Literature Review and Report (The Woolworths Management Success Story) Essay

Literature Review and Report (The Woolworths Management Success Story) - Essay Example This literature review analyzes the problems associated with overworking employees and provides alternative solutions. When employees work beyond a normal 40 hour week people sometimes develop an addiction to work. These types of employees are workaholics. According to a study performed at the University of North Carolina about one-fourth of the American workforce suffers from â€Å"workaholism† which is defined as a compulsive need to work at the expense of everything else in one’s life (All the Work and no Play Makes Your AP Staff Less Productive, 2008). When people put in extra hours at work it does not necessarily mean they are being more productive. These workers are typically exhausted from the excessive work load. They become more inefficient as a consequence and it takes them longer to accomplish tasks. Giving your employees excessive work tasks is not a sound business strategy and is actually counterproductive. In the United States businesses lost nearly $150 billion last year due to overworking their employees (All the Work and no Play Makes Your AP Staff Less Productive, 200 8). Overworking employees is detrimental to both the company and to the health of the employees. Overworked employees developed health issues such as panic attacks, headaches, tiredness, fatigue, sleeping disorders, irritability, and chronic stress among others. These health issues many times cause employees to lose work days due to sickness. When employees are overworked they lose motivation in the workplace and their job performance suffers. Overworking create a hostile business environment in which the employees feel consumed by the long hours they have to put in everyday. Employees that suffer from work related stress are susceptible to weight loss and to developing bad habits such as caffeine and nicotine addiction (News from Personnel Today, 2009). These addictions cause the employees to take extra

Econometrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Econometrics - Essay Example The results of the regression are demonstrated in table 2. The coefficient of male is 0.011. This indicates that the number of doctor visits increases if the individual is male by 0.011. The value is not statistically significant at 10, 5 and 1 percent level of significance since the probability is greater than the critical values in each of the alpha value. The regression results are illustrated in the table 3 in the appendix. The male coefficient is 14.89. This coefficient is positive which indicates that males spend 14.89 more on private medical services than the females. The value is statistically significant at the 1 percent level of significance since the probability value is very low. This means that there statistical significance that the level of private expenditure on medical services is highly influenced by gender. The coefficient of number of visits to the doctor in the past years is -0.562. This has been indicated in table 4 below. The coefficient is negative which indicates that there are an inverse relation between the number of visits to the doctor in the past years and health status. When the endogenous variable increases by one unit, the health status will decline by 0.562 units. The coefficient is statistically significant at 1 per cent level of significance indicating that the number of visits to the doctor in the past years is a good indicator of changes in health status. A casual interpretation exists when there is a cause and effect reaction on the regression results (Wayne A. Woodward, 2011). This means that there is a two way impact of the variables. In this case, no casual interpretation exists. This is because the number of doctor visits in the past affects the present health status negatively and on the other hand, health status in the present cannot affect the number of doctor visits in the past. Male: The coefficient of the male is -3.987. This means that when an individual is male, the health status

