Automobile Safety Essay

Intro Automobiles! You just have to have one in this fast paced world! In the United States, or maybe just in a popular city such as Los Angeles or New York, automobiles are necessary. People need to move from point A to point B. These points can be as close as a few hundred feet or even range up to a few hundred miles! When making these trips safety is a priority. There are hundreds of thousands of automobiles on the roads across the nation and if safety was not considered, thousand would be injured or even killed daily! Automobile safety has come a long way over the years and as every day goes by more and more new ways are created to keep drivers, and their passengers, safe on the road. Thesis Since the automobile was first created, more and more safety precautions have been taken to make an automobile ride as safe as possible. I will provide information on how to keep you and your car up to date with some precautions to ensure safety on the road. Preview. We will begin with examples and tips on how to choose the safest automobile on the road, then we will look at precautions automobile companies are taking to keep you safe, and finally we will see some issues that are still to be taken care of as the automobile industry soars. Point 1 There are many different automobile companies providing buyers with many styles of cars, trucks, SUVs, and motorcycles. Toronto Star January 14, 2005 present ways to approach the automotive buying process. There are many different surveys, crash reports, and rating systems comparing different companies and their vehicles. Things you should look for when reading these published articles are who conducted the study? Who paid for it? Who gains from it? Who loses? These are all things to keep eye on as some automotive companies will run their own surveys making their products seem overpowering against the competition. Some prove their products are safer then the competition where the competition has been proven time and time again to make that survey seem inaccurate. The consumer is the biggest target for these falsifying surveys. The act of choosing the right size, shape, and color all have their own place in the process, but choosing the make of the automotive is the real hurdle some people get stuck on. Country Living November 2005 presents to the consumer what new options are available on GM automobiles and trucks. They state that, â€Å"Only GM is committed to offering a full range of cars, trucks, and SUVs that offer GM continuous safety protection before, during, and thanks to On-Star technology, after vehicle collisions. † This is a prime example of how vehicle manufacturers sell their product to the consumer before the consumer steps foot into a dealership. The consumer, relying on this ad, will step foot, in this case, in a GM dealership and then decide what vehicle to chose depending on the models they offer. The consumer has now disregarded all other vehicle manufacturers just by relying on an ad. Almost all vehicle manufacturers have their own way of selling to consumers before consumers even see the line of vehicles they offer. Catchy slogans and ads are things all manufacturers use to gain their consumers attention. Transition from 1 to 2 Now that we saw what vehicle manufacturers are doing to get your attention, lets look at the statistics on which manufacturer actually provides you with the safety that they claim. Point 2 Newswire US February 9, 2006 states valuable information about automotive safety. Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis of active and passive safety systems in the US and consumer’s desirability and willingness to pay for such systems recognized Volvo as the recipient of the 2005 U. S. Consumer Choice of the Year Award for Brand Offering the Best Overall Automotive Safety. This particular survey was conducted using over 1,000 U. S. consumers. What this survey tells the consumer is valuable in making a decision. By stating that Volvo has received this award doesn’t mean other manufacturer’s vehicles are unsafe. This survey only states that you get the safety you pay for with Volvo vehicles and also that Volvo customers are satisfied with their vehicles. One of the things that helped Volvo achieve this award is that they provide standard three-point safety belts, which is one of the industries most cost effective vehicular safety features. Volvo was also one of the first brands to adopt padded dashboards, ergonomic seats, disk brakes, crumple zones, split steering columns, integrated child booster cushions, and side airbags. Recent additions to Volvos signature safety features are whiplash protection seating systems, rollover protection system, roll stability control, and their intelligent vehicle architecture. Volvo has been around for over 75 years and they been amazing their customers with better and stylish vehicles every time they renew or introduce a new model. Transition from 2 to 3 Now that we seen how advertisement and research studies on safety can help the consumer make their decision, let us look at some issues vehicle manufacturers have and what precautions can be taken to avoid danger on the road. Point 3 Tires. No matter what vehicle manufacturer you chose, there is always the fear of getting a flat tire or even having a tire explode while the vehicle is in motion. Tire manufacturers design all kinds of tires such as Run-Flats, which are basically thicker tires with insulation that allow the vehicle to be driven even though the tire is flat. Just like vehicle manufacturers, there are many different tire manufacturers. This is where the safety issue comes in. Tires can reach high temperatures while in motion. As the tire is turning even a small nail can cause it to explode. Keep in mind that the tire has air in it. The faster the tire rotates the more pressure it has being exerted outward from the center of the rim. To think a little hair pin or paperclip can have no affect on a tire as it is still, this is not the case as the tires are under higher pressure and are prone to damage or explode when any sharp or pointy object is present to the tire. Fleet Owner February 1st, 2006 present an article to the consumer about Automatic tire inflation systems. Some newer vehicles, such as the Cadillac Escalade, offer this new mechanism. There is an automatic pressure gauge in each tire. When the tire is deflated past the minimum psi needed for the tire to operate properly, an on-board air compressor is triggered to bring the pressure inside the tire to proper level. This new mechanism can help reduce tire damage due to driving with deflated tires, which also results in the tire exploding, but you must still be cautious yourself as there might be many objects on the road that can still cause damage to any tire. Restated Thesis Now you have better knowledge on Vehicle and road safety. Summary We began looking at what consumers should look for in a vehicle when purchasing it in regards to safety and advertising flaws. Then we moved on to the statistics that proved Volvo to be the safest automobile manufacturer of 2005. And finally we were informed about conditions that automotive manufacturers have no control over by using the tire pressure and road conditions as examples. Conclusion Safety is the number on thing automobile manufacturers have in mind no matter what type of vehicle they design. Different manufacturers have different safety standards, but there is one overall manufacturer that is awarded with the safest line of cars award. In 2005 it was Volvo. The Volvo automotive group has succeeded in meeting their safety goals. But at the same time there are other conditions that still lie between point A and point B. As safe as your car can be, always take caution when driving no matter where u may be. Keep your eyes on the road and be safe everyone. Works Cited – â€Å"Vehicle safety has come a long way over the years,† The Toronto Star, 14 January 2006, Pg G06. – â€Å"Road to progress paved with potholes,† USA Today, 15 November 2005, Pg 3B. – â€Å"Volvo Cars receives Frost & Sullivan’s U. S. Consumer Choice Award; Volvo Brand Named Best Overall Automotive Safety,† PR Newswire US, 9 February 2006. – â€Å"More complex cars and more stricter rules lead to more recalls,† The New York Times, 26 October, 2005, Pg. 32. – â€Å"Road transport: Safety remains a major problem,: European Report, 18 February, 2006, Pg. 323. – â€Å"What’s new in: Tire Inflation,: Fleet Owner, 1 February, 2006 – â€Å"Going the extra mile: your guide to continuous automotive safety,† Country Living, November 2005, Pg. 96A.

