Investigate a given organisation to analyse its current position, Essay

Investigate a given organisation to analyse its current position, evaluate the strategic options available, and recommend the strategic route - Essay Example Besides the technology advancement, competition is rapidly increasing in almost every industry, and this could send some businesses into oblivion. In line with that, this paper seeks to analyse the current position, evaluate the strategic options and recommend the most appropriate strategic route for the Dyson Company. Founded in 1993 by James Dyson, Dyson Company is a UK-based firm, which specialises in the designing and subsequent manufacturing of heaters, bladeless fans, dryers and vacuum cleaners. Though based in the UK, the company extends it services to 80 other countries around the globe, and as of December 2013 the firm’s profit stood at a staggering  £800,000,000. It currently provides employment to over 5,000 people around the world 1.Innovation has been the key driver of this company as evidenced by the creation of Ballbarrow, an alternative wheel for wheelbarrows that James Dyson invented after finding it hard to use the then ordinary wheelbarrow. A business current position is judged through its various parameters including its values, unique selling point (USP) and market share. A business has to remain distinct among other competitors in order to remain not just afloat, but also ensure it achieves its goals. By offering a unique product, a firm sets itself above others; with values that correspond to the needs of people a firm attracts a list of clientele 2. Identifying the market where a firm belongs helps it in focusing on the same to ensure the clients are served properly. In the case of Dyson, the current position is that it is well positioned despite the presence of other players in the market. The above assertions are informed by the recent statistics, which show the firm’s growth increasing each year. For instance, in 2011 the firm’s profits increased by 8% followed by 30% in 2012 and there has no announcement of loss in the last two years either 1. Besides the profits increasing annually, the firm’s market share

Globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Globalisation - Essay Example Globalization is the process of moving towards a single-world society which has led to an increase in the economic activity in the world. For the purpose of this paper globalization would mean economic globalization which has been defined as the integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), through the flow of workers and flows of technology Bhagwati, 2004). Debates ensue but the benefits of globalization are established; however while globalization has many benefits it also has many negative effects as reflected in the poor standard of living in some nations. Globalization has also been viewed as the dominance of western economic and cultural interests over the rest of the world, as the perpetuation of inequality between the rich and the poor countries and region (Brinkman and Brinkman, 2002). This is because corporate power by the MNCs has been utilized for maximizing profits without social responsibility. Frankel ( 2006) agrees that globalization has intensified competition thereby reducing costs and enhancing quality; it has led to liberalization, deregulation and privatization and opened up capital markets. Frankel emphasizes that at the same time, globalization has undermined the economic prospects for millions around the world. The gap between the poor and the rich has increased as the benefits and costs of globalization are unevenly distributed across the world. Bhagwati believes that charges of hypocrisy, unfair trade practices and double standards against the rich nations are baseless and instigated by NGOs such as OXFAM. Such charges instigate protectionism by the developing countries which can only hurt their own prosperity. Bhagwati fails to recognize that nations that have opened up their economy and have not been protectionists may have registered high growth rates but this does not necessarily translate into poverty reduction, as stated by Akoum(2008). Growth and poverty reduction are the ultimate goals of efforts geared towards development but policies that concentrate on growth may only be looking at a part of the development problem. For instance, Latin America can be cited as a model of trade openness but in terms of standards of living, the results are abysmal. This conforms to the standard economic model, as pointed out by Singer (2004, p92) which suggests that no one’s economic welfare can be improved without reducing the welfare of at least one another person. Unconstrained globalization can no doubt lead to economic efficiencies but the ruling elite have to ensure overall welfare. At the same time due to cost efficiencies, when world production shifts to countries that do the poorest jobs, efficiency is adversely affected. This occurred when the US shifted jobs to Mexico as a result of free trade; this resulted in increase in salaries in Mexico but adversely affected incomes in the United States (Singer, 2004, p78). The drivers of globalizati on include efforts to reduce transportation and communication costs by the private sector and efforts towards reduction of trade and policy barriers by the public sector (Frankel, 2006). Finding a strong connection between poverty and globalization, Singer (2004) asserts that technological upgradation has taken place in developing nations but

Effects of Climate Change on the Middle East

