Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11000 words

Strategic management - Essay Example The corporate culture of an organization is revealed in its client satisfaction, office setup, business hours, employee benefits, dress code, hiring decisions, turnover, treatment of clients, etc. According to Edgar Schein, the organizational culture is viewed as the simple beliefs and assumptions that function unconsciously and shared by members of a company (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, Angwin and Renger, 2013, p.147). The corporate culture has significant influence on the alteration and development of organizational strategies. Schultz and Ravasi stated that corporate culture is a set of collective assumptions that outlines proper behaviour for numerous conditions to guide what is happening within the organizations. The four different layers of organizational culture proposed by Edgar Schein are values, beliefs, behaviours and paradigm (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, Angwin and Renger, 2013, p.152). The corporate culture can affect the manner in which groups and people interact with stakeholders, with clients and with each other. A healthy corporate culture can help to improve the performance of an organization. Furthermore, it can benefit positive reputation, high employee retention and increased productivity. The organizational cultures include government, non-profit, public and private organizations. The company with positive corporate culture can make employees to experience positive attitude and high morale. It is critical for organization to develop implicit rules, clear understandings and core set of assumptions that can be effectively incorporate in the workplace environment. An effective corporate culture can help to lessen human resources costs and retain valuable employees of the organization. Moreover, it is believed that company with healthy corporate culture can increase profits, improve financial health, improve morale and increase productivity. The sustainability of corporate culture and focusing on building is one of the primary

Core Competencies Essay Example for Free

Core Competencies Essay A business or product which generates a sturdy, dependable flow of cash. Dog- a product with low market share in a slow growing market and thus neither generates more consumes large amounts of cash. Star- products that are in high growth markets with a relatively high share of that market. They tend to generate high amounts of income. Question Mark- growing rapidly and thus consumes large amounts of cash but because they have low markets shares they do not generate much cash 2. What are core competences? Core competences are critical capabilities to a business achieving competitive advantage. The starting point for analysing core competences is recognising that competition between businesses is as much a race for competence mastery as it is for market position and market power. Senior management cannot focus on all activities of a business and the competencies required to undertake them. So the goal is for management to focus attention on competencies that really affect competitive advantage. 4 Potential sources of core competences * Distribution * Marketing * Management * Manufacturing 4 criteria used to evaluate core competences * Valuable * Rare * Costly to imitate * Non substitutable 3. What should an audit of resources include? The resources available to a business whether it be owned or obtained through partnerships, joint ventures or simply suppliers arrangement with other businesses. The assessment of the strength and weakness of an organisation in conjunction with an assessment of opportunities and threats. It should have the key success factors for the markets and industries in question and the comparable strengths and weaknesses of competitors for the same customers. 4. What are the strategic options for competing in a Mature Industry? Prune marginal products and models * Emphasize innovation in the value chain Strong focus on cost reduction * Increase sales to present customers * Purchase rivals at bargain prices * Expand internationally * Build new, more flexible competitive capabilities 5. Define the Value System The Value System is the set of interdependent situations within a business which both directly or indirectly adds value to the customer and ultimately generates a net cash inflow. This also provides a key link between competitive strategy and shareholder value. Even though the value system bears some resemblance to Porter’s value chain, the latter is perhaps less flexible and less easily tailored to the variety of the modern business.

Project Report On Head And Shoulders Shampoo Marketing Essay

Project Report On Head And Shoulders Shampoo Marketing Essay INTRODUCTION: Procter Gamble  (PG) is an American  company headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Its products include foods, beverages, cleaning  and  personal care products. In 2011, PG recorded $82.6 billion dollars in sales.  Fortune  magazine ranked PG at fifth place of the Worlds Most Admired Companies list, which was up from sixth place in 2010. Procter Gamble is the only Fortune 500 Company to issue C Share common stock. As of July 1, 2011, the company structure is categorized into two Global Business Units with each one further divided into Business Segments according to the companys 2011 Annual Report. Dimitri Panayotopoulos is Vice Chairman of Global Business Units. The following segment constitutes of PG business: Beauty segment Grooming segment Health Care segment Snacks Pet Care segment Fabric Care Home Care segment Baby Care Family Home Care segment Manufacturing operations are based in the following regions: United Sates of America, Europe, Canada, China (31 wholly owned factories and other part of Asia, Philippines, Africa, Mexico, Australia, Latin America. About the Brand: Head Shoulders  is a  brand  of anti-dandruff  produced by  PG Matt Elliott got Procter Gamble researchers to start making a new anti-dandruff shampoo in 1950. Nearly a decade of research went into making a new formula, which introduced  pyrithione zinc into the shampoo. It was first introduced to the U.S. market in November 1961 as a blue-green shampoo formula. Head Shoulders is the worlds number one anti-dandruff shampoo. A power brand from PG, this brand made it debuted in India in year of 1997. In the highly competitive shampoo market, which is estimated to be worth around Rs.1800 Cr, HS is a major player in the anti-dandruff niche. The entire shampoo market was dominated by HUL with whopping market share of around 46% when the brand was launched in India, the anti-dandruff market was in its nascent stage and dominated by Clinic-All-Clear. The high profile launch of HS fueled the growth of this specialty market. Now anti-dandruff segment constitute around 15% of the shampoo market moreover PG is the global market leader in the retail hair care