Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the World Essay

Morals and corporate obligation in the working environment and the world is turning into a focal point of consideration. There are numerous things going on in the working environment that various offices and individuals are investigating while at the same time accusing the suitable source. In this paper, a situation is introduced. The situation included PharmaCARE and its auxiliary, CompCARE are assessed and certain inquiries are being posed for clearness. The paper will take a gander at the partners in this situation. The paper will do it best to break down the morals of PharmaCARE’s treatment of the Colberia’s indigenous populace and its position and â€file laborers versus that of its officials. In also, the paper will take a gander at the circumstance concerning three specialists, Donna, Tom, and Ayesha under the oversight of Allen. The investigation of how whistleblowing, openings, and assurance could assist Allen with halting the deceptive of CompCare. An evaluation of PharmaCARE’s ecological imagination with the Colberian exercises. The paper will address the first motivation behind and changes to Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The paper will presently take a gander at the investors in this situation. The investors are significant players in an association or partnership. The Merriam-Webster word reference characterizes a â€Å"shareholder as one that holds or claims an offer in a company† (Shareholder, 2013). An equivalent of an investor is partner and this is somebody who has enthusiasm for the organization. Along these lines, the investors of this situation are Allen, Donna, Ayesha, Tom, CompCARE, PharmaCARE, WellCo, and the Colberians. Allen, Donna, Ayesha, and Tom are representatives of CompCARE. They are partners in this situation since they work for CompCARE and this is the way they make their living. They need the organization to be effective, however at what cost will it cost them. The Colberians are the individuals who work to make the medication, while getting paid $1.00 per day and living in destitution. PharmaCARE is the mother organization of CompCARE and its objective is to benefit off of CompCARE by any and all conceivable means. WellCo brought the CompCARE from PharmaCARE seeing the benefit it could make in this arrangement. Every investor has a noteworthy influence in ensuring the CompCARE is fruitful. The paper will presently look break down the morals of PharmaCARE treatment of the Colberians. PharmaCARE has an organization in African and discovered individuals there ready to share data about neighborhood cures and could gracefully laborers ready to work for $1.00 every day. PharmaCARE most likely glance at this as a coal mineshaft and struck the arrangement. This procedure is deceptive inside and out. One explanation it is untrustworthy, the representatives at PharmaCARE isn't working for a $1.00 a day wage nor are they living in crude cabins. The representatives of PharmaCARE have power and running water while the Colberians don't get the opportunity to appreciate this extravagance. The World Trade Organization, WTO built up rules concerning work rights and norms. â€Å"Moreover, decisively in light of the fact that third world specialists are appallingly misused, their representatives will pass on a great part of the expense of enhancements in labor norms accomplished through universal exchange bargains to their workers the type of lower wages† (Global Issues, 20 13). PharmaCARE knew the manner in which it was rewarding the Colberians was not moral; the organization couldn't act in this design in the United States. PharmaCARE collaborated with some harmful pioneers in fatting its net revenue. The government assistance of the Colberians didn't concern them in any capacity. Hellriegel and Slocum noticed a worry for a worldwide group. The worldwide group would have profited PharmaCARE hugely. â€Å"The worldwide group assists with characterizing normal highlights of products and enterprises that will engage clients in various nations. The worldwide colleagues from various nations can give understanding into a contribution about these one of a kind market needs and necessities for explicit qualities of merchandise and services† (Hellrigel and Slocum, 2011, p.360). An organization needs to be right in managing outsiders supposing that anything is fouled up in the long run the world will discover. In this situation, the administrators benefit, wh ile the laborers get scraps. The paper will presently turn it center around the laborers inside CompCARE and could end be think about legitimate in this situation. The laborers are Allen, Ayesha, Donna, and Tom. Allen is the director and was obligation to ensure his staff was in no wellbeing nor safetyâ threat. For the situation with Ayesha, she needed to be advanced and nothing occur. She documented an objection with the EEOC. â€Å"The EEOC was made to build openings for work for ladies and minorities and to help end separation dependent on race, shading, religion, inability, sexual orientation, or national starting point in any faculty action† (Boone and Kurtz, 2012, p. 61). Allen could have maintained a strategic distance from this by putting Ayesha on a manager track. Allen could have been a good example for Ayesha, while indicating her the duty of an administrator. Allen ought to have conversed with Ayesha and giving her pointers on what she expected to do to be considered for a director work. On account of Donna, she never was one to avoid work. She had an ideal participation until the revelation of shape was found. She turned out to be sick since nothing was done to correct the form issue. Subsequently, Allen don't have a noble motivation to fire Donna knowing the explanation of her disease. She kept on working until she could no more and petitioned for laborer pay. â€Å"Any representative, independent of their length of administration, who is excused or exposed to an inconvenience for certain wellbeing and security reasons, would have a likely case against their employer† (Calcott, 2011, p.12). On account of Tom, he needed something done about the shape issue. Tom was a director at CompCARE and he answered to Allen. Tom saw how all the laborers were becoming ill and made a move. He educated Allen about the sir quality in the lab. Tom made the best choice in announcing all issues to his boss. The accepted Tom paused and went to Allen again to take care of the air quality. The issue gotten exacerbate and Tom took steps to hand the organization over to OSHA. Tom would be think about an informant. â€Å"A informant uncovered the wrongdoings of others in organizations† (Schermerhorn, 2010, p.100). The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 denies a worker from getting terminated for telling on exploitative lead. The paper will currently take a gander at how Allen could have advantage by supporting his workers and himself. Allen realized something was wrong but then he didn't do anything when the issue was not fix. â€Å"Employers are very much aware of their broad duties to representatives