Saturday, December 28, 2019

Coaching Theories and Models Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Having looked at the two theories, let’s now look at how the two theories contrast. Several similarities are evident from both theories. Firstly, there is a common position that the theories do lay a strong emphasis on performance. The essence of having an open ended approach in the contingency model is geared towards helping the manager to customize the needs of the employee to the coaching process so that they become more productive. On the other hand, the GROW approach takes into perspective the need to achieve goals; this is the reason why this theory too lays a strong emphasis on performance. Secondly, in both models the employee is not approached on what they should be doing but the focus is more on what they can do so that they can achieve the desirable futuristic results. The models do not look at the past in order in promote the future, but they mainly focus in the present and the future (Landsberg, 2003). Thirdly, they provide that the leader should be at a position of clarifying decisions to the employee. We will write a custom essay sample on Coaching Theories and Models or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page The coaching through the GROW model is based on the need to achieve specified goals while on the other hand, the contingency model is geared towards motivating the employees to achieving personal freedom while being coached to exhibit performance (Lapp & Carr, 2008). The contingency model fits perfectly on occasions where there is much respect between the coach and the employee. The respect makes the employee to be coached systematically while they act under their own discretion. Since they demonstrate respect to the coach, they will ensure that they meet what the coach requires of them. Another instance where this theory may be applicable is in any situation where the form of leadership of the organization is highly democratic or any other democratic scenarios.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Maternal And Child Health Health Delivery Systems

Maternal and Child Health Florida Atlantic Universi HSA3111: Health Delivery Systems Aleshia King Spring 2016 Table of Contents Introduction Introduction According to Kotch, J. (2005), Maternal and Child Health is the professional and academic field that focuses on the determinants, mechanisms and systems that promote and maintain health, safety, well-being and appropriate development of children and their families in communities and societies, in order to enhance the future health and welfare of society and subsequent generations. Maternal and Child Health is unified and disturbed by numerous issues. Pregnant women, mothers, and children experience illness-causing mortality, from health related†¦show more content†¦Maternal deaths are related to factors such as sepsis, unsafe abortions, postpartum hemorrhaging, and disease causing complication during pregnancy, Preeclampsia and HIV to name a couple. In the writers opinion maternal fatalities major cause is due to mother’s lack of prenatal care, lack of access to care, and lack of knowledge about programs offered to pregnant woman. The pregnant women lack of care leads to Newborn complications such as premature births accounting for about 35% on newborn deaths. A child not receiving the proper nutrition increases the vulnerability to new disease and progression of disease such as HIV/AIDs, pneumonia, diarrhea, and etc. Access to Healthcare Kaiser Family Foundation (2015), believes that the key intervention that reduce the risk maternal mortality include access to skilled birth and emergency obstetric care. Pregnant women and children are able to receive Healthcare coverage through Employee Sponsored Health Insurance, Children Health Insurance Programs, and Medicare Programs Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance (Group Health Insurance) is healthcare coverage in which the employer is responsible for a significant portion of the healthcare expenses. Employer-sponsored plans typically are able to include a range of plan options from HMP and PPO Plan to additional coverage such as dental, life, short- and long-term disability. Maternal health coverage is one of the health benefits that must be

