CAPSIM Capstone team simulation project Case Study

CAPSIM Capstone team simulation project - Case Study Example In addition, the market share of the company will increase. Moreover, there is an opportunity of improving the cash management. There should be a reduction in the days given for the debtors to pay the amount outstanding. This is because they are currently holding cash. Quicker payment will make cash more readily available in running the company. In addition, it would avoid situations where the company will need emergency loans to sustain the business. Furthermore, there is an opportunity of increasing profit by reducing the variable costs of the company. In addition, the company has an opportunity to increase its market share in the low-end segment. It has the potential of having a market share of 29 percentage as compared to the current market share of 18 percentage. Besides, it has an opportunity to expand its market share in the high-end and size segment. Ultimately, the company has an opportunity to increase the efficiency of workers. It can achieve this by allocating money in the budget for quality initiative training. In addition, there is an opportunity to gain acceptability by the community by allocating funds for the UNEP Green program. The program will make the company to exercise social responsibility, which will have positive effects to the company. Customers will feel more attached to the products of the company. The market share has reduced this year as compared to other years. This means that competitors have an edge over the Chester Company. The consumers have shifted to other products over the years. This is a threat because if the situation continues then the company will again start making losses due to poor sales. In addition, the firm’s financial structure is currently poor for the last 2 years. There is a threat of having excessive inventory levels. The company when setting an inventory policy may set a policy that will retain some stock at the end of the period. Inventory consumes cash and eats up profits made by the company.

Health and social care Essay Example for Free

Health and social care Essay We are now living in an ageing society and so health and social care will play a part throughout our life course in one way or another. I shall start the main body of my assignment by providing an explanation of what is meant by the life course. I will then move onto my experiences of adulthood and of using health and social care services, showing as I go how block 1 has helped me to critically reflect upon these and the outcome. Critically reflection means that I will analyse, challenge and question within this assignment. I will also show the different methods of reflection to explore my life course and show how important reflection can be in health and social care setting. After reflecting I will discuss other aspects from within the learning guides. I then will come to the end of the assignment with a brief conclusion. The term life course is made up of expected age related events throughout life, that are traditions within a society. These life courses can change in different cultures. These events within a life course can affect how people live which is called life course perspective, by understanding a person’s life course, we can use it to provide appropriate support and provision. In learning guide three, open university, five principles by Bengston et al (2005), occur within the life course perspective; by discussing these we have a better understanding of the life course, ‘It establishes a common field of inquiry by defining a framework that guides research in terms of problem identification and formulation ’, (Bengston et al, 2005, Chapter 1). The first is called linked lives, which is how our lives are affected by others, they have are very influential, especially family. The second is time and place, it discusses how things such as historical events, living in a time of economic decline for example, The Great Depression, can restrict certain opportunities and shape who people are and become. The third is timing, this consists of the timing of specific events within a person’s life that may or may not fit in within society’s norm of when the event should happen such as education and having children. The fourth is make hoices about what to do and have plans, it is about agency, how they plan their life, have influence over it and can continually assess if it is going to plan. However I feel that this can be critiqued as still there are arranged marriages, controlling relationships, forced prostitution, all of these have little agency over their life as well as many other cases. The fifth and final one is life-long, this shows that ageing is not just an older stage of life but is happening to all of us, it is a life-long process and events can determine the outcome of later life. Applying these to health and social care settings can help complete a picture of an individual’s life, I will also apply some of the five aspects to my experience. To critically reflect on my own experiences I had to figure out which parts of my life would be relevant. At the end of my reflection I will show how these examples changed my values and ethics and also now what I expect from health and social care professionals. The three types of reflection by Barker (2010, p. 122) cites (William 2001) within learning guide one, open university, are probably the best method to help reflect on my first experience. The first type of reflection by Barker is content reflection this consists of what happened. What happened is that I had a swift transition from childhood to adulthood as I became a mother at sixteen. The second part of reflection is process reflection which is why it happened. It happened because at the time I felt older than my years and to show my parents and friends how grown up I was, I got pregnant. The third part is called premise or critical reflection which shows why it happened and the judgement for it. As a teenager all I cared about was my feelings and nobody else mattered it was what I wanted and so I made sure it did. I was treated as a social outcast by certain family and was also treated in a very patronising manner by the GP and other health care professionals such as midwives, throughout my pregnancy and early motherhood. By drawing on this as an experience I wanted to show that my values back then were selfish and all about me and becoming a mother this changed my outlook by making my child my priority and I used this as a strength to prove the professionals wrong and that I would make a good mother regardless of my age. I realise now that a lot of judgements were made because this was not classed as society’s norm also shows the second principal of time and place as I was classed as the modern youth culture. I also feel that if the professionals had taken the time to understand my life course as discussed within learning guide three, open university, they would have understood why I had taken this course of action. ‘When people don’t do what seems to be the obvious, sensible, rational thing to promote their own health and wellbeing, it can be tempting to characterise them as ‘awkward’, ‘irrational’, ‘their own worst enemy’ .. (Open University, LG 3. 2). I feel that this sentence sums up how I was treated, and the assumption of me by the health professionals. I chose this to show that I still had the rights to be treated as any other mother to be and not as a social outcast from a modern culture. I wanted also to bring in that this may also be classed as an ethical dilemma for certain members of staff as they may feel uneasy dealing with a teenage mother to be. Ethical dilemmas often arise in health and social care as mentioned in learning guide five. I will be using the three suggested methods of reflection by Rolfe et al (2001), (LG1, open university), for my next experience. The first method is what the situation is, looking into any problems and any feelings about it. This situation is that I was diagnosed with Sero-negative arthritis at 25, I was devastated, I had two children by this point to look after and an abusive partner who was no help. The second method consists of so what, I took this to mean, what was learnt and any thoughts about the situation. At the time I was understandably upset but I had very good family and friends to help, shows the importance of linked lives. I had to very nervous of going back to the judgemental professionals that I’d dealt with earlier, they were not very informative and I was placed on a waiting list to see a specialist. The attitudes of the professionals was that I had been diagnosed, deal with it basically. The third method is now what, what needed to be done, improve my understanding. I researched as much as I could, realised it usually affected people between 40 – 50 so learning this I felt old showing the fifth principle by Bengston et al, that ageing happens to us all, I was suffering from what I thought was an older persons illness. I kept going back to the GP time after time pushing my way up the waiting list, showing them research of what can happen without early treatment to ensure I was seen to as quickly as possible, this caused a little conflict between myself and the GP as I felt I knew more than they did and they did not like that fact. I feel that reflecting back on this again the health professionals and the care I received was poor. I eventually had care by rheumatology staff who looked at my age and would assume that I was not suffering as bad as the others, I was let down by the health service as a whole. I also wanted to show that they were not taking into account my quality of life was going to suffer if I wasn’t treated effectively. Chronic illness is discussed also as a biographical disruption. Biographical disruption is an event outside your expectation of your life course that is unwanted or not expected. Being diagnosed with Sero-negative arthritis definitely fits in with this analogy, in fact a paper was written discussing how chronic illness as biographical disruption, ‘My contention is that illness, and especially chronic illness, is precisely that kind of experience where the structures of everyday life and the forms of knowledge which underpin them are disrupted. , (Bury, Chapter 5, Reader). Using another method of reflection by Schon (1983), (LG1, Open University), I will explore my third and last chosen experience. The first is reflection in action which is how it sounds by using past experience, knowledge to guide you. Although I am now in a happy relationship, I was once in an aggressive and violent relationship for ten years and it affected my every aspect of my life from my confidence to new relationships. By using this type of reflection, although until reading this type of reflection I had not even realised I had done it, I used my previous relationship to ensure that I would be treated like a woman in my new relationship. The second is called reflection on action this is basically thinking back on what actions we took after the event. I had left after an incident which had needed a police visit and so social services had been notified because of the violence to ensure the children had not been involved and I found them very judgemental of the fact I had stayed for so long in an abusive relationship. I showed social services that I had asked for support for me and children by an external organisation as soon as I left and that I was aware we would need it. Social services told me that we would need to work together to ensure that the action I had taken was sufficient and that all the steps necessary to ensure that we were all supported were taken. At first Social Services were quite rude and intrusive by I realised that it was their job to be intrusive and once I let my guard down with them, I actually found that they were there to help. I anted to show this as an experience because I was brought up with strong family values and ethics so I stayed in the relationship because I did not want a broken family for my children even though looking back now I know that it was the wrong thing to do. I also feel it must be hard for social care providers to sometimes understand my reasoning for staying as my family values when their values may have been different causing the initial tension. I realise now that sometimes even though you were raised with certain values and ethics sometimes yours and your families’ welfare takes priority. I also wanted to show that that the fourth principle by Bengston et al is not always possible, throughout this relationship I had no autonomy, in a controlling environment you can only do what you are allowed to do and not everybody has the chance of breaking free. The quality of life, for me and my children was also affected, I have taken an extract to show my point that, ‘There are objective qualities too, and some of these, such as sufficient nutrition, a non-hazardous environment, and a long and healthy life are universally, or virtually universally uncontroversial as components of quality of life. (Phillips, chapter 3, Reader). Within the quote it mentions a non hazardous environment which is the opposite of what we were living in. By reflecting about the above experiences, and others not mentioned, I feel that I have had a difficult life course but because of them I feel I have built up resilience. My experience of adulthood started a lot earlier than was planned, it was not an easy option but I adapted well. Adulthood did not really get easier for me until recently where I found my independence and was safe away from harm. With my experiences of adulthood not being so great, I would say that I feel a lot older than I am, if I bring in positive ageing or successful ageing which was discussed in learning guide two then I would say I definitely do not fit that description the next quote helps explain why. ‘Successful aging is more than the absence of disease, important though that is, and more than the maintenance of functional capacities, important as it is. Both are important components of successful aging, but it is their combination with active engagement with life that represents the concept of successful aging most fully ’, ( Rowe and Kahn, 1997, Open University). I am more aware of my ageing process since being diagnosed at such a young age of sero-negative arthritis but as it is not life threatening I feel I have a long time left yet until the end of my life. I also think that because I made the decision to leave my abusive partner that my quality of life has dramatically improved if I had stayed in that environment I feel that I would not be here now to talk about it. My values and ethics have been influenced by a lot of my experiences over the years and have definitely altered. My values and ethics consist of what is good for me and the children, if I am happy and content then they will benefit it means that I can also now offer a more open, respectful and secure upbringing. I am now going to bring my assignment to an end by summing up my conclusion. With the experiences that I have mentioned within my assignment you can see that my interaction with the world of health and social care has been quite eventful. I have been faced with professionals who have judged me and made assumptions and also who have made me feel inadequate but I was also helped by social services and feel stronger because of that so I am unsure of how to sum up the field of health and social care as it covers such a wide aspect within our life courses. If there was more training provided in understanding life courses and offering person centred care then I feel things would improve but in a time of economic decline I cannot imagine that the funding for this would be available. I do feel that there will always be prejudices within the health and social care profession and that their personal values and ethics may also always play a part in the way they offer support. (

