Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Great Wall Golf & country Club Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Great Wall Golf & country Club - Case Study Example The development of Great Wall was intended to integrate the hotels and sports facilities with business and convention functions in the form of one modern community. Some of the key Human Resource policies at Great Wall include job design, change management, recruitment and selection, training and development, recognition and rewards, communication, managing discipline and retirement and termination. Great Wall has managed to achieve its staffing needs but staff retention is a larger problem. Therefore Great Wall employs various HRM practices which help in achieving its strategic goals. The goal of Great Wall is to not just maintain its status but also to evolve, grow and get better. It has therefore defined several strategic goals like business results, customer loyalty, employee loyalty and core competency/effectiveness which it aims to achieve in future. 1. How do the HRM practices at Great Wall fit together strategically?   Great Wall’s core goal is to provide high qualit y service to each of its employees as well its customers. High class and successful Chinese business people, their spouses and guests expected a high quality service in order to compensate for the premium prices they paid as membership dues. Delivery of such high quality services was very challenging because such facilities were very difficult to access in China which could be easily available elsewhere. Therefore this situation made the need of friendly, responsive and high quality service more crucial. Great Wall deploys various training and development programs in its organizational structure whose aim is to provide practical and language training to its employees which help them gain self confidence and instills in them a service-oriented mindset. Managers are responsible for training staff in their departments. This reiterates the Group philosophy and mission and also results in longer employee retention and higher employee satisfaction. This ultimately leads to providing high quality service to everyone. Apart from providing transportation, meals, accommodation and recreational activities to its employees, Great Wall also provides non-monetary incentives such as English lessons, medical plans, comfortable housing, good food environment, security and entertainment. Also, working conditions and environment are far more pleasing at the resort and golf club of Great Wall than in the industrial settings. This helps in gaining employee confidence who would give his best to provide high quality service to its customers. Great Wall also conducts reward giving sessions for its managerial staff as well as rank and file employees wherein employees are appreciated and rewarded for performing well. For managerial recognition, the executive committee recently introduced a managerial bonus structure which involves a bonus accompanied by an increment in salary. The reward system for rank and file employees includes the â€Å"Employee of the month† award which rec ognizes the employee’s achievement and provides him with financial reward of one month’s salary. Achievers and star performers are invited to a party each month and their photographs are hung at a place where they can be conveniently viewed by guests and all visitors at the club. For

