Information Technology in Transport and Logistics Essay

Information Technology in Transport and Logistics - Essay Example This essay focuses on discussing the application of IT solutions to transportation and logistics that can improve their efficiency and to bring about better management of highways, shipping, airfreight, railroad and public transportation systems. The researcher also analyzes that it can help ease traffic congestion, enhance the efficiency and productivity of transportation services and logistics, and more significantly reduce costs. As it's observed in the essay, sustainable transportation in an age today when energy prices are uncertain but broadly increasing requires that efforts be made to shift passenger and goods transport to cheaper means of transportation. The application of IT solutions to large-scale transportation and logistic systems has certainly produced increased efficiencies even today, particularly in order booking and tracking, vehicle navigation, route planning, and safety and control systems. However, the researcher states that there is still more room for making s uch applications wider across the globe in future in tune with the rapid strides in information and communication technologies and the Internet revolution. Information technologies also need to be capable of graceful scalability when applied to traffic control, logistic management or vehicle system. In addition, many logistics and transportation companies serve a large clientele, transparency of information about real-time operations can also make a difference to clients, particularly in scheduling and tracking shipments.

Professional Sports Team Essay Example for Free

Professional Sports Team Essay The existing financial crisis has resulted to the economic imbalance. It has threatened and influenced numerous industries – not only banking institutions but also the sports industry as well. Understanding how the economic crisis might have affected the sports industry is quite unfathomable, as on the exterior, there seems to be no associations between the economy and the sports industry. However, the situation sports team are in at the moment reveals how the financial crisis has also become a let down for the sports industry. Apparently, the demand for sports as a means of entertainment has dwindled as individuals needed to allocate their resources judiciously and responsibly. The economic crisis has caused layoffs and unemployment, and the inability of organizations to increase or maintain the salary of their employees. Due to these situations, individuals have realized the importance of spending money wisely, according to need and priority. The lack of resources that individuals are now experiencing led them to neglect entertainment and other superficialities, as opposed to the need to provide for basic needs and requirements. As the chief executive of the NBA New Jersey Nets, Brett Yormack, has said the competition within the sports industry has gravitated to include other goods and services that are external to what or who sports groups or teams are usually competing with. The goods and services being provided by the sports industry is now competing with other industries that provide the most urgent needs of man. Sports groups and teams have realized that they cannot gain profit from contemporary means, such as television tie-ups for subscription, but only on conventional approaches such as ticket trading. However, the main problem is that although the sports industry is keen on selling tickets for profit, the inquiry of success still leans towards the capacity of individuals to pay for tickets. The sports industry addressed this issue by implementing a scheme that is much more convenient for people – the buy-now pay-later scheme – and therefore, enticing and motivating for individuals to catch the bait. Another economic crisis impact is the restructuring of the sports industry. The diminishing profit of the industry has forced it to cut down on expenses in order to survive the economic turmoil. Some institutions have decided to layoff their employees in order to cut back on expenses being provided for its human capital. The issues aforementioned are in discussion of the implications of the economic crisis on the local sports industry. However, the more serious issue has something to do with the impact of the financial slump on the sports industry on the national level. Sports groups, teams, and establishments are at risk for being stripped of funding, as the national government, like the people, is considering the allocation of resources judiciously such that the most important concerns will be provided for against the lighter requirements. For instance, funding for the maintenance of football fields will be in the least priority, as other issues such as health care and public safety weighs heavier in terms of benefits and contributions to society. The sports industry is starting to fall apart altogether since the impact of the financial crisis has started to take its toll on the success of the institution. Perhaps it will be difficult to expect changes in the future concerning improvements or developments in the sports industry, not unless the economic crisis is resolved. Surely, the state of the economy is a strong force that relatively influences other institutions such as the sports industry.

Difference Between Greek and Roman Warfare :: essays research papers

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GREEK AND ROMAN WAREFARE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main difference between Greek and Roman warfare was the formations that they fought in. The Grecian armies all used the phalanx as a fighting formation while the Romans used the maniple. The phalanx was one mass formation that consisted of infantry eight deep. The maniple formation was actually a group of formations in a checkerboard pattern. Each maniple consisted of about 120 men and when employed in Italy, the Romans used thirty maniples. The maniple proved to be a better formation, because the phalanx left no room for maneuvering after engagement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Greeks basic soldier was a foot soldier that was trained for close combat. The basic combat soldier in Rome was a horse rider and an expert bowman. This was also due in part to the increase in technology as well. The Grecian hoplite would also carry a spear that compared to the Roman pilum as a predecessor. The pilum was much longer and could be thrown a lot further.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another difference in warfare was the way that the different regions treated their opponents after a victory. The Greeks would enslave and control a defeated people while the Romans would not treat a defeated nation as slaves, but would â€Å"invite† them to ally and basically become part of Rome. This was the case of the Sicilians after they were defeated during the first Punic War.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Roman Empire split into two different empires, the eastern or Byzantium and the western. The two empires mirrored each other politically, but not religiously. The Greeks never allowed themselves to split territory into two different powers, although some Greek city-states had dual kings, but never on a national level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The political system of both Roman empires was based on virtue and the republic was founded with the Senate as the center. The magistrates were elected annually and also had control of the armies. The key to Roman superiority was the patriotism and training and drills.

