Benefits and drawbacks of outsourcing strategies in the context of Essay

Benefits and drawbacks of outsourcing strategies in the context of attempting to improve the management of the supply chain - Essay Example It is outsourcing, as in off-shoring, which is a novel addition to contemporaneous supply chain management paradigms (Teece, 2005). While corporate experiential and empirical evidence pertaining to the outsourcing of some functions and steps within the totality of the supply chain management framework have fortified arguments in favour of the referred to business phenomenon, others have solidified opposition to it. Certainly, and as the experiences of both Nike and Dell Computers indicate, outsourcing has evolved into an integral componential element of the supply chain management paradigm, not only significantly reducing production and service costs while maintaining the integrity of quality standards but, it has significantly contributed to organisational capacity for efficient and effective operation and resource allocation. That, however, does not imply that outsourcing is not without its problems or that organisations do not have to contend with often formidable challenges prior to reaping the benefits of outsourcing. The failure of many organisations to do so, or to fully appreciate the importance of the o utsourcing planning stage, concomitant with a comprehensive articulation of the areas of supply chain management to be outsourced, and the outsourcing paradigm of each, should not be interpreted as evidence against the outsourcing of supply chain management functions. Instead, it should be more accurately understood as evidence for the exigencies of planning. 2. Introduction While popularly perceived of as a new phenomenon for which globalisation is held responsible, Domberger (2005) contends that outsourcing, as contracting, is a historical practice, solidly grounded in economic imperative and principle. As defined by Domberger (2005), outsourcing is best understood as a form of extra-contracting whereby, to reduce overall operational and manufacturing costs and maximise efficiency, firms and manufacturers have, traditionally and historically, contracting out specific steps in the work process, preferring to allocate work process steps according to specialisation, rather than the organisation assuming responsibility for the totality (Domberger, 2005).Outsourcing, from this definitional perspective is, thus, a cost reductive strategy, based upon the precept of specialisation. Concurring with the above definition, Sako (2005) maintains that outsourcing is the redesign of relationships within product manufacturing, organisational operation and supply chain management architecture. The components and principles of the aforementioned architecture have remained, despite technological evolution and innovation, the same but, the componential relationships within them have changed. Hence, while the supply chain management (SCM) architecture are still comprised of procurement, inventory planning, customer

Video Project Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Video Project Reflection Paper - Essay Example In our case, the whole concept of professionalism boarded on respect, both for other members as well as for oneself. The task and the entire project were daunting, and it took a toll on everyone’s schedules; without self-respect, we would not manage to get everything going within the stipulated timeframe. Fortunately, most of us were extremely focused and aligned with the project’s requirements. As such, we exhibited a great deal of professionalism with respect to the expedition. However, a little lack of professionalism still surfaced, at some point some would not complete their duties in time, but with the help of others, they were successful in the end. On the same note, members were highly respectful and patience with regards to the opinions of other members. Each opinion, regardless of how wrong it may seem, was accepted and later isolated with facts, and in a way that left everyone satisfied. In any situation where more than one person is involved, conflicts of interest are bound to arise. Likewise, our team had to struggle with conflicts resulting from different points of view. Working in a team is never an easy task; everyone has their opinions, all which have to be harmonized and integrated with the overall objective of the project (Schon 9). On this note I found myself in a tight corner- most of the time having to deal with a mixture of feelings. From the onset of the project, I felt somewhat awkward; some members seemed to dislike the tasks they were allocated. Furthermore, the team had to evaluate all the different opinions given by the members. As is not enough, the introverted team members who rarely contributed to the discussions felt out of place, and somehow unrecognized. To contain the conflict that could probably blow out of proportion, everyone was required to contribute each time a motion popped up. The collectively, each proposal was evaluated in a more c omprehensive and inclusive

Strategies to Motivate and Manage Employees

Strategies to Motivate and Manage Employees Introduction:- Motivation is one kind of behaviour of man which related with economics, psychology to qualified morality, initiation, direction, intensity and persistence with desire object, hobbies, goal and ideal activities. At present environment, success of any commercial organization depends on employees using their full talents motivation. There are available theories and practices, managers often view motivation as something which is mysterious to them. The core thing of motivation is to give people what they really want most from the work. The more the managers provide what they want, the more they can expect what they are looking for like productivity, quality, and services. A positive motivation philosophy and practice should improve productivity, quality, and service. Motivation helps people to achieve goals, to gain a positive perspective, to create the power to change, to build self-esteem and capability, to explore potentiality with creativity, to manage their own deve lopments and their own abilities. Description: There are few popular method of motivation, for example, An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is a way in which employees of a company can own a share of the company they work for profit sharing also one kind of motivation, scanlon plan, it is a type of gain sharing plan that pays a bonus to employees for incremental improvements, merit plan, gain sharing, annual bonus etc, these all are the way to reward people. Dessler discussed (1999), the scanlon plan is actually an early version of what today is known as a gainsharing plan, an incentive plan that engages many or all employees in a common effort to achieve a companys productivity objectives;any resulting incremental cost-saving gains are shared among employees and company. (588) According to Adair (2003), selecting the right man for right job, punishing the bad and rewarding the good, winning the goodwill of those under them, altering allies and helpers, keeping what they have gained, being strenuous and industrious in their own work (p.16). this strategy should be followed properly to get more from the employee.If we look at the disadvantages of motivation, actually there are no real disadvantages to successfully motivating employees, but there are many obstacles to overcome. Barriers may include unaware or absent managers, inadequate buildings, outdated equipment, and entrenched attitudes, for example: people might think that weare not getting paid extra to work harder etc. McGregors X and Y theories and Maslows hierarchy of need, although these theories date back some years, they are still valid today. the main theme of their theory, it will be helpful for building a climate of honesty, sincerity, and trust.Nickson said, (2007), performance management is about getting better results