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Level 2 Management Project

Semester 2

2014 – 2015

Assessment Booklet

Integrated Assessment Rationale

By assessing two modules, which have a specific operations focus, at stage 2 together you will be able to gain a deeper knowledge of supply chain management and decision making.

It is intended that by completing this assessment students will not only have the required understanding to pass each of the three modules but also have a greater understanding of how operations affect businesses and the way we manage them.

Listed below are the learning outcomes for each of the courses involved with this integrated assessment:

BA (Hons) Business Management

The intended learning outcomes of the BA (Hons) Business Management course are to enable graduates to:

Have a wide knowledge and understanding of the broad range of areas of business and management, and the detailed relationships between these, their application and importance in an integrated framework.

Consistently demonstrate a command of subject specific skills including application of knowledge, as well as proficiency in intellectual skills.

Have a view of business and management which is influenced by a variety of learning sources including [but not limited to] guided learning, team work and independent study.

Be distinguished from the threshold category as defined by the QAA (2007) by their enhanced capacity to develop and apply their own perspectives to their studies, to deal with uncertainty and complexity, to explore alternative solutions, to demonstrate critical evaluation and to integrate theory and practice in a wide range of situations.

Module Combinations

As part of this integrated form of assessment you will need to be studying both of the following modules.

Business Management

238SAM Contemporary Supply Chain Management

251SAM Consultancy Management Techniques

Learning Outcomes

This integrated assessment looks to achieve the following specific learning outcomes from each of the three modules:

Business Management

238SAM Contemporary Supply Chain Management

LO3. Understand and apply appropriate management frameworks which can be used for the planning and control of materials and services, from the viewpoints of quality, quantity and cost analysis. LO4. Understand the range of tools and techniques available to aid efficient and effective Supply chain managerial decision making.

251SAM Consultancy Management Techniques

LO1. Identify and select sources of data and information relevant to the decision making processLO2. Analyse and present information to support decision makingLO3. Communicate results of information analysis and decision makingLO4. Select appropriate tools and techniques to support managerial decision making.

Task

Consider the following hypothetical scenario in regards to Jaguar Land Rover.

As consumers and automotive manufacturers become more aware of environmental issues, the pressure to develop new alternative fueled cars has become of strategic importance.

Jaguar Land Rover is committed to meeting the needs of their consumers and therefore has taken the decision to add an all electric vehicle to their existing line up. To reach this objective, JLR will have to implement new supply chains. This report will focus on the creation of supply chain networks from internationally based suppliers to the UK.

You will have to gather information and subsequently make decisions regarding the location of new JLR suppliers according to decision-making systems.

You will have to:

Identify and select sources of data and information regarding suppliers (you will need to consider the entire supply chain)

Identify the legal requirements relating to the collection use and storage of data and information

Select and apply appropriate decision-making frameworks to support the selection of the suppliers

Analyse and present information to support the decisions regarding suppliers selection

Consider how the supply chain for the new vehicle may differ to previous vehicles at JLR.

Consider how quality, quantity and cost will be addressed when making decisions throughout the supply chain.

Analyse the role of the customer in the supply chain.

Identify and discuss potential areas of difficulties in the new supply chain, offering ideas for constructive solutions.

Introduction, Conclusion / Recommendations, and reference list all need to be supplied in your final report.

Instructions

Your report needs to be presented in full report format with all sections included.

Please ensure that your report contains:

Title Page

An Executive Summary

Contents

Introduction

Discussion / Main Body

Recommendations and Conclusions

Full List of References

The word count for each of the main report is 3000 words with roughly 1500 words for each of the two modules. Please note that material outside of this, such as your introduction etc, are not included in the word count but are marked. Please refer to the marking criteria for details of how marks are allocated and determined for this piece of work.

Please remember that this piece of work is integrated across two modules and therefore you should ensure that your introduction, recommendations, conclusions and reference list reflect this.

Submission date: 1st of May 2015 at 23:55 via Turnitin only.

Failure to submit work on or before the deadline will result in a mark of 0 being awarded in line with current University policy.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ THIS WARNING REGARDING PLAGIARISM

Assessments must be all your own work and must not have been copied in part or in whole from any other source, such as books or the internet, or from other students’ work. If you wish to use another author’s exact words in a short quotation this must be clearly marked up in inverted commas with the exact source given, including page number, so that the reader can clearly see which words have been copied and are not your own. Just quoting references used at the end is not sufficient.

Please see your course handbook or the Faculty website for more information on referencing and university regulations on plagiarism.

Background Reading

The below case study should be considered when beginning your research into JLR, it should however be noted that this information is relevant to the current state of JLR and does not reflect the hypothetical scenario that you need to consider for this assignment.

Case Study

1.0 JLR

www.jaguarlandrover.com

The Jaguar Land Rover PLC is a huge company and a key player within the automobile industry. The company operates indirectly and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors Limited. Jaguar Land Rover is built around two iconic British brands, Jaguar Cars Limited and Land Rover, which invent, engineer and produce cars in the UK with different target market within the industry. The former is branded as one of the premier producers of sports cars and luxury sports saloons in the world and the latter is a renowned producer of premium 4x4s all-terrain vehicles (Jaguar Land Rover n.d.). In addition, the company has attained a unique global image through a defined sales and distribution network of cars, related parts and accessories. The two top brands merged together in one world-class business, offers a portfolio of cars that are highly recognised as leaders in their sector. As a result, Jaguar Land Rover continues to falsify ahead in design excellence and technological innovation with the launch of its award winning Range Rover Evoque deemed as the “Car Design of the Year” (Range Rover n.d.). Other countries accolade for the Evoque includes ‘Auto Design and Styling’ and ‘Best SUV of 2011’ from Czech publication and Motor Press Editorial Group in Portugal respectively (Range Rover n.d.).

1.1 History

Jaguar Cars Ltd

Founded in 1922 by Sir William Lyons as the Swallow Sidecar Company, Jaguar Cars Ltd simply named in 1945, originated from motorcycle sidecars before moving into passenger car productions. In 1968, the company merged with the British Motor Corporation of which expanded the business’ operations. This gave Jaguar the opportunity to be listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1984 under the FTSE 100 Index, prior the acquisition of the company by Ford in 1989 for £1.6 billion.

After the purchase, the company became part of the Premier Automotive Group in 1999 collectively with HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin”Aston Martin and HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_Cars”Volvo Cars. Land Rover then joined the group after a year.

Jaguar has been known in recent years as a car manufacturer for prime ministers with the most recent one being the XJ model (Autoblog 2010). Also, the stylishly designed and luxurious Jaguar cars hold Royal Warrants from HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Charles (Motor Quote Direct 2011). Currently, Jaguar operates from the Whitley plant in Coventry and the Gaydon site in HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwickshire”Warwickshire where the cars are designed with a highly urbanized research and development centre since 1985 and the high-technology design and engineering centre since 2000 respectively. The Gaydon site also incorporate business functions such as Finance, Marketing, Sales, Human Resources and other services. The company manufactures from two plants which includes, Browns Lane which is known as the Jaguar veneer manufacturing centre since 1951and the Castle Bromwich which operates as the “Body in White Assembly and Paint, Trim and Final Assembly of all XJ, XF and XK model” (Jaguar n.d.).