Oberoi Group of Hotels

OBEROI GROUP Understanding Strategy and Design of the Organization An â€Å"Organizational Dynamics† Project by – Group 5 (Section G) Parth Krishnan Mannadiar (12HR-018) Priyanshi Kejriwal (12DM-104) Atharv Tilak (12DM-042) Ritu Kapse (12HR-024) Siddharth Venkataraman (12DM-143) Lov Loothra (12FN-068) Puneeth C (12IB-062) Table of Contents Sr. No. | Heading| Page No. | 1. | Introduction| 3| 2. | Growth and Strategy| 3 – 4| 3. | Structure| 4| 4. | Culture| 5| 5. | The People| 5| 6. | Technology| 6| 7. | Size and Organization Life-Cycle| 6 – 7| 8. | Complexity-Stability Model| 7| . | Conclusion| 7-8| 10. | Exhibits| 9-12| 11. | References| 13| Introduction The  Oberoi Group, founded in 1934, employs about 13000 people worldwide and owns and manages about thirty hotels and five luxury cruisers as of 2012. The company was incorporated in the year 1949 by Rai Bahadur M. S. Oberoi to run â€Å"Oberoi Group of hotels†. The group of companies, affiliated through common ownership interest, has to offer first class luxury hotels, airline catering, airport bars and restaurants, corporate air charters, travel consultancy, limousine services and project management.With hotels being spread out in Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai etc. , we can see it covers almost the entire span of the country. It also has properties abroad in places such as Cairo and Aswan in Egypt; Bali and Lombok in Indonesia; Mauritius; Medina in Saudi Arabia and a new property coming up in Dubai in UAE. EIH, the flagship company of The Oberoi Group is generally preferred by business travellers because of its consistent and high quality service across different locations. Exhibit 1 displays some reviews posted by customers who have had the pleasure of staying at an Oberoi hotel.As can be seen from their reviews, the main highlights of their stay were the ambience/facilities and highly motivated and well trained staff who provide exceptionally attentive, personalised a nd warm service. Such a holistic experience can be achieved by an organization through consistent efforts. Thus the purpose of this report is to understand these efforts which Oberoi has synergized and use it to study effective organization strategy and culture. Growth and Strategy â€Å"Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi was born on 15th August, 1898 in erstwhile undivided Punjab, which is now in Pakistan.He was only six months old when his father died. Success and fortune did not, therefore, come easily to him. Initiative, resourcefulness and hard work, combined with the capability to face and overcome the most overwhelming odds can best characterise this phenomenal entrepreneur. † The above words about the founder, speak of the qualities he employed to make the Oberoi group reach the pinnacle it is at. When M S Oberoi first reached Shimla, he took up work as the desk clerk at the Cecil hotel. Today, the hotel is owned by the Oberoi Group and is called The Oberoi Cecil.The then manager of the hotel was happy with the work put in by Mohan Singh and asked him to assist him running another hotel he acquired, Clarkes hotel. With this first-hand experience of operating a hotel, Mohan Singh set out on his entrepreneurial venture. In 1934, he acquired two hotels, The Clarkes Hotel in Shimla and Delhi by mortgaging his wife’s jewellery and all his assets. The Company was incorporated as a public limited company in India on 26 May 1949 and its initial business activity was as the lessee and operator of The Oberoi Palace Hotel in Srinagar, Kashmir.It was in 1965 that they built their first hotel, The Oberoi Intercontinental, now The Oberoi, New Delhi. It offered facilities that no other hotel in the country could match and was India's first luxury hotel. In 1966, The Oberoi School of Hotel Management later renamed the Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development was formed. It provided high Quality professional training in hospitality management. The complete list of events that shaped Oberoi’s growth is given in Exhibit 2. Mr Oberoi was the first Indian to work in association with international chains to woo international travellers to India.This caused a large number of international travellers to offer their patronage. The foreign occupancy rose to a healthy level of 85%. Mr M S Oberoi had great vision and imagination. He converted dilapidated palaces and buildings into magnificent hotels. Some of these are the Windsor in Australia, Mena House Oberoi in Cairo and Oberoi Grand in Kolkata. The Oberoi Cecil in Shimla, built in the early 20th century, reopened in April 1997 after extensive and meticulous renovation. Strategy: Thus the Oberoi Group’s strategy under Mr M S Oberoi’s leadership was quite clear.Since the start, they have focused on expansion of their operations by catering to newer markets. The decision to offer world class hotels to International travellers was the mind of an ambitious businessman looking to expand his offering. Also multi location presence helped reduce concentration risk. It is this for this international image that foreign properties were acquired and assimilated into the luxury and top quality services from Oberoi. The search for newer markets was responsible for introducing its second brand of hotels, ‘Trident’. Trident hotels are five-star hotels that have stablished a reputation for providing the best in excellence bundled with an affordable price tag. Thus catering to the middle income segment and corporate clientele was the strategy. With this new brand, spread across nine locations in India, Oberoi now had a major share of the hotel industry. Exhibit 2 also mentions the strategic partnership with Hilton for the international marketing and handling of reservations of the â€Å"Trident† hotels. The hotels, as part of this partnership, were to be re-branded â€Å"Trident Hilton†. However with Hilton trying to establish its own Garde n Inn hotels in direct competition with Trident caused Oberoi concern.Thus it abandoned the arrangement with Hilton and re-marketed its hotels under the name Trident itself. The Oberoi Group, along with its subsidiaries and other brands, stands as one of the most decorated hotel chains in the world with many of its group hotels bagging various awards and accolades from Travel+Leisure,  Conde Nast Traveler,  Forbes  and  Galileo. While the business strategy and outright aggression in expansion has been a key to this success, it needs to have been supported internally though a resilient culture and committed human capital.Let us now try to uncover some key aspects of The Oberoi Group’s culture and workforce. Structure As facilities grow in size, hotel or lodging managers find the need to group certain jobs in order to ensure effective coordination and operational control. While departments may be grouped as front of the house (having guest contact) and back of the house (employees with no guest contact), Oberoi follows the practice of separating departments by function. Exhibit 4 shows the structure of a typical full service Oberoi hotel.Even though such a structure is normally followed by a hotel with size over 500 rooms, the sheer size of some of the Oberoi properties require such an elaborate structure. The divisional structure followed by Oberoi is in line with its culture and its objectives. The functional division promotes specialization. This specialization in turn increases worker productivity and efficiency. Culture The core values of The Oberoi Group are articulated through their dharma, which was developed by their own employees. Their dharma articulates their commitment to display core values through their action and behaviour.Elements of the dharma include Conduct of the highest ethical standards; a Focus on teamwork and mutual trust; Maintaining excellence in guest service; Protecting the safety, security, health and environment of g uests and each other. The Dharma has more aspects as well which together apply to all aspects of the group’s business (Exhibit 3). The employee is expected to make all decisions and all interactions based on the Company Dharma. By placing robust mechanisms and communicating specific conduct expected from each employee, the company has made it possible to put this Dharma into action.Oberoi does not believe it is in the business of hotels, instead it claims to be in the business of memories. The company empowers its employees to believe – â€Å"I don’t just work here. This is my hotel. † The Power of 1500 – Any employee in the hotel can offer anything at a cost value of INR 1500 without seeking prior approval, any number of times, to any number of guests – no questions asked. The objective is to create guest delight. Guests who have received the power of 1500 have been happy with the service they received.The real power of this program is that because of the freedom employees have, guest get an incentive to spend more, they come back and share their positive experience by word of mouth. This directly affects the company’s bottom line. It’s these small ideological differences which make a difference in sustaining the culture over time and across borders. The People The Oberoi Group takes pride in having the best service professionals in the industry. Throughout the year, the organization stimulates and rewards exceptional performance that best exemplifies outstanding service.Some of these awards are i) Outstanding Performance Award, ii) Employee in Spotlight, iii) Peer Recognition Program, iv) Star of The Month etc. Oberoi has employees who continue to celebrate a long tenure with the organisation, in some cases over 30 years. Many of their employees have completed their certification from the Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development (OCLD) and have built successful careers up to the general manager level and in some cases senior executive positions with the corporate office. In mid-management positions, their average tenure is around six years.As the war for talent continues across many industries, their retention strategy encompasses a variety of different elements. They undertake regular employee opinion surveys to understand employees’ needs. Their surveys reveal that while compensation remains an important component for people, they are increasingly focused on clear career plans, access to â€Å"best in class† learning and building a work-life balance. By catering to these requirements, they have been successful in providing the best experience to their customers through a committed and engaged workforce. TechnologyIn the hospitality sector, ensuring the comfort of your guests is paramount. However, in today’s increasingly demanding consumer marketplace, meeting that need could be a real challenge. This is especially true for Oberoi Hotels, a luxury group of hotels favoured by government officials and business travellers. Not only does the hotel have to cater for well-heeled makers who want to make use of features such as interactive TV, IPTV and wireless networking, it also has to meet the stringent security requirements of business users who want to be sure that whatever data they access during their stay will remain secure.In addition to this, it has to ensure that its fire safety, car parking and networking facilities meet the demanding safety standards required by government officials and high-profile business people. In response the hotel installed a highly available and highly secure network that would enable it to deliver the security and functionality required by its guests. In terms of fulfilling the networking demands of the business itself, the solution provides a solid, reliable platform for running all the hotel’s crucial applications – including reservations, billing, internal accounting, and digital signag e.Size and Organization Life-Cycle Size: For the Financial Year ended on 31st March, 2012, the Company’s Total Revenue was Rs 1147. 33 crores. The company posted a net profit after tax of Rs 122. 42 crores against Rs 64. 54 crores during the previous year, which is a 89. 68% growth or Rs 57. 