Monday, September 30, 2019

Motivational Approach

Motivation is the willingness to exert high levels of effort toward organizational goals, conditioned by the effort's ability to satisfy some individual needs (Robbins, 168). For some business analysts, employee motivation is a good way to increase productivity in an organization. When people get motivated, they will have a reason to put more efforts on what they are doing. Motivation is a crucial management tool in lifting the organization's work force's ability. There are many different ways to motivate employees. Employers can motivate their workers as individuals, groups, teams, or the organization as a whole. Motivation takes forms like offering rewards, improving working conditions, or employee recognition. However, which approach should employers try? Team-based reward systems have been raised as an issue in work management areas. Many people prefer team-based reward systems to an individual approach. San Diego Business Journal, issued on Oct. 6, 1997, published an article titled â€Å"Team-Based Productivity Incentive System.† This article summarized the ideas that supported the team-based approach. The author, Bob Harrington, opposed the individual reward system. As he stated, individual reward systems create unnecessary competition and reduce cooperation between employees. It also reduces creativity because employees will only do what is necessary to get rewarded. Moreover, Harrington said team-based incentives influence individuals to work well together and cooperate with one another. No longer are employees and management measured purely against financial information. Instead, outstanding performance is based on a combination of items that measure the strategic objectives of the corporation. This paper will see if the team-based incentive systems are the best approach for business environments as Harrington discussed. Medical insurance and educational opportunities, among others are all common benefits in compensation programs for many manufacturers. Many people argued that these benefits attract and retain employees, but have little to do with work performance. Some also believe that if these benefits are spread out among workers in general, these kinds of work incentives will not guarantee good performance. Well Pay vs. Sick Pay is an example of how an incentive program reinforces wrong behavior and reduces productivity. Manufacturers with incentive systems that reward employees for achievements and growth can increase their competitiveness and profitability in today's global market. Yes, it is true that organizations need to have incentive systems to satisfy their work force. Team-based incentive systems such as gain sharing, profit sharing, etc., become increasingly popular in work environments. People now are required to work as a team, and altogether help each other to achieve an objective. Your work is my work, and your responsibility is mine. People will become more cohesive as working in a group or a team. Team-based incentives offer several advantages. However, I do not totally agree with Harrington that individual incentive systems do not have any good influence over workers' performance. Some people are extremely successful when they work on their own. People, who are raised in an individualistic culture, might not benefit from working in a group. So, individual incentive systems do play an important role in increasing a work force's productivity as long as the employers know how to use this reinforcement system properly. If organizations set a standard to measure individual achievement and reward that individual on what he (she) perform, then, the individual incentive system might work as well as the team-based one. Moreover, managers need to realize that team-based incentive systems might cause Social Loafing effect in the work force – the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually (Robbins, 260). Motivations are necessary in a working environment to increase the productivity of the work force. Reward systems must create a win-win situation for employees and employers. Team-based incentive systems might work very well and are a preferred process for many organizations in today's work market; however, managers should adopt individual incentive systems in many cases, when employees are more skillful, efficient, and effective as working individually. The major purpose of the incentive system is to motivate and organize employees.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Project on Cement Essay

