Corporate Social Responsibility Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Corporate Social Responsibility - Research Paper Example Increased attention to CSR has been enhanced by the need for environmental protection, need for better corporate governance, globalization and intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations which have made various declarations on human rights and environmental protection. Factors of corporate social responsibility can be categorized in to both environmental and social factors. Environmental stewardship includes the need of efficient utilization of natural resources like water, reduction in energy consumption and recycling of waste materials. This will also include the need to avoid environmental pollution like carbon emissions and toxic waste in the environment (Jamali, Safieddine & Rabbath 850). Social factors include the respect and promotion of human rights, labor rights and ensuring diversity in employment. Other factors include community involvement in development projects like building schools and health care facilities. Anti-bribery practices and supplier relations are also cornerstones of corporate social responsibility (Sabir, Ahmed, Zaidi & Kalyar 14). The company is committed to efficient utilization of all natural resources in all locations of operations. The company will be able to conserve limited natural resources which are also shared with the community. The company is committed to using clean manufacturing technologies that save natural resources and reduce carbon emissions and toxic waste in the environment. This will ensure clean environments and reduction of emission-related diseases. The company is committed to respecting all employees’ rights and offering equal employment opportunities. This will promote diversity, equal employment opportunities and fair dismissals in the workplace. Corporate sustainability is concerned with the long term social and economic expectations of the stakeholders. The basics of sustainability in CSR include continual improvement, compliance with regulatory

The Mission Statement of British Telecommunication

The Mission Statement of British Telecommunication BT Group plc is formerly known as British Telecom. It is also the privatized UK state telecommunications operator. It is the leading fixed line telecommunications and broadband Internet provider in the United Kingdom. BT operates in more than 170 countries and almost a third of its revenue now comes from its Global Services division. BT Group is the largest communications service provider in the United Kingdom. It is also one of the largest communication companies in the world (British Telecommunication, 2007). The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. At the present time, BT has become a multifaceted organisation offering general consumer goods and services through new sophisticated technologies but alongside this has created a commercial offering with consultancy and business solutions in order to ensure expansion and a long life secure for the company through differing markets. BT is very devoted in the acknowledgment of the primary source of its customer base within commercial outlets therefore the focus for the business falls within this function. However the domestic market retains a sizeable share of the total revenue generated thus the sector is carefully managed and invested in which enables the security of this sector. In this report we will examine the mission statements of BT, key objectives, internal and external environmental factors and information systems with the levels of management. The Mission Statement of British Telecommunication Mission statement is unique purpose that differentiates an organisation from the other companies of the same type. A mission statement needs to communicate the essence of its organisation to its stakeholders and to the public. There are two kinds of mission statements: General objectives In general it indicates how they do rather than where they would be. In other words journey rather than destination. They are always long term objectives. Usually, there are no closing stages on this kind of mission statement but it is always measured by its goals. For example: reduce output of waste or strengthen the loyalty of the constituents and so on. BT chief executive Ben Verwaayen states the general objective of BT as follows: Our central purpose is to provide world-class telecommunications and information products and services, and to develop and exploit our networks, at home and overseas, so that we can: Meet the requirements of our customers, Sustain growth in the earnings of the group on behalf of our shareholders, and Make a fitting contribution to the community in which we conduct our business. ( The Guardian, Wednesday 9 April 2008 ) Specific objectives They are irrefutable mission statements that contain principles and time periods in which all work should be achieved. Mission statements should be answered following Druckers four questions: (E H Edersheim, P F Drucker (2007) What is our business? Who is the customer? What is the value to the customer? What should our business be/ what will our business be? What business is the company in? BT is doing this by stating that it provides world-class telecommunications and informational products and services to its customers. This really shows the involvement that BT is not in the mobile telecommunication service by at home and overseas. But it also states that they offer landlines in abroad as well for instance in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea etc. Thus, the consumers would be the people who are using the BT landlines By developing and exploiting their network and meeting the requirements of customers, they mentioned increasing the value of the network. By telecommunication at home indicates their business where they are now and provide world-class telecommunication service in overseas indicates where their business will be. Lately mission statements are not about their customers and products and services, but shareholders. In last sentence they also mentioned what they will be doing in the future with the collaborated companies . BTs strategy and key objectives BT strategy and key objectives can be stated today as followed: the speed to the market, customer experience and cost transformation. BT has a future-proof, flexible, intelligent network to enable the company to deliver communications services that will meet their customers requirements in the coming decades. They have a very clear vision of where they want to be and they are now taking specific steps towards that goal. Their transformation program has three key objectives: to enhance the customer experience to accelerate product to market times to reduce BTs cost base And they are seeking to achieve these all at the same time. Therefore new means were set up in order to increase and improve their performances such as 21CN 21CN is designed to deliver a world class customer experience from end-to-end. It will drive a radical simplification of BTs operations, increasing efficiency and the ability to launch new services to market faster than we can today. It will empower the customer with control, choice and flexibility like never before. BT claimed that 21CN will deliver both enormous cost-savings and the most advanced network in the world for new services. They point to consolidation of equipment, the simplification resulting from the removal of numerous legacy networks, and the flexibility and degree of automation enabled by 21CN. Its new network will make it more efficient, quicker to respond to market demand and more flexible. It claims it will be much easier to launch multimedia, converged services and that customers will have more control over their account management and greater flexibility in the way they interact with BT and its network. ( Financial Times June/15/2005 08:44 ) PEST ANALYSIS OF BT With the economic globalization and the widespread application of information technology, enterprises are faced with dynamic and complex external environment which is increasingly important for survival and development of enterprises. With regard to political factor, BT was the vanguard of the reform of the telecommunication industry in Europe and the United States, and the success of the reform was owned much to the British government telecommunication policy, especial for the right choice for control policies. Economic factor refers to the macroeconomic situation, world economic situation and economic status of industries. For example, the current economic crisis leaded to the incline of BTs economic benefits. Due to the economic pressure, BT was planning layoffs which showed that BT had dropped at the companys lowest situation since the privatization in 1984. The social factor refers to the general factors which have indirect and potential impact such as population, income or purc hasing power, national culture and national education level. Ecological factor essentially means that increasing depletion of natural resources and ecological environment forced the enterprises to adapt environmental protection policy. For example, BTs goal is to reduce its carbon emission by 80 percent in 2020, at the same time, BT has also introduced a new model to measure and trace carbon emission, Carbon Disclosure Project (BT, 2008). Technological factor refers to the industry-related science and technology and the trend of development. As a veteran operator in Europe, BT had won the attracting results through introducing the 21st century network based on NGN technology, and adapting the industry-leading technologies and strategies to carry out the entire business operation SWOT ANALYSIS OF BT SWOT analysis is the analysis of organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in order to identify a strategic niche that the organization can exploit G Lancaster (2002). Strength: BT is the worlds oldest communication company which was established in 1846 and still serves over 20 million business and residential customers with more than 29 million exchange lines. It has a good reputation of being part of the European leading telecommunication service provider. For instance, it extends its market in other countries, it is a global company and Over 60% of Fortune Global 500 companies and over 65% of FTSE 100 companies are part of the BT customer database. It makes BT has a strong brand image and until now BT is still the only UK telecom operator to have a universal service obligation (USO). Its strong base of long term customers makes BT financially successful due to its innovative and flexible organization and its competitive price. Weakness: The weakness of BT is inflexible. BT is a big company, so it should work by step and step, it cannot change quickly when meat the problem. But however today, BTs reputation is going down because its internet service usually crashed for long hours and therefore takes a great deal of time to reconnect. BT Home Hub WI-FI security easy to crack (Router manufacturers use algorithm to generate WEP (wired equivalent privacy) and WPA (WI-FI protected access) default keys. BT Home Hub ships with default encryption keys to encrypt wireless network traffic using either WEP or WPA. But the algorithm is predictable and only creates a limited number of easily-hacked keys). It is also obvious that BTs own success makes it difficult to recruit and train staff quickly enough. Opportunity Experts predict great potential for future growth in next 10 years. And the current recession is favorable as people more specifically the customers and businesses are more cost-conscious. It is also important to note that lots of threat to new entries to the market which gives opportunity to grow even bigger nationally and internationally. BTs well known in Europe can bring new co-operating companies all over the world. Internet user growing quickly, it means BT have opportunity to get more market share. In 1994 only $1billion market for BT and MCI but now it grows unbelievable. Global telecommunication market is grow 20% in 2008 compared to 12% in 2003 which will have a good chance for BT to create a new record. With the technology of internet, BT also can develop new product, for example: it can increase the speed of cell phone to use internet Threat BT was established in 1846, at that time it was the only telecommunication company in Britain until 1982 Mercury communications entries this market. It means BT should competitive with Mercury communications and BT market share decreased. It leads to BT cannot make price easily; it should compare with other company price and then make a competitive price. BT also should improve their products, make it have more competitive, because BT should keep their old customers and create some new customers or take customers from Mercury communications, but it should cost more. In addition, BT starts to lose the customers trust and the introduction of mobile phones decreases the usage of landlines. The treats get worse as big brands enter the market with new technology and low prices. The internet coverage of areas that do not need landlines and new companies such as Virgin affect badly BTs expansion. Critical success factors Since the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, new era of communication has started. In United Kingdom General Post Offices Postal Telegraph department which became BT group was providing telephone services. BT group is the largest communication service provider in United Kingdom. Throughout history BT had numerous advantages which influenced its success. BT had a monopoly in the industry till the duopoly sharer Mercury came out. These two telecommunication operators had an exclusive right to provide telecom services. This duopoly ended in 1990s, and market was open to be shared. But BT had already reached an attitude which is much stronger and unbeatable by competitors. Many of BTs customers are based in the UK. BT Global Services deliver solutions inmore than 170different countries, connecting installations, communities and value chains that are essential to organizations. Currently BT is responsible for approximately 28 million telephone lines. Furthermore the company is the only UK telecommunications operator obliged to deliver fixed telephone line to any UK address. In addition BT operates most public telephone boxes all-over the UK. With high technology BT delivers significantly good service of telephone, internet and cable TV. Current BTs most dominant product on the market is BT Home Hub which includes telephone internet broadband and cable TV. Furthermore BT has launched many more successful products throughout decades. INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR BT Operational Control The operation control is the stage that shows and determines how the performing of specific tasks that are set by strategic and middle management decision makers. Usually, most of the tasks in operational level are structured. Knowledge level This stage evaluates new ideas for products and services, the ways to communicate new knowledge in other words the interaction, and finally the ways to distribute information. Management Control-tactical level The management control tactical level monitors effective or efficient ways of resources and performance of operational units. Most of the tasks in that level are semi-structured. Strategic Decision Making It determines long-term objectives, resources and policies. In general, a good number of the tasks in strategic level are unstructured. Major types of System The major types of system we can notice today are the Executive Support System (ESS), the Decision Support System (DSS), the Management Information System (MIS), the Knowledge Work System (KWS), and the Transaction Processing System (TPS). Executive Support systems Chief Managers use executive support systems (ESS) to make strategic planning about sales forecasting, budget, profit and personal planning. ESS serves the strategic level of the organizations. They address non-routine decisions requiring judgment, evaluation, and insight because there is no agreed-on procedure for arriving at solutions. ESS create a generalised computing and communication environment rather than providing any fixed application or specific capability. Furthermore, they are designed to incorporate data about external events such as new tax laws or competitors. They employ the most advanced graphics software and can deliver graphs and data from many sources immediately to a senior executive office or to a boardroom. Unlike the other types of informational systems, ESS is not designed primarily to solve specific problems. Instead, ESS provides a generalized computing and communications capacity that can be applied to a changing array of problems. J F. Rockart (1988). At this stage such matters like the business aims and competitors influences are indeed revised carefully. Therefore, senior managers are trying to maintain a good relationship with partners and existing customers. However to gain high reputation, they must be concerned about the role of customer social responsibility and have to create a flexible strategy planning that suits to the charges of economical factors. Decision support systems The decision support systems (DSS) help managers in making decisions that are unique, rapidly changing, and not easily specified in advance. They provide both problem-solving information and a communication capability for solving semi-structured problems. DSS have more analytical power than the other systems. They are built explicitly with variety of models to analyze data, or they condense large amounts of data into a form where they can be analyzed by decision makers. DSS are also designed so that users can with them directly; these systems explicitly include user-friendly software. F Buytendijk (2008). Relating to British telecom, the DSS study generally the options of maximisation profit and determine whether prices are suitable in the marketplace. Managerial Information Systems. Management information systems (MIS) are used mostly in management level system, management need information in different sectors like sale management control, annual budgeting, about investment analysis. On average, they are oriented almost exclusively to internal, not environmental or external, events. MIS mainly serve the functions of planning, controlling, and decision making at the management level. MIS review and report on the companys basic operations. The basic transaction data from TPS are compressed and are usually presented in long reports that are produced on a regular schedule. MIS usually serve managers interested in weekly, monthly, and yearly results-not day-to-day activities. MIS generally provide answers to routine questions that have been specified an advance and have a predefined procedure for answering them. Most MIS use simple routines such as summaries and comparisons, as opposed to sophisticated mathematical models or statistical techniques. Ross Malaga, (2003). Knowledge Work and Office Systems Knowledge Work System ( KWS) is very important because BT has different workstations like engineering workstations ,graphics workstations and managerial workstations ,on the other hand Office systems do in BT different work like word processor , document imaging , design for the company , electronic calendars. This system can involve a combination of work practices, information, structures, people, and technologies organized to accomplish objectives in an organisation. BT use information system in different level of management, there are a relationship between systems. Mostly, BT uses three information systems: management system, information system, and computer system. Transaction Processing Systems Transaction processing systems are the basic business systems that monitor the operational level of companies. A transaction processing system is a computerized system that performs and records daily routine transactions necessary to the conduct of the business. For example its like special force in the army, any operation need to be check and secure for example: machine control, securities trading, material movement, and cash control management. They also study the decision to grant credit to a customer for instance, this is made by lower level supervisor according to predefined criteria. All that must be determined is whether the customer meets the criteria. The master file is composed of discrete pieces of information (such as name, address or employee number) called data elements. Data are keyed into the system, updating the data and elements. The elements on master file are combined in different ways to make a report of interest to management and government agencies and to send paychecks to employees. These TPS can generate other report combinations of existing data elements. J Gray, A Reuter (1993) REFERENCES Modern Public Information Technology Systems: Issues and Challenges by G. David Garson, 2007 BT, (2008), BT press Release, retrieved on 17th April, 2009, from: http://pr.euractiv.com/node/3269 Information Systems Technology by Ross Malaga, 2003 Executive Support Systems: The Emergence of Top Management Computer Use by John F. Rockart 1988 Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth Page 163 by Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy Institute 2003 352 pages Annual Review of Communications: Volume 59 Page 243 by International Engineering Consortium 2007 750 pages Performance Leadership: The Next Practices to Motivate Your People, Align Page 207 by Frank Buytendijk 2008 300 pages Management of Organizational Change: Leveraging Transformation Page 63 by K. Harigopal 2006 367 pages The Guardian, Wednesday 9 April 2008 The Definitive Drucker: The Final Word from the Father of Modern Management Page 48 by Elizabeth Haas Edersheim, Peter Ferdinand Drucker 2007 289 pages Financial Times June/15/2005 08:44 Transaction Processing: Concepts and Techniques Page 3 by Jim Gray, Andreas Reuter 1993 1070 pages BIBLIOGRAPHY Strategic Planning for Information Systems by John. L. Ward and Joe Peppard, 2002 Ethics and Information Technology by James Anderson and Kenneth Goodman Introduction to Business Information Systems by Peter Mertens, Rolf. T. Wigand, 2003 Business Dynamics in Information Technology by Peter Gottschalk, 2007 www.bt.co.uk