Essay --

Article – Online Herbs Tittle – Natural Herbal Medicine to Control Cholesterol – Abana Himalaya Keywords - Natural Herbal Medicines Have you ever been diagnosed with high cholesterol ?? Is reducing the level of cholesterol your main concern?? Then let's go through the following factors that would help us understand the causes and effects of cholesterol What is cholesterol – Cholesterol is a type of fat (lipid) made by your body and is found in all cells of your body. It is required for proper functioning of the body.The body’s cells walls or membranes need cholesterol to produce hormones, vitamin D and bile acids that help in fat digestion. However, the body needs cholesterol only to some extent. High cholesterol levels cause various diseases. Facts – An average American has cholesterol levels that are extremely high and 1 in 6 has a high level. Types of Cholesterol Cholesterol travels through the blood attached to a protein. This combination of cholesterol and protein is called lipoprotein. 1. Low density lipoprotein - This can cause a buildup of plaque on the walls of arteries.The more LDL in the blood, greater the risk of heart disease. 2. High density lipoprotein - This helps the body to get rid of bad cholesterol in the blood. Higher the level of HDL cholesterol, the better. 3. Very low density lipoprotein - VLDL contains more fat and less protein.It is similar to LDL. Causes of High Cholesterol †¢ Diet high in saturated fat †¢ Lack of exercise †¢ Smoking †¢ Age and Gender – The cholesterol levels increase with increase in age and also depends on the gender †¢ Obesity †¢ Excessive alcohol consumption †¢ Diabetes †¢ Hereditary †¢ Liver diseases such as hypothyroidesim †¢ Use of medicines such oral contraceptives, steroid... ...the best option. †¢ Physical Activity - Regular physical activity may lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol and raise HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. †¢ Alcohol - Alcohol intake increases HDL ("good") cholesterol but does not lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Drinking too much alcohol destroys the liver and heart muscle, leading to high blood pressure, and raise triglycerides. Cholesterol Medication – Natural herbal medicines are generally recommended when you are already suffering from a cardiovascular disease or are at a risk of suffering it. Thus,in certain cases doctors advice herbal medicines like Abana/Heartcare from Himalaya. It is a multidimensional cardioprotective, beneficial for people who are overweight, stressed out or smoke. This herbal drug prevents all types of heart diseases by maintaining the normal lipid level and cholesterol level.Take Care. Essay -- Article – Online Herbs Tittle – Natural Herbal Medicine to Control Cholesterol – Abana Himalaya Keywords - Natural Herbal Medicines Have you ever been diagnosed with high cholesterol ?? Is reducing the level of cholesterol your main concern?? Then let's go through the following factors that would help us understand the causes and effects of cholesterol What is cholesterol – Cholesterol is a type of fat (lipid) made by your body and is found in all cells of your body. It is required for proper functioning of the body.The body’s cells walls or membranes need cholesterol to produce hormones, vitamin D and bile acids that help in fat digestion. However, the body needs cholesterol only to some extent. High cholesterol levels cause various diseases. Facts – An average American has cholesterol levels that are extremely high and 1 in 6 has a high level. Types of Cholesterol Cholesterol travels through the blood attached to a protein. This combination of cholesterol and protein is called lipoprotein. 1. Low density lipoprotein - This can cause a buildup of plaque on the walls of arteries.The more LDL in the blood, greater the risk of heart disease. 2. High density lipoprotein - This helps the body to get rid of bad cholesterol in the blood. Higher the level of HDL cholesterol, the better. 3. Very low density lipoprotein - VLDL contains more fat and less protein.It is similar to LDL. Causes of High Cholesterol †¢ Diet high in saturated fat †¢ Lack of exercise †¢ Smoking †¢ Age and Gender – The cholesterol levels increase with increase in age and also depends on the gender †¢ Obesity †¢ Excessive alcohol consumption †¢ Diabetes †¢ Hereditary †¢ Liver diseases such as hypothyroidesim †¢ Use of medicines such oral contraceptives, steroid... ...the best option. †¢ Physical Activity - Regular physical activity may lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol and raise HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. †¢ Alcohol - Alcohol intake increases HDL ("good") cholesterol but does not lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Drinking too much alcohol destroys the liver and heart muscle, leading to high blood pressure, and raise triglycerides. Cholesterol Medication – Natural herbal medicines are generally recommended when you are already suffering from a cardiovascular disease or are at a risk of suffering it. Thus,in certain cases doctors advice herbal medicines like Abana/Heartcare from Himalaya. It is a multidimensional cardioprotective, beneficial for people who are overweight, stressed out or smoke. This herbal drug prevents all types of heart diseases by maintaining the normal lipid level and cholesterol level.Take Care.

Archetypes Case Study Essay

1. Which are the archetypes does Verbeke distinguish? Draw the figures associated with these archetypes. Verbeke distguish between 4 types of archetypes and they are the following: Centralized exporter: Home country managed firm. Firm specific advantage in its final products. Standardized products manufactured at home. Only the transferable firm specific advantages are taken to the host country, meaning that they try to make exporting successful in international markets. No development of location bound firm specific advantages. International projector: Clones home operations into host countries. Knowledge based firm specific advantages are replicated from home country. Only the internationally transferable firm specific advantages are taken to the host country. No development of location bound firm’s specific advantages. The international projector MNE seeks international expansion by projecting its home country success recipes abroad. International coordinator: Its main firm specific advantage is that it can coordinate location advantages (e.g., production capacity to access abundant natural resources) present in multiple countries. International operations are specialized in specific value-added activities across borders. Use internationally transferable firm specific advantages in each host country to develop location-bound firm specific advantages that fit the host country location factors. Multi-centered MNE: Each host county develops own location bound firm specific advantages, only transfers core routines (e.g., financial management). A set of entrepreneurial subsidiaries go abroad, to acquire knowledge for future firm specific advantage development. Local adaptation is the foundation of the international strategy. 2. Is there one best model? Why or why not? There is no best model because these models all depend on the firm specific advantages that an organization has its power on, and also on the host countries appeal for business. Firm specific advantages in the home country  can be a success, but the question is if those firm specific advantages are also a success in the host country? 3. Do you consider a centralized exporter a true multinational? A centralized exporter can be a true multinational if it derives a quarter of its revenue from operations outside of its home country and also if it operates in different host countries, and its managed by a core headquarter in the home country. Warner Bros. Pictures, a major US motion picture studio is a multinational which is operational through exporting its motion pictures. Most of its revenue is attained from its exports and of course from its home country the US. 4. What does it mean that the FSA is embodied in the product in case of an international projector? A product that has embodied a firm specific advantage means that the product contains in it a feature that makes the company with greater success than its former competitors. This firm specific advantage cannot be seen as a stand-alone component in the organization, in order to leverage success it can only be seen as a firm specific advantage within its final product. So this firm specific advantage is not from its operations such as great employee relationship, but only through the final product. This is seen in the centralized exporter. In the international projector this is not the case because they replicate their firm specific advantages to go abroad and use them, such as an advanced technology or secret recipe like Coca cola has one. A good example is Ford, which cloned its American operations into Canada and Europe. Europe was a challenge for Ford due to a widespread prejudice against American cars sold in Europe. 5. Does the firm develop FSAs in the host country in case of the international projector? No the firm which uses the archetype of international projector as a strategy does not develop firm specific advantages in the host country, what this organization do is cloning their home country firm specific advantages to the host countries, so in other words just using success firm specific advantages from home country to the host country. 6. Why is the international coordinator an example of global value chain? The international coordinator archetype is an example of global value chain because it can coordinate different location advantage operations in a wide variety of different geographies in the same period. Global value chains now contain activities that are tightly integrated. This means that firms and workers in widely separated locations affect one another more than they have in the past. So for example BP an international coordinator, when there where oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, it suddenly affected all other BP operations, because their branding image was looked in a worse way, decreasing its organization reputation. 7. Why is a multi-centered MNE characterized by maximum local responsiveness? A multi-centered MNE is characterized by maximum local responsiveness because the foundation of a multi-centered archetype is local adaptation. This local responsiveness is evaluated and analyzed by different entrepreneurial subsidiaries from the organization that go abroad, so that new firm specific advantages can be developed. This newly firm specific advantage in the host country will conform with its host customers and through those means a good local adaptation can be attained. 8. The FSA is also framed in terms of core competences. That is the FSA is strongly related to the core competences of a firm. What key characteristics does Verbeke list for these core competences? There are 4 key characteristics of core competences: – Be difficult for competitors to imitate in terms of achieving the required internal coordination and learning. – Provide potential access to a wide variety of markets – Make a significant contribution to customer needs. – The loss of a core competence would have an important negative effect on the firm’s present and future performance, in terms of value creation. 9. What critique does Verbeke have on the concept of core competences? Core competencies are the company’s most important FSAs: its vital routines and recombination abilities. Recombination abilities are Locating resources, especially knowledge, as response to differences between national and foreign environments, and to satisfy new stakeholders’ demands. Verbeke has a few critiques regarding the concept of core competences and they are the following: Core competences of organizations in industries may differ. Prahalad & Hamel don’t include country factors in their analysis. Their theory overestimates the role of strategic management. Strategic management role is to develop strategic architecture. Develop a road map for the future which identifies core competencies to build the required technologies. In the other side their theory underestimates the role of host country location factors. Another critique from Verbeke is that core competences are historically driven. 10. What are the five forces Porter distinguishes? Explain these in your own words. The five forces Porter distinguishes is about how location advantages that affect firm competitiveness and firm specific advantage development. -Factor conditions: This is a force which is related to production factors such as capital, labor, infrastructure, scientific knowledge, technology. It gives improvement to problematic issues through innovation and continuous learning. A good example from the book is: In case of Japan, firms in several industries such as steel, shipbuilding and automobiles developed technological and design expertise to overcome a lack of natural resources and the just-in-time production process was pioneered in response to lack of affordable warehousing space. -Demand conditions: If customers increase their demand increasing external pressures to firms, then it gives the firm a good competitive advantage. So in order to gain this demand to customers the firm has to innovate a nd respond to the customer sophistication by adapting its technology and design features. This is good for future global  expansion, because the firm already gains early insights into future needs of customers or in other words buyer sophistication. -Related and supported industries: High quality home based suppliers which have great insight into international competition. These suppliers with good know how innovate through more efficient inputs, and spill knowledge between other suppliers within the firm through exchange of ideas, and different ways of communication. This is great for international competition. -Firm strategy, industry structure and rivalry: Domestic rivalry is good for international competitiveness. This forces firms to focus on firm specific advantages development beyond their home location advantages. This helps the firm become an international rival. So this is a well-functioning industry. -Government and chance: Luck plays a role, for example, a lucky innovation process that was coincidentally created and a valuable product with good technology or process knowledge was attained. This is often a long-term consequence. Government are the general governments of which are not corrupt. 11. How does Porter’s model fit in figure 1.2? Where does it belong? Porters fit model fit in figure 1.2 because the model is all about how to use location advantages to increase competition and force its firm to develop a firm specific advantage in order to go across the international border and use it as a competitive advantage abroad. This firm specific advantage can get them access into the development of a location bound firm specific advantage across borders. I think Porters model fits in the location advantages section at home country triangle and then it moves across to all the other host sections according to its force. 12. What is the big problem of Porters model when applied in the context of international business? Each industry has its own characteristics leading to different patterns of international competitiveness. According to Verbeke’s critique, firm specific advantages are home market determined, and Porters model has too much focus on the home market. In international business you need to take  account both markets, so the home market as well as the host country. International business is about how to succeed abroad, and only having emphasis on the home market that is not very attainable. Firms only go abroad if they can establish a match between their firm specific advantages and the location advantages to the host markets.

