Uncategorized – Page 131 – Julliethewriter

Abraham Lincoln was born in April 12th, 1809 in Hardin County,

Abraham Lincoln was born in April 12th, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. He grew up to be the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln is remembered as the emancipator of slaves in an era where slavery was the norm. He came from humble beginnings and managed to rise to the highest rankings in the land. His parents were Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He had two siblings, Sarah and Thomas but his brother Thomas died in infancy. Tragedy followed the family as his mother died when Abraham was nine years old from milk sickness. His father remarried to a widow who had three kids of her own and relations between Abraham, and his father became strained as a result (Thomas 53). He, however, had a strong bond with his stepmother.

Abraham spent many years gaining a formal education, mostly encouraged by his stepmother. His efforts culminated in him gaining knowledge in law and getting admitted into the bar of the state of Illinois. After working as a lawyer and making a good living, he tried his hand in politics and served one term in the House of Representatives. He was an influential critic of the Mexican American war, and his views made him unpopular at home. He returned to practicing law and had many lucrative cases.

His views on slavery were born when he was a member of the Illinois state legislature in 1834. He did not oppose slavery for any other reason other than that it was a hindrance to economic development. In 1854, the Kansa-Nebraska Act was passed by Congress to allow individual states the ability to decide whether to allow slavery or not (Foner 5). This act was the birth of the Republican Party by members who violently opposed the law.

Abraham Lincoln believed in the equality of all men. This view was further challenged by the judgment of the Supreme Court in 1857 declaring African Americans as noncitizens of the United States who thus did not have any inherent rights. Lincoln decided to vie for a senatorial seat and won. In his acceptance speech, he declared that the Supreme Court had promoted slavery and division in the nation (Randall 15).

In 1860, Lincoln was elected a president based on his views concerning slavery, protective tariffs and support for the development of infrastructure. It is however for the emancipation of slaves that Lincoln is most remembered. He famously declared that “those who deny others freedom, deserve it not for themselves.” On the first day of January in 1863, Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation that diverted the cause of the Civil War from saving the Union to the more just purpose of abolishing slavery. As a result of the proclamation, all people who were held as slaves in states that were rebellious would be free henceforth.

His most famous speech and perhaps the most critical speech in all the history of this nation was delivered by Lincoln in Gettysburg. In this speech, he emphasized the importance of equality and the abolition of slavery over just the protection of the Union. The words of the constitution had to be carried out by the people of the day to ensure that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” He was a champion for the equality of human rights and ensured that the abhorrent practice of slavery was done away within the United States (Randaal 23). The assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865 was a significant loss to the country as his visionary leadership was just what the world needed.

Works Cited

Foner, Eric. “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery.” The Chautauqua Journal 2.1 (2018): 5.

Randall, Willard Sterne. Leadership Lessons: Abraham Lincoln. New Word City, 2017.

Thomas, Benjamin P. Abraham Lincoln: a biography. SIU Press, 2008.

Market Research on procurement in the goods category (Gas Product)

Practitioner Corporate Award

Assignment Number

Candidate’s Number

Word Count

Executive Summary

Market research in procurement and pricing is an essential area of study to enable businesses set prices for their products based on the existing market factors. This research will cover some areas essential for setting prices of different products in a market with the natural gas as the selected product for this research. The paper will analyze the market by studying the demand-supply factors and heir relationship with the price of the commodity.The other areas of this research are the current pricing mechanism for a product and the factors affecting the pricing methods. The research paper will also give the analysis of prices and the mechanisms of setting them to help people understand the trends in various markets.

Practitioner Corporate Award

Market Research on procurement in the goods category (Gas Product)

Introduction

Gas is a substance that is common in our day to day life especially in our homes, schools, and industries. Gas has many uses, such as cooking, in vehicle tyres, in cleaning, and in air balloons. This paper will analyse the market for the gas production particularly from the petroleum products. The research will deal with gas products and analyze the nature of its market on pricing, demand and supply and the extent of the market. Through this research, several issues, such as pricing and anything that has some effect on the prices of commodities will be of great importance.

Market research on gas products

Natural gas is a very important resource has many uses in both the public and the private sector, especially as a fuel. The market for gas products such as gasoline is very wide, and many industries use the fuel to run their machines and propel engines of some locomotives and aeroplanes. The number of the consumers for the product is very high in comparison to the producers, which makes it enjoy a very big market worldwide. Some of the products are hydrogen, oxygen, and methane produced by fractional distillation in the gas and oil refineries. The producers sell the product to big manufacturing industries, transport industries, and electricity production industries.

There is a lot of competition for the gas products that pushes the prices very high for some consumers. There are very few countries with natural gas deposits such as the Saudi Arabia and some Middle Eastern countries. The competition for the commodity pushes the prices up making it unaffordable for the low-income earners. The many uses of the gas such as cooking and propelling locomotive causes stiff competition in the gas market. The procurement exercise for the gas products is long since it has to come from the gas producing countries there is stiff competition among the gas manufacturing companies for the gas market all over the word. Many companies merge and sell their product under one name because of the high level of competition.

Demand and supply factors on the gas product

The factors influencing demand and supply are

The product’s price (Gas)

The market price of the natural has a big effect on the amount bought and supplied by the market since an increase in price encourages the suppliers to supply more. The potential buyers are few when the market price is very high, where many cannot afford the product. However, many gas sellers will not be willing to sell their products and may decide to hoard them.

The prices of similar products

Research shows that a decrease in the price of the crude oil for production of fuels may lead to the high demand for the natural gas products. The gas and the oil products can replace one another, such that one can by oil and leave the as depending on their prices. If the prices of the other similar products increase more than the gas, many buyers will buy the gas products increasing its demand and supply.

Government Policies

The government of the gas producing countries many limit the amount of gas the companies should supply to the marked reducing its supply.

Changes in the level of incomes

Incomes determine the type f the fuel people use in their houses, which means that if people have high income, they tend to buy more of it increasing the demand for the gas. When the people’s incomes are low, they tend to go for the cheaper fuels reducing the demand for the product.

The consumers’ tastes and preferences

Some consumers may prefer using the other products such as paraffin for fuels to gas, which will lower the demand for the gas. In other cases, people may favour the use of gas, which will increase it demand and consequently the supply.

The number of consumers for the product and the population

A commodity may have a large number of consumers favouring it, which tends to raise its demand. If a large population uses natural gas for cooking, its demand will be very high compared to when a few people in a certain country uses it..

Future expectations

Consumers may expect the prices of the gas products to go up, making them buy more of it at that time. The demand for the gas will decrease if the buyers hope for lower prices in the future and increase if they suspect that the prices might rise. If the sellers expect the prices to drop, they flood the market with the product, and if they predict a rise in the price, they hoard the product until that time.

The current pricing mechanism for the gas product

There are different means of setting prices for the product to come up with the best price for it. Some of them are

Government policy

The policies of some governments limit the amount of goods imported through various means such as quotas and bans. The government may set prices for the natural gas products depending on their policies, or it may impose a tax that will need upward adjustments to the price of the gas in that country. Some ways of controlling prices are taxation, subsidies, and quotas, which can either raise or lower the price of the product.

Bargaining

Some buyers try to negotiate the prices through haggling to see whether the supplier will lower the price. If the two do not strike a viable price for the product, the seller retains his/her item. The method is mostly for durable goods, which cannot go bad quickly in case the seller does not find a potential buyer.

Tendering

Tendering is a process where the buyers quote their prices for the commodity and present them sealed to the procurement committee. Once opened, the supplier who bids the lowest supplies the goods and the buyer who quotes the highest price buys the goods.

