Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Field project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1
Field project - Essay Example Most of the Buddhists describe Buddha as a true teacher who awakened them from their ignorance. By this, Buddha ensured that they attained the highest form of happiness that humans can ever achieve. After all these years, Buddhists still believe and practice their culture. I interviewed Ashoka, a strong Buddhist, on some aspects of their religion and I was surprised at some of their practices. Beliefs One of the strongest beliefs of Buddhists is that there is no supernatural being, unlike other religions such as Christianity and Islam. Their god was human and so they believe that all people are equal and should respect each other. Buddhists also believe that whatever they hear or read has to be tested. This is unlike most religions that discourage testing of anything that has been said by their gods. Buddhists, however, believe that if something is written in their holy books, then they have the right to test it to be assured that it is true. This, therefore, creates a faith that is transparent and where followers are not subjected to impossible temptations that they cannot overcome and question. Buddhists have the right to question their holy books as well as their god if they have evidence to do so (Patrick, 1982). Buddhists also have many gods. Unlike most religions which followers only believe in one god, Buddhists have a varying number of gods. Some have as many as thousands of gods while others have no god at all. For this, Buddhists believe that one should never argue about the existence of god and they have a saying that they would rather die than argue on god’s existence. The other major belief of Buddhists is the karma belief. This is the belief given especially to children. They are told that if they do wrong, they will get karma which in most cases is considered to be the exact equivalent of what wrong the child has done. Due to this, most of the Buddhist children are upright and in most cases would avoid wrong things. One of the most practic ed beliefs about Buddhists which Ashoka gave me a quick review of is the importance of listening to teachers. Buddhists believe that it is very important for people to listen to their teacher’s advice. They believe that teachers are chosen by Buddha and if one wants to prosper and avoid bad ways, they have to listen to their teachers. It is for this reason that most of the Buddhist teachers are always elderly due to the experience that is needed to attain that position. Teachers are, therefore, much respected people in the society and a Buddhist will never disobey their teacher’s advice. Festivals According to Ashoka, festivals are like the only factor that unites Buddhists all over the world. She informed me that during those early days, it was a tradition for all Buddhists to come together and celebrate the full moon. During this time, they would all gather under the full moon and listen to various teachings and try as much as they could to meditate with their specif ic chants. Even though this festival is losing its taste due to the movement of Buddhists all over the world, it is still a common practice. Apart from this festival, there is the main Buddhist festival that creates a strong sense of belonging to all Buddhists. Their main ritual is known as the Puja and it is always performed by the teacher. The teacher is at the center while the other members of the group are outside and answer to the calls made by the teacher. This practice, according to Ashoka, is practiced to encourage their meditation and normal practices. Ashoka
Monday, October 7, 2019
Breafly abour Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Breafly abour Global Warming - Essay Example This study demonstrates that this effects has led to low agricultural productions which is the source of gross domestic production (GDP) and therefore the global warming effects are depriving most third world countries of their income obtained from agricultural activities. The government has a key role to play in counteracting global warming effects and this is enacting laws that penalize violators of global warming based laws. The political will of the government is to impose legitimacy and authority of the orchestrated policy. On the other hand the public has their role also to play to counter global warming effects. Such roles include; implementing environmental protection policies such policies include using public transport such as trains as much as possible in order to reduce the number of personal cars that emit fossil fuel to the environment, companies reducing their factory exhaust fumes and conserving electricity use by using energy saving bulb. It was interesting in reading how global warming occurs when the sun’s rays penetrate the depleted ozone layer. How the sun rays mix with the green house gases that prevent them from bouncing back to the earths atmosphere.