market with over 20% of the global market share behind Pantene and Head Shoulders. According to PGs annual report of 2011, the Beauty and grooming market share which primarily deals with the beauty segment constitute of % of net sale of 24% and percentage of net earning account to 23% for PG. The prominent brand is Head and Shoulders in this segment. Strategic Planning Models: SWOT analysis of Head Shoulders: Strength Weakness International brand with great brand equity. Only segmented as an anti-dandruff shampoo whereas the competitor has wide range of shampoos with different features. Strong financial position in market. Mostly perceived as a harsh shampoo. Brand loyalty. Less emphasis on other new research based ingredients and formulas. High quality Services. More specific to male gender. Availability of products in different demographics areas, pricing and market good-will. Large network for distribution. Opportunities Threat With the inclusion of FDI policy, PG can revive its brand equity. Inflation in Indian economy. Expansion of market aimed towards all age groups, including middle aged women which has significant market share. High competitive market with new entrants like Loreal and Dove in shampoo segment. Have a great opportunity in new developing areas of India. BCG matrix of Head Shoulders: BCG matrix stands for Boston consulting group. This is also known as Growth-Share matrix. This matrix helps us to classify a business of a company in four categories namely- Star, Question mark, Cash Cows and Dogs. The details of each are given as follows: Stars: This tiles represents the high growth rate and high market share i.e. the business is leader in its area. Cash Cows: This tile represents high relative market share and low market growth rate. Question mark: Here the growth rate is high but the market share is relatively low. Dogs: This is segment where the growth rate is slow and has low market share as in the business is lagging behind considerably. Head and Shoulder can relatively be positioned in between the cross-sectional area of Question mark and Star. The reason can be: The market share of HS is low but the growth rate is high. HS needs to re-plan and revise it marketing plan as the opportunity is ample which can make into star category completely. Customer Value: Customer value can be defined as the consumer get in return to their money. The performance of a company is measured how the product or services gives the customer value in compare to what the competitor are offering. Here HS claims that the shampoo delivers 100% dandruff-free hairs even with low price, hence we can state that HS delivers good customer value and satisfaction level. The value delivery chains relates it-self to supply chain i.e. how it partners with suppliers and distributions from formulating raw material and distribution of its produced. HS being a PGs daughter company, takes a good leverage of good distribution channel and supply chain. Prominently HS sold in India is mostly shipped from Gulf countries. With the introduction of sachets of denomination Rs.1 and Rs.3, HS reached the rural market easily. With more and more free sample distribution and blind-test, the company is quite successful in value delivery chain. Marketing plan: HS is basically a product for men and women with dandruff and scalp problems. The want to acquire proper hygiene, maintain a healthy scalp and hair to gain the right confidence and have a sense of belongingness as they socialize/interact with other. The gap is that the other shampoo brands focus on enhancing or improving hair-condition. Marketing mix and Strategy : HS removes dandruff and stops it from coming back in just one wash, with a product range that suits various hair and scalp needs. It uses T.V ads, print ads, sponsorship, sales promotion and social media. HS hired actor Saif Ali Khan and actress Kareena Kapoor for their promotional activities. Nationwide distribution of HS is good. Marketing environment- Micro and Macro: There are two types of environment which company deals with macro environment and micro environment. Micro environment are as follows: Customer Stakeholder Media Public Competitor Supplier Employee Macro Environment Political Environment Technological Environment Socio-cultural Environment Economical Environment Consumer Buying Behavior: Men and women need to address their: hygiene, scalp health, social needs, self-actualization needs. They choose HS over other anti-dandruff shampoos because of the following reason: Product awareness, effectiveness, technology used, price, packaging, popularity of endorses, credibility of the manufacturing company. Men and women expect the following when the use HS: Dandruff elimination Revitalize scalp Remove itchy scalp Stop root cause of dandruff Stops dandruff from coming back Cools and refreshes the scalp Remove visible flakes More confidence in interacting and socializing with other people. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs: It probably safe to say the best theory of motivation is Maslows. Maslow hypnotized in every human being there exist a hierarchy of five needs. Physiological Safety Social Esteem Self actualization. Untitled.png Marketing Research: Marketing research tools used by HS- Quantitative tools- HS undertook research to generate new ideas for the product and market development. The researches engaged the customers in detailed discussion over different features of their products. As a result the personal interaction between the researches and the consumers was high, the major qualitative tools used by HS included focus group discussions in-home visits in context visits in-store interviews Focus group discussions: Here, a group of people who uses the HS shampoo in brought under a discussion about the every aspect of it including quality, after-use satisfaction, thoughts of the user etc. The discussion is presided by a moderator who takes notes and feedback of the customers. In-Home visits: This technique is more used in western countries where the product is taken to a home and then feedback is taken from a individual. In context visits: To observe to practical difficulty consumer faces. Apart from gaining information on the way consumer actually uses a product, the researcher elicits theirs opinions on the product and weather they wish to suggest any modification. In-Store visits: HS used this strategy extensively to gather the information from the consumer right from where it buys the product. The surveyor uses some questionnaires to know the consumers opinions which helps the company to develop further strategy. Segmentation, Target and Positioning: Segmentation: A market segment consists of a group of customers who share a similar set of needs and wants. Rather than creating the segments, the marketers task is to identify them an decide which ones to target. The available segments of HS can be found based on demography, geography, pshychography or life style. But