Essay on Social Conflict Theories and Functionalism

Social Conflict Theories and Functionalism There are three main theories of sociology; functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. This paper will focus on two of those theories, functionalism and conflict theory. The objective is to delineate the assumptions of two out of the three theoretical perspectives and apply these assumptions to an analysis of social stratification. How this will be accomplished will be by comparing and contrasting their assumptions and by analyzing the two theories affect on social stratification. Then I will state my opinion on which of the two better fits my personal sociological views. Functionalism is many peoples way to view the world sociologically. It states clearly that the†¦show more content†¦Whichever groups have the power is a central concern of this theory. These Marxist statements are the central arguments of all conflict theorists statements of truth. The second part of the conflict theorists assumptions is that the different parts of the social system as a wh ole are intertwined, not because of a shared value system, however, but because of the fact that one group is inherently dominant over the other. This dominance happens because one group, the dominant group, controls the resources. The third part of the assumptions of the conflict theorist is that society does not necessarily have needs, but individuals and groups do. Because the dominant group has the access to wealth, power and prestige, they have the ability to have their needs defined as system needs. The fourth part of the conflict theorists assumptions is the basic question of Who benefits? from the social arrangements of the day. On any issue in society, there are people who benefit and people who dont benefit. This conflict always gives the advantage to the stronger party. The fifth part of the conflict theorists system of assumptions is the conflict itself, which lends tension, hostility, competitions, disagreement over goals, and values, as well as violence. Not always are these issues negative, however. They can act as an adhesive to help join groups together in the pursuit of a positive goal. The sixth and final part of theShow MoreRelated Analyzing Social Change Through Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Punctuated Equilibrium 1373 Words   |  6 PagesEinstein(58 Quotes). Social change is an opportunity for positive growth in today’s world, however it may sometimes take a tragedy to get there. Many big events in history such as The French Revolution and the Civil Rights Movement have caused social change, but our world is stronger because of those events. It takes leadership and a desire for growth to make a positive change in today’s society. Many philosophers have theorized social change through functionalism, conflict theory, and punctuated equilibriumRead MoreFunctionalism Vs. Conflict Theory1349 Words   |  6 PagesFunctionalism vs. Conflict Theory There are four known sociological theories and or theoretical perspective, and they are structural functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and feminism. These theories explain various aspects of social life through different perspective (OpenStax College 17). Some of the theories might view social life in a micro perspective, macro perspective or even both and each view might be completely opposing to each other, but it also has its pros and consRead MoreSociological Theories and Family Essay examples1662 Words   |  7 PagesSociological Theories and Family Sociological Theories and Family Sociological theories are important in understanding how the society operates. In addition, the theories help one understand how people in society relate with each other. The theories have helped understand various social issues in the society and made it easy to develop solutions to the problems. There are different theories that are used to explain how the society operates and how people interact with each other. Examples ofRead MoreStructural Functionalism1448 Words   |  6 PagesStructural functionalism, or simply functionalism, is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability.[1] This approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole, and believes that society has evolved like organisms.[2] This approach looks at both social structure and social functions. Functionalism addresses society as a wholeRead M oreStructural Funcionalism, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism1410 Words   |  6 Pagesschools of thought that, while they may seem to explain the inner workings of society, by themselves they fail to satisfy completely. For each theory, I will discuss the basics and cover the main tenants of each. Then, I will discuss the ambiguities, inadequacies and irrelevance to reality based on our current understanding of modern society. Structural Functionalism In the Functionalist School of Thought, society is viewed as being a complex structure of inter-related parts, analogous to a living beingRead MoreSociological Theories Essay1185 Words   |  5 PagesSociological theory creates ways to understand the social world by having different theories to explain understand social life. It aids to make sense of this social world. It draws together a wide range of perspectives to help provide the fullest picture. (Macionis Plummer p.36) It shows that one theory can explain something that another cannot. My aim is to answer this question with reference to both functionalism and conflict theory. This will be done by comparing and contrasting both theories inRead MoreCompare and Contrast of 3 Sociology Theories1162 Words   |  5 Pagesto provide an explanation as to why and how humans interact with each other on a social basis. Sociologists have divided sociology into two levels, microsociology and macrosociology (Sociology). The level of microsociology studies is on a smaller perspective, as macrosociology is the study of society on a larger analysis. Today, sociology has three major theories: symbolic interactionism, functionalism and conflict. â€Å"Symbolic interaction refers to the patterns of communication, interpretationRead MoreCritical Theory, Functionalism And Symbolic Interactionism Essay1351 Words   |  6 Pagesthree major theories; critical theory, functionalism and symbolic interactionism. These theories express the structure of society in which each theory looks at a different aspects of sociology. Sociologists apply these theories in the study of society, but it becomes difficult if only one theory is applied. For that one applied theory, would only look at the aspect to which it is confined to. To successfully study sociology all three theories must be applied together. Critical theory was foundedRead MoreTheories And Nature Of Human Behavior951 Words   |  4 Pageshuman behavior is by how people view society. There are three major theories that provide a lens to compare how and individual see their environment. â€Å"A theory is a set of ideas that attempts to explain the known facts of a subject in a way that makes sense† (Claerbaut, 2015). The three major theories are sociology are structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. Structure functionalism â€Å"is a macro-level theory that views a society as a complete unit, in much the same way oneRead MoreConflict Theory Vs. Structural Functionalism978 Words   |  4 PagesConflict Theory vs. Structural Functionalism, this is like a fight between conservative and liberal. Structural Functionalism is a sociological theory that focuses on the structures of society and their functional significance (positive and negative consequences) for other structures (Ritzer, 2013). In another word, Structural Functionalism focuses on hierarchy, high position in the society. The theory is based on the belief that a person who held a high position like doctor or lawyer should get

Strategy Implementation - 852 Words

Organizations successful at strategy implementation effectively manage six key supporting factors : 1. Action Planning 2. Organization Structure 3. Human Resources 4. The Annual Business Plan 5. Monitoring and Control 6. Linkage. | | | | Action PlanningFirst, organizations successful at implementing strategy develop detailed action plans... chronological lists of action steps (tactics) which add the necessary detail to their strategies. And assign responsibility to a specific individual for accomplishing each of those action steps. Also, they set a due date and estimate the resources required to accomplish each of their†¦show more content†¦First, consideration of human resources requires that management think about the organizations communication needs. That they articulate the strategies so that those charged with developing the corresponding action steps (tactics) fully understand the strategy theyre to implement.Second, managers successful at implementation are aware of the effects each new strategy will have on their human resource needs. They ask themselves the questions... How much change does this strategy call for? And, How quickly must we provide for that change? And, What are the human resource i mplications of our answers to those two questions? In answering these questions, theyll decide whether to allow time for employees to grow through experience, to introduce training, or to hire new employees.The Annual Business PlanOrganizations successful at implementation are aware of their need to fund their intended strategies. And they begin to think about that necessary financial commitment early in the planning process. First, they ballpark the financial requirements when they first develop their strategy. Later when developing their action plans, they firm up that commitment. As a client of ours explains, they dollarize their strategy. That way, they link their strategic plan to their annual business plan (and their budget). And they eliminate the surprises they might otherwise receive at budgeting time.Monitoring Show MoreRelatedStrategy Implementation Organization Strategy Evaluation1280 Words   |  6 Pagesï  ¶ Strategy Evaluation: Introduction Participants in strategi c evaluation Analysis of External Environment Organization Setting objective (Long Short Term) Strategy Formulation Strategy Implementation Organization Strategy Evaluation Strategy Evaluation: Strategy Evaluation can be defined as a process of determining the effectiveness of a given strategy. Therefore, the purpose of strategy evaluation is to evaluate the effectiveness of a strategy that the organization to achieveRead MoreImplementation Strategies in the Market-Driven Strategy2959 Words   |  12 PagesMARKETING IN THE 21ST CENTURY COMMENTARY Implementation Strategies in the Market-Driven Strategy Era David W. Cravens Texas Christian University The very insightful analysis of marketing strategy implementation by Piercy (1998 [this issue]) points to several key issues concerning the role of marketing in the 21st century. Perhaps most compelling is his assessment of the potential threats to the role of marketing in the organization and implementation in particular. He examines several importantRead MoreProper Strategy Implementation And Evaluation Of Dish Network1386 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will react to the proper strategy implementation and evaluation that should be adopted by Dish Network. Dish is an American based corporation that provides broadcasting services to clients via television and the internet. A strategic management plan such as that possessed by Dish can be successfully implemented when a high focus is placed on measuring the level of performance and commitment in the implementation and evaluation phases. The strategic plan should be evaluated before, andRead MoreCentura Health Implementation Strategy Plan1502 Words   |  7 PagesCentura Health Implementation Strategy Centura Health is their region’s largest hospital system that is faith based and not-for-profit, located in Colorado and Western Kansas. This system includes 15 hospitals plus more affiliated hospitals, over 100 physician practices, senior living communities, Flight for Life, Centura Health at Home, and laboratory services (Centura, 2014). The power, size, and large scale of this system causes it to be a god system to analyze during states of change. CurrentlyRead MoreA Proposed Communication Strategy Throughout The Implementation Of The Marketing Activities Essay1638 Words   |  7 Pages6. A proposed communication strategy throughout the implementation