Comapre and contrast maslow needs hierarchy and equity theory, also Essay

Comapre and contrast maslow needs hierarchy and equity theory, also evaluate why organizational studies are important in contemp - Essay Example Maslow’s hierarchies of needs starts with physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs and ultimately self-actualization needs (Brown, 2007). According to the theory, the management will motivate the employees through enabling them achieve their needs according to the order. The lower-order needs include safety, social needs and job security while the higher-order needs include recognition, self-esteem and self-actualisation attained through personal and professional growth. On the other hand, equity theory of motivation asserts that employees are motivated if they perceive that they are treated fairly (Knights & Willmott, 2007). Equity theory involves the perceptions of outcomes of performing the duties such as the salary levels, the perceptions of inputs and reference person that enables the employee to compare the outcomes and inputs in order to determine whether the existing job is equitable or inequitable. The employees will respond to perceived in equities by changing the work inputs, changing the situation or demanding more rewards. In this case, overpaid employees will experience feelings of guilt while underpaid employees will experience anger (Brown, 2007). ... ory aims at enabling the management to identity the needs of employees in order to ensure their perceived job outcomes are aligned with the inputs (Knights & Willmott, 2007). Question 2 Organizational studies are important in contemporary business since the competitive edge of the business depends on the quality of people skills, structure, and social relations in the organisation (Smith, 1992). The studies examine how individuals and groups within the organisation construct processes and structures and how these structures and processes ultimately motivate employees towards high achievement. Organizational studies identify managerial and leadership approaches that fosters interpersonal relationships and contribute to high job satisfaction in the workplace (Brown, 2007). These studies enable business managers to articulate the mission, shared vision and strategy to the employees in all communications (Martin, 2001). Contemporary business environment is characterized by frequent chang es in external environment variables such as new technologies, new legislations and shifts in consumption patterns thus organizational studies will enable the managers to align their business vision and strategy to these changes. In this case, managers will be capable of collecting market intelligence information and outlining competitive strategies that aim at attaining the overall business vision (Cole, 2004). Accordingly, the studies will motivate employees through ensuring proper leadership styles that aim at ensuring team work and improving the individual employee performance (Smith, 1992). In this case, modern business must implement transformational leadership practices that consider the unique needs of each employee and that aim at inspiring the efforts of employees towards

Cross Cultural Managemant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Cross Cultural Managemant - Essay Example Prominently, it has been found that Egyptian culture favors authoritative leadership and team orientation; emphasizes the present and avoids risk or change; emphasizes laws and regulations and does not adhere to time schedules. Recommendations to managers have been made keeping in mind these and few other attributes. Table of contents 1. Introduction 4 2. Cultural assessment in global business: rationale and objectives 4 3. Determinants of culture 6 4. Analysis of Egyptian culture 7 4.1 Based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions 8 4.2 Based on Trompenaars’ cultural dimensions 10 4.3 Based on Edward T Hall’s intercultural aspects in communication 11 4.4 Based on the GLOBE project by House et al., 12 5. Implications for business 14 5.1 From GLOBE’s cultural dimensions perspective 15 5.2 Other perspectives 17 6 Conclusions and Recommendations 19 Bibliography Appendices List of appendices Appendix 1: Steers et al.’s (2010) Comparison of models of cultural dimensions Appendix 2: Nardon & Steer’s (2009) Core cultural dimensions: an integrative summary Appendix 3: House et al.’s (2004) Summary of social cluster rankings for culturally endorsed implicit theory leadership 1. Introduction: Egypt, an African country, is known for its historical origins of world civilizations. Its culture is influenced by the Mediterranean, African and the Arab countries, and therefore predominantly follows Islamic religion. From international perspective, Egypt’s social and cultural considerations act as the constraints for business and management due to their vast dissimilarities with other nations’ cultures (Rice & Mahmoud, 2013). In view of this fact, Egypt’s conduciveness for business in international arena will be explored by using findings from literature. Literature on various researches related to world cultures will be studied, with main focus on the most significant studies, like those by Hofstede, Trompenaars, H all, and House et al will be used as reference points. Critical implications for effective management such as motivation, leadership, organizational policies and procedures will be identified based on analysis carried out on Egyptian culture using various cultural dimensions. Finally, conclusions will be drawn and recommendations will be made, if required, from management viewpoint. 2 Cultural assessment in global business: rationale and objectives Business management attracted a different perspective during the beginning stages of globalization owing to the various determinants of successful business run by people belonging to various backgrounds. This perspective was from the cultural aspect, which management specialists and scholars have been studying in detail to identify the role of national culture on various aspects related to organizational behavior. Business anthropology has thus permeated management field owing to various needs in globalized world, such as communication, b usiness growth, international relations, international laws and regulations etc, all of which are influenced by culture. For instance, the human resources perspective demands a thorough understanding and analysis in different countries, considering the similarities and variations of national and organizational cultures, for effective management of people. Extensive research work and evidences in the areas of marketing, consumer behavior, international business,

