Performance and reward Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Performance and reward - Assignment Example However, the senior employees of the company have been observed to be disappointed with the current reward criteria and feel themselves and their experiences to be undervalued. The later part of the paper illustrates few noteworthy recommendations that might be effective in reframing the reward strategy of Trisco Foods. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Brief Overview of Trisco Foods 5 Analyzing Trisco Foods’ Reward Strategy 5 Analysis of the Workplace Scenario 10 Recommendations 10 Conclusion 11 References 13 Introduction In today’s business scenario, employees are considered among the most important assets of organizations. It has been noted that only an efficient set of workforce is capable of accomplishing the goals of an organization and its set objectives. Employees thus hold the key in performance efficacy of business concerns in the modern day context. In this regard, it has been noted that employees should be managed and u tilized properly so that they can facilitate organizations with positive outcomes through their productive contributions. However, to steer employees towards productive contributions, it is important to motivate and encourage employees towards the accomplishment of the organizational goals. Hence, performance and reward management comes into concern. From a theoretical viewpoint, these aspects deeply relate with modern organizational practices that are incorporated for the purpose of employee motivation and therefore are related to the doctrine of Human Resource practices of organizations. Performance and rewards can also be observed as connected to each other in the sense that rewards are practiced or delivered on the basis of performance efficiency deciphered by employees. It has been observed in this regard that such practices in organization tend to be quite beneficial in the sense that it motivates workforce to perform and develop ownership among them which encourage them for c ontinuous improvement of their work. This in turn results in overall effectiveness of the organizational performance (Shields, 2012; Deb, 2009). This paper henceforth aims to analyze performance and reward practices approach of Trisco presenting a report on the limitations and the strengths of Trisco’s management strategies with regard to employee satisfaction through effective motivational mechanisms. Brief Overview of Trisco Foods Trisco Foods is an Australian food manufacturing company that has been successful in building superior goodwill from its operations since 1875. The company has a good profile in this particular sector owing to their commitment towards the deliverance of quality product and/or services to the targeted customers. Although the company is primitively located in Australia, through the wide network of its supply chain, Trisco has been able to reach in most of the countries. From an overall perspective, it has been observed that strong market presence an d vast range of products with appreciative quality are among the major success factors for the company to drive its superior goodwill in the national as well as international markets over the years (Trisco Foods, 2013; Trisco Foods, 2013). Analyzing Trisco Foods’ Reward Strategy With the virtues of its superior distribution network and quality goods, Trisco has been able to obtain a prominent position in the world of food manufacturing

Mobile Banking Essay Example for Free

Mobile Banking Essay It is pleasure on my part to submit my report on â€Å"Mobile banking- The Next Generation Banking† as part of my BBA (Hon’s) Final Examination Though it is a new experience, I have tried level my best to gather information and to translate my knowledge into writing this term paper report covering the aspects of the topics as per your suggestions and guidelines to reflect the same in report with my limited scope and knowledge. Without sincere cooperation and proper guidance of you it was not possible for me to prepare this report . For this act of kindness I am grateful to you. All of my effort will be rewarded only if it could satisfy you.

A Look At Issue Of Homosexuality Religion Essay

A Look At Issue Of Homosexuality Religion Essay The response of the church to the issue of homosexuality is problematic; it is so because homosexuality now has become so evident and conspicuous. It is shocking how people are coming out in the open as being homosexual and how it is being discussed openly and even receives sympathy from some quarters in the church. The obvious fact is that it can no longer be ignored. In this paper I will discuss how the church in Africa should respond to this problem. ANALYSIS OF CONTROVERSY Homosexuality is a legal offence in most African countries, although in recent years there are attempts to legalize it in some countries, but it is legal in most American states. This is why it is a controversy to the Anglican Communion which is world wide. The definition of homosexuality according to Woods Jr (1968, p.135) the word homosexual can be used to refer to various subtle gradations of erotic attraction or involvement between members of the same sex. The moralist would dismiss moral objections on homosexuality basing on natural law, which they say natural law assumes that the structure of male and female genitals determine their function sexually. The early church also criticized same sex practices, for example Gagnon (2001,p.163) puts it very well that Jews, like Greek and Roman critics of Homosexuality, rejected it on the ground that it was against nature, that is apart from the fact that the law forbade same-sex intercourse. He says there are four reasons why only intercourse between male and female was considered to be in accordance with nature. The first he says is that there is no procreation in Homosexual intercourse and the second reason is that it is an affront to how God designed the male and female organs. The third reason is that there is no natural erotic passion in Homosexual sex says Gagnon and the last he says is that not even animals practice Homosexual intercourse. But some scholars would argue that apart from reproduction purposes, sex serves a number of functions. According to Woods Jr. (1968) the judgment that sex is only for reproduction is as limited to an agrarian, low-population economy as the judgment that pearl are valuable is to a consumer economy. The Lambeth conference resolution number 1.10 of 1998 states that in view of the teaching of scripture, that marriage should be between a man and a woman in a life long union, it recognized that there were persons who experienced themselves as having a homosexual orientation. Some of these people are church members and therefore need pastoral care, moral direction and Gods transforming power. The resolution was to listen to the experience of the homosexual persons and ensure them that God loves them. Although they called for the