Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Individual Project - Essay Example In international business, it is interesting the very many diverse cultures that one can find in such forums; it is thus impossible that cultures from one’s own country can be carried and applied to the interaction with these other countries with the expectation of success (Hill, 2008). Management cannot be undertaken exclusively without a proper understanding of culture because it is only in this way that people from diverse cultures can truly work together. Part 1 Explain each model and how it can be used to investigate national preferences. Models of cultural dimension have been developed by several organizational experts namely Hofstede and Trompenaars who through a series of research studies developed dimensional perspectives that would enable people understand how to work with other people from different cultures and ensure that business is completed. The first dimension sought to allow for the comprehension of the two cultures of individualism and collectivism (Johnson & Turner, 2009). They stated that people from individualistic cultures had an inclination to choosing their own affiliations within the workplace and often preferring to work alone. Alternatively, those people from the collectivist cultures were often found working in varied groups aligning themselves to one another based on age and religion among other interests (Edwards & Rees, 2006). The second dimension sought to measure the element of how people within the organization perceived power differences (Johnson & Turner, 2009). There are those people who come from cultures where there are small power differences and are thus more inclined to a consultative and democratic method of handling issues. These types of people have been known to relate to their peers and others with equality and respect and when placed in subordinate positions, demand the right to contribute to decision making. In contrast, those from cultures with a large power distance have got great fear and respect for t hose in authority (Edwards & Rees, 2006). People have different ways of preparing themselves for unknown events; as such, the weak verses strong uncertainty avoidance was another dimension that Hofstede determined. Some people come from cultures where there are explicit rules on avoidance that allow them to cope with aspects of the unknown (Keeley, 2001). These people have got specific routines and structures for accomplishing tasks and in the context of employment, have got a much higher ability of sticking with one employer for a longer time that their counterparts. They have also been known to identify danger from a distance and often accredited for the development of safety regulations and guidelines within an organization. Those people who come from communities that have got weak uncertainty avoidance have got a more flexible and care free lifestyle with an inclination for engaging in life threatening and informal activities. Within the context of employment, these people often have an inclination to change not only their employers but also their employment status from time to time (Edwards & Rees, 2006). They are also more accommodative of other people’s ideas and concepts often allowing more than one concept to run simultaneously with another one allowing for variety of fresh thoughts, ideas and change within the organization. Various values are embedded into these cultures with emphasis being placed in different areas that vary from one culture to another. Sensitivity to masculinity and femininity

Economic events occur around us every day Assignment

Economic events occur around us every day - Assignment Example it can be ascertained that slow GDP growth rate of a country and sluggish investment decisions have accorded significant attention of many economists. Despite the availability of adequate monetary resources, many industries are unwilling to make significant investments due to the fear of recovery constantly imposed by prevailing economic uncertainties. The paper would be mainly divided into two parts, the first part would include headings consisting of â€Å"economic problems faced† which would mainly describe what are the problems, causes of the problem and what are their impacts on the society, politics and how could these issues be resolved. The second part would mainly be focused on â€Å"government policies† along with evaluating the current demand and supply side and the ways in which they can be brought into effectiveness. Correspondingly, this paper in the light of the selected article â€Å"Uncertainty Is the Enemy of Recovery† intends to identify the various economic problems encountered by the different countries particularly the US economy and further determines to ascertain the consequences of economic downturn and responses from