Interview with an HR Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interview with an HR Manager - Essay Example What qualities do you look forward to in employees when you hire them? 18. How should companies design the employee training programs to achieve maximum effect? What I learned about that job HR Manager assumes a cardinal position in the HR Department of any organization. HR Manager plays an important role in building the team and maintaining peace and harmony among individual members by addressing their individualistic and collective concerns and resolving their issues. The HR Manager fundamentally serves as a bridge between the higher managers and first line managers. After conducting the interview, I learned about the following responsibilities of an HR Manager: The HR Manager, 1. Develops and maintains HR strategies and policies, and takes measures to achieve full compliance with them by all personnel. 2. Builds HR team, and makes sure that the organization avails the services of an effective HR service. 3. Manages staff members, guides them in all matters, addresses their concern s and resolves their issues. 4. Ensures that the organization is always equipped with a well trained and skilled stream of qualified workers, and recruits more employees from time to time as necessary. 5. Studies the present and upcoming business requirements and takes appropriate measures in time to sustain the flow and speed of work. 6. Develops, improves and standardizes selection criteria and recruitment strategies to ensure the provision of talented staff at all times in the organization. 7. Develops and implements employee training and competence improvement programs in accordance with the growing needs of the business. 8. Maintains salary information and aligns salary with the individualistic performance of employees. It is the HR Manager’s responsibility to suggest increments... Interview with an HR Manager Very few people are aware of the exact responsibilities of an HR Manager. Since he/she is a Manager, people tend to hold him/her responsible for almost all of the duties related to HR Department, many of which are actually not the responsibilities of the HR Manager. Therefore, in an attempt to clearly identify the exact responsibilities of an HR Manager and to define the boundaries of an HR Manager’s scope of responsibilities, I chose to interview the HR Manager. The interview cleared a lot of my doubts and I got an opportunity to learn the exact responsibilities of an HR Manager. Now, I am able to distinguish between the responsibilities of an HR Manager, HR Director and various other HR professionals. HR Manager assumes a cardinal position in the HR Department of any organization. HR Manager plays an important role in building the team and maintaining peace and harmony among individual members by addressing their individualistic and collective concerns and resolving their issues. The HR Manager fundamentally serves as a bridge between the higher managers and first line managers. This one hour interview with the HR Manager Bredford Brown was highly informative. I came to know that an HR Manager plays a central role in maintaining and improving the work conditions and in aligning the work with the macro and micro environmental requirements in which the business is conducted. Organization excels because of the hard work of employees, and it is the HR Manager who hires them and keeps them for work. Therefore, the credit for organizational success fundamentally goes to HR Manager.

Systematic and Unsystematic Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Systematic and Unsystematic Risks - Essay Example This makes multi-national corporations safer compared to their domestic counterparts. Normally, systematic risk assessment are important for listed companies to effectively price the equities, determining the cost of capital and effective evaluation of projects. However, internationalization also poses some distinct systematic risks to multi-national corporations. Some of these distinct risks are - exposure to currency fluctuations in multiple countries, exposure to political risks pertaining to multiple governments, exposure to reduction in ability of monitoring managers in multiple countries, increased chances of asymmetric & inaccurate localized information thus resulting in wrong investment decisions, etc. Internationalizing investment portfolios also increases the exposure to unsystematic risks - like competitor activity in a foreign country, manager's foul play in another country where the company's monitoring system is weak, etc. Hence, it is important for the organization to have sound global knowledge base & threat database for risk management. Organization structures with distributed power often increases the exposure to both systematic and non-systematic risks. This is the reason that Chatterjee and Lubatkin et al (1992. pp155) felt that vertical mergers reduces the exposure to both systematic and non-systematic risks. They also observed that vertically integrated companies are able to manage lower cost of capitals thus enabling the integrated company to participate in a wider set of opportunities. Hence, multi-national companies with centralized corporate governance and risk management possess lesser exposure to both systematic and unsystematic risks compared to companies having distributed (country specific) risk management & power structures. Cornell (1999. pp198-199) presented a correlation between risk duration and capital budgeting stating that long term projects may be having higher risks if the variations in cash flow is stochastic in nature. Such projects make estimations of discounted cash flow quite difficult and hence the author recommended discounting of long term projects at higher rates. This is the reason that investors normally prefer to invest in short term projects guaranteeing quick returns. Discussions on Risk Management in Deloitte The above analysis of risk exposures of multi-national corporations has been carried out to build analogy with Deloitte in which the author works as partner in Croatia. Deloitte is the largest and oldest multi-national corporation in risk advisory and audit services. Deloitte operates in multiple countries across the world through a tightly controlled "Franchisee" model in which local entrepreneurs are allowed to manage local business based on local market strategies but the risk management, code of conduct and operating methodology is largely governed globally by centralized power centers. The organization possesses a global knowledge base for risk management and allows diversification of portfolios in multiple coun

Three Major Issues Faced By Companies Going Overseas Marketing Essay

