Abstract
The paper takes the position that brands have a finite life cycle and cannot be expected to be leaders forever.

From the Paper
"The argument has been advanced that all brands in some sense have a finite life and cannot be expected to be category leaders forever. A corollary is that long-term brand success depends on the skill and insight of the marketers who promote the brand. It will be argued herein that this conventional wisdom is generally valid. According to Kotler, branded products can have a short or long product life cycle. Some brands such as Coca-Cola, Jello-O, Hershey's and Ivory..."

Tags:brands, life cycle

Abstract
This paper presents a case study of Yum Brands, Inc., and explains that the study is structured around a number of topics such as the U.S. fast-food industry, multi-branding and franchising strategies, Yum Brands' international strategy and issues of risk assessment. The paper uses audit style analysis to make recommendations to continue to grow the Yum Brands business. In addition, the paper recommends coadaptation based upon multi-branding strategies, which offer consumers a larger menu base in a smaller area and are highly functional for brand recognition and franchise sales.

Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Introduction
Assumptions
Situation Analysis/Internal Analysis
Business Goals
Current Strategy
SWOT Analysis
Stakeholder Expectations
Market/Industry Analysis
Macro-Environmental forces
Main Industry Forces
3 Main Competitors
Key Factors for Success
Options
Options to Reject
Options to Adopt
Recommendations
Action/Implementation Plan
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Though healthy trends are not necessarily at the center of concerns in the international markets, what is of concern is the need to tailor offerings to culture, as acceptance of fast-food delivery and food offerings are often specific to culture. Some examples of this can be found in the Yum Brand Case Study as market expansion in certain areas, despite their overall ideal conditions might not do as well if the overall culture does not accept the delivery methods of fast food. For this reason it is essential that full country and market analysis be done on each and every potential market."

Tags:coadaptation, multi-branding, franchises, healthier, recession

Abstract
This paper takes an in-depth look at the Fortune Brands conglomerate, and how products that are seemingly unrelated, are actually manufactured and marketed successfully by the same company. This paper also discusses the various Fortune Brand products and how strategic business practices have made the Fortune Brand such a successful enterprise.

Table of Contents:
Fortune Brands' Business Makeup
Fortune's Product Offering
Fortune's Hardware Brand
Fortune's Wines and Spirits Brand
Fortune's Golf Equipment Brand
Fortune's Performance over the Last Three to Five Years
Executive Summary

From the Paper
"What do golf clubs, bathroom or kitchen faucets, cabinetry and other home building supplies, and a bottle of Maker's Mark Kentucky Bourbon have in common? On the surface, not much, but when one digs a little deeper, he or she will find that while these companies appear to be singular entities, they are in fact owned and operated by one conglomerate in Fortune Brands (trading under the stock symbol FO on the NYSE). Fortune Brands has banked on its acquisitions of this diversity across the board and is continuing this strategy of buying out brands that are leading their prospective categories in sales and customer loyalty. As Caminiti states, "Fortune's playbook contains only a few rules: Invest to grow strong consumer brands that hold either the number one or the number two position in their category; use cutting-edge technology to add innovation; leverage rigorous market research to stay in touch with customers; and finally, make acquisitions that add true value and not just heft to a category."

Tags:accounting, analysis, business, financial, performance, stock

Abstract
The paper provides an overview of Yum Brands and how it is focused on building a diverse range of fast food outlets, but in complementary sectors. The paper notes that Yum Brands has generally good financial performance, its growth prospects are strong and there are four key strategies that will contribute to achieving Yum's vision for the future. The paper then focuses on Taco Bell, examines its strengths and weaknesses, discusses the opportunities of overseas expansion and posits that Taco Bell makes significant contributions to Yum's portfolio so Yum should continue to utilize its current strategy with respect to Taco Bell. Finally, the paper recommends that Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts would be suitable acquisitions for Yum Brands.

From the Paper
"Yum's growth prospects are strong. They have a substantial presence in China, one of the world's strongest fast-food growth markets (MacNealy, 2007), and have staked their future on this. In China, they operate three franchises - KFC, Pizza Hut and East Dawning (CNBC, 2008). The latter is a relatively new venture, focused on Chinese food. Enhancing the growth prospects are the ways in which the different franchises work with one another. East Dawning is publicized to be a sibling of the popular KFC, and it shares the KFC/Pizza Hut distribution system (Ibid). East Dawning is the first of the six units at Yum Brands to have been started from scratch. The others were all acquired over time to form a portfolio."

Tags:KFC, Pizza, Hut, international, expansion, fast, food

Abstract
The paper provides an overview of the Yum! Brands company and their products offered. The paper relates that the wide variety of its product portfolio and its international expansion strategy turned Yum! Brands into a successful fast-growing business. The paper discusses Yum Brands' optimistic financial performance and the competition it faces.

Outline:
Company Overview
Distribution and Products
Financial Performance
Competition

From the Paper
"Yum! Brands was created in 1997 as a spin off of Pepsi Co, which at that time owned Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell. The company is based in Kentucky and acquired 4 more restaurant brands since its creation: A&W All American Food, Long John Silver's, WingStreet (US) and East Downing (China).
"The company that was ranked 262 by Fortune 500 in 2007 operates a chain of over 34,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Its key growth strategies are focused on international expansion to drive a global dynamic business. The number of employees was over 53,000 in the end of 2006 and the revenues over $9.5 billion. Yum! Brands is the largest restaurant chain in the world in terms of system restaurants (Clarke et.al., 2006)."

