Porters 5 Market Forces Essay

This model focuses on the study of the competitive influences or ‘forces’ on a business. When we discuss competitive factors on a firm, we usually consider other firms within the same industry selling similar products. [1] and although it is true that other firms in the same industry present competition, Porter challenged this over simplified view by considering other forces that will also affect the firms competitive ability . The diagram below highlights the 5 main forces. 2. Potential Entrants into the market This force is concerned with the new firms that may try to enter the same market thereby creating more competition. If a firm anticipates this happening, it may try to raise the barriers to entry, in other words, try make it difficult for new firms to enter their. What barriers may a firm use and why may governments try to stop the barriers to entry? 3. Technical Threat with Substitute goods This is a different threat from those firms selling similar goods as it’s a threat that comes for firms selling alternative/substitute goods. Technology for example has enabled us to use phones to take photographs and this has presented a huge threat to firms producing and selling cameras and camera related products. It is important for a firm to look substitutes and not just similar goods. What substitutes may exist for a restaurant that could impact its sales? 4. Bargaining power of suppliers The power of suppliers will be able to in turn influence the competitive ability of a firm as they will be able to influence the amount and reliability of suppliers as well as the cost if the suppliers. The fewer the number of suppliers the more power the suppliers would have. For example in the micro chip market there are 2 main suppliers, Intel and AMD. These 2 suppliers can make decisions that will in turn influence the competitiveness of the firm. If the suppliers impose penalties and costs when a firm changes over, this too will impact the competitive ability 5. The bargaining power of the buyers Buyers/customers have enormous control over an industry when there are lots of similar and/or alternative goods. Because they can move from one firm to another. If the industry makes it easy for customers to switch to other firms then this also gives the customer more power. The Government introduced a rule for the mobile phone industry that makes it easier for customers to change from one provider to another? What was this rule? What have mobile companies done to try reduce this movement between providers?

How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor Essay

How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor By Erik S. Reinert The book How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor is written by Erik S. Reinert and it is published in 2007. Reinert is a 62-year-old Norwegian economist who specializes in development economics and economic history (Wikipedia). Reinert attended the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland (where he studied economics), Harvard University for MBA, and Cornell University for Ph.D.(Wikipedia). In addition to How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor, Reinert has written six books which focus around the theory of uneven development and the history of economic thought and policy (Wikipedia). Reinert is not only an eminent scholar in his field, but also a distinguished entrepreneur. In 1972 he founded a small industrial firm that did color sampling to the paint and automotive industries. Later he developed the firm and added production plants in Norway and Finland, and by the time he sold it in 1991, the company had become the largest of its kind in Eu rope (Wikipedia). Reinert is influenced by Friedrich List and it shows in his piece. Reinert suggests that â€Å"globalization would have been a positive-sum game for all countries if the world has taken Friedrich List’s path to economic integration† (Reinert, 161.). Friedrich has developed his own theory about the timing of tariffs and free trade, and the sequence basically goes like this: (1) a period of free trade for all nations (2) a period when small states protect and build their own industries (4) a period when all countries establish their own competitive industrial sectors (Reinert, 161.).After going through all the above steps, it’s time to open for global free trade and globalization will benefit the poor nations as well as the rich ones. Based on Reinert’s education level, the amount of research and publication he has done in the field of uneven development and his work experience, it can be concluded that Reinert is both qualified educationally and by experience to write this book. How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor is Reinert’s most recent English-language book and his purpose of writing this book is to find out the causes of poverty and to explain the mechanisms that produce the huge gap between the rich and the poor. He looks through the economic history of the past 500 hundred years and concludes the economic structure that most rich countries follow faithfully and eventually make them rich: industrialization policies first, free trade second. Once the rich countries become rich (e.g. the European countries), the type of economic understanding employed by them during their transition from poor to rich dies and they comes up with the completely different standard economics (abstract â€Å"high† theories) for export to poor countries. As a consequence, the standard economics, such as the Washington Consensus, proves to be damaging to poor countries and makes them even poorer. It can be observed that the rich countries were those who emulated the leading industrial nations, such as the United Kingdom, into â€Å"the Age of Industry† (Reinert, 123.) Industrialization is the very first step towards success. With the effect of increasing returns and specialization, the benefit of industrialization goes much further. Industrialized countries take all the jobs that require high skills and technology, while the jobs industrialized countries can no longer mechanize or innovate further, such as straightening of the wire, are farmed out to the non-industrialized countries (Reinert, 39.) Rich countries produce mechanizable products while poor countries can only produce non-mechanizable ones and it explains why no country is able to get rich by only producing raw materials (Reinert, 134.). An industrial sector is essential for a country to become rich. As time zips by, technology and increasing returns, which are main sources of economic power, create economic barriers to entry and make it even more difficult for poor countries to catch up (Reinert, 40.). Rich countries specialize in the right economic activities also develop economic scale and as a consequence, more labor is needed to perform the tasks and the cost of each unit of product falls (Reinert, 40.). Workers are paid more and the things they buy cost less. Both outcomes reflect the two ways to raise the standard of  living: to receive higher wages or to lower the prices of goods (Reinert, 131.). On the other side, rich countries force the conclusions of standard economic policies which they would not apply at home, upon the poor nations that are under their wings, such as keeping the colonies as pure suppliers of raw materials (Reinert, 39.). The rhetoric-reality gap plays an important role in keeping poor countries poor. Another factor that is crucial to the poor nations is the timing of opening up of an economy because free trade tends to destroy the most efficient industries in the least efficient countries (Reinert, 251.). Most rich countries are industrialized before the free trade, so that when they enter the market, they are capable to compete with other countries and get the maximum benefits from globalization but for poor nations, the free trade is like adding frost to snow. In conclusion, Reinert sees the wealth as a result of industrialization, together with other factors such as increasing returns, synergies and he blames poverty for deindustrialization, and the wrong timing of free trade. In general, I agree with Reinert’s opinion that industrialization and the timely free trade policy are the keys to wealth. The development path of China can be a perfect example for this. China was very prosperous during the Tang dynasty, and many western countries sent scholars all the way to China to learn from its success. But during the Qing dynasty, the government chose the policy of isolation and it destroyed the economic development of China. The Qing government restricted the external transport and foreign trade. Imported goods were heavily taxed. The variety and quantity of exported goods were limited as well. China isolated itself from others while many western competitors were in the process of industrialization. Many industrialized western nations were seeking new territories and the deindustrialized China without any advanced arms naturally became their target. Effortlessly, their machine guns bombed the â€Å"locked† country. After that, China learned lessons and started to choose economic structure carefully. Instead of following the immediate economic integration, China followed the Marshall Plan whose goal is to reindustrialize. Fortunately, China chose the right economic structure this time and it was used as proof of the excellence of globalization while Russia, a country faithfully followed the advice given by the World Bank and IMF, experienced disastrous  consequences (Reinert, 118.). Although China has gone back to the right track, but the fact that China is a developing country instead of a developed country demonstrates that the scar caused by the mistaken choice of economic policy and deindustrialization hasn’t healed. The story of China shows the consequences of failing to recognize the importance of industrialization and timely free trade. The failure explains why poor countries are poor and the presently weal thy countries are those who embrace the industrialization and capitalism. Generally speaking, the book is well written. Reinert organizes the book by using sub headings to separate the content and drawing examples from the economic history to support his theories, which make the book more understandable and reliable. There are only a few graphics, a bibliography and a very long appendix at the end, suggesting there are a lot of facts and in-depth research behind the book. The only problem that I have with this book is the repetitiveness of theories. Reinert is very focused on his theme but sometimes he tends to overemphasize it by repeating the similar theories in different chapters. I would recommend the book to readers who have a particular interest in the topic of equalization, or the gap between the rich and the poor. Reinert discusses a lot of highly controversial subjects and people would want to find out the answers. Bibliography S. Reinert, Erik, How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor, London: Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_S._Reinert