Three Major Issues Faced By Companies Going Overseas Marketing Essay The chapter begins by looking at the concept of market entry strategies within the control of a chosen marketing mix. It then goes on to describe the different forms of entry strategy, both direct and indirect exporting and foreign production, and the advantages and disadvantages connected with each method. The chapter gives specific details on countertrade, which is very prevalent in global marketing, and then concludes by looking at the special features of commodity trading with its close coupling between production and marketing. Basic issues An organisation wishing to go international faces three major issues: i) Marketing which countries, which segments, how to manage and implement marketing effort, how to enter with intermediaries or directly, with what information? ii) Sourcing whether to obtain products, make or buy? iii) Investment and control joint venture, global partner, acquisition? Decisions in the marketing area focus on the value chain (see figure 7.1). The strategy or entry alternatives must ensure that the necessary value chain activities are performed and integrated. Table 7.1 Examples of elements included in the export marketing mix 1. Product support Product sourcing Match existing products to markets air, sea, rail, road, freight New products Product management Product testing Manufacturing specifications Labelling Packaging Production control Market information 2. Price support Establishment of prices Discounts Distribution and maintenance of pricelists Competitive information Training of agents/customers 3. Promotion/selling support Advertising Promotion literature Direct mail Exhibitions, trade shows Printing Selling (direct) Sales force Agents commissions Sale or returns 4. Inventory support Inventory management Warehousing Distribution Parts supply Credit authorisation 5. Distribution support Funds provision Raising of capital Order processing Export preparation and documentation Freight forwarding Insurance Arbitration 6. Service support Market information/intelligence Quotes processing Technical aid assistance After sales Guarantees Warranties/claims Merchandising Sales reports, catalogues literature Customer care Budgets Data processing systems Insurance Tax services Legal services Translation 7. Financial support Billing, collecting invoices Hire, rentals Planning, scheduling budget data Auditing Details on the sourcing element have already been covered in the chapter on competitive analysis and strategy. Concerning investment and control, the question really is how far the company wishes to control its own fate. The degree of risk involved, attitudes and the ability to achieve objectives in the target markets are important facets in the decision on whether to license, joint venture or get involved in direct investment. Cunningham1 (1986) identified five strategies used by firms for entry into new foreign markets: i) Technical innovation strategy perceived and demonstrable superior products ii) Product adaptation strategy modifications to existing products iii) Availability and security strategy overcome transport risks by countering perceived risks iv) Low price strategy penetration price and, v) Total adaptation and conformity strategy foreign producer gives a straight copy. In marketing products from less developed countries to developed countries point iii) poses major problems. Buyers in the interested foreign country are usually very careful as they perceive transport, currency, quality and quantity problems. This is true, say, in the export of cotton and other commodities. Because, in most agricultural commodities, production and marketing are interlinked, the infrastructure, information and other resources required for building market entry can be enormous. Sometimes this is way beyond the scope of private organisations, so Government may get involved. It may get involved not just to support a specific commodity, but also to help the public good. Whilst the building of a new road may assist the speedy and expeditious transport of vegetables, for example, and thus aid in their marketing, the road can be put to other uses, in the drive for public good utilities. Moreover, entry strategies are often marked by lumpy investments. Huge investments may have to be undertaken, with the investor paying a high risk price, long before the full utilisation of the investment comes. Good examples of this include the building of port facilities or food processing or freezing facilities. Moreover, the equipment may not be able to be used for other processes, so the as set specific equipment, locked into a specific use, may make the owner very vulnerable to the bargaining power of raw material suppliers and product buyers who process alternative production or trading options. Zimfreeze, Zimbabwe is experiencing such problems. It built a large freezing plant for vegetables but found itself without a contract. It has been forced, at the moment, to accept sub optional volume product materials just in order to keep the plant ticking over. In building a market entry strategy, time is a crucial factor. The building of an intelligence system and creating an image through promotion takes time, effort and money. Brand names do not appear overnight. Large investments in promotion campaigns are needed. Transaction costs also are a critical factor in building up a market entry strategy and can become a high barrier to international trade. Costs include search and bargaining costs. Physical distance, language barriers, logistics costs and risk limit the direct monitoring of trade partners. Enforcement of contracts may be costly and weak legal integration between countries makes things difficult. Also, these factors are important when considering a market entry strategy. In fact these factors may be so costly and risky that Governments, rather than private individuals, often get involved in commodity systems. This can be seen in the case of the Citrus Marketing Board of Israel. With a monopoly export marketing board, the entire system can behave like a single firm, regulating the mix and quality of products going to different markets and negotiating with transporters and buyers. Whilst these Boards can experience economies of scale and absorb many of the risks listed above, they can shield producers from information about, and from. buyers. They can also become the fiefdoms of vested interests and become political in nature. They then result in giving reduced production incentives and cease to be demand or market orientated, which is detrimental to producers. Normal ways of expanding the markets are by expansion of product line, geographical development or both. It is important to note that the more the product line and/or the geographic area is expanded the greater will be the managerial complexity. New market opportunities may be made available by expansion but the risks may outweigh the advantages, in fact it may be better to concentrate on a few geographic areas and do things well. This is typical