British Airways “Flying into a Storm” Essay

Introduction 3 1. A brand new company management 4 1.1- Major evolutions in the corporate strategy 4 a) Several breaking points in the policy statement 4 b) Actions implemented 5 1.2- A less â€Å"people-oriented† leadership 7 a) Before Ayling: a severe but participative management 7 b) After Ayling’s coming: a management centred on administrative and financial objectives 7 2. A failure due to the negligence of three key factors: culture, leadership and structure 9 2.1- An unsuitable management to BA’s culture and identity 9 2.2- Bob Ayling : an ambitious but self-centred leader 11 2.3- A structure which does not square enough with the company 12 3. What should be Eddington’s main concerns for the future? 14 3.1- Increase the level of service thanks to structure and culture 14 3.2- Maintain and improve internal cohesion through a better communication 15 3.3- Go on improving rentability through organization and new values 15 Conclusion 16 Introduction London, March 2000. The reign of Bob Ayling as chief executive of the airline British Airways (BA) is over. The crisis reflects the economic difficulties the company has been experiencing for the last three years. In order to set the outlines of our study, let us define in a few words BA’s field of activity. As airline, BA’s basic function is to carry passengers. This is a customer service industry, which implies that BA also supplies in-flight services/products (various cabin classes, meal supplies, entertainment facilities†¦) and out-flight-services (luggage retrieval, e-sale of tickets†¦). This field of activity is characterized by a tough concurrence, a real sensitivity to economic cycles, thin margins available as well as increasingly demanding clients. In such a context, Bob Ayling didn’t manage to reach his strategic objectives. As one of Ayling’s predecessors puts it: â€Å"the airline’s strategy remained the right one but Mr Ayling was the wrong man to execute it.† This comes down to say that Ayling did not implement the strategy the right way. To which extent do we agree with this statement? We will first examine the major changes that were operated in BA’s strategy with Ayling. Then we will try to understand why he didn’t manage to implement completely his strategy and thus why he didn’t target his objectives. To end with, we will look into what Rod Eddington should do after Bob Ayling’s dismissal to implement the strategy of the company. 1. A brand new company management 1.1- Major evolutions in the corporate strategy a) Several breaking points in the policy statement Since Sir John King came over BA in 1981, strategic speeches followed each other, translating the leader priorities in a given environment. Nevertheless, we can easily notice a change in communication of the corporate strategy with Ayling’s arrival. At the beginning of the 1980’s, Lord King’s first preoccupation was to make as long as he could BA a customer service oriented company, with high standards of quality. He had to take the company out of its public sector approach. All along his reign as the company’s leader, and later within Lord Marshall too, the policy statement kept a focus on the customers without changing the priorities for 15 years. During Bob Ayling’s four years mandate as chief executive, yet really shorter than his predecessors, we can distinguish three very different phases in the announced strategic choices. Read more:  Swot Analysis of British Airways His first concern when he came to power in 1996 was to make costs cuts. He introduced the Business Efficiency Programme in 1996, requiring the company to take heavy structural decisions that were -according to him- vital to ensure BA competitiveness for the future. Costs reduction has always been a concern for BA’s managers, but to put it on the top of the agenda was a new kind of strategic vision. After that one-year quite painful period, he decided the company had to combine customer service excellence with cost competitiveness, with a target of doubling its operating margin during the next five years. This mix policy included concentrating on four key issues: * Customers, by providing the highest levels of service and innovative products * People, with an ambitious target: becoming the best managed company in the UK * Costs efficiency, by keeping a high level of profitability * New alliances (particularly with American Airlines), by using the potential of a global airline industry. This policy had the disadvantage to divide the attention on several problems in opposition to King and Marshall management that kept focused on one main objective. Soon after, Bob Ayling was confronted to a phenomenon of large strikes, and he decided to put people back on BA top agenda. His predecessors used human resources as a means to achieve their target of a high customer service but Bob Ayling was obliged to take it as a whole stake. Finally, we can observe that Bob Ayling’s policy statement changed quite often under the pressure of the environment; such a thing had never happened for the 15 years before his arrival. b) Actions implemented Audacious actions to assert BA as a leader Soon after he had been nominated chief executive, Bob Ayling started to implement a large panel of audacious actions to assert BA as a world leader company. First of all, he dared to cut the top executive team from 25 to 14, to improve its efficiency and limit its cost. One of his first concerns was an alliance with American Airlines, to ensure the two companies to control 60 % of flights between the UK and the US, the world’s most lucrative airline’s routes. In 1997, he decided to make an identity change because the airline, carrying 60% of foreign passengers, had to show off as a â€Å"citizen of the world† rather than a national company. The challenge of the new visual identity consisted in weakening the British nature of the company and modernising it. He chose 50 ethnic designs from artists across the world. Bob Ayling also decided the acquisition of 43 new aircrafts, as well as the building of a new head office. In 1998, to face the emergence of low costs airlines and the increased competition on short haul routes, Bob Ayling decided to launch Go, its own budget airline. Later in 1999, he innovated again with the concept of the â€Å"Lounges in the sky†, a high-standard new service, and some investment in e-commerce. Whatever are the results, we must concede that Bob Ayling did a lot on a short period to put BA as a world leader. An anticipative approach of cost competitiveness Cost cut is a very unpopular practice. Consequently, managers usually do it only when it becomes an emergency. Bob Ayling did not take it like that. He anticipated the future and he kept an unwavering stance to impose the BEP measures while a record profit was announced for the year: he sold sensible activities, relocated the accounting department†¦ He asked for volunteers to leave the firm not because he could not afford to pay them, but to replace them with flexible people having more appropriate skills. At last he decided to concentrate BA strategy on high margins activities, and implemented a rationalisation program, paring down unprofitable routes and cutting excess capacity. This anticipative approach triggered the admiration of financial analysts, but the consequences inside the company were not so positive. A changing concern on HR Unlike his predecessors, he did not invest a lot in human resources programs at the beginning of his mandate as far as he was too much involved in cost competitiveness. Eventually, people were affected by this low concern on them. The consequences were a decrease in the customer service level, and a strong mobilisation for a strike. After those events, Bob Ayling was strained to re-involve the company in people matters. He promoted an intensive drive to lift staff morale, actions to involve people in the company. He even decided, as a pendant to the construction of the head office, to build a hotel in Heathrow just for the staff. Bob Ayling set up many changes in the corporate strategy, but let us now see how his management style was different from his predecessors. 1.2- A less â€Å"people-oriented† leadership a) Before Ayling: a severe but participative management Lord King decided to restart from scratch in 1981, when he became the chief executive of BA, and he transformed the airline with Lord Marshall in fifteen years into one of the best carriers in the world. The two leaders helped their employees to turn the corner of privatisation in 1987; they achieved to manage the change slowly. They started to instil a customer service culture into the staff with two large training programs, and always involved their people in the improvement of the airline. Those participative management methods made people proud to work for BA. Thus, Lord Marshall created a new human resources system, a kind of competency-based management, built on the promotion for the best employees. Therefore, they had a real willing to do always better, and their chief executive progressively replaced the State as a strict but kindly father in their collective mind. Lord King and Lord Marshall always did what they said; they were regarded as strong leaders, but they knew how to inspire the whole staff with confidence and how to command their respect. With that support they could explain that drastic – maybe painful – measures were the only means to improve BA’s results and reputation. b) After Ayling’s coming: a management centred on administrative and financial objectives Everyone expected Robert Ayling to follow the footsteps of his predecessors. However, just before his taking over as chief executive, he clearly announced he would â€Å"throw off for all time the attributes and attitudes of public sector†. That simple first sentence is the symbol of the big change in BA’s management in 1996: Bob Ayling thought that people were ready to accept all the constraints of a private company, in terms of adaptability and competitiveness. First we can notice that Bob Ayling didn’t take so many precautions in his declarations: for example he directly announced in September 1996 that BA would replace 5000 employees by new recruits, supposed to be more efficient and flexible. He thought that internal training was not enough; competences were out of the firm. Eventually some people felt afraid by this new vision. Then, Bob Ayling decided an unexpected relooking of the aircrafts. That was an important symbol of what he intended to do: make BA forget its British identity, to become an international carrier. At the same time, one of the parts of Ayling’s Business Efficiency Plan concerned the freezing of wages. As he took that kind of decisions without consulting the employees and their unions, cabin staff, which had the habit of being well treated, felt deceived and went on strike. During his reign, Bob Ayling was the only leader, he was supposed to have the right solutions, he looked forward and his employees had to follow. He did not listen to them and seemed to believe that nobody could understand his long-term vision anyway. This new leadership did not include the human resources and the culture in the decisions; it was an economic management. These major changes in BA’s management had unexpected impacts ; let us explain the reasons of Ayling’s failure. 2. A failure due to the negligence of three key factors: culture, leadership and structure 2.1- An unsuitable management to BA’s culture and identity There is no denying that culture is often neglected in the field of firms and business in general. However, culture has to be considered as a real success key in so far as people need to feel all right and involved to be efficient. If the gap between the firm’s culture (that is to say employee’s culture) and the top-manager’s vision is too deep, it leads to huge damages for either the firm, managers and employees as we are going to discover it in the case of BA. In the mid 1980’s, BA was considered as a state-owned company with a dire reputation for customer service. Ayling’s two predecessors succeeded in turning it into a high-quality and cost-efficient company, voted from 1989 to 1996 â€Å"world’s best airline† in the independent â€Å"Business Traveller† survey (voted â€Å"airline to be avoided at all costs† in 1980†¦). Focusing on marketing and innovation / technology, both King and Marshall still put emphasis on human resources. They took care of people in the first place, involving and training employees (â€Å"Putting People First† and â€Å"Managing People First†), encouraging â€Å"brains trusts† and putting customers first. People were of course aware of that attention and were confident, loyal and devoted. In 1996, Bob Ayling stepped up as chief executive with challenging and radical changes in mind. The sentence mentioned above he pronounced in one of his first speeches meant that the very first thing Ayling did was to attack the firm culture and identity, thus disturbing and chocking people unwillingly. In June 1997, Ayling praised a striking new visual identity supposed to be based on market research but that generated emotionally charged controversy. The change was radical; symbols were simply scrapped (new design, new colours, new motto, denial of the psychological national belonging) as if it was possible to start from scratch with new company identity and culture. As strikes immediately showed it, BA’s culture was still one of a public sector company. Instead of trying to negotiate, Ayling harshly condemned strikers without taking in account this public sector company background. In spite of Ayling’s desire to eradicate â€Å"Britishness† from BA, employees and people in general (customers, the press, Margaret Thatcher) were not ready to accept it. Strikes were also the result of incomprehension from employees: were the new salary scheme (part and