Childhood Obesity Essay - 2532 Words

Introduction Obesity is on the rise in America. News articles and scientific reports unanimously agree that America is becoming the most overweight country in the world, and other developing countries are not far behind. In addition, these countries children are now becoming as overweight as their parents and other adults. Unlike these adults, children seldom have the knowledge and control over their lifestyle to contribute to either health or obesity. Prominent researchers in the field exemplify the need for quick action. They state, The effects of childhood obesity on morbidity and mortality indicate that effective prevention and therapy for childhood obesity are likely to have a significant impact on adult disease†¦show more content†¦Being overweight can have both psychological and physical ramifications. Obesity is linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, total mortality and certain cancers in adulthood (Harlan 2). Research published in the New E ngland Journal of Medicine states that obesity present in young women was associated with an adverse impact associated with an adverse impact on household income, education, and rates of marriage, poverty, and college completion (Gortmaker 1008). Reducing the incidence of obesity will benefit these parts of society as well. Furthermore, according to research by Price, Overweight children are especially vulnerable to stigmatization because of the importance given to physical skills and appearance during the developmental years (95). Additional research has looked at childrens views toward other children who show a disability. Results showed that depictions of obese children were consistently rated less positively than most of the other depictions of children, including children in wheelchairs, on crutches, with limbs missing, and with facial deformity (95). With research showing these serious effects, ways to effectively reduce and prevent childhood adiposity (body fat) must be offered. Changes in diet, exercise, and the implementation of social programs are three presented here. Effect of Diet The first argument states that diet is the problem and should be addressed to controlShow MoreRelatedChildhood Obesity : A Obesity1247 Words   |  5 PagesChildhood Obesity: A Review to Prevent the Risk Factors of Childhood Obesity in Our Community. The rates of childhood obesity Worldwide are alarmingly high! Obesity is a global nutritional concern and leads to horrible consequences on our children and becomes a worldwide pandemic. Worldwide estimates of obesity are as high as 43 million, and rates continue to increase each year. In this study, people will find healthy tips to prevent childhood overweight or obesity to help children in our communitiesRead MoreThe Prevalence Of Childhood Obesity1678 Words   |  7 PagesThe prevalence of childhood obesity has remained a serious matter in the United States over the years despite its recent decline (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Children who are obese can experience the same devastating health effects as adults who are obese – cardiovascular issues, diabetes, breathing problems, and so forth. In addition, children who are obese are more than likely to become obese as adults, therefore the development of a health fair that would highlight increasedRead MoreThe Effects Of Obesity On Childhood Obesity Essay1953 Words   |  8 Pagesfind out what has caused or what the leading factors to obesity are. Researchers are currently still doing research to find out what causes or what may be the lead to obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition which considers a child to be obese if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. (Rendall., Weden, Lau, Brownell, Nazarov Fernandes, 2014). Obesity is on a rise in the Unites States and all over the worldRead MoreEssay on Childhood Obesity1599 Words   |  7 PagesChildhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The problem is global and is steadily affecting many low- and middle-income families particularly in the United States. The socioeconomic status of these families contributes to the childhood obesity epidemic. Summary of Article 1 The article, â€Å"Beliefs about the Role of Parenting in Feeding and Childhood Obesity among Mothers of Lower Socioeconomic Status† is a study that was conducted by Alison KalinowskiRead MoreChildhood Obesity : Obesity And Obesity Essay1671 Words   |  7 PagesFight to End Obesity Childhood obesity has increased drastically over the past years and has become a health risk to children. In fact, childhood obesity has doubled in numbers in the past thirty years (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obesity occurs when an individual becomes overweight and can be diagnosed by using the body mass index or BMI scale. Obesity causes many diseases in children which cannot be cured without a doctor, in result, childhood obesity drives high health care costs. The existenceRead MoreChildhood Obesity and Its Effect1260 Words   |  6 PagesChildhood obesity is considered to be a serious issue among our youth. Obesity can cause many types of physical problems, which most are aware of, but it can also cause some undesirable internal feelings within children and adolescents who suffer from it. Self-esteem, or self-worth, is important as it helps develop personality and is a major ingredient to our mental health status (Wang, F. and Veugelers, P. J., 2008). Some have said obesity may e ven have a negative effect on cognitive developmentRead MoreChildhood Obesity : The Adolescent Essay3626 Words   |  15 PagesChildhood Obesity: The Adolescent The Finale Paper Presented to: GEN499: General Education Capstone Instructor: Robert Bass Ashford University By: Ranita Wallace March 27, 2015 Childhood Obesity: The Adolescent Obesity is a growing health problem. Obesity is when individuals are overweight, it causes health problems and is a threat to their lives. Usually obesity is a result from over eating and lack of exercise. Obesity is the cause of many health problems such as diabetesRead MoreChildhood Obesity Essay976 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to a 2010 report by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past thirty years. As well as having an impact on health, studies have cited a relationship between obesity and poor school performance as well as a child’s readiness for learning and education. This can be correlated with studies finding â€Å"obese children have a greater risk of social and psychological problems, such as discrimination and poor self-esteem†Read MoreChildhood Obesity : Obesity And Obesity1505 Words   |  7 PagesChildhood Obesity Introduction Childhood Obesity has become more critical public health issue worldwide. However, obesity ratio varies from country to country. In addition, up to a quarter of Australian children are suffering from childhood obesity and obese children are at higher risk to become obese adult. For this reason, child’s weight always matters because it can impact on their health in future. There may be many reasons which affect childhood obesity including sedentary life style, lack ofRead MoreObesity : Childhood Obesity And Obesity955 Words   |  4 Pageswhere the life expectancy of today’s generation is being threatened. Prevention of overweight and obesity is imperative. Parents, especially mothers play a major role in preventing overweight and obesity among the children. Their knowledge of nutrition, food selection and family meal structure has major impact on their children’s food habit. The preschool age is crucial for the children to learn and develop their lifelong hab its. Education starts from home, where parents are the primary source

How Technology Is Causing The Decline Of Morality

Every year, machines and the technology that builds them are advancing at an irreversible rate that we cannot control. It is speculated that we will reach singularity during the 21st century, and with advances like cloning, society’s morality begins to be questioned. The film Blade Runner and short story â€Å"Margin of Error† bring up questions of morality related to technology, and I will use these works as reference to strengthen my arguments. The continuous evolution of technology is causing the decline of morality in society. You do not have to look into the future to witness the effects of technology on morality, in fact you can look around the world today. The introduction of the internet for example, brought a whole new test to morality, because now humans were given the ability to communicate to an audience of millions, and had the power to do it anonymously. New issues in society began to rise like online child pornography, cyber-bullying, and other immoral ac ts. The internet also is infamous for having the ability for anyone to upload anything, including false information that can be taken as truth. Deceit contradicts the moral value of truth, and the internet is helping fuel these lies. Television is an even older example of technology negatively affecting society’s morals. The amount of sex, drugs and violence has been on a steady rise ever since the introduction of the television, and has desensitized our society. Morality is lost when we beginShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical Implications Of Technology1304 Words   |  6 Pagestechnical, social, and financial questions regarding the effects of energy sources which lead to questions of morality in pursuing further development of these sources. The ethical implications of technology can be analyzed through both a utilitarian and Kantian viewpoint in order to illuminate how society should proceed, especially in relation to the energy crisis, which describes the increasing decline in fossil fuel availability. Because many people use products that require electrical energy either directlyRead MoreContingency Planning And Its Effects On The Environment956 Words   |  4 Pagesenable them to continue thriving. Various changes will occur in the social life, and most of them would be inclined to the downside. For instance, the health sector will be at mess because most hospitals use power in the modern world, leading to the decline in the health services. The education sector is also not an exception. The digitalization of learning systems in the civilized society made learning easier. Since the systems use power, education will also be altered. Thus, the outage will paralyzeRead MoreUse Of Symbolic Communications For An Individual Act Of Faith1569 Words   |  7 Pagesaren’t able to be physically seen which all religions can agree on. However during prayer or any acts of religious service the unknown presence of the divine or demonic entities is strongly felt. Myth could also be rece ived in a way to characterize how we interpret evil and the ways to save ourselves from our own personal faults. The term â€Å"myth† describing the scriptures of each religion is rejected by all religions. It’s not looked upon to the believers as a myth but a spiritual encounter. ScholarsRead MoreFeudal Europe Essay1611 Words   |  7 Pagesthe transition of this society from a sociological perspective covering; the rise of feudalism, the hierarchical structure of feudal Europe, the feudal mode of production, urban life, the role of religion and finally, the decline of the feudal period. Harman (2008) explains how Rome ruled its Empire in the West and East for 600 and 1600 years respectively. The Western Empires slave based economy collapsed in 410 AD effectuating the end of Roman governance. Germanic invaders settled in the landRead MoreThe Sources And Outcomes Of The Gift Of Life Essay1509 Words   |  7 Pagesmistrust, unawareness, and religious myths. In addition, if the transplantation industry petitioners effectively utilize the resources, whether it’s through technology, communication, pamphlets, or the outreach programs known as the National MOTTEP (Callender, Miles, 2001), the intended outcome will conquer the insufficiency in donor decline to promote the supplemental increase of organ donors. This outreach program retrieved data from 914 consenting adults. The participants observed the significantRead MoreCensorship of Howard Hawks’ Film, Scarface Essay2339 Words   |  10 Pagesas adultery, prostitution and divorce. The question was how censorship should be placed on films as well as to what extent in the way these controversial topics were presented (Black 53). Continuing the battle over screen content was not an easy task—issues were intensified as United States was facing the greatest economic decline in U.S. history caused by the Depression. As economic conditions were declining, the film making technology was improving greatly, making more exciting movies by turningRead MoreMuddled Generation2296 Words   |  10 Pagesthis a feature of the teenage years through the decades or can we point to a generational shift? Is there evidence that recent generations of youngsters are finding it harder to make and keep commitments? The decline in marriages and the rising age of those who do marry1, as well as the decline in life-long religious vocations, seem to point towards an inability to commit for the long haul. There is also less involvement by young people in politics and action groups as evidenced by the drop in membershipRead MoreHungry for a Change: Factory Farms Essay2508 Words   |  11 Pagesunconscious, so it does not feel an ything when the jugular vein is cut killing the animal. Now, this is not promoting factory farming, it is just showing how agriculture is. There are more negative effects than positive when it comes to factory farming. A new century is just beginning and as it is starting to progress, everyone is turned to the future and how we could become better as a world. Many people want better, faster, and easier ways to do things. These trends of making things easier are even makingRead MoreOppresion From Processed Food Chains Essay2107 Words   |  9 PagesThe industrial food chain made its debut with the charm of the domestication of corn and is the successor to the historic nature confined food system. In the book, Pollan addresses the effects that commodity corn have had on the food industry, and how the current food available had made the dilemma that people have to faced when selecting food to eat an acuity decision. In the mist of his journey, Pollan encounters the structure of the nation’s industrial food chain in which he speculates about whoRead MoreThe Security Of Your Own Home2510 Words   |  11 Pagesviolating your right to privacy (Scruggs, 2016). Established as it may be that a lan dlord spying on you in your bedroom is illegal, technology companies and their spread of big data appear to be getting a pass on the privacy front. Before the Xbox One was released back in November of 2013, Microsoft had unwittingly sparked a controversy over some of the included technologies with the next-generation gaming console. The biggest component that drove this controversy, was the now integrated Kinect motion

