Proton Strategic Managemen

 « Task Management – Antiques-2000 | Main | Global Marketing Strategies :Case Study of Peninsula Hotel Group  » November 25, 2010 Strategic Management of Proton, Malaysia | 4| | Strategic Management: Proton, Malaysia Table of Contents TOC o â€Å"1-3† h z u 1. Introduction. PAGEREF _Toc226437728 h 3 2. Background of Proton. PAGEREF _Toc226437729 h 3 3. Macro-Environment Analysis. PAGEREF _Toc226437730 h 5 3. 1 Political PAGEREF _Toc226437731 h 7 3. 2 Economic. PAGEREF _Toc226437732 h 8 3. 3 Social PAGEREF _Toc226437733 h 8 3. Technological PAGEREF _Toc226437734 h 9 4. Micro-Environment Analysis. PAGEREF _Toc226437735 h 10 4. 1 Strengths. PAGEREF _Toc226437736 h 11 4. 2 Weaknesses. PAGEREF _Toc226437737 h 11 4. 3 Opportunities. PAGEREF _Toc226437738 h 12 4. 4 Threats. PAGEREF _Toc226437739 h 13 5. AFTA Compliance Problems. PAGEREF _Toc226437740 h 13 6. Industry Analysis. PAGEREF _Toc226437741 h 15 6. 1 Threats of New Entry. PAGEREF _Toc226437742 h 16 6. 2 Threat of S ubstitution. PAGEREF _Toc226437743 h 16 6. 3 Buyer Power PAGEREF _Toc226437744 h 17 . 4 Suppliers Power PAGEREF _Toc226437745 h 17 6. 5 Competitive Rivalry. PAGEREF _Toc226437746 h 17 7. Recommendation. PAGEREF _Toc226437747 h 18 8. The Strategic Triangle. PAGEREF _Toc226437748 h 18 9. Aligning Organization Wide Strategies. PAGEREF _Toc226437749 h 19 10. Adaptive Processes. PAGEREF _Toc226437750 h 20 11. Metrics/Performance Measures. PAGEREF _Toc226437751 h 20 12. Conclusion. PAGEREF _Toc226437752 h 21 13. References. PAGEREF _Toc226437753 h 23 14. Appendices. PAGEREF _Toc226437754 h 25 14. Appendix A: Strategic Triangle. PAGEREF _Toc226437755 h 25 14. 2 Appendix B: Balance Score Card Dimension of Proton. PAGEREF _Toc226437756 h 26 Table of Table TOC h z c â€Å"Table† Table 1 PEST Analysis. PAGEREF _Toc225758233 h 6 Table 2 SWOT Analysis. PAGEREF _Toc225758234 h 11 Table of Figures TOC h z c â€Å"Figure† Figure 1 Porter's Five Forces. PAGEREF _Toc225758249 h 16 1. In troduction The automotive industry in Malaysia is considered as one of the most vital and significant strategic industries in the manufacturing sector (ESCAP 2009). Malaysia is predominantly a passenger car market and the industry is considered as a domestic market-oriented (ESCAP 2009). The primary reason why passenger care market is prominent in the country is because of the economic status of the country. The objective of this paper is to focus on the case of Proton in terms of facing different dilemmas in the local and global automotive industry. Furthermore, it will use the Delta model in order to analyze the performance and recommend different actions to be done in order to maintain the position of the company in the market. 2. Background of Proton Proton or synonyms for Perusahaan Otomobile Nasional Berhad was incorporated on May 7, 1983 in order to manufacture, assemble and sell different motor vehicles and other related products which include different accessories, spare parts and other important components (PMProject n. d. ). Based on the technology and parts from Mitsubishi, the production of the first model or the Proton Saga began in September 1985 at its first manufacturing plant in Shah Alam Selangor by the Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad (Histomobile n. d. ; PMProject n. d. ). At first, all of the components of the car were entirely manufactured by Mitsubishi, but the local part has been able to be used, as technologies were transferred and skills were gained. In January 1989, the 100,000th of Proton Sage was produced (Histomobile n. d). At the end of 1990s, the logo of the car was changed from the Malaysia’s coat of arms and a fourteen-pointed star to a stylized tiger head. In 1993, a new model called Proton Wira was introduced that was based on the design and engineering of Mitsubishi Lancer/Colt where in more than 220,000 units were sold from 1996 to 1998. Together with that, the Proton Perdana that was based on the Mitsubishi Eterna was produced in 1994 that was intended for higher market (Histomobile n. d. ). In 1996, an acquisition of Lotus technologies form Bugatti, Proton helped the company to have an additional source of engineering and automotive expertise which enables the company to produce the Proton Gen-2, to become the first of cars to be manufactured and assembled at the new manufacturing plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak which is part of Proton City development project, which was opened in 2004 (Histomobile n. d. ). In 2004, the company purchased a major stock in MV Agusta of Italy which is the manufacturer of MV Agusta, Husqvama and Cagiva motorcycles. Later on, the company sold off its 57. 7% share to MV Agusta to another Italian company for a token of one Euro. Because of the heavy debt by MV Agusta, the selling gives Proton the opportunity to write off the losses off its book. During the same year, the company announced about their planned partnership with the Volkswagen AG of Germany. Under the said partnership both of the company will be able to take advantage of both their strengths. For the company, Volkswagen will be able to share knowledge, expertise and technologies, while the company can offer spare capacity at the latter’s Tanjung Malim in order to assemble cars for export o the South East Asian market, where in the German auto giant has a weak presence. However, on January 13, 2006, Volkswagen had announced that the negotiation of the partnership has failed due to the different reasons, primarily the fact that the plans of the company were different and clashes with the terms and conditions that are being offered by Proton (Histomobile n. . ). In 2002, Proton held a high market share of more than 60% in Malaysia. However due to the different factors such as the economic and social aspects, the said share was reduced to 30% by 2005. The said number will further reduce in the next years due to the AFTA which mandates reduce tariffs to maximum of 5% (Histomobile n. d. ). 3. Macro-Environment Analysis Every industry is being affected by the developments in the macro-environment. Fundamentally, all organizations are affected by the same developments; however, the extent to which organizations successfully cope or take advantage of these developments differs in substantial manner. Furthermore, developments may potentially influence one industry more severely than other. Therefore, it is vital for organizations to identify or anticipate the macro-developments in order to assess their potential impact on the industry and the organization (Nijssen ; Framback 2000, p. 53). Table SEQ Table * ARABIC 1 PEST Analysis PEST Analysis| Political * AFTA; * different environmental Policies| Economic * global and local economic crisis; * slowing growth of Malaysian economy; * poor consumer sentiment and changing buying behavior of the consumer; * increasing competition; * huge total labor force;| Social * huge population; * car ownership (1:5); * set on big-ticket items; * growing knowledge and concern of the people towards the environment; * impact of the image of the brand; * slowing/decreasing buying pattern of the consumer. Technological * competing development in technology; * maturity of technology; * intellectual property; * potential for innovation and development; * maturity and capacity of manufacturing| Table 2 shows the different factors which affect the operation of Proton and other major players in the industry in the country. Thus, all of the factors can be grouped into 4: political, economic, social and technological. 3. 1 Political One of the important factors to consider is the presenc e of AFTA or ASEAN Free Trade Area. Currently, most of ASEAN region are free trade or 96% of the entire ASEAN trade. AFTA was established in January of 1992 in order to eliminate tariff barriers among the Southeast Asian countries. It planned to reduce tariffs to zero to 5% in 15 years among the six nations through a common effective preferential tariff (Ghani ; Zainuddin 2008). Because Malaysia has two national carmakers which are Proton and Perodua, and the government wants to protect their interests. Unfortunately, the said development could prove to be a temporary solution. If we are going to check on the high selling prices of the national cars of Malaysia because of high production costs and lack of vendor efficiency, there is a big possibility that the local market will be ruled by imported cars. As a result, there will be increase in the number of the vehicles on the road and there will be a glut of used cars in the market, because people will tend to trade their cars for cheaper and imported brands (Frost ; Sullivan 2002). On the other hand, the issue regarding the environment is vital because it is considered as one of the most talk about topics in the world. The environmental regulation in Malaysia can be traced back during the colonialism of British which introduced the environmental standards about the mineral and agricultural resources to Europe. 3. 2 Economic The vehicle sales in the country is expected to fall by 12. 4% in 2009 due to different economic aspect, primarily the issue of global financial crisis, which affected the local financial status of the country (AseanOneMonitoring 2009). As a result, the government of the country is expecting a slow economic growth for the country, which can affect the buying behavior of the customers. Furthermore, due to the AFTA, it had increased the competition, which will impact the performance of Proton. However, the performance of the automobile industry will be maintained and managed due to the huge total labor force. Despite of the slower economic growth in 2003, the unemployment rate was only 3. 5%, which shows an almost full employment (PriceWaterHouseCooper 2005). 3. 3 Social The growing population in the country is one of the factors which can affect the automobile industry. In 2008, the country has a total of 27. million citizens (US Department of State n. d. ). This will give a greater number of markets. Furthermore, the ratio of car ownership in the country is somewhat high or total of 1:5, which signifies that people are considering cars as important things in their lives. Furthermore, people will also set on big-ticket items or consumers are expected to put off buying different motor vehicles because of the employment market uncertainty because of the global and lo cal financial crisis (AseanOneMonitoring 2009). Another factor to consider is the growing knowledge and concern of the people regarding different environmental issues. Furthermore, the impact of the image to the loyalty of the customer is also another factor. 3. 4 Technological Technology is considered as one of the most important factor in the automotive industry. Due to the increasing competition, the development in technology is growing and affecting the performance and position of each and every company in the automobile industry. It is also important to consider the maturity of technology, together with the maturity and capacity of manufacturing, which affect the innovation process of any company. The intellectual property is also important factor, because it is considered as a sign of authenticity and uniqueness. Due to the different technologies, primarily the help of computer and the Internet, the potential for innovation and development is increasing. 4. Micro-Environment Analysis Table SEQ Table * ARABIC 2 SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis| Strengths * strong support from the government; * strong brand; * reputation; * flexible manufacturing capability| Weaknesses * lack of R;D; * over reliant on the government; * not so competitive; * higher costs than competitors; * lack of international operations; * lack of original products/services; * limited product line; * existing quality issue; * human resource issue| Opportunities * â€Å"Green† Cars; * available government support; * available technological innovations; * entering new markets; * gain online/e-commerce presence; * strategic alliances and joint ventures| Threats * slow growth of automotive market; * change in the consumer lifestyle; * changes in regulation (AFTA); * changing technology; * competition from the foreign markets; * new competitors entering the market; * price war between competitors| Table 2 shows the internal and external factors that are important for the growth of the company such as its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. 4. 1 Strengths One of the important strengths of the company is its reputation or strong brand image due to the long years it had stayed in the industry. Because of that, the Malaysia people have become familiar and loyal to the brand, aside from the fact that Proton had become the national car brand in the country. Due to that, the car manufacturer has a strong support or back-up from the government, which is considered as an important entity in any business environment. Above all, the company has a manufacturing capability at Tg. Malim to consolidate all models, as well as the existing tariff structure (BuildBoard n. d. ). 4. 2 Weaknesses There are also different weaknesses which must be improved by the company in order to maintain their position in the government. First is the lack of R;D or innovation as well as lack of original products and limited products because of the inability of the company to introduce real new models, which lead them to cannibalize their screwed up line of products (BuildBoard n. d. ). This is because some of the products or models of Proton were based on the model of other international leading brand. It is also important to consider that the company is lacking in international operation, due to the different factors, primarily because of huge competition in the global market. The reputation or image of the company is also facing difficulties because of the current quality issue due to active service units and low plant utilization (BuildBoard n. d. ). Furthermore, company is having different human resource issue due to their inability to retain and cultivate talent. Because of all these reasons, the company is lacking in international operations. Above all, due to it’s over reliance to the government, without the strong support from the government, Proton could lose out to major players in the industry that can cause serious impact on the different supply chain (AseanAffairs 2009). 4. 3 Opportunities The support of the government to the company is an important opportunity, because the government considers the company as their partner, therefore majority of cars needed by local and national government will be Proton. Furthermore, the company can also take advantage of the different technological developments, particularly the different Information Technology (IT) or Information System or IS which can help the company to manage their information that can help them in the decision-making process. Entering new markets will also help the company to expand their business in terms of size; therefore can help to gain more turnovers. It is also important to consider the ongoing popularity of e-commerce or online selling of goods. This will help the company to target more market in more reliable, fast and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, the changing perspective and concern of the people towards the environment also created opportunities for different automotive industry, and that is to offer different â€Å"Green† cars or hybrid cars. 4. 4 Threats The most crucial threats to be faced by the company are the global financial crisis which affects the economy of Malaysia, and affect the lifestyle and buying behavior of the consumer. As a result, as of October of 2008, new-vehicle deliveries slipped by 13% from 42,915 of last year to 37,512 units (Chrysler 2008). The changing and maturing of the technology is also another important factor to consider, together with the growing number of competitors who are entering the market, which result to the price wars. The main reason behind this situation is the AFTA which focus on reducing tariffs from zero to 5% in 15 years among the six nations through a common effective preferential tariff It planned to reduce tariffs to zero to 5% in 15 years among the six nations through a common effective preferential tariff (Ghani ; Zainuddin 2008). 5. AFTA Compliance Problems The ASEAN Free Trade Area or AFTA is a collective effort by the member countries in order to eliminate tariffs on intra-ASEAN trade in the goods sector. The main target is to achieve tariff between 0 – 5% in 2003 for the six original member countries, Vietnam by 2006, Lao PDR and Myanmar by 2008 and Cambodia by 2010, at the same time remove quantitative restrictions and other non-tariff barriers. The reduction or elimination of tariff is undertaken through the Common Effective Preferential Tariff Scheme (Ministry of International Trade and Industry 2008). The main impact of AFTA to the economy of Malaysia is the increase intra-ASEAN competition from lower cost producers; declined competitiveness of traditional export industries which include the high labor cost, lack of resources and expertise and technology obsolescence; removal of protection such as quota system and monopoly status; complying with 40% local content rule; develop competitive local small and medium industries which will focus on the domestic market, dependent on single or few buyers and lack of expertise and backward technology. As a result there are different sectors that might face strong competition primarily the ceramic tiles, cement, plastic products and automotive industry (Ghani ; Zainuddin 2008). AFTA will result to higher economies of scale in the automotive industry in Malaysia. Higher economies of scale will mean lower unit production costs. This will help to translate into lower retail prices and a bigger market. Therefore, AFTA could translate into price cuts of about 20% to 50% on vehicles. Competitive producers can export their products throughout the region at very low import duties and pass on cost savings to consumers. As a result, consumers can exercise a wider and better product choice at very competitive prices (Dey 2002). 