being an FMCG product a shampoo brand like HS the demographic and geographic segmentation is not as important as it based upon the life-style as well as customer preferences despite of their above segmentation. The core segments are Anti-dandruff black hair shiny hair low-price HS started operating in the anti-dandruff segment. As a added benefit it also emphasized on smooth hair. In India, shampoo of HS mostly segmented on basis of age and their wants. Its choose men and women of twenty to thirty-five age. Here they targeted them with different strategy like mind-set, social need and other factor. Target Market: Target market is the section of consumer which the business has decided to put marketing efforts. Target market is done after segmenting where they filter out the localized group and choose a particular section of consumer so that their product provides adequate brand equity and brand value. The target market for HS are the higher middle class people who are brand conscious, early adopter and who care about the overall health of their hair. HS targets the people of middle age men ( in the beginning) having scalp and dandruff problems. At the initial period of its marketing strategy, it showed advertisement which show the facts with only one use of the product, the shampoo gives almost 100% relief from shampoo. It introduced many other features like menthol, volume boost, hair-fall therapy for the college going youth and young professional with hair conscious. HS took the advantage of physiological mentality of this user group with adopting ads where prominent actors were used. Positioning Brand positioning refers to target consumers reason to buy your brand in preference to others. It is ensures that all brand activity has a common aim; is guided, directed and delivered by the brands benefits/reasons to buy; and it focusses at all points of contact with the consumer. Brand positioning must make sure that: Is it unique/distinctive vs. competitors ? Is it significant and encouraging to the niche market ? Is it appropriate to all major geographic markets and businesses ? Is the proposition validated with unique, appropriate and original products ? Is it sustainable can it be delivered constantly across all points of contact with the consumer? Is it helpful for organization to achieve its financial goals ? Is it able to support and boost up the organization ? HS is positioned as anti-dandruff product which clear flakes with one wash. As the market leader it has successfully acquired the niche market of anti-dandruff segment. The effective distribution channel and deep penetration in the rural market has boosted up the sales in past year making it a leader. According to annual report of HS 2011 the quote states HS was relatively small, primarily north American brand a decade ago. We invested in combination of marketing and product innovations and began to expand the brand globally. Since then w have more than tripled sales and HS is now the largest shampoo brand in the world. Questionnaires How often do you use a shampoo ? a. Daily b. Alternate c. Weekly d. Not in a regular basis From the 5 shampoo listed below which one you use? a. Sunsilk b. Pantene c. Clinic All Clear d. Head Shoulder e. Dove f. If any other, please specify: ______________ While buying a shampoo, which option you keep in mind ? a. Price b. Quality c. Brand d. Hair Type. While buying a shampoo, which of the below listed options, do you consider in hair type? a. Smell b. Moisturizing Capabilities c. Clarifying Capabilities d. Shine factor e. Shampoo Colour f. Volumizing Capabilities g. Other please specify ____________________ How many different shampoos have you used in the past 6 months? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 e. 5 f. Will you care to specify _______ 6. Do you prefer to buy a sachets or bottled one? a. Sachets b. Bottled 7. Are you concerned about any chemicals that could be considered harmful to your scalp? a. Yes b. No c. Please specify ___________ 8. How do you perceive Head Shoulder brand? Specify ________________________________ 9. Would you be interested in a free sample? a. Yes b. No 10. Have you ever taken a scalp or a hair quality test clinically? a. Yes b. No If yes, would you like to share you outcome? ___________________________________ 11. Who influence you to purchase a brand ? a. Family b. Doctor c. Advertisement d. Self e. Other Name: _______________________ Gender: Male/ Female Mobile Number: _______________ Email ID: _____________________

Employment Relations In France Economics Essay

Employment Relations In France Economics Essay Within Europe France is known for its exceptional employment relations. The French employment relations are characterised by rather low social dialogue and a great interventions of the state. This paper will closely look at the social actors and their role by putting emphasis on collective bargaining and its development since 1980s. The major trends with special attention to the Aubrey Laws will conclude the overview. France Overview With a current population of 64,7 million (INSEE, 2010), France belongs to the most modern countries in the world and to the leaders among European countries (CIA World Factbook). According to EIROnline (2007), French GDP growth, inflation, productivity growth, and the unemployment rate do not substantially differ from EU averages, as indicated in Table 1. Table 1 Facts Figures Source: EIROnline, 2007 The economy in France, which traditionally has been characterised by considerable government ownership and state intervention (dirigeisme), is shifting towards a market-driven economy (CIA World Factbook). Although the state is still present in sectors such as power, public transport, and telecommunication, it has privatised many large companies. With the era of rigueur (rigour) the government extensively distanced itself from economic intervention. Though dirigisme decreased, France is still typified as a state-dominated economy (Jenkins, 2000), especially in the labour market. The political environment in France has been characterised by volatility which changed with the inception of the Fifth Republic in 1958 (Goetschy and Jobert, 2004). From 1958 to 1981 the Right took the reins, while in 1981 the socialist dominance under Franà §ois Mitterrand took over which resulted in period of instability (Knapp and Wright, 2006, p. 254). Governments of the right and left experienced a rotative period, with a temporary cohabitation (Goetschy and Jobert, 2004). In 1995 Franà §ois Mitterrand turned over the reins to Jacques Chirac, a right president, who lasted till 2007. His successor, Nicolas Sarkozy from the right government is the current President of France. Employment Relations in France Employment relations in France are highly influenced by the demographics as well as the legal and political environment of the country (Cerdin and Peretti, 2001). According to the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE, 