Holiday inn report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Holiday inn report - Essay Example There after Holiday Inn was found to cater to those needs. It offered the service standards such as air conditioning and ice makers at affordable room rates. These features made the hotels popular they started gaining recognition (Luckerson, 2012). His idea was to create a standardized hotel chain and offer it to other business persons for franchisee. The idea took off because of the evolution of highways and the increasing amount of travelers who were looking for a reliable brand with decent quality at an affordable price. Thus Holiday Inn follows the business the three legged Stool Business Model. Where the three aspects namely, people, process and tools are all important for the business to survive and each of the aspects are given equal importance. There are mainly two types of guests or customers in this scenario. The first are the corporate customers who travel frequently because of their business trips and the second type are the leisure customers who are mainly looking to spend some relaxing time away from work and home. Corporate clients are representatives that utilize the inn for gathering, business meetings and staying overnight. The holiday inn have had 50 years of gathering and meeting knowledge, they have an advantageous reputation for giving elevated expectations of service, whilst offering incredible worth for cash. The holiday inn gives space to any business occasion, if it being instructional classes, a significant meeting or may be a product launch. The clients expect a no fuss service as their principle goal is to work together. In the holiday inn 95% of the clients are corporate clients, they are there throughout the week meeting other individuals to examine business. Corporate clients may hold their Christmas and Easter parties in the lodging, so they need accessible rooms at those times. The holiday inn meets these necessities by verifying it gives the above. They likewise

MBA Corporate Governance And Responsibility Essay Example for Free

MBA Corporate Governance And Responsibility Essay Why did it take 10 years to bring Harshad Mehta to justice? What weaknesses in the financial markets allowed such abuse to succeed? Harshad Mehta’s scam was one which involved huge magnitudes, which is why it probably came into light in the first place.[1] Scams of smaller magnitude are happening almost everyday at the Bombay Stock Exchange but not coming to light. There are many reasons for this. Some of the major reasons are briefly discussed below. The Indian businesses have traditionally being family owned. Owing to concentration of money in a few hands, most people have concentrated on survival and security due to which the risking loving entrepreneurial skill has not developed much. Being family owned businesses, a lot of insider and sensitive information is often available to the owners and their relatives even though the company is technically a separate legal entity. Given this insider information and the relatively weak legal machinery, it is easy for the insiders to manipulate prices of stocks by large buying or selling. The reason outlined above also gives rise to the herd mentality i.e. if bulk activity is seen on a stock on a particular day in a particular reaction; people seem to trust it quickly believing that some one with insider and reliable information is acting upon it. This is what helped Harshad Mehta in pulling off the scam. Further, there are hardly any checks and balances on the end use of loans given by banks and other financial institutions. They seem to be satisfied by the reputation of the borrower and once they are convinced that he can return the money, the end use of the same whether for speculation or any other activity is hardly looked into. It took as long as ten years to bring Harshad Mehta to justice due to the combination of many systemic failures and procedural lacuna. Firstly, it is difficult to pin point in such a huge market as to where the first default or breach of law took place. Further, there are many procedural approvals that must be taken before the regulator can take any concrete action. The country’s civil procedure process is quite slow too, with many appeals available before an offender is finally convicted. Therefore, even high profile cases such as these often take several years before finally being disposed off. How can ethics in the boardroom be monitored and controlled? Ethics, in the first place, is a rather complicated and complex issue. There is no straightjacket formula as different situations would demand different measures. In the boardroom, where money is at stake, and everyone has their own business to mind, it is probably even more difficult. This has been a subject of considerable debate, and there are certain measures which companies should generally apply, with specific variations in accordance with the particular situation at hand. Some of these general principles are briefly discussed below.[2]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Firstly, there has to be strict avoidance of concentration of important powers and functions in a few hands. As can be seen from the Maxwell Affair of 1991, too many responsibilities in different areas of management are likely to be fatal to the company. Further, the delegation of power must not be absolute. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There should be checks and balances right upto the top level. At the top most level, where it is difficult to have checks and balances in a vertical hierarchy, the same should be had using a horizontal structure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Strong ethical base and principles must come in from the top and trickle down to the bottom. It is important that these principles are insisted upon, no matter how bad a situation a company is in. They should be introduced as non-negotiable to every new employee who joins, so that when he climbs the ranks in the corporate ladder, he is equally insistent about such principles. Gradually, a strong ethical culture is built. Is there a discernible difference between Enron’s fraud and Madoff’s appeal to elite investors? There is quite a discernible difference between Enron’s fraud and Madoff’s appeal to elite investors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Enron’s fraud was a clear case of lack of watchful auditing and poor accounting practices. The profits were terribly overstated and the accounts were shown to pose a rosy picture of the state of affairs of the company. The true state of affairs was not revealed to the shareholders and other stakeholders in the company. The auditors were cleverly deceived, and they too didn’t do any follow up action.[3]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Madoff’s case is a much more complex one than Enron. Madoff’s case has largely been seen as one which could never be expected, and therefore no laws are in place to remedy such a situation. Unlike Enron’s case, which can be foreseen, Madoff’s case was completely unique and innovative. Enron’s case has been foreseen by the law makers, due to which many laws are in place to keep in check of the same. Firstly, there are accounting standards and conventions which must be adhered to by all companies. Second, all companies are statutorily required to get their accounts audited so as to doubly ensure that they reflect a true and fair view of the affairs of the company. Although it has been said in a landmark decision, that an auditor is a watchdog and not a bloodhound, it can be said that the auditors failed to do an upto-the mark job in Enron and hence the scandal.[4]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, in complete contrast, Madoff’s case is so unexpected that there are no laws which effectively deal with such a situation. He used his reputation of being an expert at the Wall Street and a continued promise to offer secured and steady returns to swindle many high net worth individuals of millions of dollars. Such an exercise of personal confidence is difficult for the law to stop. Now, in retrospect, of course there are laws which mandate certain disclosures in case of any broker or person dealing on another’s behalf in the stock market. Further, there are investor awareness and know-your-rights campaigns by the regulator.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, another importance difference between the two scandals which essentially flows from the main difference is the solutions that they demand are very different from each other. What steps would you take as an independent director on the board of a company where you had reason to believe that fraudulent or unethical activities were being carried out by the high-profile company leader? First of all, being an independent director, there is a great amount of responsibility on my shoulder to ensure that such policies are pushed for, which make it near to impossible for fraudulent or unethical activities to be carried out by any individual in the company. However, if this was to happen, there would be a series of measures I would attempt to take. Firstly, it would be important to get the whole Board of Directors, or as far as it may be practicable, into confidence so as to ensure that the top level management is not divided on such an important issue. Once this is done, it is important to have an internal conference with the suspected offender about his objectionable activities. It is important at this stage to consider all possible solutions to the problem, as open action against such a person should be the last resort, given that such information is particularly sensitive, and it would adversely affect the reputation of the company, if it were to get leaked. Therefore, it is also important that only so many people are made aware of such a situation as are required. It is essential that the matter not be lingered, and damage control be the top most priority.   Again, every possible option should be explored including plea bargaining and settlement through mediation or negotiation.[5] The suspected offender should also be taken into confidence that full disclosure would be in his best interests too. No threat or action should be immediately taken against him, as then he might attempt to conceal the substance of the matter, which would be eventually then take a long time to be fathomed. Any severe action contemplated should be taken only once the issue has been fully resolved. Finally, once the issue has been resolved, there should be a fall back to see why such an event happened, and what can the company do in future to prevent it. The offender should not be let off lightly, as this may go on to set a bad example. At the same time, the best interests of the company in the long run must be kept in mind. REFERENCES Anonymous, â€Å"Harshad Mehta: A Scandal to Remember† f. www.casestudy.co.in (Last Visited 25 July, 2010). Anonymous, â€Å"Key Biscayne Connection in Madoff Scandal†, Key Biscayne Times, 23 July, 2010. Cathy Thomas, â€Å"Behind the Enron Scandal†, TIME Magazine, June 2002. Kevin MacDonald, â€Å"Is the Madoff Scandal Problematic?†, Occidental Quarterly Online, July 2010. Stephanie Maier, â€Å"How global is good corporate governance?†, EIRIS Report, Aug 2005. [1] Anonymous, â€Å"Harshad Mehta: A Scandal to Remember† c.f. www.casestudy.co.in (Last Visited 25 July, 2010). [2] Stephanie Maier, â€Å"How global is good corporate governance?†, EIRIS Report, Aug 2005. [3] Cathy Thomas, â€Å"Behind the Enron Scandal†, TIME Magazine, June 2002. [4] Kevin MacDonald, â€Å"Is the Madoff Scandal Problematic?†, Occidental Quarterly Online, July 2010. [5] Anonymous, â€Å"Key Biscayne Connection in Madoff Scandal†, Key Biscayne Times, 23 July, 2010.