from the organization, (page, 169) People may want more status, higher pay, better working conditions, and flexible benefits. But it is easy to find out what really motivates employees by asking them in performance appraisals, attitude surveys, and informal conversations what they want most from their jobs. People might want, for example; more interesting work, more efficient bosses, more opportunity to see the end result of their work, greater participation, greater recognition, greater challenges, more opportunities for development, friendly environments, helps from others, respect and flexibility.Clearly one of the most important aspects of enhancing performance is perfo rmance appraisal.A recent survey by IRS (2005a) suggests that over 90 per cent of workplaces have some form of performance appraisal, Nickson (2007) Clegg (2003) said, It cant be so depressive that your staff, your peers, your boss, your friends and family can achieve more and yet they dont. Often all that is latching is the motivation succeed. Motivation is one of those terms that can mean very different things depending on exactly where you sit. According to the dictionary its about giving someone a motive or an incentive or rather more darkly, about inducing something. If I am motivating someone else, its easy to see that it is positive. Who can be motivated :-Anyone can be motivated and a trained up manager can be the one to do it. In fact, the potential for motivation starts with a responsible person .The cynical view of motivation is that it is a matter of subtle manipulation; that motivation is just a way of getting other people to do what you want them to do. Probably the hardest individual motivation is dealing with the high performer, some-one who is already doing the job well. So, why bother to motivate them at all? In part because of retention. Just become someone does a job superbly well, it doesnt mean that they want to stay in it. They are susceptible to outside lures that makes positive motivation to stay a real benefit for the company (page.4). Managers responsibility/role: Harzing (2004) said, there is an indication of a lack of commitment to the organization by employeesas as we have seen in the context of Africa (Blunt Jones, 1992).Corporations in Japan have been successful in harnessing the wider societal cllectivisism to corporate life, in order to foster commitment by employees in a reciprocal relationship with the corporation, (240) A manager should find someone doing something well and tell the person that the company is appreciating his work.. The manager should make sure the interest he showed is genuine which is without being bore or something just for showing people that he is interested to do this job . If the manager has ideas as to how employees work could be improved, he shouldnt shout them out, but help them to find their way to do more efficiently the same job because we know that, it is not necessary to be able do everything better. A manager should help to the employee to make it clear what levels of support employees can expect. The Manager should have proper trained up to be a mentor of the employee. they should know the position, time, situational demand to exchange any idea with them or any kind of teaching, training if required, sometimes managers need to keep silent, and wait for the proper time to teach or trained up the employee, because if every time managers try to teach them, it might be the cause of unexpected situation to the employee, so sometime managers should keep quiet to make a real situation to say something to the employee. According to Bell (1998), well timed silence hath more eloquence than speech (p124) The reason for Pay for performance, Dowling (2008) discussed, to increase the pay of those employees with superior performance, to reduce upward and pressure on base salaries, to detect those employees whose performance was unacceptable and take steps to remove them from the organisation (Page 351). A manager should be able to find out or identify factors that demotivates staff they may be physical like any kind of equipment, or psychological like boredom, unfairness, barriers to promotion, lack of recognition etc. Among these sorts of problems, some can be dealt with quickly and easily; others require more planning and time to work through. The fact that a manager concerned to find out what is wrong and do something about it is in itself a motivator. Working environment is one that is full of mistakes and penalizes error .Sometimes, it might happen that some mistakes promote as learning opportunities. However staff need to understand the kind and levels of support they can expect. Motivation practice and relationship building often hesitate because staff do not feel they are receiving adequate support. Many people say they are working for money and claim in conversation that their edge benefits are an incentive. But money actually comes low down in the list of motivators, and it doesnt motivate for long . Edge or fringe benefits can be effective in attracting new employees, but benefits rarely motivate existing employees to use their potential more effectively. Actually company should consider policies, that affect flexible work, reward, promotion, training and development, and participation, Dowling (2008). Rewards impact: As clegg said (2000), Reward people and recognition are important tools for any organization or work places .Reward can vitally enhance employees morality with explore potentiality through the organization and increase the realization of belongings of the employees. though a great deal of research has been conducted on merit pay, employees who have worked under a merit pay system have been given little opportunity to express what is in their mind about the job and what they think of this reward system. As the definition of merit, it seems relatively straightforward, for example, in the context of retention, promotion; since everyone who is meritorious can be rewarded, there is no need to compare different kinds of achievement. The paper reports on a performance-based pay plan implemented in a large company and employees reactions to the plan. Employees should have the right t to say their honest opinions on merit pay and indicate whether they believed the concept to be worthwhile. Th e reply was resoundingly positive, with forceful support for the idea of merit-based compensation. The effective use of money as a motivator, employees attach a high value to pay, employees believe good performance will result in higher pay, employees have enough control over the job and superior performance to more positive than negative result. Dessler (1999) told in his discussion, remuneration, benefits and rewards are ways in which an organisation recognises and remunerates its employees.Financial rewards such as salary, merit increases, benefits and employee bonuses can reinforce desirable or undesirable behaviours.For example, term based reward that have been well designed help to reinforce and encourage team behaviours.Individual recognitiosn by a manager as a, wel done;can be also help to encourage and reinforce positive behaviours.However, an organisation that encourages term based behaviours but rewards individuals will find it difficult to institute a teaming culture. (4 20). Reward system and designing In corporate culture where non-management employees earn raises through seniority only, there is always a group calling for merit raises. The common tendency to take it easy is greatly increased by bringing a number of men together on similar work and at a uniform standard rate of pay. When a naturally energetic man works for a few days beside a lazy one, the logic of the situation is unanswerable. A question can comes in the energetic employees mind that is why should I work hard when that lazy one gets the same pay that I do. that sentiment expressed in practically so many employees mind. But the fact is that their supervisors and co-workers do not