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Bhopal free essay sample

This case was created by the International Dimensions of Ethics Education in Science and Engineering (IDEESE) Project at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with support from the National Science Foundation under grant number 0734887. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. More information about the IDEESE and copies of its modules can be found at http://www. mass. edu/sts/ethics.  © 2008 IDEESE Project. Bhopal Gas Disaster Chronology The timeline below documents the incidents leading up to and resulting from the 1984 Bhopal Plant Disaster. Use the key below to quickly find information on government measures relating to specific organizations, Indian national legislation, casualties, and economic conditions and profitability. A timeline documenting ensuing legislation can be found at the end of the main chronology. Key brown = central (India), state (Madhya Pradesh), or city (Bhopal) government measures relating specifically to UCC, UCIL, Bhopal plant, or immediate neighborhood of plant green = general India national legislation relevant to conduct of business red = casualty-producing plant incidents violet = economic conditions relevant to Bhopal plant profitability ___________________________________________________________________________ UCIL= Union Carbide (India) Limited UCC= Union Carbide Corporation 956 Indian Parliament adopts Companies Act of 1956 which requires affiliates of foreign companies to register as separate companies under Indian law and imposes limits on foreign investment and participation in all Indian companies. Union Carbide reduces its share of ownership in its Indian subsidiary (then called National Carbon Company (India) Limited from 100% to 60% in accordance with new Indian law by registering as an Indian company and selling shares to Indian citizens. All but one or two UCIL board members, all UCIL executives, and all regular or seasonal employees are Indian nationals. 1966 Indian market for fertilizers and pesticides is expanding as government adopts a range of policies, including efforts to increase yields and reduce post-harvest losses of crops to pests, to make India self-sufficient in food. India had depended heavily on outside food aid in earlier part of the decade, and government wished to end this. The domestic production of pesticides in 1966 is 14,000 metric tonnes, well short of what the government wants to supply to farmers. Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) establishes a new Agricultural Products Division to take advantage of growing Indian market for fertilizers and pesticides. Initial activity involves only local formulation (diluting â€Å"technical grade† concentrate to make products for sale to users). UCIL applies for license to carry out the whole production process in India. 2 of 19 1968 Government of India approves UCIL plans to build fertilizer/pesticide formulation plant in Bhopal. State of Madhya Pradesh leases land in the Kali Parade area of Bhopal for the plant to UCIL on a 99-year lease in an area zoned for industrial use. The area around plant is relatively unpopulated at time though there are two lakes nearby and the main Bhopal railroad station was about 2 miles from the plant site. Total population of City of Bhopal is estimated to be about 300,000 (the 1961 census put it at 102,000 but considerable in-migration from surrounding countryside had occurred). Adoption of India’s 4th five-year plan, to run 1969-74. Plan goals include reducing â€Å"unwholesome dependency on foreign agencies,† particularly foreign corporations. The Plan outlines goals of requiring foreign investors to enter into joint ventures rather than establish wholly-owned subsidiaries, and reaffirms requirements to train and employ Indian nationals at all levels of operation, to use made-in-India equipment and components whenever they are available, and to transfer technology to Indian affiliates. These requirements meant that the government was strongly interested in having chemical plants located within the country develop capacity to undertake all steps from raw material through intermediate chemicals through final product on-site rather than relying on imported intermediates. 969 Bhopal plant begins operating. Initial operations consisted of making raw fertilizer and formulating (diluting to usable strengths) pesticides with US-origin â€Å"technical grade† chemical concentrates. UCIL industrial chemists develop a method of producing alpha-napthol that UCIL anticipates being able to scale up to economically competitive prod uction volumes. UCIL is reconsidering its business plan as the large-scale making of alpha-napthol turns out to be more challenging than it anticipated. Government of India begins pressing UCC and UCIL to have UCIL plants shift from formulation using US-source chemicals to full production in India. It makes issuing an operating license for the Bhopal plant conditional on its using domestically-made alpha-napthol. Government of India establishes National Committee for Environmental Planning and Coordination. 1970 1972 1973 Indian Parliament adopts Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1973. Among other strong controls on flows of money in and out of India it establishes a scheme for government control over Indian firms’ decisions on hiring foreigners as employees or contractors. Indian Government approves UCC-UCIL Design Transfer Agreement and Technical Services Agreement under which UCC will provide the basic process design of a plant capable of producing SEVIN (a carbaryl pesticide used on cotton and other crops) and training for Indian operators of plant. Design Transfer Agreement limits UCC to provision of the process design and materials specification. Detailing the design and building the plant are to be undertaken by Indians nationals employed by or contracting with UCIL. Government also uses powers to license technology imports to guide selection of suppliers of components for plant to Indian firms as much as possible. 3 of 19 Engineers employed by UCIL who will be involved in plant design visit UCC Technical Center in West Virginia to earn about US plant specifications and start process of adapting them to India’s conditions. 1974 Indian Parliament adopts legislation requiring that Indian companies partly owned by foreigners reduce foreigners’ ownership share. For companies with 60% foreign ownership, the new legal maximum is 50. %. UCIL complies by the end of 1978 through sale of additional shares of stock offered only to Indians; these shares were held by 24,000 different persons or entities, with the Government of India itself holding 25% of UCIL stock. Indian Parliament adopts Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Acts. These establish the central government as the main standard-s etter while leaving enforcement to state governments. Both Acts increase penalties for causing pollution but do not specify any emissions or ambient standards. 975 New Master Plan for City of Bhopal establishes a separate district for â€Å"hazardous industry† in an open area 15 miles from center of town, and zone the area where UCIL’s plant has been constructed for commercial and light, non-hazardous, industry only. City authorities want UCIL to move its operations to this area. Indian Government licenses UCIL to produce up to 5,000 tons of carbaryl pesticides a year in Bhopal plant UCIL hires Humphreys and Glasgow Consultants Private Limited, an Indian subsidiary of Londonbased Humphreys and Glasgow, to detail the plant design and supervise construction. 976 Madhya Pradesh Town and Country Planning Board classifies the UCIL plant as â€Å"general industry† rather than â€Å"hazardous industry. † This allows plant to stay in its established location rath er than move to Bhopal’s new hazardous industry zone. Bhopal plant begins production of pesticides and begins $2. 5 million project to expand alphanapthol production unit to accommodate Sevin production. India hit by drought; farmers need loans from government to ride out the loss of harvests. They also cut back on pesticide purchases. 1978 Bhopal plant’s new alpha-napthol unit’s components fail soon after startup. 2 million reconstruction project begun. Production of pesticides continues using alpha-napthol imported from UCC’s US plants. 31 Oct 1977 4 of 19 UCC and UCIL decide to shift Bhopal plant to methyl isocyanite (MIC) process to produce SEVIN because parent UCC regarded this process as more economical and efficient than its previous way of producing it. New Bhopal MIC unit based on design of UCC’s MIC unit in Institute, West Virginia. (See separate page on alternative methods for production of SEVIN or similar carbamate pesticides. winter P rogress review of Bhopal project at UCC headquarters. Concerns about cost of building plant and reduced estimates of potential pesticide sales lead to consideration of whether Bhopal project can be scaled back. Decision is to continue as construction is too far advanced. Welding spark ignites nearby chemicals because welder unaware of and supervisor did not point out nearby flammables. Fire causes Rs. 6. 2 million ($730,000) in property damage, but no injuries to workers. 20 UCIL engineers sent to UCC’s West Virginia MIC plant for training in plant operation and safety. UCC engineers sent to India for pre-startup inspection of Bhopal plant report multiple deficiencies in safety measures. They also advise UCIL management of need to develop contingency plan for alerting and evacuating nearby population in event of major gas leak. UCIL management later reports it had developed such plans; city and state government officials claimed in 1984 that they were not aware of any such plans. UCC Eastern Division brings up question of Bhopal plant at a global strategy meeting because of concern that it, like Institute WV plant, is too large for the market. Proposals to export part of Bhopal plant’s production are not adopted because of potential negative effects on UCC subsidiaries in other countries. UCC sends 8 US engineers and technicians to Bhopal plant to assist with startup and early operation of MIC unit. 1980 Government loans to farmers come due. Farmers shift to less expensive pesticides. Many of the newer pesticides are synthetic pyrethroids that are also safer in Indian conditions than carbaryl types like Sevin. Indian Government upgrades National Committee for Environmental Planning to cabinet-level Department of Environment. Both national and most state governments (including Madhya Pradesh) have Pollution Control Boards to inspect and enforce environmental laws. March Government approves UCIL application to retain 1 UCC engineer through 31 May 1981; renews approval through 31 May 1982 and then to 31 December 1982. 7 of the 8 UCC engineers and technicians sent from West Virginia return home. The remaining engineer continues to serve as plant manager until June 1982, then remains as a consultant. 24 Nov 1978-79 1979 June 5 of 19 fall A second UCC engineer team visits the Bhopal plant and repeats warnings about ack of contingency plan. Rebuilt alpha-napthol unit started up; fails again and is shut down. Alpha-napthol imports continue. Bhopal plant returns a modest profit for the year. National census puts City of Bhopal population at 895,815. Significant populations of recent arrivals from the countryside have settled in shanty towns near UCIL plant. 1981 June UCIL/UCC review of Bhopal plant operation show s that the variable cost of producing alphanapthol in Bopal is 4x the US cost and the variable cost of producing SEVIN in Bhopal are 3. 5x US costs. UCC and UCIL are both aware that new-formula pesticides coming onto market in India and other countries are likely to reduce demand for SEVIN. UCC wants UCIL to import MIC from UCC plant in West Virginia; Government of India refuses permits because it wants the making of MIC undertaken in India. 24 Dec 1 supervisor and 2 workers exposed to phosgene leak during a maintenance operation; one of the workers dies from effects of phosgene inhalation. UCIL management says he was at fault for removing his gas mask; workers claim supervisors gave insufficient warnings. Accident reported to UCC; UCC response plan includes additional training and some design changes. 1982 uncertain 10 Feb Feb UCIL notes growth of shantytowns near the Bhopal plant and asks the city to establish a â€Å"greenbelt† zone around it to prevent further shantytown expansion. City does not act. 25 workers injured when a pump seal fails and significant quantities of MIC, phosgene, and hydrochloric acid gases escape into plant. Some treated on-site; 16 sent to local hospital Workers help a local journalist get into plant; he observes and writes about poor condition of plant and lax safety routines. Local newspaper publishes the story but its warnings that a massive leak is likely are ignored. India Labor Department investigates the Dec. 1981 fatal accident and recommends corrective measures. Bhopal plant is operating at less than half capacity because of weak market for its products. Local competitors making cheaper pesticides continue gaining market share. spring Either UCIL asks UCC to send engineering team to inspect plant, or UCC does on own initiative (accounts vary, usually consistently with author effort to show UCC was or was not in close control of plant during the post-disaster litigation). 