Monday, September 30, 2019

Sap Ag and Brady Corporation Redesign

Case Study – Can Brady Corporation Redesign Its Systems for Success? Executive Summary: The Brady Corporation is branded as the oldest & the most successful companies in Milwaukee, Wisconsin founded in 1915; and a leader in high performance labels, signs and related industrial safety products. They have 44 business units that produce and distribute its labels from 47 locations in 20 countries on five continents around the world. Despite its growing success, the company found it was running into trouble in the mid 1990’s that fear of falling behind with its competitors in the use of Internet to save costs on already –low profit margins. In 1997, Brandy launched a major Web project; the new digital system was called Web-to-Workbench; which enable customers to be able to design and order their own signs online and the website would automatically forward the new order to its production facility. However problems were encountered; Brady relied heavily on information systems (IS) to support most of its business process, but were antiquated (out of date), & could not communicate with each other. In February 1999 Hudson’s assess the company could not continue growing because it was â€Å"Stymied by an infrastructure that had reached well beyond practical limits† She concluded that the company must overhaul its business process totally to move fully into the digital age. Brady needed to revamp al its system. The goal â€Å"business-led Project for the whole company† and not just a software or information technology project was made clear by CFO David Schroeder Brady. I. Viewpoint From the Brady’s CEO KATHERINE HUDSON II. Time Context In year 2000 III. Statement of the Problem SAP enterprise software was not a good foundation for Brady’s new systems creating problems in various areas of the company. IV. Statement of the Objectives 1. In year 2000, SAP will tie-up with other systems projects 2. In year 2003 upon installation and testing of all systems and then if it fails, it’s time for Brady to redesign its system 3. Hire people for maintenance of the new information system for the company simultaneously with the installation of the system. V. Areas of Consideration TOWS MATRIX |Strengths |Weaknesses | | | |Business units act independently from each | | |The pioneer in high performance label and |other. | | |signs. |Information systems are not in synch with each | | |Has 44 business unit for the manufacture of its|other. | |products |Information systems are out of date. | | |Has a unique system that lets customers | | | |customize their own design in the product they | | | |intend to purchase. | |Opportunities |S O |WO | | | | | | | | | | |â€Å"Maxi-Maxi† Strategy |â€Å"Mini-Maxi† Strategy | | | | | | |Use a firm’s internal strengths to take |This are strategies aimed at improving internal| | |advantage of external opportunities |weaknesses by taking advantage of external | | | |opportunities | |Threats |ST |WT | | | | | |1. Brady is falling behind with its competitors|â€Å"Maxi-Mini† Strategy |â€Å"Mini-Mini† Strategy | |in the use of Internet to save costs on already| | | |–low profit margins. Use a firm’s strengths to avoid or reduce the |This are defensive tactics directed at reducing| | |impact of external threats |internal weaknesses and avoiding external | | | |threats | | | | | | | | | | | | | VI. Assumption Computers and Information Systems: Year In Review 2001 The recession year 2001 hit the computers and information systems sector hard. Already reeling from the collapse of dot-com companies a year earlier, the industry had to de al with reduced demand for its products and services. That in turn produced a steady stream of corporate cutbacks and layoffs. The terrorist attacks in the U. S. on September 11, which stunned the world and sent the U. S. Source: Encyclop? dia Britannica. om, retrieved from Analysis: The information age had run a wall in its technological advances. After the millennium bug the news about the dot. com collapse and the terrorist attacks, people begun to question the reliability of computers and the system. Companies began searching for a cheaper and more reliable system to place. SAP Needs More than Tech Help to Fix Problems SAP has made a lot of bad headlines. An SAP rollout at Levi Strauss went awry, leading to delayed product shipments for a whole week during the second quarter, which in turn caused a bad earnings quarter. News of price hikes and a forced transition to the new SAP Enterprise support. Silicon. om best summed up the problem that this SAP is claiming this as an enhanc ed offering, it is difficult to see how it will be able to justify this level of fees for customers whose deployments are complete or which do not wish to upgrade. Source: ITBusinessEdge, Lorraine Lawson, July 2008 Analysis: Systems had become unreliable that companies in the US had become hesitant in installing new and improved information system in their production. Another bad scenario that had come up is the burst of the dot. com bubble leaving most Americans awry about computers and the system that runs them. VII. Alternative Courses of Action ACA 1: Change for Oracle System ACA 2: Hire technicians to troubleshoot and upgrade the system ACA 3: Extensive use of the internet for the unification of transaction of all units of Brady corp. VIII. ANALYSIS ACA 1: ACA 2: Hire technicians to troubleshoot and upgrade the system Advantages: By hiring technicians, they can do preventive maintenance of Brady’s system and at the same time can upgrade the system. The can install programs that can help Brady in its information system problems. Disadvantages: More costly because of the human factor that is attached upon the ACA ACA 3: Extensive use of the internet for the unification of transaction of all units of Brady corp. Advantages: Internet usage had been proven less costly and the vastness of its reach is unlimited. Disadvantages: Brady might just replicate the problem that it already has. IX. Conclusion Decision Matrix Criteria |ACA 1 |ACA 2 |ACA 3 | |Cost-driven | |1 |3 | |Effectiveness | |4 |4 | |Easy to implement | |3 |4 | |Total | | | | Rating: 1-4 (1 is the lowest and 4 is the highest) X. Plan of Action Activities |Person in-charge |Costs |Timeframe | | | | | | |ACA 1 | | | | | |HRD |The minimum wage it has to pay |2001 | |ACA 2 | | for the technicians that will | | | | |handle the information system | | | | |(44Business Units/One person | | | | |per unit) | | | |I. T. /Engineering Dept. |Internet usage is said to be |2001 | |ACA 3 | |free of charge but the system | | | | |that a company has shell out to| | | | |have a decent internet | | | | |connection varies | |

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Effects of Overpopulation in the Philippines

The Philippines needs to deal with a major problem that poses a threat to economic growth. Overpopulation is the root of almost all problems in the Philippines and for the country to progress, it only needs to solve overpopulation and everything else will follow. The problem of overpopulation is one of the factors that causes unemployment. Existing businesses in the country can no longer provide jobs to all the workforce in the country. Jobs are available, however due to lack of educational expertise, which can also be traced from overpopulation, not many people are qualified to handle the available jobs. Even the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, which is currently booming in the country, cannot provide jobs to all Filipino citizens because not all Filipinos are well-versed in English. Overpopulation will not increase the collection of taxes if the country could not give jobs to its population (cited in Orbeta, Pernia and Sanchez, 1999). The National Statistics Office (NSO) indicates that population would be projected at 90. 4 million in 2008 with a population growth rate of 2. 3 percent annually, one of the highest in Asia. Due to the high unemployment rate, many of the workforce are not qualified as taxpayers which means that budget collection is low. This is considering the number of projects needed to stabilize poverty and other related problems. In short, overpopulation creates unemployment; unemployment creates poverty; and poverty impedes economic growth. If overpopulation could only be solved, the government could allot more of the budget needed for growth and development rather than shelling out huge funds for housing projects, feeding programs and other projects aimed at alleviating poverty. Overpopulation also results in abuse of the country's natural resources. This, in turn leads to different environmental problems. Pollution is also a factor associated with overpopulation. Waste disposal in the Philippines is a worsening problem which threatens the environment. The Environment and Natural Resource Accounting Project (ENRAP) indicated that households were found to be the major contributors to air and water pollution in the Philippines. (cited in Orbeta, Pernia and Indab, 1999) For air pollution in 1992, 64 percent of particular matter, 89 percent of volatile carbon and 90 percent of carbon monoxides come from households while 44 percent of biological oxygen demand, 61 percent of suspended solids and 76 percent of Phosphate contribute to water pollution (cited in Orbeta, Pernia and Indab, 1999). Population growth also affect education and health in such ways that there are close birth-spacing, lower levels of nutrition intake, poor nutritional status, higher infant mortality, smaller per capita health and food expenditures, poorer access to preventive and curative medical care, lower schooling expenditures per child, lower grades for children enrolled in school, lower child intelligence. It was also pointed out that this setup is more evident in families that are below the poverty line (cited in Orbeta, Pernia, Jha and Deolalikar, 1999). The relatively high fertility rate also indicated that it affects education. It was discovered that enrollment rates continued to increase despite rapid population growth and that per capita expenditure showed a decline even if enrollment rates were not affected by population growth (cited in Orbeta, Pernia and Schultz, 1998). These results were then compared using data from the Philippines and simulation results yield that while human capital expenditures rise, the increase does not suffice enough to sustain the level of per capita expenditure which gravely affects the quality of education (cited in Orbeta and Pernia 1999). On the other hand, overpopulation in the country still has a positive outcome. The dollar remittances coming from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), the Philippine Peso still trades well versus the US Dollar. One way to solve the problem, the legislative branch of the government must enact a bill that will limit the number of children that a couple may have. China is already doing this but the one-child policy that they are implementing was deemed too harsh. Having a limit of two children would be just enough to maintain the country’s present population. It may even be noted that those people who do no have a good standard of living are the ones that have less children while the well-off families have only one to three number of children. Another way of solving overpopulation is by holding family planning campaigns and disseminating proper information on contraceptives. However, being a Catholic country, the Church stand remains to be an impediment. Due to this, the promotion of such initiative remains to be debated by the Government and the Church for a long time. Addressing the challenges caused by overpopulation remains to be difficult for the Philippine government to address due to the complications and relative problems it gives to individuals and society. The Philippine government must act accordingly to these problems and promote mechanisms to tackle the issue accordingly. In the end, if people and the government will work hand-in-hand to combat the adverse effects of overpopulation, to foster continued growth and development.