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Operation Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Operation Strategy - Essay Example The next step is making a Preliminary Analysis of the forecasting methods and techniques. This involves experimentation and verification. The next step is Choosing Models, whereby complex mathematical concepts like regressions, exponents and neural networks are integrated into the forecasting system. The final is Evaluating and Fine Tuning the system so that they are aligned to the ultimate business goals of the organization. In the high competition atmosphere of modern businesses a quality forecasting system can make all the difference between success and failure. Through complex and sophisticated forecasting techniques, businesses can gain key strategic advantages in their operations. Moments of truths are those brief periods of communication between the customer and a service provider where either a positive or negative response is generated. For example, in a retail store all points of contact between the customer and service personnel are considered moments of truth. These include check-in, enquiries about products, bill settlement, check-out, etc. Hence, understanding the concept of moment of truth is essential for good customer service. One of the ways in which customer goodwill can be generated is by anticipating points of interaction and developing protocols for the service team to follow. By paying attention to service design a business can convert accumulative moments of truth into brand loyalty. In the service industry the customer experience is usually not based on tangible factors. Instead they are constituted by first impressions, feeling of trust and confidence toward the service provider, etc. In other words, the customer experience is mostly based on qualitative factors and on quantitative aspects. It is for this fact that a well thought-out service design becomes imperative. Successful businesses embed of moments of truth into their service design to garner
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Expansion and Merger Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Expansion and Merger - Research Paper Example The laws relating to merger as embodied in sections 391 to 396 of the companies Act, 1956 enable the government to oversee if the companies in need of merger follow procedures and requirements necessary for merger as consideration of the tribunal (Wilson, 2011). Another reason why the government need to regulate market during a merger is because, it is the government’s duty to oversee whether the management of the target merging firm can secure itself form hostile and harsh takeover through a number of various financial as well as legal defenses. The need for government regulation in this case serves as a law that tends to be deferential to defenses for as long as the target the target company does not act primarily to preserve its own position. The government becomes skeptical during a merger since the management of a target company subject for acquisition may negatively affect the society if employees of this company lose their jobs as this increase the percentage of the une mployed in a country. In the United States, the rationale for government intervention is helping in assessing those mergers based on hubris and power without accounting for consequences involved (Burge, 2008). Consequently, the government is now able, with the help of defense laws, to facilitate majority of mergers rendering transactions friendly and negotiable. Hence, preserving and accounting for interests of parties involved by following the rule of law to the latter. Furthermore, the government intervention in the market process remains justified since it ensures that the combined size of the new corporation cannot monopolize power rendering the merger unlawful. Another rationale for government market intervention is that it regulates purchasing power of companies. In this situation, the law offers tender protocols that require whoever is purchasing anything beyond 5 percent of company’s shares to identify him or herself, make particular public disclosures, and announce t he reason for the share purchase and any terms and conditions of the tender offer. When companies decide to work on self-expansion, complexities regarding things like capital arise. Subsequently, business expansion or growth is a stage in the life of a company that is fraught with not only opportunities, but also perils. In addition, business expansion carries with it a corresponding increase in financial fortunes for owners and employees as well. When intended companies fail to merger due to unavoidable circumstances and at the same time decide on expanding on its own, it requires additional financing. Getting the extra capital for expansion may prove to be a hard task since small businesses planning to expand encounter drawbacks that make them vulnerable to market strategies that renders small businesses inadequate for advantageous terms available in the capita market. Another complexity associated with capital projects that is likely to rise is unbalanced sales revenue. In some b usinesses, stakeholders expect to see growth in value of company’s stock. Nevertheless, due to unpredicted downward growth in the trend market share, amount of revenue obtained from sales deteriorate causing the company to face difficulties while in its plans of expansion. Additionally, at times of expansion, companies face more complexities pertaining to capital projects, as the firm requires more room for expansion. Raising extra capital to buy land for firm’