under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974† (Calcott, 2011, p.12). In the job Allen have, he was committed and held the duty to ensure his staff. Allen answered to his manager concerning what was happening, in this manner he ought to made the following strides in discovering help for his representatives. Allen could have profited himself by having a reasonable cognizant he did what was right. He would have been liberated from any indictment the representatives would have recorded on the organization. He would have been secured under the Whistleblower Act too. Allen’s wellbeing was the same amount of risk as his staff and this ought to have been sufficient to make him tell authority. PharmaCARE’s renders an indicated natural stewardship is most noticeably terrible and the company’s open position should convey a commitment to be an innovator in ecological issues. PharmaCARE ought to be more worry about Colberians’ condition. PharmaCARE should need to help the individuals who is creating their item. They could help with building homes for the Colberians, by knowing their conditions. The administrators live in pleasant spots with running water and power. PharmaCARE can set up a store so as to instruct the individuals of Colberia. Educating and telling individuals the best way to be progressively productive will help PharmaCARE benefit more. The individuals will be faithful to the organization helping them. PharmaCARE can assist the Colberians with being greater profitability in regular day to day existence. At the point when an organization goes in an outside nation to work together it should ensure the country’s strategy. Organizations move their business to remote nations are as yet at risk if something occur. The organization ought to be happy to help develop the region the laborers live in. Building roadways to convey PharmaCARE’s drugs is a huge issue. The WTO is eliminating organizations that are no rewarding foreigners’ right. This is in wellbeing and security just as in the United States. The WTO is a backer for under benefit nations. It secures the privilege of the laborers in neediness nations. There appear to be a major issue in regards to kids laborers however this doesn't appear the case. Be that as it may, WTO won't permit any bad form to come to laborers in underdeveloped nations. â€Å"The WTO’s understandings license individuals to take measures to ensure nature as well as general wellbeing, creature wellbeing and plant wellbeing. In any case, these measures must be applied similarly to both national and outside organizations. As it were, individuals must not utilize natural insurance gauges as a methods for camouflaging protectionist policies† (WTO, 2013). The creator accepts now things are showing signs of improvement since organizations realize somebody is watching them. The following worry to take a gander at concerning this situation is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. The Comprehensive Environmenta l Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) â€Å"is a risk conspire as opposed to a checking program† ( Halbert and Ingulli,â 2012, p.207). As indicated by the Environmental Protection Agency â€Å"the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) usually known as Superfund, was established by Congress o

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Three Level Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Three Level Architecture - Essay Example In this area I will introduce some of significant targets of the three degrees of the database design. The DBA can change the structure of database, for instance without adjusting the product program for instance outer blueprint. Each client can get to the information as of his/her necessities. Clients are sovereign of the capacity issues like ordering impediments and so forth of the database. The theoretical design of the database has no impact in light of the change of the physical stockpiling systems.The External LevelThe outside level is one close to clients. That is the one partner with the mode where the information is seen through specific clients. At the outside level the DBMS plots each client by methods for a mutual or specific view or portrayal of the information. There are various perspectives on the data and information at this stage, just as each view is a representation of portion of the entire database. A view allows a customer access to their piece of the database, j ust as shields the rest of the database from them. Each outside view is depicted through methods for an outside portrayal, that made out of on a very basic level of portrayals of all of assortment of sorts of external record found that outer view. In outer level, the various perspectives can have different outlines of the comparable information. For example one client can see date in the structure as day, month, year as another may examination as year, month, day.The outer level or perspective on DBMS is fundamentally related.

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Bargaining Power Of Buyers

Bargaining Power Of Buyers TYPES OF BUYERS © Entrepreneurial Insights based on the concept of Porters 5 ForcesBuyers have bargaining power when they are strong enough to be able to put collective pressure on the companies producing a product or a service. This power is highest when buyers are able to gather together and amount for a large percentage of the producer’s sales revenue or when there is a number of suppliers providing the same type of product.In this article, we will look at 1) types of buyers, 2) bargaining power of buyers, 3) factors that determine the strength of buyers, 4) managing the bargaining power of buyers, and 4) an example of Walmart.TYPES OF BUYERSBuyer Groups © Entrepreneurial InsightsBefore a company can create strategies to handle different types of buyers and their potential power, it is pertinent to understand the different types of buyers. There are always different types of buyers and each needs to be treated in consideration of their unique behavior. Inside each market segment, there may be five different groups of buyers:Innovators: Innovators are a small group of early purchasers. These people stay updated on the industry and what the current and upcoming trends and technologies are. They are confident and look forward to experiment with new things. If a product sounds exciting to them, they will use it and influence other possible innovators to use the product as well. However, the acceptance and usage of a product by this group may not lead to a widespread trend.Adopters: The second type of buyers are the early adopters. These people set an example for others and are opinion leaders of a particular market segment. They will tr y a new product out if it offers them significant benefit. Being change agents, they will understand the product before they adopt it and this leads credibility to their references.Early Majority: The early majority is relatively slower in trying out a new product offering. They will usually embrace a new product after acceptance by their peers and following strong references from them. This is a more practical group of people who are not necessarily excited by the new or innovative.Late Majority: This group will become consumers of a product much later in the product’s life cycle, when stronger buyers may have already discovered the next new product. Their motivation is to wait for prices to fall and the product to become established and known in the market with proof of reliability and longevity.Excessive Traditionalists: This is the last group to come onboard regarding the product. These people wait till the prices have reached their lowest point, competitors have entered the m arket and established themselves and the product has turned into a necessary purchase or a need. The product may have become close to obsolete by this time.Each of these buyer groups has a different potential power over the supplier or producer and need to be understood and managed accordingly.  