of the horticultural industry of Kenya and Zimbabwe. Traditionally these have concentrated on European markets where the markets are well known. Ways to concentrate include concentrating on geographic areas, reducing operational variety (more standard products) or making the organisational form more appropriate. In the latter the attempt is made to globalise the offering and the organisation to match it. This is true of organisations like Coca Cola and MacDonalds. Global strategies include country centred strategies (highly decentralised and limited international coordination), local market approaches (the marketing mix developed with the specific local (foreign) market in mind) or the lead market approach (develop a market which will be a best predictor of other markets). Global approaches give economies of scale and the sharing of costs and risks between markets. Entry strategies There are a variety of ways in which organisations can enter foreign markets. The three main ways are by direct or indirect export or production in a foreign country (see figure 7.2). Exporting Exporting is the most traditional and well established form of operating in foreign markets. Exporting can be defined as the marketing of goods produced in one country into another. Whilst no direct manufacturing is required in an overseas country, significant investments in marketing are required. The tendency may be not to obtain as much detailed marketing information as compared to manufacturing in marketing country; however, this does not negate the need for a detailed marketing strategy. The advantages of exporting are:  · manufacturing is home based thus, it is less risky than overseas based  · gives an opportunity to learn overseas markets before investing in bricks and mortar  · reduces the potential risks of operating overseas. The disadvantage is mainly that one can be at the mercy of overseas agents and so the lack of control has to be weighed against the advantages. For example, in the exporting of African horticultural products, the agents and Dutch flower auctions are in a position to dictate to producers. A distinction has to be drawn between passive and aggressive exporting. A passive exporter awaits orders or comes across them by chance; an aggressive exporter develops marketing strategies which provide a broad and clear picture of what the firm intends to do in the foreign market. Pavord and Bogart2 (1975) found significant differences with regard to the severity of exporting problems in motivating pressures between seekers and non-seekers of export opportunities. They distinguished between firms whose marketing efforts were characterized by no activity, minor activity and aggressive activity. Those firms who are aggressive have clearly defined plans and strategy, including product, price, promotion, distribution and research elements. Passiveness versus aggressiveness depends on the motivation to export. In countries like Tanzania and Zambia, which have embarked on structural adjustment programmes, organisations are being encouraged to export, motivated by foreign exchange earnings potential, saturated domestic markets, growth and expansion objectives, and the need to repay debts incurred by the borrowings to finance the programmes. The type of export response is dependent on how the pressures are perceived by the decision maker. Piercy (1982)3 highlights the fact that the degree of involvement in foreign operations depends on endogenous versus exogenous motivating factors, that is, whether the motivations were as a result of active or aggressive behaviour based on the firms internal situation (endogenous) or as a result of reactive environmental changes (exogenous). If the firm achieves initial success at exporting quickly all to the good, but the risks of failure in the early stages are high. The learning effect in exporting is usually very quick. The key is to learn how to minimise risks associated with the initial stages of market entry and commitment this process of incremental involvement is called creeping commitment (see figure 7.3). Exporting methods include direct or indirect export. In direct exporting the organisation may use an agent, distributor, or overseas subsidiary, or act via a Government agency. In effect, the Grain Marketing Board in Zimbabwe, being commercialised but still having Government control, is a Government agency. The Government, via the Board, are the only permitted maize exporters. Bodies like the Horticultural Crops Development Authority (HCDA) in Kenya may be merely a promotional body, dealing with advertising, information flows and so on, or it may be active in exporting itself, particularly giving approval (like HCDA does) to all export documents. In direct exporting the major problem is that of market information. The exporters task is to choose a market, find a representative or agent, set up the physical distribution and documentation, promote and price the product. Control, or the lack of it, is a major problem which often results in decisions on pricing, certification and promoti on being in the hands of others. Certainly, the phytosanitary requirements in Europe for horticultural produce sourced in Africa are getting very demanding. Similarly, exporters are price takers as produce is sourced also from the Caribbean and Eastern countries. In the months June to September, Europe is on season because it can grow its own produce, so prices are low. As such, producers are better supplying to local food processors. In the European winter prices are much better, but product competition remains. According to Collett4 (1991)) exporting requires a partnership between exporter, importer, government and transport. Without these four coordinating activities the risk of failure is increased. Contracts between buyer and seller are a must. Forwarders and agents can play a vital role in the logistics procedures such as booking air space and arranging documentation. A typical coordinated marketing channel for the export of Kenyan horticultural produce is given in figure 7.4. In this case the exporters can also be growers and in the low season both these and other exporters may send produce to food processors which is also exported. Figure 7.4 The export marketing channel for Kenyan horticultural products. Exporting can be very lucrative, especially if it is of high value added produce. For example in 1992/93 Zimbabwe exported 5 338,38 tonnes of flowers, 4 678,18 tonnes of horticultural produce and 12 000 tonnes of citrus at a total value of about US$ 22 016,56 million. In some cases a mixture of direct and indirect exporting may be achieved with mixed results. For example, the Grain Marketing Board of Zimbabwe may export grain directly to Zambia, or may sell it to a relief agency like the United Nations, for feeding the Mozambican refugees in Malawi. Payment arrangements may be different for the two