Friday, October 4, 2019
Placement report Essay Example for Free
Placement report Essay N.V. Elmar (Naamloze Vennootschap Electriciteit-Maatschappij Aruba) is in charge of providing electricity in Aruba. Formerly, the company’s name is N.V. ELECTRA founded by Mr. John G. Eman in 1950. After his death, his wife Mrs. F. van der Biest-Eman took over his place and continued the company’s operation. In November 9, 1950, N.V. ELECTRA discusses with Parliament the dealings of providing electricity in Aruba at the public’s interest. Under this discourse, the company had experienced several issues. ELECTRA then becomes a government property after the approving the proposal. Within the proposal, the company specifies itself to be under the control of OGEM N.V. located at the city of Rotterdam, Holland. Its first operation in November 15, 1950, N.V. Elmar has the capacity of 3000 KW with three diesel engines and eventually increased in 1958 buying a power station with a capacity of 15,000 KW. However, in 1982, OGEM experienced bankruptcy and decided to sell its shares of N.V. Elmar to Utilities Aruba N.V. owned by the government. Now, the company proudly states of its financial stability and management under the limits of concession (elmar.aw, 2004). Now, Elmar has a number of 163 employees and approximately 33,000 consumers on the island of Aruba. Island of Aruba            Serviced by the N.V. Elmar, Aruba is a Carribean island 24 km west coast of Venezuela. Of the three Dutch Islands, Aruba is the smallest having an area of 194 km2 with eight regions, namely, Noord / Tanki Leendert, Oranjestad (West), Oranjestad (East), Paradera, Santa Cruz, Savaneta, Sint Nicolas (North) and Sint Nicolas (South). The official language used is Dutch, particularly in education, mass media and civil service. Another language, is Papiamento, second to English as the main language in the island. The population also speaks of Spanish, a prevalent language in upper grades of primary schools (Elmar, 2006). Role in the Company            Because I hold a position in the Human Resources Department, most of my concerns are on employee benefits, recruitment and other employee related issue. Six months in N.V. Elmar has undoubtedly reached my capacity as an employee in the Human Resources Department. Two of their projects for employees, health and wellness program and monetary rewards will be discussed as the main concept of this report. Methodology Research Design            Elmar, like any other company, has major concerns on their employees. To address, this, the company initiated a corporate Health and Wellness program. In this program, the awareness of employees on health related issues and quality of life are substantially relayed. The company has outlined the procedures by giving employees education and promotion on health programs, and orientation and coordination of health assistance. Primarily, it is important to know what the general health status in the island is. Some of the researches made convey of obesity as the primary contributor to life-limiting illnesses in Aruba. The reasons for a high rate in the island are the decreased deprivation of food and a sedentary lifestyle. Aruba is a developed country and in most studies, countries in this state have high incidences of obesity especially on families with lower household income. Often, the quality of food is overlooked wherein buying foods high in calorie and fat is rampant. In a survey conducted in 1991-1992, 67% of the Aruba population is overweight. Moreover, this finding affects both sexes. Next study was conducted in 1995 to 1996 showing the nutritional state of first up to fifth grade overweight. Approximately, 13.4 to 14% of the first graders are overweight and 26.1 to 29.4% of the fifth graders experience obesity. A more recent study in 2004 by Dr. Richard Visser stated that of the 367 children studied, 133 were obese, the number of underweight children is 18, and the remaining 216 were healthy. Significantly, Visser found out that one factor of the growing population concerning obesity in oner population is the unawareness and disregard as a public concern. Hence, attention such treatment and proper education about being obese is insufficient.            Monetary and Non-Monetary rewards are essential for performance improvement of employees. Though we may see that vision, mission, and goals would be enough motivating entities in employee performance, still, these direct costs will provide a meaningful and prosperous stay in the company. In the monetary rewards, as the name implies, more of salary additions are being worked upon while the non-monetary rewards focus on recognizing the employee capability on work and other areas. Elmar Company has an incentives and rewards system, wherein it compensates, reinforces, and encourage enhancement of employee duties. In these types, providing incentives and rewards may focus on team or individual distribution. Moreover, the essentiality of these programs for employee performance, will direct work efforts in advantage to the mission, vision and goals of the company. Incentives and rewards are given to teams, organizations, or individuals in the company that exceed the company’s expectations. Procedures            Elmar company has outlined its goals and objectives in preparing the health and wellness programs. In this way, the company will properly monitor how the program is advancing towards the organization’s benefits. The company’s concern for its employees marks the unity of the two in a system of social relations. Upon noting the principles held by the company in this program, the statement now implies that there is the importance for maintenance, prevention, and promotion of health status of employees.            