88 Crores over YTD March 2011. It is one of Asia’s leading hospitality companies. Even though the company has multinational presence, there is a lot of decentralization in decision making at the lowest rung. As mentioned above, policies such as â€Å"power of 1500† enable employees to exercise a fair amount of decision.This is on account of being in a business centred on customer satisfaction. This amount of leeway translates to good customer experience directly increasing repeat business and word of mouth publicity. The formalization is well set. A company operating on the scales of Oberoi needs to have well-structured and standardized operations. Though the overall themes and products may differ the rules and procedures are well defined for each employ to enable him to work in synergy with the Oberoi Dharma. Life Cycle: In the entrepreneurial stage, Mr Oberoi didn’t have to devote a lot of time to develop a product or service.His experience in managing the operations of Clarkes Hotel already gave him enough knowhow on the business of running a hotel. Thus he could provide the strong leadership that was required to propel the company. In the collectivity stage, again it was Mr Oberoi’s well guided leadership which kept the sails flying high. They were focussed on expansion, but took enough time to mobilise resources. There was enough gap between 1934 when he acquired the first hotel and when the company got incorporated in 1949.Again there was almost a 15 year gab before which Oberoi group set up their own hotel. These timelines gave enough time for the newly formed workforce to grow along with the values of the founder and the organizat ion. This also helped in the formalization to the elaboration stage. The rules and procedures which did get established were in line with the culture of the organization. This meant that the different properties established across the country or acquired world over, could inculcate the same culture all over without there being too much red tape.Decisions such as setting up their own printing press to maintain high standards all over in stationery are an example of how strict procedures or standards were maintained while not causing problems within the internal management. The management in different hotels did not need to coordinate now with each other for procuring same quality of stationery. Presently the Oberoi group is in the elaboration stage, with different subsidiaries handling their different businesses. They are structured similarly and with varying controlling interests, Oberoi now is in a stable position in its sector.Its plans involve expansion and other ventures and par tners to collaborate with. Complexity-Stability Model The patterns and events occurring in the environment can be described along the two major dimensions. These are the Simple-Complex and Stable-Unstable dimensions. Complexity: The Oberoi Group, dealing majorly in hospitality, is subjected to Complex environmental factors since the hospitality industry has many players and has to cope with numerous dynamic governmental regulations, competition for quality employees ; new trends etc.Thus it is affected by numerous diverse external elements. Stability: The Stable-Unstable dimension refers to whether elements in the environment are dynamic. A domain is stable if it remains the same over a period of months or years, whereas under unstable conditions, environmental elements shift abruptly. As mentioned above, there areas number of dynamic factors which affect the hospitality industry. With budget hotels also eating into their share by offering value for money and the economy in recessio n, corporates are taking their patronage to relatively greener pastures.Thus the hospitality industry and Oberoi group face complex, unstable environments. The Competition The major domestic competitors of the Oberoi Group of Hotels are Taj Group, ITC, De-Meligan and Leela Group of Hotels. This presents a tough competition to Oberoi as in the luxury segment, supply exceeds demand in several cities, as per an analysis in EIH Ltd’s annual report. India has often been cited as one of the most lucrative albeit difficult markets to develop properties in with a long development cycle of three-five years, adding to the cost.Apart from the domestic competitors, the Oberoi group faces immediate concerns with major international brands, which are expanding their presence in India. Some of these brands are The IHG group, Wyndham Hotels, Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide. These international hotel chains are not just targeting the luxury and premium segment, but also the upscal e, mid-scale, budget and upper budget segments. Another advantage to these chains is that International travellers are accustomed with these international chains and so it is very difficult for Indian chains to break the associated loyalty.However, to fight competition, Oberoi and its domestic competitors such as The Taj Group are looking to add newer properties, ranging from the budget category to luxury. Exhibit 4 – lists out the existing hotels of International chains and the upcoming ones with their planned dates and categories. It shows how International Hotel chains are gaining ground in India and are bullish on their India expansion plans, giving tough competition to home-grown biggies. Conclusion We have just gone through the organizational design of The Oberoi Group.We have studied its strategy, its culture and people, the competition and business environment it operates in. So what exactly does the organization do right to cater to all these external factors and sti ll come out as one of the leading hospitality companies in Asia and the world? Strategy is one important factor that affects organization design. Oberoi group’s strategy has always been one of expanding markets through targeting different income segments, acquiring new properties and setting up hotels in different countries.This strategy makes a lot of sense if we consider the constantly changing environment of the hospitality industry as discussed in the Complexity-Stability Model. By changing the target segment along with the market trends, the company has been able to keep up its high standards with the customers. Its present size and elaborative stage in its life-cycle also enable it to follow this expansion strategy. Due to the brand value it garners, additional investments will also continue to reap in business despite the competition. Another point to note from the unstable-complex environment of hospitality industry is the structure of the organization.As we have seen above, the structure is highly differentiated and is highly organic. The differentiation is accompanied with high integration as well. The decentralized decision making at the operation level is required to have a participative workforce working towards customer satisfaction. Seasonality, economic upheavals etc. requires a lot of forecasting and the decentralized atmosphere allows the required high speed response. Lastly, the culture of the organization which is centred on the Oberoi â€Å"Dharma† is also in sync with its structure and design. Formalization is high at Oberoi.The rules and procedures are well defined which implies every employee is well aware of his responsibilities. Thus he can exercise his discretion with complete freedom while making decisions. Also this formalized structure allows standardization across its hotels across the world. Thus we can see that the design of the organization fits its workflow in a complementary manner. This has helped Oberoi keep its head above its competition and sustain itself successfully for over 75 years. The strong leadership has guided it with smart focus on targeting segments that offer new opportunities.Thus we can see that Oberoi is a good example of an organization that has used its structure and strategy to forward its business and remain successful. Exhibit 1 Customer Reviews About â€Å"The Oberoi, New Delhi† About â€Å"Mena House Oberoi Hotel, Giza, Egypt† Exhibit 2 Major events in the history of the Company Year| Major Events| 1949| The Company was promoted and incorporated by Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi and Oberoi Hotels (India) Limited, in May 1949. | 1956| The equity shares of the Company were first listed on the BSE.Took the Maharaja’s palace in Srinagar, Kashmir on lease and converted it into The Oberoi Palace Hotel. | 1957| Started the flight services business. | 1965| Commenced operations at The Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi. | 1968| By a scheme of merger approved by the Calcutta High Court, The Associated Hotels of India Limited and Hotels (1938) Private Limited merged into the Company. By virtue of the merger, the Company acquired The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata, Maidens Hotel, Delhi, Palm Beach, Gopalpur-on-sea (operation suspended), The Oberoi Cecil, Shimla, The Mount Everest, Darjeeling (operation suspended). 1973| Commenced operations at The Oberoi Towers, Mumbai. | 1974| Established a printing press in Delhi primarily for the Company’s in-house needs. | 1979| Bonus issue of 1,337,745 new equity shares of the Company of Rs. 10 each in the ratio of one new equity shares for every five equity shares held by the shareholders. | 1984| Bonus issue of 4,953,131 new equity shares of the Company of Rs. 10 each in the ratio of two new equity shares for every five equity shares held by the shareholders. 1986| Made a foray into the airport services business by entering into a ten year contract with the International Airport’s Authority to op erate all the snack bars and restaurants at the domestic and international terminals in Mumbai. | 1992| Bonus issue of 4,720,704 new equity shares of the Company of Rs. 10 each in the ratio of one new equity shares for every five equity shares held by the shareholders. | 1994| Listing of GDRs on the London Stock Exchange. | 1996| Change of name of the Company from The East India Hotels Limited to EIH Limited. Bonus issue of 17,464,299 new Equity shares of the Company of Rs. 0 each in the ratio of one new equity shares for every two equity shares held by the shareholders. | 1997| Commenced operations at The Oberoi Rajvilas in Jaipur, our first luxury leisure hotel in India. | 2004| The Company entered into a strategic alliance for international marketing with Hilton International. All the â€Å"Trident† Hotels were re-branded as â€Å"Trident Hilton†, and the Oberoi Towers in Mumbai was re-branded as the Hilton Towers. | 2006| Sub-division of the face value of equity sh ares from Rs. 10 to Equity Shares of Rs. 2. Bonus issue of 130,984,657 new equity shares of the Company of Rs. each in the ratio of one new equity share for every two equity shares held by the Equity Shareholders. The Company acquired a 66. 67% equity stake in Mercury Car Rentals Limited, a joint venture with Avis Europe for car rental business. |   | The printing press established by the Company in 1974 was granted permission by the Indian Banks’ Association to print security stationery for banks. | 2008| The alliance with Hilton International ended and â€Å"Trident Hilton† and the Hilton Towers Hotels were renamed â€Å"Trident† Hotels. Establishment of EIH Flight Services Limited, Mauritius as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.Entered into a joint venture agreement with 26% equity interest in L;T Bangalore Airport Hotel Limited for a hotel project near the Bangalore international airport. Terrorist attack at the Trident, Nariman Point and The Oberoi , Mumbai in November, 2008 resulting in interruption in business and closure of both the hotels. The Trident Mumbai re-opened on 21 December, 2008, after the terrorist attack. | 2009| Entered into a joint venture agreement with 16% equity interest in Golden Jubilee Hotels Limited for the proposed Oberoi and Trident Hotels in Hyderabad. 2010| The Oberoi, Mumbai re-opens after full renovation subsequent to the terrorist attacks in 2008. EIH International Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company completed an acquisition of approximately 46% of the equity interest in its international hotels joint venture company EIH Holdings Ltd. Pursuant to this acquisition, EIH Holdings Ltd is now a wholly owned subsidiary of EIH International Ltd. | Source: Information provided at website of EIH Ltd, a subsidiary of Oberoi Group (http://www. eihltd. com/about_eih/milestones. asp) Exhibit 3 – Dharma: Fundamental code of conductExhibit 4 – Department Structure Exhibit 5 – Int ernational Hotel chains in India GAINING GROUND International hotel chains are bullish on their India expansion plans, giving tough competition to home-grown biggies| Group| Existing hotels| Planned hotels** (in Rs)| By when| Category| Planned new brands| IHG*| 12| 150| 2020| Mid-market| Holiday Inn Express| Wyndham Hotels| 14| 60-70| 2017| Mid-market| Howard Johnson| Marriott International| 18| 80-100| 2015| Across segments| Fairfield, Ritz| Hilton Worldwide| 8| 50-60| 2016| Luxury/ premium| Hilton, Double Tree, Hilton Garden Inn, ; mid-market Hampton,Conrad and Waldorf Astoria| Accor| 13| 90-100| 2015| Luxury, mid-scale and budget| Formula 1, Sofitel and Pullman| Choice Hotels International| 27| 100| 2017-19| Mid-market| Sleep Inn, Cambria Suites, Econo Lodge| Best Western International| 34| 66| 2017| 3/ 4 and 5 star| Best Premier| Starwood Hotels| 33| 50-60| 2015| Across segments| St. Regis, W| Carlson| 46| 100| 2015| Mid-market and premium| Regent| Hyatt Hotels Corporation| 8| 5 0| -| Premium| Hyatt Place, Hyatt House| *InterContinental Hotels Group; ** Estimate Source: Industry and ICRA estimates|References Oberoi Hotels ; Resorts. (2012). [online]. Viewed 2012 October 15. Available: http://www. oberoihotels. com/ The Oberoi Group. (2012). Careers at The Oberoi Group. [online]. Viewed 2012 October 19. Available: http://www. oberoigroup. com/careers/index. htm SHRM India. (28/06/2012). The Oberoi Group of Hotels–Translating Dharma into Best Practices in HR. [online]. Viewed October 22. Availaible: http://www. shrmindia. rg/oberoi-group-hotels%E2%80%93translating-dharma-best-practices-hr P Mullick, 2012, ‘Oberoi Group: Social media increasingly important as recruitment tool’, Hindustan Times, October 18 S Baggonkar, 2012, ‘Taj, Oberoi under pressure from foreign hotel chains’, Business Standard, July 17 M Kaushik, 2010, ‘Guest Star: The Oberoi’, Business Today, September 5 Audited Financial Report for EIH Ltd. fo r the year 2011-12 Oberoi Hotels and Resorts. (2012). [online]. Viewed October 22. Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Oberoi_Hotels_%26_Resorts

