The American Business Society

American business is in dire straits and the blame is being heaped on its leadership or, more aptly, the lack thereof. There are probably no fewer business leaders today than there were 50 years ago. There is not a shortage of good people, but maybe a lack of the right kind of people. People with the skills necessary to drive companies forward in a thoroughly different and rapidly changing world. I feel a leader should have several essential attributes:  · Trust. Leaders must be trustworthy, and they must trust their people, also.  · Vision. The nuts and bolts of running a business. Leaders must know where they want the company to be in the future. Also, get the whole company to share that vision. Leaders have to set the direction and get the company headed that way.  · Commitment. There will always be disloyalty among employees, but leaders need to seen as caring and nurturing.  · Integrity. A leader can†t lack integrity and still have people follow. Leaders must have values. They must have dedication to do what is right. The values of an organization are manifested on what a leader does.  · Creative Ability. Leaders must be positive. Always looking for possibilities, not perfection. This means that they must be open to different ways of doing things.  · Communication. A good leader is in constant communication with his or her people. He or she makes the rounds and knows what†s going on. Telling his people everything he can about what he knows and doesn†t know.  · Risk Taking. It is essential to be open to possibilities, and to question assumptions. Always allow people to be innovative without the fear of failure. AIDS is one of the most pervasive and difficult workplace issues. The community, not only for their life-style, rejects people with AIDS but also because the disease is incurable. AIDS is an acronym for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a disease caused by a virus that attacks the body†s ability to fight off infection. It now comes to be called HIV, human immunodeficiency virus. If a person is tested positive with the antibodies they are designated HIV+. It is presumable they have been exposed or have acquired the AIDS virus. The increase presence of AIDS in the workplace has crystallized a number of concerns for both employers and employees. However, Title I of the American with Disabilities Act covers those infected. The Act prohibits discriminating against individual with AIDS. States have different employment laws that apply to those infected. An employer can terminate someone from a job only if they cannot perform the essential tasks required for with that job. The employer is required to make a reasonable accommodation to the individual†s needs and requirements. Accommodation cannot be made if it will cause hardship to the business. Affirmative action was created 30 years age as a remedy for the under use of minority and female human resources in the workplace and classroom. The term refers to active measures and passive nondiscrimination, as means of increasing the recruitment of minorities and ensuring equal opportunity. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the most comprehensive statute on civil rights ever enacted in the United States, banning discrimination in employment, voting, public accommodation, public education and all federal assisted programs. Executive Order 11246 requires that employers with federal contracts worth more than $50,000 and 50 or more employees have written affirmative action plans. Affirmative action was once a bright synonym for equality of opportunity. In recent years, it has been entered the political lexicon, as a sinister euphemism for reverse discrimination, a bitterly divisive issue. In recent years, affirmative action has appeared in politics. Most politicians† support either eliminating or revising it, including President Clinton, who supports a reform version of affirmative action. Changes have already begun in some states and will spread across the nation. Some critics view affirmative action as a departure from the principles of meritocracy and individual striving. Also they feel as a policy it primarily hurts white men. With all the demographic changes occurring in our nation, it may be time to change affirmative action. The achievements of it have been great, but the premises that underlie it have changed and may require revising. The focus on affirmative action may provide with an opportunity to shift to affirming diversity. Under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) a victim of age discrimination in entitled to be † made whole†, being placed in the position that he or she would have been in but for the discrimination. The act protects workers between the ages 40 and 70 from arbitrary age discrimination in employment. The ADEA encompasses issues of hiring, firing, pay, promotion and fringe benefits. In recent years, more and more employees have been filing grievances under ADEA. Faced with expensive pensions and health costs, companies are trying to find ways to minimize their burden. The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) is