Microsoft Corporation Case Analysis Essay

Industry Evaluation Software is an integral part of today’s uncertain economy, as the push for greater globalization and efficiency drives much of the spending in business markets around the world. In order to maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly competitive global market, companies are spending more and more on hardware and software infrastructures (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). Microsoft is among 413 companies that produce and distribute application software products and services. These companies are all part of the Application Software industry within the technology sector, which is dominated by one software giant; Microsoft. More specifically, Microsoft is categorized into the Developmental Tools, Operating Systems, and Utility Software subindustry, which includes companies that â€Å"design, develop, market, and support software for developing, testing, and debugging applications; for computer maintenance; and for desktop management† (Hoovers.com, 2006). Microsoft, Oracle Corp, CA Inc., and SAP Aktiengesellschaft, with a four-firm concentration ratio of 39% dominate the industry. Most of the other 411 firms in the industry specialize in smaller niches, providing specialized software services such as accounting, business management, etcetera, and have profits under $1 billion per year. For this reason, the computer application industry has monopolistic competition (MSN Money, 2006). The top-selling software company is currently Microsoft, with $41.4 billion in sales in 2005, and is joined in the competitive arena by other top sellers such as Oracle Corp. with $12.9 billion and SAP Aktiengesellschaft with $10.4 billion. Other industry leaders in sales include CA Inc., Intuit Inc., Adobe Systems Inc., B.M.C. Software, Compuware Corp., and Novell Inc., each experiencing revenues exceeding $1 billion during 2005. Within the Developmental Tools, Operating Systems, and Utility Software subindustry, top competitors include Microsoft, International Business Machines (IBM), SAP Aktiengesellschaft, and Computer Associates International, who ranked a respective first, second, third, and fourth in application software sales (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). The Computer Software industry is largely dominated by Microsoft, which commands 54% of market sales among its top ten competitors, as listed above. The following chart details the market share of these ten main players in the industry (Yahoo!Finance, 2006): Within the legal environment, the software industry has been shaken by  several recent regulations that are revitalizing industries within the business market of the United States. Among them are the US Patriot Act, which dictates that companies providing financial services must have the ability to detect the occurrence of money laundering; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which mandates that companies provide â€Å"real-time disclosure of events that might affect their financial performance and deep records of e-mail and instant messages exchanged between employees† (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). Finally, antitrust laws have been an ongoing threat to the industry. Microsoft has finally reached a settlement after an ongoing antitrust investigation, and agreed to allow manufacturers to include competing software with Windows and uniformly license its operating systems (Antitrust Case Filings, 2006). New technological developments are revitalizing the software industry. The most recent and significant development includes a new set of web-friendly applications that, as of yet, has no official name. These web services can be assembled from standardized building blocks, meaning that any number of applications may be assembled in a variety of ways. Because of this, companies are able to develop enterprise applications to run on a wide range of software and hardware infrastructures and cater to the specific demands of their respective market segments. The companies that will maintain market share in the up-and-coming web era are those that are able to develop products that will be compatible on a wide range of hardware platforms. Massive consolidations have recently become characteristic of the software industry. Largely due to acquisitions, IBM’s software holdings have grown a great deal. Small specialists companies face the greatest danger from large software providers such as Oracle, who recently acquired PeopleSoft and Siebel for $10.3 and $5.9 billion, respectively. If growth slows in their subindustries, these small companies who cater to specific niches become vulnerable to large companies offering extensive suites of enterprise applications that serve a variety of functions such as the industry leaders (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). Following suit after other mature industries such as electronics and apparel,  a large number of IT and software providers have begun outsourcing much of their manufacturing and R&D functions to countries outside of the United States. Software companies are now able to hire manufacturers and product developers in countries such as India, Mexico, and China for much less than it would cost in the U.S. (MSN Money, 2006) The tragedy of the September 11 terrorist attacks as well as other post 9/11 attacks prompted another significant trend in the software industry when the United States government cranked down on security. By restructuring their communication systems, they opened a door to struggling software providers who began to provide new, more secure applications to governmental departments and agencies (Yahoo!Finance, 2006) A final trend reflects the popularity of Linux and other open-source code operating systems. While the Linux operating system is probably the most widely known and widely used open source code, the idea of open source is gaining momentum and popularity. Companies that provide their products for a nominal subscription fee and generate income based on training and support services have adopted the open source concept as a counter-intuitive business model, with which they counter the more traditional selling of products for profit model (Hill and Jones, 2005). Once online collaboration and word processing applications are fully developed and grow in usage and popularity, the researchers predict that the software industry will see a rise in sales of those kinds of products, and possibly a decline in the sale of PC compatible product that serve the same types of functions. The reason for this is that once these tools are available, consumers will realize that they may access and edit their documents or projects from any computer or PDA with internet access, without having to worry about being on the specific machine or machines that contain the documents they need. Currently, almost all users of open source software are computer-savvy programming professionals. In the future however, more consumers will use this type of software for business and personal use. This is forecasted by a  growing number of applications developed from open source codes such as Linux, as well as increasing popularity of these programs. If this comes to pass, then Linux and other open source applications and operating systems may accumulate market share, thus depriving it from Microsoft and Oracle. Strategic Evaluation Microsoft supports a number of values that translate into goals that the company strives to attain. These goals include doing business with honesty and integrity; to have passion for customers, partners, and technology; to be open and respectful, to take on big challenges and see through them; constructive self-criticism, self-improvement, and personal excellence; to help foster growth and innovation, and to be accountable to customers, shareholders, partners, and employees for commitments, results, and quality. These goals, however, are immeasurable, intangible, and unspecific. There is no timeline for achieving them, and no way to determine whether or not they have been acheived. There are, however, more specific goals that the company hopes to attain that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and tangible. Goals for the future include making technology available to one quarter of a billion people by 2010. Another goal is to fuse together Windows development and Web development to enrich Windows applications (Stu, 2003). By doing this, Microsoft may be able to convince consumes to use the rich application features of Windows. Another goal is to unify the disparate Windows communications and enterprise technologies into a common and simple framework that is competitive with Java Enterprise Edition. Microsoft needs to provide an alternative to this model unless it wants to see Java retain its lock on the server software market. This goal is consistant with Microsoft’s approach of taking the lead in developing a new computing standard. (Microsoft, 2006) The mission statement of Microsoft Corporation is â€Å"At Microsoft, we work to help people and businesses throughout the world  realize their full potential. This is our mission. Everything we do reflects this mission and the values that make it possible.†- Microsoft, 2006 The mission statement is clear in representing Microsoft as dedicated in providing the best products to help its customers achieve and â€Å"realize their full potential†. The mission statement is strong, and is very personable by saying â€Å"At Microsoft†, and repeating that this is Microsoft’s mission statement. The statement repeats itself in the third sentence, saying, â€Å"everything we do reflects† helping everyone in the world understand his or her â€Å"full potential†. Using words to repeat parts of the mission statement makes it bolder to the reader. The statement is broad enough to allow the company to expand into unfamiliar markets or businesses, or both. However, it is narrow enough that it focuses the company on aiding people in reaching their fullest potential. By adhering to this mission statement, employees at Microsoft look to the customers, not the shareholders, as the reason the company exists. It is clear to express that the company does not exist solely to make a profits or please shareholders. It reflects the desire of the management at Microsoft to make a difference in the world and help those who wish to success do so. Functional Review Marketing Analysis Microsoft focuses on the development of software, which includes products such as Office, Project, Visio, FoxPro, and more. The software packages aide in the creation of business documents, databases, and projects, as well as helps consumers manage their day-to-day lives. Microsoft has seven different product divisions: Client, Server and Tools, Information Worker, Microsoft Business Solution, MSN, Mobile and Embedded Devices, and Home and Entertainment (Microsoft, 2006). The Client segment has responsibility for engineering, product delivery, and technical architecture for the Windows product family. It also handles Microsoft’s  relationships with personal computer manufacturers, including multinational and regional original equipment manufacturer accounts (SEC, 2006). Server and Tools is responsible for the server system products and all related services. These services include providing advice for requirements needed for the system to operate properly, custom solution services, and business application