| |
| |
|
Strategic Planning Information |
|
|
|
Invalid Excuses for Poor Business Results - Rising costs
Note to Northwest Airlines - It's not about fuel costs For the first quarter of 2005, Northwest Airlines posted a loss of $458 million. The main reason cited was high fuel costs. Northwest complained that fuel prices surged to $630 million from $450 million for the same time period last year. Let's start by looking at some numbers. During the first quarter of 2004, Northwest lost $230 million. This means the increase in red ink was $118 million while fuel expenses increased $180 million. Obviously, with fuel expenses higher than the change in red ink, one could make an argument that higher crude is responsible. This argument does not hold up to scrutiny when you consider the entire cost of fuel was only $172 greater than the loss. Also Northwest has stated a penny fuel increase equates to $1.6 million in operating costs. A $458 million loss attributable to increased jet fuel cost would need to cost $2.86/gallon using Northwest calculations. At the end of the first quarter, jet fuel averaged $1.27 cents. Okay, too many numbers, let's look at it a different way. Based on Northwest's total fuel bill, if fuel was the reason for the loss, the only way they could have turned a profit would have been to run their planes with only 25% of the fuel actually used. Although this would be a quick fix and return the airlines on paper, if their argument is correct, it would have had a dire effect on reaching each flight's intended destinations. If this isn't convincing enough that Northwest's blame of fuel costs is invalid, consider Southwest Airlines. The first quarter of 2005 was the airlines 56th consecutive quarter of earnings - earning $76 million dollars. Southwest, which has been able to compile a winning streak of 32 straight years of profits did not need to make excuses for their earning, despite fueling their planes sufficiently to reach their destinations. However, Southwest did comment on rising fuel prices when they released their earnings statement. Their comment, "While we are not immune to the challenging industry revenue environment and glut of capacity, we are well positioned for growth and will continue to explore long-term profitable market opportunities." Blaming operational costs, including price increases from suppliers, is common among businesses. Entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies fall pray to this invalid excuse. Successful business professionals see increased costs in advance, and prepare for them. For example, Southwest Airlines has hedged their fuel expenses through 2009 in anticipation of higher prices. They said, "Excluding fuel, our unit costs declined 3.8 percent. This superb performance reflected a tremendous effort by our Employees, and they continue to work hard to improve productivity throughout our Company." To create consistent earning, Southwest Airlines offsets the volatile fuel prices by buying crude oil derivative contracts to limit their risk to sharp changes in jet fuel costs. This practice makes it easier to budget for fuel. Although there is not a jet-fuel derivatives market, airlines can hedge indirectly by dealing in closely related oil futures, then use the proceeds to offset the higher fuel costs. Rather than making excuses for higher costs, look at ways to offset those higher expenses through a team attack on budget waste. If possible, prepay or set aside money to counteract those costs when they do go up. Predictable increases should be written into proposals as early as possible. Proper planning puts you on the path of max impact, where your business will flourish despite erratic business expenses. Rick Weaver is President of Max Impact, a national leadership and organization development company based in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Rick is an accomplished business executive with experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain and project management, team building, and process improvement. He has worked with hundreds of companies to improve sales, processes, and bottom-line results. MaxImpact offers leadership and organizational development services along with employee assessments and background checks. Contact Rick at 248-802-6138 or via email, rick@getmaximpact.com. MaxImpact is on the web at http://www.getmaximpact.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Strategic-Planning - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Microsoft Great Plains Implementation: Pharmaceutical Corporation Specifics - overview Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains serves mid-size and large clients in horizontal and vertical markets. Historically Great Plains Software was encouraging ISV partner to write third party modules and later on - Great Plains Software had a chance to select the product for incorporation into their core set of modules: Manufacturing, Project Accounting, Purchase Order Processing, Collection Management, etc. Legal Strategies in Business Plans Writing a Business Plan these days is tough, venture capitalists are busy and there are so many ideas to choose from. Bankers want a tight, sweet and to the point business plan. Why 9 in 10 Businesses are Overspending on Day-to-day Expenses Experts estimate that 90 percent of Australian businesses are overspending on day-to-day expenses, by as much as 75 percent in some cost categories!Looked at the operating costs of your business lately? You might be surprised at the savings that can be gained with a systematic approach to cutting costs.The easiest way to lift profits is to cut the fat out of costs. 