Buyer Personalities © Entrepreneurial InsightsWithin buyer groups, there may be different buyer behaviors. Most of these end up corresponding to the various buyer group characteristics, but there may be more than one behavior within a group. Some of these are:The Highly Motivated Buyer: Highly motivated buyers are ready to make an immediate purchase. They are usually informed and have conducted their own extensive research. They are knowledgeable, willing and able to make the purchase.The Serious Buyer: Though these buyers are serious about the need to make a purchase, they are not in any hurry to do so. Often first time buyers, they will want to consider all their alternatives and options and then evaluate the benefits of each of these.The Bargain Hunter: The bargain hunter is looking to make a purchase but needs to find a good deal to convince them to actually go ahead and buy. It is not always clear whether they have the means needed to make a full priced purchase or if they just like a bargain.The Casual Looker: Often, these people are in the perpetual habit of browsing or looking. They may not be able to afford to make a purchase or do not want to at this point. They may however want to keep considering their options.  Types of Business Buyers © Entrepreneurial InsightsBuyer behavior may be different for businesses buying from businesses. Since these buyers have the task of procuring materials or products for their own businesses, decisions are made seriously and after a lot of consideration. These buyers may often make a large chunk of profits for a company and can wield their influence to assert control. Some of the types of business buyers may be:The Number-Cruncher: Basing their decisions on facts and figures, these buyers collect information and create a model for the market. Using this model, they will decide when to buy which product at what price. They may also use their data to exert pressure at a later time as and when needed.The Intimidator: Using their position of power, these buyers may force their way into a good deal from a company. They may be hostile or loud during negotiations and threats may be used extensively. The goal is to secure a good deal through whatever means are needed.The Engineer: Usually fr om a technical or research background, this buyer will be primarily interested in how a product works. Technical details and product features will figure heavily in their discussions and decisions.The Talker: This buyer will believe that they know everything about the market and how it works. They will want to share this knowledge extensively. Often these people have strong backgrounds in their fields so cannot be dismissed at all. But it becomes necessary to understand what excites them and help channel any conversations or decisions.  BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERSWhen a strong group of buyers is present in the market, it can significantly impact a company’s product and selling decisions. The strongest power that buyers can exert is to lower prices, which in turn impacts the profit potential. Buyers can also demand higher quality of services or products, and increase competitiveness by forcing different companies into price wars. All of these factors end up decreasing the attractive ness of the industry by lowering its profitability.Bargaining power of buyers will be strong and powerful depending on:Characteristics of a market and its conditionsThe percentage of sales revenue they providesFACTORS THAT DETERMINE STRENGTH OF BUYERS There are several different market conditions that determine whether the buyers will have power or not. Some of these factors are:Buyer Concentration: When buyers are fewer in number and more concentrated, they have a higher power over the producer. The producer’s sales revenue will be dependent on these few customers and they will not be able to ignore any demands. Conversely, if the buyers are widespread, then their business is also smaller and they are easy to ignore for a producer.Percentage of Sales: Another bargaining chip for a buyer or buyer group is the amount of business they give to a producer. If the percentage of sales from one buyer is significant, then the producer will not want to risk losing their business.Undifferentiated products: If the producer sells a standard or undifferentiated product, then they will usually have the potential threat of a buyer switching producers. If there are many producers supplying the same type of product, a buyer will have the option of exploring possibilities.Switching Cost: If switching costs are low for a buyer, then any dissatisfaction with a producer or a product will lead to loss of business as the buyer will be able to find an alternate with minimum hassle and inconvenience.Threat of Integration: If there are possible threats of a buyer integrating backwards, then the producer will have less power. This means that they may begin producing what they buy in-house, or actually acquire the producer.Information: If buyers have full information regarding the producers operations and what their actual costs are, then they will be able to demand better prices from the producer.Price Sensitivity: If the buyers are sensitive to changes in prices and may stop purchase, the producer will not be able to ignore their demands.Available Substitutes: If there are many substitutes or alternatives in the market, then the buyers will have a lot of options to switch and shop around, making their power over the producers subst antial.Analyzing Bargaining Power of BuyersWhen entering a market, launching a new product or in response to a change in market trends, a company can ask the following questions to understand and analyze the power of its buyers:Who are the potential buyers?How many are they?What is their level of knowledge regarding the value chain?What if their access to data and research?How sensitive are they to price considerations?Are they likely to value brand loyalty?Can we create brand loyalty and product differentiation?Are they likely to switch to an alternate product or company?Are they likely to move to a substitute in another industry?Are they likely to buy in bulk?Are they likely to buy often?Are there any possible switching costs that may make changing producers difficult?MANAGING BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERSIt is clear that in certain situations and markets, buyers may have significant power over producers. But producers can take steps to manage this power and mitigate the risks associ ated with strong buyers. This will help maintain or even increase industry profitability.Protecting Business from Strong BuyersThough not always easy, there are steps a company can take to counter the rise of a strong buyers. These steps may include:Differentiate the Product: The key here is to build a unique selling proposition for the product so that this becomes vital to a buyer. This may be a feature or a benefit that is not available in competing products or possible substitutes. This will help equalize standing of both buyer and seller in the negotiating process. The seller wants the business and the buyer wants the benefit that is unique to a product.Low Cost Leadership: Another possible strategy for a business is to decrease its own cost of production and business in order to offer the lowest possible price to the buyer. The danger here is to go too low and damage one’s own business in the long term. Though this level of commitment to the low cost model may win business in the short term, in the long term the business may not be able to survive.Chose Easy to Serve Customers: If the base of customers are expensive to serve, a producer will not be able to offer competitive prices. In this case, it is better to serve a smaller customer base that is easy to access and less costly to service.Establish Walk Away Prices: Though not always possible, it may be a good idea for a business to establish a minimum price level that will not be crossed no matter what the buyer demand. This will not allow the buyer to keep making demands as they will understand that a certain level will not be crossed. Though there is a danger of losing customers here if the product is generic, but if the buyer wants to keep the relationship going, an agreement may be reached to the benefit of both parties.Offer Only Desired Benefits: Often a company may spend resources in developing and offering features and benefits that a customer may not need, may not know about, or is indifferen t to. In these cases, the costs may be reduced and only those benefits and features offered that translate into sales and satisfied customers. Additional benefits can be offered at additional costs to discerning clients only.Forward Integration: If a buyer or a group of buyers is becoming difficult to manage, then it may be in the interest if the supplier to integrate forward and consolidate the value chain. This will change the buyer seller dynamic and put them in direct competition with each other.Choosing the Right BuyersOften producers can make the decision to choose who to do business with. In these cases, the company may select those customers who will become partners rather than demanding clients. Some instances where this can happen include:Select buyers who value the quality and reliability of the product and its delivery above the price. These people will not push on costs and prices and instead work on ensuring that the product provided is top of the lineSelect buyers for whom the product plays a vital part in the assembly of their final offering. Or, where the item provided makes up an important part of their own product portfolio.Select buyers whose own end users demand the producer’s product. This could be the necessity for Intel processers within laptops for example. The end user pressure will ensure that the company in the middle does not become too demanding towards the producer.Select buyers who require customization that only the producer can provide.Select buyers whose customers will also be willing to pay a higher price. This means that the entire value chain will easily absorb cost increases.Select a buyer who does not have the technical expertise to understand the details of manufacturing. This may be an unethical practice as there may be the opportunity to trick a buyer into believing that a product costs more than it actually does.EXAMPLE OF BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS WALMART © Wikimedia commons | Walmart CorporateThe CompanyAn American multinational retail store, Walmart operates large discount departmental and warehouse stores. The company was founded in 1963 and have over 11,000 stores in 27 countries operating under as many as 55 different brand names. Some of these other brand names are Asda in the UK, Seiyu in Japan and Best Price in India.There are two aspect to be considered when assessing the bargaining power of buyers in the context of Walmart. The company itself is a massive buyer of a large and diverse number of products from many different manufacturers and suppliers. In addition it sells to thousands of individual end consumers of these products. In this regard, we can discuss both the power of Walmart as a buyer and the power of customers over Walmart.Walmarts Power as a BuyerWalmart is an extremely powerful as a buyer. It has enormous reach and reaches thousands of end users. It also buys in large quantities and controls how a customer ac cesses the brands and products that it stocks. This means that Walmart can dictate prices, delivery times and product quality from its suppliers. Suppliers cater to this pressure by basing their operations close to Walmart headquarters and allowing easy access to the company’s purchasing departments to test products and negotiate terms. Walmart can easily switch suppliers which gives the company additional power to dictate terms. In certain cases, Walmart can also integrate vertically.There are instances when Walmart will have less power and this usually happens in interactions with sellers large enough to wield significant influence of their own. Companies such as Coca Cola, Procter and Gamble and Unilever have products that are directly demanded by end users and cannot be easily substituted.The Power of Walmart’s BuyersIn comparison, Walmart buyers have moderate influence over the company’s decisions. The convenience and lower costs offered by the store means that buyers wil l not easily switch to an alternate. This means that pricing techniques are decided by the company with little input from the final consumer. Consumers may demand certain popular brands or products which will reduce Walmart’s power over those suppliers.Image credit:  Wikimedia commons | Walmart Corporate under  Attribution 2.0 Generic.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

My Dad Has An Infectious Smile - 1377 Words