The Pestel Framework Categorizes Environmental Influences Commerce Essay

The Pestel Framework Categorizes Environmental Influences Commerce Essay The PESTEL framework categorizes environmental influences into six main forms: political, economic, social technological environmental and legal. Where by the politics highlight the role of government; economic refers to macroeconomic factor such as exchange rates, and discrepancy economic growth rates around the world; social influences include changing culture and demographics; technological such as internet; environmental issues such as pollution and waste; and finally legal embraces legislative constraints. The Western European brewing industry is highly penetrated; The PESTEL framework can be used to help identify the key forces that are driving the change in the market. Political Factors might be the dynamic operation of European government against drunken driving, binge drinking, and consequently long term health and fitness problems. These campaigns have the potential to push for law changes surrounding what alcohol can be bought in restaurants, pubs, bars and retail outlets. Decrease in the consumption of beer in Europe as many traditional key markets have increased awareness of the social problems associated with alcohol drinking. Economic Economic recession in 2009 has also lead to an effect on beer sales mainly in the United Kingdom where an estimate of 50 pubs closed per week due to downturn. Beer consumption per capita varies broadly among countries, for example being four times higher in Germany than in Italy. Example in table 1 comparing year 1980 to 2000 the consumption of beer has increased from 3534000 hectoliters to 6453000 hectoliters which is approximately 82.60%. Social Lifestyle in emerging market has changed due to the increase in the availability of disposable income, leading to an increase in beer consumption. The new trends like wines, non alcoholic beers, extra cold lagers and fruit flavored beers will adversely affect the consumption of beers. Education and health; there is an increasing awareness of the effect of alcohol on health and fitness. Particularly in the United Kingdom there is increasing hostility to so called binge drinking excessive alcohol consumption in pubs and clubs. Technological Rate of technological change; as seen in the Anheuser Busch InBev (Belgium) company that efficient advantages will come from more central management of purchasing, together with media and IT from the optimization of its hereditary network of breweries and from the distribution of finest practices across sites internationally. Innovation of new products; the case witnesses that the introduction of higher priced premium products such as non alcoholic beers, extra cold lagers or fruit flavored beers has led to increase in sales. Environmental Pollution; population are getting more and more alert of the environment and it is essential that the companies do everything to avoid environmental pollution. It is important that the environmental load through the brewing development is as low as possible. Waste and recycling; reusability and recycling is significant, the brewing industry for instance treats their effluents so that they can use it again for irrigation. Through this they save power and lessen sludge disposal. Legal International law; when comparing Europe with the United States we have witnessed that in America it is prohibited to drink in public places comparing to Europe where one can drink alcohol wherever they want. This could lead to new laws that restrict drinking in the public places. Acquisition, licensing and strategic alliance have all take place as an important brewers conflict to control the market. For example in 2004, Belgian brewery Interbrew merged with Am Bev, the Brazilian brewer group to create the largest brewer in the world. A five forces analysis The five forces study was originally developed by Michael Porter in 1990, as a way of assessing the attractiveness of different industries or sectors in terms of competitive forces. The five forces constitute an industrys structure, although initially developed with businesses in mind the industry structure analysis with the five forces framework is of value to most of the organizations. As well as assessing the attractiveness of the brewing industry the five forces can assist set an agenda for action on the range of areas that they identify. The five forces are: Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Competitive rivalry POTENTIAL ENTRANTS COMPETITIVE RIVALRY Threat of entry Threat of substitutes Bargaining power Bargaining power SUPPLIERS BUYERS SUBSTITUTES FIG 1 THE FIVE FORCES FRAMEWORK Threat of substitutes The threat of substitute is high because there is an availability of wine, fruit flavored beer and also extra cold lagers. From table 1 and 2 in the case study we can witness the negative effect of the substitute on beer; taking an example of Denmark table 1 shows a decline in the beer consumption and in table 2 shows increase in the importation of exotic beers from overseas. Threat of new entrants Threat of entry depends on the degree and height of barriers to entry; barriers of entry are factors that need to be defeated by new entrants if they are to battle effectively. According to the case the threat of new entrants is very low because the industry is highly penetrated and mergers taking place, also there are global pressures for consolidation which sustain their competitive position in the industry. There are very few big brewery companies which makes them dominate the market, so for a new entrant would be hard to have that financial effort. Bargaining power of buyers Customers of course are necessary for the survival of any business, but sometimes consumers can have such high bargaining power that their suppliers barely make any profits. The bargaining authority is high due to the supervision campaign strongly against drunken driving, and binge drinking which has led to an increase in off trade (retail) than on trade (beer consumption in pubs or restaurant). The off trade is increasingly more conquered by big supermarket chains such as Tesco and Carrefour which gives them the bargaining power. Bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers are those who supply the organization with what it needs to produce the product or service. The main purchasing costs are wrapping, raw material such as barley and power. The case shows that the bargaining power of supplier in packaging is high due to the availability of only three can makers and shifting cost from one can maker to the other could be high either in terms of money or even technology. Competitive rivalry Competitive rivalry is are businesses with same products and services aimed at the same customer group. The competitive rivalry in the brewing industry is very high because almost all companies have the same product/ product differentiation is low, high rate of acquisitions, alliances and strategic alliance and also consolidation due to over capacity within the industry. Conclusion With regard to the PESTEL analysis and the Porters five forces analysis I conclude that in order to sustain the competitive position and market share in the brewing industry, one should acquire, license or strategic alliance with an existing company could be small, medium or already a large company. Question 2 Anheuser-Busch InBev [Belgium] A-B InBev is the largest brewer in the world; it achieved this position when InBev acquired the leading American brewer Anheuser Busch for 52bn. The company now has nearly 300 brands and approximate 50% share of the US market and owns 50% of Mexicos leading brewers. The company is frank about the approach to renovate itself from the biggest brewing company to the best. STRENGTH WEAKNESS Largest brewer in the world Inherited network of breweries Strong financial power The merger of Belgian Interbrew and Brazilian Am Bev in 2004 The companys strategy to transform itself from the biggest to the best by: Building strong global brands Increase competence through more central management of purchasing including median and IT. Greene King [United Kingdom] Greene King is now the largest domestic British brewer, which was established in 1799. It has expanded through a series of acquisition including Ruddles [1995], Morland [1999] and Hardys and Hansons [2006]. STRENGTH WEAKNESS Brew high quality beer from an efficient single site. Medium size brewing company Focused brand portfolio which is minimizing the complexity and cost of a multi brand strategy. Less financial power 2000 pubs across the UK with a particular dominant position in its home region of East Anglia. Expansion through acquisition, which led to critics calling the company greedy king. Tsingtao [China] Tsingtao brewery was found in 1903 by German settlers in China, after state ownership under communism Tsingtao was privatized in the early 1990s and listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 1993. Tsingtao has 13% market share of its home country, the company has described its ambition thus; to promote the continuous growth of the sales volume and income to step forward the target of becoming an international great company. STRENGTH WEAKNESS It is the Chinese brand leader in United States Small brewing company Its now sold in more than 62 countries. Less financial power Almost 50% of exports Home market share is very low {13%} A bottle of Tsingtao appeared in the 1982 science fiction film blade Ronner. REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBILIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 2) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 45) REFERENCE www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/74880013?width=360 www.studymode.com www.writemypapers.org Question1 Strategic capabilities refer to the adequacy and suitability of the resources and competences of an organization for it to survive and prosper. The framework used to analyze the strategic capabilities is the VRIO framework; the acronym stands for four questions that need answering to determine the competitive potential of an organizations resources or capabilities: the question of Value, Rarity, Inimitability [easy/difficult to imitate] and Organization [ability to exploit the resources]. Dysons has value because of being distinctive from the customer; the distinctive factor is built upon the innovative products like bag less vacuum cleaners to energy efficient and time efficient hand dryers for public places to desk fan with no blades. Dysons believes in patent to protect its differentiated but that doesnt mean competitors dont try to imitate, within Dysons vacuums there is patented Ball technology for improved maneuverability. Dysons products are rare because even after the competitors trying to imitate the vacuum cleaners they arent able to make an exact copy of it. Example the Dysons vacuum and Hoover USA; Dysons colors are usually bright and it does launch exclusive editions based on novel colors while Hoover USA wind tunnel vacuums are available in fresh colors. The inimitability in Dysons is very difficult because it believes that the combination of design engineering and manufacturing is crucial in developing the most inimitable competences which could be protected through patents. The business is organized to fully exploit its competitive advantage; like in their UK headquarter access to the building and then subsequent area is via thumb print and even then some areas are out of bounds. They have even developed their own sound absorbing panels to ensure that conversations can be kept serious. Question 2 Competitors, especially in this area could imitate several capabilities of the Dysons company are: Technology and design [color, durability, and packaging]: Dysons follow a superior design result; in order to provide legitimate competition for Dyson, the competitors will have to hire superior engineer designers and also focus much on innovation. Cost efficiency: its possible for competitors to copy the relocation strategy; by moving the manufacturing plant to a cheap labor country like china rather than producing in home country with high cost. By adopting the cost efficient strategy the completion would increase because competitors like Miele and Excel Dryer Corporation will be having a competitive price as Dyson. Product features: Competitors are already trying to imitate these products with the USA wind tunnel vacuums and Mjele swivel head vacuums; however, the patent Dysons has placed on their products prevents other companies from outright stealing their ideas. Question 3 Threshold capabilities are capabilities needed for businesses to meet the basic necessities to compete in a given market. These could be threshold resources required to meet minimum requirements of its customers and threshold competences required to deploy resources so as to meet customers requirements and support particular strategies. The distinctive capabilities which may overtime become a threshold capability are: Engineering design is like an identity of Dysons products and which makes them distinctive in the market. With time engineering design which is currently a distinctive capability could become one of the most necessary capabilities in order to survive in the market. The existence of Dyson in the market is due to the strength of innovative high quality design and engineering of their products which is due to having highly specialized engineers and the updated technology. It is a product engineering that takes centre stage on the company website and generally in all company communication. Low cost manufacturing; currently it gives James Dyson a distinctive capability and a high profit margin but with time as the competition is increasing low manufacturing cost will become a threshold capability in order to survive in the market. Innovation; the company is obvious in its desires to promote the idea that a Dyson product means new, different, and a radical change; a Dyson product whether vacuum or washing machine is an innovation that the bright colors help these clever product stand out from the crowd. It is witnessed in the case that Dyson has been the starting point of the product and then follows the competitors; due to the quality and differentiated factor the consumers are ready to buy Dysons products at a high price. One main factor which is maintaining Dysons primary conceit is the improvement of a design which will clearly be threshold capability overtime. Question 4 With regard to answers to question 1 and 2, Sir James Dyson seems to be very serious with the companys future. The strategic capabilities are maintained strongly and those capabilities which a competitor could imitate are not easily given a chance, the competitor has to really put in effort to try imitating Sir James Dysons products. The effect of completely leaving or selling the company will be much more on the negative side because mainly the customers who value his innovation wont get the innovative products anymore and even if they it do it wont be Sir James Dysons standard. It is witnessed in the case that Though by 2010 the company was run by CEO Martin McCourt, James Dysons own image and personal brand remained central to the firms promotion. Due to that may be the there could be a decline in the customer base which could directly or indirectly affect all parts of the company; finance, sales, marketing and also production. And the decline in production could affect the china market also because it is said that contracts like Dysons help pull china up the manufacturing value chain too towards ever more complex products of the highest quality. REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 3) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 6) REFERNCE www.antiessays.com/free-essays/128170.html www.antiessays.com/free-essays/172844.html www.writemypapers.org www.studymode.com Question 1 John Howie has pursued changes in many parts of Faslane, some of the changes are: Change in management structure; as it is witnessed in the case study that there was a management structure which wasnt right to deliver change. There were seven layers in it and now [2006] its down to a maximum of four layers. In the process of change in the management structure there was also reappointment of jobs. Changing in mindset; it is believed that a big opportunity might come from changing the mindset, to see their job as to deliver with the possible minimum spend. They believing in changing the mindset because the public sector manager whos got wide ranging responsibilities and a fairly large budget has no incentives to reduce cost and dont share any benefits and were brought up in a system where if the budget hadnt spent this year, it would be cut next year. Another change pursued by Faslane was the change in management system from infrastructure focus to naval focus. The commodore in charge saw partnering as an opportunity to better manage the people, but in the management team there were a mix of people who believed and were willing to give partnering or people who were likely to be personally disadvantaged by partnering and were less supportive. Also cost reduction is one the change pursued by Faslane, as it is witnessed in the case that by 2000 the MOD had decided to significantly reduce the cost and improve operational effectiveness of their naval bases. And in 2002 they signed a contract of cost affecting without affecting the service provided to the navy. Question 2 Change can be managed using different styles; clear direction may be vital to motivate a desire or create readiness to change; participation or intervention can help in gaining wider commitment across the organization and develop capabilities to identify blockages to change. The managing styles used in the case of Managing change at Faslane are as follows: Direction or coercion managing style; by definition direction managing style means making use of private managerial authority to establish a clear future strategy and how will the change occur. As it is witnessed in the case that we asked other companies which had been through large scale changes, what we should learn from what you did? And the answer was implementing the management structural changes. The change in the management structure was influenced from other companies which gave Faslane an advantage and  £14 million in the first year against the target of  £3 million. Participation or collaborative managing style; is mainly concerned with the contribution of those who will be affected by the change agenda. As seen in the case where it says that there was a process that required any change to be documented and passed through a series of review points. At each stage of the process people were given 14 days to review it but everybody looked at it on the thirteenth day so a total of 56 days process. By removing those stages people are free from the bureaucratic burden and instead of 56 days they are only given 14 days to review it. Performance scorecard; it is another change brought in by Craig Lockhart it was intended to measure the outputs and let the business system transparent. Everyone down to team leaders had become acutely aware that business performance is not something to be hidden, however it mainly didnt aim at measurement but also the business plan had been top-down. Question 3 Levers for managing change need to be considered in terms of the type of change and context of change. Such levers include changing operational processes and routines, the importance of political processes and other change tactics. The levers of changes used and others which could be used are: Changing operational process and routines; strategies are always delivered through day to day processes and routines of the operations of the organization. There is therefore a need for planning operational change: the identification of key changes in the routines of the organization. In effect strategic change needs to be considered in terms of the re-engineering of organizational process. This lever of change is used in the case and witnessed where it explains an example of the process that required any change to be documented; now that 56 days process is 6 days, a simple example of process of re engineering. Power and political processes; there is a need to consider the management of strategic change within this political context and also the stakeholder relationships in and around the organization. As seen in the case firstly it is important to understand who you need to have as allies such as the naval base commander. Above that the wider stakeholders like the commanding officers of the ships and submarines, security and also the local community are to be looked at. Question 4 The change brought in by Craig Lockhart and John Howie has been very much effective in terms of savings, service. Their target was achieved over 20% reduction in annual running costs, by the end of year 10 they are expecting a saving of  £280 million which is 38.2%. The navys view was that the service they received was better; the attitude, communication and responsiveness towards the navy were also better. So by making a few changes they brought about cost reduction and service improvement. The changes made in the management structure [from seven layers to four layers] have made them reappoint all the jobs, and the implementation has positively affected the cost by a saving of  £4milion in the first year against a target of  £3 million. Faslanes change in the measuring of outputs through performance scorecard has made the business system transparent. Everyone down to team leaders has become acutely aware that business performance is not something to be hidden. The changes led Craig to announce that in April 2010 Faslane would become the home base, not just for nuclear submarines but for the whole UK submarine fleet. This change is expected to create more jobs and the expansion of Faslane which will fulfill the need of the unemployed; the ways used to work together and bring about effective change within Faslane worked luminously. REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 10) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 12) REFERNCE www.writemypapers.org REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRABY BIBLIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 2,3 10) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 4,5,6 12)

Clockwork Orange :: essays papers

Clockwork Orange The freedom of choice and the rehabilitating form of corrections encase the realm of A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. It produces the question about man's free will and the ability to choose one's destiny, good or evil. "If he can only perform good or only perform evil, then he is a clockwork orange-meaning that he has the appearance of an organism lovely with colour and juice but is in fact only a clockwork toy to be wound up by God or the Devil or State". Burgess expresses the idea that man can not be completely good or evil and must have both in order to create a moral choice. The book deals upon reforming a criminal with only good morals and conditioning an automated response to "evil." Burgess enforces the idea of the medical model of corrections, in terms of rehabilitating an offender, which is up to the individual. That one should determine the cause and then find an exclusive treatment to resolve that individual's case, then apply it. This is the case with the character Alex, a juvenile delinquent introduced into prisonization then conditioned by governmental moral standards. This lack of personal moral choice imposed upon Alex creates conflicting situations in which he has no control over. This is apparent when trying to readjust into society. As conflicts arise within the spectrum of criminal justice the main focus is revolved around the corrections aspect of reforming the criminal element. Within the confines of the seventies Londoner. The character, Alex is created as the ultimate juvenile delinquent leading a small gang. Living within his own world the use of old Londoner language and attire reflect the non-conformity with society. Let loose within a large metropolitan, Alex is engulfed in the affairs of several criminal practices, from rape to aggravated assault. As a juvenile delinquent, Alex is finally caught and seen as an adult offender. Like all offenders he promotes his innocence and sets blame upon his companions. "Where are the others? Where are my stinking traitorous droogs? One of my cursed grahzny bratties chained me on the glazzies. Get them before they get away. It was their idea, brothers. They like forced me to do it". Betrayed by his cohorts Alex is beaten by local officials and confesses to all the crimes. As a point to retribution a sergeant states, "Violence makes violence" and proceeds to through Alex back into the cell.

