BUS Unit 3 Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BUS Unit 3 Individual Project - Essay Example Since then the firm has contributed in production of a large number of commercial cars (PRLOG, 2013). Several automotive components are also manufactured by the company. Apart from America, Ford Motors operates across all the continents in the globe. It offers a substantial amount of employment opportunities in all the economies in which it operates (Webster, 1995). Perhaps, that is the reason for which the Australian government fears for job losses, when Ford decided to cease its manufacturing outlet in Geelong by 2013 due to high manufacturing costs (News Geelong, 2013). Despite of being an American company, Ford cars were visible in the streets of London since 1903. At present its European branch serves 42 countries in the continent with excellent cars, buses and trucks (Banham, 2002). Answer 2: Ford Motors Company has many comparative advantages in the highly competitive market of automobile industry. It has an establish business and enjoys the benefits of a big learning curve. I ts expertise has introduced varied cars in terms of designs and prices, so it targets consumers of all income groups. It comprises of a big pool of resources, like 160000 employees across the world. Its visibility and marketing strategies are excellent. It participates in sponsorship programs in sports events like Formula 1 and taps the young potential consumers. As the company enjoys a wide customer base, it experiences lower cost of production due to economies of scale. The unique design and quality of the Ford cars have substantially helped its brand worth in the market (Moffett, n.d.). Answer 3: The current recession and the economic crisis in the European nations have reduced the overall circulation of money in the economy (Rogers, 2001). Low purchasing powers have created detrimental effect in the aggregate demand for cars in the automobile industry. Ford can always use its experienced technical expertise to feature new models of cars that are less in price and are affordable in the current crisis situations. The company has large pool of financial resources, these resources of the company should be utilized to open more branches and tap the potential customers of the emerging economies in the world like China and India. This would help the company augment its sales in this scarce epoch (Volti, 2004). Answer 4: The governments of most of the nations impose lot of rules and regulations in the automobile industry, primarily due to issues relating to environment. The automobile companies are now forced to pay higher taxes of manufacturing traditional petrol cars. This is a pivotal reason for which giant firms like Ford are engaging in the manufacture of hybrid or electric cars. The gross manufacturing costs of such cars are very high and require high investments in its required car technologies. The total number of consumers for such expensive cars is also less. ‘Focus Electric’ is the electric car manufactured by Ford (Ford, 2013). The company desires to successfully launch the pricy car in 2014 worldwide. The taxes imposed by the governments on companies like Ford are high as Ford cars are considered as luxury items. This reduces the economic reserves of the company, which could be otherwise used in the innovation and development purposes. Since the company operates across many nations in the world, it faces the exchange rate or currency fluctuations risks. Like the high value of Australian

The meaning and importance of business environment

The meaning and importance of business environment Meaning of Business Environment Environment of a business means the external forces influencing the business decisions. They can be forces of economic, social, political and technological factors. These factors are outside the control of the business. The business can do little to change them. Following features: Totality of external forces: Business environment is the sum total of all things external to business firms and, as such, is aggregative in nature. (Specific and general forces: Business environment includes both specific and general forces. Specific forces (such as investors, customers, competitors and suppliers) affect individual enterprises directly and immediately in their day-to-day working. General forces (such as social, political, legal and technological conditions) have impact on all business enterprises and thus may affect an individual firm only indirectly. Dynamic nature: Business environment is dynamic in that it keeps on changing whether in terms of technological improvement, shifts in consumer preferences or entry of new competition in the market. Uncertainty: Business environment is largely uncertain as it is very difficult to predict future happenings, especially when environment changes are taking place too frequently as in the case of information technology or fashion industries. Relativity: Business environment is a relative concept since it differs from country to country and even region to region. Political conditions in the USA, for instance, differ from those in China or Pakistan. Similarly, demand for sarees may be fairly high in India whereas it may be almost non-existent in