parcel of the efforts to reduce area costs) and the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½60 million identity change coherent? Was it possible for employees to stay motivated and involved in BA under those conditions? Furthermore, 160 planes stayed with the Union flag instead of the new design in 1999 because BA lacked time to repaint it. The identity change was as a consequence first of all badly accepted and in addition badly implemented. However, Ayling began to understand after the strikes the high necessity of human resources as part of cultural background in a customer-facing business. He launched a campaign to raise staff moral in October 1997 and started to think about focusing on people on the front-line through interviews and speeches praising communication between management and staff. He built a hotel and developed a new concept for BA’s headquarter (no permanent desk-space). Again, in 1999, an opinion survey was sent to all employees, results were alarming, and Ayling introduced training and motivational programmes. We can not say if the improvement of BA’s results in 1999-2000 was linked to those efforts from Ayling concerning people but there is no denying that it was a little late anyway†¦ People had indeed a hard time with him, describing his management as a â€Å"macho-management that’s destroying people’s feeling for the airline†, â€Å"threatening and intimidating†. His vision of change was so ambitious (doing better and better, never enough for him) that he broke the firm culture and identity, introducing fear into staff’s feelings and breaking confidence that staff had always shown to management, in cutting jobs and financial bonus with no evident reason (for employees) or restructuring top-management. He questioned and modified too much symbols, values, norms, he disturbed employees in destroying their marks. Ayling justified himself in saying that he had a long-term vision and staff a day-to-day one, but he should at least have better explained and communicated around his decisions. It is however striking and surprising to notice that BA’s culture and identity was about the same from BA’s beginning to the start of Bob Ayling’s reign. Privatisation, higher competitiveness, globalisation do not seem to have modified anything. This can also explain why the gap between BA’s culture and what Ayling wanted was so deep. His new identity implementation may not have been irrelevant but just inadequate. 2.2- Bob Ayling : an ambitious but self-centred leader Lord Marshall explained in March 2000 that â€Å"the airline’s strategy remained the right one but that Mr Ayling was the wrong man to execute it†. We are going to study why below. Bob Ayling first dealt with BA in the early 1980’s. He began working for the firm in 1985 as legal director, became group managing director in 1993 and chief executive in January 1996. He was â€Å"well-waited† and had a rather good reputation. Following King and Marshall was quite challenging but he seemed to have strengths on his own such as strategic understanding, sharp mind, diplomatic skills or legal training. However, his first official act was to slim down the company’s top executive team of 25 to 14. Again, in September 1999 this executive team was reduced from 14 to 6. Those measures were aimed at â€Å"getting to a degree of unanimity quite fast†. It can also be noticed that at the end of Ayling’s reign, there is no realistic successor to him. Those two facts mean above all in our mind that Ayling can be considered as a narcissistic and authoritarian leader who wants to keep as much power and decision’s liberty as possible. It seems that he does and decides what he wants to without really thinking of all it involves and implies. As a consequence, he needs to change his mind often, and he forgets to focus on important things, he is distracted from the real job of keeping passengers on seats (his attention is for example consumed by trips between the UK, Europe and America to settle an alliance with American Airlines) which is not a good thing at all for his credibility. His credibility seems also to be affected by the gap between his speeches and his actions. He described for example his second objective for BA as â€Å"improving customer service in a more demanding environment†. Few months after this announcement, the Marketplace Performance Unit (responsible for generating information on customer preferences and perceptions) was scrapped. In 1997, a task group was created and responsible for missions including that of â€Å"getting the basics of customer service right†; but basics are supposed to be mastered if customer service belongs to the four main objectives specified one year ago. The same illogical thing can be noticed concerning putting people first or not. Ayling pretends to put people first and a little bit later states he is going to put people first now. His credibility can also be damaged when he promises staff, concerning the value of their BA’s share, â€Å"we are never going back to that price again† and when three months later the share loses 14p. He should not make promises on something he does not master. A leader needs of course to make decisions but needs also to listen to people and especially staff. Ayling thinks he takes employees in account in building a new hotel, create an open concept in the new headquarter but is it really what employees want and need? Several opinion surveys are mentioned but analysis or corrective measures do not seem to be done and taken, which means that those surveys did not match their targets and resulted in losing time, money, frustrating staff and enabling managers to have good conscience. Ayling also wants people to do exactly what he wants them to: â€Å"People have got to be†¦ they’ve got to do†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . â€Å"Often worn thin, revealing an intensely ambitious and stubborn individual who is only happy when he gets his way†. He is excessively exigent maybe with himself but also with others, he seems to be never satisfied and demands a â€Å"constant improvement†. Even when a good news is announced (BA: â€Å"second most admired company in Europe† according to the Financial Time for example), Ayling’s ambition looms (he asks on the same days 5000 volunteers to leave the company†¦), which reveals a huge lack of diplomatic skills. As a conclusion, we could say that Bob Ayling did not take enough people in account and that his vision was blurred by his ambition. 2.3- A structure which does not square enough with the company Firstly, actions on BA’s structure did not correspond to Ayling’s strategy. Indeed, the second objective of Ayling for building on BA’s existing success was to â€Å"improve customer service†. However, his actions on the structure did not match with this objective. For example, Ayling sold BA’s â€Å"in-flight catering operations†, BA’s â€Å"ground fleet services†, which were both significant aspects of BA customer service. By selling them, Ayling loosed any possibility of controlling the quality of this customer services. It was only after the strike of June 1997 that Ayling decided to set up a task force to ensure the airline â€Å"gets the basics of customer service right†. The words used clearly reflect a discrepancy with the initial objective. Thus, it appears that the structure did not emphasis enough the necessary development of customer service. Secondly, BA’s structure did not favour employee’s effectiveness and involvement. As we already pointed it, BA’s staff morale was at a time low. Employees needed to be motivated, to identify themselves to the company. The typically centralized structure of BA (the tasks of BA’s board were not divided into many units) did not foster employees’ motivation and employees’ feeling of identification to the firm. Consequently, the structure did not seem adapted to BA’s culture. In the same way, the centralized structure of BA did not square with environment and activity’s field: environment is characterized with an extreme sensitivity of airlines to economic cycles, which requires the necessity of reducing any risks the company could run, as well as a certain reactivity of the companies of this field. More and more demanding clients characterize the field of activity, what requires a non-negligible adaptability of the company to the market. In that context, BA’s centralized structure did not facilitate the reduction of risks (compared to a more decentralized structure) and did not enable a great adaptability to the market. For these reasons, the structure did not match with the environment. Having analysed the reasons of Ayling’s management failure, we will now consider how Eddington should manage BA internal factors to implement the strategy. 3. What should be Eddington’s main concerns for the future? It seems that Bob Ayling often tried to reach many objectives, which were not completely compatible. For example, he could not at the same time improve the level of service and constantly reduce costs. Now that he is gone, his successor has to focus on his strategy and on a few objectives, so that he can reach all of them before defining new ones. That means he probably will have to define some priorities between all his targets. He will also have to make sure they really are well matched so that they do not cancel each other. Rod Eddington claims that he wants to concentrate on people in the front-line, and to work hard with each level of responsibility. He seems to be conscious that an airline is a very particular type of company, where quality of customer service is decisive. Let us see how he can work and which tools he can use to meet his objectives. 3.1- Increase the level of service thanks to structure and culture Improving quality of service means two things: employing an obliging staff and making new fitting-outs in aircrafts. To achieve a high level of service, BA can use two main tools: – First of all, he can act on structure and organisation. BA could create for instance a marketing department, which could play two roles: studying client’s satisfaction and dealing with complains; and searching far in amount the likings of the customers to offer them what they expect. Thus, they will feel they really are BA’s priority. – Then, company culture could also help reaching objectives. If managers constantly praised the idea of the â€Å"client king†, everyone and especially front-line employees will take as an evidence that clients must be treated as â€Å"stars†. BA could also set up training programs so that everyone has the skills to deal with customers: for instance languages trainings for front-line employees who have to be able to answer any question asked by a client, wherever he may come from. 3.2- Maintain and improve internal cohesion through a better communication As Human Resources represent a precious asset for a company providing services, and especially for airlines for which the prestation is barely differentiating, BA’s managers have decided to focus on their staff. Therefore, they will have to enhance internal cohesion, thanks to structure. Indeed, an internal communication department could be created in order to update and communicate to everyone decisions taken by the CEO and the executive committee. Thus, employees would maybe understand more easily where the company is going and would certainly feel more concerned with the objectives. We can not reach objectives that we are not aware of. Then BA’s managers could use their speeches as a means to reach their objectives. If they let know while officially speaking (annual report, to journalists or directly to staff during trainings periods for example) that staff’s well-being is on top of agenda, and if they prove to be themselves coherent in doing exactly what they promise, then they will probably enter a new era of social relationships. 3.3- Go on improving rentability through organization and new values Since BA has to preserve its margins, it will have to go on saving money. But as one of Bob Ayling’s former co-worker explains, all the easy savings are already achieved at the beginning of the year 2000: it means that there are not many possibilities to cut purely costs any more. Thus, the challenge consists in finding new ways of saving money that would not injure service quality. – Here again, structure can be used: a new service could be created, that would immediately adapt tickets prices to demand: if many seats have been sold for a flight, then prices should maybe increase. However, if a little part of available seats has been sold, then the prices should decrease until all seats are sold. Such an initiative would avoid half-empty flights, and would eventually lead to savings. – Then a work could be done on internal culture: an â€Å"economy-awareness† could be implemented, encouraging everyone in the company to make savings. For instance, managers could show the example in booking middle-class hotels instead of four-stars ones when they have to travel. – At last, BA could go on focusing on rentable activities, providing higher margins, as for instance North Routes and First Class flights. Conclusion British Airways needed a charismatic leader; Bob Ayling was just an economic manager. He overestimated the ability of his people to change the way they considered their company and their implication in its evolution. Although he had got indisputable skills to deal with external constraints and to anticipate the environment evolutions, he forgot to take in account the importance of internal factors, such as the firm history and what it involved. Rod Eddington’s first reaction as he came over was to express his respect and his will to make BA’s employees happy. It is very likely that the new chief executive had drawn the lessons of his predecessor’s experience, and that he wanted to start from new bases. Maybe he is the â€Å"right† man for the job†¦