ministry of the pastoral care to all irrespective of sexual orientation, the resolution did not advise the legitimizing or blessing of the same sex union nor ordaining those in same gender union. Some would argue that in the Bible it is not clear what they meant by homosexuality. For example Bishop David Russell in his leaf let (page 3) wrote that the Biblical writers never ever contemplated the kind of homosexual that we are contemplating today, the Partnerships we are seeking to have affirmed in our time. I do not agree with him and others who think in these lines because the Bible is very clear on homosexuality. In Leviticus 20 :13, it is very clear that a man who has sexual relations with another man, both should be put to death because they have done repulsive thing. The other text, which condemns homosexuality in the New Testament, is Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. it is therefore very clear that homosexuality is condemned in the Bible. If the homosexual of the Bible (Leviticus 20:13) is same as the homosexual of today, then homosexuality is an ancient form of sexual perversion. Those who seem to support homosexual argue that we are all sinful, and we have God who is love, who loves infinitely. They even give the example of the woman caught in adultery (John 8) Jesus heals are and blessed her. They say this should be our approach to the whole problem in African communion. The latest response concerning homosexuality was in the article, which appeared in the Post Newspaper of July 12, 2010, where the Church of England blocked the appointment of a gay clergyman (Jeffrey John) to the post of Bishop. This issue brought the liberals and conservatives at loggerheads, and could have possibly affect Arch Bishop Rowan William stand. It is the second time John is being rejected to be consecrated Bishop, on the ground of being gay. Williams said he was not going to allow himself to be pressured into supporting anyone. According to Reuter as quoted in the post (ibid) Williams has always attempted to put a stop to the infighting over the issue of homosexuality in the Anglican Communion and last month he warned those member churches, which approves them or actively oppose them that they will be sidelined from official doctrinal committees. RESPONSE OF CHURCH IN AFRICA The church in Africa does not have one voice on homosexuality. It is divided into three camps. There are those who support homosexuality, for example South Africa. There are those who are neutral, they neither support or condemn for example Zambia, Zimbabwe, and others are those who condemn for example Nigeria and Kenya The province of the church of Central Africa that is Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi stand is that those persons who practice homosexuality are not setting a good example of what scripture teach and those bishops who knowingly ordain them act contrary to the scriptures and teaching of the church. They say it is the responsibility of the church to lead those who deviate from the right teaching of scripture to repentance, and to assure them of Gods forgiveness, hope and dignity. I agree with this statement because it is not all who are in homosexual practices, who are doing because they want to, but some claim to be born homosexuals and they need to be helped. This people have to be brought out and helped, according to Jacques (1976, p.114) the danger of repression is not that it stops people practicing their secret lusts and perversions but that it prevents them from acknowledging them. So the best way for the church to deal with homosexuality is to recognize that homosexuals are there and they need to be helped. As for our country Zambia the problem is not a local one but a communion one. What I mean is that we do not have a homosexual problem as the Anglican Church in Zambia at the moment; we are involved because our church is a worldwide church and what ever affects doctrine in one area affects all. Nevertheless people in Zambia have commented on this issue, for example when Robbinson was consecrated Bishop, the Bishop of Central Diocese Bishop Kamukwamba commented on 12th December,2003 in an interview in Lusaka, the article that appeared on the website Anglican Evangelical Ministries, that the Bishops in Zambia were against the act because it is not biblical and was unchristian. He said the Anglican Church will not associate itself or support gays. He said, however ties with Anglican churches that tried to resist the ordination will be maintained. He said we should support and pray for others to resist further temptations. Another comment came from Bishop Mumbi of Luapula Diocese, just re cently, in his capacity as Zambia Anglican Council Chairman stated as quoted in The Church of England Newspaper (2010) that although the West is promoting homosexual lifestyle it is against Christian belief and African values. He says our traditional morality as Zambians have received double assault from pressure of the west and from rapid breakdown of society due to urbanization. From the above comments from the two bishops we can see that the church in Zambia does not support homosexuality, but at the same time wants to remain in communion with those who practice and support homosexuality. What they believe in is what the bible or scripture teach on marriage, for example, (Genesis 12) which states that God intended Man to be married to a Woman. So following the Genesis arrangement, those who marry from same sex are obviously sinning. Christianity also teaches us not to look down or discriminate sinners, this is shown by Jesuss example with the woman caught in adultery (John 8) he did not condemn or discriminate her and Jesus went to eat with the tax collector and sinners ( Matthew 9:9f). People should not be left in their acts of wrongdoing; they should be helped because people who live in sin will be punished. The example is (Genesis 18:20) God punished the city of Gomorrah and Sodom for the same practices like homosexuality, so people should be helped to refrain from such practices and prayed for as bishop Kamukwamba above suggested. Christianity should be a religion which should show an example of good morals, at the same time love and peace should be proclaimed to every person regardless of their sexuality. The church is the school for sinners and no one should be discriminated. CONCLUSION The issue of homosexuality has been with us for time immemorial, and it will remain with us as long as people continue to exist. But as the church we should approach it with caution, with understanding and consultation so that we may achieve our goal as people who are geared to bring about the kingdom of God. God accepts each one of us as we are, so we should accept each other as we are. So as the Anglican Church and the Arch bishop Williams are looking for the way out of this issue, which is threatening to divide the church, they should embrace and co-exist with the people with homosexual problem in order to help them.

