5 Reasons You Shouldnt Care About Your Job Title

5 Reasons You Shouldnt Care About Your Job Title We have to work to take care of the tabs and bear to keep ourselves and our friends and family above water. That’s the absolute minimum and the primary concern. In any case, again and again individuals get messed up in the status of their activity title, and it can make them hopeless. Here are 5 reasons why you should quit stressing over the name of your activity and begin getting a charge out of the way that you have it (and don’t detest it!). 1. You’re appreciatedWhen you accomplish something admirably, you preferably are perceived for your accomplishment and your collaborators as well as supervisor take the opportunity to give you a gesture of congratulations. Possibly your manager tries remunerating your accomplishment in your yearly audit, or maybe you see their appreciation reflected in a reward or a pay increase?If you’re getting this sort of consideration and acclaim when you have earned it-that’s beyond what numerous individuals can say in uninspiring employments they hate.2. You’re not affixed to the deskHaving an occupation with adaptability resembles getting a brief look at the sacred goal. In the event that you’ve got a new line of work where you can set your own hours, or work remotely even piece of the time, or simply trade out when you have to deal with things at home, at that point you have something worth more than any title: work-life balance. Clutch it.3. You’ve got controlMaybe your supervisor urges you to develop your profession and, all the more critically, gives you the opportunity to choose for yourself which openings would do that best. In the event that you have an inclination that you’re consistently picking up something consistently you work, at that point you’re in a truly decent position.4. You’re an assetYou know you’re great at what you do, yet for this situation your manager knows it as well. She has made-and keeps on making an interest in you. You’re trusted to confront new difficulties, given unhampered access to new preparing and other learning opportunities†¦ so, you’re valued.5. You appreciate yourselfDo you really like coming to work each day? Pretty much appreciate what you do? Have a decent working relationship with your associates and chief? Perhaps you don’t love what you do or do what you love, yet that is an uncommon thing in reality. On the off chance that you like what you do, you’re most of the way there. What's more, that is worth more than any title.

Human behavior Essay Example for Free

Human conduct Essay Perusing doesn't make you more intelligent. Do you concur or oppose this idea? Clarify your Modern culture has demonstrated that perusing is identified with advancement in numerous zones of the human life. Today individuals will in general consider perusing an action as opposed to a way to improve one information and ones comprehension of life and individuals around that person. I unequivocally think Reading makes one more astute as well as educated while affecting him with fundamental instruments to triumphs. Perusing has improved the lives of numerous individuals. Have purchased social orders out of troublesome circumstance and improved the manner in which we see life and individuals. Consider books like Karl Marx on how things in the public arena are run and their presentation and you get what perusing can do to simply and individual and individuals by influencing their life’s in positive manners. More brilliant individuals are supposed to be scholarly individuals in light of the fact that, of information on things around them. Envision an individual who doesn't have the foggiest idea how to talk and read instructing you. What jar of effect will have on you. Perusing extends one’s self and broads you to take on things far wide along these lines making you learned in territories you never observed yet have found out about. Without question. Adroitness is has to do with effect of information and seeing just gotten from perusing. Extraordinary things have been cultivated however perusing, for example, new innovation science revelat ions and a lot progressively because of somebody perusing and taking consideration regarding life around the person in question, to improve our investigation. Perusing doesn't make you more intelligent. Do you concur or oppose this idea? Clarify your Modern culture has demonstrated that perusing is identified with advancement in numerous territories of the human life. Today individuals will in general consider perusing a movement instead of a way to improve one information and ones comprehension of life and individuals around the person in question. I emphatically think Reading makes one more intelligent as well as proficient while affecting him with fundamental devices to victories. Perusing has improved the lives of numerous individuals. Have purchased social orders out of troublesome circumstance and improved the manner in which we see life and individuals. Consider books like Karl Marx on how things in the public eye are run and their exhibition and you get what perusing can do to simply and individual and individuals by influencing their life’s in positive manners. More intelligent individuals are supposed to be scholarly indiv iduals in light of the fact that, of information on things around them. Envision an individual who doesn't have the foggiest idea how to talk and read instructing you. What container of effect will have on you. Perusing extends one’s self and broads you to take on things far wide in this manner making you learned in regions you never observed however haveâ read about. Without question. Savvy is has to do with effect of information and seeing just gotten from perusing. Incredible things have been cultivated however perusing, for example, new innovation science disclosures and a lot increasingly because of somebody perusing and taking thoughtfulness regarding life around himReading doesn't make you more brilliant. Do you concur or oppose this idea? Clarify your Modern culture has indicated that perusing is identified with advancement in numerous territories of the human life. Today individuals will in general consider perusing a movement as opposed to a way to improve one info rmation and ones comprehension of life and individuals around the person in question. I firmly think Reading makes one more astute as well as proficient while affecting him with fundamental apparatuses to triumphs. Perusing has improved the lives of numerous individuals. Have purchased social orders out of troublesome circumstance and improved the manner in which we see life and individuals. Consider books like Karl Marx on how things in the public arena are run and their presentation and you get what perusing can do to simply and individual and individuals by influencing their life’s in positive manners. More intelligent individuals are supposed to be scholarly individuals on the grounds that, of information on things around them. Envision an individual who doesn't have the foggiest idea how to talk and read instructing you. What container of effect will have on you. Perusing grows one’s self and broads you to take on things far wide subsequently making you learned in regions you never observed yet have found out about. Without question. Insightfulness is has to do with effect of information and seeing just gotten from perusing. Incredible things have been cultivated however perusing, for example, new innovation science revelations and a lot increasingly because of somebody perusing and taking regard for life around the person in question, to improve our investigation. or on the other hand her, to improve our examination. Perusing doesn't make you more brilliant. Do you concur or oppose this idea? Clarify your Modern culture has demonstrated that perusing is identified with improvement in numerous regions of the human life. Today individuals will in general consider perusing an action as opposed to a way to improve one information and ones comprehension of life and individuals around that person. I emphatically think Reading makes one more brilliant as well as proficient while affecting him with fundamental apparatuses to victories. Perusing has improved the lives of numerous individuals. Have purchased social orders out of troublesome circumstance and improved the manner in which we see life and individuals. Consider books like Karl Marx on how things in the public arena are run and their exhibition and you get what perusing can do to simply and individual and individuals by influencing their life’s in positive manners. More brilliant individuals are supposed to be scholarly individuals in light of the fact that, of information on things around them. Envision an individual who doesn't have the foggiest idea how to talk and read instructing you. What container of effect will have on you. Perusing grows one’s self and broads you to take on things far wide in this way making you learned in zones you never observed however have found out about. Without question. Savvy is has to do with effect of information and seeing just gotten from perusing. Extraordinary things have been cultivated however perusing, for example, new innovation science revelations and a lot increasingly because of somebody perusing and taking consideration regarding life around the person in question, to improve our examination.

De-stressing During Finals

De-stressing During Finals This time of year, students and professor alike are feeling the stress of final exams. Believe me, this semester has been hectic to say the least. It is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of academia, but it is just as crucial to keep yourself de-stressed during this time of year. Here are a few tips to de-stress! 1. Plan I am a compulsive planner, but I really see this as a gift. Planning ahead and tackling large projects piece by piece will certainly reduce the feeling of panic that sets in with an approaching due date. 2. Meditate I cant say enough about the importance of taking time to meditate and practice mindfulness, especially in a time of stress. Whether you attend a guided yoga class or simply take 5 minutes to deep breathe, meditation will make you feel calm and ready to take on the world. 3. Eat mood boosting food Leafy vegetables, oatmeal, yogurt, blueberries, and dark chocolate are just a few of the delicious, nutritious foods known to boost mood. Snacking while studying will not only enhance your focus, but will improve your outlook and mood, as well! 4. Exercise Exercising once a day for at least 30 minutes is known to reduce stress, heart rate, and blood pressure, and is known to increase cognitive activity. With two wonderful, free facilities on campus, there is no excuse for skipping out on this healthy stress-crusher! Rachel Class of 2020 I am studying Middle Grades Education with concentrations in Social Sciences and Literacy in the College of Education. Although I now reside in Champaign, I am originally from Vernon Hills, a Northwest suburb of Chicago.

Fiber And The Home And Fiber - 943 Words

[1] T. Koonen, â€Å"Fiber to the home/fiber to the premises: What, where, and when,† in Proc. IEEE, vol. 94, no. 5, pp. 911–934, May 2006. [2] C.-H. Lee, W. V. Sorin, and B. Y. Kim, â€Å"Fiber to the home using a PON infrastructure,† J. Lightw. Technol., vol. 24, no. 12, pp. 4568–4583, Dec. 2006. [3] M. Abrams, P. C. Becker, Y. Fujimoto, V. O’Byrne, and D. Piehler, â€Å"FTTP deployments in the United States and Japan—Equipment choices and service provider imperatives,† J. Lightw. Technol., vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 236– 246, Jan. 2005. [4] R. E. Wagner, R. W. J. R. Igel, M. D. Vaughn, A. B. Ruffin, and S. Bickham, â€Å"Fiber-based broadband-access deployment in the United States,† J. Lightw. Technol., vol. 24, no. 12, pp. 4526–4540, Dec. 2006. [5] J. D. Angelopoulos, H.-C. Leligou, T. Argyriou, S. Zontos, E. Ringoot, and T. V. Caenegem, â€Å"Efficient transport of packets with QoS in an FSAN-aligned GPON,† IEEE Commun. Mag., vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 92–98, Feb. 2004. [6] Ethernet in the First Mile, IEEE Standard 802.3ah, 2004. [7] Gigabit-Capable Passive Optical Networks: Physical Media Dependent Layer Specification, ITU-T Standard G.984.2, 2003. [8] Y.-H. Oh, S.-G. Lee, Q. Le, H.-Y. Kang, and T.-W. Yoo, â€Å"A CMOS burst-mode optical transmitter for 1.25-Gb/s ethernet PON applications,† IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. II, Exp. Briefs, vol. 52, no. 11, pp. 780–783, Nov. 2005. [9] C. Su, L.-K. Chen, and K.-W. Cheung, â€Å"Theory of burst-mode receiver and its applications in optical multiaccess networks,† J.Show MoreRelatedWayne Williams Essay588 Words   |  3 PagesThere were 28 different types of fibers linking Williams to the murder victims. That can be an overwhelming amount of evidence. This case happened in the 1980s and the evidence presented in the case was crucial to proving Williams guilt. While investigations were going on to determine how victims died, there was a discovery of fibers on the victims’ bodies. The goal of the investigator was to determine if any fibers in Wayne Williams home or person matched those fibers found on the victims. WilliamsRead MoreWayne Williams: Atlanta Child Killer Fiber Forensics Study1565 Words   |  7 PagesWayne Bertram Williams: Atlanta Child Killer Police circulated this photo at the time showing victims of the Atlanta killings. Photo from CNN Forensic Fiber Analysis Case Study The best-known, if not the best-reasoned fiber case in American legal history involving fiber evidence issues is the Wayne Williams trial growing out of the famous Atlanta murders of twelve African-American males in 1979-1980. The Williams case involved all of the subjects still in controversy as weRead MoreThe Use of Fiber Optics in Communications Essay1376 Words   |  6 PagesThe Use of Fiber Optics in Communications The field of communications is one in which the technologies are changing on an almost daily basis. Numerous different technologies have been pursued over the past few years; each designed to essentially accomplish several basic purposes in terms of community service. Three of the most actively pursued application include interactive distance learning, video conferencing, and entertainment. While it is the first two, video conferencing and interactiveRead MoreNetwork Networks : Fiber Optic Networks1450 Words   |  6 Pagesthis area is fiber optic cabling. Fiber optic refers to the technology and the medium associated with the transfer of information as light impulses along a plastic or glass fiber. With the demand for faster communication and network speeds fiber optic is quickly becoming the leading choice in most developed countries. Fiber optic wire is capable of carrying much more information than a conventional copper wire can and electromagnetic interference is much les s of an issue with fiber. One single glassRead MoreFiber Optic Network For Overall Broadband Systems Essay1422 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract: Fiber optic frameworks are essential telecom foundation for overall broadband systems. Wide transmission capacity signal transmission with low postpone is a key prerequisite in present day applications. Optical strands give tremendous and amazing transmission data transfer capacity with immaterial inactivity, and are presently the transmission medium of decision for long separation and high information rate transmission in telecom systems. This paper gives an outline of fiber optic correspondenceRead MoreComponents of Fiber Optic Cable and How a Fiber Optic System Works1155 Words   |  5 PagesComponents of Fiber Optic Cable and How a Fiber Optic System Works The world of fiber optic technology seems to be new. While in actuality it dates back to the 1800s. It was primitive but it was a form of fiber optic. In this paper I will be telling you what a fiber optic cable is made of, how a fiber optic system works and a history of fiber optics from the 1800s to today. Lets take a look at the optical fibers, what these fiber do is carry the light which is transmitted to the destinationRead MoreThe Evolution Of Internet : Incredible Speed On A Fiber Optic Network Essay896 Words   |  4 PagesThe evolution of Internet: Incredible speed on a fiber-optic network [SHOP FIOS PLANS] # # # C MODULE Frontier Fios Internet vs. the competition Head to head, how does fiber fare in the Internet battles? Fios vs. Cable Cable providers serve metro areas. The network for cable TV delivers Internet to the same homes. It’s via copper wiring, though. Fiber-optics consist of hair-thin, flexible glass fibers that deliver data through pulses of light. Fiber technology is way more advanced. Fios vs. DSL ExistingRead MoreForensic Cases : The Man Dog Collar, The Scarf, And Twine931 Words   |  4 Pagesdisappeared after a shopping trip with a friend. Her sudden disappearance led to a nine month long search in hopes of finding her still alive. During August of 2001, the body of Leanne Tiernan was found in Lindley Woods about ten miles away from her home in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. A man walking his dog in the park, discovered the body in a shallow grave. A plastic bag was wrapped around Leanne’s head, was held in place with a dog collar while a scarf and cable tie were wrapped around her neckRead MoreCopper Cable versus Fiber Optics661 Words   |  3 Pages Copper Cable (Ethernet) versus fiber optics The topic we picked to do our presentation on is fiber optics versus cable, which is better for a company use and what are the future prospects of fiber optics and cable. We also talked about the history of DSL, broadband, fiber optics, and dial-up. There are both pros and cons with fiber optics and copper cable. The main point for our research is which would companies choose. During our research there was many obstacles because it was hard to sayRead MoreFiber Optic Technology Essay1507 Words   |  7 Pagesowing to fiber optic technology. In 1979, ATT filled the telecommunications industry with revolutionary ideas by developing a mode for data transmission using a light, called fiber optic cable. This mode produced a bandwidth of 44.736 Mbps and could multiplex 672 trunk circuits on one fiber alone (Cole, M. 2000). However, this development was merely the start of a huge extension to telecommunications, something that would transform the industry constantly. Although ATT brought in fiber optic technology