Friday, September 27, 2019

What factors have led to HSBS's offshoring policy What benefits does Assignment

What factors have led to HSBS's offshoring policy What benefits does HSBC gain from this - Assignment Example The operating profit of the group was $5,298 million during 2009, with a reduction of 30.7% from 2008. HSBC has become largely involved in the process of offshoring with an aim to decrease costs of labor. (Data Monitor. 2010) This paper will focus on the issues relating to offshoring by one of the globally known financial service provider HSBC. It will mainly discuss the factors that have led to the company’s offshoring policies and what kinds of benefits are being derived by HSBC Holdings from its offshoring activities. A brief note about Offshoring; Exporting jobs that is commonly known to be as offshoring has become widespread across the world. Companies based in developed regions are getting involved in offshoring to low cost regions of the world. Offshoring mainly implies relocation of jobs with the purpose of reducing costs of production. India and China have become the most important service providers. From the macroeconomic perspectives, there has been a huge debate ov er whether it offshoring is good or bad for the economy of the exporting countries as well as to the economy of the importing countries. Particularly, major concern has been raised regarding the impacts of offshoring on the economy of the importing nations, like USA, UK, other European nations, Australia, etc. A huge number of highly recognized and highly profitable companies of these nations are involved in offshoring. (Abramovsky et al. ... (CORPORAT E PARTNERS RESEARCH PROGRAMME. n.d) The labor available in UK and other European countries are quite expensive compared to the labor available in countries like China and India. Many people have expressed their concern over the effect of offshoring on the domestic economy and domestic productivity of UK, but this concern has not quite affected one of the largest financial service providers of the country. In fact, the extent of offshoring has been increased by HSBC to reduce their fixed and variable costs of production. Major motivational factors behind offshoring: Major motivational factors that have played crucial role in adopting the path of offshoring by HSBC can be as follows: First, a financial service provide generally gets the opportunity to of investing in global securities by adopting the path of offshoring. Very often many top performing securities are not available to the citizens of the UK and thus the investors of this country generally does not get the option of investing in these securities that provide lucrative returns. But offshoring makes it possible to make these global top performing securities accessible to the investors. (Clark, 2009; CORPORAT E PARTNERS RESEARCH PROGRAMME. n.d) Second, a banking service provider that opts for offshoring becomes able to provide its banking account holders the opportunity of accessing all those banking products that would not be available otherwise in the domestic market. (Clark, 2009; CORPORAT E PARTNERS RESEARCH PROGRAMME. n.d) Third, the level of confidentiality is much higher in case of offshoring banking services and hence investors become more interested to purchase

SMEs in Chinas Textile and Clothing Industry Essay

SMEs in Chinas Textile and Clothing Industry - Essay Example Such situation is result from three reasons. Firstly, after China's entry of WTO, the firms in this industry are facing fierce competition from entry of foreign textile and clothing giant firms in domestic market. Secondly, the restriction from Europe and U.S. which are the main destination where Chinese clothing firms export has been published on June, 2005 (www.china.com. 2005). Finally, the recent appreciation of Chinese currency led to the decrease of export benefit; in other words, it increased the price of products in foreign market so as to reduce the product competitiveness of textile and clothing products exported. Therefore, regarding the serious situation they never met, it is essential to investigate and find out the most effective and successful way of exporting, especially for small- and medium- firms in China's textile and clothing industry. The main aim of this study is to investigate the export methods and their influence on performance of small- and medium- firms (SMEs) in China's textile and clothing industry. ... Such situation is result from three reasons. Firstly, after China's entry of WTO, the firms in this industry are facing fierce competition from entry of foreign textile and clothing giant firms in domestic market. Secondly, the restriction from Europe and U.S. which are the main destination where Chinese clothing firms export has been published on June, 2005 (www.china.com. 2005). Finally, the recent appreciation of Chinese currency led to the decrease of export benefit; in other words, it increased the price of products in foreign market so as to reduce the product competitiveness of textile and clothing products exported. Therefore, regarding the serious situation they never met, it is essential to investigate and find out the most effective and successful way of exporting, especially for small- and medium- firms in China's textile and clothing industry. 1.2 Objective of the Study The main aim of this study is to investigate the export methods and their influence on performance of small- and medium- firms (SMEs) in China's textile and clothing industry. With this purpose, the study is going to identify the export method that is most frequently used and preferred to employ by SMEs when they engage in international export activities; furthermore, will also try to explore the method that is the most effective and successful for SMEs to penetrate into foreign markets as judged by export performance, so as to provide some information which could be useful in companies decision-making about the future exporting and the factors deciding it. Specifically, the objective of this study can be concluded as follows, Investigating the difference of employed export method of SMEs in terms of different

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Car Racing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Car Racing - Assignment Example This is because in the world of car racing time is of great importance since every time lost normally reduces the chance of success (Doeden, 2009). Most companies in motor sports normally have highly qualified personnel. Some of the people hired include product designers who are normally entrusted with the role of coming up with outstanding car designs and features such as engines that will make the company stand out from the rest in addition to increasing the chances of winning in a race besides being easy to alter if need entails (Murray, 2013). Such companies also have a devoted human resource team whose main objective is normally to ensure that everything runs smoothly, for instance ensuring that the team responsible for conducting replacements are qualified and ever ready to swing into action when need arises. The companies have also come up with new technologies in order to increase speed and at the same time cutting down the expenditure cost. For instance, a fuel flow restrictor whose main role is minimizing fuel spent on car racing (Sam, 2014). Just like in car racing, the main objective of many companies and organizations is normally to succeed in business, which usually results to increase in terms of revenue. In my opinion, for other companies to succeed in the field of business, they ought to embrace the motor sport ideas. For instance, the companies should have an excellent human resource department whose main role should be ensuring the well-being of employees. In most companies, whenever a car develops a mechanical problem, it normally takes a lot of time before the problem is fixed hence loss of revenue. In this case, companies ought to have an ever-ready mechanical team whose role is identifying mechanical problems and fixing them immediately in a move to prevent the business from becoming

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Victims of Organizational Crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Victims of Organizational Crimes - Essay Example Organizational crime; on the other hand, can have more of an impact than violent crimes. (Weisburd, 2001)The victim of a violent crime can recuperate, where as the victim of organizational crime can have immeasurable impact that can destroy one's home, family, and even life. The genuine problem behind organizational crime is not defining organizational crime, but developing the suitable means to correct this type of crime. The recognition of organizational crime was meant to provide substantive assistance to the understanding of crime, criminality, criminal justice system and the victim. Even more recent perspectives which recognize that organizational crime offenders will change and develop as a response to life course events and experiences begin with an assumption that there is something unique to the development of offenders that explains their participation in organizational crimes. While recognizing that paths to crime may begin at different stages of an offender's life, scholars taking this approach identify in every stage specific influences that increase (or decrease) the propensity of offenders to participate in crime and other deviant behaviors in the future. The causes of crime remain rooted in the factors that distinguished organizational crime offenders from others. Organizational crimes offenders are better educated than either conventional criminals or the general public. Organizational crimes offenders are more likely to be male and white than conventional offenders. Organizational crimes offenders are generally older than either conventional criminals or the general public. Organizational crimes offenders are much better off financially than conventional criminals, but not as well off as the general public. Organizational crimes offenders are more likely to have a prior arrest than the general public, but less likely than conventional criminals. The academic study of organizational crimes like bullying at work place does little to reveal the deep psychological distress that is experienced by the targets of offenders. Debates about personality characteristics of victims and bullies, the role of organizational factors and the legislative context are vital yet inadvertently they obscure the dreadful anguish that many victims live with year after year. It may be selflessness to mention that anyone can become a victim of bullying by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, simply by working or living within an environment that fosters harassment and in the vicinity of people who gain positive reinforcement from aggressive activity. Yet, frequently the clinical narratives of those who experience prolonged bullying at work place and suffer the severest of insults to their self-constructs provide an historical dimension to their suffering which extends the span and complexity of antecedents considerably. These victims are those who experience harassment at different times and in different contexts over a period of years. It may be that their current complaints are firmly rooted in their workplace as it is at the present or of their

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Strategic Plan on Toyota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Plan on Toyota - Essay Example The end of the first quarter of 2012 saw Toyota having 217 associated firms, as well as 511 subsidiaries all over the world. Moreover, while ranked 25th in the world, it is number nine in sales, number 74 in assets, and number 32 in terms of market value (Forbes.com LLC, 2012). Its range of automobile products includes commercial automobiles, which includes trucks, minivans, as well as passenger vehicles. Among its subsidiaries are Daihatsu, specializing in compact cars and min-cars, and Hino, which specializes in buses and trucks. Its main range of passenger cars includes subcompacts, compacts, luxury cars, sports vehicles, SUVs, mid-size vehicles, and recreational cars. In the US, it also has the luxury brand Lexus (Reuters, 2012). The latest stock performance figures give Toyota a market capitalization of $128.9 billion, and a share price of $81.41. This share price figure is down somewhat from year highs of about $88, but up from year lows of about $70. Its current P/E ratio of 17.66 is much higher than competition, the closest being Honda, which is trading at a P/E ratio of 15.44. It leads all automobile players in market capitalization, though it is behind the likes of Volkswagen and Honda in terms of margins and operating metrics. (Google, 2012). Snippets of the corporate strategy of Toyota can be gleaned from news relating to its planned reduction of product output in Japan, by 10 percent from 2012 levels, to around 3.1 million vehicles by 2014. This is to be done with no impact on the employment rolls in the country, with the projected output for 2012 being higher than that 2014 figure, at 3.6 million vehicles (Reuters, 2012b).This is coupled with news relating to planned capacity increases in some subsidiaries, particularly India, where production is slated to expand to 310,000 units per year, an increase of about 50 percent from current production levels. The focus is on sedans and hatchback vehicles

Monday, September 23, 2019

MANAGINGPEOPLE&ORGANISATIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MANAGINGPEOPLE&ORGANISATIONS - Essay Example The transition from bureaucratic phase to post -bureaucratic phase involved diminishing emphasis on formalised internal control mechanism and organization structure. This organizational transformation represents wider cultural, economic and social development along with the fast changing technology, which has also modernized the production techniques. It is very important for the organizations to focus on the outcomes and results as it would help in achieving competitive advantage. The next portion of the study would be reflecting whether the employees only focus on the salary, wages paid etc. It would provide justifications whether to accept this view or not. Empowerment to the Employees in Post-bureaucratic Phase The study tries to show whether getting money at the end of the month is the ultimate goal or objective of the employees and this requires highlighting several factors that are associated with the motivation, goals and objectives of the employees. The reason behind the tra nsitional phase from bureaucratic to post-bureaucratic organizational structure has also been discussed earlier. The transition focused on the work culture, which would ultimately improve the outcomes of the organization (Josserand, Teo and Clegg, 2006). ... This would positively impact the performance of the organization. Empowerment is the most important component in the post-bureaucratic phase. It reflects awarding authority or power to those employees who are lower in the organizational hierarchy. This intention of empowerment in this post -bureaucratic phase has been done for creating a work environment where the employees of the organizations would be the decision makers. This would involve awarding the employees with the authority to make various decisions so that they begin feeling a sense of personal identification and individuality. However, the fundamental concept behind this empowerment was that it would allow the business in flourishing fast. The empowerment would allow the organizational employees in functioning without high managerial governance and would increase the organizational performance. It is so because the human element is highly responsible behind disintegration of the potential. The idea of empowerment is for a llowing the employees to make decisions based on their own knowledge, expertise and experience. This would statistically increase the overall efficiency of the organization. However, empowerment and reward by promoting to higher level hierarchy would enable the employees to implement their leadership skills. These act as high motivational factors for the employees, enabling them to be loyal to the organization and give their best. This gives them a scope to rise in the hierarchy level by proving their excellence. The leadership skills are big reasons of motivation to the employees and they work hard to prove themselves in order to experience this skill. Getting liberty to take own decisions and handle several business situations give them high satisfaction and this