France. Importance of Business Environment firm to identify opportunities and getting the first mover advantage: Early identification of opportunities helps an enterprise to be the first to exploit them instead of losing them to competitors. For example, Maruti Udyog became the leader in the small car market because it was the first to recognize the need for small cars in India. firm to identify threats and early warning signals: If an Indian firm finds that a foreign multinational is entering the Indian market it should gives a warning signal and Indian firms can meet the threat by adopting by improving the quality of the product, reducing cost of the production, engaging in aggressive advertising, and so on. Coping with rapid changes: All sizes and all types of enterprises are facing increasingly dynamic environment. In order to effectively cope with these significant changes, managers must understand and examine the environment and develop suitable courses of action. Improving performance: the enterprises that continuously monitor their environment and adopt suitable business practices are the ones which not only improve their present performance but also continue to succeed in the market for a longer period. Dimensions of Business Environment What constitutes the general environment of a business? The following are the key components of general environment of a business. Economic environment economic environment consists of economic factors that influence the business in a country. These factors include gross national product, corporate profits, inflation rate, employment, balance of payments, interest rates consumer income etc. Social environment It describes the characteristics of the society in which the organization exists. Literacy rate, customs, values, beliefs, lifestyle, demographic features and mobility of population are part o the social environment. It is important for managers to notice the direction in which the society is moving and formulate progressive policies according to the changing social scenario. Political environment It comprises political stability and the policies of the government. Ideological inclination of political parties, personal interest on politicians, influence of party forums etc. create political environment. For example, Bangalore established itself as the most important IT centre of India mainly because of political support. Legal environment This consists of legislation that is passed by the parliament and state legislatures.Examples of such legislation specifically aimed at business operations include the Trade mark Act 1969, Essential Commodities Act 1955, Standards of Weights and Measures Act 1969 and Consumer Protection Act 196. Technological environment It includes the level of technology available in a country. It also indicates the pace of research and development and progress made in introducing modern technology in production. Technology provides capital intensive but cost effective alternative to traditional labor intensive methods. In a competitive business environment technology is the key to development. Economic Environment in India In order to solve economic problems of our country, the government took several steps including control by the State of certain industries, central planning and reduced importance of the private sector. The main objectives of Indias development plans were: Initiate rapid economic growth to raise the standard of living, reduce unemployment and poverty; Become self-reliant and set up a strong industrial base with emphasis on heavy and basic industries; Reduce inequalities of income and wealth; Adopt a socialist pattern of development based on equality and prevent exploitation of man by man. As a part of economic reforms, the Government of India announced a new industrial policy in July 1991. The broad features of this policy were as follows: The Government reduced the number of industries under compulsory licensing to six. Disinvestment was carried out in case of many public sector industrial enterprises. Policy towards foreign capital was liberalized. The share of foreign equity participation was increased and in many activities 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was permitted. Automatic permission was now granted for technology agreements with foreign companies. Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) was set up to promote and channelise foreign investment in India. Liberalization: The economic reforms that were introduced were aimed at liberalizing the Indian business and industry from all unnecessary controls and restrictions. They indicate the end of the licence-pemit-quota raj. Liberalization of the Indian industry has taken place with respect to: Abolishing licensing requirement in most of the industries except a short list, Freedom in deciding the scale of business activities i.e., no restrictions on expansion or contraction of business activities, Removal of restrictions on the movement of goods and services, Freedom in fixing the prices of goods services, Reduction in tax rates and lifting of unnecessary controls over the economy, Simplifying procedures for imports and experts, and Making it easier to attract foreign capital and technology to india. Privatisation: The new set