Strategic Analysis and Choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Strategic Analysis and Choice - Essay Example In 1994, BMW acquired Mini. (Seidel, 2004) It was in 1998 when BMW decided to acquire Rolls-Royce Motor for  £340 million. Volkswagen outbid the said amount at the price of  £430 million. However, since BMW was a supplier of engines and other components to Rolls-Royce, BMW was given the right to carry the name of Rolls-Royce name and logo. (Think Quest, 2006) As a sign of BMW competency and success as a luxury car manufacturer, BMW’s most recent financial report revealed that the company has reached a total gross profit of â‚ ¬5,422 million as of 2005. (BMW Group, 2005) Established back in 1989, Lexus was launched by Toyota Motor Corporation with the purpose of creating a world-class luxury car brand. (Edmunds.com, 2007) Since then, the company has been known for its innovative engineering and meticulous quality. For many years, the company is very much focused in developing new models and other related technological innovations. Despite the fact the Lexus has only been in the global automobile industry less than 20 years, Lexus has been considered as one of the big winners of the European car market back in 2006. (Edmondson, 2007) The company was able to increase its sales by up to 72% in 2006 with 36,662 car units within 15 European Union countries. (Edmondson, 2006) Back in 2005, Lexus together with Toyota was able to sell a total of 964,208 units as compared to BMW’s 632,396 sold units throughout Europe. (Edmondson, 2006) To give us a better insight regarding the main purpose of Michael Porter’s competitive advantage model, the researcher will discuss about the arguments of different authors concerning the accuracy and the main use of this model. For the purpose of this study, the researcher will determine each of the company’s strength aside from using Porter’s model as part of analyzing its corresponding competitive advantages.

Toxicology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Toxicology - Essay Example This paper declares that pleasure can be described as a â€Å"state or feeling of happiness and satisfaction resulting from an experience that one enjoys.†. Pleasure can serve to promote addiction. The process is a complex neurobiological one, which relies on the reward circuitry or limbic activity. These processes involve dopaminergic signalling. Endorphins and endogenous morphinergic mechanisms may also play a role. Addictive drugs are able to act directly on the reward pathways. Reward pathways are linked to the brain’s limbic system. The euphoria induced by drugs enhances the activity of the brain’s pleasure and reward systems. This discussion stresses that various species show differences in the rate of development of tolerance and physical dependence. Even in the same animal, tolerance develops to drugs at different rates, which rules out the possibility of an alteration in drug absorption, metabolism, excretion, etc., as a basis for the tolerance. Although tolerance develops to many of the effects of the opiates, miosis appears to be resistant to tolerance development. The pupil may be always sensitive to opiates because of the existence of different types of opiate receptors whereas the drug receptors on the cells of different tissues become less sensitive to the drug at different rates. â€Å"The most important point is that tolerance and dependence develop to different effects of drugs at different rates†.

Pros and Cons of Embedded Journalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pros and Cons of Embedded Journalism - Essay Example Before acceptance to join the military, reporters sign contracts that give a standard or guidelines of when and what they can report on. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of embedded journalism. Pros First, embedded journalism improves the relationship between the government and the armed forces media. After journalists embedment they become part of the military troop that travels around with them recording their activity in accordance to the agreement. Reporters depend on the military for food, shelter, and protection from the enemy. The regular contacts between the two build trust and reduce the common suspicion that normally exists between the two parties. Both informal and formal settings that develop during the embedment period can result in great transparency because the government and the armed forces will find it easy to pass information freely. Secondly, embedment of journalists allows them to travel with the military watching their every move. They are l ike watchdogs that make the military responsible of their every activity. According to Komarow as quoted in college of journalism and mass communication, US media helped in making sure that the US armed forces were held accountable for bombing an Afghan wedding party. This is after the initial investigators went to the scene together with the journalists for investigations and they unearthed a hidden agenda that in bombing, US armed forces wanted to erase evidence. Pressure from the media caused them to take responsibility (Berens, 2004, p.1). Thirdly, since the embedded journalists can access the battle scenes, they get more information and faster than those removed from the battle zones. Hannah and Baylor concur with this and argue, â€Å"Reporters travelled by aircrafts to and from the battle zones and were free to observe the combat operations† (Hannah, 2007, p.8). With the modern technology then this accessible information can be passed on instantly to other destinations . Fourthly, embedded journalists receive information from different perspectives. Their physical presence allows them to talk to the soldiers, commanders, and talk to the people around the battle filed. Multiple sources of information make interesting stories. Cons Embedding of journalists has so many disadvantages. First, the contract that journalist’s sign with the military hinder them in their reporting. According to Lehrer, â€Å"Before joining their  battalions, the embedded journalists had to sign a contract restricting when and what they can report† (Lehrer, 2012, P.1). Embedding is the driving force behind coverage and embedded journalists can only describe military actions in general terms and they are restricted from reporting on future missions.  Those who opt to stay outside the embedment are not left free since the government to comply at times harasses them. According to Rajan, â€Å"the distinction between patriotism and fair reporting becomes fuzzy in such circumstances† (Rajan, 2005, p.13). Secondly, embedded journalists work hand in hand with the soldiers and depend on them for protection, food and other social amenities. This closeness may hinder proper scrutiny and reporting of foul actions. Fortner and Fackler argues that, â€Å"

