Samsung electronics industry corporation - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 19 Words: 5591 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? INTRODUCTION Samsung electronics Industry Corporation was created in 1969 as a division of Samsung group, and the name of corporation was changed to the current name which Samsung electronics in 1984. Mainly it manufacture and exported electronics products, which include color TV, electronic calculator, electronic watch, electronic cash registers, as well as electronic home appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, an also telecommunication devices. Especially, it recorded the outstanding number of manufacturing black and white TVs which was going up above 10 million and took top of the world in terms of export of black and white TVs. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Samsung electronics industry corporation" essay for you Create order It succeeded to develop super mini VTR (8mm) in 1983, started to export VTR in 1985, and merged Samsung semiconductors and telecommunication cooperation in 1988. Since then Samsung electronics has dramatically grown as one of the worlds leading electronic giant with branches all over the world. Now millions of Samsung electronic products are being manufactured and sold every day and its product is seen in almost every house around the world. Samsung electronics has one of the best inventory management systems, supply and distribution chain in the world and its products are unique and durable with dedicated, efficient work force. Also, its research and development department is second to none in the electronic industry hence we decided to carry out this in-depth analysis to access the various strategies they have being applying since their existence and to advise them on the possible strategic options available to them now and in the future. ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS Industry Analysis Porters Five Forces Analysis (https://www.masslearning.com/) Michael Porter stated that for any business entity there are 5 forces in action, these forces can have a great influence on the current affairs and strategy of the business. These forces consist of the following factors. Buyers power Buyers are the driving force of any industry including the automotive sector. Buyer behaviour is an essential part of marketing strategy and in-depth studies and research have been conducted to try to understand buyer behaviour. Typical question to ask when considering buyer behaviour are, who are our buyers? How do they buy? When do they buy? Where do they buy? Why do they buy? For Samsung electronics the brand strength allows them to make radical changes as they have a large base of loyal customers (due to an long history of building quality electronics), this has been evident with the radical exterior design changes to the Samsung product line up. Thus Samsung can be considered as a trend setter in their respective markets. This is a powerful position as it allows for some control of the direction of the future markets and trends. But strong competition from their rivals ensures that the changes arent too radical as they may lose customers to their opposition. Suppliers power Suppliers are the foundations of any industry they can supply raw materials, labour components and other supplies. Therefore it is important that a business has a good healthy relationship with its suppliers to ensure that it can operate smoothly and efficiently in cohesion with its suppliers. The power of suppliers varies depending on certain factors, for example if the product is standardised then the supplier will be weak, an example of this in the electronics industry would be silicon manufacturers. There are many to choose from and product diversity is relatively low thus suppliers are weak in this market. Suppliers are more powerful when they provide a more specialised product. Samsung has a technologically advanced component with existing patents, so in this case the supplier has more power in the relationship then in the case with silicon. Threat of Substitute products A substitute product is a product in another market which poses a threat because it is potentially a substitute to your product. A substitute (product) can negatively affect the price elasticity of your product since more substitutes become available the demand becomes more elastic as customers have more alternatives a close substitute product constrains the ability of firms in an industry to raise prices. In the electronics industry substitute products will include other similar products from other manufactures. The threat of substitutes in the electronics sector is increasing since the consumer are being motivated by both social responsibility and legislation to find alternative manufacture that meets their criteria to reduce the affect of global warming energy consumption . Legislation in the UK such as high charging for energy bill also promotes substitutes in to electronic industry so it is a growing threat in this sector. Degree of rivalry Perhaps this is one of the most important of Porters 5 forces, since competition is what tends drives innovation changes in the market since firms strive for a competitive advantage. The intensity of rivalry amongst firms varies across markets. In a market that is saturated rivalry can become fierce as firms compete for the same customers, but in a growing market firms dont need to compete as fiercely as there may have their own growing customer base to which they can cater their product. When considering direct rivals to Samsung such as Motorola and Dell they are all long established in the industry so it is likely that they have coexisted by having disciplined competition and also having a code of conduct between themselves. This is evidence of friendly competition within the automotive sector. Barriers to entry This relates to how easy it is to enter the market place, this force has only negative implications on current market competitors since the easier entry into a market is the more competitors there potentially is. But usually there are legal requirements that must be overcome before the market place can be entered for example a product must pass minimum quality and safety standards and licences are usually required for trading. When considering the electronics industrial sector entry into the market is extremely difficult, since a large initial investment is required, and competition is fierce. In the current economic climate entry in this sector will be almost impossible unless an innovative unique selling point is achieved. Currently the easiest entry into the electronics sector is through excellent design reliability, durability and cost effectiveness of electronics being the most obvious. Electronics Industry Life Cycle Stage According the theory of industry life cycle, Samsung Electronics already got the Maturity stage. Because growth is no longer the main focus,market share andcash flow become theprimary goals of the companies left in the space. Samsungs products like TV, audio, video, mobile phones, camera, camcorder, PC, peripherals, Printers, home appliances and memory cards all have good reputation and occupy important place in market. PESTEL Analysis This section serves as a business environmental scan. Here a PESTLE analysis is applied of the external macro environment in which SAMSUNG operates. The pestle analysis is applied to SAMSUNG looking at its market i.e. no specific product. The diagram below highlights the main issues within each factor. All the factors have a high level of influence on our business and our future strategy. Portfolio Analysis SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES Samsung electronics focuses on it customer when making its product. The first electronics company to develop the hybrid had drive in 2005 Samsung electronics seems to target the youth. By manufacturing electronic products that appeal to youths. This captures a wide range of customer base. Samsung electronics manufactures everything by itself. From microchips to laptops and other electronic gadgets, it dominates over its competitors by manufacturing everything. Samsung focuses on creating innovative products and in turn, captures the interest of the high end market. Most of Samsung electronics designs are not user friendly. Samsung electronics diversifies the product it manufactures. This diversification poses a threat as they are other larger companies with products peculiar to the industry. Samsung electronics promotional activities cost it dearly. The lack of innovation and fresh ideas in the electronic market is also a disadvantage as it courses the demand for products to drop. OPPORTUNITIES THREAT Samsung electronics has a technological advantage with the production of semi conductors and microchips. Samsung electronics has some serious competitors. It would take intense effort and serious planning in the near future to maintain its place on the global market. Samsung electronics has very little popularity in the U.S as Motorola dominate and also as Nokia dominates in European market. Current economic climate poses threat to Samsung electronics. Porters Generic Competitive Strategy Analysis Samsungs relative position within the electronics and phone industry determines whether its profitability is above or below the industry average. The fundamental basis of above average profitability in the long run is sustainable competitive advantage. There are two basic types of competitive advantage combined with the scope of activities for which firms seek to achieve them , lead to three generic strategies for achieving the above average performance in an industry Cost leadership Differentiation Focus The focus strategy has two variants, cost focus and differentiation focus COST LEADERSHIP In cost leadership, Samsung set out to become one of the low cost producer in the electronics and mobile phone industry due to its structure way of accessing raw materials and its joint RD which gave samsung a larger internal economies of scale, proprietary technology, which made Samsung a low cost producer which is an advantage DIFFERENTIATION In differentiation strategy Samsung seek to be unique in the electronics and phone industry buy introduce which is highly valued by buyers a type of warranty that no automobile industry have ever given in the world of automobile and its technological innovation in design, comfort ability and stability and low product price. FOCUS The generic strategy of focus rest on the choice of a narrow competitive scope within an industry. samsung focus in every segment and class of people be it low income, middle income, high income it does not tailor its strategy to a specific and it pays them more in market share and profitability STRATEGIES CHOICE GE Matrix Analysis Mobile phone industry attractiveness and business strength assessment of Samsung phones Industry attractiveness Industry attractiveness 1 Significant degree (weight) 2 attractiveness(rating) total score= Market size 0.25 4 1 Market growth rate 0.12 3 0.36 Market profitability 0.2 5 1 Competitive intensity 0.18 4 0.72 Technology development 0.05 3 0.15 Pricing trends 0.15 2 0.3 Demand variability 0.05 3 0.15 total 1 Industry attractiveness 3.68 Business strength assessment Business strength 1 Significant degree (weight) 2 Strength(rating) total score= Market share 0.2 4 0.8 Strength of assets and competencies 0.07 2 0.14 Relative brand/marketing strength 0.13 4 0.52 quality 0.2 3 0.6 Customer loyalty 0.07 4 0.28 Relative profit margins 0.03 3 0.09 Production capacity 0.14 2 0.28 Access to financial and other investment resources 0.06 3 0.18 Management strength 0.1 3 0.3 total 1 Business strength 3.19 Depending on the analysis of the mobile phone market and industry attractive terms, the current score of attractiveness of the mobile phone industry is 3.68 points; the attractiveness of the industry is relatively high. Through the analysis of financial statements of Samsung, Samsungs business strength total score of 3.19 points in the industry belongs to a high level, in the matrix belongs to GE leader-type to business, this score indicates Samsung mobile phones has a good market share in current market. TV industry attractiveness and business strength assessment of Samsung TV Industry attractiveness Industry attractiveness 3 Significant degree (weight) 3 