Review of the corporate social responsibility for Siemens Company

Table of Contents Introduction The case against Siemens The case for Siemens Conclusion Recommendation Reference List Introduction â€Å"Corporate social responsibility or CSR in short is also referred to as sustainable business relationship and is an integral integration into a business model to function as a self-regulation mechanism where the business monitors and ensures that it complies with the laws, standards of ethics and norms – both national and international.† (D Wood, Younger).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Review of the corporate social responsibility for Siemens Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For a multi-national corporation like Siemens, the approach of corporate social responsibility is a very important part of their business philosophy. Siemens always has an active participation approach to all their corporate social responsibility activities. Their employees are alw ays willing to give a helping and caring hand to those people who are in one way or another disadvantaged apart from the mere action of giving a fat cheque to cover expenses and serve as funding to the projects. Foote 1999 says â€Å"For Siemens, devoting their time and expertise to assist the needy – children, the youth and the elderly is a part of their identity.† It is what differentiates them from other corporate. Ranging from giving hope to the challenged or caring for the environment, Siemens has always participated in initiatives that require responsibility to be served to the society. Siemens always makes sure to satisfy all their stakeholders. The following are termed as the stakeholders: employees, suppliers, customers, investors, policy makers and the society at large. Brown, Dillard and Russer, Marshall say that, â€Å"To employees, the company â€Å"invests considerable resources in training them, upgrading their professional qualifications, safeguarding their health and assuring their welfare.† To supplier, the company aims to â€Å"promote sustainability by generating long-term value with the help of excellent and innovative suppliers – with a strong focus on economic, ecological and socially responsible operation.† â€Å"To customers, Siemens aims at aligning their business strategies, goals and objectives with the demands of customers as well as with what the customers expect,†(Correst, Nathan Bedford). To investors, the company aims at giving the best return on investments that pleases the investors as well as to maintain a good corporate image. To policy makers, Siemens makes their business decisions based on political decisions and public policy debates. â€Å"In addition to maintaining business relationships with government institutions and agencies which are customers for our products, solutions and services, we also openly contribute to the shaping of public opinion through various means in our capacity as a corporate citizen,† (Davis, Kirk Blomstrom and Dawart, Crowther).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The case against Siemens Despite Siemens terming themselves as being a â€Å"global powerhouse in the electronics and electrical engineering†, Siemens AG has been curbed by some corruption cases. The company was fined 1.6 billion US dollars. This was the largest fine for corruption in the history of the Anti-corruption cases and also in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) history. Evidence was sought signifying that the company was involved in bribing all over the world in several different business sectors. â€Å"The company (Siemens AG) and its subsidiaries in Venezuela, Argentina and Bangladesh were fined $450 million for allegations concerning corruption as per the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).† Dawart (20). Foote adds. Siemens which is listed in the New York Stock Exchange is regulated by the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) despite it being a German company. Siemens further agreed to top up with $350 million to cover charges incurred by SEC. Wills a renown researcher says that, â€Å"The company (Siemens AG) also paid $569 million to Munich Office of the Prosecutor General to whom the company had in October 2007 paid $285 in fines.† The evidence against Siemens revealed that the company bribed public officials in many business sectors and in many countries in order to be awarded large public contracts. Corruption within the company was so rampant and despite the company’s senior officials having this knowledge, they turned blind eye to the corrupt deals and did not do anything to attempt to stop them. Bribery almost became a part of the checklist in all of Siemens’ operations across the world. The agreement also made it that Sie mens had to be checked for a period of four years by an independent compliance monitory and also agreed to co-operate with the Department of Justice in further investigations of corruption within the company by agent and employees. If we examine Siemens’ corporate social responsibility in this case, the company did not stick to their own code of ethics and business conduct. The company also broke one of its core values which are to be responsible. Their value of responsibility states that â€Å"We are determined to meet – and wherever possible, exceed – all legal and ethical requirements. â€Å"Our responsibility is to conduct all business according to the highest professional and ethical standards and practices: There must be no tolerance for non-compliant behavior† (Habisch, Andre and Jan, Jonker. Schmidpeter), †This principle of responsibility is meant to act as a crucial guideline to the making of business decisions so by breaking this value an d encouraging corruption by not stopping it despite being aware of it, Siemens did not meet its ethical obligations here.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Review of the corporate social responsibility for Siemens Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There is no doubt on this. By breaking this principle, the stakeholders were negatively impacted.† The case for Siemens Despite the court cases and fines concerning Siemens and alleging corruption, the company has however learnt its lesson and there have not been any reports of corruption in its operations. At least by correcting where they had gone wrong, the company still showed that they were willing to be responsible by both handling the situation to curb corruption and agreeing to be accountable and responsible and paying fines. Siemens AG also launched a $100 million Integrity Initiative. This initiative has been argued by many to be as a result of the court cases concerning corruption since the initiative was started in 2009 after the huge fines that the company had to pay for corrupt deals. According to Wills, â€Å"The Siemens Integrity Initiative aims to fight corruption and fraud through activities such as education and training.† The company also has a large corporate social responsibility portfolio from all over the globe. They have some corporate citizenship programs in several countries. In South Africa, the company is well known for its AIDS program known as REACH. Siemens collaborates with several partners to support HIV victims by providing cheap health care and providing support to HIV positive employees. The patients receive their medications and/or vaccines and are given counseling and ongoing personal and group support. Grace, Darmoth and Habisch, Andre says that in Egypt, as part of the Siemens Generation 21 education program, the company supports university education with several projects. Some of the pro jects include contest to design energy saving systems and idea workshops on energy conservation and reducing carbon footprints. In Brazil, the company built a high-voltage line round the Brazilian rainforest. The line is 14km long with the aim of keeping to a minimum the project’s footprint and to reduce to the most possible minimum, the impact that the project would have on one of the world’s richest fauna and flora habitats. The project did not involve any heavy machine work. â€Å"Rather, they used laborers to excavate, pneumatic jack hammers and installed cables by hand or if needed, by helicopter.† Wills says. All waste was cleverly handled and no waste was left unprocessed or unmoved.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Donations, employee volunteer work and partnerships 2008, â€Å"Siemens is an equal opportunity employer for the ‘different label’, when it comes to employment. Siemens has always given the challenged people a level playing ground in conjunction with the Ability Foundation, the physically challenged or those with other disabilities to interviews† (Jastram, Sarah and Paluszek, John). These interviewees are given aptitude tests like the others and are not given any special attention or consideration. The development of corporate social responsibility programs demonstrates that Siemens is fulfilling their obligation to the society and to the environment by developing sustainable development. Conclusion Siemens as a company has been involved in both the positive and negative influences in relation to their stakeholders that is the employees, society, suppliers, customers, investors, policy makers and the society at large. On the positive side, Siemens ha d engaged in positive environmental impacts and corporate citizenship roles that have empowered the stakeholders and made Siemens a company that all are ready and willing to be associated with. On the negative side, Siemens showed a lack of care for their core values and their delayed response in finding and handling the situation had a great negative impact to the stakeholders and in the way our society is wired, despite how much the company attempts to make up for the wrongs, it will be the most difficult thing that the company has done since people will always focus on the negatives more than the positives. In terms of its core business, through the rampant corruption within the organization, Siemens demonstrated that in order to please their stakeholders, they were willing to do this by any means be they clean or dirty. This is not a good business approach since it usually destroys businesses especially as seen in the huge fines paid to the courts. Recommendation I would recomme nd that Siemens AG stick to its core value of â€Å"exceeding all legal and ethical requirements and conducting business in the highest professional and ethical standards and having no tolerance for non-compliant behavior† (Habisch, Andre and Jan, Jonker Schmidpeter). In this way, Siemens will be able to give full value to all stakeholders in an honest way without jeopardizing anything. I would also recommend that Siemens AG should continue in its corporate citizenship and in the other good corporate social responsibility initiatives that it has in the past been involved with. Reference List Brown, Dillard and Russer, Marshall. Triple Bottom Line: A business metaphor for a social construct. Portland State University, School of Business Administration. Correst, Nathan Bedford. Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Careers. University of Edinburgh Careers Service. 2008. Davis, Kirk Blomstrom Business and Society: Environment and Responsibility. New York: McGraw-Hill. 19 75. Dawart, Crowther, Social and Environmental Accounting. London: Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2000, p. 20. Donations, employee volunteer work and partnerships. 2008 Web. D Wood, Younger. Corporate Social Performance Revisited. (1991) 16(4) The Academy of Management: Review 2005. Foote, Shelby. The Civil War in Corperate Accounting, a Narrative: Red River to Appomattox. New York: Vintage, 1986. Grace, Darmoth and Sorroni, Cohen. Business Ethics: Australian Problems and Cases. Oxford University Press. 2005. Habisch, Andre and Jan, Jonker. Schmidpeter (eds.) Corporate Social Responsibility across the Europe. Heidelberg: Springer. 2005. Jastram, Sarah. The Link between Corporate Social Responsibility and Strategic Management. CIS Papers No.17. Centre of International Studies, Hamburg. 2007. Paluszek, John. Ethics and Brand Value: Strategic Differentiation. (PowerPoint). Business and Organizational Ethics Partnership Meeting. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University . April 6–7, 2005. Web. R Freeman, Strategic management  :a stakeholder approach. Pitman ISBN: 780273019138. 1984. Rowe, James. Corporate Social Responsibility as Business Strategy. CGIRS-Reprint-2005-08. Center for Global, International, and Regional Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. 2005. Web. Saether, Kim and Ruth, Aguilera. Corporate Social Responsibility in a Comparative Perspective. In Crane, A., et al. (PDF). The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN  0199211590. Wheeler, David and Maria, Sillanpaa. The Stakeholder Corporation: a blueprint for maximizing stakeholder value. London: Pitman 1997. Wills, Brian Steel. A Battle from the Start: The Life of Nathan Bedford Forrest. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. This essay on Review of the corporate social responsibility for Siemens Company was written and submitted by user Travis Bennett to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns in Spanish

Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns in Spanish I hit myself. Bill hurt himself. They saw themselves. Did you find yourself? What do the above sentences have in common? Obviously, they all have pronouns that end in -self or -selves. Less obviously, but as a corollary, they all use pronouns that stand for the subject of the sentence. In other words, the subjects and objects of the verbs in the above sentences refer to the same person. Another way of putting this might be that the subject of each sentence is engaging in some action that affects the same person or persons. If you can comprehend that, you understand the basic concept behind the grammar of reflexive pronouns and verbs in Spanish. Reflexive pronouns in Spanish are closely related to direct and indirect-object pronouns, following the same rules of word order and using most of the same pronouns. The Reflexive Pronouns of Spanish Here are the reflexive pronouns in Spanish with a simple example of each and a translation: First-person singular: me - myself - Me oà ­. I heard myself.Second-person singular familiar: te - yourself - Te oiste. You heard yourself.Second-person singular formal, third-person singular: se - yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself - Ella se oyà ³. She heard herself. Èl se oyà ³. He heard himself.  ¿Se oye usted? Do you hear yourself?First-person plural: nos - ourselves - Nos oà ­mos. We heard ourselves.Second-person plural familiar: os - yourselves - Os oà ­steis. You heard yourselves.Second-person plural formal, third-person plural: se - yourselves, themselves - Se oyeron. They heard themselves. Verbs Used Primarily or Only in the Reflexive One major difference between Spanish and English in this matter is that in Spanish many verbs exist only or primarily in the reflexive form. There is only one common English verb that shares this characteristic: to perjure oneself. Examples of verbs that exist primarily or frequently in the reflexive form are acostarse (to go to bed), divertirse (to have a good time), ducharse (to take a shower), enamorarse (to fall in love), enojarse (to get angry), levantarse (to get up), sentarse (to sit down), sentirse (to feel), and vestirse (to get dressed). It is also common to use the reflexive form when performing some action on a part of the body. Examples include secarse el cabello (to dry ones hair) and lavarse las manos (to wash ones hands). Note that the infinitive form of reflexive verbs is usually stated by placing -se at the end of the infinitive. Translating Reflexive Verbs Note that for many of these verbs it is not necessary to translate the reflexive pronoun into English. Se acostà ³ a las nueve, she went to bed at 9. Me siento triste, I feel sad. But with many verbs, especially those that are less frequently used in the reflexive, the pronoun must be translated.  ¿Te ves en el espejo? Do you see yourself in the mirror? And in still other cases, you can translate with or without translating the pronoun. Se vistià ³ en su coche, he got dressed in his car, or he dressed himself in his car. Sometimes, the reflexive can be translated using each other when in the plural form. Nos miramos, we looked at each other. Se escucharon, they listened to each other (or to themselves, depending on the context). Romeo y Julieta se amaron, Romeo and Juliet loved each other. As usual, context should be a key guide when translating to English. In some cases, putting a verb in the reflexive form can make it more intense, as we do sometimes in English by adding a particle. For example, ir means to go, but irse is usually translated to go away. Similarly, comer means to eat, but comerse might be translated as to eat up, as in se comià ³ cinco tacos, he ate up five tacos. Often in Spanish the reflexive form is used where in English we would use a passive form of a verb. Se cerrà ³ la puerta. The door was closed (a literal translation would be the door closed itself). Se perdieron los boletos, the tickets got lost. Translating "-self" to Spanish Sometimes in English we use the reflexive pronouns as a means of emphasizing the subject rather than as a true reflexive, as in the sentence, I myself performed the task or I performed the task myself. In such cases, the reflexive form should not be used in the Spanish translation. The first sentence would typically be translated using mismo: Yo mismo hice la tarea. The second sentence also could be translated by paraphrasing its meaning: Hice la tarea sin ayuda (literally, I did the task without help). Key Takeaways In reflexive sentences, the direct object pronoun of a verb represents the same person or thing as the subject.Spanish reflexive pronouns are used much like English -self words such as myself or ourselves when those words are used reflexively.Many Spanish verbs are used only or mostly in the reflexive form.