Toxicology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Toxicology - Essay Example This paper declares that pleasure can be described as a â€Å"state or feeling of happiness and satisfaction resulting from an experience that one enjoys.†. Pleasure can serve to promote addiction. The process is a complex neurobiological one, which relies on the reward circuitry or limbic activity. These processes involve dopaminergic signalling. Endorphins and endogenous morphinergic mechanisms may also play a role. Addictive drugs are able to act directly on the reward pathways. Reward pathways are linked to the brain’s limbic system. The euphoria induced by drugs enhances the activity of the brain’s pleasure and reward systems. This discussion stresses that various species show differences in the rate of development of tolerance and physical dependence. Even in the same animal, tolerance develops to drugs at different rates, which rules out the possibility of an alteration in drug absorption, metabolism, excretion, etc., as a basis for the tolerance. Although tolerance develops to many of the effects of the opiates, miosis appears to be resistant to tolerance development. The pupil may be always sensitive to opiates because of the existence of different types of opiate receptors whereas the drug receptors on the cells of different tissues become less sensitive to the drug at different rates. â€Å"The most important point is that tolerance and dependence develop to different effects of drugs at different rates†.

Combining Nurse Leader with Advocacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Combining Nurse Leader with Advocacy - Essay Example Essentially, in keeping true to my beliefs and values, I aim to ensure that I am clear about the challenges that I can engage in, and the ones that are beyond my capabilities. Regardless of whether I take up a challenge or not, my aim is to make sure that I leave patients and colleagues in better conditions than I found them. Reflecting on my professional accountability, my aim is to always ensure that I carry out the duties that are allocated to me and ensure that I do not interfere with the duties of other medical professionals. Ideally, there are activities that a dialysis nurse is not allowed to engage in, depending on the institution, and I plan to adhere to the rules set by my seniors. Being a dialysis nurse, career planning for me involves deciding whether I would prefer to be administering dialysis in hospitals or in the homes of patients. Most of the times, nurses are not offered the option to choose between the two settings but if I could, I would prefer to be administering the dialysis in the homes of patients. This is because I am a very emphatic person and I like to identify with the personal lives of my patients. Being in their homes administering dialysis will give me the chance to build a good rapport with them and offer them support in the management of their condition. However, I am not very good at organizing things and may leave the patients’ room a bit messy, but that is something I am working on to improve my behavior. In my belief, being disciplined is all about ensuring that I do the things that I know I am supposed to do and not choosing to do only the things that favor me. My journey towards becoming a dialysis nurse will involve a lot of discipline, especially in terms of patience. Learning how to operate the dialysis machine will require a lot of patience so as to ensure that I do not endanger the lives of my patients. In the pre-service and

Australian Corporations Law Essay Example for Free

Australian Corporations Law Essay There are two company classifications, proprietary and public. Most Australian companies are proprietary limited companies because this classification and type suits the needs of most businesses. (i) Reasons to Choose a Proprietary Company A proprietary company by comparison to a public company has simpler and therefore lower cost reporting obligations, is limited to 50 non employee shareholders’, ‘and between 1 to 50 members’ , a public company can have more. A proprietary company requires a minimum of one director a public company requires a minimum of three directors. The director or directors of proprietary company must ordinarily reside in Australia and be 18 years of age or older. A public company can be listed on the stock exchange and raise funds directly from the public by offering shares or debentures for sale’ a proprietary company cannot, however a proprietary company can offer shares to existing shareholders or employees. (b) Company Types There are two types of proprietary companies, companies limited by shares and companies unlimited with share capital. (i) Reason to Choose a Company Limited by Shares In the event that a company limited by shares does not have sufficient assets to meet its debts, each member is only liable for the amount, if any, that remains unpaid on their shares , ‘[L]imited liability means that members of a company are not personally liable for the full extent of their company’s debts. ’ This limitation of personal liability is the great advantage of this type of company. (ii) Reason Not to Choose a Company Unlimited with Share Capital An ‘unlimited company means a company whose members have no limit placed on their liability’ for their company’s debts. Unlimited companies are rarely used. Company Names A company name is optional; the company’s ACN can be used instead. The name ‘Sai Kung’ has been chosen and so an application for reservation of the name, form 410, must be lodged with ASIC prior to the application to register the company. See attachment 1. ‘A limited proprietary company must have the words â€Å"Proprietary Limited† [or Pty Ltd] at the end of its name. ’ B Application for Registration 1 Application Form To register the company, ASIC form 201 must be completed and lodged with ASIC. See attachment 2. 