an act that prohibits discrimination based on age in connection with all employee benefits programs. Older workers get the same benefits as the younger workers. Companies can ask outgoing workers to sign a waiver, not to sue for age discrimination. A company faces an indefinite future of court-mandated payments and damages if they are found guilty of violating age discrimination regulations. The American ideology is base on capitalism. A capitalistic system is a system in which the means of production are privately owned. The market operates to guide production and distribute income. The terms free or private enterprise are used interchangeably with capitalism. The theory of capitalism is founded on two fundamental assumptions. One, people are capable of understanding the natural order of the universe. Two, the role of government in economy can and should be limited. These two barriers led economist to believe that all artificial barriers affect our economic behavior. If government or monopolists who enjoyed unnatural powers in the marketplace did not interfere, the market would benefit everyone in society. All activities in a free enterprise must return a profit. However, free enterprise is never totally pure. Every nation has values and goals that place it on a continuum between free enterprise and a planned economy. Each determines where it lays on the continuum by the priority it gives to specific values and goals. It is never too early or too late to start planning for retirement. Definitely, early is better. Starting any time is better than not starting at all. A large number of people are not saving and investing, as they should. The more a person saves now, the more options they will have later. Maybe a person won†t be able to stop working completely, but they will not have to work as hard later. The dream of having a financially secure future is attainable, but there are a lot of sacrifices. To begin building a realistic financial plan that will allow you to retire with enough money, start with five basic dynamics: 1. Where do I stand now? That includes your personal savings and investments, your pension plans and your income prospects until retirement, as well as your debts and spending patterns. 2. How much money you†ll need to retire? Figure that you†ll need about eighty percent of your income to maintain your lifestyle after your regular paychecks stop. 3. Where will that money come from? Your regular paychecks. 4. How much time remains until retirement? Your strategy to achieve a worry-free retirement will depend on the target date you†ve set and how much progress you†ve made so far. A person can also shoot for an early retirement with the right planning. 5. How much risk you†re willing to take? When it comes to investing retirement money, risk is a balancing act. If you take too little, your investment will not grow. But if you take too much, there will be a crack in your investment that will be too difficult to repair. The more time you have until retirement; the more risk you maybe able to take. The less time you have, the more risk you may need to take. The message here is that is can be done. You can take control and plan for a financially secure future regardless of where you stand right now. A 401(k) is a tremendous two-fold tax shelter. Tax advantages number one: Money you contribute to the plan, up to a yearly maximum, is subtracted from your taxable income. Tax advantages number two: Funds inside you account grow tax-deferred until withdrawn. The IRS can†t tax the earnings each year and you can keep more in the plan for long term compounding. I recommend a person start to invest in at least a 401(k) plan. It is the hottest retirement savings deal. It eases a tax shelter power and wealth building potential. A 401(k) may be the single most important ingredient you can add to your retirement plan. With a 401(k), you can set aside a percentage of your salary, which your employer may match, in a retirement account you control. Money in the plan grows untaxed until you tap the account in retirement. If your investments do well, they win. If they don†t, the nest egg will be smaller. In either case, you bear the risk. People find it difficult to make decisions about ethical issues. Ethical principles and standards vary widely among individuals, organizations and cultures. Business ethics are based on individual and collective moral decision making at every lever in the corporation. Standards for moral behavior are sometimes informal, but more often they explicit and embodied in a written document. Managers must decide which issues are important to them and how to identify and manage them. Here are some questions I think are important to ask one-self. 1. Have I Defined the Problem Accurately? Make sure you have an understanding of the problem. 2. How Would I Define the Problem From the Other Side? You must look at the issue from the perspective of those questioning your ethics. 3. How Did This Situation Occur? Look into the history of the situation. Make sure there is a real problem and not symptoms. 