Benjamin Franklin Essay Example

Benjamin Franklin Essay Benjamin Franklin, The Enlightenment Revolution One of the greatest statesman in the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin, was not always the prestigious figure that he is now known to be. As a young boy, he was taken out of school to spend long strenuous hours laboring in his fathers soap shop. Franklins life is the original American Dream, growing up in a poor family, with his hard work and dedication he was able to change his life and every Americans to this day and still to come. Yet, controversy surrounds his motivation. Many people believed Franklin to be a selfish and conceited man whose only reason to achieve great things was to gain himself fame and power. However, Franklins inventions, politics, and actions prove that he was a man of immense respect towards all humanity. Besides giving people a way to learn and better themselves as a whole with the library he opened in 1730(Franklin 200).Franklin was also a great inventor, being a man of science. Instead of focusing on himself, he wanted to make everyday tasks easier for the average person. His creations included Swim fins, bifocals. The odometer, and the wood stove. There were many who felt his inventions were a way for Franklin to make a profit and add to his image in the public eye.This can be easily disproved with one act of Franklins. The lightning rod, Franklin never put a patent on this invention; therefore he made no money from this. Instead he claimed it to be his gift for all of mankind to enjoy and take protection from (Meyer). In 1765, thefirst internal tax on the colonists was passed; it was known as the Stamp Act. This law required colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used; such stamps were required on legal documents and publications (Morgan). The colonists were outraged by the tax, they saw it as an attempt to raise money in the colonies without the approval of the various legi

Cheap essay writing by writer service site

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Importance Of Rules And Regulation In Medical Institutions Case Study

Importance Of Rules And Regulation In Medical Institutions - Case Study Example And if to talk about why these rules and regulations are important to follow then one should know what are the motives and vision of rules and regulation. Rules and regulations are not just written statements which an employee needs to sign before joining an institute, but these rules and regulation show the structure of the institute, the norms over which it is built. It shows the discipline of institutes which tells the values of the institute. When we study and evaluate this case, we come to see the main objection which was professional misconduct; which means breaking the rules and regulations of the institute. And plus it’s unethical and against veracity towards the professionalism. When we study ethics we come to know a deep and strong relationship of law with ethics, as all the laws are made under the light of ethics. Laws are always kept moral and ethical. And ethics tells what’s moral and what is not moral. So when we study this case the first thing which ethics and law both object is that it was against the ethics of the doctor to allow the nurse to sign her prescription even if it was pre-written. Medical is already a field which is very sensitive to the topic when it comes to moral and ethical values as it is related to dealing with patient and the life of a person. The other point which comes in this case study is of Beneficence. That there are huge differences in the duties of doctor and nurse, if the prescription signed by the nurse goes under a legal system then the patient who was prescribed by this prescription can take an action against a doctor that the medicine was not signed by a doctor but by the nurse. And the nurses are not supposed to prescribe medicines. Beneficence in the medical ethics had the great importance which purely focuses what are the ethical values of doctors related to patient dealing. The prior thing which differentiates doctor and nurses is their knowledge of the human body and medication.

Business Risks in the Pharmaceutical Industry Essay

Business Risks in the Pharmaceutical Industry - Essay Example Manufacturers of generic pharmaceutical products in countries like Asia and Latin America are challenging the company's patents and trademark protection. 2. Exchange rate fluctuations are a major concern for a company with headquarters in the U.K., operations in 45 countries, 64,200 employees of whom 60% are based in Europe (AstraZeneca, 2005, p. 16), 49% of sales from the U.S. and Canada, and 30 manufacturing sites in 20 countries buying and selling raw materials from different sources using a variety of currencies (AstraZeneca, 2005, p. 14), although they are minimizing this to avoid currency fluctuation effects. The company reports in U.S. dollars, so a stronger dollar will have a negative effect on its bottom line due to lower dollar revenues on sales in foreign currencies. Although AstraZeneca mitigates currency risk, it does not "seek to remove all such risks (AstraZeneca, 2005, p. 155)." The company, with a $1.1b fixed interest rate debt, is exposed to interest rate risk due to fluctuations in market interest rates. By converting fixed interest debt to floating rate (AstraZeneca, 2005, p. 91), every one hundred basis point (on e percent) rise in interest rates means the company pays $11m more. 3. Uncertainties of developing new products from the Research and Development (R&D) pipeline affects not only AstraZeneca but the whole pharmaceutical industry, which spends an estimated $1 billion over at least ten years to launch a new drug (KPMG, 2005, p.6), which includes losses incurred in developing drugs that do not even reach the market. Companies need to launch new drugs to replace those with expiring patents, marketing exclusivity or trademarks (Bate, 1997, p. 230-231). 4. AstraZeneca is the 9th largest pharmaceutical company in the world (Fortune, 2005) and competes with bigger companies with more resources for R&D and marketing. It also competes with biotechnology companies developing similar products. Increasing regulations in Europe, the Americas, and Asia (Clifford and Flochel, 2005) that put caps on drug prices directly or indirectly lead to low revenues and margins. 5. The company is at risk of paying higher taxes if existing U.K.-recognized double tax treaties are revoked for any reason. Fortunately, these treaties are holding but the risk of being taxed more than once for the same revenue is real. 6. AstraZeneca had a product liability scare in 2004 with Crestor, an anti-cholesterol drug. As the recent experience of Merck with Vioxx has shown, adverse publicity depresses the stock price and wipes out a portion of potential revenues (Bate, 1997, p. 287-288). 7. AstraZeneca's reliance on other companies for raw materials and services expose it to supply chain risks. If these third parties do not deliver, the company suffers stoppages in production, late deliveries, and lost revenues as the market switches to similar drugs. 8. The pharmaceutical i