Economic Impact of the U.S. Fast Food Industry on the Global Economy Research Paper

Economic Impact of the U.S. Fast Food Industry on the Global Economy - Research Paper Example Fast foods contain a lot of fats and oils, which when accumulated in the body lead to related diseases like Obesity and diabetes. A research conducted by Currie Janet et al. of the National Bureau of Economic Research (Currie, 2009), on the effects of fast food restaurants on obesity and weight gain show that, the establishment of fast food restaurants has a diverse effect on the rise in obesity cases in the U.S. The research focused on 3 million children to compare school children who are 0.1 mile away from a location of a fast food restaurant, and others who are at 0.25 miles. The researchers put the children under observation for a period to compare on the rate of obesity cases. The researchers also conducted research on 3 million pregnant mothers observed to gauge their weight gain over a period (Currie, 2009). It showed that the growth in weight gain among pregnant mothers increased according to the distance form the fast food restaurant that is the weight gain was more to mothe rs who were near the restaurants as compared to those a bit far (Currie, 2009). The obesity rates observed were almost the same to the school children. The research shows that the availability of fast food restaurants affects the rate of obesity because of the low price on the foods which leads to high consumption. The varying distance between the school children bring almost the same effect on obesity because, the children who are a bit far from the restaurants are constraint to budget hence consume less compared to those near (Currie, 2009). The availability of the fast food restaurants has adverse effects on the health sector in U. S. as the state has to intervene on prevention. This affects the economy of the country as the government increases taxes to cater for... This paper stresses that the high growth in economic standards over the world calls for any possible means of easing life. The fast food industry has developed due to the ease of production of its products and its cheap price. The commitments that people have do not allow them to spend much of their time because they want to beat some deadlines. They do not have time to examine how healthy the food they eat is, and its consequences. The fast food industries started in the U. S according to Schlosser, but after the gradual growth, spread to other countries where they have too established a number of branches, for example, the McDonald’s. This report makes a conclusion that the effects these companies have on the economy of U. S occur in the other countries which have started these industries. Most contents of these foods are unhealthy, and have highly contributed to the rise in obesity and overweight problems which relate other diseases like diabetes which are expensive to treat. Treatment of these diseases becomes a burden to the economy of the world. Diseases like these affect the labor input of a country and this acts as a drawback to the economy. Although the establishment of fast food industries affected the economy of the world through the health sector, it has also positively affected the global economy through the provision of labor to employees, which is a boost to the tax department.