2010), the employment rate for the working population in 2008 accounted for about 28 million, corresponding to 56,2 percent of employed people above 15 years. Whereas the unemployment rate in France amounted for 7,8 percent in 2008 which correspond to 2.1 million people. The young people (15 to 24 years-old) are representing the majority of the unemployed with about 19 percent (in 2008). Generally, the young people are most sensitive to the economic fluctuation of the employment market. The labour market participation rate of the 15 to 24-years old is declining due to the trend towards longer schooling (Goetschy and Jobert, 2004, p. 177). France has more women in work force than EU average (Brewster et al., 2004). The female labour market participation has risen from 37 percent in 1963 (Goetschy and Jobert, 2004, p. 176) to almost 52 percent in 2008 (INSEE, 2009). Within Europe, France is characterised by an increased age of the working population. While the proportion of the people between 20 and 59 years decreases, the population proportion of under 20-year-old and above 60-year-old grows. Two factors are responsible for this peculiarity the post-war population explosion as well as the collapse of the birth rate from 1930 to 1945 (Cerdin and Peretti, 2001). In 2008, 83 percent of the working population was between the ages of 25 and 54 (INSEE, 2009). These numbers can be explained by the delayed entrance of the young in the labour market and early retirement due to an increased early retirement policies since 1974 and the implementation of retirement at age 60 in 1982. Further distinctive characteristic of the French employment relations is its elitism. Barsoux and Lawrence (1997, p. 11) admit that France is a society characterised by a unitary elite. Complementary, Jackson (2002, p. 38) describes the educational system in France as being inegalitarian, discriminatory, and exclusive. The highest level of the education system is encompassed in the so-called grandes à ©coles. The grandes à ©coles, where managers are typically recruited from, typify an essential indication for a high potential which is regarded more important than the actual personal potential. Managers form part of a social elite, called cadre. Management itself is perceived more as a state of being in France and its development is related to the social and historical context (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007). The influence of the state on employment relations in France is considerable. EIROnline (2007) describes France as being known for its dirigiste type of economy or state-managed capitalism. Employment relation in France were not only influenced by the predominance of the state but also by the imbalance between labour characterised by more revolutionary socialists and employers being typified by paternalistic of reactionary views (Traxler and Huerner, 2007). Unions and Employee Representation Within Europe, France has two distinctive features: although it has the majority of trade unions, its membership rate is the lowest among the European countries (EUROnline, 2007; Ebbinghaus and Visser, 2000). Trade union coverage is higher in large enterprises than in small companies with highest coverage rate in the public sector. Sector or branch levels are the most common levels of trade union organisation (EIROnline, 2007). French trade union, other than union in rest of the European countries, do not offer collective services to its members, which partly may explain the low membership rate as well as the lack of need to benefit from a membership (Brewster et al., 2004). There are five major representative union confederations and employers are obliged to recognise them in case of at least one employee being an official representative of one of them (Scho, 2008). The five unions, which are considered representative at national level, regardless of the size of their membership, are summarised in the table below. Table 2 Trade Unions Source: EUROnline, 2007 All agreements met by the representative unions were for a long period considered legally effective. This fact permitted employers to legally implement an agreement even if it has been signed by just one minority union (Brewster et al., 2004). The Fillon Law of 2004 however widened the scope of this majority principle. French union show a further characteristic uncommon in Europe. Especially SMEs, who usually have no union representativeness, make use of the so-called mandating process. Introduced in October 1995 by a three-year national multi-sector agreement, the law especially aimed to encourage negotiations of small and non-union company agreements (Goetschy and Jobert, 2004). The purpose behind the involvement of non-representatives was to increase the typically low membership rate of French unions. For instance, about one-third of collective agreement accompanying the 35-hour-week law application were signed by mandated workers (Pedersini, 2010). Employees representation in French companies has rather a complex structure and is incorporated in several representative bodies at the enterprise level (Goetschy and Jobert, 2004). The four major players are: Table 2 Employee Representation Workforce delegates (dà ©là ©guà ©s du personnel) Workforce delegates are mandatory for companies with 10 or more employees. Elected by all employees, the delegates are representatives of employees for individual or collective concern to the management. Work council (comità © dentreprise) Work council is mandatory for companies with 50 or more employees. Elected by all employees and representatives of trade unions, the council has a consultative role about the decisions of the employer. Furthermore, it is concerns with allocating funds for social and cultural facilities for employees. Workplace Health and Safety committee (Comità © dHygià ¨ne, de Sà ©curità ©, et des Conditions de Travail) The committee is compulsory for all companies with more than 50 employees. It includes head of the company plus employee representatives and has a consultative role about working conditions. Trade union delegates Every representative union is given the right for a delegate in a company with at least 50 employees who besides representing their unions also represent employees. Source: Brewster et al, 2004 Federations of Employers Employer representation stands in sharp contrast to the employee representation. Indeed, three out of four employers are represented in an employer organisation (EUROnline, 2007). The major association is the MEDEF (Mouvement des Entreprises de France), former CNPF (Conseil National du Patronat Franà §ais). It has a multi-layered structure consisting of various sectoral and territorial organisations (Traxler and Huerner, 2007). MEDEF, founded in 1998, brings together all companies with at least 10 employees. Despite this official purpose, MEDEF also includes several smaller companies. It directly organises 87 federations that cover about 600 