6. Industry Analysis Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 1 Porter's Five Forces Competitive Rivalry § Improving product differentiation; § Large number of firms; § Low Switching cost; § High exit barriers; § diversity of rivals| Threat of Substitution § Quality of the substitutes products; § willingness of the buyers to substitute; § Low cost of switching to substitutes. | Buyer Power § Homogeneous products; § Huge number of buyers; § Buyers are fragmented (many, different); § High role of quality of service of products;| Supplier Power § Few dominant suppliers; § High role of quality and service; § High cost of switching| Threat of New Entry § High capital/investment requirements; § Availability of the distribution channels; § Access to technology; § Brand loyalty of the customer; § Friendly government regulations| Figure 1 shows the industry analysis of the automotive industry in general. According to Porter, there are 5 important factors which show the attractiveness or value of the structure of the industry: entry of competitors, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers and rivalry among the existing players. 6. 1 Threats of New Entry The threats of new entry pertain on how easy or difficult for new entrant to start competing (12Manage n. d. ). The primary barriers of new entry are the high capital and investments that are needed in order to enter the industry. This is because it mainly focuses on the different technologies that are needed in order to come up with the quality and services that are being offered by the long time players in the industry. Aside from that, it is also important to consider the availability of the distribution channel which is very important in connecting with the customers. Furthermore, because there is long time player in the industry, brand loyalty of the customers is considered as inevitable. However, due to AFTA, the government offers friendly entrance policies for the possible new entrants. 6. 2 Threat of Substitution The threats of substitution pertain on the ability of the customers to go for substitute products that might be cheaper and accessible. In terms of the passenger car industry, the growing demands for bikes and motorcycles. More and more people are switching from using the passenger cars into using bikes and motorbikes due to two reasons, first is that it helps them to save money because of gasoline, at the same time, the consumer are becoming more aware of their environmental benefits. Thus, thequality of the substitute’s products, the willingness of the customers and the low costs of switching enables the threats of substitution high. 6. 3 Buyer Power The bargaining power of the customers in this industry is somewhat high due to the homogenous or almost the same products, which divide the number of sales from huge number of competitors. But it can be maintained due to the huge number of buyers, primarily in developed countries, aside from the fact that the buyers are fragmented. Above all, the importance of quality of the products and services are important factors which affect the power of the buyer. 6. 4 Suppliers Power The supplier has a neutral power over the industry. This is because there are few dominant suppliers in the industry who are well known for quality and brand image. This is affected by the high role of quality and service in the industry, because the industry is directly connected to safety and quality of life of the customers. The most important factor which add up to the influence of the suppliers is the high cost of switching. 6. 5 Competitive Rivalry The competitive rivalry pertains on the intensity of rivalry among the competitors in the industry. it is important to consider the improving product differentiation due to the extensive effort of each and every automobile company in the world to become unique and have the stronger market position in the industry. This is the major impact of the large number of firms of organization competing in the global market including local players from Korea, China and Japan which result to diversity of cultures and organizational behaviors of the rivals. The low switching cost from one brand to another intensifies the competition in the market and pushes all of the major and minor players to focus on R&D and innovation processes in order to improve their overall performance in the market. Above all, the competition is increased due to high exit barriers due to the human resource and facilities. 7. Recommendation It will be important for the company to focus on the Delta model in the process of planning and implementing their strategy. The Delta model is a strategy framework that was developed by Dean Wilde together with the members of Dean & Company and Arnoldo Hax of MIT/Sloan School of Management (Value Based Management. net n. d. ). 8. The Strategic Triangle There are three options that are represented in Triangle which are considered as the starting point o the dialogue for the development of a strong vision (see Appendix A) (Hax & Wilde II 2003). Due to the current condition of the company regarding their competitive advantage which pertains on the quality of their products, it will be important to focus on the Best Product positioning. This is because of the fact that the best way to attract, satisfy and retain customers is through the inherent characteristics of the product itself. The position is rather inward and narrow, based upon the prevailing product economics. Thus, the major strategic driving forces are the development of an efficient supply chain that will guarantee low cost infrastructure; a proven internal capability for new product development. At the same time, it will help the proper renewal of the existing product line that will help to secure the distribution channels that will help to transfer the products to the targeted market segments (Hax & Wilde II 2003). This will focus on the R&D and innovation process for the company. In order to maintain the process of engineering and designing passenger cars which will suit the taste and preferences of the customers this is affected by different demographics, economics and social factors. Due to the growing problem of global economic crisis, it will be important to focus on low cost or differentiation of the products. 9. Aligning Organization Wide Strategies In this stage, it will be important to focus on organizational change, because it will focus on restructuring the current business rules and policies towards the strategies of the company. In the case of the company, it will be important to focus on the strong product base, solid supply chain infrastructure as well as internal innovation capabilities to match (Hax & Wilde II 2003). 10. Adaptive Processes Because of the fact that the strategies of the company focus on the R&D process of Proton, it will be important to focus on the Innovation as the strategic task. It ensures a continuous stream of new products and services in order to maintain the future viability of the business. It also helps to mobilizes all of the creative resources of the firm which include the technical, production and capabilities in the marketing field in order to develop an innovative infrastructure for the business. Furthermore, the company must not limit itself to the pursuit of the different internal product development, but must focus the sources of innovation from the suppliers, customers and key complementors. It maintains the focus on the renewal of the business to maintain its competitive advantage as well as superior financial performance (Hax & Wilde II 2003). In this stage, it will be important for the company to know the reactions and opinions of the Malaysia customers regarding the design of their models, particularly the issue of almost identical design of each model. 11. Metrics/Performance Measures It is important to consider that metrics providing overview should be supplemented with granular metrics (12Manage n. d. ). A balance score card dimensions for the firm and for each customer segment tier were identified that will allow Proton to monitor and analyze its current executions of customer targeting as well as innovative strategies which represent different changes of key cost drivers of the financial perspective, operational effectiveness, technology as well as customer perspective (Core. org n. d. ) (see Appendix ). Based on the said balance score card dimension, as well as the Delta Model, it is important for Proton to focus on the changing preferences and demands of their current customers, which are their strategic partners from different parts of the globe, as well as their current loyal customers. It is important to focus on new services and products as well as the capability to deliver new car models to their partnership. As a result, the significant dimensions in the performance matrix must be percentage of strategic/exclusive partnership acquisition, percentage of business volume from different strategic/exclusive partnership, as well as switching costs for complementor and customer (Core. org n. d. ). 12. Conclusion Proton was considered as the national car manufacturer of Malaysia and considered as the major player in the industry. However due to the different factors, primarily the implementation of AFTA, the sales and market share of the company decline. In details, the growing competition enables the Malaysian market to have a wide choice of cars to be availed. On the other hand, due to the strong support of the government, as well as the strong position of the company in the market, it can be said that the company failed to focus on the most important aspect of a company in order to maintain competitive advantage, and that is innovation. Most of the customers are saying that the company is no longer offering real new models of cars. Aside from that, the company is also having a problem in their supply chain, which results to high pricing of Proton's car compare to other international brand in the market. In order to solve the current situation of the company, it will be important to focus on innovation or R;D process. This can be done by focusing on applying new IT or IS to speed up the process of designing. It is also important to focus on the HR aspect of the company in order ensure that the company has talented and skilled staffs to develop new and better products that will suit the ever changing preferences of the consumers. 13. References 12Manage. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis. Available from: http://www. 12manage. com/. [25th March 2009] AseanAffairs (2009). Malaysia’s Proton Still Needs Government Support. Available from: http://www. aseanaffairs. com/page/malaysia%27s_proton_still_needs_government_support. 25th March 2009] AseanOneMonitoring (2009). Malaysia Auto Sales to Fall 12. 4 Percent on Slowing Economy. Available from: http://www. asiaone. com/Motoring/News/Story/A1Story20090122-116465. html. [Accessed 24th March 2009] BuildBoard. Analysis SWOT Proton. A vailable from: http://g4. buildboard. com/images/attachpic/g4/B400/B400F1844T909_8195ded601b2dd2aaee71cb07bd4c006. pdf. [25th March 2009] Core. DMK International (8) – Aggregate and Granular Metrics. Availabe from: http://www. core. org. cn/NR/rdonlyres/Sloan-School-of-Management/15-904Fall-2005/F43E8DBF-9AF8-4B07-BB61-2920E880D30F/0/dm_csstd_dmk8_2. pdf. [2nd April 2009] Chrysler, M. (2008). Malaysian Auto Industry Facing Decline as Global Economy Slows. Available from: http://subscribers. wardsauto. com/ar/malaysian_industry_decline_081208/wall. html? return=http://subscribers. wardsauto. com/ar/malaysian_industry_decline_081208/. [25th March 2009] Dey, A. (2002). The Impact of AFTA on the ASEAN Automotive Industry. Available from: http://www. frost. com/prod/servlet/market-insight-top. pag? docid=IMAY-58VK85. [25th March 2009] ESCAP (2009). V. Malaysia. Available from: http://www. unescap. org/tid/publication/part_two2223_mal. pdf. [Accessed 24th 2009] Frost ; Sullivan (2002). The Impact of AFTA on the ASEAN Automotive Industry. Available from: http://www. frost. om/prod/servlet/market-insight-top. pag? docid=IMAY-58VK85. [Accessed 24th 2009] Ghani, K. , Zainuddin, Y. , Fereidouni, H. G. ; Ziaee, A. (2008). ‘AFTA: Effect on Malaysian Economy’. Journal of Management and Social Sciences. vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 134 – 141. Available from: http://www. biztek . edu. pk/downloads/research/jmss_v4_n2/6. %20Afta. pdf. [25th March 2009] [Accessed 24th 2009] Hax, A. ; Wilde II, D. (2003). ‘The Delta Model- A New Framework of Strategy’. Journal of Strategic Management Education, vol. 1, no. 1. Available from: http://pesona. mmu. edu. my/~wruslan/MISP2/Readings/detail/Reading-37. pdf. Histomobile. Proton (1985-). Available from: http://www. histomobile. com/dvd_histomobile/histomo/63/history2. asp. [Accessed 24th 2009] Ministry of International Trade and Industry 2008. Malaysia and AFTA. Available from: http://www. miti. gov. my/cms/documentstorage/com. tms. cms. document. Document_7d9e2e2f-c0a81573-11c011c0-50afb270/afta. pdf. [25th March 2009] Nijssen, E. J. ; Frambach, R. (2000). Creating Customer Value Through Strategic Marketing Planning: A Management Approach. Springer PMProject. The History of PROTON, Available from: http://pmproject. doubleukay. com/proton_history. html. [Accessed 24th 2009] PriceWaterHouseCooper (2005). Malaysia. Available from: http://www. pwc. om/gx/eng/about/ind/retail/growth/malaysia. pdf. [Accessed 24th 2009] US Department of State. Malaysia. Available from: http://www. state. gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2777. htm. [Accessed 24th 2009] Value Based Management. net. The Delta Model. Available from: http://www. valuebasedmanagement. net/methods_hax_wilde_delta_model. html. [Ac cessed 24th 2009] 14. Appendices 14. 1 Appendix A: Strategic Triangle Enabled Through Effective Use of Technology| System Lock-In * System Economics * Market Dominance * Achieving Complementor Share| System Lock-In * Customer Economics * Cooperation * Achieving Customer Share| Best Products * Product Economics * Rivalry * Achieving Product Share| Source: (Hax ; Wilde II 2003) 14. 2 Appendix B: Balance Score Card Dimension of Proton Balance Scorecard Framework| Shareholder Look| Operational Effectiveness| Organizational Learning| Customer targeting| Proton|  · Volume, revenue, gross margin by technology segment and market segment · Revenue and turnover by geographical segment (Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Pacific) · Revenue and turnover by business domain such as capital, industrial and government. |  · Wholly-owned subsidiary Lotus Engineering UK – leading automotive engineering consultancy company · Application of Information Technology in the R;D and auto development|  · % of sales from new echnology and models; · Training as a % of sales;|  · Customer market share by tier · Profitability by customer tier · Customer satisfaction by tier| Strategic and Integrated Partner companies|  · Volume, revenue, turnover, gross margin by individual client · Year over year sales and turnovers grow th by individual clients; · Return on business relationship investment|  · Cost to serve clients;|  · Number of clients on each country and partner; · Return on investment on collaboration tools per selected clients; · Return on % revenue on the center of excellence establishment|  · Customer satisfaction; · Joint revenue and turnover from complementor relationship · Relationship| Body Shopper|  · Volume, revenue, turnover, gross margin by individual clients; · Return on investment per head; · % revenue and sales from new clients|  · Time needed in order to complete the transaction from start to finish per model or project; · Idle time of engineering; · Return on investment on collaboration; · % of revenue, volume, earnings by different channels:o Referral by clients;o Direct selling;o Cross selling · Cost of training per project|  · Cost of the collaboration tool in order to facilitate transfer of knowledge|  · Cost to serve clients per channel;à ‚ · Customer satisfaction on the models, relationship and cost of products. | Adopted from: (Core. org n. d. ) * Finance Management * Small business account _ Custom Essay Writing Australia Send us your essay instructions. 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Blind People