Domestic violence and human rights reserch Research Paper

Domestic violence and human rights reserch - Research Paper Example Children are likewise thought to be mishandled about as frequently as spouses. The elderly also compose an identifiable group of abuse victims whose rights are violated and neglected. Often they are targets of the frustrations of family members who are presumed to care for them. In this regard, the essay is written with the objective of presenting relevant issues about domestic abuse as a human rights violation. Likewise, the discourse would discuss proposed ways to address and possible prevent this dilemma. Definition of Terms According to UNICEF (2000), â€Å"The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life† (UNICEF, 2). The same source defines dom estic violence as â€Å"violence perpetrated by intimate partners and other family members, and manifested through: physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, economic abuse and acts of omission† (ibid.). ... ed, fear of and control over female sexuality, belief in the inherent superiority of males, and legislation and cultural sanctions that have traditionally denied women and children an independent legal and social status† (UNICEF, 7). Situations where imposition of inequality of power towards another person deemed to possess weakness either in physical strength, educational achievement, economic status, or perceived demographic factors (age, race, culture) have increased tendencies for domestic violence. Consequences The most crucial effect of domestic violence as revealed by various studies is the denial of human rights (UNICEF, 8). Further, domestic violence creates damaging repercussions to victims in the form of physical health injuries, mental health dilemmas and even fatal outcomes, such as death or contracting HIV/AIDS. There are also socio-economic cost identified to be associated with domestic violence, such as medical costs for treatment, law enforcement costs, lower l abor productivity, and decreased quality of life (ibid, 13). Prevention Strategies Due to the delicate nature and scope of the dilemma, domestic violence should be addressed with stringent vigilance and immediate action. The hesitation to report domestic violence due to fear, lack of resources or support systems, or ignorance exacerbate the ability of community workers and government institutions to apply the necessary strategies and interventions to prevent these abusive incidences. The Study Coordinator for WHO, Dr. Claudio Garcia Moreno averred that "domestic violence can be prevented and governments and communities need to mobilize to fight this widespread public health problem" (WHO, par. 10). The fact remains that women, children and the elderly have kept their silence about domestic

Week 2 Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week 2 Discussion Questions - Essay Example The teams are defined in order to support the business processes which are of significance as concerns to the relevance of the scope of the project that they are under. The resource pool structure is based on the construction of teams from similar kinds of resource. The elements that are different within these team structures are that two of them are people-centric while the last one depends heavily on the availability of resources. The project team structure is related with the project manager’s authority since he will then be able to have a better idea as to how things will be conducted within the domain that he is working under. The boundary of the project upon which the project manager has completed hold upon is indeed the project scope. It is a fact that there are some outputs of project scope as well, which are indeed the time and costs associated. Therefore project scope takes into consideration what will be included and what must remain excluded from the domains of the project. Scope changes with the passage of time. The components of the project scope include the justification for the project, the specification and description of the product that is sought, the project deliverables and indeed the objectives of the project. These components define the real essence of a project and hence the project scope is closely linked with it as well. The components will eventually define the basis of project scope which is important. 3. What does each of the letters in the SMART acronym stand for? In your own words, describe what each piece of the SMART acronym means? Why is the SMART acronym an important part of developing requirements for the project? SMART is an acronym used for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound activities within the project management domains. By specific, one means that the project objectives need to be significant, simple and stretching all at the same time. The

