Vacant Chapter 10 Decision

When I finally look at the clock, I notice it's been seven hours since I ran out on Emily and my feelings. As I look out in front of me, the gray asphalt blurring with yellow and white lines, I make the decision to keep going. I don't want to be the one to ruin her. No matter how far I drive, I come to the same conclusion over and over again. I must have given Emily some sign of my feelings for her. It was never my intention. I'm a stock boy at a grocery store. She needs someone to take care of her†¦buy her all the things she's never had. She doesn't need an orphaned schmuck with less money than common sense. Usually, forty-eight hours doesn't seem like a whole lot. However, it's the longest I've been away from Emily in the time I've known her. It's hard for me to believe I've only known her such a short time because she's my whole life. How can your whole life be consumed by one person you haven't known your entire life? Since I don't know the answer to that, I keep driving. It's Friday the 13th. I hadn't actually realized it until I stopped for gas, and the lady in front of me was writing a check. She asked what the date was. The attendant answered her in a gleeful, yet macabre tone. Can one celebrate Friday the 13th? If today is the thirteenth though, that means I've been sleeping in my car for six days. Six days without her beautiful eyes. Six days without hearing the slight lilt in her voice. Six days since she told me she loved me, and I left her – like a thief in the night. Six days of thinking about kissing, touching and holding Emily. It's the only thing I've thought about. Suddenly, it hits me: I know exactly what the raccoon from yesterday felt like as the wheels of the truck ahead of me rolled over him crushing him from the outside in.

Presentation Of Behaviorism And Social Learning Essay

Learning about how and why people and animals alike behave in a specific way has always been a topic of interest that spans even in the Olden Times, hence, Behaviorism came about.   It is a theory which takes learning as the result of the actions of the environment on the learner. ( Denis & Phillips, 2003, p.7 ).   Associated with this theory is the view of tabula rasa, where the mind has nothing and that all information our mind has is a result of the experiences we go through.   Under Behaviorism are the following types of learning: Classical Conditioning, which depicts the connection between stimulus and response. (Davis, 2002, p.166)   Imagine a new born baby who cried because it was slapped by the doctor on the buttocks. The slap on the buttocks was the stimulus, and crying was the response to that stimulus. Operant Conditioning deals more with the positive and negative outcomes of a response, simply put, positive and negative reinforcements.  Ã‚   For example: a child studies hard because every time that child gets high grades, a gift is given to that child.   The giving of the gift reinforces the child’s behavior to earn high grades for the long-term.   Another type of learning that falls under Behaviorism is the Social Learning Theory, which involves the observation of admirable things, which are thus, modeled or mirrored.   (Kafai, 2004, p.129). This learning theory can be summed up through these words: â€Å"Learning by Observation.† A child following the footsteps of an elder sibling who has been recognized due to excellent grades can be a good example of the Social Learning Theory in application.   The Self-Efficacy Theory, a theory that falls under the Social Learning Theory also plays an important role in psychology. It states that the person’s perception of what he or she can do or is capable of, makes that person choose actions that will pave the way for him/her reaching set goals.   Personality Development/Self-Confidence Books/Courses embody self-efficacy, as it is common knowledge that if you believe in yourself, more often than not, you succeed in a task. Behaviorism, I believe, can be used for self-understanding and self-improvement. References Davies, Martin. (2002). The Blackwell Companion to Social Work. Britain: Blackwell Publishing. Denis, Charles., & Phillips, Jonas F. Soltis. (2003). Perspectives on Learning.   New York: Teachers College Press. Kafai, Yasmin B. (2004). Embracing Diversity in the Learning Sciences. Yorkshire: Routledge.

Case study anaylsis ( marketing management) Essay

Case study anaylsis ( marketing management) - Essay Example Another weakness for SCAD is the company’s lack of diversity. Presently, the company deals with one product hence; it is likely to face challenges in case of inflation, or immense competition. The company has various opportunities that can improve its status. Since estimates show that that company grows at about 30 percent every year planning (Ferrell & Hartline, 2011). It is possible to lay succinct strategic plans to help the company do well in future. Proper strategic plans will aid company operation even in times of inflation. The UAE economic growth is an opportunity the company can utilize by ensuring product quality and diversity. The threats the company faces emanate from the likely competition from other emerging companies. The two companies are diverse in terms of super car sales contrary to SCAD which lacks diversity. However, the companies are devoid of experience and adequate finances planning (Ferrell & Hartline, 2011). The lack of proper plans and management is a threat to the company’s effectiveness. SCAD lies in the star section due to its present share in the market. In the UAE market, the company is the leading due to low competition from other companies. Jumeirah motors and Al Ameri cars lie on Dogs quadrant planning (Ferrell & Hartline, 2011). This is because the two companies are new in the market. In order to improve the condition, the companies will require adequate input. Such actions include market strategies aimed at improving brand name and market segment. The questions quadrant indicates opportunities which are not utilized planning (Ferrell & Hartline, 2011). The quadrant characterizes units with low market share but high growth rate. The cash flows portion shows units with a large market segment, although the growth rate is slow. The quadrant displays presence of low opportunities for development. The unit requires a small input to improve its status. SCAD should lay strategic plans responsible for helping the

KONE PLC Strategic Plan including digital marketing strategy Essay

KONE PLC Strategic Plan including digital marketing strategy - Essay Example An analysis of its market approaches shows that the firm has had its presence in Europe since its establishment. Additionally, the company has not used its capital accumulation to enhance its growth in other markets, unlike other firms that have targeted infant elevator markets. An analysis of its product and services shows that the company has provided dedicated its production line in people flow. Most of its products include automatic doors, auto walks, elevators, escalators, and access control systems. Its branding strategies have increased its target markets ensuring an increase in sales and capital accumulation. It also targets the service industry that has been rated as one of the fast growing markets globally. The diversity of products also assists in its competition strategies leading to its high ratings in the top global firms list. An increase in its main markets requires that the firm should adopt services such as digital marketing to ensure all customers in the markets (Asia, Europe, and the U.S) are covered without any delays. KONE GB’s mission statement is based on the safety of customers. Its dedication to people flow is the driving force for its production and product quality. The firm ensures that its products have undergone safety tests since they directly deal with the people. Ensuring maximum security and a smooth flow of people with flexibility and scalability is a mission statement that governs the employees in their production process. As a result, its products have been rated safest compared to its competitors. It has also incorporated advanced technology in its products to reduce the risks of breakdowns. In the values statement, the firm has engaged in class that is required in the service industry. For example, it has made attractive elevators and escalators that can be used in luxurious hotels and malls. They ensure that customers can customize their product; hence, acting as a strategy to increase its market

William Faulkner's use of Theme in A Rose for Emily Essay

William Faulkner's use of Theme in A Rose for Emily - Essay Example Perhaps this is most prominently witnessed in his short story ‘A Rose for Emily’. This story explores the macabre and desolate life of a woman named Emily as she experiences a number of life setbacks before finally settling into a reclusive existence. While containing southern gothic tendencies, the story is characteristic of Faulkner’s style in terms of theme. This essay argues that Faulkner implements a number of thematic elements in Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily’. Perhaps the most pervasive theme in ‘A Rose for Emily’ is the power and exploration of death. This is perhaps one of the most important elements in articulating the story as an element of southern gothic literature, and it gives the tale a sort of surreal touch. Faulkner begins the narrative in reverse, already stating that Emily Grierson, the main focus of the story is deceased. Faulkner writes, â€Å"When Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to the funeral† (Faulkner, web). While this is only a narrative element, it’s position as the first sentence of the story is notable as it sets the general thematic tone for the tale. In addition to Emily’s death the story also indicates that Emily’s father died. Faulkner advances the thematic power of death in this instance by demonstrating that it extremely impacted Emily’s existence.

Compensation and Benefits of banks at Canada Research Paper

Compensation and Benefits of banks at Canada - Research Paper Example Scotia Bank follows a systematic recruitment program to get the best workers within the Canadian job market. The HR policies and procedures are followed strictly when procuring candidates for positions within the bank. A job evaluation exercise is initially carried out by the HR department for any vacant post that arises, which is subsequently followed by an advertisement process. The bank believes in grooming its employees to take up positions in the bank as they arise (Carmona, 2009). Therefore, it means that a suitable candidate will first be sourced from within the bank and its subsidiaries. Upon issuing an internal advertisement within the bank, internal staff members are allowed to apply, subject to a rigorous interview process aimed at finding a suitable candidate. Therefore, for staff members already with the bank, there are added chances for securing positions in better departments, if qualifications warrant so. Failure to find a prospective candidate within a stipulated per iod prompts the HR department to advertise externally, with local media and other public media outlets (Scotiabank, 2015). The process is carried out just like any other recruitment process.HSBC Canada is a subsidiary of the larger HSBC Bank Plc., which is one of the biggest banks in the world regarding assets and market capitalization. Therefore, HSBC Canada compensation and benefits system is a replica of the bigger bank headquartered in London. The methodology applied by the bank in rewarding its employees.