Affirmative action should be continued Research Paper

Affirmative action should be continued - Research Paper Example Since its inception, affirmative action has succeeded in balancing the scale of opportunities available to men and women of all ethnicities. A quota system generally reflects the area’s ethnic demographics thereby allowing for real equality opportunity that is not discriminatory towards any particular race. Although the majority ethnic group may now feel they are being treated unjustly because they have indeed lost ground from an economic standpoint, the scale is actually now adjusted closer to the middle thanks primarily to the use of affirmative action, demonstrating the need for this practice to continue. Since its inception in the mid 1960’s, affirmative action has aided many thousands of previously disadvantaged peoples who have since gained previously denied access. This includes those of color, other minorities and all women who were previously excluded from jobs, educational opportunities, or were denied chances for advancement within the institution once given access. These gains have led to very real changes not only in individual’s lives but in the advancement of society’s value of justice for all. Affirmative action programs do not have the ability to eradicate racist attitudes, just some of the effects caused by it. The idea of affirmative action has had its detractors and its implementation has not been without problems, but to eliminate this policy of equal treatment would be to take away the hard fought victories of the Civil Rights Movement and turn back the clock towards the dark days of overt racism in the pre-1960’s U.S. Debates surrounding affirmative action policies are much more far reaching than the legal issue alone. It is the moral responsibility of every citizen and institution in this country to affect all means of ending racism. Yet there is a faction of society who does not accept and have vehemently

