Strategic issues of Zara Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Strategic issues of Zara - Essay Example It is interesting to mention that the basic retailing theme that is followed by the flagship brand is highly unique in nature. The brand of Zara largely focuses on the process of providing fashionable retail products of average quality at highly competitive prices to the consumers of the world (Morris, 2013). It needs to be mentioned that the brand of Zara is largely present in various markets around the world. Also, the company has attained tremendously high levels of efficiencies in regards to maintaining the distribution channels as well as managing the logistics and supply chain. It can be said that the efficiency of the supply chain attained by the flagship brand Zara helps in attaining significant advantages related to shorter product lifecycle, shorter turn around and reduced time for production. Thus, it can be said that the logistic and supply chain efficiency can be treated as a pillar of strong point and significant advantage for the company. ... Detailed analysis of the competitive forces It can be highlighted that the best way to undertake an analysis of the competitive forces that are affecting the business prospects of the retail company is to conduct an analysis of Porter’s competitive forces. It needs to be mentioned that Porter’s five forces strategy talks about the competitive issues that arises from the multiple factors like bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of consumers, power of substitutes, threat of new entrants as well as inter firm rivalry (HBR, 2008, p. 4). Source: HBR, 2008 p. 4 Now matching Porter’s five forces competitive strategy with regards to organizational issues of Zara, it can be said that several challenges and cases can be highlighted at the same time. Talking in regards to the bargaining power of the suppliers, it needs to be highlighted that more than 50% of the retail merchandise of Zara are produced in an in house fashion. It is important to highlight that bec ause of this particular practice, the globally acclaimed retail organization has developed the advantage in regards to gaining momentum in various complex task based process, lower cycle time as well as minimization of error. However, talking in more details in regards to manufacturing practices, it can be said that the various processes involved in the manufacturing process of the firm’s end products are often outsourced to the network of local cooperatives, who work with the company only on the basis of long term good will. Hence, in this particular case, the negotiation power of the suppliers and local manufacturers are pretty low as compared to that of the organization.

Analysis Of The Activity Of Louis Vuitton Company Essay - 4

Analysis Of The Activity Of Louis Vuitton Company - Essay Example PESTEL stands for factors which may affect the operations of the business such as political, economic, social, technological, environmental as well as legal factors (Lancaster & Reynolds 1999). These are explained in detail below and Appendix 1 shows a summary of the major points noted. This is a very useful tool for analyzing the environment in which an organization operates. It can be noted that there are various factors that affect the operations of any given organization and these have to be taken into consideration by an organization that is serious about its viability so as to achieve competitive advantage (Kottler 1999). Any given organization is guided by certain factors that so as to ensure that it does not violate the needs and interests of the consumers as well as the other stakeholders. Political In the UK, there are policies that govern the operations of all organizations that are involved in the manufacturing of different products so as to meet the expected standards. Consumer law in the UK is effective and under the EU law, every big organization like Louis Vuitton is expected to protect the needs and interests of the customers. It can be noted that the current political environment prevailing in the EU is not exploitative which is seen as the reason why exclusive manufactures like Louis Vuitton continue enjoying growth and expansion since inception to the present day. Economic factors The organization has not been spared by the impacts of the recent global economic recession though it managed to bounce back in the first half of 2010. By virtue of specializing in producing only exclusive products with premium prices, the operations of the organization are likely to be affected during turbulent times given that premium prices charged are specifically meant for a few people who can shift their buying behavior which negatively impacts on the operations of the organization as a whole. However, LVMH- Louis Vuitton harnesses on its resilience and responsiveness even during the most difficult trying times.

International Marketing Essay Example for Free

International Marketing Essay Many researches has been conducted on flight companies that are operating and connecting all the continents, but this research is about a company that started in 1940s in an Arab country in the middle east, the company is call flight Emirates, first the company was aimed to deliver flying service in United Arab Emirates and in the region, but as soon as the company raised revenues and added new shares the company thought of going further and compete in the global market. The amazing and surprising part in this company is its ability to rapidly grow and compete perfectly in the global market not only that, it has achieved its objective in that competition as you will see in the paper. The contents of this research are four parts, in the first part we will take you through how the company started and expanded to the global market up to United State of America, vision and mission of the company in the market place. In the second part you will see how the PEST and other driving forces has effect the company operations in United States and other countries, while reaching part three the research will show how the company’s segmentation, distribution, pricing and product strategy are being perform, and we shall conclude with a comprehensive summary, analysis and present the results that we have got through out our research. The unifying them in this research is the company ability to compete in a higher competitive environment like USA not only that but resulting on generating revenue and adding value to its original capital, the company also can be count as one of the biggest flight companies in the world due to its capability and differentiation in the market place. Finally, let’s hope that our research will be a vital added value to previous researches in the same matter. PART ONE: 1.1 About flight Emirate: The beginning of Emirate flight goes back to 1959 when Sheikh Rashid Saed the government official opens the Dubai international airport and announces that Dnata company with only five