Ikea Case Study Analysis Essay Example for Free

Ikea Case Study Analysis Essay Symptoms IKEA has a strong international brand recognition built upon a unique philosophy and low product prices, combined with solid sales performance. IKEA’ s famous vision is â€Å"to create a better everyday life for many people†. The company maintains total control of its design, pricing and supply of product ranges globally, and thus has a product portfolio that caters for most consumer lifestyles and budgets. IKEA is very much reliant on Europe, with 82% of stores located in this region, European market can be regarded as saturated and in times of economical downturn sales in coming years will are unlikely to be something more than just â€Å"modest†. Problem definition Whether to continue IKEA expansion to new markets, e.g. Asian market? And how to secure IKEA’s competitive advantage in the future? Alternatives First alternative: In order to keep good quality standards of IKEA products, no further extension to new markets in the nearest future + It will give an opportunity to preserve well-known global brand and its strong position at European and American market The company will lose market share The sales will reduce Second alternative: Continue expansion into non-Western markets, including China + Sales increase by gaining the market -The image of IKEA may be weakened as in China it may be very hard to keep with quality standards at the same time offering products for extremely low price Recommendations I would recommend to focus more on markets, where IKEA is currently doing its business. Expansion to China’s market with very tough conditions (in terms of price) may change the IKEA forever and even destroy the company, it will be another very cheap and not very qualitative retailer from China, but not IKEA anymore. Having chances for gaining Asian market, IKEA may have big threat to loose European and American market. I believe there is always room for improvement, IKEA could enhance services, for example develop of e-commerce, consumers may find Internet shopping preferable, as the Ikea reputation means that they are already assured of the quality and craftsmanship of Ikea products, which is opposed to the present belief of Ikea that customers should be able to feel and check the quality of products before purchase.

Boyatzis Theory Of Self Directed Learning

Boyatzis Theory Of Self Directed Learning It was proved by Dr. Richard Boyatzis that medicinal and rehabilitative solutions to addictions do not last permanently and why addicts keep coming back to rehab facilities time to time. What this theory has shown is that adults learn what they want to learn. Other things, even if acquired temporarily (i.e., for a test), are soon forgotten. Students, patients and clients may act as if they care about learning something, go through the motions, but they proceed to disregard it or forget it-unless, it is something which they want to learn. Even in situations where aperson is under threat or coercion, a behavioural change shown will typically extinguish or revert to its original form once the threat is removed. This does not include changes induced, willingly or not, by chemical or hormonal changes in ones body. But even in such situations, the interpretation of the changes and behavioural comportment following it will be affected by the persons will, values, and motivations. Self-directed change is an intentional change in an aspect of who you are (i.e., the Real) or who you want to be (i.e., the Ideal), or both. Self-directed learning is self-directed change in which you are aware of the change and understand the process of change. The description and explanation of the self-directed change process is organized in five sections as shown in the figure below. Each section starts with a point of discontinuity.The persons behaviour may seem to be stuck for long periods of time and then a change appears quite suddenly. The First Discontinuity:Catching Your Dreams, Engaging Your Passion Our aspirations, dreams, and desired states are shaped by our values, philosophy, life and career stages, motives, role models, and other factors. This indicates that we can access and engage deep emotional commitment and psychic energy if we engage our passions and conceptually catch our dreams in our Ideal Self-image. The Second Discontinuity: Am I a Boiling Frog? For normal reasons, the human psyche protects itself from the automatic intake and conscious realization of all information about us. These ego-defence mechanisms serve to protect us. The boiling frog syndrome applies here. It is said that if one drops a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will jump out with an instinctive defence mechanism. But if you place a frog in a pot of cool water and gradually increase the temperature, the frog will sit in the water until it is boiled to death. These slow adjustments to changes are acceptable, but the same change made dramatically is not tolerated. Those forgiving the change, frightened of it, or who do not care, may allow it to pass unnoticed. Our relationships and interpersonal context mediate and interpret cues from the environment. They help us interpret what things mean. You ask a friend, Am I getting fat? To which she responds, No, you look great! Whether this is reassuring to the listener or not, it is confusing and may not be providing feedback to the question asked. Of course, if she had said, No, it is just the spread of age or normal effects of gravity you may not have more useful information either. There are four major learning points from the first two discontinuities in the self-directed learning process: Engage your passion and create your dreams; and Know thyself! Identify or articulate both your strengths (those aspects of yourself you want to preserve) and your gaps or discrepancies of your Real and Ideal Selves (those aspects of yourself you want to adapt or change); and Keep your attention on both characteristics forces or factors-do not let one become the preoccupation! All of these learning points can be achieved by finding and using multiple sources for feedback about your Ideal Self, Real Self, Strengths, and Gaps. The Third Discontinuity: Mindfulness Through a Learning Agenda A learning orientation arouses a positive belief in ones capabilityand the hope of improvement. A learning agenda helps a person focus on what they want to become. This results in people setting personal standards of performance, rather than normative standards that merely mimic what others have done. The Fourth Discontinuity: Metamorphosis Acting on the plan and toward the goals involves numerous activities. These are often made in the context of experimenting with new behaviour. Typically following a period of experimentation, the person practices the new behaviours in actual settings within which they wish to use them, such as at work or at home. During this part of the process, self-directed change and learning begins to look like a continuous improvement process. The Fifth Discontinuity: Relationships that Enable Us to Learn Our relationships are an essential part of our environment. The most crucial relationships are often a part of groups that have particular importance to us. These relationships and groups give us a sense of identity, guide us as to what is appropriate and good behavior, and provide feedback on our behavior. In sociology, they are called reference groups. These