4. How Does My Intention Compare with the Likely Results? Despite the goodness of your intentions, the results may be harmful. Think about the probable outcome. 5. Whom Could My Decision or Action Injure? This issue is particularly difficult. Even a product for good use could fall into the wrong hands. These questions could help managers sort out their own perceptions of ethical problems. The asking of questions could create discussions about subjects left to one individual. If management do not implement clear policies to instill ethical behavior through the firm, managers are likely to come cynical. There has been a steady increase in the number of sexual harassment cases since the 1991 Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearing. A recent Supreme Court ruling that an employer can be held liable for sexual harassment, even if the employer is unaware of the incident. This should serve as a warning to business owners to develop or refine company policies. The ruling falls under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which also protects non-victims form working in a â€Å"sexual hostile† environment. In essence, an employee can sue a company if he or she witnesses others being harassed, reports and nothing is done. Follow these steps to protect your company:  · Develop and establish a policy. Your company policy should clearly define sexual harassment, list several examples and explain procedures for filing complaints and follow-ups.  · Investigate every complaint. Take immediate action when informed of an incident. Carefully research the allegations and respond with the appropriate actions. Seek outside counsel if necessary.  · Many managers aren†t sure how to handle a claim of sexual harassment. Provide training for management and staff so they clearly understand what harassment is, how to prevent it and how to handle it.  · Have a clear procedure for filing complaints. Employees should have a non-threatening process in place to report an incident, discuss any behavior they feel is unprofessional. Stress confidentially and that you, the employer, will not tolerate retaliation against any employee for coming forward. Give all the employees the names and phone numbers of human resources and other staff to contact. Provide sexual harassment training. There are countless words to describe stress. The fact remains that stress is an essential part of life. It is inescapable and in moderation, a good thing. I think stress makes people feel vital and interested. The crucial difference between stress that clobbers and stress that invigorates is usually no more than an individual†s reaction. There are myriad ways to deflect the damages such as meditation, drug therapy or changes in lifestyle. Stress often undermines physical, emotional and intellectual energies exactly when strength in these areas is most needed, periods of heightened pressure. The body mobilizes energy to deal with the crisis by releasing the hormone adrenaline, which causes a racing pulse, accelerated breathing, in a sense of feeling keyed up. The next stage is less obvious but more dangerous if allowed to go unmonitored. Sugar and fats are reserved for emergencies then released into the bloodstream, creating pressure and fatigue. This when people start to self medicate with coffee, cigarettes and alcohol. Generalized anxiety, poor concentration and memory loss become common, as with minor illnesses. Finally, as energy reserves are drained, bodily systems begin to malfunction. Sleeplessness, disruption in eating patterns and personality changes often occurs. This stage is exhaustion, which leads depression. Employee assistance programs (EAPs) are very useful in reducing stress. Companies can develop EAPs themselves or outsource them. Experts advise companies to help workers find a way out of their stressful situations through counseling, friendship and communication. Most people have used a brain altering substance at some time, be it alcohol, an anti-anxiety medication, or a stimulant. Such substance can be helpful in removing our inhibitions, enabling us to relax, or making us feel better about things. While most can take them or leave them, an increasing number of people are finding that using these substances is no longer a choice, but necessity. They need them to function normally and will suffer physical symptoms of withdrawal without them. In medical term, they are substance dependent or addicted. There are myriad treatments and approaches to substance abuse. As with most mental illness, a combination of medical treatment and psychological counseling is usually most effective. Medical treatments may alter the body†s reaction to a substance, reducing cravings, or change a substance†s effect. There is usually a mental disorder that coexists with substance abuse, depression or anxiety. For the disorder psychoactive medications are often prescribed. First a person must want or ask for help. They may want to talk to a clinician if they feel comfortable doing so. If you have access go to mental-health clinics to speak with someone who specializes in treatment. Whomever you talk with, the issue must addressed in depth. If not seek out another healthcare professional.

