German Culture: Past and Present Essay

German Culture: Past and Present is a book written by Ernest Belfort Bax. It was originally published in 1915 by McBride, Nast, & Company of New York. The current edition most widely circulated was published by Kessinger Publications, LLC, Kila, MT, in 2008. Kessinger Publications specialize in reprints of old books that are public domain and maintains copyright over the works. Bax was born in Britain and was a socialist journalist and philosopher. Ironically his political view as a socialist was important to this book. It assisted him in his efforts to observe German society of the period covered as the governments of the various feudal and bureaucratic forms have always leaned toward socialism. His credentials that add authority to writing this particular book include his studying of German philosophy while actually living in Germany. This gave him a close proximity to the birthplaces of German culture and thought – necessary prerequisites for the preparation of this book. Additionally his familiarity with the German language offer significance to his readers as he interprets historical documents for them. The thesis of this book is to provide a fairly detailed overview of the social and intellectual development of German culture from the medieval period all the way to the modern times (keeping in mind that the ‘modern times’ to this author extended only to the early 1900s). Its secondary point is the more thorough exposition of the earlier part of the culture nearly at the expense of the later period. The author felt that less was known about that era in German history as compared to the modern times and wished to begin to educate ‘modern’ readers about that important foundation. His concern reflected in this thesis is that the earlier times and its documents are difficult to access and properly read, while the times closer to the modern day have been reflected in more widely available forms. Bax develops his thesis in chronological fashion and depends heavily upon some of his earlier writings on the history of Germany. This consolidates his earlier views in one tome which can be more easily understood when presented together in this order. In addition to the simple chronological development of his thesis, Bax refers frequently to the thorough historical treatment of the times as opposed to the personality centered treatment. He supports his thesis by disproving the personality style by demonstrating the broader historical style. Examples include dismissing the Martin Luther-focused interpretation of the Reformation, instead offering the larger events and people that surrounded those events (p. 43). Bax’s commentary on the significance of culture upon the success and failure of individuals begins with Martin Luther and the Reformation. By concentrating on the surrounding historical events and people, he sets the stage for the influences beyond the personalities that enabled their success – in the case of Luther. Similarly Bax describes the success of the Peasant’s Rebellion/War as being dependent upon the culture created by earlier revolts like Franz Sickingen’s (p. 117). These two examples effectively show how Bax as an author ensures that the cultural parts of the book are always the first and foremost consideration; the impact this culture had upon events and people is always secondary to that thought. It is extremely difficult to argue with Bax’s thesis. It is entirely an objective and well ordered writing of a lengthy period of German history. In particular, the reliance of individuals and events upon the general developing culture of the times leaves little room to doubt his conclusions. It is a well presented thesis and the only detriment to it may be its long-windedness. That same breadth and pace, however, also lend academic credence to the book as a whole. ? References Bax, E. B. (2008). German Culture: Past and Present. Kila, MT: Kessinger.

Challenges in the Business Environment Essay

There has been no change to Apple Code of Conduct policy since 2014 when Apple started taking previous audit scores into consideration and conduct detailed risk assessments with suppliers who had not been audited in the past before awarding the new business. In 2014, we reviewed 459 suppliers, and factored their responsibility performance into our decisions. This engagement has allowed Apple to address over 700 findings related to labor standards, worker safety, permits, environmental hazards, and chemical management before production began (Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct). Apple has made significant progress, gaps still exist, and there is more work to do. Apple knows that workers are counting on them and they will not stop until every person in their supply chain is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve (Apple – Supplier Responsibility 2015 Progress Report). Apple believes that it is not enough to just set high standards they must work every day to make sure they’re upheld. Apple Supplier Code of Conduct is among the toughest in the industry. To track working conditions at suppliers’ facilities, we conduct regular, in-person audits deep into the supply chain. Audits remain essential to Apple work, but they’re only the beginning. Apple reports monthly on working hours for over one million workers with hopes that their openness will inspire other companies. But more important, Apple believe the feedback that transparency invites makes us even better (Apple – Supplier Responsibility 2015 Progress Report). Apple’s suppliers are required to provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, act fairly and ethically, and use environmentally responsible practices wherever they make products or perform services for Apple. Apple requires its suppliers to operate in accordance with the principles in this Apple Supplier Code of  Conduct (â€Å"Code†) and in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. This Code goes beyond mere compliance with the law by drawing upon internationally recognized standards to advance social and environmental responsibility. This Code outlines Apple’s expectations for Supplier conduct regarding labor and human rights, health and safety, environmental protection, ethics, and management practices. Apple assesses its suppliers’ compliance with this Code, and any violations of this Code may jeopardize the supplier’s business relationship with Apple, up to and including termination. This Code applies to Apple suppliers and their subsidiaries, affiliates, and subcontractors (each a â€Å"Supplier†) providing goods or services to Apple, or for use in or with Apple products (Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct). To show that Apple believes that it is not enough to just set high standards and that they must work every day to make sure they’re upheld. In 2014, over 2.3 million workers were trained on Apple’s Co de and their rights. Apple invested millions of dollars to expand our Supplier Employee Education and Development (SEED) program since it began. SEED now totals 48 classrooms in 23 facilities equipped with iMac computers, iPad devices, education software, video conferencing systems, and more. To make sure the standards were upheld Apple performed 633 audits covering over 1.6 million workers in 2014. Apple also audited suppliers in 19 countries and calls were made to 30,000 workers to make sure their rights were being upheld (Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct). Apple Suppliers Understanding of Their Standards, Responsibilities, and Company Relationship Apple is proud of the strong relationships they have built with their suppliers, many of whom have been working with them for years. Apple periodically reviews their relationships and adds new suppliers as needed. Apple requires each of its suppliers to meet the highest standards for all goods and services. Our requirements include a commitment to rigorous quality assurance. In addition, suppliers must be committed, as we are, to ensuring the highest standards of soci al responsibility. The ideal suppliers are those who understand our culture and expectations. We value suppliers who take the time to learn about and understand our business and who look for ways to add value. These suppliers know the importance of making and meeting commitments and delivering the highest quality goods and services (Apple – Apple and Procurement). Apple business environment is  competitive and fast-paced. Apple suppliers must understand this dynamic and be agile and flexible in responding to changing business conditions. All over the world, people are building Apple products and Apple has a responsibility to make sure that each person is treated with dignity and respect. It’s a massive challenge where Apple work is never done, but each year they implement meaningful, lasting changes across their supply chain. Because of this around the globe, Apple employees are united in bringing equality, human rights, and respect for the environment to the deepest layers of their supply chain. Apple goes deep into their supply chain to enforce their social and environmental standards by empowering workers through education, demanding that suppliers treat workers fairly and ethically at all times, having safe and healthy facilities, and hold their products and processes to the highest environmental standards (Apple – Supplier Responsibility 2015 Progress Report). Apple believes that in order to make impactful changes across their supply chain, it’s important to understand firsthand what’s happening inside their suppliers’ facilities. That’s why they don’t simply employ and review audits from behind a desk in Cupertino. Instead, they directly gauge how their supplier facilities are doing by regularly visiting and partnering with their suppliers around the world, so when they discover a problem, they can work together to get it fixed (Apple – Accountability). To make sure the standards are understood and upheld Apple performed 633 audits covering over 1.6 million workers. Apple also audited suppliers in 19 countries and calls 30,000 workers to make sure their rights are being upheld. Every audit is led by an Apple auditor and supported by local third-party auditors. These third parties are experts in their fields and all have been trained to use our detailed auditing protocols. During each audit, Apple grade suppliers on more than 100 data points corresponding to each category of our Supplier Code of Conduct (Apple – Accountability). Apple auditors are highly skilled at identifying when suppliers are covering up information. Apple audits are proven to improve supplier compliance. Each year we review and raise our already strict requirements, and suppliers continue to meet our increasingly stringent standards. In 2014, facilities audited two times scored 25 percent higher than those facilities with first-time audits. Facilities audited three times or more scored 31 percent higher than facilities audited  for the first time (Apple – Accountability). In addition to these regular, prescheduled audits, Apple randomly select facilities to audit unannoun ced. These surprise audits help ensure that our suppliers continue to meet our standards at all times not just during scheduled visits. Apple conducted 40 surprise audits in 2014, where their team visited suppliers on the spot and inspected the facility within hours. After the audit Apple conducts physical inspections, reviews documents, and interviews workers in their native languages, without their managers present. Afterward, workers are given a phone number, so they have the opportunity to securely and confidentially provide additional feedback about a facility to our team, including anything they consider to be unethical behavior. Apple encourages workers to report any retaliation to us, and we follow up with all suppliers to address each reported issue (Apple – Accountability). Inclusion these audits, code of conduct, and standards give Apple suppliers the understanding of what it means to be part of the company. Reference Apple – Accountability. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/accountability/ Apple – Apple and Procurement. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.apple.com/procurement/ Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct. (2014, January). Retrieved March 3, 2015 from https://www.apple.com/ca/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_Supplier_Code_of_Conduct.pdf Apple – Supplier Responsibility Progress Report. (2015, January). Retrieved March 3, 2015 from https://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_Progress_Report_2015.pdf