Inside The League by Scott Anderson, and Jon Lee Anderson :: Inside The League Scott Anderson

Inside The League by Scott Anderson, and Jon Lee Anderson   Ã‚  Ã‚   For over ten years progressive researchers in this country and in Europe have been uncovering evidence linking certain American conservatives and rightists to racist and fascist movements around the globe through a shadowy organization called the World Anti-Communist League. Now the book "Inside the League" exposes the hidden nature of the League and documents in devastating detail a parade of League-affiliated authoritarian ideologues marching from the death camps of Nazi Germany into the parlors of Reagan's White House. The idea for the book came when Jon Lee Anderson was researching a series of columns on Latin American death squads for Jack Anderson, (Jon Lee's employer but not his relative). Enlisting the aid of his brother Scott, the two first began tracing the connections between the death squads but soon were unravelling networks and alliances that involved terrorists, Nazi collaborators, racists, assassins, anti-Jewish bigots, and right- wing anti-communist American politicians. The one factor all had in common was their involvement with the World Anti-Communist League.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Latin American death squads, for instance, were found to be linked through an umbrella group of Central and South American rightists called the Latin American Anti-Communist Confederation (CAL). CAL in turn was affiliated with the World Anti-Communist League (WACL), lead by a retired U.S. Major General, John Singlaub.   Singlaub boasts WACL is the coordinating body for raising private aid for the Contras, a task support ed explicitly by the Reagan White House which has sent government officials and glowing letters of support to WACL meetings in recent years.   Ã‚  Ã‚   WACL also serves as an umbrella for several Eastern European emigre groups founded and lead by Nazi collaborators, and there is far more. As the Anderson brothers write:   Ã‚  Ã‚   "We have examined the World Anti-Communist League...because it is the one organization in which representatives of virtually every right-wing extremist movement that has practiced unconventional warfare are to be found. The League is the one constant in this netherworld; whether looking at Croation terrorists, Norwegian neo-Nazis, Japanese war criminals, or American ultra-rightists...." (p. x, Author's Note).   Ã‚  Ã‚   WACL is more than a club for aging facists and their modern- day

Sony’s Environment Analysis

Executive Summary Sony Corp. acquired Ericsson’s shares in their 50-50 joint venture Sony Ericsson early this year and rebranded it into Sony Mobile, a wholly own subsidiary of Sony Corp. The aim of this audit is to analysis current situation of Sony Mobile and suggests how Sony Mobile could compete in such competitive market It started with analysis about the mobile phone market. It then gave an overview about Sony Mobile and STP analysis. This audit used Porter 5 Forces to analyse the current situation of Sony Mobile.PEST and SWOT analysis were used to determine the external macro and micro environment and Sony Mobile’s internal strength and weakness. It also analysed Sony Mobile’s main competitors in the industry and used the marketing mix to analyse its marketing strategy. Finally, the audit gave evaluation of the current situation and gave recommendations. Industry Background Market Size: The global mobile phone industry consists of all analog and digital ha ndsets used for mobile telephony (Marketline, 2009). Mobile phone industry is a very fast growing and competitive industry with many big players like Nokia, Samsung, LG, HTC, RIM, Apple, etc.According to International Telecommunication Union (2011), total number of mobile subscriber worldwide has reached 5,981 millions. The breakdown of subscription by regions extracted from ITU is as follow: Source: ITU Gartner, the world's leading information technology research and advisory company, in its report in 2012 reported that total number of mobile phone shipped in 2011 is 1,775 million units. Total sales of smartphone in 2011 have reached 491. 4 millions, around 27. 7% of total mobile phone sales. (IDC, 2011) Market Growth In 2012, mobile phone industry operating profits rose more than 44% annually (Strategy Analytics, 2012).This is a very impressive growth for any industry thanks to the creation and expansion of 3G and 4G net-works. That led to the demand for 3G and 4G mobile handset g lobally. Total number of mobile phones rose by 11. 1% (Gartner, 2012) and total number of smartphone rose by 61. 3%. (IDC, 2012) Market Trend In 2007, the first iPhone was introduced to the market and it changed the game. Apple created a new trend to the mobile phone industry, the trend of smartphone. Since then to now, Apple has sold more than 200 million iPhones, customers started to pick up smartphone instead of feature phone and producer started to follow the trend.Samsung came up with its Galaxy series, Nokia with its N series, etc. Currently, iPhone and Galaxy from Apple and Samsung are the two best-selling smartphone models worldwide. The two models are being priced quite high but multi-million of them have been sold. The two tech giant, Apple and Samsung continue to lead the market and enjoy the lion's share of global revenues and profits, thanks to the weak performance of other giant such as Nokia, Motorola and LG. Below chart showed the change in market share of top 5 smar tphone vendors. Market ShareNokia’s market share is declining year by year but still, it is holding the largest pie of the cake. Taiwanese mobile producer HTC, Korean giants Samsung and LG are becoming stronger and stronger, Research in Motion has always has its certain share in the market and Apple with its Swiss army knife iPhone, is becoming a biggest threat to all competitors in the industry. The market share of the industry is as follow: In such market, competing in this industry would be difficult enough, but to be a market leader will be even more challenging. Sony Mobile, successor ofSony Ericsson which has the financial support of Sony Corp. and the technology and market share of Ericsson, has always strived to be the top player in mobile industry. Company Background – Sony History Akio Morita & Masaru Iuka founded the Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo in 1946. It was then renamed into Sony Corp. in 1958 due to the belief that a company’s name should be as short and easy to remember as possible. Its headquarters is in Japan but its presence is all over the world and in almost any industry. Howard Stringer is currently appointed as Sony Corp. chairman and CEO.In 2001, Sony joint venture with Ericsson