Organizations Become More Global

To some the word â€Å"Globalization† may seem a clichà ©. To others, it may appear an end in itself. Competitive pressures are creating the need for most companies to become Global.Globalization is one means for  becoming and remaining a world-class competitor — a goal encased in the mission statements of most corporations.When developing a globalization strategy, it is clear that the emerging markets present the greatest opportunity. The growth projections for Europe, Japan and the United States pale in comparison to some of the emerging markets.Emerging MarketsThroughout the emerging markets an unprecedented consumer market boom is driving up demand for western-style goods and services. The largest segment of consumers in these markets is a decade short of its peak spending years. In India alone, sales of consumer goods are rising at 14% per year, while China is growing at almost 20% per year. Couple the consumer-spending boom with the still burgeoning need for in frastructure improvements and you’ll have a range of opportunities that extends into the trillions of dollars. Projects are planned or underway in many of these countries to upgrade transportation and  telecommunication systems, explore energy resources, build power generation facilities and provide health care facilities.In addition, the privatization efforts are presenting an incredible range of opportunities for investors, lending institutions, service providers and manufacturers.Four key trend influence emerging market potentialThere are four key trends that are influencing the emerging market potential:1. Demographics: Overall world population growth is now concentrated in the  developing world. Where industrial nations are facing an  increasingly older population, the emerging markets remain  young. The developed world comprises only 11% of the world’s population.2. Governments: Many countries that once relied on centrally planned economies are becoming m arket-driven. Industries that governments  previously restricted to foreign companies are now opening to foreign investment.3. Communications: Access to the emerging markets is increasing due to huge  developments in communications technology such as the Internet and electronic commerce. Cyberspace represents a profound shift in the nature of communications as well as our perception of distance.4. Urbanization: As infrastructure improvements are made, urban growth in the emerging markets will continue to explode.  Estimates indicate that the emerging markets' share of world imports will double by the year 2010, rising to over 38%. Companies dazzled by the magnitude of these numbers must be equipped with the appropriate knowledge, information, and strategy to make its market forays successful.MACRO LEVEL Industry Globalization is due to such factors as :†¢ Level of international trade †¢ Intensity of international competition †¢ Worldwide product standardization †¢ Presence of key competitors in all key international markets. †¢ Intra-firm trade †¢ Technological intensity †¢ International linkages of value-added activities among countries †¢International integration of value-added activities among countries †¢ WORLDWIDE FREETRADE AGREEMENTS †¢ WORLDWIDE ECONOMIC REFORMS †¢ WORLWIDE FINANCIAL REFORMS †¢ REMOVAL TARIFF BARRIERS BY COUNTRIES †¢ REMOVAL OF SUBSIDIES COUNTRIES †¢ ETC ETC ====================================================THE PUSH FACTORS OF GLOBALIZATIONMarket Drivers†¢ Per capita income converging among industrial nations †¢ Convergence of lifestyles and taste †¢ Growth of global and regional channels †¢ Establishment of world brands †¢ Spread of global and regional mediaCost Drivers†¢ Continuing push for economies of scale ( but offset by flexible manufacturing) †¢ Accelerating technological innovation †¢ Advances in transportation (e.g., use of FedEx to deliver urgent supplies from one continent to another) †¢ Emergence of newly industrializing countries with productive capability and low labor costs (e.g., China, India and Indonesia)

Junior Officers Essay

This result appeared to be the same with the statistical results for the data set of all samples combined. The deviation was the item Human Resource Focus, Item 5, which appeared to be not correlated with Leadership, Item 1. There could be logical reasons why such a result, but we cannot at this stage, extrapolate without first conducting the same test for the Leaders Group. A. 3. The Pearson Correlation Matrix for the Leaders Group For the Leaders Group, Leadership, Item 1, is not correlated at all, ALL from Strategic Planning, Item 2 to Business Results, Item 7 as shown by Table 3. Table 3. Excerpt from the Correlation Matrix for the Leaders Group Leadership, Item 1 Strategic Planning, Item 2 0. 371 0. 413 Customer And Market Focus, Item 3 0. 164 0. 726 Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management, Item 4 0. 753 0. 051 Human Resource Focus, Item 5 0. 715 0. 071 Process Management, Item 6 0. 247 0. 594 Business Results, Item 7 0. 524 0. 227 Cell Contents: Pearson correlation p-Value The results were revealing on two counts. First, it told us that the correlation trend shown by the Combined Data Samples of the Others Group and the Leaders Group was mainly due to the effect of the Others Group given its bigger sample size, 37 respondents compared to the Leaders Group, 7 respondents. This is manifest in that the correlation test for the Others Group showed correlation between Leadership, Item 1, and other items except in Customer and Market Focus, Item 3, which was possibly influenced by the results of the Leaders Group which showed no correlation between Leadership, Item 1, and the other items. Second, the results pointed to the contrast between the two groups being compared. There was a significant difference in perception between the Others Group and the Leaders Group. It should be noted that the Leaders Group, comprising, take note, the Senior Leaders, or specifically, the Senior Officers in the surveyed organization occupied the higher hierarchy and when we mentioned the Others Group, we are referring to leaders still, but leaders occupying the lower hierarchy, the Others Group comprising, take note, the Junior Leaders, or specifically the Junior Officers. It may argued that based on their respective position in the surveyed organization, ESGR there may be strong factors which create opposing views or that their perceptions could be affected by the imperatives, necessities, and the like and the nature of their respective positions being held in the organization. Whereas, for the Others Group, wherein Leadership, Item 1, was correlated with all the other items: Strategic Planning, Item 2; Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management, Item 4; Human Resource Focus, Item 5; Process Management, Item 6; and Business Results, Item 7; however, in the Leaders Group, its Leadership, Item 1, had NO significant correlation established with ALL the other items from Item 2 to Item 7. It could mean that the Others Group, mainly Junior Officers were more concerned with function which required them to be aware of all the aspects and details of the organization. It could be contended that Junior Officers were the implementers of the details of projects and operations hence, with Strategic Planning, Item 2 of the Baldrige Criteria, the Junior Officers were more concerned with examining how organizations develop objectives and action plans and how flexible the organization should be in case of situational changes in circumstance. Junior Officers are expected to be familiar with stock knowledge on the planning step and deployment to achieve objectives at the various stages of implementation. Chances are, they are the ones evaluating data from various reports and they are the ones making the progress reports and updates for the higher echelon officers. In other words it is possible that Junior Officers differed with the Senior Leaders in terms of data/details exposure, requiring the Junior Officers to pay more particular attention to the different aspects of the organization at the field or at the ground level. Other items such as Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management, Item 4, could be interpreted as part of the functions of Junior Leadership and Junior Officers were more conscious of the procedures involved in handling voluminous data and information which needed sorting and which may require immediate and appropriate response. In Question 26, under the sub-category, Information and Knowledge Management, for example, in dealing with hardware and software reliability, we can expect that senior leadership not to be doing the actual testing of new software or hardware for that matter. It would thus be more the function of Junior Officers to test such new innovations. Due to the difference in focus and priorities between the Others Group and the Leaders Group as suggested by their diverging trend in the correlation test outcome, further tests had to be conducted to enable deeper probe into why such results occurred. How come?