Assignment The Solution

In this function is the population at time O, P is the population after time t, and k is called the exponential growth rate. For this problem about the population of rats, represents the rats population at O, P is the rats population after time t 7 days and 14 for 2 weeks as seen in and and k is the rats exponential growth rate which is represented by the 13. 6% or the decimal O. 136. Using this equation we calculate that in 1 week the rats have grown from 100 rats to 259 rats and in 2 weeks the rats have grown from 100 rats to 671 rats. The sat part of this problem asks us to find the doubling time of the population of the rats.The algebraic solution for this is represented by solving for T. The equation for this is and now I will tell you what it substitutes. We substitute 200 for and the rest of the equation uses the natural logarithm to solve for doubling time of the rats population. Some of the topics in this course this problem relates to are natural logarithms, exponential fun ctions, and graphing. These functions are applicable to the business, science, psychology and sociology fields. The Intersect method for this problem is used in the technology field. The answer from this problem states the population of rats will double in 2 weeks.Method The method of problem solving that I use is, I find another problem like this one and match the numbers up to the equation of the other problem, solve this problem parallel to the other problem following the guided steps, essentially multi-tasking, solving two problems at the same time. I call this method â€Å"Killing two birds with one stone. † Once I have worked both problems to their simplified form, I input this information into a calculator to arrive at y answer. The variety Of ways to solve this problem is through the use Of a calculator and the growth / decay formula.My rationale for selecting the method adopted is because like to keep things simple. Pre;calculus is complicated as it is. It would be e asy for me to overprint solving problems if I did not keep it simple. Also tend to not fully grasp the concepts unless solve the problems slowly and double checking my work. Explanation The easiest way can explain solving this problem to someone would be to patiently go through the problem step-by-step with them pausing along the ay making sure they are grasping the concepts of solving the problem.I would start by reading the word problem thoroughly, taking note of the numbers in the word problem. I would then use the exponential growth rate formula matching the numbers up to the equation and begin to solve the problem using P. E. M. D. A. S. It is a staple to any math problem. Certain rules apply that cannot be ignored. Will conclude this problem with assisting them through the doubling formula of to find its solution.Conclusion The solution to the population of rat's problem clearly states that using the exponential growth function, the rat's population after one week is 259 rats and the population doubles after two weeks giving us 671 rats. If my calculations are correct the 5 for T in the solution represents a 5 year mark? This solution Was derived by dividing the natural logarithm of Len by the percentage of 0. 136 in decimal form. Given this information it is possible to state that the rats population will double in size from 671 in two weeks to another greater number in 5 years. I will firmly agree that this solution is correct.

CP

Nowadays, CAP has thousands of branches around the oral and number one chicken import and export in Asia and number one on animal food producer in the world. If we want to talk about CAP strategies, we have to go through Cap's history in 1962. In 1962, CAP was competed with many other crops companies to sell crop to Thai farmer in Thailand. However, at that time, farmers did not trust the crops that came from the companies because there were cases of rotten crops and the quality was very bad.CAP, at that time, depended mainly on animal crop which were the main revenues for CAP. Danni, owner of CAP, had the idea that will throw the competitors off the amen. He mixed and sold crops in packages instead of actual food for animals. He hired the specialist to control the product which it is rarely new in Thailand. CAP promised to every farmer that they willing to pay for everything that happen related to their products. Therefore, CAP gains farmer's trust since then. CAP slowly changed fro m selling animal crop to chickens due to the demand of chicken in Asia.In 1 967, CAP conducted four new minor companies to give opportunities for the one who has potential to show their management skill and CAP bought 90% of stock market on chicken packaging.. In 1 995, CAP has over 57 factories in 50 cities throughout Asia and Europe. Nowadays, CAP bought everything that help their business grows and reduces many competitors. For example, CAP bought 7-11 which are American Franchise Company and Macro as well. CAP revenues do not from only CAP product itself, but also other companies that CAP bought as well. There are Chester Grill, True Co-operation, Dang Motors, Pin An insurance and Asia Telecoms.So CAP basically sells cars, telephone, insurance and cable television too. That what make CAP so big that other companies do not want to compete with. In my opinion, this is one kind of the strategy too. Talking about mission and vision, CAP has set high standard on these two aspects. Ca p's vision basically to become most professional food company that fulfill the demands of their client and increases life quality for everyone which is of course their responsibility. Just the vision of the company makes me want to buy CAP product now.Cap's mission is to develop agricultural industries and become the leader of creating healthy eating habits to consumers by giving high quality and reliable product to ones who lacked protein. There are three main benefits in investment philosophy Of the CAP group which are benefit Of the country CAP invested in, benefits of people of that country invested in, and finally, the benefit of CAP Company. CAP strategies are based on these vision and missions. CAP keeps moving forward and expands their company bigger and bigger every day. CAP has achieved their goal 10 years ago. Talking about CAP competitions, if in Thailand, there is none.CAP has influences among those who do food company. Other word, it is on CAPS side. Many of the food c ompanies choose to work with the CAP instead of competing with it. The company that competes with CAP is Chinese COFFS Corporation Company in China which sold tea, wine, cooking oil, and chicken. There is also Eek Chord China Motors which compete with CAPS ASIA and Dang Motors which of course the size of the organization is not even comparable. Can overcome many obstacles and use their strategies to overcome every environmental aspect including Thai flooding, world economic crisis, and Thai on-going protest.In my opinion, the main strategy of CAP is to gain consumers trust and expectations. CAP does many charities and of course, Donating is a ere popular among Thai people and society. CAP is the professional to win the heart of the people. CAP also provides varieties of foods and not just chickens. Because of there is no competition to begin with, CAP can sold their products daily every;here and not afraid of other things but politic. Politic can really hurt big company such as CAP. In 2012, Thai government increase wages per worker to 300 baths a day which there is no strategy to help solving it.CAP and every other CEO and Chairman need to lost more money in employee costs. CAP is not affected at all. They are still standing to this very day. There is new CAP campaign called â€Å"Life Stations† which is targeted mainly on young people such as high-school, university students and office people. It is located in China with in the middle of office districts in Guanos. CAP understands the market well and designs Life Station to fit the personalities of those people who is going to be customers. For example, life station near the schools, it going to provide not just breakfast, milk, or bakery products. It also has stationery shop as well.If Life Station is near the office, it will provide ere wife and of course, many kinds of coffee. If Life Station opens in the city area, it will provide varieties of foods and provide best quality. The main strategy of L ife Station is the design of actual branch and gain more information on consumer to find opportunities in future products of CAP. Life stations are designed to fit people's life styles. The design will attract lots of people and they are willing to try new things. The best ways to be profitable is to reduce the cost of products which is cooking ingredients which CAP already as factories and farms around the world.The cost of products is cheap, that is why it is profitable. There will be obstacle such as economy and sometime lack of customers. Life Station will carry out promotion plan to attract more customers which are marketing departments job by using buy one gets one free or anything necessary to gain more consumers. Research and development department will work with human resources department to gain the information about people in the Life Station's area to develop an insight on consumers and gain more idea what to develop in the future.

How to Make a Homemade Roman Candle

How to Make a Homemade Roman Candle A Roman candle is a simple traditional firework that shoots colored fireballs into the air. It consists of a cardboard tube that is sealed at the bottom and lit by a fuse from the top, with one or more charges stacked along the length of the tube. Typically the charges are separated from each other by a layer of clay or sawdust. Here are instructions on how to make a homemade Roman candle. Roman Candle Materials Roman candles come in a variety of sizes. For a home project, its best to start small. The 1/2 tube probably is the easiest/safest to work with, since you have some space to add the materials, yet have a fairly small charge. 1/4 - 1/2 cardboard rocket body tube1/8 fuse, about a footBentonite clayBlack powder or pyrodexStar composition (sample recipe provided in instructions)Masking tape Make a Roman Candle Work in a cool area, away from sources of flame. Dont grind pyrotechnic compositions be gentle. Cut the tube so that you have a 10 length. Its a good idea to measure and note the length so that you know, for future projects, whether to adjust the length shorter/longer.Wrap the tube with paper or masking tape. The purpose of this is to reinforce the tube so that the charge shoots up and out of the tube rather than splitting the cardboard open.Seal the bottom of the tube with a clay plug. About 1/2 of clay should be good, although more is fine. You can substitute epoxy glue, if you prefer. The point is to seal the tube so that the charge moves up and out of the tube rather than escaping through the bottom.Run the fuse down the tube to the clay plug. The firework will be lit from the top, burning down the fuse to light successive charges.Add a layer of black powder (about an inch). One easy way to deliver the powder into the tube is by sprinkling it into a rolled sheet of paper.Add your star composition. There are numerous formulas for this, depending on the effect you want. One s traightforward recipe is to collect the coatings from two 6 inch sparklers, mix it with a small amount of flash powder and black powder or Pyrodex (by volume, 60% sparkler, 20% flash powder, 20% Pyrodex). Add water to this mixture, a drop at a time, until you can roll it into a ball that just fits inside the bore of your tube. Roll as many of these as you need for your candle; allow them to dry. Drop a ball into the tube, on top of the black powder. Press tissue paper or sawdust or a small amount of clay on top of the ball. You can tamp the paper or sawdust into the tube using the eraser end of a pencil. This is the delaying charge, that prevents additional layers of material from burning all at once so that each charge will shoot into the air. This completes your first charge. If this is your first Roman candle, this is a good stopping point to see what you will get/know what to expect. Otherwise... repeat layers of black powder, a star, and the delaying charge until the tube is filled.With any tube-shaped fireworks, its a good plan to shoot them off in a depression or hole, preferably in a tube or packed into soil so they cannot point in an unintended direction. Light the firework and get clear. The expected range of the firework is about 30 feet. Troubleshooting If you need the charge to shoot higher, try using a longer tube or slightly more black powder in your lift charge.If the colored fireball doesnt ignite, try adding a higher percentage of Pyrodex in the star mixture. Safety Notes This is a project for adults who already have some pyrotechnic experience. If you are new to making fireworks, try one of the other firework projects, such as a homemade smoke bomb or sparkler.Be aware of the laws where you live! Roman candles may be prohibited. If so, obviously, dont make one or set it off.Do not ignite a Roman candle in your hand. Do not point a Roman candle at anyone or anything.Use good judgment and follow safe practices when lighting making or lighting this or any other firework. Be sober, away from flammable materials and clear of pets, people or structures. Disclaimer: Please be advised that the content provided by our website is for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Fireworks and the chemicals contained within them are dangerous and should always be handled with care and used with common sense. By using this website you acknowledge that ThoughtCo., its parent About, Inc. (a/k/a Dotdash), and IAC/InterActive Corp. shall have no liability for any damages, injuries, or other legal matters caused by your use of fireworks or the knowledge or application of the information on this website. The providers of this content specifically do not condone using fireworks for disruptive, unsafe, illegal, or destructive purposes. You are responsible for following all applicable laws before using or applying the information provided on this website.

The world imagined and the world discovered essays

The world imagined and the world discovered essays In 1498, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama sailed with four ships from Europe to reach India. Because of the cold weather, the sailors could not prepare food. They went to Africa and collected all they needed and finally reached India and saw the flock of amazed citizens watching their Western ships. Europeans traded goods such as silks, fine carpets, pottery, and precious jewels from India and China. They were interested in cloves, cinnamon, coriander, and pepper that were particularly found in the East. The warfare of 1400s in Eastern Europe and Asia disabled the Europeans to travel over land. They found new trade routes to get to East Asia. Venetian explorer Marco Polo believed that Japan was 1,500 miles east of China and he exaggerated descriptions of the eastern lands such as dog-headed humans and headless people. These exaggerations were later proved wrong by the explorers. Ptolemys worldview was divided into 360 degrees of longitude. As well, it consisted of three continen ts Asia, Africa, and Europe and two oceans the Indian Ocean and the Western Ocean. He also said that land covered three-fourths of earths surface. His miscalculations, including earths size being one-sixth smaller than its usual size, were forgotten through vast knowledge. European rulers and explorers were desperate for money and Eastern goods. Since, in 1453, the conquest of Constantinople increased the price of the spices and goods, it put the already poor Western Europe into large devastation. They regained wealth by hiring people to hunt new wealth. The explorers not only wanted to find new land and wealth, but also wanted to spread their religion and to practice their religion in their own land. The Catholics sent converts to other places and the Protestants practiced their faith in new lands Europeans gained faith along with fame and fortune across the miles. Navigation tools such as the as ...

A Study Of Anatomy And Psychology Essay Example for Free

A Study Of Anatomy And Psychology Essay ? The procedure in lifting the leg to climb a stair is a complex one which involves a huge amount of technology inter-transfer between the brain and the eventual skeletal muscle. There is initiation of the movement at the brain which is transmitted via specialized white fibre tracts to the hip flexors via the intermediate spinal cord, involving a very complex mechanism at the cellular level   The initiation of the   process is at the motor cortex (Ms I) of the brain. The primary motor area is located at the precentral gyrus of the frontal lobe. The area controlling the motion of the lower limbs lies towards the superior surface of the brain. Within this area lies the cell body of the primary neuron. These neurons are known as upper motor neurons (UMN). These UMNs receive modulating impulse from the inputs from the cerebellum and the basal ganglia via the extrapyramidal pathways. These tracts modulate the gross movement initiated at the frontal cortex. In turn these areas are modulated by afferent signals from ascending spino cerebellar, and spino-thalamic pathways. The complex the signal initiated at the nucleus of the cell body is transmitted electronically via the axon of the myelinated neuron via the mode of salutatory conduction. The myelin sheath which surrounds the axon of nerves that involve fast transport, breaks at intermediate regions known as Nodes of Ranvier. The electrical impulse moves in   a jumping manner at these nodes nerve transmission as a neural impulse, generated by the formation of a nerve action potential. Like all excitable tissue, nerves maintain a resting membrane potential that is the difference of voltage across the membrane of the neuron. In neurons this value is   – 70 mV. This voltage difference is maintained by the Na/K pump on the membranes. This impulse generated at the axon hillock is transmitted via the depolarizing phase which allows sodium ions ingress into cells via opening of the Na channels. This entry of Na in one portion allows activation of other Na channels, causing depolarization of the adjacent region of the neuron. Subsequently repolarization occurs via the opening of K channels, which restores the membrane potential. Thus this process continues which allows the transmission of impulse. Many such nerves together descend as the descending cortico spinal tract in the pyramidal system, which travels through the midbrain into the spinal cord, decussating at the level of midbrain( 90% of the fibres decussating and forming the lateral spinothalamic tract) and again at the level of spinal cord ( the other 10%, forming the anterior spinothalamic tract) . It is the former which is responsible for the lower limb movements. The cortico-spinal tract travels in the anterior horn cell of the spinal cord till the lumbar level where they synapse with the spinal ventral root neuron (lower motor neuron). A single post-synaptic neuron receives signals from many neurons. At the axon terminal, the propagation of impulses leads to release of neurotransmitters, which are stored in specialized vesicles. The released Ach diffuses into the synaptic cleft and binds with receptors on the post synaptic membrane to produce excitatory post synaptic potentials. This leads to generation and propagation of impulse in nerves which are destined to innervate the neuro-muscular junction. At the neuro-muscular junction, Ach is released, which diffuses into the synovial cleft and binds to receptors in the motor end plate, and triggers a muscle action potential. The released Ach is destroyed by the acetylcholinestrase. At the level of the sarcolemma of the muscles, the muscle AP travels along T-tubules, opening Ca release channels in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Ca binds to troponin-tropomysin complex, which releases the myosin heads, these then bind to the actin thin filaments, and draws them closer to the M line. Meanwhile bringing the Z disc closer. This leads to muscle fibre contraction. This is a self propagating sequence eventually leading to the contraction of ilio-psoas muscle, which causes the flexion of thigh on the pelvis. Each nerve fibre innervates many musle fibres ( about 150). This is   the motor unit. The greater the number of motor units recruited by the nerve action potential, the greater the force of contraction of the muscles. In the spinal cord, nerve impulse travels along the lumbar plexus (L1-L5) to innervate the iliopsoas ( hip flexion- ilio-inguinal nerve), biceps femors, semitendinosus and semimembranosus ( knee flexion – sciatic nerve), ankle flexors ( EHl, EDL, TA – tibial nerve), leading to the person climbing the step. This excitatory impulse is also associated with the production of inhibitory action potential ( hyperpolarizing impulse) in the antagonists (eg the glutei, which must relax to allow flexors to act. In the event of raising of the upper limb above the head, to lift a book, the impulse travels along the cortico spinal tract till the level of the cervical cord to synapse with the lower motor neurons of the brachial plexus ( C3-T1). From here the nerve impulses travel to shoulder elevators ( supraspinatus, deltoid, trapezius, and latissimus dorsi)- posterior cord ), elbow extensor ( triceps and anconeus – radial nerve) wrist extensor ( ECRL, ECRB – radial nerve), finger flexors ( FDS, FDP – median nerve and the ulnar nerve)   and the intrinsics – ulnar nerve and the median nerve) A Study Of Anatomy And Psychology. (2017, Mar 25).

Importance of Political Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Importance of Political Communication - Essay Example The study has indicated that political communication has contributed to institutionalisation of societal democracies. Reviews on political communication tend to drum the same idea. Introduction Politicians use communication as a tool to disseminate information to the society. Political critics believe argued that political communication whether external or internal acts as a nerve of the government. Those sentiments are observable through daily activities of politicians. Communication is the powerful tool that describes the landmark made in the political world. Reformists used political communication to move masses and advance the political ambitions. For instance, civil right movements have been able to woo civilians by creating powerful speeches that move emotions. Political debates usually draw politicians of various factions together. Patterns employed in communication may vary but the political information intends to give a particular influence to the audience (Dahlgren, 2005:16 6). This study investigates influence of political communication by analysing research articles in the same area. The aim of the research is to evaluate theories relating to political communication, their relevance in the political sphere, and the mode of communication dissemination. Theories developed about political communication focuses on mode of information dissemination. Some theorists have sought to explain how politicians settle in certain decisions. The prediction of the analysis suggested that dealing with small group would create a greater political impact as opposed to large groups. Studies in political communication have sought to investigate influence of politics with respect to psychology, speech communication, mass communication, journalism, broadcasting, and political science. The revelation of the study answers the question on how political communication influences the reputation of a country. The study mode reviews the existing literature on the same topic with a view or relating aspect of public relation and political communication. Findings and Results Political communication has changed in response to changes in technology. The reviewed literature on political communication with respect to the changing technology has confirmed the above finding. This finding tends to explain the reason by various technological approaches used by the politician in disseminating their communication. Politician’s concern is to influence a voter or a prospective voter to take side within a given political inclination. Pattern of information processing is the basis of voter decision. Zeter (2008:236) observed that voters decision occur the same way as personal decisions made when choosing a friend. People consider attributes, which would create a friendly relationship between the politician candidate and the community. The process seems to use identification of personal qualities as the most viable way of choosing political candidate. It means that huma n desirable characteristics should characterise the political campaign alongside other issues (Stanyer, 2007:212). Political bangles contain photo portraits, personal achievement among other desirable attributes that would persuade the voter to accept a particular candidate for a political position. Voting system takes similar approaches because the argument tends to look at the long-term benefit that the policy would

The Human Rights in the Media in Syria Research Paper

The Human Rights in the Media in Syria - Research Paper Example Ajami further added that as for Yemen, the revolution was also an outcry against the attempts by the Saleh’s government to amend the country’s constitution (86). As for the Syrian revolt, it was partly contributed by the ethnic hatred between the minority and majority, whereby the ruling minority ethnic community lead by the Assad regime is accused of apply nepotisms in the distribution of national resources. Additionally, the Syrian crisis was propelled by the food crisis that has greatly affected the country, and of which the current Assad regime and the previous regime that was lead by his father are both accused of failing to make the nation food secure (Ajami, 23-31). Lesch lamented that it is only Syria, which is still experiencing intensified civil war since the advent of the Arab revolution while most of the Arab nations such as Yemen, Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia have at least returned to normalcy or the intensity of the crisis has reduced. This is because the cou ntries have recorded reforms in the governance of the nation and a change in the countries' top leadership that has been enabled by the elections conducted after the revolution (45-48). Lesch further lamented that the Syrian crisis is still intensified because President Assad is adamant on his position and has continued to defy the opposition. Moreover, the use of inhumane approach by President Assad loyal forces to quell the violence has continued to anger the opposition and even intensified the civil war within the country. Among the most inhumane approach that the Assad regime has used to fight back the opposition is the use of military tankers on both armed and unarmed protestors (102-113). Worse is the fact that off late the law enforcement officers have been threatening... This essay approves that current reports by the international media such as Cables News Network, British Broadcasting Corporation, and Al Jaezera all indicate that since the beginning of the Syrian crisis there has been thousands of death and injuries on both the pro-government supporters and opposition supporters in Syria. Secondly, the civil war in Syria has lead to the displacement of more than four million Syrians. Moreover, media reports indicate that many Syrians have fled to other neighbouring countries because of the civil unrest currently going on in their country and they are living in refugee camps where the standard of living is quite low. With reference to the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is correct to assert that the crisis in Syria and in particular the Assad regime is responsible for committing human rights violation on men, women, and children. This report makes a conclusion that the UN is trying to support the Syrian population using the media by ensuring that their stories is widely covered in the international press and by encouraging the Syrian population to tell out their story to the rest of the world. The United Nations have also taken upon themselves to inform the rest of the world about the situation in Syria and to urge the rest of the World to publicly condemned the violence and human rights abuses that are taking place in Syria. Secondly, the UN while using the media has urged the rest of the world to join hands and call for peace in Syria. Thirdly, the UN while using the media to support the Syrian population has also asked the rest of the world to support the Syrian population during this difficult time through moral support and even material support.

The Geography of Fear and Domestic Violence and Its Relationship to Essay

The Geography of Fear and Domestic Violence and Its Relationship to Space - Essay Example It is estimated that 78% of all rape and sexual assault victims are usually women. In addition, of the 600 000 to 800 000 people who become the victims of human trafficking every year, a whooping 80% comprises of women and girls. (2008) This helps explain the geography of fear, including the spatial aspects of fear and domestic violence. Geography of fear analyses the spatial aspects of people's fear of violence in different settings. Valentine posits that women are often fearful of crime that seems to be directly related to their sense of vulnerability to men and the understanding of the seriousness and terror that such crimes bring to mind. (1989, p. 385) Childhood and adult experiences are said to highly influence women's fear as far as sexual violence is concerned. These fears are then deeply ingrained in the women through social messaging; how society views and treats its women. If they are treated as sex objects the fear of violence becomes even more real to them. The fears that women have with regards to rape and other forms of violence, either physical or sexual determines to a large extent the kind of choices they make that affect their lives on a daily and /or on a long term basis. The women therefore take precautions that are spatial in nature as a way of dealing with their fear. This may involve not goin g out at night or even avoiding certain places. A According to Pain, for the most part analyses into the fear of crime only describe or explain what effects both sexual and physical violence has especially in as far as it reflects gender inequality. The social geography of fear looks into the differences between public and private space with regards to the perception of danger, also the categorization of space into either safe/dangerous or even, closed/open places. In the spatial expression of patriarchy, women attach fear to public places and devise safety measures to deal with this fear. It then becomes important to understand areas where women are most likely to be victimized as well as areas that are mostly linked with the risk of crime. This entails comprehending the spatial patterns of fear. Various experiences are responsible for influencing, shaping and changing women's relation to space. Experiences and attempts at violence, incidences of sexual harassment, social and emotional characteristics such as increased feelings of vulnerability and lack of social support including feelings of not having control over what happens to one self all have spatial repercussions. They are responsible for creating spaces in which women are excluded on the basis of their gender. More over, these feelings may increase with progression in age, after suffering injuries, pregnancy and motherhood. (1997) Violent crimes against women as rape have been found to take place not only in bedrooms and other private and semi private settings but also in the back of alleys. The spatiality of fear is said to be responsible for the behavior and quality of urban life. (Pain, 2001) Out of fear, women may avoid streets and alleys in urban areas that they may consider to be unsafe. Accordingly, different classes/types of women are likely to fear crime more than others. For instance, those who feel like they are not fully integrated in the places where they live such as communities and neighborhoods, those who

4420 staffing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

4420 staffing - Assignment Example Organizations are very partial with cognitive skills that they overlooked other aspect in making an individual and organization more effective which is social skills. IQ would become useless if an employee cannot work with other people, cannot be relied on or cannot handle work related stress. Screening would be two pronged to get those who have high IQ and EQ. IQ alone would not suffice. Once I have the best raw material in terms of talent to develop, I will subject them to intense training that is based on real world setting that develops critical thinking and problem solving skills rather than learning concepts. Organizational skills and personal management will also be part of the curriculum because cognitive skills must be paired with high social skills for an employee to be more effective. It is important that they have this high sense of emotional intelligence so that it will be easier to engage them in the organization that would enable to them to perform well. The atmosphere in the organization will be liked that of Google where interactions are encouraged with teams and clusters given the right environment to be critical as well as creative so that new ideas about new products and services or how to improve them will blossom. The decorum will not be rigid just like Google complex where employees will find joy and fun in their work. With regard to performance, I would like my talents to be competitive not in a sense that they have to be better than other companies or individuals. Competitive in a sense that they are driven to explore new avenues that would create products and services rather than doing things because they want to beat their competitors. Their mindset would be like Jeff Bezo’s Amazon where they everybody thinks as â€Å"explorer† to go to dark alleys as he would put where new doors might be present where the company could develop. Just

Personal and Professional Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal and Professional Practice - Essay Example People plagiarize because it looks like the easiest and quick thing to do when writing a project or even assignments. Author Ian Fleming wrote a novel with two of his colleagues, but he never mentioned them as co writers, he got sued by his colleagues and fined for plagiarism (Wainwright 2008, p.18). This amounted to plagiarism as he did not involve his counterparts in the final edition of the book yet they participated in its writing. Copying someone else’s work without their permission is plagiarism. A number of famous authors have become dodged with a number of controversies dealing with their books. Authors like Dan Brown and Lynda l Plante are just but examples of leading authors, who have battled court cases related to plagiarism (Arnold 2008). In order to avoid plagiarism in any of the work, one should be able to reference correctly all the ideas, materials, and theories that have been applied (Braniac 2012, p.6). Any individual reading your work should have the ability of telling exactly where the information is from. Read your work over and over again to  ensure that there is no plagiarism before handing in your assignment (Cottrell 2008, p. 41). . One should be able to reference directly, for example and also indirectly (Arnold 2008). One should be able to posses the knowledge of putting his or her own ideas in their assessment. In order to avoid plagiarism, one should use quotation marks, indirect referencing or at the same time, placing different ideas into your own personal words and including a reference at the end of each sentence (Cottrell 2008, p. 54). Referencing your work effectively and properly will prevent plagiarism from happening (Braniac 2012, p.6). Another way of avoiding plagiarism is by educating the students of the issue. Teachers should not assume that the students know what plagiarism is, even if they pretend to know what it is. The students should be provided with an explicit definition of plagiarism (Arnold 2008). Even when revising or paraphrasing another person’s words, or even just using their ideas, the author must still be given credit in a note (Wolff 2012, p.3). Ignoring crediting the appropriate authors, amount to lying. Students should include an annotated bibliography in their works. This should include a brief summary of the source, its location and also an evaluation about the importance of the source (Braniac 2012, p.6). Writers should be aware of the sources of the papers. Plagiarism detector should be used to check the levels of plagiarism (Wolff 2012, p.1). These detectors will enable the students prevent issues of plagiarism in their work or reports (Cottrell 2008, p. 28). Plagiarism is an offence; anyone doing it will be heavily punished. Bibliography Arnold, B, 2008, Caslon Analytics plagiarism incidents, Retrieved August 13, 2012, from http://www.caslon.com.au/plagiarismcasesnote.htm Braniac, A, 2012, How to Prevent Plagiarism, eHow, 6. Cottrell, S, 2008, The Study Skill s Handbook, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Wainwright, M, 2008, Persaud suspended from practice for three months over plagiarism, The Guardian, 18. Wolff, J, 2012, Does plagiarism matter? Answer in your own words, The Guardian, 2-4. Personal and Professional Practice Name: Institution: Why is plagiarism viewed to be such a grave offence? Plagiarism is duplicating someone’s work claiming to be yours. People who commit plagiarism steal other

The Geography of Fear and Domestic Violence and Its Relationship to Essay

The Geography of Fear and Domestic Violence and Its Relationship to Space - Essay Example It is estimated that 78% of all rape and sexual assault victims are usually women. In addition, of the 600 000 to 800 000 people who become the victims of human trafficking every year, a whooping 80% comprises of women and girls. (2008) This helps explain the geography of fear, including the spatial aspects of fear and domestic violence. Geography of fear analyses the spatial aspects of people's fear of violence in different settings. Valentine posits that women are often fearful of crime that seems to be directly related to their sense of vulnerability to men and the understanding of the seriousness and terror that such crimes bring to mind. (1989, p. 385) Childhood and adult experiences are said to highly influence women's fear as far as sexual violence is concerned. These fears are then deeply ingrained in the women through social messaging; how society views and treats its women. If they are treated as sex objects the fear of violence becomes even more real to them. The fears that women have with regards to rape and other forms of violence, either physical or sexual determines to a large extent the kind of choices they make that affect their lives on a daily and /or on a long term basis. The women therefore take precautions that are spatial in nature as a way of dealing with their fear. This may involve not goin g out at night or even avoiding certain places. A According to Pain, for the most part analyses into the fear of crime only describe or explain what effects both sexual and physical violence has especially in as far as it reflects gender inequality. The social geography of fear looks into the differences between public and private space with regards to the perception of danger, also the categorization of space into either safe/dangerous or even, closed/open places. In the spatial expression of patriarchy, women attach fear to public places and devise safety measures to deal with this fear. It then becomes important to understand areas where women are most likely to be victimized as well as areas that are mostly linked with the risk of crime. This entails comprehending the spatial patterns of fear. Various experiences are responsible for influencing, shaping and changing women's relation to space. Experiences and attempts at violence, incidences of sexual harassment, social and emotional characteristics such as increased feelings of vulnerability and lack of social support including feelings of not having control over what happens to one self all have spatial repercussions. They are responsible for creating spaces in which women are excluded on the basis of their gender. More over, these feelings may increase with progression in age, after suffering injuries, pregnancy and motherhood. (1997) Violent crimes against women as rape have been found to take place not only in bedrooms and other private and semi private settings but also in the back of alleys. The spatiality of fear is said to be responsible for the behavior and quality of urban life. (Pain, 2001) Out of fear, women may avoid streets and alleys in urban areas that they may consider to be unsafe. Accordingly, different classes/types of women are likely to fear crime more than others. For instance, those who feel like they are not fully integrated in the places where they live such as communities and neighborhoods, those who

Personal and Professional Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal and Professional Practice - Essay Example People plagiarize because it looks like the easiest and quick thing to do when writing a project or even assignments. Author Ian Fleming wrote a novel with two of his colleagues, but he never mentioned them as co writers, he got sued by his colleagues and fined for plagiarism (Wainwright 2008, p.18). This amounted to plagiarism as he did not involve his counterparts in the final edition of the book yet they participated in its writing. Copying someone else’s work without their permission is plagiarism. A number of famous authors have become dodged with a number of controversies dealing with their books. Authors like Dan Brown and Lynda l Plante are just but examples of leading authors, who have battled court cases related to plagiarism (Arnold 2008). In order to avoid plagiarism in any of the work, one should be able to reference correctly all the ideas, materials, and theories that have been applied (Braniac 2012, p.6). Any individual reading your work should have the ability of telling exactly where the information is from. Read your work over and over again to  ensure that there is no plagiarism before handing in your assignment (Cottrell 2008, p. 41). . One should be able to reference directly, for example and also indirectly (Arnold 2008). One should be able to posses the knowledge of putting his or her own ideas in their assessment. In order to avoid plagiarism, one should use quotation marks, indirect referencing or at the same time, placing different ideas into your own personal words and including a reference at the end of each sentence (Cottrell 2008, p. 54). Referencing your work effectively and properly will prevent plagiarism from happening (Braniac 2012, p.6). Another way of avoiding plagiarism is by educating the students of the issue. Teachers should not assume that the students know what plagiarism is, even if they pretend to know what it is. The students should be provided with an explicit definition of plagiarism (Arnold 2008). Even when revising or paraphrasing another person’s words, or even just using their ideas, the author must still be given credit in a note (Wolff 2012, p.3). Ignoring crediting the appropriate authors, amount to lying. Students should include an annotated bibliography in their works. This should include a brief summary of the source, its location and also an evaluation about the importance of the source (Braniac 2012, p.6). Writers should be aware of the sources of the papers. Plagiarism detector should be used to check the levels of plagiarism (Wolff 2012, p.1). These detectors will enable the students prevent issues of plagiarism in their work or reports (Cottrell 2008, p. 28). Plagiarism is an offence; anyone doing it will be heavily punished. Bibliography Arnold, B, 2008, Caslon Analytics plagiarism incidents, Retrieved August 13, 2012, from http://www.caslon.com.au/plagiarismcasesnote.htm Braniac, A, 2012, How to Prevent Plagiarism, eHow, 6. Cottrell, S, 2008, The Study Skill s Handbook, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Wainwright, M, 2008, Persaud suspended from practice for three months over plagiarism, The Guardian, 18. Wolff, J, 2012, Does plagiarism matter? Answer in your own words, The Guardian, 2-4. Personal and Professional Practice Name: Institution: Why is plagiarism viewed to be such a grave offence? Plagiarism is duplicating someone’s work claiming to be yours. People who commit plagiarism steal other

Systems Theory and Human Relations Essay Example for Free

Systems Theory and Human Relations Essay Systems theory within organisations states that businesses retrieve inputs from the external environment, transform these inputs from processes and procedures and then out put them back into the environment. Below is a diagram to illustrate this with examples of each. The inputs generally come from other organistaions outputs, and the outputs of organisations tend to become inputs for other organisations. Within the organisation as a system, each of the different transformation activities may themselves may be looked at as individual sub-systems with their own inputs-transformations-outputs. They may also be looked at to interact with different sub-systems. The 5 main sub-systems are as follows: †¢Task – goals and objectives of the company †¢Technology – the tools and knowledge in which are used to carry out tasks †¢People – attitudes, skills, needs etc Structure – both formal and informal, flow of authority, grapevine etc †¢Management – co-ordination of the other 4 sub-systems and interactions with outside world Human relations approach pays greater attention to the social factors at work and the behaviour of employees. Employees come to work for more than just monetary needs, they come to interact with each other also. Therefore employees need to be able to interact with each other and not be excluded, Hamiltons work plan enables this and also encourages this. One way by which Hamilton uses this approach is by humanising the workplace, recognising the importance of the informal structure and also giving concern for the manufacturing staff. Hamilton does many things to humanise the workplace, such as: †¢Regular walk abouts by directors †¢Quarterly updates/briefs †¢Nights of social events such as Christmas funded by the company †¢Attend certain MDW meetings †¢Works council to communicate to management about certain issues on shop floor †¢Birthdays always celebrated †¢Weddings and anniversarys celebrated †¢Shop sales Child care vouchers †¢Easter eggs provided by company These policies and procedures that are representative of the human relations approach, all help with the management of change within Hamilton. Below are some point and how they help with managing change: †¢Communication – By communicating with staff through quarterly briefs, team meetings and notice boards, all staff are aware of changes and why they are going to be made. †¢Multiskilling – By Hamilton training staff on at least 3 machines in the factory, this enables Hamilton help to manage production planning. It also helps make the employee feel needed by investing in them. †¢Production planning – Enables Hamilton to prduce there good more efficiently and to help cut down on set-up times and change over’s. †¢Works Council – Helps staff to communicate any issues with changes that are being made before they are being introdced. This then means they can rectify these issues which the staff have. †¢Social Events – Help keep staff morale high and help build relationships and work teams within the business. As I looked at one of the subsystems of management and how it relates to the external environment and how it manages changes in the environment, I realised Hamilton is effected a lot by external factors such as: †¢Social attitudes †¢Government policies – taxes †¢Trade unions †¢Customers †¢Other organisations †¢International relations †¢Economic climate – exchange rates †¢Suppliers †¢Technoligical innovations – dulux paint pod †¢Providers of finance One of the biggest external factors is the economic climate, the exchange rate with China is very poor at the minute. As you can see from the graph above Hamilton has seen a major drop in the exchange rate within the last 12 months. This therefore creates high production costs within the company, to try and reduce the impact the management has undertaken numerous actions such as: †¢Improve communications with suppliers †¢Improve technology internally and externally †¢New suppliers †¢Longer term agreements †¢Reduced spending †¢Production planning †¢Aggressive with suppliers †¢Re-structured sales force

Assessing The Scope Of Competitive Rivalry

Assessing The Scope Of Competitive Rivalry Scope of competitive rivalry mainly deals with a global focus, however, local computer makers should also be considered. For the large corporations, having a presence in foreign markets is essential. Companies like Dell, HP, Lenovo/IBM, and Acer all compete in multiple international markets. If individuals in a particular country are capable of buying a PC, the top competitors all fight for their purchases. Competition is not cut throat per-se, but if a company like HP falters in any one of its multiple segments, Dell could come in and take its market share. Stage in Industry Life Cycle The thing about technology is that it constantly changes. The personal computer, servers, printers, and data storage devices have existed for decades, but constant RD is employed to make these high-tech machines smaller, run faster, and operate more efficiently. Computers and their peripherals will likely remain in the growth stage for a very long time. Though growth has slowed in developed countries like the United States, it has increased in other developing countries like Brazil, India, and China. On that note, the idea itself has reached maturity. For example, servers (as well as personal computers) can offer long usage time if they are properly serviced over the years. Computers configured four years ago, if built with quality high-end components, can still compete with ones coming out today. New technologies make adding performance to personal computers and servers effortless, which furthers the life of the machines. Degree of Vertical Integration According to Thompson and Gambles research, There were too many technologies and manufacturing intricacies to master for a vertically integrated manufacturer to keep its products on the cutting edge. Therefore, the industry has a very low degree of vertical integration. Companies search for the best manufacturers of parts and services and combine them to create a name-brand computer. Providers need to be accessible for when they are demanded. If they fail, companies like Dell and HP can switch as quickly as living creatures blink. Ease of Entry/Exit Because the industry has long been established and defined by the current competition, ease of entry/exit is not exactly easy. In fact, it would be nearly impossible for a start-up firm to enter. A long established company like Sony, for example, was able to enter late in the game because of their existing company structure and size. Only already established large companies would be able to enter the market, unless some entrepreneur discovered a way to enhance existing business models which maximized efficiencies in nearly every aspect of the venture. Technology Innovation The industry is highly characterized by innovation, considering it is nothing but technology. New products are constantly developed, daily in fact. Intel, for example, releases computer processing units (CPUs) every three months. As a result, costs decline .5% weekly. These CPUs are among the main components of the computer. Since technology is evolving at a rapid rate, computer companies always look for ways to reduce inventory carryover while still having enough in inventory if demand spikes. Product Characteristics Defining the product characteristics is rather complex, as not only are the computers intricate in nature, but the number of products associated with this industry colossal. Looking at the main composition, the industry includes computers (servers, desktops, laptops), peripherals associated with the computer like wireless routers and printers, and external storage. Focusing on the computers and depending on the price, they vary in terms of processing speed, hard drive capacity, number of video display outputs, number of channels of surround sound, and amount of random access memory. Economies of Scale As with most industries, the name of the game is getting the best products for the best price. Gray areas do exist, however. CPUs for personal computers, for example, are only made by two competitors (AMD and Intel). Other manufacturers like SIS and Centaur exist, though they are not as well known and certainly not trusted enough to be in name brand PCs. The same goes for video cards. Many manufacturers do exist, but there are only two significant competitors in the market (Nvidia and ATI). Most manufacturers of video cards actually incorporate the chipsets of the two top competitors into their own models. There is a substantial amount of marketing and advertising that goes into the products of the top competitors. The public must be constantly reminded which computers are the best to buy. Because of cost cutting (as well as international expansion), many companies have some, if not the majority, of their processes outsourced. To further reduce costs, inventory carryover is kept low. Learning and Experience Curve Effects The industry is highly characterized by the philosophy of learn by doing. For example, Dell has been improving efficiencies in their business model for the past eighteen and a half years (as of 2008). As a result, they are a leader in many aspects of their value chain. The competition follows suit, but they do not have as much experience as Dell does in this instance. Capacity Utilization Once again, as with all industries, it is important to have high capacity utilization in order to maximize efficiencies. Because there is little markup on computers and their components, companies need to squeeze savings out of every aspect of their operations. Industry Profitability If a company is well managed and knows what its customers want, then industry profitability can be high. Once processes begin to fall short or crumble, company profitability can go from black to red in a short amount of time. Compaq (before it became HP) was an example of a company with poor management structure. Executives ran the company into the ground because they were not finding ways to be profitable. Despite holding a large portion of market share, the company operated in the red for many of its quarters. Industry Driving Forces Though the industry possesses many driving forces, three come to mind as being most prevalent. For one, increasing globalization plays a big role in analyzing company size and strength. Outsourcing processes to many different countries leads to cheaper manufacturing costs across the entire value chain. India, for example, is a common location for technical support call centers. As the world grows smaller, having a well established brand name in multiple markets will keep top competitors successful. A second driving force is the diffusion of technical know-how across more companies and more countries. Just like in increasing globalization, outsourcing helps to locate the best RD opportunities in the least expensive country. The more minds there are on a project, the more opportunities there are for innovation. As a result, emerging countries may have different thought processes and needs compared to developed economies, so new ideas may be generated. A third driving force is changes in cost and efficiency. As mentioned earlier, it is imperative for companies in this industry to master the Just in Time strategy. Computer components are decreasing in price weekly and are becoming more energy efficient. These changes ultimately lead to newer and better products than those of three months ago. Key Success Factors Just like the driving forces, there are many key success factors that relate to this industry. For one, top competitors most certainly have an expertise in a particular technology or specific research (in this case, computer designing). They hand select the best components (or cheapest depending on the business model) for customers to choose from. After all, the quality of components defines the quality of the computer. A second key success factor is the proven ability to improve production processes. This includes the aforementioned industry-wide decrease in days of inventory holdings, and lessening vertical integration improves competitiveness. As computer components become cheaper to manufacture, the prices decrease. As a result, computer prices fall. Improving production processes are effective methods of keeping profitability high. A third key success factor is quality control know-how. No matter what the problem is with ones computer, it is always the fault of the manufacturer. If HP or Dell builds unreliable computers, buyers will simply switch to another brand with little hesitation. Therefore, it is imperative for the top competitors to maintain their quality control in the factories. If a certain component of the computer keeps failing, then it is likely the fault of the component manufacturer, and not the brand name computer creator. Other key success factors include product performance, reputation/image, and customer service capabilities PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL OF COMPETITION Dell has been able to remain innovative in their approach to building computers. They proved throughout their years of existence that providing differentiated, customizable computers with exceptional customer service at reasonable prices is possible. During the early years, Dell was able to undercut the competition by substantial margins. When they developed their strategic plans to sell computers internationally, they were quickly able to capture some of the market share once held by super-giant IBM. As a result, in 2007 International sales accounted for over 41% of Dells sales. To expand upon their business model, they diversified their product offerings to include Dell branded speakers, printers, and ink cartridges. Though not all diversification efforts were successful, Dell proved they could be innovative in their approaches to reaching customers. Michael Dell knew exactly what he wanted to do with his business when he first started his venture, and sticking to that vision has c reated one of the most successful computer ventures ever. Rivalry Among Competing Sellers Dells rivals include more than PC manufacturers. They compete and tally revenues in the following product categories: desktop PCs, mobility products (laptop PCs and workstations), software and peripherals (printers, monitors, TVs, projectors, ink and toner cartridges), servers and networking hardware, consulting and enhanced services, and storage products. Principal competitors amongst these categories include HP, Lenovo/IBM, Apple, Acer, Toshiba, Sony, Fujitsu-Siemens, Sun Microsystems, EMC, Hitachi, Cisco, Broadcom, Enterasys, Nortel, 3Com, Airespace, Proxim, Lexmark, Canon, Epson, Accenture, and EDS. Rivalry among competitors is fierce. If one company falters even the slightest bit anywhere along the value chain, other competing companies will enter and capitalize on the transfer of market share. For example, in the first quarter of 2008, Dell had 15.7% of the total global market share, which is up from 14.8% in the fourth quarter of 2007. The rest of the competition outside of the top five competitors (HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, and Toshiba) lost 5% of the total market share. These numbers vary from quarter to quarter, but when the top five competitors see increases in market share, it is clear who dominates. Dell happens to offer a highly differentiated product. They pride themselves on providing high quality computers at better prices points than the competition as a result of directly selling to customers. Prior to Dell, no company successfully offered such a business concept. Sales and promotions are targeted toward special bundle packages (like monitor, printer, and computer in one purchase) and slightly dated computer designs. With Dells premier account, for example, businesses and schools are encouraged to buy specially configured computers (which can be further customized). Savings tend to be larger when consumers purchase computers bundled with an anti-virus package, and Dell warranty, and interest free payments for six months if customers own a Dell premier credit card. Though competitors like Sony offer similar incentive programs, none of them can match Dell. Though Dell was strictly direct-to-consumer oriented for the longest time, they were losing significant market share to Apple as a result of not offering their computers in stores. As a result, they agreed to a contract with Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Though customers would technically pay for the markup at Best Buy or Wal-Mart for the same computer they could purchase through Dell, this tactic helped to keep Dell from losing market share to HP and Apple. In addition, Dell began offering white-box PC solutions in 2003 which helped them achieve an additional $380 million in revenues. Though critics were skeptical of the decision to move into this segment, most saw it as an effort to take on white box dealers in China. Potential New Entrants The threat of potential new entrants is minimal if even possible. There is a considerable presence of sizable economies of scale in production and other areas of the operation include the following: a substantial amount of marketing and advertising that goes into Dells products and the ability to outsource areas of the business they cannot make profitable by locating in the US. In addition, Dell is the industry leader in minimizing inventory on hand. In addition to the economies of scale, the learning and experience effects curves have to be taken into consideration. Dell has followed the simple model of learn by doing. As a result, they have been improving efficiencies in their business model for the past eighteen and a half years (as of 2008). The competition cannot match Dell. As with any industry that has been defined for decades, there is a strong brand preference and somewhat high degrees of customer loyalty. Because Dell is focused on being the lost-cost leader in the industry, they need not worry about customers switching purely on price. Customers want an established brand name that has the proven ability to withstand the test of time. As a result, HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, and Toshiba will remain the top competitive global competitors for the years to come. Though Apple is a leader in the US, they will not be able to compete in price conscious countries. Because the market share is dominated by the big five, any completion will fight for the remaining half that is crowded with hundreds and thousands of un-established brands. As with most industries that have long been established, there would be extensive capital requirements for a new company. Entry would likely cost millions, is not billions of dollars. As a result, the same brand names have existed for decades. On top of that, striking deals with distributors and retail stores would prove to be difficult. What basis would new consumers have for trusting a brand new computer company? That is why Insignia failed. Assuming the company has these issues sorted out, they would still have to deal with restrictive regulatory policies and tariffs and international trade restrictions. A new threat will only exist if the company can figure out how to succeed at every one of these difficult situations. Substitute Products Substitute products are becoming an issue within the industry. As technology progresses the products of yesterday become obsolete. The smart phone is becoming the biggest threat to the personal computer. Though they are much smaller and fit in the palm of the customers hand, they are capable of doing many of the tasks that a computer can do. For users that compute on larger scales such as film makers, musicians, and reporters, the computer can never be replaced. As a result of the smart phones popularity, computer companies are now competing in this segment. Supplier Bargaining Power The supplier bargaining power through Dell is mainly weak, though there is some slight flexibility. For example, Dell cycles through the top two CPU suppliers (Intel and AMD). Because they are in fierce competition, they continue to make quality products and are normally differentiated only by price. When Dell switched to AMD in 2006, they switched because AMD was able to provide Dell with a better performing chip for a better price. Similar situations occur with peripherals like printers (switch from HP to Lexmark then Dell branded), several speaker offerings from Altec Lansing and Dell branded, and different suppliers for the motherboard. Dell will switch to the best supplier for the best price as long as component quality does not suffer. Buyer Bargaining Power Buyer bargaining power, on the other hand, is high. There are a variety of products to choose from at lower price points than the competition. Purchasing items in bundles leads to greater saving, especially if customers have a Dell premier account. In addition, refurbished or customer-returned computers are offered at even greater discounts. Because technology continually evolves, buyer preferences change, ultimately leading to product adaptations. Customers demand the best product at a better price than the competition. If Dell fails at their own mission statement, they will lose the market share they currently possess. INTERNAL ANALYSIS: SWOT STRATEGIC COST ANALYSIS Value Chain Analysis Dell aims to provide low prices on a diversified line of customizable personal computing solutions by selling direct to customers. In addition, they have an efficient supply chain and manufacturing process that allows them to maintain a leadership position in the industry. As a result, they can sell premium quality products at price points their customers can afford. Just recently to compete with Apple, they have extended their product offerings into retail stores like Best Buy and Wal-Mart. When surveys were conducted in 2008, Dell was found to be deficient in the laptop market segment. As a result, they began contracting part of their assembly process to manufacturing facilities in Asia. Once the basic assembly was completed in the Asian facilities, the half built computers were sent back to the US for final product completion. The problem was that this incurred more costs than if they outsourced the entire operation. As a result, laptops became 100% built overseas. Other cost reduction techniques include minimizing the number of days of stocked inventory. By 2002, Dell was able to minimizes their supplies to anywhere between 2.7 and 4 days. These low stocking days in addition to their purchasing model put Dell at a great advantage. When customers configure their computers online or at the kiosks, they are required to pay in full before their computer can be built. This puts Dell at a great advantage because they have the money for the computer (or other products) before the customer even has the tangible product. They also offer special deals for professional organizations, schools, and other preferred Dell account members. Because they keep a close relationship with their customers, they can create value in other areas like expanded product offerings and 24/7 customer service. Additionally, Dell runs several tests throughout the build process of the computers. Multiple levels of testing reduce the number of manufacturing errors, which furthers their cost reduction efforts. By the end of the manufacturing process, the computers are pre-loaded with an operating system and several programs to enhance buyer value. In short, when the customer receives their computer, they simply have to turn on the unit to begin us e. Dell believes that maintaining close relationships with their suppliers leads to better computers, which will improve customer satisfaction and keep costs low. Once customer satisfaction is high, they will likely buy additional products from Dell such as printers. Further, by providing twenty-four hour technical support, Dell can continue to emphasize the importance of their customers in their eyes. By outsourcing operations like laptop manufacturing and customer service call centers, Dell has found ways to produce products at better price points. Similarly, if Dell produced their own PC components, they would never be able to maintain their competitive edge. Costs for RD and production capacity would eliminate profit margins, even possibly putting Dell into a troubling situation financially. Updates to current model offerings are employed every couple of months. They include improved performance, new input device technologies (like eSata and USB 3.0) and increase energy efficiency. Benchmarking Activities In most industries, Benchmarking tends to have at least some importance in creating better products and improving efficiencies. In any technology driven industry, however, it is essential in order to survive. Dells goal is simple; they keep prices low by allowing customers to create a complete personalized computer according to pre-defined specifications. Doing this enables Dell to avoid carrying pre-configured computers in inventory. Though they do offer refurbished models for discounts, it is not a substantial part of the business. Because their business model is so unique, they can provide customizable solutions that minimize costs, eliminates much of the need for inventory carry-over, and requires customers to prepay (or set up a preferred payment account) before receiving the computer. By cutting out the middleman, Dell can pass on savings to the customer. In addition, by continually searching for ways to improve the manufacturing process, how customer orders are filled and ship ped, and how employees are trained, Dell can retain its competitive edge. Activity Based Costing Dell breaks down its individual activities of the value chain into several components that will provide cost estimates and capital requirements. Categories include advertising, researching, development, technical support (hardware and software related), selling, general, and administration, engineering, and logistics. When one activity is altered, its effects can be felt through the other activities throughout the chain. Once Dell establishes their cost estimates, they can analyze their competitiveness with companies like HP, Lenovo, and Acer. From there, they can make the necessary adjustments to maintain success. Competitive Strength Assessment Analyzing Dell for the competitive strength assessment is analyzed over two criteria. First, how does Dell rank relative to competitors on each of the important key success factors that determine market success? The second, does Dell have a net competitive advantage or disadvantage versus major competitors? Dell understands that in order to remain competitive, they must not lose sight of their business model. The continually search for ways to reduce costs along every aspect of the value chain. As a result, they fair well in the competitive strength assessment. They continue to satisfy their customers by providing total computing solutions. This assessment includes the comparison of the pre-defined industry key success factors against the top competitors: expertise in a particular technology or in scientific research, proven ability to improve production processes, and quality control know how to other competitors. In addition, other strength measures will be weighted. Included measures are product performance, reputation/image, and customer service capabilities. Once the key success factors are reviewed, the weighted overall strength rating will be determined. Weightings rank from highest (strongest) to lowest (weakest). This assessment helps pinpoint which areas Dell excels. Similarly, it also illustrates where they should improve. As illustrated by the competitive strength assessment, Dell still remains stronger than HP, but not Apple. But just because Apple ranks higher does not mean they sell more units. In 2007, Dell shipped (US) 19,645,000 units whereas Apple shipped 4,081. On a worldwide outlook, Apple is not ranked whereas HP shipped 50,526,000 and Dell shipped 39,993,000. Apples product line, however, is priced higher overall than the competition. Their theory is that extensive RD must be made to determine which parts work best together. Apple spends a great deal of time researching components to find out which ones talk best to each other. Their customers believe Apple computers tend to be more stable and last longer than the competition. Whether this is purely an advertising gimmick or legitimate fact has not been proven, but customers seem to believe this is the case. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS BUSINESS STRATEGY ANALYSIS: PORTERS GENERIC STRATEGIES Best-Cost Provider Strategy By late 1997, it was clear that Dell was defining their position in the market. They had become a low-cost leader that was discovering new ways to harness efficiencies from their direct sales business model. They wanted to provide quality computers at price points lower than the competition, and they succeeded. This strategy gave them the upper hand in the industry, and as a result, they are a top competitor with a high percentage of the overall market share. Dell achieved their best-cost status from the ability to provide customers with customizable computing solutions at lower than expected prices by cutting out the middleman. By employing this strategy over multiple product offerings, they were able to target a wide range of computer users from the business end to personal home users. Owner Michael Dell achieved this status by constantly benchmarking company performance. He continually searched for ways to improve all aspects of the business, which includes ongoing improvements in the assembly efficiency, improved quality control, enhancing partnerships with suppliers, adopting just-in-time inventory practices, website rebuild, customer service/technical support improvements, and placing Dell computers in retail stores. As a way to enhance value, Dell held forums that gave senior management the opportunity to listen to their best customers for determining future needs and expectations of buyers. In 2007, Dell began enhancing customer value through IdeaStorm, a website that allows customers to post suggestions for ways to improve the company. Improvements yield great reward, as Dell was rated number one (in 2005) for providing exceptional customer service to large enterprises. Vertical Integration When the industry was relatively new, it was essential for a PC manufacturer to be at least partially integrated. If they were not, customers did not receive their product well. That logic shifted over time, however, to the point where being vertically integrated would be detrimental to long-term company success. To not be vertically integrated is the best way for Dell to mass-produce computers. Today, Dell has an arms-length relationship between specialist suppliers, manufacturer/assemblers, and end users. It is unlikely for Dell to ever revert back and become even partially integrated, as the industry as a whole is becoming less integrated daily. Transaction Cost Economics Dell aims to keep transaction costs low and continually searches for ways to save. There are no surprises for customers when they visit the Dell website, unless medications have been made to the layout. Customers expect low prices for quality computers, and that is what they receive. Improving bargaining power between suppliers is highly unlikely, due to the fact that discounts on technology can only go so far. They are typically regulated and controlled, and have even been scrutinized for selling components for more than they are worth. Dell accepts PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover credit cards in addition to their own premier account credit card. They believe that having multiple payment methods encourages customers to purchase more goods. In addition, other typical transaction cost economics include the time it takes to configure a computer online (or at one of the newly introduced kiosks), the time it takes to research what components fit customer needs the best, the time it takes to actually place an order, and the time it would take if customer service/technical support is needed. Cooperative Strategies Michael Dell believed that partnerships with suppliers would be better for the company than if it were to integrated backwards and manufacturer its own components. As a result, they have relationships with processor manufacturers Intel and AMD, hard disk drives manufacturers Seagate and Western Digital, speaker manufacturers Altec Lansing (often rebranded as Dell), and multimedia component manufacturers creative technology ltd. Other suppliers for parts like RAM, motherboards, fans, and DVD drives change depending on who supplies parts for the least amount of money. When Dell agrees to purchase components from suppliers, they are required to purchase a certain percentage of stock per order. As a result, Dell is able to demand products when needed. They can expect timely shipping and service from the suppliers as well. Suppliers often have locations within close proximity to Dells manufacturing facilities. In addition, these suppliers are often treated as Dell family members. Finally, these partnerships help drive down costs. Offensive Strategies Dells suppliers act offensively daily. They have to in order to keep up with changing technology. Coming from Dells perspective, they too act offensively. Though they are not necessarily pioneering new and better technologies, they demand the latest and great from suppliers at the quickest rate possible. They refresh their product line every few months to make it seem as though they are revamping their product line often. In addition, if there are new technologies that exist for determining ways to lower costs along the assembly line, they investigate and incorporate. They have been the leader in direct-marketing of computers and will likely remain at the top so long as they remain offensive. After all, they are the low-cost leader. Defensive Strategies Though Dells attempts at defensive strategies have not always been positive, they nevertheless attempted to fill a void in their product line. Responses to the changing marketplace include Dell televisions and Mp3 players. Though these products were highly competitive, they were never able to reach customers hands the way existing products could. This is one instance where Dells direct selling strategy proved to hurt their business model. A positive defensive strategy, however, was the release of the Inspiron notebook. Dell began outsourcing their entire laptop manufacturing operation to cut costs and maximize efficiencies. As a result, they were able to remain competitive and increase the market share that had began to lose. The global recession has also affected Dell, but most businesses have seen some sort of negative change from it anyway. First-Mover Advantages In 1984, Michael Dell began his journey of creating custom built computers sold directly to customers. This, in itself, is the first-mover advantage of the entire industry. No competitor has been able to match the success of Dell in terms of direct selling to consumers. They have had far more years of experience operating in this manner than any of the other competitors. It is for this reason Dell will likely remain the top competitor in direct-to-consumer computer sales. CORPORATE STRATEGIES: DIVERSIFICATION Beca