Effects of Climate Change on the Middle East The Effects of Climate Change on the Middle East The Middle East is going to experience a very tough patch in the coming years, with Climate Change threatening basic life, political tensions dividing countries and the economy relying on depleting oil reserves. Of course this is not true for the whole region but mealy a vague overview and this is what this essay aims to look at in more depth. Global climate change is predicted to have many effects across the face of the earth, some of which can be seen right now. The Middle East is one of the most water scarce places on Earth. A person living in this region only has access to â€Å"1,200 cubic meters of water per year, compared with the average of about 7,000 cubic meters worldwide†. As temperatures rise due to anthropogenic climate change, evaporation rates will also rise, leading to reduced output from any surface water storages (reservoirs and rivers). The first effect will be water shortages hitting agriculture as there will be lack of water to feed crops, then ordinary lower class civilians with basic jobs will also feel the impact of water shortages. The result would cause crop failure and lead to starvation as basic local food becomes scarce (Saudi Arabia is nearly self sufficient in wheat but without water crops will be lost). Food prices will rocket as they have to import more to meet the demand. This has already been seen as two recent droughts in Iraq 1999/00 and 2000/01 caused non-irrigated wheat production to decrease by 90%. Exports of agricultural products will cease and over sea revenue will dwindle excluding the oil industry. This will lead to increased poverty across the region. Lack of available jobs and poverty mixed together with food and water scarcity may push people to extreme political groups as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, thus making stable regions ticking time bombs. The lack of available drinking water would embark on people finding other sources which could distort their health increasing cholera and other water born diseases, as countries in the Middle East do not have well developed sewerage systems outside of main cities and that people relieve themselves where ever possible⠁ ´. This pressure puts immense strain on services such as the health service, but also on the government as citizens will be demanding action, raising political tensions. The government could respond by importing more water at a financial cost but also an environmental one. By importing water you require transport. Pipe lines are expensive and time consuming to build, so short term solutions will include the transportation of water by either lorry or ship, into the country either from Asia or Europe. This method releases even more COâ‚‚ and acts as a positive feedback towards climate change, so is not a suitable method as it leads to even greater water scarcity. Aquifer sources are already under serious depletion in this region⠁ ¸ and as the demand increases it will require more to be abstracted, which means improvements in technology will be made so that more water can be pumped to the surface at a faster rate. However it will have devastating consequences such as subsidence or saline water intrusion which will be just as serious. Subsidence is already occurring in western Saudi Arabia due to over abstraction of groundwaterand that the majority of the water supplies are retrieved from non-renewable water with only a small percentage coming from internally renewable sources. The West Bank and Gaza are in a much more comfortable situation compared to Saudi as they have much more internally renewable water but that does not exempt them from a water crisis. Of Gazas available sources of water, only 5-10% is potable due to contamination. The diagram above shows that the Middle East (especially Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria) has a very high stress for water availability. Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in desalination plants with money from the oil industry but is still struggling to cope with demand. The country is now abstracting from â€Å"underground supplies in its east province reducing the agriculture and water availability of Qatar and Bahrain†Ã¢  ¸ and the annual recharge rate is a mere 0-5mm⠁ µ. This climate in Saudi Arabia is predominantly arid and semi arid but temperature extremes can be found at the Najd high Plateau with very hot summers and bitter cold winters. The coastal region experiences a slightly less harsh climate due to the Red Sea. The mean annual rainfall for this region is very worrying already (see diagram below) without the predicted impacts of climate change. The diagram also highlights that large areas are unable to cultivate crops without heavy irrigation which leads back to the political tensions arising over abstraction of underground water supplies and reduced output of crops. As you can see Turkey and the North West of Iran have much wetter climates but this could all change. Precipitation is expected to shift in the negative direction around the Middle East as shown in diagram from the IPCC Technical Paper leading to a decline in soil moisture content which increases daytime temperatures⠁ ´. Countries on the northern side, for example Turkey, are expected to bit hit hard due to their reliance on rivers and surface water storages. Turkeys average annual rainfall fluctuates depending on the area. Coastal regions experience 668mm per year, but central regions can get as low as 382mm per year. Large drops in annual rainfall could cause serious droughts as rivers and surface storages dry up leading to consequences highlighted earlier in this essay. Precipitation extremes will become more frequent due to climate change in this area, which would vastly increase the chances of flooding around the Jordan River as well as leading to serious soil erosion by rain splash. The sheer volume of precipitation will cause channels Climate Change and Water and gullies to form, washing the soil and sediments into water bodies. In turn it could reduce potable water even more so due to contamination as synthetic fertilisers and nutrients are washed out of soilsas well as having the effect of increasing turbidity. Predicted increases of runoff in the northern region of the Middle East will not help matters. Eutrophication is a major consequence leading to a decline in aquatic life as the excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) enter a water body and cause an algae bloom. This blocks sunlight from reaching bottom dwelling photosynthesising organisms which results in them dying. Zooplankton which feed on algae also live and hide amongst the lower photosynthesising organisms so their population will decline rapidly promoting algae growth to increase further (predator prey relationship). The algae have a high turnover rate (high growth and high death rates) and the dead algae are decomposed by respiring organisms which uses the oxygen up. This has been noted in the Keban Dam in eastern Anatolia. Pollutants like those leaked from the oil industry would have detrimental effects on the surrounding plant and wildlife with increased