Nokia Strategic Plan

Nokia Strategic Plan In this project I have covered various topics of marketing which are strategic planning, strategic planning process, the domestic strategic planning while the international strategic planning and also the difference among them. For more clearly understanding this topic I have also briefly discussed the case study of NOKIA. I have deeply studied Nokias strategic planning in India that is what all measures it took to grow and capture the Indian market. For understanding its international strategic planning and the reason for its success by properly implementing its strategic planning globally. Even the PEST, porters five stage model and SWOT of the company also made the concept and analysis more clear. Table of contents (jump to) 1.Introduction: Definition of strategic planning Definition Strategic Planning Process International/global strategy Difference between domestic and global strategy planning 2. Nokia Case Study Domestic strategy 4 Ps Marketing Mix of Nokia Porters 5 Forces Analysis of Nokia SWOT Analysis of Nokia 3. Conclusion 4. Recommendation 5. References Introduction Definition of Strategic Planning: Strategic planning is the process by which it maintain its competitiveness within its work environment by determining where the organization is and where it want to go, and how it wish to get there. In other words examining what all strategies will enable the corporate or association to prosper in the future. This definition applies to the largest profit oriented as well as to the nonprofit organization. Definition Strategic Planning Process: The strategic planning process is a rational approach firms use to achieve strategic competitiveness and earn above- average returns. Thus it is an essential most and foremost step in development of result based accountability system which is defined as the process of addressing the following questions: Where are we? What do we have to work with? Where do we want to be? How do we get there? These are the various steps involved in the strategic planning which has to be achieved or ensured one by one. The first step is to answer where are we? Thats where the company or the organization going to survey or conduct its activity. Then the next step is making themselves clear about on what they have to work thats their product or services. Then future knowing what is their future goal, where they want to reach and lastly planning that how they will achieve their goals. The Strategic Planning Process Mission and Objectives: Mission and objective of the business describes about the companies values and beliefs. They show what is the goal of the business for which it is working. The objective can also be in financial term as well. Environmental Scan: This includes the internal analysis of the firm itself which is done by SWOT analysis of the firm. While the second is analysis of the firms industry which is done by porters five forces model and third is microenvironment analysis which is done through PEST analysis. Strategy formulation: From the above scan the firm will get to know where it stands among the other firm. And then accordingly they have to make their strength into opportunity and also reduce their weakness and threat which can give them competitive advantage. This competitive advantage can be in form of low cost as well as differentiation. Strategy implementation: As and now the strategy is been prepared for the firm, so now its time to implement it. As and when it is implemented then only company can know how much successful is the strategy for the firm. Evaluation and control: The implementation of strategy must be monitored and tested and whatever necessary changes required should be made. Thus this process is done in following steps: Define the parameters that is to be measured Define target values for those parameters Then the performance measurement Compare the results from the targeted result Make necessary changes required in it. International/global strategy: An international strategy is a strategy through which the firm sells its goods and services outside its domestic market. The steps in international strategy are: Identify international opportunities Explore resources and capabilities Use core competences Strategic competitiveness outcome. The international strategy has two basic types: business level, corporate level international strategy. There are three corporate level strategies which are -multidomestic, global and transnational. Global strategy: is the strategy which assumes more standardization of product across country market. Thus global strategy is centralized and controlled by the home office. Difference between domestic and global strategy planning: Domestic strategy is basically defined when the company is been formed while the global strategy is defined when the company enters into the new market. Domestic strategy are the goal or the vision mission through which the company was been formed. While the global strategy are been decided according to the