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Hi-tech technology solutions Essay Example for Free

Hi-tech technology solutions Essay Harsha and Franklin both of them are post graduates in management under different streams from same B-School. Both of them are close to each other from the college days itself and the same friendship is continuing in the organisation too as they are placed in the same company, Hy-tech technology solutions. Harsha placed in HR department as employee counselor and Franklin in finance department as key finance executive. As per the grade is concerned both are at same level but when responsibility is concerned Franklin is holding more responsibility being in core finance. By nature Harsha is friendly in nature and ready to help the needy and Franklin is silent in nature ready to help if approached personally and always a bit egoistic in nature. They have successfully completed 4 years in the organization and management is very much satisfied with both of them as they are equally talented and constant performers. Harsha felt that now a day’s Franklin is not like as he use to be in past and She also noticed some behavioral changes with him. During general conversations she feels that Franklin is taunting her that she is famous among the employees in the organisation in the other hand he is not even recognised by fellow employees. One morning Mr. Mehta General Manager Hy-tech technology solutions shocked while going through the mail received from Franklin about his resignation. Mr. Mehta called Harsha immediately and discussed about the same as she is close to Franklin. By hearing the news Harsha got stunned and said that she do not know this before she also reveled here current experience with him. Mr. Mehta who do not want to loose both of them promised her that he will handle this and he won’t allow Franklin to resign. In the afternoon Mr. Metha took Franklin to Canteen to make him comfortable after some general discussion he starts on the issue. Franklin, after some hesitations opened his thinking in front of Mr. Mehta. The problem of Franklin is: 1) when he comes alone to canteen the people from other don’t even recognize him but if he accompanied by Harsha he get well treated by others. 2) one day Both of them entered the company together the security in the gate wished them but the next day when he came alone the same security did not do so. 3) Even in meetings held in the office the points raised by Harsha will get more value so many a times he keeps silent in the meeting. It happens to Franklin that he has to face such degradation in each day of work which totally disturbs him. Franklin also questioned that † Harsha and myself have same qualification, from same institute, passed out in the same year both with first class. We have same number of experience in this organisation. More over the responsibilities with me are more valuable than that of Harsha. After all this things if I am been ignored or unrecognized by the fellow employees my ego does not allow me to continue here†. By listening this statement Mr. Metha felt that it is not going to be very difficult to stop his resignation. Mr. Mehta explained Franklin the reasons for such partial behavior of the employees. After listening to Mr. Mehta Franklin said sorry for his reaction and ready to take back his resignation. And he called Harsha and spoke with like before. QUESTION:- Find the reason that Mr. Mehta would have given to Franklin. SOLUTION:- Mr. Mehta listening to this case understood the situation and realized the reason behind the partial response given by the employees towards Franklin and Harsha. As Franklin said both Harsha and Franklin are passed out from same college in same year. Both of them joined the company together both have same experience. Even in performance wise both stands in the same level i. e. both are constant performers and good performers. Franklin analysed all the above said similarities between him and Harsha. He also stated that he holds more responsibility than that of Harsha. One thing Franklin did not notice or analysed is the job profile of Harsha. It is true that Franklin holds more responsibility than that of Harsha but when it comes to direct interaction with employees Harsha wins the employees attention in this aspect. Harsha being counselor in HR she faces the employees every day. She developed good rapport among the employees due to her friendly nature. She is always remembered by the employees whenever they face any problem as she gives good counseling and most of the times she suggest best solutions for such issues. Franklin though holding key position in finance his profile does not allow him to interact with the employees. Though he has helping tendency he does only when someone approached him personally. Mr. Mehta having good experience understood these things when Franklin explained his problems one by one. Later he relates each situation, explained by Franklin with the above said reasons, and made Franklin understood the reality. Mr. Mehta said that the security in the gate or the employees in the canteen who recognized Harsha and not Franklin would have interacted with her during counseling or approached her for any issues. And as usual she would have counseled well or solved the issues of them that is the reason why they treat her and wish her whenever where ever they meet her. When it comes to the case of Franklin they would have hardly met him or interacted with him. When it comes to the point that even in office meetings Harsha, points are valued so Franklin keeps mum. For this Mr. Mehta replied that the points put forward by her would be related to employees or from employees point of view which actually the management wants to know so they give value to her points. And as quoted Fraklin after, one or two such incidents, keeps silent in the meeting. He never made an attempt to raise some suggestions so management does not have any option to listen to that suggestion. After listening to all the explanations given by Mr. Mehta Franklin realized his mistake and felt proud about the Rapport developed by Harsha among the employees. He said to Mr. Mehta that he will take back his resignation. And rushed to Harsha to make an apology and to meet her as a friend as like his college days.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Internationalising Porters Diamond Essay Example for Free

Internationalising Porters Diamond Essay This article Internationalising Porters Diamond argues that Porter underestimates the significance of the globalization of production and markets in his work about competitive advantage of nations. Dunning says that there is increasing interaction and networking cross-borders. He argues that the cross-border value added activities by multinational companies have influence indirectly and directly on each of the components of the diamond of national competitive advantage. In the article Dunning tries to analyse how globalization of economic activity affects the competitive advantages of individual nation. The article also explores the nature and form of networking and how recent technological developments and regional interactions have increased the interdependence of economic activity between the leading industrial nations in the world. Dunning thinks that the significance of globalization for individual country will depend on how important international transactions are (compared to national transactions), the kinds of assets and products are traded and the modality of international economic involvement. He distinguishes six features of the global economy, which are the following: 1. In global economy value generating assets are increasingly taking the form of created assets (e. g. human capital). The competitive advantages of countries are coming to depend on the countries ability to effectively use and increase these assets. 2. These assets are intangible and firm or ownership specific and do not belong to country. 3. The role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) is increasing. This is because it is in the interest of domestic domicile firms to use the created assets and to generate new assets in a foreign country, or to acquire assets e. g. by acquisition or alliance, by using foreign domiciled firms. 4. Increasing part of the assets of firms of a particular country is either acquired from or are located in another country. The crowing cross-border networking through strategic alliances, international subcontracting and other cooperative arrangements is further undermining the concept of national firm specific diamonds. 5. The role of government needs to be re-evaluated as a result of globalization of the world economy. 6. Increasing competition between countries over the same resources and markets. Considering these points almost all the factors in on Porters domestic diamond have to be reconsidered. The pattern of the diamonds of countries will differ according to the extent and form of the involvement of the country in question in the global economy. Dunning argues that Porter put too little emphasise on the international influence and underestimated the influence of the MNEs. Dunning suggests that the national diamond should be replaced with supernational diamond because of the increasing integration between countries. In this case, national political borders become meaningless and the competitive advantage of a country can be influenced by factors outside a countrys home diamond. The principle is the same, but the geographical constituency has to be established on different criteria when taking about the supernational diamond. 2. 4 The Double Diamond Model of International Competitiveness: The Canadian Experience by Alan Rugman and Joseph DCruz The point of view in this article is that Porters diamond framework explains the success of US, Japanese, and EC-based multinational corporations, but it is not applicable to small, open, trading economies. Rugman and DCruz show that Porters home country diamond does not explain Canadas international competitiveness. Also some other researchers have noticed this problem when trying to apply Porters model to e. g. New Zealand, and Korea. Rugman and DCruz argue that the over 90 % of the worlds nations potentially cannot be modelled by the Porter diamond. The authors suggest that substantial modifications of the Porter framework are required to analyze the nature of Canadas successful resource-based multinationals, foreign subsidiaries and institutional arrangements, such as the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement. In order to do this Rugman and DCruz present a new double diamond framework. In this model Rugman and DCruz propose that since Canada in already economically highly integrated with U. S. , it should use The North American diamond when trying to determine or improve Canadas international competitiveness. This means that Canadians should view the U. S. market as a home market, not just an export market. Canadian owned multinationals have competitive advantages derived from attributes of the U. S. or other foreign diamonds, rather than the Canadian diamond alone. It is also said in the article that each country needs to set its own home-country diamond against the relevant triad diamond. In general, most Asia-Pacific nations will set theirs against Japan. Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and most Caribbean countries will consider theirs against the US diamond. European nations outside of the EC will set theirs against the EC. The authors also criticise that the elements used in Porter model are hardly new or unexpected. The only contribution is bringing them together. Rugman and DCruz criticise the data and how it is presented. The main points were Porter flaws according to Rugman and DCruz is the narrow definition that he applies to foreign direct investments (FDI) and the flawed understanding of the nature of two way FDI (ignoring the role of inbound foreign direct investment). They also criticise how Porter handles imports and exports and multinational activities. According to them their double diamond framework would treat these above-mentioned attributes more correctly. 2. 5 Porters Competitive Advantage revisited by Nicholas J.   Shaughnessy The article, Porters Competitive Advantage revisited, written by Nicholas J. Shaughnessy gives new views to Porters book Competitive Advantage of Nations. The author agrees on some issues with Porter but he also presents criticism. According to  Shaughnessy, the key criticism of Porter is his inattention to the cultural dimension, which the author sees as a significant omission. The author argues that Porter i s work is overly facile in its willingness to fall in with the national stereotypes without the type of empirical support necessary for statistical generalization. In the article Oi Shaughnessy sarcastically says that Porter views national culture as changeless artifact. He continues by saying that even though Porter credit national culture with certain amount of explanatory power; Porter tends to avoid discussing it in any depth. Shaughnessy also discovers that the role of history in a specific country is neglected. The second significant criticism covers developing countries. Oi Shaughnessy says in the article that Porters arguments are formed almost entirely with reference to developed countries. The author argues that, for instance, university education is not very significant factor in countries where most of the population is illiterate. He continues by addressing that the real problems in developing countries are located in politics and culture. The third point of criticism is the role of government. The author argues that in the Porters work lacks of specificity. While some contributors to competitive advantage e. g. university research are well defined, Porter disregards others. From Oi Shaughnessy point of view it seems that Porter wants to remove government from direct arbitrament in industry as far as possible. He also thinks that Porter seems to ignore the nature of the many political imperatives that lead away from state spending on key factors that might have aided in the creation of competitive advantage. As an example of this Shaughnessy uses agriculture, which is in many cases heavily subsidized directly from government and indirectly by customers. He argues that governments are often pressured by lobby groups. That is a reason why governments are sometimes incapable of making the strategic choices necessary to support and sustain competitive advantage. Shaughnessy sees that Porters book is a significant piece of work, but it also has its limitations. According to the author of the article the subject is so extensive that it cannot be covered in one book. He also says that the criticism of Porters book is not that Porter has made an error, but that his thesis is incomplete. Shaughnessy is worried that any populist universalist explanation is accepted uncritically and applied mechanically. He thinks Porters view encourages the belief that problems are soluble exclusively through economic policy measures. Oi Shaughnessy wants to reverse that view by emphasizing the role of history, politics and culture in determing competitive advantage.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Inflation And Supply Side Policies In The Uk Economics Essay