Statement of Purpose for Mba

School of Environment and Natural Resources SENR BiWeek August 6, 2012 A NOTE FROM DAVID~ AN UPDATE STAFF APPRECIATION PUBLICATIONS EVENTS DIVYA GUPTA SHARES HER FIELDWORK IN INDIA ~ I returned from India this summer after spending six months collecting data for my dissertation. My dissertation is on the role of local institutions in natural resource management. For data collection I was working in the central Himalayan region where I visited several villages to interview people about forest management activities that are conducted and coordinated by the local institution in the region.This local institution is called Van Panchayat (Forest Committee), it is a traditional institution that dates back to 1931. Since it was formed before independence (India got its independence in August 1947), it is significant in terms of rights of locals’ to natural resources. I collaborated with an NGO working in the region that helped me with navigating remote villages and also with arranging accommodations in the villages. Going from one village to another was a challenge as there was lack of proper road network so driving was near to impossible, but thankfully there were paths/trails that very intricately connected all the villages.Those trails were very beautiful, they cut through dense tropical forests and since I would walk on those trails on early mornings and evenings, it also gave me a chance to spot some beautiful birds on my way. I walked 7-10 miles/day on an average to get to my destination, which was hard in the beginning, but with time my body adapted. Also, the walking helped with keeping the body warm during cold winters. Unlike the west, the east experienced one of the coldest winters last year.The houses on the hills in India don’t have central heating systems, they barely receive a continuous 24 hour supply of electricity and water, so people burn wood to keep their houses warm and drink lots of ginger tea to keep their bodies warm. To understan d the dependence of people on the forests, I did a lot of homestays – staying with local families was one of my most enriching experiences, it gave me a chance to see firsthand how closely these people’s lives were associated with forests. Also it was amazing to see how self-dependent those people were.They almost grew all their food, from grains to cereals to fruit and vegetables and even spices. Without any outside help, family members would work together to manage their fields – it was quite incredible! I became very attached to all the families I lived with, they took very good care of me and always made sure that I was comfortable. While conducting field work in India, I received funding from the Environment Change Institute (University of Oxford) to participate at a conference in London.This was a unique opportunity for me to share ideas about my research, talk about its progress, and at the same time get valuable feedback from experienced people working i n the same area. Being my first time in the UK, this was a great chance for me to also explore parts of England and Scotland too! Continued on page 2 SENR BiWeek — 2 On behalf of Ron Hendrick, I am excited to share information about a new service for a broad range of people who are professionally engaged in managing, protecting, and using our environment and natural resources, including students.The SENR will launch the Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) August 7th with two main components: multi-disciplinary interaction and networking through a community-oriented website at epn. osu. edu, and a monthly 2nd Tuesdays Breakfast Club on campus featuring great speakers on timely topics and offering additional networking opportunities. The EPN will strengthen SENR's support of people and organizations engaged in environmental management across Ohio and beyond. We recognize that even though society is information rich, quickly accessing information useful for your own needs can be quite challenging.This is often true in environmental management where so many social, economic, and technical factors crossing so many disciplines may be critical to solving a problem or creating an opportunity. The online querying capability of the EPN will facilitate quick access to information and knowledge from network colleagues who share a commitment to excellence in environmental management. It will also help work be more efficient and effective. The EPN online is free and participants can set their own level of involvement.Our speaker at the first 2nd Tuesdays Breakfast Club will be Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of the 4 million-member National Wildlife Federation, which is actively engaged in many critical environmental issues. I hope that you and others will want to be part of initiating the EPN at this exciting event Tuesday, September 11th, at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center – OSU’s first LEED-certified building. Go to epn. osu. edu for information/registration. Please contact me with questions or for a copy of our brochure at 614. 47. 1908 or hanselmann. [email  protected] edu. I would also appreciate you sharing information about EPN with your many colleagues. We need to cast a broad net and be inclusive. So please spread the word and forward our information; contact me for e-materials. Also, I would be happy to come out to your events to briefly share information about EPN and participation. Contact me anytime. I hope to see you for breakfast Tuesday, September 11th. Be there, and be part of starting something new, different, and important. O H – I O!A Note from David Hanselmann ~ Divya cont. Before I started my field work, I was apprehensive about going to a strange place and being able to work successfully. But I was pleasantly surprised by the kind of encouraging response I got from people. I feel thankful to have had the opportunity to live and work in India amidst the beautiful Himalayas an d it’s people – it was the most rewarding and inspiring experience. A great trip overall! Divya Gupta is a PhD candidate in the Environment and Natural Resource graduate program.Her advisor is Tom Koontz. OSU Wellness Celery — more than a crunch! Once thought of as a nutritional zero, celery is actually a great source of potassium, a nutrient that helps reduce blood pressure and regulate the balance of fluids and minerals in the body. If you thought bananas were tops for potassium, here’s a stalking surprise — four medium celery stalks deliver about the same amount of potassium as a medium banana. For a quick snack, dip celery in hummus or peanut butter for some added protein. SENR BiWeek — 3The New Undergraduate Major in Sustainability at Ohio State An Update from the Conference Chair There are 1500 to 1600 delegates from 75 countries expected to come to Columbus for EcoSummit 2012 on September 30 – October 5 to hear 10 plenary prese ntations from the world’s premier ecologists and environmental scientists and practitioners, and 600 invited presentations from around the world in 65 symposia and to participate in 21 forums and workshops on practical issues related to improving our environment.In addition, there will be another 850 general sessions and poster presentations during EcoSummit 2012. There are 6 pre-conference field trips based in Atlanta, New York, Washington DC, Miami, Chicago, and Columbus that will educate an estimated 100 international delegates about some to the large ecosystem restorations in the USA. Most delegates will take part in one of the 33 all-day mid-conference field trips that radiate throughout Ohio. This conference will focus on prescriptions for solving the world’s environmental problems far more than on descriptions.Symposia and lectures will involve ecological engineering, ecological restoration, green infrastructure, the prosperous way down, adapting to climate chan ge, earth stewardship, ecohydrology, eco-informatics, ecological modeling, sustainable agriculture, protecting biodiversity, carbon sequestration, human ecology, and enhancing ecosystem services. The plenary speakers, Pulitzer Prize winners E. O. Wilson and Jared Diamond, will give a memorial to the work of the recently deceased Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom, and a summary of the global contributions of H. T. Odum in ecological economics, engineering, and modeling, and energy futures.There will also be a 50th anniversary event of Rachel Carson’s landmark book Silent Spring at this first conference to link the Ecological Society of America (ESA), The International Association for Ecology (INTECOL) and the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER). Individuals can still register to attend at http://www. ecosummit2012. org/index. htm. Students who have a passion for sustainability can put their passion into practice by enrolling in Ohio State’s new major c alled Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability (EEDS) (http://eeds. osu. edu/).The EEDS major is a multi-disciplinary degree program in sustainability that provides students in-depth training in the economic, business and social aspects of sustainability. This cutting-edge major provides the core knowledge and skills students need to pursue a career in sustainability in the private, public or non-profit sector. Sustainability is a rapidly growing field and knowledge of sustainability is becoming an important competency in many types of jobs. The academic rigor of this major, coupled with opportunities for hands-on learning, will give students an important advantage when it comes time to launching their careers.Students can enroll now for Fall 2012! Learn more about this pioneering major and how to enroll, sign-up for our newsletter, like us on facebook, and start following us on twitter and pinterest by visiting http://eeds. osu. edu/. Alumni Award Selection Rattan Lal w ill be honored with the OSU Alumni Association's Professional Achievement Award at a ceremony on Sept. 14th. He received his PhD in Agronomy in 1968. SENR BiWeek — 4 Staff Appreciation The 2012 Staff Appreciation Week will be held August 13-17, 2012. Activities on the Columbus campus include the Rally for Wellness, Tuesday (8/14) from 9:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. . in the RPAC. Your Plan for Health and OSU Health Plan, the Department of Recreational Sports, and USAC sponsor this event. Nearly 100 healthand wellness-related exhibitors and professionals offer biometric screenings, chair massages, osteoporosis and skin cancer screenings, and samples of delicious, healthy food. Attending the health fair earns points toward the university's YP4H Faculty and Staff Incentive Program, so be sure to attend! The Staff Arts ; Crafts Exhibit will begin Thursday (8/16) with a reception 11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. at Bricker 2nd Floor area. This exhibit will be on display into October.On Friday (8/ 17) a USAC Pep Rally at the Ohio Union will be held 12:00 to 1:30 p. m. Planned by USAC's Outreach and Engagement Subcommittee and staffed by USAC members, the pep rally features Ohio State cheerleaders, members of The Ohio State University Marching Band, Brutus Buckeye, and special guests to kick off the football season. The CFAES SAC will hold the Columbus Staff Appreciation Day on Tuesday (8/14) from 11:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. on the Kottman Hall lawn & gazebo area. There will be free lunch, ice cream, games and door prizes. RSVP at http://go. osu. edu/K6p. Wooster Fun Fest is Aug. 7th, 11:30-3:00, where staff will enjoy free food, games, and cheer on your tug-of-war team! The OARDC and ATI Staff Council sponsor this event. The CFAES SAC is currently accepting nominations for their 2012 Staff Recognition: Above and Beyond Awards and the Shirley Brooks-Jones Award. The Shirley Brooks-Jones Award recognizes staff excellence, the Key Values Award recognizes staff with less than 3 yea rs of experience. The Innovation Award goes to staff who initiate new improvements to the workplace, and the Special Recognition goes to a staff member who offered special assistance.Nomination forms are available online at the Staff Advisory Council website. Laura E. (Bast) Lindsey graduated with Honors in 2009 with BS and MS degrees from SENR, with a research focus in soil fertility. She has now joined the faculty in the HCS where she will serve as the Extension Specialist in Soybean and Small Grains for OSU Extension in collaboration with OARDC. Her focus will be to develop extension outreach education and research on soybean and wheat production within sustainable cropping systems. Laura is originally from Plymouth, OH.She obtained the PhD degree in Crop and Soil Science from Michigan State University in May 2012, where she conducted research in weed science and soil fertility. She has received several fellowships and grants, including the 2011 Outstanding Graduate Student Award in recognition of exceptional accomplishment, research, and service from the North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference in Des Moines, IA. She is author of several peer-reviewed journal articles, numerous abstracts and proceedings articles, extension newsletter articles, and extension bulletins. If you would like to reconnect with Laura her email is lindsey. [email  protected] edu. Alum Returns One Last Thing —> Don’t wait! Take your PHA Today! Enrolled in an Ohio State medical plan? Complete the YP4H Personal Health Assessment (PHA) and Biometric Health Screening by Sept. 30th to receive the full 2013 PHA Medical Plan Premium Credit of $360. SENR BiWeek — 5 PUBLICATIONS Bhatti, Tariq M. , Jerry M. Bigham, Antti Vuorinen and Olli H. Tuovinen. 2012. Chemical and bacterial leaching of metals from black schist sulfide minerals in shake flasks. International Journal of Mineral Processing 110:25-29. Chaudhary, D. R. , J. Saxena, N. Lorenz and R. P. Dick. 2012.Distribution of recently fixed photosynthate in a switchgrass plant-soil system. Plant Soil and Environment 58(6):249255. Drobyshev, Igor, P. Charles Goebel, Yves Bergeron and R. Gregory Corace, III. 2012. Detecting changes in climate forcing on the fire regime of a North American mixedpine forest: A case study of Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Michigan. Dendrochronologia 30(2SI):137-145. Goebel, P. C. , K. S. Pregitzer and B. J. Palik. 2012. Influence of flooding and landform properties on riparian plant communities in an old-growth northern hardwood watershed. Wetlands 32:679-691.Goebel, P. C. , B. J. Pailk and K. S. Pregitzer. 2012. Structure and composition of riparian forests in an old-growth northern hardwood-hemlock watershed. Forest Ecology and Management 280:52-61. Gorney, Rebecca M. , Marsha G. Williams, Dawn R. Ferris and Lance R. Williams. 2012. The influence of channelization on fish communities in an agricultural coldwater stream system. American Midland Naturalist 168(1):132-143. Graser, William H. , III, Stanley D. Gehrt, Laura L. Hungerford and Chris Anchor. 2012. Variation in demographic patterns and population structure of raccoons across an urban landscape.Journal of Wildlife Management 76(5):976-987. Kautza, Adam and Mazeika P. Sullivan. 2012. Relative effects of local- and landscapescale environmental factors on stream fish assemblages: evidence from Idaho and Ohio, USA. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 180(3):259-270. Lane, Matthew, Nicola Lorenz, Jyotisna Saxena, Cliff Ramsier and Richard P. Dick. 2012. Microbial activity, community structure and potassium dynamics in rhizosphere soil of soybean plants treated with glyphosate. Pedobiologia 55(3):153-159. McConnell, T. E. 2012. The economic impact of Ohio’s wood furniture industry.Proceedings of the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention, Washington, DC. 7 p. Publications cont. McConnell, T. E. 2012. Forest products: Building economic growth i n Ohio. Procedings of the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention, Washington, DC. 6 p. McConnell, T. E. and D. K. Apsley. 2012. Jackson County’s forest economy. The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet F-76-12. McConnell, T. E. and G. W. Graham. 2012. Holmes County’s forest economy. The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet F-75-12. Sloan, John J. , Peter A. Y. Ampim, Nicholas T.Basta and Roger Scott. 2012. Addressing the need for soil blends and amendments for the highly modified urban landscape. Soil Science Society of America Journal 76(4)):1133-1141. Sullivan, S. Mazeika P. and Kerri T. Vierling. 2012. Exploring the influences of multiscale environmental factors on the American dipper Cinclus mexicanus. Ecography 35(7):624-626. PRESENTATIONS Charles Goebel presented ‘Complexity, resiliency, and restoration – Lessons from the forests of eastern North America' as an invited presentation to the School of Natural Resources, Trinit y College in Dublin, Ireland (July 16, 2012).Eric McConnell presented ‘The economic impact of Ohio’s wood furniture industry' and ‘Forest products: Building economic growth in Ohio' at the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention in Washington, DC (June 3-5, 2012). SENR BiWeek — 6 EVENTS Monday, August 6, 2012 CMASC Seminar @ 1:00 p. m. @ 460 Kottman Hall Speakers: Drs. Cerri and Maia, CMASC Visiting Scholars Title: Carbon Budget by Land Use Change and Biofuel Production in Brazil 2012 Teaching Orientation @ Ohio State Monday, August 13, 2012 CMASC Seminar @ 1:00 p. m. 460 Kottman Hall Speaker: Atanu Mukherjee, CMASC Postdoctoral Researcher Title: Impacts of Various Amendments in Soil Quality Friday, August 17, 2012 SENR Faculty Retreat @ 8:30 a. m. – 4:30 p. m. @ Alum Creek State Park Guest: Kaz Obrietan, Marketing Specialist This annual event has been designed specifically for new Ohio State GTAs, to reduce anxieties, provide some tech niques and strategies for effective teaching, and suggest resources for further assistance. The orientation is sponsored by the University Center for the Advancement of Teaching (UCAT).Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012 1:00–2:00 p. m. , Hitchcock Hall Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Overview 2:20–5:00 p. m. , Central Classroom Building Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Part I Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 9:00 a. m. –12:30 p. m. , Central Classroom Building Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Part II Teaching as a Grader Teaching in the Clinical Setting Lunch – On Your Own, 12:30–2:00 p. m. 2:00–3:30 p. m. , Hitchcock Hall University Policies and Procedures Every Teacher Should Know 3:30–5:00 p. m. Physics Research Building Teaching Resource Fair Thursday, August 16, 2012 9:00–10:15 a. m. and 10:30–11:45 a. m. (morning sessions) 1:00–2:15 p. m. and 2:30–3:45 p. m. (afternoon sessions) Central Classroom Build ing (Unless otherwise noted) College Teaching Topics For more information visit the UCAT website. A New Website is Coming to SENR A team from SENR met on July 24th with a team from CommTech to officially kickoff a new SENR website. A college-wide project championed by Linda Martin, all academic units will have their web presence fall under a new CFAES umbrella site.Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership, along with Plant Pathology, have launched their new websites. A new CFAES Academic Programs website is scheduled to launch in August. The SENR website is scheduled to launch in January 2013. Kaz Obrietan of Kaz & Co. will also be contributing to the School's online presence. This SENR BiWeek contains highlights from the School along with announcements of upcoming seminars, programs and events. If you have items to be included in future mailings please forward your information to Pat Patterson.