and introduce to the mobile phone industry a new player Sony Ericsson. The milestone marking the success of this joint venture is in 2003 when Sony Ericsson launched the camera phone. It was the combination between the famous Sony cyber shot digital camera and the Ericsson mobile phone technology. However, very soon after, in 2011, due to the significant decline in sales over several years, Ericsson wanted to withdraw from the joint venture. Taking the opportunity, instead of closing down Sony Ericsson, Sony bought Ericsson shares and it became a fully own subsidiary of Sony Corp.It is now dealing with over 2500 contractors worldwide. The current workforce of Sony is around 9400 employees under the leadership of Kunimasa Suzuki, the newly-appointed CEO of Sony Mobile Communications. Sales and Finance As indicated in its 2011 fourth quarter financial statements, Sony Mobile, formerly known as Sony Ericsson report a loss of 247 million euro. It is a decline of 374% from 2010. The lost was due to the rise in competitiveness of the market. It also reflect the unfavourable macroeconomic and the effects of the flood in Thailand in November 2011.The company have shifted from selling feature phones to smartphones. Its Android-based smartphone sales in the fourth quarter increased 65% year-on-year. Sony Mobile have the total units sale during the 2011 fourth quarter is 9 million, it is a decrease of 20% from last year. The decrease in sales is the result of the shift from feature phones to smart phones. The number of feature phones was significantly dropped due to the change in strategy but the increase in smartphone sale is too little to offset the loss in sales despite the fact that the sale in Xperia smartphones to date has reached 28 million.Sales for the quarter were approximately â‚ ¬1. 3 billion, 80% of which is from Xperia smartphones. This has emphasized the company's shift in strategy from selling feature phones to selling smartphones. The gross profit margin was 24%. It is a decrease compare to 30% the same quarter last year and 27% in the previous quarter. The decrease in gross profit margin show the difficulties of Sony in sales due to the increasing in market competitiveness with the rise of many innovative, creative and strong competitors such as Nokia, Samsung, Apple.The price competition is affecting Sony gross profit margin and it also one of the reason led to the loss of Sony Mobile during this quarter. Due to the difficulties and the shift in strategies and the restructuring program mentioned above, Sony Ericsson ended the quarter with a net loss of â‚ ¬207 million. Cash flow from operating activities during the quarter was negative Euro 26 million. External borrowings were Euro 19 milli on during the quarter. Total borrowings were Euro 742 million at the end of the quarter. Total cash balances at December 31, 2011 were Euro 442 million. Business objectives:Sony Mobile is aiming to challenge the market leaders in smartphone producers. They want to integrate Sony Corp. technology into their phones in order to compete with others smartphone vendor like Apple or Samsung. They want to gain market share any try to become number one market leader. â€Å"Sony will change† as quoted by the current President and the CEO of Sony Corp. , Sony is reinventing itself to deliver a new, unique and exciting experience for its customers around the world. Sony is now moving fully towards giving an all-in-one solution through its new array of smartphones powered by android operating system.SONY STP ALALYSIS (Segmentation Targeting and Positioning): In marketing most important things are the marketing segmentation and the marketing mix. Even if you come up with a best product and if you do not use the right marketing strategies the result can be devastating. Sony is one of the electronic companies in the world but it cannot be attributed just to the technology and the innovation. Sony's marketing segmentation consists of four different lines: 1) Mobile phones 2) Sony music 3) Sony pictures (Play Station) ) Electronics (TV, camera, walkman, computer, MP3 players) Source: http://www. consumerpsychologist. com/cb_Segmentation. html Segmentation: Sony takes an effort to understand its customers as much as possible. The marketing segmentation makes the process more efficient and effective. It divides the market into small pieces and targets people who belong to the same group and feel the same desire for a product. Sony mobile aims to target the mid-end to high-end market and they offer high quality product irrespective of the cost.Sony mobile works on the design of handset to make it more stylish. Segmentation can be done in four categories: * Demographic * Geo graphic * Psychographic * Behavioural Demographic: Marketers typically consider for a broader vision of socioeconomic characteristic as demographic variables. Demographic characteristic that marketers commonly use to segment markets include age, sex, race, education, occupation and social class. Sony mobiles have different variety of handsets. For example, Sony launched mobiles of different range i. e. Sony Xperia P, Sony Xperia S, Sony Xperia U.These new generation mobiles are targeted for young and middle aged people. As these smartphone mobiles have latest features like Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA ® Engine HD, Clear Audio and xLOUD Sony audio technologies, a next generation PlayStation for gaming, HD camera, and social networking. It is targeted for business people as it is said â€Å"Your office is where you are†, this shows that it has excellent business capabilities. Geographic: Market is divided into different regions as one or more geographic region s cause customers to differ from one region to other.Sony has different marketing strategies for different regions, as in some regions of India; more people are attracted for loud and clear music while some regions are more in social networking. For such regions Sony launched mobiles like Sony Xperia sola, Xperia P. Largest market segment is China with 1,023 million mobile subscribers. India is second with 919 million and USA top the three with 331 million subscribers. Psychographic: Psychographic factors are also been used to segment markets, as it is divided into lifestyle, motives, etc.Lifestyle analysis provides a broad view of buyers, as it is categorised like hobbies, sports, entertainment, social events, shopping and many more. For business driven customer, Sony came up with smartphone Xperia S as a tool for their business. Also for entertainment and social networking consumers, Sony’s smartphones include features to enable the same. Behavioural: Behavioural is classif ied in some categories like Brand Loyalty, Price Sensitivity, and benefit