runoff, ultimately leading to decreasing biodiversity and the loss of environmentally sensitive areas along the Red Sea coast line. Coastal regions are also becoming under immense stress and are extremely vulnerable to increases in sea level. The table taken from The Impact of Sea Level indicates the overall effects of increases in 1m sea level changes across the Middle East and North Africa. A 1m increase would cause 24,000 sq km to be impacted which is a huge amount but the only country to be largely affected by this is Qatar. Around 13% is predicted to be impacted with a 5m increase ²Ã‚ ². This will cause mass displacement of people, forcing migration of people living close to the coast. Their quality of life will be directly affected as would the standard of living unless governments intervened and relocated them in permanent locations. If not, refugee camps will be a large regional problem. A Comparative Analysis 5% of UAEs population will experience the consequences of a 1m rise but 10-15% will be exposed to further increases. Qatars GDP will suffer greatly (10%) leading to further money deficit problems, and unable to counter the consequences of climate change and increased sea level ²Ã‚ ². The country will fall to outside help but whether it receives it is another matter. The population and economy are not the only victims of climate change. Precious wetlands will be lost in the Middle East around coastal countries like Qatar, Kuwait and UAE. With a 1m rise in sea level over 20% of Qatars wetlands will be affected which is alarming as they are essential for bird and invertebrate diversity. Populations are very small and are very vulnerable to slight changes. The red sea is home to a large variety of coral reefs. The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not only causing increasing temperatures and sea levels, but also the sea to become more acidic. These three effects are having direct impacts of precious coral reefs around the world. Coral structures are being weakened by carbonic acids reacting with their skeletons due to the acidification of the sea, making them more prone to damage. What is more alarming is corals chose a habitat with a very limited tidal range. With increasing sea levels There will be catastrophic social and economic consequences due to anthropogenic climate change. The social classes are already distorted in the third world oil exporting countries. The poor do not benefit from the oil revenues directly and it often has the effect of bringing about authoritarian and repressive regimes. Saudi Arabia owns 20% of the worlds oil reserves and is also the main producer of crude oil, with an estimated production of 10.72 million barrels a day. This is a huge over sea revenue generator and without it Middle Eastern countries like Saudi, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates would find it very difficult to develop as huge investments in infrastructure are needed. With increasing worry about serious climate change, many things are bound to happen in the near future. The first prediction is that MEDCs stop buying oil completely due to worldwide cooperation against climate change (which is extremely unlikely as no main alternative for the transport sector has been fully developed and applied on a large scale⠁ ´ let alone countries committing to such ‘risky deals). Alternatively large COâ‚‚ cuts may be sanctioned and oil will fall to this. The UK has agreed to 80% emission cuts by 2050. The hypothetical reason behind this is that as climate change becomes more rooted in politics, more action will be taken. Eventually oil will run out anyway and some governments in the coming century may take the first leap for their countries and find ways to live entirely on renewable resources. This would be devastating for Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates as oil exports are their biggest revenue generator. Saudi Arabias eco nomy revolves around oil, â€Å"the petroleum sector accounts for roughly 80% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly 6.4 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, particularly in the oil and service sectors†, the countries with their biggest reliance on oil in their economy is highlighted in the diagram above, and out of the top five, four of them are situated in the Middle East with nearly 97% related to oil. If countries stop buying this oil, then the demand will dramatically drop leading to a vast decrease in the price of a barrel of oil (simple supply and demand economics), a decrease in $1 per barrel would lose $3.4billion in revenue. This will lead to decreased public spending on projects like motorways, airports and hospitals, but the whole crude oil industry could be vulnerable to total collapse if a worldwide embargo was set to stop the use of crude oil. Saudi citi zens benefit from not paying taxes due to the shear flow of capital from the oil industry but without it, life will become much harder. It would have direct effects on employment; although oil exporting countries are trying to diversify their economy before it is too late, showing that there is a concern over the coming future. As the public spending dwindles, development will start to cease. The infrastructure will not improve as large amounts of revenue needed cannot be found and unemployment rates will sky rocket, even though unemployment rates are the highest in the world already at 13.2%. Standard of life will drop significantly as well as quality of living. This is where the most social consequences will be seen as education will be in jeopardy as will health and well being. If schools cannot be built then children are denied of learning which vastly decreases the chances of a higher skilled job and lowers literacy rates. As road building slows down, trade will be limited as i t requires vast networks which are not fully installed in the more rural areas. In result foreign investors will be put off, and agricultural trade will be limited to local markets⠁ ´. Tourism will be greatly affected by the changing climate, political tensions and rising concerns over food and water security. â€Å"The Middle East totalled 46 million international tourist arrivals and continues to be one of the tourism success stories of the decade so far, despite ongoing tensions and threats† in 2007. This is leading to a vast increase in pressure but is also fuelling