The proximity of the plants enables the company to simply split the car body development from its assembly thereby creating a platform for a prompt manufacturing process. An additional plant which operates like the Castle Bromwich however, for Freelander 2 and X-TYPE models is the Halewood located in Liverpool. In order to offer an intriguing glimpse into the history of the company and create a positive public image, the company opened the Jaguar Heritage Museum which serves as a promotion centre and a home to about 160 Jaguar and Daimler displays from 1896 to the present (Jaguar n.d.). The museum was established in 1998.

One of flaws that Jaguar faced was the introduction of the X-TYPE to battle its rival, BMW 3 series, of which became a huge disappointment from their fans. The decision made by Ford to produce the car was based on Ford Mondeo’s platform. Jaguar’s X-type was described by customers as re-modelled Mondeo but their major drawback was the conservative styling and an uninspiring interior compared to competitors (Auto Express 2011). This resulted in the lack of sales hence losses incurred.

Land Rover

The company was founded by Maurice Wilks, chief designer at the Rover Company, who designed the original Land Rover through an inspiration from an American World War II Jeep used during his holiday (The Telegraph 2011). As a result, the first Land Rover was manufactured on a Jeep chassis. As part of its history, Land Rover was launched by Rover in 1948 and became part of the Leyland Motor Corporation in 1967 until 1968 when the British Leyland was formed after the merger of the British Motor Holdings and Leyland Motor Corporation. British Aerospace acquired the Rover Group in 1988 and six years after, BMW made an offer to overtake the company. The deal was successful and BMW became the sole owners of the company. The rapid change of ownership shows that the company was less profitable. To this effect, Land Rover was sold to Ford Motor Company in 2000 for £1.85 billion (3 billion euros) and became part of the Premier Automotive group (BBC 2010). Ever since Land Rover begun, the company has grown into a renowned brand which comprises of a range of four-wheel-drive models. The models include the series, defender, discovery, freelander, range rover, range rover sport and range rover evoque.

1.2 JLR Today

Jaguar Land Rover has undergone structural changes during its growth and development coupled with the rapid ownership changes elaborated above. The era has seen a recent divestiture by Ford when Jaguar became a financial drain on the company for years hence, making loss despite the £4 billion invested in Jaguar and Land Rover (AutoMotto 2006). Following the closure of Jaguar’s plant at Browns lane in Coventry, which led to unemployment issues, Ford decided to sell off Jaguar so as to reduce its costs and keep up with the rising competition in the US market (AutoMotto 2006). Although Land Rover was profitable, it did not have a huge impact on the company. In effect, Ford intended to use a ‘BOGOF’ strategy by selling Jaguar and throwing in Land Rover so as to attract buyers.

When the deal was announced, Tata, India’s biggest car vehicle maker showed an interest and negotiated based on the price and supply network systems. Ford and Tata agreed on a half price deal of £1.5 billion ($2.3 billion) for the two British marques in June 2008 (BBC NEWS 2011). The sale was crowned with a satisfactory statement from the executive chairman of Ford that it was “not a mistake” since there were rumors regarding the deal (BskyB 2011).

Apart from these rumors and the widespread scepticism in the market regarding an Indian company possessing Britain’s luxurious brands, other stakeholders were concerned about the takeover’s impact on the economy. This was partly due to the cost cutting measures taken by Ford, during the recession such as downsizing. However, Tata confirmed that there will be no significant changes instead, the takeover would enhance and expand their international presence and competition especially in the market of passenger cars. At this stage it is important to realise that although JLR was loss making company, Tata had 90% of their sales in the Indian market and looked to expand its market concentration internationally across different and customer segments and geographies. As a result, the company has penetrated into the UK market and emerging ones by acquiring the loss making firm. Aside the opportunities and strengths of the takeover, there were challenges faced by the entire Tata Group. Although the long term profitability of JLR seemed feasible to Tata’s management, a conflict of interest was demonstrated by shareholders’ dissatisfaction. This was mainly due to the negative market reaction of value investors when the takeover deal was announced.

Also industry analysts predicted that the major issues that could disturb the foresight of the company were the funding risks, currency risks and economic downturn in markets in Europe and America (IBS Centre of Management Research n.d.). In response to the issues at hand,  the global investment bank UBS stated that “This (the debt) could increase Tata Motors’ interest costs by Rs 650-700 crore per annum and reduce the earnings per share for 2008-09 by Rs 12-13, or 19-20 per cent (Business today 2011).” Standard & Poor’s assessment of Tata’s outstanding debt of $850 million for JLR purchase resulted in a downgrade of its credit ratings from B+ to B (Bloomberg Business week 2011).

As employees of JLR were not happy about the takeover due to the risk of downsizing, the company revived their confidence by signing an agreement with Unite, JLR’s trade union group, with the intention of safeguarding jobs for three years till 2011(Business today 2011).

The agreement included other packages such as pensions and sourcing agreements of which are very beneficial to the UK automotive industry. After some time, the company was at risk of shutting down some of its plants such as those in solihull, Halewood, Castle Bromwich and Coventry due to the 10 months loss of about £280 million in 2009 which is 32% fall in sales. Consequently, the government expressed its willingness to support JLR, stating that the company is a viable business with future prospects (BBC NEWS 2011). The management of the company, therefore, requested for £1 billion bailout.

This request was subject to the government’s scrutiny of which the business secretary Lord Mandelson added his thoughts stating that “The car sector – car manufacturing – is a centre of real excellence and competitive strength in our country” (Haymarket Media Group 2011). It is apparent that, the company could not withstand the competition at hand and was dramatically facing cash flow problems with the inability to meet their debt obligations as they fell due such as payment to suppliers and lenders.

The crowning victory that has long been waiting for was the renaissance of the JLR brand. Following a high degree of investment in research and development to rebuild the brand image, the classic and luxurious Jaguar XF and XK was revealed. JLR has invested more than £1 billion per year over the five forthcoming years to create thrilling and contemporary models that will, ultimately, fortify JLR’s position internationally. Subsequently, signs of immediate results were reflected where sales were up 95% and 25% for the XF and XK models respectively. This comprised of an increase in sales in emerging markets like China and India recording a 43% sales rise in China. Overall, JLR sales rose by 51% from £6.6 billion to £9.9 billion which was aided by a favourable foreign exchange rates. Annual profits of more than £1.1 billion were recorded. Ralf Speth, chief executive of JLR, said: “This is a solid performance but we must remain focused on delivering a strong, sustainable business model for the future (Dennis Publishing Limited 2011).” Professor Bailey of Coventry University Business School also added that JLR is focussing on doubling production over the next four years.