Any accomplishment requires the effort of many people and this work is no different. I especially thank Mr. R.K.Gupta; Director of Cii & CITMS, whose support and patience was instrumental in accomplishing this project. I would like to thank our Faculty Guide Miss.Pubali Koley whose diligent effort made this project possible. My grateful acknowledgement to all the staff member of Ultra tech Cement limited for their support and cooperation. At last again I want to extent my thanks to all the teachers of Cii & CITMS – Durgapur for giving support and confidence for doing this project. [pic] This ambitious project at ULTRATECH CEMENT under the project title â€Å"ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY† has been carried out under the able guidance of company & institutional experts. The vision or the objective of this project was to identify the Advertising needs. As the growth is a continuous process, so it is also very much important to find out the corners or the areas where the scope for the development is present. The effectiveness of the Advertising was also under the scan during this period where it is observed that the effective Advertising can effectively maximize sales volume & revenue. This Advertising process is also effective to manage the planned sales strategy. The Advertising process at WEST BENGAL CEMENT WORKS is judiciously planned &Divided into four parts. This practical project helped a lot to get the knowledge from all the avenues of the Marketing Management &it is also perceived that it will help the company time to time in its growth process. Introduction T he function of Advertising is to close the gap between the desire performance and the actual job performance. The need for quality Advertising program is on the increase due to the fact that the highly competitive business environment is throwing up new and complex challenges, literally every day. New and complex services are coming into existence, thereby pushing up the need for high- quality Advertising program. Due to the slowdown in the economy, many jobs are coming into existence, many jobs cuts are taking place leading to a situation where works must retain themselves to stay employed in the same organization or to complete in the market place. [pic] †¢ To identify importance of Advertising in the organization. †¢ To identify the specific Advertising area. †¢ To identify the effectiveness of different types of advertising. †¢ To identify the best methods and techniques for advertising. †¢ The development of Advertising and sales promotion schemes to meet desired goals of organization. ââ€"   Increase in sales volume ââ€"   Maximize profit ââ€"   Developed sales promotion schemes [pic] ↠ Because of busy schedule of the employees the interview was quite tough after a quite of waiting time. ↠ Most of the executives were too busy, thus to obtain the desired & accurate data there was a need to take the prior appointment from them. ↠ 50% of the sample size were not giving the correct feedback (due to varied hidden reason), thus there will be variance in the outcome of the study. ↠ Most of the employees were not confident about the proper management (misuse) of the information provided by them. ↠ They were also often reluctant in identifying the needed information. [pic] TITLE: â€Å"Advertising & promotional strategy† at West Bengal Cement† Works.† Research methodology is the method through which the project has been done. This includes various sources of collecting data. TARGET GROUP: The target group for the survey was Managers, Officers, Supervisors and of â€Å"ULTRA TECH CEMENT LIMITED† and press releases. SAMPLE SIZE: Out of 38 employees, 35 were taken as a sample for the survey QUESTIONNAIRE The company is having small number of staff. So, the questionnaire was made mainly for Managers, Officers and Supervisors. Some specific questions have been prepared relating to the topic and have been analyzed in such a way that it can fulfill the objective of the project. FORMAL INTERVIEW: Formal interview has been taken during the non peak office hour. [pic] [pic] UltraTech [pic] OUR VISION TO BE PREMIUM GLOBAL CONGLOMERATE WITH A CLEAR FOCUS ON EACH BUSINESS OUR MISSION TO DELIVER SUPERIOR VALUE TO OUR CUSTOMER SHAREHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES AND SOCIETY AT LARGE OUR VALUES INTEGRITY, COMMITEMENT, PASSION SEAMLESSNESS AND SPEED UltraTech [pic] West Bengal Cement Works OUR RESOLUTIONS – 2009 †¢ ‘ZERO’ BREAK DOWN †¢ GOOD HOUSE KEEPING †¢ TRUST AND SUPPORT R.B.SINGH Sr.dy.general manager COMPANY PROFILE Company Name:UltraTech Cement Limited (An Aditya Birla group of company) Industry : Cement manufacturing Type of Company: Public Limited Company Unit Name& Address:West Bengal Cement Works Near EPIP, MUCHIPARA, G.T. ROAD Post-Rajbandh Durgapur-713212 District- Burdwan West Bengal Registered Office : UltraTech Cement Limited B- Wing, Ahura centre, 2nd floor Mahakali Caves Road Andheri (east), Mumbai-400093 Board of Executives †¢ Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman †¢ Mrs. Rajashree Birla †¢ Mr. R. C. Bhargava †¢ Mr. G. M. Dave †¢ Mr. N. J. Jhaveri †¢ Mr. S. B. Mathur †¢ Mr. V. T. Moorthy †¢ Mr. O. P. Puranmalka †¢ Mr. S. Rajgopal †¢ Mr. D. D. Rathi †¢ Mr. S. Misra, Managing Director Board of Directors Executive President& Chief Financial Officer Mr. K. C. Birla Chief Manufacturing Officer R.K. Shah Chief Marketing Officer Mr. O. P. Puranmalka Company Secretary Mr. S. K. Chatterjee AT THE HELM ULTRATECH The Aditya Birla Management Corporation Private Limited is the Group’s apex decision making body and provides strategic direction to Group companies. Its Board of Directors comprises: †¢ Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman †¢ Mr. S. Aga †¢ Mr. D. Bhattacharya †¢ Mr. S. K. Jain †¢ Dr. S. Misra †¢ Mr. S. Misra †¢ Dr. B. K. Singh †¢ Mr. K. K. Maheshwari †¢ Mr. Vikram Rao †¢ Mr. Ajay Srinivasan MILESTONES [pic] 2009 †¢ Grasim’s pulp and fibre division has won the highly prestigious Asian CSR Award. The Asian CSR Awards, Asia’s Premier CSR Awards program, is a project of the Asian Institute of Management, Manila. †¢ The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Government of Thailand will be conferred â€Å"The Best Labor Relations and Welfare Award, 2009† on Indo Thai Synthetic Company Limited. †¢ Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund has been named â€Å"The Asset Management Company of the Year, India†, by the Hong Kong based magazine, â€Å"The Asset†, in the country awards category of their â€Å"Triple an Investment Performance Awards 2009†. †¢ CNBC TV18 Crisil recognized Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund as â€Å"The Mutual Fund House of the Year† in 2008 and 2009 (for 2007 and 2008), creating history as the only fund house to have won this recognition in two consecutive years. †¢ The Birla Sun Life Equity-Linked FMP won the â€Å"Best Local Currency Structured Product-India† at – Triple an Investment Performance Awards 2009. †¢ The Best â€Å"Onshore Fund House – India Award† by Asian Investor, a Hong Kong based magazine at – Asian Investor Investment Performance Awards 2009†. †¢ Rajiv Gandhi Award for Eminence in Social Field, 2009 was conferred on Mrs. Rajashree Birla by Mr. Jyotiraditya Scandia (Union Minister of State, Commerce & Industry) on 19 August 2009. The award recognizes Mrs. Birla’s path breaking work among the poor, more so in India’s villages, carried out through the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development. †¢ Idea Cellular wins the Economic Times’ â€Å"Emerging Company of the Year Award for 2009†. MILESTONES [pic] 2008 †¢ The President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Patil conferred the much coveted Rotary International Polio Eradication Champion Award on Mrs. Rajashree Birla in an elegant function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Delhi), attended by the Chairman, select Rotarians and WHO officials. †¢ The Aditya Birla Group was honored with the India Today Group’s Readers Digest Gold award in recognition of the work that truly exemplifies the highest values of society as well as those of Reader’s Digest. The award was received by Mrs. Rajashree Birla, Chairperson, and Aditya Birla Center for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, at the Pegasus Corporate Social Responsibility Awards 2007 function. MILESTONES [pic] 2007 †¢ Hindalco in a joint venture with Alex USA Inc. Tran Works Information Services announces success of bid to acquire Minacs Worldwide. †¢ Grasim Industries Limited, India; Thai Rayon Public Company Limited, Thailand and P.T. Indo Bharat Rayon, Indonesia form a JV with Hubei Jingo Wei Chemical Fibre Company, China, for VSF. †¢ Hindalco awarded the Genentech Safety Silver Award for its outstanding safety performance during 2005-06 †¢ Hindalco awarded the CII – Sorabji Green Business Centre â€Å"National Award for Excellence in Water Management 2007†. [pic] 2006 †¢ Indian Rayon re-christened as Aditya Birla Novo. †¢ Aditya Birla Group to set up a world-class aluminum project in Orissa. †¢ The Aditya Birla Group signs a framework agreement to acquire St Anne Nackawic Pulp Mill, Canada. †¢ Board reconstituted with Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla taking over as Chairman. †¢ Completion of the implementation process to demerge the cement business of L&T and completion of open offer by Grasim, with the latter acquiring controlling stake in the newly formed company UltraTech. †¢ Grasim, Nada, received the FICCI Annual Award 2003-2004 in recognition of corporate initiative in rural development. MILESTONES [pic] 2005 †¢ Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Group, is selected as Business India’s Businessman of the Year – 2003. †¢ Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla is selected as The Economic Times’ Business Leader of the year. †¢ The Group is ranked 16th in India’s first ever survey of ‘Great places to work in’, published in Business World magazine. The Group’s joint venture concern, Birla Sun Life Insurance, is ranked 9th in the same study. †¢ The Group is ranked 20th in a study on the ‘Best Employers in India’, conducted by Hewitt Associates and Business Today. †¢ Hindalco receives the Asian CSR Award for its â€Å"Rural Poverty Alleviation Program†. LOCATION OF W.B.C.W IN WEST BENGAL [pic] Organizational environment West Bengal Cement Works has rail & road connectivity to meet inward & outward logistics requirements. The private railway siding is connected to main line of eastern railway at Durgapur, which is 8.72 KM from plant. The cement is packed in bags with the help of three packers operating round the clock. The packed cement is dispatched to various destinations by road & rail. Organization Culture ⠝â€" Purpose: To produce the cement as per marketing requirement with minimum cost. ⠝â€" Objective: Zero breakdown, Good Housekeeping, building trust & support. ⠝â€" West Bengal Cement Works is having following facilities: âž ¢ Clinker unloading by wagon tippler (cap. 15 trips per hour) âž ¢ Fly ash bowers unloading system âž ¢ Cement mill with 1.0 million ton per annum capacity âž ¢ Cement dispatch facility by road & rail âž ¢ Clinker, Gypsum & fly ash receipt by rail & road respectively Land Details: o Factory:61.67 Acres o 16 flat residential complex:10202.4 Esq. o Assisted siding:2830 M. o Private assisted siding:2210 M. WHY DURGAPUR? West Bengal Cement Works (WBCW) is the 10th cement manufacturing unit of Ultra Tech Cement Limited, Which is located at Durgapur. ⠝â€" RAW MATERIALS Clinker : Hirmi Cement Works Fly Ash : Bakreswar Thermal Power Station Durgapur Project Limited (DPL) Gypsum : Hindi Liver Chemicals, Haldia Slag : Durgapur Steel Plant (DPL) Bokaro Steel Plant POWER : GPL, DVC TRANSPORT : North Eastern Railway, National Highway-2 WATER : River Damodar MARKET : Local Growth of City development LAND : 62.92 acres of good land for Construction. CAPITAL : Huge number of Bank for getting easy Cash MANPOWER : Available amount of skilled and Unskilled Labors from local area DEMOCRACY : Good demographic structure is found Here CEMENT PROCESS GYPSUM from Yard Gypsum hopper Electronic weigh feeder SLAG from Yard Slag hopper FLUASH from Bin Supplied SCHENK For accurate quantity CLINKER from Silo Slag hopper to Mill SEPAX SEPARATION CEMENT PACKING PLANT PRODUCT MIXESPacking in 50 kg bag with electronic packer loading in truck or rack PORTLAND POZZALANA CEMENT CLINKER : 70-74% FLYASH : 20-25% FLYASH : 3-4% PORTLAND SLAG CEMENT CLINKER : 50-54% SLAG : 40-42% GYPSUM : 3-5% Plant Layout [pic] A Partial View of West Bengal Cement Works [pic] [pic] ON [pic] [pic] ââ€" ¡ Advertising is the dissemination of information by non personal means through paid media, where the source is clearly identified as the sponsoring organization. Advertising is one of the important components of the promotion mix. It is a powerful communication medium and a vital marketing tool. FEATURES: ââ€" ¡ Advertising is one of the methods of promotion mix. ââ€" ¡ It is a paid mass communication, not aiming at a specific individual. ââ€" ¡ It is salesmanship in writing or printed salesmanship. ââ€" ¡ It is undertaken to influence the buying behavior of the customers. ââ€" ¡ The communication media are diverse such as print (newspapers and magazines), broadcast (radio