relationships create a context within which we interpret our progress on desired changes, the utility of new learning, and even contribute significantinput to formulation of the Ideal. In this sense, our relationships are mediators, moderators, interpreters, sources of feedback, sources of support and permission of change and learning! They may also be the most important source of protection from relapses or returning to our earlier forms of behavior. The major learning points from the fourth and fifth discontinuities critical in self-directed learning process are: Experiment and practice and try to learn more from your experiences! Find settings in which you feel psychologically safe within which to experiment and practice! and Develop and use your relationships as part of your change and learning process! The signposts on the path to self-direct learning are: At the end of self-directed learning approach that we followed, we gave each participant to evaluate him/herself on the below 9 outposts to keep track if they are progressing in the right direction. Has the person engaged their passion and dreams? Can they describe the person they want to be, the life and work they want to have in the future? Can they describe their Ideal Self? Does the person know himself or herself? Do they have a sense of their Real Self? Can the person articulate both their strengths (those aspects he/she wants to preserve) and gaps or discrepancies between their Real and Ideal Selves (those aspects he/she wants to adapt or change)? Has the person help their attention on both Strengths and Gaps- not letting one become the preoccupation? Does the person have their own personal learning agenda? IS it really their own? Can the elements of the plan fit into the structure of their life and work? Do the actions fit with their learning style and flexibility? Is the person experimenting and practicing new habits and actions? Is the person using their learning plan to learn more from their experiences? Has the person found settings in which to experiment and practice in which he/she feels psychologically safe? Is the person developing and utilizing his/her relationships as part of their learning process? Do they have coaches, mentors, friends, and others with whomthey can discuss progress on their learning agenda? Do they have relationships with which they can explore each their new behavior, habits, new Ideal Self, new Real Self, new strengths and gaps as the process unfolds? Are they helping others engage in a self-directed learning process? Cognitive behavioural therapy This is a psychotherapeutic approach, a talking therapy that aims to solve problems concerning dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic procedure. Patterns of Cognitive Distortions All-Or-Nothing Thinking You see things in black-and-white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure. Disqualifying the positive You dismiss positive experiences by insisting they dont count for some reason or other. In this way you can maintain a negative belief that is contradicted by your everyday experiences. Magnification (Catastrophizing) or Minimization- You exaggerate the importance of things (such as your goof-up or someone elses achievement), or you inappropriately shrink things until they appear tiny (your own desirable qualities or the other fellows imperfections). This is also called the binocular trick. Should Statements You try to motivate yourself with shoulds and shouldnts, as if you had to be whipped and punished before you could be expected to do anything. Musts and oughts are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt. When you direct should statements toward others, you feel anger, frustration, and resentment. Labelling and Mislabelling This is an extreme form of overgeneralization. Instead of describing your error, you attach a negative label to yourself: Im a loser. When someone elses behaviour rubs you the wrong way, you attach a negative label to him: Hes a goddam louse. Mislabelling involves describing an event with language that is highly coloured and emotionally loaded. Personalization You see yourself as the cause of some negative external event which in fact you were not primarily responsible for. Guard against these Perfection Syndrome: Everybody needs to be and wants to be successful in life. Everybody in life wants to make it. However in doing so, we go overboard, stretch the limits of our body and return to the same stress levels that we wanted to overcome in the beginning. Entitlement Syndrome: Those inflicted with Entitlement Syndrome show symptoms of being overly-pampered, completely dependent upon others, frequently whining about trivial matters, full of jealousy and rage, excusing themselves out of doing anything difficult, unable to lose or fail gracefully, and they appear to resemble children in adult bodies. The Entitled consistently throw tantrums when they dont get what they want, especially if what they want belongs to the Responsible-Minded. The Entitled will often sue those who disagree with them, especially if they think it will fund their elaborate lifestyles for a long time.The only remedy for this disease is self-control. And the only source of self-control is their God-given moral conscience, which can often be lost altogether if the Entitled do not purge themselves from their enablers early in life. Dos and Donts Only meditation for first one year become aware of your feelings first and , then, to the inner-most thoughts Do not try to explain or apply any of these things to someone elses life Do not try to read anything about psychology, say, for one year

Volkswagen Groups Strategy And Automobile Industry Marketing Essay

Volkswagen Groups Strategy And Automobile Industry Marketing Essay The MQB platform is an automobile platform of the Volkswagen Group. The companys strategic program or plan of the business is known as Strategy 2018 plus it is designed to produce the Volkswagen Group globally innovator in the 2018. By developing a standard, compatible list of parts from which to produce a number of automobiles, VW intends to reduce the overall time, which is normally taken to construct a car by 30%. One of the ways of judging the position of specific industry is evaluating by Porter five forces model. MQB will permit an enormous financial savings because of economic climates of scale as well as that the financial savings will permit the higher utilization of high durability products in automobiles, which makes them less dangerous and well made. Key words: automobile industry, MQB platform, strategy, economy of scale, Porter Introduction: The Volkswagen Group is located in Germany and is particularly among the worlds top automobile suppliers as well as the leading automobile company in the Europe. The Group comprises 10 brand names and every brand features its own character and functionality as a separate entity in the marketplace. The companys strategic program or plan of the business is known as à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ªtrategy 2018à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥ plus it is designed to produce the Volkswagen Group globally innovator in the 2018. Volkswagen is currently striving to improve and enhance its product sale to be able to produce over 10 million automobiles annually, as well as to boost the return on product sales prior to tax to a minimum of 8%. To attain these objectives, the MQB