What do you think is the best strategy for existing businesses to adopt in response to the entry of a new large competitor free essay sample

What do you think is the best strategy for existing businesses to adopt in response to the entry of a new large competitor? Justify your answer with reference to the UK bottled water market and/or other markets that you know. Almost all business operates in competition with other businesses, whether this is Sainsburys competing with Asda for customers at a local, national and international level or two local hairdressers competing for clients in a single town. Competition is usually between firms supplying the same product. For example, British Gas compete not just with other suppliers in the gas provision market but also with the suppliers of other types of fuel, including coal, electricity and oil. The managing director of Waterman Pens is famously quoted as saying: We are not in the market for pens, but executive gifts. Therefore he redefined the companys competitors as Dunhill and Rolex, rather than Parker and Bic. We will write a custom essay sample on What do you think is the best strategy for existing businesses to adopt in response to the entry of a new large competitor? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Competition is generally regarded as being positive, bringing benefits in particular to customers. The advantages of competition are based on the fact that, in order to gain market share, firms need to offer the cheapest or the best quality products to customers. This requires them to operate as efficiently as possible, in a cost effective way while at the same time improving the quality of products and services as much as possible. However, competition also has some negative. Where competition is based solely on price, product quality might be sacrificed because resources that are devoted to competing with other firms, such as the huge amounts spent on advertising and packaging, could be directed to producing cheaper or better products. Also, competition between firms means that, inevitably, some businesses will be forced out of the market, with the economic and human consequences of redundancy and unemployment. Finally, the competitive process tends to mean that successful established businesses gradually take over, for example Nestle and Danone – or merge with unsuccessful ones. This in turn leads to the existence of a smaller number of larger and larger businesses. This has happened, for example, in the supermarket sector. In very competitive markets, such as those that can be described as monopolistic competition, new competitors enter all the time. For example, a new hairdresser or a new cafe might set up on the high street. In order to compete, existing businesses will need to ensure that their product or service is of an appropriate quality, is priced and promoted appropriately and has its own USP. For example, in order for Nestle and Danone to give their bottled water a USP they could introduce different size bottles, and different flavours. In some industries, barriers to entry prevent or deter new firms from entering. They thus enable existing firms to continue relatively unchallenged and, in effect, protect them from new entrants and allow them to earn higher profits than they might in a more competitive environment. This is the case in monopoly or oligopoly markets such as car manufacturers, supermarkets and banks. However, from being a relatively small player in a market, a business can develop into a dominant business as a result of a takeover or a merger. This can have a significant impact on the competitive forces for existing firms that are now faced with a more powerful competitor. For example, in 2003, Morrisons, a medium sized bust fast growing supermarket chain, took over Safeway and became a much more significant competitor for Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys. The more competitive the market, the less opportunity there is for profit as firms try to cut costs and prices in order to attract customers. Where there is little competition but a strong demand, supernormal profits may be made. Such profits are often a sign of unfair competition. To retain a good reputation, Nestle and Danone must make sure their actions are fair competition. Fair competition is where firms compete on equal terms in a way that offers consumers the best choice of products and prices. An example of unfair competition would be Danone only supplying retailers that promise not to stock Nestle or Coca Cola or that agree to stock the whole range of Danones products.