planning for the operating systems. Information Worker involves licensing software to several types of users such as small to large corporations, homes, and specialized categories like students. This division releases a major change in software every two to three years. Microsoft Business Solutions deals primarily with â€Å"developing and marketing offerings to manage financial, customer relationship and supply chain management functions for small and midsize businesses, large organizations and divisions of global enterprises. MSN is accountable for delivering online services that look to empower users by bringing them to the people and information that matter most. The Mobile and Embedded Devices section is responsible for the marketing and development of products that extend the advantages of the Windows platform to many types of devices. The Home and Entertainment segment is in charge of production, development, and marketing for the Xbox video gaming system (SEC, 2006). Another way Microsoft is continuing to broaden their customer base is by establishing itself into the gaming industry. An example of this is the innovative Xbox 360 Microsoft launched during the 2005 Christmas season. Microsoft has begun to explore new markets, like television, with the rising success of the Xbox 360 and the changing demographics. Microsoft realizes that demographics are changing to a younger generation and efforts must be made to accommodate their needs as well. (Wikipedia, 2006) In the past, Microsoft’s target market has been men of the ages of eighteen through thirty-four. The company is currently expanding the market it targets by experimenting with two methods of reaching the seventeen and younger age group. The first is through the gaming industry, with the release of the Xbox gaming system. The company is also developing a television show to reach this age group (Goo, 2006). Another strategy Microsoft is pursuing involves meeting its global clientele where they are  in terms of their economic and financial needs (Evers, 2006). These changes in strategy and products reflect Microsoft’s goal of expanding its target market. While there is risk involved with these changes, there is also the potential for returns above a normal profit. Another way Microsoft is continuing to broaden their customer base is by establishing itself into the gaming industry. An example of this is the innovative Xbox 360 Microsoft launched during the 2005 Christmas season. Microsoft has begun to explore new markets, like television, with the rising success of the Xbox 360 and the changing demographics. Microsoft realizes that demographics are changing to a younger generation and efforts must be made to accommodate their needs as well. (Wikipedia, 2006) Microsoft has established a presence in the international market. The headquarters, including most of the research and development centers, is located in Redmond, Washington. The company has several manufacturing facilities to meet supply needs on a global scale. These facilities are located in various places such as: Dublin, Ireland, Humacao, Puerto Rico, Reno, Nevada and Singapore just to name a few locations. Microsoft currently employees 40,081 in North America and 63,564 world-wide to help them meet growing demand for their products (Microsoft, 2006). Microsoft uses a wide variety of media to influence the demand of their products. Traditional types of advertising are used for global campaigns including television, print, and Internet (Microsoft.com, 2006). The company uses computer magazines to compare companies or products such as the case of Linux versus Microsoft. Microsoft’s goal is to reach a certain target market. In addition, Microsoft is implementing a new advertising campaign using the Internet in competition with Yahoo and Google. In the campaign, customers will be asked to fill out a survey; from there the data will be used to display personal ads of interest to the consumer. If a consumer chooses not to fill out the survey the company will provide them with general ads that are generated from the search. The goal in the long-run is to learn the customers want and needs for future purchases (Oser, 2006). The manufacturing function for most of Microsoft’s products is outsourced. A vendor supplies the parts needed to assemble the Xbox gaming system. This outsourcing strategy can be a drawback on two counts. Firstly, Microsoft relinquishes some control of the pricing of this product because it cannot control the manufacturing costs. Secondly, there is a threat of the manufacturer leaking product knowledge to Microsoft’s competitors. At the same time however, Microsoft has no legal obligation to the manufacturer, and can manufacture these products internally. Microsoft employs several vendors to supply parts that Microsoft manufactures. These components are purchased at a discount rate, and Microsoft keeps excess inventory in stock in case of shortages (Microsoft, 2006). The company has decided to do an 18 month campaign to advertise the differences between Microsoft and Linux giving the benefits of using our products. Some advantages to Microsoft’s products include: being user-friendly software and applications, as well as having a strong reputation in that area. Therefore, the cost would be greater to retrained employee how to use Linux software in the business industry for server application use. In dealing with more recent security issues, Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) has a code-flaw in the browser that makes it vulnerable to hackers. This flaw can allow hackers to infect a system with various code-scripts, which puts the system under attack. To have security issues associated with the company’s name can produce a bad reputation. Microsoft’s goals are to have compassion for customers, for partners, and technology. The company wants to train and make technology available to a quarter of the billion people in the world by 2010. In addition, Microsoft shows passion towards customers by offering specialized advertisements to expose the varied selection of products to the consumer. Another goal is to exhibit openness and respectfulness, which will gain a huge amount of respect from the consumer. This is achieved by receiving feedback from our employees, government agencies, and community leaders which will lead to improve Microsoft’s business. Microsoft is staying on task of taking on large challenges by endeavoring to change their demographics of customers. In addition, the  company takes constructive criticism, and uses this as a way to improve; criticism in forms of comments and suggestions. Microsoft will accomplish this task through research and development and feedback. Other goals are to give personal excellence, and have accountability to customers, shareholders, partners, and employees for commitments, results, and quality. These achievable tasks would help Microsoft stay in the business for years to come (Microsoft, 2006). Production Analysis Microsoft alters its products to me needs of its global customers. The company translates the text and changes the appearance of its applications to make them understandable in that language. This is one reason Microsoft has a reputation for being developing user-friendly applications for its consumers. Other tasks the company is involved with include processing orders, payment options, processing needed information, and supplier management (Microsoft.com, 2006). These tasks are essential to maintaining good relations with Microsoft’s customers and suppliers. In addition, these tasks make it possible to make necessary changes when there are problems in distribution or manufacturing of Microsoft’s software. Microsoft outsources all of its manufacturing function except for a few, including the assemblage of the Xbox 360. A vendor supplies the needed parts for this product. This action can be a drawback because it limits Microsoft in its ability to control pricing aspects of this product. There is also the threat that suppliers will share the knowledge of this product with Microsoft’s competitors. Although this is a threat, Microsoft is under the no legal obligation to continue working with that supplier. Several vendors supply parts for all other products Microsoft assembles. Components for these products are purchased at a discount. Microsoft keeps an inventory of spare parts on hand if needed (Microsoft, 2006). Management Analysis Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975, and in a few years, they  expanded to Bellevue, Washington from Albuquerque, New Mexico. From there, Microsoft began creating and developing new and revolutionary technology. In 1981, â€Å"IBM introduced its personal computer with Microsoft’s 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0† (Microsoft, 2006). Because of its quality, this operating system became popular. Microsoft’s stock went public. Over the next twenty years, Microsoft created more technical and versatile operating systems such as Windows 95, 98, and the current Windows XP. This success has lead to worldwide expansion creating thousands of jobs. â€Å"Microsoft is the world’s largest software company with over 50,000 employees in various countries as of May 2004† (Microsoft, 2006). Microsoft has become a needed portion of the personal computing market in which many PC retailers have sold their machines pre-equipped with Microsoft’s software. Because of its large and substantial business, Microsoft was found to be a monopoly among computer software and because of this, Microsoft has experience financial success. In 1998, a lawsuit found that Microsoft was using its â€Å"monopoly power to defeat its competitors† (Reference.com, 2006). Microsoft appealed and showed how changing their company’s operations would bring the financial success down increasingly. A board of directors, who play a major role in decision-making and many fundamentals of the company, run Microsoft. The Chief Executive Officer is Steven Ballmer who â€Å"joined with Microsoft in 1980 and was the first business manager hired by Bill Gates† (Microsoft, 2006). In 1998, Ballmer was appointed President and this gave him full responsibility for running the corporation. 