the diversification of the economy. Hotels are struggling to cope with numbersand the indication of extreme events does not seem to be slowing the average annual growth of 9.3% ³Ã¢  ´. The tourism industry will be ruined by any such event mentioned previously due to the reputation of the area; but does deeply depend on how the governments handle the situations. If the countries in this region act now by carefully managing scare non-renewable water supplies as well as energy usage and keeping cooperation between countries going they stand a good chance of adapting to the effects of anthropo genic climate change. Investing in the local economy would benefit the region as a whole, by providing more jobs and help areas to develop which would otherwise be left on their own to cope with the changes. In conclusion it is clear that climate change will have enormous effects on this region of the world, ranging from the social distortion from dwindling unemployment rates to the increase in precipitation extremes leading to soil desertification. 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AL-HARTHI,http://www.springerlink.com/content/k24237u861k4rwh2/fulltext.pdf Date accessed 14-01-2010 Gazas Water Supply Near Collapse, Mel Frykberg, http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/09/17-7 Date accessed 14-01-2010 Aquifers in the Middle East Region, Shaminder Puri Ralf Klingbeil http://www.geopotenzial-nordsee.de/nn_459046/EN/Themen/TZ/TechnZusammenarb/Politikberatung__GW/Downloads/pbgw__puri,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.pdf/pbgw_puri.pdf Date accessed 14-01-2010 Climate of SaudiArabia, December 1992, http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/aneplacesgeography/qt/ClimSaudiArabia.htm Date accessed 14-01-2010 http://maps.linefeed.org/regional/middle_east/middle_east_rainfall_1973.jpg Date accessed 27-12-2009 BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3754520.stm#top Date accessed 14-01-2010 Turkeys Climate Regions, http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/WhenToGo/ClimaticRegions.html Date accessed 14-01-2010 Changes in Temperature and Precipitation Extremes in the IPCC Ensemble of Global Coupled Model Simulations, VIATCHESLAV V. KHARIN, FRANCIS W. ZWIERS, XUEBIN ZHANG, GABRIELE C. HEGERL, http://ams.allenpress.com/archive/1520-0442/20/8/pdf/i1520-0442-20-8-1419.pdf Date accessed 14-01-2010 Effect of extreme rainfall events on the water resources of the Jordan River, Rana Samuels, Alon Rimmer, Pinhas Alpert, July 2009, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg_imagekey=B6V6C-4WNRK7S-1-R_cdi=5811_user=486651_orig=search_coverDate=09%2F15%2F2009_sk=996249996view=cwchp=dGLbVtb-zSkzVmd5=def4e3d16a3559b93c6763ed0353c362ie=/sdarticle.pdf Date accessed 18-01-2010 Technical Paper :Climate Change and Water, http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/presentations/briefing-bonn-2008-06/observed-projected-changes%20.pdf Date accessed 14-01-2010 Indices of precipitation extremes in Southern Portugal a geostatistical approach, R. Durao, M. J.Pereira1, A. C.Costa, J. M.Cˆorte-Real, and A. 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Yurteri, August 1996, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg_imagekey=B6VBS-3SWJMJ2-M-3_cdi=5934_user=486651_orig=search_coverDate=04%2F15%2F1997_sk=999029998view=cwchp=dGLbVzz-zSkWbmd5=48bf35a8ccce93e5d25cbc0d67be5c64ie=/sdarticle.pdf Date accessed 17-01-2010 Oil spills effects on the environment, http://archives.chennaionline.com/science/environment/oilspills.asp, Date accessed 17-01-2010 http://www.unep.ch/regionalseas/main/persga/samb6.pdf Date accessed 21-01-2010 The Impact of Sea Level Rise on Developing Countries: A Comparative Analysis, Susmita Dasgupta, Benoit Laplante, Craig Meisner, David Wheeler and Jianping Yan, February 2007, http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/IW3P/IB/2007/02/09/000016406_20070209161430/Rendered/PDF/wps4136.pdf Date accessed 18-01-2010 QATAR, INTRODUCTION, Abdul Aziz Al-Midfa and Robert Nation, http://www.wetlands.org/RSIS/WKBASE/MiddleEastDir/QATAR.htm Date accessed 17-01-2010 Finding Corals Ideal Environment, http://serc.carleton.edu/images/eslabs/corals/coral_reef_distribution.jpg Date accessed 18-01-2010 Top World Oil Producers, Exporters, Consumers, and Importers, 2006, http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0922041.html Date accessed 16-12-2009 Central Intelligence Agency, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, November 2009, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sa.html Date accessed 13-01-2010 Economics Basics: Demand and Supply, http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/economics3.asp Date accessed 13-01-2010 BBC ,Ben Thompson, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8144171.stm Date accessed 13-01-2010, Industrial diversification lifts off in Saudi Arabia, http://www.ameinfo.com/65654.html Date accessed 13-01-2010 Rates are Highest in the Middle East http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=108subsecID=900003contentID=254026 Date accessed 21-01-2010 Vulnerability to Climate Change in the Middle East, http://www.arabenvironment.net/archive/2009/11/969153.html Date accessed 18-01-2010 UPDATE ON TOURISM STATISTICS, http://www.tourism.go.ke/ministry.nsf/doc/Facts%20%20figures%202007.pdf/$file/Facts%20%20figures%202007.pdf Date accessed 21-01-2010 iddle Eastern Tourism Analysis, 01 May 2007, http://www.tourism-review.com/top_weekly_full.php?id=305 Date accessed 21-01-2010

Of Mice and Men :: essays research papers