of the marketing activities. Your communication strategy should ensure that all team members are kept informed of each other’sactivities. ï‚ § Draft an email, formal letter or other written response: since the involved stakeholders of this project are from both internal and external consultants and experts, emails, business letters and correspondences are the best and efficient way to convey and deliver the required business messagesRead MoreStrategic Marketing Management : Analysis Strategy, Implementation, And Control Of Marketing Activities1128 Words   |  5 Pagesanalysis strategy, implementation, and control of marketing activities in order to achieve organisation s objectives,† (Jack in the box, 2014). Through strategic planning, the company can break down their SMM into three main questions. What is the business doing now, what is happening in the environment, and what should the business be doing? (Hooley, G et al, 2012). A big part of addressing these three questions is planning, implementing and evaluating how effective different strategies are. StrategiesRead MoreStrategic Planning And Planning For An Multinational Corporate Boardrooms Discuss Planned Strategies, Organizational Actions, And Integrated Implementation Essay1944 Words   |  8 PagesMention strategic planning and people envision multinational corporate boardrooms discussing planned strategies, organizational actions, and integrated implementation schedules to spearhead billion-dollar endeavors across the globe. And on the whole, that mental depiction validates plenty of scenarios as part of a larger strategic planning process. Essentially, the plan represents one critical component of a comprehensive [strategic planning] process seeking to attain acknowledged goals throughRead MoreThe Strategy And Its Implementation1247 Words   |  5 Pages2.12 STRATEGY AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION 2.13 Introduction: The definition of the strategy and its determination The roots of the concept of strategy in war go back centuries, including Sun Tzu 500 BC and Karl von Clausewitz 18th century. From, which an historical body of literature was established in business sciences and business management, including and the concept of competitive advantage created by Michael Porter has strongly criticised this development firmly in his article (1996) by sayingRead MoreThe Implementation Of Organizational Strategies1001 Words   |  5 PagesMy action research question is, how will the implementation of organizational strategies impact student independence in a high school special education classroom? I was hoping that through the use of organizational strategies, that the students in a special education setting would gain independence, such as starting and finishing assignments independently, turning assignments in on time, and aware of upcoming assessments in order to better prepare them for life after high school. At the start ofRead MoreChallenges of S trategy Implementation1316 Words   |  6 PagesCHALLENGES OF STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION Potential Challenges of Strategy Implementation Strategy implementation starts with a series of brainstorming sessions. According to a study by Michael Beer and Russell A. Eisenstat, published in the summer 2000 issue of Sloan Management Review, the six silent killers of strategy implementation are top-down or complacent upper management, unclear strategy and conflicting priorities, ineffective senior management team, poor vertical communication, poor

Marx’s Vision Free Essays

In Marx’s view, abstract knowledge will ultimately be the most important force of production. He claims that, due to â€Å"autonomy from production, abstract knowledge of the society is in the process of becoming nothing less than the main force of production and will eventually replace the repetitive labor force, that is, industrial labor and society based on the division of labor in its traditional form.† The outcome of transformation of production and of wealth is no longer the direct physical labor the workers perform, nor the time invested in carrying out those task, but rather the enhancement of the of two interrelated factors: the technological expertise (scientific labor), and the social combination. We will write a custom essay sample on Marx’s Vision or any similar topic only for you Order Now . What is critical here is the knowledge objectified in fixed capital and embodied in the automated system of machinery. Marx makes use of an evocative metaphor to refer to the set of knowledges that make up the focal-point of social production and determine all areas of life; he calls it the ‘general intellect.’ This concept is introduced in Grundrisse’s Fragment on Machine. In this work, Marx diverts his emphasis on the discourse of the role of work in delivering surpluses for the social enhancement. Rather, he stresses that the development of capital will depend on modern technologies and the society. Therefore, to improve productivity it will surely depend on the improvement of general powers of human brain, societal knowledge. Marx’s main argument for the general intellect is highly on the increasing importance of machinery in social setting: â€Å"Nature builds no machines, no locomotives, railways, electric telegraphs, self-acting mules etc. These are products of human industry: natural material transformed into organs of the human will over nature, or of human participation in nature. They are organs of the human brain, created by the human hand: the power of knowledge, objectified. The development of fixed capital indicates to what degree general social knowledge has become a direct force of production, and to what degree, hence, the conditions of the process of social life itself have come under the control of the general intellect and have been transformed in accordance with it.† The concept of general intellect by Marx, could refer to the general social knowledge or collective intelligence of a given society. The term focuses on the ensemble of abstract knowledge consisting the new center of social production and organizing its important dimensions of reasoning. It is on those abilities and tendencies which are needed in any act of production. General intellect and those general means characterizing it organize the production process directly but they also organize the process of life. Fixed capital (intelligent machines) can entail the term general intellect as well as human beings. Just as collective force is needed to accomplish various task of production, so as the collective intellectual power is invested directly in production process. According to Nick Dyer-Witheford, as information technologies and cybernetic machines have become the driver and means of production, general intellect has gone beyond level of direct force and becomes the primary force of social production. Marx outlines two forms of technology as he points out capitalism’s mobilization of general intellect. First, it is the development of the production process with the support of the â€Å"automatic system of machinery† that operates by itself â€Å"†¦consisting of numerous mechanical and intellectual organs, so that the workers themselves are cast merely as its conscious linkages.† The other is the network of transportation and communication that is connecting the world of business. The development of automated systems are eliminating human employment by the day hence a single machine could perform five times or more work than a human beings can execute in a shortest possible time. The advancement in labor means into machinery has denotes the level at with general intellect has successfully assemble and incorporated by business, and â€Å"†¦ accumulation of knowledge and of skill, of the general productive force of the social brain, is thus absorbed into capital, as opposed to labor, and hence appears as an attribute of capital, and more specifically of fixed capital.† Moreover, Marx argues that, it is not the working class rather it is the development of the capital itself that will bring about the collapse of capitalism. Marx’s analysis of general intellect is understood as the demon that existed in the very tool that capitalist considered their utopia. In short, the combination of scientific knowledge with social cooperation, by the capitalist, is a way of creating self-destruction mechanism. For a better explanation, an example could be drawn from a wooden house that is constructed over a tree; it will just be a matter of time before the tress grows to destroy the house with its branches. This work uses Marx’s concept of general intellect to drive us to the question of political economy in the context of the new post-Fordist production processes, that is, what creates value in communicative economy, and how? What are the sources and forces in the production of new value? And on what term should its distribution be organized? In post-Fordist, the expectation put forward by Marx came true but surprising with no revolutionary or even conflictual repercussions. In post-Fordist production the roles of knowledge cannot be reduced to machinery system or automation, but becomes rather articulated in linguistic cooperation and communication, in relationship with networks and aptitudes. The central focus in this new work is human resources and tacit knowledge, a modes of behavior and ways of thinking that cannot be separated from concrete interaction and given a simple object form. They begin to operate as productive machines without ever materializing into electronic devices. And it is this division between general intellect and fixed capital that constitute the basic of the conflict. Based on Raymond Williams’s work, one can argue that Marx’s concept of general intellect is highly applicable in today’s post-industrial, digital economy. The focus of Williams’s text â€Å"Means of communication as means of production† argues that communication is a form of work and for that, media and means of production are inseparable. Communication (media), which is the powerhouse of post-industrial era, is built on language. William addresses this issue by pointing out that â€Å"language and communication are forms of social production.† For example, people with different viewpoints put their ideas together and build sophisticated techniques that are used in agricultural to produce sufficient output for the need of man. In this process human physical labor are not exhausted rather human brains intertwine their ideas with the use of societal product (language), and build technological products that get work done in today’s world of business. Finally, â€Å"Marx considered nature as one possible object of work that occurs in agricultural work and mining. This implies that also fabricated nature can be the object of work. Agricultural and extractive work takes nature as the object, industrial work takes fabricated nature as the object, information work takes ideas and human subjectivity as the object.† Marx supported the latter in his work â€Å"Grundrisse’s â€Å"Fragment on Machines† â€Å"but have neglected the question if communication is work.† How to cite Marx’s Vision, Papers