Auction

Auction involves buyers quoting different prices in the open until there is one, who quotes the highest price. The method involves suggesting of prices until the seller gets the best price for the commodity, after which he/she seals the deal with the highest bidder. Items sold by this method are houses, parcels of land, and machinery.

Factors that impact on the pricing of the product

A number of issues determine the pricing of commodities, such as the environment, which constitutes the presence of distribution channels, inflation, and the government role. The other factor is the size and the type of the enterprise, such as whether it will supply enough, promotion, and delivering costs. Another factor is the prospect characteristics, which defines the perception of the product, market trends, and awareness.

Conclusion

In conclusion, procurement is a very important area in any business and other organizations. The named product has a big market in the world with the producers of the gas exporting large volumes to the countries without gas deposits. Demand and supply are very important issues as they affect the nature of the market through the different factors that shape them. The current pricing for various product includes bargaining, tendering, auction, and the government policy. The factors that impact on the pricing are the environment, the enterprise size, he market type and the prospect. There is the need for some research on this area o find out the importance of procurement in the business world.

Mini-Project II Economic Analysis Guideline

Mini-Project II: Economic Analysis Guideline

Introduction

Population

Total

(Growth rates; Number of live births; Birthrates etc.)

Distribution of population

(Age; Sex; Geographic areas (urban, suburban, and rural density and concentration); Migration rates and patterns; Ethnic groups etc. )

Economic statistics and activity

Gross national product (GNP or GDP)

(Total; Rate of growth (real GNP or GDP)

Personal income per capita

Average family income

Distribution of wealth

(Income classes; Proportion of the population in each class; Is the distribution distorted?)

Principal industries

(What proportion of the GNP does each industry contribute? Ratio of private to publicly owned industries etc.)

Foreign investment

(Opportunities? Which industries?)

International trade statistics

(Major exports; Major imports etc. )

Labor force

(Size; Unemployment rates ec.)

Inflation rates

Other economic activity

Minerals and resources

Surface transportation

(Modes; Availability; Usage rates; Ports etc. )

Communication systems

(Types; Availability; Usage rates etc. )

Working conditions

(Employer-employee relations; Employee participation; Salaries and benefits etc. )

Socioeconomic activity

Developments in science and technology

(Current technology available (computers, machinery, tools, etc.); Percentage of GNP invested in research and development; Technological skills of the labor force and general population etc.)

Channels of distribution (macro analysis)

Retailers

(Number of retailers; Typical size of retail outlets; Customary markup for various classes of good; Methods of operation (cash/credit); Scale of operation (large/small) etc.)

Wholesale middlemen

(Number and size; Customary markup for various classes of goods; Method of operation (cash/credit) etc.)

Media

Availability of media

Costs

(Television; Radio; Print; Other media (cinema, outdoor, etc.)

Summary

Sources of information

Appendixes (If applicable)

Helpful Country Profiles websites:

BBC News Country Profiles http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/default.stmCIA factbook: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/Global Edge Country Insights: https://globaledge.msu.edu/global-insights/by/country

Writing instructions:

12-font size, times new roman, 1-inch margin on all sides, single-spaced. Suggest to Keep and only keep two levels of subtitle. APA or MLA format. No page limit.

Try to avoid the following Fatal Writing Flaws. If you have multiple writing flaws in your paper, you will have a lower grade.

1. Subject/Verb Agreement

2. Rambling/Run-On Sentences

3. Grammatical Errors

4. Poor Sentence Structure

5. Pervasive Spelling Errors (more than a couple typos)

6. Informal or Inappropriate Language

7. No Conclusion

If this paper contains ANY plagiarized content, you will fail the course. Plagiarized content includes any and all of the following:

Material taken word-for-word from another source that is not properly cited.

Material that is repeated word-for-word from another source and is not put into quotation marks

Material that is put into your own words but still follows the original author’s thought pattern and is not cited. However, citing something like this is only ok for small points, not whole sections of your paper.

You are strongly encouraged to use references to guide your writing but I am more interested in hearing YOUR ideas and YOUR arguments. You should not rely on quotes from other sources to make up the bulk of your paper. They should be used sparingly and only to support YOUR arguments.

Any sources that you do use should be valid sources such as the text book, library books, journal articles, news stories, or government websites. Any other websites should not be considered valid resources – especially Wikipedia. Use of Wikipedia will immediately result in a failing grade (40).

Purdue has an excellent website with tips and instructions on how to properly use and cite references to prevent plagiarism. You may use either APA or MLA format.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/Country Project I and II Grading Rubric

____/10There was a clear introduction and conclusion

____/10 Paper has been proofread, with limited grammar, spelling, and punctuation and formatting errors.

____/25Comprehensive and detailed nature of the research. Cover as many guidelines and as detailed as possible.

____/25Interpretation of the collected information. This should not be a list of facts about the country, but a broader picture of these conditions and what it means for international companies. In addition, how this country is different from the United States?

____/20Quality of information sources. Outside sources are properly cited (Reputable sources must be used, rather than only internet sources).

____/10The writing is coherent and flows well.

____/100Total Grade

Format Example is on the next page

Format Example:

Mini-Project I: Cultural Analysis of United States of America

Introduction

The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Population

Total

The United States of America’s location is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Distribution of population

The United States of America’s distribution of population is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Economic statistics and activity

Gross national product (GNP or GDP)

The United States of America’s Gross national product (GNP or GDP) is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Personal income per capita

The United States of America’s personal income per capita is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Average family income

The United States of America’s average family income is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Distribution of wealth

The United States of America’s distribution of wealth is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Principal industries

The United States of America’s principle industries is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Foreign investment

The United States of America’s foreign investment is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

International trade statistics

The United States of America’s international trade statistics is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Labor force

The United States of America’s labor force is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Inflation rates

The United States of America’s inflation rates is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Other economic activity

The United States of America’s minerals and resources is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

The United States of America’s surface transportation is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

The United States of America’s communication systems is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

The United States of America’s working conditions is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Socioeconomic activity

Developments in science and technology

The United States of America’s developments in science and technology is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Channels of distribution (macro analysis)

The United States of America’s retailers is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

The United States of America’s wholesale middlemen is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

The United States of America’s retailing is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Media

The United States of America’s availability of media is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

The United States of America’s costs is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Summary

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Sources of information

National Geographic. (2018). Field guide to the birds of North America. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

Iverson, C., Christiansen, S., Flanagin, A., Fontanarosa, P. B., Glass, R. M., Gregoline, B., et al. (2007). AMA manual of style: a guide for authors and editors. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Herrnstein, R., & Murray, C. (1994). The bell curve: intelligence and class structure in American life. New York, NY: Free Press.

Appendixes (If applicable)

Mini-Project I Cultural Analysis Guideline (2)

Mini-Project I: Cultural Analysis Guideline

Introduction

Brief discussion of the country’s relevant history

Geographical setting writing guide

Location

Climate

Topography

Social institutions

Family

The nuclear family

The extended family

Dynamics of the family

Parental roles

Marriage and courtship

Female/male roles (changing or static?)

Education

The role of education in society

Primary education (quality, levels of development, etc.)

Secondary education (quality, levels of development, etc.)

Higher education (quality, levels of development, etc.)

Literacy rates

Political system

Political structure

Political parties

Stability of government

Special taxes

Role of local government

Legal System

Organization of the judiciary system

Code, common, socialist, or Islamic-law country?

Participation in patents, trademarks, and other conventions

Marketing Laws

Social organization

Group behavior

Social classes

Clubs, other organizations

Race, ethnicity, and subcultures

Religion and aesthetics

Religion and other belief systems

Orthodox doctrines and structures

Relationship with the people

Which religions are prominent?

Membership of each religion

Any powerful or influential cults?

Aesthetics

Visual arts (fine arts, plastics, graphics, public art, colors, etc.)