Labour Education And Extensive Employee Development Schemes Management Essay

Labour Education And Extensive Employee Development Schemes Management Essay I think its possible to examine both perspectives in this paper and then decide where you stand in the debate. In essence the assignment is asking you to consider how the various types of education that happen in unions (labour education tools courses, issues courses, etc.) and employment development schemes empower workers to participate in decision-making processes in the workplace (i.e. democratic systems). Do these types of education within unions facilitate a more equal relationship between employers and employees than the education or learning that happens in non-unionzied organizations? Is it possible for workplaces to be run democratically? How does education contribute to establishing equity, empowerment and democracy in workplaces (if it does at all)? Chapter 5 in Bratton et al. discusses many of types of education that unions offer, not only for stewards. While it might be difficult to go into detail about all these forms of education, the question is asking you to think about labour education broadly for workers and the labour movement. The topic of the strategic relevance of human resource management in organizational strategies and business ideals offers a deep foray into one of the main ingredient that successfully underpins the achievement of leadership and managerial objectives. This insight impels the ongoing scrutiny into one of the key leverage of our current human resource management identified as employee development schemes. This assignment begins with an examination of trade unions and strategic HRM issues, will continue with a snapshot description of labour education and workers empowerment as popular organizational initiative and its objective of combining education as a managements approach to workers empowerment. Trade unions and strategic HRM In the literature the new HRM model is depicted as unitary; it assumes that management and workers share common goals, and differences are treated and resolved rationally. According to the theory, if all workers are fully integrated into the business they will identify with their companys goals and managements problems, so that what is good for the company and management is perceived by workers as also being good for them. Critical to achieving this goal is the notion of worker commitment to the organization. This HRM goal has led writers from both ends of the political spectrum to argue that there is a contradiction between the normative HRM model and trade unions. In the prescriptive management literature, the argument is that the collectivist culture, with its them and us attitude, sits uncomfortably with the HRM goal of high employee commitment and the individualization of the employment relationship including individual contracts, communications, appraisal and rewards. Much of the critical literature also presents the new HRM model as inconsistent with traditional industrial relations and collective bargaining, albeit for very different reasons. Critics argue that HRM policies and practices are designed to provide workers with a false sense of job security and obscure underlying sources of conflict inherent in employment relations. According to Godard, historically a major reason for managers adopting progressive [HRM] practices has been to avoid or weaken unions. However, he does concede that it would also be a mistake to view progressive practices as motivated solely or even primarily by this objective (1994, p. 155). Yet other industrial relations scholars, taking a more traditional orthodox pluralist perspective, have argued that independent trade unions and variants of the HRM model cannot only coexist but are even necessary to its successful implementation and development. They argue that trade unions should become proactive or change champions actively promoting the more positive elements of the soft HRM model. Such a union strategy would create a partnership between management and organized labour which would result in a high-performance workplace with mutual gains for both the organization and workers (Betcherman et al., 1994; Guest, 1995; Verma, 1995). What is clearly apparent from a review of the literature is that this aspect of the HRM discourse has been strongly influenced by political-legal developments and the decline in trade union membership and power in the US and UK over the last two decades. Therefore when you read Chapter 12 and the literature, it is important to remember that the debate is set in the contextual developments in the USA and Britain. The idea of embedding worker commitment in HRM model has led to strong argument among writers, that, there is a contradiction between the HRM normative model and trade unions. In the prescriptive management literature, the argument is the collectivist culture, with them and us attitude, sabotages the HRM goal of high employee commitment and the individualization of the employment relationship. Moreover, critics argue that, high-performance-high-commitment HR strategies provide workers with false sense of job security, by hiding underlying sources of conflict, inherent in employment relations. However, other scholars with pluralist perspective argue that not only do trade unions andhigh-commitment HRM model coexist but are indeed necessary if an HPWS is tosucceed (Bratton and Gold, 2003: 60). In addition, other researchers like Sparrow and Hiltrop (1994: 25) in Morley et al., (2006)identified a shift from the HRM function and its associated terrain to a strategic role in other areas of HRM activity. Thus, the greater emphasis on the integration of the human resource function into strategic decision-making, a decentralization of much activity to line managers, and pre-occupation with industrial relations and collective bargaining, has made way for a more SHRM activities such as communications, human resource development, workplace learning, career management and human capital accumulation EMPOWERMENT Empowerment is a concept that gained immense popularity in the 1990s and looks set to continue as a popular organisational initiative in the twenty-first century. It is a managerial ideology in its own right as well as being used with other initiatives and strategies such as BPR, TQM and the learning organisation. It is strongly associated with culture change initiatives, delayering and restructuring, and usually involves