Education for Learners with Diverse Needs

This paper is design to make an apprehension of larning disablements, communicating upsets, double diagnosing every bit good as giftedness. In add-on to the constitution of bring forthing a positive acquisition environment for kids with damages will maximise their accomplishment. To understand each type of disablement reference above we should look at the features, causes, and definitions of each signifier of disablement and upset to better heighten the acquisition environment for both the pupil and the instructor. As a particular pedagogue, it is an imperative facet to remain abreast of all upsets we come in contact with to bring forth a quality instruction for all those involved. For many pupils with disablements and for those without, the cardinal success in the schoolroom lies in holding version, adjustments and alterations made to the course of study and direction and other schoolroom activities. Learning Disabilities There are many definitions of larning disablements. However, the most use comes from Persons with Disability in Education Act ( IDEA ) . It defines larning disablements as assorted cognitive or psychological upsets that impede the ability to larn, particularly on that interferes with ability to larn math or develop linguistic communications accomplishments ( listening, reading, authorship, and talking ) ( IDEA 2004 ) . Some features of larning disablements are kids holding a shortages in the country of reading and written linguistic communication that can non do connexion with similar constructs in larning math ( can non link 3 + 5 = 8 when asked 5 + 8 peers ) , trouble in believing in consecutive or logical order, holding behaviours in the country of non being organized and losingss things. No 1 is precisely certain what causes larning disablements. Experts are non certain to the causes. The differences in how a personaa‚Â ¬a„?s encephalon plants and how it process information can be from encephalon harm, heredity, job during gestation and the environment the individual lives in. Presently there is a prevalence figure of 45.3 % of school- elderly kids in the United States classified as holding a specific acquisition disablement and have some sort of particular instruction support ( United States Office of Special Education, 2007a ) . Communication Disorders Communication Disorders is the address and linguistic communication upsets that relate country such as unwritten and motor map. It can be verbal, gestural or a combination of both. It revolves three constituents ; transmitter, message and receiving system. Language ( the system of symbols used to show and have significance ) is a factor in each component of the procedure ; address ( the systematic production of sound ) is a factor in verbal communicating. . Communication upsets include speech upsets of articulation, eloquence, and voice, and linguistic communication upsets. It may run from simple sound repeats, such as stuttering, to occasional misarticulation of word and complete inability to utilize address and linguistic communication communicating. A kid who is linguistic communication impaired should demo accomplishments in the primary linguistic communication that are below those expected for his/her chronological age. The prevalence of linguistic communication shortages in the school-age population in the United States is about 2.5 % . and 50 % of kids who receive particular instruction services from other disablements ( Hall et al. , 2001 ) . An apprehension of normal forms of linguistic communication acquisition is an of import portion of placing kids with linguistic communication upsets and developing redress plans for them. It besides involves testing, measuring, naming and doing appropriate arrangement determinations. Giftedness Gifted kids may demo outstanding abilities in a assortment of country including rational, academic aptitude, originative thought, leading and the ocular and executing humanistic disciplines. They besides show the ability to happen and work out jobs rapidly. The full development of the talented pupil depends on his or her environmental context, strong encouragement, and support from the household and societal groups ( Sydney Marland 1972 ) . Longitudinal surveies of talented kids indicated that most of them are healthy and good adjusted and achieve good into maturity, with some exclusions that are underperformers. Teaching cognitive schemes, job determination, job resolution, and creativeness are some features that particular plans focus on for talented pupils. Effective job determination and job work outing accomplishments depend on the individualsaa‚Â ¬a„? flexible usage of his or her cognition, construction and creativeness. In add-on, it depends on the capacity for divergent thought, a willingness to be different and strong motive. Underachievers have feeling of lower status, outlook of failure and low ego assurance. The prevalence of giftedness is about 10 % to 55 % of the school-age population of kids who are identified ( Gagne, 2003 ; Renzulli & A ; Reis, 2003 ) . To bring out the abilities of kids who come from cultural subgroups, particular designation methods and processs that depend less on anterior cognition and experience and more on logical thinking and originative thought are necessary. Children with physical and centripetal disabilities can be intellectually gifted, but frequently their abilities are undiscovered because pedagogues do non seek for their particular endowments. Double Diagnosis Fredericks Baldwin ( 1987 ) suggested that the term double diagnosing be used with great attention, mental wellness upsets is one disablement with secondary features turning out of the deficiency of environmental input that is from the centripetal disablement. Unfortunately, some kids with certain damages struggle in category and have behavior jobs. Often these conditions may be a consequence from holding to fight in category or emotional wellness that possibly cause by attending shortage upset ( ADD ) or Attention deficit/hyperactive upset ( ADHD ) . However, IDEA has a job in the figure of kids that qualify as a handicapped. Furthermore, Pinborough-Zimmerman, Satterfield, Miller, Bilder, Hossain and MaMohn ( 2007 ) findings confirm that 6.3 % of school aged kids were having address therapy services and co-concurring conditions like rational disablements, autism spectrum upset and emotional behaviour upsets. In the public school system the Numberss have a sedate deduction to supply indispensable service for these kids. Course of study There should be a distinction course of study to function all scholars, irrespective of ability, disablement, age, gender or cultural and lingual background. Curriculum should be modified suitably. First there should be alteration of larning disablements in the country of math, reading and linguistic communication. In communicating upsets the instructor should do certain she speak with pupils with damage the same manner he/she speak to the regular instruction pupils. The course of studies for talented pupils are lesson, assignments, and agenda alteration are lesson generated toward higher order of thought, content alteration, and promote group interaction. Some theoreticians besides suggest that course of study demand to be in footings of the acquisition environment. The cardinal characteristics of educating a kid with any disablement or upset is to concentrate on orienting the course of study in the countries of strengths, failings, demands, involvement, ability and feature of the kid. It is of import to understand the differences in order to indentify, buttocks, evaluate and rectify the pupil. Decision Finally, the of import of regular instructors and particular pedagogues are arm with the cognition, preparation and information in respects to disablements. Students with communicating upsets, giftedness, and besides any other learning disablements can larn and be successful in faculty members. Professional can fix course of study and appreciate the critical characteristics of services for particular need pupils. By modifying lessons for pupil and giving adjustments to these pupils with other schoolroom activities.