6 of 19 2 April May 3 electricians suffer minor burns when one drops a screwdriver into an electrical panel and it shortcircuits. State inspectors recommend better insulation of circuits. UCC engineers inspect Bhopal plant, issue Operational Safety Survey on conditions in plant, warn there is real danger of a runaway reaction; suggest measures to avert danger UCIL management report s to UCC on follow-up, saying they will undertake all suggested measures, but do not act on the recommendation to increase the range of the firewater spraying system from 15 meters to 35 meters so it can reach the top of the MIC vent pipe. The last UCIL communication on followup, dated 26 June 1984, says all changes have been made except one to the SEVIN feed tank, which will be completed when the needed control valve is delivered in about a month. summer Jagannathan Mukund, Indian citizen trained at Institute WV plant, replaces US national Warren Woomer as plant manager. UCIL has to admit failure of efforts to scale up alpha-napthol production; alpha-napthol unit shut down as too unprofitable to run. Worker transfers begin. Aug Sept fall 6 Oct Splash of liquid MIC at plant injures a chemical engineer UCIL applies for extension of its Foreign Collaboration Agreement with UCC through December 1987 so it can continue importing alpha-napthol. Indian government approves UCIL application for renewal of Foreign Collaboration Agreement with UCC, but only to 1 Jan 1985. Leaks of MIC, hydrochloric acid, and chloroform injure 3 workers seriously enough to require brief hospitalization; 15 others less affected are given first aid at plant. Some panic in neighboring shantytown. State inspectors note several violations of normal operating procedures and recommend measures including red tags on equipment that should not be used. Labor unions complain to Madhya Pradesh Ministry of Labor about conditions in plant. Also begin occasional public demonstrations. Madhya Pradesh state labor ministry inspectors inspect plant but they are mechanical engineers with limited competence to assess safety of chemical plants. Labor Ministry officials do enter complaints with courts, but these will not be taken up for some time owing to long list of pending suits. Madhya Pradesh minister of labor says the plant is safe and berates opposition for its worries during question time in a December session of the state legislature. 31 Dec Warren Woomer, the last remaining American employee, leaves Bhopal plant. 7 of 19 1983 Various cost-cutting measures undertaken. Staff morale declines through the year as layoffs and resignations take effect. Experienced workers leave and are replaced by less experienced workers from other units of Bhopal plant or other UCIL plants. Madhya Pradesh State Pollution Control Board requires companies to declare what they are emitting into the air. UCIL declared carbon dioxide only, not the other gasses (including phosgene and MIC) that occasionally leak. Board lacks sufficient inspectors to follow up, even after animals die from drinking water from a stream just outside the plant polluted by fluid runoff from the plant. Sept. fall Dec. Chief of National Pollution Control Board visits plant area while in Bhopal. Orders UCIL to fix flaws in effluent evaporation pond that permit leaks onto adjacent land. UCIL complies. Proposal to salvage investment in Bhopal plant by converting part of it to produce new carbofuran pesticide and supply it to India and other markets are rejected as economically unfeasible by UCC. Jumper pipe connected between pressure valve header and relief valve header on MIC tanks to simplify maintenance. Bhopal plant manager Jagannathan Mukund given UCC safety award for operating 12 months without serious incident. 1984 Bhopal plant operating at 1/5 capacity owing to weak demand. Losses near $4 million since 1980. Successive reductions in personnel mean only 1 supervisor and 6 workers are present on each shift in the MIC unit (company guidelines state that the MIC unit should have 3 supervisors and 12 workers on each shift). Training of supervisors and workers has become less rigorous. April Madhya Pradesh government legalizes the shanty towns that have grown up just outside UCIL plant since 1978 by granting dwellers certificates of ownership of the land they occupy. Bhopal population estimated to be close to 900,000 and the shanty towns are notably larger than they had been in 1981. UCC approves UCIL proposals to write off the alpha-napthol unit, sell rest of Bhopal plant while retaining MIC unit, reduce UCC ownership share of UCIL to 40% so UCIL can be more independent. Neither the UCC share reduction nor the plant sale had been carried out by December. May June or July Bhopal Town Planning Board lists 18 factories as â€Å"obnoxious† and therefore to be monitored particularly carefully. UCIL’s Bhopal plant was not included on the list. Sept UCIL engineers inspect plant, report to UCIL top management that 1) gas scrubber is functioning poorly, 2) there are poor communication between plant production and maintenance staff, 3) workers lack instruction on what do in event of runaway reaction, 4) safety meetings are held only half as often as specified in company rules. 8 of 19 UCC engineers survey MIC plant in Institute, West Virginia. They report concerns about some aspects of plant operation there and possibility of a runaway reaction in the MIC storage tanks (larger than the tanks installed in the Bhopal plant). Oct UCC considers idea of dismantling Bhopal plant and shipping equipment to Brazil or Indonesia. Asks UCIL to draw up feasibility study and cost estimates. UCIL reports back 29 Nov. Question of what to do is pressing because the plant will have no source of alpha-napthol when UCIL’s Foreign Collaboration Agreement with UCC expires on 1 Jan 1985. 7-22 Oct Remaining phosgene and methylamine stocks at Bhopal plant are used up in making a last batch of MIC. 42 tons are put into Tank E610; about 20 tons into Tank E611. UCIL plan is to withdraw it a ton at a time In November and December and react it with alpha-napthol to produce SEVIN. The storage tanks are isolated and the MIC production unit is shut down for maintenance after the batch is finished; MIC unit production workers are assigned to other tasks. 31 Oct Curfew imposed in Bhopal after inter-communal riots sparked by news Sikh guards had assassinated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Plant activities curtailed for several weeks because curfew affects ability of second shift to leave work and of third to arrive for work on time are affected. MIC drawn down in small batches. Nov last week of Nov. According to later testimony of plant workers, the position of second-shift maintenance supervisor was eliminated. Dec condition of plant safety systems at start of second shift Safety System vent gas scrubber (uses caustic soda to neutralize toxic gas exhaust from MIC plant and storage tanks before release thru vent stack or flare) flare (burns toxic gasses to neutralize them) Condition on 2 Dec 1984 on standby since MIC not in active production but could be activated b y plant operators in event of need insufficient capacity to burn large volumes of escaping gas; shut down in November for replacement of a corroded pipe; MIC process vents rerouted to the vent gas scrubber while repairs proceed shut down June 1984 and coolant (Freon) drained for use elsewhere in plant refrigeration system (keep MIC at temperatures of 0-5 degrees C (32 to 42 degrees F) where it is less reactive) firewater spray pipes (to control escaping functional but insufficient height to reach gasses, cool over-heated equipment or douse top of vent stack fires) 9 of 19 afety valve between MIC storage tanks and MIC holding tank in SEVIN production area operational; designed to hold MIC in at normal pressures and release it if pressure too high. There are 2 competing versions of events on December 2nd between 9 and 11 pm. The first is preferred by most authors who have studied the events; the second is offered by only a few. *See note at end for more information about the controver sy. Divergent accounts of how water entered Tank E610 Version 1: water-washing of pipes 8-9 pm Second-shift production superintendent orders MIC plant supervisor to flush several pipes running from the phosgene system to the scrubber via the MIC storage tanks. MIC unit workers are in charge of the flushing, but maintenance department is responsible for inserting the slip bind (a solid disk) into pipe above the water washing inlet as plant manual requires. These take 30 minutes-2 hours to install. The MIC unit workers were apparently not aware that installation is a required safety procedure, and slip bind is not installed first. Temperature of MIC in tanks is between 15 and 20 degrees C . 9. 30 Water washing begins. One bleeder valve (overflow device) downstream from the flushing was blocked so water did not come out as it was supposed to. It accumulated in the pipes. A worker shut off the water flow but the plant supervisor ordered that the washing resume. By then water had risen past a leaking isolation valve in the lines being washed and got into the relief valve pipe 20 feet above ground. by 10. 30 pm Water has flowed from the relief valve pipe through the jumper pipe into the process pipe through valves normally kept open. Water gets Water washing proceeded as described but none of the water used for washing traveled far enough down the right pipe to enter Tank E610. Version 2: sabotage 10 of 19 through an open blow-down valve that is part of the nitrogen pressurization system. It is unclear whether the valve had been left open or had failed to fully seal when last closed. Water then flows into tank E610 via a normally-open isolation valve. 10. 30-10. 45 pm Second shift goes off work; third shift comes on. Washing continues after second shift worker briefs third shift worker on progress of the job. around 10. 30 pm A disgruntled worker removes a pressure gauge on a pipe leading to Tank E610 and connects a water hose to the coupler. Water enters Tank E610 Shared account of responses to detection of problems 11 pm Third shift control room operator notices pressure gauge connected to Tank E610 has risen from a reading of about about 2 psi at the start of the shift to 10 psi. This is within the normal 2-25 psi range, so arouses no concern. Control room lacks any reliable way of monitoring tank temperatutre. about 11. 30 pm Workers in area notice MIC smell, see MIC leak near the scrubber. Find MIC and dirty water coming out a branch of the relief valve pipe on the downstream side of the safety valve, away from the tank area. They set up a water spray to neutralize the leaking MIC and inform control room personnel of situation and their actions. They then take their regular tea break, continuing to discuss the situation and what they should do next. 3 December about 12. 15 am Control room operator notices that control room pressure indicator for Tank E610 reads 25-30 psi about 12. 30 am . Control room operator notices that needle on pressure indicator for Tank E610 is pinned to the maximum reading of 55 psi. Control room operator goes out to tank area to check gauges on tank. While in tank area he hears a safety valve pop, hears rumbling in tank, and feels heat emanating from it. Returns to control room to engage the gas vent scrubber. Caustic soda does not flow as it should. A cloud of gas escapes from the scrubber stack. by 12. 40 am Plant supervisor suspends operation of the MIC plant, turns on the in-plant and external toxic gas sirens. External sirens audible in nearby neighborhoods are turned off after about five minutes. Operators turn on the fire water sprayers but water cannot reach the gas cloud forming at the top of the scrubber stack. Efforts to cool Tank E610 with the refrigeration system fail because the Freon had been drained. Gas escapes for about 2 hours. 11 of 19 efore 1 am Plant supervisor realizes that tank E619, the designated spare, is not empty, so workers cannot relieve the pressure in E610 by transferring any MIC to E619. by 1 am gas smell is obvious outside the plant; nearby residents awake at the time or awakened by noise and sm elling the gas odor start fleeing in panic. 1. 30 am Bhopal police chief informed of leak and panic by an on-duty officer who ran to his house; no significant police mobilization follows. about 2. 30 am Bhopal plant external siren for warning the neighborhood is turned on again about 3 am Army engineer units with trucks are mobilized after a retired brigadier general requests help evacuating workers from his factory near the UCIL plant (but not under the strongest gas concentrations). Army unit then expands operations to assist general populace by transporting injured to hospitals and clinics. Some mobilization of city ambulances. Medical personnel hearing of situation head to hospitals and clinics. before 8 am Madhya Pradesh governor orders closure of plant plus arrest of plant manager and 4 other employees. afternoon Head of India Pollution Control Board informed of accident. Efforts to learn details from Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board fail because phone calls cannot get through. Phone conversation with UCIL office in New Delhi (also unable to get phone calls through to the plant) provides some information about possible causes. ate afternoon Indian Central Bureau of Investigation takes control of plant and UCIL records there. CBI agents begins interviewing plant supervisors and workers; bar entry by anyone else, including other UCIL employees. Dec Many government offices and businesses in Bhopal closed; dead buried or cremated in accordance with their f amilies’ religious traditions; initial treatment of injured proceeds 18-19 Dec Under government supervision the MIC still in storage at the UCIL is plant is neutralized by combining with alpha-napthol to make finished pesticides. Local population leaves town as a precaution. 