and television), and direct (mail, billboards and motion pictures). `NATURE OF ADVERTISING ↠ Element of Marketing Mix ↠ Promotion Mix ↠ Mass Communication ↠ Massages ↠ Price of Advertising ↠ Sponsor ↠ Persuasive ↠ Element of Control ↠ Identifiable ↠ Target Group SCOPE OF ADVERTISING ↠ Effectiveness of Massages ↠ Appropriate Media ↠ Merchandise ↠ Advertising Functions ↠ Responsibility of Advertiser ↠ Fulfillment of Objectives ↠ Generates Various Activities ↠ Advertising as an Art & Science PRIMARY FUNCTIONS OF ADVERTISING: âž ¢ To increase sales âž ¢ Persuading dealers to stock âž ¢ Assisting dealers to stock âž ¢ Increase in per capita use âž ¢ Recognition for quality âž ¢ Protecting manufacturers’ interest âž ¢ To eliminate seasonal fluctuations âž ¢ Creation of demand SECONDARY FUNCTIONS OF ADVERTISING: âž ¢ Oral support to salesman âž ¢ To furnish correct information âž ¢ Ensures product improvement âž ¢ Sense of security âž ¢ Appointment of efficient employees †¢ The scope of Advertising includes these activities such as selection of media, communication with customers, and maintenance of brand loyalty and so on. Advertising Objectives: ââ€" ª Simulating Demand : âÅ"“ The current user of a product may be persuaded to increase the existing rate of product consumption. This may be reminding them about the product, its brand and the possible advantages of the product. âÅ"“ The second way of stimulating demand for the product is to attract new user into the market by telling them the qualities of the product and possible uses so that they may change their brand. âÅ"“ The third way of stimulating demand is to tell the current users about new users of the product so that customers may use the company’s product for several other purposes. ââ€" ª Increasing profits âÅ"“ Advertising does increase sale of the product. âÅ"“ Advertising will reduce various ‘marketing costs’ Specific objectives of Advertising: âÅ"“ It introduces new product to potential customers. âÅ"“ âÅ"“ It promotes the brand by repeat purchase leading to brand loyalty. âÅ"“ It increases the timing and number of uses. âÅ"“ It builds the product and company image. âÅ"“ It sets the trend by changing perception and behavior. âÅ"“ It aids sales promotion campaign. âÅ"“ It shoots up the sale and increases the market share. âÅ"“ It answers the competitive attacks. Reminder advertising: †¢ Reminding them where to buy it. †¢ Maintaining its top of mind awareness. ââ€" ª Information Advertising : âÅ"“ Informing the market about a new product âÅ"“ Suggesting new uses for a product. âÅ"“ Informing the market of a price change. âÅ"“ Explaining how the products work. âÅ"“ Describing the available services. âÅ"“ Correcting the false information’s. âÅ"“ Reducing consumers fears. âÅ"“ Building up a company’s image. ââ€" ª Persuasive advertising : âÅ"“ Building brand preference. âÅ"“ Encouraging switching to your brand. âÅ"“ Persuading customer to purchase now. âÅ"“ Persuading customer to receive a sales call. Advertising Goals: âÅ"“ To increases sales âÅ"“ To establish brand equity, and âÅ"“ To enter the target market. Behavioral goals: âÅ"“ Advertising goals aim at changing the attitude and behavior of the target audience towards a brand. âÅ"“ Advertising goals in behavioral terms is analysis of the communication and decision process that will affect the desired buyer behavior. âÅ"“ Advertising could be aimed at any of these or a communication of these intervening variables. Communication Related goals: âÅ"“ Advertising is directed at a group of users of product called the target audience. âÅ"“ Attract attention âÅ"“ Secure interest. âÅ"“ Build desire for the product and finally âÅ"“ Obtain action. Approaches for setting Advertising Objectives: ââ€" ª AIDAS model âÅ"“ ‘A’ refers to Attention âÅ"“ ‘I’ refers to Interest âÅ"“ ‘D’ refers to Desire âÅ"“ ‘A’ refers to action; and âÅ"“ ‘S’ refers to Satisfaction ADVERTISING COPY ELEMENTS âž ¢ Headlines âž ¢ Subheading âž ¢ Body copy âž ¢ Captions âž ¢ Blurb or balloon âž ¢ Boxes and panels âž ¢ Slogan, Logo, Signature GUIDELINES FOR COPY WRITING âž ¢ Cash in on your personal experience âž ¢ Write from the heart âž ¢ Learn from the experience of others âž ¢ Study the product âž ¢ Study competitors’ advertisement âž ¢ Study testimonials from customers âž ¢ Solve the prospect’s problem âž ¢ Put your subconscious mind to work âž ¢ â€Å"Ring the changes† on a successful idea COLOUR ↠ Colors are often used to attract attention and to enhance memory value. ADVERTISING LAYOUT PROCESS [pic][pic] VARIOUS ADVERTISING MEDIA ââ€" ¡ PRINT MEDIA: âž ¢ Newspapers âž ¢ Magazines âž ¢ Journals ââ€" ¡ OUTDOOR MEDIA: âž ¢ Advertising Boards âž ¢ Vehicle advertising âž ¢ Electric displays âž ¢ Sky writing âž ¢ Sandwich men ââ€" ¡ DIRECT MAIL: âž ¢ Leaflets âž ¢ Sales letters âž ¢ Folders âž ¢ Booklets âž ¢ Catalogues âž ¢ Brouchers ââ€" ª BROADCASTING MEDIA: âž ¢ Radio âž ¢ T.V âž ¢ Film âž ¢ Web based advertising [pic] AN — OVERVIEW S ales promotion includes all those activities other than advertising, personal selling, public relation and publicity, that are intended to stimulate customer demand and improve the marketing performance of sellers. Need of sales promotion: ââ€" ª To secure attention towards new products. ââ€" ª To improve the market share of a company. ââ€" ª To avoid duplication of goods. ââ€" ª To create awareness among consumers about new brands. ââ€" ª To face competition in the market. ââ€" ª To create talking points for their sales force. SALES PROMOTION TOOLS ââ€" ª Contest ââ€" ª Premium offers ââ€" ª Mail – in free offers ââ€" ª Free gifts with goods ââ€" ª Picture cards ââ€" ª Gift coupons ââ€" ª Coupons ââ€" ª Cross coupons ââ€" ª Jumbo packs ââ€" ª Money – off offers ââ€" ª Sales letters SALES PROMOTION STRATEGY [pic] ADVERTISING & SALES PROMOTION STRATEGY TAKEN BY ULTRATECH CEMENT LIMITED ADITYA BIRLA GROUP — AT A GLANCE o The roots of the Aditya Birla Group date back to the 19th century in the picturesque town of Pilani set amidst the Rajasthan desert. It was here that Seth Shiv Narayan Birla started trading in cotton, laying the foundation for the House of Birlas. Through India’s arduous times of the 1850s, the Birla business expanded rapidly. In the early part of the 20th century, our Group’s founding father, Ghanshyamdas Birla, set up industries in critical sectors such as textiles and fibre, aluminums, cement and chemicals. As a close confidante of Mahatma Gandhi, he played an active role in the Indian freedom struggle. He represented India at the first and second round-table conference in London, along with Gandhiji. It was at â€Å"Birla House† in Delhi that the luminaries of the Indian freedom struggle often met to plot the downfall of the British Raj. Aditya Vikram Birla: putting India on the world map |[pic] | | | A formidable force in Indian industry, Mr. Aditya Birla dared to dream of setting up a global business empire at the age of 24. He was the first to put Indian business on the world map, as far back as 1969, long before globalization became a buzzword in India. In the then vibrant and free market South East Asian countries, he ventured to set up world-class production bases. He had foreseen the winds of change and staked the future of his business on a competitive, free market driven economy order. He put Indian business on the globe, 22 years before economic liberalization was formally introduced by the former Prime Minister, Mr. Narasimha Rao and the former Union Finance Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. He set up 19 companies outside India, in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Egypt. [pic] Quality push: Mr. B. Venugopal, Senior Vice-President, UltraTech Cement Ltd, at the inauguration of mobile concrete laboratory in Durgapur. UltraTech Cement, as part of its ‘product plus’ services, has introduced a mobile concrete testing laboratory for ascertaining the quality of reinforcement materials and for guiding those building houses about its quality. ULTRATECH: BRAND POWER Excerpts from an interview with O.P. Puranmalka, Group Executive President, Grasim Industries and Chief Marketing Officer, UltraTech Cement Ltd. |[pic] | | | In step with its global agenda, the cement business of the Aditya Birla Group, is orchestrating a contemporary brand makeover. With UltraTech Cement, the Aditya Birla Group has established itself as not only the most respected domestic player but also among the global leaders in cement. Associate Editor Vidyut Kumar Ta in an exclusive interview with O.P. Puranmalka, Group Executive President, Grasim Industries and Chief Marketing Officer, UltraTech Cement Limited, analyses the strategy behind promoting a single brand identity of the company’s cement products. Signature line [pic] â€Å"The name UltraTech with the signature line, ‘The Engineer’s Choice’, admirably captures the premium nature of the brand and its salience.† According to Mr. Puranmalka, excellent product quality and customer care will remain the hallmark of UltraTech cement. Jaan Wahi Pehchaan Nayi [pic] K eeping pace with the current industry trend and taking the UltraTech brand to a new pedestal, the group decided to have one national brand. Birla Plus with its very strong presence in the North was a very well known brand. Its tag line ‘Har Nirman Ki Jaan’ and ‘Is cement mein Jaan Hain’ had become household phrases. Observes Mr. Puranmalka: â€Å"We opted for UltraTech as the national brand because while on the one hand, it gives us the opportunity to strengthen common attributes of a premium brand, scale of operations and the Aditya Birla Group’s reputation, it also provides an opportunity to build on the positioning platform of ‘expert’ and imagery signifying ‘progress’, ‘cutting edge technology’ and ‘modernity’. Strategy A lthough cement is said to be a low-involvement category, the brand awareness in this category is very high. Major brands like ACC, Ambuja and some strong regional brands have been fighting for mind space. Says Mr. Puranmalka: â€Å"Brand awareness is the category driver. We wanted to be different and were constantly on the look out for high visibility media. We found that cricket has a great following in our country and we wanted to explore the possibility of associating with this sport. CHAK – DE STRATEGY [pic] I ndia, the world’s largest producer of movies in as many as 10-12 different languages, provides a great opportunity for advertisers to reach the masses. Films are a great entertainment platform for most Indians. Many FMCGs have encased this opportunity. The in-film branding opportunity was used by UltraTech for the first time ever in the cement industry. The film Chak De India, promoting women’s hockey in India, became an all-time hit. In the movie UltraTech was the sponsor of the Indian women’s hockey team. UltraTech branding was all over, throughout the movie. ‘It was a big gamble we took,†Ã‚  says Mr. Puranmalka. â€Å"Initially we were skeptical, with many big banners with big stars failing in the recent past. After a lot of deliberation, we decided to go ahead with this gamble and finally Chak De India almost became like a national anthem, with India winning the women’s hockey title in reality and our cricket team winning the inaugural 20-20 World Cup.† BRANDED CHANNELS S urging ahead of competition, the cement business brought in a new concept in cement marketing — UltraTech Building Solutions, a one-stop shop for all construction needs. â€Å"This is a unique concept and was tested in Rajkot which is one of the fastest-growing cities in construction in the country today,† says Mr. Puranmalka. â€Å"Advocating our Plan, Build and Support† philosophy, it seeks to enhance the shopping experience of customers and strengthen existing trade partnerships, by upgrading the service proposition. It offers a wide spectrum of end-to-end home building solutions, high quality construction materials and allied value-added services. As a business model, UltraTech Building Solutions offers home building solutions from planning to completion. B asically, every customer who walks in to UltraTech Building Solutions outlet receives guidance on construction-related issues as well as value-added services like Vastu, usage of budget software to estimate costs involved for construction, paper clearance procedures, etc. The customer gets a ready reckoner of information on how to choose and buy quality construction materials. With the Rajkot success and with key learning points, the company intends to open many more outlets across the country. Measuring Effectiveness â€Å"O nce the goals are well defined we need to measure the effectiveness of all such initiatives that are undertaken from time to time,† says Mr.  Puranmalka. â€Å"We are research-savvy in our approach. We go into minute details to find out the cause and effect, keeping the larger picture in mind.† This is true right from the selection of the brand name UltraTech to ad campaign testing, media effectiveness and so on. Regular Brand Health Monitoring studies are undertaken to understand various critical issues like awareness, usage pattern, equity indices, psycho-economic mix of the target group (TG), etc. Mr. Puranmalka adds: â€Å"Recently we initiated and completed a customer satisfaction survey to understand the expectations of customers and benchmark with the best in the industry. Of course there are some insights, which we need to address internally, but overall we are happy with the outcome. The results are very encouraging and you would be glad to know we are steeri ng ahead of competition.