American nurses association

The American Nurses Association is a professional service organization that represents the entire registered American nurses’ population. It aims to promote health care services to every human being. It believes that health care is a right of every citizen and a restructured development and implementation of health policies is needed. Furthermore it is dedicated in producing highly skilled nurses in the field of medicine. At the local and state level, the roles and functions of ANA are to persuade every individual to go into nursing by promoting an advance nursing profession by setting up high standard nursing practices.In return, a competitive workplace is attained producing a realistic perspective of things that transpire as a nurse. Registered nurses are also helped by the association by conducting continuous research base projects for nursing. The field is continually being expanded. It also pushes for better compensation for nurses. It calls for a better working condition for nurses and implements strategic techniques in which nurses can deliver their services more efficiently and effectively locally.Thus, the local and the state benefit largely from these practices, where in services will not be delayed and are delivered cost-effectively. Nationally, ANA is in the forefront on the call for a massive restructuration of the health care programs. They believed that the health care is in crisis, and the cost of care continues grow while its quality suffers and the problem should be addressed to the policy makers, health professionals and the public.Through its political and legislative programs, ANA has taken solid positions. It expresses its desire for a restructure program by delivering primary health care services in community based settings. On its agenda also is an expanded participation of nurses in delivering those services and obtaining federal fund for practice, training and future ventures in the field of nursing. The association also discuss es the importance of safer needle devices to people.It aims to protect the rights of patients and provide them access to a better health care system. It aims to offer public and private plan of standard package of essential health care services to every citizens. The American Nurses Association exists not primarily to protect the welfare of the registered nurses. It is an organization that commits its loyalty on things that would help the public benefit. The health of the people and an efficient way of delivering services at low cost is the association primary concerns.The organization’s unwavering efforts are major boost that contribute to health care reforms on both state and national level. References (Levit, 2001) (Aiken L. H. , 2000) Aiken L. H. , C. S. P. , & Sloanne D. M. . (2000). Hospital Restructuring: Does it Adversely Affect Care and Outcomes? Journal of Nursing Administration, 457-465. Levit, K. , Smith C, . Cowan C. , Lazenby H. , Sensenig A. , Catlin A. ,. (200 1). Trends in US Health Care Spending. Health Affairs, 154-164.

Pipefish Facts and Information

Pipefish Facts and Information Pipefish are slender relatives of seahorses. Description Pipefish are a very slender fish that has an amazing ability to camouflage, blending in expertly with the slender seagrasses and weeds among which it lives. They align themselves in a vertical position and sway back and forth among the grasses. Like their seahorse and seadragon relatives, pipefish have a long snout and bony rings around their body and fan-shaped tail. Rather than scales, they  have bony plates for protection. Depending on the species, pipefish can be from one to twenty-six inches in length. Some even  have the ability to change color to further blend in with their habitat. Like their seahorse and seadragon relatives, pipefish  have a fused jaw which creates a long, pipette-like snout that is used for sucking in their food.   Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Gasterosteiformes Family: Syngnathidae There are over 200 pipefish species. Here are some that are found in United States waters: Common Pipefish  (Northern pipefish)Chain PipefishDusky pipefishBay Pipefish Habitat and Distribution Pipefish live in seagrass beds, among Sargassum, and among reefs, estuaries and rivers. They are found in shallow waters up to waters over 1000 feet deep. They may move to deeper waters in the winter.   Feeding Pipefish eat tiny crustaceans, fish and fish eggs. Some (e.g.,  Janss pipefish) even set up cleaning stations to eat parasites off other fish. Reproduction Like their seahorse relatives, pipefish are ovoviviparous, but it is the male who raises the young. After a sometimes elaborate courtship ritual, females place several hundred eggs on the males brood patch or in his brood pouch (only some species have full- or half-pouches). The eggs are protected there while they incubate, before they hatch  into tiny pipefish that are miniature versions of their parents.   Conservation and Human Uses Threats to pipefish include habitat loss, coastal development, and harvesting for use in traditional medicines. References and Further Information Chesapeake Bay Program. Pipefish.   Accessed October 8, 2014. FusedJaw.  Pipefish Fact Sheet. Accessed October 28, 2014. Monterey Bay Aquarium. Bay Pipefish. Accessed October 28, 2014.Waller, G. 1996. SeaLife: A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment. Smithsonian Institution Press. 504 pp.

