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Matrix Organization

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A structure where there are more than a single line of reporting managers is called as a matrix organization. Here, there would be more than one boss to whom employees of that organization would be reporting to. It is a complex structure but helps in achieving the ultimate goal of reaching more productivity.  The benefits of a matrix organization are plenty. Matrix organization is used in firms having diverse product lines and services and can be used to give more flexibility and break monotony in the organization. Employees work with colleagues of different departments having expertise in various functions.  When employees from diverse departments work together they help solve problems in a much more efficient manner. It leads to an overall employee development as each one of them is exposed to different functions along with their core job. In this type of organization, employees are assigned a project or job outside their department for a temporary period of time. T
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Credit Crunch

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An economic condition where investment capital is hard to secure is referred to as a credit crunch. Investors and banks become wary of lending funds to corporations and individuals which drives up the price of debt products for borrowers. It is often an extension of a recession and a credit crunch makes it almost impossible for companies to borrow as lenders are scared about instances like bankruptcies or defaults which could lead to high rates. It is also known as a credit squeeze or credit crisis and occurs independently of a sudden change in the rates of interest. Individuals and businesses that could earlier obtain loans to expand operations or to finance major purchases suddenly end up unable to acquire such funds. This effect can be felt throughout the entire economy because of a drop in homeownership rates and businesses being forced to cut back because of capital shortage. The credit crunch is often followed by a period where lenders are too lenient in offering c
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Guarantor

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A person who guarantees to pay the debt of a borrower in an event when the borrower defaults on a loan obligation is called as a guarantor. He acts as a co-signer as they pledge their own services or assets when the original debtor is not able to perform their obligations. A guarantor may also be depicted as a person who certifies the true likeness of an individual who applies for a product or service. He is also known as a Surety. Guarantor is usually someone above the age of 18 who is a resident of the country where the payment agreement applies. The guarantor is expected to maintain a good credit history with sufficient income to cover loan payments if any possible chances arise. Once they enter an agreement, the contract would remain as a binding force till the end of the repayment period. An individual can represent himself as his guarantor where he guarantees the loan with security like an asset he owns. However, in most of the cases, a third-party guarantor is requir
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Bridge Loan

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A short term loan that is used until a person or company secures permanent financing or removes an obligation that is currently existing is called as a bridge loan. Bridge loans allow users to meet their current obligations by providing them with immediate cash flow. They are short-term loans that has relatively higher interest rates and are usually backed by a collateral like real estate or inventory. In UK, it is usually called as bridging loan, caveat loan or swing loan. They are typically more expensive than other conventional methods of financing. Also, they come with a higher rate of interest, points and other costs that are amortized over a shorter period, and various sweeteners like equity participation by lender in some loans. Bridge loans are arranged quickly in a short period of time with relatively less documentation. Bridge loans in real estate is used for quickly closing property purchases, to retrieve real estate from foreclosure or to take advantage of short-term
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Asset Stripping

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The process of buying an undervalued company with an intention to sell off its assets and generate profit for the shareholders is known as asset stripping. The individual assets of the company such as its equipment, real estate, intellectual property or brands, would be more valuable than the company as a whole due to certain factors like poor management or economic conditions. Its result is often a dividend payment for the investors and either a less-viable company or bankruptcy. Asset stripping is an action that is often engaged in by corporate raiders who buy undervalued companies to extract value out of them. This was very popular during 1970-1980s and is still seen in some of the investment activity conducted by private equity firms. This activity makes a company weak, especially one that has less collateral for borrowing and may have its value-producing assets stripped out, making it less able to support the debt the company has. The proceeds gained from asset stripping wou
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Corporate Cannibalism

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Corporate cannibalism or market cannibalization or market cannibalism is the practice of slashing down the price of a product or introducing a new product in the market belonging to established product categories. If a business practices this procedure, it is seen to be eating its own market and by doing so, they hope to get a bigger share of it. It refers to the principle of a newly introduced product, be named as ‘B’, eating up the market shares of product ‘A’ that is already established, but both coming from the same company. In such situations, both the products belong to the same product category. This can either have a positive impact or negative impact on the company’s bottom line, or could be accidental or deliberate, which is most commonly called as cannibalisation strategy. A company that has a product named ‘A’ which is we ll-established in the market, decides to market product ‘B’ which happens to be similar to the first one, therefore both belonging to the
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Economies of Scale

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Cost advantages that are reaped by businesses when production becomes efficient is known as economies of scale. Businesses achieve it by increasing the production and lowering costs as costs are spread over a large number of goods which can be both fixed and variable. Generally, the size of the business matters when it comes to economies of scale as the larger the business is, more would be their cost savings. Economies of scale could be internal and external where internal is based on management decisions and external ones are based on outside factors. Considered to be an important concept for any business belonging to any industry, it represents the competitive advantages and cost savings held by larger businesses over smaller ones. There are various reasons why economies of scale mean lower per-unit costs. Firstly, the specialisation of labour and integration of technology helps in boosting production volumes. Secondly, lower per-unit costs comes from
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