He also stated that car productions target for JLR has been set at 300,000 rather than 150,000 by 2015 (Birmingham Post.net 2010). This creates a platform for low-cost importers from India to penetrate the market.

References

Autoblog (2010) Cameron gets a new Jag to go with the new job [online] available

from < HYPERLINK “http://uk.autoblog.com/2010/05/13/cameron-gets-a-new-jag-to-go-with-the-new-job/”http://uk.autoblog.com/2010/05/13/cameron-gets-a-new-jag-to-go-with-the-new-job/> [26 July 2011]

Auto Express (2011) Jaguar X-Type [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/usedcartests/51848/jaguar_xtype.html”http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/usedcartests/51848/jaguar_xtype.html> [26 July 2011]

AutoMotto (2006) HYPERLINK “http://www.automotto.com/entry/fords-offer-buy-jaguar-get-land-rover-for-free/”Ford’s offer: Buy Jaguar, get Land Rover for free? [online]

available from < HYPERLINK “http://www.automotto.com/entry/fords-offer-buy-jaguar-get-land-rover-for-free”http://www.automotto.com/entry/fords-offer-buy-jaguar-get-land-rover-for-free> [26 July 2011]

BBC NEWS (2011) Tata buys Jaguar in £1.15bn deal [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7313380.stm”http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7313380.stm> [27 June 2011]

BBC NEWS (2011) Jobs warning at Jaguar Land Rover [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8121056.stm”http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8121056.stm> [28 June 2011]

BBC NEWS (2000) BMW, Ford seal Land Rover deal [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/761794.stm”http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/761794.stm> [25 June 2011]

Birmingham Post.net (2010) Jaguar Land Rover throws lifeline to industry supply

chain [online] available from < HYPERLINK “http://www.birminghampost.net/birmingham-business/birmingham-business-news/automotive-business/2010/10/22/jaguar-land-rover-throws-lifeline-to-industry-supply-chain-65233-27527020/” l “ixzz1VUY4Qxlx”http://www.birminghampost.net/birmingham-business/birmingham-business-news/automotive-business/2010/10/22/jaguar-land-rover-throws-lifeline-to-industry-supply-chain-65233-27527020/#ixzz1VUY4Qxlx> [21 June 2011]

Bloomberg Business week (2011) Tata: Still Reeling from Its Jaguar-Land Rover Buy

< HYPERLINK “http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/aug2009/gb20090811_307608.htm”http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/aug2009/gb20090811_307608.htm> [25 July 2011]

BskyB (2011) Jaguar Land Rover Sale ‘No Mistake’: Mr Ford [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://news.sky.com/home/business/article/16000406″http://news.sky.com/home/business/article/16000406> [27 June 2011]

Business today (2011) Ratan Tata: In the driver’s seat [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/ratan-tata-in-the-drivers-seat/1/1896.html”http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/ratan-tata-in-the-drivers-seat/1/1896.html> [20 July 2011]

Haymarket Media Group (2011) Jaguar Land Rover bailout [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/Jaguar-XF/236662/”http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/Jaguar-XF/236662/> [21 June 2011]

IBS Center of Management Research (n.d.) Tata Motors’ Acquisition of Jaguar and

Land Rover [online] available from < HYPERLINK “http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Business strategy/BSTR313.htm”http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Business%20strategy/BSTR313.htm> [20 July 2011]

Jaguar Land Rover (n.d.) Main Page [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://www.jaguarlandrover.com/index.html”http://www.jaguarlandrover.com/index.html> [25 July 2011]

Jaguar (n.d.) Jaguar Locations [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://www.jaguar.com/gl/en/about_jaguar/corporate/locations”http://www.jaguar.com/gl/en/about_jaguar/corporate/locations> [26 June 2011]

Jaguar Land Rover (2010/11) Jaguar Land Rover 2010/11 Annual Report [online]

available from < HYPERLINK “http://www.jaguarlandrover.com/pdf/2010-2011_annual_report.pdf”http://www.jaguarlandrover.com/pdf/2010-2011_annual_report.pdf> [26 June 2011]

Motor Quote Direct (2011) Jaguar Car Insurance [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://www.motorquotedirect.co.uk/jaguar/car_insurance.html”http://www.motorquotedirect.co.uk/jaguar/car_insurance.html> [26 July 2011]

Range Rover (n.d.) Range Rover Evoque wins Car Design of the Year [online]

available from < HYPERLINK “http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/careers/design_positions/view/store188/item213364/”http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/careers/design_positions/view/store188/item213364/> [25 July 2011]

The Telegraph (2011) Land Rover: The sands of time [online] available from

< HYPERLINK “http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/2751397/Land-Rover-The-sands-of-time.html”http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/2751397/Land-Rover-The-sands-of-time.html> [27 June 2011]

Marking Criteria

Assessment Criteria for Undergraduate Integrated Assessment level 2

FIRST70 – 100 The output is well structured and communicated. It is coherent and shows an excellent level of analysis and evaluation with clear signs of originality and insight. Has read and synthesised extensively beyond the immediately relevant reading. The final report is well laid out and successfully brings together all of three of the individual modules.

TWO-ONE60 – 69

The project has relevant content which meets all criteria set in the assessment booklet. Clear evidence of independent inquiry and critical judgment in selecting, ordering, analysing and synthesising. Has read the immediately relevant literature and to a great extent beyond. Has successfully linked the three module topics together.

TWO-TWO50 – 59THIRD

40 – 49

MARGINAL FAIL35 – 39

Some appropriate theory plus an attempt at analysis but with basic linkage between theory and analysis. Has read the immediately relevant literature and beyond. Some attempt at bringing the three modules together has been made.

Makes only a basic attempt to answer the questions. Lacks focus and only a weak attempt at analysis. Has read some of the immediately relevant literature. Lacks synthesis between the discreet topic areas.

Fails to understand the basic requirements of the questions. Essentially descriptive work showing only limited understanding and application of ideas. Little evidence of having read the immediately relevant literature. No evidence that relevant subject knowledge has been understood. Little attempt at analysis.

POOR FAIL

0 – 34 Poorly organised superficial description with virtually no understanding or analysis of the issues involved. No attempt at synthesis. No evidence of having read the immediately relevant literature or understood basic theory.

Section Maximum Mark Marked by

Introduction 5 Decision Making

Supply Chain Management 90 Supply Chain Management

Decision Making 90 Decision Making

Recommendations and Conclusions 10 Supply Chain Management

Referencing and Layout 5 Decision Making

Total Marks 200

Marketing

Students Name

Institution of Affiliation

Course Title

Date

The demographic characteristics of the people in my region show that a large number of individuals are of the old age. The highest population is between the ages 25 and above with the individuals above 65 years being more. Concerning income status, a significant percentage of people earn 25 k to 125 k. The highest proportion of the population is earning an income range of 50-75 k.