Drama, ballet, and other performing arts

Folklore and relevant symbols

Living conditions

Diet and nutrition

Meat and vegetable consumption rates

Typical meals

Malnutrition rates

Foods available

Housing

Types of housing available

Do most people own or rent?

Do most people live in one-family dwellings or with other families?

Clothing

National dress

Types of clothing worn at work

Recreation, sports, and other leisure activities

Types available and in demand

Percentage of income spent on such activities

Social security

Health care

Language

Official language(s)

Spoken versus written language(s)

Dialects

Summary

Sources of information

Appendixes (If applicable)

Helpful Country Profiles websites:

Writing instructions:

12-font size, times new roman, 1-inch margin on all sides, single-spaced. Suggest to keep and only keep two levels of subtitle. APA or MLA format. No page limit.

Try to avoid the following Fatal Writing Flaws. If you have multiple writing flaws in your paper, you will have a lower grade.

1. Subject/Verb Agreement

2. Rambling/Run-On Sentences

3. Grammatical Errors

4. Poor Sentence Structure

5. Pervasive Spelling Errors (more than a couple typos)

6. Informal or Inappropriate Language

7. No Conclusion

If this paper contains ANY plagiarized content, you will fail the course. Plagiarized content includes any and all of the following:

Material taken word-for-word from another source that is not properly cited.

Material that is repeated word-for-word from another source and is not put into quotation marks

Purdue has an excellent website with tips and instructions on how to properly use and cite references to prevent plagiarism. You may use either APA or MLA format.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/Country Project I and II Grading Rubric

____/10There was a clear introduction and conclusion

____/10 Paper has been proofread, with limited grammar, spelling, and punctuation and formatting errors.

____/25Comprehensive and detailed nature of the research. Cover as many guidelines and as detailed as possible.

____/20Quality of information sources. Outside sources are properly cited (Reputable sources must be used, rather than only internet sources).

____/10The writing is coherent and flows well.

____/100Total Grade

Format Example is on the next page

Format Example:

Mini-Project I: Cultural Analysis of United States of America

Introduction

Geographical setting writing guide

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The United States of America’s climate is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

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The United States of America’s topography is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Social institutions

Family

The United States of America’s family is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

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Education

The United States of America’s education is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

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Political system

The United States of America’s political system is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

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Legal System

The United States of America’s legal system is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

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Social organization

The United States of America’s social organization is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

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Religion and aesthetics

Religion and other belief systems

The United States of America’s religion is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

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Aesthetics

The United States of America’s aesthetics is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

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Living conditions

Diet and nutrition

The United States of America’s diet and nutrition is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

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Housing

The United States of America’s housing is The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country). The United States of America, commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country with 50 states, with a population of over 327 million people (the third most populous country).

Mini-Project III Guidelines

Cultural specific business customs and practices (e.g., greetings, business meetings, body language, negotiations, business meals, negotiations styles etc.)

Government policies in international business

Inward and outward foreign investments, exporting, importing, trade restrictions, foreign aid received etc. (Ex: a Thai limited company limits foreign business ownership to a maximum of 49%, meaning foreigners can hold no more than 49% of the shares.)

Any other interesting business practices

A case study applied the knowledge and information from mini-Project I, II and III. This case study could be about a MNE from a developed economy’s entry or business operation in your emerging economy (Ex: a case study about Walmart entering into India: Foreign retailers are not allowed to fully invest in opening supermarkets in India, so Walmart had to enter into a joint venture in India and their operation is also limited).

Country’s Future and growth

Writing instructions:

12-font size, times new roman, 1-inch margin on all sides, single-spaced. Suggest to Keep and only keep one level of subtitle. APA or MLA format. No page limit.

Fatal Writing Flaws

In grading writing submissions, when the “fifth” of any combination of the “flaws” listed below is reached, your paper will be returned with a grade of 40/“F.”

1. Subject/Verb Agreement

2. Rambling/Run-On Sentences

3. Grammatical Errors

4. Poor Sentence Structure

5. Pervasive Spelling Errors (more than a couple typos)

6. Informal or Inappropriate Language

7. No Conclusion

If this paper contains ANY plagiarized content, you will fail the course. Plagiarized content includes any and all of the following:

Material taken word-for-word from another source that is not properly cited.

Material that is repeated word-for-word from another source and is not put into quotation marks

Purdue has an excellent website with tips and instructions on how to properly use and cite references to prevent plagiarism. You may use either APA or MLA format.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

Management Knowledge Management & Information Strategy

Management: Knowledge Management & Information Strategy

Improving how knowledge management is leveraged in organizations for improved business performance

Name:

Class:

Presented to:

Date:

Executive Summary

Knowledge management is currently one of the hottest concepts in all industries. Driven by pressures such as increased competition, need for innovation, need to improve quality of products and services and availability of new and effective information management tools, firms are increasingly investing in technology and humans with the aim of leveraging intellectual assets. Numerous scholars have shown that knowledge is an important resource to firm as it contributes to successful organizational performance if well managed. This paper examines how knowledge is leveraged in organizations and its contribution to business performance. A review of literature on the factors that influence success and failure of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) implementation projects is conducted. This is followed by a summary of the crucial managerial and technological factors that support a successful performance of KMS implementation project. To understand this issue better, the paper derives qualitative data on National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) related to the subject matter. NTPC is an Indian power generation company and it is one example of firms that have implemented KMS recently. Content analysis is applied on the data and a detailed outline of the implementation approach undertaken by this company is given. The challenges encountered during the process, the technology adopted and the benefits derived from the project are also examined. The analysis of this company finds that the KMS project has encountered numerous challenges and its return to the company can be termed as average. It emerged that some of the challenges have emerged from failure to incorporate some of the crucial factors in the implementation process such as the use of motivational aids. The company needs to incorporate all crucial factors in the implementation process and to find strategies to minimize or overcome the challenges in order to increase value of the project.

Introduction

With the rapidly changing business world organizations are finding it necessary to leverage on KM in a way that any new knowledge is shared across the organization and stored for future use. The concept has gained prominence since the mid 1990s following the work of Peter Drucker. Knowledge is being viewed as a key resource in business for economic growth by developing a competitive edge. Fernandez and Sabherwal (2010, p. 56) defined KM as doing what is needed to get the most out of knowledge resources. KM involves enhancing knowledge creation and sharing it within organization and leveraging it to achieve business goals.

Drive towards knowledge management is being influenced by a variety of factors that include; increasing knowledge domain complexity and fragmentation; accelerating market volatility; intensified speed of responses; increased employee turnover; globalization of businesses; business process reengineering and complex organizational interlacing among others (Fernandez and Sabherwal, 2010 p. 56: Maier, 2004, p. 82). To enhance creation, sharing and application of knowledge organizations are increasingly developing KMS.

Within this discussion various issues in KM and KMS information have been critically evaluated in detail. These includes; empirical studies from peer-reviewed publications on causes of successes and failure of KMS project to deliver the value promised; factors crucial to designing a successful KMS and case study review of NTPC. Key conclusion and recommendation are made at the end of this discussion.

Literature review

Numerous scholars have given attention to the factors contributing to the effectiveness of KM implementation process. Kulkarni et al (2007, p. 309), developed a KM success model that gives one of the most comprehensive assessment on the subject matter. In a study comprising of 10 companies, Kulkarni et al (2007, p. 309) established seven key factors that affect successful implementation of KM system namely; the degree of fit of KM framework into organizational culture; the strength of the KM foundation; level of acceptance by staff; level of fit with organizational information technology infrastructure; level of training deployed on staff related to new knowledge artifacts; availability of resources to support the process; and the extent of support from management. Changzheng (2010, p. 349), on the other hand developed a five-factor model on the subject matter and proposed that technical factors and managerial factors such as motivation, coordination, measurement and monitoring are the key drivers to the successful implementation of KMS. Both of the above studies acknowledged that failure to uphold the proposed factors only leads to failure of KM project.