† Rajasthan Royals ropes in UltraTech as team sponsor: ⠝â€" Rajasthan Royals has roped in UltraTech Cement as their team sponsor. With this, the Emerging Media-owned IPL franchise’s sponsor roster stands at eight. ⠝â€" Rajasthan Royals CMO Raghu Iyer, â€Å"All deals are intended to be long-term. Our earlier team sponsor was Bajaj Allianz but we agreed to mutually part ways amicably.† ⠝â€" UltraTech Cement will have branding on the team jerseys and team-replica merchandise. Iyer added that plans are being worked upon as to how the two parties can best take this relationship forward. ⠝â€" As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, TCS is the franchisee’s technology partner. TCS will offer expertise in IT solutions to the T20 cricket team on and off the field for the next three years. The Television Plan: âž ¢ The franchisee is planning activities with Super sport which will air the IPL in South Africa. Rajasthan Royals had earlier entered into a strategic  partnership with the Nashua Cape Cobras. The first match will be played on 11 April. In the days preceding the encounter, there will be special features in the form of player profiles and interviews. âž ¢ In India the franchise’s partners are Aaj Tak and Times Now. The plan is to offer them special footage and capsules. Ayer added that the franchisee is in talks with several broadcasters to air their DVD. Victory will be aired on the channel. âž ¢ Rajasthan Royals claims that it is witnessing good sales of the two DVDs that it has launched earlier. While Road to Victory is about how the team triumphed in the IPL’s inaugural edition, Access All Areas aims to give fans an idea of what goes on behind-the-scenes to make the IPL a success. [pic] The prime purpose of the project is to identify Advertising and sales promotion strategies of ULTRA TECH CEMENT LIMITED. The ingredient for a successful analysis is a structured questionnaire, for the better construction of analysis of the data generated from the questionnaire. The following step by step analysis is a proportionate mix of good high quality and dire views. 1. How ‘advertising’ is effective to increase the sales volume? Always: – 65% To great extent: – 25% To some extent: – 10% To very little extent: – 0.0 Not at all: – 0.0 [pic] Remark: As there is no magic for success and to increase sales volume and profit, Advertising is the only key. 2. How ‘advertising’ is effective to stimulate demand for the product? Always: – 60% To great extent: – 25% To some extent: – 15% To very little extent: – 0.0 Not at all: – 0.0 [pic] Remark: Without advertising its’ very complex to stimulate demand for product. 3. DO you feel that ‘Advertising’ will reduce various ‘marketing costs’? Always: – 55% To great extent: – 35% To some extent: – 10% To very little extent: – 0.0 Not at all: – 0.0 [pic] Remark: Advertising is so effective to reduce various marketing costs. 4. Do you feel that ‘Advertising’ increases repeat purchasing? Always: – 70% To great extent: – 20% To some extent: – 5% To very little extent: – 5% Not at all: – 0.0 [pic] Remark: Maximum no. of customer accepts that advertising increase repeat purchasing. 5. Do you feel that ‘Advertising’ informing the market about a new product? Always: – 85% To great extent: – 10% To some extent: – 5% To very little extent: – 0.0 Not at all: – 0.0 [pic] Remark: Advertising is highly effective to inform the market about new product. 6. Is ‘Advertising’ act as building up a company’s image? Always: – 68% To great extent: – 23% To some extent: – 5% To very little extent: – 4% Not at all: – 0.0 [pic] Remark: Advertising is a successive method to build up company’s image. 7. How ‘Advertising’ is helpful method for market positioning? Always: – 52% To great extent: – 25% To some extent: – 10% To very little extent: – 7% Not at all: – 6% [pic] Remark: Advertising is quite impressive method for market positioning. 8. How ‘Sales Promotion’ effectual to improve the market share of a company? Always: – 55% To great extent: – 20% To some extent: – 15% To very little extent: – 10% Not at all: – 0.0 [pic] Remark: Sales promotion is effective policy to improve the market share of a company according to people. 9. How ‘sales promotion’ work to face competition in the market? Always: – 70% To great extent: – 20% To some extent: – 10% To very little extent: – 0.0 Not at all: – 0.0 [pic] Remark: Sales promotion used as effective tool to face competition in the market. 10. Do you feel that ‘Sales Promotion’ should attract the attention of the target audience? Always: – 75% To great extent: – 20% To some extent: – 5% To very little extent: – 0.0 Not at all: – 0.0 [pic] Remark: Sales promotion should attract the attention of the target audience to purchase particular product. ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS Most advertiser try to measure the communication effect of an AD – that is, its potential effect on awareness, knowledge, or preference. They would also like to measure the AD’S sales effect. ââ€" ª The consumer feedback method asks consumers questions such as these: 1) What is the main message you get from this AD? 2) How likely is it that this AD will influence you to undertake the action? 3) What works well in the AD & what works poorly? 4) How does the AD make you feel? 5) Where is the best place to reach you with this message? ââ€" ª Portfolio tests ask consumers to view or listen to a portfolio of advertisements. Recall level indicates an ad’s ability to stand out and to have its message understood and remembered. ââ€" ª Laboratory tests use equipment to measure physiological reactions – heartbeat, blood pressure, pupil dilation, galvanic skin response, perspiration – to an ad. SALES EFFECT RESEARCH What sales are generated by an ad that increases brand awareness by 20% and brand preference by 10%? The fewer or more controllable other factors such as features and price are, the easier it is measure advertising’s effect on sales. The sales impact is easiest to measure in direct marketing situations and hardest in brand or corporate image – building advertising. Companies are generally interested in finding out whether they are overspending on advertising. Researchers try to measure the sales impact through analyzing historical or experimental data. [pic] SALES PROMOTION EFFECTIVENESS [pic] O nce the goals are well defined we need to measure the effectiveness of all such initiatives that are undertaken from time to time,† says Mr. Puranmalka. â€Å"We are research-savvy in our approach. We go into minute details to find out the cause and effect, keeping the larger picture in mind.† This is true right from the selection of the brand name UltraTech to ad campaign testing, media effectiveness and so on. Regular Brand Health Monitoring studies are undertaken to understand various critical issues like awareness, usage pattern, equity indices, psycho-economic mix of the target group (TG), etc. Mr. Puranmalka adds: â€Å"Recently we initiated and completed a customer satisfaction survey to understand the expectations of customers and benchmark with the best in the industry. Of course there are some insights, which we need to address internally, but overall we are happy with the outcome. The results are very encouraging and you would be glad to know we are steering ahead of competition.† [pic] The improvement in sales & profit is the evident for an organization. So requirement of advertising and promotional schemes is tremendous. ↠ The structure of a persuasive message can influence the effectiveness of advertising. ↠ Customers influenced by message appeals like comparative, fear and humor appeals. ↠ The designs of advertisement impress customers. Design means the arrangement of various parts in a pre determined order say a blue print. ↠ Advertising media should be elected carefully. Media reduces gap between customer and manufacturer. ↠ Sales promotion schemes lead to increase of sales. [pic] ↠ It has been observed during the course of questionnaire survey that 56% interviews suggested improvement of advertising and sales promotion techniques. Management is being advised to improve inefficiencies such as: âž ¢ Advertising message should be meaningful. âž ¢ Avoid unethical advertisings. âž ¢ Reduce use of women as sex objects in Ads. âž ¢ Banned on alcohol & tobacco ad. âž ¢ Reduce using of false claims & info. âž ¢ Careful about social values & consumer rights. ↠ These are some initial steps which improve advertising efficiency. Efficient advertising and sales promotion schemes increase profit of organization. So, it helpful to meet organization goals. [pic] †¢ PHILIP KOTLER, Marketing Management †¢ Monthly Magazine issued by company †¢ Mr.B.Devamaindhan, Advertising management and Sales promotion †¢ Web based information CONCLUSION †¢ Design good layout and message of advertising to make it effective. †¢ Organize sales promotion programs to increase sales volume and repeat purchase. †¢ Care about ethical issues and social values. †¢ Provide quality service to the customers. †¢ Use reliable schemes to promote consumers. A FINANCIAL REPORT ON ULTRATECH CEMENT LIMITED Cash Flow statement of UltraTech Cement Limited |Profit before tax |1,361.46 |1,507.01 |1,166.19 |285.59 |43.24 | |Net cash flow-operating activity|1,457.57 |1,375.26 |1,113.09 |551.63 |337.42 | |Net cash used in investing |-1,645.43 |-1,441.79 |-1,046.25 |-357.24 |-87.18 | |activity | | | | | | |Net cash used in fin. Activity |191.66 |77.63 |-38.84 |-191.02 |-235.81 | |Net inc/dec in cash and |3.80 |11.10 |27.99 |3.37 |14.43 | |equivalent | | | | | | |Cash and equivalent begin of |100.69 |89.59 |61.60 |58.23 |41.83 | |year | | | | | | |Cash and equivalent end of year |104.49, |100.69, |89.59, |61.60 |56.6 | Dividend Sheet of UltraTech Cement YEARMONTH DIVIDEND (%) |2009 |Apr | | | | |50 | |2008 |Apr | | | | |50 | |2007 |Mar | | | | |40 | |2006 |Jul | | | | |18 | |2005 |Apr | | | | |8 | |2004 |Sep | 5 | Annual results in brief – UltraTech Cement Limited |   |Mar ‘ 09 |Mar ‘ 08 |Mar ‘ 07 |Mar ‘ 06 |Mar ‘ 05 | |Sales |6,436.96 |5,509.22 |4,910.83 |3,299.45 | | | | | | | |2,681.05 | |Operating profit |1,760.29 |1,720.06 |1,417.81 |554.26 |272.81 | |Interest |125.51 |75.67 |86.83 |89.64 | | | | | | | |106.88 | |Gross profit |1,684.46 |1,744.24 |1,392.44 |501.62, | | | | | | | |188.18 | |EPS (Rs) |78.48 |80.94 |62.84 |18.46 |0.23 | Profit loss account |   |Mar ‘ 09 |Mar ‘ 08 |Mar ‘ 07 |Mar ‘ 06 |Mar ‘ 05 | |Income | | | | | | |Operating income |6,385.50 |5,512.43 |4,909.05 |3,299.45 |2,681.05 | |Expenses | | | | | | |Material consumed |1,193.97 |1,008.92 |902.06 |733.72 |609.13 | |Manufacturing expenses   |1,805.56 |1,314.78 |1,194.54 |958.30 |839.40 | |Personnel expenses |216.76 |171.55 |117.22 |92.26 |72.96 | |Selling expenses |1,256.46 |1,143.02 |1,137.66 |843.99 |650.98 | |Administrative expenses |177.93 |160.03 |133.93 |109.57 |137.36 | |Expenses capitalized |-8.38 |-13.37 |- |- |- | |Cost of sales |4,642.30 |3,784.93 |3,485.41 |2,737.84 |2,309.83 | |Operating profit |1,743.20 |1,727.50 |1,423.64 |561.61 |371.22 | |Other recurring income |99.29 |87.31 |57.65 |23.11 |21.70 | |Adjusted PBDIT |1,842.49 |1,814.81 |1,481.29 |584.72 |392.92 | |Financial expenses |134.09 |81.93 |92.61 |96.99 |128.05 | |Depreciation   |323.00 |237.23 |226.25 |216.03 |221.78 | |Other write offs |- |- |- |- |- | |Adj usted PBT |1,385.40 |1,495.65 |1,162.43 |271.70 |43.09 | |Tax charges |384.44 |499.40 |383.91 |55.83 |-36.45 | |Adjusted PAT |1,000.96 |996.25 |778.52 |215.87 |79.54 | |Non recurring items |-23.94 |11.36 |3.76 |1.48 |-77.24 | |Other non cash adjustments |- |- |- |12.41 |0.55 | |Reported net profit |977.02 |1,007.61 |782.28 |229.76 |2.85 | |Earning before appropriation |2,575.14 |1,782.77 |962.85 |239.87 |20.77 | |Equity dividend |62.24 |62.24 |49.79 |21.79 |9.33 | |Preference dividend |- |- |- |- |- | |Dividend tax |10.58 |10.58 |6.98 |3.06 |1.33 | |Retained earnings |2,502.32 |1,709.95 |906.08 |215.02 |10.11 | SUBSTANCE: Observing this financial report we say the company is in good condition financially. The gross profit of this company was 188.18 in Mar 05’ and it increased 1496.28 in Mar 09’. We find a steady growth of UltraTech cement limited in six year. Company’s dividend jump 5 – 50 in six year only (2004 – 2009). Net profit was 2.85 in Mar 05’ and 977.02 in Mar 09’. Advertising expenses of UltraTech cement limited jump 605.48 point in six years (04 – 05). Advertising expenses of this company increases cause of advertising formulation strategy being changed. Company wants to capture potential market by good advertising and sales promotion activities. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] ———————– PCS SILO1 PCS SILO2 BALL MILL Step 1 THUMBNAIL SKETCHES STEP 2 ROUGH STEP 3 COMPREHENSIVE STEP 4 PASTE UP OR MECHANICAL DEFINING THE SALES PROMOTION TARGET SETTING SALES PROMOTION OBJECTIVES SETTING THE SALESPROMOTION BUDGET DEVELOPING THE SALES PROMOTION STRATEGY SELECTING TYPE OF SALES PROMOTION COORDINATING THE PLAN EVALUATING SALES PROMOTION EFFECTIVENESS SHARE OF MARKET SHARE OF MIND AND HEART SHARE OF VOICE SHARE OF EXPENDITURES