TEXAS ELECTIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TEXAS ELECTIONS - Essay Example For example, in the 2000 Election Williamson County voted 67.79% for Republicans compared to 47.87% National, 59.29% Statewide, and 46.88% Travis County. In the 2004 Election Williamson County voted 64.96% for Republicans compared to 50.73% National, 61.08% Statewide, and 41.99% Travis County. In the 2008 Election Williamson County voted 55.75% for Republicans compared to 45.67% National, 55.45% Statewide, and 34.44% Travis County. This last election showed that more Republicans voted for Obama than McCain when compared to when Bush was a candidate. The Governor Elections had the same trend. In the 2002 Election, Williamson County voted 68.34% for Republicans; whereas statewide 57.80% voted Republican and Travis County had 46.76%. In the 2006 Election, Williamson County voted 42.79% for Republicans; whereas statewide 39.02% voted Republican and Travis County had 26.43%. It must be noted in this election both Republican and Democratic votes suffered due to two independent candidates. The trend between Williamson County and Travis County was Williamson County voted less for Freidman 11.37% to Williamson County 13.49% and a state wide percentage of 12.44%.

Planning and Organising International Business Enterprise in Russia Essay

Planning and Organising International Business Enterprise in Russia - Essay Example Longwell also estimated that to meet the expected demand almost 80 million oil-equivalent barrels might need to be added per day and this need to be done by 2010 (Longwell, n.d.) Demand of natural gas is increasing rapidly because world is looking for more environment friendly, efficient and clean energy source. So it is quite clear that there are huge business opportunities worldwide for the oil and gas exploring companies. There are many companies dealing with oil drilling technology, but most of these companies are from USA. It is a fact that Russia is one of the leading exporters of natural gas and oil. As far as oil reserves are concerned Russia is eighth in the world but the country is holding first position in terms of natural gas reserves. Saudi Arabia, largest oil exporter in the world, is the major competitor of Russia as far as oil exporting is concerned. In the field of natural gas Canada, United States and Norway are the major competitors of Russia as they also produce and export large amount of natural gas. So it can be assessed that the upcoming firm would face international competition to great extent. Even few years back, the technical aspects of oil drilling like horizontal drilling and hydrofracs were primarily provided by western nations but today many of the Russian companies also provide the services. The geographical environment is primarily favourable to the prospective oilfields in Russia as the country has vast resources of nature like oil, coal and natural gas. Most of the oil reserves in Russia are located in the Siberian region. But various factors like climate, distance and terrain act as obstacles in the process of exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the region. As far as economic conditions are concerned in 2008 Russia’s GDP growth rate was 5.6%. Since 1998 Russia had been able to retain its average growth rate at 7%. Major portion of its GDP comes from export of oil and natural gas. Country has almost

Domain Bacteria Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Domain Bacteria - Research Paper Example The relatedness between any two given metazoans such as a human and a slug is often much more than the relation between two bacteria species. They appear in a variety of shapes (rods, spirals, spheres, blogs and helical among others) and sizes ranging between 0.5 and 5.0 microns. Most bacteria are of one of three typical shapes, which include round/ball-shaped (coccus), rod-shaped (bacillus) and spiral-shaped (spirillum), with an additional group, vibrios, that appear as incomplete spirals. Scientists also characterize bacteria by their growth patterns such as the chains formed by streptococci. While some bacteria, mainly the spirillum and bacillus forms, are motile or swim about by whip-like movements of flagella, others have pili, rigid rod-like protuberances, which serve as tethers. Pili join pairs of bacteria together facilitating transfer of DNA between them. Some bacteria have short, hair-like, proteinaceous projections called fimbriae at the cell ends or over the entire surface, which enable the bacteria to adhere to surfaces. Depending on the bacteria species, flagella may be set in any of four ways, which includes the monotrichous form with a single flagellum at one end, the amphitrichous with a single flagellum at each bacterium end, the lophotrichous with two or more flagella at either or both bacterium ends and the peritrichous form with flagella distributed over the entire cell. Bacterial cells can exist as discrete individual cells or may group together in chains as in the case of rods and cocci. Cocci forms can also aggregate in clusters. They contain a cell envelope comprising of a capsule, the cell wall and a plasma lemma or plasma membrane and a cytoplasmic region, which contains the cell genome, ribosomes and various cell inclusions. Most bacteria have a rigid cell wall, which consists of a polymer of disaccharides that are cross-linked by peptides (short amino acid chains) forming a

Technology at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Technology at work - Essay Example 8). One of the major challenges before a second language teacher is to motivate the students and make the learning process interesting and appealing to the learners; teachers who are competent and creative enough to design instructional packages with the aid of technological devices are better equipped to take up this challenge. Laborda & Royo reviewing Dudeney & Hockly’s book How to teach English with Technology show the immense â€Å"possibilities of teachers who work with a variety of types of software and hardware (or even who actually do not approach language teaching with technology) to integrate the contents into their daily teaching plans† (Laborda & Royo 2007). Similarly, Sotillo stresses on the effectiveness of computer-mediated discussions and instructional activities in transacting English to second language learners (Sotillo). However, it is significant that the selected learning activities are in tune with the proficiency level of students. Smith, D. G & Baber, E. (2005). Teaching English with information technology: how to use the internet and IT when teaching - for the professional English language teacher. Illustrated Edition: Modern English Publishing. Laborda, J. G., & Royo, T. M. (2007). Book review: How to teach English with Technology (Gavin Dudeney & Nicky Hockly). Educational Technology & Society, 10 (3), 320-324. Retrieved 21 Nov. 09 from: http://www.ifets.info/journals/10_3/22.pdf Sotillo, Susana M. (1997, Dec). English-as-a-Second-Language Learning and Collaboration in Cyberspace. Retrieved 22 Nov. 09 from The Technology Source Archives website:

