Benefits of Globalization: Cemex Essay

1. What benefits have CEMEX and the other global competitors in cement derived from globalization? More broadly, how can cross-border activities add value in an industry as apparently localized as cement? (Question for Analysis) The oligopolistic nature of the cement business dictates the limited notion of business strategy, however CEMEX, one of very few cement producers found that through globalization, a variety of benefits can be obtained and utilized to their own. Expanding to the global market was a vision in which Zombrano (CEMEX former CEO) capitalized and was able to add value into the industry in a variety of different practices. CEMEX aggressively took the risk to expand their global exploits from the means of economic speculation during the 1980s-2000 period. Through globalization they were able to build an impressive portfolio and further benefit from each acquisition. More importantly as a homogenous product in cement, the building market during the 1980s and 90s was relevant and needed in developing countries with considerable growth opportunities. This is highlighted in their endeavors with the takeover of Valanciana and Sanson in Spain (1992). Spain, a part of the MEU (Monetary European Unio n) highlighted investment potential as currency rates along with risk premium were considerably low. The lower cost of capital in the merges posed further potential for funding elsewhere at affordable rates. Investments in any Country apart of the MEU could have been beneficial, however, CEMEX strategically pursued developing countries with potential for economic growth. A core benefit of their globalization practices indulged with reducing costs and increase plant efficiency to a much greater extent. Inducing their very own Mexican based best practice into the Spanish operation CEMEX recorded annual savings/benefits of $120million and increase in operating margins from 7% to 24%. Interestingly enough, their benefits didn’t reside only in increased revenue or market domination, but further constantly developed their repertoire by absorbing the comparative advantages in the different economies and markets. By tapping into the building industry in Spain, they discovered incredible efficiency in the energy program through the use of petroleum coke as the main fuel source. By 199 4, a vast majority of CEMEX plants changed to petroleum coke in the own energy program. CEMEX was able to recognize  globalization benefits in 1989 as Lorenzo decided hit the big market in US by exporting their products. Driven by profitability potentials, CEMEX originally dumped their cement products in the US market to win out their competitors however their products were issued a trade barrier formalized in countervailing duties of up to 51%. (Harvard excerpt). The next strategic move was to directly invest in the US market through FDI. CEMEX focused on avoiding traffic barriers and hefty transport costs thus acquired plants and facilities in Texas through FDI. This was the start to their cross border activities. The NAFTA (NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT) reduced tariff costs and furthermore by placing plants ideally close to the demand of the market, they are also able save delivery time. By cutting export time customer satisfaction is increased, as a result, wherever CEMEX decides to operate, their robust company name and reputation becomes a valuable asset in building plants in ideal locations (next to limestone fields). As a result, through FDIs, subsidies, Mergers and Acquisitions, CEMEX were able to benefit from reduced tariffs when it came to exporting their products, and furthermore eliminated hefty transport costs. The elimination of trade barriers and transport costs would be carried out into all firms that CEMEX acquires. CEMEX’s globalization campaign highlights robust financial benefits and hubris within their management system. Through constant foreign investment, they needed to build a modest management system which could be self-developed and applied in all of CEMEX’s facilitations. CEMEX designed a core management system to implement in their new acquisition of firms. They implied the PMI (Project Management International) â€Å"CEMEX Way† which considered being a form of internal benchmarking, setting a core business practices which would be conducted throughout the locations CEMEX did business. By centralizing their management system, firm stations were able to discover talent across the borders and hired some of the most highly skilled and efficient professionals. CEMEX had a separate PMI team congested of highly trained managers specifically to train newly acquired firm managers. Managers, employees were granted a voice of opinion. Hierarchy issues diminished and all ideas were considered valuable. Employee efficiency, coherence, accessibility, collaboration, were the key behaviors of the PMI process. This created cohesion, decisions were sound, quicker and easier. CEMEX was also always open to develop their PMI process as they  would develop new technologies or advantages throughout merges with other firms. Cement as a homogenous product posed limits in enhancing performance however CEMEX clearly constitutes the principle of learning and continuous benefits through the punctuated PMI process in CEMEX Way.

Plp- Bings Competitive Advantages

â€Å"Bing† it on Google Introduction Mark Penn is taking a big leap by leaving his firm to work for Microsoft on a mission to fix Bing. The company is faced with becoming a competitive leader in the search engine area. Penn believes he can enter Microsoft with a different strategy. To improve Bing, Penn believes he needs Stack Ranking, which focuses product developers away from getting industry-leading products to market faster than the competition. According to the article, not including the marketing or the billions of dollars put into Bing, Google accounted for 69% of the searches in June alone.They say the key strategy to turn this company around would be to come up with an approach that would make Bing a different kind of search engine compared to Google. Analysis As stated above, Microsoft is trying to take the number one spot for the most used search engine. A competitive advantage can be defined as a firm’s ability to create value in a way that its rivals canno t. Microsoft and Yahoo! introduced Bing in 2009, which allows users to search for information regarding almost anything. While being introduced to everyone in 2009 other search engines were available.Bing’s competitive advantage over the others was that Bing offered subcategories onto the organic search results, allowing the user to quickly see the search results in logical groups. This is an issue for Bing because they are not the only company that offers these types of search engine results and no longer have a competitive advantage in the market on this basis. Another advantage with Bing, you get â€Å"enhanced results† which can also be taken as intelligently organized results that you can receive quickly and efficiently.Because of these enhanced results, many people chose to use the Bing search engine over Google but in recent years, other search engines have put a greater emphasis on their speed and results and are bypassing Bing. If Bing still had any competitiv e advantage, it would be that it offers enhanced results in search engines, however it has been proven for most businesses that use other competitors' search engines their speed and results are sufficient and they prefer them to Bing.This is evident which stated before that 69% of the search engine users chose Google over the 25. 6% for Bing. What hurt the Microsoft Company is that Bing was doing so poorly to the point they offered Penn a position to help â€Å"fix† Bing. This could make or break Bing seeing whether Penn can differentiate this search engine compared to the others. This will be difficult for Penn seeing that he lacks search engine product development expertise.No matter how speedy this search engine is or how well the results are, if Penn does not find a way to improve Bings market share this will be just a fad that the Microsoft has gone through and Google will continue doing well. Conclusions To be successful in any market you need to be able to compete and this is where Bing falls short. In order to make this search engine more successful Microsoft needs to come up with a more sufficient business strategy. They need to figure out where they best fit in and differentiate themselves from other companies.They also need to figure out their goals, and objectives, which will make it easier for them to target their users. If they were to apply their business to the VRINE model, they would quickly notice that their search engine is replaceable and has no ways to set their company’s search engines apart from others. I believe they are taking the right steps by trying to offer different options on their website but I think they will need to do more since they do not offer the same kind of links that Google does such as Gmail or Google Maps.I think that while Mark Penn is focusing on making Bing better in the market share area and the rest of Microsoft management needs to place a strong focus on finding innovators that can help Bing becom e a major competitor once again. Title- Can Mark Penn Fix Microsoft's Bing? Date-7/23/2012 Website-http://www. forbes. com/sites/petercohan/2012/07/23/can-mark-penn-fix-microsofts-bing/2/ Citation-Cohan, Peter. â€Å"Can Mark Penn Fix Microsoft's Bing? † Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 23 July 2012. Web. 09 Nov. 2012. .

Acid test ratio vs current ratio

The Current ratio and the Acid-test ratio, both fall under the category of financial ratios.   These two ratios examine the capability of an organization to pay those creditors, whose debts are below the stipulated period of twelve months.   Such short-term debts usually consist of 30 or 60 days credit period.   Indeed under the two ratios the Current Liabilities are considered as the debt to be covered by the assets considered on the numerator of the ratio. The higher these ratios, the better are the financial position of the firm.   However, a number of factors have to be considered by both ratios before remarking on the financial position of the company.   For instance, one has to consider the nature of the business and the effect of seasonal variations before giving drastic conclusions.   In fact, such ratios are frequently examined by analyzing the financial position of the same organization over time or in relation to the industry average in which the firm operates. The main difference that lies between these ratios is the analyses of the liquidity of the current assets taken.   Under the current ratio, all the current assets of the firm are considered in the formula.   However, the acid-test ratio examines the assets that can be easily converted into cash in relation to the current liabilities of the firm.   As a result, the stock value, which is the least liquid asset, is deducted from the current assets in this ratio. Under these ratios, the short-term assets are divided by the current liabilities in order to see by how many times can such assets cover these liabilities.   For instance, if at the financial year ended 31st December 2006 a firm had a total current assets of $200,000, and the current liabilities added up to $100,000, the current ratio would be calculated as follows: This result indicates that the current assets of the firm can meet by two times as much the present current obligations of the organization.   The same principle applies for the acid-test ratio with the exception that stock is removed from the current assets as already stated in the previous paragraph.

Marketing Strategies of financial firms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Strategies of financial firms - Essay Example My paper will be able to answer the questions of various problems and these will be William J. Stanton states that without the help of marketing technique, firms are unable to gain maximum profit as it is the key that provides awareness about your product and services. Marketing strategies actually involves different phenomena's that helps to promote the product and services in the market. Traditionally, the products are marketed and promoted, but with growth in time and technology, there arises a need to market the latest and advance services provided by the financial firms. The use of electronic commerce (e-commerce) in the financial firms develops latest financial services that need to use promotional and marketing strategies. According to Adam Smith, financial firms do not grow till 1980 but later in the year different firms in America and Canada realize that there is a need to change the services provided by these financial firms. At that time the concept of investment banking, advisory and commercial banks emerges only within the boundary of the United States of America and Canada. As the firm start introducing the ecommerce techniques in the financial firm's different financial cards, debit cards and credit cards, emerges. Moreover, due to diversification of different financial firm and the competition within them, there materialize the need of promotional campaign. Therefore, the need for the marketing strategies for financial firms come into view and now due to high competition firms are trying to promote their cheap but quality services through different marketing campaigns and programs. Marketing strategies for a financial firm focuses on the 4P's of marketing. These 4 P's are the price, promotion, place and product. The insurance companies require capturing the maximum consumer market with the help of price variable as they should introduce low price tag certificates to save the future of their customers. Promotion factor for the financial firms did not remain attach with the promotion through visual and audio Ads on television and radio rather firms are now require to promote their services through the use of internet and other Integrated marketing techniques. The reason for the use is to globalize their services. Africans from last 3 years are trying to invest their money in foreign banks

Leadership and organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership and organisation - Essay Example Transformational leadership styles focus on motivation, team-building and collaboration with workers at different organizational levels to achieve for the better. Transformational leaders set incentives and goals to push subordinates to higher levels of performance, while offering opportunities for professional and personal growth for every worker (Hoyt & Blascovich, 2003). Transformational leadership concept is a very popular form of leadership. According to Burns (1985), transformational leadership is a process where leaders and followers rise together to higher levels of motivation and morality. A transformational leader is a model of fairness and integrity. They set clear goals, encourage others, possess very high expectations, offer recognition and support, encourage people to look beyond self-interest, stirs people’s emotions, and inspires other people to go for the improbable. According to Hoy & Miskel (2001), transformational leaders seek to recognize the need for change, concentrate on long-term goals, develop new visions and muster commitment to the vision, and mentor followers to embrace greater responsibility. Transformational leadership entails four essential components: idealized influence, which entails mutual trust and building respect through choosing the right thing rather than the expedient; inspirational motivation, which involves transmitting meaning via symbols and stories from which followers identify. It also helps followers to achieve the impossible through having high expectations; intellectual stimulation, in which workers are challenged to think and answer own questions; and individualized consideration, where people are recognized at their best when individual needs are considered, and accomplishments and efforts recognized and encouraged. These components make transformational leadership more effective