Afghanistan War Essay Example for Free

Afghanistan War Essay Afghanistan has been in war with the U. S. mainly because, The Taliban refuses to follow through with the commands that the U. S. gave them, as well as ‘The Three Phases’, Also the planned attack in 2001, but mainly because the U. S. wants the mineral resources that are found in Afghanistan. The Taliban refused to undertake 3 simple tasks: shutting down the terrorist training camps, giving up the Al-Qaeda leaders and returning all American and Foreign citizens, which is part of the reason that we went to war with Afghanistan in 2001. The ‘Three Phases’ started in 1987-present the first phase was to topple the Taliban and destroy all terrorist camps from 1987-1997, the second phase was to defeat the Taliban military and re-build core institutes in the afghan state from 1997- September11, 2001, and the third phase was to turn to counterinsurgency doctrine due to increased military troop presence from 2001-present. America was planning an attack on Afghanistan to start off the third phase but what they didn’t know is that Afghanistan was planning an attack to the Twin towers to get back at the U.  S. for what they did in the past years. The main reason to the war in Afghanistan was to get most of the mineral resources in Afghanistan that are very valuable, and costs lots of money. Afghanistan and The U. S. A. are at war d The Taliban has refused to do the commands that the president of the U. S. (Mr. Bush) told them to do. More than two weeks ago from October 7th, 2001 the Taliban refused to shut down their terrorist camps, give up their leaders, and return all American and foreign citizens. Even though the U. S. s at war with Afghanistan, president Bush set up an arrangement so that afghan people who were suffering from starvation and medical issues could be cured with the droppings of food, medical aid and, clean drinking water so that they can survive and keep the afghan population alive, and for them to know what America can do when other Countries are in a time of need. George W. Bush on Sunday October 7th, 2001 said â€Å"The Military action is a part of our campaign against terrorism†¦We will win this conflict by the patient accumulation of successes, by meeting a series of challenges with determination and will and purpose. (Bush) This quote states that America will do everything in its power to get revenge on Osama bin Laden (Jerry Robinson) the person that President Bush thinks that he was behind the attack of the Twin Towers. Barack Obama dramatically increased the military troop presence in Afghanistan to have a larger force to protect the population from Taliban attacks due to, the ‘Three Phases’. The Three Phases consist of: 1) Toppling the Taliban 2) Defeating the Taliban military and rebuilding core institutions of the afghan state 3) a turn to counterinsurgency doctrine due to the increasing rates of military troops in Afghanistan(Witte). Phase one had lasted from 1979-1989 when soviet troops were withdrawn. Phase two lasted from1989-2001 the forces the United States and its allies had trained and armed now fought each other in complex coalitions for control of Afghanistan. The Third Phase lasted from September 11, 2001-present during Phase three on September 22, 2001 The United Arab Emirates and later Saudi Arabia withdrew their recognition of the Taliban as the legal government of Afghanistan, leaving neighboring Pakistan as the only remaining country with diplomatic ties. o some extent most of the Terrorist camps in Afghanistan were destroyed, and the government was ousted. Also, The Taliban surrendered within two months, much more quickly than expected. The Taliban and al-Qaeda began to regroup in 2003, after the United States shifted its military efforts to fighting the war in Iraq, and attacks on U. S. and NATO troops have continued since. The overall aim now is to ensure a stable Afghanistan that is no longer a hotbed for terrorist organisations. This all happened due to the Three Phases.

Sony ericsson mobile company

Sony ericsson mobile company 1.0 Report Overview 1.1 Introduction The aim of this report is to deeply understand the importance of applying marketing essential strategies in order for the company to thrive in a dynamic changing environment. Sony Ericsson, the joint venture established in 2001, is an example to be thoroughly examined in this report. Its mobile T68i was revolutionary; it was the first GSM/GPRS color screen handset. Its Bluetooth technology was introduced for the first time in the market. Nevertheless, Sony Ericssons market share is only 13.65% in 2010 compared to Nokia, 51.40%! Why? (GetJar 2009) The report will focus on revealing the key issues that affect Sony Ericssons current and future situation in the market. After the great success of Sony Ericsson in selling its Walkman phones that were launched in 2005 (Smith 2006:77), it started to face new challenges in the market. The report will critically evaluate Sony Ericssons implemented strategies compared to the surrounding environment and highlight the challenges that face the company for this implementation. It is an important report because it will provide a better insight on how marketing strategies are put into practice in a company. It will also help in answering a very important question: what are the challenges the company should handle to maintain its competitive advantage now and in the future. 1.2 Report Structure and Approach This report will be structured as the following: Section Two: An introduction to the companys behaviour and the way it responds to changes in the market in order to understand the broader system it works in. Section Three: A deep analysis of the competitive advantage of the company to have a better understanding of its potentials in order to decide what is better for it. Section Four: Identifying the internal and external factors that determines the companys success or failure by evaluating its strengths and weaknesses and opportunities and threats using PESTEL and SWOT theories. Section Five: A conclusion. 2.0 Sony Ericsson Orientation Sony Ericsson, being in the mobile telephone industry, faces a lot of fierce competition and it has always strived to be a leader in this industry. To achieve this goal, It has adopted a four dimensional organizational orientation strategy which includes product, marketing, production and sales orientation (Schenker 2007). 