Essay about The Poet by Paul Laurence Dunbar - 494 Words

The Poet by Paul Laurence Dunbar Before we pass on from this world it would be nice if we had left our mark, given our contribution, made our claim in the history of human civilization. Wouldnt it be wonderful to achieve such a goal? Wouldnt it be horrible to have attained that level of recognition and yet be recognized for things you deemed inferior? In the poem The Poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar expresses his remorse at having written superior Standard English literature and yet only be known and praised for his Dialect works. The first way Dunbar achieves this meaning is by his use of language. When Dunbar is talking about standard English poetry he speaks of life, serenely sweet/ With, now and then, a deeper tone (Dunbar†¦show more content†¦He continues to use romantic almost even melodramatic language to bring to mind images of earlier times that were better than the dreary world of his day. In the last lines of the poem the language changes and expresses grief over the fact that the general public only recognizes him for his Dialect works. Dunbar writes But ah, the world, it turned to praise/ A jingle in a broken tongue (Dunbar 7-8). Here he is mocking the Dialect tradition, as he doesnt consider it to be poetry. He refers to it as a jingle, which causes the reader to think of advertisements and selling out. We know that he was talking about the Dialect tradition by his use of the words broken tongue. By calling Dialect tradition a broken tongue, Dunbar is referring to his own feelings that the whites attempt at capturing the African-Americans speech by Dialect tradition is a poor, if not incorrect, representation. Even though not many blacks in the day thought the Dialect tradition illustrated their true speech, they were confined to use what they had. Because that style of writing was so popular at the time, Dunbars Dialect pieces got more notoriety than his standard English; and unfortunately the latter he felt was of higher quality. Another way Dunbar criticizes his inability to escape the brand of a Dialect poet is in the structure of the poem. About three quarters of the poem is Dunbar speaking about his standard English works.Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Paul Laurence Dunbar s The Elevator Boy Poet 1654 Words   |  7 Pageswas born. Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first African American poets to gain national recognition. (poets) Dunbar graduated high school around the time where racial discrimination was at it’s all time high, so they were not many jobs for the African American race. Due to the lack of occupation Dunbar was forced to be an elevator operator in a Dayton hotel. Although the circumstances were difficult it did not stop Dunbar from succeeding. While working as an elevator operator, Dunbar was ableRead MorePaul Laurence Dunbar1604 Words   |  7 PagesPaul Laurence Dunbar by English 102 August 4, 1995 Outline Thesis: The major accomplishments of Paul Laurence Dunbars life during 1872 to 1938 label him as being an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. I. Introduction II. American poet A. Literary English B. Dialect poet 1. Oak and Ivy 2. Majors and Minors 3. Lyrics of Lowly Life 4. Lyrics of the Hearthside 5. Sympathy III. Short story writer A. Folks from Dixie (1898) B. The Strength of GideonRead MoreAn Interpretation of Paul Laurence Dunbars Poem Sympathy and We Wear the Mask1228 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout African American history, African Americans have used poems as a way of describing the African American condition in America. One poet who was widely known for using poetry to describe the condition of African Americans in America was Paul Laurence Dunbar. Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the most prolific poets of his time. Paul Laurence Dunbar used vivid, descriptive and symbolic language to portray images in his poetry of the senseless prejudices and racism that African Americans facedRead More ?An Interpretation of Paul Laurence Dunbar?s Poem Sympathy and We Wear the Mask?1194 Words   |  5 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Throughout African American history, African Americans have used poems as a way of describing the African American condition in America. One poet who was widely known for using poetry to describe the condition of African Americans in America was Paul Laurence Dunbar. Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the most prolific poets of his time. Paul Laurence Dunbar used vivid, descriptive and symbolic language to portray images in his poetry of the senseless prejudices and racism that African Americans facedRead MoreMichael Jackson Sang The Famous Line, If You Wan Na Make The World A Better Place1495 Words   |  6 Pagesfree medium that poets utilize to express their thoughts and emotions. Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Maya Angelou, and Naomi Shihab Nye’s cultural experiences helped to form their respective views on empathy for others. Although they were not all born at the same time, their diverse upbringings (whether African-American or Middle-Eastern) is what made their lives and work stand apart in eras that made them susceptible to discrimination. All four of these different poets tried to stand upRead MoreAnalysis Of Barbie Doll And We Wear The Mask1147 Words   |  5 Pagesfooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.† - Soren Kierkgaard. â€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy and â€Å"We Wear The Mask† by Paul Laurence Dunbar are two pieces of poetry that vocalize the issues of ignorance and unrealistic social standards within society. Marge Piercy is a well-known novelist, poet, memoirist and activist. She was born on March 31st, 1936 in Detroit, Michigan into a family of labor workers, activists and creative women. In her later life, PiercyRead MoreEssay on â€Å"Sympathy† by Paul Laurence Dunbar1797 Words   |  8 PagesWilliams Honors 11 Mrs. Mosier 1 February 2012 Part 1: Exploring the Meaning of a Poem In the poem â€Å"Sympathy† by Paul Laurence Dunbar, he describes himself, trapped like a bird in a cage, symbolizing himself being trapped somewhere he has no desire to be. In the first stanza, the author describes a delightful scene with â€Å"the sun bright on the upland slopes† (Dunbar 2). This might have been the author describing his life when he graduated high school, thinking he had so many options withRead MoreThe Language of the Black Condition and All Conditions: Paul Laurence Dunbar’s â€Å"We Wear the Mask†984 Words   |  4 PagesPaul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, â€Å"We Wear The Mask† cleverly talks of the black condition in a language so universal that it could apply to any race of people that tries to hide their emotions from the world in order to survive. Dunbar argues for the reality of the black man’s plight in America, the black mans struggle for equality in the world, and the struggle for peace within. These are circumstances of the poet’s life that influenced his writing of the poem. PARAGRAPH 2: Background informationRead MoreFigurative Devices: Comparing We Wear the Mask and Theme for English B1089 Words   |  5 PagesPaul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes were considered to be early black poets during the twentieth century around the period of civil right movement. â€Å"We wear the mask† and â€Å"Theme for English B† were written in 1895 and 1951 respectively. Even there is approximately 50 years gap between these two poems, the theme that these two poems address is somewhat similar. Even though Dunbar uses symbols as figurative devices while Hughes uses Irony, they both have the same goal, which is to point out theRead More The Poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar: We Wear the Mask and When Malindy Sings1725 Words   |  7 PagesPaul Laurence Dunbar was born in a northern town near Dayton, Ohio on June 27, 1872 (Brawley 12). His parents instilled in him the value of an education, and he excelled at the all-white Dayton Central High-school whe re he held the titles of class president, the president of the school literary society, and the editor of the schools newspaper (15). Dunbar was extremely well learned; he spoke and wrote in Standard English, but just as often his poetry was written in black dialect. As one of the