attractiveness(rating) total score= Market size 0.18 3 0.54 Market growth rate 0.12 3 0.36 Market profitability 0.25 2 0.5 Competitive intensity 0.13 4 0.52 Technology development 0.17 3 0.51 Pricing trends 0.05 1 0.05 Demand variability 0.1 2 0.2 total 1 Industry attractiveness 2.68 Business strength assessment Business strength 4 Significant degree (weight) 5 Strength(rating) total score= Market share 0.2 3 0.6 Strength of assets and competencies 0.05 2 0.1 Relative brand/marketing strength 0.13 3 0.39 quality 0.2 3 0.6 Customer loyalty 0.07 2 0.14 Relative profit margins 0.05 3 0.15 Production capacity 0.14 2 0.28 Access to financial and other investment resources 0.06 2 0.12 Management strength 0.10 3 0.3 total 1 Business strength 2.68 From the table, we can see that on the all TV market analysis, financial statements and marketing analysis of Samsung TV and Samsung in the GE matrix effort to business, the TV industry has a strong attractiveness, but Samsung in the TV business strength only belongs to middle level, which need considerable investment of resources, through the efforts of Samsung could be a leader-type business, or it will be difficult to fierce competition in the market to survive. Washing-machine industry attractiveness and business strength assessment of Samsung washing-machine Industry attractiveness Industry attractiveness 4 Significant degree (weight) attractiveness(rating) total score= Market size 0.2 2 0.4 Market growth rate 0.12 3 0.36 Market profitability 0.2 2 0.4 Competitive intensity 0.23 3 0.69 Technology development 0.05 2 0.15 Pricing trends 0.15 1 0.15 Demand variability 0.05 2 0.1 total 1 Industry attractiveness 2.25 Business strength assessment Business strength 6 Significant degree (weight) 7 Strength(rating) total score= Market share 0.15 1 0.15 Strength of assets and competencies 0.05 2 0.1 Relative brand/marketing strength 0.16 1 0.16 quality 0.2 1 0.2 Customer loyalty 0.04 2 0.08 Relative profit margins 0.05 2 0.1 Production capacity 0.19 1 0.19 Access to financial and other investment resources 0.06 2 0.12 Management strength 0.10 3 0.3 total 1 Business strength 1.41 Through the washing-machine industry analysis and a brief Samsung washing-machine business development analysis show that the attractiveness of the washing-machine industry for Samsung is very strong, but Samsung washing-machine for production in terms of business strength is weak and the question mark in the GE matrix operations, the attractiveness of the industry itself is very easy to attract new entrants into the market and existing enterprise competition, but the washing-machine industry because of the competition is fierce, national brands in the market want a share of the domestic and international well-known brands have already endless which want to improve their competitiveness in this industry. Samsung is in a very difficult situation in the washing-machine industry. According to the industry attractiveness and business strength matrix of Samsung mobile phones, TVs, washing-machines, we mapped the GE matrix of Samsung: B: mobile phone, F: TV .H: washing-machine. (https://www.showppt.com/ppt_79.html) The GE matrix is displayed by Samsung, Samsungs mobile phones plays a leader place in the market and it must keep go on. TV business in the maintenance of regional (between effort and regulator), business attraction and business position in the industry do not have the advantage of both the absence of the formation of a unique segment had to compete with many rivals, enterprise by supporting these businesses strive to improve the businesss market share, and strive to develop into a leading-type business. Samsung washing-machine business is a question mark position difficult for enterprises to compete with the market the original members, requiring substantial investment of resources, currently giving up their own production of washing-machine is an inevitable choice. Boston Matrix Analysis Samsung electronics was build up in 1969, it cost 40 years developed from a small company which only 36 people worked in it to a worldwide company. Now there are nearly 20 kinds of products in Samsung which got a good reputation all over the globe. Take Samsung electronics as an example, it got lots of awards in the Industrial Design Excellence Awards in America. It is the company which got the most awards in several consecutive years, which can prove the design ability of Samsung reach the world-class level. It will be analysis with Boston Matrix. The television and mobile phone can be looked as the cash cow product, because the market growth rates are relatively low and the relative market share are so high. (https://www.masslearning.com/) Samsung electronics started the business of liquid crystal display from 1995, when it get to 2005, the total amount of sales volume is more than one hundred million and it is more than 2 hundred million in 2007, 3 hundred million in 2008, in last month, the total sales volume is more than 5 hundred million. The reason of why Samsung electronics can get the outstanding achievement is the extended market of the LED TV panel and the powerful sell of the big size LCD TV. In 2010, Samsung is going to sell 10 million LCD televisions with LED and 22 million all kinds of LCD TVs. In the sales amount aspect, Samsungs market share got to 23.6% all over the globe in the fourth quarter in 2009. The high sells amount and market share of Samsung is because of the high shipments of television market in the world, the integrity layout of the product size and the leader status of the advanced technology. Samsung got the double champion of the shipment and the sales amount on television in continue 13 seasons. So they looked as the cash cow product. The market share and the market growth rate of five TV brand in 2009 order brand 0309 Market share 0409 Market share Rate of rise per quarter Rate of rise per year 1 Samsung 21.9% 23.6% 33% 13% 2 LG 12.9% 13% 24% 20% 3 Sony 9.9% 11.5% 43% -18% 4 Panasonic 9.2% 8.0% 8% -3% 5 Sharp 5.7% 5.4% 15% -23% others 40.4% 38.6% 18% 13% total 100% 100% 100% 5% (https://finance.baidu.com/2010-02-23/122741032.html) Samsung is the second biggest mobile phone producer in the world. In 2009, it paid more attention on the fashion style which attracted a great deal of young person and the shipments got to 235 million, the market share got to 19.5%. Compared with 2008, it has a big improvement, because the shipment and market share is only 199 million and 16.3% respectively. The successful of Samsung electronics is come from the swift and agility, but lack of innovativeness may lead to the loss of probability. Nowadays Samsung pay more attention on the Smartphone, the Bada system is a good example. Bada system is a platform of the new smart phone which developed by Samsung company, the interface of it is more fashion in colour and style. So it can be looked as the cash cow product because the market growth rate is low but the market share is very high, the characteristic of which is the sale volume is high but the rate of liability is low, it can provide fund for the company and the product do not ne ed improve the invests. So it can be the supporter for recover the funds for the company, support the other product. The market is becoming mature, the company do not need to invest huge capital for enlarge the market and as a leader in the mobile phone area, it bring lots of profit for the whole company. (https://article.pchome.net/scripts/art_content.php?article_id=447146) In 1997, Samsung produce a series of double door fridge named ZIPEL, in these 10 years, it was export to more than 130 countries and the market share got to the peak over about 50 countries. After sell the fridge to America for 7 years, the market share of Samsung became the highest one. In 2007, the French fridge started to sell in America, the market share was only 5.6% at that year, but after one year, it rocket to 16%. In 2009, the total sales of bridge take account of 28.6% and the sales volume take account of 27.2% in America, rank the first place. So the fridge should also be looked as the cash cow products, a company should have several kinds of cash cow products, if there is something wrong with the other dogs products, it balance the funds of the whole company. From 2007, Samsung produce a series of camera, such as blue, WB, PL, ES and ST series. Especially Blue series which was made the advertisement by Dongjian Zhang, leave a good impression for Chinese customer, so attract lots of customers attention. But in the whole area, Canon, Sony and Nikon still the first three brands, Samsung cannot catch up with them. Although it developed harder on the camera area, the market share still cannot as high as the other area. So the camera area can looked as the question marks product in the Boston Matrix analysis. Most products of Samsung electronics have a good reputation and sell very well, but there are some exceptions. Take air conditioners as an example, in 2009, all of the Samsung air conditioners withdraw from the shopping centre in Dongguan city in China, but the other products of Samsung were continue to sell. The main reason is the market share is very low, the summer in 2009 is cooler than before and the economic crisis, these all due to the sales volume of air conditioner dropped significantly. So this products can be divided into the dogs products which is low growth rate and low market share. These products need take the give way strategy. First, it should reduce the volume of the products and then pull back gradually. Second, transfer the remained resource to the other products. Last, regulation the products and combine the dogs product to the other business, because it is easy to management. Analysis with The Strategic Position and Action Evaluation (SPACE) Matrix Internal Strategy Position External Strategy Position Axis X Competitive Advantage(CA) Industry Strength(IS) (-6 worst, -1 best) (+1 worst, +6 best) -1 Product quality +6 Barriers to entry -2 Market share +5 Growth potential -1 Brand image +5 Access to financing -3 Product life cycle +6 Consolidation Average -1.75 Average 5.5 Total Axis X score: 3.75 Axis Y Financial Strength(FS) Environmental Stability(ES) (+1 worst, +6 best) (-6 worst, -1 best) +4 Return On Assets -4 Global economic +5 Leverage -3 Technology +3 Liquidity -2 Demand elasticity +3 Cash flow -2 Inflation Average 3.75 Average -2.75 Total Axis Y score: 1 Competitive Advantage (CA) Analysis Product quality: According to the customers comments, the products of Samsung is better than most of its competitors. So I give it -1. Market share: Market share of mobile phone (https://stats.getjar.com/statistics/world/manufacturer) We can see from the tables that Samsung mobile phones market share is 10.16% in January 2010, which is the third place after Nokia and Sony-Ericesson. So I give it -2. Brand image: As we all know, almost everybody knows Samsung. So I give it -1. Product life cycle: Electronics technologies innovation speed is very fast, so the life cycle score is -3. Industry Strength (IS) Analysis Barriers to entry: The electronic market is mainly shared between those big companies like Nokia, Motorola and Samsung, so its very difficult for new entrants. I give it +6. Growth potential: Due to technology is the main factor in electronic industry, the market can grow as the development of new technology. So I give it +5. Access to financing: As a super company, Samsung has good credit which gives banks confidence to give loan to it, the same as the shareholders, etc. So I give it +5. Consolidation: From the Annual Report of Samsung Electronics, they have a large amount of consolidated subsidiaries, and value the performance of the subsidiaries every year in order to decide which ones should be eliminated and which ones can be kept. So I give it +6. Financial Strength (FS) Analysis (From: 2008 Samsung Electronics Annual Report) Return on Assets: Return on capital employed (ROCE)=Operating profit/(Average shareholders funds+ Loans) According to Profitability (Net Income/Sales) and Asset Turnover (Sales/Asset), we can get ROCE = Profitability*Asset Turnover. So from 2004 to 2008, the ROCE rates are 15.60%, 10.08%, 9.90%, 9.04% and 7.32% respectively. We can see a decline in Return on Assets, but it still has good performance. So I give it +4. Leverage (Asset/Equity): The rates are 2.06, 1.84, 1.74, 1.68 and 1.67 respectively from 2004 