Considering the above factors, the marketing of health and beauty products would be more effective. Regarding the age, a large proportion of the population is above the minor age, and their bodies are still healthy and attractive. However, as the age increases, the more individuals get ill and at the same time tend to lose their attractiveness. At this point, most people will tend to use the beauty products such as creams to keep their faces smooth and attractive. Therefore, the market for beauty products will be highly successful. Healthies, illnesses are associated with old age, and therefore according to our population, a large group are above 65 years meaning that they are prone to diseases related to old age such as diabetes and hypertension. The sale of health products that are targeted to the old people will be much successful, and massive sales will be made out of it.

Regarding economic status, a majority of the people earn a considerable income, and therefore we can say that their living standards are good. Earning between, 25k to 125k implies that the people have disposable income at hand. The presence of disposable income suggests that the resident will be willing to spend on the products especially if they are targeted to them, or they fulfil their demand. Considering that health and beauty products are not expensive, more people will be attracted to the low prices, and therefore the health and beauty products will be disposed at ease.

Marketing Channel Management Reflection Essay

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Introduction

Marketing channels are a significant part of the product sale and consumption world. As opposed to the traditional focus of marketing on product sales and profit realization, companies today have also realized the importance on focusing on consumer needs. Technological advancement has made the marketing channels more efficient and effective. This essay will give a brief reflection on marketing channels, their evolution, and impact today. It will give a better understanding of the marketing channel details as well as the importance of channel partners.

Key Learnings from Guest Speakers

In B2B branding, it is important to focus on consumer needs. With this in mind, there is great importance in building a brand that is heavily impacting on customers, thus calling for authentic and purposeful product brands (Guest Speaker 4 MCM). This is basically going above and beyond meeting customer needs. The community and social impact is put into consideration too. This helps beat periods of economic crises.

Weighting of the channel flow costs varies from the manufacturer to the retailer and to the end-user. However, the retailer gets the highest weighting (Channel Flow Allocation Template). In light of this, the retailer gets rewarded as a measure to counter the heavier costs that they take on.

Considering that manufacturers do not usually sell their products directly to consumers, partners along marketing channels are required to ensure that product awareness is made possible through promotional activities (Lecture 10, week 11). In the process, the manufacturers and channel partners benefit while products reach the market. it gets easier especially with digital technologies.

With the new blockchain technology in the market, supply chain gets simpler and more affordable. There are multiple partners within the supply chain and the connection needs to be clearly established when goods are being shifted from one partner to the next (Brody, 2017). With this in mind, visibility and cost reduction are realized in the presence of blockchain technology. Losses are reduced to a minimum while greater value is realized in the process.

Middlemen, since time immemorial, have always been a significant part of the marketing channels. Even in the electronic marketing channel age, they still remain significant (Lecture 11, week 12). Technological advancements have resulted in greater efficiency and convenience, but human beings are still required to make these efficiencies possible (Lecture 9, week 10). The electronic channels have been effective in making it possible for consumers to personalize their needs while making decisions at their own pace. Interactions between consumers and sellers/manufacturers are easier, but middlemen remain important in responding to the growing customer needs.

Key Learnings from Course

The course presents various key learnings. A marketing channel directly or indirectly engages the source organization with focus on getting its products into customers’ hands. With increase in competitive advantage and technological advancement, companies ought to focus more on downstream activities, thus engaging customers more for maximum customer value (Lecture 1). The marketing mix directly relates to the marketing channel strategy. The realization of the strategy of each aspect of the marketing mix helps to realize and sustain the company’s competitive advantage.

A marketing channel requires participants for its effectiveness and success. The global and local markets recognize four participants, that is, manufacturer, wholesaler/distributor, retailer, and consumer (Bairstow & Young, 2012). Distribution tasks are focused on getting customer needs met. Technological advancements and modern marketing strategies have led to the birth and embrace of ecommerce, which has taken marketing and product sales a notch higher (Lecture 2). With digital marketing making need personalization possible, meeting customers’ preferences and satisfaction has become easier.

The marketing channel operates within the micro and macro environment, that is, the internal and external aspects. On both of these aspects, it is important to note the opportunities and threats produced in each aspect, thus forcing channel members to be active in identifying the aspects that work in the company’s favor and those that work against it (Lecture 3). The latter would then require coming up with strategies that would make these aspects favorable for the company, in light of the ever-changing environments.

The effectiveness in a marketing channel can only be achieved through positive interactions among channel participants, individually and organizationally. With the complexities presented within the complex channels, conflicts are bound to come up (Lecture 4). They can be positively, negatively, or have no impact at all. Conflict resolution is key to building a working social system, as long as power and roles are put to good use, with effective communication in play, thus leading to trusting relationships.

Summary

To conclude, manufacturers consider the best ways through which competitive advantage will be achieved through the marketing channels. This is an advantage for the consumers who end up purchasing quality products at affordable prices that would otherwise be non-existent in the absence of competitive advantage. With efficiencies resulting from technological advancements, channel partners ought to be highly innovative while ensuring that purposeful and authentic products are made available in the consumer markets. Branding, therefore, has to be done right to stand out, not only in the good economic times, but also during economic crises.

References

24713 Channel Flow Allocation Template24713 Guest Speaker 4 MCM

24713 lecture 1

24713 lecture 10, week 11

24713 lecture 11, week 12

24713 lecture 2

24713 lecture 3

24713 lecture 4

24713 lecture 9, week 10

Bairstow, N., & Young, L. (2012). How channels evolve: A historical explanation. Industrial Marketing Management, 41(3), 385-393.

Brody, P. (2017). How blockchain is revolutionizing supply chain management. Digitalist Magazine, 1-7.

Marketing

Students Name

Institution of Affiliation

Course Title

Date

The first thing that I would do is to do away with the brand name ‘Hydrox’, and the main reason is that the name is more of a cleaning detergent or something related and does not at any point relate to food items. Besides, the name does not associate the name with the Leaf Brand Company that makes the product. In my opinion, the best brand name would be ‘Keebler Cereal’ cookies. The name identifies the product with the owner company.

Regarding packaging, the logo below should be on the advertisement board and for every package to make it appealing and as well notify the customers what exactly they are expecting and this will significantly influence the product marketing.

Advertisement

KEEBLER CERIAL COOKIES TASTY AND NUTRIOUS

ENJOY THE REAL TASTE FOR THE REAL BRAND.

Marketing Communication short response

Content marketing is something I have recently learnt about and even experienced. This concept is very interesting because of the approach it takes. In my case, I found content marketing on social media. The content was about how easy it is to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and other body vitals by using simple homemade methods. The content spoke about the benefits of maintaining a record of one’s vitals without necessarily visiting the doctor. The presentation was very interesting, showing how the said design can help one to easily identify common issues. The entire time, the target was for one to purchase an app used with the smartphone including a monthly or annual subscription. Although I did not buy the product, I downloaded the app and even used the trial version for a week. The method of delivery was through social media, an area that easily allows one to see reviews and other user interactions. The benefits of this marketing communication is that it uses a funnel approach to draw sales. It also allows growth of the brand, its visibility, desirability, and credibility. The approach also aligns the target market with the relevant information and fosters word of mouth marketing from satisfied consumers. The main drawbacks of this approach is that the benefits presented earlier are not immediate and ay take a long while to attain. Additionally, content marketing requires a lot of resources and skills and is significantly time consuming. Lastly, the method can be hindered by the need to always find intriguing content and ideas to present on top of integrating marketing campaigns within the said content.