Walgreens Analysis

Walgreens Strategy Analysis Retailing: MKTG 3740 B April 7, 2013 I. History and Mission Statement Walgreens has grown from a small, neighborhood-oriented drug store to a trusted, national pharmacy. Founded in 1901 by Charles R. Walgreen, the company bloomed from a commitment made to perseverance. Walgreen came from Dixon, Illinois at the age of sixteen, working an unpleasant job at a drug store after he lost a portion of a finger that left him incapable of continuing a career in athletics.He left with an ambition of entrepreneurship as the flourishing city of Chicago welcomed him with the booming pharmacy business. Devoted to his goal, Walgreen worked his way through gaining experience and financial stability within the growing industry. His work experience through jobs with different pharmacies allowed Walgreen to analyze the strengths and weaknesses in their business operations. Focusing on the gaps in service and the needs by customers that were not being met, Walgreen had an oppo rtunity to capitalize on the industry’s shortcomings by opening his own pharmacy.After earning enough money to put a down payment on a loan for the store that he was working in at the time from Isaac Blood, Walgreen finally owned a store in a great location just south side of Chicago in a prosperous area. He renovated the space, employed a colleague, broadened the selection of products offered, and priced at a fair rate to improve efficiency. One of the differentiating strategies that Walgreen implemented was through utilizing his development of the â€Å"two-minute† drill.This service allowed a local customer to call Walgreen’s store, request an item, and have it delivered by one of Walgreen’s handymen within two minutes of the customer calling. The good reputation of his service spread quickly among the community. The next chapter in Walgreens store innovation and competitive edge was his idea to sell hot food items during the winter, cooked by his wife , Myrtle Walgreen. The trend of that time for many businesses was to have a soda fountain that served cold drinks and milkshakes, which Walgreen also served during the hot summer months.His approach to customer service carried through to winter months with the hot food serving, while his competitors failed to keep up with what would eventually become an essential part of drug store business. Walgreen’s store was growing at a strong pace. By 1929, he had 525 operating stores, 633 in 1975, and hit one thousand open stores in 1984. Today, Walgreens opens around 425 new stores, on average, each year. Through the company’s mission statement, Walgreens strives to be the most trusted and innovative pharmacy with health and wellness solutions and serve consumers across the U.S. Walgreen set out to help people get well and stay well. With constant innovations in technology and customer satisfaction, the company is expected to continue to soar. II. Key events that shaped the com pany Over the past century, there have been economic conditions, changes in demographics, technological advancements, and competitive pressures that Walgreens has had to face and overcome. The first major event that shaped the company was the featuring of the soda fountain in the store in 1909, which lead to the introduction of the malted milkshake that became an American icon.Although a minor triumph at the time, the milkshake attributed to the growth of the company overall. The next event to affect the company hit hard. The Great Depression was a difficult time for most businesses and many were dying out and closing. Walgreens, though vulnerable itself, was able to push through this time by implementing the value of marketing. Through smart advertising and innovations in customer service, Walgreens not only survived the depression but also was able to help by employing workers and added to its testament of always being able to adapt to the changing times.After the death of Charles Walgreen in 1939, his son took over the president position in the company. Fast-forwarding to the next significant even in 1950, when Walgreens opened its first small, self-service store. This event is representative of the innovation and move toward the future that Walgreens will continue to see. A jump to 1975 is a marker of importance as the company reached $1 billion in net sales. In 1999, Walgreens. com opened, offering a convenient shopping experience for its customers online.Today, them most influential growth strategy Walgreens has implemented is the partnership with Alliance Boots to form the world’s first pharmacy-led enterprise. The two brands coming together will position Walgreens for growth in the long-term by transforming Walgreens drug stores into a community, daily living destination while expanding across new avenues of markets and reinventing cost structures. III. Key Financial Data The financial highlights from the income statement of Walgreens Co. n 2012 include a net sales figure of $71,633 million; a decrease of 0. 8% from the previous year. Net sales combined with a cost of sales of $51,291 million lead to a gross profit of $20,342 million; again, down from the previous year by 0. 7%. A net earnings comparison shows a 21. 6 % decrease from $2,714 million in 2011 to $2,127 in 2012. Some in-store sales figures help explain some declines with a prescription sales decrease of 3. 1% and front-end sales increase of 3. 