The System of Employment Relations-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Role of the State in the System of Employment Relations in France and Denmark. Answer: Introduction Every state finds it very important to be involved in the system of employment relations in the industrial sector. This ensures that both the employee and the employers have their basic rights protected by the state. The state protects the rights of both employer and employee through enacting legislations and taking up other measures that will ensure that employment relations between employers and employees are carried out accordingly. This paper seeks to do a comparison between the involvement of the state both in France and in Denmark in the system of employment relations. It will analyze the laws and regulations that have been put in place by the state to intervene in the system of employment relations in the respective countries. The paper will seek to identify the similarities in both France and Denmark in its involvement in the system of employment relations. It will also identify the areas where the countries have a divergence in their involvement in the system of employment in their respective countries. In this paper, the role of trade unions will be analysed and their level of efficiency in controlling employment regulations both in France and Denmark. An analysis will be made to evaluate the level of which the state involves itself in the ongoing of the trade unions. In addition, the paper will analyse employment contracts and identify the elements that make the different types of contracts valid and the measures which the state takes to ensure that contracts between employers and employees are honoured by both parties. Both in Denmark and in France, the states encouraged workers to form trade unions(Kahler, 2014 ). In France, for example, is the French Democratic Confederation of Labour which is a recognized trade union in France and is recognized as the largest of them all. In Denmark, on the other hand, is the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions which consists of 18 trade unions. The states ensures that they do not directly involve themselves in the works of the trade unions. The trade unions are charged with the responsibility of fighting for the rights of the workers. The trade unions ensures that workers are treated right and they are given their wages accordingly. Employees have no powers to stop workers from joining trade unions. Trade unions use methods such as demonstrations and strikes to ensure that employees give into the demands of the trade unions. It is important to note that the trade unions are indirectly governed by the state. This is through stipulating laws within which trade unions should operate. Therefore, although trade unions are powerful both in Denmark and France, they can not engage in illegal activities. Unfortunately, memberships in trade unions both in France and in Denmark are slowly deteriorating(Alarcn, 2014). This trend has been evident for many years. Some companies have come up with smart ways of evading the law in regard to trade unions. The law stipulates a minimum number of employees beyond which a company should enrol all the employees to a trade union. The affected companies evade this by ensuring that they regulate the number of people they employ so as not to be forced to enrol the members to a trade union (Toth, Maitah, Stefkova, 2014). Both in France and Denmark, the state has stipulated employment law. The employment law is meant to govern employers and employees as they relate in terms of employment. In France, for example, the state has stipulated legal regulations that are meant to govern the public sector in relation to employment. These legal regulations ensure that those employed in the public sector are protected from any kind of exploitation. In 2015, a new labour code (Loi Travail law) was suggested to ensure that there can be two types of contracts whereby one is contracted at a company level and the other is at a national level(Gilpin, 2016 ). From this suggestion, it can be derived that the state in France has been in a constant process of updating their law to ensure that they protect both employees and employers. In both countries, employment laws are applicable to all employees inclusive of those at the topmost executive levels. It has been noted that the personnel at the topmost executive levels ha ve power over those at the bottom-most levels. However, the state, through the law, has ensured that the employees benefit from the work relationships between employers and employees. Employers also form their own confederations to ensure that they are protected. In France, for example, is the General Confederation of small size and middle size enterprises of France. Employment contracts are commonly used both in Denmark and in France(Brewster, Guery, Stevenot, Wood, 2016). These employment contracts are divided into two. They can either be written contracts or implied contracts. It is important to note that, for permanent employments both employees and employers are advised to draft a written contract. This is very vital in case one would need to refer to the contract and analyze its terms. A written contract between an employer and employee are governed by the state through the law. According to the law both in France and Denmark, a written contract is not subject to any changes by the employer without the consent of the employee. The only exemption to this requirement is when the employer is making an adjustment in the contract so as to ensure that the contract totally secures the rights of the employees(Jacquemond Breau, 2015). It can be concluded that, both in Denmark and in France, contract law has been used by the state to intervene in the systems of employment relations. The state both in Denmark and in France has also enforced laws so as to ensure that foreign employees enjoy good employment relationships(Toth, Maitah, Stefkova, 2014). Though these foreign employees may not be subjected to following the entire labour code both in France and in Denmark, there are specific laws that the foreigner is subjected to. The foreigner in their work must ensure that they respect the basic human rights of employees. The foreign employees are protected by the law to ensure that their rights are not trampled upon. Therefore, it is conclusive that the governments both in France and in Denmark have stipulated laws to secure the rights and freedoms of foreign employees. By so doing these states are able to maintain good foreign relations with other countries. In France however, there are some changes that are yet to take place regarding labour laws since the coming of the new French President Macron. These laws are expected to create conducive business environments . The laws seek to adjust the damages that are paid to employees by regulating the maximum and minimum amount that ought to be paid. The Laws allowing trade unions to represent employees will remain untouched. The French state has taken up measures to stand against the likelihood of illegal employment of foreigners(Charles, 2014). Foreign employees are given visas with minimal periods. These periods can range between six months after which the employer can renew the contract. If the employment contract is not renewed the employee is not allowed to stay in that foreign country. The foreigner is said to be living illegally in a country if they continue to live there whereas their visa is expired(Bussi OReilly, 2016). These kinds of measures are taken so as to ensure that foreign employees are not subjected to harsh working conditions or treated unfairly by their employers in any way. These measures enables the state to keep a record of the foreign employees in their country and they are able to track them down in the case of anything. The state of France has also established a committee that is charged with the responsibility to ensure that it regulates the influx of foreigners into the country(Benigni, 2015). The committee is also charged with the responsibility to ensure that each foreigner has a valid employment contract so as to cut down on incidences of overworking foreign employees or underpaying them. The employment contract is said to be valid if it clearly stipulates the terms of employment. This is a measure to ensure that the foreign employee is well catered for. The Denmark state, just as the state of France, encourages her citizens who consist of the working class to join trade unions. Trade unions are very effective especially in the area of collective bargaining. Collective bargaining is a method used by trade unions to demand the rights of their members(Sahraoui, 2015). Trade unions, however, are gradually becoming very unpopular. This has been proven by the constant drop in the number of membership in trade unions today. The number of members is decreasing at an increasing rate. The state in Denmark is said to handoff in terms of employment relations. This is because the state does not directly involve itself in matters of employment relations. However, just like the state in France, the state enacts laws that are meant to guide employers and employees in their relations(Le Gallo L'Horty, 2017). These laws have helped trade unions to take great advantage of collective bargaining so as to safeguard the interests of the employees. The state has also enacted labour laws which are meant to guide employers and employees in their relations. Those who are found to have broken the law are answerable to it. The Denmark labour laws are adjustable. The state does not give specific minimum wages. The determination of wages is left to collective bargaining. Employers and employees are left to bargain on payments. Another reason why Denmark is said to handoff is that the state does not give specific working hours. Working hours are determined by collective bargaining. Th erefore the employer and employee are solely responsible for the decisions they make on working hours(Mohand-Said, 2017). On the other hand, in France, the state is very keen on working hours. The state has put up stipulations to ensure that no employee is underworked. In France, employment relations are governed by different levels. This does not take place in Denmark. Unlike Denmark, France operates in relation to levels(Malgouyres, 2017). Those at the topmost levels are said to be more superior and powerful as compared to those at lower levels. Thus it can be concluded that the state in France is more hands-on in its role in regulating employment relations. The state in Denmark has made no specifications about whether or not the nation is allowed to work on public holidays. This again is left in the hands of collective bargaining. However, in France, it is a requirement by the state that all employers have a contract of employment for their employees(Blundell Bozio, 2013). In this contract, the details of employment are well stipulated. In the contract, the working hours are clearly stated. The wage or salary of the employee is also stated in the contract. In addition, in the contract, the agreement on holidays and annual leave is also included. This shows that while Denmark is hands off on certain specifications, France has a way of ensuring that it plays its role directly in the system of employment in France. The role the state has played in the system of employment relations in Denmark has been very significant. This is because it has enabled the country to be the second country in Europe to have a very minimal gap between the rich and the poor(Ciganda, 2015). A country with a minimal gap between the rich and the poor is a very successful country because it shows that it is economically developed. A vast majority of people in Denmark are stuck to the middle class whether they are employed or not(Gindling Newhouse, 2014). This is because, even after an employee is laid off, the government supports them in many ways. First and foremost, the laid off employee is subject to monthly allowances by the government. In addition, this individual has access to free medical care and free education. The state supports the individual through a training program where they acquire skills that will enable them to acquire another job in a different field of work. In addition, the worker enjoys subsidized childcare and rent allowances. By so doing the state plays a major role in ensuring that everybody in the country is employed. After going through the training the state helps the individual to get a job(Espinoza Ruiz, 2014). While still jobless the state ensures that they help the individual to maintain a good level of standards of living. They enjoy subsidized prices for food products too. The French state, on the other hand, is not left out in directly catering for the welfare of the employed. This shows its direct involvement in the system of employment. When an individual gets employed, the state requires them to register with the French social security(Mucciarelli, 2017). Under this docket, an employed individual enjoys a lot of benefits. First and foremost, the employer is required to make monthly payments to an employee's social security fund. These monthly payments are usually a fraction of the employee's salary. Through this fund, an employed individual is able to access free healthcare. In addition, the employee can enjoy free maternity services and treatment as well as paid maternity leave. If an employee needs to take sick leave they enjoy paid sick leave and in case they pass away as a result of the sickness, the family of the employee is allowed to claim for pension as long as they have the right documentation to prove that they were descendants of the dec eased(Cahuc, Carcillo, Rinne, 2013). Nevertheless, the employee can enjoy the free medical treatment in case they are involved in an accident