Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Ethics - Essay Example Wrongful and unethical behavior in the business environment is not a new phenomenon; wrongful acts can be traced back at least two centuries ago. Since the 1970s, public opinion polls have communicated a steady decline in the public's confidence in America's business community, which has shown an infinity for breaking the rules (Gautschi & Jones 205). It is apparent that both the accounting profession and the corporate business world need to regain the trust that stockholders and other constituent groups should have in their ability to manage corporate affairs and conduct business in an independent and moral manner, while still successfully running their businesses. The numerous calls for more and/or improved ethics education illustrates that business students are seen as part of the problem and perhaps eventually as part of the solution (Rich 11-17). Whether ethics can be taught and how it could be taught has been the subject of much research. Many different modules and approaches have been identified in the research and scholarly literature. For example, Armstrong (77-92) exemplifies the code of ethics approach; Langenderfer and Rockness (58-69) focus on ethical decision making through an eight step model to evaluate ethical dilemmas; Rest (1-10), Kohlberg (15-25) and Gilligan (10-21) are relied upon for research focusing on the psychological or moral development issues, an approach that Hiltebeitel and Jones (37-46) and Poneman (185-209) have continued to focus on. Mintz (247-267) claimed that all of these models are useful tools of ethical analysis; however, they ignore the ethical considerations of the actor, focusing only on the act. He noted that it is the actor who is faced with the ethical dilemma and, therefore, it is the actor as agent who will

Learning theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Learning theories - Essay Example Behaviourism theory as mentioned are mostly two the classical and operant. Operant conditioning is associated with B. F Skinner while classical conditioning is associated with Pavlov. Cognitivism is associated with Chomsky while constructivism is associated with John Dewey among others (Taylor and MacKenney, 2008). The reflection will be based on the behaviourist theory by Ivan Pavlov. This theory examines learning through conditioning of children in the way of pairing the undesired with the desired. This would be very effective especially for a teacher who has a new class and would like them to follow a specific pattern of behaviour in learning. The new learning pattern of behaviour would be used in conjunction with the old behaviour of learning which did not seem to be yielding any positive results in the long run. Since there was the behaviour the students were used to and the results were negative and the new behaviour which the teacher wants them to learn which elicits no response, the two learning behaviours should be paired together over a period of time in order to yield positive results. With time, the new behaviour being used alone will elicit positive results and at this juncture the old and non-productive behaviour will completely be

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Ethics - Essay Example Wrongful and unethical behavior in the business environment is not a new phenomenon; wrongful acts can be traced back at least two centuries ago. Since the 1970s, public opinion polls have communicated a steady decline in the public's confidence in America's business community, which has shown an infinity for breaking the rules (Gautschi & Jones 205). It is apparent that both the accounting profession and the corporate business world need to regain the trust that stockholders and other constituent groups should have in their ability to manage corporate affairs and conduct business in an independent and moral manner, while still successfully running their businesses. The numerous calls for more and/or improved ethics education illustrates that business students are seen as part of the problem and perhaps eventually as part of the solution (Rich 11-17). Whether ethics can be taught and how it could be taught has been the subject of much research. Many different modules and approaches have been identified in the research and scholarly literature. For example, Armstrong (77-92) exemplifies the code of ethics approach; Langenderfer and Rockness (58-69) focus on ethical decision making through an eight step model to evaluate ethical dilemmas; Rest (1-10), Kohlberg (15-25) and Gilligan (10-21) are relied upon for research focusing on the psychological or moral development issues, an approach that Hiltebeitel and Jones (37-46) and Poneman (185-209) have continued to focus on. Mintz (247-267) claimed that all of these models are useful tools of ethical analysis; however, they ignore the ethical considerations of the actor, focusing only on the act. He noted that it is the actor who is faced with the ethical dilemma and, therefore, it is the actor as agent who will

Elevational Gradients in Species Richness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Elevational Gradients in Species Richness - Essay Example Decreasing richness, low plateau, low plateau with mid elevational peak, and mid elevational peak were found to describe patterns of species richness with elevation. Each pattern defines the ecology of each classified group. However, very little analysis on microbe diversity is included in the patterns evaluation. This could have been affected by various methodologies used in the study scale and data sampling. While local scale covers one elevational gradient and regional scale covers fields from the whole region, the sample site should not focus on one portion of gradient truncation of the mountain. Collecting a large number of samples would make prediction of species richness more relevant. The hypotheses on elevation species richness are based on, space, climate, biotic processes, and evolutionary history. According to SAR description of space, increase in area leads to relative increase in the number of species. This shows that diversity and elevation area have a very close relationship. Climate wise, productivity is controlled by climatic conditions. The condition affects population by controlling individual numbers hence showing that species richness and diversity have a positive relationship too. The relationship between diversity and biotic processes such as habitat heterogeneity, complexity, and diversity in this case has been estimated. Therefore, the hypotheses predict that areas with low extinction and high speciation are diverse. In my opinion, the article and the topic are perfectly related since knowing about elevational patterns in species richness is essential in the study of diversity. The topic indicates elevation gradients clearly also discusses the effect of latitude as well. I particularly like the methodological discussion part because it compares different methods used. It also points out the benefits and the drawbacks for each.