Food Addictions Essay

Food nourishes us and helps to create our bodies. However, certain substances that we eat as â€Å"food† can cause dysfunction within us and ultimately contribute to the destruction of our bodies. Although every seven years each cell in the body is completely new, we may still crave junk foods that seem to call to us with their sweet, salty, greasy temptations. It can be difficult to ignore theses naughty longings and make healthy choices about the good, more balanced nutrition that our bodies need. Why is it that we so easily give in to cravings for these sweet, savory, spicy junk foods—and soon after eating them, want more? This can be a challenging question, but is worth investigating. Along with the question of why do we like them so much is what can we do about it? The food group I am addicted to eating, yet later regret is sweets. In this paper I will discuss my cravings and how I can address them. The desire for sweets is unstoppable therefor my cravings never seem satisfied. Sweet foods and desserts saturate my taste buds with creamy, sugary, dainty, delicious, and overwhelming flavor. It could be the simple beauty and enticement of streusel cinnamon coating the top of fluffy donuts, muffins, and cakes which initiates the desire. Or it may be the hundreds of delicious, complicated layers that make up pastries, from tasty fruit-filled turnovers to chocolate ganache-filled croissants. My mouth waters over the thought of sensual custards, such as rich creme brulee. The delight of breaking the rigid layer of crystallized sugar with a spoon is like unwrapping a gift and reveals the silky smooth lavender vanilla bottom. Such tantalizing actions enrich the sensory consumption experience. The heady aroma and succulent taste only heighten the pleasure. Although my body feels expansive and â€Å"high† with the sugar and the rush of dopamine, I know that sugar has more negative, long-lasting physical and mental effects on my body than the temporary good feelings released from the sugar. When eating expansive foods, like ones that contain high doses of sugar, I almost experience a euphoric feeling. At the very least, an instant temporary satisfaction is a guaranteed. However, when taste buds are overwhelmed with intense sugary flavors, after the first few bites, they are unable to detect much else. Too much sugar actually desensitizes your taste buds. This is one of many costs of instant sugar gratification. Sweets interest me since they are something I don’t like to live without. Research tells us that sugar can be quite harmful in unnecessary amounts, yet it is my greatest addiction and driver of my desires. Due to this glaring contradiction, this addiction teaches me about myself, my cravings and temptations, my healthiness and my unhealthiness. Even after learning of the negative consequences of over-indulging in this habit, it is still often hard for me to moderate my behavior and make healthier food choices. This is what life is about: learning about yourself and the world around you, learning about your strengths and weaknesses, identifying the things you need to sacrifice for a better life and the importance of â€Å"quality over quantity† and â€Å"delayed gratification†. If I can overcome my cravings, by changing processed sugar for natural sweeteners, it will be my greatest accomplishment. For if I can change my own life and eating habits, I believe I can truly help other people in this world. Though sugars effects on my moods, body, and mind are revolutionary to me, unhealthy cravings are now a major focus in my culinary career. I plan to help educate people on health and wellness, how good nutrition can enrich lives.

Ethical and Cultural Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical and Cultural Issues - Essay Example Many people tend to believe that business is business and it is about standardized business practices that happen to be same around the world. They think that the relevance of culture in business is overrated. However, nothing could be far from the truth. The thing that needs to be understood is that every business system happens to evolve around a culture and is significantly influenced by the cultural norms and beliefs (Johnson & Turner, 2007). Thereby while undertaking business operations in foreign nations, it is quiet feasible to offend people from a different business culture, without even intending to actually do so. Yet, it is also a fact that even if one agrees to the fact that business systems do get influenced by culture, it is difficult to ascertain as to how much one should know about a culture while engaging in business with it. There is no definite answer. Certainly, cultural knowhow is important, yet more important is the attitude of the managers managing business in a foreign culture (Johnson & Turner, 2007). ... A manager working in a foreign culture also needs to retain an attitude that is caring about the society in which one operates. For instance while doing business in China, a manager needs to remember that the Chinese society is highly shaped and moulded by traditional Confucian values that affiliate to a strict sense of propriety and norms (Alon, 2007). It is these norms and values that determine as to how a person ought to operate, act and behave while dealing with a range of social hierarchies. In addition, it is a fact that the Chinese tend to maintain little separation between their business life and personal life, and each business decision tends to have a personal context (Alon, 2007). One important thing to be understood is that the concepts of ‘mianzi’ and ‘guanxi’ happen to highly influence the business ethics in China. Guanxi happens to be a system of business connections, contacts, networks and relations that is really complex and deeply imbedded (Alon, 2007). These connections are formed over decades and happen to run deep. Mianzi is affiliated to the concept of face and in a broader term it could be interpreted as a concern for one’s personal self respect and self respect of the others (Alon, 2007). Hence, while dealing with ethical issues in China a manager always needs to remember that no concern for ethics may supersede the notions of guanxi and mianzi. The Chinese notion of ethics is flexible in the sense that while deciding about ethics it does tends to show consideration for personal relationships and the onus of allowing others to save their sense of face, even if it involves somewhat

Global cooperation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Global cooperation - Essay Example Issues like the ravaging HIV/AIDS that has seen so many persons wiped out from the face of the earth is only possible to tackle with the window of international cooperation. Economic issues like the 2007 global depression would only be tackled when there exists some cooperation amongst the nations of the world. It is in such scenarios that technocrats from all over the world meet and deliberate on how to save the world economy while taking care of individual states interest. (Frieden 2012) Sporting actions like the Olympics and the FIFA Football World Cup can only take place when there is global cooperation and the benefits of such events have all been there for all to see hence it cannot be disputed in any way. Finally it is only through global cooperation that peace could be maintained amongst the nations of the world. The occurrence of the world wars was partly due to a lack of a clear roadmap to achieve this objective of international

Management of Change. Why General Electric was required to bring about Essay

Management of Change. Why General Electric was required to bring about a complete transformation in the organization - Essay Example The importance of stakeholders in organizations has become all the more important over the years. Thus organizations are constantly confronted with the crisis of managing change so as to keep themselves at par with stakeholders’ needs and requirements. The project seeks to bring forth the process of cultural change that was brought about in General Electric. Elaborating the factors which initiated the change process in the organization, the project goes on to weigh the actual outcomes against the desired outcomes in the organization. Finally the project provides an evaluation of the extent to which GE has been successful in implementing the change process in the organization. Organizational Change Theorists have brought forth some generic definitions of organizational change. Burnes (1996) noted that organizational change is regarded as the alterations taking place in organizations at the groups, individuals and the entire organizational level. According to Van de Ven and Pool e, (1995) change is defined as the observation of differences over a period of time on a variety of dimensions. Researchers and practitioners exploring change through social-cognition perspective or cultural perspective in organizations consider focussing on such aspects as values and mental maps of participants in the change, rather than on aspects like organizational structures, size etc. Since the language of change differs across perceptions of researchers it is difficult to find a unanimous and common perception of language fir change. However, there are certain common concepts in change theories produced by authors, such as sources of change, forces of change, first order and second order change. These common concepts are available within the major sources literature of change like Burnes, 1996; Levy and Merry, 1986; Goodman, 1982; and Spreitzer and Rajagopalan, 1996. More and more studies related to change increased the critical points of these concepts in their analysis. Mor gan (1986) makes the main assumption underlying the evolutionary theories that change is a response which is generated due to situational variables, external conditions and environment surrounding organizations. He regards social systems as being complex, diversified and interdependent, which evolve over time naturally responding to external demands (Kezar, 2001, p.4). The planned change models or Teleological theories assume the fact that organizations remain purposeful and adaptive to change. It is because organizational leaders, change agents and others see the needed change in organizations that change happens or occurs. Even though the change process is regarded as being linear and rational, Carnall (1995); Carr, Hard and Trahant (1996) regard the individual managers to be more instrumental in the process. Morgan, conceptualises the process of change as a being a natural part of organizational development. Researchers have a brought a direct association between organizational c hange and consequent performance and productivity of firms. Change process is said to act as a catalyst or facilitator of organizational growth and performance. Some of the leading examples of organizational changes which have subsequently reflected through enhanced performance, productivity and competitive position in the market are British Airways, General Electric and Rover Group (APOC, 1997, p.5). Effective change

Sam 489 assignment 7 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sam 489 7 - Assignment Example A discussion on the temporary service changes or modifications that might be necessary after disaster recovery is also important. Disaster is unpredictable. Even the most prepared businesses or organizations are prone to the adverse effects of disasters. In case of disasters, various agencies aid small businesses in disaster recovery. Such agencies include U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Farm Services Agency (FSA), Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), and other state agencies (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola, 2011). The Federal Emergency Management Agency aids small businesses in disaster recovery through the provision of food, rescue services, water, housing, electrical power, and other basic resources (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2015). Indeed, FEMA provides temporary housing for small businesses like the gymnasium for a limited period. The agency also offers financial support to repair the damages caused by the disaster on small businesses not covered by the insurance (Wells Fargo Bank, 2013). FEMA also replaces destroyed buildings if such buil dings were not under any insurance cover (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2015). The agency can also provide direct assistance to support a permanent or semi-permanent construction of businesses affected by disasters (Wells Fargo Bank, 2013). Ultimately, the agency offers financial support for other expenses and severe basic or business needs emanating from the disaster. Other services covered by FEMA include crisis counseling, disaster unemployment assistance, legal services, and special tax considerations for affected small businesses (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola, 2011). The Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) also aid small businesses in disaster recovery. Indeed, SBDC offers confidential assistance to affected businesses after a disaster (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola, 2011). The U.S. Small Business Administration funds Small Business