customers need, preference and the countries suitability. Domestic strategy is been fixed and rarely changes while the global strategy changes according to the need of that country. There are chances that the domestic strategy is similarly to global strategy while it can differ also. ( strategic management-ireland.hoskisson.hitt) The major challenges that international managers/marketer faces when strategic planning for the global markets:- The greater geographical dispersion across country border increases the cost of coordination between unit and distribution of product. Trade barrier of the global country also a major challenges for the managers. Even the cultural diversification and other differences by country like (access to raw material and different employee skill levels) greatly complicate the implementation of strategy planning for global market. Differences in consumer needs, wants, and usage patterns for products is also one of the major challenges for the manager during their strategy planning. Some time the religion of the particular country also affects the strategy planning of the company. This is also one the important challenge for the manager to understand. Nokia Case Study Domestic strategy: Vision for future: The main vision as stated on website and an punch line of Nokia Connecting people is now connecting people to what matters whatever that means for each person giving them the power to make the most of every moment, everywhere, any time. Connecting the we is more powerful than just the individual. Thats how Nokia is needed to help make the world a better place for everyone. (http://www.nokia.com) Strategy of company: The Nokia website states on its blog that To do this we will become the leading provider of mobile solutions. Our solutions strategy leverages one of our greatest assets a portfolio of outstanding devices, with unmatched scale and geographic reach. We couple them with smart services, integrated via an intuitive and seamless user experience. We differentiate these solutions offerings based on our in-depth consumer understanding, with a strong focus on social location (people and places). (http://www.nokia.com) Now NOKIA in India: The Indian market is huge and diverse and also undraped. As the rural India is the main unexploited which could be captured. But these rural markets have its own challenges in it. This brought Nokia to India and captures its huge market. Nokias marketing strategy planning in India- MISSION: The mission of NOKIA in INDIA is to provide the customer with the best durable, economical stylish and low cost cell phone with best feature for the common use of customers. MARKETING OBJECTIVES Maintain positive, strong growth every quarter by selling more and more no. of cell phone. Achieve a steady increase in market penetration To maintain its position of Indias no. 1 cell phone producing company. Maintaining its reputation. 4ps of marketing mix: 1. Product: Domestic strategy: Nokia in its domestic strategy had developed many model of cell which been updated time to time. Global strategy: The product Nokia brought for Indian market was more of user friendly and very durable product. As Indian market always demanded more of rough and tough mobiles which could be used and handled by every person. Even one of the main product features for India was that Nokia came out with the cell phone with torch in it. Which was a good strategy to attract the Indian rural market. As after the analysis Nokia came to know that 60percent of Indian population stays in India. And rural India is facing big problem of electricity. Thus this kind of torch in cell phones attracted the rural India So Nokia came with the product which was desirable by the market. 2. Price: Domestic strategy: The prices of mobile phones are comparatively according to the economy of the country. So the call rates in Finland are also comparatively high. But as there are very less competition so price of cell phone is high. Global strategy: The Indian mobile market has an over 170million subscribers making it the most cost effective player in this industry worldwide. More over India has the most lowest call rates and apart from this mobile phone calling from anywhere around the world is just two cents per minute, as in front of China it is four cents. The market is also aiming at immense growth. But so far Nokia is aiming at its Penetration-Led strategy which means having a mobile phone with every single person of the world. They are targeting at retaining their costumser which they have termed as replacement-Led. From a survey its been known that costumers in India tend to change their mobile phones very frequently. And whenever they come to change their phone are willing to pay an extra penny for a new upgraded handset. Thus in this way Nokia have managed to keep their price change as per the demand of its customers In India. 