Monday, October 28, 2019

Dorothy Parker Essay Example for Free

Dorothy Parker Essay Dorothy Parker was an extraordinary woman. Extraordinary in her writings and extraordinary in what she achieved with her writings. Her books of poems and her short stories were bestsellers and her columns in The New Yorker were extremely popular. She was one of the only women and a central figure of the Algonquin Hotel Round Table, where all the great literary geniuses of her time would eat their lunch. Newspaper columnists qouted her and two Broadway plays were written about her. Briefly,she was one of the most talked about woman of her time. What is striking is that her fame came from her writings. So much fame for a woman’s writings is unusual nowadays but let aside in her time. And besides that she was not a minor writer but her literary output in the end was quite small: two volumes of short stories and three of poetry. The last decade of the nineteenth century and the first two decades of the twentieth was a time of large scale political movements and social changes among women. A new generation of women writers emerged with Dorothy Parker as their most famous one. More oppurtunities for writers existed before the dominance of radio film and television. The newspapers and magazines flourished and only the area of New York City alone published 25 daily newspapers. The â€Å"New Women† as they were labeled were worried with winning women’s rights: the vote, education, economic freedom, acces to a career and a public voice. These women were educated and progressive and wanted a break with the conservative past. Women writers of the era did not see marrying and having children as their ultimate goal in life. They rejected the traditional women’s sphere and claimed a the territory of arts that had been a complete male territory before. Many feared to be thought of as â€Å"women writers†. Dorothy Parker said that her most fervent prayer had been â€Å"Please, God, don’t let me write like a woman†. Parker’s writings on the other hand were for the most part confined to women and to what is important to them. What made Parker so succesfull? What made that era crave her writings? In order to understand Parker’s succes we need to view her works in the context of the time they were written. Dorothy Parker was born in 1893. The most striking evidence of change of the role of women in society at that time was the emergence of the college educated and self supporting new woman. By 1870 there were eleven thousand women students enrolled in higher education (21 procent of all students) and a decade later there were forty thousand women students enrolled in higher education (32 procent of all students). After they graduated they had to choose between a traditional role of domesticity and young marriage or a career of paid work. On August 26, 1920 women officially earn the right to vote by the 19th Amendment. Although women did not become a strong political force right after that the Amendment did increase the power of women to effect change. Another important aspect of the changes in women’s postion in society these years was the first world war. Although the United States participated in the war for a relatively short time and did people not really have a clue about what was going on in Europe the war did change American culture significantly. More than four million American men were were mobilized and sent off to Europe. One of the outcomes of this was that women entered the workforce in increasing numbers. Working not in only jobs that were particulary feminine jobs like nursing but also in offices and factories, in stores and governmental agencies and more. Women found themselves working in previously male-dominated fields and they were earning higher wages than in the past. These changes gave women a new notion of indepedence and self-confidence. In 1920 23.6% of the workforce was female with 8.6 million females, ages 15 and up, working outside the home. In 1920, for the first time in American history more people (54.3 million) live in cities than rural areas (51.4). As people became to move into the cities their lifesty les changed. Cities have more activities like going to the theater and nightclubs. Women in the cities were more likely to work in restaurants or offices and other locations that took them away from home. All these factors together created an environment of freedom that women had never seen in the past. One of the most visble outcomes of this freedom was the emergence of the Flapper girl. The breakdown of the Victorian sexual norms was a gradual process but slowely the American society was ready for newer ideas about sexual norms. The young working class woman had been known for her flamboyant dresses and love of nightlife and dancing. .They were relatively economically autonomous and freed either by work or school from intense familial supervision, and began to find a more individualistic culture for themselves. Women’s appearance changed to a slender and smaller silhouette no longer restricted by petticoats and corsets.When the war began women started to favor more practical, shirtwaist-style dresses. These dresses gave more freedom of movement and a greater exposure of skin. First they inched up to calf length then up to knee length. Flappers didn’t show their feminime curves, cut their hair short and wore dark eyeshadow. As the United States was becoming more and more urban, industrial production increased by 60 percent during this decade while population growth was 15%. Mass production requires mass consumption. Advertising became more important tempting people to purchase the latest fashions and newest cars and spend money on nightclubs and restaurants in the cities. For women this industrial production meant that they were more likey to have vacuum cleaners, washing machines, refrigarators and other household appliances that lightened their household work. This increased their leisure time. Advertisements targeted women in the 1920’s. Women seemed to have more economic power than before and seemed to be in charge of the households money. However these advertisements still reflected traditional thinking of the women’s role in society. These advertisements stressed domesticity and pleasing men over any message of independence. Dorothy Parker was born at the very start of this period of the â€Å"modern woman†. While men and women were now equal under the law, discrimination against women still persisted. Throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s women were still struggling against restrictions. For example, in several states women were denied to serve on juries till 1940. The economic advances for women, too, were minimal. There was still a strong sexual division of labor. Discrimiantion in family responsibilities, education, salaries and promotions remained plentiful. During the depression women lost the gains made in the career world during the 1920s. And a renewed emphasis on the woman at home crushed the recently gained hopes for equality. More and more a stereoype emerged that women during the 1920s were sexually active (the Flapper) but politically apathetic. Parker’s work points a sharp finger at that stereotype and defies is. She keenly points out the ongoing struggles for women to break free. Parker began her professional life in 1915 when she went to work as a caption writer for Vogue at a salary of ten dollar a week. By 1917 she transferred to Vanity Fair and worked for editor Frank Crowninshield until 1920. From 1919 to 1923 Parker wrote poems, sketches, essays and columnd for more than thirty-five different literary journals and magazines. Parker’s first poem â€Å"Any porch† pubished in Vanity Fair in september 1915 presents nine different female voices who discuss various topics as the vote for women, a game of bridge, someones new haircut and the war in France. In 1916 she wrote a series of â€Å"hate songs†, satiric descriptions of husbands and wives, actors and actresses, relatvies and so on. These â€Å"hate songs† made Parker very popular. She soon began to build a reputation as a sophisticated young writer with a witty message. In 1926 her first collection of poems was published. Parker soon played a distinctive voice calling for equality and social independence for women. This distinctive voice calling for equality and social independence for women was not out there in a way the feminist movements of that era were calling for it. This voice was hidden between the lines of her poems and stories. â€Å"The Waltz† was published in The New Yorker in september 1933. The story reflects the thoughts and conversation of a girl who is dancing a waltz with a man who dances very badly. He steps al over her feet and kicks her in the shin every so often. She keeps saying that she’s not tired, that it didn’t hurt when he kicked her and when she gets past all feeling, the orchestra finally comes to a stop. When it does, she tells him that she wishes he’d tell them to play the same thing. She said that she would simply adore to go on waltzing even though she hates it. The two voices in this short story reflect the contrast between a polite public voice and a witty and angry private voice. These two voices reflect a clear statement of the w oman’s outward conformity and inward rebellion. In this way the two voices in â€Å"The Waltz† are metaphoric for the woman’s powerlessness. Right from the start of the story it is clear that the woman does not want to dance with this man. She does not want to dance at all but definitely not with this man. But still she gets up and dances with him. Parker is trying to point out that there is not that many young women out there who say what they think. There is not really an alternative for the woman in this story, how can she be rude? She can’t be rude to a man who asks her to dance. Women after all were supposed to please men. Parker does not judge the woman in this story for not saying what she thinks. She is not trying to bring young women who act like that down. She just simply wrote down how things like this work in a woman’s head and letting the world know that woman do not always smile from the inside when they smile from the outside. In 1929 Parker published another short story with an hidden message about gender roles. In â€Å"Big Blonde† Parker tells the story of a talented woman, Hazel Morse. Men seem to like her and as Parker wrote â€Å"Men liked her, and she took it for granted that the liking of men was a desirable thing†. Hazel Morse wants men to like her and â€Å"she never pondered if she might not be occupied doing something else†. She had been working for a couple years untill she met her husband. They got married and in the beginning everything seems fine. As the story goes on it becomes clear that Hazel Morse’s life revolves around pleasing her husband while she is so bored and unhappy at home. She gets divoced and gets married again a couple times but in the end in all her marriages and in the rest of her life she is never occupied with anything else than a desire for men to like her. One other desire Hazel Morse has is a desire for nice furniture and clothing. With every men that comes in to her life Parker describes wheter he is rich or not and what he buys for Hazel Morse. All this stuff does not make her happy either. At the end of the story Hazal Morse tries to commit suicide. What Parker tried to point out here is that women like Hazal Morse are only occupied by a desire for men to like them. This constant desire in the end makes women unhappy because they do not ask themselves what they want for themselves. She also targeted the new american consuming culture in this story. Parker stated that nice clothes and nice furniture are not going to make women happy in the end. Again, just as in â€Å"The Waltz† Parker does not judge Hazal Morse for her actions. But she does make very clear that the life of women who never ponder if they might be occupied with something else than pleasing men is not going to end well. In her stories on gender relations Parker did not criticize women directly but she does have short stories and poems in where she criticized women directly. In one of her early poems (1916) called â€Å"Women: A Hate song† she writes in the first paragraph of the poem how much she hates domestic women. She thought they were â€Å"the worst†. In her poem she groupes them together, there are no individual housewives they are all just as worse. They claim to all be always happy in Parkers view and all they do is hurry home to provide dinner for her family. The rest of their days are filled with making dresses and trying out recipes. Parker, by saying that she hates â€Å"the domestic ones† the most of all made a clear statement about the traditional role of women in society. She hated it. She hated the idea of women staying at home their whole lifes to take care of their families. Interesting is that she did not only criticize housewives but she also became known fo r her condemnation of the flapper. In her poem, â€Å"The Flapper† written in 1922 she starts her poem of by saying that flappers are innocent. Then she continues to say that flappers are not â€Å"what grandma used to be†. Women wanted to break from the traditions from the generations before them but in the way Parker said it in this poem it is not meant as a compliment. She also says that flappers are â€Å"girlish†. By saying this it becomes clear that Parker did not take them serious. They were not serious and grown up women but they were all young girls. She then continues to say that there is no more harm in them â€Å"than in a submarine†. Which clearly means that Parker thought they were capable of doing damage to the whole society. She also writes that the flapper girl is not â€Å"in control† and that people only focus on their pranks. They are only noticed for their unruly behaviour and not for any good that they do. She ends this poem by saying that the Flapper girls are young and that the life the live is a rough one. This poem makes clear that Parker did not agree with the way the Fl apper girls were trying to break with the past. The way the Flapper girls were trying to challenge the norm was not the best or most productive in Parker’s eyes. â€Å"Men seldom make passes, at girls who wear glasses† is one of Parkers most famous quotes. The quote was not actually written as a quote but as a poem in 1926 under the title â€Å"News Item†. In one line Parker was able to describe that men were usually not charmed by the smart women in society. (Since glasses are associated with intelligence or education). The modern woman had achieved more equality in education but as Parker describes men did not seemed to like these educated women. The major themes in Parkers writings are a lack of communication between women and men, disintegration of relationships, motherhood, women’s emotional dependency upon men, the selfishness of the wealthy and the danger of empitness in women’s lives. Her audience was broad. She managed to write for men and women of different social classes. The purpose of a writer was in Parkers opinion â€Å"to say what he feels and sees†. â€Å"Those who write fantasies† she did not consider artists. This nation of â€Å"to say what he feels and sees† made her stories extremely recognizable. In one of her short stories â€Å"A telephone call† Parker describes a woman waiting for a man to call her. The man had promised to call her at 5 and at 7 he still has not called. Parker described what goes through the woman’s mind. Anyone who has ever waited on a wanted telephone call knows exactely what the woman in the story goes trough because Parker sets out t he woman’s thoughts in so much detail. Her writings are satiric, which makes them fun and easy to read but behind and between the lines there is a clear message. A lot of the times this message were convictions on the existing gender relations in society. From her writings it becomes clear that Parker was a feminist. Later in her life she was quoted saying â€Å"I’m a feminist and God knows I’m loyal to my sex, and you must remember that from my very early days, when this city was scarcely safe from buffaloes, I was in the struggle for equal rights for women.† She did however never join one of the organized feminists movements. The feminist movements of her time convicted the gender relations in a more serious and less humourous way. Her talent to convict these gender relations in a humourous way are undoubtly one of the reasons of her succes. The majority of the people was not interested in reading serious and bitter comments on the gender relations. In her â€Å"New Item† poem she could have said: â€Å"Men are sexist pigs who want to hold women in the kitchen were they belong.† Instead of that she wrote a brilliantly witty poem that everyone knows untill today. Dorothy Parker might have been a feminist secretely fighting for women’s rights, she did not wanted to be associated with any sort of woman. In her short story â€Å"Women: a hate song† she basically stated that she hates every sort of woman. From the housewives to the Flappers. Parker wanted women to take advantage of the rights they had attained and she did not feel like enough women were doing that. What she rejected most of all were the standards for female writing and thinking. One of her biographers Marion Maede wrote that Parker did not presented herself so much â€Å"as a bad girl† but as a â€Å"bad boy, a firecracker who was agressively proud of being tough, quirky, feisty.† Parker’s writings satisfied a craving for comments on this â€Å"modern women† and the new gender relations that were a part of that. Women in American society on the one hand were happy on the one hand with their new achievements of equality between men and women. On the other hand, they were dissapointed in the actual changes. Not only were the achievements in equality by law, in economic advances and education not what they had hoped for, they were also dissapointed in the new image of a stereotype women who was sexually liberated but in every way was the minor in relationships between woman and man. These dissapointments and discriminations of the modern women were not out on the surface. No one would have probably even been able to explain at that time what these dissapointments and discriminations exactly were. Dorothy Parker could see the friction underneath the surface of a sophistication-thirsty, consumer-obsessed American society. In her short stories and her poems she was able to point a sharp finger at all these dissapointments and discriminations. She was able to do that in a humourous satiric way. Not in bold statements, but in a subtile way behind and between the lines of her writings. Her greatest achievement was that her writings were attractive to read for women and men. Popular writing for both sexes would be a great achievement nowadays but even more in that era in which the tensions between gender relations were at its sharpest. All these things combined made Parker succesfull in making her readers observe modern culture in a different way, and they all loved reading it. Bunkers, Suzanne L. Dorothy Parker as Feminist and Social Critic (1987). Evans, Sara M. Born for liberty. A history of women in America (New York 1989). Keats, John. You might as well live. The life and times of Dorothy Parker (New York 1970). Keyser, Catherine. Girls who wear glasses. In A New Literaty History of America edited by Wernes Sollors and Griel Marcus (Harvard 2012). Parker, Dorothy. Complete Poems (1999). Parker, Dorothy. Here Lies. The Collected Stories of Dorothy Parker (New York 1933). Sagert, Kelly Boyer. Flappers: A Guide to an American Subculture (2010). [ 1 ]. John Keats, You might as well live. The life and times of Dorothy Parker (New York 1970) 9. [ 2 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xvi. [ 3 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xvi. [ 4 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xvi. [ 5 ]. Sara M. Evans, Born for liberty. A history of women in America (New York 1989) 147. [ 6 ]. Sagert, Kelly Boyer Flappers xiv. [ 7 ]. Sagert, Kelly Boyer Flappers xiv. [ 8 ]. Evans, Sara M Born for liberty 161. [ 9 ]. Evans, Sara M Born for liberty 161. [ 10 ]. Sagert, Kelly Boyer Flappers 15. [ 11 ]. Sagert, Kelly Boyer Flappers 20. [ 12 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xxv. [ 13 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xxvi. [ 14 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xxvi. [ 15 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xix. [ 16 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xix. [ 17 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xxvi. [ 18 ]. Catherine Keyser, Girls who wear glasses, in A New Literary History of America, edited by Werner Sollors and Griel Marcus (Harvard 2012).

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Reproduction :: essays research papers

THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM The ability to reproduce is one of the unifying characteristics of all living things. Sexual reproduction produces offspring that are genetically different from their parents. Asexual reproduction produces offspring genetically identical to their parent. Asexual Reproduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fission, budding, fragmentation, and the formation of rhizomes and stolons are some of the mechanisms that allow organisms to reproduce asexually. The hydra produces buds; starfish can regenerate an entire body from a fragment of the original body. Asexual reproduction allows an organism to rapidly produce many offspring without the time and resources committed to courtship, finding a mate, and mating. The lack of genetic variability in asexually reproducing populations can be detrimental when environmental conditions change quickly. Sexual Reproduction In sexual reproduction new individuals are produced by the fusion of haploid gametes to form a diploid zygote. Sperm are male gametes, ova are female gametes. Meiosis produces cells that are genetically distinct from each other; fertilization is the fusion of two such distinctive cells that produces a unique new combination of alleles, thus increasing variation on which natural selection can operate. Rotifers will reproduce asexually when conditions are favorable by having females produce eggs by mitosis. When conditions deteriorate, rotifers will reproduce sexually and encase their zygotes inside a resistant shell. Once conditions improve, these eggs hatch into diploid individuals. Rotifers thus use sexual reproduction as way to survive a deteriorating environment. Sexual reproduction offers the benefit of generating genetic variation among offspring, which enhances the chances of the population's survival. Costs of this process include the need for two individuals to mate, courtship rituals, as well as a number of basic mechanisms described later. Human Reproduction and Development Human reproduction employs internal fertilization, and depends on the integrated action of hormones, the nervous system, and the reproductive system. Gonads are sex organs that produce gametes. Male gonads are the testes, which produce sperm and male sex hormones. Female gonads are the ovaries, which produce eggs and female sex hormones. The Male Reproductive System Testes are suspended outside the abdominal cavity by the scrotum, a pouch of skin that keeps the testes close or far from the body at an optimal temperature for sperm development. Seminiferous tubules are inside each testis, and are where sperm are produced by meiosis. About 250 meters (850 feet) of tubules are packed into each testis. Spermatocytes inside the tubules divide by meiosis to produce spermatids that in turn develop into mature sperm.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Social Attitudes Toward Vietnam Veterans Essay -- Exploratory Essays R