Fall Back On Fitness Essays - Physical Exercise, Self Care, Holiday

Fall Back On Fitness Essays - Physical Exercise, Self Care, Holiday Fall Back On Fitness Fall Back On Fitness As we head into the cooler autumn months, we undoubtedly expect that the upcoming holiday seasons surrounding Thanksgiving, Halloween, and (yes, already) Christmas will lead to our spending more and more time indulging and less and less time keeping ourselves healthy and fit. This doesnt have to be the case. We are not bears, and regardless of what one may think, we do not need to store up extra fat so that we may hibernate for the winter! Awareness of the potential pitfalls of the holiday season can prevent the pounds from sneaking up on you. Treat yourself to an early gift by purchasing a journal in which you can keep a daily record of your eating, exercise and stress behaviours. Keep an eye on your journal entries so that youll notice your less than healthy behaviours and make changes before you get overwhelmed. One suggestion is to weigh yourself once a week during the holiday season. One study of weight loss over a 50-week period found that some study participants gained 500 percent more weight per week during holiday weeks as compared to non-holiday weeks. But the good news: Participants who consistently monitored and recorded their own behaviours were able to lose weight during the holidays. (Published in Health Psychology, July 1998.) The next suggestion is to remember that your body needs movement more than ever during the holiday season. Exercise releases tension, expends the calories of those holiday goodies, increases your energy levels so you can shop til you drop, elevates your mood so you can combat holiday-related depression and be the life of the party, and gives you the gift of time for yourself. Here are some great ways to fit exercise into the busy fall season: Exercise first thing in the morning before you begin your busy day. Try to plan holiday activities around family and friends, instead of around food. Tell family and friends to bring walking shoes and comfortable clothes to your celebration. Then take a 30-minute walk together. You can do it in shifts so someone's always basting the turkey! Get into a routine now, before the holidays strike! Those who have previously developed a solid exercise habit will make the time to exercise even when they feel like they are too busy to find the time.

History of the Black Box aka Flight Data Recorder

History of the Black Box aka Flight Data Recorder David Warren had a deeply personal reason to invent the  flight-data recorder (commonly referred to as the â€Å"black box†). In 1934, his father died in one of Australia’s earliest air crashes.   Early Life and Career David Warren was born in 1925 on Groote Eylandt, and island off the Northern coast of Australia. Gadgets and devices, like the ham radio left to him by his father, helped Warren through his childhood and adolescence. His educational record speaks for itself: he graduated with honors from the University of Sydney before earning a diploma in education from the University of Melbourne and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Imperial College London. In the 1950s, as Warren was working for the Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Melbourne, a few developments occurred to reignite his instincts regarding in-flight recordings. In Britain in 1949, the de Havilland Comet was introduced- only to experience a disaster in 1954 with a series of high-profile crashes. Without any kind of recording device from inside the aircraft, determining the causes and investigating the intricacies of these disasters was a famously difficult task for the British authorities. Prime Minister Winston Churchill himself was quoted as saying, â€Å"The cost of solving the Comet mystery must be reckoned neither in money nor in manpower.† Around the same time, the earliest tape recorders were being introduced in trade shows and storefront windows. It was a German-made one that first caught Warren’s eye, leading him to wonder how much more information the authorities would have during its investigations if a device like this had been in the Comet . Inventing the "Memory Unit" In 1957, Warren completed a prototype- which he termed the â€Å"Memory Unit†- for his device. His idea, however, was greeted with no shortage of criticism from the Australian authorities. The Royal Australian Air Force haughtily suggested that the device would capture â€Å"more expletives than explanations,† while the Australian pilots themselves worried about the potential for spying and surveillance. It took the British- the maker of the tarnished Comet- to appreciate the necessity of Warren’s device. From there, flight-data recorders proceeded to become standard procedure not only in Britain and Australia but also in America and in the commercial flying industry all across the world. There seems to be some dispute as to how Warren’s device came to be known as the black box, considering that the color of Warren’s prototype was closer to red or orange, in order to make the device stand out amidst the wreckage of a crash. However, the black-box moniker has stuck, perhaps owing to the intense steel casing required to protect the box. Warren has never received financial reward for his invention, although he has- after what was initially quite a battle- been officially recognized by his own country: in 2002, he was awarded the Order of Australia for his contributions. Warren died in 2010, at the age of 85, but his invention continues to be a mainstay on aircraft worldwide, recording both cockpit chatter and instrument readings of altitude, speed, direction, and other statistics. Additionally, car manufacturers have recently started installing black boxes in their vehicles, adding another chapter in the evolution of Warren’s originally maligned idea.

