Honeywell International Success free essay sample

Honeywell International, Inc. Laura L Gurule Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Author Note Term Paper for Course MGMT 633 Submitted to the Worldwide Online Campus in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Masters of Project Management Abstract Researcher: Laura L Gurule Title: Honeywell International, Inc. Institution: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Degree: Master of Science in Project Management Year: 2012 This paper introduces the reader to Honeywell International Inc. Honeywell is a world leader in the application of lean manufacturing and its Six Sigma Plus processes. With the use of carefully monitored cost standards, net present value in investment decisions, and the transparency of the company’s financial statements are all methods that Honeywell has successfully implemented and utilized to reach and maintain their status as a world-wide competitor. The company has continued its growth, despite the market downturn that began in 2007, and continues to prove its resilience and pioneering spirit by continually improving their product lines, globally expanding their market, and, monitoring and maintaining financial stability. We will write a custom essay sample on Honeywell International Success or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Its forward thinking and willingness to take risk will provide Honeywell the capacity to maintain its role as a major competitor and contributor to the growth and recovery of our economy. Table of Contents Page Abstract2 Company Overview4 Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing8 The Use of Standard Costs11 The Use of Net Present Value14 Summary15 References18 Honeywell International Inc. is an American based advanced-technology company that manufactures aerospace and automotive products; residential, commercial, and industrial control systems; specialty chemicals and plastics; and engineered materials. Its assent into history can be traced back to 1885, spanning 125 years of history. Honeywell International is a $38 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, with 132,000 employees in over 100 countries and it a Fortune 75 Company. It is a diverse and global-wide organization and is a leading supplier of avionics and electronics, consumable hardware, engine controls, environmental controls, landing systems, power systems, propulsion engines, aerospace services and space products, and systems for the aerospace industry, as well as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of commercial, regional, business and military aircraft and spacecraft. Today, its main competitors in the aerospace defense product and service industry are BorgWarner Inc. , Johnson Controls Inc. and United Technologies Corporation. State-of-the-art technology, world known brands and global solutions have placed Honeywell in the unique position as one of the premier worldwide suppliers in the aerospace industry, offering solutions of systems, products and services to the largest aerospace and airline companies in the industry. Throughout their 125 years in business, Honeywell has helped revolutionize the aerospace industry with its dedication to research and development and its enthusiasm to advance technology in their various markets. Honeywells reliable and efficient aerospace services and support programs deliver the right level of engineering expertise, maintenance services and asset availability solutions to simplify operations while keeping systems and equipment at peak operational performance. It has proven to be successful in its quest for growth and global expansion from the time of inception. Their quest to acquire and expand began in 1927; the original company, Minneapolis Heat Regulator Company, and Honeywell Heating Specialty Co. merged to form the Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Co. From the merger, the name Honeywell was adopted and has remained the same since. In the course of its acquisitions, Honeywell purchased other businesses whose focus was in the controls area; among those acquisitions, was Brown Instrument Co. who was a wide-reaching leader in the field of industrial controls and indicators. This acquisition further increased their already successful market to a wider range of customers, as Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Co. had already established an overseas trading agreement with Japanese distributors such as Yamatake Trading Company. It was no surprise that, in 1934, Honeywell pursued and eventually acquired Time-O-Stat Controls Corporation. With the acquisition of Time-O-Stat, Honeywell further expanded its global presence, establishing offices in Toronto, Canada and The Netherlands; a few years later, they had offices in London and Stockholm. By 1941, Honeywell had expanded into markets in Chile, Panama, Trinidad, New Zealand, Argentina, and South Africa. By 1972, it operated 25 wholly-owned subsidiaries, 142 branch offices, and joint ventures in five countries outside the U. S. True to its reputation as a risk taker, Honeywell ventured into the computer industry. This venture was brief and by 1991 Honeywell was on longer in the computer business. Even though the venture was short lived, it proved to be of great value; Honeywell used the knowledge gained from their digital computer experience and applied it to the traditional field of automation control, integrating sensors, and activators. In 1986, Honeywell purchased Sperry Aerospace, and markedly enhanced its position in the aerospace industry. Edson Spencer, Honeywell chairman and chief executive officer, said the purchase was among the most important his company had made, It is an outstanding opportunity for Honeywell that positions us for the long term in a market that is expected to have significant growth for the next 10 years commercial and military aviation (Arnold, 2012). This purchase made Honeywell the worlds leading integrator of avionics systems, incorporation flight controls, space vehicles, and the first FAA-certified wind shear warning system. It continued to expand, and by 1993, the company continued its world-wide expansion by opening affiliates in Abu Dhabi, China, Oman, Romania, and the Ukraine. In a span of 26 years, Honeywell had operations in 95 countries through 83 wholly-owned subsidiaries and 13 joint ventures. One of the most noted and discussed mergers occurred in 1999 when AlliedSignal, a diverse manufacturer, bought Honeywell for $13. 8 billion in stock. AlliedSignal kept the Honeywell name, merging offices, and closed its Morristown, New Jersey headquarters. The merger resulted in a major restructuring for Honeywell which added to its product line and services. The deal created a company with $25 billion in annual sales and a market capitalization in excess of $45 billion. The merger gave the combined company the marketing edge, providing their airline customers to take advantage of new technology that would boost cost savings for both parties. In an unexpected turn, the early part of 2001 brought difficulties for Honeywell when the European Commission rejected the purchase of Honeywell by General Electric (GE). In October 2001, Honeywell and GE, the largest corporation in the world and the number one producer of jet engines, announced the intent to embark on one of the largest industrial mergers in history. The plan was for GE to acquire Honeywell, the largest worldwide supplier of non-engine aerospace equipment. During negotiations it was anticipated that there would be no antitrust problem; as GE and Honeywell were not competitors and not part of the same supply chain. The merger was intended to bring together complementary products that were component parts of large jet aircraft. The deal would have been