6%.These key financial figures represent a trend in diminishing profits for Walgreens in prescription drugs for the past fiscal year, but a growth in front-end sales, which is an indicator of pharmacy-related issues. IV. The drug store industry analysis As an industry that has been around since the late 19th century, the drug store is comprised of staples and pharmaceuticals retailing. History of the industry recalls the first drug store being opened in 1823 and strictly worked with pharmaceuticals under the first regist ered pharmacist. As the tores became more popular and customers’ needs grew for different products, the industry transitioned into including staple items. Today, the average retail products include (but not limited to): prescriptions, food, cosmetics, toiletries, and tobacco products, but dominate in the pharmaceutical department that holds the highest profit. Chain drug stores currently possess the greatest market share in the industry when compared to independent stores and the majority are incorporated at 76% of all drug store firms. Among the top three company chains are CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid.This segment within the industry is highly competitive with demand growing. V. The future of drug stores With demographics changing, especially within the U. S. , the future of drug stores is expected to transform their product offerings. A shift to concentration on prescription drugs sales, as the general public grows older, will be responsible for a decline in products that are no longer demanded as staple items (ex. beauty aids and fragrances). A growing trend seen in the current market is self-diagnosis and self-treatment along with the addition of generic drug sales.Customers are being offered a generic drug alternative for a lower price and are becoming more inclined to self-treating without the help of a pharmacist. Another movement towards the future includes implementing advancements in technology. Many stores currently use self-serve checkouts and photo printing booths. Advancements in electronic prescription filling and ordering refills online are playing a big role in development. Therefore, a broader depth of target market research and differentiation in product offering based on research results may be beneficial to the survival and growth of the drug store industry.VI. SWOT analysis of Walgreens Strengths and weaknesses Walgreens, as mentioned before, is one of the leading examples of success within the drug store industry. A continuous ne ed for improvement and adaptation to the changing market keeps Walgreens alert and attentive, in step with customer wants, which serves as one of its major strengths. The past 3 decades for Walgreens have been those of growth and exceeding competitive sales. The use of technology incorporated in Walgreens store operations allows the company to receive and analyze real-time sales data and customer interaction.Systems such as the POS (Point of Sale) and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) generate up-to-date information on impact of certain store displays on sales and record marketing data needed to maximize profits. In order to serve customers more effectively, Walgreens offers convenient services online, such as photo printing and prescription call-ins. The implementation of technology as a tool for tracking data and servicing is another strength of the company. Walgreens offers a loyalty program to its customers to further improve on customer satisfaction.The reward program, call ed Balance Rewards, is a point-based system that gives discounts and coupons to customers whenever they use the loyalty card and earn points. Many ways to earn points include filling prescriptions, purchasing certain items in-store and online, using the mobile app to purchase items, and a Steps with Balance Rewards that tracks when the customer is living a healthy lifestyle. The customer can redeem his or her rewards for more coupons and discounts on future purchases. While the success of Walgreens is prevalent, weaknesses within the company prevent Walgreens from reaching perfection.A major weakness and concern for the company is opening too many stores. This may seem strange, considering the growth in demand for more stores is perceived as a positive characteristic, but cannibalizing their own market at the growing pace could lead to a mass reduction in sales and revenue by stealing customers from their current top selling stores. As Walgreens is always adapting to its market and looking for new opportunities, an important factor to look into would be limiting how many new stores they are opening and evaluating their product portfolio. Threats and opportunitiesThreats are inherent in any business. Competition would not be possible without external threats. The biggest threat to Walgreens is the rise in grocery store and supermarket discounters. Before, drug stores competed against other drug stores and pharmacies in a highly competitive market. Now, stores like Target and Kroger are offering prescription drug services and are able to do so at a discounted rate. Since these stores carry a much larger assortment of products and more SKUs than a typical drug store, they operate at lower costs and charge a cheaper price.The current economic state poses a threat to businesses everywhere. Within the drug industry, the cut from Medicaid in 2007, by $3. 