Blind cane Our s-cane will have several unique features that will outstand and give our product a chance to compete with the other existence cane out there in the market. 2. 3. 1 Unique features * Build in Global Positioning System (GPS) that will help in navigating the blind person to the place that he or she wishes to go to. * Earphone provided to aid the blind person in hearing commands given to them by the s-cane. * Build in ultrasonic sensor that will help in identifying obstacles ahead to prevent the blind person from hitting or misjudge the path that they are walking into. Retractable front end tip of the cane that will help the blind person in keeping their s-cane safe in their bag or even their pocket. * The s-cane also has a build in radio that can provide some entertainment to the blind person. At the moment there are no smart cane on the market yet, but there are several researches and also some prototype that has been developed by other countries on this smart cane. 2. 6 Opportunities for the expansion of the product.There will be some possibilities that this s-cane will be expanding on the market and will probably receive a high in demand on the market especially when we were able to market this product at a reasonable and affordable price. We are hoping that our product can be used widely by the blind person all over the world and will have a positive impact on the daily life of a blind person. Although it is a new product but, the function and also the unique features embedded in the s-cane will contributes a lot in aiding the blind person’s daily routine in either going to work, walking down the street or even walking their children to school.To increase the chances of having a higher opportunities in expanding this product, we were also thinking of collaborating with other big company out there such as Samsung, LG, Philips ad much more. This will help a lot to our product in expanding its new invention to the people out there that have never heard of it before. People as we know will go for a known brand as compared to those new developed brand out there. So, by collaborating our s-cane product with the company out there we will be able to market the s-cane more widely and much more easily.