the largest industrial merger in history. Instead, it became recognized as the first, and so far only, merger between US companies to be derailed solely by the European anti-trust authorities, while being cleared by the US Department of Justice (DoJ). On July 3, 2001, in an unprecedented act, the EU officially rejected the planned $42 billion acquisition of Honeywell International Inc. , by GE. The merger was denied by the EU after concluding that the merger would create or strengthen dominant positions on several markets and that the remedies proposed by G. E. were insufficient to resolve the competition concerns resulting from the proposed acquisition of Honeywell. The merger between G. E. and Honeywell, as it was notified, would have severely reduced competition in the aerospace industry and resulted ultimately in higher prices for customers, particularly airlines† (Pellegrini, 2001). Despite the fact that the GE buyout failure was a stumbling block, Honeywell used the experience to strengthen its core businesses by continuing to develop and introduce new products. The company started an aggressive acquisition strategy with the goal to increase revenues and decrease cost in a strategy that, â€Å"†¦divested small, underperforming operations, reduced the number of suppliers, and streamlined operations in small ways elsewhere† Honeywell History, n. a. ) The results paid off for Honeywell, as they continued to win a large percentage of their contract bids, sales were ahead of budget, and the rate of turnover in managers did not significantly increase from the same period in the prior year, and customer satisfaction was up. Honeywell faced some challenges after the GE debacle, however, by making changes it displayed that tenacity, hard work and a willingness to take risk, can result in huge payoffs. Honeywell continued to streamline and improve their lean manufacturing processes, i. e. Six Sigma Plus, implement and ensure compliance of the company code of conduct and maintain its dominance as a government contractor. Honeywell began its Six Sigma process and concept of self-managed teams in 1995 to â€Å"drive data-based decision making, ensure quality levels, and improve customer satisfaction† (Crager, 2007). Through training, leadership, and senior management support, Honeywell successfully developed their Six Sigma program. In late 2001 Honeywell combined the concepts of lean manufacturing and Six Sigma in a program called Six Sigma Plus to create a more robust program. The program was designed to align improvement objectives directly with business needs by integrating top talent and generating bottom-line results. Six Sigma Plus is an overall strategy to accelerate improvements in all processes, products and services, and reduce the punitive cost of poor quality through elimination of waste and reduction of defects and variations. One of the ultimate aims documented in the Six Sigma Plus strategy is providing maximum value to customers by applying a logical and structured approach to all business processes. One of the pluses of Six Sigma is that it empowered employees, allowing them to make decisions that impacted how their unit or line was performing. This provided Honeywell an excellent tool that is a highly respected measure of excellence. (M. Calderon, personal communication, May 1, 2012) Honeywell took the basic concept of Six Sigma and created its own version which is known as Six Sigma Plus. It is currently used across all businesses and brands to drive growth and productivity. â€Å"The standard operates by providing a measurement of how effective the organization is in eliminating defects and variations from processes. To meet its requirements, a process must operate at 3. 4 defects or less per million opportunities. This equates to 99. 9997% error free† (Six Sigma Plus, n. d. ). Conscious application of the Six Sigma methodology to all business processes delivers greater value to its customers and makes Honeywell a more desirable business partner. The implementation of lean manufacturing processes has enabled Honeywell to maintain tight controls in all aspects of the managerial accounting processes. With the use of managerial accounting, Honeywell has ensured that their productions and service is well planned and controlled. With the budget cuts facing government, private sector job loss, and tightened markets, it is impressive that Honeywell has continued to maintain its sales growth in the United States. The diversity of Honeywell’s world-wide enterprise, exemplifies the importance of a creative corporate marketing approach. Honeywell consists of unique business units, with each, offering a variety of products and services. Strategies and implementation of those strategies must be developed and executed at the corporate, business unit, and product levels. Overall, strategy and long-term planning are guided by the company’s vision and stated mission. At the business level, planning begins with an examination of the current situation, including technological changes and competitive effects. By using this type of analysis, Honeywell is better equipped to address and identify threats and new business opportunities. Decisions to pursue new opportunities are followed by establishing a set of objectives, often stated in terms of market share, sales volume, or profitability. Subsequently, business and marketing strategies are developed to achieve those objectives. Effective execution of strategy in implementation must then occur for objectives to be realized. Effective financial statement analysis will be a primary indicator that indicates the progress and demonstrates whether company goals are being met. Honeywell has been a leader in their industry in planning and control and have used financial analysis in depth to evaluate and control their growth and profitability. It continues to be effective in identifying opportunities to improve the organization’s efficiency and in developing strategic plans to realize those opportunities. By using a diversity of analytical tools Honeywell is better prepared in making operating decisions, such as how and where products are to be manufactured and serviced, whether insourcing or outsourcing is more equitable, and whether to expand and the area to expand to. Timely and accurate financial statement preparation is critical to the success or failure of a business. The financial officer, owner, partner or members management team of a business must review the business financial statements and have a good understanding of them. Financial statements are critical to Honeywell’s ability to make solid, informed decisions. Such decisions are needed in order for Honeywell to meet one of its primary goals, which is to realize a high rate of return on their investments. The measurement and success of this initiative is arrived at by measuring it against other industry averages. This information helps Honeywell understand that current initiatives do show a market response. In view of the fact that the industry average can be general in nature the industry average should be used as a guide. A failure to use the data appropriately can mislead investors and have a disastrous affect on Honeywell’s reputation and marketability. Achieving their strategic plan will not only involve Honeywell’s internal planning and controlling, but it will also involve the support of creditors and investors. Both are key players in providing capital needs to support new initiatives and milestones; the use of financial statements in this process will no doubt be the backbone of the decision making process. It is difficult to know the health and direction of a company if financial statements are not reviewed in a timely manner. In its pursuit of investors, or the success in the results of an external audit, the