My dad has an infectious smile on his face when reminiscing about his childhood memories and his life as a Pediatrician. At the present time my dad is a successful physician, but life wasn t always easy for him. He faced many setbacks in his early life that have led him into adulthood. Applying to college was his first difficulty because his family had no money. He was able to go to college and eventually go to Medical school which was very hard for him because it was in a foreign country. In his early years of practicing medicine, he learned that not everyone can be saved. Family, friends and patients motivate him to be the best he can be. He has a clear understanding of how precious and valuable human life can be. My dad’s goal in†¦show more content†¦He comes of a little bit brash. But after conducting this interview I learned a little bit about why he is the way his. â€Å"I have a lot of hidden compassion, which not many people know about. Both my parents raised my sister and me in a loving household. We are very lucky that we grew up the way we did. â€Å"My husband is a very driven and intelligent man, he is always motivated to be successful. Education is the paramount importance to him, His family is the foundation for being successful. â€Å"My family motivates me to be a better person†. I know my children look up to me and it’s my job to be the best father I can be.† Queens is unlike any place, my dad describes his early childhood with a bright smile. Queens made me feel like I had a sense of belonging. Your friends with all the kids on your block, you feel connected to each and every one. He s says a great thing to have is friends who you have known since you were little so you can share the memories together. One friend in particular, Paul had an impact on his life. They attended the same school together from Kindergarten to College. They were always trying to outdo one another. We were always motivating one another. In terms of scholastics abilities, it was pivotal in preparing me for college and later on Medical school. â€Å"It gave me a good work ethic.† His parents always wanted him to surround himself with positive influences. During the early years of high school my dad wasn t exactly the model

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Biography of Babur, Founder of the Mughal Empire

Babur (born Zahir-ud-din Muhammad; February 14, 1483–December 26, 1530) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India. His descendants, the Mughal emperors, built a long-lasting empire that covered much of the subcontinent until 1868, and that continues to shape the culture of India to this day. Babur himself was of noble blood; on his fathers side, he was a Timurid, a Persianized Turk descended from Timur the Lame, and on his mothers side he was a descendant of Genghis Khan. Fast Facts: Babur Known For: Babur conquered the Indian subcontinent and founded the Mughal Empire.Also Known As: Zahir-ud-din MuhammadBorn: February 14, 1483 in Andijan, Timurid EmpireParents: Umar Sheikh Mirza and Qutlaq Nigar KhanumDied: December 26, 1530 in Agra, Mughal EmpireSpouse(s): Aisha Sultan Begum, Zaynab Sultan Begum, Masuma Sultan Begum, Maham Begum, Dildar Begum, Gulnar Aghacha, Gulrukh Begum, Mubarika YousefzaiChildren: 17 Early Life Zahir-ud-din Muhammad, nicknamed Babur or Lion, was born into the Timurid royal family in Andijan, now in Uzbekistan, on February 14, 1483. His father Umar Sheikh Mirza was the Emir of Ferghana; his mother Qutlaq Nigar Khanum was the daughter of Moghuli King Yunus Khan. By the time of Baburs birth, the remaining Mongol descendants in western Central Asia had intermarried with Turkic and Persian peoples and assimilated into the local culture. They were strongly influenced by Persia (using Farsi as their official court language), and they had converted to Islam. Most favored the mystic Sufism-infused style of Sunni Islam. Taking the Throne In 1494, the Emir of Ferghana died suddenly and 11-year-old Babur ascended his fathers throne. His seat was anything but secure, however, with numerous uncles and cousins plotting to replace him. Evidently aware that a good offense is the best defense, the young emir set out to expand his holdings. By 1497, he had conquered the famous Silk Road oasis city of Samarkand. While he was thus engaged, however, his uncles and other nobles rose in rebellion back in Andijan. When Babur turned to defend his base, he once again lost control of Samarkand. The determined young emir had regained both cities by 1501, but the Uzbek ruler Shaibani Khan challenged him over Samarkand and dealt Baburs forces a crushing defeat. This marked the end of Baburs rule in what is now Uzbekistan. Exile in Afghanistan For three years, the homeless prince wandered Central Asia, trying to attract followers to help him retake his fathers throne. Finally, in 1504, he and his small army turned to the southeast, marching over the snow-bound Hindu Kush mountains into Afghanistan. Babur, now 21 years old, besieged and conquered Kabul, establishing a base for his new kingdom. Ever optimistic, Babur would ally himself with the rulers of Herat and Persia and try to take back Fergana in 1510 to 1511. Once more, however, the Uzbeks utterly defeated the Mughul army, driving them back to Afghanistan. Thwarted, Babur began to look south once more. Invitation to Replace Lodi In 1521, a perfect opportunity for southern expansion presented itself to Babur. The sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, Ibrahim Lodi, was hated and reviled by his citizens. He had shaken up the military and court ranks by installing his own followers in place of the old guard and ruled the lower classes with an arbitrary and tyrannical style. After just four years of Lodis rule, the Afghan nobility was so fed up with him that they invited the Timurid Babur to come to the Delhi Sultanate and depose him. Naturally, Babur was quite happy to comply. He gathered an army  and launched a siege on Kandahar. The Kandahar Citadel held out for much longer than Babur had anticipated. As the siege dragged on, however, important nobles and military men from the Delhi Sultanate such as Ibrahim Lodis uncle, Alam Khan, and the governor of Punjab allied themselves with Babur. First Battle of Panipat Five years after his initial invitation to the subcontinent, Babur finally launched an all-out assault on the Delhi Sultanate and Ibrahim Lodi in April 1526. On the plains of Punjab, Baburs army of 24,000—mostly cavalry—rode out against Sultan Ibrahim, who had 100,000 men and 1,000 war elephants. Although Babur appeared to be terribly outmatched, he had something that Lodi did not—guns. The battle that followed, now known as the First Battle of Panipat, marked the fall of the Delhi Sultanate. With superior tactics and firepower, Babur crushed Lodis army, killing the sultan and 20,000 of his men. Lodis fall signaled the beginning of the Mughal Empire (also known as the Timurid Empire) in India. Rajput Wars Babur had overcome his fellow Muslims in the Delhi Sultanate (and of course, most were happy to acknowledge his rule), but the mainly-Hindu Rajput princes were not so easily conquered. Unlike his ancestor Timur, Babur was dedicated to the idea of building a permanent empire in India—he was no mere raider. He decided to build his capital at Agra. The Rajputs, however, put up a spirited defense against this new Muslim and would-be overlord from the north. Knowing that the Mughal army had been weakened at the Battle of Panipat, the princes of Rajputana gathered an army even larger than Lodis and went to war behind Rana Sangam of Mewar. In March 1527 at the Battle of Khanwa, Baburs army managed to deal the Rajputs a huge defeat. The Rajputs were undaunted, however, and battles and