2 Additional Information Required for Registration In addition to the classification, type and proposed name of the company the following information must be provided: †¢Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthe name and address of each person who consents to become a member’ †¢ ‘the present given and family name, all former given and family names and the date and place of birth of each person who consents in writing to become a director †¢Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthe present given and family name, all former given and family names and the date and place of birth of each person who consents in writing to become a company secretary;’ A proprietary company is not required to have a secretary †¢Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthe address of the company’s registered office;’ †¢Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthe address of the company’s proposed principal place of business (if it is not the address of the proposed registered office);’ †¢Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthe number of shares each member agrees in writing to take up;’ The price of each share, whether the share wi ll be fully paid on registration, if not fully paid, the amount that will be unpaid on each share and whether or not the shares each member agrees to take up will be beneficially owned by the member on registration of the company. 3 Consents and Agreements Consents and agreements of nominated directors, secretary and members must be obtained prior to the application for registration being accepted by ASIC. 4 Rules for Internal Management of a Company Regarding the rules for the internal management of a company, a company can either use the ‘replaceable rules’ as stated in the Corporation Act, or form a constitution, the company’s own rules, or a combination of replaceable rules and the constitution. C Registration by ASIC Registration is at ASIC’s discretion. 1 Issue of Certificate of Registration Sai Kung Pty Ltd will not exist, will not become incorporated, until ASIC registers the company and issues a certificate of registration. 2 Corporate Key ‘Within two days of registration, ASIC will also issue a corporate key to the company’s registered office address. ’ This is an eight digit number used to lodge forms with ASIC, access company records and receive annual statements online. This number should be kept confidential. D Alternative: A Shelf Company If you do not wish to go through the process of registration alternatively you could purchase a shelf company, this is a company that has already been registered and is therefore available for immediate use. A shelf company can be renamed with the name of your choosing. The Facts 5 January Toto acting as a promoter, entered into a contract on behalf of Sai Kung (‘SK’), a yet to be registered company. The contract was with Television Broadcasts Limited (‘TVB’), to pay TVB for their professional and technical assistance in producing a television seafood cooking show. 12 January SK was registered by ASIC, the company did not adopt a constitution, did choose to have a common seal and Flora and Toto were both appointed as directors. SK did not appoint a company secretary. TVB commenced providing SK with professional and technical assistance to produce the television show. 2 February The contract with TVB was ratified by SK on 2 February. 20 February As at 20 February the shows production has not commenced and TVB has not been paid for its assistance. B The Law Applied to the Facts When Toto, on behalf of SK, entered into the contract with TVB, he acted as a promoter, ‘anyone who exerts themselves on behalf of a not-existent company’ . Toto the promoter was liable to pay TVB for their services in the event that SK did not register or SK did register but did not ratify the contract. On 2 February SK, a registered company since 12 January, ratified the contract with TVB. SK is now liable and bound by the contract made on its behalf on 5 January. However, in the event that SK does not pay TVB part or all of what is owed, Toto, as the promoter, remains liable. If Toto had obtained a release from TVB he would no longer be liable or ‘[a]n alternative way in which a company [SK] can become primarily liable is where the company [SK] and the other party [TVB] substitute a new contract in place of the pre-registration contract (otherwise known as â€Å"novation†). This discharges any liability of the promoter [Toto] in relation to the pre-registration contract. An effective novation requires the consent of both the company [SK] and the third party [TVB]. ’ C The Objective of the Section 133 of the Corporations Act ‘At common law, if a pre-registration contract was not performed neither the company nor the promoter were liable. The innocent other party was left with an unenforceable contract’, an example is the case Black v Smallwood . A promoter ‘was only bound if they intended to be bound’ as in the case Kelner v Baxter where ‘[t]he court examined the written contract and imputed and intention by [the promoter] Baxter to bind himself personally. ’ Section 133 of the Corporations Act states that Part 2B. replaces any rights or liabilities anyone would otherwise have on the pre-registration contract’ , ending the ‘uncertainty arising out of the laws of agency and contract. ’ ‘The issue of where liability lay for not fulfilling obligations incurred under pre-registratio n contracts is now governed entirely by the Corporations Act and its overriding aim is to ensure that the innocent other party [in this case TVB] is not left without legal remedy.