to 2008, and Earnings per share also reduce from 67,916 in 2004 to 37,684 in 2008. Considering its a great company, this is a good result, so I give it +5. Liquidity: Current ratio = Current assets/ Current liabilities The ratios are 0.722:1.000, 0.709:1.000, 0.767:1.000, 0.826:1.000 and 0.532:1.000 from 2004 to 2008. The company does not have very good liquidity especially in 2008. I give it +3. Cash flow: We can see from Consolidated Cash Flow Statement that the cash flow from operating activities keep almost the same level from 2004 to 2008, but the net income decreases heavily in 2008. So I give it +3. Environmental Stability (ES) Analysis Global economic: The whole world is suffering from a recession from 2008, and has not recovered yet. So I give it -4. Technology: As for the electronic industry, the rates of obsolescences are quicker than any other industry. We can feel that the functions of last years mobile phone will be out of date after one year. So I give it -3. Demand elasticity: Refrigerator, washing-machine and TV should be necessary for a family, but a mobile phone and a laptop may not be so necessary. So we can say the overall demand elasticity is not so big. I give it -2. Inflation: Due to worldwide recession, inflation is not strong nowadays. So I give it -2. Now we can get a SPACE Matrix as below: Picture: SPACE Matrix for Samsung Electronics All in all, we suggest that Samsung can make aggressive strategy according to the situation now. Value Chain Analysis To identify the key activities within the company and its potential sustainable competitive advantages. Value chain analysis is a powerful tool to use. The value chain links the value of the organisations activities with its main functional parts; and then the assessment of the overall added value of the business that is made in the contribution of each functional part. The value chain analysis is conducted by splitting the company into primary and support activities. They are the activities that provide the production, background etc. that are necessary to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the company. (Porter, 1985) Primary activities include the following: Inbound logistics Activities concerned with suppliers, storage and handling the external sourced materials. Operations Activities related to the production of the products. Outbound logistics Activities involved with the distribution of the final product to its end users. Marketing and sales Activities such as advertising, sales promotions etc. to create awareness among the target audience of the company about their products and services. As well as analyses the needs and wants of potential customers. Service For examples pre-installation or after-sales service. Support activities include the following: Procurement The purchase of the materials that is necessary for the companys operation. Highest quality materials at the lowest prices. Human Resource Management This concerned with recruiting, training, motivating and rewarding the workforce. Technology Development Activities concerned with technological innovation, training and knowledge that is essential for the company to survive. Firm Infrastructure Planning and control system, such as finance, accounting and corporate strategy The essence of Value Chain Analysis is to examine how each part might contribute towards the added value in the company and how this may differ from the competition. In order for a competitive strategy to be successful, a company should understand its own capabilities and the needs of the customers. The profitably is depends on what extend on their management of the various activities in the value chain. The value chain should be analysed with the core competence (Macmillan et al, 2003). Samsung combines Supply Chain Management and six sigma to improve its supply chain operation. It is done by training and developing supply chain staff to be more capable of leading SCM innovations. It is a unique and useful component of Samsungs strategy for systematic and continuous improvement. Six sigma usually focus on either redesigning processes and systems (addressed through DMADOV: define, measure, analyse, design, optimise, verify) or improving performance levels of existing system (addresses using DMAIC: define, measure, analyse, improve control). In Samsungs business team, they focus mainly on redesigning processes than on process improvement. Samsung realise that the DMADOV methodology could not provide the necessary support to execute the entire range of Supply Chain Management project. They introduce a step Enable, in place of Design and Optimise, so that it can specify how a suggested improvement would be realised in practice. The DABTL (define, architect, build, test, launch) approach was used, incorporating proven software engineering discipline to six sigma based SCM methodology., so that many SCM innovation project may call for changes that can be enabled within existing system capacities. Samsungs resulting approach is termed DMAEV (define, measure, analyse, enable and verify). Additionally, they incorporated the concept of five design parameters which are process, operation rule and policy, organisation role and responsibly, performance measure and system. Samsung business team realised that the success in SCM innovation is not only depend on the strength of the DMAEV methodology, but also on relevant business and organisational factors. Therefore, they adopted the following design principles that can reinforce SCM six sigma project through all the stages in DMAEV. Global optimum- Samsung align all their improvement ideas in terms of global rather than local goals. That can improve key performance indicators (KPI) of related upstream and downstream processes. Here are the two mechanisms to ensure global optimisation is utilized: A flow-down tree of the critical-to-quality KPIs A bottom-up check to ensure that global KPIs have not been adversely affected. Process KPI mapping- Define objectives and monitor the process towards managing improvement plan goal by processing KPIs follow the SCOR model (Supply Chain Operations Reference) Systematisation- At Samsung, systematisation is a key component of SCM. To effect behavioural and process changes, Samsung uses systems extensively. Five design parameters- DMAEV uses the five design parameters to characterise the changes that need to be managed throughout the DMAEV process stages. SCM and six sigma have been the two important enablers for Samsungs management innovation and growth. Their global optimum is continuing and SCM six sigma has played an enabling role in it. Core Competencies Globalization Samsung recognise that culture differences play a vital role. Samsung researchers, designers and strategists fan out around the global to understand the lifestyles and needs of consumers in different market. Consumer oriented Samsungs Global Strategy Group is at the forefront of global trends. They made awareness on the pulse of market trends and consumer behaviour. They understand the attitudes, needs and preferences of consumers so that of their design would change to accommodate a local preference, or an entirely new product category to fit for local needs. Diverse and multicultural employees who bring a diverse range of views to the company. Consistently been at the cutting edge of consumer electronics, introducing many break though technologies and products, from high-definition LCD TV to multimedia mobile phones. Research Development- innovation in design stages, focused on streamlining and improving their operations to produce the best products in the most efficient way. Attention to details. Competitive Strategies Samsungs vision is to become a leader of the digital convergence revolution. The company has transformed its operations, putting digital technology at the core in order to achieve this goal. The underlying strategy for this vision is the companys mission to be a Digital - Company. Digital is one of the three elements in this vision. Samsung is committed to being a market-driven solution provider and leader in the digital convergence marketplace. Secondly, indicated thatthe companys entire supply chain is conducted electronically through an elaborate Internet-based network, from sales, marketing, and communications to research, manufacturing and distribution. This has increased the productivity and ensured their services and products are customer-oriented. Company reflects on how Samsungs core competencies in semiconductors, mobile communication and consumer electronics technologies enable Samsung to create digital solutions for home, mobile user and office to have a seamless communication, facilitate business transactions, provide access to the internet and offer digital entertainment. Samsung strives to take a leading position in future technology areas. Samsung develops global RD competence through many overseas RD centers established in the USA, Russia, India, Japan and China. In order to be recognised globally, Samsung demonstrated their awareness of the green issue and conformance by launching their sustainability strategy in 1996. They have implemented ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certified integrated environment, safety and health management system at their eight Korean manufacturing facilities. 94% of their global manufacturing network had internationally certified at the end of 2008. Samsungs sustainability strategy is enhanced by establishing the Environment Strategy Team within their Customer Satisfaction Environment Center in 2009. Samsung also adopted eco-design strategy in their operation to maximise resource and energy efficiency and minimise waste. International Expansion Since the late 90s, Samsung has tried to establish itself as a high-end player and ultra-cool brand by focusing on stylish, feature-packed products. The plan worked, but the company seems to have missed the big market shift to less expensive phones in recent years. Samsung was missing-in-action in critical emerging markets such as India for the fast growing market in low-end handsets. In 2009 to 2010, Samsung intend to expand its business in Egypt. In Egypt, Samsung has achieved 32% market share in the LCD market as of April 2009, and 49.3% growth in the hand-held products (HHP) division from Q208 to Q209. The HHP division has seen steady market share growth over time from 12.7% in December 2008, 13.8% in January 2009 and 15% in February 2009. The leadership position across products, technology and markets are reinforced by their consistent share growth in Egypt. For the second half of 2009, Samsung expanded it distribution channel network and shop displays, as well as continue regularly launching new products. In 2010, the aim is to increase the brand awareness and strength as well as local product adoption in Egypt. International market expansion is one of the strategies that allow business to grow. To build long-term business aboard are learning the nature of the people and the market. It is essential to retain people once they have become customers. Customers are not all the same. Business should operate according to the individual market needs. In the UK, Samsung aimed to treble its smartphone shipments by expanding its line-up, as it lags behind from its competitors such as Nokia and Apple. Providing Samsung only has 3 per cent market share, against Nokias 35 percent and the 17 percent held by Apple. Samsung plan to strengthen their smartphone business by improving their handware as well as beefing up content, applications and services. Samsung plans to make its applications available in more than 50 countries this year and make strategic alliances with global content developers. The company would roll out new smartphones this year using various operating systems including Googles Android, but it would also push its own smartphone platform Bada. The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix Key Factors Ratings STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES Strategy 1 Strategy 2 Strategy 3 AS TAS AS TAS AS TAS Internal Factors Product Quality Quality Personnel Research development team Pricing Market share Product diversity Global positioning Speed of innovation Cash flow External Factors Industry growth potential Technology Focus on mass market Competition with Nokia/Sony-Ericssion Economic condition Popularity in US SUM TOTAL ATTRACTIVENESS SCORE