Week 2 Free Essays

Assignment: * Collaborate with your learning team to discuss the previous week’s objectives. * Discuss what you learned, what could be applicable to your workplace or personal life, and how your knowledge has increased as a result of what you experienced through the learning activities in the previous week. * Submit your team summary of the discussion in a 1- to 2-page Microsoft ® Word document. We will write a custom essay sample on Week 2 or any similar topic only for you Order Now In week two I learned a lot about how different databases reflect in different ways according to the different business needs. During the second discussion question I learned about how the two major databases, Microsoft Access and Oracle are leading the top businesses today. There were many differences between the two and I found that in my career I have been using both without knowing it at first. The individual assignment was probably the most informative portion of the week because I was able to learn more about the business systems and am now able to apply them to where I work now. What I learned from week one: This week I learned about the top two databases, different types of information systems, and the benefits they have in today’s businesses and the competition. I’m remembering how much planning must go into creating a business and the need for a full business plan detailing every single aspect of what will be required such as the information system used. Databases can hold many terabytes of data and can easily be backed up for emergencies which is especially helpful as data increases or rots over time. They sort information, eliminate mistakes and, track data, generate knowledge and utilize a variety of applications. Almost all organizations are using databases. Warehouses use them to analyze data to generate information in order to decide how well they are doing, what they need to do, and how to best utilize their assets in order to expand. Additionally, I learned that the system and applications used in a business depend on the need and expenses of the business. Conclusion: How to cite Week 2, Essay examples