Contrary to the above assessments, Wen (2009, p. 363) developed a framework representing the existing relationships among knowledge, data, information and wisdom within an organization, with the aim of understanding the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of a KMS. According to Wen (2009, p. 4), knowledge, information and data contribute to the effectiveness of regular affairs of an organization. On the other hand, wisdom is essential to an organization when irregular affairs emerge since it assists in developing appropriate actions in response to changing environment. Thus, Wen (2009, p. 363) argued that KM encourages individuals within an organization to manage and utilize knowledge effectively while working. Wen (2009, p. 4) came up with a knowledge management assessment tool to evaluate the effectiveness of KM system projects. The proposed tool comprised of five main elements: KM process, technology, strategy and leadership and culture. The tool was composed of four success factors: persons involved in knowledge management process, procedures of implementing KM adopted, information technology adopted during the implementation of KM system and the level of support of organizational overall structure for KM project. Though this argument has been criticized as lacking concrete standard, it contributes immensely to the understanding about the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of KMS.

Chun-Ming et al (2012, p. 387) assessed the factors affecting the success of KMS in an aerospace manufacturing firm. The author took a different root from the above scholars by developing a model for assessing the impact of the fit between KM capabilities (network capability and codification capability) and KM processes (socialization, internalization, externalization and combination) on the successful implementation of KMS. The results of the study indicated that a fit between the two elements enhances knowledge creativity, knowledge quality and knowledge satisfaction and hence, contributes to the successful implementation of KMS. Evidently, this model focuses more on cultural fitness and does not give attention to effects of poor fit.

Another KM assessment model developed by Kazemi and Allahyari (2010, p. 872) proposed eight major factors that contribute to successful implementation of KM namely: worker’s motivation; extent of support from leadership; extent off fit with technology adopted by an organization; acceptability by other stakeholders such as shareholders customers; suppliers and surrounding community; the extent of fit to organizational culture; level knowledge and skills by workers and leaders and conformity between old and new systems. Kazemi & Allahyari (2010 p. 872) therefore argued that the failure for KM system implementation process arises from lack of expertise by management in regard to the dimensions of KM, failure to select proper team members, improper planning and forecasting, poor fit with organizational culture and technology, resistant to change and lack of conformity between the old and the new KMS.

The crucial factors to the designing of KMS

There are numerous factors that are crucial to the process of implementation of KMS, as established in the literature review section. Most of the theoretical models and frameworks examined highlighted the importance of designing KMS in a manner that integrates humans and technology in the whole process (Wen, 2009, p. 363; Chun-Ming et al, 2012, p. 387; Kazemi & Allahyari, 2010 p. 872; Kulkarni et al, 2007, p. 309; & Changzheng, 2010, p. 349). During the implementation process, the management is tasked with the process of developing a supportive culture. As Chun-Ming et al (2012, p. 387) explains, this can be achieved through designing the project in a way that supports the interests of the key stakeholders such as employees, management and shareholders. If different groups of stakeholders share the same interest, the quality of knowledge artifacts should be consistent. If they have different interests, the objectives of the project should address the different groups of stakeholders separately and satisfy their interests. This can be achieved through collecting the views of the key stakeholders and then incorporating them when designing KM implementation plan. This will ensure that that the project derives enough support from the management and other stakeholders and also eliminate the possibility of rejection. Secondly, the management has a role of developing appropriate organizational infrastructure to conduct the implementation of the project (Kulkarni et al, 2007, p. 309). Cautiousness should be exercised to ensure that the implementation team is comprised of knowledgeable and skilled individuals to handle the task.

Additionally, the management should ensure that KM implementation project is supplied with enough resources to support successful implementation (Kulkarni et al, 2007, p. 309). Financial resources are needed to support any new investment in technology and to compensate persons allocated the role of implementation of the project. Additionally, the management should act as role model and advise the rest of stakeholders about the importance of the project. The management should also encourage workers by offering them motivational aids. Incentives or rewards to motivate the employees should be focused on criteria such as teamwork, innovation solutions, creativity and knowledge sharing and contribution (Kulkarni et al, 2007, p. 309). The employees need to be given free time to conduct KM activities. The management has an additional role of ensuring that employees are provided with appropriate training and skills about new knowledge artifacts. During recruitment of employees into an organization, the management is charged with the role of ensuring that candidates with desired knowledge to fill gaps are given the first consideration.

As Kazemi and Allahyari (2010, p. 873) explains, information technology is one of the key enablers for the implementation process of KMS. A few centuries ago, information technology used to be a static archive of information. However, it has evolved to become a connector of one human to another and of a human to information. Today, it enables quick search, access and retrieval of data and can support effective communication and corroboration among members of an organization. Generally, it can play numerous roles in support of KMS implementation process. According to Kazemi and Allahyari, (2010, p. 873), information technologies that support KM can be grouped into the following categories; knowledge base, business intelligence, collaboration, portals, content and document management, customer relationship management, workflow, data mining, search, and e-learning. During implementation of KM, there is need to give consideration to needs such as suitability the needs of users, knowledge structure standardization, ease of use, knowledge content relevancy and simplicity of technology.

NTPC Case Study

NTPC is the largest Indian power generation company and one of the largest and most efficient power companies in the world. Established in 1975, this company has diversified into power, equipment manufacturing, hydropower, power trading and distribution, coal mining and oil and gas exploration (Alok et al, 2010, p. 391). In 2004, this company conducted an assessment of its knowledge management system, in consultation with AT Kearney Company. Based on the results of the assessment and the recommendations made, NTPC decided to implement a new and relatively more effective knowledge management system. The implementation project was initiated in 2007 and has been going on over the years. Apart from the need to improve the effectiveness of the previous KMS, the change was also driven by the company’s vision of becoming a learning organization.

While designing the new system, NTPC made consideration o f the key human and technological factors (Alok et al 2010, p. 391). Behavioral values and contributions of the users, organizational structures and incentives for contributors and users were all put into consideration. The company also gave consideration of critical issues such as characteristics of relevant knowledge, knowledge process that would enable the company to gain value and competitive advantage, the most appropriate mechanisms to develop and apply relevant knowledge and the organization needs that needed that would need to be taken into account in order for the mechanisms to work. This was followed by a pilot study and development of change management program in the company. According to Alok et al (2010, p. 391), this step was aimed at transferring individual learning into organizational learning. After the pilot study became successful and the change management process was underway, the company embarked on full implementation of the project.

According to Alok et al (2010, p. 393) the implementation process started with the appointment of domain leaders. Knowledge domains were developed based on specific criteria. This was followed by identification and appointment of affinity groups members in different segments of the company to assist the domain leaders in archiving and updating knowledge base. The affinity groups were supplied with documents and electronic instruments to capture knowledge in their respective domains. The affinity groups capture knowledge from all locations and submit it to domain leaders. Knowledge is then classified into categories. Domain leaders approve the uploaded information which is then compiled into knowledge documents. The knowledge documents are then placed at all locations for users to download.

The challenges the NTPC faced while introducing the KMS

NTPC has encountered numerous challenges in the process of implementing KMS. One of the causes of difficulties encountered is that knowledge sources in this company exists in any forms and are widely distributed. There was need for incorporation of a common interface that would allow access to the different types of knowledge (Alok et al, 2010, p. 393). Secondly, the system sometimes fails to capture learning and experiences. This leads the domain leaders to refer to past documents for experiences, making the process cumbersome. The system does not capture tacit information residing within an individual. Additionally, the project failed to capture experiences derived from dealings with various stakeholders such as government and non-governmental organizations. According to Alok et al (2010, p. 393), there is often an inadequate communication across levels, functions and geographies, which limit the process of updating knowledge. Another challenge is the lack of a formal process for knowledge codification and classification, leading to difficulties in the process of knowledge retrieval. During the initial stages of the project, there lacked enough documented past knowledge to be used in development of guidelines and methodologies for work efficiency improvement.