Elementary-Age Students Identified with ADHD Receive Coursework

Elementary-Age Students Identified with ADHD Receive - Coursework Example Elementary-age students diagnosed with ADHD have behavioral problems that may result in their expulsion from the main setting in which they receive their education. Such behavioral challenges include forgetfulness, sleeping problems, and difficulty cooperating with other students. Such behaviors escalate as a child moves into elementary school, and for that reason, make it difficult to identify their appropriate main setting (Friend, 2014, 179).The results of intervention measures require considerable caution as few studies of intervention effectiveness have been completed successfully with young children. The best combination for young children has not yet been comprehensively determined and thus their main setting requires consistent and immediate feedback (Friend, 2014, 179).The federal government does not collect and publish data regarding the main setting in which children with ADHD are educated. Children with ADHD often have other disabilities, and hence, data from their disabi lity group does not compellingly determine their main setting for education. Students with both ADHD and a learning or emotional disability have to adapt to the least restrictive environment provision of IDEA. Even so, one cannot differentiate the application of this dimension of the law from the annual reports issued about ADHD implementation. It is ambiguous and makes it so difficult to determine the main setting in which elementary-age students identified with ADHD receive their education (Friend, 2014, 180).

Apple Inc. Integrated Marketing Communication Essay

Apple Inc. Integrated Marketing Communication - Essay Example The present study would analyze the business strategies of Apple Inc one of the most formidable brands present in the market. The choice of the organization assumes significance considering the magnanimous image of the brand that is known as a synonym for innovations in the business markets. Origin Growth and History of Organization Apple Inc is a US based multinational organization engaged in manufacture of digital electronics and computer hardware equipments. The company was founded in the year 1976 by the name of Apple Computers Inc and since then it has grown into a mammoth organization with a formidable brand image. In the year 2007 the company renamed itself as Apple Inc. The company is presently listed on the bourses of the NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange. The company is presently headed by Steve Jobs one of the most dynamic business leaders of the modern world. The company is known for its innovations in technology and bringing out cutting edge technology products that are unmatched by any of its competitors in the market. Apple Inc was one of the pioneers in the industry that designed computers like mackintosh (Apple, 2011). Analysis of Company’s Vision and Mission Statement The mission and vision of the organization is to be an innovative market player that manufactures products that are unique, distinctive and highly innovative in the market. The main mission statement of the organization is â€Å"an apple at every desk† (Birnbaum, 2009). The company aims to create innovations that are simple yet elegant and are highly technology intensive. The company’s mission is to provide the best quality and innovative products to customers across the globe. The company aims to be a global leader in its product category and has accordingly made a global presence by having a dedicated presence in almost all the major economies of the world. The vision and mission statements can be largely correlated with its business strategies that involved launch of products like I-phones, I-pad’s that are highly technology intensive and have attracted a huge attention from the target market audience b y virtue of their innovative features. Product Portfolios Apple Inc has an impressive product portfolio comprised of a large array of innovative product offerings. Apart from the company’s traditional products like Mac the company also manufactures a range of other products including iPod’s, iPhone, and iTunes. IPod’s include portable music players that have a sleek design and highly attractive features that allows audio as well as video files to be run by the user. I phone is yet another innovation developed by the organization in the lucrative mobile telephone segment. The unique product tries to amalgamate the excitement of a mobile phone with innovative features like excellent graphics and computing options. The delightful looks make it an attractive option for any individual. Apple also made a foray into the software industry with the launch of the Apple I tunes. This product is essentially a music player that is compatible with both iPods as well as person al computers. In addition to this the company has also produced software’

Development of a Strategy for the College of Business Administration Research Paper

Development of a Strategy for the College of Business Administration - Research Paper Example The paper tells that the authorities of the Arizona State University (ASU) led by its President have declared that their primary objective is to establish the institution as the ideal representative of an American University belonging to the modern era. The institution conducts majority of its educational endeavors to accomplish the three main objectives, which has been enumerated in the University’s Plan documents. ASU’s main objective is to provide higher education to the maximum number of US students that it can accommodate. The University makes its students undergo a standardized curriculum in their respective subjects and also encourages them to pursue research on their own. Finally, the institution ensures that all its academic endeavors are conducted in a way so as to improve the economic, social and cultural welfare of the surrounding social community. These have been identified as the vision of the ASU. The vision statements of the University reflect the inhere nt objectives of the institution. The statements can be further analyzed to provide some useful insight into the ASU authorities’ long-term goals. Most of the elite higher educational institutions have always set very high standards for the students aspiring to secure admission in them. However, the objectives of the ASU have been stated to be quite different in this respect. Instead of aiming to exclude the undeserving students, the University always looks to include the maximum number of students under its educational programs. ... The University makes its students undergo a standardized curriculum in their respective subjects and also encourages them to pursue research on their own. Finally, the institution ensures that all its academic endeavors are conducted in a way so as to improve the economic, social and cultural welfare of the surrounding social community. These have been identified as the vision of the ASU (ASU Vision and Goals, 2011). The vision statements of the University reflect the inherent objectives of the institution. The statements can be further analyzed to provide some useful insight into the ASU authorities’ long-term goals. Most of the elite higher educational institutions have always set very high standards for the students aspiring to secure admission in them. However, the objectives of the ASU have been stated to be quite different in this respect. Instead of aiming to exclude the undeserving students, the University always looks to include the maximum number of students under it s educational programs. Simultaneously, ASU has also concentrated in providing these students with a high standard of higher education. Therefore, the institution has been successful in achieving the twin objectives of making higher education accessible to a larger population of students, as well as securing a good reputation regarding the standard of education offered (ASU Vision and Goals, 2011). The ASU has also declared certain additional aims and objectives which it plans to implement by the year 2012. One such objective is to become a ‘National Comprehensive University’ by the specified timeline. The institution has set its sights in becoming the leading educational center for various scientific disciplines which also

Unit 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 11 - Essay Example From this strategy, empowerment of menial groups is enabled. Empowerment develops the confidence and approaches for social chance. However, the reading share the assumption that working together is required regardless of the strategies implemented. The solutions provided in the readings are accurate and reliable. For instance, there is the assertion that individual and group activism is mandatory towards achieving social change (Lecture notes par 1). From this argument, one may point out that activism acts as the voice of the oppressed. Any form of activism is important in creating awareness and sensitivity towards equality. Consequently, acts of activism may influence changes in policies, laws and daily lives. However, a change in the daily life would be more important. If the perception of the society towards equality is changed, it would be easier to implement other changes in policies and laws. Policies and laws may change the behavior of people but it may not change the negativity in people’s perception of minority

The United States education Essay Example for Free

The United States education Essay I studied in Korea for 14 years. But, now I have been studying in US. Knowledge of the United States education can be helped to understand US culture. There are similarities and differences between Korea and US educations. Korea and US educations have similarities. First, we study almost the same subjects like English, Math, Science, and P. E. So some Korean students who had studied in Korea’s school can understand pretty well in USA College, even though their English skill is not so high. Second, Korea and USA classroom have almost the same equipment (especially college). There are chairs and desks, blackboard, chalks, and backboard for some notices. However, both educations have a lot of differences. First, Korea’s class is bigger than US class. Korea’s class usually has 40~50 students. But US class has just 15~20 students. So US teachers have more attention than Korea teachers to the students. Second, Most Korean students usually studied alone in the classes. But, now we have to discuss with our classmates in US classes. Discussions require to student more activity. So most American students are more activity than Korean students. Finally, the biggest difference between Korea and the United States is teacher’s teaching skills. Most Korean teachers want to memorize the textbook for all students. So, Korean students try to memorize the textbook. But US teachers require summarizing information from textbook. US teaching skill help students to be more creative and active. In conclusion, US education requires to students to be creative and active but, Korea education want to be same for all the students. That makes competition between students. This competition can be helpful, but actually it makes a lot of problem. Korea education has to change more creative and active like US education.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict communication