1985 July 1985-98 1994 1998 Madhya Pradesh government rejects UCIL application for renewal of operating license. Plant closed Some work on cleanup of plant site by UCIL. UCC sells its share of UCIL to McLeod Russell (India) Limited. McLeod Russell renames UCIL Eveready Industries India, Ltd. State of Madhya Pradesh takes over plant site from Eveready Industries. 12 of 19 *Note on the two versions of how water reached storage tank 610. Timelines of the alternate possibilities are constructed from the works of several Indian authors who collectively used interviews with plant staff, court depositions by plant staff, interviews with local residents and officials, UCIL executives and UCC technicians, and UCIL or UCC documents obtained during the post-disaster litigation. Most of the detail comes from Paul Srivastava, Bhopal: Anatomy of a Crisis (Cambridge, MA: Ballinger, 1987),and Sanjoy Hazarika, Bhopal: The Lessons of a Tragedy (New Delhi: Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 1987), who take different views but are careful to acknowledge areas of uncertainty. The initial exposition of the water-washing explanation was provided in an Indian government report, S. Varadarajan et al. â€Å"Report on Scientific Studies in the Factors Related to Bhopal Toxic Gas Leakage (New Delhi: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dec 1985). The sabotage theory was developed by consulting engineers from Arthur D Little, Inc. commissioned by UCC to investigate the causes. It was publicly laid out in Ashok S. Kalelkar, â€Å"Investigation of Large-Magnitude Incidents: Bhopal as a Case Study,† in I. Chem. E. Symposium Series No. 110 The Institution of Chemical Engineers 1988, p 561. Version 1 in the timeline, favored by local and international trade union representatives, local activists, the Indian government, transnational environmental and consumer organizations, and most technical experts (see Chemical and Engineering News 4 July 1988) is based on known water-washing activities. Proponents of version 2, favored by UCC after its investigators were able to visit the plant in early 1985, point out that the water washing occurred a good distance away from the storage tanks and there is no evidence water ran through the connections from the washing area to the storage tanks. They also point to evidence that the pressure gauge on the pipe leading into Tank 610 was noticed to be missing when tank area was surveyed before 10 am on Dec 3rd and a replacement gauge was installed. The most thorough summary of this version is Themistocles D’Silva, The Black Box of Bhopal 1993 who does state clearly that he was a UCIL employee – though not at the Bhopal plan t – in the 1980s. ) Even if sabotage were involved, no commentator thinks the saboteur was trying to cause a catastrophic gas leak; knowledge of safety hazards among the workers was spotty enough that very few of them understood the full effect of introducing water into the MIC storage tanks. The controversy was sharpened in the course of the extremely acrimonious litigation between the Government of India and UCC. UCC first raised the sabotage allegation in 1985 and repeated it in 1988 but never named the suspected saboteur. A worker believing he is the suspect publicly challenged UCC to name the suspect and denied that he had any involvement in sabotage. UCC planned to wait until the trial before the Indian Supreme Court to do so; out-of-court settlement made that unnecessary and it never publicly revealed the full basis of its suspicions. In a FAQ section of its website on Bhopal (www. bhopal. com) Union Carbide’s answer to the question of if there was sabotage why hasn’t the company named anyone, it says that the name is known to Indian enforcement authorities. While a useful way to avoid libel suits, the continuing refusal to provide a name response is interpreted as weakening UCC’s claim by those who reject the sabotage theory. Notice that the contending versions of events between 9 and 11 pm on December 2nd only provide different explanations of how water got into MIC storage tank 610. Everyone who has studied the disaster agrees that the injuries to neighboring residents were caused by an unneutralized cloud of leaked gas that escaped through the vent, and that the reaction producing this cloud was triggered by water contamination. Though the concrete shielding of the storage tanks cracked above Tank 610 (indicating that its temperature 13 of 19 got above 400 degrees F), the tank itself was found to be uncracked when inspected after remaining contents were neutralized and removed in mid-December 1984. There is no substantial disagreement about the conditions of the safety systems that night or on the responses of the supervisors and workers after the small MIC leak was noticed around 11. 30. Nor is there any significant disagreement about the inadequacy of contingency plans for in-plant response and evacuation of neighboring settlements, the poor communication about hazards with city and state authorities, or the insufficiency of warnings to surrounding settlements when the gas cloud formed. Descriptions of the extent and timing of action by city officials, state officials, army units in Bhopal, and national government officials also vary very little; controversy about government response is focused on the adequacy of actions in the days, months, and years following the disaster. 14 of 19 Bhopal Gas Disaster Chronology: Ensuing Litigation 985 March UCC and Government of India investigatory teams conclude independently that runaway chemical reaction causing MIC gas cloud was caused by water getting into Tank 610 Indian Parliament adopts Bhopal Disaster Relief Act making Indian government the sole legal representative for all victims of the Bhopal disaster. US Federal Dist rict Court consolidates all lawsuits pending in US about Bhopal gas leak into one case, Union of India v. Union Carbide Corporation. rest of year Victims and victim advocates complain about lack of effective relief. rest of year UCC stock declines; total stock value of company in December put at approximately $3 billion. UCC sells off assets (mainly petrochemicals and consumer product divisions) for $3. 5 billion and borrows $2. 8 billion to fend off $5. million takeover bid by GAF (General Analine and Film, another specialty chemical maker) 1986 Government of India lawyers and UCC lawyers begin discussion of an out-of-court settlement. Union Carbide proposes a settlement amount of $350 million under arrangements that it estimates will generate a fund for Bhopal victims of between $500-600 million over 20 years. Government rejects this offer as insufficient. Indian and foreign activist groups supporting victims have already publicized their own estimates contending that damages are at least $3 billion if loss of animals, loss of income from inability to work, loss of business in the weeks after the gas release, and related damages are also taken into account. April U. S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed a $1. 4 million fine against Union Carbide Corp, based on results of its September 1985 inspection of five of 18 plant units at Institute, West Virginia. OSHA alleges 221 violations of 55 health and safety laws, listing 72 of the 221 as â€Å"serious† (the category for violations creating conditions in which there is substantial probability of death or significant injury. US Federal District Court rules on a preliminary motion in Government of India v. Union Carbide Corporation; invoking forum non conveniens doctrine it determines that trials relating to injuries suffered in the Bhopal disaster should be held in India. March May 5 of 19 Sept. Dec. Government of India proceeds against UCC in District Court in Bhopal, seeking $3 billion in total compensation for 630,000 persons in Bhopal area. Bhopal District court orders UCC to hold $3 billion in unencumbered assets as collateral while lawsuit pending. This to prevent consc ious a run-down of assets, rumors of which were rife in USA and India at the time. UCC offers $50 million, then $80 million in compensation, amounts derived from typical Indian settlements. Amounts widely criticized, viewed as insulting by victim groups, rejected by Government of India. 1987 Jan rest of year 1988 Victim lawsuits continue in Indian courts. State of Madhya Pradesh also files criminal charges against Warren Anderson, then CEO of UCC, and several UCIL executives or plant supervisors for their roles in causing the disaster. 1989 Feb Under prodding by Indian Supreme Court, UCC and Government of India agree to a $470 million settlement of all Bhopal gas leak-related claims. Supreme Court endorses settlement, making it binding on both parties. It also grants immunity against criminal charges arising from the gas leak. The $470 million is paid to the Government of India as sole legal representative of the victims. 36 special courts established in Bhopal to deal with applications for compensation Value of UCC stock rebounds somewhat with news of settlement. UCC CEO Robert Kennedy (replaced Anderson in 1987) completes reorganization of UCC into a holding company with 3 main divisions: chemicals and plastics, industrial products, carbon products. 1990 Oct 2 groups of victims file class action suits in Texas alleging that India failed to represent them adequately because of government agencies’ ownership of UCIL stock, and therefore did not secure them sufficient compensation. Consistent with 16 of 19 US Court of Appeals upholds US District Court ruling that Bhopal disaster litigation should proceed in India rather than the USA. UCC sells off last petrochemicals and consumer products divisions norms of mutual respect for court decisions, US courts refuse to review the Indian Supreme Court’s ruling. Nov. Government of Madhya Pradesh submits final list of names of victims to be compensated for injuries suffered in gas leak to Indian Supreme Court. Total deaths attributable to gas exposure put at 3,828. 1991 Oct Indian Supreme Court confirms compensation settlement, issues ruling modifying certain parts of 1989 judgment. These include UCC establishment of a trust fund to support a new hospital in Bhopal to treat victims’ ongoing health problems and revoking immunities from criminal charges. District Sessions Court in Bhopal reinstates charges of â€Å"culpable manslaughter not amounting to murder† and lesser charges relating to voluntary infliction of harm against Warren Anderson and 8 UCIL executives or supervisors. 1992 Apr 1993 Mar. NY Times reports that India has paid 700 Bhopal claims; government attributes delay to complexities of verifying the claims given chaotic record keeping at the time. Victim advocates blame on government incompetence. US Supreme Court declines to review federal court decisions in 1990 cases dismissing suits against India. UCC establishes the trust fund. Oct. 1994 Apr Nov Dec Indian Supreme Court approves UCC plans to sell its 50. 9% share of UCIL; proceeds to be given to Trust Fund for hospital in Bhopal. UCC completes sale of UCIL to McLeod Russell (India) Ltd. of Calcutta for approximately $93 million UCC provides initial payment of proceeds into Trust Fund. Ten-Year Impact of Bhopal Disaster on UCC year ending 31 Dec. 1984 total assets $10,518 million capital $7962 million year ending 31 Dec. 1994 $5028 million $2479 million 17 of 19 net sales net income RD spending employees [from UCC annual reports] $9608 million $323 million $265 million 98,666 $4653 million $379 million $136 million 12,004 1999 Jan 2000 Mar Class action suit, Bano v. Union Carbide Corporation, filed in US Federal Courts by Haseena Bi and other organizations representing residents of Bhopal seeking compensation for gas-leak related injuries and for further harm from exposure to contaminants afterward under US Alien Tort Claims Act. US District Court dismisses Bano case UCC completed payments to Trust Fund, which now totals $100 million. Construction of hospital is complete and physicians and other staff being recruited. Aug 2001 Trust Fund-financed Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre begins treating patients. 2004 July Indian Supreme Court orders government to release all additional settlement funds to the victims. Indian newspapers reports after all claims were paid there was still about $327 million in the fund because of interest earned while the money was in escrow pending distribution. Indian nationals file Janki Bai Sahu v. Union Carbide Corporation in US Federal District Court. Suit seeks compensation for personal injuries claimed to be result of exposure to contaminated water and remediation work at former UCIL plant after the gas leak. Nov 2005 Apr Indian Supreme Court grants Indian Government Welfare Commission for Bhopal Gas Victims request for an extension of deadline on distribution of remaining funds and extends it to April 30, 2006. Indian newspapers report that approximately $390 million remains in the fund. US Federal District Court dismisses two of the three compensation claims raised in the Janki Bai Sahu case. Dec 18 of 19 2006 Sept Indian newspapers report that the Welfare Commission for Bhopal Gas Victims has completed paying out all claims to listed victims of initial gas leak. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upholds the dismissal of claims in Bano vs. Union Carbide Corporation. Federal District Court dismisses remaining claim in Janki Bai Sahu case. 2007 Mar A group of Indian citizens files a new class action suit, Jagarnath Sahu et al. v. Union Carbide Corporation and Warren Anderson, seeking compensation for damage to six individual properties allegedly polluted by contaminants from the Bhopal plant, as well as the remediation of property in 16 colonies [squatter settlements] adjoining the plant. Federal Courts issue a stay [suspension] of proceedings pending resolution of appeal in Janki Bai Sahu case as the issues in litigation are so similar. -end- Nov 19 of 19