Forensic Science Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Forensic Science - Case Study Example Since his execution, his parents and relatives have been striving to show the world the misuse of justice evident in the case because they still trust that their son was not guilty of the crime. Various articles and books have been published with respect to the case of James Hanratty, with some supporting the fact that Hanratty was not guilty following their investigation and the medical reports that were using the DNA of the victim and those of the deceased. For one to better understand the investigations and the trial that was conducted on Mr. Hanratty, it is essential to consider the criminal record of the individual prior to the case that led to his death. It can be retrieved from the criminal accounts of Hanratty that by the period when he was found guilty of murdering Michael Gregsten, he has already been convicted of four crimes that were linked to motoring offences and minor theft such as housebreaking. In atatininig seventeen years of age, Mr. Hanratty appeared before Harrow Magistrate for taking someone’s motor vehicle without authority, and also driving a vehicle without insurance or a driving license. Such led to Hanratty being introduced to psychiatric treatment at the Portman Clinic where he was treated as an outpatient. At the age of eighteen years, Hanratty appeared before the court at the county of Middlesex Sessions where he was found guilty and sentenced to two years of imprisonment due to breaking in into someone’s house and stealing some property. After the release of the release, his father opened a window cleaning business to help me keep away from crime. However, at the age of 20 years, five months after release from Wormwood Scrubs, he was sentenced for six months due to a variety of crimes associated with motor vehicles and driving without a license. However, he was released after four months, but later he was convicted of car theft when he was

Lobbing group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lobbing group - Essay Example Freedom House central mission is to ensure the government is accountable to their people, the right rule of law is upheld, there is freedom of speech and expression for all, association and ensure there is respect for freedom and rights of the minority. Freedom House mainly concentrates on laws regarding human rights the civil society and in regards to communication and information. It focuses on rules that facilitate free and unbiased flow of information and ideas through the media or the Internet. Freedom House targets mainly the legislators who pass and amend the laws regarding freedom of speech, free Internet and freedom of the media and the security agencies that are against freedom of communication and the Internet. Freedom House is a board of trustees who are comprised of mainly labor leaders, business leaders, former senior government officials, scholars, journalists and writers. The board members and the organization do not identify itself with either the Democratic or the Republican parties in the USA. The members who join have to have one voice and agree that promotion and making the government accountable for human rights and democracy is crucial to American citizens interests locally, internationally and towards achieving international peace. Policy agenda of Freedom House especially the freedom of expression and that of global Internet freedom has support from individuals and large corporations. Supporters especially the staff members and board members who dedicate their time and money towards Freedom House are mainly political enthusiasts who want a liberal society where the government is accountable. Achieving such interests for themselves and the community they live in will ensure a better life in general for the country and the world as a whole. Some members of the organization are businessmen who make donations to the Freedom House

Building of Pyramids of Giza Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 45

Building of Pyramids of Giza - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that modified external ramp theory explains that the Pyramid was created with the use of an external ramp. This ramp was believed to be raised during construction. It is believed that the ramp is corkscrewed or spiraled to the top of the Pyramid. That was the only way to explain how an external ramp was used since there was no way a single long ramp was built in the area.  Another theory, a more recent theory, was presented by Jeanne-Pierre Houdin (Brier, 2007; George, 2008). He was a French architect who believed that the Pyramid was built using an internal ramp. He explained that the bottom of the Pyramids was built using an external ramp and the higher parts were built using an internal ramp. He proposed this theory after seeing the spiral-like structure within the Pyramid. I believe that the more recent theory of the internal ramp can answer how the Pyramids were built. Although it is possible that humans can haul the heavy stones on to p of each other to build the pyramid, I find it hard to believe that it is only done outside of the Pyramid. There is evidence showing there is a structure within the Pyramid. And there are holes at turning points to help the worker haul the heavy stones up. I find Houdin’s theory more realistic because of the many pieces of evidence that point towards its possibility.