Israeli-Palestinian conflict communication CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Definition of Communication Although communication is omnipresent, it appears nonetheless difficult to define. Different individuals define communication in different ways depending upon their interests. Ruben (1984) says that communication is any â€Å"information related behaviour† while Dale (1969) says it is the â€Å"sharing of ideas and feelings in a mood of mutuality.† Other definitions emphasise the significance of symbols, as in Berelson and Steiner (1964): â€Å"The transmission of information, ideas, emotions and skill by the use of symbols,† and Theodorson (1969): â€Å"the transmission of information, ideas, attitudes, or emotion from one person or group to another, primarily through symbols.† The Universal Law of Communication states that all living entities communicate. Through movement, sounds, reactions, gestures, language and among others (S. F, Scudder, 1900. In his research, Prof. Albert Mehrabian (UCLA, 1967) identified three major parts that convey meaning in human face to face communication: body language, voice tonality, and words. He determined how people make meaning when a speaker says one thing but means another. If the speaker is sending a mixed message the listener will rely on the following cues to determine true meaning. He found that 55% of impact is determined by body language-postures, gestures, and eye contact, 38% by the tone of voice, and 7% by the content or the words spoken. Although the exact percentage of influence may differ due to variables such as the perceptions or biases of the listener and the speaker, communication as a whole is meant to convey meaning and thus, in some cases, can be universal. Hence, communication can be classified into three types: Non-Verbal Communication which includes sending and receiving messages through gestures, body language, facial expression and eye contacts. Visual Communication is through using visual aids that can be read and look upon such as signs, typography, drawing, graphic design and illustration. Verbal or Oral Communication is anyinformation that is transferred from a sender to receiver usually by a verbal means but visual aid can support the process and it includes speeches, presentations and discussions. 2.1 Effective Communication Effective communication is very important for working successfully with other people, groups or countries. It enables us to maintain relationships and accomplish tasks with them. The effectiveness of any communication is judged by how closely the receivers understanding matches the senders intent. In the final analysis, the only message that matters is the one the other person receives (Dave Sharpe, 1991, Circular 1291). The two ways flow of communication is commonly addressed in interpersonal communication with two elaborations of Shannons model which is often labelled as the action model of communication; the interactive model and the trans-active model. (Weiner, 1948, 1986). This can be illustrated in the following diagram: The key concept associated with this elaboration is that destinations provide feedback on the messages they receive such that the information sources can adapt their messages, in real time. This is an important elaboration, and as generally depicted, a radically oversimplified one. Feedback is a message (or a set of messages). The source of feedback is an information source. The consumer of feedback is a destination. Feedback is transmitted, received, and potentially disrupted via noise sources. None of this is visible in the typical depiction of the interactive model. This doesnt diminish the importance of feedback or the usefulness of elaborating Shannons model to include it. People really do adapt their messages based on the feedback they receive. It is useful, however, to notice that the interactive model depicts feedback at a much higher level of abstraction than it does messages (Davis Foulger, 2004). This difference in the level of abstraction is addressed in the transactional model of communication. This can be shown in table 2 which depicts the Transactional Model of Communication: This model acknowledges neither creators nor consumers of messages, preferring to label the people associated with the model as communicators who both create and consume messages. The model presumes additional symmetries as well, with each participant creating messages that are received by the other communicator. This is, in many ways, an excellent model of the face-to-face interactive process which extends readily to any interactive medium that provides users with symmetrical interfaces for creation and consumption of messages. It is, however, a distinctly interpersonal model that implies equality between communicators that often doesnt exist, even in interpersonal contexts (Hopper, 1992). In case of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the one that is more powerful may tend to lead the communication and thus, creating more barriers to communication to solve the conflicting issues. 2.2 Definition of Conflict Most conflicts result as a state of disagreement stemming from perceived values, beliefs, interests, goals and motives. It can be between individuals, groups or between two countries. Research carried out on peace and conflict assumes that conflicts are the expression of opposing interests, that they are characteristic for modern societies and that they are endemic in modern societies. â€Å"A conflict exists when two people wish to carry out acts which are mutually inconsistent. It is resolved when some mutually compatible set of actions is worked out. The definition of conflict can be extended from individuals to groups (such as states or nations), and more than two parties can be involved in the conflict. The principles remain the same.† (M. Nicholson 1992:11) 2.3 Defining the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict History created divisive issues between both Israelis and Palestinians. The land of Judea[1], was conquered by the Roman Empire and named Palestine and it was further conquered and inhabited by Arabs for a thousand years. Before Britain conquered Jerusalem and the surrounding area known to be Palestine, in November 1917, the â€Å"Balfour Declaration[2]† was issued. This declaration stated that Britain support the creation of a National Homeland of the Jewish People in Mandated Palestine without violating the rights of the existing Arab population. This eventually led to rioting and pogroms against Jews creating a history of enmity between Jews and Arabs. Following the World War II (1939-1945), in which more than six million Jews were killed by the Nazis, pressure increased for the creation of a Jewish State. The United Nations Special Commission on Palestine (UNSCOP) held that Palestine be partitioned into an Arab State and a Jewish State. In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the partition plan (UN Resolution GA 181) and the modern state of Israel (Medinat Yisrael) was created and independence was declared on 14 May 1948 and David Ben Gurion become the first Prime Minister. The Arabs rejected the partitioned plan and refused to recognise Israel and wars broke out in 1948 known as ‘War of Independence and the Jews won decisively expanding their State territories. The conflict continued to deepen without any concrete solutions to the problems. In 1956, the second war broke out with Egypt (Sinai War) and in 1967 another war occurred (Six-day War) followed by ‘War of Attrition in 1968 making the conflict worse. In 1973, the Arabs Countries tried to invade and attack Israel (Yom Kippur War) but failed as Israel retaliated strategically to defend herself. There were many terror raids and Israeli reprisals. In 1982 and 2006 war broke out between Israel and Lebanon making hundreds of victims on both sides. Two â€Å"Intifadas†[3] in broke out in 1983 and 2000 and the violence continued to increased and thus reducing the prospect of peace. In December 2008 Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Gaza Strip (Cast Lead Operation) to stop the firing of short range missiles (rockets) leading to the Israeli Palestinian peace talk to collapse. Each side believes different versions of the same history and views the conflict as wholly the fault of the other (Ami Isseroff June 2009). 2.4 Rethinking the Two-State Solution (Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland, 2008) The Washington Institute for Near East Policy Though all conflicts have their own distinctive features, the Israeli Palestinian conflict is singular in various aspects. In the first place, it not a territorial dispute involving two parties but also a situation on which one nation is under occupation by another (Focus Policy 88, 2008). In the work ‘Rethinking the Two-State Solution the problem this conflict creates has implication beyond the specific interest of the disputing parties (Griora Eiland Al, 2008). However, it is believed that this conflict dilemma is at the root of the Middle East unrest link to the Iranian nuclear threat and other global challenges. There appears to be a clear international interest to resolve the conflict ranging from the ‘Oslo Accords[4] to the ‘Annapolis Conference[5] to support the general approach of the two-state solution. Yet, the ‘Oslo Accord created an illusion that the situation was changing and though after its collapse, it maybe possible to reach a political agreement. Many Israelis are concerned that pursuing such an agreement is a lose-lose situation as Palestinians will not meet their end of bargain (Yehuda Ben Meir and Dafna Shaked, 2007) The paradox for the moment between the conflicting parties is that they truly do not desire the conventional two state approach and the Arab World specially Jordan and Egypt are not supportive to it as the success is slim and the political risk is high for both leaders. Today, the conflict has surpassed the classical view and has become a conflict against the rise of extremist in the region (Tzipi Livni, 2008). However, the problems still remains regarding the settlement issues in the land that Palestinians claim for their future state, Jerusalem where both nationalists and religions are intertwined, security arrangements, the refugees status and their rights of returns and the smuggling of weapons by terrorist groups through their armed allies like Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iranian regime that calls for the destruction of Israel (Natasha Gill, 2008). 2.5 Intercultural or Cross- Cultural Communication, Dialogue and Perception Change Intercultural communication involves the investigation of culture and the difficulties of communicating across cultural boundaries. Intercultural communication occurs whenever a message produced in one culture must be processed in another culture (Samovar Porter, 1982). Since all aspects of communication are both, a response to and a function of our culture, socialisation in a culture determines what communicative behaviours are perceived as appropriate or desirable within a given context (Samovar Porter, 1982). In addition to the use of verbal messages, during face-to-face interaction a great deal of information about personality, beliefs, values, and social status are transmitted and interpreted, often subconsciously, through non-verbal channels (Birdwhistell,1970; Burgeon et al., 1989; Mehrabian, 1969, 1972). The meaning of both verbal and nonverbal messages is drawn upon past experiences, personal knowledge of language and word meaning, and the social context in which a communicative event occurs. In intercultural encounters, observed behaviours may be interpreted by applying cultural frameworks that are inappropriate to the context in which the communication takes place, thus resulting in misinterpretation and misunderstanding, and even in negative stereotyping (Brislin, Cushner, Cherrie Young, 1982).While stereotyping responds to a human tendency towards categorisation and simplification of highly complex realities, negative stereotypes and prejudice are definite obstacles to successful intercultural communication and mutual understanding. In order for these barriers to be lowered, learners need to develop awareness and understanding of their own, as well as of their interactants, cultural universe, including â€Å"beliefs, values, customs, habits or life styles† (Samovar Proter, 1982) At the International Association For Conflict Management Annual Convention held in Spain in 1999, two basic questions were raised which concerned the role of culture and particularly religious culture and the impact of dialogue and contact in improving the Israeli- Palestinian conflict (Dr Mollov Dr Laive,1999). In his seminal realist theory of international relations, Hans J. Morgenthau gave little importance to cultural discourse between nations but instead he laid emphasis on the clash of power and interest. Therefore, there is a need to reach stability by attaining viable balances of power and the exercise of responsible diplomacy (Morgenthau, 1969). Recent researchers have emphasised that the importance of the cultural variables can either help to move forward or backward understandings between nations (Cohen, 1990). Inter-civilisation conflict like the Israeli- Palestinian conflict has put forward that international stability can advance by nations by discovering and developing intercultural understanding and appreciation with each other (Huntington, 1996) and recent research in the field of political psychology showed the importance of culture and psychological perceptions in politics (Pye, 1997). The research carried out by the Interdisciplinary Department of Social Science of Bar Ilan University, Israel, concentrated on evaluating the impact of inter-group and inter-personal communication based on mutual perception change between Israelis and Palestinians. According to the Social Scientist Karl Deutsch, there is a need to investigate the foundations of community building between nations in the form of amalgamated or pluralistic security communities where there is need of interpersonal ties and the intensity of social communication in the creation and upholding of such communities (Deutsch, 1957). The work of peace building is much affected by perception change and the quality of interpersonal interactions. The investigation of the numerous aspects of inter-group communication emphasise the decisive elements and conditions for effective encounters including ‘equal status contacts that should also be intimate rather than casual encounters for building efforts of cooperation, relations and institutional (Amir, 1969). In a series of dialogue held between a group of Palestinian students and Israeli students which lasted for four years, from 1994 to 1999, focused on commonalities between Islam and Judaism and this led to a spin off cooperative efforts and increased cooperation and interactions between the two groups of students from both sides. There were reports of warm atmosphere during face to face meetings and this attributed that achievement to the discovery of commonalities in the others religious culture (Mollov and Barhoum, 1998). Approximately 90 students had participated in this initiative and at the end of it, there was positive development of family visitation and strong friendships that developed during the process and hence in wake of violent events both issued condemnation and condolences. 2.6 The Israeli- Egyptian conflict resolution as a reference Scholar Raymond Cohen has written about how miscommunication can occur when even elite specialists and diplomats must negotiate across cultural boundaries. One of his examples focuses on the Egyptian-Israeli conflict through the 1970s. He questions why, throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Israeli deterrence based on large-scale use of force against Egypt for terrorist attacks emanating out of Egypt against Israel, failed to actually deter attacks. A cultural analysis revealed deep differences between Israeli and Egyptian understandings relating to violence, vengeance, and vendetta. He concluded that Israels use of massive force violated Egyptian understandings about culturally â€Å"appropriate† vengeance and retribution. In particular, Israelis misunderstood Egyptian conventions of appropriate â€Å"proportionality† in these matters. The â€Å"cultural logic† of Israeli deterrence was that the more disproportionate the punishment the greater the compliance. But Egyptians understood matters differently. What they regarded as highly disproportionate vengeance on Israels part had the effect of shaming and humiliating them, leading to a serious loss of honor in a culture where honor is deeply valued. To erase the shame and regain the lost honor, Egypt supported further attacks against Israel. The effect Israelis hoped to achieve, Egyptian compliance in stopping cross-border attacks to avoid mounting reprisals , was not achieved. Israeli action produced the opposite effect, providing Egyptians with strong reasons to ensure their support of incursions into Israel. In this case cultural misunderstandings led to an intensification of the conflict, producing what is sometimes called a â€Å"conflict spiral.† Ultimately, this cost many lives on both sides (Kevin Avruch CROSS-CULTURAL CONFLICT, 2004). The former President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, made an unprecedented gesture by visiting Israel though there were no ties between Israel and Egypt, to reinforce a positive cultural and perception and change to the negative cross cultural differences between the two nations. This led both countries to emerge out of the hatred and miscommunication and together, not only Israelis and Egyptians understood each others but also their Leaders Former Israeli Prime Minister, Shamir and Former Egyptian President Sadat signed peace agreements (Camp David Treaty) under the ageis of the United States in the 1970s. All these were possible because both sides made unprecedented moves to understand their cultural differences for peace in the region, eliminating their barriers of communication like language, religion, hatred, wrong communication channels, stereotyping and perception and also avoiding confrontation. The same happened with Jordan in 1994 leading to full diplomatic relationship with the sec ond Arab/Muslim country after Egypt and later followed by Azerbaijan. 2.7 The Palestinians Unilateral â€Å"Kosovo Strategy† Implications for the PA and Israel Dan Diker (Jan 2010) Article No. 575- Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas new precondition that the international community recognise the 1967 lines in the West Bank as the new Palestinian border bolsters the assessment that the Palestinians have largely abandoned a negotiated settlement and instead are actively pursuing a unilateral approach to statehood. Senior Palestinian officials note that Palestinian unilateralism is modelled after Kosovos February 2008 unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia. European and U.S. support for Kosovos unilateral declaration has led the Palestinian leadership to determine that geopolitical conditions are ripe to seek international endorsement of its unilateral statehood bid, despite the fact that leading international jurists have suggested that the cases of Kosovo and thePalestinian Authorityare historically and legally different. The Palestinians are legally bound to negotiate a bilateral solution with Israel. Unilateral Palestinian threats to declare statehoo d have been rebuffed thus far by the European powers and the United States. The Palestinian â€Å"Kosovo strategy† includes a campaign of delegitimisation of Israel, seeking to isolate Israel as a pariah state, while driving a wedge between Israel and the United States. The unilateral Palestinian bid for sovereignty will also likely turn the Palestinians into the leading petitioner against the State of Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Although the Palestinian Authority is not a state and therefore should have no legal standing before the court, the petition it submitted to the court after theGazawar (Cast lead Operation) was not rejected by the ICC. Finally, a unilateral Palestinian quest for the 1947 lines may well continue even if the 1967 lines are endorsed by the United Nations. The Palestinian Liberation Organisations (PLO) 1988 declaration of independence was based on UN General Assembly Resolution 181, which recognises the 1947 partition plan for Palestine, not the 1967 lines, as the basis for the borders of Israel and an Arabstate. 2.8 Cooperation and Conflict in Negotiation Negotiation refers to a process in which conflicting parties work together to formulate an agreement over the disputes affecting them (Rubin Brown, 1975). The process of negotiation assumes that the disputing parties are willing to communicate and to generate offers, counter-offers, or both. Agreement occurs if and only if the offers made are accepted by both of the parties. Negotiation is comprised of several key components like the disputing parties interests, alternatives, process and the negotiated outcomes that are likely to come in the phases of negotiation during preparation, debating and proposing, bargaining and finalising legal aspects and follow-up (Neale Northcraft, 1991). In his research, Morton Deutsch concluded that most conflicts involve a mix of cooperative and competitive motives. His theory of cooperation and competition serves as a guideline to understand conflict processes and resolutions (Deutsch, 2000). Accordingly, a key element to understand this is to find out the goal interdependence between the conflicting parties. It may also be that the goals are negative leading to a win-lose situation. The disputing parties goals being positively interdependent will yield cooperative relationship for a win-win situation. Deutschs research suggests that constructive processes of conflict resolution are similar to cooperative processes of problem solving and the destructive processes of conflict resolution are similar to competitive processes. A friendly gesture tends to suggest cooperative responses and for competitive responses stir up suspicious and domineering attitudes (Deutsch, 2000). The theory of cooperation and competition implies one to understand conflict, the practice of conflict management, and conflict resolution. A cooperative orientation on the part of the disputing parties will tend to facilitate constructive resolution of the conflict. Deutsch highlights that social support is very important to create and maintain such cooperative orientation (Deutsch, 2000). Constructive resolution is more likely to take place when the conflicting parties would be able to reframe their understanding of their goal and conflict. This will help to adhere to norms, values, respect, honesty and seeking common grounds to find resolutions. Additionally, effective conflict management requires skills and knowledge to establish and maintain effective working relationships leading to problem solving and decision making (Deutsch, 2000) 2.9 Irish Pact Is Mixed Model for Middle-East Article: Newsday (1998, April 1) -Washington Near East Institute Author: Robert Satloff The Israelis and Palestinians have to learn a lot from the Northern Ireland peace accord that solved the conflict in 1998. Both had a common legacy of terrorism with thousands victims. The two conflicts are fundamentally different and the solutions reached are very different, too but the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians does have an important lesson for Northern Ireland: The tough part is implementing an agreement, not reaching it. The conflict has involved the threat of war and neighbouring countries fought five wars during the last 50 years and most Arabs insisted that settlement terms would require the dismantling of the Jewish state and sent most Israelis to their country of origin. The nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict has calmed over the past two decades, with Israels signing of peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and this lead to reconciliation with the Palestinians in the Oslo accords. Since Ireland gained its independence, the idea of war between the Irish and the British has been unthinkable. In contrast, few Middle Easterners doubt that the moderation of most, which have come to terms with Israel, is only a function of the balance of power. If the Arabs were stronger, Israel weaker and America indifferent, the chorus of â€Å"throw the Jews into the sea† would almost surely be as popular in official Arab circles as, sadly, it is today. If one is able to convince the Israelis that Arab intentions have changed irrevocably, peace would be at hand. In the Palestinian-Israeli context, this would translate into an expansion of the current bilateral negotiation into a trilateral process that includes Jordan, which ruled the West Bank before Israel. Indeed, there is general recognition in the region that while there may be a bilateral contractual solution for the West Bank, there will, in the end, be a trilateral arrangement governing many of its political, economic and military aspects. â€Å"An equally important lesson is dont ever try to dictate terms of an agreement† (President Clinton, 1998). As history has shown, American engagement in diplomacy is necessary for its success, but not sufficient. The Israelis and Palestinians dont need a distinguished ex-senator such as George Mitchell to help them achieve their own solution; they already made their own deal, without direct U.S. assistance, at Oslo. Therefore, to further research on how the Israeli Palestinian conflict can be solved through effective communication, there is a need to adopt a new approach that of using effective communication. In this regards, there is a need to provide solutions to the exiting on-going problems that lead to peace agreements and where two people can live side by side in harmony, strategic cooperation and trust without being affected by extremist ideologies that would ruin the peace prospect. University of Technology, Mauritius The Ancient Kingdom of Judah of the Israelite A letter issued to Lord Rothschild by the Zionist Movement of Great Britain The uprising of the Palestinians against Israelis through waves of Violence Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles A conference held in 2007 to produce a substantive document on resolving theIsraeli-Palestinian conflictalong the lines of President George W. BushsRoadmap For Peace

