Global Perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Global Perspective - Essay Example Instead, and to a great extent, it has exposed the depth of the differences which separate people and countries, ultimately leading to a more fragmented world. The current global political reality, especially in light of the events of September 11th demands that we revisit the notion of the New World Order and redefine it. The technological revolution has, to a degree, brought cultures closer together. It has done so through the provision of tools which facilitate popular cross-cultural communication, such as internet chatrooms. There is no doubt that technology, whether it assumes the form of the internet or electronic/satellite media, has created greater understanding between populations but, it has also exposed the width and breadth of the differences between them. These differences, which found expression in terrorism and the events of September 11th, are that which the New World Order is about. The New World Order may be defined as one in which the threat of communism has been replaced by the threat of terrorism. It is a world in which differences between people has become more pronounced, despite the fact that globalization and technological developments have facilitated cross-cultural

Evaluate the contributions made by the chicago school to our Essay

Evaluate the contributions made by the chicago school to our understandings of crime and the urban environment - Essay Example The Chicago School of Sociology moved the study of crime away from the basic and overly-simplified Biological and Physiological explanations of the 19th century onwards, promulgated by such positivist theorists as Lombroso1 which sought to explain criminal behaviour through ‘body type’ arguing that pathology was located in the individual. Fortuitously we live in an age where the Human Genome Project has nullified once and for all the idea that criminal behaviour can be explained categorically by ‘body type’. Whilst law enforcers may discriminate against certain physical features, theoretical law does not. Theoretical law concerns itself with the intention (mens rea) of the defendant who must also have undertaken a prohibited action (actus rea)a. It was increasingly apparent that such Biological and Physiological theories did not offer a universal theory for the existence of crime or its perpetrators. For example, those theories had no explanation to offer for ‘white-collar crime’ – undertaken by persons who had – and have - no apparent genetic, social or educational deprivation excuses for their ‘criminal’ behaviour. Edwin Sutherland’s studies in the 1940s of ‘White Collar Crime’ argued that white collar crime was rarely detected or prosecuted, as it appeared to be victimless crime and was committed by high net worth individuals. However in recent years there has been considerable focus on white collar criminals. A pertinent example is the former media mogul Conrad Black who is currently awaiting his turn on the witness stand. Pictures of the defendant clearly indicate that he does not have a low forehead. Besides raising significant counter-arguments to previous universally accepted criminological theories, the Chicago School opened a whole new avenue of empirical sociology research as they examined the impact of environment on behaviour setting out to answer the following question: Why is there