devolving power and responsibilities to teams at workplace or customer level (Arkin, 1995). Defining empowerment Various one-dimensional definitions, of empowerment have emanated from the practitioner literature. Typical of this view is Cook and Macaulays (1997) definition of empowerment as a change-management tool which helps organisations create an environment where every individual can use his or her abilities and energies to satisfy the customer (p. 54). Its all-embracing nature skirts over issues of how employees use their abilities, and whether there are boundaries to responsibilities, the degree and type of power employees enjoy, power relations between employee, managers, individuals, teams, customers and the context of empowerment. Both Wilkinson (1998) and Lashley (1997) have commented that empowerment is influenced by historical, economic, social and political factors, and in attempting a definition the context in which it is practised must be considered. Wilkinson (1998) defines empowerment as a managerially led initiative: Unlike industrial democracy there is no notion of workers having a right to a say: it is employers who decide whether and how to empower employees. While there is a wide range of programmes and initiatives which are titled empowerment and they vary as to the extent of power which employees actually exercise, most are purposefully designed not to give workers a very significant role in decision making but rather to secure an enhanced employee contribution to the organisation. Empowerment takes place within the context of a strict management agenda. (p. 40) Empowerment is thus a managerially controlled phenomenon operating at a workbased rather than a strategic level within the organisation. Honold (1997) implicitly acknowledges this by seeing empowerment as control of ones work, autonomy on the job, variations of teamwork, and pay systems that link pay with performance (p. 202). She further divides empowerment into five groupings: leadership, the individual empowered state, collaborative work, structural or procedural change, and the multidimensional perspective that encompasses the other four categories. Multidimensional perspectives on empowerment Honolds (1997: 206) final category shows that one approach is insufficient for empowerment to be effective. Others believe that combining education, leading, mentoring and supporting, providing and structuring is more likely to enable empowerment systems to be successful. Human resource systems should also be fully supportive of these components, providing a contextual framework within which empowerment systems are able to operate. This means linking the empowerment process to the vision, goals and aims of the organisation, through HRD, reward systems and employee relations systems combined with adequate feedback measures. . Bratton John and Gold Jeffrey (2003) Human Resource Management: Theory andPractice third edition London: Palgrave Macmillan Morley Michael J., Gunnigle Patrick and Sullivan Michelle O, Collings David G. Newdirections in the roles and responsibilities of the HRM function Personnel Review Vol.35 No. 6, 2006, 609-617 Sparrow, P. and Hiltrop J. M. (1994), European Human Resource Management inTransition, Prentice-Hall, Hemel Hempstead https://ulib.derby.ac.uk/ecdu/CourseRes/dbs/manpeopl/hold.pdf

Autobiographical Essay Essay

As far back as I can remember no one in my family talked about heritage or when and how we came to America. When I would ask questions the only answers that I ever received were, we are Indian, and that was from my fathers side of the family. My mother’s side of the family however was a different story. I have been told that I am part German and I am going to give as much information that I have of both sides of my Mother and Fathers families. After talking to my mother and learning where my ancestors came from I have a better understanding of my own culture, beliefs and biases. To begin my story I will tell about my 2x grandfather on my Mothers side who according to www.cohrs.de â€Å"came to America from Germany he sailed from Bremen Germany to Galveston Texas on in 1853†. He met and married my 2x great grandmother in 1853 and together they had seven children of whom my great grandfather was one. My great grandfather moved to Arizona where he met and married my great grand mother and they had four Children of whom my grandfather was the youngest. My grandfather met and married my grandmother in 1929, and together they had eight children in which my mother is one of the three youngest. For my grandmother the only information that I have is that she was born in Alabama, and from everything that I have heard from my mother, aunt, and my uncles, my ancestors were hard working people who taught their children good morals and values. They loved all people regardless of their race, religion, or color. However they believed that races did not go outside of their race to marry and have children. They believed that god and family came first and they would help anyone who needed help. This leads me to my ancestors on my father’s side of my family the only information that I have been able to find is, that my grandfather was Native-American his mother, my great grandmother passed away when he was just a baby and family members had to take care of him. He met and married my grandmother and together they had twelve children in which my father is one of the oldest. While I do not have a lot of information about my father’s ancestor I do know that they were and are a very loving hard  working family that put God and family first. However they can be very closed minded when it comes to people of different race, gender, and culture. They can be very opinionated and while they will be nice to all people they are very cautious around people that are not family. I believe that ancestors past and present have help to shape the person that I ma today. I have learned to use my critical thinking to form my own beliefs and I am so proud to be living in America where I can make the right choses for me. I want to be able to give my future student the best education that I can and from what I have learned about my culture I know that I will be able to help my students make the right choses in getting to know all cultures and traditions before making the wrong decisions of treating others badly. References Descendants of Karl August Riefkohl, Retrieved 11-27-13 from, http://www.cohrs.de/gene/riefkohl/pedigrees/5a.html