skirmishes continued all over the northern and eastern sections of Baburs empire for the next several years. Death In the autumn of 1530, Babur fell ill. His brother-in-law conspired with some of the Mughal court nobles to seize the throne after Baburs death, bypassing Humayun, Baburs eldest son and appointed heir. Humayun hurried to Agra to defend his claim to the throne  but soon fell gravely ill himself. According to legend, Babur cried out to God to spare Humayuns life, offering his own in return. On December 26, 1530, Babur died at the age of 47. Humayun, 22 years old, inherited a rickety empire, beset by internal and external enemies. Like his father, Humayun would lose power and be forced into exile, only to return and stake his claim to India. By the end of his life, he had consolidated and expanded the empire, which would reach its height under his son Akbar the Great. Legacy Babur lived a difficult life, always battling to make a place for himself. In the end, however, he planted the seed for one of the worlds great empires. Babur was a devotee of poetry and gardens, and his descendants would raise all kinds of arts to their apogee during their long reign. The Mughal Empire lasted until 1868, at which point it finally fell to the colonial British Raj. Sources Moon, Farzana.  Babur: the First Moghul in India. Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 1997.Richards, John F.  The Mughal Empire. Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

There are always ups and downs associated with any line of business Free Essays

string(78) " feel that this downturn is caused by normal fluctuations in business cycles\." There are always ups and downs associated with any line of business. IT is not an exception. During downturn profit margins take a toll and consumer confidence plummets. We will write a custom essay sample on There are always ups and downs associated with any line of business or any similar topic only for you Order Now Business executives around the world eagerly scan the latest report on economic indicators and search for good news. Downturn affects many segments. It is not only the industry that experiences the negatives of the economy, but also the common man is affected. Economic uncertainty elicits different reactions from different firms. Some organizations simply tread water and attempt to ride out the storm; others swim upstream with the intent to move ahead of their competitors. As executives rethink their business strategies, they should consider a variety of approaches – including some that are not immediately obvious given today’s uncertain economic climate. 2 Problem Definition Understanding the problem is a key to solving it. Howsoever generic this statement may be, it is apt to say that the strategies and actions formulated to emerge strong in downturn may not succeed without understanding how the downturn was caused. It is imperative to understand the factors that influence the downturn and how a particular downturn may be triggered. The cause could be many; a particular industry segment might not meet expectations and could trigger decrease in growth in other sectors. E.g. the dot com burst. In this section we endeavor to list down indicators that could possible play a role in causing the downturn. Along with it we also list down the reactions that companies worldwide give to tackle downturns. By way of research we would like to present how these reactions can indeed be made operational strategies to emerge victorious in the downturn. 2.1 Economic Downturn – Defined Economic Downturn is defined by a significant decline in total output, income, employment, and trade, usually lasting from six months to a year, and marked by widespread contractions in many sectors of the economy. Downturns can be * Industry specific * Economy based * Long term/ short term or * Geography specific The severity of an Economic Downturn is measured through parameters like: Economy * Employment * GDP Growth * Interest rates * Inflation * Investments * Public Expenditure Corporate * Lack of growth in profitability * Falling earning outlooks * Squeeze in margins * Drop in share price Index * Low dividends * High investor expectation * Dried-up cash flow * Low capacity utilization * Urgent need for cost optimization * Increased market competition * Stagnant Markets – Non expanding – Frozen pie vs. Expanding Pie People * Fall in Personal income * Fall in Personal expenditure * Fall in Private Investments 2.2 Company Reactions during downturn Companies adopt various tactics that can help them emerge stronger and subsequently more competitive when the economic upturn arrives. Forward-thinking initiatives that concentrate on lowering an organization’s ongoing cost structure are more effective than blanket budget cuts. The tactics focus equally on efficiency and expansion, since businesses keen on moving ahead have to consider both perspectives. In fact, when corporate coffers are clamped shut, companies must rely on efficiency gains to fund expansion initiatives 2.2.1 Cut Costs Cutting the cost is probably the most obvious option for a company when margins are thin. Cost cutting is done in different forms and many of the following options directly or indirectly deal with them. 2.2.2 Improve Focus In boom times, the proverbial strategy is to let a thousand flowers bloom. However, when the financial picture darkens, the businesses tend to do some pruning. An economic downturn becomes an ideal time to focus the corporation’s scarce resources -both marketing and manufacturing dollars – on the most popular, promising or profitable products and brands. In other words, invest in the best and ignore the rest. Savings from consolidation efforts can then be applied to further support selected focus areas. Similarly, businesses try to concentrate on acquiring and retaining the most profitable customer sets: How? 1. Forego expensive mass-marketing efforts; instead, market directly to carefully targeted prospects 2. Focus efforts on serving top accounts better than ever. Understand customer cost and revenue drivers to determine the real â€Å"top accounts†, then consider e-commerce and self-service solutions that can increase satisfaction while lowering costs. 3. Learn to effectively use information that is already available in-house to build revenues from the existing customer base. By combining in-house information with proprietary market data, the company can start to understand the â€Å"why† of customer preferences and build a stronger competitive advantage. 