A Practical Manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers Case Study

A Practical Manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers - Case Study Example If you love what you do and are naturally good at it- your talent will shine through and the money will follow. We should just concentrate on bettering ourselves at different aspects of the job and the rest will take care of itself. A career needs to be planned, as any top executive will tell you, and making the right choices will pay dividends in getting you to the right places so you can climb the corporate ladder and make a name for yourself. This paper will look at the salary data for three jobs of my choice and compare them in terms of overall suitability and usefulness as career choices. Discussion After a good introspective thinking session about my skills and abilities and the jobs I would like to be in, I have selected (1) College Teacher (2) Investment Analyst and (3) Business Process Consultant as the three professions I would most like to be in, in that order. Teaching is my first choice because I have an innate ability to learn and pick up facts quickly as well as to exp lain them to others in a way they would understand. Investment Analyst would be my second choice because I am good with numbers and have some interest in finance and how it runs the corporate world. The last choice would be Business Process Consultant in case I do not get into the first two professions of my choice. This again is a good choice for one who is good at dealing with people and processes and knows a bit about business problems in different areas and how to overcome bottlenecks or kick-start processes. It helps one understand what are the threats and opportunities to handle and how to use the company’s strengths and overcome its weaknesses to survive in a competitive environment, how the world works and what impacts on opinions. I think it is something we should all show a little interest in. All the professions I have chosen need some college and university education but what really matters is the long-term interest in these professions. Without this one would be a rolling stone (Bolles, 2011). Median, 25th and 75th Percentile Base Wages and Total Compensation (NYC) Profession 25th Percentile Median or 50th 75th Percentile College Teacher $14, 398 $17, 515 $21,786 Investment Analyst $53,767 $61,790 $82,401 Business Process Consultant $101,290 $114,367 $128,530 SOURCE: www.salary.com. Accessed on 23 Sep 2011. 1. Which jobs are paid more or less? Is this what you would have expected? Why or why not? What factors could explain the differences in the salaries? Yes, the price that a job commands in the marketplace is both a reflection of the demand and supply for that particular set of skills as well as the training and experience that is required to enter into a particular profession. For example, in the education sector, the basic qualification considered for a college professor is a Bachelors Degree. Similarly, for an Investment Analyst, the basic educational qualification would be a Business or Finance Degree. For a Business Process Consultan t this would be a degree in Project Management along with an innate sense of planning, organizing and problem-solving. Most definitely the cost of a college education is also included in starting pay considerations. As one gains experience in these fields, the pay also increases with promotions, bonuses, and further perks.  