Social Attitudes Toward Vietnam Veterans I have always been interested in the Vietnam War and the results of â€Å"the longest war in America.† Therefore, I have decided to examine the social attitudes toward Vietnam veterans. Since I feel so passionately about the way that Vietnam veterans are viewed, the purpose of my paper is to inform others about the way that the veterans have been criticized and misrepresented. Personally, I hope to gain a further understanding of the attitudes and views towards Vietnam veterans, especially since my father is a veteran. After reading my paper, I hope that my audience will walk away with more respect and reverence for those that fought in the Vietnam War and gave their lives for their country. My audience will consist of my peers, my professor, and any other person interested in learning more about the sentiment towards Vietnam veterans. My research has involved searching the Internet, going to the University Library and looking through books, and even interviewing my father, who fought in the Vietnam War. I have also examined the lyrics to Billy Joel’s ballad, â€Å"Goodnight Saigon.† Thus far, the most valuable sources have been a few books I took out from the library. These books include information about the history of the Vietnam War as well as about the aftermath. In addition, several of these books include powerful pictures and images from wartime to the present time. After examining the lyrics to Billy Joel’s song, â€Å"Goodnight Saigon,† I realized that it does not directly relate to my topic about the sentiment towards Vietnam veterans. However, it does provide a clear insight into the way the soldiers felt while they were fighting in Vietnam. At first I was unsure about the lyrics sin... ...port my beliefs about the changing social attitudes toward Vietnam veterans. As the writing process continues, I plan to gather more research materials such as new books and articles. The social attitudes towards Vietnam veterans has proven to be an extremely interesting subject to me and I hope that through my discussion of these views, my audience will gain a new understanding of some of the bravest and most heroic men of the century. Works Cited Doyle, Edward, et al. The Aftermath. The Vietnam Experience. Boston: Boston Publishing Co., 1985. Greene, Bob. Homecoming. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1989. Gustainis, J. Justin. American Rhetoric and the Vietnam War. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 1993. Joel, Billy. â€Å"Goodnight Saigon. â€Å" The Nylon Curtain. 1982. Katakis, Michael. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1988.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Evolution Alongside Creationism School

Engwr300 Online Essay #2 10/21/2012 Evolution alongside Creationism School In the essay â€Å"Why Evolution should be taught in public school† by Laura Kahn. According to Kahn, we need to educate the next generation of scientists on understanding how microbes develop and change to give them the tools to develop treatment against antibiotic resistant bacteria emerging viruses, and other deadly microbes. As she learned from her time in medicine, she recognizes the necessity of learning evolution to develop treatments in this rapid microbial environment.Unfortunately, certain aspects of society insist that religious doctrine be taught instead of evolution. According to a 2005 Harris poll, a majority of U. S citizens believe in creationism. Another survey show that two-thirds of U. S citizen believe creationism should be taught alongside evolution. Mrs. Kahn believed if we fail to teach science in public schools we would become scientifically illiterate. Therefore, we need to rema in vigilant that our children receive a good science education to further enhance human understanding, and a good science education includes learning about evolution.In the nineteenth century, during the â€Å"Spontaneous generation† scientists and physicians were unprepared in developing strategies against infectious killing diseases. Until French chemist Louis Pasteur convince the world that invisible microbes caused disease, which disprove and replace the spontaneous generation with the germ theory of disease Pasteur theory, suggested that life could develop from nonliving organic matter.Pasteur study fermentation and spontaneous generation in 1859, he discovered a link between microbes, fermentation, and putrefaction, and diseases, however, convincing the scientist and medical profession to accept the idea was a challenge. Kahn example of â€Å"spontaneous generation shows what could happen if children are not educated about evolution, future generation wouldn’t b e able to understand little details about germs and how they work. Further Laura H. Kahn shows the difference between creationism and evolution.She says that creationism is the belief that God created the heavens and the earth, and all living beings. Charles Darwin’s â€Å"theory of evolution† is controversy of creationism because it undermines religious doctrine. Proponents of creationism say that it is a scientific theory. They state that creationism is an alternative scientific theory to evolution. People who believe in creationism can’t prove existence of God and not even people who believe in evolution can prove that there’s no God.The first public disputation on creationism versus evolution was in1860 between Thomas Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce. In 1925, Tennessee passed the Butler Act that interdicted to teach evolution in public schools. The ACLU chose to protect any teacher who violated the act. There was one teacher named John Scopes, he discussed evolution with his biology class at the Rhea County High School. He was sued for it and was convicted and fined for a hundred dollars. But in 1927, John Scopes was justified and also Tennessee abolished the Butler Act.Germ theory of disease helps us to understand the causes of infectious disease and evolution helps us to understand the development of antimicrobial stability. Kahn thinks that â€Å"we need to remain vigilant that our children receive a good science education to further enhance human understanding. And a good science education includes learning about evolution. † Concurrently with the time of Pasteur, the director of the Museum of Natural History, Felix-Archimede Pouchet claimed he had product spontaneous generation, but Pasteur work on fermentation conceived him otherwise.So, he decided to disprove Pouchet’s claim with his experiment to show that different concentrations of microbes existed depending on the location and elevation. Pouchet tri ed duplicating Pasteur’s result but failed, so Pasteur demanded that the experiment be repeated by a commission appointed by the Academy of Science and that the experiment be conducted in a laboratory in the museum of Natural History. After the experiment, the academy later issued an official announcement that Pasteur had successfully disproved spontaneous generation. Yet, spontaneous generation proponents in other countries still attack his findings.Until, German physician Robert Koch proved that bacterial is the causes of a number of infectious diseases finally putting spontaneous generation to rest. For the longest time in history, people understood the nature of epidemics and to develop effective preventive and control strategies against infectious diseases. Kahn also agrees creationism verse evolution. â€Å"Creationism† is the belief that a deity created the heavens, earth, and all its living creatures. Although, many civilizations have creation stories rooted in religious belief. Unlike spontaneous generation that is based on observation.Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was develop after collecting extensive data while on a five year, round the world journey aboard; Pasteur disproved spontaneous generation based on scientific theory on observation. Proponents of creationism propose creationism is an alternative scientific to evolution, yet they don’t provide scientific evidence for the existence of an intelligent deity. Instead they cite gaps in evolutionary theory. She asks the question, how would someone prove by observation and experimentation the existence of a deity or how would someone disprove evolution?She explained there’s extensive evidence in the fossil record in genetic code, and in rapidly evolving microbes, and experimental results of thousands of years of human genetic manipulation through selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals. Kahn makes a very valid point in defense of evolution, sh e writes a well put together argument, and she supports the evidence for the existence of evolution, but expects the same from the creationists. Kahn enables readers to think clearly about the effectiveness of creationism and evolution.However, acquiring the permission to teach evolution remains a problematic issue since teaching evolution is prohibited as it is against the beliefs of many people. Which I don’t understand, I believe it show be up to the teacher to decide when lecturing about creationism because evolution can easier be link with creationism in school for a better understand with the children and they could think about new information for themselves whether he or she agree or disagree, but I think completely avoiding the topic can be harmful in the future for health reasons.Finally, Kahn’s main point I believe is to inform the readers about the evolutionary education, and not to eliminate creationism from school, her goal is to ensure that evolution be c onsidered important as it will direct our future generation. Just how Pasteur and Darwin, she hopes someone will do same for evolution. Kahn provides valid facts with actual evidences to help guide her readers in learning the importance of teaching evolution in public schools.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Motorola China Experience Case Answers Essay Example