government to resolve these problems effectively. According to the article, â€Å"Uncertainty Is the Enemy of Recovery† by Mcnabb, it is apparent that the problems of economic uncertainties have given rise to recovery related economic challenges to most of the countries encountered with economic downturn. The fluctuating GDP and the uncertainties in the various policies initiated by the government have largely affected the general public and big business organizations as well. Accordingly, many organizations in spite of ample financial resources are largely hesitating in increasing their level of services or creating new job opportunities. The spending on goods by the general public has also reduced significantly owing to the decrease in their disposable income (Leone, 2010). Lately, the ambiguity in the monetary strategy

Types of Agriculture and Farming

Types of Agriculture and Farming AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES Food is the major indispensable, fundamental and vital need of the people. â€Å"It has been calculated that a human under stress, performing hard labor, needs 2000grams of water, 470 grams of dry weight various carbohydrates and fats, 60 to 70grams of dry weight proteins and the appropriate amount of vitamins and minerals. Otherwise said, the colony will need a minimum of 30000 kg water, 7050 kg carbohydrates and fats and 900 kg proteins daily†. The food produced in Arcturus is analogous and like the earth, but here the formula and the procedure followed is different from the agriculture practiced in the earth. Because of the limited space, the higher crop yield, and the disadvantages of soil-based growing, as soil cannot be brought from earth, if it is done so the consequences and expenses that are invested would be more. And even by using soil will escort or lead to immense risks such as the biological contamination for the soil are needed insects and other organisms, which except the risk to transfer few sicknesses can also mutate and multiply themselves unnoticed and damage the station and the colonists. Therefore unique and special type of growing crops should be used which will provide more yield and the best quality alternative should be used. Some of them are: Geoponics Aeroponics Hydroponics Passive sub-irrigation static solution culture Aquaponics Fogponics Vertical farming Organoponics Geoponics: It is a type of cultivation in which the crops are nurtured and are fully fledged by using stimulated and non-natural soil which restrains nafion which has gelatos within it. These are made up of nafion with supplementary polymers and additional materials which are contaminated and toxic. Crops that can be developed by means of this method are: wheat, pulses, maize, fruit trees, and nuts etc. Aeroponics: Crops with rigid and stiff roots are grown and nurtured by this method under these crops will be matured on a lattice like arrangement and drape perpendicularly. Water will be converted into mist, haze and water vapors which the roots of the plants will be lynching in. The plants that can be grown using Aeroponics are Wheat, corn potatoes and salad components like lettuce and herbs. Hydroponics: Hydroponics  is a division of hydro culture and is a technique of mounting plants by means of mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. This is an inimitable and an amazing system of growing crops with out the utilization of the loam and soil with the application and relevance of distinctive process and with the assist of inimitable, exclusive and distinctive intermediate. In this technique the crops are fully grown in intensely concentrated solution and static, inert medium like periled gravel etc. Passive sub-irrigation: Passive sub-irrigation is a type of hydroponics which is also acknowledged and recognized by the name passive hydroponics or semi hydroponics. In this course of action plants are nurtured with the facilitate of the inert porous medium. This inert medium transfers water and fertilizers to the roots by capillary procedures and events. This accomplishment can be completed by means of a separate and detached reservoir. This will trim and spruce down the labor and fabricate stable, constant and steady delivering of water to the roots. Static solution culture: In static solution culture plants are developed in urns and containers of nutrient solution. These are not grown in normal containers; it can be grown only in glassMason jarsand other urns. The solution is generally quietly ventilated. Sometimes it can be bunged too. If bunged, the solution echelon and stratum is reserved stumpy enough that sufficient parts of roots are exceeding the solution so they get passable and ample oxygen. Aquaponics: Aquaponics is afood generationorganization that coalesces with conformistaquaculturewithin amutual and symbiotic environment. In standard aquaculture,excretion and the propulsionfrom the flora and fauna hoisted can accrue and accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity. In an Aquaponics arrangement, water from an aquaculture system is noshed to ahydroponicsystem where thederivativesare conked out down bynitrogen-fixing microorganismsintonitratesandnitrites, which are consumed and utilized by the plants as nutrients. The water is then re disseminated and circulated reverse to the aquaculture system. Fogponics: Fogponics is an advanced and highly developed outline ofAeroponics. In this processwater invaporizedform relocateand transfer nutrientsandoxygento enclosed perchedplant roots. With the help of the similar common initiative following Aeroponics excluding fogponics consume a 5-30 µm vapor and mist surrounded by the rooting compartment and as use for a foliar nourishing mechanism. Plants preeminently absorb particles from the 1-25 µm assortments; the minute particulate dimension means faster absorption.The additional advantage of utilizing fogponics over traditional hydroponics classification is that the plants necessitate smaller quantity of energy in root growth and mass, and are able to still maintain a large plant. Vertical farming: Vertical farming is taming plant life within askyscraperorangery and conservatoryor on perpendicularly inclined facades. The recent and the latest thoughts and ideas of vertical farming exercise procedures analogous to glass domicile, where natural sunlight can be amplified with simulated lighting. Organoponics: Organoponicsare an organization of urban macrobiotic gardens. They habitually contain low-level tangible ramparts crammed with organic substances and soil, with lines of trickle irrigation arranged on the exterior part of the emergent media. IRRIGATION: Irrigation  is the simulated application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the mounting ofagricultural crops, safeguarding oflandscapes, and foliage, vegetationof disturbed soils in dehydrated areas and at some stage in periods of derisory and inadequate rainfall. The majority of the agriculture on earth is rain nourished. That accomplishment is reliant on the well-timed monsoon and adequate rainfall extend throughout most of the budding season as the rainfall is convoluted and complicated to be created within the space settlement, it would be a challenging task to provide rain to the plants at exact stages or else the plant will not be able to develop properly. Therefore the plants must be irrigated properly. As the plants are not grown in the similar way as grown on the earth, the water will be transported directly to the plants through the pipes. AGRICULTURE DEPENDENT INDUSTRIES Agriculture will also endow its manufacture as unprocessed raw supplies to many different industries. These industries include like those of rubber industry, cotton industry and food dispensation industry. These eatable manufacturing centers will make diverse food foodstuffs for both the citizens and the animals. As crops produces oxygen the oxygen package and transportation center will be established. And even the organic compounds such as the cow dung can be used for making goober gas therefore; a waste management plant will be established. STORAGE OF GRAINS: Storage of grains is another imperative, important and vital measure to protect the grains from bacteria. The grains will be stored according to their seeds or crop type. Grains will be accumulated in aerated, ventilated, desiccated areas, so that there is a smaller amount probability of syndrome. For fruits and vegetables freezing storage room vicinity will be at their position. Also there will be confined and supplementary undersized marketplace where these will be vended and they will have the permanent price for selling. The grains will be amassed in silos encompassing unlike partition at unusual levels, increasing productivity. The mound will have the majority required grain at below end while slightest essential but vital at top. There will be no contact of each harvest acquiesce. Earthworms are the manurists that renovate the putrefying and decomposing plant substance into nutrient affluent manure although less rich than fertilizers but more efficient. Birds and butterflies are the major Pollinators also there will be artificial pollination APS. In this pollen grains will be passed on to a plant via robots. FRUIT/VEGETABLE GROWN SERVING SIZE (IN G) NUTRIENTS (% OF DAILY RECOMMENDED VALUE) Spinach 180 vitamin K (1110.6), vitamin A (294.8), manganese (84), folate (65.6), magnesium (39.1), iron (35.7), vitamin C (29.4), vitamin B2 (24.7), calcium (24.5), potassium (24), vitamin B6 (22), tryptophan (21.9), fiber (17.3), copper (15.5), vitamin B1 (11.1), protein (10.7), phosphorous (10.1), zinc (9.1), vitamin E (8.6), omega 3 fatty acids (6), vitamin B3 (4.4), selenium (3.9) Sesame Seeds 36 copper (74), manganese (44), tryptophan (37.5), calcium (35.1), magnesium (31.6), iron (29.1), phosphorous (22.6), zinc (18.7), vitamin B1 (18.7), fiber (17) Lettuce 112 vitamin K (143.5), vitamin A (58.2), vitamin C (44.8), folate (38), manganese (35.5), chromium (13.1), potassium (9.3), molybdenum (9), fiber (7.6), vitamin B1 (7.3), iron (6.8), vitamin B2 (6.5), phosphorous (5), calcium (4), protein (3.6), omega 3 fatty acids (3.2), tryptophan (3.1), vitamin B3 (2.8), vitamin B6 (2.5) Onions 160 chromium (20.7), vitamin C (17.1), fiber (11.5), manganese (11), molybdenum (10.7), vitamin B6 (9.5), tryptophan (9.4), folate (7.6), potassium (7.2), phosphorous (5.3), copper (5) Tomatoes 180 vitamin C (57.3), vitamin A (22.4), vitamin K (17.8), molybdenum (12), potassium (11.4), manganese (9.5), fiber (7.9), chromium (7.5), vitamin B1 (7.3), vitamin B6 (7), folate (6.8), copper (6.5), vitamin B3 (5.6), vitamin B2 (5.3), magnesium (5), iron (4.5), vitamin B5 (4.4), phosphorous (4.3), vitamin E (3.4), tryptophan (3.1), protein (3.1) Crimini mushrooms 141.75 selenium (52.6), vitamin B2 (40.6), copper (35.5), vitamin B3 (26.9), tryptophan (25), vitamin B5 (21.3), potassium (18.1), phosphorous (17), zinc (10.4), manganese (10), vitamin B1 (8.7), vitamin B6 (8), protein (7.1), folate (5), fiber (3.4), magnesium (3.2), iron (3.2), calcium (2.6) Seaweed 20 iodine (276.7), vitamin K (16.5), folate (9), magnesium (6), calcium (3.4), iron (3.2), tryptophan (3.1) Strawberries 144 vitamin C (136.1), manganese (21), fiber (13.2), iodine (8.6), potassium (6.8), folate (6.4), vitamin B2 (5.9), vitamin B5 (4.9), omega 3 fatty acids (4.4.), vitamin B6 (4), vitamin K (4), magnesium (3.6), copper (3.5) Raspberries 123 manganese (62), vitamin C (51.3), fiber (33.4), folate (8), vitamin B2 (7.1), magnesium (5.5), vitamin B3 (5.5), potassium (5.3), copper (5) Soybeans 172 molybdenum (172), tryptophan (115.6), manganese (71), protein (57.2), iron (49.1), phosphorous (42.1), fiber (41.3), vitamin K (41.3), omega 3 fatty acids (41.2), magnesium (37), copper (35), vitamin B2 (28.8), potassium (25.3) Peanuts 36.5 manganese (35.5), tryptophan (28.1), vitamin B3 (22), folate (21.9), copper (21), protein (18.8) Oranges 131 vitamin C (116.2), fiber (12.5), folate (9.9), vitamin B1(7.3), potassium (6.8), vitamin A (5.4), calcium (5.2) Corn 164 vitamin B1 (24), folate (19), fiber (18.4), vitamin C (16.9), phosphorous (16.9), manganese (16), vitamin B5 (14.4) Carrot 112 vitamin A (686.3), vitamin K (20.1), vitamin C (18.9), fiber (14.6), potassium (11.3), vitamin B6 (9), manganese (8.5), molybdenum (8.1), vitamin B1 (8), vitamin B3 (5.6), phosphorous (5.4), magnesi The next chart shows which foods contain the following nutrients, and are listed in alphabetical order NUTRIENT FOOD (% OF DAILY RECOMMENDED VALUE) Calcium sesame seed (97.5), sea weed (17), spinach (13.6), lettuce (3.6), orange (4), mushroom (1.8) Chromium onion (12.9), lettuce (11.7), tomato (4.2) Copper sesame seed (205.6), peanut (57.5), mushroom (25), soy bean (20.3), spinach (8.6), raspberry (4.1), tomato (3.6), onion (3.1), strawberry (2.4) Fiber sesame seed (47.2), raspberry (27.2), soy bean (24), carrot (13), corn (11.2), spinach (9.6), orange (9.5), strawberry (9.2), onion (7.2), lettuce (6.8), tomato (4.4), mushroom (2.4) Folate peanut (60), sea weed (45), spinach (36.4), lettuce (33.9), corn (11.6), orange (7.6), raspberry (6.5), onion (4.8), strawberry (4.4), carrot (3.8), tomato (3.8), mushroom (3.5) Iodine seaweed (1383.5), strawberry (6) Iron sesame seed (80.8), soy bean (28.5), spinach (19.8), sea weed (16), lettuce (6.1), tomato (2.5), mushroom (2.3) Magnesium sesame seed (87.8), sea weed (30), spinach (21.7), soy bean (21.5), raspberry (4.5), carrot (4.1), tomato (2.8), strawberry (2.5), mushroom (2.3) Manganese sesame seed (122.2), peanut (97.3), raspberry (50.4), spinach (46.7), soy bean (41.3), lettuce (32), strawberry (14.6), corn (9.8), carrot (7.6), mushroom (7.1), onion (6.9), tomato (5.3) Molybdenum soy bean (100), lettuce (8), carrot (7.2), onion (6.7), tomato (6.7) Omega 3 fatty acids soy bean (24), spinach (3.3), strawberry (3.1), lettuce (2.9) Potassium soy bean (14.7), spinach (13.3), mushroom (12.8), carrot (10.1), lettuce (8.3), tomato (6.3), orange (5.2), strawberry (4.7), onion (4.5), raspberry (4.3) Phosphorus sesame seed (62.8), soy bean (24.5), mushroom (12), corn (10.3), spinach (5.6), carrot (4.8), lettuce (4.5), onion (3.3), tomato (2.4) Protein peanut (51.5), soy bean (33.3), spinach (5.9), mushroom (5), lettuce (3.2), tomato (1.7) Selenium mushroom (37), spinach (2.2) Tryptophan sesame seed (104.2), peanut (77), soy bean (67.2), mushroom (17.6), sea weed (15.5), spinach (12.2), onion (5.9), lettuce (2.8), tomato (1.7) Vitamin A carrot (612.8), spinach (163.8), lettuce (52), tomato (12.4), orange (4.1) Vitamin B1 sesame seed (51.9), corn (14.6), carrot (7.1), lettuce (6.5), spinach (6.2), mushroom (6.1), orange (5.6), tomato (4.1) Vitamin B2 mushroom (28.6), soy bean (16.7), spinach (13.7), lettuce (5.8), raspberry (5.8), strawberry (4.1), tomato (2.9) Vitamin B3 peanut (60.3), mushroom (19), carrot (5)raspberry (4.5), tomato (3.1), lettuce (2.5), spinach (2.4) Vitamin B5 mushroom (15), corn (8.8), strawberry (3.4), tomato (2.4) Vitamin B6 spinach (12.2), carrot (8), onion (5.9), mushroom (5.6), tomato (3.9), strawberry (2.8), lettuce (2.2) Vitamin C strawberry (94.5), orange (88.7), raspberry (41.7), lettuce (40), tomato (31.8), carrot (1.69), spinach (16.3), onion (10.7), corn (10.3) Vitamin E spinach (4.8), tomato (1.9) Vitamin K spinach (617), lettuce (128.1), sea weed (82.5), soy bean (24), carrot (17.9), tomato (9.9), strawberry (2.8) Zinc sesame seed (51.9), mushroom (7.3), spinach (5.1)

Aids: Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome :: essays research papers

AIDS: Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome I am doing a report on AIDS, I don't know much about AIDS but I will tell you what I know. I know that it is transmitted by sexual contact,blood,needles,children during/before birth. I also know it affects the immune system directly, It is caused by the virus HIV which they have no cure for either AIDS or HIV at the current moment, but they are doing serious research on them. I call it the "Generation X Disease" because it mostly affects my sex- oriented generation. It is currently one of the leading causes of death in the USA and the death rate is increasing drastically! It it the perfect virus of the ninties because of how it is transmitted is like what the ninties is about... sex and drugs(what a great generation huh). Everyone's doing drugs and having pre-marital sex at a young irresponsable age, it's getting so bad I am beginning to believe that I am the only normal person left. You used to only be able to get an HIV test at your doctor, but now they have home tests that are confidential. You go to the store pick one up prick your finger then mail in the blood sample, in about two or three weeks you call in and enter your special pin number and they give you your results. I think this is cool but there has to be some drawbacks like them getting samples messed up and it getting mixed up in the mail or other stupid things like that, like if you really don't have the disease but you get someone elses reading who does have HIV. Thats about all I know about this horrible disease,so ill move on to what I found when I reaserched this topic. I went on the internet to find some of my information, and i used different books the librarian recommended me to read on AIDS and HIV. AIDS appears to be constantly changing it's genetic structure so it makes it very hard to find a cure for it, and very hard for the body to make antibodies. This makes development of a vaccine that is able to raise protective antibodies to all virus strands a difficult task. I also found out that they have made so much progress in finding a cure because they know so much about it now. The only known chemical that is effective in reducing reactions/symptoms, is the chemical zidovudine which was formerly called azidothymidine(AZT). Which was developed in 1987. It is indicated thet few if any are likely to survive the

Luxury Brand Marketing Essay

While the word ‘luxury’ is used in daily lives to refer to certain lifestyle, the underlying construct’s definition is consumer and situation specific. If you earn less than 15000 a month, a pair of reebok shoes would be a really big luxury item for you. On the other hand, if you are going to a party with some big-wigs a $100,000 car may not be a luxury. The word luxury originates from the Latin term â€Å"luxus† signifying, â€Å"soft or extravagant living, indulgence, sumptuousness or opulence† The meaning of luxury is extremely subjective and multidimensional in nature. It depends on dimension such as high price, high quality, uniqueness, exclusivity etc. What is a luxury product? In economic terms, luxury products are those who can consistently command and justify a higher price than products with comparable functions and similar quality. In marketing term, luxury products are those who can deliver emotional benefits which is hard to match by comparable products. The luxury sector targets its products and services at consumers on the top-end of the wealth spectrum. These self-selected elite are more or less price insensitive and choose to spend their time and money on objects that are plainly opulence rather than necessities. For these reasons, luxury and prestige brands have for centuries commanded an unwavering and often illogical customer loyalty. Luxury and prestige brands such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Cartier