Name

Professor

Course

Date

Letter to the Instructor

The quality of the information that students always acquire from their learning institutions is always crucial n assessing the nature and competence of such institutions. Several institutions always use inappropriate books and learning materials to teach their students. Some of these materials may entail outdated information on certain critical issues. The use of such outdated books in teaching the students always impact negatively on the academic competence of such students (Davies, 37). This follows that such books may lack critical recent findings from previous researches necessary for enriching the knowledge of students. As such, students from such institutions may be half-baked, with lots of irrelevant information forming the bulk of their knowledge.

In addition, the nature of notes issued during class times may also affect the requisite information that any student needs. Notes that are outdated in contents, poorly researched and delivered to students may affect the students negatively in their quest for knowledge. As such, it is noteworthy to highlight that teachers and instructors should always ensure that the notes they give their students met the set criteria and goals of their respective institutions (Davies, 47). In addition, the instructors need to follow the papers delivered by the students for assessment keenly. They need to issue credible feedbacks to the students on regards to such papers to help the students adjust accordingly.

In this institution, the quality of education given to students is credibly astounding. The students have always been impresses with the nature of the notes issued by the instructors in class. These notes meet the criteria for success. The notes have been thoroughly researched and refined in such a manner that conceptualizing them is easy. In addition, the nature in which the instructors deliver their contents to the students is just but satisfactory. The instructors always issue out the notes to the students in a manner that makes the students take little time to understand them. This follows that through the intense training that our instructors underwent, they have mastered the different ways of delivering messages to their classes. In this manner, they do it with lots of mastery and prowess, making learning in this institution be easy and enjoyable.

It is of critical importance to note that the nature of relationship that students maintain with their teachers always influence the rate of conceptualization of the materials delivered to them in classes (Sharma et al, 35). If the relationship between these two distinct parties is worse, then the issue of teaching will also not go easy. As such, students will fail to conceptualize certain critical concepts. This may be considered a failure on both sides. As such, it is always the responsibility of such instructors to look for various ways in which such issues may be rectified (Davies, 83). However, in a situation where the relationship between the students and their instructors is good, learning becomes easy. This follows that students will develop a sense of liking, trust and faith. This makes conceptualization of the materials delivered to them by the instructors become easy (Sharma et al, 53). In this institution, the nature of the relationship that we share with our instructors is quite good. This has made us develop a sense of interest and liking to our instructors, thus making us conceptualize the notes delivered to us with relative ease.

The nature of the feedbacks that we have been getting from our instructors has always been quite informative. The feedbacks have always been encouraging, making us develop more trust and interest. They have helped us adjust accordingly with regards to their specifications. Some of these feedbacks have always centered on the nature of materials that we should be using on our studies, mostly the most recent works and books. This has helped us acquire the most up to date information on certain issues relevant to our learning area. In addition, we have been using the most up to date materials. This has ensured that we acquire the best information regarding the different study areas that we have been taught,

Therefore, it is critical to summarize that the nature of experiences we have had in this institution is commendable. We have had the best notes, delivered in the most appropriate manner by our qualified instructors. In addition, the nature of feedbacks we have been getting from our instructors have been quite encouraging and informative. Moreover, the learning materials we have been using are the most up-to date.

Works Cited

Sharma, Deepa, and Ravikala Kamath. Quality in Education: The Quality Circle Way. Delhi [India: Kalpaz Publications, 2006. Print.

Davies, B. (2005). The essentials of school leadership. London [u.a.: PCP, Paul Chapman Publ.

A CRITIQUE OF THE BRITISH CRIME SURVEY

The British crime survey (BCS) has its origins in two seminal studies carried out in America in the mid-sixties (Ennis 1967; Bidermann & Reiss 1967). They asked randomly sampled households if any person in the home had been a victim of crime within the previous year, and if the matter had been reported to the police. A similar study was carried out in London in the 1970s (Sparks, Genn & Dodd 1977). In both studies, despite the many methodological problems identified by the researchers, both governments were sufficiently persuaded as to invest in national large-scale surveys.

The BCS is one of the largest social surveys carried out in England. It is primarily a ‘victimization’ survey, in which respondents are asked about their experiences of crime. These are mainly property crimes of the household (burglary) and personal crime (theft from the person). The reference period for the survey is from January 1st in the calendar year preceding the BCS, up to the date of the interview. The reference period and the wording and structure of the survey have remained constant since its introduction in 1982. The BCS has been an annual survey since 2000/2001, before that it was bi-annual from 1982.

The survey sample for the BCS is 40,000 people aged 16 years and over, having initially been 15,000 people in the same age range. The exclusion of the under 16 age group in the survey has raised concern from both the NSPCC and several other children’s charities, that a great deal of crime against a vulnerable group is being missed and unreported. Genn (1982) also suggests that sexual and domestic crimes are under-reported in the BCS, however new touch screen computers for such incidents may help alleviate this concern. The survey sample for the BCS is collected from the postcode address file (PAF), which is in turn drawn up from the national census. Although the census is meant to be compulsory, the numbers of uncompleted census forms are increasing. Thus not all the population eligible to be included in the BCS will be included, these discrepancies do not fall into the realms of sampling error, as the numbers involved are relatively small in comparison to the overall survey. Comparisons between the sample proportions and the census proportions are therefore seen as a valid method of testing the validity and representativeness of the BCS sampling survey. The BCS has been criticized by Genn et al (1987) for missing people living in hostels, bed-sit accommodation and the homeless, who themselves may be some of the highest risk categories in society. A booster sample has been added in recent years of 4,000 ethnic minority people to see if their experiences of crime differ from those of the general population.

A questionnaire-based survey is used for the BCS, as it is the cheapest, quickest and most easily quantifiable form of research methodology for such large-scale social surveys. As Sellitz et al (1976) say ‘questionnaires can be sent through the post, whereas interviewers cannot’. A questionnaire also produces very quick and quantifiable data; it is relatively easy to transfer data into a quantifiable form. The BCS offers the respondent a very high degree of anonymity, which in respect of the delicacy of some of the areas covered in the survey is desirable to both parties. The questionnaire-based survey also cuts down the opportunity for interviewer bias and demand characteristics.

Perhaps the most limiting aspect of a questionnaire-based survey is the inability to prompt, probe and clarify certain areas of enquiry. The survey deals in absolutes, and doesn’t allow for human emotion and conjecture. The survey also relies upon the self-motivation of the respondents in participating in the survey. In this respect, the sample may not be adequately represented in certain sections of the community. Elliot and Ellingworth (1992) have suggested that in areas of high crime, the population become apathetic to crime, and therefore are less likely to complete a victim survey. The conditions under which the survey is completed may also offer cause for concern. Has the right person answered the right questions? Also have the questions been answered in the correct order? These questions may have a bearing upon the legitimacy of the collated data.