of economic reforms aimed at giving greater role to the private sector in the nation building process and a reduced role to the public sector. To achieve this, the government redefined the role of the public sector in the New Industrial Policy of 1991 The purpose of the sale, according to the government, was mainly to improve financial discipline and facilitate modernization. It was also observe that private capital and managerial capabilities could be effectively utilized to improve the performance of the PSUs. The government has also made attempts to improve the efficiency of PSUs by giving them autonomy in taking managerial decisions. Globalisation: Globalizations are the outcome of the policies of liberalisation and privatisation. Globalisation is generally understood to mean integration of the economy of the country with the world economy, it is a complex phenomenon. It is an outcome of the set of various policies that are aimed at transforming the world towards greater interdependence and integration. It involves creation of networks and activities transcending economic, social and geographical boundaries. Globalisation involves an increased level of interaction and interdependence among the various nations of the global economy. Physical geographical gap or political boundaries no longer remain barriers for a business enterprise to serve a customer in a distant geographical market. Impact of Government Policy Changes on Business and Industry Increasing competition: As a result of changes in the rules of industrial licensing and entry of foreign firms, competition for Indian firms has increased especially in service industries like telecommunications, airlines, banking, insurance, etc. which were earlier in the public sector. More demanding customers: Customers today have become more demanding because they are well-informed. Increased competition in the market gives the customers wider choice in purchasing better quality of goods and services. Rapidly changing technological environment: Increased competition forces the firms to develop new ways to survive and grow in the market. New technologies make it possible to improve machines, process, products and services. The rapidly changing technological environment creates tough challenges before smaller firms. Necessity for change: In a regulated environment of pre-1991 era, the firms could have relatively stable policies and practices. After 1991, the market forces have become turbulent as a result of which the enterprises have to continuously modify their operations. Threat from MNC Massive entry of multi nationals in Indian marker constitutes new challenge. The Indian subsidiaries of multi-nationals gained strategic advantage. Many of these companies could get limited support in technology from their foreign partners due to restrictions in ownerships. Once these restrictions have been limited to reasonable levels, there is increased technology transfer from the foreign partners

Clara Barton :: essays research papers

Clara Barton was born on Christmas day, 1821 in Oxford Massachusetts. She was the youngest of her 4 siblings by at the least 10 years of age. Growing up in a middle class family, Clara was home schooled until the age of 15, then she became the teacher. As a child, in her spare time Clara enjoyed treating sick and injured pets and neighborhood animals. When she was 11 her brother David got really sick. So then she stood aside her brother for two years. She started to learn about medicine that way. She opened a free school in New Jersey for kids who have health problems. But because she wasn?t a man she couldn?t be head of the school. Clara was so unhappy that she quit teaching. Later she got a job as a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office. Then she quit her job as a clerk and became a volunteer for the soldiers in the Civil War. First Clara accomplished the task of starting a relief program for the injured soldiers. Next Clara was brought to attention of a medical supply shortage, and quickly organized a donation. As she arrived at the ?Cornfield? she wasted no time before acting as medical staff and distributing her supplies to surgeons. After the battle at Cedar Mountain, she appeared at a field hospital at night with a four-mule-team load of supplies. She saved hundreds of soldiers in the battlefield that day. That?s why she was known as "the Angel of the Battlefield.?In 1864 Clara was granted the position as superintendent of the Union Nurse. She had some medical problems though. Her problem was that she was suffering from greatly tireless work. She suffered because she had done to many things that tired her out. So her physician sent her on a vacation. While she was there she read a very famous book called ?A Memory of Solferino? by Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross Movement. The Movement agreed for protection of the sick and wounded during the war.

In the Land of the Free Essay