Unprincipled Ambition in Shakespeares Macbeth :: Free Macbeth Essays

Unprincipled Ambition in Macbeth      Ã‚   The Bard of Avon saturates the pages of the tragedy Macbeth with ugly feelings of ambition - unprincipled ambition which is ready to kill for itself. Let's thoroughly search out the major instances of ambitious behavior by the husband-wife team.    Samuel Johnson in The Plays of Shakespeare explains the place of ambition in this tragedy:    The danger of ambition is well described; and I know not whether it may not be said in defence of some parts which now seem improbable, that, in Shakespeare's time, it was necessary to warn credulity against vain and illusive predictions. The passions are directed to their true end. Lady Macbeth is merely detested; and though the courage of Macbeth preserves some esteem, yet every reader rejoices at his fall. (133)       Blanche Coles states in Shakespeare's Four Giants that the protagonist's ambition was not the usual narrow, personal ambition:    He has admitted to a vaulting ambition. We have no other evidence of personal ambition except, possibly, his own word in this speech. Onrushing events crowd the thought out of his mind and out of our view. We do have ample evidence of his ambition for his family, ambition for a son who might succeed him. [. . .] We think normally of ambition as a personal thing, but it is not always so. Macbeth's stupendous imagination, as revealed later in the play, gives him a breadth of vision altogether out of keeping with a narrow, personal ambition. (50-51)    In "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth," Sarah Siddons mentions the ambition of Lady Macbeth and its effect:    [Re "I have given suck" (1.7.54ff.)] Even here, horrific as she is, she shews herself made by ambition, but not by nature, a perfectly savage creature. The very use of such a tender allusion in the midst of her dreadful language, persuades one unequivocally that she has really felt the maternal yearnings of a mother towards her babe, and that she considered this action the most enormous that ever required the strength of human nerves for its perpetration. Her language to Macbeth is the most potently eloquent that guilt could use.   (56)    Clark and Wright in their Introduction to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare interpret the main theme of the play as intertwining with evil and ambition:   

Newborn Dried Blood Spot Screening (NBS) Essay -- Newborn screening p

Introduction Newborn Dried Blood Spot Screening (NBS) is the most widespread application of screening technology to identify infants with certain genetic, metabolic, and endocrine disorders. Several drops of blood are taken from the baby’s heel and placed on a ï ¬ lter paper card. Many countries are considering the expansion of their new- born bloodspot screening programs. As a public health intervention, NBS has greatly improved the lives of thousands of affected children. Yet despite the fact that newborn screening has saved the lives of thousands of children and help many more from lasting disability, previous experience has shown that screening can be costly and cause a-dverse psychological effects, such as anxiety, stress, guilt, social stigma, reduced self-esteem, and social, insurance and employment discrimination. Specifically concerning children, a request for screening creates legal concerns and raises ethical questions for the health care provider. In this review, we highligh t the major ethical and social challenges currently facing each facet of newborn screening. Background : Newborn screening (NBS) tests have been designed to identify infants with severe disorders that are relatively prevalent and treatable (or controllable) and it consists of taking a few drops of blood from a baby’s heel in the first week of life and testing it for a list of disorders. Newborn screening began In the United States and most countries in Europe in the 1960s and 1970s after Dr. Robert Guthrie developed a simple blood test for phenylketonuria (PKU) ( Baily & H. Murray, 2008). PKU leads to mental retardation, but can be effectively treated by early detection and continued adherence to a special diet. Until the late 1990s, screeni... ...creening for early detection of disease, the need for evidence. Clin Chim Acta. 315, 5-15 Miller. F, Robert. J, Z. Hayeems. R (2009), Genetic& ethics, Questioning the Consensus: Managing Carrier Status Results Generated Newborn Screening, American Journal of Public Health, 99,210-215 Rothwell. E, A. Anderson. R, J. Burbank. M, J. Goldenberg. A, Lewis. M, Stark. A, Wong. B, R. Botkin. B (2011). Concerns of Newborn Blood Screening Advisory Committee Members Regarding Storage and Use of Residual Newborn Screening Blood Spots, American Journal of Public Health, 101, 2111-2116 Tarini. B, Goldenberg.A (2014), Ethical Issues with Newborn Screening in the Genomics Era. Ethics of Newborn Screening, 1 , 381-393. Vanderburg. S, Verwei.M (2012), Maintaining Trust in Newborn Screening : Compliance and Informed Consent in the Netherlands, Hastings Center Report, 41-47.