According to Alok et al, (2010, p. 394), conversion of available past documents from soft to hard formats was a hard task. The available IT systems were slow in retrieving information across levels, functions and geographies. The established processes for creating awareness about knowledge base across levels, geograghis and functions were weak. The company did not provide any motivational aids to employees for their contributions to KM Individuals. Finally, some past documents such as project reports and proposal are stored manually and hence, they are hardly shared across levels, geographies and functions.

The technology used in support of the design

NTPC adopted KM technologies to support the process of knowledge sharing. An integrated portal named ‘Lakshya’ was developed to facilitate knowledge sharing and reuse. According to Alok et al, (2010, p. 394), the portal organizes information gathered by type and topic and provides access for all knowledge sources. A user of the portal is able to access available knowledge sources by searching from a list of knowledge sources grouped by type or topic. The portal obtains the request of the user loads the appropriate software and data and displays the requested knowledge. The portal can also be used as a knowledge management planning tool by locating expertise and information for future knowledge efforts. Finally, the portal acts as an inventory for knowledge that is accessible by users from specific domains anytime.

Benefits of the project

Though NTPC’s KMS encountered numerous difficulties from the initial point, it has several benefits. One of the benefits is improvement in culture of knowledge sharing within the company, hence transforming it into a learning organization. Secondly, trust and openness were developed among individuals within the company. Individuals are able to access knowledge and experience with ease.

Level of efficiency has increased: more time is spent by employees on analyzing information rather than searching. According to Alok et al, (2010, p. 394), the company has so far recorded a reduction in the lead time in day-to-day activities and business processes. Further, there has been a cost reduction as a result of improved practices across plants. Finally, the system has helped to open new revenue enhancement opportunities.

Conclusions and recommendations

In conclusion, KM is essential for firms if they are to maintain competitiveness in their respective industries and markets. Lack of KMS within a firm may leave some major knowledge gaps, exposing the future performance of the firm to risk. This discussion examined various factors that influence successful implementation of KM projects within organizations. All the Models and frameworks examine from the previous literature of the subject matter highlighted the importance of technological and human factors. As noted, failure to give consideration to the factors examined will result in project failure. The case of NTPC is a good example of a recent KM implementation project. The implementation process of this project largely incorporated technological and human factors. However, as noticed in the challenges facing the project, some of the crucial human factors such as offering motivational aids to employees are ignored. Based on the assessment models examined earlier, the performance of this project is currently can be termed as average. Generally, NTPC needs to incorporate all crucial technological and human factors into the implementation process in order to attain maximum value. It also needs to come up with strategies to minimize the challenges as much as possible in order to ensure that the project bears more fruits in the future.

Bibliography

Alok K G, Geeta R S & Renu R (2010). “Knowledge management implementation in NTPC: an Indian

PSU”, Management Decision, Vol. 48 Iss: 3, pp.383 – 395

Changzheng Z (2010). “A four-factor model on the success of knowledge management.” International

Conference on Networking and Digital Society, Vol. 1, pp. 349 – 352

Chun-Ming C, Meng-Hsiang H & Chia-Hui Y (2012). “Factors affecting knowledge management

success: the fit perspective”, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 16 Iss: 6, pp.847 – 861

Fernandez I and Sabherwal R (2010). Knowledge Management Systems and Processes. New York:

M.E. Sharpe Inc

Kazemi M & Allahyari M Z (2010). “Defining a knowledge management conceptual model by using

MADM” Journal of Knowledge Management. Volume 14, Issue 6, pp. 872 – 890

Kulkarni U R, Ravindran S & Freeze R (2007). “A Knowledge Management Success Model:

Theoretical Development and Empirical Validation.” Journal of Management Information Systems. Volume 23, Issue 3, pp. 309 – 347

Maier R (2004). Knowledge Management Systems: Information and Communication Technologies for

Knowledge Management. 2nd Ed. New York: Springer-Verlag

Wen Y (2009). “An effectiveness measurement model for knowledge management.” Knowledge-Based

Systems. Vol. 22, Issue 5, Pp. 363–367

Market Search Proposal

Name

Institution

Year

Cover Letter

Market search and sales capitalization is on one of the main ways to grow a company. By looking for new markets, a company is able to increase its product outlet margins and thus more revenue and capital generation. Beau & Ro Bag Company being a thriving company in its New York markets, it is high time the company’s management thinks of aboard markets that can help increase sales and revenues. The right way to get into a new market is to capitalize on already existing channels in a new country or adopt a join venture. Beau & Ro Bag Company will in this case choose a joint venture approach with a Malaysian ladies’ handbags company by the name Mel and Molly. The company seeks to operate under the Mel and Molly’s brand name and use its existing marketing channels to sell its handbags. The ultimate goal is to increase sales by fetching the growing Malaysian market.

Company Description

Beau & Ro Bag Company is a ladies’ hand bag company located in New York with its markets spready all across the U.S. The company has had a healthy financial growth due to the increasing market share that has seen its revenues increase steadily over the five years (Cateora et al., 2020). Beau & Ro Bag Company, Inc. is located in New York, NY, United States and is part of the Textile Manufacturing Industry. Beau & Ro Bag Company, Inc. has total employees across all of its locations and generates $86,000 in sales (USD). Beau & Ro Bag Company was Incorporated In 2014 where it has managed to grow tremendously in terms of market size and sales thus adding to its revenue basket. With the company seeking more markets abroad, the management targets the Asian markets that area very promising in terms of sales volume outlet (Išoraitė, 2016). Beau & Ro Bag Company has managed to take a considerable share in the U.S. handbag market that has positioned it strategically for future growth.

Marketing Strategy

The target market for Beau & Ro Bag Company will be Malaysia where it will take a joint venture approach with Mel and Molly. The reason for going abroad is to capitalize on a new niche that already promises great future in sales due to the growing middle class. Beau & Ro Bag Company majors in the sale of Clutches, crossbody bags, fanny packs, backpacks and wine totes that are a key product line that will also fetch good attraction from Malaysian customers (Cateora et al., 2020). The target market in Malaysia offers both growth and stability as already seen in other South Asian countries.

Proposal

The main goal of moving into Malaysia is to take advantage of the rising middle class that offers a potential market for the company’s products. In line with this, the company seeks to operate a joint venture with Mel and Molly an already market giant in Malaysia. Through this move, Beau & Ro Bag Company will be able to increase and adopt new markets that will add to its corporate growth agenda. The external market in Malaysia is already promising with Mel and Molly already fetching good outlet for its products (Othman et al., 2019). The joint venture will not only benefit Beau & Ro Bag Company btu also add to Mel and Molly’s ambitious growth plans by adding more knowledge and insights into the sale of ladies’ handbags. For this reason, the joint venture appears to be the most lucrative approach that will benefit both firms in their growth agenda. By adopting joint venture with Mel and Molly, Beau & Ro Bag Company will be in a position to integrate with the Malaysian market with ease by using the already established supply chains.

Marketing Mix (4Ps)

Product

The product being introduced into the market is a collection of ladies’ hand bags and accessories. To be precise, Beau & Ro Bag Company seeks to sell Clutches, crossbody bags, fanny packs, backpacks and wine totes to the new market. By joining hands with Mel and Molly, Beau & Ro Bag Company will be able to introduce the new designs and bags to the Malaysia market.