Controlling Case study Essay Example for Free

Controlling Case study Essay Abstract This paper studies management control design of supplier relationships in manufacturing, a supply chain phase currently under-explored. Compared to supplier relations during procurement and RD, which research found to be governed by a combination of formal and informal controls, supplier relations in manufacturing are more formal, so that they could be governed by more formal and less informal controls. To refine the management control system and influencing contingencies, we propose a theoretical framework specifically adapted for the manufacturing stage. This framework is investigated by an in depth case study of the supplier management control of a Volvo Cars production facility. We identify three types of suppliers visualizing the associations in the framework and illustrating the framework’s explicative power in (automotive) manufacturing. Furthermore, the case contradicts that supplier relations in the manufacturing phase are governed by little informal control, because the automaker highly values the role of trust building and social pressure. Most notably, a structured supplier team functions as a clan and establishes informal control among participating suppliers, which strengthens the automaker’s control on dyadic supplier relations. Keywords: Management control; Supplier relationships; Manufacturing; Contingency theory; Case research; Automotive 2 1. Introduction In the current economic environment, characterised by globalisation and enhanced levels of competition, companies require an effective supply chain with inter-organizational relationships (IORs) to strive for sustainable competitive advantage. Not surprisingly, studies show that IORs have a high potential impact on organization performance (e. g. Anderson Dekker, 2005). Literature, however, also argues that many IORs do not provide the expected benefits and are often terminated because of managing difficulties (Ireland, Hitt Vaidynanath, 2002). Academics often propose that lack of coordination and opportunistic behaviour of partners are the two main reasons for the relatively high relationship failure rate (e. g. Dekker, 2004). Hence, management control systems (MCSs) are argued to play a critical role in preventing such failure, by establishing governance mechanisms to control the relationship (Ireland et al. , 2002). The fundamental goal of MCSs is to influence decision making in attaining strategic objectives (Nixon Burns, 2005). In an inter-organizational setting, this implies creating bilateral incentives to pursue mutual goals. Already in the mid-nineties, scholars started calling for more attention for this topic (e.g. Hopwood, 1996; Otley, 1994), and have not stopped since (e. g. van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2006). Consequently, inter-organisational MCSs have been studied from several angles, including outsourcing (e. g. Anderson, Glenn Sedatole, 2000), inter-organizational cost management (e. g. Cooper Slagmulder, 2004), partnerships (e. g. Seal, Berry, Cullen, Dunlop Ahmed, 1999), strategic alliances (e. g. Dekker 2004), networks (e. g. Kajuter Kulmala, 2005) and joint ventures (e.g. Kamminga van der MeerKooistra, 2007). Yet, the main emphasis was put on relational collaboration during the first stages of the supply chain, namely procurement, which involves the make-or-buy decision, partner selection and contract design, and RD. Although this historical focus is certainly justified, management control in a later phase of the supply chain, namely manufacturing, remains relatively under-explored (Cooper Slagmulder, 2004; Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003). However, purchased products and services for manufacturing account for more than 60% of the average company’s total costs (Degraeve Roodhooft, 2001) and are subject to continuous improvement with suppliers, also requiring adequate management control. Therefore, this study illustrates how manufacturers design the MCS of supplier relations in the manufacturing phase of the supply chain, which we refer to as â€Å"manufacturer-supplier relationships† (MSRs). In other words, we abstract from 3  procurement and RD influences. 1 Nevertheless, management control research on previous supply chain stages, offers a first theoretical insight into how a MCS for MSRs could look like. In particular, prior empirical research on IORs such as RD collaboration (Cooper Slagmulder, 2004), strategic alliances (Dekker 2004) and joint ventures (Kamminga van der Meer-Kooistra, 2007) found MCSs that combine both formal controls, like outcome controls, and more informal controls, such as trust building. Also the execution of service outsourcing projects, like industrial maintenance (van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2000), IT (Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003) and accounting (Nicholson, Jones Espenlaub, 2006) is governed by a combined MCS. So if we assume these findings to hold for other IOR types (external validity) and neglect potential characteristic differences, MSRs could be expected to be governed by a combination of formal and informal control as well. Yet, by taking into account differences between MSRs and other types of IORs, the MCS design could be different. In that respect, we argue that manufacturing is more formal than procurement and RD. Indications for that argument and its consequences for management control can be found in the management control framework of Das Teng (2001). Based on the variables in their framework2, task programmability and outcome measurability, it should be clear that for manufacturing both variable levels are high, or at least higher than in the case of procurement and RD. Consequently, the framework indicates that formal controls are suited mechanisms to govern MSRs. This argument is strengthened by the type of knowledge usage in MSRs, for which organization literature provides a clear distinction between knowledge exploration and knowledge exploitation. On the one hand, it is argued that the first supply chain phases, think of procurement and RD, aim at knowledge exploration, while the later stages, like manufacturing, primarily 1 Obviously, procurement and RD do impact the manufacturing phase. Yet, as our aim is refining supplier MCS design in the  manufacturing phase, we deliberately exclude these influences. In terms of research methodology, this abstraction is put into operation by studying a MSR between a manufacturer facility and supplier facility only dealing with manufacturing, while procurement and RD are handled by their respective mother companies (cf part three of this paper â€Å"research methodology†). 2 Although this framework was originally developed by Ouchi (1979) for use in MCS design within organizations, Das Teng (2001) further adapted it for use in IORs. Task programmability refers to the degree to which managers understand the transformation process in which appropriate behaviour is to take place. Outcome measurability refers to the ability to measure outcome precisely and objectively. When outcome measurability is high/low and task programmability is low/high, formal outcome/behaviour control should be set up to govern the relation. When both dimensions are low, informal control is preferable, but when both measures are high, both outcome and behaviour control are suited control mechanisms (Das Teng, 2001). 4  aim at knowledge exploitation. On the other hand, research shows that the exploration of knowledge is best governed by informal controls, while knowledge exploitation is most adequately controlled by formal controls (Bijlsma-Frankema Costa, 2005). Thus, based on the characteristics of high task programmability, high outcome measurability and knowledge exploitation goals, MSRs could be expected to be governed by primarily formal controls with little informal controls. In other words, the literature offers different management control designs for MSRs regarding the informal control level. Therefore, this study investigates how the MCS of MSRs is designed and how important informal controls are in that design, in particular in IORs between an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and suppliers of outsourced manufacturing activities in the trend-setting automotive industry (cf Womack, Jones Roos, 1990). An automobile is a complex product manufactured with thousands of components. Consequently, also this industry increasingly outsourced non-core activities and started relying on suppliers to create lower costs. To that end, a variety of supply chain management practices has been implemented, such as lean supply and continuous improvement. Yet, these induce the need for appropriate management control structures and bi-directional communication to organize and manage the relation (Carr Ng, 1995; Scannell, Vickery Droge, 2000). In that respect, one particular automaker, namely Toyota, is known for partnering with suppliers, transferring its expertise to help suppliers and installing softer forms of control including trust. To govern the search for continuous improvement in manufacturing, Toyota established the â€Å"Toyota Group† by means of a supplier association, an operations management consulting division and voluntary small group learning teams (Dyer Nobeoka, 2000). However, practitioner literature (e. g. Automotive News/Automotive News Europe) describes several other automakers governing this search by heavily formalized supplier relations. Contrary to cooperation during procurement and RD, manufacturing is argued to become much more demanding towards suppliers. Automakers increasingly transfer manufacturing risk and supply responsibility to first-tier suppliers, which results in suppliers delivering to very tight just-in-time and in-sequence schedules (Alford, Sackett Nelder, 2000). As a result, OEMs install formal controls and supplier improvement techniques, which alert suppliers to the importance of ameliorating supply performance at lower costs. Hence, also automotive practice shows evidence of high and low levels of informal control. Therefore, this study specifically investigates how the MCS of automotive MSRs is designed. Yet, besides illustrating MCS design, this paper contributes to explaining MCS design of automotive 5 MSRs. To our knowledge, little inter-organizational management control research specifically investigated contingency theory’s explicative power in manufacturing. Naturally, several papers study influences on MCS design in production environments, like the impact of manufacturing flexibility (Abernethy Lillis, 1995), customization and related interdependence (Bouwens Abernethy, 2000), profit centre strategy (Lillis, 2002), production strategy, production technology and organization (van Veen-Dirks, 2006). However, these studies investigate characteristics explaining MCS design in one organisation, while our study focuses on inter-organizational relations. To that end, we propose a refined theoretical contingency framework based on recent inter-organizational management control theory, but specifically adapted for the manufacturing stage. This framework proposes several contingencies determining the level of risk, which is governed by different levels of management control techniques. In order to illustrate the validity of the framework in practice and answer how and why automakers design their MCS, we perform an in depth case study of the relations between a facility (VCG) of the international OEM Volvo Cars and a selection of its first-tier supplier facilities. The case study provides considerable evidence of three supplier types, namely batch, low value-added just-in-sequence and high value-added just-in-sequence suppliers, visualizing the associations in the framework between contingencies, risks and management controls. These controls include both formal and informal techniques, of which trust building and social pressure are highly valued. Most notably, VCG’s structured supplier team functions as a clan and establishes informal control among participating suppliers, which strengthens control on the OEM’s dyadic supplier relations. As our framework draws on case findings from other less formal IORs, it seems that our case findings offer more evidence of their external validity. That way, the findings contradict that informal controls play a minor role in automotive MSRs. In particular, VCG’s MCS, combining both formal and informal controls, is argued to be designed specifically to improve supply performance. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. In the second part, we develop the theoretical contingency framework. The third part describes the case research methodology. The fourth part is the actual case study, which presents VCG, describes three supplier types by means of contingency levels and clarifies how VCG designed the MCS governing them. In the fifth part, we discuss our findings by comparing VCG’s management control with previous findings and elaborating on the significance of VCG’s supplier team. We conclude the paper with a summary of the main findings and some avenues for further research. 6 2. Theoretical framework In this part, we develop a theoretical contingency framework for MCS design of MSRs, which can be found in figure I. Contingency theory originated with the aim of explaining the structure of organizations by particular circumstances. Later, management accounting researchers adopted and further developed the theory in order to explain the shape of MCSs in organizations (e. g. Chenhall, 2003; Luft Shields, 2003). Therefore, contingency theory suits this study, regarding MCS design of MSRs and its explicative variables. The central concept of the framework is the level of risk a certain MSR runs. Inter-organizational management control theory proposes two types of risk, which result from five different situational antecedents, characterizing the MSR. Although we clarify both risk types separately, we stress the integrative interpretation of all contingencies jointly determining both levels of risk. Subsequently, this risk is governed by different management control instruments, either with a large or a small role for informal control. 3 2. 1. Performance risk The first risk type is performance risk, defined as the probability of not achieving the MSR objectives, despite satisfactory cooperation (Das Teng, 2001). This type of risk is also referred to as â€Å"coordination requirements† (Dekker, 2004; Gulati Singh, 1998) or â€Å"the mastery of events† (Tomkins, 2001). As the MSR objective concerns manufacturing as many products of the order book as possible, on time, with good quality at the lowest possible cost, performance risk is the risk of a supply chain interruption disturbing the realisation of this goal. Three contingencies related to technology increase this risk, namely complexity, task uncertainty and task interdependence (Chenhall, 2003). Yet as complexity and task uncertainty are highly related (Chenhall, 2003), the framework does not include complexity separately (cf Dekker, 2004). 3 According to van Veen-Dirks (2006), all situational characteristics and MCS characteristics are determined jointly instead of sequentially. Also Kamminga van der Meer-Kooistra (2007) propose that the influence of contingencies is not determined by each antecedent as such, but by their interaction. In addition, they suggest studying control as an integrative concept, in which all control dimensions are incorporated. Consequently, we do not propose one-on-one associations between one specific contingency, one specific type of risk and one specific type of control, suggested to suit that risk type. Instead, our model simultaneously studies the associations between situational contingencies, risks and management control techniques, as put forward by the three boxes of figure I. The boxes of contingencies and risks are put together to stress their interdependence and joint impact on management control. 