Develop and implement strategic plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Develop and implement strategic plan - Essay Example The company markets compact-sized (120 mm length, 250 mm height and 300 mm width), user friendly machines for very small businesses. As a general business practice, MacVille manufactures energy saving devices. Most of the machines in the company’s product line automatically switch off after 10 minutes of inactivity. The machines are priced between $200 and $700 depending on the size, technology and capacity of the machine. MacVille’s highest level of stewardship has enabled it to plan and manage its resources in an optimal manner and thus reward its shareholders with high profits. MacVille has always taken into consideration the interests of all stakeholders. Thus, in addition to the shareholders, MacVille takes care of its people, the environment and the communities in which it operates. The company recognizes the importance of a motivated team of employees and therefore runs its business through self-directed work teams. These teams have access to all the requisite information and are empowered to plan and control their operations. The company empowers these teams to take remedial measures and carry out their day-to-day activities independently. MacVille understands that its people are a source of competitive advantage. The company therefore nurtures and grooms its employees to become future leaders. These employees are not the ones who do merely as what they are told to do. Rather these people think for themselves and are adept to formulate the future direction for MacVille. The company follows a philosophy of praising the smallest of accomplishments which encourages its employees to take on more challenging tasks. The management of MacVille is committed to providing the highest standards of health and safety to its employees. The work areas at MacVille are designed to provide safe working conditions to its employees. Work safety helps workers