LEGO: Porters Five Forces and PEST

LEGO: Porters Five Forces and PEST LEGO is one of the most popular toy brands due to the companys distinctive brand image, high-quality products and creative business climate. However, the present successful performance of the company went through a period of significant transformation. In the beginning of the 21st century the company experienced drastic net loss which was resulted by internal inefficiency and over-ambitious expansion targets. The transformation path of the company has not always been smooth and flawless as LEGO faced some substantial threats over the lengthy period of operation. In the beginning of the 21st century the company experienced significant tremors which were resulted by profitability deficit of 1.4 billion DKK. At present LEGO has introduced a number of innovative strategies to enhance its consumer insight, reinforce its creative dynamics and produce more market-relevant products. The company has been involved in a number of operations which include the work of external professionals and enthusiasts to attract greater creativity influx to the production of new products. Although LEGO has gone through a period of highly positive transformations, the company is still facing a number of environmental threats and operational risk. The introduction of the Mindstorms NXT product line made the company penetrate in a highly competitive market where innovative and experienced brands as SONY failed. On the other hand, the company is working with a number of external parties which implies a continuous risk and pressure on the companys intellectual property. Moreover, the coordination of external professionals is hard to be sustained in the long-term and also hard for the company to fit these professionals within the corporate culture. In this context, the present report is focused on analysing the strategic capabilities which LEGO possesses, exploring the external environment and identifying business opportunities and threats. The purpose of the report is to outline some strategic issues which the company needs to avoid or exploit and thus introduce recommendations to promote LEGOs profit sustainability in the long-term. The Environment The environment in which LEGO operates can be characterised as highly dynamic. The companys products have been played by some 300 million children and adults on annual basis. LEGO manufacturers more than 1 400 000 components every hour to fulfill sales of some 100 million products worldwide every year (The Voice of the Customer, 2001). Deriving from these findings, it can be suggested that LEGO manages a highly diverse and complex environment where efficient resource allocation is of paramount importance for profit sustainability. The internal complexity of the organisation can be recognised as one of the main source for the past net profit loss as the company could not realise its resource potential, many new concepts were never released to market and the focus on continuous expansion incurred substantial costs. This is the reason why, LEGOs EBIT margins were falling in period when the company achieved high sales growth (Figure 1) (Robertson and Crawford, 2008). LEGOs Revenue and EBIT comparison Figure 1 Apart from the complex internal climate, LEGO has been also operating in a challenging external environment which can be identified from the presented PEST analysis (Figure 2). Political Environmental LEGO needs to consider international emerging markets, such as China. However, the company would need to be knowledgeable and flexible with respect to responding to the specific political characteristics of the Chinese market, such as penetrating through state-owned enterprises and government equity within the venture. Moreover, the company needs to produce products which continuously comply with health and safety regulations and, therefore LEGO is constantly exposed to risk and regulatory pressure (The Voice of the Customer, 2001). The company is operating in a business climate where the global environmental sustainability is continuously growing in importance. This is the reason why, producing plastic products as a core product line is of substantial challenge for the companys corporate citizenship and responsiveness to environmental degradation (Tracey et al., 2005). Social Technological The company has been continuously challenged by the need to keep up with new emerging social trends and lifestyles of their consumers. New toy themes have been continuously released on the market, therefore continuous research and product development would be one of the most expensive operations of the organisation (Robinson and Crawford, 2008). LEGO has penetrated a highly competitive market with its Mindstorms NXT product range. The company is facing competitors, such as the popular robotic brand of WowWee. Moreover, this market requires significant product development costs and thus is likely to challenge the companys profitability. For example, brands as SONY, which has significantly more experience than LEGO in electronic products failed to realise its robotic ambitions (Allonrobots, 2009). LEGOs PEST analysis Figure 2 Strategic Capability The strategic capabilities of LEGO are explored and analysed through the use of the resource-based view theory. The resource-based view theory describes the strategic capability of organisations are based on their internal resources. In this respect, in order for a company to have high degree of strategic capability it needs to possess resources which are valuable, rare, in-imitable and non-substitutable (Colbert, 2004). In this respect, the following table adopts the resource-based view theory to evaluate the strategic capability of LEGO (Figure 3). Resource Characteristics LEGOs Strengths LEGOs Weaknesses Valuable One of the most valuable resources of LEGO is knowledge. The company has a well-developed team of engineers and designers and is also employing external professionals to enhance the industry knowledge and creativity of the team. LEGO is producing an extensive amount of new design and prototypes and only few ever reach the market. In this respect, the company may generate some valuable know-how and intellectual property but at the end appears to be wasted and not successfully utilised. Rare The resource which can be identified as rare is the brand image of LEGO. The company have distinctive brand image and product ranges. This is proved by the case study analysis which revealed that LEGOs reduction of product components ignited dissatisfaction among customers. Although LEGO possesses some rare resources and capabilities the company is facing some significant competition from other toy segments. Moreover, LEGOs Mindstorms NXT product line is competing with WowWee which have greater experience and know-how in this particular segment of the market. In-imitable LEGO is continuously producing new concepts and product lines and therefore it is hard for competitors to imitate them. Moreover, the company has been recently paying extensive attention to community responses to their product prototypes which has been enhancing the companys continuously enhanced insight on segment needs. On the other hand, LEGOs products can be easily imitated by competitors with respect to toy themes and components. However, as already recognised the company has distinctive brand image which differentiates the brand from possible copy cats. Non-substitutable LEGO possesses non-substitutable resources such as intellectual property, designing capabilities, know-how and industrial insight. The company is competing with a great number of toy brands which provide consumers with substitutions for LEGOs products. Moreover, the highly innovative Mindstorms NXT brand has product substitutions from competitors such as WowWee. LEGOs Resource-Based View Figure 3 In order for the author to further analyse the strategic capabilities of the company a Porters Five Forces model is implemented. It will reveal how the internal strategic capabilities of the company relate to the market context (Figure 4) (Porter, 1990). Risk of entry by Competitors Power of Suppliers Competitive Rivalry Power of Buyers Threat of Substitutes Porters Five Forces Figure 4 Deriving from Porters Five Forces model it can be concluded that LEGO is facing a number of strategic challenges. For example, the power of buyers is significantly high as the company needs to tailor product lines to specifically fit consumer