Linear algebra Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Linear algebra - Research Proposal Example ed perception that linear algebra is just about lines and vectors, of X’s and Y’s or variables and constants (Larson, Kanold & Stiff 277) that are so far away from the layman’s life. In addition, the internet is widely used now by most entrepreneurs who are the focus of this study who would greatly benefit in knowing how their businesses will succeed in a number of months or years. These projections will not only catch a large number of entrepreneurs’ attention but will also let them appreciate the faculty of this study, seeing the beauty of algebra in the solution of such disciplines as economics as well as engineering, physics and geometry (Ellis & Gullick 67). Background: I will conduct my study through online and face to face interviews with at least twenty entrepreneurs. I will avail of copies of their monthly online sales, which if the entrepreneur would not be willing to give could be in terms of the nearest approximate figures. This information will then be used as data for projecting sales in the future using graphs as well as tables and sets of ordered pairs as these are important methods of communication in business, science and social studies (Baley & Holstege 101). Scope: I will have ten face to face interviews and ten online interviews to complete the desired number of samples. I will particularly ask questions about their capital, the date of the start of business, their monthly income and their projection of sales in six months, one year and two years. I will also ask about their basis for these projections to be compared to a more scientific process with the use of linear algebra. Theoretical Framework: I will be doing the study in the context of solutions to equalities, involving two variables (Larson et al. 277) which will be time and sales. Mathematical modeling will also be used in an accurate and simple manner for it to yield meaningful answers and to be usable not only by those who specialize in numbers and graphs but also by