Cross-border Mobility and Immobility Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cross-border Mobility and Immobility - Article Example Some views also opine for the debarring of the worker flow from the foreign states which enhances the competition. The second domain circumscribes the progress from different countries like sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East infiltrating into the European culture and the views are against the mobility particularly from the Islamic countries although the nature of variation changes from country to country. Both the domain of discussion targets at the restriction mechanism of migration. However the discussion generates the significance of the regulation of immigration. An emergence of the cross border immobility is taken as the starting phase and it has been found that people remains immobile with respect to certain destinations and the preference of destinations among the people play a significant part in the mobility (Velde & Naerssen, 2000, pp. 218-219). Argument The argument stands on the premises of examining whether the borders generates incentives for the migrants to relocat e. In other words, the argument presupposes on the decision making aspects of the people in the migration procedure in association with the prime parameter being the border in this case (Velde & Naerssen, 2000, p. 219). Structure of the paper The decision making process of cross border mobility of the migrants incorporates into it the very notion of underlying uncertainty, instability as well as the precariousness affecting their mobility behavior. In order to examine the basis of the argument three components distinguishing the international migration are explained with respect to the argument in question and that is people, borders and trajectories. The people usually decide in crossing the borders or not and this specific endeavor they can remain mobile or immobile internationally. This nature depends on the various geographical borders they take into considerations. The people are also in the following specific routes for the movement from one place to the other and hence crossi ng the national borders (Velde & Naerssen, 2000, p. 219). Literatures In 1880s, Ravenstein revealed that the study of the actual and the potential migration reduces the migrants into infinitesimally small identities within the demand supply framework of the labor market. He also inferred that the wage differentials and the distance are the key variables in determining the migration decisions which later generated in the form of the famous push and pull framework. Some other theorist states that the notion of rationality does not always play in the migration decisions as in many cases it has been encountered that the migrants are guided by the asymmetric information. The concept of human capital which links the long run investment decisions also affects the migration decisions of the migrants. The transaction cost approach states that the people calculate the costs like opportunity costs, costs of adjustment to different cultures, adaptation to legal structures and so on and so forth . Stark (1982) changed the focus of the migration from the individual to the mutual dependence among the households, families and communities. Immobility is a fact which involves only a minority of

Private Vs. Public School Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Private Vs. Public School Education - Essay Example But the fees of the private schools are generally very high, and not all parents can afford them. Public schools provide free education. they are equally focused and dedicated to the education of children like those in private schools. Private schools are found to be more expensive than public schools. The most significant concern is the tuition fees. Public schools do not charge tuition. Instead, they are funded through federal, state or local taxes (Private vs. public schools: what’s the difference?, 2009). But private schools are funded by tuition, fundraising, donations and other private grants. Public schools are subject to various state and federal regulations that allow them to provide education to all children including those with special needs. Private schools are not obligated to accept all students. When it comes to educating children in accordance with the learning advancements, curriculum is considered to be the most significant concern of the school authorities as well as the government policies (Kennedy, 2009). There are evident differences between private and public schools in the context of curriculum design for students. Public schools offer a generalized curriculum designed for all students, which includes all the essential subjects (math, English, science, etc.) as well as physical education. The curriculum is mandated by the state government, and learning ability of children is measured by various state standardized tests. In other words, curriculum design in public schools is somewhat definite as regulated by the state. Whereas private schools allow a considerable amount of flexibility while designing the curriculum. For instance, they can develop various specialized programs determined by the requirements of the students. Students are evaluated by standardized tests just like those in the public schools, but private schools can develop their own curriculum and assessment systems. Special

The Political Economy of Permanent Crisis in the Philippines Essay Example for Free

The Political Economy of Permanent Crisis in the Philippines Essay In a world where competition gets tougher and tighter, it does not pay to play around and settle with typical and average situations. It is not valuable that we settle for anything less. Hence, it is necessary that we improve on what we got and acquire some assets that we do not possess. However, looking on the Philippine context, statistics prove that we lag behind some countries; more disappointingly, behind some countries which were once at the bottom before. How did this happen? History may give the answers but what matters is how the government approached the dilemmas the country was facing few years back. Chapter Six of the book, â€Å"The Anti-Development State: The Political Economy of Permanent Crisis in the Philippines† by Walden Bello talks about â€Å"unsustainable development.† Sustainable development; what could this mean? As defined in the book, â€Å"sustainable development† is the development that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The chapter then discussed about environmental concerns in relevance with the economic policies. Economic activities cannot be separated from the environment since we get resources from the environment in order to produce goods or services that we use up for economic purposes and to supply the necessities of people. Walden Bello takes up the mining and logging industry when both were at their peak. On mining industry, the government was almost over-the-top generous on offering various incentives to multinational corporations for them to extract the country’s vast mineral resources. However, the side-effect of this, on the other hand, was that the indigenous people living within the area of the mine sites involved were eventually out of the government’s concern, consideration, and protection. The situation sets the fact that the indigenous people’s community and welfare were unmercifully ignored. The government focused on improving and strengthening the mining sector for future capital inflow that the benefit and well-being of the indigenous people were disregarded. Would the inflow of money really be used for public necessities? Or would it be kept in the pockets of some few privileged elites? Going now to the logging industry, there was a time when this sector boomed and the Philippines had become the fifth-largest exporter of timber in the world market. Of course, the government was obviously overwhelmed when some logger-turned-politicians gained control over the logging industry and granted special considerations, and exemptions to â€Å"legitimized illegal logging† (as referred to by former DENR Sec. Victor Ramos). Soon after, more and more trees were cut and abused. Although the Department of National Resources (DENR) tried to secure and protect the trees, their power was not enough. Illegal loggers became aggressive to the point where they would kill DENR rangers that would stop them. Loggers got off delirious because the government tolerated the act of cutting trees that had become widely â€Å"legitimately illegal.† As said in the chapter, â€Å"environmental equilibrium and economic strategy were simply in contradiction.† Sustainable development needs balance. Implementing economic policies for economic interests is a necessity; but having them to tolerate environmental degradation could get things worse. That instead of sustaining development, abuse of natural resources may mean halting of progress. Speaking of progress, there are several causes that brings a country to the bottom; or worse, to a downfall; although there is this one popular factor affecting and/or hindering development which is the trendy corruption. Whether be it a petty one, or ratchet corruption, still they contribute to the economic stagnation of the country. But can we really blame our slow growth with this factor? Chapter seven tackles about corruption and poverty with the idea that it is not corruption per se that causes poverty and economic stagnation. With the latter, the chapter brings up the cases of crony capitalism evident in some administrations especially during the presidency of Joseph Estrada. The bottom-line of the chapter lies with the idea that underdevelopment of the Philippines must not be blamed wholly on corruption; but it is with the ruling elite groups having control over the market, resources, some people, and others. Specifically, crony capitalism enters the scenario. During the reign of Joseph Estrada, transactions involving him and some wealthy personalities and public officials were the reasons that brought his supremacy down. Discussed in the chapter were Estrada’s four notorious cronies namely: Lucio Tan, Mark Jimenez, Dante Tan, and Danding Cojuangco. Obviously, these four people were Estrada’s friends; and what do friends do? They support and help each other. Just like what these cronies did for Estrada, they gave him support through providing him cash, campaign arrangement, political connections, and other contributions for his campaign. Of course, for a friend that has been given big things, the debt of gratitude comes next, or what we call, â€Å"utang na loob†. True enough, we cannot really get rid of that attitude of ours since we Filipinos value â€Å"pakikisama†. Back to Estrada, as a great friend, he gave them something in return. Estrada used his powers as a mortal supreme being to repay his crony friend s. He gave them what they wanted. Just like what