associations and 165 regional organisations (EUROnline, 2007). The membership in MEDEF is covered by about 750,000 companies and 15 million employees from all sectors except agriculture and certain service professions (Traxler and Huerner, 2007). The SMEs are represented by the CGPME (Confà ©dà ©ration gà ©nà ©rale du patronat des petites et moyennes entreprises), and self-employed artisans by the UPA (Union Professionnelle Artisanale) (EUROnline, 2007). The State The French state is not only a major player in employment relations but also plays an essential role as an employer. As already mentioned, despite some privatisations, the government still remains prevailing in some sectors. Furthermore, Ruysseveldt et al. (1995) stresses that French state is typified for having its intervention in employment relations which are typically subject of collective bargaining by incorporating these issues in law. The intervention of the state is for instance given through the requirement for company-level negotiations, legal extension of collective agreements, and determination of minimum wage. Therefore, almost 90 percent of employees are covered by agreements securing at least minimum standards, despite the low union membership and a decentralized bargaining system (Ebbinghaus, 2004). For instance, the minimum wage (SMIC), a cross-sector minimum wage, is defined by legislation, involving all employees. Collective bargaining is also used to set branch-level minimum wages which however, are usually lower than the SMIC (EIROnline, 2007). Finally, the French state played an important role in the development of French employment relations as demonstrated in the following chapters. Collective Bargaining and Employee Participation Collective agreement forms an important part of negotiations between the law and the individual work contracts. Within Europe, France distinguishes itself from other countries by not attributing collective agreement as a central element of employment relations (Traxler and Huerner, 2007). The characteristics of the bargaining system have been extensively shaped by successive pieces of legislation (Goetschy, 1998, p. 358) and thus intensive state intervention. Collective agreements face further obstacles. Traxler and Huerner (2007, p.126) point out that there is a lack of shared identity among the unions and the employees who do not feel bound by the decisions taken by the representative unions. Andolfatto and Labbà © (2006) observe a similar dilemma for the employers and the associations. According to Schmidt (2006, p.121) policies are designed without the systematic input from societal actors, but actors are subsequently accommodated in a rather flexible implementation process, oft en based on derogation from the law. The bargaining structure in France is pyramidal and statute law is decisive. After the abolishment of the favourability principle (principe de faveur), decentralised levels are given autonomy on certain issues as long as the law is respected (plancher legal) (Euronline, 2007). National-level agreements are less frequently used than lower level agreements. Company-levels negotiations gained on importance in the field of wages and working hours which was further encouraged by the Fillion Law (2004) and Aubrey Law (1998/2000/2002). Development since 1980s Before 1980s, employment relations in France were characterised by ideological confrontation between the revolutionary labour movement and collective bargaining-aversive employers (Hoang Ngoc and Lallement, 1994) and collective bargaining particularly took place on the industry level (Goetschy and Jobert, 2004). The 1980s brought a significant move towards decentralisation with a Socialists government that supported collective bargaining in terms of politics and laws. Throughout the 1980s various company-level institutions and practices evolved which enabled negotiation of economic reforms and which tried to limit private sector industrial conflicts (Howell, 2006). The reforms were accompanied by a state intervention that sought to support workplace flexibility negotiations. Although the state experienced varying governments (Left and Right), it pursued equal objectives which underlying strategy was to create legal obligations within companies to establish self-sustaining social dial ogues which again lead to a deregulation of the labour market. One of the major legislation pieces of the 1980s was the Auroux Report (1981) which contributed mainly to a higher involvement of employees into the company and sought to bring unions and companies closer together (Hoang Ngoc and Lallement, 1994). Focusing on collective bargaining as a keystone in the reform, Auroux created an obligations for employers and unions for regular negotiations at industry as well as company level (Eaton, 2000). This reform introduced more balance between the state and collective bargaining as it put more emphasis on bargaining than on the law itself (Goetschy and Jobert, 2004). In 1987 collective bargaining made further steps towards decentralisation. From then on company-level negotiations were freed from any linkage with a sectoral agreement, and annualisation and more flexible opening was allowed without reducing working hours. In the 1990s multi-industry bargaining gained on importance after its decline during the 70s and 80s. It was supported by government, as well as employers (by CNPF) and unions (by CFDT) who were aiming at a consensus approach towards the modernisation of French companies (Howell, 2006). Enormous emphasis of multi-industry bargaining was put on the training that became a mandatory part of collective bargaining (Goetschy and Jobert, 2004). Further significant issue throughout the 1990s was the restructuring of the employee representation within the enterprise. According to Howell (2006, p.169) French companies experienced transformations that had the effect of deepening and broadening the construction of a set of firm-level institutions that regularised social dialogue with largely non-union employee representatives. Worth mentioning is also the agreement on the articulation of bargaining levels and the possibility of negotiations in companies without union representatives (1995) which brought two main transformations for collective bargaining. First, the hierarchical level of the three bargaining levels (multi-industry, industry, company) became more complementary. Second, the absence of union delegate gave the elected employee representative and the employees mandated by unions the authority to sign company agreements. Again in 2000s employment relations development signalised the trend towards more decentralised collective bargaining and a state which exercised restraint in the social dialogue of the labour market. This intention was implemented through the Gà ©nisson Law (2001) which made bargaining on equality compulsory at company level (annually) and sectoral level (every three years) (Gregory and Milner, 2009). The 