system will be having a huge role. (Wiedemann, 2011) MQB Platform: The MQB platform is an automobile platform of the Volkswagen Group. It stands for à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ·Ã¢â‚¬ ¢erman Modularer Querbaukastenà ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥ which can be translated into à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¢odular Transverse Matrixà ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥, with which Volkswagen Group can design a wide variety of transverse, FWD drive models by using the same set of components. Usually, each automobile platform is designed specifically for a market segment and is shared between cars of similar size. Volkswagen, is now creating shared modular platforms to serve the needs of its different divisions, thus the MQB platform is the most recent and will be used for vast market models with FWD cars. (Wiedemann, 2011) Together with the MQB platform the primary thins regarding improvement is the dimension that needed to be fixed between the firewall and the axles. The wheelbase, track as well as rear overhangs along with width all can be developed as needed in the style. The MQB will handle various models of Volkswagen. For instance, it handles the following designs: Gold, Passats, Jetta, Scirocco, Beetle, and VW CC. In the foreseeable future, most of these versions could theoretically be manufactured about the same assembly line as well as it will eventually be achievable to create MQB designs of various brand names collectively. The primary new automobiles to be created would be in line with the MQB is definitely the successor towards the Golf as well as towards the next generation Audi A3 models. (Wiedemann, 2011) By developing a standard, compatible list of parts from which to produce a number of automobiles, VW intends to reduce the overall time, which is normally taken to construct a car by 30%. Normally, the vehicles by VW normally have 40kg weight, which is lighter in weight as compare to the todays counterparts. One of the most notable attribute from the MQB is the standard placement of all new types of engines, which are helping as well as accommodating the two new series of 4 cylinder based family series. The Groups engine as well as the gear package variations within the MQB system will probably be lowered simply by 90% due to the brand new engines, and also the MQB allows the same mounting placement for all present substitute drive ideas from propane and for hybrid designs. (Wiedemann, 2011) Working with a standard placement for all kinds of engines as well as transmissions is definitely a huge advantage. It could be a diesel-powered engine, electric powered motor; plug in hybrid arrangement or even gas based engines, all may be fit evenly which makes it much more suitable. An unequaled performance can also be purchased with this uniformity in engine and in transmission. The predicted quantity of automobiles in the future with this particular brand new platform is around 3.5 million which includes modest automobiles as well as normal sized sedans, also for the success of this project of VW will spend billions of dollars. Improving the automobile plants towards MQB system will certainly incur a large amount of price but concurrently itll reduce the price of manufacturing by almost 20% and reduce the assemblage times by a remarkably 30%. (Horrell, 2011) One of the ways of judging the position of specific industry is evaluating by Porter five forces model. According to this theory, there exist five major forces in industry that determines the overall profitability of that industry. Grundy (2006) stated that porter five forces model has boosted strateigic management to the new horizon of management world. (Grundy 2006) New Entry Threat Throughout this automobile production business, this is certainly a minimal threat. Issues to look at in this threat contain all hurdles to accessibility in market. For example, advance investment capital, brand equity, regulation and state policies, and capability to deliver the merchandise (Porter, 1996) .As the Volkswagen is one of the leading and famous manufacturers of automobile, so they have no threat of entry of new company. They are already the biggest automobile manufacturers in Europe. Moreover, in case of automobiles, customers usually prefer there trusted brands and companies. Volkswagen is one of the leading automobile manufacturers so they have less threat of any new entry in the market. Moreover, they are continuously focusing on product innovation that is why they have less risk from any new company entering in market. (Porter, 1996) Vendors Bargaining Power The bargaining power of vendors is also a major factor. It means that exactly how strong could be the position of your vendor. Exactly how much the vendor has influence over raising the rates of products? Vendors tend to be stronger if vendors are focused as well as properly organized, a small number of alternatives available in the market to products, their particular goods is usually most reliable or distinctive and you are usually not a major client to Vendor. Whenever vendors possess extra control over products as well as its rates which segment is significantly less appealing. It is better approach to produce win-win relationship with vendors. It is wise decision to acquire multiple-options of supply (Avila, 2001). In the automobile industry, it is generally referred to the supplier of spare parts engine parts, car accessories etc. It also includes the auto-unions. The vendors can charger high prices for the supplies as the VW MQB platform is a new reform in automobile industry so suppliers can charge extra amount. In order to avoid this problem, the company has to look for multiple suppliers for their machinery and raw materials. Strong vendors can increase the rate of their products that eventually increases the cost of industry. In this competitive market, the high vendor bargaining power can cause some serious damages to the Volkswagen. (Avila, 2001) Alternative products If customers can examine to the level of competition or some other similar products and services, and switch quickly there could possibly be a great danger of this particular force. Because of brand new motors, the particular switching cost is actually huge due to the fact a person will not be able to sell the brand new motor vehicle for the similar amount, he paid for it (Grundy A. N., 1997). The beginning of MQB is predicted to take the entire Volkswagen Group one single level nearer to their aim to become the particular worlds number-one motor vehicle producer, overtaking Toyota as well as General Motors. Therefore, Volkswagen group will face fewer chances that their customer will switch to some other cars. Innovation in products is the key element of Volkswagen success. There new MQB platform will help Volkswagen to produce more innovate motor vehicles and they can save up to 25 percent cost. These cost effective innovate motor vehicles will persuade customers to buy the Volkswag en products. (Grundy A. N., 1997). Market Competition Market competition means the level of rivalry between the current competing firms already in the market. Level of competition relies upon on how many competing firms and their functionality. Market competition is higher when: à ¨Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¯ Generally, there are usually number of limited or similar competing