Business Plan for a Golf Resort free essay sample

Executive Summary The all new Marriott’s Golf Club Shanghai is first of its kind in Shanghai where there are already 15 other franchises of Marriott present. The 200 room hotel resort will consist of a 32 storey building with a modern design, a golf course which will stretch on 160 acres of land, spa treatment facility and a number of finest dining restaurants. The hotel resort will be located in the suburbs of the city Shanghai near the Longhua Temple with beautiful scenery. There are three local owners who are setting up this business venture with the legal structure being Limited Liability Company (LLC). The target market will be the businessmen looking for a luxurious but affordable stay in Shanghai, families who want to spend their vacations in a resort and couples looking for hotels for romantic nights. The hotel has a pretty strong customer base as it will inherit many guests from its parent company Marriot International Inc. We will write a custom essay sample on Business Plan for a Golf Resort or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Business Plan for a Golf Resort This is a business plan for a golf resort which is to be constructed in the suburbs of Shanghai, China. This resort will be a franchise of Marriott and will have approximately 200 rooms, a golf field, spa treatment facility and a number of fine dining restaurants. The plan consists of the description of the business strategy, marketing strategy, advertising campaigns, market analysis and target audience analysis. The plan also covers the organizational chart, job descriptions and a sample menu. Statement of Purpose Marriott has always been hospitable towards its customers and introduced reward program for its regular customers and in 2004, there were more than 20 million members of Marriott Reward program. The purpose of the business is to provide the valued customers one more resort which will have a 160 acre golf field. Marriot is a great place to spend vacations, stay for the entire business trip and to take the family for exploring new regions of the world. The core values of Marriott have always been its customers and the company has strived to provide the customers with superior service. The resort will follows the adage that â€Å"the customer is always right†, therefore the management will give attention to everything the customer has to say. Great restaurants are a part of every Marriott hotel so that the guests do not have to step outside for having their favorite meals. There is no Marriott’s golf resort in the country of China; therefore this will be the first of its kind Marriot’s hotel in the country which inhibits one-third of the world population. Foundation of the company took place when Willard Marriott and his wife Alice Marriott set up their root beer stand in 1927 in Washington. Within two to three years, the business started expanding with food items being added to the menu. The company gained a corporate status in 1953 when its stock became public. Before that the company continued the expansion of its food-services in airports, defense industry and opened up its branches in other parts of the country. In 1957, Marriott inaugurated its first 365-room hotel in Virginia. In the 1960s and 70s, Marriott opened up a series of international hotels and theme parks and acquired come restaurant chains and resort properties. On the 50th anniversary of the company, the company had topped sales of US$1 billion. In the mean time, the company was working for the society and on of the examples is Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities. At the end of the nineteenth century, 2000 hotels had been owned by the company and the sales had reached US$8 billion. This resort intends to follow the lead of its parent company and the owners and management will strive to provide the best service to the customers. Marriott has always been open to creativity and innovation in serving the guests at the best level. In return, the customers count on Marriott’s unique quality, culture and personalized service, no matter where they travel. The purpose of the new hotel resort that is to be built is to provide the guests with a complete entertainment on the resort with an 18-hole golf field, a playground and spa treatment and a number of quality dining restaurants. The reason for providing these facilities is that the 200-rooms hotel’s guests get a complete leisure package on their holidays in this Marriot hotel. They will not need to visit the city for superior dining restaurants, as they will be available in the hotel. Name and Legal Structure The name proposed is ‘Marriott’s Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai’. Here Gongshan is a word in Chinese (Simplified), which means Description of the Business The addition of Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai to the 2,400 Marriott resorts in more than 70 countries around the globe is as unique as the other 2,400 counter parts in the world. Although each resort and hotel is unique according to the local culture and has been designed with the perspective of social responsibility and community engagement, but in each of them there is a Marriott way about serving the associates and the customers. The core principles that were established by the Marriot family in 1929 have inspired every associate in the 2,400 hotels administrations. And the new Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai to be developed will also continue to serve upon the principles laid by the Marriott family. Marriott Vacation Club has a philosophy of â€Å"Spirit to Serve†, as it is mentioned by the Marriott Vacation Club website. Therefore the guests who will come to stay in the hotel resort will have a feeling of being privileged. The vision of the business is to become one of the unique hotels of the Vacation Club division in the area. It is also the vision of Marriot Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai to serve all types of customers and attract customers from diverse background into the hotel. The hotel, its golf course, its spa treatment edifice and the whole property ahs been insured and business protection is given to the owners and managers of the hotel (Nichols, 2008). The golf course workers and spa workers are provided insurance protection for any injuries at the job. The hotel insurance includes coverage of any of the natural disasters including earthquake, flood, and wind and against any crime. Insurance for builder’s risk, interruption of any sort, machinery and liqu or liability is not covered in the insurance policy for Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai (Nichols, 2008). Description of the Concept The hotel building will be of 32 stories with 12 lifts for the guests, 3 lifts being reserved for the Club Suite guests. The hotel is located in the suburbs of the city Shanghai and on 15 minutes drive, Grand Theatre of Shanghai, Art Museum, Shanghai Museum and some fine dining places is accessible to the guests. All kinds of rooms will accommodate only two people and will have a standard working table, fridge, mini bar, cupboard and locker. All the rooms are equipped with luxury bedding, LCD television, Surround Sound Technology, wireless and DSL internet access and DVD players. These rooms have been designed with international standards which are ready to adapt to any needs of the guests. Three types of rooms will be available for the guests which are described below Club Suite: These are the top of the line rooms which have a king size bed and a sofa set which can be converted to a bed and are largest in the area covered. These rooms will have a complementary supply of alcoholic drinks and cocktails in the room mini bar. The guests who choose to live in this type of room will have access to executive level and private lounge located on the first floor of the building with complementary breakfast and snacks in the evening. These rooms will be located on the three top floors giving the guests a view of Longhua Temple. The guests for Club Suite will also have a special access to the golf course, swimming pool, one spa treatment during the stay by our unique Thai missus. The maximum number of occupancies in a Club Suite is two people. Duplex Suite: These rooms will consist of 2 bedroom Bi-level suite and are an ideal choice for families which come to Shanghai to spend a week or two in the city. The special feature of the room is the dining area within the room where the whole family can have meals together. Special rates are given to the guests who stay in this room for trips in the city and also for trips to the adjoining cities of Shanghai. The maximum number of occupancies in a Duplex Suite is five people. Premier Room: This room consists of a double queen bed or two single beds and has a sitting area connected to it. The room has access to the swimming pool and newspapers are delivered to the rooms on request. There are grab bars in the bathrooms and has 24-hours room service. The maximum number of occupancies is two people. The rooms are designed to provide a spectacular view of the nearby suburbs of Shanghai and the traditional town. The access to the city center is very easy as it is just a 15 minutes drive from the hotel. There are many entertainment facilities that are available in the hotel which includes the swimming pool which will be accessible everyday from 7 a.m. in the morning to 8 p.m. in the evening. The Spade Bar at the pool side provides alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to the guests and its timings are the same as for the pool. On Saturdays there will be a live belly-dance on the pool side and the pool and Spade Bar will be open the whole night till 4 a.m. The Golf Course will be free for the guests who are staying in the Club Suites and its timings will be from 9 a.m. till 7 p.m. The Golf Course will cover and area of almost 150 acres of land which will be planted with trees and grass which will consume 10 billion liters of water every day. The Golf Course will be of the international standard and approved by Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and National Golf Foundation. The Mini-Golf Course will be open at the night time from 7 p.m. till 4 a.m. and has no minimum age. Children can enjoy the Mini-Golf game and it is free for the all the guests. There will be a number of restaurants with different themes and other chains of fast food and ice-cream like McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, Baskin Bobbins and Cold Stone Creamery will be allowed to open up their franchises in the vicinity of hotel at different location. Licenses and Lease Every hotel that opens up in China needs to obtain a license from the Chinese government organization CNTA. Before starting the construction of the hotel and even before leasing the land for the construction of hotel and golf resort, this license needs to be obtained from the government of China. This license will enable the owners to start the construction of the hotel. The golf course, spa treatment facility and the restaurants will need to obtain separate licenses to operate in the hotel vicinity. The 160 acres land will have to be leased from the government on special rates with the collaboration of some local bank. Market Analysis and Strategy Marriott’s Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai focuses on the international tourists from around the world, who have an interest in playing golf and want to enjoy their stay in Shanghai. The hotel targets those tourists and local golf players who have a desire for spending their holidays in a fun filled resort and a fascinating atmosphere. China has approximately 7,500 hotels; the industry has faced growth of 20 per cent since 2000 (Access Asia Ltd., 2002). The hotel industry in Shanghai has boosted in particular with the help of growing number of exhibitions and conferences (Access Asia Ltd., 2002). The market in Shanghai has also witnessed a general rise in the local travelers using hotels (Access Asia Ltd., 2002). Largest number of tourist visit China from Asia followed by U.S.A. and Europe and within Asia the main countries from where the tourists visit China are Japan and Korea. The suburbs of the city Shanghai are less developed than the city center; therefore the suburbs offer more opportunity for the hotels. SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses The suburbs of Shanghai offer more opportunities for the hotels as there is not much development there The Golf Course will be a major attraction for the tourists and locals too The fast food chains and dining restaurants offer dining facilities and meals of every type which will permit the tourists to spend in the hotel instead going outside to dine Spa treatment will make the guests spend more and hence the revenue will rise 200 rooms will make sure that there is always accommodation available hence there will be less lost customers The hotel is a franchise of a major international chain Marriott which has 2,400 hotels and resorts around the world Any shortfalls in the funding will be covered by Marriott International The regular customers of Marriott and those who have joined the Marriot Reward club are sure to stay in Marriott’s Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai whenever they visit Shanghai The golf resort will inherit the loyal customers of the company Marriott International which is a major advantage The hotel is not present in the city center which makes it isolated from the night life, shopping centers and restaurants in the city There is no other recreational activity nearby other than what the hotel offers which makes the hotel and easy choice out for the guests Only three types of rooms are available which gives the guests less variety to select from No recreational activities are available in the hotel in which the whole family can get involved The restaurants present in the resort are very expensive in comparison to the dining cafà ©s in the downtown Most of the fast food chains in the hotel are American, Italian and Indian fast foods are not made available Spa treatment and massage facilities are only carried out Thai workers Opportunities Threats Expenditure by the tourists in China is expected to reach US$ 85 billion till 2011 The tourist sector is booming in China China has a strong and unique culture that the tourists from around the world want to experience Shanghai is among the top three cities of China which receive the major tourists from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and foreigners (Research In China, 2007) Shanghai attracts the most number of foreign tourists than the other cities of China (Research In China, 2007) International conferences and exhibitions are taking place in Shanghai at an increasing rate for example Shanghai World Expo The law and order situation in China is usually under control and there are no records of any terrorism activity in the country There are chances for excessive expansion of the hotel industry as it took place in the 1990s and the industry suffered from its negative consequences There is global recession in the world which is holding back many of the tourists in many countries and has reduced the expenditure of the foreigners in China Most of the hotel rooms are occupied by the businessmen who visit China for business purposes and it the recession does not improve, the hotel room occupancy will fall Location Analysis The hotel will be located in the suburbs of the city if Shanghai, near the Longhua Temple. The temple and the surrounding atmosphere provide a perfect view of the culture of the city and country. In the spectacular view, the far stretched Golf Course on160 acres, owned by the hotel resort, is also incorporated. The major setback of the location is that the hotel is far from the city center which will cut from it the major amnesties of the Shanghai city like the Grand Theater of Shanghai. The hotel is also cut off from the restaurants in the city and local dining facilities and shopping malls of the city. Competitive Analysis The lodging industry in Shanghai is highly competitive as there are more than 2,000 hotels in the city and suburbs of the city. The key player in the city of Shanghai as well as China is Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels. All the major international chains of hotels are trying to make their position strong in the country as tourism industry is booming. The Marriott alone has 15 hotels in the region of Shanghai and the Marriott’s Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai will have to compete with its own franchises as the presence of Marriott in Shanghai is gaining. Target Market The target market for Marriott’s Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai will bee the business travelers who want to stay in executive rooms without paying too much and want leisure in their free time. Also the target market includes the families who are looking for extended stay in two joined rooms with their kids and enjoy their vacations. The locals of China are also the target market who want to enjoy playing golf at their doorstep. Pricing Strategy The pricing strategy to be used for Marriott’s Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai is Skim Pricing. This is because the concept of Golf Course is relatively new in the city of Shanghai which inhibits numerous hotels and resorts. Through this strategy, the hotel will attempt to skim the market by setting high prices for the hotel accommodation. Those customers will be sold targeted who are not priced sensitive and want to be the first ones to live in the resort which is one of its kind in the city. The demand of the hotel is expected to be relatively inelastic; therefore, in the beginning, those customers only should be sold the services who can afford to pay more. One more reason for selecting skim pricing as the pricing strategy is that the owners want to recover as much investment as possible in the beginning because of the heavy initial investment on the resort and its far stretched 18-holes grand Golf Course. Food Services Menu and Beverage List Pricing There will be different categories of foods available at the room service including American, Continental, Italian, Indian, Thai and Chinese cuisines. The food products will be of the finest quality and prepared with care and pure hygienic conditions. The chefs will focus on the presentation of the food with creative ideas and the portions of meals will be modestly sized. The food items will be priced with a margin of 130% above the cost of the food item. This inflated rate is kept in consideration of the cooking costs and salaries of the chefs. The room service will also provide the finest beverages in the town, sensational cocktails and alcoholic drinks. The wines list includes wines from France, Argentina, England and New Zealand. The beverage list also includes a selection of finest beers from around the globe, the best vodkas and scotches. These exotic drinks will be priced at a margin of 220% above the cost price for a single serving and the whole bottle will be priced at a margin of 200% above the cost. Hotel Room Pricing The hotel rooms pricing is the most difficult part when making the plan for a new hotel resort. In this particular case however, we are considering the pricing strategy of market skimming. Hence the prices for the rooms will be more than perceived for the first few months of the opening and only the exclusive, loyal customers will be invited first to spend their vacations in the hotel. The inflated pricing for the first four months of the opening are mentioned below according to the room type: 1 Club Suite: US$ 1200 / night inflated rate, US$ 600 / night normal rate 2 Duplex Suite: US$ 1000 / night inflated rate, US$ 480 / night normal rate 3 Premier Room: US$ 600 / night inflated rate, US$ 300 / night normal rate Advertising and Promotional Campaign Communication The major medium that will be used for marketing is the television; international channels such as CNN, BBC, Espanol, and National Geographic will be chosen for broadcasting the commercials of Marriott’s Gongshan Golf Club Shanghai (Farrell, 2007). Other media that will be used in the advertising campaign will be in-flight television channels of international airlines such as Air China, Cathay Pacific, PIA, Japan Air Lines and Qantas (Farrell, 2007). In addition to this the campaign will include print media, the magazines that are viewed by the professionals and families around the world such as the Economist and Business Week (Farrell, 2007). Target Audience The target audience for these messages and commercials are the tourists who are heading towards Shanghai for their business trip and who identify the veracity of business tour. These people know that the business tour can cost a lot and their hotel choice can help them accomplish to reduce the expenditure as much as possible with enjoyment of all the luxuries and services during their stay. The target audience also includes the family heads that are responsible for planning out a family trip to some foreign country or a vacation in another country. Other target audience is the people who have the love for the game golf and can travel a thousand miles to play on a world class grand golf course in Shanghai. Financial Data Source of Funding The sources of investment consist of the equal amount of capital from each of the three investors who are also the owners of this LLC hotel. The rest of the funding will be made by the Marriott International Inc, which is the parent company of the resort. Balance Sheet Assets (000s of US$) Current Assets Cash 135.0 Account Receivables 899.0 Inventories 1,901.0 Other Current Assets 435.0 Total Current Assets 3,368.0 Total Net Fixed Assets 1,443.0 Land and Building 4,090.0 Total Assets 8,903.0 Liabilities and Equity (000s of US$) Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 704.0 Short-Term Debt 120.0 Other Current Liability 1709.0 Total Current Liability 2,533.0 Long-Term Debt 4,990.0 Total Liability 7,523.0 Owner’s Equity Jin Quinn’s Equity 460.0 Xing Huang’s Equity 460.0 Loews Jiao’s Equity 460.0 Total Equity 1,380.0 Total Liability and Owners Equity 8,903.0 Break-Even Analysis In the analysis, we are going to assume the selling price to be equal to the average rent of the hotel rooms for a night (US$ 1000/night). The variable cost per unit is assumed to be US$ 700. Break-Even Point= Fixed Costs/(Unit Selling Price-Variable Costs per unit) Break-Even Point= 5,533/(1,000-950) Break-Even Point= 110 rooms The business will have to fill 110 rooms for breaking even. Appendices Organizational Chart Job Descriptions of Management Positions General Manager: the job of General Manager is to supervise the tasks and performance of the managers of other departments. He is also responsible for dealing with any issues on a large scale and finding the best solution for the best solution for it. Front Office Assistant Manager: he will coordinate the activities of front office of the hotel and resolve any problems such as complaints from the guests etc. The person will also be responsible for assigning tasks and duties of the workers and observe the performance of the workers. Restaurant Assistant Manager: the person will be responsible for the daily activities of the restaurant and also for deliveries of the meals to the guests in their rooms upon request. The manager will also be responsible for defining the tasks for the workers, kitchen staff and the service waiters. Kitchen Assistant Manager: responsible for the maintenance of kitchen and ordering the suppliers and maintaining the correct amount of inventories. The person will also be responsible for assigning duties to the chefs and for managing the performance of the chefs. Any complaint from the guest or customer will be immediately dealt by the kitchen assistant manager. Housekeeping Assistant Manager: the job is to ensure clean and attractive rooms for the guests and supervise the cleaning activity and the performance of the workers. Ensuring the delivery of housekeeping supplies to the guest’s room upon request and assign duties to the personnel. Admin and Accounts Assistant Manager: responsible for the payments by the guests and the correct maintenance of their accounts. The person is also responsible for maintenance of all the records of the daily transaction of the hotel. Golf Course Maintenance Assistant Manager: to manage the cleanliness, maintenance and horticulture of the 160 acre land. Ensure that the correct amount of water is being supplied to the land and the guests have no problem while enjoying their game. Daily complaints of the guests and any issues are dealt by the assistant manager of golf course maintenance. Assistant Manager of Bars: responsible for the dress of the waiters, cleanliness of the bars, and performance of the workers. The job of the person will be also to ensure the supplies of the beverages are inventoried and any shortfalls are ordered at the right time by the procurement department. Sample Menu Todays Special Business Lunch $31 Appetizer Fried Meat Balls or Tomato Curry Salad with Dip Entree Beef or Lamb ribs, served with boiled rice and mashed potatoes with a barbeque sauce OR Great Alabama Burger with double Cheese, served with French fries and a cocktail OR Black Pepper Beef Steak with Red Shrimps, served with French fries, green leaves and pickled cucumbers Dessert Egg Pink Pudding With Cherry popsicle or Chocolate Lava With roasted white topping and dark chocolate sauce References Zahorsky, Darrell. (2007). Limited Liability Company 101. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/ownership1/a/LLC.htm Nichols, Lisa. (2008, March 20). Insurance for Hotels and Motels. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from http://businessinsurance.suite101.com/article.cfm/insurance_for_hotels_and_motels Access Asia Ltd. (2002, September). Hotels in China: A Market Analysis. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/42679 Research In China. (2007). China Hotel Market Report. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from http://www.researchinchina.com/Htmls/Report/2008/3143.html Farrell, June. (2007, November 29). Marriott Launches Dynamic, Integrated Global Advertising Campaign. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from http://www.marriott.com/news/detail.mi?marrArticle=295788 Marriott. (2009). Guest Room in Detail. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-rooms/shaqi-shanghai-marriott-hotelhongqiao/ Hoovers. (2009). Marriott Balance Sheet. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from http://www.hoovers.com/marriott/ID__56078,period__A/free-co-finbalance.xhtml

Scientific Literacy And The Frankenstein Monster English Literature Essay Essay Example