share their self-assessment.Performance-related pay is a method of remuneration that links pay progression to an assessment of individual performance. Pay increases awarded through are Performance-related pay normally consolidated into basic pay although sometimes they involve the payment of non-consolidated cash, while the focus of this factsheet is individual, consolidated Performance-related pay as a means of pay progression, Performance-related pay can be defined more broadly to include many differing systems that link individual and group performance to pay, as for example bonus schemes, Dr.Gilam (2004). How a manager measure performance and what should be the strategy of rewarding strategy, in this case Dr.Gilam (2004)s opinion is, on first examination this model of strategic reward management seems highly rational, but it makes significant assumptions.First consider the main driving force of the rewads strategy.The business strategy and external operating environment Organisations business strategy Required employee behaviours Reward strategy Organisations core reward values Reward process Reward structure Internal Operating Environment Fig:-Key elements of reward system design Paying for Indivisual job performance is, for many organisations, at the heart of a reward strategy, this raises what for many employees is a highly contentious issue.the putting at risk of a employees think about pay in terms of base pay (Schuster and Zingheins, 1992): The fixed amount which traditionally has increased yearly to reflect inflation and often, length of service.Base pay will also change of course, upon promotion to a more responsible job.For some organisations base pay is of declining importance.This raises the question:how can the traditional reward objectives of attracting, retaining and motivating people be achieved while making the pay budget most cost effective.One of the key decisions that needs to be taken into account is whether to pay the variable elements as a lump sum bonus or to consolidate this into salary.The trend in the USA has been for variety pay to be one off cash bonus (Kanter 1987).This is hardly surprising given the cost saving that the organisati on enjoys.By not raising base pay, one-off cash bonuses do not affect future base pay increases or other associated payments such as overtime and, of course, pensions. (Page.436) However, in order for performance to be rewarded, it is first necessary to have an effective means of measuring that performance most commonly via a performance appraisal or review system. Using this approach, each employees performance is ranked on the scale, like ranging, for example, from unsatisfactory to superior. Some systems allow for management discretion in translating these scores into levels of pay rise. However, it is more usual for the performance element of the pay rise to be determined by the use of formula or a matrix system as an example each grade of employee, level of the employee or zone of work of the related employee to each of the performance categories. This may involve the use of a comparison ratio, this term given to the relationship between each employees current salary and the mid point of their grade. Thus for an employee at the mid point of their pay range, the comparison ratio would be hundred percent., Dr.Gilman (2004). Performance related pay in public sector: Considerable interest in linking pay to performance in the public sector dating back many years, this has proved harder to translate into practice. If we want to know the placeses where the performance pay does occur, as an answer, we will get the result is, it often takes the form of non-consolidated bonus, or team based incentives, individual merit pay etc. However, there have been recent years of a high-profile initiatives such as the introduction of a performance related pay scheme for employee, which has resulted in some discernible performance improvements. A number of distinct issues arise when introducing performance-related pay into a public sector setting, including the real difficulty of measuring individual effort in certain roles and actual result of the findings, Martin (2000). Moreover, public sector workers such as nurses, teacher, trainer are arguably motivated by a public service which could actually be undermined by some forms of performance-related pay, performanc e related pay in a public service setting can help employees to work more effectively rather than to work harder without a correct instruction, with the proper guideline which encouraging employees to focus on key objectives what they actually have to do.This is a very important part to perform at the best level .Again we can say that there are various forms of incentive pay and bonuses in the public sector, as an example, public sector workers do respond to financial incentives and, while responses are sometimes small, this reflects the fact that the incentives are also small. Any overall benefits to society in respect of higher levels of public service are harder to assess.So, whenevr the resposibility is small or less harder than other job, the incentives also become less, this is completely different in case of higher responsibility.The higher the responsibility the higher the incentive rate is. If we want to make effective Performance-related pay, employees need to perceive a c lear and prompt link between the effort expended and the reward that will be obtained, and it is necessary to feel that the level of reward on offer is based the effort. These are the main issues for employers implementing performance related pay, Martin (2000). The role of the higher manager is make sure to the effective implementation of Performance-related pay and necessary steps should be taken to involve this group at an early stage in arranging systems, and to ensure consistency and transparency while the management team assessing performance of the employee. Some time it can be happen that all managers make a certain proportion of staff as a group for each performance pay. The management should be careful in those serious, potential for unlawful discrimination for example by gender, ethnicity, discrimination. It is important for appraising managers to have proper training and awareness of these issues and for monitoring of merit pay awards to take place . Training and Development: Taining and practice can be helpful to perform very well., in this case Martin (2000) discussed, Reference information on matters such as employment legislation and training material on almost any business subject readily available through the interest and through the internet and through organisationss intranets.This means better informed personnel staff.When used for training, such material creater the potential for greater performance from all employees in their job areas. (page149) If we talk about distribution of pay awards, pay might not be the only motivating factor, even it might be proven that it is not so important for some kind of employees. The problem is occured during times of low inflation when the pay bill increase is usually limited to relatively small percentage. Even where the performance related pay may have a motivational impact for high performers, and it might be unacceptable to the people of the bottom performers, even they might be demotivated from that. Afte r a very careful assesment and careful consideration of pay distribution, the use of performance management techniques in support of performance related pay can help to tackle such kind of issues, it means it can be helpful for those who are bottom performer in the work place Martin (2000). In the case of identification of development needs, a major concern for human resource practitioners is that the when they will go for finalize the award like pay awards on the performance basis, review process may inhibit an open, clear and honest discussion of an employee, then training and development might be a needAs Armstrong (2006), in this case management