2.2.3 Ease points of pain When revenues are climbing continuously, inefficiencies are easy to ignore; declines in per-unit margins can be made up through volume. But when growth stalls, margins come under tremendous scrutiny, forcing companies to inspect every aspect of their business for possible improvements. Rarely can a business simply stop performing a function; instead, it must find a way to accomplish the task differently. This often requires the help of technology. Surplus inventory, high work-in-process and supply-and-demand discrepancies are more costly than ever. By digitally linking the entire supply chain and collaborating electronically with suppliers and customers, companies can potentially lower costs in the short term and improve market responsiveness over time. 2.2.4 Share costs It’s not surprising that when margins are squeezed, firms search out and eliminate redundancy. Internal and external best practices implemented through shared or common business models across the enterprise can dramatically lower costs while increasing competitiveness. However, an â€Å"all or nothing† approach to standardization can sometimes backfire. When implementation teams look beneath the surface of â€Å"common functions†, they often discover legitimate needs for variance. Before too long, the cost of processing exceptions outweighs the anticipated synergy savings. An effective shared services strategy requires a deeper analysis up front – pursuing similar parts, not necessarily the whole function. Rather than forcing each function – regardless of line of business – into a standard mold, look for naturally occurring affinities, pinpoint specific areas of similarity, and combine those particular pieces. 3 Analysis 3.1 Reasons for Downturn Studies have shown that the following are the main reasons for downturn: 60% of the respondents feel that this downturn is caused by normal fluctuations in business cycles. You read "There are always ups and downs associated with any line of business" in category "Papers" The fluctuations in share markets are attributed as the reason for downturn by 20% of the respondents. Only 15% of the respondents felt that the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center is the cause for the downturn. This shows that people perceive downturn as a natural phenomenon happening due to ups and downs in the economy. Terrorist attacks and other reasons, are not the main factors causing downturn, but they can trigger an already bad situation worse. 3.2 How do people see the downturn Majority (61%) of the people feel that downturn is an opportunity to find newer markets, restructure their organization and fine-tune the process to increase productivity. The findings here support our arguments provided in the previous section. Downturn is definitely an opportunity for businesses to take a look at their processes, the way they provide services to customers, markets and other factors affecting them and improve their way of working. 3.3 Strategies to focus during downturn Studies found that during a downturn the energies of people are concentrated in keeping their customers happy. 32% of the people have made this as their primary focus area. The other areas where people are concentrating are in strengthening the sales and distribution/marketing. When getting new business is tough, it makes sense to keep the existing customers happy, provide them the extra bit for their dollar and come up with innovative ideas to service them. Keeping the existing business stable can sustain the current revenues and increase. Repeat business can increase the revenues. With these factors in mind, people are following customer centric strategies to face the downturn. 3.4 HR strategies during downturn Human Resources are on of the key focus area during a downturn. Cost can be cut cost by retrenching employees. Productivity can be increased by extending the working hours or by employing cross-functional training. â€Å"Punish the non-performers† is the key mantra. 80% of the respondents have stated that this is the primary task that needs to be accomplished or that their companies have started identifying non-performers and taken steps to ensure that employees perform to expectations. Some of them advocate extending the working hours. There seems to be not much support for unpaid leave or freezing salaries among the people interviewed. 3.5 Outsourcing as an option Downturns might pose a good opportunity to study what the companies are doing the best and discard the rest. Outsourcing to low cost destinations is definitely being looked as a possible opportunity. 76% of the respondents feel that they should resort to outsourcing non-core activities. 4 Suggested Strategy to Manage Downturns â€Å"Recessions, sound a lot worse than they are — in part because they’re a great opportunity to move forward on key strategies and to take on competitors.† To get through a recession the most important thing for a company to do is to keep a positive attitude and identify its challenges and convert them into opportunities. There are various strategies that a company can adopt to not only survive but also grow in a reversionary economy. Based on the various arguments and data provided in the previous sections, we are in a position to present these action items to manage business in a downturn. We have grouped them under different functional management areas. 4.1 Core Competencies Recession is the time when a company must concentrate on its core competencies. Core Competence implies Resource, strength, skills or a combination that provide tangible advantage to a firm. It is very essential for the company to maintain focus and do what it does best. It is dangerous for a company to venture into unknown territories with an intention to broad-base itself, as one wrong decision could make it fall deep in the red. Every company must take stock of its strengths and leveraging unique strengths that are difficult to emulate. It should strive to enhance its knowledge and skill by keeping in touch with the market requirements. Identify strengths and axe weaknesses. This can translate in restructuring, selling or closing weak or mediocre businesses. Selling is particularly difficult, as the same division might have fetched much more in good days. In a downturn, this aspect should not change the focus. Companies cannot afford to waste money and management attention in areas that destroy value or limit their ability to invest in the future. Young companies may not have enough run way for the next year or two. They must rapidly adopt survival strategies. Tough choices range from giving up equity at low valuations; merging with compatible product or service companies; partnering to, in effect, use other people’s resources; or narrowing the strategic focus to a bare minimum. A careful study and analysis will help in taking the right decision. 4.2 Customer is the King Repeat business from customers is important to maintain profitability. It has been proven that, repeat business accounts for around 70% of the total business in most of the established companies. Customer delight should be the focus. Offer something to the customer, which not only exceeds his expectations but also goes even beyond it. E.g. Special features in a software application/product in line with the customer requirements. Infosys receives 85% of its revenues from its existing customers. This is what we can call as a â€Å"Customer focused capabilities† which Infosys has built over a period of time. Customer delight can also be achieved by actually sending out people on the field and spending time with the customers to find out their requirements, the value they put on the product or service offered by the company, their level of satisfaction with the quality and other suggestions they can offer to better our product. This strategy was recently adopted by Hindustan Lever Ltd. with their â€Å"feel the pulse† drive. 