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Views on the British Empire Essay Example For Students

Views on the British Empire Essay There are several attitudes towards the empire expressed in the music and visual material provided. The key attitude of the British toward the Empire is patriotism, which naturally is followed by pride, then in turn developed in self-righteousness and ego.The strong sense of patriotism grew when the British power provided peace and wealth. Days of plenty and years of peace; March of a strong lands swift increase; as Henry H. Bennett wrote in The Flag Goes By. Citizens were brought up in an environment that taught them to love Britain. The Empire-day Catechism of League of the Empire, informed the duties of a British citizen: To be the loyal friend of all fellow subjects of the King-EmperorK To prepare himself by every means in his power to advance the welfare of his fellow citizens, whether in peach or war These words were like blue prints for a patriotic British heart. Evidently, the patriotism fostered hasnt perished yet; there is still an annual concert in London performing patriotic music. The words of Pomp and Circumstance March in D Major, by Edward Elgar echoed in the great hall Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of Free, the audience sang with loyalty, How shall we extol thee, who are born of Thee!Although patriotism was the incipient reaction of the citizens, there is no doubt that this feeling produced ego. Arrogance was inevitable; The Empires size alone had the charisma to attract pride! The Catechism said The extent of the Empire was twelve million square miles; it took up one fifth of the earths surface. Therere a total of 400 million subjects of King Edward, which is also about one fifth of the world All the contemporary pieces reflected grand pomposity of the empire. They were loud and thick in texture with roaring melody lines. Brass and percussion instruments were popularly used to represent the glory of the empire. Poetry-wise, The Flag Goes By cleverly expressed the peoples pride by referring to the Union Jack: Sign of a nation, great and strongKPride, and glory, and hour all live in the colors to stand or fall! Self-righteousness and racism was the infamous result of patriotism and pride. In the cartoon Justice, about the Indian Mutiny, self-righteousness was eminent when the British thought it right to punish the Indians for fighting against their oppressor, the British! Also, in Jerusalem, a song by Milton, Britain was proudly compared to Jerusalem as being the chosen land of God. Simultaneously, while promoting Britain itself, the superiority of the other races was lowered; The British Lion Aroused cartoon rudely mocked Africans by drawing one wearing various British items inappropriately to show their idiocy, while Stamping It Out expressed it a necessity to wipe out the scorpion-like-Afghans to protect the weak, women-like Pakistan. Indeed, as the power of the British Empire extended and flourished so did the peoples hearts. There was a great rise of patriotism and overflowing arrogance, which in the end brought about self-righteousness and racism. Bibliography:

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Harley Davidson Pest and Five Forces free essay sample