segments needs and preferences. Although LEGO has greater power of external suppliers, the company still needs to develop solid collaboration with external partners within the supply-chain in order to increase operational efficiency and innovation (Robertson and Crawford, 2008; Afuah, 2003). In the context of new competitors penetrating the market, it can be suggested that the risk is comparatively higher than other industries. The toy industry does have any high barriers to entry as it does not require substantial investment and know-how to operate. This is the reason why, LEGO faces a number of substitution products form popular brands, such as: Playmobil; BRIO; ELC; Meccano Toys; Geomag; Hasbro; and Logiblocs (ToyShop UK, 2009). All these brands provide construction toys which use similar principles of build-to-play entertainment. However, it should be outlined that the company is facing other substitute toy products which are own-branded from popular names as Hamleys, ToysRUs and Disney (Doyoo, 2009). However, with respect to LEGOs new range of Mindstorms NXT product line the situation is different. There are very few competitors which can provide substitutes, such as WowWee (WowWee, 2009). This product line requires greater investment by companies to penetrate and is likely to increase production costs. This is the reason why. LEGO can develop and sustain advantage in the production of robotic products which are building by hardware and software. Moreover, the greatest competitor WowWee does not have such a diversified range of robotic products as LEGO but still WowWee provide robotic toys and technologies with greater functionality (WowWee, 2009). Business Opportunities and Challenges Based on the presented analysis, it can be concluded that LEGO can exploit a number of promising business opportunities. However, it should be also underlined that these opportunities hide substantial threat to the EBIT profitability of the organisation. In this context, one of the greatest business opportunities of LEGO is the companys focus on external professionals and enthusiasts in the product designing and engineering (Robertson and Crawford, 2008; Lego, 2009). On the one hand this results in influx of fresh idea and creativity due to the diverse range of participants but on the other hand it can result in a number of risks, such as: intellectual rights; outflow of knowledge; inability to fit external professionals to the organisational climate, etc. Another significant business opportunity which can be recognised is LEGOs development of the Mindstorms NXT product range through the use of external specialists and by involving consumers in a virtual collaborative platform (Robertson and Crawford, 2009). On the one hand, this is an emerging innovative market which has strong growth potential as it targets both young and adult segments. However, on the other hand, penetrating this market involves high amounts of investment and operational costs which may push profit margins down. Moreover, the greatest competitor of LEGO in the Mindstorms NXT range is WowWee which can be recognised to outperform LEGOs product by functionality, whereas LEGO is more focused on robotic entertainment (WowWee, 2009). This is the reason why, it can be suggested that WowWee is more likely to attract adult consumer segments and thus generate greater margins sales as adult consumers would be more willing to pay higher price for more functional products. Another challenge for LEGO, which can be directly produced by the product diversification of the company, is the negative impact this may have on LEGOs brand identity. As identified, the company has recognisable brand image and any drastic diversification may have negative impact on consumers perceptions (Robertson and Crawford, 2008). Moreover, LEGO is managing a wide range of product lines and there is not any identified synergetic relationship between them. This is not only challenging to LEGOs ability to optimise costs and enhance efficiency but has substantial impact on what actually the LEGO brands stand for. On the other hand, the numerous opportunities for new product development which LEGO can utilise can be proposed to increase supply-chain complexity. For example, the build-it-by-yourself service which LEGO provides to consumers to construct their own Mindstorms NXT robot may result in pressure within supply-chain operations and specifically inventory management. This virtual platform needs to be integrated with a highly sensitive back-end supply-chain system to indicate any changes in inventory levels. And this is a complex process that may predispose to errors and inefficiencies (Harrison and van Hoek, 2008). Finally, LEGO has the opportunity to continuously develop complementary products to increase profitability. The present case study identified the companys inability to successfully integrate complementary merchandise with the sale of its product lines and toy themes (Robertson and Crawford, 2008). This can be proposed to be a significant drawback as other market competitors provides diversified range of merchandise and other complementary accessories to enhance consumers experience and entertainment. Recommendations Based on the analysis of the external environment and strategic capabilities of LEGO, there are four strategic recommendations which can be made with respect to the companys segmentation strategy; supply-chain efficiency; financial profitability; and brand identity. 5.1 Segmentation LEGO needs to target new segments not only through demographic characteristics but also by identification of new consumer needs. For example, the company may focus on the adult segment by developing LEGO lines, such as LEGO Hobby (e.g. selling construction sets with innovative elements to be used for hobby purposes, such as: small models building of airplanes; ships; automobiles, etc). Moreover, the company may target professional segments such as architects to which components for models can be sold. In this respect, the present Lego Club can be diversified to fit the needs of adult consumers. An interesting theme in the Lego Club may be how parents can communicate with their children through Lego games. In other words, Lego can produce games to enhance parents-children communication and sharing of experience. Moreover, this is an opportunity for Lego to penetrate other family games markets and segments, and produce Lego games to compete with Monopoly, Scrabble, Pictionary, Cards, etc. Lego can also enhance customers loyalty through providing discounts existing customers who wish to return old Lego toys and purchase new ones. First, this would be an effective recycling strategy which Lego can adopt. Second, parents would have the incentive to return old toys but still continue purchasing new ones through discounting vouchers. Third, children would have the opportunity to play with all new Lego models throguh this discounting scheme, which will constantly promote their interest in the Lego brand. 5.2 Supply-chain efficiency The company has developed a Mindstorms NXT range which is a highly innovative and promising product line. However, LEGO should consider competitors threats seriously and thus develop supply-chain partnerships with organisations which have extensive experience in building electronic products. 5.3 Financial profitability Lego needs to focus on developing its merchandise range and complementary products to both enhance the entertainment experience and use additional source of profit. 5.4 Brand identity Lego should consider how the companys brand identity is changes with the introduction of new products. The company may focus on enhancing its corporate social responsibility by introducing product ranges with environmentally friendly components. This would not only have positive impact on the brand image of the company but is likely to target new segments (e.g. environmentally conscious consumers). In this respect, the company could focus on Green Marketing by donating some small amount of every purchase to environmental projects. Another interesting strategy for promoting the brand identity of the company may be also focused on socially responsible projects, such as donating a small amount of every purchase to the construction of hospitals, homes, schools and other public and private sector buildings in developing countries. In this context, the company can promote a campaign slogan, such as: Lego A Real World Constructor.