The Brand Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Brand Strategy - Case Study Example As the new Director of Business Development for Aero Motors, I will design a marketing plan that is achievable within the specified period, and that will help us market our products. Our brand strategy ought to be different and unique from the other brands in the market. As much as we want uniqueness, so many people want the same product as we have developed it. The brand strategy ought to be different from others; it should be unique to attract customers. Forming Brand strategy is never the same in all products; it differs with the kind of product that one wants to market. Developing a brand strategy is a top town approach that is determined by a marketing strategy. The marketing team needs to know beforehand the type of strategies they want to use and should avoid imitation. Uniqueness should be the top objective of brand strategy. There are a number of methods of brand strategy that can be used, branding by thinking involves centralized planning and is the best in bigger companies with a range of products. Another method of brand strategy is branding by imagery; it is linked to the use of advertisements that help relate better to the consumer. This is a good form of brand strategy since it involves the customer. Branding by user familiarity targets product quality, usability, and product design. The customer is the most significant in this form of brand strategy. Branding by self-expression involves the customer who combines efforts with the company to help in brand building. The best brand strategy, which can be, used in marketing our product is branding by use of imagery, this is because its sales depend largely on the image. Our brand should predict customers’ needs and appeal to them emotionally and experientially, this way the car will do well in the market. For the development of relationships and expansion in the US market, we will ensure that the product is properly distributed so that it will be accessible in all the motor market in the United States. A strong brand will require more revenue and will sell more.  

War on Drugs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

War on Drugs - Research Paper Example This reduction in drug users was attributable to the fact that these drugs became more difficult to obtain. There are a few entities that advocate the legalization of drugs, with regard to drug users who do not harm others under the influence of intoxicating substances. Thus, the Global Commission on Drug Policy advocated the de – criminalization of drug use. It was their considered opinion that the various nations of the world should enact legislation that would legalize drug use. Such measures were expected to end the stigmatization, marginalization and criminalization of people using drugs, but not causing harm to others. This perspective towards drug use has found favor with several US drug advocacy groups. Moreover, those who oppose the legalization of drugs contend that legalization would increase the availability of drugs, which would considerably escalate crime and violence. On the other hand the proponents of drug legalization argue that the war on drugs has ended in a fiasco. Such legalization would transform what is now a law and order problem into a health problem (Price). As such, it is the considered opinion of the opponents of legalization of drugs that drug legalization would result in an increase in the number of drug users. On the other hand, once drugs are legalized, the government could raise huge amounts as revenue, via the taxation of drugs. Such amounts could be utilized for treating drug addiction. In addition, the vast sums, of the order of $41. 3billion per annum, spent on drug enforcement would be available to the government for other useful expenditure. This would be supplemented by the $46.7 billion that would be realized as taxes on drugs (Price). (Price). Thus, the legalization of drugs seems to be a worthwhile alternative. The US and several other nations have formulated drug policy on the premise that arrests prevent crime. Thus, it is believed in these countries that punishment and the resultant stigmatization would deter criminal behavior. There is some truth behind this belief, for instance, the arrest and imprisonment of infected drug users would reduce the risk of disease to drug users from injection – related infections. In addition, to incarceration of the infected drug users, the fear of arrest would bring down the number of drug users (Friedman, Pouget and Chatterjee 344). This would significantly reduce drug use and the consequent infection. Question Two The US has been beset with the problem of drug addiction from decades. The present administration has failed to comprehend the drug issue in all its ramifications. The assumption that the legalization of drugs would lead to unbridled drug use is indisputabl e. The international drug cartels would find way and means to find a niche in the US market, even if drugs were to be legalized (Smith). Moreover, crime related to drugs would not be eliminated, as the drug addicts would indulge in criminal behavior, due to drug induced defective judgment and instability. In Oakland and New York, a mere tenth of the heroin and cocaine addicts obtain treatment for their condition. Such individuals have to wait for a minimum of 6 months to receive treatment (Smith). In addition, crime related to

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Operations Management - Essay Example An earlier model of workforce management is the Japanese concept of lean operations which has replaced the old method of mass production. Lean philosophy aims for elimination of waste to achieve faster, more dependable, high quality products and services at low costs. The system requires job rotation, job enrichment, team-based problem solving and multi-skilling (Tariq, 2005). 2. Quality of Products and Services – a Critical Issue Whereas in the past, firms employed mass production to achieve economies of scale and generate profit without regard to quality, in the future, quality will be the distinctive character that will differentiate the leader from the rest (Pride and Ferrell, 2009). The customer of the future would be demanding for quality which is one great responsibility the manager of the future has to take upon himself. Such personalized quality can happen only by engaging in mass customization using sophisticated product designs and flexible production processes and support systems (Stevenson in Tariq, 2005). To achieve this at a reasonable margin would require the proper coordination of these company-based systems in place, from the supply chain to product design to the production processes to customer service. ... A restaurant’s capacity is measured by the number of tables it operates. If there are too many tables provided yet are not filled because the demand is less, it results in under-utilisation (Wild, 2003). Unfilled tables mean that some space is unutilized yet being paid for in rent, unrecovered costs of acquisition of service facility, energy wasted, under-utilised service of assigned personnel, and therefore eventual loss of revenues. If insufficient capacity is provided, meaning there are less tables available than the present number of customers, it would result in some customers waiting unreasonably or being turned away and going elsewhere and would mean loss of income opportunities and diminished business image. 4. Operating for Competitive Edge Operations management is an activity that converts resources into outputs, and since outputs relate to customers, its aim is to ultimately satisfy the customer (Wild, 2003). Operations management can therefore be seen as a strategy for achieving the corporate goal of competitive leadership. Since operations management involves the use of resources and converting these into meaningful outputs that should lead to customer satisfaction, it plays a crucial role in every step of the process, from the sourcing of the raw materials, the final configuration and production of the product, the distribution of the finished product and the consequent after-sales service. Each of these steps can contribute in many different ways towards developing a finished product that will truly cater to the demands of the customers: lesser acquisition costs from the supply chain, best final design at least production cost, competitive pricing and efficient methods of delivery and