transactions. Nali products of Malawi gives an interesting example of a passive to active exporting mode. CASE 7.1 Nali Producers Malawi Nali group, has, since the early 1970s, been engaged in the growing and exporting of spices. Spices are also used in the production of a variety of sauces for both the local and export market. Its major success has been the growing and exporting of Birdseye chilies. In the early days knowledge of the market was scanty and thus the company was obtaining ridiculously low prices. Towards the end of 1978 Nali chilies were in great demand, yet still the company, in its passive mode, did not fully appreciate the competitive implications of the business until a number of firms, including Lonrho and Press Farming, started to grow and export. Again, due to the lack of information, a product of its passivity, the firm did not realise that Uganda, with their superior product, and Papua New Guinea were major exporters, However, the full potential of these countries was hampered by internal difficulties. Nali was able to grow into a successful commercial enterprise. However, with the end of the internal problems, Uganda in particular, began an aggressive exporting policy, using their overseas legations as commercial propagandists. Nali had to respond with a more formal and active marketing operation. However it is being now hampered by a number of important exogenous factors. The entry of a number of new Malawian growers, with inferior products, has damaged the Malawian chili reputation, so has the lack of a clear Government policy and the lack of financing for traders, growers and exporters. The latter only serves to emphasise the point made by Collett, not only do organisations need to be aggressive, they also need to enlist the support of Government and importers. It is interesting to note that Korey (1986) warns that direct modes of market entry may be less and less available in the future. Growing trading blocs like the EU or EFTA means that the establishing of subsidiaries may be one of the only means forward in future. It is interesting to note that Korey5 1986 warned that direct modes of market entry may be less and less available in the future. Growing trading blocks like the EU or EFTA means that the establishment of subsidiaries may be one of the only ways forward in future. Indirect methods of exporting include the use of trading companies (very much used for commodities like cotton, soya, cocoa), export management companies, piggybacking and countertrade. Indirect methods offer a number of advantages including:  · Contracts in the operating market or worldwide  · Commission sates give high motivation (not necessarily loyalty)  · Manufacturer/exporter needs little expertise  · Credit acceptance takes burden from manufacturer. Piggybacking Piggybacking is an interesting development. The method means that organisations with little exporting skill may use the services of one that has. Another form is the consolidation of orders by a number of companies in order to take advantage of bulk buying. Normally these would be geographically adjacent or able to be served, say, on an air route. The fertilizer manufacturers of Zimbabwe, for example, could piggyback with the South Africans who both import potassium from outside their respective countries. Countertrade By far the largest indirect method of exporting is countertrade. Competitive intensity means more and more investment in marketing. In this situation the organisation may expand operations by operating in markets where competition is less intense but currency based exchange is not possible. Also, countries may wish to trade in spite of the degree of competition, but currency again is a problem. Countertrade can also be used to stimulate home industries or where raw materials are in short supply. It can, also, give a basis for reciprocal trade. Estimates vary, but countertrade accounts for about 20-30% of world trade, involving some 90 nations and between US $100-150 billion in value. The UN defines countertrade as commercial transactions in which provisions are made, in one of a series of related contracts, for payment by deliveries of goods and/or services in addition to, or in place of, financial settlement. Countertrade is the modem form of barter, except contracts are not legal and it is not covered by GATT. It can be used to circumvent import quotas. Countertrade can take many forms. Basically two separate contracts are involved, one for the delivery of and payment for the goods supplied and the other for the purchase of and payment for the goods imported. The performance of one contract is not contingent on the other although the seller is in effect accepting products and services from the importing country in partial or total settlement for his exports. There is a broad agreement that countertrade can take various forms of exchange like barter, counter purchase, switch trading and compensation (buyback). For example, in 1986 Albania began offering items like spring water, tomato juice and chrome ore in exchange for a contract to build a US $60 million fertilizer and methanol complex. Information on potential exchange can be obtained from embassies, trade missions or the EU trading desks. Barter is the direct exchange of one good for another, although valuation of respective commodities is difficult, so a currency is used to underpin the items value. Barter trade can take a number of formats. Simple barter is the least complex and oldest form of bilateral, non-monetarised trade. Often it is called straight, classical or pure barter. Barter is a direct exchange of goods and services between two parties. Shadow prices are approximated for products flowing in either direction. Generally no middlemen are involved. Usually contracts for no more than one year are concluded, however, if for longer life spans, provisions are included to handle exchange ratio fluctuations when world prices change. Closed end barter deals are modifications of straight barter in that a buyer is found for goods taken in barter before the contract is signed by the two trading parties. No money is involved and risks related to product quality are significantly reduced. Clearing account barter, also termed clearing agreements, clearing arrangements, bilateral clearing accounts or simply bilateral clearing, is where the principle is for the trades to balance without either party having to acquire hard currency. In this form of barter, each party agrees in a single contract to purchase a specified and usually equal value of goods and services. The duration of these transactions is commonly one year, although occasionally they may extend over a longer time period. The contracts value is expressed in non-convertible, clearing account units (also termed clearing dollars) that effectively represent a line of credit in the central bank of the country with no money