John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men in an effort to illustrate the social limitations imposed upon the working class during the Great Depression era by creating various characters who shared one common dream, the â€Å"American Dream,† Steinbeck dramatized on one individual level, the life of the protagonist, George, the grueling struggles and sanguine dreams of an entire social class of people Poet Robert Burns once said, â€Å"The best laid plans of mice and men gang oft a-glae,† Steinbeck parallels this quote with the ill-fated dreams of iterant workers. Delving into the mind of George, Steinbeck exposes his yearning desire to be on his own and his conflicting desire to remain guardian of Lennie and follow their dream. George recognizes that without Lennie’s companionship their dreams will never suffice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George, one of the two protagonists of the novel, provides insight into the psyche of a member of the working class during the destitute 1930s. Like all migrant workers during this time period he has a dream, the central theme of the novel, to â€Å"live offa the fatta the lan† and have his own place. Unfortunately, this dream is unrealistic, living in an oppressive society which views him as a nonentity and confines him to the ranch and bunkhouse, a symbol Steinbeck utilizes to represent drastic limitation, he knows his dream is in vain. George’s dream is ironically barred by his relationship with Lennie, his burly companion who suffers from mental disabilities, and often wonders what it would be like without Lennie. He would be free of all obligations and able to go out with the guys, drink and spend his money. He often blames Lennie for depriving him from activities such as these. Despite his desire to be on his own, George realizes that life with out Lennie would be meaningless. George’s desire for freedom constantly conflicts with necessity of Lennie’s friendship in an otherwise bleak world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The affectionate companionship between George and Lennie is unusual among single, white migrant workers. The arrogance and selfishness of other workers on the ranch, reinforces the importance of the friendship George and Lennie uphold throughout the novel. The friendship between George and Lennie replaces desolation is experienced by many of the workers. Their friendship also allows them to sustain their dream, which remains alive through their conversation. George tells Lennie, the story of their dream so often that even a smart-minded worker like George comes to believe it.

Marketing Planning & Strategy – Nestle

BHO3435: MARKETING PLANNING & STRATEGY INTRODUCTION TO STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN: ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS Prepared by: Sarah Aljenfawi Bashayer S. Kout Fatimah Rawan Membership of Reporting Body: – Environmental Analysis – Market & Customer Analysis – Competitive Analysis – Internal Analysis 1. Membership of Reporting Body: In response to the assessment our group has mutually agreed to investigate the strategic operations of the Boost Juice. The team is composed of four members. Each member has been allocated a specific scope to investigate further as listed below: †¢ Environmental Analysis: Market & Customer Analysis: †¢ Competitive Analysis: †¢ Internal Analysis: 2. Aim of Report: 3. Background and Context: I. Brief Description of Industry: Nestle is a multinational company based in Switzerland. Nestle operates in food industry. In 1905, Nestle was formed as a result of a merger between a Swiss and English company which was established in 18 66. Initially, Nestle started to offer condensed milk formula and milk related products to customers (Nestle, 2013). Later on, it expanded its offerings to other food related items.Gradually, Nestle grew and made significant success stories. In the First World War and also in Second World War, Nestle expanded its products to other countries. The company produces snack and health related products. The head quarter of Nestle is in Vevey. In terms of revenues, Nestle is the largest food company of the world. The objectives of Nestle are to become leader in Health and Wellness and nutrition. In addition to this, the company also aims to be trusted by other stakeholders regarding its business and financial performance.Nestle offers wide range of products and services. The portfolio of company covers all categories of food and beverages industry. The aim of Nestle is to provide healthy eating and drinking experience to customers so that they can enjoy every stage of their life. In 2010, N estle offered a Nestle Cocoa Plan which aimed at provision of 38 plantlets to farmers to help them to rejuvenate productivity of their farms. In 2011, Nestle became the first company which made a partnership with Fair Labor Association (Nestle, 2013).Through this partnership, Nestle helped to investigate child labor practices in the cocoa farms which supply raw materials in its factories. II. Brief Description of Company: The industry analysis of food and beverages suggests that there will be significant growth in future. The global food and beverages industry composes different sectors which include food production, distribution, marketing, retailing and catering. Since 2009, global food and beverages industry has surpassed the total value of $5. trillion. In the economic growth of every country, this industry is one of the significant contributors. It is expected that by 2014, global food and beverages industry will grow at the rate of 3. 5% and will achieve value of $7 trillion ( Business Vibes, 2013). In 2008, food product sector had value of $3. 2 trillion. This industry included agriculture sector products. It is expected that by the end of 2013, the value of this sector will reach to $4 trillion (Business Vibes, 2013).The beverages sector of global food and beverages industry consisted products such as soft drinks, spirits, ciders, beers and wines. This industry accounted for $1. 4 trillion in 2008. It is expected that by the end of 2013, this industry will reach at $1. 6 trillion. This generates a growth rate of 2. 6% in beverages sector (Business Vibes, 2013). The growth trends in global food and beverages industry suggest that there is great opportunity of further investment in this industry.This growth rate is also reflected in the consuming power of customers. New companies can achieve substantial share from market in this growth phase period of global food and beverages industry. On the other hand, existing firms in global food and beverages indust ry can also expand their businesses. III. Key trends affecting the industry According to Nestle’s annual report for the year 2010, it has shown that several trends have occurred and caused a major impact on the food industry in general and Nestle in particular.Whereas, the recession that has happened in the year 2009 has caused a major decline in the economic growth for almost all of the businesses and especially in Nestle, which also has led to an increase in the unemployment rate. Therefore, the company’s economic environment has continued to be ambiguous