In the Land of the Free Since the first wave of Chinese immigration to the United States in 1850s, the Chinese experienced discrimination and often overt racism. According to Holland, during 1870s, a large number of Chinese laborers flooded into American job market after the completion of transcontinental railroads. Since the Chinese laborers were willing to work for lower wages, they took jobs away from white workers which caused negative feeling toward Chinese. At the same time, the economic downturn and the increasing unemployment rate led to more heightened outcries against Chinese immigrants. Eventually, the United States government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, a law that restricted the number of Chinese entering into America. (Holland 2007) Sui Sin Far, the first fiction writer of Asian descent, wrote an impressive story called â€Å"In the Land of the Free†, which portraits the harsh treatment a Chinese immigrant couple faced and the tremendous pain they suffered due to racism and discrimination upon entering the United States in the late 1800s. The story unfolded with a loving, caring and self-sacrificed Chinese young woman named Lae Choo, who was so excited about the reunion with her husband, Hom Hing, a legal Chinese merchant in the United States. Traced back to three years before, when Hom Hing learned his wife was pregnant, he decided to send Lae Choo back to their native country, China, so they would have their first baby, the little one, born there. They had been separated for three years since then, and this was the first time the little one would see his father. But misfortune fell upon this couple–upon entering the land of America, the little one was denied the entry to the U. S. The reason was that the little one was born in China and there was no paperwork to verify he was born to Lae Choo and Hom Hing. The little one was taken away by the US custom officers. The winter had passed, but the couple still couldn’t get their baby back. Lae Choo got into a depression, going to the point of starving herself. At the end, she had to pay a lawyer with her entire life saving except one ring, a gift from Hom Hing for her pregnancy, to get her baby back from the mission. But the ending was heartbreaking that the little one couldn’t recognize his mother after nine month separation. â€Å"In the Land of the Free†, with it darkly ironic title, gives readers deep insights into the Chinese immigrants’ experience in America in late 1800s. The United States is a country with reputation for liberty, and Government is supposed to help promote and protect human rights. But throughout the story, readers only see the fact that rigid Government policy infringed upon the couple and the baby’s human rights. Hong Hing couple had never expected that their basic human rights– the rights of parents to be with their children was deprived as soon as the wife and the baby arrived this country. In the story, the nine month of forcible separation between Hong Hing couple and their son shows the complete absence of compassion in the American government. During the nine month, the government didn’t make any progress except for keeping sending 16 same letters to Hong Hing couple. And without the lawyer’s interference, it might take years for Hong Hing couple to get their baby back. The government’s total indifference to the spilt of an immigrant family was inhuman and cruel. In the story the author also demonstrates the human costs of U. S. Government’s discriminatory policy. Lae Choo, a caring, loving and self-sacrificed Chinese young woman, couldn’t bear the pain of the separation from her son, almost starving herself to death. The words she said â€Å"how could I close my eyes with my arms empty† (P 151) express the pain which Chinese immigrants underwent in the United States. For many Chinese immigrants like Hong Hing couple, there might have been economic opportunity in America, but the discrimination they faced made life phenomenally challenging. Besides Chinese Exclusion Act, during the late 1800s, federal, state and local government enacted a series of other discriminatory law, such as Sidewalk Ordinance, Cubic Air Ordinance, and Queue Ordinance, etc, which specifically targeted Chinese immigrants. (cr. nps. gov, 2004) Hong Hing family just represents the thousands of victims of discriminatory laws. In addition, Lae Choo spend all of her money on legal action pleading with the â€Å"Great Government at Washington† to return her son. When the little one was finally returned, the family became impoverished. The experience taught the couple that the reality of life in America was brutal. Government policy could bring an immigrant family to a ruin. In the story, the author also describes the other form of discrimination the couple faced while living in the United States. As new immigrants, Hong Hing couple lacked the ability to speak fluent English and write appropriate letters to solve the problem they faced. Since they were new to the country, they didn’t know how to advocate for themselves through the right channel. Relying on a white lawyer was their only hope to get the little one back as soon as possible. The lawyer was supposed to be there to help them; unfortunately he was trying to take advantage of them. The sentences â€Å"The young man eyed the Chinese merchant furtively,† (P152) and â€Å"He had a proposition to make and was pondering whether or not the time was opportune,†(P 152) tells readers the lawyer was thinking about cheating and exploiting them. He could have helped the family reunion early, but he didn’t do that until the couple were willing pay him at a very high price. The lawyer didn’t care about their problem and was only thinking about his idea to get money as much as possible. Instead of making money and becoming successful in the land of opportunity, the couple lost all of their money to him. In the Land of the Free is a strong and powerful work that takes readers into the painful life of a Chinese immigrant family of the time. The story helps readers truly understand the hardships Ch