happened to his first listed friend, Lucio Tan. Lucio Tan, back then, was charged with a tax evasion case. It was one of the biggest tax evasion case in the Philippine’s history. Yes, talk about Php 25 billion. Hearing this, Estrada declared his intention on abolishing the government agency responsible for going after the people with ill-gotten wealth. Getting away with your wrongdoings because of a connection; smart thinking, Mr. Lucio. Another issue involving Lucio Tan, as the owner of Philippine Airlines (PAL), was when he suspended the flights between Philippines and Taiwan because of his accusation that Taiwan’s China Airlines and EVA Airways are stealing the passengers of PAL by implementing lower prices. Lucio Tan accused them of violating the passenger quotas in a bilateral air-services agreement. With the suspension, PAL was able to acquire more passengers. Well, good for PAL. But on the other hand, the suspension meant some diplomatic argument between PH and Taiwan. Just so happened during that time, PH depended on Taiwan for jobs, trade, and tourists. Unfortunately, the suspension was not really of a well-timed move to exasperate the country that we rely upon. Another friend was Mark Jimenez. Mark was charged of several accounts of fraud, tax evasion, and illegal campaign contribution in the US. As he heard of the news, Mark pushed himself in the circle of Estrada. As a friend, again, Estrada said he would take care of the situation; a friend to the rescue, indeed. At some point, Mark Jimenez was also a great broker back then. He was described as a â€Å"corporate genius† by the former president. Surely, they did things for each other; whether be it legal or illegal, right or wrong. Dante Tan, however, was one of the identified depositors in the famous â€Å"Jose-Velarde† account. Dante got caught up with issue on Best World (BW) controversy. BW experienced a strange share-price increase that led for an investigation. However, the very good friend himself, Joseph Estrada, became a hero once more from saving the face of Jimenez. Estrada told the investigators to clear the name of Jimenez; and that was it, another name saved. It was another getaway from a transgression. Lastly, the final friend and crony listed was Danding Cojuangco. During Marcos’ regime, he made Danding as the director of the Philippine Coconut Administration (PCA), meaning, as appointed in a powerful position, Danding could make use of the funds from the said government agency. Danding used the funds of PCA to be able to invest to few corporations making the public funds turn into private ones. He successfully managed to own one of his precious possessions, the San Miguel Corporation, which was allegedly bought through the PCA funds. Another issue with Danding was the matter on land reform. Cojuangco tried to control various lands while assumingly giving up his claims as a landowner; all of these possible because of Estrada’s lavish support to his friend. Tying and combining all of the cases above, it is safe to assume that Estrada has been a corrupt official. Tolerating all the bribery and fraud, shamefully as the most powerful public official whom must be the one showing examples as a good citizen. Cronies of Estrada were undoubtedly good friends to him; and so was he. He received praises as an outstanding friend; of course, from the four cronies he had. He might actually get an award as the â€Å"Best Friend of the Year† award, if there is one. Being a great, helpful, and generous buddy is totally superb and fantastic. Helping is not bad, nor is being generous kind not either. But there are limits that one must know upon giving in to something immoral and illegal. True enough that the cases above were brought about by cronyism and corruption; few factors adding up to the causes of underdevelopment. Philippine’s stagnation has been heavily acquainted with corruption; a fact. Even so, corruption has been the evil word being associated with the country’s poor description. Ask anyone on what causes Philippine’s underdevelopment, I would not even put the effort on asking since I know that almost everyone would answer, corruption. Truth is, corruption cannot be removed in a snap, nor it cannot be eradicated at all. Corruption is not some litter that can be swept off and be dissolved forever, but corruption is somewhat a permanent phenomenon. The only way to fight it is probably to minimize it and prevent it from happening. Nonetheless, we are not living in a perfect world. We cannot monitor everyone in this country if they are doing anything illegal and if they are being corrupt. My point is, petty corruption may be almost anywhere and somewhat unnoticeable. The important thing is we must be able to minimize and control ratchet corruption, as it is being associated with big sums of money that will have an effect over the country’s growth. Whatever it may be, still, corruption is illegitimate as for it promotes interests only for private gains. And whatever Estrada and his cronies did, they contributed to the country’s economic underdevelopment. Although we always blame corruption for poverty and economic stagnation, is it fair enough that we point to corruption per se as the whole sinner for this tumbled economy? In the same chapter, Bello also points out that economic stagnation cannot just be attributed to corruption and cronyism. He brought up cases linked with our country’s neighbors as being developed even though they have high statistics on corruption cases. An example given was South Korea. South Korea also experienced extensive corruption and yet their country grew and grew until now. The argument is, if some corrupt countries are able to attain growth and development, maybe corruption is not the key cause of economic stagnation. As stated, Jens Chr. Andvig and Odd-Helge Fjeldstad, Brunetti, Kisunku, Weder in 1997, and Paldam in 1999, surveyed econometric studies testing the relationship between corruption and economic growth. In their survey, they found out that GDP growth is insignificant. Although some of them said that a country is corrupt because it is poor. Going back to basics and as stated in the chapter, corruption is generally defined to be the misuse of public resources by a public agent for private gains. The view taken from the chapter says that wrong behaviors of the elites are the primary reasons why the Philippines remains to be a weak state. Our country seems to be experiencing â€Å"anarchy of families† (as stated by Alfred McCoy and termed by anthropologist Robert Fox). Due to the ruling class and other abusive and opportunistic elites, they have been dominating the state using their social power and money. As the elites being influential in the country, they have their ways on protecting and getting their interests against the public interests of the state. The disappointing part is that the state has been continuously tolerating and serving these elites through providing them their private interests. As a result, the state’s autonomy weakened because the public resources were privatized and benefitted elite families. The government could no longer fight against these families due to the fact that a weak state has already been existing and elites are the ones being strengthened. It is an awfully bad combination that the country has strong elite families and a weak state wherein few elite families are enjoying the privatization of public resources while the state’s resources are weakening. Now, as to connect the latter with the pointed out root of the state’s stagnation which is corruption, it all trickles down to the idea that both of these are the factors why the Philippines lags behind neighbor countries. But as to slightly defend corruption, Walden Bello suggests and emphasizes that corruption is not the real cause of poor Philippines; rather it is the weak state and the abusive elites. The thing is, people tend to not consider the underlying cause of the state’s problem. Some ignorant people are likely focusing on the proximate causes and not on the ultimate cause which is why the approach on the problem has not been pretty much pragmatic and somehow progress is not really achieved. Walden Bello again pressed the issue on corruption vis-à  -vis the ruling elites when he stated in the chapter that these elite families are using corruption as an escape goat and weapon with the hope that they may take over the power of the public officials and to have something to blame for the country’s economic stagnation. As a result, we keep on blaming corruption as the sole problem of our state’s underdevelopment. Our minds are focused on this target that we do not consider anymore the root cause of our problem. It is stated in the chapter that â€Å"the idea that we are poor because we are corrupt is conceptually and empirically flawed.† That idea has been used to strengthen the power of local elites and empower the neoliberal thought including privatization and deregulation, which are in favor of the ruling elites. In conclusion, Bello stated that what the state needs for development is â€Å"not less, but more state.† This is to give importance of the state’s supremacy over the elites. This means that the weak state must be transformed to a strong state by realizing the greater autonomy of the state than the little prowess of the elites. Strategies on attaining sustainable development must be done accordingly. Taking in consideration some of the points given above, it is strongly clear that the state must act on the emergence of the upper class. Given the fact that the Americans have inculcated in the Philippines their pattern of a weak central authority which in turn gives power to the upper class and prevented, eventually, a developed state, this means that the Philippines had adapted a system in what we call, the â€Å"EDSA System,† as described by Bello. EDSA System is democratic in the sense that it makes the electoral procedure as its weapon for political success. Still, politics in the Philippines are well-dominated by the elite and upper class people and somehow manipulating and sabotaging the Philippines’ developmental system. Lessons from reading the chapters given above have brought about the idea that the political and economic development of the Philippines was worsened over the past years especially through the EDSA System. However, the very fact this book was published is to bring together some analysis supported with historical facts that would create some valid suggestions on letting in development in the Philippines. In the end, Philippines’ developmental plans must proceed to its maximum ability and have an alternative political economy that would boost the political and economic sectors. Build up the strong state and minimize the elites’ powers. The way out of national impasse is not far from possible; that is, unless, if we move the EDSA system out of the Philippines’ political economy.