Saturday, September 28, 2019

My Virtue Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

My Virtue Conflict - Essay Example However, all this started to slowly change as we entered middle school and then went on to proceed through junior school and eventually into high school. Although I considered myself to be socially outgoing, I had never perceived myself to be the most popular kid in school. I had a number of friends but these friends were largely classified as nerds. When we hanged out together, we were able to find comfort and solace in our belief that although we were not quite as popular as some of the other kids, we were nevertheless definitely much more smarter than them. Elementary and middle school can be a tough learning ground for most kids and unfortunately, this held true for my case as I somehow managed to attract the unwanted attentions of Johnny, a kid that I still consider as having been one of the most infamous school bullies of our time. It was hard for me to reconcile the virtue ethics that had been methodically drilled into me by my parents and what I saw as Johnny’s seriously twisted virtues. I found myself unable to grasp and understand the possibility of a person going through life while being mean to others. At times after I had had particularly nasty run-ins with Johnny at school, I cry and blame myself for all the bullying I was receiving. I believed that if I was just a little bit taller, more good looking and just a tad more popular, Johnny would respect me and would not pick on me constantly. Gradually, I started changing and dropped some of the virtue ethics that had been instilled in me since I was young. In my immature and childlike reasoning, I supposed that if I dressed differently, behaved a little tougher and started picking on kids smaller than myself, I would earn the respect that I believed was due to me.  Ã‚  

Friday, September 27, 2019

STRATEGY, ETHICS, AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Coursework

STRATEGY, ETHICS, AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY - Coursework Example Besides factual issues, there are conceptual issues for instance the aspect of competition that posed a threat to Peerless Company. There was a need to improve on products as well as come up with strategies that will seek to earn the company a competitive advantage. The management structure is also an issue as people are elected on the basis of friendship rather than on qualifications. This will eventually affect the company as it will discourage investors from putting their investments in Peerless because of the company’s instability. There are some ethical in this case where Ludwig is a dilemma on whether to close down Peerless Company to save the town reputation or make attempts to restore the company. Closing down Peerless will render many jobless as most of them depend on the company for their livelihood. Ludwig knows that closing the Peerless Company may impress certain individual at the expense of people’s jobs and this may lead to increase in crime cases and other vices. The main stakeholders are the customers, the directors as well as the employees of the company. Suppliers of the raw materials are also stakeholders as their actions directly affect the operations of the company. Peerless should realize that their decisions directly affect the lives of the people in their surroundings. For instance closing down Peerless will render the town poor and its citizens jobless. Ludwig and his team need to understand that they have an obligation to ensure that they improve the lives of Blair’s citizens. They should understand the needs of people and make decisions that benefit their town. The management should also be enhanced to ensure that only people who are employed are suitable for jobs and that quality is maintained by all means. Peerless should also communicate to its key stakeholders on changes that are likely to take place and on decisions on the way forward. Baxteris right to some extend by saying that it would be selfish for Ludwig

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Elementary Reading Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Elementary Reading - Article Example Three articles discuss this matter extensively. The first one is Susanne Lapps article entitled â€Å"Literacy and the English Language Learner,† which discusses different behaviors of English Language Learners (ELLs) inside the classroom. The second one is the article by Karen Cadiero-Kaplan, entitled â€Å"Literacy Ideologies: Critically Engaging the Language Arts Curriculum,† which discusses how, for whom, and for what purposes literacy is defined. The third article is written by Rebecca Wheeler and R. Swords and is entitled â€Å"Codeswitching: Tools of Language and Culture Transform the Dialectally Diverse Classroom†. It discusses the best way to teach Standard English to ELLs for classroom use without disregarding the fact that these individuals have a language that is correct in their own right. It is ironic how the world seems to clamor for diversity, yet fails to adapt to it in the most basic classroom setup --- interaction between teachers and students. These two images above directly show how respect for diversity should be supported. Classrooms nowadays are becoming more and more culturally diverse, thus, the need for a greater weight to be placed on a students individuality and background. The common points among the articles stressed in these images are: To answer these common points stated in the articles, it is good to understand that modifying classroom instruction and lecture content and style is essential in ensuring that native speakers, ELLs, and those that come in between, are provided with fair range of classroom experience that would benefit everyone (Lapp, 2010). Additionally, background of every student should be taken into consideration because it is possible that what is learning for Native American students may be different from what is learning for those of, for example, Arab immigrants. It is good to understand that literacy is set within the political boundaries of

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Federal Governmant (Specific topic is listed below) Term Paper

Federal Governmant (Specific topic is listed below) - Term Paper Example The crime authority personnel or the lawyer can also call you whenever needed in the case in order to have relevant information about the incident even if you are not present in the location where the incident happened but have relevant information about it. Among the duties, one of the duties relates to taxes also. It is the constitutional duty of all American citizens to pay taxes. Taxes are necessary to ensure that various services can be provided, such as national defense, infrastructure, public works, government operations and more. Another duty is, when the male citizens of America become 18 years of old, then they must register themselves with the Selective Service System. This is the way the government draft the number of citizens who are eligible for service.1 A citizen of United States is being defined as someone who is born over there, within the jurisdiction of the United States of America or its territories. The body of the original Constitution comprises of three branches, that is, the Legislative, Judicial and the Executive. The rights of all citizens are outlined in the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights.2 Four years after the ratification of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights was added, when the farmers realized their omission for the citizens. All the 10 amendments were added at the same time while the remaining 17 amendments outlined various other changes. The First Amendment protects the freedom of all citizens to practice the religion of their choice or not practice any religion, freedom of speech, freedom to address the government and freedom of the press. The Second Amendment protects the right of all citizens to own guns, although it is still unclear whether this amendment means individual citizens or state militias. The Third Amendment protects citizens from being forced to feed and to give shelter

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Minow's dilemma critical evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Minow's dilemma critical evaluation - Essay Example While forgetting may seem an alluring option for some, unwilling as they are to face the disquietude brought about by rousing old skeletons, there is a greater ethical and moral imperative to exhume the past if only to serve as lessons for the future. In her important book entitled â€Å"Between Vengeance and Forgiveness: Facing History After Genocide and Mass Violence†, Martha Minow looks at the range of institutional responses that have been crafted with the end in view of seeking justice for the victims of mass atrocities and demanding accountability from the perpetrators. The ethical imperative of incorporating justice into efforts towards peace in a post-conflict context is at the heart of the transitional justice project. Its premise is that war and conflict have brought about a slew of human rights and international humanitarian law violations which demand accountability from its perpetrators and reparation for its victims. Minow uses this framework in her book as she p roblematizes the difficulties of navigating the complex road to justice, in the complex terrain and conditions of a post-conflict situation. Minow, however, presented a crucial dilemma when she stated that "The central premise of individual responsibility portrays defendants as separate people capable of autonomous choice- when the phenomena of mass atrocities render that assumption at best problematic" (1998: 46). This is a dilemma because it articulates a conflict between the desire to prosecute individual perpetrators for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the realization that the mass atrocities were taking place amid extraordinary conditions and assigning individual criminal responsibility to the perpetrators – even if they were the leaders or the heads of the military – does not capture the depth and breadth and magnitude of the phenomenon at hand. This paper will explore this dilemma even further, and will demonstrate that while there is persuasive valu e to individual criminal responsibility, it is an injustice to constrain or limit oneself to the institutional and legal mechanisms that seek accountability for individual criminal behavior without looking at the conditions that gave rise to the atrocity. To quote Franke (2001: 1), â€Å"Justice is, of course, a very complex ethical, legal, institutional and emotional problem, and its aspirations are rendered all the more difficult in transitional societies that are struggling with unstable governance, security and economic institutions.†. Certainly, there are cases where individual criminal responsibility may be very clearly gleaned. Historical accounts have it that on April 25, 1987, Slobodan Milosevic, the fallen President of Serbia, went to Kosovo Polje and was met with a crowd of fifteen thousand Serbs, including an old man who suddenly shouted to Milosevic that the ethnic Albanians were beating them. Milosevic responded by calling out to the man, â€Å"No one shall dar e beat you again.† As if these remarks were not incendiary enough, he proceeded to say, â€Å"This is your land, your fields, your gardens; your memories are here†. A decade later, under Milosevic’s watch, in defense of fields, gardens and memories, Serbian forces unleashed ethnic