2.1 Product Orientation Sony Ericsson has always maintained quality and differentiation in its products while expanding into new markets and making its brand known worldwide. It invests in research and development to develop new products that will satisfy its customers. For instance it was the first in 2005 (Sony Ericsson: 2008) to develop the walkman feature in cell phones. It also developed phones with digital cameras and cyber shot cameras which added value to its products. This company actually invests a lot of money in research and development; it has an office in Sweden which focuses only on researching into new product features and quality (Consumer Reports 2005). A key factor in the product orientation strategy of Sony has been its branding. According toColton, It is wide recognised that brands are one of the most valuable assets that firms own. This explains why Sony Ericsson always wants to improve on its product design so as to maintain its brand name and image which customers hold about its products. Sony Ericssons brand strength has helped in innovation and creation of value creation strategies that its competitors cannot implement or follow as the brand name Sony Ericsson has greater awareness andrecognition.Thus a strong brand name can result in a greater profit margin and the more an organisation achieves its objectives. Sonys brand names with their sophisticated features like the recently launched green heart cell phone has had a positive image in the minds of their consumers who has a high recognition for it as an environmentally friendly industry (Colton et al. 2010). Sony Ericsson has smartly differentiated products with the aim of targeting different segments of the market, since it is difficult for a single product to satisfy the needs of different consumers. For instance, it started by developing phones which were large in size with few options like text messages only. Later on it improved mobiles by producing very small size phones with camera options. Today it has phones with video recording, mp3 and cyber shot. Today, Sony Ericsson has expanded the market for its products operating in over eighty one countries of the globe; it no longer produces electrical appliances like electric irons, televisions and mp3 DVD players. It aims to gain leadership in the mobile phone industry using a strong brand name. 2.2 Marketing Orientation Sony Ericsson is a market oriented organization. Market orientation, according to Jobber, is when a firm gives priority to consumers preferences at all levels of their activities. Sony Ericsson highly values its customers so it develops all its phones based on customers specifications and preferences. It wants to satisfy its customers at all levels; always researching on what consumers desire and it greatly invests in this area as it sees them profitable investments. This can be clearly noticed when Sony Ericsson came with the walkman phones with mp3 in 2005 which paid it off and helped recover the losses it incurred before and resulted in a larger market share. Sony Ericsson has displayed number of market orientation characteristics; for instance, efficiency and effectiveness, segmentation and targeting, customer value and satisfaction and competitive advantage. Moreover, Sony Ericsson is an efficient and effective mobile phone company. Efficiency is seen through its ability to minimise its production cost while maximizing outputs and profit. Sony Ericsson has kept at all stages in production at low cost while maintaining quality and variety with sophisticated features (camera, video recording, and web browser). Also investing in new products and modern technology has been the spirit behind the success of Sony Ericsson in many occasions. Effectiveness, on the other hand, is seen by its ability to produce phones that people want to buy. At one point, the continuous increase in the profits of Sony Ericsson has been due to increase in demand on its phones which has resulted in more sales compared to other years. Sony Ericsson has divided its market into different groups of buyers and sellers. Some of the main segments are those who seek phones for value and those seeking sophisticated features like video recording, internet and mp3. Sony Ericsson has always sought to create pleasure and fun in its phones with the aim of providing customers satisfaction and value to its products. This is why it keeps developing new features like the touch screen, slides and internet facilities. Sony Ericsson has always strived to remain the market leader in the phone industry and to have a competitive edge over its competitors like Nokia and Samsung. This is why after making huge losses of over $10 000 it came up with the new walkman and cyber-shot phones in 2005 and maintained low prices which generated revenues of $31 687.2 million with a net income of $1 769.5 million. It has always put its customers in first position in all its marketing strategies. A typical model to show its marketing orientation can be shown below; Marketing orientation entails creating goods and services that will satisfy the needs of your customers and continuously researching into better ways of doing so and making sure this process has a positive impact on the goals of the company (Uncles 2000: 1). The growing importance of marketing orientation today is seen as firms try to build long lasting relationships with their customer. Firms now produce what the market demands not just producing with the hope that whatever they manufacture consumers will buy. Firms now use customer strategic marketing which is a process whereby they try to optimise revenue and profits while satisfying their needs (Dean et al. 2009). 2.3 Production Orientation Sony Ericsson produces mobile phones and most of the production is centered in China, India and Britain. Third of the production is in China and India as the cost of production in these countries is lower than in the United Kingdom and Sweden where its research and development office is found. The company is efficient in production and so tries to minimise production cost. In 2008, it reduced its work force by 2000 employees and consultants in and remains competitive in this industry which is very dynamic. Sony Ericsson produces phones (talk and text, camera, web and email, touch phones, music and games) and mobile accessories (head phones, battery charger, music transmitters and cables, car holders, Bluetooth headset, phone cases). These phones are designed in different sizes, styles and shapes. Besides, the company focuses its production of mobile phones based on the current market needs. Last year due to the global cry for climate change, it has launched the Go Green Heart Sony Ericsson phone. This shows that the company invests in the production of products that match with current needs of the population. (Sony Ericsson 2009). 