Inflation And Supply Side Policies In The Uk Economics Essay Hints: Using information from the internet and economic textbooks.explain what has been happening to the rate of inflation in your country or a region that includes your country,since 1990.You should include diagrams In our region the inflation is on its peak. the rate of commodities and goods increases day by day with high speed. If we look to the diagram changes have been done in every year. In some time in past the inflation rate fall but in the recent time thats 2009 its raised upto 73% which is quite high as compare to the previous year 2008.So this inflation can bring a lot of changes in daily human life.It can effect every field of life.By inflation facilities become reduced everyone tries to reduce his expenditure because of this he tries to spend less as he could.If he his expenses is high as copare to his outcome so he is not trying to facilitate himself.In short inflation can bring change in every term of life. Followin is a Table which shows inflation and percent change since 1990 till to 2009. Year Inflation, average consumer prices Percent Change 1991 12.628 39.52 % 1992 4.851 -61.59 % 1993 9.825 102.54 % 1994 11.272 14.73 % 1995 13.022 15.53 % 1996 10.789 -17.15 % 1997 11.803 9.40 % 1998 7.812 -33.81 % 1999 5.736 -26.57 % 2000 3.584 -37.52 % 2001 4.41 23.05 % 2002 2.504 -43.22 % 2003 3.102 23.88 % 2004 4.568 47.26 % 2005 9.276 103.06 % 2006 7.921 -14.61 % 2007 7.771 -1.89 % 2008 11.998 54.39 % 2009 20.775 73.15 % Task 2 Define Inflation Provide a clear explanation of 2 different causes of Inflation showing knowledge of Keynesian and monetarist views on inflation. Definition: The overall general upward price of goods and services in an economy is called inflation. OR The raising of price in commodities and other daily life materials is called inflation The downward price of goods and services in an economy is called deflation. OR In economics inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. Causes of inflation: Higher indirect taxes imposed by the government: in our country government imposes some indirect taxes annully which ultimately become a cause for rise in the price of commodites For example a rise in the rate of excise duty on alcohol and cigarettes, an increase in fuel duties or perhaps a rise in the standard rate of Value Added Tax or an extension to the range of products to which VAT is applied. These taxes are levied on producers (suppliers) who, depending on the price elasticity of demand and supply for their products, sum up the amount in the price of commodityt. For example, if the government was to choose to levy a new tax on aviation fuel, then this would contribute to a rise in cost-push inflation. Cost-push inflation can be illustrated by an inward shift of the short run aggregate supply curve. This is shown in the diagram below. Ceteris paribus, a fall in SRAS causes a contraction of real national output together with a rise in the general level of prices Rising labour costs: increases in the wages of labour which exceed any improvement in productivity also affect the price of commodity.   This cause is important in those industries which are labour-intensive. Firms may decide not to pass these higher costs onto their customers (they may be able to achieve some cost savings in other areas of the business) but in the long run, wage inflation tends to move closely with price inflation because there are limits to the extent to which any business can absorb higher wage expenses. Monetarists Monetarists do not believe that the government should intervene by trying to manage the level of aggregate demand. They argue that this type of intervening policy will affect acquilibrium in the long run and should therefore be avoided. A key problem with discretionary demand management policies is the time lags, which monetarists believe make fiscal policy too difficult to use to manage the economy effectively. The best thing therefore, is to take a long-run view of price stability and use monetary policy to achieve this. Keynesians Keynesians traditionally see fiscal policy as the key tool of economic management. They see the role of government as maintaining the economy at full employment. The way to do this was to manage the level of aggregate demand until the economy was at or close to full employment. If the economy was growing too fast, then fiscal policy should be essentially deflationary, and vice-versa when below full employment. Monetary policy should, in their view, simply be used as a backup to fiscal policy. However, they would argue that direct interest rate changes could be used to control aggregate demand. Their main objection to monetary policy has always been that there is a weak link between the money supply and aggregate demand, and that. Task 3 What effects would a substantial increases in inflation every year have on the following: An individuals who keeps all his money in a box under his bed. Keeping all his money in box under his bed its means that if someone is money and he is not investing his money in a business or keeping the money in a bank its means that he is decreasing his money one day will come that he will spend all his money so if you have a little money you should have to start a small business then your money will not end over. Someone who is borrowing money at the current rate of inflation but who does not have to pay back for a number of years. It is a good picking point that whenever someone borrows money from someone he is not able to return the money according to the rate of inflation. He may think to return him at rate of inflation. Someone has lent money out at the current rate of inflation but will not be repaid for a number of years. If some one has lent money from someone at the time of current inflation he may need to repaid the money as compare to the rate of inflation.If he has the ability to think then he may need to return more than the original amount he lent. Task 4 Provide reason why the government may want to tackle inflation. Government is trying to control rate of inflation. Inflation can generate a lot of problems in the society. It affect daily life as well as increase in commodities prices. that reasult in the economy , politcal and social unstability It can also bring unemployment as well as poverty. Provide a remedy for each of two different types of inflation you outlined in Task 2 (b). all though the inflation cannot be completely change in deflation in the developing countries but it can be control through removeing its causes. Folwing are the causes which is responsible for inflation Cost Push Inflation Rising imported raw materials costs Rising labour costs Higher indirect taxes imposed by the government A depreciation of the exchange rate A reduction in direct or indirect taxation The rapid growth of the money supply Rising consumer confidence and an increase in the rate of growth of house prices Faster economic growth in other countries Task 5 You have to write a section in the report that includes the following. An explanation of is meant by supply side economics. Supply-side economics is a school of macroeconomic thought that argues that economic growth can be most effectively created by lowering barriers for people to produce (supply) goods and services, such as adjusting income tax and capital gains tax rates, and by allowing greater flexibility by reducing regulation. Consumers will then benefit from a greater supply of goods and services at lower prices. The term supply-side economics was thought, for some time, to have been coined by journalist Jude Wineskin in 1975, but according to Robert D. Atkinsons Supply-Side Follies , the term supply side (supply-side fiscalists) was first used by Herbert Stein, a former economic adviser to President Nixon, in 1976, and only later that year was this term repeated by Jude Wanniski. It popularized the ideas of economists Robert Mundell and Arthur Laffer. Today, supply-side economics is often conflated with the politically rhetorical term trickle-down economics, but as Jude Wanniski points out in his book The Way The World Works, trickle-down economics is conservative Keynesianism associated with the Republican Party. Typical policy recommendations of supply-side economics are lower marginal tax rates and less regulation. Maximum benefits from taxation policy are achieved by optimizing the marginal tax rates to spur growth, although it is a common misunderstanding that supply side economics is concerned only with taxation policy when it is about removing barriers to production more generally. Many early proponents argued that the size of the economic growth would be significant enough that the increased government revenue from a faster growing economy would be sufficient to compensate completely for the short-term costs of a tax cut, and that tax cuts could, in fact, cause overall revenue to increase Evidence of 2 countries that have supply side measures in an attempt to reduce inflation and the success or failure of those measures. What are supply-side policies? Supply-side economic policies are mainly micro-economic policies designed to improve the supply-side potential of an economy, make markets and industries operate more efficiently and thereby contribute to a faster rate of growth of real national output Most governments now accept that an improved supply-side performance is the key to achieving sustained economic growth without a rise in inflation. But supply-side reform on its own is not enough to achieve this growth. There must also be a high enough level of aggregate demand so that the productive capacity of an economy is actually brought into play. There are two broad approaches to the supply-side. Firstly policies focused on product markets where goods and services are produced and sold to consumers and secondly the labour market a factor market where labour is bought and sold. Supply Side Policies for Product Markets Product markets refer to markets in which all kinds of commodities are traded, for example the market for airline travel; for mobile phones, for new cars; for pharmaceutical products and the markets for financial services such as banking and occupational pensions. Supply-side policies in product markets are designed to increase competition and efficiency. If the productivity of an industry improves, then it will be able to produce more with a given amount of resources, shifting the LRAS curve to the right. Measures to encourage small business start-ups / entrepreneurship The small businesses of today can often become the larger businesses of tomorrow, adding to national output, employing more workers and contributing to innovative behaviour that can have positive spill-over effects in other industries. Governments of all political persuasion argue that they want to promote an entrepreneurial culture and to increase the rate of new business start-ups. Supply side policies include loan guarantees for new businesses; regional policy assistance for entrepreneurs in depressed areas of the country; advice for new firms Capital investment and innovation: Capital spending by firms adds to aggregate demand (C+I+G+(X-M)) but also has an important effect on long run aggregate supply. Supply side policies would include tax relief on research and development and reductions in the rate of corporation tax. Ireland is a good example of a country inside the EU that has benefited hugely from cutting company taxes which has led to a large rise in foreign direct investment. One of the new countries joining the EU in 2004, Estonia, has cut its corporation tax rate to zero per cent (0%) in a deliberate attempt to attract new investment and stimulate economic growth and employment. There are now big differences in corporation tax rates among the twenty five nations of the European Union. Corporate Tax Rates in the European Union in 2004 Estonia 0.0% Luxembourg 30.0% Ireland 12.5% Denmark 30.0% Lithuania 15.0% Czech Rep. 31.0% Cyprus 15.0% Portugal 33.0% Latvia 19.0% Austria 34.0% Slovakia 19.0% Belgium 34.0% Poland 19.0% Italy 34.0% Hungary 20.0% Netherlands 34.5% Slovenia 25.0% Spain 35.0% Sweden 28.0% Greece 35.0% Finland 29.0% France 35.4% UK 30.0% Germany 38.7% Innovation and Economic Growth A dynamic environment with opportunities for enterprise and innovation is vital to improving economic performance. New businesses entering the marketplace increase competitive pressures facilitating the introduction of new ideas and technologies. The Government is therefore committed to supporting enterprise and innovation throughout the economy, including in Britains most disadvantaged areas. Supply side policies for the Labour Market These policies are designed to improve the quality and quantity of the supply of labour available to the economy. They seek to make the British labour market more flexible so that it is better able to match the labour force to the demands placed upon it by employers in expanding sectors thereby reducing the risk of structural unemployment. An expansion in the UKs total labour supply increases the productive potential of an economy.   That expansion in the supply of people willing and able to work can come from several sources for example: encouraging older people to stay in the workforce; a relaxed approach to labour migration and measures to get non-working parents to actively look for work. Trade Union Reforms Many of the traditional legal protections enjoyed by the trade unions have been taken away including restrictions on their ability to take industrial action and enter into restrictive practices agreements with employers. The result has been a decrease in strike action in virtually every industry and a significant improvement in industrial relations in the UK. Showing the effects of supply-side improvements in the economy Supply-side factors often help to explain why it is that some countries grow faster than others. In a world of globalisation, it is becoming clearer that maintaining and improving competitiveness is vital in achieving success in international markets. A rising share of GDP in most countries is devoted to international trade. Markets are becoming more competitive and those countries whose supply-side lets those down can find a rising level of import penetration into their domestic markets and a weak export performance in goods and services. Supply side improvements can also be shown using a production possibility frontier Supply side policies and productivity It is important to recognise that the supply-side does not operate in isolation from changes in aggregate demand. If there is insufficient AD, it is unlikely that better supply-side performance can be achieved over a number of years. Equally, if aggregate demand grows too quickly, acceleration in wage and price inflation might require deflationary policies that ultimately harm a countrys productive potential. Evaluating the UKs supply-side performance On the right tracks There has been a remarkable structural improvement in the British economy. This began under Margaret Thatcher and has largely been maintained under Tony Blair. Deregulation, privatisation, reductions in trade union power and reform of unemployment benefits have transformed the business environment. Improvements in the Supply Side Supply-Side Weaknesses Sustained economic growth. The UK has maintained its position as the 4th largest economy in the world and has weathered the global economic downturn well There remains a large productivity between the UK and other leading economies this is now a major focus of supply side policies Task 6 Combine Task 1 to 5 into a single written report to be given to world bank economics unit which is properly structured with. Title of the page Table of contents  Ã‚ ¶ Risk of Inflation  Ã‚ ¶ Definition of Inflation  Ã‚ ¶ Government efforts to control Inflation  Ã‚ ¶ Supply side economics Main body of report In our region the inflation is on its peak. the rate of commodities and goods increases day by day with high speed. If we look to the diagram changes have been done in every year. In some time in past the inflation rate fall but in the recent time thats 2009 its raised upto 73% which is quite high as compare to the previous year 2008.So this inflation can bring a lot of changes in daily human life.It can effect every field of life.By inflation facilities become reduced everyone tries to reduce his expenditure because of this he tries to spend less as he could.If he his expenses is high as copare to his outcome so he is not trying to facilitate himself.In short inflation can bring change in every term of life. Followin is a Table which shows inflation and percent change since 1990 till to 2009 In economics inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. Government is trying to control rate of inflation. Inflation can generate a lot of problems in the society. It affect daily life as well as affect commodities prices. It can also bring unemployment as well as poverty. Provide a remedy for each of two different types of inflation you outlined in Task 2 (b). When the causes of inflation remove thats the best solution to control the inflation. Flowing are the causes Cost Push Inflation Rising imported raw materials costs Rising labour costs Higher indirect taxes imposed by the government A depreciation of the exchange rate A reduction in direct or indirect taxation The rapid growth of the money supply Rising consumer confidence and an increase in the rate of growth of house prices Faster economic growth in other countries An explanation of is meant by supply side economics. Supply-side economics is a school of macroeconomic thought that argues that economic growth can be most effectively created by lowering barriers for people to produce (supply) goods and services, such as adjusting income tax and capital gains tax rates, and by allowing greater flexibility by reducing regulation. Consumers will then benefit from a greater supply of goods and services at lower prices. The term supply-side economics was thought, for some time, to have been coined by journalist Jude Wineskin in 1975, but according to Robert D. Atkinsons Supply-Side Follies , the term supply side (supply-side fiscalists) was first used by Herbert Stein, a former economic adviser to President Nixon, in 1976, and only later that year was this term repeated by Jude Wanniski. It popularized the ideas of economists Robert Mundell and Arthur Laffer. Today, supply-side economics is often conflated with the politically rhetorical term trickle-down economics, but as Jude Wanniski points out in his book The Way The World Works, trickle-down economics is conservative Keynesianism associated with the Republican Party. Typical policy recommendations of supply-side economics are lower marginal tax rates and less regulation. Maximum benefits from taxation policy are achieved by optimizing the marginal tax rates to spur growth. Reference and bibliography (Economics Books) Micro Economics Macro Economics Manegiral economics Monetry and Finance Internet Source: Ed Crooks, Source: Government Spending Review Statement July 2002 Economics editor of the Financial Times. June 2004 Appendices