Does Racism Still Exist Today - 921 Words

One-thirty second of â€Å"Negro Blood† means you are black, despite that most whites have one-twentieth Negro ancestry (Phipps). Does racism still exist today? Not in the same way as it did many years ago, in 1865 slavery ended and in 1954 segregation ended. For a very long time being white was the greatest thing. Being white gave access to better opportunities and a better life. Since blacks endured this for so long they were way behind in living a life like the whites. Race has determined so much for so long if you would be a slave or not, if you would have a say or not, even where you were allowed to go and who to love. Back when the European explorers discovered people who did not look like them it started racial conflicts. They questioned if the natives where human and did not treat them as equals. In the nineteenth century Max Webber disregarded the biological explanations for racial conflict and emphasized the social and political factors which engendered such conflicts. Since Webber did this it began changing perspective on race. In the text is states that in the contemporary social science literature race is assumed to be a variable which it shaped by broader societal force. In this time race is not seen as difference in skin color but difference in status. Which made society believe one race is better than the others. Over the years the meaning of race has changed tremendously. For example, the existence of water is not based on collective acceptance, orShow MoreRelatedDoes Racism Still Exist?1549 Words   |  7 PagesDoes racism still exist? This is one of the countless controvers ies between people today in which many people might answer â€Å"no†. Others may agree with Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, a sociology professor at Duke University. Bonilla-Silva argues that racism still exists, but has become more subtle since the end of segregation. Bonilla-Silva refers to this new racism as color-blind racism. 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Water Level Indicator Free Essays

Water LeveL IndIcator WIth aLarm VIJay D. SaThE H ere is a simple, versatile circuit which indicates the level of water in a tank. This circuit produces alarm when water level is below the lowest level L1 and also when water just touches the highest level L12. We will write a custom essay sample on Water Level Indicator or any similar topic only for you Order Now The circuit is designed to display 12 different levels. However, these display levels can be increased or decreased depending upon the level resolution required. This can be done by increasing or decreasing the number of level detector metal strips (L1 through L12) and their associated components. In the circuit, diodes D1, D2 and D13 form half-wave rectifiers. The rectified output is filtered using capacitors C1 through C3 respectively. Initially, when water level is below strip L1, the mains supply frequency oscillations are not transferred to diode D1. Thus its output is low and LED1 does not glow. Also, since base voltage of transister T1 is low, it is in cut-off state and its collector voltage is high, which enables melody generating IC1 (UM66) and alarm is sounded. When water just touches level detector strip L1, the supply frequency oscillations are transferred to diode D1. It rectifies the supply voltage and a positive DC voltage develops across capacitor C1, which lights up LED1. At the same time base voltage for transistor T1 becomes high, which makes it forward biased and its collector voltage falls to near-ground potential. This disables IC1 (UM66) and alarm is inhibited. Depending upon quantity of water present in the tank, corresponding level indicating LEDs glow. It thus displays intermediate water levels in the tank in bar-graph style. When water in the tank just touches the highest level detector strip L12, the DC voltage is developed across capacitor C2. This enables melody generating IC1 (UM66) and alarm is again sounded. ELECTRONICS PROJECTS Vol. 20 How to cite Water Level Indicator, Papers