The Marketing Strategies Of Dell Inc Commerce Essay

The Marketing Strategies Of Dell Inc Commerce Essay Competitive advantage and market superiority tends to be among the top of the list of priorities of any business or commercial entity nowadays. Dell as a company has often been viewed as having a singular strategy, manufacturing build and selling products that are cheaper and more efficient than its competitors. In 1984, with only $1,000 in startup capital, Michael Dell established Dell as the first company in its industry to sell custom-built computers directly to end users, bypassing the dominant system of using resellers to sell mass produced computers. The following will explain how Dell utilizes the direct business model which increase the speed to market, superior customer service and dedication, and how Dell applies the latest technology more efficiently than the leading competitors. Since a young age Michael Dell has been intrigued and fascinated in the idea of eliminating unnecessary steps. So it was not surprising when he established a company where there marketing strategy was based on eliminating the middleman. We sell computers directly to our consumers, deals directly with our suppliers, and communicate directly with our people, all without the unnecessary and inefficient presence of intermediaries. We call this the direct model, and it has taken us, to use a common phrase at Dell Computer Corporation, direct to the top (Dell, xvii). The direct business model eliminates retailers that add unnecessary time and cost, that could diminish Dells understanding of customer expectations. The direct model allows Dell to build every system in order to provide customers more powerful, better configured systems at competitive prices. Dells direct business model is based on direct selling, eliminating the use of resellers and channels of retail. Dell was able to build brand loyalty amongst its consumers over a period of time through building direct relationships with them, constantly speaking to customers, and analyzing their preferences when purchasing a product. Through building these direct relationships which is a key component of the direct business method, Dell was able to understand and analyze the specific preferences of their consumers to satisfy their needs and wants. Expanding on the theme, Michael Dell expresses the emphasis of using the direct method thru direct relationship marketing: With an average of approximately 1,400 telephone calls received daily, Dell gets real-time input from its customers regarding their product and service requirement, their views on various products in the market, and their response to Company advertising. This input gives the Company a competitive advantage in tailoring its product offerings and communication programs to meet its customers needs. Direct relationship marketing also eliminates the 25% to 45% dealer mark-up, thereby enabling the Company to price its products aggressively. In addition, the Companys marketing strategy allows it to sell its products through Company employees who are trained specifically to sell Dell product.(Dell, 31) The efficiency of the direct business model by of direct marketing relationships benefited Dell tremendously. Rather than doing guesswork on what they thought customers wanted; they were able to find out exactly what customers desired and preferred. So not only was Dell able to manufacture the products that customers wanted, but they were also able to develop them at high quality. Our ability to produce a line of high performance products compatible with accepted IBM standards.( In fact, many of our products had performance features that were superior to IBM systems, and were frequently top-ranked by publication such as PC Magazine and PC World.) (Dell. 31) Dell has been able to excel ahead of its competitors through the use of the direct model. One key strength that gave Dell a competitive advantage according to Michael Dell was, Michael Dells focus on concrete issues like cutting operation costs, improving delivery time, and maintaining customer service is the underlying force that has driven the company. Michael Dells establishment of the direct model, as well as his exploitation of the benefits of the Internet, has contributed vitally to the companys successes in both the US and overseas markets. (Richard San Juan, Gaebler Ventures) In 1998, Dell became the number two manufacturers and marketer of personal computers in the world. Michael Dell was able to take his company that he started with the little money he earned in college, and turn it into one of the most profitable companys today. Dell grew five times faster than the industry rate. Stocks rose more than two hundred percent, which is the largest share gain in the SP 500 and NASDAQ 100. In the chart below, statistics shows that Dell has been able to thrive within the PC market, having the second largest market shares behind Hewlett-Packard in 2009. Although this chart is from the first quartile of 2009, in 2010 Dells market shares increased by 12.6 percent. Dells market share in U.S. and Worldwide (in Q1 2009) compared to other top PC makers.