3. Promotion: Domestic strategy: Nokia is already a Finland company. So it is already a famous brand. Thus it does not require much of promotional activities to be done. Global strategy: Nokia made its promotion in various ways to capture Indian market. Among this the main focus was the rural market which was huge. Various film stars were been hired to promote Nokia. Even Nokia sponsored various cultural activities and sports activities and sports teams. 4. Place: Domestic strategy: In its domestic strategy it is already defined the places it has to cover. Which include whole of the country? Global strategy: For Nokia it was very important to keep a strong distribution channel so that the customer gets a product at right time and at a right place. Thus for this Nokia started its website, showrooms, marts and etc. Main strategy: The most foremost strategy for the company was to maintain the No 1 position in India among the cellular companies. This could be achieved if the firm keep on surveying the huge rural as well as the urban market. For the rural India Nokia adopted low cost strategy while for urban it adopted differentiations. Nokia external analysis | Porters 5 Forces Nokia a. Threat of New Entrant: Domestic strategy: there is low threat of new entrant. Because it is the first company of Finland with its big brand name. Global strategy: As Nokia has already built a good brand image in the Indian market. Thus it has a very weak effect of new entrants if any enters the market. Because Nokia has become number 1 as well as most reliable brand in the market now. So it will not be affected by any new players. b. Threat of the Substitutes: Domestic strategy: even in the domestic field there is no proper or exact substitute for Nokia cell phone. Global strategy: As in now there is no direct substitute available for the mobile phones and especially Nokias advanced feature mobile phone. c. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Domestic strategy: the bargaining power of substitute is low. Global strategy: As in now Nokia is been No 1 brand thus it holds a strong position in the market. So bargaining power of supplier is very low. d. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Domestic strategy: the bargaining power of consumer is moderate. When a new model is been manufactured it is thrown in the market. Thus consumer has less influence on it. Global strategy: As in mobile phone market is very price sensitive. Thus in that case the buyers demand and supply pattern matters a lot for the company. As it is been working under the assumptions of the buyers demand. Thus they have a stronger influence. e. Rivalry among Competitors: Domestic strategy: there is less competition. So rivalry among competitor is also low in this case. Global strategy: There is a high competition in this industry. There are many competitors like: Motorola, Samsung, LG and etc. thus it can be a problem for the company in the long run. SWOT analysis of Nokia: Strength: Nokia has the largest selling and distribution network compare to other mobile phone companies. It is backed with high quality HR and IT professional as compare to others. The financial part is very strong as it has much more profitable business. Wide range of product for all class. The re-sell value of its hand set is more compare to any other company. People trust it more compare to others. Weakness: Price offered by the company for few handsets is high. So products are not user friendly. Not concern about the demand of lower class people. Service center are very less and scare. After sales service is not good. Opportunity: It has a great opportunity in this huge. Opportunity to capture the rural Indian market. Most reliable company so people trust it more compare to others. India standard of living is also increases, so people are becoming more and more trend oriented. Threat: New players are entering with new features to attract the customers. Previously other companies were not providing user friendly mobile but now they have started meeting customers need. Conclusion Thus at the last I want to conclude the following points: The domestic strategy should always consist of future oriented goals. They should also have some or few global strategy also. When a firm enters a new market, its global strategy should be such that it should suit to the customers needs and requirement. Nokia case study helped to understand the global strategy. It also helped me to understand the various reasons and strategy Nokia adopted due to which it become no 1 in India. The main and the most important thing which Nokia kept in mind while entering the Indian market was its culture and values. Which any company should take care when it is entering into global market with its global strategy. Recommendation: When firm is going to enter a new market it should first study the global market. Proper analysis of the market should be done. The perception of the customer, their religion, there values all should be studied very well before entering into global market and before preparing global strategy. Thus manager good strategy can make firm earn more profit and vice versa.