Tesla in Automotive industry Strategy project Essay Example for Free

Tesla in Automotive industry Strategy project Essay 1. Introduction The Encyclopaedia Brittanica defined the automotive industry as all the companies and activities involved in the manufacturing of motor vehicles, including most components, such as bodies and engines; but excluding tires, batteries and fuel1. The automotive industry started with the production of what is widely considered to be the first ever automobile, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1886. Although the first car was originally manufactured in Germany, in the many decades to come, the United States led the world in total automobile production until the start of the 21st century, when China took the top position. Today, China produces nearly 20 million units per year, almost double the amount of the United States. It is one of the world’s most important sectors when measured by revenue and it is a business that is still growing significantly. Last year for example, over 87 million automobiles were produced worldwide, a 3. 6% increase compared to the year before and a 43. 82% increase compared to 20032. Needless to say, the automotive industry is big business and it is very probable there are business opportunities that are yet to be exploited. Tesla Motors is an American car manufacturer that tried to exploit such a business opportunity. It’s an American company that designs and manufactures electric vehicles and electric car components3. Founded in 2003, Tesla’s goal was to lessen the world’s dependence on petroleum-based transportation and drive down the cost of electric vehicles. Moreover, Tesla’s aim is to prove that electric vehicles can be awesome as well4. This might not sound particularly unique, but Tesla Motors does have a very distinct strategy in the sense that it wants to enter the automotive market by first focusing on high-end luxury cars and sports cars. Later, when Tesla’s products and consumers acceptance have matured, they would move into the market for the middle-class consumer, which is larger but also significantly more competitive5. The idea is to establish a strong brand name at first, which will aid the company in a later stage when the decision is made to start producing lower-priced automobiles. Tesla’s first 1 http://global. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/45050/automotive-industry 2 http://www. oic a. net/category/production-statistics/ 3 http://www. te slamotors. com/ 4 http://www. teslamotors. com/about 5 http://www. greenc arreports. com/news/1022275_msnbc-calls-ev-drivers-lunatic-fringe 3 model, the Roadster, had a base price of approximately $100. 0006. Their second car, Model S, is priced at $63. 750 including a $7. 500 tax credit. The company now has plans to launch a $30,000 small SUV the Tesla Model X 7. Eventually, Tesla wants to become a mass producer of electric vehicles and service both upper- and middle-class customers8 This discussion aims to analyze Tesla’s strategy. It is clear that Tesla has a very differentiated strategy and we will want to determine whether or not Tesla is likely to succeed in achieving its goals and become a successful enterprise. Firstly, we will take closer look at the ‘environmental’ automotive industry using Porter’s theory. Secondly, we need to closely look at Tesla’s strategy. How will Tesla try to win a respectable share of the market? As mentioned before, Tesla is a very young company and it will inevitably face fierce competition from incumbent firms. A clear plan to establish a foothold in such a market will be essential for the firm’s survival. The next step is to see if Tesla identified all relevant factors and industry forces, and if it has defined a strategy that takes all of these elements into account. It will surely need to attain a unique strategy if it wants to position itself in a key position in the market. What is it exactly that differentiates Tesla from other car manufacturers and in what way could this be beneficial for the firm? Does their strategy have a high chance of success? How can Tesla create a network of electric chargers? Before evaluating Tesla’s strategy, we must first clearly take a closer look at the company Tesla Motors itself and define the market in which the company is active. Even though they are currently operating in a smaller niche market (mid to high-end luxury cars), the plan is to eventually address the middle-class consumer and enter the ‘standard’ automobile market. This will inevitably complicate our discussion but it is essential for determining the chance of success. The paper includes a discussion on the high entry barriers that are typically associated in the automotive industry and the possible presence of strategic entry barriers raised by incumbent firms to reduce the likelihood of new entrants. We will also mention any other strategies adopted by firms in the automotive industry who want to improve their competitive position. Furthermore, the extent to which the industry is concentrated will be discussed, as well as the possible presence of strategic complements and substitutes. Moreover, Tesla will also need to take the non-market environment into consideration. Typical for the automotive sector is that it is an industry with very strict safety regulations. Tesla of course will also 6 http://jalopnik. com/5135290/tesla-increases-prices-on-already-ordered-roadsters 7 http://onpoint. wbur. org/2009/09/25/teslas-elon-musk-on-a-sub-30000-electric-car 8 http://www. marketwatch. com/ story/strategic-corporate-profile-of-tesla-motors-global-operations-2014-01-13 4 have to face the challenge of producing vehicles that respect these requirements. On top of that, the relatively recent discovery of global warming, partially caused by car emission (CO2), has led to the implementation of a series of emission standards that aim to reduce the greenhouse gasses emitted by petroleum-powered vehicles. This may not seem relevant for Tesla Motors at first since its goal is to produce electric vehicles. These regulations are however accompanied with a credit system, which means that car manufacturers that do not meet the standard are penalized and have to buy credits from other manufacturers that have a surplus of credits9. Since Tesla Motors only produces emissions-free vehicles, it has a major surplus of credits which it can sell to other car manufacturers. General Motors for example has to buy additional credits from Tesla in order to respect the regulation. This implies large transfers of wealth across car manufacturers. As a result, companies selling cars with a (too) high emission must raise prices to pay for the credits. On the other hand, the beneficiaries of these wealth transfers such as Tesla can now use the extra revenue to lower prices and take on a more competitive position in the market. All of this will of course be discussed more thoroughly in our discussion below. The paper concludes with a summary of the discussion and our prognosis regarding the future success of Tesla Motors in the automotive industry. 2. Market definition This paper only looks at models available in the US because it’s the largest electric car market, the EU is the second largest market but is much more complex because EU-countries have different legislation for electric cars. Some countries have large subsidies for electric cars and thus large market shares such as Norway, on the other hand some countries have almost no market share. The Model S is the only available model at the moment targeting the middle to high-end luxury car market. This model costs between 63. 750$(base model, 7500$ tax credit) and 125. 220 $(full option, 7500$ tax credit). 10 Because the model S is all electric, we can compare the car to slighter cheaper models because of lower long term ownership cost thanks to lower cost for electricity compared to fuel. The base model is a full-size 5 adult seat sedan powered by a fully electric 60 kW-h motor achieving 302hp. Top speed is relatively low at around 200km/h but acceleration is very good at 5. 9 seconds to 100 km/h, this is typical for an electric engine. More expensive models offer better range and performance and a warranty with unlimited kilometers on the battery for 8 years compared to 200. 000km for 8 years on the base model. 9 http://mitsloanexperts. mit. edu/californias-auto-emissions-policy-hits-a-tesla-pothole/ 10 Teslamotors. com 5 We will consider the mid to high-end luxury market containing one electric the Tesla, a couple of hybrids and a lot of traditional cars. Mid-end starts at prices of approximately 50. 000 $ with cars such as the BMW 5-serie, Audi A6 and Mercedes E-class. 11 High end stops at prices above 130. 000$. For the following analyses we will sometimes look at broader markets containing cheaper alternatives because even though these cars aren’t substitutes they are still relevant. Research show that tesla owners were most likely to previously own a Toyota prius hybrid or secondly luxury BMW and Mercedes. 12 3. Industry attractiveness and profitability In this section the overall attractiveness of the ‘environmental’ automotive industry is assessed using Porter’s influential five forces model. The term environmental indicates those vehicles that do not solely rely on the combustion of fossil fuels to power their engine. Examples are electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Both the pure electric automotive industry as well as the overarching environmental automotive industry is presented, as these cannot always be seen separately. In his model, Michael Porter identifies five key competitive forces that determine the structure and profitability of a certain industry. The five forces are the bargaining power of suppliers, the bargaining power of buyers, the threat of substitutes, the threat of entry and the rivalry among existing competitors. Porter’s model enables managers, in an easy and straightforward way, to understand their industry environment and to shape their firm’s strategy accordingly. As a rule of thumb, the stronger the five forces, the lower the industry’s profit potential and hence the industry’s attractiveness to competitors. The most influential forces that have shaped and continue to shape the environmental automotive industry are discussed in the following paragraphs. A first restraint on the overall profitability of a firm is the bargaining power of its suppliers. For the environmental automotive industry the bargaining power varies among the suppliers of different components. An important component in the construction of hybrid and electric vehicles is the battery. The bargaining power of the battery companies is low as there are a lot of manufacturers present on the market. Tesla Motors, for instance, buys Li-ion cells from different manufacturers. Consequently, in the case any problems occur with a particular battery supplier, Tesla can easily switch or threaten to switch to other suppliers at low costs. Among others, Tesla works together with Daimler AG and Panasonic to develop battery packs and chargers (Boyke, Cheng, Clevers, Schroeder, Strupp, 2010). Another important component of any vehicle is the chassis. For the construction of the chassis 11 http://buyersguide. caranddriver. com 12 h%p://www. wired. com/2014/03/tesla-model-s-toyota-prius/ 6 specialized engineering skills are required. These skills can often be obtained through strategic partnerships with other car manufacturing companies. In the case of such strategic interdependence the bargaining power of the suppliers is higher than in the ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ battery case. In the past Tesla had an exclusive partnership with Lotus for the physical construction of the Roadster13. As of recently Tesla and Toyota Motor Corporation also agreed to cooperate on the development of electric vehicles, parts, the production system and engineering support14. In conclusion, however, the overall bargaining power of suppliers in the automotive industry is low. The supplier firms must contend with substitute products for sale to the industry. Tesla has more than 150 suppliers around the world, which provide over 2000 parts to Tesla. For the production of the Model S, Tesla uses a highly integrated manufacturing approach, even negotiating with suppliers to manufacture products on site to use the excess capacity. In this way, the integrated approach enables Tesla to alleviate its dependence on supplier performance (Boyke, Cheng, Clevers, Schroeder, Strupp, 2010). A second force that determines the profitability in an industry is the bargaining power of buyers. The bargaining power of buyers concerns the pressure buyers can put on the margins of producers by demanding a lower price or a higher product quality. In the environmental automotive industry the bargaining power of buyers is rather low. For Tesla in particular this is even more so. For starters, Tesla does not sell products in bulk. This means that for the consumers that purchase the finished products no real scale effects are present. Moreover, Tesla has a quite unique position on the market. Tesla is the only manufacturer on the US market that produces high-end, full electric cars that can drive autonomously for over 400 km. By employing a highly skilled, technocratic labour force and management team, Tesla has branded itself as a cutting-edge, innovative firm. They manufacture high quality electric vehicles that are very performing while being environmental-friendly and fun at the same time. The buyers of the Model S also have the possibility to entirely customize the vehicle to their taste. This creates a sense of exclusivity among the clients. Besides the B2C applications Tesla has also established a strong position in the B2B environment 15. Tesla for example licenses its patented processes and technologies to other companies. Especially in the area of battery technology 13 http://www. teslamotors. com/blog/lotus-position 14 http://www.teslamotors. com/about/press/releases/tesla-motors-and-toyota-motor-corporation- intend-work-jointly-ev-development-tm 15 http://www. slideshare. net/joseangeldf/darden-school-of-business-tesla-strategic-analysis 7 and the construction of ‘supercharging’ stations Tesla has a lot of expertise16. The proper licensing of these assets will benefit the entire environmental automotive industry as a whole. An especially important force in the electric automotive industry is the threat of substitutes from outside the given industry. Hybrid vehicles and more specifically PHEV provide a similar functionality as the full electric vehicles. Those manufacturers within these strongly related industries, which produce vehicles and services with an attractive price and performance, pose a serious threat to the established electric car manufacturers. For the Model S the most important substitutes are those mid to high-end hybrids. These vehicles offer low emissions and a good fuel economy at a similar price as the Model S. The most successful alternatives within the US automotive industry are discussed in the next chapter. In the specific price range of the Model S the threat of substitutes is still limited as Tesla is gradually positioning itself as a high-value, exclusive and environmental brand with a growing number of enthusiasts17. Nonetheless, a possible future expansion into the mid-end and low- end market segment will significantly increase the threat of substitutes. There are, however, some complementing factors that might reduce the threat of substitutes both for Tesla as well as the electric automotive industry in a whole. The scope for future development in battery technology, the presence of several tax and parking incentives for electric vehicles and the expected rise in oil prices in comparison to electricity prices might spur the attractiveness of the electric automotive industry. These market dynamics both play on the level of customers as well as producers. One possible negative factor in the realisation of potential sales is the low availability of charging and home charging facilities. However, Tesla Motors is addressing this issue by investing heavily in strategically located charging facilities and by expanding the power and endurance of the battery pack 18. Tesla’ s battery pack technology is critical to the company’ s positioning and competitive differentiation. The low cost of the battery pack allows Tesla to not only design cars with battery ranges greater than the competition but also place equal emphasis on design, performance, and energy efficiency. On the short term, the threat of new entrants in the electric US market is rather limited because of several entry barriers. The industry is characterised by high capital requirements and high sunk costs. 