E-business strategy

E-business strategy 1. Management Summary 2. Introduction Tesco is Britains largest food retailer, employing over 240,000 people worldwide and has net yearly profits of over  £1 billion. Its website is one of the most popular in the UK, with over one million registered users. [free-encyclopedia-online] Tesco started in 1919 when Jack Cohen started selling surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London. The Tesco brand first appeared five years later in 1924 he bought a shipment of tea from a Mr T. E Stockwell. The initials and letters were combined to form Tes-co and in 1929 Mr Cohen opened the flagship Tesco store in Burnt Oak, North London. The brand sustained its rise in the 1930s when Mr Cohen established a headquarters and warehouse in North London and in 1932 Tesco became a private limited company. In the 1950s the retailer bought 70 Williams stores and 200 Harrow stores, followed by 97 Charles Philips stores and the Victor Value chain in the early 1960s. In 1968 Tesco opened its first superstore in Crawley, West Sussex. Supermarkets revolutionised the way people shopped and by the 1970s Tesco was building a national store network to cover the whole of the UK, which it continues to expand to this day, while also diversifying into other products. In 1974 Tesco opened its first petrol stations, and would become the UKs largest independent petrol retailer. By 1979 total sales topped  £1bn, and by 1982 sales had doubled to more than  £2bn. In 1987 Tesco effectively completed a hostile takeover of supermarket opponent Hillards for  £220m. In the 1990s Tesco continued to tighten its grip on the UK with more store openings and an aggressive marketing campaign in an attempt to surpass Sainsburys as the UKs leading grocer. In 1992, the company launched is slogan every little helps, followed by the Tesco Value range in 1993. This was followed by the launch of the Tesco Clubcard scheme in 1995, helping Tesco to overtake rival Sainsburys as the UKs largest food retailer. 1996 saw the retailer introduce its first 24-hour store while it also expanded overseas opening shops in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Tesco.com was launched in 2000 and the supermarket continued to expand its range of products, which now includes clothes, electrical and personal finance products. In 2004 Tesco entered the broadband market. In 2006, the retailer announced ambitious plans to open stores in the US under the name Fresh and Easy and funded by existing resources. Tesco now operates in 13 countries. Group sales were  £51.8bn in the year to February 23 2008. In 2008 the retail giant took its conquest of the UK one step further by buying up some competitor Somerfield stores on distant islands in Scotland, giving Tesco a existence in every single postcode area in the country. More than 50p in every pound spent on food by the citys 66,000 residents is done so at a Tesco checkout and similar dominance in other towns has sparked controversy. Because of their size, supermarkets have been accused by some of abusing their position by forcing smaller local shops out of business. Clark, T, (2008) Below figure 2.1 shows a graph of Tescos profit over a five year period from 2003 to 2008. Figure 2.2Graph showing the improvement of Tescos product range Grocery home shopping service, toys electronics, sports equipment, cookware home finishing Financial services (Visa card, saving accounts, banks, insurance) Gas filling station Gasoline retailer Clothing, household Food 1919 1960 1990 199   1997 2000 Year 3. Situation Analysis In crafting a strategy it is important for a company to analyse the environment. All organisations operate within an environment that influences the way in which business is conducted. Situation analysis involves the review of the internal resources and processes of the company to assess its e-business capabilities and results to date in the context of a review of its activity in the market place. It also involves the review of the immediate competitive environment or micro-environment and the review of the wider environment or macro-environment in which a company operates. The micro-environment includes customer demand and behaviour, competitor activity, marketplace structure and relationships with suppliers, partners and intermediaries. The macro-environment includes economic development and regulation by governments in the form of law and taxes together with social and ethical constraints such as the demand for privacy. Chaffey (2009) 3.1. Present Position Analysis In this section the factors that impact Tescos strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will be looked at. Figure 3.1 presents the factors that impact the SWOT analysis of Tesco. Strengths Advertising and marketing Strong customer base Product range Services offered International entrance Location Sale increase Brand name External economies of scale Product quality Cost reduction Weaknesses Transport cost Dependence on the UK grocery market Market dominated by another company Opportunities Online market Growth Product expansion Threats Tax increase Innovation of other companies Customer preference Internet security Tescos success in the market stands firm due to their product range which allows customers to choose products from different market segments. With this strategy Tesco establishment a strong customer base. They also kept and grew their customer base by introducing new services within the organisation and by way of their advertising both in store and online. They introduced a clubcard that encouraged and continues to encourage customers to shop online with rewards. To keep their customer base strong they use different advertising and marketing methods such as sending customers mails using effective mediums which include both direct mail and electronic mail. Advertising is can be done in store and is even more effective using the online medium such as advertising on Google or sites that are used regularly by general web browsers. Services such as insurance, visa cards, saving accounts, music downloads and gas filling stations where some of the services introduced by Tesco. The products and services offered by Tesco meets or at times exceed the expectations of customers. The brand name Tesco uses allows customers to identify them and the products and services they provide even though other companies provide similar products and services. Tescos strategy of branching out into different locations was a major move which allowed them to target all groups of customer wants and needs with the products and services they offered. They also branch out into international markets and expand their products and services into different cultures. Tescos move to the online arena allowed them to target all groups all at once and allow their customers to purchase items that are in or out of season and are not available in store. They also grant them five dollar discounts to encourage them to shop on the online market. Tescos have an advantage over their competitors and due to this fact the prices they offer for the same products are much lower allowing more customers to come into Te sco instead of the competitors. Dependence on the UK market is considered a weakness because of their dependence on UK suppliers for their products. Tesco can turn their dependence on the UK market into strength by outsourcing products with equal or superior quality than the products they currently offer. Tesco dominates the market but in certain cities, Tescos competitors have monopolised the cities. In order for this monopoly by their competitors to be destroyed Tesco needs to open more branches within the cities and boost up their services to gain a wide range of customers in those cities. 3.2. Industry Analysis Porters Five Forces for Tesco.com 4. E-Business Strategy Strategy development should be strongly influenced by considering the environment the business operates in. The most significant influences are those of the immediate marketplace of the micro-environment that is shaped by the needs of customers and how services provided to them through competitors and intermediaries and via upstream suppliers. Technological innovations are vital in providing opportunities to provide superior services to competitors or through changing the shape of the marketplace. Chaffey (2009) 4.1.E-Business strategy 4.2. Implementation 5. Legal and ethical issues Privacy of consumers is a key ethical issue since many laws have been enacted. Data protection legislation is enacted to protect the individual, to protect their privacy and to prevent misuse of their personal data. This affects all types of organizations regardless of whether they have a transactional e-commerce service. Chaffey (2009) When gathering information Tesco.com needs to take in mind what the Data Protection Act states concerning personal data and the use of that data. In schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 1998, it states eight principles by which data must be protected. These eight principles are: Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully and, in particular, shall not be processed unless— at least one of the conditions in Schedule 2 is met, and in the case of sensitive personal data, at least one of the conditions in Schedule 3 is also met. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes. Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under this Act. Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data. [opsi 2008] According to the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 above Tesco must ensure that: When Tesco.com collects information from a data subject, the data subject must be aware that their information is being captured and because they agree to it. This information is obtained when a customer registers an account with Tesco.com. This information will be used by Tesco.com to create a profile for the individual. Tesco.com must let the data subject know why they are collecting this information and how it will be used both now and in the future. They need to let the data subject know if they data will be sent to third parties or not and how long they will keep this information stored. The data requested by Tesco.com must be relevant according to their needs. It must also be information that a customer will feel comfortable disclosing. Tesco.com must ensure that the data being collected and processed from a data subject is accurate and up-to-date. When a customer requests the closure of their account Tesco.com should delete all data concerning that customer or they will be in violation of the fifth principle in the Data Protection Act 1998. Tesco.com should supply information to the data subject without hesitation once they request it. In gathering information Tesco.com must ensure that the data stored is safe and secure. In distributing data Tesco.com must ensure that the data subject agrees to it or the country to which the information is being transferred to must have proper data protection or else there will be a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 principle 8. According to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations Act, Tesco.com must see to it that the e-mail sent to customers where based on the customers opt-in or consent to receive e-mails and should also have the option for them to opt-out or un-subscribe to getting e-mails. Tesco.com should also supply the customer with some contact information so that they can contact if they feel the e-mails being sent is spam. 6. Conclusion