Bmw Drives Germany Essay Example

Bmw Drives Germany Essay Example Bmw Drives Germany Essay Bmw Drives Germany Essay International Business BMW Drives Germany By Peter Gumbel Assignment by Matthew Jackson Table of Contents: Page 1. Assignment Cover Sheet3 2. Question Summary4 3. Question 15 8 4. Question 2 9 10 5. Question 3 3. 111 13 3. 214 16 6. Question 417 19 7. Bibliography20 – 23 8. Appendix A24 9. Appendix B25 Surname:Jackson First Names:Matthew William Student Number:102531 Subject:International Business Assignment Number:One Date Submitted:2008. 06. 12 Submission:Second Postal Address:PO Box 704 Shelly Beach 4265 E-mail:matthew. [emailprotected] co. za Contact Numbers:W039 315 0151 H039 312 0055 Cell0832834460 Course/Intake:MBA Year Two – January 2008 I hereby declare that the assignment submitted is an original piece of work produced by myself. Matthew Jackson 75122350090882008. 06. 12 Question Summary Sheet 1. Evaluate the shift in BMW Germany’s attitude and policies toward FDI. Discuss using relevant theory what you have identified as being the driving force behind this change in attitude and policy. 2. Explain the benefits to the German economy in BMW’s decision to maintain and improve its manufacturing operations in Germany. 3. If BMW wanted to extend its manufacturing operation into a developing Southern African country, explain what your recommendations would be to their CEO with regard to: 3. 1: Factors to consider prior to the formulation of a global strategy? E. g. Culture, Negotiation, etc. 3. 2: The strategy that BMW should utilize. Justify 4. Analyze the Global Competitive environment in which BMW operates and rank their position in the industry. Question 1: Evaluate the shift in BMW Germany’s attitude and policies toward FDI. Discuss using relevant theory what you have identified as being the driving force behind this change in attitude and policy. Introduction The Policy towards FDI mentioned at the start of the article by Gumbel (2007) was heavily influenced by the local economic conditions in Germany at the time. Exorbitant labour costs, unbending union rules and Administrative Policies all influenced BMW to investigate solutions for their local economic stagnation from mostly Oligopoly conditions of most companies in the saturated European Market. BMW had to find solutions elsewhere. Theory and analysis Duthmann et al. (2006) reports that Labour costs are traditionally expensive in Germany. This view is supported by data from Appendix A. It was compounded by the re-unification of East Germany and the Government needed to find a solution for Unemployment. BMW used the strategic advantage that these unemployed East German Automotive workers at Leipzig were providing, while helping government lower unemployment through FDI. Lowering that aspect of the inputs to the value chain had injected profit to BMW’s earnings. The Leontief Paradox states that countries that are abundant in capital should be exporters of capital intensive goods, and import labour intensive goods. These imports did not relieve the strain on domestic labour intensive industries. The Leontief Paradox disputes the Heckscher-Olin theory on the point that Factor endowments can be impacted by Government Policy. BMW is a good example proving that this paradox exists. Government intervention into labour rights, the shortened work week and East German re-unification problems caused excessive pressures on high labour costs. This directly caused BMW to shift their focus on investment elsewhere, to achieve cost reduction. The Benefits that Germany enjoyed from allowing BMW to pursue their FDI efforts are related to their resource transfer effect, their employment effect, their balance of payments effect and their effect on competition and economic growth. Specific parts for the leather seats and cockpits of BMW’s are manufactured by Fauracia. The natural resource leather is of better quality. The parts do not have to be trucked in as finished parts, thus incurring transportation costs, customs and import duties, and can be assembled on-site, providing immediate service support if needed. All these resources are transferred from elsewhere and do not need to be consumed and provided by Germany. Allowing FDI from Daimler-Chrysler and Fauracia allows technical resources to lower the intellectual capital drain needed in Germany, and this resource can be better utilized in other sectors. Costs involved in Research and Development of individual parts needed in assembly then stays with the host nation and not Germany, and lowers costs for BMW. FDI effect on competition and economic growth in Germany relates to the Competition created by the rivalry between Daimler-Chrysler and BMW. This especially affects service industries such as Management and these services have to be delivered in Germany where the cars are produced. Radosevic and Rozeik (2005) reports on the Cluster in the Central European Economy, and the clustering of supplier networks. BMW made the same decision regarding the supply of some of their parts to reduce costs. Hill (2007) discusses Porters â€Å"Diamond Model† for the determinants of National Competitive Advantage. He is of the opinion that Governments influence the four determinants. To evaluate whether Germany’s attitudes and policies towards FDI where effective, we need to investigate the effects the FDI decision had on factors of production, such as skilled labour and infrastructure, on demand conditions (sophisticated customers in home market), related and supporting industries, and firm strategy, structure and rivalry (conditions for organization of companies, and the nature of domestic rivalry) Factor conditions were influenced in Germany at that time through their policies towards capital markets. The Business Times(2008) reports that Germany has the most transparent banking System in Europe and is of the opinion that their high personal income tax rate will cause money to ultimately flow to Southeast Asia or Central America if they do not change it soon. Gumbel (2007) also states that the skepticism of Anglo-Saxon capital finance hampers the capital market even though Germany is supposed to draw advantage from the unified European economy. Although hedge funds exist to help subsidize growth within the European Union (EU), Germany wants to curb their power so that individual local economies within the EU may be stimulated. Germany has themselves provided money through the private sector, even though the unification with East Germany took a lot of investment to develop again. This decision can thus be evaluated as a good stimulant for domestic macro-economic growth. Porter (1980) note that local government usually shape local demand conditions in more subtle ways. Local Product Standards have always been high in Germany, and regulations for buyers needs are strictly controlled. The shift towards FDI will fit in with this advantage. Gumbel (2007) alludes to the fact that Germany has always invested heavily in their Automotive Industry through subsidizing related and supporting industries via their traditional engineering prowess. BMW moved Faurecia, the company that builds their seats and cockpits, on site to create a backwards Vertical FDI. This accelerates the shared value chain activities, and co-ordinates supportive industries. The cutting of Transportation costs by moving Faurecia on site allowed the special conditions created by mass customization to be solved even though the cockpits assembled generally have a high value to weight ratio. BMW organized their firm structure as Porter’s Diamond Model suggested they should through using management structures that are technically trained and allows for hierarchical methodical product and process improvements. This can be seen in their Mass Customization program that has bee the life line of their current success. The Domestic Rivalry between BMW and Daimler-Chrysler Mercedes-Benz has also traditionally been responsible for the continual product innovation at BMW. This resulted in the drive to reduce input costs to the Value Chain and improve quality of their product through automation and use of robotics. FDI was one of the sources BMW identified that provides innovation, lower costs and better quality. It is also the collusion with Daimler-Chrysler to develop new hybrid engines that gives them new technology. This can only be beneficial to both companies through the use of FDI. Discussion FDI was a good solution to take advantage of factor conditions such as great technical resources, already existing Research and Development infrastructure, Germany’s good banking system, and strong local capital investment policies, the unified Euro. Demand conditions such as High local quality in product standards, the technically trained management firm structures inherent in most German organizations, and the longstanding domestic rivalry with Daimler-Chrysler Mercedes, have all created and environment where FDI became the logical solution to the challenges they faced. The Macro-economic consequence of the Foreign Direct Investment allowed Germany to lower unemployment without allocating part of the Gross Domestic Product to improve it. FDI created jobs specifically for the unemployed East German automotive industry workers in Leipzig. The Balance of payments effect allowed Germany to have a growth rate of 2. 8% last year. This allowed net exports of $200 Billion, of which BMW showed on their own balance statement healthy revenue of $65 Billion. This was achieved by establishing FDI to be a substitute for imports of goods or services and thus on a continual basis will improve the current account of Germany. Conclusion The close relationship of Porter’s Model of determinants of comparative advantage to the FDI decision was discussed. This showed the accuracy of FDI in providing a head-start in the Market. When the positive effects of BMW’s FDI decision is measured against the macro-economic benefits it provided, it must be evaluated that it was a correct decision. Question 2: Explain the benefits to the German economy in BMW’s decision to maintain and improve its manufacturing operations in Germany. Introduction Amdam, Lunnan and Ramanauskas (2007) has the opinion that strong domestic customer relations demanding change, or strong innovative domestic competitors are more forceful change agents than those that are located in other countries. Maintaining and improving the manufacturing operations in Germany may also have to do with the competitive presence of competitors like Daimler-Chrysler. The benefits to BMW to concentrate manufacturing operations or decentralize will be discussed. Hill (2007) discusses that concentration of production makes sense when trade barriers are low, differences between countries in factor costs, political economy, and culture have a substantial impact on the costs of manufacturing in various countries, externalities arising from the concentration of like enterprises favour certain locations, important exchange rates are expected to stay relatively stable, the production technology has high fixed costs and high minimum efficient scale relative to global demand, or flexible manufacturing technology exists, production value-to-weight ratio is high and the product serves universal needs. Alternatively, decentralization of production takes place when differences between countries in factor costs, political economy, and culture do not have a substantial impact on the costs of manufacturing in various countries, trade barriers are high, location externalities are not important, volatility in importantant exchange rates is expected, the production technology has low fixed costs and low minimum efficient scale, and flexible manufacturing technology is not available, the products value-to-weight ratio is low and the product does not serve universal needs. BMW would concentrate production, since the factor cost of Oil, Electricity and Minerals for automotive production is easily influenced by political decisions. The concentration of automotive manufacturing in Germany, and the high fixed costs, the high value-to-weight ratio and the product serves universal needs. There are certain factors which make the case for decentralization. Trade barriers are generally high with automotive manufacturing, since entry to the market is restricted by technological barriers, high start-up and input costs and the volatility of important exchange rates, specifically the Brent Crude Oil Price is expected. There are therefore more benefits to concentrating, rather than decentralizing. Hill (2007) states that reducing economic exposure requires strategic choices that goes beyond the realm of financial management. The key to reducing economic exposure is to distribute the firm’s productive assets to various locations so the Firms long term financial well-being is not severely affected by changes in exchange rates. This point towards decentralization, but since the Euro is a strong currency, it is hedged against volatility more than the benefit of lowering foreign exchange risk. This may be because most Factors of Production, and the other determinants of Porter’s Diamond Model, already exist in the robust German Domestic Economy. This also explains why there is no drive to move productive assets elsewhere. Dunning’s Eclectic Approach demands that Ownership advantage needs to be backed up by Locational Advantages from factor endowments. BMW may feel that those markets can still be served with exports. This is consistent with the economic theory of positive income elasticity for luxury products. Porter’s Diamond Model also confirms the benefits of local demand conditions, the importance of related and supporting industries, and the domestic rivalry with Daimler-Chrysler. Conclusion It benefits BMW’s research and Development from the stimulation of technological advancement from domestic rivalry. The streamlining of value chain activities through keeping Just-in-time production as fast as possible, it offsets the delays possibly caused by mass customization. Keegan (1999) as quoted in Hill (2007) state that by reinforcing positive determinants of competitive advantage in an industry, government can improve the Competitive position of a nations firms. This does not have a negative effect on the balance of payments for Germany and actually helps the GDP grow by lowering unemployment and increasing exports. If BMW wanted to extend its manufacturing operation into a developing Southern African country, explain what your recommendations would be to their CEO with regard to: Question 3. 