Nike Nature Of The Business Marketing Essay

Nike Nature Of The Business Marketing Essay Nike Incorporation is the worlds leading sporting goods manufacturer. The company produces the sports goods all-encompassing: clothing, footwear, sports equipment and so on. The company headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon. Nike with its impressive performance impresses its founder; Bill Bowerman once said the sentence: As long as you have a body, you are world athletes, and Nike will continue to develop grow. Before the company became Nike, the original name of the company is Blue Ribbon Sports on January 25, 1964. The company then officially became Nike Inc. on May 30, 1978. Nike has been provided the best products to every athlete around the world. The language of movement is the Nike language. The company committed always to create every chance to show themselves after three years. Nike knows: The best products are only produced by the use of advanced technology. So, by the way, Nike put a lot of manpower and material resources for the research and development of new products.   Years ago, a lot of high potential athletes and sports teams around the world have been sponsored by Nike. The Swoosh logo and trademarks of Just Do It are highly recognized. Nike Nature of the Business NIKE, Inc. is a worldwide marketing which engaged in development and design for footwear, equipment and accessory products. It is approximately 18,000 retail accounts by sells its products in the United States. Nearly 200 countries are through a combination of independent distributors, licensees and subsidiaries. Although a few of the products are worn for leisure purposes, NIKEs athletic footwear products are still in specific designed for athletic use. All equipments for men, women and children have been designed and created by the company. Either is indoor or outdoor activities, NIKE have a good market shoes or clothes such as tennis, golf, football, volleyball, wrestling, aquatic activities, hiking and others. Active sports apparel like most of these categories are sold by NIKE, for athletically lifestyle inspired apparel. Objective of the Nike Nikes main objective is to build up all athletes of every different of level of ability to their potential with advance the products. Indeed, it is to create job chances for provide value in its shareholders apart from the competition. Besides that, their aim also is to maintain the costs down which driven by the intense competition. By the way, a lot of other companies also operate these low-wage countries within the athletics industry according on cost reason. Because of difficulty due to less developed countries, their ability is easily moved to become economically dependent on the corporations. Strategies of Nike There are four main categories of strategies of Nike to continue develop growth in this along the years. They are financial perspective, customer perspective, internal perspective, and learning growth perspective. Financial Perspective Growth strategy Focus on Emerging Markets (i.e. BRIC) Products in new niche activities New customer segments Productivity strategy Increase Asset Utilization : increase employee by 5% Reduce Operational Cost Customer Perspective Maintain Product Leadership Provide high quality innovative products Improve Customer Relationship and Service Launch 250-300 Nike retail outlets in next three years Improve image Nike Community for welfare manufacturing workers Align incentives of workers Internal Perspective Follow Cost Out strategy Reduce marketing spent 11% of revenue only, focus on local sport heroes Integrate New Segments Markets and their attributes with current processes like customer Improve Innovation Cycle With smarter and more intelligent customer feedback mechanisms through e-channels Implement CSR Expand its alliance with other non-profit organizations to work together Learning Growth Perspective Retain and Train key employees Ensure attrition rate is between 2-3% Improve IT Assets Enhance CRM, e-channel, social media platform Invests 2-2.5% Rev in IT Systems Create a customer centric culture Executive team to provide a strong and visionary leadership Targeting Market Nikes targeting market is for those who like the higher quality sporting goods, especially footwear. Therefore, Nike focuses on creating premium consumer experiences on product innovation, brand leadership and elevated retail presence. Nike also target market for their shoes, clothes, and other accessories are males and females, especially among 18 and 35 years old. Nike Company has expanded and dominated in the international market. Size of Nike The size or range of the Nike Company is increases throughout the years. The total number of employees of Nike Company is about 38000 people around the world. In 2009, the  company  had a net income of around $1.49 billion. They have offices in 45 different countries. Besides that, the number of Nike stores globally is 700 around the world. Types of products sold Nike Company has a wide range of sports equipment. The first products that Nike produce is track running shoes. Besides that, Nike also offers a range of shoes for sports like, tennis, golf, soccer, baseball, football, bicycling, volleyball, cheerleading, hiking and others. They manufacture  casual clothes, running clothes, yoga clothes, tennis clothes (dresses and skirts),  thongs, socks, caps, aquatic gear, duffel bags, sunglasses, skates, bats, gloves, womens sport bras, ice skates, roller blades, roller skates, protective gear, hockey sticks, hockey jerseys and many more small accessories. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Zoom_elite_2.png/220px-Zoom_elite_2.png Nike Pro Core Compression Nike brand, athletic shoes Nike brand, Tennis(Girls shorts) Services Nike Company has a great service which known as NIKEiD. It is a service that allowing customers to customize the products purchased from Nike. It must be through the online purchased. Besides that, The NIKEiD studios give customers have a great personal experience to work with. For iPhone and iPod Touch was released from the NIKEiD App on the iTunes App Store on 14 October 2009 to allow users to search products. Nike PhotoiD service is by taking picture or image with their mobile and sends to Nike so that new software designed will analyze the image, and then based on it designing a shoe. After that, an image of their desired shoe will be received by the customer. Lastly, they can choose to save the image or purchase the new design. Strengths and weaknesses of Nike Strengths Weaknesses Brand recognition High product quality Effective marketing strategy Capacity of innovation Strong distribution chain Strong RD Strong customer relationship Overseas manufacturing dependency Decreasing United States market share High product price compared to Adidas Currency exposure Medium retail presence Competitors Adidas is the major competitor to Nike Company. Adidas is about to launch a new innovative campaign praising the Team Spirit in sports. Any company that produces athletic footwear or athletic apparel is a  competitor  to  Nike such as Puma, Reebok(now is owned by Adidas), Asics, Under Armour, and so on. However, according to graph below, Nike Company is the best sells compete with others. http://cstl.syr.edu/fipse/TabBar/BldCirc/circlgif/fig17.gif Financial Model of Nike Since year 1997, Nike Companys revenues had plateaued at around $9 billion. Net income had fallen from almost $800 million to 580 million. However, market share in US athletic shoes had fallen from 48%, in 1997, to 42% in year 2000. It adverse effect of a strong dollar had negatively affected revenue. The management is concerned about the top-line growth and operating performance. To boost revenue, the company would develop more athletic-shoe products in the mod-priced segment- a segment that Nike had overlooked on the recent years. The company has also planned to push its apparel line. The company has planned to exert more effort on the expense control. Long term revenue growth target is 8%-10%. Earnings growth target is 15%.

Womens Progress in the Late Nineteenth Century :: European Europe History

Women's Progress in the Late Nineteenth Century Women didn't gain the right to vote until the twentieth century but great strides were made starting in the 1840s to help women on their way to winning legal privileges and responsibilities.   Below is rundown by year of the most important laws passed in England to try to help out the situation of all women, especially working and middle class.   Just imagine what life would have been like before these laws were passed.   We read all the time about women who complain about being helpless.   How often is that claim believed?   Women were practically helpless and almost completely dependent upon either family or husband in the eyes of the law.   Unless a girl became a wealthy widow or stayed a pitied spinster she had no chance of being independent.   But as you will soon see, the road to change is a rough and repetitive one.    1839- The Infant Custody Act is passed.   It states that any woman who can enter a suit and prove herself inoccent of adultery may have custody of children under seven years of age and periodic visitation with those under the age of consent (sixteen).   Of course most women weren't independently wealthy so they couldn't enter a suit and the act also kept justly, or unjustly, charged adulteresses away from their children with no similar provision towards unfaithful husbands. 1857- The Married Women's Property Bill (two versions)   One version of this bill declared that marriage laws needed a serious overhaul, that married women should have the same property rights as single women, and that women should have speedy access to the courts to gain protection for their property.   But this version dropped out of sight.   The other version didn't change the court system at all but did propose letting women control their own property after marriage, allowing them to dispose of it according to their will, and to apply the same inheritance rules to a deceased woman's belongings as to a man's.   This bill was approved on its second reading but dropped due to the passing of the Divorce Act the same year. 1857- The Matrimonial Causes Act- The Divorce Act, as it was called, gave courts the decision on who to award custody to.   This meant that women who had been found guilty of adultery could gain custody of their children if the courts   Ã‚  Ã‚   thought that was what would be best.