4.3 Human Resource 4.3.1 Talent Retention At the outset, we have shown that recession and growth form a continuous circle. Therefore, it is imperative for companies to resist the temptation of cutting costs through retrenchment, as it sows the problem of rehiring professionals when the economy turns around. Instead, companies should encourage their employees to accept pay-cuts, and cross- train them so as to equip them with the necessary skills that will help the company take advantage of the opportunities that arise once the situation improves. Many companies that want to cut costs during recession adopt the policy of downsizing. A vast number of talented professionals are thus available for recruitment. Managers can take advantage of this favorable situation by recruiting these professionals after thoroughly interviewing them, thus testing their competency levels, attitudes, and the organizational culture fit. 4.3.2 Miscellaneous Actions Companies can resort to cross-train people in view of the opportunities that can come up after the recession is over. This is more like doing an investment in hope of better time to come In case of situations that warrant stopping the production, companies can ask the employees to take unpaid leaves or giving extended weekends. Lucent has adopted this strategy. It can have a downside to it by way of loosing talented employees because of employees getting demoralized. Offering additional perks to those who can get in more business can motivate employees. This can be mainly applicable to the marketing and sales force. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric Co. called pay freezes â€Å"the worst crime of management† and underscored his long-held belief in a meritocracy approach that consistently rewards the top 20% of employees and dismisses the bottom 10%. While he was CEO at GE, Welch said, 75% of his time was spent â€Å"evaluating people† and raising the company’s intellectual capital â€Å"through candid evaluations.† 5 Conclusion: Economic Downturn is a phenomenon that occurs at different spheres of the society and attracts a lot of attention from the corporate world, the policy makers and of course the common man. The strategies to set things right are also decided at various levels and encompass a wide range of actions. Above study consists of observing typical industry response to downturn, conducting primary research through surveys and analyzing the data and secondary research through analyzing reports and news available in business journals and internet research groups like Gartner, Meta group etc. How to cite There are always ups and downs associated with any line of business, Papers

Sunday, May 3, 2020

E-commerce Business for Physical and Activities -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theE-commerce Business for Physical and Activities. Answer: E-commerce has become the part and parcel of the modern day lifestyle. One of the most significant platforms where the application of e-commerce is vividly seen is the retail stores. In order to make sure that all the business operations are taking place in the right order, both physical and online activities are needed (Dixon and Marston 2002). The trend over the past few years say that online retail marketing is growing. One major reason behind this is that it eases the lives of the consumers. In other words, the shopping experience of the consumers is made much easier and smoother. It is suggested to all the retail stores that they must start thinking about newer innovative ideas. These ideas make them popular among their consumers. There are companies like the digital windows, made by Kate Spade in New York that offers the consumers a very large touch screen monitor. It is through this touchscreen monitor that they showcased all their products and the product details. The customers could easily see the products and order them via the online purchasing method. Then again, a large mob gathering outside the Apple store for several days, just to buy the first launched Apple iPod or I phone again proves that people are concerned about the physical purchasing than online purchasing. However, on an average, the demand for e-commerce or online activities is much stronger. Hence, the retail stores must now adopt the phy-gital concept in their stores (Liao and Shi 2009). In other words, it must be a mixture of both physical as well as e-commerce related activities. ASDA is a well-known retail market in U.K. The main motif is to make the lives of their customers easier and happier. They have recently started their online pages and mobile apps in order to smoothly carry on their business activities. It is through these online pages that they can advertise their products, offers, and discounts related to the products in a very colorful and catchy manner. The e-commerce applications of ASDA are so designed that the customers can easily track the status of their orders. They can even use their order history page for their future purchases. This enables the retail shop to clearly see the behaviors of their targeted customers and take up strategies accordingly (Fang et al 2014). Figure1: e -retailing of ASDA (Source: retailtechnology.co.uk.2014) However, the e-commerce activities in U.K mainly have three important scenarios or ways in which it might affect the future of the retail industry- Divert the offline sales into online channels Effects will vary as per the goods. In order to survive in the present day scenario, the retail stores must use the e-commerce p-platform; else there is no bright future (Huang et al 2006).The E-retailing has both good and bad impacts on the consumers. It is really easy to avoid the time and energy of travelling to the retail store but at the same time, the consumers often fear the uncertainty associated with the same. Hence, it is being suggested that all the retail stores must provide detailed information of their products on the e-commerce sites. They must opt for good advertising and promotion of their products online so that the customers can easily keep faith and confidence in the e retailing business. Reference list Dixon, T. and Marston, A., 2002. The Impact of E-commerce on Retail Real Estate in the UK.Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management,8(2), pp.153-174. Fang, Y., Qureshi, I., Sun, H., McCole, P., Ramsey, E. and Lim, K.H., 2014. Trust, Satisfaction, and Online Repurchase Intention: The Moderating Role of Perceived Effectiveness of E-Commerce Institutional Mechanisms.Mis Quarterly,38(2). Huang, X.D., Gates, W.H., Horvitz, E.J., Goodman, J.T., Brunell, B.A., Dumais, S.T., Flake, G.W., Griffin, T.J. and Hurst-Hiller, O., Microsoft Corporation, 2006.Web-based targeted advertising in a brick-and-mortar retail establishment using online customer information. U.S. Patent Application 11/427,764. Liao, Z. and Shi, X., 2009. Consumer perceptions of internet-based e-retailing: an empirical research in Hong Kong.Journal of Services Marketing,23(1), pp.24-30.