The vision of the company in pursuing this project is to develop an advanced and efficient program for the health and wellness of the company. Conceptual perceptions about this vision are: Corporate health and wellness means work with the employees of Elmar. Corporate health and wellness underlines the positive dimensions of health. Corporate health and wellness has to involve different groups, organizations and institutions.            Subsequently, the company has marked the strategic and operational objectives for this program. Strategic objectives cover the expected results upon reinforcement of the program while the operational objective sees how the actual procedure must perform on the employees. The following are the strategic objectives: To reduce medical costs and disability costs: many companies have found that they can significantly reduce the cost of employee health care benefits by proactively promoting health, safety and wellness. To reduce absenteeism: numerous studies have found that employee wellness programs can significantly reduce employee absenteeism. To enhance productivity: many studies have linked health risks with reduced employee productivity and have found that healthier workers are more productive. To improve general health and well being. (Corporate Health and Wellness Program, 2006: 12) While these are the operational objectives: Structure and develop corporate health and wellness programs and activities according to priorities established. These programs c.q. activities are directed to the individual employee, Elmar as an organization and the community of Aruba. Establish and reinforce collaborative relations with organizations in the community, government, and NGO’s, related to the development of specific projects in corporate health and wellness. Generate an employee data bank related to the risk factors in health and wellness that can be used to generate assistance, prevention and education programs. Develop educational activities for the employees that can reinforce the actions of promotion in corporate health and wellness. (Corporate Health and Wellness Program, 2006: 12).            To start the program, first, the company must identify which are the employee needs prior to implementing operational objectives. In order to have an appropriate amount of data, the company will have to conduct as survey amongst its employees, invite an organization that will manage the physical examination among employees and facilitate education about eating healthy.            The monetary and non-monetary programs will take effect on employee’s performance level. Generally, it enhances the performance to satisfy or exceed the objectives. Examples of Monetary incentives are: Performance awards – monetary incentives that reward employees upon performance that exceeds the expectation of the company. Observation of giving this award is through formal performance ratings of record on the appraisal period. Special act or service awards – one-time awards like lump sum for employees that had done a specific task from performance. Judgment in this kind of award comes from the first line supervisors. Quality Step increases – gives employees faster than normal progression by facilitating stepped rates and a permanent increase in basic pay. Time Off awards – granting employees leave without charging their annual leave. Gain Sharing – a system, wherein both the company and the employee gain improved productivity. In this system, the company measures the productivity of employees, which in turn gives additional income to the company, then, the employees and involved organization will benefit through associated earnings of the company.            Non-monetary incentives may be tangible or incentives that have more bases on rewards like trophies, medals, certificates, and plaques. Moreover, this kind of incentive may take an intangible position, for example, if an employee has exceeded the expectation of the company, the organization may include training opportunities and assignment of employees to a more meaningful, challenging, and prestigious kind of work. Even though these incentives may not have much value directly on budget, some studies have shown that this becomes more important as motivating factors for employee performance. The Report SWOT Analysis            SWOT (which stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) is a type of management observation on the overall performance of an organization. This method is often used on businesses because results can be easily transformed in other business philosophy like Porter’s five forces. Generally, the SWOT analysis has effect on overall evaluation when one factor has a cited defect or disadvantage. The strengths and weaknesses are the internal factors while the external factors are the opportunities and threats (marketingteacher.com, 2007). Strengths The strengths of the health and wellness program are in aspects of giving educational awareness to employees considering health problems, disease prevention, and health status. Hence, employee performance may increase. Moreover, productivity may increase because of reduced absenteeism, medical