Limitations and Criticisms of the Adlerian Theory Essay

ADLERIAN Limitations and Criticisms of the Adlerian Theory Adler chose to teach and practice over getting organized and presenting a well- defined systematic theory, making his written presentations difficult to follow. More research needed to support the effectiveness of the theory. Limited use for clients seeking immediate solutions to their problems and unwilling to explore childhood experiences, early memories, and dreams. One of its strengths is that it is a therapy for everyone in the society and its practitioners do mind about what kind of generation is coming that will inherit in a comprehensive ecological sense and one of its weaknesses has been fairly an amazing amount of family gathering and lifestyle information that is typically collected. Advantages of Adlerian Theory It can be used for numerous issues and disorders. Uses encouragement. It is phenomenological. it does not consider people to be predisposed to anything. Applicable to diverse populations and presenting issues Disadvantages of Adlerian Theory Difficult to learn (e.g., making dream interpretations) Works best with highly verbal and intelligent clients. This might leave out many people who do not fit that category. Might be too lengthy for managed care. Adlerians do not like to make diagnoses PSYCHOANALYSIS Two Strengths One of the strengths of the Psychodynamic Approach is that it provided a valuable insight into how early experiences or relationships can affect our adult personality. One of the examples of this is that fixations can be caused at the Oral Stage of psychosexual development such as being separated from the primary caregiver too early or having feeding difficulties. These fixations can then lead to psychological problems centred round eating or drinking. Supporting evidence for this strength was carried out by Jacobs at  al (1966) using Rorschach inkblots to compare the orality of smokers and non-smokers. It was found that smokers emerged as being significantly more oral. Another strength of the Psychodynamic Approach is that it is the first approach to try and attempt to explain mental illness in psychological terms and has had an enormous influence on the understand and treatment of mental disorders. An example of this is Psychoanalysis and Dream Therapy which aims to make the unconscious material conscious so it is easier to deal with as Freud believed that dreams showed our hidden thoughts and wishes. Evidence to support this was carried out by Sandell (1999) who studied the symptoms of 756 patients before and after three years or state-funded psychoanalysis and found that patients had significantly fewer symptoms after the therapy. Two weaknesses One of the weaknesses of the Psychodynamic Approach is that most of Freud’s is based on findings of case studies, single individual where cases are often unique and there are problems with generalization. Another weakness of the Psychodynamic Approach is that Freud did not take into account cultural variations. Most of his research was done on white, middle class people. Every class and culture of people have differ ways and values, so his findings cannot be generalized to all cultures. 11 Strengths of Psychoanalysis 1)Offers an in-depth perspective (i.e., transference, countertransference) that emphasizes exploring the origins of psychopathology 2)The focus on developmental considerations 3)Most of the models address sexuality (except self psychology, which sees sexuality as a drive derivative—secondary to narcissistic concerns). 4)Freud brought gender issues to the fore with notion of â€Å"penis envy†. 5) The notion of â€Å"repetition compulsion† transcends theory, often drawn by several models as a central concept. 6)Gabbard—Many people do not respond to medications or brief therapy—Some people want to derive deeper meaning about themselves beyond symptom reduction. 7) The notion of â€Å"unconscious† begins to explain behavior that we are unaware of. 8) There is biological research that supports some of Freud’s claims (â€Å"divided brain† studies). 9)The focus on relationship (particularly by object relations) 10)Self psychology understands psychopathology in terms of â€Å"dysregulation states†, which has been confirmed through neurobiological literature. 11)The universality of defense mechanisms and their use across theories. 6 Weaknesses of psychoanalysis: 1)Psychoanalytic jargon serves to confuse rather than clarify concepts. 2)Some of the ideas (penis envy, Oedipus) are outdated in terms of our contemporary world, and it is questioned by some theorists/practitioners whether these concepts are clinically useful. 3) The approach lacks a theory of intervention—not enough focus on technique. 4)The exclusive focus on the past can lead to â€Å"analysis paralysis† 5)The theory only provides a piece of the pie—often neglecting biological, cultural, and social considerations 6)Too many patients (perhaps psychotic, borderline) are not considered appropriate for psychoanalysis. Person centeret (itouch) Existentialism The therapist Function and role The existential therapist is primarily concerned with understanding the subjective world of the client and how to help them come to a new understanding and option. The therapy focuses on the client’s current life situations. Existential therapist uses various methods for different clients and different methods at different phases of the therapeutic One of the strengths of the existential therapy is their ability to enable clients to examine the degree to which their behavior is influenced by family, cultural, social conditioning. If personal needs cannot be satisfied or personal goal cannot be realized in interpersonal relations, one may experience frustration, anxiety, or depression (Chen, 2009). Limitations for multicultural counseling One of the limitations of the existential therapy in the area of multicultural populations is that they are excessively individualistic and  ignores the social factors that cause humans problems. Even though clients change internally, the social factors and environmental circumstances such as racism, discrimination and oppression severely restrict their ability to influence the direction of their lives. An example is an African American client who comes from the ghetto and the existential therapist consistently tells the client that he or she has a choice in making his or her life better, when in reality he or she does not. . Reality therapy (iotuch other) According to most experts, the main advantages of reality therapy relate to the way it focuses clients directly on solutions to their problems. Reality therapists tend to avoid too much focus on internal issues and things in a person’s past, preferring instead to deal with things that are happening in the present. According to some, the strength of reality therapy can also be its weakness. Some people feel that reality therapists don’t have enough focus on how internal issues and things in a person’s memory can affect present-day behavior, potentially leaving clients with lingering issues. Additionally, some experts feel that the focus on the consequences of life decisions may make patients feel like they are being blamed for their problems, which could be counter-productive. Reality therapy is generally all about identifying problems, making plans to solve them, and then doing what is necessary to keep clients focused on implementing the plans. In this sense, it is a therapeutic method much more focused on solutions than causes. There may be some attention paid to the reason why a person has a problem, but only as much as is necessary to figure out a workable solution. This focus on plans and solving of problems is sometimes seen as a weakness because experts worry that the focus on psychological issues as a consequence of behavior may make patients feel like failures, potentially hurting their self-esteem. REBT Another criticism is that this technique would be easy to practice poorly and since the approach is loose, it would be easy to get off track. Some people would even say that all the talking and â€Å"disputing† could be better spent â€Å"doing† something about the problems. For people who don’t like to talk, this would probably not be the best approach. if the client does not want to  be an active participant in changing the way he/she thinks, this method would not be a good fit. Or even if a client is already very skilled in self-reflection, this might be a less useful approach. As for advantages or strengths, REBT is a drug-free approach for people looking for solutions in changing the way they think, not using drug therapy. The results are seen relatively quickly because of the emphasis on the present. The therapist does not need to delve into every bad thing that ever happened. He/she needs to look at a few activating situations and do exercises about how to change your thinking about these events. another advantage is that once a person becomes well-versed in the technique, he/she can use it anytime if the negative or irrational beliefs appear. When a person is skilled at the technique, there may not be a need to go to a therapist every time. but hard work is the only way to feel better and continue to feel better about yourself. So, we must do the work on a daily basis to help us understand our behavior. Behavioral Therapy Strength It has a wide variety of empirically supported techniques used by behavioral therapists. Another upside to behavior therapy is it’s availability to a broad spectrum of individuals. the efficiency of behavior therapy has allowed for the patient’s complaints to be addressed more quickly than other forms of psychotherapy. Behavior therapy focuses on techniques to address current problems, instead of trying to get to the internal root of the problem through years of intense therapy or looking through the patient’s long history. LIMITATIONS behavior therapy has, over the years, sculpted many of their techniques and methods from clinician experience, which is far from the empirical support they claim to have. One of the more serious criticisms that behavior therapy has received it that it is dehumanizing. Behavior therapy is also said to lack the promotion of internal growth in its clients.

The Greater Western Sydney region is a culturally diverse population Essay

The Greater Western Sydney region is a culturally diverse population. Meeting the palliative care needs of this population poses - Essay Example 6). According to Taylor and Box (1999, p. 6), â€Å"it is recognized that a range of problems, including physical, emotional, social and spiritual may need attention† in palliative care. A multi-disciplinary team delivers palliative health care where the person wants it to be (Taylor and Box, 1999, p. 6). Thus, palliative care can be delivered in the person’s home, hospice, hospital, and a nursing home (Taylor and Box, 1999, p. 6). However, according to Taylor and Box (1999, p. 6), the primary caregivers in palliative care are actually the family, relatives, and friends of the object of care although a palliative care team provides the professional help. Perhaps, one of the most important concerns in palliative care is to reduce the pain associated with the illness or even the dying. Relief and alleviation of pain can be achieved through a range of â€Å"painkillers and other drugs, massage, meditation, aromatherapy, acupuncture, radiotherapy† as well as morphine tablets and skin patches (Taylor and Box, p. 6) Palliative nursing is practised in the context of significant human suffering in which the nurse is both a witness and a participant (Aranda, 2008, p. 573). This implies that the nurse is subject to stress and anguish just as the patient. Yet, improving the quality of life even in dying is a central goal of health care (Aranda, 2008, p. 574). ... ills, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith and Wollondilly (Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board, 2004, p. 1). The Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board (2004, pp. 1 and 3) considers Greater Western Sydney to have a â€Å"culturally diverse population† of 1.8 million in 2003 that is projected to be at 2.2 million people in 2026, with an estimated population growth rate of +0.9% per annum. Greater Western Sydney’s estimated annual population growth rate of 0.9 % is higher than the population growth rate for Sydney and New South Wales of only 0.8 (Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board, 2004, p. 4). Greater Western Sydney is the traditional home of the following aboriginal peoples: Eora/Dhawal, Dharug, Gandangara, Eora, Tharawal (Two Ways Together Regional Report, 2006, p. 7). The presence of Aboriginal groups in Greater Western Sydney is highlighted further by t he existence of four Aboriginal Land Councils: the Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council, the Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council, the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, and the Tharawal Local Aboriginal Land Council (Two Ways Together Regional Report, 2006, p. 8). According to the Two Ways Together Regional Report (2006, p. 8), aboriginal men compose 20% of the manufacturing male workforce, 13% of the construction male workforce, 10% of the retail male workforce, 9% of the transport and storage male workforce, 7% of property and business services male workforce, and 7% of the wholesale trade male workforce. Further, according to the same report (p. 10), aboriginal women compose 15.6% of the retail female workforce, 12% of the education female workforce, 10% of the property and business

Mid-term history exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Mid-term history exam - Essay Example The fundamental changes happening in the natural sciences, in particular, generated a new image of the universe that emphasized the supernatural less (Westfall). This proved crucial for a gradual change in society and an increasingly deemphasized role of religion in our modern society. An example of such a change in ideas was the replacement of the Earth with the Sun as the center of the universe, which contradicted Aristotelian and Christian scientific doctrines. The Age of Enlightenment, like the scientific revolution, was the source of dramatic change in European society, centered primarily in the 18th century. The movement changed the way people thought about the world, insofar as it created a shift to a so-called â€Å"rational† view of the universe. Instead of allowing the â€Å"sacred circle†, which refers to the hereditary aristocracy and leaders of the church, to continue, the Enlightenment allowed individuals and thought to break through the value systems of t he past (Gay). Among these new values were those of freedom, democracy, and reason as the goals and reason for society. In particular, the idea that rationality ought to be applied to every problem left a significant impact on many areas of society. These kinds of fundamental shifts in thinking are what made scientific advancements, like those seen during the scientific revolution, possible in the first place. Scholars contrast the Age of Enlightenment with the Middle Ages, which is nearly universally held to be a time of scientific and rational suppression (Lindberg). In terms of science during the Middle Ages, most of the inquiry was based around the texts of ancient scholars like Avicenna and Aristotle. Scientific practices from these ancient sources were marginally empirical and often depended on philosophical systems about how the universe was structured, as opposed to utilizing mathematical functions or previously acquired empirical knowledge to make new hypotheses. As a resul t, the science from the Middle Ages was lacking in productivity or practical applications to the problems of society. The scientific revolution, which sought the practical aspect of science, and the Enlightenment, which sought the application of reason to life’s problems, changed this emphasis. However, the Middle Ages did leave a lasting impact on the practice of science, through to the modern period, which is the university system where science was centralized and practiced openly (Lindberg). Even if the science practiced in these universities was strongly influenced by the religious doctrines that governed the universities, the practice of locating the practice of that science into one location was a lasting influence. The Enlightenment has directly affected modernity in a number of ways, including but not limited to the political revolutions of the late 18th century in America and France. Although the French revolution eventually became an exercise in irrationality and hy steria, the ideas behind it and the American revolution were born out of a changing value structure in society. No longer were the â€Å"sacred circle† that highest value and hierarchically placed at the top of society; rather, it was ideas and reason placed at the top of this structure. Governing a society with ideas led to the concept of the â€Å"rule of law†