Acting Technique Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"Would that the stage were a tight rope where no incompetent would dare to tread.† -GOETHE Goethe is speaking from an author’s point of view. It is the actor’s tremendous and frustrating challenge to act in plays written by Goethe and other great playwrights. Actors have to communicate complex and subtle ideas, like those that appear in Strindberg, Ibsen, Shaw and Arthur Miller. The modern actor must have virtues that the playwright, perhaps, does not have, and one is the instinct that awakens the actor to act. That instinct is stronger than we know or can analyze. An actor’s total being – mind, spirit, soul, and that essence which is talent – must be devoted to his craft. In this life, most people are forced to use only one side of themselves. All those other selves create a unique unquiet in the actor’s soul, and what provokes the actor‘s talent to be heard. Before an actor can let his voice be heard, he must visualize his needs and fears. He must make a distinction between growth and success. To humanize a young actor, have them list their assets and faults. The actor has only his own body as an instrument. Thus, he must continuously work on four tools: the body, the speech, the mind, and the emotions. An actor has the right to survive, to grow as an artist. This entails a special strength, a new discipline, and self-awareness. Only then can he realize his goals and the work ahead of him as a professional actor. The profession of acting gives the actor the opportunity to make of himself the most that he can be. The ultimate aim of this technique is to create an actor who can be responsible for his artistic development and achievement. The first tier is the energy of the voice. Resonating to reach the audi... ...ications that are more creative. This is why professional productions are more captivating and real than proletarian shows. Justifications that are more complex can be found and based on the circumstances. Justification can be taken one-step further when it is applied to characters and their beliefs. This will aid in character development and is beneficial on stage. Like a juggler of sentiment, an actor must be flexible on stage. He must be quick in reacting, but deliberate in emoting. He must have extraordinary imagination, and resolute justification. The actor’s profession is not an easy one, but is an art that crosses the aesthetic barrier and reaches an audience. He knows there is a difference between the truth of life and the truth of the theatre. The actor must communicate on the highest level. The actor must be a master of both words and ideas.

