Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The history of psychiana - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 314 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/10/10 Did you like this example? Psychiana was known to be a mail-order based on religion. However, one had to send the orders off with regards to these courses by correspondence. It was founded by Moscow druggist and as a result changed Moscow forever (Thompson, 2007). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The history of psychiana" essay for you Create order A new thought which was created by Frank Bruce Robinson back in 1928. Specifically, it recruited many people via advertising based on popular magazines together via direct mail solicitations. On the fist advertisement that was for psychiana, was panned by Robinson as he took it around to local publishers. In addition, it displayed a picture of Robinson himself having a headline, â€Å"I TALKED WITH GOD (literally and actually, I did).†Ã‚   (Thompson, 2007). There are those who expressed their interests on his promises of wealth, health, and happiness as they responded to one of the ads. However, were provided with a series based on bi-weekly lessons through a mail but on a subscription model. Robison started a publishing company as he had his own printing press. These seemed to help on proving for several books his own based on spiritual themes (Thompson, 2007). Actually, his start began from the lots he advertised as he had a vision based on someone who was standing over a dead body on a cot.   However, he happens to send him a letter and in response, the guy sent him $ 16,000. He used the cash to pay for the advertising as he used to advertise in pulp magazines and this was a bit cheap (Thompson, 2007). People could afford as they only wanted to hear his message that was, things could get better and that was back in the 30s. Specifically, in response at the height, he used to get 60,000 pieces of mail each day. However, in 1948, Robinson died. The family had to keep it going till around 1953. His wife together with son never gave up on attending church when they took over psychiana (Thompson, 2007).

Monday, December 23, 2019

The Loss of Personal Freedoms in a Totalitarian Government...

Imagine living in a world of complete rejection of liberal ideas and absolute conformity. Citizens of this world do not have the freedom to choose their occupation. In fact, these citizens have no rights. They cannot speak freely, they do not enjoy any personal freedoms or privacy, and the media is aggressively censored. This is the world of George Orwell’s 1984 and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. The protagonist of Fahrenheit 451 is Guy Montag, and he is a fireman. His job is to destroy books completely by setting fire to them. Winston Smith is the main character in 1984, where he works as a civil servant in the lower class ruling party. Both of these men become entranced with the past and how life was before a totalitarian government.†¦show more content†¦These lessons are the outline that he based and wrote many of his masterpieces from (Bloom). Ray Bradbury grew up in a very different atmosphere in the United States. As a young boy, he was exposed to the hor ror movies of his period, like The Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Many of the themes in Fahrenheit 451 are very common to those of these movies. Like Montag in Fahrenheit 451, the main characters in these movies are social outcasts. Bradbury was also exposed to a plethora of books at a very young age. These books also molded many of the themes that are now seen in his many books. Bradbury actually planned to be an actor before two of his teachers realized a true talent in his writing capabilities. Snow Longley Housh taught Ray about Poetry while Jeannet Johnson taught him how to write stories. Over sixty years later, critics can still see the remnants of their teaching and the effects that this knowledge had on Bradbury, even at his young age. Bradbury did not receive any formal education after he graduated high school in 1938. Instead, he sold newspapers in Los Angeles during the day and spent his nights in the library, educating himself. As Bradbury grew as an author, he continually sought the guidance of experienced writers such as, Henry Kuttner, Leigh Brackett, Robert Heinlein and Henry Hasse. Despite their differences, George Orwell and RayShow MoreRelatedFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury1099 Words   |  5 Pagescriticizes government control and the loss of freedom in a totalitarian government. Every citizen is a thoughtless drone in the community with no sense of creativity or individuality. Bradbury expresses total domination through different types of censorship; the act of burning books, the role of firemen, and outcasts such as Clarisse. As a result, a dystopian society is formed and the citizens have no independence of their lives. The first reason Bradbury criticizes government control and the loss of freedomRead More1984 Individualism Essay1207 Words   |  5 Pagesthe artificiality of the dystopian country influenced the protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, to try and deceive the government in any way possible. Winston and many others view individuality as immensely important, but a large challenge to achieve due to the diminished hope evident in dystopia. Hope is prominent among Winston in his actions towards the totalitarian government, referred to as Big Brother, throughout the novel. From the beginning of the novel when readers are introduced to a dismalRead MoreHow Has Your Viewing Of Metropolis And Our Reading Of Nineteen Eighty Four Enhanced Your Understanding Of Conflict?1411 Words   |  6 Pagesunderstanding of conflict? Conflict is the ultimate cause of a loss of individualism. It is used as a weapon to promote power and retain control, whilst simultaneously suppressing individual thoughts and emotions out of fear of negative repercussions. The definitive expression of the above concepts in Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis and George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four enables the audience to experience two separate yet similar totalitarian societies, in which external and internal conflict isRead MoreBrave New World Loss Of Individuality Analysis906 Words   |  4 PagesHuxley, depicts a totalitarian government, which is a â€Å"political regime based on subordination†¦ and strict control of all aspects of the life and productive capacity of the nation.† This government succeeds in securing stability with the use of biotechnological and socio-scientific techniques. The World State has achieved â€Å"Community, Identity, Stability† (21) and prosperity at the loss o f individuality and humanity. In Huxley’s Brave New World, the reigning totalitarian government gets rid of individualismRead MoreEssay about Totalitarian Goverments in George Orwell’s Novel 19841739 Words   |  7 Pagespersonalities. The development of personalities stems from the freedom to express and interact with other humans. They are judged by their mental and emotional stability, as well as their physical appearances. When dealing with an oppressed society, one can often develop a apathetic personality, due to the surrounding messages that are forced upon them. In George Orwell’s novel 1984, he warns Americans about the dangers of totalitarian government systems, and how oppressing power can alter both humans andRead MoreEric Blair, Under The Pen Name George Orwell, Once Said,1462 Words   |  6 PagesOrwell liberated himself to the islands of the Hebrides with the desperate hope to expose himself to all the creative demons that crawled within his mi nd. His masterpiece struck the world with the waking fear of   a world where there is virtually no freedom from thought. In 1984, the dystopian is set in post World War II time when totalitarianism ruled the world. Free thought and reasoning is stripped from society, and the only one with that power is Big Brother, the authority symbol across the superstateRead MoreNazi Germany Positive And Negative Effects On The World War I1731 Words   |  7 Pagesterritory, accepted the blame for causing World War I and there was also the near elimination of the Germany army. This all lead Germany into suffering badly through the Great Depression. The Nazi party and their leader Adolf Hitler brought the Totalitarian rule into place and promised the German people a better life. Totalitarianism was used by the Nazi party to have control of education, militarism, propaganda, economic policies and their power to elimination any of the opposition. The positiveRead MoreAnalysis Of `` Brave New Worl d `` By Aldous Huxley And The Giver1493 Words   |  6 PagesPolitics is not a science, it is an art†¦ the art of compromise Derived from â€Å"polis† meaning city-state, politics as Bismarck refers to is an art of total government control, exercising complete authority and power by creating, introducing and enforcing rules made by collective decision. However in both texts, â€Å"Brave New World† by Aldous Huxley and the film â€Å"The Giver† directed Phillip Noyce, the roots of politics stem from the art of total and limitless control. The novel Brave New World presentsRead MoreCompare and Contrast Essay: Brave New World Versus 19841675 Words   |  7 Pagesproblem comes when he abuses of his power to take control. In this way totalitarian governments and rulers have arose, and have intended to influence in the society to achieve their goals. A totalitarian leader controls the behavior and actions of its people in order to become powerful. In the novels, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell, two futuristic dystopias are depicted. Both of them show totalitarian rule, where liberty has been deprived by different means of control. InRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article Personal Privacy Up For Grabs By C. Mitchell Shaw1617 Words   |  7 Pagestake away his right to live. In the totalitarian government of the novel 1984 by George Orwell and the article â€Å"Personal privacy up for grabs† by C. Mitchell Shaw, there lies a sense of knowledge that constant watch does not signify safety or true freedom. Rather, both written pieces focus on the belief that a man without the freedom to act in private without observation is not a man at all--his existence is erased in the process. By analyzing the article â€Å"Personal privacy up for grabs† and the novel

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Avila Auto Parts Free Essays

a. The two methods of reporting in the parent company’s currency are different due to usage of different rates of exchange. Under the first method, the spot rates are to be used. We will write a custom essay sample on Avila Auto Parts or any similar topic only for you Order Now Spot rates are the rates at which the transaction is carried out. This is normally a difficult approach and companies use the date on which the balance sheet and income statement is prepared. The spot is taken to be the rate of the balance sheet and other financial statements. The other method uses average rate of exchange of the period of reporting. In our case, using the two methods, we will have significant differences in the reported profits and losses. If we use the spot rate of balance sheet publication, the currency conversion factor will be 12000 pesos per dollar, whereas if we use average rate, the conversion will be done at 10,000 pesos per dollar. There will be a difference of 20 percent in the reporting. On the other hand, if the rate today has been less than the exchange rate at the beginning, the current reported figures would have been lower than those reported under first method. We should ideally use the method of spot rate at which payments are made. If it is not possible, the average rate would be better and consistent. Average can be taken for monthly figures or weekly rates to make it more accurate and representative of the realistic picture. As the income statement shows, the profits for the year were 25,000 million pesos in the local country. If it is translated to the parent company’s reporting currency using the spot rate of income statement, that is 12,000 pesos = $1, we will have net profits of $2,083,333. If we use the average rate of the period, that is (8,000+12,000)/2 = 10,000 pesos per $1, we will have net profits of $2,500,000 or $2. 5 million. Under both the methods of reporting the same profits/income of the company to its parent company, the profits are quite different simply due to the currency difference and exchange rate variation over the period. The difference in profits reported is more than $0. 