Pricing

The pricing will be determined by the local market averages to ensure that the prices are favorable and affordable to the local customers. Going by the current pricing by Mel and Molly, the medium hand bags will sell at $45.55. The crossbody bags will retail at $33. The clutches will vary depending on the size and design where the average price will be $57.

Placement

Product placement is a modern merchandising strategy for brands to reach their target audiences without using overt “traditional advertising. Beau & Ro Bag Company will try to reach out to the established market already being fed by Mel and Molly (Othman et al., 2019). This approach will save on advertising cost and thus build on an already stable and strong market.

Promotion

The promotion avenues for the Beau & Ro Bag Company’s products will be done through the already established channels by Mel and Molly. The main avenue will be to use the Mel and Molly’s websites where the product and prices will be advertised. The other promotion avenue will be the social media as the company seeks to reach the young women. Malaysia has extensive internet coverage and high number social media users that makes it a favorable avenue o reach out the young women (Išoraitė, 2016). Key sites to be used in promotion include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in the promotion activities.

Financial status and goals

Beau & Ro Bag Company has made remarkable achievements in terms of revenue generating over its five years history. The company has managed to gain steady revenue growth that makes it strategically positioned to broaden its market. The company’s revenue stands at 55,600 million dollars where it seeks to invest 20% of this into Malaysia. The total amount to be invested into the new market is $12,350 that will go into the marketing and establishment of the new sales channels in Malaysia. The projected sales will vary but the current target is to gain a revenue of $8000 in the first year of operation. These projections will also vary with the market demand where the turnover rate is projected to remain at 25% after sales. This will therefore translate to a profit marketing of 45% or $10,000 in the first one year.

References

Cateora, P. R., Meyer, R. B. M. F., Gilly, M. C., & Graham, J. L. (2020). International marketing. McGraw-Hill Education.

Išoraitė, M. (2016). Marketing mix theoretical aspects. International journal of research granthaalayah, 4(6), 25-37.

Othman, B., Harun, A., Rashid, W., Nazeer, S., Kassim, A., & Kadhim, K. (2019). The influences of service marketing mix on customer loyalty towards Umrah travel agents: Evidence from Malaysia. Management Science Letters, 9(6), 865-876.

BUSI 4940 Chapter one summary

BUSI 4940: Chapter one summaryChapter one is titled ‘strategic management: creating competitive advantages’. The chapter begins by posing a fundamental question in how much credit or blame does a leader deserve? The chapter focusses on answering the question by highlighting on two perspectives of leadership. The first one is the romantic view whereby the leader is the driving force behind an organization, for instance, Steve jobs in apple and secondly, the external control perspective that cites external forces as determinants towards a company’s success, for instance, economic downturns. Leadership makes a difference in any company in that proactive ones constantly make changes in their company’s strategies that give their companies an edge compared to other companies. Another aspect of a leader who makes a difference is one that understands the company’s resources and capabilities. A thorough understanding of strategic management is also crucial to any leader.

Another concept discussed in the chapter is the definition of strategic management. Strategic management is classified into three levels: Analysis, formulation and the implementation. To come up with a strategic plan, a company’s leader should consider the competitive advantage that is both unique and valuable which cannot be copied by the competition. Also, key aspects in the company should be considered to ensure the success of a strategic plan such as the company’s goals, short term and long term perspectives as well as understanding what the company has to give up to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. However, the business environment is unpredictable in such a way that a company may make an intended strategy, but due to the business environment, they end up adopting an alternative approach.

Another concept introduced in the chapter is on corporate governance and stakeholder management. Corporate governance is the relationship among the various participants who determine the direction in which a company moves. Stakeholder management is viewed as zero-sum, where stakeholders compete for attention and as symbiosis where stakeholders receive mutual benefits.

BUSI 4940: Chapter two summary

Chapter 2 is titled “analyzing the external environment of a firm: creating competitive advantages.” The main concept introduced in the chapter is the analysis of the external environment of a firm. A firm that does not keep up with its external environment finds itself losing a competitive advantage, therefore creating an environmentally aware organization is crucial. The process of doing so is first doing an environmental scan, then monitoring the environment and finally gathering competitive advantage. When armed with these tools, a firm can be able to make forecasts of its external environment. Another way of keeping up with the external environment is the use of scenario analysis which involves the detailed assessment of the ways trends may affect an issue and lead to development of alternative futures. In order to get a snapshot of how a company is doing, a SWOT analysis is used. A SWOT analysis looks at the Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats affecting a firm. A company needs to be aware of its strengths and the opportunities available to it as well as observing the weakness the company has and the threats that may affect it in the external environment.

The external environment has factors that are difficult to control, for instance, the political and economic aspects. One of the aspects of an external environment is the threats of new entrants in the companies industry. New entrants usually bring with them new ideas that are attractive to the customer base. For a company to be successful, they need to be aware of the threats and react accordingly to continue being competitive in its market segment. Other external factors that may affect the firm are the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products and services; the intensity of rivalry among competitors in the industry as well as how the internet and digital technologies affect competitive forces. The chapter concludes with ways in which a firm can do good industry analysis and therefore help the company be more aware of the external factors that may affect it.

BUSI 4940: Chapter three summary

Chapter 3 is titled ‘Assessing the internal environment of the firm.’ The chapter focuses on realizing how a company can maintain a competitive edge by optimizing the firm’s internal environment. The first concept introduced to assist in this endeavor is value chain analysis Value is what most amounts of buyers are willing to pay for what a firm produces. A value chain analysis is used to determine which areas a company gets more value and how it can get the most out of these areas. The value chain analysis has two types of activities the primary activities, for instance, outbound logistics and support activities that are related to technology, human resource management, and general administration. Also, understanding the interrelationships between different aspects of the value chain is critical for any manager. For example, a good manager will ensure what happens in one department is communicated to the other; for instance, when something happens in a firm’s marketing department, hence it is essential that the operation department knows.

Another concept introduced in the chapter is the Resource-based view of the firm. The concept is also used to get an idea of the competitive advantage a firm has. Successful companies are successful because they have mastered the art of learning how to master heir internal assets, and those resources can lead to a competitive edge. The resources are divided into tangible resources, intangible resources, organizational resources, and strategic resources. To protect company resources, companies can use various methods. The methods are the use of physical uniqueness, path dependency, casual ambiguity, and social complexity. A company’s ability to maintain originality will increase the value of the product, and hence the company has a competitive advantage over competitors. Finally, it is essential to evaluate the firm’s performance. Some of the ways of assessing performance are financial ratio analysis and using a balanced scorecard.

BUSI 4940: Chapter Four summary

Chapter four is titled ‘recognizing a firms intellectual assets: Moving beyond a Firms Tangible Resources’. In the chapter, the main idea is that the company value is the physical aspect and the intellectual assets the company has. The material resources that a company has are as important as the intellectual resources in that intellectual resources also add to its overall value. The intellectual resource is tied to people rather than the physical assets which a company has. In some cases, the intellectual value of a company can be higher than that of the physical assets that the company has. The measure of the company’s intangible assets is referred to as intellectual capital. For instance, an apple’s physical value is at 117.2 billion, while its market value is 510 billion.

Another concept we can get from the chapter is the central role of human capital. Human capital is part of the intangible resources available to a company divided into human capital and social capital. Human capital is the individual’s skills that the company’s employees have, while social capital includes the networks of relationships individuals have throughout the organization. Therefore, knowledge management is needed to use the knowledge the employees have into explicit knowledge documented. Another concept introduced is human capital. Human capital is the skilled people who work for you. A company has to find ways to target and recruit skilled resources, develop these skills, and retain human capital.