Coral Divers Resort Case Solution free essay sample

The issue that Coral Divers Resort (CDR) is facing is that it has been unable to distinguish itself from other resorts in the New Providence, Bahamas region and has been experiencing declining revenues and unprofitability for the past three years as a result. Other resorts that have been able to specialize in certain segments of the diving industry have been doing well over the past years as the industry continues to grow. CDR must look for opportunities in the diving industry to find a unique niche and gain a competitive edge that will lead to an increase its revenues. The SWOT analysis (Exhibit 1) looks at the current state of CDR and the environment it is operating in. Conclusion and Recommendation: The most effective way for CDR to distinguish itself from other resorts and gain a competitive edge is to partner with Rascals in Paradise and become a specialized family diving resort. It is recommended that CDR use the all inclusive package approach to selling its vacations and split accommodations evenly between Independent Family Packages and Special Family Packages and provide all meal, bar service, and babysitting services at a breakeven price with meal and bar responsibilities outsourced to the local restaurant and the babysitters hired by CDR from the local community. This option is successful in turning the highest positive net income within the first full year of implementation (See year 2009 in Exhibit 4) and results in the highest growth in revenues and profits in the long term when compared to other alternatives. This is achieved because specializing and being a first-mover into the growing family diving segment of the industry generate the highest competitive advantage. Factor Analysis: The factors from which this decision was made for CDR were cost, profit, ease of implementation, and competitive advantage. Profit and competitive advantage were the factors that were most important when looking to determine the best solution. Since CDR had been losing profitability significantly and the capital reserves of CDR are extremely small, if the profitability of the resort does not turn positive quickly it could mean bankruptcy for the resort. The criteria used to judge this factor is immediate profitability of the solution in the first full year of implementation. Second, competitive advantage was a major deciding factor because it is the underlying problem for CDRs lack of revenue growth. Without a specific competitive advantage and a specified target market, CDR has been consistently losing revenues to other resorts with a more distinguished specialty. Choosing a solution that would strengthen CDRaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s competitive edge would add sustainable growth to revenues in the future. The criteria used to judge this factor is the highest sustained projected revenue growth in the future. Cost and ease of implementation were used as supporting factors. Cost is an important factor because with limited funds and extremely low current profit margins, any added costs would further increase the net loss CDR experiences. The criteria used to judge this factor was the least amount of added costs necessary for implementation. Ease of implementation was another supporting factor that was taken into consideration because of small size of CDRaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s management and the limited time and resources they have to implement a change. Also because a major change is absolutely necessary as soon as possible, the ease of implementation would play a significant role in determining how quickly and effectively the recommendation could be put into place. The criteria used to judge this factor was the least amount of effort required by management to implement the solution. Alternative Solutions: Aside from the recommended solution, the other alternative that was looked at in depth was the option to specialize in adventure diving (specifically shark diving) and increasing the efficiency of CDRaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s operations by cutting down on boat maintenance and labor costs. This would be done by selling one of the boats and laying-off one of the divers (See estimates in Exhibit 3). This alternative provides quick cost cutting to reduce CDRaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s expenses, provides additional revenue through the new adventure diving option, and is very easy to implement into its operations. This solution manages to post a positive profit in the first year of implementation (Displayed in Exhibit 3). However, this alternative does not provide a sustainable revenue stream into the future because the lack of competitive advantage it builds and the intense competition of other shark diving focused resorts in the area (See decreasing profits from years 2010 to 2011 in Exhibit 3). Comparison of Solutions: When it comes to judging the alternatives with the most important factors of profit maximization and competitive advantage, the recommended option to become focused on family diving vacations is much stronger than the option to specialize in shark diving. (Displayed in detail in Exhibit 2). Partnering with Rascals posts the highest first full year profits of $166,000 compared to the adventure focused and cost efficiency alternative that posts a first year profit of $112,000. Further, the partnering with Rascals has projected revenues that are sustained further out in the future because of the competitive advantage gained when moving into the family oriented diving segment rather than the adventure oriented segment. The difference in estimated revenue between the two in 2011 is approximately $620,000 with the family specialization solution having exactly 100% higher revenues. This clearly shows the effects of the increased competitive advantage in the family divers segment in New Providence, Bahamas and the negative effect on sales revenue of the saturated shark diving industry in the longer term (Further detail under competitive advantage in Exhibit 2). The option to focus on adventure diving and cost efficiency is the easiest to implement and does not require very much effort from the management of CDR (See Exhibit 2 under Ease of Implementation for detail). It also controls cost very effectively and only increases net expenses minimally (See total expenses in Exhibit 3 for years 2009 to 2011). When rated on a scale out of one hundred based on the factors selected, the recommended option comes out on top with a mark of 87 while the adventure diving with cost efficiency option scores a 78 (See Exhibit 2 for breakdown of scores). Implementation Plan: In order to implement the recommended option in the easiest way possible, the process should be broken down into a set of six vital tasks performed by Jonathon, his wife Margaret, contractors, and inspectors. The process starts on February 2, 2009 and ends on June 18, 2009, finishing one week before the Rascal program is fully implemented at CDR in the beginning of fiscal year 2009 (See Exhibit 5 for each task in greater detail). 1. The first task is the initial consultation with Rascals and is to be lead by Jonathon Greywell. The initial consultation and approval should be completed in about a month and is free of charge. 2. The second task is the $70,000 Bank loan for the project and begins in March 2009. The majority of the accounting for this task is done by Margaret and then the pitch is developed and presented to the bankers by Jonathon. This task should take about a month and should be minimal in costs. 3. The third task is the partnering process with the local restaurant and begins in April 2009. This is done by Jonathon and should take just under a month. The cost of this task would be approximately $1000 for lawyer fees to draw up a contract. This task should take just under a month. 4. The fourth task is renovating the two cottages. This permits, renovation plans, and quotes are found by Jonathon, while the ordering of materials and renovations are done by contractors. The cottages are inspected before renovations (to obtain permits) and after renovations by inspectors. The cost of this task is approximately $60,000. This task should take a bit less than two and a half months. 5. The fifth task is to install the playground. This task is handled by the contractors immediately after completing the renovations. This task should cost about $10,000 and be completed within a week. 6. The final task is to hire and train babysitters and it is handled by Margaret. Ads are put up in May 2009 and interviews are conducted. Official training takes place the third last week in June 2009. This task should have minimal costs. Why Rascals is the best alternative: No risk of ruining safety reputation This option consisted of adding two separate afternoon shark dives on Wednesday and Saturday to Shark Wall and Shark Buoy for an additional charge to each diver on board. By introducing adventure diving the only additional variable costs that would have to be incurred would be the cost for shark feed during each dive and the extra cost for taking a boat out on each afternoon. In order to take advantage of this adventure diving opportunity, an investment of $15,000 would have to be made in a chain-mail suit to protect the shark feeder. Also because none of the current staff divers would take the job of shark diver, the Canadian diver would be replaced with a professional shark diver. This would also increase the safety of the shark dives, which are inherently dangerous. On the cost cutting side of this solution, an additional diver would be laid-off to save approximately $20,000 per year on labor expenses and leave 3 professional divers on staff with more diving time. The second initiative that would make CDR more efficient would be to sell the aging 35 foot platform boat and sufficiently leave the two 40 foot boats in use. This would reduce the boat maintenance cost by about one third and save about $10,000 for CDR. The cash sale of the boat, which is valued at approximately $22,500, would go toward purchasing the chain-mail suit and as additional profit for 2008. By partnering with Rascals in Paradise, CDR has the advantage of using Rascals highly established network of family diving vacation booking service and average booking occupancy rates at CDR of 90% by 2011. Satisfying the requirements for the Rascal program would require an investment of approximately $70,000 financed through a bank loan and would be very simplistic for CDR because of its great reputation for safety, its child friendly premises recent renovation of two of the six cottages on site. Renovation of the remaining two cottages would be required as well as the installation of a childrenaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s playground. The ability for distinguishing CDR as a leader and first-mover into the family oriented diving business in the New Providence region, and the increased margins they can obtain from each family through the all inclusive family package allow for the right environment for CDRaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s It is recommended that CDR use the all inclusive package approach to selling its vacations and split accommodations evenly between Independent Family Packages and Special Family Packages and provide all meal, bar service, and babysitting services at a breakeven price with meal and bar responsibilities outsourced to the local restaurant and the babysitters hired by CDR from the local community.

Macbeth Character Essays (340 words) - English-language Films

Macbeth Character One of the great shakespearen tragedies, Macbeth is a play based on character and deed. Set in Scotland, the play cleverly develops each of the main characters, molding their essence and traits into a twisted masterpiece. The central character Macbeth is driven by his ambition to become king of Scotland, and in the process commits acts of betrayl and treachery. However, it has been stated many times that behind every man is an even greater woman who drives her man to succeed. Lady Macbeth is the great woman behind the man. As the play progresses one can clearly see where a wife's ambition fuels her husband, and leads him to his downfall. Within the first act, Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth detailing his encounter with the witches and their prophecies. After reading the letter, she immediately began plotting to assassinate Duncan. Our first indication of Lady Macbeth's ambition and dark nature is evident when she says, "...That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements. " (I: v: 39). She continues her speech by asking the spirits to: unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty! Stop up the access and passage to remorse (I: v) to give her the capability to be remorseless. Lady Macbeth's depravity and lack of morality begins to have an effect on Macbeth as he progresses from a ethical man to one willing to commit murder. Macbeth begins to expereince extreme conflict of emotions at this point. His ambitiousness is leading him towards killing Duncan while his remaining shreds of morality will not allow him to commit a crime of such magnitude. He debates the pros and cons of his decision and ultimately his morality wins the battle. "We will proceed no further in this business" (I: vii) he tells his wife. It would have ended here had Lady Macbeth not involved herself further. Knowing that she had the power in their relationship, she questions Macbeth's manhood, and courage: When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you wre you would Be so much more the man...(I:vii)