development activities might need, the management development strategy will be concerned overall with what the organization intends to do about providing for its future management needs in the light of business plans.The startegy will be concerned with the roles of the parties involved and with the approaches the organization proposed to use to develop its managers. (pages 594-95) One solution is to separate the pay review aspect of performance measurement from the broader performance and development review. By arranging separate meetings some weeks or months to asses the performance of a employee and the development requirement can be set up.. But still it is ime-consuming in nature, the processes associated with Performance-related pay can be very time-consuming. In general, it is important to allow sufficient time away from day-to-day duties for managers and employees to be able to engage in the performance related pay process respectively. Armstrong discussed (2006), learning is the process by which a person acquires and develops new knowledge, skills, capabilities and attitudes.A williams (1998) defined it, learning is goal directed, it is based on experience, it impacts behaviour and cognition, and the changes brought about are relatively stable, (559). Performance-related pay is approaching to succeess, so an reliable and effective arrangements must be in place to define, measure, appraise and manage performance. The focus should be on encouraging high performance by effective performance management and appraisal systems and only this time higher on pay as an incentive to help achieve that goal. To create and maintain a sustainable high-performing workplace, the whole range of financial and non-financial rrewards or incentives should be be carefully planned to ensure that they are supported by Performance-related pay . If the manager cant afford significant pay differences between high and low performers, or if the manager believes that his staff is underpaid in relation to the cost of living in labor market, then he should postpone the implementation of merit pay for non-management employees, but it is in rare case. Instead of this, give everyone predictable seniority and reward the high performers with positive response, new resp onsibilities, and promotions will be more acceptable. A manager should put his managerial time and attention into better coaching and counselling of employees with performance problems, and more timely corrective action, including removal of poor performers who demoralize the rest of the workforce, or to find out the strength and weakness in the employee and find a solution to help them to come out from their limitations. Conclusion:- If the management is happy to implement merit pay, then they should separate the performance and pay reviews by at least several weeks or months. At the time of the pay review, management should set a pay decision on their performance which is progressing day by day or on progress observed toward the goals set in the performance review. Also the management should make sure that the pay ranges are wide enough to make the employee happy after winning the reward. In true sense, there is no pay system on earth that will satisfy all the employees. But a successful management team can have a pay system that supports their goal for a high-performing and motivated staff.. Thats why motivation is a basic and important tool for a commercial organization to go ahead with creative structure and innovative changing aspect of globalization. Reference: Adair, J (2003) Effective Strategic Leadership, Panbook, 2nd edition (page.16-38) Armstrong, M (2006), A handbook of Human resource management practice, Kogan page, UK, 10th edition, pages (559, 594-95) Bell, C (1998) Managers as Mentors, A bard press, Inc.production (page.124-135) Clegg, B (2000) Instant Motivation, Kogan page ltd.1st edition (page.4-25) Dessler (et.al), (1999), Human resource management, Prentice Hall, AustraliaPages (420-432, 588-590) Dr.Gilman, M (2004), The Management of Human Resourses, Pearson Education Limited, (Page.436- 4450) Dowling, P, Festing, M Engle, A (2008), International Human Resource management, Cengagae Learning, 5th edition (Page351-368) Harzing, A Ruysseveldt, J (2004), International Human resource management, Sage Publications, London, Page (240) Martin, M Jackson, T (2000) Personnel Practice, Cromwell Press, 2nd edition (page149-158) Nickson, D (2007), human resource management, Elsevier Publications, Uk, pages169-172 Bibliography: Barrett.R (1998) Liberating the corporate soul, Elsevier Prints. Cava, R (1990) Dealing with difficult people, Judy PiatkusLTd. Dr.Hunt, N (2007) Conducting staff appraisals, How to books Ltd.6th Edition Fowler, A (1998) Get more and more valu from your people, Crowell press. Forsyth, P (2001) Develpoing your staff, Kogan Page Limited. Fournies, F (2000), Coaching for improved work performance, R.R donnelly Sons company Fowler, A (1999), Good practice Induction, Short Run press, Exeter Leigh, D (1996) Practical Trainer Series, Kogan Page Ltd.2nd edition Mannering, K (2000) managing difficult people, How to books Ltd Rabinovici, M (1997) An expect eye on pay roll, International R D business education Ltd. Thomson, R (1998) People Management, Orion Business press.

Mother Daughter Relationships - Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Amy Tans Joy Luck Club :: Joy Luck Club Essays

Understanding the Mothers and Daughters of The Joy Luck Club  Ã‚   Amy Tan's novel, The Joy Luck Club explores a variety of mother-daughter relationships between the characters, and at some level, relationships between friends, lovers, and even enemies.   The mother-daughter relationships are most likely the different aspects of Amy Tan's relationship with her mother, and perhaps, some parts are entirely figments of her imagination.   Therefore, Amy Tan believes that ramification of cultures and tradition between a family can be burdensome and cause the family tree to fall apart.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the beginning of the novel, we hear Suyuan Woo tell the story of "The Joy Luck Club," a group started by some Chinese women during World War II.   June explains while remembering the memories of her mother, " 'We feasted, we laughed, we played games, lost and won, we told the best stories...we could hope to be lucky.   That hope was our only joy,' " (12).   The mothers grew up during perilous times in China.   They were raised to never forget an important outlook of their life, which was, "to desire nothing, to swallow other people's misery, to eat [their] own bitterness" (241).   For many years, the mother did not tell their daughters their stories until they were sure that their fractious offspring would listen.   By then, it is almost too late to make them understand their heritage that their mother left behind in China.   It seems that their family's legacy cannot seize their imaginations after years, decades, and ce nturies of blissfulness and sorrow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through the eyes of the daughters, we can also see the continuation of the mother's stories, how they learned to cope in America.   With this, Amy Tan touches on an obscure, little discussed issue, which is the divergence of Chinese culture through American children born of Chinese immigrant parents.   The Chinese-American daughters try their best to become "Americanized," at the same time, casting off their heritage while their mothers watch in dismay.   For example, after the piano talent show fiasco, a quarrel breaks out between June and Suyuan.   June does not have the blind obedience "to desire nothing...to eat [her] own bitterness."   She says to herself, " 'I didn't have to do what my mother said anymore.   I wasn't her slave.   This wasn't China' " (152).   Unbeknownst to June, Suyuan only hopes and wants the best for her daughter.   She explains, " 'Only one kind of daughter can live in this house.