Unit 1 Business Enviroment Free Essays

Describe how John Lewis would be influenced by economic factors in a time of economic recession and economic growth in the UK economy The two economic environments that I would be describing about are recession and growth on the business activities of John Lewis. Growth occurs when more goods are being produced and consumed, and also incomes are rising. During growth people spend more money on goods and services as they have more money to spend and also businesses would invest more and hire more labour as it links to increasing demand. We will write a custom essay sample on Unit 1 Business Enviroment or any similar topic only for you Order Now Recession however occurs when people involved in business become more cautious so they cut their spending down and also cut back on their orders as well as making workers unemployed or redundant. Growth affects the business activities for John Lewis because just as economy can change for a business so can demand for products and both could be associated with each other. During periods of growth you expect to see a fairly high demand for John Lewis’ good quality products so customers and potential customers would buy as during this time customers behaviours over money is more care free compared to when its in a period of recession. Mostly you could see John Lewis looking into recruiting more workers as since demand can increase a lot during the growth environment they’ll need more workers to spread out the job load for the employees otherwise if the business didn’t and just overloaded a employee with workload it could de-motivate that worker a lot it would contradict with the theory of Frederick Herzberg about the 5 factors to bring the potential to satisfy in a worker and the other 5 factors to motivate a worker after the you fulfil the factors that bring the potential to satisfy first. Or John Lewis could get the employees internally through transferring existing employees from other John Lewis branches of which are not at a so busy period as some other branches. Since customers and potential customers become more care free on how they spend their money, this is the period within the economy where you’re mostly likely to see customer switching back to their normal spending traits and return to spending money happily on good quality products, so demand in substitute products would decrease around this period. This will benefit John Lewis as sales for the good quality products would be increasing which furthermore could lead to John Lewis recovering from their losses if they were in one and go into break even or begin to start getting profits. John Lewis would buy more stock from its suppliers at this period of the economic environment as when demand increases you must get more supply to meet that demand. Also John Lewis at the time since they buy in bulk from their suppliers they can benefit from getting more stock at a good price that gives good value for money, as usually suppliers would offer you extra amounts of stock if you buy in large quantities. During this period of time interest rates would be low compared to in recession because there isn’t as much financial institutions to try get as much finance as they can from small amounts of borrowings from their company in this period as customers, business etc intend to borrow more money in this period of time as they are fairly financially stable, so to encourage the businesses and customers to begin taking sources of finance they lower the rates. So John Lewis is more likely to start borrowing sources of finance if needed then in the period of growth. Recession affects the business activities for John Lewis because in recessions it causes a drop within demand for most good quality products potential customers and customers use to buy before. As during this period of time customer’s behaviours change to usually only spending on good quality products for what they essentially need but nevertheless if it was a want customers usually look for a substitute product that still meets the needs and purpose of a particular product but is just found at a cheaper price because of the type of brand it is etc. As usually this is when we see customers taking more care of their money and become more cautious on what they spend their money on. When customers change their behaviour in spending it would affect also John Lewis as since it’s concentrated solely on selling good quality products at high prices they would suffer from a reduced amount of income coming into the business at times of recession. Therefore businesses would usually cover their losses and begin unemploying workers at the business so it reduces businesses costs in the long term. As a result John Lewis may start encountering losses during this period of economic recession as most of the products they sell are high quality products which are sold at its reasonable valued price so the price may still be high for most existing customers at the time, therefore sales in these products would reduce. The methods John Lewis would try to recover from the losses in the short term would be to begin unemploying workers and making other employees redundant. However, in recession John Lewis would have a drawback of not benefiting at all from their suppliers as since demand is falling they would buy smaller quantities of stock so you will no longer benefit from getting extra stock as you didn’t buy in bulk, so value for money decreases and also you will still be charged for full price deliveries etc as you have to pay for their transport, and the amount you pay is determined by how much they have to travel. In recessions we see interest rates intend to be high as financial institutions would like to benefit as much as they can from small amounts of finance borrowed therefore it can help the economy get out this economic environment quicker. M2 – Compare the challenges faced by John Lewis in the periods of growth and recession Challenges faced by John Lewis in economic period of growth are maintaining a high performance team, managing cash flow and knowing when to say no to the right or wrong opportunities. Managing cash flow is a challenge for John Lewis because when they enter the period of growth they must manage their cash inflows and outflows on a daily basis and avoid getting too engaged in the change of economic environment. Maintaining a high performance team is a challenge faced by John Lewis because they must first make sure they are hiring the right talented people for the job as well to train the employees to the degree of what high performance means for John Lewis. This is very time consuming and costs a lot of money. Knowing when to say no to the right or wrong opportunities is a challenge for John Lewis because good opportunities will strengthen things about John Lewis and will end in a convincing value plan. Whereas bad opportunities will do the opposite to John Lewis and bring their business reputation down and will bring problems to the business. So overall, knowing when to say could determine the business’ future and is very time consuming as you must think thoroughly about the decisions the business as a whole is going to make. John Lewis faced challenges in the recession in our economic environments of which are increased unemployment, economic uncertainty and the engagement of employees. Increased unemployment is a big challenge for the recruiting department of John Lewis because as unemployment is rising so are the number of applicants looking for jobs therefore the recruitment department would need to work even harder to make sure the select the right talented worker as well go through all the application. This is time consuming and costs the business money. Economic uncertainty is a challenge for John Lewis because since government spending is reducing, debt crisis and looming threat of recession are occurring; John Lewis can’t manage to keep reducing their costs forever so they direct their new attention into growth and expansion in order to find a method to get out of the period of recession. Engagement of employees to John Lewis because during difficult economic periods their employees must be supported well and efficiently so labour productivity can stay at a fairly stable level to keep the business running properly. So overall challenges faced in recession are tougher than challenges in growth for John Lewis because more money tends to goes out of the business rather than in as during the recession they have to pay redundancy, deal with loads of applications for jobs, pay the usual business running costs as well as lower prices for their products and services customers are more cautious over their spending. Whereas during the growth period money coming into the business and out can seem to break even or you will get more money coming in then out. This is because during growth customers’ behavior over spending tends to be more carefree and also John Lewis won’t have to keep their lowered prices like in recession because they could still manage to sell their products and services at a higher cost. Also in growth since demand is likely to be higher, business costs for stock and materials will be better value for money than to recession as you don’t buy in bulk as much during recession periods unless the product or service is a substitute to expensive versions of the product or service. So John Lewis could benefit more from their suppliers during growth periods. How to cite Unit 1 Business Enviroment, Papers

Ecological Systems Theory Frame Quantitative †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Ecological Systems Theory Frame Quantitative. Answer: Introduction: The given case study is about Sam who did not really understand what his culture meant. Eventually he picked up bits and pieces to form a whole idea about the fact that culture is in a lot of things and it is not just in the language one speaks, or the clothes they wear or the food they eat. Culture does not exclude these factors; however, these are not the only dimensions describing a culture. He eventually realized that culture is in the customs, in the ideas, social behaviours and group behaviours, for instance family. Further on he understands that as important as it is to be proud of ones own cultural behaviour, It is also essential to respect the other diverse cultures, their beliefs and values, their social behaviour and everything that comes with them. According to Urie Bronfenbrenner, an American psychologist, the life of a human being consists of interactions among a number of ecological systems that forms since the birth of a child (Neal and Neal 2013). According to his theory, a child is enmeshed in a number of ecosystems starting from the most intimate ecosystem, that is, home, moving towards, the school, and towards expanded ecosystems like that of cultures and society. According to him, the various ecosystems were the Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem and the Chronosystem (Onwuegbuzie, Collins and Frels 2013). In the present case, Sams Microsystem or his immediate family who were there while growing up were his parents. Although he was born and brought up in Melbourne, Australia, His parents originally came from England. Sams Mesosystem included his two older brothers who lived apart from the parents in a shared apartment which was closer to their Universities. This is a norm that happens in most Aussie families where the children move out after reaching a certain age. His parents taught him how it is essential to be able to respect diversity. The fact that Sams origin was from England, yet they were living in Australia and living a comfortable life must have been the Exosystem for him. Sams Macrosystem consisted of embracing all sorts of diversity although his family did not have any specific religious beliefs, however they did celebrate common holidays like Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and also had big birthday parties. Therefore, Sam understands the true meaning of his cultural ident ity, that it is the amalgamation of all the mentioned factors. Colonisation The following piece is about the colonisation that took place in Australia by the British due to which the aboriginal Australians had to face a number of hardships. The Aboriginals of Australia live in harmony for fifty thousand years, where they were very close to their families, respected their elders, worked hard to hunt and gather food, and had a varied and rich culture of music, dance and art. They were independent and resourceful. However the British invade their land in the year 1788, and found that it would be difficult to colonize in presence of the huge population of the aboriginal Australians. The British viewed them as lowly and treated them as slaves, restricted their lands, destroyed all of their weapons which in turn caused the Australian natives to starve. The British introduced various domestic animals like rabbits, goats, sheep, which caused a breakout of innumerable diseases, thereby affecting the native population even more. The British did not just stop here; they figured that the native culture would stop spreading if the children were reared differently, with different cultures and sets of values. In order to achieve this goal, they separated about 100,000 native children from their families to be raised into British families. This was enough cause for trauma to both the children and the parents. The children however were not treated as equals to the British children and had to go through acute discrimination, physical and mental abuse in addition to stress of adopting new cultural identities management. These atrocities caused the native people to be devoid of their children, without any assurance of them being returned. All the atrocities that the Aboriginal Australians had to go through, from losing their lands to their children, most of the population fell deep into depression and involved themselves in drugs and alcohol to cope with the situation The human Rights Commission made inquiry about these devastating practices in 1990 and realized the devastating effects that the British invasion had caused. Ten years after the report, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a National Apology to the natives in 2008. References Neal, J.W. and Neal, Z.P., 2013. Nested or networked? Future directions for ecological systems theory. Social Development, 22(4), pp.722-737. Onwuegbuzie, A.J., Collins, K.M. and Frels, R.K., 2013. Foreword: Using Bronfenbrenners ecological systems theory to frame quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research. International journal of multiple research approaches, 7(1), pp.2-8.

Response To Romeo And Juliet Franco free essay sample

Response To Romeo And Juliet ( Franco Zeffirelli Movie Version ) Essay, Research Paper Response Page to Romeo and Juliet ( Franco Zeffirelli Version ) The version of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, stays true to most of the original Shakespeare on which the movie is based. In some topographic points, though, the manager took certain autonomies in his divergence of the book from the original drama that I personally find excessively wild. Other things that I disagreed with in Zeffirelli s version were his costuming and music use. The first job I had with the work was his film editing of some of Romeo s most powerful lines in the drama in Act 1 scene I, when he is discoursing his problems with Benvolio. I think that at the terminal of this scene Romeo s contradictory footings paint a really good image of his character and what his mentality is at the beginning of the drama. We will write a custom essay sample on Response To Romeo And Juliet Franco or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The power that illuminates from such paradoxes as heavy elation, cold fire, still waking slumber, and my favourite which in itself may be a microcosm of the whole work deformed pandemonium of good looking signifiers. That last line seems to sum the full subject of Shakespeare s chef-doeuvre, and I found Zeffirelli s cut of those lines shocking. The following job I had with Zeffirelli s version of the drama was his inane costuming and usage of music. The costumes were bright and colourful, meaning a really happy topographic point. Verona is non a happy topographic point it was in complete confusion due to the discord of the two wealthiest households in Verona. The Prince was really unhappy with his metropolis, yet the costumes gave a really happy feeling. That was an bothersome anomalousness. The music he used was besides unneeded. I truly think that the music during much of the film merely reaffirmed tempers that the secret plan did a all right occupation of set uping itself. During the scene following the balcony scene where Romeo runs place was particularly annoying. In decision, I found Zeffirelli s version of Shakespeare s celebrated drama to be grating and overdone. If Zeffirelli had interpreted some scenes closer to the manner I did, and had let the drama speak for itself more I would hold been more impressed with the work.