Foreign Scientists and Their Contribution in Chemistry

Antoine Lavoisier was born in the year 1743 to a wealthy family and inherited a huge fortune at the age of five after the demise of his mother. A noble man by profession has contributed a lot in both chemical and biological science. Antoine Lavoisier is the first person to term Oxygen and Hydrogen and also was the first one to establish that sulphur is not a compound but an element. He was the first person to determine that air is a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. His other contribution includes researches in the field of quantitative chemistry. Amedeo Carlo Avogadro† Amedeo Carlo Avogardro was born in Italy in 1776 and his main contribution was in the field of relative molecular mass. He established the relationship between the masses of different gasses at the same volume and their corresponding molecular weights. His more noted contribution was the Avogadro law where he established the molar particle number to be exactly equal to 6. 022 x 1023. â€Å"Niels Henrik Bohr† Niels Henrik Bohr was born in the year 1885 in Copenhagen to a professor of physiology Christian Bohr. Niels Bohr grew up in an atmosphere conducive for academic brilliance. He contributed in the understanding of the atomic structure and the quantum mechanics related to it. â€Å"Robert Millikan† Robert Millikan the American Physicist was born in 1868 has contributed in the field of photoelectric effect and is more famous for his work on the mass of electron and its charge by the charge oil droplet in an electric field method. This contribution played a vital role in the foundation of chemical studies in later years. â€Å"Ernest Rutherford† Read this Practice Test Chem 105 Ernest Rutherford, the New Zealand born (1871) British scientist contributed a lot in chemical studies by discovering the three radioactive particles alpha (positive), beta (negative) and gamma (neutral) rays by passing a radioactive ray through a magnetic field and then categorizing these according to the deflection by positive plate, negative plate and the ones which went through without deflections. â€Å"J J Thomson† J J Thomson the British scientist born in 1856 is attributed for the discovery of electron and its properties. This atomic particle was discovered when he placed the cathode tube in a magnetic field and found that these particles are negatively charged and that each of these had a mass ratio of 1. 759 E8 coulombs per gram. â€Å"Willam Crookes† William Crookes the British chemist born in 1832 used the vacuum tube made by Heinrich Geisslar to discover cathode rays and hypothesized that there are rays which emanated from the cathode and caused the zinc sulphide to fluoresce which he had used as a coating on one end of the tube. Wilhelm Roentgen the German scientist born in 1895 was the pioneer in producing and detecting the electromagnetic radiation within a range of wavelength better known as X rays. These rays were discovered while he was researching the glow produced by cathode ray tube. â€Å"Marie Curie† Marie Curie the French Polish Chemist – physicists was born in 1867 is the pioneer in radioactivity research. She discovered the radioactive particles Uranium and Thorium and later another couple of elements Polonium and Radium and all within the same Pitchblend. â€Å"Enrico Fermi â€Å" Enrico Fermi the Italian born American scientist in the year 1901 is remembered for his contribution to nuclear fission. This was accomplished when he bombarded the Uranium with neutrons. â€Å"James Chadwick† James Chadwick the British scientist born in 1891is attributed for the discovery of neutron.

How is the national and international tourism helping Spain overcome Essay

Spain is one of the countries in the world that has been severely affected by the global economic crisis originated in 2008. It is the country with the greatest number of unemployed citizens in all Europe. Its rate of unemployment reached an all time high of 26. 9% in May 2013. The European Union is worried about this situation, and has therefore forced the Spanish Government to apply some strict cut backs to their economy in order to decrease its high public deficit. These measures are mostly affecting public labor force, who realized they don’t have sufficient income to last them through the month. In addition, college students, mainly those who study architecture, engineering and medicine, have realized that there is not a promising professional career that can be developed in Spain. Since the beginning of the economic crisis, more than 300,000 young Spanish citizens have left the country in order to find a job in markets overseas. All these negative aspects of the country’s critical situation are bringing Spain forward to be a candidate of receiving a bailout from the European Union. Despite being in this delicate position, it is not all about negative figures in Spain. There is one sector of the Spanish economy that is helping the country to come back on track: tourism. The purpose of this report is to find out how tourism is helping Spain to recover from the economic decline. I have divided the findings into two sections: First, I will explain the importance of tourism in Spain. Second, I will describe the general changes in both international and national tourism, without analyzing the monetary effects in the economy. Third, I will provide information about the economical consequences that these changes are having in the reactivation of the Spanish economy. Findings 1- Importance of Tourism in the Spanish Economy Spain, behind France, the United States and China, is one of the top world destinations to go on vacation. Its 7,876 kilometers of beautiful beaches, pleasant weather and 44 world heritage monuments, position the country as the 4th country in the world to receive the highest number of international tourists. In terms of revenues, the country is ranked in second position right after the United States (Butler, 2013). According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism represented a total contribution of 15. 2 % of Spain’s Gross Domestic Product in 2012. In other developed countries, such as the United States, France and China, tourism represented a 8. 6%, 9. 7% and 9. 3% of their respective 2012 GDP (2013). This shows that, despite receiving more tourists than Spain, these countries’ economic lives are less affected and determined by the changes that might take place in the tourism sector. The Government of Spain knows how crucial tourism is for the performance of the country’s economy and gives this sector high importance. As a touristic oriented country, Spain has 47 airports, 2,000 km of commuter rail trains and 2,900 km of high-speed rail network (Butler, 2013). These elements make Spain one of the countries with the best transportation system in the world. This advantage of Spain facilitates the arrival of international tourists and the transportation of national tourists all over the country. In addition, as I mentioned before, one of Spain’s biggest problems is its increasing rate of unemployment. The WTTC published that travel and tourism directly supported 894,000 jobs in Spain. This means that 5. 2% of workers were related to this specific sector of the economy (2013). All the figures I just pointed out reflect the positive and remarkable impact of tourism in Spain’s economy. Now, I am going to present some more detailed information about the changes in the national and international tourism, and the consequences of these changes relating them to the fact that tourism is the main force that is helping Spain to overcome this fragile situation. 2- Changes in Tourism in Spain Since the beginning of the global economic crisis, tourism in Spain has changed in many ways. Not only has it influenced the amount of foreigners’ visits to Spain, but it has also affected the domestic conception of going on vacation. Changes in International Tourism As I said in the Introduction, Spain received more than 57 million tourists during 2012, which means it had a year-over-year growth of 2. 7%. The countries that contributed the most to this growth are France, Germany and Russia. In addition, some Nordic and Asiatic countries also collaborated on it (Institute of Touristic Studies of Spain [ITE], 2013). The main positive elements of the Spanish economy come from the foreign sector. It is important to point out that the total nights international tourists stayed in Spain increased by 2. 3% in 2012. Looking at the low rates of unemployment in France, Germany, United Kingdom and Russia, it can be deduced that these countries are performing economically better than Spain. This means that foreigners, who have not been as affected as the Spaniards by the economic crisis, have enough income and are willing to go on vacation outside of their home countries. The Institute of Touristic Studies from Spain, assures that Spanish tourism has become more competitive in the last few years. By analyzing the changes in prices and the value of the currency compared to other countries, this Institute has used the Competitiveness Trend in Tourism Ratio to measure the performance of the country. It has arrived to the conclusion that, due to the low prices compared with other countries from the European Union, Spain has achieved a beneficial position to attract international tourists to the country (2013). Changes in National Tourism As well as the international, national tourism has experienced many changes during the past few years. National tourism in Spain closed the year 2012 with 158,9 millions domestic trips. It is important to highlight that 9 out of 10 of Spanish citizens’ trips were effectuated inside the country. Due to the difficult economic situation that many Spaniards are experiencing, travelling to other countries decreased by 4. 8% in 2012 (ITE, 2013). This new setting where saving money is the main concern for Spanish citizens, has helped new forms of travelling to arise in the Spanish touristic sector. Even thought Spain has always been seen as a â€Å"sun and beach† destination, Antonio Villanueva Cuevas, Doctor at the Castilla-La Mancha University, explains that news forms of travelling such as rural, cultural and natural tourism are becoming popular between Spaniards that are looking to travel with minimum expenses (2012). In addition, those who still prefer going to the beach have found their way to get cheap options by either going during low season or taking last minute deals. 3- How are These Changes Having a Positive Impact in the Spanish Economy? Since tourism in Spain represents a large part of its Gross Domestic Product, this sector of the economy will have a considerable impact on the country’s economy performance. The growths of international and national tourism have helped the country to stay â€Å"economically alive† (Barreira, 2013). Positive Impact from International Tourism In relation to the international tourism, Spain is the 4th country in the world to receive the highest number of tourists. More than 57 million tourists visited Spain in 2012. Moreover, there was a high new record of 56 billion Euros reached in spent by international tourists in Spain. The growth of the number of international tourists that visited Spain in 2012 helped the country’s economy by contributing â‚ ¬57. 1 billion to the GDP (ITE, 2013). Even though Spain’s GDP fell by 1. 3% in 2012, the growth of the international tourism made the GDP experience a shorter descent. Another positive impact of the international tourism is the fact that the number of workers hired in the tourism sector increased by 0. 6% in 2012 (World Travel and Tourism Council [WTTC], 2013). It might be seen as an insignificant growth, but, taking into account that the general rate of unemployment increased to 26% in 2013, any contribution has an important meaning for the reactivation of the country’s economy. International tourism also caused the growth of capital investment by 7. 4% to â‚ ¬14. 8 billion in 2012 (WTTC, 2013). In addition, the fact that prices in Spain are low compared to other countries in the European Union, makes Spain more attractive to receive investments and be chosen as a holiday destination. All these positive consequences of the international tourism in the Spanish economy are helping the country to achieve the goal of not seeing Spain as a burden for the European Union. The recuperation of the country’s economy will be determined by the growth of GDP, decrease of unemployment rate and increase in foreign investments in the country. All these aspects are represented by the good performance of Spain’s international tourism. Positive Impact from National Tourism Even though national tourism has not shown as many positive figures as the international one, it is helping the country to improve economically. As I explained before, a large number of Spaniards can’t afford to travel to another country during vacation. They decide to stay in the country, and look for new cheap ways of travelling. Spaniards are starting to purchase last minute deals, and to travel during low season periods. Even thought the number of national trips decreased by 1. 2% in 2012, Spain registered a growth of 22% in national tourism from 2008 to 2012 from 130 to 158. 9 million national trips (ITE, 2013). It can be deduced from this, that national tourism has had an overall positive performance during the Spanish recession. The fact that Spaniards choose national rather than international destinations makes them invest money in their own country’s economy. Moreover, even thought national tourism slightly decreased in 2012, new sectors of the Spanish national tourism have showed positive figures during the last few years. Juan Pulido and Pablo Garcia, members of the economics department at University of Jaen in Spain, explain that the rural sector of the Spanish national tourism has increased by 7. 5% in the last 10 years. Since Spaniards don’t want to spend too much money during vacation, they decide to stay in the country and look for new attractions. Spaniards spent a total of â‚ ¬18,046 million in rural destinations during 2011 (2011). Rural tourism is affecting positively the economy by activating some unusual tourism destinations, and giving them the opportunity to create a new emerging business in Spain. The increasing importance of this new way of tourism creates jobs and activates the economy of certain domestic areas. These new ways of doing tourism are making Spaniards stay in their country during their holidays, invest money in the national market, and contribute to the reactivation of the country’s economy. Key Points Spain is one of the countries that have been affected the most by the global economic crisis originated in 2008. However, there are several facts that explain how tourism is helping Spain to overcome this situation: Tourism represented a total contribution of 15. 2 % of Spain’s Gross Domestic Product in 2012. Tourism has a great impact in the performance of the Spanish economy. Spain has received more than 57 million international tourists during 2012, which mean it had a year-over-year growth of 2. 7%. There was a high new record of 56 billion Euros reached in spent by these international tourists that visited Spain in 2012. The number of workers hired in the Spanish tourism sector increased by 0. 6% in 2012. International tourism has also caused the growth of capital investment by 7. 4% to â‚ ¬14. 8 billion in Spain during 2012. Spain registered a growth of 22% in national tourism from 2008 to 2012, from 130 to 158. 9 million national trips. The fact that Spaniards are choosing national rather than international destinations makes Spaniards invest more money in the domestic economy. The rural sector of the Spanish national tourism has increased by 7. 5% in the last 10 years. This has created a new sector of tourism that creates jobs and gives opportunities to local areas to develop an emerging business. Conclusion The overall situation is perfectly described in an article written by Victor Barreira (2013), a journalist who works for El Pais, the most sold newspaper in Spain, which says: The national GDP fell by 1. 3% in 2012, unemployment raised to 26%, the bailout petition to the European Union was still active†¦ however, tourism is staying as a life-jacket to which Spain can keep held in order to ride out of the storm. It points out that the economic situation of Spain has affected the country in an extremely negative way. However, tourism has been the most important sector of the economy that has shown positive figures and has helped the country to better deal with the economic situation. It is important for the Spanish Government to keep working on the improvement of the country’s touristic attractions and promote Spain as a holiday destination. References Barreira, V. (2013, January 16). Espana registro en 2012 el tercer mejor ano de la historia en llegada de turistas [Spain registered in 2012 the third best year in history in arrival of tourists]. El Pais. Butler, M. (2013, February 27). Spain as an international tourist destination [Electronic version]. Atlas of the brands. Institute of Touristic Studies of Spain. (2013). Balance del turismo ano 2012 [Tourism balance year 2012]. Retrieved October 13, 2013, from www. iet. tourspain. es Pulido, P. , & Cardenas,P. (2011). El Turismo rural en Espana [The rural Tourism in Spain]. Asociacion de Geografos Espanoles. Villanueva, A. (2012). Las nuevas formas de turismo como instrumento para lograr un desarrollo sostenible e integrador [The new forms of tourism as a tool to reach a sostenible and integrative development]. Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. World Travel and Tourism Council. (2013). Travel and Tourism, the economic impact 2013 in Spain. Scowsill, D.