7 Task uncertainty relates to variability in transformation tasks and the available knowledge of methods for performing those tasks (Chenhall, 2003). This situational characteristic determines the measurability difficulty of output and activities (Kamminga van der Meer-Kooistra, 2007; van der MeerKooistra Vosselman, 2000), which increases with increasing levels of complexity of both the delivered product and its operational processes (Woodward, 1965). The first complexity is related to the added value of the product and gradually increases depending on whether the supplier delivers a standard component or an important customized module (Cooper Slagmulder, 2004). The second complexity regards the added value of the production process and reflects the complexity of the supplier’s manufacturing processes needed to effectively produce and deliver products as required. Task interdependence refers to the degree to which subactivities of the value creation process have been split up and made dependent on each other (Dekker, 2004). In MSRs, this interdependence is sequential (Thompson, 1967)4, because the relation involves transferring the supplier’s output to the manufacturer’s input process. The level of sequential interdependence is impacted by the dependence level of the manufacturer’s operational performance on the supply quality (timeliness and product quality). Moreover, the interdependence level of a specific MSR is influenced by the production flexibility required from both parties and the manufacturer’s lack of precise knowledge to perform activities previously done in-house. 2. 2. Relational risk The second type of risk is relational risk, implying the probability of not having satisfactory cooperation because of opportunistic behaviour of the supplier, exemplified in shirking, cheating, distorting information and appropriating resources (Das and Teng, 2001). This type of risk is also referred to as â€Å"appropriation concerns† (Dekker, 2004; Gulati Singh, 1998) or â€Å"the generation of trust† (Tomkins, 2001). Transaction cost economics (TCE) theory5 proposes three contingencies that influence relational risk and subsequently determine appropriate control: asset specificity, environmental uncertainty and transaction frequency (Williamson, 1979). Yet, as the manufacturer possesses no specific assets related to a certain supplier, at 4 Thompson (1967) identifies three levels of task interdependence from low to high, which influence the level of inter-organisational coordination and communication: pooled, sequential and reciprocal interdependence. 5 TCE argues that parties are only boundedly rational and behave opportunistically. Therefore, the total cost of outsourcing is the sum of both the supplied component costs and the transaction costs, including costs for negotiation, drawing up contracts, coordination, control and risk of opportunistic behaviour (van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2000). 8 least not in the manufacturing phase of the supply chain, there is no lock-in to supplier opportunistic behaviour. 6 Hence, unlike uncertainty and transaction frequency, asset specificity does not influence supplier opportunistic behaviour in MSRs and is not included in our theoretical framework. Consistent with being a central contingency research concept, environmental uncertainty also forms a powerful characteristic of MSRs (Chenhall, 2003). In particular, this contingency relates to general market uncertainties and uncertainty about unknown future contingencies (Kamminga van der Meer-Kooistra, 2007; Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003; van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2000). Because manufacturer and supplier interact under these uncertainties, both parties face changes over time, which require detailed contracts (Dekker, 2004). However, incomplete contract theory argues that there exist limitations in drawing up complete contracts, because all future contingencies can not be foreseen, are too expensive to foresee or are too expensive or impossible to contract upon (Gietzmann, 1996). Consequently, the combination of uncertainty and incomplete contracts leads to potential opportunistic behaviour of the supplier. According to TCE, more frequent interactions lower the possibility of opportunistic behaviour (Williamson, 1979). So, to preserve a positive relation between contingencies and relational risk, we could utilize infrequency as contingency variable (e. g. Anderson Dekker, 2005). Yet, as we study MSRs with no connection to commercial negotiations determining the contract term, we include the antecedent relational stability aim. This contingency relates to the manufacturer’s aim of continued future interactions with the supplier and serves to build bilateral commitment (Cooper Slagmulder, 2004). We argue that MSRs, in which relational stability is considered necessary and thus aspired by the manufacturer, are subject to higher relational risk. For example, if supplier switching costs are high due to high interdependence, high commitment from the manufacturer could incite the supplier to accept lower quality or delivery performance. Besides including a transaction environment characteristic and a transaction characteristic, we also incorporate a transaction party characteristic (Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003; van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2000). In particular, we include supplier knowledge importance, which encompasses the degree of importance for the manufacturer to know the supplier and to be able to assess characteristics, such as management competence, trustworthiness and willingness to share proprietary knowledge. Usually, this kind of assessment is done by means of first-hand or second-hand experience. Hence, we argue that when the 6 Obviously, suppliers do have specific assets in place, rendering them vulnerable to opportunistic behaviour from the part of the manufacturer. However, this study and the developed theoretical framework only focus on supplier opportunistic behaviour. 9 importance of supplier knowledge rises, the risk for insufficient or erroneous assessment and subsequent supplier opportunistic behaviour increases. 2. 3. Management control system Although MCSs have been conceptualised and categorised in various ways, the current management control literature has reached a consensus on two types of management controls, namely formal and informal control instruments (Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003). Obviously, studying the usage of informal controls compared to formal controls requires both control types to be included in the theoretical framework. Formal controls are explicitly set up to coordinate the MSR and include outcome controls and behaviour controls. Outcome control involves the measurement and evaluation of the outcomes of operations against pre-defined outcomes or targets, by using several performance measurement techniques (Ouchi, 1979; Dekker, 2004). The most important outcome metrics for MSRs are percentage of defects, quality of delivered goods and on time delivery of goods (Gunasekaran, Patel McGaughey, 2004). Behavioural control concerns the specification and actual surveillance of behaviour, by means of rules and standard procedures (Ouchi, 1979). Additionally, behaviour control includes evaluating compliance with pre-specified planning, procedures, rules and regulations (Dekker, 2004). Informal controls (also called social controls) are not explicitly designed, but are grown out of shared norms and values, shaped by frequent interaction, meetings and management attitude (Ouchi, 1979; Merchant, 1998). Especially trust building7 has emerged as a very important informal control instrument in inter-organizational MCSs (e. g.Dekker, 2004). While formal controls reduce the risk by altering the incentives for underperformance and opportunistic behaviour, trust mitigates risk by minimizing the fear of underperformance and opportunistic behaviour to occur (Das and Teng 2001). Therefore, we include three types of inter-organizational trust building, namely building contractual trust, competence trust and goodwill trust (Sako, 1992). 8 Contractual trust results from previous contractual relations or grows during the MSR 7 Rousseau, Sitkin, Burt Camerer (1998, p. 394). Define trust as â€Å"a psychological state comprising the intention to accept  vulnerability, based upon positive expectations of the intentions or behaviour of another†. According to them â€Å"trust is not a behaviour (cooperation), or a choice (e. g. taking a risk), but an underlying psychological condition that can cause or result from such actions† (Rousseau et al. , 1998, p. 395; italics added). As such, trust in itself can not be a control instrument in the MCS of MSRs. Instead, the control techniques are the actions the manufacturer performs to create and build trust in the supplier. 8 Contractual trust is based on the expectation that the supplier will keep promises and comply with agreements made, whether these10 (Sako, 1992). Competence trust is increased by previous good performance, i. e. good quality and delivery results. Moreover, competence trust results from buying activities from reputable suppliers or transferring competences to the supplier. Additionally, product and/or process certification and process standardisation enhance competence trust (Sako, 1992). To develop goodwill trust, Sako (1992) identifies shared values and norms as necessary, but insufficient, as transaction parties also need to show the willingness to be indebted to each other. Gulati (1995) stresses creating and growing an inter-organizational bond of friendship to trigger goodwill trust (Gulati, 1995). Other possible goodwill trust initiators are interactive goal setting, trustworthiness reputation and a long term relationship (Dekker, 2004). Next to these specific trust building mechanisms, the literature also proposes an important overall trust building technique, namely close interaction, based on mutual interests and established by means of joint decision making and joint problem solving via a joint relationship board and/or joint task groups (Das Teng, 2001; Dekker, 2004). 9 Besides trust building, MSRs can be governed by another type of informal control, which Ouchi (1979) refers to as clan control. Based on shared norms, values and a common inter-organizational goal, supplier behaviour in the interest of the MSR will be reinforced, because suppliers are motivated to achieve the goal (Das Teng, 2001). This incentive results from inter-organisational social pressure (Spekle, 2001) exerted by the manufacturer, which we believe is social control in its literal meaning. Because of high interdependence between manufacturer and supplier, below standard results of the supplier directly impact the manufacturer’s performance. Consequently, supplier management is unpleasantly confronted with manufacturer management and faces personal humiliation because of the error. Additionally, supplier management runs the risk of their reputation and personal relationship with interacting manufacturer management getting injured. Also Dyer Singh (1998) mention reputation and personal relations as social control mechanisms, besides norms and trust. By acting as negatively valued social sanctions (Bijlsma- are contractually stipulated or not. Competence trust concerns the expectation that the supplier possesses the necessary technical and managerial competences to deliver the order as agreed. Goodwill trust regards the expectation that the supplier shares an open commitment, with the willingness to perform activities beneficial to the MSR, but possibly neither in the supplier’s interest nor required by the contract (Sako, 1992). 9 Other potential overall trust building techniques in a MSR are communication via regular inter-organizational meetings (Chalos O’Connor, 2004; Das Teng, 2001), information sharing of problem areas (Chalos O’Connor, 2004), supplier development activities (Carr Ng, 1995), networking (Das Teng, 2001), training (Chalos O’Connor, 2004) and the extent to which the employees of both parties understand the factors ensuring the collaboration’s future success (Chalos O’Connor, 2004). 11 Frankema Costa, 2005), these social consequences create incentives for satisfactory supplier performance and render supplier opportunism hard to sustain (Spekle, 2001). If we assume operational snags to be day-today business in MSRs, this social pressure creates an informal means to mitigate risk in MSRs. 3. Research methodology 3. 1. Case study research The empirical part of this paper is based on an in depth case study, which is an investigation of a real life phenomenon, relying on multiple sources of evidence and benefiting from prior development of theoretical propositions (Yin, 1994). This research method suits our research that concerns refining existing interorganizational management control theory for the relatively under-explored manufacturing phase of the supply chain. 10 According to Keating (1995), such theory refinement needs a clear theoretical starting point, supplemented with openness to the discovery of unexpected findings. To balance these theory attachment and detachment requirements, we developed a theoretical framework to guide the data collection, but at the same time used data collection techniques allowing sufficient openness. Furthermore, several interorganizational management control case studies (e. g. Cooper Slagmulder, 2004; Dekker, 2004; Kamminga van der Meer-Kooistra, 2007; Nicholson et al. , 2006) strengthen the argument that cases allow investigating in detail the structure and influencing variables of IORs (Sartorius Kirsten, 2005). These studies show that theory refinement of MCS design can be adequately investigated by means of qualitative research. The social meaning of inter-organizational MCSs, especially regarding the use and interpretation of informal controls, and the subsequent behaviour of companies and employees is very complex. So if we only skim the surface, we will never discover how different parties interpret certain IORs and whether the MCS is designed accordingly. This argument not only justifies the choice for a case study, but also forms the reason 10 Our research corresponds to investigating a complex phenomenon within its real life context of which empirical evidence is rather limited, and answering how and why questions about this phenomenon, for which case study research is most suited (Eisenhardt, 1989; Yin, 1994). Furthermore, Keating (1995) argues that case studies suit three goals and that our theory refinement goal represents the middle ground between theory discovery (describing novel phenomena) and theory refutation (disconfirming well specified theories by bringing in negative evidence). More specifically, our case research is of the theory illustration type, documenting â€Å"previously unappreciated aspects of management accounting practice† and identifying â€Å"aspects of the illustrated theory that require reformulation or more rigorous specification† (Keating, 1995, p.71). Indeed, the goal of this study is to illustrate how manufacturers design supplier MCSs, to what extent this design differs from designs in other IORs and how the design can be explained by means of a specifically adapted theoretical framework. 12 why more of this research is requested (e. g. Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003; Dekker, 2004; van der MeerKooistra Vosselman, 2006). 3. 2. Unit of analysis In most inter-organizational studies, the unit of analysis is one dyadic relation between two independent parties (van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2006). Since there exist different dyadic MSRs within one manufacturer and we study MCS’s dependence on relationship contingencies, our unit of analysis consists of specific MSRs. Dyer Singh (1998) explicitly propose the â€Å"relational view†, focusing on the buyer-supplier dyad, as opposed to the â€Å"industry structure view† and â€Å"resource based view†, when analyzing cooperative strategy and sources of inter-organizational competitive advantage. In order to answer the proposed research questions concerning MSR MCS design, we analyzed all relations after the manufacturer had decided to outsource the manufacturing activities. In other words, we addressed neither the make-or-buy decision nor related commercial negotiations, but collected data from the start of production onwards. Furthermore, we only gathered data on standard MCSs for MSRs with good operational performance. 3. 3. Case company selection The selection of the case company and its suppliers was influenced by two selection concerns: theoretical sampling (Eisenhardt, 1989), and open and flexible access to.