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Police Pursuits Essay -- Law Enforcement

There are virtually an unlimited amount of aspects about police work that places them in harm’s way every day. Some of which officers are trained to mitigate and exercise some form of control over while others are mostly out of police control. Vehicle pursuit is one instance where police have little control over and thus must adopt a mostly reactionary response rather than a proactive approach. Police officer training and preparation for such pursuits are conducted during their initial phases of training and some receive advanced Emergency Vehicle Operational and Control (EVOC) training that they will bring back to their respective agencies to provide training for the rest of their fellow officers. This is only in response to an increasingly dangerous and costly increase to the amount of police vehicle pursuits over approximately the last decade. But why are criminals increasingly running from police? Since the inception of police as a profession, the ‘bad guys’ have always tried to escape justice form the ‘good guys’ in an attempt to continue their lawless and criminal activity. However as times have changed from horseback chases in rural country landscapes to heavy and speeding vehicles in urban settings, the danger to innocent life has increased exponentially. Some has argued that a ‘contempt of cop’ attitude adopted by police in where the officer attempting to make the stop is offended or slighted and therefore acts aggressively to make an apprehension. A possible reason for this is the adrenalin rush rendering officers to adopt an aggressive and overly focused mindset causing them to experience myopia and auditory lockout (Schultz, Hudak, Alpert, 2009) Others claim that an increased lack of authority and an increase in se... .... Until courts and the public start shifting the volume of blame towards the suspect who failed to stop for police, suspects will continue to put us, the law abiding public, at risk. Works Cited Alpert, G. & Smith, W. (2008). Police Pursuits After Scott v. Harris: Far from Ideal. Police Foundation:. Ideas in American Policing. June, 2008. Hill, J. (July 2002) High-Speed Police Pursuits: Dangers, Dynamics, and Risk Reduction. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. July 2002. Oyez. (n.d.) Scott v. Harris. Retrieved on April 03, 2012 from http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000- 2009/2006/2006_05_1631 Schultz, D., Hudak, E., Alpert, G. (2009) Emergency Driving and Pursuits: The Officer’s Perspective. FBI Law Enforcement Bulliten. April 2009. Scott v. Harris. 550 U.S.___(2007). Retrieved on April 02, 2012 from http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/06pdf/05-1631.pdf

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Around The World In Eighty Day :: essays research papers

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne is a novel that takes place in the late nineteenth century. The title summarizes the plot because one day Phileas Fogg is with some friends and he reads in a newspaper that it is possible to travel around the world in eighty days. But no one believes this to be true except Phileas. Then Phileas bets them that he could make the journey in eighty or under days, and then leaves along with his servant immediately. Throughout the journey Phileas and his servant Passepartout use every means of transportation possible such as steamers, railways, carriages, yachts, trading-vessels, sledges, and even an elephant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The protagonist in Around the World in Eighty Days is Phileas Fogg. Fogg’s most important character quality is his determination to succeed. After Fogg read the article in the paper about how it is possible to voyage the world in eighty days Fogg knew he could prove it. So after he made the bet that he could do it he was so determined the whole way that he could make the voyage. Along the way, he tried not to let anything get in the way even though the trip was delayed by slow railway systems, rescuing an Indian maharani from a burning funeral pyre and being constantly followed and spied on by a detective named Mr. Fix. One important decision Fogg makes is when he got to a train station they told him that he couldn’t go on the train for another month. He was terrified but he did not panic. He saw an elephant in town and paid an Indian a considerable amount of money to travel to the next train station. Passepartout said of the price “Good Heaven, two thousand for an elephant!'; (Page 41). Fogg’s intelligence during the voyage got considerably better as his traveling techniques got better. He knew that in order to make the trip on time he must not waste any time at all and gain time if at all possible for the unexpected occurrences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The antagonist in Around the World in Eighty Days is Mr. Fix. Mr. Fix is a detective who constantly pursues Phileas Fogg and Passepartout because he believes that Fogg is a bank robber who is making the trip just to escape reality. So Mr. Fix tries to slow down Fogg and find out if he is the bank robber.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Choosing the Right Cell Phone Essay