Discuss the issue Ethical Business and How it relates to csr Essay

Discuss the issue Ethical Business and how it relates to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). With reference to sources, provide examples of companies or organisations which demonstrate ethical behaviour and evaluate their motivation. The ideas of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility are oftentimes discussed in a similar manner even though they both have distinctly different definitions. As the name suggests, the term ethical business or business ethics is associated with a mixture of both ‘ethics’ and ‘business’. According to Oxford English Dictionary (2010) a business is the buying and selling of products or services with an aim of profit making. Ethics, on the other hand is more complex in that it involves human judgment, between what is right and wrong, in regards to activities and their consequences towards the society (Velasquez, et al. , 2010). Chryssides and Kaler (1993) have drawn attention to the fact that in the same way that political ethics is related to honouring the right and wrong in governmental concerns, or medical ethics being identified with the morality in medical practice, business ethics can simply be defined as the issue of morality within the business industry whereby â€Å"morality is taken to mean moral judgments, standards and rules of conduct† (Ferrell and Fraedrich, 1997, p. 5). Therefore, ethical business can now be defined as the ethics or principles that act as one’s behavioral rules and regulations when dealing in the world of business (Ferrell, et al. , 2010). On the other hand, reference to The World Business Council for Sustainable Development explains CSR by putting across that a business has responsibilities and obligations that go beyond the workplace (WBCSD, 2001). This essentially signifies the voluntary duty that organisations participate in to fulfill the demands of a broader range of stakeholders (Jamali and Mirshak, 2006). Based on the definitions stated above, it would seem that CSR and business ethics share similar theories, considering the fact that both of their notions go further than profit-based decisions and into values along with concerns for the society as a whole (Mullerat, 2010). Having said that, it is certainly interesting to see that most people are inclined to link CSR with the positive operations of a firm yet when a business engages in a non-moral act, they set the stunt side by side with business ethics or rather, the lack of (Crane and Matten, 2010). The question of how business ethics relates to CSR can now be evaluated more closely. Some examples of issues in ethical business as well as CSR include harming the environment and sweatshop labour on top of fraud, health and safety and campaigning (IBE/Ipsos MORI 2009, cited in Irwin, 2010). This essay will comprehensively explore the motivations of firms that have demonstrated brilliant presentations of business ethics, such as Microsoft Inc. as well as examining the motives behind their ethical decisions. Additionally, it will also look at other corporations that have been linked with having high regards to ethics in business yet have been accused in making poor business choices in the recent years, for instance H&M’s disposal of unsold clothing items in New York in 2010 (Daily Mail Reporter, 2010). Until recent years, Hennes&Mauritz, more commonly known as H&M has been highly admired for launching the use of organic cotton into the high street clothing (Vijayaraghavan, 2010). Green Retail Decisions (2011) reports that it even succeeded in surpassing their organic cotton goal usage in 2010 by tripling their original aim, manufacturing 15,000 tonnes of organic cotton. Furthermore, the company was also proud in producing high street attires out of 16,000 tonnes of fabric that have been recycled (Green Retail Decisions, 2011). Be that as it may, when the firm threw away unsold clothes outside of one of its retail outlets, many were not only left appalled but also questioning their business ethics (Daily Mail Reporter, 2010). In the same year, H&M were involved in two more shocking headlines in the news, one of which includes the contamination of the organic cotton textile with GM, and the other being a suspicion of unsustainably made clothes (Vijayaraghavan, 2010). As previously stated, H&M is widely respected for working with organic materials on their products. However, when genetically modified cotton was found in random product test conducted in a research lab, they were left with nothing to be applauded for. Hence, it is clear that this particular case study provides contradicting information on H&M’s aims and motivations towards ethical decision-makings within their business. Even though they have been acceptable in their business ethics, for many of their stakeholders, the four issues specified above may heavily indicate otherwise. Another good example of a company with a similar situation is Coca Cola alongside its recent endeavours with ethical crises. Ferrel et al. (2011), in their book write that the company has been facing various allegations regarding their ethical misdemeanours since the 1990s, some of which include racial prejudice, pollution and consumption of natural resources. The claim against one of the world’s most acknowledged beverage companies, Coca Cola, otherwise known as Coke, for the practice of racial discrimination within their working environment was taken to court in April 1999 (Winter, 2000). In his article, Winter (2000) reports that Coke practiced a method of pay scale that is based upon a hierarchy whereby employees of African American background were situated at the bottom, earning $26,000 on average less than white workers in a year. Although the company denied all charges at the time, the public was clearly upset, resulting in a decline of their shares at the end of the 90’s (Fairfield, 2007). As a consequence of this, Coca Cola lost one of their main investors and biggest shareholder of 17 years, Warren Buffet in 2006 (Teather, 2006). Having their reputation jeopardised, Coca Cola announced the establishment of a new department to their company, the diversity group (The New York Times, 1999). Since the formation of this group, Coca Cola has been voted 46th on the DiversityInc’s top 50 list of businesses with the best practices along with coming 6th in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Blacks and Latinos (DiversityInc, 2012). In addition to this, Black Enterprise magazine has also awarded the organisation with numerous awards honouring their commitment to establish a working environment that is accepting of different cultures along with featuring the company in the Black Enterprise magazine’s yearly 40 Best Companies for Diversity list (Staff, 2012). DiversityInc (2012) also reports that Coca Cola donates forty percent of their humanitarian effort to culturally diverse non-profit organisations, such as their recent contribution to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. With that in mind, their ethics in business can be considered as acceptable to the public eye and it is almost unthinkable to think that they were accused of race-related discrimination just over a decade ago. The cases of H&M and Coca Cola are referred to in this essay to express the similarity in their questionable motives. H&M’s claim of being environmentally conscious with their utilisation of organic cotton within their business proves irrelevant after being caught with immoral acts that were stated earlier. The genuineness of their principles in business ethics is flawed by this flagrant contradiction since one would argue that if their sense of responsibility for the environment were great, they would not be accountable for such unethical activities. On the other hand, Coca Cola only responded to possessing ethics in their business environment after being sued and attracting negative media attention, not including the obvious decline in their sales even though they still remained as the world’s leading carbonated cola in 2006 (Fairfield, 2007). Thus, similarly the sincerity behind Coca Cola’s motive to develop a diversity group and their emphasis in cultural acceptance is also suspicious because these were only developed and implemented after the public uproar. Although it may be surprising, Microsoft Inc. can also be compared to Coca Cola and H&M to an extent in terms of the motivations behind their CSR works as well as business ethics practices. The co-founder and chairman of Microsoft Inc. , Bill Gates is widely known and celebrated for his great donations to the public. In 2011, Microsoft Inc. won the award for being ‘Most Ethical, beating Google and Facebook after making donations of millions of dollars to non profit organisations and charities, establishing plans of actions for economic development as well as heightening their means of central reporting procedures (Smith, 2011). Having said all this, it is shocking to note that only just 15 years ago, a board experts at a panel in a well-known seminar held in California could not answer and decide whether Microsoft Inc. were an ethical corporation. (Spinello, 2003). Spinello (2003) continues to write that not only were the panel of experts unsure of the answer, the audience, who were consisted of scholarly representatives did not know how to respond either. This is because Microsoft Inc. has been involved in an antitrust inspection worldwide and some Americans have referred to this event as the â€Å"antitrust trial of the century† (Mota, 2005). The antitrust laws, otherwise known as competition laws were introduced by the American government to protect customers from being exploited by companies who practice unfair competition in the market (Investopedia, 2011). Gates is also the primary shareholder in America’s second biggest waste administration called the Republic Services (O’Hagan, 2013). In her article O’Hagan (2013) questions how the co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation can spread the word to publicise vaccinations for poliomyelitis, a disease that can cause a temporary or permanent paralysis while â€Å"Republic Services is locking out its workers as part of an industrial dispute†, a policy that may put a risk to the Americans’ sanitary. There is no doubt that Microsoft Inc. ’s involvement in charity work over the years have been generous and can be regarded as a model example of a company who takes their corporate social responsibilities seriously. However, it is also evident that while their voluntary organisations are remarkable, their business practice leaves with less to be awed for. Hence, similar to the H&M case brought up previously, there is a contradiction between Microsoft’s work with charity and some of their immoral activities in the workplace. It is also comparable to Coca Cola in that it only came to be involved in large ‘corporate citizenship’ after the aftermath from their antitrust cases (Smith, 2011). It is safe to say that most companies are fighting to prove their good works through all types of methods, charity works in the case of Microsoft Inc. as well as forming a new diversity department in the case of Coca Cola. With thousands of other corporations yearning to prove their sincerity in making ethical decisions and practicing moral behaviour in the workplace, it is becoming tougher to examine just how responsible and principled an organisation is (Kwan, 2012). Kwan (2012) writes that this issue can be solved with the help of a B Corp certification. B Corp stands for Benefit Corporations, which is one of the latest kinds of corporate structure, acting as a third party classification to calculate the effects of an organisation to the environment (Fritz, 2013). Balch (2012) argues that the term benefit not only considers social and environmental aspects of a business but also its financial side as well, where he insists that 21st century capitalism would be a hybrid of generating social value together with maximising financial returns. B Corps essentially â€Å"provides what is lacking elsewhere: proof† to support that the specific company is in actual fact practicing what is proclaimed by them, hence, useful for firms whose focus is to not only make profit but also putting social and environmental interest a primary concern while doing so (Rosenberg, 2011). Although certifying B Corps to sincere businesses with aims of increasing positive social and environmental impacts sound fair, smaller and newer companies may say otherwise (Akalp, 2011). In their academic journal, Helsey et al. (2013) report that a company must be prepared to invest on their time and money to obtain the status. Depending on the area that they are operating in, the business must able to relate themselves with certain criteria listed, such as â€Å"providing low-income or undeserved individuals or communities with beneficial products or services† (Helsey et al, 2013). Fritz (2013) also confirms that a company must be assessed in accordance to the B Ratings System in which they must score at least 80 points out of 200 on top of consenting to changes in their legal articles of incorporation. Furthermore, there is a fee involved, which varies depending on the revenue of the firm (Akalp, 2013). This implies that organisations with strong awareness and appreciation of responsibilities may choose not to be certified with B Corps and thus put across a sense of false portrayal to companies without the B Corp certificate (Akalp, 2013). Therefore, it can be argued that larger companies with a higher source of income can afford to pay more to be certified. In addition to this, there have also been criticisms on the marking boundaries of the certification process. As stated earlier, companies need to score a point of 80 out of the maximum 200. Horatio (2012) disputes that this only indicates a 40% passing score for a company to be certified, which he claims as â€Å"not much of a standard† and â€Å"essentially worthless†. With that in mind, a case could be made that there is now a limitation to the authenticity of the certificate since large companies can afford to pay their way through the process and most probably pass the low 40% passing requirement. The purpose of this essay has been to convey that most companies, regardless of their past, recent or current reputation are never completely ethical in their business activities and that in one way or another, they have been associated with its share of moral negligence. With the examples used in the essay, it is safe to say that most companies that operate in what is considered to be as ethical to the public are only doing so to receive public attractions, and consequently earn more profits and success to the company. It is important to draw attention to the fact that there is a fundamental difference between what a company does and what their beliefs are. Just because a company is praised for their CSR related activities and was voted amongst the best of companies with high business ethics performance, this does not indicate that they are doing so for the sake of the planet or the people. If anything, this essay has been stating otherwise, demonstrating that most ethically responsible organisations are only involved in ethical activities to draw consumers in, thus, increase their profit.