Health Care Policy in USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Health Care Policy in USA - Essay Example In this context it is necessary to study the health policies incorporated by the developed countries like the United States of America. A study of the general condition of the health policies is USA is undertaken and analyzed to identify some of the limitations of the health care system. The US healthcare: The overall healthcare system in the United States has taken a rapid progress over the century. The formalization of the US healthcare system occurred in 1990s when medical licensure was incorporated by the government. Hospitals started serving the public in the 1920’s. However the accreditation of the hospitals was started much later after privately owned heath insurance evolved in the market. The effective participation of the government in the US heath care policy was evident when the government started sponsoring the Medicare and the Medicaid policy back in the year 1966 (Greenwald 22-25). The participation from the government also came into picture when the government s tarted providing benefits to the diseased children belonging from low income family. US maintains a variety of health policies, however the overall marginal benefit arising from the health care services is often very small. An initial surgery in cancer does not cost much to the patients but the cost of radiation and chemotherapy involves a greater expense which reduces the overall benefit the patients receive from the health care facilities. The additional treatments which patients had to incur are not covered by the heath policies and the overall utility which the patients receive becomes hugely insignificant. The disadvantaged people are also not on the receiving ends of high end facilities The criteria for eligibility under the disadvantaged quota is a matter of concern ,and most of the undocumented immigrantsare barred from the service. However the immigrant’s forms a greater part of the US population and the government should also try their best to deliver for their caus e. The overall heath care costs in the country are borne by the taxpayers, health insurance agencies, and various other government agencies. However over the past decade the general consumers have borne a large part of the tax. In recent times various participants in the US healthcare policies have tried to shift the cost among each other This has lead to the increased resistance from various groups for receiving higher health care without much increase in the overall cost towards the service. The increase of cost in the health care system has endangered the condition of the poor section of economy.The healthcare system and policies in USA is of voluntary in nature and it has two definite purpose of taking the care of the health system in USA, through the preferential pricing and also at the same time it provides a financial protection from unprecedented increase in the overall cost of healthcare. The heath care policy also looks after the benefits of the doctors and the insurance p roviders by providing financial stability in their business. (Greenwald 22-25) Health care policies in US: The US government follows three-tier health system, which are National Health Service (NHS), social health insurance (SHI), and private health insurance. In matters of publichealthcare, the US government has three popular policies which are Medicaid and

Management in a Globailsed world Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Management in a Globailsed world - Assignment Example This paper seeks to address some questions on globalization as listed below: Globalization entails activities that assist countries and societies to broaden and deepen thus increasing their interdependence around the world. Broadening and deepening is the establishment of links and using them to increase the regularity and intensity of the communications, transactions, relationships and general interactions among the involved societies and states (Cohn, 2011). Globalization has led to developments in management and other significant sectors in the corporate world as companies come up with excellent strategies to overcome the competition and as a way of keeping up with the trends. The vast growth in international market relates with developments in areas such as communication and transportation technologies that are the key facilitators of the strategic links between the participating states and MNCs. However, globalization’s impact varies in the different countries and in most cases; it threatens the domestic autonomy causing issues among the local economies. Upon entry into the international market, countries take up new roles and responsibilities, which do not restrict them from making policy choices. The policy choices are the determinants of states and societies’ experiences of globalization i.e. unity and cooperation or fragmentation and conflict. A good example is the case of Multinational Corporations (MNCs), companies that distribute goods and services across borders with an aim of spreading ideas and controlling assets in more than one state. They play a significant role in globalization and most people argue that they make the greater part of it. MNCs mostly practice Foreign Direct Investments (FDI): this way they are able to manage rights and control economic transactions in different states. Today, there is no certain way to predict global markets because of promptly altering

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 39

English - Essay Example This paper therefore analyzes the main factors that are responsible for influencing success in British education system. Moore, Aiken and Chapman (2009) explain and insist that the main factor responsible for academic success in the education system of Britain is the social status and income of the student under consideration. Oneill (2008) explain that the high social status of a student will positively affect the test score that the child attains in class. Students coming from high social class enjoy the best facilities and materials that can help them to attain higher scores while they are in school. Furthermore, the parents or guardians of these children have the capability of taking them to private schools, that have highly qualified and talented teachers who will guide them on their academic performances or study. Furthermore, King (2008) explains that most people who come from high social backgrounds, their guardians or parents have a sound education background. It is based on this education background that these guardians will use to encourage their children or students to work hard in school, giving them all the necessary support needed for purposes of achieving this objective. Furthermore, these students are able to interact with their peers, who come from the same social class, having similar academic objectives, and hence motivating themselves, regarding academic studies and performances. It is important to understand that peer pressure plays a great role in influencing the behavior of a child (Oneill, 2008). Bad peer groups will negatively affect the child, making them loss interest in academics, as well as other social areas that can play a role in their growth. On the other hand, good peer groups play an important role in motivating a child to work hard in whatever he or she endeavors to undertake. King (2008)

Database systems analysis & design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Database systems analysis & design - Assignment Example It keeps a record of the students in the university. Each student record includes personal details, the departments that they are majoring in, any minors they might have chosen, the courses a department offers that they might be enrolled in, the particular section of a course they might be in and the instructor teaching them in that particular section. The system helps issues a grade report for a student indicating the marks obtained in a section and the grade awarded. The University System has two stakeholders; the Administrators and the Students. This section highlights the role of each stakeholder in the system. The proposed data model has to consider these roles in its design. The administrators are users who perform the managerial tasks of the system. They have the privilege of adding, reading, updating and deleting details and records of students, courses, sections, grades and departments. They can perform advanced level statistical queries on the data stored in the system. An administrator could even be the Dean of the university. The Students are the users that only have the privilege to reading their grade report for each course. Students do not have any privilege of adding, updating or deleting any type of information to the database. Top-down modelling approach was used in formulating the data model for the University System database. Therefore, a series of sub-diagrams were designed first to lay the ground for the final Entity Relationship Attribute (ERA) diagram. The entity relationship (ER) model was formulated first once the entities and their relationships were identified. The Entity Attribute (EA) Model was designed next once the attributes for each entity were identified. Thereafter, relationship sets and identifiers were selected from the ER Model forming the final ERA diagram. Robinson notation was used in designing the database model. The first phase was to