1: Factors to consider prior to the ormulation of a global strategy? E. g. Culture, Negotiation, etc. Introduction Ling and Miller (2003) states that when individuals conduct business across national borders, they often bring to the negotiation table diverse cultural predispositions in which they interact with another. For BMW to successfully negotiate extending its manufacturing operations, it needs to understand the South African culture of Ubuntu. Hill (2007 ) suggested that there is a checklist of various cultural dimensions that can provide a cultural review prior to entering into Foreign Direct Investments. These are Nature(control, harmony and subjugation), Time(monochronic or polychronic), time(past, present or future), Action(doing or being), Communication(low or high context), Space(private or Public), Power(equality or Heirarchy), individualism or collectivism, competitiveness or co-operation, structure(high or low) and Formality(formal and informal). We will discuss the application of each of these to South Africa. Discussion The traditional African culture puts high value on Nature, and that we need to care for our environment. Africans believe that we are subjugate to the fate of nature and we are only part of it. BMW instituted stringent emission limitations on their products since the Kyoto protocol, at the World Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002. They also built the Earth Lounge in Sandton, South Africa to display the contribution they make to sustainable development. Africans believe that activity supercedes time, which is polychromic, propicious, circular and that human beings are more important than time itself. Tradition from the past, is very important to an African, and it is more important than the immediate conditions of the present or the progress of the Future. Being a good person in the community is much more important to African people than doing things. This extends to treat even strangers as extended family, thus one’s child is the community’s child. Africans are direct in their communication, since they live in community they do not place higher value on the individuals words and manner than the collective. The only cultural body language that is significant in this context is the custom for a visitor to sit down before ant communication even takes place. Hurn (2007) advises that the pace of negotiations needs to be slow when done in low context though, and directness is essential, since Ubuntu sees not coming to the point as dishonesty. Public space is allocated before private space, and Ubuntu demands that there is minimal private space, and all resources should be shared. Equality is very important to Ubuntu, since all are equal. The only hierarchy exists amongst those who allocate resources to the collective, like traditional chieftains, or political representitives. Not co-operating with the needs of the whole community, sharing its resources in the Zulu culture traditionally led to death for the individual. Informal relationships and social structures prevail in Ubuntu, since being formal is a sign of rejection of the community and its values. Building social relationships, sharing in the customs of the local tribes or giving of gifts to the community shows this support. Evidence of using this cultural experience can already be seen in the BMW SEED Programme that was initiated in 1996. It is aimed at awakening in our youngsters an interest in the environment by sponsoring planting seeds, and supports outcome based education, augments feeding schemes, develop entrepreneurial skills amongst learners and create environmental awareness through behavioural change. Rodrigues (2001) is of the opinion that decision making in the African Culture is by consensus, and this process is circular providing feedback to ensure better decisions made for all in the future. This view is supported by Tay (2007) who believes that this has been the key factor amongst the Japanese automotive industry’s success Conclusion Pursuing a global strategy for BMW to extend their manufacturing operation to South Africa, must include sensitivity to reaping cost reductions from experience curve effects and location economies. This exploitation can only occur in the Ubuntu context, if the company has done all it could to be seen as part of the community, or providing resources to the community’s needs. Negotiation for BMW would thus need to include a proper needs analysis of the local community, an accurate transaction cost analysis including the non material benefits proposed to be provided, like education, providing housing and food. Question 3. 2: The strategy that BMW should utilize. Justify Introduction Hill (2003) discusses the four basic strategies to enter and compete in the international environment. They are an international Strategy, a multi-domestic strategy, a global strategy and a transnational strategy. The mode of entry into this market must include alleviating pressures for cost reduction, and transferring of Management and Technical know-how. We will discuss how the transnational model and wholly owned subsidiary as entry mode is the best strategy. Discussion BMW cannot pursue a multi-domestic strategy, since it cannot without high costs replicate their entire value chain. Strong local autonomy would make them lose control over the benchmark of quality that has become their brand identity. The weakness from a pure global strategy is that BMW will lose the ability to customize their products. This mass customization as reported by Gumbel (2007) was the very reason for their profits in recent years. Cost reductions from the underlying experience curve also causes economies of scale in the international strategy. Previously the attempt to transfer innovation is a good strategy for any multinational company investing in a developing country. BMW traditionally has followed this strategy, where the Head Office in Munich controls Research and Development, technology, processes and marketing. Marketing Functions and manufacturing plants can under this strategy be set up in major business countries. Gumbel (2007) reports that the shift away from Germany as a head Office towards a true Transnational strategy. Research and Development are now partnered with Daimler-Chrysler and Peugeot in developing new engines outside of Germany. A transnational strategy would allow for the following advantages: It exploits the experience curve effects BMW has built up over years of technological innovation. Location economies now allow BMW to cut high labour costs, and the cost of steel. BMW should use their FDI to utilize the abundance of cheap labour conditions. They could negotiate with the South African Government to help lower unemployment, improve education skills through apprenticeships. Jenkins and Thomas (2002) reports that in manufacturing, rising capital intensity and improved productivity may limit the benefits of FDI in terms of ongoing job creation in South Africa. It is therefore essential that BMW provides ongoing job creation as a guarantee when negotiating with South Africa for FDI. The Budget of 2008 has made several tax concessions around the skills levies imposed on the South African Tax Payer. BMW should take strategic advantage of these conditions. The benefits of FDI for a country like South Africa are seen as flowing mainly from externalities generated by technology transfer They should use the supply side support measures mentioned by Streak and Dinkelman (2000) to lower their supply chain input costs. BMW should invest in local infrastructure fro Manufacturing processes, because it combines both the lower labour costs and lower input resources required. It will also be lucrative for South Africa, since the FDI now allows exports from South Africa, adding to the health of the domestic economies balance of payments. The strategy BMW should follow must include a proper analysis of both their internal strengths and weaknesses. Weirich (1999) proposed the use of the TOWS (Threats, Opportunities, Weaknesses, Strengths) Matrix to analyze the Competitive Advantages and Disadvantages of Germany. The TOWS analysis for BMW allows four strategies to emerge. When we use Weirich’s opinion that The Strengths-Opportunities Strategy would play to the Culture of quality, we can justify why BMW used its skilled intellectual capital, its superior technological innovation, engineering machinery, chemicals and managerial practices. BMW must then analyze whether there exists an Opportunity in South Africa for these strengths. The Strengths -Threats Strategy would assume that they need to consider FDI as a means to capture more of an Emerging Expanding Market share in South Africa. BMW needs to look at the health of the automotive retail sector as well as the industrial manufacturing sectors. The Automotive Sector in South Africa is very healthy, as seen in the Local Manufacturing plants for Volkswagen and Toyota already in South Africa. The Weaknesses-Opportunities Strategy would use cheaper labour costs to overcome rising domestic competition from Labour Unions in mature contracting Economies. Kamoche (2002) reports the success of multinationals in the past to leverage low labour in South Africa. Machaka and Roberts (2003) also confirm that spiralling supply input costs like steel and other natural resources are also cheaper in South Africa. Weakness-Threats Strategy would only apply to countries that are a threat from their strong economic market share. Experiencing difficulties in exporting arising from an expensive product and strong currencies in their home country would scare off BMW. They would look for a stable political environment, a growing economy and a stable currency. Conclusion From this analysis the best fitting strategy that would fit BMW to adopt regarding Developing Economies, is the Weakness-Opportunities. BMW is a large multi-national company looking to find new markets in which to sell not only their product, but sell their expertise. BMW should us the abundance of natural cheap resources like steel, available in South Africa. This view is supported by Matjekana (2002). Matjekana (2002) also suggests that it is unusual that South Africa did not attract more FDI in their labour market. Using this opportunity as a value chain activity will increase profits. Matjekana(2002) is of the opinion though, that the reason for this paradox (that can be seen as a reversed Leontif paradox? is related to the South African Governments inability to get crime under control. BMW should use the Transnational strategy for moving their manufacturing plant to South Africa. BMW can exploit their experience curve effects in South Africa, importing technical resources; they can exploit location cost economies like cheap steel and labour. BMW can customize local product offerings better, since the costs incur red to do this is less in South Africa. In the South African Context it may make more sense to leverage their valuable skills this way as a commodity than pursuing a Global Strategy. A Global strategy has a lack of local responsiveness, and the market for Luxury Vehicles in African economies is