State and Local Government Essay

What is Federalism? The United States has one of the most complicated forms of government in the world. With many levels and subdivisions, this form of government is called federalism. Within the United States, federalism is marked by a continuous change in the system of connections between the national, state, and local governments. At times, the different levels of government act independently and at other times, the levels became so entangled that it becomes impossible to tell apart the responsibilities of one from the other. Federalism is just one of the three main systems of power used by the United States. There are two ways, other than pure federalism, to organize power among national and regional governments. Pure federalism is also known as a federal system. In a federal system, the central and regional governments are divided in power and responsibilities, and the governments do not depend on each other for their power. Voters elect candidates into both the regional and central levels within a federal system allowing the United States to have a representative government, meaning that people elect representatives to legislate on their behalf. Another system of government is the unitary system. In a unitary system, power is concentrated in the central government. The central government then grants special powers to the regional governments. Voters elect people into the central government and then the central government assigns people to the regional governments. France’s government is an example of a unitary system. The third system of government is the confederal system or confederacy. In a confederacy, power is concentrated more in the regional governments than the central government. Voters elect people into the independent regional governments and then these independent regional governments grant legal authority to the central government. An example of a confederal system would be the Confederate States of America. The federal system describes the system of power that the United States has. This means that the regional governments (states and localities) and the central (national) government are independent equals. Because of this, the  federal system allows for these regional governments to experiment with policy. These experimental acts by the regional governments give them the label of laboratories of democracy. However, for some years now, federalism has been linked with the concept of devolution. Devolution is the process of powers and responsibilities being taken from the national government and given to the state governments, which clearly goes against the â€Å"independent equals† idea in federalism because states are gaining more power. This could be a result of the states abusing their power of experimenting with policy. Although states might abuse their power of experimenting, the actual practice of experimenting is considered an advantage. Experimenting is one of the many advantages of federalism. Federalism allows for flexibility among state laws and institutions as well as reduces complications because the states are able to accommodate citizens’ interests, which is shown by how much easier trade is now. Another advantage of federalism is that it enables the achievement of national goals, which is shown when the goal of creating an interstate highway system was achieved in the 1950s. Although federalism is full of advantages, it comes with a price. Unfortunately, federalism increases complexity and confusion, which could be a great inconvenience for people. Federalism can cause confusion between state and federal governments because of the vagueness of the exact division of powers among them. Federalism promotes the duplication of efforts and the reduction of accountability. It also makes it difficult to coordinate, which is shown when police or fire departments in different cities or states can’t communicate with each other. This was clearly shown during the Three Mile Island accident that almost caused a huge catastrophe. Another drawback would be that federalism creates inequality in services and policies. Federalism is not a perfect ideal, but rather it plays host to a balance of both advantageous and disadvantageous outcomes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, also known as FEMA, is a classic example of how federalism shapes policy. In trying to aid in the relief for hurricane Katrina, FEMA was unsuccessful in their efforts. They were not  able to communicate with state and local governments and coordinate procedures in providing relief. However, during hurricane Sandy, FEMA provided great help and relief for people because they were able to efficiently communicate and coordinate proper procedures. This shows how coordination can go from bad to good because of the resiliency of FEMA in federalism. Federalism in the United States has a Constitutional base. The Constitution grants powers to the different levels of government. Enumerated powers are grants of authority that are explicitly given to the federal government, meaning that they are written in the Constitution. One of the most important pieces in the Constitution is the national supremacy clause, which states that federal law takes precedence over all other laws. This allows the process of the federal government overriding areas regulated by state law, called preemption. Exclusive powers are also another set of powers stated in the Constitution. These are powers given solely to the federal government. The powers of creating and upholding an army and navy, declaring war, and regulating commerce are all exclusive powers. Education is run by the states because running education is not stated as an exclusive power. Another set of powers stated in the Constitution are concurrent powers. Concurrent powers are powers that are shared by both the federal and state governments. The right to tax, borrow, and spend are all powers that can be exercised by the federal and state governments. Implied powers are another set of powers given to the federal government through the Constitution. These powers are broad, but undefined, powers that were essentially created on the idea that not all powers could possibly be listed to meet the needs of the developing nation. These include the general welfare clause, the necessary and proper clause, and the interstate commerce clause. The general welfare clause gives Congress the authority to provide for the â€Å"general welfare†. The necessary and proper clause gives Congress the right to pass any law that they think is â€Å"necessary and proper† to help in carrying out the responsibilities of the federal government as they are defined in the Constitution. The interstate commerce clause gives Congress the right to regulate interstate commerce. These clauses have been broadly interpreted which, in result, has been giving Congress more and more implied  powers. While the Constitution has been shifting more power into the hands of Congress, there isn’t much stated for the state governments. It does, however, state the full faith and credit clause. This clause requires that states recognize each other’s public records and acts, meaning that contract, wills, and marriages that are valid in one state are all valid in all other states. In essence, this clause is the financial backbone of state and local government. Another clause that was stated in the Constitution for state purposes is the privileges and immunities clause. Under this clause, states are prohibited from discriminating against the citizens of other states. The Bill of Rights was also something put into the Constitution to promote individual and state rights by limiting the power of the federal government. The Tenth Amendment addresses the power of the states. It guarantees a broad and undefined set of powers be reserved for only the states and people. The Fourteenth Amendment also deals with specifying the powers of states. This amendment makes it so that the states cannot deprive individuals of the rights and privileges of citizenship and it also requires states to provide due process and equal protection guarantees. The Constitutional basis for federalism in the United States is a big part of its government. Federalism is not a cut and dry system, however. There are many different types of federalism. One of these types is dual-federalism. It is the idea that federal and state governments have powers and responsibilities that are separate and different. Dual-federalism is the