Protestant Reformation Essay Essay Example

Protestant Reformation Essay Essay Example Protestant Reformation Essay Essay Protestant Reformation Essay Essay In the 16th century the Catholic Church experienced one of the major challenges that changed the face of this church everlastingly. This development has been described as alone and of import since it brought transparence in the church and made it possible for the ordinary individual to entree the Gods land merely like Jesus Christ intended through the lacrimation of the drape into two pieces. This transmutation was called The Protestant Reformation ; it was ab initio aimed at reforming the establishment which is the church by offering the true redemption of God. The reformists wanted to convey alterations in the church utilizing the true word of God. They clearly understood that the Holy Bible was the lone authorization that was supposed to steer the church. Through this reform the Protestants were fundamentally rejecting the authorization of the Pope whom they described as holding misled the sheep through presenting some patterns which went contrary to the instructions in the Holy Book and philosophies of the early church. To the Protestants saneness had to be returned to the church and acquire rid of all the immoralities which had been introduced in the name of worship. Protestant Reformation was one of the most extremist spiritual transmutations to happen in the history of the church. The struggle that ensued led to a major division in the church where on one side there was the Catholic and on the other the Protestants. These reforms were as a consequence of the economical. spiritual societal and political alterations that were taking topographic point during this period. The impacts were so extended such that they have been described as great turning point for the universe and the church. There are assorted factors that have been pointed to hold played great function every bit far as Protestant Reformation is concerned. Cunningham and Reich ( 2005 ) argue that it is difficult to nail the exact factors or conditions which led to the Protestants Reformation but they continue to state that any account brought frontward has to take into the history the many elements which were coming up during this century. Rise in patriotism and bitterness in pontificate commanding attitude are some of the conditions which gave rise to this spiritual revolution. Other factors include the corruptness in the church. power and wealth battles. misdirection in the church. and find of authorship among other causes. The Roman Catholic Church had dominated the faith order in Europe for along period such that it controlled most facets of life in this part. The church was so powerful such that it controlled most of the political power in Western Europe. During this period the church was turning at a great velocity. There was a batch of enlargement traveling on where churches were being built. One of the worshipping centres that came up during this epoch was the saint Peter Basilica which was situated in Rome. All these developments were taking topographic point during the pontificate of Pope Leo. the ten percent. To finance the enlargement of the church he had to increase the gross. He used assorted methods to accomplish this. Some of these methods did non auger good with the instructions in the Gospel. They were corrupt and exploitatory in nature. This is the period when the church was riddled by immoralities beyond no step. Cunningham and Reich observe that the church was profoundly rooted with corruptness and misdirection â€Å"it was like a house cards waiting to be toppled† ( p 80 ) The reforms in the church had been turning over clip where people were responding from the surpluss of the church which made the lives of many people so difficulty. Martin Luther one of the designers of this revolution yearned for alteration that will do the church serve the intent of Christ. He advocated for personal transition something that appealed to many people who further demanded for the rejection of the bad patterns of the Catholic Church. Invention of composing brought with itself some of the best things that helped in transmutation of faith. For so long faith has been a affair of following without oppugning. Followings believed everything that clergy said. they could non hold questioned since they did non hold anything to endorse their expostulations. with innovation of printing. people could read for themselves what the word contained. Martin Luther helped interpret the Bible in German. it subsequently spread to the other part. This gave many followings of the church a opportunity to acquire fast manus information written in the Bible. Peoples started to oppugn some of the things the clergy were affecting themselves in. They started inquiring for accounts. They could non understand why people would pay for their wickednesss to a priest who would forgive them. This became an oculus opener every bit far as religion is concerned. Martin Luther being one of the title-holders of the Protestant reforms brought much inspiration to the Protestants. There is a batch that was accomplished in this revolution. One there was interlingual rendition of the Bible into different linguistic communications. This served as a accelerator of the reforms and people came to cognize what is expected of them. Second Martin Luther helped in the publicity of the impression that it is merely the sanctum word that should be the usher every bit far as Christian life is concerned. The word remains the same and does non alter to accommodate the times. Changing the Holy word for selfish addition or to function one’s intent should be discouraged as it is equivalent to disobeying God. There was publicity of the construct where faithful were supposed to warrant themselves by the religion. Martin Luther helped on this terminal where Christian came to understand that it is merely through religion that one should warrant he or she is a truster. It is non through the part one makes to the church but by the religion in 1s bosom. Luther besides helped in the publicity of the construct of acquiring saved through the Grace. This was different from what believed in the yesteryear where indulgencies were adequate to do one sanctum. Reformation brought a new construct where faithful came to believe in the redemption through Christ. The church one time more became a lively topographic point to be where people worshipped God through singing. This was a major displacement from the patterns of the Catholic Church where everything revolved through recitation of philosophies which many of the followings could non even understand. Christian came to appreciate that they can near God straight without holding to travel through the reverends. by direct attack it meant that they could pray direct to God without necessary inquiring the Clergy to make it for them. By and large there was a renewed spirit among the Protestants where they approached issues otherwise and in an nonsubjective mode. Counter Reformation was fundamentally a reaction to the Protestants Reformation. Roman Catholic attempted to turn to some of the issues of concern. They tried to extinguish the church excesses that had been pinpointed by the reformists. When Pope Paul 3 took over the church was able to acquire the much needed leading. His purpose was to run into the challenges brought approximately by the Protestants. He approved some new orders which helped in some of the issues raised by the Protestants. This motion has been described as an activism which was keenly marked with evangelization of the new lands that had been discovered. particularly in America. Protestant Reformation wholly changed the affairs of religion. It awakened the sleeping giant which came to recognize that people can non be held in ransom for so long. It brought a new morning where people came to recognize that one does non necessitate to go through through any other individual to be able to speak to God. This revolution will ever be one of the sorts where humanity was redeemed from its ain ignorance.

The film Black Swan explores and critiques cultural ideas concerning Essay

The film Black Swan explores and critiques cultural ideas concerning women - Essay Example In many ways, the ballet is the epitome of the misogynist fantasy, women who are represented as virginal and without sexuality, but with every movement of every muscle highlighted and visible. The great choreographer, George Ballanchine, wanted his ballerina’s to have no weight, to eat nothing, and to appear to be children rather than grown adults. Within the framework of the ballet, the dream of female fragility is played out through extremes of physical contortion and athleticism, which is presented to seem as if it is not. The film, Black Swan (2010), provides context for the nature of the life that women lead. Woman have always been constrained to live through the expectations put on them by society, trying to meet impossible standards without true recognition for how impossible the expectations that have been put on them are to meet. The expectation of perfection, the need to be all things, creates a pressure that often turns inward into self-mutilation and destructive be haviors. In the case of the lead character in Black Swan (2010), the critique on the culture of women explores the nature of striving for perfection and the dangers that lurk within the struggle to meet the expectations that are impossible to achieve. ... ecretaries for organizations, and do little within the home towards maintaining the daily chores, women are not allowed that luxury to let go of any sphere without facing failure. The ballerina, is first, an athlete. She performs on her toes, each movement of each muscle under her control so that she can turn, fly, twist, and land without appearing to be putting in any effort. She must be in peek condition, but her body must be starved of any body fat and lean without the bulge of muscle. Her representation is frail and fragile upon the stage, despite the strength and prowess that is required to create the dance. Her life is a contrast of needs, her impossible task set to see her fail. Few can achieve the balance, and all those who cannot, step away feeling like failures. The most notorious relationship in the recent history of the ballet is that between the choreographer George Balanchine and the ballerina Gelsey Kirkland. Kirkland wrote a book that described her experiences with Ba lanchine as he pushed his dancers to perform. He would tell his dancers â€Å"must see the bones†, â€Å"eat less†, and â€Å"eat nothing† (Freidler and Glazer 15). He led his dancers in what Kirkland is quoted as calling a â€Å"concentration camp aesthetic† (Gordon 124). Kirkland suffered from bulimia and anorexia nervosa, as well as drug addiction from taking pills to balance her lack of nutrition and energy. Her experience was painful, stressful, and full of the turmoil that women face as they strive to balance on their toes and be all things in the process. The metaphor of the ballet provides a rich textual dialogue about the difficulty of being a woman in today’s society. Unfortunately, as much as it is a metaphor it is also an explicit truth that the expectations in the ballet are

Economic events occur around us every day. This assignment aims to Essay

Economic events occur around us every day. This assignment aims to provide association between what you learn from economic models and concepts in class with real-life events happening around you - Essay Example dly, Greece cannot now maintain its euro as the ratio of debt to domestic rise to 151% in 2012 and expected to remain at 149% in 2013 (â€Å"New York Times,† 2012, p.1). The big question is whether Greece will manage to get out of this major recession or it will result in an economic depression. The year 2012 was big for Greece as economists figured out different ways of getting Greece out of recession and out of debts. Lucas Papademos, Greece prime minister gave hope to the nation of new opportunity to use the saved interests and debt repayments. In March 2012, the country expects European officials to sign 130 billion Euros that Greece needs in stopgap financing. This will help Greece negotiate a landmark debt restructuring deal with its private lenders. The move will also help clear way for European commission, European Central bank, and International Monetary Fund to begin releasing fund to Greece. One worry with the government is that the big money coming in to Greece ended up in the pockets of troika leaving the country in enormous debts and less chances of growth. Greece could not even pay for its vital public services. By July, pressure was building up as Germany officials spoke of a possibility of Greece leaving Euro in fall. Greece was in dire need of a better fiscal policy that would get the country out of the current crisis. The government had hoped to make a better deal to solve the crisis with the involvement of the private sector. Apparently, they have refused and the government cannot force them to do it since the Greek law does not govern their bonds. Worse still is the fact that investors would sue the government for trying to impose the deal on them. The fact that public sector is now the biggest creditor gives an opportunity to the creditor nations of taking collective steps of assisting Greece government before the next crisis hits in. However, this may not yield much because Greece government traded their ability to write down debts to