staff will be in charge of ground handling services, in 1978 Mr.Manrice Flanagan was appointed by Sheikh Rashid to be the general manager of dnata company which is the operating company for flight Emirates, Mr. Flanagan later on in 1984 design how the company could possibly move to serve in air service, and with acceptance of Dubai government the company requested Pakistan international airline to lease them two aircrafts, the deals were struck to fly into Karachi, New Delhi and Bombay in India. In 1985 Sheikh Mohamed gifts two Boeing 727-2005 to the airlines, these two Boeing increased the operations where the airline was able to fly to more than twenty countries. Sheikh Ahmed later on in 1990 signed an agreement with Asian Aerospace exhibition in Singapore to add airbus A310-300s to the company. In 1992 Emirate flight become the first airline to install video system in all seats in all classes in the same year the France government allow officially the flight to operate in the country, by that time the company’s work forces become 11,000 employee. Ten years later exactly in 2011 the company managed to fly to more than 120 destinations world wide, and recorded a profit of ($1.6 billion) and bought the largest Boeing in history 50777-300ER. Flight Emirate as part of its marketing strategy has sponsored number of events and competitions e.g in 2012 the company sponsor Tennis in united state and crick’s Indian premier league. As we mentioned earlier the Dnata Company headed by smart board of directors is not an easy company and the proof is that its ability to raise the capital to $ 2 billion and the workforces from 11,000 to 62,000 employees in 2012 as it was the most profitable year for the company. The company now call the Emirate group and consist two parties Emirate and dnata company and has expanded into many business for instance, hotels, workshops and tourism and the are operating all over the world. 1.2 Flight Emirate in North and South America: Flight emirates operates in North and South America challenging Americans airlines in delivering air services it flies to Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Urguay, Canada and United States, within the United States the company operate in more than six states creating a competitive environment and adding valuing advantage to this market. The free market economy adopted by United States is a difficult market to compete in if you don’t have a competitive advantage, the flight emirate with its uniqueness and appropriate tactics has a lots of winning games as we shall discuss it later on in part three, and you will realize that the company has attracted the market using different approaches. 1.3 Flight emirates management orientation toward global business: Flight emirate as we stated earlier in our introduction started as a small company call dnata in Dubai, therefore the management structure in the early 1950 was regiocentrics but after the Dubai government increased the capital and instructed many deals the company management changed in 1960s to be geocentric orientation as the views the entire world as a potential market and strive to develop their brand and integrate in global market. The reasons why we categorize the company as a transnational company are the followings: (1) The company operates in more than 100 countries and flies all over the world. (2) The company’s work forces are more than 62,000 employee spread in six continents. (3) The company assets i.e (flights, workshops, hotels etc) are not all based in Dubai. In conclusion to this regard the emirates company management can be classified as a combined of two management structures, reogiocentric a nd geocentric because in its starts the focus was regionally but later on they progress in global scale till they adapt the geocentric orientation structure. 1.4 Flight Emirate vision and mission: Vision: The vision of flight emirate is very simple as we mentioned earlier the company started as ground services company in 1940s but after Dubai government decided to inject more capital the business increases and ambitions become more than just being a ground service company therefore in 1960s the company decided to focus broader in flight services not only in Dubai and in the region but even globally. Now the vision is to be a â€Å"leading company in flight and tourism world wide providing excellent, safe and customer satisfaction†. Mission: The mission of the company is to ensure that the flight is the choice of every traveler and to create a business competitive environment and add valuable service to the market. Differentiation, opportunities and development of a star brand in the Gulf region and all over the world is the purpose of the company’s today’s focus. PART TWO: The Business Environment: 2.1 Political, Economic, social and Technological analysis (PEST): The business environment where the company operates is an important situation that we have an obligation to express in this research, many forces drives and affect the market place of any operating company, to analyze the situation we read the political, economic, social and technology changes. Political and Economic aspects: The country where flight emirate generated from is United Arab Emirate in middle east one of the world’s largest country in oil production, the economic growth and political stability are the sign of advancement in that country. UAE currently undergoing rapid expansion in investment and private venture, the government made number of commitments to strengthen and reform its investment regulatory and make conducive environment for exports and imports. United States and UAE are strongly partners in many political alliances, economic benefits, social and cultural activities the exchange numerous of interests in regard to these issues. Politically, the relationship between the United Arab Emirates and United States has been positive and productive for more than 30 years they are a reliable allies in many military, economic, and social affairs, the United State view UAE as source of stability, tolerance, innovation and a leading figure in the Gulf region. After the US tragedy in September 11 2001 where 2,996 including hijackers killed, the US foreign policy changed a lot including the relationship with UAE based on the fact that two of the hijackers were from UAE, immediately after the attack the background security checks for an Arab visitors was very high and research shows how some harassment and hates developed against Muslim in US. In conclusion to the political environment where flight emirates operates i,e in US there is no negative impact due to the strong and smooth relationship between the two countries. Economically, the UAE is the US single largest export market in the Middle East with $1.5 billion in 20 11 most are machinery, aircraft, industrial and other valuable items, US imports from UAE in 2011 was 2.44 billion most are crude oil, aluminum and other things. The US petroleum companies