2 years later, he became CEO (in 2000) and this gave him full privilege over all the managers and staff of Microsoft. Following Ballmer is James I. Cash, Jr, Dina Dublon, Bill Gates, Raymond V. Gilmartin, Ann McLaughlin Korologos, David F. Margaurdt, Charles H. Noski, Helmut Panke and Jon A. Shirley. A lot of talent and skill is required to work in any position at Microsoft. They seek out motivated individuals who are experienced in communications and leadership. The purpose for finding such trained individuals is to lower training costs of the company. The â€Å"Corporate Operations is Microsoft’s backbone, constructing, managing, and running the various services that support the company’s 50,000 employees† (Microsoft, 2006). This statement shows that Microsoft is dependent on two sections of their management staff; the corporate and administrative services. These departments are responsible for management, public relations, providing company-wide administrative support, building new office space, and other tasks. Financial Analysis Microsoft Corporation has achieved excellence in since 1975 in the application software industry. They finished the 2005 fiscal year with a market capitalization of $288.20 billion, doubling the closest competitor, IBM which came in second in market capitalization with $131.00 billion, and an industry average of a low $136.51 million (Hoovers, 2006). Microsoft Corporation has been enjoying a steady growth in revenue over the past three fiscal years. This has been achieved with the growing popularity of PC use in the world over this time period. Microsoft’s preliminary estimates showed a growth of worldwide PC shipments from 11% to 13%, â€Å"and total server hardware shipments grew approximately 13% to 14%† during the 2005 fiscal year compared to fiscal year 2004 (Yahoo! Finance). This has caused a growth in revenue of 8% from $36,835 million to $39,788 million from fiscal year 2004 to 2005 (U.S. SEC). This revenue growth was â€Å"driven by growth in licensing of Windows Server operating systems and other server application, licensing of Windows Client operating systems through OEMs, and increased licensing of Office and other Information Worker products† (Yahoo! Finance). The 2004 fiscal year ended with an overall growth of $4,648 billion from the previous fiscal year 2003, an increase of over 12%. Over the past five years, Microsoft Corporation has generated revenue of over $162 billion. This is an increase of 73% and about $75 billion of this is derived from net cash flow from operations. Shareholders received a return of $69 billion of this revenue in dividends and stock repurchases. With the launching of the Xbox 360, Windows Vista, and newer versions of existing software in 2006 fiscal year, Microsoft expects to have an equal or larger  increase of the past five years in the next five years (Microsoft, 2006). Net income for the fiscal year 2005 was $12,254 which is an increase of $4,086 million from the 2004 fiscal year. This is due to small decreases in operating expenses from the previous year with emphasis on research and development, a decrease of over $1.5 billion. Although decreasing in fiscal year 2005, a large jump in expenses occurred from fiscal year 2003 to 2004. Microsoft increased their total operating expenses by $5,159 million to $27,801 million in fiscal year 2004. Although decreasing expenses worked for the fiscal year 2005, decreases in research and development in the future might cause the industry to get the edge on Microsoft and revenues decrease (Microsoft, 2006). Operating income has also increased substantially during these two fiscal years with a total increase of 61%. Although it had a 5% decline from fiscal year 2003 to fiscal year 2004, operating income jumped from a marginal $9,034 million in 2004 to an excellent $14,561 million in fiscal year ending 2005 (U.S. SEC). According to Yahoo! Finance, the operating income increase for fiscal year 2005 was driven by a decline in stock-based compensation expense; increased revenue in Server and Tools, Client, and Information Worker; and a reduction in legal costs associated with major litigation. Some key ratios will point out Microsoft’s position in accordance to the industry. Holding a total debt to equity ratio of 0.00, compared to 0.03 of the industry, Microsoft has showed that they have successfully controlled their assets without any debt, dating back as far as fiscal year 1996. The total debt to total asset ratio also confirms these successes with a low 0.33. This has a great statistic from an investor or shareholders eyes because there is potential for a high payout. Microsoft has a current ratio of 2.8, compared to the industries average of 2.3. This shows us that Microsoft can pay off any debt that may occur, and can continue operating with cash left over. The quick ratio is currently at 2.5 with an industry average of 2.1. Because this number is so close in comparison with the current ratio, this tells us that Microsoft is not dependent on their inventory. These three financial ratios show us that Microsoft Corporation  is achieving excellence in comparison to the industry (MSN, 2006). Both the gross profit margin and the net profit margin percentages will show us the financial health of the company. Microsoft Corporation’s net profit margin is over 7% higher that the industries average, at 30.8% compared to 23.5%. This tells us that 31.6% of the company’s revenue can be kept as profit. Fiscal year 2005 is an increase of 8.6% from fiscal year 2004 and a small decrease of 0.2% from fiscal year 2003. Their gross profit margin is 87.3%, compared to 82.6% of the industries average. Although the industries average of these two ratios is healthy as well, Microsoft still holds better percentages (MSN, 2006). The company’s price ratios will show some different trends in comparison to the industry from the other ratios presented. Although the earnings per share (EPS) are currently much higher than the industry average and the previous year, it is lower than some of the direct competitors. The EPS in the fiscal year 2005 was 1.13, which is considerably higher than the industries average of 0.15. This is not a bad ratio if you own share in the company, but two of the closest competitors is producing a much higher rate; Google’s EPS is at 5.021 and IBM’s is at 4.875. Although this might turn some investors away, numbers have been improving over the past three years. Fiscal year 2003 had an EPS of only $0.70 but increased to $0.76 in fiscal year 2004. The large increase came in fiscal year 2005 when EPS increased almost $0.40 to $1.13. With the latest innovations Microsoft has developed, these numbers will increase as investors see the future of Microsoft. Microsoft price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is more attractive than EPS with a ratio of 22.9. Although conservative investors may feel this number is too high, this ratio is much better than the industry average of 27.3 which might influence these investors to invest in Microsoft instead of the direct competitors (MSN, 2006). Management effectiveness ratios like return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) will show us how well the management at Microsoft Corporation is doing. With an ROA of 19.4%, over 5% higher than the industry average of 13.9%, Microsoft is very profitable in relation to the total assets of the  company. This is a substantial increase from 8.8% and 12.6% in fiscal year 2004 and 2003 respectively. The profit per dollar, or ROE of Microsoft, is 29.5%. This is close to 7% higher than the industry average of 22.6% and 18.6% than fiscal year 2004. This shows that Microsoft Corporation is achieving a higher profit from their investors per dollar in comparison to the industries. Although there was a large increase from fiscal year 2004 to 2005, a decrease of 5.5% occurred between fiscal year 2003 and 2004 (MSN, 2006). The efficiency of the company is struggling in comparison to the industry in one way, inventory turnover. The inventory turnover is currently much lower than the industries. With a low 8.1 compared to 28.4 of the industry average, Microsoft’s inventory turnover might indicate poor sales. Both Microsoft and the industry average of asset turnover are 0.6, indicating that 0.6 of every dollar is revenue. Microsoft is doing a better job than the industry in comparing the accounts receivable turnover, but not a significant amount. The accounts receivable turnover is at 5.7 with an industry average of 5.2. Both Microsoft and the industry are collecting payments from its customers in a timely manner. They are, however, significantly behind S&P 500 which has an accounts receivable turnover ratio of 7.5 (MSN, 2006). A thorough research of cash flows will show the company heading in the right direction. Net operating, investing, and financing cash flows all increased from the fiscal year 2004 to 2005. Fiscal year 2005 showed an increase of 14% to $16.61 billion in cash flow from operations. This is derived from an increase in cash receipts from customers driven by the 8% revenue growth of the company. Cash payments decreased by approximately $1.8 billion from the previous year from binding legal settlements. These factors played the major role in the increase of operating cash flow. Keeping operating cash flows down was payments to the 7% increase in full-time employees added during the fiscal year 2005. This is a great recovery from fiscal year 2004 considering operating cash flow dropped by $1.17 billion from fiscal year 2003. Over two billion of this was from the Sun Microsystems settlement and the European Commission fine. The small offsetting gain is from increases cash receipts  from customers. Net financing cash flow showed a large increase from $2.36 billion in fiscal year 2004 to $41.08 billion in fiscal year 2005. This increase is driven by an additional $34.38 billion of cash dividends paid, and an additional $4.67 billion in cash used for common stock repurchases in fiscal year 2005 from fiscal year 2004. Net financing cash flow did have a substantial decrease from fiscal year 2003 to 2004 of almost $3 billion. However, this decrease is due the company not repurchasing common stock in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2004 and an increase of $628 million from stock issuances of employee stock option exercises. An increase of $872 million in cash dividends during this fiscal year offset the numbers provided. Net investing cash flow for fiscal year 2005 was $15.03 billion, an increase of $18.37 billion from the previous year. Investment maturities that occurred to fund cash dividends paid increased by $23.59 billion in fiscal year 2005. Offsetting this figure was the decrease of $5.32 billion in cash from sale activity and investment purchases. Cash used for investing was $3.34 billion in fiscal year 2004, a decrease of $3.88 billion from fiscal year 2003 (Microsoft, 2006). Model Analysis The Boston Consulting Group Matrix is a representation of the status of Microsoft in the current market. There are four different categories that fall under the matrix, Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks and Dogs. The highest category and most self-efficient is the â€Å"Stars† with very high growth and high share. Next in the matrix: â€Å"Cash Cows,† which are low in growth and high in shares. The third category in the matrix is the â€Å"Question Marks† which are high in growth and low in shares. Last are the â€Å"Dogs† which are very low in both growth and shares. Microsoft would be placed in the â€Å"Stars† category simply because the company is constantly growing and is very self-sustaining. Strategic Alternatives 1. Develop a Microsoft version of open source software by exploiting Microsoft’s distinctive competency for developing software. This will give  Microsoft an edge in the open market by allowing it to effectively compete with current alternatives to Microsoft products, such as Linux, Sun Systems, and other open source/free software products. This alternative will give Microsoft the opportunity to increase its revenues by offering support services and training for these products. 2. Acquire Red Hat Inc. or another successful Linux provider. By combining the rising popularity of the open source concept with the ongoing success of Microsoft’s application software, the image of Microsoft will improve and launch the company into the increasingly popular open source market. 3. Improve current product line. Increase research and development spending to improve the dependability and security of current products. Then, implement an advertising campaign through several mediums to stress the superior quality of Microsoft’s products.