buy custom Verizon Wireless essay

buy custom Verizon Wireless essay Verizon Wireless is a retail company ranked number 47 in the top hundred retail list. The company is a private entity in telecommunication industry. It provides a range of cell phone services to clients across the world. Verizon Wireless has a wide market and serves customers in many regions in America and other countries. The company merges with small companies in the industry and, when they acquire enough capital, obtains ownership of those companies. In 2010, the company had 108 million subscribers and users of their products and services. The headquarters of the company is in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. It is a joint venture of two companies, which include Verizon Communications in America and Vodafone, which is a mobile network carrier in the United Kingdom. The ownership is 55 % Verizon Communicating and 45 % Vodafone. Stores The company has many stores across the world offering services in different parts of America and United Kingdom. The company has 2330 across the world. It has big stores in America and makes more profit from those stores because they are easier to manage. Currently, the company has 85,000 employees who provide services to all stores across the world. This is an international company, and it has committed and professional employees who constitute management. Most stores operate on the 24/7 basis with e-business being on the rise. Costumers do not have to visit the store physically but simply log in to their accounts at the companys website and demand the product. Internet has made the business to expand since many customers have developed interest in the company because of the simplicity in acquiring the products (Mark, 1995). The company has a strong marketing department which penetrates to all regions of the world. The group has assisted in the growth of the company and has made the company grow and make huge capital. The key people of the company include Dan Mead, the Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Davies, who is the groups Chief Finance Officer, and Marni Walden, the Chief Operation Officer. Those key people assist in management and direct the operation of the company. They have made the company grow due to their outstanding management skills. The headquarters are based at Basking Ridge, NJ, United States and this provides a favorable environment for business. The place has enough security, and this makes the business run for 24 hours a day (John, 2009). Review of 2010 The table below shows sales volume for the year 2009 and 2010. 2010 Sales/ Revenue 2009 Sales/Revenue %Sales Change 2010 Net Income (Profit after Taxes) 2009 Net Income (Profit after Taxes) % Change Net to Income % Net Income to Net Sales 61,510,000 60,100,000 9.8% 3,260,000 2,900,000 4.8% 5.3% Interpretation of the results The evaluation of results shows that the company has improved significantly from 2009 to 2010. It has made a change in sales of 9.8 %. This percentage growth has come up in one year and only few businesses have been capable of such a change. The sales and revenue for year 2009 was $ 61,510,000 and for 2010 was $60,100,000, making up a difference of $1,410,000, or 9.8 %. This sales difference means that the company has grown and improved for one year. The mprovement shows that the company has been using favorable strategies. The net income in 2009 was $2,900,000 and this increased to $3,260,000 in 2010, which makes a difference of $320,000. There is an increase of $360,000 in income from 2009 to 2010. This shows that the company has been growing, because it has an increase in income (John, 2009). Causes of increase The performance of the company has increased from 2009 to date and this has been brought about by the application of a new plan. In 2008, the American economy had deteriorated, and the income was not favorable, because many people across the word could not buy the products. They opted to stay without a phone because they regarded them as expensive. The management had a meeting and laid down the new strategies to cope with the market, and this included manufacturing of all kinds of phones to suit different classes of people. The management team changed and professionals were given the top management positions. The new management laid down new policies and procedure to run the company. The company improved in 2009 and the results followed in 2010 (Mark, 1995). The company started the internet business by encouraging their customers to order products online and pay using plastic cards. This promoted the business world wide because people could get the information they wanted from the Internet. The company improved the marketing positions and advertised its products in social media, like Facebook, Tweeter, and Net Log, among others. This made people across the world familiar with the product and boosted demand. CEO comments about the performance The Companys CEO, Mr. Dan Mead, was encouraged by the results since the company had made a huge profit. He encouraged all the staff to keep up on the work and maintain the same spirit. He thanked the entire community using the products and regarded them as a family. He promoted the employees who had worked hard and brought change in their department. He encouraged all employees and laid down corresponding policy introducing employee discounts for buying the products. Challenges and strategies for 2010 The business has been facing a number of challenges and it has outlined strategies to counter each challenge. The company faces great competition from other companies producing the same products. They lower their prices to make the customers go for their products and disregard Verizons wireless products. The competition is encountered through marketing. The marketing team has new strategies like the use of internet and other media for advertisement. Other people have made products which resemble the companys brand. This makes many customers buy the fake brands without noting, because they resemble each other and they are sold at low prices. The company has provided trademarks which cannot be copied. This was established when the company faced a great challenge by people producing copyright products with their brand (John, 2009). The company has a management team which respects the decisions made and works on improvement of the company. The management ensures that the proposed strategies get in effect immediately. The employees are motivated and this makes them perform better and uphold their honesty. The employees in the company headquarters hold meetings every three months in which they make decisions on what needs to be improved and changed. The company provides after sales services to the customers. Those services include things like discounts, transport, and education on how to use the facilities. The business has been growing faster because the management has done marketing research and come out with new strategies. The business changes accompanied the change in technology, and this has enabled it to have a larger market than the competitors (Mark, 1995). Current information Trend for 2011 The company has managed to get great income for the year 2011. It has grown wide and expanded in market. It provides the services to many countries and it has made outstanding profits, larger than any other year. The net income for 2011 has not been calculated, but is accessed to amount to three billion and twenty six million American dollars. This is the greatest income made in history by the company. The company has employed new strategies for marketing and employed new staffs who have professional background of the positions they are assigned to (Mark, 1995). The company has expanded significantly in 2011, and this made it create more jobs to people. The employees involved in the management have created new strategies to improve the sales and marketing of the company. Currently, it provides a wide range of products which include cell phones, smartphones, Tablets, Mobile Hotspots, USB Modems, Home phone connect, Accessories and Innovation stores. In 2011, it produced new brands which include Apple, Blackberry, Droid, Droid Does, HTC, iPad, iPhone, LG, Motorola, and Samsung. The company made only the brands which have been liked by its customers and this makes it to have large volume of sales. The brands have penetrated to the market and brought about large sales. Those brands are used worldwide. 98% of the countries in the world use the brands listed, and this shows that the company has a worldwide market. In most countries, there are outlets which provide the sales of this company. The headquarters of the company are located in the US, bu t the market has reached 98% of the world countries. Their many retailers who buy and sell the products to their local places, and they have assisted in the growth of the entire business (John, 2009). The company has been opening new branches in each country where they sell the products. The branch acts as the retail and sells the products to other people in the location at a wholesale price. The creation of branches and representatives has promoted the companys business sales, because they have access to sales of their products in each region. The management has provided a label for each brand, and this prevents copyright, because many people and other companies likes to make the duplication of product in order to capture the market of existing company. The stores which do not have great income are assigned new management. The new management brings about new strategies for the running of the business. In the year 2011, the company closed down many stores in Africa due to the insecurity which caused less sales and great losses. Many stores were burned down and products stolen like in Zimbabwe. The business in those places did not stop but was provided through an agent or the inter net. New stores are created in regions where they do not have the services but first marketing is done through the internet and the use of agents. Summary The company has grown in many years, and it has the potential of growing further. This company has invested in many countries and it cannot collapse since it makes a huge capital. In three years time, the company will have market in all countries in the world. It provides new strategies for growth each year and this has enabled it to grow significantly. The company changes strategies and products in respect of the change in technology. Retail business should have strategies and work out a plan which should be set as goals and objectives to attain. The success of retail business is determined by the management. In order to succeed in business, the retail should have qualified and professional people to handle the management of the business. Buy custom Verizon Wireless essay