Epic of Labaw Donggon Analysis

The Hinilawod epic tells the story of the exploits of the three demigod brothers, Labaw Donggon, Humadapnon and Dumalapdap of Panay. In its original form the epic would take about three days to perform (including breaks for food and sleep), thus making it one of the longest epics in the world. Anthropologist Dr. F. Landa Jocano recorded a version of the epic from the inhabitants of Central Panay. This is how the story goes: When the goddess of the eastern sky Alunsina (also known as Laun Sina, â€Å"The Unmarried One†) reached maidenhood, the king of the gods, Kaptan, decreed that she should marry.All the unmarried gods of the different domains of the universe tried their luck to win her hand to no avail. She chose to marry a mortal, Datu Paubari, the mighty ruler of Halawod. Her decision angered her other suitors. They plotted to bring harm to the newlyweds. A meeting of the council of gods was called by Maklium-sa-t'wan, god of the plains, where a decision by those present w as made to destroy Halawod by flood.Alunsina and Paubari escaped harm through the assistance of Suklang Malayon, the goddess and guardian of happy homes and sister of Alunsina, who learned of the evil plot and warned the two so they were able to seek refuge on higher ground. After the flood waters subsided, Paubari and Alunsina returned to the plains secretly. They settled near the mouth of the Halawod river. Several months later Alunsina became pregnant and told Paubari to prepare the siklot, things necessary for childbirth.She delivered a set of triplets and summoned the high priest Bungot-Banwa to perform the rites of the gods of Mount Madya-as (the mountain abode of the gods)to ensure the good health of the children. The high priest promptly made an altar and burned some alanghiran fronds and a pinch of kamangyan. When the ceremony was over he opened the windows of the north side of the room and a cold northernly wind came in and suddenly the three infants were transformed into strong, handsome young men.Labaw Donggon, the eldest of the three, asked his mother to prepare his magic cape, hat, belt and kampilan (sword) for he heard of a place called Handug where a beautiful maiden named Angoy Ginbitinan lived. The journey took several days. He walked accross plains and valleys, climbed up mountains until he reached the mouth of the Halawod river. When he finally met the maiden's father and asked for her hand in marriage, the father asked him to fight the monster Manalintad as part of his dowry. He went off to confront the monster and with the help of his magic belt LabawDonggon killed the monster and to prove his feat he brought to Angoy Ginbitinan's father the monster's tail. After the wedding Labaw Donggon proceeded home with his new bride. Along the way they met a group of young men who told him that they were on their way to Tarambang Burok to win the hand of Abyang Durunuun, sister of Sumpoy the lord of the underworld and whose beauty was legendary. Lab aw Donggon and his bride continued on their journey home. The moment they arrived home Labaw Donggon told his mother to take care of his wife because he is taking another quest, this time he was going to Tarambang Burok.Before he can get to the place he has to pass a ridge guarded by a giant named Sikay Padalogdog who has a hundred arms. The giant would not allow Labaw Donggon to go through without a fight. However, Sikay Padalogdog was no match to Labaw Donggon's prowess and skill in fighting so he gave up and allowed him to continue. Labaw Donggon won the hand of Abyang Durunuun and also took her home. Before long he went on another journey, this time it is to Gadlum to ask for the hand of Malitong Yawa Sinagmaling Diwata who is the young bride of Saragnayan the lord of darkness.This trip required him to use his biday nga inagta (black boat) on which he sailed across the seas for many months, went across the region of the clouds, passed the land of stones until finally he reached the shores of Tulogmatian which was the seaside fortress of Saragnayan. The moment he set foot on the ground Saragnayan asked him, â€Å"Who are you and why are you here? † To which he answered, â€Å"I am Labaw Donggon, son of Datu Paubari and goddess Alunsina of Halawod. I came for the beautiful Malitong Yawa Sinagmaling Diwata. † Saragnayan laughed.He told Labaw Donggon that what he wished for was impossible to grant because she was his wife. Labaw Donggon then challenged Saragnayan to a duel saying that whoever wins will have her. The challenge was accepted and they started fighting. Labaw Donggon submerged Saragnayan under water for seven years, but when he let go of him, Saragnayan was still alive. The latter uprooted a coconut tree and started