4 million or roughly 20 percent which may change the decisions taken at headquarters. Taking into consideration the differences in the exchange rates and conversion risk, the company should decide on a measure to select the rate of exchange to use for its reporting during the entire life of the organization. They should consistently use whatever they have decided to use over their entire life. b. Functional currency is the one in which the operational cash is generated and is normally the currency of the country where the operations are going on. If the currency of the operating country is not stable, it can not be considered as functional currency. The stability of currency means that the rate of inflation over three year period should be less than 100 percent. As in the given case, the rate of inflation is 50 percent, (from 8,000 ps per dollar to 12,000 ps per dollar), the functional currency will be peso as the operational cash flows are generated in pesos and the inflation is within the limits. If the inflation over the past two years reaches 150 %, the functional currency will be changed to the reporting currency of the parent company, which in our case is dollar. . Economic exposure for Avila can be seen by the given conversion rates and their variability over such a short period of time. Economic exposure is the effect of foreign currency rate changes to the cash flows and other measures of operational performance. The exposure for any company is affected by the industry it is operating in and the stability of the currency of its operating country and the parent company. If there is excess demand of pesos, it will push th e rates of pesos higher and vice versa. If the rate gets higher, that is there will be less pesos in a dollar, the performance in the parent company’s report will be better than the situation when the exchange rate gets low. The two reporting methods will lead to significant differences in reported profits and losses to the parent company, from the operations in some other country. 3. Hedging can be a good option to protect the company against any unforeseen changes in the exchange rates. The company can make hedging I a number of ways to make itself protected against foreign exchange risk. Four positions are possible to provide such a protection using simple forward contracts and options. a. Long forward Under long forward position, the company at the operating country can take a long forward position to fix exchange rate (today) for a future date of transaction. Taking a long position means that the investor is agreeing to buy the underlying asset, at a specified price, agreed by both parties, on some future date. The contract has to be executed irrespective of what the conversion rate will be. Unlike options, none of the parties has the option to execute the contract or revoke it, but it is mandatory for both of them to carry it out. b. Short forward Short forward position can act equally well at the parent company’s location. The parent company at the parent country can go to short forward position so that it can sell dollars to pesos at a rate specified today. Using both the positions they can hedge the overall loss and can be certain about the expected gains. Options provide a type of insurance against any unforeseen changes in exchange rate. The buyer of call option and the seller of put option, both have the right to exercise the option or to waste it. The maximum loss in wasting the option is restricted to the price of the option. In this way, the company can set a floor to its loss and can gain as much as it can. c. Long Call Long call allows the parent company to buy a right to buy at a specified rate at some future point in time. If the rate increases, the company will have the option to buy at a lower rate than the market going rate, if it goes down, the loss will be restricted to the price of the option and the gains can be as much as the rate goes down. . Short Put Short Put will allow the company at the operating country to enter into a position to sell a right to sell at a set rate. The working for this will be exactly in the opposite manner as the long call position. 4. Financial architecture affects the overall cost for the company. If the inflation is high and the interest rates are high for a high risk firm , the cost of obtaining financing from banks and other Financial Institutions (FIs) will be high. Equity financing or market financing will require a higher rate of return, but the firm may shift the payments to some future period. As for bank financing or debt financing, it will have to make payments to the lending institution within the given timeframe. The firms may choose to go for a certain debt to equity ratio to gain advantage of optimal capital structure to optimize their costs of capital or WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital). 5. Euro currency is the use of currency in some other country. This in our case refers to storage, saving of pesos in the parent country where the currency in use is dollars. This will provide the company benefits in terms of advantage in domestic interest rate regulations and other barriers to free flow of cash. Firms participate in the euro currency markets to gain the benefits from exchange rate inefficiencies and under or over valuation of some currencies. If the investments are in the parent company’s currency and the operations are in the local currency of country where operations are being carried out, the exchange rate plays a vital role when calculating returns on investments for the company’s investments and funding by the parent company. If the domestic currency rises in operating country, the rate of return required should be higher than normal to overcome the exchange differences and vice versa. To overcome this difference and the problems due to fluctuating exchange rates, companies enter euro-currency markets where they can keep their money in parent company’s currency and convert it to functional currency as and when needed. This provides them the opportunity to maintain the required base in terms of parent company’s currency. 6. Other alternatives to run a firm’s fund-flow mechanism are to use various swaps in the form of interest rate swaps or foreign currency swaps. MNCs can go for unbundling of their costs at headquarters to affiliate companies of subsidiaries. In this way they can divide their costs to subsidiaries. Multinationals can go for transfer pricing mechanisms to avoid taxes on their overall operations. This can be done by pricing their internally traded goods for the purpose of moving profits to low tax nations. This will provide them an overall higher profitability. Companies can also create re-invoicing centers to avoid exchange rate fluctuations. The invoice currency will be the one used rather than the operating currency. This will reduce their exposure to currency and exchange rate risk. This will increase communication costs and to some extent create an overhead whereby the overall time delays and costs will be increased. MNCs can also transfer funds to their parent companies as dividends if the local conditions and regulatory framework is favorable. The major benefits of using different mechanisms can be obtained because of differences in the tax mechanisms and tax systems in different countries. Firms, by simply moving their profits from high tax region to a low tax region can save on their overall taxes provided the costs of moving are not high enough to make it unprofitable. How to cite Avila Auto Parts, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Organizational Diversity Management Programs - MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Organizational Diversity Management Programs. Answer: Introduction: Human resource management (HRM) is referred to the formal methodologies adapted in a system as devices to support the management members in an organization surrounding three prime responsibility area being employee benefits, designing jobs and staffing responsibility. The HRM plays a crucial role in managing workers and the organization culture and environment alongside the witnessed issues (Hampson, Junor Gregson, 2012). This report primarily focuses on the identification of the underlying issues in the aircraft organization management as in introduced in the provided case study. From the view of an International HRM consultant, the potential management issues regarding culture, diversity, training and development, and international performance from the employees are analyzed to provide an insight about the same (Alczar et al., 2013). Among the witnessed issues relative to variant segments, majorly one segment is chosen and an elaborated briefing is discussed in the report in relev ance to the same. The scope of the report stretches to the point of vivid description on the methodologies that should be adapted by the HRM to resolve the issues and simultaneously, ensure the maintenance of the solutions provided to avoid any similar repetitions in the organization. The report presents a planned strategy to introduce as a set of recommendations that should be followed to achieve the objectives. Following the analysis and identification of the issues, the HRM strategies are introduced and finally the implementation plan is set to utilize the set of recommendations for the elimination of the detected flaws or shortcomings practiced consistently in the organization (Harvey, Williams Probert, 2013). In regards to discussion about the aircraft organization issues, the very organization is provided an introductory name in this report that is as Streamlined-Drive (SD) Aircraft, and is continued in the discussion with the identical descriptive name as is suggested in this section of the report. As an Internal HRM consultant, investigating the case study provided relative to SD-Aircraft it is important to revise the details about the organization, which from the information would be apt to state that Adam OMeara, the CEO of the organization is critically concerned about the sustainability and the profitability of the organization. The only solution in his sight, was the maximization of the shareholders return otherwise, the sustainability is at risk. Underlying Issues in the Organizational Management: Major role human resource management is to find out the issues inside an organization due to several organizational change and employee relations. In the case of SD-AIRCRAFT, from the viewpoint of human resource manager different issues can be found out which associated cultural issues, training are and development issues, international performance management and diversity management issues (Hampson, Junor Gregson, 2012). Primarily is can be seen that a fundamental issue is the gap of communication among the employees as well as different working teams. Manufacturing of different parts are specifically delayed and the quality of different mechanical parts are significantly low due to communication and integrity gap between different working teams. The stakeholders of the company further escalate the issue as they refused to pay if the quality is not improved. Members of one team are accusing the members of other for not doing their work properly and the action of line manager in these cases is not appropriate. Performance management issues are also severe for SD-AIRCRAFT. No clear measures are present for the subsidiaries of the organization (Harvey, Williams Probert, 2013). The HR of Australian division only does international performance assessments, but for the subsidiaries in Singapore and Vietnam the number of performance reviews are almost zero. Economic factors based on the business targets and the management team of the headquarters constantly ignores industry relations. Many decisions taken by the headquarters for the subsidiaries do not match the circumstances of there and implementation of those decision affect the working condition the subsidiaries (Harvey, Williams Probert, 2013). Training and development is the core area of human resource management and numerous issues have been discovered for SD-AIRCRAFT regarding this factor. There is no platform for employee feedback. Expatriate training are not as effective as the expectation of the management. The reason behind this is company HR assumes that the requirement of each employee will be same regarding the online resources and the training of those employees have been limited to 12 hours which is not sufficient at all (Ashikali, Groeneveld, 2015). Again the employees are not getting sufficient training after moving to a subsidiary and because of that they are facing problems to adapt the new conditions and integrate themselves with the work at new place. Workforce planning are not systematic at the subsidiaries of SD-AIRCRAFT as well as the headquarters. Career development plans for the employees are not successfully implemented due to absence of proper and effective management development programs. It has b een noted that senior management has a significant fear of the promotion demands of the junior employees and as a result they do not prepare the juniors to play their roles perfectly. Focusing on diversity management, several major issues can be found here. Respect in an organization is the key feature of diversity management as the structure of an organization consists of diverse people.Therefore, workforce of the company depends on the inter-relationship between the employees at different levels. In SD-AIRCRAFT, a huge relationship dispute is present between the senior staffs and junior staffs as the senior staffs do not work well with new entrants. At the subsidiary in China, managers refuse to hire people with physical disabilities. This has showed the discriminative mentality of the managers and seriously affecting the reputation of the organization. HR department of the organization does not possess a clear set of activities that will help the employees to understand each other as well as to understand their role in the workforce of the organization. HR department does not give importance to the employee relations (Ashikali, Groeneveld, 2015). This problem is more severe at the subsidiaries than at the headquarters. Organizational discrimination is the huge problem that is developed by the lack of communication and dispute in employee relations. This internal problem is the fundamental factor