Fujifilm Product Portfolio Analysis Marketing Essay

Fujifilm Product Portfolio Analysis Marketing Essay Photocentre is a one stop imaging shop in The Sultanate of Oman. It is a subsidiary division under The Zubair Holding Company. The Zubair Holding Company is a family business based in Oman established by the Omani entrepreneur Mohammad Al Zubair in 1967, back then it was called Muscat Trading Company. The Zubair Holding Company consists of sixty wholly owned groups of companies, subsidiaries and associates in Oman, the Middle East, India, the Far East, Europe and the USA. The diverse portfolio of The Zubair Holding Company includes automotive, real estates, home and business solutions, furnishing, heritage and culture, marketing communications and publishing among others. History Mohammad Al Zubairs passion towards photography led him to establish Photocentre which started as a small shop offering basic photography services to the customers in 1972 (which was his first source of income). Today, Photocentre has become one of the leading and trusted names in photography and imaging across the country. Photocentre is a distributor of some of the worlds leading brands such as: Fujifilm, Fujinon, Broncolor, Fujitsu, Epson, Hama, Hasselblad, Manfrotto, Mitsubishi Pelican, and Praktica. The brands extend to offer a wide range of services which include: photography, developing and printing, photo enlargement prints, customized framing, digital photo editing among many others. Client Portfolio Photocentres client portfolio consists of a range of reputable governmental bodies and private companies in Oman which includes but not limited to: Royal Court Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Supreme committee of Town Planning, Palace Department of Photography, Shangrila bar Al Jissah Resort and Spa, Bahwan Engineering Company, Intercontinental Muscat. Location Photocentre showrooms are located in two major areas in Muscat, the capital city of Sultanate of Oman. The electronic consumer products are also available in 13 major hypermarket and consumer electronics chains: Carrefour, Lulu hypermarkets, Sharaf DG, Extra and E-MAX.(www.photocent.com) Fujifilm The marketing strategy will focus on one of the main leading brands offered by Photocentre which is Fujifilm. Fujifilm was founded in 1934. It offers a wide range of consumer products such as: Digital cameras, 3D image products, Binoculars and other supplies. In the business sector it offers medical systems, graphic system, and recording media among many. (www.fujifilm.com) Fujifilm milestones: Fujifilm introduced the first digital camera in the world with removable media in 1988. Fujifilm made the first single use recyclable camera in the world in 1986. Fujifilm ranked number eight globally in 2007 on the volume of cameras manufactured. Vision and Objectives The vision: To offer happy memorable experience to our customer Photocentres long term objectives For Fujifilm brand are: Continue to diversify our offerings in the imagining and photographic services. Increase the market share of the brand by 30% by 2017 Currently Fujifilm digital cameras ranked number three with nearly 14% market share. Expand our network across the country to reach 80% coverage by 2017 Currently Fujifilm covers 40% of Oman and it is available throughout 13 different hypermarkets and nearly 20 partner shops across the country. . Achievability of the objectives in current market conditions: To measure the achievability of the objectives under the current market conditions PESTEL analysis is conducted. The following analysis will focus on the main three factors that affect the brand: Technological Factors: The consumer electronic industry is an unstable industry. Companies that offer technology solutions to consumers are in fierce competition to provide the latest trends in technology; this led to a shorter life cycle for products belonging to this category including digital cameras. A well-known example for a failure to adapt to new technology is Kodak example, after being rated one of the worlds five most valuable brands. (The Economist, 2012) Kodak recently reported a third-quarter loss of $222m, the ninth quarterly loss in three years (The Economist, 2012) due to their reluctant attitude to accept moving from film cameras to digital cameras. While Fujifilm the long term direct competitor acted fast, diversified and sought new outlets for expertise, that revenue of film went from 60% of its profits in 2000 to simply nothing, (The Economist, 2012). The digital camera market faces a major threat from the smart phones market as well, as consumers are rapidly relying on their smart phones attached cameras to click pictures. Although, the threat is increasing, some companies such as Canon believe that smart phones cameras would not pull the rag from under the digital camera, (Hiyama, H. 2012). Canon sees good potential in the Oman market for its new range of products especially from universities, print shops and other institutions, (Times of Oman, 2009). Despite the Smartphones threat the digital camera market is rapidly increasing which is evident by the number of new models with new and richer features releasing day after day. (Seymour, 2010) Economical Factors The Research and Markets Offers Report: Global Digital Camera Market 2011-2015, 2012, explains that the increase in the spending capacity and the perspective of a digital camera as a primary or secondary household accessory has increased the purchasing of digital cameras in the emerging markets. As a result of the increasing purchase of digital cameras in the emerging markets, the global vendors are expected to have a higher percentage of their sales from the emerging markets during the period 2011-2015. On the other hand, price is considered the top decision factor across most cameras segments. But when consumers consider the cameras with prices above $300, price then becomes the least important factor, as features; brand name, performance, and latest technology become priority (Tarr, G. 2010). According to Oman Consumer Electronics Report Q4 2010 Omans consumer electronics devices market is a very promising market. The consumer electronic market is forecast at $480.0 million in 2010, this is expected to increase to $593.2 million by 2014, driven by new technologies and the growing popularity of digital lifestyle products. Also, the government strategy to move towards the digital world has shifted the mindset of Omani consumers and increased their digital product purchasing. The report addresses that Spending is expected to pick up again after 2010, as new technologies and features such as higher capability and feature-rich products and the rollout of 3G and 4G services play as demand drivers. On the other hand, growth is forecast to remain below pre-credit crunch levels in 2010-2014, as consumers feel the effect of the regional property slump and credit tightening. Sociological Factors Consumer technology products are proving to be a key component of a higher quality of life for many consumers in the GCC region. They are gaining a huge popularity in the region simply because they are status symbols and consumers are willing to purchase the latest trends with little consideration to the price especially when it comes to smart phones and tablets. In Oman culture and art are highly regarded by people and photography is a very popular hobby. Omani talented photographers are being recognized internationally and regionally, and due to increasing number of demand on photography, The Sultan Qaboos has issued a decision to establish an association under the name of Photography Association at the level of a Directorate to be affiliated to the Minister of The of Royal Court. (Royal Orders to Establish Photography Association, 2012). Fujifilm product portfolio analysis Globally, Fujifilm is well known for its digital cameras and copiers; however the company has altered its product portfolio over the past 10 years to the business side in an attempt to survive the decline of traditional photographic film by diversifying their product offerings into areas such as medical equipment and materials used in flat-panel displays. Now, the medical product line accounts for 12% of Fujifilm revenue and the flat-panel display generates 10% of its revenue (Osawa, J. Inagaki, K, 2012). The business to consumer segment competes in consumer electronics industry , the product portfolio consist of digital cameras with eight product lines ( X, S, F, Z,XP, T, J , A and 3 D cameras) , film photography, instant cameras with one line that consist of four models ( Instax Mini 7s, Instax Mini 8, Instax Mini 50s ), Binoculars and camera accessories. This report focuses on the (input) product offering of Fujifilm brand which are the digital cameras as they are the most profitable products in the consumer segment. The focused market is Omans market as Photocentre is based and operates in Oman only. BCG Matrix tool is used to analyze Fujifilm (camera) products portfolio, the focus here is on the Fujifilm product portfolio distributed by Photocentre: Stars F series, S series and the instant cameras are the stars of Fujifilm, as they have a high market growth and a high market share. Question Marks X series and the Z series have a high market growth but a low market share. Cash Cows J series has a low market growth but a high market share. J series is at the mature stage of the product life cycle and it is considered the most profitable category. Dog A series has a low market growth and a low market share. Due to the introduction of new models in other series the A series is considered outdated and customers are hesitant to buy cameras with basic features. Photocentre is trying to get rid of the remained stock of this series and does not plan to promote it in the future. Further analysis: Stars: The S series is doing will not only in Omans market but in America and other parts of the world, Ron Gazzola, marketing and operations VP, Fujifilm North America stated that they had great success and saw a lot of market share growth with the long-zoom S-series cameras, like S2700 and S1800. (Tarr. Greg ,2010). Although instant cameras are not using any of the digital cameras technology, they are doing very well as many consumers need to get a printed version of their clicks instantly, something that digital cameras dont provide. Also , the low cost of the cameras is another attractive factor for its huge popularity, prices start from AED 280 , the profit is made from selling the film which costs AED 30 for 10 photos. Question marks: The Z series was designed keeping in mind female shoppers, to increase the market share from this product line promotional efforts must be targeting a niche market, such as causal young female photographers as the models of this series are very fashion oriented as it comes in fashionable feminine colors. This series also offer the ease of uploading the images to Facebook and Youtube. New Products: The X series has introduced two new models recently: FUJIFILM X100S The FUJIFILM X100S these models come with the new technologically advanced APS-C X-Trans CMOS II Sensor and improved EXR Processor II, the X100S is mow one of the worlds fastest autofocus speeds of up to 0.08 seconds (Ottawa, 2013) Therefore, the X series have a potential in becoming a star because of the launch of these new models Fujifilm product portfolio caters to different needs and come in different price ranges, making the objective of offering diversified products and services to the consumer an achievable long term objective if the purpose was on strengthening the offerings not just extending them. Customer perceived value Fujifilm promises their digital cameras customers a value that exceeds their expectation More than you imagined is Fujifilms brand promise which it communicates to its customers. Fujifilm works to create a balance between innovative technology and at the same time offer value for money. One of Fujifilm methods to achieve this objective is mass produce. Fujifilm has developed ways to mass-produce highly advanced new products so that they are affordable for users and profitable for manufacturers. (Daly, T, 2002) an example of that is Fujifilms (NANO CUBIC ) technology, Fujifilm successfully applied this technology to the available mass production lines, which led to a lower cost to convert existing manufacturing facilities and, ultimately, a lower price for the end user. Customer value from market trends perspective: Award winning products: Fujifilm products are known for their good technology, many of their cameras have won awards the recent one was for the X-Pro1 which has won the award European Professional Compact System Camera 2012-2013 along with many other awards. (www.fujifilm.com) Fujifilm provides a wide range of technical features in its cameras such as : a wide range of memory storage capacity, high resolution photos even in the most affordable ranges, a wide range of zooming capacity, image stabilization features: ensuring blur free and sharp images, a wide range of battery life capacity, High speed continuous shooting , Video recording as a standard feature , among many others. The cameras come in various colors to satisfy different tastes such as pink, blue, orange, red, purple along with black, sliver and white. Sleek designs to satisfy fashion-conscious camera shoppers. Protective features for adventures camera shoppers or those who love outdoor shooting: the protective features are: water proof, freeze proof, heat proof and dust proof. High quality lenses. All Fujifilm Finepix cameras use the world renowned Fujinon Lens that is used popularly in numerous situations including satellites in outer space, TV/film, security and compact cameras. ( Daily News, 2011 ) Price ranges: Fujifilm cameras come in different price ranges that starts from below 300 AED to 10, 00 AED. Organizational Value: Solid, trusted and long term relationship: Photocentre has been the exclusive dealer of Fujifilm in Oman since 1984. Moreover, Photocentre has been in the market since 1974 this offers customers the assurance of dealing with an experienced and trusted dealer. Photocentre network is extended to two dedicated showrooms in prime locations in Muscat and 13 selling points in hypermarkets and consumer electronic chains: Carrefour, Lulu hypermarkets, Sharaf DG, Extra and E-MAX. Photocentre have more than 11 customer services employees to assist and answer consumers inquires. Efficient stock management: Fujifilm warehouse is located in Dubai, this insures that Photocentre updates and replaces stock in less than a week time. Photocentre offers its customers a range of added value services such as : An extended warranty, Fujifilm as a manufacturer offers a one year warranty while Photocentre offers two years warranty for Fujifilm products. Trade- in offer, Photocentre offers their customers the opportunity to exchange their old camera from any brand with a new Fujifilm camera (or any other brand from the available range). Product testing: as per the commercial rules in Oman, returning products that can be tested in store is not permitted. However, Photocentre offers their customers a free rental on certain Fujifilm ranges, to allow customers to test the cameras outside the store. Theses values will ensure the achievability of the objective of extending the Fujifilm network across the country and for increasing Fujifilm market share. Competitors Key Direct Competitors: Given the wide range of products offered by Fujifilm they compete with different brands in different categories: On the compact and low-end category: Fujifilm competes with Nikon, Yashika, Samsung, Olympus, Sony and Panasonic. On the semi-professional category: The brand competes with Olympus, Canon, Nikon and Samsung. On the mirror-less category: The brand competes with Olympus, Samsung, Canon and Nikon. The following table illustrates Fujifilm top two competitors in the compact low end category: Marketing Mix Fujifilm Sony Nikon Product Finepix JX550 Cyber-shot DSC-S3000 Coolpix L25 Price AED 240,9 AED 299 AED 207 Place Photocentre showrooms and all major hypermarkets Three retailing shops in Muscat and two in Salalah Kimji Ramdas showrooms and all major hypermarkets Promotion In-store and print promotions and online , dedicated website for Photocentre and a page for Fujifilm In-store and print promotions, no dedicated website for the dealer, browsers directed to Sony global website. In-store , print and online promotions, dedicated website for the dealer with a dedicated page for Nikon Indirect competitors: Smart phones: The Research and Markets Offers Report: Global Digital Camera Market 2011-2015, 2012, suggests that the rapid penetration of smart phones in the global electronics market has been restricting the growth of the digital cameras markets, and as the quality of the Smartphones camera improves, the need to purchase a digital camera decreases. President Hiroyuki Sasa of Olympus had mentioned that the market for compact digital cameras shrank at a faster speed and scale than they had imagined as smart phones with a camera spread around the world. (Hiyama, 2012). On the other hand, smart phones cameras cannot compete directly or fiercely with digital cameras as they still lack some of the digital cameras basic features: zoom, exposure flexibility and sharper images. (Graham, J. 2011) Instagram With more than 11 million active users, Instagram the social photography application is considered an indirect competitor to digital cameras. (www.practicalecommerce.com) this application enables users to click pictures through their smart phones and with high-tech editing features make them look like professional photos. The application is also popular because it allows users to share these photos instantly with their friends through Facebook and Twitter. Migrating needs that may affect the industry Fujifilm has been looking at different industries to find new applications for its existing technologies as well as borrowing their technologies for their own innovations through mergers and acquisitions, as well as business alliances. (Osawa, J. Inagaki, K, 2012). Fujifilm has also been innovative in adopting new ideas for its digital cameras, one example of that is when Fujifilm launched the (finepix 40i), (appendix 1) camera with MP3 player, and it was considered one of the hottest products of the year 2000. As the cameras attached to smart phones depend on wireless instant photo sharing, digital cameras consumers are increasingly demanding similar features on their digital cameras. According to the market Insight Corporation: consumers who hold a strong preference for the Fujifilm brand expressed the largest increase in Wi-Fi interest compared to other consumers preferring other brands , therefore the need to connect via Wifi network is one of the major needs for the digital cameras industry. Another migrating need is to connect the camera with a GPS system to enable including the location of the picture taken when printing the photos. Strategic benchmark companies Quality and Performance : BMW BMW, the ultimate driving machine offers cars in different designs, sizes and prices however it maintains the performance at the ultimate level in all the series. Also BMW is known for introducing technological features ahead of its competitors. As Fujifilm offers wide ranges of products that differ in their functions, prices and styles quality and performance must be at the ultimate level. Customer Service : Virgin America Virgin America is well-known for providing an engaging and extraordinary customer service experience. In order for Fujifilm to succeed in this regard it has to listen to the customers and engage them to not only exceed their expectation but to satisfy the unmet needs. Responsiveness to market needs : Procter Gamble Procter and Gamble hold a strong product portfolio and continuously impress consumers with innovative products that help make their life easier without compromising on quality and added values making it difficult for consumers to consider a competitive brand. Being proactive in the consumer electronic ever-changing industry is vital for a brand like Fujifilm. Superiority : Harvard The name Fuji in the Japanese language refers to: an extinct volcano in Honshu that is the highest peak in Japan, the name indicates that the brand seeks to be on the top. When speaking of top ranked universities in the world, Harvard comes at the top of the mind. For Fujifilm to stay ahead of its competitors and dominate its market, the brand should be inspiring and sought -after. Target Market Fujifilm consumers can be divided in two major segments: Demographics: Fujifilm digital cameras consumers are both male and female; however the more colourful options of the cameras are aimed to the female market. Fujifilm targets middle class consumers while some of its cameras are also affordable for the lower middle class. In terms of age, Fujifilm offers cameras for all age groups, starting from Fujifilm INSTAX mini film (appendices 2) which designed to be children friendly which is a a star product , to other ranges for adults up to age 70. Psychographics: Those who love adventures and travel can chose the range that comes with the protective features, while fashion conscious consumers may go with the sleek designs and bold colours. Those who want the camera for just capturing special family moments may chose the low end category. And those who are passionate about photography will chose the semi-professional and mirror less category.