expectation. Some of the consumers look out for brand loyalty as, Sony designed the new Smartphone which target for such customers.As price is another factor, for which the consumers check, Sony came out with price of range S$650-S$750 for Xperia S, Xperia P which has latest features. Targeting: Sony mobile is currently trying to target mid-end to higher-end market by rolling out lower priced handsets. Sony mobiles use the newest and greatest technology to appeal to their customers. The people who are most interested in staying up to date with the newest technology are usually men of the ages 18-30. Sony mobiles are more targeting for entertainment with communication.They are targeting for young and middle aged group, who are more interested in new features and latest technology. Young aged group consumers i. e. 18-25, are more attracted towards Smartphone’s having features like entertainment, social ne tworking, and camera. For which Sony is targeting these age groups with Xperia’s new versions. Sony mobile communication is also targeting for business group consumers by using excellent business features. Positioning Sony Mobile is currently focusing only on the higher end of mobile phone, the smart phone segment. They position their product as high class mobile phones.With their continuous innovation in technology, they are trying to lower the cost and produce entry-level smart phone models (telecomlead, 2012) but the image of a higher class mobile phone is still their main focus. Sony Mobile has an advantage that they inherited the image and brand name of Sony Corp. When people think of Sony, they think of high class, innovative, high-tech and best quality product. Sony Mobile is trying to re-assure customer that image through their products. PORTER’s 5 PORTER’s 5 forces analysis helps to study the market’s structure which would identify the companyâ⠂¬â„¢s attractiveness and long-run profitability. . Threat of new entrants Considering the amount of capital required to setup a mobile phone manufacturing company, the threat of new entrants are relatively low. Though few companies crop up once in a while, it is not feasible to challenge big players such as Sony. 2. Bargaining power of suppliers Sony currently has got very limited number suppliers when it comes to their chips. Since android supports only specific number of chips, Sony needs to make sure that they maintain a good working relation with such companies. Qualcomm, NVidia and ARM are such company who provides required chipsets to Sony.But in terms of other parts for their mobile, they are flexible and for few parts such as camera, they have got their own manufacturing units. 3. Bargaining power of Buyers Like in majority of the companies, bargaining power of the buyers are the prime criteria to which the companies aim to cater. All the major companies are trying to endle ssly to the catch up with the customer’s demand through offering unique features. Each Customer perceive value in a different way, thus it is very important to keep up with the customer’s expectation. 4. Threat of Substitute Products/ServicesDue to high competition in the market currently, there are high numbers of choices a customer can make while selecting their mobile. Also there is no switching cost involved except for the cost of the mobile phone. Unless 5. Intensity of Rivalry among Competitors Competition is extremely fierce between the existing mobile phone manufacturers. Competitors such as Samsung, Nokia, HTC and LG are continuously coming out with new features in a regular interval. The competitors make sure their products stand out through actively promoting them even before the launch. PEST Analysis:This is a framework where the management/strategy consultants use to get an overview of the external Macro-environment in which the organization operates. PEST factors play an important role in the value creation opportunities of a strategy. These factors are usually being considered as either threats or opportunities. Political Factors: Political factors for Sony can be changed at any time. The Government holds the power to change any policies and regulations which may affect Sony at the time. Also the recession may become reduced, therefore resulting in better trades for Sony. Government decisions an affect the organization up to high extent. Even this would affect Sony’s competitors. The laws which can affect Sony Corporation would consist of new international policies. Internationally the Government may change or increase trading restrictions which would definitely change the way Sony works, because it needs to trade. Government also has the power to change minimum wage, tax, VAT etc. These are also the factors which lead Sony to rank low compared to other competitors. Sony Mobiles are present in many countries worldwide; the p olitical pressure in each of them would affect them one way or the other.Economical Factors: The economic growth has shrunk which means that the growth of the economy is negative. Economically, due to this many changes occur such as the interest and exchanges rates. Due to the recession being deducted in the near future exchange rates may also decrease, however steadily. Sony must be aware of any trading restrictions the Government has made. Since Sony is an international company the exchange rates is different to whichever country they trade with. If the exchange rates in different countries have changed, Sony works out what prices are their products being sold at and whether it would be worth it.Sony Mobile formulates new strategies with respect to segmentation and to check on with the new price of products being launched in different markets due to the changes in these exchange rates. Also low growth in the National income of most of the countries has been resulted in low demand of the firm’s products. Because of these increasing costs and problems Sony Mobile company had to reduce the size of its organisation as it was in the year 2010, the global economic climate has a negative effect on Sony mobiles and as a direct result of this it was necessary to rebuilt and reduce the size of the organisation around the world.Social Factors: Socially, Sony Corporation would be predicted to do well. The company has already gained a lot of reputation because of the quality products and services they provide. Technology has been improved by a mass majority. Sony may even have new competitors which may impact on them. Sony must ensure that they stay ahead of technology. They must be able to create revolutionary equipment for people because that what their company would rely on to stay alive. Companies such as Microsoft and Apple would also do the same. People have trends which Sony must learn so that they may create products which can