played a big role in development of UAE energy sector, more than 800 US firms are operating in the UAE investing in different sectors and injecting UAE market with new jobs and opportunities of Arab youth. The research also found that the US, UAE relationship is a long term partnership and each state in US probably has its own trade relationship with UAE. Research also found that UAE is the larger operator of Boeing 777 aircraft in the world, in November 2011 Emirate flight placed an order for $ 24 billion record breaking for 50 Boeing 777-300 ERs, before that there were number of orders for purchasing Boeing from US which make the company the most consumer of this type of flights. In conclusion to economic relationship between the two countries, the flight emirates is the world’s largest operator of Boeing 777 and serves non-stop flying from Dubai, also the robust trade and investment relationship between UAE and USA is based on the political stability and diplomatic understanding. Socially, the UAE and US have a lots of social partnership in numerous of activities, UAE is an open country for visitors and legal immigrant, its population is extremely liberal and open minded society compare to the other countries in the region, UAE attracts many investors and tourist including US citizens, the US population in UAE estimated to be 4,000 people working in different sectors of production. UAE population in USA is recorded not to be affected by any violence or discrimination against any human right because US treat and protect the entire resident equally but individual harassment does exist because of personal behavior. According to researches, after September attack where two were from UAE as we stated earlier the Americans views on Islam and Arab has changeed a bit of which number of travelers to and from Arab world has decreased. Technologically, as technology refers to the application of science and research into industrial or commercial objective, it has affect societies all over the world, flight emirate in its existent relies on technology in all its operation and has benefit so much in US market on this matter, marketing customers service and other operation are possible in flight emirate because of technology and the latest news in this regard is the announcement of the company recently that it will allow all the passengers to use their cell phone in its all f light operating in US market very soon, that could not be possible if the company was not connected with USA. To conclude this topic technology has not negatively affected the operations of flight emirate in USA, it has really been a source of inspiration for the company. 2.2 The Effect of Culture and Sociology: In United States market culture as (education, religion, values, attitude etc) play a big role in business place, flight emirate with its unique study of American’s culture has found it a useful environment to operate in, US is a multi cultural community where different ethnic groups coexist without any discrimination. US market is a free economy where competition is the only factor that can push you to the top or crash you down, flight emirate adapted those diversities and without any exclusion and that is why it has been able to compete with US fight companies in the market place, as we stated earlier the only side effect on flight emirate in US market was what follows September attack when a group of terrorist from middle east and with Islam background hijack US flights and threaten US as a sovereign country, the result on that was the reduction of travelers from and to Arab countries, raising the searching system which actually targ eted travelers from Gulf countries and individual harassments by some indigenous citizens. In conclusion to culture and sociology the company does record much challenges in US market based on these aspect but the following points are what we think to be the company’s threats in US market: 1-Flight emirate generated from Arab country therefore it might be a target of terrorist and use as a cover to make insecurity in USA. 2-Services in the flight emirate are indirectly affected by Islam as the crew do welcome passengers by Quran prayers on board, this activity does not satisfy non Muslims on board. 3-Wearing of AL hijab by Arab women is not an acceptable sign by some people. 4-Citizens of UAE started to avoid traveling to USA because of long waiting visa due to background security checks. PART THREE: THE COMPANY MARKETING PLAN 3.1Marketing (country) selection and entry strategy: Flight emirate operates in more than one hundred countries and flies over six continents, the research has an interest in US market and here are the reasons why the company chosen to compete in US industry: -The airline copes and encourages free competition with other market player using a strategy known as â€Å"the open skies strategy†. -The political environment and the strong relationship between USA and UAE encouraged flight emirates to choose US as useful market to operate in. -USA is an open economy where the market competition is the art of the game, flight emirate with its quality services and competitive advantage choses to be part of it. -US dollar is the most powerful currency in the world, since the company adopted this currency to be the company main fare in its all operations than the company got it profitable to operate and expand in US market. -Flight emirate benefit mo re from long haul flying which also save fuel consumption as well as non-stop flying from Dubai to USA is profitable. -The Boeing 777 is the major aircraft used by the company hence all the accessories, parts and maintenance is cheaper and available in United States. The above reasons plus the growing business opportunities between US and UAE has increases the demand for direct flying from Dubai to United States. 3.2 Segmentation, Targeting and positioning: Flight emirate like any other flights in the airline industry has a specific strategy on targeting and positioning its self in the market place, below are the airline targets: 1-Emirate flight is one of the big airline in the world, the rapid growth of Dubai and its good relationship with other countries especially US had given a chance to the company to position it self as the major carrier between the two countries and inside the US, the company currently operates in eight states in US market targeting the following segments: 2-The demand for traveling to Dubai by tourist and business people has increased and especially in summer session where Dubai attracts more than seven million tourists. 3-Expatriates, because Dubai is a working environment and highly paid city, the demand for people to travel to and from Dubai increased hardly, many US citizens live and do business in Dubai while the also regularly visit their homes, therefore flight emirate is playing that role of targeting those group. 