Television Analysis Of Jersey Shore

Television Analysis Of Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore is a reality TV show that has become one of the most popular shows in television today, and the producers are working on a season three. The show began in 2009, and since has had two seasons, which were widely viewed by many people. Some question, What is this show all about, and I reply that it is a show consisting of eight young people; Paul DelVicchio, Nicole Polizzi, Michael Sorrentino, Sammi Giancola, Ronnie Ortiz Magro, Jenni Farley, Vinny Guadagnino, and Angelina Pivarnick. All these people are young Italian people that come to a beach house, and basically just have fun. They all party, go out to clubs, drink alcohol uncontrollably, have sex, and just act like the stereotypical young person. Jersey Shore is not a survivor type reality show, or even a fear factor type reality show, but in my opinion, it is a bunch of young people that act immature, do bad things to have fun, and just make fools out of themselves in front of the whole country. However, Jersey Shore tries to make it seem like they are really good people because they work some of the time on the show in minimum wage jobs, but the times that those scenes are shown, the time frame is very minimal. Thus, this shows that the show is trying to show that they are doing something productive, but then again it shows the bad things more often because those are what are most interesting to society. So, the Jersey shore is a show that portrays young people to be the stereotypical young person, and in a sense persuades the people of America that this is how young people act. Additionally, the show portrays genders in ways that seem to be stereotypical as well. Gender Roles on the Jersey Shore (female) Females are often criticized by men that if they dont look like a real woman, then theyre not worth talking to. Meaning, if they do not wear makeup, dress up to show sex appeal, wear high heels, do their hair, they are not worth the time. However, this does not exist in the Jersey Shore because that is exactly what all the women do on the show. For instance, before they go to the club in basically every episode there will be a scene being shown that shows them getting ready, and that includes the women putting on makeup, sexually appealing clothes, and doing their hair. For instance in Episode 12, Season Two you see all the girls getting ready and Nicole Snookie Polizzi says We got to get ready and make sure we look good before we go to the club, (mtv.com) Thus, the show portrays the female as if they have to look good to go out, and wear nice clothes, and make sure their hair is done, which in my view, is really not the way most women are. Furthermore, when looking past that idea of the way women are supposed to look, I discovered that the show also portrays women to be the type that just want to have sex all the time and find good looking males. For instance, in just about every episode the women are always talking about the places to go to see all these good looking men, and how they would like to have sex with them. Additionally, when they go in the clubs, they dance rather sexually and get very close to their male counterparts in the club. So, perhaps, the Jersey Shore is trying to send the message that if you are going to clubs, you will meet women like this, and I find that to be a very stereotypical bias because not all women go to the clubs to simply dance dirty, and have sex. Hence, I believe that the Jersey Shore portrays women to be sex objects that love going out and showing off their bodies. Gender roles (male) Male gender role in the show is portrayed differently from women, but it does have a similarity. Men on the show are shown to be huge ripped guys that are very clean looking. That is where the similarity comes in between the male and female roles because they both are being portrayed as what people want in a man or woman, based on the media portrayal in this society. Additionally, the show stereotypes masculinity because Jersey Shore makes it seem like you have to look this way to be masculine, which means having a six pack, or being ripped. Moreover, the show does not only show male masculinity to be a role, but also shows male dominance to be a major role. For instance, in Season Two, Episode 11, Mike The Situation Sorrentino says to Nicole Snooki Polizzi when they are in the club that Im the man of the house, and when I say it is time to go, and then we go. Ive always done this when we have gone out. I always round people up(mtv.com), but words can only express so much, so you wou ld actually have to see it before your very own eyes to see how he believes he is dominant over Nicole Snooki Polizzi. In contrast, I believe that the show also shows men in a feministic way. The reason I say that is because the men on the show are often doing things typical of a woman. For example, the guys will go out and get a tan at a tanning salon, which is often seen being done by women. In addition, the guys, like the women, spend a lot of time doing their hair, getting dressed, and basically they just spend their time on themselves. However, I believe this is done purposely to show that they are clean, and that the male gender can too care about his body. Although they do that purposely, I believe viewers will still question how truly realistic is this reality show. So, gender roles in the show are portrayed in an way that intentionally try to attract viewers, but knowledgeable people will be able to tell that these are not the way all men and women are. Negative influence on young people Jersey Shore is a show that heavily stereotypes young people, but in my opinion, they do not take into consideration the negative effects they can have on the younger crowd. The younger people in America are often brainwashed by the media and believe everything that is being told or broadcasted. Therefore, Jersey Shore is a prime example of a show that can have these negative effects. The effects it might have differ between the genders, but when you look at the bigger picture it is quite similar. It is similar because most young people that are watching the show might now believe that they should act like these stereotypical young people are acting. However, they might not realize that this is not truly a hundred percent correct, and that this can possibly have a negative influence on their lives if they choose to act this way. In my opinion, I believe that what they do on the show will have a negative influence on a younger persons life because they would now start drinking more, clubbing more, having sex more, which all could result in negative outcomes. For instance, drinking could lead to an alcohol problem, clubbing could lead to sex, which can ultimately lead to a sexually transmitted disease that can be life threatening. So, younger people are potentially in danger when absorbing these false ideas and actions being portrayed on the show, and this can cause a number of problems in society itself to increase just because of one show. Alcohol addiction can increase, number of minors entering clubs can increase, and the most devastating thing would be if sexually transmitted diseases increase, which already seem to be on the rise. So, I have said what the show can do to people, but this is mainly considering people that already do these things. However, a bigger problem could be the effects it has on the people who do not do these negative things in their lives, and that is what could cause a significant increase in those areas I mentioned above. Thus, I believe that this will in fact affect the young people who do not already do these things, and that could be very bad for society. It could be bad for society because when you look at the long term effect this can have it can seem quite terrifying. It can seem terrifying because imagine the death rate increase due to some of these issues, and that can cause emotional problems, family problems, and to think this could be the long term effect all because of one show is just horrible. Therefore, I believe that the Jersey Shore presents many stereotypes that can have very negative outcomes on peoples lives if they try to imitate these people. Unrealistic Message of Partying Some might argue that this is all that is done on the show, but some might disagree, but partying seems to happen quite frequently on Jersey Shore. In every show the crew gathers up at least once at night and goes to the club and parties. However, it is done so often, it starts to seem unrealistic. It begins to seem unrealistic because it is portrayed as if All young people have time to do is go out and party all the time, but that is definitely not true because people that are in school, or who are young parents, or working a full time job will in most cases, not have the time to be partying like they do on the Jersey Shore. So, with that being said, I believe that if America believes that this is how young people are in this country, then I have proven my point that the media brainwashes society. Furthermore, Jersey Shore portrays partying as fun, which shows that they are generalizing the idea that partying and clubbing is fun. However, once again Jersey Shore is showing another way it tries to bring in the viewers of America. Although they portray clubbing to be fun, but that does not mean everyone thinks that it is fun. Sometimes, people say that clubbing is for young single people just trying to find a partner, which I agree with. Additionally, this relates to the show stereotyping young people because they are assuming that all young people like to go partying and clubbing, which is also not true, and I am a prime example of that because I do not like partying or clubbing, and I believe there are better alternatives to meet people or find a partner, such as attending an event of some sort. Therefore, I believe that Jersey Shore intentionally attacks these stereotypes to attract a person in this society who does not know much about media, and believes everything that is p ortrayed by them. Therefore, many people that are like this will watch the Jersey Shore, and did for the past two seasons. Advice for watching Jersey Shore is a show that you should watch with a stereotyping in mind. That Stereotyping is used so much in the show you might even forget how many times it appears. So, when you are watching this show, dont believe everything that you see, and try to mock these people. They are a bunch of people who getting a high salary to act like this because this is what the producers believes America wants to see based on the medias portrayal of young people in todays society, which you can argue is true because it is the most watch show on MTV in years. However, I do advise you that if you start to act like these people it can have very negative effects on your life. For example, if you start drinking like this, you could possibly become an alcoholic, which can lead to severe liver damage, family problems, and even a self addiction problem that may be very hard to overcome. Additionally, if you start having sex as frequently as these people do, you will eventually get a STD because these people are kissing, touching, and doing all those lustful things with many different people, and statistics show how easy it is in todays world to receive an STD when you are with numerous partners. As a result, you might receive a life threatening STD, such as aids. All in all, the main advice I would give you when watching the show is watch it as a show. So, watch it as a TV show and not as a reality show because the things being presented in the show in my opinion are just not real. So, watch this show for pleasure, but dont try to imitate these people because they would not be able to spend all that money on their hair, clothes, clubs, etc, if they did not ge t paid by MTV. So, I know most people will not listen to my advice, but ultimately I think it needs to be said. Conclusion Jersey Shores main point is to portray young people that are good looking, cool, and what people want based on stereotypes. Jersey Shore was a show that brought MTV back on its feet because MTV was a show that was showing steady decline in its viewers for the past several years until the Jersey Shore aired. Thus, I believe that the producers came up with a good idea that would pull viewers in and watch this show. However, what theyre doing cannot only affect the young minds of America, but cause an increase in other problems such as alcohol addiction, underage clubbing, and most of all sexually transmitted diseases. So, I believe that Jersey Shore has accomplished its goal by stereotyping young people because many people in this country watched the show, and still do. In conclusion, the effects this show can be negative, or could be positive, but it is your decision to watch, so with that being said, will you watch.