relate towards them.For examp le, many young adults tend to listen to music; therefore Sony would create products which may allow people to listen to music anywhere at any time. People will have different tastes of style, trends, activities etc. Sony must also improve their work of ideas so that they can still please their customers and that they have adapted with the ageing of the company. Technological Factors: Having new technology Sony creates and innovates products for e. g. Sony’s 12MP camera in Xperia S and their Bravia engine based HD display. This is all possible due to the technological advances.With the latest technology it is possible for Sony mobiles to reduce costs, improve quality, and lead to innovation and new developments. These products benefit the company as well as its customers. Sony mobile works around the latest technology. In order to lead with their competitors they have to stay updated every time and regularly research and develop. It depends on technology so that it may provide efficient productivity of work internationally. Sony uses upgraded and new technology to increase its productivity level and to stay ahead of its competitors.Sony uses new technology to conduct its research and development which would help the business create new products using customer information and also by conducting market research. SWOT Favourable Sony’s presence around world is given the fact that it is one of those strongest established Japanese brand. It is present in almost all the countries around the world. Sony, established in 1946 one of those world renowned companies known for their innovation and quality of products till date. They have a very strong brand name and have a magnitude of products under their brand.They are the leaders when it comes to their display unit in the mobiles as well as the camera. Apple’s Iphone 4S and Samsung’s Galaxy SIII buy their camera unit from Sony. Unfavourable Unfortunately with the lack of innovation and not kee ping up with the competition, Sony is no more a leader or even in the top 5 of the mobile phone manufacturers in the world. With more people moving towards the smart phone segment, Sony has lost out to its competitors such as Samsung, Apple, HTC, etc. Sony’s adaptation to the latest mobile technology is also at its slowest.While its competitors are moving towards the next generation technology Sony is very slow with even announcing its next generation product roadmaps. Sony currently is lacking in innovation unlike till few years back. Despite having a previous generation technology their product pricing is a tad bit higher than its competitors. Opportunities Sony has got an opportunity to tap into the lower segment market with their high quality product offering. Currently all the mobile manufacturers are very focused in their higher end and higher mid value segment market.Sony who is already a marketing leader in portable gaming service can integrate such technology into th eir mobiles and offer a unique product which will set the apart from their competitors. While all of their products currently using Google’s Android OS, they should provide faster software updates to their products. These days the operating system used also one of the decisive factors while buying a mobile. Threat Currently Samsung, Nokia and HTC are aggressively releasing their new generation smartphones and promoting the same.While other manufacturers such as LG, Motorola and Research in motion are coming out with newer product of next generation smart phone in order to stay competitive. Sony’s market share is decreasing slowly and their advertisement campaign hardly has any reach to its target segment. Competitor Analysis For the completive analysis, we’ll look at the major mobile phone manufacturers in the market. We’ll look at their strength and weaknesses, strategy and objectives. Samsung Korean Giant Samsung is one of the leading mobile manufacture rs in the world.Currently Samsung is the world’s largest smart phone maker with the sales of 45 million smartphones in the first quarter of 2012. Samsung’s strong hold is with its mid segment to the high end segment products, comprising majorly of the smartphone sporting the Google’s Android OS. Samsung is aggressively competing with Apple in the top end segment of the smart phone. Samsung’s Galaxy S line is their flagship models and are one of the highest selling products in the smartphone industry. For the first quarter of 2012, Samsung holds a market share of 23. 5% and 29. 1% of global mobile phone market and global smart phone market respectively.Nokia Nokia is one of the direct competitors of Sony from the early days. Despite its declining market share, Nokia is still the largest mobile phone maker in the world. With its strong low segment models and the recent tie up with Microsoft for their Windows Mobile OS. Nokia is aggressively trying to get so me of shares in the smartphone market. They have already strategically placed their products in the mid segment and high end segment market, ranging from Lumia 610 to the Lumia 900. HTC HTC is next big competitor to Sony. HTC trademark comes from their very quick releases of the new generation products.HTC was the first to come out the initial batch of touch screen smartphones and also the first to come out with the mobile under Android platform. HTC’s current flagship product lines are their â€Å"One† Series and are aggressively promoting it all over the world. Their strategy is to release their product ahead of the competitors and gain a good amount of market share. HTC is project itself as a very good multimedia mobile and have acquired Beats Electronic. HTC also acquired majority of the stake in â€Å"VIA Technology†, one of the major chipset makers on July 6, 2011. MotorolaThe Patent powerhouse Motorola is also on decline with respect to its market share. Motorola lacks the consistency when it comes to their market share. The threat to Sony comes from the fact that Google has acquired â€Å"Motorola Mobility† and that in the near future it’ll revamped to compete with the bigger players including Apple. Currently Motorola is doing a fair amount of sales with its â€Å"Droid RAZR† product and has got couple of more release lined up for the next generation mobiles. Apple Competitor Analysis would not complete without analysing Apple. Apple’s dominance in the market with its IPhone is unbeaten.With their aggressive marketing and innovative design, they are in the lead along with Samsung. Apple currently sports a big fan following for their products and holds a very high market share in the smartphone and tablet segment. Despite having only very less number of products in their portfolio, Apple manages post a huge profit when compared to others. In the first quarter of 2012, Apple holds a market share of 24. 