Mangment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mangment - Essay Example Weaknesses come in terms of addressing customer complaints. As indicated in Customer Service Ratings, the organization’s diverse customers were reported to relay poor customer service because of incidences of late deliveries, high prices and difficulty to access corporate personnel to address their inquiries and complains (Customer Service Ratings, 2011). In examining the external environment, there are opportunities to improve service through intensifying security measures during transport deliveries of packages through state-of-the art technologies (DHL: High Value, par. 9). Finally, threats faced by DHL come in terms of increased competition from FedEx, UPS and other global express transport and logistics organizations. a) Statement describing one of the business’s current strategies DHL’s current strategies focus on enhancing the competitive advantage of the corporation through providing incentives to personnel and by employing â€Å"cross-functional teams a round the world to plan, design, and manage facilities† (FAI, par. 4). b) Goal for the business to achieve in 2 years Consistent with the mission of the organization to the be leader in the logistics the world over, the goal is to strategically position its growth in emerging markets to sustain in market leadership.

Robert Gross - The Minute Men and their World Essay

Robert Gross - The Minute Men and their World - Essay Example He overall provides a stirring view of late eighteenth century New England on the cusp of revolution and freedom. In Concord town politics, though the inhabitants denied it, were as usual. Voting rights were severely restricted and limited the number of men eligible for town leadership. Wealth and leisure time further diminished the pool. Only those with enough of both were able to rise to serve the needs of their fellow men sufficiently. Money and position piled on top of place to complicate life. As a thriving center of commerce, Concord hosted both a bustling town business center and a sprawling farmland. Conflicts between urban and rural inhabitants over basic infrastructure needs excited the assemblies on a regular basis. Schooling, religion, and roads all served a different constituency and for them all to be centered in town was seen as a disservice to the rural community who â€Å"had to walk into town in everyday stockings and shoes then for the sake of appearances top in a field and change into their go-to-meeting slippers.†1 Church itself posed a mighty challenge to the unity of Concord’s inhabitants. During the Great Awakening a new preacher ignited fervor among the young and vital in town. His bowing to the interests of youth to fill pews offended the staunch faithful and, somewhat along geographical lines, they broke off to form a second parish. When a new, young preacher replaced the first, a spendthrift schemer, one of the old timers, sought membership in the original parish. His questionable ethics toward his fellow Concordians led to his rejection by the congregation. By extension the outlying parish took this to heart and read into it a refusal to consider reconciliation. Then the same man took his grievances to the political realm and again lost. Concord was indeed a town divided. While the inhabitants of Concord simmered in their own stew of religious discord the colonies entered a period of contention with mother England. The Stamp Act triggered a wave of protests across the colonies and in Boston, party faithfuls organized a vote to recognize Parliament’s actions. When the vote came through it was barely shy of the necessary numbers to pass and demonstrate Massachusetts’ loyalty to the crown. A bitter disappointment to Governor Hutchinson, surely, but one that triggered a wave of political backlash. Much like today’s Tea Party, farmers and businessmen who saw their interests hindered by England’s acts of taxation, mounted an ideological revolt. They organized a revolution at the polls and saw to it that nineteen of thirty-two representatives to Boston were replaced for their efforts of royalist loyalty. In Concord, little interest sparked at the events plaguing the colony. When the vote came to replace their own man, Charles Prescott, they safely returned him to his role. Their concerns lay more in the sixty-six pound expense of burying the Great Awaking pastor, Reverend Dan iel Bliss, and in finding his replacement than in subverting England’s fiscal policy toward the colonies. When the Boston Massacre rent headlines, Concord barely paused to comment. Of greater import a debate about relocating the Middlesex County seat from Cambridge to Concord. A matter of convenience more important than matters of state. Gradually, however, the people of Concord came around. In 1772 the Boston Committee of Correspondence wrote seeking a

Human Resource Management in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Resource Management in UK - Essay Example The name of the organization is to redesign the dressing sense of individuals and generate a positive feeling and developing fashion sense amongst them. The name is selected keeping in consideration the segment of the industry in which, the company is operating. In the year 2011, the worth of the UK clothing market is around  £33.8 billion (UK market leaders 2013). In this amount, 57% is contributed by women clothing, footwear, and accessories. The company is the leading market share holder in UK women wear categories which also further includes women’s dresses. It is the largest retailer in the teens wear segment of UK on the basis of total revenue and holds about 16.1% of the market. The organization has a tall organizational structure, which helps in maintaining a hierarchical arrangement of authority, communications, rights, and duties (Madura 2007). The organization Redesign follows a tall structure, which is diagrammatically represented as under: Organisational culture is the collection behavior shown by a human who is the main assets and their actions add meaning to the organization. They are unique cultural beliefs that are shared among the employees of an organization. The organizational culture of the company is in compliance with pragmatic organization culture (Alvesson 2012). The major emphasis of the company is on the customers and external parties of the business. The main focus of the employees is on customer satisfaction. Customers are treated as Gods and all the rules are followed as expected by them. Every employee of the organization strives hard for meeting the expectations for their client for the fulfillment of maximum business. The main focus of the company is on producing excellent results with the use of straightforward methods. The focus is on encouraging teamwork, investing in processes and constantly creating work challenges (Koekemoer and Bird 2004).

The Global Marketplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Global Marketplace - Essay Example They always put people before the product and this has ensured success for them locally as well as internationally. Even with suppliers they have a healthy relationship, this allows them to get quality coffee beans thus good coffee. They are also involved in corporate social responsibilities services like helping the farmers and protecting the environment by buying only from those suppliers who are socially responsible themselves. Looking at the price we see it high priced thus the target market is elite in Germany. 1 lb. of coffee costs approximately $11. Thus the rich Germans prefer to go there and since the coffee is made to their taste (altered according to German preferences that is they prefer more sweet coffee) the coffee is an instant hit. The decor of Starbucks is made to look cozy and intimate and also provides privacy to people, this gives people an incentive to spend time there. They have good music and thus create an ambiance of comfort. It can serve the purpose of a meeting place or a place to escape from problems and be alone. This feature remains to be constant in all outlets all over the world. The article, 'Ethical marketing for Competitive Advantage on the internet' deals with the very debatable question, what is invasion of privacy Its author Ashok Ranchod has weaved quiet interesting facts around this very question. It seems to him that the marketing done online is taking on an aggressive streak with pop ups, deceiving banners, hyperlinks etc being the majority of marketing techniques. The article takes a futuristic approach, with the author pointing out the fact that companies need to develop long term marketing plans, which would retain customers rather than short term plans. The short term plans might sell the product or service initially but in the end if ethical considerations have not been taken place then the company would end up losing their customer base. Therefore in order to survive in the market the future plans of a company should be more of long term nature. The situation that Ashok Ranchod looks upon is that of information acquiring on the Internet. According to his research many people hesitate from indulging in online purchases due to this factor. Cyber crimes, information thefts are becoming all too common these days. There have been many ethical boundaries drawn but only 20% of it is being implemented. The steps that can be taken to rectify this ethical concern is that each product be first analyzed on its harmfulness to the customers. The product should be well tested and should be harm free. Twisting the truth is another factor, with regards to which care should be taken. Then the third most important factor is individual autonomy. This is that companies should not attack customers with pop ups and deceptive links, instead the decision should be left on the customer. Kotler and Levy have written an interesting book, 'Corporate Social Responsibility'. Even they believe that through ethical considerations you can enhance company image, lower employee turnover, lower costs and easily attract investors thus giving you a competitive edge. REFERENCES 1. Starbucks official website. (22/july/2008) http://www.starbucks.com/ 2. Starbucks Germany (22/july/2008) http://www.starbucks.de/de-de/_Our+Stores/ 3. Ashok Ranchhod and Claire Gauzente. "Ethical Marketing for Competitive Advantage on the Internet." Ams Review. (2003)

What Are Staff Perceptions Of Safeguarding Children And How The Essay

What Are Staff Perceptions Of Safeguarding Children And How The Implement Into Practise - Essay Example This essay stresses that the concerned staff members maintain their responsibility towards the children in effective manner. Additionally, analysis of the staff perception with respect to safeguarding of children signifies the fact that the practitioners are aware of their duties and responsibilities and practice. However, the presentation provided to the practitioners has proved to be more beneficial as it has further enhanced the quality of services provided to the concern child. The collected data also signifies that the children are most vulnerable to different situation of abuse in nursery setting. However, facilitating proper communication between staff, parents, teachers as well as children required to maintain proper environment of nursery and care. Moreover, the staff members interacts with the higher authorities in order to solve different issues with respect to child abuse is highly important. This paper makes a conclusion that the staff members are regarded to have provided with proper training with the aim of enhancing their ability and skills timely. Safeguarding of children not only requires development of proper environment, but also requires for proper identification of abuse faced by the children. In this regard, it can be recommend that providing facilities to develop competency skills can be beneficial for both the staff members as well as service providers to facilitate better care to children.