Strategic Plan-Hertz

Strategic Plan for the Hertz Corporation February 18, 2011 Table of Contents Introduction of Team and Assignment4 Company Profile6 Mission Statement6 Vision and Values7 Economic conditions7 Strategic Analysis9 SWOC Analysis: Strengths10 SWOC Analysis: Weaknesses13 SWOC Analysis: Opportunities17 Internal Actions17 Opportunities18 SWOC Analysis: Challenges20 Dependence on the United States Automobile Industry20 Technological Changes and Advances20 Competitive Pressures21 Maintaining customer satisfaction and employee morale22 Merger Transitions22 Pressures to Go â€Å"Green†22 Expanding the â€Å"Global Footprint†23 STRATEGIC ISSUES25 Market Share Vehicle Rental25 Car Manufacturers25 Debt and Interest payments26 Technology26 Focus on Green27 Off Airport Rental27 People27 Equipment Business28 Summary29 Foundations of goals and strategic plan30 Increased Market Share30 Movement toward sustainable inventory30 Improve customer satisfaction by training and technology31 Dedication to Employees31 Drastically decrease debt owed32 Hertz Strategic Plan Implementation33 Mission33 Vision33 Strategies33 REFERENCES36 Introduction of Team and Assignment In recent years, leaders of American organizations have faced a multitude of challenges. The numerous trends and events that have occurred in the past two decades have affected both American society and business practices. Think of the influences the following events and trends have had on our government, communities, and public agencies: an aging and diversifying population; changes in the nature of families; dramatic shifts in federal and state responsibilities and funding priorities; the emergence of the poor as the largest group of poor Americans; fears about terrorism; the emergence of obesity as an important health concern; and a recent crippling recession (Bryson, 2004). Now think how American society would suffer if our government did not institute policies, programs, and plans in response to these conditions and crises. The same holds true for business organizations around the world. Organizations that want to survive, prosper, do good and important work must respond to the challenges the world presents (Bryson, 2004). In this environment, strategic plans are required to combat current challenges and provide future direction for business practices. Organizations that embark on strategic planning drastically increase their chances to endure current and future crises and are inherently closer to creating a sustainable organization that has public value. Students enrolled in the HR504 Strategic Planning class offered at the University of Scranton, were given the daunting assignment of creating a strategic plan for an organization of their choice. The strategic plan outlined in this paper was developed by the following students; Elisa Cosner, Patricia Dungan, Jacqueline Lombardo, and Mark Trautman (Team 3). These four students represent current and aspiring human resource professionals in pursuit of their Master’s degree in the field of Human Resources. The unique challenge of this assignment was to find a medium that could bring this geographically dispersed group of students together on a regular basis so they could collaborate and execute assignment responsibilities. The chosen medium was a chat forum called Meebo. Students met on Meebo for a minimum of thirty minutes every week, for a period of six weeks, to formulate, direct, and assign task responsibilities for their strategic planning efforts. When it came time to choose an organization for this assignment, Team 3 opted to conduct studies on struggling America business organizations that were experiencing financial difficulties and extreme pressures from both internal and external threats, ultimately choosing an organization that would unequivocally benefit from these strategic planning efforts. After much deliberation, Team 3 decided to formulate a strategic plan for the Hertz Corporation. The Hertz Corporation is the largest car rental brand in the world, with approximately 3,500 locations in the United States and 7,500 worldwide. Recent economic threats have caused double digit declines in car and rental equipment volumes, forced Hertz to drastically downsize its workforce and have seen the corporation experience hundreds of millions of dollars in net losses over the past three years. The strategic plan outlined hereafter, is an attempt by Team 3 to secure a strategic advantage for Hertz in the car rental marketplace, by mitigating the effects of environmental threats and severe economic influences, while at the same time utilizing the existing strengths of the organization and manipulating growth opportunities. Before we embark on this endeavor, we find it beneficial to provide a brief history of the Hertz Corporation. Company Profile Hertz Global Holdings (Hertz) operates vehicle and equipment rental businesses in the United States and Europe as well as global services for industries like construction, automobile manufacturing, railroad, power generation, and shipbuilding. The company employs 24,900 people and has company headquarters in Park Ridge, New Jersey. Hertz’s businesses are separated into two divisions. The Car Rental division, Hertz, which operates ental facilities near airports, central business districts, and suburban areas of cities, and also retails and leases, used cars in the United States and France where associates accept reservations for car rentals at approximately 8,000 locations in approximately 145 countries. The Equipment Rental division, Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation (HERC), rents earthmoving equipment, material handling equipment, aerial equipment, el ectric equipment, compressors and generators, and construction-related vehicles and tools. The Equipment Rental division also offers claim management services for both divisions investigating and negotiating various claims including bodily injury, property damage, and general and product liability for its customers. Mission Statement The mission at Hertz is to be the most customer focused, cost efficient vehicle and equipment rental/leasing company in every market we serve. We will strengthen our leading worldwide positions through a shared-value culture of employee and partner involvement by making strategic investments in our brand, people and products. The focus of everything we do will be on continuously improving shareholder value. Vision and Values Hertz has a vision to be the first choice brand for vehicle and equipment rental/leasing and total mobility solutions. In order to achieve this vision, Hertz, its employees and subsidiaries will adhere to the values of Integrity, Transparency, Continuous Improvement, Diversity, Passion, Commitment, Teamwork and Accountability. Economic conditions The current recession in the United States has adversely affected almost all domestic organizations, with Hertz being no exception. The uncertainty of current economic conditions has lead to serious revenue instability for Hertz. In 2009, Hertz experienced the most difficult macro-economic conditions in its 91 year history. Revenues were down 1. 4 billion from the previous year, and overall Hertz experienced a net loss of $126 million. A great portion of these conditions can be attributable to Americans traveling less. In should be of no surprise that car and equipment rental companies are significantly influenced by general economic conditions. One of the many economic challenges facing Hertz is the organizations dependence on drastically reducing operating costs. Hertz has been successful at doing this, but this success could have potential consequences. By drastically reducing its workforce, Hertz jeopardizes customer satisfaction levels and employee morale. In addition, Hertz’s current indebtedness has presented the following challenges to its operations: the organization is now increasingly vulnerable to adverse economic and industry conditions, they are at a competitive disadvantage to any competitors with significantly less debt, inflexibility in planning for and reacting to changing conditions in their business and industry, limited ability to react to competitive pressures, and it is increasing difficult to carry out capital spending that is necessary and important to Hertz’ growth strategy to improve operating margins. According to the Hertz 2009 Annual Report, the company recorded revenues of $8,525. 1 million during FY2008 which was 1. 8% decrease from 2007. The operating profit in FY2008 was $631. 2 million, a decrease of 50% compared to 2007. The net loss was $1,206. 7 million in FY2008, compared to the net profit of $265 million in 2007. Despite this, Hertz emerged from the 2009 recession a more efficient, customer focused company that is poised for strong revenue growth. Costs were reduced by over $1. billion since 2007, strategic plans to further improve service have been implemented, and in 2009, new business opportunities were developed. As a result, over $170 million of incremental revenues have been generated, the consolidated operating margin for 2009 was equal to 2008, and the margin for worldwide car rental increased to 7. 8%. Going forward Hertz will focus on costs, service and revenues combined with improving conditions in our car and equipment rental businesses. Hertz is expecting significant margin expansion and increased shareholder value. Strategic Analysis Subjects Employees Equipment dealers (Ford, John Deere) Players Board of Directors Senior Management Shareholders Customers Lenders Crowd Government Authorities (Airports to environmental matters) Franchises Context Setters Subordinated debt holders Subjects Employees Equipment dealers (Ford, John Deere) Players Board of Directors Senior Management Shareholders Customers Lenders Crowd Government Authorities (Airports to environmental matters) Franchises Context Setters Subordinated debt holders Subjects: have interest but little power Context setters: have power but little direct interest Crowd: Stakeholders with little interest or power Players: have interest and power Power versus Interest Grid, used to array stakeholders in the organization and the stakeholder’s power to affect the organizations future. In Hertz case, as a largely leveraged organization this analysis can prove telling as those with power may be more self-interested than in the game for the long term health of the organization. SWOC Analysis: Strengths * Strong Market Presence Strong Name Recognition * Strong Global Presence * Strong Diversification * Effective Cost Containment * Good Business Partnerships * Entrepreneurial culture * Recent Acquisitions * Agile * Our Employees * Novel Services * Variety Offered Hertz Global strengths include the company’s strong presence in the rental car and equipment market and strong name recognition as they remain the number one airport car rental provider in the United States. The company also has a strong global presence with outlets in Europe, North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Hertz’s strong diversification of businesses, products, and market protects the company offering a long-term competitive advantage through difficult times. Hertz is poised to serve every type of customer in the market including business accounts, hourly renters, budget travelers, and multi-month rental customers. Hertz continues to lead the industry in cost management and containment through lean strategic plans like fleet management, back-office reengineering, and organizational redesign. A good example of the company’s ongoing success recovering its financial performance is the refinancing $3. 2 billion of the U. S. fleet debt one year ahead of schedule with pricing comparable to 2005 rates. In addition, $990 million of capital was raised through a successful convertible debt and equity transaction. Efforts helped the company emerge from a difficult year in 2009 as leaner and more focused and Hertz is expecting higher returns throughout 2010. Good business partnerships and the company’s entrepreneurial culture helped Hertz to better effectively manage changing market conditions and take advantage of growth opportunities. For example, Hertz made the following important recent acquisitions: * The Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, which not only strengthened Hertz financially it also expanded Hertz's share in the business travel off-airport market, * The purchase of Eileo SA, a car-sharing service and provider of technology for Connect by Hertz. This investment in technology will help advance Hertz’s leadership by taking the customer experience to the next level, * The addition of the Advantage value brand giving them an even greater share of the growing Leisure segment, the acquisition already has resulted in gaining a full point of U. S. airport market share, * Several smaller acquisitions further expanding their Equipment Rental market. The company’s agility is demonstrated by its ability to quickly adjust labor and fleets to match sudden changes in demand. For example, company transaction days in 2009 were down 8% while worldwide was down 9. 7%. The company can and has, through strategic fleet management, successfully held its fleet and aged it a little further, while adjusting the fleet rotation planning to ensure the fleet remains aligned with demand. Our employees are highly skilled and able to handle difficult situations. During the economic downturn, they were quick, analytical, strategic, and acted with an absolute sense of urgency. All departments work together toward the same goal. Everyone took action by developing a plan and maintaining strong communication. Company strength’s also include Hertz’s novel and innovative services like Hertz #1 Club Gold, NeverLost navigation systems, rental coupons, and Sirius Satellite Radio. To set itself apart from its competitors, Hertz also offers members guaranteed satisfaction, increased discounts, free use of one child, infant or booster seat, free unlimited mileage on most rentals, no Saturday night keep required, and no airline ticket required to qualify for low weekly rates. Finally, Hertz’s strength includes the variety of rentals offered to customers like SUVs, vans and specialty rentals. In an effort to further increase its variety, Hertz introduced the Corvette ZHZ to their rental line-up. The new addition is part of their â€Å"Fun Collection† the purpose of which is to serve those clients wishing to rent a sporty car or a specialty vehicle as the Corvette ZHZ comes with a powerful V-8 engine or 436 horsepower. The company expects this limited edition car will be an asset during the summer vacation rental season and ordered 500 of them in 2008. SWOC Analysis: Weaknesses Over the past 18 months, the United States and international markets have experienced a significant decline in economic activity that has affected the car rental market, including a tightening of the credit markets, reduced business and leisure travel, reduced consumer spending and volatile fuel prices. In the equipment rental business, the decline in economic activity has resulted in a decline in activity in construction and other businesses in which our equipment rental customers operate. Accordingly, the car and equipment rental industries have both experienced unprecedented declines in volume and demand. Hertz is not unlike any other organization in this economic climate in that they have aspirations of seeing the upside of this downward spiral. Unfortunately, most of what Hertz is dependent upon to make it through is outside of their realm of control. The car and equipment rental industry is significantly affected by general economic conditions, and any further decreases in general economic activity could materially and adversely affect their financial condition and results of operations. The results of operations are affected by many economic factors, including the level of economic activity in the markets in which they operate. The car rental business, which provides the majority of the