Three Major Types Of Buying Situation Commerce Essay

Three Major Types Of Buying Situation Commerce Essay Consumer behaviour is the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to choose, expend, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy their needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society (Noel, 2009). Consumer behaviour mixes elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and economics and it also intends to understand the buyer decision making process, both in individual and in groups (Noel, 2009). There are various elements which can influence consumer behaviour, recent research implies that it may vary depending on the buying situation. This essay is going to define the main types of buying situations, outline the characteristics of them and explain factors which are likely to impact customer involvement in each situation. In general, there are three major types of buying situations (BE, 2005). †¢ The new task is a business buying situation in which the buyer purchases a product or service for the first time. †¢ The modified rebuy is defined as a business buying situation in which the buyer wants to modify product specifications, prices, terms, or suppliers. †¢ Straight rebuy is a buying situation in which the buyer routinely reorders something without any modifications. The three types of buying situations could be significantly different. Various factors may work in different situations. Every time when the buyer is to take a purchase decision, buying situation can be different, it may or may not be the same as the previous one. The differentiation between the two buying situations may be caused by the absence of any or all of the following factors (LME, 2006). †¢ Awareness about competing brands in a product group. †¢ Customer has a decision criterion. †¢ Customer is able to evaluate and decide on his choice. According to the factors above, the three major types of buying situation could be obviously different. The new task could also be defined as extensive problem solving  situation (LME, 2006). In this situation, the buyer has no past experience for products and he is totally new to buy the products which require some and extensive efforts for a buyer to decide about the product purchase. It may take customers longer time to make a decision because it could have a greater risk or cost and take more time in getting know of the new products. Modified rebuy could also be called as limited problem solving situation in which supplies a change and gives the customer with new experience and new preference (CM, 2005). It gives a chance to the customer to try something new. If the introduction of a new brand or a product shows many advantages to the customer, it could require a change in the customers decision criterion. For example, a housewife decides to buy a soap and she sees a new liquid toilet soap which promises to keep her skin soft and moisturized, the brand also promises to give vitamin E, which the manufacturer claims is required in temperate conditions. The liquid toilet soap brand is available in four fragrances .The pack can be refilled every time the soap gets fully consumed .Now this introduction is likely to change her decision and may be the choice criterion. If she spends some time in evaluating the liquid toilet soap against the normal bar soap and then decides to try it, we conclude that for her it was a li mited problem solving situation (CM, 2005). As can be seen, modified rebuy might often lead to a trial purchase. The customer may even decide to continue with her current product choice. Generally it has been admitted that brand extension strategy helps the customer to reduce the elements of newness in the purchase decision. Straight rebuy is also known as extensive problem solving situation  and it is characterized by the presence of all three criterion for differentiation (CM, 2005). In other words, customers are aware of his or her choices, they know what they are searching for, as his or her choice, what exactly his need is and which is based on personal experience of either self or others might be relatives, friends or the customers have heard about it that is known to be called as good messages. Generally, the customers spend little or no time choosing alternatives of the product and the substitutes of the product .Brand loyalty is relatively higher here. Moreover, this is a buying situation where a customer perceives a low risk in buying the product and/or the brand. For example, a housewife goes to the shop or a supermarket and spends much less time in choosing her toiletries, drinks like tea or coffee and other food products. For each time she goes to buy the things for family requirements and needs, she generally finishes up buying the same brand. As it is shown above, the three factors which make the differentiations between the buying situations appear different in each situation. Thus, there could be different factors which affect customer involvement in each situation. In general, there are four of them (Song, J.H. and Adams, C.R., 1993): †¢Capacity: What it does for a buyer; †¢Quality: How well or poorly it does the specified functions; †¢Price: The amount paid by the buyer; †¢Effort: The time and energy expended by the buyer. These four factors are most likely to affect customers to make the decision when they are doing a purchase, which could participate differently in the three buying situations. In the new task buying situation, because customer has no experience for the products, it may have more factors affecting the customer involvement. The customers could consider all the factors: capacity, quality, price and also brand, it could take the customers more time than other buying situations. It could be the buying situation which is most likely to affect customer involvement. The firms have to set all the factors right if they want to attract new customers or they want to develop a new product. In the modified rebuy situation, customers may contrast the previous products with the new ones. As the customers understand what they need and what the products can do, the factors like quality and price are important to affect the customer involvement. Sometimes, a good introduction of the capacity is important as well. In this situation, the brand loyalty could also act as an important factor of affecting the customer involvement. It also may take customers quite a long time befor e making a decision. In the straight rebuy situation, the customers know exactly what they need, they have already know the information about the products they want. Therefore, the most likely factors which could affect the customer involvement are the capacity and the quality. Once the firms have done well on the quality of their products and also make a good introduction of the capacity of products, it could make customers spending less time on making a decision. It may let customers feel easy to be involved in the consuming. In conclusion, there are three major types of buying situations, which are new task, modified rebuy and straight rebuy. Three factors make the buying situations be different from the others, customers may face different problems in these situations. Thus, there are four main factors which are likely to affect customer involvement. Each situation could also have different types of factors which effect the customer involvement. All of the above suggests that consumer behaviour do vary depending on the buying situation. More research could be done on what firms can do to improve the customer involvement while choosing their products.

Personal Narrative - Music and I Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

Music and I Ever since I was a small child, I have loved music. The strong, steady beats, the entrancing melodies, and the lyrics that vary between heart-warming and heart-wrenching have always had an unexplainable affect on my life. Music seems to have the ability to change certain aspects of my world. If I am in a foul mood, an angry girl band can make my rotten attitude even more irresistibly awful. When I am happy, any sort of upbeat, dance-to-me kind of music enhances my joy that much more. I love to study to classical music, daydream to classical music, even sleep to classical music. Through my teen years, I became a fan of the often melodramatic country music that is still preset on my radio today. No matter what kind of music it is, when I turn it on, my mood morphs easily into whatever kind of music I am listening to. Music has absolutely been an enormous part of my life and who I am. However, this is not to say that I have much musical talent. I did perform in the choir in elementary school, and I played the flute for four years through middle school, but one day I came to a simple decision. When it comes to music, I am a much better enjoyer of it than a producer of it. When I am alone in the car, my sing-along-to-whatever-is-on-the-radio voice is fab-u-lous. However, as soon as any else climbs into the car with me my talent suddenly dwindles. My larynx doesn’t seem to appreciate an audience when it is trying to perform. Thus, my musical enjoyment stems directly from listening. My love for music has existed for as long as I can remember. When I was a child, my mom and I had a special song that she would sing to me if I was sick, sad, or sometimes just as a treat before bed. To this day, â€Å"You are My S... ...an beings. Although each person has a distinctly unique taste of music, people still like to listen to it and enjoy it. My own personal experiences and attitudes to music have stemmed from my own life and relationships. My new husband and I just finished putting up our very first Christmas tree together. I was pleasantly amazed when he flipped on the radio to Christmas tunes and began singing along to them with me. These holiday songs are only another example to me of how powerful music is. As soon as we starting singing while we were putting up ornaments on the tree, our moods were lifted easily from the stress of looming finals and another Christmas working in retail. Although this is the first year I won’t be spending Christmas at home, I know that all I will have to do is listen to the old familiar notes of â€Å"Holy Jolly Christmas† to feel right at home.

Meaning of life †Human Essay

?According to Albert Camus â€Å"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life. † People can define happiness in various ways, for ones it means achieving their set goals while for others happiness means serving for society, and finally some people interpret happiness as finding the meaning of their life. People can spend their whole time only searching for the meaning of life, and they forget or ignore the life and real time that passes by. Unfortunately, you can search for the meaning of life and still not find it, or it can come to you with age. Significant events such as surviving the airplane or car crashes or losing the important people in one’s life, force humans to reconsider their values or beliefs, and can help to find the true meaning of life. Meaning of life is something that comes with the age, wisdom or experience. It is also hard to define what the meaning of life is, for it can be easily misinterpreted with the goals or values. I do not have my own meaning of life yet, for I am young, I have not so much experience in my life, and I cannot actually define what the meaning of life is. To begin with, I am not fully mature as a person because I am only twenty years old and my life has just started. Consequently, wanting to enjoy all the charms of my young life I try not to think about difficult topics such as meaning of life. I value my time that I have now, so I want to spend it learning and gaining an experience. The only thing I can figure out in this research on meaning of life, is that people value one thing – time. Having time we can find something or someone, develop ourselves and etc. Theoretically, we can do everything when we have time, but when we have time and do not have someone for whom we can spend it – our life becomes meaningless. Life becomes meaningful when we can spend time on objects and subjects that are important for us. As I am living with my parents, I do not even think about how to earn money, rise future generation and become independent person. I do not have to be a breadwinner at home, and I do not have to work yet. I do not have children, so I do not take the responsibility for treating my children right. However, it would be helpful to find out the meaning of life before I become a parent, for it would help me to raise my children right. My life is easier now, so I do not stop to think about the meaning of my life. Although I am dependent on my parents because they give me shelter, food and opportunity to get an education, I feel that being independent also would lead to thoughts about the meaning of life. Being a young adult give me the opportunity to gain an experience that could help me find the meaning of life. I am learning at the LCC university where professors from different countries tell their stories about their own life experience, and it seems that the person should have an experience in order to have a meaning of life. The experience of meeting different people, being introduced to different cultures, beliefs and values, and seeing the real adult life, all these experiences bring an insight about the meaning that the person can find in life. It is very difficult to find the right definition of meaning of life. When persons speak about creation of family or being a successful in work, it seems like goals and it is, but some people see it as the meaning. I can also assume that being happy and appreciative person has the real meaning in life, but is it the meaning of life? Maybe we should find the meaning that would lead us to feel happy and appreciative. I think that meaning of life does not even exist. There are only purposes. Love, family, friendship – are only purposes, and purpose is not the meaning. Why? Because they answer the question of approachability, we can reach it or not. Theoretically, if these things were meaningful, life would end when we reach all of them. Meaning is sort of general idea, which is accessible and equal to all. It cannot answer the question of feasibility. Actually, the meaning of life should by absolute verity. Overall, this is the topic that brings many thoughts to my mind. For now I can say that I do not have any specific meaning of my life so far. I am young, rebel, adventure seeking person, and the spirit that now lives in my soul gives me the opportunity to live and enjoy the fruits of my young adulthood years, and I rarely stop to think about the real meaning of life. I do not know whether it is right or wrong that I do not pay much attention for such topic. I believe that people become wiser with years, and that wisdom would bring the need to evaluate the life and to seek and find the meaning of it. I also cannot actually define what the meaning of life is, and I think that some people cannot find out it through their life. Overall, life is already meaningful as the person lives and breathes.