Research Plan Essay Example for Free

Research Plan Essay Background of the Study Solid waste management is increasingly seen as a major issue in the country due to high rates of urbanization and increasing per capita solid waste generation with greater affluence (Petnamsin, et al., 2000). A major component of solid waste is resin based plastic. Plastics posses many properties such as water resistance and long life, that makes them perfect candidates for packaging. Unfortunately, the properties that make this product suitable for packaging also are the major cause of the environmental problems related to packaging. Given the wide use of plastics, the magnitude of the environmental problem is large and long terms. The choices for dealing with this waste are limited as incineration of plastic polymers invariably results in the generation of toxic emissions (Srorith, et al., 2000). The only visible solution is to bury the material in landfills. However, this approach is also limited because of the resistant nature of plastic to biological degradation. Jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. is a popular fruit-crop that is widely grown in tropical areas. Often, its seeds are discarded because of the preferred well-flavored yellow sweet bulb for consumption. The seeds have high carbohydrate and protein content, hence, an abundant source of starch (Kurian, 2010). Starch is identified as a key natural product for the production of biodegradable plastic (Pranamuda, et al., 2006). Based on the above information, the researchers decided to do research work on starch-based biodegradable plastic from jackfruit seeds. Henceforth, there is a need to establish the additive property of starch from jackfruit seeds as scientific basis for its use in the production of biodegradable plastic. Objectives of the Study The study will aim to find out if jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.  seeds can be a main component in the production of biodegradable plastic. Specifically, the study will 1. determine the efficacy of starch from jackfruit A.heterophyllus Lam. seeds at varying concentrations as additives in the production of biodegradable plastic. 2. compare the mechanical properties between the produced biodegradable plastic from starch of jackfruit A.heterophyllus Lam. seeds, and commercially prepared plastic, polyethylene in terms of tensile strength, flammability, soil biodegradability and air test. 3. compare the effects of acids and bases and organic solvents between produced biodegradable plastic from starch of jackfruit seeds and commercially prepared plastic, polyethylene. Hypotheses of the Study The following hypotheses will be put forward: 1. There is no significant difference in the efficacy of starch from jackfruit seeds at varying concentrations in the production of biodegradable plastic. 2. There is no significant difference on the mechanical properties between the produced biodegradable plastic from starch ofjackfruit seeds and commercially prepared plastic, polyethylene in terms of tensile strength, flammability, soil biodegradability and air test. 3. There is no significant difference on the effects of acids and bases and organic solvents between produced biodegradable plastic from starch of jackfruit seeds and commercially prepared plastic polyethylene. Significance of the Study The results of the study would be beneficial and helpful to the manufacturing plastic industries because it would relieve negative effects of overproducing plastics. By changing its raw materials and components, commercial plastic may be improved so that it would become biodegradable while retaining its good quality. Moreover,this component from starch of jackfruit seeds would help in the natural decomposition of plastic raw materials. Thus, a convenient way of minimizing waste management problem in the country, more so, the high demand for plastics would give the world the hazard of garbage problem, therefore, utilizing starch from jackfruit seeds as component in the production of biodegradable plastics would be the relative answer. Scope and Limitations of the Study The study will focus only on the starch-based biodegradable plastic from jackfruitA.heterophyllus Lam. seeds. It will be conducted at the Physics/Chemistry Laboratory of Antique National School, San Jose de Buenavista, Antique from July 15, 2011 to September 30, 2011. The variables to be evaluated will be the effect of starch from jackfruit seeds at varying concentrations for the production of biodegradable plastic; the mechanical properties between the produced biodegradable plastic from starch of jackfruit seeds and commercially prepared plastic, polyethylene in terms of tensile strength, flammability, soil biodegradability and air test;the effects of acids and bases and organic solvents between the produced biodegradable plastic from the starch of jackfruit seeds and commercially prepared plastic, polyethylene. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) will be used as statistical tools to identify the significant differences among treatment means and their interactions at 0.01 and 0.05 levels of significance, respectively. Definition of Terms Biodegradable.A substance or property of the produce plastic in the study that can be broken down into simpler substances by the activities of living organisms for decomposition.  Plastic. An end product obtained mainly as a result of the study using starch from jackfruit seeds as main component mixing with other components for biodegradable formation. Starch. A complex carbohydrate extracted from jackfruit seeds and used in the study for the production of biodegradable plastic. Polyvinyl Alcohol. An odorless, colorless, tasteless, thermoplastic synthetic resin used in the study that is soluble in water and insoluble in common organic solvents.  Glycerol. A simplest trihydric and commonly called glycerin in commercial  form that is used in the study for the production of biodegradable plastic. CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE After cutting talahib pulps into very small pieces, they were combined with different chemicals such as polyvinyl alcohol, sodium hydroxide in aqueous solution, glue, and glycerol to produce biodegradable plastics with different amounts of talahib pulp. (Valdez, 2009). A study determined the effectiveness of cassava starch as component of biodegradable plastic. Results confirmed that cassava starch is ideal as tests proved its worth (Romero, 2007).  