Google Case Study Essay Example for Free

Google Case Study Essay Google was founded in 1999 and has been around in your everyday life ever since. Ranging from search engines to books to email, Google is somehow incorporated in your lives everyday. Originally beginning with their focus on search engines and algorithms, Google has since widened their availability of products. In 1999, when Google first came about, the company’s mission was: Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. 15 years later, this is still the mission of the company. According to the article, it will take upwards of 300 years to obtain and organize all of the world’s information. That being said, it is safe to say Google has a long way to go but are they headed in the right direction? Google, just like any other company has goals and objectives. Some of their goals include: Growth Develop and maintain the â€Å"perfect† search engine Provide innovative products early and often To organize information and make the web faster and better for everyone (These will be discussed in strategies and throughout the case analysis) Strategies Google is no different from Burger King or from LA Fitness. All companies share a same goal, regardless of the industry they are in: market share and growth. Google’s main goal is to continuously grow and dominate the market/industry and be a leader for years to come. Upon entering the market in 1999, Yahoo and AOL were some of leaders in the industry. Google immediately changed that by becoming working at becoming a player in the industry. As of 2009, Google had 65.6% share of all US searches and 90% of all international searches. Meanwhile, the closest rival (yahoo) had only  17.5%. Since the very beginning, Google came about to change search engines everywhere. They wanted to offer a faster search engine that provided more relevant results, incorporating history of search, keyword frequency, and important pages. Thus began the creation of paid listings. At the very beginning, paid listings were advertisements all around the page: top, bottom and in the margins. Additionally, cost per click (CPC) came about as well. Advertisers began to pay for clicked links by consumers to compete for position on search results pages. The higher their link was on the results page, the more likely it would be clicked. Google changed this aspect into a cost per impression, meaning if the ad is viewed and nothing clicked, then the client is still charged a fee. Google also developed a CPC rate based on actual clicks to expected clicks forecasted by Google themselves. In 2003, Google began advertising editorial content along with blogs, something that had not been done by any competitor yet. AOL ended up giving Google the rights to advertise on their website costing Google $1 billion and giving AOL $330 million advertising credit. Over the years Google has encountered many rivals and competitors ranging from Yahoo and Bing to Ebay and Amazon. These rivals came about due to the innovative products created at Google. Google purchased companies such as YouTube, DoubleClick and Channel Intelligence while coming up with products such as cloud applications, Google Docs, Gmail, Google Finance and so much more. Google was leaving their main focus of search engines and dabbled into other categories in the industry. To some, this could be seen as dangerous and deadly to the company itself. Not for Google, anything they touched turned into gold. Google Docs immediately challenged Microsoft Office while Gmail challenged any and all free email websites. Google has also come out with tablets and mobile phones of late, allowing them to compete in yet another industry. Some might ask what is so appealing about all of their products? In my personal experience, I would say the ease of use is what appeals to me. Anytime I have used a product of Google, it is so easy to use and has lots of capabilities. Some might see this ease of use as a competitive advantage. When it all comes down to it, developing the â€Å"perfect† search engine is their main focus. Google has a philosophy that says, â€Å"Do one thing really, really well.† That is why the main focus of the company is developing the perfect search engine and organizing the world’s information.  Through paid as well as free listings, Google has developed a faster and more accurate way to sort search results. This will continue to be their focus in the future and Google hopes to master the art of the search engine. Google Culture and Values During its existence, Google has proven to be loyal to a certain set of values, principles and culture. In my opinion, this can be swayed as part of their business strategy as well. As part of there culture, they make these three things consistently known: 1. â€Å"Don’t be evil† – Do not compromise the integrity of search, effective advertising without being flashy, and do not allow ads on webpages that have no relevance. At Google they have a firm set of beliefs and this is an important one. Google makes sure to do things the right way and follow their moral and ethic code. They do not take advantage of publishers, clients or the customers. Google is here to provide a service as well as products and they do so in an honest way. 2. â€Å"Technology Matters† – Technology rules everything. Developing a faster and more accurate search query could only be done so through new and advancing technology. Google developed custom hardware to decrease costs a nd improve speed. 3. â€Å"We make our own rules† – The founders at Google ran the company in a different and unconventional way. They were very secretive to outsiders, only unveiling things that they were required to and nothing more. This leads into their unconventional governance structure as well. Governance at Google was an interesting situation when it came to the IPO. They decided to offer dual class equity, giving 10 votes per share of Class B and Class A receives 1 vote per share. Assuming that majority of people will sell their shares anyways; that left the CEO Schmidt and the founders, Brin and Page, with 80% control of the vote. This allowed them to control the strategy and direction of the company. They made it very well known the direction the company was headed in and that anyone who invests is not only investing in Google, but the idea and direction that Brin, Page and Schmidt want to go in. 4. â€Å"Do one thing really, really well† – This is basically a quote that Google has and will always live by. When Google first came about, the main focus of the company was providing a better search engine than what already existed. Google created algorithms that allowed for  quicker and more relevant search results. Between these algorithms and the deals Google scored with companies, they quickly jumped into majority market share. To this day, Google still acquires companies and has deals with clients to continuously improve search quality on and day-to-day basis. Do not expect this to ever change. There are other points that Google lives by but these four are the most important and outline their every decision, their every move. Situation Analysis SWOT Strengths 1. Brand Recognition – Everyone knows and has heard of Google. People have begun to use the company’s name as not only a proper noun but also a verb, â€Å"Googled it or Googling it†. To be so popular not just in the form of a search engine, but with all the products offered, that is a huge strength. Reputation is everything. 2. Acquisitions – â€Å"If you can’t beat them, join them†. That is a popular quote heard from time to time. Google has dominated the market since entry in 1999 and lots of companies have fallen to this quote. Google acquires competitors (current and possible future) from time to time, such as YouTube, DoubleClick and Channel Intelligence. This increases their reach towards possible new target markets, increasing revenue and profit. Most importantly, it increases market share. As a company absorbs competition, one would assume their market share becomes absorbed as well. 3. Algorithms – Google created an algorithm to link pages together that deserved attention. This allowed for faster and more relevant search results leading to Google becoming a true threat to competitors. Irrelevant results always swamped and spammed customers. Google found a way to trim this down and it also became a competitive advantage. 4. Free Services – Google offered free software to optimize advertising campaigns. Google Analytics allows companies to focus spending on specific keywords that are more popular so they are more likely to lead to sales. Weaknesses 1. Variety of products – I very well could have considered this one of their strengths as well. I firmly believe when Google came about, their main focus was to improve the quality of the search engine. Since then, Google has developed a wide variety of products ranging from books, email and videos all the way to mobile phones, operating software and Google docs. Offering a myriad of products and services can cause a company to lose their main focus. 2. Legal issues – Google seems to not be bothered by their legal issues. From copyright infringement (books) to searches by trademarks, Google has faced legal issues throughout their existence. There was a class action lawsuit in which Google ended up settling for $45 million with book authors/publishers for copyright infringement. In addition to that, placing competitor ads when a company is searched did not sit well with companies such as Geico or American Airlines. It created customer confusion and led to possible loss in sales for the clients of Google. These suits were also confidentially settled. 3. International Reputation- These legal issues were not solely domestic. Litigation for companies overseas ended in a different result, with the courts siding with multiple trademark holders rather than Google. Book scanning was resolved domestically as well but the results were opposite once again overseas. It seems as though Google has a poor reputation as a result of these legal issues overseas. Opportunities 1. Mobile Devices – Google has created an Android phone that is currently competing with top market mobile devices. They also have come up with Google Glass and tablets. There are more opportunities in this industry and large room for improvement on their existing products. Apple may dominate this part of the industry but it is not farfetched to think a company like Google cannot deplete Apple’s market share. 2. Full Service Portal – Yahoo currently offers a full service portal inclusive of sports, finance, email, calendar, tasks, etc. Google already individually offers some of these products. Maybe getting into the idea of a full service portal could be their next step? 3. Improving existing products – After initial releases of products, Google can weigh the popularity and success of each product. They  will know what is failing, what interests society and what they can/should improve on. Innovation is not only creating new products but also improving existing ones. 4. Advancing Technology – Google has acquired many companies throughout their existence, which allowed them to use new and uncharted technology. There is always new technology and Google is a multibillion-dollar company allowing them the possibility of purchasing if not creating this technology themselves. Adapting to new technology allows Google to gain an advantage over others in the industry Threats 1. Replacement Advertising – Google began advertising on search pages. Since the start of web advertising, we have come a long way. Now there are mobile phone apps that include advertising as well as social media sites. This could begin to threaten the market share and revenue of Google 2. Privacy Laws – As we know, Google is no stranger to legal issues. Privacy has begun to threaten Google in many different forms. One common for was through Gmail. Advertisements were chosen based on what the email said but no one was actually looking; there was simply an algorithm in place to extract that information and process it. The search history can be accessed and people think this invades their privacy as well. Your search history is available for up to 18 months. 3. Substitution- With the variety of products offered, each one has one or more competitors. If legal issues continue to rise or prices become too high, it is possible that customers switch from Google to their competitors. The threat of substitution is high in the sense of products other than search. Some would say they do not see a difference between Yahoo, Google and Bing BUT this is not a threat because as of 2009, Google had 65.6% of all US searches. If there is no difference, then where is the threat of this number to decrease? Why would anyone switch from the current search engine that they use? Competitive Advantage and Resources Resources and competitive advantages seem to go hand in hand here at Google. A key resource is the employees. Google has approximately 48,000 employees; this calls for a wide variety of knowledge and talent. Each employee brings  something different to the table. Google stresses individualism and personal projects. If 48,000 people are striving to improve the company and create new possibilities, that would make employees a phenomenal resource. Another resource is their algorithms. As I have stated throughout this discussion, Google created algorithms to create a faster, more dependable and relevant search engine. Developing these algorithms allowed them to sustain a competitive advantage. In fact, some competitors even wanted to purchase the use of these on their engines (Yahoo and AOL)! Instead, Google went ahead and created a search engine becoming a direct competitor. Another resource, which might actually seem odd, is the founders and CEO of the company. They run Google in an unconventional way but it has really paid off. They developed a set of values and pounded this culture into all heads at Google. Technology is another resource used at Google. Technology in general is always changing and people constantly have to adapt. Google is a driver of technology and constantly brings products to the market. Google uses technology to succeed as well as incur a profit. The above resources can also be considered competitive advantages for Google. The algorithm that was created set Google apart from competitors and allowed them to enter the market. They immediately began obtaining market share and competitors could not compete with that type of search engine. Brand recognition is another competitive advantage. If people were to give me the option to use Bing, Yahoo or Google, I would hands down always use Google. Not that I can tell a difference but simply because I am accustomed to it. It is well known and developed in so many facets of the industry. Another competitive advantage that Google has is its free software. The competitors cannot afford to offer free services to clients, which gives Google a leg up on the competition. It allows Google to tap into new markets, further tap into current markets and please current clients. Data scraping abilities (which I have direct contact with) is another competitive advantage. The data scraping capabilitie s at Google are unbelievable. The resources they have here allow them to analyze every bit of data possible. This leads to better and more accurate services for clients, enhanced keywords, and an enhanced overall experience for clients. Porters 5 Forces Threat of new entrants – Some would consider this high but I think it varies depending on which segment you are discussing. In the search engine segment, I would say the threat is low but when you look at the multitude of products offered elsewhere, there is always a high threat. Costs to enter could be high in some segments while low in others. While profits are attractive and could result in new companies entering the market, Google as a dominant firm can turn these potential threats away. Threat of Substitutes – This has the same basis as threat of new entrants. Depending on the product, the threat could be high or low. Cell phones and tablets have a ton of possible substitutes out there and that can cause customers to switch brands. Varying prices of products or differences in quality can cause a high threat of substitution as well. Rivalry- High. There are rivals in every segment of Google’s business. Search engine has Yahoo as its biggest competitor but not limited to just them. There is also Bing, AOL, and other small competitors. The existence of innovation and new products keeps the rivalry intense amongst competitors in the industry. Similar products and similar goals keep the rivalry constant Bargaining power of suppliers – Low. The main suppliers of Google are engineers. Due to the number of engineers, the supplier has low bargaining power. Google has 48,000 employees and if engineers feel they can do better elsewhere, then Google will find replacements. Being such a large and successful company almost has Google on a pedestal. Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to work for them? Bargaining power of consumers – Also varies based on what product is being discussed. When you discuss tangible products such as mobile phones or tablets, power is high. When it comes to search engines, Google Docs, Gmail, etc, power is low. Although there are other substitutes to these items listed above, the interface and software of Google sets it apart from  the rest. The threat of switching is non-existent. Critical Success Factors – these are factors that are necessary for a company to achieve its mission. For Google, the following are CSF: Speed and accuracy- The faster results can be displayed with accuracy then the more likely that people will use Google. This is how Google set themselves apart from the industry. New algorithms allowed for more relevant results at a quicker pace. Quality search results – As I stated above, the algorithm allowed for relevant results. People were being spammed by random links not relevant to what they were looking for. Innovation- Google is constantly bringing products to the market and attracting new target markets. Not only are they bringing new products to light, they are changing and improving existing products Culture – This is a CSF for Google because it sets them apart from competitors. Google stands by their beliefs and their culture 100%. They do not deter from these beliefs regardless of the situation. It allows them to think outside the box and differently than competitors Ease of use – Older generations are not completely acquainted with the use of technology and probably never will be. The ease of use could help close that gap tremendously and allow for Google to tap another market. The multitude of products, software, hardware or tangible products need to be easy to use. Even my generation has trouble with software and hardware, it is like a second language to some! Alternatives and Recommendations A few possible alternatives that Google can do are become a full access portal, increase personal time to 20% (making it a 60-20-20 system) and focus on improving existing products. Becoming a full access portal will allow Google to take some additional market share from Yahoo. Currently Yahoo offers finance, sports, mail, news, etc. all in one place. Google needs to put this into action. The pros of this are that Google already has these things but offers them separately. Google has the Gmail option, finance, news, maps, books and much more. It already has the pieces and just needs to combine them into  one place. This should not be hard with all the talented engineers on staff. Another pro is that the market share is bound to increase. Google already has many loyal customers to different segments of the market. Some might use Yahoo for things not currently offered in the same place. If Google offers sports where it has email and finance (for example), it could take away customers from Yahoo. A con is that this is a big risk. If the interface is not easy to understand or follow, people might abandon these options altogether and go directly to a competitor. Increasing personal time spent on projects to 20%, changing the culture to a 60-20-20. Currently Google encourages personal projects and stresses to work on a 70-20-10 basis. Google says they do not mind spending money now if it can lead to possible wealth over time. For this idea, there are a few cons. Employees could get caught up in their personal ideas and projects leaving the important ones assigned by managers past due. This could also be seen as free time and some might take advantage of it as a break from work in general. Another con is if 48,000 employees are working on their own projects 20% of the time, it might not be time well spent amongst everyone. Even if everyone is working diligently on a project, these projects might not pan out and that is a lot of wasted time. One of the biggest pros is high risk, h igh reward. Google is willing to take a risk after evaluating projects developed by employees. Allowing them to work on personal projects 20% of the time can create more opportunities to â€Å"hit big† for Google. Another pro is the encouragement of creativity. Personal projects call for creativity and this can then transfer over into the 60-20 time spent elsewhere. My last suggestion is to focus on existing products rather than continue to increase the amount of products they have already. Google came about and was focused on search but since then have brought multiple products to the forefront of the market. While they have been mostly successful, existing products can still be tweaked to gain maximum exposure. The main pro of this suggestion is that the kinks and problems existing could be resolved. Google could perfect already popular and existing products with the possibility of taking demand from competitors. Another pro is redirecting their focus back to the original product and the main source of revenue. Search was the first product of Google and even today it makes up the majority of the revenues (including advertising since they are hand in hand). Some cons are that they could be missing out on the next big thing. Putting all focus on existing products might have Google miss out on a hot new product that could really bring a big boom to the company. Another con is there might not be much more additional potential to focusing on existing products. They have acquired companies and competitors throughout their time and this is one way to focus on existing products. Another recommendation is pretty simple and quick to the point. Get rid of products that do not have high value to the company. The scope of the product line is wide and I do not think it is possible that all are value-adding products to Google. While some might be reaching large audiences and bringing high profits to the company, there are always some that are not doing so well. While they still might be making a profit, the workforce could be used elsewhere and that might have a higher value than the non-core product. Resources and time could be used elsewhere to perfect other products or to create new and innovative ones. The con is that while it might not be adding â€Å"value†, the product is still bringing in a profit. Google is very successful and would not have a product existing that currently has costs outweighing benefits. They are too smart for that. Giving up on a product might not be the correct decision just because it is not bringing in expected amounts of money. My recommendation would be to combine the 60-20-20 option with the focus on existing products option. While the 60-20-20 idea can cause a lack of focus, intertwining it with the existing products idea allows that focus to still be there. Employees can incorporate work on existing products in that additional 10% of time as well. Allowing companies to work privately on anything could prove to be a bad idea but pairing it with existing products will benefit the company. Imagine 48,000 employees focusing on existing products. The sky is the limit and Google can really blow competitors out of the water. I decided the full service portal is not a good suggestion. The risk of it not being easy to access and maneuver around does not outweigh the benefits. Customers already use a variety of products regardless if they are all in one location. If putting theses product in one place backfires due to difficulty of use, customers may go to Yahoo and begin using their portal. Google already has a sense of customer loyalty so  why try and change something that is working. Implementation The recommendation at hand here is to increase personal time to 20%, making the culture at Google 60-20-20 while maintaining focus on existing products. To begin this recommendation, Google should select a percentage of employees to test this out. Of 48,000 employees, they cannot have everyone working on personal projects right off the bat. It might lead to laziness and lack of effort across the board. Google should select maybe 5% of the workforce and allow them to allocate additional time towards personal projects. Google can then compare it to prior months focus on core business and see if they still maintained focus. If this was successful, then little by little introduce the workforce to this new concept. Another part of this implementation would be to have different shifts. Everyone cannot work on personal projects at the same time. Setting aside different shifts for the personal time could prove pivotal to the success of this idea. Google likes the idea of these creative concepts and have used them before. Gmail is an example of the â€Å"personal project† and now that has flourished into a leading email in the industry. Google has no problem investing in long shots and extending to 20% would do just that. Another part of the recommendation was to put focus on existing products and tweak or perfect them. To begin implementation, analysts at Google need to perform an industry analysis and provide some data on the competitors that exist with similar products. Google needs to have numbers and data comparisons so that they know how their products are doing in comparison to possible substitutes. After analyzing the industry, Google would send out customer surveys. All customers are in a database and have their emails, addresses, phone numbers, etc. on file. Google will find a way to reach the customer, send them a short survey on what they like, what they don’t like, what needs improvement and other beneficial questions. To figure out what needs improvement, you MUST talk to the users of the product. Upon finding out what is liked, what needs fixing, Google must assign a task force to tackle the job. This can now be intertwined with the 60-20-20 change stated above. While it may be a core business task, the idea of how to fix a problem or tweak a product can  be completed during the 20% personal time. Once the task force has been assigned, the product will be evaluated by everyone on the task force. They will be encouraged to give blunt honest opinions on the product as well. These employees are more knowledgeable than the everyday user so they might have different ideas that could be acknowledged as well. Once the survey period has ended for both customers and employees, brainstorming must begin. Individualism is encouraged but working in teams can help brainstorming run more smoothly. Ideas will be bounced around and once they can settle on what needs to be done, the â€Å"how† part takes place. Strategies on changing, marketing, and promoting the new product need to be derived and approved by managers. Once the strategies are derived, products will begin to go through the makeover process. Throughout this makeover process, Google will begin marketing and promoting the changes that are coming. The public will become aware, arousing curiosity as to what Google did to make this amazing product even better. This will lead to some hype and Google, like usual, will please the customers and the public. Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. They have been doing this since 1999 and have a long way to go. Focusing on existing products by fine-tuning them will help change the world forever. Allowing new and great ideas to develop internally and then possibly taking a risk is what makes Google great. Google is an innovative company, changing many segments of many industries ever since Day 1. Just as the article says, everyone fears Google†¦as they should.