Reasons Why Corporate Acquisitions Occur and Fail Essay Example for Free

Reasons Why Corporate Acquisitions Occur and Fail Essay There are a number of reasons why a firm purchases another company. Mullins (2001) stated several of these reasons, one of which includes the most apparent and important reason—to increase profit and maximize its shareholder’s wealth. Elimination of competition is another reason to acquire a firm. Some companies acquire their competitors to reduce competition and improve its position in the market. However, acquisition for this purpose is against the law according to the antitrust acts. As a result, the acquiring firms emphasize in its press release that the acquisition is not anti-competitive but a way to better serve the customers. If the U. S. regulatory agencies, however, construe that the acquisition could be anti-competitive, the acquisition may be blocked. Company growth is also one of the reasons why acquisitions occur. Acquisition is also an approach used when the acquiring firm has excess cash which can be used for investments. To reduce corporate risk, firms also purchase another company which could result in improved earnings and sales stability. For instance, a clothing company specializes in swimwear while another clothing firm designs winter clothes. Thus, purchasing the swimwear company to gain profit during summer and spring is a good strategy to eliminate the sales instability of the winter clothing company caused by the changes in season. This example could also be used to illustrate another reason why acquisitions occur—to enter another market. The target firm’s experience and resources, including its employees’ expertise and business relationships, are readily available for the acquiring firm to take advantage of. Thus, rather than start a swimwear collection of its own, it would be much easier for the winter clothing company to acquire the swimwear company. A company’s resources could also be the target of the acquiring firm. These resources may be tangible (e. g. , plant and equipment), intangible (e. g. , trade secrets and patents), or talents of the target firm’s employees. Another reason cited for acquiring a firm is synergy, which is a term used to describe efficiency gained from doing more than one thing. For example, it is a good strategy for a meat processing company to acquire a leather goods manufacturer as they require the same raw material. Finally, acquisition occurs when the owners of a family-owned business wish to retire or leave the business and the next generation is not interested to continue the business (Mullins, 2001). In an interview conducted by Barnett (2004) for her article, Benoit shared another reason why acquisitions occur. He stated that acquisition allows the acquiring firms to get new clients. The escalating stock prices and reasonable interest rates were also considered as reasons for the increase in the number of acquisition deals (Flanagan, et al. , 2004). Even with these good reasons, many corporate acquisitions fail. A survey conducted by the KMPG reported that 83 percent of the acquisitions fell short of the forecasted plans (Lear, 2000). Additionally, in the book of Galpin and Herndon (The Complete Guide for Merging and Acquisitions, 2000), studies showed that only 23 percent of all acquisitions earn their cost of capital. In addition, the stock prices of acquiring companies rise only 30 percent of the time after an announcement of the acquisition deal. 70 percent of the cases observed also revealed that synergies projected for acquisition deals are unattained. â€Å"People† problems and cultural issues were also noted as the most cited reasons in failed integration (cited in Flanagan, et al. , 2004). Barnet (2004) and Lear (2000) agree with Galpin and Herndon’s findings which cite the clash of cultures of the two firms being combined could be a reason for acquisition failure if the integration is not facilitated well. Acquisitions fail when acquiring firms do not carefully consider and analyze the culture of the two firms being combined and their compatibility in areas like personality, work styles, integrity, and trust Barnett, 2004). References Barnett, S. (October 1, 2004). Mergers: its a culture issue; Most of the time, the reason behind the merger/acquisition is to reach new clients. The National Public Accountant. Retrieved October 27, 2007 from http://www. allbusiness. com/management/583960-1. html Flanagan, D. , et al. (2004). Merger and acquisition opportunities: due diligence activities offer internal auditors numerous opportunities to help ensure the success of proposed company integrations. Internal Auditor, August 2004, 55–59 Lear, R. W. (April 1, 2000). The artic1es of acquisition. The Chief Executive. Retrieved October 27, 2007 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m4070/is_2000_April/ai_63609542/ print Mullins, G. E. (2001). Mergers and acquisitions: boon or bane? Central Wisconsin Economic Research Bureau. Special Report, Second Quarter. Retrieved October 27, 2007 from http://www. uwsp. edu/business/CWERB/2ndQtr01/SpecialReportQtr2_01. htm

Graham Greene’s four fundamental requirements Essay Example for Free

Graham Greene’s four fundamental requirements Essay Westerhoff narrates about Graham Greene’s four fundamental requirements for leading a spiritual life. (1) willingness to embrace suffering of world while enduring one’s own (2) a life of solitude and silence (3) introspection of deep restlessness within spirit (4) to see the image of God (Christ) within the community of faith. (John. H. Westerhoff 1994, 30) To preach or to teach, expertise level of human knowledge and understanding is required in order to communicate verbally without hurting others. There were no instances in Bible where Jesus hurted disciples or followers. Jesus was above solutions and problems and that is why offered a formulae by saying â€Å"Take my yoke† which means accepting one’s own suffering along with world’s suffering. â€Å"My burden is light† (St. Matt. 11:29) which includes a fact that Jesus carries the burden along with those who are practicing Jesus teachings. Spiritual life with God can be compared with a grape wine climber as Jesus said â€Å" I am the true vine† (St. John 15:1) â€Å"Abide in me and I in you† (St. John 15:4) . A constant communication with God or clinging to the word of God leads to spiritual formation. â€Å"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you†. (St. John15:7). Communication with God through prayer is explained by Urban Holmes in the book â€Å"A History of Spirituality†(John H. Westerhoff 1994, 53) wherein knowing God in two different methods. (1) Kataphatic means knowing God indirectly in which relationship with God is mediated (2) apophatic means, knowing God directly and where there is no mediation. Speculative-kataphatic encourages rationalism. Further this school of prayer is based on imaginary senses and even includes writing of conversations with God, while affective-kataphatic encourages pietism which is more charismatic and includes all the bodily expressions and senses in complete contact with God (e. g. clapping, moving body, shouting etc). ,. Speculative-apophatic leads to encratism while affective-apophatic leads to quietism. The four symbols of four categories are : speculative-kataphatic = â€Å"S†, speculative-apophatic = â€Å"T†, affective-kataphatic = â€Å"F†, affective-kataphatic = â€Å"N†. These categories offered by Jung are applicable in prayer and devotion according to the personal preferences. Schools of spirituality can only be applied as an aid for spiritual growth. Prayer purifies souls, castes away unhealthy minds and thoughts and brings closer to God who is an embodiment of love. (St. John 3:16) (I Corinthians 13). God also said â€Å"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you†. Seeking God amidst of daily lives and chores. Karl Rahner, the Jesuit priest-theologian, in a letter to God, discusses about tiring hours of activities in a day and how the time is not allocated to God and lays emphasis on how important it is to be in relation with God. Further states that for the entire mankind seeking God’s guidance and support amidst of daily life, is another way of practicing God’s presence. Conclusion Prayer is the only means and a wonderful gift of God to be in constant relation with God. Prayer is a strong weapon that has been used by several preachers in the past such as King Martin Luther, D.L. Moody, John Wesley, David Livingstone and several holy and pious preachers. The present international evangelists and Bible preachers include Dr. Billy Graham (BGEA)and Charles Stanley (In Touch Ministries) who believe concretely in the power of prayer. The preachers who dedicate hours of prayer to God, receive visionary experiences, divine power to deliver gospel of God. Preachers have to maintain a dual relation, one with God and second with those who are receiving the gospel/word of God.