How Is Love Presented in Romeo and Juliet and Two Poems from the Shakespeare Literary Heritage

How is Love presented in Romeo and Juliet and two poems from the Shakespeare Literary Heritage Love is presented in a variety of different ways in Romeo and Juliet and my chosen poems from the Literary Heritage: Stop All the Clocks and Sonnet 130. For instance, in Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare is attempting to challenge the tradition of courtly love that was prominent in the Elizabethan era. He is suggesting that the tradition of courtly love is artificial and essentially false. Courtly love was a hidden love between the nobility in medieval times.In Sonnet 130 Shakespeare has a different goal; he is attempting to challenge the traditional Petrarchan sonnet that was popular at the time. These sonnets were grand declarations of love but also seemed rather overblown and unnecessarily dramatic. W. H. Auden’s poem Stop All the Clocks is dramatic and very emotional, however this is justified in this instance as his lover has died. This would undoubtedly be an exceedingly traumatic e xperience. In Act 1 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet love is presented as being like a poison that can infect a person.Shakespeare uses a metaphor in a very interesting manner in this scene to show this. For instance, when Montague is describing how his son Romeo is acting due to Romeo’s unreturned love for Rosaline he states, â€Å"As is the bud bit with an envious worm, Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air, Or dedicate his beauty to the same. † He is suggesting that Romeo is like a flower â€Å"bud† that won’t open itself up to the world because it’s been poisoned from within by parasites. Just like the flower has been poisoned by parasites, Romeo has been poisoned by love.Romeo only goes out at night and shuts himself away in a darkened room during the day. This metaphor helps the audience to see that love can be a dangerous force that causes people to act in unusual ways. Shakespeare uses this dramatic metaphor to show the intensity with wh ich Romeo seems to love Rosaline, however he does this to raise questions about how real Romeo’s love is for Juliet when he meets her later in the play. Shakespeare is depicting the lovesickness stage of courtly love and challenging how real it is by his use of this over the top metaphor.Additionally, in Act 1 Scene 1, love is presented as a complicated and contradictory thing. Shakespeare uses oxymorons effectively to show this idea. For example, when Romeo is describing the love he feels for Rosaline to his cousin Benvolio he states, â€Å"O brawling love, O loving hate†, amongst a series of other oxymorons. Shakespeare here uses oxymorons to show that the love Romoe feels for Rosaline is something that gives him great joy but also great pain at the same time. He is in love with Rosaline and that is wonderful but he hates the fact that she will not return his love.This allows the audience an insight into the intensity with which it appears Romeo loves Rosaline. This reinforces Shakespeares goal of setting up a situation in which the audience will doubt Romeo’s love for Juliet later in the play. In Act 1 Scene 5 love is presented in an over the top and overly dramatic way. Shakespeare uses hyperbole extremely well here to show this. In this scene Romeo and his friends have crashed Capulet’s party and he catches his first glimpse of Juliet. When he does so he states that she â€Å"doth teach the torches to burn bright! This is hyperbole because obviously Juliet cannot literally teach the torches to burn bright. The hyperbole is used to show that Romeo thinks that Juliet’s beauty overshadows everyone and everything in the room. The audience is supposed to once again feel the intensity with which Romeo can love, however the audience is left with doubts about how real this love is because just a few scenes earlier he was in the depths of despair over Rosaline. Shakespeare uses Romeo’s hyperbole and Romeo’s quick s witch from Rosaline to Juliet to question how real courtly love is.Furthermore, this over the top dramatic presentation of love continues through Romeo’s description of Juliet’s beauty. Shakespeare switches to using a simile to continue this trend. For example, he continues his description of Juliet by saying â€Å"It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night, Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear. † Again, this shows that Romeo feels that Juliet beauty stands out from the crowd just like an shiny earring would stand out in an African person’s ear. This encourages the audience to further doubt how real Romeo’s love for Juliet is as his language becomes more and more over the top.If Romeo can so quickly forget Rosaline is his love for Juliet genuine or just another infatuation? Shakespeare is attempting to drive his point home that courtly love is a false and unrealistic version of love through his depiction of Romeo’s descriptions of Ju liet. This over the top overly dramatic depiction of love is continued before Romeo and Juliet kiss for the first time. Shakespeare uses the sonnet form to show their conversation leading to their first kiss as this was the traditional form of exaggerated love poetry at the time. Within the sonnet he uses extended Christian metaphor to great effect.As Romeo is trying to flirt with Juliet he states â€Å"(taking  JULIET’s hand)  If I profane with my unworthiest hand, This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this. † Basically as he takes her hand he states that her hand is like a holy place that his sinful hand is not worthy to touch. He is using a religious metaphor to put Juliet up on a pedestal as a thing of purity. This further adds to the audiences doubt about how real Romeo’s love for Juliet is as they are left wondering has Romeo simply switched his attention to Juliet because she is returning his affection whereas Rosaline didn’t want to.Shakespeare is continuing to show the falseness and fickleness of courtly love through Romeo’s over the top language. The sonnet form is perfect to use here as it was a form often used to depict courtly love. Furthermore, the overly dramatic depiction of love continues through this sonnet. Again this is within the extended Christian metaphor of the sonnet. When Romeo is just about to kiss Juliet he says â€Å"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair. † Here his â€Å"prayer† is the kiss he is about to give to Juliet.The metaphor is once again intended to show the purity of Romeo’s love for Juliet as his kiss is not sinful but is more like a thing of purity: a prayer. At this stage, the audience should be completely doubtful of how real Romeo’s love for Juliet is as he continues to use overly cliched and over the top language to show his devotion to her in combination with the fact that he has completely forgotten about Rosaline. Shakespeare’s use of Christian metaphor is intended to further mock the courtly love tradition as he is saying that courtly love is false and not in fact pure at all.

Caesar Augustus Essay

AP World HistoryMilo Romney Caesar Augustus10/27/12 What happens when a man tries to take over a republic? Well most of the time that man gets stabbed several times by his friends and colleagues. This is at least what happened to the famous Julius Caesar. Later on his adopted son Octavian would try the same thing; however, he used very different tactics that led to a much happier ending, transforming Rome into a very strong and influential empire. It was the mid-1st century B. C. E. , Rome was ever-growing and the republic that once ran very smoothly was encountering many problems within itself.Wealthy land owners or patricians were gaining too much power and land and since Roman law read that only land owners could serve in the military much of the military power was reduced. Some people tried to change this, for example Tiberius, but his ideas were seen as controversial and he was assassinated in 133 B. C. E. One man named General Marius instituted a law stating that men didnâ€⠄¢t have to own land to serve in the military. Soldiers still wanted land in return for their service though, and the general gave them land but this made soldiers more loyal to army officials rather than to the senate.After Marius retired Rome experienced a brief time of peace only to be broken by the Social War. The Social War was caused by the revolting of lower class Italians that were not entitled to full-citizenship and voting rights. This caused General Marius to come back. He ended the war and seized power of Rome. Marius died of old age and Rome started to become restless. In all of the turmoil there arose a powerful politician, Julius Caesar. Caesar created the First Triumvirate (three men) consisting of Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey (also known as Magnus).The Triumvirate really only made these men more powerful though and really didn’t help Rome overall. The Triumvirate disappeared when Crassus died and Caesar and Pompey started to fight. Caesar invaded Rome in 49 B. C. E. and became a dictator there. Then later Pompey was murdered in Egypt in 48 B. C. E. Julius increased the senate from 600 to 900 members to give himself more supporters. In five years Caesar held many powerful offices and almost succeeded in transforming Rome into an empire but was assassinated on the Ides of March in 44 B. C. E. Many wars took place after the assassination of Julius Caesar.His adopted son, Octavian, and his friend both formed the Second Triumvirate and defeated Caesars assassins in the Battle of Philippi. Many senators were killed during this time and it was not a good time for the republic. Eventually the Second Triumvirate dissipated and Octavian and Mark Antony turned on one another. Mark Antony married Cleopatra of Egypt and they committed suicide when Octavian invaded Egypt. Octavian became Augustus (exalted one) and now unofficially ruled Rome. Augustus knew that in order to successfully transform Rome into an empire he had to succeed where his father h adn’t.He supported the arts and technology. He rebuilt temples and created road systems. He pleased his people with holidays and special events. Augustus would even give free bread and wine to all of Rome’s citizens. The senate just had to sit and watch as Caesar Augustus became the total dictator of Rome. Literature grew exceedingly during this time. Under Augustus’ rule Rome entered the Pax Romana, the peaceful and golden age of Rome. So in the end Augustus obviously succeeded in the areas where Julius didn’t. Julius didn’t utilize his resources as well and didn’t realize that he needed to take away the senate’s power not enhance it.Augustus extended Rome to a great power and eventually fully ended the once-renowned republic. In a completely unnecessary comparison this story totally reminded me of the movie Star Wars, the fall of the republic and the birth of an empire. Anyways in conclusion, Augustus transformed Rome into an empire by gaining the loyalty of the citizens and soldiers while the senate lost its power. This man was so dominant that he even named the month of August after himself! Not many could have accomplished what Caesar Augustus did and many still marvel at his feats to this day.

Do all arguements about abortion come down to the question of what is Research Paper

Do all arguements about abortion come down to the question of what is the moral status of a fetus Explain - Research Paper Example It is obviously an important decision since it concerns the life of a human being. The life in question includes that of the mother carrying the child as well as the fetus itself. Theories of abortion follow most arguments concerning faith and different situations that a pregnant woman is in. in the situation of endangered life, even morality ought to reason with abortion as the right thing to do. Morality thus, ought to help pregnant persons who are in harsh situations obtain help. In the event of an ectopic pregnancy for example, the lives of both the mother and her child face possibilities of loss. It is only reasonable, with the agreement of professional medical healthcare, that a single life at least be saved. In the event that abortion is not carried out, then there are chances of losing both lives. Antagonists of abortion argue that it is moral to save a life than lose both lives of a mother and her child. Due to the need for a law for abortion in countries, it is important to consider all perspectives provided by theories. Theories concerning abortion or any other matter are a presentation of people’s opinion. In considering theories therefore, the government and other authorities should always consider theories when assessing what to legalize and what not to legalize. Where abortion is illegal, many cases of illegal procedures are reported. Such cases present danger to the lives of young people. Morality is thus useful when educating youths on prevention measures that may lead to pregnancy. It should all the same, not victimize them and other adults in the event that an unwanted pregnancy occurs. Morality should ensure that persons with unwanted pregnancies or whose lives are at risk for whatever reason obtain useful medical help. For an abortion to be carried out successfully, it need not present after effects of barrenness on the woman it is carried out on. Such public and lawful encouragement to professional procedure encourages health safety and reduces further damages arising from the procedure. Abortion is firstly a personal concern for the mother of the child in question. It is necessary as couples make the decision to get rid of a child, that they take into consideration all aspects of knowledge concern the procedure. This is because even though morality discourages abortion, it cannot impose forcefully on a person’s decision making. It can only ensure they are informed. As an act, abortion can be complicated and harmful to the women who undergo it. With such provisions as professional healthcare that allows safe procedures, affordable costs for the same, then abortion will be less demonized. It is also important all the same to realize the harm abortion can cause and why is better to prevent a pregnancy in the first place than worry about getting rid of it. Assumptions made by moralistic reason claim that a person carrying out an abortion may do it out of careless living and lack of concern for their lives and those of others. Such being possibilities, it is very important to emphasize and preach contraception among people who are sexually active. Morality is very essential as a means to argue abortion. However, it should not be made a way of fanatics. Morality hence should base its arguments on reason and scientific evidence. It is also necessary that the law emphasize its borders in order to avoid any form of intolerance on the part of pregnant women seeking abortion. Assertions concerning