Sociology Paper

Sociology Paper Sociology Paper Sociology Paper: Target - Clarity Sociology is rather young but very interesting science. It helps us study ourselves. That is why if you have got an assignment to write a sociology paper, do not neglect this good opportunity to learn more about people. Papers Sociology: Subjects of Research Any sociology paper (whether it is an essay or a term paper) is a kind of research of one or another aspect of the social life of people. Sociology papers may cover positive as well as negative sides of our life. Marriage, divorce, maternity, adoption of children, slavery, discrimination, social inequality these points and many others may be discussed in such papers. The only requirement to any sociology paper is that all the matter points of its topic must be highlighted fully enough and clearly. Your reader should understand what you wanted to study, in what way you made your study and what results this study led to. Paper Sociology: making your own social research clear Taking into acc ount the above-mentioned information lets try to point out tips that will help you make your paper clear.First of all, before getting down to writing of your sociology paper you should determine an issue clearly that you are going to research. It should be some narrower point of your paper topic whether you have been provided with this topic by your tutor or you have chosen it by yourself. As a rule, such an issue is formulated as a thesis statement of a paper that is presented at the beginning of this paper (in the introduction). Making a thesis statement will help you put your research in certain frameworks. It will be much better for you to make a plan of your research stating the main points that you are going to present. Split your paper into paragraphs in accordance with this plan. Pay attention that these paragraphs should be interrelated. Such a plan will make your sociology paper well-structured and logical. Your ideas will not exist separately but build a sing le picture your research of the issue in question. Pay attention to the vocabulary that you will use in your sociology paper. Avoid different idioms, slang elements, vulgarisms as your paper belongs to the academic writing. On the other hand, do not use a large number of various terms and unknown notions. That will make your writing not cognitive but dull. Try to use transitional words and phrases that will also give your paper some clarity. Pay attention to the precise data that you will state in your sociology paper to prove your suggestions and conclusions. All numbers, results of observations or experiments should be true. So, keeping in mind this information will help you write a clear and understandable sociology paper.