PROCTER AND GAMBLE | Leadership and Change Management

PROCTER AND GAMBLE | Leadership and Change Management Procter and Gamble Overview Procter Gamble is American base worlds largest manufacturers of a wide range of products. The company main maker of household products in the United States, PG has operations is more then 80 countries around the world and markets its nearly 300 brands in more than 160 countries, more than half of the companys revenues are derived overseas. Company products, which fall into the main categories of fabric care, home care, beauty care, baby care, family care, health care, snacks, and beverages, are 16 that generate more than $1 billion in annual revenues (PG Annual Report 2009). 2. PG Change Process 2005 Change management is a word that is used in business to mean the way business to mean the way business is adopted in order to. Change is a constant in both professional and r private lives. According to Druker (1999) changes is generic. He further goes to give that, change leader sees change as opportunity. A change leader looks for change, knows how to find the right changes and knows how to make them effective both inside and outside of organization. The basic principles of change management, and provides some tips on how those principles can be applied. When leaders or managers are planning to manage change, there are five key principles that need to be kept in mind as shown below Different people react differently to change Everyone has fundamental needs Change often involves a loss Management Expectation Deal Management Fear Different people react differently to change Different people have different preferences for where they like to be on this spectrum. Some people like to be at the stability end of the spectrum, they like things to be the way they have always been. Other people like to be at the change end of the spectrum and they are always looking for something different and new. A managers responsibilities need to be revised to account for what employees need most during tough economic times. In Procter Gamble workshop which aligned with what the organization had already learned in the context of plant closures. We found the closures did much less damage when: Managers announced the date of closure and key milestones far in advance and also detailed how employees and members of the community would be affected. Managers fully explained to employees and the community the business reasons for the closure. Managers gave the employees affected the chance to find other jobs within the company or help them with resources for finding a job outside the organisation. Managers expressed their human concern, both publicly and privately, to affected employees and officials of the community. In this way, the key attributes of predictability, understanding, control and compassion were demonstrated. Everyone has fundamental needs By describing the landscape of unmet customer needs and analyzing where new offering have worked before, you can chart a path that will produce successful innovations time after time Anthony (2006). Understanding customer needs and building lasting relationships are important in helping an organization innovate. Businesses innovate through unmet customer needs. Customers express their needs that have not been met and organizations innovate to meet those needs. This is why PG is still leading the domestic product industry because, it listens to customers unmet needs and innovates aggressively to meet those needs. For instance, when babies were wearing cloths diapers, they were very leaky and labor intensive to wash; at that time, mothers needed an innovative product on the market to help fix the labor intensive part of washing the cloth diapers as well as the leakage. PG answered this innovative call by introducing a revolutionary product called Pampers into the market. Change often involves a loss The relevance of the loss curve to a change management programmed depends on the nature and extent of the loss. If someone is promoted to a more senior position, the loss of the former position is rarely an issue because it has been replaced by something better. But if someone is made prospect of getting a new job, there are many losses (income, security, and working relationships) that can have a devastating effect. The aforementioned are the primary features of change and PG management has recognized that. Sometimes, what employees do not understand is the impact of change on their professional and family lives; and it is the responsibility of management to communicate this impact to employees both positive and negative; but mostly, management overemphasizes on the positives and pays little attention on the negative impact. Kinicki (2007) mentioned Managerial changes viewed as good and necessary can be seen by employees as intimidating and even terrifying. But when companies dont take this into account, and force changes that employees arent prepared to handle, those companies risk alienating their workers, losing money and, in the end, seeing those great strategic changes fall flat. This is a communication strategy that PG has been successful in implementing corporate wide. The company ensures that the length and breath of all its units understand the impact of any change mostly at the professional level. Management ensures that everyone involved is interested in the change process. The more employees are interested in the change process the greater the success of the change or innovation. The most important element here is motivation. Management Expectation The relationship between expectations and reality is very important. You can see this in customer relations if a supplier fails to meet expectations then the customer is unhappy; if the supplier exceeds expectations then the customer is happy. All aspects of the marketing process with modules for marketing strategy development and deployment, concept development and testing, pricing strategy, package design, advertising development, media planning, direct marketing, interactive marketing, and sophisticated new know-how and tools for Internet-enabled product development and testing, among others. Hunter Hastings, chairman and chief executive (formerly CEO of Magnifi), who has an extensive background in brand marketing and corporate marketing services; Dan Maurer, president and chief operating officer (formerly general manager of PG i-Ventures), who has extensive international marketing and management experience in PG European and U.S. operations; Wade Miquelon, chief financial officer (formerly finance manager for PG e-commerce area, general partner for PG Internet venture fund and CFO for its Thailand operations), who brings experience in MA, corporate treasury, new business development, and strategy development; Pete Farner, vice president corporate development, (formerly Magnifi senior vice president sales and business development) who is an experienced and successful development executive in established and start-up businesses. Deal Management Fear In times of significant change rational thought goes out of the window. This means that people often fear the worst in fact, they fear far more than the worst, because their subconscious minds suddenly become illogical and see irrational consequences. Example: Our company is reducing staff, which means They will make people redundant, and Ill be the first to be kicked out, and Ill have no hope of getting another job, and I wont be able to pay the mortgage, so Ill lose the house, so My family wont have anywhere to live, and My wife wont be able to cope, so Shell leave me, and Ill be so disgraced the children wont speak to me ever again. Such fears need to be addressed, e.g. by helping people to recognize that most people who are made redundant find a better job with better pay and have a huge lump sum in their pocket! Or, where appropriate, by explaining how the reductions in staff numbers are going to be achieved (by natural wastage or voluntary redundancy). According to De Geus, these are the four key characteristics that best describe the company which can survive for very long periods in a changing world, because its managers who good at the management of change. The quartet provide the framework which enables a PG, or Coca-Cola, or GE to renew itself: note how PG, kept wealthy by its conservative financing, was able to learn from its own mistakes when adapting to a new marketing environment, and to reform and improve its relationships with entities like the major store chains. In doing so, the sustained strength of the corporate brand and culture was invaluable. 3. Analysis of PG strategic change? The road to hell is paved with good intentions this is how we would describe the implementation of Jagers (CEO) strategic change. PG was in deep trouble in the first half of 2000. For the first time in the past eight years PG was showing a decline in profits. In the late 1990s, PG faced the problem of stagnant revenues and profitability. In light of this the Organization 2005 program was launched in July 1999. As indicated in the paper responsibilities and Relationships were not optimised. Nevertheless It takes time for a restructure to become Effective, yet it needed better implementation. With the implementation of the program, PG aimed to increase its global revenues from $38 billion to $70 billion by 2005. The Organization 2005 program faced several problems soon after its launch. Jager concentrated more on developing new products rather than on PG well-established brands. Jager conducted some mistakes which proved costly for PG. For example, efforts made in January 2000 to acquire Warner-Lambert and American Home Products. Contrary to PG cautious approach towards acquisitions in the 1990, this dual acquisition would have been the largest ever in PG history, worth $140 billion. However, the stock market greeted the news of the merger negotiations by selling PG shares, which prompted Jager to exit the deal. Theref ore it will not be farfetched to conclude that the strategic change was welcomed and important to the corporate yet its implementation was not adequate. 4. Environmental Risk Analyses of Procter Gamble Companies and organizations must assess, mitigate, and monitor certain risks involved with their daily operations. A specific area of risk that must be identified is that on the local and global environment. Accidents, natural events, and deliberate assaults are all possible ways for an enterprise to cause pollution or other environmental risks. In order to limit, and hopefully prevent these situations, environmental risk management places a strong emphasis on targeting the problems that could arise and implements a system of metrics that help with prevention. According to Environmental Risk Assessments (ERA), which Procter Gamble (PG) typically calls human and environmental safety assessments, for all products, is key to building PG reputation as a good corporate citizen and maintaining a high level of public trust. This commitment stems from a long-held philosophical commitment that marketing safe products is a core business responsibility, both morally and in a business sense. Given these values, and the importance of ERA to PG future market access, the tool was well accepted by management and employees. Despite the companys success integrating ERA into core business practices, it still faces a number of practical challenges. These include balancing the time and resources spent on complex ERA with the speed at which the company can bring new products to market, balancing a desire for public transparency with the potentially negative business consequences of releasing too much competitive information, and overcoming external perceptions related to the use of risk assessment as a methodology to evaluate consumer products. Innovation is an extremely important driver for PG and drives the number of environmental risk assessments carried out by the company. As the company is continually developing innovative new products, PG submits more new substance notifications to the US Environmental Protection Agency, and its counterparts around the world than most, if not all, other consumer product manufacturers. Thus, the company must conduct more risk assessments to support these new substance notifications than companies that use existing substances in the manufacture of products. PG feels its risk-based approach and tiered ERA feeds more comprehensive information into RD, which ensures products are safe, without unnecessarily delaying innovation and delivery of products to market. This in turn, reduces operating costs for the company. In this way, PG directs more of its resources toward product improvements and key product safety issues. This avoids investing in product development only to have that product sent back to the drawing board based on risk assessment results, or investing resources in unnecessary product testing that may have no real relevance to safety. 5. Implementation of change organizational PG Countless change agents and other organizational interventionists fail to achieve desired results because they ignore or are unaware of the need to closely align change strategy with organizational personality. Durk I. Jager, former CEO of Procter Gamble Co., was clear about his goals when he took office in 1999: shore up overseas operation and grow top brands. These measures would remedy sagging sales and redeem PG image as the leading global marketer of consumer products. However, Jagers strategy for achieving these goals was perceived as being so abrasive, so discordant with PG personality, which his management team rebelled against him. He was forced to resign in less than two years. Alan G. Lafley, a longtime executive who understood and respected the companys culture, took office in 2000. Through a combination of wisdom, humility, personal engagement, and a careful alignment of change strategy to corporate personality, G. Lafley has turned PG into one of the great corporate su ccess stories of the twenty-first century. According to PG Chief Information and Global Services Officer, Filippo Passerini, the company envisioned itself fundamentally transforming the operation through the use of innovative technologies that will help the entire PG to work smarter, faster and more efficiently. In line with implementing a service-oriented architecture (SOA) system to improve data and files accessibility, PG adopted a new system the online workspace system. Online workspace systems are to build up an inventory of applications to deliver information for its global business units making them available as services through the portal. This process allows employees and managers to reuse systems and codes from other parts of the business (purchasing, marketing, logistics, manufacturing, etc). This new system includes a security module to protect information and a service platform to allow date from a variety of sources that could be accessed on demand. PG aims to improve and support decision making while also increasing internal and external peoples access to knowledge and information (Mari, 2008). There is no particular person who drives the change but the impetus for implementation of online workspace systems lies on the necessity to tap virtual working opportunities while also reducing workload due to web-based space and chargeback reports. PG realizes that to accommodate smarter working practices, there is the need for a fully integrated web-based facilities management environment. SOA underpins an online portal that will aggregate business information for PG 32, 000 managers. 6. Information Technology in PG PG business managers commit to meeting profit goals, market share goals, and volume goals. PG trying to develop a mirror program in IT with equivalent measures. Instead of shares, PG have service levels; instead of volume, they have value creation. It is very numerical, very measurable. Our scorecard is numbers. We even give our internal IT customers a sales booklet. Its a great identity builder. At the end of the year, you can say and show that you did it or you didnt do it. We have a business manager model within the company that really works, so IT is following it. 7. PG online Store How and where to distribute its products is one of the major decisions facing nearly all product marketers. Procter Gamble is dipping its toe into the online selling channel. While this is identified as only being a research lab intended to help PG learn more about consumer buying behavior, it nevertheless has to be making some retailers wonder what is next. The site will launch in the spring and is worth watching. 8. PG E-Notebook Proctor Gamble reinvent the process of invention within the company with an Electronic Lab Notebook system that went live within its research development organization at the end of February. Although online data tracking for researchers is not new, particularly within some specialties such as pharmaceuticals, PG challenge was to devise a system that encompasses the diversity of its research, which includes some drug development but also efforts to find a sudsier soap or a more absorbent diaper. 9. Conclusions As a consumer goods manufacturer, PG seize every opportunity that came their way most especially in placing emphasis on the role of technology is further brand building, innovations and process advancements. Expanding technical capacity lessened the duplication and inefficiency though IT is considered to be a cost. In optimizing the business, PG shift its culture from a technology-based to solutions-based company. The paradox though is on using IT systems and processes and arriving at the solutions. In realigning the PG approach, the company run as business whereby the changes is experienced on being a cost center where the focus is only on cost reduction to (cost, service levels, value creation and service management. Virtualization, personalization and real-time decision-making through corporate portal, ECM and online workspace systems are the main strategies. Strategic analysis has allowed us to understand the underlying objectives of change were much necessary on time. The Implementation of change is took time but PG took the competitive advantage which he has reward. The assumptions depend on the learning about the firm accounting practices, about its strategic choices and from the ratio analysis.