financial statements are the ultimate representation of company’s financial position. In general accounting practices, Honeywell uses process costing for its furnace thermostats (home products division) and job costing for customized aerospace contracting products. When thinking in terms of standard costs and whether they would be beneficial, one factor to consider is the fact that Honeywell is a world-wide producer with operations in many countries outside of the United States (US). There are ramifications when doing business overseas as well as doing business in the US and each scenario has its own benefits and consequences that are unique to specified circumstances. Honeywell, like their competitors has migrated to low cost countries because of the labor rate differential. The move to overseas production creates additional concerns and dynamics. World-class manufacturing in today’s competitive environment demands more than a single-minded focus on eliminating defects. Since the introduction of Six Sigma and Lean tools to their operations over a decade ago, Honeywell has delivered significant results for customers in terms of the quality, delivery and value of our products and services. To achieve competitive advantage in today’s environment, Honeywell has continued to build on its Six Sigma and Lean foundation, and identify new ways to differentiate themselves. Benchmark companies such as Toyota and Nissan use Six Sigma and Lean tools. Like Honeywell, they also have a disciplined management system that standardizes work and engage employees in improving work processes. In doing this, organizations have achieved tremendous performance improvements. The Honeywell Operating System is a comprehensive, integrated approach to managing their organization. It is characterized by a consistent focus on results for the benefit of our customers, not on the use of specific tools. The objective is to simplify and standardize processes everywhere, to remove variation across operations, and to drive significant and sustainable improvements in safety, quality, delivery and cost. Employees are encouraged use tools such as Six Sigma, in achieving a common purpose: global wide use of an operating system that consistently yields excellent results for the customers and the company. Implementing standardized cost standards is not an easy task and it will take time. Honeywell maintains that standardization will evolve to fit different business environments and changing customer needs and will become an essential part of the process that will bind their company across business and geographic boundaries. Honeywell’s workforce consists of residents of the country they are in to satisfy requirements imposed by foreign nations. It is almost mandatory to have overseas operations to reduce labor and material costs; however, these operations come with high risk. Foreign workers are not always equipped with the necessary skills to perform the manufacturing duties required by a highly technical company. The expense of employing and developing such a workforce can create additional costs. In determining what the additional costs, standard costs prove beneficial because they would provide Honeywell the ability to budget costs with a great understanding and degree of confidence. A standard cost system allows a company to factor in methods that would absorb the periods in which higher costs are identified due to foreign employment development and when costs are low or minimal due to workforce stabilization. In its foreign production, Honeywell will have to set attainable standards in order maintain its performing baseline. Another factor in foreign operations is the volatile condition of the world. The United States is not always welcomed in other countries. It is not uncommon for a common protest to turn into a major world crisis. Such examples are those of the uprisings in Israel and Libya. Honeywell hosts operations in Israel, where relations between the government and the general population are volatile and unpredictable. In addition, we have seen several instances where regimes have changed power and attitudes toward the US in a matter of days. Standard costing is paramount as an aide for monitoring and managing the risk of unpredictability. It is a healthy practice that can protect Honeywell from severe monetary damage if a foreign tragedy should affect the business. The information obtained from standard costing aides Honeywell against the volatility of today’s markets and the strategy of its competitors. Honeywell is continuously improving its processes, products and management style to maintain their competitive edge. To be competitive, Honeywell will continue to use their standard cost system to help them execute planning and control of their strategic priorities. Tracking costs will also help Honeywell identify weakness and variances in their production system. Undetected problems in the areas of materials and labor can eventually raise variance to a point of hindering Honeywell from maintaining their core competencies. Consequently, today’s market provides no room for error, but every opportunity for a competitor to gain the lead. In many respects, some of the rationale that goes into using standard costs also applies to formulating the right strategy to gain a positive Net Present Value. Honeywell’s reach is global and therefore its investment opportunities are also global. Due to the unique factors involved with global markets, it is necessary for Honeywell to perform critical planning for investment decisions. Honeywell has a reputation as an organization that is willing to take risks to make money. It has done that by acquiring other business or expanding its existing facilities for future business. Such expansions are expensive and these expansions require additional staff which adds to the cost of investment. Large expenditures are a challenge to control the net present value (NPV) and require clear identification of cost and risks in order to be a success. Strategic moves, such as partnering with the national government, can leverage the way to a positive NPV. In this approach, there are tradeoff between the corporation and the government in which both interests can be mutually met. Corporation’s like Honeywell utilize these paths in order to reduce investment costs and have accurate projections for calculating and incorporating NPV baselines. Because of the ongoing activity of many investments occurring at one time, it is critical that Honeywell has complete knowledge of their NPV and ensure profitable investments are achieved. Failing to do this can result in major losses, especially when an unplanned shortfall occurs. Although the investment sounds promising, it is critical that NPV is properly measured. It is also advisable from an NPV and program management position that Honeywell phase its investment into NPV milestones which help determine if they should move forward to the next phase of the investment. This process would provide a safeguard while allowing the innovation to prove itself. While the actual rate of return (IRR) that  a given project ends up generating will often differ from its estimated IRR rate, a project with a substantially higher IRR value than other available options would still provide a much better chance of strong growth. IRRs can also be compared against prevailing rates of return in the securities market. If a firm cant find any projects with IRRs greater than the returns that can be generated in the financial markets, it may simply choose to invest its retained earnings into the market. The need for Honeywell to practice continuous NPV drills in a market with circumstances such as those faced in China by US companies, is critical. While both countries maintain a civil business partnership, there is an