insurance policies, and cost effective strategies. The strengths of monetary and non-monetary incentives take effect on employee and company relationship. Employees regard much of their work because of these rewards, which in turn will not only increase productivity but also enhance the quality of products and services as well. In addition, if properly examined, is the preservation and maintenance of employees with exceptional skills and abilities. Weaknesses Apparently, the weaknesses of health and wellness programs are the appropriate participation of employees particularly in health awareness programs. The individual may listen to these lectures but do not apply them in real life. One weakness of incentives is on the monetary rewards. Generally, monetary rewards have the â€Å"amounts†in order to make employee performance more successful and productive. However, some employees may look at incentive as the central mark of their performance rather than cling on the vision and mission of the organization. In addition, not all employees may non-monetary rewards as a moral perspective, because some employees may develop envy among their co-workers if abundantly present in most of the incentive policies. Opportunities A big opportunity for health and wellness program is to widen the controlled areas in health provisions such as insurance policies and discounts on medical services. The company may also generate proper motivation of these programs when medical specialists are very much involved with the program. There should always be continuity with this kind of program because health is a very essential to an individual. In monetary incentives and non-monetary incentives, monitoring units for choosing which of the employees will gain the award should have a regard. In this way, proper evaluation of the programs will provide trust to employees that the awardees deserve. Hence, envy will not have its place in the organization. Threats The health and wellness program should look unto costs prevalently diverse in most health programs like medicines, fees of professionals and other related issues on economic changes in effect to medical facilities. One threat in monetary programs is that there may be possibilities of lost on the best employees if monitoring is not properly achieved. Hence, the probability of giving good services and products may have hindrances. Reflection            As part of this project, I have noticed the essentiality of the company and employee relationship. Seeing how Elmar valued this social interaction, the severity to serve the company is overwhelming yet incomparable to what I have seen on other organizations. Both the company and its employees are very much interested on the productivity and quality of service. Furthermore, I have seen the social impact of the health and wellness project, as it projects how the society has evolved from a simple unit to a larger unit of the company because it affects the employee performance. Monetary and non-monetary incentives are appropriate sources of motivating employees on the vision and mission of the company but proper attention on the monitoring and evaluation of awardees should be considered, as this could affect trust amongst employees. I think these are apparent objectives after the actual placement: Enhance productivity due to reduced absenteeism and proper well-being. Reduced medical costs because of subsequent education of employees on health related issues. Educational activities for employees in areas like Roll in â€Å"Wit Gele Kruis†for yearly check ups and mini health fair. Monetary Rewards has succeeded in increasing productivity. Non-monetary rewards have increased company commitment among employees. Conclusion            Questionnaire results were positive, looking at the overall performance of corporate health and wellness programs. This survey will generally help the family to be aware in eating the right food and proper diet to reduce the medical costs. The mini survey has given positive results and future benefits to most employees. On the other hand, monetary and non-monetary incentives will help in motivating employees of their performance level and commitment to the company. There is also a great probability of preserving and acquiring employees with exceptional talents and skills. Bibliography N.V. Elmar. â€Å"About Us.†2004 29 January 2008 http://www.elmar.aw/info/content/wp_aboutus.jsp SWOT Analysis. 29 January 2008 http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_swot.htm
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Motives, Triggers And Barriers To Internationalization
Motives, Triggers And Barriers To Internationalization In general, internationalization occurs when the company expand its business activities into foreign markets. There might be several reasons for this. Of course, the most frequent reason is to expand profits, but this is not the only one. The motives and triggers for internationalization are a key concept for firms that are planning to enter the global market since both concepts will shape the internationalization strategy or path (Äijà ¶ et al) and main characteristics of this process. Table 2 and Table 3 present the main motives and triggers. If the main reason to start exporting is to increase profits and growth, the potential new markets will be those where the competition is less fierce and margins can be set on a higher level. If the goal is to reduce costs by expanding the economies of scale, the target countries might be anyone, independent