16 http://www. sl ate. com/articles/technolog y/technolog y/2013/05/tesla_model_s_the_electric_car_compa ny_is_a_little_bit_apple_a_little_bit. html 17 http://www. wikiwealth. com/five-forces:tesla-motors, http://www. teslamotors.com/blog-and-press- releases. 18 http://www. slideshare. net/joseangeldf/darden-school-of-business-tesla-strategic-analysis, http://www. reuters. com/article/2014/02/26/us-tesla-battery-panasonic-idUSBREA1O1MF20140226, http://www. t eslamotors. com/supercharger 8 Moreover, advanced, often patented, technologies and processes as well as a highly skilled workforce are required to successfully manufacture an electric car. The success of a firm in the industry is also largely determined by its brand image and the realisation of economies of scale19. Therefore, it is not easy for a potential new entrant to establish a foothold. This is even enhanced by the fact that the incumbent firms have a large and flexible production capacity that can be used as a retaliation device in case of entry (Boyke, Cheng, Clevers, Schroeder, Strupp, 2010). However, established vehicle manufacturers with deep pockets that have currently missed the ‘environmental train’ or disruptive innovators like Tesla Motors might overcome these entry barriers in the long run. The current competition in the US environmental automotive industry is moderate. Only a few major brands are competing. Because of the high entry barriers and the threat of substitutes not a lot of brands risk burning cash in an innovative and insecure business. However, as the sector matures and more people consider switching to an electric car this will change. In a recent report of the Electric Vehicles Initiative (EVI) a global goal of 20 million electric passenger cars, including plug-in hybrid vehicles, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles, in stock by 2020 is set forward. This is still a long way to go as the total worldwide electric vehicle stock at the end of 2012 only amounted to a large 180. 000 units. In 2012, 38. 585 PHEVs and 14. 592 BEVs were sold in the US. The cumulative stock in the US in 2012 was 71. 174 units (Clean Energy Ministerial, Electric Vehicles Initiative, International Energy Agency, 2013). In 2013 roughly 96. 000 electric vehicles were sold in the US environmental automotive industry(including hybrids)20. The three top selling brands are the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model S. It is clear that the popularity of electric vehicles has significantly increased over the last few years. It is expected that this trend will only continue in the future as the number of models on the market increases. The share of electric cars is still only about 3,5% of the total number of cars that are sold annually in the US market21. Hence, the growth potential of the environmental automotive industry is huge, this both on a domestic as well as an international level. In conclusion of this section an assessment is made of the overall profitability of the environmental automotive industry. As previously argued, the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers is rather limited in the industry. Therefore, the vehicle manufacturers can attract more profits than their up- and downstream partners. The industry is also characterised by several entry barriers, especially on the 19 http://www. wikiwealth. com/five-forces:tesla-motors 20 http://www. greencarreports. com/news/1089443_plug-in-electric-car-sales-for-2013-almost-double- last-years 21 http://electricdrive. org/index. php? ht=d/sp/i/20952/pid/20952 9 short term. The effective prevention of possible entrants reduces the pressure on prices and allows incumbent firms to attract a significant share of the profits. The threat of substitutes is one of the most important restrictors on the profitability within the industry. Because of the similarity in functions between electric brands and hybrid brands it is important for the incumbent firms to create a positive consumer image towards their products. The growth potential of EVs is the most important driver of future profitability of the industry. Until now incumbent firms have undertaken a lot of RD initiatives in the area of battery and charging technologies. The sales numbers in the US market show that these investments are finally starting to pay-off. In the long run, with a growing global popularity of EVs, it is to be expected that also other companies will consider entering the environmental automotive industry. 4. Tesla in the market Tesla differentiates itself by producing environmental responsible cars that have all the benefits of a luxury vehicle. By equally emphasizing on speed, handling, design, comfort, and zero-emissions, Tesla creates a unique balance between performance, efficiency and aesthetics. Through the offering of this first fully electric luxury sedan car, Tesla attained a first mover advantage. Together with its ‘Silicon Valley’ culture, an approach that is innovative, competitive, and effective, Tesla achieved a solid brand name in the automotive market. (Mangram, 2012) Tesla’s battery technology is also critical to the company’s competitive advantage. With its cutting-edge battery technology, combined with essential technology research, Tesla is able to design and produce electric cars with a far greater range than its competitors. Its lithium-ion based battery, for instance, is 250 kilograms lighter compared and has a range of up to 500 kilometers. Bron ? vergeleken met wat ? But even with a supercharger a full charge is approximately one hour. Moreover the company produces many of its key parts in-house, thus making it harder for competitors to replicate. With the expansion of its own retail shops and the establishment of a network of free recharging points for its customers, Tesla keeps challenging the traditional car companies (The Economist, 2013). Tesla’s main strategy can be seen as a reflection of the innovative marketing approach Apple used for its ingenious technology. It holds that any new technology is often very expensive and wealthy customers are regularly the first to accept it. Consequently, Tesla produced its first vehicle, the Roadster, for the premium sports car consumer segment. Nowadays, with the production of the Model S Sedan, the middle to upper- middle class consumers are being targeted. Finally, by 2015 Tesla plans to produce and market an electric car available at a mass-market consumer price range (Tesla Motors, 10 2014). Although this ‘Apple Computer’s business model’ is considered to be rather exceptional in the automobile industry it helped the company to position itself as groundbreaking, self-determining, and cool. Tesla BMW Daimler AG General Motors Toyota Revenue 2 billion 60 billion 117 billion 155 billion 22 trillion Net Income -74 000 2 billion 6,4 billion 5,35 billion 962 billion Sales Growth 387% 7,2 % 3,22 % 2,08 % 18,73 % The luxury car market is highly competitive, with several incumbent companies with loyal customers. Tesla’s main competitors in the luxury car segment are BMW, General Motors, Toyota and Mercedes. While the number of any competitive electric car is still low, an increase can be expected. General Motor’s Chevrolet Volt is one of the main competing vehicles in the market. It covers a wide target market and comes at a notable lower price than Tesla’s Model S. Toyota remains the global leader when it comes to selling hybrids. Although Toyota has 4 electric cars (the Prius, the RAV4 EV, the FCHV fuel cell car, and the Scio IQ-EV), it strategically collaborates with Tesla to improve the electric car development. This alliance has been one of the main factors of Tesla’s growth as Tesla consumers can get customer service in Toyota sites (Toyota Motor Corporation, 2014). The chart compares Tesla’s main competitors on the basis of revenue, net income and sales growth. As we can see, its sales growth is overwhelming. Given that is a rather new company, it indicates its rapid expansion on the electric car market. However, Tesla’s net income remains negative. Nonetheless, the company’s share is currently being traded at 20 times its earning, and as the company continues to grow these numbers are expected to rise. According to an article by Wall Street, 43 new hybrid, electric, and fuel-cell vehicles will be produced in the US market by 2015. Moreover, the market share of alternative fuel cars will increase from 3% in 2012 to almost 5% in 2014 (Wall Street, 2013). New electric vehicle entrants and existing plug-in hybrids manufactures will continue to compete with Tesla in the near future. While the traditional car manufactures are firmly entrenched, Tesla’s competitive advantages could develop to the securing of a significant market share in the electric car market. 5. Sustainability of the competitive advantage. This chapter analyses the degree of sustainability of Tesla’s competitive advantage. First the relevant trends and developments in the automotive industry are briefly reviewed. Furthermore, the 11 predominant isolating mechanisms in force given the market position of Tesla are discussed. We argue Tesla is a textbook example of a disruptive technology. To conclude, strategy recommendations hereupon are formulated. The primordial focus of our analysis shifts in this chapter from the luxury car market to the overarching automotive industry. The rational hereof is clear-cut. On the one hand, the trend analysis for the automotive industry applies to and sufficiently covers the luxury car segment. On the other hand, Tesla continuously voices the strategy to level down through the segments. Furthermore, the majority of car manufacturers produce for multiple segments of the industry. The sustainability of Tesla’s competitive advantage thus strongly depends on the industry rather than the Model S market segment. 1. 1 Trends in the automotive industry The automotive industry is, may be argued, rather conservative. The market structure is little dynamic, without change in market leading firms for long. Furthermore, the industry evolved the past century merely through optimising the traditional ‘automobile’, with limited major breakthroughs. To illustrate, though fuel efficiency and exhaust of the combustion engine has greatly improved, working principles remain unchanged. The emergence of (electrical) alternatives that are sold commercially is only a recent phenomenon. We review three developments that will impact the automotive industry. First, the society-wide surge of environmentalism a fortiori impacts the automotive industry. A thickening body of government actions forces car manufacturers to produce cleaner cars. This both directly, through legislation (e.g. CO2 output limits for new cars), or indirectly by altering consumer behaviour through excises or tax incentives. Furthermore, consumers are increasingly environmentally conscious. Bottom-line, car sales undeniably grow more eco-friendly. Furthermore, the panoply of driver assisting technology that brakes automatically for obstacles or parks the car will be further developed. Self-driving cars may be short-term everyday reality, with Google pulling the cart. Lastly, Gen Y is argued to focus on services rather than ownership. The emergence and success of car sharing by Zipcar or Cambio illustrates this shift in mentality for the automotive industry. 1. 2 The isolating mechanisms The electric car is strongly based on the century old inventions of Serbian engineer Nikola Tesla. We nevertheless argue that the electric car is a text book disruptive technology. This technology, spearheaded by Tesla, will herewith potentially overturn the automotive industry, challenging the 12 incumbents. The early-mover advantage in this creative destruction may enable Tesla to sustain its competitive advantage. The disruptive technology concept is extensively reviewed in the of literature. We apply the framework to the Tesla case. First, the environmental movement and increasing fuel prices created momentum for alternatives of the traditional combustion engine. Both incumbent car manufacturers and many start-ups invested in research. The hydrogen car made the press as a promising technology, but proved little feasible. Eventually the electric car showed market-viable. Many innovators inter alia Fisker, failed. However, as statistics dictate tech start-up Tesla got ahead in the race at the expense of dominant car manufacturers. The 2400 Tesla Roadsters produced, sales manifestly unattractive   toincumbents, were a great success and learning opportunity for the start-up. The Tesla Model S unprecedented battery range no longer forces consumers to trade off fuel efficiency for convenience. Herewith it can shift from niche product for wealthy eco-hipsters to head on competition for the traditional luxury sedan. The Model S proves superior to its competition threefold. First, the position of the battery pack lowers the gravity centre of the car for superior handling (and creates a spacious trunk in the back and front). The electric engine also delivers instant torque, further allowing sporty driving. Furthermore, the Model S was granted a record safety score of 5,4 out of 5. Lastly, electric engines are maintenance free. Note that the electric car still offers greater potential for technological progress than the more tried and tested combustion engine. The incumbent firms are wary of this potential shift to electric for the automotive industry, note the growing number of electric cars offered. However, extensively studied, the difference in investment dynamics with nimble start-ups impedes them to appropriately and successfully commit to the disruptive technology. The sunk cost and replacement effect are strong in this case. Therefore, it is Tesla that has a head start, with Daimler and Toyota asking the new kid on the block for help. The early-mover advantage of Tesla will sustain its competitive advantage threefold. First, we consider the economies of the learning curve. The first car manufacturer to fully grasp the paradigm shift Tesla benefits hereby manifold. The design-from-scratch approach is inevitable to exploit the electric car technology to the full. The Model S is a thus a step ahead of the build-on competitors, quickly adding to Tesla’s experience with every unit sold. Furthermore, the superior battery packs are en route to continue to offer greater range and faster charging at a lower unit cost. Note that Tesla supplies its electric powertrain to Toyota and Daimler, further adding to its cumulative experience. Moreover, the strong experience gained is further protected from imitation through multiple patents. The literature further arguments the reputation for quality to be an important source of early-mover advantage for experience goods. Thus, the brand image of an electric car brand may be considered important, notwithstanding the ubiquitous possibilities for test drives. Tesla has a rock solid reputation 13 for quality, though much like Apple it has irrational haters22. To illustrate, the Tesla recall threat due to 3 car fires was resolved by an overnight software update that would slightly raise the Model S when driving on the highway. The Tesla stock price had a field day23. Furthermore, the Model S production cannot keep up with sales. Herewith, Tesla doesn’t spend a dollar on marketing. Thirdly, Tesla benefits from network effects to sustain its competitive advantage. Tesla heavily invests in the supercharger network, that quickly expanding adds to the convenience of driving an electric car station by station. For competitors it is meanwhile.