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 23

Philosophy - Essay Example These tactics forced the slaves to adopt survival tactics of living, reinforcing the beliefs of white people that menial labor was all the slaves were capable of – higher thought was clearly beyond the capacity of their more primitive brains. Making the situation even worse, this societal attitude was successful in convincing many of the slaves that these assumptions were correct. Proving that this was not the case, though, was Frederick Douglass. An escaped slave from Maryland, he was the first black man to appear on a presidential ticket in America. Douglass told the world his story revealing in the process how literacy changed him deeply to transform him from a masterless slave to a freethinking human being. These ideas are also revealed in his early narrative Frederick Douglass: Life of an American Slave. Although his exact birth date is unknown, Douglass believed he was born sometime in February of 1818. He died on February 20, 1895. Today’s common perception is that slavery, at least the brutal form of it, was confined mostly in the south on the big plantations yet Douglass witnessed many brutal beatings on his master’s Maryland farm where he lived for his first seven years. As a child, he was often required to endure cold and hunger because the master kept most of the slave-generated products, including food and fuel, for his own comfort and well-being. Normally a very traumatic event for a child, when 7-year-old Douglass’ mother died, he felt almost no grief. â€Å"Never having enjoyed, to any considerable extent, her soothing presence, her tender and watchful care, I received the tidings of [my mother’s] death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger† (Ch. 1). The important lesson Douglass tries to conv ey in these early chapters is how the slave is created from birth. He is separated from his family to destroy any natural human feelings of

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Reflection paper - Essay Example They have also dug tunnels beneath the private property of individuals. This is with an aim of preventing Israel from attacking them, or destroying their weapons. This is because by using settlements where people live, Hamas is able to use them as human shields. Under International Law, it is a crime and illegal for soldiers to attack and kill unarmed civilians. Due to this tactic initiated by Hamas, the death toll of civilians in Gaza was so high, that Barnard and Rudoren identify as 650 people. This is by the time that this article was written. Barnard and Rudoren (2014) explain that under international law, Hamas has a legal obligation of minimizing its military operations near areas where civilians are living. Furthermore, they believe that Hamas is committing a war crime, through their action of firing rockets indiscriminately. Barnard and Rudoren (2014) also maintain that Israel has an obligation of identifying specific military targets in Gaza, and ensuring that civilians are not threatened by their military actions. The tactics of using civilians as human shield by Hamas, and storing weapons in civilian neighborhoods, is an example of urban warfare. Under international law, urban warfare is not illegal, but the law requires that the parties to the conflict must ensure that civilians are protected from harm. Barnard and Rudoren recognize that Israel is a more powerful army, as compared to Hamas, and hence to level the field, Hamas had to protect its weapons by hiding them in civilian areas, and engaging Israel in thos e areas (Barnard and Rudoren, 2014). However, after Barnard and Rudoren (2014) quoting thee extensive use of human shields by Hamas, they point out that there is no evidence that Hamas forced civilians to stay in such areas. Through this assertion, Barnard and Rudoren (2014) were trying to denote that Hamas was not committing an international war crime. To judge on whether this

Wireless Technology Impact on SCADA Research Paper

Wireless Technology Impact on SCADA - Research Paper Example This is the dawn of the new, sophisticated SCADA. Already, new, state-of-the-art SCADA alternatives or hybrids have emerged in the market. Expect the new SCADA to be more powerful, and more secured, as more cyber-proofing options are being developed in line with the government’s drive to protect the country’s critical infrastructures. This paper will define the SCADA system, its evolution through time until today’s present generation, with all the attendant threats and vulnerabilities that accompany the open architecture of the IT system, with suggestions/recommendations on how to overcome these threats/cyber risks. Sample project analyses aim to show how an upgraded SCADA system will enable ease of operation and control. Industry disasters and mishap should serve as lessons in history. Government initiatives and regulations plus the preponderance of summits and conferences show that governments, industries and business are aware of the constant threats and vulnerabilities, the downside in today’s incredible, amazing computer and technological developments. 1. What is SCADA? SCADA (acronym for System Control and Data Acquisition) is the integrated, computerized industrial process control system used to collect real time algorithms in manufacturing plants and major pipeline industries like water and waste water facilities, electrical companies, oil and fuel transports, oil refineries, mass railways, nuclear power plants, and many more industries. ...

Contracting and Procurement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contracting and Procurement - Essay Example The second type of contract is the cost-reimbursement contract wherein all incurred costs that lie with a pre-determined ceiling are agreed to be paid. 1. Hiring of technicians to install and configure the software for a particular environment is indeed a critical task. While hiring people for this purpose, it is very much necessary that, the individual is assessed on different parameters which would help determine if that particular person has the capability and knowledge of how to configure and install softwares. It would be an added advantage if the person has a prior experience in the particular task. The type of contract that can be pursued for such kind of purposes can be a cost reimbursement category contract. In the cost reimbursement contract type, specifically a cost type or cost-plus-incentive-fee contract can be opted for (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2008). In these types of contracts payments of all incurred costs which range within a predetermined total estimated cost are paid to the people who are hired. 2. Whenever a training entity is hired for the purpose of teaching Project Management students about the techniques of using the newly installed software, it would definitely be for a particular duration, for instance a stipulated number of days or months. Cost sharing contract is the appropriate choice for such tasks. In a cost sharing contract, both the parties involved in the contract share or agree to split the cost of performance. In this case, it can be said that the company would agree to provide the required infrastructure and the trainer who is being hired for the purpose of training would agree to supply the course curriculum and instruction manuals etc. 3. Buying a new server and software to run the tool and house the project database involves identifying and locating both hardware and software. Identifying both hardware and software service providers involves market research. If a market research is done, then obviously various quotes would be obtained from different vendors from which the company would select the best optimum vendor depending on the quote and place the order. These kinds of contracts can be executed by cost reimbursement contracts and in this specifically, cost-plus-fixed-fee. According to the Cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts, all incurred costs are paid apart from a fixed fee which is not supposed to change all through the contract. 4. Hiring tool usage experts to transfer knowledge to the student PMs about the use of the tool on the job for the first 60 days after going "live" clearly states that it is for a stipulated period i.e. for 60 days. Here, the hiring of an individual is done for a particular time period. Hence, in this case it would be appropriate that the person is hired on the basis of an hourly rate i.e. a particular amount for the number of hours worked. The type of contract that can be pursued in this case would be cost type contract in which payments of all incurred costs which range within a predetermined total estimated cost are paid to the people who are hired. 5. Plan for the removal and disposal of the no longer to be used scheduling tool software and hardware also falls into the same category as to where a person is hired for the installation of the software. The person who

Strategic Position of the UK Tourism Industry Essay

Strategic Position of the UK Tourism Industry - Essay Example The present research has identified that the UK tourism industry is facing tough competition from other tourist destinations in Europe, such as France, Italy, Spain, and Germany. Due to decline in the valuable US market, the industry is facing the slowdown. The increasing number of Chinese tourists over past few years and the high average spending capacity of these visitors present China as a potential emerging market for UK tourism. While competitive tourist destinations are already capturing Chinese visitors, UK tourism industry needs to take some urgent steps including promotion of UK as a favorite tourist destination along with government taking suitable measures related to visa and tax policies. The information regarding the strategic position of UK tourism industry and strategic option suitable for it are collected from secondary sources on the internet including newspaper articles, articles from websites, such as Visit Britain, tourism society, etc. Other authentic sources of secondary information have also been searched to take the strategic audit. In order to do the strategic audit, suitable marketing models are used. The report has focused on the tourism industry as a whole and complies with the guidelines of the national tourism agency of Britain i.e. Visit Britain. A threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrants into the tourism industry of UK is quite high. Earlier, there were only a handful of low-cost carriers in the airline sector of the tourism industry. However, today there are a significant number of low-cost carriers that are presenting competition to well-established low-cost carrier services of Ryan Air and Easy Jet. Considering the emergence of new destinations for tourists on the global tourism map, the threat of new entrants is high. Governments of several countries and specifically the third world countries, such as Sri Lanka, India, etc. are seeing tourism as the major source to give the boost to their economy. Â  

Contemporary Business Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contemporary Business Analysis - Essay Example All major assets, even land, lost their values overnight. The entire world seemed at a loss about what to do. The major financial heads all over the world started thinking about he steps that should be taken to avoid such an incident to occur again. When the matter was observed, the major reason that was seen which led to the recession was found to be too mush lending done by the banks all over the world, particularly US. The question of the day was what to do to avoid this kind of crisis. One of the popular suggestions given was the requirement by central banks to private banks to increase their reserves that are held at the central bank. The suggestion was given much thought because it held many positives. Firstly, even if private banks again engross themselves in over lending in the future, the reserves held at the central bank would be more than enough to bail out the economy before the stage of recession is reached. The reserves would not only provide stability to the monetary system, but would also stop inflation from reaching massive heights, and would also allow banks and other major financial institutions, which are affected first in case of recession, to remains stable and in power to control the situation. Secondly, the major advantage of increasing reserves would be to save the common man from the repercussions of recession. We saw the examples of how people are affected. They lose their jobs, can't afford a lot of thing due to high prices, find their major assets like homes and investments losing value, and have to face the harsh life of bankruptcy. This eventually leads to fall out of entire economies. If federal reserves are in place then this whole scenario can be avoided by injecting liquid money in the economy at regular intervals so that inflation does not rise rapidly. Also the monetary base will help in keeping the value of assets intact over longer period of time. Thirdly, for private banks, let us first study all the positive implications. In the recession, the institutions most adversely hit are private banks, as they do not have the backing of governments like central banks; and also they are the ones that have all their assts as loans to individuals (Ganley). So when the value of assets fall or when people declare bankruptcy, they are the ones who take the hit as now they don't have any way to regain their money. By increasing the federal reserve base, the banks also have more security against their loans getting defaulted. Also, it was seen in many examples that banks have to declare insolvency or even bankruptcy, observing that the collateral on their bad debts have now lost all of its value. In such a case, the reserve base could be helpful to the banks such that they can maintain their base and have even a small amount of that base to have as liquid strength. Now let us discuss the negative implications of such a requirement. First of all, the private banks may be reluctant to go for such a measure. A bank is an institution that has to keep its profits high and its shareholders happy. If the reserves were to rise, then the banks will have less money to lend (Harrington, 2009). This would mean less money to gain interest from, which directly says less income earned by the banks (Harrington, 2009). As we know now that retail banking has become the key aspect in a bank's operations, therefore such a measure can hurt the profits of the bank tremendously. Second, as