Business Across Borders Essay Example for Free

Business Across Borders Essay In the business world today, borders are blending and multi-national mergers are causing many company nationalities to become indistinct. As the globalization of markets rapidly increases, many companies are finding international expansion a necessity of competition. North America is greatly affected by this movement towards a global market, and many companies are finding it extremely important to adapt to other cultures. Favorable trade agreements and explosive growth of the middle class in countries once considered underdeveloped have both been important factors in the rush towards globalization. However, the most important factor in increased globalization has been technological advancements, including new transportation and information technologies. Presentation of information is more frequently processed by members of a virtual team a work group not necessarily in the same geographical location. With the proliferation of e-mail, videoconferencing, fax machine, and the telephone, virtual teaming is becoming increasingly efficient. The most considerable obstructions to successful international marketing involve misinterpretations and contrary views resulting from cultural differences. Being both aware of some of these issues and prepared to make the necessary accommodations can save companies time, effort, and a considerable amount of money. Exploring Context Context is described as the most important dimension of culture and yet is the most difficult to define. Context refers to the stimuli, environment, or ambiance surrounding an event. Communication styles and business practices as a whole are often identified with the context of a country. North American, Scandinavian, and German communicators are generally considered to be low-context cultures. They expect a high level of detail in their visua,l verbal and written communication. Low-context cultures tend to  be analytical, logical and find words and contracts very important. Individualism, freedom and personal achievement are highly valued by these cultures. High-context cultures, such as Japan, China, Arabia, tend to assume the receiver does not need much background. Information and words are not as important as what is surrounding the situation. They are more aware of a communicators status, interpersonal relationships, the setting, and ambiance when conducting business relations. In general, tradition and social customs are more important in high-context cultures. These cultures emphasize membership in organizations and groups. Because they avoid confrontation, they frown upon individual decision making and prefer consensus. Relationships In many countries personal relationships are the key to success. It is important to not expect to get down to business right away, but rather get to know a person first. In Mexico, for example, business deals are only made with friends, so one must develop a friendship with any business partner. It is considered polite to ask personal questions about family, and also to answer any questions about your family. Discussions are warm and friendly. In Japan it is unlikely to get very far without connections. Carefully chosen intermediaries are a necessity. Not only will the Japanese feel obliged to be loyal to them, but rank of ones associates will determine their status as well. A Japanese businessman will always consult within his group before making a decision. Because of their intense loyalty, ones identity is subsumed into the group. It is important to never single out a Japanese counterpart, even for praise or encouragement. Contrarily, the Spaniards have a hierarchy style of management and it is best to deal with el jefe or el pardon-the one who will be making the decision. Spaniards also will expect whomever they are dealing with to have decisions-making authority. Saving Face When dealing with Spain or most Asian cultures, it is also critical to understand the concept of saving face. Any loss of control of emotions or embarrassment is considered disastrous in business negotiations in these cultures. Honor and personal pride mean everything and they must not be insulted. Because of this attitude it is very important to carefully prepare presentations so that they are easy for the audience to understand. Paying close attention to determine if anything is misunderstood during the presentation is also a must. Because of this concept of saving face the presenter will not know if they are having difficulties. Close attention must be paid to conversations in order to discern the sincerity of what is being said. In Japan, a deal is never refused directly, and any dealings with Japanese business culture should remain indirect. Business Cards In nearly all countries, it is important that business cards be printed one side in English, and the other in their language. When presenting the card, it should be presented with their language facing the recipient. In Japan, the exchange of business cards is not to be taken lightly. When you receive the card of a Japanese businessman, be sure to make a show of examining it carefully and then making a remark about the card. Ask any questions about anything on the card which is difficult to pronounce or understand. The card should then be placed in a case or on a near by table. A card shouldnt be shoved into a pocket or be written on. Concepts of Time Time orientation is an important cultural difference that Americans must pay close attention to. In America, time is viewed as a precious commodity. Time is related with productivity, efficiency, and money. Many other countries have a much more relaxed perception of time. They take their time, and enjoy it. In Mexico you can ask if a scheduled appointment is en punto (the precise time), or mas o menos. Mas o menos appointments are often scheduled a half an hour to an hour before the actual time. With both  Mexican and Japanese cultures it is also important not to expect instant results. Plenty of time should be allowed for contemplation and decision making. In Mexico it is important to adjust any expectations regarding deadlines and efficiency. Conclusion Doing business over borders and through time zones has become commonplace in the twenty-first century. Technological advancements in communication and travel make it possible to do business across the globe almost instantaneously. Doing business with multiple cultures can be a challenging venture. International communication skills of an organization can determine success or failure. In order to interact with different cultures, it is necessary to understand the basic characteristics of the culture. This type of understanding helps to make adjustments and accommodations. We must rid our minds of pre-conceived notions, stereotypes, and prejudices. It is imperative that one be knowledgeable about such topics as: context, traditions, social rules, etc. It is equally important to possess competent listening skills and to be aware of ones own nonverbal messages. The ability to adapt to an intercultural perspective is probably one of the most crucial aspects of doing business in todays global village. Bibliography Sellin, Robert H. J and Elaine Winters. Cultural Issues in Business Communication. Berkeley: Program Facilitating and Consulting, 2000. Guffey, Mary Ellen. Business Communication: Process and Product, 4th ed. Mason, Ohio: South-Western, 2003 Etiquette and Local Customs. The Travelers Yellow Pages Online. http://www.infoservices.com/stpete/342.htm. InfoServices International, Inc., 2002 What to Know Before Negotiting Execitive Planet.com. http://www.executiveplanet.com/business-culture.html.

Documents Reflect History :: History

Documents Reflect History Written documents reflect what has happened. Actions that may have happened in history, give historical documents a reason to be. Although actions may not have occurred to cause documents to be written, they may have been just to prevent them from happening. The Declaration of Independence clearly states that the American colonists felt that having a political break with Great Britain would be needed. This was stated because the American colonists were getting tired of the high taxes and having their government ruled by a king living across an ocean. The Constitution of the United States became a document because the people who formatted the Constitution wanted to make a government strong enough to secure the rights of citizens and fight back with the country against its enemies. They wanted this because they wanted to be able to stand up against anyone or anything that came against the government. One of the purposes for the Constitution being written was to make laws and establish courts that are fair. This purpose was stated because if courts are not fair and laws are not just, then it will be as if we were still under the tyrannical rule of the King of England. The Martin Luther King Jr. â€Å"I Have A Dream† speech is a historical document. This document is known to be a new phase of the civil rights movement beginning in 1960, initiated by a new generation of African Americans and extremely supported by young liberal Caucasians. Many events occurred to give reasoning for this document to be written. Segregation took place and Martin Luther King Jr. stood up for what he believed in. He stated that the African Americans were not free and were not treated equal, as they should be. He specifically states, â€Å"There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.† This document was written because Martin Luther King Jr. felt the same as many other African Americans, hoping that someday all the racism will vanish and the racist will realize that everyone should get a chance at being treated equally. Of Civil Government by John Locke (1932-1704) became a document stating that we, the people, should take only what we deserve and to not depend on someone else to help you get what you want. Also, we being equal means that we should not hart or harm another in their life, health, liberty, or possessions.

Samsung Distribution Channel

Samsung marketing strategy in china Nowadays, China’s communication industry is developing rapidly, and China has become the biggest mobile phone market all over the world. There are many international renowned mobile phone manufactures and local producers in this market and these companies are competing fiercely in China’s mobile phone industry. It is known that, in 1999, when the domestic mobile phone brands entered the mobile phone market, few people had expected that the domestic mobile phone brands would survive in this market. However, with the passage of time, the local brands made great development and their total market share surpassed that of the international mobile phone giants including Nokia and Motorola. In 2001, the market share of domestic mobile phone was 15%; in 2002, the rate was more than 30%; and in 2003, the market share rose to more than 50%, which was a historical breakthrough for the domestic brands. However, since 2004, the condition of China-made mobile phones has become negative. As the competition in this market gets fiercer, foreign mobile phone manufactures are consistently developing new brands and improving their distribution channels, and the domestic brands have lost the once-owned channel advantages. Because of some problems of domestic mobile phone industry, the market share rate has dropped dramatically, and most of the domestic mobile phone companies have suffered great losses. What was worse, some domestic mobile phone enterprises such as PANDA, EASTCOM, and SHOUXIN were so badly defeated that they were out of the Chinese mobile phone market. In this market with fierce competition, Samsung–a Korean mobile phone brand has developed quickly in recent years and continuously won the first place in market share. As one of the world’s top three major mobile phone manufacturers and the Korea phone leader, Samsung mobile phone’s product concept is â€Å"fashion-leading technology†. Its brand development strategy is to create the best products in the world. Samsung has created many number ones, such as the world’s first mobile phone that has a rotating screen–SGH-V200, the world’s first MP3 phone, the world’s first TV phone, watch phone and the world’s first CDMA/GSM dual-mode mobile phone. Samsung mobile phone is taking the high-end product strategy, which is different from Nokia and Motorola. In the high-end electronics market, Samsung is always the first to launch a variety of superior products and it always makes high profits by virtue of time advantage. In China in the year 2008, Samsung introduced 20 models of mobile phones, of which the appearance, the function and the quality are designed with advanced concepts, innovative technologies and world-class standard. Samsung mobile phones are always popular in China and the other countries all over the world. The success of the Samsung mobile phone enterprise in China lies in its unique industry background and professional strengths, and the company also benefits from research and development and the marketing strategies which are compatible with the environment. Marketing strategy is the marketing logic whereby the company hopes to achieve its marketing objectives, which includes special strategies for target markets, positioning, the marketing mix and marketing expenditure levels. Once the overall competitive marketing strategy is set, the company is ready to begin planning the details of the Marketing Mix, one of the major concepts in modern marketing. The Marketing Mix consists of many variables that the company should do to increase its product demand. These variables are known as the 4Ps: product, price, promotion and place (distribution). The reasonable Marketing Mix could help the company to establish strong positioning in the target markets. Based on the understanding of the importance of 4Ps Marketing Mix and its impact on China’s mobile phone industry, this paper is divided into five chapters. Chapter one is the introduction. It briefly introduces the research background and its academic and practical implications. Chapter two is the thorough analysis of current domestic mobile phone market. After the introduction to China’s mobile phone development history, this chapter mainly analyzes the internal and external environment of China’s mobile phone industry by virtue of the SWOT Analysis Method. Though the analysis, it is known that domestic mobile phones have some advantages, such as the cost advantage, localization advantage and fast market reaction advantage. The weaknesses of the domestic mobile phones are that the core technologies are weak, mobile phone qualities are not guaranteed, there is serious product homogenization and most of the domestic mobile phone enterprises are on a small scale. It is certain that the local mobile phone industry has many opportunities for its development, which include the sound economic conditions, the support from the government, the coming of 3G era and the coming of phone replacement rush. However, domestic mobile phone companies do face some threats, such as the threats from copycat mobile phones and the international mobile phone’s fierce competition. Chapter three is the introduction to Samsung mobile phone and the analysis of its successful marketing strategies in China. In this chapter, it is known that Samsung’s successful marketing strategies could mainly be expressed by the variables in its Marketing Mix. In product, Samsung is always focusing on producing high quality products to build strong brand image and enhance the brand value, offering perfect after sale services to own good reputation, launching continuous product innovation to maintain brand image and brand vitality and supplying distinctive and fashionable designs to maintain brand differences. In price, Samsung has effectively assessed the value and the quality of its digital electronic products, the importance of the product’s unique, stylish design and knows that the consumers are willing to pay high price for such products, and therefore it adopted the skim pricing strategy. In channel strategies, Samsung has always insisted on national agents, and it has prudently selected the national agents to do its distribution. In terms of the promotion strategies, Samsung always focuses on unifying advertising agencies and launching a series of effective advertising campaigns. Two of its excellent promotion strategies are launching a variety of sports sponsorship, focusing on Olympic TOP Program and making use of entertainment activities to enhance fashion marketing, which proved to be qui te effective. Chapter four concluded some implications to the local mobile phone industry. It is suggested that, in terms of the product, the domestic manufactures should master and develop core technologies, enrich the product line and produce more high-end products. Besides, the mobi