Turkish Maritime Cabotage Rights Research Proposal

Turkish Maritime Cabotage Rights - Research Proposal Example The Republic of Turkey is strategically placed in an area between the Asian, African and European continents and the three sides of the country are encompassed by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Black Sea to the north and the Aegean Sea to the west. The Turkish Straits is the only water route between Black Sea and Mediterranean and have unique physical, hydrological and navigational conditions (Unescap, Turkey Report 2000/2009). It has been recently contended that the volume of traffic flow in the Straits have exceeded limits of safe navigation as there has been an increase in the number of vessels and quantities of dangerous cargo. Any accident could cause irreversible damage to the environment. In order to maintain safety of navigation, life and property in the region, the Turkish Government has adopted a set of regulations for maritime traffic in 1994. Turkey's approach to maritime transport is consistent with international regulations and principles of fostering free mari time competition, safety and environmental concerns. Turkey's maritime transport facilities are rather extensive. ... Turkey has merchant fleet with capacity more than 9.5 million DWT and about 899 ships and is in the 20th rank in the world fleet. Total capacity consists of 5 per cent public and 95 per cent private sectors. The majority of ships comprising total merchant shipping fleet are bulk carries (48 per cent), dry cargo ships (19 per cent), oil tankers (10 per cent). The other types of ships constitute 23 per cent of the fleet. (Information available from Unescap Report on Turkey, 2000/2009) Cabotage Laws and Rights: The maritime sector in Turkey is also subject to certain legal arrangements and Law 815 on Cabotage Auxiliary services rendered in Turkish ports and waters are subject to the Law on Cabotage. In accordance with the Cabotage Act, all commercial shipping and related activities between the ports and all trading in the coastal lines is reserved for Turkish-flag vessels and supply of services are given to Turkish companies only although all auxiliary services at the ports are available to all nationalities. Transportation that violates Cabotage rights is not accepted and negotiations on Cabotage transportation services in turkey have been very rigid. Turkish Code of Commerce is related to maritime transport and is harmonized in accordance with the arrangements of EU. The application and implementation of Cabotage rights is a very important milestone in Turkish Maritime Industry and this thesis will delve deeper into the maritime industry, the regulations in Turkish shipping industry and the role of Cabotage rights in helping Turkey to integrate its shipping industry with EU and international shipping standards. Turkish fleet

Discrimination in the Legal Profession Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Discrimination in the Legal Profession - Essay Example Legal profession requires autonomy and independent functioning because legal system is a free activity. A legal professional has to execute his day-to-day activities continuously and effectively to the best of his ability. Usually only qualified lawyers render legal assistance. Now paralegal service is becoming popular; but there too, person needs qualifications and has to clear prescribed examinations.Lawyers have to offer legal advice, draft documents like wills, statements, contracts and represent their clients. They are also responsible for drawing up requests, pleadings, complaints, and motions. Definitely they are not allowed to carry out any activities that are detrimental to their profession. Unless otherwise determined by law, organisation would take up action against professionals who are not fully qualified to render legal assistance. Lawyers also have the right and duty to undertake any action, law permitting, for the benefit of their client. Lawyers can substitute for on e another at times of emergency or difficulty. Lawyers can deny legal assistance if clients are defying code of conduct or organisational code of ethics, or blatantly ignoring legal advice. If organisation gives a special duty to a solicitor, he can refuse it if it does not fall under the purview of his specialisation and can cancel a Power of Attorney and hence, legal professionals enjoy freedom and individuality.Safekeeping and returning of documents, signing documents with the seal of law office, protection of confidences.... If organisation gives a special duty to a solicitor, he can refuse it if it does not fall under the purview of his specialisation and can cancel a Power of Attorney and hence, legal professionals enjoy freedom and individuality. Safekeeping and returning of documents, signing documents with the seal of law office, protection of confidences and secrets, providing data available are part of duties imposed on lawyers by professional organisation. They are protected from arrests (unless they commit criminal activities), their offices cannot be easily searched without prior consent of a competent court, which will keep organisation informed of the search and Organisation's representatives should be present during the search. And during such a search, secret documents could not be violated as it might be injurious to the clients' cause and evidence obtained through such search cannot be used in the court against the client. Organisation allows the attorneys to charge according to the gravity of the case and even though there are definite rules governing the remuneration, mostly lawyers charge according to importance of case and client. Also lawyers are allowed to reimburse themselves from the deposited cash; but the immediate settlement of remaining cash is their responsibility. Organisation keeps data of their offices, change of addresses and situations, joint offices, affiliations of legal professions. Legal organisational membership is mandatory and organisations are the face of legal profession of that country. Usually organisations advice liability insurance contracts to its members. Solicitors who mainly work in magistrate and county courts, barristers who usually work in Crown Courts, legal executives and judges