Essay --

Slaughter house 5 by Kurt Vonnegut is the story of Billy Pilgrim a soldier in WWII that time travels. At the beginning of the story In Slaughterhouse 5 the frequent use of time travel is Billy Pilgrim’s way of coping with the regrets, and reliving the accomplishments of his life Billy has many regrets in the story but there are 3 regrets that really trouble him a lot. The first is the death of Ronald Weary. Billy is in a huge battle and falls next to a tree where Weary helps him only to receive credit for the rescue. When Weary arrives the Germans spot them and they become prisoners of war they are put on a train and sent to a prison. While Weary is on the train he develops a deadly disease in his foot which consequently kills him. â€Å"There was death on the ninth day in the car ahead of Billy’s too. Ronald weary died of gangrene that had started in his mangles feet. So it goes. Weary in his nearly continuous delirium told of the three musketeers acknowledged that he was dying, gave many messages to be delivered to his family in Pittsburg. Above all, he wanted to be avenged, so he said again and again the name of the person who had killed him. Everyone on the car learned the lesson well. Who killed me he would ask. And everybody knew the answer whi ch was this Billy Pilgrim.† The next thing Billy regrets is going on an airplane that is headed to an optometry convention. He knows it is going to crash because of his ability to time travel yet, he still gets on the plane so he doesn’t make a fool out of himself. He survives the plane crash and wakes up in the hospital. â€Å"Billy pilgrim got on a chartered airplane 25 years after that. He knew it was going to crash but he didn’t want to make a fool of himself by saying so.† After the plane ... ... Traflamadorian philosophy he realizes that time travel to cope with his feelings is not a viable solution. The traflamadorians taught him that there is nothing he can to prevent change or alter the future in anyway because from the beginning the moment was is and always will be struvtured that way. Before he went to traflamadore Billy was time travaling quite frequently to try and cope with regrets and relive accomplishments to see if he could have done anything differently in any of the situations he found himself in. Billy seemed to kill himself over what he could and could not have done. After the experience on traflamadore Billy didn’t time travel as much and he seemed to be at peace with the world and his fate. So it is evident that the frequent use of time travel is Billy Pilgrim’s way of coping with the regrets, and reliving the accomplishments of his life.

The effects of violence video games

The research topic that we have chose is violence video game on teenagers. The reason of this research is conducted is because teenagers spend a great deal of time with violent video games at exactly the ages that they should be learning healthy ways to relate to other people and to resolve conflicts peacefully. Because video games are such good teachers, it is critical to help parents, educators, and policy- makers understand how to maximize their benefits while minimizing potential harms.This research is an academic research and this is to study the effect of teenagers n playing violent video games and to study the impact of violent video games on individuals differently. The question of whether teenagers' participation in violent video games can lead to an increase in violent thoughts, emotions and behaviors, this study will provide this answer are based on statistical comparisons between large groups of teenagers who do or dont play violent video games. RQI : What are the effects of violent video games on Teenagers? RQ2: How do violent video games affect teenagers?RQ3: Are violent video games a negative effect teenagers social skills and interactions ith others? RQ4: How teenagers' participation in violent video games can lead to an increase in violent thoughts, emotions and behaviors? This research will utilize both qualitative and quantitative research tools. The purposes of this research is to observe the behaviour and attitude of the teenagers before and after when they spent their time to play the violent video games through observational studies and sample survey. The target audiences that we are researching are teenagers who are age in between in 13 years old to 18 years old.The reason of the audience that we are targeted is because at the age of 13 to 18 years old, teenagers generally spend more time on the video games as compare to some other category group. The media text in this research are video game and specific in violent type of video game. There are two different groups of research sample. The first group are formed by 5 female and 5 male who are teenagers. These group will be tested in experimental room and we are providing them a few genre of video games, example of the games are Call of duty, Grand Thief Auto (GTA) and others.The teenagers will be observed while they are playing the violent video game. The finding will be base on their reaction and behaviour during they play, their temper and attitude as in before playing the game and after playing the game. The second group are 100 people and comprises of 50 male and 50 female, the sampling process will be based on randomly select for 50 people regardless male and female to ensure for the reliability and fairness of the method. The second group will be given them with the questionnaire and the location that we are selected is in the cyber cafe or digital mall.