for low productivity of the organization and its loss of reputation. Limitations in Diversity Management: A part of human resource management is diversity management. This management incorporates various strategies and proper activities to create a diverse workplace and maintain its sustainability. Any business is comprised of diverse factors. The workforce of an organization consists diverse employees and managers. It is fundamental to recognize and value the differences of the individuals. Diversity can be of the terms of gender, race, ethnicity, physical abilities, socioeconomic status, ideologies and other factors (Bratton Gold, 2012). A business organization always remains full of these factors. Therefore, it is necessary to manage all these factors in such a way that it helps the organization to progress, not to deteriorate. The management of the diverse factors can only be done managing the employees in the organization in a proper way. SD-AIRCRAFT is business organization affected by several problems related to diversity management. The major problem is related to respect and communication between the employees belonging to different levels of the company. Respect between the staffs working at different levels and communication maintain a stable employee relation inside the organization. Productivity of an organization depends on the stable conditions of employee relation as the whole productivity is the set of tasks achieved by different teams of employees working at different levels (Bratton Gold, 2012). Any kind of dispute among the staffs affects the co-ordination of work and the quality of the works degrades. SD-AIRCRAFT is facing serious quality issues due to this diversity dispute among their staffs and stakeholders of the organization are furious due o this. Senior staffs are too much intolerant to work with the new entrants (Bratton Gold, 2012). There ca be many issues behind this reluctance such as fear of losing position, excessive pride and issues relating diversity. Senior staffs only a little eager to work with the juniors having similarities with them. Understanding between the senior and junior staffs is the key to properly finish a task and achieve a goal. A new employee cannot be able to understand a task without proper guidance of senior and experienced employee and a senior employee cannot get a job done without the required strength of junior employee. Therefore the understanding has to be there; else, the task will remain incomplete whatsoever (Ashikali, Groeneveld, 2015). This will affect other tasks as well because SD-AIRCRAFT deals in a business where the tasks of employees are inter-related and production of the company depends on the combined work. Another important issue that has been noticed at the subsidiary in China, that the managers are reluctant to hire any deserving employee due to their disabilities. This philosophy of the managers is very unethical. Any deserving person, who can do the job perfectly using his or her full potential, should not be denied just because of his or her some other disabilities Hodge, Lieberman Murata, 2017). They should be given a proper chance to show their potential and ability to perform the task and fulfill the objectives (Gunasinghe, 2014). This mentality of the managers of SD-AIRCRAFT will easily lose the market goodwill of the organization and will boldly display the discriminative diversity management issues. Managing diverse employees of an organization is the duty of the HR department. It is necessary for the HR to give enough importance to handle the diversities present in the organization and deduce proper policies to manage them. Issues in SD-AIRCRAFT are so severe that is continuously affecting the quality of the business and worries of the stakeholders prove it (Brewster Mayrhofer, 2012). HRM Methodologies to Deal with the Issue: As discussed in the report, several management issues are discussed in details, which were underlying in the proceeding of the operations in the organization. Among the recorded issues, as is mentioned in the previous section of the report, the diversity management issues are primarily set to focus in this report (Madera, 2013). The existing issues are identified and discussed so far, this segment of the report is constructed to provide the insight on the HRM methodologies and the appropriate strategies that should be adapted to deal with detected shortcomings relative to the same. Attentive and strategic measures that should be introduced with objective of minimization of flaws are brought to notice in the following sub sections (Bernardo, 2013). As in this case, the modern trend of the organization is teamwork to sustain the growth of any organization; this subjects the organization to comprise employees of variant ethnicities, ancestry, gender, physical abilities, race, sexual orientations, education, geographical location and likewise (Quinlan, Hampson, Gregson, 2013). The theme of excellence through diversity is a prime goal, yet this term raises issues and confusions (Berman et al., 2012). The management should focus on the ways these mentioned dimensions might affect success, motivation, performances and communication in an organizational team and alongside, provide mitigations relative to the challenges and limitations for the removal of the underlying defects (Gunasinghe, 2014). Guiding Principles: To manage diversity in workplace it is important to recognize the objectives and relative importance of diversity through few principles, as is provided here (Bratton Gold, 2012). Firstly, with an accurate management dealing with diversity in organization, introduces a distinct advantage in the dynamic society wherein, flexibility and creativity are the prime factors towards success, as an organization needs to be flexible to interact with potential customers (Brewster Mayrhofer, 2012). Secondly, heterogeneity helps in the promotion of the creativity as it is recorded this provides improvised solutions and standardized level of analysis. This can be of tremendous advantage during the self-examination for an organization to discover operational techniques (Kulik, 2014). Thirdly, with an efficient management towards diversity, the organization can prove to be a public institution reflecting diversity and simultaneously, can provide an upgraded service level to the diverse customers. Apt Management Procedures: The HRM possesses a major role in the transformation of organizational culture to reflect the values of diversity in a workplace. The key potentials required for a consultant from the HRM would be, firstly, the individual should be capable of understanding and accepting the concepts of diversity. Secondly, he/she must realize the fact that diversity is connected through every segment of management (Ng Sears, 2012). Thirdly, he/she should have the willingness and capability to challenge and transform the shortcomings or the limitations the institution is experiencing, which in turn is creating barriers for the development. Managing diversity in a workplace reflects the organizational acknowledgement towards differences existing among the people and providing prevention against discrimination (Janssens Zanoni, 2014). An enhanced management system promotes unity and inclusiveness among the employees. Strategies to Manage Diversity: Firstly, the HRM level should demonstrate in a proper way about the ability, concerning the efforts in a diverse workplace, effectively. Secondly, a diverse applicant pool can be constructed to recruit underutilized set from the society (Nkomo Hoobler, 2014). Thirdly, while staffing along with the job requirements it is essential to note various competencies that could analytical, organizational and coordination. Fourthly, a panel interview set-up might help in ensuring a diverse committee alongside unit affiliation and job experiences. Fifthly, accommodations should be proper for the disabled candidates (Martn Alczar et al., 2013). The individual appointed in the management finally, should take a note of the personal biases, cultural or ethical within the existing system to ensure a preferred communication set-up and procedures. Recommendations and Implementation Plan: The diverse workforce in the organization must revise the operations within the system following the suggestive recommendations set to enhance the diversity and quality within the organization (Sabharwal, 2014). With the help of a HRM design projecting an implementation plan as the major challenge in the transformation relative to any organization is the implementation phase and the relevant procedures that might introduce a positive change in the workplace environment (Podsiadlowski et al., 2013). This section of the report presents a list of recommendations and simultaneously, an implementation plan connected to the same with the objective to eliminate the development-barriers in the SD-Aircraft. Set of Recommendations: Firstly, the senior management should adapt a leadership style that would provide a coordinated and systematic effort paradigm for the improvisation of diverse climate in a workplace. Secondly, the management should ensure an appropriate welcoming session for the new employees into the various aircraft units (Olsen Martins, 2012). Thirdly, the colleagues should be respectful towards one another and cooperative simultaneously. The management should perform a regular analysis wherein, the employees should have the accountability of their responsibility (Barak, 2016). Fourthly, the directors, managers and the supervisors with the responsibility to direct others work must ensure the units have a positive environment. Next, expansion and promotion relative to of the organization resources, providing trainings relevant to diversity and equality is essentially important to support the employees adapt to the recommended organizational climate above (Hodge, Lieberman Murata, 2017). Finally, the funding schemes and the personnel should be expanded to support the suggestive measures. Implementation Plan: An implementation plan based on the recommendation set pre-described in the section is in the concern to establish standardized practices during the initial implementation duration to the major operations, maintenance and supervising phase as is tabulated below: Essential Components Departmental Actions Diversity Sectors Support Integration in Business ventures Apply the improvised plans on diversity and identify the advantages of the same Determine possible ways for implementing diverse climates (Gunasinghe, 2014) Integrate with corporate business planning units to understand better Mentor the teams about the diverse environmental benefits Evaluation of Performance Monitor over the agendas set in the meetings supporting diversity Report the departmental success and challenges relative to the same (Gunasinghe, 2014). Discuss the census reports with teams Collaborate the information in corporate summary Trusted Resources Determine the major requirements to achieve the objectives, alongside, evaluate the necessary financial and human resources Provide the required time for the team members to collaborate Integrate with the departmental teams to achieve unity Support the existing training along with the introduction of new values Shared Individual Accountability Managers and Supervisors monitor personalized plans in integration of diversity and inclusiveness Create a communication methodology to promote awareness in departments about roles and responsibilities Provide relevant competencies Construct and implement support sectors and communication plans (Barak, 2016) Training Sessions Provide motivation and time to the candidates interested in improving knowledge Construct framework for prevailing integration into the already existing training sessions Avail an entire training session in accordance with departmental view Integrate with HR- to collaborate practices into training sessions Table 1: Implementation Plan Conclusion: On analysis of the discovered facts in the reports, it can be concluded that the SD-Aircraft has few underlying operational issues in the cultural, international performance, training and the diverse management, as id vividly described in the previous segments of the report. Among the major issues, diverse management was a matter of focus in this report. It serves important features in relevance to the development and growth of the organization in order to achieve success through team collaborations (Ng Sears, 2012). The recommendation set in the report provides valid suggestive measures based on literature reviews and research relative to organizational unity and growth. The recommendations should be adapted by following the implementation plan with of course three prime requirements- resources, capacity and time for the implementation methodology wherein, resources include people and finance while the capacity criteria includes potentials and competencies. References: Ashikali, T., Groeneveld, S. (2015). Diversity management in public organizations and its effect on employees affective commitment: The role of transformational leadership and the inclusiveness of the organizational culture.Review of Public Personnel Administration,35(2), 146-168. Barak, M. E. M. (2016).Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications. Berman, E. M., Bowman, J. S., West, J. P., Van Wart, M. R. (2012).Human resource management in public service: Paradoxes, processes, and problems. Sage. Bernardo, J. T. (2013, May). A methodology for hard/soft information fusion in the condition monitoring of aircraft. InSPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing(pp. 875607-875607). International Society for Optics and Photonics. Bratton, J., Gold, J. (2012).Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan. Brewster, C., Mayrhofer, W. (Eds.). (2012).Handbook of research on comparative human resource management. Edward Elgar Publishing. Gunasinghe, L. (2014).Employee-Employer Communication in an Aircraft Maintenance Repair Organization(Doctoral dissertation, Walden University). Hampson, I., Junor, A., Gregson, S. (2012). Missing in action: aircraft maintenance and the recent HRM in the airlines literature.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,23(12), 2561-2575. Harvey, G., Williams, K., Probert, J. (2013). Greening the airline pilot: HRM and the green performance of airlines in the UK.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,24(1), 152-166. Hodge, S., Lieberman, L., Murata, N. (2017).Essentials of teaching adapted physical education: Diversity, culture, and inclusion. Routledge. Janssens, M., Zanoni, P. (2014). Alternative diversity management: Organizational practices fostering ethnic equality at work.Scandinavian Journal of Management,30(3), 317-331. Kulik, C. T. (2014). Working below and above the line: The researchpractice gap in diversity management.Human Resource Management Journal,24(2), 129-144. Madera, J. M. (2013). Best practices in diversity management in customer service organizations: an investigation of top companies cited by Diversity Inc.Cornell Hospitality Quarterly,54(2), 124-135. Martn Alczar, F., Miguel Romero Fernndez, P., Snchez Gardey, G. (2013). Workforce diversity in strategic human resource management models: A critical review of the literature and implications for future research.Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal,20(1), 39-49. Ng, E. S., Sears, G. J. (2012). CEO leadership styles and the implementation of organizational diversity practices: Moderating effects of social values and age.Journal of Business Ethics,105(1), 41-52. Nkomo, S., Hoobler, J. M. (2014). A historical perspective on diversity ideologies in the United States: Reflections on human resource management research and practice.Human Resource Management Review,24(3), 245-257. Olsen, J. E., Martins, L. L. (2012). Understanding organizational diversity management programs: A theoretical framework and directions for future research.Journal of Organizational Behavior,33(8), 1168-1187. Podsiadlowski, A., Grschke, D., Kogler, M., Springer, C., Van Der Zee, K. (2013). Managing a culturally diverse workforce: Diversity perspectives in organizations.International Journal of Intercultural Relations,37(2), 159-175. Quinlan, M., Hampson, I., Gregson, S. (2013). Outsourcing and offshoring aircraft maintenance in the US: Implications for safety.Safety Science,57, 283-292. Sabharwal, M. (2014). Is diversity management sufficient? Organizational inclusion to further performance.Public Personnel Management,43(2), 197-217.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Argos Retail Ltd Strategic management

Executive summary This is an individual report that focused on analysing the external factors that could impact the performance of Argos Retail Ltd in the UK. Our team members agreed that the firm is based on a strong platform that has been instrumental in gaining significant market share.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Argos Retail Ltd Strategic management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More An analysis of the various strategic models and theories, such as SWOT analysis, PESTEL analysis, Porter’s five forces, and Porter’s diamond mode provided a clear status of the company. Group members agreed that the management of the firm should use the Porter’s five forces model to improve the performance of the organisation. A key pillar of the proposed model is the gain of market share through focused competitive approaches. The model is characterised by five forces that could either positive ly or negatively affect the performance of the organisation. In a market that has strong competitors, it would be expected the profits realised from business operations would be driven to normal profits (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes Pyle 2011). A competitive analysis of Argo shows that it has a remarkable level of competitive advantage (Perdana, Roshetko Kurniawan 2012). The firm has high quality goods that are offered at competitive prices. Its main rivals have not yet utilised the integration of the online shopping in their business activities. Thus, our advice to the management team of Argos Retail Ltd is that the firm should take advantage of the huge potential for growth that would be supported by their excellent brand and dynamism with regard to changing of customer behaviour. Introduction This report offers an overview of the academic and practical research that was conducted by my team. It gives more emphasis on my individual contribution to achieving the goals of the tea m. My area of research focused on understanding how external factors influence the performance of Argos Retail Ltd in the UK.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At the start of the group assignment, we agreed on the approaches we could utilise to gather data that were critical for the assignment. All group members agreed that we could use a significant number of sources so that we could provide a report with reliable and valid conclusions. We used more than 30 sources. The sources were from academic journals, business magazines, newspaper articles and labour office reports, among other sources. Various search engines were used to search for various concepts with regard to the assignment. The materials were in relation to our company of analysis and various strategic approaches that could be used to analyse the company. Our team leader also organised for a meeting so that we could have interactions with experts in the field of strategic management. My findings were approved my members in the context of strategic management of Argos Retail Ltd. A critical discussion of the strategic models It has been established that external factors with regard to business organisations could be analysed through the application of various management approaches. An analysis of the company was conducted using the following models and/or theories. PESTEL analysis This framework was utilised in understanding macro-environmental factors that could improve the strategic management of the firm. The report established that Argos Retail Ltd could be analysed as follows using the PESTEL analysis model. Political Several political issues were identified, which could negatively affect the operations of the business organisation. For example, single market policies in the EU. Also, the UK government does not address data security concerns raised by various businesses.Advert ising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Argos Retail Ltd Strategic management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the UK government is committed to offering support for the utilisation of technology and it has a good strategy for small businesses (Amazon 2014; Gov.uk 2014). Environmental In the recent past, air pollution in the UK has increased, but Argos has achieved carbon dioxide reduction target and is conducting best approaches with regard to recycling (BBC 2014f). Argos’ future commitment is focused on impacting the environment positively. This approach would ensure that the organisation would remain in operation because it supports measures that are geared towards preventing environmental degradation (Kluger 2011). Social The cost of living in the UK has fallen significantly and this has resulted in more spending on other things apart from basic needs (Argos 2014a; Argos 2014b; BBC 2014d; BBC 2 014e; BBC 2014g). Immigration affects the UK by increasing consumption of goods (BBC 2014a). In addition, people in the UK have adopted the use of technology, which facilitates purchasing of goods and communications (BBC 2014b). Legal From a legal standpoint, joblessness in the UK has fallen considerably in the recent past. Consumer spending has risen due to an impact from the UK’s GDP. Technological The adoption of IT is helping the UK become a digitalised economy. For example, there is very fast internet on moving vehicles, kids in the UK are using tablets, and shopping centres have a significant number of web users (Argos 2014c; BBC 2014c).Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More SWOT analysis This is a structured strategic management model that could be used to understand internal and external factors that could impact the strategic management of an organisation (Sevkli, Oztekin, Uysal, Torlak, Turkyilmaz Delen 2012; van Wijngaarden, Scholten van Wijk 2012). It analyses the factors that could be favourable or unfavourable for the achievement of the goals of a business establishment. The SWOT analysis of the company concentrated on the external factors that could be threats or opportunities to Argos Retail Ltd. The strengths and weaknesses of the firm could not be considered because they are internal factors. Opportunities Opportunities in the external environment of the company would enable it to improve its performance in the future. A digital economy would ensure that shopping is more convenient. This is illustrated in the growing demand for click and collect (BBC 2013a; Rigby 2014). Changes in consumer behaviour would imply that consumers purchase more products offered by Argos. Another opportunity is the addition to technology, which could facilitate the process of purchasing (BBC 2013b). Threats Stiff competition from businesses that offer similar products would be a threat to the firm (Rugman Lim 2012). Other threats that could negatively impact Argos are threat of data insecurity, negative attitudes towards online stores, and a general decline in profitability of physical stores (Wall 2014). Porter’s five forces This is a strategic management model that is used by business establishments in business strategy development (Lee, Kim Park 2012). The strategic management approach uses components in industrial organisation economics to assess the level of competition and attraction of the market. The model could be used to assess the situation of the organisation as it seeks to improve its market share and competitive advantage. The power of suppliers was found to be weak. Several factors could have led to weak power of su ppliers (Savage 2014). Some of these are pressure on suppliers, several discount requests from retailers, and long waiting time in the retail industry in the UK. Long waiting hours could imply that customers could be impatient and leave shopping centres before they could purchase their products. However, this shortcoming could be effectively addressed through the adoption of the internet in purchasing. The power of buyers was found to be strong. Customers benefit from reduced prices offered by retailers as they seek more customers for increased sales (BBC, 2014h). Online shopping is significantly increasing in the UK and this has resulted in intense competition (BBC, 2013c; Sawas 2012; Tett 2014). Rivalry among businesses in the same field was found to be strong. Intense completion has made businesses adopt many approaches to increasing their customer numbers. For example, low prices and promotions are being used to attract more customers. Threat to market entry was established to b e weak. Technological and mobile advancements hinder new physical entrants. This could imply that it is quite difficult for new firms to gain competitive advantage in the market that supports the operations of Argos. Any new market entrants would be required to invest heavily. The market is characterised by intense competition between online and physical store retailers. The main competitors of Argos are well established. However, Argos is the leading retailer in the European Union (EU). Threat of substitutes with regard to products sold by Argos Retail Ltd was found to be strong. Increased number of substitute goods could imply that products sold by Argos would record low sales. Some substitute goods are from Tesco, Asda, Amazon, and eBay. However, Argos has established own that has found a strategic niche in the market (Asda 2014; Baker 2013). Porter’s diamond model This model is based that proposes that some business establishments or business segments could be more compet itive in specific locations (Carayannis Wang 2012; Mann Byun 2011; Zhao, Zuo, Zillante Zhao 2012). With regard to Argos Retail Ltd, this model considered several clusters where the firm could gain competitive advantage through partnering with other business organisations. The framework was used in the context of understanding competition through the application of the six broad categories outlined below: Factor condition With regard to Argos, the following components were found to be involved in factor condition: Digitalised economy, highly skilled and motivated personnel, strong financial arms, and EU’s leading and most innovative retailer Related and supporting industry This component of the model focuses business factors that support the activities of the firm. Argos Retail Ltd gets support from eBay (Sawas 2013). The firm works with an established delivery firm known as Paracelforce. The organisation has partnered with Vanquis Bank for credit cards. Argos gets contract s from mobile network companies. Its advertising is conducted