Strategic Management: QANTAS LIMITED

Introduction
Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (QANTAS) Limited was founded in Queensland on November 16th 1920. A new company was formed when there was a merger between Qantas Ltd and forerunner for British Airways; the Britain’s Imperial Airways. The new firm that was known as Qantas Empire Airways was mostly operating flights between Singapore and Brisbane. In the 1960s, the airline was operating flight to major regions of the world for instance to London via Asia and the Middle East from Australia and via the US and Mexico to South America from Australia (Qantas Airways Limited, 2012). Majority of the routes that were served were later dropped due to the slump in the customer numbers due to the introduction of the wide body aircrafts especially in the 1970s. The Headquarters of the firm are found in Mascot, New South Wales, Australia.

The airline is the largest in Australia and is commonly referred to as the flying kangaroo. The paper is focused on the understanding of the strategies that are used by Qantas in the market where the firm. There are a number of considerations that are made for instance the industry understanding and analysis of the general environment in which the firm operates in, the analysis of the industry environment through the use of Porters 5 Forces model, the consideration of the competitive environment, opportunities and threats, the Internal analysis for instance the consideration of the resources of the firm both tangible and intangible, the identification of the capabilities, the core competences, value chain analysis, weaknesses and the general SWOT analysis of the firm. There is also the consideration of the current strategies of the firm. Finally, the recommendations will be provided to take advantage of the opportunities that exist in the firm and also deal with the issue of the threats that may be faced. The recommendations that are provided are to cover all the three levels i.e. the business level strategies, corporate level strategies and the international level strategies.

External analysis

The industry

Qantas operates in the airline industry whose marginal profitability has reduced significantly over the last couple of years with the marginal returns for the last 40 years averaging just over 0.3 per cent. The industry is significantly affected by a number of factors for instance the vagaries of nature i.e. the volcanic ash from the eruptions in Iceland that significantly affected the airline operations as well as the global economic conditions and the prices of the oil amongst the other factors (Capon, 2008). The industry is characterized with very fierce levels of competition between the firms that are found in the industry.

General environment analysis

There are a number of factors in the general environment that have a massive impact on the operations of the firm. The main considerations that will be made are related to the economic, socio cultural, global, technological, political-legal and demographic factors that affect the operations of the airlines in the industry. Economic factors that affect the operations include the global financial crisis that significantly reduced the peoples’ purchasing powers due to the associated rise in the unemployment rates and the decimation of the savings of the individuals. The overall effect of the above was the reduction in the demands of the services that are offered by the firms in the industry thus leading to a situation where the goals of the firms could not be reached (Carpenter, Sanders, Rice, & Martin, 2010). The rises in the oil prices in the globe also has an effect on the global airline industry due to the rises in the costs that are incurred.

It is important to note that such cost increases would significantly reduce the revenues that are realized by the firms due to the increase in the costs of the products sold thus leading to very low marginal profits. The airline industry is also affected by the state of the exchange rate for instance the Aus. $/ US $ exchange rate as this has significantly affected the operations of the firm in the last couple of years especially beginning with 2012 as the firm is not adequately hedged against the higher fuel prices. The value of the Australian dollar has traditionally risen with the rise of the oil prices thus effectively hedging the firm against the effects of the price increases; however, this has not been the case for the past couple of years.

The socio cultural factors will also be considered for instance the low levels of the loyalty amongst the customers. The main focus of the customers is low price and whenever there is a significant price differentiation that is found in the market, the customers will focus on the ways through which they can be able to reduce the price so that they can be able to capture the customers. The reduction in the prices and the low cost operations find their validation in the above factors. Secondly, there is the fact that the Australians usually require the air travel so that they can be able to travel the distances that are too big to be covered by road or by the rail. The global factors will also be considered especially the stability of the different countries and the global competition between the different airlines that are found in the industry. This has a significant impact on the operations of the firm in terms of the levels of the profitability and the revenue levels that are realized by the firms that operate in the industry (David, 2009).

Technological factors are mostly related to the booking and the check-in process of the airlines. The focus of the airlines in the industry is always to reduce the costs of the operations thus majority have adopted the online or automated booking and check-in so that they can be able to support the low cost model of the operations that are highly accepted by the customers who are found in the market (David, 2009).

There is also the consideration of the political legal factors for instance the regulation on the number of hours that the pilots can be able to work as maximum thus restricting the working hours for the pilots of the varied airlines that are found in the industry. The other consideration is the pay rates for the flight attendants and the crew ((David, 2009). Qantas has been doing exceptionally well as the attendants take home in excess of Aus. $100,000 while the pilots take up to Aus. $500,000 as compared with the paltry Aus. $20,000 that is taken home by the pilots for the other airlines.

Finally, there are the demographic factors that are considered. In many cases, the firms usually consider the changes in the demographics in the world and the airlines are considering the destinations that have high populations ((David, 2009). China is a famous destination for the airlines due to the demand that will be offered for the airlines that operate.

The Industry Environment

The industry environment is considered through the understanding of the Porter’s five forces. There are a number of elements that are considered. The rivalry between the existing firms in the industry is high due to the high levels of the competition that is found in the international and the domestic market. There has been a slowdown in the rate of the growth in the industry due to the high levels of the competition. The bargaining power of the buyers is high due to the low costs that are associated with switching from one airline to another. The customer loyalty is low as the main focus of the customers is the low prices and they will readily move to the airline with the lowest rates. The use of the frequent flier programs by the firms in the industry is geared towards imposing switching costs on the customers. The bargaining power of the suppliers is also high due to the significant integration of the suppliers who are found in the market especially Boeing and Airbus (Dess, Lumpkin & Eisner, 2008).

There is a massive threat to the new entrants due to the market concentration and the high capital outlays that are required to undertake the operations in the firm. The firms in the industry already have many strategies and ways of reducing costs i.e. through the airport terminal arrangements thus making the other firms to be unable to compete with the firms already in the industry. The threat of substitution is medium as the customers can use road or rail for the short travels but they cannot make the intercontinental travels on the alternative modes as they are more expensive and take up a long period of time.

Competitive environment

There is a high level of rivalry between the firms in the industry and the focus of the firms has been on the reduction of the costs that are incurred. The capabilities of the firm are on the reduction of the costs of the offering through the reduction of the frills and the use of efficiency methods of the operations i.e. the online booking and check-in etc. The firms also have fuel hedging arrangements that are focused on the reduction of the costs that are incurred in the firm (Faulkner & Campbell, 2003). The strategies followed by the firms are the low cost differentiation to be able to give them an edge over the other competitors who are found in the industry. The threats imposed are the increase in the competition as the firm must focus on reducing the costs otherwise the customer numbers will reduce significantly.

Opportunities and threats

There are a number of opportunities that exist for instance the use of e-commerce to be able to reduce the costs and enhance the efficiency of the operations that are being undertaken in the firm. There is also the element of the expansion into new markets due to the liberalization of the global airline operations in the world. There are the threats that are faced in terms of the high costs of the operations. The above are brought about by the weaknesses in the Australian dollar that are significantly preventing the firm from having the favorable fuel prices. The other threat that is faced is the government anti-trust laws that protect the smaller firms from the competition that is found in the industry (Grant, Butler, Hung, & Orr, 2011). The government protects the small firms from the effects of the route cannibalization.

The firm’s resources

The intangible resources of the firm include the highly skilled workforce that ensure the efficiency of the operations that the firm is involved in. secondly, there is the element of the alliances that the firms enter into that allow for the sharing of the lounges, joint bookings and the frequent flier points. The firm is a part of the One World Alliance (Grant, Butler, Hung, & Orr, 2011). The management capabilities especially under Allan Joyce have also played an important role in the success of the airline. The tangible resources of the firm include the fleet of the aircrafts that are used by the airline and the financial standing of the firm. The hubs which Qantas operate from is also a good point of consideration as the firm has been able to negotiate goof deals that have led to the reduction of the costs that are incurred in the firm.

Capabilities analysis

The firm has a number of capabilities for instance the on-time perfromances and the superior lounges through which the customers of the firm can wait for their flights. The firm also has a capability in the cost reduction i.e. through the reduction of the frill service that is offered to the customers thus allowing the airline to be able to charge the customers very low costs (Gupta, Gollakota, & Srinivasan, 2007). The cost reduction is undertaken through the use various strategies for instance the maximization of the amount of time that the crew of the plane works, but ensuring that the time is in compliance with the aviation regulations in the globe.

Core competency analysis

Resource capability Valuable (V) Rare (R) Costly to imitate (I) Exploited (O) Core competence Hub and spoke operational channel Y Y Y Y Y Customer value and service quality Y Y Y Y Y Strategic alliances N Y Y N N Corporate values Y Y Y Y Y Low pricing strategy. Y N Y Y N Operations in international markets N Y N N N Supporting technological interface and the route innovation Y Y Y Y Y Marketing N Y N N N The service quality and the customer value and the route innovation and the corporate values are the main core competencies of the firm as they are valuable, rare, non-imitable, and are exploited by the firm (Haberberg, & Rieple, 2008). The others are mere capabilities that the firm has in the industry that it operates in. The core competencies allow the airline to have a sustainable completive advantage in the industry (O'Sullivan, 2009).