H&M Analysis Essay

1. Question 1 Evaluate the external environment in which H & M operates in. 1.1. PESTEL Analysis 1.1.1. Political As companies begin to expand globally, it needs to understand the laws of each country. Since each country regulations are different, its needs to take special consideration before entering and investing into a new market in order to prevent violating any of them. This is especially true when regulations involving imports and exports are affected. While the restrictions of goods shipments may not be a major concern, selection and switching of suppliers relating to manufacturing and outsourcing can greatly affect profit margins, production costs as well as other incentives in different areas. Moreover, laws governing corporate social responsibility like minimum wages, child labour and other environmental issues affect organisational growth. 1.1.2. Economic Due to inflation, the rising costs of raw materials like cotton are felt globally. This in turn forces manufacturers to increase their production cost and future affecting potential profits globally. As international trade liberalises, the demand for suppliers and manufacturers in low-wage countries increases and completion between fashion retailers intensifies. In-addition, the recent economic crisis has affected consumer spending patterns, forcing organisations to push their retail prices low to meet consumers’ lower spending power. 1.1.3. Social/Cultural Different cultures have different fashion senses, likewise while consumers in Europe like Sweden embraces ‘fast Fashion’, Customers in Asia for example Singapore adopts fashion at a slow pace. To understand ‘local fashion’, most companies depend on home grown designers or in-house sales employees to pick up the latest treads to redesign their products. Moreover consumers globally are growing more conscious about the environment, which encourages the production of environmental friendly/sustainable products. 1.1.4. Technological As technology develops, consumers are getting more informed of their purchase  choices. Today most every individual are able to access the web to gather information, meet friends as well as purchase online. Hence it is not surprising that companies are upgrading their websites to gain attraction. To stay ahead, some companies are employing the latest IT systems to improve operation effectiveness and efficiency. For example, advance logistics capabilities allows organisations to control inventories better and reduce wastage, due to effective information sharing as well as proper empolyee training. 1.1.5. Environmental With the growing need to embrace green culture, consumers are more self-aware about their needs and would prefer to purchase from companies that are environmentally friendly and socially responsible. 1.2. Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis 1.2.1. Threat of entrants (Low) Viewing from a Global perspective, it will be difficult for new entrants to gain huge economies of scales without investing huge initial investments, which includes inventories, start up fund and cost for advertising, research and development expenses, etc. Large international incumbents like Zara, Gaps and H&M had already established strong footholds in multiple countries and with many years of experience to deter new comers. Moreover new entrants will expect retaliations from financially strong incumbents in events like price wars. Being in the fashion industry also makes it difficult for new organisations to differentiate their products. Although access to distribution channels have eased due to information technology advancement, most of the good ones would already have been contracted by bigger competitors. Therefore, I would conclude that threat of entrants is low for H&M. 1.2.2. Power of buyers (High) The bargaining power of buyers considered high because there are multiple alternatives like Zara, Gap, UNIQLO, etc. Moreover there is little or no switching cost involved when selecting fashion needs, thus resulting in little or no customer loyalty to the brands. Finally, H&M is required to monitor their needs as they are the end consumers of their products and is its main source of revenue. 1.2.3. Power of Suppliers (Low) The bargaining power of suppliers is low because suppliers/manufacturers for the fashion industry are numerous. As international trade liberalises, H&M have more options to source and even backward integrate by buying or merging with suppliers to meet organisation’s requirements. In addition, with the opening of cheap labour markets like China and India, the switching cost between suppliers to ensure low cost and better quality is consider low. 1.2.4. Competitive Rivalry (High) Rivalry is high because there are multiple players both large and small in the same business category as H&M. Moreover the recent recession experienced in recent years, have affected consumers’ spending and reduce demand thus intensifying competition. With more funds invested into research and design, firms are constantly renewing their products to capture market share, hence H&M have to be always vigilant to combat market changes. 1.2.5. Threat of Substitutes (Low) Threats of substitute products are low, since apparels are irreplaceable. Although online competitors may erode sales from H&M physical stores, the firm is currently developing its online sales strategy in USA to increase recognition. Rivalry is high because there are multiple players both large and small in the same business category as H&M. Moreover the recent recession experienced in recent years, have affected consumers’ spending and reduce demand thus intensifying competition. With more funds invested into research and design, firms are constantly renewing their products to capture market share, hence H&M have to be always vigilant to combat market changes. 2.1.1. Physical Utilizing the latest IT system allows H&M’s logistics to receive and transmit effective communication to not only make better decisions as well as to provide information based on customer’s needs and placement of products. In addition, renting of retail spaces in good locations can help reduce investment risk, attract more walk-in customers as well as to enable better flexibility and adaptability to the ever-changing environment. 2.1.2. Financial Firstly from the financial data, H&M has a high profit margin of 19.04% compared to its rivals, Zara, Gap and Uniqlo at 18.53%, 13.52% and 16.52% respectively, which proves that the firm have superior cost control. It also has a healthy solvency ratio of 73.28%, which meant that H&M is able to meet all its obligations namely short n long term liabilities. In addition, with a high liquidity ratio of 1.77, H&M will be able to settle its short term debt with ease, therefore proving that the firm is stable and will be able to withstand unexpected issues. 2.1.3. Marketing To further expand its reputation and fashion designs, H&M collaborated with famous designers like Stella McCartney and Versace. The firm have also successfully contracted high-profile celebrities for long-term advertising campaigns. In addition to its strong social media presence through Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc, the firm has achieved high level of consumer awareness and was ranked 21st out of 100 most valuable global brands with a  brand value of $16.5 billion in 2011 by Interbrand. 2.1.4. Human Resource Management H&M has a policy of hiring locals whenever new stories are established; this allows the firm to easily tap into local culture and understanding of the based country. In-addition to align them to the corporate culture, formal training is being provided to adopt the core values of the firm. The strong participative corporate culture also allows employees make their own decisions during their work for the store’s sales and image, if successful would be adopted by other store to generate more profits. 2.1.5. Processes Unlike most competitors, H&M centralises its Design Department consisting for 200 designers and 100 pattern makers to achieve minimum time-to-market as well as effective information sharing between production offices globally. This way design could not only be created rapidly due to shared skills, rapid-response production can be immediately capitalised on the latest design trends. Having constantly redefining the firm’s production and distribution processes to combat the ever-changing business environment, H&M has managed to create a complex integrated logistics and production system that support cost-cutting measures and generates economies of scale. This system has enabled the firm to achieve quick turnaround timing of about 20days as well as reduction of production lead times of 15-20%. (b) Analyse the strategic capabilities providing competitive advantages for H & M Focusing on the distinctive competencies of H&M, can we understand the competitive advantages of the firm? 3. Question 3 Apply the value chain model to analyse the strongest and weakest links in H & M’s global value chain by examining its primary and secondary activities. 