unspoken adversarial relationship which creates instability. China is strategically positioning itself as a global power therefore, the relationship between both countries is precarious and any misstep by Honeywell could severely damage the existing business relationship. Another potential concern for Honeywell is that China is currently the largest lender to the US. At the point that China reaches the economic capacity to sustain its prosperity internally, we have to ask ourselves if they will request repayment by the US prior to maturity dates. As we have seen in several European countries, a request of that magnitude could destabilize an already fragile US economy. In consideration of this scenario, and other contributing factors, Honeywell should be careful in investment planning, and phase its activities so that the NPV is not contingent upon results that will take a long period to realize a return. In summary, Honeywell has proven itself as a world leader of technology. This corporation is known world-wide and is a household name. Honeywell leads the way in advanced switching and sensing technology in their home division, and its aerospace division. In spite of the GE failure, it has kept its mark on the global economy through market highs and lows and has maintained its dominant position in an extremely competitive industry. As a long-time survivor and global competitor on the world stage, Honeywell continues to make its mark in history by developing innovative safety products, driving the modernization of global air traffic management, revolutionizing combat technology and their commitment to improving operational efficiencies. Honeywell continues to display their dominance with its diversity and profitable risk taking ventures. Perhaps Honeywell’s greatest strength has been the fact that it has adapted to a world that is ever changing and has embraced the challenge that other companies find daunting. With the continued vision to improve processes for safety, quality and cost, reducing waste, and using integrated strategies Honeywell continues to be a standard for their industry. They continue to be innovative and competitive and have a strong commitment to bringing profitable products that their customers need and want. Due to the diversity and competitive market that Honeywell has chosen to operate in, it is of extreme importance that the company maintains sound financial practices that will support the moral fiber and marketability of the company. As Honeywell moves into the future I believe they will continue to perfect their processes to produce the right financial statements, useful in calculating their position in the market, and providing the best advice for investment decisions. The proper use of standard costs and net present value are an example of the critical tools that ensure Honeywell continues to thrive in today’s unknown global conditions. Also critical to the success of Honeywell is the continued utilization of strong and proper ethical practices as the company is well known, world-wide competitor and a representative of the American business ethics and values. Whether it is in the Middle Eastern or the Far East, Honeywell is known and recognized; such a position makes it important for Honeywell to be transparent in its fiscal disclosures. Sound financial practices are essential to Honeywell in order for the company to continue its success and market dominance. Primary emphasis on these practices will serve to maintain Honeywells status and help them make the most profitable investment decisions for their investors and the company. As recent as April 23, 2012, Honeywell declared a â€Å"regular quarterly dividend of $0. 3725 per share on the companys outstanding common stock. The dividend is payable on June 8, 2012 to shareowners of record at the close of business on May 18, 2012† (Honeywell Declares Quarterly Dividend, 2012). If this is any indication, Honeywell will continue to be a viable global competitor and financial contributor to our financial and job market. Honeywell is an excellent example of an organization that is forward thinking and proactive. It has operated with a strong ethical code of conduct, strong financial discipline and an ever present focus on the future. This methodology and ideology will ensure their continued financial growth and market expansion. It is apparent that their cost standards, lean processes, and disciplined managerial financial management has enabled them to overcome obstacles, secure their position as a global competitor and a viable contender in today’s competitive, technology-oriented world.

Russian essays

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International marketing activities

International marketing activities International marketing activities are interlinked with a firms corporate goals, objectives and strategy. The overall aims, objectives and strategy of a firm has a great impact on international marketing decisions e.g, whether to enter new uncertain markets and how maximum would be risk that the firm is ready to take or the level of control required over international operations. There is no denying in fact that a persons self reference criterion (SRC) and an associated ethnocentrism are a two primary obstacles to success in international marketing self reference criteria is defined as an unconscious reference to ones own cultural values, experiences and knowledge as a basis for decisions. Ethnocentrism is closely connected to self reference criteria .It can be defined as the nations that ones own culture or company knows best how to do things. 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For marketers to be successful in foreign markets, it is necessary for them to take time and they must know about culture, norms, tastes, traits and behavior of other markets (countries) and also to look beyond their own self reference criteria because this advantage will give them an golden opportunity to make their products or activities successful in cross-cultural or foreign markets. One of the best example of this is given below, FOR EXAMPLE: (Mc vities) A British chocolate biscuits (Mc vities) manufacturer (cookies in American English) used the same approach and got the positive result. The company wanted to introduced the chocolate biscuits (Mc vities) in Japan .So, the company ignored its self reference criteria and introduced the biscuits in different attractive packaging to accommodate the Japanese market, inspite of its real packaging .Thus, in Japan Mc vities were wrapped individually and packed in presentation card board boxes and they were sold in price three times higher than in UK. The cookies are used as special gifts in Japan. FOR EXAMPLE: (UNILEVER) Being a international company Unilever used the same approach in Brazil to introduced its soap which was cheaper enough for Brazilians to buy and more convenient to use. Unilever repackaged and reformulated its detergent for Brazilians ,one of the main reason was the lack of washing machines among poorer Brazilian also they washed their clothes in rivers, and the powder was packaged in plastic bag instead of paper which get soggy immediately. Another reason is that the people of Brazil are price conscious and they buy in small quantities. For their convenience and their affordability the soap was packaged in small, low price packages. FOR EXAMPLE: (Mc Donald) Mc Donald being internationally famous modifies its traditional big mac in India, where it is named as the Maharaja Mac. The burger features the two mutton patties .The reason to modify its meals was a beef. Cow is considered sacred in India and Indians don,t eat beef. Individual persons reference criteria can prevent that marketer from being aware of cross cultural differences but also from recognizing the importance of those differences, hence the result is failure. There should be clear awareness among the marketers that not every activity within a marketing program is different from one country to another county and most probably are more similar than differences. The apparent similarities together with ones self reference criteria often become the cause of international marketing problems. Such a problem can be seen when the â€Å"Vicks† was introduced in Germany. The pharmaceutical companies in Europe introduce their products throughout the whole Europe simultaneously instead of country by country. The reason is that the pharmaceutical companies are familiar with the fact that there are deep-rooted national differences in how people think about health, diseases and their cure. It is the normal practice in United Kingdom and Holland tha t people prefer tablets when taking medicine, in Germany the injections are preferred .Same is the case with the causes of illness, Germans are more conscious and Obsessive about the heart and circulations and thats why the Germans are the Europes largest consumers of heart medicines. In UK, the doctors prefer to look for external agents and then they prescribes antibiotics while on other hand the people in central European countries first give preference to herbal treatments and hot and cold baths considering the antibiotics only as remedies of last resort. (source, Abstracted from Lynn payer, medicine culture New York Henry holt 1988, P.265) CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS: It can be defined as a type of analysis of across countries in which the data could be aggregated for each country and these aggregate statistics analyzed is called cross cultural analysis. (Naresh K.Malhotra, David F. Birks, MARKETING RESEARCH, THIRD EUROPEAN EDITION) In order to have a success and to avoid errors in business decisions the knowledgeable marketer will conduct a cross-cultural analysis and will design a frame that will enable him to isolate the self reference criteria influences and issues related to ethnocentrism. The following steps should be taken into account for such an analysis. Define the business problem or goal in home country cultural traits, habits and norms. Define the business problem or goal in foreign country cultural traits, habits or norms through consultation with natives of the target country also make no value judgement Isolate the SRC influence in th problem and examine it carefully to see how it complicated the problem. Redefine the problem without the influence of SRC and solve for the optimum business goal situation. The cross-cultural analysis approach requires an understanding of the culture of not only the foreign markets but also ones own national culture. CULTURE: Culture is always a collective phenomenon, because it is at least partially shared with people who live or lived within the same environment, which is where it was learned. It is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another â€Å"Culture is the sum of the values rituals, symbols, beliefs and thought processes that are learned, shared by the group of people and transmitted from generation to generation† According to Professor Geert Hofstede, culture is defined as the software of mind as it provides a guide for humans on how to think and behave: it is a problem solving tool. For a group of individuals or societies the culture works like a medium to deal properly in a system with problems and matters that relates them. Cultural difference has a great impact on the marketers especially for those who enter for first time to foreign markets. More deep knowledge will help the marketers to notice cultural differences in new markets and to get solutions for changes that occur in future. ELEMENTS OF CULTURE: There are four major significant elements of culture which are as followed. Language Institutions Material productions Symbolic productions Language has played a prominent role in the history of every country and culture of those different countries. Linguist and anthropologist Benjamin Lee Whorf who is a chemical engineer working for a fire insurance company has spent a time on tracing the origins and grammar of American Indian language also he is a author of seminal and controversial hypothesis or whorf-sapir hypothesis. Whorf defends the idea that language that we learn in the respective community where we are born and raised, shapes and structure our world view and our social behavior. Institutional elements are a main bone of the cultural process. The institutions may be the family as well as political institutions or it can be any kind of social organization within which the individual has to work in accordance with rules in exchange for various rewards. In most cultures the first social institutions varies e.g, church, mosque, shirne or temple. As far as the international marketing is concerned the religion has a great impact on culture, so marketers with little or no understanding of cross- cultural religions should take time and think beyond the aspects of their national cultures. The Islamic religion is a good example of the need for a basic understanding of all major religions. The material production range from physical productions as well intellectual productions, artistry and service, these include tools, machines, factories, paper, books, instruments and media of communication, food clothing, ornaments etc. Media is one of the social institutions that most effectively influence the values and norms of any culture Symbolic and sacred elements are the basis for the description o the relations between the physical and the metaphysical world. Productions of culture can not be described only by their physical attributes, as they always comprise of some certain symbolic or sacred dimension. There is no denying in fact that the duties and the roles of the status positions found within a society are badly affected by the dictates of social institutions. FOR EXAMPLE: The election of low caste Hindus in India which were once called an â€Å"untouchable† as the president made international news because it was such a departure from traditional Hindu culture. Similarly, brushing against an untouchable or even starring or looking at one was considered enough to humiliate or insult a Hindu of high status. Since its been a long time that the caste system had been outlawed but it is still a part of the Hindu culture. CULTURE VALUES: The seminal work by Geert Hofstede has contributed a lot in relation to cultural values. After studying more than 90.000 people in 66 countries he concluded that cultures of the nations studied differed in four primary dimensions, also the wide variety of business and consumer behavior patterns are associated with three of four dimensions. Those four dimensions are as followed. Power distance Index (PDI) Uncertainity avoidance Index (UAI) Individualism/ collective Index (IDV) Masculinity/Femininity Index (MAS) Individualism or collective index focuses on self orientation Power distance index focuses on authority orientation Uncertainity avoidance index focuses on risk orientation Masculinity or femininity index focuses on assertiveness and achieveness. CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE : Cultural knowledge are of two types Factual knowledge Interpretive Knowledge The factual knowledge is obvious and must be learned .Different traits, colors and tastes local to a culture are some important facts that a marketer can study in details The interpretive knowledge can be defined as the knowledge or an ability to understand and to admire fully the characteristics, values of different cultural traits and patterns . Apart from other things the marketers should have a spirit of appreciation of how cultures change and accept or reject new ideas.