Value chain analysis

The primary activities will be considered first. The inbound logistics include the sustainable operations, the control of the supply chain etc. The operations include the use of the IT in the checking in and the customer booking, the travels as well as the ensuring that the luggage of the customers do not get lost or mixed up (Hanson, Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2011). The outbound logistics of the firm include the processing of the orders, the delivery of the luggage and the consumers etc. (Hubbard, Rice, & Beamish, 2008). The sales and marketing are undertaken through the focus on the low costs and the adverts are carried on a number of media for instance the internet etc. The service that is provided to the customers is of high quality to ensure the continued operations of the firm. The firm is focused on the customers and the speed at which the service is offered to the customers of the firm (Henry, 2011). The support activities include the procurement of the aircrafts and the other facilities that are used, the focus on the innovation and the technological development i.e. the increased use of the IT in the airline’s operations (Johnson, Scholes, & Whittington, 2009). There is also the element of the human resource management as the focus is on highly trained employees. The firm infrastructure i.e. the offices and the lounges that are used by the firm are also of very high quality.

Weaknesses

The firm has a number of weaknesses for instance the militant labor unions that have led to the reduction of the profitability of the firm through the disruption of the service and operations as well as the demands for higher pay for the workers. Secondly, there is the element of the high pay for the employees of Qantas. Qantas pays a senior pilot up to $500,000 while the other industry players pay as low as even $20,000 per year. The cost structure of the airline is thus a weakness.

SWOT analysis

The strengths of the firm include the membership of the One World Alliance which plays a role in the enhancement of the extensivity of the network. Secondly, there is the element of the excellent facilities in the airports and the hubs that are used by the airline for instance the lounges that are used. There is also the ease of the access to the airports. The other is the affordability of the services offered. The brand name of the airline is also highly recognized. The firm also has very safe operations (Qantas Airways LTD, 2012). The high quality of the service is also a factor. The weaknesses of the firm include the disruptions of the service due to militant labor union and the unsustainable labor cost structures. The opportunities that exist include the use of e-commerce to be able to reduce the costs and enhance the efficiency and the expansion into new markets due to the liberalization of the global airline operations in the world. There are the threats that are faced in terms of the high costs of the operations and the increased competition in the industry.

Current strategies of the firm

The current strategies of the firm include the low cost offering or the low cost carrier that is geared towards capturing the customers as the focus of the customers is usually on the differentiation in terms of the costs that are charged for the services. Secondly, there is the element of the Frequent Flier Program which is a loyalty scheme that is being adopted by the firm to be able to enhance the loyalty of the customers and impose significant switching costs on the customers (Hill, & Jones, 2009).

Recommended strategies

There are a number of strategies that will be adopted in the firm. First, there is the corporate level strategy of the firm which will be the focus on the cost reduction. The strategy will be achieved through the focus on proper negotiations with the unions to ensure that the labor costs can be controlled. Focus will also be on the increased use of IT to increase the operational efficiency (Hitt, Freeman, & Harrison, 2005). Secondly, there is the business level strategy that is focused on the need for differentiation especially the differentiation of the services that are offered to ensure that the customer loyalty which is a major problem can be solved (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2009; Parthasarthy, 2007). Finally, there is the international business strategy where the focus will be on the expansion to the African and the Latin American markets where there are potentials for the firm. The firm will focus on the quality of the service and low cost operational model so that the services can be affordable to the users.

Service Marketing Management
The Four Seasons Hotel Corporation was founded by Isadore Sharp in Canada in 1960. It operates and owns hotel chains in North America, central and South America, the Pacific, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The hotel provides space for weddings, meetings and evens. The hotel was formerly known as Four Seasons Hotel, Inc. but was changed to Four Seasons Holdings, Inc. in 2007. The name change was necessitude by the private deal worth over $4 billion that saw the hotel privatized by the board of the directors. The deal saw Bill Gates through his private company – Cascade Investments – and Kingdom Hotels owned by the Saudi Prince –Alwaleed Bin Talal – take 95 per cent of the ownership of the hotel in equal shares while the remaining 5 per cent was owned by the chairman and the founder of the hotel chains. The headquarters of the hotel chain are found in Toronto, Canada (Bloomberg BusinessWeek, 2013).

The Four Seasons Hotel will be strategically evaluated based on the current approach and the performance of both the operations and the marketing. Examples will be provided to be able to support the analysis which is undertaken. Finally a set of recommendations will be provided to prioritize the manner in which the organization can improve. The analysis and the recommendations will draw on the relevant tools and frameworks. There are a number of activities that fall under the service quality dimensions that are found in the firm. br>
The Four Seasons Hotel has been able to offer high quality services in the industry and the markets where it operates in based on a number of considerations. The operations of the firm considering the dimensions of the service quality can be analyzed based on the RATER model. The RATER model was developed by Zeithaml and Berry (1990) to be able to aid in the measuring of the efficiency of the customer service that is offered in the firm. There are five main areas of consideration that are considered under the model. They include the reliability which is the ability to be able to deliver on the promise that the firm offers to the customers. Secondly, there is the assurance which entails the skills, expertise and the knowledge of the employees to be able to develop the credibility and the trust in the firm (Grönroos, 2007). br>
There is also the element of the tangibles which relate to the physical delivery of the service that has been promised by the firm. The other element that is considered is the empathy which is mostly related to the development of a good relationship between the customers and the employees of the firm. The Four Seasons Hotel has performed well based on a number of the considerations. Such considerations based on the RATER Model will be considered below. br>
Four Seasons Hotel has performed significantly well based on a number of the elements that are contained in the RATER model. First, there has been a high level of assurance that is premised on the inspiration of confidence and trust. The hotel chain has employees who are very competence in the services that they offer to the customers of the firm (SM2013). The employees as well as the organization significantly have respect for the other stakeholders who are found in the firm. The stakeholders are treated based on the fact that they are the reason why the hotel is in the business of the hospitality (Grönroos, 2007). The Four Seasons Hotel also focuses on the ways through which it can be able to enhance the security and the safety of all the stakeholders. There is the physical security and the job security that is provided to the different people who are found in the market.br>
Secondly, there is the element of the tangibles that are provided to be able to offer the image of the service that is offered by the firm to the customers. The employees of the Four Seasons Hotel are always properly dressed in the hotel colors and they are usually smart. The communication materials for instance the telephones and the wireless internet access are usually very functional as this has the ability to be able to enhance the view of the quality of the hotel. There is also the physical facilities such as the hotel buildings which made use of special architecture to be able to support the quality position of the hotel. There is also the equipment such as the high quality modern gym equipment, modern baths, saunas and Jacuzzis that are found in the Four Seasons Hotel. br>
All the above play an important role in the support for the quality proposition that is found in the hotel chain thus the success of the quality of the service. There is also the element of the reliability. Four Seasons Hotel has been able to provide timely, consistent and accurate service to the customers of the firm. The other element that is also found at Four Seasons Hotel is the empathy as the customers have uncontrolled access to the staff and they can always be served or provided with the information that they need (Grönroos, 2007). The customer care service is operational for 24 hours 7 days a week thus ensuring that the access is limited. The Four Seasons Hotel makes use of both formal and informal communication structures thus ensuring that the communications are timely and clear thus reducing the levels of the misunderstandings that may be recorded.br>
The services that are always offered at Four Seasons Hotel are those that are appropriate to the customers who are found in the firm. The elderly individuals are put in rooms that are easy to access due to the constraints that they have in their mobility. The hotel also ensures the individualized attention to all the customers. This mostly plays out in the food and beverage sections as the customers are provided with the foods that they order. The customization of the offering ensures that the hotel is able to provide individualized attention to all the people who are found in the organization. br>
Still based on the RATER model, there are the shortcomings that are found in the Four Seasons Hotel. Even though the firm has made significant leaps in the reliability front in the operations, there are still gaps that the firm can focus on improving on if the level of the service is to be improved in the firm. The firm has been willing to help the customers and be able to provide efficient services. However, there are problems associated with the flexibility that are always noted in the firm. The customers are sometimes forced to accept the service or the foods when the order problems occur from the side of the customers (Grönroos, 2007). It usually takes a long period of time to be able to make the adjustments to the requirement of the customers incase errors occur in the ordering process. Even though the employees of Four Seasons Hotel are always willing to help the customers, there is low level of prompt attention to the questions and the requests of the customers. The customer reviews of the firm indicate that the firm needs to undertake significant activities to be able to deal with such problems that are faced.

The Gap Model was developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry at Texas A&M and North Carolina Universities (Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithaml 1988; Lages, and Fernandes, 2005). The model considers the consumer perception of the service quality as a product of the four gaps that exist in the organization and consumer environment. The expected service is made of the past experiences of the customers, the personal needs, and the word of mouth communication. At Four Seasons Hotel there are areas where the expected service match the perceived service thus there are no gaps while in the other areas; there are gaps as there are mismatches between the expected services and the perceived services (Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1985). The tangible s that is offered includes the high quality facilities and equipment. Such equipment has been noted in the section above under the RATER model. There is also the element of the proper communication especially the marketing promotion activities that are being undertaken in the firm. The promotion of Four Seasons Hotel makes use of both the mass media and the industry publications as well as the use of the internet and the social media to be able to reach the potential customers. The firm strictly communicates the elements that are contained in the service offering thus ensuring that the communication does not introduce a gap in the service quality at the firm (Grönroos, 2007).