in the year 2010, and that would basically has led to an inflation period regarding the business’s raw materials, as well as currency instability in the mentioned year. (Consolidated Financial Statements, 2010)Although the world’s economic crisis presence in the year 2009, however, Nestle has experienced its strongest growth by the final quarter of that year, and that mainly gave Nestle a great opportu nity to enter the industry with their maximum power. Furthermore, with the company being motivated and be able to perform with its best has remained consistent throughout the year, even in the end of the year 2010 when almost all of the businesses were suffering and trying to recover from the world economic crisis.Thus, Nestle has entered the year 2011 with great energy and was able to put themselves together and perform with their best, As Nestle has stated: â€Å"this will help us to manage the challenges? that we face and to take full advantage of our opportunities to drive? better performance and enhance shareholder value. † (Consolidated Financial Statements, 2010). IV. Key industry success factors â€Å"Key success factors have a share in enabling a company to differentiate itself from its competitors and to offer a ‘unique selling proposition’ to customers or consumers†. Batra, Myers and Aaker 1996; Ketelhohn 1998). 4. Statement of problem to be inv estigated References Nestle, 2013. History. Available at: http://www. nestle. com/aboutus/history Assessed on 17th March, 2013 Business Vibes, 2013. Available at: http://www. businessvibes. com/blog/facts-and-figures-global-food-and-beverage-industry Assessed on 17th March, 2013 Batra, R, J G Myers and D A Aaker (1996), Advertising Management. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall

Psychological Impact of Socio-Political Factors Essay

A society is composed of distinct cultures which identifies itself from others. The cultures of societies are distinct and people’s lives are usually patterned from prevalent traditions, practices and beliefs within that culture. Culture could be held responsible in the upbringing of an individual. People continuously conform on the dynamic culture of the society as they adhere on the norms, practices and values. Culture is an ever-changing feature of a society and incessantly develops and redefines attributes based on lifestyles and conditions. It is influenced by various factors that create sustained tight cultures. This will further result on the variations in cultures of a global society. We attribute cultural differences in its historical and ecological context. Socio- political factors also influenced our culture. These factors influence psychological appendages of an individual. As world trade and globalization are greatly emphasized, interaction across culture is increased and cultural diversity becomes a hindrance to fully achieve its objectives. Socio-political factors are in many forms and are inherently embedded in culture. These factors play significant role in molding the identity of a particular society. Socio-political factors are founded based on our beliefs and values and our behavioral tendencies and they were accustomed in our daily lives (Schneider, 2004). Stereotyping There were so many social groups in every country and it makes that particular nation a diverse geographic area. We could easily picture a collage of the various social groups but we could fail to include the real identities and configurations of these social groups (Stangor & Schaller, 1996). We may generate a statement on the perception of the characteristics and utilized it to describe the whole group. For example, Germans are hot-tempered and African Americans are rowdy. This process of thought depicts the conventional definition of stereotypes in social psychology, in which stereotypes are regarded as the main picture portraying the totality or the representation of a particular group of individuals. Stereotyping could also exist in the minds of the persons who are being stereotyped (Stangor & Schaller, 1996). Stereotyping is a type of socio-political factor where we categorized people based on our beliefs. Perception plays a large part in the social context. Stereotyping is how we perceive people as established by a particular circumstance. In the course of time, stereotypes are considered synonymous to certain constructs that is ordained in the study of stereotypes. Stereotypes are considered as products of categorization, labels, schemas- these constructs tend to overlap each other for they were closely related (Schneider, 2004). Stereotypes is a result of our behavior towards others, it also affect our behavioral patterns toward different kinds of people. There is a substantial participation of group members in fostering stereotyping in people. Shared experiences suggested that stereotypes grew impliedly when members of a particular group perceived a certain category on the other group of individuals (Schneider, 2004). We think in-groups and out-groups as natural phenomena and we perceive them differently. Categorization of groups evolved into stereotyping. Stereotyping could render negative implications, this includes depriving opportunities to the persons being stereotyped based solely on the biased belief of the one assessing them. Stereotyping could be an individual problem and shall consider that it is not a shared knowledge, but when the perception was common in all members of the community; its effects become more noxious because it affects the whole society in the same way (Stangor & Schaller, 1996). Stereotyping, therefore, could be looked at two perspectives. It could exist in the person’s mind, as representations of a person’s beliefs and values. It could also be viewed as a piece of society’s social fabric, a part of a larger scale of commonly shared perception of social groups (Stangor & Schaller, 1996). It becomes a question if the existence of social reality is individualized or dwell as a shared understanding. The particular distinction between the two lies mainly in the assumed relevance of this common knowledge and its importance and impacts on the lives of each individual within the social group (Stangor & Schaller, 1996). Racism Stereotyping could evolve into other socio-political factors that may render detrimental effects. Racism can be widely utilized in everyday life. The concept of racism is negatively