small compared to developed nations. This lack of providing product customization is not a huge consideration therefore in South Africa. BMW should use South Africa as a doorway into the Market for both the rest of Africa, and a cost cutting distribution Centre to Australasia. They should use the wholly owned subsidiary model in which they can transfer their transient technology advantage, while it is structured to reduce risk of loss of technology. Question 4: Analyze the Global Competitive environment in which BMW operates and rank their position in the industry. The five competitive forces model was developed in 1980 by Michael E. Porter. The five competitive forces Porter (1980) proposed in his model have an effect on the car manufacturer BMW. Based on this analysis, the force with the most impact on the company will be identified. Based We will examine how BMW uses information systems to offset the most competitive of these forces. Porter (1980) suggests that competition in an industry is rooted in its underlying economic structure. The stage of competition depends upon five basic competitive forces, which determine the degree of competition and the profit potential in an industry. The five forces are (a) intensity of competitors, (b) power of suppliers, (c) power of customers, (d) threat of new entrants and (e) threat of substitute products (Porter, 1980). (a) Intensity of competitors BMW, which stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke, has made a well-known name as a luxury car manufacturer (Bernhardt Kinnear, 1994). The headquarters of the BMW group is in Munich, Germany, but the company has global reach. The company built high brand equity over the years through continuous branding efforts and high quality products. Kiley (2004) states† BMW is arguably the most admired carmaker in the world and BMW products inspire near- fanatical loyalty†. Within the luxury car manufacturing direct industry competition is fierce. U. S. manufacturers produce cars like Cadillac, Lincoln, Buick and Chrysler that look comfortable and visually stylish. European manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi and Jaguar focus on customers that want the communication with the road via steering nd suspension systems (Bernhardt Kinnear, 1994) by producing functionally superior cars. The luxury car segment of the automobile market is at the maturity stage of the life cycle, locally and globally, due to an increased number of competitors from domestic and foreign markets. The automobile market is characterized by a low potential for market growth, but high sales and profit potential (Murtagh, 2004). T here are traditionally high entry barriers in this market and products are usually differentiated. Competitive forces are high in each segment of the overall market. BMW belong to the strategic group of luxury functional cars. This segment is categorized by low product diversification but a relatively high geographical scope (Murtagh, 2003). It is also a differentiated oligopoly. An oligopoly consists of a few companies with an unspecified number of buyers. The action of each company in this oligopoly affects the other manufacturers in the market and thus invokes reaction of manufacturers to one another. The objective of companies in an oligopoly is to maximize the present value of profit (Bernhardt Kinnear, 1994). BMW differs in the features, styles, quality, innovation, technology, design, appearance and services they aim to provide. BMW can also gain a competitive advantage to its U. S. competitors through exchange rates when the dollar is strong (Bernhardt Kinnear, 1994). (b)Power of Suppliers The roles and responsibilities of suppliers in the automobile industry have changed because the industry structure has merged. High switching costs and dependency give automotive suppliers high amounts of economic monopoly. High quality and high service levels towards BMW customers, from the consistent high quality, co-operating, high competency, just-in-time and reliability of suppliers. (c) Power of customers Customers, who buy, have major influence on the decisions of companies in an oligopolistic market structure. Porter (1980) explains that buyers force down prices, bargaining for higher quality or more services, and playing competitors against each other at the expense of industry to make profit. BMW’s positive brand image distinguished itself through its point-of-difference. The outcome is that BMW customers are loyal towards the brand. As a result, many competitors of BMW have to face falling sales and market share, while demand for BMW products continues to grow (Kiley, 2004). (d) Threat of New Entrants New entrants are essential for an industry to stay competitive (Porter, 1980). Their absence removes the drive to gain market share and profit. The Global Automotive Industry is an Oligopoly, and any new entrants make commanding profit and controlling price more challenging. BMW takes advantage of economies of scale, one of the major aspects of barriers to entry (Porter, 1980) because its unit costs decrease significantly with quantity increases. Capital requirements are probably the most significant barrier to entry because the production of cars requires immense financial resources. Research and Development, further facilities abroad for global operating scale, brand switching costs, Government Regulations in technology and environmental pollution influence entry barriers as well. (e) Threat of Substitutes Low End Cars, Motorcycles, bicycles and usage public transportation are limited, which results in low pressure on manufacturers (Porter, 1980). Substitutes limit the potential returns of an industry by placing a ceiling on the prices firms in the industry can profitably charge. The Power of Customers impacts mostly on BMW, because they increase competitors and product variety. Customers are the most important part for the success of BMW. As Gumbel (2007) reports the mass customization system BMW developed for catering for the specific tastes of individual customers, fills this need. A comprehensive passive safety system information system innovation by BMW called the Intelligent Safety and Information System (ISIS) was developed. BMW also use a dealer communication system that enhances the manufacturer-dealer relationship and effectiveness Conclusion: The BBC from their website and Data in Appendix B we can see that various sources rank BMW in second place in the Luxury Automotive Manufacturing industry, as a company. This is not reflected from the number if units sold, but rather in the Consumer Faults per 100 cars index, as well as the global index for most efficient organizational indexes. Daimler-Chrysler does not allow the empowerment of customers to express their individuality to the extent of making their vehicles more customizable, but they rank as a better managed enterprise. Bibliography: Admam, R. P. , Lunnan, R. and Ramanauskas, G. 2007) FDI and the Transformation from Industry to Service Society in Emerging Economies: A Lithuanian – Nordic Perspective. Engineering Economics 51(1), pp. 22 – 28. Agiomirgianakis, G. , Asteriou, D. and Papathoma, K. (2006) The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment: A Panel Data Study for the OECD Countries. London: City University Department of Economics, School of Socia l Sciences. [Author unknown] (2008) Tax haven says Germany is being a bully. Business Times, Durban, 2 March, p. 24. [Author unknown] (2007) NAAMSA Annual Report[online]. National Association of Automotive Manufacturers of South Africa. vailable from naamsa. co. za/papers/ [Accessed 17 June 2008] BBC News. (2000, May 12). Analysis: Europe’s car industry[online]. available from http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/business/746306. stm. [Accessed February 26, 2004]. Bernhardt, K. Kinnear T. (1994). Case studies in marketing management[online]. New York: Irwin. BMW Corporation (2004), Available from bmwusa. com/Joy/Drive/Technology/ISIS. htm. [Accessed February 26, 2004] Chesami, B. E. (2005) The Role of Government in the attraction of Foreign Direct Investment: a Case Study of South Africa and Cameroon[online]. Research Paper for Master of Law: University of Western Cape available at http://etd. uwc. ac. za/usrfiles/modules/etd/docs/etd_init_6925_1174555571. pdf [Retrieved February 26, 2004] Duthmann, A. , Hohlfeld, P. , Horn, G. , Logeay, C. , Rietzler, K. , Stephan, S. and Zwiener, R. (2006) Arbeitskosten in Deutschland bisher uberschatzt – Auswertung der neuen Eurostat-Statistik. pdf, IMK Report(11). Hoover’s Online. (2004) Bayerische Motoren Werke AG Factsheet[online]. Available from hoovers. com/bmw/ID__41758/free-co-factsheet. xhtml. [accessed February 26, 2004] Hurn, B. J. 2007) The Influence of Culture on International Business Negotiations. Industrial and Commercial Training 39(7), pp. 354 – 360. Javorcik, B. S. (2004) Does Foreign Direct Investment Increase the Productivity of Domestic Firms? In Search of Spillovers through Backward Linkages. The American Economic Review 94(3), pp. 605- 627. Joubert, B. Summary of Tax issues in the 2008 National Budget Speech [online]. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Group Director. Johannesburg. Available as a pdf at Deliotte. co. za/za_tax_Billyspresentation_220208. ppt [retrieved 13 March 2008] Kamoche, K. 2002) Introduction: human resource management in Africa. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 13(7) pp. 993 – 997. Kiley, D. (2004). Driven Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World[online]. Retrieved February 18, 2004. Available from wileyeurope. com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471269204. html [Accessed 24 February 2008] Lin, X. and Miller, S. J. (2003) Negotiation approaches: direct and indirect effect of national culture. International Marketing Review 20(3), pp. 286 – 303. Matjekana, K. S. M. (2002) Foreign direct investment flows to the SADC region n a globalizing economic environment. MA Dissertation. Stellenbosch: Faculty of Arts, University of Stellenbosch. Machaka, J. and Roberts, S. (2003) The DTI’s New Integrated Manufacturing Strategy? The South African Journal of Economics 71(4), pp. 679-704. Murtagh, P. Dr. (2004). Industrial Structures and Competition[online]. Available from shef. ac. uk/~mcn/6050/lectures/6050_lec04_industrial_structures. pdf [Retrieved February 23, 2004] Nunnenkamp, P. (2002) Determinants of FDI in Developing Countries: Has Globalization Changed the Rules of the Game? Working Paper. Kiel: Kiel Institute for World Economics. Porter, M. E. (1980). Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. New York: Free Press. Radosevic, S. and Rozeik, A. (2005) Foreign Direct Investment and Reconstructuring in the Automotive Industry in Central and East Europe. Working Paper. London: School of Slavonic and East European Studies. Robinson, C. G. (1986) Strategic Management Techniques. 1st Edition. Durban: Butterworths. pp. 156 – 158, 178, 179. Rodrigues, C. (2001) International Management: A Cultural Approach. nd Edition, Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Publishing, Thomson Learning Sharma, B. and Abekah, J (2008) Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth of Africa. Atlantic Economic Journal 36(12), pp. 117 – 118. Straub, D. (2004). Industry Analysis of NE firms[online]. Available from cis. gsu. edu/~dstraub/Present/GEM8800/2002/4indus6. pdf [Retrieved February 24, 2004] Streak, J. and Dinkelman, T. (2000) T he Empirical Evidence on the Location Determinants of FDI and South Africa’s Industrial Development Strategy. Transformation 41, pp. 1 – 31. Thompson, A. A and Strickland A. J (1987) 4th Edition. Texas: Business Publications Inc. pp. 129 – 133, 168. Tay, H. K. (2007) Rethink competition in the world auto market: cultural determinants, strategic implications and game rules. Strategy and Leadership 35(4), pp. 31 – 37. Appendix A: Hourly labour costs in 14 EU Member States, 2004 (in â‚ ¬) The table ranks 14 EU Member States according to hourly labour costs in the manufacturing and services sectors separately and for the combined total, 2004 (in â‚ ¬). Total (â‚ ¬) Manufacturing (â‚ ¬) Services (â‚ ¬) Denmark30. 70Belgium33. 10Denmark31. 30 Sweden30. 40Germany29. 90Luxembourg31. 30 Belgium30. 00Denmark29. 90Sweden30. 90 Luxembourg28. 30Sweden29. 60France30. 90 France28. 20Netherlands28. 90Belgium30. 60 Netherlands22. 40Finland28. 80Finland27. 20 Finland26. 80France27. 60Netherlands26. 50 Germany26. 20Austria26. 60UK24. 50 Austria25. 30Luxembourg25. 80Germany24. 10 UK24. 70UK24. 70Austria23. 80 Italy21. 40Italy20. 60Spain14. 30 Spain14. 80Spain16. 30Greece13. 70 Greece13. 40Greece12. 70Portugal10. 80 Portugal9. 60Portugal8. 30ItalyNo data EU1524. 00EU1525. 00EU1524. 20 Note: Data on Sweden and Greece refer to 2003; no data available for Ireland. Source: IMK Report, 2006 Appendix B