5 Sentences Requiring Hyphenated Phrasal Adjectives

5 Sentences Requiring Hyphenated Phrasal Adjectives 5 Sentences Requiring Hyphenated Phrasal Adjectives 5 Sentences Requiring Hyphenated Phrasal Adjectives By Mark Nichol When two or more words team up to describe something, they’re usually hyphenated to make their symbiotic relationship clear. Each of the following sentences contains a phrasal adjective that should be linked with one or more hyphens; each example is followed by a brief discussion and a revision. 1. Their affair wasn’t exactly the best kept secret. This sentence refers to a secret that is the best kept, not a kept secret that is better than any other, so link the phrasal adjective together: â€Å"Their affair wasn’t exactly the best-kept secret.† 2. The company conducted an information security risk assessment earlier this year. What type of assessment occurred? A risk assessment about information security, or an assessment about information-security risk? Either analysis is correct, but at least one hyphen is required, no matter which interpretation is favored: â€Å"The company conducted an information-security risk assessment earlier this year† and â€Å"The company conducted an information-security-risk assessment earlier this year.† (Both work, but the former alternative is simpler.) 3. Smith is widely revered for being the most high profile member of the Mormon faith in America. This sentence seems to imply that of all the profile members of the Mormon church, Smith is the one most intoxicated by drugs. A hyphen linking high and profile eliminates any confusion about the meaning of the statement: â€Å"Smith is widely revered for being the most high-profile member of the Mormon faith in America.† 4. The rare book dealer has been in business for as long as I can remember. Does this sentence refer to one of the few book dealers or to a dealer in rare books? The latter reading is more likely, but eliminate doubt by hyphenating rare and book: â€Å"The rare-book dealer has been in business for as long as I can remember.† 5. We analyzed the entire play on a scene by scene basis. The phrasal adjective â€Å"scene by scene† should be hyphenated: â€Å"We analyzed the entire play on a scene-by-scene basis.† (Alternatively, simplify the sentence to â€Å"We analyzed the entire play scene by scene†; try this approach for time frames, too, as by replacing â€Å"on an annual basis† with annually.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?15 Types of DocumentsThe "Pied" in The Pied Piper

News paper report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

News paper report - Essay Example It is imperative that however many the articles or authors are trying to find the extent to which the damage has been by global warming; they are not giving out the immediate solution on the same. Global warming, is s form of climate change, causes the rise of water in the sea level. This is a dangerous process since it puts historical sites and the coastal lines in danger, since they are vulnerable to erosion. The nice historic sites of this country are in danger, address the Monday 17, March 2014 newspaper. They are worried that those beautiful sites that were built on coastlines are now in danger (Sawer 2014). This has been caused by global warming, were the sea tides and water level are ever increasing. Worried that these sites are under threat, the main message passed here is that, a way should be established to control the everyday worsening situation. Listing several sites that are under threat, the paper reveals the sites that immediate action should be taken by the government, so that they should be saved from the danger they are facing. The Monday 17, March 2014 is another paper that reveals how global warming has proved a threat to the Greenland. The paper demonstrates the ice sheet that has been resisting global warming is now loose (AFP 2014). This is an issue of concern as the paper demonstrates that the unstable ice now adds billions of tones of melt irrigate to the sea, hence making it rise. The water level is increasing due to the surge in temperature. According to the paper, Greenland is one of those countries that have contributed largely on the rise of the sea level. This is another issue of concerned, caused by global warming, and so the need to live with it should be embraced, since it is a natural phenomenon that nobody can totally control. It forced the energy secretary on the platform of liberal democrat Mr. Ed Davey to attack the climate skeptics on the issue of global warming. In the issue published on March 17, 2014, he

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Entrepreneurship and Small Business - Essay Example Small businesses are also innovative as they are responsible for many of the new products or services on the market (Fucini and Fucini 1985). These factors have a knock-on effect of increasing employment opportunities, particularly amongst women and minorities who find this as an alternative avenue into business. This can be demonstrated by the high number of Asian, Chinese, Italian and other restaurants across the country. Women are also likely to start their own business as they are sometimes discriminated against when they take maternity leave. As small businesses are mainly innovative or arise from this situation, their organisational culture is of great importance as it influences whether they business can react to its environment; and whether the business can survive int the current environment. Organisational culture is a system of shared values, assumptions, beliefs and norms about the way things are done, and it is often referred to as corporate culture (Bird 1989). Culture is also important to small businesses as it has an impact on organisational effectiveness (Bartol and Martin 1998, Mullins 1999). ... Direction refers to the degree to which a culture supports rather than interferes with, reaching organisational goals (Hisrich and Peters 1995). Small businesses have to maintain a culture that is focussed as they are often striving to achieve growth levels and increase profits. This would not be possible without a direction or focus for the organisation to maintain. Pervasiveness addresses the extent to which a culture is widespread among members, as opposed to being unevenly distributed (Hisrich and Peters 1995). Small business will look at employing individuals who share similar drive and ambition to the entrepreneur. It would defeat the purpose of the small business if individuals who are not passionate about the innovation are employed. Strength refers to the degree to which members accept the values and other aspects of a culture (Hisrich and Peters 1995). The employees also have to believe in the innovation or the small business concept for it to be effective. These three factors embedded in organisational culture demonstrate how important it is for small businesses and entrepreneurs to adopt an enterprise culture, as it will determine how well they can react to factors present in the external environment in which they operate. This paper will briefly demonstrate the characteristics of enterprise culture and how this culture can be affected by the external environment. Enterprise culture Most successful organisations foster an adaptive entrepreneurial culture in which members view growth and change as desirable and believe that they can affect the competitive environment to their advantage, which differs to bureaucratic organisations which are more likely to have members who prefer the status quo and have little faith in their ability to

Target Group Analysis for Marketing Report Essay

Target Group Analysis for Marketing Report - Essay Example It is JetNet Services' goal to enable their clients to a professional positioning in the Internet which is the main access to information and communication of nowadays and the future - together with providing all support necessary in case the client wishes to purchase optimally suited hard- and software. There are four business units, offering their services and products for four different purposes but having the same management and exchanging information within the company. The advantages of this for the client are short communication paths; one contact person who manages all the contacts in the company (i.e. A case manager) and a range of in-house services and products. Research suggests that the four units do not actually have separate targets. There are primarily two broad targets: Internet Unit and IT Support Unit; Graphic Unit and Multi-media Unit targets. These groups have enough overlap that they may be broadly looked at in a similar light. There is also a primary target for all four units as a package. The first section describes the Internet-Business Unit and IT Support Unit. However, there is some overlap of target markets for the other 3 business units (graphic design, multimedia, IT-Consulting). Two main target groups exist for the Internet and It_support Units. (Shurmer 1993, p. 240) Small and middle enterprises without their own marketing departments broadly comprise the first group. The two primary sub groups of this section are differentiated by the demographic information of their business leader. Young entrepreneurs heading start-up companies are the first of these leaders. The young entrepreneur is aged 20-35 years old, and is early on in his career. The second sub-group leader is an older entrepreneur, aged 36-55 years, with an established career, and a firmly entrenched company. (Igel 2001, p.159) Small and middle enterprises with their own in-house marketing and/or technical support departments make up the second broad group. Within this category, there are also two sub groups based on the demographic information of the decision maker. Here, the first target is the marketing manager: he is typically male and manages the entire marketing department. The second is the marketing assistant: most often female and reporting directly to the marketing manager. 2.1 Young startup entrepreneur The young entrepreneur is aged 25-35 and has just founded a company. He needs professional services for designing and implementing his company's website. A website is a must have for him because several start-up consultancies recommended creating a website as the first step in marketing a new business, followed by purchasing professional stationary and business cards for Corporate Design/ Corporate Identity purposes. The young entrepreneur grew up using the Web and he is competent in the technical skills involved in using the Internet for business and personal matters (i.e. knows how to browse the Internet, search Goggle, and send email) and he also is open to the technology and knows the marketing benefits that the Web offers (such as being a cheap marketing platform, up to date information, and reaching a wide audience). (Trondsen 1996, p.571) 2.1.1 Older entrepreneur The older entrepreneur