tv-dont use this paper :: essays research papers

In Bill Mckibben essay â€Å"Daybreak† he writes about how TV has changed the way we look at the world. A little less than half of all American’s get â€Å"most of their information from television†. There are some things that people would never see in their life if it wasn’t for TV, but there are things that people could go without seeing at times too. TV is one of the greatest things ever to happen to some people and the worst for others. For some people television is the best way to take part in the world. Many American’s watch 7 hours of TV in one day, some people think the best way to live and learn is outside the living room and in the wilderness. Some people learn more when they’re out in nature, that’s what there into. Others do better in the house watching TV. MiKibben had friends tape every channel on the Fairfax network for 24 hours. Then he spent 10 hours a day for 2 months watching TV. After watching all the channels, he then went and spent two days on Crow Mountain watching nature. He found that there are things in nature that you would never get the whole effect of watching them on television. Then there are things on TV you would never even see without watching TV. I myself use both of them in everyday life. TV is a way for me to see what’s going on in the world. I watch TV three to fours a day. It goes from MTV to ESPN to the News. I do watch a lot of movies. I can see how people think TV is bad, and don’t want to have anything to do with it. There are shows that could be taken off the air but at the same time TV gives people a glimpse of things in the world that they would never see in real life. To get away from all the TV and things that go on in the world is the wilderness. Its goes the same way for the wilderness as it does for TV. There are things in the wilderness that you would never see or experience on TV. All people need to do is find a happy medium and use both to benefit themselves. I would rather go out and spend the day in the woods then sit home and watch TV there is some people that would rather stay inside.

Shakespeares Macbeth as Tragic Hero Essay -- Macbeth essays

Macbeth as Tragic Hero      Ã‚  Ã‚   A tragic hero is usually a person of high esteem or social ranking cursed with a flaw or obsession that will eventually lead to their demise. Macbeth is a tragic hero. Examining the events that occur as Macbeth travels the typical path of a tragic hero easily supports this claim.    Before Macbeth is even introduced to the audience, Duncan and Ross speak of his greatness. When it is discovered that the Thane of Cawdor has surrendered, Duncan decides to give Macbeth this title: "What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won" (1.2.70). This lets the audience see Macbeth's rank, which starts him in the right direction for a tragic hero.    As Macbeth starts to believe the prophecies of the witches that he will be the Thane of Cawdor, Glamis, and the King, the audience starts to see his obsession with his destiny: "Stars, hide your fires;/ Let not light see my black and deep desires" (1.4.50-51). This great ambition will turn into the flaw that hurtles Macbeth to his demise.    Macbeth is convinced, partly by his own ambition and partly ...

Critical Lense

Thomas De Quincey once said â€Å" all that is literature seeks to communicate power. † An author communicates a form of power to others through his/her works. Every piece of literature carries a strong message. These messages can open a person’s eyes and mind to a new perspective. It can also point out things that have repeated throughout history, like discrimination and hatred towards a certain race or what love can do for people. These messages could show what most people don’t see. Literature works such as To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, and A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, have a very strong message underneath. In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a great novel about discrimination and injustice towards a certain race. This is a great novel about a particular trial, where Atticus Finch, a good lawyer, defends Tom Robinson, whose being accused of raping a young white girl. Tom Robinson is a black man, who has done nothing wrong but is being accused of raping someone just because of his skin color. It did not matter what the black man said back than. Whatever the white person said was always â€Å"right†. One of the themes for this book is the existence of social inequality. The social status of Maycomb was very complicated. At the top you had the Finches, than the Cunninghams, than the Ewells, which were considered white trash. But all the way below the Ewells were the blacks. As you can see, the blacks were below the white trash, they were at the very bottom of the social ladder. This really did effect the society in Maycomb. It divided people up into certain groups. Since the Ewells were above the blacks, it gave them the power to persecute Tom Robinson, an innocent black man. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, is a story about two women and their lives in Afghanistan. These two women with different ideas about life are brought together by war and loss. As they go through all the dangers that life has brought upon them, they create a strong relationship. They create a mother-daughter and kind of sisters bond. Their abusive husband and the dangerous streets of Kabul have brought them together. This book shows how someone’s love for her family can move this person to shocking self-sacrifice. And the key to surviving all of this is love. Through the theme of female bonds, you can see what the bond of love can do for a women. The efforts of their husband and the government to keep women from having power as much as possible does not work. They form great, strong bonds that give them confidence and strength to fight back. Laila and Miriam form this strong bond together. They both have support in one another. Towards the end, Miriam finally had the strength to fight Rasheed. She did not get this from herself, but from the confidence and love from Laila. As you can see, both of these great novels have a strong message underneath. One of the messages is that social inequality does exist and does destroy people’s lives. The other message is that bonds can give people strength and confidence, which gives them the ability to step up. Love is they key survival of these bonds. Women forms these bonds and have each other’s support and love to give them strength to do more in their life and also to self-sacrifice. Both of these messages have opened people’s eyes to new point of views.

Is Money the Most Important Thing

Money, fame, a successful career; these are among the things many people would consider to be the most important things in life. What do you think; do you consider the factors above to be the chief things in life? First though, let us agree that regardless of the route we take, our goal in all our pursuits remain essentially the same: Happiness. The problem with most people is that in their pursuit of this state of mind, they often sacrifice too much, sometimes sacrificing even happiness itself along the way! As a result, just when they think they have finally captured the cage that should hold joy and satisfaction, such as by getting to the peak of one's career, they soon discover that the cage is empty. How tragic! Take money or financial success for example. The extent to which money contributes to happiness is probably the most misunderstood phenomenon on earth. Now please do not take me wrong. Money is very important to have in our society. In fact the Late Jim Rohn Says it ranks right up there with oxygen. But as a result, it is highly overrated by most people. Meanwhile various researches have repeatedly proven that slightly above the poverty line, subsequent financial success contributes less and less to a person's state of happiness. This has to be true; otherwise, why are suicide rates among wealthy people and lottery winners among the highest? Likewise those who see fame as the ultimate in life; they soon get disillusioned. Drug overdose and, yes, suicide are particularly high among very famous people. Why? Surely fame has brought them real happiness. So then what? Yes, what things are truly the most important in life? I would propose that the most important things in life are those that bring the greatest happiness to ourselves and those around us. Top on this list would be genuine love and rich relationships, such as is shared among true friends and family members. Next on my list would be a measure of good health and a good relationship with the creator, God. It goes without saying that love is the chief thing in life. What would life amount to if nobody, not even God, shows us affection? Newborn babies soon die when they are denied affection. And adults do not fare much better. We can as well say the same thing about relationships. Developing a healthy relationship with others creates interdependence, which is vital to both personal and your business growth. This is not to say that money and financial success are of no use. No. It is just that they should not be your major focus in life. And that leads us to another item on the most important things in life: wisdom. I will define wisdom as the correct application of knowledge. Wisdom is hugely important in our lives. For example, it takes wisdom to balance your personal MLM business pursuits without sacrificing vital family and other relationships. In deed, it is when we go about our pursuits in this way that we stand the chance of being happy at their attainment. On the other hand, a failure to get these factors in proper order leads so many persons to frustrations. This is because every person has a set of beliefs, or mindset which guides them as they make decisions. This mindset is often shaped by such variables as our individual experiences in life, our education and the environment where a person grew up. This mindset may either be working in our favor or against us. The difference lies in the cumulative outcome of all our decisions. Good results mean that our mindset is working, and vice versa. Bearing in mind that your decisions today will have a significant effect on how the rest of your life turns out. Would it not be better to pay greater attention to the most important things in life as you also go after your MLM success? Interestingly, most wealthy people find that once they get things in proper order, other things naturally fall into place. So enrich your life, approach things in this way.