The architecture of the building was made by Frank Essays

The architecture of the building was made by Frank Essays The architecture of the building was made by Frank Lloyd. It was formed as the Davenport Municipal Art Gallery in 1925, with the passage of a law allowing the city to accept a gift of 330 artworks from a former mayor Charles A. Ficke, and open a museum. It was renamed the Davenport Museum in 1987. It continued to be a city-run museum until the opening of its new building in 2005, which was named in honor of a gift from the V.O. and Elizabeth Kahl Figge Foundation. Mr. Ficke's original collection of European American and Spanish Viceregal art has grown through the efforts of generations of philanthropists and civ ic leaders and now includes the Grant Wood Archive and works by other American Regionalists artists, and extensive collection of European, contemporary works. The Figge has quite a bit of work in its permanent collection even though a lot of it is not on display. A lot of it is in Storage which is in the basement. They not only store and show art but they also restore the pieces to the best of their abilities. The Figge Art Museum's permanent holdings include many nationally and internationally known objects and bear witness to more than seven decades of philanthropy and civic pride. The collections, organized in seven areas, offer a distinctive look at regional, national and international at from the 15 th century to the present. The different collections consist of The American Collection, The Midwest Regionalist Collection , The Mexican Colonial C ollection, and The Haitian Collection. The American Collection includes works from the Colonial period to 1945, with particular strengths in the 19 th century landscape traditions of the Hudson River School artists Asher B. Durand, John Kensett, Albert Bierstadt and others. C.A. Ficke's original gifts in this area have been enhanced by a number of generous donations including in the Wheatfield, by Winslow Homer, and In Gentle Slumber, by George Eastman. The Midwest Regionalist Collection focuses on the works of Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry and other Midwestern artists who defined this style in the 1930s and 1940s. The Figge's Midwest Regionalist Collection boasts the only painted self-portrait of Grant Wood, whose enigmatic portrait of Midwesterners, American Gothic, is perhaps the most Recognized painting in American art. A full-color catalogue featuring work of Grant Wood. The Mexican Colonial Collection documents the growth of paintings in New Spain in the 17 th and 18 th centuries out of the traditions of European religious paintings of the same period. Many of the DMA's holdings in this area are part of the original museum gift from C.A. Ficke and are perhaps the most distinguished in the country. The Haitian Collection documents the flowering of a rich artistic tradition within the island nation of Haiti since the 1940s. In 1967, the Davenport Museum of Art established on of the first collections of Haitian art in the United States. Donations made by Dr. Walter E Neiswanger, a long-time museum patron and trustee, form the majority of th4e comprehensive collection which ranges from the first generation to the most recent developments. One piece of art at the figge that I liked a lot was one from the Midwest regionalist collection. The piece is m ade by Thomas Hart Benton, and is called Spring Storm. The composition of the painting presented many of the juxtapositions, which are things that are brought together or side to side that contrast each other. This is what Thomas Hart Benton favored. It allowed him to depic nature sculpturally, using his favorite formal principle of the "bulge and hollow," rhythmically distorting structures to achieve a serpentine line, the line favored by 16 th -century Mannerist painters. The lines draw our attention to the center of the composition, to the bolt of lightning that had startled the horse. It is not painted on the surface, but carved into it, through paint, down to the composition board beneath. If you cover one halve of the painting then it looks like its peaceful but if you do it to the side that is light then it looks like it's dark and stor my outside. The offer of Education was another piece

DURAND Surname Meaning and Family History

DURAND Surname Meaning and Family History From the Latin name Durandus meaning strong and enduring, the Durand surname comes from the Old French  durant, meaning enduring, derived from the Latin duruo,  meaning to harden or make strong. This surname is believed to have evolved simultaneously in several different cultures and may have been used to describe someone who is steadfast or, possibly, stubborn. Durand may also be an Anglicized form of the Hungarian Durndi, a habitational name for someone from a place called Durnd, in former Szepes county. Surname Origin: Latin,  French, Scottish, English Alternate Surname Spellings:  DURANT, DURRAND, DURANTE, DURRANT, DURRANTE, DURRAN, DURRANCE, DURRENCE Famous People with the DURAND  Surname Asher Brown Durand  - American painterWilliam F. Durand -  American aeronautical engineerPeter Durand  - British inventor of the tin canElias Durand - American botanist and pharmacist Where is the DURAND  Surname Most Common? The Durand surname is most common in France according to Forebears, ranking as the 2nd most common surname in the country. WorldNames PublicProfiler also supports this, showing fairly even distribution of the Durand surname in departments across France. It is also somewhat common in other French-influenced countries, including Dominica, New Caledonia, Monaco, French Polynesia, Montserrat, Haiti, Peru and Canada.   Genealogy Resources for the Surname DURAND Meanings of Common French SurnamesUncover the meaning of your French last name with this free guide to the meanings and origins of common French surnames. How to Research French AncestryIf you are one of those people who have avoided delving into your French ancestry due to fears that the research would be too difficult, then wait no more! France is a country with excellent genealogical records, and it is very likely that you will be able to trace your French roots back several generations once you understand how and where the records are kept. Durand  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Durand  family crest or coat of arms for the Durand surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. The Duran  Surname  DNA ProjectIndividuals with the Duran  surname, and variants such as Durand, are invited to participate in this group DNA project in an attempt to learn more about Durand family origins. The website includes information on the project, the research done to date, and instructions on how to participate. DURAND  Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Durand  ancestors around the world. FamilySearch - DURAND  GenealogyExplore over 2  million results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Durand surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. DURAND  Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Durand  surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - DURAND  Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Durand. GeneaNet - Durand  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Durand  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Durand  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Durand  surname from the website of Genealogy Today. - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to  Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins

Organisational behaviour assignment based on case study Essay

Organisational behaviour assignment based on case study - Essay Example Through this approach, organisations are expected to be able to understand the flaws and strengths of its operations in a more efficient manner, which can further be considered in the process of enhancing organisational operations (Cole, 2000). From a generalised perspective, the study of organisational behaviour might also be crucial in the case of A & S Fashion Limited. Started in the year 1993, the company has developed from a small business to adding a large customer base. However, since the year 2011, the company has been continuously failing to reach its targeted sales, which further impacted its reputation in the targeted market. Different reasons have been stated in this concern, addressing the probable drivers that led to business deficiencies in A & S. In order to deal with this situation, the company will essentially need to understand the organisational behaviour by comprehending its workplace environment. Contextually, the aim of the paper will be to analyse the current operational situation of A & S and identify the major flaws that could have lead to such a vulnerable performance of the company. In this context, concepts of psychological contract, motivational gap and communication mechanisms will be taken into account in the discussion henceforth. Implementation of Psychological Contract in the Company Due to Negative Responses of the Staff For the poor performance of the company in the last couple of years, several potential reasons can be identified to have emerged in the scene. In this regard, the negative responses of the staff of the organisation might be a potential reason for the decline in the performance level of the business operations. Arguably, a generalised perspective to this context affirms that employees are the most vital assets in any organisation and constitute the vital elements of contribution in raising the performance of the business (King & Grace, n.d.). In fact, studies have revealed that the performance of businesses is directly dependent on the approach and the conduct of the employees (Vance, 2006). Hence, their satisfaction, which further impacts their working behaviour, is quite vital to be monitored continuously and managed efficiently for the welfare of the organisation. It is in this context that applying measures to understand the psychological contract in A & S shall be essential to identify the rudimental causes of the negative responses obtained from the staff. As can be observed from the case scenario, the employees of A & S have been deciphering a degree of negative response, which has in turn affected the coordination and cooperation between groups and departments as well. Such non-cooperative behaviour has altogether affected the productivity and efficiency of the organisation as every department of the business has been reported to be falling to perform at the expected level, increasing instances of inter-group conflicts. To be precise, the marketing department in A & S has been ac cusing the HR department for their deficiency to recruit professionals as per the need of the specific department. The finance department of the business has also been accused for being incapable to provide enough funds required for