during the process of carrying out their responsibilities at work. In case of any serious injuries due to such an accident, the employee can claim compensation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the French state supports employees and employers strongly. It plays a major role in ensuring that the system of employment relations in France run smoothly with both the employees and employers enjoying the work they do. Conclusion In conclusion, therefore, from the above information, it can be said that there are no major disparities in the duties of states in regard to the system of employment both in France and Denmark. Though some of the measures taken to be involved in the system of employment relations by the state may differ, at the end they both achieve the same goal(Body, Bonnal, Giret, 2014). It is noted that the main aim both in Denmark and in France of state involvement in the system of employment relations is to ensure that both the needs of the employers and the employees are well catered for. Through establishing laws to govern employees and employers both the state of France and that of Denmark seek to ensure that no illegalities take place in the name of employment. Both states have also taken up measures to regulate the influx of foreign workers into their country so as to be able to keep tabs with the well being of the foreign workers. Both Denmark and France have an elaborate social securit y welfare system that is geared towards the protection of the welfare both of the employer and the employee(Bergeaud, Cette, Lecat, 2015). Through these social security welfare systems, both the employer and the employees benefit largely. The employees can receive free medical checkups and treatment. They also get compensated in case of accidents. This alleviates the burden on the employer to cater directly for all the needs of the employees. In the case of death, the employer does not bear the burden of compensating the dependants of the deceased. On the contrary, the social security welfare caters for the compensation expenses. Both in Denmark and France, the state has dedicatedly encouraged workers to join trade unions(Chaumet-Riffaud, 2017). Though in France there are specific requirements on wage payment, both states encourage collective bargaining between the employers and employees on how their relations shall be throughout the duration of employment. References Alarcn, A. (2014). Introduction. In French and US Approaches to Foreign Policy. Chicago: Palgrave Macmillan. Benigni, R. (2015). Affaire Baby Loup and lacit in private employment. The France between fundamentalist temptations and protection of religious freedom. Quaderni di diritto e politica ecclesiastica. Bergeaud, A., Cette, G., Lecat, R. (2015). Gross domestic product per capita in France and in advanced economies: the role of productivity and employment. Rue de la Banque. Blundell, R., Bozio, A. (2013). Extensive and intensive margins of labor supply: work and working hours in the US, the UK and France. Fiscal Studies. Body, K., Bonnal, L., Giret, J. (2014). Does student employment really impact academic achievement? The case of France. Applied Economics. Brewster, C., Guery, L., Stevenot, A., Wood, G. (2016). The Impact of Private Equity on Employment: The Consequences of Fund Country of Origin-New Evidence From France. Industrial Relations. Bussi, M., OReilly, J. (2016). Measuring early employment insecurity and its effects. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Sequence Analysis and Related Methods (LaCOSA II). Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES. Cahuc, P., Carcillo, S., Rinne, U. (2013). Youth unemployment in old Europe: the polar cases of France and Germany. Journal of European Labor Studies. Charles, N. (2014). When training is not enough: preparing students for employment in England, France and Sweden. SOCIOLOGIE DU TRAVAIL. Chaumet-Riffaud, A. (2017). Convergence of social policy, employment and labour: the European equation. Nottingham Insolvency and Business Law e-Journal. Ciganda, D. (2015). Unstable work histories and fertility in France: An adaptation of sequence complexity measures to employment trajectories. Demographic Research. Espinoza, R. A., Ruiz, M. (2014). Labor Tax Cuts and Employment: A General Equilibrium Approach for France. International Monetary Fund. Gilpin, R. (2016 ). The political economy of international relations. Colorado: Princeton University Press. Gindling, T., Newhouse, D. (2014). Self-employment in the developing world. World Development. Jacquemond, M., Breau, S. (2015). A spatial analysis of precarious forms of employment in France. Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie. Kahler, M. (2014 ). Decolonization in Britain and France: the domestic consequences of international relations. Colorado: Princeton University Press. Le Gallo, J., L'Horty, Y. (2017). Does enhanced mobility of young people improve employment and housing outcomes? Evidence from a large and controlled experiment in France. Journal of Urban Economics. Malgouyres, C. (2017). The impact of chinese import competition on the local structure of employment and wages: Evidence from france. Journal of Regional Science. Mohand-Said, S. (2017). Impact of Retinitis Pigmentosa on Quality of Life, Mental Health, and Employment Among Young Adults. American Journal of Ophthalmology. Mucciarelli, F. (2017). Employee Insolvency Priorities and Employment Protection in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Journal of Law and Society. Sahraoui, N. (2015). Gender, migration and domestic employment in France and in Italy. Toth, D., Maitah, M., Stefkova, M. (2014). Comparative research of youth employment in France and the Czech Republic. Research Journal of Applied Sciences.

Similarities between Capitalism and Socialism

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Galileo Galilei - founder of modern experimental science Galileo Galilei"founder of modern experimental science"Galileo Galilei was one of the most remarkable scientists ever. He discovered many new ideas and theories and introduced them to mankind. Galileo helped society as an Italian astronomer and physicist, but how did he come to be such a great and well-known scientist? It took hard work and patience....Galileo was born during the renaissance in Pisa, Italy on February 15, 1564. He was raised by his mom, Giulia Ammanati, and his dad, Vincenzo Galilei. His family had enough money for school, but they were not rich. When he was about seven years old, his family moved to Florence where he started his education. In 1581, his father sent him to the University of Pisa because he thought his son should be a doctor. For four years, he studied medicine and the different theories of the scientist Aristotle. He was not interested in medicine, but soon he became interested in math.English: Galileo galilei tomb in the Santa Croce (...In 1585, he c onvinced his father to let him leave the school without a degree.Galileo was a math tutor for the next four years in Florence. He spent a lot of the four years studying the scientific thoughts and philosophies of Aristotle. He also invented an instrument that could find the gravity of objects. This instrument, called a hydrostatic balance, was used by weighing the objects in water.Galileo returned to Pisa in 1589 and became a professor in math. He taught courses in astronomy at the University of Pisa, based on Ptolemy's theory that the sun and all of the planets move around the earth. Teaching these courses, he became more understanding of astronomy.In 1592, the University of Padua gave him a professorship in math. He stayed at that school for eighteen years. He learned and believed Nicolaus...

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Environment Industry Marketing

Environment Industry Marketing The report is about the analysis of the environment of automobile industry and the marketing strategy for Ford Motor Company. It initiates with examining of external environment of automobile industry by using PEST analysis and Porters five forces analysis. After the internal analyses that focus on the resource audit on brand, products, markets, technology, people and son on, the value chain analysis of the company will be conduct. Then the generic competitive strategies would be discussed through SWOT analysis, Ansoff Matrix and BCG Matrix in order to identify the general business strategy taken by the Ford Company. After specifying the company strategy by those analysis tools, the strategic evaluations would be drawn together with the strategy control methods. Finally, a suggested recommendation for the company future development will be mentioned at the end of the report. I. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Aim of The Report This report aim to identify the external environmental of the global automobile industry, measure and evaluate viable and sustainable marketing strategies using by the Ford Motor Company. Through appropriate theoretical concepts and models, together with appropriate methodologies, the organization within its contextual setting will be carefully examined, and justify recommendation will be mentioned. Though the report, how a successful corporation is operated and how its business strategy is implemented and controlled will be understood. 1.2 Company Background Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and one of the worlds largest automaker based on worldwide vehicle sales. It has manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents and has about 300,000 employees and 108 plants worldwide[1]. Ford now encompasses many global brands, including Lincoln and Mercury of the US, Jaguar and Land Rover of the UK, and Volvo of Sweden and one-third controlling interest in Mazda as well[1]. Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars under different brands and large-scale management of an industrial workforce and its combination of highly efficient factories and low prices revolutionized manufacturing had made the company successfully become a world leading auto manufacture. 1.3 Rational of Company Selection Automobile industry is a consistant developing industry in the global in the 21st century. Ford Company is a world leading automobile manufacture, which has its business all over the world. To analysis the global automobile industry environment and the development strategy for such a world famous company would be a greate help to understand how business strategies are generated, implementated and controlled and meanwhile to see how would the company do to keep its business perform well when facing a complicated environment and a decline market. 1.4 Company Vision, Mission and Value The companys vision is to become the worlds leading company for automotive products and services. And the companys mission is to become a global, diverse family with a proud heritage, passionately committed to providing outstanding products and services. And together with a company value that do the right thing for our people, our environment and our society, but above all for our customers[2]. Based on its vision, mission and company value, the Ford Company is endeavor to keep its leading position in the global, and make effort to provide excellent products and services that satisfied its customers. Approaches that be taken to fulfill it goals and objectives with considering the harmony of business environment and modern society. II.EXTERNAL ANALYSIS 2.1Environmental Analysis 2.1.1 Industry Background The world automobile industry has well developed for many decades and stable progress was made during recent years. Now the automotive manufacturing sector produce over 60 million vehicles every year[3] and contribute about 2.45 trillion Euro annual revenues[4]. There are numerous world famous carmakers all round the global, and although the competition in automobile industry becomes more and more fierce, it is still one of the biggest markets in global industry. 2.1.2 PEST Analysis Finlay[5] point out that remote environment affect businesses by an indirect way and would cause changes in a companys operation. The automobile industry touches on a wide range of aspects, such as manufacture, supply chain, retailing and so on. As a result, many factors such as government policies, local regulations, and social culture differences would influence this industry. By modeling the remote environment with PEST analysis (see appendix I), factors that would affect the global automobile industry would be examined. 