Monday, September 23, 2019

Paper based on your own version of a walking tour of religious sites Essay

Paper based on your own version of a walking tour of religious sites in New Jersey or New York City - Essay Example e and 29th Street I came across the not so well-known Episcopal Church of Transfiguration, also known as the, â€Å"Little Church Around the Corner.† Later on my walk, I explored the famous St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral at 51st Street. And lastly, at 63rd Street, I found the Jewish Temple Emanu-El, the largest synagogue in the United States. At the beginning of my tour, the Little Church Around the Corner didn’t necessarily jump out at me as it’s rather hidden by the mammoth contemporary buildings along the block. The church was founded in 1848, and was originally a rather simple church lacking ornate design and magnitude. As the years have gone by, various architects have built additions to the church that now gives it a hodge-podge like architectural style of buildings that have been glued together. Upon arrival, the first thing I noticed was the quaint garden at the entrance of the chapel. The low gate that surrounds the property gives the feeling of a friendly playground rather than a church. Near this entrance is the Chapel of the Holy Family designed in a style reminiscent of the 1940s, but then, the Lady Chapel from 1906 is a jeweled room of bits of glass. The over-sized decorations are more fitting for a majestic cathedral, but this is what gives this little church its eccentricity. The church gain ed popularity in 1870 when a famous actor/comedian of that time passed away and his funeral was refused at the Marble Collegiate Church, the executor of his will was referred to the â€Å"Little church around the corner,† and has since then been considered a church for theatre misfits, immigrants, and those who see the lighter side of religion. It has also become a popular place for marriage ceremonies because of its romantic history and because the parish quickly accepts marriage situations from all walks of life. Considering the long history of this church, and the way its clergy have continued to creatively add to its physical size, it still

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Observing or Reading the Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Observing or Reading the Behavior - Essay Example According to him home makes him feel more relaxed and studies can be done in relaxed and calm environment. The peace of mind that he gets at home could not be available anywhere else. He is able to concentrate better in the familiar and relaxed surrounding of his home rather than a public place like library where people keep on moving around. Movement of people can be a cause of distraction. Since people in a library are mostly strangers and strangers make him self conscious. At home the presence of siblings does not matter as they keep themselves busy with their own chores. He also acknowledged that there might not be other books and references available at home instantly if he needs them. However, he can make use of Internet for the references and other relevant material at home. Also he thinks he could easily take a break from say continuous study of two hours and watch TV or listen to his favorite songs and resume his studies. At library continuous studies can cause exhaustion as mind needs breaks every now and then. He also considers the fact the one can sit in a relaxed easy manner at home while at library one has to sit in a well-mannered and socially acceptable way. Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs devised this method commonly called Myers Briggs Test based on the work of Carl Jung. This method has emerged as the widely used test for personality assessment. Like millions of Americans the interviewee has also taken Myers Briggs Test. The test presents a summary of personality. A person's type might be INTJ or ESFP, or some other combination. Like other he was also forced choice questionnaire. The test uses two basic orientations that is E and I for extraversion and introversion two choices for information uptake that is S for sensing and N for intuition, two choices for judgment that is T for thinking and F for feeling, and two choices for decision making that is J for judgment and P for perception. So according to this model people could be extrovert or introvert. The results shoed that the interviewee is an introvert as his model started with I. Te rest of his combination turned out to be INFP. The result therefore finally showed that the interviewee is an introvert and mostly makes his decisions on the basis of his intuition. The person is sensitive and feeling and impulsiveness dominates his personality. Accuracy of Myers Briggs Test Results According to Myers Briggs Test the results were INFP. The interviewee mostly agrees with the overall picture or assessment done as a result of test taken. He himself considers an introvert and Myers Briggs Test also confirm his own views. However for other indicators he has his own reservation. Despite agreeing to his introversion he does not totally agree with other results. For example, he was asked whether he would like to plan an evening beforehand or not. This question could be asked to determine Judgment or Perception traits of a person based on their inclination for planning or impulsiveness. The interviewee though plans well in advance but sometimes remains unable to enjoy or execute his plans due to his spontaneous or impulsive

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Roman Sculpture Essay Example for Free

Roman Sculpture Essay Roman sculpture effects life and plays an important role in Ancient Rome, Julius Caesar, and modern-day society. Statues were an important and influential part of art and architecture in roman culture. Although, most of roman art and architecture came from Greek culture and habits, most people today think of the statues and sculptural techniques as roman. Ancient Rome used statues as ceremonial pieces, public gathering places, frivolous beautifying accessories in public areas, and honorable tributes to the rich or important people of the time. The Romans particularly like statues of gods, leaders, and heroes in action. (All About Ancient) Most sculptures roles in society were to be public meeting places for important events. They were used as central areas for passing information and communicating new rules and guidelines for an area. A whole category of battle and heroic sculpture filled the citizenrys need for information on conquests made by Roman armies. (All Bout Ancient) Although most statues were used for the public, some statues were intended for private viewing only because the subject matter would not be acceptable with commoners seeing as it was offensive or sexually explicit. (All About Ancient) Roman statue effected and played a role in literature as well such as Julius Caesar. In Shakespeare’s play, roman sculpture is used as a ceremonial image and also used to foreshadow the terrible events that unfolded later. In Act 1 of the play, a statue is described as decked with ceremonies for a parade. (Shakespeare) This would be a festival-type event celebrating an important figure returning home, that of which being Caesar. Later on in the play, the very same statue came into importance in Calpurnia’s dream. â€Å"She dreamt tonight she saw my (Caesar’s) statue which, like a fountain with a hundred spouts, did run pure blood, and many lusty romans came smiling and did bathe their hands in it.† This was an important foreshadowed event and without the statue, it would not have been portrayed the same. For as old as roman sculpting techniques are and for as long as statues have been around, they still have an impact on modern-day society. When people think of classic beauty, they think of the statues of gods and goddesses, heroes and leaders created by the ancient Romans. (All About Ancient) The Roman style of sculpture is influenced strongly by Greek style. The Romans saw what the Greeks were doing, like it and imitated it, although most of the statues that have remained and are still here today are roman. (Art) In addition to statues, Roman Emperors were also portrayed on coins, which is where modern-day society got the idea of putting out presidents on coins. (All About Ancient) Many of architectural buildings today are based off of old roman art such as the United States very own capital building. Roman sculptures are very important as the vast majority of them tell us a story about Gods, Heroes, Events, and act as public meeting areas. These statues played important roles in Julius Caesar, Ancient Rome, and modern-day society. Many sculptures were used to represent important events and people, and that cultural idea to represent significant events through art has transferred through into present-day society. Many of the statues that have survived are actually of Roman origin. Like many people today the Romans had a deep respect for Greek sculptures and many were copied. If the Romans had not made these copies, many of the Greek Legends and stories that we know today would have been lost to antiquity.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Analysis of Employee Treatment in MNCs in Malaysia