Maddox :: essays research papers

I didn't think it was possible to be more unimpressed with Star Wars. Today, I stand corrected. If you were unfortunate enough to hear your stupid co-workers yammering on about Lucas' latest shit burger, you might have heard them saying something like "I didn't like the first two, but this one was good!" When I ask why, these people have trouble responding because it's hard to talk with George Lucas' flaccid penis in their collective mouths. Perhaps the question I should be asking is "why didn't you like the other two movies if you liked this one?" Nothing has changed. You have the same vacant-looking actors running around, aimlessly bumping into things, an army of stupid, sensitive robots, and dialogue clumsy enough to warrant putting a handicap sticker on George Lucas' car. To Lucas' credit, he was tacitly shamed into not giving Jar Jar any talking lines in this movie. With Jar Jar's character no longer speaking to annoy you, Lucas filled the void by giving every robot in the movie stupid toy noises. So instead of doing something cool like having the robots chase after screaming children, they bitch and moan and say things like "ow" when they get their prosthetic limbs chopped off. Even worse are the idiots who scarf down these sub-childish morsels of comedic relief, playing into Lucas' shallow theatrics so easily that you could sell these people hookers in a vagina storm. Before I go on, I have to address something that all you stupid Star Wars nerds are probably thinking right about now: "But Maddox, it's a movie made for kids, what do you expect?!" Even Lucas stated in an interview with the BBC that: "The movies are for children but [the fans] don't want to admit that." Oh really? It just so happens that this "children's movie" has a scene where a guy gets his hands chopped off, a graphic decapitation, the wanton slaughter of children (the highlight of any movie), and the coolest scene in any space action movie starring Ewan McGregor: Anakin getting his legs chopped off as his stumps catch fire while his face melts. Maddox :: essays research papers I didn't think it was possible to be more unimpressed with Star Wars. Today, I stand corrected. If you were unfortunate enough to hear your stupid co-workers yammering on about Lucas' latest shit burger, you might have heard them saying something like "I didn't like the first two, but this one was good!" When I ask why, these people have trouble responding because it's hard to talk with George Lucas' flaccid penis in their collective mouths. Perhaps the question I should be asking is "why didn't you like the other two movies if you liked this one?" Nothing has changed. You have the same vacant-looking actors running around, aimlessly bumping into things, an army of stupid, sensitive robots, and dialogue clumsy enough to warrant putting a handicap sticker on George Lucas' car. To Lucas' credit, he was tacitly shamed into not giving Jar Jar any talking lines in this movie. With Jar Jar's character no longer speaking to annoy you, Lucas filled the void by giving every robot in the movie stupid toy noises. So instead of doing something cool like having the robots chase after screaming children, they bitch and moan and say things like "ow" when they get their prosthetic limbs chopped off. Even worse are the idiots who scarf down these sub-childish morsels of comedic relief, playing into Lucas' shallow theatrics so easily that you could sell these people hookers in a vagina storm. Before I go on, I have to address something that all you stupid Star Wars nerds are probably thinking right about now: "But Maddox, it's a movie made for kids, what do you expect?!" Even Lucas stated in an interview with the BBC that: "The movies are for children but [the fans] don't want to admit that." Oh really? It just so happens that this "children's movie" has a scene where a guy gets his hands chopped off, a graphic decapitation, the wanton slaughter of children (the highlight of any movie), and the coolest scene in any space action movie starring Ewan McGregor: Anakin getting his legs chopped off as his stumps catch fire while his face melts.