Consumer Reports assert â€Å"cell phones are evolving to allow faster texting, Web surfing, GPS navigation, and social networking while keeping up with their day job—voice calling† (Consumer Reports, n.d.). When walking out the door this morning the average person picked up three things; a wallet or purse, their car keys, and their cell phone. The cell phone, though often taken for granted has become a form of life support to many. Before just rushing out to purchase the latest and greatest here is what consumers should know before purchasing their next cell phone. Take the time to prepare and review before going out to purchase a phone. Many often take the word of a salesman they do not even know to decide what is best for them or let a commercial convince them of what device and service they should choose. Picking the wrong cell phone and plan can cost a large amount of money. Everyone has probably made a purchase, and then gotten their next bill to find they were totally surprised. To begin the search for the perfect cell phone one should start with what type of phone he or she is looking for. Would a non-flip (candy bar style phone) or a traditional flip phone (clam shell) better suite their needs? Flip phones had been the choice for most throughout the years but candy bar phones are making a come back with touch screens such as Droids and iPhones. If the phone will be spending a lot of time in ones purse or pocket, one may want to consider a flip phone to avoid unnecessarily scratching the screen and random dialing. If one is looking for a PDA and fully functional QWERTY keypad then a candy bar phone would be the best choice. One should also decide if he or she prefers a touch screen, a standard keyboard, or a QWERTY keyboard when making the decision on they style of phone that is best for them. After deciding the style of phone next one should consider what technology they need in a phone. Do they need text, Internet, e-mail, GPS navigation, walkie-talkie, apps, international service, or just voice calling? There are so many options and possibilities that can make one feel overwhelmed during this process. This can be avoided by doing the proper research ahead of time. The fast pace of today makes email on the go a necessity for most. If needing e-mail one should not pick a phone that is not Internet ready, and may want to consider a full QWERTY keyboard for faster composing of e-mails. Another feature available is walkie-talkie if this is something that was of interest; he or she would want to make sure that is a feature the phone offers. The majority of phones can call out internationally, but if one needs to use the phone abroad he or she would want to check to make sure the phone is world compatible. If voice calling is all one needs it does not make much sense to buy a phone with all the extra bells and whistles. If apps are needed, one might choose an Android or an iPhone because these phones offer the largest selection of apps available. In figure 1.A, based on the latest and greatest technology out today, here is a list of the top three mobile phones. All three of these phones have full access to the Android Market, and are the same in price with a qualified upgrade or new customer pricing. Now that one has decided on the style of phone and what features are needed he or she will make one of the most important decisions in this process. Before deciding on a specific phone one must choose a network. In the past it was easier to choose a network/provider because only one company generally covered a certain area. Providers now have nation-wide networks, and the major companies Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon cover almost all areas; making this decision a challenging one. When choosing the right service one should take advantage of the 30-day trial offers that most providers offer to new customers. With taking advantage of the trial one can use the phone in areas he or she would normally be in to make sure service is sufficient. This gives them the ability to make sure it will work in their home, office and see if there are any dead spots in their area. This will allow them to determine if this service provider will be beneficial for their needs before being held to a two and with some providers a three-year commitment. The 30-day trial also pertains to equipment, so if one is not happy with the phone he or she can take it back and try a different model. Say if they thought they could access Facebook, then during the trial realized the phone they have did not support web; it could be exchanged. Perhaps if camera was a big factor on deciding their phone, but when they take pictures they come out fuzzy and not clear; the 30-day trial gives them the freedom to change their mind. Once all these decisions have been made one must then choose his or her calling plan. When choosing a phone plan there are many factors to consider. How many minutes are very important. Chicago Tribune states â€Å"to figure how much talk time you will need, count the minutes you spend on your current phone in a typical month, then add 25 percent to 50 percent as a buffer to avoid hefty overage fees† (Choosing the right cell, 2007). Cell phone providers offer additional services for a set monthly cost. Without the correct information and consideration of what he or she may be using the phone for one could pay a per use fee for additional features he or she failed to have added. If text messaging is something that maybe used, it is far more cost effective to pay $15 per month; rather than $.20 per single text. With data there is also a pay per use charge of $.03 per kilobyte or a monthly data package ranging from $15 to $30. A data package is something that will be needed if one wants to use email, social networking, picture services, apps, and GPS navigation from the phone. Figure 2.A is a chart of some of the main things people are doing on their mobile phones. If the consumer plans to be using any of these features he or she would want to make sure they have the correct plan and features to avoid high bills.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Of Studies by Francis Bacon Essay

Of Studies is the first essay of the first collection of ten essays of Francis Bacon which was published in 1597. But it was revised for the edition of 1612. More than dozen new sentences were added and some words were also altered. Of Studies is typically Baconian essay with an astonishing terseness, freshness of illustrations, logical analysis, highly Latinized vocabulary, worldly wisdom and Renaissance enlightenment. Bacon through a syllogistic tripartite statement begins his argument to validate the usefulness and advantage of study in our life. Bacon has the power of compressing into a few words a great body of thought. Thus he puts forward the three basic purposes of studies: â€Å"Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability†. He later expands his sentence to bring lucidity and clearness. Studies fill us delight and aesthetic pleasure when we remain private and solitary. While we discourse, our studies add decoration to our speech. Further, the men of study can decide best on the right lines in business and politics. Bacon deprecates too much studies and the scholar’s habit to make his judgment from his reading instead of using his independent views. Bacon is a consummate artist of Renaissance spirit. Thus he knows the expanse of knowledge and utility of studies. He advocates a scientific enquiry of studies. Through an exquisite metaphor drawn from Botany he compares human mind to a growing plant. As the growing plants need to be pruned and watered and manured for optimum development, the new growing conscience of us are to be tutored, mounded, oriented and devised by studies. But it is experience which ultimately matures our perception and leads us to perfection: â€Å"They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants that need proyning by study†. Next Bacon considers what persons despise studies and what people praise them and what people make practical use of them. The crafty men condemn studies; simple men admire them while the wise men make ultimate use of it. But it should be remembered that the inquisitive mind and keen observation  cultivate the real wisdom. Bacon advises his readers to apply studies to ‘weigh and consider’ rather than useless contradictions and grandiloquence. In The Advancement of Learning Bacon makes systematic classifications of studies and considers different modes to be employed with different kinds of books: â€Å"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested†. The books according to its value and utility are to be devised into various modes of articulations. The worthy classical pragmatic sort are to be adorned by expertise reading with diligence while the meaner sort of books or less important books are to be read in summary or by deputy. Again the global span of knowledge is revealed in his analysis of various subjects and their beneficent categories. The scholarly mind of Bacon here makes the subtle observation: â€Å"Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend†. Studies do not shape a perfect man without the needed conference and writing. â€Å"And therefore if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth’ not†. Bacon further tells us that our studies pass into our character (Abeunt studia in mores). Rightly so the constitution of our moral disposition is the outcome of our learning and experience. Every defect of the mind, Bacon says, may be cured by a proper choice of reading. Bacon here draws a parallel between the physical exercise and intellectual exercise. As different games, sports, exercises beget growth and development, the different branches of studies cures the in capability of logic, wondering of wit, lack of distinguish etc. Bacon emphatically concludes that every defect of the mind may have a special receipt and remedial assurance. Of Studies contains almost all the techniques of Bacon’s essay writing and the world of his mind. It is full of wisdom, teachings and didacticism. In style, the essay is epigrammatic proverbial form, of balance and force. It is full of warmth and colour, profound wit and knowledge, experience and observation.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Audit Firm Culture

A company's culture has a large impact on the ethical behavior of employee's and an employee's ethical behavior plays an Important role In the quality of the audit. Now, there are several factors that affect the quality of an audit but the one that will be focused on In this paper Is the effect the audit firm culture has on the audit quality.Audit firm culture effects so many different things at a firm Including the kind of behavior that Is rewarded and determining how Important ethics are In the workplace. The audit firm culture has the largest Impact on the quality of an audit ND can either negatively or positively affect the audit outcome. Over the next few pages you will read and see Just why that Is. The kind of leadership that you have wealth a company sets the tone for the way the company holds Its standards.In a paper prepared for Ernst & Young it states that, â€Å"One fundamental driver of audit quality, agreed by all taking part in the discussion, was the need for the peo ple at the top of audit firm to set an appropriate tone and culture, to ensure that the work was carried out conscientiously, ethically, and in line with all appropriate standards and guidelines. Bender)† The management needs to be strong examples to their subordinates of how one should ethically behave and perform a quality audit. Management sets the tone and the employees will follow suit.If management does not reward or support positive ethical behavior then neither will the employees. An article called,† The Negative Affects of Corporate Culture,† (Mack) states that, â€Å"When managers are unethical, employees will emulate the bad behavior. † Employees look to management to show them how they should behave and they will copy what they see, even if it is negative or unethical. If they see managers cutting corners to get wings done faster or to save money, then employees will do the same which can cause the audit to be insufficient or poorly done.Managers should make sure they are always being strong examples of how everyone should behave, even when they think no one is looking, as they set the bar for how employees should behave. Another big building block in the positive firm culture is ethics training and enforcement. Teaching new employees during their nonbinding process the Importance of ethics within the workplace and teaching them about ethics will help to foster a trustworthy work environment. Even though most people know right from ring It Is Important to instill what Is ethically right as well.An article about ethics training In the workplace discusses how having a code of ethics typed out for employees to see helps them to see and understand what ethics are and how Important they are In the workplace. Also, showing them that there Is open honest communication and letting them know they can come to management with concerns will help employees feel empowered to work ethically (Lollipops). The article also states that, †Å"The expense of comprehensive ethics trailing carries the potential to more than pay for itself over the long term.Aside from potentially costly lawsuits, (Lollipops). † Teaching ethics will only enforce honesty and integrity, which will ultimately help teams to perform quality audits. Having strong ethics in your workplace can also allow employees to work with a clear conscience and be more productive, which makes for a better quality audit. An article that talks about how ethics makes you a better person in the workplace states that, â€Å"Ethical employees build trust in their workplace relationships†¦Gaining the trust of your co-workers can enhance your productivity by making it easier for you to communicate and work with there in the workplace (Ingram). † Having teammates who all trust one another due to strong ethics makes for a more cohesive team allowing them to work more productively together and helping them to create a quality audit. Another activity th at causes poor firm culture and effects audit quality is hyper competitiveness. In a firm people work together as a team to perform audits, they have to feel comfortable going to colleagues and upper management with questions.They need to feel supported by there team and feel the rewards of working as a team. If a company rewards a person's behavior to work towards their own personal goals to get ahead ether than contributing to the work of the entire team, employees may start cutting corners or doing things unethically to get ahead. As an article by Jarred Lewis states, â€Å"Fierce competition may also result in a â€Å"win at all costs† attitude that may even bring out the worst in some workers (Lewis). † This is not good for the quality of the audit.We want everyone on the team to be working together towards the same goal, a quality audit. That is the kind of behavior that should be rewarded. Encouraging competition within the audit workplace can also cause individ uals or teams to build rivalries against one another. Having any form of rivalry can cause the, â€Å"win at all costs† attitude but it can also cause people to start hating their Job or feeling stressed on the Job. When people are getting stressed at work or start disliking their job then usually their work will start suffering as well.According to an article called, â€Å"Stress Affects Work Performance of Nearly Half of Employees,† it states that, â€Å"It [stress] most often leads to difficulty concentrating, absenteeism and poor work quality (Apse, 2013). † Having employees that are working on an audit struggle to concentrating and are producing poor work is not in any way going to help with reforming a quality audit, it will do the opposite of that, it will hinder the audit. Poor discipline has another negative effect on audit firm culture, which also affects the quality of an audit.If employees are caught taking short cuts or cutting corners on audits and are not reprimanded or punished for it then it is only encouraging unethical behavior to continue. â€Å"If organizations did not have discipline and rules about the way their employees should behave, then quite simply they would be free to do anything they wanted and be able to get away with it – targets would not be et, work would not be completed, the workplace would be more like a zoo than a productive environment (Shipwright). It is important that employees not only understand corporate rules and ethics codes but that they are enforced as well and that those that break the codes are disciplined accordingly. If employees are not disciplined then it will only show employees that behaving unethically when performing an audit is k, which would then ruin the quality of the audit. Lack of open communication or employees feeling like they cannot go and talk to corporate culture and conducting a quality audit.According to Gaffing, featured in he Daily Reporter, he states that, â€Å"The rewards of honest communication in the workplace are not Just esoteric. Honesty can actually help reduce work-related stress (BROWN, 2005). † We already spoke about how beneficial unstressed employees are in the workplace but think about the amount of unethical situations that can be stopped when employees feel safe going to management and discussing such issues. Having open and honest communication in the workplace will help to stop unethical behavior in their tracks, which will also increase the quality of the audit.Arthur Anderson is a great example of how corporate culture can cause a firm to not reform quality audits, which also led to their demise. One of the problems with Arthur Andersen's culture was the, â€Å"Inability to question superior's practices and incapability to suggest new ways of doing things in all areas of the firm (mapped). † Just like we were talking about in the previous paragraph, the firm lacked open and honest communication allow ing unethical behavior to fester and flourish. This hindered the firm's ability to perform quality audits.They also lacked an ethically strong management to be an example to employees. â€Å"The root of the problem was top management figures who exemplified poor ethical practices (mapped). Clearly Arthur Anderson lacked a strong ethical and honest firm culture and it started at the top with its management. This enabled them from being able to perform quality audits, Enron was a shining example of how their audits were unsatisfactory, and most definitely lost the publics trust in them. Audit firm culture is very important in performing a quality audit.As small business chronicle states, â€Å"Companies with cultures valuing the highest standards create an atmosphere for workers to deliver products that meet those high standards (Cleaner). † When it comes to management, Ewing a good example, setting the appropriate tone, and ethical standards expected, is important. From ethic s training, to teaching the importance of ethics to employees, along with proper discipline, and open and honest communication, all of these things are important in creating a strong and positive corporate culture.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Mcdonalds Anaylesing According to Porter’s Five Market Forces