4-Transit passengers, before the haul long flying strategy being implemented by many companies were suffering from waiting hours, passengers from US did fly to middle east or Dubai connecting through Europe, flight emirates made it easier to dominate this segment by offering direct flight between Dubai and USA and found it very profitable. Because of demand increase within the United States, flight emirate with its quality services and golden brand attracted those groups and the company positively responded and got it much profitable. 3.3 Information and research strategy: The aim of this strategy is to keep the company growing and competitive in the market place, the information and research are the heart of any successful company, it explore opinions and attitude of customers and allow the company to predict the future result of the company’s operations. Flight emirates value information technology and research and has invested a huge of amount approximately $200 million and deployed 2,200 employees, recruited from the most qualified institutions in the world. The company’s IT department and research after ensuring solutions for the company also provide services for other business in the region as the generate revenue to the company from that services. Research found that flight emirate invest heavily in information technology and research for smooth operation and acknowledging the customers needs and demand in US market. 3.4 product strategy: Oil prices has been unstable and challenging in world’s market place for many flight companies to perform perfectly with out any conciliation or interruption, flight emirate has made it easier by signing a deal with several major oil companies to supply jet fuel to them all the time with a specific price, that deal remain unchangeable no matter what the future market may present, this fuel strategy has maintained the company profitability high among the competitors. The fight also gain a lot of profit base on product strategy through it plan of long haul flying, direct from US to Dubai because this kind of service attract big number of passengers of which the company provide cheap prices. In this strategy also the company has divided its portfolio into two, airport services and infrastructure, the airport service has to ensure the safety of passengers baggage and belonging up to the last destination, this strategy has build confident between the company and the customers. The free competition strategy that was adopted by the company enable the customers view their opinion in the services, employee training and capacity building in the company has been a successful part of the product strategy because it keeps the delivery of service in a high position. Buying new aircraft every short period is one of the promotion for product strategy and what kept the company delivering excellent services in US flight industry. 3.5 Pricing strategy: Pricing strategy is the secret of any successful company, the first thing the company does was to keep US dollar as the standard currency of exchange in the company, based on the fact that dollar is a powerful and stable currency and is convenience to all passengers regardless of their country of origin, this strategy made the company’s profit always high. The company has a sufficient strategy that enable passengers enjoy cheap pricing either in short or long haul flying, this has been a competitive advantage to the company, the company has been in the market for a short time which mean the company does not charge legacy fee in its ticket because there is no burden of pension as other companies do, the well train and qualified financial managers that the company has are playing a role of keeping the financial plan in a safe environment. The most important factor that keep flight emirate cheap and profitable is the variety of aircraft that operate in diffe rent allocation this gives the passengers the option of choosing the cheaper the can afford. All the above are supported by the fact that prices of flight are not being fixed any where because it depend on the market demand, what keep flight emirate cheap and affordable is their continuation of reading the market rightly.

Tata operates

Tata operates Introduction Tata operates over 96 companies in 7 sectors which are: information technology, communications, engineering, material, service, consumer product and chemicals. This company was founded in late 18th century in India in British rule. It has been facing problems ever since, although it turn out to be India’s largest company with revenues equivalent to nations 3.2% nations GDP in 2007. Tata International came into existence in 1962, and it has evolved into an international company with turnover more than 850 million$ in 2006-07. This company has taken over various other sectors of business adding more responsibility to the stake-holders. Here we will discuss the problems faced by Tata in United Kingdom and there PESTEL and PORTAL analysis, issues relating to Marco-environment like Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Environment and Legal. â€Å"In dynamic environment where the external situation is continually changing this analysis would be carried out regularly† (Roger Lewis, 2005). The model of the Five Competitive Forces was developed by Michael E. Porter in his book â€Å"Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors† in 1980. The five forces as describe in his book are bargaining power suppliers, Bargaining power of customers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitute and competitive rivalry between existing players. When a company enters a new market they have set a certain goals and ambitions, they first segment the market on the basis of demography, political, environmental, socio cultural, economical and geographical. Whenever any company goes overseas it needs do proper research and see if the structural fit is possible. They should also consider the macro –environment and then decide what strategies they want to adopt and which will be the best to survive. Tata has six sectors of business in United Kingdom, which are Engineering, Consumer products, Services, Information system and communications, Chemicals and Material. Tata has widely spread business, which went on acquiring many companies in United Kingdom. Under the guidance of Ratan Tata these companies have done exceedingly well, however due to financial crisis last year its profits fell from 10.1bn rupees ($214m;  £133m) in the year to the end of March, down from 20.29bn rupees a year earlier. One of the recent achievements was to present the world’s cheapest car within 2000$ which Ratan had promised to world, although it’s having problems in setting up an industry for this car. PESTEL analysis of Tata in U.K. â€Å"Organisation’s performance and effectiveness will be dependent upon the successful management of the opportunities, challenges and risk presented by changes in the external environment† Management and organisational behaviour by Laurie J. Mullins. Political problems faced by Tata in United Kingdom The