by Chi Partners Ltd. Vendor Technology Ltd offers Argos Retail Ltd mobile technology applications (Davis 2014; Homeretail 2014). Demand conditions Consumer behavioural change is geared towards online shopping, which could positively affect the sale sales of the company (Flanders 2013; Marston 2014). In fact, online shopping is becoming popular due to its high level of convenience. Based on the current market data, products of the firm are relatively popular (Millett 2013). Thus, the firm would continue making good profits in the future. Strategy and rivalry of the firm From a strategic point of view, the firm has partnered with eBay so that its product innovation could be increased (Ebay 2014). Argos has ensured that it maintains a high level of innovation of its products and that it remains relevant through reinventing digital stores. Some rivals are eBay, Currys, PCWorld, Tesco, and Asda (Essential retail 2014). Key co nclusions and findings Based on the results obtained from the analysis of the strategic models and/or theories, it is clear that Argos Retail Ltd is a business establishment that is operating in an environment that has factors that could ether impact it negatively or positively. It has based its operations on a growing platform of the online shopping so that it could attract a high number of customers who are shifting their behaviours towards the utilisation of the internet for purchasing products. The firm has a huge potential for growth because the government of the UK supports the adoption of e-commerce. In addition, the potential for growth is based on the strong foundation of the company, which focuses on dynamism with regard to changing markets. Although there is stiff competition, the company is strong financially and it is characterised by significant market share. The practical implication for the business organisation is that the market for online products is still huge. I n fact, the company can utilise the various models of strategic marketing to increase its market share in existing markets and gain entry into new markets. If the organisation enters new markets, then it would significantly improve its sales through attracting new customers for its high quality products.This would also enable it to expand to new markets. Key issues and conclusions I have identified key issues and conclusions with regard to the group assignment. First, cooperation is a critical component that greatly increases the chances of a successful completion of group work. When members of a team corporate to carry out group tasks, then they could have better performance outcomes. Second, punctuality was essential in determining the pace at which members of the team could complete their tasks. In fact, we all ensured that were completed our assigned tasks on time. This helped us to focus on the changes we felt could improve the quality of our findings. Third, I have identified that sharing of tasks increases the speed of accomplishing a major project. It could have taken relatively long time for an individual to complete the overall group assignment. However, it took us very short time to complete the task because we shared it equally. Fourth, the use of the internet is very important in conducting research, which leads to valid conclusions. The importance of the internet in the contemporary world cannot be understated. We could find all that we needed on the internet. Thus, the internet facilitated our research and the space at which we concluded our group assignment. How my individual contribution impacted on the group assignment My contributions were important in the following ways: Discussing with my group members about my findings Raising issues about areas that I thought some of our members did not discuss thoroughly Updating my team members on the progress of my individual task Providing a detailed discussion regarding the correlation of internal factors with external factors in relation to Argos Retail Ltd. References Amazon, 2014, http://www.amazon.co.uk/ Argos, 2014a, About us :corporate social responsibility, http://www.argos.co.uk/static/StaticDisplay/includeName/AboutArgos.htm#about Argos, 2014b, Argos and the environment, , http://www.argos.co.uk/static/StaticDisplay/includeName/AboutArgos.htm#environment Argos, 2014c, https://www.argosonline.es/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/LogonForm?langId=-1storeId=39551krypto=Zu4Fj3qUs9pKTShv9nsASBouXfh4KpUxKABLE4f4Bec%3D Asda, 2014, http://www.asda.com/ Baker, R, 2013, Argos creates head of brand role to drive growth, http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/argos-creates-head-of-brand-role-to-drive-growth/4006451.article BBC, 2013a, Argos see successful transaction for click and collect, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21057345 BBC, 2013b, Face book tops Google searches for UK in 2013, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25402626 BBC, 2013c, UK economy will surpass pre-recession pe ak in 2014, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25345249 BBC, 2014a, Big increase in net migration to UK, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26367391 BBC, 2014b, Can we really becomes addicted to technology?, , http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26836457 BBC, 2014c, Faster internet on trains, boats and planes on horizon, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25825694 BBC, 2014d, IMF:UK economic growth to reach 2.9% in 2014, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26935148 BBC, 2014e, Living standards squeeze continues in UK ,says IFS, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25966075 BBC, 2014f, UK air pollution: how bad is it ?, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26851399 BBC, 2014g, UK GDP growth driven by rise in consumer spending, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25118514 BBC, 2014h, UK retail prices see record fall, BRC says, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26950960 Carayannis, EG., Wang, VWL, 2012, ‘Competitiveness model—a double diamond’, Journal of the Knowledge Economy, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 280-293. Davis, D, 2014, A false sense of security that will cost Britain’s tech sector dear, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8356a380-bc06-11e3-84f1-00144feabdc0.html#axzz303FcwuTi Ebay, 2014, http://www.ebay.co.uk/ eMarketer, 2014, UK kids are frequent tablets gamers, http://www.emarketer.com/Article/UK-Kids-Frequent-Tablet-Gamers/1010352 Essential retail, 2014, Argos ramps up digital strategy with mobile NFC, viewed on http://www.essentialretail.com/news/in-store/article/52ea44db90c07-argos-ramps-up-digital-strategy-with-mobile-nfc Flanders, S, 2013, Single market dilemmas on Europe, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22521657 Gov.uk, 2014, Investment programme to encourage lending to SMEs., https://www.gov.uk/investment-programme-to-encourage-lending-to-smes Homeretail, 2014, Argos retain CHI Partners as Advertising companies, http://www.homeretailgroup.com/news-and-media/news.aspx?smlbus=1519article=5407 Johnson, G, Whittington, R, Scholes, K, Pyl e, S, 2011, Exploring strategy: text cases, 8th edn, Financial Times Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Kluger, J, 2011, ‘Beauty and the Bytes’, Special Commemorative Issue , vol. 16,no. 2,pp. 30-35. Lee, H, Kim, MS., Park, Y, 2012, ‘An analytic network process approach to operationalization of five forces model’, Applied Mathematical Modelling, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 1783-1795. Mann, M, Byun, SE, 2011, ‘Accessing opportunities in apparel retail sectors in India: Porter’s diamond approach’, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 194-210. Marston, R, 2014, Retail revolution: Online’s promise and challenge, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25653707 Millett, C, 2013, Argos sets up mobile plans with online pus, , http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/news/industry/26056/Argos_steps_up_mobile_plans_with_online_push.aspx Perdana, A, Roshetko, JM, Kurniawan, I, 2012, ‘Forces of competition: smallholding teak producers in Indonesia’, International Forestry Review, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 238-248. Rigby, C, 2014, Click and collect sets for explosive growth in the UK, http://internetretailing.net/2014/04/click-and-collect-set-for-explosive-growth-in-the-uk/ Rugman, AM, Lim, DS, 2012, ‘The regional and global competitiveness of multinational firms’, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 218-235. Savage, R, 2014, Argos and homebase turn the screw on suppliers, http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/1230020/argos-homebase-turn-screw-suppliers/ Sawas, A, 2012, Argos stores to be closed to boost online sales, http://www.cio.co.uk/news/strategy/argos-stores-be-closed-boost-online-sales/ Sawas, A, 2013, Ebay and Argos to offer join click and collect parcel service, http://www.cio.co.uk/news/r-and-d/ebay-argos-join-forces-offer-click-collect-parcel-service/ Sevkli, M, Oztekin, A, Uysal, O, Torlak, G, Turkyilmaz, A, Delen, D, 2012, ‘Development of a fuzzy ANP based SWOT analysis for the airline industry in Turkey’, Expert Systems with Applications, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 14-24. Tesco, 2014, http://www.tesco.com/ Tett, G, 2014, Digital v human: the new debate. , http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/74875576-b539-11e3-af92-00144feabdc0.html van Wijngaarden, JD, Scholten, GR., van Wijk, KP, 2012, ‘Strategic analysis for health care organizations: the suitability of the SWOT†analysis’, The International journal of health planning and management, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 34-49. Wall, M, 2014, Start-ups challenge big banks’ technology, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25911784 Zhao, ZY, Zuo, J, Zillante, G, Zhao, XJ, 2012, ‘Foreign architectural and engineering design firms’ competitiveness and strategies in China: A diamond model study’, Habitat International, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 362-370. Appendices Appendix 1: A diagram showing PESTEL analysis components Appendix 2: A diagram showing SWOT an alysis components Appendix 3: A diagram showing Porter’s five forces. Appendix 4: A diagram showing Porter’s diamond model This critical writing on Argos Retail Ltd Strategic management was written and submitted by user Reece Diaz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Raging Bull essays

Raging Bull essays Raging Bull (1980) is not a so much a film about boxing but more of a story about a psychotically jealous, sexually insecure borderline homosexual, caged animal of a man, who encourages pain and suffering in his life as almost a form of reparation. Martin Scorseses masterpiece of a film drags you down into the seedy filth stenched world of former middleweight boxing champion Jake The Bronx Bull LaMotta. Masterfully he paints the picture of a beast whose sole drive is not boxing but an insatiable obsessive jealously over his wife and his fear of his own underling sexuality. The movie broke new ground with its brutal unadulterated no-holds-bard look at the vicious sport of boxing by bringing the camera into the ring, giving the viewer the most realistic, primal, and brutal boxing scenes ever filmed. With blood and sweat spraying, flashbulbs bursting at every blow Scorsese gives the common man an invitation into the square circle where only the hardest trained gladiators dare to venture . The movie opens just as it ends, the camera pans down to the pavement revealing a sign outside the Barbizon Plaza Theater: An Evening with Jake LaMotta Tonight 8:30. The film then cuts to a punched out overweight shot of LaMotta babbling a barely coherent rhyming rant mixing Shakespeare with the infernal jabber of an half illiterate has been boxer. Quickly the scene shifts from backstage of a nightclub to a close up of a younger LaMotta receiving repeated jabs to the face. The bold white title card Jake La Motta 1941 jumps out against the stark grey images of the match. LaMotta between rounds sits in the corner surrounded by his trainer, manager and cut man giving the impression of lion tamers antagonizing a corned animal by telling him he is out pointed and Youre gonna have to knock him out. When the fight continues LaMotta crouches like a coiled snake bo...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Dr. Burn and His Profession Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dr. Burn and His Profession - Case Study Example According to the paper, his vision for his practice was to have highest market share and offer a comprehensive dental care that included periodontal services, orthodontics, endodontics and oral surgeries. Dr. Burn presently had 40% of the market share and to achieve his vision and goals, he needed to gain competitive advantage vis-Ã  -vis quality service, technology driven dental treatment and providing comprehensive dental care. The strategic plans encompass developing new skills and improving the service delivery. He had three full time and three part time staff that worked for 46 hours per week. Dr. Burn believed in constantly keeping updated with the latest advancements in the dentistry and offered the best treatments to his patients who would otherwise had to travel long distance to see specialists. Waterlase was new laser based treatment that did not require anesthesia, was relatively painless and facilitated bloodless surgery and other treatment. This was main attraction, esp ecially for patients who were afraid of blood and pain. As very few dental care clinics had this treatment facility, it could be a major element of competitive advantage which could help gain larger market share. His move to upmarket place would provide him opportunities to expand the services and have space for new dental technology. Customer satisfaction was key ingredient that provides the dental office with huge credibility and therefore all new purchase and new services were designed towards enhancing customer satisfaction in terms of treatment, service and cost affordability. The increasing number of patients indicates the popularity of Dr. Burn and growth. The case has issues and not problems that need to be addressed. The major issue was whether investment in new laser technology, called Waterlase would be economically profitable. It was a new dental laser that allowed dental treatment without anesthesia.