Harley Davidson is America’s most successful manufacturing company. It has established itself as market leader for the heavyweight motorcycles and is the world’s most profitable motorcycle company. Harley Davidson has been around for over 100 year and although it sitting on a healthy position in term of profitable, heavy competition and negative trends raises the question on the length that Harley Davidson will continue to be a profitable company. This Strategic analysis will summarise the Macro-environment of the Motorcycle industry as well as summaries the effect of the five forces have on the profitability of motorcycle industry. Also an internal analysis will be conducted which will outline Harley Davidson resources and capabilities and then determine if any strategic capabilities are present as well as a gap analysis to determine if there exist any gaps between the elements of business strategy and then explore future strategies such as Diversification, vertical integration and international strategies. We will write a custom essay sample on Harley Davidson Pest and Five Forces or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Summary of Macro-environment PESTE This is a PESTE analysis is about the impact of environmental influences on motorcycle industry which can be used to guide strategic decision making. The PESTE analysis involving analysing 5 keys factors of the Macro-environmental which includes Political/legal, Economic, Socio-cultural, Technological and Environmental. There seem to be economic growth in the Asian countries particular China and India and therefore there is increasing disposable income in these countries. However in the US market and Europe market there seem to be sluggish growth and such factors in the US have resulted in decreased in disposable income (see appendix 1). Disposable incomes will affect the demand for motorcycles. There is a need to determine whether a motorcycle is considered to be a luxurious good or a cheaper alternative to transport. If a motorcycle is considered as a luxurious good therefore increase in disposable income will result in increase demand for motorcycle and vice versa. On the other hand if motorcycle is consider as a cheaper alternative for transport then decrease in disposable income will result in increase in demand for motorcycle and vice versa. Trade Barriers such as tariffs are affecting number of importation of motorcycle within a country. However there are many countries, who are engaged in free trade agreement as well as a reduction trade barrier in many counties, which will increase opportunity of trade of motorcycle internationally. Laws and legislation for noise and emission are required to meet the standards within countries therefore motorcycles needs to be developed to comply with these standard within those countries. There is trend toward certain type of motorcycle which is performance sport-bike and scooters. Therefore there a positive outlook for motorcycle companies who specialise in these types of motorcycles. There has been an increase in demographics for the user of motorcycle as well as increasing number of women riders. However, because of ageing population baby-boomer who was the main users of heavyweight motorcycle are leaving the market and as a result the motorcycle industry has open up to all types motorcycle for the upcoming generations. Increase technology changes to production method will improve production efficiency and quality. Trends for more performance based model has lead to increase trends in technology these models of bike require high level of technology therefore are opportunity for companies engaged in high performance bikes. Summary of Industry Analysis Five Forces The threat of new entrance in the motorcycle market is low because the barriers of entry make it difficult for new entrant, such as high capital requirement and economies of scale which therefore makes the industry more rofitable. However the motorcycle industry is growing and if there is potential profit in this industry, high capital requirement and economies of scale can be overcome and therefore is potential for new entrants. The power of suppliers are relative low in this industry and therefore don’t have much effect on industry profits. The reason for this is because suppliers for the motorcycle industry supply raw material and components to the motorcycle industry where it is then used to manufacturer motorcycles. The suppliers are usually, many small to large organisations and therefore tend not to have high bargaining power. Also, motorcycle industries usually have high volume production which requires high volume of raw material and components, so therefore motorcycle manufacturers tend to have higher bargain power thereby reducing the price of the suppliers which increase the profits for them. Motorcycles would be a high capital expenditure for a customer, and therefore price sensitivity would affect bargaining power of customer in this industry thereby reducing the profit for the companies in this industry. Factors such as rising fuel prices and slow economic growth will impact two ways on the motorcycle industry in term of substitutes. Regarding motorcycle as a form of transport, fuel prices had lead to increase demand for motorcycle, therefore threat from cars will be low, and also switching cost from motorcycle to cars is relatively high, thus making threat from cars low. On the other hand public transport poses a higher threat as the switching cost to them relatively low. Rivalry in this industry is very high with very large companies dominating the market, there also growth in this market which further adds to the level of competition as firms compete fiercely to gain more market share in times of growth. However, since this industry is segmented this reduce the level of competition as it allows company to specialise in a certain segment. Overall this is industry has become highly competitive and therefore reducing the overall profits companies in this industry. The effects of greenhouse gases and decreasing oil reserve are major problem to affect the sustainability of the motorcycle industry. Summary of Internal Analysis An internal Analysis was conduct for Harley Davidson in appendix 3 which indentifies Harley Davidson resources and capabilities. After indentifying Harley Davidson’s resources and capabilities a VRIO/VRINE test was conducted to determine Harley Davidson Strategic capabilities which are seen in the table 3. 1 in appendix 3. Strategic capabilities are capabilities that create value for customer, are better than capabilities of most competitors, and are difficult to imitate and replicate (Hubbard et. l, 2007, p112). From the VRINE test we are able to determine Harley Davidson has strategic high quality pre and after sales services these includes the Harley experience that the customer receives from purchasing a Harley motorcycles as well as it high reputational status ensure Harley’s customers that they are buying into a reliable motorcycle. Harley Davidson has a unique personalised design of motorcycle, which is where Harley Davidson has wide range of accessories so that Harley’s customer can customise their motorcycle to suit them. Harley Davidson has Dynamic capabilities which is the ability to combine and recombine existing resources and capabilities and strategic capabilities to create now strategic capabilities (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p116). As Harley Davidson organisation structure foster motivation and innovation and learning and therefore allowing organisation the philosophy of continuous improvement (Grant, 2008), therefore allowing dynamic capabilities. Gap Analysis Table 4. 1 in Appendix 4 identifies macro-environmental–business strategy gaps. To indentify these gaps we need to determine the business strategy by answering the five key question of a business strategy for Harley Davidson (see appendix 4). From the table we are able to see that quite a few mismatches between the business strategies and the macro-environment such as decline in economic growth in Europe and large part of Harley Davidson Strategy is aimed at European market. However Economic growths are volatile therefore shouldn’t be too much of concern for Harley Davidson. A Major gap is the increase trends for performance bikes and scooters. Harley Davidson still produces cruiser motorcycles and therefore these trends have major implication for them. The Matches for Harley Davidson includes international expansion is high demand area such as China and Indian. Part of Harley Davidson business strategy is that it can create the Harley Experience overseas and this has been aided with the reduction of trade barriers and trade agreements. Table 4. 2 shows the gaps between industry environment and Harley Davidson’s business strategy. Firstly suppliers there are no opportunities or threat that Harley Davidson can take advantage interns of their business strategy. Suppliers have low effect on profitable as their bargaining power are usually low and therefore there are limited consistency with business strategy. Secondly, for buyers there are a number of brands to choose from in this industry and the customers have a wide variety of choices, which means that customer should have more bargaining power. But, Harley does not compete on the basis of its products, rather than on its reputation and image therefore the opportunity that buyer present is consistent with the business strategy. Thirdly, substitute can be either an opportunity or a threat the decline demand for cars can be seen as an opportunity for the motorcycle industry, conversely the increase in demand for public transport can also be seen as a threat to the motorcycle industry. Profits are affected differently from geographical area as the demand and structures vary. Finally, the threat of new entrance and rivalry are threat to Harley Davidson and the potential for new entrance and fierce competition have high impact on profitability for the industry. However Harley Davidson competes only through reputation and brand and delivering a service to customer i. . â€Å"the Harley experience†. Diversification Diversification is the entry of a firm or business unit into new lines of activities, either by process of international business development or acquisition, which entails change in its administrative structure, system and other management process (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 256). For Harley Davidso n diversification would mean they explore other activities other than manufacturing motorcycles to the US market. Harley Davidson has already diversified by exporting there motorcycle international as well as through general merchandising which include clothing, collectable and cologne. Harley Davidson has also established a financial service to supply credit, insurance, and extended warranties to Harley dealer and customers (Grant, 2008). There are many reasons why organisation diversifies, for Harley Davidson one reason could be the general unattractiveness of environment which includes economic growth rates and unfavourable trends (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 256). For example economic growth in US has slowed therefore Harley Davidson and since US market Harley Davidson main market, Harley Davidson will need to consider diversification as a way of dealing with this situation. Also unfavourable trends such as increase demand for performance bikes and scooters could see Harley Davidson fall out of the market as customer switch to these segment of motorcycles. Another reason could be business has surplus capabilities (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 257), since Harley Davidson reputation and brand image lead to their dominance in there market perhaps transferring these capabilities into other industry. Vertical Integrations Vertical integration is the diversification of forwards or backwards in the business activity system (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 266). Harley Davidson has relative low volumes of production relative to Honda and other Japanese manufactures. Therefore they have significant cost disadvantage such as purchasing of component are more expensive for Harley Davidson relative to its rivals. A possible strategy could be backward integrations which would involve with Harley Davidson gaining control of supplier i. e. purchasing the supplier. The benefits included with this strategy is decreeing cost involved from purchasing raw material and components, improved quality, efficient scheduling of material for there Just In Time activities. As Harley Davidson is in the business of selling lifestyle and experience forward integration is a method used so that Harley Davidson can form a closer relationship with their customer. As a motorcycle industry forward integration would involves them creating more dealership in their market. Although Harley dealership programs have support dealer to provided quality and service to the customer and many dealership are exclusive to Harley Davidson. International strategy There are many reasons why Harley Davidson needs to consider going international. One reason is transferring a capability to a new market. This would mean that going international for Harley Davidson would allow them to transfer there competence into new markets thus gaining economies of scale (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 322). As Harley sales growth has been accounted for by domestic’s sales (Grant, 2008), therefore since Harley Davidson market share are result of domestics sales this would means it has limited growth opportunities therefore it needs to consider international to increase its market share and growth. For example there are opportunities in Europe for expansion of Harley sales because it is the Second largest heavyweight motorcycle markets in the world. However, there are a few barriers to intentional expansion Harley Davidson needs to consider (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 323). The most important barriers Harley needs to consider are cultural differences and since Harley image is heavily aimed at the American Cultures there likely to be issue Harley Davidson will face when expanding overseas such as would Harley’s image of its motorcycle representing â€Å"the American dream† will appeal to nations such as Europe and Asia? The strategy for Harley Davidson would be multi-domestic strategy which is a strategy of settling up full and independent operations in more than one country to satisfy demand in the country of operation (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 325). This means that it will have develop a complete set of activities for a particular market regardless of other markets, which will target the taste of consumer in the particular market, marketing, promotion and distribution suited to culture of market. Harley Davidson has adopted several entry modes into an international market and where based on feasibility. Harley Davidson main market entry strategies are through dealership where they have dealers across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand (Anita, 2008). In 1935, Harley Davidson enters into Japan with a license agreement with Sankyo, in which the company went bankrupt therefore Harley directly invested into the company now is a subsidiary of Harley Davidson (Anita, 2008). In Brazil Harley Davidson also invested directly into an assembly plant where the motorcycles are developed to cater for the needs of the Brazil market (Anita, 2008). Harley Davidson are also involved in joint venture with German sport car manufactures, Porsche, where Harley Davidson motorcycles are distributed across Germany, opening new potential customer in this market (Grant, 2008). Joint ventures are common as a form of market entry as some countries does not allow 100 percent direct investment (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 326), where advantages lies for Harley Davidson with access to local knowledge and political influence. On the other hand the success or failure of the joint venture depends on the understanding between the companies involved. Harley Davidson option invest in production faculties overseas as advantages are production costs can be lowered because the cost of shipping would not apply and perhaps some raw materials that they need are cheaper overseas than in the US. However for Harley they do not consider producing overseas because it contradict their main strategy of promoting the â€Å"American Dream† overseas (Anita, 2008), therefore if the motorcycles were not produce in the US this would mean that it will not represent the American dream therefore Harley motorcycle would need to be made in US. Harley Davidson Pest and Five Forces free essay sample Harley Davidson is America’s most successful manufacturing company. It has established itself as market leader for the heavyweight motorcycles and is the world’s most profitable motorcycle company. Harley Davidson has been around for over 100 year and although it sitting on a healthy position in term of profitable, heavy competition and negative trends raises the question on the length that Harley Davidson will continue to be a profitable company. This Strategic analysis will summarise the Macro-environment of the Motorcycle industry as well as summaries the effect of the five forces have on the profitability of motorcycle industry. Also an internal analysis will be conducted which will outline Harley Davidson resources and capabilities and then determine if any strategic capabilities are present as well as a gap analysis to determine if there exist any gaps between the elements of business strategy and then explore future strategies such as Diversification, vertical integration and international strategies. We will write a custom essay sample on Harley Davidson Pest and Five Forces or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Summary of Macro-environment PESTE This is a PESTE analysis is about the impact of environmental influences on motorcycle industry which can be used to guide strategic decision making. The PESTE analysis involving analysing 5 keys factors of the Macro-environmental which includes Political/legal, Economic, Socio-cultural, Technological and Environmental. There seem to be economic growth in the Asian countries particular China and India and therefore there is increasing disposable income in these countries. However in the US market and Europe market there seem to be sluggish growth and such factors in the US have resulted in decreased in disposable income (see appendix 1). Disposable incomes will affect the demand for motorcycles. There is a need to determine whether a motorcycle is considered to be a luxurious good or a cheaper alternative to transport. If a motorcycle is considered as a luxurious good therefore increase in disposable income will result in increase demand for motorcycle and vice versa. On the other hand if motorcycle is consider as a cheaper alternative for transport then decrease in disposable income will result in increase in demand for motorcycle and vice versa. Trade Barriers such as tariffs are affecting number of importation of motorcycle within a country. However there are many countries, who are engaged in free trade agreement as well as a reduction trade barrier in many counties, which will increase opportunity of trade of motorcycle internationally. Laws and legislation for noise and emission are required to meet the standards within countries therefore motorcycles needs to be developed to comply with these standard within those countries. There is trend toward certain type of motorcycle which is performance sport-bike and scooters. Therefore there a positive outlook for motorcycle companies who specialise in these types of motorcycles. There has been an increase in demographics for the user of motorcycle as well as increasing number of women riders. However, because of ageing population baby-boomer who was the main users of heavyweight motorcycle are leaving the market and as a result the motorcycle industry has open up to all types motorcycle for the upcoming generations. Increase technology changes to production method will improve production efficiency and quality. Trends for more performance based model has lead to increase trends in technology these models of bike require high level of technology therefore are opportunity for companies engaged in high performance bikes. Summary of Industry Analysis Five Forces The threat of new entrance in the motorcycle market is low because the barriers of entry make it difficult for new entrant, such as high capital requirement and economies of scale which therefore makes the industry more rofitable. However the motorcycle industry is growing and if there is potential profit in this industry, high capital requirement and economies of scale can be overcome and therefore is potential for new entrants. The power of suppliers are relative low in this industry and therefore don’t have much effect on industry profits. The reason for this is because suppliers for the motorcycle industry supply raw material and components to the motorcycle industry where it is then used to manufacturer motorcycles. The suppliers are usually, many small to large organisations and therefore tend not to have high bargaining power. Also, motorcycle industries usually have high volume production which requires high volume of raw material and components, so therefore motorcycle manufacturers tend to have higher bargain power thereby reducing the price of the suppliers which increase the profits for them. Motorcycles would be a high capital expenditure for a customer, and therefore price sensitivity would affect bargaining power of customer in this industry thereby reducing the profit for the companies in this industry. Factors such as rising fuel prices and slow economic growth will impact two ways on the motorcycle industry in term of substitutes. Regarding motorcycle as a form of transport, fuel prices had lead to increase demand for motorcycle, therefore threat from cars will be low, and also switching cost from motorcycle to cars is relatively high, thus making threat from cars low. On the other hand public transport poses a higher threat as the switching cost to them relatively low. Rivalry in this industry is very high with very large companies dominating the market, there also growth in this market which further adds to the level of competition as firms compete fiercely to gain more market share in times of growth. However, since this industry is segmented this reduce the level of competition as it allows company to specialise in a certain segment. Overall this is industry has become highly competitive and therefore reducing the overall profits companies in this industry. The effects of greenhouse gases and decreasing oil reserve are major problem to affect the sustainability of the motorcycle industry. Summary of Internal Analysis An internal Analysis was conduct for Harley Davidson in appendix 3 which indentifies Harley Davidson resources and capabilities. After indentifying Harley Davidson’s resources and capabilities a VRIO/VRINE test was conducted to determine Harley Davidson Strategic capabilities which are seen in the table 3. 1 in appendix 3. Strategic capabilities are capabilities that create value for customer, are better than capabilities of most competitors, and are difficult to imitate and replicate (Hubbard et. l, 2007, p112). From the VRINE test we are able to determine Harley Davidson has strategic high quality pre and after sales services these includes the Harley experience that the customer receives from purchasing a Harley motorcycles as well as it high reputational status ensure Harley’s customers that they are buying into a reliable motorcycle. Harley Davidson has a unique personalised design of motorcycle, which is where Harley Davidson has wide range of accessories so that Harley’s customer can customise their motorcycle to suit them. Harley Davidson has Dynamic capabilities which is the ability to combine and recombine existing resources and capabilities and strategic capabilities to create now strategic capabilities (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p116). As Harley Davidson organisation structure foster motivation and innovation and learning and therefore allowing organisation the philosophy of continuous improvement (Grant, 2008), therefore allowing dynamic capabilities. Gap Analysis Table 4. 1 in Appendix 4 identifies macro-environmental–business strategy gaps. To indentify these gaps we need to determine the business strategy by answering the five key question of a business strategy for Harley Davidson (see appendix 4). From the table we are able to see that quite a few mismatches between the business strategies and the macro-environment such as decline in economic growth in Europe and large part of Harley Davidson Strategy is aimed at European market. However Economic growths are volatile therefore shouldn’t be too much of concern for Harley Davidson. A Major gap is the increase trends for performance bikes and scooters. Harley Davidson still produces cruiser motorcycles and therefore these trends have major implication for them. The Matches for Harley Davidson includes international expansion is high demand area such as China and Indian. Part of Harley Davidson business strategy is that it can create the Harley Experience overseas and this has been aided with the reduction of trade barriers and trade agreements. Table 4. 2 shows the gaps between industry environment and Harley Davidson’s business strategy. Firstly suppliers there are no opportunities or threat that Harley Davidson can take advantage interns of their business strategy. Suppliers have low effect on profitable as their bargaining power are usually low and therefore there are limited consistency with business strategy. Secondly, for buyers there are a number of brands to choose from in this industry and the customers have a wide variety of choices, which means that customer should have more bargaining power. But, Harley does not compete on the basis of its products, rather than on its reputation and image therefore the opportunity that buyer present is consistent with the business strategy. Thirdly, substitute can be either an opportunity or a threat the decline demand for cars can be seen as an opportunity for the motorcycle industry, conversely the increase in demand for public transport can also be seen as a threat to the motorcycle industry. Profits are affected differently from geographical area as the demand and structures vary. Finally, the threat of new entrance and rivalry are threat to Harley Davidson and the potential for new entrance and fierce competition have high impact on profitability for the industry. However Harley Davidson competes only through reputation and brand and delivering a service to customer i. . â€Å"the Harley experience†. Diversification Diversification is the entry of a firm or business unit into new lines of activities, either by process of international business development or acquisition, which entails change in its administrative structure, system and other management process (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 256). For Harley Davidso n diversification would mean they explore other activities other than manufacturing motorcycles to the US market. Harley Davidson has already diversified by exporting there motorcycle international as well as through general merchandising which include clothing, collectable and cologne. Harley Davidson has also established a financial service to supply credit, insurance, and extended warranties to Harley dealer and customers (Grant, 2008). There are many reasons why organisation diversifies, for Harley Davidson one reason could be the general unattractiveness of environment which includes economic growth rates and unfavourable trends (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 256). For example economic growth in US has slowed therefore Harley Davidson and since US market Harley Davidson main market, Harley Davidson will need to consider diversification as a way of dealing with this situation. Also unfavourable trends such as increase demand for performance bikes and scooters could see Harley Davidson fall out of the market as customer switch to these segment of motorcycles. Another reason could be business has surplus capabilities (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 257), since Harley Davidson reputation and brand image lead to their dominance in there market perhaps transferring these capabilities into other industry. Vertical Integrations Vertical integration is the diversification of forwards or backwards in the business activity system (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 266). Harley Davidson has relative low volumes of production relative to Honda and other Japanese manufactures. Therefore they have significant cost disadvantage such as purchasing of component are more expensive for Harley Davidson relative to its rivals. A possible strategy could be backward integrations which would involve with Harley Davidson gaining control of supplier i. e. purchasing the supplier. The benefits included with this strategy is decreeing cost involved from purchasing raw material and components, improved quality, efficient scheduling of material for there Just In Time activities. As Harley Davidson is in the business of selling lifestyle and experience forward integration is a method used so that Harley Davidson can form a closer relationship with their customer. As a motorcycle industry forward integration would involves them creating more dealership in their market. Although Harley dealership programs have support dealer to provided quality and service to the customer and many dealership are exclusive to Harley Davidson. International strategy There are many reasons why Harley Davidson needs to consider going international. One reason is transferring a capability to a new market. This would mean that going international for Harley Davidson would allow them to transfer there competence into new markets thus gaining economies of scale (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 322). As Harley sales growth has been accounted for by domestic’s sales (Grant, 2008), therefore since Harley Davidson market share are result of domestics sales this would means it has limited growth opportunities therefore it needs to consider international to increase its market share and growth. For example there are opportunities in Europe for expansion of Harley sales because it is the Second largest heavyweight motorcycle markets in the world. However, there are a few barriers to intentional expansion Harley Davidson needs to consider (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 323). The most important barriers Harley needs to consider are cultural differences and since Harley image is heavily aimed at the American Cultures there likely to be issue Harley Davidson will face when expanding overseas such as would Harley’s image of its motorcycle representing â€Å"the American dream† will appeal to nations such as Europe and Asia? The strategy for Harley Davidson would be multi-domestic strategy which is a strategy of settling up full and independent operations in more than one country to satisfy demand in the country of operation (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 325). This means that it will have develop a complete set of activities for a particular market regardless of other markets, which will target the taste of consumer in the particular market, marketing, promotion and distribution suited to culture of market. Harley Davidson has adopted several entry modes into an international market and where based on feasibility. Harley Davidson main market entry strategies are through dealership where they have dealers across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand (Anita, 2008). In 1935, Harley Davidson enters into Japan with a license agreement with Sankyo, in which the company went bankrupt therefore Harley directly invested into the company now is a subsidiary of Harley Davidson (Anita, 2008). In Brazil Harley Davidson also invested directly into an assembly plant where the motorcycles are developed to cater for the needs of the Brazil market (Anita, 2008). Harley Davidson are also involved in joint venture with German sport car manufactures, Porsche, where Harley Davidson motorcycles are distributed across Germany, opening new potential customer in this market (Grant, 2008). Joint ventures are common as a form of market entry as some countries does not allow 100 percent direct investment (Hubbard et. al, 2007, p 326), where advantages lies for Harley Davidson with access to local knowledge and political influence. On the other hand the success or failure of the joint venture depends on the understanding between the companies involved. Harley Davidson option invest in production faculties overseas as advantages are production costs can be lowered because the cost of shipping would not apply and perhaps some raw materials that they need are cheaper overseas than in the US. However for Harley they do not consider producing overseas because it contradict their main strategy of promoting the â€Å"American Dream† overseas (Anita, 2008), therefore if the motorcycles were not produce in the US this would mean that it will not represent the American dream therefore Harley motorcycle would need to be made in US.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Montanna essays