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CASE: Rebhan v. Pop Warner Little Scholars, INC FACTS: Gator Rebhan is the former head coach of Suniland Sundevils. They were two time National Champions, including a victoy of 56-6 in the championship game. That following week, Pop Warner suspended Rebhan indefinitely alleging he intentionally ran up the score, which is a violation of Pop Warner rules. Rebhan filed a suit claiming that Pop Warner did not follow their own rules, in two instances. First, the referees failed to reward the ball to the opponents after each score until the deficit was less than 36. Rebhan was also never contacted or interviewed by Pop Warner to get his side of the story. ISSUE: Was Pop Warner within its rights to suspend Rebhan for running up the score, without hearing from him first? HOLDING: According to â€Å"We Own This Game†, Gator Rebhan dropped his lawsuit against Pop Warner in the following year. RATIONALE: Although the suit was dropped, Rebhan did hold a very strong case to be reinstated. Pop Warner broke its own league rules by not interviewing him prior to his suspension. Had they done so, they might have come to a different conclusion after he argued that he was trying to protect his own players after the opposing team stacked the box with 11 men. They might also realize that had the officials done their part correctly, Rebhan’s team would never have been rewarded the ball after the deficit reached greater than 36. According to â€Å"We Own This Game†, Rebhan’s suspension expired, and there was no reason for him to follow through with the case. Gator Rebhan was allowed to coach the Suniland Sundevils for the following season.

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Elizabeth Cady Stanton on Black suffrage - Essay Example Stanton served as the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Elizabeth worked closely with Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass (a former slave), her husband Henry Stanton and cousin Gerrit Smith. Lucretia Mott (1840) she was a great admirer of feminist, she was so angry when she couldn't see Mott speak because women were supposed to sit away from the view of men and for this reason Elizabeth Drafted a declaration of Sentiments Elizabeth Cady Stanton ones said, "The prejudice against color, of which we hear so much, is no stronger than that against sex. It is produced by the same cause, and manifested very much in the same way". Men have made women submit to law in which women have no voice, men have deprived women their rights as citizens, women rights to property have been deprived and that men have the monopoly to nearly all the profitable employments. Elizabeth can therefore be seen as a woman who has pioneered in the fight against women oppression. Although she fought for women rights to vote she died 20 years before women were granted this rights. She was an intelligent courageous and hardworking woman in that she dared give a speech in front of the committee of judiciary of the United States. Elizabeth died in October 26, 1902. Frederick Douglass served as a marshal of the District of Columbia and as consul general to the republic of Hai

Review of the film The Immortal Beloved Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Review of the film The Immortal Beloved - Essay Example After this, Ludwig and Casper’s relationship was increasingly strained, and Ludwig continuously referred to Johanna as a whore, even going so far as to attempt to have her arrested. The implication was that the reason why he wanted her arrested was because she was a whore, and he burst into the room when Johanna and Casper were lying naked. The movie also portrayed Ludwig as relentlessly pushing his nephew Karl towards music, even though Karl could not play very well and desired to be a soldier. While there is some truth to these complicated relationships that he had with Casper, Johanna and Karl, there are also many inconsistencies with the historical truth, according to Maynard Solomon (1977). According to Solomon, there was some hostility between Ludwig and Casper, due to Casper’s marriage to Johanna, as he wrote â€Å"my brother’s marriage was as much an indication of his immorality as of his folly† (Solomon, 1977, p. 299). Solomon stated that the reas on why Ludwig was against the marriage was because Casper and Johanna had premarital sex, as Johanna was pregnant with Casper’s child before they got married. ... Solomon stated that Casper did small errands for Ludwig, and that Ludwig actually stated with Casper and Johanna when the French bombarded Vienna in 1809. Solomon also stated that the relationship between the brothers was on and off – â€Å"After 1812, the brothers were in close contact, which, for them, consisted of furious conflicts alternating with passionate reconciliations† (Solomon, 1977, p. 299). Solomon also stated that, in the conflict between the brothers, that Johanna played the part of the peacemaker. This is also in contrast to the film, as Johanna never played the part of the peacemaker, and it appears that her relationship with Ludwig was constantly stormy. In the end, the film stated that Johanna was the immortal beloved in the letter. This is in contrast to Solomon, who stated that, while Beethoven probably did have a secret attraction to Johanna, and theorized that Beethoven took his nephew Karl from Johanna to keep Johanna in his life, there was no in dication that Beethoven and Johanna had an affair. The way that Solomon described Beethoven’s attraction to Johanna was that it was unacknowledged, even to himself - Solomon stated that Beethoven’s hostility and apparent hatred towards Johanna was a form of denial for his actual love and attraction for her – â€Å"Feelings of love that have not yet become manifest express themselves to begin with by hostility and aggressive tendencies† (Solomon, 1977, p. 306). This implies that Beethoven never actually stated, even to himself, that he was in love with Johanna, so she probably was not the immortal beloved. As for Beethoven’s relationship with his nephew, there is no indication in Solomon’s writings that Beethoven tried to push young Karl