The West African Regional War Essay -- Politics Government Africa War

The West Africa Regional War For observers of the West Africa regional war, the recent calm in the war-torn Mano River Union (MRU) states Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea has given rise to optimism. Guarded, as this optimism might be, the decrease in violence in West Africa during the second half of 2001 is an important development given the scope and intensity of fighting that gripped these states earlier in the year. While observers agree that the current absence of widespread violent conflict in the MRU is a much-welcomed development, it must not mask the profound cleavages within these societies, the tenuous nature of the UN-imposed peace in Sierra Leone, and the continued serious threat of renewed warfare in the region. A brief overview of the horrendous and persistent conflicts that have engulfed the MRU over the past decade underscores the need for vigilance by the international community in its pursuit of lasting peace in West Africa. The past dozen years of violent conflict in West Africa have led to the death, injury, and mutilation of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions more. Conservative estimates place the total number of war-related deaths during the seven-year civil war in Liberia (1989 1996) at 150,000, more than 5 percent of Liberia's estimated population (SIPRI Yearbook, 1996). But this number only begins to tell the story of the horror that civil war brought to this small nation of 2.8 million [United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Human Development Report, 1995]. Hundreds of thousands more Liberians were injured, displaced, and terrorized by the conflict, and today the tiny state remains the hostage of its corrupt and brutal dictator, Charles Taylor. After the war spread into Sierra Leone in 1991, it had a similarly devastating effect. As in Liberia, armed insurgents preyed on the rural populations, raping, pillaging, and forcefully inducting children into their ranks. During the eight years of warfare that followed, it is estimated (conservatively) that over 60,000 of Sierra Leone's estimated 4.2 million inhabitants were killed and hundreds of thousands more injured, mutilated, and displaced (SIPRI Yearbook, 2001; UNDP, Human Development Report, 1995). The 2001 UNDP Human Development Report ranks Sierra Leone last out of the 162 nations rated on the human development index (HDI), a composite ... ...ll play in the future of the region. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Develop a mid- and long-term regional plan for West Africa that accounts for big-picture economic and human development trends. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Implement the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act as soon as possible and draft and then implement AGOA II, thus extending the number of products covered by the legislation. 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Buttress socio-economic development in Nigeria, the most populous and perhaps most important U.S. ally in sub-Saharan Africa. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cut off financial resources to warlords who gain sustenance from non-state profiteers like diamond and timber buyers as well as from state actors intent on creating instability to further their own political and economic goals. 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Continue military assistance to the key regional armies to professionalize them and build linkages with the United States. 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Speed up debt forgiveness, especially for those countries that play by the rules and are in the process of socio-economic liberalization. 12.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase aid to the region as an investment in stability, socio-economic development, and the creation of new markets for the United States and to help prevent state collapse.

Juno and the Paycock :: English Literature

Juno and the Paycock â€Å"O’Casey’s women in Juno and the Paycock are strong and admirable characters†. Juno and Mary Boyle’s lives aren’t very pleasant in this 1920’s play which is separated into three acts which contain a mixture of both tragic and humorous elements. Juno, the wife of Captain Boyle, is the mother of two children who are in constant need of attention from her. Furthermore, as the play continues this need of attention grows with the facts of financial difficulties, the pregnancy of Mary (daughter) and also her son’s, Johnny, death in the end. O’Casey clearly shows that Juno certainly has her work cut out for her, as she is not only the one person in the family who has a job, but also she is the house-wife and must render her family by making all the meals, going to buy the groceries, doing any form of house work and looking after the family in general. For example, on page 8 she says, â€Å"I killin’ meself workin’,† and also on page 12 she says, â€Å"Your poor wife slavin’ to keep the bit in your mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  these two references show just how hard Juno works to keep her family happy and alive. This is not made any easier when Mr. Boyle spends any money Juno has saved, in hope for any decent future for the family, on alcohol in the local pub. Therefore Juno cannot afford any type of luxuries for herself as she definitely does deserve it. The poverty is evident on page 12 in Juno’s comment to Mr. Boyle, â€Å"eat your breakfast†¦ it may be the last you’ll get for I don’t know where the next one is goin to come from.† But even this will not cause concern for Juno’s principles when on page six we learn that Juno is against Trade Unions, â€Å"When the employers sacrifice wan victim, the Trade Unions go wan betther be sacrificin’ a hundred.† Then Mary tells her that, â€Å"a principle’s a principle†, but Juno stays realistic and thinks well it’s all good and well having principles – if you can afford them. She is the one who seems to keep the family as a unit and this is evidently shown when Juno says, ‘I don’t know what any o’ yous ud do without your ma’. Juno is a well respected member of the family and might even be superior to Mr. Boyle and Joxer, a family friend, because when the pair is talking on page nine, Mrs. Boyle enters and both are said to be ‘stupefied’. After this, she offers him an egg, and he makes the excuse that he’s in a desperate hurry – this may be