Recruiting, Hiring, Evaluating, and Compensating Essay Example for Free

Recruiting, Hiring, Evaluating, and Compensating Essay Conducting my research for this class project, I have learned that conducting a thorough job analysis is an important step in filling a job opening as well as contributing to the successful growth of an organization in terms of finances and talented workers. A job analysis should be conducted to gather information about the responsibilities, duties, skills of a particular job. In addition, it can include information about the work environment and desired education and experience. There are several ways to conduct a job analysis including using the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), using an analysis questionnaire, observation and interviewing. While doing my research there are other informal ways to conduct a job analysis and it depends on the amount of time and resources allowed and the type of job position. Conducting a job analysis is important because it makes sure that the job description is accurate while being in compliance with legal and professional guidelines. It also helps the selection process be more smooth and makes sure that the right candidate(s) is selected (David, 2011). High performers should be included as well as senior level managers and direct supervisors and anyone with critical knowledge about the job. The analysis can take anywhere from a few weeks to three months if you use a systematic process to make the analysis run quickly and efficiently (Chao, 2012). HR professionals have a responsibility to make sure that they hire productive, talented workers because this adds value to their organization and will help to make the organization prosper in the future (Chao, 2012). For this project I used the observation method as well as researching current Human Resource Receptionist and Human Resource Assistant job openings. I found that the two titles had a lot of the same tasks, skills and requirements, however, from the job openings that included the salary the Human Resource Assistant position was more ($13.00) than the Human Resource Receptionist position ($11.00). My explanation for the difference in pay is that the assistant position seemed to focus more on the administrative function of an HR department, whereas the receptionist position seemed to focus more on front office skills such as copying, faxing, answering phone lines, etc. I also found it interesting that most of the job openings required that the candidate have a college degree, but the pay is about the same as similar jobs that only required a high school diploma or some college coursework. Because of the economy and its effect on the job market, it seems as though  a lot of companies in the Nashville, TN are not really competitive when it comes to pay. Employers know that their is an abundance of highly qualified workers and HR should consider hiring new workers as well as developing their current staff (Chao, 2012), however since pay is a determining factor in job satisfaction, companies should make sure that the pay is competitive. After you have chosen candidates to interview for the open position, it is important that you stay compliant. Being unfamiliar with your policies and procedures can come off as being uncaring and negligent. In addition, it is important to document not only who you hired but who you did not hire; documenting why you did not hire someone can be an important step if your organization is ever accused of not being compliant (10 HR mistakes your employees lawyer will try to exploit, 2012).