6 billion, impacted many pharmacies and affected the sales of generic drugs in the U. S. Today, uncertainty around the long-term viability of the Affordable Care Act is threatening the insurance industry, or at least the affordability of coverage. Currently, about half of the states in the U. S. are refusing to participate in the new insurance exchange program, which is driving insurance rates up drastically.Moving away from the challenges of business, opportunities also present themselves within the industry. One opportunity that Walgreens may be looking into is how to market more towards the generation it has been growing with: the baby boomers. This market is the general population that is now getting older and has the most experience with Walgreens. As this generation ages, their needs change and require different products. More prescriptions for aging health issues need to be filled and less beauty supplies are being purchased, for example.The opportunity to transition and focus on this particular market could benefit Walgreens’s sales. Further prospects for Walgreens includes going global. International business opportunities offer drug stores an entire new market, which if executed correctly, can be a major growth possibility. It’s easy to oversaturate a market when operated domestically, as is the case is for Walgreens in the U. S. , so expanding past our borders to different nations may be a prospective move for the company. If there was only one opportunity Walgreens should take on, it would be most important to increase the sales of non-prescription items.Although marketing towards the older generation and profiting from more prescription fills is demanded, incorporating the sales of items that people will buy, as a related product to their main purchases, will boost profit. VII. Competitor’s strengths and weaknesses Walgreens’s biggest competitor is CVS (Convenience, Value, and Service). CVS Caremark is the largest, most profitable drug store/ retailer in the U. S. Strengths CVS Caremark operates under three different retailing segm ents: the CVS pharmacy, Caremark pharmacy services, and its MinuteClinic.Under these three segments, CVS is able to offer its customers lower prices, loyalty programs, cover over two thousand healthcare plans, and operate a walk-in clinic service. Through their services, CVS is able to hold the strongest market share at almost 20% of the prescription drug market. It also has one of the largest loyalty programs for customers; more than 500 million customers who use the loyalty card through the Extra Care program. CVS has made substantial investments in technology and incorporating it into their programs.The company’s strengths have lead them to push a revenue of over $100 billion and net income of $4 billion. Weaknesses The only complaints to come from a customer’s point of view at CVS is that the store consistency varies occasionally, meaning one CVS store may be too different in product offering than another CVS store, which confuses some customers. The employee turno ver rate is also higher than ideal for a large company operating many stores, meaning focus should include keeping employees happy with more benefits. VIII. Key competition comparison SimilaritiesBoth Walgreens and CVS have loyalty programs that they use to reward customers and offer valuable customer data. Using a customer rewards program to offer coupons and discounts builds loyalty to that company’s brand and image. This incentive strategy has worked well for both companies. However, they differ in the way each one works. At CVS, when a customer purchases multiple items in one transaction, the reward points/ coupons are split amongst the items within the one transaction. The customer receives more incentive with each purchase whereas at Walgreens, the reward is based on the number of transactions only.A customer can purchase the same number of items in each store, but receive more reward points/ coupons at CVS. Differences When compared to CVS, Walgreens carries more of a â€Å"mom and pop† store reputation, which benefits their image. The company’s stores are all linked, making it easier for customers to get prescriptions filled at any Walgreen store, which is an advantage over CVS. Walgreens also offers prescription labels and in-store advertising in other languages and is open 24 hours in many locations across the U. S. , another incentive that CVS does not offer.These distinctive traits represent Walgreens’s commitment to pleasing its customer and fulfilling needs. CVS is differentiated from Walgreens through store layout and product offering. CVS stores are known to be larger and customer more customer-friendly in space and appearance than Walgreens. CVS has also brought in more net revenue, over $100 billion as compared to Walgreens at $75 billion, leading by about $25 billion. As mentioned earlier, Walgreens has seen a diminishing performance, financially, while CVS is rising. IX.Recommendations The first recommendation fo r Walgreens to move towards better sales and profits in the future would be to capitalize on the baby boomer generation. As explained before, this would require readjusting the marketing platform to appeal to more prescription sales and aging health products. This strategy has potential for short-term and long-term growth. The second recommendation would be to become aware of cannibalizing its own market. This strategy would lessen the investments in real estate space being made currently.Instead of opening more and more new stores each year, the company should focus on evaluating and expanding the current services in each existing store. Innovations in store layouts and product differentiation in the existing stores may help individual store sales and not oversaturate the market with too much of the same thing. The final recommendation for Walgreens is to enhance its customer service through the convenience factor. Developing more online services will help also help the aging gener ation as it becomes more difficult for them to get in a car and drive to a brick-and-mortar store.This kind of innovation is what customers like to see in businesses and the company will be benefiting from the multichannel strategy. X. References CVS Caremark |. (n. d. ). CVS Caremark |. Retrieved April 7, 2013, from http://info. cvscaremark. com/ Page Through Our Past: Page 4 | Our History | Walgreens. (n. d. ). Welcome to Walgreens – Your Home for Prescriptions, Photos and Health Information. Retrieved April 7, 2013, from http://www. walgreens. com/marketing/about/history/hist4. jsp