How does music transform people and me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How does music transform people and me - Essay Example For instance, when a person who feels sad and hears a certain song he particularly likes, he could be emotionally affected depending on the kind of music. Love songs oftentimes remind people of love relationships and can relate to the music. However, not all people are simply attracted to music because of the lyrics or the rhythm of the song. There are other certain aspects in music wherein individuals are particularly attracted to. Some people love to listen to loud music and prefer rock and roll over melodious songs. On the other hand, there are those who consider rock music as noise because they prefer softer melodies and choose country and classical music or inspirational like gospel songs. Through my observations, I think music speaks more than words to the hearts and souls of people. The effects of music can be manifested by individuals stomping their feet, nodding their heads, shaking their bodies or seem to dance even while sitting, when they listen to music. This is perhaps the reason why it is called the language of the soul. It moves the soul and makes itself apparent through actions. Some claim that they are able to concentrate more in what they are doing when they listen to their favorite music and I agree with them because I feel the same way. Personally, I love to listen to instrumental jazz. I am very entertained by Kenny G. and the Caribbean Jazz Project. When I pay attention to their music, it is as if I am transported to another world where I can be dreamy. It gives me a whole new perception which brings out the musician in me. I can imagine myself with an instrument making my own music and playing along with the sounds that I hear. So many times, such instances make me inspired to continue with my music and desire even more to become a good musician in the near future. Music strengthens me to always keep my dreams on focus and be unafraid of the challenges I face in life. Whatever choice of music a person has, it could perhaps be said that

Waiting for Macedonia by Ilka Thiessen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Waiting for Macedonia by Ilka Thiessen - Essay Example The author largely presents a positive side of women in Mercedonia, as compared to the view of women in Bosnia, who are presented as peasantry and solely being in the context of marriage (Thiessen, 16). Thiessen tries to challenge the scholars and academicians who have carried out substantial research, yet have ignored the role of women as leaders in bringing about the required change in Macedonia. On the other hand, the film â€Å"Bosnia: we are all neighbors† is the manifestation of the breakdown of the neighborly relationships that existed in Bosnia between the Muslim majority and the Catholics, mostly the Croats. The film, therefore, addresses the mistrust and betrayal developing on religious grounds during the war in Bosnia, leading neighbors to rise against each other with the minority Bosnian Muslims being evicted by the Christians in this specific village. ( Bringa, 1995). The ethnically mixed village in central Bosnia was torn away by war in 1993, and the Muslims’ houses are portrayed to be desolate as a handful of the Muslims return after the effects of the war have subsided. Eventually, the film emerged from a critical research, where Bringa conducted 15 months of field research in the region in 1980s (Bringa, 1995). One aspect evident after the war period is the complete change of lives of the entire Bosnian population. A previously coexisting community of mixed cultures was torn in the middle by the war, where friends became enemies; the war divided even families (Bringa, 1995). It was difficult to go to work, and schools remained closed with children being sent away from homes to areas where parents felt they could be much safer than at home. The film presents total family breakups, as the reality of the war dawns on Bosnian people; the quiet village now has occasional bursts of bombs and gunshots. Men spend most of their time chopping wood, while many women are scared and just wait helplessly to the unfolding dramas. Surprisingly, the people in this region are eager and uncertain of the peace plans; they watch news eagerly and earnestly with growing hope of peace plans (Bringa, 1995). This means people are yearning for their once quiet life. Men cannot gather more than three at any public pl ace; the former members of the Yugoslavian reserves have guns. The previously united and integrated Bosnia is now torn apart, and life is uncertain for as the reality of the war sinks deep. One aspect that contributes to formation of a unified Bosnian state made of different religious practices is the ideology of ‘brotherhood and unity’ and the ‘economic democracy myth’ (Admason and Jovic, 298). The intervention of the United Nations in managing the translation period in the Yugoslav states ensured majority inhabitants and authorities did not victimize the minorities, with all displaced persons being encouraged to return to their previous homes. Bringa (1995) illustrates the returning of the displaced people to be amidst heavy tensions where people were desperately trying to hold on the possibility of coexisting together despite the disturbing tensions and hatred that brewed during the war (Bringa, 1995).

ASSIGNMENT-4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ASSIGNMENT-4 - Essay Example As they both argue, other characters not present on the scene are referred to under varying circumstances to reinforce the theme. For instance, Lisa talks of her friend named Talia Robins who claims to be happier living without her father present at home. However, Lisa later depicts Talia as an unhappy bully of sorts as result of her father’s absence. Symbolism is also featured in the play adequately as a means to outline the theme as well. Among the symbolized items in the play include a trophy, a computer and a trash bin just to cite a few (Whiteson, Valerie, Horovitz 65-66). Lisa’s trophy represents the rewards of her personal conquests that she wishes her father would make time to celebrate with, while the trash bin she tosses it into expresses her disappointment in her ever busy father. Elsewhere, Paul tells her daughter Lisa of how her friend Daria Feldman got a computer from her cruel parents as a devise to preoccupy her thereby ridding them of her attention. Symbolically, the computer represents Daria’s parent’s selfishness (Whiteson, Valerie, Horovitz

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

Johnson & Johnson - Essay Example The organization’s official website boasts of its major accomplishments, to wit: â€Å"The world’s sixth-largest consumer health company The world’s largest and most diverse medical devices and diagnostics company The world’s fifth-largest biologics company And the world’s eighth-largest pharmaceuticals company† (Johnson & Johnson, 2012). However, despite the accolades and marked successes, Johnson & Johnson’s history was likewise met with a crucial crisis that threatened their global existence through the Tylenol incident in 1982. The essay hereby aims to present how Johnson & Johnson handled business before anything was even suspected from the potential scare of deadly cyanide incorporated into Tylenol capsules. Corporate Profile The origin of Johnson & Johnson was traced from the enterprising talents of three brothers, Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson, who founded the organization in the year 1886 at N ew Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.A. (Johnson & Johnson, 2012). The organization has acknowledged operating under the governance of a value system, termed ‘Our Credo’ which was designed and developed by Robert Wood Johnson in 1943 (Johnson and Johnson, 2012). ... Since the organization indicated that they manage more than â€Å"250 operating companies in 60 countries employing approximately 118,000 people† (Johnson & Johnson, 2012), their management structure necessitates the application of a decentralized approach where business segments are classified into consumer health care, medical devices and diagnostics, as well as presciption products, parallel to the products produced and marketed. Historical Growth and Significant Developments prior to 1982 From information sourced from the Funding Universe (n.d.), the key developments for the organization prior to 1982 are as follows: â€Å"1886: Johnson brothers begin producing dressings in New Brunswick, New Jersey. 1887: Company is incorporated as Johnson & Johnson. 1893: Johnson's Baby Powder is introduced. 1921: Band-Aid brand adhesive bandages make their debut. 1924: Overseas expansion begins with the establishment of Johnson & Johnson Limited in the United Kingdom. 1932: Robert John son, known as 'the General,' takes over leadership as president. 1943: Johnson writes the company credo. 1944: Company goes public on the New York Stock Exchange. 1959: McNeil Laboratories, Inc. (McNeil Labs) is acquired. 1960: McNeil Labs introduces Tylenol as an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever. 1961: Janssen Pharmaceutica is acquired. 1975: Through a significant price decrease, Tylenol is transformed into a mass-marketed product† (Funding Universe, n.d., par. 5). From the information, it could be deduced that the organization operated in simpler structure with only the major products such as the baby powder, the band-aid, and Tylenol that were