6 High-Paying Business Management Jobs

6 High-Paying Business Management Jobs Pay disparities are not uncommon in the business world. Bosses tend to make more than their employees. Most managers are the highest paid employees in the company. But there are some management jobs that will net you more money than others. Here are six management positions that typically come with high salaries. Computer and Information Systems Manager Computer and information systems managers supervise computer-related activities in an organization. Common job titles include Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), IT Director, or IT Manager. Specific duties often vary by job title, organization size, and other factors, but commonly include analyzing technology needs, planning and installing computer and information systems, overseeing system security, and supervising other IT professionals. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for computer and information systems managers as $120,950, with the top 10 percent earning more than $187,200. A bachelor’s degree in computer or information science, as well as 5-10 years of work experience, is usually the minimum requirement for computer and information systems managers. However, many managers in this field have a masters degree and 10 years of work experience. Read more about earning a  management information systems degree. Marketing Manager Marketing managers oversee the marketing efforts of an organization. They work with sales, public relations, and other marketing and advertising professionals to estimate demand, identify target markets, develop pricing strategies, and maximize profits. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for marketing managers as $119,480, with the top 10 percent earning more than $187,200. Most marketing managers have at least a bachelors degree in marketing, but masters degrees are not uncommon in this field. Read more about earning a marketing degree. Financial Manager Financial managers are dedicated to monitoring and improving the financial health of an organization. Common job titles include Controller, Finance Officer, Credit Manager, Cash Manager, and Risk Manager. Most financial managers work on a team and act as an advisor to other executives. They may be responsible for reviewing reports, monitoring finances, preparing financial statements, analyzing market trends, and developing budgets. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for financial managers as $109,740, with the top 10 percent earning more than $187,200. A bachelors degree in business or finance plus five years of finance-related experience is usually the minimum requirement for financial managers. Many managers have a masters degree, professional certification, and 5 years of experience in related financial occupations, such as an accountant, auditor, financial analyst, or loan officer. Read more about earning a finance degree. Sales Manager Sales managers oversee the sales team for an organization. Although the level of duties can vary by organization, most sales managers focus their time on researching and assigning sales territories, establishing sales targets, training members of the sales team, determining budgets and pricing plans, and coordinating other sales operations. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for sales managers as $105,260, with the top 10 percent earning more than $187,200. Sales managers typically need a bachelors degree in sales or business in addition to several years of experience as a sales representative. Some sales managers have a masters degree. Read more about earning a  sales management degree. Human Resources Manager Human resources managers have many responsibilities, but their primary duty is to act as a link between an organization’s managers and its employees. In large organizations, human resources managers often specialize in a specific area, such as recruiting, staffing, training, and development, labor relations, payroll, or compensation and benefits. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for human resources managers as $99,720, with the top 10 percent earned more than $173,140. A bachelors degree in human resources or a related field is the minimum educational requirement. However, many human resources managers have a masters degree as well as several years of related work experience. Read more about earning a human resources degree. Health Services Manager Also known as healthcare executives, health care administrators, or healthcare managers, health services managers oversee the operations of medical facilities, clinics, or departments. Duties can include supervising employees, creating schedules, organizing records, ensuring compliance with regulations and laws, budget management, and record management. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for health services managers as $88,580, with the top 10 percent earning more than $150,560. Health services managers need at least a bachelor’s degree in health services, healthcare management, long-term care administration, public health or public administration, but masters degrees in these fields or business administration are not uncommon. Read more about earning a healthcare management degree.

Civil Rights Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Civil Rights Era - Essay Example Before the 1960s, other major nations like the United Kingdom had in various ways permitted higher levels of freedom to the Black community (Mohammed, 2010). Faith Ringgold had used the ‘N’ word in her painting thus to bring attention to the fact that it was high time the so called ‘nigger’ of the United States had his or her own freedom and rights respected. Clearly, the overall meaning of her work could be summed as a protest against racism. Living a fight that had been started by the civil rights movement, Faith Ringgold was more or less adding her voice to the call for the Black American to be respected by virtue of his color and the need to the Black community to be granted as much freedom and justice as the White community. In relation to the documentary, the N Word, which sought to review various meanings associated with the word nigger, one is right to say that the title of ‘Die Nigger’ used by Faith Ringgold was an advocacy call for the negative connotations associated with the word nigger and the personality of the African American, of which the painter was one, as nigger to die (Mohammed, 2010). In the opinion of the painters, the African America did not deserve any more continuation of nigger connotations and so the overall meaning of the painting was for the associated nigger to die once and for all. One unique social structure of the United States that distinguishes it from other major countries and cultures of this world has to do with the kind of identification they give to citizens who are not of original American descent. This identification is in the fact that they want to mention the original origin of the citizen in addition to the word, American. One of such identifications is Mexican-American. Interestingly, this does not end there. In the era prior to the civil rights freedom era, it was generally speculated and notion that Americans refused to give total freedom to the respect of the rights of thes e labeled Americans. In this vain, several civil rights groups sprang up among these labeled Americans who in most cases formed the minority group (Rogers, 2009). The Chicano Movement is one of such popular groups that were instituted to defend the human rights of Mexican-Americans. As a member of the Mexican-American himself, Mel Casas used his talent and profession as a painter to trumpet his side of the message for equality before the law. In support of his move, other famous methods of trumpeting the need for equality sprang up through the use of strange means like cartoon and commercials. PART 2 1. A s far as the representation of the two imagery are concerned, it can be seen that the artist took advantage of the power and authority behind the national flag of the United States to put her message of the need for absolute equality before the law across. It is not surprising therefore that the painting really was done in the image of the United States flag. Imperatively, one nati on that had all its people using the same flag needed to be treated the same but in the opinion of the artists this was not done. She therefore could not help than to use her painting to create the impression that some people among the American society had a different identity by virtue of the treatment they received in the hands of their own people. 2. The first point that confirms that the message in the work of

Sexual Harassment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sexual Harassment - Essay Example In Vinson verses Meritor Savings Bank, 477 United States 57 in 1986: the United States Supreme Court acknowledged harassment lawsuits against firms for encouraging a sexually aggressive work setting. In 2006, United States’ Head of the state then, George W. Bush endorsed a law that banned the spread of irritating messages on the Internet (also known as spamming) with no discloser of the transmitter's identity. Harassment is unwelcome behavior that is centered on religion race, sex (including pregnancy), citizen origin, color, age (41 or older), and disability. Harassment becomes illegal where 1) stomaching the offensive behavior becomes a situation of sustained employment, or 2) the behavior is severe and persistent enough to make a work setting that a sensible person would ponder intimidating, hostile, and abusive. Anti-discrimination directives also forbid harassment against persons in retribution for filing a prejudice charge, attesting, or playing a part in any manner duri ng an investigation, lawsuit, or proceeding under these directives; or opposing occupation drills that they rationally believe victimize against persons, in defilement of these laws (Walsh 76).Annoyances, petty slights, and unrepeated incidents (unless very serious) will not amount to the point of criminality. To be illegal, the conduct has to create an employment setting which would be hostile, intimidating, or unpleasant to rational people (Walsh 78). Aggressive conduct may comprise, yet not restricted to, slurs, offensive jokes, epithets and name-calling, physical attacks and threats, bullying, ridicule and mockery, invectives and put-downs, invasive objects and pictures, in addition to meddling with work execution. Harassment can transpire in a range of situations, comprising, but not restricted to, the following: The harasser could be the victim's overseer, a boss in another area, a negotiator of the proprietor, a colleague, or even a non-worker. The victim does not need to be the individual harassed, however, can be anybody affected by the unpleasant conduct. Illegal harassment may arise with no economic damage to, or acquittal of, the victim (Walsh 78). Avoidance is the effective tool to eradicate harassment within the place of work. Employers are urged to take suitable steps to avert and correct illegal harassment. They ought to communicate to workers that undesirable harassing behavior will not be stomached. They can achieve this by forming an effective grievance process, offering anti-harassment coaching to their employees and managers, and taking instant and suitable action once a worker protests. Employers should endeavor to form a setting in which workers feel open to raise trepidations and are self-assured that those apprehensions will be tackled. Employees are urged to notify the harasser openly that the demeanor is undesirable and has to stop. Employees must also convey harassment to administration at a primary stage to inhibit its escalation ( Friedman 40). The company is inevitably accountable for harassment through an overseer whose harassment ensues in an undesirable employment deed such as dissolution, failure to hire and promote, in addition to loss of salaries. If the overseer's harassment ensues in an aggressive work setting, the manager can avoid legal responsibility only

Research Paper on Apple Inc Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

On Apple Inc - Research Paper Example The same year saw the death of its CEO and founder Steve Jobs who had sat at the helm since 1999 to oversee the growth of the company into a leading technology company globally. Manufacturing Aspect of Apple Apple Company has kept its designing process a top secret for many years but this changed with the publishing of Adam Lashinsky?s book. This book brought to light Apple’s designing process from the first through to the last stages. At Apple, every individual responsible for designing its products is treated like royalty. The product conforms to the designer’s idea, whereby no department in Apple, be it finance or manufacturing claims responsibility for the existence of a product (Roberts 238). Jony Ive heads the department of design and all designers work with flexibility and independence rarely seen in most companies. Designers are given unrestricted financial budget in as far as their work is concerned. They also have unlimited supply of materials at their disposa l. The location of the design studio is only accessible to countable individuals, one of them being Jonathan Ive. The whole process begins with the formulation of an idea for a new product. Once this is achieved and approved, a group of experts is organized and isolated from other workers (Jason 126). Agreements like secrecy are put in motion and even isolation by physical obstacles is used. A potion of the building could also be kept inaccessible to other workers to allow the team enough time and privacy to work on the product. After all this has been done, a document stipulating the design process and stages and also individuals responsible for given tasks and duties is prepared. It also stipulates the time duration required for the product’s completion. This document is known as the Apple New Product Process. The executive team holds meetings every beginning of the week to check and discuss every invention that the company has on course. Immediately after the production pr ocess begins, two individuals are appointed to oversee its completion and success. This is the engineering program manager and the global supply manager. The two work together though with a lot of friction and are based in China. Though it happens that a worker in the factory could be paid to release information pertaining to the unfinished product, Apple Inc. has strategies to prevent such events from happening. This is done by redesigning the finished product and sending it through the manufacturing process again (Robert, 184). All this takes 4-6 weeks. Afterwards the engineering program manager takes the finished device to Cupertino for assessment and commentaries. Then, he goes back to China to supervise the subsequent iteration of the invention. Completion of the device production is followed by packaging. A section of the marketing department is dedicated to packaging. A well defined plan for the launch of the product is created. This is a highly guided document that puts in o rder the relevant landmarks of the progress of an invention until its launch. Each landmark is marked with the individual responsible and the misplacement or revealing of this document leads to instant redundancy. Apple takes on a costly and less resourceful process so as to come up with a serious good. It avoids the more traditional way of production undertaken by other companies. Corporate Responsibility of Apple Inc. The death of one of the founders of Apple Inc,