It was known that starch-based packaging materials are produced from extrusion or compression technology and have been developed as a substitute for polystyrene in producing loose-filters and other expanded items. The type of starch and synthetic polymer as well as their relative proportions in the blends may influence the properties of the resulting plastics (Sriroth and Sangseethong, 2003). Some physicochemical and rheological properties of jackfruit seed flour and starch, isolated from the flour were investigated. The flour had good capacities for water absorption and oil absorption. Flour from jackfruit seed was prepared by dry milling. It is high in protein and carbohydrate contents. The flour has good water and oil absorption abilities (Tulyathan, 2002). The range of possible applications for starch plastics is restricted by their sensitivity tomoisture and water contact and high water vapour permeability. The biodegradability of starch plastics largely depends on the biodegradability of the copolymer. High copolymer content can adversely affect biodegradability due to the complex interaction of starch and polyester at the molecular level (DegliInnocentiBastioli, 2002). Starch is unique among carbohydrates because it occurs naturally as discrete granules. This is because the short branched amylopectin chains are able to form helical structures whichcrystallize. Starch granules exhibit  hydrophilic properties and strong inter-molecular association via hydrogen bonding due to the hydroxyl groups on the granule surface (Daniel et al., 2000). Jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. is a popular fruit-crop that is widely grown in the Philippines and other tropical areas. The ripe fruit contains well-flavored yellow sweet bulbs which are consumed fresh or processed into canned products and seeds embedded in the bulb. Seeds make up around 10-15% of the total fruit weight and have high carbohydrate and protein content and are normally discarded or steamed and eaten as a snack or used in some local dishes. As fresh seeds cannot be kept for a long time, using them as source of starch is advisable (Bobbio et al 1978). Based on the above review of related literature, there is a need to conduct a study on starch-based biodegradable plastic from jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. seeds and because in all studies, nothing has been mentioned about jackfruit seeds as component of biodegradable plastics. CHAPTER 3 MATERIALS AND METHODS The flow of processes on starch-based biodegradable plastic from jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. seeds is shown in Figure 1. Collection and Preparation of Research Materials, Tools and Equipment The researchers will collect three (3) kilograms of jackfruit seeds from the source for two (2) days before the conduct of the study. These will be brought to the Physics/Chemistry Laboratory of Antique National School, San Jose de Buenavista, Antique. Technically grade ethanol, hydrochloric acid, acetic acid and sodium hydroxide, ammonia, distilled water, chlorine, polyvinyl alcohol, epoxydized soy bean oil, and glycerol will be obtained from chemworks, Inc.Jaro, Iloilo City prior to the conduct of the study. The other materials and equipment needed will be mortar and pestle, grinder, beakers, alcohol lamp, rolling pin, aluminum foil, stirring rod, molders, spring balance, double beam balance, tray, plastic cups, graduated cylinder, stopwatch, and hot plate. Research Procedure/ Experimental Design Three (3) kilograms of jackfruit seeds will be rinsed and washed in running water and will be air-dried for twenty-four (24) hours at room temperature. After air-drying, the seeds will be peeled manually. Then the seeds will be cut into smaller pieces and ground using an electric grinder. The ground jackfruit seeds will be added with water following the ratio 1:2, one (1) liter of distilled water to two (2) kilograms of ground jackfruit seeds. The mixtures will be placed inside the beaker for decantation for three (3) hours. After decantation, the supernatant will be discarded and the settling material will be collected and placed in an evaporating dish for the starch sediments to settle. This will be sun-dried for five (5) hours to let the water evaporate completely. After the evaporation process, the collected starch sediments will be ground using mortar and pestle until it will turn into powdered form. The produced starch will be weighed and placed in a sterilized container ready for experimentation. Measured amount of the water and jackfruit starch based on different treatments will be mixed and boiled using a hot plate at eighty (80(C) degrees Celsius until it will form into a sticky paste. After removing the starch-water mixture from the hot plate, the rest of the materials will be added such as polyvinyl alcohol, epoxydized soya bean oil, and glycerol. After mixing all the materials, the mixture will be heated again using a hot plate at a temperature of one hundred eighteen to one hundred twenty (118-120(C) degrees Celsius for seven (7) minutes. Then it will pass through a rolling pin and transferred to containers for sun-drying process until the plastic will be formed. The plastic will be cut into strips (3 cm wide by 5 cm long) for mechanical property, effects of acid and base, and organic solvents tests, respectively. The experiment will use five (5) treatments with three (3) replicates each. The duration of the experimental activities will be seventy-eight (78) days that will begin on July 15, 2011 and will end on September 30, 2011. The five (5) treatments that will be used in the study are as follows. Treatment A = 100 grams starch + 100 grams water + 100 grams polyvinyl alcohol + 2.5 grams epoxydized soya bean oil +10 grams glycerin Treatment B = 75 grams starch + 100 grams water + 100 grams polyvinyl alcohol + 2.5 grams epoxydized soya bean oil +10 grams glycerin Treatment C = 50 grams starch + 100 grams water + 100 grams polyvinyl alcohol + 2.5 grams epoxydized soya bean oil +10 grams glycerin Treatment D = 25 grams starch + 100 grams water + 100 grams polyvinyl alcohol + 2.5 grams epoxydized soya bean oil +10 grams glycerin Treatment E – Control – Commercial plastic (polyethylene) Gathering of Data The cut samples of the produced biodegradable plastic will be subjected to the following tests: Flammability Test. The strips of the produced biodegradable plastic and commercial plastic with the same dimensions will be completely burned using alcohol lamp and the burning time will be noted. Soil Biodegradability Test. The plastic strips will be stapled to a piece of cardboard and will be buried in a can of soil. The strips will be unearthed after a week and the final dimension will be recorded. Tensile Strength Test. The plastic strips will be hooked to a spring balance and will be pulled until they will tear apart. The reading of the balance when the plastic strips will break will be recorded. Effects of Strong and Weak Acids and Strong and Weak Bases.The plastic strips will be immersed in concentrated strong/weak acids and strong/weak bases for thirty (30) minutes. Changes in length, width, and appearance will be noted. Organic Solvent Tests. The plastic strips will be immersed in a bottle of  chlorinated water/ethanol. The bottle will be sealed so as to isolate its contents from the external environment. After a week, their final dimensions will be noted.