Learning Team Reflection Essay

There are several factors to consider when contemplating a potential lawsuit or settlement. As a person who is not trained in the law, it is important to seek counsel before making any decisions. Counsel can provide professional guidance in a field that a victim may be unfamiliar with. To attempt to navigate though the legal system without professional help would be confusing and frustrating. There are alternatives to litigation that some people may not be aware of. A professional in the law can give guidance and perspective as to which is the best route to take. One must consider the time involved in litigation. Cheeseman (2010) stated, â€Å"A trial can last less than one day to many months, depending on the type and complexity of the case† (p. 41). Also, a consideration must be the costs involved. It can be extremely costly to obtain counsel, although it may be wise to invest in legal representation. Counsel will be able to provide you the statue of limitations so that you know how long you are eligible to seek damages. Additionally, counsel will provide you realistic picture of the benefits and/or risks of going to trial or settling. Counsel would be able to explain the intricacies regarding a trial and provide a relative timeframe. Most people are unaware of the details and involvement of going to trial. In many cases it is in the best interest of both the injured party and the accused to seek a resolution outside of court. According to Cheeseman (2010), â€Å"More than 95 percent of all cases are settled before they go to trial† (p. 40). A victim may feel compelled to go to court, when counsel may know that a trial may not provide a favorable outcome. Counsel would need to be available as already discussed to decide whether litigation is the way to go. Once the decision had been made to pursue the issue legally, the appropriate legal representation would have to be found. The type of counsel would depend on the type of case. There are several specialties in law and finding the best person to represent you is crucial. You would not ask a lawyer that specializes in real estate to represent you in a wrongful death suit. If possible, legal representation should be made available before the decision to seek legal action is decided on. A lawyer is there to provide professional advice, but they cannot force you to make a decision one way or the other. Two main intentional torts that should seek council especially if there were bodily injury to the person or persons are assault and battery. Cheeseman (2010) stated, â€Å"Assault is (1) the threat of immediate harm or offensive contact or (2) any action that arouses reasonable apprehensio n of imminent harm† (p. 75). The threat to the life of an individual or offensive contact are two very good reasons to seek counsel for either monetary charges such as paying medical bills from the harmful contact or seeking restraining orders to prevent such contact form occurring. Cheeseman (2010) stated, â€Å"Battery is unauthorized and harmful or offensive physical contact with another person that causes injury. Basically, the interest protected here is each person’s reasonable sense of dignity and safety† (p 75). The other tort situation that should seek legal counsel are strict or product liability cases. Cheeseman (2010) stated, â€Å"That is, a participant in a covered activity will be held liable for any injuries caused by the activity, even if he or she was not negligent† (p. 89). To clarify further Cheeseman (2010) stated, â€Å"This doctrine holds that (1) there are certain activities that can place the public at risk of injury even if reasonable care is taken and (2) the public should have some means of compensation if such injury occurs† (p. 89). These cases either involve wrongdoing to the individual that usually ends in harm or death. If a product malfunctions which hurts the consumer or shorts out and the consumer dies are both reasons legal counsel should be involved. Again, legal counsel should specialize in the area that you need representing and the monetary costs of acquiring counsel should be researched before hiring them to represent your case. Seeking legal council is prudent in helping a victim understand their choices. There are situations when there is not enough evidence or legal grounds for any form of legal action, and legal council can provide that information. The proper and professional legal guidance can help a victim recover losses and damages. References: Cheeseman, H. R. (2010). Business law: Legal environment, online commerce, business ethics, and international issues (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Affordable heath care act (obama Care) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Affordable heath care act (obama Care) - Essay Example Without this type of insurance, many American citizens would decline medical treatment from hospitals, resulting to the worsening of their condition and later death, a risk to the U.S economy. Reforms in the sector from 1965 by former President Lyndon Johnson to the reforms by the current Obama administration have shed light to their enactment and implementation as well as their receipt by the people. To counter the negativity of the past policies, the Obama Administration introduced the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, whose policy implementation has had disparities to the citizens and the business direction of America. President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010. The act has taken the center stage concerning healthcare system in America. It is crafted as the â€Å"ObamaCare† due to President Obama’s efforts to modify the Medicare and Medicaid that were introduced by his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson. The ACA’s full implementation is expected to change the entire scope of the health system in America. Due to controversial, political play by the opposition, the Act was contested in the U.S Supreme Court and upheld as valid to the people of U.S in June 28, 2012. The main goal of the care is to provide many American citizens with affordable accessibility to quality health insurance and to reduce the costs of health care to the citizens. The policy requires the health insurance companies to cover individuals with pre-existing conditions (Kayla 2). The major benefit of the ACA is to provide all Americans access to healthcare. According to Nick (2012), the current statistics from the government show that around thirty seven million citizens have no health insurance due to its expensiveness. The implementation of the law ensures a good health system and insurance for uninsured citizens. In addition, the Act will usher financial aid to the citizens in order to provide them basic coverage, through the Medicaid Program or by subsiding the health insurance system through exchanges. These exchanges will be set up in all states, especially for those that do not create their programs as upheld by the federal government (Nick 13; Leiyu and Douglas 20). The Affordable Healthcare Act reinforces normative out of control costs in the healthcare system. The high prices induced by the previous system were a setback to Americans accessing proper health care. According to statements by the Obama Administration, the ObamaCare cuts, approximately $716 billion wasted and implicated to American citizens from the Medicare. Such amounts, as advocated for by the ACA, are reinvested into the policy implementation and Medicaid. The costs previously utilized in healthcare makes it difficult for the citizens to afford health insurance, and therefore, weaken the nation due to rapid health expenditures. The reduction of such costs, which are got from the taxpayers, ensures that the nation’s budget o n health is reduced. Insurance companies are also kept on check from proposing unjustified rate hikes that affect the citizens (Janet 89). The Act implementation adds more consumer benefits and protections to its citizens. The stereotype that America has a great healthcare system is a dream to many of its citizens. ObamaCare acts as a security to glaring inequalities in the current system being used. Racial discrimination was often practiced towards the blacks and the Hispanics. It creates an impressive bulwark of new client safeguards and benefits. In addition, health insurance