political environment in United Kingdom is quite stable and much more organised than any other countries. The only problem that the firm may face is the high tax rates in this country. Which makes it more expensive as the raw material increases the cost of productions also goes up automatically and this is the reason why many firms stay out of United Kingdom. There are also some policies by the labour contract to avoid exploitation of labour which makes this country much more expensive The famous incident is Tata Nano project in west Bengal which had to be shifted due to the political pressure and there were riots and big problems. So this plant had to shift at different region finally it was decide to Gujarat. Ratan Tata had promised the world that it would be available next year for the common man. This was not happening because of this political problem. This car was also going to be exported to UK. As the production process didn’t start the other thing got to be delayed. This is how one country’s political problem affects the whole manufacturing as well as the sales of a company. Today in financial crises every government is under tremendous pressure for the lack of investment and increasing unemployment. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Tatas UK-based car maker beset by recession and falling sales, wants the Government to act as guarantor to underwrite a  £340m loan on offer from the European Investment Bank, but the Government is stalling. It also wants Labour to encourage banks to advance it loans worth  £400m â€Å"Tata Motors executives will warn Business Secretary Lord Mendelssohn that they will scrap plans to build electric cars in the UK if it does not receive a 10 million pound loan soon†. After launching the project â€Å"low carbon industrial strategy† by Lord Mendelssohn Tata showed a great deal of interest and decided to build electric cars and applied for 10 million pounds loan. The firm secured 292 million pound loan from the European Investment Bank in April, but this needs to be guaranteed by the British Government and the two sides still cannot reach agreement on the conditions, the paper reports. (ANI) Economical Problems faced by Tata in United Kingdom Corus was really in big financial crisis before and it was in argument. UK government was ready to help this steel company and it would have followed the aluminium business which went to close for shut down. A rescue package was being prepared by the government for the bail out of the Corus. The attempt was made to bail out of this crisis as this government intervention comes there is added pressure on the managing director. Sir Brian Muffed stepped down of the post. So Corus had planned to raze 543 £millon to get out of this crisis by selling the aluminium business in Dutch and this was ruled out by the court. Off course taking over an in loss company would have been difficult and also get approval from all the stake holders. Tata was eager to become world’s 5th largest steel producing company. Tata steel borrowed 1billon $ form state bank of India, with this finance Tata injected 250  £ million into Corus much more than they anticipated. The real problem of Corus was about its finance so it had to merge with an external company. There were many problems after Tata took over the Corus and many disagreed with this design of Ratan Tata but it said that â€Å"the need for steel in this world will never will be over and it will go on rising endlessly as more and more sky scrapers are being build more new constructions are being developed and new dams are being constructed the need for steel will rise and we need to produce†. Of course this is proving to be wrong as the finical crises raise the largest steel consumer China cut the down the consumption but it’s never know what may happen. According to reports Tata is planning to raze 2 £ billion pounds as it tries to cope up with the collapse of its core business and looks for the ways to salvage the acquisition such as 1.5  £ billion Ford Marques and Corus, the British steel maker bought for 6.7 £ billion nearly 2 years ago. Tata faces tremendous pressure because of the money borrowed for foreign acquisitions thanks to economic turn down and fall for the demand of their product. Tata motors needs to repay 3 £ billion bridge loan which they borrowed for JLV acquisition. Sociological problems faced by Tata in United Kingdom Every International company faces socio-cultural problems, proper research to overcome this problem is necessary. Geographically we are divided into different continents and every country has its own cultural, according to this the company’s has to adjust and make some changes to their approach. In Corus there were mixed reactions like ,Paul Hoyt who works at defender line in land rover said that â€Å"the workers were told about this deal in three minutes just before the deal was about to be confirmed. There were only leaflets and CD’s distributed about the company about Tata Company but nothing about actual sales†. Mr. Hoyt was happy to retain his job but for how long. Johanna Nichols who works at assembly line said that, â€Å"I just hope we don’t get stitched up again†. Another worker who was working for 20 years in this company described this as â€Å"good move†. Jaguar on other hand is planning to shut down a factory and stop the production for X-type cars. This move will cost 300 job cuts while trying to adjust with changing economy, where it reported a loss of 521.8$ million in 2008-2009. Tata motors have also announced to export Tata Nano in United Kingdom with some minor changes according to the rules and regulations of the country. Tata in general has to look at the boarder view at the socio cultural changes from its home country as in India is a developing nation the labour laws are not so perfectly followed. There are lots of changes in cultural like Demographic, lifestyle patterns changes, attitude towards issues like education and corporate social responsibility and ethnic and religious matters. There also been reports of cultural clashes in Tata led Nextel in South Africa between South African Indian staff and those brought from India by Tata Communications. This was denied later on by Windily Zoà «, Nextel executive head for corporate communications and branding Technological problems faced by Tata in United Kingdom. Tata has always looked positively towards technology and has invested billions of pounds for it. Tata’s led Corus and jaguar land rover are one of the most technical advance factories. Tata invests around 35% of its total profits in RD which is by far more that its competitors. Tata consultancy service (TCL) has tied up with CISCO for technology labs in India. The lab will also allowCiscoandTCSto illustrate proofs of concepts, and IT and networking methodologies for client-specific business processes. The Pune factory in India for Tata motors is more emphasised on human hand rather than robotic arms, Ratan Tata believes that