( Dells Direct Model to Success Dells Business Plan, San Juan) Dell has been able to excel ahead of its competition within their industry. They were able to do this because companies continued to guess what products their customers actually wanted, Dell was already aware of their customers wants and needs for their products. Dell had the upper hand on its competitors because other companys were manufacturing product based on the assumptions. Companies such as HP, Acer, Toshiba, Gateway, and Apple were losing a lot of capital. This is from their lack of knowledge of the consumers. Although many analyst may have criticized Dells marketing strategy as one that is very simple and basic, it has been proven to be very efficient. Dell continues to maintain market leadership and profitable growth, and continues to reach out to new markets. Although later on in the text we will get into how Dell marketing strategies were incorporated thru the Internet, information and communication technologies and the Internet are greatly used in its direct business model. In the figure below of The Delta Model Map, the three major categories of Dells core competencies are shown. These three major categories are system lock in, best products, and total customer solution. The strengths and capabilities of Dells company can be seen on the map. The Delta Model maps identifies three major categories of an organizations core competencies.( Dells e-Marketing Strategies to Enhance Competitiveness, Chen) System Lock-In is the ability for a company like Dell to lock-in customers. Having customers that are brand loyal and continuously purchase products from that company such as Dell is to be lock-in. Dell having websites, and phone numbers for customers to assist them with any issues they may have increases the trust and loyalty customers have for the company. Best Product- is products or services that are perceived by customers to be more efficient in the areas of quality, feature, functionality, sales services, and cost leadership. Dell provides customer with high quality prices at low cost because they take part in direct sales. Total Customer Solution- The ability of an organization to offer and deliver integrated solutions to meet customer needs and satisfaction. Solutions comprises of products or services, products coupled with services, and customer integration and engagement business processes.( Dells Direct Model to Success Dells Business Plan, San Juan) Dell also introduces the latest relevant technology much more quickly than companies with slow moving, indirect distribution channels, and turning over inventory every three days on average. Dell success is due in part to that they always had the willingness to look at things differently. In the industry that they are in that is important, and to stay motivated. This is important because when Dell first began using the Internet and expanding their business, many people said that it would not work. These were the same people who had doubted the direct business model and said it would fail. When Dell first began using the Internet to expand their business they had three objectives: to make it easier to do business with Dell, to reduce the cost of doing business with Dell, and to enhance our customer relationship.(Dell, 101) By using the Internet to help quicken the speed of information flowing between companies, made it possible to obtain precision and speed to market for products and services in very positive way. Internet marketing or e-marketing strategies can be defined as the design of marketing strategies that capitalizes on the organizations electronic or information technology capabilities to reach specified objectives. (Strauss et al, 2006, pg. 41). With the use of communication and technology, Dell has been able obtain customers information and history and store it in a warehouse. This information can be retrieved and accessed anytime for reporting issues. This data system warehouse serves as the safe of Dells marketing knowledge management system. So this is where Dell employee go to when analyzing customers behaviors and trends. Understand the behavior of the customers is a very critical part in Dells marketing strategy. So thru having this data systems warehouse and the use of the direct business model, Dell is able to deliver the best experience to customers, whether its online or in stores. The deliverables of the customer experience objective are: Best value proposition,; highest quality and most relevant technologies; customized systems; superior tailored service and support Products and services that are easy to buy (online 247) and use. (Dells Direct Model to Success Dells Business Plan, San Juan) Dell divides their customers into two major groups, relationship and transactional. These two groups are very essential in the success of Dells products. Relationship customers are customers who buy repeatedly and in larger quantities or value, while Transactional customers are customers who buy less frequently and in smaller quantities or value. Both Relationship and Transactional customers are further sub-segmented. (Dell Marketing Strategies, Cage)