Attracting capital requires creating a social environment that is conducive for employees to work in and offer enough financial compensation that is attractive enough to bring the human capital to the company. The employees of a company should communicate effectively to disseminate information faster and work efficiently, and for this to happen, there should be effective communication between group members. The chapter introduces ways to make communication better by overcoming barriers to communication. Finally, the chapter concludes with ways to protect the intangible resources in a company’s strategic plan.

BUSI 4940: Chapter Five summary

Chapter Five is titled ‘creating and sustaining competitive advantage.’ In the chapter, we learn that Businesses compete for markets and hence the need to select a sustainable marketing strategy to the market. The business can either choose to use a low-cost position or a uniqueness perceived by the customers. In a low-cost leadership position, the firm will be required to create a value chain focused on managing a sustainable relationship with the business. In differentiation, the customers are given a diverse product and services, hence, can choose from a wider pool of commodities that satisfy their different needs. Some of the examples of companies that pursue leadership strategy include McDonald’s and Walmart. In the differentiation strategy, one can use the examples of Apple and Target. Hence, apple has different products than those found with the competitors; the unique feels of its devices and the unique designs make apple customers loyal to the brand.

In cost leadership, the firm aims to reduce the cost of all the activities that it is doing. The different individuals in the firm, including the marketing department, sales, advertising, value chain, and even the service providers, aim to reduce the cost to maximize return. In cost leadership, an experience curve is created with time. By improving competition, the business will demand loyalty from the customers, suppliers, stakeholders, and other market players. There are numerous ways to create a differentiation strategy that includes product development, technology, customer service, and many other innovative strategies.

The focus strategy exploits the business needs and aims to differentiate the target market to reduce costs. The resultant effect of this is improved loyalty by customers, suppliers, and even other stakeholders. The Focus can be faced with different disadvantages and may include: other company’s adaptation of the focus strategies; hence the business is unable to continue benefiting from the advantage it once enjoyed. Companies can choose to use a combination strategy that involves a mix of differentiation and low cost. The strategy can be done; nonetheless, the concept is hard to master. The internet digital strategy is also very efficient as technology allows for instant response in business. Hence, industries can use different strategies depending on the life cycle of the industries.

BUSI 4940: Chapter six summary

The chapter is titled ‘creating value through diversification.’ The chapter starts by stating that Businesses need to create value through diversification as it continues to grow. Initially, the use of differentiation and low cost is essential. Nonetheless, with increased growth, businesses need to succeed healthily. For example, the company seeks to create mergers, joint ventures, acquisitions, and internal development through diversification. A firm may choose to diversify in related or unrelated businesses that include concentration on one line of business or a complete shift from the business line into other economic activities. In related diversification, the company creates economies of scale, market power, and the same industry and line. The company can major in the best sector by creating synergy, increasing differentiation, negotiating power improvement by the customers, and grasping a higher market share. Hence, making a vertical integration or horizontal integration. In vertical integration, the business looks to reach other costs that other external persons previously handled, such as contract cost, monitoring cost, and negotiation costs. In horizontal integration, the company majors on matters that are within its grasp.

In diversification for unrelated products, the business can choose to be the parent or restructure based on the asset, capital, or management. For example, they are selling assets that are not being used, hence improving asset utilization efficiency to create income and value for the business. Diversification can be done through mergers, internal development, or acquisition to achieve the desired market portfolio. Mergers involve companies’ consolidation to become one while acquisition is buying another firm to become part of the original business. In strategic alliances, companies agree to collaborate and benefit from one another. For example, in reducing manufacturing cost, the companies can create sustainable innovations that benefit the businesses in reducing manufacturing costs. In internal development, the business grows on its own through corporate entrepreneurship. The different ways to grow are effective depending on the company and the tactics that it has in reaching their growth and development goals

Business and Intellectual Property Law

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Business and Intellectual Property Law

Forms of Intellectual Intangible Property Protection

An inventor's most precious asset is intellectual property. It comprises of discoveries, literary and artistic works, logos, emblems, and designs that are utilized in business, as well as the masterpieces of talented artists. Patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secret protection are the main types of intellectual property law (Moore, 2). Due to the similarities between intellectual property and real and personal property, related freely exercise for the treatment of intellectual property as an investment that can be purchased, traded, licensed, or transferred. Partners, developers, and artists can safeguard their work from illegal usage thanks to intellectual property regulations.

For the most part, copyrights are the only method of safeguarding for culturally significant works of song, movies, literature, poetry, architecture, and other media. The exclusive abilities to duplicate, create infringing copy, publish copies, perform, or exhibit a work protected by copyright belong to its creator (Moore, 2). These restricted classifications grow as innovators produce new ways to express themselves. Audio recordings and software applications are increasingly considered to be products of intellectual property. Copyright infringement typically lasts for the lifetime of the author plus 70 years for works produced after January 1, 1978 (Moore, 4). The copyright lasts for 95 years from the year of the job's original release or for 120 years from the year of invention, whichever comes first, for unnamed, unattributed, or work produced for rent. Copyright can only be asserted by the creator or by someone who receives their claims from the creator, such as a publisher.

An inventor gets the total entitlements to avert others from duplicating or trading his or her goods or services for a specific period of time through patent rights. In most countries this period is estimated to be twenty years (Hopenhayn and Francesco, 7). Patent aspirants must strike a defendable argument. Due to the fact that patent claims can be as diverse as the technologies they cover, candidates must establish limitations for what constitutes their creation and what parts are subject to violation. Claims are evaluated by professionals to prevent preserving technology that is already accessible or simple to obtain. A trade secret is any amount of data that can be employed to manage an organization and is significant enough to provide a current or potential monetary benefit (Klasa et al., 1). Such include subscriptions for customers, marketing plans, delivery procedures, and ingredients for well-known food items. Contracts and nondisclosure agreements typically shield private information from release. Only if the information hasn't been disclosed are proprietary information considered to be genuine.

Remedies to Violation of Intellectual Property

The types of intellectual property rights that were violated, the severity of the harm, and the legal actions that the victims of the violation choose to take will all affect the remedies for intellectual property theft. The majority of the time, individuals who have experienced an intellectual property violation will bring a defamation suit to trial (Seuba, 8). Criminal proceedings for the violation will proceed independently from a legal trial, and only state officials, not the offended parties whose rights were violated, may commence court prosecutions, albeit they may denounce the violation to the law enforcement agencies. An injunction is an adequate remedy, and the complainant must show that if the court did not issue an injunction requiring the accused to act or prohibiting the accused from acting, significant harm would result (Seubar, 15). The victim of an intellectual property breach must demonstrate that a violation was actually committed in order to obtain a legal remedy. In an attempt to evade punishment, defendants may make a variety of claims, such as that there was no infringement because of acceptable use restrictions.

Discussion: DynaStudy v Houston School District

This is a very simple and direct case of violation of intellectual property rights. Many study manuals were produced by DynaStudy. These manuals were reportedly very useful, so the principal of a Houston District High School bought a few, copied them, and gave them to the learners. The bottom of the study materials explicitly stated that duplicating the content was unauthorized. The principal was alerted to this comment by a teacher, who then responded through email when the principal dismissed the issue. The litigation's proof also includes further emails. The school staff had occasionally circulated copies of documents with the copyright notices and DynaStudy's logo obscured or edited out. The document was discovered openly shared on social media in places as far away as New Jersey, and some copies made it outside of the Houston school district. In this scenario, officials and instructors either had no knowledge of copyright law at all or were aware of it but chose to disregard the consequences.

The court’s verdict found the school administration guilty of copyright infringement. DynaStudy was awarded $9.2 million as per the jury for the damages it faced (Danystudy v Houston School Distric). The school district went ahead to force the whole school administration to participate in online copyright training annually. I fully agree that the school administration was guilty of copyright violation. The fact that they claimed that they did not have knowledge of the copyright is not considerable. Ignorance, they say, is the worst defense. However, the principal knew about it but he disregarded it in an email. The compensation was also a good decision since DynaStudy was affected. I also understand the school district’s decision to have the school administration partake online classes on copyrights. It will reduce the chances of the school being involved in such a case again.