International Human Resource Management Essay

1.0 Executive Summary The world of international HR management (IHRM) is changing. As companies shift operations abroad, IHRM is moving beyond expatriate programs. Today’s IHR managers are charged with scaling and managing overseas HR operations. This shift has not only created new opportunities for IHRM professionals, but also for companies looking to staff operations abroad. Possibly one of the greatest challenges facing the IHRMs is the fact that they are now dealing with not an individual employee but a whole family and their needs as a family in the relocation process. Some IHRMs find it more difficult than others to adjust to the added dimension of having to deal with the spouse and family on a more intimate level than before. After all, they are now relocating them halfway around the world and away from their support structures. They have to be prepared to get a lot more involved in the family as a whole and not just think they have to communicate with the employee only as is often the case when dealing with an employee here at home base. Throughout this assignment, we are examined the implications of differences in national culture for policy and practice in of the following aspects of human resource management: * Performance appraisal * Training and development 2.0 Training and Development Important components of international human resources management include both cross-cultural training and a clear understanding of the overseas assignment as part of a manager’s development. 2.1 Training Cross-cultural training is necessary for expatriates managers and their families before, during and after foreign assignments. As different countries have different culture, regardless how close of those areas, such as Taiwan and Mainland China, USA and Canada. Maybe they are talking the same language, however, their perception of social values, business practices are different. In Western, especially in USA, people are more individualism. In the contrary, Eastern people, such as Chinese and Japanese, people are more collectivism. The social system also different in Western and Eastern, the former is low power distant and the later is higher power distant. When those expatriates arrive, they are foreigners, not the host population, it is necessary to provide much cultural and practical background. Language training is an essential activity for everyone in the family. Although English is the dominant business language worldwide, relying on English puts the expatriates at a disadvantage. The expatriate will be unable to read trade journals and newspapers, which contain useful business information, and will be reliant on translators, which at best only slow down discussions in the process. Evan if expatriates manager is not fluent, a willingness to try communicating in local language makes a good impression on the business community. Foreign language proficiency is also vital for family members to establish a social network and accomplish the everyday tasks of maintaining a household. But cross-cultural training is much more than just language training. It should provide an appreciation of the new culture, including details of its history and folklore, economy, politics, religion, social climate, and business practices. It is easy to recognize that religion is highly important in daily life in the Middle East, but knowledge of the region’s history and an understanding of the specific practices and beliefs is important to avoid inadvertently insulting business associates or social contacts. All this training can be carried out through a variety of techniques. Language skills are often provided through classes and tapes, while cultural training utilizes many different tools. Lectures, reading materials, videotapes, and movies are useful for background information, while cultural sensitivity is more often taught through role playing, simulations and meetings with former expatriates, as well as natives of the countries now living in the parent countries. While all this training in advance of the overseas relocation is important, cultural learning takes place during the assignment as well. After the overseas assignment has ended and the employee has returned, more training is required for the entire family. The employee also must adjust to organization changes, including the inevitable promotions, transfers, and resignations that have taken place during his or her absence. Teenager find reentry particularly difficult, as they are ignorant of the most recent jargon and the latest trends, but often are more sophisticated and mature than their local friends. The employee also must adjust to organizational changes, including the inevitable promotions, transfers and registrations that have taken place during his or her absence. Returnees are anxious to know where to fit in, or if they have been gone for so long that they no longer are on a career path. 2.2 Development In the current global business environment, the overseas assignment should be a vital component in the development of top-executives. It is not only to achieve the advantages for the individual in overseas assignment, but also an organization can gain the competitive advantages from their overseas employee. It is also a chance to provide the host counties employees to broaden their global perspective through a post in the parent-country headquarter, and may make it easier for the organization to recruit and retain better quality managers in the host country. Development is an essential activity to the individual to improve the individual’s ability during the assignment and to well perform their jobs. 3.0 Performance appraisal In evaluating employee performance in international environments, other factors come into plays. For instance, the cultural differences between the United States and England are not as great as those between the United Stated and China, for example. Thus, hostility or friendliness of the cultural environment in which one manager should be considered when appraising employee performance. 