A Study Of The Indian Food Processing Industry

A Study Of The Indian Food Processing Industry Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been considered one of the driving forces of modern economies due to their multifaceted contributions in terms of technological innovations, employment generation, export promotion, etc. Of these, the ability of SMEs to innovate assumes significance because innovation lends competitive edge to firms, industries and ultimately, economies. Therefore, technological innovation has the potential to spur growth of individual enterprises at the micro level and aggregate industries and economies at the macro level. Given the above, this paper attempts to understand issues such as what factors drive SMEs to innovate, what is the nature of SME innovations, what the achievements of SME innovations are and what the outcomes of these achievements are. Overall, this paper attempts to address the question: does SME innovation facilitate the growth of firm size? This question has been probed in the context of SMEs in Sunrise Sector of our economy. This paper probes the drivers, dimensions, achievements, and outcomes of technological innovations carried out by SMEs in the food processing industries in India. The Food Industry is divided into organized and unorganized wherein the maximum contribution is made by small and unorganized. Hence the focus of the study will be organized food processing sector. The research methodology is empirical study for this the evidences will be collected, in the form of case studies as evidences, through secondary data. Further, it ascertains the growth rates of innovative SMEs in comparison to non- innovative SMEs in terms of sales turnover, employment, and investment. The study will confirm that the Innovative SMEs have shown better and sustained growth. Keywords: Technological Innovations, Sales Growth, Organized Food Processing, Agriculture. Introduction Innovation is a new way of doing something or new stuff that is made useful. It may refer to incremental an emergent or radical and revolutionary changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations. Following Schumpeter (1934), contributors to the scholarly literature on innovation typically distinguish between invention, an idea made manifest, and innovation, ideas applied successfully in practice. In many fields, such as the arts, economics and government policy, something new must be substantially different to be innovative. In economics the change must increase value, customer value, or producer value. The goal of innovation is positive change, to make someone or something better. Innovation leading to increased productivity is the fundamental source of increasing wealth in an economy. Those who are directly responsible for application of the innovation are often called pioneers in their field, whether they are individuals or organizations. In organizations A convenient definition of innovation from an organizational perspective is given by Luecke and Katz (2003), who wrote: Innovation . . . is generally understood as the successful introduction of a new thing or method . . . Innovation is the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services. Innovation typically involves creativity, but is not identical to it: innovation involves acting on the creative ideas to make some specific and tangible difference in the domain in which the innovation occurs. For example, Amabile et al. (1996) propose: All innovation begins with creative ideas . . . We define innovation as the successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization. In this view, creativity by individuals and teams is a starting point for innovation; the first is necessary but not sufficient condition for the second. For innovation to occur, something more than the generation of a creative idea or insight is required: the insight must be put into action to make a genuine difference, resulting for example in new or altered business processes within the organization, or changes in the products and services provided. Innovation, like many business functions, is a management process that requires specific tools, rules, and discipline. From this point of view emphasis is moved from the introduction of specific novel and useful ideas to the general organizational processes and procedures for generating, considering, and acting on such insights leading to significant organizational improvements in terms of improved or new business products, services, or internal processes. In the organizational context, innovation may be linked to performance and growth through improvements in efficiency, productivity, quality, competitive positioning, market share, etc. All organizations can innovate, including for example hospitals, universities, and local governments. While innovation typically adds value, innovation may also have a negative or destructive effect as new developments clear away or change old organizational forms and practices. Organizations that do not innovate effectively may be destroyed by those that do. Hence innovation typically involves risk. A key challenge in innovation is maintaining a balance between process and product innovations where process innovations tend to involve a business model which may develop shareholder satisfaction through improved efficiencies while product innovations develop customer support however at the risk of costly RD that can erode shareholder return. Innovation can be described as the result of some amount of time and effort into researching an idea, plus some larger amount of time and effort into developing this idea, plus some very large amount of time and effort into commercializing this idea into a market place with customers. Joseph Schumpeter defined economic innovation in The Theory of Economic Development, 1934, Harvard University Press, Boston. The introduction of a new good that is one with which consumers are not yet familiar or of a new quality of a good. The introduction of a new method of production, which need by no means be founded upon a discovery scientifically new, and can also exist in a new way of handling a commodity commercially. The opening of a new market, that is a market into which the particular branch of manufacture of the country in question has not previously entered, whether or not this market has existed before. The conquest of a new source of supply of raw materials or half-manufactured goods, again irrespective of whether this source already exists or whether it has first to be created. The carrying out of the new organization of any industry, like the creation of a monopoly position (for example through trustification) or the breaking up of a monopoly position Whether innovation is mainly supply-pushed (based on new technological possibilities) or demand-led (based on social needs and market requirements) has been a hotly debated topic. Similarly, what exactly drives innovation in organizations and economies remains an open question. Programs of organizational innovation are typically tightly linked to organizational goals and objectives, to the business plan, and to market competitive positioning. One driver for innovation programs in corporations is to achieve growth objectives. As Davila et al. (2006) note, Companies cannot grow through cost reduction and reengineering alone Innovation is the key element in providing aggressive top-line growth, and for increasing bottom-line results (p.6) In general, business organizations spend a significant amount of their turnover on innovation, such as making changes to their established products, processes and services. The amount of investment can vary from as low as a half a percent of turnover for organizations with a low rate of change to anything over twenty percent of turnover for organizations with a high rate of change. The average investment across all types of organizations is four percent. For an organization with a turnover of one billion units, this would represent an investment of forty million units. This budget will typically be spread across various functions including marketing, product design, information systems, manufacturing systems and quality assurance. The investment may vary by industry and by market positioning. The latest index was published in March 2009. To rank the countries, the study measured both innovation inputs and outputs. Innovation inputs included government and fiscal policy, education policy and the innovation environment. Outputs included patents, technology transfer, and other RD results; business performance, such as labor productivity and total shareholder returns; and the impact of innovation on business migration and economic growth. SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs) IN INDIA With the advent of planned economy from 1951 and the subsequent industrial policy followed by Government of India, both planners and Government earmarked special role for small-scale industries and medium scale industries in the Indian economy. Due protection was accorded to both sectors, and particularly for small scale industries from 1951 to 1991, till the nation adopted a policy of liberalization and globalization. Certain products were reserved for small-scale units for a long time, though this list of products is decreasing due to change in industrial policies and climate. SMEs always represented the model of socio-economic policies of Government of India which emphasized judicious use of foreign exchange for import of capital goods and inputs; labour intensive mode of production; employment generation; non concentration of diffusion of economic power in the hands of few (as in the case of big houses); discouraging monopolistic practices of production and marketing; and finally effective contribution to foreign exchange earning of the nation with low import-intensive operations. It was also coupled with the policy of de-concentration of industrial activities in few geographical centers. It can be observed that by and large, SMEs in India met the expectations of the Government in this respect. SMEs developed in a manner, which made it possible for them to achieve the following objectives: High contribution to domestic production Significant export earnings Low investment requirements Operational flexibility Location wise mobility Low intensive imports Capacities to develop appropriate indigenous technology Import substitution Contribution towards defense production Technology oriented industries Competitiveness in domestic and export markets At the same time one has to understand the limitations of SMEs. In spite of these limitations, the SMEs have made significant contribution towards technological development and exports. SMEs have been established in almost all-major sectors in the Indian industry such as: Food Processing Agricultural Inputs Chemicals Pharmaceuticals Engineering; Electricals; Electronics Electro-medical equipment Textiles and Garments Leather and leather goods Bio-engineering Sports goods Plastics products Computer Software, etc As a result of globalization and liberalization, coupled with WTO regime, Indian SMEs have been passing through a transitional period. With slowing down of Economy in India and abroad, particularly USA and European Union and enhanced competition from China and a few low cost centers of production from abroad many units have been facing a tough time. Those SMEs who have strong technological base, international business outlook, competitive spirit and willingness to restructure themselves shall withstand the present challenges and come out with shining colors to make their own contribution to the Indian economy. FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY Present Status and Future Prospects of Indian Food Processing Industries As per the Ministry of Food Processing Industry as data source, the food processing sector is highly fragmented industry, it widely comprises of the following sub-segments: fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, beer and alcoholic beverages, meat and poultry, marine products, grain processing, packaged or convenience food and packaged drinks. A huge number of entrepreneurs in this industry are small in terms of their production and operations, and are largely concentrated in the unorganized segment. This segment accounts for more than 70% of the output in terms of volume and 50% in terms of value. Though the organized sector seems comparatively small, it is growing at a much faster pace. Indias Position in Worlds Production Largest producer of milk in the world (105 million tonnes per annum) Largest livestock population(485 million tonnes per annum) Second largest producer of fruits vegetables (150 million tonnes per annum) Third largest producer of food grain (230 million tonnes per annum) Third largest producer of fish (7 million tonnes per annum) 52% cultivable land compared to 11% world average All 15 major climates in the world exist in India 46 out of 60 soil types exist in India 20 agri-climatic regions Key Growth Drivers of Food Processing Sector in India Increasing spending on health and nutritional foods. Increasing number of nuclear families and working women Changing lifestyle Functional foods, fresh or processed foods Organized retail and private label penetration Changing demographics and rising disposable incomes Key Opportunities in Food processing Sector Processable varieties of crop Contract farming Investments in infrastructure through Public Private partnership (PPP) Mega Food parks Integrated cold chain Food safety Management Systems Key segments in the food processing industry Fruits vegetable processing Fruits and vegetables is one of the most important and fast growing sub-sectors of the food processing sector. Over the last few years, there has been a positive growth in ready-to-serve beverages, fruit juices and pulps, dehydrated and frozen fruits and vegetable products, tomato products, pickles, convenience vegspice pastes, processed mushrooms and curried vegetables reasons being increase in consumption by nuclear families, working women, students and single employees staying alone. There are abundant investments opportunities are there in expanding the export market. An increasing acceptance of new products with market development efforts has been witnessed lately given the fact that there is a good international demand for certain fruits and vegetable products. The Indian food processing industry is primarily export oriented. Indias geographical situation gives it the unique advantage of connectivity to Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Korea. In 2008-09, Indias export of fresh fruit and vegetable was estimated at US$ 0.79 billion and in case of processed fruits and vegetables it stood at US$ 0.68 billion. Meat Processing In meat and meat processing sector, poultry meat is the fastest growing animal protein in India. The estimated production of meat was 6.5 million tonnes during 2007-08. India exports more than 500,000 million tonnes of meat of which major share is buffalo meat. Buffalo meat production during 2008-09 is estimated at 2.8 million tonnes and out of this about 21% is exported. Indian buffalo meat is witnessing strong demand in international markets due to its lean character and its near