Johnson and Johnson Global Business

Johnson and Johnson Global Business In this report, we are using Johnson Johnson as the company for our strategic global business solutions project report. Introduction is formed as the brief background of Johnson Johnson. The focus of this report will be placed on JJs subsidiary Johnson Johnson, Group of Consumer Companies, Inc. Johnson Johnson. We will be focusing and relating this report on the baby product line of Johnson Johnson. The strategic initiatives of Johnson Johnsons skills, strategy, staff, structure, system and shared values will be discussed and examined in this report. We looked into their company functions so as to better understand them to enable effective decision makings. A political economic analysis is conducted to provide global risk insights for Johnson Johnson that is beneficial to JJ manage those risks as potential and risk. In relation to Johnson Johnson `s baby care products, Porter`s forces model is used to analyze the competitive advantage of the firm. One of the key understandings is that the middle-high rivalry is present with less number of competitors on Baby Care product line from competitor like California Baby, Simple. SWOT analysis show that Johnson Johnson holds strong competitive advantages after comparing its pros and cons despite of a few disadvantages of global standardization strategy. The growth strategy of Johnson Johnson will be selected based on both internal a nd external environment factor for the three years plan. These diagnoses are in reference to the SWOT analysis based on the company resources assets, intellectual property, and people. Lastly, the modes of entry will be affected by the several internal factors in this report. It comprises of internal requirement, technology know-how, management know-how as well as pressure for cost reduction. The recommendation part would provide several suggestions for the improvement of Johnson Johnson through the organization structure and Human Resource Management. Introduction We have chosen to work on Johnson and Johnson (JJ) for our strategic global business solutions project report for it is a global American pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. With more than 250 subsidiary companies located in 57 countries around the world and having its products sold in over 175 countries, JJ is a listed company evident with its listing among Fortune 500 and registering its stock with NASDAQ (NYSE: JNJ). With a diverse range of products sold in global markets, JJ adopted the business strategy of global standardization whereby there is limited customization needed for its products for focus is placed on having customers recognise and identify JJ as a household brand. Focus of this report will be placed on JJs subsidiary Johnson Johnson, Group of Consumer Companies, Inc. Strategic Initiative of Johnson Johnson Skills As Johnson Johnson is a global manufacturer with many subsidiaries on a global scale, JJ would hire its employees through a stringent process of selection and focus on ones performance. This implies that JJ recruits people of experience and ability with a global mindset hires third-country national (TCN), indicating that recruitment of people is mainly dependent on being consistent with JJs organizational structure. Strategy With the objective of market growth and maximizing profits in order to be responsible to their stockholders, JJ adopted the business strategy of global standardization. Choice of global standardization strategy is because JJs focus is placed on lowering costs and that there is limited need for customization of products for it generally the same other than slight changes in the products packaging. Staff The employees of JJ can be said to be well motivated to work for JJ has provided their staff with many incentives ranging from personal to performance benefits (i.e. annual incentive bonus, long-term incentive awards, and severance benefits). As JJ have high expectations on their employees, JJ sends their staff on regular employee training that clocks an average of 8 hours or more yearly (i.e. leadership development and management education in fields like finance and marketing). JJ also makes sure that their employees are motivated by giving them the right to voice ones opinion on company issues through JJs Credo survey. Structure JJs organizational structure is dictated by its corporate strategy. JJ initially adopted a decentralized approach to management but in the early 1900s, changed it to a more standardized approach for JJs top executives noticed that their subsidiaries are not well-positioned on a global platform to serve customers directly. The change in corporate management allowed JJ to mitigate limitations posed by the decentralization approach. One instance would be JJ having categorized all subsidiaries into three categories namely, consumer, pharmaceutical and professional. The chairman of each category is given the responsibility of identifying opportunities for leveraging services and expertise across companies in every market and the franchise managers assigned the responsibility of coordinating cross-company sales of a family of products (e.g. baby care products in US, France, Australia). The centralized management approach benefits JJ for it gives JJs top management a better view of its glob al operations and are able to effectively manage and integrate its global operations. This led to the success of JJ in being globally effective in terms of operations for cost of production is lowered in terms of reducing redundancies and duplications during the processing and manufacturing process. Systems In the business of health care, Johnson Johnson is inspired and united by a common purpose: to care for the health and well-being of the people they serve around the world. Caring drives the people of Johnson Johnson in their aim to make the world a better and healthier place through everything that they do. It is core to their business strategy and initiatives, the programs and partnerships which they build, the positions that they take on public policy issues, and their care for the environment. As the company moves forward, it continues to push the innovation envelope as coordinated activities under the centralized control, infusing superior technology and ingenuity into every product they make and every project which the company undertakes. The procedure of the JJ functions as a system in which build from within organization, as 95% of their people start at entry level and then progress and prosper throughout the organization. This not only creates many wonderful opportunities to grow and advance, it creates a special camaraderie