Jig and Fixture Design

Abstract This paper proposes a design of jigs and fixtures for the mass production manufacturing of Sportsman Race Series aluminum slipper pistons (Probe Industries) that are used in the Chevrolet LS Series V8 engines. The designs of two sets of jig and fixture designs are proposed. The first set (two vee-blocks and a drill bushing) is designed for the process of drilling the wrist pin holes in the piston. The second design (two vee-blocks and a pin locator) is used in the milling of the skirts and lower form of the piston.The designs use principles of manufacturing facilities design, research on manufacturing practices and 3D modeling software (Catia) in order to optimize quality (accuracy), costs and productivity in the manufacture of such pistons. 1. Introduction 1. 1 The Piston An important mechanical component of an internal combustion engine, the piston is basically a solid part in an airtight cylinder that moves under the pressure of a fluid and transfers the force of the expa nding gas to a crankshaft through a connecting rod (The American Heritage, 2005). Pistons typically consist of a few main features.Pistons are cylindrical. The top part of the piston that comes into contact with the expanding gas is the crown. All pistons have a wrist pin hole to contain a steel wrist pin that attaches the piston to a rod that is connected to the crankshaft. The skirt of the piston is the end opposite the crown and is often milled in the sides to reduce weight. 1. 2 Selected Component (Chevrolet LS Series V8 Piston) The specific component chosen for the design project is the Sportsman Race Series aluminum slipper piston (Probe Industries) used in the Chevrolet LS Series V8 engine.The high-speed nature of a V8 engine requires pistons to have reduced weight to improve engine balancing. Unlike older pistons that were made with cast iron, this piston is made with forged aluminum alloy to reduce its weight as well as improve fatigue life. Furthermore, this specific pisto n is a slipper piston with a length of only half its diameter and has some parts milled off in order to reduce size and weight dramatically. 1. 3 Objectives, Scope, and Assumptions The aim of this design project is to design jigs and fixtures for the mass production of the aluminum slipper piston used in the Chevrolet LS Series V8 engine.The scope of the design project is limited to designing jigs and fixtures for the only two processes in the manufacture of such pistons that require jigs and fixtures, specifically the drilling of the wrist pin holes and the milling of the skirts and lower form of the piston. The design project does not account for the exact design, accuracy or efficiency of the drilling and milling machines. The strength and hardness of the materials are not considered. The time and motion in between the processes are not measured for optimization. 2. Manufacturing the Component 2. 1 Component DesignThe exact specifications and design of the piston for the Chevrole t LS Series V8 engine were taken from a manufacturer of such pistons, Probe Industries. The bore (diameter) of the piston is 4 inches and the height is 2 inches. The wrist pin hole is 0. 927 inches in diameter and centered at 1. 155 inches below the crown. The wrist pin length is 2. 5 inches, meaning that the skirt below the oil grooves is milled at each end of the wrist pin hole up to 1. 25 inches away from the center of the cylinder (Probe Industries, 2012). These dimensions are important in the milling and drilling processes in the manufacture of the piston.The image below shows the rest of the dimensions and the tolerances (calculations shown later). 2. 2 Machining Processes in Manufacture of Component After forging a solid aluminum slug into the basic shape of the piston with the desired strength and stability, the component undergoes several machining processes. The first machining process involves using a lathe or a CNC turning machine to make the base, cut out oil rings or g rooves, and drill oil holes. The second process is to drill a large hole on one side of the piston through to the other. This (wrist pin hole) is where the wrist pin is placed to attach the piston to the connecting rod.The third process is to use a milling machine to shave off material at the sides where the wrist pin hole was drilled in order to reduce the weight of the piston. The fourth machining process involves finishing with a lathe machine, wherein the crown is made into its final shape, the bottom edges of the skirt are shaped, and slots/engravings are made. 3. 3 Machining Processes Requiring Jigs and Fixtures The only processes that require jigs and fixtures are the second and third machining processes, the drilling process and milling process. The first and the fourth process use CNC turning/lathe machines and they require no jigs or fixtures.The process of drilling the wrist pin hole however requires a bushing to locate the point in the cylinder that needs to be drilled a s well as a lower vee-block (with a locator at on end) and an upper vee-block (with the bushing and a pin/screw connecting to the lower vee-block) to hold the cylinder. The process of milling requires a lower vee-block as well but with a pin that goes through the wrist pin hole to hold the piston in place in the vee-block. A second, upper vee-block is used to guide the milling machine. The upper and the lower vee-block are referenced to each other with pins. 3.Functional Analysis of Jigs and Fixtures 3. 1 Drilling Process For the drilling process, a vee-block fixture is required to hold and support the cylindrical component. The design of the vee-block includes a locator at the end of the cylinder to keep the piece from moving and to help put the cylinder/piston in the right position. To drill the hole, a bushing is required to guide the drilling machine. The bushing goes through an upside-down vee-block that is put in location by pins connecting it to the lower vee-block. Bushing f or Jig Assembly: Vee-Block for Jig Assembly: Drilling Jig Assembly:Drilling Fixture Assembly (Vee-Block): Drilling Process Jig and Fixture Assembly: 3. 2 Milling Process For the milling process, the piston must be held in the right position and orientation. A vee-block is again used to support the cylindrical piston. And a locating pin is placed in the center of the vee-block at an exact location along it in order to put the piston in the right position along the vee-block and at the right orientation (hole facing upwards) for the milling to be correct (since only the sides with the holes must be milled and only exactly below the oil rings).A thin upside-down vee-block is strapped on to the top of the cylinder and connected to the lower vee-block at an exact location (using pins or screws) in order to hold the piston in place and to keep the milling machine from milling into the oil rings. To mill the other side, the piston is simply turned over and fitted into the locator from the newly milled side. Milling Process Jig (Vee-Block): Milling Process Fixture (Vee-Block and Locating Pin): Milling Process Jig and Fixture Assembly: 4. Tolerance Calculation 4. 1 Tolerance Calculation of Jig and Fixture for Drilling Process To compute or the tolerance of the upper jig of the drilling process, the tolerances of the left and right locating pins and pin holes are computed first. The tolerances and the clearances must be just enough so that both locating pins can fit in the pin holes (in all cases including largest and smallest size of one or both pins and of one or both holes). It should be noted that the worst possible scenario is that on one side of the jig, the hole is the maximum size and the pin is the minimum size while on the other side, the hole is the minimum size and the pin is the maximum size. Given that the diameter of each pin hole in the jig is 12. mm (or 0. 5 inches); the tolerance chosen for this is plus/minus 0. 01 mm (leading to a range of 12. 69-12. 71 mm for the diameter of the hole). A clearance of 0. 05 mm is chosen, causing the largest diameter for the locating pin to be 12. 64 mm. The tolerance chosen for the locating pin is plus/minus 0. 005 mm (leading to a range of 12. 635-12. 645 mm for the diameter of the pin). In the worst case scenario, on one side, the maximum hole size would be 12. 71 mm while the minimum pin size would be 12. 635 mm (leading to a potential gap of 0. 075 mm and a left or right shift of 0. 0375 mm).In the worst case scenario for locating pins where one side has a maximum hole of 12. 71 mm and a minimum pin of 12. 635 mm and the other side of the jig has a minimum hole of 12. 69 mm and a maximum pin of 12. 645 mm, the maximum shift of 0. 0375 mm on either side would still allow the larger pin to fit in the smaller hole since there would still be a gap of 0. 0075 mm (12. 69 – 0. 0375 – 12. 645 = 0. 0075). Since the bushing is screwed on tight into the jig, there is no clearance between the bushing and the jig and thus no need to differentiate between the two pieces in terms of tolerance.The tolerances of the pins and pin holes would cause variation in the position of the drill. The worst case scenario would be if on any side, the pin hole is of maximum size (12. 71 mm) and the locating pin is of minimum diameter (12. 635 mm) leading to a potential gap of 0. 075 mm and a left or right shift of 0. 0375 mm. This shift would cause the drill (center of bushing hole) to move 0. 0375 mm in any direction from the center of the jig, and thus the final wrist pin hole would be plus/minus 0. 0375 mm from the center of the final product (50. 7625 – 50. 8375 mm from the side of the piston and 29. 025 – 29. 3775 mm from the top of the piston). This is within the product specification wherein the tolerance is plus/minus 0. 05 mm (50. 75 – 50. 85 mm from the side of the piston and 29. 29 – 29. 39 mm from the top of the piston). The positions of the loca ting pins and pin holes for the upper and lower vee-block have a tolerance of 0. 005 mm on any direction and thus cause the position of the drilled hole to be between 29. 335-29. 345 mm from the top of the piston and between 50. 795-50. 805 mm from the side of the piston (still within product specifications).The locator on the lower fixture as well as the back plate each has a tolerance of 0. 005 mm combining into a worst case shift of 0. 01 mm and would cause the position of the drill to be between 29. 33-29. 35 mm from the top of the piston (still within product specifications). All the other tolerances of the drilling assembly have no effect. 4. 2 Tolerance Calculation of Jig and Fixture for Milling Process For the milling process, the holes in the upper and lower vee-blocks for the pins that locate the upper vee-block are exactly the same as in the upper jig for the drilling process.Thus the tolerances are the same (0. 01 mm hole tolerance, 0. 05 mm clearance, and 0. 005 mm loca ting pin tolerance) and so is the worst case scenario (shift of 0. 0375 mm). Since the upper vee-block guides the milling machine with a feeler gauge of 0. 01 mm, the worst case scenario would mean that the milled section is either 0. 0375 mm too high or too low on the piston (16. 7625 – 16. 8375 mm from the top of the piston). This is within the product specification wherein the tolerance is plus/minus 0. 05 mm (16. 75 – 16. 85 mm from the top of the piston).As of the lower fixture for the milling process, the symmetrical vee-block allows the cylindrical component to remain centered without rolling even when the size of the component or the fixture varies, thus eliminating the need to set tolerances. However, the tolerance must be calculated for the locating pin that goes through the wrist pin hole since a gap here would cause milling area to move up or down from the top of the piston. The hole that was previously drilled with a diameter of 23. 55 mm is assumed to hav e a tolerance of 0. 01 mm from the drilling process.A clearance of 0. 05 mm is chosen. And the locating pin has a tolerance of 0. 005 mm, thus ranging in size from 23. 49 – 23. 5 mm. In the worst case scenario of a hole with a maximum of 23. 56 mm and a locating pin with a minimum of 23. 49 mm, the potential gap would be 0. 07 mm or a shift of 0. 035 mm up or down the cylinder. This would lead the milling machine to start milling at a point between 16. 765 – 16. 835 mm from the top of the piston. This is within product specification wherein the tolerance is plus/minus 0. 05 mm (16. 75 – 16. 85 mm from the top of the piston).The locations of all the holes and locating pins should have a tolerance of 0. 005 on any direction in order to keep within product specifications. 5. Clamp Selection and Force Calculation For the drilling process, strap clamps are applied on the fixture by using a pair of socket head cap screws on the two sides of the upside-down vee-block. The two socket head cap screws locate the upper vee-block and clamp it to the lower vee-block when holding the work piece piston in place. The diameter of the holes on lower vee-block for screw is 12. 7 mm, thus M12 size socket head cap screws are selected for clamping.The tool force direction of drilling is downward and it has a tool rotation. The strap clamps fasten the upside-down vee-block and the lower vee-block preventing the cylinder from rotational motion and horizontal motion. The tool force can be taken advantage of clamping down the work piece cylinder. According to Spaenaur (2012), the tightening torque of a screw is the product of torque-friction coefficient, nominal screw diameter, and clamping load (T = KDP). The Table 1 has shown that the M12 socket head cap screw has a minimum tensile strength of 160000 pound per inch, and its material is High Carbon Quenched Tempered.In addition, it has a production torque of 125 pound. feet.. Then search this torque data in the re lated Table 2, the clamping force is approximately 13395 pound. For the milling process, the strap clamps are applied by a pair of socket set screws on the two sides of the thin upside-down vee-block. The two socket set screws locate the upper vee-block and clamp it to the lower vee-block when holding the work piece piston in place. The diameter of the holes on lower vee-block for screw is 12. 7 mm, thus M12 size socket set screws are selected for clamping.The table 1 has shown that M12 socket set screw has a minimum tensile strength of 212000 pound per inch, and its material is also High Carbon Quenched Tempered. It has a production torque of 43 pound. feet.. It can be seen in the related table, the clamping force is approximately 4286 pound. For a drilling machine, Pirtini and Lazoglu (2005) has proved that the pressure over the work piece as the cutter moving down into the work piece with same federate remains a constant value, and additional tests have been suggested that the co nstant pressure P(f) (MPa) can be described as a function of feed rate (f) (mm/min).P (f) = 1. 5364f – 103. 06. If the feed rate of the drilling machine is 198 mm/min, then the pressure is 201. 14 MPa. The equation to calculating cutting force is F= P * A. where F is the net force between the measured force and predicted thrust force due to cutting in the thrust direction and A is the contacting area of the cutter at an instant. The force is about 87 kN with the 23. 55 mm diameter drilling hole. For milling machine, we take the piston as an example: Width of cut = 79. 3mm = 3. 122 inch Depth of cut = 19 mm = 0. 748 inch Feed rate = 19. 5 inch/min K† factor =1. 56 MRR = depth of cut x width of cut x feed rate MRR = 3. 122 x 0. 748 x 19. 5 = 45. 54 inch? /min A formula for calculating horsepower (HPC) of the milling cutter is HPC = MRR/K HPC = 45. 54 / 1. 56 = 29. 19 hp The formulas above are from the article ‘A New Milling 101: Milling Forces and Formulas’ ( Brian Hamil, 2011). One metric horsepower can be defined as the power to raise a mass of 75 kilograms against the earth's gravitational force over a distance of one meter in one second. It can be calculated that the tool force is about 21 kN. . Cost Calculation Operation| Part| Rough Volume (m? )| Drilling| Lower vee-block| 0. 00095| | Upper upside-down vee-block| 0. 00051| Milling| Lower vee-block| 0. 00082| | Thin upside-down vee-block| 0. 00023| Total Volume| | 0. 00251| Density = 7225 kg/m? Mass = 18. 13 kg = 39. 97 pound Iron Materials| Casting process| Cast iron cost (USD/lb) without machining| Machining cost(USD/lb)| Gray iron| Green sand| 0. 58 to 0. 61| 0. 07 to 0. 14| | Resin sand| 0. 65 to 0. 69| 0. 07 to 0. 14| | Shell molding| 0. 72 to 0. 76| 0. 07 to 0. 14|Ductile iron| Green sand| 0. 64 to 0. 67| 0. 07 to 0. 14| | Resin sand| 0. 71 to 0. 74| 0. 07 to 0. 14| | Shell molding| 0. 75 to 0. 79| 0. 07 to 0. 14| Gray iron with shell molding machining process is selected for the fixture. Then the total cost for the 4 vee-blocks can be calculated: (0. 74 + 0. 10) x 39. 97 = 35. 57 USD = 32. 81 AUD Items| Description| Quantity| Total Cost (AUD)| Vee-block| –| 4| 32. 81| Socket head cap screw| M12 x 60 High Tensile| 2| 5. 49| Socket set screw| M12 X 60 Grade 14. 9| 2| 3. 13| Bushing| 79 Honda CBX Bronze Swing Arm| 1| 22. 4| Locating pin| 23. 5 mm diameter| 1| 18. 87| Total Cost| | | 83. 24| Thus the total cost for our design is approximately 83. 24 AUD. It should be noted that the selling price of the final product ranges between 100-200 AUD. 7. Conclusion It can thus be concluded that in the manufacture of Sportsman Race Series aluminum slipper pistons (Probe Industries) for Chevrolet LS Series V8 engines, jig and fixture assemblies can be used for the two machining processes (drilling the wrist pin hole and milling the bottom form of the piston).The jigs and fixtures designed were basically assemblies of Vee-Blocks with a bushing for the drilling process and another assembly with a locating pin through the wrist pin hole for the milling process. The tolerances were designed in order to not exceed the tolerances in the product specifications. The clamp forces were found to be sufficient and the cost of the jig and fixture is very small compared to the profit made from the final product. The design furthermore is very simple and is thus easily modified to be integrated in a fast-moving assembly line. Therefore it can be concluded that the jig and fixture designs are appropriate. . References Hamil, B. (2011) ‘A New Milling 101: Milling Forces and Formulas’ http://www. mmsonline. com/articles/a-new-milling-101-milling-forces-and-formulas. Pirtini, M. & Lazoglu, I. (2005) Forces and hole quality in drilling International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 45 (2005) 1271–1281. Spaenaur (2012) ‘Suggested Tightening Torque1 Values to Produce Corresponding Bolt Clamping Loads’. http://www. spaena ur. com/pdf/sectionD/D48. pdf 9. Appendix Table 1 http://www. torqwrench. com/Info/fasteners. php Table 2 http://www. torqwrench. com/Info/fasteners. php

Data Collection Method

the researcher used Quantitative data collection methods. Using qualitative data collection method, it rely on random sampling and structured data collection instruments that fit diverse experiences into predetermined response categories. They produce results that are easy to summarize, compare, and generalize. Quantitative research is concerned with testing hypotheses derived from theory and/or being able to estimate the size of a phenomenon of interest. Depending on the research question, participants may be randomly assigned to different treatments.If this is not feasible, the researcher may collect data on participant and situational characteristics in order to statistically control for their influence on the dependent, or outcome, variable. If the intent is to generalize from the research participants to a larger population, the researcher will employ probability sampling to select participants. From this research, the researcher used questionnaires and surveying technique in co llecting data. In the surveying techniques, it involves direct questioning of respondents about price.The researcher can choose whether to present the respondent with a range of possible prices, or force a response with no point of reference other than the concept and the question. While, for the questionnaires, researcher used the Web based questionnaire and structured questionnaire. By using web based questionnaire, it is the use of Internet based research. This would mean receiving an e-mail on which would click on an address that would take to a secure web-site to fill in a questionnaire. This type of research is often quicker and less detailed.People might be in a hurry to complete it and so might not give accurate responses. In this research ,researcher used of 2500 questionnaires mailed. While, for the Structured questionnaire, it is the structure of the individual questions requires respondents to qualify their price based on an implied assumption about quality. The structur e of the individual questions also was designed to capture consumers’ willingness to pay more for the five common wood products, given environmental certification.Respondents were given a non-certified price for each of the five products and asked to identify the price they were willing to pay for an environmentally certified product. DATA ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES Researcher have analyzed their data using data analysis techniques. Data analysis techniques that stated in this research includes, factor analysis, correlation, ANOVA, Chi Square, and descriptive statistics. Factor analysis( maximum likelihood with varimax rotation) was conducted on 20 items. This resulted in a reduction to five underlying factors.The factors were subjected to scale testing with resulting Cronbach alpas ranging from 0. 62 ( involvement in Certification) to 0. 90(importance of Certification). Correlation analysis . Correlation analysis is used by the researcher to test the relationship between factored. All hypothesized relationships were found to be significant and all but one was found to be directionally as hypothesized. Price was found to be positively correlated to consumer willingness to pay for certified wood products, the inference being that consumers perceive incremental value in certified products.ANOVA . Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is a data analytic technique based on the idea of comparing explained variance with unexplained variance, kind of like a comparison of the coefficient of determination with the coefficient of alienation. It uses a rather unique computational formula which involves squaring almost every column of numbers. ANOVA techniques was used to test the hypotheses of no difference between the cluster means in this research. Chi square.In this research, researcher used chi square. A technique designed for less than interval level data is chi-square and the most common forms of it are the chi-square test for contingency and the chi-square test for indepen dence. The chi-square test for contingency is interpreted as a strength of association measure, while the chi-square test for independence (which requires two samples) is a nonparametric test of significance that essentially rules out as much sampling error and chance as possible.In this research it used chi square for the purpose of compared consumer segments on selected demographic characteristics. The consumer segments compared on selected demographic characteristics includes democrat, and environmental group member. Descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistic used in this research to measures of central tendency of mean. Examples include descriptive analysis of age, gender, education level, income level, republican , political view, democrat and environmental group member.