firms and significantly less whenever there is a definite industry leader. à ¨Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¯ Buyers have less switching costs à ¨Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¯ Market is developing à ¨Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¯ Exit obstacles are higher and competitors stay and also remain competitive à ¨Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¯ Fixed expenses are huge resulting massive manufacturing as well as decrease in prices These types of scenarios create the grounds for advertising and marketing wars, improvements, price wars and eventually rates increase and it is challenging to remain competitive (Mahan McGowan, 1998) All top manufacturer of automobile faces that kind of problem. The automobile industry is growing rapidly in European countries and like all other car manufacturers, Volkswagen has to face tough competition in market from existing competitors. Volkswagen is facing a tough competition from General Motors and Toyota. Though Volkswagen is considered as the leading automobile manufacturer in Europe, it still faces intense competition from its rivals. The MQB will definitely enables the Group to create both high-quantity as well as niche versions at the maximum quality as well as incredibly competitive prices in the long run and also world wide-vehicles which are separately designed for the needs of extremely diversified industry like as America, China, Europe and also growing markets like India. (Mahan McGowan, 1998) Negotiating Power of the customers Customers refer to the particular buyers who ultimately acquire the product or service or even the companies who deliver the particular industrys product or service to your final customers. Negotiating potential of customers refer to the actual ability of customers to cut down the price levels charged by companies in the market or raise the firms expense in the market by asking for improved quality as well as service of goods. Strong customers can get revenue from of a market by reducing the selling prices and raising the costs. They will buy in huge amounts. They have complete details regarding the product or service and the market. They will stress on high quality products and solutions. They pose credible threat of backward integration. In this way, they are regarded as a threat (Thurlby, 1998). Literature Review: In February, 2012, Volkswagen intends to make majority of their technology designs with its all-new MQB System and it is such a sensible decision, which will certainly provide enormous economic advantages to the company. Moreover, it is revealed that Audi as well as Skoda will be manufactured on the same platform; the initial product example of this platform is in fact Audi A3. On the other side, the next generation Skoda is coming in the market by the ends of 2013, which will be entirely based on the VW and MQB platform. Exactly the same platform may also be used by the near future versions of the additional VW Soda, Polo and VW Vento. On the other hand, VW Polo coming from MQB platform, the Skoda of 2014 will be having the same size however will provide an extended wheelbase, therefore enhancing the room interior. Furthermore, the Skoda Fabia, of 2014 will likely to have a gasoline engine alternative along with80 BHP power as well as 1.2 Liter displacements. (Volkswagen group intro ducing, 2012) The MQB system platform, referred to as à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬Å"ong termà ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥ structures, the working platform is adequately flexible to underpin automobiles like small Polo and for big sized Passat. Most importantly, it is being declared that these types of designs could theoretically be constructed on a single manufacturing range. This will likely allow Volkswagen to generate additional high size along with market automobiles at lowered costs. The working platform may also be lighter in weight than present architectures and permit for standard installing of gasoline as well as diesel-powered engines. (Volkswagen group introducing, 2012) On 2nd February, 2012 it was declared that the brand new platform is placed to appear under each of the brand new Audi and VW versions in the future years, which is more likely to come in some more. Were able to anticipate probably a manufacturing edition of previous years Cross Coupe idea. (Colwell, 2012) Volkswagen declares the platform of MQB simple as à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬Å"ong termà ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥ structures, made to manufacture products just like Polo, to a family automobile to as large as the Passat. Developed to be lighter in weight than each of the brands present similar systems, the MQB will even provide diesel, petrol, as well as several renewable energy power locomotives. The very first versions to come out on the brand new platform would be the fresh 7th era Golf, as well as the latest Audi A3 with sedan. (Colwell, 2012) Also, on 26th march, 2012, on VW annual income headline, it was exposed that the business produced à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¢9.3 billion throughout the year of 2011, up greater than 50%, Michal Macht, the panel fellow member responsible for group manufacturing, mentioned: à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ­he following 2 to 3 years are great for all of us, and during this period we plan to maintain the technological innovation to ourselves. We dont want to reveal our superiority; however in the moderate to long-term were able to promote the technological innovation. We might need to consider the possibilities and examine whether or not they made impression.à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥ (Colwell, 2012) VW Group reports to create a lot more than 6 million vehicles to the platform throughout VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda brand names by way of 2018. the chief of Volkswageon, who was simply offered a à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¢14.2 million reward for the companys achievement, recently, stated the investment decision within the MQB framework would start to pay back coming from 2014. Winterkorn predicted the fact that the VW has expended close to à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¢50 billion dollars over 4 years inside the establishing and employing the MQB system. (Holder, 2012) à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ­he brand new Golf has to be huge leap and much better than the vehicle it replaces, à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °e stated. à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ²e have spent greatly in this particular technological innovation, however were confident the advantages is going to be obvious for the business. Making the MQB system as well as organizing the production facilities to generate it needs spending in 2012 and also 2013, however from then on the repayment should begin to come.