Finland: Nationalism, Development, and Values Essay -- World War II, Ru

While Finland is a rather young country in terms of independence, seeing that it was only in 1917 that it became independent, it is a country that has had a constant development of nationalism, values, and national identity. Finnish nationalism is highly shaped by its past before it was an independent country and by its neighbor, Russia. It also is affected by the three Wars which would involve its neighbor Russia. The three wars fought in WWII, events leading up to them, and their end results are all key points in developing Finnish Nationalism. These wars are the Winter War (1939-40) and the Continuation War (1941-44) in which Finland fought the Russians during WWII. Lastly, is the Lapland War (1944-45) in which the Finnish retreated from the Germans. These wars had lasting effects up until 1991 and dissolution of the USSR, making them huge factors on Finnish nationalism (Historical Highlights) . The effects of WWII would be gruesome for Finland and help shape its nationali sm for Finland today. Finland was originally an independent country when it was settled by Laps in about the year 700. This independence was short lived after it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sweden in the twelfth century for nearly 700 years. Swedish would become the dominant language. Under Swedish rule, Finland would be introduced to Roman Catholicism. This would help to include Finland with the western culture. Also, Finland would come to experience similar economic and social experiences that Sweden would. Finland would nearly have no sense of national identity for a period of time. Finland would essentially be considered a part of Sweden. Then, in 1807, Finland would be conquered by Russia and remain a part of Russia up until its inde... ...allenge to Peacemakers (Mar., 1944), pp.33-38. Kirby, David (2006). A concise history of Finland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 343. Manninen, Laura. "War and Remembrance: An Aftermath of the Lapland War." Ethnologia Scandinavica 21(1991):53-63. Reese, Roger R. "Surrender And Capture In The Winter War And Great Patriotic War: Which Was The Anomaly?." Global War Studies 8.1 (2011): 87-98. Historical Abstracts. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. Tillotson, H.M. (1993). Finland at peace & war 1918–1993. Michael Russell. Trueman, Chris. "The Winter War 1939." The Winter War 1939. HistoryLearningSite.co.uk, n.d. Web. 9 Dec 2013. . cited Vares, Vesa. "Creating A State And National Identity. Finland And Europe: 1918-1922." Valahian Journal Of Historical Studies 14.(2010): 79-104. Historical Abstracts. Web. 7 Dec. 2013.