Kinh Do Bakery

Executive summary This report was aimed at analyzing current issues in the organizational environment of KDC and providing recommendation for the company to improve its performance regarding environment. The analysis focuses on the external environment of KDC. Overall, KDC has a quite favorable external environment to a certain extent to make out the most of it. However, each of the factors in its external environment have good and bad effects on its outcome, realizing and understanding all of which can help the corporation to exploit the most from the environment and avoid mistakes reducing its achievements.External environment is divided into general and specific factors. In the general environment, economics is enduring massive fluctuations, making customers cut down expenditure and turn to economically efficient products. The political condition in Vietnam is stable, appropriating for applying in a long time. Whereas, the life styles of people are under a considerable change, the y adopt time- saving meals, which is an opportunity for instant foods of KDC. Nevertheless, the instant foods are also proved not to be so good for health.Finally, beside a potential domestic market, which possesses an ideal population structure, as Vietnam joined in WTO, it comes a chance of extending KDC’s market into the world. In the specific environment, because of the significant drop in people’s income comparing to real value of commodity, the purchasing power of customers decreases. The widespread of fake and low quality goods turns out to be an opportunity for KDC as people trust in established organizations.Regard the potentiality of confectionery industry development in Vietnam, it is easy to understand the vast number of KDC’s rivalries in the market, and despite the leading role of KDC, the others have their own considerably outstanding strengths. KDC has a wide variety of suppliers both from domestic and abroad, which bring not only benefits but al so disadvantages due to the differences in price and the distance to deliver. Finally, pressure groups always react in case of wrongdoings.With a view to solve the problems and exploit the market, KDC should cut down the price, diversify the products, build development and extend plans. They also should consider more about the responsiveness to the consumers and society I. Introduction KD is a big corporation which is the combination of many subsidiaries and each of which has the specialized production. However, when it comes to the brand name of KDC, people often associate it with the confectionary production, which is under implement of Kinh Do Bakery.Established in 1993, after 19 years of development, this company has become the leading one in the food industry. KDC is considered to be one of the well-known joint- stock company which is not only dominating in the market of Vietnam but also expanding to the international scope. In the recent years, though the economic recession ha s put a lot of pressure on the well-being of many companies, KDC still has the good performance and even make the incredibly high profit in the stock market of Vietnam.The annual report of KDC reveals that in 2011, the revenue increased by 32% and on average every SBU achieved the growth level of 2 digits. As food processing is the main production activities and also the base for the development of the whole group, the annual turnover from this section strikingly accounts for nearly 90% of the total revenue for the corporation. The customer that KDC targets at is the Vietnamese one especially children because normally, the confectionary good is more preferred by this group than the adults.Therefore, what the company is producing and providing to the market is of various kinds including candies, cakes, soft drinks, ice cream and other product made from milk. In addition, they have the desire for bringing their products to the world market to consolidate their position and get more pr ofit. No matter what strategic goal that KDC aims at, they always consistently follow the mission of the company which providing customers with the safe, delicious and nutritious products and trying to meet the changing their needs to fulfill the dream of making life better day by day.By that way, KDC can maintain its long-established reputation in the food industry as well as sustainable and non-stop development in the future. II. External environment analysis of KDC 1. General environment like any other organizations KDC is affected by its general environment which includes economic, political , sociocultural, demographic, technological and global conditions. 2. 1 Economic conditions Recently, Vietnam’s economy has been undergoing massive fluctuations which have affected almost companies including KDC.First of all, the years ranging from 2008 up until now, the issues of escalating inflation and high interest rate have posed numerous threats to businesses (Tu 2011). It is un doubted that those components of the economy have changed spending behaviors of customers, who may cut down their expenditures on luxuries as well as become more critical about what to buy and how much to buy. This may be a real challenge for KDC since the corporation is well known for high quality and costly products. 2. 2 Political/ legal conditionsThere is no doubt that political and legal situation of each nation always exerts profound effects on its business performance. In terms of politics, it is widely accepted that political environment in Vietnam is relatively stable, which gives KDC an opportunity to apply its development policies in a longer time frame without having to follow various political institutions. Concerning legal aspect, Vietnam Government provides and enforces Business Law by which an organization operates. For instance, in May1st, 2012 the Tuotre. vn reported that Vietnam Government passed through the Law which required higher minimum salary.Consequently, K DC had to spend more on salary for its employees. Hence, legal environment in Vietnam not only brings about advantages to a confectionary producing firm like KD but also creates barriers to the expansion and development of the corporation. 2. 3 Sociocultural conditions In recent years, Vietnam’s society and cultures have been experiencing considerable changes, which brings about the change in consumers’ life styles. One of which is adopting time saving meals instead of traditional ones, which is beneficial for instant foods industry- the major of KDC.This can be regarded as a big opportunity for all the businesses which manufacture instant food like KDC. Meanwhile, there is also another dominant trend in today’s society which to some extent may affect KDC. That is the shift in the Vietnamese perception in the importance of health in their lives. Thus, it is trendy now that more and more people put much emphasis on food hygene and safety when making choices of fo od. It means that they are tending to consume the products which are rooted in long-established and well-known brands.This is undeniably an obvious advantage to KDC which is by far top-of-mind company in Vietnam food industry. However, it is also posing challenges for KDC considering the confectionary sector. It is universally known that the products such as candies, cream cakes and so on are among the major causes of obesism, which may lead to cardiovascular diseases and other serious problems (Bang 2011). As a result, people in modern culture with educational improvements have been gradually changing their tastes to adjust to products which contain low fat and cholesterol intake.This would be a big issue for KDC which operates in the field of manufacturing products with high volume of sugar, milk and butter. This is a big challenge for KDC to innovate the ingredients in its products to meet these new requirements from its customers. 2. 4 Demographic conditions As reported in the C IA World Factbook in 2011, Vietnam has an ideal population structure, consisting of more than 90% of youth and mature people within working age. This has contributed to creating a vibrant and potential market for KDC in private and food industry in general.Moreover, this striking pattern in age structure of the country also brings about a significant benefit for KDC, which does business in food manufacturing sector with high demand for labors. 2. 5 Technological conditions It is obvious that technology is a very active element filled with numerous opportunities and threats to enterprises. First of all, as widely accepted, the introduction of modern technology helps simplify a variety of complicated and time-consuming manufacturing processes, contributing to optimizing efficiency and improving profits for many firms.However, in Vietnam, it seems to be an immense challenge since there is a shortage of qualified staffs to meet the new requirements of knowledge economy such in-depth und erstanding of advancements in science and technology. In addition, our country also ranks behind many other countries in the world in the field of technological applications as well as transferring. According to the Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF) published in recent years concerning technology indicators, the order of our country is 92 out of 117 hile that of Thailand is 43. Hence, it can be concluded that this would an immense challenge for KDC to cope with technological issues today given the explosion of newly emerging technologies, which has and has been making existing ones become quickly obsolete and need innovating much more frequently than ever. 2. 6 Global conditions As reported in the VTC news, Vietnam has officially become a member of the World Trade Organization-WTO. This has marked an important turning point in the country’s development in all aspects.In terms of economy, joining the WTO has given domestic enterprises an opportunity to integrate into th e global economy, expanding their scope of market. Nevertheless, it may also pose threats to many firms as it would attract more and more foreign investment into the country, creating harsh competition in domestic economy. KDC may also be put under this threat unless it could reinforce its outstanding position in customers’ mind. In addition, the opening of the country’s economy to the global one also means that our economy will be influenced by fluctuations in other economies.In recent years, the whole world has been suffering a long period of economic downturn, which has resulted in a dramatic decrease in purchasing power even in developed countries. Thus, not only KDC but also numerous enterprises all over the world would have to address this problem to gain an outstanding position in the gloomy picture of global economy. 2. Specific environment 3. 7 Customer According to Stephen P. Robbins and Mary Coulter, the specific environment is the external factors directly affecting managers’ decisions and actions and is of the most relevant components to the achievement of the organization’s goals (Robbins2009, p. 8). As specific environment is unique to each organization, it is worth analyzing the specific environment of KDC to find out its opportunities and threats. Customers seem to be first mentioned as an organization’s existence is for their demands. Consequently, this is the objective that organizations have to satisfy initially. Naturally, customers always want to buy goods at the lowest price and highest quality, which pushes organizations to race in the field of price and product’s quality pressure.It is quite challenging in the case of price pressure as the price of inputs is increasing faster over time whereas the income and purchasing power of consumers are limited. According to the Vietnam economic forum, in 2009, GDP of Vietnam decreased by 51 years in comparison with Indonesia, 95 years with Thailand and 15 8 years in comparison with Singapore (Le Khac 2012). In the article titled â€Å"Moi lo lon: gia ca tang cao thu nhap tang cham† (2007), the author also mentioned about the alarmingly increasing trend of necessary goods including food, which had strong negative impacts on the living standard of people with low income.Despite the increase of production cost, organizations still have to maintain their quality of goods because without it, consumers will reduce their purchase. Especially in the context of fake goods and low quality goods widely spread in the market, the challenge that KDC has to face is not easy. The article â€Å" sua kem chat luong, banh keo qua ‘dat’ tran lan† (2005) reveals that market control forces discovering successively increasingly cases of producing and delivering fake and low quality goods, included products faking KDC’s, which absolutely negatively affects the prestige of the company.However, the number of consumers trustin g in KDC and buying its products always ranks first in comparison with other domestic confectionery companies, showing the advantage of it over the rivals, the total revenue of 4 other largest companies in term of confectionery which are Hai Ha, Huu Nghi, Biscafun and QNS is only equal to 73% of KDC’s (2012). One more problem that the company itself realized is that the bird flu, which affects the quality and price of eggs_ the major ingredients in making KDC’s products, raised the cost of production and reduced the sale of the products (2012). . 