3.1. Value Chain To analysis a company, it is important to first understand its structure. Hence through Micheal Porter’s Value Chain which consisted of both Support and Primary Activities, then will we be able to understand H&M’s strongest and weakest links 3.1.1. Support Activities 3.1.1.1. Firm Infrastructure Currently H&M group have over 2,205 stores in 43 countries and employed about 94,000 employees worldwide. Its headquarters is base in Stockholm, Sweden,  where most of the firm’s central activities like buying, logistics, etc are centralised. With 50 production offices which handle about 1,652 factories globally, information is rapidly exchanged to achieve latest trends as well as timely Design to Production to Delivery process. With 70% majority voting rights held by the Persson Family, most corporate decisions are handled by them. 3.1.1.2. Human Resource Management H&M embraces participative corporate culture, which focuses on employees’ involvement that encourages experimentation, trial and error learning, quick decision making, and willingness to take initiative to try new ideas. Mistakes are usually forgiven as long as it is not repeated. The firm also believes strongly in teamwork and expect great results. With little attention to titles and work descriptions, employees are encourage to challenge themselves to learn new skill or even have different job functions. To be social responsible, H&M also employs local staff for its new outlets and ensure fair treatment of global employees by signing agreements with suppliers to practice ethical business prescribed by law. 3.1.1.3. Technological Development H&M a cloth’s retailer organisation, has utilized the latest IT systems to help improve organisation’s logistics and production capabilities as well as reduce significant costs. Having multiple stores globally, H&M is also investing in its online sales capabilities to attract global consumers. 3.1.1.4. Procurement Without owning any production factories or supply farms, H&M is greatly dependent on its suppliers’ capabilities. Small chances in raw material prices can great affect the profit margins of the firm, for example a slight increase in cottons prices will increase the cost of making H&M clothing. However without factories, H&M can easily switch suppliers to achieve better costing and quality. In addition to the firm’s huge purchases, it can easily control supplier to provide huge discount upon delivery of finished goods. 3.1.2. Primary Activities 3.1.2.1. Inbound Logistics H&M do not own any manufacturing plants and has outsourced its production needs globally. Hence it relays on various suppliers to deliver the necessary inputs on its behalf. 3.1.2.2. Operations  H&M utilizes a centralized in-house designing model, its design operation located in its headquarters in Stockholm. With 200 design and 100 pattern makers, the firm is able to quickly churn out multiple fashion designs decided by various well-know designers and markets analysis to meet the latest trends. Having direct connection with the production office also allows immediate production which enhances cost-efficiencies. Training is provided from workers to adopt company’s values and provide better customer services. 3.1.2.3. Outbound Logistics Outsourcing of H&M’s goods transportation needs allows the firm to cut cost by reduction in labour chargers. Utilizing the integrated direct distribution channel that connects distribution centres, warehouses and stores, has ensured that individual store’s needs are communicated resulting in timely delivery of goods daily. 3.1.2.4. Marketing and Sales H&M philosophy is to provide affordable quality fashion to consumers. Benefiting from economies of Scales due to bulk purchases, the firm can negotiate with suppliers to provide huge discounts. Utilizing its philosophy, H&M has successfully communicated its position to the world through advertising means by working with famous designers, being long term advertising contract with famous celebrities, as well as its strong presence in social media. To further achieve its goals, the firm constantly revamp or renovate its stores every 2-3years to embrace the latest cultural trends, thus attracting its target customers. 3.1.2.5. Services H&M views services as a very important aspect of their business, formal training is provided for new employees to adopt its firm’s value. Moreover, employees are highly encouraged to adopt initiatives and new ideas to only improve the working environment as well as customers’ satisfaction. To maintain employees high moral which in turn lead to better services, H&M has introduced many employee welfare initiatives and was consider one of the best work environments. Hence from the above analysis, it can be seen that  marketing and sales is H&M strongest link, due to its links to famous designers and celebrities, which attracted consumers to get knowledge of the brand. Moreover, utilising social media also attracts the tech savvy users to share and expand the brand name at low cost. However, I would say that the firm’s weakest links is in its family business management, since most decisions is made internally and new management ideas from external means may be difficult to flow through. In addition, there is also a risk of business succession where the heir of the company is not as capable as its predecessor resulting in the firm’s failure. 4. Question 4 (a) Based on the preceding analyses, conduct a SWOT analysis on H & M. 4.1. Strengths H&M is a well-known clothing retail firm that specializes in fast fashion and cheap apparels for men, women and kids. Its strong marketing arm has managed to raise brand awareness among consumers globally. In addition to the firm’s commitment to procure sustainable materials for product design has future enhanced brand image. H&M differentiated itself by ensure their designs are unique and not copies from other competitors. 4.2. Weakness H&M is totally dependent on its suppliers for manufactured products, caused the firm to have limited control over manufacturers, which could lead to low quality products and negatively affect branding. With H&M core operation is highly centralized in Europe, leveraging of risk is weak. In addition, being a family own business, most corporate decisions are made internally, which may prevent external ideas to flow through preventing further growth, 4.3. Opportunity Having huge experience in running world-wide business, H&M may expand further new penetrating new markets like Ukraine or Israel. The firm may also want to backward integrate its business process by absorbing various suppliers to better control its product quality. 4.4. Threads Inflations and Currency changes can greatly affect the cost of raw material as well as production cost. Moreover with China’s aggressive product piracy, H&M design could easily be copied and cost globally eating market share.  Europe’s unstable economic nature due to crisis may force governments to raise corporate taxes to keep the economic afloat, which further affect profits. (b) Identify the key issues, challenges and opportunities facing H & M. As H&M centralized design processes, its products are not tailored to individual markets, thus allowing competitors who can better differentiate their products to target different consumer groups eating into the firm’s market share. Focusing on cost leadership strategy, H&M have to ensure production cost is low to achieve profits. Hence to reduce cost of materials companies tend to order huge quantities of raw materials, which may result in overstock and incur unwanted inventory costs. Outsourcing of manufacturing reduces H&M direct control over the production process, thus making it vulnerable to quality issues resulting in bad reputation among consumers. In order to expand its presence globally, H&M may need to penetrate to new markets. It could also improve cost savings through backward integration by buying over various suppliers for its own requirements. 5. Question 5 Based on the preceding analysis, formulate and discuss appropriate strategies that you would recommend to H & M in order for it to achieve above-average returns in the future. After analysing the above information, I understood that H&M is adopting the cost leadership strategy to advance it goals. Since the firm focused on â€Å"Economies of Scales† by purchasing huge qualities of goods in order receive better discounts, have long term â€Å"experience† to monitor its cost savings as well as constantly â€Å"redefining production and distribution† to achieve cost efficiencies (Johnson, G. 2014). However the most important factor that H&M lacks is the control of â€Å"input cost† since the firm had totally depended on suppliers for its productions needs. Hence, it is strongly recommended that the firm adopts backward integration by buying over or controlling various supplier/manufacturers in order to reduce its reliance as well as to be able to handle its â€Å"input cost† well. Even if that is not achievable, H&M could also hire service engineers to better train and monitor the suppliers’ progress through direct collaboration by planting its employees in manufacturing sites. This way, management will be more able to understand the quality and direct cost involved through the manufacturer plant’s production process, thus find ways to reduce cost and  improve efficiencies. Finally to improve total sales, H&M should also seek to venture into new markets so as to increase income and create new opportunities. References Johnson, G. (2014). Exploring Strategy. 10th ed. Harlow [u.a.]: Pearson.