Tags:restaurants, product, distribution, financial, performance

Abstract
This paper probes the marketing theories of Yum brands based in Louisville and examines the financial reports of each of the individual well known brands that Yum owns.The author discusses the advantages and disadvantages of investing in any one of these well known brands concluding with his own personal recommendations based on the financial reports he quotes.

From the Paper
"Yum!Brands, Inc. is committed to driving continued sustainable growth through several ongoing strategies. These include a focus on marketing innovation basics and operational excellence. Growth is supported by new products, line extensions and base products. The Big New Yorker by the Pizza Hut for example is a 16-inch traditional style pizza for $9.99. It has shown explosive success in a market that is extremely competitive[3]. One of the most successful strategies of Yum! Brands, Inc. is their innovative and unique multibranding strategy."

Tags:taco, bell, kentucky, fried, chicken, mexican, food, restaurants, fast, food

Abstract
The paper relates that Spectrum Brands was founded in Wisconsin of the US in 1906 and began as the French Dry Battery Company which it operated under until 1921 when it changed its name to Rayovac. The paper adds that subsequently, following a period of rapid expansion during the first part of the new millennium Rayovac changed its name yet again to its current Spectrum Brands.

From the Paper
"Spectrum Brands was founded in Wisconsin of the US in 1906 and began as the French Dry Battery Company which it operated under until 1921 when it changed its name to Rayovac. Subsequently, following a period of rapid expansion during the first part of the new millennium, Rayovac changed its name yet again to its current Spectrum Brands. This change in brand identity became a necessity because of the shift in the company's business model as well as its earnings. Rayovac in 1996 produced $400m in total sales revenue primarily in the battery industry and the company suffered..."

Tags:case, rayovac, united industries

Abstract
This paper discusses the establishment, development and current situation of the company, Spectrum Brands. It also discusses the company's initial strategies and its later diversification. In addition, the paper describes how Rayovac, or now Spectrum Brands, is well positioned to take advantage of the global market and economies of scale. The paper then looks briefly at the only major negative strategic attribute for Rayovac, which is its debt structure.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Strategies
Diversification
Global Market
Debt Structure
Overall Strategy

From the Paper
"Strategically, Rayovac or now Spectrum Brands, is well positioned to take advantage of the global market and economies of scale. Because the company was already shifting its manufacturing to China, continued expansion into other industries that were doing the same offered the company an opportunity to diversify revenue streams and markets while developing complementary back office operations and infrastructure. Because of the shared retail distribution channels among its diversified product lines Rayovac can now leverage its product volumes to gain better terms from retailers. The only major negative strategic attribute for Rayovac is its debt structure that the company undertook to finance all of its acquisitions which is substantial 2 notes above $500m at 7.4% and 8.5% interest respectively and numerous other valued from 3 to several hundred million and comparable interest rates. Rayovac needs to reduce its overall debt load."

Tags:global market, debt structure, retail product

Abstract
This paper explores how national brands (NBs) can effectively compete against private labels (PLs) in the marketplace, and focuses on comprehending exactly how retailer and category characteristics affect competition between the PLs and NBs. Research questions in this study are: (1) What factors influence the success of a private label brand?; (2) How do category characteristics moderate the relationship between these factors and national brand success?; and (3) How do retailer characteristics moderate the relationship between these factors and national brand success? The paper outlines the methodology employed in this study and includes recommendations for future research.

Outline:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Chapters 3,4,5 : Findings
Chapter 6: Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations

From the Paper
"Stated to be in agreement is the work of Bonfrer and Chintagunta (2004) who state findings that "store-loyal consumers are more likely to buy PLs." (in: Ailawadi, Pauwels and Steenkamp, 2008) The causality manner of operating between PL use and store loyalty results in a difference in the implications for retailers. State second is that there may be a nonlinear relationship or even a nonmonotonic relationship. The work of Ailawadi and Harlam (2004) is related to have stated findings that "...medium PL users contribute more than light users or nonusers of PLs to retailer sales and profits, but heavy PL users contribute less than medium users." (Ailawadi, Pauwels and Steenkamp, 2008) Corstjens and Lal (2000) relates that the PLs ability to increase loyalty to the store is a model that id "predicated on a 'balance' between consumers who prefer PLs and those who prefer NBs." (Ailawadi, Pauwels and Steenkamp, 2008) Therefore it is important to comprehend the "nature of nonlinearity in the effects of PL use on store loyalty and vice versa, if retailers are to make smart decisions about whether and how much to push PL." (Ailawadi, Pauwels and Steenkamp, 2008)"

Tags:consumer, price, quality, store, loyalty

Abstract
The paper examines the various factors, such as quality and demand, that influence the price of designer brands. The paper discusses high end items in the clothing industry and the underlying economic principles that guide pricing, including social factors. The paper includes copies of the sources used.

From the Paper
"In what may be an oxymoron, designer brands are commonplace in the American economy. Perhaps designer brands are most noticeable in the clothing industry, with high-end stores selling Versace and Gucci enjoying prominent space in malls, targeting upper-middle class and upper-class consumers. However, designer brands also exist in other product categories as well. There are designer cars, such as Eddie Bauer editions and even designer water."

Tags:economics