Differential in Views on Movie Rating Classification

Ordinance to classify the public entertainment (i. e. movies, shows) provided the audience with the convenient way to judge the degree of exposure of questionable material, like sexually explicit topics or nudity. The government officials in appropriate departments initiated the type of rating for such entertainment without surveying for general public opinion. Thus, it is a logical deduction that there would be some differential toward the rating classification present between the established norms and the common attitude.This paper will investigate the general public opinion through surveying a large sample with the consecutive data analysis. The data will be collected using the specially designed questionnaire questions in which the content will specifically target the participants’ attitude toward the target. The participants will be divided into four groups: 1) Married adults with children, 2) Single adults without children, 3) Teenagers, 4) Children.The participants will be elected through the randomization methodology to avoid any bias. There will be total of 1200 participants divided equally into four aforementioned groups. Our Null Hypothesis will be as follows: No: There is a differentiation in attitude toward the media rating classification between the established ordinance and the public opinion. Our Alternative Hypothesis will be: H1: The differentiation in attitude is insignificant The variables will be: age, family status, degree of attitude.(Attitude can be measured using one to five scale). To increase validity, we propose the implementation of the questionnaire twice: one in the beginning of one-month interval and another at the end of it. This is an optional feature that would preclude questions about participant moods during the time when they will answer questions and the external factors that might influence their answers. The statistics will be calculated with the computer-based software programs, like SPSS.Also, we will examine da ta against any correlations, like possible high correlation between the adults with children’s attitudes and that of the government officials. Additionally, we must consider necessary project costs, as in follows. Our expenses will be absorbed by photocopying, traveling, and analysis expenses, all totaling to $ 4,800 (four thousand eight hundred USD). The project is deemed to take a bit over six weeks time and will be conducted from June 1 through July 19th.