of the profit level that the company can achieve there as long as there are positive. If the fierce competition in the local market is the driver to star exporting, then the foreign market will be determined as a defensive strategy mainly by forces external to the firm. Another crucial concept is the barriers hindering the export initiation. If any one of this factors or a combination of them is available in the firms context, it may hold back the internationalization of the firm for a long period or even forever. According to Hollensen (2008), the critical factors hindering internationalization initiation are mainly internal. Table 4 summarizes these barriers. In the Day Chocolate case, and based on the general information analysed and on the company history, it will be assumed that the primary motive to start the internationalization process is to increase profits and to grow in revenue. In addition, some foreign market opportunities could be considered as a motive. On the other hand, Competitive Pressure as a reactive motive could also have been stated, but it does not seem the main one according to the information analysed. The Day Chocolate is a small company and usually the firms that react to competitive pressures are larger than they are. Furthermore, Days revenue and market share are increasing according to companies figures, so the competitive pressure is not really a problem yet. The rest of the motives in Table 2 were discarded after a careful examination. The main trigger found in the The Day Chocolate case can be the Perceptive management. The company management is highly professional, includes people with many different backgrounds and the fact that the headquarters are in London -a well known international financial and trade centre- provides another good reason to support this interpretation. The second trigger might be the Importing as inward internationalization. Although the products and the headquarters are I the United Kingdom, the production facilities are located in Germany and the final product is exported from there to the U.K., according to the BBC[19]. The knowledge accumulated by importing the product from one European country to England can be used to make easy the export process to any other European nation. In order to be able to answer the question regarding to which country they should go (export or invest in) it is assumed that no barriers hindering the export initiation exists or that if they exist, they are preventable at an affordable cost. It can also be assumed that these barriers will not stop the internationalization of the firm but rather slow the velocity at which the company expands abroad. 2.5.2. Strategic approach to internationalization Once it has become clear that the firm can, needs or wants to export or expand their operations abroad, there is a need of knowing how and where to go. In order to answer these questions it is necessary to have a framework to guide the analysis. For The Day Chocolate case the guidebook presented in Internationalization Handbook by Äijà ¶ (Äijà ¶ et al. 2005) was the most appropriated. This structure is presented in Figure 5. According to Äijà ¶ the first part (Part I) in Figure 5 is the selection of the appropriate Internationalization Path. In his book, he presents three typical pathways that the internationalization process of a software firm may take, but his steps and conclusions can also be expand to any firm in the confectionery market like Days chocolate. This area under discussion is also the same as the one that Hollensen refers as Internationalization theories or models in the third chapter of his book Essentials of Global Marketing. For the purpose of this work, the 3 pathways presented by Äijà ¶ can also be increase with the many other presented by Hollensen. Among many models, paths or theories, the most well known are the one presented in Table 5. Based on Days corporate webpage statistics and from private sector publications[20], like Tranchell Doherty, it can be assumed that the company started it internationalization process by choosing an Organic growth path. The timeline on the firms webpage confirms that Devines management decided to begin their operations abroad in markets that are very close in location but also in culture and institutions like the United States and that the internationalization process has been taking place in small but incremental steps. The size of the company and the market where it operates also support this view. In contrast with what happens with large companies, where the internationalization process happens in a relatively continuous and incremental fashion, for SMEs (like The Day Chocolate) in general this process is made in small incremental steps. According to Hollensen, usually for SMEs the internationalization process is relatively discrete and every project is distinct and individual. The fact that the company operates in the confectionery industry and not in the IT sector, among other facts, is also a good reason for not considering this firm chocolate as a born global company. Freeman (2002) also states that for Small and Medium Enterprises managers tend to gather and look for relevant knowledge and information before becoming internationalization ready, which is consistent with Devines history and with the Uppsala model[21]. In 2007, the company took the next step in its internationalization process by setting a foot in the United States market by opening offices there. According to Johanson, and Wiedersheim-Paul (1975) that would have constituted the third stage. 