European Union as an international organization Essay Example for Free

European Union as an international organization Essay The European Union cannot be an international organization and it is not a domestic political system. It is a new and unique trend in governance, which transcends the nation – state structure. In the EU the nation – state governments are drifting away from both sub national and supranational systems. This in turn raises questions about the EU’s capacity to govern and its democratic legitimacy. The European Union is composed of democratic nations that aim to achieve peace and prosperity. It is not a nation – state but an international organization with unique features (Europeans united in diversity). However, the events that took place in the period from 1960 to 1970 changed the thinking of federalism by the people. The then French president, Charles de Gaulle was very much interested in nation – state structure in the Europe. However, he rejected the federalist system. Subsequently, the European Council was created in order to take up the matters of the Union with administrative powers. Thus there is no centralized power in the European Union and it was distributed between the primary entities, which do not fall within parliamentary control (Europeans united in diversity). The significant characteristic of the EU is that the decisions taken at the European level are ratified by its Member States in order to establish EU level common institutions, by surrendering their sovereignty on certain specific issues. There is unity in diversity in Europe where there persists a multitude of different traditions and languages. Respecting these shared values, the EU promotes cooperation among the people of Europe and it protects the interests of the individual citizens of Europe. While respecting the sentiments of European citizens, the EU promotes cooperation with external nations without comprising its solidarity and in a spirit of tolerance (Europeans united in diversity). The European Union is a distinct entity. It is not a federation like the United States. Moreover, it is not a simple form of structure as it entails inter – governmental coordination and cooperation. The European Union is composed of a number of Member States. These Member States have combined their individual sovereignty and adopted a system of shared governance, in order to achieve unity and international importance. Nevertheless, as it is noteworthy to mention, these Member States did not relinquish their national sovereignty (McCormick). Further, there is a delegation of powers by the agencies of the European Union, in areas of joint interests, upon which the EU can impose its democratic authority for the benefit of Member States. Thus the European Union is to some extent an intergovernmental organization and to some extent it is a supranational organization. The supranational aspects of the EU include economic policy, social policy, immigration policy and education. The intergovernmental aspects comprises of mutual cooperation between the member states in order to formulate a common foreign policy and security policy (McCormick). The intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations are in general constituted by several states in order to promote voluntary cooperation and coordination amongst them (McCormick). The Member States of such an organization retain their independence and the decisions and agreements taken are not enforceable. The Member States of the European Union do not surrender their sovereignty to it. However, in the supranational organization, Member States are required to surrender their sovereignty in certain key areas to the governing body of the supranational organization (McCormick). Moreover, the Member States are also required to comply with the decisions taken at the supranational level. The Courts would initiate penal actions for violations by the member states. The European Union has both the characteristics of an intergovernmental organization and supranational government. An international organization is an entity which develops voluntary cooperation and coordination among its members (McCormick). Hence the European Union cannot be a truly typical international organization. The normal features and definition of an international organization is narrow in its scope. Therefore, the European Union cannot be compared to an ordinary international organization. The European Union is founded by an international treaty like any other international organization. However, it cannot be construed to be a proper international organization and a very close description is that it is not a state, nor a nation – state; but a characterization of sui generis (Vuorinen). The fundamental characteristic that differentiates the European Union from other international organizations is that it attempts to change the Member States. Integration is the process that brings about the coalescing of state structures. The European Union has several structures combined together some of these structures represent the characteristics of a federal state while other structures resemble an international organization. In the process of evolution, the EU had gone beyond an association of states and became an economic and political union. However, the EU is not a federal state (Vuorinen). The emergence of the European Community was the result of federalist views. Its drafters were of the opinion that federalism would be the solution to the persistent problem of war in Europe. Thus their main objective was to establish a federal state. These efforts resulted in the formulation of the European Coal and Steel Community in the year 1951, which created a common market for the coal and steel industries of that period. The objective of this institution was to combine the important and strategic resources of Europe. Subsequently in 1957 The Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community or EEC and the European Atomic Energy Commission or Euratom (Vuorinen). The federalist creation of the Union was based upon the three important pillars of the EU, namely, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice. These branches of the EU, which do not pertain to any single member state of the Union, aim to promote the common European policy. The federal structure could have operated with a sufficient degree of democracy (Vuorinen). The European Union has been described as an international organization and with the adoption of a constitution it can become a supranational organization in addition to an intergovernmental organization. The Maastricht Treaty of the year 1993 established two types of institutionalized cooperation in the European Community, the Common Foreign and Security Policy or CFSP and cooperation on justice and international issues. Since, the extant system in respect of functioning of the EU involves the surrender of sovereignty by states to the EU in certain areas and the dependence of the member states on intergovernmental cooperation in other areas, it can be describes as a hybrid system (European Union). Issues of international interests of the EU are regulated by the Integration Ministry; some of these issues encompass the cooperation of EU, Nordic legislation and cooperation with the United Nation’s agencies. Extension of such cooperation is frequent to the United Nations Refugee Agency or the UNHCR, the Council of Europe, Intergovernmental Consultations or IGC and the International Organization for Migration or the IOM (The Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs). Furthermore, the Ministry negotiates with many foreign nations on issues relating to repatriation agreements, other forms of practical cooperation as well as mutual exchange of information. The International Division of the Integration Ministry governs international cooperation and participates in meeting and makes the necessary preparations for meetings and discussions that involve other nations. This Division also prepares meetings in Denmark with regard to issues relating to asylum and immigration. It also makes the necessary preparations for EU casework in national procedure (The Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs). The destruction and loss of a large number of human lives in the Second World War resulted in European integration, which was expected to put a stop to such killing and destruction. In the year 1950, Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister proposed the idea of European integration. The present European Union consists of five institutions with specific goals. These are the European Parliament, which is elected by the citizens of the Member States; the Council of the European Union, which represents the governments of the Member States; the European Commission, which is the executive branch of the EU; the European Court of Justice, which ensures compliance with the EU law by the Member States and the Court of Auditors, which controls and ensures efficient and legal management of the EU budget (The European Union). There are other important agencies, which support these five driving forces of the European Union. They are, the European Economic and Social Committee, which reflects the opinions of the civil society on issues pertaining to economic and social interests; the Committee of the Regions, which is responsible for monetary policies and regulates the euro; the European Ombudsman, which deals with the complaints of individuals in case of breach of law or failure of proper administration by any EU institution or agency and the European Investment Bank, which promotes the objectives of the EU by providing financial support to investment projects. In addition, there are several other institutions to facilitate the smooth functioning of the EU (The European Union). The functionality of the EU is based on the Treaties, which were ratified by the Member States. In the beginning there were only six nations in the EU and these were Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In 1973 Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom became members of the European Union and subsequently, in 1981 Greece became a member. In the year 1986 Spain and Portugal and in the year 1995 Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the European Union. In the year 2004 the largest expansion of the European Union took place with ten new countries being permitted to become members of the European Union (The European Union). In the beginning, much attention was bestowed on providing cooperation in the areas of trade and economy. Subsequently, the EU became the guardian of the Member States and commenced to deal with a wide range of issues pertaining to all aspects of society and humans. The EU protects the rights of individuals, ensures freedom, security and justice, employment, regional development and environmental protection. For more than fifty years the EU has been catering to the needs of its member states in respect of stability, peace and prosperity. It strived hard to enhance the standard of living of its citizens. It created a single European market, launched the euro or the single European currency and fortified the European Union’s stance on the international platform (The European Union). The European Union plays an important role in the field of international trade. It provides advantageous norms for trade to a large number of developing countries. The EU withdraws the preferential business terms from a country that violates these norms, while dealing with any member state of the EU. Moreover, the EU is the largest single donor of humanitarian and development aid in the world. The financial aid supplied by the EU and its member states comprises sixty percent of the total aid to the world. The EU also provides assistance for reconstructing nations ravaged by war and its aid projects are significant in promoting peace among warring nations and in settling disputes. The foreign assistance programs of the EU are remarkable in respect of the benefits offered to refugees of war and famine. Economic integration in the EU has become a role model for many upcoming trade blocs, which have consequently, sought the support of the EU in their financial reforms. Thus, the EU is an economic giant and a superpower. As a matter of fact, the EU influences the economic activities and policies of most nations of the world and plays a key role in the global economy and occupies the first rank in this area (The Rationale for Studying the Outcomes of European Foreign Policy Activity). In the international arena the EU had evolved as a superpower from its very inception. It underwent considerable modifications and later on it expanded itself by establishing common institutions and foreign policy requirements. In 1958, the Rome Treaty founded the European Community and established a legal pedestal on which the EU forged ahead to influence international trade activities, foreign aid programs and diplomatic terms with countries that were not its members. In 1970, the European Political Cooperation was established to facilitate governments to initiate dialogue and promote mutual cooperation with respect to foreign policy matters. In 1987, the Single European Act was developed. In 1993, the EU was institutionalized by the Treaty. The EU is supported by three pillars, the first is the European Community, the second is the New Common Foreign and Security Policy and the third pillar is comprised of by the policies with regard to anticrime and police cooperation (The Rationale for Studying the Outcomes of European Foreign Policy Activity). In 1998, the Treaty of Amsterdam had modified the Treaty of European Union. It brought about High Representation for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The European Security and Defense Identity was supplanted by the European Security and Defense Policy in 1999. This change facilitated the EU to establish a rapid deployment force to maintain peace in the region. The Common Foreign and Security Policy is a set of objectives, procedures and devices formulated to encourage sophisticated joint actions and positions in foreign policy. The CFSP also formed the link between joint actions and civilian foreign policy of the EC. These developments transformed the EU into an international organization in the areas of commerce, trade, aid and diplomatic relations. Moreover, the European Foreign Policy addresses civilian actions, policies, relations, commitments and choices of the EU in international politics (The Rationale for Studying the Outcomes of European Foreign Policy Activity). The nature of the EFP controls the competence of the organs of the EU, so as to influence matters pertaining to international politics. As an international actor the EU enjoys a special status in international politics. However, there is still some doubt regarding the nature of the EU because it has no polity and because it is not a state or a territory with fixed borders. There are an array of tests that measure the end results of the foreign policy and decision – making power of the EU. However the scope of the CFSP was not utilized to the fullest extent by the EU. The end results achieved through this instrument clearly establish the prominence and effective role of the EU as an international actor in international politics (The Rationale for Studying the Outcomes of European Foreign Policy Activity).