involved. Clearing account units are universally accepted for the accounting of trade between countries and parties whose commercial relationships are based on bilateral agreements. The contract sets forth the goods to be exchanged, the rates of exchange, and the length of time for completing the transaction. Limited export or import surpluses may be accumulated by either party for short periods. Generally, after one years time, imbalances are settled by one of the following approaches: credit against the following year, acceptance of unwanted goods, payment of a previously specified penalty or payment of the difference in hard currency. Trading specialists have also initiated the practice of buying clearing dollars at a discount for the purpose of using them to purchase saleable products. In turn, the trader may forfeit a portion of the discount to sell these products for hard currency on the international market. Compared with simple barter, clearing accounts offer greater flexibility in the length of time for drawdown on the lines of credit and the types of products exchanged. Counter purchase, or buyback, is where the customer agrees to buy goods on condition that the seller buys some of the customers own products in return (compensatory products). Alternatively, if exchange is being organised at national government level then the seller agrees to purchase compensatory goods from an unrelated organisation up to a pre-specified value (offset deal). The difference between the two is that contractual obligations related to counter purchase can extend over a longer period of time and the contract requires each party to the deal to settle most or all of their account with currency or trade credits to an agreed currency value. Where the seller has no need for the item bought he may sell the produce on, usually at a discounted price, to a third party. This is called a switch deal. In the past a number of tractors have been brought into Zimbabwe from East European countries by switch deals. Compensation (buy-backs) is where the supplier agrees to take the output of the facility over a specified period of time or to a specified volume as payment. For example, an overseas company may agree to build a plant in Zambia, and output over an agreed period of time or agreed volume of produce is exported to the builder until the period has elapsed. The plant then becomes the property of Zambia. Khoury6 (1984) categorises countertrade as follows (see figure 7.5): One problem is the marketability of products received in countertrade. This problem can be reduced by the use of specialised trading companies which, for a fee ranging between 1 and 5% of the value of the transaction, will provide trade related services like transportation, marketing, financing, credit extension, etc. These are ever growing in size. Countertrade has disadvantages:  · Not covered by GATT so dumping may occur  · Quality is not of international standard so costly to the customer and trader  · Variety is tow so marketing of wkat is limited  · Difficult to set prices and service quality  · Inconsistency of delivery and specification,  · Difficult to revert to currency trading so quality may decline further and therefore product is harder to market. Figure 7.5 Classification of countertrade Shipley and Neale7 (1988) therefore suggest the following:  · Ensure the benefits outweigh the disadvantages  · Try to minimise the ratio of compensation goods to cash if possible inspect the goods for specifications  · Include all transactions and other costs involved in countertrade in the nominal value specified for the goods being sold  · Avoid the possibility of error of exploitation by first gaining a thorough understanding of the customers buying systems, regulations and politics,  · Ensure that any compensation goods received as payment are not subject to import controls. Despite these problems countertrade is likely to grow as a major indirect entry method, especially in developing countries. Foreign production Besides exporting, other market entry strategies include licensing, joint ventures, contract manufacture, ownership and participation in export processing zones or free trade zones. Licensing: Licensing is defined as the method of foreign operation whereby a firm in one country agrees to permit a company in another country to use the manufacturing, processing, trademark, know-how or some other skill provided by the licensor. It is quite similar to the franchise operation. Coca Cola is an excellent example of licensing. In Zimbabwe, United Bottlers have the licence to make Coke. Licensing involves little expense and involvement. The only cost is signing the agreement and policing its implementation. Licensing gives the following advantages:  · Good way to start in foreign operations and open the door to low risk manufacturing relationships  · Linkage of parent and receiving partner interests means both get most out of marketing effort  · Capital not tied up in foreign operation and  · Options to buy into partner exist or provision to take royalties in stock. The disadvantages are:  · Limited form of participation to length of agreement, specific product, process or trademark  · Potential returns from marketing and manufacturing may be lost  · Partner develops know-how and so licence is short  · Licensees become competitors overcome by having cross technology transfer deals and  · Requires considerable fact finding, planning, investigation and interpretation. Those who decide to license ought to keep the options open for extending market participation. This can be done through joint ventures with the licensee. Joint ventures Joint ventures can be defined as an enterprise in which two or more investors share ownership and control over property rights and operation. Joint ventures are a more extensive form of participation than either exporting or licensing. In Zimbabwe, Olivine industries has a joint venture agreement with HJ Heinz in food processing. Joint ventures give the following advantages:  · Sharing of risk and ability to combine the local in-depth knowledge with a foreign partner with know-how in technology or process  · Joint financial strength  · May be only means of entry and  · May be the source of supply for a third country. They also have disadvantages:  · Partners do not have full control of management  · May be impossible to recover capital if need be  · Disagreement on third party markets to serve and  · Partners may have different views on expected benefits. If the partners carefully map out in advance what they expect to achieve and how, then many problems can be overcome. Ownership: The most extensive form of participation is 100% ownership and this involves the greatest commitment in capital and managerial effort. The ability to communicate and control 100% may outweigh any of the disadvantages of joint ventures and licensing. However, as mentioned