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Not ablicable Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Not ablicable - Essay Example This not only increases the temperature on earth’s surface but also the temperature prevailing over the oceanic region of the world. This remarkable rise of temperature is on account of pollution occurring all over the world. The polluted atmospheric condition over the earth is capable to develop infrared radiation. The main gases present in the earth’s atmosphere are water content, Ozone, Carbon dioxide, Nitrous oxide and methane. These gases are termed as Green House Gases and have certain roles to increase the temperature on Earth’s crust. The industrial transformations and development have increased the production of greenhouse gases in the atmospheric air and is considered as one of the main reasons for the global warming. This phenomenon has observed from the middle of the twentieth century. The concentration of the gaseous media of the atmospheric air has great influence to increase global warming. This is affected in accordance with two principles. One is by the direct emission of infra red radiation from the gaseous constituents of atmospheric air and the other is indirectly through clouds. The solid and liquid particles present in the atmospheric air are responsible for the indirect process to develop the global temperature. These solid and liquid suspensions present in the atmospheric air are generally termed as ‘aerosols’. They are universally originated gases substances and the carriers of these substances to the atmosphere are wind. During their travel with wind the aerosol substances undergo tremendous chemical and physical changes naturally. The characteristic features such as Physical, Chemical and concentration of aerosols present in atmospheric air are also taken in to consideration while thinking about the indirect influence on global warming. The risk management Cycle The risk management cycle points out the volume of risk factor caused due to the nuclear emission occurred from the nuclear power plant

Monday, November 18, 2019

Leadership Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership Plan - Essay Example In case of global teams, I would make them know each other through video chat. According to Love (2010), storming is the stage that involves members’ conflicts with each other and their resistance to tasks and team structure. â€Å"Typically during the Storming phase, conflict, dissention and difficulties arise† (Fran, 2010). At this stage, I would work towards resolution of conflicts between team members. In case of conventional teams, I would meet conflicting employees face-to-face in order to know their issues, as well as to resolve them. I would assign the roles and responsibilities to each team member considering their skills. In case of global teams, I would arrange a video conference in which I would invite all team members to know and resolve their cultural and personality conflicts. At this stage, members start thinking themselves as a team (Egeland, 2011). At this stage, I would develop a sense of cohesion between the team members of both conventional and global teams. In case of conventional teams, I would meet each team member personally to make him/her aware of his/her role in the achievement of goals and the way to meet the deadline. In case of global teams, I would contact all team members through video conference to make them aware of the ways to work in a collaborative manner and the ways to resolve personal and cultural conflicts that may arise between them at some time in future due to cultural differences. This is the stage when members, having their efficiencies developed, work toward the achievement of goals. â€Å"Group members begin to look outside of their domain in order to assist others on the team† (Waren, 2010). At this stage, I would continuously motivate both conventional and global teams to make them achieve the goals effectively and efficiently. To evaluate and motivate conventional team members, I would meet each member personally. However, to motivate global team

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Implementing Theories of Management in an Organisation

Implementing Theories of Management in an Organisation Organizations are a set of people arranged socially to perform and achieve a common goal. These organizations form the essential building blocks of modern society. Such organisations across the globe are constantly evolving and the rate of evolution changes from one country to another. Organisational Behaviour can be best explained as the study of the ways individuals and groups act at work, which also includes the analysis of interrelationships and interaction between individuals and groups with their environments (Cole, 1995). In this essay, I wish to explain certain behavioural practices that had existed in my previous organisation and implement two theories (motivation and organisational culture) to my work situations.   Ã‚   First let me give an insight into my background. I was born and educated in a city called Chennai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India. I graduated bachelor in Mechanical Engineering in the year 2013. After graduation, I was trying for job placement in various companies. During one of my interviews in a company called ETA General Private Limited, my answers were noticed by a silently observing gentleman who did not participate in the interview process. I had no idea who he was so but after my interview, he spotted me in the waiting room, asked for my CV and after a few minutes of going through it, offered me a job in Dubai. He introduced himself as Mr. HMT, head of a polymer division of ETA group of companies. Now I understood why he was present here, it is because General Air Conditioners is also a part of ETA group. I was surprised but I felt it was a very good offer and didnt want to miss it. Shortly thereafter, I received my offer letter which promised a good salary, decent accommodation and proper working condition. Despite being an engineer, I opted to do a non-engineering job as a sales assistant. Mainly because the salary package was compelling and moreover an opportunity to gain work experience in the Gulf was like a big deal for a fresher. Thus I landed my very first job. Emirates Trading Agency LLC, shortly known as ETA is a major corporate group headquartered in Dubai. ETA is a joint venture between UAEs Al Ghurair group and a South Indian company. ETA provides contracting, manufacturing, construction, property development, commodity trading services, power projects etc (Built on trust, 2017). It has operations in Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, South East Asia, Far East, North Africa, parts of Europe etc. ETA had approximately 70 individual divisions and each division has its own business unit heads. The particular business unit which I had the opportunity to work for is called Green Star Polymer. Green Star Polymer (GSP) was a commodity trading company which is the polymer trading wing of ETA. It was formed in 1998 by ETA to buy and sell polymer cargo all around the world. GSP had a 400,000 sq ft warehouse in Abu Dhabi for processing polymers. It also was doing waster paper business domestically. Mr. HMT was heading all these operations and was the Senior General Manager (SGM) of ETA. He belonged to the family of the Indian partners so he was very influential within ETA. The Arab partner, Al Ghurair, invest money and the Indian partners run the business in ETA. Like most Arab and Asian companies, ETA is also a family run business. So the business unit heads are the Indian partners who predominantly belong to the same family. Around mid-2013, ETA was in a huge liability and there was difference opinion among the Indian Arab partners. To reduce cost, ETA was closing/selling many businesses and sacking several employees. Dozens of lawsuits were also filed between partners. This casted a very bad image on the entire company in the market. There was lot of uncertainty among employees and ultimately Mr. HMT was dismissed and GSP division was closed down in 2015. Mr. HMT began his own business in mid-2015 and I was the only one from GSP that he trusted and employed for his company. Sigmund Freud argued humans are provoked to act by unconscious forces within us. These forces within us make us act in a certain way to achieve a goal. Motivation is the cognitive decision-making process through which goal-directed behaviour is initiated, energized, directed and maintained (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). Work Situation I: Moving to Dubai for work was the first time moving away from family and the comfort of my home, so I was nervous and excited about my new venture. When I landed in Dubai, I was received from airport by my HR coordinator who dropped me at my accommodation. When I reached my new home, from the outside, I can easily say this is the oldest apartment I had seen in the brief time I was in Dubai. Inside was not good either. The HR guy handed me the key and left. When entered into the room, I was surprised to see 3 people asleep in 2 double cots with one lower cot left vacant for me. The room was half the size of my room in Chennai and 3 others with one bathroom/toilet to be shared. Anyway, I was tired so badly I went to sleep. Next morning, I had a conversation with my roommates as they informed me the rules of the accommodation, office directions, morning timings for using the single bathroom etc. They all worked for ETA but in different divisions. There was no kitchen or pantry available so food had to be purchased from outside. I soon learned the whole building belonged to ETA and occupied by its staffs and also it had been standing there for more than 35 years which is very old compared to UAE standards. All the staffs had been living in unpleasant conditions. I went to my new office that day. I was introduced to all staffs by the HR coordinator. We exchanged greetings and my immediate boss briefed me about the business activities of GSP and about my job. Later I met with Mr. HMT, who welcomed me to the company and handed my employment contract to me. I was shocked to notice that the contract had much lesser salary than what had been promised. It also stated my visa category as simply sales. No executive, no assistant, nothing. I later found out this category of visa is possibly the lowest, more or less equivalent to a clerk. Practically no company should employ me under that category owing to my qualification. I was even rejected to apply driving license with this visa. But my superiors were quick to convince me this is normal. Even though so much was not right, I still didnt express my disappointments to others (I usually dont). I was instructed to be trained for probation period of 6 months. In the very first week, I also learned GSP staffs are working more than 8 hours even after 6pm. I didnt have a clue so I left promptly at 6pm. My line manager called me one day and enquired about me leaving early. I was puzzled and tried to justify that I dont leave during office hours, but even though he advised me to stay until other staffs leave. Again I soon learned the reason behind it. Mr. HMT arrives office at 11am and stays in office till 8pm. He might need some staffs randomly after 6pm so most of them stayed in office till 8pm even though they arrive at 9am in the morning. No policy for overtime pay in place for staffs. Couple of managers quit their jobs within two months of my recruitment but their vacancies were not filled. So I was also assigned additional responsibilities in operations department as GSP was understaffed. Eventually I recognized I was deprived of all the promises made to me. No proper salary, no decent accommodation and no proper working condition. This is when I lost all hope and was very depressed. I was considering to quit my job and go back to India. Applying Motivation Theory: Abraham Maslow argued the content theory which aims to rectify the confusion between drives and motives. He claims that we have innate needs or motives (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). The Fig 1 shows the hierarchy which Maslow framed in detail. Figure 1: Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (Source: Maslow and Lewis, 1987) Physiological needs are to the basic elements to survive for any human being which needs to be satisfied before aspiring for the next need which is social and security. Then comes affiliation needs and self-esteem. If these needs are satisfied, we can feel