Situation Analysis Chain of Command Charismatic Leadership Team Characteristics

Situation Analysis Chain of Command Charismatic Leadership Team Characteristics Formulating strategy often commence with an assessment of the internal and external factors that will affect the organization's competitive situation. Situation Analysis typically includes a search for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that affect organization performance.Situation Analysis is important to all companies but is crucial to those considering globalization because of the diverse environments in which they operate.Customers, government reports, professional journals, suppliers, bankers, friends in other organizations, consultants, or association meetings may include external information about opportunities and threats.Many companies are hiring competitive intelligence professionals to scope out competitors.Surveys of employee attitudes and satisfaction are attained information that executives gather including internal strengths and weaknesses from various reports, budgets, financial ratios, and profit and loss statements. Managers spend 80% of their time gi ving and receiving information. Executives build an understanding of the company's internal strengths and weaknesses through face-to-face discussions and meetings with people at all hierarchical levels.Organization Keeps you moving-VinPositive internal characteristics that the organization can take advantage of, to achieve its strategic performance goals are its strengths.Internal characteristics that might inhibit or restrict the organization performance goals are its weaknesses.Characteristics for the external environment that have the potential to help the organization achieve or exceed its strategic goals are opportunitiesQuestion for understanding:Are threat characteristics of the external environment preventing some organizations for achieving it strategic goals?YesChap 6Increasing Participation in Decision MakingManagers make some decisions as individuals but decision makers are more often part if a group. Major decisions in the business world are rarely made entirely by an i ndividual. Effective decision-making often depends on whether managers involve the right people in the right ways in helping to solve problems. The Vroom-Jago model is an example of guidance for practicing mangers. Vroom-Jago model helps a manager gauge the appropriate amount of participation by subordinates...

Learning to Become an Ecologist - Secrets of Ecologists

Learning to Become an Ecologist - Secrets of Ecologists How To Become An Ecologist While the profession of ecologist is not very old, it already has a rich history, interesting peculiarities, and millions of advocates, eager to become ecologists as they grow up. The main object of the ecologist is finding and studying the relations between the living organisms, including human beings. It may seem as not really interesting task from the first glance, but it is much more gripping as it may seem. Unveiling the Secrets of Ecologist Ecologists Duty The actual work, performed by ecologists can be not really influential separately rescued animal, studied soil, organized striker against a harmful manufacture. Apparently, that is not as much important as rescuing people from fire or saving peoples lives in hospital. However, all these minor actions help us understand how the nature works and let people interact with much less harm and inconveniences for the environment. Some of the deeds simply slowly kill the planet and the ecologists duty is to stop it and cure the Earth as much as possible. One of the biggest influences here is evolution as it changes the natures behavior and ignoring it means enormous problems over the long term. Ecologists present us knowledge and devices to react properly as well as protect both us and nature. Ecologists Working Place If you ask whats an ecologist main task, you will hear that it is ecosystem study. Most of the ecologists work in the state organizations within particular resource agencies. Also, there is a special branch in this sphere natural resource managers. These are the people who deal with subsoil resources and their working places can also be some commercial building companies, not only state ones. Apart from that, it is not a surprise to meet an educated ecologist in the university who teaches students to save the world in a similar way. Ecologists Duties As the environmental problems are growing each year, peoples awareness about nowadays and incoming issues is also increasing. This means that ecologists work quite well to inform the society about possible outcomes of the life people lead now. Moreover, huge companies now also own their private ecologists (usually with different names, including resource manager, lobbyist, environmental consultant, etc.) to avoid possible obstacles on this level. Ecologists Job Description Despite the main objective of finding relations between members of the ecosystem, ecologists still have plenty job tasks that vary depending on the working place. Among the most common are: conduct researches on different related topics; conduct statistical analysis of the certain question; calculate influential factors of a sphere; express the final opinion in combined publications; establish beneficial relations between company and partners on the basis of the studies. These are only some of the objectives that an expert ecologist should be able to perform. Ecologists Study Requirements The study of ecology differs from the other branches of science. Despite theoretical notions, practical experience is also of great importance. Early working experience, including volunteering, may be beneficial and helpful for the future jobs.

4th Grade Lesson Plan for Expanded Notation

4th Grade Lesson Plan for Expanded Notation Students will create, read, and decompose large numbers. Class 4th Grade Duration One or two class periods, 45 minutes each Materials: paper or large note cards numbered 0 - 10 (enough for the whole class)chalkboard, whiteboard, or overhead projector Key Vocabulary place value, ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, expanded notation (or expanded form) Objectives Students will demonstrate their understanding of place value to create and read large numbers. Standards Met 4.NBT.2 Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Lesson Introduction Ask a few volunteer students to come to the board and write down the largest number that they can think of and read aloud. Many students will want to put endless numerals on the board, but being able to read the number aloud is a more difficult task! Step-by Step Procedure: Give each student a sheet of paper or large note card with a numeral between 0 - 10.Call two students up to the front of the class. Any two students will work as long as they are not both holding a 0 card.Have them show their numerals to the class. For example, one student is holding a 1 and the other is holding a 7. Ask the class, â€Å"What number do they make when they stand next to each other?† Depending on where they are standing, the new number is 17 or 71. Have students tell you what the numbers mean. For example, with 17, the 7 means 7 ones, and the 1 is really 10.Repeat this process with several other students until you are confident that at least half of the class has mastered the two-digit numbers.Move on to three digit numbers by inviting three students to come to the front of the class. Let’s say that their number is 429. As in the above examples, ask the following questions:What does the 9 mean?What does the 2 mean?What does the 4 mean?As students answer t hese questions, write the numbers down: 9 20 400 429. Tell them that this is called â€Å"expanded notation† or expanded form. The term â€Å"expanded† should make sense to many students because we are taking a number and expanding it into its parts. After doing a few examples at the front of the class, have the students begin writing the expanded notation down as you invite students up to the board. With enough examples on their paper, when it comes to more complex problems, they will be able to use their notes as a reference.Continue adding students to the front of the class until you are working on four-digit numbers, then five-digit, then six. As you move into the thousands, you may want to become the comma that separates thousands and the hundreds, or you can assign the comma to a student. (The student that is always wanting to participate is a good one to assign this to - the comma will be called upon often!) Homework/Assessment You can give your students a choice of assignments  - both are equally long and equally difficult, though in different ways: Have students write 987,654 in expanded notation OR the largest number that they are able to.Have them write 20,006 in expanded notation (Be sure to go over this one in class the next day.) Evaluation Write the following numbers on the board and have students write them in expanded notation:1,78630,551516

Personal Goals Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Goals - Personal Statement Example of work, I need to be able to understand people and their diseases and the best background to this information is having knowledge of their surroundings. This Master’s degree is my ticket to be able to interact more with people in the health care field and connect with them on a different level by first understanding where they come from, the pressures they face and in the end find effective short and long term solutions. The program will put me in a leadership position as well and especially with both theoretical and practical aspect by understanding health care administrations. The knowledge will give me the insight knowledge into the health care field from a leadership position. This information and knowledge I hope will put me in a position of connecting with not only the patients but the employees and my colleagues on a deeper level as I will be able to relate with them. All of this matters because it has always been my dream to be people’s person and in an administrative position for that matter but still hold the element of care and concern. I have always wanted to help people without any prejudice and the health field was the best opportunity. Having to fulfil this dream by gaining a Master’s degree where there are chances that I can be an administrator will be one of my greatest life’s achievements. I will be able to help the patients through good interaction, communication and motivation of the health care staff being an administrator. When the needs of the employees are taken care of, then they can in turn assist the patients and a large number of them without any worries or reservations (Martin, Charlesworth and Henderson, 2010). The Master’s programs will also enable me understand the existing health care policies and why they were formulated and to what extent they are helping or not helping the people and especially the target audience. I will not only be able to understand these policies but also be able to change them or at least be

Lululemon exploration of England Internal Analysis Case Study

Lululemon exploration of England Internal Analysis - Case Study Example VRIO Analysis VRIO framework is a tool for analyzing a business’s internal strength to cater a particular market. When a firm uses VRIO framework for its internal analysis, it evaluates all the resources and capabilities of a business, ignoring the strategic position of the business. The term VRIO is an acronym for: 1. V: Question of firm’s value 2. R: Question of firm’s rarity 3. I: Question of firm’s Imitability 4. O: Question of firm’s organization (Kazmi, 2012). VRIO Analysis of Lululemon Athletica Question of Lululemon’s Value Lululemon is multinational sports apparel brands incorporated in Canada, Australia and United States of America. The strength that the company has gained by operating in these three countries has added to the experience and skills required to compete at international level with sports specialty brands. Moreover, the work force that the company possesses also provides an opportunity to Lululemon to prosper in England’s premium sports market. The financial strength of the company at the moment also adds to the value of its capability to compete with other premium brands in England. Keeping in view the trends in the English premium sports apparel market, a number of opportunities are present to be exploited by Lululemon such as technological advancements, cultural fusion, strong economic outlook and opportunities for international marketing through international events in the country (Lululemon Athletica, 2012). ... Moreover, Lululemon also provides its customers on-sight physical exercise facility, running clubs and yoga sessions to familiarize the customers with the athletic environment and why it is necessary for them to have yoga and athletic sportswear of Lululemon. Moreover, Lululemon also creates rarity in the sense, that it offers its products in its own stores, thus establishing a vertical retail strategy that allows the company to have more control over its operations than others  (Lululemon Athletica, 2012). Question of Imitability of Lululemon’s Products and Strategies Lululemon is a premium brand offered at premium prices which makes it near to impossible for the competitors to imitate. Lululemon believes on community involvement in its business and thus allows others to imitate its products or technology used to manufacture products. This business practice is in alignment with Lululemon’s â€Å"doing-the-right-thing† initiative. The aim was to support comm unity members to take active part in achieving excellence in healthy habits. But the competitors find it difficult to imitate Lululemon’s products or strategies because it is very costly and requires great set of skills to produce a Lululemon’s product (Lululemon Athletica, 2012). Question of Lululemon’s Organization The way Lululemon has structured its organizational hierarchy facilitates smooth functioning of the business. The head-quarter is stationed in Canada where the product designing and concept manipulation is carried out. Moreover, the headquarters also handles the financial controlling function of the business. Whereas the business in Australia,

Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing - Research Paper Example Lenovo has manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, and Huiyang in China and at Pondicherry, India and a center at Whitsitt, North Carolina. It will not be out of place to note that Compaq and Hewlett Packard got merged in 2002. It was in 2004 that IBM sold off their PC business to a state Chinese company called Lenovo. The Compaq and IBM were two dominating brands in the market in the mid-1990s. Dell and HP emerged as two strong players in the PC market during late ‘90s while share of IBM went on reducing year after year. With that state of affairs and highly competitive market coupled with aggressive pricing strategies by many other manufacturers, IBM became a minority share holder in Lenovo. IBM held 18.4% share holding in Lenovo and Lenovo was granted rights to use IBM brand for 5 years as per the agreement; however, Lenovo got the product brand ‘ThinkPad’ from the IBM on a permanent basis. (IBM sells PC†¦2004) Lenovo is a state-owned compa ny having most of its operations in China barring a few installations in India and Mexico. India and Mexico operations are mostly for the local needs of that country. Before we embark upon the marketing plan for Lenovo, it would be worthwhile to do SWOT analysis. SWOT Analysis of Lenovo It will be appropriate to identify the Strengths, and Weaknesses of the company along with the opportunities that company can readily harness and issues that may pose threat to the company. Strengths: a. The company is well guided and supported by qualified and talented managerial pool of IBM. b. Lenovo PCs are endorsed by IBM brand ‘ThinkPad’ providing a confidence to the consumers in the market place. c. Manufacturing facilities being in China, the company enjoys not only the low cost of manufacturing but additional skilled manpower for its expansion project. d. Being a state-owned company, the company is well taken care of at the time of any change in local rules and regulations durin g normal and adverse market conditions. Weaknesses: a. The company may have trouble during natural disasters or calamities within the country to maintain normal production programs as most of its manufacturing facilities are in China. b. Being a state-owned company, decision making process may not be quick enough to thwart competition when it is need of an hour. Opportunities: a. The Personal computer market is at fast pace of growth; there is large untapped market locally and globally. Lenovo is well placed to take advantage of this burgeoning market. b. The new technologies are making deep inroads in the personal computer field, making it more user-friendly and thus expanding the market with new applications. Lenovo, being backed by IBM is positioned appropriately to exploit new developments in the field of hardware. c. IBM’s long known history of R&D in the field of mainframes, servers, and personal computers is likely to benefit Lenovo immensely in the coming days. The lo w-cost manufacturing facilities coupled with technological back up from technology giant forms a good synergy in the quality conscious and price sensitive markets. Threats: a. Lenovo is pitted against some of the well known brands of the companies such as Hewlett Packard, Dell, and Acer. Any mergers among them may certainly pose a big threat to Lenovo. b. Dell and HP are expanding their manufacturing operations in China. In the event of this, the cost advantage to Lenovo will get nullified in the future. Marketing Plan Product Strategy

Art World Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Art World Project - Research Paper Example he sculpture, see the way that these natural forces work through and with the sculpture for various effects and view the animated landscape around the sculpture to see how it interacts with the world around it. In addition, different types of sculpture work in different ways, all employing their own techniques to illicit a desired response in its viewing audience. The way that these parks come into existence and the effect they have on their audience is collectively referred to as an ‘art world.’ This is because the production of this work is dependent on a variety of factors. â€Å"The existence of art worlds, as well as the way their existence affects both the production and consumption of art works, suggests a sociological approach to the arts. It is not an approach that produces aesthetic judgments, although that is a task that many sociologists of art have set for themselves. It produces instead an understanding of the complexity of the cooperative networks through which art happens† (Becker, 2008: 1). Through its interaction with its natural settings, simplicity of design and the patience of the viewer, contemporary sculpture succeeds in conveying a message to cultures worldwide as is evidenced by the art world of a sculpture garden such as the â€Å"Real World† by Tom Otterness. When discussing current art practices, including many of the approaches recently taken to sculpture, it is important to include the main ideas associated with the â€Å"politics of representation.† This collective term makes a distinction between the content of an image and the form of the image, or the sublime versus the visual. This idea suggests that the content or the sublime cannot have its own form or visual nature, but that the form is indivisible from the content whether the creator intended this connection or not. The reason for this phenomenon being that art is not static, but rather interactive with its audience and the political and social ideas of the

Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Outsourcing - Essay Example This paper shall begin by defining outsourcing and then describing the different forms of outsourcing. Next it shall outline why organizations opt to outsource and how they select what to or not to outsource. The paper shall then dwell on the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing from two perspectives: from the point of view of a company and from the point of view of our country, the United States of America. 2.0. Definition of outsourcing Outsourcing has been defined differently by different authors. Overby (1) defines it as the farming out of services to a third party and Lee (323) as the process of turning over part or all of an organization’s functions to external service provider(s). Everett (1) defines outsourcing is a leveraged business model that allows flexible use of the most appropriate resources for a particular project whereas Strassman (51) views it from a completely different angle and defines outsourcing as the distribution of labor and knowledge through specialization. Nevertheless, all these authors concur that outsourcing is deployed for purpose of gaining economic, technological and strategic benefits. Often, people confuse outsourcing with offshoring, which should not be the case. Offshoring, as we shall see in the other sections of this paper is a subset of outsourcing. 3.0. Types of outsourcing There are several types of outsourcing depending on the classification system used. Knowing the classification system and type of outsourcing vendor aides the organization in devising rules of engagement, deliverables and service level agreements. 3.1. Think 180 outsourcing classification The first form of classification system that we... The paper throws light on outsourcing. Overby defines it as the farming out of services to a third party and Lee as the process of turning over part or all of an organization’s functions to external service provider(s). Everett defines outsourcing is a leveraged business model that allows flexible use of the most appropriate resources for a particular project whereas Strassman views it from a completely different angle and defines outsourcing as the distribution of labor and knowledge through specialization. Nevertheless, all these authors concur that outsourcing is deployed for purpose of gaining economic, technological and strategic benefits. Often, people confuse outsourcing with offshoring, which should not be the case. Offshoring, as we shall see in the other sections of this paper is a subset of outsourcing. There are several types of outsourcing depending on the classification system used. Knowing the classification system and type of outsourcing vendor aides the organi zation in devising rules of engagement, deliverables and service level agreements. The first form of classification system that we shall look at has been developed by a firm called Think180. The former looks at the level to which the outsourced function is integrated with company operations, and whether the vendor participates in the meetings and decisions of the business while the latter looks at the entity that receives the results of the outsourced function.

Genomics, Vaccines & Weaponization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Genomics, Vaccines & Weaponization - Essay Example The second step is to produce the recombinant proteins in E.coli bacteria, and this may range to about 350 proteins. These proteins are then purified and used in mice. The immune sera so obtained would be collected and would be assayed to determine their binding capacity with the proteins on the N. meningitides B bacteria to observe any kind of bactericidal activity in vitro. A few numbers of proteins can be taken that have a high titer in all the assays. Here the protein sequence variability was being studied in the isolates of N. mengitidis B bacteria and from these the final candidates would be 2 vaccines that met all the criteria should be selected and had no sequence variability. This can undergo phase 1 clinical trial (Fraser 23-33). Robert Stevens was dying from inhalation anthrax and was dying from the disease, in September 2001 following the 911 attacks. He had received a letter containing some strange powder and following coming in contact with this powder became ill. His b ody was taken to Northern Arizona University wherein biologist Paul Keim had invented a molecular biology technology of distinguishing one strain of anthrax from another. Keim had collected about 88 strains of anthrax and tried to compare them with each of these. He compared the DNA (genome) of the bacteria and located for various genetic markers specifically 8 in number, and found that it had matched one that was used by the US Army for its vaccine studies as it was a highly virulent bacterium and could be used in bioterrorism. This strain was known as the Ames Strain and was first isolated from a cow in Texas in 1981 and was sent to the USSAMRIID for research (US Department of Justice ). The bacteria had passed several hands of various laboratories. They later studied the difference between the Ames anthrax bacteria and the bacteria that killed Stevens. They compared 5 million chemical letters present in 5000 genes. After doing all these studies, they found that the genome of the bacteria that was present in Stevens’s body was the same as the Ames strain, and they could not identify specifically from which lab was the sample smuggled out and used by the terrorists. Mutations that the bacteria would undergo after being passed from one lab to another was being studied, but the scientist did not find any differences. Finally they found that the genome of morph D of the bacteria did contain a large portion that was missing and this was caused by an altered chemical letter in the DNA. They zeroed down to 8 out of the 1000 samples collected and this was traced to an army laboratory USAMRIID and the researcher involved was Bruce Ivins who had committed suicide after he was declared the prime suspect (PBS). Biological warfare is the use of biological agents or their toxins in order to destroy human, animal and plant life and would be an act of terrorism or war. These biological organisms are capable of reproducing on the hosts or are able to release toxic sub stances on the host, cause disease and finally kill or cause critical illnesses in the host. Some of the biological weapons may actually be lethal, whereas other may be non-lethal but may have a disastrous effect. Further, by using infectious agents, the effect is even more disastrous and disease rapidly spreads from one individual to another, and drugs and vaccines that are required may not be immediately available. Most of such biological warfare agents are transmitted on contact or through