à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥ (Holder, 2012) Additionally, there are many brand names, much more sections, plus more automobiles ever is probably no more apparent than inside the Volkswagen, along with its Ten marquees as well as more than 200 models throughout the world. VW is currently making shared lift-up systems to assist the requirements of its various subsidiaries. The most recent is known as MQB. (Holder, 2012) In future, the platform of MQB will help in almost everything through the small VW up to the giant Passat. Generally virtually any VW Group product which supports its engine sideways right in front from the cabin will probably be MQB, thats about 60 vehicles. Volkswagen intends to go ahead and take platform idea towards the extreme, even though it wont reveal particular minimal and optimum proportions, however to obtain a great idea of the array we could examine it to the present Passat (it isnt constructed using the MQB system platform, however its equally sized alternative will probably be) there is in fact a 15 inches of wheelbase speared, however the actual width varies up to the 8 inches between two, and also the size variation is more than 50 inches wide. Therefore, its very diverse. (CarWale Team, 2012) MQB can nearly be looked at as the best development of certain component sharing, instead of just one particular system. It really is flexible enough to allow for several elementary components to be made from lightweight aluminum through communizing all of the subsystems in the automobile (motors engines, headgear installation factors, as well as MIB, Volswageons flip-up infotainment technique, for instance), generation and growth can be more efficient and therefore revenue could be at the maximum. Moreover, the platform MQB is based on a brand new system that signifies a lot more than the usual framework which can be modified to be used in the wide selection of products. Volkswagen referred to as it à ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¢he central source of light as well as safe automobilesà ©Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥. It goes with supplying a chassis which can be extended or reduced to suit various automobiles, to just one that gives its electric cabling, motors, as well as air-conditioning devices, and trans forming. (Volkswagen is leading, 2012) In the coming future, the development of MQB is anticipated to create the Volkswagen Group one stage nearer to its objective to become the worlds leading auto producers. As outlined by Macht, the brand new MQB system platform will certainly make use of typical elements throughout Volkswagens various brand names as well as products however it will even standardize the production sequences throughout products along with worldwide production places. Even though identical strategies to standardization along with modularization are already implemented by rivals of Volkswagen, in the past the company has struggled hard to have control on the marketplace. (Mike, 2012) Findings The MQB system enables the VW group to create globally higher quantity as well as market versions at very competing price in the long run. The MQB makes use of synergies within key technology as well as enables higher financial systems of scales with the manufacturing line. This would be the groundbreaking part of the auto growth and manufacturing. By using MQB system, VWs development and progression could be efficient and income can be at the maximum. All automobiles depending on MQB tend to be 40kg lighter in weight compared to their quick predecessors, this leads to increasing the gas mileage coming from all MQB-based versions. (Sathiyanarayanan, 2012) The recent MQB idea is having a main architectural benefit for VWs within the worldwide auto business, letting it to decrease the price and become more competing on costs. With this way it may gain share of the market from (TM) Toyota Motors and (GM) General Motors to turn into the worlds biggest auto producer. Due to the MQB system, versions additionally gain in performance and satisfaction. MQB enables the VW Group to create both higher volume as well as specialized niche products with the best quality and very competing prices in the long run and throughout the world. (Bidsar, 2012) MQB will permit an enormous financial savings because of economic climates of scale as well as that the financial savings will permit the higher utilization of high durability products in automobiles, which makes them less dangerous and well made. The standardization will even lessen the price of production of elements and offers capability of sourcing. The decrease in the price of procuring signifies that Volkswagen can offer functions and products of high quality vehicles in low budget automobiles. The MQB system based automobiles will probably be both competitively priced and also with the price at the same time. Furthermore, it will likewise be packed with functions compared to the different brands coming in the market. (Bidsar, 2012)

The Queer Prison Abolitionist Movement Essay -- Prison Abolitionist, I

It would be misguided to discuss queer prison abolitionist movements without first thoroughly examining the place of the prison system in the neoliberal imperial project of enemy production (both inside and outside the boundaries of the state). The contemporaneous production of exterior and interior enemies (terrorists and criminals respectively), movement toward and legislation for ostensible (and, importantly, homonormative) queer â€Å"equality,† the criminalization of radical activism through increased surveillance, torture, disappearance, and imprisonment, and the exponential growth in the transnationally funded prison system is symptomatic of what, in the article â€Å"Intimate Investments,† Anna M. Agathangelou, M. Daniel Bassichis, and Tamara L. Spira deem the â€Å"imperial project(s) of promise and nonpromise† (Agathangelou, Bassichis, and Spira 120). Agathangelou, Bassichis, and Spira argue that, inherently a part of empire’s promises to some groups of safety and inclusion in global capitalism is a process of othering by which other groups are constructed as â€Å"enemy others,† and by which yet other groups are rendered â€Å"‘other Others’ whose life and death do not even merit mention or attention† (123). At the heart of this process lies the imperialist drive to establish and protect the new world order via what M. Jacqui Alexander deems the process of â€Å"incorporation and quarantining† (Alexander qtd. in Agathangelou, Bassichis, and Spira 127). This process serves the imperialist ends of militarization by constructing â€Å"enemies† which must be contained and/or killed; it also provides a backdrop against which newly legitimized homonormative queer identities can be conceptualized. In other words, by creating classes of racially sexualized... ...plex. Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith. 1st ed. Oakland: AK Press, 2011. 267-79. Print. Girshick, Lori. â€Å"Out of Compliance: Masculine-Identified People in Women’s Prisons.† Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison industrial Complex. Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith. 1st ed. Oakland: AK Press, 2011. 189-208. Print. Nair, Yasmin. â€Å"How to Make Prisons Disappear: Queer Immigrants, the Shackles of Love, and the Invisibility of the Prison Industrial Complex.† Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison industrial Complex. Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith. 1st ed. Oakland: AK Press, 2011. 123-39. Print. Nemec, Blake. â€Å"No One Enters Like Them: Health, Gender Variance, and the PIC.† Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison industrial Complex. Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith. 1st ed. Oakland: AK Press, 2011. 217-31. Print.