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 52

Reflection - Essay Example Consequently, the system administration department enhances the prevention of system garbage issues. Garbage (errors) that enter the system will generate garbage outputs. If the wrong math program or number enters the system, the system will produce a wrong math solution or output. Entering the wrong student name in the database will generate avoidable erroneous student –related outputs (Burgess 690). Further, there is a major relation between the human rights class subject and system administration. The system administration personnel interact and communicate with different individuals within and outside the system administration arena. The subject will teach the affected personnel to respect the human rights of the other employees. The subject warns the system administrator and his staff of employees’ gender, age, and other discrimination lawsuits (Gross13). Furthermore, there is an important relation between the environment class subject and system administration. The system administration employees learn to implement the anti-pollution laws. The system administrator must not throw his department’s waste papers into the nearby crystal clear lake, polluting the lake. Similarly, the system administrator should never burn waste paper, polluting the vicinity’s air (Friis 258). There is a noteworthy relation between the globalization class subject and system administration. The class will equip the system administrator and other subordinates with globally-necessary tools. The tools will improve the computer-based systems administrator’s production output. With the incorporation of the latest trends, the administration’s outputs will be at par with other globally recognized system administration departments’ outputs, concerns, goals, tasks, and responsibilities (Bailey 244). There is an influential relation between the self