Montanna essays Native Americans first settled in Montana about twelve thousand years ago. The Salish and Kootenai migrated to Montana from the Pacific Northwest and settled in the Rocky Mountains. The Black feet, Crow, and Cheyenne moved from the east and settled in the Great Plains of Montana. In 1803 the United States bought land from France that included Montana. It didnt take long for the United States Explorers to start exploring the newly acquired land, even the famous Meriwether Lewis and, William Clark. Lewis and Clark entered Montana 1805. One of the many things the great explorers wrote about was Montana abundance of buffalo. Manuela Lisa established Montanas first fur trading post in the 1860s. The post was set up on the Bighorn and Yellowstone Rivers meet. Beaver pelts were one of the many hot furs being traded in the new trading post, and Montana was the place to trap beavers. The 1860s brought the a Gold craze to Montana when prospectors ( a prospector is a person who looks for minerals) started to find gold in the southern Rockies. Mining towns sprung up all over Montana when thousands o prospectors rushed to Montana in the hope of finding gold. The same years that the gold rush came to Montana cattle ranching also made its way to the territory. Texas cattle rancher brought longhorn. Montana was the ideal place for ranching due the large amount of plains and open space. The ranchers benefited from the gold minors by selling the beef to the mining towns. When the United States government set aside lands in Montana for Indian reservations, the gold miners and rancher ignored the Indians rights to those land. When they ignored the land reservations Native Americans attacked them. U.S troops arrived in 1876, to try and stop the attacks. General George Custer attacked, the uprising Native Americans, at Little Bighorn River. The Sioux and Cheyenne won and even killed Custer and his men. Even though ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Information system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Information system - Essay Example The 4.3 billion dollar project (Dodgson & Gann, 2010) went to ruins based on the grounds that failure to predict the overall massive expansion, failure to undertake the risks of the system failure and failure to predict and handle the strategic factors consideration, all these led to the failure in the larger way resulting in the financial losses as well as the credibility and brand name loss to the British Airways Authority. However when the time of its inauguration arrived, there was a total state of confusion, panic and disorder within which gave rise to the suspicion that something had gone wrong. Ranging from the information system to the basic route maps to the basic and elementary parking lots adjustment, all this was missing and people were left to their own guidance and mercy to find out the routes and information. The passengers luggage handling and the cargo fleet services were the worst to say the least. The Information system so incorporated consisted of a Resource Management System that was aimed at working as a centralized database, support and navigation system machine. However it failed to provide the desired results and it suffered from number of short comings in terms of the real time operations and the integration of the different components of the terminal and airport activities(Pryke, 2009, 127). Information systems have become the de facto standards towards development of a more modernized network of operations and system functions .The British Airport Authority that had planned to develop Terminal 5, also had made efforts for the establishment of information system. This information system was established in the form of Resource Management System( R.M.S). the purpose was for keeping the people’s entry intact and other online information resources and repository that would help the customers finding the related information in a timely manner. Unfortunately the Information system