Resisting Negative Peer Pressure Essay -- Peer Pressure Essays

â€Å"Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to what individuals perceive as normal of their society or social group. This influence occurs in small groups and society as a whole, and may result from subtle unconscious influences, or direct and overt social pressure. Conformity can occur in the presence of others or when an individual is alone† (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conformity) Has there been a time when you suddenly found yourself watching a group of teens communicate and they all seemed to be doing something different from what you can see? How did this make you feel? Did you feel like you had to conform to their way of communicating to each other? If so you just failed victim to your desire to conform. Adolescence, go through different stages of development, these stages are meant to move adolescence between their childhood and their adulthood. These stages are the experiences a teen go through that brings about a variety of changes and emotional issues. Varies cultures play a part in the adolescence development, ranging from their preteens through 19 years of age. â€Å"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adolescence covers the period of life between 10 and 20 years of age. Adolescence is often divided by psychologists into three distinct phases: early, mid, and late adolescence† (World Health Organization). When an individual take on the behaviors, attitudes, and styles of their peers because of the pressure of fitting in, this is peer conformity, also known as peer pressure. In most cultures the amount of time we spend with our peers tends to increase, as well as the effect they provide for support. Peer influence can start as soon as the third grade for some an... ... Last there is Internalization, publicly changing behavior to fit in with the group and also agreeing with them privately† (http://www.simplypsychology.org/conformity.html). By studying conformity, I hope I will be able to help others keep their identity and follow their own values and beliefs and not give in to peer pressure and conformity. I hope I can make teens more aware of the many influences that peers pressure can have on them and the many choices that make them who they are. Reference Harris, J. R. (1995). Where is the child's environment? A group socialization theory of development. Psychological Review. Conformity, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conformity World Health Organization, (2013). Adolescent Health and Development Conformity in Psychology, retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/conformity.html