Motorola China Experience Case Answers Essay Example Motorola China Experience Case Answers Essay Motorola China Experience Case Answers Essay Case Study-Motorola China Experience 1. How should Motorola appropriately react to the emerging local brands, head-to-head competing or cooperating in some fields? Due to the large size of the Chinese cell phone market and its potential for long-term continual growth, competition for access to China’s consumer markets is intense. Competitive threats from Nokia, Siemens, Samsung, and local producers like TCL are a cause for concern within Motorola. However, eighty-four percent of Chinese consumers prefer foreign mobile phones to local models, with Motorola, Nokia and Ericsson being their favorite makers, according to a nation-wide survey conducted by the China Telecommunications Association and Eaglewings Public Relations. For this reason, Motorola’s biggest competition for cell phone supremacy would likely appear to come from foreign companies outside of China. China’s aforementioned government structure plays an interesting role in the assumption that foreign companies will maintain dominance. As is traditional, the socialist government hierarchy prefers for a majority of any industry to have local majority control. The government, which controls the operations of the service provider sector and is a dominant player in distribution channels as well, has the means to make this goal a reality – quickly. For this reason, Motorola must not only utilize shorter-term strategies to find a way to grow market share, but long-term change strategies to find a way to compete with government powered locally owned firms. The Ministry of Information Industry showed that Motorola had a leading market share of 28. % in the mobile phone industry as of April 2002. Competition Local Chinese Brands ? 3% Nokia ? 5% Siemens ? 47% Motorola ? 13 % Samsung ? 22% Others ? 10% Market Share of Chinese Cell Phone Market (as of 1st Quarter 2005) The cellular phone industry in China is going through the growth stage of the industry life cycle. As the countries market continues to grow rapidly, bar riers to entry are being lessened, as the government and its people want to assure the advancement of the industry. Overall the market is currently at around 180 million subscribers, number one in the world, with expectations of 300 million subscribers by 2003. This is currently only a 13. 9% penetration rate, which is lower than average, as compared with all other major cell phone markets. This early industry life cycle stage’s strong growth potential is what makes China such an attractive market for expansion. Emerging local brands Joint ventures and cooperation projects Motorola has 9 joint ventures in China, which produce cell phones, CDMA equipment, semiconductors and other high-tech products. ? Guangzhou Jinpeng Cellular System Co. , Ltd. ? Shanghai Motorola Telecom Products Co. ,Ltd. ? Beijing Huamin Smartcard System Manufacturing Co. ,Ltd. ? Hangzhou Eastcom Cellular Phone Co. Ltd. ? Leshan-Phoenix Semiconductor Co. ,Ltd. ? Huamin Smartcard System Co. ,Ltd. ? Hangzhou Eastcom Cellular Equipment Co. , Ltd. ? Shanghai Zhongmei Automotive Electronics Co. , Ltd. ? Motorola Qiangxin (Tianjin) IC Design Co. , Ltd.. Despite the increasing number of Chinese phones, foreign brands - Nokia (NYSE: NOK), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Samsung an d Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) - still dominate the mobile phone market in the world’s fastest growing economy. According to CCID Consulting, the mentioned four handset maker’s account for more than 70% of all mobile phones sold in the first half of this year. During the first six months, around 248 million mobile phones have been produced in China, and the figure is expected to exceed half a billion till the year’s end. Speaking of numbers, it’s also important to repeat that there were over 480 million mobile phone users in China at the end of Q1 2007. If the growth continues with the expected rate - and every indicator goes in that direction - there will be more than 500 million mobile phone subscribers until the end of 2007. Market analysts attribute this success to the company’s brand reputation, flexible product strategy, and considerate after sales service. Motorola has positioned itself as a desired local product brand that provides optimal value throughout its relationship with customers. According to company sources, Motorola was successful in China due to its understanding of the market and the people and because of the strategies it adopted. However, analysts were skeptical about Motorolas success in China in the future on account of increasing competition from both local and foreign players in the mobile handset market, which was an important product segment for the company. Over the years, Motorola expanded its business in China to various segments, such as Personal Communication Sector (PCS), Global Telecom Solutions Sector (GTSS), Semiconductor Products Sector (SPS), Commercial, Government and Industrial Solutions Sector (CGISS), Broadcast Communications Sector (BCS) and Integrated Electronics Systems Sector (IESS) (Refer Table I for segment information). Along with expanding into a wide range of products, Motorola also focused on improving quality in its Chinese manufacturing units. In 1995, Motorola manufacturing plants got ISO9002,7 ISO140018 and QS9000 quality certification. 9 Over the years, Motorola concentrated on three product categories mobile phones, telecom network equipment and semiconductors 2. How would licensing manufacturing technology to Chinese manufacturers weaken Motorola’s core competency? Motorola’s Long-term Manufacturing Strategy in China 1. Motorola is firmly committed to investing, transferring technologies, and building local manufacturing and R capabilities in China, which will provide China with advanced communications solutions. 2. Motorola will continue its long-term plan to localize management in China and to develop and train outstanding local management. 3. Motorola will continue to work with local partners to create a comprehensive local supply chain. 4. Motorola will continue to promote joint ventures and cooperative projects with local partners to probe China’s new market opportunities as China is increasing integrate into the world market. In the near term, Motorola’s China strategy is to build China into world-class production and R bases, realize Seamless Mobility in China first and proactively carry out CSR. Motorola has been demonstrating its firm commitment to China through the years, which can be best reflected by the awards the company has received in recent years. The following are the major awards Motorola has won in China in 2006: The Success Recipe When Motorola entered China in the early 1990s, analysts were not very sure about its success due to increasing inflation and the unstable political environment. However, they did feel that China offered a vast market and was an attractive destination for MNCs. According to Motorola sources, Chinas vast market and low manufacturing costs were the factors that influenced their investment decision. Initially Motorola was wary about setting up manufacturing facilities in China and put up a makeshift plant in Tianjin to manufacture paging devices. However by 2003, Motorola was regarded as the most successful foreign company in China. There are two service providers for wireless access in the Chinese market: China Mobile, which provides 69% of service; China Unicom, which provides the remaining 31% of service. China United Telecommunications Co. , Ltd. was formed in 1994 under a government directive to break up the monopoly held by China Mobile. In May 2002, the old China Mobile was ordered by the government to break into two operating entities, where China mobile will retain the original corporate identity and operate in 21 provinces and municipalities in south China. Despite this apparent attempt by the government to strengthen competition in the market, both have strong government ties. These ties, and the duopoly created by this situation has caused for a lack of competition to lead to severe price imbalances for consumers. Because of their dominant positions it is imperative that cell phone distributors form alliance with these providers to enhance the distribution of their products. The retail distribution for the cell phone is severely fragmented, but consolidating with industry growth and expansion. As mentioned previously, because of its dominant position, China Mobile serves as a major distributor for cell phone technology producers. Major department stores and retail outlets (ex. Tristar) provide another key outlets for distribution. There is no one way to get products to consumers, as no one company has access to all of the markets in the nation, so providers must develop relationships with many types of outlets to gain market advantage. This is changing as the larger outlets and suppliers are buying up smaller retailers to consolidate their retail capabilities. Growth in China may not be huge in dollar terms, but it helps counter sales declines elsewhere, says Claudia D’Arpizio, a Bain partner in Milan. According to D’Arpizio, China’s luxury market is still modest when compared to Europe’s (which accounts for 38 percent of worldwide spending on luxury goods), South and North America’s (which accounts for 33 percent) and Japan’s (which accounts for 12 percent). Michael Ouyang, CEO of the World Luxury Association China Office,  said luxury brands have become an essential part of life for many Chinese and  estimates China will become the biggest consumer of luxury goods by 2015, accounting for at least 32 percent of the market. China has an estimated 300,000 millionaires and a 250-million strong middle class. When combined, these groups spend 40 billion yuan a year on luxuries, according to figures from accounting firm Ernst Young. As China grows, the consumption of luxury goods will not only be found in stores and in person – they’ll be found online and through mobile devices. Luxury brands need to develop long-term digital strategies that focus on e-commerce and m-commerce. And those strategies need to coincide with the brand’s long-term strategy for expansion and growth of retail locations in the cities’ brick and mortar stores. Licensing With the growing demand for cell phones and saturating markets for other consumer appliances, many Chinese consumer appliance companies also entered the mobile handset business thus increasing the competition for multinational companies such as Motorola. Motorola started feeling the heat by the early 2000s, when it saw its market share declining due to fierce competition in the Chinese mobile handset market. In order to increase its sales and market share, Motorola announced a new strategy in June 2002. Despite this, Motorola continued to lose its market share and analysts were skeptical about its continued dominance in the Chinese market The China telecom sector is witnessing plenty of competition nowadays, where excellent IT services management is becoming a critical advantage in the close competition, said Frank Zhou, General Manager of FrontRange China. Before deployment of our GoldMine solution, we analyzed the specific requirements and processes of the most successful enterprises like Motorola China, and finalized key elements in IT service management of these enterprises. We are sure the latest version of FrontRanges GoldMine can best manage customer relations with minimal operation costs, and help our customers in highly competitive markets. 3. Facing the expanding low-priced segment, how should Motorola, traditionally known as a brand for high-end mobile phones, position itself? By the end of October 2002, China became the largest cellular market in the world with a total number of 180 million cell phones in use. The number reached 220 million by the end of 2002. According to the data from China Mobile and China Unicom, the cumulative number of subscribers has increased by an annual rate of more than 50% from 1998 through 2002. The stereotyped image of cell phone owner â€Å"affluent boss† – has long faded. While this may describe one of the segments still targeted by cell phone manufacturers, today’s user symbolizes the blending of tastes, preferences and meanings associated with products crossing several demographics and psychographics boundaries. A discussion of the 4 market segments that defines today’s cell phone user follows. Heavy Users: They are successful entrepreneurs, businessmen/women, or professionals aged older than 30, with higher income. People in this segment view cell phones as a necessary tool for their jobs. Most of them are early adopters of mobile phone. It’s easy for them to stick to one brand because they are unwilling to spend time in getting used to new menus. Therefore, this segment is much more loyal in certain brands with reliable quality, compared to the other three segments. They are willing to pay extra money for high quality. Technology Enthusiasts: This segment is male dominated, highly educated, aged between 25 and 45. They are eager to try every hi-tech gadget, and always seek new cell phones with either cutting-edge technology embedded or unique functions. Consumers falling into this category are more likely to try some fantastic accessories connecting cell phone and other personal digital devices, such as laptop and PDA, as well as make advantage of the wide usage of cell phone like wireless access to the Internet. Fashion Seekers: Most consumers in this segment are young female aged 20 to 40 who love and can afford trendy apparel. They care more about the appearance of cell phone, such shape, size and color, than diversified functions. TV commercials featuring appropriate celebrities usually have a significant influence on the purchase behavior of this segment. Both this segment and Technology Enthusiasts have the propensity of changing their phones frequently. Therefore, products targeting these two segments have a relatively shorter life cycle. Social-Life Lovers: This is not a â€Å"richer† segment. Regarding demographics, these people are consumers with average income, either man or woman, without age limit. They like to make friends and care about their families. Cell phone is a perfect tool for them to keep in touch with both friends and family members. However, they may not be attracted to cell phones with comprehensive and sophisticated functions at relatively higher prices. People in these segments are much more price-sensitive than those in the above three segments. They’re usually patient to wait for sales promotions in order to get good deals. From this point of view, the profit margin of cell phones targeting this segment is the lowest in the four categories. However, with the increasing number of people owning a cell phone, this segment is expanding rapidly and makes more and more contribution to the growth of the entire market size. Covering all levels in mobile phone products, Motorola’s smart phones cover low-class, middle-class and high-class, with products prices from several hundred Yuan to six thousand Yuan. The fall in average prices allow smart phones to become the market mainstream, so Motorola’s lays its solid dominant position in middle-and low-end market. The low-end market of 2,000 Yuan and under phones is almost occupied by Motorola market share has improved slightly in 2008Q3, with its new middle-end products becoming popular among users. Motorola fifth largest brand in Chinas smart phone market. Consumers Motorola’s primary consumers can be broken down into four primary segments: ? Busy professionals for whom cell phones are a Heavy Users absolute requirement (high income). ? Primarily males 25 – 45, highly educated and Enthusiasts fascinated by the latest technologies. Accompli Fashion ? Young females 20 – 40. They tend to keep up with the latest trends and are fairly affluent. Seekers Social-Life ? Average income consumers, who love to socialize and make new friends. Family tends to Lovers be very important. Motorola’s Strategy Originally pursued a global marketing strategy in China. This strategy quickly met resistance and Motorola adjusted by changing to a more localized strategy. Localized strategy included: Adapting models and software to meet specified local demands. Sourcing through local suppliers. International mobile phone giants have suffered big market share declines in China, because the countrys two mobile operators, China Mobile Ltd. and China Unicom Ltd. , have collectively purchased more cell phones for rural locations and other emerging markets since the first half of 2007. They have purchased mainly low-end and mid-range handsets in which local brands enjoy comparative advantages. This has helped domestic handset manufacturers win a larger collective market share of 37. 5 percent, up from 25 percent in 2007. At the same time, Nokia and Samsung, major competitors of Motorola in China, have been trying to secure larger market shares. Nokia, with its advantages in product diversity, sales channels, product promotions and packaged sales, saw its first-quarter sales continue to increase and its market share reach 37. 4 percent. Samsung has invested substantially in the Chinese market in the past year by introducing more products, adjusting its product portfolio and pricing and distribution strategies, strengthening its marketing efforts and expanding its cooperation with mobile operators in customized handsets. As a result, its share of the Chinese market outpaced Motorolas by 6 percentage points in the first quarter of 2008. By contrast, Motorolas product portfolio is thinner. The company failed to introduce more innovations after it started marketing its hot-selling RAZR series handsets in August 2004. This has prevented the company from winning more customers, said Yang. Motorola only introduced 13 new mobile phone models in China in 2007, while Nokia introduced 55, the majority of which were low-end handsets. With an 80-year history of technological innovation and branding behind it, all Motorola needs is a rejuvenation plan. The company will start by launching more diversified products designed for Chi nese customers, Ren told the Beijing Morning Post. Motorola also has failed to introduce more handsets to cater to the Chinese market since the rollout of its MING handsets, a Linux-based smartphone, Ren said. The company came to realize that this has been one of the reasons for its unsatisfactory performance in China in the past two years, he added. Motorola launched a new model in its ROKR handset series-the ROKR E8-as a music phone, on April 30 and is about to debut seven or eight new models in China in the coming three months. 4. Is the company’s current branding strategy effective in penetrating this segment? If not, what kind of marketing strategy should Motorola follow? Motorola wants to be a purely Chinese company. We want to be more Chinese than local companies. Lai Bingrong, Senior Vice President Motorola Inc. President Motorola (China) Electronic Co. , Ltd. in 2000. China is one of our most important crucial markets and we are still the first and largest US business in operation there. Fred Harburg, President, Motorola University, in June 2002. There is a lot of trust on the Chinese side because Motorola has put a lot of investment into the country. Crag Watts, A nalyst Norson Telecom Consulting, in January 2003 Five Point plan for winning branding strategy 1. Winning People Persistent enhancement of the management team and work environment. 2. Winning Financials Aggressive focus on strengthening the balance sheet and cash flow. . Winning with Customers Relentless pursuit of cost competitiveness, quality and customer satisfaction. 4. Winning Innovations Growth through profitable innovative products, systems, software and customer relationships. 5. Winning Strategies Continuously reassess and improve our business strategies and portfolio. Motorola follow this market strategy to penetrate in the market With increasing competition and declining market share, Motorola announced a new five-year 2+3+3 strategy, in June 2002. The new strategy was announced by Tim Chen (Chen) who took over as president of Motorola China in 2002. +3+3 strategy – 2: to turn China into both a global production base and a R base of Motorola – 3: An a nnual output value of US$10B, a total investment of US$10B in China, and US$10B purchasing of accessories and services from China – 3: To lay emphasis on the development of digital trunking, semiconductors, and broadband Utilized joint-venture partners to focus on its expertise in developing and distributing cell phone technology and products This strategy aimed at strengthening the companys position in China as it had become a strategically important market for Motorola. Analysts reported that while Motorola experienced declining sales in the other markets across the world, in China, its sales were on the rise. According to company sources, Chinas share in Motorolas global revenues was increasing over the years Growth in Subscriber: 350 million subscribers is only 13. 9% penetration! Motorola Optimistic about Chinas Market strategy Although Motorola, worlds second largest mobile phone supplier, reported US$206 million of deficits in first quarter, its China branch is still optimistic about Chinas market. Ning Suyong, manager of public affairs office of Motorola (China) Electronics said that Motorolas deficits in the first quarter were for a slowdown of American economy and global recession of mobile phone and semiconductor market, and high costs of Motorola mobile phones. Motorola is now undergoing business re adjustment, it is not very possible for it to see desired effect. Demand for mobile phone and semiconductors in China’s market are considerable which is quite different from that in America. Chinas market may boast 100 million mobile phones this year. Recently, Motorola developed T189 mobile phones; it will continue this year to tap GPRS (2. 5 G) market which will bring a great commercial opportunity. Motorola produces different types of mobile phones. So far, it has set up 18 R centers in China with total expenditure on research and development coming up to 1. 3 billion yuan. Its dedication to research and development in China has indicated the importance of Chinas market. Motorola still ranks No. 1 by its market share in China. Last year, Its China branchs sales volume topped US $ 4 billion. With exports up to US $ 1. 643 billion, it paid a total of 4. 6 billion yuan in taxes, topping all foreign investors in China. 5. What should Motorola do in order to effectively cut cost in developing a low-priced mobile phone? Motorola’s Strategy Originally pursued a global marketing strategy in China. This strategy quickly met resistance and Motorola adjusted by changing to a more localized strategy. Localized Low Priced strategy included: ? Adapting models and software to meet specified local demands. ? Sourcing through local suppliers. Motorola Introduces Dirt-Cheap Cell Phone For Developing Countries The handsets, wholesale-priced at under $30, are targeted for markets such as India, China, South Africa, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Thailand, the Philippines, and Yemen. Motorola introduced the new models at the 3GSM World Congress in Singapore when the GSM Association revealed the company had again won the tender to supply handsets to operators in emerging countries. The phones are targeted for markets as diverse as India, South Africa, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Thailand, the Philippines, and Yemen. To get below US$30 per handset is a milestone achievement,† said Craig Ehrlich, chairman of the GSM Association, the trade group for the world’s GSM mobile operators. â€Å"(This) cements the formation of a whole new market segment for the mobile industry and will bring the benefits of mobile communications to a huge swathe of people in developing countries. † The GSM Association fueled discussion about handsets for emerging markets earlier this year when it announced that the sub-$40 Motorola C114 phone had won its tender for an estimated 6 million ultra low-cost handsets from eight operators. At the time, the GSMA said it would have a follow-on bid in September in an effort to attract more handset makers and cover more emerging markets. Although other handset makers made bids, such as China’s TCL Alcatel (NYSE: ALU) Mobile Phones Ltd. , the GSM Association decided Motorola’s low-cost platform best fit the needs of difficult to reach emerging market users. Conway said important factors were after-sales support, local service, brand presence and a choice of low-cost handset models, including an exclusive product, the C113a. Motorola submitted two handsets in its proposal the C113 and the C113a, which was specifically designed for the Emerging Market Handset program. The C113a offers talk times of up to 450 minutes and up to 330 hours of standby, reducing the need for frequent recharging. Motorola recently developed plans to release the F3 model on the Local market, which sells for between US$30 and US$50. The product isn’t yet available on the Chinese market, mainly because Motorola isn’t sure if Chinese consumers will accept the super-slim handset. But at the same time, the Motorola â€Å"Ming† PDA Smart Phone, which was released by Motorola’s R center in China, has been very popular on the mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and some other northern Asian regions. So popular, in fact, that it sold one million units in three months! Much of Motorola’s strength lies in the culture it has created. Technical innovations and open-mindedness are encouraged and, indeed, needed to ensure success. Motorola is willing to set up independent R institutions on the local market to support local demands. Like branches of other multinationals in China, Motorola’s facility is nothing special: employees compile programs in monotonous office blocks. Still, the company does have a few noticeable differences from other multinationals. One that immediately jumps out is its equal important status with the R center at Motorola’s headquarters. An exceedingly large number of multinational R institutions in China are focused on product localization based on their global platforms. Motorola, however, has taken a slightly different approach by unleashing its China R center and allowing it to operate independently. Knowing that consumer preference in the Chinese market is quite different from that in the U. S. market, Motorola started to localize its product development after the initial poor performance of pure â€Å"global† strategy. Now Motorola adapts its models to meet the specific demand from local markets rather than simply throw the current products into the market without any adjustment. The R center in China successfully developed software to show the menu in Chinese and input Chinese characters. In 1999, a combination PDA/phone, which was designed by Chinese engineers, was launched in China and spread to the US and European countries. Motorola’s localization strategy also includes local sourcing. The company takes initiative in establishing relationships with local suppliers. 7 years ago, 65% of components were imported, while 69% of components are purchased locally now. Local sourcing brings Motorola three major benefits: lowering manufacturing cost, reducing risks from currency fluctuation, and catering to Chinese government’s requirements. Motorola consists of three businesses low-priced model: Enterprise Mobility Solutions, Home Networks Mobility, and Mobile Devices. Enterprise Mobility Solutions This group includes the mission-critical communications offered by our government and public safety sectors and our enterprise mobility business. We design, manufacture, sell, install and service analog and digital two-way radio as well as voice and data communications products and systems. We deliver mobile computing, advanced data capture, wireless infrastructure and RFID solutions not only to clients in the public sector, but also to retail, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, healthcare, travel and transportation customers worldwide. Through innovative technology, we help people integrate, optimize and manage their networks to seamlessly stay connected as they move about their daily lives. Home Networks Mobility Operators today are being asked by their subscribers to deliver bandwidth-intensive, experience-based services - regardless of the network architecture. Motorola is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend, providing integrated, end-to-end systems that seamlessly and reliably enable uninterrupted access to digital entertainment, information and communications services over a variety of wired and wireless solutions. Motorola designs, manufactures, sells and services digital video system solutions and interactive set-top boxes; voice and data modems for digital subscriber line and cable networks; and, broadband access systems (including ellular infrastructure systems) for cable and satellite television operators, wireline carriers and wireless service providers. With these solutions, Motorola empowers consumers by connecting their homes - easily keeping contacts, content and services within reach. Mobile Devices As a pioneer in wireless communications, Motorola has transformed the cell phone into an icon of personal technology - an integral part of daily communications, data management and mobile entertainment. Motorola not only designs, manufactures, sells and services wireless handsets, but also licenses its vast portfolio of intellectual property. Our collection spans all cellular and wireless systems and includes integrated software applications as well as one a large complement of Bluetooth ®-enabled accessories. We offer customers innovative product designs that deliver must have experiences, such as mobile music and video - enabling seamless connectivity at work or at play.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Marie Antionette