Sourcing Material and Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Sourcing Material and Services - Essay Example hese three are related in that strategic sourcing furthers the procurement process with a greater focus on the impacts of decisions on procurement and purchasing. It works cross-functionally in the firm so as to help in the realisation of the overall business goals of the organisation. These three have undergone evolution over time. As documented by Coyle et al. (2012), the traditional sourcing process involved tactical sourcing, limited supply base and functional purchasing. Then came strategic sourcing which emphasized on supplier relationships and non-traditional supply base. The e-enabled procurement provided capability for e-sourcing, e-procurement and e-commerce. This paved way for integrated sourcing or supply chain which involves sourcing for a strategic supply chain process and seamless integration of the sourcing process and supply chain activity. To evaluate suppliers, companies should seek to establish relationships or alliances with them so as to enable them ascertain their ability to supply quality materials adequately over the given period of time and at an optimum cost (Coyle et al., 2012). Quality supplies of materials ensure quality final products. Companies should also evaluate the ability of the supplier to contribute to its competitive advantage: to promote low cost, niche orientation or differentiation. According to Mangan, Lalwani and Butcher (2008), evaluation could be undertaken through competitive bids or direct negotiations. Recently, Internet auctions have also become popular evaluation

Henry Lee Lucas Essay Example for Free

Henry Lee Lucas Essay Henry Lee Lucas On July 11th 1983, a drifter named Henry Lee Lucas was arrested for illegal possession of a fire arm by a felon. Lucas was not at all happy about being locked up, because they were supposedly depriving him of cigarettes and coffee. After being locked up for 4 days, he admitted to one of the jailers that he had â€Å"done some bad things†. He told that he had killed for the last 10 years. He was already a suspect in 2 murders, and the offices were sure that they would soon have enough information to close these 2 cases. Lucas admitted that he had killed Kate Rich and Becky Powell. While in court for these murders, he admitted that he’d had sex with the body, cut it into pieces and burned it in a wood stove. He also said that he had killed at least a hundred more. Police started questioning Lucas about other unsolved murders all over the country. He would admit to them and tell them some details about the crime that would link him to it. Over a period of time, he started offering more information about murders that he had not even been questioned about. He said that he usually picked up hitchhikers then he would quickly kill them and have sex with the body because he preferred sexual contact with a corpse. He generally used a knife or strangulation, but said that he liked to try different methods so that he didn’t leave a pattern for the police to follow. Lucas also later confessed to killing his mother. He said that she was an alcoholic and was mean to him. Some claims say that she supported the family by bootlegging and prostitution. Lucas claimed that his mother made him watch her entertain her clients. He claims that after walking out of the room one time because he was disgusted with her actions, she found him and hit him in the head with a wooden board. He said that after that, he had dizzy spells and headaches. On January 11, 1960, Lucas and his mother got into an argument and Lucas grabbed a knife and plunged it into her neck. He was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 20 years. He served 10. Another claim that he made was that of one of his mother’s clients. He said that this man turned him on to bestiality by showing him how to have sex with the corpse of a dog or sheep. He said that he first killed someone just before he turned 15. He said that the reason was so that he could see what it felt like to have sex with a human. Lucas had a traveling companion/lover named Odis Toole. Toole supposedly assisted Lucas in these heinous crimes. Toole’s niece, Becky Powell, began to travel with them. Lucas began to fall in love with her. He decided to take Becky for himself, so he and Becky left Toole and went to TX. Toole was not happy about them leaving. He had lost his longtime lover and his niece. He supposedly killed several people over a 6 month period of time. He also confessed to kidnapping and killing a small boy named, Adam Walsh. Adam’s father was inspired after the killing of his son, to start the popular show, America’s Most Wanted. After living in TX for a while, Becky wanted to come home. Lucas resisted, but later told her to gather her things. They began to hitchhike. He continued trying to get her to change her mind. She did not. At one point, they got into an argument and she slapped him. He took his knife and stabbed her in the heart. He drug her off over and embankment and had sex with her corpse. He cut her up into 9 pieces and spread them over a field. He later returned and gathered the pieces and buried them under a tree. He then returned to where they were living in TX, and to a lady named Kate Rich. He wanted to kill again. He asked Kate if she wanted to help him look for Becky (knowing that she was dead). She agreed and went with him. He drove to the end of a dirt road and stabbed Kate in the side, puncturing her heart. He was immediately aroused. He dragged her from the car and had sex with her body. He cut her up, also, and took her back to where they were living in TX and put her in a stove to burn her remains. After much investigation, and examination of the times and places that some of the murders took place that Lucas had admitted to , police began to question whether or not he was telling the truth. They later figured out that he was lying about several of the instances, because some of them were even committed when he was locked up for other crimes that he had committed. It was also found that he was known to be in a different place when he claimed to have killed in another state many miles away. Lucas claimed to have committed over 360 murders. It was eventually claimed that the police were so interested in closing some of their open murder cases that they would show Lucas the case files to â€Å"refresh his memory†. He in turn used it to his benefit by tying himself to the murders by telling evidence that was never released to the public. The police actually cleared around 213 cases through Lucas’ confessions. He was convicted of only 11 homicides; although some criminologist say that he was responsible for between 40-50 murders. In 1998, Gov. George W. Bush of TX commuted the death penalty that Lucas was handed, to a sentence of life.