midpoint between nation-centered federalism and state-centered federalism; nation-centered federalism being the belief that the nation is the basis of the federal system and that the national government should take superiority over the states, and state-centered federalism is the exact opposite. Advocates of states’ rights agree with the compact theory and believe in a government for the states. Whoever advocates states’ rights believes that states should be able to make their own decisions without any interference from the federal government. The compact theory is the idea that the Constitution represents an agreement among the sovereign states to form a common government. It  took the practice of nullification to an extreme back during the 1820s and 1830s. Eventually, national policies kept upsetting the southern states in the U.S. and that led to secession arguments. The concept that it is impossible for state and federal governments to have different and separate jurisdictions and that both those federal and state governments must work together is called cooperative federalism. Cooperative Federalism comes in different forms as well. The first form of cooperative federalism is â€Å"Layer Cake Federalism†. This form of federalism consists of delineated lines that separate federal, state, and local governments. â€Å"Layer Cake Federalism† is rarely used. The second form of cooperative federalism is â€Å"Marble Cake Federalism†. In â€Å"Marble Cake Federalism†, federal, state, and local governments are so thoroughly mixed with each other that they are impossible to separate from each other. This form of federalism is more common in the United States. The third form of cooperative federalism is â€Å"Picket Fence Federalism† or centralized federalism. Centralized federalism is the concept that the federal government should take the leading role in setting national policy, with state and local governments helping to implement the policies. Centralized federalism has shifted power from the states to federal government. The power shift can be seen through grants given to the state governments by the federal government The federal government supplies many different forms of grants-in-aid. The first form is a categorical grant, which is money given for specific programs, leaving the state and local governments with little discretion on how to spend it. The second form of a grant-in-aid is a general revenue sharing grant. These grants come with few constraints and they leave the state or locality with almost complete discretion over how they want to spend the money. All grants given by the federal government come with constraints crosscutting requirements. Crossover sanctions are federal requirements that mandate the grant recipients to pass and implement certain laws or principles as a condition of receiving the fund. Sometimes the federal government issues action-requiring direct orders to the states and localities but don’t provide any financial support for that action. These  orders are called unfunded mandates. These grants have all helped in shifting power from the state governments to the federal governments, but there has been a new form of federalism that has been shifting power back to the state governments. This form of federalism is called new federalism. New federalism is the belief that states should receive more power and authority and less money from the federal government. Block grants were the type of grants that were preferred in new federalism. They are federal grants-in-aid that are given for general policy areas and leave states and localities with wide discretion on how to spend the money within the designated policy area. Unlike new federalism, ad hoc federalism is a form of government that could differ from time to time. Ad hoc federalism depends on the issue at hand. It is the process of choosing a state-centered or nation-centered view of federalism on the basis of political or partisan convenience. In other words, ad hoc federalism can be swayed either towards the states or towards the federal government by whichever party has the dominant hand in Congress. The Bush-era was described as entering the United States into ad hoc federalism. This type of federalism is not definitive. To sum things up, federalism cannot be described in one single sentence. Federalism has its ins, outs, ups, downs, and can be all over the place. Federalism’s many forms are what make this system of government unique and different from the others. It has taken the United States into some fortunate and some not-so-fortunate times. It is a complicated concept that will continue to change as the United States advances even further into the future.

Marketing Assignment on Apple

Marketing Principles Task B 24 – 11 – 11 By Ayesh Goburdhun A. Define your product The product chosen for this assignment will be a laptop, the Macbook Pro by Apple. The product is a personal computer that can be used for communicating with people or whoever, working on different kinds of software, listening to music and mostly to go on the Internet with the rising of the social networking websites. Apple Computers Inc. s an American multinational corporation, who was established in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Steve Jobs, the Chairman and CEO of Apple is one of the world’s most successful businessmen today, his management style and his charisma brought the firm from a starting company to a global force to be reckoned with. Apple Computers Inc. designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad.To describe further the product, we have to answer to the question: What is the consumer really buying  ? The Macbook pro is based on superior quality materials that will allow faster actions and will permit the entertainment of its users over time without being bored and can be classified as a premium category of products that are not easily affordable. The Macbook Pro is based on the newest technologies on the market; it offers the best design of any kind of computers or portable engine that are actually called â€Å"innovative† on the market.So, we can say that the Macbook Pro offers great satisfactions to its customers and further, it is composed of usefull softwares that are already integrated and very powerful. The Macintosh comes with the latest brand of Operating System that the company developped in the past decades to improve the pleasure of the users, so that they woudn’t be outdated. Moreover, the Laptop is compatible with all devices at home, based on a new technology called â€Å"plug n play†, no complicated installations are required and the system works with any kind of operating system already install, even competitors.When people think about Apple and Mac they automatically think and talk about a problem-solving product, indeed, the Laptop offers a level of security that haven’t been hacked yet whereas its major competitor: Windows, the first provider of personal computers on the market. It is, of course, implied that the Macbook is running on the tardiest best performing computers’ components. Because the company builds both the computer and the software that comes with it, reliability is the first purpose, this means that a Macbook rarely freezes or crashes.Occasionally an application might quit, but it won’t affect the rest of the system. And the operating system resists mostly to anything, so everyone can do anything without worrying about losing everything. Apple Computer Inc. distributing the product proposes a variety of sizes and styling; the Macintosh Laptop is totally customizable and is forming part of the high standing computers on the actual market. For example, ladies could easily tend to buy pink Macbooks contrary to gentlemen who will choose the white or gray one.In addition, when people decide to buy a laptop they are principally attracted to the brand name, in this case, Apple that represents a very fashionish and stylish brand with a various types of stunning adverts and commercials. The packaging of the Apple brand is also one of the best in the market; it represents clearly the brand and adds an extra â€Å"something† to ensure the pleasure and delightfullness of the buyers opening the product bought.It is considered that Apple’s after sales service is one of the best, worlwidely speaking, indeed, the warranty applicable for each Apple products can be extended as much as the consumer wants or needs to. Further, when an Apple product is b roken the after sales service comes and