represent the highest form of craftsmanship and command a staunch consumer loyalty that is not affected by trends. These brands create and set the seasonal trends and are also capable to pulling all of their consumers with them wherever they go. Premium brands are those brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger that aspire to be luxury and prestige brands but their marketing mix strategies are more attuned to a mass market, albeit a luxury mass market. They are also termed as mass-premium brands or mass-luxury brands. Fashion brands on the other hand are those that address the masses. Strategies for Luxury Marketing There are conventional foundations for ensuring success of a brand and they are listed below in brief : 1. The brand must be â€Å"expansive†. Which means it should be full of innovation opportunities for the marketer and in terms of satisfying the divergent needs of the luxury consumer 2. The brand must tell a story It is this story, of either heritage or performance or other aspects that goes on to build the aura of a brand over time. The story always accentuates the identity of the brand. 3. The brand must be relevant to the consumers’ needs Depending upon the mindset of the luxury class, it is imperative for a brand to satisfy those needs, whether they be for recognition or functional use etc. 4. The brand must align with consumers’ values A brand that does not concur with the basic values of a consumer’s society has a small chance of succeeding because luxury items are forms of expression or identification for a luxury consumer. This makes it difficult for the consumer to adopt the brand in such cases. 5. The brand must perform Irrespective of which category the brand belongs to, a performance assurance is a must for the brand if it wishes to be in the evoked set of luxury consumers, considering the price being paid for luxury. LUXURY brand marketing CONCEPTS: Socialite as a Conductor In 2006, when Christian Dior chose Chawla as its spokesperson, everyone was shocked – some secretly jealous. Chawla’s association: to be the face of the brand, be seen in Dior in the right circles, host events attended by the right people and generally hobnob with the circle that she already moves in. The money details are not clear – people in the circuit and in the luxury industry say its part financial, part goodies. But it might be working. Chawla says, â€Å"Dior has done incredibly well with a consistent rise in sales. It is the most visible brand in India with the highest recall value in terms of marketing strategies implemented. † â€Å"Socialites being signed up for a fashion brand is not new, at least not in the West,† says former fashion editor and luxury specialist Sujata Assomull-Sippy. She mentions Armani’s 19-year-old association with British semi-royal and socialite Lady Helen Taylor that started when he designed her wedding gown in 1992. The association ended in 2009. Taylor, who was also the face for Bulgari, gave a sigh of relief and was glad to give up â€Å"her uniform†. Six years hence, Chawla is nowhere close to hanging up her Dior couture. The ‘Mohan for Gucci’ buzz has engendered new aspirations in the circuit that goes beyond the ‘hostess’ or the grander-sounding luxury consultant tags. â€Å"The socialite is becoming more important in a luxury brand’s marketing strategy as she pulls in the ‘right kind of crowd,† says Priya Sachdev, creative director for TSG International Marketing that has brought brands like YSL, Diane von Furstenberg to India. Nichevertising Brand consultant and strategist Harish Bijoor of Harish Bijoor Consults loftily terms it â€Å"nichevertise vs massvertise†. According to him the luxury brands are not for mass consumption and shouldn’t be mass advertised. The social circuit gives them a fresh channel to reach out to their target audience without any noise. â€Å"The socialite model of marketing targets the guest lists minus the hard sell,† he says. Personal voice- distinct style Every luxury brand needs to develop a marketing strategy that not only helps them achieve their marketing goals, but is also in line with their brand. For example, while it makes sense for Christopher Bailey from Burberry to update the Burberry Facebook page with short videos he makes or music he supports, the same type of strategy might not work for someone like Bentley or Rolex. Bijoor says that for luxury brands, sell is a four-letter word – and not just literally and that’s why they aim at buy. â€Å"Luxury brands like to be bought, not sold,† he says. â€Å"Sell is a top-down strategy which involves an element of ‘shout’ – you asking consumers to consider you. Buy, instead, is a pull-oriented strategy. Luxury brands love pull not push,† he explains. This is ideal for the socialite marketing where the conversation with the brand is more visual and not aural.