However, there are some problems that are faced based on the Gap models for instance the ability to be able to clearly understand the needs and the aspirations of the customers. Four Seasons Hotel has focused on the provision of high service quality but these views are sometimes not in line with the expectations of the customers of the firm. This creates perception problems for the customers of the firm. There are also some problems that are faced in terms of the expectation of the consumers and the perceptions of the management of the firm. The problem at the hotel is the problem in the correct anticipation of the needs of the customers of the firm for instance the non-focus of the market research on the quality (Nyeck, Morales, Ladhari, and Pons, 2002). The other problem that is faced is with regards to the gap in the specification of the service quality and the management perception in the firm. The main problem that is experienced is with regards to the problems of the firm in the setting of the performance standards.

The Kano's Two Factor Model which was introduced by Noriako Kano, PhD is a two factor quality model which is used in service offerings. The curve developed illustrates the difference between attractive, must be and linear quality fundamentals. There is the element of the Must-be quality which is the attributes that the customers expect and when they are absent, the customers will be highly dissatisfied with the offering (Kano et al., 1984). The customers of Four Seasons Hotel are dissatisfied due to the lack of the promptness of some of the services that are offered. The call center usually takes a significant length of the time to be able to pick up the calls of the customers especially during the peak seasons when the customer numbers are high. Even through there is a slight problem with the handling of the customer calls, the firm offers some attractive quality services that make the customers to have the view of the high value that they are offered. The main consideration that is made is related to the customized offering at the firm for instance the customized meals and the personalized room services for instance the limo services, the airport pickups etc.



The Gale Model considers how the perceptions of the customers change with time. The model provides seven phases that need to be considered at any given time in the firm. The phases include the latent stage where the feature is not obvious or visible. Secondly, there is the desired where the feature is slowly being recognized but is not used commonly in the market. Thirdly, there is the unique where the activity or the service has an impact on the choices of the customers. Then, there is the pacing where a firm has a lead and the feature has a massive impact on the choice of the customers (Grönroos, 2007). Moreover, there is the key where a firm has a competitive advantage as a result of the feature. Also, there is the fading where the firm that has the feature cannot be caught as they have sustainable competitive advantage in the industry. Finally, there is the basic where all the firms in the industry have the feature. Four Seasons Hotel offers customized services thus ensuring that it has a sustainable competitive advantage in the industry.

Grönroos' Perceived Service Quality model notes that the quality expectations are the products of the communication, word of mouth, consumer learning and the needs while the experiences usually arise from the functional and technical quality that filter through the image (Grönroos, 2007). The market communications of Four Seasons Hotel are geared towards the creation of the true perceptions of the quality thus ensuring that the experiences will be in line with the technical and functional capabilities of the firm to be able to deliver the service that is required. However, there is a significant problem that is faced with regards to the clear understanding of the customers of the firm. This leads to the mismatch of the expectations and the experiences of the customers thus the rise of the quality problems.

Finally, there will be the consideration of the characteristics of the services. There are four main characteristics that always have a massive implication on the firms. First, there is the element of the intangibility i.e. the services cannot be felt, seen, touched, smelt or heard before the purchase is made. Secondly, there is the element of the inseparability i.e. the service cannot be separated from the provider (Tynan, and McKechnie, 2009). There is also the element of the variability for instance the quality of the service depends on the provider, the time of the service provision, manner and the location of the service provision (Yu-Jia, 2012). Finally, there is the element of the perishability as the services cannot be stored once they have been produced (SM2013). Four Seasons Hotel suffers from the occasional bouts of low quality of the service due to the different moods and the emotions of the employees as well as the customers. The inseparability allows the firm to be able to significantly customize the service for all the customers who visit the firm. The employees of the firm are offered benefits as well as pay rewards that are geared towards the support and the motivation of the employees (Grönroos, 2007).

The recommendations are geared towards ensuring that the levels of the service and the service dimensions are significantly improved in the firm. First, it is recommended that Four Seasons Hotel engages in customer service training for the employees so that their responsiveness levels can be enhanced. The service employees of the hotel chain should be trained on a number of areas such as complaint handling, the flexibility of thought, the ways in which the problem resolution can be undertaken in the firm and the manner in which they can be able to respond promptly to the questions and the requests (Grönroos, 2007). The second recommendation for the Four Seasons Hotel is to focused on the market analysis especially the proper segmentation and the clear understanding of the segments thus ensuring that the firm has the capacity to be able to serve the needs of the customers, the understanding of the customers will allow the firm to be able to significantly take care of the needs of the customers of the firm (Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman 1988).

The problems in the performance standards will be overcome through the development of a proper new service development (NSD) process as well as the enhancement of the levels of the commitment of the top management of the firm (McCabe, Rosenbaum, and Yurchisin, 2007). The focus of the firm should also be on the decentralization of the operations at the firm as the decision making power should not rest with the top management of the hotel but with the employees who constantly interact with the customers (Buttle, 1996). It is also recommended that the firm should outsource the customer call services to a third party that has the ability to handle all the calls of the customers thus ensuring that the operations run smoothly and there is not view of the dissatisfaction of the customers of the firm (Bartikowski and Llosa, 2003). Also, it is recommended that the job selection at Four Seasons Hotel make use of the procedures that will ensure that the employees of right skill, behavior and competence mix are acquired by the firm. This will ensure that the swings in the quality of the customer satisfaction and the service delivery are significantly reduced.

There are a number of recommendations that also need to be offered. There should be the use of differentiated pricing strategy where the price will be dependent on the seasons due to the perishability of the service and the level of the service that is offered to the customers (Sudhir and Reddy, 2010). The promotion should stress the customization element as this will significantly increase the capacity of the firm to be able to operate effectively.

Multi-national companies- individual business report

About Managing in Multi-national companies- individual business report



Executive summary

Culture refers to the programming of the minds. The organizational culture plays a very important role in the success of the operations i.e. through enhancement of the creativity and the innovation, execution of the varied strategies of the firm. The Hofstede cultural dimensions include the power distance, individualism versus collectivism, masculinity versus femininity, uncertainty avoidance and long term orientation. Germany has a decentralized culture while Japan is a hierarchical society which is characterized with positions in all the social settings. Japan has a focus on the group harmony while Germany focuses on the self-actualization where loyalty is based on the preference, the sense of responsibility and the duty. Germany is considered as a masculine society. The focus is on performance and the people live so that they can be able to work. Japan is the most masculine country in the world but the collectivism significantly reduces the effects of the competitiveness and the assertiveness. Germany and Japan are both high uncertainty avoiding countries. Germany is a short term orientation culture while Japan on the other hand is a long term orientation culture. The Japanese are focused on the need to be able to serve the stakeholders and the society and they are generally workaholics. Germany focuses on the performances. The recommended rule for the overtime is the use of different rules for the overtime. German operations should be given the overtime based on the hours worked. The Japanese should be given overtime based on bonuses following the financial performance of the firm.





1.0 Introduction

The rise of the globalization and the liberalization of many of the industries of the world have led to the increase in the number of the multinational companies (MNCs). The MNCs usually operate in different countries of the world thus the firms must be able to understand the diverse approaches that are applied in the company norms and the approaches to the employment that are used in the different countries. The paper considers an MNC that operates in two diverse cultures; Germany and Japan. The paper will offer a critical evaluation of different attitudes that the employees in Japan and Germany have towards work. It has been noticed that the Japanese employees can work overtime hours without pay while their German counterparts expect to be paid for every overtime hours that are worked. The paper will also offer a recommendation as to whether the organization should have one policy or rule for the overtime or have different rules for the different countries.

The appropriate justifications will be provided on the ways in which the firm can be able to implement the recommended solution. The paper will begin with the clear definitions of culture, the organizational culture and the descriptions of the types of the culture as well as the importance of culture towards the success of an organization. The second elements that will be considered are the cultural differences between Germany and Japan. It will also entail the explanation of the differences in the attitudes between the Japanese and the German employees. Finally, the recommended rule for the overtime and the manner in which the recommendation will be undertaken will also be considered.

2.0 Organizational culture

Culture refers to the patterns of the behavior that can be explicitly or implicitly gained and or spread through the use of the symbols that are a depiction of the achievement of the humans. The cultures usually arise from the actions of the people, be it in a country, an organization or a community (Armenakis and Brown, 2011; Deal, and Kennedy, 1982). Hofstede is one of the scholars that undertook significant studies with regards to the culture of the organizations. According to Hofstede, culture refers to the programming of the minds that leads to the differences that exist between groups of humans from the others while also leading to the development of similarities in the other people.

Organizational culture has elicited a number of definitions and there is a little agreement between the scholars on just what makes up the concept of the organizational culture. The organizational culture according to some scholars is the observable patterns of behavior in an organization (Deshpande, and Webster, 1989). The core of the culture under this definition is the repeated habits and the behavior. This definition significantly deemphasizes the feelings of the people who are found in the organization (Linstead, and Grafton-Small, 1992). There is also the view that the organizational culture is a product of the compensation whereby the rewards, status advancement, sanctions and the recognition all play a role in the development of the culture as the employees who are part of the organization will be subject. There is also the view that the organizational culture refers to the shared or the joint description of the given organization from within.