Non-Employment Conflict Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Non-Employment Conflict Management - Essay Example Constructing a dam entails the preliminary flooding for the formation of the reservoir and additional structures for instance: floodgates check dams and spillway, in the proximity of the original dam (Bartle, 2004). These constructions negatively influence the hydrology of the rivers and the movement pattern of fish by generating obstacles to their normal movement. This leads to decline in biodiversity and stocks of the fish population due to the modification of downstream and upstream of the aquatic environment. It also affects the fish species and a raise in the catch endeavour due to huge areas of arid periodical open water. In addition, the building of the dam may cause the crumple of fisheries owing to the loss of the floodplain habitation (Guariso and Werthner, 1989).Secondly, building of dams affects the livelihood of the communities found in the area where they are being constructed. Most of the indigenous communities’ practice farming and flooding reduce the land unde r agriculture. It also leads to the loss of wood gathering and fishing as a source of livelihood. In addition, it amplifies pressure on communal resources shared by pastoralists and farmers. For pastoralists, it leads to reduction in riverbank pasture while for fish farmers and fishermen; it leads to reduction in fish stocks and fisheries. This causes the decline in the economic value in the wetland that is higher compared to after the dam is put in place.Thirdly, there is loss of natural resources present in the ecosystem.

Human genome project (PCR) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Human genome project (PCR) - Essay Example The projects looks at the relationship between the SHGB and PCOS and focuses on the molecular basis of disease and how the changes in the SHBG gene relate to the disease as well as to other health conditions such as cancer. SHBG is the principal plasma transport protein for sex steroid hormones and it controls the bioavailability of these hormones to the target tissues. The gene encoding SHBG is compound and any of numerous polymorphisms in SHBG have been linked with changes in circulating SHBG levels. Studies of Epidemiological have shown that low plasma SHBG levels are an insulin resistance early indicator and they can predict the development of type diabetes mellitus 2 (T2DM) in both women and men (Chittenden & Maheshwari, 2009). The sex hormone-binding globulin gene is also known as (ABP) androgen binding protein. Even though, associations linking low SHBG levels and the risk of diabetes might be explained by the theory that elevations in insulin levels suppress the production of hepatic SHBG (Cangemi et al, 2011), modern studies are documenting that the SHBG-altering polymorphisms transmission are connected with risk of T2DM imply that SHBG can have an additional direct physiologic task in glucose homeostasis. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms underlying this connection are unknown. A non-diabetic woman with the (PCOS) polycystic ovary syndrome, a widespread endocrine disorder that is linked with insulin resistance, similarly demonstrates lower SHBG levels. In this report, we evaluate studies investigating the connection between SHBG polymorphisms and PCOS. Numerous studies in women with PCOS prove that certain genetic polymorphisms are connected with circulating SHBG levels, but they are not constantly connected with PCOS. (Chen et al. 2010) The SHBG has a number of functions that include steroid binding, physiological functions

Film Reponse Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Film Reponse Paper - Essay Example 1). The film is directed by Ann Thompson and written by Martin Dugard, together with Olegar Fedoro. It was released on 8th October 2007. The main stars include Olegar Fedoro, Alvaro Martin, David Sant And Javier Mazan. On May 11, 1502, Christopher Columbus set out on his fourth and final voyage to the New World. He had four ships in a mission to explore unfamiliar areas to the west of the Caribbean. He hoped to find a route west to the Orient. He explored parts of southern Central America, but his ships, damaged by a hurricane and termites, fell apart in the process. Columbus and his men were stranded on Jamaica for about a year before being rescued. They returned to Spain in late 1504 (Hugh, P. 1).Because of Queen Isabel waning health and without her support, Columbus would never return to the New World. Columbus’ Fourth Voyage is outstanding primarily for some new exploration, mostly along the coast of Central America. The film is of great interest to historians, because of its astute descriptions of the native cultures such as the sections on the Mayan traders. Some of those who were along on the fourth voyage would later go on to greater things, such as Antonio de Alaminos, a cabin boy who would later rise to pilot and explore much of the western Caribbean. Columbus’ son Fernando would later write a biography of his famous father. The Fourth Voyage was a failure. Many of Columbus’ men died, the ships were lost and no passage to the west was ever found. Columbus himself would never sail again, and died convinced that he had found Asia, even if most of Europe already accepted the fact that the Americas were an unknown â€Å"New World.† Still, the fourth voyage showed better than any other Columbus’ sailing skills, fortitude and resilience, attribu tes which allowed him to discover the Americas in the first place (Hugh, P. 1). This is a heroic story of the great Protestant revolutionary by

U07d1 HIPAA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U07d1 HIPAA - Essay Example The main attempt has been to adopt standards to help improve the effectiveness and the working of the nation health care systems in the use of electronic data (Beaver & Herold, 2003). In simple terms the main aim of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is to guide the development and maintenance of the patient information management. As mentioned earlier, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2010) explains, that â€Å"Title II of HIPPA required the Department of Health and Human Services to establish national standards for electronic health transactions and national identifiers for providers, health plans and employers† (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2010). In an excellent article named, Integrating privacy and security: coordination benefits HIPAA compliance efforts, the author Alder explains, even after a number of years have passed for the deadline compliance with HIPPA, ‘By summer 2006, only 39 percent of respondents to an AHIMA survey reported that their facilities were in full compliance with the HIPAA privacy regulations’ (Adler, 2008). The author also highlights that, ‘There are a number of reasons why compliance has been difficult to achieve and maintain, but the most cited reason is a lack of resources’ (Adler, 2008). The rules for the HIPPA have been very long and intricate and the writing and implementation of the rules has taken a very long time. The process of the development of the transactions and the code sets, rules and also the national employer identity, took the government a high amount of time to complete. The process has been very time consuming making the process look like it took several years to write and for the implementation of the riles because of the high level of scrutiny and intricacies that were involved. The HIPPA intended to include the healthcare environment and also with the high levels of technological developments the process was long drawn and took several

Problems and differences with gender in business accounting Research Paper

Problems and differences with gender in business accounting - Research Paper Example The glass ceiling barriers are evident even among students who exhibit the interest of pursuing a career in accounting. This paper will discuss gender differences and problems in the accounting field. Business accounting is a field that was saturated by men initially, with few women taking up the career. Many people considered it a career designated for men because it is highly demanding, and patriarchal attitudes dictated that only men had the resilience to hold such pressure. Although women have ventured into this career in the recent past, research reveals that gender differences still exist in this career (Shalhoub 1). Although women have proven their resilience and breaking the first layer of the glass ceiling barriers placed before them in this career, it is evident that they have multiple barriers resulting from the remaining composite glass ceiling. Although women have gained entry into this career, and have excelled in different certifications of accounting, gender issues st ill pose a barrier. Evidently, the competition in the business world has served to raise the bar for many people who intend to adopt a career progression in accounting (Tsamenyi and Uddin 123). Many women have advanced education in this accounting exhibiting the potential of competing with men in academic qualifications. However, despite having the academic qualifications and making efforts to advance their education after gaining entry into the career, it proves difficult for women to receive promotions. Evidently, many senior accountants are men, with organizations preferring to reserve that post for males. Although they have the relevant qualifications, gender stereotypes prevent women from progressing faster in their career. Such stereotypes motivate male employers to hire make accountants, and if women are hired, they are placed in the lower ranks in the accounting department (Riahi-Belkaoui 87). This has made it difficult for women to break the glass ceiling barriers completel y. In comparison to male accountants, women are likely to register longer time before they receive a promotion. In other cases, women with similar academic backgrounds to men may be placed at a lower rank than the men. Men exhibit negative attitudes that serve to limit women because of the technicality of the accounting job. This presents a problem when women receive promotions because the men may work towards proving that women lack the required competence for the job. Instead of offering the right kind of support, men may serve to make the responsibilities of the women tougher. In reaction to the negative attitudes, some women often embark on proving that they have fit for the job instead of promoting organizational financial goals. The accounting department often works closely with other departments, and may face the compulsion to make critical decisions that can pose serious consequences for the organization. This is one of the aspects that has contributed to the development of stereotypes that prevent female accountants from being considered for promotions. Many men believe that women lack the capacity to make such critical decisions (Kuersten 67). In cases where women hold the office of senior accounting, and exhibit the competence of making such decisions, men are likely to feel inferior. Such factors often trigger problems