A Critique on the Article: Avoiding Ethical Danger Zones Essay

According to the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics (â€Å"BRICE†) business leaders of the 21st century face a number of difficult and complex challenges that greatly affect their businesses as well as the various stakeholders (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). This is nothing new considering the fallout of the recent global financial crisis as well as the events preceding which can be summarized by unethical business practices perpetuated by giant corporations like Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and many more (Kiviat, 2008). However, these three companies only represent the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unethical business practices. There are many firms with secrets that are kept hidden but not for long. In this regard BRICE suggested that the problems related to business ethics can be remedied by going to the root of the matter which is the process of making decisions. BRICE asserted that there are â€Å"ethical danger zones† that a leader must learn to avoid when making crucial decisions. Furthermore, BRICE added that this can be achieved by focusing on three areas: quality, breadth, and honesty. This paper will analyze how these principles can be applied in the real world. Quality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to BRICE the quality of the decision making process is determined by the collection and consideration of all meaningful facts regarding a decision’s consequences (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). This is a good idea but the question is how will the leader know that nothing was left out? According to the said resource this can be done by identifying danger zones such as ethnocentrism, stereotypes, inability to perceive the correct cause of a problem, sin of omission, and the inability to focus on people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors were doing just fine up until they added the concept of sin of omission and the inability to focus on people. It is easy to understand why they pinpointed ethnocentrism, stereotypes and wrong perception of causes as pitfalls in achieving quality in decision making. This is due to the fact that ethnocentrism automatically creates a biased worldview. The leader automatically has this false sense of security, that his or her system of beliefs and values are the best and he or she need not adapt to a rapidly changing world. The same thing can be said about using stereotypes especially in a global economy where the headquarters of a particular firm can be found in the United States but its factories are located in China.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ability to know for certain the root cause of a problem is also a useful skill in decision making but when the authors added the need to focus on people and to watch out for the sin of omission the discussion suddenly went off course. There should have been more discussion in clarifying the three aforementioned principles to help explain in detail how to improve the quality of the decision making process because the authors stated clearly in the very beginning that quality can only be achieved by considering and collecting pertinent information. But the added sub-topic immediately went to the details of how to solve a particular problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors should have clarified the reason why leaders make assumptions. In other words they should have added more explanation and illustrations why leaders are unable to collect and consider necessary information to help them in making accurate judgments and creating solutions to their problems. It was too early to go into specifics, and more importantly, the authors were only able to scratch the surface when they attempted to go in-depth when it comes to the discussion of perception of causes. If they are not willing to develop the discussion even further they should have stayed with generalizations and not start off with a quest that they could not complete. Breadth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the authors, another way to improve the decision making process is to consider the potential effects of a particular decision on all stakeholders (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). They even contended that leaders must utilize their imagination to determine possible moral implications of their decisions that could impact other stakeholders; these are stakeholders that may lie outside their sphere of responsibility. This is a good point. Clearly the leaders of Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco did not consider the impact of their unethical behavior (Thomas, 2006). However, the authors did not clarify the boundaries for this principle to work effectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If there are no limitations then corporate leaders will be hard presses to please everyone. In a global economy it is impossible to know the exact implication of a corporate decision. This should make CEOs extra cautious when it comes to making crucial decisions but an objective assessment of the market will lead to the conclusion that it is impossible to consider the opinion of everyone. More importantly nothing has been said when it comes to priorities. It is nice to hear that a company is doing its best to be produce environmentally friendly products so that it can lessen its impact on the environment and therefore create positive impact for future generations, however, their number one priority should be the investors and the stockholders of the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   No one is foolish enough to make an investment without making a reasonable profit in return. Although the authors clarified that a leader must have a realistic worldview, nothing was said regarding the firm’s bottom line. These statements are even harder to accept if it turns out that the authors never had any experience when it comes to making decisions in the corporate level or at least as an entrepreneur. They may have no idea what it feels like to put everything on the line only to find out that the business venture is losing money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to have leaders that think beyond dollars and cents and perform in such a way that they are not only thinking about the