Art World Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Art World Project - Research Paper Example he sculpture, see the way that these natural forces work through and with the sculpture for various effects and view the animated landscape around the sculpture to see how it interacts with the world around it. In addition, different types of sculpture work in different ways, all employing their own techniques to illicit a desired response in its viewing audience. The way that these parks come into existence and the effect they have on their audience is collectively referred to as an ‘art world.’ This is because the production of this work is dependent on a variety of factors. â€Å"The existence of art worlds, as well as the way their existence affects both the production and consumption of art works, suggests a sociological approach to the arts. It is not an approach that produces aesthetic judgments, although that is a task that many sociologists of art have set for themselves. It produces instead an understanding of the complexity of the cooperative networks through which art happens† (Becker, 2008: 1). Through its interaction with its natural settings, simplicity of design and the patience of the viewer, contemporary sculpture succeeds in conveying a message to cultures worldwide as is evidenced by the art world of a sculpture garden such as the â€Å"Real World† by Tom Otterness. When discussing current art practices, including many of the approaches recently taken to sculpture, it is important to include the main ideas associated with the â€Å"politics of representation.† This collective term makes a distinction between the content of an image and the form of the image, or the sublime versus the visual. This idea suggests that the content or the sublime cannot have its own form or visual nature, but that the form is indivisible from the content whether the creator intended this connection or not. The reason for this phenomenon being that art is not static, but rather interactive with its audience and the political and social ideas of the

Genomics, Vaccines & Weaponization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Genomics, Vaccines & Weaponization - Essay Example The second step is to produce the recombinant proteins in E.coli bacteria, and this may range to about 350 proteins. These proteins are then purified and used in mice. The immune sera so obtained would be collected and would be assayed to determine their binding capacity with the proteins on the N. meningitides B bacteria to observe any kind of bactericidal activity in vitro. A few numbers of proteins can be taken that have a high titer in all the assays. Here the protein sequence variability was being studied in the isolates of N. mengitidis B bacteria and from these the final candidates would be 2 vaccines that met all the criteria should be selected and had no sequence variability. This can undergo phase 1 clinical trial (Fraser 23-33). Robert Stevens was dying from inhalation anthrax and was dying from the disease, in September 2001 following the 911 attacks. He had received a letter containing some strange powder and following coming in contact with this powder became ill. His b ody was taken to Northern Arizona University wherein biologist Paul Keim had invented a molecular biology technology of distinguishing one strain of anthrax from another. Keim had collected about 88 strains of anthrax and tried to compare them with each of these. He compared the DNA (genome) of the bacteria and located for various genetic markers specifically 8 in number, and found that it had matched one that was used by the US Army for its vaccine studies as it was a highly virulent bacterium and could be used in bioterrorism. This strain was known as the Ames Strain and was first isolated from a cow in Texas in 1981 and was sent to the USSAMRIID for research (US Department of Justice ). The bacteria had passed several hands of various laboratories. They later studied the difference between the Ames anthrax bacteria and the bacteria that killed Stevens. They compared 5 million chemical letters present in 5000 genes. After doing all these studies, they found that the genome of the bacteria that was present in Stevens’s body was the same as the Ames strain, and they could not identify specifically from which lab was the sample smuggled out and used by the terrorists. Mutations that the bacteria would undergo after being passed from one lab to another was being studied, but the scientist did not find any differences. Finally they found that the genome of morph D of the bacteria did contain a large portion that was missing and this was caused by an altered chemical letter in the DNA. They zeroed down to 8 out of the 1000 samples collected and this was traced to an army laboratory USAMRIID and the researcher involved was Bruce Ivins who had committed suicide after he was declared the prime suspect (PBS). Biological warfare is the use of biological agents or their toxins in order to destroy human, animal and plant life and would be an act of terrorism or war. These biological organisms are capable of reproducing on the hosts or are able to release toxic sub stances on the host, cause disease and finally kill or cause critical illnesses in the host. Some of the biological weapons may actually be lethal, whereas other may be non-lethal but may have a disastrous effect. Further, by using infectious agents, the effect is even more disastrous and disease rapidly spreads from one individual to another, and drugs and vaccines that are required may not be immediately available. Most of such biological warfare agents are transmitted on contact or through

UC Essay Prompt Essay Example for Free

UC Essay Prompt Essay Prompt 1: Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. The school that I come from, Campolindo High School, is one of the best high schools in the state. We were often told to not be worried about getting what we believe to be bad grades in the harder classes that we take because getting a B or sometimes even a C is equivalent to get an A in most other high schools. We have been told throughout high school that a high standard is expected of us, like receiving high scores on standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, AP exams, the CAHSEE, and the Star tests. We are also expected to behave a certain way outside of school because it has a reputation to uphold and all of us are linked to that reputation. I think that high standard from Campolindo has transferred and been engrained in life outside of school. From this point on in my life, I will expect only the best of myself because anything less than that isn’t worth the time or the effort and it just looks bad to other people as well. I don’t have to succeed all the time in everything that I do, but I must always learn from what I fail at so the next time I attempt it, I will succeed. Campolindo High School has opened up endless possibilities for my future and I am very excited to experience them. Prompt 2: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are? Going to Hayward La Honda Music Camp is an experience that I will never forget. The camp feels like its cut off from the rest of the world, none of the problems from my life follow me to band camp. It’s a place where I forget all of my troubles for the week that I am there, a nice escape from reality. It’s also a place to meet fun and interesting new people. The campers who go there range from entering sixth grade to graduating high school. All the different levels of musicianship come together within several bands, orchestras, and even choir. Everyone always learns something about playing better because there is always someone who is better than them at La Honda. Band camp is the best place to hear strange stories as well as the best place to get stories to tell to friends at school, because everyone loves a story that starts out with â€Å"one time at band camp†. La Honda doesn’t just teach me how to play my oboe better; it teaches me how to grow as a person. I learn about teamwork and how to communicate with others with gestures and thoughts instead of words. I have also learned about disciplining myself, holding back impulses, thinking things through before I make a decision. All of these skills that I learn at band camp will not only help me when playing with a band or orchestra, but in all areas of my life. What I learn at band camp can’t be learned in my high school band. At high school, most of the people aren’t committed to making music, they take band because it’s an easy class to get a good grade in, their parents made them take it, it looks good for college, especially if they started in sixth or seventh grade, they can screw around with their friends during rehearsal, or they need at least one year of a performing arts class in order to graduate. At La Honda, everyone is there because they want to work together to create the most beautiful music that they can possible create. La Honda isn’t just about playing music though, it’s about making friendships and learning all kinds of skills that will last throughout your life.