Discuss the Motivation for International Strategic Alliances

Discuss the Motivation for International Strategic Alliances Discuss the motivation for international strategic alliances ABSTRACT: To establish traditional international business in the market, businessmen do apply different strategies and one of the most common and emerging strategies that are being used now is the international strategic alliance. To study the ‘motivation of international strategic alliance, it has been made to systematically define the term ‘motive. This paper argues those studies of motivation of international strategic alliance, their advantages and disadvantages and how they are becoming beneficial in the global market place. This paper is an initial step to understand the definition of motivation in terms of the international strategic alliance by using the firms that have used this strategy. INTRODUCTION: An alliance can be defined as a business to business collaboration. In an alliance two or more companies agree to work together to achieve a common goal while not losing their individuality. Strategic alliance helps the both parties to gain the complementary strengths. Companies form alliances for joint marketing, joint sales or distribution, joint production, design collaboration, technology licensing and research and development. Strategic alliances have different forms, Contractual (non-equity- based) alliances (Alliances which are based on contracts and which do not involve the sharing of equity), Equity-based alliances (Strategic alliances which involves the use of equity), Cross-shareholding (Both partners invest in each other). ( Peng Mike W. Global Strategic Management, Second Edition, page 219) One form of Equity-based strategic alliances is the joint venture. The formation of the alliance is rich and fragmented. One of the main reasons behind the collaboration is to gain the competitive advantages. According to Williamson â€Å"Intermediate asset specificity and low uncertainty are conditions that may lead to a preference for hybrid forms of governance structure over both arms length transactions and internalization† (Williamson, 1991). Increasing the strategic alliances is one of the fastest trends in the business today and it is becoming an essential driver to grow for every industry. One of the main goals to form a relationship with other companies is strategic alliance where they combine the skills and expertise of the both companies and gain the cooperative venture. Then they enter the international market and share their costs. MOTIVATION for STRATEGIC ALLIANCES in the INTERNATIONAL MARKET PLACE The growing international marketing is becoming the norm in this time and these partnerships are leveraging the growth through alliances with international partners, where the both companies merge and gain the competitive advantage. They do it by licensing agreements, cross shareholder deals, cooperative arrangement and joint ventures. Rather than taking risks and wasting their time and investing a huge amount on of money for gaining this competitive advantage in business, they are entering the international markets by finding an appropriate alliance which is operating in the same market in another country. So they enter the market that they desire to enter and the main reason behind this is to share the knowledge, skills and expertise and also to gain the marketing advantage in the world. And its becoming another strategy to defeat the monopoly business in the global business within fraction of time, for example collaboration of Sony and Ericson. In the view of traditional industry, firms are independent and emphasize on maximizing their own performance. As competition in the market shrinks the profits of firms, they do not rival always against one another. For instance, in 1983 Toyota and GM establish a horizontal alliance on a limited basis to accomplish different targets of manufacturing small cars in the US. The intention of Toyota was to gain knowledge of running business in the American market. On the other hand, Gms objective was to learn manufacturing small cars profitably. Sometimes high entry barriers discourage individual companies. In that circumstance companies can build strategic alliances and networks to level this fence. Firms convert the relationship with suppliers to a mutual assistance and knowledge sharing, previously which was based on hard-bargaining. This liaison is known as upstream vertical alliance. In this case companies do not consider suppliers as threats. In the same way, now, downstream vertical alliances can bind the central firms, buyers and distributors together rather than treating them as possible threats. The market potential pushes the firms on alternative products to establish strategic alliance and networks to materialize the commercial prospective of new products. According to Resource-based consideration firms can get benefited from the alliance through value creation. â€Å"First, alliances may reduce costs, risks and uncertainties. Second, Alliances allow firms to tap complementary assets of partners. Third, alliances facilitate opportunities to learn from partners. Finally, â€Å"real option† an option is the right, but not obligation, to take some action in the future.† Real option gives the opportunity to the firms when they are not sure whether they will do acquisition or merge. The companies just need to pay a tiny portion of their assets (known as deposit). Through this temporary alliance they will judge its future profitability. If they are not satisfied, they can easily leave. There is no obligation to go on with this alliance or take further actions. Institutional based consideration includes two categories Formal Institutional based consideration and Informal Institutional based consideration. According to Peng â€Å"Strategic alliances and networks function within formal regulatory and legal frameworks.† In some countries, Governments impose restriction on Whole Owned Subsidiaries. In that circumstance international firms have only one option, which is, to make an alliance with a local firm in order to enter that market. Peng says â€Å"Informal institutions centre on collective norms supported by a normative and cognitive pillar.† When a firm decides to move on its own, it faces pressures and criticisms from peer, analysts, investors, and the media. In that situation firms make collaboration with other firms to enhance or protect its image in the market place. The firms do choose the target market they want to enter. After choosing the target market they come up with a strategic plan which will suit in the international market. They use all resources of both companies to exploit the existing resources and explore the new opportunities; the main concern for this exploitation is to increase the productivity and efficiency using the current employed capital and assets thought standards. When the both companies are big in size their integration level is also high which, vise versa, makes the higher level the degree of control. The difference between the integration and degree of control is making motivation for forming this strategic alliance. The ADVANTAGES of STRATEGIC ALLIANCE Many start-up companies do focus on emerging into the market and gaining a competitive advantage in the international market to beat the monopoly business around the world for the same products and nowadays it is becoming the most useful strategy to gain this competitive advantage. By which a firm can enter the target market faster and with less risk on the investment. Businesses use strategic alliances to: scope and speed the business process achieve advantages of scale in international market increase market penetration among other companies increase the competitiveness in domestic and global markets enhance product development by sharing the skills, knowledge, technology develop new business opportunities through new products and services and make it more competitive in the world market expand market development fast increase exports diversify create new businesses gain completive advantage in cost diversification into new markets improve cash flow Ability to move quickly The motivation of forming the international strategy varies from one country to another country. The main focuses of the join venture of the companies are to represent the companies in the various countries. But as the days passed the definition has changed because of the activities which became more prevalent. Because the international market the alliance can impart to the company in a relative advantage in size or by the size which makes the process to go faster or in other words it provides compliments to the areas which they are lacking. The motive behind increasing the international strategic alliance is not only gaining profit. The other factor which motive them are the competition among the competitors the fast changing market place industry convergence For an example an alliance between Sony (which is Japanese company, it was an electronic consumer company) Ericson (a Swedish telecommunication company) both giant companies planned to get an advantage in production and development which will prove their marketing skills. So once the joint venture is done with a legal manner it is similar in nature to a partial acquisition in consideration for shares. Because this combination has created the transaction, combining the relative advantages of both parties and ties their future together. They stopped making their own phones. They started to share their expertise and they have a research development teams in United States, Sweden, China, Japan, India, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The both companies were profitable on the first year but they had to face huge loss because of lack of investment and strategic plan. Once they have injected the money into their joint venture and came up with new idea which was to launch the built-in-digit al camera and with high features they started to enter to the market back but it still were a huge loses for them. So having the same strategic plan this joint venture did not work. They were struggling for the first three years. But walkman phones made them successful and made the 4th position in the world again. So here it proves that the giant companies do merge to gain competitive advantage but it is not always threat to the other companies which are already leading. It totally depends on the strategy they follow and implement. The DISADVANTAGES of STRATEGIC ALLAINCE Alliances are risky in term of cost, the reason is not due to cash being involved with another company and its not being in the companys hands, but it is due to returns from which they will get. First of all the company is to go throw the join venture which involves the investment. When a proper set of contracts, various transfer prices and incentive schemes from the partners to the joint alliance resolve most conflicts, most of the joint venture manages to entirely avoid conflicts between its respective parties. Managing the managerial position of both companies and resolving the possible conflict from the both parties due to the location and other factors of international market, Financial blocking is one of the major disadvantages in the international strategic alliance. Because most of the companies do not want to disclose their financing operations. For example, an alliance with SonyEricsson in the area of cellular communications could reduce the likelihood of contracts with Nokia, thereby putting the company at risk that if Ericsson is weakened, so will be all the companies that depend upon it. Alliance between competitors can be risky. Firms can access to the information, technology, business strategy, and database of each other. Therefore they acquire the knowledge of another company. One firm can plan to excel other firm by achieving the knowledge and skills of other firms business tricks. And then it can drop the other firm and may use the strategy against this firm. Strategic partners are often led by the company which is stronger in the international market. But they should come up with something unique by merging the both companies rather than starting from a start-up. But this strategy dose actually work with the every company depending on the market and company, like SonyEricsson came up with mobile when they merge but it was a huge loss in the market . They started losing their shares rather then gaining it. And it affected the job market. So they later on came up with cyber shoot which was the turning point of their company and also the walking walkman, which was different product then they used to launch. Because their main focus was to make competitive cell phone. But by the cyber shoot they have entered the market and now they are one of the giant companies with 4th position rank in the world. Sharing profits is another disadvantage. The revenue is being divided and goes to different country which does not help the country to boom up. But it dose have a great impact on it The decision is to be made by the both parties so there are always barriers for future financing opportunities. The distraction is the main disadvantage. The top level management is to take decision on behave of the both countries so they are to keep all the time in mind thinking about their own country when ever they are making decision. The both parties do not think alike because of the distraction that they are around by the competitors. As two or more companies are joint in this alliance, the decision is to be taken jointly so there is always a headache from the other partner. Because of the way they want take the company may not agree. To keep this mutual decision, the companies are to go through all this unexpected disappointments. Conclusion: The strategic alliance is one of the most implemented strategies in the global competitive market. And it is one of the mostly common used strategies which have an effect in the market to boom up the economy of a country. It has created the bond between the geographical territories. Where they can share their competitive advantages and bring out new polices and products for the consumers and increase the job market in this world. The advantages for this alliance is more then the disadvantages. So people are coming up of new policies where they can hide the disadvantages compared to the advantage. According to Pekar and Margulis â€Å"The fundamental purpose of an alliance is to facilitate collaboration and varying degrees of integration between companies without necessitating a merger or an acquisition, though it can often lead to a merger or acquisition. Bibliography Hill, Charles (2005), â€Å"International Business Competing in the Global Marketplace† Peng Mike W. â€Å"Global Strategic Management†, Second Edition, (page 216-240) http://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jomstd/v33y1996i3p301-332.html http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/operating/leadership/strategicalliances.html http://www.corporate-partnering.com/info/strategic-alliances-advantages-and-disadvantages.htm http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do?contentType=ArticlehdAction=lnkhtmlcontentId=1515040 www.faqs.org/abstracts/Business-general/Strategic-motives-for-international-alliance-formation-The-limits-of-employee-involvement-profit-sha.html http://www.lotsofessays.com/essay_search/Conclusion_Strategic.html http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VGK-4MBBYN6-1_user=10_rdoc=1_fmt=_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1123950549_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=10md5=52af2b0a1c7e40ab036d752257b46fc1 http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/operating/leadership/strategicalliances.html illiamson, O.E. 1991. Strategizing, economizing, and economic organization. Strategic Management Journal, Winter Special Issue, 12: 75-94 Peng Mike WGlobal Strategic Management, Second Edition, page 213 Peng Mike W Global Strategic Management, Second Edition, page 227 Pekar Peter Jr. and. Margulis Marc S, Equity alliances take center stage: The emergence of a new corporate growth model, IVEY MANAGEMENT SERVICES †¢ May/June 2003