Recommendations Solution for Marketing Issues Case Study

Recommendations Solution for Marketing Issues - Case Study Example However, in the recent times, it can be said the airline carrier is plagued with various issues ranging from decreasing stock prices to fall of consumer loyalty as well as rising operating costs. This particular memo is in response to the marketing tactics that can be used to consolidate the airline’s position in the global market, while dealing with the issues related to fall in customer loyalty. It also needs to be mentioned that while designing the approach, focus was given on minimizing the operating cost of the airlines. Recommendation The recommended solution for the issues faced by the airline company on the lines of depreciating customer loyalty for the airlines is multi tiered in nature. Firstly, Classic Airlines, needs to focus more on listening to its customers, since they are the key revenue generator for the airlines Secondly, the airline needs to enter into a code sharing practice with another airline so that the company can get a strong and high flow of steady c ustomers. Analysis and Support of the Recommendations It is of considerable importance to highlight that the airline company has been facing tremendous issue in regards to depreciating consumer loyalty. The issue has been further complicated since the existing customers of the airlines, who fall in the frequent flyers category has demonstrated a dip in the frequency of usage of Classic Airlines. It has been assumed that the dip in the case of existing customers may be emerging either because of the issue related to choosing alternative airline or the factor of related to challenging scenario for the overall economy. It also needs to be highlighted that the airline is also facing multiple other issues. Talking specifically about the various other issues, the first thing that needs to be highlighted is the issue of price cut taken by Classic Airlines. It needs to be mentioned that the airline in the recent past has initiated a price cut for its airline services for the passengers. Nee dless to say, that though this was a complimentary move done while trying to tackle the past airline issues as well as the price cut drive from the competitors, this further resulted in the limiting of the revenue generating abilities of the airline company. The second issue is that the airline has been facing an issue of increase in operating costs for quite some time. As a necessary counter measure, the top management of Classic Airlines has initiated the mandate to significantly attain a 15 % reduction in costs. It needs to be highlighted that the presence of these additional issues has significantly resulted in the process of limiting the options that can be utilized for providing significant recommendations to the airline’s current problems related to fall in consumer loyalty. While talking in regards to the process of providing recommendation, it can be said that the very first step will be to opt for listening to the customers. Talking in more details, it can be said t hat the Classic Airlines already has in place, a very high end customer relationship management (CRM) system, which have the potential to provide more operational functions as compared to the ones that are being currently used. As of the recent customer feedbacks received, it has been realized that the current CRM system is too much automated in nature and lacks a human powered interaction. The current CRM system has the ability to integrate phone channels with the currently existing web channels. Though adding a human interaction interface in the current CRM system might prove costly, yet it will help in listening to the

Group Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Group Report - Essay Example Learning from literature will be adopted for obtaining a direction to this study and findings from various relevant sources will be assessed before providing recommendations, if required, and concluding with key remarks. 2. J. Sainsbury Plc: J. Sainsbury Plc. is more than a century old retailer with more than 1000 supermarket stores throughout the UK. It employs more than 150,000 staff in all of its stores and back office locations. Their unique values and business strategies indicate their historic presence and strength in the business world. Some of these values and strategies certainly consider their recruitment and selection procedures, which ensure right candidates are hired for their jobs that in turn prove to be of high significance for their growth and sustenance (J Sainsbury plc, n.d). 3. Methodology: Literature study concerning R&S procedures has been performed to understand the impact of these HR processes on the firm’s success. Most of the information related to Sa insbury’s is obtained from sources such as the company website, published journals, few text books etc, and the key findings are noted. 4. Findings: In large firms, R&S are a part of HR planning, unlike the ad hoc activities followed in smaller firms (Marchington & Wilkinson, 2008); and, HR function can help create more value through its strategies of which R&S is a critical one (Hill & Jones, 2010). In their study, Delery and Doty (1996) asserted that sophisticated methods of recruitment and selection form a part of their competitive strategies in larger firms. This point can be examined in the case of Sainsbury. 4.1 Recruitment methods: According to information from their website, Sainsbury’s offers career opportunities in areas such as supermarket staff, store management and support centres, logistics, pharmacy, finance and accounting sections etc (Sainsbury’s.Jobs, n.d). They hire fresh graduates, experienced staff and specialists for various roles based on the job requirements. They offer job opportunities to various categories of students including both European nationals and international students throughout the UK. Interestingly, Sainsbury does not entertain collecting CVs from interested candidates; instead, they encourage applications through their website for all available positions that are also made visible through their website. In order to attract the best candidates, Sainsbury’s offers a detailed online application process that also recruits the most suitable candidates through various questionnaires; these include key requirements questionnaire, motivational questionnaire, situational judgment questionnaire and application form. Recruitment and selection strategies are also important facilitators for other HR initiatives such as diversity management as these strategies help in attracting people from various ethnic groups and diverse backgrounds. According to their Changeworknow (n.d) campaign, candidates that fail t o pass through the applications and questionnaires receive immediate feedback and are also directed to other employers thereby creating a positive employment and interaction experience. 4.2 Selection methods: Final selection of candidates at Sainsbury’s is done only after detailed tests and face-to-face interviews are conducted by the store managers or other managers. These interviews help in assessing the abilities and competencies of the candidates; these interactions also help in

Recommendations Solution for Marketing Issues Case Study

Recommendations Solution for Marketing Issues - Case Study Example However, in the recent times, it can be said the airline carrier is plagued with various issues ranging from decreasing stock prices to fall of consumer loyalty as well as rising operating costs. This particular memo is in response to the marketing tactics that can be used to consolidate the airline’s position in the global market, while dealing with the issues related to fall in customer loyalty. It also needs to be mentioned that while designing the approach, focus was given on minimizing the operating cost of the airlines. Recommendation The recommended solution for the issues faced by the airline company on the lines of depreciating customer loyalty for the airlines is multi tiered in nature. Firstly, Classic Airlines, needs to focus more on listening to its customers, since they are the key revenue generator for the airlines Secondly, the airline needs to enter into a code sharing practice with another airline so that the company can get a strong and high flow of steady c ustomers. Analysis and Support of the Recommendations It is of considerable importance to highlight that the airline company has been facing tremendous issue in regards to depreciating consumer loyalty. The issue has been further complicated since the existing customers of the airlines, who fall in the frequent flyers category has demonstrated a dip in the frequency of usage of Classic Airlines. It has been assumed that the dip in the case of existing customers may be emerging either because of the issue related to choosing alternative airline or the factor of related to challenging scenario for the overall economy. It also needs to be highlighted that the airline is also facing multiple other issues. Talking specifically about the various other issues, the first thing that needs to be highlighted is the issue of price cut taken by Classic Airlines. It needs to be mentioned that the airline in the recent past has initiated a price cut for its airline services for the passengers. Nee dless to say, that though this was a complimentary move done while trying to tackle the past airline issues as well as the price cut drive from the competitors, this further resulted in the limiting of the revenue generating abilities of the airline company. The second issue is that the airline has been facing an issue of increase in operating costs for quite some time. As a necessary counter measure, the top management of Classic Airlines has initiated the mandate to significantly attain a 15 % reduction in costs. It needs to be highlighted that the presence of these additional issues has significantly resulted in the process of limiting the options that can be utilized for providing significant recommendations to the airline’s current problems related to fall in consumer loyalty. While talking in regards to the process of providing recommendation, it can be said that the very first step will be to opt for listening to the customers. Talking in more details, it can be said t hat the Classic Airlines already has in place, a very high end customer relationship management (CRM) system, which have the potential to provide more operational functions as compared to the ones that are being currently used. As of the recent customer feedbacks received, it has been realized that the current CRM system is too much automated in nature and lacks a human powered interaction. The current CRM system has the ability to integrate phone channels with the currently existing web channels. Though adding a human interaction interface in the current CRM system might prove costly, yet it will help in listening to the

Curriculum Development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Curriculum Development - Assignment Example Philosophical theories in particular help in controlling the organization and content of the curriculum. Realism, for instance, asserts that the aim of education is primarily to teach values and things which will lead to the good life, which is, however â€Å"equated with one which is in tune with the overarching order of natural law† (Marshall, as cited in Golen, 1982). Realistic philosophy thus emphasizes learning through the direct study of nature via the aid of teachers. Thus, it has led to the continuous development of instructional methods that are suited to this kind of learning such as lecture, sensory experiments, and demonstrations, stressing the cultivation of logic and rational thoughts. Another theory is called pragmatism, which is founded on the principle that change is the principal characteristic of life. It has resulted to a curriculum that is learner-centered, wherein experiences are primordial in the educational process. Social Foundation. This foundation could be defined as influences that are present in society and culture. It is concerned with the impact of forces and institutions that comprise the school program’s culture. These are elements which create the greatest impact on the curriculum developer’s way of thinking as they always think and act within the society they live. In other words, the content, objectives, and methods of the devised curriculum shall reflect the social or cultural background of the developers (Print, 1993). Society and culture are the shapers of education since curriculum makers take into account the social setting, culture, the relationship between society and education, and the social implications of knowledge and change (Ritz, 2006). It must be noted that curriculum development is centered on attaining educational goals that are in harmony with broad cultural and societal goals.