Don Quixote Essay Example

Don Quixote Essay Example Don Quixote Essay Don Quixote Essay Essay Topic: Don Quixote Book I World Lit 10 November 2010 Don Quixote Response In Don Quixote the prologue, he speaks of writing his story and how it will not meet the standards of many other great writings. He say â€Å"with a tale that is as dried as a rush, a stranger to invention, paltry in style, improvised in content, and wholly lacking in learning and wisdom, without marginal citations or notes at the end of the book when other works of this sort, even though they be fabulous and profane, are so packed with maxims from Aristotle and Plato and the crowd of philosophers as to fill the reader with admiration and lead him to regard the author as a well read, learned and eloquent individual†. He feels that he just free writes and he has no organization. He wants to write but many times he will pick up his pen and lay it down. He knows that his book will lack so much â€Å"my book will lack, for I have no citations for the margins, no notes for the end†. He admits he has no authors to follow no one to dedicate his writing to. However, he begins to know what he wants to write and that is about Don Quixote story his stepson. As he writes he struggles with clarity and so that his points come across clearly. At the end he decided to make use of his arguments in his prologue to relate to the story he wrote. Furthermore, he explains on how the gentle reader will perceive his friends cleverness and even his own good fortune due to such a great counselor he came across. The prologue was written to just explain how he came about to write Don Quixote story. He had to overcome many self struggles and believe in himself and his writing to complete the story.

Informative Essay Sample on the Soviet Union

Informative Essay Sample on the Soviet Union The Soviet Union has always been an Imperialist country, in it constant quest for supreme power. The Cold War period steadily increased this quest to find a balance of power technologically, economically, militarily and territorially. Cuba was once annexed by the United States, after the American-Spanish war of 1898 and American business flourished under the (1933) Batista government (Harris, 2002). After great tension, Batista claimed dictatorship which Fidel Castro challenged legally, leading a group of rebels led by Castro to overthrow the corrupt Batista government. Cuba was then open to become a super-client of the Soviet Union. It can be assumed that through the aide of Soviet Imperialism, Cuba vastly improved its political might. Therefore without Soviet backing, Cuba would not have the material strength to pursue its own imperialistic tendencies. The reasons for this include the Soviet Unions great programs of military and economic aide for Cuba, eventually leading to the political dependence of Castro to the Soviet Union. Cubas revolutionary spirit to liberate Latin America is also based on Soviet military supplies sent to Cuba. These assumptions will be discussed in detail further on. The Soviet Union, like many powerful countries uses imperialism. Imperialism is a countries quest to spread its influence onto another country for the purpose of economics, religion or power. The Soviet Union, being a power bloc needed to acquire as much support as possible, to remain a superpower (Hoffman, 1986). Since the Cold War was taken very seriously by the Soviet Union, the location of the country it is to imperialist is also important. Location of an imperialised country can include building boarder security, and strategic defence as well as economic resources (Hoffman, 1986). After the Cuban revolution of January 1st 1959 (Harris, 2002) a pro-socialist island in the Caribbean Basin which opposed American involvement was sitting on [Americas] doorstep (Hoffman, 1986). This island was the perfect strategic territory for the Soviet Union, because it was so close Latin America (Rubinstein, 1988). However, seeing that Cuba was pro-socialist was so close to the United States, Soviet military build up on the island was essential for its protection. One of the many threats Cuba faced from the United States, started with Cuban destruction of US-owned land on Cuban soil. The United States responded to this action by banning Cuban trade, including the importing of sugar, and the exporting of medical aide (Hoffman, 1986; Harris, 2002; CNN; 1996). US threats continued through the build up of Cuban rebels, trained by the CIA in Florida. Because the Cuban people desperately needed to export sugar, and import oil for production, Cuba developed a trading agreement with the Soviet Union (Hoffman, 1986). The beginning of this trading partnership, slowly laid down the foundation of Cuban dependency on the Soviet Union. This tie with the Soviet Union has continually scarred the Cuban foreign policy with non-socialist states, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union (Harris, 2002). The Soviet Union also saw the threat the United States placed on Cuba, and aided it with massive military supplies and military personnel (Rubinstein 1988). The United States did not like the Soviet-Cuban relationship which was constantly growing; they especially did not like Fidel Castro, Cubas leader. In an attempt to overthrow the Castro government, the CIA trained many pro-Batista Cubans to try and inspire the Cuban people to revolt. They invaded in an area called The Bay of Pigs. Their attempt failed horribly, the United States miscalculated the mass support for Castro, and the Soviet Union by the Cuban people (Hoffman, 1986; Harris 2002). This failed attempt embarrassed the United States, and was the first of many plots against the Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. Tensions between Cuba, the Soviet Union and the United States were once again reflected within the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 (CNN, 1996). Soviet militarization of Cuba had been steadily increasing after the Bay of Pigs incident, so much so that the Soviet Union started to set up nuclear missile silos within Cuba (Hoffman, 1986). The United States, afraid of nuclear conflict demanded Khrushchev immediately remove the existing missiles, and turn back further Soviet supply ships, carrying missiles (Rubenstein, 1988). The conflict was resolved as stated by Harris, 2002 the missiles are removed on condition that the US removes missiles stationed in Turkey and cease its attempts to overthrow Castro. This resolution greatly made Cuba an untouchable state from US intervention, as it was completely under Soviet protection. Within Latin America, the Cuban revolutionary spirit for social reform has remained unmatched, even by the Soviet Union which condemns Castros revolutionary procedure (Hoffman, 1986). The Soviet Union however has led many unsuccessful revolutionary attempts within Latin America; on the other hand CubaÐ ¢s guerrilla fighters have aided revolutionaries in Guatemala, Guinea, Angola, Mozambique, South Africa and the Republic of Congo (Harris, 2002). Much of the aide for these revolutionaries is in the form of Soviet weapons (Hoffman, 1986). The growing strength of the Soviet Union and Cuba has led to an unmatched military force (Hoffman, 1986). The Soviet Union is greatly aided through the use of Cuban military advisors and personnel throughout the globe, in 1986 more than 70,000 troops and advisors were overseas in 23 different countries (Hoffman, 1986). The Soviet Union and Cuba quelled the opposition within Angola (an African country fighting for freedom against apartheid). The massive military build-up of Cuba from the period of 1959-1986 created Cuba to become the greatest military power within Latin America (Hoffman, 1986). Because the Soviet Union has become Cubas main economic, political and military supplier, Cuba could not help but become completely dependant. Cubas dependence on the Soviet Union can be clearly seen through the militarization of Cubas society (Hoffman, 1986). Hoffman states that innovative approach to development has waned [Cuba] has become more and more dependant on Soviet economic assistance over 3 billion dollars per year. Cubas dependence is also reflected by Cubas response to the Soviet Union cutting back more than $10 million a-day subsidy (Manegold, 1989). To conclude, the Soviet Union successfully imperialised the island of Cuba, creating it to become completely dependant in all factors. Through the use of military intervention, the Soviet Union has ensured that Fidel Castro would remain in power, preventing further US led attacks against the Cuban leader. Soviet aide to Cuba through the use of military armaments let Cuba revolutionise Latin America by supporting guerrilla fighters and allowing social reform. In other words, if it was not for the Soviet Union, Cuba as a revolutionist country would have been overthrown by US led attempts against the island, and leader Fidel Castro. In return, the Soviet Union had grown to an unmatched military superpower thanks to the support of Cuban advisors and troops. You can also order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on the Soviet Union topics from our professional custom essay writing company which provides students with high-quality custom written papers.