Being a Vegetarian Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Food Health Essay

Being a Vegetarian "Animals are my friends and I don't eat my friends." -George Bernard Shaw Vegetarianism used to be an unusual lifestyle choice. Today it is becoming more common and accepted by mainstream society. While there are many reasons for choosing a vegetarian diet, the most important are health reasons, environmental and economic reasons, and, above all, ethical reasons. Health reasons alone are sufficient grounds for becoming a vegetarian. Research has shown that we do not require meat in our diets and that it is actually healthier to avoid meat. Meat is high in saturated fats which are known to cause clogged arteries Cultures that consume less meat than North America have much lower cholesterol and lower rates of heart disease. For example, Japan used to have a lower incidence of heart disease, as well as cancer, before meat consumption increased. There is also reason to believe that humans have naturally evolved to be herbivores, rather than carnivores. Human teeth resemble the teeth of other herbivores, and human intestinal tracts are long, unlike the short intestines found in carnivores. What is natural is usually healthier, and people who become vegetarians frequently report a feeling of increased energy and well being. There are also environmental and economic reasons for becoming vegetarian. Some people are not aware of these reasons, but a lot of environmental destruction is linked to meat production, especially cattle farming. Huge areas of f...

In Style :: Dialogue Essays

The following is an excerpt of a conversation that occurred between our staff writer and Senior English Education major, one day prior to the due date of the final paper for EN 220 - Expository Writing. I: Here it is, one day before the final paper is due for Expository Writing, have you given any thought to what you would like to address? T: The final paper (said with a chuckle). Somehow it always seems to feel like this is the one that should say it all. Even after four plus years of college, I haven't the foggiest as to how such expectations arise. It always amazes me how expect all of the thoughts I have wrestled with for an entire quarter to suddenly appear in one beautiful paper full of flowing ideas and logical thought. And all this with little or no effort on my behalf, of course. But, realistically, I guess its time I get down to business. I: So, what exactly is it that you would like to say? T: I know I want to focus on the change that I've seen within my own style throughout this quarter, because it has definitely undergone some changes and mostly for the better, I might add. Our assignment is to uncover our identity as it appears within our writing and the relationship that exists between our writing and ourselves. This feels like a loaded topic, and I've struggled to determine just how I plan to tackle it. I: Have you discovered that plan yet? T: Not really (and another chuckle). No, just kidding. I think I have an approach. I guess I figure there's no better place to start than at the beginning. I: So where is the beginning? T: To truly start at the beginning, I'd have to go all the way back to the minute I was born, 'cause I really feel that everyone I've met and everything I've done have contributed to my style in some way or another. But, I'll spare you that story, and cut to the abridged version. I: The abridged version? T: Yeah, instead of giving you the whole detailed story, I'll try to pick out the most important parts. Actually, maybe I'll just focus on this quarter in particular. It will narrow it down a bit more. We're supposed to take a good look at our first paper for Expository and determine how our views have changed seen since then.

Felon disenfranchisement Essay -- Criminal Justice

One of the more controversial debates in today’s political arena, especially around election times, is that of felon disenfranchisement. The disenfranchisement of felons, or the practice of denying felons and ex-felons the right to vote, has been in practice before the colonization of America and traces back to early England; however, it has not become so controversial and publicized until recent times. â€Å"In today’s political system, felons and ex-felons are the only competent adults that are denied the right to vote; the total of those banned to vote is approximately 4.7 million men and women, over two percent of the nation’s population† (Reiman 3). Many people believe that felons do not deserve the right to vote. For these people, voting is not an inherent right; rather it is a privilege given to deserving people that wish to make a positive change to their lives. Some believe that, â€Å"†¦there is no reason for a felon to vote or to debate about whether or not they have that right†¦they made the choice to break the law, so why should they have any say in making it?† {Siegel} In this point of view, giving felons the right to vote is similar to rewarding them. With the right to vote, felons are still able to sway decisions regarding the lives of a society they are no longer a part of. Felons are meant to be punished, stripped of numerous rights including that of voting. Punishments, then, are made to restrict a person, not give them more freedom and decision. If felons are allowed to vote, one must consider the effects it would have on the elections. Many people believe that felons make the wrong choices for a reason, that they are clearly lacking something law-abiding citizens have. Professor Christopher Manfredi ... ..., Parole, and Community Corrections. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2005. Jeffrey Reiman. â€Å"Liberal and Republican Arguments Against the Disenfranchisement of Felons.† Criminal Justice Ethics 24.1 (2005): 3-18. Criminal Justice Periodicals. ProQuest. Ryan Library, New Rochelle, NY. 13 Dec. 2007. http://www.proquest.com/. Losing the Vote. 1998. The Sentencing Project. 11 Jan. 2007. http://www.hrw.org/reports98/vote/usvot98o.htm. Siegel, Larry J. Criminology. 8th ed. Lowell: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003. United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics – 2002. Albany: The Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center, 2003. United States. Federal Bureau of Investigations. Uniform Crime Reports. Sept. 2007. 12 Feb 2007. http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html

The Marketing Mix Revisited: Towards The 21St Century Marketing Essay

Marketing Proposal Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Different businesses operate within a given market and aim at attracting more customers as well as making profits through higher sales. Furthermore, it is often the aim of any given company to ensure that it provides products that will increase its market share and make it competitive in the market (Khan, 97-107). Therefore, every business will formulate marketing strategies that will help it gain competitive advantage as well as make profits and have more customers for its products. When starting a business and one wants to enter in to a market with a new product, it is important to have a marketing strategy which addresses the marketing mix the company will apply as well as the business environment it will operate in (Khan, 97-107). The following proposal involves the details on the marketing strategy that the company will apply for the Organic Mint Chocolate Sugar Scrub. Business Environment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Business environmental is made up of the internal and external factors which affect the operations of a business. In this case, the business environment for the Mint Chocolate product is suitable for the product. On political basis, the political en businesses environment has changed a lot over the years and it has opened up for business across the world (International Cocoa Foundation, n.p). There is political will for across many countries in terms of business policies which businesses can rely on. The issue of trade barriers have been addressed through trade treaties which allow businesses to expand in to other countries. Therefore, based on the business regulations and rules governing business registration, production of goods as well as the issue of taxes that will be paid, the environment is welcoming and hence there is a chance of development and growth (Khan, 97-107).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is political stability which is suitable for the business hence growth will be experienced within the next 2 years. There have been a lot of technological developments which have helped businesses to expand (Khan, 97-107). Due to the increased technological development, the company will reach more customers through the use of social media as well as the internet for marketing. Furthermore, the cost of production will be lower hence the prices that will be charged for the product will be affordable hence there is a chance of attracting more customers (Constantinides, 407-438). The market for beauty products is quite huge as part of the microeconomic factors which will affect the business. Companies such as Barney’s opened up the market and from observations; there is a huge market across the world. Furthermore, the demand for the beauty products is also readily available although the company will face competition of which it pl ans to overcome through its marketing mix. The potential competitors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several competitors in the market which the company will need to face. Some of the potential competitors include BircyhBox, Sabon NYC, as well as ULTA:. The company will need to formulate a marketing strategy that will fight the competition and increase the profitability of the company (Constantinides, 407-438). However, it is to be noted the market for the organic chocolate beauty products has grown over the years. Therefore, despite the stiff competition, the company through its pricing strategy will be able to overcome the competition. Potential Business Partners   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important for a business to engage business partners so that it can be able to realize the benefits of economies of scale that are available. In this case, the potential business partners of the company will be company such as Barney’s, Ricky’s NYC, and Urban Outfitters as the major retailers that can help the company prosper (Constantinides, 407-438). The relationships with these companies will be in terms of the distribution and the retailing of the product so that the company can be able to reach a large number of customers that visit these retail stores. Market trends   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Over the years, there has been great development in the market with customers embracing the use of beauty products. The market trends have inclined towards the increased use of beauty products hence the growth in the business. The consumers however have become more conscious about their health hence considering that this product is made of organic cocoa, it may be a challenge. However, due to the growth in the market, consumers are likely to embrace it since the pricing of the product will be affordable. Potential market segments   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The potential market segment that the company will be targeting with this product is the youths and young adults. The female youths enjoy products that are made of chocolate which hold some emotional attachment in terms of the love and building relationships and feeling confident. Furthermore, the female gender will form the largest share of the market that will be targeted as females are known to love beauty products than the males. Therefore, in this case, the targeted market segment will be made of female youths aged between the age of 15 to 29 years youths as well as some adults aged between 30 to 45 years, although the product will be available for the older generation too. Geographic Location   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beauty products are used worldwide and therefore it is a matter of the company choosing which location it will concentrate its business. The US market seems to have grown a lot in terms of the market as well as the demand for the product. Therefore, since this is the initial business, the company will locate its business in the US, the city of New York. The city provides a wide market for the product in addition to the ease of distribution of the product to the customers. Therefore, the first business will be located in the US but as time goes by and with continued growth, the company hopes to expand its operations in to other countries such as England, and across Europe before it can expand to the African Continent. Marketing mix   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important that a company should ensure that it has a marketing mix that meets the needs of the consumers as the primary aim is to capture the market and ensure the company has a higher market share (Khan, 97-107). The marketing mix of this company will include the product, the price of the product, the distribution as well as the promotion of the product. Product   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company is planning to produce the Organic Mint Chocolate Sugar Scrub which will be made from organic cocoa among other ingredients (Constantinides, 407-438). The Mint Chocolate Sugar Scrub will be made in form of chocolate bars and packaged in paper packs unlike others that are packed in polythene packs. This is to help conserve the environment. Furthermore, this product will come in variety of colours but the flavour will remain to be mint flavour since no companies produce mint chocolate beauty products. Pricing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The beauty products that are offered have been in the market for some time and hence there is need to ensure that the price for the Mint Chocolate Sugar Scrub is favourable for the customers. The aim of the company is to attract customers hence the price will be lower than that of the current players in the market (Constantinides, 407-438). Furthermore, the price will also depend on the size of the chocolate bar whereby the bigger the bar, the higher the price although for start, all bars will be of medium uniform size. Therefore, the price will be based on the current market prices but is expected to rise after the business stabilizes. Place (distribution)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The place or the distribution of the product is important. Since this is the first time this product will be entering the market, it will be important to place it strategically where customers can locate it easily. The product will be available in major retail stores such as Cos Bar, Sephora and Blue Mercury among others (Constantinides, 407-438). Furthermore, the product will also be available online on the website of the company since there will be an online store. Promotion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to promote the product since it is new in the market. Promotion will help create market awareness of the product as well as help in expending the market share of the company. The promotional strategy that the company will use includes online marketing whereby the company will open up a social media account to post its products and reach out to customers (Constantinides, 407-438). Furthermore, the company will promote its products through television adverts as well as free samples since it is the first time the product is entering the market. All these promotional methods will enable the company to reach out to the customers and build a strong customer base. In conclusion, the company expects the business top start and develop at a gradual pace over the next 2 years after which rapid growth is expected over the next 5 years. References Constantinides, E. â€Å"The Marketing Mix Revisited: Towards The 21St Century Marketing.† Journal Of Marketing Management 22.3/4 (2006): 407-438. Business Source Complete.Web. 13 Dec. 2014. International Cocoa Foundation.The Chocolate Industry February 2014 Retrieved from http://www.icco.org/about-cocoa/chocolate-industry.html on 13th December 2014 Khan, Muhammad Tariq. â€Å"The Concept Of ‘Marketing Mix’ And Its Elements (A Conceptual Review Paper).† International Journal Of Information, Business & Management 6.2 (2014): 95-107. Business Source Complete.Web. 13 Dec. 2014. Source document