2.4 Sales Orientation Sony Ericsson has witnessed rapid increases in revenue due to increased sales. It initially started operations in Britain, China, India and Sweden, but today it has expanded its market to over eighty one countries. Despite the recent recession that lead to reduction in profits, Sony Ericsson has embarked on sales promotions, aggressive and persuasive TV and Internet advertisement and sales promotion and reasonable prices of its products. Most of its adverts have had positive impacts. For example, when it launched the Walkman in 2005, there was a rapid increase in demand and high sales were recorded. Their major buyers are mobile communication firms and independent retailers. Over the years they have experienced increases in their sales and net revenue, yet lost market share. This can be seen below: Years 2005 2006 2007 2008 Net Sales (SEK Million) 7,268 10,959 99,129 12,916 Net Profit (EK Million) 350 997 1,114 1 769.5 Source: Sony Ericsson Company Research 2.5 Sony Ericsson Group Operation Sony Ericsson has different telecommunication through firms like other companies such as Orange, T-Mobile and MTN which carry out sales promotions and this strategy has off. With it launching of online sales it has increased sales as retailers can place their commands online and receive their goods wherever they are located. The coming up of the pricing strategy in 2007 was Sony Ericsson introduced reasonably priced phones with fewer functions equally lead to rapid penetration of the markets especially in Africa. 2.6 Evaluation and Recommendation Sony Ericsson has a positive product and production orientation. This has given it a competitive edge in the market as it always finds new ways and methods of innovation in the mobile phone industry. Its effort in this line has placed it in a supreme position most of time. However it still has to work more on the area of developing phone and accessories. Most of its accessories are not strong as a lot of customers have made negative complaints regarding their durability. The industry has however reacted to this by offering guarantees to customers who purchase its walkman and cyber shot phones. This step nevertheless seems unfair to other consumers who do not get any warranty when purchasing the company other low quality phones (Strategic Direction 2004). As regarding marketing and sales, a lot has to be improved .This is because despite its recent downsizing in labour force with the aim of cutting down cost and maximising profits, the company has still recorded recent losses in the fourth quarter of 2009 (BBC: 2010) of 167 million Euro from 187million Euro in the previous year. Sales in this same period fell by 40%. Sony Ericsson has been suffering from lower sales due to failures in their marketing team. A lot of improvements should be carried out to bust sales and profits. The company overall is doing well needs an extra force o rekindle its sales and profit margins. 3.0 Competitive Advantage An advantage over competitors gained by offering greater customer value, either through lower process or by providing more benefits more benefits that justify higher prices (Armstrong and Kotler 2009:218). Sony Ericsson can be accredited for its innovation. Whether by T68i, the First GSM/GPRS enabled colour screen Handset, Bluetooth technology for file transfer or hand free and later with Music and Loud Speakers or High Mega Pixel Mobile Camera. At one time, Sony Ericsson Held the second largest market as a phone manufacturer in Europe. Below graph shows its market share of 20% which is quite dominant (Mintel 2010). Handset Market Share in Europe, November 2009 One of the main strengths of Sony Ericsson is diversity (Sony Ericsson 2010) and mapping this to the Poters Three Generic Strategies theory we reach the following Stuck In the Middle situation for Sony Ericsson. Competitive Advantage (Porter 1985) Turning this problem into opportunity, it is an advantage for Sony Ericsson to be in that situation, as it enables it to serve the vast mobile consumer market over competitors and the serve the three competitive advantages of Cost, differentiation and focus. 3.1 Cost Leadership To achieve cost Leadership Sony Ericsson has become low cost producers in mobile industry as compared to others offering the same mobile features and quality. Sony Ericsson prices are quite competitive and are available for big as well as small pockets. Brand  £0-20  £21-40  £41-100  £100 Total Nokia 4 4 6 7 21 Sony Ericsson 1 3 8 7 19 Samsung 1 2 6 4 13 LG 3 5 8 Availability of pay as you go phones, by brand and price, December 2009 Source: Mintel Analyzing the above data it clearly specifies that Sony Ericsson have competitive numbers of handsets in all ranges. This helps Sony Ericsson customer base to be 20% and growing continuously. 3.2 Differentiation From day one Sony Ericssons focus has been on Music functionality or camera. At early times when camera phones were just launched, the brand gave the feature to take, send and receive pictures quickly as cameras. Same for the Music Player, its Walkman Series had a dedicated button to allow switching between mobile and music functionality. Mixing the competitive price and leads in terms of multimedia usage across the handset brands (listed in the below table) makes Sony Ericsson so popular among youth (Mintel: 2010). Total% Nokia % Sony Ericsson % Samsung % Motorolla % Bluetooth 46 42 62 53 35 Camera less than 5 megapixel 43 36 55 46 50 Music player 37 29 58 46 16 Games 36 32 49 41 33 Video recorder 34 27 51 41 22 Video player 30 24 45 37 20 Web browser 28 25 38 33 20 Radio 25 25 41 27 6 Camera 5 megapixels or more 21 20 25 29 14 Fast web browsing eg 3G 17 19 21 14 6 Email 16 16 17 15 8 Touchscreen 11 5 11 17 3 IM chat eg Instant messenger 10 11 11 8 3 Wi-Fi 9 11 11 6 2 GPS/Sat-Nav 7 10 4 4 1 QWERTY keyboard 6 4 5 4 2 Ability to open Word Documents 6 6 5 3 2 Ability to open PDF documents 6 6 4 3 1 Ability to open Excel documents 5 5 4 2 2 Source: (Mintel Oxygen, 2010), Based on 2,000 Internet users aged 16+. Sony Ericsson had product of handset (included pay as you go and contract) owned by facilities on mobile used, October 2008. 