Within-Class Ability Grouping Essay -- Essays Papers

Within-Class Ability Grouping As a future educator ability grouping is more than likely going to be a part of my classroom. I think it can and will be a valuable tool in effectively teaching all students of varying abilities. Ability grouping is a greatly debated area in the field of education. Opponents to the practice believe ability grouping is detrimental to learning and student self-esteem, but ability grouping, specifically within-class ability grouping, can be very effective in teaching children. The students are able to learn at a pace that is suitable to their individual abilities and teachers are able to construct lessons that are specifically geared towards each level. Within-class ability grouping necessitates flexibility and frequent interactions between student and teacher to determine whether or not the child is in the proper group. In ability grouping the "high achievers benefit from having to compete with one another" (Hollifield, ERIC database). The low achievers in a group of children of simila r level feel more comfortable and are, therefore, more willing to participate. Children should not be put into groups in every subject area, but rather in a few areas where grouping has proven beneficial. "Low-achieving students seem to learn more in heterogeneous math classes, while high and average achieving students suffer achievement losses—and their combined losses outweigh the low achievers’ gains" (Loveless, internet). Regrouping for mathematics and reading has proven effective. The students are in heterogeneous groups for most of the day, but then are grouped according to level for those two subjects. "Results indicate that regrouping for reading or mathematics can improve student achievement. However, the l... ...teacher Mrs. Petrigala: November 17, 2000; Michael’s first grade teacher Joshua Hammond: November 22, 2000; 10 year old son Sara Hammond: November 22, 2000; 12 year old daughter Works Cited Goldberg, Miriam L., Joseph Justman, and A. Harry Passow. The Effects of Ability Grouping. New York: Teachers College Press, 1966. Hollifield, John. "Ability Grouping in Elementary Schools." [online]. Http://ericae.net/edo/ED290542.htm. Lou, Yiping, et al. "Within-Class Ability Grouping: A Meta-Analysis." Review of Education Journal 66 (1996): 423-458. Loveless, Tom. "The Tracking and Ability Grouping Debate." [online]. Http://www.edexcellence.net/library/track.html#anchor393575. Slavin, Robert. "Ability Grouping and Student Achievement in Elementary Schools: A Best Evidence Synthesis." Review of Educational Research 57 (1987): 293-336.

Causes of the black death

There are several reasons as to why the Romans chose London as a settlement these include land, the Romans were excellent constructors therefore they needed a large amount of land to build their Empire. Another reason was that they noticed a river (now known as the River Thames). The Romans realised that this river could be extremely useful in many ways such as water for growth and survival, transport to get from one location to another and for trade, with the river ships from all over the world would be able to access this point to trade a variety of things for instance silver to make jewellery and coins, wool to make clothes, they also imported silk from China to decorate clothing and many more. By importing merchandise from other countries the Romans were able to raise their standards of living and have many luxuries. In approximately 50AD the Romans named London ‘Londinium'. Londinium was crowned capital of England there were two main reasons for this since the River Thames was in London for trades still coming in, and because they had a strong defence in Londinium as they settled in the north bank of the River Thames where two hills protected them which gave them better possibilities in war. It was essential for the Romans to have a brilliant defence because there were still Celtics roaming around who were always trying to win back land with brutal force such as the attack of Queen Boudicca in 61 AD who burnt Londinium to the ground she was described as: â€Å"Very tall, the glance of her eye most fierce; her voice harsh. A great mass of the reddest hair fell down to her hips. Her appearance was terrifying.† By the 1300s London's population had grown to 80,000 many things had changed London was a progressing city. In the 1300s there were a variety reasons people decided to settle in London. London was an improving city with many attractive buildings, there were lots of occupation available for all such as farming, tannery working, fishing and more, for entertainment there were hundreds of theatres to visit, there were countless number of Cathedrals to visit and London had easy transport because of the River Thames along with the London Bridge. Medieval London was made up of narrow and twisted streets, and the majority of buildings were made from very flammable materials such as wood and straw, which made fire a constant threat. Hygiene in London was awfully poor people weren't conscious about their health they got rid of rubbish anyhow they threw out their waste without caring where it fell. The houses would have had none of the things we accept as normal today – no running water, no toilets, no baths and washing basins. Soap was unheard of and as was shampoo. People would have been covered with dirt, fleas and lice. Beds were simply straw stuffed mattresses and these would have attracted lice, fleas and all types of bugs. Bathing would be rare even for the rich, rich people might have had a bath a few times a year! Your toilet would have been a wooden bucket which would have been emptied into the nearest river at the start of the day your water supply would also come from the same river. Families would have cooked and slept in the same room. Children would have slept in a loft if the cruck house was big enough. At night, any animal you owned would be brought inside for safety. There were a number of reasons for this. First, wild animals roamed the countryside. England still had wolves and bears in the forests and these could easily have taken a pig, cow or chickens. The loss of any animal could be a disaster but the loss of valuable animals such as an ox would be a catastrophe. If left outside at night they could also have been stolen or simply have wandered off. If they were inside your house, none of these would happen and they were safe. However, they must have made the house even more dirty than it usually would have been as none of these animals would have been house-trained. They would have also brought in fleas and flies etc. increasing the unhygienic nature of the house. Some of the settlement factors people would look for in the fourteenth century were high-quality occupation offered for all such as such as bakery, leatherworking, blacksmithing, carpenters, armourers, bowyers/fletchers and swordsmithing. People chose places which looked eye-catching and there was an enjoyable place to visit and People would want better and improved transport as well as brilliant security and fair laws. The Black Death started in Europe when the Genoese decided to escape the plague by fleeing from Caffa (where the Black Death originated from). The Genoese boarded their ships and set sail for Italy carrying rats, flees and the Black Death with them. The Black Death transmitted when a flea drank a rat's blood that carried the yersina pestis (plague germs). The yersina pestis would multiply until the flea's gut was clogged with it. The flea would then bite a human ejecting the rat's blood into the open wound the human would then be infected. This cycle carried on until the lives of 50 million people were taken from them in Europe wiping out half of London's population. It is said that the that the It was simple for the Black Death to spread in London since Hygiene in London was awfully poor as shown in the fourth paragraph there was a lot of congestion because London was dreadfully overpopulated and houses were still being developed people would cook, eat, sleep and go to the toilet in the same room which meant a lot of germs. In conclusion I think that the settlement of London did help the plague to spread in the 1300s because of various reasons including many of the reasons shown above mainly since the type of people that who settled there, and the fact that they had no sewage for their waste to go to. But I think that if the people not just in London but all around the world were more alert and aware of germs and hygiene then the Black Death would never have started.

How Ballast Water Systems Work

How Ballast Water Systems Work A ballast water system is essential for the safe operation of a ship, but the operation of these systems causes significant threats to the environment and local economy. What Is a Ballast Water System? A ballast water system allows a ship to pump water in and out of very large tanks to compensate for a change in cargo load, shallow draft conditions, or weather. The capacity of ballast water tanks might be millions of gallons on a large vessel. This allows vessels to carry a light or heavy load while maintaining ideal buoyancy and handling conditions in all situations.A ship might discharge all ballast water tanks to pass a shallow area or forward tanks only to raise the bow in rough open seas.Physical components of the system include; raw water intakes, large and small strainers, pumps, distribution pipes, ballast water tanks, treatment system, discharge system, and all the valves, sensors, and controls to run the equipment. Invasive Species in Ballast Water Invasive species are a significant threat to ecosystems and the economies of the affected areas. Researchers think that about one-third of all documented invasive plants and animals are able to travel in the ballast water tanks of ships. Zebra Mussels were introduced into Lake Saint Clair in 1988 when a ship emptied ballast water into the Great Lakes System. The Great Lakes hold nearly twenty percent of the earth’s fresh surface water in a watershed system. The non-native mussels eliminated native varieties once used by industry and have caused an estimated 7 billion dollars (US) in damage by encrusting or clogging underwater equipment essential to industrial and recreational activities.Sea Lamprey and ​Spiny Water Fleas are organisms which feed off of host fish or compete with young fish for food. Many species of fish impacted by these invasive species have significant commercial or sporting value. These animals and others can live in fresh or salt water and may spread into inland waterways from saline ports and harbors.Plants can also travel long distances in ballast water. Eurasian Milfoil is a surface plant which can clog equipment and deter recreation where it forms thick mats. Eurasian Milfoil was introduced to the United States in the 1940s. Because the plant can produce large colonies from only one small fragment it is likely the plant was introduced in the ballast water of a ship. Resolving Ballast Water Issues For years amateurs and professional researchers have experimented with a huge array of weapons to combat invasive species in a ship’s ballast water. Most of the difficulty is due to the fact that huge volumes of water must be treated in a reasonably short period of time. Many land-based systems for treating public supplies takes many hours or days to pass water through their treatment systems. A ship, on the other hand, must be able to discharge ballast water as quickly as cargo is loaded. In emergency situations, ballast tanks need to empty as quickly as possible. A quick pass through most ballast water treatment systems is not enough to kill all the organisms that may be present. Ballast Water Treatment Solutions and Shortcomings No Discharge or Ballast Exchange Rules: International, National, and Local law govern ballast water discharge. Some areas require ballast tanks to be sealed while others allow ballast to be exchanged. Ballast exchange allows tanks to be filled with local waters. Sealed ballast tanks may need to be emptied in an emergency situation and exchange is hindered by the fact that foreign waters must be discharged in close proximity to ​the sensitive area for vessels to operate safely.Mechanical Filters: Filters which are fine enough to remove the small immature young and eggs of invasive species clog quickly and require constant maintenance.Thermal Treatment: The idea is to heat ballast water to kill any unwanted organisms. Unfortunately heating such a huge volume of water is impractical due to time and energy constraints.Other Energy Treatments: Ultraviolet, sonic, and other radiation have all been tried but have similar problems to a thermal treatment; limits on time and energy.Chem ical Treatments: One of the earliest and most dangerous of all the methods used to control invasive species in ballast water. Chlorine bleach and other toxic chemicals will kill existing organisms but the release of these chemicals on the scale necessary to treat every ship would reach toxic levels for all aquatic life near the discharge points. The Future of Ballast Water Treatment Researchers are pursuing this difficult and financially lucrative goal at institutions around the world. In 2011, a team announced their successful small-scale test of a two-phase ballast treatment system which eliminates unwanted organisms and produces sodium bicarbonate as a byproduct. The system is undergoing full-size tests in the Great Lakes. The test for a scalable system is expected to perform well. It is not clear how regulatory agencies around the world will respond to the potential discharge of industrial amounts of sodium bicarbonate into their waters. Sodium bicarbonate is a common and safe chemical in small amounts, but studies must be conducted to assure this method is safe for long term use.