Managing Cultural Diversity Essay

The following paper brie y debates the rhetoric of managing diversity and considers whether managing diversity is a distinct approach to managing people or a means of diluting equal opportunities in UK organizations. With respect to the realities of the concepts in UK organizations, empirical data from a survey of sixty UK human resource professionals and general line managers is presented. We pose a number of cautionary questions, including what does it matter and to whom? By doing so we intend to encourage further critique and challenges in respect to the concept of managing diversity in organizations. Keywords: Managing diversity, equal opportunities, HRM/D, rhetoric, reality Introduction Today the workforce does not look, think, or act like any workforce of the past, nor does it hold the same values, have the same experiences, or pursue the same needs and desires (Jamieson and O’ Mara 1991). The composition of today’ s workforce has changed signi cantly in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, culture, education, disabilities, and values. Running parallel to these changes is the shift in thinking by human resource theorists and practitioners with regard to addressing equality in the workplace (Cooper and White 1995; Liff and Wacjman 1996). This shift is underpinned by the emergence of the business case argument for equal opportunities, as opposed to the persuasive debate for social justice or equal opportunities as ‘ correcting an imbalance, an injustice or a mistake’ (Thomas 1990). There is now a view that, after twenty years of the ‘ stick’ of legal compliance (which has achieved little), the ‘ carrot’ of underpinning the business case for equal opportunities will perhaps achieve more (Dickens 1994). The business case argument for equal opportunities in organizations is often termed ‘ managing or valuing diversity’ , but, as with most contemporary Human Resource Development International ISSN 1367-8868 print/ISSN 1469–8374 online  © 2000 Taylor & Francis Ltd http://www. tandf. co. uk/journals 420 Peer-Reviewed Articles anagement issues, the underlying principles and interpretation of this concept are open to mass interpretation, criticism, and indeed misunderstanding. D. Miller (1996) argues that the significant widening of the meaning of equal opportunities has brought with it more complex and confusing messages for employers and practitioners. By drawing on literature and empirical data, we consider whether man aging diversity is a distinct approach to managing people or a means of diluting equal opportunities in UK organizations and pose a number of cautionary questions, including: what does it matter and to whom? By doing so, we intend to encourage further critique and challenges in respect to the concept of managing diversity in organizations. What is managing diversity? Thomas (2000) argues that, with the growing number of mergers and acquisitions, workforce diversity will become more of a priority for organizations and, therefore, in the future, people will become clearer on what diversity is and how to manage it. As with the debates surrounding de nitions of human resource management and development (HRM/D), managing diversity as a concept means different things to different people. It can relate to the issue of national cultures inside a multinational organization (Hofstede 1984); it can relate to the further development of equal opportunities or to a distinct method of integrating different parts of an organization and/or managing people strategically. Much of the literature regarding managing diversity relates to the US experience, where the concept is particularly popular; a re ection perhaps of the more pronounced diversity of workforce composition (Cassell 1996). In a recent report 1999), a Department of Education in America described managing and valuing diversity as a key component of effective people management, arguing that it focuses on improving the performance of the organization and promotes practices that enhance the productivity of all staff. Their dimensions of diversity include gender, race, culture, age, family/carer status, religion, and disability. The de nition provided also embraces a range of individual skills, educational quali cations, work experience and background, languages, and other relevant attributes and experiences which differentiate individuals.

The Chocolate War Essays - The Chocolate War, Free Essays

The Chocolate War Essays - The Chocolate War, Free Essays The Chocolate War The Chocolate War The Chocolate War is a book written by Robert Cormier. It is about a teenaged boy named Jerry and his life as an individual at an all boys catholic school called Trinity. Every year the school sells chocolates to raise money. Every student is meant to sell fifty boxes, and they all do, except for Jerry. Jerry was forced not to sell the chocolates for 10 days by the Vigils, a school gang. At first thats what he planned to do, but as the 10 days went on, Jerry started to feel control over his life and decided to continue not to sell. By doing so, Jerry disobeyed the Vigils and made them look like a bunch of fools. Jerry is a fourteen year old freshman at Trinity. He is 59 and 145 pounds. He plays football for the school team. His mother just recently died of cancer and he lives alone with his father. While dealing with his mothers death, Jerry felt that he had absolutely no power or control over his life, that is until he stood up to the Vigils by refusing to sell chocolates. Archie is a part of the Vigils. He plays the role of the assignor. For this job he has to select students and give them assignments. In this case, He assigned Jerry the duty of not selling chocolates for 10 days. Archie is a very powerful and manipulative person and he can turn someone against another in the blink of an eye; Just like when Jerry prolonged his assignment. In the following paragraphs, it will be showed how Archie turned Jerry from a hero, to an outcast and finally, to a victim. Jerry became a hero to all in Trinity. A hero by definition being a man or boy admired for his bravery, great deeds or noble qualities. In this case they looked up to him for his bravery to stand up to Brother Leon and refuse to sell the chocolates, something they all had wanted to do, but never had the guts. For example, in roll call on the first day of the chocolate sales Brother Leon went through each boys name and they were to answer yes or no. Yes meaning they would sell the chocolates and no meaning they wouldnt. Every single boy said yes, except for Jerry, he said no. Brother Leon didnt just let him be, he put pressure on him, tried to make him feel badly about not selling, tried to make him feel guilty. It didnt work though, Jerry stood his ground and stuck be his original answer, NO. At first Jerrys motif not to sell the chocolates was just the assignment given to him by the Vigils, but soon after, that changed. Jerry started to feel control over his life, he started to feel like an individual for once. He also had become recognized by the school as a rebel, and as a leader. For example, Jerry was on the bus and this person hes never talked to before sat down beside him and said, -Hey, Renault, you got guts, know that Boy, you really let Leon that bastard have it. Beautiful. People hed never talked to were looking up to him, he couldnt back down after ten days, nor did he want to, so he continued not to sell chocolates, even after his assignment was finished. Jerrys fame didnt last long after he disobeyed the Vigils, due to Archies ways, Jerry soon became an outcast. An Outcast by definition being a person or animal cast out from home and friends, friendless. When Jerry continued his refusal, he made a mockery of the Vigils, something no one else has ever done. He also unknowingly set the Vigils up for some trouble. The Vigils had made a deal with Brother Leon to support the chocolate sales, and with Jerry standing up for himself like that, things couldnt go on for the better. Other people were bound to follow in his footsteps and that wouldnt be a good thing. Archie had to come up with something quick, so he decided to take charge put Jerry on the spot. The Vigils somehow made chocolate selling the