3.3 Focus Focus strategy is to be successful; the organization must understand segments thoroughly; how their needs are changing and what range to offer. If Sony Ericsson doesnt serve the segment more effectively than competitors, then it will be in a poor position (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006: 972). Sony Ericsson obviously is the under-25s preferred handset (Mintel: 2010). The features such as High Mega Pixel Camera and music Players are symptomatic of entertainment and function-hungry younger market and these features are highly substitutable. Also Sony-Ericsson younger users perceive its interface as easier to use in connection to the features of their key interest. Although, the risk of operating in this segment is that this segment might fluctuate widely on the short run depending on fashion trends, Sony Ericsson market share may fairly remain same, Other possible threat is that this might be undetermined by competition (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006: 973). For Complete understanding of the Sony Ericsson competitive advantages, Poters five Forces of competitive advantages have further been used. According to the Porter, the state of competition in an industry depends on five basics competitive forces; the collective strengths of these forces determining the ultimate profile potential of the industry and the ability of firm in an industry to earn rates of return on investment in access of the cost of capital (Poter 1985). The five forces are as Follows: Existing Competitive rivalry between players. Barging power of buyers. Threat of new market entrance. Bargaining powers of suppliers. Threat of Substitute products. These five forces for Sony Ericsson is shown in the below figure. Porters 5 Force Model for Sony Ericsson. 3.3.1 Existing Competitive Rivalry among Players Sony Ericsson sustains the competition amount Nokia, Motorola, LG, Samsung, etc because of its Innovation strengths. This enables it to enjoy the total market share of 20%. To reach this figure, Sony Ericsson defiantly needs to maintain its technology as well and its competitive cost base to attract more customers. Also, the increase in social networking should be maintained, Sony Ericsson have already targeted most of them such as Facebook, Twiter and Myspace, as they are the current attracters and give a competitive edge. In current market trends, there is a big increase in the smart phone users and to cope up with the trend. In 2009, Sony Ericsson largely focused on the high-end segment of the market with the launch of Satio, Aino, W995 and Yari ranges. The Satio is a touch-screen with a 12MP camera and a Walkman; the Aino provides access to media content from a PlayStation3 console while on the move; and the Yari has a Nintendo Wii-like sensor for gaming (Mintel 2010). 3.3.2 Bargaining Powers of Buyers The degree which consumers can influence the demand is referred as bargaining power (Jobbar 2010). Sony Ericsson offers its customers a big range of handsets at competitive price to satisfy the vast mobile consumer market which are from basic phone users to top end latest technology buyers. This expands the market base for them not just within Europe but also enables them to serve this vast range in various economies. 3.3.3 Threat of new market Entrance New Entry means new rival that in turn means increased competition. Sony Ericsson need to be aware of all the big and small companies entering in various global locations into the mobile phone industry as the Sony Ericsson deals with all rang of handsets. Certain barriers should be put to inhibit new entrants. As Mobile market is very competitive the new entry and its survival is quite dull until as unless its a well know brand and good technology as what Apples iPhone did to the market share of smart phone of Sony Ericsson and other brands (Schenker 2007). The threat of new entrants to Sony Ericsson is quite low because of its established brand value and quality. 3.3.4 Threat of Substitute Products This is the ability of your customers to find an alternative way of doing what you do. As far as near future is concerned, an substitute of mobile handsets cant be think of, so Sony Ericson need not to worry about this threat but it needs to be open for viewing the new technologies coming in for communication so that it can incorporate in new models. 3.3.5 Bargaining Power of Suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers can also be described as the market of inputs. Suppliers of raw materials, components, labor, and services can become power over the firm if there are few substitutes. Since the starting of Sony Ericsson in 2001, it operates under a corporate social responsibility code. Sony Ericsson insists to only works with suppliers who meet required stringent. This helps employees to make ethically correct decisions. Influencing product development and improvement from a CSR and environmental perspectives in the supply chain, which is a key reason in reaching industry leadership as well as compliance with those requirements. Also, All Sony Ericsson suppliers go under assessment to meet compliance with CSR and environmental requirements. These assessments prove that suppliers have procedures within place to control their supply chain (Sony Ericsson 2010). In this ways Sony Ericsson has developed loyalty from its suppliers and being a main market player, it has the power of looking at different suppliers in tough times. 3.4 Value Chain Its a method for locating superior skills and resources. All firms consist of set of activities that are conducted during product lifecycle, they are design, manufacture, market, distribute and after sales service for its products. The value chain categorizes them into support and primary activities (Jobber 2010: 787). The value chain (Jobber 2006: 788) Product differentiation defiantly provides competitive advantage, but on the other hand it also tends to increase the complexity, which increases supply chain risk. The challenge manufacturers face is making the correct tradeoff decision among the two. Sony Ericsson deals with this by deeply analyzing the total supply chain effect at various stages of design strategies (AMRresearch 2010) this might be internal or external to the organisation. Sony Ericsson has a tie up with ATCLE in US for packaging and final manufacturing touch until the products arrive in Texas with ATCLEs distribution Center. This gives Sony Ericsson two advantages: It gave them positive trade-off of cost benefit in transporting packed product from Asia compared to ATCLEs charges for assembling. This also gave them the opportunity of finally customizing the product in Dallas closer to the customer as per their desire. (SupplyChainBrain 2010). Similarly, the tie up of Sony Ericsson with Ingram for its nationwide sales and distribution in India brought a value addition to the company. (Kanter J 2009) Building up of the high quality of value chain makes Sony Ericsson more probable by customers because they get better service quality across the globe and it also concentrate more on the product and quality it is developing. Sony Ericsson certainly has a competitive advantage over its rivals because of its strong Value chain within the various operations without the organization and outside across the globe. 