Memoirs of a Geshia and Andrea Del Sarto Essay

The film adaptation of Memoirs of a Geshia faithfully depict the context in which it was taken. Woman are portaryed strong feminists in today’s society. Sayuri’s blue eyes symbolise the Japanese culture, as the element of water is often associated with adoption and change, as it can be both a relaxing and a desructive force. Sayuri’s growth from a young servant to one of the most sought after geshia in her district â€Å"water is a good guard against fire. Sayuri is portrayed as being a worthy protective for the equally formidable element of fire which can be associated with the beautiful but highly dangerous Hutsumomo. Both â€Å"woman of fire† and the â€Å"girl of water† illustrate the dominance and power of women in today’s society. as both characters were associated with the element of earth, emphasising the power of women in today’s society as they have gained power over time. On the other hand, in Andrea del Sarto, Browning rejects the tendency rejects the tendancy of romantics to project all their desires onto a female object . His dramatic monolouge in the poem is a variation on the theme of men processing women as objects, â€Å"You beatiful Lucrezia that are mine! † reveals the artist’s desire to assert his male dominance over her female passivity. Browning showcases the role of women during the Victorian era and the time as men only refer to them as objects as they were only desired by men for their â€Å"perfect eyes†¦ perfect mouth†¦ â€Å"over time women have become more powerful as portrayed in Memoirs of a Geshia as the society has recognised and potential of women.

Living In Two Worlds Essay

Living in two different cultures has its benefits an challenges. Although i was born in America, my parents emigrated to the u.s from mexico. They were only 18 years old when they stepped there first foot in the U.S The customs, traditions, and culture are almost the same as an American, but they are by far different. When my parents cane to the u.s they continued to perform their customs and hold on to some of their beliefs and as well there traditions. this has influences me in several ways. Although my family and I live in the u.s we follow the customs and traditions of my culture. I have learned two languages, spanish and english. Spanish was my first primary language, then english came along in 3rd grade. I eat variety of foods and celebrate different holidays that have to do with my religion and culture. For example, we celebrate cinco de mayo and â€Å"La Independencia De Mexico† Mexico independence Day and for our food tradition we make tamales, posole, birria, and mole. It is also a benefit because i get to celebrate with my family and have different foods and i get to learn new things about my culture. Family is really important in our culture; thats why we create family reunion twice a year. In our family we always look for each other, that’s one custom my parents taught me. It’s really fun when i get to interact with people that comes from the same culture as mines; in other words â€Å"Mi Gente† (my people). Sharing my culture with my friends or to other people is important to me. I feel that people should have a good understanding of who i am and what my culture is like. Even though this can be a major disadvantage there are many setbacks to being part of two cultures. In my culture for being the oldest from your brothers or sisters you have to look out for them and always set an example for them. They always come first and then comes yourself. Since my parents came from mexico the only language they know is spanish. They never tend to lear english. Therefor spanish became my primary language. It brought me many disadvantages in school, because i started learning english in 3rd grade. That’s why now in english class i some times have trouble writing it. In conclusion, living in two cultures is amazing. Everyday i enjoy my culture, i breath it, live it, and i love it. I have learned so many things about my culture, where i come from, but i still have plenty much to learn from it.