The Physics of Baseball :: Sport Baseball Physics

Swinging the Bat for Power Many people might think that swinging the bat straight through the ball would be enough to hit the ball a decent distance off the bat. There's many more mechanics involved in the swinging process. Muscle has only a small part to play in the swinging a bat for power. There are two types of mechanics involved while swinging a bat, Linear and Rotational. Rotational mechanics are the dominant source of power in the swing. Out of the rotational mechanics come the two forces that help generate the speed and power of the swing, torque and the other comes from the energy of rotation. Speed from the energy of rotation comes from the path that your hands follow as you swing the bat. The speed generated by the circular rotation from your hands is like a ball at the end of a string, as long as your hands are moving in a circle then the ball continues to accelerate in a circle. So the bat will also move in at an increasing speed as long as your hands are following a circular path as you swing. An y foward movement of the hands or body in a straight line won't add to the overall bat speed. Torque is another key ingredient to a good power hitter, or even a good hitter. Torque is the result of two forces being applied to an object in opposite directions. In this case the two forces are being applied from the hands and wrists onto the bat. As you start your swing, instead of moving your hands directly at the ball, you want your hands to start a rotation. The top hand begins to move backwards while the lead arm drives the end of the bat towards the ball. The torque invloved is created around the point of the bat that lies between your hands. This torque greatly accelerates the head of the bat which will have act with a greater force when (or if ) it comes into contact with the ball. A good batter will use almost all of these rotational and torque energies either before or durning contact with the ball. After contact your body is relaxed and its remaining motion is smooth, this extra motion is caused by the momentum of the bat pulling the arms up and through.Your follow through is also very important, even though the ball has already been hit it is ideal that you complete your swing so that you're not thrown off balance by that extra momentum when you start to run.

Nordstrom SWOT Essay

Representing people with disabilities in their catalogs since 1997, which is rare. This is a strength because it represents all customers of Nordstrom, not leaving out certain groups because of industry ‘norms’. This speaks volumes to all customers that Nordstrom recognizes them as individuals, but also, as O’Connell mentioned in an interview, â€Å"people with disabilities represent a significant marketing opportunity with $225 billion in discretionary income†¦ and companies that understand this will have a competitive advantage.† Has a customer first attitude to differentiate Nordstrom from other high-end retailers and department stores and build customer loyalty. They are in a highly competitive market involving high fashion, quality items at a premium price, but their service is what drives their business in. They invest in high quality staff, greet customers by name, write personal thank you notes, make follow up calls about satisfaction with prod ucts, have large well lit stores and fitting rooms, have a price match system, as well as a very lenient no questions return policy, all combined to keep their customers as satisfied as they can. Find a study that talks about service driving in customers, customer surveys, reports, etc. Nordstrom has different brands and product lines to reach different market segments and keep up with trends. These include: Rack, Haute Look, Treasure & Bond, and Trunk Club. This offers mid price markets opportunities to join with regular high price markets, online exclusive shoppers to join the Nordstrom network and fashions, appeal to â€Å"give-back† shoppers, and gives men a new online shopping experienced linked to the perks of Nordstrom’s inventories and in store tailors. This is a strength of the company because it creates a larger customer base to represent and build markets in, allowing the company growth in a variety of areas that competitors are not hitting. Compared to retail apparel competitors, â€Å"Nordstrom Inc. reported Total Revenue increase in the 2 quarter 2014 by 6.13 % year on year. The sales growth was above Nordstrom Inc.’s competitors average re venue growth of 0.99 %, recorded in the same quarter. With net margin of 5.4 % company  achieved higher profitability than its competitors.†   The Nordstrom Brand name and size are also strengths of the company. The Nordstrom brand has been around long enough to build relationships with suppliers and attain exclusive brands to carry, and establish lines of distribution, which puts them above new entrants because it is difficult to gain licensing for exclusive brands when you are not already established as well as establish your distribution system. They also have a size advantage having 118 original Nordstrom stores, 162 Nordstrom Rack locations, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 clearance store and they also reach customers online in 96 countries through Nordstrom.com and reaching customers online through HauteLook and NordstromRack.com as well. The high brand awareness, and availability is what competes in department and apparel retail. The company carries unique products; exceptional, high quality brands that are not going to be found at discount retailers to create the exclusive feel for customers. They also new experiences an d brands within the company through their Spa and Restaurants within some of the Nordstrom front-line stores. These differentiate Nordstrom from direct competitors, but also from restaurants competition by using quality, sustainability, and responsibility as their guide to the best experience. (http://wwwiebe.com/nordstrom-customer-service-first/) Find article about competitors with restaurants and spas, and how this makes a difference compared to their revenues and restaurants too. Has established online presence in 96 countries and built network through their multiple websites for each store brand, built their own app to shop from your phone, and gotten involved in social media, more specifically Instagram with their â€Å"Instalog† while keeping all of this integrated with their mortar stores. They also understand that â€Å"when you stop evolving with your customer, you die,† as Jamie Nordstrom, president of stores, has said. They are building fulfillment centers to accommodate online shopping more quickly, use RFID chips to keep their perpetual inventory system for stores and online to share, and invested more into online growth than brick and mortar stores,  knowing that this is where their growth is coming from. â€Å"Over the next several years Nordstrom expects to derive half of its sales from the Rack and from its online units, versus 38 percent today,† and that’s because â€Å"the U.S. Commerce Department estimates that electronic commerce amounted to 6.2 percent of total retail sales in the first quarter of 2014.