wishes and commands of investors and shareholders. On the other hand it must be made clear that a firm has to have revenues and increase its value or else it will cease to exist. Examining every decision made in light of moral and ethical principles is the best way to do business; nevertheless the primary commitment of the company is not with outsiders but the shareholders and the employees. The CEO must keep in mind that the moment the company is no longer making profit then employees will no longer have jobs and those who come to depend upon their products and services will be greatly inconvenienced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors were correct in saying that it is unwise to assume that the public may never find out. But there is really no need to devote much space regarding this topic. It is an important topic by the way; nevertheless, it does not seem to fit the target audience of BRICE. The message makes sense but it is not what top corporate leaders are interested in reading. In the foreword the authors stated that BRICE has come into partnership with Business Roundtable – an association of chief executive officers of leading corporations with a combined workforce of more than ten million people and $4 trillion in revenues (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). These are the type of leaders that will read this document and they will never assume that the general public will never find out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors may have been trying to say that even if the fall of greedy corporate executives such as the former CEOs of Enron and Tyco are well known there are still leaders who are not afraid to walk the same path and so they assumed that these leaders are not conscious of the fact that their actions will never be made public. There could be a better way to discuss this issue and it is to find out why CEOs are sometimes forced to ignore the low-probability events and other waning signs. It is because they are under tremendous pressure to perform, to make money for the firm. Corporate leaders managing multinational companies with a global presence will never assume that the general public will never find out. The authors should have explained why some CEOs are willing to walk near the edge when they know that they are courting disaster. The authors should have delved deeper into the psychology behind bending the rules for the sake of profit. There is an explanation why CEOs find it hard to resist the temptation to use a scheme that will guarantee a sudden increase in profit even if they knew that somehow they had to break a few rules. If the authors focused on this angle instead of giving generalizations then the article could have been an interesting read for CEOs leading multi-million dollar companies. The authors should have focused more on the tension that exists when leaders are pulled into different directions – the company’s bottom line is pulling the company that way while business ethics is pulling the other way. The authors should have elaborated more on what Mulcahy the CEO of Xerox said regarding the proper way to manage this tension and it can be truncated into this one statement: The company will pay for performance but the company will hire, promote, and fire based on values; employees will have to deliver the top line and the bottom line and do it in the most ethical manner (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). The authors should have expounded more on this. Honesty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The last portion of the article dealt with the concept of honesty, integrity, and overconfidence. It is easy to see that the last word does not belong to the previous statement. Honesty, integrity and moral compass are like complimentary objects and deserve to be grouped together. The question remains why overconfidence was a sub-topic that was used to elucidate the meaning of honesty. The authors linked honesty and overconfidence by stating that a leader must be honest about his or her overconfidence. With great effort this premise will work but there is a less strenuous way to get the point across. There is a much better way to communicate without forcing the reader to perform some extreme mental calisthenics. Quite frankly there is really nothing wrong with the said statement but it just does not sound right and it is confusing for those whose who may not have time to go through the document more than one time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Those who are expected to read this document are CEOs, and although they appreciate statistics and factual reporting they also like simplicity in the presentation of ideas. By using tough to digest words like ethical danger zones and not provide a clear explanation of what it is all about can frustrate many of them and they will never finish reading the whole article. The article can be seen as an assemblage of disjointed parts. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors started out strong by stating that there are ethical danger zones that corporate leaders should avoid especially during these difficult and challenging times. However, they were unable to give new information that would be of great help to leaders of multinational corporations. Instead they settled with generalizations and used oft-repeated statements that are already well-known in the international business community. It can be argued that members of the Business Roundtable came into partnership with BRICE to learn more about business ethics. They surely did not expect an article or a manifesto telling them something that they know already. These leaders are aware of the dangers that exist when an organization ignores business ethics. What they need to understand is how to balance the need for profit and the need to perform at the highest levels without compromising the organization’s core values. References Kiviat, B. (2008). â€Å"Reassessing Risk.† Retrieved 03 August 2010 from   http://www.time.com/ time/magazine/article/0,9171,1856998,00.html Messick, D., M. Bazerman, & L. Stewart. (2006). Avoiding Ethical Danger Zones. Business Rountable Institute for Corporate Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.corporate-ethics.org/pdf/danger_zones.pdf Thomas, C. (2006). â€Å"The Enron Effect.† Accessed 03 August 2010 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1198917,00.html