among fellow JJers, many of whom came up through the ranks together. Johnson Johnson came up with this credo which speaks about their mission statements, views and their pledges to the customers and society. Robert Wood Johnson, former chairman from 1932 to 1963 and a member of the Companys founding family, crafted Our Credo himself in 1943, just before Johnson Johnson became a publicly traded company. This was long before anyone ever heard the term corporate social responsibility. WILLIAMC.WELDON is the chairman, Board of Directors, and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Johnson. He takes pride in the organization work procedures and describe their operation of their day-to-day work is about their response to the unmet needs of their patients and customers and also their response to the needs of their colleagues; their response to supporting the global communities in which they live and work; finally, their response to the call for research and innovation in health care. Style The parent company of Johnson Johnson which is Procter Gamble (PG) has been pioneering products in nearly 50 different categories and their baby product line will be the function in which this report will be focusing on. As the company moves forward, it continues to push the innovation envelope every day, infusing superior technology and ingenuity into every product they make and every project which the company undertakes. The procedure of the JJ functions as a system in which build from within organization, as 95% of their people start at entry level and then progress and prosper throughout the organization. This not only creates many wonderful opportunities to grow and advance, it creates a special camaraderie among fellow JJers, many of whom came up through the ranks together. This also explains why their hiring process is so rigorous. JJ `s system is as such that they are not just offering a job, they expect you to grow into one of their future leaders. From day one youll help develop or support exciting brands you know while working on projects that have a direct impact on their global, $61.9 billion sales in 2009. Shared Values Johnson Johnson`s management style of helping to shape and define what health and well-being means in everyday lives. Their products, services, ideas and giving now touch the lives of at least one billion people every day. They credit their strength and endurance to a consistent approach to managing their business, and to the character of their people. They are guided in everything they do by their Credo, a management document authored more than 60 years ago by Robert Wood Johnson, former chairman from 1932 to 1963, and by four strategic principles. Their company style is deeply rooted in their Credo and deeply in filtered into their employees and leaders. Johnson Johnson `s system is such that their overarching philosophy which guides their business is their Credo, a deeply held set of values that have served as the strategic and moral compass for generations of Johnson Johnson leaders and employees. Above all, their Credo challenges them to put the needs and well-being of the people they serve first. It also speaks to the responsibilities they have to their employees, to the communities in which we live and work and the world community, and to our shareholders. They believe their Credo is a blueprint for long-term growth and sustainability thats as relevant today as when it was written. The company behavioral style is that their values embodied in their Credo guide the actions of the people of the Johnson Johnson Family of Companies at all levels and in all parts of the world. They have done so for more than 60 years. These Credo values extend to their accounting and financial reporting responsibilities. Their management is responsible for timely, accurate, reliable and objective financial statements and related information. As such: They maintain a well-designed system of internal accounting controls. They encourage strong and effective corporate governance from their Board of Directors. They continuously review their business results and strategic choices. They focus on financial stewardship. Synergistic teams All of the above of Johnson Johnson `s skills, strategy, staff, structure, system, staff and shared value formed together and worked in cohesively to form a synergistic team of workforce that oversee the entire operation from sourcing materials ,production lines ,manufacturing to research and development (RD). It is seen as that a synergy is the energy or force created by the working together of various parts or processes. In Johnson Johnson, the baby care products are the result of synergy and quality reassurance as promise by the company. External Environment Environment cannot be controlled; therefore we should analyze the environment first then indicate the strategy that also reflects the organization structure subsequently. Political Economy Analysis The political economy of a nation defines the forms of interdependence amongst the political, economic, and legal systems, and also reflects they interact and influence each other. Political systems The system of government in a nation defined as political system which divided the 200 plus world entities into 2 dimensions that include the degree of collectivism versus individualism and the degree of democracy versus totalitarianism. More practically, individuals would be tied together to achieve the common or collective goals in the high context country, like South Korea, Japan, those people focus on the benefits of society and long-term relationship; individualism means democratic political systems and free market economies like Americans have free rights to vote in election. Myanmar, North Korea act as the totalitarianism that government absolutely controlled by one person or political party. Whereas, China exist the grey area that it has been a move toward greater individual free market economies, but the government is still a totalitarian dictatorship. If the political systems are high stable, the company would be decentralized; otherwise, the company would concentrate in the low stable situation. Although the political systems in say Japan (i.e. change in 3 prime ministers since 2007) is relatively unstable as compared to that of other Asian countries like Singapore, the Japanese government is more open in terms of local market entrance of multinational companies. Economic systems In market economy, production is determined by the interaction of demand and supply; besides, the government encourages free and fair competition between private producers, the representatives of governments like the Great Britain, US and