4.0 Marketing Mix Diffusion of a product depends on its positioning. It includes complexity, differential advantage, divisibility, compatibility with customers values, i.e. life style, experiences and behaviours, and communicability (Jobber 2010:384-409). Companies should be careful in choosing the target market and showing the differential advantage the product has. This could be achieved by a combination of successful brand naming, image, service, design, guarantees, packaging and delivery. All of those mentioned are included in the four marketing mix framework which will be discussed in this section (Jobber 2010:311). 4.1 Product Product is a crucial part of the marketing mix; its the element that the company starts to build and shape its identity and most importantly generates profit. All companies have products, whether tangible or intangible, but what differentiates their products from each other is the branding itself. Branding includes choosing a name, creating a design, insuring quality and the line of products. Positioning is created out of those elements, bearing in mind that they, together, should be clear in the message they deliver, credible, consistent and competitive. These elements augment the perceived value and performance of customers. It is also a barrier to rivals, gain for high profits and base for brand extension, quality certification and trust (Jobber 2010:305). We are going to discuss those important elements with reference to Sony Ericsson Company. 4.1.1 Brand Name Developing a distinctive name for the brand differentiates and distinguishes it from other products in the market. Brand naming should evoke positive emotions, be easy to remember and pronounce and suggest the benefit of the product (Jobber 2010: 319-320). Sony Ericsson always uses prestigious names for its brands that suggest sophistication and smoothness, like its newest mobiles Xperia, Xperia X10 and Vivaz. They are easy to remember and they provoke a kind of excitement for the customer to be introduced to those products. Also the company uses alphanumeric when naming its brands to emphasize technology which expand its targeted customers. Sony Ericsson choice of names is very successful when compared to other mobile names like Nokia 7230, Motorola Dext; the former combines the two essential elements of simplicity and technology. Another important aspect of brand naming is the brand heritage (Jobber 2010:315); it adds value to the positioning of the brand in the market. When looking at Sony Eri

Ronald Reagan, Reagan by Lou Cannon Essay -- essays research papers

Cannon, Lou. Reagan. New York: Putnam, 1982. Lou Cannon has covered Ronald Reagan for thirty-six years, first as a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, later as the White House correspondent for the Washington Post. He began with covering Reagan's first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and continued until Reagan's recent death in 2004. His other books on Reagan include Ronnie and Jesse: A Political Odyssey, Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio, President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime, Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power, and several others. After following and working closely with Reagan, Cannon forms an obvious relationship and opinion of him. Cannon admits that he "like(s) and respect(s) Ronald Reagan while remaining skeptical that his actions will achieve the results he intends," (Cannon, 1981, 15). Cannon writes that he was at first skeptical of Reagan's abilities to perform as president; specifically with foreign policy and his economic theories. However, Cannon argues that Reagan's presidency may mirror his governorship, "he started ineptly but soon evolved into a competent governor who was willing to sacrifice ideology for political achievement," (Cannon, 1981, 15). Because this book was written during Regan's first year as president, Cannon is unable to record complete evidence to support his own theory, although he accomplishes this in his following books about President Reagan. Cannon, an obvious conservative supporter of Reagan, includes criticisms and shortcomings of Reagan as well a s praise. Cannon does not let his personal relationship skew his writings and has thus become known as Reagan's definitive biographer. Cannon's mission to provide an in depth biography of the nation's fortieth president and his ability to lead, begins by tracing Reagan's origins, his hopes and dreams, fears, achievements and failures. Cannon provides the reader with insight to Reagan's childhood and adolescent years and attempts to explain the beginnings of Reagan's motivations, optimism and determination. Cannon argues that much of Reagan's optimism, determination and political motivation spur from living through the Depression. Reagan sees the Depression as a national tragedy, not a personal one, and forever becomes enthralled with Presi... ...f Reagan's life including those listed previously. Reagan offers an insight into the former president's life and presidency prior to 1982. It is well written, providing colorful anecdotes which keep the reader's interest. The personal stories give vivid insight into Reagan's childhood, young adult life and early political career. Although intended to support the idea that Reagan was prepared and qualified for the presidency, Reagan is comprised of over four hundred pages describing Reagan as ill-equipped for the job. Cannon's overcompensation for detachment contradicts his argument that," He (Reagan) belonged in the White House. He had every right to dream heroic dreams," (Cannon, 1981, 411). Though the book is well researched and organized its evidence overwhelms its conclusion. Reference: Cannon, Lou. Reagan. New York: Putnam, 1982. Cooke, Allistair, "Reagan." Review of Reagan, by Lou Cannon. New Yorker, March 14, 1983, 148. Wilkie, Curtis, "Reagan," Review of Reagan, by Lou Cannon. New York Times Book Review, October 3, 1982.