Ethics of Animal Testing and the Fur Trade

Ethics of Animal Testing and the Fur Trade Animals cruelty also know as animals abuse or animals neglect is the deliberate infliction by humans of abuse or suffering to any non-human animals, regardless if the act is illegal. Animals cruelty can be the causing of abuse or suffering for a gain, such as killing animal for food or clothing. Cruelty to animals is also deliberating harm to animal for animal testing or being use for fur coats. Most people think animal cruelty is mainly people being unkind to animals.In fact there is many types of animals cruelty such as animals testing, factory farm and fur farms. Some organization such as PETA exist to tried to help prevent animals cruelty, the lack of knowing what animal cruelty is has allowed many forms of animals cruelty to continue to happen. Animal Testing The history of animals being use for medical experiment and testing of product have been going on for many centuries. Many people in the last centuries have join forces to stop animal testing. In the early twenty centuries an Arabic physician Avenzoar introduced testing animals as a method of testing medical procedure before performing on patients.(Abdel-Halim RE, 2005). W.M.S Russell and R.L Burchin in 1959 introduce the three Rs, which are the principles for ethical use of animal in testing. According to the article that Badyal D and Desai C wrote the three Rs are: Replacement which is to use non-animal methods whenever it is possible, Reduction which is having researcher to obtain comparable information from fewer animals and Refinement which is to minimize potential pain, suffering or distress for the animals that are being used.(2014) (Russell, W.M.S. Burch, R.L., 1959). When trying to obtain global figures of animal testing it is very difficult to do. In 2014 the US Department of Agriculture said the total number of animal that was used in the US was 834,453 which was much lower than it was in 2005, the number of animal that was used in the US didnt include rats and mice which make up about 90% of animal that are research on. According to Trull F.L, the number of rats and mice used in the US is estimated to be around 20 to 100 million a year.(1999). Some of the animals that are used in experiment are used for different reason such as cat being used for neurological research or dogs being used in biomedical research, testing and or education. Dogs are mostly used to determine if a new medicine is safe before it is out to the public. In the United States there is an estimate that about twenty billion animals are used every year for educational purposes including classroom observation exercises, dissections and/or animal surgeries.(Patronek G Rauch, 2007 January, 1). The most common use animals that are used in classroom dissections are mostly frogs, fetal pigs, perch, cats and many more. In many US states and school districts mandate that a student be offered a choice on rather they want to dissect animals in their classroom. Many of this animals that are being used to test different medical experiment are usually killed after the experiment is over or when they arent useful anymore. Factory Farming Intensive animal farming also know as factory farming is the practice of keeping livestock such as cows, chickens, and fish at a higher stock densities than it would usually be at a family farm. The main purpose for factory farming is to produce large quantities of eggs, milks, and meats for human consumption.(Nierenberg Danielle, 2005). Some animal activist groups such as PETA are wondering whether factory farming is sustainable and ethical. According to Danielle Nierenberg (2005), factory farms were designed to bring animals to market as quickly and cheaply as possible but yet they invite a host of environmental, animal welfare, and public health problems. When animals are in a crowded and unsanitary conditions its create a perfect environment for disease to spread quickly. Animal and fish that comes from factory farm contain a large amount of unnatural ingredients that include persistent organic pollutants, polychlorinated biphenyls and many more. Today the meat industries is control by a handful of multinational corporation,leaving many farmers to have lost the connection to their animal and have lost control over their farms. Today people are removed from where their foods are from and what is being put in them. When vitamins were discovered it lead to vitamin supplement which allowed animal to be raised inside and the discovery of antibiotics and vaccines enable raising stock in large quantities by reducing the disease that they could catch. (Gordon John Steele, 1996). When vitamin D was discovered in the twenty century, it made it possible to keep chicken quarantine year round because before vitamin D most chicken didnt thrive and egg production were difficult which made poultry expensive and could only get them when they are in season. According t o Havenstein, meat-type chickens currently grow to market weight in six to seven weeks, whereas only fifty years ago it took three times as long.(P.R. Ferket M.A. Qureshi, 2003a). This is mostly due to nutritional modifications and antibiotics to make grow to be mature faster and quicker so that they can be sent to the slaughterhouses without them losing any profit. Fur Trade Most of fur industrys skin come from animals that are kept in captive in fur factory farms. The farms can hold more than a thousands of animals and they we the farm the animals are the same around the globe. Like other animals farm, the methods that is used in the factory are designed to make money the quickest way in the expense of the animals. The animal that they used most in the fur farming are minks, foxes, chinchillas, lynxes and sometime hamsters.(Foulkes Nick, 2000 Oct 27). This animals that are forced to live in crowded small cage, live their life with fear, stress, disease, and other physical and psychological hardships all for the sake of the industry to make billions of dollars every year. Every year rabbits are slaughtered by the millions for their meat in fur in different part of the world. The fur of a rabbit once considered byproduct of the meat of the rabbit is now a industry to demands thousands of rabbit fur yearly.( Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association, 2007). An investigation that was done by PETA of rabbit fur farms and slaughterhouse in China found that rabbits are forced to live in small, cramped, and filthy cages before they are being skinned. Fur farmers pack animals into small cage to cut the costs of having them ram around in their natural habitats, which prevent them from taking no more the a few steps back and forth. This is especially distressing to minks who in their natural habitats occupy more than 2,500 acres of wetland in the wild.( Fur Commission USA, 2016 Jan 6). According to a Zoologist at Oxford University who studies captive mink, found that despite generations of being bred for fur, minks have not been domesticated and suffer greatly in captivity, especially if they dont have the opportunity to swim. Mason, G.J. et al (2001). Frustrations of fur-farmed minks. South Park, UK: Springer Nature. The globalization of the fur trade make it hard to know where the finish fur product come from. The fur are moved around international auction houses and are distributed to manufacturers around the world, and the final piece is usually exported to different places around the world. Animals cruelty can happen forms such passive and active. In passive abuse which is when animal are usually neglected and ignorance of the animals well being, while in an active abuse is when animals are being physical, killed and even tested on. Animal cruelty is not only people being unkind to animals but people treating animals as if they cannot feel the same types of pain like we humans can, when they are being tested on or when they are being skinned alive. Many organization are trying to get laws that would protect animals from this types of cruelty that the are faced with everyday of their lives until they are killed in the most inhumane way.

India Risk Analysis Essay -- essays research papers

Global investors, markets, and foreign governments are often held responsible by their citizens or shareholders to ensure the potential is measured against the risks when investing. In recent years the strength of India on the global market has continued to show signs of political and economical growth that makes regions in India attractive investments by various markets. India has taken steps to recognize these opportunities to gain Foreign Direct Investment by realigning government policy towards new business potential. Such potential is often marked by â€Å"it’s too good to be true† as global investors determine the risk through in depth analysis of regions around the world and much like team A has outlined for Kerala, India. Foreign Trade and Investment Investment in India has increased significantly since the 2001 Indian Government’s approval of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) reform. In mid-year meetings of 2001, the Government liberalized the restrictions on FDI into India in select industries. The infrastructure of the Indian Government is increasingly interested and actively pursuing FDI from countries such as the United States. India is currently offering automatic business approvals for new businesses that have an initial investment of 100% foreign capital in industries that are considered tourism based. (Indian Embassy, 2001) According to the 2001 guidelines issued under section 4 (iv.), Businesses that are considered to be â€Å"commercial premises, hotels, resorts, city and regional level urban infrastructure facilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which qualify for up to100% FDI. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to India amounting to US$4.06 billion were received during the financial year 2001-2002, with $2.46 billion (USD) received from the U.S. just in 2000-01 alone. This marked a 66% increase from the previous year. According to FDI Magazine, India was the number 3 recipient of FDI from January of 2002 to June of 2004. India had a total of 41 Foreign Direct Investment projects, beaten only by the United Kingdom with 53 and China with 54. FDI Magazine shares this observation: â€Å"Noticeable among the results for the second quarter is the rise of China to become the number one destination for foreign investment by number of projects. However, perhaps more significant is the increase in the number of projects heading for India, up over 77% year on year while the jobs creat... ...he World Wide Web at the University of Phoenix Library February 28, 2005:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://80-online.culturegrams.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/secure/world/world_country.php?contid=3&wmn=Asia&cid=75&cn=India No author. N.D. Retrieved from the World Wide Web February 28, 2005:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.country-studies.com/india/labor.html Singh, G. (2005, February 26). India has just 4% share of Asia media spend. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News [ProQuest]. Pg.1. University of Phoenix Online Collection. Available: http://proquest.umi.com: (2005, March 1). The Economist. Retrieved on February 27, 2005 from: http://www.economist.com/countries/India/profile.cfm?folder=Profile-Political%20Forces The Economy Watch website provides current economical and financial news for most foreign entities at http://www.economywatch.com/ The International Trade Reporter website provides trade laws and regulations for most foreign entities at http://www.bna.com/itr/index.html U.S. Department of State; Kerala-Republic of India; United States Department of State, Public Domain; Accessed 18Feb2005 at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/rls/dos/3797.htm India Risk Analysis Essay -- essays research papers Global investors, markets, and foreign governments are often held responsible by their citizens or shareholders to ensure the potential is measured against the risks when investing. In recent years the strength of India on the global market has continued to show signs of political and economical growth that makes regions in India attractive investments by various markets. India has taken steps to recognize these opportunities to gain Foreign Direct Investment by realigning government policy towards new business potential. Such potential is often marked by â€Å"it’s too good to be true† as global investors determine the risk through in depth analysis of regions around the world and much like team A has outlined for Kerala, India. Foreign Trade and Investment Investment in India has increased significantly since the 2001 Indian Government’s approval of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) reform. In mid-year meetings of 2001, the Government liberalized the restrictions on FDI into India in select industries. The infrastructure of the Indian Government is increasingly interested and actively pursuing FDI from countries such as the United States. India is currently offering automatic business approvals for new businesses that have an initial investment of 100% foreign capital in industries that are considered tourism based. (Indian Embassy, 2001) According to the 2001 guidelines issued under section 4 (iv.), Businesses that are considered to be â€Å"commercial premises, hotels, resorts, city and regional level urban infrastructure facilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which qualify for up to100% FDI. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to India amounting to US$4.06 billion were received during the financial year 2001-2002, with $2.46 billion (USD) received from the U.S. just in 2000-01 alone. This marked a 66% increase from the previous year. According to FDI Magazine, India was the number 3 recipient of FDI from January of 2002 to June of 2004. India had a total of 41 Foreign Direct Investment projects, beaten only by the United Kingdom with 53 and China with 54. FDI Magazine shares this observation: â€Å"Noticeable among the results for the second quarter is the rise of China to become the number one destination for foreign investment by number of projects. However, perhaps more significant is the increase in the number of projects heading for India, up over 77% year on year while the jobs creat... ...he World Wide Web at the University of Phoenix Library February 28, 2005:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://80-online.culturegrams.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/secure/world/world_country.php?contid=3&wmn=Asia&cid=75&cn=India No author. N.D. Retrieved from the World Wide Web February 28, 2005:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.country-studies.com/india/labor.html Singh, G. (2005, February 26). India has just 4% share of Asia media spend. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News [ProQuest]. Pg.1. University of Phoenix Online Collection. Available: http://proquest.umi.com: (2005, March 1). The Economist. Retrieved on February 27, 2005 from: http://www.economist.com/countries/India/profile.cfm?folder=Profile-Political%20Forces The Economy Watch website provides current economical and financial news for most foreign entities at http://www.economywatch.com/ The International Trade Reporter website provides trade laws and regulations for most foreign entities at http://www.bna.com/itr/index.html U.S. Department of State; Kerala-Republic of India; United States Department of State, Public Domain; Accessed 18Feb2005 at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/rls/dos/3797.htm