2.5.3. The country choice Once the company has determined the path for internalization, its management needs to start the potential markets selection process (Part II in figure x.1). To address this problem, the screening process detailed in Rugman and Collinson (1995) will be used. 2.5.3.1. First screening: determining what product to offer to the world market This first screening is crucial in determining the potential of the companys goods in markets other than the local. This task can be carried on successfully by using a wide number of market research tools. International trade statistics inspection, competitors financial information analysis and research papers or databases that are offered by international multilateral organizations like FAO, the World Bank and the IMF could be valuable tools as well. In general, chocolate confectionery is offered in all almost the countries of the world. In this sense, initially there are a large number of potential countries where to choose from. However, in this case, the company is selling a very specific product (high quality + socially friendly chocolate) that limits the scope of this first screening. One drawback when dealing with this kind of specific and one-in-a-kind characterized goods is the lack of information or the excessive cost of getting it. A first measure to identify the potential foreign markets for The Day Chocolate would be analysing the world trade evolution of Fair-Trade products. That might help the firms management in recognizing the most active markets for this kind of products. As it is shown in Table 6 and according to the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO) in 2009 they were many countries showing a dynamic market for this kind of products. Among them, it is necessary to highlight Canada, Finland, Australia and New Zealand where the surge in the transactions was higher that 65% in the first case and about 60% in the other tree cases. Other nations with a remarkable performance were Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Sweden. Although the U.K. and the United States presented a performance below the average growth rate of 15%, it is necessary to state that they are still by far the most important markets in volume for organic and fair-traded goods. Regarding the specific case of this companys main product, a NGO -TransFair USA- declare that during 2008 the imports of fair-trade certified cocoa into the U.S. rose at rates of more than 50%.[22] Finally, the genuine potential of every market will be ultimately determined by the interaction with other factors such as socio cultural forces and economic conditions. 2.5.3.2. Second screening: Macroeconomic and financial conditions The last World Economic Outlook report from the International monetary Fund (IMF)[23] clearly shows what to expect for the upcoming years. The developed countries GDP will grow on average 2,5% in 2011, still trying to recover from 2007s financial crisis. The U.S., Germany, and the U.K, together with some developed Asian countries such as South Korea will be presenting above average growth rates. However, some countries like Spain, Italy and France will show a growth rate between 0% and 1%. On the other hand, developing nations are expected to growth on average 6,5%, with Developing Asia and Latin America leading among these regions. From a macroeconomic point of view, the next years are going to be very good ones for most of the developing countries and also for some developed nations. For the purpose of this document, the countries will be segmented in four categories, considering that The Day Chocolate should focus in the short run on those that are not experiencing a recession. Table 7 contains this information. However, the product that they are offering is not a cheap one. It is a premium product and usually the prices are above the average. In this context, the income levels of the consumers are also an important factor to be considered. This is what Rugman Collinson (1995) called the Market intensity. Figure 6 shows the relation between the per capita income level for all developed countries and the expected GDP growth for 2011. As it is shown, there are 1 group that is more desirable for the company. The second quadrant comprises all countries showing both very high income level and high expected level of economic activity. However, the companys management might find also attractive potential markets in countries that do not have a very high level of per capita income, but whichs economies are growing very fast (Quadrant 4). 2.5.3.3. Third screening: Political and Legal forces This step covers the examination of the political and legal forces in every potential market. There might be trade barriers that obstruct the export process or the lack of solid institutions can represent a serious risk in the form of the future losses. One way to detect this serious problems is by addressing to the World Economic Forums (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index (GCI)[24]. This index includes a weighted average of several different components, each one of them measuring a diverse feature of the competitiveness. Those components are grouped into 12 categories or pillars. The first one of these pillars is Institutions. The GCI is calculated for 140 countries and the results are available free of charge. Table 8 presents the most important variables and their weight within the first pillar: Institutions. Table 9 provides some of the results obtained by the WEFs researchers for the 2010/11 index[25]. There it can be seen that the countries with the most stable or trustworthy are in general also those with a higher level of economic development. 