2.1Types of organizational culture

There are four main types of the organizational culture that can be explored. First, there is the power culture which is mostly related to the control in the organization. The power in the organization is usually related to the centralization of the functions and the centralization of the control, communication and the decision making in the firm (McLean, 2005). The second type of organizational culture is the role power where the members of the organization clearly and succinctly recognize the fact that their roles are a result of the formal instruments for instance the job descriptions of the contract of service (Hofstede, 1991). The third type of the organizational culture is the task culture where the focus is on the establishment of the teamwork in the organization (Schneider and Rentsch, 1988). The person culture refers to the focus on the individuals where the activities that are to be undertaken are under a particular individual and such individuals are responsible for the completion of the roles.

2.2 Importance of the organizational culture in the success of the firm

The organizational culture plays a very important role in the success of the operations. The MNC must be able to understand the culture of the different employees so that the success can be achieved in the firm. The organizational culture plays a significant role in the enhancement of the creativity and the innovation in the organization (Kilmann, Saxton, and Serpa, 1986). Due to the increasing changes in the production and business environment in which the firm operate, the firm will need to engage in innovative ways of creating products and services to satisfy the changing tastes and the aspirations of the customers and also contribute towards the economic wellbeing of the organization. The recognition of creative ideas from their point of inception is important based on their potentials for the realization of some or all of the goals that are listed above. The creative ideas must be supported adequately through funding. When the organizational culture promotes creativity, innovation will be encouraged in the firm.

Organizational culture impacts on the process of innovation through a number of dimensions. It impacts the process of the innovation through the proper communication of the procedures and methods that the employees in the organization need to consider when they want to come up with creative ideas for instance allowing for open debate of ideas, allowing employees to takes risks and also encouraging the employees to challenge traditional ways of doing things (Gogheri, Nawaser, Vesal, Jahanshahi and Kazi, 2013). Moreover, the firm can focus on the use of reward systems to encourage novelty by rewarding those who conceive new ideas of doing things. Finally, the employees can be given freedom to determine the means by which they can achieve the goals but not necessary the freedom to set the goals. After all the above activities are carried out, the employees can come up with new ways that are cost reducing, increasing the efficiency of the firm’s operation thus contributing to the success of the firm.



Secondly, the organizational culture also plays an important role in the execution of the varied strategies of the firm. The organizational culture contain the values, rules and the regulations that are followed in the firm thus they play a role as they help in the backing of the activities that are being undertaken in the firm. The levels of the commitment of the employees will be enhanced through the development of an organizational culture. The culture also significantly determines the levels of the communication in the firm (Mihaela and Bratianu, 2012). The organizational culture also allows for the achievement of the success through ensuring that there is the proper compliance with the procedures that are found in the workplace. The employees of the firm will not commit any errors or mistakes due to the fact that this will jeopardize the achievement of the goals or the objectives of the firm. The reward systems that are used in the organization also play a role in the ability of the organizational culture to help a firm achieve success in the industry (De Witte and van Muijen, 1999).



The punishments and the rewards that are meted out in the organization are important for the success of the firm as the employees will always work hard to receive the rewards and avoid any forms of punishments. The organizational culture ensures that the employees are well informed of the impacts of all the actions that may be undertaken in the firm thus they will always seek to remain in line. The success rate will be enhanced as the wastage in the form of the errors will be reduced significantly.

The organizational culture also contributes to the success of the organization through the encouragement of the organizational learning. The culture of collectivism and team work leads to the development of a learning organization as the employees and teams will work towards the sharing of the knowledge that they may have in the organization (De Witte, and van Muijen, 1999). The employees who support the learning are always given even greater responsibilities in the firm and they will be encouraged to undertake further rewards in the firm.

3.0 Cultural in Japan and Germany

3.1 Hofstede cultural dimensions

First, there is the element of the power distance which deals with the fact that the individuals in the society are not equal. The power distance refers to the magnitude in which the people who are less powerful accept the power that is distributed inequality in the country or the organization where such people are found (Hofstede, 2013a). Secondly, there is the element of the individualism versus collectivism. The dimension significantly addresses the level or the degree of the interdependence that is maintained between the different people in a society. In the individualistic societies, the people are supposed to look after their immediate family and themselves while in the collectivist society, the focus is on the looking after the society and the whole group which the individual belongs to. The third dimension that is considered is the masculinity versus femininity where the focus is on the motives of the people or the factors that motivate the people.

The masculine societies are motivated by the competition, achievement as well as the successes that an individual may have. The success in such a society is defined by the winner or the person who is the best in their given field (Hofstede, 2013a). The competition and the value system start from the elementary school right up to the organizational level. On the other hand, the feminine societies are characterized with the focus on the care for the other people as well as the enhancement of the quality of the life. The quality of the life is usually an indication or a sign of the success of an individual. The people in the feminine societies do not like to stand out from the crowd.

The fourth dimension that will also be considered is the uncertainty avoidance. The uncertainty avoidance is the dimension that shows the extent to which the people in the culture are usually afraid of or threatened of the unknown situations or happenings thus form or develop the organizations and the beliefs that are used to try and avoid such in known situations (Hofstede, 2013a). The uncertainty avoidance is related to the manner in which the society tries to deal with the reality that the future may not be known. In some cultures, the future is controlled while in the others, the future is left to pan out the way it wants. The ambiguity in the future brings certain amounts of anxiety in the societies or the organizations thus the different ways have been formed to be able to deal with the anxieties. Finally, there is the consideration of the long term orientation and are mostly related to the search for virtue by the society. The society can either show the conventional and historical short term view or the future oriented and pragmatic view. The dimension is related to the teachings of Confucius (Hofstede, 2013a).

3.2 Comparison of the culture of Japan and Germany

Germany has a power distance of 35 thus making it a much decentralized culture which is characterized with a very strong middle class (Hofstede, 2013a). The culture is characterized with co-determination where all the individuals in the society are involved in a participative and direct communication between the leaders and the followers. The control of the employees is significantly not accepted by the people who are found in the culture. The leadership in the firm is always challenged to be able to show the expertise and in many cases, the leadership is accepted when it has the ability to show the high levels of expertise. On the other hand, Japan is a hierarchical society which is characterized with positions in all the social settings. The top management confirms all the decisions that are made by the firm unlike in Germany where the control is in the hands of the employees. The decision making in Germany is faster as compared to the decision making in Japan which has a power distance score of 54 (Hofstede, 2013b). Secondly, there are also the differences that exist based on the individualism.

Although Japan has a score of 46, it is considered slightly collectivist especially with regards to the focus on the group harmony thus individuals shelve their individual opinions under the fear that they will lead to disharmony in the organization (Hofstede, 2013b). There is also the element of the loyalty to the companies which they work for. The Japanese are thus considered collectivist by the western standards and individualistic by the Asian standards as there is a great lack of loyalty to the community. Germany on the other hand is an individualistic society where there is the relationship based on the parent and children (Hofstede, 2013a). The focus of the society is on self-actualization and the loyalty is based on the preference, the sense of responsibility and the duty amongst the many others for instance the contract between the employee and the employer. Honesty is the virtue thus the communication between the people who are found in the society are very direct. The people are given a chance to be able to learn from the past mistakes that they made.

There are also the considerations of the masculinity/ femininity where Germany is considered as a masculine society. The focus is on performance and the people live so that they can be able to work (Hofstede, 2013a). The Germans draw a lot of self-esteem from the work that they undertake and the managers are expected to be decisive so that they can be able to command the respect of the people in the firm. Japan is the most masculine country in the world but the collectivism significantly reduces the effects of the competitiveness and the assertiveness by the individuals and the competition is undertaken in groups and not as individuals. The notorious workaholism amongst the Japanese is a sign of the masculinity of the Japanese. The culture is characterized with hard and long working hours (Hofstede, 2013b).

Germany is a high uncertainty avoiding country thus the focus is on detail so that certainty can be created. The country significantly lies on the expertise to be able to bring about the certainty (Hofstede, 2013a). Japanese culture is highly uncertainty avoiding thus the changes in the way of the undertaking of the operations take massive time (Hofstede, 2013b). The high uncertainty avoidance in Japan make the changes from the current reward systems to the one where overtime is paid due to the massive amount of time that will be taken to make decisions especially based on the need to consider all the factors and the risks. Germany also focuses on the need for the detail. Finally, Germany is a short term orientation culture thus the respect for the traditions and the lower propensity by the individuals to undertake any savings (Hofstede, 2013a). Japan on the other hand is a long term orientation culture for instance the focus on serving the society and the stakeholders for the generations to come (Hofstede, 2013b).



3.3. Differences in the attitudes towards work

The Japanese are focused on the need to be able to serve the stakeholders and the society thus their ability to be able to work the overtimes without pay. The short term orientation in Germany leads to low savings thus the people require all the money that they can lay their hands on to support their middle income lives (Hofstede, 2013a). The other difference that exists is the view of the work. The notorious workaholism amongst the Japanese allows them to work hard and for long hours (Hofstede, 2013b). Germany on the other hand focuses on the performances thus the need to be able to be paid for all the extra performances that they put into the organization. The other difference that exists in the attitudes is the group harmony thus not ideas that will bring disharmony are supported or brought forward (Dalton, 2005). The focus of the German society is on self-actualization and the loyalty is based on the preference, the sense of responsibility and the duty amongst the many others for instance the contract between the employee and the employer. Therefore, the Germans must be paid for the overtime while the Japanese are contented with work without pay (Schein, 1990).