burdened, injected with political and moral descriptions. Therefore, claiming someone to be a racist is considered as inappropriate and even immoral. The definition is inclined for connoting political abuse. The definition also offers significance in the field of academics and raise political and moral argumentation (Miles & Brown, 2003). Racism is the generalized body of information, real or imaginary, pertaining to a person or group of individual that render benefits or gain on the racist and expense on the one being judged (Memmi et al. , 1999). Racism is the mistreatment of people based on their race. We all belong in a particular race, human race. This resulted from the inequality in the social structures and configurations. It is also a product of inequitable and unequal stratification of economic, political and social means (Sherover-Marcuse, 2000). Racism is defined improperly. There is no established definition for racism, if we would think philosophically, if racism is defined as morally and politically undesirable. There must be a shared understanding on why it is unacceptable. the definition could not established a concrete criteria on whether an account is racist or not. Utilizing the existing definition, we could be all racists. If the broad definition will be adhered, then it impliedly says that American people are all racists (Miles & Brown, 2003). Sometimes the description on the person being discriminated is inaccurate and they were being judged based on their color and cultural identity. Thus, it result to social empowerment of the racists and the judgments were passed into concurrent society that affects everyone (Sherover-Marcuse, 2000). Sexism Another socio-political factor that becomes a major dilemma in the society is the concept of sexism. Sexism directs us in the delving into gender studies, but it is a critical issue for it deals with a lot of aspects of gender inequality. Sexism is the inherent belief of the superiority of a particular sex over the other and therefore claims the right to be dominant in society (Curry, 1995). This will lead us in perceiving that in conventional society male is dominant over the female specie. This is evident in our history books and even in the holy scriptures of religions. Most of the messages were addressed to males. The dominance of males connotes the inferiority of females and the deprivation of prerogatives and rights enjoyed by the other sex. Many uprisings of the women sectors have been accounted in history in attempt in obtaining liberation and equality in treatment and opportunities. For example, the acquisition of suffrage is a pivotal event in women’s history and the ability to participate in major economic and political activity was celebrated by women in the society. Although there are claims that sexism no longer exists in our society. We could say that it is impliedly manifested through various of means. There were still claims in mistreatment in the workplace and females were not given equal opportunities. Mass media greatly contributes in reinforcing the concept of sexism through the portrayals of women in ads and programs depicting the traditional concept of women as inferior, weak, dependent and as home providers. There is a lack of portrayal of the emerging female specie- dynamic, strong and nurturing. Psychological Impact These socio-political factors have an undeniable psychological impact to a culturally diverse individual. Each person was raised in a society with inherent culture established that distinguished the group of individuals to other group of individuals. Every one of us is composed of layers of cultural learning ascribed or acquired that make up the totality of our individuality. These layers of cultural teachings were acquired through various influences. Every individual was shaped ethnicity, race, religion, education, profession, organization and parents. These attributes are the primary factors that affect the formation of the individuality of a person. One’s gender, peers, family and origin are also vital in redefining the one’s cultural identity (Gardenswartz & Rowe, 1998). Because we acquired our cultural teachings in different sources we are programmed differently and were reared heterogeneously. Therefore our individual differences make us culturally diverse. The socio-political factors aforementioned could be well-explained and examined under the specific branch of psychology- Evolutionary Psychology. This new branch of psychology is focused on establishing explanations on mental and psychological traits of individuals. There is a growing symbiotic and significant relationship between environmental and social psychology. Evolutionary theory is slowly infiltrate social psychology researchers. Evolutionary psychology examines new frontiers with specialty, like the socio-political factors mentioned above (Perilloux & Webster, 2008). It was argued that these factors shaped a person’s psychological mechanisms. It was stated that the concept of self do not exist but it was layers of psychological mechanisms (Perilloux & Webster, 2008). These socio-political factors discussed above are somehow interconnected with each other. Stereotyping could render significant psychological impacts in the upbringing of an individual. They may obtain wrong information about persons they stereotyped. For stereotypical roles, though shared by a lot of people could not be regarded as true. Stereotyping will reflect implicit behavioral comments like that there are roles more appropriate for men and women. This will create a general perception that some roles are only intended for a particular sex and that the other could not offer strong decisions and capabilities in participating in these certain fields (Swim et al. , 2001). This also indicates that men are better in male-dominated fields (Swim et al. , 2001). Due to the stereotypical roles and attributes being tagged to persons, they were undermined of their capabilities and capacities. It will also say that women are inferior and passive (Swim et al. , 2001), which is untrue about women nowadays. More women are participating in the fields dominated by male before and show exemplary performance in doing tasks. But the greatest implication would be an animosity for women (Swim et al. , 2001). Because of stereotyping, people will create an attitude towards the stereotyped individual.