The Role Of Women In essays

The Role Of Women In essays In the eyes of the masculine society, the dominance of women has never been seen with pleasure. Their egotistical macho egos will not tolerate women prevailing over them. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, was Ken Keseys tool to demonstrate the evils of domineering females. Every one of his feminine characters was given birth with malignant, evil inflicting individualities. Ken Keseys views of women are as spiteful creatures that take pleasure in the anguish of men. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, exposes the malevolent powers of women, and the detrimental effects of what these powers can do when they are not restricted. In the masculine perspectives of Ken Kesey, the female characters are downsized to just two roles in the story. Each of which is created to bring down the self-worth of men, or to use sexuality to inflict havoc in the lives of which they meet. Ken Kesey has women who cause men to undergo a metaphoric castration. The characters of Nurse Ratched, Billys mother, and the Ch iefs mother are focused on the removal of the masculinity of the male characters in the story that they are involved with. Ken Kesey, writes about the destructive powers that women exert over men, inflicting the reader with the ideals of the masculine form of thought. Nurse Ratched is the perfect woman that Ken Kesey uses to demonstrate that the matriarchy of women is wicked. To describe the character of the nurse, Ken Kesey uses a male figure, which is the Chief. This demonstrates the how unfairly even from the start women are being described by the biased eyes of a male. Ratched, her name suggests her role to tighten the stronghold that she has on the men in her ward. Even the beauty of a womans smile is twisted and turned by Ken Kesey. The more infuriated she becomes, the more machinelike and, therefore, funny she becomes, ...she really lets herself go and her painted smile twists, stretches to...

Overview the legislation that impacts the workplace in Canada at both Research Paper

Overview the legislation that impacts the workplace in Canada at both the provincial and federal levels - Research Paper Example rengthened the legal claims of employees while encroaching upon workplace norms that were formed through collective agreements and managerial prerogatives. The inclusion of human rights as part of the legislation impacting the workplace in Canada was achieved through the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which forms part of the constitution Act 1982. Hogg (1982) explains that the Charter is a set of laws outlining the basic rules about how the nation operates. It describes the powers of the provincial governments and the federal government in Canada. It also outlines the rights and freedoms that the Canadian people believe are necessary and important in a free and democratic society. The Charter has had a notable indirect impact on both public employers and private employers who are not considered as government employees because of its application to both provincial and federal human rights legislation. Black-Branch (1995) states that the government has amended these human rights statutes through judicial interpretation in order to conform with the Charter. The impact of this process is the making of Charter principles that are directly applicable to all workplaces in Canada. Some of the rights in the Charter are the right to live and seek/get employment anywhere in Canada and the right to equality, including gender equality. Generally, the provincial and federal legislations in Canada affecting the workplace govern issues such as labour relations, human rights and workplace health and safety. Section 15(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees individuals with disabilities the right to equal benefit and equal protection of the law and without discrimination by the Canadian government, agents of the government and its delegates. It also protects individuals with mental disabilities and this interpretation has been expanded to include individuals with learning disabilities. Employers governed by the Charter must therefore provide equal

Political and economic developments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political and economic developments - Essay Example The American political scene has for a long time been dominated by two major political parties despite the constitution allowing the existence of as many parties as the citizens would deem fit. These two parties are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. These two parties differ in policies and fundamental political ideologies. However, having only two political parties is a show of political maturity. This has contributed to the country’s economic prosperity. With the attainment of independence of most countries, the notion of self rule brought with it the possibilities of the countries liberating their citizenry from poverty and even bad governance. This new system of self governance took a myriad of forms with most of the colonies taking after their colonial masters (Michael & John, 2000). This made early European civilization receive much acknowledgement. Most of these types of governance were based on democracy which is a system that allows the populace the author ity to elect their leaders. According to varying preferences, some countries opted for the presidential system in which the president would be directly elected by the populace. The United States is a classical example of this kind of governance. Others opted for a parliamentarian system in which the elected legislatures elect the president. ... Factors that lead to the creations of these nations differ; these are such basic factors as the size of the country, the population size, the religious beliefs of the populace, and multiple others. These are responsible for the formulation of the laws that the legislators deem relevant. What is of relevance in one region is never relevant tin another. The relativity in legal relevance thus explains the difference in regional legislations. The economic growth of a country is determined by a number of factors. Most of these factors are politically instigated. A country that is politically stable like the United States attracts investors. With investors coming to such demography’s, the implication would imminent economic progress (Hill, 2010). The American currency The dollar is the most traded currency globally. This is a clear show of how strong the country’s economy is. The strong economy is sustained by fundamental economic concepts which suit its economy as well as po pulace. There are deliberate moves made by the American government to sustain its economy and safeguards its interests in the world market. These are highlighted in the proceeding part. The American economy has over the years projected manageable rates of inflation due to sound financial policies. This implies a strong economic prospect for the country. Furthermore, this also ensures that the currency retains a strong presence in the financial markets globally. The second factor that has led to the strong currency is the high interest rates that characterize the country’s banking and lending sector. When interest rates are high, the market becomes attractive to investors who would in turn take part in the investments in the securities such as bonds (Stefan, Christopher & Jochen, 2008). This