Education and Egalitarianism in America :: American Education School Educators Essays

Education and Egalitarianism in America The American educator Horace Mann once said: "As an apple is not in any proper sense an apple until it is ripe, so a human being is not in any proper sense a human being until he is educated." Education is the process through which people endeavor to pass along to their children their hard-won wisdom and their aspirations for a better world. This process begins shortly after birth, as parents seek to train the infant to behave as their culture demands. They soon, for instance, teach the child how to turn babbling sounds into language and, through example and precept, they try to instill in the child the attitudes, values, skills, and knowledge that will govern their offspring's behavior throughout later life. Schooling, or formal education, consists of experiences that are deliberately planned and utilized to help young people learn what adults consider important for them to know and to help teach them how they should respond to choices. This education has been influenced by thr ee important parts of modern American society: wisdom of the heart, egalitarianism, and practicality... the greatest of these, practicality. In the absence of written records, no one can be sure what education man first provided for his children. Most anthropologists believe, though, that the educational practices of prehistoric times were probably like those of primitive tribes in the 20th century, such as the Australian aborigines and the Aleuts. Formal instruction was probably given just before the child's initiation into adulthood -- the puberty rite -- and involved tribal customs and beliefs too complicated to be learned by direct experience. Children learned most of the skills, duties, customs, and beliefs of the tribe through an informal apprenticeship -- by taking part in such adult activities as hunting, fishing, farming, toolmaking, and cooking. In such simple tribal societies, school was not a special place... it was life itself. However, the educational process has chang ed over the decades, and it now vaguely represents what it was in ancient times, or even in early American society. While the schools that the colonists established in the 17th century in the New England, Southern, and Middle colonies differed from one another, each reflected a concept of schooling that had been left behind in Europe. Most poor children learned through apprenticeship and had no formal schooling at all. Those who did go to elementary school were taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion.

Development Methods

Agile software development refers to the processes and methodologies of software development which are based upon the implementation of iterative development with the help of a joint venture through which solutions are devised by making use of cross-functional teams. Coined in the year 2001 with the promulgation of the Agile Manifesto, this special program of computer program development mainly focuses on the philosophy of leadership and accountability with the intention to fulfill the needs of customers and achieving company goals. Moreover it does not only emphasize on best teamwork practices but also promotes best industry practices.Hence agile methodology of software development is extremely beneficial for industries and software companies as it provides a greatest number of myriad benefits at their disposal (Reifer, 2006). On the flip side we have the traditional method of computer program and software development which includes a number of different methodologies which can be u sed in various ways for the fulfillment of objectives through traditional methods. Traditional methods are commonly classified or labeled as all those methods of software development that cannot be categorized or accommodated in agile development method.Therefore when talking about traditional methods we have at our disposal some of the ways that are known as iterative development procedures, waterfall methods and even cowboy tailoring, hence in a nutshell it encompasses all those characteristics or most of them that are not the salient feature of the agile method of software and computer programming, hence with increasing innovation and advancement taking place in the technological sector the efficacy and credibility of traditional methods of software development is slowly and steadily decreasing (Lewis, 2008).Salient features of each methodology As stated earlier that some of the major characteristics that are among the prime features of agile method of software development due to which it is considered highly preferable for computer companies in contemporary times. All the methods that are described and accommodated by the agile method promote teamwork, collaboration and adaptability to the changing environment and scenario of the technological mainstream.Since agile method accentuates upon the feature of adaptability potentials with the passage of time most of the computer programs that are made by using agile methodology do not focus on long term planning. Each iteration that is designed by using the principle designing features of the program consist of short time frames or time boxes as they are professionally referred to as. These time boxes last for minimum two to a maximum four weeks.However it is worth mentioning here that every fragment of information that is designed using this method of software technology uses and adheres to the principles and features of proper analysis, observation, market strategy prevalent at that specific period of time and involves proper and well-coordinated collaboration of all team members that contribute their opinion and perspectives after which the decision of software developing is finalized and presented to the major stake holders of the company (Highsmith, 2002).With all such features incorporated well in the entire project that is looked forward towards designing the probability of risks and hazards that can affect the entire project in adverse ways minimizes substantially and at the same time makes the entire computer program highly susceptible and non-immune for the adaptability of changes that can easily be made in the rudimentary mechanism of the entire computer program to make it suitable and usable in the long run.As far as the features of the traditional methods of computer program development is concerned since there are many methods that can be classified under the banner of traditional method, each method has its own dos and don’ts. For example some of the salient features of the Waterfall Method which is known as one of the structured organized of all traditional methods follows a strict procedure of stepping through requirements, analysis, design and coding in an at all once sort of a way which basically halts the sustainability and longevity of the computer program being designed.In contrast to this we have the cowboy method which does not follow or adhere to any specific rules and regulations of software program development and n which the team that is developing and designing the program have complete liberty as a result of which the outcome is not as effective and long-lasting as made by following other program and methods of software development (Kram and Tsui, 2009). Pros and Cons of each methodologyEvery program of software development is accompanied with its own pros and cons and similar is the