Urban Planning

What's your take on a good marriage relationship? 2. Where and how can you find your lifetime partner? How do you wish your marriage life to be like? . Comment on the increased family disputes in Kenya. Where and how can you find your lifetime partner? How do you wish your marriage life to be like? Unlike the old days, where parents selected their children's spouse, men and women choose who they want to be with. This stage is the most celebrated by all humans. However, finding someone who you will stay with for decades has been a challenging matter. In Kenya people appear to be choosy when ‘searching for their preferred spouse.I (gentleman) will consider the following when looking for the est. partner: a) Character A woman who is ideal for a lasting marriage should possess the love, kindness and generosity essential in a family setting. Good character is shown in a lady when you take time to study her through social interactions either with you or with others. B) Beauty A lady has to be appealing to the man who is of interest with her. A big debate comes when men are discussing how a beautiful woman looks like. They all come to an agreement that every man has his own way of thinking of a lady beauty-wise.All men eel satisfied when they date a woman they consider beautiful. C) Education A lady should be learned so that we may avoid useless arguments. Education will transform her to be civilized and most men like that. D) Modern A lady should be adorable in her dress code and make up. This does not mean applying lipstick when she knows it is bedtime. Elegancy is a key component especially when a man wants to introduce his lady to his African family. Women would consider the following in their ideal husband. A) Confidence A man should be bold in whatever he is doing.This makes a lady feel a sense of security and trust the guy with her hardships. B) Personality A man should have a good persona such that he values his hygiene, he should be caring and above all he is trustworthy. Ladies like men who will keep their secrets. C) Education This makes a man seem mature even if he is not, argue in an understandable manner and a lady is confident that he has the ability to head a family-he can advise on the importance of civilization. D) Humorous Ladies value guys who make them smile if not laugh all the time.With this she is confident that boredom won't be an issue. E) Looks They are not important to ladies that much if she is not having lust. However there are some ladies who consider looks their first priority. The place where to meet your partner is unknown. It can be in the streets, meetings, parties or even in a bus when traveling. Urban Planning What's your take on a good marriage relationship? 2. Where and how can you find your lifetime partner? How do you wish your marriage life to be like? . Comment on the increased family disputes in Kenya. Where and how can you find your lifetime partner? How do you wish your marriage life to be like? Unlike the old days, where parents selected their children's spouse, men and women choose who they want to be with. This stage is the most celebrated by all humans. However, finding someone who you will stay with for decades has been a challenging matter. In Kenya people appear to be choosy when ‘searching for their preferred spouse.I (gentleman) will consider the following when looking for the est. partner: a) Character A woman who is ideal for a lasting marriage should possess the love, kindness and generosity essential in a family setting. Good character is shown in a lady when you take time to study her through social interactions either with you or with others. B) Beauty A lady has to be appealing to the man who is of interest with her. A big debate comes when men are discussing how a beautiful woman looks like. They all come to an agreement that every man has his own way of thinking of a lady beauty-wise.All men eel satisfied when they date a woman they consider beautiful. C) Education A lady should be learned so that we may avoid useless arguments. Education will transform her to be civilized and most men like that. D) Modern A lady should be adorable in her dress code and make up. This does not mean applying lipstick when she knows it is bedtime. Elegancy is a key component especially when a man wants to introduce his lady to his African family. Women would consider the following in their ideal husband. A) Confidence A man should be bold in whatever he is doing.This makes a lady feel a sense of security and trust the guy with her hardships. B) Personality A man should have a good persona such that he values his hygiene, he should be caring and above all he is trustworthy. Ladies like men who will keep their secrets. C) Education This makes a man seem mature even if he is not, argue in an understandable manner and a lady is confident that he has the ability to head a family-he can advise on the importance of civilization. D) Humorous Ladies value guys who make them smile if not laugh all the time.With this she is confident that boredom won't be an issue. E) Looks They are not important to ladies that much if she is not having lust. However there are some ladies who consider looks their first priority. The place where to meet your partner is unknown. It can be in the streets, meetings, parties or even in a bus when traveling.

The Shawnee Tribe

The Shawnee Tribe Did you know that the Shawnee Indian tribe is a fascinating tribe? I recently have learned that they are nomads. Nomads are people who travel instead of settling in one place. Southern Ohio, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania were a couple of states they once lived in. Until around 1660 Iroquois drove out the tribe to southern Carolina, Tennessee’s Cumberland basin, eastern Pennsylvania, and southern Illinois. They had tried to return, but again they were forced to leave by American settlers.The settlers pushed them first to Missouri and then to Kansas, but the Shawnee people settled in Oklahoma after the Civil War. The Shawnee survived using various methods of hunting and gathering. Both men and women had responsibilities in providing food. They hunted many animals including deer, squirrel, turkey, raccoon, bear, muskrat, rabbit, and ducks/geese. They set traps for the animals, and they disguised themselves to blend in with their surroundings to get clo se enough to club or shoot them. People never wasted anything; they used all the different parts for different things.In January and February they hunted beaver for their pelts and meat to trade with the settlers. In the summer time they, and during fall, groups of men and women would leave the village and hunt. Small temporary lodges were used. Another way to get food was to plant or gather it. They planted beans, squash, corn, pumpkins, and melons but corn was their main food. They gathered wild berries, nuts, maple, roots, and wild honey. In the springtime women planted crops and summer through fall they gathered wild plants and fruits.Tapping maple trees for sap was another thing they did. Raiding beehives was also popular to get honey. The women were mostly responsible for planting, harvesting, and taking care of crops. Roles for people are very important because the people would know what their job was and what other’s jobs were. Men were very important because they mos tly hunted, carved wood into ladles, bowls, and spoons, were in charge of politics and war, and were warriors. Women had many roles, but some were harder than others. They built homes and fires, dressed the game, cooked, lanted crops, scraped skins and tanned hides, made clothing, wove blankets, and made vessels of clay. They also served as advisors of peace and war. They managed all farming activities and ceremonies in the village. Both men and women took part in storytelling, artwork, music, and traditional medicine. Young girls learned from their mothers how to gather wild foods, plant crops, care for children and perform household duties. Boys were taught to hunt and fight from their fathers. At age nine, boys began special training and self-discipline. Parents were strict, and the children were seldom punished.They were expected to be the judge of their own behavior. However, the parents expected high standards of behavior and responsibility. Special jobs of the Shawnee tribe i ncluded being a chief. Chiefs would handle problems and activities, good or bad and also dealt with problems that could not be resolved by individuals or families. War chiefs protected the tribe from enemy attack and decided when to go to war. They had to prove themselves in battle as leaders and warriors. Chiefs inherited their positions as peace, clan, or war chiefs. Peace chiefs could also call-off a war.The Thawikila and Chalaakaatha divisions were in charge of governing the people and chiefs came from one of the two divisions. Membership for one of the five divisions was inherited by the father’s side. Clothing of the Shawnee was homemade and you had to make your own clothes in order to stay warm. Deerskin clothing was what most Shawnee people wore. During the winter, men and women added loose shirts and leggings and would also wrap themselves in buffalo robes or fur cloaks made of bear or moose skins. Decorations were important to the tribe. They dyed clothing, porcupin e quills; and feathers and points were also used.Men wore headdresses made of animal fur and decorated them with feathers from a bird of prey such as an eagle, hawk, or owl. Men mostly wore shirts and leggings and women wore shirts with leggings or dresses. After contact with the European traders, the Shawnee began to own glass beads which they used on their clothing. Jewelry included silver pins, necklaces, and bracelets for women. Men liked to wear silver nose rings and earrings. Dances, music, and ceremonies were all important to the Shawnee tribe. Spring held a dance named â€Å"Spring Bread Dance† in which they prayed for plentiful crops.In the summer they held the â€Å"Green Corn Dance† in celebration for the growing of corn. Fall held the â€Å"Fall Bread Dance† where they prayed that game would be plentiful also and gave thanks for the harvest. Musical instruments included skin drums, gourd rattles, deer-hoofed rattles and sometimes reed flutes. Many di fferent tools were used by the Shawnee and they needed them to survive. They used hammers made of stone or other hard substance, some had handles and some did not. Knives and saws were made of shells, stone, or other materials. Borers were natural tools used for making holes in soft or hard objects.An axe was another tool made of shells, iron, or copper. The blade could easily turn at a right angle. It was held with your hands or attached in various ways to a handle by a rawhide. Some other weapons are bows and arrows, stone tomahawks, spears, and chipped flint arrow points. Homes and shelters were another item that was needed by the Shawnee. The home they lived in was called a wegiwa which were tree poles covered by bark or animal skin. The frame of the house was made of sapling tied together and covered with bark from elm or birch trees.When bark was not available animal skin was used. There were no windows and there was only one opening in one end for a door and a hole in the mid dle of the roof for the smoke from the cooking fire. In a pit in the middle of the floor is where they burned the fire. Inside walls were lined with raised wooden platforms that were used as beds. Homes were sometimes furnished with shelves, benches, and tables. The Shawnee’s way of life came to an end by splitting into small bands and moving away from others. The Shawnee had many wars with American settlers over land rights.One Native American named Tecumseh, who was an excellent communicator and military strategist, was admired greatly by the Shawnee. They followed his every command. During the Battle of Thames in 1813, Tecumseh was shot and killed. With his death the Shawnee people lost their spirit to fight. They then scattered and drifted in small bands into Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Some remained in Ohio. Between 1825 and 1900 the United States Government took more land rights away through various treaties. This led to more movement and most Shawn ee became part of a non-native society.The Shawnee tribe is so interesting and amazing. Shawnee people believe in one female God, Our Grandmother, and she created the earth and made people. When people grew old she scooped them up in nets and brought them to the sky. Also, the most sacred spirits to the Shawnee were Tobacco, Fire, Water, and Eagle. Daniel Boone was one of the most famous prisoners taken in war and was held for several months. During that time he made friends with them and participated in their games. When he went back to the settlers he realized that the Shawnee tribe was a friendly tribe.Another interesting fact about the Shawnee is that parents would plunge their babies into snow or freezing cold water every day for several months because they wanted to make their children tougher. The Shawnee tribe was fun to study and I learned a lot about their way of life and history. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bial, Raymond. The Shawnee. Tarrytown, New York. Benchmark Books, 2004. Flanagan , Alice K. The Shawnee. Canada. Children’s Press, 1998. Mattern, Joanne. The Shawnee Indians. Manakato, Minnesota. Bridgestone Books, 2001. Yacowitz, Caryn. Shawnee Indians. Chicago, Illinois. Heinemann Library, 2003. Additional research includes many websites