France. The objective of command economy is the good of society; all businesses are state owned in command economy, such as Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia. India is the typical example of mixed economy in which certain sectors of the economy are left to private ownership and free market mechanisms while other sectors have state significant ownership and government planning. The company would decentralize in the consistent economy system or concentrate in the inconsistent economy system. Legal systems For a business that operates globally, understanding the different legal systems play an important role of the process. Legal aspects help to facilitate business operations so therefore it is very crucial and a necessity for international business operators to have an understanding of the different legal systems around the world. Companies must take into consideration the legal structures of the country in which they operate in. Globalization breaks down barriers between nations and bring nation together in a global platform. But increasing investment among nations also makes it more difficult for those in different cultures to understand the rules of other countries. It is important to follow the legal system of the country in which business is conducted or the government has the right to have legal actions taken should laws be not comply. International Business Laws Businesses operate in a world in which the laws of different governments and judicial systems might conflict as they originated from different cultures. It is therefore necessary to have a basic knowledge of the legal system and also understand how does business law impacts commerce in the companys own country and overseas. The impacts of international business on business law facilitate the inclusion of standards in their company regulations or operations that address these tricky and complex issues. Social cultural environment According to Geert Hofstede Cultural Theory, the global social culture roughly classify as 4 dimensions which considered as costs. Individualism versus Collectivism The individualism and individual achievement is common in the Western Countries, both positive and negative implementation in individualism. The positive side is showed in competition between individuals rather than collective groups and the person get pay-for-performance motivation to compete within organization especially in the dynamism of US economy that encouraged person to take chances and tried new things with unique ideas (i.e. Steve Jobs). However, the individualists just focus task-based, they cannot develop a strong and long-term relationship with others which is the advantage of collectivism. US, Canada Australia is the classical individualist representatives that are different from Asia (i.e. South Korea, China) act as collectivists. Power Distance The degree of acceptance of hierarchy or inequality exists among the organization, the higher power distance (i.e. Japan, Vietnam) reflect in the decision making by the seniorities and reward as the status, position and experiences; in contrast, the decision making and authority took by the task representative and pay-for-performance reward represented in low power distance culture like Denmark and UK. Uncertainty Avoidance The degree of tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguous situation, the low uncertainty avoidance reflects the high risk taker and adaptability of new things (i.e. Australia, Singapore); the high uncertainty displayed the low tolerance for uncertainty issues like France and Italy, those countries need the structured organization or rules to obey so that French and Italians are difficult to overcome the culture shock when they sent as expatriate managers. Masculinity versus Femininity Whether the differences of work in gender roles accepted in society, Japan and China should be masculine society; the jobs of gender are distinct and form a male dominant society and person more focus on financial and material possessions. On the other hand, gender roles are overlapping in the femininity country, such as Thailand and Finland, people in those countries focus more on quality of life. Therefore, in the femininity countries, the purchasing power of lifestyle is relatively high which point out an appealing way to Johnson Johnson develop. Overall analysis Those external environments provide global risk insights for Johnson Johnson that is beneficial to JJ manage those risks as potential and risk to take advantage of the relative international business strategy to form and adapt organization structure in the long-term. Competitive Advantages Posters Five Forces Degree of Rivalry The middle-high rivalry is present with less number of competitors on Baby Care product line, like California Baby, Simple; but Johnson Johnson is dominant in the Baby Care industry and the economies of scale so that the firm reflects less intense competition. The cost of competitive advantage and promotions are relatively high, like the advertising and discounts; additionally, JJ has over hundreds history and good image of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) result them remain competitive rather than leave the industry. Next, the high rate of growth display the middle-high competitive situation overall in the industry. Threat of new entrants The threats of new entrants should be low despite of low barriers of entry in the lights of low costs of set-up. The brand equity of JJ is relatively high and it has great impacts in the industry so that a large number of suppliers prefer to sign contracts with it rather than the new entrants that benefit for enhancing suppliers brand and engaging more profits, Lafes Body Care is an example of new entrant who launch a new baby care product line in recent years. In addition to the switching costs for customers, customers are keen on the brand with quality guarantee using for baby or not the less discrepancy of prices. Threat of substitutes Some baby care products from say Pigeon Corporation and Drapolene are suggested by doctors (i.e. responsible to babies), but lack in brand awareness recognized by customers as renowned brands and those products are not easier to buy or package of those products are not portable for customers to bring; compared with them, Johnson Johnson baby care products differ from they could be bought in almost of all supermarkets under the world-wide distribution channels and be convenient to carry about. Hence, threats of substitutes should be low. Power of Buyers There are a lot of alternatives for customers contribute to the high bargaining power of customers, especially for the price-sensitive