About Jørn Utzon, Architect of the Sydney Opera House

About Jà ¸rn Utzon, Architect of the Sydney Opera House Any biography of Jà ¸rn Utzon (born  April 9, 1918) will certainly say that his best-known building is his revolutionary Sydney Opera House in Australia. Yet, as a private Dane born in Copenhagen, Utzon created many other masterpieces in his lifetime. He is noted for his courtyard-style housing in Denmark, but he also designed exceptional buildings in Kuwait and Iran. His architecture combines the organic elements of Frank Lloyd Wright with Middle Eastern and Islamic elements.   Jà ¸rn Utzon was perhaps destined to design buildings that evoke the sea. His father,  Aage Utzon (1885-1970), was director of a shipyard in Alborg, Denmark, and was himself a brilliant naval architect, well-known in the area for designing custom-made yachts. Yachting and racing was an activity within the Utzon family, and the young Jà ¸rn became a good sailor himself. The Utzons grew up with sails. Until about the age of 18, Utzon considered a career as a naval officer. While still in secondary school, he began helping his father at the shipyard, studying new designs, drawing up plans and making model yachts. This activity opened another possibility - that of training to be a naval architect like his father. During summer holidays with his grandparents, Jà ¸rn Utzon met two artists, Paul Schrà ¸der and Carl Kyberg, who introduced him to art. One of his father’s cousins, Einar Utzon-Frank, who happened to be a sculptor and a professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, provided additional inspiration. The future architect took an interest in sculpting, and at one point, indicated a desire to be an artist. Even though his final marks in secondary school were quite poor, particularly in mathematics, Utzon excelled in freehand drawing - a talent strong enough to win his admission to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He was soon recognized as having extraordinary gifts in architectural design. While in school, he became interested in the works of architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), who would remain influential all of Utzons life. He earned a Diploma in Architecture from the Academy in 1942, and then fled to neutral Sweden during War War II. He worked in the Stockholm office of Hakon Ahlberg for the duration of the War, where he studied the work of Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund (1885-1940), known for what is called Nordic Classicism. Following the War, Utzon had the great opportunity to work with the modernist architect Alvar Aalto at his studio in Finland. By 1949 Utzon had received a grant to travel in Morocco, Mexico, the United States, China, Japan, India, and Australia - a whirlwind world excursion that would eventually inform his architectural designs for years to come.. All of the trips had significance, and Utzon himself described ideas he learned from Mexico. As an architectonic element, the platform is fascinating, Utzon has said. I lost my heart to it on a trip to Mexico in 1949. On the Yucatan he saw land covered by low height, dense jungle. But by building up the platform on a level with the roof of the jungle, says Utzon, these people had suddenly conquered a new dimension that was a worthy place for the worship of their gods. They built their temples on these high platforms, which can be as much as a hundred metres long. From here, they had the sky, the clouds and the breeze.... Utzon remembered this experience as he submitted his design for the Sydney Opera House competition. The next year, in 1950, Utzon returned to Copenhagen, and opened his own practice. Utzons Architecture When looking at the architecture of Jà ¸rn Utzon, the observer notices repeating architectural details - the skylights, the white curves, the appreciation for natural elements, the stationary platform on which Utzon designs may soar. His last project, the Utzon Center in Aalborg, Denmark, opened the year Utzon died, but exhibits the elements he saw throughout his life - the Islamic-like towers, the interior courtyards, the curves and the skylights. The interior of the Bagsvaerd Church, built in 1976, was envisioned with a ceiling of clouds, a sweeping white pillow motif also seen in the 1982 Kuwait National Assembly in Kuwait City and the spiral stairway of the Melli Bank, University of Tehran Branch in 1960 Iran. Yet it is the Sydney Opera House in Australia that has captured the moniker of iconic architecture. The iconic design of the Sydney Opera House complex comes from the shell-shape of the multiple roofs - they are all geometrically part of one sphere. A bonze plaque located onsite visually demonstrates the architectural idea and design solution, who wanted the plaque to explain the spherical concept of the architecture. The key to the shell design is that each shell or sail is an element of a solid sphere. The plaque Inscription tells the story: after three years of intensive search for a basic geometry for the shell complex I arrived in october 1961 at the spherical solution shown here.I call this my key to the shells because it solves all the problems of construction by opening up for mass production, precision in manufacture and simple erection and with this geometrical system I attain full harmony between all the shapes in this fantastic complex.jà ³rn utzon Danish architect Jà ¸rn Utzon was only 38 when he won the competition to build the Sydney Opera House.   The project became the highlight of his career but brought enormous challenges in engineering and building technology. Utzons winning design, submitted in 1957, moved through a complicated process with many adaptations and innovations before the Sydney Opera House officially opened on October 20, 1973. Utzons Legacy Ada Louise Huxtable, an architecture critic and a member of the 2003 Pritzker Prize jury, commented, In a forty year practice, each commission displays a continuing development of ideas both subtle and bold, true to the teaching of early pioneers of a new architecture, but that cohere in a prescient way, most visible now, to push the boundaries of architecture toward the present. This has produced a range of work from the sculptural abstraction of the Sydney Opera House that foreshadowed the avant garde expression of our time, and is widely considered to be the most notable monument of the 20th century, to handsome, humane housing and a church that remains a masterwork today. Carlos Jimenez, an architect on the Pritzker Jury, noted that ...each work startles with with its irrepressible creativity. How else to explain the lineage binding those indelible ceramic sails on the Tasmanian Sea, the fertile optimism of the housing at Fredensborg, or those sublime undulations of the ceilings at Bagsvà ¦rd, to name just three of Utzon’s timeless works. At the end of his life, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect faced new challenges. A degenerative eye condition left Utzon nearly blind. Also, according to news reports, Utzon clashed with his son and grandson over a remodeling project at the Sydney Opera House. The acoustics at the Opera House was criticized, and many people complained that the celebrated theater did not have enough performance or backstage space. Jà ¸rn Utzon died of a heart attack on November 29, 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark at age 90. He was survived by his wife and their three children, Kim, Jan and Lin, and several grandchildren who work in architecture and related fields. There is no doubt that artistic clashes will be forgotten as the world honors  Jà ¸rn Utzons powerful artistic legacy. The architectural firm he founded, Utzon Associates Architects, is in Hellebaek, Denmark. Sources Biography, The Hyatt Foundation, PDF at https://www.pritzkerprize.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/2003_bio_0.pdfAbout the Utzon Family, https://utzon.dk/utzon-associates-architects/the-utzon-familyJury Citation, The Hyatt Foundation, https://www.pritzkerprize.com/jury-citation-jorn-utzonGouse History, Sydney Opera House, https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/our-story/sydney-opera-house-history.htm Fast Facts Born April 9, 1918 in Copenhagen, DenmarkInfluenced by Mayan, Islamic, and Chinese architecture; Frank Lloyd Wright and Alvar Aalto; growing up next to a shipyardBest-known as the architect of the Sydney Opera House (1957-1973) in Sydney, AustraliaDied November 29, 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark

The Treasure of the Aztecs

The Treasure of the Aztecs In 1519, Hernan Cortes and his greedy band of some 600 conquistadors began their audacious assault on the  Mexica (Aztec) Empire. By 1521 the Mexica capital city of  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Tenochtitlan was in ashes, Emperor Montezuma was dead and the  Spanish were firmly in control of what they took to calling New Spain. Along the way, Cortes and his men collected thousands of pounds of gold, silver, jewels and priceless pieces of  Aztec art. Whatever became of this unimaginable treasure? The Concept of Wealth in the New World For the Spanish, the concept of wealth was simple: it meant gold and silver, preferably in easily negotiable bars or coins, and the more of it the better. For the Mexica and their allies, it was more complicated. They used gold and silver but primarily for ornaments, decorations, plates, and jewelry. The Aztecs prized other things far above gold: they loved brightly colored feathers, preferably from quetzals or hummingbirds. They would make elaborate cloaks and headdresses out of these feathers and it was a conspicuous display of wealth to wear one. They loved jewels, including jade and turquoise. They also prized cotton and garments like tunics made from it: as a display of power, Tlatoani Montezuma would wear as many as four cotton tunics a day and discard them after wearing them only once. The people of central Mexico were great merchants who engaged in trade, generally bartering goods with one another, but cacao beans were also used as a currency of sorts. Cortes Sends Treasure to the King In April of 1519, the Cortes expedition landed near present-day​  Veracruz: they had already visited the Maya area of Potonchan, where they picked up some gold and the invaluable interpreter Malinche. From the town they founded in Veracruz they made friendly relationships with the coastal tribes. The Spanish offered to ally themselves with these disgruntled vassals, who agreed and often gave them gifts of gold, feathers and cotton cloth. In addition, emissaries from Montezuma occasionally appeared, bringing great gifts with them. The first emissaries gave the Spanish some rich clothes, an obsidian mirror, a tray and jar of gold, some fans and a shield made from mother-of-pearl. Subsequent emissaries brought a gold-plated wheel six and a half feet across, weighing some thirty-five pounds, and a smaller silver one: these represented the sun and moon. Later emissaries brought back a Spanish helmet which had been sent to Montezuma; the generous ruler had filled the helm with gold dust as the Spanish had requested. He did this because he had been made to believe that the Spanish suffered from an illness which could only be cured by gold. In July of 1519, Cortes decided to send some of this treasure to the King of Spain, in part because the king was entitled to a fifth of any treasure found and in part because Cortes needed the kings support for his venture, which was on questionable legal ground. The Spanish put together all of the treasures they had accumulated, inventoried it and sent much of it to Spain on a ship. They estimated that the gold and silver was worth about 22,500 pesos: this estimate was based on its worth as a raw material, not as artistic treasures. A long list of the inventory survives: it details every item. One example: the other collar has four strings with 102 red stones and 172 apparently green, and around the two green stones are 26 golden bells and, in the said collar, ten large stones set in gold... (qtd. in Thomas). Detailed as this list is, it appears that Cortes and his lieutenants held much back: it is likely that the king received only one-tenth of the treasure taken thus far. The Treasures of Tenochtitlan Between July and November of 1519, Cortes and his men made their way to Tenochtitlan. Along their way, they picked up more treasure in the form of more gifts from Montezuma, loot from the Cholula Massacre and gifts from the leader of Tlaxcala, who in addition entered into an important alliance with Cortes. In early November, the conquistadors entered Tenochtitlan and Montezuma made them welcome. A week or so into their stay, the Spanish arrested Montezuma on a pretext and kept him in their heavily defended compound. Thus began the plunder of the great city. The Spaniards continually demanded gold, and their captive, Montezuma, told his people to bring it. Many great treasures of gold, silver jewels and featherwork were laid at the feet of the invaders. Furthermore, Cortes asked Montezuma where the gold came from. The captive emperor freely admitted that there were several places in the Empire where gold could be found: it was usually panned from streams and smelted for use. Cortes immediately sent his men to those places to investigate. Montezuma had allowed the Spaniards to stay at the lavish palace of Axayacatl, a former tlatoani of the empire and Montezumas father. One day, the Spanish discovered a vast treasure behind one of the walls: gold, jewels, idols, jade, feathers and more. It was added to the invaders ever-growing pile of loot. The Noche Triste In May of 1520, Cortes had to return to the coast  to defeat the conquistador army of Panfilo de Narvaez. In his absence from Tenochtitlan, his hotheaded lieutenant Pedro de Alvarado ordered the massacre of thousands of unarmed Aztec nobles attending the festival of Toxcatl. When Cortes returned in July, he found his men under siege. On June 30, they decided they could not hold the city and decided to depart. But what to do about the treasure? At that point, it is estimated that the Spanish had amassed some eight thousand pounds of gold and silver, not to mention plenty of feathers, cotton, jewels and more.   Cortes ordered the kings fifth and his own fifth loaded onto horses and Tlaxcalan porters and told the others to take what they wanted. Foolish conquistadors loaded themselves down with gold: smart ones only took a handful of jewels. That night, the Spanish were spotted as they tried to flee the city: the enraged Mexica warriors attacked, slaughtering hundreds of Spaniards on the Tacuba causeway out of the city. The Spanish later referred to this as the Noche Triste or Night of Sorrows.The kings and Cortes gold was lost, and those soldiers who carried very much loot either dropped it or were slaughtered because they were running too slowly. Most of the great treasures of Montezuma were irrevocably lost that night. Return to Tenochtitlan and Division of Spoils The Spanish regrouped and were able to re-take Tenochtitlan a few months later, this time for good. Although they found some of their lost loot (and were able to squeeze some more out of the defeated Mexica) they never found all of it, despite torturing the new emperor, Cuauhtà ©moc. After the city had been retaken and it came time to divide the spoils, Cortes proved as skilled at stealing from his own men as he had in stealing from the Mexica. After setting aside the kings fifth and his own fifth, he began making suspiciously large payments to his closest cronies for weapons, services, etc. When they finally got their share, Cortes soldiers were dismayed to learn that they had earned less than two hundred pesos each, far less than they would have gotten for honest work elsewhere. The soldiers were furious, but there was little they could do. Cortes bought them off by sending them on further expeditions which he promised would bring in more gold and expeditions were soon on their way to the lands of the Maya in the south. Other conquistadors were given encomiendas: these were grants of vast lands with native villages or town on them. The owner theoretically had to provide protection and religious instruction for the natives, and in return the natives would work for the landowner. In reality, it was officially sanctioned slavery and led to some unspeakable abuses. The conquistadors who served under Cortes always believed that he had held back thousands of pesos in gold from them, and the historical evidence seems to support them. Guests to Cortes home reported seeing many bars of gold in Cortes possession. Legacy of the Treasure of Montezuma In spite of the losses of the Night of Sorrows, Cortes and his men were able to take a staggering amount of gold out of Mexico: only Francisco Pizarros looting of the Inca Empire produced a greater amount of wealth. The audacious conquest inspired thousands of Europeans to flock to the New World, hoping to be on the next expedition to conquer a rich empire. After Pizarros conquest of the Inca, however, there were no more great empires to find, although legends of the city of El Dorado persisted for centuries. It is a great tragedy that the Spanish preferred their gold in coins and bars: countless priceless golden ornaments were melted down and the cultural and artistic loss is incalculable. According to the Spanish who saw these golden works, Aztec goldsmiths were more skilled than their European counterparts. Sources Diaz del Castillo, Bernal. . Trans., ed. J.M. Cohen. 1576. London, Penguin Books, 1963. Levy, Buddy. . New York: Bantam, 2008. Thomas, Hugh. . New York: Touchstone, 1993.

Marketing Management Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Marketing Management - Research Proposal Example This paper provides an overview of the crisis encountered by Sainsbury's and aims to assess the company's recovery plan. Furthermore, this paper analyses the firm's internal and external environment through the use of analytical tools such as the PEST and SWOT methods of analysis. In view of the results of the industry analysis, this paper also recommends some strategic options that the company may undertake in order to facilitate its full recovery. Sainsbury's chain of supermarket was once the market leader in the UK supermarket sector. However, it currently occupies the third place, behind its major competitors Tesco and ASDA. The firm has been struggling to keep hold of its market share since the mid-1990s. With this, the company posted dramatically declining profit margins (Wikipedia 2005). Indicative of Sainsbury's lackluster performance, the firm's pretax profit as at end-March 2005 plunged by almost 98% year-on-year, from 610 million in 2004 to only 15 million (Profits collapse at Sainsbury's 2005). To note, it would have generated a negative bottom-line if not for the extraordinary gain on the disposal of its subsidiary in the United States (Wikipedia 2005). According to recently appointed Chief Executive Justin King, the bleak financial result is attributed to Sainsbury's diminishing competitive edge. He cited that in the past years, as the company's competitors have substantially improved, Sainsbury's failed to keep up. (Madslien 2005) Recovery Program In view of the much needed improvement in the company's operations and marketing strategy, King spearheaded a 400-million recovery program. The proposed program covers a three-year period and aims to enhance Sainsbury's marketing strategy (Profits collapse at Sainsbury's 2005). To start off, King launched a direct mail campaign to about a million customers as part of its business review. This is undertaken in order for the company to be aware of customers' expectations as well as identify the critical areas for improvement. The result of this campaign was consistent with the contention of retail analysts that Sainsbury's has severe problem ensuring stock availability. (Wikipedia 2005) This perceived weakness as revealed by the business review is immediately communicated to all store managers. Aside from this, the outcome was also announced publicly and was generally well received by the market and the media. With this, King pushed through with the recovery scheme by laying off about 750 headquarter staff and recruiting around 3,000 shop floor staff to ensure quality customer service and efficient replenishment of stocks. Since the firm's main problem is keeping shelves fully stocked, Sainsbury's management activated two distribution centres to enhance logistics and address issues on stock availability (Wikipedia 2005). It was also reported that Sainsbury's opted to end its ten-year contract with Accenture. After the system in place was deemed ineffective, the firm decided to bring its IT infrastructure back in house over the upcoming months (Ranger 2005). Apart from this, Sainsbury's also announced the halving of the fund allocated for dividends. This is because the firm's earnings would be plowed back to finance the recovery program. (Wikipedia 2005) In addition, to keep up with the competition, King appointed industry experts to join the

Human Resource Management PT 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR THEORIES OR MODELS Essay

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Efficient Markets Hypothesis(Financial Economics) Essay

Efficient Markets Hypothesis(Financial Economics) - Essay Example The random movement argument of weak form of efficiency may not be valid argument as research studies have clearly outlined a positive correlation between degree of tending observed in prices as well as the time period. This therefore clearly outlines that the prices do not follow a random path but rather show certain trends. It is however, critical to note that these period are not relatively long but trends do emerge over certain period of time. Behavioral economists argue that markets are imperfect because of the behavioral and cognitive biases. Imperfections in the market emerge as a result of these cognitive behaviors and as such markets may not efficiently operate. These cognitive biases emerge as a result of overconfidence, information and representation bias and other human errors result into errors in judgments. These biases and human error does not allow investors to value the stocks properly and as such, markets show inefficiency. These errors often result into investors buying the growth stocks and ignoring value stocks and those who can reason correctly can profit out of this situation and hence can beat the market easily. Studies conducted on the Indian Stock Exchange outlines the weak form of inefficiency and suggested that the prices actually do not follow random prices. Various local studies in the developing countries have consistently shown the same results that the markets are weak form inefficient at least in the local developing markets. These studies have clearly shown that the markets may not be efficient in any form of efficiency. These arguments have also been supported by other empirical studies indicating that even the strong form of efficiency does not exist. Stocks having low P/E ratios tend to provide higher returns and thus can allow investors to earn abnormal returns if chosen wisely. Investors developing their studies based upon choosing the stocks on P/E ratio can beat the market. It

Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Management - Essay Example Its worldwide establishment did not happen immediately, rather, the spread into other areas of the United Kingdom and to other, states happened strategically, and involved serious and efficient planning by the founders and stakeholders of the company. Tesco has its stores in many nations, including the United States, China, Korea, India, and Japan among others. It has established many stores, which exceed 4,811 and a staff of workers of over 472,000. Its operations are on a large surface area that is estimated as 94 sq. feet (St. James Press, 2013). When first established, Jack Cohen established it as a grocery, which was a food retailing store. However, as time went by, the founders found it necessary and efficient to diversify into different markets such as clothing, electronics, and financial services. Tesco Company engages itself in a myriad of market operations, including those of extra stores, metro, hypermarkets, express, superstores and home plus. The company was formed with an aim of providing total satisfaction to its customers in order to build customer loyalty. In building customer loyalty, Tesco Company had in mind an aim of retaining its customers. In that way, Tesco Company was sure of dominating the market in no time since it would have had a huge market share composed of the loyal customers. In its venture of diversifying its operations, Tesco ventured and continues to venture into the provisions of both food and non-food products. Some of the non-food products include clothes, beauty products, health and electronic commodities. Not only does Tesco provide the non-food products mentioned above, but also kitchen equipment, stationery products and home entertainment products. It’s worth noting that Tesco also specializes in the service provision. Some of the services Tesco provides include financial services, website selling and telecom services (Laurin, 1977; Tesco Still Top of the Shops, 2007). Tesco’s location strategy Growth of Tesco has been measured using the profits the company makes yearly. The profits are attributed to the large market share the company has over many nations, which are over 14 in number. The profits are all from both the domestic and foreign Tesco business stores. Tesco Company has the largest market share in United Kingdom compared to the share of other renowned companies. Its market share is 35% of the whole country. Tesco’s growth is attributed to many factors, most of which contributed by the environment in which the market stores, and hypermarkets have been set up. Business environment is divided into two; internal environment and the external environment. The internal environment basically involves the leadership, and management put in place in a business or company. It also includes the employee’s contribution to the organization. Without the presence of hardworking and committed workers, attainment of a company’s targets and achievement of objectives would be challenging. Internal environment is one where the management has influence over. On the other hand, external environment is one that the management of a company has little or no control over. It is divided into micro and macro environments. Basically, external environment of a business is influenced by the location strategy of the firm. Location