Marie Antoinette was born in Vienna, Austria on November 2nd 1755.She was the daughter of Austrian archduchess Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis the first. In 1770 she married the dauphin of France who later became King Louis XVI. Marie’s wedding to King Louis was made only to strengthen France’s Alliance with Austria. The people disliked the marriage. Marie ‘s actions increased the hostility and unpopularity among the people. She constantly sought the advice of the Austrian ambassador and attempted to influence French foreign policy in favor of Austria. Unhappy in her marriage, which remained unconsummated for seven years, she surrounded herself with a clique of disillusioned royals, led by Yolanda de Polignac and Marie Theresa de Lamballe, and threw herself into a life of pleasure and careless extravagance such as fancy balls, theatricals and gambling. Marie paid no attention to the France’s financial crisis, but only on spending her money lav ishly. Vicious stories and rumors where told about her one of these stories illustrates her haughty attitude toward the people. According to the story Marie asked an official why the Parisians are angry â€Å"because they have no bread† was the reply â€Å"then let them eat cake† said Queen Marie. This story also shows her lack of understanding in economic problems. With the birth of her son her life became more calm.Although she contributed to the fall. Her notorious reputation led to scandals such as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace and to rumors concerning her relations with officers of the guard and with Hans Axel Fersen. The famous solution to the bread famine, â€Å"Let them eat cake,† is unjustly attributed to the queen, but it is certain that Marie Antoinette lacked understanding of economic problems. With the birth of her first son, her life became more sedate. Although she had contributed to the downfall of A. R. J. Turgot in 1776 and was hostile to Jacques Necker,... Free Essays on Marie Antionette Free Essays on Marie Antionette Marie Antoinette was born in Vienna, Austria on November 2nd 1755.She was the daughter of Austrian archduchess Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis the first. In 1770 she married the dauphin of France who later became King Louis XVI. Marie’s wedding to King Louis was made only to strengthen France’s Alliance with Austria. The people disliked the marriage. Marie ‘s actions increased the hostility and unpopularity among the people. She constantly sought the advice of the Austrian ambassador and attempted to influence French foreign policy in favor of Austria. Unhappy in her marriage, which remained unconsummated for seven years, she surrounded herself with a clique of disillusioned royals, led by Yolanda de Polignac and Marie Theresa de Lamballe, and threw herself into a life of pleasure and careless extravagance such as fancy balls, theatricals and gambling. Marie paid no attention to the France’s financial crisis, but only on spending her money lav ishly. Vicious stories and rumors where told about her one of these stories illustrates her haughty attitude toward the people. According to the story Marie asked an official why the Parisians are angry â€Å"because they have no bread† was the reply â€Å"then let them eat cake† said Queen Marie. This story also shows her lack of understanding in economic problems. With the birth of her son her life became more calm.Although she contributed to the fall. Her notorious reputation led to scandals such as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace and to rumors concerning her relations with officers of the guard and with Hans Axel Fersen. The famous solution to the bread famine, â€Å"Let them eat cake,† is unjustly attributed to the queen, but it is certain that Marie Antoinette lacked understanding of economic problems. With the birth of her first son, her life became more sedate. Although she had contributed to the downfall of A. R. J. Turgot in 1776 and was hostile to Jacques Necker,...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Self-Discovery essays