How are women represented in the Ramayana story Essay

How are women represented in the Ramayana story - Essay Example The epic, in totality, describes victory of goodness over evil through the virtues of love, honesty, truth, respect, and dignity. Ramayana has been translated, rewritten and reinterpreted by many scholars in various Indian languages. The author, R.K.Narayan, has followed the work of Kamban, a famous Tamil poet of the 11th century A.D, in his narration of The Ramayana (p.xii). While the Ramayana describes the greatness of Rama, son of King Dasaratha, the epic highlights depth of every relation; for example, that of the son, the teacher, the father, the mother, the brother, the sister, the daughter, the King, the Soldier, and the servant. Parallely, it also describes the role of the man and woman on this earth. Ever since history was discovered, the Hindu mythology always regarded woman with great respect and dignity, next to the Almighty, himself. Scholars have also stated that even God, himself, bows down only in front of this mother. Even Ramayana describes woman with the same dignity and respect. The author’s narration of the story of Thataka, a ferocious female demon, depicts Rama’s hesitation to kill her on the orders of teacher Vishwamitra because killing a woman was against his principles. Then the author refers to the teacher’s statement made to Rama, ‘a woman of demoniac tendencies loses all consideration to be treated as a woman’ (p.13). This explains that woman is considered to be a life-giver and deserves the ultimate position of respect that any human being can ever receive. Any woman that cannot personify that ideal figure and causes destruction, is not worthy of living. In the context of power and control, the author refers to Vishwamitra’s narration of the story of Ganga to Rama. In this context, Ganga, the holy river is gendered as female (p.16). In his narration Ganga is all powerful, and convincing Ganga for a cause

Goodness is operational Essay Example for Free

Goodness is operational Essay According to Dunn and US OSHA (2004), the above sentiments should stand because, at the end of it all, the US will have to use its funds treating the industrially injured immigrant as well. Again, failure to teach immigrants on OSHA policies simply because they are not US citizens is contradictive to the principle of egalitarianism, which the US claims to have been founded upon. The OSHA 2004 promises that there be the training of all employees in meat packing industry alike, so as to assuage oversight in meal packing therefore comes in handy. The proposal to have the lessening of the velocity of the line speed is also very tenable. This is because, the measure allows for the chance of mishaps to be nipped in the bud, in case of any eventuality. The gravity of the matter is seen in the fact that according to the OSHA 2001 Report, 21% of devastating industrial accidents are always seen to have been revertible, should the speed of the machines have been a little slower (OSHA 2001). Mintz (2004) postulates that the importance of the matter is seen in the fact that meat packing industries are always fitted with very sharp massive cutters. It is always a requirement that apart from the abating of the velocity of the speed lines, it is also expedient that every meat packing industry be fitted with automatic detectors and main switch that allows the disabling of the cutters and the speed lines whenever of an alert is issued or an anomaly occurs. Conversely, there are those such as Wang (2003) who point out that the lessening of the velocity of the speed lines in the meat packing factories also helps in warding off cases of overworking of employees. Wang (Ibid) points out that it is increasing the speed of the conveyors and speed lines that acts as an artifice for the employees and the top management to realize maximum productivity without having to necessarily increase the employees’ working hours. This proposal seems to be sympathetic to the well being of the employees. However, when the matter is closely scrutinized, one sees that the measure remains benevolent to all. The meat packing industry or company is also bound to earn a positive corporate image as a corporate entity that factors the welfare of the employees by not overworking them. The society in point is also bound to receive products from a company that produces quality based meat products since proper time is taken to pack meat products. In this case, matters touching on negligence and anomalies in packing are extirpated. However, it is important to note that the utilitarian doctrine of According to Putnam and Langerman (2002), the recommendation that stronger worker compensation laws be set in place is also necessary as it will allow for the setting of penalties that are commensurate too. The setting up of stronger worker compensation as is proposed by US OSHA and Consul Jose Cuevas will also be in instrumental in averting cases of employees being deluded by unscrupulous employers. In almost the same wavelength, the entrenchment of stronger compensation laws will ensure the extirpation of cases of negligence from the side of employers as the employers will seek to avoid the high charges being exacted on the meat packing industry in the form of fines or employee compensation. The validity of this measure is promising, due to the fact that ever since the creation of Section 1910 Subpart 1 of OSHA regulations, cases of employers neglecting the plight of their employees assuaged by 55% in the first year alone (Humphrey 2005). Although the principle of Utilitarianism of the proceeds being beneficent to all may seem to be antithetical against the above rationale, yet, it is important to note that seldom do companies that do not have moral and political good will attain ultimate good. Even if a corporate expedition such as the one listed above may portend some liabilities for the meat packing industries, the fact that it has good will towards employees will reward the company with good public relations. It is against the backdrop of the above situation that Emmanuel Kant, being a utilitarian, quipped that good is that which is totally akin to the concept of goodwill- not profit. This totally supports the deontological notion that all industrial measures to safeguard the safety of the worker, if the principle of intrinsic goodness is operational. It is also true that ever since the inception of Section 1910 Subpart 303 that regulates the working standards in industrial sector; there was a steep plummeting of cases of poor working standards as employers took to escape the legal dragnet by uplifting the working conditions. It can therefore be easily and rightly surmised that the entrenchment of policies that would allow the upholding of international standards in the meat packing industry will inculcate OSHA policies and ideal working conditions. At the same time, the internationalization of meat packing safety conditions will be instrumental in ensuring a healthy competition among different meat packaging companies.

Business Level Strategies of Ashley Furniture

Business Level Strategies of Ashley Furniture Introduction of Ashley Furniture Ashley Furniture industries, Inc., founded by Carlyle Weinberger in Chicago in 1945 just as a sales operation, is a furniture manufacturing and distributing company, which headquartered in Arcadia, Wisconsin. Now the father and son team Ron and Todd Wanek own the company. Like many other furniture companies, Ashley Furniture Industries sells its products, such as home furnishing, accessories through two main distributions: one is independent channels; another is more than 400 Ashley Furniture Homestore retail furniture stores. All the stores are either owned by the company or licensed to other businessmen in North America countries, such as USA, Canada, Mexico, Central America and Japan. The mission to become the BEST Furniture Company reflects its proud past and shows the desire about future. And with over 60 years of innovation, creation and experience in the furniture industry, the company already became the leader in the industry which focuses on the quality of its furniture products. At present, the company has manufacture plants across the United States and Pacific Rim Countries, mainly in China. Business Level Strategies of Ashley Furniture One model can be used to give a full explanation of what happens in the real world at the level of the Strategic Business Unit and it can help identify those strategies which can be utilized to prevent the failure of business. The successful strategies can be illustrated as following levels: Low price/ low added value, Low price, Hybrid, differentiation without price premium and Focused differentiation. Low price/ low added value: providing lower price than it can be found elsewhere. Low price: based on a high volume with low margin product to bring cost leadership as its competitive advantage. Hybrid: Compete on price and seek to keep the margin by controlling the cost of products. Differentiation without price premium: Competition is principally on perceived benefits but not on price. Focused differentiation: Using unique qualities without substitution to get premium. The Strategic Business Unit chose for this research is the living room division of Ashley Furniture. According to what one of the Ashley Furniture Industries sales managers called Al Lopriore said, the business model of Ashley Furniture is different from other competitors, by establishing for over 65 years, the main business model of Ashley Furniture is the company design, build and deliver its own furniture, and the company is in control of all aspects to make sure the good quality. From the website of Ashley Furniture Industries, it can be seen from the homepage that the four cornerstones of its business models are quality, style, selection, service. They are all the foundations for Ashley Furniture making every decision and the guidelines and principles to help the company achieve the mission statement of being the best furniture company. Therefore, the main business model of Ashley living room furniture used to get competitive advantage is using Hybrid, which means by the methods such as outsourcing a series of its products from Pacific Rim countries to cut the cost of furniture and adding value to the products by quality, style, selection and service. Strengths and Weaknesses of Business Strategies The main strategy of Ashley living room furniture is Hybrid, which means that the division wants to compete other competitors on price and as well to control the cost of furniture to maintain the gross margin of the company. There are a series of advantages and strengths as follows: Strengths: Good price to attract customers: After the recession of economy crisis in 2008, the price of goods, especially furniture, become the main competitive advantage to attract customers to consume products on company. As the main reason that led to the economy crisis is the subprime lending which is related to the housing industry; and makes a drop in the sales of houses in North America, mainly in US. Although the recession had a negative impact on Ashley living room furniture, good price of its products keeps attracting the customers to purchase Ashley living room furniture. Variety of products: this means that based on variety of products, Ashley living room furniture is able to survive during the crisis. Even one product fails in the market, there are still other products succeed in the market to make up the loss that cost by the failure of that product. Besides, different kinds of products make those brand loyalty customers to purchase more and also increase the image of the brand. This helps the company achieve the mission of becoming the best furniture company in North America and even all over the world. Maintain the gross margin: Obviously, this technique assist the company to maintain the gross margin by controlling the cost of furniture. By using Hybrid strategy, the division still possesses the ability to control the cost of products. On the other hand, by adding more value through design, build and deliver the furniture to the customers, the products of Ashley living room furniture are still attractive. Weaknesses: Inevitably, there are some negative impacts by using this kind of business level of strategy, which can be identified as weaknesses. And the weaknesses of using Hybrid strategy are presented as follows: More funds spent on implementing the strategy: In order to supply and offer more furniture products to the customers, more funds will be spent on Research and Development, Design to find more solutions offered to the customers. Besides, the division possesses its own stores which cost much of its capital on investing in purchasing fixed assets, which may become a potential problem to the cash flow of the company. Competition of the similar products in the company: It can be seen from its website that the division provides more than 100 furniture products to customers to find out the most suitable furniture for their living rooms. Therefore, this results in the competition among the products within the same category. Although from some perspective, this attracts customers to purchase in Ashley living room furniture, it increases the competition in the products of the company, which can not be ignored. Lack of quality: It can be known that the products of Ashley living room furniture rely on quality and the mission of becoming the best furniture company in North America and even all over the world rely on quality; meanwhile, the business model of Ashley living room furniture depends on the quality of products. If the company concentrates on controlling the cost, such as the outsourcing price offered to those manufacturing companies in Pacific Rim countries, which may affect the quality of products of Ashley living room furniture. Then it will affect the paradigm of the division in the industry and then reduce customer brand loyalty. Report to the Board of Directors Dear Board of Directors: This report is a summary of the findings of the current research on the business level strategies based on the living room division of your company. And it will highlight the key information and findings; at the end, a couple of recommendations will be provided to help the division enhance the strengths and polish up the weaknesses. After analyzing the strategies used by your company, it can be viewed as Hybrid strategy. It do bring strengths to the division such as offering good price to the customers which helped the division survive during the recession of economy recession in 2008, offering different kinds of products which enhances the choice of customers, and the methods of controlling on the cost of furniture increase the competitiveness of the division. However, it brings a few negative impacts to the Ashley living room furniture. For example, it disperses the funds of the company to many different products; it also increases the competition among the furniture of the company, which is always ignored by many companies. The high intensity of cost control may affect the quality of products which will lead to a significant impact to the division. Therefore, Ashley living room furniture should pay more attention to this kind of issue and as well to enhance the strengths and polish up the weaknesses. The following will give a couple of recommendations. Enhance the strengths: Corporate with those plants in Pacific Rim countries. This means the Ashley living room furniture division collaborates with those plants in Pacific Rim countries. By using this technique, it is helpful for the division to control the quality of furniture. Besides, through collaborating with these plants, the division can share the information, knowledge and resources to achieve more competitive advantage to compete other competitors and make the mission of the company come true. Pay attention to the shipping cost. This is a significant part of the cost of the furniture, by outsourcing some products and manufacture at another side of Pacific Ocean, the division was charged a huge amount of capital on shipping cost. So it is necessary to use the strategy like preparing in South-east Asia, and assembling in US to cut down the shipping cost and then make the Ashley living room furniture more competitive. Polish up the weaknesses: Further design the products to differentiate them. The furniture needs to be design further and add more value functions to make it more attractive and valuable. By doing this, furniture can be classified to fit different size of living rooms, different kinds of decoration styles. Add TQM in Asia plants. Total Quality Management helps Ashley living room furniture to control the furniture quality and based on this, the division can have a vision of how the shipping furniture looks like; and based on this, the division can have an insight of the furniture quality to meet the customersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ requirements. Funds spent on those more value-added actions. Donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t spend the money and capital on those non-value added processes, even those it is important to the division. In this case, it is better to outsource these processes rather than make it by the division itself. It is essential that the division pay attention to polish up the situation and make the products of the division more competitive and attractive. It is predictable that by enhancing the strengths and polishing up the weaknesses, it will accelerate the process of becoming the best furniture company in North America and even all over the world.

Market Competitiveness In The Malaysian Poultry Supply Chain Economics Essay

Market Competitiveness In The Malaysian Poultry Supply Chain Economics Essay The structure of the Malaysian poultry industry is different from the one that existed in the nineties, due largely to vertical coordination and integration. Independent and self-operated activities that once dominated the production system have been replaced by contracts and outright ownership and operation of the production by integrators. By this many individual poultry processing companies own almost all aspects of production-breeding farms, multiplication farms, hatcheries, feed mills, some broiler growing farms, and processing plants. The structure therefore, involve an aspect of integrated production-marketing systems which involves a single firm owning and operating every aspect of production from importing parent stock to marketing packaged chicken-meats in company owned outlets. For instance the ex-farm level has been dominated by the integrators because there are only four (4) companies controlling 100% share of the importation of the breeder birds. The four integrated com panies are Ayamas breeder Farm Sdn Bhd, CAB breeding Farm Sdn Bhd, Charoen Pokphand Farm sdn Bhd and Leong Hup Poultry Farm Sdn Bhd. There are ninety two (92) Parent stock (multiplication) farms owned by twenty five (25) separate companies. According to DVS (2012) report ten (10) of these multiplication companies are owned and operated by integrators. There are fifty three (53) hatcheries in Peninsular Malaysia, thirty one or more than 58% of the hatcheries owned and operated by integrators. The total day-old chicks (DOC) production in 2011 by the industry was estimated at 653,006,812 million chicks, and the integrators contributed 70.75% of the total (DVS, 2011). The Department of Statistics (DOS) Malaysia report on the census of agricultural establishments shows there are only 292 poultry farming establishments registered in Malaysia as against more than 3,500 reported by DVS suggesting that integrators are likely to owned and operate multiple farms and that a number of independen t operated farms are not formally registered. Report from DVS, (2011) have shown that Malaysian broiler-chicken industry control 62.56% of the total chicken meat supply in the Peninsular Malaysia and non-integrators control 21.4% share of the supply. Problem statement Although the integrating production system allows the firm to achieve economies of scale, decrease transactions costs, as well as the ability to closely monitor product quality at every stage of production by controlling all inputs and processes at every level. However, on the other hand the traditional structure-conduct-performance paradigm hypothesized that the level of concentration in a particular market will influence the degree of competition among firms in that market. Markets that are highly concentrated (few large firms dominating the market) are less competitive than markets where concentration is low. As such, according to the hypothesis, firms in less competitive environment charge higher prices and reap monopolistic profits. A higher price above marginal cost implies inefficient allocation of resources and the resulting implication is production inefficiency. A concentrated industry structure could therefore weaken the efficiency and effectiveness of market performance. In view of this, the study is aimed to evaluate the indicators of competition in the supply chain of the Malaysian poultry industry. Objective of the Study In broad sense the objective of the study is to evaluate the indicators of competitiveness of the Malaysian poultry industry supply chain; specifically To assess the structure, conduct and market performance of the Malaysian poultry supply chain To determine the strategic behaviours of the firms and relationship among supply chain participants of the industry. To describe the farm-retail-wholesale price spread along the supply chain to observe symmetry or otherwise in the price transmission process within the industry as an indicator of price setter and taker Theoretical Framework and Methodology The concept of S-C-P which emanated from industrial organization studies primarily to analyze the competitive conditions in industries by examining how the industry structure relates to market conduct and its performance was explored in this study. The S-C-P framework postulates that as market structure deviates from the ideal perfect competition, the extent of competitiveness of the market will decrease and consequently a decline in market efficiency (Scarborough and Kydd, 1992). The S-C-P Model Concentration Ratio classification Market structure CR4 CR8 Highly concentrated 75-100 Moderately concentrated 50-75 slightly concentrated 25-50 Atomistic 0-25

The Coyote: Taking Illegal Immigrants Across the Border Essay -- Illeg

The Coyote: Taking Illegal Immigrants Across the Border I would like the critics of immigration to think of the coyotes while you read this paper. The coyote has the easiest job pertaining to illegal immigration. They are paid well and once they have done there job, they can go on there way with a fat wallet and no worries. The immigrants who pay these people their loot of cash that they most likely saved for who knows how long, are now the new victims of these coyotes. These illegal immigrants now must find shelter and jobs to start their new lives in the United States. I would like to show both stories of these two types of people on different paths. The coyote that transports the immigrants across the border and the immigrant who now has to start a new life from scratch. I chose this topic because I found it most interesting to me and the fact that I have known both illegal immigrants and coyotes. This topic relates to migration and culture because it is one of the biggest businesses along the bordering states of the United States. This is one of the biggest population increases into our country. Along with these new immigrants will be their culture, just because their new home is in United States does not mean they will live like Americans. Their culture will flourish through their homes, clothes and food. Immigrants will flow to the neighborhoods and areas of the city that host most of their people. Hispanics will likely find pro-Latino neighborhoods just like Asians will migrate to china towns or similar Asian neighborhoods. This is where their culture will be ultimately displayed. For Latino’s west and south Phoenix in Arizona have become havens for these new immigrants. The majority of the areas h... ... on these people and most of them would not arrive here safely without them. Who should the people of America have sour feelings towards, fellow humans trying to find a better life for their children or coyotes who are taking advantage of laws and innocent people? Maybe heavier laws and fines for coyotes would slow the immigration flow into the United States. The immigrants have nothing to lose if they get caught. They will not stop coming into the country as long as there is a job that no one else wants to occupy. Maybe we should look at these businesses that welcome the illegal work force. Immigrants will not stop flowing into the United States, the business is too big, and the money is too large. There is too much help available for the immigrants to get from there to here. Coyotes are available for the right price on both sides of the borders.