Assessing The Scope Of Competitive Rivalry

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

Samsung Galaxy Smartphones Decreased Demand

Samsung Galaxy Smartphones Decreased Demand Samsung Electronics is one of the Koreas top electronics company which was founded in 1938. It has grown from small business to be one of top leading electronics and Technology in the world. It makes many kinds of consumer devices, including DVD players, digital TVs, and digital still cameras; computers, color monitors, LCD panels, and printers; semiconductors such as DRAMs, static RAMs, flash memory, and display drivers; and communications devices ranging from wireless handsets and smartphones to networking gear. However, they are mostly popular for their Smartphones (Galaxy), which is considered as one of its mains products. Samsung Galaxy includes categories such as Galaxy Note series, Galaxy Tab Series and Galaxy S series. Samsung from several years are relaying mostly on its smartphones sale to maximizing its profit, as other products sales are showing decline such examples include home appliances and LCD TV. Unfortunately, currently Samsung are struggling to sustain their sales and profit from Galaxy smartphones. Samsung profits have been on declining demand since 2013. Despite the company being the greatest in the world when it comes to production of smart phones, the pressure that it continues to receive from the market can no longer be denied. In this year second quarter Samsung Galaxy smartphones have shown even huge profit and demand drop for its smartphones. As you can see below the chart clearly shows the Samsung profit have been going down from year 2013 and was worst in the second quarter of this year. http://www.statista.com/statistics/237093/samsungs-operating-profit-quarterly-figures/ There are various reasons for this downfall, Samsung has always used a huge marketing budget. Nevertheless, in the last quarter, its budget was far larger in ways that were not favored by the company. The company has been compelled to use huge amounts of money on promoting the older and lower-end gadgets that have been congesting its warehouses because of weak demand† . This fall in trade, together with the extra money spent on publicity has catalyzed the firm’s dwindling fortunes. Actually having, fewer shipments of high end phones, has also resulted in having and investing to market the old models has helped demand decreasing for Samsung’s. More importantly the market competition that Samsung is facing from its main rival Apple IPhone smartphones and other competitors has also contributed in weakening the demand. Decline in demand also can be attributed to their exorbitant price of smart phones. Because the Price elasticity of demand for Samsung is high, increased prices has result in less demand for its smartphones. Also, Samsung’s competitors, which are mostly based in china, are producing phones that have features that are essentially similar to those of Samsung. They are however, offering these phones at prices that are much cheaper and affordable. This has, therefore, beat the purpose of purchasing Samsung phones that are unnecessarily expensive and shifted people demand from its smartphones to their rivals’ cheaper smartphones. The decline of the sale and the demand of smart phones is caused by inability of Samsung to be more creative. For example, when it comes to the features that are contained in their many smart phones. Their S series smart phones are the typical. The cheaper ones have fewer features though. The difference in the ones that are more expensive is their size. Since the release of the S3, the subsequent ones S4 and the recently released S5 are similar in several ways. Consumers are starting to feel that these S phones are overrated and over advertised, which coincidentally has been said of the reasons Samsung is investing a lot in over advertising. This strategy is geared towards trying to get their products out of the warehouses and into the market to be purchased by the consumers. Unfortunately, this have resulted not only in having a negative impact on the sales, it’s also reduced their profit margin due to overspending and less demand. As an economic consultant observing Samsung Galaxy smartphone declining demand, I will try to recommend solutions to fix this economic problem by analyzing the root reasons. Searching and analyzing the market it was found out that there was a lot of factors that influenced Samsung smartphone sales which made it gone down in the third quarter of the year. First of all consumer taste and preference for better improved technology products. The fact of the new technology, and the willing to adapt new features and devises that made Samsung to be the second choice of its customers. In addition to that, the strong rival competition and all consumers being aware that there are other substitute smartphones that have similar even better featured, such as the IPhone, which gives negative impact on demand. For example, when Apple IPhone 6 has launched in the market, it has made major shift in demand from Galaxy to IPhone smartphones. How Samsung’s Demand could be increased In order for Samsung to recover from its decreasing demand, it should do several things such as offering prices that are competitive in the international market. Whereas the number of clients obtaining smartphones is still raising, it is growing harder for the company to tap new market for its high-end devices. This therefore suggests that the firm will have to minimize its prices in order to sell these gadgets. However, this will still reduce its profit margins. Samsung should focus its attention on shifting its product mix towards low and middle iced handsets. Under the prevailing situations, the company will have to wait and observe how it will uphold its profitability in the future. Additionally, Samsung needs to rollout new products that will stave off gains made by Apple on the larger-screen iPhones; especialty the Galaxy developer has dominated (Sakr, 2014). According to the firm, the rollout of fresh mobile models will embrace new technology that will assist to scale down production cost and comparatively that will assist to give cheaper price products. Moreover, the firm should utilize an assessment on the prices of the smartphones and come up with figures at which demand will rise for their smartphones (Sakr, 2014). By offering incentives such as headsets and phone covers, the company will be able to improve its sales. Finally, Samsung can increase its demand by offering competitive prices and embrace new technology that will assist to scale down production costs. Alternatively, if Samsung was not able to compete in market against it rival IPhone and will give up to invest any more in Smartphone. We highly recommend that it should invest more in developing and improving its tablets as it score to have a higher demand than the smart phones. Obviously by improving Samsung Smartphones quality and increasing its decreased demand, will help in raising the reduced turnover for its third quarter. Samsung makes about two third of its profit from its smartphones sales. Which means any drop in smartphones sales will have a huge impact on the company’s turnover. If Samsung was able cope with shifting market preferences that will help them stand out among competitors like Apple. Samsung deals mainly with Technology which is one of fast moving and updating things and to survive in the market, Samsung should be always ready to offer fast new technology features in their Smartphones. It mainly include keeping an eye on it main competitor â€Å"Apple IPhone† and try to offer features that are unique or at least which are offered by Apple IPhone to be able to compete in the market. This idea has been successful with IPhone when they have took over Samsung’s advantage of having big size screens which was one of reasons of people smartphone shifting demand to Samsung. IPhone has been successful to offer that feature in its IPhone 6 Plus by which it attacked Samsung’s main unique feature over IPhone. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/18/in-the-battle-for-best-smartphone-apple-still-beats-samsung/?_php=true_type=blogs_r=0 http://www.mobileworldlive.com/slowing-demand-reported-for-samsungs-galaxy-s4 http://recode.net/2014/07/07/samsung-says-second-quarter-tablet-sales-sluggish-as-smartphone-growth-slowed/ http://maps.yankeegroup.com/ygapp/content/10fed569fe2f4661ba2b7f2d01df77e6/50/DAILYINSIGHT/0