organic nature. India is the 6th largest exporter of bovine meat in the world. In 2008-09, Indias export of meat products (including buffalo meat, sheep/goat meat, poultry products, animal casings and processed meat) stood at U$ 1.25 billion. Dairy processing India is number one milk producing country in the world with an estimated production of 105 million tonnes in comparison to world milk production of 693 million tonnes during 2007-08.Buffalo milk is estimated to account for 57% of the total milk production in India. India has a unique pattern of production, processing and marketing/consumption of milk, which is not comparable with any large milk producing country. Approximately 70 million rural households in the country are engaged in milk production. Over 11 million farmers are organized into about 0.1 million village Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCS). About 35% of milk produced in India is processed. The organized sector (large scale dairy plants) processes about 13 million tonnes annually, while the unorganized sector processes about 22 million tonnes per annum. In 2008-09, export of dairy products was estimated at US$ 0.21 billion. Fisheries Sector In India nearly 10 million people, living in 4,000 coastal villages and more number of interior villages, depend on fisheries sector. The export of marine products has steadily grown over the years from a mere US$ 0.84 million in 1961-62 to US$ 1,849.08 million in 2008-09. Marine products account for approximately 1.1 % of the total exports from India. Frozen shrimp continued to be the single largest item of export in terms of value accounting for about 44% in the total export earnings. In terms of quantity, fish accounted for the major share at 40% (shrimp 21%).European Union (EU) was the largest market during the year 2008-09 with a percentage share of 32.6% followed by China 14.8%, Japan 14.6% , USA 11.9%, South East Asia 10%, Middle East 5.5% and Other Countries 10.6%. Grain processing sector India during the year 2007-08, accounted for 8.73% of the worlds oilseed production of 7.63%; 7.31% of the worlds oil meal production of 6.74%; 7.53% of the worlds meal export of 6.78%; 6.03% of the worlds oil production of 5.86%; 9.22% of world oil imports of 9.58% and 9.33% of the worlds oil consumption of 9.28%. On the export front, export of oil meals, oilseeds, minor oils (fats) and castor oil during the financial year 2007-08 is reported at 62.6 lakh tonnes valued at US$ 2.32 billion against the exports of 58.9 lakh tonnes valued at US$ 1.39 billion in the previous year. The solvent extraction processing of oilseed, oilcakes and rice bran during 2007-08 is reported at 121.2 lakh. However, the overall production of solvent extracted oils during 2007-08 form rice bran, oilcakes minor oilseeds and soybean is reported at 19.4 lakh tonnes. Consumer food industries Consumer food industry includes pasta, breads, cakes, pastries, rusks, buns, rolls, noodles, corn flakes, rice flakes, ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products, biscuits etc. Bread and biscuits constitute the largest segment of consumer foods. Indias biscuits industry is the largest among all the food industries and has a turnover of around US$ 0.64 billion. India is known to be the second largest manufacturer of biscuits, the first being USA. Indian consumer food industry is classified under two sectors: organized and unorganized. Bread and biscuits are the major part of the bakery industry and cover around 80 percent of the total bakery products in India. Biscuits stand at a higher value and production level than bread. This belongs to the unorganized sector of the bakery industry and covers over 70% of the total production. Major Players in Indian Food processing: ITC Limited Parle Products Pvt. Ltd. Agro Tech Foods Amul Perfetti India Ltd. Cadbury India Ltd. PepsiCo India Holdings Nestle India Pvt. Ltd. Britannia Industries Ltd. Hindustan Lever Limited Milkfood MTR Foods Limited Godrej Industries Limited Gits Food Products Pvt. Ltd. Dabur India Ltd. Unilever Conagra Foods Nissin Foods Walmart Venkys Foreign Direct Policy in Food processing Industry: 100% FDI is allowed under automatic route in food processing industry and food infrastructure including food parks, distillation brewing of alcohol, cold storage chain and warehousing. The total inflow of Foreign Direct Investment in food processing sector during the last five years since April 2004-March 2009 is US$ 409.41 million. Future Outlook: Indian food industry expected to grow to US$ 280 billion by 2015 and generate an additional employment for approximately 8.2 million people. Also, food consumption in India is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.32 % by 2013.Futher, it is expected that processed food output will grow at a strong 7 % CAGR in terms of value from 55.6 billion US$ in 2005 to 95.6 billion US$ in 2013. Foreign Direct Investment in Food Processing Industry: The total inflow of FDI in FPI sector during the last five years since April 2004-March 2009 is Rs 1892.02 crore. Key Dimensions of Growth Strengths in Food Processing India has plenty of natural resources that provide it a competitive advantage in the food processing industry. Due to its unlike climatic conditions, it has a wide ranging and large raw material base appropriate for food processing industries. The semi processed and ready to eat packaged food segment is comparatively new and constantly changing. Indias cost advantage in manpower can be used to set up large low cost production bases for domestic and export markets. If one is to add on significant investments that have come into the country, food processing industry is in a favorable position. Research The well established RD and technical expertise of Indian research institutions like Central Food Technological Research Institute, Central Institute of Fisheries, National Dairy Research Institute, National Research and Development Centre etc have been a great support for food processing sector in India. Government Regulations The government has introduced several steps to enhance the growth of food processing industry. In order to further enhance investment in the food processing industry, several policy initiatives have been initiated in the recent past. The initiatives include Full repatriation of profits and capital. Immediate approvals for foreign investments up to 100 per cent. Import duty would be zero for 100 per cent export oriented units. Reduction in customs duty on packaging machines. Income tax rebate granted (100 per cent of profits for 5 year and 25 per cent of profits for next 5 years) for upcoming industries like fruits and vegetables. Government gives financial aid for establishing common facilities in Agro Food Park. Full duty exemption on all imports for units in export processing zones. Processing Technology At present most of the processing in India is manual. Usage of Technology like pre cooling facilities for vegetables, controlled atmospheric storage and irradiation facilities is very negligible. Modernizing and bringing in state of the art technology should be given paramount importance by both existing and upcoming manufacturers. Supply Chain Management According to estimates nearly 20 to 25 per cent of the production is lost during various stages of cultivation. Adding to this factor are issues like poor quality of seeds, planting material and sub standard technology in increasing productivity. Hence there is an urgent need for backward linkages with the farmers with the help of techniques like contract farming to improve the quality of the produce. Contract Farming It is nothing but an agreement between the food processor (contractor) who would mostly be a very big organized investor and the farmer, where the farmer is under contractual agreement to plant the contractors crop in his land, The farmer also agrees to cultivate and deliver to the contractor a portion of the produce, calculated on the basis of expected yield and contracted land usage at a pre determined price. The contractor also provides technology and training to the farmer. This is a tremendous advantage to both the farmer and contractor. It guarantees to the farmer a regular source of income and guarantees qualitative output for the contractor. Product Innovation In the case of certain processed food like snack foods, the customer would look for innovation, new varieties and brand loyalty. Neat and attractive packaging would also help by making the product more visible. Another factor to be given due importance is the pricing. Consumers are extremely price sensitive and due attention should be given to this factor. Future Trends It is believed that the food processing industry can do to the rural economy what the information technology industry has done for urban India. The Indian food processing industry is forecasted to grow at 9% to 12% in the coming years. The industry has set a goal of increasing its share in the global processed food trade from 1.6% to 3% within the next 8 years. India having an advantage of a strong agricultural base should tap this potential favorably and become a preferred sourcing destination for food products globally. Key outcomes The fruit and vegetable processing industry in India is highly decentralized. A large number of units are in the cottage/home scale and small scale sector, having small capacities upto 250 tonnes/annum though big Indian and multinational companies have capacities in the range of 30 tonnes per hour or so. The prominent processed items are fruit pulps and juices, fruit based ready-to-serve beverages, canned fruits and vegetables, jams, squashes, pickles, chutneys and dehydrated vegetables. More recently, products like frozen pulps and vegetables, frozen dried fruits and vegetables, fruit juice concentrates and vegetable curries in restorable pouches, canned mushroom and mushroom products have been taken up for manufacture by the industry. The processing level in India is estimated to be around 2%, as compared to about 80% in Malaysia, 30% in Thailand, and 60-70% in the UK and USA. Indias share in the world trade of horticultural processed products too, is miniscule less than 1 per cent. This compares very unfavorably with countries like Malaysia (83%), Philippines (78%), Brazil (70%) and US (70%). Indias major exports are in fruit pulp, pickles, chutneys, canned fruits and vegetables, concentrated pulps and juices, dehydrated vegetables and frozen fruits and vegetables. Supply chain efficiencies together with a focused approach to enhance exports are the key to ensure that India is able to successfully tap new product/market opportunities. India has the potential to achieve a 3% share in the world trade of agricultural and food products by 2015. Key Achievements India is the worlds second largest producer of food next to China, and has the potential of being the biggest with the food and agricultural sector. The total food production in India is likely to double in the next ten years and there is an opportunity for large investments in food and food processing technologies, skills and equipment, especially in areas of Canning, Dairy and Food Processing, Specialty Processing, Packaging, Frozen Food/Refrigeration and Thermo Processing. Fruits Vegetables, Fisheries, Milk Milk Products, Meat Poultry, Packaged/Convenience Foods, Alcoholic Beverages Soft Drinks and Grains are important sub-sectors of the food processing industry. Health food and health food supplements is another rapidly rising segment of this industry which is gaining vast popularity amongst the health conscious. India is one of the worlds major food producers but accounts for less than 1.5 per cent of international food trade. This indicates vast scope for both investors and exporters. Food exports in 1998 stood at US $5.8 billion whereas the world total was US $438 billion. The Indian food industries sales turnover is Rs 140,000 crore (1 crore = 10 million) annually as at the start of year 2000. The industry has the highest number of plants approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outside the USA. The food processing sector in the country with its vast potential has emerged as one of the major driver of economic growth. It is encouraging to note that while the countrys GDP growth rate had increase from 3.5 per cent in 2002-03 to 9 percent in 2006-07; the food processing sector has grown from 7 per cent to 13.1 per cent during the same period. India is a country of over 1.10 billion consumers, there is a large untapped domestic market of 1,000 million consumers in the food processing sector and 200 million more consumers are expected to shift to processed food by 2010. Case Study: Mrs. Bector Cremica Group Three decades ago in 1978 when Mrs. Bector had established a small enterprise, today known as Cremica Group a $90 Million company, is flagship bearer in food retailing and food services industry. Company is exporting to 50 countries including Africa, the USA, UK and the Middle East. Cremica Group included Cremica Frozen Foods, EBI Foods, Mrs. Bectors Desserts and Cremica Agro India. Its products include biscuits, sauces, bread spreads, ready to eat curries and syrups catering to the needs of the food processing industry that seems to be one of the reasons of its being the largest player in food services business in India. Since 1996 Cremica has been supplying buns, ketchups and toppings to McDonalds its key business partner. It has also partnered with Cadburys ITC and EBI Foods, a UK based firm. Its clientele today includes some of the premier names of the food processing industry like Cafe Coffee Day, Taj Group of Hotels, Spencer, Pizza Corner, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Jet Airways, Air India, Big Bazar, Spencer, Barista and HUL. As a companys policy to assists its customers succeed in the marketplace by helping them develop new products, substitute ingredients with local alternatives and reformulate existing products, company had came a long way. The companys value proposition lies in the fact that it can deliver better quality products at the same price. Its core competence in this business arises from its extensive product development and RD capabilities, its team of experienced food technologists and its plants, which are specifically designed for food service applications. Company had been innovative and rejuvenating its existing products with launch of products and services in India and Internationally. For example their sauces are being exported to Australia. In 2009 they launched a new range of chip-dips and bread spread in the ethnic Indian range and these are going abroad to a number of countries. Earlier, company was producing liquid condiments like sauces, Mayonnaise, Toppings and Syrups with its partner company, the erstwhile Quaker Oats Inc of the United States, but in 1999, Quaker Oats withdrew from the joint venture. Cremicas liquid condiments and biscuits are very popular. Cremicas automated biscuit plant has a monthly capacity of producing 10,000 tonnes of biscuits. Its dominant role in the biscuits segment arises from its excellent quality, widespread distribution and extended range. Almost all the divisions of the company are growing fast. With the positive response from the market the