the labour in India is cheap and investing more on robotic arms will push more individuals on unemployment scale. The brand new factory being set up for Tata nano in Gujarat is more technically advance to meet its demand. Tata in UK did not face any technical problems as such but there are plenty of threats that may cause these problems. As this is a more technically developed country the infrastructure available is much more advance and stable then India. As Tata telecom is ready to invest 500$ US dollars it future technology of WiMax, 4G, Wireless broadband in India. It recently formed joint venture with Boeing with investment of over 500$ million for defence-related aerospace component work in India for export to Boeing and its international customers. Tata motors European technical centre (TMETC) brought up for RD a purpose which is steadily taking Tata motors towards achieving global standards. Legal obligations faced by Tata in United Kingdom The political environment of United Kingdom is very stable and well structured. The laws and trading policies are well developed which give minimum exploitation to labours and customers. Tata comes from India where the legal environment is not so stable and the regulatory bodies are incapable to enforce laws. The British health and safety laws for the better conditions of workers are the most strong and predominant On June 30th 2009 Gordan Brown meet chairmen of Corus about the 2000 job cuts as the steel industry faces a major economic turn down. He agreed that government has already offered  £5 million pounds to help with training support across Corus sites. Buying over Land Rover and Jaguar for 2.3$ billions Tata was under tremendous pressure as there were mixed reactions from all Britain. Plenty feared about devaluation by Indian brand and suggested government to take control of Jaguar brand, as it symbolises best of British. There were no real legal or political problems faced by this company in United Kingdom. There were some MPs who did not like an Indian brand taking over British Companies. India has the second largest investment from Asia with 75 projects in 2007-07. The future changes to be expected in the legislation are mostly based on the environment effect and the green house effect on our earth. Environmental problems faced by Tata in United Kingdom Today in the ever changing environment there is lot of pressure on every industry to cut down there green house gases and cut the pollution to minimum. As the climate change is a major problem in front of humans, the changes in the basic system of industrialization is necessary. The Tata group has a set of explicit guidelines on environmental and ecological issues, and a broad range of policies aimed at helping Tata companies protect, conserve and restore our natural resources. Tata group is facing up to the challenge of climate change and making it integral to its processes. Coordinating and directing the climate change efforts of the groups companies are some of the senior-most Tata leaders. It is quite clear that the major pollution is caused by automobile industry and other commodities. Tata has its share of problems in this sector as it launched the new product Tata nano the low price car which is also to be sold in the European market by nano europa. Professor Lucas Reinders, Amsterdam Universitys professor of the environment, is very concerned: This car will offer an attractive alternative to people who rely on Indias poor public transport or who ride cycles or motorbikes on its dangerous roads. Therefore, I think theres a good chance a huge number of the cars will be sold. Professor Reinders however has different views about this car and says that even though nano is clean then motor bikes, it still drinks more fuel than motor bikes. Jaguar and land rover in UK have a different story, which is asking for more investment to meet the fuel-economy regulation in EU. LandRoverdoesn’t have a single model that comes near the EUs proposed 120g/km CO2 fleet average emissions rating, let alone an entire fleet averaging this, while Jaguar’s emissions levels are only marginally better. Corus Consulting offers a comprehensive range of environmental services which are applicable to many heavy and light industries through a number of Environmental Groups established by Corus in both the Netherlands and the UK. In all, Corus Consulting can call upon the expertise of around 120 environmental specialists within the Corus Group. Additionally The Corus Group of companies has developed numerous unique and innovative techniques used in the field of environmental practices which are used to enhance and benefit the services offered. Portal’s Five Forces for Tata Bargaining power of suppliers Bargaining power is the ability to set the prices according to changing conditions. The more concentrated and controlled the supply is the more monopolistic it is. In a truly competitive market, no one supplier can set the prices. The choice of supplier may affect every department of company directly and indirectly The fear that the production of jaguar and Land Rover can leave Midland, it is estimated that up to 90% of the suppliers in Midland employing around 15,000 people, make parts directly or indirectly for Jaguars Castle Bromwich Plant in Birmingham and Land Rover in Solihull. Corus Purchases include iron ore and coal, alloys, refractories, rolls, and paint, as well as a whole range of other goods and services. Corus expects their suppliers to be comply with law and regulation standards, appropriate health and safety standards, appropriate quality, appropriate environmental standards, financial safety, reliable supply and competitive prices. These are not unusual demands and in fact every company expects the same and demands the similar choices. Bargaining power of customer Similarly, the bargaining power of customers determines how much customers can impose pressure on margins and volumes. Customers bargaining power is likely to be high when customers buy large volume of sales; the supplying industry comprises a large number of small operations, supply industry operates with high cost. Sales for jaguar and land rover have decreased over the year and past few months it has registered loss due to decrement in sales. The table below shows us the sales of past few years and how it has decreased over the years. Jaguar Sales Land Rover Sales Sales Year 41,046 2003 41,401 2004 43,769 2005 42,793 2006 Sales Year 29,240 2003 32,535 2004 26,328 2005 23,165 2006 Threat of new entrant It’s not only the existing players in an industry pose threat to each other; a new entrant can also affect the competition. The easier it is for a new firm to enter in a business, the more cut-throat competition there will be. Factors like Government Restrictions and legislations, Patents, High Entry Cost, Existing loyalty to major brands. Tata does not hold such risk but it may have risk against new high prices and also government restrictions. As