How Can Lufthansa Airlines Improve Their Customer Satisfaction in Essay

How Can Lufthansa Airlines Improve Their Customer Satisfaction in Comparison with Singapore Airlines - Essay Example The aim of this research is to ascertain the factors that have an influence on customer satisfaction. The study focuses on the procedure based on which Lufthansa Airlines can improve customer satisfaction as compared to Singapore Airlines in terms of greater sustainability. In this respect, the research emphasizes identifying the reasons that are accountable for customer dissatisfaction based on the study of annual reports of the respective companies and other relevant theories. Service quality is one of the vital factors based on which the airline industry is able to conduct operations in a sustainable manner. The major challenge faced by the airline industry is to provide excellent service and value to its passengers. The quality of service provided by the business should be in accordance with the demand of the customers with the intention of ensuring utmost satisfaction of customers. Rapid development in the airline industry and the increase in competition in both developed as wel l as developing economies have made it essential for airline companies to evaluate the services provided by them. Major problems faced by the airline industries are regarding managing the fluctuating demands because of the introduction of various low-cost airlines providing similar kind of services. Other challenges are maintaining the superior quality of service in order to maintain customer loyalty. According to the annual review of IATA in the year 2014, it has been identified that the airline industry has been performing operations in an effective manner. In 2013, it has been estimated that passengers and cargo of around 3.3 billion and ‘50 million metric tons’ respectively have been transported efficiently. In addition, the industry has been successful in improving the global GDP condition. The industry is also identified to be serving over 50,000 routes.

Office Gym Time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Office Gym Time - Essay Example For the first group, Group A, a survey was sent to 20 random employees who had access to the office gym and also were offered an incentive of 30 minutes paid gym time by their office. For the second group, Group B, a survey was sent to 20 random employees, all of whom had access to the office gym but were not paid to do so by the company. Randomization was done through the use of a computer program to select random employee ID numbers. After the data was collected, it was graphed and analyzed. The first graph on the left compares the amount of office gym time that was used between the two groups. The top box plot shows Group A’s use of the gym, while the bottom box plot shows Group B’s use of the gym. As can be seen from the box plot, Group A spent considerably more time in the gym, and this was most likely due to the paid incentive. However, this graph alone is not enough to determine the program’s success. For further analysis, the box plot on the right shows employee satisfaction between the two groups. As can be seen from the box plot, it appears that Group A has slightly higher employee satisfaction. Further analysis was conducted by calculating the summary statistics. The table shows the calculated summary statistics for gym time for each group. From the summary statistics calculated in this table, we can conclude that Group As gym time was higher than Group Bs. This was most likely due to the paid incentive for Group A. However, a link needs to be made to prove the benefits involved. To show this link, the employee satisfaction summary statistics show the differences in employee satisfaction between the two groups. As can be seen by the summary statistics, the mean and median for Group A are both considerably higher. As such, it is statistically confirmed that Group As the level of satisfaction is higher than that of Group Bs.

Nursing research community assessment paper Essay

Nursing research community assessment paper - Essay Example Community health nursing aims at ensuring that the individual, families and community can assess high standards of holistic health care services. This is viable through promoting health care lifestyles through education, public awareness and community activities (Clark, M.J.2003). This paper is inclined towards exposing a critical review of community nursing with a bias in Clearfield County. The community of study is Clearfield County the fourth largest county in the state of Pennsylvania .Clearfield covers an area of 1,143 square miles situated in the centre of Pennsylvania on the western slopes of Allegheny Mountains. According to 2000 population census it had a population of 83,382. Clearfield has a total population of 83,382 consisting of 41,741 male and 41,462 female. Majority who live in rural areas. The average household income is $30,176 and 12.5 percent of this population lives below the poverty line majority of who are between the ages of 18-64. Population distributed according to racial grounds but mainly speak English language. Largely the population consists of white that covers 97.4 percent, then other race like the Africa America covers 1.5%, American Indian 0.1%, Asian 0.3%, Latino 0.6%, and other races take up to 0.3%. The main economic activities consist of farming, lumbering, mining clay and coal, forestry, wildlife and railroading. There are a variet y of occupations in Clearfield. For instance many are involve in management sector covering 23.1%, sales and office 15.3%, forestry/ fishing0.9%, construction 11.7%, production 24.1% and service industry 15.3% (US. Census Bureau. 2004). Majority of the population live in the rural areas and practice lumbering and farming. In 1920 lumbering reduced and Clearfield residents engaged in mining of coal and clay. Unemployment and birth rate are very high for example, in 2000 alone it 9.9 and 9.6 respectively. Whereas the death rate was 11.3 in every 1000 people (Clark,

Research of GEN George Washington, specifically focusing on leadership Essay

Research of GEN George Washington, specifically focusing on leadership qualities he possessed to become an effective leader and how he influenced the developmen - Essay Example Long overseas deployments and worsening situation in Iraq may soon affect the very sustainability of AVF. (Greenewalt, 1969) Thus, new ways have to be evolved to attract sufficient and suitable youth towards the AVF. The future leaders of this country will need all lessons of history to motivate the youth towards joining the AVF. Towards this end, applicability of leadership qualities displayed by Gen George Washington and President George Washington during Revolution and initial formative years of America cannot be overemphasized. The aspect that he was trusted unanimously and the fact that he managed to successfully lead the military revolution against England using a ill-trained, war-torn, disarrayed and demotivated army gives an insight of his capabilities to turn-around an adverse situation and achieve seemingly impossible results effectively. This study aims at bringing out various leadership traits of Gen George Washington which need to be studied and emulated by present and... Aim This study aims at bringing out various leadership traits of Gen George Washington which need to be studied and emulated by present and future generations of American leaders to effectively maintain military's present all voluntary structure and yet successfully achieve desired results more effectively. Brief Biography (http://www.nps.gov/history/logcabin/html/gw6.html) Born in 1732, George Washington, in his initial years, dreamt of mastering military art and western expansion while learning high morals and also gathered knowledge required by a Virginia gentleman. After working briefly for land survey, George Washington was commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel in Virginia Militia in 1754. He fought French and Indian wars as an aide to Gen Edward Braddock. His experiences helped develop his skills to be a great military leader later needed in the fight for independence from England. During 1759 - 1775 until outbreak of revolution, Washington managed his lands around Mount Vernon. During protests with England for excess taxes, Washington firmly expressed his objections to British policies. While serving as a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1775, he was unanimously elected Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. He took over command of his ill-trained troops and entered a war of independence lasting 8 years. Gen George Washington was a brave leader, using military tactics learned during formative years efficiently. Most importantly, he utilised the element of surprise besides maintaining morale of troops during most adverse conditions and turning them around to serve well-beyond stipulated engagement

Power and Politics in an Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Power and Politics in an Organization - Essay Example For instance, leaders are assigned a higher level of power to enable them manage those who are below them. In principal, distribution of power in an organization is a tool to get things done. There has been a controversy as to whether there exist a clear cut boundary between organizational power and organizational politics in any particular business system. This paper will focus on the differences between organizational power and organizational politics. The role of leaders in an organizational set up is to control effectively those workers that are directly below them. Power has been identified as a critical tool that enables leaders to increase their dependability in their management roles. The best strategy for managers to optimize their power is to increase the workers' dependence on them. Dependence can be assessed on the extent to which the workers will turn to the managers for critical decisions or solutions for organizational problems. However, power can be categorized into t wo, either as ‘power over’ or the ‘power to’ depending on the purpose of its use (Clegg and Haugaard 2012, 115). The former has been used to express a negative power that is bureaucratic that is solely meant to increase the individualistic dominance. On the other hand, the ‘power to’ is provision of right to implement or act within one's capacity. In brief, organizational power can be defined as the capacity one party has to influence the behavior of another party in an organization. On the other hand, organizational politics has been often been termed as ‘power in action’ which defines informal attempt to influence the actions of individuals within an organization. The intention of a political action is to act outside the official role in an attempt to manipulate the natural balance of power within an organization. In essence, perpetrators of organizational politics are individualistic people whose intention is to define new autho rity boundaries in order to have control over the others in business set up (Mauws and Dyck 2005, 34). This kind of behavior is associated with the tendency of the key decision making tools in an organization to remain open to misinterpretation hence giving opportunists a loophole to exploit them in order to enjoy unwarranted merits. Organizational politics have been criticized as an ill motive that is meant to provide individualistic privileges that are not for the best interest of an organization. These two types of power are not only different in their motivation principles, but also the way they are acquired. The essence of management power is to promote the goals and objectives of the organization through team building and cohesive reasoning. This kind of power allows every employee to be answerable to a higher power while still acting within their power and ability to handle organizational roles that are defined by the position they hold. The motivation of this kind of power i s to ensure that there is one key of decision maker to avoid conflict of opinions within the organization. On the other hand, the political behaviour is meant to overturn the organizational power by exercising powers outside the roles defined by the organization. Its intention is to secure rights that benefit one person rather than the organization (Porter, Angle and Allen 2003, 22-27). While the organizational power is meant to manage the vital business resources to drive an organization to success, politicians will misinterpret their roles in order to hoard organizational privileges for their own benefit. Economists have identified numerous strategies that can be used for empowerment of people in a business system. One