Importance Of Priority In Todays Society :: essays research papers

Importance of Priority in Today's Society In today's society it is of the ultimate importance to keep self- discipline as a major priority. Right now we may not realize it, but we are not living in a perfect society on this planet. But perfect is not the answer for our world, as it seems implausible. Rather, we are trying to work out into the opposite direction and not suffer chaos. Think of what would happen, if we all took the responsibility to keep our self disciplined and utterly focused in trying to do the best we could. Our world would not suffer the many consequences we suffer now. For example, if we decided to peaceful with other nations, and kept respect and peace with everyone. The prevention of mayhem, chaos and anarchy will not just come one day like an invisible shield trying to prevent this situation from happening. What needs to happen is, every person on this earth out of the many billions that there are, needs to take responsibility of his/her actions. Chaos, mayhem, disturbance, turmoil, pandemonium, uproar. Is this what we want in our world today? Although people are afraid to say it, it is obvious that if we all do not think before we do things, these events that I described could occur in the near future. Many people are in belief that chaos, mayhem, and even anarchy will not occur in their lifetimes. And most possibly what they think is true, but they don't show helpfulness towards they younger generations. By making a large pothole, it may be very difficult to fill it. By ruining the world today, it seems as if we are striving to mayhem. In our society we are not working to help other people and just help ourselves. If we all worked together, and not thought so much about ourselves we would therefore show that we can work as a large family or community, thus helping us realize what drastic situation we are in. Michael Jackson states in one of his songs " Heel the world, make it a better place, for you and for me and the entire human race." The only way we could actually fulfill this statement is to be self-disciplined in what we do. Prevention of all three aspects, mayhem, chaos and anarchy, is a must and a necessity in our developing world. Also self responsibility ties into this matter. By being aware of your actions and not doing anything that could effect yourself or anyone else, we are one step closer to a better world, not only for us but the for other generations

Theodore Dreiser and Psychology :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the time of Theodore Dreiser’s writings world culture was looking to find the psychological reasons for society’s miscreants. Psychology was the new science fad due to the popularity of Freud and other psychologists. People were beginning to delve into the world of the subconscious as the source of their troubles. No longer were all mental illnesses considered maladies of the brain. Some were being able to be treated through the treatment of the psyche, a Freudian term. Hypnotism was a popular method of therapy. By investigating the dreams and hidden memories psychotherapist believed they could find the root of the afflictions of their patients. The lounging couch now so greatly associated with the psychotherapeutic method of free association was just coming into popular use.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This time period reflects the ideas that surrounded Dreiser. Growing up poor in Indiana as the ninth of ten children in a devout Catholic German immigrant family, Dreiser received little formal education as his family moved from town to town. While able to secure a college education at the University of Indiana he only managed to stay enrolled for one year. However, he was voracious reader. One of his favorites was Dr. Sigmund Freud, the preeminent psychologist during Dreiser’s life. This fascination with psychological theories as well as his ability to understand them would become a major trademark of his later work such as Sister Carrie, in which he details the rise and fall of a working girl. It is also predominant in his most successful work An American Tragedy, in which he spins the tale of a psychopathic, overly ambitious young man who will stop at nothing including murder to attain wealth and great status.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sister Carrie is preoccupied with Dreiser’s statement that society is two concerned with the societal demands for material success. This is the sociological declaration made in this novel. The author makes the reader see this. Take the following passage: â€Å"A woman should some day write the complete philosophy of clothes. No matter how young, it is one of the things who wholly comprehends. There is an indescribably faint line in the matter of man’s apparel which somehow divides for her those who are worth glancing at and those who are not. Once an individual has passed this faint line on the way downward he will get no glance from her. There is another line at which the dress of a man will cause her to study her own.

On Euthyphro: Notes by Sidney Fein :: Euthyphro

On Euthyphro: Notes by Sidney Fein They say that, in his youth, Rabbi Israel studied eight hundred books of the Kabbalah. But the first time he saw the maggid of Mezritch face to face, he instantly knew that he knew nothing at all. I have on my desk one of my daughter's college textbooks, the Mentor edition of Great Dialogues of Plato as translated by W. H. D. Rouse. It cost $4.95. It is a good book with helpful footnotes and a minimum of scholarly obstruction. The editor has included half a dozen dialogues: Ion, Meno, Symposium, Republic, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo. With a little bit of searching I've dug out my old high school text of Plato, a $.35 Pocket Library edition of the Jowett translation, its edges yellow as the molars of a lifelong Latakia smoker, its brittle pages as loose as if he never brushed. It includes Symposium, ample selections from Republic, and of course the indispensable threeact tragedy of Socrates' trial and death. Plato, however, left us a fouract play, or at least three acts with a very curious prelude. The dialogue that both textbooks leave out is the short, hilarious, perplexing Euthyphro. In the edition I have in front of me this work is described as "a conversation on the nature of piety," myopically in my opinion. Euthyphro is seldom included in introductory texts and so only rarely taught to undergraduates. When it is included in the curriculum Euthyphro is usually assigned in upperlevel courses where it is not discussed in connection with Socrates' trial. It's easy to see why Euthyphro gets dumped. Who wants to read a conversation on the definition of piety, especially one that fails to tell you what the definition of piety is? For that matter, who would want to teach such a thing? While Euthyphro has the pedagogical virtue of brevity (under 20 pages complete) it appears to be little more than a circular argument that ends in bafflement. Worse, though Socrates and his young interlocutor are both facing capital cases and speak on the very porch of the King Archon, and though their topic is an undeniably lofty one, the tone of the dialogue is barely serious. Here Socrates' irony is transparently sarcastic and even the most sympathetic reader is bound to feel that he ought to pick on somebody his own size. There is no obvious connection between tying Euthyphro up in dialectic knots and the solemn proceedings to follow.

Economies of Scale

Detroit and some of its surrounding areas as Windsor and Ontario, represent a huge factor in the economy of the United States by being one of the major cities where trade takes place. General Motors, Ford and Chrysler also known as Americas ‘Big Three’ automobile companies are located in this city. The concept of External Scale Economies can help us explain why these three major companies are located in this area. Scales economies are important for a country because they represent a growth in its economy. Companies are able to produce more products or services at a lower cost of input. External scale economies are based on the size of an entire industry within a specific geographic area. †1 These companies bulk in one specific area in this case Detroit, causing a decrease in the cost of the inputs by sharing some of these with the other surrounding companies, â€Å"this way the output of the industry within the area is larger†2 But how did Detroit turned out to be the spot for these major companies? Detroit’s location gave it the advantage to start growing as a transportation hub in the very beginning.At the end of 19th century Detroit had shipping, shipbuilding and manufacturing industries, but what gave Detroit the main advantage for the businesses to settle there were the natural resources that it owned which eventually led automobile industries to be interested in this place for what meant for them: the external factors which provided a reduction in the firm’s cost. Some of these factors were coal, iron, and copper mining, Detroit was also easily accessible by water and by land; and it was near the nation’s leading, well-established production centers. One of Detroit’s strength was certainly the external factors mentioned above; it guided important industries towards its direction becoming what is now known as a global symbol. The agglomeration of these three big automobile companies has allowed the achi evement of an external scale economy therefore a benefit for the United States’ economy. Notes 1. Thomas A. Pugel, â€Å"Chapter 6 Scale Economies, Imperfect Competition, and Trade†, International Economics, 15th Edition: Page 94 2. Ibid 3. Thomas J. Sugrue, Motor city: The story of Detroit. http://www. gilderlehrman. org/history-by-era/politics-reform/essays/motor-city-story-detroit