2% in the smart phone segment, an 88. 7% increase from the first quarter of 2011. This scenario is bound to continue for the upcoming years. Other Players:Research In Motion (RIM), LG, ZTE are other big competitors to Sony. ZTE and LG are holding a market share of 4. 8% and 3. 4% respectively in the global mobile phone market. Whereas, Research in Motion’s market share in the smart phone is down to 6. 7% and are planning on targeting the mass market instead of restricting themselves to the business class users. Thus from the above analysis, it is evident that Sony is facing with a high amount competition and is in a very tough spot. Marketing Mix Marketing Mix is a different kind of choices organizations makes in the process of introducing a product or service to the market.The 4Ps is one of the methods used to analyse the market mix. 5. 1 Product In the Fiscal year 2011, Sony began to shift the focus of its mobile phone business exclusively to smartphones. So currently Sony Mo bile Corporation has got a very low number of products under its wing. It has got only two product lines namely â€Å"BRAVIA† and â€Å"XPERIA† range of mobile phones. The â€Å"BRAVIA† branded line of phones are exclusive to their Japanese market and there are about five models under it. For rest of the world the â€Å"XPERIA† ranges of mobile phones are being sold.First introduced back in 2008, Sony after revamping their product line retained only this series which sports the Google’s Android OS. Sony currently has got about six models under the â€Å"XPERIA† series. Sony’s flagship model â€Å"Xperia S† comes with one of the best camera in the market with its 12 Mega Pixel Sensor. With their â€Å"Xperia† product line up, Sony is trying to offer an all-round functionality offering. It is also coming up with 7 new models which will target the various segment users. Sony also has got two Tablet models namely â€Å"Sony Tablet P† and â€Å"Sony Tablet S†. Currently all of Sony’s models are featuring android and are touchscreen.Sony also has got range of Accessories to support the functionality of their mobile phones such as headset, wrist strap and customized chargers. 5. 2 Price Pricing is one of the key areas to be successful in the market and is one of the frequently investigated marketing strategies as related with quality. The perception of Sony’s superior quality is still preserved with their current models and it comes at a higher cost of production. This makes their models costing higher than its competitor with the similar product. Currently Sony’s cheapest model comes at the cost of about SG$400 and their flagship model â€Å"XPERIA S† costing about SG$700. . 3 Place Sony currently retails its mobile phone through four primary channels – traditional multi-brand shops, retail chains, local stores and also through their exclusive branded stor es. Sony also sells their product online through their own web store and also through online e-commerce websites such as newegg (US), amazon (US), flipkart (India) and other country specific e-commerce portals. Sony also sells its product with tie up the national operators of the respective country. Sony mobile takes the inherent advantages of the Sony brand and strengthens the marketing field and publicity.Build an outstanding Sony branded shop in shop and point of sale and re-establish the brand image of Sony mobile market and marketing in a wide range. And realize the integration of other businesses with the Sony Group. It means selling the smart phones in Sony home appliances and other Sony line of business sales channels online shop. In order to achieve the effective integration – Sony mobile channels the resources to the Sony Group. 5. 4 Promotion Sony Mobile currently trying to establish its â€Å"Sony† brand name after the name change from â€Å"Sony Ericssonà ¢â‚¬ .Currently Sony is trying hard to be a follower and it is currently promoting its Xperia smartphone through various communications medium such as Television advertisement, press, Internet and social websites, and road shows. Sony is also actively sponsoring various public events and also through. They are also aggressively promoting their models through the network operators by providing the mobiles at a subsidized rate upon contract. Evaluation & Recommendation From the marketing audit, it is quite evident that Sony is currently facing lots of challenges, while trying to establish its revamped image with their smartphones.They have put in strategies to gain more market shares and introducing new smartphones to keep up with the recent market development. With its strong foundation, Sony can improve their positioning in the market with strategically placed steps. Sony need to focus on delivering products that would cater to wide segment of customers. They should make sure that they come out with latest technology products on par with its competitors. Sony should bring back their innovative culture they once had and focus on becoming the market leader.They should leverage on their strong foundation with the multitude technological products under them. Sony currently does not have any low cost solution; this is a very big shift from their previous strategy wherein they had products targeting all range of customers. It is recommended they try to focus on providing low cost solution and fill in the void. Currently all the major companies are focusing their resource to compete in the mid-range to high end mobile products, leaving enough opportunity in the lower end segment of the mobile market.With the right price to feature ratio in this segment, Sony can gain a very good market share that will enable to them to recapture their past position in the near future, especially in the developing countries like India where such low price solution will attract a huge number of customers. Though Sony has got an extensive distribution network, they can provide a direct to customer model through their website which can enable them to engage the customers directly without a need of the resellers; they are already doing such model through their direct stores.With more users opting to purchase their products through the e-commerce websites, such a solution will add some good value to the company. Sony should make sure their products are marketed properly such a way they highlight the target feature for the respective target group. Thus with right products and marketing strategy, Sony Mobile Corporation can make sure that they reach their objectivity of gaining more market share. LIST OF REFERENCE Fourth quarter mobile phone industry overview | asymco. 2012. Fourth quarter mobile phone industry overview | asymco. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. asymco. om/2011/01/31/fourth-quarter-mobile-phone-industry-overview/. Global mobile statistics 2012 Part A: Mobile subscribers; handset market share; mobile operators | mobiThinking. 2012. Global mobile statistics 2012 Part A: Mobile subscribers; handset market share; mobile operators | mobiThinking. [ONLINE] Available at: http://mobithinking. com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/a#subscribers. Gartner Says Worldwide Smartphone Sales Soared in Fourth Quarter of 2011 With 47 Percent Growth. 2012. Gartner Says Worldwide Smartphone Sales Soared in Fourth Quarter of 2011 With 47 Percent Growth. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. artner. com/it/page. jsp? id=1924314. Key Global Telecom Indicators for the World Telecommunication Service Sector. 2012. Key Global Telecom Indicators for the World Telecommunication Service Sector. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. itu. int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/at_glance/KeyTelecom. html. Worldwide Smartphone Market Continues to Soar, Carrying Samsung Into the Top Position in Total Mobile Phone and Smartphone Shipments, According to IDC – prUS23 455612. 2012. Worldwide Smartphone Market Continues to Soar, Carrying Samsung Into the Top Position in Total Mobile Phone and Smartphone Shipments, According to IDC – prUS23455612. ONLINE] Available at: http://www. idc. com/getdoc. jsp? containerId=prUS23455612. Global Mobile-Phone Sales and Market Share: Summary – Bloomberg. 2012. Global Mobile-Phone Sales and Market Share: Summary – Bloomberg. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. bloomberg. com/news/2011-11-15/global-mobile-phone-sales-and-market-share-summary-table-. html. Mobile Phone Industry Profits Surge 44% in Q1 2012 . 2012. Mobile Phone Industry Profits Surge 44% in Q1 2012 . [ONLINE] Available at: http://blogs. strategyanalytics. com/WDS/post/2012/05/30/Mobile-Phone-Industry-

Philosophy Relating to DWI Business Essay

Honorable Justice Potter Stewart once wrote: â€Å"There is a big difference between what we have the right to do and what is right.† Examining the background and scope of business and transaction of Diversified Worldwide Industries, its activities includes oil and energy, environment, communications, leisure and recreation, real estate and manufacturing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In its real estate business, its goal is to build homes and area that is age restricted. The company was very eager to build a location, however the streets that were supposed to be built has a weight limit. So the problem arises with this, the debris that needed to be transferred and moved after the subdivision is built needs trucks to transport. But the big trucks exceeded the weight limit of the street so they need small trucks to transport the debris. This means that, it will be costly and out of the budget scale. However, though some debris is allowed to be burned as long as proper permits and restrictions are acquired, most of the debris is woods and according to the law, burning of these is not allowed. Applying the philosophy that Honorable Justice Potter Stewart once wrote, the company should adjust their budget so as to allow the transfer of debris through the small trucks that the street can accommodate. This should be done because the company has to be socially and environmentally responsible, especially for its activities. Even if they can do the other option – burning woods or keeping it on the site, which they can do because they have the right since they own it and the other option is out of the budget. Still the right thing to do is to   dispose it properly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the company’s financial aspect, it encountered a problem when during its oil exploration in the middle east, the activity became very costly and is not very profitable, resulting to the application of the company of bankruptcy.   The company has two options again, one is to completely stop the exploration even if the contract for two years is not achieved, and the other is to continue the oil exploration and risk the investments of the company. Relating the solution to the philosophy stated above, the right thing to do is to file for bankruptcy giving the condition that the exploration be continued and the debts be paid from the profits that the company will get from it in the future. Choosing this option is the right thing because the company has responsibilities to its investors, and also because a contract was signed. They cannot stop the operation just because they are not yet profiting from it. Exploration is really costly, but after all is done and established, profits will sure to come. Business is taking risks. Responsibilities should be done for all concerned.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another is regarding their manufacturing division. The situation is that, the manufacturing division was researching for a new flavor for wine and discovered a way to prevent cancer. The company filed a patent for it in the US, which means that they will be the only company to manufacture it in twenty years. Applying the stated philosophy above, the company should not take advantage of privilege given to them. Prices should also be reasonable. Considering that the company should practice social responsibility, it would be right if the company launches programs for its products widespread distribution that are less costly or even joint ventures with the government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In its environmental ventures, it includes the production and supply of clean water that the humans can drink and which is safe for aquatic life. However, in one of its branches, a supervisor found a leak leading to the water tank. The leak contains lead which can be very dangerous to both human and aquatic life. The government is also strict in following its rules regarding this type of venture. So the company has options on how to deal with this. One is to fix the leak and keep quiet about what happened because letting it be known may ruin the company’s reputation and may lose customers. On the other hand, they can also fix the leak, check its machines again, let it be known to the public in the fastest way like media and warn them of what might happen, provide clean waters to those who needed it like far places or hospitals. Also if damage has done on customer or the environment, be responsible for all its financial needs, like in medication or cleaning up. Reference Doing What is Legal and Ethical in the Business World. January 17, 2008 retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/136482/doing_what_is_legal_and_ethical_in.ht  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ml?page=3