earlier, repatriation of earnings and capital has to be carefully monitored. The more unstable the environment the less likely is the ownership pathway an option. These forms of participation: exporting, licensing, joint ventures or ownership, are on a continuum rather than discrete and can take many formats. Anderson and Coughlan8 (1987) summarise the entry mode as a choice between company owned or controlled methods integrated channels or independent channels. Integrated channels offer the advantages of planning and control of resources, flow of information, and faster market penetration, and are a visible sign of commitment. The disadvantages are that they incur many costs (especially marketing), the risks are high, some may be more effective than others (due to culture) and in some cases their credibility amongst locals may be lower than that of controlled independents. Independent channels offer lower performance costs, risks, less capital, high local knowledge and credibility. Disadvantages include less market information flow, greater coordinating and control difficulties and motivational difficulties. In addition they may not be will ing to spend money on market development and selection of good intermediaries may be difficult as good ones are usually taken up anyway. Once in a market, companies have to decide on a strategy for expansion. One may be to concentrate on a few segments in a few countries typical are cashewnuts from Tanzania and horticultural exports from Zimbabwe and Kenya or concentrate on one country and diversify into segments. Other activities include country and market segment concentration typical of Coca Cola or Gerber baby foods, and finally country and segment diversification. Another way of looking at it is by identifying three basic business strategies: stage one international, stage two multinational (strategies correspond to ethnocentric and polycentric orientations respectively) and stage three global strategy (corresponds with geocentric orientation). The basic philosophy behind stage one is extension of programmes and products, behind stage two is decentralisation as far as possible to local operators and behind stage three is an integration which seeks to synthesize inputs from world and regional headquarters an d the country organisation. Whilst most developing countries are hardly in stage one, they have within them organisations which are in stage three. This has often led to a rebellion against the operations of multinationals, often unfounded. Export processing zones (EPZ) Whilst not

lighthod Detachment in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Detachment in Heart of Darkness In the book Heart of Darkness, Marlowe only allows himself to form only one bond. Marlowe allows himself to form a small "safe" attachment to Kurtz because Kurtz is already very attached. He does not form any other bonds. In fact, he uses his racism to eliminate the possibility of having feelings for about ninety nine percent of the African population. Marlowe not only looks at the African people as being to different from him to be normal, but he goes so far as to describe Africa as being another world, a world containing savages. He would not let himself become attached to this land, or it's inhabitants. Anytime he feels himself having a relationship with anyone, he purposely stops himself from feeling, fearing that opening himself up may result in rejection and/or heartbreak. He claimed that he felt a connection with Kurtz this, I believe, is because he knew that this was "safe." This was "safe" because he knew that Kurtz would die before any real attachment could be made. He also knew that Kurtz would not have the same feeling for him as he had for Kurtz. This is because Kurtz already had two girlfriends, and a best friend (the Russian). This was something that Marlowe could deal with because Kurtz was already deeply involved so it held little risk for intense attachment. This is also shown when the helmsman, man who steers the ship, gets killed. Marlowe says that he liked that man because he was reliable, and not mush else. He did not even shed a tear for a man that he worked everyday with for the last six months. He simply threw him overboard, thinking about it for only a few minutes and then, he walked away. The Cannibals on the ship were starving. They had almost no food with them, and were not given the opportunity to buy food. The helmsman body could have been enough food for all of them for awhile. Marlowe, acting in character, did not care about this. He said that it may start a bad chain of events. Because of this all of the Cannibals went hungry for the rest of the trip. Going along with his inability to have healthy relationships with people and his inability to care, is his racism. This racism acts as a good buffer against attachment.

Mcdonald’s Business Plan Essay

McDonald’s Corporation is the world’s leading food service organization. By 1967 McDonalds expanded its operations to countries outside the U.S.A. This unyielding expansion led the Corporation to open 23,000 McDonald’s restaurants in 110 countries in 1994, producing $3.4 in annual revenues. In addition, McDonald’s opens a new restaurant every three hours and has twice the market share of its closest U.S. competitor, Burger King, representing 7% of total U.S. eating-out sales. Similarly, McDonald’s serves about 1% of the world’s population on any given day through its 23,000 restaurants internationally. Big Mac, the world’s most sold hamburger was developed by Jim Delligutti in 1967 to feed construction workers. ‘Big Mac’ is the biggest attraction and backbone of the corporation. Moreover, McDonald’s maintains its competitive advantage by constantly creating new items to add onto its menu. This shows us that McDonald ’s practices an analyzer type of strategy, introducing new items and defending its existing ones. This is a sample business plan and here we reflect our standard business plan model, some of the numbers shown in our following Financial Plan are fictitious, so be advised. 1.1 Industry McDonalds Industry is one of the biggest food chain companies around the world; is the world’s largest fast food restaurant chain, with over 32,000 locations in over 110 countries. McDonald’s operates its own restaurants and franchises its brand to local businesspeople (about 70% of the world’s McDonald’s restaurants are franchised). In the U.S, McDonald’s focused on increasing sales at existing locations by renovating stores, expanding menu options and extending store hours. Internationally, McDonald’s expanded aggressively, opting to franchise rather than operate its new locations, providing new income with little overhead. Domestically, McDonald’s  continues to perform well despite a pullback in consumer spending and is even benefiting as consumers trade down from more expensive eating options and at the same time, international operations are driving profit growth. 