Analysis of Employee Treatment in MNCs in Malaysia According to The Columbia Encyclopedia (2008), a multinational company also called as multinational enterprise (MNE) or transactional corporation (TNC); it is a corporation business enterprise with manufacturing, sales, or service subsidiaries in one or more foreign countries. It can also be referred to as an international corporation. Besides that, Mohamed A. Youssef (2004) said that multinational companies are firms that engages in foreign direct investment and owns or controls value-adding activities in more than one country. The study of multinational companies is relevant to the major theme of changing national business systems in two important ways. Firstly, multinational companies reflect the strengths and weaknesses of their own country. Second, multinational companies work in at least two different national business systems, in their home and host countries (Maurits van Os, Gerarda Westerhuis, Onno de Wit, 2003). The Multinational companies are a powerful vehicle for the transfer of not only the capital and other production functions but also managerial and technical knowledge across nations (Limerick, 2004). Based on Bartletts (2003) research, the multinational corporations account for 40% of the worlds manufacturing output and almost a quarter of the world trade. About 85% of the worlds automobiles, 70% of computer and 65% of soft drinks are produced and marketed by multinational corporations. During the last two decades, many smaller corporations also become multinational, some of them in developing nations (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2008). This often results in very powerful corporations that have budgets that exceed some nationals GDP and multinational corporations play an important role in international relations and globalization (Multimedia Corporation, 2009). In Bartlett (2003) research shows that in 1973, the United Nations defined the multinational corporation as an enterprise which control assets, factories, mines, sales offices and the like in two or more countries. The first qualification required a multinational corporation to have substantial direct investment in foreign countries and not just an export business. The second requisite for a true multinational corporation would be a company that engaged in the active management of these offshore assets rather than simply holding them in a passive financial portfolio. Overview of Multinational Companies in Malaysia Malaysia ranks as among the worlds top 20 attractive countries for foreign direct investment, according to the World Investment Prospects Survey 2007-2009. Among the Southeast Asian countries, Malaysia was the third favourite foreign direct investment location, just after the Vietnam and Thailand (Rajeswari Raman, 2008). Historically, multinational corporations in Malaysian manufacturing were concentrated in import substitution production in areas such as foods and beverages, chemicals and pharmaceutical. Their involvement in export production was limited to some processing activities linked to primary product sectors. In 1970s, there was a dramatic transformation in the product structure of multinational corporations participation. From about the mid-1980s, production for the domestic market has become secondary to using Malaysia as a base for manufacturing for the global market (Multinational Enterprises, Employment and Real Wages in Malaysian Manufacturing, 2005). According to Halims (2000) study, foreign direct investment has always been a major factor in developing Malaysias industrial sector. The promoting of the presence of the multinational corporations in Malaysia is to provide domestic firms with access to advanced technologies through subcontracting, the creation of spin-off firms, OEM and training activities. The Malaysian government encourages direct foreign investment, particularly in export oriented manufacturing and high-tech industries, but it has discretionary authority over individual investments. Malaysia has a stated policy of not promoting low value-added and labour-industries, preferring quality investments. A foreign company or a multinational corporation can conduct business in Malaysia through setting up a representative office, registering a branch office, setting up a joint venture company or granting patent licenses and franchising. General policy limits foreign equity to minority 30 percent shares, but 100 percent fo reign ownership in manufacturing is permitted in certain instances for export-oriented industries (www.atimes.com). According to list of multinational companies in Malaysia (2009), there are 37 major industry sectors covered in the foreign companies in Malaysia which are: Academic food drink petrochemicals Accountancy government pharmaceuticals/medical Agriculture/environmental individual printing/paper Aviation/defence insurance real estate/property Banking/finance IT/computers/software retail Chemicals legal services Chemicals/petrochemicals machinery/equipment telecoms/communications Construction/engineering manufacturing textiles Consultancy media tourism/travel/leisure Consultancy goods motor industry transport Electronics/electrical oil gas Energy/utilities packaging Multinational corporations from more than 60 countries have invested in over 3,000 companies in Malaysias manufacturing sector, currently 1052 regional establishments were approved, which included 67 operational headquarters, 182 international procurement centres, 29 regional distribution centres, 579 representative offices and 195 regional offices. The main sources of foreign investment were from USA, Germany and Japan (Rajeswari Raman, 2008). Manufacturing goods, mainly products from the electronics and electrical (E E) industries make up the Malaysias largest body of exports. However, most manufactured exports were produced by foreign firms in Malaysia. For example, the electronics industry which contributes more than half the exports of manufactured goods comprised mostly foreign owned multinationals (Abd Halim, 2000). Based on Rajeswari Raman (2008) research, the major factor that has attracted investors to invest in Malaysia is the governments commitment to maintain a business environment that provides companies with the opportunities for growth and profits. The government having the regular government-private sector dialogues and these allow the various business communities to air their views and to contribute toward the formulation of government policies which concern them. Besides, the Malaysian government offers multinational corporations a range of incentives designed to encourage the establishment of subsidiaries that are regarded as especially advantageous. The incentives primarily entail taxation allowances and more liberal ownership rights for investments (1) in particular industries like the manufacturing and high technology, (2) in particular geographic locations such as the Multinational Super Corridor or the Eastern Corridor, (3) offer significant learning opportunities such as from research and development and have particular strategic roles like the operational headquarters and international procurement centres (Southeast Asia, A New Era in Asian Shipping,2005). By the mid-1980s, there was a growing conviction among the Malaysian policy circles that certain elements of the ethnicity-based affirmative action policy of the NEP were inconsistent with the national economic goal of achieving greater integration of the Malaysian economy with the global economy. These policy inconsistencies were redressed and further incentives for foreign investors were introduced under the promotion of Investment Act passed in 1986 (Multinational Enterprises, Employment and Real Wages in Malaysian Manufacturing, 2005). The increasing trends of outsourcing of core as well as non-core activities by large multinational corporations have open greater investment opportunities in the provision of support services. Malaysia continues to enjoy healthy surplus in the external trade, low unemployment as well as strong international reserves and high national savings (Rajeswari Raman, 2008). According to Rajeswari Raman (2008), the private sector in Malaysia has become partners with the public sector in achieving the nations development objectives. Justification Based on Jaime Bonache (2005) finding, job satisfaction is usually defined as an affective or emotional response toward ones job. A better salary, for an identical level effort, will determine the decision to quit and a higher level of satisfaction. To expect more and active contributions from the staff members to the company, satisfaction will become the natural choice. Furthermore, regarding the reason for demission, the American company attributes it to the culture and the Japanese company thinks that the most important reasons for demission are disappointment on welfare and the work satisfaction. Both American company and the Japanese company recognize that the requirement of employees should be fully concerned. The welfare, working environment, job satisfaction, and the self-realization are the three factors that motivate the staff. Sonal Shukla (2009) found out that appreciation and recognition are more important and meaningful than a financial pay raise or a position promotion . It is important for providing the satisfactory welfare package in the company, learn and try to meet the employees requirement, create chance for self-improvement and wide space for self-development to the employee in the company because the welfare, individual career development, and the company brand are the three attractive aspects. (Yuanqiang Zhou, Lei Lu, Bo Jiang, 2005). Besides that, according to Jaime Bonache (2005), a person can be relatively satisfied with the absolute monetary rewards he or she received and dissatisfied with how they fare relative to others, or with other aspects of his or her job. Job satisfaction will not be understood as a unitary concept, but as an affective or emotional response toward various facets of ones job, and in which processes of social comparison take place. Furthermore, Jaime Bonache (2005) lodge that satisfaction results from ones perception that work outcomes, relative to the inputs, compares favourably with a significant others outcomes and inputs. We can identify the referent used in the individuals comparisons by analyzing peoples satisfaction with their salary. Through Sonal Shukla (2009) research, it is accepted that a satisfied, secure and happy employee during times of a recession, gives back much more to the organization in terms of loyalty and performance. A low level of salary satisfaction is a very common problem among all types of employees. It is well known that employees on international assignments are particularly costly for most organizations (Jaime Bonache, 2005). According to John Stredwick (2000), the pay must become more variable instead of a wage or salary being a fixed amount each week, month or year. A growing proportion should become contingent upon performance. Performance can be measured on an individual basis, often called performance related pay, or through the team based pay, gain sharing or the profit related pay. In addition, there must have the final change for the basic pay itself, which also need to become more flexible. The 1st thing that needs to be changed is in how levels of basic pay have been determined. In the public sector and in many large private concerns, basic pay levels used to be subject to national negotiations between a collection of unions and officials from the trade association or government body. Furthermore, according to John Stredwick (2000), the reward issues need to play a major part to produce a high-performance people machine, focused on organizational objectives. Many schemes of performance related pay have a built in conflict because they have been devised to reward the achievements of individuals while other parts of the human resource policy puts great emphasis on building up team working skills and practice. To release the company from the conflict, there must be a reward strategy in place. It must be derived from and contribute to corporate strategy and be based on corporate values and beliefs. A further development in reward strategy is related to the development of competencies. Organizations have identified specific competencies which can differentiate them from their competitors. So, rewards must contingent upon circumstances and performance (John Stredwick, 2000). Problem statements Nowadays, the economic down turn has given a lot of impacts to each companies and organizations, especially the multinational corporations because they have a lot of transnational companies in each country. No one can run away from this economic down turn and each countrys exports and imports have decreased dramatically in 2009. Malaysia also suffered in this financial crisis and the Malaysia government has tried their best to cushion the economic. Organizations also cut down the employee welfare to lower their monthly expenses. The Watson Wyatt survey shows that 61% of employers expect their current financial performances to remain poor at least until the end of 2009. About half said they plan to increase their cost-cutting actions in 2009 and beyond (Sarah, 2009). In view of recession, additional financial measures for welfare may not be possible. According to Sonal Shukla (2009), recession changed the work of work culture where cost-cutting plays a predominant part. The first affe cted are the employee welfare. All the luxuries enjoyed by the employees are either reduces or may come to a standstill. Furthermore, although the rewards system can motivate the employees to perform well and become the companys core competitive advantage, some of the organizations seldom provide the rewards system in their organizations. The employees will only get the bonus or incentives once or twice a year but this is quite hard to motivate the employees. Most of the Asian companies still experience double-digit voluntary turnover rate like the India (13.8 percent) and China (10.3 percent). An organizations ability to retain talent is a challenge facing all companies. This provides challenges to be more innovative in retaining the top people in the organizations with a tighter budget during the recession time (Salary Increases Decline in Asia Pacific after One Year of Economic Turmoil, Hewitt Annual Salary Increase Study Reports, 2009). Besides that, organizations in Malaysia rarely provide the self-improvement and the self-development environment for the employees. The employees will lost their aspirations towards the organizations because they will feel that they cannot have any improvement in the organizations and they will resign the job. Employees will feel that the organizations are not pay attention to their basic needs and the organizations will also lost the high productivity workers and the turnover rate will be very high. This issue will become more serious during the economic downturn. According to Sarah (2009), during the recession time, most of the employers will intend to save the money by freezing salaries, reducing workweeks and eliminating the training programs and 18% intend to reduce or eliminate tuition reimbursement and subsidized other financial perks. Lastly, the basic pay, or the salaries for the employees are very low amongst each companies. The fresh graduate with a bachelors degree can only command a basic salary ranging from RM1, 600 to RM3, 500, with a median of Rm2, 000 per month (Betty Yeoh, 2009). This issue becomes more serious after the world is having the economic down turn and the economic in each country are still very unstable. However, the low basic pay cannot match with the real life that the employees are facing with. 2009 the actual salary increase rate went down by 4 percent and 8 percent respectively and over 60 percent of responding companies keeping wages constant (Salary Increases Decline in Asia Pacific after One Year of Economic Turmoil, Hewitt Annual Salary Increase Study Reports, 2009). Now all the products prices increase the total expenses of each month become bigger and bigger but the salary still remains unchanged. The low basic pay will demotivate the employees and the productivity will also become very low. In short run, the low basic pay may cut down the total operating expenses of the organizations but in long run, the quality of the products will decrease and the organizations need spend more money to increase their production. Based on the above scenarios, there is an urgent need for a deep discussion on the following problem: The cutting down of the welfares towards the employees in multinational companies The cutting down of the self-development and self-improvement activities in multinational companies The absence of the attractiveness of the incentives and bonus in multinational companies The low basic pay in the multinational companies Research Objectives There are three main objectives in this study, which are: To address the adoption of compensations and benefits in the multinational corporations. A well designed and managed compensations system can change the employees behaviour and their passion in their works, in order to improve their performance and productivity. The compensations may become a very critical in supporting managers to achieving the organizations goal. Furthermore, a good compensation system may also develop a positive organizational culture. It may influence the degree to which the employees view the organization is having the human resource-oriented, result based oriented and so on. Consequently, compensations not only influence on individual, but also affect the whole organization as a result. To examine the satisfaction towards compensations in the multinational companies will affect the performance. Compensations can be considered as the best ways to ensure performance at the individual level. The employees may perform well when they get the high job satisfactions from the compensations. However, there are some arguments that indicate that the compensations may not be able to assist the workers to enhance their performance, and it may also lead to a negative organizational climate, which needs to use the compensations to motivate the workers and the absence of commitment to organizational objectives. To examine the satisfaction towards the benefits in the multinational companies will affect the performance. The main purpose for having the benefits is to motivate workers to perform better well. It plays a critical role in affecting individual performance. It is critical to make sure that the benefits systems are effective in motivating individual performance as the increasing of importance of this systems in achieving organizations goal. Organization of Paper Chapter one addresses the overview of multinational companies, the overview of multinational companies in Malaysia, the research problems, the objectives and the significance of the study. From the overviews, we will have the brief idea on what are multinational companies and the multinational companies in Malaysia. Besides that, from the research problems, we will notice that what exactly happened around the world and we will understand what other researchers have found out from the significance of the study. Furthermore, form the objectives this part can know the main purposes to have this research. In chapter two will reviews issues that related on the compensations and the multinational corporations literature. The role of the multinational companies, the conflict amongst the multinational companies and the labour union in Malaysia will be reviews in Chapter 2. Furthermore, Chapter 2 will also explain what are compensations and benefits towards the employees, the types of compensations and benefits, the importance to have the compensations and benefits. In chapter three, will discuss the research method and the theoretical framework of the study. Chapter three also will present the development of the hypothesis to further describe the relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variables. Besides that, Chapter three will also include the questionnaire that used in this study. In chapter four, will discuss the results of the statistical analysis of the data and the hypothesis tested. We want to know that the results will match with the finding from other researchers. Lastly, chapter five will have a comprehensive discussion on the finding of this study, the limitations, recommendations and suggestions for future research. Chapter 2: Literature Review Introduction In this chapter, author presents the literature background on the multinational companies, the compensations and the benefits to the employees. Author will discuss the role of the multinational companies in Malaysia and their force and the conflict amongst the multinational companies with employees. As noted in chapter one, the performance can be generally affected by the basic pay, performance related pay, the welfare, the employees development and the reward system (Jaime Bonache 2005; Sonal Shukla 2009; Yuanqing Zhou, Lei Lu, Bo Jiang, 2005; John Stredwick 2000). Therefore, in this chapter, relevant study background will be study to understand the types of the compensations and the benefits, and the importance to have the compensations and benefits. As workers or the employees are the manpower of the company, there is a need to examine what will motivate the workers or the employees to perform better by using the compensations and the benefits package. Additionally, employers need to identify which plan will be more suitable and preferable in motivating a certain performance. Foreign direct investment (FDI) represents one component of the international business flow and includes start-ups of new operations, as well as purchases of existing companies. Firms will choose to become multinational to reduce the direct and indirect costs, to reduce the capital costs, to reduce taxes, to reduce logistics costs, to overcome tariff barriers, to provide better customer service, to spread foreign exchange risks, to build alternative supply sources, to pre-empt potential competitors, to learn from local suppliers, and to attract talent globally (Zubair M. Mohamed, Mohamed A. Youssef, 2004). According to Zubair M. Mohamed and Mohamed A. Youssef (2004), there are six strategic roles for foreign factories of multinational companies, they are; off-shore factory, source factory, server factory, contributor factory, output factory, and the lead factory. An off-shore factory is established to produce specific items at a low-cost and then export for further rework or for resale. For the source factory, is also a low-cost production but gives local managers authority over production planning, redesign, process changes, and out-bound logistics. The primary purpose of the server factory supplies specific national or regional markets. It typically provides a way to overcome tariff barriers, logistics costs, and exposure to foreign exchange fluctuations. Furthermore, a contributor factory also serves a national or regional market, as developed as a source factory, has more powers to develop products, process engineering, sources of supply, and development of production capabilities. Besides that, an output factorys primary role is to collect information. They are located where competitors, research laboratories, or customers are located. Lastly, a lead factory creates new processes, products, and technologies for entire company. It should be noted that the choice of the factory not only influences the location, but also the operating decisions of the facility. The shorter product life cycles, fragmented and saturated markets, more demanding customers, consolidation and mergers of companies, and rapid advances in processes and technology always present a dynamic competitive situation. A firm need to made the decisions related to international locations, production strategy, and operations strategy when they decides to become an multinational companies (Zubair M. Mohamed, Mohamed A. Youssef, 2004).he From the list of multinational companies in Malaysia (2009), there have 1690 multinational companies in Malaysia. The Role of Multinational Companies Multinational corporations have played an important role in globalization. Countries and sometimes sub national regions must compete against one another for the establishment of multinational corporations facilities, and the subsequent tax revenue, employment, and economic activity. To compete, countries and regional political districts sometimes offer incentives to multinational corporations such as tax breaks, pledges of governmental assistance or improved infrastructure, or lax environmental and labour standards enforcement (Multimedia Corporation, 2009). In the fifty year from 1950 to 2000 world trade grew by a remarkable 1,700 percent. There is an unprecedented growth in both trade and international investment leading directly to a remarkable growth in living standards, not just in developed, industrialized world but also in many developing countries when there is a period of remarkable openness in the international economy (John Browne, 2002). Multinational companies expected to help develop the region where they operate by hiring local employees, providing training programs, sourcing locally and consequently supporting the local economy (Juliette Bennett, 2002). In addition, Juliette Bennett (2002) said that multinational organizations are increasingly drawing the private sector into the global initiative against corruption in order to encourage good governance and conflict prevention. When US multinational companies invest abroad, they usually introduce their management practices, along with production technology, into less developed countries (Daniel A. Sauers, Steven C.H. Lin, Jeff Kennedy, Jana Schrenkler, 2009). Besides that, according to Juliette Bennett (2002), good corporate governance at home and abroad, promoting economic inclusiveness and community goodwill and it are very important elements of international security. The intercourse between the business and the government for the sharing skills and expertise can be valuable in promoting regional and global stability. Of course the multinational companies cannot and should not replace governments as the primary actors in international peacekeeping. However, multinational corporations working in partnerships with government and the civil society can use their business skills and financial leverage to promote regional stability. Furthermore, the multinational companies are a powerful vehicle for the transfer of not only the capital and other production functions but also managerial and technical knowledge across nations (Wenchuan Liu, 2004). Corporations have an interest in leveraging their skills and impact to promote stability in their areas of operation. All the multinational companies should bear some responsibility for the effects of their operations on the local environment and population (Juliette Bennett 2002). There are a lot of constructive engagements drives by the multinational corporations. For examples, the use of solar powered equipment to such as refrigerators which can store vital medicines in remote areas and the support for the creation of civil society in countries damaged by conflict and violence. There is a commitment from the multinational corporations to diversity founded not on quotas but based on the ability. Merit becomes the guiding factor which influences the multinational corpor ations approach to people everywhere (John Browne, 2002). Lastly, according to Juliette Bennett (2002), multinational companies can contribute to crisis management in conflict zones through commercial or philanthropic support for humanitarian relief and responsible management of security arrangements for the companys operations, thereby minimizing the risks of human rights abuses. Many cross-sector partnerships promote international security and explore conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict reconstruction strategies that address the three principal causes of conflict: corruption, poverty and social inequality. However, there is a strongly argued view that in the poorer countries of the world the role of multinationals is exploitative, environmentally damaging, and hostile to human rights and democracy, and divisive, destroying established communities. It distorts the process of development against the interests of local communities. It challenges protected niches, and established patterns of activity. It is disruptive and in places where the adjustment mechanisms are imperfect of nonexistent it produces casualties (John Browne, 2002). Besides that, according to Juliette Bennett (2002), globalization creates poverty and inequality, which in turn create the motive for much violence. Juliette Bennett further explained that the private sector is becoming more public-minded, while the public sector is becoming more business-minded. The Influence of Multinational Companies According to Maral Muratbekova-Touron (2008), globalization processes during the past decades has led to the development of the large multinational companies expanding their activities across countries and continents. One of the main issues facing the development of the global companies has always been to find the right balance between the local autonomy between subsidiaries and the control of the corporate headquarters. Compared with domestic firms, the operation of multinational companies foreign subsidiary is complicated by the existence of the dual imperatives to serve both the needs of the parent company, and possibly of other sister subsidiaries (Riliang Qu, 2007). According to Zubair M. Mohamed and Mohamed A. Youssef (2004), the growing trend among multinational companies is to leverage organizational practices across their international subsidiaries in order to improve the worldwide use of their organizational skills as an important source of competitive advantage. Traditional thinking assumed that corporate head quarters of multinational companies are responsible for the decisions concerning the roles and the capabilities of the foreign subsidiaries. However in recent reach showed that in some circumstances the management at multinational companies foreign subsidiaries are responsible for defining the strategies and objectives of their subsidiaries, within the constraints set for their opera tion (Riliang Qu, 2007). According to Daniel A. Sauers, Steven C.H. Lin, Jeff Kennedy, Jana Schrenkler (2009), Multinational companies faced the problems relate to the cultural differences. Thus, subsidiaries and joint ventures face conflicting pressures from the parent firm and the local environment. The subsidiaries of multinational companies face pressures for both local adaptation and global integration when they operate in foreign countries. Furthermore, Riliang Qu (2007) has classified subsidiaries roles within the intra-firm organisational networks of multinational companies into four categories, which are receptive, active, autonomous and quiescent subsidiaries. Receptive types of subsidiaries are highly integrated into the multinational companies network of operation and are given relatively little power in making their own decisions in relation to the local markets they serve. For the autonomous subsidiaries, are much less integrated to the multinational companies network operation and have a lot of autonomy powers. The following type is the quiescent type of subsidiaries,