3.1 The responsibilities of the evaluation There are also issues to consider regarding who will be responsible for the evaluations: the host-country management or the parent country management. Although local management would generally consider a more accurate gauge, it typically evaluates expatriates from its own cultural perspectives and expectations, which may not reflect those of the parent company. For example, in some countries, a participatory style of management is acceptable, while in other countries, hierarchical values make it disgrace to ask employees for ideas (for e.g. in Japan). This could vastly alter a supervisor’s performance appraisal. Confusion may arise from the use of parent-country evaluation forms if they are misunderstood, either because the form has been improperly translated or not translated at all, or because the evaluator is uncertain what a particular question means. The home-office managements, on the other hand, is often so remote that it may not be fully informed on what is going on in an overseas office. Because they lack access and because one organization may have numerous foreign operations to evaluate, home-office managements often measure performance by quantitative indices, such as profits, market shares, or gross sales. However, simple numbers are often quite complex in their calculations and data are not always comparable. For example, if a company has many operations in Fast East Asia, it must be aware of the accounting practices in each country. Local import tariffs can also distort pricing schedules, which alter gross sales figures, another often compared statistic. Evan when the measurements are comparable, the comparison country will have an affect. For example, factory productivity levels in Vietnam may be below those of similar plants in Thailand. Depending on where the supervisor’s results are compared, different outcomes may occur. Such issues complicate parent country management performance evaluations by numerical criteria, or indices – and can add to the emotional levels in appraisals. 3.2 Evaluation Format Other issues surround the question of selecting the best format to use in performance appraisals, If we have an overseas operation that includes both parent country nationals and host country nationals, we must determine if we will use the same forms for all employee. While most Western countries accept the concept of performance evaluation, some cultures interpret it as a sign of distrust or even an insult to an employee. This complicates a decision to use one instrument like an adjective rating scale for all employees. On the other hand, using different formats for PCNs and HCNs may create a dual track in the subsidiary, in turn creating other problems. The evaluation form presents other problems. If there is universal form for the entire corporation, an organization must determine how it will be translated accurately into the native language of each country. English forms may not be readily understood by local supervisors. For example, clerical and office jobs do not always have identical requirements in all cultures. As a result, some U.S. multinational may be hesitant about evaluating HCNs and TCNs. In some countries, notably those that support the Communist ideology, all workers are rewarded only when the group performs – with punishment or discipline being highly limited. For example, in the hotel industry in the People’s Republic of China. Without the ability to reward good individual performance or to punish poor performance, there is little motivation to have any evaluation at all. Although the subject of international performance appraisal continues to receive research attention, two general recommendations have been suggested as follow: * Modify the normal performance criteria of the evaluation sheet for a particular position to fit the overseas position and site characteristics. Expatriates who have returned from a particular site or same country can provide useful input into revising criteria to reflect the possibilities and constraints of a given location. * Include a current expatriate’s insights as part of evaluation. This means that non-standardized criteria, which are difficult to measure, will be included, perhaps in different basis for each country. This creates some administrative difficulties at headquarters, but in long run will be a more equitable system. Â   Bibliography 1. Peter J. Dowling, Denice E. Welch and Randall S. Schuler, International Human Resource Management – Managing People in a Multinational Context, South Western College Publishing, 3rd Edition 2. Nancy J. Adler, International Dimensions of Organization Behavior, South Western College Publishing, 3rd Edition 3. David A. Decenzo, Stephen P. Robbins, Human Resourc Management, John Wiley & Sons Inc., 7th Edition. 4. Ian Breadwell and Len Holden, Human resource management – a contemporary approach, FT Prentice Hall, 3rd Edition