replaces or repairs the item immediately if it is available in the stock. This is the principal reason why Apple is so good in the after sales services contrary to other competitors in the same sector.To classify the laptop, we can say that it forms part of a durable and tangible product, it can be used over and over with a great warranty period, and marketers would classify the Macbook Pro as a consumer product used for personal consumption. B. Provide and critically analyze definitions and components of segmentation Market segmentation can be define as the segmentation of markets into homogenous groups of customers, each of them reacting differently to promotion, communication, pricing and other variables of the marketing mix.Market segments should be formed in that way that differences between buyers within each segment are as small as possible. Thus, every segment can be addressed with an individually targeted marketing mix. Market segment ation is also an adaptive strategy, it consists of the partition of the market with the purpose of selecting one or more market segments which the organization can target through the development of specific marketing mixes that adapt to particular market needs.According to Kotler, P (1999), market segmentation means â€Å"the act of dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers who might require separate products and/or marketing mixes. † According to William J. Stanton, ‘Market segmentation is the process of dividing the total heterogeneous market for a good or service into several segments. Each of which tends to be homogeneous in all significant aspects. ’ In brief, market segmentation is important not only for creating consumers but also for satisfying them.Market segmentation helps matching the market opportunities to the resources of the corporations and enables them to face market competition effectively. For example, for the personal computers market t here are two segments, desktop computers and laptops. As for the desktop ones, they are mostly used by bureaucratic administration because they are less expensive for the same characteristics. Moreover, gamers also use desktop computers due to their fully customizable and upgradable components, whereas the laptops, which are considered as more mobile and practical, used principally by businessmen and tudents. In the segmentation of laptop, they are multipurpose laptops, multimedia laptops and laptops based on performance. In general, multimedia laptops are used to satisfy lower demands of customers who do not want to invest a huge amount of money because the demand is just for multimedia using like listenning to music, organizing pictures and web surfing. The components of this kind of laptop will be creating directly by the enterprise without subcontracting.Furthermore, multipurpose laptops are viewed as the middle class computers; they are principally used with basic softwares, fo r web surfing and all the multimedia stuff. The companies who build multipurpose laptops, used by middle class peoples, tend to subcontract in order to offer better performances and quality. Finally, the premium laptops are answering the demand of engineers, designers and professional who are in the need of very powerful and qualified product either for their work or their personal use.The characteritics of those laptops are generally a mix of components of the best-specialized industries on the market; this is why such laptops are very expensive. Niche markets are also present on the marketplace, answers to very high specific demands and tries to differentiate the company with its competitors. These markets are very small but the profit is real. In Mauritius, personal coaches are an example of niche marketing, concerning laptops; the Alienware brand is a niche market specialized to satisfy â€Å"hardcore† gamers.Concerning the Apple brand, we can talk about a geographic segm entation. For the line of Macintosh products, it can be segmented into regions; the company will not try to sell expensive laptops in poor countries such as Somalia or Afghanistan where the demand of theses products is totally nil. They will focus on ways to sell the product in big capitals or cities like New York, Paris or London, where the demand is constantly growing up. Shops, called Apple Store or iShops, are going to represent Apple worldwidely and has to fit in big commercials centers, or big buildings with great standards.All of these shops need to have the same organization, layouts, services and of course, same products. The client needs the impressions that they are communicating directly with Apple and not with a subcontracting agent. For example in Mauritius, Apple is franchised by Leal communications and informatics and the logo of the brand is not present in the Apple store shop based in Mauritius. The buyer must communicate directly with Apple and not with Leal (exce pt for after sales issues).The demographic segmentation is very important for the company, indeed, it will depends a lot on the age, gender, sexual orientation, family etc†¦We can assume that, as we saw before, persons that have a more feminine personnalities tend to buy Macbooks with pink colours. In addition, the age is a major factor, where students and young persons are more attracted to laptop such as the Macbook, whereas the elderlies who would prefer buying more expensive desktop towers, for example the iMac. It is clearly segmented in the way that Apple will try to sell Laptops, mp3s to the 18-30 and Tvs, iMac to elders +35.The enterprise is also willing to target wealthy persons, undoubtedly the products provided by them are classified as quite expensive and premium due to its very powerful components and noble made materials. As we saw earlier, the Macbook Pro is categorized in a high-standard category so the income and the psychographic segmentations are also importa nt where persons with extroverted personalites, fashion addicts and wealthy persons are targeted. People looking for the Macbook are persons willing for an advantages of buying it.If the product does not propose any kinds of benefits comparing to its competitors it won’t convice these persons for buying the product. The laptop presents a load of benefits like fully customizable, virusless, plug n play system etc†¦ Marketers assume that some customers are completely loyal to the brand that they like, they buy one brand all the time. Apple is one of the best example for these kind of buyers, indeed, the Apple fans are regardless of the functions or capacity of any kind of the Apple line of product, they are totally in confidence and are not affraid to pay whatever the price could be.They are almost waiting weeks in front of an Apple Store in order to be the first one to obtain a new Apple made product. This loyality is very rare but can be understand by the fact that the c ompany is very successful. In the recent years, Apple’s product are being seen by peolple as a brand of wealthiness and reliability. However, the segmentation is principally based on the demand of the customers and we can assume that this demand will grow in the coming years but if it is not there won’t be any kind of segmentations. Some market segments can disappear due to the evolution of the demand.For example, in the mail delivery market, some segments like post letter delivery services are starting to disappear due to a very fast growth of electronical technologies such as mailing, chatting, messaging etc†¦ Further, segmentation is impossible when  : 1. The size of the market is too small. 2. A brand is a dominant brand in the market. 3. More number of people falls in the same category. 4. The advertisement of each kind of product is too expensive. 