confident whereas if not, we tend to feel inferior and helpless. Self-actualization is the ultimate goal for any individual (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). Recommendations: In my case, I began to feel de-motivated because I was cheated with false promise of better salary, accommodation and decent work condition. What I failed to understand initially was that I already have satisfied physiological and safety/security needs. I earned enough to feed myself and had a safe place to live and work. Secondly, I maintained good relationship with my colleagues and housemates, also made few friends. Moreover, I realised I was more confident in communication and analytics at work than my colleagues. All these factors combined, gave me a self-realisation that I am doing good for my age and the little experience I have gained. It motivated me to push harder. I felt proud and appreciated by Mr. HMT when I achieved the sales target the very first month I was given full responsibility when my boss was on holiday. Organisational Culture is the collective values, traditions and practices that are relatively similar among the employees of an organisation. Culture varies from one organisation to another and it is argued that the culture also affects the performance of an organisation. Therefore it is essential for managers to control organisations culture (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). Work Situation II: Although ETA is a MNC, its employees are predominantly South Indians. This is mainly because the South Indian business heads are more comfortable working with people from this region. I was also comfortable learning from those people since I am also a South Indian. But there are certain practices that I cannot agree with them. I noticed most of the employees of GSP were servile to Mr. HMT. It was obvious for me to notice these employees behaviour. They are so obsequious to please Mr. HMT. But I couldnt understand if Mr. HMT is not noticing this or if he is oddly comfortable with it. This behaviour of those employees (including few managers) can be attributed to their expectations to progress in work, pay etc. Some employees even degraded themselves to the level of doing household chores for Mr. HMT. There were even few cases where these managers tried to make me oblige to this custom which I had politely refused to do in multiple instances. This behaviour shocked and disgusted me. When Mr. HMT was dismissed in 2015, none of the so-called loyal employees were willing to join him in his new company. They all wanted to transfer to different divisions within ETA for accumulating end of service gratuity and other reasons. After I and Mr. HMT quit from ETA, I brought this matter to his attention during a casual conversation. He confessed that he knew but was oblivious to it and this culture was prevailing within the organisation since he started working in ETA 27 years ago. His realisation about his employees was already too late. Applying Organization Culture Theory: Edgar Schein argued organisations have three levels of culture as depicted below in fig2. The first level is the surface manifestation of culture where the organisations culture is most visible to its customers, visitors and employees. This may include artefacts, ceremonies, norms etc. Second level are the organisations values which underpins the surface manifestations. Although not visible, individuals could be made aware and it distinguishes one organisation from another. The behaviour of all the employees are guided similarly and given a common direction by the values of the organisation.. These values affect the final level which is the basic assumption, which according to Schein is the culture of the organisation. Assumptions are the behavioural aspects which are preconscious, unseen and taken for granted (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). Figure 2: Scheins three levels of culture (Source: Schein, 1985) Recommendations: In case of GSP, many staffs sought benefits by other means, rather than by improving work performance, it also had an impact on the overall performance of the company. This behaviour can be attributed to Scheins theory as basic assumption of ETA employees were less than noble. Since I was new to the company, initially I could only see surface manifestation level of ETA and when I coped up to work with these people, I could clearly see what their basic assumption of working for this organisation was and how their values affected it. As the head of GSP, Mr. HMT needed to have addressed this culture at his level when he had the chance. Moreover it should have been controlled by the senior management of ETA and maintained a healthy culture before it infuriated the Arab partners and the companys reputation was damaged. Better work environment can be achieved by applying organisational theories. All employees are directly affected by whatever is happening in an organisation. It is all attributable to human behaviour. With better understanding of organisational behaviour, managers can effectively influence employee behaviours to do achieve better outcome as discussed in these above scenarios. References Built on trust (2017) Available at: http://www.etaascon.com/ (Accessed: 24 January 2017). Cole, G.A., 1995. Organisational behaviour: Theory and practice. Cengage Learning EMEA. Huczynski, A.A. and Buchanan, D.A. (2001) Organizational behaviour. 4th edn. Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson Education. Maslow, A. and Lewis, K.J., 1987. Maslows hierarchy of needs. Salenger Incorporated, p.14. Schein, E.H. (1985) Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Aimster Debate :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea of sharing media files over the Internet has become a controversial subject as of late. While file sharing applications such as Napster are currently under fire from the US government and from Music Recording companies, one would think that no one would try to mimic Napster’s technology. Johnny Deep, a computer consultant in Troy, New York, has been hailed as the creator of â€Å"The Next Napster†. Deep is the mind behind â€Å"Aimster†, named after his daughter, Aimee. Aimster piggybacks the common and very popular instant- messaging services such as AOL Instant Messenger, AOL, and MSN Messaging Service. Aimster, a free download from www.aimster.com, allows users to swap files with users on the buddy lists, or there is the option of searching all Aimster users with a â€Å"guest† option. Not only can users share audio files; they can share their pictures, their winamp playlists, and any other file on their computer. As of Janu ary 2001 Aimster racked up over 3 million users worldwide. AOL and other messaging services cannot block Aimster use, since it does not run through ISP Servers, rather, every Aimster member’s personal computer acts as a server.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The controversy continues as more and more Napster wanna-be’s are thrown into the mix. Deep believes that the Recording Industry will have less of a problem with his software, since Aimster users only share their files with friends and family on their buddy list, an act that is similar to loaning a CD to a friend – which is hardly illegal. In interview, Deep was quoted as saying â€Å"A lot of people say we’ll be sued not because we are doing anything wrong, but because we are successful.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my opinion, file-sharing should not be getting the negative media attention that it does. I am an avid user of all file-sharing applications: Napster, Aimster, KaZaA and scour. I have over 600 mp3 files on my computer, and I’m downloading three more while I type this. I use file sharing not only as a way to download a song that I hear on the radio, but to look for new music.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Positioning and Repositioning

Positioning and repositioning Before positioning companies has to do segmentation and targeting. Segmentation is dividing the market into segments upon some set of criteria and evaluating the profitability of each segment   Targeting is selecting one or more segments and going after them Positioning is how do you want your brand to be considered by consumers when compared to other competing brands. Positioning is based on product features such as color, price, fluffiness, quality of service, innovative approach, etc.Re-positioning is when you want your brand to be considered/associated with different features. For example, KIA cars has repositioned themselves from being some brand into being a cool brand .. Cadillac has repositioned themselves from being classical car for the rich and old into more affordable elegant car †¦ Oldsmobile has tried to reposition themselves as â€Å"not your father's car† but it was unsuccessful repositioning. Re-positioning is quite lot mor e difficult and expensive compared to initial positioning.You know the saying ‘only one chance to make first impression' also applies to the world of branding. Repositioning Strengthens Lifebuoy’s 107-Year Heritage 12-02-2002  : Lifebuoy is no longer a carbolic soap with cresylic perfume. It is now a milled toilet soap with a new health fragrance. The new formulation has an ingredient, Active-B, which offers protection against germs, which can cause stomach infection, eye infection and infections in cuts and bruises. The new health perfume has been selected after one of the most extensive perfume hunts in the industry.The new milled formulation offers a significantly superior bathing experience and skin feel. The new formulation, new health perfume and superior skin feel, along with the popular red colour, have registered conclusive and clear preference among existing and new users. Lifebuoy is already used by about 600 million consumers, with about 2 million tablets sold every day. The relaunch strengthens this equity by repositioning the brand. Lifebuoy was previously targeted at the male user with an individual-oriented â€Å"success through health† positioning.The new Lifebuoy is targeted at today’s discerning housewife with a more inclusive â€Å"family health protection for my family and me† positioning. Introducing the new Lifebuoy Introducing the new Lifebuoy, Mr. Sanjay Dube, Category Head – Mass Market of HLL’s Detergents Profit Centre, said, â€Å"Launched in 1895, Lifebuoy, for over a 100 years has been synonymous with health and value. The brick red soap, with its perfume and popular Lifebuoy jingle, has carried the Lifebuoy message of health across the length and breadth of the country, making it the largest selling soap brand in the world.It is to maintain its leadership, and further strengthen its benefits of health to larger sections of consumers, that we have researched and developed this new mix. We have repositioned Lifebuoy and have made a deliberate shift from the male, victorious concept of health to a warmer, more versatile, more responsible benefit of health for the entire family. â€Å"The significant changes in formulation have registered a clear consumer preference. The new perfume has been selected after one of the largest perfume tests in the industry to ensure a universal appeal without alienating the 600 million loyal users.We are confident that this mix will deliver an enjoyable bath experience and also deliver on the core Lifebuoy properties of health and value. This will restore the brand’s growth by expanding its consumer base, † Mr. Dube added. Lifebuoy Range Lifebuoy is among HLL’s power brands, which the company is focussing on, selected on the basis of their absolute size, brand strength, brand relevance, competitive advantage and potential for growth. The new Lifebuoy range now includes Lifebuoy Active Red (125gm, 100 gm and 6 0 gm) and Lifebuoy Active Orange (100gm).Lifebuoy Active Orange offers the consumer a differentiated health perfume while offering the health benefit of Lifebuoy. At the upper end of the market, Lifebuoy offers specific health benefits through Lifebuoy International (Plus and Gold). Lifebuoy International Plus offers protection against germs which cause body odour, while Lifebuoy International Gold helps protect against germs which cause skin blemishes. In 2001, HLL’s soaps & detergents turnover was Rs. 295 crores, which is approximately 39% of the company’s net turnover of Rs. 10972 crores. HLL’s power brands in soaps registered an overall growth of 5. 3% in 2001. HLL has been significantly increasing investment behind its power brands, in innovation, quality improvement and marketing. These have been backed by major sales initiatives. In rural India, the focus is to further extend reach, which has resulted in direct coverage of about 46% of the rural populatio n as of now. In urban markets, the objective is to improve customer service.Dedicated sales teams have been formed to service key accounts and wholesalers in larger towns and cities. A cell has been set up to attend to the modern trade, comprising chain stores. Repositioning Strengthens of Maggie positioning Maggi noodles is a brand of instant noodles manufactured by Nestle. Maggi has been the highest sold noodles in India. It is a product of Nestle Brand. It took several years and lots of money for nestle to establish its noodles brand in India Maggi was invented in Europe by a person named Jullius Maggi.In India it was launched in 1980s by Nestle group of companies. Maggie had merged with Nestle family in 1947. Maggie has faced lot of hurdles in its journey in India†¦. The basic problem the brand faced was the Indian psyche. i. e Indians used to be conservative about the food habits so noodles faced a lot of problem in promoting sales. Initially nestle tried to to position th e Noodles in the platform of convenience targeting the working women. However, the sales of Maggi was not picking up despite of heavy Media Advertising.To overcome this NIL conducted a research,which revealed that it was children who liked the taste of Maggi noodles and who were the largest consumers of the product. so they came up with Maggi- 2 minute noodles with price of Rs. 2. 