Scientific Literacy And The Frankenstein Monster English Literature Essay Essay Scientific literacy is the ability to grok scientific constructs which are of import in doing single determinations and take parting in activities that are good for the societal, political and economic personal businesss of the society. It encompasses inquiring inquiries and happening replies to affairs that may originate due to curiosity about mundane life. To acquire an penetration in scientific literacy, an person should be able to read as much scientific works as he or she can in order to do an informed determination about certain phenomena in the existent universe. Harmonizing to Lee Gentry ( 2000 ) a society with a high figure of scientifically illiterate people is at a disadvantage because such people will non understand things that go on around them because most of the things that affect our life have either a technological or scientific background. Therefore illiterate people will non be able to even debate on issues impacting the environment, technology and medical defence proposals. We will write a custom essay sample on Scientific Literacy And The Frankenstein Monster English Literature Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Scientific Literacy And The Frankenstein Monster English Literature Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Scientific Literacy And The Frankenstein Monster English Literature Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Harmonizing to Dr Phil Science literacy enables an single to understand the universe around him through observation of the critical factors around him or her. Science literacy enables people who have done scientific discipline to be able to understand the current universe that is driven by scientific discipline and engineering. This literacy enables an person to be able to separate between fact and guess which will be really utile in separating the truth in media and political sphere. This book interested me because of what the author handles his authorship from the beginning of the book to the terminal. This book has a batch of pragmatism which I like so much ands in add-on the book is a Gothic novel which I like so much. Another ground that made my choose this book is when I was with my uncle and as he finished watching another film called the lamia, and I started visualising the stormy and dark dark and this gave me the impulse of desiring to read this book. My uncle was really enthusiastic when he was speaking about this book and this excessively encouraged me to travel and look for this book because I wanted the written version and non the film version of the book.Infact the transcript of the book that I have now is the fist I read during my 5th class and it is still in good status as if it was still new. Another ground that made me take this book is that I have been making a batch of research on monster, lamias and wolves but I had non done so much on the Frankenstein monster and his Godhead and this prompted me to travel and look for this book to be able to cognize more about these monsters. Before I read this book I did non understand the superior ability and strength of the monsters coupled with their power to make excess ordinary things. There are so many things that excite me about this book including the fact that the author has foremost because the author has done the authorship in the best manner that he could in covering with the horror narrative in order to convey about the significance he wished to. The incorporation of the monster universe into the existent universe of human existences makes the book an interesting work to read due to the struggle between existent human beings and the monster universe What the writer eventually latched onto when she found her narrative was nt a shade narrative at all. Using thoughts of Erasmus Darwin s, she succeeded in making the first echt science-fiction narrative. Through the unreal creative activity of life by utilizing scientific procedures and clearly saying its effects the author is able to capture the attending of the readers. The original Preface ( which, harmonizing to Mary Shelley, is the work of her hubby, poet Percy Shelley ) makes the science footing clear, as opposed to a supernatural one. This is another difference in how I approached Frankenstein this clip that I read it: I paid more attending to its science-fiction premiss alongside its open Romanticism and its interaction with the abandon of human nature and the existent natural states. Although Victor Frankenstein, a immature medical pupil and non a physician as frequently portrayed in other media, is the nominal hero and the storyteller who tells his narrative to the captain of a ship trapped in north-polar ice, I feel small understanding for him. Even as his friends and household dice at the monster s custodies, I felt a awful disfavor for Frankenstein because he shows such moral cowardliness. It is nt merely that he backs off from his creative activity, declining to take duty for life he created, and therefore estranging it. He besides refuses to step frontward when the amah Justine gets unjustly accused of slaying Frankenstein s youngest brother. Victor knows the monster did the title, but justifies his refusal to state anything about it behind the weak alibi that the jurisprudence will take attention of it. Victor merely takes action when it s excessively late and his devastation of the monster s possible mate-based on a fright of them propagating a clump of ugly children-really puts me on the monster s side. I really experience better about Peter Cushing s cold, barbarous murderer version of Victor Frankenstein in the Hammer Films ; at least he stood up for what he believed in. It s impossible non to experience for the Frankenstein Monster ; he speaks as us, people who wonder what our being, merely his calamity is more specific, and he can happen a focal point for his fury: Accursed Godhead! Why did you organize a monster so horrid that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in commiseration, made adult male beautiful and alluring, after his ain image, but my signifier is a foul type of yours, more horrid even from the really resemblance. Satan had his compassions, chap Satans, to look up to and promote him, but I am lone and abhorred It interested me how much the monster resembles the modern stalker scoundrel seen in films and literary thrillers: a character of relentless cunning that Hunts and torments the supporter, able to look anyplace he chooses and inflict hurting. Although Frankenstein does nt dismay the manner it must hold when it was foremost published, it does incorporate intense suspense as the monster tracks down Victor s loved 1s ( I will be with you on your nuptials dark! ) and so eludes him in a passionate pursuit to the terminals of the Earth. While reading the novel, I noticed a few topographic points where Del Toro could graft on a dark action narrative into the events. The long pursuit into the ice has many topographic points where the monster could turn aside and acquire involved in some absorbing adventures. AndaˆÂ ¦ what if the monster does nt perpetrate suicide as he says he will at the terminal? Where might he hold gone, and what would he hold to make to happen a manner into human society? I truly hope Guillermo Del Toro gets his opportunity to turn to these thoughts, and hopefully with Doug Jones in the portion of the Monster. My suggestion for Victor Frankenstein, if he appears in the film, is James McAvoy. The most important thing that I have learnt from this book is that inanimate things can be used efficaciously to stand for certain properties that are characteristic of human existences in the existent universe fro case the author presents a close connexion between the existent people and human like animals like monsters. Another thing that can be learnt from this book is that there is a important relationship between scientific discipline and nature because what is predicted by scientific discipline automatically happens because scientific discipline is all about existent life since it s a manifestation of nature. A good illustration is when the monster appears as a craft character that is merely after torturing its victims. This is besides characteristic of existent universe human existences who can make something bad to person whom they feel have offended them. It can hence be concluded that the novel is a good manifestation of the direct relationship between fiction and existent universe because the big portion of this book is all about fabricated characters that represent existent human characters. It should be an encouragement to our citizens to read plants of fiction about scientific discipline in order to acquire an penetration into the scientific cognition that will assist them to be able to do statements particularly when argument about scientific affairs is made in the public sphere.

buy custom She Loves a Challenge essay

buy custom She Loves a Challenge essay 1. The four stages of team development included: (a) solving employees private issues; (b) solving employees collective issues; (c) implementation of new rules and motivation; (d) the continuity of the system, promoted by old workers with changed models of collective action. According to Tuckmans teamwork theory, they can be defined as forming, storming, norming, and performing respectively (The Happy Manager, n.d.). The first stage included one-to-one sessions with each employee that was aimed at revealing personal motives and principles of interaction with the rest of the staff. The director explained the above-mentioned as a difficult start with the purpose of changing personal attitudes. The second stage required the confrontation of employees altogether to ensure revealing, discussing and eliminating the basis for future confrontations. The aim of this stage was explained clearly and honestly. The director agreed that it was an extremely difficult task, but it was also of crucia l importance for future collective interaction in a positive way. The next stage was about the implementation of the new rules, which excluded potential threats of conflict behavior. The rules were explained in a strict manner, though by motivation of the staff followed it. Overall, this stage of team development is characterized as implementing new principles of collective conduct, shifting accents from I/me to us/we. The director reasoned that unity of action and thought at work provides a positive-thinking environment that enhances the productivity. The last stage was the succession of a new paradigm of collective action. This time, old employees with brand new model of cooperative interaction were sharing it with individuals that wanted to fit this system. Thus, the circle of succession was closed and the new model became fixed and permanent. 2. In this case, the directors strategy affected team spirit and team work. These notions are different because team spirit mainly means the characteristic of psychological atmosphere of the staff, whereas teamwork is the process of collaborative completing the task in order to achieve the set goal (How to Build, n.d.). If every individual from the staff shares collective values and appreciates the views of ones colleagues without confronting them, such staff can be characterized as the one that has team spirit. Organizations can experience serious troubles while lacking team spirit. Even a well-organized and planned venture may fail its objectives without the commitment of the team behind it. Building team spirit is about engaging the emotions of the team members (How to Build, n.d.). In its turn, team-work is the process affected by the existence of the team spirit. When every individual trusts his or her colleagues, it will assist an effective teamwork. Thus, a team is more than a group of people, aimed at the achievement of a collective goal. It is a group of people, which strength is based on the relationships among team members. Members of such group are interdependent. An ideal team is characterized by the feedback and communication behaviors of its members, their behavior and conduct courtesies, and their ways of approaching tasks and problems (Nazzaro Starazzabosco, 2009). This particular case has stressed team spirit in order to change it and improve the characteristics of the teamwork. 3. MBWA is a practice of team building that has full name as Management By Wandering Around, or Management By Walking About. This concept includes approaches aimed at active interaction of a director or a staff manager with his or her team. Experts say this practice can increase the potential of a team through the influences on staff approachability, trust, business knowledge, accountability, morale and productivity (Management By Wandering Around, n.d.). All in all, this practice makes a director an active member of the life of ones staff, providing him or her with persistent contact with the team. In connection to the studied case, such choice of a management approach by the director serves as evidence that she is an open-minded person, willing to take part in daily life of her team and be able to assist it whenever there is a need. The case also serves as an example of great teambuilding skills the director has. Judging from the presented case, one may assume the results of the ab ove-mentioned approach were extremely productive as it was supported by the evidence. The director observed positive effect of her methods of teambuilding: employees seemed to become closer together, all sources of confrontations were excluded, and the staff worked according to the new principles of work. 4. Dr. Shaheen used various methods for motivating her employees. Her usual accent was on the unproductiveness of selfish behavior while being a part of a team. The behavior of the director in this sense goes along with McClellands theory of learned needs. According to this approach, a person is led by three motivation factors in ones life: achievement, affiliation, and power (McClellands Human Motivation Theory, n.d.). Dr. Shaheen first referred to achievement, stating that the team is to successfully achieve its tasks and be productive. Then, she shifted to affiliation, applying to the fact that hand-in-hand work provides a great experience of cooperation. Power was mentioned the last, insisting that a united team can achieve greater goals than a usual group of people. Thus, the director used a comprehensive method of motivating her team. Another positive fact about her approach is that she did not try to motivate the team with money. Motivation by material things has a short-term perspective, but more important goals and challenges need a ground that is more stable than finance. More than that, the question of difference in wages may lead to confrontation of one member of a team with another. If I happened to be a consultant observing Dr. Shaheens performance, I would advise her to conduct sociometric studies from time to time. I believe that this procedure would add more objective information concerning the relations inside the team because sociometric measurement methods give insights about an individuals social competence and standing within an examined group (Busse, 2009). Such analysis would make it possible to ensure minor corrections in the attitudes of team members towards each other. Buy custom She Loves a Challenge essay

Change management - elaboration on points highlighted with blue text Essay

Change management - elaboration on points highlighted with blue text - Essay Example This is because the strategy is short-term and assumes a simple link of cause and effect. On the other hand, systemic thinking attempts to structure a long-term solution. Using outside consultants, for example, may be a good reductionist response but in systemic thinking terms it limits the opportunities for that system to learn to solve its own problems. Another example is that of a departmental manager who focuses solely on his tackling issues by looking into the resources in his own department without ever considering external agents that could be responsible for any of the undesirable results. This limits the scope and efficiency with which the problems can be solved. Senge explains the different responses from reductionist and systemic views in chapter 4. Whether understanding a city or a living creature, he argues that a holistic approach is the only effective cure for problems. However, Senge does not mention that complex systems could benefit from short and long term solutions. In nature and in business, some things do develop in separate units and short-term changes are possible in some cases without unintended long-term effects. Manufacturing units, for instance, are complex units made up of many interacting units such as people, departments, technology, routines and structure (Fernandez, McCarthy & Rakotobe-Joel, 2001). The whole system or the whole organization is reduced to manageable individual parts. By studying the individual manageable parts, the leaders or the managers can formulate rules about the behaviour of the whole system. Thus, adopting a reductionst approach can at times be beneficial for organization such as Delap & Waller because it has several functional departments with dispersed locations. In simple terms, the tradeoff between the reductionist and systemic views can be described

Negotiations And Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Negotiations And Business Strategy - Essay Example This will require the negotiator to prepare effectively before engaging into any negotiation (Van Heerden & Barter, 2008). During the preparation, the negotiator should learn the goals and objectives of the company for use in the negotiation. Preparation will also equip the negotiator with useful skills and tactics that are required during the negotiation. Negotiations are not competitions although they appear to be. An effective negotiator should utilize the negotiation meeting to discover the values, beliefs, and interests of their partners. This will help them improve their negotiation strategies and prepare for future negotiation meetings. A good negotiator should be proactive. This requires the negotiator to raise issues of contention, rather than supporting or criticizing their partner’s views. Been proactive enables the negotiator to develop opportunities and additional value for themselves and their organizations. A good negotiator should be in a position to separate p ersonal issues from negotiating issues. This is of particular importance since most failed negotiation result from mixing personal and business issues. Separating personal issues from negotiating issues enables the negotiator to overcome potential barriers that might affect the agreement (Van Heerden & Barter, 2008). ... Lastly, a good negotiator should have the capacity to close a deal. Closing a deal is the most significant aspect of negotiation. Your company is about to take a team into Beijing China to negotiate a 3-year supply contract. What should you know about advantages and disadvantages of negotiating terms of a contract in China? Cross-cultural negotiations require thorough groundwork on cultural disparities. In particular, when dealing with the Chinese community cross-cultural understanding becomes essential. It is a well-known fact that most negotiations fail not because of a common ground but because of ignorance and lack of cross-cultural understanding. Unlike Westerners, the Chinese consider themselves superior in many ways and therefore an effective negotiator should be concerned about cultural difference (Marin, Ruiz, & Rubio, 2009). Negotiating with the Chinese is advantageous and it enhances development of negotiation skills. Firstly, the Chinese are confident and they are not qui ck to sign contracts as westerners do. The team will acquire this essential negotiation skill. The second advantage of negotiating contracts in China is the two-phase negotiation process. In China negotiation are conducted through a technical and a commercial phase. The technical phase contains most of the terms of the contract and it usually comes before the commercial phase (Marin, Ruiz, & Rubio, 2009). The Chinese consider a contract to be a commercial document rather than a legal document. This is of particular importance since most negotiation fail to distinguish between commercial and legal aspects of negotiations. Lastly, the Chinese community has a centralized leadership system. This applies to most of their

Privite high school vs public high school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Privite high school vs public high school - Essay Example This results in students getting proper attention and supervision. Public high schools are cheaper than private high schools, and thus, lots of people get their children admitted in public high schools, resulting in a large number of students in every class. This results in lesser attention and ineffective supervision. â€Å"There are over 47 million children enrolled in public school and about 3.2 million students in private schools† (The Home Economist, para.2). Also, private high schools provide superb facilities because they can afford to. People avoid private high schools because they are expensive while public high schools are not. A 2013 research indicates that for families with income over $75,000 send their kids, 85% send their kids to public schools while 12% send their kids to private schools (National Center for Education Statistics). The Home Economist. Public vs. Private Schools, New Facts Revealed. The Home Economist, 2013. Web. 14 Apr 2014.

Pfizer | Business analysis

Pfizer | Business analysis FOUNDATION If you build that foundation, both the moral and the ethical foundation, as well as the business foundation, and the experience foundation, then the building wont crumble. Henry Kravis. The basis for success of the execution and running of any operation, no matter its scale or field, is almost always governed by solid guidelines of thought and intention. Such processes are not merely meant as a tool of Show Tell, but also aid in providing its participants with a common framework to work within each member aware of the impact of their individual roles as being the stepping stone towards the bigger picture and into greener pastures. In the world of business, this holds truer than ever before, in lieu of its complex dealings with a wide array of parties. The dilemma is thus posed by consideration of an organizations goals and how to accomplish them when realistically they may be in direct contradiction to the individuals groups ideologies, but nonetheless are the minds behind the po tential success. The answer lies in a fusion of freedom of choice and match made in heaven whereby common groups are created, each in consensus with one another, and walking down a straight line. However for such a tactic to be successful, it is important to define clearly the building-blocks of such an institution. Mission Broadly defined, a mission statement is a declaration of organizational purpose (Bryson, 1995). The importance of defining such a statement and having a leader who would lead as an example of these values was stressed upon by Jerome H. Want in 1986, when he explained that not only does it help provide employees with a sense of direction within the organization, but also forges loyalties in the long run allowing for maximum productivity and innovation. The factors to be considered in developing an effective Mission Statement could be summarized as follows: (Pearce David, 1987; David, 1989) Identification of Target Customers Markets Identification of Principal Products/Services Specification of Geographic Domain Identification of Core Technology Expression of Commitment to Survival, Growth Profitability Specification of Key Elements in the Company Philosophy Identification of Company Self-Concept Identification of the Firms Desired Public Image Identification of Concern of Employees With the above points in mind, it is equally as important to note that even a good mission statement would have the potential of doing more harm than good if the values and behavior standards devised are not in conformity with those of its employees (Campbell, 1997). The performance-enhancing drivers of mission statements is thus contingent upon the following factors: (Bart and Tabone, 1998) To Provide a Sense of Purpose To Increase CEO Control To Define Behavior Standards To Enable Employees to Identify with their Organization To Give Greater Recognition to the Interests of External Stakeholders To Inspire and Motivate Employees To Refocus the Organization During a Crisis To Improve the Resource Allocation Process Pfizers Mission Statement: We discover and develop innovative, value-added products that improve the quality of life of people around the world and help them enjoy longer, healthier, and more productive lives. Values Organizational values can be defined as the ideals and beliefs upon which a company not only holds its personnel accountable to by the given standards but also the quality in which tasks are executed. This concept is exceptionally important nowadays as it encompasses the roles and relevant reactions of numerous stakeholders such as (Barrett, 1998): Society: Financial Performance lingers on the perception of the public in regards to an organizations environmental and social stances Shareholders: Investors associating themselves with the firms image need to ensure that they are socially responsible and quality conscious Potential Employees: To attract the best Human Resources whose values are aligned with those of the companys Existing Employees: To Retain their current employees by ensuring their personal fulfillment which include Physical Fulfillment including wages and facilities offered Emotional Fulfillment by encouraging open communication, friendly environment professional growth Mental Fulfillment by allowing opportunities to learn, express personal creativity overall personal growth Spiritual Fulfillment which creates a sense of importance in them Values can be grouped into cluster groups as defined by the McCann Window on Work Values (See Fig.1 in Annex A). The 8 value types can be described briefly as follows, and organizations may stress on either a single way of value or encourage a mix of these different environments (McCann, 2006): Individualism: Promotes competitiveness with special rewards allotted to those who outshine others Authority: Leaders take the lead and charge with a hierarchical system of management employees follow Compliance: Focus on business objectives with an obedient, streamlined workforce to maintain order Conformity: Built on traditions cultures, outsiders are seldom welcome and change is not smiled upon Collectivism: People-first policy where decisions are based completely on unanimous agreements by groups Equality: An open environment with casual attitude, where everyone is believed to be equally valuable Empowerment: No heavy rules or regulations where innovative ideas are welcome, no matter how radical Independence: Freedom to experiment allowed within a common framework seen in most start-ups The common error, as has been seen, is the communication or rather a lack of it in transmitting these values onto others, once the values have been decided upon. It is important to integrate them and to make them visible in the daily life of the organization. This can be achieved through several means including at public activities like meetings conferences, Printed Materials, Annual Reports and on Web Pages. (Vidal, et al, 2008) Pfizers Values: integrity customer focus performance innovation collaboration respect for peoplecommunity leadership quality Objectives Organizational Objectives provide a sort of visual image of how to meet goals set forth by the organization. In general, objectives have 3 main functions: To control a firms plan (set up targets within a department) To motivate or inspire people to reach a common goal To direct everyone in the organization in a single direction All the above factors also need to be consistent with the organizations larger goals which are categorized as: Those that aim to make a profit for their owners Those that aim to maximize benefit to society Those that aim to maximize benefit to their members Generally, there are 2 types of Objectives: Outcome Objectives which specify the final outcomes that are to be attained Process Objectives that specify the means to achieve the outcome objectives Furthermore, objectives exist at all different levels of an organization to provide synchronous movement. Corporate Objectives Deals with the organization as a whole (E.g. Goals, Profit Maximization, Growth, Overall Survival) Departmental Objectives Very Specific Objectives; Departmental Targets Individual Objectives Targets set forth for Employees (Often used in performance Appraisal, E.g. Sales) In general, objectives should be: S Specific M Measureable A Attainable R Results Oriented T Time Bounded Pfizers Objectives: Advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures Bring the best scientific minds together to challenge the most feared diseases of our time Set the standard for quality, safety and value of medicines Use our global presence and scale to make a difference in local communities and the world around us Promote curiosity, inclusion and a passion for our work Be a leading voice for improving everyones ability to have reliable and affordable health care Maximize our financial performance so we can meet our commitments to all who rely on us. We will become the worlds most valued company to patients, customers, colleagues, investors, business partners, and the communities where we work and live. Assessment Although Pfizers Mission Statement provides a clear view of the industry it deals in and its policy dedicated towards the betterment of peoples physical health, the pharmaceutical industry during recent years has come under attack for a variety of reasons including: The high pricing of and widespread use of medicinal drugs The lack of focus in providing facilities in places that truly need it (e.g. Africa) The unsafe measures of clinical trials and a companys unwillingness to accept fault In view of these factors and several other issues that plague the industrys name, it is recommendable to allow for a new Mission Statement that would allow humanization of the company towards its customers. We careà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and we will listen to whoever requests it from usà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and we will use the advancements in the field of science and technology to bring forth a new era; where every man, woman and child around the world is entitled to lead a healthier and more productive life without the worries of financial constraints As for its objectives, Pfizer, although still under scrutiny from certain groups, which ultimately is unavoidable in a business of such a scale, has managed to demonstrate its commitments towards its objectives. This has been done on several occasions, such as: The creation of new innovative drugs like its most famous product, the antibiotic Terramycin in 1949, the break-through male impotence drug Viagra, which became the worlds fastest-selling pharmaceutical product (until overtaken by another Pfizer brand), most recently Exubera, the worlds first inhaled insulin drug in addition to Sutent, a cancer fighting drug. The collaborative projects launched with other institutions and its workings with universities such as the first-of-a-kind collaboration between academia and industry between them and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis that focuses on discovering new uses for existing compounds. Also most recently they launched a diabetes research in collaboration with Hadassah Medical Organization and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem on drugs to replicate and regenerate insulin-producing cells in people with type 1 diabetes. In addition to the organizations standards in medical quality, the company has also since its creation been a mega-giant player in the industry on its own through proper management and innovative techniques, thus accomplishing their financial objectives distinctly. Fortune ® named Pfizer as the fifth-best wealth-creator in America. The company is a global leader in human pharmaceuticals, and also has a large array of consumer health care, confectionery, and animal health care products. In 2000, its revenues equaled $29.6 billion ( £20,14bn), eight of Pfizers pharmaceutical products attained sales of at least $1 billion ( £680.4 million) each1. In 2001, Pfizer has budgeted approximately $5 billion ( £3,402 billion) for research and development -more than any other drug company in the world2. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Pfizer..not just bigger, but better, message by Pfizer CEO Henry A. McKinnell (published at the Pfizer web site, philanthropy section) 2 Ibidem STAKEHOLDERS The best generalization of the term Stakeholder was perhaps given by Freeman who defined them as any group or individual who is affected by or can affect the achievement of an organizations business (Freeman, 1984). He also specified the narrow sense of a stakeholder by describing it as any identifiable group or individual on which the organization is dependent for its continued survival (Freeman Reed, 1983). The term now also incorporates those groups who might have an interest in the organization, regardless of the organizations interest in them (Preston Sapienza, 1990). The issue most businesses face however is one of clear identification of its stakeholders and the matter of just how much attention is to be paid to each category, and which segments can suffice without any at all. In his paper, Prioritizing Stakeholders for Public Relations, the author Brad L. Rawlins after analysis of various takes on the issue from numerous scholars researchers, proposes a 4 step process as a plausible solution (Rawlins, 2006): Identifying Stakeholders Prioritizing Stakeholders According to Attributes Prioritizing Stakeholders by Relationship to the Situation Prioritizing Publics by Communication Strategy We shall briefly look into each of the above steps and get an overall sense of their influence on an organization, but first a definition of The Public is deemed vital to eliminate the common mistake of interchangeably using the term with Stakeholders. The Public can be defined as a group of people who face a similar problem, recognize the problem, and organize themselves to do something about it (Dewey, 1927). Therefore organizations choose stakeholders by their marketing strategies, recruiting and investment plans, but publics are on their own and choose the organization for attention, usually from the ranks of stakeholders (Grunig Repper, 1992). Identifying Stakeholders Efforts have been made focusing on the attributes of stakeholders in their relation to the organization1 (Rawlins, 2006). The linkage model developed by Grunig and Hunt provides a good basis of identification of stakeholder relationships to an organization (See Fig.2 in Appendix A). The components of the model, which can be closely associated with the case of Pfizer, can be briefly described as follows2: Enabling Linkages Includes stakeholders with some control authority over the organization (e.g. Stockholders, Board of Directors, Government Legislators, etc.). A large part of the companys autonomy and resources are based on such a linkage and problems here could lead to significant problems in these aspects. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Freeman, 1984; Savage, G.T., Nix, T.H., Whitehead, C.J., Blair, J.D. 1991. Strategies for Assessing and Managing Organizational Stakeholders. Academy of Management Executive, 19: 453-473; Harrison, J.S., St John, C.H. 1994. Strategic Management of Organizations and Stakeholders. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Co; Mitchell, R.K., Agle, B.R., Wood, D.J. 1997. Toward a Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience: Defining the Principle of Who and What Really Counts. Academy of Management Review, 22: 853-886. 2 Grunig, J. E., Hunt, T.1984. Managing public relations. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Grunig Hunt developed the model based on the work of: Esman, M. 1972. The Elements of Institution Building. In J. W. Eaton (Ed), Institution Building and Development. Beverly Hills: Sage: 19-40; Evan, W. 1976. An Organization- Set Model of Interorganizational Relations. In W. Evan (Ed), Interorganizational Relations. New York: Penguin: 78-90: Parsons, T. 1976. Three Levels in the Hierarchical Structure of Organizations. In W. Evan (Ed.), Interorganizational Relations New York: Penguin: 69-78. Functional Linkages This segment is responsible for the effective functioning of the organization and encompasses both input (employees, suppliers, etc.) and output (consumers, retailers, etc.) processes. Normative Linkages Usually groups or association with common interests with the organization and with similar values and interests. Normative linkages could also include competitors within the same industry. Diffused Linkages Hardest to clearly defined as their involvement with the organization is limited and often brought about in cases of crisis. Includes the publics, activists and other special interest groups. Pfizers Stakeholders: Refer to Fig.3 in Appendix A. Prioritizing Stakeholders According to Attributes Now that an understanding has been gained in the identification of the stakeholders and their respective influences on an organization, it is important to establish a strategy in which the most important stakeholders be paid the tangible amount of attention. For this we will first look into the different sorts of stakeholder attitudes that an organization may come across; these are broken down into different levels of support (Savage et al, 1991). Supportive Stakeholder: Is in harmony with the organizations goals actions and is of low threat. Marginal Stakeholder: Is not a threat either due to low stakes in the organization. Non-Supportive Stakeholder: As the name suggests, an organization will often find itself at odds with such segments and is to be considered as a serious threat at all times. Mixed-Blessing Stakeholder: Has potential to be either a great and resourceful ally or a serious enemy. The best model present not only to assist in factoring the attention needed to be paid towards a segment of stakeholders but also to single out which ones within the segment are most important, is perhaps the one devised by Mitchell, Agle and Wood in 1997. This model uses 3 important components in its analysis (See Fig.4 in Appendix A): Power The strength of influence over other parties in persuading them to make a decision, for or against a cause or an issue, which otherwise would have gone another way. Legitimacy The existence of legal, moral or presumed grounds by which an outcome, behavior, direction or some process be altered. Usually such stakeholders have some form of investment in the organization, financial or otherwise and are dependent on the organization. Power + Legitimacy = Authority Urgency This feature requires the organization to respond to the stakeholder in a timely fashion, usually in cases demanding immediate public intervention measures. The combination of these 3 attributes leads to a prioritization strategy. Accordingly, Latent Stakeholders will have 1 of the 3 attributes Expectant Stakeholders will possess 2 features Definitive Stakeholders will have all 3 attributes Individuals and groups that do not have any of the 3 attributes will not be considered as stakeholders. The priority categories can be further broken down in sub-categories to allow for a clearer distinction of the elements possessed by each group and the technique to be used in their handling: Latent Stakeholders Since this group possesses only 1 attribute they are less prominent in the scope of the organization. It can include: Dormant Stakeholders; who have power but lack legitimacy and urgency thus effectively reducing the effects of their powers. Discretionary Stakeholders; who have legitimacy but lack the other two qualities. They are rather reliant on the good will of the organization since the lack of power negates their urgency on issues and are restricted in alternative measures. Demanding Stakeholder; who are considered to be rather bothersome since the only tool at their disposal is the one of urgency. Expectant Stakeholders Short of the extremely important stakeholders, this group requires an eye on it at all times since the combination of any two traits can yield a powerful effect. These are: Dominant Stakeholders; who receive much of managements attention since they can back up their actions based on legitimacy and a force of power. Dependent Stakeholders; who require a tactic of being socially responsible towards in resolving their claims since they have both legitimacy and urgency. Even though they may not possess the power to effect the organization directly through use of power, they may create hindrances through several other means. Dangerous Stakeholders; who have been known to stoop to low levels in their handling techniques with organizations. With the use of their power and urgency, these groups (e.g. social activists) highlight the importance of having boundaries at each negotiation. Definitive Stakeholders These have the highest priority since they have all 3 factors at their disposal and can significantly affect the organizations running in more ways than one. It is important to note however that in the model mentioned above, individuals and groups cannot be categorized permanently in a particular section and that with time, there may be a shift of attributes which would require a re-examination of their position on the importance chart. Prioritizing Stakeholders By Relationship to the Situation The situational theory uses the publics level of involvement to provide future predictions of activity by different groups and may be used by organizations to devise plans in advance to quench any upcoming problems. The level of involvement is a broad measurement of the extent where people find themselves personally connected to the situation. This involves all stakeholders who become involved in some situation (Grunig Repper, 1992), whereas those that remain inactive would be described as non-publics. Further categorization levels include: Latent Publics: who are aware of the problem facing them but are not effected to the extent of getting involved Inactive Publics: low levels of knowledge and/or lack of understanding of effect of issue and perhaps satisfactory relation to the organization limits their involvement on the issue completely Aroused Publics: initial low levels of knowledge; but since they accept the issue as problematic they may increase their understanding over time and get involved at a later time. Aware Publics: who are aware of the problemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦period! Active Publics: who are aware of the issue and desire to do something about it. They will usually have a high level of involvement as they would believe the issue directly affects them and strive to change the direction of the outcome. Prioritizing Publics By Communication Strategy Stakeholder management involves more than just predicting future behavior and avoiding issues before they arise. Social and personal tactics are important in forging long term relationships with those individuals or groups who may later prove to be an asset to the organization. Yet not all parties can be actively included in such measures and a final assessment is required to distinguish the levels of involvement to be pursued with each party. These can be segmented as such: Advocate Stakeholders: This sect should be utilized in a support-providing way in which their endorsements, campaigns, donations and attendance at functions are highly encouraged. Dormant Stakeholders: They are usually reluctant to get involved but should be encouraged to do so by conveyance of relevant information pertaining to the issues and the effects it could have on them. Overall objective would then be to try and increase emotional attachment. Adversarial Stakeholders: Although most managements use a defensive strategy on them, a positive negotiating environment has been seen to extract better results. The ultimate aim if not to get them to align themselves with you should be one which would allow both parties to walk away comparatively happy from the table. Apathetic Stakeholders: Although, initially non-active and a tendency to not get them involved, a tactic of positive reinforcement should be applied which would side them on the organizations front with the assistance of early, yet perhaps a bit biased knowledge of information. Assessment In terms of stakeholder performance and satisfaction, Pfizer has made great strides during recent years to improve their corporate image. Whilst they are still under scrutiny from many sections on factors such as pricing of drugs in poor nations and their obscenely large marketing budget a step which many claim lead to unnecessary sales of prescription drugs, they have taken steps to balance the negative scale with pro-active measures with stakeholders. These include: Animal Rights Groups: by greatly reducing the number of animals used in drug testing and making use of tissue studies and computer models. Those areas where it is deemed necessary to use animals, they do so within strict Government Policies Laws dictating the Ethical Rights of Animals. Employees: It introduced a sustainable transport program for the 3,600 employees at its operations in Sandwich, Kent. When developing its new UK headquarters at Tadworth, Surrey, Pfizer undertook extensive consultation to ensure that the companys integration into the areas existing infrastructure was as smooth as possible. The Public: Pfizers Health Awareness Program in the UK is driven by its expertise in health, education and science and by the recognition that it needs to be seen to be active in these areas. The company does this through forming partnerships with organizations and people who are active in the health arena and through raising public awareness of health issues. In 2003 Pfizer UK launched a cardiovascular disease awareness campaign highlighting the need to treat cholesterol and the risks of not doing so. The campaign also aimed to encourage individuals to seek further information from their GPs. It was launched in partnership with Heart UK and Diabetes UK, two established health awareness charities. The campaign was driven by Pfizers local marketing team, working within the companys sales team using a CHD awareness campaign of advertisements at over 60 poster sites, a website and a telephone hotline giving members of the public an opportunity to get further information. As part of the campaign, in June 2004 Pfizer helped to sponsor one of the flagship events the Big Heart Festival at Aintree Racecourse. Sponsorship covered a series of seminars featuring Merseyside cardiologists, which were open to the general public. This approach was chosen as it provided a means of getting the experts and a large number of the general public together to debate and discuss heart disease from experts in the field. Other activities at this event included: fitness training and health screening; blood pressure and cholesterol testing; advice from dieticians and other experts; a heart information center; and advice on how to stop smoking. The main challenges were coordinating the event, raising awareness about it, making it happen and making the public know that it was an event for all and not just the professionals. A focused advertising campaign and the use of the networks of the partners helped to overcome several of these challenges. Shareholders: Regional events, such as those on Merseyside help build relationships with customers and the wider community. Regional events demonstrate how Pfizer staff support the community in the region and add a business benefit in terms of staff interest and motivation. This Program was set up to help build strategic relationships with Pfizers customers. These relationships help inform the companys understanding of issues at the surgery and patient level. This program is one of many that Pfizer operates across the country to reduce inequalities in access to quality health care, to promote the think global but act local concept and to raise awareness of serious health issues a business objective. This is part of Pfizers business strategy of regional promotion. Similar programs are being replicated by Pfizer throughout the UK to raise health awareness and offer advice on health issues; this provides the opportunity to link business benefits to staff involvement. Elsewhere, Pfizers CR actions have included reducing the environmental impact of its operations through water and energy conservation and active participation in the United Nations Global Compact. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Article 13 and CBI CSR Case Study Series, February 2005 APPENDIX A Fig.1: McCann Window on Work Values Fig.2: Linkage Model Fig.3: Pfizer Stockholders Fig.4: Stakeholder Typology: One, Two, Three Attributes Present Garmin: The Worlds Largest Competitor Garmin: The Worlds Largest Competitor Gary and Min started their venture in Lenexa, Kansas with startup capital of four million dollars. Not even a decade after launching Garmin, sales are at 105 million dollars with a profit of 23 million dollars. Just to give you an idea of how quickly the company expanded, by 1999 Garmin had a hold of 50% of the GPS market in North America, has a presence in 100 countries worldwide, and is carried by over 2,500 independent distributors. Garmin continues to innovate and expand; below we discuss the environment Garmin is battling in, the companys core competencies, and where it stands among competitors in greater detail. External Analysis As most people know, Garmin is the worlds largest competitor in the market for Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, and particularly in the Personal Navigation Device (PND) market. According to the company, Garmin is a leader in providing navigation, communication, information devices and, applications, most of which are enabled by GPS (global positioning system) technology  [1]  . Garmins stated goal in creating these devices is to enrich the lives of their customers, by providing high quality products that create value for consumers  [2]  . The industry for navigation and communication devices consists of a number of highly competitive firms that, like Garmin, design, create, and distribute GPS devices for a variety of uses. The areas where Garmin specifically creates products for are automobiles, outdoor use, marine vehicles, and aviation  [3]  . The industry has become extremely populous in recent years due to technological advancements and high demand for GPS dev ices, but Garmin has remained near the top of the industry throughout this time frame -as of today, Garmin sits sixth among firms in the scientific and technical instrument industry in terms of total revenue, fifth in terms of market capitalization, and second in terms of net profit margin  [4]  . Most of these firms follow distinctly similar business processes as well, relying on innovation and vertical integration, making for an even more competitive industry. In order to stay ahead, Garmin has had to pay close attention to the actions of both consumers and competitors. Despite the presence of so many competitors, Garmin is able to stay at the forefront of the industry due to its capabilities in several key areas which are crucial for success in the industry. These key success factors include establishing market share and brand recognition, investing heavily in research and development and innovation, having a strong, global distribution network, and implementing vertical integration. Successes in these areas are critical for firms competing in the navigation and information industry, and Garmin achieves a level of success in each area. Market share and brand recognition carries a huge importance for companies like Garmin, particularly in an industry that suffers from overcrowding and very uniform products. Garmin initially created a niche market for itself, distributing quality, cutting-edge navigation products. At the time, top competitors included giants such as Sony and Philips, creating a situation where Garmin had to create a niche for itself if it wanted to compete. Over time, Garmin has grown into an industry leader with a strong reputation for producing great products. According to the company, Garmin owns around 36 percent of the personal navigation device market, making it the first in the North American market and second in the European market, and they are first in both the recreation and aviation markets as well  [5]  . In order for companies to compete in such a populous market, one dominated by large, successful companies such as Garmin that distribute highly similar products, they must create so me sort of recognition for themselves. Garmin has already done so, creating a brand well-known by most consumers and allowing success to build upon prior success. Emphasizing research, development and, producing innovative products also grow in importance in such a large, parallel industry. Due to the dynamic nature of the technological and scientific industries, firms must rapidly develop new products or ideas in order to attract new customers or retain old ones. Garmin describes their industry in such a way: The market for our products is characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards and changes in customer needs. If we fail to introduce new products, or to modify or improve our existing products, in response to changes in technology, industry standards or customer needs, our products could rapidly become less competitive or obsolete  [6]  . Consumers today will almost always look for the product with the latest and coolest features. Technology giants such as Apple and Google are proof that those firms that can either constantly improve their existing products or introduce new products will stay ahead of the c urve. The market for GPS-driven navigation equipment certainly falls under the same category. Garmin places a heavy emphasis on research and development as a means of constant innovation-in 2009 they spent nearly 240,000 dollars on RD, or roughly 8.1 percent of sales  [7]  . Other firms in the industry, such as TomTom at around 9 percent of sales, spend comparable amounts  [8]  . Garmin also currently holds over 1 billion dollars in cash on hand, allowing the company plenty of resources for investing in RD  [9]  . With technology changing at such a rapid pace any firm that fails to fully invest in discovering the next great technological advancement will only fall desperately behind firms such as Garmin and TomTom, or even Google and Apple. Also, due to the nature of the operations of firms like Garmin and TomTom, it is absolutely necessary for companies to create and maintain strong distribution networks. Garmin and TomTom, and many other firms who distribute PNDs, do not actually operate individual stores that sell the products they make. Instead, they sell the devices through other retailers or through their websites. Selling through third parties can create a lot of functional problems, such as increasing costs and poor customer service, so creating and managing a strong, effective distribution network is an essential activity. Garmin, for instance, uses an extensive network of nearly 3000 dealers in about 100 countries, while relying on regional sales managers and in-house sales staff to provide support  [10]  . Moreover, many of Garmins largest dealers are among the largest, most recognized retailers in the world, including Best Buy (which accounts for 13.4 percent of Garmins revenues), Target, Wal-Mart, Amazo n.com, and Costco  [11]  . They also coordinate with in-country subsidiaries and local dealers around the world to manage their global sales, a task that would be nearly impossible without an established and well-managed distribution network. It is a testament to the importance of strong global connections that Garmin owns a significant share in the European market despite their late entrance into that particular segment. Without a strong distribution network, a firm competing in the industry could not reach the levels of profitability that firms such as Garmin and TomTom reach-instead, they would be incurring extra costs and losing revenues through inefficient supply chains. Furthermore, due to the capital-intensive nature of the business and the importance of RD, a certain amount of vertical integration is expected. A huge part of the industry, as we have seen, is the ability to design and produce new, innovative products. Such endeavors require large amounts of time and money commitments, making it much more logical for firms in the industry to take the product all the way through the production phase, from developing the idea to manufacturing the product. The industry leaders such as Garmin operate their own design and manufacturing facilities-in fact, Garmin believes its manufacturing capabilities to be one of the companys core competencies  [12]  . Vertical integration allows Garmin, and other firms, to solve common problems in the electrical industry, such as being quicker to market with products, streamlining the design and process functions, and minimizing logistical issues  [13]  . The efficiency and effectiveness of vertical integration makes it a common practice among firms in electronic fields, and any firm wishing to compete against leaders such as Garmin would most likely need to employ similar processes. Undoubtedly, any firm wishing to compete in the market for GPS-powered navigational and information equipment must excel in the key areas above. However, such practices do not guarantee success in such a complex industry. There are many factors that affect the profitability of firms such as Garmin, and one can rate the industrys attractiveness by considering the five forces model: the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitutes, the power of suppliers, the power of buyers, and the competitiveness of the industry. A significant risk of new entrants into the market exists due to the low barriers of entry that exist in the industry. One such low barrier to entry involves the extensive growth of the technology PND devices require. GPS technology, like most every other technology, is now easy to copy and implement due to its widespread use, and since the satellites GPS relies on are available for civilian use, it is not exactly difficult to establish a GPS system for use in products. When you factor in the decreasing prices of necessary components such as semiconductors and microprocessors, it becomes clear that the technology for PNDs represents a very small obstacle for new firms. The ease of obtaining the technology has lead to the current trend of smartphones, specifically the Apple iPhone and the phones Google sponsors, containing GPS technology  [14]  . One must also consider the channels of distribution to be a very low entry barrier for potential entrants, specifically firms that are a lready large and successful. As previously discussed, Garmin (and most other PND makers) sells through third party retailers such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart; unfortunately, this channel is easily accessible by top electronic companies such as Sony and Samsung. More than likely such large companies already own connections with the large retail chains, and the vast resources of electronic giants such as Sony offer them a strong advantage in dominating the retail channel. Google and Apple both own similar advantages. The low entry barriers are leading to an influx of companies entering the industry, and, most ominously for Garmin, new competitors such as Google are able to offer the same technology with features Garmin cannot replicate. The threat of substitutes in the navigation industry does not represent such an apparent problem per se; since all PND products use basically the same GPS technology, no real substitute exists. However, there are now substitutes to the PNDs companies like Garmin sell. Most notable, of course, are the smartphones with GPS capabilities. These phones offer a huge problem in that no person with such a phone would need to own a PND due to the phones equal capabilities. Another substitute is the current practice of car companies including built-in GPS systems into their vehicles. Garmin is managing to limit this threat by entering the market itself-they currently have contracts for built-in GPSs in 15 Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep vehicles  [15]  . Still, the company considers the in-dash vehicle segment, along with the phone segment, to be their biggest threats going forward. In such a competitive industry, and with all devices requiring vital components such as semiconductors and LCD screens, suppliers obviously own a decent amount of power  [16]  . Suppliers of these absolutely crucial components are, in effect, selling to everyone in the industry, creating a substantial amount of leverage for the suppliers. Garmin relies on these components, and so shortages or rising costs are devastating to the business  [17]  . Garmin is, however, able to slightly circumvent this issue by having sole source providers for some key components  [18]  . Even so, supplier power represents a significant issue in the industry. Even more alarming is the power of buyers in the industry. Prices for PNDs in the automobile market have been falling rapidly over the past several years due to the number of quality products the market offers  [19]  . As with any competitive industry, it is difficult to charge price premiums when products are virtually the same in terms of functional use, and firms are then forced to compete on price. Buyers are able to shop around for the best prices, and are more willing to choose a product because of auxiliary features such as appearance and ease of use. Garmin does own a distinct advantage in their other markets though, as prices in the aviation, outdoor/fitness, and marine markets are rising due to advancements in these markets over competition. However, the majority of Garmins sales still come from the automobile segment, making the power of buyers a very real threat. Just how competitive is the PND industry? The list of Garmins competitors is quite extensive. The threat from Google, Apple, and other electronics companies such as Sony, Samsung, and Motorola has been well documented. TomTom remains the biggest threat in the automotive segment, and the two companies are currently waging a battle for world domination of the PND market (Garmin currently leads in the US market, while TomTom leads the European market). MiTAC and Navigon AG are also strong competitors in the automotive market  [20]  . MiTAC is also a competitor in the outdoor segment (through subsidiary Magellan) along with Lowrance and Delorme, while Nike and Timex Corp. represent threats in the fitness area  [21]  . Raymarine Ltd., Lowrance, and Furuno are the biggest competitors in the marine segment  [22]  . Finally, competition in the crowded aviation industry comes from Honeywell, Avidyne Corp., L-3 Avionics Systems, and Rockwell Collins, Inc., among others  [23]  . Judging by the five forces model, the PND industry appears to be a very unattractive industry. The threat of new entrants, the power of buyers, and the competitiveness of the industry are all very high, while the threat of substitutes and the power of suppliers are at least moderately high. Garmin remains profitable due to its achievements in the key success factors of the industry, but those factors are not easily replicable by incoming firms. Most importantly, overcoming the market share advantage Garmin, TomTom, and others own seems nearly impossible. Even if one is able to penetrate the market, the strong competitive nature of the industry is sure to keep margins razor thin and profits very low. Overall, the PND industry looks like an overly risky environment for any firm. However, that does not mean Garmin can no longer be profitable. Garmin has built a highly successful business model, and despite recent struggles, they should be able to rebound. There are several strategies they can pursue to combat the new industry issues they face. For one, they can shift some of their focus to their other product segments. Right now, Garmins main threat is competition in their automotive segment from other PND producers and smartphones; consequently, it may be beneficial to place greater emphasis on the marine, outdoor, and aviation segments that may be more profitable anyway. Garmin can attempt to penetrate these markets even more, entering into new agreements with specialty retailers for the marine and outdoor segments and airlines for the aviation segment. Increasing RD ventures in the other segments might also give Garmin a new competitive advantage in those fields. Since prices have been increasing in these areas, Garmin may be able to substantially increase revenue by renewing focus in other segments. Overall, though, Garmin may need to do very little else. Garmin has already introduced their version of the smartphone to compete with Google and Apple, and there is no doubt that the poor economy has played a role in Garmins recent downturn. A recent study by Forrester Research analyzing the PND market found that, although companies like Garmin have suffered from competition from smartphones and price cuts, the Garmin should be fine for the foreseeable future-Charles Golvin, the author of the study, says, I think Garmin and TomTom will be successful going forward because theyre innovating and differentiating, and theyve got the software and skills and knowledge with maps that the phone makers dont  [24]  . In other words, it may be a case where Garmin needs to just trust in their successful business model and continue to produce high-quality devices. As the economy improves, and the devices continue to improve, sales will eventually rise. Internal Analysis Garmins mission is to enrich the lives of its customers, suppliers, distributors, employees and stockholders by designing, manufacturing and selling navigation and communication products that provide superior quality, safety and operational features, lower cost of manufacturing and ownership, and sufficient profits to support desired company growth.  [25]   Garmin follows a first mover, differentiation strategy. Through heavy investment in research and development they are able to develop new products that users perceive as more valuable and are willing to pay a premium for. The first mover aspect is most easily observed in their aviation division where they have received numerous awards as well as FAA certifications for being the first to market with new and innovative products. A recent review of recreational GPS receivers revealed 38 of the top 50 receivers  [26]  were Garmin products. With the Oregan 400t coming in at number one, and products from the Rino, GPSMap, and eTrex product lines all ranking in the top 10. This speaks for itself that the company has been able to define their products as superior. We have 36% of the PND market share, are number one in Aviation and Recreation, and number two in the marine division.  [27]   Garmin has been able to develop a high quality product while still striking a balance of costs, with their products costing only slightly more than their competitors. They have been able to achieve this in two ways, heavy investment in RD and acquisitions that have vertically integrated value chain operations. In 2009 alone the total expenditures on RD totaled $238 million or 8% of total revenue, up from 6% of total revenue in 2008  [28]  . The fruit of this labor is reflected in the ownership of more than 400 patents as well as 250 trademarks. This has also allowed the firm to not only be the first to market with new products, but also be able to design manufacturing processes that allows the company to adapt and be dynamic  [29]  . Garmin uses multi-disciplinary teams including industrial designers, various engineers as well members from manufacturing operations to develop products allowing them to quickly move from concept to manufacturing. The company has also used a seri es of acquisitions to vertically integrate itself creating a supply chain that has given it a competitive advantage. The company believes manufacturing operation in Shijr, Jhongli and LinKou, Taiwan, Salem, Oregon as well as Olathe is one of its Core Competencies  [30]  . Vertical integration combined with the engineering methods described above has allowed for reduced time to market, design and process optimization and logistical agility. Logistical agility is one area where vertical integration has really given Garmin an advantage. By operating its own manufacturing facilities, Garmin is able to re-engineer products when they experience component shortages. This is an advantage over competitors because manufactures in the electronics industry typically require long lead times.  [31]  Garmin has also used strategic alliances to enter new markets. When they began development of the nà ¼vifone Garmin partnered with ASUSTek Computer Inc. to design, manufacture and distribute co-branded location-centric mobile phones.  [32]  The business model was subsequently remodeled, stating that no new Garmin-ASUS phones will be developed, and Garmin will expand its own, internal development of mobile phones.  [33]  This failure further reinforces Garmins vertical integration strategy that has given them an advantage in the past. A SWOT analysis performed by Datamonitor in December of 2009 revealed the following Strengths and Weaknesses: Robust inorganic growth, Strong product innovation, and Intellectual property.  [34]  During 2008 Garmin made several acquisitions strengthening its presence in the European market. Another asset Garmin possesses is their relationship with auto manufacturers. Garmin currently has contracts to install Garmin devices with Hyundai, Suzuki, Chrysler, Ford, BMW, MINI, Citroen as well as motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson. A challenge Garmin is facing the rapid growth they experienced leading up to the weak economic climate experienced in 2009. We grew very rapidly through the late 2000s and when we finally got fully staffed in 2009, poor economic conditions hit. Developing management skills is one problem we face.  [35]  Other weaknesses included overdependence on the North American market, dependence on sole suppliers, and declining margins.  [36]  It is also ver y important to discuss the potential for a decline in demand for the automotive products. Almost 70% of 2009 sales were from the automotive/portable segment. It is becoming more and more common for consumers to use navigation technology built into smart phones they already own. It is our recommendation that Garmin leverage its existing assets to continue to be successful. We do feel it is wise to try and enter into the smart phone segment, however, it is already saturated and carving out a niche would be difficult. Manufacturers such as Apple, Motorola, and BlackBerry control the smart phone market and offer an opportunity for Garmin. While Garmin already offers an app for BlackBerry, we feel that licensing Garmins technology to other existing manufactures could create more value for the company. By developing apps for other platforms such as the iPhone, Android and Windows 7, Garmin could capture more of the phone segment, while keeping in-line with their current strategy of primar ily internal development. Charging a monthly fee for use of the app would also help shore up the declining margins by generating a recurring revenue stream. A timeline should be set to terminate the venture should it turn out to be unsuccessful with specifics determined on a case by case basis. The key to success in developing a smart phone that would compete directly with Apple, Motorola and the like would be to develop the phone completely in-house and continue the legacy of high quality, innovative products. The joint venture with ASUSTek clearly did not work, and historically Garmin has had the most success with products they engineer themselves. The major risks are the potential high costs of developing the technology, however one of Garmins core competencies is their ability to integrate the user interface and the software.  [37]  This provides them the ability to develop a product that will differentiate itself from current products and open the company up to a new produc t line. Garmin should also continue its efforts to vertically integrate. While they already own their own engineering and manufacturing operations, and also a large part of their distribution system, continued forward and backward integration could further shorten the time to market for the highly dynamic electronics industry. Further backward integration into the manufacturing of more of the parts would negate the need for re-engineering of existing products when there are shortages by easily being able to obtain the data to more accurately forecast demand, streamlining the entire manufacturing process. The major downside is the heavy investment in equipment to begin manufacturing more of the components; however, with no debt on the balance sheet, it would be rather inexpensive to finance such a venture. Further forward integration would also benefit Garmin by allowing them to capture more of the profits from the sale of their merchandise by once again leveraging their existing ass ets such as their ISO 9001 certification. A fully integrated distribution system would further decrease time to market, the potential for stock-outs and also increase the flow of detailed information about demand conditions to all aspects of the value chain allowing Garmin to continue to adapt and be dynamic. We believe these recommendations are consistent with Garmins mission, broadening its product offering, delivering a superior product and increasing share and stakeholder value. Competition Overview Garmin has three top competitors and they are MiTAC International Corporation, TomTom N.V., and Google. Each competitor has unique aspects different from Garmin that allow them to be successful. MiTAC owns several different GPS companies that are competing to steal market share away from Garmin. TomTom has the greatest market share in Europe and is competing head-to-head with Garmin for world-wide share. Google owns the rights to a wide variety of maps allowing it to have huge leverage in the purchasing of mapping rights. Each of these companies has the opportunity to over-take Garmin as the United States market leader in GPS devices. MiTAC is the maker of Mio GPS, Navman GPS, and Magellan GPS. Mio is a subsidiary of MiTAC International established in 2002 that develops products in the Personal Navigation Devices (PND), GPS TV, GPS phone, and Mobile Internet Devices (MID) markets  [38]  . Mio claims to be a Brand focused on customer needs who are a great user-focused provider of great customer experiences with the tagline Explore More. They believe that mobile business and communications will be a great part of life in the future and try creating products that adhere to that lifestyle. Navman GPS provide PNDs similar to Garmin and also are a major seller of marine GPS. Navmans advantage over Garmin is in the marine market segment rather than the PND market. Navman has a strong fan base, but has a low market share compared to its competitor Garmin. Magellan offers GPS products for hand-held outdoor devices and in-car navigation. It was purchased by MiTAC in 2009 and has been ranked by many as one of the top man ufacturers of GPS devices  [39]  . Magellans most unique attribute compared to Garmin is that it has the ability to select up to 20 destinations at once allowing the user to select the order in which to arrive at each destination. This feature is good for long, cross-country trips that include many pit stops along the way. Another difference between Magellan and Garmin is that Magellan devices generally have a larger screen size than the opposing Garmin products. One product, the Magellan RoadMate 1412 has a 4.3 inch-wide screen whereas the comparable Garmin nuvi 360 is only 3.5 inches  [40]  . A larger size could make the routes easier to read, but it may not be preferred due to taking up too much space. TomTom is a top manufacturer of GPS devices in competition with Garmin. TomTom is the European leader in the GPS market while Garmin is the leader in the United States. TomTom mostly competes with Garmin