5. The informations accumulated are completely wrong. C. Provide definitions and state the importance of targe ting and apply the concept to your productKotler, P (1999), stated that ‘target markets are a set of buyers sharing common needs or characteristics that the company decides to serve’. After a company has defined market segments, it can enter one or many segments of a given market. Kotler, P (1999), also says that ‘market targeting involves evaluating each market segment's attractiveness and selecting one or more segments to enter a company should target segments in which it has a differential advantage over its competitors; where it can generate the greatest customer value and sustain it over time. A company with limited resources might decide to serve only one or a few special segments; this strategy limits sales, but can be very profitable. Kotler, P (2002) stated that, to provide for a good market targeting, the firm has to evaluate the various segments and decide which ones to target. A principal concept in target marketing is that those who are targeted show a strong affinity or  brand loyalty  to that particular  brand. Target Marketing allows the marketer / sales team to customize their message to the targeted group of consumers in a more focused manner.In order to perform a good targeting, we have to answer to the questions: Who are our customers? Who will buy our product? And how segmentations will help us doing it ? To target the consumers we can say that Apple Computers Inc. is a company present on the national and the international scope, its target are all over the world. It is considered that the customers of the Apple products will look for these goods in new commercial centers and big buildings with great standards, in the nearest cities where they will find Apple Stores and iShops that are specialized boutiques.The target here will focus on persons living in cities and more urban regions where their concerns are more important. Apple is using a distribution channel based on self-providing, indeed, they do franchise the ir brand but, as we viewed earlier, they tend to limit the presence of the company that they are working with and so focus on themselves for easier targeting. For example: if companies are targeting young people, advertising should be done on specialized web sites or magazines for young people, The Times or The Independent aren’t good choices. Apple is marketing to people who have a few characteristics: Middle/Upper income persons that are willing to pay a bit more for a better user experience. Paying 1000 â‚ ¬ or more for a computer is not a huge deal if they have a decent income. * People who like to have fun with technology. No other platform offers as many entry-level tools. This includes people who like to shoot a lot of digital photos or video. It's the whole digital hub concept. People are starting to buy into it. * Music enthusiasts and fans aged from 12-35. * Professionals in media and design and engineers. Shops are going to represent Apple worldwidely it has to be in big ommercials centers with great standards of quality and hygiene. All the shops need to have the same organization, layouts, services and product. The client need the impressions that they are communicating directly with apple and not with a subcontracting agent. They are targeting people that can afford buying products in those premium places. Promotions are proposed nationally and internationnally with the  «Ã‚  apple standards  Ã‚ » by the representants. Billboards, flyers, e-mails and quite stunning adverts are ways to target families, students or professional photographs.However, there is a very controversial approach that could be discussed in the target market of the company chosen. Indeed, we can say that Apple do not target markets they target people. For example, Apple has never marketed Macs to enterprise customers, and only hired a very small sales crew to sell to such customers, but they have  been advertising the Macbook and its business-related applicati ons in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and other business-friendly publications. Apple does not seem to target markets in the way other companies do. It targets people.It focuses on users. And Apple lets them decide how and where they’ll use the products. This is how great companies are built: they focus on individuals and build exceptional products for them; they let these individuals determine how best is to make use of the new technology provided. D. Provide definitions and need for positionning and apply it to your product. After a company has decided which market segments to enter, they must decide what ‘position' they want to occupy in those segments. A product's position is the place where the product occupies the consumers' minds.If a product were perceived to be exactly like another product on the market, consumers would have no reason to buy it. Market positioning gives a product a clear, distinctive and desirable place in the minds of target consumers compared with competing products. Marketers plan positions that distinguish their products from competing brands and give them the greatest strategic advantage in their target markets. Market  positioning  is the manipulation of a brand or family of brands to create a positive perception in the eyes of the public.If a product is well positioned, it will have strong sales, and it may become the go-to brand for people who need that particular product. Positioning is no doubt the single most important aspect of marketing in the globally competitive market place. With capitalism gaining popularity in most countries of the world, competition has increased greatly. A company not only needs to fight rivals in the local market. It also has to equip itself to compete against the world’s best companies. Companies are improving their products and offering them at competitive prices.A good quality product is no longer a guarantee for success. Positioning has to be managed a t every point where the customer comes in contact with the company, from personal sales to online communication to telephonic interaction. This is the only effective way of avoiding any confusion about the product in the mind of the customer. So what has Apple done in recent history to the Macintosh product line to demonstrate this premium positioning? It is widely recognized that Apple is a premium brand that demands and earns a price premium.This price premium spans the entire Apple product lineup with the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, software, and accessories. Apple's positioning is aligned with targeting a less price sensitive customer. As a result, Apple's culture and internal activities are structured to meet the needs of these customers, strategists call this needs-based positioning. Apple has thus created a culture and a set of activities to differentiate themselves from rivals in order to meet the needs of their target customers.Apple has positioned itself to a certain type of customer, wealthy people, innovators, people with good jobs, good lifestyle, etc. If Apple targets the poor man type, the trendy guys will stop buying Apples, because everybody can and Apple is not the Porsche of the computers anymore, this would hurt more the brand than maybe the increasing sales because of lower prices, and in good times, where everybody has more money, Apple would have the problem that they cannot rise prices, because everybody expects a cheap Apple product.If Apple were to attempt to compete for all customer segments, it would have to lower product prices. The danger with such an approach is that it would not only undermine and erode the company's premium brand image but it would also undermine the company's culture and internal activities. Each new Mac revision has either maintained or been subjected to modest price increase while Apple has simultaneously improved product features. A few examples include the introduction of the unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro, larger displays on the iMac, and the replacement of the 599â‚ ¬ Mac mini with a higher priced (999â‚ ¬) model.Years| Sales in Million| |   | 2006| 5,200,000. 00| 2007| 6,905,000. 00| 2008| 9,550,000. 00| 2009| 10,350,000. 00| 2010| 13,425,000. 00| 2011| 7,770,000. 00| 1. From 2006 to 2007 the Macbook Pro is in development process. 2. From 2007 to 2008, Apple introduces the product. 3. From 2008 to 2009, it is the growth of the laptop. 4. From 2009 to 2010, the Macintosh observes its maturity period. 5. And finally, from 2010 to 2011 the curve is starting to decline.REFERENCING Kotler, P (et. Al. ), Principles of Marketing, Prentice Hall Europe, 1999 Kotler, P (et. Al. ), Marketing Management, Prentice Hall Europe, 2002 William J. Stanton,  Fundamentals of marketing, New York, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1964 Apple website viewed on the 18th November, http://www. apple. com Apple website viewed on the 19th November, http://www. apple. com/why-mac/ Google website viewed on the 20, 21 and the 22nd of November, www. google. com Elmer-DeWitt P, April 9, 2011 11:56 AM, How many Macs did Apple sell last quarter, viewed on the 20th November, http://tech. fortune. cnn. com/2011/04/09/how-many-macs-did-apple-sell-last-quarter/