customers, who are prefer to the high-quality products with the lower costs in the traditional theory research. However, JJs Baby Care products are considered as the essential healthy pharmacy products for baby by an amount of loyal customers. All in all, the bargaining power of customers should be low-to-middle as its healthy baby brand image formed in customers mind around the world, even the adult females prefer to but baby products to care their skins. Power of Suppliers There are thousands of suppliers to provide the materials, goods and services that allow JJ Family of Companies to manufacture products, supply offices and other facilities to service customers around the world. JJ committed to working with small and diverse suppliers in terms of their abilities to support its long-run growth objectives and add value to its business through providing the innovative solutions to their marketing, manufacturing and RD efforts. Even though the various inputs from the suppliers, the competitive situations also exist among suppliers and large amount of substitute inputs contribute to the low power of suppliers. Financial environment Analysis on JJs operation results is essential for it allows its stakeholders to gain an insight on how JJ is performing on the global platform and whether the management strategy employed needs to be consistent or changed according to future market projections. Looking at JJs net sales figures in the last 5 years (Appendix 1), gathered from JJs 2009 annual report, we see a generally consistent growth in its net sales. Though there is a dip in worldwide sales figure of 2.9% ($61.9 billion) from 2008, this can be accounted with JJs spending on research and development ($7 billion) as well as acquisitions and collaborations. Although this will cause a reduction in JJs sales margin, it will benefit the organization in the long-run whereby profits will be reaped upon returns on investment. Currently, JJ is expanding its operations in the BRIC countries (i.e. Brazil, Russia, India, and China) as well as other fast-developing markets. This should be a continued project of JJ for at least the next 3 years to maximize its profits and increase its global market share. This is inline with JJs organizational vision drive superior business results and sustainable competitive advantage. Internal Environment Value Chain JJs corporate vision, to maximise the global power of diversity and inclusion to drive superior business results and sustainable competitive advantage is in line with its corporate objective of profit and growth. Both JJs vision and focus has direct implication on its corporate structure. This is reflected upon the process within JJs value-chain. In terms of JJs organizational structure, Human resource management (HRM) plays a vital role in the direct success of JJ as an organization for it is the people, most valued asset, that contribute to achieving the goals and objectives of JJ. At present, JJ hires experienced and capable leaders to bring the organization to greater heights and JJ does not stop there. JJ provides all top executives in training which include leadership development and management education in fields like finance and marketing. JJ prioritizes on the professional development of every employee for JJ believe that they are capable in developing leaders within the organization by exposing them to diverse fields and giving employees heavier responsibilities to assess their ability. As mentioned above where staff motivation is important, we as consultants believe that JJ should continue to train their employees and appraise the performance of employees in the next three years. This is so that JJ would be able to make better use of their employees capabilities and talents and this will benefit the organization in the long-run when employees are loyal to JJ. Focusing on JJs consumer goods of baby products, the in-bound logistics ties in with operations before linking with outbound logistics, sales marketing and finally, providing businesses and consumers with service. JJs in-bound logistics would include the purchasing of raw materials needed for the manufacturing of baby products and storing the raw materials in various designated warehouses. Operations will then occur whereby factory employees would have to work along a production belt with the help of machines and maintain quality checks as well as bottling of baby products. JJ would then distribute the ready products into containers for shipment, in allocated warehouses or directly to retailers and distributors. To aid JJs employees in convenient dispersal of information to sales staff, they have made use of MultiAid to resolve all marketing resource management needs. This increases JJs operational efficiency and gives the organization a head start on asset management for product ima ge, captured data and distribution to retail trade communities is readily accessible to employees with one click on the computer system. With regards to sales and marketing, JJ advertises by relating consumers with real-life scenario whereby a mother bathes her baby with JJs baby products and having the statement of products for the ones you love. There are two types of service provided by JJ business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C). JJ provides its business partners and suppliers with business opportunities. This means that the degree of success experienced by JJ has direct impact and will benefit companies that do business with JJ. Consumers of JJ are exposed to gathering useful and relevant information when having purchased JJ baby products for JJ has formed a website (i.e.BabyCentre.com) and a online Baby Care Library to increase the closeness in customer interaction. SWOT Analysis Strengths (Internal) Weaknesses (Internal) Abundant financial resources Strong brand name Proprietary technology Respected brand image Wide product lines Economies of scale Committed employees Superior product quality Better marketing skills Good distribution skills Low customization Lack of flexibility Opportunities (External) Threats (External) Opening of foreign markets Rapid market growth Brand switching Demographic shifts Low barriers to entry Economic downturn Introduction of new substitutes products Rival firms adopting new strategies Strengths Johnson Johnson is a well-known healthcare brand which ranks No. 1 within the industry under one decade of its historical development with a wide variety of skincare products and superior product quality. Abundant financial resources are exploited by the RD department to employ the committed staff for creating and even innovating the hygiene products through proprietary technology