One of the main limitations with the BCS is the narrow field of categories that The BCS reports compared to that of official police statistics. The BCS does not calculate commercial or corporate crimes (shoplifting, vandalism and burglary) Kershaw et al (2001). White-collar crime, fraud and motor offences and so-called ‘victimless crime’ such as possession or drug dealing are also not included. To get a truer, purer overview of crime statistics, the police and BCS must agree a formula and categories on which they will both agree and accurately report. Hough and Mayhew (1985) have freely admitted national surveys are much less successful in obtaining certain information about some types of incidents than others.

Another criticism of the BCS was argued by Hazel Genn (1988) who pointed out the deficient way the BCS records ‘multiple victimization’. She pointed out that the BCS only allows up to six separate crimes to be recorded on each survey. This meant that multiple crimes such as domestic abuse and persistent harassment could only be counted as six crimes, and the rest were put together as one crime. These disparities were first highlighted by Spark (1977) in the recording of police statistics, and point to a ‘dark figure’ of crime which may in some circumstances be as much as eleven times higher than the official figures.

The BCS has been criticized by the left and feminist writers (Dobash & Dobash, Mathews & young, Genn, Stanko 1986-90) for distorting peoples ‘real’ experiences of crime. These concerns created several local crime surveys in inner-city areas. The focus of these surveys was to uncover areas of criminal behavior missed by the BCS, and to show how crime is unequally dispersed among the population. These smaller more focused studies found a disproportionate amount of crime concentrated in small areas. The studies also suggested that people in these areas were more likely to be victims of certain crimes, The Islington crime survey (Jones et al 1986) found that householders were 33% more likely to have been burgled than the statistical average reported in the BCS. The smaller studies also showed wide variations between sub-groups, and illustrate a ’fallacy of talking of the problem of women as a whole, or men, white, black, old, or youths’ (Young 1988). Instead he argues that criminological analysis should start with the subgroup in which people live their lives.

Another major flaw in the BCS is the categorization of crime; a minor or petty crime is counted equally as a major crime in the final statistics. This anomaly was pointed out by (Sellin and Wolfgang 1966) who created a weighted index for crime. They argued that by counting all crime as equitable, the perception of overall crime would become distorted. The perception of crime is something that cannot be addressed in a questionnaire-based survey. The perception of crime affects more people than crime itself. The fear of crime for the most vulnerable in society can mean a dramatic loss of quality of life.

The BCS is far from a perfect research tool, it has many flaws with the collection and presentation of the collected data. It does give a more accurate representation of the total numbers of crimes being committed than police figures, however the severity of many of these crimes is open to closer scrutiny. The politicization of the BCS has also meant that many people have lost faith in the whole survey. All parties pick and choose aspects of the survey, which suit the hot topic of the day. There seems to be no better way of collating so much data quickly than using a questionnaire based survey, it may be possible to use the internet with secure passwords, and however this is open to the same bias and demand characteristics as the current survey.

Bibliography:

BIBLIOGRAPHY

COLEMAN.C & NORRIS.C (2000): INTRODUCING CRIMINOLOGY, WILLAN PUBLISHING: ENGLAND

FINK.A & KOSECOFF.J (1998): HOW TO CONDUCT SURVEYS, A STEP BY STEP GUIDE. SAGE PUBLISHING LTD. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

GRAZIANO.M & RAULIN.M (2000): RESEARCH METHODS, ALLYN AND BACON LTD

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

MAGUIRE.M, MORGAN.R & REINER.R (2002): THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF CRIMINOLOGY (pp 348-359)

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS: NEW YORK

SARANTKOS.S (1997): SOCIAL RESEARCH

PALGRAVE PUBLISHING LTD: BASINGSTOKE: ENGLAND

Websites

http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/findingData/bcrsAbstract.asp

Accessed 02/10/2003

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,999641,00.html

Accessed 02/10/2003

HTTP://WWW.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/bcs1.html

Accessed 02/10/2003

http://www.socresonline.org.uk/2/4/3.html

A Culture Comparisons of United States vs. Indian and Vietnam

This paper outlines the differences in the cultures of the United States versus Asian Indian and Vietnamese cultures. I will look at these countries and make not only a comparison based on cultures, but also comparisons from a business perspective. Although there are many differences in general societies, some issues such as women in the workplace, and images in the media, stand across many borders.

Using the United States as my comparison culture I will first discuss the customs, beliefs, and values of Americans as a society. Americans value making something of their lives in terms of family, and work from an early age. As children we are told that we can do and be anything we want.

We believe that everyone has equal opportunity to go to school, find a good job, marry and live happily ever after. These ideas are actually far-fetched compared with reality, but still some of the beliefs we hold true.

Americans value achievement, personal success, and independence. We feel it is important to “climb the ladder” of success in the workforce and focus on constant improvement.

The following are a few of the values, and beliefs of those of Asian Indian decent. There is a heavy emphasis on family, religion and social issues. Under one roof it is not uncommon for a husband, wife and also the mother and father of the husband or wife to all be living together.

When a woman is married it is custom for the man’s family to take the woman into their home. Even after having children, or becoming able to support their family on their own, the couple will continue living as an extended family. Elders are seen as having wisdom, and dignity, very unlike the American culture where elderly are shunned and thought to be worthless.

Religion is an important part of many people in India. Indian people integrate religion to every aspect of their lives- from daily chores, to education and politics. Hinduism is the dominant faith; however Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism are also practiced in India. Each religion has its own dance, music, heroes, legends, pilgrimage sites, and even culinary specialties, which are all celebrated by various festivals though out communities in India.

Some of the social issues that concern Indians are the promotion of democracy, freedom from discrimination, independence of thought, and rights of women and children. The government and voluntary agencies have joined in order for the society to find ways to solve these issues and strive for equal opportunities for people from all income levels, and gender.

In Vietnam the some of the values, beliefs and customs deal with nature, scholastic achievement and family. Many businesses in Vietnam strive to make products that are environmentally safe and also produce goods with equipment that have “green” (eco/ozone friendly) trademarks. People will have more respect of those companies who place value in how their products are made and what goes into them.

Scholastic achievement is important to many Vietnamese and many are very strong and determined in achieving their goals. Their scholastic goals may be to finish a secondary education, or to attend a university and start their own business. Although not as focused solely on achievement as Euro-Americans, Vietnamese do have high hopes in scholastic and business arenas.

Family is also a strong value in Vietnamese culture. Large families are traditional and the elderly/grandparents are taken care of buy their children, or grandchildren until they die. Children are to live at home until they are married, at that point the woman will move in with the man’s family. Polygamy was legal in Vietnam until 1959; at that point only the first wife a man took was then considered his wife, all others were dissolved.