My Antonia Essay: Importance of Setting -- My Antonia Essays

The Importance of Setting in My Antonia The setting of the story has tremendous impact on the characters and themes in the novel "My Antonia" by Willa Cather. Cather's delicately crafted naturalistic style is evident not only in her colorfully detailed depictions of the Nebraska frontier, but also in her characters’ relationship with the land on which they live. The common naturalist theme of man being controlled by nature appears many times throughout the novel, particularly in the chapters containing the first winter. The Burden's and the Shimerda's, try as they might, cannot fight the harsh climate of the Nebraska prairie. Rather than attempt to control the environment around them, they must learn to work with it and adjust to make do with what they have. Jim learns this his first winter, as well as the Shimerda's, for they are both newcomers to a strange place. They realize that trying to fight the wind and snow will do more harm than good, and adapt themselves to work when weather permits and hope nature... My Antonia Essay: Importance of Setting -- My Antonia Essays The Importance of Setting in My Antonia The setting of the story has tremendous impact on the characters and themes in the novel "My Antonia" by Willa Cather. Cather's delicately crafted naturalistic style is evident not only in her colorfully detailed depictions of the Nebraska frontier, but also in her characters’ relationship with the land on which they live. The common naturalist theme of man being controlled by nature appears many times throughout the novel, particularly in the chapters containing the first winter. The Burden's and the Shimerda's, try as they might, cannot fight the harsh climate of the Nebraska prairie. Rather than attempt to control the environment around them, they must learn to work with it and adjust to make do with what they have. Jim learns this his first winter, as well as the Shimerda's, for they are both newcomers to a strange place. They realize that trying to fight the wind and snow will do more harm than good, and adapt themselves to work when weather permits and hope nature...

Flaws of The British Criminal Justice System Essay examples -- Criminal

The Criminal Justice System, a system the British government set up to deal with the treatment of law-breakers, has three main goals to achieve social order, these are, (1) enforcing criminal law, (2) maintaining law and order in the society, and (3) helping victims. This may seem to be a well thought of system, but like any other organisation, there are flaws, and one of the major flaws is discrimination, and the bias that stems from discrimination. Discrimination on the basis of class, gender, sexuality and ethnicity operates at the level of attitude, on the street, in the home, at the workplace or at social venues. In regards to the Criminal Justice System, race and gender are always accounted for in court proceedings. As Smith in 1997 said, â€Å"the apparent ‘fairness’ of the criminal justice system does not mean that the outcomes will necessarily be unbiased†. Tonry in 1997 found that even though certain ethnic groups are far more often caught in the net of criminal justice than others, they have elevated rates of official offending which differ from one country to another. The major ethnic group in Britain and Wales being black people whose families originated from the Caribbean in the 1940’s. (cited in the Oxford Handbook). Black people find themselves subject to rules made for them by white people, it is also the same for other groups living in the same culture, e.g. it seems to be men th at make the rules for the women in society, even though this seems to be changing in the United States. Foreign-born people often have their rules made for them by the Protestant Anglo-Saxon minority. The middle-class seem to make all the rules which must be obeyed by the vast majority - in the schools, the courts, etc. Th... ... discrimination from the judges and magistrates who remembered the time of segregation and other similar matters, this would build up and provide a racial outlook therefore showing discrimination. Being a part of an ethnic group is seen as being a member and an important source of personal identity, it is seen to be an attack on the group as a whole when one member has been targeted. This is why there are many practical problems when trying to improve decision making procedures. The criminal justice system should take into account there are not enough minority groups in the workforce, especially the police, or the courts, so therefore try to improve the standards when dealing with offenders. Even though racism and discrimination is part and parcel of living in a society, a person’s identity as a human should be more important than the colour of the skin.