Ap European History Chapter Essay Example for Free

Ap European History Chapter Essay The chief minister to King Henry VIII, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and Sir Thomas More, Wolsey’s successor, guided the opposition to Protestantism. The king earned the title â€Å"Defender of the Faith† by protecting the 7 sacraments against Luther’s attacks. Thomas More wrote Response to Luther in 1523. The King’s Affair The King’s marriage kick started the English Reformation. Catherine Aragon would not produce a male heir for King Henry VIII, only Mary, and Henry wanted a divorce. Catherine had first been the wife of Henry’s brother, Arthur, but he died, so Henry inherited Catherine. They were married in 1509 with a special dispensation from Pope Julius II himself. By the time of his divorce conflict, Henry was in love with Anne Boleyn, one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting. He wanted to wed Anne instead of Catherine. However, he could not get a divorce because Pope Clement VII was a prisoner of Charles V. Cardinal Wolsey, who was in charge of securing and annulment, was dismissed in shame when he failed to do so. Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell, both of whom harbored Lutheran sympathies then became Henry’s most trusted advisors. They wanted to create an English church of which the King would be the head. This allowed Henry to annul his own marriage. The â€Å"Reformation Parliament† In 1529, Parliament convened for a seven-year session. It was called the â€Å"Reformation Parliament†. During this period, it passed legislation that placed reins on the clergy. In 1531, the Convocation recognized that the King was the head of the Church. The Parliament published grievances against the Church, ranging from indifference to the laity to too many religious holidays. Parliament also passed Submission of the Clergy which brought canon law under royal control, and the clergy into royal jurisdiction. In 1533, Henry wed Boleyn and Parliament made the king the highest court of appeal for citizens. Also in 1533, Cranmer led the Convocation to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine. In 1534, Parliament ended all payments by the laity and clergy to Rome and gave Henry power over ecclesiastical appointments. The Act of Succession made Anne Boleyn’s children legitimate. The Act of Supremacy made Henry the only head in earth of the Church of England. When Thomas More and John Fischer refused to recognize the Act of Succession and the Act of Supremacy, Henry had them executed to prove a point. In 1536 and 1538, Parliament dissolved England’s monasteries and nunneries. Wives of Henry VIII In 1536, Anne Boleyn was executed for treason and adultery, and her daughter Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. Jane Seymour died in 1537, after giving birth to Edward. On the advice of Cromwell, he wed Anne of Cleves. The marriage was annulled by Parliament and Cromwell was executed. Catherine Howard, the fifth wife, was killed for adultery in 1542. Catherine Parr lived. The King’s Religious Conservatism Henry remained decidedly conservative in his religious beliefs. With the Ten Articles of 1536, he made mild confessions to Protestant tenets and maintained Catholic Doctrine. He forbade the clergy to marry or have concubines. Henry wrote the Six Articles of 1539 to strike at Protestant views. They reaffirmed transubstantiation, denied the Eucharistic cup to the laity, declared celibate vows inviolable, provided for private masses, and ordered the continuation of oral confession. Although William Tyndale’s translation was mandated in Parishes, England had to wait till Henry’s death until it could declare itself a Protestant country. The Protestant Reformation under Edward VI Edward was ten when his father died. During this reign, England fully enacted the Protestant Reformation. Edward VI and Somerset responded directly to John Calvin. During Somerset’s regency, Henry’s Six Articles and laws against heresy were fully repealed. Clerical marriage and communion with cup were sanctioned. In 1547, places where endowed masses had traditionally been said for the dead were dissolved. Images and altars were removed from churches in 1550. After Charles V’s victory over the German princes in 1547, German Protestant leaders fled to England for refuge. These people helped to guide the Reformation in England. The Second Act of Uniformity imposed a revised Book of Common Prayer on all churches. Thomas Cranmer’s 42 article confession of faith set forth moderate Protestant doctrine. It taught justification by faith and the supremacy of the Holy Scripture, denied transubstantiation, and recognized only two of the seven sacraments. All of the changes were short-lived however. In 1553, Mary I took Edward’s throne after his death and proceeded to revert back to Catholic doctrine and practice with a single-mindedness rivaling only that of her father’s. It was not until Anne Boleyn’s daughter’s reign that lasting religious settlement was worked out in England. Catholic Reform and the Counter-Reformation The Protestant Reformation was not a surprise. There were internal criticisms and ideas of reform within the Church already even before the Counter-Reformation in reaction to Protestant success. Sources of Catholic Reform Popes preferred â€Å"Men are to be changed by, not to change, religion. † – Superior General of the Hermits of Saint Augustine, instead of changing laws and institutions of the Church. Although the Church denounced it, there were still orders that pushed for reform: Theatines (1524) – Groomed the devout and reform minded leaders at the higher levels of the Church hierarchy. One of the cofounders of this order was Bishop Gian Pietro Carafa, who became Pope Paul IV. Capuchins (Recognized in 1528) – Sought to return to the ascetic and charitable ideals of Saint Francis and became popular among ordinary folks, who were their audience. Somaschi (mid-1520s) and Barnabites (1530) – Directed their efforts at repairing the moral, spiritual, and physical damage done to people in war-torn areas of Italy. For Women: Ursulines (1535) – Established convents in Italy and France for the religious education of girls from all social classes and became very influential. Oratorians (Recognized in 1575) – An elite group of secular clerics who devoted themselves to the promotion of religious literature and church music – One member was Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina (1526 – 1594). In addition to these lay and clerical movements, Spanish mystics Saint Teresa of Avila (1515 – 1582) and Saint John of the Cross (1542 – 1591) popularized the mystical piety of medieval monasticism. Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits The most successful reform group of the Counter-Reformation was the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits (Recognized by the church in 1540, began in 1530s). It grew so much that people went on missions to convert other who lived in Asia, the Americas and even Africa. The founder of Jesuits, Ignatius of Loyola, was a hero. His legs were injured during a battle with the French. He swore to become a religious person if he were to survive his injuries. While injured, he had a revelation, and after his recuperation, he began to preach about his revelations. He wrote Spiritual Exercises. He declared that people could shape their own behaviors through self-discipline and practice. In Jesuits eyes, Protestant dissenters were considered as disobedient of the Church authority, and by religious innovation. However, Ignatius of Loyola taught that people should submit to the authority of the Church and spiritual direction. The Council of Trent (1545 – 1563) The success of the Reformation and the insistence of Charles V caused Pope Paul to call for a general council of the church to reassert church doctrine. Caspar Contarini headed the council: he was a leading liberal theologian. However, even Contarini seemed blunt in his report by saying that the simony and the fiscal practices of the Roman Curia were the loss of Church esteem. The report was so critical that Paul IV could not suppress its distribution. Protestants printed and reprinted it to assert control over even the Papacy. The Council of Trent itself met in the following time periods: 1545 – 1547, 1551 – 1552, and 1562 – 1563, a period that spanned the careers of three popes. The laity was not permitted to share in the council’s decisions. The Council’s most important decisions were concerning the internal church discipline. It curtailed the sales of Church offices and other Church goods. Those who resided in Rome instead of the dioceses were forced to move their appointed seats of power. Trent oversaw that bishops could effectively enforce religious discipline and that bishops were subjected to rules that required them to be visible in regular preaching and conduct regular visitations. Parish priests were also to neatly dress, be better educated, strictly celibate, and active among parishioners. A seminary was also constructed in each diocese. The Council of Trent reaffirmed the following: Traditional Scholastic Education of the Clergy The role of good works in salvation The authority of tradition The seven sacraments Transubstantiation The withholding of the Eucharistic cup from the laity Clerical celibacy The reality of purgatory The veneration of saints, relics and sacred images The granting of letters of indulgences The Church solved medieval Scholastic quarrels in favor of the ideologies of Thomas Aquinas, who asserted his authority in the Church. Thereafter, the church offered its strongest resistance to groups like the Jansenists, who strongly endorsed the medieval Augustinian tradition, a source of alternative Catholic, as well as many Protestant, doctrines. Rulers were initially afraid that their lands were beginning to be taken over by papal authority, until the pope reassured them that the orders were by his decree only. The Social Significance of the Reformation in Western Europe Lutheran, Zwinglian, and Calvinists often worked within the framework of reigning political power. This is because the founders themselves believed that they were not on Earth to change the political power, but only to reform religion. They remained highly sensitive to what was politically and socially possible in their age. Some scholars and historians believe that they encouraged acceptance of the sociopolitical status quo of their time. The Revolution in Religious Practices and Institutions The Reformation may have been politically conservative, but by the end of the 16th century, it had brought about radical changes in traditional religious practices and institutions in those lands where it succeeded. Religion in Fifteenth-Century Life Six to eight percent of the population in cities that later turned Protestant was the clergy and the religious, and they exercised political as well as spiritual power. They legislated, taxed, tried cases in special church courts, and they enforced their laws with threats of excommunication. The Church calendar regulated daily life. About one third of the year was given over to some kind of religious observance or celebration. There were frequent period of fasting. Monasteries, especially nunneries, were extremely prominent and influential institutions. The children of society’s most wealthy and powerful citizens resided there. On the streets, friars begged for alms from passerby. In Church, the mass and liturgy were read in Latin. Images of saints were regularly displayed, and on certain holidays their relics were paraded about and venerated. Local religious shrines enjoyed booming business. Pilgrims gathered there for either cures for illnesses, diversion, or even entertainment. Several times during the year, special preachers would come to sell indulgences. Many clergy walked the streets with concubines, even though there were banned from marriage. They only had to pay a small penitent to the Church for toleration. People everywhere could be heard complaining about the clergy’s exemption from taxation and from the civil criminal code. They also grumbled about having to support church offices whose occupants actually lived and worked