1.2 Target Customers McDonald’s uses demographic segmentation strategic with age as a parameter. The main target segments are children, young adults and the busy executive on the go. Kids reign supreme in FMCG (Fast-moving consumer goods) purchase related to food products so, to attract children McDonalds has Happy Meal with which toys ranging from hot wheels to various Walt Disney characters, the teenagers with the price on the products to satisfy their expectative as well as the facility of the WI-FI which it makes it attractive to most of the student’s college students. Also, the strategy is aimed at making McDonald’s a fun place to eat attracting the young urban families wanting to spend some quality time while their children have fun at the outlet. 1.3 Competitor Analysis McDonald’s is the clear leader of the fast food industry in terms of revenues generated and restaurants established; it faces competition from other fast food chains which are introducing new products themselves. The major direct competitors in the (hamburger-based) fast food industry that includes: Burger King the second largest hamburger fast food chain, Wendy’s which are the third largest hamburger fast food chain, and some others. McDonald’s also competes with non-hamburger-based fast food restaurants, local and national dine-in restaurants (such as Red Robin’s and Shari’s), pizza parlors, coffee shops (Starbucks), street vendors, convenience stores and supermarkets. But, even though McDonalds still the most famous and visited by the different types of families worldwide. 1.4 Company Description McDonald’s was founded and started franchising in 1955. A man name Ray Kroc, who was a milkshake mixer vendor, came across brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, who were running a small hamburger stand. He saw how quickly  customers were being served and suggested the brothers open a chain of restaurants. They did, and Kroc became their business  partner. McDonald’s, and the signature golden arches, have since become internationally recognized symbols. Their signs proclaim â€Å"millions served,† and that is not an exaggeration. With over 32,000 locations worldwide, McDonald’s is the leading global fast food franchise. 1.5 Products / Service Plan Customer perception is a key factor affecting a product’s success. Many potentially revolutionary products have failed simply because of their inability to build a healthy perception about themselves in the customers’ minds. McDonalds being an internationally renowned brand brings with it certain expectations for the customers that expect to be in a hygienic ambient and a little sophisticated brand that respects their values. The customer’s expect the brand to enhance their self-image. Customer responses obtained at the Vile Parle, Mumbai outlet confirmed the fact that they connect strongly with the brand. However, fulfilling some of the customer expectations like a broader product variety provide McDonald’s a great scope for improvement. 1.6 Mission and Vision Vision: Is to be the world’s best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile. Mission: Be the best employer for our people in each community around the world; deliver operational excellence to our customers in each of our restaurants; and achieve enduring profitable growth by expanding the brand and leveraging the strengths of the McDonalds system through innovation and technology. Marketing Plan 3.1 Market Description There are close to 50,000 fast food chains across the United States, with McDonalds being the largest restaurant chain. In the world, there are more than 500,000 fast food places. Kids between the ages of 6 and 14 eat fast food 157,000,000 times every month. Ninety-six percent of kids in school could recognize an image of Ronald McDonald, the face of McDonalds. The only recognizable figure that ranked higher was Santa Claus. To top it off, Americans spend nearly $100 billion on fast food every year. There are around 13,000 McDonalds in the U.S. 40% of all of American family meals are eaten outside the home. 3.2 Market Facts McDonalds has grown rapidly in the last 10 years, following are some points related to the fast food customers in the USA. * 40% of all of American family meals are eaten outside the home. * 1 in every 4 Americans eat at a McDonalds on a daily basis 11 * McDonalds sells more toys than Toys R Us each year. * With all the tests scientists did, they came to the conclusion that many children can recognize McDonalds before they can even speak. * Over 25 percent of Americans consume fast food every day 3.3 Market Growth Fast food restaurants represent one of the largest segments of the food industry with over 200,000 restaurants and $120 billion in sales in the U.S. alone. Fast food restaurants, also known as quick service restaurants, are noted for their short food preparation time. Some of the largest players in this category include international giants like McDonald’s. 3.4 Market Demand Fast food restaurants in the USA are getting more demanding with the passage of time. Following are some common demands that have arise in the recent past. 1. Affordable: Fast food is affordable people and families with low income are able to afford the food from fast food restaurants. 2. Convenience: Families today are always on the go between works, school, and after school activities the quick accessibility to be able to order, get served, and eat a meal in just minutes makes it convenient for families today. 3. Easy access: They are now the world’s leading fast-food retailer, with more than 30,000 restaurants serving more than 52 million people in more than 100 countries each day. This makes it easily accessible for everyone. 3.5 Market Opportunities McDonalds offers a lot of opportunities for existing and potential investors. Their market is growing for many reasons some of them are the following: 1. More than 70 percent of McDonald’s restaurants around the world are owned and operated by independent local businesspeople. 2. The most frequently used method to buy a McDonalds franchise for sale is by buying an existing restaurant. 3.6 Barriers to Entry Government regulations, economies of scale, customer loyalty, advertising budget, and an exclusive agreement with suppliers are some barriers to entry for the fast food industry. 