Finally, in Japan all the decisions are made and ratified by the top management while in Germany, the decision making are decentralized (Ramachandran, Chong, and Ismail, 2011). The Japanese undertake what they are told to do while the Germans can question the decisions that are made. 4.0 Recommended rule for the overtime and the implementation of the rule

The recommended rule for the overtime is the use of different rules for the overtime. German operations should be given the overtime based on the hours that are worked while the Japanese can be given the overtime based on bonuses following the financial performance of the firm. The above are based on the differences (Halsall and Brown, 2013). The long term orientation of the Japanese makes the performance based bonus the best option as the high uncertainty will prevent the implementation of the changes to incorporate hour-based overtime (Buschman, 2013). The Japanese are workaholics and thus they may clock very many hours on the clock thus leading to the cost overruns. The short term orientation of the Germans also supports the use of the hourly overtime so that they can be able to have the self-actualization.

5.0 Conclusion

It has been noted that the two countries have differences in the cultures thus leading to the differences in eth management of the elements of the operations of the MNCs in the cultures. The firm needs to be able to adopt different strategies so that it can be able to significantly survive in the diverse markets.

Susan Smith

Case Study – Susan Smith

Introduction

Susan Vaughan Smith was born on 26 September 1971 in Union, South Carolina to Harry Vaughan and Linda Vaughan. Susan was the last born child out of a family of three children and she was the only daughter that was raised by the couple. She was convicted on 22 July 1995 for the murder of her two sons, 14-month-old Alexander Tyler Smith and 3 year old Michael Daniel Smith. She was sentenced upon conviction to life in prison for the above murders (Pergament, 2011).

Early childhood years

Susan’s parents divorced when she was seven years old. Her father, Harry who was aged 37 at the time committed suicide 5 weeks after the divorce. Before the divorce, the parents had a very tumultuous marriage and this coupled with the death of Harry, Susan was left an empty, sad and peculiarly distant child. A few weeks after the divorce of Susan’s parents, Linda married Bev (Beverly) Russell, a local businessman who was very successful. After the marriage, Linda and the children moved into Bev’s house that was located in the Union’s exclusive subdivision from their small modest home. The disruptive early years of Susan’s life may have contributed to the tendency that she developed to offend. She was withdrawn and sad (Quigley, 2012).

The offending that was undertaken by Susan Smith can be explained through the use of the psychoanalytical theory. The theory that was developed by Sigmund Freud notes that all the humans have a natural tendency, urge or drive to be able to offend (Wakelyn, 2013). Such criminal tendencies are usually repressed in the unconscious. However, such criminal tendencies and drives that all humans have can usually be curbed through the socialization process. It is important to note that children who are not socialized properly will in the most cases end up offending due to the fact that they have developed personality disturbances that cause them to be able to direct the antisocial impulses that they may have either inward or outwards (BarCharts, Inc., 2000).

Smith was not socialized in the right way by the parents. The marriage between the Vaughan’s was tumultuous thus leading to the divorce that was followed by the suicide of the dad and the marriage of Linda to Bev, the business owner in the town. Smith was improperly socialized to be able to accept the fact that the parents had complete control over the lives of the children. The above might have led to the offending.

One night when one of Bev’s many daughters made a visit to Bev’s home, Smith was asked to sleep on the family couch while the girl slept in her bedroom. That was the genesis of the development of the offending behavior by Smith. Bev molested her sexually by touching and stroking her breast and also putting her hands onto his penis. Susan Smith reported the abuse to Linda and the Department of Social Service but no action was forthcoming. She was chastised by her family for making the sexual abuse public. Linda, Susan’s mother was more concerned about the public embarrassment than the protection of her daughter. Based on the psychoanalytical theory, Smith was socialized to accept the fact that the individuals should save their face rather than protect the welfare (Freud, 1961). This led to the first case of her offending. Susan attempted suicide when she could not be able to live with the embarrassment that resulted from the rejection of the two men she loved and was in relationships with. In the summer of 1988, Susan had a job at the Winn-Dixie grocery store rose very quickly through the ranks from the role of the cahier to the role of the bookkeeper in the store.

At the time she was in her senior year in high school, she was sexually active with three men; Bev, a married older man who worked at the store and a younger co-worker at the grocery store. During her time at the store, she became pregnant and procured an abortion (Rekers, 1995). The series of the events that took place led the married man to end the relationship. Susan reacted to the end of the relationship by attempting suicide through the use of an overdose of Tylenol and Aspirin (Cole & Cole, 1993). The attempted suicide was not the first for Susan as she had attempted suicide when she was only 13 years old. Linda, Bev as well as Harry socialized Susan that the only way to be able to save face was through attempting to either hide the offence or the embarrassment or even take you own life. Harry committed suicide as he could not be able to withstand the embarrassment that was caused by the divorce with his wife and then fact that he could not be able to face the reality. Bev and Linda were not fascinated by the fact that Susan has reported the matter to the Department of Social Services thus making the issue public knowledge. Linda and Bev and the other people who were involved also taught Susan that such embarrassments should not be tolerated and a person should hide from them through their actions to initiate an out of court settlement.

Work relationship

Susan’s relationship with her younger co-worker has just started gathering pace. The co-worker was also a high school friend of hers. His name was David Smith. The two married when Susan discovered that she was pregnant and the marriage was solemnized on March 15, 1991. The psychoanalytical theory was again at play soon after the marriage as Susan and David Smith were faced with an inability of the people whom they looked up to, to provide better ways of managing the situations and the happenings. This further cemented the view in Susan that rather than faced calamities, the best way to go about it was to either react or direct their pulses inwardly and outwardly. David Smith’s parents reacted in both the two ways to the loss of their son through Crohn’s disease (Russell & Stephens, 2000). David’s father reacted inwardly by attempting suicide while the mother reacted outwardly be deserting him and his father; she moved to another city.

Moving work and relationship with Findlay

The events that took place after Susan and David realized that their marriage could not work can be explained through the use of the learning theory. The suicide attempts and the need to be able to escape from the reality are some of the elements that shaped her childhood, teenage and early adult life. The learning theory is based in the principles of the behavioral psychology that hold that the behavior of a person is learned and subsequently maintained by the consequences and the rewards (Bandura, 1973). Based on the theory, an individual learns criminal and deviant behavior through the observation and witnessing of the consequences and rewards that such behavior will elicit or receive. The theory holds that taking away the value of the reward would make the behavior that is deviant or criminal to cease. All through her growing up, the people whom Susan looked up to have been rewarded or have not faced the consequences of the criminal and deviant behavior that they are involved in (Smith, 1995).

Susan thus grew up knowing that the criminal behavior and the deviant behavior that the people would engage in were significantly rewarding (Heng Choon (Oliver), Heide, & Beauregard, 2011). Bev got away with the sexual molestation when Susan was just 16 years old and continued to molest her through most of her early adult life. Other instances in her life have also witnessed people getting away with deviant behavior. She got away with the attempted suicide as she was not reprimanded. Based on the grounding of the learning theory, the activities that took place after Susan moved job to start working for the Conso Products. Susan did not want to work in the same place as David thus took a book keeping position at Conso. Susan rose through the ranks until she was the executive secretary to the CEO, Carey Findlay. Susan started dating Tom Findlay, the son to the CEO in January 1994 and their relationship was on and off for a long period of time. Susan told David that she wanted a divorce as she had already started to plan her future with Findlay in her mind. Days before the divorce paper between Susan and David were filed; Findlay wrote a letter to Susan detailing the reasons why he wanted to end his relationship with her (Higgins, Jennings, Marcum, Ricketts, & Mahoney, 2011). He stated a number of reasons for instance that they were from different backgrounds, that she was sleeping around with married men and that she was kissing a husband to one of her friends in a hot tub while they were naked. Susan lived a life of lies just as her mother had lived.

This showed a leaned behavior. Her mother was involved with Bev while she was still not divorced to harry (Eftimiades, 1995). This is the same issue with Susan as she was involved with Russell Bev and David while she was depressed that Tom had ended the relationship that they had. Susan was obsessed with Tom just as David’s father was obsessed with his son who died to the extent that he attempted suicide. The above is indication of the learning theory in play.

At around 8 p.m. on October 25, 1994, put her bare-foot sons into the car seats and started driving around. The Susan confessed that she wanted to die thus decided against going to her mother’s house and instead went to John D. Long Lake and drove to the ramp. Susan then got out of the car, put the car in drive and then released the breaks. She watched as her children who were sleeping in the backseat were plunged into the water while in the car. She watched as the car started sinking and the boys drown (Pergament, 2011). Over the few days that followed, Susan maintained a lie that she was abducted and that she did not know the whereabouts of the sons. She later confessed on November 3, 1994 that she pushed the car and her sons into the lake thus killing the boys (Spitz & Spitz, 2006).