† Analysts have also been saying Nordstrom has thrived compared to competitors because it is a pioneer in perks like free shipping and also having the unique diversity of products online. Their expansion into Canada this year also gives them an advantage against competitors who have not branched out internationally yet. This opens their market up to Calgary shoppers, Canada’s strong economy, an area underserved of luxury items, shoppers who are familiar with the brand, and expectation to grow to a total of 5 Canadian stores within 2 years. If their expansion continues in a positive way like their first opening, they will continue to have this s trength over their competitors. Weaknesses: Because Nordstrom focuses mainly on their customer service and does price matching on their items, they are at risk to be directly affected by price fluctuations and economic trends. The fluctuations in the market are out of Nordstrom’s control, but their choice of pricing strategy to match prices are internal choices that they are choosing to be vulnerable to. If they don’t want this as a weakness they would try to reinvent their pricing strategy to keep competitive pricing without matching competition because that is directly relative to the market. Offering free shipping does improve their customer loyalty, but it also comes with a high cost for the company. This is a weakness because they internally chose to make this sacrifice for the greater good of the company and take the hit on spending, but is hard to measure the direct effects of customer loyalty because of  free shipping. Nordstrom has the opportunity to invest more into their credit business because many of their competitors have more resources in this area giving them an advantage. Their competition is external but the choice to not invest highly in their credit business is a weakness of Nordstrom. The company would have to look into how they allocate their resources to see if there is room to invest additionally into this sector of business and if it would bring sufficient benefit to them. Opportunities: Already reaching 96 countries with their online retailing, Nordstrom continues to have room for growth in this area. New technology is keeping the market on their toes with ideas to expand and take advantage sooner than competitors, which is why Nordstrom is spending to grow fulfillment of network for direct sales channels to make delivery faster, and improve mobile app and in store personalized experience. They already have an app that was revealed earlier this year, Instagram, and multiple online stores with Nordstrom.com, NordstromRack.com and HauteLook.com, with plans to introduce Canadian Nordstrom Rack soon. The company plans to invest $150 million into its’ online retailing. They plan to hire up to 400 people for their e-commerce group, including Kirk Beardsley, the former director of business development at Amazon. Their acquisition of HauteLook changed their ecommerce capabilities, and they continue to look for integration opportunities to grow expansion further. They need to continually understand new markets such as the discount merchandising market, which they have recently made their footprint grow Rack sales by 20% in the first quarter of the year, compared to comparable stores that only grew 6.4%. The reason their growth opportunities online and in different markets remain an opportunity is because technology, online trends, and consumer preferences are always changing. They need to continue to stay on their toes with the online retail market since growth is higher than physical stores currently. Currently Nordstrom is â€Å"developing a strategy to secure their supply  chain in a resource constrained world will enable them to leverage their customer service brand image† by investing in recycling, transportation, paper and packaging, energy, water, human rights, organic food, and community support. They have the opportunity to continue this path of enhancing social and environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and supply chain management to appeal to environmental supporting markets. The Canada debut of stores is their first branch into international markets, which says the company is in a stable enough spot to take on these new complex roles in the market. They have a good economy with a high median family income at $90,000 in the areas they plan to continue growth in. According to government data, this is the highest in metropolitan areas in Canada, giving the company the opportunity to expand and capture their market. There are not current plans to expand beyond Canada, but if they succeed there then that again leaves open an entire new box of options for the company to move overseas. Nordstrom will also be opening up Nordstrom Rack locations in Canada once they accomplish their mission with front-line stores, opening up opportunities to reach the middle class Canadian consumers who want designer brands at a bargain. Continuing to be an innovative brand will be an opportunity for Nordstrom to take advantage of. They launched their â€Å"first time private-lab el brand that will give 5 percent of its earnings to Girls Inc. and other nonprofits that seek to empower women and young girls. The move comes amid the increasing popularity of â€Å"give-back† fashion.† The charitable boutique Nordstrom opened in New York’s SoHo neighborhood in 2011, Treasure&Bond, will be available at 86 stores around the country and online as well to promote their â€Å"give-back† persona. There will be constant opportunity to follow trends and compete in the market with things such as these, and Nordstrom has the opportunity to continue its’ successful planning to meet them and conquer.   Disposable incomes in the US are rising, for instance June 2014 were at an all time high at 13021.20 billion versus the previous month at 12969.70 billion. What this means for Nordstrom and all retailers is that spending will begin/continue to increase and they need to be the brand/company that captures those sales. Their expansion, online presence, and quality need to continue to improve, and there marketing strategy relying heavily on word of mouth may need re-evaluation to determine if this is the best way to promote the brand while maintaining their high image.   Sales per square foot vary company to company and your ability to stock, merchandise, and turnover quicker than your competitor is an opportunity to capitalize on. Maintaining highest sales per square foot is a competitive tool in the retail industry and in 2013 Nordstrom had the highest sales per square foot at $400 in comparison to direct competitors Macy’s at $173 and Saks Fifth Ave at $350. Their ability to stock more into a space and turnover that merchandise faster than competition is a strength of Nordstrom in the external market. Threats: The department store and apparel industries are highly competitive, with direct competitors of Nordstrom being: Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Dillard’s, Saks Fifth Ave, and Neiman Marcus. As consumer preference continues to shift, and incomes continue to rise the market will only continue to be more and more competitive, leveraging many opportunities for each company. There is also a lot of indirect competition of Nordstrom including food service, spas, boutiques, discount retailers, online retailers, and specialty stores. This creates significant competitive areas and factors in position including their customer service, unique fashion trends, selection, quality, environment, location, and convenience. Further threats for the company to consider while making decisions also include plans for growth, market share, pricing, supply chains, brand image and much more. There is also indirect competition for Nordstrom’s credit business like banks, credit card companies , and other stores that offer a store card such as JCP, Saks,  Dillard’s, Macy’s and Dillard’s. Because some of the competitors in this area have more financial marketing and resources to dedicate to their credit business, it makes it a huge threat to Nordstrom The economy will continue to be a threat not only in the US but also in their new Canadian expansion. The US economy and Americans spending is going up, as listed in the opportunities column, but because the past decade has been rough its effects may still linger and possibly shift into Canada’s economy as well. The threat of an economic downturn is something that all businesses face though, so to be safe Nordstrom should continually set realistic expectations and plans for what they would do in that situation. Price changes and increasing costs also threaten Nordstrom’s supply chain of designer and high-end brands. Because of the global climate changes and shortages in resources, the market for material, labor, and transportation are not as stable. This threatens Nordstrom because higher costs for them are not good if they’re not producing higher sales or profits, and the environmental effects on their business is completely out of their control. Online expansio n of all retailers especially a dominator like Amazon has put up many obstacles for Nordstrom. It is difficult and expensive to constantly and quickly transition to new technological changes. Nordstrom is threatened by these changes to see if it can successfully invest and continually update to the markets demands. Their repositioning online and through social media with the wave of technology seems to be going well so far, but time will tell if they are able to continue on top or if they will fall behind the industry. In Canadian market they just entered there is a battle for the luxury market, which is not sufficiently claimed yet. Hudson’s Bay Company has Canadian roots and just bought Saks, with plans to move them up to Canada as well. This will harshly threaten Nordstrom’s pull on luxury market share in Canada. There is  also the 177-year-old brand Holt Renfrew that announced expansion in its Calgary luxury store, which is in the same place as the first Canadian Nordstrom. This is again a direct threat to their business in Canada and how their expansion will determine if they can grab and hold onto market share. There are also not many to choose from talent wise in Canada because the luxury market is not prominent so there is little experience to find. There is also a higher average wage in the area they are stationed because of the oil-fueled jobs in the Calgary area, so they will have higher labor costs demanded as well. References: http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024579800_nordstromcanadaxml.html?cmpid=2628 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nordstrom/id474349412?mt=8 http://www.luxurydaily.com/nordstrom-integrates-instagram-to-create-shopping-experience/ http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/business/ci_26254983/models-disabilities-star-nordstrom-catalog http://wwwiebe.com/nordstrom-customer-service-first/ http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024313399_nordstromearningsxml.html http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024291908_nordstromstorexml.html http://www.internetretailer.com/2014/05/19/nordstrom-invests-heavily-e-commerce http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/FastFetch/UBER1/306343_GDRT31838FSA

Minor characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird” Essay

Harper Lee uses minor characters in a variety of different ways to help explore and expose some of the main concerns brought up in the book, ranging from strict town morals, justice, all the way to racism and death due to racism. I have chosen to outline some of the ways in which Harper Lee uses three minor characters, Mayella Ewell, Heck Tate and Dolfus Raymond, to help emphasise and explore some of the major concerns in the book. Mayella Ewell is the first minor character I shall discuss; a beacon of racial prejudice and the injustice of the courthouses. She is considered to be trash along with the rest of the Ewell’s; despite the fact that she is one of the few Ewell’s who can read and write. As well as being literate she tries her best to make that most of what she’s got, â€Å"the quote about the flowers she keeps†. Despite her decency compared to the others in her family Mayella still only cares for her own wellbeing. When she forces herself upon Tom Robinson, in a last ditch attempt to feel some affection from a man, she is soon to realise the error of her ways. As Atticus says, â€Å"She has committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time honoured code of our society† by going after a black man she has broken ‘the rules’ of Maycomb and thus she tries to hide the truth by abusing Maycomb’s harsh structure of injustice and racism. She is white and Tom is black meaning the court case, as she well knows, can only have one outcome. She would rather sentence a man to death for something she had done to him, â€Å"She reached up and kissed me ‘side of th’ face. She said she never kissed a grown man before an’s she might as well kiss a nigger.† than tell the court and the towns folk that she had come onto a black man. Harper Lee uses Mayella and her made up story to show the racism of the  justice system, she shows that simply by lying and having someone to lie with you when the case is white words against black the white will win. Despite Mayella’s story falling apart under cross-examination Tom’s version of what happened isn’t taken note of, as he is black. Also in this case, we have the testimonial of the local sheriff Heck Tate; he too is a tool of great injustice for the blacks. In his testimony we read that he was called by Bob Ewell and told that â€Å"some nigger’d raped his girl† upon arrival he found Mayella and asked who had done it – Tom Robinson. A black man accused by a white woman, Heck went and rounded him up instantly to be identified by Mayella. No questioning, no looking for evidence or any kind of service a white man could expect, Heck presumes that he is black and therefore must have committed some kind of crime. However, despite Heck’s injustice towards the black population of Maycomb he does fulfil his duties to the white. After Boo stabs Bob to save Atticus’ children Heck decides that for the greater good nothing should be said and the incident should be considered an accidental suicide. Heck shields the town from the truth and allows Boo to go back to his normal life – after all he had done the town a favour. Another man who shields the town from the truth, but about a very different subject is Dolphus Raymond, a presumed evil alcoholic who spends most of his time with the black townsfolk. â€Å"Come round here, son, I got something that’ll settle your stomach.† Is the invitation given by Dolphus to Dill outside the courthouse. He offers Dill his brown paper bag with straws in and tells the boy to take a good sip. Scout says † Dill, you watch out, now† as she, like the rest of the town believes that Dolphus is always sipping from a bottle of gin within his bag. He pretends to be drinking all day as â€Å"it’s mighty helpful to folks.† He is forced to pretend to be drinking all day and to be messed up in the head to help the prejudice people of Maycomb understand why he would want to spend most of his time with the black people. Only the uncorrupted children are trusted with Mr. Raymond’s deepest secret as he feels that because they  are children they can understand why he pretends to drink and why he has to give the people a reason as to why he spends his time with black people. This helps give an idea of the intolerance in the town. Intolerance towards black people and towards anyone who has contact with black people as a friend, rather than just a slave. Harper Lee uses minor characters traits and beliefs to show the reader some of the issues at hand in the book. Whether it be a girl pretending to have been raped to highlight the levels of injustice and the racial prejudice in the book, or whether its Heck Tait acting under the powerful words of a white person to do wrong to blacks, or his truth shielding to help a white man stay out of prison for a crime he really did commit.