2.5.3.4. Forth screening: socio-cultural forces A multinational corporation or a company desiring to become one should examine the main social and cultural disparities between the potential market and the home country. The concepts of cultural distance and psychological distance as presented in Hollensen (2008) have the potential of disturbing the normal flow between the foreign market and the company. Language, religion, work habits, ethnicity, age and many other socio-cultural factors may influence the decision regarding where to locate the operations. Maps 1 and 2 illustrate this theory by presenting the world distribution of the main religions and of the English speaking nations. For The Day Chocolate to avoid problems generated by cultural distance it will be recommended to establish operations or to export to anglo-saxon countries, like former British colonies or commonthwealth nations. Other european nations, specially those from German and Nordic origins, might be suitable in this first stage of internationalization. In a future stage, and after reducing these distances by means of the learning process, the firm might also attempt to gain a foot in more culturally distant markets. Focus groups activities and consumer surveys can help the firm in determining the main differences and similarities between the foreign market and the headquarters values and culture. 2.5.3.5. Fifth screening: Competitive enviroment This last stage of the analysis focuses on the competitive forces. Confronted with comparable and equally desirable potential markets, the firms tend to internationalize to those where the competition is less ferocious. The lack of competition can provide the company with some degree of monopolistic power that might have the power to increase the earnings. In the case analyzed, there were detected many new actors entering into the market in the last years, also some big players in the industry like Nestle and Cadbury are making efforts to tap this fast growing segment[26]. Despite these facts, competition is still not a barrier in most of the national markets analysed. Special attention should be paid to Germany, Switzerland and Austria, where several small and medium local producers have a long lasting tradition manufacturing chocolate products of world recognized quality[27]. 2.5.3.6. Final selection According to The Day Chocolates website, the firm currently operates in 11 markets. In the U.K.[28] and in the United States, the company has direct control over its business. In the rest of the countries, they rely on other companies, which are in charge of the distribution channels (Canada, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Japan). Trough the screening process and its five stages many countries were considered as potential new markets: Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland and Romania. Germany and Switzerland were discarded mainly because of the competitive environment and in second place because some possible cultural distance. South Korea was finally not considered fundamentally because the huge cultural distance and also because the physical distance. Due to the market size and growth projections, the chocolate per capita consumption[29], the similarities in the socio-cultural environments, the reliable legal and political framework, the expected friendly competitive context this document concludes that The Day Chocolates management should make an effort to analyse in more detail the potential of the following new markets: Australia, Finland, Belgium and New Zealand.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Vincent van Gogh :: Essays Papers
Vincent van Gogh Vincent Van Goeh drew the painting, which is portrait of him. He drew himself as a red haired guy with gray shirt. In the picture, there is only himself and gray background. Gray background is making circle motions composed with thin lines. You can see a lot of circles in the background. His hair, bears, and eyelashes are colored with red. His hair and bears are not trimmed. His eyes are small and dark looking right at me. His shirt is gray and very old one. I touched his lips and all I felt was cold, firm paper. By the oily smell, I guessed he used oil colors. I couldn't hear or feel any sound as if he want to show me what silence is. I wanted to try to kiss him to feel the taste, but didn't want to get caught. He looked at mirror and found a subject he was looking for to draw. He carefully observed the man in the mirror. The man looked angry and tried. His lips are sealed as if he does not have anything to say. Silence was the man's only company. He had pens, pencils, canvas and everything to draw. He started with pencil. He drew the man, his hair, his eyes, his ear, and his shirts. He colored the man. He looked at the mirror again. He saw the man, and there was something missing. He gave colors on the air of the background. He carefully chose gray color, and filled the background. He finally touched his eyes to express the man's anger, or any feelings he had. I was walking without any concentration about the paintings on the wall. I stopped not because I found an interesting piece, but because he caught my eyes. His eyes were dark, and angry. They were looking right at me.
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