10 with a close of 100% margin. NIL shifted its focus from working women and targeted children and their mothers through its marketing. NIL's promotions positioned the noodles as a ‘convenience product', for mothers and as a ‘fun' product for children. The noodles' tagline,  Ã¢â‚¬ËœFast to Cook Good to Eat' was also in keeping with this positioning.They promoted the product by   1. Distributing free samples. 2. Giving gifts on return of empty packets. 3. Dry sampling-distributing Maggi packets 4. wet sampling – distributing cooked Maggi. 5. Availability in different packages 50gm,100 gm,200gm,etc.. and 6. Effective Tagline Communication. Through its ads, NIL positioned Maggi as a ‘fun' food for kids which mothers could prepare easily. Taglines like ‘Mummy, bhookh lagi hai' (Mom, I'm hungry), ‘Bas 2-Minute,' and ‘Fast to Cook Good to Eat' effectively communicated the product's benefits to target consumers.These ads had become so popular that the tagline ‘Bas 2-Minute' immediately reminded Indian consumers of Maggi noodles even several years after the ads were taken off the TV. Maggi's first product extension was Maggi instant soups launched in 1988. With the launch of Maggi soups, NIL had become a pioneer in the organized packaged soup market in India.. since then Maggi has been successful in India and launched ketch ups sauces and soups in India, which was very successful in grasping market.Though NIL tried to extend to other ready to eat products like pickles, cooking aids and paste, It was unsuccessful so dumped those products. Ma ggi is competing with Heinz Sauces and Ketchup, Knoor Soups, Kissin Sauces and Ketchup, Top Ramen, Sunfeast Pasta Wai Wai and 2 PM in corresponding categories of products and variants. Market position of Maggie: 1. No. 1 in instant noodles and sauces. 2. No. 2 in healthy soups. 3. Market share of noodles- 80% 4. current sales-5. 5crores boxes in India. Repositioning

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Comparative Contrasts Abstract Expressionists

Comparative Contrasts Abstract Expressionists Free Online Research Papers This paper will discuss, and compare three abstract expressionists, their artwork, their ideas, and their emotion involved in these works of art. They are primarily from the same time period. Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), Milton Resnick (1917-2004), and Mark Rothko (1903-1970). All of the artists use deep, rich color to covey feeling or emotion to the viewer. The first abstract expressionist artist that I chose was Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), and his painting â€Å"Elegy to the Spanish Republic No.34 (1953-1954)† oil on canvas. â€Å"Robert Motherwell was born on January 24, 1915 in Aberdeen, Washington. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Stanford University in 1937† (artinthepicture, 2008). In 1948 Robert Mother started on the Elegy theme, a series of over 150 images. This series would absorb his interests for the rest of his life. Elegy is defined by Webster’s dictionary as â€Å"a song or poem expressing sorrow or lamentation especially for one who is dead† (Webster’s, 2008). The â€Å"Elegy† series is about the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, No. 34 specifically is about General Francisco Franco cru shing the burgeoning democratic movement in Spain. In this painting Motherwell used simple contrasting colors, predominantly black, and white, but also subtle uses of red, yellow, and blue in the background. Motherwell simply explained the meaning of the black and white colors simply stating that black is to white as death is to life. He also said â€Å"he never considered his paintings to be abstract† (Sayer, 2007). The best-worded description of the painting is â€Å"simplistic death†. The long black irregular shapes seem to drop from above to invade and divide the white rectangular zones, in poetry of death. â€Å"Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 34 stands as modern testimony to the rich legacy of some of the oldest tenets of the concept of style in western art† (Habel, Hiles, 2000). The second abstract artist I chose was Milton Resnick (1917-2004), and his painting â€Å"U+Me (1995)†oil on canvas. Milton Resnick was born on January 7,1917 in Bratslav, Russia, and immigrated to the United States in 1922. â€Å"Milton Resnick was one of the last survivors from the New York School of painters, also known as the Abstract Expressionists†(oregonstate, 2006). â€Å"U+ME† is one of a series of 5 large oil paintings themed â€Å"Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden†. In this oil painting Milton Resnick uses a unique technique called scrumbling. Scrumbling is the technique of working one layer of oil paint over another of a different color with out entirely annihilating the preceding layer, or layers. Milton’s particular style of painting is done without any practice, a plan, or a preliminary drawing, its just done with a brush mark and a feeling of where he’s going (Sayer, 2007). Milton stated that â€Å"the feeling doesnâ⠂¬â„¢t have to be physical, but it has to be as if I came at you and you were frightened†(Sayer, 2007). A brief description of this painting would be that the painting resonate a sense of death approaching. â€Å"The background fields remain true to Resnicks earlier styles, with horizon less expanses of browns, Prussian blues, and dusty yellows. The figures simply float over this like ghostly Apparitions, highlighted with shocks of impasto white† (Zissner, 2000). They seem to have very short arms, or maybe theyve been violently cut off. â€Å"The tree is similarly stunted, and draws a similarity to a cross† (Sayer, 2007). The last abstract artist that I chose was Mark Rothko (1903-1970), and his painting â€Å"Four Darks in Red (1958)† oil on canvas. â€Å"Mark Rothko was born in Daugavpils, Latvia (a part of Russia), and imagrated to the United States in 1914 â€Å"(guggenheimcollection, 2007). Mark Rothko stated, â€Å"he was only interested in expressing the basic human emotions in his paintings; tragedy, ecstasy, doom and so on† (Sayer, 2007). â€Å"His art is known for its subtle colors, firm structures, rich variations, and absence of explicit imagery† (MPG, 2004). Most viewers’ think of his art as rational, and opulent. This painting seems to convey to it viewers that the red and black emotions come at night, when you are alone and most vulnerable, black being the largest of the rectangles, with the misty red emerging at the bottom. Giving the impression that the emotions are solid, even tangible as though they are deeply saturated with heat. It’s the colors one would imagine a human heart to be. â€Å"Although many people seem to have great difficulty determining the vanishing point of this painting, its not hard to find if one draws lines through the tops and bottoms of the columns on the left† (MPG, 2008). In comparing these three paintings, â€Å"Four Darks in Red (1958)† by Mark Rothko, â€Å"U+Me (1995)† by Milton Resnick, and â€Å"Elegy to the Spanish Republic No.34 (1953-1954)† by Robert Motherwell. These paintings have a lot of similarities. The first, and most the predominate similarity is that all of the before mentioned artists use a layering technique in these particular paintings. The most extensive of these paintings in using the laying technique was done by Milton Resnick, in â€Å"U+Me (1995)†. This painting is shown developing in â€Å"The World of Art, Fifth addition by Henry M. Sayer†. These three pictures give you a general, but a good idea on how this painting unfolded in its design, and creation. It’s a very unique view on how this painting started, you would have never thought that the painting would have been completed the way it was, but yet it was necessary to see it in this light to understand the depth of the wor k involved. Resnick believed â€Å"that it was important to be open to previously unthought-of possibilities in the act of painting and to that extent angst, or the discomfort of not knowing while painting was considered a virtue† (Manister, 2004). Mark Rothko’s Four Darks in Red† more simplistic in design than â€Å"U+Me†, but yet has a carefully modulated field of color that suggests to several of it viewers â€Å"dawn†, without a realistic image. This warm, but somewhat ominous painting suggests dark feelings. This painting is 102 by 116 inches. It can be viewed in the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, New York. From the simplest stick figures drawn in sand with a stick, or from the earliest man painting animals on cave walls, or carving images in wood, bone, or stone, people all around the world have responded to the world by creating images of some kind. The primary purpose of art, particularly in the past, was to suggest a sense of meaning, and express essential thoughts, or feelings like in abstract expressionism; some kind of enlightenment is what was crucial in every culture, by stunning images. In identifying the subject material of any painting, or what feelings the artist was trying to express, you have to look at the artists intent, which are frequently associated with the social conditions, national issues, the burdens of the population, or even their own personal problems. To avoid judging art by our own personal experiences, and biased views, we have to learn the backgrounds surrounding the artist when their work was created. Horrendous tragedies, life changing moments in life, religious experiences, or just pure mysticism, these are the types of things that are often reflected in these types works. Trends, and fads are lead by mass media, and most artists struggle to do anything to get this type of recognition, or exposure, but these three artists stand out from the crowd. Their diversity differentiates from the artists of their era, and even today. This diversity is characteristic of abstract expressionism, and each of their style reflects different types of feelings, and emotions. Some aspects of contemporary society will always analyze, these styles trying to rationalize them, but through their paintings, these artist express their ideas, their emotions, as well as some strange version of the reality that they, and only they may perceive, in a two dimensional visual form that’s poetic, and even hypnotic. Some artists paint, sculpt, or even take photographs, but these visionaries strayed away from traditional forms, with which their viewers are generally familiar with, and strived to create a visual representation of a physical feeling, entirely through an abstract relationship. All of these paintings were created in different ways using slightly different techniques, with different colors, shapes, and they convey a different range of emotion, but all were created by the masters of the craft; â€Å"Abstract Expressionism†. References 1) Style and abstraction by: Dorothy Metzger Habel, Ph.D.Timothy W. Hiles, Ph.D. Downloaded from website: http://edtech.tennessee.edu/itc/grants/twt2000/modules/dhabel/home.htm 2) Robert Motherwell biography downloaded on February 1, 2008 from website artinthepicture.com/artists/Robert_Motherwell/biography.html 3) Definition of Elegy, Webster’s Online Dictionary downloaded on February 1, 2008 from website: m-w.com/ 4) Robert Motherwell quote; Sayre, H.M., 2007 A World of Art (5th Ed.) 5) Milton Resnick Biography Oregon State University downloaded on February 1,2008 from website: http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/video/art24.html 6) Milton Resnick quote; Sayre, H.M., 2007 A World of Art (5th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 7) Milton Resnick description of U + ME Sayre, H.M., 2007 A World of Art (5th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 8) Milton Resnick, U + ME by John Zissner downloaded on February 1, 2008 from website: artnet.com/magazine_pre2000/reviews/zinsser/zinsser1.asp 9) Mark Rothko Biography downloaded on February 1, 2008 from website: guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_bio_138.html 10) Mark Rothko quote; Sayre, H.M., 2007 A World of Art (5th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 11) Mark Rothko the early years downloaded on February 1, 2008 from website: nga.gov/feature/rothko/credits.shtm 12) Mark Rothko modern art famous paintings downloaded on February 1, 2008 from website: 13) masterpiece-paintings-gallery.com/mark-rothko-1.htm 14) Sayre, Henry. (2007). A World of Art, Fifth Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 15) Milton Resnick: Dour? By Craig Manister, Downloaded on February 7, 2008 From website: artezine.com/issues/20040501/cmres.html Research Papers on Comparative Contrasts Abstract ExpressionistsThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHip-Hop is ArtBringing Democracy to AfricaWhere Wild and West MeetHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionThe Fifth HorsemanCapital PunishmentHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayMind TravelPersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy