Standardization and Adaptation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Standardization and Adaptation - Essay Example Finally, in 1961, the McDonald’s brothers sold the whole share to Mr. Kroc for $2.7 million. In 1967, McDonald’s had opted for its first international venture in Canada. Shortly after that, the license of Eastern Canada’s business of McDonald’s was bought by George Cohon, who had opened the first restaurant in the year 1968. The key to international success of McDonald’s was the use of Franchising. By franchising through the local people, the delivery of the products and the interpretation of their US brands to the local people regarding product and services became much easier. In this context, the report focuses on the adaptation and the standardization conformed by McDonald’s and how it had led to their success. Standardization Standardization signifies creation of a consistent way for carrying out procedures and tasks. Standardization can be related to any process that is being carried out in the organization such as, machinery standardiza tion, operation standardization, drawing standardization, inventory standardization, communication standardization and clerical process standardization. Operation standardization signifies that the operation can be conducted by any one. ... This is implemented within the organization to ensure that the end product of the organization is of consistent quality and is easily comparable to other products of same class. Standardization is seen to be adopted by various business processes when the organizations aim to achieve consistent level of quality. For instance, in case of fast food franchises, detailed outlines are provided regarding the preparation of food so that the customers experience the same taste and flavour, regardless of the franchise of the chain that they are visiting. Adaptation related to the environmental demands often requires non-trivial changes related to the structure, ideology and technology of the organization. There are several dimensions along which the organizational adaptation are implemented; for instance, the changes in the core features such as, technology along with changes in more peripheral characteristics such as, changes in the advisory team. Adaptation Adaptation is defined as the alter ations made to the system due to the forces that lead to the changes in the business climate. Organizational adaptation is defined as the response that the organization generates through changes in ideology, technology and structure due to the changes in the environmental opportunities and demand. The performance of the organization is dependent on a large number of factors that are related to the business environment and therefore, adaptation becomes important for the organization. This does not imply that an organization requires constant adaptation to the environment because if the business environment is stable, then it requires very little adaptation (D’aunno and Price, 1985; Huq, et al., 2003; Kammerlander, 2013).

Organizational Behavior Issues in Aussieco Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior Issues in Aussieco Essay Aussieco, an Australian company established as a small manufacturing and service operation company in 1962 is now a fully expanded company with 600 employees. The company built its reputation on a single product holding 90 per cent of the Australian market in the 1980. Over the years the market holding has gone down by 30 percent in spite of the product being unique and company facing little competition in the market (Jones,Gal, n. d) The downturn in Aussieco’s performance is mainly due to issues with the company’s management and organizational behavior. Organizational Behavior refers to ‘the understanding, prediction and management of human behavior in organizations’ (Luthans,2010). It is the study of individuals and their behavior in a work place. A company’s performance and outcome largely depends on its organizational behavior as it is an interdisciplinary field that includes sociology, psychology, communication and management. Aussieco’s organizational behavior issues can be explained through Henri Fayol’s 14 management principles. Henri Fayol’s theory of administration and organizational behavior focuses on the personal duties of management and managerial effectiveness which aussieco lacked. (Fayol,1971). The company has inexperienced staff and no specialization as major high authority staff is friends and family without skilled knowledge. The executive managing director is the owner’s nephew with no practical or industrial experience. The production supervisor is the production manager’s best friend who has little knowledge of the daily production tasks as he is a carpet fitter by qualification. Employees at the operative level are migrant labor mostly lacking formal qualification. On diversification, management failed to understand the changing market needs. Aussieco follows the power culture where control is centralized. The major motivational or driving force is fear (Luthans,2011). Suggestions and personal preferences are not welcomed. The owner-chairman reacts in a strong negative way if any manager’s opinion differentiates from his. This lack of consultation leads to staff feeling de motivated and undervalued. Though there has been division of labor and departmentalization in the company but the managers lack authority and responsibility. On the instance of owner accepting order from a bad debt customer without consulting the general manager shows lack of authority for the manager. Owner’s dictatorial attitude and ignorance of modern trends hold back the dedicated managers to improve and bring changes in the company’s working, as they are either fired from the job or become his instant enemies. The company lacks discipline and employee commitment. Lack of loyalty, no willingness to put high levels of effort, no belief in the company’s goals and vales and lack of faith in the management all together leads to all the issues of Aussieco. During lunch hours the senior management and sales staff have access to unlimited alcohol in the workplace. Assembly line workers underperform and hold back production with vague excuses. Subordination of individual interest over the company’s interest and goal is one of the major problems of Aussieco Employees overtime to get paid extra and not for productive outcomes. Also the senior programmer in spite of completing his work order uses his work holiday for personal matters. There is lack of equity and justice among the employees. The rule being everyone must vacate office during lunch break but exceptions for the senior management and sales staff that eat in the work place, operatives and other staff are allowed no food or drinks in the workplace. The migrant staff is treated well and better than its own internal staff. There are less internal promotions. High employee turnover, no stability of tenure of personnel is another major issue with Aussieco. To attain maximum productivity of personnel it is essential to have a stable workforce, which Aussieco lacks. There are frequent mass resignations in the company. No production manager lasts for more than 3 years in the company. The post of personnel manager is vacant since 2 months. Employees have no job security and thus are not fully committed to their work. This further increases the company’s costs of recruitment,selection and training. There is lack of motivation and initiative by the management for the welfare of the employees. There is lack of rewards, appraisal and bonus. The workshop roofs are without insulation and leak during heavy rain, no doors and filthy windows point toward bad and unhealthy working conditions. This even gave a loss of $AUS 500,000 when water leakage blew a computerized robot. No parking area provided for the employees, who reach frustrated to the office,which in turn shows in their slow performance. Lack of structured work, irregularity in work and no proper accounts and records maintained by the managers is another organizational issue for Aussieco. Though the record showed a stock of 4700 resistors but none could be located. A welder forgotten by the company after fitting of new automat is idle and has no contribution in the company. Reasons why these problems occur. One of the major reason for the organizational issues of aussieco is the employee attitude. Job satisfaction focuses on employee attitude and organizational commitment focuses on their attitude towards the organization. Job satisfaction is determined by how well the expectations of employees are met in return of their output (Luthans,2011). The aspects of job satisfication are not met by Aussieco. Employees of Aussieco are unsatisfied with the kind of work they get, the job provides less opportunities for learning and less responsibility. There is lack of remuneration and pay, less promotional opportunities, bad working conditions. This high level of job dissatisfaction of employees reflects in their low performance, company’s low profits, high employee turnover, high absenteeism and low level of commitment towards the company. The attitude of employees in an organization is largely influenced by the kind of environment the organization posses and further the attitude of employees affects their efficiency and performance at the organizational level. The environment of aussieco is not employee friendly thus employees have a negative attitude. Employee traits can be best explained by the Five factor model. Job performance is highly dependent on an individual’s conscientiousness (i. e dutifulness, persistence, industriousness) and emotional stability (i. anxiety, security, suspiciousness). In Aussieco employees had low conscientiousness and low emotional stability which affected their overall task performance and contextual performance. Organizational commitment is an important attitude toward the employers and the company. It is the extent to which we identify with them. Most of the employees, posses’ continuance organizational commitment, which is a calculative approach, where they chose to continue working in the company because they ‘have to’ rather than their want or obligation. This attitude is influenced by perceived costs of leaving the company, lack of opportunities, age, peer pressure, society expectations etc. Employees of Aussieco developed this attitude because of the mechanistic treatment they receive and lack of empathy from management. Autocracy is the concentration of power and authority in hands of one person. The management of Aussieco has an autocratic structure with the owner having unlimited power and absolute authority. There is a strict hierarchical structure; orders are sent from top level to bottom level. Ideas, personal opinions and suggestions are unwelcomed. In this management style managers believe workers must be controlled to ensure maximum productivity (Luthans,2011). Aussieco’s structure can be best explained by Douglas McGregor’s theory X. This theory represents an assumption of conflicting and negative working attitudes. The managers assume an average person dislikes work and will avoid it if possible, thus must be forced with threat of punishment to achieve organizational goals. An average person prefers to be directed and avoids responsibility. This approach encourages deadline and ultimatums, arrogant and demanding managers, mechanistic approach, no concern toward staff and one way communication (Jeremiah,2009). In Aussieco this approach resulted in a negative attitude by the employees, made them insecure and unhappy. Lack of Taylor’s scientific management. Frederik winslow taylor’s key idea was to improve industrial efficiency scientifically. He encouraged scientifically selecting and training workers and regularly monitoring their work to improve efficiency which also improves work man happiness and positivity (Lynch,1984). Aussieco lacked scientific selection, training and development of workmen and passively left them to train themselves. Managers did not supervise and provide instructions to the employees and there was no division of work between managers and workers. There was lack of specialization, standardized and systematic approach. The company continuously changed its suppliers for cheapest material available, a supplier providing 99. 5% quality level charging $20 per unit was replaced with a supplier charging $12per unit. The quality of the product suffered, increasing customer complaints and affecting the goodwill of the company negatively. There is lack of communication between departments, department managers and workers and senior management and managers. The senior management is unapproachable and not interested in the issues of the company and workers. Though Taylorism has faced criticism of exploitation, mechanistic approach etc but in relation to Aussieco, the company needs to adapt certain principles of Taylorism for a better organizational working. To conclude Ausseico’s major issue is organizational and management structure. The company should have a more humanistic and realistic approach with a right balance of authority and responsibility.

Effects of Lab by Inquiry in Educational Settings

Effects of Lab by Inquiry in Educational Settings Briana Bruske Abstract The purpose of this literature research was to distinguish the differences between verification and inquiry based laboratory experiments in educational settings, and their effect on student education. Examples of the incorporation of inquiry into course curriculum were found. The effect of inquiry on knowledge type gained by students, and classification of their laboratory reflective statements was analyzed based on results contained in various literature sources. Literature based survey results depicting student attitudes toward verification versus inquiry, and guided inquiry versus open inquiry were obtained and discussed. Suggestions for instructors as regards to the incorporation of inquiry into laboratory settings, and guidelines to do so were obtained and presented in this literature paper. It was determined that, though both verification and inquiry experiments have benefits, inquiry allows development of student skills that may not be otherwise obtained through a verification experiment, and allows for a more student-driven laboratory setting. Introduction: Experimenting in the lab is a way for students to learn hands-on about the concepts they cover in lecture.1 The average laboratory experiment falls within the category of â€Å"cookbook style,† or â€Å"verification experiment.† These terms will be used interchangeably throughout this research paper. A verification experiment consists of students following a list of instructions, provided to them by the instructor, to verify a concept learned in lecture.2 The laboratory instructions for verification experiments often follow a similar format to instructions in cookbooks; hence the term â€Å"cookbook style.† Various educational institutes have replaced a number of verification labs to incorporate lab by inquiry into chemistry courses.213 Lab by inquiry can be separated into two major categories. These categories are guided-inquiry and open-inquiry.1 Alan Colburn defines guided and open inquiry in his article, â€Å"An Inquiry Primer.†4 Guided inquiry consis ts of the instructor providing students with only a problem and the materials to solve it. Students devising their own laboratory procedures to solve the problem is a requirement for guided inquiry.4 Open inquiry is similar to guided inquiry, with the exception that students must come up with their own problem to solve along with their own procedure.4 Open inquiry involves a higher level of difficulty than guided inquiry, because students are provided with less information and guidance to devise problems and develop procedures. The National Scientific Education Standards state the importance of inquiry in learning scientific concepts, and outline the abilities required to do scientific inquiry. These abilities include identifying questions and concepts that guide investigation, designing and conducting investigations, using technology and mathematics to improve upon communications and investigations, formulation and revision of scientific explanations and models using evidence and logic, recognition and analysis of alternative explanations and models, communication and defense of scientific arguments, and understanding of scientific inquiry5. Appendix Research Involving the Creation of a Heat-Transfer Guided Inquiry Lab for Allied Health Students at Rochester Community and Technical College Undergraduate Research was done to create a heat-transfer guided inquiry based lab for Allied Health students at Rochester Community and Technical College, under the advising of Dr. Heather Sklenicka. The Allied Health student class did not have a heat-transfer lab, and no exposure to lab by inquiry. In this lab, students were given the opportunity to develop their own procedures to solve a given problem. The given problem applied to a real-life situation, which involved imagining they were opening their own coffee shops in a busy college town. Students had to determine the best container to sell their customers’ coffee in, i.e. the container that contained[ZJM3] heat most effectively. This required the students to test various coffee mugs, thermoses, and other containers for their efficiency in preventing the transfer of heat from the system to the surroundings. Students were asked various pre- and post-lab questions regarding the lab. Students were asked what their interest level in the lab was pre- and post-lab. Most students were interested in the topic of the lab prior to beginning experimentations, and remained interested or became more interested after the lab. Post-lab, students were asked whether the lab helped them further understand the concept of heat transfer as applied to a real-life situation, and all students surveyed that, in fact, it did. Students were asked if they had or planned to speak with others outside of lab about their experience with the lab, and most students surveyed that they had or planned to do so. When asked whether they enjoyed developing their own procedures, students surveyed that it was one of the most difficult parts of the lab, however, it was among one of their favorite portions of the lab. Results and Discussion: A group of researchers from the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, studied the effects that different levels of inquiry had on General Chemistry students’ written lab reflections. Written lab reflections refer to post-lab responses regarding work done in lab, and analysis of data collected during experimentations. Figure 13 displays the results from this research of the various types of reflective statements shown by students and how they varied based on level of inquiry. The amount of evaluation statements varied little amongst the different types of labs. Evaluation statements consist of analysis of data obtained in lab.3 The largest portion of statements in written lab reflection fell under the category of knowledge statements. Knowledge statements consist of reflections regarding knowledge gained from lab experiments.3 Guided inquiry had the lowest amount of knowledge statements, likely due to a higher portion of improv ement statements. The amount of improvement statements in students’ written lab reflections varied the most among the different levels of inquiry in lab. Improvement statements consist of possible modifications that could be made to methods or the experiment itself.3 This is reasonable because, unlike verification experiments, inquiry requires students to develop their own procedures. This allows for a more significant amount of lab technique and procedural error, resulting in a more significant amount of inaccuracy in experimental data. Students must then explain error in results and this often consists of reflecting upon experimental mistakes and how improvements can be made to allow for improved experimental results. The University of Arizona researchers also focused on knowledge type gained from experiments based on students’ written reflections. Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy6 was used to categorize students’ reflective statements reguarding knowledge gained from laboratory work.3 Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy can be broken down into four knowledge type categories; metacognitive, procedural, conceptual, and factual.6 Metacognitive can be described as the knowledge regarding cognition. The awarness of one’s own cognition falls under this category as well. Examples of metacognitive knowledge would be strategic knowledge, knowledge regarding cognitive tasks, consisting of appropriate contextual and conditional knowledge, and knowledge of oneself and abilities. Procedural knowledge consists of knowing how to go about a task. Examples of procedureal knowledge would be agorithms, techniques, and determination of when to use proper procedures.6 Factual knowledge is the basic in formation students’ must know to be familiar with a discipline and solve problems related to it. Examples of this would be knowledge of terminology, specific details, and basic information regarding a topic.6 Conceptual knowledge consists of the ability to see the connection between basic concepts and a larger picture or problem, allowing them to work together. Examples of this type of knowledge would be knowing certain classifications, principles, categories, and generalizations, as well as theories, structures, and models.6 Figure 23 depicts the level of the various types of knowledge gained in the laboratory based on students’ written reflections and the level in inquiry involved in the experiment. As one can see, students’ reflections in inquiry labs display a larger portion of metacognitive and procedural knowledge than the verification, while the verification lab reflections showed more factual and conceptual knowledge. In guided inquiry, students are pushed to focus more on the procedure and how one would go about solving a given problem. This requires a higher level of thinking and problem solving skills than that involved in a verification lab. A group[ZJM4] of researchers from a Texas University conducted surveys of students’ attitudes toward guided inquiry and open inquiry.1 Before conducting these surveys, students were tested as to whether they were able to correctly distinguish between guided inquiry and open inquiry scenarios. The surveys regarding attitudes toward guided inquiry and open inquiry labs were then given to 322 students who were able to correctly identify both laboratory scenarios.1 This legitimizes the results of the surveys because the 322 students surveyed more than likely understood exactly what the questions were asking, and were able to accurately state their opinion of guided and open inquiry labs. Table 1: Students’ Survey Statements Regarding Guided Inquiry1 Table 11 depicts the results of the survey regarding guided inquiry laboratories. The left statements correspond to positive attitudes while the right statements correspond to negative attitudes. Students generally had a positive attitude toward guided inquiry experiments. This is shown by the higher percentages agreeing with the left statements over the right statements. Table 2: Students’ Survey Statements Regarding Open Inquiry1 Table 21 depicts the results from the survey regarding open-inquiry laboratory experiments. The left and right statements were the same as those shown in the guided-inquiry survey (see Table 1). Students generally had a less positive attitude toward open-inquiry experiments when compared to guided inquiry. Table 3: Students’ Survey Statement Regarding Both Open and Guided Inquiry1 Table 31 displays the results from the survey regarding both open and guided inquiry laboratory experiments. Left statements generally corresponded to positive attitudes toward open inquiry labs while right statements corresponded to positive attitudes toward guided inquiry. Students’ survey answers generally favored guided inquiry over open inquiry. This is shown by the higher percentages in Table 3 agreeing with the right statements. Research, regarding the conversion of verification experiments to guided inquiry experiments in the general chemistry classroom, was conducted by students at the U.S. Millitary Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York.2 The focus on the scientific method within the general chemistry course offered much room for improvement of students’ critical thinking skills through guided inquiry experiments.2 Table 42 depicts the results from a survey of USMA general chemistry students after completion of guided inquiry laboratory experiments. The results from the USMA research survey are much in line with the results from the Texas University group regarding students’ attitudes toward guided inquiry (see Table 1). Students generally showed a positive attitude toward guided inquiry. Though there are no concrete rules to converting verification labs to inquiry experiments, the USMA research group put forth general guidelines to assist instructors in creating their own inquiry experiments or converting old verification style to inquiry format.2 Step 1 would be to select an experiment from the course curriculum. The experiment should include fairly simple and easy-to-understand concepts. Data should be collected using an uncomplicated apparatus, and allow for a quantitative and mathematical relationship between variables. Conclusions from the analysis of experimental data should be able to be tested.2 Step 2 would be to alter the introductory (pre-lab) material so that major concepts would not be taught before lab time.2 Students should learn concepts based on experiments in lab and interpretation of data collected. Step 3 would consist of significantly reducing the amount of detail put into procedural steps in the lab handout. This would require more thought on th e part of the students regarding how to collect relevant data and how to interpret it.2 Step 4 includes adding a step or procedure to the end of the lab, allowing students to authenticate their analysis of data and conclusions regarding important concepts.2 The last step would be to include short questions to guide student thoughts and include in the laboratory report.2 An example of a conversion of a verification experiment to guided inquiry can be found in Table 5.2 The USMA converted a freezing point depression verification experiment to a guided inquiry lab.2 There are clear differences shown between the verification and inquiry versions of the lab regarding purpose, schedule of lab time, objectives, laboratory introduction, procedure, and instructior and teaching assistant duties[ZJM5]. Conclusion: Both verification and inquiry experiments have benefits. However, inquiry can provide a more challenging laboratory experience for students and lead to development of skills that may not have been otherwise acquainted[ZJM6] with in cookbook or â€Å"verification† experiments. Based on various literature sources132 and undergraduate research done at Rochester Community and Technical College (see Appendix[ZJM7]), lab by inquiry is an effective way to teach students critical thinking and problem solving skills, while allowing students to discover concepts within a laboratory setting before learning them in lecture. Students generally have a positive attitude toward inquiry.12 Inquiry also allows for a break from the typical verification experiment, and a more student-driven laboratory setting. Instructors can incorporate inquiry into curriculum by the conversion of previously developed verification experiments into inquiry labs.2 References: (1) Chatterjee, S.; Williamson, V. M.; McCann, K.; Peck, M. L. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1427. (2) Allen, J. B.; Barker, L. N.; Ramsden, J. H. J. Chem. Educ. 1986, 63, 533. (3) Xu, H.; Talanquer, V. J. Chem. Educ. 2013, 90, 21–28. (4) Colburn, A. Sci. Scope 2000, 23, 42–44. (5) Council, N. R. National science education standards; National Academy Press, 1996. (6) Krathwohl, D. R. Theory Pract. 2002, 41, 212–218. [ZJM1]When you elude to the fact that inquiry-based labs allow for better development of student skills, you might want to mention the measure(s) used to determine this. That way people know the assessment and can choose to read on from there. [ZJM2]I’d move the appendix to the end. It is really something appended to the article that doesn’t really belong in the flow of the article. [ZJM3]Retained? [ZJM4]Something you might consider is to add a few subheadings in the body of your discussion. You are really tackling two areas of inquiry labs: 1. The effectiveness of the labs and 2. Student attitudes toward inquiry. It might be nice to offset them with headings instead of just a paragraph indent to focus the reader’s attention even further. [ZJM5]Is there data on the effectiveness of these labs to corroborate your statements from the Arizona research group? [ZJM6]Acquired? [ZJM7]Do you have results in the form of tables/graphs for the research you did? It might help out here bridging your paper together†¦and in that case, you don’t necessarily need to call it an appendix either.

Essay --

NAME : SRINIVAS GADDI ID # 700604772 HOME WORK-III SUBJECT: DATA BASE THEORY AND APPLICATIONS 3.11) a) select distinct name from student natural join takes natural join course where dept_name="comp.sci". b) (select name, id from student natural join takes) minus (select id, name from student natural join takes where year c) select dept_name, max(salary) from instructor group by dept_name. d) select min(max_salary) from (select dept_name, max(salary) max_salary from instructor group by dept_name). 3.12 a) insert into course ( title, course_id, credits ,dept_name) values ('weekly seminar','CS-001',0,'comp.sci"). b) insert into section (sec_id,couse_id,year,semester) values('1','CS-001,2009 ,'autumn'). c) insert into takes(course_id,id,sec_id, year ,semester ) select 'cs-001',id,'1',2009,'autumn' from student where dept_name='comp.sci'.; d) delete from takes where (sec_id = '1') and (course_id = 'CS-001') and (year = 2009) and (semester = 'Fall') and (id in (select id from student where name = 'Chavez' )); e) delete from course where course_id ='cs-001'. this will executed successfully because section has foreign key which has on delete cascade constraints so when we try to delete any course it will not affect any table . f) delete from takes where course_id in (select course_id from course where lower(title) like '%database%'); 3.13) creation of person table:- create table person (driver_id varchar(25), name varchar(25), address varchar(25), primary key (driver_id)); creation of car table:- create table car (license varchar(25), model varchar(25), year int, primary key (license)); creation of accident table:- create table accident (rep... ...t title) from course)) 3.23) The similar attributes of takes table and section table form a foreign key of takes, referencing section. due to this , each takes column should match at most one section column ,and there should not be any extra columns in any group. These attributes cannot take on the null value, since they are part of the primary key of takes. Thus, joining section in the from clause should not reflect any loss of columns in any group. As a result, there would be no change in the result. 3.24) Use sub queries in place of where clause, with one of the sub queries having a second level sub query in the from clause as below. select distinct dept_name as D from instructor as A where (select sum(salary) from instructor where dept_name = D) >= (select avg (B) from (select sum(salary) as A from instructor group by dept_name));

Region IX – Zamboanga Peninsula

Recently we were told by our teacher to pay a visit at our campus on the occasion of a science fair giving each one of us one ticket. Accordingly, I went there and enjoyed a lot. What I saw was a fantastic arrangement of exhibits done by the students. I saw miniatures mostly about agriculture. One of the unique creations was a miniature of Terrace Farming, it is a piece of sloped plane that has been cut into a series of successively receding flat surfaces or platforms, which resemble steps, for the purposes of more effective farming.As we all know, one of the popular terraces is he Banana Rice Terraces (Haggard-Haggard Palatal). Some of the miniature was describing about Contour Plowing it is plowing across a slope following its elevation contour lines. This is the kind of agricultural solution used by most farmers as a tool for weed control, prevent soil erosion, and in some cases to promote plant growth. There was also a miniature about Interloping meaning growing two different veg etables in an area at the same time to save space. On the other miniature it was about how to farm organically.According to a book that I have read, eating organic odds may in fact, reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cancer for individuals who abstain from consuming products produced by conventional farming methods. I also saw a miniature about animal farming. Mostly the main products of this Industry are meat, milk and eggs for human consumption. Here's to other miniature about urban Vile which pictures out the setting of an urban place or what we call a city where you can see tall buildings and establishments and a large crowd of people.In the contrary there was a miniature with details of a Rural place where It Is located outside the city with a low population density and small settlements. And lastly, one object drew my attention. It was about family farming. Like In my hometown we have a small farm at the back of our house, and planting Is one of our ways of bonding during weekends. One of the Important features of family farms Is the Intimate connection between families and farms which creates vital links between a farm and the food being grown. I miss home. I spent full 30 minutes rooming around the science fair enjoying such wonderful creations.

10 Great Biology Activities and Lessons

10 Great Biology Activities and Lessons Biology activities and lessons allow students to investigate and learn about biology through hands-on experience. Below is a list of 10 great biology activities and lessons for K-12 teachers and students. K-8 Activities and Lessons 1. Cells This is a diagram of an animal cell. colematt/iStock/Getty Images Plus   The Cell as a System: This activity enables students to explore the components of a cell and how they work together as a system. Objectives: Students will identify major cell components; know structures and functions of components; understand how the parts of a cell interact together. Resources:Cell Anatomy - Discover the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Cell Organelles - Learn about the types of organelles and their function within cells. 15 Differences Between Animal and Plant Cells - Identify 15 ways in which animal cells and plant cells differ from one another. 2. Mitosis The Cell Cycle. By Kelvinsong (Own work) [ CC0], via Wikimedia Commons Mitosis and Cell Division: This lesson introduces students to the process of cell mitosis. Objectives: Students will understand the processes of cell reproduction and chromosome replication. Resources: Mitosis - This stage-by-stage guide to mitosis describes the major events that occur in each mitotic stage. Mitosis Glossary - This glossary lists commonly used mitosis terms. Mitosis Quiz - This quiz is designed to test your knowledge of the mitotic process. 3. Meiosis Lily Anther Microsporocyte in Telophase II of Meiosis. Ed Reschke/Photolibrary/Getty Images Meiosis and Gamete Production: This activity helps students explore meiosis and sex cell production. Objectives: Students will describe the steps in meiosis and understand the difference between mitosis and meiosis. Resources:Stages of Meiosis - This illustrated guide describes each stage of meiosis. 7 Differences Between Mitosis and Meiosis - Discover 7 differences between the division processes of mitosis and meiosis. 4. Owl Pellet Dissection This image shows small animal bones found in an owl pellet.   Dave King/Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images Plus Dissecting Owl Pellets: This activity allows students to explore owl eating habits and digestion through dissecting owl pellets. Objectives: Students learn how to examine, gather, and interpret data through owl pellet dissections. Resources:Online Dissections - These virtual dissection resources allow you to experience actual dissections without all of the mess. 5. Photosynthesis A young boy studies photosynthesis and is using a microscope. Andrew Rich/Getty Images Photosynthesis and How Plants Make Food: This lesson explores photosynthesis and how plants use light to make food. Objectives: Students will discover how plants make food, transport water, and the importance of plants to the environment. Resources:The Magic of Photosynthesis - Discover how plants turn sunlight into energy. Plant Chloroplasts - Find out how chloroplasts make photosynthesis possible. Photosynthesis Quiz - Test your knowledge of photosynthesis by taking this quiz. 8-12 Activities and Lessons 1. Mendelian Genetics Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly, vinegar fly).   Sinhyu/iStock/Getty Images Plus Using Drosophila to Teach Genetics: This activity is designed to help students apply basic genetics concepts to a living organism. Objective: Students learn how to use the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to apply knowledge of heredity and Mendelian genetics. Resources:Mendelian Genetics - Explore how traits are passed from parents to offspring. Genetic Dominance Patterns - Examine the differences among complete dominance, incomplete dominance, and co-dominance relationships. Polygenic Inheritance - Discover the types of traits that are determined by multiple genes. 2. Extracting DNA DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecule, illustration.   KTSDESIGN/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Extracting DNA: This activity is designed to help students learn about the structure and function of DNA through DNA extraction. Objectives: Students understand relationships between DNA, chromosomes, and genes. They understand how to extract DNA from living sources. Resources: DNA From a Banana - Try this simple experiment that demonstrates how to extract DNA from a banana. Make a DNA Model Using Candy - Discover a sweet and fun way to make a DNA model using candy. 3. The Ecology of Your Skin Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria are part of the normal flora found in the body and on the skin.   Janice Haney Carr/ CDC Bacteria That Live on the Skin: In this activity, students discover the diverse organisms that live on the human body. Objectives: Students examine the relationship between humans and skin bacteria. Resources:Bacteria That Live on Your Skin - Discover 5 types of bacteria that live on your skin. Microbe Ecosystems of the Body - The human microbiome includes bacteria, viruses, fungi, and even mites. A Guide to Different Types of Pathogens - Learn about six types of pathogens that can make you sick. Top 5 Reasons to Wash Your Hands - Washing and drying your hands properly is a simple and effective way to prevent the spread of disease. 4. The Heart Human heart cross section showing blood circulation through the heart. jack0m/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images Heart to Heart: This lesson helps students explore heart function, structure, and blood pumping activity. Objectives: Students explore the anatomy of the heart and blood circulation. Resources:Heart Anatomy - This guide provides and overview of the function and anatomy of the heart. Circulatory System - Learn about the pulmonary and systemic paths of blood circulation. 5. Cellular Respiration Cellular Respiration. Purestock/Getty Images ATP Please!: This lesson helps students explore the role of mitochondria in ATP production during aerobic cellular respiration. Objectives: Students will be able to identify the steps of ATP production and the function of cell mitochondria. Resources: Cellular Respiration - Discover how cells harvest the energy from the foods we eat. Glycolysis - This is the first step of cellular respiration where glucose is split into two molecules for the production of ATP. Citric Acid Cycle - Also known as the Krebs Cycle, this is the second step of cellular respiration. Electron Transport Chain - The majority of ATP production occurs in this final stage of cellular respiration. Mitochondria - These cell organelles are the sites of aerobic cellular respiration. Biology Experiments For information on science experiments and lab resources, see: Biology Science Project Ideas - Discover  great ideas for biology related science projects.Biology Lab Safety Rules - Follow these tips to learn how to stay safe in biology lab.

Medicare Eligibility Essay Example

Medicare Eligibility Essay Example Medicare Eligibility Paper Medicare Eligibility Paper The process of finding out if one is eligible for Medicare is to visit the website of Medicare at â€Å" medicare. gov† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). Immediately after that, one ought to look for the label which states, â€Å"Search Tools† on the left side of the main page (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). Pointing the cursor to the â€Å"Search Tools† will provide a selection consisting of thirteen choices, from which, one ought to pick and click â€Å"Find Out Your Medicare Eligibility† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). Required questions will then appear next and these are: 1) â€Å"Please enter your date of birth:†, wherein I answered â€Å"June 17, 1940† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). 2) â€Å"Marital Status:†, wherein I answered â€Å"Married† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). 3) â€Å"Tax Filing Status:† wherein I answered â€Å"Joint† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). 4) â€Å"Type of Medicare Coverage:† wherein I answered â€Å"Part A B† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). 5) â€Å"Do you have Medicaid? † wherein I answered â€Å"No† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). 6) â€Å"Are you living outside the U. S.? † wherein I answered â€Å"No† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). 7) â€Å"Household Income Range:† wherein I answered â€Å"$160,001 $200,000† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). 8) â€Å"Are you receiving health benefits through your current employer (or through your spouses current employer)? † wherein I answered â€Å"Yes† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). After answering all the question with such details, one will be able to confirm if he or she is eligible for Medicare especially if a statement like this will be issued in the end: â€Å"Based on your answers, the amount you will pay each month for your Medicare Part B premium is $105. 80 in 2007. This amount is based on your income† (US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2007). References US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services. (2007). Medicare. Retrieved November 19, 2007 from medicare. gov. /MedicareEligibility/home. asp? Q%7C10022%7Chsincome%5Fmarried=%24160%2C001+%2D+%24200%2C000Q%7C5%7Crcvg%5Fbnfts=Yesversion=defaultQ%7C3%7Cmdcd=Nobrowser=Firefox%7C2%7CWinXPQ%7C4%7Clvg%5Fotsd=NoQ%7C10020%7Cmrtl%5Fstus=Marriedlanguage=EnglishQ%7C1002%7Ccvrg%5Ftype=ABQ%7C10030%7Ctaxfiling%5Fstatus=JointQ%7C1%7Cbirth%5Fmonth=06Q%7C1%7Cbirth%5Fday=17Q%7C1%7Cbirth%5Fyear=1940qid_path=1%281%7E10020%29%7C3000%2810030%29%7C3%281002%7E3%7E4%7E10022%29%7C4%285%29%7C999%28999%29dest=NAV|Home|MyEnrollment|Results|EligibilityQuestions

Internal Equity Essays

External /Internal Equity Essays External /Internal Equity Paper External /Internal Equity Paper The main purpose of this project is to point out the relationship between external equity in discussing pay versus benefits, and also to investigate the best compensation package (with special focus on external market competitiveness and internal equity) that will be of benefit to recruit and retain productive and motivated staff members. Key words: external equity, compensation, internal equity, motivation CHAPTER ONE 1. 0 LITERATURE REVIEW 1. 1 Equity Theory Basically, employees make comparison of their job inputs (Effort, experience, education, competence) and outcomes (Salary levels, raises, recognition) relative to those of others. Individuals tend to make comparison of their outcome-input ratio with the outcome –input ratio of relevant others. A state of equity exist when individuals perceive that their ratio is equal to relevant others, while inequity exist when the ratio are not the same. This led to the theory of social equity been proposed by J. Stacy Adams (1963) based upon Festinger’s (1957) theory of cognitive dissonance, that has received considerable attention in the organizational behavior literature (Vecchio 1981). According to Adams (1963), an employee brings to a job certain inputs (such as education, experience, training, and skill), and receives certain outcomes (such as intrinsic and extrinsic rewards). Inequity occurs when an individual perceives that the ratio of his or her outcomes to inputs is not equal to the ratio of some referent other, such as a work peer (Adams 1965). Individuals can feel inequity exists when they are undercompensated or overcompensated relative to their referent other (Walster, Berscheid, and Walster 1973). When inequity is perceived, individuals may experience distressanger or resentment in the case of under compensation and guilt in the case of over compensation (Austin and Walster 1974). Evidence suggests that individuals may base perceptions of equity on a number of comparison others (Ronen, 1986; Hills, 1980; Middlemist Peterson, 1976). ased on common choices of comparison others, there are at least three distinct types of equity: external equity, internal equity, and employee equity. For the purpose of this project external and internal equity will be addressed. 1. 2 EXTERNAL EQUITY External equity exists when an organizations pay rates are at least equal to the average rates in the organization’s market or sector. Employers want to ensure that they are able to pay what is necessary to find, keep and motivate an ade quate number of qualified employees. Creating a compensation structure that starts with competitive base pay is critical. Limited evidence suggests that managers at higher organizational levels may use external comparison others more than managers at lower organizational levels (Ronen, 1986; Heneman, Schwab, Standal, Peterson, 1980). This may occur because greater participation in professional networks at higher levels may make inputs and outputs of external others more salient. One way organizations achieve external equity is through the use of labor market pay surveys (Davis, 1997). . 3 INTERNAL EQUITY Internal equity exists when employees in an organization perceive that they are being rewarded fairly according to the relative value of their jobs within an organization. Another way of stating this is to say that a person’s perception of their responsibilities, rewards and work conditions is seen as fair or equitable when compared with those of other employees in similar positions in the same organization. Fac tors such as skill level, the effort and the responsibility of the role, as well as working conditions are considered. Although employees use internal as well as external comparison others (Andrews Henry, 1963; Finn Lee, 1972), their relative importance is unclear. Finn and Lee (1972) found that employees using internal comparison others were more satisfied with pay than those using external others. However, Hill (1980) found that people tended to use either internal and external referents or neither. One way organizations achieve internal equity is through the use of job evaluation plans. CHAPTER TWO 2. 0 COMPENSATION According to Tanushree Sanwal (2009), compensation is the remuneration received by an employee in return for his/her contribution to the organization. It is an integral part of human resource management which helps in motivating the employees and improving organizational effectiveness. Adequate compensation also serves the need for attracting and retaining the best employees. It is an organized practice that involves balancing the work-employee relation by providing monetary and non-monetary benefits to employees. Compensation does not include only salary but it is the sum total of all rewards and allowances provided to the employees in return for their services. compensation management philosophy believes in satisfying the various needs of an individual, such as social needs, psychological needs, safety needs, self-actualization needs etc. In absence of compensation it may not be possible to attract suitable people to work for the organization. Compensation helps in running an organization effectively and accomplishing its goals. Modern day organizations need to design the compensation systems aligning with the business goals and strategies. Three strategic objectives of compensation of particular importance are: (1) attracting and retaining the talent required for a sustainable competitive advantage, (2) focusing the energy of employees on implementing the organization’s particular competitive strategy, and (3) improving productivity 2. 1 THE ROLE OF HR According to schuler and Jackson (2006) human resources is responsible for setting the compensation system in the whole organization, monitor it and do a proper follow up, when the compensation system does not work properly. HR introduced several procedures to measure the fairness in compensation in the organization. HR introduced job design and job evaluation to compare different jobs across the organization. There are two ways of determining the levels of pay according to Thorpe and Holman (2000). The first is to focus on the labor market and to pay everyone at around the market rate. In this case, there is a comparison with employees in other organizations and it is called external equity (Hume, 1995). The second as its first priority the organizational goals and supports a reward system according to the organizational objectives and considering the job evaluation. In this case, there is a comparison of employees in the same organization and it is called internal equity (Hume, 1995). It is supported that the most dissatisfied employees are those who face internal inequity, namely when senior managers are generously paid and the other employees feel the unfairness (Hume, 1995). 2. 2 EXTERNAL EQUITY IN COMPENSATION. The organization competes with other employers to attract, hire and retain the best employees. It has to offer a competitive salary package to make employees feel satisfied and prevents them from looking for job elsewhere. The external equity is about keeping the personnel expenses budget under control and securing the position of the organization in the pay market. Most organization do not choose to pay more than the competitors, but they want to pay in-line with competitors and they choose the median for most job positions. Most of the times, the market rate is considered to be most efficient approach. In most competitive markets, there is no other choice but to pay the market rate in order to attract qualified staff and to ensure satisfaction. Furthermore, according to Thorpe Homan (2000), small organizations with growth potential can attract new employees by promising a greater share of rewards and better career as the company will expand successfully in the future. However, supply and demand differ substantially among market resulting in significant variation in wages across labor markets. Schuler and Jackson (2006) pointed out factors that could contribute to wage differences among markets. They are geographical location, union status, industry sector, organization size, company prestige, product competition, education and experience level of available work force, licensing or certification requirements called for by the job. A combination of the factors determines the labor market for a particular job. 2. 3 INTERNAL EQUITY IN COMPENSATION. Internal equity in compensation is more important than external equity for many organizations. The unfairness in the compensation inside the organization is more visible. It is supported that the most dissatisfied employees are those who face internal inequity, namely when senior managers are â€Å"generously paid and the other employees feel the unfairness (Hume, 1995). Internal equity is about proper job design and job evaluation and setting the same compensation principle for the comparable job across the organization. The performance related compensation components are the usual source of the differences in the pay for the comparable job positions as human resources has to co-operate with line managers for a better understanding of the business and also set a better bonus pay. Schuler and Jackson (2006) pointed out job related factors that could be used to set compensation levels. They are education required, experience required, physical demands, responsibility for equipment/materials, responsibility for safety of others, supervisory/managerial responsibility, working conditions, accident or health hazards, public contact, manual dexterity. CHAPTER THREE 3. 0 PAY EQUITY: Internal and External Considerations. 3. 1 COMPANY VIEW Basically, companies emphasize external equity in setting a compensation structure. For example, a 1975 Bureau of National Affairs study shows that over 80% of both small and large firm ranked external effectiveness as their most compensation objective. This emphasis on external equity demands the availability of high quality of labor market data. Because labor market tend to be highly variable, difficult to track, difficult to describe, companies are forced to participate in elaborate, costly wage surveys to get the data they need. However, companies are beginning to recognize limitations associated with focusing on external equity as the primary basis for setting compensation objectives. A 1985 study by the conference board showed that employers are starting to consider internal factors as more important that the external factors in setting wage level. These companies recognize that over emphasizing external equity may detract from important internal equity considerations. 3. 2 EMPLOYEES VIEW Individual view equity differently from the way organization views it. While organizations make comparison with other organization, individuals compare their pay with others within the same establishment. For this reason perception of internal equity can influence an organization compensation objective, much more than external issues. A study conducted in 1972 by Allan N. Nash adds insight to this issue. The result showed that 80% of employees indicated that they will be angered if they found themselves paid less than others in same establishment In addition to pay, there are many things that influence employee perception of equity. Study shows that workers often rank job security, working conditions, advancement opportunity, management appreciation, relationship with co-workers, and flexibility of working hours or job assignment ahead of pay. In summary, it appears that employees may look at compensation equity from a different view point than that of their employers. Companies go to great length to establish mechanism for accessing pay practices in other companies, while employees are primarily concerned with pay equity in their own company. 3. 3 EXPERT OPINION The following statement indicates the opinion of some compensation experts. The first two supports external equity, while the last two favors internal equity. â€Å"In most cases it makes sense to focus on external pay comparison as the major as the major criteria to determine compensation levels. Both internal and external and inequity have serious consequences for the organization. However the consequences of external inequity†¦are more severe for the organization and they are the ones that deserve primary attention† (Edward E. lawler 1981). â€Å"We feel it is important to underline the sovereignty of external equity influence on wages over internal equity influence. Certainly the power of a wage or salary to attract employee is based solely on external equity considerations. The retention power of a wage or salary is also influenced heavily by external equity considerations. When external and internal equity considerations are in conflict, we suspect †¦. that external equity takes precedence† (Mark. J Wallace and Charles f. hay 1983). â€Å"Most pay comparison research suggests that it is probably more important to have internal equity than external equity. Employee can seemingly grasp of whether they think they are fairly paid by a particular employer through looking at other jobs in that organization than they can by weighing external information†(Thomas h. Patten 1977). â€Å"Experience seems to indicate that establishment of compromise rate in case of conflict is probably the solution. Internal consistency is more important than strict external competitiveness† (Milton. A . Rock 1984). CONCLUSION My findings suggest that there is no right or wrong answer in which should be the primary consideration external or internal equity for formulating compensation objectives. According to a study conducted by Government of Canada huma n resource council, a good compensation strategy includes a balance between internal equity and external competitiveness. Compensation and benefits affect the productivity and happiness of employees, as well as the ability of your organization to effectively realize its objectives. It is to your advantage to ensure that your employees are creatively compensated and knowledgeable of their benefits. The long term need is to establish both a strategic organization wide pay level policy that specifically addresses a company’s approach to pay relative to marketplace (external equity), and an internal job evaluation methodology for use in assessing the relative value of each job in an organization (internal equity).. Kent Romanoff et al. In conclusion, HR should consider a two way approach in setting wage levels. External data should be used to establish strategic guidelines for overall company pay policy. In addition, a second job evaluation methodology should be used to determine the value of a company’s job. This establishes internal equity. .

Balancing Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Balancing Act - Essay Example The writer also tried to find out how much knowledge should be circulated and also weather all the generated knowledge should be circulated among the employees as the norm or the required assistance. The writer tried to find out the usage of the normal processes which are generally used to generate and circulate the knowledge required by the employees. He tried to establish the importance of the knowledge and the process. The main reason for writing the article was to analyze and assess the importance of knowledge management and the implementation of the same in the organization. For any organization restructuring of business process is very important but how this restructuring would be done, what should be the exact process of doing the restructuring and to what extent the restructuring (which is initiated by the top management) should be done with the knowledge management( which is mainly initiated from the employees) and how both the things can be balanced so that the organization is benefited from both the concepts optimally is the most important objective of the article.Analysis The main objective of the authors was to identify the importance of knowledge which is many times generated at the grass root level and managing the same by analyzing the knowledge which has been generated at the grass root level and choosing the most efficient one and circulating it through the process of the organization and the norm or guidelines which could be used by the other employees of the organization.... cient one and circulating it through the process of the organization and the norm or guidelines which could be used by the other employees of the organization. To an extent the authors met their purpose as they have identified and analyzed the reasons behind the importance of the knowledge management. The authors at first analyzed the processes which are generally used to bring any change within the organization. The authors started their analysis by the concept of reengineering. Reengineering is used to reorganize the business process as per the changes the market situations. Then the authors argued that sticking only to the reengineering process to gain competitive advantage cannot lead the company in the long run as this concept has became very common. The authors argued that to gain competitive advantage the company should concentrate on those activities which can add value to the organization and its products and services. They also cited that if the value is created by converti ng the limitation and the problems into advantages then it would be most beneficial way of bringing change and also gaining competitive advantage. The authors analyzed the various ways in which knowledge can be created and the various situations which could stimulate the process of knowledge creation. The authors also analyzed the different ways and the process by which the knowledge can be filtered and can be used as effective information and the employees can access the same. The authors also used various real life examples to analyze how the knowledge can be managed and can be used by the organization with the help of the formal processes which are laid down by the senior management. Thus to the extent of identifying the importance and the usage of knowledge management and the use of the

Human Resource Management Study Report on Grimshaw's Quality Textiles Essay

Human Resource Management Study Report on Grimshaw's Quality Textiles - Essay Example Despite problems in the industry QualTex is surviving. It makes clothes for well-known supermarket chains, and given the explosion of this part of the market, is managing to turn a respectable profit 2. The company has a reasonable reputation as a local employer, the rates of pay are good for the area, and it has an unproblematic industrial relations record (at least there haven't been any strikes in the last ten years). However, it does have a high labour turnover, there have been some worrying health and safety issues and a couple of serious accidents at the factory in recent months. It also has a reputation as an 'old-fashioned' place to work. All issues to do with personnel and industrial relations have been managed by the Managing Director and his PA. The PA keeps the personal records of all employees and the MD has published a number of Personnel Policies to cover 'Absence', 'Discipline' and 'Regulations on wearing Personal Protective Clothing at work'. The MD expects the section managers to 'manage' the people issues in the factory 3. What are completely missing are any training, learning and development activity other than the minimum of health and safety training, and some cursory induction training on appointment. Focused Point # II: The workforce of the factory has recently been stunned by the news, which was announced by the Managing Director on 1 December last year. The announcement was as follows: 'In order to ensure the survival of QualTex in these difficult times for the textile industry, the company will merge with Grimshaw 's Fabric Company with effect from 1 January 2007. This is not a take over, but must be seen as a new partnership of long-standing successful Lancashire Textile manufacturers. The merged company will be registered at Company's House under the new name of 'Grimshaw's Quality Textiles'. This is a startling development. Grimshaw's is a highly successful textile manufacturer, which has modernised its plant and streamlined its production at its factory in Accrington. Unit costs are kept to a minimum, employees are paid minimum wage rates, but are part of a profit-sharing scheme and get good payouts at two crucial points in the year, immediately before the summer shutdown for 'Accrington holidays' and again before Christmas. Health and Safety records appear to be good, with a reduction of 'incidents' since 2004. There have been some difficulties with industrial relations and there was recently a walkout by employees protesting about the low level of pay 4. Focused Point # III: The threat of losing last year's Christmas profit share bonus brought everyone back to work very quickly. The management of Grimshaw's has a reputation for being tough. "If your face doesn't fit...you 're out' is a frequent complaint amongst Grimshaw's employees. Grimshaw's employs a Personnel Manager who is responsible for the issue and implementation of personnel policies and

Does democracy help or hinder development Essay

Does democracy help or hinder development - Essay Example Does democracy, used in this context to mean free and fair elections with a peaceful transfer of political authority, allow countries to develop? These questions and many more will be addressed with reference to our analysis of the linkages between democracy and political stability. An analysis of the political and economic situations of Somalia and Iraq, our case studies, will explore the relationship between poverty and political instability and demonstrate whether the absence of democracy and hence political stability, breeds poverty and economic stagnation. Poverty, it seems is a universal feature of the global community. What are the global ramifications of extreme poverty? Fundamentally, does democracy help or hinder development? What is poverty and how can it be defined? The term poverty refers a deprivation of some sort that affects one’s quality of life. Poverty is often described in monetary terms and varies from country to country. Poverty thus is environmentally specific as the idea of poverty will differ in North America and Africa. Many developed countries use a low-income cut-off to gage poverty in their respective societies and a so-called poverty line can be useful for understanding poverty. While very difficult to measure globally, the United Nations frequently uses the analogy of a dollar a day to refer to someone who is poor (for more information on the challenges associated with poverty measurement, see Amartya Sen’s Poverty: An Ordinal Approach to Measurement). How does one define political stability? Theoretically speaking, the term is notoriously difficult to define and definitions will necessarily vary (see Fosu 329-348). Nonetheless, it is integral that the concept of political stability be defined for the theoretical purpose of this essay. Political stability in much of the world is defined as the establishment of democracy and democratic rules of governance. By

Density Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Density - Lab Report Example Moreover, the density of water commonly known as 1.00 g/cm3 or 1.00 g/ml is found empirically to be 0.998 g/ml whereas the density of copper which in theory is approximately 8.94 g/ml turns out 8.5 g/ml in the lab. The apparent slight differences between the actual and theoretical figures may be accounted for by error through inaccurate reading of measurements with the device or tool used. Another source of error (other than human fault) may be attributed to unnoticed defect in apparatus or measuring scale which has not been properly calibrated. Density of solid or liquid materials is an intensive property of matter that is why it does not depend on the quantity of material in reference to being mass per unit volume. Because in class we study significant figures and dimensional analysis which involves units of length, mass, volume, as well as their equivalent conversions in other units, the lab establishes relevance as we work in it to experience and learn how to deal with measurements in real life. We have been able to understand that the method of finding density may be carried out by the task of acquiring measures of mass and volume of a substance which can also be made useful in scientific analysis of other

Starting Cookie Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Starting Cookie Business - Assignment Example Debbi’s cookies were hugely popular amongst her relatives, friends and Randy’s clients and therefore could easily start a cookie business. Randy, as an economist was able to calculate the start-up cost and could contribute to the management of the business. Hence their skills were complimentary which was hugely beneficial for their future business. It was the popularity of Debbi’s cookies amongst Randy’s clients that gave birth to the idea of starting a cookie business. Her cookies were in great demand and Debbie believed that she could exploit her expertise in making cookies. Debbi’s goals were to bake great cookies and provide customers with a unique experience. Ensuring customer satisfaction through quality goods and caring and make them feel special was important for Debbi. Randy’s goals for the business was to make it successful by using technology to enhance information flow for effective decision making regarding operational efficiency, administration, and management of its various stores. He primarily believed that mechanistic work should be delegated to machines and people should use their creativity and skills to augment business productivity through direct input like interacting with customers directly. Debbi faced a huge dilemma while opening her second store of Mrs. Fields’ Cookies because she believed to be proactive in business and loved baking cookies and serving to customers. She believed that she should be involved in the business and with the second store, she would not be able to be in two places at the same time. She was not comfortable with delegation as she preferred to being hands-on! Her management style fundamentally relied on developing unique customer relationship based on trust and caring.  Thus providing customers with quality cookies and making them feel important were key ingredients.

Academic English Writing in Bioscience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Academic English Writing in Bioscience - Essay Example This paper seeks to address both good and bad factors that have arisen from organ donation. The body organs that are usually considered for donation include hearts, kidneys, lungs, livers, and the pancreas. Body tissues that are donated include skin, corneas, connective tissues, bone, and blood vessels. According to (Tilney, 2003:137), â€Å"the donation of a liver, heart, pancreas, and lungs can only take place if the donor is brain dead. The donation of body tissues like skin, bone, and corneas, on the other hand, can take place in spite of age as well as with any fatal outcome.† In the last decade, there are some factors that have increased the number of organ transplant that have been successfully carried out. These include: 3) The creation of improved methods for the maintenance of donor organs after their surgical removal. According to (Bramstedt and Down, 2011:61), there was a five percent increase in the total number of organ transplants carried out in 2010 in the United Kingdom compared to the previous year. This amounted to 3706 people receiving new organs. More transplant centres were also started in the major hospitals. According to (Bramstedt and Down, 2011:94) doctors felt more prepared to take on additional transplant cases because of the improvement of technologies that preserve the state of the organs when in transit to the recipient. On one hand, organ donation gives another person who was close to death a chance to live. Supporters of organ transplants point out that extending life to another person is the noblest thing that any human can do. On the other hand, as (Schwartz, 2005:58) states, the opponents of organ donation have in the past pointed out that organ donation operations are fraught with risks for the donor. This is not something that is often spoken about. According to (Schwartz, 2005:76), â€Å"as a half of all liver donors usually have to deal with complications like more surgical

Density Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Density - Lab Report Example Moreover, the density of water commonly known as 1.00 g/cm3 or 1.00 g/ml is found empirically to be 0.998 g/ml whereas the density of copper which in theory is approximately 8.94 g/ml turns out 8.5 g/ml in the lab. The apparent slight differences between the actual and theoretical figures may be accounted for by error through inaccurate reading of measurements with the device or tool used. Another source of error (other than human fault) may be attributed to unnoticed defect in apparatus or measuring scale which has not been properly calibrated. Density of solid or liquid materials is an intensive property of matter that is why it does not depend on the quantity of material in reference to being mass per unit volume. Because in class we study significant figures and dimensional analysis which involves units of length, mass, volume, as well as their equivalent conversions in other units, the lab establishes relevance as we work in it to experience and learn how to deal with measurements in real life. We have been able to understand that the method of finding density may be carried out by the task of acquiring measures of mass and volume of a substance which can also be made useful in scientific analysis of other

Academic English Writing in Bioscience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Academic English Writing in Bioscience - Essay Example This paper seeks to address both good and bad factors that have arisen from organ donation. The body organs that are usually considered for donation include hearts, kidneys, lungs, livers, and the pancreas. Body tissues that are donated include skin, corneas, connective tissues, bone, and blood vessels. According to (Tilney, 2003:137), â€Å"the donation of a liver, heart, pancreas, and lungs can only take place if the donor is brain dead. The donation of body tissues like skin, bone, and corneas, on the other hand, can take place in spite of age as well as with any fatal outcome.† In the last decade, there are some factors that have increased the number of organ transplant that have been successfully carried out. These include: 3) The creation of improved methods for the maintenance of donor organs after their surgical removal. According to (Bramstedt and Down, 2011:61), there was a five percent increase in the total number of organ transplants carried out in 2010 in the United Kingdom compared to the previous year. This amounted to 3706 people receiving new organs. More transplant centres were also started in the major hospitals. According to (Bramstedt and Down, 2011:94) doctors felt more prepared to take on additional transplant cases because of the improvement of technologies that preserve the state of the organs when in transit to the recipient. On one hand, organ donation gives another person who was close to death a chance to live. Supporters of organ transplants point out that extending life to another person is the noblest thing that any human can do. On the other hand, as (Schwartz, 2005:58) states, the opponents of organ donation have in the past pointed out that organ donation operations are fraught with risks for the donor. This is not something that is often spoken about. According to (Schwartz, 2005:76), â€Å"as a half of all liver donors usually have to deal with complications like more surgical