The learning theory of offending hold it that if an individual is of the view that there would be rewards for the action that they undertook, they would be involved in the undertaking of the crime as such a crime would be lucrative to undertake. Susan had grown up seeing people get away with the crimes that they committed thus was of the view that criminal and deviant behavior were rewarding. Susan was of the view that her made up story would convince the authorities that she was innocent and thus she would have the reward of dating Findlay and subsequently getting to marry Findlay (Tittle, Antonaccio & Botchkovar, 2012). Findlay had previously made it clear that he was not ready to have any children and was not willing to raise the children that Susan already had.

Conclusion

The issue of offending is always driven by a number of factors for instance the benefits or the rewards that would be received from the crime which is found in the learning theory and the socialization of the given individuals which is premised on the psychoanalytic theory. Susan was thus pushed to be able to commit the offense through the influence of the two theories.

Business Enterprise- E-Business and E-Marketing

Business Enterprise- E-Business and E-Marketing

Task 1

Social Networks presence that would best suit your company

There are a number of social networks that would best suit the company of my choice, Unilever. First, there is the use of Facebook that can play a massive role in the strategy of the firm. Facebook has been applied as a strategic tool that is used in the marketing as well as the promotion of the different products that are offered by the firm. Facebook allows for the creation of the brand awareness (Sterne, 2010). It is important to note that Facebook allows the firm to be able to post the various products online so that the customers or the potential customers who are the users of Facebook can be able to see such products. The use of the Facebook allows for the exposure of the brands that the firm has (Noor and Hendricks, 2012; USA Today, 2012). The use of Facebook is also recommended for the B2C customers or the B2C operations of the firm due to the fact that it plays a significant role in the cost reduction as the costs of the access of the Facebook is very low on the firm as well as on the consumers who can be able to access them (Charnigo and Barnett-Ellis, 2007). Facebook is also used significantly as it allows for the integration of diverse media; videos, photos and other posts that are made by the firm can be used significantly to be able to promote the products that are offered by the firm (Anderson, 2010).

The use of Facebook also allows for the generation of user generated contents (UGCs) thus ensuring that the firm can be able to significantly reduce the costs that are incurred in the production of the contents (Zarrella, 2010). The user interaction in Facebook allows for the proper use of the customer recommendations as the posts that are made by the customers can play a role in influencing the other customers to be able to try out the products that are offered.

Secondly, there will be the presence on the blogs. The blogs can be written by the firm or the business customers of the firm. This social media presence is important if used in the B2B business operations (Bodnar and Cohen, 2012). The blogs allow for the generation of UGC thus allowing the business customers of the firm to be able to produce the opinions that will play a great role in the success of the firm (Newson, Houghton, and Patten, 2009). The main issue that also plays out is the importance of the word of mouth (WOM) as the elements that are written on the blogs are sometimes a by-product of the interactions that the business customers have with the firm. The blogs are important for informing the potential businesses about the products that the firm offers as well as the relationships that the firm can enter into with Unilever so that they can be able to increase their levels of success while also enhancing the success levels of that given business.

Report 2

Advice a small business on how to develop a mobile phone application There are a number of factors that are to be considered in the development of a mobile phone application. First, there will be the consideration of the constraints of the mobile devices. The constraints that have to be considered include the battery power and the battery life of the devices. The power on majority of such devices cannot allow them to be used in the extensive computing thus there is the need to ensure that the applications that are developed run on low power (Siegler, 2008). The other constraint that is considered is related to the issue of the processors of the mobile devices as they are less powerful (Pogue, 2009). Apart from the consideration of the constraints that are faced, there is also the need to consider the diverse screen sizes that are found in the devices, the consideration of the hardware specifications as well as the hardware configurations due to the fact that there is a significantly high and intense competition that is found in the mobile software industry especially coupled with the changes that are taking place in the diverse mobile phone platforms (La, 2012).

There are a number of benefits that the small business will be able to reap through the use of the mobile app. First, there is the benefit that is associated with the making of the personal and direct connections between the people. The mobile apps are more personal and effective as compared to the use of the websites (Ludwig, 2012). Secondly, the mobile applications also play an important role in building loyal customers due to the fact that they serve very useful purposes and it also makes it easier for the customers to make the purchases of the products of the firm. The mobile apps are also important in ensuring that the firm reaches the new customers as more people are always interested in the applications (Perez, 2012).

The mobile apps also allow the business to be able to collect the data relating to the customers especially through allowing them to be able to opt into the mailing list of the firm. However, the small business must ensure that the app is not intrusive at all times (Arghire, 2012). Finally, the mobile applications also play an important role in the distribution of the coupons and many people will download the apps if such apps have the ability to help them save money.

Far from the benefits that can be realised through the use of the mobile applications, there are also some of the limitations that will be faced in the firm (Miller, 2011). First, there is the need for internet connections at all times as the applications cannot operate without the internet connection. Secondly, they usually sit inside the chrome of the browser thus ensuring that some problems can be faced across platforms (Leggett, Boer, and Janoušek, 2006). There is also the element of the low control especially with regards to how the site is rendered on the different mobile platforms. The mobile applications cannot make use of native interactions.

Apple implementation

Apple implementation
Executive Summary
The aim of the report is to be able to develop the implementation plans for the strategic directions of Apple, Inc. operations in Australia. There is the need to adopt a flat organizational structure in Australia where the focus will be on the decentralization of the decision making as well as the decentralized communication between the different people who are found in the market. The firm can focus on the distribution of the design outlets even though the production will be maintained in the Foxconn and Inventec suppliers who are located in China. The leadership of the firm will focus on the transformational leadership rather than the transactional leadership strategies. The employees in the strategic alliances will be allowed to be able to develop their own objectives and be encouraged to achieve such objectives. There is a need to be able to reduce the power distance to allow for the massive decentralization of the designs, innovations as well as the marketing activities of the firm. The Apple’s operations in Australia need to implement the team spirit especially through the use of the team rewards for the employees and the rewards should be offered to the groups of the employees. The change management will be undertaken through the use of the Kurt Lewin’s three stage change model. The changes that are necessary include the move away from the standardized products to the customization of the products based on the markets where the products will be offered, the needs to change the leadership from the transactional to the transformational and the decentralization of the decision making.

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background to the report
The background of the paper will focus mostly on the strategies that will be explored by the firm in the market where it operates in. The strategies that will be considered here are the business level strategy of cost leadership and the differentiation, diversification of the operations to take advantage of the opportunities that are found in the market, the international strategy, the acquisition of big market share and the alliances that the firm may enter into. The business strategies will be considered first. The company applies the focused differentiation strategy as a business level strategy through making products that are exclusive but still expensive and worth their price. Cost leadership, on the other hand, when appropriately applied, generates economies of scale to the company’s products since it makes it possible to produce commodities at the lowest cost possible. Apple’s engineering and design developers come up with ideas in the US but the manufacturing part is done by brand manufacturers namely Foxconn and Inventec located in China (Boone & Kurtz, 2013).

The international strategy of Apple will also be considered. Apple has applied the international strategy of making standardized products. Apple’s products are standardized across international markets. The company’s engineering designs and manufacturing are controlled from one source which makes them different from other computer manufacturers.

Acquisitions by Apple are always aimed at increasing the company’s competencies, and acquiring new patents and technologies for incorporation into existing and upcoming products. Apple has acquires over 48 companies since 1988 to 2013, which has paid off as the company is an industry leader in innovation and profitability (Gong, 2013). The company has entered into significant strategic alliances in order to exploit the economies of scale, learn from competitors, risk management, and sharing of costs for the aggregate economic value of the industry. The most significant and valuable alliance is the company’s alliance with AT & T in the production and launch of Apple’s iPhone. Apple Inc. applies close-related diversification strategies as the corporate strategy (Hill & Jones, 2013). In 2001, the company which was historically known for software and hardware technology diversified into digital music technology and launched the portable MP3 player, iPod, and later the iTunes music store. This strategy has helped the company gain economies of scale as a result of integration of personal computing products and personal entertainment.
1.2 Aims

The aim of the report is to be able to develop the implementation plans for the strategic directions of Apple, Inc. operations in Australia. The aim is to be able to implement the strategies and it will include a number of elements for instance the consideration of the capability systems as well as the structures that are found, the people, the consideration of the culture, and the change management amongst the many other elements that will be considered. The aim is to ensure that the implementation plan that is used is geared towards the achievement of the success in the operations of the firm.

2.0 Implementation of the strategies

2.1 Capabilities systems and structure

There is the need to adopt a flat organizational structure in Australia where the focus will be on the decentralization of the decision making as well as the decentralized communication between the different people who are found in the market. The main problem that is found in the current operations of Apple, Inc. is the high levels of the centralization especially as the designs as well as the all the operational strategies are being developed in the Silicon Valley office of the firm and then transferred to the other locations that are found in the globe. There is the need to ensure that the innovations are significantly decentralized to be able to reflect the situations that are being experienced in the diverse countries (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2013). This will ensure that the differentiation that is undertaken in the firm allows for the proper consideration of the economic and socio-cultural factors that are found in the different locations. There is also the need to be able to undertake the product developments based on the needs of the Australian market.

The people who are involved in the product development will thus be people who are well aware and have a deep understanding of the situations that are found in the Australian market. The focus should be on the use of the high quality capabilities as the people in Australia have the ability to be able to purchase the products that are offered in the market. The economic situation for instance the low levels of unemployment and the growth in the personal income of the people play a role in the ability of the customers to be able to purchase the products that they are offered.