2003 Fillon law encouraged the move towards company-level negotiation about wages and reduced working time by accepting derogation agreements. In July 2008 new law on social democracy and working time reform set new measures for the representativeness of trade unions, especially by removing the irrefragable presumption of representativeness and making representativeness dependent on the results of the workplace elections (Boulon, 2008). Concluding, the last decades were characterised by various developments in French industrial relations. Despite frequent changes of government, France has experienced a high degree of consistency in the direction of employment relations reforms (Howell, 2006). High level collective bargaining shifted towards more decentralisation aiming more at the company-level while the labour market and workplace experienced greater flexibility. Nevertheless, these developments were not simply accompanied by the distancing of the state from industrial relations, leaving the field to labour and unions. On the contrary, providing the social actors with company-level bargaining and agreements, developments were initiated and controlled by the state. Self-sustaining bargaining never took place (Lallement and Mà ©riaux, 2003). Thus the state reforms were still shaping the areas of social relations. Finally, Jefferys (2003, p. 128) states the state remains at the heart of the organisation of relations between capital and French labour. Major Trends in Employment Relations The Aubrey Law France faced the most bargaining activity over working time reduction in the late 1990s and early 2000s, driven by legislation reducing the working week from 39 to 35 hours. The so-called Aubrey law, named after Martine Aubry (minister who introduced the legislation), was the sixth law in seventeen years which has an impact on the working time (Jefferys, 2000). The 35-hour week was the flagship policy of Socialist Jospins (1997-2002) plural-left coalition government (Hayden, 2006, p. 505). The main purpose of the law implicated the reduction of the working time from 39 to 35 hours by offering financial incentives to companies that used collective agreements for the creation and protection of jobs while reducing the working time (Jefferys, 2000). Using this law, the government also had the ambition to encourage the social partners to participate more actively in the law-making process (Jefferys, 2000). The legislation which began with a framework law in 1998 resulted in a three-steps process (Levy, 2006): the first law introduced in 1998 provided the terms for voluntary work time agreements; in 2000, a second Aubrey law made work time reduction mandatory for companies who failed to reach agreements employing 20 or more workers; the third law, for 2002, which aimed at extension of this legislation to smaller firms, failed when the Left was replaced by the new conservative government. First Aubrey Law (1998/1999) Aubrey I introduced a variety of ways for the reduction of working time, including annualisation of hours, extended vacation periods, and a shorter working week. The companies were given increased flexibility in the creation of work time with the essential requirement for collective bargaining (Supiot, 2001, p. 92). Social costs reliefs were promised to those companies that quickly negotiated the reduction in working hours and created or preserved jobs. Nevertheless, the collective agreements reached under Aubrey I proved that employers put special emphasis on the flexibility in work time reduction left to them rather than on the incentives linked to the implementation (Levy, 2006). The 1999 law addressed the issue of trade union representativeness (Jefferys, 2000). From then on the social costs reliefs were only made available to those agreements met by union representing the majority of the work-force. Minority agreements were only accepted if ratified by entire work-force referendum, nevertheless the benefits of the reduced charges were not forwarded to these agreements (Howell, 2006). Smaller firms that lack a representation of unions could benefit from the legislation through the mandating process allowing them to sign company-level agreements. Without the mandating procedure agreements became legal with the confirmation of a majority of employees and local labour-business commission. Second Aubrey Law (2000) On 19th of January 2000, the Aubrey II came into effect reducing the working week from 39 to 35 hours for all enterprises with more than 20 employees. Due to the high attention paid to the flexibility in the implementation of work-time reduction, the second law provided more innovations in this area still with the prerequisite of a collective agreement. The lack of collective agreement meant less flexibility in options for work time reduction. According to Howell (2006) without a collective agreement, the reduction in work time had to be on a monthly or weekly basis, but with an agreement there were a range of other options, including annualisation, a wage increase offset against overtime, additional days off and so on. (p. 148) The law therefore aimed at the encouragement of the dialogue between social partners. Work time reduction was completed on two levels. Before Aubrey II, company-level agreements were predominant, while after year 2000 branch-level agreements became more common. Outcomes The in beginning much discussed and controversial legislation has survived. Though when the Left gave over to the Right government in 2002, the extension for small firms planned in that year was blocked. Furthermore, certain adjustments like extension of the allowable overtime have been adopted. Various studies about the implementation of the laws, inter alia conducted by the Ministerial Office of Employment and Solidarity (completed mainly between 1998 and 1999), provided following results (Neumann, 2004): On the employee side, within a year on the first law, in 69 of the 180 bargaining sectors, at least one of the representative national union has signed framework agreements covering 8.3 million workers About 300.000 new jobs (out of 1,65 mio) were created which were assigned to the relaxation of the social costs and the reduction of working hours of the law By the implication of the legislation in September 2002, almost half of the employed people were influenced by the Aubrey law Critical evaluation The significance of the Audrey Laws does not lie in the actual reduction in the working time. Its essence are the wide-ranging consequences on the employment relations in France. For the Jospin government the law provided an opportunity to try to use the basic sympathy of the French electorate with the idea of shorter working hours to encourage the organised decentralisation of collective bargaining (Traxler 1994, p. 184-86). The laws abolished many constraints on temporal flexibility and shifted the emphasis of collective bargaining towards the company-level. Some of the various advantages provided by the Aubrey law affect collective bargaining and work reorganisation. The company-level collective bargaining was influenced tremendously by the legislation. While after 1998 the rate of agreements signed increased by estimated 15,000 per year, after 1999, when the law became mandatory, agreements number increased by 35,000 a year (Howell, 2006). The financial incentives provided by the Aubrey laws were attached the condition to agree on work time reduction by a collective bargaining. Consequently, this collective agreement offered more options and flexibility for work time reduction to the firms, thus leading to work reorganisation. Many experiments which were made in this area including recalculation of the work time, work shift, and adoption to the market requirements, proved to be advantageous for some companies. Additionally, annualisation became very popular supplying companies with enormous flexibility in the work time reductions. Despite these advantages the Aubrey laws was met with mingled feelings from the social actors. The legislation was considered an attack on entrepreneurs, a triumph of ideology over reason, and even economic suicide (Hayden, 2006). Still, with the change of the government in 2002 the legislation has not been abolished, although it experienced substantial criticism. Instead, the Right provided more relaxation and greater flexibility introduced by the Fillon Laws 2003 and 2004 indicating that the effects of the Aubrey laws were less harmful than illustrated by critics. On the contrary, a study conducted by IMF in November 2006 (Estevà £o and Sà ¡, 2006), indicated that the legislation appeared to have a rather negative effect as it failed to create more jobs and negatively influenced employers and employees as they tried to neutralise the laws effect on hours of work and monthly wages. The major concerns were raised by the employers. CNPF became MEDEF in October 1998 under the pressure from French firms for a more aggressive political position (Jefferys, 2000). One year later, in October 1999, a protest with 25000 people against the second law followed. In November, MEDEF threatened to pull out of the bipartite national unemployment benefit scheme if the government make use of UNEDIC (Union nationale interprofessionnelle pour lemploi dans lindustrie et le commerce) the National Union Interprofessional for Employment in Industry and Trade agency of the French government which provided unemployed people with social benefits, to subsidise state incentives to reduce working time (Jefferys, 2000). Additionally, by creating a financial disincentive in case of overtime, the 35-hour-week legislation forced employers to undergo a more fundamental reorganisation of work (Howell, 2006). From the employees perspective, the law could be viewed ambiguously as a liberator and job creator or as a mechanism for introducing asocial work schedules (Bouffartigue, 1997, p. 256). Tensions on the company-level were illustrated for instance by the Peugeot-Citroen strikes, when the Saturday was introduced as a compulsory working day. Additionally, concerns arose about the decrease in wage level, although employees were promised to not be disadvantaged regarding income reductions which was supported by the unions slogan 35 hours pays 39 (Estevà £o and Sà ¡, 2006). The question about the representativeness of those who signed the agreement also forms a part of criticism of the legislation. As mentioned several times, the mandating process can be used by all firms with a lack of union representativeness. The mandating process prevailed in the company-levels agreements (70% in 2001), predominantly by smaller companies (Howell, 2006). Nevertheless, this process failed to recruit more members to unions. Finally, the Aubrey laws can be considered to be an oxymoron. In times of globalisation and extensive pressures on firms to stay competitive, France is trying to improve its competitiveness and decrease unemployment by reducing the working time. The work-sharing logic did not fit in this time when the unemployment rate amounted to nearly 10 percent and an average full-time working week was almost 43 hours (INSEE, 2010). There arises the question what the government could have done better. After considering the development of the employment relations in France, the trend of decentralisation should be pursued more constantly. State intervention should be reduced to give the social partners the possibility to develop and implement own methods for the work time reduction as the legislation did not match appropriately the needs of all French companies. Especially, the smaller companies who suffered from the law and feared to lose their competitiveness, should be better integrated and left more power and flexibility to adopt the legislation. Therefore, although the employers were gradually given more flexibility it still was embedded in frameworks which convey an impression of regulated deregulation once again demonstrating the predominant position of the French state. Other Major Trends Collective Bargaining Reform One of the significant changes to the industrial relations system took place in 2004 with the implementation of the Fillon law. The law brought two major changes into collective bargaining. The favourability principle (principe de faveur), where agreements from lower and higher levels may deviate from each other if it more advantageous for the employees concerned, was relaxed for certain cases (e.g. working time) (OECD, 2005). The favourability principle has been retained for minimum wages, job classifications, supplementary social protection measures and multi-company and cross-sector vocational training funds (EIRR, 2006). The other change concerned the approval of agreements. Hitherto, an agreement has been valid even if it had been signed by only one trade union with representative status. The new law widened the scope of the majority principle, the application of which depends on the level of negotiations. Individual Right to Training in France In September 2003 a national cross-sectoral agreement on employees lifelong access to training was concluded, approved by all five representative unions (Vincent, 2003). The law promotes individual training rights for employees while putting its focus on sectoral negotiations. Labour Market Modernisation In January 2008, a step towards French flexicurity has been made by the agreement on the modernisation of the labour market. It provides more flexibility on issues like recruitment and termination of employment at the same time maintaining certain employee rights in term of termination (Lefresne, 2008). Conclusion In conclusion, employment relation in France can be described as developing towards decentralisation and more flexibility to the advantage of business and labour. Although, the state is taking distance from intervention in the economy, it remains the predominant character in the regulation of social relations.