Beginning the Audit Process

Beginning the apprizevass study Peter Serunjoji ACC546 January 15, 2012 Arlette Peoples Beginning the studyed account Report MEMORANDUM TO Larry Lancaster, Chairman, President, and CEO of Apollo Shoes, Inc. FROM ground substance Certified Public Accountants (MCPA) Inc. , DATE January 15 2012 SUBJECT Beginning the audited account Report ( participation letter, Engagement checklist, Outline of timeframes and milestones of the examine) Dear Mr. Lancaster, This letter is to confirm the understanding of the ar holdments for the objectives and terms of the upcoming take stocking procedure for Apollo Shoes, Inc.Our firm is pleased to slide by to execute with your compevery and perform the audit of the year ending on celestial latitude 31, 2011. Our PCA staff members would like to confirm the audit objectives, terms, limitations, and nature of the work reserved for this engagement. The highlight of our serve ordain cover auditing pecuniary teachings that let in the income m astery, balance sheets, statement of retained earnings, and the statement of cash flows. The monetary audits volition possess sure that financial statements atomic number 18 presented fit in to General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).Since investors, creditors, managers, and judicature agencies use these statements, it is very important for the attendee to ensure every financial statements correct to GAAP (Arens, Elder, & Beasley, 2006). The audit team exit also examine and measure the operating(a) performance by studying detail parts of the organization and evaluate the forte and efficiency of operation activities on the financial statements. Our firm exit gladly depict reasonable, but not absolute, office table help of assists that be performed by professional auditors to elevate the credibility of nternal withstands, IT systems, financial statements, compliance with commandment and human resource practices. Our auditors will evince conclusion report s that will enhance the boldness of users, creditors, bankers, and steering. One of the assurance services brookd by our firm is attestation services. An attestation service is a type of assurance service in which the CPA firm issues a report ab place the reliability of an financial statement that is made by an some other c solelyer. witness services fall in to quaternity categories audit of historical financial statements, long suit of intrinsic run into over financial reporting, review of historical financial statements, and other attestation services that may be applied to a broad range of subject matter (Arens, Elder, & Beasley, 2006, p. 9). Our team will help to define somatic weaknesses in the internal controls that can occasionally bring to pass material misstatements in the financial statements. With the work through of our team, it is possible to determine whether deficiencies in the reports ar significant enough to be considered material weaknesses.The team w ill first work with the high-risk aras that require additional attention. These atomic number 18as are sales and sales allowances, accounts receivable, inventory, expenses, property and equipment purchases. We will report our horizon after we are done with all the tests. We will treat our opinion with you if the result is qualified opinion or if we contract any concerns with inveterate this engagement. Auditors will obtain documentary rise to support their testing for the internal control and the examination of all transactions to operate the sufficiency of the information.Our team will deprivation to gain an understanding of your control mental synthesis and perform assessments to determine any control risks. However, auditors are not responsible for providing assurance on internal control or identifying significant deficiencies. In addition, auditors are not responsible for detecting errors or frauds that are immaterial to the financial statements. Auditors can provide a detailed examination of all transactions that are performed under a high risk of material errors and can notify the audit committee if any significant deficiencies are deducted.Apollos caution is responsible to maintain effective internal control over financial reports and stool sure the confederacy complies with the laws and regulations. Our team demands that the focusing provide us with all financial accedes and related information. We will require that your management team provide us with a letter to confirm management function for the preparation of a financial statement in conformity with GAAP and provide all information necessary in a timely basis for our audit process.The timing of the auditing process and the schedules are listed infra for your review. The timely completion of this work will be at the end of our audit work. Our firms fees of the auditing process are to be estimated on a hateful of hourly rates. Our initial estimate of lend fees, $250,000. 00, will be billed as work progresses. In the case of unaccustomed circumstances, the fees may be adjusted to the refreshed expansion of the engagement. Unless terminated, amended or otherwise superseded, this letter remains effective for the time to come years.If your confederation agrees to the terms and conditions of this engagement, we would like to have a bun in the oven you to sign this letter and return it to us and keep a copy for your references. We esteem providing you with our services. Accepted Sincerely Acknowledged on behalf of Apollo shoes Company By ________________ stimulate and title Date ______________ Audit/Engagement Checklist Processes Yes No Initial Date decision making to accept the new guest, Apollo Find bring out why the client wants or needs an audit Make sure that the client understands the terms of the engagement to avoid misunderstandings Selecting the unavoidable audit specialists staff for the engag ement deciding on a time for a light uponing with the client to explain the objectives of the auditing process realize investigation about the play along to determine if there is any electric potential liability to work with them Specify the service that is provided by the firm to the company assignment the appropriate staff to the engagement to meet the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards The staff that are assigned to the engagement must have a good Understanding the clients patronage and industry Make a gabble to the clients facilities to gain more understanding of its transmission line Find out if there is a related party to the client which has a combined problem transactions Request for the official record of the meetings of the board of directors and stockholders Assess the risk that the business line can face in the prox Make analyses and examine all the ratios to compare the client to industry neaten all documents and paper work for all the stairs and procedures that was done by the auditing team Prepare final audit reports Outline of Timeframes and Milestones for the Audit Start Date Expected windup date Activity 1/17/2012 1/18/2012 Meeting with the company board and discus the engagement objectives 1/21/2012 1/23/2012 date the facility /25/2012 1/31/2012 Collecting information about the company structure including internal control 2/2/2012 02/08/2012 Requesting management report 02/10/2012 02/15/2012 Assess client business risk 02/17/2012 02/27/2012 Perform preliminary analytical procedures 02/29/2012 03/cxv/2012 Prepare audit reports The 90 old age time period may be adjusted to offset any delays beyond a contracting officers control. Some examples of these delays are delays in receiving the results of proficient evaluation and delays in receiving reports from DCAA Reference Arens, A. A. , Elder, R. J. , & Beasley, M. S. (2006). Auditi ng and bureau Services (11th Ed. ). Prentice Hall, Upper blame River, NJ Pearson Prestice Hall.