Moreover, rather than concentrate the design to one location, the firm can focus on the distribution of the design outlets even though the production will be maintained in the Foxconn and Inventec suppliers who are located in China. The above will play an important role in helping to cut the costs that are incurred by the firm due to the fact that the labor and production costs in China are lower than the costs of the production in Australia but also ensuring that the needs and the aspirations of the customers will be taken into consideration (Housden, 2012). The international strategy of the firm should move away from the standardization to be able to consider the individual and unique needs of the customers who are found in the diverse countries where the firm operates in (Kurtz, 2013). The focus of Apple, Inc. operations in Australia will focus on the need to acquire the startup businesses that have their origins in Australia. Such technology startups were started with the sole aim of the resolution of the varied problems or dealing with the needs of the Australian customers. The focus will thus be put towards the clearer understanding of the interests and the needs of the customers who are found in the market. Finally, the firm should focus on the entry into strategic alliances with the firms that have operations and have a home in Australia so that the firm can be able to reduce the risks that are involved as well as be able to learn from the firm that is registered in Australia.

See the figure below for the action plan that will operationalize the implementation plan for the capabilities systems and structures.

Figure 1: Action plan for the capabilities systems and structures Activity Who is responsible Cost (US $) Timelines Decentralization of innovations Head of R&D Australasia $250,000 per annum Continuous process. The innovation will be decentralized to focus on the inclusion of the products that are geared towards satisfying the needs of the customers who are found in Australia. Distribution of design outlets Business Development Manager $100,000 December 2013- June 2014 Customization of the products to suit the needs of the customers found in Australia Marketing Managers $200,000 per year Continuous process Acquisition of Australian business startups Business Development Manager, Head of Procurement $25 million Ongoing process. The firm will focus on the acquisition of the firms whose products would solve the needs of the customers Development of Strategic alliances Head of procurement, Business Relationship Manager $300,000 p.a. Ongoing process. The firm will focus on the acquisition of the firms whose products would solve the needs of the customers

2.2 Leadership
The leadership of the firm will focus on the transformational leadership rather than the transactional leadership strategies which have been used in the firm. In the transformational, the employees or the staff will be encouraged to be able to undertake the different functions that are geared towards the achievement of the success (Lasserre, 2012). Rather than focus on the achievement of the goals that have been set by the top management of the firm, the focus will be on the need to be able to allow the staff to develop the objectives that they will explore and then allowing the employees to work towards the achievement of such goals (Craig & Campbell, 2012). The strategic alliances that are used in the firm will allow the reduction of the control of the management on the strategies that should be adopted by the firm. The employees in the strategic alliances will be allowed to be able to develop their own objectives and be encouraged to achieve such objectives (Daft, Kendrick & Vershinina, 2010). There will be the reduction on the need to provide monetary rewards and the use of punishments to encourage the customers to be able to undertake the functions that are at play. The employees who are fronted by Apple, Inc. will be encouraged to be at the forefront so that the Apple, Inc.’s brand cannot be diluted.

The acquisitions that are being undertaken in the firm will play a role in the enhancement of the leadership as the innovators who are incorporated into the firm will allow for the reduction of the control by the management of the organization. The use of the transformational leadership will be enhanced even more through the use of the acquisitions as the entrepreneurs who are found in such business startups fancy working alone and setting their own goals rather than following the goals that have been set by the management (Daft, 2010). The leadership style that is adopted by Apple, Inc. in the Australian operations will also support the international strategy as rather than follow the directives from the Apple, Inc. headquarters with regards to the products that are to be manufactured and the prices at which they are supposed to be offered, the employees of the firm have the capability to be able to make a choice about the products that will suit the market based on the needs of the customers (Das, 2012). The focused differentiation will also be properly undertaken through the use of the leadership method that will be adopted in the firm. The differentiation allows for the customization based on the needs of the customers. The firm will thus be able to increase the demand for the diverse products that are offered in the market.
2.3 Culture

There are a number of the elements of the culture that will be considered. The culture entails the elements of the power distance for instance whether a low power distance or a high power distance (McLean, 2005). The current operations of Apple, Inc. in Australia are reminiscent of a high power distance culture where majority of the important decisions in the firm are made in the head office which is located in California, US. The important decisions that were made in the head office of the firm include the decisions with regards to the products that are to be made as well as the design of such products in terms of the look and the feel (Mihaela, & Bratianu, 2012). The firm has been operating under the direction that the management and the people who are found in the firm have the ability to be able to know the needs of the customers even if the customers were not asked. This has been the major problem that is faced in the firm especially in terms of the pricing and eh general feel. The rise of Samsung and the other smartphone markers and the domination of Dell and HP in the PC market can be attributed to the high power distance culture of the firm. It can thus be said that there is a need to be able to reduce the power distance to allow for the massive decentralization of the designs, innovations as well as the marketing activities of the firm. Secondly, there is also the need to move away from the high levels of the individualism that are found in the firm towards the collectivism (Ramachandran, Chong and Ismail, 2011).
The employees especially the innovators who are found in the firm are involved in the individual undertaking of the elements of the designs and the reward systems that are sued in the firm encourage the use of the individual effects in the achievement of the diverse objectives in the firm. However, the Apple’s operations in Australia need to implement the team spirit especially through the use of the team rewards for the employees (Schein, 1990). Rather than focus on the need to reward the individuals, the rewards should be offered to the groups of the employees.

2.4 Change management
Change management will need to be considered in terms of the change in the attitudes of the people who are found in the firm. The change management will be undertaken through the use of the Kurt Lewin’s three stage change model. The unfreezing will involve the acceptance of all the change that is necessary (Paton & McCalman, 2008). The changes that are necessary include the move away from the standardized products to the customization of the products based on the markets where the products will be offered, the needs to change the leadership from the transactional to the transformational and the decentralization of the decision making i.e. in terms of the design and the innovation (Anderson & Ackerman-Anderson, 2010). The above changes are needed so that the firm can be responsive to the needs of the customers, encourage the individual discretion and also help to build the trust between the firm and the employees who are found in the firm. The change involves the adoption of the new ways of doing things for instance the decentralization of the design and the innovation, the focus on the teamwork and the transformational leadership. Finally, there will be the refreeze where the firm shall have revived the stability of the operations.

3.0 Conclusion
Apple, Inc. will continue to have massive successes in the market due to the adoption of the change strategies as well as the implementation of the strategies that are geared towards the consideration of the individual needs of the customers in Australia. The movement away from the standard global products towards the customization of the products for the diverse markets will play a role in the reduction of the levels of the competition that is faced by the firm.

Middle East, Syrian Crisis

Print Media Journal: Middle East, Syrian Crisis
Introduction
The Syrian crisis has been going on for the last three years and has led to the loss of tens of thousands of lives while displacing a million more. The allegation of the use of chemical weapons by the Assad’s regime led to the swift action by the US and Russia to be able to seek for a quick solution to the political impasse in the country.

Summaries
Title: Syrian Officials Sound a Conciliatory Note toward the Opposition

Publication: New York Times Author(s): Anne Barnard Date: October 6, 2013

The article by Barnard (2013) carried in the New York Times notes that the Syrian government realized that they had made massive mistakes that led to the escalation of the crisis that was faced in the country. Bashar al-Assad and the other officials of the country for instance the Deputy Prime Minister, Qadri Jamil, noted that such mistakes were made and thus the crisis can be blamed both on the government as well as the rebels. The paper notes that the admission by the Assad’s regime is an about turn from the government’s position that the civil war was an international conspiracy by the terrorists. Even though Assad accepted some of the blame for the situation that was faced in the country, Assad ruled out the possibility of the negotiation with the armed opposition that is found in the country. The article notes that there are elements from both the Syrian government and the opposition who are opposed to the resolution of the crisis in the country.

The reporting according to me was not fair or balanced at all. Majority of the views that are used to justify the point that the government is sounding conciliatory does not hold in many of the cases. The above point of view is taken due to the nature of the people who were interviewed to be able to gather the reports. Even though Assad acknowledges his government is partly to blame for the crisis that is found in the country, he does not state the exact mistakes that were committed by the government. For conciliation to take place, it is important that the given individual owns up to his mistakes and then allow for the resolution of the crisis. In the paper, Assad’s stand seems to harden rather than soften as the headline of the article seems to suggest. Secondly, the reporting is not balanced due to the fact that an interview with a member of the opposition forms the bulk of the conclusions that are reached by the article. Qadri Jamil is a member of the opposition party that was absorbed into the government thus the views that he expresses are not those of the government.