McDonalds’s Introduction McDonald’s is the runway market leader in quick service restaurants. McDonald’s is operating in the UK since 1974, and now it has 1,200 restaurants nationwide in the UK, including 700 drive-thru outlets. Around 60% of these restaurants are running by franchises. Restaurants are located where they are most convenient to its customers including on the high street, drive-thrus and a range of sites at shopping centres, airports and leisure parks. McDonald’s UK employ over 75,000 staff, the majority them paid hourly or work part-time. They serve more than two million customers each day. The UK Company owned subsidiary of the McDonald’s corporation, with 3100 restaurants worldwide. Based on independent research CRF instate, McDonald’s has been certified as one of the Britain’s Top Employer 2010. The research shows that they offer you excellent working condition. McDonald’s has a perfect vision and working accordingly. On 14 October, McDonald’s UK held its 2009 Annual General Meeting, where the Executive Team presented the strategy for the year ahead to department heads, franchisees and suppliers. Many of you will have already heard the highlights of this event from your franchisees, operations hierarchy or at your regional cascade meetings. I thought it would be helpful to summarise these highlights in one place and recap on what the drivers of success will be, for our business and brand, in 2010. I hope you find it easy and useful read and that you share it with your management teams. According to him they are in the final stages of completing an outstanding year for McDonald’s in 2009. Their operations improvements marketing plan and plan enablers are delivering record sales, changing perceptions and meeting the increasing demands of customers. If he could sum up how he feels about their business in one word, it would be confidence-in their brand, in their momentum, in our people and in our future. And their Business Managers have never been better placed to take advantage of what their investor has in their restaurants. So what are their plans for 2009? They are currently operating in an economic downturn-a time when people become more discerning, not less. Their customers look more carefully at value and quality and are less willing to overpay. This is when they can at their best, offering a great value, quality service in a simple and engaging way. To support this, we will continue to focus on QAC, invest in re-imaging our restaurants, in developing leadership marketing campaigns, in food innovation and in creating opportunities for our people. They have proven themselves to be one of the best businesses on the high street. But they are also operating in a time of uncertainty, so they need to act nimbly if they are to continue to press home our advantage. I am looking for you and your teams to address 2009 with the flexibility, enthusiasm and resolve that has transformed their performance over the last three years. McDonald’s Strategy for 2010 Lauran Cody (Vice president for BS&I) â€Å"The McDonald’s experience has got even better, through improved restaurants operations, a great marketing plan and strong food stories, focused Plan Enablers and continued investment in our people† The key messages for 2010 were communicated under three main strategies- Upgrading the Employee, Brand Transparency and Local Relevance, Customer Experience. The economic slowdown has seen a ‘flight to value’ across the UK, explained Chief Financial Officer Brian Mullens, and although general retail footfall has gone down, the number of people going to McDonalds has gone up. This is because the whole McDonald’s experience has got even better, through improved restaurants operations, a great marketing plan, strong food stories, new premium food, focused plan enablers and continued investment in their people. Lauren Cody, Vice President for Business strategy and insights, said there is a ‘silver lining of opportunity’ for them to gain market share during economic uncertainty. Customers want the same experience for less, so if they are fast on their feet, offer great value and play to their strengths and their value heritage-without comparing their brand-they can emerge from the downturn stronger than ever before. Nevertheless, they are currently experiencing high cost inflation too, so there is a further need to protect their margins without devaluing their brands. This will achieve by: __Driving more customers into restaurants through Plan Enable like extended __Capitalising on brand equity by continue to tell our story to customers _a marketing calendar focused on providing simple, easy enjoyment __menu pricing __reducing energy usage and cost through smarter use of technology. Objectives of McDonald’s Upgrading the Employee Experience How an organisation treats its staff can make a real difference to the business, the brand and its people. In 2009 they developed new and exciting people initiatives to help attract great quality people to deliver for their customer, which contributes to changing perceptions and drives sales. They and their teams have played a key part in this success. Chief People Officer David Fairhurst explained how 2010 is about keeping up the momentum they have all worked so hard to achieve – and continuing to surprise and impress their critics by building on our reputation as a progressive employer. Their biggest people strategy for 2010 is the city and guilds backed McDonald’s Apprenticeship programme. It will include learning Maths and English online, completing the crew development programme and demonstrating key skills in the work place, such as numeracy and communication. By the end of their training, an apprentice will achieve a qualification equivalent to five GCSEs grade A* to C. Elsewhere, their new nationwide work experience programme will help restaurants deliver high quality placements, while minimising disruption to day- to-day operations. At the same time, McDonald’s will enter a Local Employment Partnership with jobcentre plus, which matches long term jobseekers to a vacancy in one of our restaurants. They will also be training a new McDonald’s retail degree for business managers in conjunction with Manchester Metropolitan University. Furthermore, the shift into Service programme will provide a new restaurants-based workshop that will set out to create service improvements through the actions of shift managers. Upgrading the Customer Experience They are breaking sales and guest count records, explained Chief Operations Officer Richard Forte, but CSO results tell them that while their customer’s satisfaction is improving, a third of visits are still not satisfactory. They need to impress their record number of customers with outstanding QSC, so they will repay them with loyalty and increase their visits. Supported by ROIP and NABIT, the Plan Enablers have been a major breakthrough for us† In reviewing the top 50 sales performing restaurants during 2008, one in three can attribute over 50% of their growth to one or more of the Plan Enablers. In the year head, they will draw on these and their operations heritage to deliver operations excellence to every customer, on every shift, on every day. Three enab les in particular will help them achieve this: __Re-imaging by the end of 2008 we will have re-imaged 300 restaurants over a two-year period. Research undertaken in areas where a large number of restaurants have been re-imaged shows customers are feeling more valued and have more affection for and trust in the brand. To capitalise on this, re-imaging will continue during 2010 and by 2011 they will have re-imaged the entire estate. __Extended Hours in 2009 they doubled the sales generated through extended hours compared to2007, and opened their restaurants to three million more customers. What’s particular pleasing is that our viewpoint results show their crew find extended hours fits into their life style too. _Drive-thru they have enabled their operations to capture on average an extra 11,200 cars per drive-thru so far this year. But while overall drive-thru CSO has fallen 1% and total experience times have fallen by 10 seconds, friendliness, accuracy and communication scores have weakened. They need to step up their performance and refocus efforts around the basics of people, product and equipment. Next year, they are developing higher capacity ordering systems to continue growth, such as customer order displays. It is about offering modern, flexible, and effortless order-and-pay options that will help make the customer’s experience more convenient and enjoyable. Brand Transparency and Local Relevance Their marketing proposition for 2009 is ‘simple, easy enjoyment’-giving their customers affordable treats in an entertaining and convenient way. With tough economic time ahead, offering good value for money to customers is crucial, so delivering a great value will also be a key of theme. In response to customer feedback, the Pound saver Menu will be renamed the saver Menu in January, so as not to suggest a specific price. Little Tasters’ will be launched too, offering new flavours in a small size as a tempting snack or tasty treat. They tend to get bored of their promotions quicker than their customers, argued marketing director Alistair Macrow, so returning to calendar will be coffee mugs in January and, in the spring, monopoly which will guarantee a winner in every r estaurant. Making our restaurants ‘kid loved, mum approved’ will be a central part of strategy, revealed senior Vice President for marketing Jill McDonald. To achieve this, they will review and re-energise birthday parties, continue to develop Happy Meal activation kits, keep using licensed characters to promote fruit bags, carrot sticks, milk, water and orange juice and carry on their successful ‘Did You Know? ’ advertising for children. ACHIVING INFLUENCE 2009 saw McDonald’s receive more positive press coverage than ever before, with food sourcing, A-level equivalent qualification, new uniforms, football and re-imaging all helping to change customers’ perception of the brand. Nick Hindle, Vice President for communication said: â€Å"in 2010 they will campaign to drive sales and become even more influential. They will focus on leading the eating out market and campaigning on food, crusading in communities to connect with families and young adults and investing in the skills of franchisees in their work as Brand Ambassador. † THEY WILL BUILD ON OUR SUCCESS BY: __generating coverage on the economics of eating out, retail coverage of the key trends, health coverage around food’s nutritional content and social affairs coverage on how families are changing their eating out habits. _launching a report on eating out, something the media, politicians and stakeholders can turn to for an understanding of the sector, its size, its diversity, the choice and trends. __building on their footfall in the community programme by providing coaching places to the disaffected young people __piloting a litter programme in Birmingham and Manchester that should help us win the litter battle, without putting any extra strain on restaurant operations. PESTLE Analysis POLITICAL The operations of McDonalds are affected by the government policies on the regulations of fast food operation. Currently government are controlling the marketing of fast food restaurants because of health concern such as cardiovascular and cholesterol issue and obesity among the young and children in the country. Governments also control the license given for open the fast food restaurant and other business regulation need to follow such as for a franchise business. Good relationship with government in giving mutual benefits such as employment and tax is a must for the company to succeed in any foreign market. McDonalds should also protect its workers by ensuring all the hiring, compensation, training or repatriation is according to Malaysian labour law as stipulated. ECONOMICS As a business entity, McDonalds need to face a lot of