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Johnny Carson :: essays research papers

Johnny Carson was born on October 23, 1925, in Corning, Iowa. He was raised in Norfolk, Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska. The actor/comedian was the host of NBC's Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992 and, though he inherited the hosting duties of the program from Jack Parr, defined the show and became the icon for late night television. For those thirty years, Johnny Carson was arguably the most popular entertainer in the country and America's most identifiable celebrity on television. Carson served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946 and moved to California in 1950 where he began working in television and radio. The first show he hosted was called "Carson's Cellar" and aired in 1951. He also wrote and performed on The Red Skeleton Show in 1954. In 1956 Carson moved to New York City and he hosted the television game show Who Do You Trust? from 1958 to 1963. During that show's successful run as ABC's top daytime program, Carson was invited to appear on The Tonight Show. His first guest appearance was in 1958 and in 1962 Johnny began a thirty year job as the show's front man. Interestingly, he co.-wrote the famous "Johnny's Theme" that opened each show with Paul Anka in 1962 and receives residuals from each daily performance to this day. The first guest of the Carson era was Groucho Marx who introduced Johnny to his new audience. Johnny Carson became known for his relaxed manner, witty commentary, and impersonations. His opening monologue became a national institution and Carson was trusted to such a degree that when he jokingly announced a shortage on toilet paper in 1973 it truly became the "Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 1973." Reports of hoarding and buying extreme quantities were off-kilter proof of his societal impact. Critics sung the praises of his monologues, describing its import in glowing terms: "a magnifying glass on American culture," and "a national institution." Johnny Carson was the most valuable asset in television, making The Tonight Show NBC's biggest money maker and its most consistently high rated program. Johnny Carson was the last person millions of Americans saw before going to sleep every night and The Tonight Show became a cultural tradition that spanned generations and races. Known for a combination of Midwestern charm and cosmopolitan wit, Johnny created the standard for late night television as well as some of TV's most enduring characters. A typical show would include Ed McMahon's introduction, "Heeere's Johnny!", a topical monologue, that famous golf swing followed by interviews with celebrities and common people, and of course, Doc Severinsen's music.