8 Competitors Although KDC is the largest confectionery company in Vietnam, it does not mean that it can eternally maintain the current position without caring about other less successful companies and other kinds of competitors. The main current rivalries of KDC are Hai Ha, Huu Nghi, Biscafun and QNS. While KDC focused on the high and medium grade products, others tend to pursue producing the common grade products. And wherea s KDC is the leader in the market share of moon cake, AFC and sweet biscuit, those 4 companies also ave their strong positions in other products: BBC lead in candy market, HHC lead in chew and Jelly market, Huu Nghi well-known for Tet jam and industrial salty bread, which also bring them great profit and still tremendously potential to exploit (2012), from the research, we realize that although the way KDC is following is highly profitable and still grow fast, it may be rather risky when the income of consumers is low and they cannot afford its products in the future, in that case, they can turn to other brands.It also exists the case of consumers changing their tastes, and demand more the products that KDC does not focus to, which can reduce sharply its sale revenue. Additionally, the confectionery industry is one of the most potential industries in Vietnam ( from 2008 to 2012 the production of confectionery increases by 114. 7% per year despite the depression  (2007), so the cha nce of new entrants coming to it and take parts of KDC market share is of high likelihood 3. 9 SuppliersRegardless of however potential the market is, without suppliers, a company cannot perform anything. Suppliers, defined as who provide not only materials and equipment but also financial and labor resource, play a crucial role on the well-being of companies. In the case of KDC, the suppliers of raw materials are determined by its vision and mission. As the quality of products is what factory puts the most emphasis on, KDC has a tendency to coordinating with the partners of high prestige supplying high quality and clearly-rooted materials.The main inputs such as sugar, eggs, flour, admixtures are taken from the domestic market while milk powder and chocolate are from the global one, particularly, France, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. It can be acknowledged as an opportunity of KDC because the materials in the internal market are always available and it just has to deal with negligible carrying cost. Whereas, the wider spread of supplier network over the world market enables KDC to be flexible in ensuring the inputs for production.Along with the opportunities, suppliers also pose a lot of threats to the company in different ways, the first of which is through prices. As announced in the annual report of KDC in 2011, due to the inflation, the firm suffers from dramatically increasing and unstable prices of material together with the rises in salary and utilities expense, which leads to a significant drop in total revenue of KDC. Moreover, as KDC imports some materials from the external market, they are the price takers. Therefore, they will encounter some problems because of the fluctuations in the world prices.Back to the domestic market, the changing prices of inputs, especially sugar is really a pending issue. Not only KDC but also many confectionery producing corporations also get exhausted with the discrepancy between the sugar price at the beginni ng and the end of the harvest. While the price of confectionery does not change by 10 % per year, the sugar price fluctuates by nearly 30% (Hung, cited in thesaigontimes. vn, 2012) What is more, company effectiveness of performance is reduced significantly by supply chain disruption especially in global sourcing.Rob Handfield (2011, p3) points out that the delay in supplying can cut down shareholder value by as much as 10% or even worse in ‘time-sensitive† environments where early market introduction is critical to success. KDC also gets part of its inputs from the external market through shipping so it is impossible to avoid the risk of supply chain disruption, which means a great deal of time and money wasted. 3. 10 Pressure groups. One more factor that a firm often has to bear in mind derives from pressure groups, which are the ones attempting to influence the actions of organization.Every organization has its own pressure groups and as for KDC, the 2 groups that have the role in regulating KDC’s performances are Environmental Protection Group and Customer Right Protection Group. The EPG takes investigation of the treatment to wastes from production activities of KDC to determine whether it does harm to environment or not. If there is any problem, they will reflect it through the medium to force the company to correct it or make some compensation. The CRPG monitors the action of KDC from the step of taking inputs to processing and packaging to ensure it is safe to the health of customers.As the social attitudes change so does the power of pressure groups. In 2008, KDC had been blamed for using milk powder that contains melamine- one toxic substance- to produce cakes. Under the pressure of media, KDC had to carry out a careful test to make sure that the production was absolutely reliable. ( Thao, cited in baomoi. com,2008) | | | | | III. Recommendations In term of specific environment, as confectionery demand is rather elastic due to its e normous number of close substitutes, the lower the price is, the higher the demand is, especially in these dark days of the economy.Hence, it is obvious that KDC should take a set of actions in terms of price to motivate consumers to purchase more such as reducing the price of products, or giving promotions when they buy a certain large amount. Such programs will not only raise the company’s revenue but also make its reputation much more well-known. The marketing work also should be taken into consideration since the current advertising campaign of KDC is not of high effectiveness. Thus to make the quality of its products known and then highly regarded by people, it should promote advertising and marketing strategy.As regard competition, to be more competitive to best exploit the market, it is thought that KDC should research and build development plans, diversifying its products and expanding to other markets, this will both helps KDC to avoid the case of lower revenue due t o the change of consumers’ taste and bring about enormously larger revenue if successful. For the suppliers, the careful analysis over opportunities and threats that supplier chains bring about gives the implications for the company to direct its actions. As for KDC, to minimize the negative impacts of suppliers, it has to face 2 ill-minded questions.The first one is how to reduce the purchasing prices of inputs. To enjoy the low-cost sourcing, it is advised that KDC should make a periodical purchase with extreme amount of materials. By that way, KDC is benefit from the great negotiation power over its partners about the prices. Another question is how to manage the risks from tardy delivery progress. According to Handfield, the most critical action is to develop the supplies chain strategies to detect the problems, assess the negative impacts and also mitigate them.In the case of KDC, they should sign the strict contracts with its partners, forcing them to adhere to the cont racts to ensure about the delivery progress. Moreover, it is better for KDC to make plans of frequently checking the materials left to be active in ensuring the inputs for manufacturing. Besides suppliers, KDC should pay attention to the pressure groups. The only way to get out of the impacts of them is doing things right. In particular, KDC is encouraged to give priority to the customer rights by providing the safe goods to consumers with appropriate prices.Moreover, it is necessary to develop a business plan of manufacturing parallel with protecting environment. It is the way KDC performs its social responsibility. Turning to external forces in the general environment, there is no denying that KDC should take these components into thorough consideration. Concerning opportunities, the firm should understand and take advantage of them to reinforce its competitive advantage over other competitors. For instance, in terms of demography, Vietnam seems to be a dynamic and potential marke t for confectionary products.Therefore, KDC should seek the ways to expand their scope of production as well as diversifying their items to meet new requirements from different customers. Turning to the issues that are generated by the general environment, the firm should stay alert and pay more attention to them if it does not want to be put under serious losses. Specifically, it is obvious that KDC should take into account the fluctuations in the open market as well as changes in the Government rules and regulations to respond quickly and make appropriate adjustments for its strategic management.IV. Conclusion To sum up, it is concluded with no doubt that KDC is doing an extremely good business, which brings about a strikingly high economic profit and also gets the KD’s brand name familiar with the customers in the domestic market as well as the global one. To attain this achievement, beside some internal factors of the company such as the good manager, skillful employees o r great capital, the external environment of KDC also makes a significant contribution.The general factor, which include economic, demographic, technological, social, cultural, political/legal, global, though do not have the direct impacts on the performance of KDC, they still serve as the frame to set the standard for all business activities. On the contrary, KDC is influenced by four specific elements namely customers, suppliers, competitors and pressure groups. They act as the determinants of the success or failure of KDC. Hence, it is required for KDC to carefully understand the opportunities as well as threats that these factors pose on the company to have the right direction for development in the future.REFERENCE ‘Danh sach nha cung c? p nguyen li? u cho Kinh Do. ’ 2011 [online] Available at URL : . http://www. tuhaoviet. vn/index. php/tin-tuc/tieu-diem/199-dac-diem-cua-nganh-banh-keo-viet-nam#. ULFf_4c2aIU. KDC (Accessed on November 24,2012) Hung, 2012, ‘ Nien v? mia du? ng 2012/13 : cu? c chi? n gia c? ’ [online] Available at URL : http://www. thesaigontimes. vn/Home/kinhdoanh/dautu/84914/Nien-vu-mia-duong-2012/13-Cuoc-chien-gia-ca. html. ( Accessed on November 24, 2012) Thao, 2008, ‘ Kinh Do: s? a nguyen li? u khong ch? a melamine’ [online] Available at URL : http://www. baomoi. om/Kinh-Do-sua-nguyen-lieu-khong-chua-melamine/82/2048232. epi ( Accessed on November 25, 2012) Rob Handfield, 2011, ‘Reducing the impact of disruptions to supply chain’ Bang 2011, ‘11 sai l? m d? n d? n beo phi’ [online] Available at URL: http://www. eva. vn/suc-khoe/11-sai-lam-dan-den-beo-phi-c131a64320. html (Accessed on November 24 2012) CIA World Factbook 2012, ‘Vietnam Demographics profile 2012’. [online] Available at URL: http://www. indexmundi. com/vietnam/demographics_profile. html ( Accessed on November 25 2012) Dung 2012, ‘Ngh? d? nh s? 31/2012/ND-CP c? a Chinh ph? : Quy d? h m? c l uong t? i thi? u chung’. [online] Available at URL: http://vanban. chinhphu. vn/portal/page/portal/chinhphu/hethongvanban? class_id=1&_page=1&mode=detail&document_id=157436 (Accessed on November 2012) Khoi 2007, ‘Gia nh? p WTO: Ngay l? ch s? c? a Vi? t Nam’. [online]Available at URL: http://vtc. vn/10-12223/quoc-te/tin-tuc/gia-nhap-wto-ngay-lich-su-cua-viet-nam. htm (Accessed on November 25 2012) Tu 2011, ‘L? m phat va lai su? t tin d? ng’. [online]Available at URL: http://www. baomoi. com/Home/TaiChinh/doanhnhansaigon. vn/Lam-phat-va-lai-suat-tin-dung/7280942. pi (Accessed on November 25, 2012) ‘ Moi lo lon : gia ca tang cao thu nhap tang cham† [online] Available at URL: http://vietbao. vn/Kinh-te/Gia-ca-tang-cao-thu-nhap-tang-cham-Moi-lo-lon/55145690/88/ (Accessed on November 23, 2012) ‘Noi va lam: thu nhap vietnam gia ca quoc te’ [online] Available at URL  : http://vef. vn/2012-04-01-noi-va-lam-thu-nhap-viet-nam-gia-ca-q uoc-te (Accessed on November 23, 2012) ‘Sua kem chat luong, banh keo qua ‘dat’ tran lan’ [ online] Available at URL: http://vietbao. vn/Kinh-te/Sua-kem-chat-luong-banh-keo-qua-dat-tran-lan/20438509/87/ (Accessed on November 22, 2012) So sanh cac doanh nghiep banh keo hang dau vietnam’ [online] Available at URL: http://gafin. vn/20120701021441520p0c36/so-sanh-cac-doanh-nghiep-banh-keo-hang-dau-viet-nam. htm (Accessed on November 23, 2012) ‘Banh keo kinh do/ gioi thieu’ [online] Available at URL: http://www. vinacorp. vn/stock/hose-kdc/banh-keo-kinh-do/gioi-thieu (Accessed on November 19, 2012) ‘Vietnam- thi truong banh keo tiem nang’ [online] Available at URL: http://www. baomoi. com/Viet-Nam–thi-truong-banh-keo-tiem-nang/50/3279233. epi ( Accessed on November 22, 2012)