Benefits Types Of Wheelchair Ramps

Benefits Types Of Wheelchair Ramps Most people who use wheelchairs face the difficulty of climbing stairs since they are seated on the wheel chairs. They also find it difficult to go over a platform due to the upward slope that they will have to drive over. Wheelchair users also experience problems when getting down or stepping inside a car or when they go to a building that does not have a ramp. It is for such difficult situations that Portable wheelchair ramps were devised and are found to be most useful for the people who use wheelchairs. These portable ramps are designed in such a way that the wheelchair can be suitably adjusted by the users to use the steps up and down while being seated on the wheelchair. When you go on to choose a portable ramp for yourself or for someone who necessitates it, you must consider a number of important factors that will help the user to effectively use the portable wheelchair. The weight of the person would be one of the most important factors. The wheelchair must be chosen such that the weight of the person can be withheld by the wheelchair ramp without leading to any deformation. Another important factor is the durability offered by the material used in making the wheelchair. Priority can also be given in choosing a portable wheelchair ramp made of particularly strong materials for a safer use. Of the many materials used for making portable wheelchairs ramps, the ones that are most commonly used are steel, wood and aluminum. Hospital portable wheelchair ramps are to be bought with care keeping in mind the weight capacity that keeps varying depending on the patients and the width requirements in certain cases. The best portable wheelchair ramps are the ones which are designed to have the capacity to help serve all types of wheelchairs, regardless of the size. It must also bear all types of weights of the wheelchair and have a reliable and smooth platform. 2) CLASSIFICATION OF WHEELCHAIR RAMPS Wheelchairs are used by many people with mobility problem and who wish to live an independent life without the necessity of a caretaker to move them every time. Wheelchairs give freedom to these mobility impaired people and help them in moving easily to the places like home or their work place or even a locality where they wish to meet friends. Wheelchair ramp is a platform which helps the movement of wheelchairs with ease in certain incompatible surfaces such as stairs and rough floors. Wheelchair ramps come in many designs and can be used effectively in places such as curbs and steps of a building to make the wheel chaired persons cover heights smoothly. Wheelchair ramps can be classified into four different groups based on the structure and the way the ramps are used. The most important and the only distinguishable feature of ramps is the way the ramps is the way the ramps are installed and used. Horizontally folding ramps are the ones which are foldable in horizontal directions, when required to move the wheelchairs in a rough path. Longitudinal folding ramps are used in covering steps f a building and when different heights are to be covered. There are other types of ramps too such as fixed dimension ramps which cannot be extended and have a fixed size and telescopic ramps. Telescopic ramps come in different shapes and hence are further divided as gutter ramps that are basically U shaped, also called U shaped Gutter ramps and reverse profile ramps that are used in many places. Though wheelchair ramps are primarily used from among the above four types, there have however been a number of other wheelchair ramps in the market now. Track Wheelchair Ramps are used in places where the wheelchairs have wheels that use a particular design. In this case, the Track wheelchair ramp aligns itself to the wheel and extends itself to make a path for the wheelchair. Many other Wheelchair ramps like Modular Ramps, Threshold Wheelchair Ramps, Single-Fold Wheelchair Ramps and many more are also available in the market. ****************************************************************************** 3) MODULAR WHEELCHAIR RAMPS Wheelchair ramps provide a way for people to travel from one place to another with comfort avoiding any kind of hassles or hurdles in their way. Wheelchair ramps are designed in specific ways to suit the specific situations where patients or mobility impaired victims can move easily by wheelchairs or trolleys. An easy mobility of the wheelchairs in buildings is provided by wheelchair ramps and rough uneven surfaces both inside and outside buildings. There have been many variants in the modeling of wheelchair ramps to suit the different scenarios faced by a wheel chaired person. These wheelchair ramps help them in facing the difficult situations such as going through doorways to outdoors and also to reach laces that are in high areas that are difficult to reach by them without any aid. Modular ramp is a variant of wheelchair ramps that is available and widely used due to its mobility features. Modular Ramps are a class of wheelchair ramps that can be installed permanently or can be installed for a period of time and removed later. These ramps are made of leveling systems that help in elevating wheelchairs to higher levels and moving them easily over the stairs. Modular ramps also have landings and supports to create a stable movement atmosphere for the user of the wheelchair. The ramp can also be moved with the help of wheels and flanges. Hand rails are also included in the modular ramp. The ramp can be extended by combining ramps with bolts and clamping the rails together and fitting the ramp to the ground for stable standing of the ramp. These ramps are manufactured with varying dimensions and hence can be ordered to obtain a custom sized ramp suiting your needs for your building or house. The ramp will be shipped with instructions of how to install the ramp incl uded with the package. ****************************************************************************** 4) SINGLE FOLD AND MULTI FOLD WHEELCHAIR RAMPS Portable wheelchair ramps are most used in the world today for providing access to people who use wheelchairs to travel within building and homes. Portable wheelchair ramps are easy to install and can be used dynamically to move wheelchairs to classes, churches and hospitals, or even other locations such as to meet friends and family. Wheel chair users can go in vehicles and get in and move out of vehicles easily with no hassles by using a portable wheelchairs ramp when required. Portable ramps can be installed when required and can be folded and carried easily. Due to the varied advantages of portable ramps, many variations of portable ramps have been designed and are available in the market for users. Single-Fold Wheelchair Ramps are one of the designs of portable ramps that offer highly portable features, making the ramp easy to carry and use in any environment. The ramp can be folded easily at the center, and can be carried to any place without any problems. Single fold wheelchair ramps are very easy to install in locations and can be set up within minutes and can also be uninstalled quickly. Multi-Fold Wheelchair Ramp is an extended version of single fold ramps. These raps can be folded multiple times and can be made into a small pack that makes it easily portable. The ramp can be folded twice in most designs and fits in to a suitcase easily. Multi Fold Wheelchair ramps are easy to install and also offer extendibility. Multi-Fold Wheelchair Ramps help in covering long distances and taller obstacles in an easy way by using added ramps for length. Roll-Up Wheelchair Ramps are an extended variant of multi fold ramps. These ramps are designed to be portable to the best extent. These ramps have a hinge design which allows the complete ramp to be folded to a small pack and enabling the ramp to be stored in a small space. Though many variants of wheelchair ramps are created, it is an observed fact that no single wheelchair can suit all the needs of wheelchair users. ****************************************************************************** 5) WHEELCHAIR RAMPS FOR BUILDINGS Wheelchair ramps are specially designed slopes that are used for providing ease in movement of wheeled chairs and other transporting equipments to a house or hospital. Wheelchair ramps are primarily used in hospitals to help people who use wheelchair to easily move in and out of the hospital. The ramp can also be used for transferring patients in portable bed when a patient cannot walk or sit. Wheelchair ramps have now been used for purposes other than just for wheel chaired patients. They act as a great path for strollers and trolleys to be moved in a mall and in many government agencies. The main purpose of wheelchair ramps however was to make every wheel chaired person to be able to use buildings without any difficulties. The introduction of wheelchair ramps was a great replacement for wheelchair lifts and has been implemented all over the world now. Most building owners prefer to have a fixed permanent wheel chair ramp made up of cement or by using wood as the ramp floor. However, installation of Permanent wheelchair ramps can be done only in places where you have a fixed entrance to the house or building on a wheelchair. In cases where you must cover varying heights of a building, the ramps must be designed and architecture differently depending on the distance the wheelchair must cover vertically. A straight and slightly inclined wheelchair can be the best to cover short distance safely in cases where there are only few steps in the building. But when one must cover more distance through stairs, especially the ones which are steep, creating a wheelchair ramp would be the best option for the building. Wheelchair ramps are also mostly not sighted in first look and hence will not be harm in the looks of your building. On the other hand, you will also be creating an easy and safe way for wheel chaired people to move in and out of the house easily. ****************************************************************************** 6) WHEELCHAIR RAMPS CHOOSING BASED ON NEEDS If you are a person who use wheelchair for moving around, you would know the difficulties better than anyone else in the world. It is sure a trouble to go around in a house which is designed for a normal person and is in most cases not compatible for movement on a wheelchair. People on wheelchairs also face difficulties to get in a car when they wish to move to far places. It is also a hard job to get to different floors of a building when there is no elevator and one has to use stairs to get there. For all these purposes, Wheelchair Ramps were designed. Wheelchair Ramps provide an easy way of navigating throughout the building. It makes a whole lot of difference to wheelchair users and makes their life more comfortable and manageable. Wheelchair Ramps have grown in popularity so much that there are many types of Wheelchair Ramps available in different brands. The ramps are available in varying qualities and prices. The first thing to decide when buying a wheelchair ramp is the size of the ramp required. The area of the ramp required can be judged based on the type of ramp you wish to install too. If you are willing to install a permanent wheelchair ramp, the area of the ramp can be large and as much is suitable to fill the area, by using concrete or wood as ramp base. However, in cases when you need portable ramps, the size of the ramp will be limited since the ramps must fit into a suitcase or the back of your car deck in case you wish to carry. So the best way to choose a wheelchair ramp is to list the places where you wish to use the ramp and then decide whether you require a permanent or semi permanent ramp installed in your house, or rather buy a portable limited area ramp which can be carried anywhere and installed easily. ****************************************************************************** 7) PORTABLE WHEELCHAIR RAMPS AND SAGETY Wheelchair Ramps are widely used now in many places to assist mobility impaired wheelchair users to move freely in public places and in homes. The need for Wheelchair Ramps arises in many situations such as staircases, elevated places and so on which cannot be accessed by wheelchair users. The situations faced by wheelchair users are often challenging and keep changing and hence the need for variety of ramps was noticed. Now, there are many classes of Wheelchair Ramps available in the market which suits the needs of almost all wheelchair users in difficult situations. Suitcase ramps are portable wheelchair ramps which are used when ramps are to be installed dynamically in random places, when needed. These ramps are easily installable and detachable and can be folded and carried to places easily. Almost all portable ramps can fit in suitcases that make them easy to be carried along anywhere. So if you visit a hotel which has only stairs and no lifts, you can have your portable ramp to help you get over the place with no problems at all. Another interesting advantage of portable ramps is that the weight capacity that it can withhold is enough to even carry your luggage over the ramp. A typical portable ramp can carry about 600lbs. of weight. This way, portable ramps can also be used to move heavy luggage up or down the stairs, by just using a wheeled trolley to carry and slide the luggage over the ramp. An alternative to portable ramps would be threshold ramps. These ramps are often to move chairs to places such as down small steps in the house or near doors. Using threshold ramps in such places helps the wheels of the wheelchair stay intact and not get stuck at the edges of the step and make the wheelchair fall. This ramp is also easily portable but can be used only for small distance coverage. However, threshold ramps are mostly used in homes to prevent injuries to wheelchair users. ****************************************************************************** 8) ADA STANDARDS FOR WHEELCHAIR RAMPS Wheelchair Ramps are considered as one of the most important requirement to be included in a house plan. These ramps help mobility disabled people to navigate freely within the house. Wheelchair Ramps are also installed in many offices and social places to enable wheel chair users to have the freedom to visit these places with no difficulties. Since the wheelchairs used by most people come under the same standard design, The American with Disabilities Act, also known as ADA in the US, stated a set of specifications that are to be followed when one constructs a wheelchair ramp. The Wheelchair Ramps constructed by any company or brand must meet the ADA specifications and this has been made mandatory. A low rise long tread type ramp was first proposed by a few construction engineers and consultants and was found to be safe and an easy variation for wheelchair users to use the ramps. The low rise ramp provided an advantageous strong grip to the ground when compared to the slope ramp. However, when a wheelchair is to be driven over this ramp, the wheelchair is required to be tiled a bit backwards, thus lifting the front wheels of the wheelchair. This would negotiate to the rise of the ramp and make the movement of the wheelchair smooth and easy. These Wheelchair Ramps are hence mostly used in hospitals with wheelchairs that require an attendant to push through. The main specifications of the ADA are to make the slope of the ramp have a size of one inch maximum size after every twelve inches of the ramp length. The surface of the ramp must be chosen such that it is hard and stable. The surface must have the capacity to withstand weight and also have a regular smooth face for easy movement of the wheelchair. Soft surfaces such as carpets and wet clay must be avoided for making the surface of the ramp. Also, irregular faces such as cobblestones must not be used in making ramp surfaces according to ADA. ADA strictly recommends that the ramps must be constructed by Pressure treated methods for wheelchair ramp construction. ****************************************************************************** 9) CHOOSING A SAFE PORTABLE WHEELCHAIR RAMP Portable Wheelchair Ramps are widely used by people who use wheelchairs since the ramps can be carried to any place easily. Portable ramps are considered as the best way to provide an easy way for wheelchair users to move up and go down the staircases of a building or get into a car. However, when choosing a portable wheelchair ramp, it is important to note a few issues that must be given importance while choosing portable ramps. Ramps must be selected in a wise manner such that it suits the needs of the wheelchair user and the environment where it will be installed. Hence, the first thing to be noted is to check for any incompatibilities that the ramp may cause when you start using it. The first issue is to check if the ramp has any kind of edged surfaces or corners that may cause damage to the wheels of the wheelchair or the person who assists the wheel chaired person. The quality of the ramp must be checked first along with the way finishing has been done. Many low quality ramps have a poor finishing touch which often leads to injuries to the caregiver and the wheelchair user. When you use portable ramps that are foldable, make sure that you take caution when folding the ramp. If fingers get in the way of the fold, it can cause serious pain due to the hard material the ramp will be made of. The ramps must be designed suitable to have a leveled surface and also have a perfectly smooth level end of the platform so that the wheelchair user can be transferred smoothly to the street from inside the house. Edge protectors are also extremely important in Wheelchair Ramps since it effectively prevents the wheelchair users to fall off the ramp if they go off the side ends of the ramp anytime. The ramp must also have a stiff attachment to the ground so that the ramp does not move when in use. These issues must be addressed properly first before installing and using a ramp in order to have a safe wheelchair ramp in use. ****************************************************************************** 10) TIPS TO BUY WHEELCHAIR RAMPS Wheelchair Ramps offer a great life of freedom to wheelchair users since it provides them with a will to move to different places of the house and to the streets without the need of an aid or a helper. However, choosing a wheelchair ramp is a very serious and important job and proper care must be taken in choosing the characteristics of the ramp r the ramp may lead to danger of the userà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s life. In choosing a wheelchair ramp, there are four major properties of the ramp that must be given importance: the length of the ramp, its maximum weight limit, the width of the ramp and finally the rise or inclination of the ramp relative to the ground. Length of the ramp: Length of the ramp is a very important characteristic of the ramp since the steepness of it increases as the length decreases. When you have a short ramp length, the ramp would be too steep and the speed of the wheelchair may go out of control and cause injuries due to fall. Thus choosing a length to provide the right steepness is extremely important. Ramp Width: The width of the ramp must match the width of the wheels. This is also an important characteristic of ramps and one must make sure the wheels have enough space to make the wheels stay on the ramp always. For specific wheelchairs which have wider dimensions, a wider ramp would be required. Thus, the width of the ramp must be chosen suitably to accommodate the wheelchair. Maximum Weight Limit: The maximum weight limit of the ramp must be sufficiently higher than the summation of the wheelchair and the wheelchair user along with any person who may be on the same ramp helping the wheelchair user. This must be the minimum weight that the ramp must bear and the maximum limit can be anything sufficiently higher than this. Rise: The rise of a ramp is the maximum height the ramp connects from the ground. The steepness can vary for two ramps of same rise and hence one must select a proper rise for a ramp to avoid injuries due to steepness. Selecting a ramp by considering these characteristics will help you to find the safest wheelchair ramp for your needs.