Self-Discovery essays Character Self-Discovery The Idea of self-discovery in the novel A Separate Peace, is something very apparent in many of the characters. All of the characters, Gene, Finny, Leper, find their true selves by the end of the story. Genes battle to find himself is the main topic of the story. In the beginning hes a very impressionable, Go with the flow type of person. He is the first to agree, and do what Finny wants him to do. However, by the last few chapters he becomes true to himself, and starts to have a self-realization. The boys not knowing their true selves set the plane for an eventful story, with many twists and hidden meanings. Genes struggle to find his self leads to a very roller coaster type ride for his high school life. His journey takes him from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. All along he knows he isnt being true to himself, but he doesnt know if he wants to be true to himself for fear of not being accepted. Before he starts his expedition on finding himself, hes a very agreeable person. Lets go to the beach Finny tells Gene. Although the beach was hours away and forbidden to go to, Gene responds with a simple All Right.(37) After playing head games with himself, putting himself to the test and an emotional battle internally, Gene wins his struggle, and finds his separate peace. Phineas is the not your stereo-typical jock. He does excel in any sport you put in front of him, but there is much more to him. For being such a young student, he is confident in his self, and is a natural born leader. Well, in case suitors begin clamoring at the door, you can tell them Im wearing this as an emblem.(18) Finny said with a sarcastic voice, in response to Genes comment about his bright pink shirt. ...Pink! It makes you look like a fairy!(17) To any other Devon High...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Marketing Research - SPSS analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing Research - SPSS analysis - Essay Example The frequency chart below shows that the shopping mall is the most preferred shopping destination of all the respondents. Given below is the correlation between the shopping destination preferences of the respondents. We find that there is significant negative correlation between high end department stores and the other variables showing that the respondents significantly prefer high end department stores than others. We find that 39 of the respondents do not use television as the source of information. The Fisher’s exact test shows that there exists no significant difference between the male and female with regard to this source. We find that 42 of the respondents use magazine as the source of information. Only 6 of the 36 females do not use magazine as a source. The Fisher’s exact test shows that there exists significant difference between the male and female with regard to this source. All other sources involved in the study are also used by the respondents as sources of information but do not produce significant results of difference between male and female. We also realize that the radio is not used as a source of information by all the respondents. We find that there exists significant correlation between the respondents’ likeliness to purchase underwear and formal top. Similarly there exists significant correlation between the likeliness to purchase skirt/trousers and shirt blouse. There exists no significant negative correlation between the various aspects of

Friday, October 18, 2019

Education Programme of Tayside Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Education Programme of Tayside - Essay Example To direct my own learning process, I made use of a learning contract with my mentor and the Diabetes Specialist Dietician and prepared a learning program. Diabetic patients are increasing in number which incurs a lot of healthcare cost to the government. 1.2mg of Victoza taken daily is a cost effective way to treat Type-2 Diabetes. Victoza enhances insulin secretion and reduces glucagon secretion. Patients can take Victoza when the blood glucose becomes higher as measured by the HBAIC blood test, or when they have BMI greater than or equal to 35kg/m. Diabetic patients are referred to the nurses by the diabetes consultants for treatment. The GLP-1 Victoza Group Education Program was started only two years ago but became very popular in very short time, thus imparting the need to start the treatment in group setting. The group setting increased the productivity of the DSNs. Various studies have found Victoza very effective for the treatment of Type-2 Diabetic patients. Particularly whe n it was taken with Metformin daily, it improved the blood sugar control in patients and helped them lose weight. Control of diabetes and patient education reduces a patient’s susceptibility to the risk of nephropathy, retinopathy, and cardiovascular diseases. All diabetic patients should receive structured education to be able to self-manage their disease. The cheapest way of educating patients is group education as more patients are educated in lesser time, thus saving the time and effort of both the nurses. Group education encourages the adoption of innovative learning approaches, and is thus recommended by payors, educators, and policy makers. I experienced slight difficulty when the teaching session commenced, but the stress wore off me as time passed. I have learnt how to educate the patients with due assistance of the specialist dietician using visual aids which made the sessions interesting for me as well as for the learners. Learners were taught how to administer Vic toza. They were asked to do their first injection themselves. Knowledge of the treatment made the patients feel relieved. The patients were also taught the use of blood sugar meters and the principles of healthy eating. It was an overall good experience, though patients would have developed better concepts of treatment, had they been provided with structured education about diabetes and its treatment beforehand. In addition to the treatment education, patients also need to be made aware of the potential implications of not taking the treatment upon their health, so that they are intrinsically motivated to get the treatment. The treatment program should be supplied with adequate resources. Every treatment program should be supported with a structured curriculum. The current education programme can be accorded with the criteria established by NICE by integrating the philosophy of GLP1 (Victoza/Exenatide) Group Education Programme, curriculum, hand-outs, patient evaluation tools, perio dic peer review, internal quality assurance, and improvement of patients’ diabetes control twice a year in the program. To integrate these factors into the current education programme, I have used the Tayside Diabetes Education Programme to enhance the structure of the GLP-1 Victoza Group Education P

Case Study -- Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Case Study -- Report - Essay Example Finally, a link has been brought out to bring out the relationship between training and other aspects of human resource management. Most importantly, training was found to have a direct relationship with motivation of employees. Training is effective in identifying the requirements in employees’ performance and by motivating him to do so. The project is primarily based on secondary research. Finally the project recommends the implementation of different techniques of training, namely on-job and off-job training. In this context, both the advantages and drawbacks are discussed at length. Introduction This project aims to bring forth the importance to training and development programs in organisations for uplifting individual as well as organisational performance. The Sing Tel Optus case study is chosen for the purpose of identifying the above requirements. The case speaks of a new training and development program introduced by the company to train its employees. This training i s not only meant to enhance the existing skills of the staff, but is also aimed at rewarding the employees for successful completion of the program. The main purpose of this case study is to bring out the impacts that this program has had on the employees and the organisation. In this context, the project tries to discuss how the program adds to the skills and productivity of the employees. It brings out the results that the program has generated in uplifting the market image of the company as being a favourable employer. The different kinds of training methods, namely, on-the-job and off-the-job training methods have been discussed. The advantages and drawbacks of each method have been discussed. This has been done in the context of Sing Tel Opus’s training strategies and the benefits and loopholes of the same. A relationship between such training and development strategies and the various human resource management practices have been brought to focus in the project. Concept s like motivation and performance appraisals have a direct relation with the system of training and development in organisations. The interdependencies between these concepts have been highlighted in the project. Importance of Training and Development (T&D) There is a common phrase said by Confusius in 5th century BC, â€Å"Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a person to fish and you feed him for a lifetime† is still valid (McClelland, 2002, p.7). In the early days, businesses considered the workers similar to other factors of production. Therefore, the main aim was to get maximum utilisation of the labour force. However, with time the corporate people realised that human resource is quite different from the other resources. To improve the productivity of this particular resource, it should be trained. This through process motivated businesses to plan different types of training and develop programmes for its human resource so that it can acquire required s kill and knowledge to fulfil the job responsibility in best possible manner. Scholars such as Knowles (1989), Noe (2008) & Blanchard and Thacker (2007) pointed out that the motivation to learn is influenced by two major components; these are

