Watching the video and answer the following questions Essay

Watching the video and answer the following questions - Essay Example What I liked about the video is the jokes, the humor, the show of intelligence, and the content itself. What is stated in the video is indeed very, very useful, if not practical, for anyone. It is all good, if you ask me. however, what I did not like about the video is the last part where Cleese tried to give some rather harsh, inhuman advice to employers about how to prevent their employees from getting themselves into a creative state. This creative state is a result of a few steps and a number of requirements. The steps are quite simple, and this can be summarized as getting into the open mode (the mode of humor and relaxation) and making a decision in it, switching to the closed mode (the realistic and stressful mode) to implement it, narrowing our focus when we have to implement it, and switching back to the open mode when we have to evaluate it and to buy time before we can decide whether to proceed or not. The requirements for one to be able to get himself into the open mode include space, specific time or making time to be in the open mode, enough time to play with the problem before making a decision, acting with confidence, and punctuating the act with humor. These are actually abstract concepts but at least Cleese has made them half-concrete for the layman to understand. I believe I can follow these instructions to the letter, which means that I will follow them without modifying them to my own advantage. However, before anything else, I should always remember the concepts that Cleese underlined in his speech. One of these is the idea that an open state is when a person is relaxed, less purposeful, contemplative, humorous, playful and curious, and that it is being in this state that one can be creative. Therefore, any environment that is the opposite of these aforementioned qualities must reflect the closed mode, and that

SWOT Analysis for Possible Ventures. Airbus Joint Venture with Boeing Essay

SWOT Analysis for Possible Ventures. Airbus Joint Venture with Boeing - Essay Example It is evident from the study that in the joint venture, Airbus has strengths that would make it stand out from any possible competition and posed threats. Firstly Airbus has advanced technology in aircraft manufacturing as compared to Boeing, its technologies such as fly-by-wire, joy stick control and laser guided riveter would make Airbus to have a bigger share of the joint venture. Secondly, the manufacturing of Very Large Commercial Transport (VLCT) would take place in Europe where the company has well-established markets. Although the company stands to benefit from the opportunities presented by the joint venture there are some threats that the company needs to consider. Competition with Boeing will make Airbus to cut its prices and this will affect its profit margins. From the venture, the company will be forced to expose its technology and manufacturing techniques to Boeing. In the joint venture, Boeing will have better opportunities than its rival company Airbus will. However, the two companies expect almost similar opportunities. Successful production and marketing of the VLCT will create deals that would increase the company’s capacity to market its other models. Due to the current condition of saturated airports and need for expansion there will be a ready demand for the proposed VLCT. Currently Boeing controls about 60% of the aircraft market and it hope to increase its niche from the venture. The initial cost of producing a VLCT stands at $5-$20 billion, which the company hopes to raise over the next 4-10 years. From the projected demand of 500 units for $150 - $250 million, Airbus expects to create a deal worth 1.25 trillion dollars, which is a remarkable return on investment. Boeing has many strengths that will enable it to benefit from the possible opportunities, unlike it rivals Boeing has a high control over its suppliers with some being sole-suppliers. This makes Boeing to stand out as a well-established aircraft manufacturer. Boeing ha s enjoyed a long-standing agreement in the production of military aircrafts and this has enabled the company to generate a lot of profit. Although Boeing is a strong company, the company has some weakness. Firstly, Boeing may lose its market share if it is unable to produce the VLCT economically. The company has a low production capacity and therefore it may not handle the extended demand adequately. These weaknesses create competition threat that the company faces from its rival company Airbus. Airbus owns or has the rights to most of the critical technologies required in the production of VLCT and therefore Boeing is threatened by possible exploitation. Part 3; Analysis of Airbus Standalone initiative Although the VLCT is a proposed joint venture,

Global Warming - Is it the Biggest hoax we have ever faced Thesis

Global Warming - Is it the Biggest hoax we have ever faced - Thesis Example Yet, having bravely asserted their views, these dissenting voices have put an almost accepted fact into a much-heated debate: Is global warming real or a hoax? Unfortunately though, a debate over a scientific issue has become more political and economic rather than scientific. Science has been manipulated. Data are selectively included or excluded to make it appear that global warming is a real threatening problem, purposely, to justify preordained policy preferences. (Avery 1) Thus the questions of the day continue: Is global warming real that people and nations should prepare for doomsday? Is global warming man-made that humanity should pay for it by disusing fossil fuels or is it the biggest hoax humanity has ever faced? These are the interrelated questions which this research study would like to examine and shed light into by going through an intensive review of researches and studies done by authorities of the issue. This study is significant and relevant for the obvious reason that its impact to humanity is too great, as it is affecting almost all aspects of human lives. To start with, it would be necessary to define the issue and how it came to be. Global warming as implied by the term itself â€Å"is an increase in the average temperature of Earths surface† (Mastrandrea & Schneider, par. 1). The average temperature of the Earth is about 13oC or 56 oF (Sagan 1984) to 15 oC or 59 oF (Hart 2005) (qtd. in Tang, par. 2). How global warming has been discovered is a matter of history that has never been clear. Nevertheless, Weart accounts that it was only in 1896 that global warming was discovered by a forlorn Swedish scientist. However, it was regarded only as a mere concept that is fantastic and impossible. Then in 1950, global warming was taken seriously by few scientists in California appraising it as a possibility – a risk that could occur in distant future. This distant future finally