U07d1 HIPAA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U07d1 HIPAA - Essay Example The main attempt has been to adopt standards to help improve the effectiveness and the working of the nation health care systems in the use of electronic data (Beaver & Herold, 2003). In simple terms the main aim of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is to guide the development and maintenance of the patient information management. As mentioned earlier, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2010) explains, that â€Å"Title II of HIPPA required the Department of Health and Human Services to establish national standards for electronic health transactions and national identifiers for providers, health plans and employers† (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2010). In an excellent article named, Integrating privacy and security: coordination benefits HIPAA compliance efforts, the author Alder explains, even after a number of years have passed for the deadline compliance with HIPPA, ‘By summer 2006, only 39 percent of respondents to an AHIMA survey reported that their facilities were in full compliance with the HIPAA privacy regulations’ (Adler, 2008). The author also highlights that, ‘There are a number of reasons why compliance has been difficult to achieve and maintain, but the most cited reason is a lack of resources’ (Adler, 2008). The rules for the HIPPA have been very long and intricate and the writing and implementation of the rules has taken a very long time. The process of the development of the transactions and the code sets, rules and also the national employer identity, took the government a high amount of time to complete. The process has been very time consuming making the process look like it took several years to write and for the implementation of the riles because of the high level of scrutiny and intricacies that were involved. The HIPPA intended to include the healthcare environment and also with the high levels of technological developments the process was long drawn and took several

Urrent recessionary situation in the UK economy Essay

Urrent recessionary situation in the UK economy - Essay Example The most common among these are the Consumer price index and the retail price index. The simplest way to understand the mechanism behind changes to inflation is through Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply dynamics. Given the economy is in macroeconomic equilibrium, if there is a positive shock to demand, i.e., aggregate demand shifts up, the price level rises. This is known as demand pull inflation. This type of inflation is observed particularly during periods of economic expansion. This is shown in figure 1 below. Figure 1: Demand-pull inflation In the diagram, SRAD represents the short run dynamics of demand; it shows how changes to aggregate demand are related to changes in the price level or inflation. Similarly, SRAS represents the short run dynamics of aggregate supply. Because of an expansionary shock to short run aggregate demand (SRAD), inflation increases from Is to Id. Again, even if short run demand remains unchanged, inflation can increase due to supply side shocks. In the diagram, SRAD represents the short run dynamics of demand; it shows how changes to aggregate demand are related to changes in the price level or inflation. Similarly, SRAS represents the short run dynamics of aggregate supply. Because of an expansionary shock to short run aggregate demand (SRAD), inflation increases from Is to Id. Again, even if short run demand remains unchanged, inflation can increase due to supply side shocks. For instance if there are bottlenecks in the supply chain which leads to contraction of supply, the short run aggregate supply curve shifts up to the left. This leads to an increase in inflation as well. This is known as cost push inflation since this happens due to sudden increases in production costs. Well known examples of such inflation generating cost rises over the years have been oil price shocks, labor market strikes etc. This mechanism is illustrated in figure 2 below. In Figure 2: Cost push inflation In the graph above, the SRAS curve is hit by a temporary shock resulting from increases in costs. The resulting movement to the left and up leads to a rise in the inflation rate from Is to Ir. It should b e noted that all factors that influence demand and supply mechanics can therefore influence inflation rates. Particular note should be taken of inflation expectations. If inflation is expected to rise in future, people start buying immediately and such behavior leads to the prices being pushed up. This is a simple instance of how inflation expectations constitute self fulfilling prophecies. Being armed with an understanding of the basic mechanics of inflation, we now turn to the actual observed situation in the UK economy. The UK economy is undergoing a substantially adverse situation. Although the Bank of England sets 2% as inflation target, the annual percentage change in Consumer Prince Index reached a 2 year high of 5.2% in January 2011. Although it has come down since then to around 4.2% in recent months, it still is considerably higher compared to the declared target of the Bank of England (BBC, 2011). What makes this situation precarious is that this inflation has occurred at a time when the economy was already reeling from a strong recessionary pressure. The global economic crisis and the ensuing recessionary pressures had seem the inflation rate hit a low of almost 1% in 2009. The recession has led to significant stress on the economy and caused losses of employment. In all other advanced economies, the recession has been associated with a disinflation, if not a deflation. In the UK economy however the inflation rate has climbed up substantially to hit the aforementioned highs (Dwyer et al., 2010). There are alternative viewpoints to explain this phenomenon, and we turn to these various explanations in the rest of this article. Figure 3: Inflation in UK, ONS data Figure 1 traces the quarterly movements of

African Americans and Southern Racism During Reconstruction Essay Example for Free

African Americans and Southern Racism During Reconstruction Essay Introduction At the end of the Civil War, America faced the difficult task of uniting not only two separated territories of the United States, but also two races long separated by racism and culture. Devastated and embittered by the damage of the war, the South had a long way to go in order to achieve true equality between the former slave owners and former slaves. The majority of the South remained set in racist behavior, finding post-Civil War legal loopholes to diminish African American rights (Tindall Shi, 2010, pp. 757-758). Southerners continued to marginalize Blacks in their behavior toward ex-slaves and the later African American generation, continuing the escalation of racial tensions through white terror and discriminatory attitudes (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 759). Most subversively, southern newspapers propagated stereotypes against African Americans in their coverage and descriptions of constitutional conventions (Logue, 1979, p. 342). Although Radical Reconstruction offered some progress toward social equality after the Civil War, its success was short-lived as African Americans suffered vast disenfranchisement through racist rulings, attitudes, and media representation in the South at the turn of the century. Rulings against African Americans After the Civil War had come to an end, African Americans in the South quickly made use of their new-found political and social rights, employing their right to vote from the Fifteenth Amendment and serving as prominent political figures (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 722). However, the formerly fervent commitment to Radical Reconstruction soon dwindled (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 739). Many of the advances toward civil equality were soon erased: In 1883, the Supreme Court declared the Civil Rights Laws of 1875 unconstitutional, and the political power Blacks had gained, especially in the South where 90% of Blacks lived, was completely undone. Black voter  participation dropped from 96% to 26% in South Carolina in just 12 years (1876-1888); in those same 12 years, voter participation of Blacks dropped from 53% to 18% in Georgia (Burris-Kitchen Burris, 2011, p. 5). Even while African Americans enjoyed an uninhibited freedom to voting rights, many still suffered disenfranchisement at the hands of rampant racial discrimination in the South. Although discontent Southerners could not impede the Black right to vote, they found ulterior methods to marginalize African Americans. â€Å"Since the Fifteenth Amendment made it impossible simply to deny African Americans the right to vote, disenfranchisement was accomplished indirectly, through such devices as poll taxes (or head taxes) and literacy tests† (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 757). â€Å"Jim Crow† laws mandated racial segregation in public areas in the South and were often accompanied by physical abuse and terror to African Americans (Tindall Shi, 2010, pp. 756-759). These underhand activities in the South demonstrated that while African Americans were technically free, they continually suffered from unjust rulings and actions. These sprang from the rampantly racist attitudes in the South: Although great strides were made toward political and economic freedom for Blacks following the Civil War, the progress made was quickly squashed by political movements and rhetoric, which implied that Blacks could not handle their newly-found freedom and that the White working class was threatened by Blacks who were trying to take their jobs, their property, and their government away from them (Burris-Kitchen Burris, 2011, p. 5). Racist Attitudes Many Southerners continued to believe and propagate these ideas that African Americans had a subversive agenda to the White working class. These ideas culminated in deep-seated attitudes against African Americans in the South: â€Å"During the 1890s the attitudes that had permitted moderation in race relations evaporated. A violent ‘Negrophobia’ swept across the South and much of the nation at the end of the century† (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 756). However, African Americans at the turn of the century had become weary of disenfranchisement and were ready to stand up against these attitudes: â€Å"This generation was more assertive and less patient than their parents. ‘We are not the Negro from who the chains of slavery fell a quarter century ago, most assuredly not,’ a black editor announced† (Tindall   Shi, 2010, p. 756). Unfortunately, this may have simply increased a White agenda of racial discrimination, as â€Å"a growing number of young white adults, however, were equally determined to keep ‘Negroes in their place’† (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 756). Whether Southerners felt that African Americans imposed a threat to their jobs, their safety, or their rights, the overarching attitude of the South clearly displayed a strong desire to maintain racial dominance of the pre-Civil War era. Part of this attitude motivated a desire to limit education for African Americans: To keep Blacks uneducated meant Whites could boast of their superior intellect; this had been in the arsenal of Whites for hundreds of years prior to Reconstruction and continues to be used over 130 years after Reconstruction. Denial of education for Blacks existed through Reconstruction as a form of White racism and a justification for their inferior political and economic status (Burris-Kitchen Burris, 2011, p. 6). Any kind of advantage Whites could claim in the South became ammunition in their discriminatory attitudes. These ideas and attitudes fed the propagation of racist stereotypes and bias in southern newspapers. Prejudiced Media in the South Perhaps the most subtle yet shocking form of racism in the South during Reconstruction was the biased reporting of many southern newspapers. Whether the ideas and attitudes of many southern Whites influenced these published stereotypes or vice versa, it is clear that southern publications often encouraged and promoted racist attitudes at the end of the century. A publication in Charleston, South Carolina displayed this racist subtext: â€Å"While promising its readers ‘truth,’ the Charleston Mercury mocked journalistic license by actually printing racist ridicule. A favorite method was to scorn African-Americans in the convention as a race, exploiting racist attitudes saved by white readers from slavery† (Logue, 1979, p. 339). Covering the constitutional convention in Columbia in 1867, white journalists used racist stereotypes in describing the black delegates’ involvement: â€Å"Reporters emphasized how blacks would chuckle and grin, thereby exploiting th e racist assumption of many whites that blacks were mere fun-loving, animal-like creatures who had to be protected from themselves† (Logue, 1979, p. 341). The Charleston paper encouraged racist  attitudes through the ridicule of black speech and pronunciation, mocking ex-slave â€Å"ignorance† rather than reporting important issues discussed at the convention: When blacks debated the issue of ‘changing the title of districts to counties,’ for example, the only thing the reporters heard was the very awkward sound of deestrict as district is pronounced by some of the delegates. Because of their preoccupation with such factors, reporters seldom informed their readers about issues that were discussed, such as public education, relief from debts, taxes, and so on (Logue, 1979, p. 342). In this manner, the South remained entrapped in a media-fueled suspicion and fear of African Americans, feeding the continued presence of racism and discrimination during the post-Civil War reconstruction. Conclusion In conclusion, the progress of Radical Reconstruction largely failed to reform the disenfranchisement of African Americans in the South on a long-term scale. The attitudes of the Southern whites continued to influence the freedom of former slaves as they faced discriminating rulings, racist attitudes, and biased media. While some African Americans from further generations were largely unwilling to bow subserviently to the effects of white terror and discrimination, civil rights equality had a long and arduous path to completion in the South. While many of the racist attitudes of the post-Civil War South seem shocking to a modern-day reader, the influence of the actions and attitudes of white Southerners serves as a reminder of the power of repeated falsehoods, particularly within media subtext and bias. The disenfranchisement of African Americans during reconstruction displays the extent of deep-seated racial prejudice based on fear, stubbornness, and ignorance. As Burris-Kitchen and Burris point out: Throughout American history, Blacks have been demonized and criminalized, and this history has led us to where we are today. Until we can change the perceptions of Blacks through the media, political and economic arenas they will continue to pay the price for an inherently racist political, economic, educational, and criminal justice system (Burris-Kitchen Burris, 2011, p. 14). References Burris-Kitchen, D., Burris, P. (2011). From slavery to prisons: A historical delineation of the criminalization African Americans. Journal of Global Intelligence Policy, 4 (5), 1-16. Retrieved from http://0-web.ebscohost.com.library.regent.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=adef70d4-c4d9-4d2b-b5c9-3b1efa487879%40sessionmgr14vid=2hid=127# Logue, C. M. (March 1979). Racist reporting during reconstruction. Journal of Black Studies, 9 (3), 335-349. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2784304 Tindall, G. B.; Shi, D. E. (2010). America: A narrative history (8th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton Company.