The Landmark Intellectual Property Case Essays

The Landmark Intellectual Property Case Essays The Landmark Intellectual Property Case Essay The Landmark Intellectual Property Case Essay Essay Topic: Left To Tell This was the first major case to address the application of copyright laws to peer-to-peer file-sharing. Introduction Plaintiffs 1. Aamp;M Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group 2. Geffen Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group 3. Interscope Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group 4. Sony Music Entertainment 5. MCA Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group 6. Atlantic Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group 7. Island Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group . Motown Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group 9. Capitol Records, a subsidiary of EMI 10. LaFace Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment 11. BMG Music d/b/a The RCA Records Label, subsidiaries of Sony Music Entertainment 12. Universal Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group 13. Elektra Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group 14. Arista Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment 15. Sire Records Group, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group 16. Polygram Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group 17.Virgin Records America, a subsidiary of EMI 18. Warner Bros. Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group Defendant Napster, it provided a platform for users to access and download compressed digital music files, specifically MP3s, from other users machines. Legal Issues In 2000, Aamp;M Records along with 18 other record companies sued Napster. Under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Aamp;M accused Napster for contributory and vicarious copyright infringement. Rules amp; Principles Audio Home Recording Act Congress enacted the AHRA in 1992 in response to the advent of digital audio ape recording equipment and supplies entering the American market. The law imposed monetary duties on the equipment and supplies, but in exchange permitted noncommercial users to be protected from copyright infringement liability when they make copies of digital musical recordings or analog musical recordings. The court swiftly dismissed any argument that these protections could apply to the copies of MP3 files that Napster users make when they download files to their computers. The AHRA applies to the use of a digital audio recording device. Such a device may well include a computer, but the definition in the Copyright Act specifies about the device: the digital recording function of which is designed or marketed for the primary purpose of, and that is capable of, making a digital audio copied recording for private use. The court ruled that a computer and its hard drives do not have their primary purpose of making audio recordings. Moreover, the court- with no scrutiny of the statutory language- ruled that the sounds saved to a computer drive are not within the statutory definition of a digital music recording.Digital Millennium Copyright Act Congress enacted the DMCA in October 1998, and it is a lengthy and complex bill addressing numerous issues of copyright law and making many fundamental changes in the Copyright Act. One of those changes was the addition of provisions offering a safe harbor from liability for online serve providers that provide access to computer network systems on which a user may ultimately commit a copyright infringement. The DMCA holds the possibility of protecting Napster itself from liability for the infringements committed by its users.The appeals court agreed with Napster that the DMCA provisions could conceivably apply in this case. But the court outlined a series of questions that remained unresolved with respect to the parties’ compliance with the specific procedures in the code and whether Napster itself is a service provider within the meaning of the statute. The appeals court left these questions for the lower court to resolve at trial- should this case ever actually go to trial.With simple words Aamp;M accused Napster not of violating copyright itself, but of contributing to and facilitating other people’s infringement. Argument (Fair Use) The determination of whether or not an activity is within fair use depends on an application and balancing of four factors outlined in Section 107 of the Copyright Act: 1. The purpose of the use 2. The nature of the work being used 3. The amount of the work used 4. The effect of the use on the market for or value of the original work.Purpose of the Use The court found two reasons for determining that this factor does not favor fair use: the use of the music is not transformative, and the users of Napster stood to gain a commercial benefit which was found in repeated and exploitative copying the works, even if they are not offered for sale. In both instances, the analysis is weak and often flawed, but the court gave little hint that regardless of any adjustments in its approach it might be more sympathetic to the users.Nature of the Original Work The court ruled that because more creative works receive greater protection than fact-based works, and because the music al compositions and recordings are creative in nature, this second factor weighs against fair use. In light of a long series of recent court rulings reinforcing this premise, the court found little flexibility. The court held that this factor made little or no difference in the analysis, because a parody is possible of any type of work. Amount of the Work UseThe court found that Napster users engage in wholesale copying of entire works, which weighed against fair use. Effect on the Market The appeals court held that the use of Napster results in at least two forms of harm to the music industry: 1. The loss of sales of compact disks. 2. A heightened barrier to entry by the music industry into the market for electronic delivery of music. The court noted that market harm could include not merely damage to the present market, but also to future markets that the copyright owner may seek to exploit.Overall, the court gave little room for Napster to make a credible claim of fair use, havin g found rather summarily that all four of the factors weigh against fair use and in favor of infringement. Conclusion Napster still exists, but it operates under a new structure and new policy. Today Napster’s operations are both legal and ethical. To sum up with, I believe that Fanning’s idea for creating this software was innovative and highly creative.However it lacked the legal and ethical base it should have in order to successfully protect intellectual property rights of creators. Finally, I consider that Napster, as it functions today, not only protest these rights, but also promotes music itself and music industry since it gives the chance to users to listen numerous music samples which later, they can buy. At the same time they can access to older or rare songs that can’t be easily found. The important thing is that intellectual property rights of creators are respected and protected by all means, as they should.