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Research project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Research project - Essay Example Thus, the environment prevailing in the clubs is a huge concern to the owners which is why they have laid emphasis on the security of their customers. Therefore, hiring of employees to manage people is an important issue for the owners. The hired employees should be capable of effectively handling and maintaining pleasant atmosphere in and around the night clubs. The Information Technology (IT) environment consists of various activities which are expected to provide solutions to the numerous concerns that arise from the technological activities. The technicians are expected to be experts and possess ample knowledge regarding different business problems that use the IT technicalities. Moreover, preferences are given to young talents as efficiency and hardworking efforts are more likely to be generated by the younger generation. For the convenience of business professionals, IT has been introduced in almost all the sectors, such as finance, military, sales and marketing and engineering among others. Thus, the experts at times need to play various roles at different levels such as inventors and innovators, mediators, leaders and negotiators and even security agents (Microsoft, 2012). Apart from these, the IT department has taken up initiatives to engage in research and distribution actions that will improve the awareness towards environmental issues and sustainability. Aim and Objectives of the Research Due to the changing nature of the world as a result of modernisation, it has become essential for clubs to have the latest security systems that will monitor every activity of the customers. Therefore, the research will help to identify the security areas that are being assisted by the utilisation of information technology. Furthermore, any drawbacks or modification to the information systems will be assessed. The research will provide a detailed picture of how club owners are focusing on using of technological systems to ensure customer safety. Scope of the Resear ch Crowd violence and other assaults occurring in night clubs have been making news across the world. It is rapidly growing as the young generation has considered it to be a latest fashion to party up to late nights at clubs. Thus, the security of the customers is considered as one of the major issues for the owners. Though the owners recruit effective bouncers, it has been noted that few of them use their physical strength to control misbehaving crowd. A general rule suggests that bouncers are only allowed to use their hands for self-defence and take custody of any person who needs to be arrested. However, this is not always followed by the bouncers as at times they are not capable of resisting their anger and thus, involve in a fight with the customer. Therefore, the research will enable to evaluate the security systems that monitor the activities of the customers as well as the bouncers. It will help the owners to identify the actual offender behind the quarrel. Moreover, the sys tems will be compared with the modern innovations which will meet the security standards of the club. Furthermore, the improvement of customer safety and effective measures required for obtaining the safety standards will be

Shipping Laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Shipping Laws - Essay Example Important aspect regarding dangerous goods could be gained from the IMDG Code but these also give more prominence to what kind of items dangerous goods and how they could be dealt with rather than expounded about dangerous goods and the damages they are capable of perpetrating on the high seas. In the case of dangerous goods, it needs to be distinguished whether the inherent constituents of the goods are dangerous, thereby possessing damaging qualities , or under set of circumstances, in combination with other extraneous and internal agencies, it is capable of causing fire, corrosion, explosions, diseases etc. Under English law, there is an implied clause in a contract of sea carriage that the goods are seaworthy per se, and dangerous goods would not be shipped. English laws do not concern themselves with the classification or class of dangerous goods, but is more interested in whther there is a real threat that dangerous goods may bring about. It could be said that dangerous goods n eed not be shipped except with the expressed consent and acceptance of all the concerned parties to the contract. From the viewpoint of the carrier, the dangerous goods are those which are capable of causing physical and material damages and or/losses. It needs also to be said that dangerous elements in a particular cargo need not be presupposed, and therefore, the possibility of cargo turning dangerous is a real phenomenon. It is really the Shipper who has intimate knowledge about the goods, and the fact that there is latent danger present in the goods. It is necessary for him to disclose this to the carrier or charterer, if he has reasons to believe tht the goods were, are or may become dangerous and also have it noted it in the Bill of Lading and labelled. The Carrier is responsible for damages, if he or his crew has acted negligently or without sufficient care or prudence, but he may not be able to physically know what the contents of the container are, except what is informed t o him. The Charterer has almost the same knowledge about the cargo, as the carrier, and can be only held responsible if there is a breach of contract, or a differentiation in the handling of the cargo, which is a contributory factor for the damages. The holder of the Bill of lading is not a party to the original contract and is not a de facto owner.  

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Research project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Research project - Essay Example Thus, the environment prevailing in the clubs is a huge concern to the owners which is why they have laid emphasis on the security of their customers. Therefore, hiring of employees to manage people is an important issue for the owners. The hired employees should be capable of effectively handling and maintaining pleasant atmosphere in and around the night clubs. The Information Technology (IT) environment consists of various activities which are expected to provide solutions to the numerous concerns that arise from the technological activities. The technicians are expected to be experts and possess ample knowledge regarding different business problems that use the IT technicalities. Moreover, preferences are given to young talents as efficiency and hardworking efforts are more likely to be generated by the younger generation. For the convenience of business professionals, IT has been introduced in almost all the sectors, such as finance, military, sales and marketing and engineering among others. Thus, the experts at times need to play various roles at different levels such as inventors and innovators, mediators, leaders and negotiators and even security agents (Microsoft, 2012). Apart from these, the IT department has taken up initiatives to engage in research and distribution actions that will improve the awareness towards environmental issues and sustainability. Aim and Objectives of the Research Due to the changing nature of the world as a result of modernisation, it has become essential for clubs to have the latest security systems that will monitor every activity of the customers. Therefore, the research will help to identify the security areas that are being assisted by the utilisation of information technology. Furthermore, any drawbacks or modification to the information systems will be assessed. The research will provide a detailed picture of how club owners are focusing on using of technological systems to ensure customer safety. Scope of the Resear ch Crowd violence and other assaults occurring in night clubs have been making news across the world. It is rapidly growing as the young generation has considered it to be a latest fashion to party up to late nights at clubs. Thus, the security of the customers is considered as one of the major issues for the owners. Though the owners recruit effective bouncers, it has been noted that few of them use their physical strength to control misbehaving crowd. A general rule suggests that bouncers are only allowed to use their hands for self-defence and take custody of any person who needs to be arrested. However, this is not always followed by the bouncers as at times they are not capable of resisting their anger and thus, involve in a fight with the customer. Therefore, the research will enable to evaluate the security systems that monitor the activities of the customers as well as the bouncers. It will help the owners to identify the actual offender behind the quarrel. Moreover, the sys tems will be compared with the modern innovations which will meet the security standards of the club. Furthermore, the improvement of customer safety and effective measures required for obtaining the safety standards will be

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Managing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing - Essay Example All these will be aimed at engaging with the organization in the closet manner possible so that the quality of data collected would be good enough to answer the question under study. To enhance authenticity of the entire process the process will be carried out in a number of days to avoid jeopardising the normal operations of the organization that would result in skewed information being collected that would not depict the real situation in the firm. Research ethics will be given priority through the entire process and in that light the study will be conducted with objectivity as I will try to avoid any form of bias in the experimental design that might tend to depict the firm in a negative manner. Data integrity will be highly observed as all the information sourced from the employees and the management will only be used for the purpose of the research and no other intention whatsoever. Confidentiality of classified data will also be maintained, and the information about the organization will not be published or exposed to third parties without prior consent of the management of Qvc Inc. Finally, the research will observe respect for intellectual property, and any scholarly article that will be utilized in the process will have to be acknowledged

Skin cancer Essay Example for Free

Skin cancer Essay How many of you have every laid out in the sun on purpose just to get a tan?   Or better yet how many of you believe you look prettier or more handsome tan?   According to the American Cancer Society more than 1 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year and the numbers seem to be increasing day to day. And believe it or not skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.   Today I am going to inform you about skin cancer and how you can protect yourself from it. To begin, our skin is the largest organ of the body and it covers our internal organs and protects them from injury.   The skin also serves as a barrier between germs and our internal organs.   Our skin regulates body temperature and helps the body get rid of excess waste.   Certain cells in our skin also communicate with the brain and allow us the feel temperature, touch, and pain sensations. Some may ask, what exactly is skin cancer and why is it such a big deal now?   Well there are two basic types of skin cancer; Nonmelanoma (which is also called basal or squamous cell) skin cancer and then there is melanoma skin cancer. Most skin cancers are classified under nonmelanoma, meaning that the cells are located at the base of the outer, layer of the skin.   Basically, the skin that covers the surface of the body, not the deep tissues.   Nonmelanoma skin cancer usually develops on sun-exposed areas of the body, places like: the face, ears, necks, lips, and the backs of hands.   Depending on the type they can be fast or slow growing but rarely spreads to other parts of the body.   There is a cure for nonmelanoma skin cancer is detected and treated early. On the other hand, you have melanoma skin cancer.   Which is the more dangerous of the two; however it is also the least common.   Melanoma skin cancer tends to spread very quickly to other body parts.   However, it is almost always curable if it is detected in the early stages.   But the killer part is a lot of people do not realize that they may have melanoma skin cancer until the later stages, after it has already started affecting other organs.   Once it has reached that stage, it is virtually incurable.   People diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer that has already spread to other body parts are given on average a five year survival rate. So what puts you at risk for skin cancer?   Some high risk factors include:  · Unprotected and/or excessive exposure to Ultraviolet(uv) radiation  · Fair complexions( people with red hair, most likely)  · Occupational exposures (i.e. Construction workers, arsenic compounders, baseball players)  · Family history of skin cancer  · Multiple or atypical moles  · Severe sunburns as a child So how can you detect skin cancer? Some signs of skin cancer in the early stages may include but are not limited:  · any change on the skin, especially in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth  · scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or change in the appearance of a bump or nodule  · the spread of pigmentation beyond its border such as dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark  · a change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness, or pain in a mole