Case study on Red Bull Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case study on Red Bull - Essay Example Branding is about enabling people to identify a product from alternatives offered in the markets (Percy, 2003). â€Å"Brand equity is the creation of positive brand attitudes or service† (Schroeder et al, 2006). In other words, brand equity involves the creation of attitudes and perceptions that will enable a consumer to identify a product from alternatives offered by competitors. Although Red-Bull is a single product offering, it has been able to achieve brand equity across the world through its uniqueness and other factors that enable customers to identify it as unique and different from other soft drink and energy drink offerings on the market. In summary, its unique packaging (the blue, silver and red 250ml can) is famous around the world. Also, the unique content and effects on users is a very strong element of brand equity since it gives consumers a very positive physical, mental and health advantages that most competitors do not give. The Burnett model states that a bra nd equity has four main facades: personality image, source, differences and functions (Randall, 2000). In terms of personality image, customers around the world feel good about the health and mental alertness that Red Bull provides. They respect it as a premier energy drink because it does what a normal cup of coffee would do but with a very positive impact on the individual. Secondly, Red Bull seems to stand for good health, vitality and productivity and that is exactly how it is promoted and packaged as a revitaliser. Also, Red Bull was originally created to be different from all other soft and energy drink offerings on the market. Now that several similar products are available, Red Bull still maintains its distinct packaging and content which keeps it embedded in the mind of consumers. In spite of the universal nature of Red Bull's brand, there was the need for some variation in the brand offering in markets around the world. Dunn (2004) points out that there are six main proces ses that a business needs to go through before they can create brand equity and they are: 1. Market Analysis 2. Brand Architecture 3. Creation of a Strategic Branding Idea 4. Marketing Communication 5. Employee Involvement and 6. Measurement Market analysis involves scanning the dominant environmental factors in a country before offering your products in a country. For the case of Red Bull, the regulatory requirements, market penetration, presence of potential competitors and dominant culture played a major role in the establishment of the brand in Austria. This varied in other parts of Europe so their expansion into Europe required a high degree of analysis and understanding of the dominant culture. In growing from Europe to other markets around the world, Red Bull had to also understand the vital elements of these markets before they could move into them. Brand architecture involves the technical components of determining the brand's DNA (Dunn, 2004). Although the name, identity a nd character of Red Bull was sustained in most markets around the world, the vision, positioning, target market, emotions and pricing had to be varied based on the social, economic and cultural factors of the market they were entering. Thus we notice that the arrangements for entry into the UK market was quite different from that of the South African market because the political, economic and cultural structures of both countries required Red Bull to modify its brand penetration systems. I notice in page 79

Functions of Management Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Functions of Management Paper - Essay Example All of these functions play their roles in making an organization achieve all goals efficiently. Let us discuss each of these functions in some detail in order to know the role that they play in the success of an organization. Planning Planning holds great importance in the process of management. It means recognizing organizational or personal goals and developing proper strategies to meet those goals. In context of organizations, planning not only includes setting goals for the future but also includes development of strategies and tactics to meet those goals. Managers cannot achieve desired goals and objectives without planning. For proper planning, managers need to consider many factors, such as, assessment of organizational environment, availability of resources, future trends of the market, assessment of customers’ demands, and proper use of capital. In the organization where I work, there are many kinds of planning which managers do for the success of the organization. S ome of those types of planning include marketing planning, sales planning, and project planning. Marketing planning means to develop suitable strategies for the marketing of the company’s products and services. In marketing planning, managers consider 4Ps of the marketing mix to develop a proper marketing plan. In sales planning, managers assess all aspects of the target market and the sales promotion strategies to develop a proper sales plan for the products. In case of project planning, managers take a close look at different aspects of the project to do effective planning. For project planning, managers consider due date of the project, available resources, and effective use of human resource and technology to meet the targets. Tatum (2011) states, â€Å"Like any type of business planning, project planning is about gaining the most benefit while making the wisest use of available resources†. Proper planning provides many benefits to the organizations, such as, avoid ance of confusions, completion of tasks within deadlines, reduction of risks, and correct use of resources. Organizing Organizing is the second function of management, which means to organize different activities. Once managers are done with planning to do something, the need for organizing arises. Managers need to bring together all resources in such a way that they work in collaboration with each other to achieve desired goals. The function of organizing includes many core activities, such as, identifying the resources, arranging required resources, classifying the resources, communicating goals to employees, assigning tasks to employees based on their skills, and delegating the authorities. A manager needs to be skilled in the function of organizing. It is important because no work can be done up to the level of perfection without proper organization of activities. In my organization, managers of all departments organize their sets of activities in a logical manner in order to co ntribute to the success of the organization. The activities of arranging required resources and providing those resources to the employees for the completion of tasks also come under the function of organizing. Managers organize the workplace properly in order to ensure workplace productivity and organizational success. â€Å"Without an organized workplace, employees will see a manager as unprepared† (Rothbauer-Wanish, 2009). Therefore, a manager needs to be organized personally and professionally in order to put a good impact on the