beating Labaw Donggon with it. He survived the beating but was not able to surpass the powers of Saragnayan's pamlang (amulet) and eventually he gave up and was imprisoned by Saragnayan beneath his house.Back home Angoy Gi nbitinan and Abyang Durunuun both delivered sons. Angoy Ginbitinan's child was named Aso Mangga and Abyang Durunuun's son was called Abyang Baranugon. Only a few days after they were born Aso Mangga and Abyang Baranugon embarked to look for their father. They rode their sailboats through the region of eternal darkness, passed the region of the clouds and the land of stones, finally reaching Saragnayan's home. Saragnayan noticed that Abyang Baranugon's umbilical cord have not yet been removed, he laughed and told the child to go home to his mother.Abyang Baranugon was slighted by the remarks and immediately challenged Saragnayan to a duel. They fought and Abyang Baranugon defeated Saragnayan and won his father's freedom. Labaw Donggon's defeat and subsequent imprisonment by the Lord of Darkness also angered his brothers. Humadapnon was so enraged that he swore to the gods of Madya-as that he would wreak revenge on all of Saragnayan's kinsmen and followers. Humadapnon prepared to go t o Saragnayan's domain. He employed the aid of Buyong Matanayon of Mount Matiula who was well-known for his skill in swordsmanship.For their journey they rode on a sailboat called biday nga rumba-rumba. They travelled through the region of the clouds, passed by the region of eternal darkness and ended up at a place called Tarambang Buriraw. In this place was a ridge called Talagas Kuting-tang where a seductive sorceress named Piganun lived. Piganun changed herself to a beautiful maiden and captured the heart of Humadapnon. Buyong Matanayon begged with Humadapnon to leave the place with him but the latter refused.After seven months passed, Buyong Matanayon remembered that they have brought with them some ginger. One evening at dinner time Buyong Matanayon threw seven slices of ginger into the fire. When Pinganun smelled the odor of burning ginger she left thedinner table because sorcerers hated the odor of ginger. Immediately Buyong Matanayon struck Humadapnon, who became unconscious. He dragged his friend with him and they were able to escape. They continued with their trek and everywhere they went they exacted revenge on all of Saragnayan's people and relatives.One day they reached a place called Piniling Tubig who was ruled by Datu Umbaw Pinaumbaw. There was a big gathering in the village and when they asked what was going on they were told that the datu was giving his daughter for marriage to whoever could remove the huge boulder that rolled from a mountain into the center of the village. Many men tried their luck but no one so far was able to even move the stone. Humadapnon took off his magic cape and used it to lift the stone and threw it back into the mountain. The datu kept his word and Humadapnon married his daughter.During the wedding feast Humadapnon heared about the beauty of the goddess of greed Burigadang Pada Sinaklang Bulawan from a guest minstrel who sang at the celebration. After the wedding Humadapnon went to seek the hand of the goddess in ma rriage. Along the way he encountered Buyong Makabagting, son of the mighty Datu Balahidyong of Paling Bukid who was also travelling with the same purpose in mind. Upon learning of Humadapnon's intent, Buyong Makabagting challenged him to a duel. They fought and Buyong Makabagting was no match to Humadapnon's strength and skill.The fight ended when Buyong Makabagting surrendered and even promised to aid Humadapnon in his quest. Humadapnon married the goddess and brought her home. Meanwhile, right after Humadapnon left to seek Saragnayan's followers and relatives his brother Dumalapdap left for Burutlakan-ka-adlaw where the maiden Lubay-Lubyok Hanginun si Mahuyokhuyokon lived. For the trip he brought along Dumasig, the most powerful wrestler in Madya-as. Several months later they came to a place called Tarambuan-ka-banwa where they encountered the two-headed monster Balanakon who guarded a narrow ridge leading to the place where the maiden lived.With the aid of Dumasig, Dumalapdap kil led Balanakon. However, upon approaching the gate of the palace where the maiden lived he was confronted by Uyutang, a batlike monster with sharp poisonous claws. There ensued a bloody battle between the Humadapnon and the monster. They fought for seven months and their skill and prowess seemed to be equal. But on the seventh month, Humadapnon was able to grab on to Uyutang's ankle and broke it. Then he took his iwang daniwan (magic dagger) and stabbed Uyutang under the armpit.Uyutang cried out so loud that the ridge where they were fighting broke into two and there was an earthquake. Half of the ridge became the island of Buglas (Negros) and the other became the island of Panay. Dumalapdap married Lubay-Lubyok Hanginun si Mahuyokhuyokan and then took her home. Datu Paubari was very happy when he was reunited with his three sons and he prepared a feast in their honor. After the celebration, the three brothers left for different parts of the world. Labaw Donggon went to the north, Hu madapnon went south, Dumalapdap to the west and Datu Paubari remained in the east.