the raw material prices rise so does the cost of production, this may affect the sales and the profit margin of the company. Tata’s Taj hotels may have a threat for new hotels, although they have enough competitions already. The dream project Nano is also going to face a competition as Nissan- Renault are developing a new product similar to Nano with Bajaj the biggest two wheeler company in India . Threat of substitute of Product Substitute refers to the change of taste of customers, the threat that customer will switch to a new of a substitute product for e.g. If Tata tea (Tetley) increase their price it is quite possible that their customer might switch to coffee or a cheaper brand. â€Å"The international steel shortage and subsequent price increases have led to the manufacture of fibreglass gratings as an alternative to steel grating† says Fibreglass Grating Company MDJay Behrmann. Steel needs high costs of steel installations and maintenance, frequent replacement and steels susceptibility to corrosion and rust, alternatives to steel are being sought. Tata motors also face a major threat as the fuel crises rise and demand goes on rising, the quest to search for new or alternative source of fuel goes up. The new hybrid cars and electric cars seem to be solution for time being. There are major research labs set up by competitors to overcome this problem Tata somewhere seems to be left behind. Competitors with Industry This is the competition between the existing firms in the same sector of industry the most common example is coca cola and PepsiCo. Tata has big set of rivals in each sector of its business and it adds to change in strategies, prices, structure and finance. The competitors for Tata steel (Corus) is Arcelor Mittal, Nippon Steel (Japan), JFE (Japan), POSCO (China), these are some of the major steel producing companies in world and they stand before Corus in production bases and impose a major threat to Corus. Tata motors on other hands has major problems because in this financial crisis it has imposed a major loss of around 383$ millions. Companies like BMW, Mercedes, Toyota and Honda are major threat to Jaguar as we have seen the sales has decreased over the years and after Tata took over the company there was a big decline. The competitors impose a huge pressure on the pricing on the product and denser the competition more price effective the customer is. Conclusion Tata one of the leading company’s of India is facing some major problems due to credit crunch. Although it is in FTSE 100 it has done excellent in taking over some of the major companies and can look forward to get long term benefits. After doing the PESTEL analysis i suggest considering the economic problem which could be the major problem for the company. After analysing the Portal’s 5 forces i see a major threat from the rivalry with in Industry. Tata has a long way to go before if finally achieves its ambitions and the external factors or Macro Environment factors won’t make it easier. Bibliography Global shift: mapping the changing contours of the world economy / Peter Dicken, 2007 (page no. 57-58). Management and organisational behaviour By Laurie J. Mullins (page no 256-259) http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/india/ visited (06-06-2009) http://uk.tata.com/ visited (08-06-2009) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/ visited (12-07-2009) http://www.corusgroup.com/en/ visited (12-07-2009) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_business visited (13-07-2009) http://blog.taragana.com/n/tata-says-uk-job-cuts-likely-at-jaguar-land-rover-93565/ Visited (13-07-2009) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8074231.stm visited (14-07-2009) http://www.marketingminefield.co.uk/marketing-plan/pestle-analysis.html visited (14-07-2009) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/damianreece/5297599/Labours-cold-hearted-treatment-of-Tata-could-be-costly-to-UK-trade.html visited (16-07-2009) http://blog.taragana.com/n/tata-led-neotel-denies-problems-between-indian-south-african-staff-76091/ visited (16-07-2009) http://blog.taragana.com/n/tata-to-scrap-uk-electric-cars-project-if-10-mn-pound-loan-is-delayed-114007/ visited (16-07-2009) http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/working-with-india/india-uk-relations/ visited (18-07-2009) http://www.marketsmonitor.com/Indian-Automobile-Sector-A-Booming-Market-Report/IM526.htm visited (19-07-2009) http://www.researchconnect.com/downloadreport.asp?RepID=23987 visited (21-07-2009)

The statesman :: essays research papers

Final Paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The concept of written laws and their place in government is one of the key points of discussion in the Platonic dialog the Statesman. In this philosophical work, a dialog on the nature of the statesmanship is discussed in order to determine what it is that defines the true statesman from all of those who may lay claim to this title. This dialog employs different methods of dialectic as Plato begins to depart from the Socratic method of argumentation. In this dialog Socrates is replaced as the leader of the discussion by the stranger who engages the young Socrates in a discussion about the statesman. Among the different argumentative methods that are used by Plato in this dialog division and myth play a central role in the development of the arguments put forth by the stranger as he leads the young Socrates along the dialectic path toward the nature of the statesman. The statesman is compared to a shepherd or caretaker of the human â€Å"flock.† The conclus ion that comes from division says that the statesman is one who: Issues commands (with a science) of his own intellect over the human race. This is the first conclusion that the dialog arrives at via the method of division. The dialog, however, does not end here as the stranger suggests that their definition is still wanting of clarity because there are still some (physicians, farmers, merchants, etc†¦) who would lay claim to the title of shepherds of humanity. For this reason a new approach to the argument must be undertaken: â€Å"then we must begin by a new starting-point and travel by a different road† (Statesman 268 D.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This new approach that is taken in their search for a definition of the statesman leads the stranger to use myth in order to show young Socrates what it is that the shepherd of the human flock does. It is in the development of this myth that it is shown why the statesman can be separated from many of those who would lay claim to his title. The myth that is used by Plato in this dialog revolves around the idea of the world as being a living creature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the myth that is introduced the existence of the world is divided into two epochs, the Age of Kronos and the Age of Zeus. As the myth goes the world is endowed with motion, but alone it cannot move eternally.

Brains before Beauty in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essay -- Jane Eyr

Brains before Beauty  in   Jane Erye    Beauty is generally classified into two main categories: physical and mental. In the Charlotte Bronte's Jane Erye, the protagonist rejects by choice and submission, her own physical beauty in favor of her mental intelligence and humility, and her choice becomes her greatest benefit by allowing her to win the hand of the man of her desires, a man who has the values Jane herself believes in. She values her knowledge and thinking before any of her physical appearances because of her desire as a child to read, the lessons she is taught and the reinforcements of the idea appearing in her adulthood. During the course of the novel she lives at five homes. In each of these places, the idea of inner beauty conquering exterior appearance becomes a lesson, and in her last home she gains her reward, a man who loves her solely for her mind. She reads against her cousins wishes as a child at Gateshead, learns to value her intelligence as a child at the Lowood Institution, her mind and humilit y win the heart of Mr. Rochester at Thornfield Manor, she earns St. John's marriage proposal at Marsh's End, and in the end she wins her prize of Mr. Rochester's hand in marriage at Ferndean Manor. Jane Erye spent the beginning of her childhood at her Aunt's house, where she struggles to become more intelligent by reading books. Jane wants to learn, even though her cousin insists: "You have no business to read our books; you are a dependent" (pg. 42). Shortly after being struck for reading, she lays in bed and requests: "Gulliver's Travels from the library. This book I had again and again perused with delight" (pg. 53). Her ambition to read and better herself meets opposition from her cousins, yet she continu... ...f Love in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. David Lodge, Fire and Eyre: Charlotte Brontà «'s War of Earthly Elements Fraser, Rebecca. The Brontes. 1st ed. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Crown Publishers, 1988.    Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. 3rd ed. New York: The Modern Library. Bronte, Charlotte. "Charlotte Bronte's Letters". New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1971. Diedrick, James.   Newman on the Gentleman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/hypertext/landow/victorian/vn/victor10.html. Diedrick, James.   Jane Eyre and A Vindication   of the Rights of Woman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://spider.albion.edu/fac/engl/diedrick/jeyre1.htm. Dickerson, Vanessa D. Victorian Ghosts in the Noontide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.system.missouri.edu/upress/fall1996/dickerso.htm. Brownell, Eliza. Age Difference in Marriage: The Context for Jane Eyre   

Panera Bread Essay

In this paper I will be discussing the company Panera Bread, its history, and how they decided on the business strategy that the company uses. I will also give a description of Panera’s strategic vision and how its stakeholders enable the success of Panera. Panera was built by Ron Shaich and originally started out in 1980 with a little store that used to be called the Cookie Jar. After three decades, a merger, and an acquisition later, Shaich’s empire turned into what we now know and love as Panera Bread. (Kowitt, 2012). Shaich started this bread empire when he was attending Clark University and was kicked out of a convenience store that didn’t cater to college students. So Shaich, who was the treasurer of the student body, decided that the college should make their own store, and that is exactly what they did. After running this store for the college, Shaich loved it so much that he decided to open his own store called the Cookie Jar, and in an effort to expand his offerings he became a licensee of the French bakery company, Au Bon Pain, whom later on merged with his company. Kowitt, 2012). Later Shaich stated that â€Å"[he] was worried because the French baked goods we sold at our half-a-dozen stores were becoming pedestrianized. We decided to use the croissant and bread as a platform to sell soups, salads, and sandwiches† (Kowitt, 2012). This is where they started becoming the store we are familiar with, however they had one more change to go through before they evolved into their current format. In 1993 Shaich purchased a small lunchtime soup, salad, and sandwich chain called St. Louis Bread Co. Shaich soon realized that this is where the gem of his business was located, so he changed the name to Panera, changed the environment to encourage people to gather, and sold off the other portions of his company such as Au Bon Pain. (Kowitt, 2012). This was the turning point for the company where Shaich decided to make the full business strategy for Panera to be that of the bakery cafe set up. With a vision of providing good quality breads and foods, with excellent customer service, this is key for while other companies have cut back due to the economy. Panera has continued their game plan to ensure the greatest experience for their customers. If you walk into other companies restaurants you will see longer lines, waits, and dirty tables due to those companies cutting back, whereas Panera continues to invest in labor in their cafes and the quality of their workers, as well as in the quality of their food. (â€Å"How panera bread,† 2010). This is their long term strategy and what I believe is the key to their success and the most important part of their strategy. They put emphasis on the quality of their food and the dining experience; this has really won over the customers that want a fast, clean, and healthy dining experience. This business plan of taking care of the customer first is due to the fact that the stockholders, and Shaich, who is the largest stockholder, allow Panera to remember that they started the company to provide quality service to customers, not to make money. Realizing that the stock price is a byproduct of them ensuring the customers are happy, and not the whole point of the company. A lot of companies think only of profits and hitting the bottom line, whereas Panera views their role as delivering a valued service to their customers. (Shaich, 2011). Shaich states that â€Å"We have to spend less time figuring out how to extract economic value from our stakeholders and more time creating what is valuable to them. Doing so is what ultimately creates long-term value† (Shaich, 2011). Arguing the fact that if you make sure the service you are providing is great then the customers will come, and your stock value will rise. Just like the old adage â€Å"if you build it they will come† this is the same thing, if you build a clean friendly restaurant with quality food, then the customers will come and spend money, and this is exactly what Panera has done and why they are so successful. My recommendation to Panera is to continue doing what they are doing, ensuring that the food and service quality at their restaurants stays at the high level that they already are. Never forgetting that this is what brings them long term profits, and to always keep that goal in view, instead of stripping down their services to create vast short term profits, but hurting customer loyalty and future sells. In conclusion we can see that Panera was able to start from a small little cookie store and transform into the huge restaurant chain it is today by focusing on taking care of their customers and not just looking at the bottom line of a balance sheet.