Discuss the impact of the National Curriculum on child-centred Essay

Discuss the impact of the National Curriculum on child-centred principles and the use of play within primary education - Essay Example It was evident that a single plan was needed. In 2000, it was reported by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NLT: Early Debate, 28.1.00) that English children were falling behind Japanese children because English children started school earlier and didn’t have sufficient development of behavioral and social skills. Teachers found they were spending more time on bad behavior and less time on teaching than did their Japanese equivalents. A study of play-based learning in Nursery School has shown it to be important for preschoolers, and this type of learning might be extended to children up to 6 years old and perhaps even 7 before formal teaching takes over. This thinking was first developed by Rudolph Steiner of Austria, whose Steiner Waldorf approach was instituted in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1919, with many Steiner early years centres presently located throughout the world. The centres focus on three stages - birth to 7 years old, 7 to 14 and 14 to 21. Gareth Lewis, author and advocate of home schoolin g (2001), lists the following principles as part of the approach: The Foundation Stage became part of the English National Curriculum in October 2002, and its profile has replaced baseline testing. Updated to the Early Years Foundation Stage in November 2005, it focuses on â€Å"the distinct needs of children aged three to the end of the reception year (age 5)† (NLT: Foundation Stage, par. 2). In the U.S. there was a move in 2003 to cut playtime in order to make more time for testing. This view was not shared in the United Kingdom, however, because researchers found that â€Å"shortening school breaks undermined children’s social relationships and long-term emotional development† (NLT: elgoals: Primary Play Cut for Testing, par. 2). Controversy surrounding this issue continued through 2004 and a report by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in

Cultural Issues in Public Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Cultural Issues in Public Schools - Essay Example It tries to define what human beings are, by either through historically, socially, and biologically. Culture has been defined with a wide range of behavior patterns and knowledge learned and acquired by a society of people. One of the institutions that promote culture is public schools, where cultural sensitivity in public schools is attributed by mainly race, age and color. Some of the cultural conflict experienced in public schools include-role of women in family decisions as well as practices and symbol systems among cultural groups. Cultural anthropology helps us gain more understanding cultures, especially the complex setups of cultures. The discipline also assists in learning how we can help every stakeholder in a given cultural setup appreciate cultural diversities and run with the right values only as he/she discards values which cannot build such a person. Public schools are institutions where core values of a culture are acquired. Such institutions can determine one’s culture through supervision of the teachers, where teachers have the responsibilities of making instructions that is cultural responsive to all students without favoring one group over the other. Mainly, people from minor culture suffers from enculturalization, where situations force him or her ascribe to the major culture (s). Such instances are evidenced as one learns another group’s tongue and can communicate in it as though his/her native language. Often than not, a culture with a strong and influential power always determines the latest life style within the public school, and thus, such a culture is esteemed the benchmark. Usually, valuable cultures of minor cultures are rarely appreciated since they are rarely exposed to a point of gaining popularity. On the other hand, major cultures may override other cultures’ values, thereafter introducing bad cultures into minor cultures. This is mainly evidenced in the way teachers wear; lower class teachers; on the basis of