Aquinas First Proof Of The Existence of God :: essays research papers

I have chosen to write St. Thomas Aquinas’ proof citing motion as proof of the existence of God. Although I must admit to being a little confused the wording, I see it as being in terms of ability too, act of, and the first to act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ability too, is the potential of the object to act. This potential cannot be converted to the act unless acted upon by another object already in the state of action. An example, as used in the book, of the object that would be considered to have potentiality would be wood, it is potentially hot. This wood cannot become hot until that which is hot, the fire, acts upon it. When this meeting occurs the action of the wood becoming hot is a movement or change in the object.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The object in the act of in the above mentioned example is the fire. It is in the state of action. The fire is the initiator of the woods action. It transfers its energy to the wood allowing the wood to fulfill its potential.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this case, or any other, neither the object that has the ability too nor the object in the state of action can be the first to act. The wood cannot be the first to act, as it is in the state of ability too. When the wood is in this state, it has no action to transfer, and therefore is obviously not the first to act. The fire, although able to transfer the action, must have been at one time in the state of ability too, and therefore was acted upon, making it not the first too act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first to act is understood to be God. God is that which has action, but did not receive the action from another object. God was never in the state of ability too. God is only action, making God the beginning action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquinas developed a proof that I can, in some ways, agree with. He basically argues that, although there doesn’t necessarily have to be an end to something, there has to be a beginning. He argues that all things are in a state of both the potential to be changed as well as the state of action, but the one understood to be God is only in the state of action. Aquinas First Proof Of The Existence of God :: essays research papers I have chosen to write St. Thomas Aquinas’ proof citing motion as proof of the existence of God. Although I must admit to being a little confused the wording, I see it as being in terms of ability too, act of, and the first to act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ability too, is the potential of the object to act. This potential cannot be converted to the act unless acted upon by another object already in the state of action. An example, as used in the book, of the object that would be considered to have potentiality would be wood, it is potentially hot. This wood cannot become hot until that which is hot, the fire, acts upon it. When this meeting occurs the action of the wood becoming hot is a movement or change in the object.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The object in the act of in the above mentioned example is the fire. It is in the state of action. The fire is the initiator of the woods action. It transfers its energy to the wood allowing the wood to fulfill its potential.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this case, or any other, neither the object that has the ability too nor the object in the state of action can be the first to act. The wood cannot be the first to act, as it is in the state of ability too. When the wood is in this state, it has no action to transfer, and therefore is obviously not the first to act. The fire, although able to transfer the action, must have been at one time in the state of ability too, and therefore was acted upon, making it not the first too act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first to act is understood to be God. God is that which has action, but did not receive the action from another object. God was never in the state of ability too. God is only action, making God the beginning action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquinas developed a proof that I can, in some ways, agree with. He basically argues that, although there doesn’t necessarily have to be an end to something, there has to be a beginning. He argues that all things are in a state of both the potential to be changed as well as the state of action, but the one understood to be God is only in the state of action.

Charles Dickens Life Related To His Book, Hard Times Essay -- GCSE En

Hard Times For These Times In order to improve the sales of his own weekly magazine, Household Words, in which sales had begun to decline in 1854, Charles Dickens (lived 1812 – 1870) began to publish a new series of weekly episodes in the magazine. Hard Times For These Times, an assault on the industrial greed and political economy that exploits the working classes and deadens the soul, ran from April 1 to August 12, 1854. In the opening scenes that take place in the classroom, you become familiarized with the Gradgrind School and its fundamentals. The Gradgrind philosophy, based on the Facts, Facts, and more Facts of reality, is demonstrated as being not only cruel and destructive to the workers – the â€Å"Hands" of society – but is also humanly inadequate to the Gradgrind family it served. Mrs. Gradgrind observed that her husband has missed something in his life, yet, "not an ology at all." Louisa and her brother Tom, "the whelp," are nearly destroyed by the strictly mechanical principles of Gradgrindery. It was Hard Times for everyone. Sissy Jupe, who grew up among Sleary's Horse Riding Circus, and was not exposed to the harsh doctrine of the Gradgrind family until later in life, represents the imaginative creativity and generosity that the Gradgrind family misses. The coming together of Sissy and Loo, at the conclusion of the novel at the circus, represents what Dickens believes industrial England needs. "Let me lay this head of mine upon a lov...

marketing Essay -- essays research papers

Online Marketing Definition Online marketing has many different definitions. However, the most straight forward is â€Å"Any positive communication between distributor and purchaser through the digital area (Internet, forums, chat, e-mail, the web, etc.) Which provides for the exchange of requested or necessary information directed to a potential customer’s purchase and a continuing and profitable customer/seller relationship.† (Forester, 1999, p.3) This definition gives the main idea of why many businesses have joined the online marketing segment and why businesses are still joining. On the other hand, the simple definition of marketing is â€Å"the process of planning the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfies individual and organizational objectives.† (Berkowitz, 1992, p.67) These two definitions explain how the marketing has a notion that means that an organization aims all its efforts at satisfying its customers. This idea is a simple and very important. The online sector of a business should have a complete overview of this idea and should use it to sell its products. Although some business people still have a production orientation. These people do not have much interest in the customers’ needs; they think of products and how to make money fast. People like this act as thought they are stuck at the beginning of the production era, where there were shortages of most products (Schwartz, 1999, p.5).Online Marketing Definition Online marketing has many different definitions. However, the most straight forward is â€Å"Any positive communication between distributor and purchaser through the digital area (Internet, forums, chat, e-mail, the web, etc.) Which provides for the exchange of requested or necessary information directed to a potential customer’s purchase and a continuing and profitable customer/seller relationship.† (Forester, 1999, p.3) This definition gives the main idea of why many businesses have joined the online marketing segment and why businesses are still joining. On the other hand, the simple definition of marketing is â€Å"the process of planning the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfies individual and organizational objectives.† (Berkowitz, 1992, p.67) These two definitions explain how the marketing has a ... ...y store. The Gap also insures the safety, security, and privacy towards your registered information. Renaissance Cruises   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With renaissance cruises, your credit card is safe. They guarantee it. They have a privacy statement, which guarantees that under no circumstances, will they reveal a customer’s confidential information to anybody. This cruise line has three different was to buy products. One way is to buy online. By buy online, renaissance offers varying discounts to the customers. Another way is to call their 1-800 number. The benefit of this is to talk to an actual representative. The last way is to e-mail them. They will respond within twenty-four hours.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By analyzing these two businesses, we found that both had security issues controlled. They also had easy ways to buy the products. The layouts of their web pages were organized and very informative. It was easy to understand how to order thing and how they established customer’s trust. They make the web pages full of click trough’s, which make the reader more interested in the site. Overall, these businesses have the customers in mind when making their web pages.