Free Essays on Women & Spirituality

Feminist Spirituality & Goddess Religion: Then & Now in The United States Thousands of years ago, the Goddess was viewed as an autonomous entity worthy of respect from men and women alike. Because of societal changes caused by Eastern influence, a patriarchial system conquered all aspects of life including religion. â€Å"Furthermore, most feminists interested in goddesses are women who strongly reject western patriarchal theology†(Culpepper 51). Thus, there was this very strong feminist idea of women being the prime in the early part of the 17th and the 18th century. Today, the loss of a strong female presence in Judeo-Christian beliefs has prompted believers to look to other sources that celebrate the role of women. Men and women have increasingly embraced goddess religion and feminist spirituality as an alternative to the patriarchy found in traditional biblical religion of the past and the present. In this paper, I would like to discuss this whole issue of the uprising of women spirituality in the United States and also the formation of these so called Goddess Religions, and the ways in which these religions are changing the face of American societal believes. My argument will be supporting the central theme of the movie ‘Women & Spirituality: A Full Circle’, the one that was featured in the lecture. I would like to discuss the main ideas on which this religion is based, the way in which it has come back a full circle and also its adjusting to this modern American society full of many other religions having different ideologies. Within a few thousand years the first recognizable human society developed worship of the ‘Great Goddess’ or ‘Great Mother’. For these people, deity was female. The importance of fertility in crops, domesticated animals, wild animals and in the tribe itself was of paramount importance to their survival. Thus, the Female life-giving principle was considered divine and an enigma. This culture... Free Essays on Women & Spirituality Free Essays on Women & Spirituality Feminist Spirituality & Goddess Religion: Then & Now in The United States Thousands of years ago, the Goddess was viewed as an autonomous entity worthy of respect from men and women alike. Because of societal changes caused by Eastern influence, a patriarchial system conquered all aspects of life including religion. â€Å"Furthermore, most feminists interested in goddesses are women who strongly reject western patriarchal theology†(Culpepper 51). Thus, there was this very strong feminist idea of women being the prime in the early part of the 17th and the 18th century. Today, the loss of a strong female presence in Judeo-Christian beliefs has prompted believers to look to other sources that celebrate the role of women. Men and women have increasingly embraced goddess religion and feminist spirituality as an alternative to the patriarchy found in traditional biblical religion of the past and the present. In this paper, I would like to discuss this whole issue of the uprising of women spirituality in the United States and also the formation of these so called Goddess Religions, and the ways in which these religions are changing the face of American societal believes. My argument will be supporting the central theme of the movie ‘Women & Spirituality: A Full Circle’, the one that was featured in the lecture. I would like to discuss the main ideas on which this religion is based, the way in which it has come back a full circle and also its adjusting to this modern American society full of many other religions having different ideologies. Within a few thousand years the first recognizable human society developed worship of the ‘Great Goddess’ or ‘Great Mother’. For these people, deity was female. The importance of fertility in crops, domesticated animals, wild animals and in the tribe itself was of paramount importance to their survival. Thus, the Female life-giving principle was considered divine and an enigma. This culture...

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Supply chain management - Essay Example Maintaining an effective and critical supply chain has become critical today. Global disruptions and market changes have instilled a sense of fear in businesses as maintaining strong customer relationships and effective cost cutting has become necessary (Sapient, 2002). Many firms started outsourcing key business process as a means to have better control over the supply chain. This could not resolve the problem and on the contrary it added to business and communication complexity. This increases the dependence on business partners (Sapient, 2002). Supply chains today face innumerable barriers like multiple tiers, many suppliers, varied transportation modes and numerous outsourcing partners, according to the report by Sapient. Uncertainties arise as multiple players with diverse technological backgrounds and systems join hands to integrate supply chain activities (Lippert & Forman, 2006). Supply chain uncertainties can also disturb the other planned processes to accommodate delayed assembly or delay may occur if a suitable resource cannot be found (Koh & Tan, 2005). Despite the use of various strategic planning models, uncertainties have been identified in the system. Uncertainties should not be underestimated as its impact can lead to faulty planni ng. It could also prevent the company from taking advantage of the opportunities that higher levels of uncertainty provide. It thus becomes imperative to understand the various view points underpinning the theory of uncertainty in supply chain. Uncertainty has been defined by Ambrose, Marshall and Lynch (2006) as the absence of the information that the organization needs in order to operate effectively while Koh and Tan (2005) define it as any unpredictable event that occurs during the production process that cannot be planned for. It is a disturbance and creates nervousness. They further clarify that regardless of the way

Strategy For Public Sector Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Strategy For Public Sector Organization - Essay Example This paper will critically analyze how public sectors are managed and why they fail to deliver quality and efficient services despite improved management. Role of public sectors organization Public sector organization plays a vital role in national economic growth. Economic growth of a country is relatively proportion to the growth and development of industries and infrastructures. Small enterprises also depend on the large enterprises as their suppliers and consumers. Development of infrastures and large organizations require huge capital to establish and most lending institutions can readily avail such facilities to public sectors and not to private owned organizations (Haider 2010). Infrastructures such as railways, sewerage pipes, power lines among others requires a huge investments and private owners cannot invest in such facilities that have low return but public sectors can invest in such infrastructural facilities that to provide important services to the public. Infrastructu re development helps to attract private investor into a region to provide other profitable service (Mohammed? and Umar n.y, P. 473). Publically owned organization always strive to maintain balanced growth across the region and area of operation by investing in both developed and undeveloped areas thus ensuring regional balances (Haider 2010). Government owned facilities like education institutions and heath institutions are fairly distributed across the national boundaries while private organization concentrate in urban area to boost their profit and minimize operation cost. Sparsely populated areas have higher uncertainty, low number of consumers and negative factors that profit based... This article stresses that the U.K has assumed a centralized target approach in the management of public service and public sector is not spared in this new trend of management and it is clear no single measure is conclusive in providing a lucid performance target where leadership anticipates a balanced perception in weighing financial and operations assessment in delivery of services. New performance targets in the United Kingdom were tied to budgetary allocation in all sectors of the public sector where performance indicators were set based on headline targets fragmented into detailed lower level targets. This paper makes a conclusion that public organizations are crucial to economic growth in any country since they provide basic services and goods for the general public despite the economical return to the economy and the organization. These services may not be profitable to the private sectors and therefore most private owned organization avoids them. Previously most public organizations were faced with several challenges such as funding, poor management, poor services, and discriminatory cultural practices among others. In recent times most organization has changed to adopt new strategy to improve their service delivery and competitive advantages. However there is need use more management tools and conduct intensive analysis of internal and external environmental factors that affect their service delivery to ensure that their strategy are effective and improve their management since lack of proper analysis has turned out tragic rather than beneficial.