elsewhere. Townspeople thought that education should be more secular. Religion in Sixteenth-Century Life Although few changes to social and political institutions were clear, the Reformation had firmly taken root in these cities. Overall numbers of the clergy decreased by about two thirds and the number of religious holidays fell by around one third. Places of religious seclusion were almost gone; the remaining ones were transformed into places for the sick and poor or places for education. Churches, which also had been reduced in number by about one third, conducted worship in the vernacular. The laity observed no obligatory fasts. Indulgence preachers no longer appeared. Local shrines were closed down. People venerating saints, relics and images were subject to fines and punishment. Copies or even excerpts of Luther’s translation of the New Testament were common in every household, and even the clergy began to meditate on them. The clergy were allowed to marry, and most did. They paid taxes and were punished in civil courts. Domestic moral life was regulated by committees of about equal numbers of laity and clergy: secular magistrates had the last word in these. Whereas ? of Europe could be considered Protestant in the 16th Century, only about one-fifth was Protestant in the mid-17th Century. The Reformation and Education A great cultural achievement was the Reformation’s implementation of many of the educational reforms of humanism in the Protestant schools and universities. Protestant reformers shared with humanists a common opposition to scholasticism and a belief in unity of wisdom, eloquence, and action. The humanist program of studies was an appropriate tool for the elaboration of Protestant doctrine, which remained ascendant in the Counter-Reformation. The Catholic counter-reformers acknowledged the close connections between the Reformation and the humanism. Ignatius of Loyola observed that new learning was embraced by the Protestants. In his Spiritual Exercises, he said that when the Bible was read directly, it be read under the authority of: Thomas Aquinas, Peter Lombard, and Bonaventure. These people had the clearest understanding, and should guide the study of the Scriptures. In August 1518, Philip Melanchthon (1497 – 1560), arrived at the University of Wittenburg, first implemented the curricular reforms on the humanist model. In his inaugural address, On Improving the Studies of the Young, he presented himself as a defender of the classical studies against â€Å"barbarians who practice barbarous arts†. Melanchthon urged the study of history, poetry and other humanist disciplines. Together, Luther and Melanchthon restructured the University of Wittenburg’s curriculum. Commentaries on Lombard’s Sentences were dropped, as was canon law. Straightforward historical study replaced the old Scholastic lectures on Aristotle. Students read from primary sources, not trusted commentators. New chairs of Greek and Hebrew were created. Luther and Melanchthon also pressed for universal compulsory education so that both boys and girls could get educated in the vernacular. In Geneva, John Calvin and Theodore Beza created the Genevan Academy, which later became the University of Geneva. It was created primarily for Calvinist Ministers, and pursued ideals similar to those set forth by Luther and Melanchthon. Because of the spread of Protestantism from this Academy, a working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew became commonplace in educated circles in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Some people believed that Protestantism was taking over humanism. Erasmus thought that the Reformation was a threat to the liberal arts and good learning. Sebastian Franck pointed out that there were parallels between Luther and Zwingli’s debates and the debate over the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin. In spite of these clashes, Humanist culture was indebted to the Reformation. Protestant endorsement of the humanist program remained significant to Humanism even after the Reformation. Protestant schools consolidated and preserved humanist culture for the modern world. In these Protestant schools, the studia humanitatis took hold. The Reformation and the Changing Role of Women Protestant reformers took a positive stand on clerical marriage and opposed monasticism and celibacy. They opposed the popular anti-woman and anti-marriage literature of the Medieval Period. They praised woman in her own right, but especially in her role as a housewife and mother. Although marriage laws gave women greater security, they were still subjects to their husbands. Protestant arguments for marriage included relief of sexual frustration and as a remedy for fornication. Many reformers acknowledged the power of women and could not imagine a world without them. Luther himself wrote that â€Å"Men cannot do without women. † John Calvin stated at the death of his wife that â€Å"I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life. † Such tributes were used to overcome the Catholic Church’s belief that marriage may distract the clergy. Protestants also stressed as no religious movement before them had, the sacredness of marriage and the family life. This attitude created a more respectful relationship between husband and wife and family. The Protestants also believed that women had equal rights to divorce and remarry in good conscience. The reformers were more willing to permit divorce and remarriage on grounds of adultery and abandonment than were the secular magistrates. These magistrates thought that liberal divorce laws would lead to social reform. Women in nunneries wrote that their overseeing by men was just as abusive as their married life. Women in higher classes found a religious component to their greater freedom in life. They believed that the cloister provided an interesting and independent way of life that their secular lives could not provide. Protestants encouraged the education of girls in the vernacular because they wanted women to become pious housewives. Through their education, women found that they were equal to men in the eyes of God. Education also gave women a role as independent authors of the Reformation. These advances were important in the steps toward the emancipation of women completely. Family Life in Early Modern Europe Changes in the timing and the duration of marriage, in family size, and in infant and child care suggest that family life was under a variety of social and economic pressures in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Reformation was a factor in these changes, but not the only or even the major one. Families have certain force and logic of their own, regardless of where they are and when they are. Differences in people lay in the ways different cultures and religions infuse family life with values and influence the behavior of family members. Later Marriages Between 1500 and 1800, men and women in Western Europe and England married at later ages. Men tended to in their mid to late-twenties and women in their mid-twenties. The Church sanctioned previously that the age for legal marriage was 14 for men and 12 for women. This might have occurred among the royalty and nobility. After the Reformation, the church required both parental agreement and public vows before a marriage could be recognized as legal. Late marriage in the West reflected the difficulty of being independent for the bachelor period. The difficulty arose because of the population growth during the 15th and 16th centuries (population was recovered from the Black Death). Larger families meant more heirs and a greater division of resources. In German and Scandinavian countries, inheritance would be divided among all male children. People were taking longer to prepare themselves for marriage than before. One in five women never married, and 15% were unmarried widows. A later marriage meant one of shorter duration. Women who bore children for the first time at later ages had a higher mortality than those who bore children at earlier ages. Because of this delayed marriage system, there was increased premarital fornication, and in turn, many illegitimate children were produced. Arranged Marriages Many marriages were arranged in the sense that parents would meet the parents of the spouse before conducting the ceremony. By the fifteenth century, it was not uncommon for bride and groom to have previously known each other, or even have had a previous relationship. Emotional feeling for one another was respected by the parents. Parents did not force marriages, and children could say â€Å"No†. A forced marriage was invalid and unwanted marriages would not last. Family Size The average husband and wife had eight children, and ? of them died by their teens, one third by the age of five. Families lived with their in-laws, servants, laborers and boarders. This was a nuclear family. Birth Control Ever since the beginning of mankind, there have been attempts to control child birth. The church’s banning of male withdrawal before ejaculation is a sign that it had been attempted before. Thomas Aquinas believed that the natural end of coitus was the creation of a child. Wet Nursing The church allied itself with physicians on the matter of condemning women who hired wet nurses. The practice however, was popular among high-class women. Children who were wet nursed usually had a higher mortality rate. To husband’s, a nursing wife was a reluctant lover. Many women prolonged nursing in order to delay a pregnancy. However, noblemen did not like this because they needed a male heir. This jeopardized the patrimony, and they supported wet nursing. Loving Families? Between the ages of eight and thirteen, children were sent out to apprenticeships, schools, or into employment. Widowers and widows married again within a few months of their spouses’ deaths, and marriage with great difference between age limited affection. Literary Imagination in Transition Alongside the political and cultural changes brought about by the new religious systems of the Reformation, medieval outlooks and values continued into the 17th century. However, the literary figures of the post-Reformation period had elements of both old and new styles. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: Rejection of Idealism Spanish literature of the 16th and 17th centuries reflects the peculiar religious and political history of Spain in this period. Traditional Catholicism was a major part of Spanish life. Since the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, the church received the support of reigning political power. The power of the church and the Inquisition did not allow for Protestantism to gain room in Spain. The piety of rulers also influenced Spanish rulers. The third influence was the preoccupation with medieval chivalric virtues, in particular, questions of honor and loyalty. Spanish literature remained more Catholic and medieval than that of England and France, where two Protestant movements occurred. Lope de Vega and Pedro Calderon, two of the period’s greatest writers, became priests. Cervantes only had a little bit of formal education. He educated himself by wide reading in popular literature and immersion in the â€Å"School of Life. † In prison, in 1603, he began to write Don Quixote. The first part of Don Quixote appeared in 1605. This work was written to satirize the chivalric romances then popular in Spain. Cervantes presents Don Quixote as an unstable middle class man. By reading too many chivalric romances, he believed he was an aspiring knight who had to prove himself through brave deeds. Don Quixote’s foil – Sancho Panza, a clever, worldly peasant who serves as Quixote’s squire – watches with bemused skepticism as his lord battles with a windmill, which he mistakes for a dragon. At the end, Quixote comes to his senses after a well-meaning friend defeats him â€Å"in battle† as a â€Å"knight†. Quixote returns to his village as a defeated man to die a brokenhearted old man’s death. Throughout the novel, Cervantes juxtaposes the realism of Panza with the religious idealism of Quixote. The reader however, perceives that Cervantes loved both characters equally. William Shakespeare: Dramatist of the Age

Eye Injury Risk from Water Stream Impact Essay Example for Free

Eye Injury Risk from Water Stream Impact Essay

Amore Pacific International Business Strategy Marketing Essay

Amore Pacific International Business Strategy Marketing Essay With low-barriers to entry, the competitive business environment of the cosmetics industry requires companies to secure stable sales channels, and make great marketing efforts to differentiate its products. However, the cosmetics industry is closely related to the fashion industry which is constantly changing and offer potential growth opportunities. Consequently, cosmetic products typically have short product life-cycles because which require mass-customization capabilities and production agility. Personal Care On the other hand, personal care products business is a relatively a mature industry. Also with a low-barrier to entry, the domestic market is currently saturated with competition. In addition, the emergence of large-scale discount stores and new sales networks has called for rapidly changing marketing and distribution channels. Consequently, the domestic personal care products industry is focusing on developing niche markets by differentiating its product as offering higher quality and value. 1.2. Overview of AMOREPACIFIC AMOREPACIFIC Corporation (AMOREPACIFIC or the Company) aims to become a global beauty company with its core businesses in cosmetics and personal care and health products. Founded in 1945 as a Pacific Chemical Company, AMOREPACIFIC Corporation has been involved in beauty products. With the corporate vision of The World will know us as the Asian Beauty Creator, AMOREPACIFIC seeks to push the boundaries of traditional beauty with innovative solutions drawn from its rich Asian heritage.  [1]  The Company also stresses the five values: Openness, Innovation, Proximity, Sincerity, and Challenge to openly communicate with its customers and employees, pursue innovative ideas and new concepts, maintain physically and psychologically close to customers, fulfill obligations to society, and be passionate about overcoming challenges.  [2]   The Company first began its export sales via OEM and also began to sell cosmetics products under its own brand AMORE in 1964. In 1990, the Company turned to international markets by establishing its first overseas subsidiary in France, followed by establishing its Shanghai and Chartres plants in 2002 and 2004, respectively. In 2010, AMOREPACIFICs sales reached KRW 2 trillion, with operating profit of KRW 340 billion and net earnings of KRW 285 billion. The Company maintains its number one player in the domestic market with a 34.9% cosmetics market share in 2010. In terms of its overseas operations, the Company has enhanced its sales in 2010 by approximately 11% to KRW 335.8 billion.  [3]   With its strong domestic position, the Company is targeting sales and operating profit growth of 10% in 2011 by creation of growth markets. For each business segment, the Companys Cosmetics Division is focusing on securing competitiveness in the Asian markets through reinforcement of RD activities to provide differentiated products and services. For the personal care products business or Mass Cosmetics Sulloc Division, the Company is intent on strengthening domestic market competency by expansion into high-functional products in major personal care categories. 2. International Business Strategy of AMOREPACIFICs Cosmetic Products AMOREPACIFIC aims to be a Global Top 10 cosmetics company.  [4]  While tapping on matured and developed markets such as North America and Western Europe, AMOREPACIFIC is more focusing on developing countries such as China and other Southeast Asian countries. To overcome the limitations of the market size and increasing level of competition in the domestic market and accomplish economies of scale through market expansion with its own line of competitive products, AMOREPACIFIC, utilizing its number one position in the domestic market, has been looking to develop overseas market with in its efforts to gain presence and become a successful international player in a very competitive global cosmetics industry environment. While the domestic market has been steadily growing due to an increase in the number of professional business women who have brought about buying power of female customers, developing market conditions for high-function cosmetic products from the middle-class aging population, as well as an increasing demand from men for cosmetics products, AMOREPACIFIC has been facing increasing competition from the domestic competitors and market penetration from global cosmetics companies. Nevertheless, AMOREPACIFIC has potential to be successful in overseas market taking into account following advantageous factors: The quality and diversity of products of AMOREPACIFIC has reached the level to be competitive against global brands in most product lines. Experiences of highly competitive market in Korea enriched the Company with various competitive marketing strategies. Koreas cultural wave has created friendly demands of Korean beauty products among customers, especially in Asian market. Globalization strategy of AMOREPACIFIC is primarily based on a multi-domestic approach where international strategies take on differentiated approaches for each regional market as divergent demands for cosmetics products exist due to different levels of industrial and economic development for each country/region. In addition, benefits from standardization are less significant due to segmented nature of cosmetics market even within the country/region and price functions differently for each customer segment and it is not usually the major factor for determining purchase. Finally, since demand in overseas market for cosmetics are highly divergent and the Company possesses the capability and resources to leverage with to meet those divergent demand, multi domestic strategy would be suitable for AMOREPACIFIC. Based on such multi-domestic strategy, AMOREPACIFICs globalization strategy takes on differentiated approaches for developed and developing countries. For emerging countries, AMOREPACIFIC aims for an early market penetration, while, raising image by focusing on the prestige brand lines in developed markets. Two representative countries of AMOREPACIFIC (France and China) have been analyzed below to evaluate its international strategy in each country contrasting AMOREPACIFICs strategies in each respective country. 2.1. Expansion into the France Market 2.1.1. Market Penetration with Lolita Lempicka France has long been renowned as the capital of cosmetic industry and fashion. AMOREPACIFIC began to penetrate the France Market with the Lolita Lempicka Perfume from 1997. In 1997, the Lolita Lempicka Perfume won all the top awards at the French FIFI Award for best womens fragrance, best mens fragrance, and perfume design. AMOREPACIFIC released Lolita Lempicka L in 2006 and released Si Lolita Lempicka in 2009. With the success in France, Lolita Lempicka products are now available for sale in over 100 countries worldwide.  [5]   2.1.2. Rationale France is considered one of the biggest markets of cosmetics products and trend leader of fashion and beauty goods and the arena of competition for global cosmetics manufacturing companies. Experiences and reputation in France market can lead to an expansion in developed markets including the U.S. where the AMOREPACIFIC would consider as major market for growth. 2.1.3. Entry Mode Selection Notwithstanding the high risk of failure, AMOREPACIFIC decided to penetrate the France market via direct ownership to establish strategic position as a flagship business in the developed market. With such high level of commitment and resourcing from the headquarters, the Company hired local management with entrepreneurial spirits to experiment with new brand and new strategy. AMOREPACIFIC perceived that its entry mode into the France Market was necessary in order to deploy local talents which would enable expansion into adjacent high-end European markets once strategic position is established. 2.1.4. Marketing and HR Strategy in France Abandoning nationality and company title to overcome the stereotype against Asian cosmetic brands, AMOREPACIFIC teamed up with local marketing agents, manufacturers and vendors. As a newcomer to the market, AMOREPACIFIC differentiated its approach by naming its brand after young local designer to target customers following up-to-date trends of unisex mode and strong fragrance. Also limited direct distribution channels have been utilized for distribution and advertisement is delivered through only high-end fashion magazines targeting customers in their twenties and thirties as well as models and designers. As is important to the cosmetics products to be recognized by word-of-mouth, promotion activities are focused in providing samples to celebrities and influential group of people. Through hiring entrepreneurial local experts in marketing of cosmetics, AMOREPACIFIC could upgrade its marketing expertise in luxury/premium market one notch above. 2.1.5. Evaluation of the International Strategy in France Global Configuration The Companys entrance to the France Market was not driven by cost differences or economies of scale, but it rather served the purpose to make a case for experiments in the leading market. With the successful launch of the Lolita Lempicka brand in France by leveraging the local talent and blinding nationality and company name, other high-end brand can be entered into the market utilizing the distribution channels secured through perfume business. In addition, AMOREPACIFIC may consider introducing other more competitive premium brands in the market through large scale international cosmetics franchise stores such as Sephora. Global Coordination Learning the effects from highly autonomous management of local subsidiaries and transfer of such knowledge to other developed market strategy (e.g., U.S.) is expected to benefit the company through global networking. Although it is inevitable to tap on developed market to notch up brand recognition level, considering the Companys ultimate goal of globalization to expand its market, targeting developed countries would result in limited volume growth at least in the mid-term as we could see from the financial results of France market which was out of red first time in 2010 since its launch in 1997. 2.2. China Market Expansion 2.2.1. China Market Analysis The volume of cosmetics sales in China is still explosive and has high potential to growth (Yearly cosmetics consumption of $13 per person compared to $50 in global average)  [6]  . China Market is well stratified according to product lines which are in line with development stages of different areas (eastern seaside and western inland). They comprise of all four major segmentation including top luxury market, premium market, middle market and mass market. In China, the cosmetics market is not dominated by single or a few major manufacturers yet and accordingly, market penetration is relatively easy. Compared to use of make-up products, the skin care products are dominant in market, and as Koreans have similar skin type as Chinese customers, the Company can hold strong competitive position against the multinational competitors. With increased level of earnings, demand for premium brands is also expected to grow significantly. 2.2.2. Rationale With Korean market being saturated, the high growth potential China market appears to be the next logical choice for AMOREPACIFIC. The Company is able to fully leverage the beneficial impact of Korean cultural wave in China. Although the Company has entered other Asian countries in tandem with China market, the growth and experiences in China market can provide the Company with boosting power to expand further into other Asian countries. Also, the proximity to Korean market and similar cultural background can give the Company competitive edge against other multinational manufacturers. 2.2.3. Entry mode selection The Company entered into China market through direct investment since 2002. The decision to enter into China in a form of direct investment was primarily due to the potential threats other global and local companies possibly gaining foothold in China. The Company needed to stay in competitive position by internalizing technical advantage and products quality while local brands are growing in fast pace. As competition is already intensified in China market, high level of commitment of resources from head office is necessary for sustainable growth in China market. 2.2.4. Marketing and HR strategy in China As the Company owns line-ups of products for all segmented markets, success in one market segmentation can lead to relatively easier launching of other product lines under more competitive conditions. The major product line marketed in China is the Laneige Brand, which is premium brand of AMOREPACIFIC which targets the middle-class. As brand recognition is gained from Laneige through skin-care products, it is considered a good strategic move for AMOREPACIFIC to promote other lines of products under same brand including make-up and products with specific functions including anti-aging and whitening. As Korean wave is huge in China market, AMOREPACIFIC leverages the benefit to its maximum by using famous Korean celebrities as models for its flagship brand (Laneige) and sponsoring Korean television dramas aired in China and concert events. However, As Chinese people are known to be not reliant on advertisement on media and cosmetics products are characterized that information on the products tends to be delivered by word-of-mouth through experiences of family or friends, AMOREPACIFIC set up free booths that provide make-up service, free tutorials and samples. 2.2.5. Evaluation of the International Strategy in China Global Configuration The main drive for entrance into China market is the market expansion. As China market will surely bring larger volume to accomplish economy of scale and its spillover effect to other territories in Asia region will give further boost to AMOREPACIFICs effort in those countries. Although AMOREPACIFIC started with premium brand to make a case in China market, the biggest portion of the market segment is the mass market with vast demands for lower end products. As AMOREPACIFIC has a line-up of products to cope with all those demands, with success from premium brand, it can expand its efforts to market expansion into more casual younger-customer targeted brands. However, in the course of bringing products in other segment, AMOREPACIFIC carefully needs to consider the possibility of casual brands adversely affecting the premium brand image to the customers. In this regard, AMOREPACIFIC may need to deploy differentiated marketing approach, such as blinding the company name not to be recognized as same companys brand and targeted promotion to specific group of customers (younger generation or lower income customers). Also, distribution channels other than department stores should be sought for differentiation. The brand shops that offer variety of brands of cosmetics can be fully utilized. Global Coordination Proximity to Korea can serve as an advantage for effective and efficient coordination with local operation. However, major cities located all over the vast land will bring about new challenges to AMOREPACIFIC which have focused on markets in smaller in size. For this instance, AMOREPACIFIC needs to bring in local expertise in logistics and tries to establish firm distribution channels. During the launches of its first premium brand, the close monitoring and control by head office and local subsidiaries must have been inevitable. However, to expand into other segment (mass market and luxury market), it is necessary, to fine tune its strategy, to leverage the experienced local management by delegating more power for more autonomous operation. 3. Recommendation for New Potential Market Strategy: India Based on the analyses and evaluations of AMOREPACIFCs international business strategy, India may be considered as the next potential target market for its international reach. The recommendations for entry mode and marketing strategies for AMOREPACIFICs entry into India are based on key success factors derived from the following market assessment and SWOT analysis. 3.1. Market Assessment The Indian cosmetics market grew by 9.5% in 2009 to reach a value of $141.6 million. In 2014, the Indian cosmetics market is expected to grow to $198.7 million, which is a 40.3% increase from 2009.  [7]   Indias Cosmetics market volume: million units, 2005-09(e) (Source: Make-Up Industry Profile: India, DataMonitor, May 2010) Despite the growth of the Indian cosmetics market, the extent of poverty in the country implies that sales would come from only a small consumer base. In this regard, the target market may need to focus on female professionals living in urban areas who are brand-conscious. As seen in the graph below, the cosmetics market in India is already dominated by the top 3 global brands which account for 68% of the total market share.  [8]   Indias Cosmetics Market Share: % Share by Value, 2009(e) (Source: Make-Up Industry Profile: India, DataMonitor, May 2010) Another interesting observation is the market segmentation of the cosmetics type. As seen in the below chart, lip make-up is the largest segment of the cosmetics market in India, accounting for 51.2% of the total market value.  [9]   Indias Cosmetics Market Segmentation: % share, by value, 2009(e) Also, Indian market has shown significant growth in the whitening products of 20% every year, making up 55% of total cream products.  [10]   3.2. SWOT Analysis Based on the above market assessment of India, AMOREPACIFICs SWOT analysis can be performed as follows: Strength AMOREPACIFICs strong management initiatives for globalization would offer a sound strategic decision process. As already proven in earlier efforts for globalization, the Company retains competitiveness of its line of products. In addition, the lack of infrastructure of the India in terms of distribution and sales channels would prove to be favorable for AMOREPACIFIC, since the Company retains a unique sales distribution of direct-sales approach, where salespersons personally visit door-to-door for marketing and sales. Weakness AMOREPACIFICs relatively small presence in a limited number of countries, as well as its weak brand image compared to global players would create challenge for the Company in terms of building its brand. Also, the lack of expertise in cosmetic products for dark complexions could be considered a weakness, considering the Indian population. Opportunities Considering that the cosmetics industry typically has low-barriers to entry, AMOREPACIFIC has opportunities to readily enter into the Indian market. In addition, the market growth potential of India considering its population size and economic growth would offer AMOREPACIFC to enhance its presence in the global market. Threats Considering the different culture and religious background of Indian people, the need for decentralized management could warrant potential management issues with the Headquarters in Korea for potential misalignment in AMOREPACIFICs globalization strategy. 3.3. Entry Mode Recommendation: High Local Responsiveness Approach In case of AMOREPACIFIC, its entry mode to the Indian market should consider the uniqueness of the culture. India has a unique religion and also has a strong history in their stratification system named Indian Cast system. In order to cope with such unique culture and history, AMOREPACIFIC would need to be highly responsive on the local culture. Observations could be made for other instances where attempts to penetrate into India cosmetics market with high degree of localization had been better off succeeding in the India market. Hyundai Motors and LG Electronics are some of examples that were successful cases where localization had been a key success factor in entering the market. On the contrary, Samsung Electronics strategy to seek global efficiency has been enjoying relatively smaller success in India. Considering that AMOREPACIFIC had no prior experience in India, the Company should set up their entry mode as be highly responsive on the local needs. Hiring local managers and staffs who understand the Indian culture would also be very important for the operation of AMOREPACIFIC in India. Joint-venture strategy may also prove to be a viable alternative for AMOREPACIFIC considering its less expertise for customers with darker skin tones. In addition, AMOREPACIFIC may utilize the friendly impression that Hyundai Motors and LG Electronics are making on the minds of Indian people. 3.4. Marketing Strategy Recommendation: Positioning, Distribution Channel Brand positioning and distribution channel would be a very important decision point for entering a market. To be successfully positioned in the India market, AMOREPACIFIC should consider two factors. First, AMOREPACIFIC should position its products to compete with other globally renowned brands to cope with the increasing brand-conscious consumers in India. Second, the Company may need to consider tighter margins to maintain cost competitiveness and capture market share against already established brands. Consequently, AMOREPACIFIC should use a high-end luxury brand strategy distributed in department stores and duty free shops. This would enable AMOREPACIFIC build up a brand image of high-end quality cosmetics. And at the same time, the Company could utilize secondary affordable mass-market brands to meet the average income consumers in India. An interesting distribution channel that AMOREPACIFIC could additionally set up in India is where they had been successful in Korea, which is direct, face-to-face-sales approach. As the transportation in India is underdeveloped, being able to visit consumers directly and provide quality services should be a great opportunity in entering the market. 3.5. Conclusion Since its foundation in 1945, AMOREPACIFIC has been one of the dominant players in the domestic cosmetics industry, with quality product lines ranging from anti-aging solutions and make-up products to personal care products such as shampoos, body cleansers, and toothpastes. With increasingly competitive domestic environment, AMOREPACIFIC has turned its eyes to the global arena. With its vision that The World will know us as the Asian Beauty Creator, AMOREPACIFIC has successfully proven its potential in France with its line of perfume products. Furthermore, AMOREPACIFIC took favorable opportunity of the Korean Wave to sell its products in China considering its cultural similarities and has established a strong brand name. As AMOREPACIFIC has ambitiously declared its goal to become a Global Top 10 cosmetics company, it needs to continuously seek opportunities abroad where it could utilize its core competencies to establish and strengthen its brand image while maintaining a clear focus on the target market and customers.