economic variables outside its company or its macro environment. Dealing with international sourcing for its material McDonalds should be aware on the global supply and currencies exchange. Remember, McDonalds import most of its raw material such as beef and potatoes due to local market cannot supply in abundant to meet the demand of its product. Any upside of currencies especially dollar will be impacting its cost of purchase. Working on the local country, McDonalds must face government regulations on tax of profit where it gains from the operation and other tax such as entertainment and restaurant service tax. Each country may have different scale or types of tax available and McDonalds should follow the regulation if it wants to continue the operation. As a franchise, McDonalds should also pay certain percentage of the revenue to the parent company in United States. The economic condition and growth of the country also is an important indicator to the demand of products that McDonalds offered. As the food priced slightly above normal foods, not many people will have the income range to consume the products. Moreover if the economy is bad and income percapita is affected, the demand of McDonalds product will certainly going down. On the other hand the good economy also means disposable income is more and people can spend more on more expensive food at fast food restaurant. SOCIAL / CULTURAL The changing lifestyles of Malaysia due to development of Malaysian economy should be also taking into consideration. While more people are able financially to eat at more expensive outlet such as fast food restaurant, they have higher expectation. They want to have quality in services and more conveniences that can differentiate one restaurant from another. Young urban consumers want technology in their life and facilities such as credit card payment, wireless internet, cozy and relaxing ambient place, and other attraction for their hangout and eating. All these needs should also be taken into consideration. There is not much difference between cultural and the purchase of products in a single country but for different countries cultural sensitivity should be upheld. For example in India people (Hindu) do not take beef, Muslim countries do not take pork, German like beers, Finnish like fish type of food menu, Chinese like to associate food with something good (for example prosperity), Asian like rice and Americans eat in big-sized menu. So far McDonalds has shown good efforts in localization of its menu to suit local taste but it should constantly survey and learn about local culture to better understand and design the best product for them. TECHNOLOGY For a fast food restaurant, technology does not give a very high impact on the company and it is not a significant macro environment variables. However McDonalds should be looking to competitors innovation and improve itself in term of integrating technology in managing its operation. For example in inventory system, supply chain management system to manage its supply, easy payment and ordering systems for its customers and wireless internet technology. Implementation of technology can make the management more effective and cost saving in the long term. This will also make customer happy if cost savings results in price reduction or promotional campaign discount which will benefits them from time to time. LEGAL As a certified fast food operator, there are many regulations and procedures that McDonalds should follow. For example is the Halal certification that becomes a concern to Muslim consumers. McDonalds should protect its integrity and consumer confidence by ensuring all materials and process are as claimed or must followed. Other legal requirement that the business owner should follow as stipulated in laws are such as operating hours, business registration, tax requirement, labor and employment laws and quality & environment certification (such as ISO) in which the outlet has been certified. The legal requirement is important because the offenders will be fined or have their business prohibited from operating which can be disastrous. ENVIRONMENT As one of world largest consumer of beef, potatoes and chicken, McDonalds always had been critics for world environmentalist. This is because high onsumption of beef causing the green house effect by methane gasses coming from the cow’s ranch. Large scale plantation has effect the environment and lost of green forest opening for plantation activities. Vegetarian environmentalist criticizes the fast-food giant for cruelty to animals and slaughtering. In Japan, once McDonalds want to introduce whale burger causing uproar because whales are endangered specie s. Before using paper packaging, once McDonalds also had been criticized for being insensitive to pollution because using polystyrene based packaging for its foods. Imagine millions of people purchase from fast food operator and how is the impact to world environment by throwing away those hard to recycle packaging. Our world is getting concern on environment issue and business operating here should not just care for profit, but careful usage of world resources for sustainable development and care for environment safety and health for our future generation. Critics and concern from all public or activist should be review and support if necessary to ensure we play our social responsibility better. SWOT Analysis Strengths McDonald’s business is running since 1955 and 20 of the top 50 corporate staff employees had started as a restaurant level employee time of the beginning. In addition, 67,000 McDonald’s restaurants managers and assistant mangers were promoted from restaurant staff. There was a one popular magazine in 2005 listed McDonald’s as the â€Å"Best place to work for minorities. † In order to new strategy of McDonald’s, it spending more than $1 billion annually in training its staff, and every year more than 250,000 employees completing their graduation from McDonald’s training facilities named Hamburger University. The business is ranked number one in Fortune Magazine's 2008 list of most admired food service companies. One of the world's most recognizable logos (the Golden Arches) and spokes character (Ronald McDonald the clown). According to the Packard Children's Hospital's Center for Healthy Weight children age 3 to 5 were given food in the McDonalds packaging and then given the same food without the packaging, and they preferred the food in the McDonald's packaging every single time. McDonalds is a community oriented, socially responsible company. They run Ronald McDonald House facilities, which provide room and board, food and sibling support at a cost of only $10 a day for families with children needing extensive hospital care. Ronald McDonald Houses are located in more than 259 local communities worldwide, and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile programs offers cost effective medical, dental and education services to children. They also sponsor Olympic athletes. They are a global company operating more than 23,500 restaurants in 109 countries. By being spread out in different regions, this gives them the ability to weather economic fluctuations which are localized by country. They can also operate effectively in an economic downturn due to the social need to seek out comfort foods. They successfully and easily adapt their global restaurants to appeal to the cultural differences. For example, they serve lamb burgers in India and in the Middle East, they provide separate entrances for families and single women. Approximately 85% of McDonald's restaurant businesses world-wide are owned and operated by franchisees. All franchisees are independent, full-time operators and McDonald's was named Entrepreneur's number-one franchise in 1997. They have global locations in all major airports, and cities, along the highways, tourist locations, theme parks and inside Wal-Mart. They have an efficient, assembly line style of food preparation. In addition they have a systemization and duplication of all their food prep processes in every restaurant. McDonald's uses only 100% pure USDA inspected beef, no fillers or additives. Additionally the produce is farm fresh. McDonald's serves 100% farm raised chicken no fillers or additives and only grade-A eggs. McDonald's foods are purchased from only certified and inspected suppliers. McDonalds works closely with ranchers, growers and suppliers to ensure food quality and freshness. McDonalds only serves name brand processed items such as Dannon Yogurt, Kraft Cheese, Nestle Chocolate, Dasani Water, Newman's Own Salad Dressings, Heinz Ketchup, Minute Maid Juice. McDonald's takes food safety very seriously. More than 2000 inspections checks are performed at every stage of the food process. McDonalds are required to run through 72 safety protocols every day to ensure the food is maintained in a clean contaminate free environment. McDonald's was the first restaurant of its type to provide consumers with nutrition information. Nutrition information is printed on all packaging and more recently added to the McDonald's Internet site. McDonalds offers salads, fruit, roasted chicken, bottled water and other low fat and calorie conscious alternatives. WEAKNESSES Their test marketing for pizza failed to yield a substantial product. Leaving them much less able to compete with fast food pizza chains. High employee turnover in their restaurants leads to more money being spent on training. They have yet to capitalize on the trend towards organic foods. McDonald's have problems with fluctuations in operating and net profits which ultimately impact investor relations. Operating profit was $3,984 million (2005) $4,433 million (2006) and $3,879 million (2007). Net profits were $2,602 million (2005), $3,544 million (2006) and $2,395 million (2007). Opportunities In today's health conscious societies the introduction of a healthy hamburger is a great opportunity. They would be the first QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) to have FDA approval on marketing a low fat low calorie hamburger with low calorie combo alternatives. Currently McDonald's and its competition health choice items do not include hamburgers. They have industrial, Formica restaurant settings; they could provide more upscale restaurant settings, like the one they have in New York City on Broadway, to appeal to a more upscale target market. Provide optional allergen free food items, such as gluten free and peanut free. In 2008 the business directed efforts at the breakfast, chicken, beverage and convenience categories. For example, hot specialist coffees not only secure sales, but also mean that restaurants get increasing numbers of customer visits. In 2009 McDonald's saw the full benefits of a venture into beverages. Threats They are a benchmark for creating â€Å"cradle to grave† marketing. They entice children as young as one year old into their restaurants with special meals, toys, playgrounds and popular movie character tie-ins. Children grow up eating and enjoying McDonalds and then continue into adulthood. They have been criticized by many parent advocate groups for their marketing practices towards children which are seen as marginally ethical. They have been sued multiple times for having â€Å"unhealthy† food, allegedly with addictive additives, contributing to the obesity epidemic in America. In 2004, Michael Spulock filmed the documentary Super Size Me, where he went on an all McDonalds diet for 30 days and wound up getting cirrhosis of the liver. This documentary was a direct attack on the QSR industry as a whole and blamed them for America's obesity epidemic. Due in part to the documentary, McDonalds no longer pushes the super size option at the dive thru window. Any contamination of the food supply, especially e-coli. Major competitors, like Burger King, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Wendy's, KFC and any mid-range sit-down restaurants. Dr. Jill Novak, University of Phoenix, Texas A University.