2 Simple Steps Before Starting Your Business There is so much small business information available today that it's easy to be bogged down by the sheer volume of it all. Where does one start? Well, it's safe to say not all the information you'll receive will be of equal value. Planning for Success Business planning is widely acknowledged as one of the keys to business success. Yet there is still a great reluctance by small business owners in this area. Questions to Ask Yourself When Starting a New Home Business I love the excitement of starting up a new home based business. I enjoy trying out new ideas and approaches with the new venture. Offense: Beat the Odds When in doubt, cut that out! Yeah, yea, doubting Thomas may have had a point in his day, and life may not be what you want it to be, but if you constantly doubt yourself, how can you accomplish anything?Where is your confidence? What possible good can come from taking the negative aspect of any situation and growing it into acceptance?Purpose of achievement is to attain a goal. So, if you set your goals and strive to get there, it should be assumed that you are moving toward your goal (at least so far as intent) no matter what you are doing, right?I vaguely remember an instructor from college saying once, "If there are two ways to take something, always input the benefit of doubt and assume the better more optimistic choice is the right way to take it. Pressure Washing Entrepreneurs Can Help With Government NPDES Permits If you own a pressure washing business one of the smartest things you can do is get involved with the local and regional enforcement for storm water environmental laws. The reason being is they do not understand the washing process of the industry and you can assist them with pertinent information. Don't Just Talk About the Weather, Use It to Advantage A well known, national chain of restaurants discovered that certain weather patterns substantially impacts their business. They have studied it and found that more people go out to eat dinner when there is a series of beautiful days. Innovate Today for Great Leaps Forward Tomorrow How often does your company make a quantum leap forward? My guess is that, on a scale from "frequently (10) - to - never (1)" the answer is much closer to "never" because few companies have a process to innovate or think creatively. Very few attempt to formally think through their business model, their relationships with staff, clients, and vendors, and their product / service offerings. 19 Questions to Supercharge Your Business Plan Whether you are seeking capital for your company or are optimizing your business strategy, the most important element - particularly for outside investors - may be your written business plan. You can tune-up and supercharge your plan using this 19-step checklist. Mastermind Your Way to Success What do Mark Victor Hansen, Robert Allen, Anthony Robbins, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Ben Franklin have in common?They all leverage the power of the mastermind team.The mastermind works on the concept that two (or more) heads are better than one. Becoming Wise - Wild & Free - Writing A Successful Business Plan - Part 2 - Do It In Steps So you've decided to write your own business plan because you know the value that the experience will give you. With the books and software that are out there today you can probably sit down and complete the plan in a day or so, right? Plug in the numbers, add the notes, write the whole narrative (story), print it and get it out to the banks or investors. The Six Sigma Method and Design of Experiments Six Sigma is becoming a proven approach for businesses and organizations to improve their performance. The spectrum of companies actively engaging in Six Sigma today is wide from industrials like Celanese, Caterpillar, GE, Honeywell, and 3M to service/retail organizations like Starwood Hotels, Sears, and Home Depot. SWOT Analysis Is No Magic 8 Ball Q: A key investor in my business has suggested that I hire a consultant to do a SWOT Analysis to help plan for the future. I try not to argue with my investors, but I'm not so sure I need to have this done. Microsoft Great Plains Implementation: Placement/Recruiting Agency example - overview for consultant Microsoft Great Plains does wonderful ERP job for horizontal markets and clientele. However in our opinion placement software market is underserved and needs custom modules to be developed. Resilience I. INTRODUCTIONThe term resilience, which is of frequent use in the psychotherapy area, has recently started being used in the corporate field. The Impact of Price Popularity on Profits The goal of almost every business owner is to generate a profit either for themselves or their shareholders. This can be challenging at best. Water Conservation and Water Issues for Mobile Car Washers and Auto Detailers Obviously, there will never be an actual water shortage since two-thirds of our earth's surface is water. The problem is distribution. Vendor Relations Strategies Sample Outline One of the quintessential parts to any business is your supply chain. To insure that the supplies are there when you need them; in this new day and age of "just in time" distribution where very little sits on warehouse shelves until you order it you will need excellent vendor relations.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |