Lecture 5 Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lecture 5 Summary - Assignment Example Communists had already exerted their rule over other countries in the past year that is why Hitler feared that Germany could be taken over especially during the Great depression. Hitler believed that foe Germany to become a super power; they needed to expand their borders into other countries. They concentrated mostly on the East for expansion. Hitler also wanted to overturn a peace treaty that ended the First World War. Hitler concentrated on Germany to become a superpower. Hitler felt that he was good enough to focus on his foreign policy in 1934. Hitler and his army moved to western Germany in 1936. It was hard to overthrow Hitler because his army was faithful to him and he had contributed to Germany’s economic growth. His subjects believed that he was the best leader to bring Germany to the status that it required. Germany formed an alliance with Italy because both were unhappy with the results of World War 1. They wanted to come up with a new world order to oppose the existing international order. Hitler wished to make a strong Germany state in central Europe to combine Austria to the south and Germany to the north. Hitler was a great winner in the theme of foreign policy that was applied in 1930s. Germany invaded other countries like Czech Slovakia that did not have Germans. Hitler’s foreign policy and inversion to other countries led to World War

The Position Of Tesco In The Grocery Industry

The Position Of Tesco In The Grocery Industry The humble beginning of this grocery company started in 1919, and the name Tesco appeared first at the top of a shop at Edgware in 1929. This company has been growing in size and complexities ever since. The company is today the Britains leading retailer and the 3rd largest retailer in the world.(Guardian 2010) Presently, Tesco has more than 4,300 grocers, which now operate in 14 countries: South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, China, Republic of Ireland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey and Poland, Thailand, Asia, India and US. They have over 2,329 stores overseas and are still growing. The company is good at buying and selling. The company invest in what matters to people, and that is the major thing that propels Tesco progress. This progress bestowed on The Present Chief Executive Terry Leahy who has contributed immensely to the growth of the company and that is why he has spent 13 years in the position he is still maintaining that. This is evidenced by the launch of the Loyalty Scheme club card and Tesco.com, internet home shopping service etc. The company passed through the global recession and yet grew stronger than it was by recording a 10% increase in profit to a mighty  £3.4 billion at April 2010. 1.1 Environmental Analysis of Tesco (PEST) The environmental analysis of Tesco will help one understand what is happening both at the inside and outside of Tesco, and to increase the probability that the organisational strategies will appropriately reflect Tescos environment. The strategy of Tesco should be directed at exploiting the environmental opportunities and to block environmental threats in a way that is consistent with the internal capabilities (Robson, 1997). Although Tesco is waxing stronger and was able to declare 10% increase in profit in spite of the recession, the analysis is still important as to determine what might affect it in the future. Environmental analysis of a company should be continuous and feed all aspects of planning. Political Factors Presently, there is no huge recognisable factor affecting Tesco. However, the winner of the fourth coming election is still unknown. Speculations have it that the Labour might loose out for the conservatives. The new government coming in might bring in a lot of unfavourable or favourable laws and policies for the UK grocery industry and other industries as well. Economic Factors The scourge of global recession that hit around 2008, this affected a lot of sectors globally. It could rather be said that Tesco withstood it by improving on there strategy, by changing there prices to suite every classes of individuals without compromising the quality. This is evidenced by 10% increment in profit they declared this year, making over 3.4 billion this year. The chairman as at last year that I am pleased to report that despite the extra ordinary economic environment we find ourselves in, Tesco has once again delivered a good set of results. This demonstrates that Tesco is coping with the down town. Despite the challenging conditions around the globe we have remained resilient and are growing as fast as any major international retailer. (Tesco 2009). After the declaration of the huge 2010 profit, Terry Leahy declared the retailer stronger than it was before the recession. (Guardian 2010).Tesco used its strategy to beat the economic recession. So the economy had no nega tive e effect on Tesco. The spending power of people could equally affect groceries. The economic crunch has made quite a number of people change the way and manner at which they buy things. For instance, because of this economic crisis, a lot of people prefer to buy ingredient and cook because they see it cheaper to do so. Inflation is another powerful factor that could affect the grocery market. This is an incessant increase in the price of items and services, leading to a drop in the currencies purchasing power. Ta However, Economists believe that supply of money is the key factor of inflation.(Economy Watch 2010). Socio-cultural Factor Lifestyle, healthy and fresh produce, immigrants and produce lines.The behaviour of humans also matters in this business. Most customers prefer buying the Tesco branded products. They prefer they go for the fresh products. Tesco are sensitive to read people and know what they need with the club cards. The peoples religion might affect the way they buy things, they might declare fasting within a location it could be mostly in there international locations, and it will reduce the number of sales within such periods. So Tesco take time to consider these as it affects the business. The population of inhabitants and the kind of life they live and the class of people within an area affects a business. Technological Factor Technology is another key thing that contributes to Tescos success is the introduction of Tesco club card. This has helped Tesco in reading and knowing the need of over 16 million of there club card holders in the UK and over 400 million globally. They know what you need and they provide them, which is one of there key success factors. The implementation of Information technology has contributed towards the efficient management of inventories logistics and ware housing which helps in bringing the cost down. Automatic tills, their online operations, electronic supply chain management etc Industry Analysis UK grocery industry is a highly contributor towards UK economy, as buyers are in need everyday and people must satisfy their needs everyday. The buyers in the UK are equally very big because grocery/retail industry is a must in our everyday lives. There are a number of grocers in the UK: Tesco, Morrison, Asda, wal-mart, Sainsburys, Co-op, Iceland, Waitrose, MS, Netto, Farmfoods, Aldi, and Somerfield etc There are the major player in the industry which include Tesco , Sainsbury, Morrison, Iceland, Asda Wal-Mart, MS. The Grocery industry could be examined properly by adopting the Michael porters five forces. Which include the bargaining power of suppliers, the bargaining power of buyers, and threat of new entrants, Threats of substitutes and Rivalry among competitors? 2.1 Porter Five Forces: Tesco The bargaining power of supplier in this industry matters, the key player in the industry now is Tesco and there are others like Sainsburys, Iceland, Morrisons but Tesco is just the giant, in the UK grocery industry. They made a profit of  £3.4 billion this year 2010 despite the scourge of the economic down turn. Tesco as a competitor buy in a very large scale because they have over 2000 stores in the UK and about 2300 stores across the UK. They have a wider market share, and they have a very high advantage over there suppliers. This is critical success factor that Tesco picks on to keep on dominating in the industry. They could even fix prices for their suppliers. What then could be the fate of other competitors in the system? MS is great going by that brand name the company has. It is a nice advantage. Asda Wal-Mart is equally waxing well in the industry after it was acquired by Wal-Mart in 1999.They get there supplies within and outside of UK. Sainsburys adopted other means to beat the market, they grow there own organic products even their meat in order to grow and maintain stands in the market. They do this in collaboration with the farmers. The same applies to Morrisons and Iceland. They use other measures to get supplies, and they do not depend on a particular source of supplies. (Guardian 2010) Bargaining power of buyers in this industry is not so significant yet it matters in the sense that even though prices are fixed and the consumers (buyer) can not bargain, they can check in other outlets. In that case they will not buy the product. The availability of various grocers at a place will make prices drop more. Though the price drop down may not be in the favour of the competitors. It is beneficial to consumers, and not the buyers. For instance, Tesco as a top grocer, with over 2000 locations in UK and still expanding, have a higher market share, they have a higher supply advantage ,consumers will not have bargaining power over them, as they have already brought down their prices and have numerous locations scattered all over the city. This is most likely to be affecting other key players in the industry. New Entrant coming into the industry will easily start because of the large market share of the grocery industry but will rather find it very difficult to penetrate the market and beat the already existing competitors especially the giant like Tesco. The grocery environment in the UK could be seen as oligopolistic one. The major grocers in the UK are few and the market share for this industry is large. Yet it would be difficult for a new firm to spring up or rather the younger firms to rise, except for a bigger firm to acquire an existing one. Just like Wal-Mart acquired Asda in 1999. ( ASDA 2010). It is because of the high rate of competition in the industry, and most other grocers like Sainsburys, Morrisons, Iceland, and MS were adopted growth strategies, and where increasing there location most especially Tescos. The Grocers in the industry has diversified and they do a umber of different product ranging from home use products, electronics, technologies, automobile, etc. This is a strategy for them to survive in the industry. In this industry, threat of substitute does not really take so much effect; this is mostly all about food. Buying a product here is almost the same in the other shop. For instance buying a digestive biscuit in Tesco, you go to another shop to buy digestive of different brand, it does not make much effect because they are all biscuits. They do not deal on one item; they deal on a variety of items. So, one can not substitute tens of thousands of item, when a normal grocer does ten brand of same item or product. However, where threat could be envisaged is at, may be the health/hygiene product. For example, the government has publicized to encourage healthy eating. It recommends eating 5 a day it has been noted by many other food retailers, who now label their foods with in depth nutritional information. The degree of rivalry in the grocery industry in the UK is very high. Highly perishable items are part of the contributor of the rivalry in the industry. Tesco is indeed an extremely powerful economic force in the in the industry. They are growing every now and then. They have the highest number of branches in the UK; UK is their biggest market when compared to other locations outside the UK. This is evidenced by the huge profit of  £3.4 billion profit they recorded this 2010. It is a 10% increment in profit when compared to last years profit. It is today beloved that in every  £10 spent on grocery in the UK, Tescos account for  £3. Tesco occupy about 2/3 of the grocery market in the UK. Presently they are rated the 3rd retailer in the world. In addition to the degree of rivalry, this report will explain the competitors analysis that has been taken place in this industry (Quick MBA 2007). (remember to affix in text reference in the industry analysis where necessary) 3.0 Competitor Analysis for Tesco Porters five forces will be a better tool for accessing the stand point of Tesco in the grocery industry. These include the bargaining power of suppliers, the bargaining power of buyers, the threat of new entrant, threat of substitute and the degree of rivalry. The bargaining power of suppliers towards Tesco is very low, as Tesco is such a very large grocer. They have over 2000 stores within the UK only and 4300 stores in general, so as such they buy in a larger quantity far greater than its competitor. Going by this bulky purchase, the suppliers seem to be at their mercy because of their high demand of products. They tell the suppliers what to sell and they stick to that. Considering the huge profit they declared this year 2010, inspite of the economic downturn, the strategy they adopted was that they have envisaged the change in the behaviour of people, and they changed strategy by doing more discount, price ranging for various classes of people, whilst maintaining its quality, and doing more promotions. They tell the supplier what they will buy; they have no choice than to succumb to it. More so Tesco produce most of their foods and meat by employing or hiring people. (Tesco 2010). The bargaining power of buyers towards Tesco is obviously very poor. This report suggests that there is no power Tesco buyers have at all. Tesco is absolutely in charge. Tesco wields so much power in the grocery business and they have brought their prices so low to match different classes of people in the society. More over their prices are fixed already. They provide promo for their customers and issue free club cards that grants you point in any item you purchase that is above a pound. At the end they use it to calculate the points and read what your likes and shopping behaviour. With this, they give offers to its customers. So, Tesco always have their focus on its customers. (Guardian 2010). Threat of new entrant is never an issue to Tesco PLC because of their strengths, which include but are not limited to their brand name, the large number of their locations, The higher number of their staff, their chain business, The high power they have over their suppliers and buyer and so on. However, a new entrant can come as an existing world class retailer to acquire or merge with another top retailer that is the only way they could penetrate. Though even at that, it is still very difficult to beat Tesco most especially in the UK as it is evidenced in the 2010 Tescos strategic intent;to develop retailing services, maintain strong core UK business and be as strong as non-food, as in food. (Tesco 2010) Threat of new substitute could not be seen much in a high degree when it comes to Tesco and grocery industry at large. Tesco sell their branded food as well as other products from various brand. So any substitute that is food, every tendency is their for Tesco to sell it. Another thing is that because of their high bargaining power, they could buy over a producer and that product will be done in the name of Tesco. Nevertheless, the switching cost for customers could be easy, but it could be hindered by proximity barrier because before he could walk for 5 to 10 minutes, he will see another Tesco shop instead of others. One can not because of one item and travel so far. Tesco has withstood the threats of Rivalry in the grocery industry through a number of ways, these include: The long years of consistence and care towards its customers, Their high bargaining power, The loyalty they have built vis-à  -vis their customers, Their high network of branches, their technologies, chains of other businesses, high performance all year round, they where able to make huge profits this year 2010. 10% increment against what they made last year in spite of the global down turn.(Tesco 2010). It is also believed presently that out of every  £10 spent on food here in the UK, Tesco accounts for  £3 pounds Guardian 2010). More so, Tesco keeps on bringing in more and more strategies that will make them be the no.1 in the world as they hope to be as strong in non food as in food, an international retailer, Maintain a strong core UK business, develop retailing services and put community at the heart of what they do. The competition is there, but Tesco has a core competency in the grocery industry. They wield much power. (Tesco is in the star position of the BCG Matrix. They have a high market growth rate and a high market share. Their 2010 revenue is  £62.54 billion while the 2010 operational income is  £3.41 billion i.e. 10% increment against 2009). 4.0 Portfolio Analysis This could be seen as the collection of a business and product that make up the company. The best business portfolio is the one that match the companys strengths and help bring out the attractive opportunities. The two better best known portfolio planning methods are the BCG matrix and the McKinsey / General Electric Matrix. In GE Matrix, market attractiveness replaced market growth of BCG as the dimension of the industry attractiveness and includes other range of factors other than the Market growth rate. Secondly, competitive strength replaces market share as the dimension by which the competitive position of each SBU is assessed. (Tutor2u 2010) Market Growth Rate of Tesco Tesco is a great force in the grocery market. The major strengths of Tesco is: they have their focus on customers at all times, Like the MD would ask what do you need. They believe that when you look after your customers, everything else will look after itself. Yes other companies are as focused as Tescos, but size of the company is a great strength. Having more locations means selling more, cause most shoppers goes to the nearest shop to buy. The more locations for Tesco brings about selling more, and selling more brings about better buying terms ,and which brings about lower pricing and or higher profit margin. The lower prices then bring in higher sales volume. Tesco has made itself classless with price ranges formed to cater across the board.(Guardian 2010). In summary, Tescos focus on customers; their numerous stores scattered all over and their classless pricing is the major strength that brings about the market growth. They declare huge profits at all year. In spite of the recession, Tesco declared  £3.41 billion profit this April 2010 i.e. a 10% increment in profit as against 2009 financial report. However, the people have a high demand for Tesco products majorly because its close to them and because they sell cheaper and general items, you must need in one or two ways. They have a very high bargaining power over their suppliers and buyers. Their market growth rate is indeed very high. Market Share of Tesco The club card which rewards customers is a good contributor to Tescos success. There is a research group called dunhumby co owned by Tesco, they analyse the 16 million cards and study the buying habits of there shoppers and tailor offers to them. This factor contributes to their high market share. Tesco has existed for 91 years, and as such they multiply in size and complexity as the year goes bye. This has given rise to so many loyalists to the company. The various promo they arrange for their shoppers from time to time especially at this recession, helps build up Tescos market share. Tesco today has the highest market share in the grocery industry in the UK. 5.0 SWOT Analysis for Tesco (Explain a brief about swot) Strengths of Tesco The strengths are those things that propel the steady growth of Tesco. Usually, they are positive things .It could be by way of action of the company, process, or service. These include: the introduction of Tesco club card which not only makes them no the no. Of their dedicated customers, but helps in offer to their customers. Tesco have a very high reputation in the grocery market and as such that makes their market share so high. The technologies Tesco have are an added advantage to them and they try to improve on it everyday. The own label ranges e.g. Tesco finest; Their range of store format e.g. Tesco express convenience stores, Tesco metro stores which can be found on high street and in city centres, Tesco super stores and Tesco extra-Hypermarket. they have They have a very powerful supplier relations ion. The scattered locations they have is an added advantage, their strengths is very high and they beat their rivals in the industry, They have over 2300 locations outside the co untry and still expanding. This adds to their market share globally. They have got a good distribution chain; Tesco has a very strong brand. Their online services is an advantage as well, they offer high quality items to people. Most of the other grocers in the UK does not have their own research company, but Tesco does and has contributed towards Tesco growth, especially in the area of Tesco club card. Above all, it is pertinent to note that Tesco withstands every force that may likely affect their grocery business. Weaknesses This could be seen as things that could or makes Tesco not to meet their objectives. This weakness could also be seen as those elements that hampers the growth and development of Tesco. Though that there is no recognisable weakness of Tesco because of their core competency and team player spirit they posses. One recognisable weakness this report may suggest is that they need to improve on their market, they have not yet fully covered the whole of UK; they do not provide fresh fruits in Tesco, especially at Tesco Express. They have not gained full dominance in the world when it comes to retails. Opportunities These are those external things that could improve the Tesco more. Some of the opportunities of Tesco include: Tescos objective to open a Tesco cash and carry shop at India is an opportunity for them to explore. Tesco plans to open bank this year 2010,They hope to create more employment this year by recruiting about 9000 employees more. Some of the other grocer is not doing well at the moment, so that could be an opportunity for them to acquire them. Threats Threats of Tesco are those factors that are beyond the control of Tesco, and they are likely to jeopardize the company. Some of these threats include: The daisy nature of area of investment or diversification could pose a threat due to unforeseen events. Grocers could start to reduce price even to a break-even point. There could be Likely tendency of 2 or more mergers to form a more formidable player in the industry to compete with Tesco, unforeseen inflation could pose a threat to Tescos Strategy and the value rate of GBP is dropped gradually in recent times. 6.0 Vision Providing value, care and satisfaction to its customers and its people; through collaborative efforts. 6.1 Mission To maintain a strong core local and international business by creating value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty. 6.2 Objectives of Tesco This report states that the objectives of Tesco are: providing customers with quality items that goes in commensuration with their money value; offering progressive returns on investment for their shareholders, improving on technology and investing on efficient stores and distribution depot for profit maximisation. Build a long term rapport with the suppliers so as to gain a lasting relationship based on price and quality level; help in protecting the environment; focusing on the community and catering for them, through the provision of customers needs based on steady soughting of their opinion on the aspect of quality, pricing, innovation, technology and other aspects whilst acting on them; awarding all its staff an equal opportunity , by giving them good training and proper management practices; contributing in the National Food Industry Policy, in the area of food hygiene, health safety and nutrition. 6.3 Measures Some of the things Tesco should adopt in order to achieve there objectives is to continue with low price and promos because people has not fully recovered from the recession, in addition, they should also continue to increase their locations because their are some places that Tesco needs to establish in. Doing this could go a great length to be building more and more their market share they should extend this to the Tesco international, as this would take them up a bit in the global ranking. They should adhere strictly to any laid down format towards achieving the companys objectives; these include Key performance Indicator. They should continue to maintain and protect the Environment locally and internationally. Never should they fail in constantly taking care of there customers by fulfilling their social responsibility. Tesco must continual with staff training and management practice across board and equally invest more on RD, for farther progress. 6.4 Strategic Intent Inasmuch as Tesco has attained a height in the grocery industry in the UK, they need to take it up to a commanding height of excellence by becoming the no. 1 in the globe. They need to establish anywhere favourable in Africa, after a careful research. In that case, this report suggests that Tesco should improve on the position they are at present, and climb to the next level as a world leader in food and non food market. 7.0 Strategic Development The summary of Tescos Objectives is to be an international retailer, maintain a strong core UK business, be as strong as in non food as in food, develop retailing services and put community at the heart of what they do. The Ansoff matrix will be a better tool to decide Tescos development strategy. Tesco need to improve, to be rated no 1 in the globe. Existing Products New Products Existing Market New Market Diagram 1: Ansoff Matrix Representation. 7.1 Market Penetration Tesco need to spread more of their products (its known already) spread more branches within UK so as to make business impossible for new entrant, and make business tougher for the existing ones, more customers will be using the product etc. Market development Tesco need to expand and as such this strategy will Tesco sell their existing products at new markets. This is most needed in the overseas where they are yet to be known. Product development This strategy is essential to adopt when Tesco wants to introduce any of their new products into an existing market like UK. Diversification It is a strategy that will enable Tesco market new products such as other non food items, in a new market. Tesco hope to establish a bank soonest in the UK, they could equally strategize on extending to other countries. They should adopt this strategy would help. 8.0 Strategic Implementation For market penetration strategy, it needs to be adapted to in order to boost the market share. They will achieve this by continually highly distinguished competitive price and more promotions for the customers, personal selling is encouraged and advertising. This will go a great length to dominate the market for Tesco. The management of Tesco needs to approve aggressive promotional campaign, with this will go vis-à  -vis a pricing strategy that will make other the market unattractive for other competitors. When they are doing this, they are restructuring a mature market for themselves. They also need to introduce a loyalty scheme. They should carry out a market development strategy to extend to those existing markets they have not been to with their already existing products. Just like some other countries in Asia. They should extend their existing products to such places. They need new competencies and those products should be modified so as to draw the attention of the existing market. Diversification could be a risky strategy. Tesco is about to start a Bank soon, which is expected to cash on opposition that exist amidst consumers toward UKs banks. (Guardian 2010),it is a good growth strategy for them, because this was what helped them, they started a non food items in 1997 which was led by Terry Leahy the chief Executive of Tesco (Tesco 2010) ands it immensely contributed to their profits. The Tesco non food raised 6.2% to  £13.1 billion with  £9 billion in the UK. They made  £4.1 billion in international. (Tesco corporate 2010). They should apply their usual process; use the competencies to carefully assess the risk involved and the gains in the diversification they would make. 9.0 Recommendations and Conclusion Inasmuch as Tesco is the leading grocer or retailer in the UK, they need to adopt the market penetration strategy of Ansoff matrix to dominate the market completely and broaden more and more their market share, thereby making the present notion that in every  £10 spent in grocery market in UK, Tesco account for  £3.The notion will change to every  £12 spent, Tesco accounts for  £6. It would be easier because they are not new in the market. Tesco need to use their competencies to extend and develop in foreign places, most especially Africa. They exist in almost other continents, but not Africa. Africa contributes either directly or indirectly so much towards the Economic growth in UK and America. (Lagos Chamber of commerce) Tesco should be continual in the study of customers so as to know the best strategy to adopt when there is another economic or socio-cultural situation. In conclusion, Tesco needs is a large diversified company and obviously they are doing better than others, but they still need to adhere to those measures and observe these suggested recommendations to be a world leader in retail industry. References/Bibliographies AICC (2010) Industry Analysis; The five forces [Online]. Available from: http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/ec/ec-722.pdf [Accessed: 26th April 2010] Economywatch (2010) Inflation; Economic inflation [Online]. Available from: http://www.economywatch.com/inflation/ [Accessed: 27th April 2010] Guardian, (2010) Tesco beats the recession to unveil record profits again [online].Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/25/tesco-record-profits-terry-leahy [Accessed: 25th April 2010] Porter M.E.(1980) Competitive Strategy; Technique for analysing industries and competitors. New York: First Free Press. Quick MBA (2007) Strategic Management [Online]. Available from: http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/porter.shtml [Accessed: 25th April 2010] Robson W. (2007). Strategic Management and Information Systems. 2ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Smith P. J. (2006). Strategic Planning Readings. Cape Town: Creda Communications Socyberty, (2007) Government intervention in the UK supermarket Industry [Online] Available from: http://socyberty.com/economics/government-intervention-in-the-uk-supermarket-industry/ [Accessed: 25th April 2010] Tesco PLC, (2009) Tesco Annual Reports and Financial Statements 2009 [Online] Available from: http://www.investis.com/tesco/pdf/repp2009.pdf [Accessed: 25th April 2010) Tesco corporate (2010) Tesco Plc Preliminary Results 2009/10 [Online] Available from: http://www.tescocorporate.com/plc/media/pr/pr2010/2010-04-20/ [Accessed: 27th April 2010) Tesco (2010) Media press releases 2010 [Online] Available from: http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/media/pr/pr2010/2010-04-20/ [Accessed: 27th April 2010]

The Popularity of E-mail Essay -- Internet Communication Web email Ess

The Popularity of E-mail E-mail in one way or another plays a role in just about everyone's life. Just about everyone has a computer and uses it to communicate. E-mailing and instant messaging is easy and almost necessary for people in today's world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  E-mailing and instant messaging definitely plays a large role in my life. In all honesty one of the first things I do in the morning is get up and check my e-mail to see if anyone has sent me a message. It's become a routine for me. I get up get ready for school and chick my messages just like many of my friends and a good portion of today's world.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Personally I think that sending e-mails and instant messaging is great as long as you don?t let yourself get too caught up with it. I usually check my mail when I first wake up and before I go to bed at night. I see no problem with that, but I have friends and family members that spend a good portion of there day sitting in front of there computer screen just sending e-mails back and forth. Its almost like the computer has control of them, they sit and wait to receive a short message from a friend just to send one back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In ?We?ve Got Mail Always?, Andrew Leonard talks about how many people in today isolate themselves in front of the computer and essentially waste there whole day away. While this is true he also says it can be used to bring people together and help us manage our lives better. The computer definitely has its ups and downs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a l...

In songs of innocence and experience William Blake reveals the contrary states of human existence

William Blake was a madman. This is what many people believed and still do today. After all he claimed to have visions of angels and he thought himself to be a prophet. However, could someone so mad make poems full of ingenious sense? Is it possible for someone who was happily married with such creativity and artistic talent to be crazy? To determine whether Blake's sanity stayed firmly with him throughout his life, we can study his background and analyse the deeper meanings lodged within his poetry, in 17 of his poems from Songs of Innocence and Experience. ‘Without contraries is no progression', Blake summed up in this one quotation what he was trying to say in all of his poems; that opposites: ‘Attraction, Repulsion, Reason, Energy, Love, Hate' are partners in the structure of ‘Human Existence' hence the title ‘The marriage of Heaven and hell'. Blake's background plays a large part in why he was the way he was, so it is important to cover his background as well and not just what he managed to put in the form of a poem on paper. So, Blake had little money and certainly lived a poverty stricken life throughout his childhood (him and his other brother and sister). The impression is given through research of the illustrious writer's background, that he was religious from a very young age as he was born in 1757 which was still, of course, a very religious time and at the age of just 4 he claimed to have received a vision of God's head in a window. Blake only had a sister called Catherine after his brother, Richard Blake, died in infancy in 1762 and John Blake also died in infancy; until Robert Blake was born (who later went on to die at the age of 21) in 1767 which is also when William's father had recognised what a talent he had for drawing and so Blake was sent to a drawing school. Wanting a good income for his son, Blake's father arranged for Blake to be an apprentice to an engraver, called Basire. He spent 7 years there learning the arts of: engraving, etching, stippling and copying. When he was twenty one he became a professional engraver and met his future wife, Catherine Boucher. He stayed with her for the rest of his life. His other achievements apart from his poems were his paintings, poetical and political sketches, books and engrave. This picture was painted by Blake in 1805 with water colours as well as pen. It is called, ‘The River of life' and shows the experienced and innocent swimming and wading through the river of life. Also the golden sunset on the horizon appears to be the destination and it is like a guiding light, offering hope and almost suggesting it is heaven as Blake was very religious and it does lie at the end of the river. The two tall figures at either side of the picture are holding pipes and playing a tune on them which goes back to Blake's poem, in Songs of Innocence ‘Introduction'. The ‘Introduction' to Songs of Innocence is showing how Innocence needs Experience and is led by experience. Introduction Piping down the valleys wild Piping songs of pleasant glee On a cloud I saw a child. And he laughing said to me. Pipe a song about a Lamb: So I piped with merry chear, Piper pipe that song again — So I piped, he wept to hear. Drop thy pipe thy happy pipe Sing thy songs of happy chear, So I sung the same again while he wept with joy to hear. Piper sit thee down and write In a book that all may read — So he vanish'd from my sight, And I pluck'd a hollow reed. And I made a rural pen, And I stain'd the water clear, And I wrote my happy songs Every child may joy to hear The repetition of pipe and piper gives the poem an uplifting feel because of the imagery that it provokes in your mind (a tune being piped). This kind of youthful happy imagery is used in many of the poems to put across the carefree, naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve days that come with childhood. However the piper, being older, represents experience or so you would think and yet it is the little boy who cries to hear the song; if the boy is innocent and has no experience how could he know sadness that comes with experience. Blake was right that you need opposites because after all you cannot balance anything if it is one sided; hence the irony of the boy having experience and innocence. I think that Blake has chosen to make the Songs of Innocence poems happier on a whole because he had such an unhappy childhood as many of his brothers died then and re-wrote the jolly childhood that he missed out on. I also think that the Songs of Experience poems are less pleasant because Blake stated to see the world in an abstract way and was less naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve when he was older and he noticed more of the bad things in the world for example, in his descriptive poem of London where he spent lot of time (as well as in the countryside). London was also the subject of a poem by William Wordsworth but it portrayed a contrasting view to Blake's, many say this was because Blake became bitter. London I wander through each chartered street Near where the chartered Thames does flow, And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe. In every cry of every man, In every infant's cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban, The mind-forged manacles I hear – How the chimney-sweeper's cry Every black'ning church appals, And the hapless soldier's sigh Runs in blood down palace walls; But most through midnight streets I hear How youthful harlot's curse Blasts the new-born infant's tear, And blights with plagues the marriage-hearse. This poem portrays a very sinister London which he appears to have experienced in detail as he says in the 1st line ‘each chartered street †¦..where the chartered Thames does flow', implying that he has been down the same streets many times before being that chartered means somewhere that has already been discovered or found. The repetition of ‘every' in the 2nd stanza, ‘In every cry of every man, In every infant's cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban,' emphasizes the monotonous, repetition in every one of his days. As he is talking about ‘mind-forged manacles' as well, it is like he is saying that no-one escapes as even the innocent are touched by experience; for example, ‘In every infant's cry of fear' Blake could hear experience trapping them. The world was far from perfect in Blake's day and still is today, but that didn't stop Blake; in a perfect world, people would be able to do anything and not be restricted by rules of law or physics, which is what Blake wanted; this was because Blake was a Romanticist. Romanticism characterized many works of literature, paintings, music, architecture, criticism in Western civilization over a period from the late 18th to the mid-19th century. Romanticism is often seen as the rejection of the rules of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality that epitomised Classicism in general. This is why he was opposed to the enlightenment period and the reason and illusory science that came with it. In Songs of Innocence, Blake endeavoured to make the world a better and happier place in his eyes by giving a distinctive naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve view to the poems. The poems were striking in the 18th century and even more so today, but Blake in his time was seen as a unique thinker because he could look at the world differently to everyone almost in an abstract way which appealled to citezens of London and England (although mainly the radical thinkers he surrounded himself with e.g. Thomas Paine who he also wrote some political sketches with). Songs of Innocence and Experience are some of his most infuencial linguistic works of art, how ever it was the poem ‘London' which influenced L.S. Lowry to draw his infamous match stick people outside of a industrial building all walking around and that was written over 100 years prior.

Response to Obedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem Essay

These are rules rather than orders that most people are given choice whether it is to obey or suffer some sort of consequence, despite not knowing what the consequence are many may choose to obey the order; however the question is, should we obey all orders that are given to us, despite of our moral of ethnical problem with the order that are ordain to us? Regarding this matter of disobedience as being â€Å"a psychological and moral problem† according to the author Eric Fromm, I would like to point out the concept of â€Å"autonomous obedience,† which gives us an opportunity to rely on our â€Å"own powers and to become fully human,† hence gaining our own knowledge, intellect, independence and freedom by being dictate by our very own â€Å"humanistic conscience† that helps and guides us to discern right from wrong and to justify what’s is just and unjust. Just may be the world will be a much better place if we learn to be autonomously obedient based on humanistic discipline, whilst being conscience wise in decision making and being bold enough to face the outcome whether it is good or bad. To be control and govern by â€Å"an institution or men† who rely only upon the power to give vigorous orders and to rule with a vast amount knowledge to intimidate, manipulate and create just and unjust laws to exercise authority and use all sorts of judgment with no ounce of logical thinking. In full grasp of these trademarks one who have not fully grounded in courage and are unsure of their conscience is left with no other choice, but to be submissive and obey, therefore there are no different from a slave who has his rights taken away. Although through the traditional meaning of slavery we know that it is a person who has their rights stripped. A complete obedient person has thus fallen into intellectual slavery. As his rights to question, assess, and evaluate the authority have been consciously or unconsciously taken away, this doesn’t deny the fact that he is in a case of complete and blind submission to the higher authority he submits to intellectual domination. Throughout history there have been a lot of exploitation and abuse of power, especially by those in higher authority, such as the government structure and the constitution, which in some nations creates and pass unjust laws through legislature that clearly violates human and civil rights. To make sure these law are uphold several types of initiative are introduce in the process. The act of negligent brute and â€Å"sheer force† always seem to be the best alternative for these laws, in attempt to secure the system and the infrastructure; anyone who may defy and attempt to cause treason may face with some type of harsh punishment; for example the  controversial Jim Crow laws  where state and local laws in the United States between the year 1876 and 1965 that mandated racial segregation, the separation in practice led to conditions for African Americans that tended to be inferior to those provided for  white Americans systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages. Some examples of Jim Crow laws are the segregation of public schools, public places, and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains for whites and blacks. The U. S. military was also segregated. From the mid 1960s through the end of the decade, more than half a million Blacks participated in rebellions that rocked some 300 American cities. More than 60,000 Blacks were arrested, more than 200 were killed, and tens of billions of dollars worth of property was damaged. Despite of the consequences of these acts, humanistic conscience and stirred emotions drove the blacks to disobey the high authority they were cognizant that their entire life have been jeopardize by this unjust law, in other words they were being treat like rejects from another planet, scorned like a plague, and ordered around like a mule on a saddle, hence the introduction the Civil Right Movement that revolutionize worldwide political movements for equality before the laws. This ruckus could have been impeded if they have had some sort of reasoning, however the government being pompous in there thinking and also claiming â€Å"omniscience and omnipotent† they clearly lose sight on the outcome and they did not prevail over the crisis that t hey single handedly created, moreover; their laws were over thrown and their high authority openly defied, by those who they may label as rebels and not a type of revolutionist since they so called oppose the natural flow cycle  of things. A great instance comes from a recognizable man Nelson Mandela, who stood side by side with his beliefs and humanistic conscience, together with determination and resilience to defy, fight and break â€Å"White Supremacy† and the apartheid system in his home country South Africa where their beliefs that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that whites should have control over people of other races. Though Mandela strove to benefit his people and ultimately society on a whole, he was accused of treason and thrown in prison for 27 year since he opposed the normal flow of interaction between the higher authority and its subordinates. Another fine example was displayed by an officer of the U. S armed forces, Lieutenant Ehren Watada, who refused deployment to Iraq, he created fury with his objection and public condemnation of the war in January 2006. Watada therefore believed his own involvement would be constituted as crimes against peace under command responsibility. He asked to be deployed to Afghanistan, where he felt there was a true moral imperative to defend the United States, his request for his resignation was declined. He was force in court on a double jeopardy trial regarding the accusation of insubordination. Today Watada works at Fort Lewis with the continuous threat of a 6-8 year prison term looming over him for the crime of speaking truth to power. We have the authority and are our own individual, whether we choose â€Å"to say no or to obey,† the power is in our hands and not in the hands of others that control you like a puppet on a string. Blindly obeying authority often results in disobedience to one’s personal morality. Since rules were established and exist for the common interests of the general population, some would say follow the rules and be obedient. However, when rules conflict with people’s morals, one has the right, and furthermore the responsibility to disobey. Contrary to popular belief, disobedience does not center around rebellion. In fact, disobedience is the manner in which people shed enlightenment on the well-traveled journey of intellectual ignorance, by offering another point of view. Nevertheless, if people do not challenge their very surroundings, then they will never discover the true freedom that exist behind the castle gate of control and pressure. Through choosing to disagree, a person is exclaiming the fact that they will not negotiate the most personal aspects of their lives, such as their morals theory and still today they neglect to acknowledge an essential partner in the undisputed credibility of moral decisions. This essential is one’s own conscience. By allowing one’s conscience to govern ideals and decisions, the community as a whole rises to a heightened understanding of its surroundings. As conscious individuals, humans acknowledge the fact that not everyone holds the same opinion, and therefore, not everyone is governed by the same rules. .

How far is friar Lawrence to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet Essays

How far is friar Lawrence to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet Essays How far is friar Lawrence to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet Paper How far is friar Lawrence to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet Paper Essay Topic: Romeo and Juliet Friar Lawrence is the local Roman Catholic priest who is also an apothecary. He is the confident of both Romeo and Juliet and plays an important role in the fate of both. He is more than aware of the familys feuding and seems to be well thought of by everybody. Romeo respects Friar Lawrence very much and sees him as a father figure. When Romeo feels suicidal when he has just been banished from Verona, the Friar tells him to straighten up. `This is dear mercy, and thou seest it not. ` When Romeo confesses that he wants to marry Juliet, Friar Lawrence teases Romeo about how fickle in love he is. `Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken? ` But in spite of this he still agrees to marry the young couple as he hopes it will end the familys feuding. `For this alliance may so happy prove, To turn your households rancour to pure love. ` He only agreed to it because he had their best interests at heart. I dont think he is to blame for marrying them as he did what he thought was right. And even if Friar Lawrence hadnt married them, whos to say that another Friar wouldnt have married them? Romeo and Juliet both feel as if they can turn to him when they are in trouble. We see this when Romeo has been banished, because he stabbed Tybalt and Juliet has been told that she must marry Paris. Romeo doesnt seem as if he is very close to either of his parents but Juliet usually has her nurse to turn to, but even the nurse, in the end the nurse rejects her too. `I think it best u married with the county. ` So in desperation each one goes to Friar Lawrence for help. Romeo is helped by being giving him a hide out in Mantua until Juliet can meet him. Juliet, being ordered to marry Paris, has gone to Friar Lawrence in desperation and has asked for help. First of all the Friar has to help Romeo escape. He allows Romeo to spend one night with Juliet, but before dawn he must leave. It is at this time that Juliet has been told to marry Paris. So she goes to the Friar. Friar Lawrence then devises a plan that will ensure Juliet and Romeos happiness. In some ways this shows us the Friars cunning, we are also shown that he is quite a smart man. We know that the friar is also an apothecary, so he gives Juliet a potion, which will make Juliet look as if she is dead. When she is taken to the family tomb, the friar will wait until she awakens, and by which time Romeo will hopefully already be there and take Juliet away. While devising this plan he still has the families interests at heart. He is only doing this in the hope that the two families, Montague and Capulet will reconcile. Although it could be argued, that he only helped them because he wanted to save himself. I personally dont think so. I think he would have known that he would have had to `cover his tracks` before he married the couple. He seems like a prudent man, one that will think things through; he would never have married them and helped them elope for selfish reasons. But the Friar did deceive both the Capulet and Montague parents. And although this was wrong, it was also, in my opinion justified. I think this because he didnt really have much choice. If he had wanted to succeed with his plan then they would have had to be kept in the dark, there was no other way round it. If they had been told, neither parent would have agreed to let their child associate with the child of the enemy. Priests do have the best interests of their parishes at heart and they do not lie and deceive people needlessly, but I think in this case it was allowed. Even though everything didnt turn out the way it should have, it achieved the one thing the Friar wanted: peace between the families. And although the price paid was very high, almost too high, the motivation was honourable he genuinely didnt act selfishly. I think everyone, in the play recognised this including the prince.

One-Sided Friendship Essay Example

One One-Sided Friendship Paper One-Sided Friendship Paper Basadre, Danielle Ella Mae B. February 4, 2011 Neon-IV Draft # 2 Aim: To write a personal narrative essay One-Sided Friendship Ever since I was a little girl, I have had this best friend who is really unusual. But this friend of mine is amazing; he would take me to new places, new adventures. He opened a world of learning and entertainment. He showed me a lot of things and he makes sure that I’m always aware and updated in the latest happenings. And you know what’s even better? He is always there when I need him. He doesn’t ask for so much attention and being with him gives me comfort and warmth. But, little did I know, that this best friend would soon betray me and cause me suffering. If before he was a good influence, now, he was a distraction, and I seemed to be so drawn into his world, that I even ignored things that are really essential. So one day, when I was inside the house with him, my mother asked me to buy something. I was reluctant because I didn’t want to leave him. But then I had to obey; I went to the table to get the money beside the â€Å"fresh from the kettle tumbler† with c alamansi juice on it which had been prepared by my mom. Unfortunately, I accidentally knocked the tumbler over and the freshly boiled juice spilled onto my thigh. And all of this happened because I wasn’t giving my full attention to what I was doing; my attention was always on my bestfriend. I cried and I cried but he didn’t help me. My best friend had abandoned me. It really hurt when my thigh was burned. It was hard for me to move especially walk. It was really a traumatic and saddening experience for me. I’ve realized that this friendship of ours was not healthy. Even my mother told me that spending time with him is bad, especially now that I’m more drawn into him. So I’ve made up my mind. I won’t be spending most of my time with him; I’ll try to lessen the time that we’re together. I’ve learned to prioritize what is really important. No more late nights and snack times with him. I’ll just bond with my family more; nothing would break us apart; not you, my ex-best friend, the television.

Gallium Facts (Atomic Number 31 or Ga)

Gallium Facts (Atomic Number 31 or Ga) Gallium is a bright blue-silver metal with a melting point low enough you can melt a chunk in your hand. Here are interesting facts about this element. Gallium  Basic Facts Atomic Number: 31 Symbol: Ga Atomic Weight: 69.732 Discovery: Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran 1875 (France) Electron Configuration: [Ar] 4s2 3d10 4p1 Word Origin: Latin Gallia, France and gallus, a Latin translation of Lecoq, a cock (name of its discoverer was Lecoq de Boisbaudran) Properties: Gallium has a melting point of 29.78 °C, boiling point of 2403 °C, specific gravity of 5.904 (29.6 °C), specific gravity of 6.095 (29.8 °C, liguid), with a valence of 2 or 3. Gallium has one of the longest liquid temperature ranges of any metal, with a low vapor pressure even at high temperatures. The element has a strong tendency to supercool below its freezing point. Seeding is sometimes necessary to initiate solidification. Pure gallium metal has a silvery appearance. It exhibits a conchoidal fracture that it similar to a glass fracture in appearance. Gallium expands 3.1% on solidifying, so it should not be stored in a metal or glass container that can break upon its solidification. Gallium wets glass and porcelain, forming a brilliant mirror finish on glass. Highly pure gallium is only slowly attacked by mineral acids. Gallium is associated with a relatively low toxicity, but should be handled with care until more health data has been accumulated. Uses: Since it is a liquid near room temperature, gallium is used for high-temperature thermometers. Gallium is used to dope semiconductors and for producing solid-state devices. Gallium arsenide is used to convert electricity into coherent light. Magnesium gallate with divalent impurities (e.g., Mn2) is used to make commercial ultraviolet-activated powder phosphors. Sources: Gallium may be found as a trace element in sphalerite, diaspore, bauxite, coal, and germanite. Flue dusts from burning coal may contain as much as 1.5% gallium. The free metal may be obtained by electrolysis of its hydroxide in a KOH solution. Element Classification:Basic Metal Gallium Physical Data Density (g/cc): 5.91 Melting Point (K): 302.93 Boiling Point (K): 2676 Appearance: soft, blue-white metal Isotopes: There are 27 known isotopes of gallium ranging from Ga-60 to Ga-86. There are two stable isotopes: Ga-69 (60.108% abundance) and Ga-71 (39.892% abundance). Atomic Radius (pm): 141 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 11.8 Covalent Radius (pm): 126 Ionic Radius: 62 (3e) 81 (1e) Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.372 Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 5.59 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 270.3 Debye Temperature (K): 240.00 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.81 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 578.7 Oxidation States: 3 Lattice Structure: Orthorhombic Lattice Constant (Ã…): 4.510 CAS Registry Number: 7440-55-3 Gallium Trivia: Galliums discover, Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran named the element after his home country France. The Latin word gallus means both Gaul which is an older name for France. It was believed he also named the element after himself because gallus also means rooster (or Le Coq in French). Lecoq later denied he named gallium after himself.The discovery of gallium filled a spot predicted by Mendeleevs periodic table. Gallium took the place of the placeholder element eka-aluminum.Gallium was first identified using spectroscopy by its distinct pair of violet spectral lines.Galliums melting point (302.93 K) is low enough to melt the metal in the palm of your hand.Gallium is the element with the highest range of temperatures for its liquid phase. The difference between galliums melting and boiling point is 2373  °C.Gallium is one of five elements with a melting point near room temperature. The other four are mercury, cesium, rubidium and francium.Gallium expands as it freezes like water. Gallium does not exist free in nature.Gallium is obtained as a byproduct in the production of zinc and aluminum.Most gallium produced today is used in electronics.Gallium nitride semiconductors are used the blue diode lasers of Blu-rayâ„ ¢ players.Gallium arsenide is used to produce ultra-brite blue LEDs.Liquid gallium is known for its ability to wet glass, porcelain and skin. Gallium forms a very reflective surface on glass making an excellent mirror.An amalgam of gallium, indium, tin is used in medical thermometers in place of the more traditional and toxic mercury thermometers.Gallium Beating Heart is one of the fun and easy chemistry demonstrations for chemistry students. Gallium Fast Facts Element Name: GalliumElement Symbol: GaAtomic Number: 31Group: Group 13 (Boron Group)Period: Period 4Appearance: Silver-blue metalDiscovery:  Lecoq de Boisbaudran (1875) Sources de Boisbaudran, Lecoq (1835–1965). Caractà ¨res chimiques et spectroscopiques dun nouveau mà ©tal, le gallium, dà ©couvert dans une blende de la mine de Pierrefitte, vallà ©e dArgelà ¨s (Pyrà ©nà ©es). Comptes rendus. 81: 493.Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.

Comparison of Non-Vegetarians and Vegetarians Essay - 2

Comparison of Non-Vegetarians and Vegetarians - Essay Example Being a vegetarian or non-vegetarian is an individual’s decision. Both categories have their individualistic pros and cons. The desire to be a vegetarian comes from a myriad of sources which include a wish to stay healthy, live green and remain smart. There is a general perception that consumption of vegetarian food keeps one’s weight in control because of the reduced intake of fat. There is a significant population of vegetarians who consider it unlawful to slaughter animals or birds to eat them irrespective of the prevailing laws in the country. They consider it wrong ethically. According to them, just because humans have more brains and power as compared to other animals and birds does not deprive other species of their right to survival and existence. Being a vegetarian deprives an individual of a whole range of foods that are made of meat. Accordingly, the range of flavors with which the vegetarians can play to develop different tastes in different dishes is limite d. Vegetarians are generally smarter as compared to the non-vegetarians because some of the most common and potential sources of fat including butter and cream that are derived from animals are excluded from their diet. Research suggests that vegetarians, both men, and women, have a higher IQ level as compared to the non-vegetarians (BBC, 2006). The desire to be a non-vegetarian fundamentally emerges from the love of meat, though there are also other factors that play a role including a wish to stay healthy and strong. There is a general perception that consumption of non-vegetarian food facilitates the development of muscles and lends the body more muscular strength. Non-vegetarians do not consider it ethically wrong to slaughter animals and birds to eat them.  

Metabical Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Metabical - Case Study Example However, Metabical has faced competition ever since the FDA approved an OTC drug known as Alli. Therefore, Cambridge Sciences Pharmaceuticals had to come up with new marketing strategies, such as advertisements on TV, radio, celebrity endorsement and printed advertisements in medical publications. Its top priority was to ensure that patients gain knowledge and awareness of the drug. A Metabical potential customer is, therefore, required to make a well informed decision before settling for Metabical drug2. First, an overweight patient should be willing to lose weight either to be healthy or to avoid discrimination from others. Secondly, after an overweight patient is aware of their condition, they are required to start an exercising program and ask health care providers for assistance when they need it. Thirdly, after consulting healthcare providers, the consumers are required to consider and engage a different method that could be easier in achieving their goal of losing weight. Last ly, if all the other methods fail, the health care providers can recommend the use of the Metabical drug under observation. This way, patients can observe their progress in weight loss as well as evaluate the effectiveness of Metabical. Consumers and health care providers are the parties involved in the decision making process. This is because they are the target market for the Metabical drug. As such, it is also important to note that Metabical is a prescription drug that can only be acquired through a prescription. However, CPS should place into consideration the concerns raised over new weight loss drugs and focus on providing solutions to solve any problems that may arise. In addition, CSP should make up marketing communication strategies that attract consumer awareness, elicit their interest and arouse their desire hence purchasing the Metabical weight loss drug. However, these marketing communication strategies must be tailor-made to suit the interests of different targets3. I t is important to note that the consumer decision making process goes through some stages. The first stage entails recognition of the need for the Metabical drug. Many overweight people lack self esteem and consider themselves as outcasts. For instance, given an American case, more than sixty five percent of Americans are overweight. Here, the Metabical drug share needs with the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that include the need for belongingness and love for companionship since no one likes to be excluded4. The next stage is alternative search, where the prospective consumer collects information from marketing sources such as advertisements, public sources such as newspapers and magazines. Some consumers opt to ask friends who have tried diet drugs before, family and health care experts for suggestions on recommendable overweight drugs. So far, the prospective consumers have been exposed to adequate information on diet drugs. The next step involves evaluation of available alt ernatives rather than Metabical drug. In this case, the consumer compares the Metabical drug to other products such as OTC products, the Alli drug, ephedrine and many others5. The consumer is also able to evaluate the ingredients of the drugs and rule out those that they may be allergic to. In this step the consumers’ objectives are to discover the side effects and the

Basel Accord Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Basel Accord - Essay Example The paper tells that the Basel Committee on Bank Supervision (BCBS) was originally established in the 1970s to tackle the new challenges of banking across international boundaries. It became apparent that the failings and collapse of one country's banks was now being felt in other countries all over the world. It was obvious that intervention and prevention was necessary. In the 1980s, the United States Congress, pushed domestic regulatory agencies to set and enforce standards, including a fixed proportion of capital a bank must hold, or capital adequacy. This is how the Basel Accords began. The accords have been adapted and expanded in attempts to meet needs and to speak to aspects that previous version of the accords may not have addressed sufficiently. In order to understand the Basel Accords better it is useful to review them individually in order to better compare and contrast the variations. The BCBS determined that bank capital would be organized into 2 separate tiers. Tier 1f ocuses on the higher-quality capital, those that represents items of the lowest priority of repayment and easiest to absorb when lost. Most of Tier 1 involves â€Å"core† capital, or common equity, which arises from actual ownership in the bank, like common stock, undivided profits, and surplus monies. Tier 2, also called supplementary capital, include certain reserves, and term debt. The capital under Tier 2 can be divided into 2 more sublevels; the upper focuses on maintaining characteristics of being continuous, like preferred capital, and equity. The lower level, is the least costly for banks to issue because it pertains to debts with a time of maturity of at least 10 years.(Eubanks, 2010) Basel I was the first attempt made to establish a standard of regulating international banking and it came under a great deal of criticism. Opponents felt that the Basel I Accord approach to â€Å"risk-weighing assets.† They claimed that this system is too broad and lacks the fin ite specialization to address all of the unique risks that apply to the differing assets held by the bank. As a response the BCBS released a revision to the accord called the â€Å"International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standards: Revised Framework,† which is, also, known as Basel II.(Larson, 2011) Basel II Basel II differs from Basel I in a distinct way. It introduced a section of â€Å"Pillars,† which intended to rectify the capital adequacy issues with Basel I. Pillar 1, specifically, deals with the procedures of calculating the required capital within banking organizations. This accord will determine risk potential based upon the totality of their credit risk, market risks, and operational risks. Pillar 2, ideally, was placed to increase, both, accountability and transparency with the banking system. Pillar 3 works to require banking institutions to disclose risk exposures, allowing for better assessment of the needed safety to help create a

Branding and product life cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Branding and product life cycle - Essay Example In this stage the products are newly launched in the competitive market place by the organizations. In this product life cycle stage, monopoly can be developed based on the demand and efficiency of the product. The organizations generally achieve losses rather than profit during this product life cycle stage. The organizations generally implement aggressive promotional strategies in order to create awareness about the newly developed product. This introduction stage has two characteristics, such as low competition and low sales growth rate. Growth Growth stage is the second common stage in the product life cycle model. This stage comes with the recognition in the competitive market. Profit of the products starts to flow from this stage. The organizations can try some new innovative ideas in order to maintain the sales growth of products. This growth stage is considered as the appropriate time to develop new competitive and effective price in the competitive marketplace. This strategy helps the organizations to develop a potential customer base for the products. Maturity Maturity is the third stage in the product life cycle model. ... It affects the sales of product. Several organizations try to redesign their products to secure market share and customer loyalty towards it. However, low profit margin, limited sales growth rate and implementation of new innovative models are the major characteristics of this maturity stage. Decline Decline is the last stage of product life cycle model. Generally, majority of the products dies in this decline stage due to huge low sales growth rate. Several organizations share the same market for a single product class. It is difficult for these products to compete with the new entrants. It is true that, market demand and needs of customers change constantly due to the organizations’ product differentiation strategy (Lamb, Hair and MacDaniel, 2008, p.30). This strategy reduces the demand of the existing products. Target customers generally perceive these products as the old and ineffective products. Therefore, people try to experiment with newly developed products in the mark et place. It is not necessary that, every product would go through this specific product life cycle stage. It highly depends upon the category of products, scope of that particular product and market competition. Question 2: Branding Strategies Branding strategy can be defined as the long term plan for a particular brand. It includes determination of potential target audiences and a significant understanding of the market demand and needs of target customers. Effective branding strategy helps to identify the brand and its experience. There are several branding strategies that have been implemented by the organization. This part of the essay will discuss about Company Name Branding, Individual Branding, Attitude Branding,

A business conferences in North Wales Assignment

A business conferences in North Wales - Assignment Example This research will begin with the long – term and short – term goals of Business Conference PLC. The short – term goal of Business Conference PLC under the current situation can be to successfully conduct the upcoming business conference. This short term goal can be achieved by the company by taking into account the overall cost and benefit analysis of the conference. If the benefits earned from the conference are higher than the costs incurred in conducting this conference, it leads towards the achievement of short-term goal. There are different points in time where the company can foresee whether the conference can be successful or not. For instance, at the time of initial planning the company can make best judgments whether the estimates are good enough for the successful organization of the conference. At the time of booking, the company can realize the success of the conference by considering the interest of the delegates. Under economic terms, the most rele vant cost for short term decision making is the variable cost. There might be different long –term goals of the company including the expansion of the business in different geographical boundaries, growth in revenues etc. These goals can be achieve by conducting long – term strategic planning regarding the achievability of those goals. Every cost matters a lot when long – term time horizon is kept into consideration. Therefore, the company needs to evaluate it financial, human and technological resources in the long – term as part of its strategic planning.... Viability of the Conference If the overall cost and revenue analysis of this particular conference is taken into consideration, it can be seen that Business Conference PLC will reap too much benefits from conducting this particular conference. The overall cost estimates of the company relating to this particular project are quite low and the determined price to be charged from the delegates is quite high. Under the existing situation, if the company expects around 200 delegates to attend the conference at ?750 per delegate fees, the company can successfully generate total revenue of ?150,000. However, if the costs are analyzed, it can be observed that variable cost pertaining to 200 delegates is just ?108, thus earning a huge contribution of around ?642 which is more than enough to cover the fixed costs of the company which are around ?20,970. Hence at the existing level of operations, this particular conference is highly viable for the company to conduct and the company can reap a b enefit of around ?107,430. If the viability of the conference is considered with respect to other determinants in respect of breakeven level, profitability if the delegates are reduced or the price per delegate is reduced, the company is still in a good position to conduct this conference such that the company would be in no profit no loss situation if only 33 delegates attend the conference. If the number of delegates is reduced by 50% i.e. only 100 delegates attend this conference, even then the company can earn ?43,230. On the other hand, if the price per delegate is reduced by 50% and kept at ?375 per delegate, even then the company is in a

What would you do as an educator to make spanish speakers (parents and Assignment

What would you do as an educator to make spanish speakers (parents and students) feel comfortable when they meet you in a school setting - Assignment Example onal domains that are being instilled in them and hence it would be a point of advantage to take into consideration their grey areas and highlight the shortcomings for their own betterment in the long run. I believe I would do them a great service if I look after their needs and requirements and then devise a way which could eventually take care of their learning mechanisms in the long term scheme of things (Goff 2003). This would facilitate them in their quest to achieve greater things within the fields of education and learning. I would also devise the exact ways and means through which they could be assisted in the most feasible manner as far as their learning methodologies and mechanisms are related. These elements are indeed significant as these dictate the kind of optimism that is needed on the part of an educator which I have to take care of at the end of the

A business conferences in North Wales Assignment

A business conferences in North Wales - Assignment Example This research will begin with the long – term and short – term goals of Business Conference PLC. The short – term goal of Business Conference PLC under the current situation can be to successfully conduct the upcoming business conference. This short term goal can be achieved by the company by taking into account the overall cost and benefit analysis of the conference. If the benefits earned from the conference are higher than the costs incurred in conducting this conference, it leads towards the achievement of short-term goal. There are different points in time where the company can foresee whether the conference can be successful or not. For instance, at the time of initial planning the company can make best judgments whether the estimates are good enough for the successful organization of the conference. At the time of booking, the company can realize the success of the conference by considering the interest of the delegates. Under economic terms, the most rele vant cost for short term decision making is the variable cost. There might be different long –term goals of the company including the expansion of the business in different geographical boundaries, growth in revenues etc. These goals can be achieve by conducting long – term strategic planning regarding the achievability of those goals. Every cost matters a lot when long – term time horizon is kept into consideration. Therefore, the company needs to evaluate it financial, human and technological resources in the long – term as part of its strategic planning.... Viability of the Conference If the overall cost and revenue analysis of this particular conference is taken into consideration, it can be seen that Business Conference PLC will reap too much benefits from conducting this particular conference. The overall cost estimates of the company relating to this particular project are quite low and the determined price to be charged from the delegates is quite high. Under the existing situation, if the company expects around 200 delegates to attend the conference at ?750 per delegate fees, the company can successfully generate total revenue of ?150,000. However, if the costs are analyzed, it can be observed that variable cost pertaining to 200 delegates is just ?108, thus earning a huge contribution of around ?642 which is more than enough to cover the fixed costs of the company which are around ?20,970. Hence at the existing level of operations, this particular conference is highly viable for the company to conduct and the company can reap a b enefit of around ?107,430. If the viability of the conference is considered with respect to other determinants in respect of breakeven level, profitability if the delegates are reduced or the price per delegate is reduced, the company is still in a good position to conduct this conference such that the company would be in no profit no loss situation if only 33 delegates attend the conference. If the number of delegates is reduced by 50% i.e. only 100 delegates attend this conference, even then the company can earn ?43,230. On the other hand, if the price per delegate is reduced by 50% and kept at ?375 per delegate, even then the company is in a

The Declaration of Independence of US Research Paper

The Declaration of Independence of US - Research Paper Example Unfortunately, the words are also almost entirely false as a guide for actual guarantees of the kinds of freedoms espoused in the document, at least as such guarantees might have applied to anyone in the colonial society who was not, like Jefferson, a white, male, wealthy landowner with political and economic connections. In fact, even as Jefferson penned the words, the formal and informal seats of power in the colonies were occupied by men who owned slaves, controlled wealth, and abused the rights of women. How then can Jefferson justify using the words? In this brief essay, the approach of Jefferson and the ruling class that founded the nation to the ideals of political and economic freedoms and equality that they argued for will be reviewed in order to show how they violated the very terms established as reasons for their revolution. Specifically, the ways in which Jefferson and other founding fathers acted against the words of the Declaration in regards to slaves, women and the non-wealthy working classes will be reviewed. Following a review of their actions toward each of these constituent groups, a reevaluation of the language of the Declaration will be conducted and a summary analysis of the ultimate value of the founding principles contained in it will be offered. Although it is difficult to argue against the eloquence of the political principles contained in Jefferson’s words in the Declaration, it is easy to see hypocrisy in his application of those words to the actual realities of his own family and community. In fac t, as Damon Root argues there was a gap between espoused principles and political practices that resulted in an almost perfect paradox as realized in the person and figure of Jefferson. Nowhere was this gap more readily seen than on the issue of slavery. Root claims â€Å"The celebrated author of the Declaration of Independence, which famously declares that ‘all men are created equal’ and are born with the inalienable rights to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ †¦ was also a slaveholder, a man whose livelihood was rooted in the subjugation of hundreds of human beings, including members of his wife’s family and his own.† Having penned words which seemed to indicate that he believed in a form of basic equality among all persons, Jefferson lived a life which did not square with those words because he held in his formal possession as a legal and professional matter the actual freedoms of a large number of persons, both men and wom en. He owned them and could do with them as he pleased, including – among other things – utilizing their physical labor for his economic benefit and utilizing their bodies for his sexual enjoyment. That mere fact, without regard to what kind of slave owner Jefferson actually was, whether he was kind or considerate to those who came under his purview, is enough to suggest that Jefferson either did not take his own words seriously or he believed that they had some application to the broader society, such as the international community, but not to himself. Any other conclusion would require one to find Jefferson simply being an outright hypocrite. Of course, this is one possible interpretation for his actions, and there were those, even in his day, who reached for it. Root

Appropriate Future Strategy For A Given Organization Commerce Essay

Appropriate Future Strategy For A Given Organization Commerce Essay One of the first things that you will need to do when you start up a new business is to create your business strategy. The strategy that you decide up will be incredibly important for the future of your business since it will influence many of your future decisions and shape the nature of your university business. It is, therefore, its essential to take the time to make sure that you choose the right strategy for you and your new business. Making the right choice now will affect the chances of your university business becoming a success. When you choose your business strategy, you will need to make sure that it is one with which you will feel comfortable, but you will also need to ensure that your strategy is compatible with the type of business you want to run and the industry in which you will be working. You need to choose the strategy that will be right for your particular business. Your business strategy will be the overall strategy that you use to shape and run your business. It may incorporate a number of smaller missions, plans or goals that set out what you want to achieve with your business. These may relate to your business focus, the differentiation of your business from its competitors, or the other factors that will determine what makes your business a success. A pioneer business is one that is creating a new product, or developing something new, and, which is therefore based upon innovation. If you want to follow this type of strategy, then you will need to continue creating new products and offering new services in Leeds University, so you will need to make sure that you have the necessary resources for this kind of innovation. If your business strategy will be to set up a business as a follower rather than a pioneer, you will be entering into a field that has already been established by other businesses. This will offer certain advantages since you will be able to exploit services which have already been created and proven successful. However, it will mean that you will need to be ready to take on the competition. In order to increase your chances of success as you enter an established market as a follower, you may want to focus your business strategy on a particular niche. You can choose to offer a broad range of products or services, although this will open you up to a large number of different competitors and it is likely to require more resources. Alternatively, you can focus on a particular, specialized niche or area of business, such as the sale of a particular service. Another important consideration when you are choosing your business strategy is the type of market which you would like to target. The types of products and services that you want to offer and the customers you will need to appeal to may vary a great deal in value, from high end to low end products. You should decide which end of the market you want to target, taking into consideration your skills, experience and resources as well as the characteristics of each type of market. In order to make the right choice of business strategy, you will need to consider a number of different factors, such as the resources that you have available, the opportunities that are available in the market and the types of skills and experience that you are able to take advantage of, both in yourself and in your employees. When you are choosing your business strategy, you should consider the future of your business as well as your current resources and situation. You may want to think about the long-term potential of your business strategy and how it may develop and change as your business grows. Your business strategy can change over time, but it is still important to ensure that you choose the right strategy for the present, in order to ensure that you achieve the success you need now before you can think about growth and expansion into new areas of the market. 4.1 Compare the Roles and responsibilities for strategy implementation? Task: Evaluate the function and the day-to-day job for plan execution of Leeds University. The key to a successful execution is alignment. Strategy, people, and day to day work processes need to be effectively linked. The strategic plan must be understood by the entire organization, the right people need to be in the right jobs to allow for maximum work performance, and action plans must be developed, implemented, and reviewed. A common issue is that individuals within the various departments in an organization may view the goals and objectives of the company very differently. Where a communication vacuum exists, Sales, Manufacturing and Finance may view a singular priority very differently. This miscommunication between functional silos can be very counterproductive. To effectively align strategy, people, and the tactical action plans that lead to a successful execution, a lot of hard work and diligent communication must happen. We cannot communicate too much guiding an entire organization to the same place takes consistent repetition for the message to stick permanently in the minds and hearts of employees. Another critical point is that plan execution is a process, not a specific step. There is no discrete beginning or end. Markets and competitors are ever-changing. Although the broad strategy and direction should not waver, what things get done, and in what order, will evolve due to changing conditions in the world around us. Then we evaluate and adapt and to gain traction and ground on the competition. As the world changes, communication, once again, is very important to minimize any confusion within the ranks. The bottom line is that effective execution is difficult. There are formidable roadblocks, hurtles, and changing dynamics that get in the way and can injure the implementation of a good strategy. But well run businesses do this all the time, although there is no singular process to manage the execution of a business plan, there are basic processes and fundamentals to be followed. 1) Once the broad Mission, Vision and strategy for the organization has been established, focusing on its core competencies, specific quantifiable goals to support the strategy must be formulated. 2) The organization must be evaluated. Do you have the right people with the right skills in the right jobs? Should human resources be reallocated? Do you have the right number of employees in the appropriate departments? 3) Identify the key initiatives and broad actions that must be accomplished to achieve this strategy. Identify the transitional issues, or the gaps, between where you are today and where you plan to be. Push the initiatives throughout the organization. They must be consistently understood in all functional departments. Every employee needs to understand their individual role in accomplishing some aspect of the plan. 4) Develop a budget to support the plan. This may be an iterative process until the right combination of strategy, tactics, and financial prudence is achieved. 5) Communicate! Get the message out to the entire organization. Develop compensation and reward systems to support the future Vision of the organization. Create decision filters that help guide the organization through a thought process for those times when the organization wrestles with a concept that may stray from its strategy. 6) Establish a review process. As the markets, customers, competitors, government regulations, economy, etc. evolve, some priorities, and possibly some goals, may change. Go back to the beginning, review each step, and determine if further changes are necessary. 4.2 Evaluate resource requirements to implement a new strategy for a given organization? Task: Assess what type of resource requirements are needed to implement a new strategy for the Leeds For Leeds University which have a plan in place, wasting time and energy on the planning process and then not implementing the plan is very discouraging.   Although the topic of implementation may not be the most exciting thing to talk about, its a fundamental business practice thats critical for any strategy to take hold. The strategic plan addresses the what and why of activities, but implementation addresses the who, where, when, and how. The fact is that both are critical to success. In fact, companies can gain competitive advantage through implementation if done effectively.   In the following sections, you discover how to get support for your complete implementation plan. All components must be in place in order to move from creating the plan to activating the plan. People The first stage of implementing your plan is to make sure to have the right people on board. The right people include those folks with required competencies and skills that are needed to support the plan. In the months following the planning process, expand employee skills through training, recruitment, or new hires to include new competencies required by the strategic plan. Resources You need to have sufficient funds and enough time to support implementation.   Often, true costs are underestimated or not identified. True costs can include a realistic time commitment from staff to achieve a goal, a clear identification of expenses associated with a tactic, or unexpected cost overruns by a vendor. Additionally, employees must have enough time to implement what may be additional activities that they arent currently performing. Structure Set your structure of management and appropriate lines of authority, and have clear, open lines of communication with your employees. A plan owner and regular strategy meetings are the two easiest ways to put a structure in place. Meetings to review the progress should be scheduled monthly or quarterly, depending on the level of activity and time frame of the plan. Systems Both management and technology systems help track the progress of the plan and make it faster to adapt to changes. As part of the system, build milestones into the plan that must be achieved within a specific time frame. A scorecard is one tool used by many organizations that incorporates progress tracking and milestones. Culture Create an environment that connects employees to the organizations mission and that makes them feel comfortable. To reinforce the importance of focusing on strategy and vision, reward success. Develop some creative positive and negative consequences for achieving or not achieving the strategy.   The rewards may be big or small, as long as they lift the strategy above the day-to-day so people make it a priority. 4.3 Discuss targets and timescales for achievement in a given organization to monitor a given strategy? Task: Discuss the targets and timescale needed for the University of Leeds to achieve its vision of securing a place in the top 50 universities of the World by implementing the above strategy. A key strategic objective for the University of Leeds is to secure a place among the top 50 universities in the world by 2015. To achieve this, the University will have to develope a number of initiatives to support the further development of core activities such as research, learning, teaching and knowledge transfer. Supporting each of these core activities are university staff and resource, whose further development is critical to enabling the Universitys primary objective can be achieved effectively. According to Leeds university official website, The University has engaged in a wave of modern expansion since 2008, and has invested more than  £300  million in transforming its campus over the coming years, resulting in new state-of-the-art educational, research, residential and leisure facilities with a further  £80  million being spent to improve current assets. The programme of this expansion being one of the biggest capital investment projects in British higher education. Its overarching vision is to provide staff and students with a world-class campus which is integral to the universitys ambition and vision of securing a place among the worlds top 50 universities The University of Leeds, having selected Jadu Content Management following an extensive formal tendering process, are currently implementing enterprise web content management across the Universitys faculties. The Jadu CMS system, which has been integrated with the Universitys LUMINIS student portal system and Google Search Appliance (GSA), will form the basis of all online publishing at the University over the next 10 years. Scenario: A manager might want to speed up the process of team development to the performing stage. Given the uncertainties and conflict of the storming stage, it might also seem apparent that team spirit and solidarity should be developed as soon as possible. So how do you build a team? Question 5: (Covers some elements of assessment criteria 4.1 and getting merit M2)) Read the following statements and decide to which category they belong (forming, storming, norming, performing, doming and justify your answer with reasons. -Two of the group arguing as to whose idea is best. Storming Storming is characterized by competition and conflict within the team as members learn to bend and mold their feelings, ideas, attitudes, and beliefs to suit the team organization. Although conflicts may or may not surface as group issues, they do exist. Questions about who is responsible for what, what the rules are, what the reward system is, and what the evaluation criteria are arising. These questions reflect conflicts over leadership, structure, power, and authority. Because of the discomfort generated during this stage, some members may remain completely silent, while others attempt to dominate. Members have an increased desire for structural clarification and commitment. In order to progress to the next stage, team members must move from a testing-and-proving mentality to a problem-solving mentality. Listening is the most helpful action team members and the team leader can take to resolve these issues. -Progress becomes static performing The performing stage is not reached by all teams. Those teams that do reach this stage not only enjoy team members who work independently but also support those who can come back together and work interdependently to solve problems. A team is at its most productive during this stage. Team members are both highly task-oriented and highly people-oriented during this stage. The team is unified: Team identity is complete, team morale is high, and team loyalty is intense. The task function becomes genuine problem solving, leading to optimal solutions and optimum team development. There is support for experimentation in solving problems, and an emphasis on achievement. The overall goal is productivity through problem solving and work -Desired outputs being achieved. Norming When the team moves into the norming stage, they are beginning to work more effectively as a team. They are no longer focused on their individual goals, but rather are focused on developing a way of working together (processes and procedures). They respect each others opinions and value their differences. They begin to see the value in those differences on the team. Working together as a team seems more natural. In this stage, the team has agreed on their team rules for working together, how they will share information and resolve team conflict, and what tools and processes they will use to get the job done. The team members begin to trust each other and actively seek each other out for assistance and input. Rather than compete against each other, they are now helping each other to work toward a common goal. The team members also start to make significant progress on the project as they begin working together more effectively. -Shy member of group not participating. Forming The forming stage takes place when the team first meets each other. In this first meeting, team members are introduced to each. They share information about their backgrounds, interests and experience and form first impressions of each other. They learn about the project they will be working on, discuss the projects objectives/goals and start to think about what role they will play on the project team. They are not yet working on the project. They are, effectively, feeling each other out and finding their way around how they might work together. During this initial stage of team growth, it is important for the team leader to be very clear about team goals and provide clear direction regarding the project. The team leader should ensure that all of the members are involved in determining team roles and responsibilities and should work with the team to help them establish how they will work together (team norms.) The team is dependent on the team leader to guide them. -Activities being allocated. Forming During the forming stage, team members not only get to know each other but also familiarize themselves with their task and with other individuals interested in the project, such as supervisors. At the end of the forming stage, team members should know the following: The projects overall mission The main phases of the mission The resources at their disposal A rough project schedule Each members project responsibilities A basic set of team rules Scenario: The Griswold cutlery Company is an old established firm, selling high quality stainless steel cutlery to markets in the UK, France and Germany. It is based in Sheffield. The managing director, Mr. Paul Griswold, great grandson of the firms founder, has just taken over from his father, Matthew Griswold. Matthew Griswold was a manager of the old school. As the boss, he liked to exert power and employees were afraid to disagree with him. He encouraged strict conformance to company procedures: rules are rules, they are there to be followed, and I dont like changing them. Question: 6 (Covers some elements of assessment criteria 4.2 and getting merit D1)) Paul Griswold wants to introduce MBO. Do you think this will be an easy task? Justify your answer with reasons. I will give my opinion at the end of the answers but first the Definition of MBO: MBO is one of the rational school of managements successful products.                                                                                                       The Economist Management by objectives (MBO) is a systematic and organized approach that allows management to focus on achievable goals and to attain the best possible results from available resources. It aims to increase organizational performance by aligning goals and subordinate objectives throughout the organization. Ideally, employees get strong input to identify their objectives, time lines for completion, etc. MBO includes ongoing tracking and feedback in the process to reach objectives. Management by Objectives (MBO) was first outlined by Peter Drucker in 1954 in his book The Practice of Management. In the 90s, Peter Drucker himself decreased the significance of this organization management method, when he said: Its just another tool. It is not the great cure for management inefficiency. Features of MBO: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Management by Objectives is a philosophy or a system, and not merely technique. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  It emphasizes participative goal setting. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  It clearly defines each individual responsibility in terms of results. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  If focuses attention on what must be accomplished (goals0 rather than on how it is to be accomplished. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  It converts objective needs into personal goals at every level in the organization. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  It establishes standards or yardsticks (goals) as operation guides and also as basis of performance evaluation. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is a system intentionally directed toward effective and efficient attainment of organizational and personal goals. 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  MBO process (or management by Objective cycle or key elements of management by Objectives or minimum requirements     of        management by objectives. Steps in MBO: What are the steps involved in the process of MBO? The basic steps that are common in all the processes of management by objective (MBO) are:- 1. Central goal setting: defining and verifying organizational objectives is the first step in MBO process. Generally these objectives are set by central management of the organization but it does so after consulting other managers. Before setting of these objectives, an extensive assessment of the available resources is made by the central management. It also conducts market service and research along with making a forecast. Through this elaborate analysis, the desired long run and short run objectives of the organization are highlighted. The central management tries to make these objectives realistic and specific. After setting these goals it is the responsibility of the management that these are known to all members and are also under stood by them. 2. Development and individual goal setting: After organization objectives are established by the central management, the next step is to establish the department goals. The top management needs to discuss these objectives with the heads of the departments so that mutually agreed upon objectives are established. Long range and short range goals are set by each department in consultation with the top management. After the department goals are established, the employees work with their managers to establish their own individual goals which relate with the organization goals. These participative goals are very important because it has been seen that employees become highly motivated to achieve the objectives established by them. These objectives for individuals should be specific and short range. These should indicate the capability of the unit of the individual. Through this process all the members of the organization become involved in the process of goal setting. 3. Revision of job description: In the process of MBO resetting individual goals involves a revision of job description of different positions in the organization which in turn requires the revision of the entire structure of the organization. The organization manuals and charts may also have to be modified to portray the changes that have been introduced by the process of MBO. The job description has to define the objectives, authority and responsibility of different jobs. The connection of one job with all other jobs of the organization also needs to be established clearly. 4. Matching goals: The establishment of objectives cannot be fruitful unless the resources and means required to achieve these objectives are provided. Therefore the subordinates should be provided required tools and materials which enable them to achieve the objectives efficiently and effectively. Resource requirements can be measured precisely if the goals are set precisely. This makes the process of resource allocation relatively easy. Resource allocation should be made after consulting the subordinates. 5. Freedom implementation: The task team of manager and his subordinates should be given freedom in deciding the way to utilize their resources and the way to achieve their objectives. There should be very little or no interference by the seniors as long as the team is working within the framework of organization policies. 6. Establishing check points: The process of MBO requires regularly meetings between the managers and their subordinates to discuss the progress achieve in the accomplishment of the objective established for the subordinates. For this purpose the mangers need to establish the standards of performance or check points to evaluate the progress of their subordinates. These standards need to be specified as for as possible quantitatively and it should also be ensured that these are completely understood by the subordinates. This practices needs to be followed by all managers and these should lead to an analysis of key results has the targets are represented in terms of the results. The analysis of key results should be recorded in writing and it generally contains information regarding : (I) the overall objectives related with the job of subordinates. (ii) The key results which must be achieved by the subordinate to fulfil his objectives. (iii) The long term and short term priorities, a subordinate needs to adhere to. (iv.) The extent and scope of assistance expected by a subordinate from his superior and other departmental managers and also the assistance, the subordinates is required to extend to other departments of his organizations. (v.) Nature of information and the reports receive by the subordinate to carry out self evaluation. (vi.) The standards use to evaluate the performance of the subordinate. 7. Performance appraisal: An informal performance appraisal is generally conducted in routine by the manager; a periodic review of performance of the subordinates should also be conducted. Periodic reviews are required as the priorities and conditions change constantly and need to be monitored constantly. These reviews help the mangers as well as the subordinates to modify the objectives or the methods whenever require. This significantly increases the chances of achieving the goals and also ensures that no surprises are found at the time of final appraisal. Periodic performance appraisal needs to be based on measurable and fair standards so that these are completely understood by the subordinates and there are also aware of the degree of performance required at each step. 8. Counselling: Periodic performance review helps the subordinates in improving his future performance. Advantages of MBO: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  MBO programs continually emphasize what should be done in an organization to achieve organizational goals. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  MBO process secures employee commitment to attaining organizational goals. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Motivation Involving employees in the whole process of goal setting and increasing employee empowerment increases employee job satisfaction and commitment. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Better communication and Coordination Frequent reviews and interactions between superiors and subordinates helps to maintain harmonious relationships within the enterprise and also solve many problems faced during the period. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clarity of goals With MBO, came the concept of SMART goals i.e. goals that are: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Specific 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Measurable 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Achievable 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Relevant, and 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Time bound. The goals thus set are clear, motivating and there is a linkage between organizational goals and performance targets of the employees. Disadvantages of MBO: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It over-emphasizes the setting of goals over the working of a plan as a driver of outcomes. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It underemphasizes the importance of the environment or context in which the goals are set. That context includes everything from the availability and quality of resources, to relative buy-in by leadership and stake-holders à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Companies evaluated their employees by comparing them with the ideal employee. Trait appraisal only looks at what employees should be, not at what they should do. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It did not address the importance of successfully responding to obstacles and constraints as essential to reaching a goal. Conclusion: The use of MBO needs to be carefully aligned with the culture of the organization. While MBO is not as fashionable as it was before the empowerment fad, it still has its place in management today. Because in mbo the objectives are discussed and agreed, based upon a more strategic picture being available to employees. Engagement of employees in the objective setting process is seen as a strategic advantage by many. So in my opinion its very different process from how The Griswold cutlery Company used to be managed and I dont think I will be an easy task, but if achieved it will be very rewarding Scenario: Hall Faull Downes Ltd has been in business for 25 years, during which time profits have risen by an average of 3% per annum, although there have been peaks and troughs in profitability due to the ups and downs of trade in the customers industry. The increase in profits until five years ago was the result of increasing sales in a buoyant market, but more recently, the total market has become somewhat smaller and Hall Faull Downes has only increased sales and profits as a result of improving its market share. The company produces components for manufacturers in the engineering industry. In recent years, the company has developed many new products and currently has 40 items in its range compared to 24 only five years ago. Over the same five year period, the number of customers has fallen from twenty to nine, two of whom together account for 60% of the companys sales. Question: 7 A. (Covers some elements of assessment criteria 2.1 and getting merit D2)) Give your appraisal of the companys future, My personal opinion of Hall Faull Downes future is the we will see: #1 a decrease in profit over the next few years which will lead to the lowering the average of 3% growth per annum #2 the company will lose of its customer base over time therefore It will lose even more substantial market share #3 the company is in risk if both or one of the two customers that account for 60% of their business sales decided to pull out from trading with hall Faull Downes #4 the number of clients may continue to drop and we might see the business offer even more products in its range which could mean that the business may become non-specialized, finally the company could branch out from producing just components in the engineering industry. And if the business doesnt make some changes, it might run into major financial problems, which in this economy state could mean bankruptcy for Hall Faull Downed And suggest what it is probably doing wrong #1 the decreasing market share, Market share is the number one health indicator for your company. If it is flat or worse yet falling, you have a serious problem on your hands. So you need to develop techniques that can help you reverse this problem and ensure that this trend does not surprise your company again. #2 the increase in the range of products the company produce, While carrying a wide range of products may at first sound like a great idea because your business may appeal to a variety of customers, chances are this will backfire unless you have a business model that is designed to carry lots of products (think variety stores or stores such as Wal-Mart or Target). Most companies have specific business models when they are launched and if your business isnt designed or marketed to be non-specialized, carrying a wide range of products is likely going to have the opposite desired effect and put your business at a huge disadvantage. A business that attempts to sell a plethora of products is going to need a strategic plan to support the rationale for carrying a wide range of products. Most of the time, this reason doesnt exist. The reason for this is because by offering too large a variety of products, you eliminate the specialization factor and this is usually one of the best strategies to increase business and grow your customer base. A business that tries to gra