and build up the respected brand image. Besides, it focus on product leadership excel at product development and professional skills so that it can offer customers the best products in the industry. As the facts show that, JJ expanded internationally around the world, like Asia (Singapore, China) that triggered by the better marketing skills. Additionally, the good world-wide distribution skills due to its global standardization strategy that allow JJ to generate great market shares by cost reduction that come from economies of scale and fast product development what based on stable relationship with local distribution agents and its respected brand image as well as superior product like baby care mainly. Weaknesses Global standardization is the main international business strategy to control cost but this also is its drawback that results in the low customization. In addition to the world-wide product structure, the managers lack of flexibility to face the challenge of changes in local markets. Opportunities In order to bring along the development of local economy, most of countries welcomes the international companies introduce their products to diversify the local economy. The increasing attentions of baby nurturance and its brand image prompt customers to purchase its products and grow rapidly in the global new markets. There is an opportunity to generate more market shares and enhance its brand image in the long-term in the lights of the rise in global demographic population reach to 7 billion that data collected from statistics of 2011, China and India act as the representatives; moreover, the superior product quality of JJ is the critical to attract customers switching from other brands. Threats JJ faces the threats of the low barriers to entry due to the low cost of set-up, and the proprietary product differences will be difficult to protect when the barriers are reduced so that the customers would switch to other brands more possibly. Another threat reflected by the economic downturn, JJ is difficult to manage the exchange rate risk under the global standardization strategy. Most important, JJ would be forced to stay at the passive threat that the customers would be attracted by its competitors and sales would be declined if rivalries adopting the new strategies. Outcome of SWOT Matrix Generally, Johnson Johnson holds strong competitive advantages after compare its pros and cons despite of few disadvantages of global standardization strategy. In another angle, JJ is able to switch the threats to opportunities in the lights of its calculus-based capability and resources. Growth Strategies adopted by Johnson Johnson There are both internal and external environments to be carefully evaluated when planning for a three years growth strategy plan for Johnson Johnson as what happen externally and internally will affect the company. These diagnoses are in reference to the SWOT analysis based on the company resources assets, intellectual property, and people. With careful consideration and by selecting market penetration growth strategy for a three year period, it will help them to gain more market shares through promotion and advertising from their strong marketing teams. Before planned the growth strategies, the firm should generate a lot of information about if the company is selling new, existing or emerging products in a new or existing market. From the diagnosis of the Porter`s model, understanding that the threats of new entrants are low and also credited to the high brand equity of Johnson Johnson, market penetration growth strategy defined by Ansoff is selected in the lights of situation that involves neither new markets nor new products, are forced to grow through this growth strategy. It is a strategy that is designed to give the business a greater percentage of market shares. Market penetration occurs when a company enters/penetrates a market with current products. This type of strategy usually seeks to gain a compet

Explication of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay -- Poems Poet

Explication of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" Prufrock begins his â€Å"Love† song with a peculiar quote from Dante’s Divine Comedy. It reads: â€Å"If I believed that my answer were to a person who could ever return to the world, this flame would no longer quiver. But because no one ever returned from this depth, if what I hear is true, without fear of infamy, I answer you.† In the Divine Comedy these lines are spoken by a damned soul who had sought absolution before committing a crime. I think that Eliot chose this quote to show that Prufrock is also looking for absolution, but for what he is unsure. â€Å"Let us go then, you and I, (1).† We are being offered an invitation into Prufrock’s world. As you read on you see what Prufrock sees and how he perceives it. Take for example, line 3, where he says â€Å"Like a patient etherized upon a table;†. On the line before he is describing the evening sky. Prufrock is feeling oppressed by the night sky, or maybe the world in general. The word â€Å"etherized† makes me think he feels helpless. Then you pass by cheap hotels, and restaurants with sawdust floors. Prufrock seems to be getting annoyed when he says, â€Å"Streets that follow like a tedious argument/ Of insidious intent† (8-9). Will these streets never end? Is it their goal to annoy me? Are questions I can imagine him asking himself. Then the whimsy kicks in. Do these streets lead to one overwhelming question? â€Å"Oh, do not ask, ‘What is it?’† (11) Prufrock seems to be pleading. Whatever you do, don’t ask me that question. There is no choice, whatever the destination, we must accompany him and we must make our â€Å"visit†. â€Å"In the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo† (13-14). We have arrived at o... ...t a bit obtuse;/At times, indeed, almost ridiculous-/ Almost, at times, the Fool† (112-119) Prufrock is describing himself as he sees himself. Honestly, and without glory. That is who HE is. In the next two lines we see his weariness with his current lifestyle. He just wants to sit back and relax. Not worry about what everyone else thinks. He has seen social bells sing to each other, but not to him. He has seen them come and go and grow old in style. That is not what he wants. â€Å"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea/ By sea-girls wreathed in seaweed red and brown,/ Till human voices wake us, and we drown† (129-131). We live in the delusional social world. Surrounded by beauties of all kinds. Eventually, the beauty fades and we realize what is important in life, but usually by then we are â€Å"drowning† or dying and don’t have the time to enjoy it.