had to seek bail out from the central government in order to continue with their operations.
Opportunities
Barclays bank is known to seize any available opportunity. According to Malcolm (2001), the bank is still carrying out expansion in various countries in the world. He points out that this is a strategic move aimed at helping its clients to carry out business transactions regardless of their location. He notes that this move has worked very well for Barclays bank because it has continued to record an increase in the number of customers. In addition, he argues that the bank has introduced a number of services to cater for different people in the society. Malcom (2001) further notes that the bank has specifically introduced bank accounts for the youths, business people and salary accounts for the employed. He says this is aimed at addressing the needs of all people in the society.
The bank has entered into a partnership with the English Premier League, where the bank is enjoying the monopoly of being the main sponsor. According to Davidson (2009), this move helps in increasing the bank’s revenue.
Threats
The bank has been facing stiff competition from other financial institutions and specifically the Standard Chattered Bank. This is according to Davidson (2009), who argues that Barclays has found the going tough in the Middle East and in some Asian countries, unlike Standard Chattered that has a huge customer base.
Although the bank has diversified its operations to accommodate the different segments of people in the society, there is a threat from customers who may prefer banking with other banks that are perceived to have a more specialized approach in their operations.
Barclays has been known for closing its branches in a number of countries. According to Malcolm (2001), in the late 1990s, the bank halted its operations in some countries. Therefore, any potential customer may prefer banking with other banks with no such reputation.
Conclusion
The banking sector is a very important one in any country. Therefore, the government’s role should be to encourage more banks to be established to enhance competition. When this happens, it is the consumers who benefit because each bank will lower its charges to attract consumers.
Nintendo Company
Introduction
Nintendo Company has been in existence for more than a century. Its founder Fusajiro Yamauchi specialized in the manufacture of playing cards. However, with time, the company shifted its operations to the production of electronic toys and video games.
Resources
According to Firestone (2011), Nintendo has adequate resources to continue with operations. She says that although the company began making video games after SONY, it had managed to outdo SONY in terms of sales as at 1989. In addition, the company has established other plants beyond Japan. She points out that the most notable is in the United States of America, where it is competing for a market share with other companies like the Microsoft and Apple.
Capabilities and core competences
According to Sloan (2011), Nintendo has managed to develop some of the best video games in the world today, for example the Super Boy. He points out that the company has been making profits because of increased sales of these video games. He says that since 1989, for instance, the company has been the market leader following the release of DS, and the DS Lite video games.
The company has a history of employing fresh graduates who are later trained further to fit in the company structure. This is according to Firestone (2011), who points out that this has been the reason why the company has continued to grow, despite many players joining this field. Unfortunately, with the entry of PS2 from SONY in the late 2006, she laments that Nintendo products have remained in second position behind SONY.
Government’s Role
Every responsible government has an obligation of ensuring the innovations of its people are protected. Therefore, the US government has to make sure that it imposes an excise duty on such video games to make them expensive in the market. This will make such a video game expensive and hence make those created within a country affordable to the local population. In addition, subsidizing locally manufactured products is a factor that makes products cheap hence; they are able to penetrate the market easily. As a result, Nintendo will find it difficult marketing their games in the US market because of their prices.
Final Conclusion
Nintendo Company is a good illustration of how creativity can help the company become dominant in the world. Therefore, it is the duty of the government to make sure that it provides all the necessary conditions for a business to thrive.
Reference List
Davidson, J., 2009. Corporate strategy. Oxford: Heinemann.
Firestone, M., 2011. Nintendo: The Company and Its Founders. Minnesota: ABDO Publishing Company.
Malcolm, M., 2001. Barclays Bank: Global Companies in the Twentieth Century. London: Taylor and Francis.
Sloan, D., 2011. Playing to Wiin: Nintendo and the Video Game Industrys Greatest Comeback. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons (Asia).