In the real sense, the government has stated that they will not negotiate with the armed rebels and the opposition groups. The paper clearly points out that Mr. Qadri Jamil has no to little authority in the policy decision making in the country. The views by Jamil are construed to be subjective due to the nature of his standing, as a member of the opposition that is pushing for the reforms in the country, rather than objective assessments of the situation at hand. The only objective assessment that can be noted is when he stated that “There are certain segments inside the regime, similar to other segments inside the opposition, who don’t want to have this political solution…This is either because of narrow-minded mentalities or because they have turned into merchants of the crisis” (Barnard, 2013, para. 10). Title: Destruction of Syrian chemical weapons begins: mission Publication: Reuters

Author(s): Mariam Karouny Date: Oct 6, 2013

The article notes that the destruction of the chemical weapons would rob Assad of his weapon that is most feared but would avert the possibility of a military strike by the US. The article notes that the undertaking is taking place amidst the civil war that pits Assad against the majorly Sunni Muslim opposition and rebels. The article notes the cooperation of the Syrians as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) notes that the actual destruction of the weapons is undertaken by the Syrians. The article notes that Assad still has the capacity to defeat the rebels even after the complete destruction of the chemical weapons. Russia and the US are pushing for negotiations to resolve the conflicts in the country but Assad maintains the position that he will not negotiate with the rebels until they lay down their arms. The opposition on the other hand is focused on forming a transitional government that excludes Assad and all his supporters.

The US and the other western countries such as the UK have argued that there is a UN report that seems to implicate the Assad’s regime for the chemical attack on the people. The article notes that Russia and the West are pushing for a resettlement of the conflict through dialogue between Assad and the opposition forces that are found in the country. There is also some fighting that has been reported in the article especially in the small village of al-Mitras that has been supportive of the rebels to oust the four decade autocratic rule of Assad.

The reporting in the article is fair and balanced due to a number of elements. First, majority of the elements that are found in the article are objective facts that have been proven and can be seen to have taken place. Numerous organizational including the OPCW that are involved in the supervision and the inspection of the destruction of the chemical weapons are in agreement with the fact that the process of the destruction of the chemicals has begun in Syria. The article also notes clearly that Assad’s government is supportive of the destruction of the chemicals and they have not been contravention of any of the agreements that are faced. The article also reports the objective facts that are taking place for instance the fighting between the government loyal forces and the rebel forces that are found in the country. The paper clearly reiterates the position of Assad. Assad argued that he would not negotiate with an armed opposition. All the oppositions the world over do not have armies or fighters on the ground. Assad’s view is thus correct and the article did well to be able to reiterate the concerns that he had.

The paper gives a balanced view as the views of Assad are provided while also significantly airing the views of the opposition groups that are found in the country. Title: Experts begin dismantling Syrian chemical program Publication: Associated Press Author(s): Ryan Lucas Date: Oct 6, 2013

The article notes that the disarmament experts has started the task of the elimination of the chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria; a task that would be completed by Mid02014. The article notes that there some challenges that will be faced by the mission to be able to destroy the chemical weapons for instance in terms of the tough deadlines (9 months), and the bloody civil war that is being found in the country. The process of the destruction and the disabling of the weapons began in the country. The article notes that the actual people who are involved in the cutting and the destruction of the weapons are the Syrians while the inspectors from OPCW are involved in the monitoring as well as the verification that in deep the weapons were destroyed. Due to the sensitivity of the process, the article does not disclose where the process of the destruction of the weapons is currently being undertaken. It is also noted the mission targets to destroy approximately 1000 tons of stockpile and the facilities that were used to make the weapons. The article also gives the history of the chemical weapons program that was started by Assad.

The article’s reporting is fair and balanced as so far as the goal of informing the readers is concerned. The paper does not make use of wild allegations whose proof is not stated. In the cases, where figures are provided, the article uses the conservative figures that have been released by the different aid agencies as well as the UN bodies. The above is geared towards maintaining the objectivity of the reporting while helping to inform the readers about the gravity of the situation at hand. The fairness of the reporting can also be noted in the fact that the article does not at any instance state that Assad’s regime attacked civilians in Damascus with chemical weapons even though this view has been floated around the media cycles for a long period of time.
The article also provides the history of the chemical weapons program of the country as well as the actions that have been undertaken by the country in the last couple of years. A fact that is also found in the article that has been neglected by majority of the media reports about Syria is the reason why the Assad’s regime resorted to the development of chemical weapons. Assad stated that the action was to “fill the technical gap in the traditional weapons between Syria and Israel” (Lucas, 2013, para. 16). The article is also fair as it clearly notes that the actual people who are involved in the cutting and the destruction of the weapons are the Syrians while the inspectors from OPCW are involved in the monitoring as well as the verification that in deep the weapons were destroyed. This therefore seems to discredit the fact that the Assad’s government is just buying time and may not be involved in the actual destruction of the chemical stockpiles that are found in the country.

Title: International monitors begin to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons equipment Publication: The Washington Post Author(s): Loveday Morris Date: October 7, 2013

The Washington Post article by Morris (2013) noted that the first step towards the destruction of the stockpiles of chemical weapons of the Assad regime started through the deployment of the personnel whose actions would be overseen by the international monitors. The article quotes the UN as having stated that the destruction of the aerial bombs, the mixing equipment and the missile warheads were undertaken by Syrian teams in close supervision of the experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (Morris, 2013). The article notes some challenges for instance the security and the logistical challenges due to the ongoing civil war and the tight timetable as the stockpiles need to be destroyed in a span of 9 months beginning with November, 2013. The US Secretary of State, John F. Kerry, noted that the process is moving on smoothly with Syrian compliance and Russian cooperation. The article also states the positions of the two main world powers; the US and Russia as Russia supports the Assad’s government while the US supports the opposition rebels. The article also notes that Syria handed over their chemical weapons programs to the OPCW thus averting the prospects of the military strikes by the Obama’s administration. The article also notes that Syria was ready for the US strikes that would result from the alleged used of the chemical weapons on the population in the suburbs of Damascus.

The article is fair and balanced as it gives all the points of view and all the positions that are held. The United Nations is an organization that focuses on the world peace thus the views that are expressed by the UN are those that support the peace and the stability of Syria. The arrival of the supervisors from OPCW and the start of the destruction of the stockpiles of the chemical weapons in Syria are objectively represented. The article is also objective in that it lays the blame of the security and the logistical challenges that may be faced on the Syrian civil war rather than on the action of any one party that is involved in the conflict for instance Assad or the rebel opposition that is found in the country. The position of Assad with regards to the negotiations with the rebels is also clearly represented as they are the views of the president of Syria. The Syrian president argues that he will not be involved in the discussions with the rebels unless they lay down the arms.

The article is also balance since it states both the positive and the negative elements of the negotiations that are taking place in the country. The article notes that even though Assad has supported and has been in compliance with the weapons destruction programs that are being undertaken in the country, there are some elements that he is not in agreement with for instance the unconditional negotiations with the rebels who are found in the country. The article provides the reasons why Assad would not be involved in the negotiations with the armed opposition rebels in the country as that would amount to the support for two centers of power in the country.

Title: Destruction of Syria’s Chemical Weapons Begins, U.N. Says Publication: CNN Author(s): CNN Staff Date: October 7, 2013

The article reports that the Syrians started the process of the destruction of the chemical weapons on Sunday (October 6, 2013). The effort of the destruction was overseen by the international team that was charged with the oversight of the destruction. The article notes that equipment that was targeted for the destruction to include the “…missile warheads, aerial bombs and mixing and filling equipment” (CNN, 2013, para. 2). The OCPW team also noted that the Syrian personnel are using angle grinders and cutting torches to be able to disable or destroy the range of the items that were due for the destruction. There are over 50 sites where the destruction will be undertaken. These sites are mainly the research centers and the facilities. The article quotes a Syrian general who defected as noting that Assad will never give up the stockpile of the chemical weapons. The defected general also made some allegations that are also contained in the article. First, is that he was ordered to use chemical agents on the population but he refused to do that instead changing them with non-toxic agents. Secondly, he also alleged that the regime of Assad was transferring the chemical weapons to Iraq and Lebanon. This allegation is also supported by the commander of the Free Syrian Army, an opposition group that is also involved in the Syrian conflict that has claimed many lives in the past three years.
The article is not balanced and fair in a number of instances. First, the defected general’s allegations without any form of proof cannot be taken and reported as objective truth as is the case with the article. The general is an individual who is disgruntled with the government and in many cases is driven with the motive to see the government of Assad routed out of power by the combined forces of the US and the US-backed opposition forces that are involved in the Syrian civil war. Secondly, there is also the contradiction in the statements of the defected general. In one statement he noted that “The locations of most of the scientific research centers in Syria and the storage facilities are known and under surveillance, thus, he will give up those centers and facilities for sure without lying” (CNN, 2013, para. 7) and in another he said that the Assad’s regime was transferring the chemical weapons that were found in the country to some secret locations as well as Lebanon and Iraq. To a casual observer, such allegations cannot hold sway as in one instance there is complete ‘surveillance’ while in the other there is the secret ‘transfer’ of the chemical weapons. The two individuals who make the allegations are known as anti-regime forces thus there word cannot be trusted as objective truth.
The writer of the article did not explore further to be able to completely ascertain that it deed such acts were being carried out by the Assad government. The UN or even the US has not supported such allegations either in this article or anywhere else. What I know from the other news sources is that the US has lauded the cooperation from Syria.
Comparisons

The Reuters article by Karouny (2013) “Destruction of Syrian chemical weapons begins: mission” seems to have the biggest impact on the Syrian crisis. The articles gives an objective assessment of the situation in Syria as well as provide the balanced coverage of both the actions of the rebels, the arms inspectors and the Syrian workers who are involved in the destruction of the chemical stockpiles that are found in the country. The article also gives the official position of the OPCW with regards to the destruction.