Apple strategic management

Apple strategic management INTRODUCTION In the 20th century, there was marketing resolution in the computer technologies; Apple Company was the top of the list who took all responsibility for establishing in 1970. Apple computer, inc. is larger company in producing the personal computer industry as well and the company toward fame during the 1980s. Apple Company has many products like manufactures, and marketing personal computers, software, and peripherals, concentrating on lower-cost, uniquely designed the iMAC and power Macintosh models. History of founder and the company:- Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Wozniak, and their partnership began several years before when Wozniak, they were talented, self taught motivated electronics engineer, building boxes which allowed him to make long distance phone calls for free. And some of such type of boxes sold out. Principal competitors:- Apple was introduced its technologies at the same time periods the dell computer, Compaq company and Microsoft corporation laun ched their products so apple felt them as a competitors in advanced technology. So company has decided to change in strategy for the few years and took this hard time for several years. Principal subsidiaries:- Apple computer got fame geographically in the globe as in Ireland, UK, Japan, and Netherlands. This was the greatest achievement for the Apple group. Technology Analysis:- Apple is recognized for designing the marketing and manufacture personal computers and with the portable digital music players, software and related accessories. Third party videos and audios products are also marketed by the company and dealing with in terms of its services. The strong branded image is the key factor for Apple and its product has a command to sale the premium price. (Datamonitor, 2008) The recently, Apple’s products iPod and iTunes have great success growth in its sector. Users are allowed to legally buy and download all videos and music online. Information Gathering:- Sources are easily collected, as Apple Company published the large amount of data, available on the company websites. Some helpful data was accumulated by published annual reports. Rest for data was found without any trouble from including journals, Coventry university websites, and private website EBSCOHOST. Strategic capabilities Organization with strategic capabilities becomes a leading icon in strategic development when they start exploiting and expending their capabilities in such an innovative way it becomes difficult for other competitors to compete or to produce new market opportunities. e.g. Apple has always been using its leading IT knowledge in introducing every new product with revolutionary IT techniques to capture new market. â€Å"Strategic capabilities can be defined as the adequacy and suitability of the resources and competences of an organization for it to survive and prosper.† Johnson, Scholes Whittington (2006) p. 117. Competitive Advantage Organization which sustain s its profit upon its rivals, then company is said to be possessing competitive advantage. The main purpose of business strategy is to maintain that advantage on opponents. Competitive Advantage Model Resources A company’s specific valuable asset which can be used to get unique advantage and the rivals has easy access to same type of sources as well. The following are two main types of resources

Immigration and Poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Immigration and Poverty - Essay Example Immigration assists in the development and understanding of cultural diversities and help in promoting anti-racist sentiments (Rowthorn 2004). But at one time immigration becomes a problem for the host country as many say that it has become a problem for United States as it has reached its peak. Many point out this argument and this would be further discussed in this essay along with the argument of the proponents of immigration who believe that immigration is helping the countries to prosper in every way. Immigrants mainly belong to the underdeveloped nations where the financial crisis pushes them to immigrate. Policies which include the rules of free trade actually serve as a burden rather than reliefs for the poor countries making them dip into poverty even more. These underdeveloped nations have debts to pay off and much of their income goes into actually paying the interest on these debts. Moreover, the developed nations to pledge to assist these countries by providing them aid but these developed countries never reach their set goal. All these factors contribute to the increasing poverty in the world to an extent that it has been reported that over the past three decades 60 nations in the world have sunk deeper into poverty. The people living in these countries are left with no options and the final ray of hope for them is immigration. It is the only way for them to lead a better life ahead (Education for Justice 2006). Immigration can also serve to be beneficial for the countries where these people migrate.  