Puma’s Ag Case

PUMA’s AG Case Adalbert and Rudolf Dassler founded puma in 1924 in Germany. The company was called Gebruder Dassler OHG, and was internationally well known. However, the two brothers separated creating Adidas and Puma, respectively. Puma had sponsored some of the worlds most famous soccer players, positioning itself as one of the most important company in soccer shoes and accessories. In spite of that, the son of the founder, Armin Dassler, take Puma to a point where all product were sold â€Å"dirt-cheap†, ruining the brand image. The high society was not willing to wear the brand.In 1993, Jochen Zeitz, became the CEO of the company, and together with Martin Gaensler, the supply chain management chief, applied 3 significant phases into the Comeback of Puma: * Aimed at making Puma profitable in order to build a strong financial foundation. * Restructuring the whole company * Focusing in core competencies: marketing, brand management, and product management. * Transform Puma into an attractive sports brand. (High- value brand in sport and lifestyle sales categories). * Sponsoring and advertisement. Puma’s major competitors 1. Adidas –Salomon AG * Headquarters in Bavaria, Germany. Production was in every continent, except in Australia, with administration, design, and marketing in Germany and France. * Production outsourced in Asia. * Only supplier covered all sports. * Main strength soccer line, sky and tennis market. * Known as a brand for the family, satisfying customer’s needs. * Sponsoring activities on huge sports events, famous teams, and athletes like FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League. 2. Nike * American company founded by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight in 1964. * Outsourced part of the production to China and concentrated its skills on product design, marketing, and distribution. Located in Oregon. * Administrative activities concentrated in United States. * Europe, Africa, and Asia worked only in sales strategies . * Target group young people with the slogan â€Å"Just do it† * Marketing strategy: sponsoring events, popular teams, and athletes. * Introduction to specialized brands * Web-based Nike ID (customizing Nike products) 3. Reebok * Founded in 1895 in USA by Joseph William. * Key market: footwear industry (aerobics industry, women’s sportswear, and design street & casual footwear). * Located in 140 countries. R & D in China, Korea, and Taiwan. Distribution finished goods via traditional retailers. * Sales in Gym club trainers. * Reebok female sports shoes were the most famous. * 1992, change of strategy to American football, basketball, and soccer. * Sponsoring sport events and popular athletes. * Nevertheless, Reebok was often regarded as a fitness and exercise equipment manufacturer. 4. Fila * 1911, Italy. * Distribution in 50 countries. * Portfolio of sportswear and athletic footwear. * Focus on running, basketball, and fitness. 5. Prada * Italian brand focused on lux ury leather goods. * Founded by Mario Prada. 2003 Sportive line called Prada Sport. 6. Diesel * 1970. Casualwear or sportswear company that became a luxury brand. PUMA’s Value Chain * R&D: sourcing, production, and logistics * 80% of all production move to Asia due to raw materials and MOD * Manufactured in Turkey and Mexico * It reduces its working capital and inventory to 21% * The raw material sourcing allowing shortening the production and enabling full quality control of input factors. (Inditex’s Zara strategy) * Production partners according to quality, price, and environmental/social factors. Logistics was not a core competence. * Brand management * Turnaround new positioning of the brand itself. * 1980’s unpopular image due to heavy price decline. * Jochen Zeitz (CEO), repositioned the brand * Making PUMA desirable again * 2003, the brand was already positioned and well-known and considered as a luxury * Ensuring success, PUMA hired charismatic personali ties who could represent and understand the desired brand perception, recognition, and awareness even further. * Sponsoring several teams such as the Jamaican running team, Cameroon soccer team, and Italian national soccer team. Sponsoring Formula One, entering by the official supply of sportswear for the FIA World Rally Championship, the Ford Rally division, and freestyle motocross champion Travis Pastrana. * Quality over quantity and rely on innovation. * Following upcoming trends quickly and creating trends. * The Puma classic King was reintroduced creating a new market segment of lifestyle sportswear, having in consequence to it a significant competitive advantage over competitors from the fashion industry. * CEO understood the fashion as â€Å"the new combination of elements of the past†. * Right time for launching a new product line. Puma entered in the cricket market in Australia and Africa. * Advertising in MTV and in Hollywood movies. * Puma was perceived as rebellio us and stylish. * Distribution * Outsourcing 70% in distribution logistics. * Building up a system to develop its own network in Europe. * Retail activities * Selected partners according to the corporate message of Puma. * Sport retailer did not operated globally; only foot Locker and Intersport, Decathlon, and JJB Sports. * There was no price discrimination due to low transportation costs in Europe. * Collaboration with strategic partners and allies Acquired the Swedish company Tretorn (manufacturer of tennis balls), because of the sophisticated and broad distribution system in the Scandinavian market and a very skilled management team. Corporative Strategy: R&D and design (functionality and stylish appearance products). Launching the New Collection: sport, lifestyle, and fashion. * Trying to be innovative in every part of the process * Marketing strategy Innovation * Modernizing latest collections and re-launch them Bibliography. Kaufmann, Lutz. â€Å"Puma AG†. The WHU Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management.

Planning Strategies Essay

Planning is the most basic managerial function. It helps managers identify opportunities, anticipate problems, and develop appropriate strategies and tactics. If done properly, planning identifies threats and opportunities, facilitates entrepreneurship and innovations, and fosters learning. Objectives help you attain our goal, establishing an overall strategy or achieving those goals, developing a comprehension hierarchy of plans to integrate and coordinate activities. Strategic planning focuses on the development of an organization’s mission and vision, goals, general strategies, and major resource allocations. Tactical planning focuses on the shorter term detailed decisions regarding what to do, who will do it and how to do it. Tactical planning specifies the actions for implementing strategic plans. Organizational diversification strategies on planning The primary organization level diversification strategies vary from single business strategy to dominant business strategy, related business strategy, and un-related business strategy. The complexity of strategic planning increases as an organization becomes more unrelated in terms of the range of differences in goods and services the firm provides and the differences in the markets it serves. Levels of strategy and planning Corporate level strategy focuses on the activities of various businesses (or product lines) within a parent organization. Business level strategy focuses on the operations and performance of a single business firm or strategic business unit. Functional level strategy focuses on the actions for managing each specialized area. It specifies how each function will contribute to the organizations business level strategies and goals. Strategic Business Level Planning Planning Process:- 1. Develop the organizations vision, mission and goals 2. Diagnose opportunities and threats 3. Diagnose strengths and weaknesses 4. Develop strategies 5. Prepare strategic plan 6. Prepare tactical plans 7. Control and diagnose the results of both strategic and tactical plans 8. Continue planning process

Kantian and Utilitarian Essay

Kant believed in an absolute moral law that he called the Categorical Imperative. It is this imperative that determines our duty. (2) Two formulations of this imperative can be used to determine the morally correct action that Alistair should choose. The first formulation, The Formula of Universal Law: â€Å"Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law [of nature]. â€Å"(2) Alistair has two possible maxims to act upon. These maxims, if it were universally applicable, are: â€Å"Anyone may lie in order to promote increasing human welfare† and â€Å"Everyone always tells the truth†. The first maxim is contradictory. If people had the option to lie, it negates the system of trust on which the world is built. When, for example, I put my money in the bank, I trust them to keep it safe. If the first maxim was universally accepted, I could not trust without reservation that the bank would keep my money safe because they would be able to give my money away if they felt it would increase the welfare of those less fortunate. If this was the case, there would be widespread mistrust and, ironically, it would have a negative impact on human welfare. The second maxim is universally applicable and is thus, according to Kant, the maxim on which to act upon. The second formulation, The Formula of the End in Itself: â€Å"So act as to treat humanity, both in your own person, and in the person of every other, always at the same time as an end, never simply as a means. †(2) If Alistair were to withhold the truth about the bribery, he denies the rationality of the board and denies that there is any rational action for them to perform. He denies them the option to rationally make a decision on what to do about the situation. In doing this he is using the board merely as a means to ensure the delivery of the medicine. According to Kant, for Alistair to use the board as a means in themselves, he would have to tell the truth. According to Kant’s theory, the action of ignoring the bribe fails the first and second formulation of the Categorical Imperative, thus the right thing to do would be to tell the truth to the board of directors. Utalitarian Theory Looking back at the case study it is clear that, on the one hand, people are receiving inexpensive kits of medicine, the drivers don’t get shot and the reputation of the relief organisation and the director is still intact. On the other hand, the board doesn’t know about the bribery, thus the unethical activity cannot be put to a stop. Utilitarianism is a theory based on consequences, not the action leading to the consequence. This theory holds that we should choose those actions that would result in the greatest amount of good in the interest of the greatest number of people affected by our actions. 1)(4) The â€Å"good† is anything that, directly or indirectly, brings happiness or pleasure. (4) The consequences of each particular action is considered to determine which outcome will best serve the greater good. (3) Act Utilitarianism prescribes that every situation be evaluated independently. The action that leads to the greatest net outcome of utility is then c onsidered to be the correct choice. According to this theory, Alistair should choose the action that will maximise happiness and minimise unhappiness. Alistair has two possible choices with two different consequences. The first is that Alistair tells the truth about the bribery. The possible outcome of his choice are the following: the drivers stop receiving cash and get shot, the contract is terminated and the less fortunate stop receiving their medicine, the director in charge of the contract is fired, and the relief organisation suffers great embarrassment. These are all negative effects and cause great unhappiness. On the other hand, the happiness of the board is increased because they can put a stop to more unethical activity. The second choice that Alistair has to consider is to keep silent and overlook the bribe. This would lead to the situation staying the same (as stated in the case study) and would secure the happiness of the greater good which include: the director, the relief organisation, the drivers and the people receiving the medicine. The board of directors would not know about the bribe, so there would be no unhappiness to consider. Considering the consequences of both actions, the happiness of the greater good is maximised when Alistair keeps silent.