Monday, October 14, 2019

Analysis of HMs Vietnam Expansion

Analysis of HMs Vietnam Expansion HM is a Swedish multinational clothing retail store that caters to young adults and children. Since its inception, the brand has evolved to include accessories, footwear, cosmetics and home furnishings. HM is one of the top retail stores in the world and has positioned itself as a low cost- quality clothing supplier. HM and its competitors occupy a niche segment of the retail clothing industry known as fast-fashion, characterized by the ability to serve consumers who demand the most up-to-date styles at an affordable price. Retailers must meet several specific customer expectations to remain competitive in this segment, as well as maintain a highly efficient internal operation to meet the requirements of the industry. HMs expansion into Vietnam is part of the companys larger overall global expansion strategy to open stores with a target of 10-15% sales growth coupled with an introduction of online retail to emerging and unexploited retail markets (HM Group, 2016). Vietnam has seen recent increased growth in foreign direct investment and expanding retail market. Consumers in Vietnam have a demand for large Western brands and have increased disposable income to spend in the market(Deloitte, 2014). In Vietnam, barriers to entry remain low for HM and other industry competitors. HM and other foreign retailers have the capability of opening their initial retail spaces in Vietnam without extreme difficulty (Deloitte, 2014).ÂÂ   In 2016, Zara, HMs largest competitor opened a retail store in Ho Chi Minh City signaling an increase in foreign retail investment in the country (Zara Enters Vietnam, 2016). It appears that the landscape in Vietnam is changing in the favor of foreign retail firms and governm ent policies are being shaped to attract more foreign investors. Industry Requirements and Expectations HM and its competitors occupy a niche segment of the retail clothing industry known as fast-fashion, characterized by the ability to serve consumers who demand the most up-to-date styles at an affordable price. Retailers must meet several specific customer expectations to remain competitive in this segment, as well as maintain a highly efficient internal operation to meet the requirements of the industry. Expectations within the fast-fashion industry have become increasingly more customer-focused and demanding with the success of retailers such as HM, Zara, and Forever 21. Because the industrys core market is highly sensitive to changes in trends and seasonality, retailers need a keen awareness of the fashion landscape to proactively update their inventory at locations worldwide. Successful players in the industry must also have an in-depth understanding of the local markets of their varying locations to serve their customers specific tastes. Fast-fashions most dedicated consumers also depend on the affordability that retailers offer to allow them to keep their wardrobes stocked with the latest styles. Highly efficient supply chain management is the cornerstone of the fast-fashion industry, and is the key requirement for any retailers success. Demands for rapid turnover and affordable prices hinge on the retailers ability to keep internal costs to a minimum to avoid passing on costs to the consumers. The industry requires retailers to keep an extremely low product life cycle (PLC), which is typically achieved through the combination of a just-in-time inventory system and a strategic distribution and fulfillment network within the countries of operation. Location is also a critical requirement when operating in fast-fashion, both for retail stores and proximity to distribution centers. In order to capitalize on the benefit of operating within this industry retailers must secure locations for their retail stores that are both highly visible and densely populated, while distribution and fulfillment centers require central location to serve the maximum number of retail locations as quickly as possible. Low Trade Barriers In 1986, Vietnam created an open-door policy with reforms in three essential areas: i) the right to foreign trade, ii) trade instruments and policies iii) liberalization of foreign trade. Since then, the Vietnamese economy has been growing at a rapid pace. Since Vietnams inception in WTO in 2001, Vietnam removed many non-tariff barriers including quantitative restrictions on imports, quotas, bans, permit requirements and licensing requirements. (U.S. Department of State, 2014). However, there are still some existing industry specific trade barriers in Vietnam. For example, price stabilization and restriction is implemented by the Vietnamese government when prices are too high or low for essential goods. Other examples of trade barriers include import taxes on automated products and services, permits on foreign investment in cinema construction only through local joint ventures and land use rights. Vietnamese land, a property of the state, cannot be owned by investors nor any Vietnamese nationals (U.S. Department of State, 2014). To HMs advantage, the retail industry in Vietnam has very few trade barriers and restrictions for foreign investment. Thus, being one of the fastest growing countries in the ASEAN economy along with liberal retail policies, Vietnam is an obvious country of interest for EU business expansion. The countrys openness to foreign investment has been the cause of many trade reforms and lower trade barriers. For example, Vietnam provides investment incentives to foreign investors such as exemption from import taxes on necessary materials required for manufacturing that cannot be found in Vietnam. Policies supporting FDI in Vietnam Since November 1, 2015, Vietnam has allowed foreign retailers to set up 100 percent foreign-owned enterprises under its commitments to the World Trade Organization. This gives them access to supply sources and ideal business locations to operate from. Most international brands are opening stores in Vietnam through franchising or the granting of rights to a local partner, as franchisees are required to have a zero-loss business record and must be able to present their business development plan to the franchisor during the bidding process, which increases the likelihood of success for foreign investors in Vietnam. (VN Express Retail market share,2016). These policies make expanding to Vietnam attractive for HM. Franchising their retail stores in Vietnam is safer for HM now because of these policies. FDI As Vietnam is becoming increasingly accessible to foreign investments, FDI inflows have seen a steady and strong increase over the previous years. In 2016, FDI inflows climbed to US$24.4 billion with a 9% increase from 2015. Out of these, US$15.1 billion flew to 2,556 newly registered projects, US$5.76 billion came from 1,225 existing projects adding to their capital, and US$3.4 billion flew in from foreign investors purchasing stakes in 2,547 companies. Vietnams rapid pace of integration into global commerce is likely to yield great opportunities for foreign investors. So, this is the right time for HM to invest and expand into Vietnam. (Vietnams FDI Outlook for 2016) In January 2017, foreign investors invested in 16 sectors in Vietnam, out of which Wholesale and retail ranked third with total registered capital of US$ 88.75 million, accounting for 5.6% of the total foreign direct investment. Relative high investment in Wholesale and Retail market bodes well for HM. HM is planning to open up its first retail shop in Ho Chi Minh City, where FDI investments are high. (Ministry of planning and Investment of Vietnam, 2017) Vietnams retail industry has witnessed healthy growth rates of 8 10 percent annually in recent years. To continue, the industry is forecasted to reach $109 billion by 2017. With the population of more than 90 million, Vietnams retail market is growing rapidly, making it highly attractive for foreign investors. The country is currently ranked top 5 and 11 in Asia and globally respectively in terms of retail growth. (VN Express Vietnams rapidly growing retail Industry, 2016) Ease of doing business The countrys ease of doing business while still leaving room for improvement is developing, Vietnam ranked 82nd out of 190 countries, up nine positions from 2016. Government of Vietnam is actively privatizing its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) on top of its trade agreements and foreign direct investment policies. Since 2015, nearly 170 companies have been privatized and this trend will continue in the coming years. This creates many opportunities for foreign investors. (Vinkenborg, M. (2017). Vietnam in 2017: Spotting opportunities for FDI) Policies restricting FDI in Vietnam One complication for FDI in Vietnam is Vietnamese authorities have different definitions of a foreign invested enterprise. In practice the level of foreign investment that qualifies an entity as foreign differs from province to province. Unlike other countries in the region, such as China or some of the other ASEAN member states, Vietnam does not maintain a Negative List of industries with foreign equity ownership caps. (Restrictions on Foreign Direct Investment in Vietnam, 2015) With the enactment of the Law on Investment and the Law on Enterprises however, the country is moving in the direction of such a Negative List system. The two laws, in addition to various other laws and regulations are applicable to industries that are termed conditional. When investing in conditional industries, the government examines the investment proposal and may choose to impose additional requirements. Distribution sector such as retail is considered conditional in Vietnam and may prone to additional requirements from government of Vietnam. (Restrictions on Foreign Direct Investment in Vietnam, 2015) Works Cited Deloitte (2014). Retail in Vietnam. Retrieved: http://www.iberglobal.com/files/2016/vietnam_retail.pdf Hong, A. (2016). Vietnams rapidly growing retail industry partially offsets economic slowdown. Retrieved:http://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/vietnam-s-rapidly-growing-retail-industry-partially-offsets-economic-slowdown-3448240.html HM Group. Retrieved: https://about.hm.com/en/about-us/markets-and-expansion.html Indiaretailing Bureau. Retrieved: http://www.indiaretailing.com/2016/09/27/fashion/zara-enters-vietnam-first-store-vincom-center/ Ministry of Planning and Investment. (2017). Retrieved: http://www.mpi.gov.vn/en/Pages/tinbai.aspx?idTin=35921idcm=122 Shira, D. (2015). Restrictions of Foreign Direct Investment on Vietnam. Retrieved: http://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/restrictions-foreign-direct-investment-vietnam.html/ SwedenÂÂ   and Vietnam Boost BUsiness and Investment Cooperation (2016). Retrieved: https://nsnbc.me/2016/10/08/sweden-vietnam-boost-business-and-investment-cooperation U.S. Department of State (2014). Retrieved: https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/229305.pdf Vietnams FDI Outlook for 2016: Trends and Opportunities. Retrieved: http://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/vietnamese-fdi-2016-outlook.html/ Vinkenborg, M. (2017). Vietnam in 2017: Spotting opportunities for FDI. Retrieved: http://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/vietnam-2017-spotting-opportunities-fdi.html/ http://www.eightyquartier.com/hm-announces-first-store-in-vietnam/ Ministry of planning and Investment of Vietnam, 2017 Retrieved: http://www.mpi.gov.vn/en/Pages/tinbai.aspx?idTin=35921idcm=122 VN Express Vietnams rapidly growing retail Industry, 2016 Retrieved: http://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/vietnam-s-rapidly-growing-retail-industry-partially-offsets-economic-slowdown-3448240.html VN Express Retail market share,2016 Retrieved: http://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/markets/foreign-invasion-threatens-domestic-retail-market-share-3406399.html Restrictions on Foreign Direct Investment in Vietnam, 2015 Retrieved: http://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/restrictions-foreign-direct-investment-vietnam.html/