International Markets Essay Example for Free

International Markets Essay Once SAB Miller has decided to establish itself in the global market, it becomes necessary for the marketing manager to study and analyze the various options available to enter the international markets and select the most suitable one. The selection of the entry mode is one of the most significant decisions.SAB Miller takes in the process of internationalization, as it involves commitment of resources with long-term financial and structural implications. Mode of entry may be defined as an institutional mechanism by which a firm makes its products or services available to consumer in international markets. Root (1994) defines the market entry for international markets as a comprehensive plan which sets forth the objectives,goals,resources,and policies that guide a company’s international business operations over a future period long enough to achieve sustainable growth in world markets. FACTORS AFFECTING THE SELECTION OF ENTRY MODE EXTERNAL MODES MARKET SIZE:Market size is one of the key factors an international marketer has to develop to keep in mind when selecting an entry strategy.Countries with a large market size justify the modes of entry with investment,such as wholly owned subsiaries or equity participation. MARKET GROWTH:Most of the large,established markets,such US,Europe and Japan,have more or less reached a point of saturation for consumer goods such as automobiles,consumer electronics.Therefore,the growth of markets in these countries is showing a declining trend.For instance,the overall growth in most of the US and European market is about 7% while emerging markets like India and China is over 30% which indicates tremendous market potential in time to come. Therefore,from the perspective of long-term growth potential such as China,India,Thailand,Indonesia etc.These markets are also termed emerging markets. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS:The selection of market entry modes to a great extent affected by the legislative framework of the overseas market,the government of most of the Gulf countries have made it mandatory for foreign firms to have local partner.For instance,the UAE is a lucrative market for Indian firms but most firms operate there with a local partner. Trade barriers such as ecological regulations and local content requirements also affect the mode of entry.It has been a major reason for  increased foreign investment in Mexico,which is a part of the North American Free Agreement(NAFTA),in order to cater to the US market. LEVEL OF COMPETITION:Presence of competitors and their level of involvement in an overseas market is another crucial factor in deciding on an entry mode so as to effectively respond to competitive market force.This is one of the major reasons behind auto companies setting up their operations in India and other emerging markets so as to effectively respond to global competition. INTERNAL MODES COMPANY OBJECTIVES:Companies operating in domestic markets with limited aspirations generally enter foreign markets as a result of a reactive approach to international marketing oppurtunities.In such cases,companies receive unsoliated orders from acquaintances,firms and relatives based abroad,and they attempt to fulfil these export orders.This casual approach to entering international markets by way of producing in the homemarket and exporting overseas translates into regular exporting if the firm has positive experience in its exports operation. AVAILABILTY OF COMPANY RESOURCES:Venturing into international markts needs substantial commitment of financial and human resources and therefore choice of an entry mode depends upon the financial strength of a firm.It may be observed that Indian firms with good financial strength have entered international markets by way of wholly owned subsidiaries or equity participation. LEVEL OF COMMITMENT:In view of the market potential,the willingness of the company to commit resources in a particular market also determines the entry mode choice.Companies need to evaluate various investment alternatives in a particular market also depends upon the way the company is willing to perceive and respond to competitive forces. INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE:A company well exposed to the dynamics of the international marketing environment would be at ease when making a decision regarding entering into international markets with a highly intensive mode of entry such as joint venture and wholly owned subsidiaries. Below are different modes of market entry and they include: EXPORTING Exporting is the simplest method of entering a foreign market.It is the  process of sending goods or services from country to other countries for use or sale there. By exporting to a foreign country,a company is able to enter this country without actually establishing itself in the country.The company must simply manufacture products that can be shipped to the foreign country.Export activities may take several forms,including indirect exporting,direct exporting,and intracorporate transfers. Direct exports represent the most basic mode of exporting, capitalizing on economies of scale in production concentrated in the home country and affording better control over distribution. Direct export works the best if the volumes are small. Types of direct exporting are: Sales representatives that represent foreign suppliers/manufacturers in their local markets for an established commission on sales. Provide support services to a manufacturer regarding local advertising, local sales presentations, customs clearance formalities, legal requirements. Importing distributors purchase product in their own right and resell it in their local markets to wholesalers, retailers, or both. Indirect Exporting Indirect export is the process of exporting through domestically based export intermediaries. Indirect methods of exporting requires less marketing investment, but, as the exporter has no control over its products in the foreign market, the company lose substantial control over the marketing process. Types or methods of indirect exporting are: Filling orders from domestic buyers who then export the product Seeking out domestic buyers who represent foreign customers Exporting through an Export Management Company (EMC) Exporting through an Export Trading Company (ETC) INTRACORPORATE TRANSFERS A third form of export activity is the intracorporate transfer,which has become more important as the sizes of MNCs have increased.An intracorporate transfer is the sale of goods by a firm in one country to an affiliated firm in another. LICENCING License is a contract to identify what is being licensed: trademarks, patents, designs, copyrights or software. Licensing allows rapidly entering into the chosen foreign market and reduces capital requirements to establish manufacturing facilities overseas. Your contract does not violation of the host countrys existing laws and regulations.a licensor in the home country makes limited rights or resources available to the licensee in the host country. The rights or resources may include patents, trademarks, managerial skills, technology, and others that can make it possible for the licensee to manufacture and sell in the host country a similar product to the one the licensor has already been producing and selling in the home country without requiring the licensor to open a new operation overseas. The licensor earnings usually take forms of one time payments, technical fees and royalty payments usually calculated as a percentage of sales. As in this mode of entry the transference of knowledge between the parental company and the licensee is strongly present, the decision of making an international license agreement depend on the respect the host government show for intellectual property and on the ability of the licensor to choose the right partners and avoid them to compete in each other market. Licensing is a relatively flexible work agreement that can be customized to fit the needs and interests of both, licensor and licensee. Franchising The franchising system can be defined as: â€Å"A system in which semi-independent business owners (franchisees) pay fees and royalties to a parent company (franchiser) in return for the right to become identified with its trademark, to sell its products or services, and often to use its business format and system. Compared to licensing, franchising agreements tends to be longer and the franchisor offers a broader package of rights and resources which usually includes: equipment, managerial systems, operation manual, initial trainings, site approval and all the support necessary for the franchisee to run its business in the same way it is done by the franchisor. In addition to that, while a licensing agreement involves things such as intellectual property, trade secrets and others while in franchising it is limited to trademarks and operating know-how of the business. TYPES OF FRANCHISES There are three available types of franchises.The first type is the dealership,a form commonly found in the automobile industry.Here,the manufacturers use franchises to distribute their product lines.These dealership act as the retail stores for the manufacturer.In some distance,they are required to meet quotas established by the manufacturers,but as is the case for any franchise,they benefit from advertising and management support provided by the franchisor.The most common type of franchise is the type that offers a name,image and method of doing business,such as McDonald’s,KFC,Holiday Inn. There are many of these types of franchises,and their listings,with pertinent information can be found in various sources. A third type of franchise offers services.These include personnel agencies,income tax preparation companies and real estate agencies.These franchises have established names and reputation and methods of doing business.In some distances,such as real estate,the franchisee has actually been operating a business and then applies to become a member of the franchise. CONTRACT MANUFACTURING Contract manufacturing refers to a situation where a business will engage the services of an independent party to perform a specified duty for the business. In terms of manufacturing, contract manufacturing refers to a situation where a manufacturer will engage the services of an independent party to perform a specified job. There are various reasons for this type of engagement by manufacturers, all of which involve the maximization of profit. The process of contract manufacturing also has some negative considerations that include the risk of uncertainty and lack of control over the process. WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIRIES Entering a foreign market with a wholly owned subsidiary involves creating a local firm without the aid of a local partner. There are two ways of doing this. The first is through what is called greenfield development. This involves creating a new organization in the foreign country from the ground up. The second method is what is referred to as brownfield development. This involves purchasing an existing company in a foreign country. Brownfield developments can be beneficial because they offer local expertise, but they can be difficult because there may be resistance from those in the company  to new ownership. JOINT VENTURE A market entry option which the exporter and a domestic company in the target country join together to form a new incorporated company. Both parties provide equity and resources to the JV and share in the management, profits and losses. The JV be limited to the life of a particular project. This option is popular in countries where there are restrictions on foreign ownership, eg. China and Vietnam PIGGYBACKING Piggyback marketing – low cost market entry strategy in which two or more firms represent one another’s complementary (but non-competing) products in their respective market. Or, in other words, it is an arrangement, where two or more companies help each other to market their products, where the products have to be complementary and not competing against each other. LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS No direct foreign marketing: A company in this stage does not actively cultivate customers outside national boundaries; however this company’s products may reach foreign markets. Sales may be made to trading companies as well as foreign customers who come directly to the firm. Or products may reach foreign markets via domestic wholesalers or distributors who sell abroad without explicit encouragement or even knowledge of the producer. As companies develop web sites on the internet, many receive orders from international Web surfers. Often an unsolicited order from a foreign is what piques the interest of a company to seek additional international sales. Infrequent Foreign marketing: Temporary surpluses caused by variations in production levels or demand may result in infrequent marketing overseas. The surpluses are characterized by their temporary nature; therefore sales to foreign markets are made as goods are available, with little or no intention of maintaining continuous market representation. As domestic demand increases and absorbs surpluses, foreign sales activity is withdrawn. In this stage, little or no change is seen in company organization or product lines. However, few companies today fit this  model because customers around the world increasingly seek long term commercial relationships. Further, evidence exists that financial returns from initial international expansions are limited. Regular Foreign marketing: At this level, the firm has permanent productive capacity devoted to the production of goods to be marketed in foreign markets. A firm may employ foreign or domestic overseas intermediaries or it may have its own sales force or sales subsidiaries in important markets. The primary focus of operations and production is to service domestic market needs. However, as overseas demand grows, production is allocated for foreign markets, and products may be adapted to meet the needs of individual foreign markets. Profit expectations from foreign markets move from being seen as a bonus to regular domestic profits to a position in which the company becomes dependent on foreign sales and profits to meet its goals. International marketing International marketing is the export, franchising, joint venture or full direct entry of a marketing organization into another country. This can be achieved by exporting a companys product into another location, entry through a joint venture with another firm in the target country, or foreign direct investment into the target country. The development of the marketing mix for that country is then required international marketing. It can be as straightforward as using existing marketing strategies, mix and tools for export on the one side, to a highly complex relationship strategy including localization, local product offerings, pricing, production and distribution with customized promotions, offers, website, social media and leadership. Internationalization and international marketing meets the needs of selected foreign countries where a companys value can be exported and there is inter-firm and firm learning, optimization and efficiency in economies of scale and scope. The firm doe s not need to export or enter all world markets to be considered an international marketer. Global Marketing Global marketing is a firms ability to market to almost all countries on the planet. With extensive reach, the need for a firms product or services is  established. The global firm retains the capability, reach, knowledge, staff, skills, insights, and expertise to deliver value to customers worldwide. The firm understands the requirement to service customers locally with global standard solutions or products, and localizes that product as required to maintain an optimal balance of cost, efficiency, customization and localization in a control-customization continuum to best meet local, national and global requirements to position itself against or with competitors, partners, alliances, substitutes and defend against new global and local market entrants per country, region or city. The firm will price its products appropriately worldwide, nationally and locally, and promote, deliver access and information to its customers in the most cost-effective way. The firm also needs to underst and, research, measure and develop loyalty for its brand and global brand equity (stay on brand) for the long term. b)OULINE ADVANTAGES AND DISAVANTAGES OF EACH STRATEGY. Advantages of direct exporting: -Control over selection of foreign markets and choice of foreign representative