As in India, family also plays a large role in Vietnamese culture. In America it is often questioned why someone would chose to live close to his or her parents rather than break away from their family. Extended family simply is not a valued by Americans. Starting one’s own family may be a big importance, however remaining close to parents, aunts, grandparents, is not as valued.

Mary Kay-Dallas, Texas- beauty products

Company’s mission- Mary Kay’s mission is to enrich women’s lives. We will do this in tangible ways, by offering quality products to consumers, financial opportunities to our independent sales force, and fulfilling career to our employees. We also will reach out to the heart and spirit of women, enabling personal growth and fulfillment for the women whose lives we touch. We will carry out our mission in a spirit of caring, living the positive values on which our company was built. – taken from www.marykay.com

Mary Kay, being one of the leading cosmetic industries aims to give women not only a quality product, but to make them become active in the company. Following the American Dream, Mary Kay gives women the opportunity to not only buy products but also to become their own independent seller.

Women are told they can achieve a multitude of success ranging from financial security to the pink Cadillac. Mary Kay values achievement in women and the idea that anyone can go from mere “independent beauty rep” to head of her own team of representatives in a matter of moments.

Unlike the research I found from other countries there is no emphasis on eco- friendly or environmental practices. The website for Mary Kay showed pictures of women whom belong to many different racial backgrounds, unlike the other companies.

Ayurveda- New Delhi, India- beauty, skin products

Company’s Vision- Combii Organochem’s (company’s creator) philosophy of activating the body to help itself, so that healing and correction can take place from within, continues to spearhead the company, to attain with its Herbline range of products, a greater level of product improvement, quality enhancement and customer satisfaction. – taken from www.herbline.com

Ayurveda is a product line made by Herbline, which creates beauty, skin and hair products. This company values herbal remedies, creating products that are not tested on animals, and packaging their products in recyclable materials. With these strong values I also find it interesting that Ayurveda markets a skin lightener, which brings in more than $100 million dollar a year, but has also been a huge controversy recently in India.

The advertisements seen and major celebrities in India all are more highly praised and are given better roles based on how light their skin is. Although the company has strong environmental views, it is also contributing to a market that is causing many young girls to believe, the fairer your skin, the more beautiful you will be. That is very much the American culture, and I am sure our media influence on India has caused some of the insecurities of darker skinned women.

Ayurveda does have a diversity and opportunity statement that reads- We value diversity and have clear policies and procedures to promote equal opportunities in diverse cultures. We value employees from varied backgrounds as they enrich our culture and support our commercial success. Our group-wide Equal Employment Opportunities & Diversity Policy emphasizes that we recruit and promote employees on the basis of their suitability for the job without discriminating on grounds of race, color, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital status, or disability. We have clear procedures to promote and monitor diversity and the Board receives regular reports on progress and how best practice is shared across the group.

I’m not sure how recent this statement was written but it strongly relates the Affirmative Action laws in the U.S. Whether or not these are actually followed is another question. Companies may have these in place but still may not practice them.

Sai Gon Cosmetics-Ho Chi Mihn City, Vietnam-cosmetics

Company’s Vision- the Company promises to deliver products that meet customers demand about quality, prices, and timely delivery. The company will continuously improve products quality to satisfy the customer’s requirements. We pledge that all of our employees are properly trained to implement and maintain policy.

This company has strong values on making customers happy, and also to keep up with environmental issues in order to continually improve and deliver to customers a safe non damaging product.

This concept seems surreal as an American. I rarely look to see how the products I’m using are made, if they are tested on animals, or even if they are damaging to the earth. It really makes me feel ignorant and says a lot about society as a whole that we are more concerned with the actual product than with what goes into it.

I could not find any diversity statements within the Sai Gon Cosmetics website, although it does state that their products are exported to U.S, Australia, New Zealand, among other countries. I did find out that Vietnam celebrates an International Women’s Day, which I thought to be unique.

I interviewed Priya Mani, whose family is from India. Her father came to the United States to get his doctorate and he later flew back to India to be married. Priya lived there first fourteen years of her live before moving to the U.S. I asked her about life in India, and some of the major differences in the cultures.

Priya told me that the culture in India, despite what Americans may think, is very diverse. “There are so many languages and dialects, holidays and religions and it is almost impossible to detect where someone is from based on appearance. I know this is Americans favorite game, look at someone and guess, “Where is she from? She’s dressed a certain way and talks a certain way so she must be…” this is not something you can do in India, spot someone out and guess his/her whole background.”

When I asked Priya about religion and family I was shocked about how open she was to telling me her fears and thoughts. She went right into talking about her family’s own religious practices and a few secrets she holds.

“My family all go to temple, and I go because I cannot fight with them. But really, I have a boyfriend, he is white and sometimes he reads me the Bible. I had never heard things before like what I read in the Bible. I want to be a Christian, but know I cannot say anything to my family. My family thinks he is my friend; we’ve been together for two years. My oldest sister is engaged and she hasn’t told our parents. I don’t want to hide everything but I have to.”

“My grandmother, mother’s side, came to America shortly after my parents arrived. She speaks little English but I taught her enough to take the exam and become an American citizen. She is amazing; our family would be nothing with my grandmother.

Living in America there is so much more freedom. My grandmother and mother take painting and sculpting classes, my mother takes music lesson- a new instrument every week it seems! My sister and I both went to college. None of the opportunities would be open to us if we were still in India.”

Janine’s family came from Vietnam when she was only six, but she spends summers in Vietnam visiting family and is fluent in Vietnamese. Much like Priya, Janine talked about strong family ties and the closeness she feels to her extended family.

“I never really identified with my culture I guess until recently. Someone was looking at pictures in my room of my family and me and said, “What’s this, you were in the Peace Corps? Volunteered with a Chinese family?” That is my family. That’s when I decided to talk to my Ba Noi, grandmother, about my culture. I’m still learning a lot, but now I feel better connected to the rest of my family.”

“When I go to Vietnam my family who are still there all ask many questions about America, most of my family came in the early 1990’s but I still have some in Vietnam. And sometimes at my house I feel like I am in Vietnam. I will go home and all of my uncles, aunts, cousins, and my grandparents will all be there. I was recently in New York and a friend of mine said, “Let’s go to China town!” Are you kidding, I live in China town, just come to my house.”

“I know it sounds stereotypical, and this is my own family I’m talking about, but most of my aunts in American have opened nail shops, one in San Francisco and two in Tennessee. They all say to me, “Graduate College and come work in nail shop if you need a job.” I know they are just being nice but I’m not working in the nail shop after graduation. In Vietnam the most a woman can do is sell fruits, and vegetables is seems. Now, everyone comes to American because you can do anything, be anything you want. Sure there will be some people who tell you no, but really there are so many options.”

Writing this paper has opened my eyes to many things. I have always talked about white privilege in other classes and I knew it existed, but after do the interviews and researching the countries I realized how privileged I really am. To be able to work, date and marry where or whom I want is such a blessing.

I also realized that many of the stereotypes of Americans might actually be valid. We consume so much and rarely think about our actions or what we are doing to the environment. Each of the companies abroad had environmental issues as being very important, in the American company there was nothing like that stated.