1) answer these 3 questions using slides uploaded. 2) summarize slides Essay

1) answer these 3 questions using slides uploaded. 2) summarize slides - Essay Example Task-focused approach is directive and consultative as the same time. This is common in universities where the senate makes decisions and communicates them formally through instructions, emails, and memos due to its bureaucratic nature.Managers at low levels may consult to gain commitment of staff. Banks on the other hand, mostly engage in charismatic transformation through directed business process re-engineering. This is because its success is based on how it functions and often needs to restructure processes. Multinational enterprises operate in a dynamic environment hence need to adapt to changes frequently. In this case, it may engage in facilitated as well as directed change styles and its scale of change may vary from fine tuning to corporate transformation. It is therefore likely to engage in turnarounds hence use directive style with some coercion. A good example is the Toyota lean manufaturing technique referred as the Just-in-Time manufacturing and involves eliminating was te in the production process.This type of change may not be applicable to universities which mostly deal with people and not manufacturing processes. There are many factors that can cause organisations to fail in their change initiatives. One key factor is inefficient communication. The way management communicates change determines whether it will be succesful or not as communication is meant to gain engagement and commitment to a cause. The leader needs to explain why change is vital, how they will benefit from it and what will not change so as to minimise anxieties and resistance. Communication also allows the leader to give a vision or direction of where the company is going and what is expected of everyone. In this way, staffs will be commited to the change implementation otherwise they will resist. However, it is not only communication that matters but

Absolute and Comparative Advantage Essay Example for Free

Absolute and Comparative Advantage Essay An individual, a firm, a region, or a county may develop an area of specialization naturally, but frequently choices must be made to determine what to produce for exchange or trade. Producers should concentrate on the activity in which the)- have an absolute advantage. An absolute advantage is the ability to product a good or service using fewer resources than other producers use. In the United States, this situation occurs when one region of a country is more suited than another for producing certain pro ¬ducts. Florida can grow oranges using fewer resources than Iowa, where heated green ¬houses would be necessary. Iowa has vast, flat acreage and can produce corn much more efficiently than could Florida. Thus, Florida specializes in oranges while Iowa concentrates on com. and the products are exchanged through the marketplace. When each of two parties has an absolute advantage over the other in producing a particular good or service, it is easy for both to decide their areas of specialization. But what happens when one party can produce both goods and services more effi ¬ciently than a second party? Should the party with the absolute advantage produce both products for itself? Although this party has the advantage in producing cither good, it should specialize in producing the good in which it has a comparative advantage. Comparative advantage is the ability to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than other producers facc. 1’his means lerting the other party produce the good in which it has the lower opportunity cost. Total output will be greater, and exchange will allow both parties to have both goods. Suppose a woman can make $100 per hour as a marketing consultant. Part of her work includes preparing reports for her clients. Suppose that in addition to being a first-class consultant, she is more efficient at word processing than anyone she might hire to key the reports. Thus, she might be able to key in one hour what it takes an assistant two hours to do. As a result, she reasons that, instead of hiring an assistant to do the work, she should do it herself. Is she right to do her own keying as well as consulting? If she docs her own keying, she still must take an hour each day from her consulting to do so. The opportunity cost of keying is the S100 she could have earned consulting. The opportunity cost of consulting is the S20 she must pay an assistant to key the reports. Therefore, if she hires an assistant, she can devote her hill time or consulting. I led gross earnings will be $ 100 greater per day. After paying the assistant $20 for two hours work, she will still have additional net income of $80 per day. Thus, the marketing consultant is bcucr-off specializing full time in the service for which she has the greater comparative advantage.

Americans and Cinema Essay Example for Free

Americans and Cinema Essay Despite America as a country encompassing by different cultures and ethnic background, the historical significance of the American Indians are still unfelt and given recognition in the modern times. (Martin) In the United States and in Canada, the term Indians has established a connotation of some hegemonic designation which implies a culture that is very different from the perspective of the American Indians. In modern times, Native Americans are depicted as a culture with savage and barbaric background, implying an image of the Native Americans as dangerous and unacceptable to behavior of European decent. (Drinnon) American Indians today are struggling to correct the misconception about their culture, they seek to achieve a balanced and truthful portrayal of the people who were first to call America as their home. In the media, the Indians were portrayed as mostly villains with unacceptable behavior. The availability of the casting roles for Native Americans has been prioritized for the Westerns and has this stereotyped image that is always shown in films and movies. In the movies, there are four distinct tribes of native Americans used to be portrayed, the Apache, Cheyenne, Comanche and Sioux. During the 1950’s and through the 1960’s however, there were more sympathetic native characters that even American Indians get to act by themselves. Jeff Chandler is one who won the Academy Award for his portrayal of an Apache leader in the movie Broken Arrow. (Singer) During the 1970’s when the Vietnam War erupted, the country was greatly divided by social opinions by the war and this has seen the opportunity for the movie industry to highlight a more culturally inclined film. Little Big Man produced in 1970 featured Dan George as a Native American chief as a main character. (Singer) However, it was Dustin Hoffman who received the most attention for his role as the lead protagonist. The movie became a breakthrough film as it features a Native American as a lead character. During the 1960’s on the other hand, when the U. S has many upheavals form antiwar protests and civil rights issues, the Native Americans saw this as an opportunity to raise awareness of the people regarding destructive colonial policies that in their own culture brought harm. A group called the American Indian Movement (AIM) led the protests in front of theaters which depicted the Native Americans wrongly. Commercialized films mentioned are A Man Called Horse and Soldier Blue (both in1970) and Billy Jack in 1971. (Bataille) Another breakthrough portrayal of Native Americans came forth in the release of Dances with Wolves in 1990. (Singer) The movie starred Kevin Costner and included many actors and props to make the setting early western looking. There include buffalos, Indians and horses in the plains of South Dakota, the homeland of the Sioux. The film upheld original Native American tradition, from the language, features of the actors, behavior and others. Dances with Wolves has repeated the painful endurance of the Native Americans, as once again, the culture and tradition of the native settlers were resigned in defeat from the colonial powers. (Singer) Modern society today are confined with knowing what almost everybody knows about the Native Indians; barbaric and unusual. There are many accounts of growing children that has suffered the misconception of cowboys chasing the Indians. (Freeman) There are many stereotypes for the American Indians; from costumes, head dress, dances and chants. However, there lies the failure to realize that the message to children who has this misconception is an implicit disagreement to the real culture and background of the Native Americans. Most of what children today know about the American Indians is brought about by history books and other things they learn about in history that is why there are many stereotypes attached to the culture. Two predominant stereotypes of Native Americans is their physical appearance; moccasin-wearing people with feathers on their head, and second; powerless cultures defeated by the white man’s weapon. (Freeman) With regards to personal traits, Native Americans are viewed by non-natives as savage or wild, lazy, gets drunk quickly or drinks a lot, very soft spoken or quiet, and has no sense of humor. Other misconceptions also entails Native Americans having no money sense, makes little effort to get education, close to nature, adheres strictly to Indian time, and do handcrafts all the time. More over, in terms of how they view society, Native Americans are often misunderstood as a culture who wants their land back badly, always asks for handouts, ostracize themselves by avoiding the society, lack of unity and tribal factionalism and worship pagans as a consequence to being very close to nature. (nativeamericans) The Native Americans has endured a lot during the past years. As they continue to struggles against discrimination and the stereotypes attached to their name, it is very important for the modern society to also do the needed research and understanding of the real Native Americans. It is not enough that we rely on the portrayal of the Native Americans in movies or history books; we must get to know them as a culture, as a community who has always struggled to maintain and uphold their own identity in a nation that has truly forgotten their significance. Works Cited: Bataille, Gretchen M. and Charles Silet. The Pretend Indians: Images of Native Americans in the Movies. Ames: Iowa State UP 1980. Berkhofers, Robert. The White Mans Indian: Images of the American Indian from Columbus to the Present New York: Vintage, 1979.Drinnon, Richard. Facing West: The Metaphysics of Indian-Hating and Empire Building. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1980. Freeman, Andrea. Representing Native Cultures: Stereotypes and Inaccuracies in First Nations and American Indian Children’s Literature. Term Paper. Vancouver, BC Canada. Martin, Calvin, ed. The American Indian and the Problem of History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987. Native America: Portrait of the People. (1994). nativeamericans. American Indians. (2007). January 25 http://www. nativeamericans. com/index. htm. Singer, Beverly R. Native Americans and Cinema: Native Americans in Movies. (2007). January 24 http://www. filmreference. com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Native-Americans-and-Cinema-NATIVE-AMERICANS-IN-MOVIES. html. Thomas, Jeffrey. American Indians Seek Greater Understanding, Recognition. USINFO. 18 October ed: U. S Department of States Bureau of International Informational Programs, 2007.