companies. -Good information feedback from target market. -Better protection of trademarks, patents, goodwill, and other intangible property. Potentially greater sales than with indirect exporting. Disadvantages of direct exporting: Higher start-up costs and higher risks as opposed to indirect exporting; Greater information requirements; Longer time-to-market as opposed to indirect exporting. Advantages of the international franchising mode: -Low political risk -Low cost -Allows simultaneous expansion into different regions of the world -Well selected partners bring financial investment as well as managerial capabilities to the operation. Advantages of indirect exporting -Its an almost risk-free way to begin. -It demands minimal involvement in the export process. -It allows you to continue to concentrate on your domestic business. -You  have limited liability for product marketing problems theres always someone else to point the finger at! -You learn as you go about international marketing. -Depending on the type of intermediary with which you are dealing, you dont have to concern yourself with shipment and other logistics. Disadvantages of indirect exporting: -Your profits are lower. -You lose control over your foreign sales. -You very rarely know who your customers are, and thus lose the opportunity to tailor your offerings to their evolving needs. -When you visit, you are a step removed from the actual transaction. You feel out of the loop. -The intermediary might also be offering products similar to yours, including directly competitive products, to the same customers instead of providing exclusive representation. -Your long-term outlook and goals for your export program can change rapidly, and if youve put your product in someone elses hands, its hard to redirect your efforts accordingly. Advantages of licensing -Obtain extra income for technical know-how and services -Reach new markets not accessible by export from existing facilities -Quickly expand without much risk and large capital investment -Pave the way for future investments in the market -Retain established markets closed by trade restrictions -Political risk is minimized as the licensee is usually 100% locally owned -Is highly attractive for companies that are new in international business. Disadvantages of licensing -Lower income than in other entry modes -Loss of control of the licensee manufacture and marketing operations and practices leading to loss of quality -Risk of having the trademark and reputation ruined by an incompetent partner -The foreign partner can also become a competitor by selling its production in places where the parental company is already in. -investment to attract prospects and support and manage franchisees. Advanatges of Frachising -Franchising provide knowledge of the local markets. A franchise provides franchisees with a certain level of independence where they can operate their business. A franchise provides an established product or service which may already enjoy widespread brand-name recognition. This gives the franchisee the benefits of a pre-sold customer base which would ordinarily takes years to establish. A franchise increases your chances of business success because you are associating with proven products and methods. Franchises may offer consumers the attraction of a certain level of quality and consistency because it is mandated by the franchise agreement. Disadvantages of franchising: -Franchisees may turn into future competitors. -Demand of franchisees may be scarce when starting to franchise a company, which can lead to making agreements with the wrong candidates -A wrong franchisee may ruin the company’s name and reputation in the market -Dependence on franchisee. -Potential conflicts with franchisee. Advantages of Joint Venture: -Accessing additional financial resources Asset sharing is one of the best advantages about joint venture. Since, you are able to use larger funds to facilitate the production and operation of projects and products, you facilitate growth. In other words, you increase profit margin and increase your revenue potential. -Sharing the economic risk with co-venturer It pays to have someone sharing the responsibility with you in case you end up in deep troubles. This is also true with joint venture. Since you are sharing assets, the risk of losing a great deal of money is divided to both parties. -Widening economic scope fast – Building reputation is often difficult, not to mention time consuming and expansive. At a joint venture, you are able to widen your economic scope without spending too much money and waiting for a long time. Tapping newer methods, technology, and approach you do not have – In order to grow and expand, you need resources in the forms of methods, technology, and approach. For that matter, it would help a lot if you will be able to partner with an entity that presently has the things you don’t and the things you need. Joint venture opens up the venue for such need. -Building relationship with vital contacts – Aside from economic territory, another advantage of joint venture is the ability to give you business relationships with vital contacts. This is just like automatically befriending your partners influential friend that can give you access to lots of things such as business opportunities and a pass to vital information. Disadvantages of Joint Venture: -Shared profit – Since you share assets, you also share the profit. The profit of both parties usually depends on the size of the share to the venture or may be defined on the agreement. -Diminished control over some important matters Operational control and decision making are sometimes compromised in joint ventures. Since there is an agreement that divides which one will take over a particular operation, the other may not be satisfied with how the things are worked out with another. This leads us to another disadvantage of a joint venture. -Undesired outcome of the quality of the product or project – Since one party may not have control on the supervision of the production or the execution of one part of the system, this can happen. This often leads to disputes and lawsuits. To avoid this, both parties agree on specific details about the whole operation process. -Uncontrolled or unmonitored increase in the operating cost – Again, defined control over the operation may lead to this disadvantage. It is important therefore to make sure that all things are clarified on the paper before singing in the joint venture agreement. Advantages of contract manufacturing -Low financial risks contract manufacturing allows companies to save costs by manufacturing a particular item at a cheaper rate than what it would cost them If they decided to undertake the manufacturing process themselves. it allows the company doing the outsourcing to shave some time off the whole process, giving them quicker returns and turnovers. Where a company is less effective than another in manufacturing an item, contract manufacturing will allow it to concentrate on that in which it is the most efficient. Disadvantages of contract manufacturing -Reduced learning potential -Potential public relations problems may need to monitor working conditions. -The company doing the outsourcing faces some degree of risk if it fails to do its research properly. This is because outsourcing the manufacturing to the wrong company could end up costing the company more, rather than less, if the outsourced company fails to deliver as expected. Advantages of wholly owned subsidiaries On the positive side, a wholly-owned subsidiary that does its business in a location different from the parent companys is able to remain in its locale. With the business world spanning so many countries, this can serve as a great advantage in international situations. Name recognition is another positive reason for maintaining a wholly-owned subsidiary. If a particular brand name is well known and popular, the parent company has no reason to absorb the subsidiary entirely. Wholly-owned status allows the subsidiary to retain its name brand, thus avoiding hindering its sales. Diversity for the parent company is another perk created by maintaining a wholly-owned subsidiary. This status allows the parent company to branch out into different products and markets, building strength in diversification. Disadvantages of wholly owned subsidiaries a wholly-owned subsidiary are more business oriented. The holding company runs a definite risk in assuming control of another company while allowing its management to continue to operate independently of the parent companys. The level of investment and allocation of funds and resources required is also very high. A parent company must spend a great deal of time and money to smoothly integrate the new subsidiary.All of these factors require commitment and dedication on the part of the holding company and willingness to form that partnership on the part of the subsidiary. Advantages of piggybacking reduced financial costs limited risk quick, easy access to the market. Generally, the supported company can make immediate profits on the new market. The SME can, thus save time (3-5 years), compared to the normal length of time necessary to establish itself ; reduced logistical and administrative operations ; benefit of the brand image that the supporting company brings to its products ; immediate availability of a sales force structure ; excellent market knowledge of the supporting company. Disadvantages of piggybacking weak motivation of large companies to become supporters ; difficulty in finding partners offering a compatible product and distribution network ; risk of market loss, which can be reduced due to the complementarity of the product, and commercial follow-up between the partners ; occasional difficult relations because of differences in size or culture ; risk of lack of mutual confidence and of lack of involvement ; risk of conflict of interest (e.g. local agents could systematically put the interests of the supporting company before those of the supported company) ; occasional very rigid requirements and conditions of access to the commercial networks of large companies. These conditions can be qualitative (e.g.: product quality) and quantitative (minimum level of annual turnover, high commissions, etc.). Macro Environmental Influences That Can Affect SAB Millers SABMillers origins date back to the foundation of Castle Breweries in 1895 as to serve a growing market of miners and prospectors in and around Johannesburg, South Africa. Two years later, it became the first industrial company to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the year after (1898) it listed on the London Stock Exchange. From the early 1990s onwards, the company increasingly expanded internationally, making several acquisitions in both emerging and developed markets. In 1999, it formed a new UK-based holding company, SAB plc, and moved its primary listing to London. In May 2002, SAB plc acquired Miller Brewing, forming SABMiller plc. It is very important that SAB Miller considers its environment before going into international the market. In fact, environmental analysis should be continuous and feed all aspects of their planning to go international The macro-environment refers to the major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organizations decision making, and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include the Political (and legal) forces, Economic forces, Sociocultural forces, and Technological forces. These are known as the PEST factors. PEST Analysis Political Factors: The political environment revolves around the current government in a particular country in which SAB Miller manufactures or trades, and also laws/legislation operate or within their home market as well as overseas. If their government is socialist then perhaps there is a policy to tax more and to invest in the public sector. On the other hand if SAB Millers have a more conservative or Republican government then the free-market is left to take control, taxation is less and there is often a smaller public sector. The political arena has a huge influence upon the regulation of the business, and the spending power of consumers and other businesses. SAB Miller must consider issues like: †¢How stable is the political environment in that country? †¢Will government policy of that country influence laws that regulate or tax SAB Miller? †¢What is the governments position on marketing ethics? †¢What is the governments policy on the economy? †¢Does the government have a view on culture and religion? †¢Is the government involved in trading agreements such as EU, NAFTA, ASEAN, or others? Economic Factors The economic environment is a direct influence on all businesses. Obviously if you are studying marketing there is a huge element of economics within the topic itself, and you should be no stranger to the principles of economics. As we saw from our lesson on the marketing environment there is a macro environment, and internal environment and the microenvironment. More specifically youll be at looking elements such as where a business is in terms of the current business cycle, and whether or not they are trading in a recession. SAB Millers marketers need to consider the state of a trading economy in the short and long-terms. This is especially true when planning for international marketing. You need to look at: 1. Interest rates. 2. The level of inflation Employment level per capita. 3. Long-term prospects for the economy Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, and so on. Sociocultural Factors The Sociocultural environment embodies everything which is social and cultural within a nation or society. There are plenty of examples of society and culture on the marketing teacher website, so we recommend that you go to our lesson store and look through some of the consumer behaviour pages. Some notable examples would include the influence of learning, memory, emotion and perception, motivation, lifestyle and attitude and consumer culture. Have a look at the six living generations in America, social environment and class, the impact of your birth order on how you behave as a consumer and take a look at the eight types of online shoppers. In a more general sense consider influences such as the increase in life expectation of Western consumers, and demographics which is the study of populations. The social and cultural influences on business vary from country to country. It is very important that such factors are considered. Factors include: 1. What is the dominant religion? 2. What are attitudes to foreign products and services? 3. Does language impact upon the diffusion of products onto markets? 4. How much time do consumers have for leisure? 5. What are the roles of men and women within society? 6. How long are the population living? Are the older generations wealthy? 7. Do the population have a strong/weak opinion on green issues? Technological Factors Technological factors are a multifaceted influencer. Lets just think about the sorts of technology that you come in touch with almost daily. Smart phones such as Android and iphone are now common – all – garden, and we are used to being able to access information and communication technology instantly no matter where we are. During studies or at work we have access to information on quick PCs and over the Internet, with faster broadband connections arriving in many parts of the world. Technology also surrounds business processes. As we saw from our lesson on the functions within an organisation all departments use information technology or technology in one form or another. Our manufacturing operations will use technology to produce goods and services. Our logistics and warehousing functions use forklifts and Lorries as well as order tracking technology and software. The customer service department will use communication technology to talk to customers but will also have access to internal systems, such as technology to simplify credit control and stock control for example. There are many, many more examples of technology. Technology is vital for competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. Consider the following points: 1. Does technology allow for products and services to be made more cheaply and to a better standard of quality? 2. Do the technologies offer consumers and businesses more innovative products and services such as Internet banking, new generation mobile telephones, etc? 3. How is distribution changed by new technologies e.g. books via the Internet, flight tickets, auctions, etc? 4. Does technology offer companies a new way to communicate with consumers e.g. banners, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), etc?