revenues, is particularly sensitive to reductions in the levels of airline passenger travel, and any further reduction in air travel could materially adversely impact their financial condition and results of operations. The car rental industry is particularly affected by reductions in business and leisure travel, especially with respect to levels of airline passenger traffic. Approximately 84% of our worldwide revenues during 2009 were provided by the car rental segment, and they estimate that approximately 67% of the car rental revenues were generated at their airport rental locations. Further reductions in levels of air travel, whether caused by general economic conditions, airfare increases (e. g. , due to capacity reductions or increases in fuel costs borne by commercial airlines) or other events such as work stoppages, military conflicts, terrorist incidents, natural disasters, epidemic diseases, or the response of governments to any of these events, could materially and adversely affect Hertz. Other factors that could adversely affect Hertz include: * Intense competition that may lead to downward pricing, or an inability to increase prices. If Hertz tries to increase their pricing, their competitors, some of who may have greater resources and better access to capital than them, may seek to compete aggressively on the basis of pricing. In addition, their competitors may reduce prices in order to attempt to gain a competitive advantage or to compensate for declines in rental activity associated with reductions in economic activity. Slow economic periods could constrain their liquidity and adversely affect our results of operations. Certain significant components of their expenses are fixed in the short-run, including minimum concession fees, real estate taxes, rent, insurance, utilities, maintenance and other facility-related expenses, the costs of operating their information technology systems and minimum staffing costs. * They may not be successful in the business strategy to expand into the off-airport rental market. They have been increasing their presence in the off-airport car rental market in the United States and intend to continue to pursue profitable growth opportunities through a combination of selected new location openings, a disciplined evaluation of and strategic changes with respect to existing locations, and the pursuit of same-store sales growth. * A downsizing of their rental car fleet could require them to make additional cash payments for tax liabilities, which could be material. An inability to purchase adequate supplies of competitively priced cars or equipment and the cost of the cars or equipment purchased increases, their financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. * Declines in the value of the non-program cars in their fleet due to decreases in residual values could adversely impact the financial condition and results of operations. For the year ended December 31, 2009, approximately 53% of the cars purchased in the combined U. S. n d international car rental fleet were subject to repurchase by car manufacturers under contractual repurchase or guaranteed depreciation programs. * The failure of a manufacturer of cars that Hertz owns to fulfill their obligations under a repurchase or guaranteed depreciation program could expose them to loss on those cars and adversely impact the outstanding asset-backed financing facilities, which could in turn adversely affect the liquidity and results of operations. For the year ended December 31, 2009, the highest outstanding month-end receivable balance for cars sold to a single manufacturer was $95. million owed by Hyundai Motor Company in January 2009, which was subsequently paid. Although there is no guarantee that Hertz will be paid these amounts by any car manufacturer that files for bankruptcy protection in the future and/or otherwise ceases operations, any failure by a manufacturer to pay such amounts due could, among other things, cause a credit enhancement deficiency with respect to the asset-backed financing, in which case the collateral requirements for such facilities could be increased. * Significant increases in fuel costs or reduced supplies of fuel could harm our business. Fuel prices have been volatile recently, and could fluctuate severely and/or increase overall in 2010. According to the U. S. Energy Information Administration, from 2008 to 2009, the average retail cost of a gallon of gasoline in the United States decreased 27. 9%; however it was projected that over the course of 2010 fuel prices would increase 20. 8%. * Heavy reliance upon communications networks and centralized information technology systems to accept reservations, process rental and sales transactions, manage our fleets of cars and equipment, account for activities and otherwise conduct business. This reliance exposes them to various risks that could cause a loss of reservations, interfere with their ability to manage the fleet, slow rental and sales processes. * Risks related to liabilities and insurance since their businesses exposes them to claims for personal injury, death and property damage resulting from the use of the cars and equipment rented or sold by Hertz, and for workers’ compensation claims and other employment-related claims by our employees. SWOC Analysis: Opportunities Hertz has weathered the economic storm of 2008, the worst economic conditions in their 91 year history by looking ahead for growth opportunities and ways to improve service levels. A review of external and internal actions that have prepared Hertz to capitalize on opportunities: External Actions * Improved conditions in car and equipment rental business * Successfully developing business in key emerging markets: Brazil, China and India; * Experiencing improvement in the US Car rental, the largest share of the Hertz business Internal Actions * Reduced costs by 1. billion dollars; headcount reduction (4,000 employees) taken in non strategic locations (with a bit of help from the economy Hertz should be poised for solid growth). * Refinanced 3. 3 billion dollar debt one year ahead of schedule on favorable terms. * Hertz has stayed the course intentionally focusing on three key business emphasis areas: asset management, employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. * Lighthouse projec t that utilizes employee input in the development of customer features has improved employee engagement and customer satisfaction. Opportunities Hertz is â€Å"leading the way with High-Tech, High-Touch innovations†; Hertz. om, self service kiosks at 36 major airports, including 11 in Europe (which have successfully completed 500,000 transactions), portable rental devices, enabling roving customer service agents to address customer needs; integrated car sharing technology including online booking, applications for iPhone and Blackberry smartphones; GPS navigation upgrades with touch point screens. Hertz has more than 700 locations in Europe, along with franchise partners which rivals its airport locations – European local rentals continues to grow for business people as it is the most efficient means of travel in Europe. They possess the most diverse car fleet in the rental industry, enabling service to all customer segments; vacationers, business people and local residents. This is a key area of expansion as Hertz looks to 2010 to open 150 new locations. Looking to expand their leisure â€Å"driving for fun† market, Hertz introduced a pre-paid program that is used primarily by the 21-25 year old market, a market segment that was and in many cases is not allowed to even rent before this program. In addition they introduced three new programs for vacation travelers; i. Prestige collection – high end SUVs’ and luxury car models (Volvo, Lincoln, Cadillac, BMS, Audi and Land Rover. ) ii. Green collection – Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion, Toyota Corolla, Camry hybrids. iii. Fun collection – Ford Mustang, Chevy Corvette, Jeep Wrangler. To further diversify, Hertz purchased Advantage Rent –A-Car a very reasonably priced car rental popular with those who do the Priceline on line booking. Hertz has combined their fleet with Advantage in order to offer a variety of peak and off peak vehicles to meet a variety of renter needs. They’ve begun looking at renting electric cars, a zero carbon, and rechargeable vehicle, introduced in late 2010 in North American and European markets. The target market for the electric cars is a university setting where the charging stations make sense for car sharing experiences. In addition, car sharing, Connect by Hertz, a total mobility solution offering high tech, high touch rental option for urban, university and corporate travelers. To further expand their offerings, Hertz purchased Paris based Eileo in 2009, the pioneer of integrated car sharing technology, a concept that has been launched in London, Paris and NYC. This offering reduces the number of cars on the road which also reduces pollution, creating an economic benefit for crowded urban areas. In their global markets, Hertz has expanded their equipment rental revenue into China and the Middle East with entertainment services, power generation and industrial equipment. This expansion of global footprint gives Hertz the ability to offer first class rental experiences through corporate owned or franchised partners. Special attention was given to China (Beijing and Shanghai) and China’s new 48 airports, Saudi Arabia/Middle east with equipment where construction is booming currently. SWOC Analysis: Challenges Dependence on the United States Automobile Industry The financial instability of U. S. car manufactures has presented significant challenges to the Hertz Corporation. Hertz depends on its business partnerships with these organizations. The bankruptcy of many American auto manufacturers has led to double digit declines in car and equipment rental volumes. The majority of Hertz’s rental cars are purchased from Ford and General motors. In the event that these companies would cease manufacturing and selling vehicles, Hertz would have to increase purchasing vehicles from other manufactures. However, there is no guarantee that Hertz will be able to purchase vehicles at their current purchasing price. Technological Changes and Advances Many futurist and economists see technological innovation as one of the major forces driving industrial change (Schwartz, 2003 as cited in Bryson, 2004). As technology becomes increasing dominant in American organizations, Hertz employees will need to develop new skills to use and the organization will need to adopt these processes, structures, and resource allocations. Hertz will need to continually improve the way in which technology â€Å"drives† its business. These could represent challenges for them to improve the operation and effectiveness of their website, self-serving kiosks at airports, the GPS systems in their vehicles, and also includes the advancing their smart phone applications. Information technology is currently driving major changes likely to have dramatic impacts on organizational performance, accountability, and issues related to data and privacy (Bryson, 2004). Hertz reliance on technology exposes risk that could cause loss of a reservation; interfere with their ability to manage fleets, privacy issues, and the slow operation of the car rental and sales process. Hertz needs to protect against these risks because they could adversely affect customer relations, operating results, and financial conditions. Competitive Pressures Hertz operates in a highly competitive market. They currently posses a 25. 7% share of the rental car market (AVIS/Budget- 28. 9%, Enterprise- 31. 4%, Dollar/Thrifty- 12. 0%) Enterprise brands currently dominate off-airport rentals and the insurance replacement markets respectively. One of Hertz’s priorities is to present a bigger challenge to Enterprise in these particular arenas. In order to do so, Hertz needs to remain cognizant of the business strategies of their biggest competitors. Significant changes in the competitive market will affect Hertz’s business strategies and policies, not excluding pricing practices and incentive programs. For example, most consumers have become more cost conscientious since the recent recession. If Hertz were to increase costs, their competition, some of which has greater resources and better access to capital, may seek to compete aggressively on the basis of pricing. In essence, Hertz competition could gain strategic advantages by reducing their prices. Hertz may also be presented with additional challenges from future competition. Worldwide equipment rentals, an area in which Hertz does especially well in, is currently highly fragmented with few national competitors. It is reasonably foreseeable for new competition to develop and penetrate that particular market. Maintaining customer satisfaction and employee morale The present economy has made maintaining customer satisfaction and employee morale particularly challenging. The recession has caused Hertz to focus intensely on reducing operating costs. This means they had to drastically reduce staff and close many under-performing locations. In order for Hertz to maintain customer satisfaction with fewer employees and locations, they must develop more efficient practices and policies. This would also require Hertz to- consistently monitor the need for additional staffing at improving locations, constantly assess environmental trends, and introduce customer-centered technologies. Hertz must also be prepared to combat a potential decline in employee morale. With lay-offs perpetually looming, it is reasonable to expect employee morale to waver. If this happens, it could present deficiencies in operations which would directly affect customer satisfaction levels. Merger Transitions Hertz recently acquired Eileo, a France based company that specializes in car-sharing programs. They also acquired the Advantage Rent-A-Car company in April of 2009. One of the challenges of these major acquisitions for Hertz is for them to be able to effectively integrate these associated offices, without diluting the Hertz brand. In essence, they must realize operational synergies. Doing this does involve numerous risks including: potential disruptions of ongoing business, distractions of management, difficulties integrating different business practices, and exposure of unknown liabilities. Pressures to Go â€Å"Green† â€Å"Green† policies and practices are becoming preferred by the majority of the American population. Consumers are increasingly concerned with the longevity of the planet. Hertz business policies need to accept America’s vision of â€Å"greener† practices. In order to do this, Hertz most take on a moral responsibility to utilize vehicles with higher MPG and better fuel emission standards that are safer for the environment. This could also include the challenges of effectively developing electric car initiates and car sharing programs. Expanding the â€Å"Global Footprint† Approximately one-third of Hertz’s revenue is generated outside the U. S. market. They currently have franchise partners in over 136 countries. One of the biggest challenges Hertz faces is to minimize the economic effects in their international market, particularly in Europe. This is especially challenging, considering the fact that global recession has caused most companies to eliminate market expansion plans. And yet, Hertz still has ambitions to add locations worldwide, including establishing a higher concentration in the Chinese market. China happens to be the world’s fastest growing car and equipment rental market. ) Other Challenges Facing the Hertz Corporation include; * Fossils fuels- rising fuel costs and/or shortages in fuel directly impact rental acquisition, leaving consumers to find it too expensive to travel. * External threats affecting travel- war, terrorist attacks, epidemic disease, natural disasters, etc * Risk management- the liability of Hertz being responsible for equipment