case of agile and traditional methods of computer program development. We will have a look at some of the advantages of the agile method and procedur e first. The biggest advantage that web and software developers when using agile methodology is that the program outcome of this software is highly adaptable and possess the ability of undergoing changes and alterations that makes it adaptable to the dynamically changing environment of the technological and web arena.A further benefit that is an extension of the former one is that the developing and technical team does not have to invest further time, effort and resources to cater to the needs of the client that has altered, if such a condition does take place which is frequent enough slight or even substantial changes can be made without exerting oneself too much or without wasting too much time and further resources to ultimately gratify the client.Another very positive point of using agile method for computer programming is attributed to the presence of constant face to face communication between the developing team and that with the customer leaves no space for speculation in th e work and the kind of task that has been undertaken by the company itself.Furthermore the documentation made through agile methodology is short, concise, and crisp and is targeted specifically to the point that is required by the client without any redundant and irrelevant information. With the collective and flawless consolidation of all these factors the software prepared by using this methodology is as demanded and as per the requirement of the customer. Once done with this lets have a look at some of the cons and don’ts that are related to agile method.It has normally been viewed that the software development prepared using the agile method is limited in benefits to short scale projects, if large scale projects are prepared using this method their effectivity and credibility may not last long mainly because of the fact that in large scale projects it become difficult to evaluate the effort and scope of resources that needs to be invested in the preparation of the project during in its initial stages of software development cycle in particular.Secondly, another shortcoming of agile method also lies in the fact that it does not completely emphasize on the preparation of mandatory documentation and designing which are some of the elements that are extremely important and dire for any software program and for the maintenance of its efficacy.Agile methods are always accompanied with the threat that the customer or the client may easily withdraw or rollback the entire project if he is not able to understand the objectives that the project needs to fulfill and the benefits that the project can extract for him as a result of which the entire project and the resources and effort invested in it will go in vain.Moreover it is also worth mentioning here that agile method of program development is carefully and manageably handled by professional, highly qualified, experienced and learned computer professionals so that they possess all the necessary skills in co mmunication as well as adequate technical expertise to satisfy all the myriad and diverse requirements that the client needs in the computer program he is looking forward to design. Once done with the advantages and disadvantages of agile methodologies of technical software development we now move on to the pros and cons of traditional methods (Sanja, 2010).Since traditional method accommodates a wide array of different methods and procedures some are effective and advantageous whereas others do not share the same level of credibility and usage. Some of the traditional methods that are used such as the Waterfall method is highly accredited as some of the most organized and well-managed ways of software development due to the high level of convenience and simplicity it offer at the disposal of the client. Waterfall Method which is among the most prominent method of traditional development offers the effective departmentalization of resources and expertise as well as of managerial con trol.It also follows some of the key principles that are vital for the success of any project; these include analysis of an issue through all ways and magnitudes through proper consultation and recommendations from all major experts involved in the process, but despite of this a major drawback that is offered by the usage and adherence to the principles of traditional methods of software development are that the software program constructed by making use of traditional methods do not have the potential of turning back or reverting the process that has been established once, as a result of this if a client demands an alteration in the basic mechanism of the program that ahs initially been designed for him, the company employees and the technical staff involved in the making of the program will have to start from the scratch in order to incorporate the change demanded by the customer. This will also require greater investment of time, resources and efforts from the entire team in orde r to conform to clients needs.When such processes take place time for other projects that are pending have less time for their completion as a result of which a chain reaction of chaos, anomie and mismanagement initiates that disturbs the entire process of effective management (Keith, 2007). The affectivity of each software development method depends on the kind of the client and the requirement of the client that it is dealing with. In contemporary technological mainstream we see that the entire business of Information technology has been shifted overseas and are being handled primarily by countries that can provide ample and low cost labor force such as China and India.In such cases these countries work for many of the software companies located in United States and other major economies of the world and their companies like Microsoft, Dell and Hewlett Packard, therefore the choice of the software that they demand has to be satisfied under all conditions and the requirements and n ature of the software in turn determines the kind of the software that needs to be used for the making of the software. In some cases the company might show interest in developing software though agile while in other ways traditional methods have to be applied. Hence in a nutshell the affectivity of each methodology of software making depends on the requirements of the client and the nature of the software that needs to be developed by the concerned organization.Requirements and demands may also vary at a local level for example a local Indian software company known as Satyam mostly shows interest in developing software through agile methods as alterations in it can readily be achieved to cater to the needs and requirements of their target audience. In some circumstances it is also a possibility that the software model and the specializations and expertise of the company involved in providing technological services come into consideration when choosing the methodology being applied. Some companies despite of client reliance and coercion apply tactics in order to convince the client the best way through which his services can reach his specified target audience in order to make sure that the capital investment being made by the client provides him maximum benefit in the form of the services being provided by the software company itself (Hass, 2007).