Post-conviction remedies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Post-conviction remedies - Essay Example common post conviction appeals include: appeal to State appellate Court which contends that trial judge made some legal error, State Supreme Court appeal that requests that highest court in the state review and overturn the decision of the mid-level appeals court, U.S. Supreme Court appeal that makes a request to the highest court in the nation to intervene and correct an error on the part of the state courts that violated the U.S. Constitution, appeal of Federal Habeas Corpus Petition to Circuit Court which requests the mid-level federal court to review the federal trial courts decision denying the writ and lastly, appeal of Federal Habeas Corpus Petition to U.S. Supreme Court which requests the premier court in the land to examine the mid-level federal courts verdict denying the writ. On the other hand, Post conviction remedies include a variety of liberation sought by a convicted criminal to have his or her sentence vacated, set aside, or corrected because such a sentence was base d upon some defiance of the U.S. Constitution. Among the most common post-conviction remedies available are the writ of Habeas Corpus and the writ of Coram Nobis. However, Writ of Habeas Corpus is the mostly used. It involves issuing of a court order that orders a person or a government official who has prevented another to produce the prisoner at a designated time and place so that the court can determine the authenticity of charge and decide whether to demand the prisoners discharge. Development of writ of habeas corpus can be traced back in 1215 whereby the habeas corpus concept was first expressed in the Magna Charta at Runnymede on June 15, 1215. Among the liberties affirmed in the Magna Charta was that "No free man shall be detained, or jailed, or diseased, or forbidden, or exiled, or wounded in any way (Neubauer, 2004). The writ of habeas corpus was initially used by the common-law courts in thirteenth and fourteenth century in England. From the late fifteenth to the

Business presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business presentation - Essay Example It is usually easier to read information because it helps reduce the number of speaking errors that I present and the information is already in a format that sounds academic and professional. Because my greatest challenge is in how I communicate to the audience, I think this is the biggest thing that I actually need to improve upon. It is very difficult to speak in front of my peers especially in a way that is not boring and keeps the audience’s attention. To avoid making mistakes, I create power points that have too much information and make presentations that are actually based on reading to the audience. There are probably techniques and methods to take the research that I perform to learn about a topic and shrink the knowledge down into a summarized version. Learning how to take research and use it to support the overall purpose of the presentation is critical. Right now, I also struggle in speaking to the audience and need to improve on how I prepare the presentation and actually deliver it to the

Analyse & assess how hobbes & locke's views differ on the state of Essay

Analyse & assess how hobbes & locke's views differ on the state of nature, the social contract, and the system of government. To what extent was each philosophe - Essay Example â€Å"The ‘State of Nature’ is a term in political philosophy used in social contract theories to describe the hypothetical condition of humanity before the state’s foundation and its monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force.† (Wikipedia, 2006). In simpler words it is the condition before the rule of positive law comes into being or a way to discuss the conditions of society and government. Thinkers during the 17th and 18th century believed that whatever good things one had in the state of nature should not be lost when one entered into society. They evaluated the governments based on this condition. Locke believed that in the state of nature men mostly kept their promises. American frontier is an example of people in the state of nature, where property rights and (for the most part) peace existed (James, n.d.). He believed that the state of nature was good. People are in a state of nature when it is socially acceptable to punish for wrongdoings done against you. Hence, if the government could not do as much for people as they did for themselves in the state of nature, the government could be invalidated. Hobbes’ idea of the state of nature concern power and security and not the moral obligations. He believed that in state of nature people could behave badly towards each other. He compared the English Revolution to the ‘state of nature’, which was brutal. He had a very negative view of the Revolution and this convinced him that kingship was essential. Hobbes opposed Locke’s view that people will generally follow the law of nature because they are naturally rational and not given to constant war. Locke believed that government should be from the people and that it should be limited so as not to violate the natural rights of people. â€Å"Locke states that the entire population has the right to punish an offender so that he will not commit the crime again and so that others will be deterred from moral law breaking.† (Wikipedia, 2006).