International Financial Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Financial Market - Essay Example 008 because most of the investors are big institutions like the pension fund, investment funds, sovereign states, and banks. The sovereign states have significant strategic and economic considerations that inform the willingness to buy the treasury bills (Grabbe, 2006). Additionally, treasury bills are not purchased for their contribution and returns, but because they are the safest method for holding reserves. Although most people believe the risk in the financial system, the investors are ready to accept less return for the protection of reserves (Grabbe, 2006). Task 2: a) Development in the rate of inflation. Inflation in the United Kingdom experienced growth in the value of consumer services and retail sales. The two elements rose slightly during the 6 months of year, but it remained modest. Also, the housing market strengthened continuously. The intentions of investments continued to greatly aim at increasing efficiency, with minimal large expansion capacity underway. Also the m anufacturing exports grew at a moderate level (Dufey & Giddy 2008). In recent months, the output in manufacturing grew for the domestic market. Consequently, there was a modest development in the turnover of business services. The annual rate of construction output declined as the building of houses increased. Generally, the output in the industry changed significantly on previous years. Additionally, the corporate credit conditions continued to improve gradually, but various companies reported the urge to dwell on the non-bank or internal funding. The intentions in employment edged higher over the recent months but were flat for the services of consumers (Grabbe, 2006). Also, the capacity utilisation remained below normal in both services and manufacturing. The labour costs for each employee grew modestly but in stable rates over the earlier months. Material costs’ inflation fell to lower levels and remained in stable conditions for the prices of finished goods (Dufey & Gidd y 2008). The business services prices and manufacturer’s increase rate remained subdues, though the rate of profitability edged high with rise in output. Finally, the consumer price inflation rate remained unchanged. Bank of England Prospects for inflation: The Bank of England has foreseen a sustained output expansion, although the upturn pace is more likely to be tempered by financial crisis legacy. The spare capacity degree is expected to be constant for some time. The economic slack persistence is expected to continue dampening domestic inflation. Although Consumer Price Index is scheduled to remain at 3%, it is more likely to fall to a target of 2% over the prospected

Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Management - Essay Example Its worldwide establishment did not happen immediately, rather, the spread into other areas of the United Kingdom and to other, states happened strategically, and involved serious and efficient planning by the founders and stakeholders of the company. Tesco has its stores in many nations, including the United States, China, Korea, India, and Japan among others. It has established many stores, which exceed 4,811 and a staff of workers of over 472,000. Its operations are on a large surface area that is estimated as 94 sq. feet (St. James Press, 2013). When first established, Jack Cohen established it as a grocery, which was a food retailing store. However, as time went by, the founders found it necessary and efficient to diversify into different markets such as clothing, electronics, and financial services. Tesco Company engages itself in a myriad of market operations, including those of extra stores, metro, hypermarkets, express, superstores and home plus. The company was formed with an aim of providing total satisfaction to its customers in order to build customer loyalty. In building customer loyalty, Tesco Company had in mind an aim of retaining its customers. In that way, Tesco Company was sure of dominating the market in no time since it would have had a huge market share composed of the loyal customers. In its venture of diversifying its operations, Tesco ventured and continues to venture into the provisions of both food and non-food products. Some of the non-food products include clothes, beauty products, health and electronic commodities. Not only does Tesco provide the non-food products mentioned above, but also kitchen equipment, stationery products and home entertainment products. It’s worth noting that Tesco also specializes in the service provision. Some of the services Tesco provides include financial services, website selling and telecom services (Laurin, 1977; Tesco Still Top of the Shops, 2007). Tesco’s location strategy Growth of Tesco has been measured using the profits the company makes yearly. The profits are attributed to the large market share the company has over many nations, which are over 14 in number. The profits are all from both the domestic and foreign Tesco business stores. Tesco Company has the largest market share in United Kingdom compared to the share of other renowned companies. Its market share is 35% of the whole country. Tesco’s growth is attributed to many factors, most of which contributed by the environment in which the market stores, and hypermarkets have been set up. Business environment is divided into two; internal environment and the external environment. The internal environment basically involves the leadership, and management put in place in a business or company. It also includes the employee’s contribution to the organization. Without the presence of hardworking and committed workers, attainment of a company’s targets and achievement of objectives would be challenging. Internal environment is one where the management has influence over. On the other hand, external environment is one that the management of a company has little or no control over. It is divided into micro and macro environments. Basically, external environment of a business is influenced by the location strategy of the firm. Location

Business Strategy and Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Strategy and Decision Making - Essay Example The practice of an effective strategic management approach helps to conserve continuous refurbishment and expansion of the organisations to proactively deal with a number of potential challenges. Moreover, it also provides adequate support to the leaders to enhance their potentials in decision making process and improve organisations’ credibility within a competitive business market (Hill & Jones, 2011). Emphasising the emerging trend of strategic management processes, the study intends to focus on critically discussing different competitive strategic approaches that enable the organisations to maintain long-term sustainability. In this regard, the discussion of this study represents widely accepted strategic approaches of the modern organisations along with their roles and significance towards helping the leaders to improve their decision making processes. Moreover, the discussion would also incorporate real-world examples of major organisations from different business industry perspectives. In relation to the unconventional trends currently witnessed in the business environment, it has been observed that modern organisations commonly seek to develop advanced strategies and focus on the effective adoption of rational and integrated business steps with the intention to remain sustainable in their respective field of operations for a long-term period. With regard to the changing scenario along with fierce competitive trend currently witnessed in today’s global business environment, the notion of intended and emergent business strategies has evolved as a commonly debated issue (Mintzberg & Waters, 1985). According to the modern phenomenon of the global business environment, there are a number of strategic management approaches that are highly practiced by the organisations to gain competitive advantage over their rivals. In