This paper was a very good project, leaving our comfort zones to speak to unknown, diverse people is important. Everyone has such interesting backgrounds, stories all one has to do is sit down and ask. People aren’t mean, they aren’t rude, we are only scared to make the first move and start something. Now I know not to have that fear because maybe these people want to talk, but no one has asked them to speak.

Bibliography:

References

Carr- Ruffino, Norma, et al. Managing Diversity. People skills for a multicultural workforce. Sixth edition. Boston: Pearson Publishing, 2003.

http://meadev.nic.in/earthquake/culture/overview.htm, retrieved on 15 October, 2003

Sullivan, Tim. “Conflicted India debates light skinned bias.” Kalamazoo Gazette 8 October 2003

www.geographia.com/india, retrieved on 15 October, 2003

www.herbline.com, retrieved on 15 October, 2003

www.lonelyplanet.com, retrieved on 15 October, 2003

Mani, Priya. Personal interview. 4 October, 2003

www.marykay.com, retrieved on 14 October, 2003

Phan, Janine. Personal interview. 8 October, 2003

http://www.saigoncosemetics.com”

www.saigoncosemetics.com, retrieved on 14 October, 2003

Balance of payment

Student’s name

Affiliation

Course

Date

Explain the international balance of payments (BOP) and the reason for its use.

The international balance of payments (BOP) is a summary of a country’s record of all economic transactions made between the country’s residents and the world within a specific period. The economic transactions can be made by governmental bodies, firms, as well as individuals. The balance of payment transactions includes all the visible and non visible transactions within a country at a certain period of time. It accounts for all the demand and supply on foreign currency from foreign claims on a country’s currency. The records of transactions made within a country must be equal since any inequality shows that one country has acquired more assets than the other. However the international trade allows countries to acquire more than they sell or more than they can buy. This therefore allows countries to run into deficit or into surplus. A country that borrows more from the world runs into deficit while the one that lends more to the world runs into surplus (IMF, 2005).

Examine how surpluses and deficits in the balance of payments (BOP) affect exchange rates

The word balance of payments normally refers to the following sum: A country’s balance of payments is believed to be in surplus when consistently, the balance of payments is positive by a particular amount if sources of funds such as bonds sold and export of goods sold are exceeding uses of funds such as money used paying for imported goods and paying for foreign bonds bought by that amount. The BOP deficit occurs when the balance of payments is negatives thus when the former are less than the latter. The BOP surplus / deficit is accompanied by an accrual / loss of foreign exchange reserves by the government central bank. Current accounts are said to be dealing with the exchange of goods and services within two countries. The current account provides a measurement of monetary value for exports from a country and imports into a country. Whenever a country’s exports value exceeds the rate of the goods and services as well as it imports, then the country is said to have made a trade surplus. The current account is known to measures the value of an import and an export monetarily.

On the other hand the capital account is said to be measuring monetary flows within countries that purchase financial assets such as real estate, bonds, stocks as well as other related items. The summation of both the current and capital accounts adds up to zero. This entails that a country which runs a current account exchange deficit shall have an equalized capital account trade surplus. When a country spends more money on foreign goods/services then it is said to have a current account deficit. Net surplus of the domestic money that flows overseas finally returns in the capital account.

When a country increases domestic growth it is said to be holding its economic growth rate constant. Higher domestic growth rates, increases a country’s consumption of goods and services, and its income including imports. An increase in domestic inflation rate, and thus holding foreign inflation rates stable, shows that there are moderately higher prices for domestic goods which makes imports to be cheaper in comparison since their prices are not changed. In the capital account a country allows for interest rate which is the return on savings to differ and examine at how changes affect monetary flows. Higher domestic interest rates is said to increase the pleasant appearance of the nation’s financial assets to foreigners as they can make a moderately higher return by sending money abroad.

Summary accounts

Balance of payments is divided into two accounts thus the current account and the capital account. A deficit with in one account is coordinated by a surplus within the other account. The balance of trade is one part of the general balance of payments position of accounts. A Balance of payments surpluses / deficits can be attained by setting up the exchange rate. Surplus occurs when the balance of payment is greater than zero which means that the country is experiencing net inflow payments. When a country fixes the currency exchange rate to be lower than the flexible exchange rate equilibrium level will not only generate a balance of trade surplus but will temporarily generate a balance of payments surplus (Dwivedi, 2005).

Deficit occurs when the balance of payment is less than zero which means that country has a net outflow of payments. In case a country fixes its currency exchange rate higher than the flexible exchange rate equilibrium level will not generate a balance of trade deficit but will temporarily generate a balance of payments deficit. BOP surpluses and deficits are short lived since they are accomplished through forcing an imbalance in the currency flow of either into/out of the country. Below is an example of Balance of Payments for Northwest Queoldiola with deficit and surpluses tracked on current and capital accounts.

References

Balance of Payments Manual. (2005). Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund(IMF).

Dwivedi, D. (2005). International macroeconomics: Theory, policy, and applications (2nd ed.).

Hound mills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: MacGraw- hill

Balance of US Arms of the Government

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course Number and Name

Instructor Name`

Due Date

Balance of US Arms of the Government

In your opinion, how well does the constitution strike a balance of authority among the three branches of government?

The makers of the United States Constitution did not want to suffer from monarchy like the Britons. They, therefore, made a constitution that provided for a balance of power. This constitution contains checks and balances which everyone in leadership or authority must follow. The three arms of the government are executive, legislature and judiciary (Deudney, 1995). The president heads the executive arm of the government, and the bench is headed by the US Supreme Court and legislature headed by Congress.

The most powerful of all these three is the legislature. According to the union’s founders, this is because the power belonged to the people, and what the people decided was supposed to happen. Therefore, the people’s representatives should make most of the decisions about their well-being (Caplan, 1976). Therefore legislature, which is Congress makes some of the most critical decisions in the United States. This is because it has representatives from all over the states, and the decisions made are sound and suitable for the American people. The other parts of the government have their roles, which are checked and regulated by Congress. For example, the president cannot make decisions that directly affect the people without involving Congress.

This is the same for the judiciary system since Congress can do away with the president and Supreme Court justices out of office. This is because the people always have to final say, and Congress is for the people (Corrales, 2009). Therefore, there is a system of balance and checks that ensures that the people’s needs of the United States are taken care of properly without giving one branch of the excessive government power, which can be misused. The legislature cannot misuse its power since it represents the face of America, and every decision made is made following the peoples will.

References

Caplan, D. I. (1976). Restoring the Balance: The Second Amendment Revisited. Fordham Urb. LJ, 5, 31.

Corrales, J. (2009). Using social power to balance soft power: Venezuela’s foreign policy. The Washington Quarterly, 32(4), 97-114.

Deudney, D. H. (1995). The Philadelphian system: Sovereignty, arms control, and balance of power in the American states-union, circa 1787–1861. An international organization, 49(2), 191-228.