Defining Death :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Defining Death You have been told that someone is lying on a bed, their mind, for all intents and purposes is no longer functioning. Their internal organs, however, are. You are asked if it would be okay to remove the organs for transplantation. What do you do? As much as this question sounds like science fiction, there are 10,000 people living on life support in the United States. There has been a long held rule of thumb that when the heart beat and breathing have stopped, a person was considered dead. One doctor wrote of having to pronounce death on a man when he was still an intern. He relied on a EKG, and electrocardiogram, something that measures the heart rate, to give him his final conclusion of death. To use only that criteria is becoming a grayer and grayer area as medical technology progresses and other issues begin to take the fore. We are now capable of sustaining bodies for extended periods of time and also are now able to transplant organs from one person to another. For obvious reasons you cannot transplant certain organs from human beings without the donor first being dead, and then you have a very limited time within which you must "harvest" the organs. Just because part of the nervous system is functioning does not necessarily mean the rest of the nervous system is. Many people from different walks of life feel that as soon as "higher" functio ns cease and someone is brain dead, then their organs are fair game if they had previously decided to donate them. (2) That sentiment, while understandable, begs another question, how do you tell when these functions cease? According to a commission done in 1981, brain death can be determined by the following criteria; unresponsiveness (person does not respond to any external stimulus and cannot communicate with the outside world,) an absence of cerebral and brain stem function (pupils are unchanging, no gag reflex, limbs are flaccid,), nature of coma is known, must rule out hypothermia, drug intoxication and the person is not in shock. Also, you must have 12 hours without an EEG response or other EEG measure. There are also confirmatory things to look at, but these are not required, you can have an EEG with no activity, no cerebral blood flow, and no function in vital brain stem areas. (4) This can be summarized by saying that the brain has to totally cease functioning.

whats up with him :: essays research papers

What Is Up With Him? This weekend i went to my friend's hose because we were going out to get some coffe. As i sat on her bed and waited for her in her room. The room is small, but it is the coolest room ever. She has pictures of her favorite bands up on the wall. the style of her room is a mixtue of modern with a rock star twist to it. The phone rang and she started to get nerves. From that moment on i knew her boyfriend was gonna come over to her house. Everytime she getes nerves she starts spit a lot and she starts playing with her hair. As I sat on her bed she started to get more nerves, and looked at me like if her boyfriend was gonna get jealous. She was so nerves she look like if her parents busted her with drugs. Finally the boyfriend arrived with his friend. In this light brown Nissan Sentra, the car looked like a recent model. When he got there, I thought this guy is gonna be pretty cool, but he was a idiot. he is such a idiot that he can not even part straight. This guy was the must im-mature person I have ever seen. Even his sixteen year old best friend thought he was a idiot. This guy made Mr. Bean look serious. When he got to my friend's house, he didn't even give her a kiss or a huge. One thing I have learned is that no matter how cool the firlfriend is, they alwayswant a little kiss. Unless they are on their period, but wait a minute, aren't they like that all the time. Twenty minutes past, and the guy kept on messing up and talking out of his ass. Everyone got tired of listening to his unless conversation, that we started to play with the dog. As I laid on the bed I heard his friend wisper to him, "Dude, let's go..." When I heard that I realized this guy was digging his own hole. My friend's boyfriend thought he was a pimp and a badass comedian. Also this guy was very homophobic because almost all the jokes he said were about homo's. The boyfriend wanted to sound cool, but my friend just lost interest in the boyfriend. When i saw her face it look like if someone just died.

Fly-By-Night Case Essay

A). When looking at the balance sheet, the first noticeable signal among assets is the rapid increase in accounts receivable in years 12, 13, and 14. It means that there are more products sold in credit than in cash and direct useable funds. Another signal is the sudden increase in inventories in years 12, 13, and 14. The previous three years, inventories slightly decreased. Only from year 11 to year 12 inventories almost triples and keeps increasing significantly the next two years. It shows there is has been a change in the production system making is less efficient. The last signal among assets is the increase in property, plant, and equipment for the years 13 & 14. It is likely that the increase is a result from the less efficient production in year 12. By buying new equipment, they expected to be able to meet the production needs. Then, the first noticeable signal among liabilities and shareholders’ equity is the increase in current portion of long-term debt in years 13 & 14. The acquired extra debt is most likely a result from acquiring property, plant, and equipment. Another signal is the increase in accounts payable for year 13 & 14. It is a result from the extended terms of payments. In year 12, the company had 26 days to pay which increased to 48 days in year 13 and increased even further in year 14 to 84 days. The company keeps buying products but does not have the resources to pay for it and takes longer to pay vendors. Next, when looking at the income statement it is noticeable there is an increase in deprecation which is due to acquiring property, plant, and equipment. There is an increase in interest expense which is due to acquiring more debt. Then in year 14, it results in an operating loss since the expenses are higher than income (positive income tax). Lastly, when looking at the cash flows the most noticeable is the negative change in cash flow for operations. To be able to keep your liquidity high  or ability to pay current expenses, you need to generate cash through net cash flow from operations. Only due to the increase in net cash flow from acquiring property, plant, and equipment the total cash flow decreases. B). Yes, the company can avoid bankruptcy. Only FBN needs to make some strategy and implementation changes. The income statement shows that sales have increased significantly from year 12 to year 14. As the company’s transactions with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and the Federal Reserve Bank are covering 60-70% of total revenues, the company has secured income up to years 16-17. The conclusion is that the main concerns of the company are liquidity, costs, and efficiency. The board of directors needs to improve cash levels to lower the liquidity risk. As exhibit 5 shows the current and quick ratio of FBN have decreased over the past years which is the main cause for the high liquidity risk. There a few ways to do this. One option would be to negotiate with customers over the terms of accounts receivable to generate cash faster. Another option would be to issue shares to increase the level of cash. Another issue is the increase of inventory. A high level of inventory increases costs for FBN such as holding costs. The company should have insight in the market conditions so it can produce the needed products efficiently. There needs to be some inventory available for emergency situations or unexpected orders, but the number should be as low as possible. Finally, the total expenses are higher than sales in year 14 which signals that the company either needs to improve efficiency or cut costs. Depreciation costs have increased significantly due to the increased sales and therefore the acquirement of plant, property, and equipment. The ROA has decreased to 0%. In order to get a positive profit margin, costs need to be cut. On the other side, effectiveness and efficiency of the assets need to be improved to generate net sales from the fixed-assets investments.