The Dangers of Objectification :: Philosophy essays

The Dangers of Objectification Consider for a moment the course typically taken in a class discussion. A person states that he is an egoist, or a relativist, or an absolutist. These various terms are used to classify an individual according to his moral philosophy. Nietzsche has an important objection to these simplistic definitions. "Shall we still speak this way today? May we do so?" (Nietzsche 463) There are difficulties in this simplistic approach to classifying an individual. The first is that an individual is not so easily crammed into a verbal box. Sartre would say that this is a way of objectifying the person under consideration. To say that I am an egoist, or that another student is an altruist, is to imply that egoism or altruism is the essential nature of the person, and that other considerations fade into the background and become unimportant under this veil of the person's ethical philosophy. It is to equate me with egoism, or to equate the other student with relativism. But I am more than Bob the egoist; I am also Bob the philosopher, I am Bob the student, I am Bob the coffee drinker. The name " Bob" points to a definition that is, of necessity, abbreviated. When a stranger asks me who I am, it is not possible for me to provide a complete description. But when I describe a few opinions, actions, and relationships, I do so hoping that she may view me beyond the narrow limits imposed by what I can tell her quickly. It may be convenient to say, "But for this discussion we consider only your ethical theory." But besides objectifying the individual, this is overly simplistic because it ignores the subtle shades of meaning which exist among these philosophies. I think of myself as an egoist because I believe that the very nature of an individual grants him certain rights and that these rights do not include claims on the rights of another. But to say that I am an egoist is to imply that I agree, completely or mostly, with the ethical theories of Hobbes, Rand, and every other egoist who has ever philosophized--none of which is overwhelmingly true, since I differ with all of the egoists I am acquainted with. For example, the popular conception of egoism implies that I think it is morally acceptable to perform any action to achieve my ends, regardless of the effect on others.