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Manager and Effective Virtual Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Manager and Effective Virtual Team - Essay Example 83, 2000). The four of the most significant challenges are (1) useful communication, (2) rapport creation, (3) dealing with conflicts and (4) leadership. Technology offers lesser prosperity as well as communal existence than face-to-face situation. Group associates lose data they are used to depending upon. This can cause misunderstandings, unsupported typecasts and misinterpretations. The majority of communications on technology occur with a â€Å"lag time between one message being sent and another received† (Fisher & Fisher, p. 102, 2000). This lessens the closeness as well as effectiveness of response, yet simultaneously provides individuals time to consider during replies. Executives should concentrate on the procedures by which virtual teams should get used to the circumstances. They can find out how to utilize a selection of technologies to be in touch properly with accurateness. They can discover how to utilize the lack of prosperity to their benefit. Premium associatio ns, distinguished by confidence and esteem, collaboration and obligation, are significant in every group. They decrease the level of negative disagreement and develop the team’s aptitude to deal with and get value from job connected disagreement. They boost individuals’ ease in bringing different point of views to the job, and develop the possibility that individuals will support and achieve the team’s goals. At times, premium relationships are even more imperative for virtual teams than for ‘in person’ ones: groups with excellent dealings can more effortlessly work separately with no apprehension for the procedure or result. Disagreements within a virtual team situation are as inescapable as in a cooperative situation. Even though the phrase disagreement normally has a little negative implication, a number of disagreements are generally thought to be encouraging for team performance. Confidence is a requirement for successful disagreement resolutio n. Because of the different background of group associates, the concerns causing disagreements vary between traditions, what is noticed or inferred as disagreement varies, and ultimately methods for resolving disagreements vary. It is apparent that having a better perceptive of disagreement methods within virtual teams is very important. Each group requires a â€Å"planned workspace, defined roles, a clear task strategy and explicit interaction norms† (Lepsinger & DeRosa, p. 193). In a face-to-face team, team members can completely discuss these processes as they view and respond to one another’s facial looks as well as other non-verbal actions. Within a virtual team, there is no such chance, and virtual teams that do not deal with these procedures are frequently unsuccessful to â€Å"get off the ground† (Lepsinger & DeRosa, p. 82). It is the manager’s responsibility to support appropriate response as well as suggestion, and vigorously build on the groupà ¢â‚¬â„¢s strong points as they appear. The team head has liability to guarantee that supporters are â€Å"kept up to date and involved in key exercises, as well as engaged as important resources to access different information and contacts† (Lepsinger & DeRosa, p. 204). An executive should be capable to use the expertise the group is reliant upon, for instance, â€Å"

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Health Organization Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Health Organization Case Study - Essay Example Its persistence and corporation with major players in the healthcare industry has driven it to greater heights of delivering and ordering quality systems and services that serves patients of all types (UHC.com, 2015). The network growth, strategic plans, resource management, patient’s satisfaction and nurse staffing has always continued to be part of their objectives in order to offer quality, accessible, affordable and rich health care to all the patients at national and international level. This paper focuses on the preparation of the UHC and the capabilities to handle medical care activities for the coming generation. The UHC has put in place programs that favor all kind of social needs, in that their programs will support the low class level which is of a low cost, middle level with affordable cost and lastly the high class individual of families (Colling & York, 2009). The consolidations of their services to tight schedule with 24 hours system that monitor patients with professional nursing staffs and doctor makes them relevant and have a competitive advantage in the health care industry. The great team that include nurses, physician, dentists and professional doctors work hand in hand to make sure the life of patients are contained upon all means. The co-ordination of staffs that run from indoors, one hospital to another and one center to another is in order to oversee their duties according to the required standards. Although has a highly qualified personnel in the management sector which are keen on patient satisfactory services it looks forward to more improvement in future. UHC is certain about their employees hence they provide them with high salaries and reward that motivates them towards working to the best of their knowledge. The organizations have put in place strategies that interact with service providers depending on their

Friday, November 15, 2019

Successful Maybank Strategy In Market Marketing Essay

Successful Maybank Strategy In Market Marketing Essay Strategy is a high level plan of an organization to achieve their goals which means that it shows what the organization wants to achieve and how the organization achieve their goals. In other word, strategy is a comprehensive plan that sets long term direction and guides resources allocation to accomplish an organizations objectives. (LoPresti, 2009) Strategy involve the purpose of the organization, the goals and objectives of the organization and the plans and methods to achieve the organizations goals and objectives which we normally knows as vision, mission, objective, and tactics.(Anon) Vision and Mission Vision can be define as what the organization wants to be. Furthermore, it is a long term view which concentrates on the future. Mission explains why the business exists, and how it achieve its vision. In additional, mission supposed to be easily to understand by their staff, and customers. Defining organizations vision and mission can leading to its success. In additional, most of the successful and profitable companies are proudly to display and live theirs. (MCEACHRAN, 2011) Objective Objective is the heart of a business. It give a clear indication of where the business is heading and what it is striving to achieve. (Pierrepont, 2012) In other words, objectives monitor the progress and keep the company focus on goals. The objective of organization should be measurable, realistic and achievable based on the actual capabilities of the business. Besides that, objective should contain a specific time deadline and refer to a specific outcome to be effective. (E.Hamilton, 2001) Tactic Tactic is the planned and ad hoc activities meant to deal with the demands of the moment, and to move from one milestone to other in pursuit of the overall goal(s) (WebFinance, Inc., 2013) In other words, tactic is something the organization willing to change to meet the local conditions. This means that tactics is a short term method which set by line management and taken to accomplish strategy. (Riley, 2012) Strategy is seemed like a managements game plan which to running the business by strengthening the firms competitive position, satisfying the customers and achieving performance targets. Besides that, Strategy is also about to satisfying the needs of stakeholders, to blending of internal resources and the direction in which the organization is going. With the existence of strategy, the organization can determine the basic long term goals and the objective of the organization. Besides that, the organization also can determine the method or action to allocation of resources necessary to achieve the goals. Strategy is concerned with deciding what business an organization should be in, where it wants to be and how it is going to get there. (Riley, 2012) 4.0 The Successful of Maybank Strategy in Market The pressure on banks in this region is tremendous. To attract consumers requires more than just innovative products. Products can be copied, and pricing can be reduced by aggressive competitors. We must also look at the timing and the way we communicate with our customers. Building a valued relationship by identifying and understanding their needs is the best way to attract and retain customers. (Teradata, 2011) said by Mohd. Fadzil Bin Ismail, the head of Customer Relationship Management for Maybank. Maybank executives realize that the banking syatem nowadays had become a relationship-driven business in worldwide. Essentially, banking product are viewed as commodities, and the price can be reduced by aggressive competitors. However, the relationship between the bank and its customer can act as a key to success. Thus, Maybank had shifted its competitive strategy from concentrating on the product selling to focus on building the customer relationships. The goal of Maybank was to increase their understanding of customer and improve each customers experience during the interactions with Maybank, and thereby increasing the customers retention, loyalty and profitability. To achieve this goal, Maybank had launched a new Analytical Customer Relationship Management (aCRM) project in 2007. The goal of Analytical Customer Relationship Management was to help Maybank to better understanding their customers by communicating with them at the right time and using the right channel. Customer Relationships Management (CRM) is treated as a core function. We have invested in an Analytical Customer Relationship Management (aCRM) system which enables us to go beyond meeting customers current expectations, allowing us to anticipate their future needs in a proactive manner (Maybank, 2012) The Analytical Customer Relationship Management has driving their business growth and increasing the customer satisfaction. With this strategy, Maybank had increased the marketing campaign success rate by ten times. Lead generation times were slashed from weeks to hours, new campaign time to market was cut from weeks to days, and the average conversion rate jumped from a low of 0.3% to an average of 8% and a high of 30%. From the commencement of the project in August 2007 until late 2009, Maybank gained RM 3.0 billion (USD 961 million) in new sales (Maybank, 2010) In July 2010, Maybank has reframed its vision and mission to accelerate its transformation journey. The new vision of Maybank is to become a leading regional financial services provider by 2015 while and the new mission is to humanise the financial services from the heart of Asean. (Ang, 2010) To achieve this goal, the ability to offer a superior value proposition to customers is necessary and this is not a small challenge especially in the hyper competitive banking market. 6.0 Solutions In recent years, Maybank make strategic changes designed to enhance the consumer experience to improve their relationship with customers. Thus, Maybank had introduced a lot of product which designed to enhance the financial well-being of its customers. Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP) programme A process that automate the generation of bills to third parties such as customers or business, and thhereby providing a comprehensive bill payment service to customers. (Maybank, 2011) Foreign Currency Mudharabah-i (FCM-i) account The first short-term Islamic foreign currency term deposit account in Malaysia which based on the principle of Mudharabah (the concept of profit sharing between bank and its customer).

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Evaluating Mintzs Sweetness and Power :: Sugar Sweet Tooth Foods Essays

Evaluating Mintz's Sweetness and Power Why would anyone feel the need to write an entire book on such a mundane topic such as sugar? Look around at some food products you might have and you will realize that many if not all of them contain sugar in some form or another. For example, a can of soda, which most people drink everyday, contains (depending on the brand) approximately 40 grams of sugars. Look further and you might find that even things such as cheese or chips or soup contain several grams of sugar in them. The wide diversification of products that contain sugar just goes to show you how widespread the use of sugar really is. This fact alone could be enough to convince someone to create a book solely about sugar. One passage that Mintz quotes on page 15 that really seems to capture our (Westerners) infatuation with sugar, and a strong reason the book at hand is as follows: Western peoples consume enormous per capita quantities of refined sugar because, to most people, very sweet foods taste very good. The existence of the human sweet tooth can be explained, ultimately, as an adaptation of ancestral populations to favor the ripest-and hence the sweetest-fruit. In other words, the selective pressures of times past are most strikingly revealed by the artificial, supernormal stimulus of refined sugar, despite the evidence that eating refined sugar is maladaptive. With such an obsession with sweet foods, there is an obvious desire for an explanation of how such a once unknown substance took center stage on everybody's snack, dessert, and candy list. That's where Sidney W. Mintz comes into play. He decided to write this book Sweetness and Power, and from the looks of all the sources he used to substantiate his ideas and data, it seems that he is not the first person to find the role that sugar plays in modern society important. By analyzing who Mintz's audience is meant to be, what goals he has in writing this book, what structure his book incorporates, what type, or types, of history he represents within the book, what kind of sources he uses, and what important information and conclusions he presents, we can come to better understand Mintz's views and research of the role of sugar in history, and how much it really affects our lives as we know them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To begin to understand and evaluate Mintz's Sweetness and Power, one must first understand who his book is aimed toward, in other words, his audience.