Reflection on Learning Skills Development

Reflection on Learning Skills Development Learning Preferences Learning is a life long process and can be had in various shapes and forms. It can be based on education, experience, formal training etc. Every individual has his preferred way of learning which can change during the course of his lifetime. Eg. Individuals can prefer class-room learning when they are young and formal training when they grow old. Usually learning based on experience is considered one of the best ways to learn, but George Bernard Shaw (cited in Moyer, 2007) believes that experience doesn’t guarantee learning. He points out that men are wise in proportion, not to their experience, but to their capacity for experience and one needs to pay attention to find the lessons. Formal training is another way to learn and has been greatly successful within organizations over the years. But, Peter Drucker in his article â€Å"Managing Oneself† (HBR March–April 1999; pg 148) doubts the effectives of formal training by stating that training can be an impediment to learning because it is based on the assumption that there is only one right way to learn. Education and class-room based learning have traditionally been a preferred mode of learning. Rapid rise in technology and its applications has meant ready and continuous access to training and business communications which has meant that learning can now be more timely, specific and synchronous (Sullivan, 2003). Today’s generation want to be connected to instant messaging and short, highly-focused training that can be quickly downloaded and accessed via mobile phones, PDAs, or MP3 players(Ware, 2007; pg 58). Every learning technique has its advantages and limitations and the most preferred learning technique depends on variables like age, life-style, receptiveness and responsiveness of the brain, patience etc. Preferred Team Roles Teams have become a key component in organizations; properly working teams are now central to the organizations health. (Fisher at el., 1998) Because of the growing emphasis on team-working, a lot of research has gone into the structure, dynamics and the operations of the team. This has led to segregating team member by their functionality and the roles and responsibilities they entail as a part of the team. Belbin (1981) identified eight different roles within the team with each member complementing the others strengths and compensating for the weaknesses. Belbin classified and named his team roles as: The plant – Is a problem solver and has innovative, creative and unorthodox way of dealing with situations. Has a strong ownership of ideas. The resource investigator – Is the networking member the team that explores opportunities through new and pre-existing contacts. Is an extrovert, enthusiastic individual having good communication skills. The coordinator – Coordinates different activities of the team and acts as a chairperson. Is responsible for most of the decision making and is normally more experienced than other members. The Shaper – Overcomes obstacles with his drive and courage. Thrives on pressure. Monitor-Evaluator – Has good judgment and the ability to look at the bigger picture. Has more strategic focus. TeamWorker – Responsible for avoiding conflicts and making sure the team gels together and coordinates well. Implementer – Responsible for turning ideas into actions. Completer – Is a perfectionist responsible for finishing the project on time. (Belbin, 1993) Attitudes to Decisions making No matter what sector or industry people work in, they have to make decisions. Decision making involves risk because, most often than not, the outcome cannot be guaranteed. By definition, a decision involves choice and therein lie the difficulty- making the right choice. (McGuire, 2002) The degree of risk involved is greater if the decision is made at the strategic level as compared to the tactical and operational level. Normal attitudes to decision making include: Indecisiveness – People try to evade decision making because it involves risk. Faced with choices and being unclear about which one to make leads to indecisiveness and inaction. Over Analysis – Another attitude to decision making can be over-analyzing options to make sure the correct decision is made. Langdon (2001) calls it ‘paralysis by analysis’ syndrome which means inaction caused by too much thinking. Decisions made on past experiences (historical evidence)– Decisions, at times, are also made by on past experiences without considering the current situation. Eg. If faced with a similar problem as in the past, there is likelihood that the decision similar to the one made in the past will be made. Other attitudes to decision making include decisions made in haste and decisions made without proper consultation with others. Leadership and management skills Leadership is the ability to obtain results from others through personal direction and influence and requires management of self and management of others. Leadership and management differ in the way that management is concerned with ensuring things remain as they are and is often done by standard practice and regulation; leadership involves possessing vision, and the ability to communicate that vision. Leaders should possess the following skills Problem Solving – Problem solving involves identification and definition of the problem, generation of a number of solutions that could be accepted, evaluation of alternatives and their outcomes. An important attribute within problem solving is, communication, in particular, listening skills, as various opinions and possible solutions are being generated. The leader has to see the big picture and choose the best possible solution (decision-making). Decision making – Decision making goes hand in hand with problem solving (as cited in the last paragraph). Every aspect of leadership requires decision making. Delegation, for example, requires the manager to decide which individual is suited for specific tasks and how to distribute work in an optimal and best possible way. Communication – It is very important that the leader has regular and open communication with both the customer and the team members. Change-management – Managing change is also vital to effective leadership because changes might be requested by the stakeholders, caused by unexpected events. Therefore, it is important that the leader has the skills to manage and control change and make sure that the impact of change on accomplishing objectives is kept to a minimum. Management skills Independent of the leadership ability, managers has been studied to have different styles. The style chosen by a manager depends on the assumptions that they make about subordinates, what they think they want and what they consider their attitude towards work to be. Managers have to provide direction to the team, the drive and motivation to work as a part of the team, represent the purpose of team working and working as a group. All the components mentioned below are essential traits of a leader. There has been a widespread acceptance that leadership is an essential management component but it has proved to be difficult to identify the elements of effective leadership and how effective leadership relates to good management practices. (James Walke, 2004) It is worth pointing out that there is no one best style of leadership that is equally effective for all circumstances. The best leadership style is the one that fulfills the need of the group the most, while at the same time satisfy the needs of the external stakeholders. Personal Development plan Areas of development Author’s weaknesses lie in the following areas: Delegation skills – The author is not very good at delegating tasks and has an inherent weakness to doubt others capabilities. He is more comfortable when most of the crucial responsibilities and decision making rests in his own hands and where he just tells the team what to do. Communication – Communication in one of the author’s other weaknesses. This takes off from his delegation style, because he believes in centralized decision making and the need to communicate with subordinates or other team members is seldom realized. Negotiation – The author also finds himself lacking in negotiation skills at times. He is good at understanding and knowing the background to the problem but it’s the bargaining phase of negotiation that the author is not very good at (especially in project management environment). Strengths (Key Skills) Author’s strengths lie in: Organization and Planning – The author excels at organization and planning and makes good use of planning tools. He takes time out to decide on the critical activities and the slack and apportion responsibilities accordingly. He has a clear understanding of the tasks ahead and prioritizes tasks according to their order of importance. Motivation – The author is a highly motivated individual who could turn on creative juices, fight against odds and walk the extra mile to reach set goal and attain objectives. Change Management – Embracing change is another one of the author’s positive traits. He has always identified the need to change and how change can be effectively implemented with least resistance. Background Preferred team role The author’s preferred team role based on his capabilities is that of the ‘plant’ (going by Belbin’s classifications). Armed with strong theoretical basics and practical training, he has a strong ownership of ideas. The author also possesses an unorthodox way (out of the box thinking) of dealing things and is always looking for new and better ways to tackle issues and solve problems. He is skeptical to an all-logical approach to problem solving and does not always adhere to norms and proven ways of doing things. Author’s weakness lies in his ability to work under pressure and to consequently avoid situations that may entail pressure. Decision making style The author does make decisions after a proper analysis of the situation and how the decision affects individuals and the organization. His decision making style involves a process of elimination where a final decision is taken after eliminating alternatives. The author’s weaknesses lie in giving minimal consideration to external factors. What is required for decision making is the use of appropriate decision making tools. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) is one such tool which helps to assess the internal and external decision making environment. Edward de Bono’s ‘six thinking hats’ is another tool for making team decisions. Before making a decision, the author has to make sure that the impact on external stakeholders is also considered. One of the other weaknesses of the author is the tendency to rush with decisions (haste). To overcome this, the author has to make sure that the issue is defined properly, all the information and alte rnatives are carefully considered and all the options weighed and evaluated before the decision is made. Preferred learning style The author’s preferred mode of learning is through hands-on training after having a firm theoretical knowledge of the basic concepts. A good way to learn for the author would be to start with a theoretical learning exercise through a tutor based class-room course and then having to execute the learning with hands-on training under some supervision. This would be an ideal scenario as it blends theory and practice. It might take some extra time to carry out the training, but at the end of it, the author would have added sufficient skills and is likely to be more efficient while working. This will also make sure sufficient time is allocated to train individuals; training is not rushed with and does not cover just one aspect (theoretical or practical). Goals The author sets goals based on his strengths. He makes sure that the goal is specific. A specific goal like improving profitability by 3% in the next financial year gives direction to the efforts. Also the author makes sure that the set goals can be measured (in relative or absolute terms) and are attainable. If goals are far too optimistic (unrealistic) and beyond reach, then it tend to have an adverse effect on motivation. The author only sets goals which he believes can be accomplished. It is made sure that the goal is attained within a specific time frame. Goal setting is a variable process for the author where the goal can be varied depending on external and unforeseen circumstances. Goals are set based on authors past performances and it is made sure that the goals are neither too easy nor too difficult to attain. Planning A plan is devised by the author to attain goals. Firstly, the author lists key skills required to attain the goal along with other requirements and constraints. Then a structure is given to the planning process to bring all aspects of planning together into a coherent, unified process. The planning structure includes analysis of opportunities, identification of aims, exploring of options, selection of the best option, evaluation of the plan followed by implementation and closure of the plan. Opportunities Setting up a goals and giving direction to the career to achieve that goals opens up several opportunities. The first opportunity is to realize the shortcomings and working on improving them. When we list our goals, we build our self-image and we see ourselves worthy of these goals which acts as a motivating agent. (Hosking Bass, 2001) As a result, we try our best to develop the traits and personality that allows us to possess those goals. Improving on weaknesses and learning through experience are the two best opportunities to be gained from the self development process. Progress The author makes use of indicators like Gantt Charts (See Appendix 1) and Network diagrams (See Appendix 2) to track progress. Gantt charts help in setting a time frame that allows carrying out all the necessary steps. The author makes sure that the critical activities are paid sufficient attention and sufficient time is allocated as ‘slack’. Authors skill set also includes soft skills such as impulse to lead and attain objectives, anticipatory skills to adjust the goals according to the changing environment and empowerment skills. Successful plans make optimal use of skills, experience and specialist knowledge. References Belbin, R.M (1981) Management Teams –Why they succeed or fail, London, Butterworth-Heinemann Belbin, R.M (1993) Team roles at Work, Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann Drucker, P (1999) People and Performance: Managing Oneself ,Harvard Business School Press Books, p1, pg 148 Fisher et al., (1998) The distribution of Belbin team roles among UK managers, Personnel review, volume 29, 2, pg 1-14 Janice, W (2007) TRAINING Tomorrows WORKFORCE., Rosemary; Kerschenbaum, Steve. T+D, Vol. 61 Issue 4, p58-60, Hall, B (2007) Five Ways to Use Social Networking for Learning.,. Chief Learning Officer, Vol. 6 Issue 5, p17-17 Hosking, D. M., Bass, A. (2001). Constructing changes in relational processes:Introducing a social constructionist approach to change work. Career Development International, 6/7, 348-360. McGuire, R (2002) Decision Making, The Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol 269, pg 647-649 Moyer, D. (2007) The Stages of Learning,. Harvard Business Review, Vol. 85 Issue 5, p148-148 Mumford, A (2002) Horses for Courses, Learning Centre, Accessed from http://peoplemanagement.co.uk Date accessed 21/05/2007 Sullivan, A. K., Strang, H. R. (2002-2003). Bibliotherapy in the classroom: Using literature to promote the development of emotional intelligence. Childhood Education,79, 74-80.