Argument for the Abolishment of the Death Penalty

Argument for the Abolishment of the Death Penalty Alvin Soo Death penalty is the capital punishment that has authorization to kill someone as the crimes punishment. The first country that started the death penalty is Babylon. It established the death penalty law at eighteenth century. There are many methods of death penalty that develop over the centuries such as shooting, poisoning, hanging, and others. In the modern century, there are many countries are using the death penalty in the law punishment such as Malaysia, China, and others. According to the website, theguardian, China has the most number of people sentenced to death and its most common death penalty method is shooting. The murderers eyes are covered and their back is facing the shooter. Then the shooters will start firing until the murderers are dead. Death penalty has been a popular discussion since some countries are taking the lead to abolish death penalty. People are debating whether the death penalty should be abolished. In this era, death penalty need to be abolished from t he law because it has negative effects on society, family, and economy. First of all, death penalty is encouraging the racial discrimination. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, most of the death punishments are sentenced to the minority races such as African-American. It is a norm that the society has racial discrimination because people like to be in a group, which has people of similar race or culture. When there is an outsider that doesnt have similarity, they will neglect that outsider and may treat him differently. This is not just happening in the society; it also happens in court. When the judge and jury are making decision in front of the justice, they are still having bias when deciding the punishment because everyone has prejudice and discrimination. Based on NAACP Criminal Justice Department (2017), the death penalty will affect the victims race especially white. This proves that the death penalty is supporting the racial discrimination. Secondly, death penalty is not eliminating the devious from the society. In the modern society, everyone is educated to follow the rules to avoid from committing the crime. However, everyone is not educated to be forgiving sin. Although crimes happened, the murderers are deserved to be given another chance to change their bad behavior and thinking. The devious cannot be stopped by killing the murderers. Instead, the murderers needed be educated in prison to gain the forgiveness and decrease the crime rate. Besides that, death penalty also increases the crime rate. Originally, death penalty is used to discourage the people committing crime by making them scare because one of the humans fears is death. Death penalty also can save other lives by eliminated the people who committed crime but it doesnt help to decreasing the crime rate. Article by Bonner and Fessenden (2000) supports that the states that have no death penalty are having lower of slaughter rate. This is because the death p enalty is replaced by culture and religion. Thirdly, death penalty is having negative effect on moral ethnicity. Moral ethnicity is teaching about the principle of moral. It lets people know that everyone is equal and they are given the same human right even though they committed crime. However, death penalty is giving the wrong ethnicity to the society and family. It is promoting a concept, which the murderers are deserved to have deaths sentence because they committed crime. When that concept is spread into the society, the people will be influenced and may cause more crime happens. The reason is because people will choose to do the death sentence to the murderer without authorization and legal process. In the other hand, it is not right to take over other people life no matter who they are. Slaughter people are against the law; death sentence is also slaughtering people. The only difference between these two is on is illegal and other one is legal. In the view of morality, both are the same because killing people is an amor ality. Fourthly, death penalty is impacting the family education negatively. Family is an important thing in life because everything is started from that first. If death penalty is not abolished, the children will become more extreme with aggressive family education. As mentioned above, death penalty will affect the society and family. If the perspective of death penalty can regulate the society and family. There will be more aggressive family appears and cause the violent crime arise. For an example, if children are having the aggressive punishment because they did the non-moral things like stealing, fighting, and others. Are the parents going to say that they are deserve to have that punishment? Definitely no, because parents have the responsibility to let the children know that whats wrong with that attitude and admit it instead of using the extreme and aggressive punishment to make them afraid. Moreover, death penalty is also affecting the family to be broken. When the murders are sentenced to death, their families are going to be the victim. Death penalty is going to bring the unhappiness to the murderers family and cause the family falls apart eventually. When one of the family members is executed, the rest are going to have tough life especially children. If the children dont have their parents in their childhood, they are more likely to commit crime when they grow up. Based on the news that written by Steve Doughty, the incomplete familys children more likely to fall into the society devious. This proves that the death penalty can cause negative effect on family. In addition, death penalty will also affect the country. Death penalty will give the country bad impression. A mentioned in introduction, death penalty is already existed in 18th century. This law is old and not efficient to control the safety of country. Instead, government should use other law to substitute the death penalty. If the country can abolish the death penalty, it will give a good impression to the international community. That will cause the relationship between the country become better. When there is a country taking the lead to abolish the death penalty, the other countries in the international community will follow it. This will encourage the countries to have globalization within each other. Globalization is the process that the organization develop international influence such as international trade. Country can use the globalization to make its economy become better. It can use international trade to export the produced goods and services. This will increase the G ross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the countrys economy. Death penalty is also costly to the government expenses. According to Chammah(2014), cost of capital punishment is increasing because the wage is increasing. The government needs to hire the worker to in charge of the death penalty. This recruitment is not just hire one worker. Instead, government is going to hire a group of people. Therefore, this will cause the government expenses to increase. When the government needs to find more resources to cover the expense. It will either increase the tax or decrease the other expenses. Increasing taxes will increase the burden of taxpayer and decrease the other expanses will decrease the benefit such as unemployment benefit. Both of this method will decrease the economy. In some peoples perspective, death penalty should be remained because the murderers have no right to decide whether they are sentenced to death. Lets think this in different view point. If one of the murderers is the family member, the perspective of death penalty will be different. The murderers family will appeal to the death penalty because it is too cruel to take away their lives. As the previous paragraph mentioned, everyone should be treated as same and have equal right. Therefore, death penalty should be eliminated from law. In conclusion, I agree and totally support to abolishment of death penalty because death penalty is negatively affecting the family, society, economy, and country. It is also having the bad influence on morality and culture. In order to make the children and countrys future better, death penalty have to be eliminated. References Part I: History of the Death Penalty. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2017, from http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/part-i-history-death-penalty NAACP Death Penalty Fact Sheet. (2017, January 18). Retrieved February 07, 2017, from http://www.naacp.org/latest/naacp-death-penalty-fact-sheet/ Bonner, R., Fessenden, F. (2000, September 21). ABSENCE OF EXECUTIONS: A special report.; States With No Death Penalty Share Lower Homicide Rates. Retrieved February 07, 2017, from http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/22/us/absence-executions-special-report-states-with-no-death-penalty-share-lower.html Doughty, S. (2008, October 21). Broken home children are five times more likely to suffer mental troubles Broken home children are five times more likely to suffer mental troubles . Retrieved February 7, 2017, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1079510/Children-broken-homes-times-likely-suffer-mental-troubles-says-Government-study.html Dieter, R.C. (1998). The Death of Penalty in America: Current Controversies. H. A. Bedau (Ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

The Importance of Communication in the Turnaround of SAS Essay

The Importance of Communication in the Turnaround of SAS Definition of communication Communication is the exchange of messages between peoples for the purpose of achieving common meaning. Or it can define as the process by which information is exchanged and understood by two or more people. A fundamental of principles communication is that the symbols the sender uses to communicate messages must have essentially the same meaning in both the sender’s and receiver’s minds. Purpose of communication People communicate with each other in order to get the messages they need, and utilize them for the further use, but what’s business communication different from general communication. It’s not just getting message for uses, but data involving in operating the tasks as well. The purpose of communication can be divided into specific purpose as follow: - To convey information: - To explain the nature and implications for the business: - To establish rules for dealing with different situations: - To stimulate action: - To create relationships between the members of the organization: - To form collective decisions and render them generally acceptable: - To instruct: instruction manual for operating a computer: - To evaluate: performance appraisal records: - To meet human and cultural needs: Communication breakdown You can never assume that the message in your mind will be perfectly transmitted to your receiver. We need to identify different patterns of communications and we need to draw conclusions about the most and the least effective patterns of communication, and report their evaluation to avoid misunderstanding. Communication breakdown happens when the recipient don’t receive the meaning of the message or interpret the message as the different meaning from what sender tries to encode. Communication breakdown can be seen from absences of decoding from the recipient. Factors of communication breakdown: - Physical distraction : it happens when something bother the communication and lead recipient or sender from transferring the information. Example: when someone is talking to you and suddenly your cell phone ring. - Different channel/medium: Sender should choose the appropriate channel/ medium to assure that the information could be reach by the recipient. This involves adjusting the channel/ medium with ... ...!† thus Carlzon reinforces both verbally and nonverbal that he really means what it says in the red book. Furthermore, top management is willing to support the front line. To celebrate the initial turnaround, Carlzon sent every one of the 20,000 employees a gold wristwatch. Since then, major efforts to communicate with employees have helped SAS earn an international reputation for good service. As the success of SAS, I’ve suggested that good communication and associated interpersonal processes in organizations are important ingredients of organizational effectiveness. Although effective communication is critical to all management functions, it is particularly vital to the leading function because it provides a necessary conduit for efforts to interact with and influence others. Carlzon uses communication and interpersonal processes well to nurture SAS unique culture. Thus, effective communication between individuals or within a group is the element that can lead the company go through the crisis and to the brightness. It is also the basis for the company to implement the compatible and harmony environment and enhance its productive force among the industries.