Analysis of the core competences of PepsiCo

Analysis of the core competences of PepsiCo PepsiCo is an organization that has been known for its marketing and distribution prowess. This section is dedicated to analyzing the core competences of PepsiCo and evaluating their effect on the strategy adopted by the organization. Tangible Resources In this section, we analyse in detail, the tangible resources of PepsiCo under the following heads: Financial Resources PepsiCo has a strong financial backbone to support its aggressive marketing strategies, promotional campaigns and social activities. It works in collaboration with various governments in the countries that it operates and has operational ties with various civic authorities. Its capacity to generate finances is showcased by the fact that it could raise 31.37 billion rubles from a Ukrainian juice manufacturer, WBD which it acquired last year  [i]   Organisational Resources- PepsiCo recently revamped its organizational structure in an effort to handle the double digit growth prospects. It has three broad units, each of which looks after a sizeable business. The CEO of the company Indra Nooyi is known to be a flamboyant leader. She is known to lead by delegation and empowerment. This increases the loyalty of the employees towards the organization  [ii]  . Physical Resources PepsiCo has state-of-the-art manufacturing plants at three locations in India  [iii]  . In addition to this, it has 37 bottling plants, of which 17 are owned by PepsiCo. These are spread all over India, which help in increasing the reach of its products and ensuring timely delivery. Technological Resources PepsiCo tries to keep itself abreast of the latest technological developments. In a recent step taken, it has added hydrogen injected trucks to its delivery fleet in Canada  [iv]  . This was done as an effort towards increasing the fuel efficiency of its fleet and reducing emissions. Intangible Resources We look at the various intangible resources held by PepsiCo under the following heads: Human Resources PepsiCo attracts some of the best minds in the industry. By providing them enough financial and non-financial motivation and handing them challenging tasks to perform, they keep their employees satisfied and loyal to the organization. Innovation Resources The pace of innovation in functional foods and beverages division in PepsiCo has picked up since 2002. PepsiCo is second, after Kraft in this industry with 101 innovations since then. Some competitors are outspending PepsiCo on RD investments by nearly two to one margin  [1]  . But PepsiCo has been making good use of every dime spent on the RD as is seen from the number of innovations vis-à  -vis its competitors. Reputational Resources In a study conducted , it was seen that Pepsi as a brand enjoys a good reputation with the customers. They like it for its distinct taste. The study also pointed out that the brand name of Pepsi is certainly a force to reckon with. The quality perception of the product is generally high. However most of the customers see it as a drink second to Coke. One area wherein PepsiCo scores over its rivals is the social initiatives like contract farming and positive water balance. Due to this, it has a very strong reputation with its suppliers. Capabilities PepsiCo as an organization, has survived strong competition from its more established rivals like The Coca Cola Company , Nestle among others due to the following capabilities that it has:  [v]   Muscular Global Brands and Consumer Goodwill Over the years, PepsiCo, with its portfolio of global brands, has built platforms for growth. Its highly focused portfolio offers many of the worlds best-known foods and beverages-brands of enduring appeal. The portfolio includes 15 brands that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Thats more than any other food and beverage company. Pepsi leads the parade with $15.6 billion in annual sales. The company has been successful in entering into licensing ventures with other well-known names, such as Starbucks and Lipton, and has had huge success with global promotions by linking with globally recognized brands. Robust Technology/Manufacturing Platforms PepsiCos global brands are supported by sophisticated technology and manufacturing platforms. These platforms include the science of nutrition, food and beverages, process and manufacturing, and packaging. Each of PepsiCos divisions contributes to the knowledge and technology platforms, creating an institutional knowledge base that can be shared across divisions. Such sharing of best-practice knowledge creates a competitive advantage, because it allows PepsiCo to differentiate its products from competitors, and promotes innovation in products and processes. It is also a significant growth advantage: cross-fertilization between divisions allows for the creation of new products that can be brought to market. The various process and manufacturing platforms allow PepsiCo not only to improve existing products and packages, but also to create entirely new ones. Equally important, innovation gives retailers a great reason to feature products promin ently Global Footprint PepsiCo employs 137,000 people in 200 countries. Including the bottling system and other partners, it generates some $39 billion in revenues, of which 35% comes from outside North America. The company has nearly 700 manufacturing facilities worldwide, 2,100 distribution centers and 70,000 routes. In addition to its presence in North America, PepsiCo has leadership positions in Mexico, the U.K., and the Middle East. It is investing significantly in creating momentum in the critical emerging markets of China and India. In the Indian subcontinent, Pepsi Beverages International (PBI) has more than 45% market share of carbonated soft drinks (CSD). FLI also has a strong global presence, with sales in 44 countries supported by 71 manufacturing plants outside North America, as well as 62,000 associates and 22,000 routes outside North America. In many countries, it enjoys greater than 30% market share. While 61% of PepsiCos salty snack revenues come from North America, Latin America contributes 18% of revenues, Europe/Africa contributes 17%, and Asia contributes 4% Core Competencies PepsiCo enjoys the stature of the dominant force that it is in various segments of the food and beverage industry due to its famed distribution systems. PepsiCo goes to market through a distribution network of extraordinary strength and flexibility. This is a core competency as it satisfies all the four criteria of sustainable competitive advantage i.e., it is a valuable capability, rare, costly to imitate and non-substitutable. The reason why is it so is explained below. The goal of the distribution channel of PepsiCo is to put its products within easy reach of the consumer. Because practices and customs vary by market, and because retail customers have different needs, PepsiCo has several successful models for service that it uses around the world. Direct store delivery Direct store delivery (DSD) systems are at the heart of this network. Through these systems, PepsiCo takes its products directly to tens of thousands of distribution outlets, from the tiniest convenience stores to the largest warehouse outlets. Pepsi and its bottlers personally take products into stores and set them on the shelves, helping to ensure that products are fresh and that fragile items such as chips are handled with care. It also allows PepsiCo to merchandise its brands for maximum visibility and appeal. PepsiCos systems can move new products into national distribution quickly-sometimes as quickly as a week. And because representatives call on retail customers so frequently, they know very quickly how a new product is selling. At the same time, DSD provides financial benefits to retailers. Since Pepsi handles the products and merchandising, retailers save on labor. And because these products typically are sold and restocked every few days, while retailers pay for them on 30-day cycles, Pepsi adds to a stores cash flow. In fact, PepsiCo contributes more than any other manufacturer to the revenue growth, profit growth and cash flow of the big U.S. retailers. In international markets, PepsiCo is able to adapt its distribution to reap the benefits of traditional DSD-particularly the merchandising capabilities and the reach into many retail outlets-without the costs that would burden a young or subscale business. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Broker-Warehouse Distribution- For some of PepsiCos products, traditional broker warehouse distribution is more economical and just as effective as DSD. According to this system, third-party distributors move PepsiCos products to stores, and store employees stock the shelves. This system works best for non-impulse products such as Gatorade, Quaker Oats, Tropicana Twister, or Capn Crunch cereal, which are neither fragile nor highly perishable. PepsiCos merger with Quaker dramatically expanded the companys broker-warehouse distribution capabilities, adding the large and efficient warehouse system used for Quaker and Gatorade products. To leverage that strength, PepsiCo has combined that system with Tropicanas. Additionally, the Quaker-Gatorade system is used for certain Frito-Lay snacks that are better suited to warehouse distribution. Vending and Foodservice-Every year, consumers buy more snacks and beverages from vending machines and the foodservice companies that serve stadiums, office buildings, colleges, and similar venues. By combining the capabilities of Frito-Lay, Tropicana, and Quaker, it has created one of the biggest vending and foodservice sales forces in North America, a 600-person team that already generates well over $1 billion in annual sales.