Sources

1. Moore, Adam, Adam D. Intellectual property and information control. Routledge, 2017.

2. Hopenhayn, Hugo A., and Francesco Squintani. "Patent rights and innovation disclosure." The Review of Economic Studies 83.1 (2016): 199-230.

3. Klasa, Sandy, et al. "Protection of trade secrets and capital structure decisions." Journal of financial economics 128.2 (2018): 266-286.

4. Seuba, Xavier. The global regime for the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Cambridge University Press, 2017.

5. Danystudy v Houston School District. https://advance-lexis-com.libdatab.strayer.edu/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=d3f2ebf3-fb74-43d1-a972-fc94ce5edfa8&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fnews%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A5W70-1341-DY2V-D2DH-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=261374&pdteaserkey=sr0&pditab=allpods&ecomp=rz2yk&earg=sr0&prid=883b7c11-8e96-41f4-b0ee-bc5fc68be82

About the Culture of Nigeria

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About the Culture of Nigeria

Introduction

Also known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Nigeria ranks as the most populous black nation in the world. Nigeria’s current head of state and government is President Muhammadu Buhari, and its capital city is Abuja. The country’s official language is English, and does not have an official religion. Nigeria’s form of government is a federal republic that has two legislative houses House of Representatives (360) and House of Senate (109). The country covers a total ear of 923, 768 (Square miles). Nigeria is home to over 200 million people, with the largest population being the youth. By the end of 2021, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to be $ 440 billion. Nigeria’s monetary unit is the Nigerian Naira (₦). Nigeria is home to the second-biggest film industry in the world and is a fashion, creative, and technological hub in Africa. This text discusses Nigeria’s culture at length.

Social Stratification

The highest tier of Nigeria social class consists of wealthy businessmen, politicians, and educated elite. However, these individuals only consist of a tiny section of the entire population. The majority of Nigerians today languish in abject poverty. Low-class Nigerians have less chances of breaking the poverty cycle. Corrupt politicians, poor education, ill health, lack of opportunities and lack of wealth investments work to keep them poor. Some ethnic groups have caste systems where specific community members are viewed as pariahs. The criteria for determining members of the lowest caste vary across areas. Some of the criteria include being members of a specific clan or family, an inhabitant of a given village, or a minority group. The Igbo community calls its lower-caste group Osu. Community members tend to discourage business contact, personal and romantic contact with members of the Osu irrespective of the individual traits of merits. Since the Osu are considered untouchable, they do have access to business or educational opportunities, political representation, or general social interactions. This caste system is also found among the Ibibios and Yoruba. Wealth also tends to be a symbol of social stratification, particularly modern Nigeria and urban areas. While past ethnic groups held traditional lineage and hereditary titles importance, in the current world, money has become the new marker of social status (Akintan, Jewitt, & Clifford, 2018). Today, the wealthiest Nigerians-elite members of society- are identified with fancy hairstyles and clothing, Western-style homes, and expensive cars. The elite also have better English command, reflecting better educational attainment.

Religion

According to estimates, 50% of the Nigerian population are Muslim, 40% Christian, and 10% practice a variety of indigenous religions. Muslim religion is widespread across Nigeria, but the strongest footholds are among the Yoruba and Housa. In Nigeria, Islam is similar to throughout the world. Its foundation is the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, as outlined in the Q’uran. In the South of Nigeria, Christianity is deemed most prevalent. Most Igbo are Christians, as are Yoruba. Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, and American Southern Baptist are the most renowned forms of Christianity. Additionally, Nigeria is host to a number of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists. While Christianity and religion are the most dominant regions, neither is independent of influence of indigenous religions (Okeke, Ibenwa, & Okeke, 2017). This explains the perceived shortcomings in religion. Most indigenous religions tend to be ancestral worship that runs in the family passed through the spirit world, and has the power to influence the living world. When this is missed with Islam, it leads to the formation of the Bori cut that uses spirit to know why people suffer. According to traditions, the officials tend to be mostly male. Among the Igbo, men function as priests to the Igbo goddesses while women function as priestesses to the Igbo gods. While both women and men rank top in the Yoruba religion, traditional priests tend to be well respected.

Gender Roles and Statutes

Labor is divided along gender lines in Nigerian society with very few women in active professional and political arenas. In urban areas, more women are getting involved in professional practice, but the gap still remains. Women are still largely outnumbered by men. Women that manage to enter professional practice rarely advance into higher management roles (Chinwendu & Shedrack, 2018). Notably, women continue to play a huge role in the Nigerian economy particularly in rural areas. Women are required to earn a huge portion of the family entire income. As a rule, men do not have an obligation to provide for their children or wives. As such, women have been traditionally farming and selling homemade products in local markets to feed and clothe their children. Division of labor along the lines of gender also exist in industries. Women do not cultivate the same crops as their male counterparts. In Igbo society, yams are viewed as men’s crops, while women are expected to farm cassava and beans. Similarly, modern Nigeria is patriarchal in nature. Men dominate over women in nearly all sectors. Nigeria being a signatory to the International Convection of Equality for Women holds little meaning because women still have less legal rights than women.

Ethnicity

There are over 250 ethnic tribes in Nigeria. The three most dominant and largest include Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. Additional smaller groups include Fulani, Kanuri, Ijaw, Ibibio, Edo, and Tiv. Before being conquered by the Europeans, Nigeria’s ethnic groups have separate histories. Their current grouping was a result of the British colonization. They have grouped a single entity. Various ethnic groups did not see themselves as being part of one culture. Coupled with ethnically biased and ever-changing ethnically biased national leadership, lacks of nationalism have caused intense civil war and ethnic conflicts (Falola, Genova, & Heaton, 2018). Today, there continue to be bloody confrontations among various members of ethnic groups. As regards ethnic breakdown, Hausa-Fulani comprise 29% of the population. The Yoruba and Igbo follow closely at 21% and 18%, respectively. The Ijaw, the Kanurai, the Ibibio, and Tiv make up 10%, 4%, 3.5%, and 2.5% of the population.

Etiquette

There is a great culture of etiquette that is observed in Nigeria. Age is well respected here. In a place where average life expectancy is rather low, the people that make it into seniorhood earn special admiration and respect. The case is true for men and women. Greetings are important. A long list of wishes and handshakes for a family counterpart and good health are usually expected upon meeting people. Worth noting, shaking hands, passing things, and eating with the left hand is deemed unacceptable.

Conclusion

The Nigerian culture is among the most distinct in the world. From their religion, gender roles and ethnicity, social class to etiquette, it is evident that the Nigerian culture is rich and diverse. Nigeria has among the biggest populations in the world. The majority of its population is Muslim, although Christianity and other religions are common in the world. Roles in society are divided along gender roles and women rarely make it to leadership positions across various life arenas.

References

Akintan, O., Jewitt, S., & Clifford, M. (2018). Culture, tradition, and taboo: Understanding the social shaping of fuel choices and cooking practices in Nigeria. Energy research & social science, 40, 14-22.

Chinwendu, O. D., & Shedrack, M. C. (2018). Investigating the influence of social class on consumers’ shopping behaviour in Nigeria. International Journal of Marketing Research Innovation, 2(2), 38-48.

Falola, T., Genova, A., & Heaton, M. M. (2018). Historical dictionary of Nigeria. Rowman & Littlefield.

Okeke, C. O., Ibenwa, C. N., & Okeke, G. T. (2017). Conflicts between African traditional religion and Christianity in eastern Nigeria: The Igbo example. Sage Open, 7(2), 2158244017709322.