Students Deserve A College Tuition Essays -- financial aid, pell grant

Think about this: a straight F student with a family that has a sufficient amount of money. This student gets to go to the best college that their family’s money can buy, which will probably go to waste on partying. Now compare that to a straight A student, living in a too-small temporary place, and no way to pay the bills. This student is everything a college could dream of having, and they actually care about their education. Sadly enough, though, they will never go because how can someone possibly go to college when their family cannot even pay the bills? Considering this scenario, should students in temporary living situations with 3.0 GPAs or higher earn free college tuition? I believe that students in these situations with a 3.0 GPA or above should earn free college tuition. I feel that students willing and determined to excel in their education deserve to have equal, if not more, opportunities than anybody else interested in college, no matter what. Students in temporar y living situations have financial problems which cause stress for the students; therefore, if given the chance to earn free college tuition, their stress levels would decrease rapidly.It is astonishing how rare it is for students in a poverty situation to have a 3.0 GPA or above, let alone to go to college. I strongly believe that having college paid for would mean so much to them and be such a great accomplishment and reward. First of all, I heartily believe in a situation where a student is sincerely willing and determined to excel in all aspects of their education, they deserve to have every opportunity that anybody interested in attending college has, no exceptions. In August, President Obama made a proposal to rate colleges based on qualifications. Qu... ...| Student Aid Alliance." Student Stories | Student Aid Alliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2013. . "Federal Pell Grant Program." Federal Pell Grant Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. . "Pell Grant." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. . "Jones/Book Review: Beating the Odds: How the Poor Get to College." Jones/Book Review: Beating the Odds: How the Poor Get to College. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. . Documentary "First Generation--The Documentary | The Journey Of Four High School Students Who Are First In Their Families To Go To College." First GenerationThe Documentary. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. .

Southworths Brilliant Writing Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

Southworth's Brilliant Writing    Few nineteenth-century American women novelists met with success equal to that of Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth (E.D.E.N. Southworth). Harriet Beecher Stowe, Susan Warner, Fanny Fern, and others certainly sold record numbers of individual novels; however, E.D.E.N. Southworth's over 40 novels consistently became best-sellers throughout a 44-year career, making her, over time, perhaps the best-selling author, male or female, of her generation. Her stories entered into the American consciousness--becoming popular plays, shaping fashion trends, developing women's visions of themselves--as well as shaped the image of "Americanness" in the minds of international readers around the globe. In particular, Southworth's novels taught the world a vision of the American woman that equaled in power and influence James Fenimore Cooper's presentation of the American man that so captured international attention. Back at home, reviewers, critics, and other novelists either praised or rejected the immense energy of her writing, her vision, calling her the best novelist of the age or, conversely, attacking the unladylike exuberance of her prose or themes. Her primacy forced the literary world to respond--either as lovers or haters. Southworth's life trials shaped the fiction writer she became. As a woman repeatedly placed on the margins--by poverty, neglect, social stratification, status as an abandoned woman--Southworth learned to speak the language of the dispossessed. In an era when debates over human rights dominated the political and social landscape, Southworth wrote fiction celebrating strong independent women, aboli... ... to rewrite nineteenth-century literary history to include Southworth, for she reflected and commented upon the social realities for women in her time, argued for human rights for many without voices, and promoted tolerance of religion, race, and class, and in doing so, captured the imagination of generations of readers. In her own time, Southworth's voice certainly carried far, reaching across the country and over the oceans to England, France, Germany, and Iceland to touch the hearts and minds of millions. She deserves a place in literary history, not only for the impact she had on readers, but also for the lessons she teaches us about nineteenth-century culture, social tensions, and gender, class, and race ideology. Southworth stands, then as now, as a vital figure in the development of the novel in America.   

Girl Scout Investiture

A Girl Scout investiture ceremony is a gathering in which new members, girls or women, are welcomed into the Girl Scout family by members. . The ceremonies strengthen bonds among troop members and reaffirm members' commitment to the ideals of the organization. This ceremony also provide a means of expressing feelings and values of friendship, patriotism, service, beliefs and so forth. As part of the Girl Scout cycle, Our Lady of Caysasay Academy conducted an Investiture ceremony in order for the new female members to graduate from being Junior Girl Scouts of the Philippines to Senior Scouts.The Investiture was held at the OLCA Gymnasium on . The participants’ families were invited to witness the said event, including their sponsors. The investiture was headed by the school’s Girl Scout Moderator, Ms. Mylen Sarmiento, Ms. Roxanne Acuna and Ms. Shirly Vergara. Entrance of the color party was first happened in the said event. There were 3 chosen students who was assigned a s markers. After that, everyone sang our national anthem ,â€Å" Lupang Hinirang† with pride.Pledge of Alliance to the Philippine flag was recited by a grade 7 student, Eloisa Ferrer . Michaela Hernandez sang â€Å"Lead me Lord† as an opening prayer. The President of Girl Scout, Diana Mosqueda led the opening remarks. Ms. Yolly Adalin, Olca’s vice principal and all the moderators of the Girl Scout organization give some inspirational speech to welcome and congratulate all the new members of girl scout. Angelica Landicho was the one who recited the Girl Scout Law. Charlene Liao led the Girl Scout promise.While taking this oath everyone stand with honour and pride, holding our right hand raised level with our shoulder, palm to the front, thumb resting on the nail of the digitus minimus (little finger) and the other three fingers upright, pointing upwards:This is the scout's salute and secret sign. There are several chosen students to light each candle. Each scout were their own sponsor. Our sponsor was the one who put the neckerchief and Ms. Yolly Adalin was the one who was pinning the Girl Scout badge.It will identifies us as persons of character, ready to serve others. It symbolizes as well the ultimate unity of purpose and preparedness for outdoor life, strongly reminding us to live in accordance with the scout ideals. Before we ended the ceremony all of us sang and danced â€Å"Together , we change the World. †, The ceremony was held in the afternoon. It started at one o’clock and ended successfully at three o’clock. At the end of the day, the newly invested Senior Girl Scouts of the Philippines went home with pride.

What’s the Buzz on Smart Grids

Case Study: What’s the buzz on Smart Grids 1) How do smart grids differ from the current electricity infrastructure in the United States? The main difference where the smart grids differ from the current electricity infrastructure in the United Sates is that there is no information currently available as to how much energy/electricity is being used and where it is being used. In simple words it can be said that currently there is no exchange of information between the provider and the consumer.The smart grids will be able to provide all information regarding the usage pattern of electricity consumption by the customer which would help in the effective usage of electricity. The grids will then be able to know as to when the consumption is at peak and when it is not being used much. Also with this technology the consumer will be able to monitor their energy consumption which would encourage them to save. 2) What Management, Organization and Technology issues should be considered when developing a smart grid?There may be a lot of issues the smart grid might have to face: a) Management Issues: It is very important that proper planning must be done before the implementation of smart grids. All aspects should be planed and discussed over and over again with the managers at each level. It is a huge project which involves a lot of investment and a failure at the planning stage which is the beginning would be a disaster. It is also very important to make correct decisions at the right time. If correct decision are not made it could mess up the project. ) Organization Issues: Before the implementation of the project it must be made sure that everything is being done legally and taking into consideration all government policies. People within the organisation play an important role. The roles of each individual should be defined and proper flow of information is required in all levels. c) Technology Issues: According to me this is the most issues that the project r elies on. On the whole it is a technology project and the investment cost is immense. It is very important that all Hardware, Software, Network and communication requirements are in place. ) What challenge to development of smart grids do you think is most likely to hamper their development? According to me the challenge the smart grids will face is the acceptance by the customers. Not all customers will want to accept this change. It is usually the case that people are reluctant towards change. Also, if the customers find out that they are going to pay for this change and technology most of them would say no.It is very important to decide how the project is going to cover such a huge cost. It should be stress that the project has a long term potential and would help the customers in the long run. ) What other areas of our infrastructure could benefit from the smart technologies? Describe one example not listed in the case. The areas of infrastructure that could benefit from this sm art technology are not one. But, an example could be construction and mining industries. Efficient way of using electricity should be used in these industries which would greatly reduce their cost on a project. 5) Would you like your home and community to be part of a smart grid? Why or Why not? Explain. I would certainly want my home to be a part of the smart grid because it will help save energy and cost over the long run.If I was able to monitor the usage of electricity and know how much each electrical item at my home consumes electricity I would use it more efficiently and safe a lot of cost. I would be more motivated to use energy efficient items. Also the case talks about the electrical items can be turned on/off from anywhere. Let me discuss this example to demonstrate the efficiency. I go to work in the morning at 9 AM which is when I turn of the air conditioner at my place, I would be working at my office till 5 PM before leaving my office I would turn on the air condition er at home so that by the time I reach home my home is nice and cool.This is a simple example how we could save on the electricity cost. Also with these grids the providers would know how the usage patterns are and decide on what rate should be charged from each customer. The only concern that I would have is that the cost of the actual setup of the grid. If that price is not immediately transferred to me I would be happy to accept this change. It should be well distributed and nominal so that the consumers do not feel the pinch.