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Business - Essay Example When we talk about a country Comparative advantage, they are the Superior features of a country which provide it with unique benefits in global competition derived weather from national endowments or deliberate national policies. It is concept that helps answers the question all nations can gain and sustain national economic superiority. Competitive Advantage of a country’s firm is distinctive assets or competencies of a company derived from its size, assets, innovation strengths which are difficult for its competitors to duplicate or imitate. In other words the concepts tells us how a firm can gain and sustain distinctive competence vis a vis competitors. (Theories of International Trade and Investment, 2008) Single Market - European Union The European Union is a group of Western European nations working to unite the economic resources into a single economy. It is a group of 27 member states which have been united to create a political and economic community throughout Europe . The European Union imports and exports more than any one country in the world. The community’s chief trade partner is the United States. The community have special trade agreements with many other countries (European community). The main purpose behind European Union is to provide better economy to the poorer countries in Europe. It also means that trade between these countries is cheaper. Apart from this the European Union aims to promote economic and social progress and a high level of employment opportunities, thus maintaining sustainable development and a better standard of living and Gross Domestic Product of the economy. Through the establishment of economic and monetary union, they create an area without internal frontiers, which includes a single currency and it makes trade much easier. One of the reasons behind the formation of European Union was to provide a common defence phenomenon. In this way all the members will be secure in terms of defence. Through the intr oduction of the citizenship of Union, the rights and interests of the nationals are strengthened and protected (Folketinget). Internally the European Union has abolished trade barriers, experiencing a common currency and is constantly striving towards the convergence of improved living standards. In the words of Central Intelligence Agency : â€Å"The European Union faces a lot of difficulty in devising and enforcing common policies because of the differences in the per capita income among member states. Between 2004 and 2007, 12 countries were added to the European Union which are generally less advanced than the remaining 15 countries. Being a large Union, it has a couple of transnational issues.†The European Union itself has no border disputes with the neighbouring countries. But technically Estonia has no land agreements with Russia; on the other hand Slovenia disputes its land and maritime boundaries with Croatia. Similarly Spain has territorial and maritime issues with Morocco and with the UK over Gibraltar (Central Intelligence Agency). A single market is a trading bloc. It comprises of a free trading are and has common policies. There is freedom of movement where assets like land, labour, capital and enterprise are concerned. The main objective is that these factors of production are mobile. All the trade barriers, whether it be in the form of

How will the Joint Venture Kmart Survive in the Mexican Market Essay

How will the Joint Venture Kmart Survive in the Mexican Market - Essay Example The Mexican customer(Harvard Business School, 1999) is mostly from the uneducated sector. Most of the parents force their children to leave school after having five years of education. This is because the parents need a helping hand to augment the small family income. Since the ElPuerto de Liverpool and Kmart International have already agreed by signing the joint venture contract, the issue now is whether the joint venture will survive or not in until the next performance evaluation period. Since The Mexican customer behavior is different from the customer wants and needs of the American people, there is a need study what the company's next moves will be in order to survive. El Puerto de Liverpool has signed a joint venture agreement with Kmart International to put a Kmart retail store in Mexico. Mexicans earn an average of United States $3.94 per day. The Managers in companies in Mexico are asking for a basic income of United States $ 10,000. This is because they come from rich families. Mexicans buy in small quantities daily from the butcher, fish shop, baker and street vendors due to their low income. Most of the working population of Mexico belong to the below fifteen year old age. It is customary for parents to stop sending their children to school. The children are asked to help work and feed the family. The advantage here for Kmart is that young people always prefer changes in procedures of doing things. They prefer to while the time from 2:30 to 4:30 having siesta or snacks. They prefer fresh food and dislike frozen food. In the Canadian & US retail environment, people prefer to buy in big quantities in department stores and retail stores, often, once a week because food in the these countries are low priced. The Mexicans, Canadian & Americans prefer to buy food and other products from the United States. "If it is from the US, It must be better". Mexicans usually spend 38.75% of their total income purchasing Food. The rest of the money is spent on Drinks and tobacco. K mart went bankrupt in Canada when NAFTA was implemented here. But at the same time, Walmart Canada was the number one in terms of sales in Canada. In fact, Kmart was not considered a threat to the market share of the other two retail stores in Canada. We can evaluate the success of the joint venture by the sales and net income that it will generate. If the joint venture results in big sales, then the joint venture is a success. Another criteria for evaluating a joint venture is whether it has been giving taking care of the environment by not polluting the environment or taking care of its waste disposal system. Still another major criteria is whether it has adhered to Mexico's government rules and regulations. The last criteria is whether it has hired Mexican employees and thereby helping the unemployment situation of Mexico. By hiring Mexican employees, it has helped Mexico economically and socially. By following the rules and regulations of Mexico it has accomplished the political requirements of the company.As to whether to put in place one, two or more stores immediately or one stores every month, the recommendation is to start first with a test project. The test project is