Prejudice in The Song of Roland Essay -- Song of Roland Essays

Prejudice in The Song of Roland Unfortunately, the role of ignorance and jealousy combining to breed fear and hatred is a recurring theme in history ultimately exhibiting itself in the form of prejudice. As demonstrated through the altering of historical events in The Song of Roland, the conflict between the Christian and Islamic religions takes precedence over the more narrow scope of any specific battle and is shaped, at least in part by the blind perception of a prejudice born of the ignorance and envy Christian Europe had for representatives of the non-Christian world. To fully see this prejudice and its effect on the participants, it is necessary to recognize the circumstances of the "real" battle along with the altering characters and settings attributed to its later writing, understand the character and beliefs of the participants, and carefully examine the text itself to see how prejudice comes into play. The historical battle described in The Song of Roland, took place on 15 August 778 and involved the ambush and slaughter of Charlemagne's rearguard by Basques (Burgess 9). Victims of treachery, those killed included Roland of Breton (Burgess 10). This battle was a part of the fighting to create the Spanish March which served as a buffer zone between Spain and the Franks of Charlemagne (Koeller). While this particular ambush was relatively insignificant, the incident was transformed into a rallying cry for the Christian armies of Europe when taken and reworked by a later poet. External evidence indicates the epic poem was written no earlier than 1060 and no later than the second half of the twelfth century with the generally accepted time begin 1098-1100 which coincides with the time of the First Crusade (Bur... ...tions for them. Just as the Christians fought the Muslims fueled by this prejudice and greed, the historical pattern has been shown to recur frequently throughout history -- whether the slave issue of the nineteenth century United States or the Nazi treatment of Jews in the twentieth century -- man takes the unknown and distorts it into hatred rather than seeking enlightenment. This is the true tragedy of The Song of Roland and man's unwillingness to learn from history. Works Cited Burgess, Glyn trans. The Song of Roland. NY: Penguin Books, 1990. Koeller, David. Lectures on Western Civilization to 1500. Phillips University. Enid, Fall 1992. Perry, Marvin, et al. Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics and Society. 4th ed. Vol. I. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. Southern, R.W. The Making of the Middle Ages. London: The Cresset Library, 1967.

Global Culture Essay

As time progresses, the world, in terms of business is rather contracting. There is growing communication, interaction and exchange between different parts of the world. Technologies that were once thought of as a far sighted notion are now being using like household commodities and communication mediums that were once considered luxuries available to few are now a necessities needed to prosper. The world is becoming more integrated by the day and countries are becoming more and more dependent on one another in terms of trade and business. This paper focus on how the culture and environment that a business operates in affects the organization. It will outline some constraints and will generally give a picture of how to cope with changing cultures as in today’s expanding work environments it is vital to understand the attitudes, values, perceptions of the regions. Also, the role of media and politics would be discussed. Discussion: It is now a well known and widespread phenomenon that the world is a ‘global village’. This means that globalization has taken its toll and the entire world is somewhat a unified society or community that needs to interact in order to get on. But what exactly is Globalization? Globalization is basically the term used to describe the integration of economic, political and . it refers to the greater freedom of movements of goods, capital and people around the world. this shrinking of the world is having a major impact on business activity especially from multi-nationals which are the business organizations that have their headquarters in one country but operating branches, factories and assembly plants in others. In recent years there have been moves to reduce the number and level of trade restrictions that limited the trade between countries. The free trade movement and the aid of information technology are reducing the differences that once existed between national markets, reducing the importance of national borders and making it easier for firms to trade with and locate in many countries. This is forcing firms, which were once protected by national governments to become internationally competitive (Stimpson, 2002). Globalization integrates people, companies and governments and effects the environment, culture and political systems as well as economic development and human physical well-being in societies all around the world. The focus here, however, is on how the culture of a society or region shapes the operations of multi-nations and globalization as a whole. Culture, most simply described, is the behaviors, beliefs, values, underlying assumptions and perceptions shared by a group of people with respect to their environment and societies. Many characteristics of human life are transmitted genetically, they are innate and are naturally present and then there are other qualities that are learned. Culture is the name for the body of learned behaviors common to a society that form as a template for shaping behavior, manners and conduct from generation to generation. Culture exists in businesses as well, it is the attitudes and behaviors that employees of an organization embrace as an affect of their working environment. Working culture of an organization has a great impact over how workers feel, behave and work. Hence, national culture similar to corporate culture is the values and attitudes shared by individuals from a specific country that shape their behavior and their beliefs about what is important. Culture has the characteristic of being learned as well as taught. Culture is something that evolves and is in a constant state of change. The basic indicators and manipulators of culture are the values, customs and beliefs that rest in the society. These factors carry on for generations and are manifested in individuals as they live according to the routine of their environment. Culture has a direct and deep association with these features as these values and customs are what combine together and form the basis of culture. Ethnocentricity is a dilemma faced by many societies when dealing with different regions and areas. Ethnocentrisms are the conviction that one has that his or her culture or ethnicity is most superior. Ethnocentricity is the belief that some people have which makes them consider other cultures with respect to their own and manifests a superiority which is indicated through their behavior and attitudes towards other cultures. It is noted that cultural ethnocentrism is becoming prominent and is one of the stronger motivators of people pulling away from other economies. Ethnocentricity has rather negative impacts on multi national companies, as it causes consumers to distrust the international brands which adversely affect the consumer purchasing behavior. Cultural openness and demographic variables are factors that affect the ethnocentrism that persists in a society. Companies can remove these barriers through promoting awareness of their brand as well as educating and informing people about internationalization of businesses. Maintaining a positive approach is a key to attracting ethnocentric societies. Also, by targeting markets considering their age, gender and their cultural background shows apathy and reduces ethnocentric behaviors. For a firm to operate internationally, it needs strategies that would help it create a market outside the home country. In order to create an awareness or better described as a competitive advantage, businesses need effective global strategies. Global strategies can take the form of reducing costs and increasing efficiency, taking risks, or creating brand identification and reputation. Whichever the strategy chosen, it is very important to understand the local cultures and environment before entering a market. Strategies can be of numerous forms but branding is considered as most efficient when it comes to entering a completely new market. Brand strategy focuses on influencing the perceptions of people in a way that they persuaded to act in a certain manner. In today’s highly competitive and expanding business markets, it is necessary to create a positive and lasting impression on the consumers through branding. When entering a new market, a company needs to analyze the culture of the region and adapt to it in a manner that it does not seem awkward or unnatural to the consumers. A global brand needs to pertain a relevant meaning and significance to people across multiple societies, the strategy needs to be diverse and devised in a fashion that blends well with the people, their experience and the society. Different societies have different mind frames, values and in simple words, a different culture as a whole. For example, animals such as a horse is recognized all over the world but it is perceived differently, in some societies it may be considered as a mode of transport, in some, a gambling opportunity while in some, it symbolizes independence. These differences must be acknowledged when formulating strategies. Cultural conventions determine how people in a society interact with each other, what their beliefs are, and what meanings do they attach to their representations. Cultures develop through experience and learning, they are not static (Baker, 2001). Strategies must be aware and on a look out of these cultural shifts that may create a booming opportunity to replace something that is losing its value. Therefore, Companies can follow their regular patterns of strategy formulation which integrates its overall objectives with its marketing and financial counterparts but when looking for a new market in a new region, the first consideration must be the analysis of the local market trends, customs, traditions and adopt these within the strategy. In general, a company must be aware of the societal beliefs and stand points of the cultural areas that it is catering to. No aspect of the product, branding or the company policies must collide with the cultures. Every culture is dissimilar to another and so are its values and characteristics. The concepts and perceptions towards the routine items such as leisure, work, family structures and religion are separate in every society or culture and may be at different priority levels. A culture that is based to moral values of responsibilities and independence may have more influence on working and exerting. While a culture that does not ingrain a sense of self-sufficiency may promote a lifestyle of leisure and relaxation. Family structures also differ, so do religious beliefs. These two factors are most important when framing a culture as they define the mode of life and the code of conduct of people that follow it. Therefore, different religions may impose different conditions and these conditions, with the passage of time, become a part of the society and culture. Communication is generally the sharing of information between two or more individuals or groups to reach a common understanding (Jones & George, 2007). Good communication is necessary for an organization to gain a competitive advantage. Good communication, within an organization, is vital for managers to learn about new technologies, implement them in their organization and train workers in how to use them. Culture plays a central role in the communication process. Perception, which is the process through which people select, organize, and interpret sensory input to give meaning and order to the world around them, affects the meaning of the message. Perceptual biases can hamper a company and its communication just like ethnocentricity. Perceptual biases pertaining in a culture can use information about the company in a way that could create inaccurate perceptions and thus have a negative effect. Communication is basic way through which a business can promote itself and its product across borders and so it is very important that this be done in the most efficient manner without causing and negative impact upon the consumers. Thorough analysis of culture is essential in order to for communication to be well understood in the way intended. For example, the details written on a product may have to be translated into the local language. Also, non-verbal messages such as images may have a different meaning from culture to culture and if not properly surveyed may end up displaying the wrong meaning and impression.