damage, property damage, personal injury, death, and the litigation expenses that could result from these occurrences. * Seasonality- a decrease in travel uring the winter and increase during the spring and summer month’s present challenges to efficiently manage fleet operations. * Government laws, mandates, and controls- Hertz is subjected to many governmental regulations in relation to pricing/advertising, privacy and data collection, currency controls, labor relations, charge card operations, insurance policies, environmental protection, and used car sales and licensing procedures. Changes in any governmental policy, or the adoption of new laws, could result in significant changes in Hertz procedures, which may increase cost of operations and applicable tax rates. Marketing- Hertz will be continually challenged to conduct active sales and marketing programs that attract and retain customers. STRATEGIC ISSUES Hertz is a front runner in the rental vehicle business, number two only to AVIS in the current markets Hertz serves. In order to maintain and grow a competitive edge there are some strategic issues that Hertz must address directly. Market Share Vehicle Rental Hertz is at the top with Avis edging them out for the top spot, however staying at top means keeping the â€Å"Brand† in front of the audience. In the SG ; A discussion of the 2009 Annual Report Hertz trimmed their advertising expense by almost 30%. They did not mention a new structure for media buying to be facilitated by a new agency to save costs. I am left to think they simply decreased advertising. In recent travels and paying closer attention to media in travel magazines: Delta Airlines and US Airway’s flight magazine AVIS – big red versus big yellow was the dominant vehicle rental advertiser. Should you look at any other established, well known brand, Coke and Pepsi as an obvious example; they spend millions keeping that logo â€Å"front of mind†. Advertising is seen anywhere you could potentially think about drinking a soft drink. In order to continue to branch out with new technology in an effort to capitalize on the brand, Hertz must continue a very aggressive media campaign to be present anywhere people may think of rental car need. Car Manufacturers Hertz suffered greatly when the US car manufacturer’s financial challenges. Hertz has depended on the partnerships with manufacturers who were not able to meet the obligations of their agreements with Hertz which left Hertz scrambling to develop new avenues for fleet vehicle programs. Ford who Hertz relies on in the US must stay solvent in order to Hertz to enjoy the ability to purchase fleet and program vehicles and the tax incentives they enjoy because of their inventory management of fleet. Debt and Interest payments For the next two to five years in order to survive Hertz must meet obligations for all interest payments and as a sign of financial stability should look to significant debt reduction. The 2009 annual report indicates 126 million in losses, interest expense of 680 million which are material amounts. The debt is held by two primary lenders: Deuschte Bank and Bank of Scotland. If either organization called their notes requiring payment in full, Hertz would not succeed. Hertz is not the low cost leader and needs to maintain that position in a positive way to ensure financial trends are positive. Technology Hertz must focus on the ability execute operationally any technology introduced. It is one thing to advertise iPhone applications, internet and wifi connections; the ability to produce what the customer has reserved using the wireless technologies has to be present in order to build customer confidence. If one reserves, arrives and has no vehicle – does the technology really matter if you did not save time or feel that you had received value or convenience. To that traveler at that moment Hertz must be able to execute. The ability to distribute their assets to the right place, at the right time to support demand from these new technologies is critical. Focus on Green Hertz is committed to what they refer to as the â€Å"electric car revolution†. This is a vehicle with a zero carbon footprint. At the present time, lack of recharging stations will temper the demand for the electric cars. The hope is that in the next few years university settings and very urban markets will take the lead for the establishment of charging stations will then provide a structure for this next generation of green transportation. In the short term availability of hybrid models such as the Toyota Prius, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry are Hertz’ response to those who require a greener model. Off Airport Rental Hertz is beginning to enter new location space with their fleet:  off airport rental. Hertz is going face to face with the established leader, Enterprise system. Is this an appropriate move for the next 2 – 5 years in the US market? Europe where Hertz has a presence and daily/weekly rentals are a â€Å"way of life† is one thing (add to that most of those markets are franchised so you can terminate an arrangement). Hertz will be risking additional asset costs in fleet, leased property, staffing in hope to gain ground in an area held firmly by Enterprise. People Hertz North America has reduced headcount to a bare minimum deploying human assets on an admitted â€Å"as needed† basis to strategic hubs. This is a very short term view of growth. The ability to grow infrastructure must include a committed front line, operational management team. The Annual Report stated an increase in employee satisfaction. The hope is then that Hertz continues to communicate and reach out to those dedicated to customer service second to none in spite of financial challenges. That part of the human touch with customers leasing employees where customer contact is needed; airport leasing, returns with checkout is necessary in order to build repeat business. Equipment Business Hertz’ equipment business does not report a leadership presence in any one market, in any one geographic area. By Hertz’ own admission the competitive landscape in this business segment is â€Å"intense. Can Hertz realistically, financially maintain a healthy presence in both industries? EBITDA results were maintained for the equipment portion of the business through cost cutting measures as revenues dropped dramatically. US new construction continues to struggle and from the readings the European market is no better. China is bustling, but are we confident based on current locations that we can enter then stay competitive those new and emerging markets? The equipment is expensive in multiple ways: assets are expensive to purchase, maintain, and insure. Is the return versus other similarly situated usinesses sound? Hertz is in a business where receivables can become problematic. Credit is extended, and during financially challenging times generally extended past healthy limits. There was a surprisingly low 1. 1% bad debt due to non-payment, and the receivable turnaround time was not addressed. The fact is you generally do not immediately receive your payment as you would in a fleet rental transaction. The current uncertainty of the future global construction market begs  Hertz to question whether they can appropriately focus on two different business rental segments given their current financial condition. Summary Hertz has significant brand recognition, good ideas to generate revenue for the future. However they are in a precarious situation; two distinctly different business segments that have experienced huge revenue declines, specifically, construction and the vacation and leisure vehicle rental declines of 2008 and 2009 that have left Hertz with extraordinary debt to consider in order to remain a going concern. Foundations of goals and strategic plan We have successfully completed both external and internal analyses of the rental car and equipment markets as it pertains to the Hertz Corporation. The goals and future direction of the corporation must unequivocally elicit actions, that when taken, establish and maintain strategic advantages for Hertz in this extremely competitive market. We believe the goals established herein educe such responses. The subsequent section of this strategic plan will outline the strategies and approaches to be taken by Hertz to facilitate obtainment of their principal goals. The following goals have been established for the Hertz Corporation: Increased Market Share In the last 5 years, Hertz has consistently relinquished percentages of their car-rental market share to their principal competitors. Currently, it is estimated that Hertz’s market share is at 25. 7%. The goal over the next 3 years is for Hertz to secure one-third of the share in this market. In doing so, Hertz will also maintain its dominance in the equipment rental market and begin to compete with Enterprise in the off-airport rental market. Hertz will also aggressively pursue its international markets, including significantly extending operations in China, the worlds’ fastest growing car and equipment rental market. Movement toward sustainable inventory Hertz will significantly extend its social responsibility programs. The goal is for Hertz to drastically increase eco-friendly vehicles to its operating fleet (a 30% increase by 2014). Hertz believes it has a moral obligation to do so and will diligently pursue business directives that are safer for the environment. This includes introducing â€Å"smart car† initiatives, increasing electric car fleet additions, and contracting more fuel efficient vehicles that emit lower carbon-dioxide into the atmosphere. Improve customer satisfaction by training and technology Hertz has always recognized its required allegiance to the customers of their brand. Hertz will continue to pursue business objectives that improve customer’s experience with the product. This will include increasing customer relationship trainings for all our employees. The company will also set aggressive goals over the next 3 years to be the most technologically advanced rental car and equipment company in the world. Essentially, the technology goals were established to make the customer’s experience more rewarding. At Hertz, we believe that the consequences of improving our technology will result in a better brand image and improved customer satisfaction. The satisfaction/technology goals rely on the principle of the â€Å"four mores†: 1) more safe and responsible 2) more simplistic 3) more reliable 4) more comfortable Dedication to Employees Over the next 3 years, it will be increasingly evident that Hertz feels morally responsible to the environment, their customers, and shareholders. However, our company would like to further acknowledge its commitment to the employees of Hertz. We understand that the current economic crisis has forced the company into making tough decisions, decisions that ultimately left thousands of Hertz employees jobless. Hertz also understands that no goal outlined in this strategic plan will be attainable without the commitment and dedication of all its employees. Therefore, Hertz is introducing its M. O. R. A. L. E program (Movement of Recognizing All Leadership Employees). This movement will provide the following benefits for Hertz employees: incentives for excellent job performance, lucrative rewards for obtaining organizational goals, commission plans added to employee’s base salary- purposefully designed to improve performance, monthly employee recognition meetings, and an aggressive career advancement campaign. The goal here is for Hertz to improve the morale of all its employees and be recognized as the number one employer in the car and equipment rental industry. Drastically decrease debt owed Hertz currently owes a substantial monetary amount to two primary lenders: Deuschte Bank and Bank of Scotland. Operating under such debt has caused strategic limitations and will undoubtedly effect the attainment of the goals laid herein. Hertz is also subjected to the arbitrary decisions of the aforementioned lenders. The corporation may struggle to sustain itself if either lender requires payment in full or radically increases payment contingencies. Therefore, over the next 3 years, Hertz will industriously contribute to paying off debt owed. It is believed that Hertz’s ability to do so will be promoted by obtaining all of the other goals outlined in this strategic plan. Hertz Strategic Plan Implementation Hertz Global Holdings (Hertz) operates vehicle and equipment rental businesses in the United States and Europe as well as global services for industries like construction, automobile manufacturing, railroad, power generation, and shipbuilding. Hertz vehicle rental business is the largest worldwide. Headquartered in Park Ridge, New Jersey, the company employs 24,900 people in approximately 8,200 locations in 146 countries worldwide. Mission It is the mission of Hertz to be the most customer focused, cost efficient vehicle and equipment rental/leasing company in every market we serve. We will strengthen our leading worldwide positions through a shared value culture of employee and partner involvement by making strategic investments in our brand, people, and products. The focus of everything we do will be on improved shareholder value. Vision Hertz will be the first choice brand for vehicle and equipment rental/leasing and total mobility solutions. Strategies * Ensure that the Hertz Brand is in front of the target audience through aggressive and consistent media campaigns to further increase vehicle rental market share. * Hertz will increase marketing expenditures by 15% over the next three years. The company will frontline its new marketing campaign epitomized by its new slogan. â€Å"Hertz, driving you towards the future. The focus of this campaign will be to characterize Hertz’s image as an enviro-friendly car rental company that has embraced technological advancements. * Expand partnerships to avoid conflicts and retain an ability to purchase fleet and program vehicles. * Meet and exceed obligations for all interest payments to secure financial stability in an additional effort to significantly reduce debt. * Focus on, plan for, and in vest in new and useful technologies and facilities to meet and match customer expectations in order to build customer confidence and to distribute Hertz products to the right place at the right time to support demand. Continue to embrace the principles of environmental sustainability that serve the evolving needs of our employees and customers. Remain committed to vehicles with the lowest carbon footprint. Waiting for and accessing infrastructure as the demand for electric cars increases. In the short term, hybrid models such as the Toyota Prius, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry will be used in response to customer demand. * Continue to find and use new location space off the airport rental market challenging the competition. Challenge, empower and engage employees seeking to increase satisfaction through affirming communication to improve morale and decrease turnover. Hertz will strive to increase the diversity of the workforce as a contribution to the overall success, and to recruit and retain talented employees. * Increased use of ‘the human touch’ instead of technology where needed, and will respect and care for each customer through each transaction in order to build repeat business. * Consider the equipment rental/leasing portion of the business for cost utting measures as revenues dropped dramatically, U. S. new construction continues to struggle and China is competitive. REFERENCES Hertz Annual Report: http://phx. corporate-ir. net/External. File? item=UGFyZW50SUQ9Mzc2NTI0fENoaWxkSUQ9Mzc1MTMxfFR5cGU9MQ==;t=1 Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. Q4 2009 Earnings Call Transcript http://seekingalpha. com/article/190491-hertz-global-holdings-inc-q4-2009-earnings-call-transcript Hertz Mission Statement, Vision and Values: https://images. hertz. com/pdfs/VMVWeb. pdf