3.7 Targeted Audience McDonalds will be starting its operations in Miami, Florida. McDonalds target their advertising at children and students which is an important market for them. A parent with children might visit which gives children a treat. McDonald’s Happy Meals are one example, which includes a toy often, tied in with a newly-released children’s film, building playgrounds inside their restaurants, and creating one of the world’s best-known mascots, Ronald McDonald. The children want to visit McDonalds as it is a fun place to eat. McDonald’s was the first chain to put its restaurants near—and inside—schools as a strategy to market to children. In Chicago, one of the chain’s biggest markets, more than 90 percent of the city’s McDonald’s were located within walking distance of a school. Children watch, on average, an hour of fast-food commercials on television each week—more time than many children spend playing outside. The average child sees about 20,000 fast-food commercials every year. In 2006, fast-food restaurants sold more than 1.2 billion kids’ meals with toys. An estimated 20 percent of public schools sell branded fast food, mostly in high schools, where kids have more  discretion to buy â€Å"a la carte,† rather than from the regular lunch program. 3.8 Competition In one sense, McDonald’s doesn’t have any real competitors, as they are the  largest restaurant chain worldwide. But some of the other restaurant chains large enough to cut into its market share include Burger King Corporation. So how is it possible for Burger King to go up against history itself? Surprisingly they did and even though McDonald is still the best fast food franchise Burger King is trailing by not too far. One of the reasons why Burger King was so successful includes many factors but one of them was location. One of the best ways to explain it is Burger King has always found outlets where there is a large concentration of people but that wasn’t there only strategy because they also had the great idea of going head-to-head with McDonald across the street. By setting outlets in front or near a McDonald outlet they were guaranteeing visibility of their franchise. McDonald can come up with new marketing ploys and new food but it couldn’t have the advantage of location like Burger King. Remember both of them are fast food franchises so for the common customer the closest franchise is enough. In most cases people who have ate at McDonald’s have tried Burger King and people who ate at Burger King have tried McDonald and that’s completely normal. At the end of the day there isn’t much difference except for the name of every meal. If you look at it both franchises have the same types of combo which includes a hamburger, fries and a soft drink. The process may vary a little bit but in general you’ll be eating the same thing at both outlets. I. Product The first p is product. Which is one of the important things to remember when offering menu items to possible customers is that there is a huge amount of preference available to those potential customers with regard to how and where they spend their money. Marketing constantly monitors the customers’ preferences. In order to meet these changes, McDonald’s has created many new products and removed old ones over time, and they will continue to do that depending on what the customers’ needs are.

Discuss how far sociologists would agree that teenage criminal and deviant behaviour results from parents failing to socialise their children correctly Essay

Discuss how far sociologists would agree that teenage criminal and deviant behaviour results from parents failing to socialise their children correctly (12 marks) Most criminologists would agree that the majority of criminal and/or deviant behaviour both stems and/or develops during either childhood or the early years of adolescence. Therefore, many how deduced that the adequacy of socialising in the home by parents is likely to have an effect and possible even result in teenage criminal and deviant behaviour. This essay will therefore discuss how far sociologists would agree that teenage criminal and deviant behaviour results from parents failing to socialise their children correctly. According to functionalists, one of the key roles of parents is to appropriately socialise children to become good citizens of society. However, in conjunction to this, it has also been theorised that failure to appropriately socialise a child at home may lead to criminal and/or deviant behaviour later on in life. This may be that the parents them self’s display criminal and/or deviant behaviour, which that child them copy’s and learns. The new right approach for example theorises that children from a parentally deprived home are more likely to look for guidance and comfort elsewhere and are more prone to crime. They are therefore more likely to find role models in such situations who they aspire to grow up like. The Marxist theory of alienation however is another factor that sociologists have recognised. Marxist theorise that young, impressionable adolescences often feel pressurised by those in power who often use the law to benefit themselves and are therefore forced in to demeaning work. Due to this, many turn to crime in order to be able to control what they do but also get certain objects that they may not have been able to receive should they have stayed on the other side of the law, objects which the rich and powerful are usually the only ones to receive. Therefore, Marxists would agree that while failure to properly socialise children is an important factor in why teenagers turn to crime and delinquency, the oppression of the bourgeois is just as far reaching. In regards to teenage behaviour, labelling is a common factor found right across the board. Whether it is in school, in peer groups, in the neighbourhood or even in the home, labelling can eventually lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. If a child is labelled as a delinquent early on in life, it is extremely likely that that child will eventually become to believe it they are told it enough. They will therefore begin in act as they have been labelled and become criminal and/or deviant. Many sociologist would agree that labelling is a major factor in why teenager criminally and/or deviantly. Another factor is peer pressure within a sub-culture. Sub-cultures are a common day thing in many environments, especially in school. Most of them in areas of material and capital deprivation have developed a laddish sub-culture, where you must be tough and hard in order to be popular where as those who do well in academics are often viewed as uncool and nerdy. Therefore, many teenagers are pressured in to behaving criminally and or/deviantly by the threat of being socially outcast and labelled as uncool by their peers. Therefore, many sociologists would agree that peer pressure within a sub-culture does affect the criminal and/or deviant behaviour of teenagers today, possibly more so than poor socialisation in some situations. In this essay, I have explained four different factors that can affect how deviant and/or criminal teenagers behave in today’s society. However, although poor parenting may result in teenager criminal and deviant behaviour, other factors such as the Marxist theory of alienation, labelling and peer pressure within a sub-culture affect teenagers just as much as poor socialisation by parents.