2.1.2.1 Political and Legal .Competition Policy Anti-monopoly policies such as the EU competition policy tack several barriers to competition to make sure firms operate under a certain legal framework[6]. This policy has force a perfect competition in automobile industry and will absolutely affect auto manufactures marketing strategy to some extend through preventing firms from colluding by price-fixing and as well controlling the size of firms. . Environment Legislations Nowadays, much attention has been devoted to the environmental issues. Organization such as European Environmental Liability Directive has formulated many laws and regulations for environment protection[7]. Those legislations force manufactures to think over the environmental damage their operations may bring along, so that manufactures have to take action to protect the environment. . Automobile Industry Legislations and Policies First, regulations in many regions have introduced different emission limits for diesel and gasoline vehicles. Since 2005, all automobiles have to reach the Euro 4 emission standard in European countries[8]. And in America, stricter emission standard is set since 2005[9]. Besides, some governments are encouraging automakers to produce environmental friendly vehicles. For example, UK government had asked automobile manufactures to design new ultra low carbon family car in 2003[10], which says can be the step stone of the new generation fuel efficiency cars. .Taxation With the imposition of a fuel tax, consumers will have to think more carefully about their purchasing decisions. In the global, many countries has very high fuel tax, such as in the UK, it has took tax higher up to 81.5% of the total price of fuel[11]. And in Europe, EU has imposed a minimum taxation of 0.287 Euro per liter on gasoline[12]. As a result of such a high fuel tax, the usage of cars would be reduced to a great extent for many people. 2.1.2.2 Economic .Economic Growth and Inflation For these years, the global economy is growing steady. Predictors say that the average world growth rate of 4.9 percent in the period 2003-2006 will continue at least for the next two years[13]. In terms of inflation, there is a survey shows that an increasing global inflation with the annual rate of consumer price inflation in the U.S. went up to 4.2 percent in May,2007; 2.2 percent in Great Britain and 2.5 percent in the Euro zone[14]. As a result of the increasing inflation, people may prefer to spend their money right now instead of saving money in the bank and it would encourage people to consume products such as automobiles. .Trade Globalisation has removed many barriers to cross-border activities and international trade can create great opportunities for local businesses to expanding their business into new areas overseas to meet a whole new set of potential customers[15]. The ever-closer international business relationship would provide the manufacture more cost-effective resources and meanwhile provide customers the opportunities of wider choices. .Labour Force The unemployment number in the global is increasing every year. It is said that no matter in the developed countries like United States and the United Kingdom or in the developing countries in China, and India, they are generating less employment than it has in the past even though economic growth is strong[16]. So, in many places all around the world, the speed of job creation cannot catch up with the pace of population growth. This large number of unemployment indicates that many people may have not have steady income to afford a car. .Personal Income and Distribution of Wealth Despite a high and growing global average income[17], global distribution of wealth, consumption, and opportunity still remain severely unbalanced. The wealthiest 20 percent of the population consumes 80 percent of the resources[18]. As a result, people who could afford an upper class product only account for a small proportion of the total population and most people only has the average income. 2.1.2.3 Social-cultural .Demographics population Although recent long-term demographic projections suggest a fast deceleration of global population growth, evidence shows that the number of elderly people is growing fast[19]. As a result, manufactures should consider product that oriented to the elderly. household Some experts claim that there was a decline in the average size of household in the 21st century[20]. Due to the increasing number of elder people and the smaller size of household, I think the small car may become the main stream for its practicality. .Private and Public Transportation Though the public transportation may not be the first choice of some people, it is still the best substitute of private transportation such as private cars. This is especially true when increasing automobile usage generates some negative impacts such as congestion, traffic accidents and additional vehicle emissions. So some government is tending to shift people away from private transportation to public transportation with the effort that improving the performance[21]. .Environment Issues Environmental problems that touch us all has now has drawn the attention of public. People become more awareness about environment issues such as air pollution and greenhouse gas emission. For example, Public are informed by many channels about the impacts of transport can bring, such as the climate change, human health affections and loss of biodiversity [22]. As a result, consumers may become more cautious when purchasing cars. Meanwhile it is obviously the usage of environmental friendly products would turn up an increasing trend. .Other Social Concerns car parking Parking can be a big problem for many drivers. It is always hard to find a place for parking and the price charged for parking is sometimes goes very high [23]. As a result, some people would rather to use public transportation instead of using their private cars. road safety Road accident is always a big issue for drivers. Take UK for example, according to the 2005 annual report of UK department of transportation[24], there is a total number of casualties in 2005 were 271,017 with a number of 3,201 people killed and 28,954 injured. The high risk of driving would influence consumers decision on purchasing. public health Recent years some diseases such as SARS had challenged social stability[25]. This had effect peoples customs and their behavior to some extend. For example, there is a sharp decrease of public transportation usage rate during the period of SARS in 2003. These public health issues more or less have influenced the global automobile market. 2.1.2.4 Technology .New Energy Since increasing attention has paid to environmental issues, researchers are searching actively for new exploitable resources that can instead of petrol and diesel. Bio-fuels are one of the most favorite substitutes at current, which says made from renewable resources such as agricultural crops or waste. They are more environmental friendly and can be refined as conventional petrol that used in todays engines[26]. Another substitute is natural gas that is relatively cleaner compare with other alternatives. Besides, it is claimed that natural gas is not only a cheap energy, but also can well suited to motoring uses[27]. In addition, Lewin[28] believe hydrogen fuel cell cars that will hit the market in near future and many automakers are planning to launch this kind of product. Besides, solar power is also a feasible substitute for carmakers. It is claimed that the very first solar power deal for reviving car batteries had made by a Canadian manufacturer of solar panels with the VW[29]. .Computer Aided Design Program Wernle and Bolduc[30] point out that vehicles design in the new century must be distinctive and alluring so that it would win a ideal market share. It is always a hard and time consuming process for car designer to design a car that not only combine with great comfort and safety performance, but also has unique style. Now, with the help of some computer programs such as Alias it would save much time for automakers to get cars to market quicker by reducing the number of clay models and prototypes[30]. . GPS and Car Navigation System It is report that Garmin Ltd., the largest GPS device maker in the world had sold around 5 million units in 2006 for personal navigation equipment[31]. Nowadays, GPS becomes more and more important to car drivers in every day life. With the help of GPS system information associated by odometers, gyroscopes[32], a car navigation systems can get drivers wherever they want to go. Information is transmitted by autonomous navigation systems without the participation of an external server by the use of a two-way communication between navigation center and the onboard vehicle sensors. The system can calculate the optimal route automatically and then give necessary guides and some programmes even can provide users with additional information such as hotels and shopping malls showing on its digital maps. As GPS and car navigation system has widely accepted by many people, it will become an important factor when people making their consideration. 2.2 The Structural Analysis of Industries Competition between firms is crucial to modern economies[33]. In competitive environment, there is a set of external influences which is able to affect organisations action[34]. Organisations have to fully understand that environment in order to make effort to create competitive advantage so that to achieve success. In the following part, Porters five-forces (see appendix II) approach will be used to examining the competitive environment. 2.2.1 The Threat of Entry Johnson[34] suggest that the barriers to entry determine the threat of entry. If the barriers are high then the threat of entry would be relatively low[35]. The entrance barriers in global car industry can be proposed as following: . Economies of Scale Since the ever falling car price[36], in order to reduce cost, many carmakers keep increasing their output volume. For example, Toyota Motor Manufacturing had increased from 220,000 to 285,000 on Toyota Corolla and Avensis models in UK 2004 annual production capacity and Mazdas domestic production capacity has increased by 14 percent in the same year[37]. Thus, new entrants who want to come in this industry have to come in with either at a large scale and risk strong reaction from existing companies or they have to come in at a small scale and accept a cost disadvantage[35]. . Production Differentiation For carmakers, it is always hard to create distinctive products, as the basic techniques of car manufacturing are no longer a secret for few manufactures. Now the focus is gradually turning to safety[38], style, comfort and new technology for example a computer control panel such as providing the driver with telematics, GPS[39] because of the quality gap among the different manufacture become narrower. As a result, it would obviously more time consuming and would spend more money for those carmakers to design a new model that is different from the competitors. .Capital requirement of Entry To entry the automotive industry requires not only advanced technological but also enormous capital[40]. It costs a lot on designing a new model, production, distribution and so on. And the larger the scale the company has the more capital would be spent. So entrants who want to come into this industry should first make sure if they have enough money. . Cost Disadvantages Independent of Scale Porter[35] state that established companies may have cost advantages such as proprietary product technology, favorable locations, favorable access to raw materials. Many famous carmakers have already established their cost advantages. Take the example of Ford, it spend around 450 million on automotive research and development in Britain to keep advanced technology every year. As a result, it is difficult for a competitor who does not have cost advantages to break into the industry. To sum up, the entry barriers in world automobile industry is relative high, so it is not an easy work for new entrants to come in to this field. 2.2.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers may have strong power over the industry if the industry is dominated by few suppliers or the switching costs is high to change one from another [34]. When considering the components segment of automobile industry, it is now facing a globalization trend. Rivals not only exist in the domestic market, but also rise from abroad, which means that the components segment is full of competition and the bargaining power of suppliers would be reduced. Beside, car companies are now seeking component makers and original equipment manufacturers in some developing countries such as India, China and Far East in order to save money[41]. Honda, which used to source major part of its components from UK suppliers, for example, is now reducing its UK vendor base. As a result, this worldwide sourcing trend has become a threat that limited the power of suppliers. In addition, in auto industry there is a trend of allying with other manufacturers to share design and development costs recently. It is said that vehicle manufactures are working together much closer with their partners and try to develop vehicle platforms jointly. Most of large car manufacturers like Ford, GM, and Volkswagen have cut down their number of platforms[42] and some models will use the same platform in order to reduce cost. Manufacturers can not only reduce their manufacturing cost to some extend by this way, but also would become more powerful when bargaining with components suppliers because increasing volumes of components may need. And meanwhile it may help manufacturers reduce raw material costs. In a word, the bargaining power of suppliers in global automobile industry is low. It is an opportunity for many car manufacturers that provide a chance of planning their purchasing strategy better and more profitable. 2.2.3 Bargaining Power of Buyers According to Porters[35] theory, buyers have the power of forcing down prices, bargaining for higher quality and more service, and playing competitors against each other. In the following part, the bargaining power of buyer in global industry will be discussed from several different aspects. .Products Differentiation As in global car market the product differentiation is not very obvious due to the auto manufacture acknowledge is no longer a secret. There are lots of carmakers in this market, and the basic functions of their products are almost the same and the only differences would be the design and some other additional functions. So customers can always find alternative supplier who offers a cheaper price, gives the most satisfied product, and provides the best customer service. . Importance of Purchasing If the product is very important for the buyers, the bargaining power of buyers may relative high[35]. In automobile market, the importance of purchasing seems rather low. Statistic shows that in developed countries, the average ownership of cars is quite high, take Britain as an example, statistic shows that 3 in 4 households have access to a car and over half (52%) of all rural households had two or more cars in 2005[43]. So in those countries to purchasing a new car may not be so necessary for most of the families. . Information Searching If buyers have full information about product, demand, market price, their bargaining power would be greater than those with less information[35]. We are now entering a great new era of information. People can seek product information through various methods, such as friends, sales assistant and different medias. And it is said that individuals especially those who are highly involved with the purchase of a product are thought to be more active on information searching[44]. Todays mass media, no matter the newspapers, magazines, radio, or television, all contain a large amount of information. Besides, the entering of Internet era has simplified the process of information searching process to a great extend. All these factors mentioned above have provided consumers with more information. What it comes down to me is that in automobile industry, the car manufacturers marketing strategy would be effected by the relative high customer bargaining power. 2.2.4 Pressure From Substitute Products Substitutes play a limitation role in industry[35], it provide the same function as the product of the industry to restrains industry making profit. There are several means would be the substitute products of automobile. . Public Transportation Public transportation would come first to most of people when thinking about the substitute of private cars. More and more people are willing to give up cars and use public transportation especially when the service of public transportation is better. Besides, since there are increasing number of SOHO workers, many people choose to work at home by Internet. So they do not need a car to drive to work, thus the significance of owning a car is decreased. . Car renting and Car Sharing Today, the ever-rising petrol price becomes another factor that forces many people reduce the usage rate of their cars. Many people choose to rent a car for travel or share one car between friends instead of driving alone. As a result, demand of purchasing a car would be decreased and there is increasing demand for car rental especially now some rental firms have provided more complete and customerizedservices[45]. To summarize, public transportation, car renting and car sharing could be some of the substitute methods of owning private cars. All of these means have pressed threaten on the world auto industry. 2.2.5 Intensity of Rivalry Among Existing Competitions Porter[35] point out that rivalry occurs for the reason that one or more competitors feels pressure or sees the opportunity to improve position. In global automobile industry, rivalry among the competitors is very strong and the major competitors are closely balanced so that the rivalry is increasing intense. Besides old rivals such as General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen, those Japanese carmaker like Toyota and Honda now are gaining stronger power in this industry. Because there is little differentiation among the products, when deciding purchasing, one rival is always compared to another constantly in price, quality, durability, and many other aspects. As a result, in order to gain market share in the automobile industry, company should provide better product as well as better service so that it could take the market share from their competitors. 2.3 Strategic Group Analysis To identify strategic groups which has similar strategic characteristics, following similar strategies or competing on similar bases can help to understand the most direct competitors and of any given organization and also can help identify potential opportunities and threats[34]. Strategic groups in automobile industry can be identified according to the products class and status such as those upper class manufactures such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, and up medium, medium and lower medium manufactures such as Honda, Ford and other market segment such as racing car and so on. In different regions, each groups power are vary. It is essential to Ford Company to identify different situation in different places all over the world, so that the business strategy can be chosen properly. III. INTERNAL ANALYSIS 3.1 Resource Audit Resource audit is useful in understanding strategic capability according to Johnson[34]. To identify the availability of resource that can be used is important for a business. In the following, the resource of Ford Company would be examined. 3.1.1 Brand The Ford Motor Company controls the many car marques wouldwide, such as Jaguar, , Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, and Volvo[1]. Through acquisition, Ford Company got control of some famous brands such as Land Rover, Jaguar and Volvo. Based on the customer knowledge and trust of those upper class brands, the sales of other segments and brands of Ford car had been promoted[46]. By building the image of Combining solid refined design and the best new technologies available[2], the company becomes a powerful rival in the market, and the brand has widely accepted by many people. 3.1.2 Products and Market Ford has numerous locations where Ford vehicles are developed, manufactured, sold or distributed[47]. These plant and office locations work to provide a basis of the companys leading position in car market for many years, which take responsibility in manufacturing vehicles and power products, technological developing, purchasing and distribution its products all around the world. Although with high cost-effective Ford models such as Transit, Fiesta and Focus that have become the best seller for many years[82], there would be a problem of shrinking of market and declining in profitability recent years. 3.1.3 Finance According to Ford Company 2006 annual report[48], although the company is at loss during the year for the unsatisfied performance in North American market, the situation in Europe market is still profitable with the sales of vehicles that generated the major income and cash of the companys automotive sectors revenue. In addition, the interest on finance receivables generated the primary income of the companys financial services sectors revenue. Based on its vehicles and financial service sales, the company has the ability to support some technology development or have some further investment such as diesel engineering[49]. 3.1.4 Technology Ford invests heavily in new technology. In Britain only, it spends around 450 million on automotive research and development annually. In Dunton Technical Centre, it has the largest automotive design and engineering facility in the UK and one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in Europe[47]. The emphasis on technology enables the company have a solid basis of product development. As a result, competitive advantage through new technique, programmes such as digital in-vehicle system called Sync created with Microsoft[50] that is turning out this summer is a good example. 3.1.5 People In order to equip its employees with stronger capability, Ford offers well equipped learning resource centers and training programmes for all employees. These human resource management actions has not only trained sufficient qualified employees for the company, but also provided a base for producing conversations of companys strategic change[51]. On the other hand, recent bad performance forced Ford Company to shear its employees. It is said that a downsized Ford would shed up to 30,000 jobs and 14 factories by 2012 in order to be more innovative[86]. 3.2 Value Chain Analysis Value chain (see appendix III) analysis has been widely adopted as a way of understanding the relationship between strategic capability and organisations resources. As to Ford Company, in its very early years, the company has controlled the entire value chain[52], now it endeavors to integrate its multi-tiered value chain which include chief elements such as real-time quality feedback from the market to tier, inventory reduction, transaction reduction, collaborative visual design studios, rapid customer feedback, accelerated time to market[53]. Through those actions, the resource utilization is enhanced so there would be less resource is wasted during the production and transaction. Besides, the cost efficiency has increased by building the economies of scale, reducing supply cost and effective communications between suppliers and buyers. In addition, a carefully planned marketing mix and a better service would promote effectiveness, such as the efforts that the Ford Company put on CarsDirect and online selling[54]. IV. GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES 4.1 SWOT Analysis 4.1.1 Strengthens Companys Large Scale Ford Company is one of the largest automotive manufacturers in the world. It manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents[1]. The large size has brought the company economies of scale as well as name recognition and customer trust. Product Diversity Through acquisition, Ford Company now has owned many world famous brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo[1]. The companys products has penetrated into every segments of auto industry and each brands has its own strengthens in different segment, such as Land Rover is famous of its 4X4 vehicle and Lincoln is a well know luxury car. Profitable Financial Services Division The financial services division, Ford Motor Credit, plays a key role in keeping the company afloat. Even the automotive division are reported at loss[48], there is evidence that the financial services still remain profit. As a result, the revenue made by financial services division would be a great help when its automotive sector is not performing well. Strategic Alliance By cooperating with some strategic alliance, the company can benefit a lot from the advantages of their partners. Ford has announced to start offering Sony-branded audio systems in Ford and Mercury automobiles[55] and Microsoft software will be used for the Ford Sync radios[56]. Besides, Ford Company also support racing teams such as NASCAR[57]

Domain Names Essay -- Internet Computers Web Essays

Domain Names What is a â€Å"domain name†? Domain names are the addresses of the Internet, like www.amazon.com or ry.byu.edu. A domain name is part of a URL or â€Å"Universal Resource Locator;† an Internet Address. Each user on the Internet is identified by a unique IP address, consisting of four bytes (or 32 bits) from 0 to 255 separated by periods, such as 132.112.15.254. To avoid remembering such an unwieldy address, a domain name is used instead. When you type a domain name into your browser, it first looks it up in a â€Å"domain name server† or DNS, which is like a registry or telephone book that associates the name with the correct IP address. What are the parts of the domain name? The final piece of a domain name, the â€Å".com† or â€Å".net† suffix, is called the â€Å"top-level domain† or TLD. There are only a few TLD suffixes that are currently used. The middle portion of the domain name is called the â€Å"second-level domain†, â€Å"sub-domain† or SLD. This is usually the key piece of information that describes the site. The first part of the domain name, the â€Å"www.† or â€Å"email.† is typically used as the name of the computer hosting the information, and is often used to designate a communications protocol, such as www (for HTML) or ftp (for ‘file transfer protocol’). What top domains are allowed? Only seven designations, called â€Å"generic† TLDs, are used in the USA. These are: Unrestricted:  · .com commercial use  · .int international organizations  · .net a network  · .org an organization, usually non-profit Restricted  · .gov US government  · .edu 4-year educational institution  · .mil US military .. ... Consider registering common misspellings as well.  · Position yourself differently from your net competitors.  · Be aware of trademark laws if you intend to trademark your name. If it is merely a contact address, or is descriptive like â€Å"books.com†, it will not be trademark protected. There are numerous other pitfalls, and most domain names do not qualify as protected trademarks. Where can I learn more? An excellent, comprehensive book covering every aspect of domain names was published in 1998 by Ellen and Peter Rony, called The Domain Name Handbook. The table of contents, updates to the book, and many excellent links to domain name news can be found at www.domainhandbook.com. A slightly outdated beginners guide to registering domain names is found at www.igoldrush.com, and some useful related info can be found at www.InterNIC.net. Domain Names Essay -- Internet Computers Web Essays Domain Names What is a â€Å"domain name†? Domain names are the addresses of the Internet, like www.amazon.com or ry.byu.edu. A domain name is part of a URL or â€Å"Universal Resource Locator;† an Internet Address. Each user on the Internet is identified by a unique IP address, consisting of four bytes (or 32 bits) from 0 to 255 separated by periods, such as 132.112.15.254. To avoid remembering such an unwieldy address, a domain name is used instead. When you type a domain name into your browser, it first looks it up in a â€Å"domain name server† or DNS, which is like a registry or telephone book that associates the name with the correct IP address. What are the parts of the domain name? The final piece of a domain name, the â€Å".com† or â€Å".net† suffix, is called the â€Å"top-level domain† or TLD. There are only a few TLD suffixes that are currently used. The middle portion of the domain name is called the â€Å"second-level domain†, â€Å"sub-domain† or SLD. This is usually the key piece of information that describes the site. The first part of the domain name, the â€Å"www.† or â€Å"email.† is typically used as the name of the computer hosting the information, and is often used to designate a communications protocol, such as www (for HTML) or ftp (for ‘file transfer protocol’). What top domains are allowed? Only seven designations, called â€Å"generic† TLDs, are used in the USA. These are: Unrestricted:  · .com commercial use  · .int international organizations  · .net a network  · .org an organization, usually non-profit Restricted  · .gov US government  · .edu 4-year educational institution  · .mil US military .. ... Consider registering common misspellings as well.  · Position yourself differently from your net competitors.  · Be aware of trademark laws if you intend to trademark your name. If it is merely a contact address, or is descriptive like â€Å"books.com†, it will not be trademark protected. There are numerous other pitfalls, and most domain names do not qualify as protected trademarks. Where can I learn more? An excellent, comprehensive book covering every aspect of domain names was published in 1998 by Ellen and Peter Rony, called The Domain Name Handbook. The table of contents, updates to the book, and many excellent links to domain name news can be found at www.domainhandbook.com. A slightly outdated beginners guide to registering domain names is found at www.igoldrush.com, and some useful related info can be found at www.InterNIC.net.

Coffin vs Tubman Essay

Though many individuals in the antebellum United States felt slavery was an abomination, few felt so strongly about it that they would risk their livelihood or wellbeing to fight for abolition. Those who sought change most avidly often drew inspiration from personal life-changing experiences or their engrained beliefs. Anti-slavery operations such as the Underground Railroad could not have functioned on such a large scale without the financial and organizational support given by wealthy citizens such as Levi Coffin. Others who had experienced slavery firsthand, like Harriet Tubman, felt that it was their duty to risk all the freedom they had won to help their enslaved family and comrades. In addition to freeing slaves and fighting to end slavery, these individuals became symbols of bravery and fortitude, giving inspiration to other abolitionists and sympathizers. Tubman and Coffin worked primarily in different time periods and geographical locations, but both were motivated to break slavery laws by their religious beliefs and their childhood experiences with the horrors of slavery. Even after the emancipation of the slaves in 1863, there was something within these two that kept them fighting for equality and justice. Levi Coffin grew up in the heart of slave-owning America, on a farm in New Garden, North Carolina. He was born on October 28, 1798 into a devout Quaker family, who believed that slavery conflicted with the teachings of their religion. Clearly his parents’ teachings and the influence of the Quaker community had a lasting effect on Levi, since he knew from a very young age that he was morally opposed to slavery, claiming â€Å"I date my conversion to Abolitionism from an incident which occurred when I was about seven years old.† Working on his father’s farm with no assistance from slave labor, he developed an appreciation for hard work and often found himself interacting with local slaves. He received very little formal education, which is astonishing, given the degree of business success he would experience later in life. Throug h his teenage years he helped his parents by caring for escaping slaves who had sought refuge on their farm. Unfortunately, the toughening enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act led to public disdain for the Quakers, who defied the government’s laws to pursue what they perceived to be the morally righteous path. To avoid increasing persecution from slaveholders who suspected them of aiding runaways, the majority of Quakers in the Coffins’ community packed up their things and moved northwest to Indiana, in a similar fashion to their relatives who had emigrated from England years ago. Indiana was a part of the Northwest Territory, where slavery had been made illegal with the passing of the Northwest Ordinance in 1787. Therefore, the Coffins could resume their abolitionist work in relative safety. The religious persecution experienced by Levi and his forefathers must have served as a strong reminder of the society’s tendencies to mistreat groups of people and individuals who look, think, or act differently. Levi Coffin gained inspiration from Quaker teachings and used his family’s substantial resources to help those whom he felt could not help themselves, whereas Harriet Tubman drew courage and strength from her experiences as a slave to aid her family and friends. Born into slavery around 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland, Araminta Harriet Ross would eventually become one of the most famous female abolitionists of all time. Since her mother had duties to attend to in the plantation house of her owner Mary Pattison Brodess and her father was owned by another family, she was often the only one around to look after her younger siblings. She was also sent to work for both her parents’ owners’ families and other local families from time to time. She was put to work in the woods and fields, where she became strong and acquired valuable skills she would utilize later in life. She experienced many unjust and unwarranted beatings at the hands of her owners that would scar her physically and emotionally. Probably the gravest of Tubman’s injuries came in the form of a skull-fracturing blow she received at the age of fifteen from a two-pound metal weight, which had originally been aimed at another fleeing slave. She was slow to recover from this injury, and once she was fit to work again she still experienced seizures, random bouts of sleep, and vivid dreams and visions for the rest of her life. The difficult life she led and the painful memories she carried fueled her desire to never stop fighting for equality for her people. While Tubman and Coffin were born over 20 years apart, they were both subjected to life changing circumstances in their early years that would shape their outlook on society and foster their determination to help others. The Quakers were well known as forerunners in the fight against all forms of bondage and enslavement, both in the United States and Europe, though not every Quaker chose to actively aid escaping slaves. According to H. J. Cadbury, the â€Å"Society of Friends †¦ would surely if slowly become a pioneer moral force in abolishing the accepted and time honored institution of slavery.† For Levi Coffin though, there was no excuse to not help all those that he could. Even as a young boy he realized how terrible it would be to be torn away from his family and forced to work for nothing, just as the slaves he interacted with in his community had been. While Tubman was not a Quaker, her mother told her stories from the Bible as a child, and she quickly developed an unwavering faith in God without the conventions of any particular religious institution. Her abolitionist activities were neither limited by laws of a guiding religious body nor motivated by any incentive besides her own desire to see a world without slavery. Not long after his family and neighbors in North Carolina moved to Indiana to escape persecution for their unlawful acts, Coffin chose to join them. In 1826, two years after marrying his wife Catherine, they settled down in Newport, Indiana with their firstborn son. He farmed a small plot of land and opened a rather successful general store within his first year of living there. He soon learned that there was a community of free African Americans near Newport, which was unfortunately a well-known stopping point for escaped slaves making their way northward along the Underground Railroad. He did not hesitate to approach the black community to let them know that he would gladly harbor these runaways, since his property was far less likely to be suspected of aiding escaped slaves. As his neighbors and others observed the success that Levi was having in helping runaways, they became increasingly willing to offer their assistance in the form of food, clothes, and shelter. With more support, Levi and his supporters were eventually able to develop a secret network of safe locations for fugitive slaves to stop as they were smuggled north to Canada. He continued to help more and more slaves escape to freedom, and his house became known as the â€Å"Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad,† which was fitting, given the fact that it was the meeting point of escape routes from Madison, New Albany, and Cincinnati. His business initially struggled while the majority of the community disapproved of his illegal activity, but as more citizens who opposed slavery moved into the area he saw increased sales. After becoming the director of the Richmond branch of the Bank of Indiana, he was financially able to increase his contributions to his fugitive aid efforts. He even built an addition on his house where he could hide up runaways from the slave-hunters who constantly checked his house for escapees. Despite public knowledge of his involvement with the abolition movement, Coffin never feared for his safety or the safety of his family and business; claiming, â€Å"If by doing my duty and endeavoring to fulfill the injunctions of the Bible, I injured my business, then let my business go. As to my safety, my life was in the hands of my Divine Master, and I felt that I had his approval.† Tubman eventually married a free man named John, whose last name she took, and around the same time, changed her first name to Harriet. Although marriages between free and enslaved blacks were not uncommon, they did nothing to change the status of the enslaved individual. As Tubman’s value as a slave diminished due to symptoms associated with her head injury, her owner Edward Brodess attempted to sell her, but could not make a sale before he himself died. Brodess’s death all but guaranteed that Harriet would be sold and separated from her family and husband. At this point she decided that she would live in slavery no longer, and made an escape attempt with two of her brothers in September of 1849, despite John’s advice against it. They did not make it far before her brothers got cold feet and she was forced to return with them. It did not take her long after this to make a second attempt at escape, this time with nobody else. She made use of the Underground Railroad to make her way north to Pennsylvania, often traveling by night and using her knowledge of the land to survive. Although she was free in Philadelphia, where she was working odd jobs and saving money, Tubman could not be content while her family and friends were still enslaved in Maryland. Unfortunately though, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 prompted many escaped slaves living in free states to venture further north to Canada, since they were no longer protected from slave-hunters, and Tubman was once again a fugitive. Upon hearing that her niece was to be sold in Baltimore, she travelled there from Philadelphia to aid in her extended family’s escape. She successfully transported them back to Philadelphia, and was soon returning to Baltimore to free her brother and two others. With her newfound abilities as a strong leader, she made her way back to Dorchester County to attempt to free those whom she cared about most. However, she found that her husband John had remarried and claimed to be happy in Maryland. Rather than make a scene that could result in her capture, Tubman swallowed her pain and decided to aid several other slaves who were anxious to escape. She would make approximately 19 trips into southern states in the next eleven years, guiding as many as 300 individuals north to freedom, including her other brothers and their families. In her time not spent guiding slaves out of Maryland, she helped guide those escaped slaves who had already made it to Pennsylvania further north to the political refuge of Canada. Coffin and Tubman both claimed that their faith in God overpowered any fear they may have had regarding their own safety or wellbeing. They felt as though there was no way they could be punished for doing God’s work. Tubman’s powerful visions and dreams often took on a religious theme, which she interpreted as God speaking to her. While Coffin did not have visions, he had strong faith and varying amounts of support from his community. Their driving forces were similar, yet their means of lending aid were almost exactly opposite. Where Coffin provided lodging, food, and transportation, Tubman acted as more of a shepherd, sharing her knowledge and courage with the runaways she guided. Tubman was reliant on help from anti-slavery activists like Coffin to provide her runaways and her with food and shelter. Allegedly, she received a great deal of help from northeastern Quakers such as Thomas Garret, which demonstrates the Quakers’ aversion to slavery, no matter where they lived. The life of an Abolitionist in the 19th century United States was anything but easy, given the fact that they were battling an age-old institution that was deeply engrained in the culture of the nation. Both Tubman and Coffin faced adversity wherever they attempted to assist escaped slaves, though the obstacles they faced were different given their very different circumstances. Being an escaped slave herself, Tubman was constantly in danger of being recognized and taken back to the south, especially after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. She could use this to her advantage on her frequent trips into southern states though, often hiding in plain sight by acting like she was busy running errands for an owner. While Tubman acted in secrecy and used her relative anonymity to her advantage, Coffin managed to help thousands of slaves escape to freedom despite his local fame and constant scrutiny from law enforcement and public officials. After public support for his actions increased amongst his community members, he was able to expand his network; endeavoring into the business of transporting runaways along secret routes. Coffin noted that many times, â€Å"people who were not abolitionists were deeply moved by the sight of another human fleeing slavery.† However, the Quakers were a historically unpopular religious faction in both Europe and America, and eventually the leaders of the Quaker’s governing body decided his actions could possibly provoke law enforcement officials and the non-Quaker community to force them to move once more. Using his skills as a leader and organizer, he simply formed his own sect of the Quaker religion known as the Antislavery Friends. One notable quality shared by both Tubman and Coffin was their undying need to help others and willingness to sacrifice everything they had. In 1847, Coffin undertook the unappealing task of moving to Cincinnati to try to promote goods produced from free labor, even though the quality was poor and he saw almost no profits from such goods. He felt as though it was an important business venture to support, and gave no heed to the financial risks. After operating his business rather unsuccessfully for some time in Cincinnati, he began helping escaped slaves again by opening his house as a stop on the Underground Railroad. As emancipation became more likely he began to concern himself with the wellbeing of freed slaves, helping to form the Western Freedman’s Aid Society and petitioning the government to form the Freedman’s Bureau to help freed slaves receive educations and get jobs to support themselves. He would raise over $100,000 for the Western Freedman’s Aid Society after the Civil War, and attended several notable international anti-slavery conventions. Eventually he slowed down in his old age, declaring that he would retire from this stressful lifestyle after the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, since the abolitionists had won what they had been fighting for all these years. Coffin’s views on such matters conflicted with many other Quakers who felt as though, â€Å"opposing slavery was one thing,† and, â€Å"envisioning the place of free people of color in American society was quite another.† In the years leading up to the Civil War, Tubman took an aggressive stance, advocating the need for definitive action. She helped John Brown recruit volunteers for his attempted revolt at the raid on Harpers Ferry in 1858, though she did not actually participate in the skirmish due to her illness. Throughout the War, she aided the Union as a spy and nurse, and even led an armed raid on several plantations along the Combahee River. However, the whole time she worked for the Union Army she was never paid a regular salary, and did not receive an official pension for her service until 1899. This is why she was especially unique as a leader, because she had experienced both the oppression of slavery and the prejudice of a strongly male-dominant society. This is why she was keen on joining the women’s suffrage movement later in her life, and quickly rose to be a great leader; working alongside Susan B. Anthony. Later on in life, she also contributed a portion of her land in Auburn, New York to be used to build a care center for impoverished elderly African Americans. This was the same land on which she had housed her parents, siblings, and many fugitive slaves, suggesting that she was intent on using her land to aid those for whom she cared. All of her efforts eventually left her in a great deal of debt, despite her status as a folk hero and truly inspirational American patriot, and she would spend her last years living in the rest home named after her. To compare Levi Coffin and Harriet Tubman is difficult due to their differing circumstances and methods for assisting escaped slaves. Tubman could hardly have provided an inconspicuous and consistent hiding place for those she helped on her early missions, due to her fugitive status and lack of steady income. Coffin found that providing the financial backing for a large network was more effective than if he were to have simply guided a few escapees at a time to the safety of Canada. Both Tubman and Coffin had to draw strength from their faith and experiences to become the leaders that they were, and their actions reflected the conviction they felt for advancing the abolitionist movement. To bring about change, there must be individuals who are willing to take the reins and expedite the process through action. These individuals must act with no fear and no regret, with total confidence that their plans will bear the fruit of success. Levi Coffin and Harriet Tubman luckily lived to see the fall of slavery, which they felt justified all of their efforts and any amount of law breaking they partook in over the years. Bibliography Brawley, Benjamin G. Women of Achievement. Women’s American Baptist Home Mission Society, 1919. http://www.unz.org/Pub/BrawleyBenjamin-1919 (accessed November 24, 2012). Cadbury, H. J. â€Å"Another Early Quaker Anti-Slavery Document.† The Journal of Negro History 27 (1942), http://www.jstor.org/stable/2714734 (accessed November 24, 2012). Chism, Kahlil. â€Å"Harriet Tubman: Spy, Veteran, and Widow.† OAH Magazine of History, March 2005, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25163763 (accessed November 18, 2012). Coffin, Levi. Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, the Reputed President of the Underground Railroad: Being a Brief History of the Labors of a Lifetime in Behalf of the Slave, with the Stories of Numerous Fugitives, who Gained Their Freedom Through His Instrumentality, and Many Other Incidents. R. Clarke & Company, 1880. (accessed November 17, 2012). Eusebius, Mary. â€Å"A Modern Moses: Harriet Tubman.† The Jornal of Negro Education 19 (1950), http://www.jstor.org/stable/2966264 (accessed November 18, 2012). Gara, Larry. â€Å"The Professional Fugitive in the Abolitionist Movement.† The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Spring1965, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4634052 (accessed November 20, 2012). Hamm, Thomas D., Beckman, April, Florio, Marissa, Hopper, Kirsti, & Giles, Marie. â€Å"’A Great and Good People’ Midwestern Quakers and the Struggle Against Slavery.† Indiana Magazine of History, March 2004, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27792525 (accessed November 18, 2012). The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States. New York: J. T. White, 1898, 1892-1947. – Vol. 1-13. pp. 93-1909. (accessed November 24, 2012). Waldrip, W. D. â€Å"A Station of the Underground Railroad.† The Indiana Quarterly Magazine of History, June 1911, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27785315 (accessed November 20, 2012). Yannessa, Mary Ann. Levi Coffin: Quaker Breaking Bonds of Slavery in Ohio and Indiana. Friend’s United Press , 2001. (accessed November 18, 2012).