Information and communication technologies Essay

Even though the ICT sector is itself worth between 6-8% of the EU’s GDP in the last few years, ICTs are much more important than that figure suggests, as they are central for the current situation and development of much more spheres of contemporary society as a whole and of national economies in Europe in particular. Today ICTs play a crucial role in: improving competitiveness throughout the economy in the face of globalisation, by boosting innovation, creativity and efficiency; – scientific and technological development in various areas (including medicine and physics); – modernising sectors as diverse as education, security, energy and transport, and making Europe’s public sector more efficient; – tackling social challenges and improving quality of life and meeting the challenge of an ageing society. The EU policy framework for the information society and media – i2010- also promotes a European Information Society for all citizens[2]. Actions implemented under this i2010 priority aim to ensure that the benefits of the information society can be enjoyed by everyone (e-Inclusion). Areas of eInclusion policy, as defined in i2010, are: ageing, eAccessibility, broadband gap (overcoming the so called â€Å"digital divide†), inclusive eGovernment, digital literacy and culture. Actions under this priority also aim to encourage provision of better public services (eGovernment and eHealth). Here are the main spheres where ICTs have even bigger potential and are expected to develop in the short run: – Growth and Competitiveness ICT is a driver for productivity. The gains from ICT stem directly from investment in ICT, a fast growing and innovative ICT sector, and indirectly from improvements in business processes through wider use of these technologies across the economy. According to a study[3], the overall contribution to labour productivity growth from ICT investments and from technical progress in the production of ICT goods and services accounted for about 40% of EU labour productivity growth over the second half of the 1990s, compared with 60% in the US. The ICT sector, as a whole, performs fairly well in comparison with the US in terms of size (10% of GDP in the US against 8% in the EU, and also in productivity and employment creation), but less so in terms of contribution to R&D (in the US, ICT account for 30% of R&D). However, in these developments the EU has suffered from lower and delayed investments in ICT and, possibly, a less efficient use of ICT. Using Information and Communication Technologies can also further be used to manage finite natural resources and energy consumption much more efficiently, so that improving environmental protection without holding back economic development[4]. – Convergence More and more, convergence of technologies, infrastructure and applications is developing to provide consumers with an access to a great diversity of attractive services and rich media and content on a wide range of devices. Availability of content and services is becoming critical as the market moves to a phase where value-added services and content are key to revenue growth. The policy focus for 2010 will probably be the creation of a favourable environment that stimulates the competitive deployment of new converging services. – Broadband networks EU countries are global leader in high-speed internet. The number of fixed broadband internet connections in the EU keeps growing: 14 million more in 2008, reaching over 114 million in total. Denmark and the Netherlands are world leaders in broadband, with take up over 35% of population. They lead, along with Sweden, Finland, the UK, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany and France, the US, which was at 25% in July 2008. This has produced a critical mass and there is already evidence that markets for high-quality content and service development are taking off. Furthermore, new developments in wireless broadband have made spectrum availability crucial to new services and applications, and the efficient management of spectrum key to further broadband developments. Finally, the enhancement of interoperability and security are essential to and increase consumers’ choice and facilitate take-up. In the beginning of 2009 1 billion euro has been earmarked by the European Commission to help rural areas[5] get online, bring new jobs and help businesses grow. Competitiveness, job creation and protection, sustainable development, spatial balance and fighting the digital divide are the main goals that the broadband internet access could achieve. – Contents and information society services Convergence is creating a promising range of opportunities for the development of content and information society services making the most of ICT. The challenge for the single information space is to create the appropriate environment that will meet both business and consumer expectations while promoting the European content industry. This requires a competitive environment, where interoperability allows cross-platform competition and usage. This also requires a clear European regulatory framework with respect to content regulation and a secure environment for the distribution of digital content. Ensuring consumer acceptance pass by offering access to a great variety of flexible content and services adapted to user needs. Improving security and privacy as well as minor protection and media literacy are needed to allow European citizens to benefit fully from these content and services. – Innovation and research In order Europe to catch-up with the levels of productivity growth of other regions of the world, it should strengthen innovation and concentrate these efforts in those sectors, like the ICT, where the value added is the highest. A pre-requisite is to increase investment in research: at present the EU devotes only 18% of research expenditure to ICT whereas the leading OECD countries allocate more than 30%[6]. In absolute amounts, Europe’s investment in ICT research is only two thirds of that of Japan and one third of that seen in the USA. Research and development is making technology simpler to use, more available and affordable; providing new ICT-based solutions that are trusted, reliable, and adaptable to users’ contexts and preferences. However, research alone is not sufficient as it needs be consolidated by organisational innovation. ICT must be widely adopted and supported by adequate reorganisation of business processes and by a skilled workforce. Businesses in the EU are increasingly adopting advanced ICT and are engaging in on-line transactions but are lagging behind in the adoption of integrated business applications (particularly the European small and medium enterprises). – Skills and work The development of the ICT sector and the wide-spread diffusion and use of ICT in the economy and in the society bring opportunities for new employment and more creative and fulfilling jobs. Changing needs for ICT and e-Business skills (e-Skills) in the future heavily depend on innovation and the introduction of new technologies. The greatest challenge is to assess forward-looking innovations and understand what new skills will be needed, to be able to anticipate and manage changes and be effective, quick and efficient in creating new, innovative jobs. – e-Business Though nearly all enterprises are connected to the internet, a large section of the business community is only beginning to exploit the potential of ICT. E-commerce is expected to continue to grow rapidly. More efforts are needed to improve business processes in European enterprises and fully integrate ICT providing new opportunities to reduce their costs and improve performance. Factors which will contribute to increase e-Business include promotion of take-up of e-business solutions and best practices security, addressing privacy and security concerns, availability of content and new services, increase automation of business processes, acceptance of payment for content and services, e-invoicing and e-procurement. Public services Public services are at the heart of the European social model, playing a key role in growth, innovation and cohesion. There is increasing evidence that a better exploitation of ICT through combined improvement of facilities, working processes and skills can significantly enhance public service’s organisation provision. However, the potential remains unfulfilled due to technical, legal or organisational obstacles. For example, government services are widely available online but the demand is not sufficient and efficiency gains from back-office reorganisation are still largely underexploited. Specific challenges relate to friendly user-centric services, back-office streamlining, interoperability of key infrastructures and facilities, identity management, or privacy and trust. – e-Inclusion Increasing impact of ICT on social inclusion and participation creates new opportunities. Significant progress on ICT penetration across all EU regions and socio-demographic groups helps to decrease disparities. However, some specific challenges concern accessibility of ICT equipment and user-friendly interfaces, digital literacy or improved confidence and support for ICT use. Some important concerns are â€Å"design for all† of ICT equipment; human mediation and support for e-services; intuitive use of affordable value-added e-content and services accessible; and efficient solutions for threats to privacy, security and harmful content threats. – Quality of life and environment ICT have a direct impact on the environment but also indirect social and economic consequences as a result of its application. ICT positive impact on the environment includes environmental modelling (forecasting), the miniaturisation of devices (which reduces the resources needed for manufacture and distribution), micro/nano technology and embedded systems which improve disaster management, and reduce the environmental impact of farming and fishing. ICT also enables a less resource-intensive production, thereby reducing the environmental impact of economic activities. – e-Work contributes to environmental sustainability as travelling to work is reduced. Innovative transport planning systems can ease traffic congestion and optimise transport capacity. ICT can also contribute to quality of life by delivering more efficient and more effective public services and goods to individuals which in turn can improve their life chances. ICT support for comprehensive life-long learning policies (through e-learning, digital competence actions) can enable all individuals to adapt and keep the pace with the continuous social, economic and technological changes. – Climate and energy policy The combined climate and energy policy is central at the EU’s political programme. Its aism are to bring about alternative ways of running our daily lives so that Europe can continue to create growth and jobs while leading the global effort to tackle climate change and energy efficiency. Europe faces three main challenges in this field – tackling climate change, guaranteeing secure, sustainable and competitive energy, and making the European economy a model for sustainable development in the 21st century[7]. The resolve of the European Council[8] to transform Europe into a low-carbon, high energy efficiency economy means that the continued growth of the European economy, essential to achieve full employment and inclusion, needs to be decoupled from energy consumption. The current trends are unsustainable. Indeed, if nothing were to change, final energy consumption in the EU is predicted to increase up to 25% by 2012, with a substantial rise in greenhouse gas emissions. ICTs have an important role to play in reducing the energy intensity and increasing the energy efficiency of the economy, in other words, in reducing emissions and contributing to sustainable growth. In addition to that, ICTs will not only improve energy efficiency and combat climate change but will also stimulate the development of a large leading-edge market for ICT enabled energy-efficiency technologies that can foster the competitiveness of European industry and create new business opportunities.